Ember of Hope

As first meetings with parents go, it had been quite pleasant. Nobody had kicked Damien out or even asked him any hard questions. But he had a feeling this respite would be short lived. The questions would come when he was least expecting. They were back at Raegan’s apartment and heading out in the city.

He heard Valiance’s laughter and Raegan joined him. He looked over to where they were sitting together on a couch with their heads together and whispering. Raegan looked at him, found him looking back, and winked. “What’re you guys laughing about over there?” He took the bait and asked.

“We’re just talking about what Maria told us today. You do realize what that means right?” Raegan asked while her teeth remain on display.

He narrowed his eyes, “What?”

“Your mate is a healer, dumbass”. Valiance roared with laughter and even Nina and Sarah joined in from the kitchen where they were trying to find enough drinks for all of them.

And slowly, slowly realization dawned on him… the one thing he’d always run from was being mated to a healer and now he was. Only the thought didn’t frighten him as he thought it would. He looked over at Sarah and she winked at him and it went straight to his damn heart; that wink. Now he realized that he would take on an army of healers if it meant he got her in the end. So he just shrugged and grinned, “Whatever. What’s so scary about the healers anyway?”

Raegan’s mouth dropped open, “Dude where’s our Damien and what have you done with him?”

“I think when we get back home; we’ll have to go visit the crypts. Just to make sure our friend’s new found courage remains strong.” Valiance grinned and Damien flipped him off. He wouldn’t put it past these assholes to actually go through with their plan. Courage or no, he wasn’t ready to be besties with all the other healers yet.

…………………………………

Maria had invited them over for dinner the next day and they could smell the aroma from a block down. The scent got stronger and mouthwatering as they got closer. She had a display fit for a wedding feast when they arrived.

“I didn’t know what you’d all like, so I made a little of everything.” She said with an unsure smile.

“I’m sure we’d love everything, Mrs. Salvatore. Just the smell is enough to make me hungry”. Valiance took her hand and kissed the back of it. Maria almost swooned at his manners.

“You don’t have to be afraid, Damien. You can talk.” Maria tried to hold in her smile. “I am after all a healer. I can read people pretty well and I can tell he is not this quiet usually, is he?” she looked to Sarah for confirmation.

“No mom, he is not. He’s just worried you guys won’t like him or something.” Damien looked at Sarah with an accusatory glance and she shrugged; grinning.

“Well then honey; don’t give us a reason to dislike you. Just treat our daughter well and keep her happy and we won’t have any reason to not like you”. She said patting his cheek affectionately.

“Yes ma’am”.

“Nonsense. Call me Maria. Sarah darling, would you go to the study and call your father for dinner. It’s getting cold”.

When they were all seated; and greetings had been exchanged with Sarah’s father, Damien blurted, “Would you guys want to visit some day?”

“Visit where sweetheart?” came from Maria as she cut into her steak and took a bite.

“Evreux. You can come back to your world if you want. Evreux is nothing like Velar, I assure you. You’d be welcomed there and you could live near your daughter”.

Maria and Peter went quiet. Damien mistook their silence by thinking he’d somehow offended them. He hastened to amend, “Only if you want to. I just… I just wanted to extend an open invitation”. He seemed deflated all of a sudden and looked to Sarah for guidance. She nodded with a smile to ease him a bit.

“We would love that” It was Maria who sounded a bit choked up. She took a long sip from her glass of water and smiled at Damien. “We would surely like to visit someday”. The dinner went really well considering that Peter asked Damien several questions about himself. Whenever Peter would ask Damien a question; everyone around the table would go quiet in anticipation and anxiety. They were like a single organism; breathing as one and silently cheering their friend on.

Instead of going to Sarah’s apartment; they stayed at Raegan’s together. They’d decided to spend the time before the third moon in New York. After everything that had happened with them; they’d earned this little time off. Raegan had invited a few friends over to her apartment for a small party. She’d sent Sarah, Damien and Nina for food shopping and when Sarah had tried to object; she’d shut her up by saying that if Sarah didn’t go shopping; she won’t cook and she knew her friend would never give up on her homemade snacks.

Finally she had some alone time with her mate and she was planning to utilize every single minute of it.

“Come here babe” she took his hand and pulled him after her to her bedroom.

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