The scent of the apple cinnamon tarts enveloped the room as Julia pulled open the oven. Distracting all in the kitchen, their heads turning to Julia in unison to get eyes on the delicious smell.
Nik being the first to move, sliding up to Julia as she straightened her back from lifting the tray out. The tarts steaming and sizzling in its fresh heat, hitting the chilled air outside of the oven.
Julia glanced up at Nik, slipping the pan onto the stove top. Using her foot and knee in a quick combination to shut the oven door.
"Don't mind if I do, it smells delicious." Nik rumbled, reaching over Julia's shoulder to grap a tart. Just inches from grabbing one, she smacked his hand and tsked softly.
"Do you have no sense? Let them cool down first, you buffoon." Julia said, turning on Nik and patting his chest softly. One of her dazzling smiles lifting the corners of her lips and causing her eyes to twinkle.
Julia glanced to the rest of the company within the kitchen. Stepping around Nik, though grabbed his arm and hugged him away from the tempting pan of tarts. "It'll only take a few minutes before they're cool enough to eat." She grinned, propping herself up against the servants table in the kitchen along with everyone else. Nik regrettably doing the same, his eyes continuesly drifting over to the tarts.
Nemia raised a brow at him and laughed softly, shaking her head. 'So food motivated.' She thought to herself.
Dorian's chuckle entering her mind near instantly. 'Yeah he is.'
Nemia glanced up at him, a smile resting on his lips. She returned with a smile of her own and leaned over, his arm wrapping around her shoulder to draw her fully against his side.
The feeling of his happiness and pride in just that simple move filled not only in himself, but poured into Nemia from their connection. From that, a branch of her own joyous feelings seeped between the two.
He squeezed her shoulder softly and seemed as if he was going to say something but was cut off by Lillian.
"Ugh, you two look absolutely perfect together." Lillian mused in a sigh. As Nemia glanced her way she noticed Lillian had propped her head up onto her hands. Her eyes in a soft, dreamy stare, looking at Dorian and her.
Nemia blushed and smiled softly. "Thank you?" Her brows furrowed quickly before returning to a smooth surface. Unsure of how to properly respond to a statement of that nature.
Dorian chuckled, his chest vibrating slightly from the sound. "I think so too." He leaned down, kissing her on the top of her head. Heat rose to her cheeks instantly but she kept quiet.
"It makes me miss Phenius." She frowned slightly, her brows knitting together. "It's been probably since the last time I slipped out here that I've been this far away from him for longer than just a few hours."
Nik whistled low. "That's been what? Twenty something years?" He asked casually.
"Something like that." Lillian mumbled, glancing at Dorian with softened eyes. "I sure am glad to be here though, even if I miss Phenius terribly."
"At least he and your other children will be here in a few days." Dorian offered with a lightened tone, trying to make his sister feel at least a bit better. "Then I get to meet the actual whole family." He grinned widely.
"True, that's true." Lillian smiled, her eyes brightening.
"Your husband and other children are coming too?" Nemia asked, confused. She thought it was just then coming, that the others were tied up in other matters.
"That's right, you and Julia were gone when I called Phenius." Lillians lips twitched and she gave an apologetic look for not saying something already. "I explained most of what was brought to my attention. He couldn't come immediately, but her and my other boys will be joining us in a few days."
Nemia nodded and smiled. "I see, makes sense." She responded lightly, shrugging with her left shoulder as her right one was tucked firmly against Dorian.
Ajax interjected then, seeing a time to do so. Seemingly using it as leverage to make his words relatable. "Speaking of dad, does he know about the Volkov lineage?"
Lillian glanced over to him, standing on her left. "Honestly, I don't know. I had forgotten about it. Though it is, in your words, really cool. It really doesn't have that much affect on our lives except by the extension to our actual lifespan the ties give. Oh, and makes us larger than average for lycans."
"But in the book it says..." Ajax started.
