Moonlight | Lucien Castle

Chapter 8

She decided Freya was her favorite.

Amaris had liked Kol, she truly did. She was certain Rebekah would be great, too. But she and Freya clicked as if they'd known each other forever. Which, in a sense, they sort of had.

Within the first few minutes into tea time, it was like they'd spilled everything that a person could have to say about their own life. Amaris went through her childhood as if she was being interviewed for a biography. It wasn't all that pleasant, of course, and the conversation took an even darker turn when Freya began to relay her own experiences.

But at the end of it, the two were sharing a warm look. And for the first time in the past forty-eight hours, Amaris felt hopeful about how future interactions with her siblings could go.

"Finn was not entirely wrong," said Freya reasonably. "You are not as mature as you think you are. However, I think you can learn from it. Together we can... find out what it is like to not be an only child. To be cared for and loved. I have my faults. We all do." She gave her a sympathetic look. "I am sorry, about the assumption I made regarding you being able to have children, earlier. The look on your face when I said it... it broke my heart."

"It's okay," replied Amaris. "I've come to terms with it. It sucked, a lot, at first, because I didn't even know what I wanted in life. Suddenly, I no longer had an option for one of those choices I might one day make. Maybe I would have been a good mom, maybe I would have liked it. I suppose I can adopt but now, I have accepted it, and I think I'm okay just being a cool aunt. I can't wait to meet Hope."

"I cannot wait, either," said Freya with a slight smile.

They had tired themselves out enough with their conversation to sleep soundly. Amaris curled up on the couch in Freya's apartment, managing to rest. In the morning, they had breakfast together before going their separate ways to get started on their tasks.

Amaris found Hayley and Rebekah in the Compound, which was being decorated for the wedding. Based on all the things she could see were missing, she assumed the wedding would be the following day.

"Hi there," she said softly in the doorway when she found them.

"Amaris!" said Hayley. "Oh my god— you're okay."

"I'm fine," she promised. "I'm glad you're okay, too."

"I was worried sick— where have you been?"

"Just... around. There's some stuff we three need to discuss, and I was hoping something could be done about potential prying ears."

"Ooh," said Rebekah excitedly. "I just learned this one." She waved her hand, which Amaris assumed cast a Silencing Spell over the room. "It is good to see you again, Amaris."

She managed a smile. "I'm sorry for freaking out on you and just bolting away. It's been... a lot. My fault, for being so insistent on being here."

"Don't be absurd, it's all Nik being a rotten little brat. I've spoken to him."

Amaris didn't think that must have done much. "I just hope we get a chance to talk more," she stated. "In the meantime, I'd rather not... live here. But I would like to get to know you, and give you a chance to know me."

Rebekah smiled. "I'd like that." She clasped her hands together. "So, what did you wish to talk about?"

"Freya," she said. "I met her. I'm actually staying at her apartment."

Hayley's eyes widened. "Wait, she's here? In the city?"

"Yes. I um, I went running to Finn yesterday. We had a talk. He tried to leave me in Vincent Griffith's apartment like a puppy with a partial boundary spell so he could go do some spellwork. I got out, followed him, found out he was trying to locate Hope, because after kidnapping Marcel, he found out she was alive."