"That book was written by the son of the first. It truly meant something to them back then. But also, while we are from the first lineage, there was several 'first lineage's'. There was first families created in all parts of the world. Each god made their creations in each region, trial and error came at brilliantly horrible costs." Lillian frowned slightly.
"We aren't the only ones that came from first family bloodlines. We are just ones that survived and kept the knowledge around." She smiled softly and patted his shoulder, his eyes cast down with a saddened look to them. "I know baby, I felt the same way when I was taught the truth around your age. Maybe even a little older, it's too long ago to truly remember." She laughed.
"Mommy? You said it makes us live longer, what does that mean? Will we live forever?" Theo chimed in, his face scrunched with confusion.
Lillian glanced down at him on her opposite side. "Well, the average lifespan for lycans is maxed out at a thousand years. Which is a much longer span than that of a werewolf that only gets about three hundred years. Then there's us, our mother was over sixteen hundred years old and only passed because our father was taken to the stars fighting the dragon Kyth."
Lillian went quiet and Dorian stilled. Slipping into the folds of Dorian's mind, she could tell this subject was sensitive by all compare and still held a heavy weight of grief for the two. Getting the sense that these two never actually speak on the subject and this was just a slip of the rogue from Lillian trying to answer her sons question.
Nemia hand lifted, resting it on Dorian's that was draped on her shoulder. He glanced down at her and she smiled softly in response. Brushing her mind silent against his as she stared into his eyes. The stilled tension in him disappeared and his shoulders relaxed while the strained look in his eyes dissolved. Being replaced by a loving warmth.
'Thank you.' His mind melted into hers with his relief. Seeking her mind for safety and solace. He wasn't just her safe space, but she was his, she realized.
"Why'd Grandma leave with Grandpa? Was she there fighting the dragon too?!" Theo squealed excitedly, not quite grasping the whole ordeal in his young age.
Lillians lips thinned a bit and she pushed out a loud breath, Nemia could see the pain of the conversation welling in the pits of Lillians eyes. Nemia opened her mouth, about to try to change the subject but Lillian began speaking again.
"No, she wasn't hunny. The mate bond is a beautiful, scary thing. Once mated, you will share your lifespan with your mate. If one of you.. leaves. The other follows rapidly... Painfully." Lillian winced and blinked back tears that beaded in the ducts of her eyes.
"No mommy! Don't cry!" Theo grabbed her around her thighs, holding her tightly. His head resting on her hip. "I'm sorry mommy, we don't have to talk about it anymore."
"No baby, it's okay. You deserve to know everything you want to about our family. Even the bad things." She mumbled, flattening his her with her hand on his head.
The kitchen was quiet for a few minutes while everyone stewed in thoughts. No one wanting to be the first to break the silence until it became what would have been the saddest, most awkward scene to walk in on if anyone did.
Julia cleared her throat. "Um, w-..." She turned and almost sprinted to the oven. Grabbing the pan of tarts, spinning around with them in hand. "Tart, anyone?" She smiled goofily, doing her best to change the mood.
Nik immediately pushed away, snagging one first. "Don't mind if I do." He spun around her back and grabbed another with his other hand once he made it to her other side. "I'll take two."
Ajax face contorted with confused repulsion. "You were right mom, Nik is a moron."
Lillians eyes flew to Ajax and she slapped him on the shoulder. "Really?" She tried to remain serious but she had to pulls her lips in tight to refrain from busting out with laughter that still snorted out in a rush.
She looked at Nik, Nemia done the same. He'd already eaten half of one of the tarts, having the other half held up to his mouth. Which was open, but too stunned to move. He blinked, staring between Ajax and Lillian for a moment.
"Moron?" He repeated as a question, though obviously it was meant for himself as his face contorted to one of over emphasized thought. He shrugged after a moment, taking another bite of the tart. With a full mouth, he spoke brokenly. "I f des so."
Everyone's brows knitted. "What?" They all harmonized at once.
He swallowed and grinned slyly. "Moron?... I guess so."