(Unedited)
Antonia woke up rejuvenated...
"Mate is here!" Her vampire yelled happily inside her head, sounding happy and overly cheery, and Antonia was about to tell her to stop dreaming when she felt the unmistakable feeling of her mate's arms pulling her closer.
"How are you feeling, Mate?" The vampire had asked lowly, their voice grumpy for some reason, and Antonia's eyes opened at once only to widen when she found herself gazing at Iris's groggy face; a sight she fell in love with at once.
"Iris." Antonia whispered, unable to believe that she was actually here, and the vampire grumbled deeply before squeezing her even more; as if they couldn't stand to even a breath away from her.
"Do not speak of that insolent fool. She made you sad. She made you cry. She made you suffer alone--" The vampire's voice got deeper, their magic buzzing dangerously, and as soon as Antonia placed a warm hand on their cheek, they stilled like the ocean.
"Don't. Please... It was my decision to take her pain away and not tell her. You must not blame her, please. I... It's the least I could have done for her after everything." Back in her mate's arms, Antonia was able to read her mind and see their memories again, and the vampire had growled lowly before sighing when their mate caressed their cheek; unable to resist her.
"You do not owe us anything, Mate. We will do it all over for you. A million times over. You are our mate. Our soul. We would always love and cherish you." The vampire had sounded soft then, their words causing Antonia to blush, and they sighed in relief when they didn't feel any pain from their mate.
"You... You are so different from, Iris. She is quiet but you're not. Even in our memories, Iris has always needed a little push from you when we first interacted." Antonia whispered, softly and in wonder, gold bleeding into her beautiful eyes, and the vampire had growled lowly as they pulled her in again; everything about them screaming possessiveness and protectiveness.
"It has been our curse. The knowledge of every life with you... We always know who you are to us and what you will become. So, in every life, Iris had found herself feeling unworthy of you and she had needed our help. This life is not any different. She is being tenacious again." The vampire and their magic were mad at Iris, growling at her to let her know, and something about that had made Antonia giggle; a sound so delightful that all three of them became entranced by it.
"You sound like Iris is a child and you have to babysit her." Antonia explained the reason behind her sudden burst of giggles, a blush dusting her olive skin, and Iris's heart ached for their precious mate while her magic and vampire seemed pleased yet irritated.
"We feel like it too. I and our magic. Should you wish you blame, blame Iris. She is the one not allowing us to be with you." The vampire's words were accompanied by their magic, their eyes glowing in a white hue, and Antonia pressed her face against their chest as she curled up; her pain reaching them easily.
"She hates me, doesn't she? She wants to reject me but you won't let her. She... You should let her reject me, Mate. I--" Antonia's voice shook, her eyes tearing up again, and when her mate's hands cupped her face; she didn't dare look into her eyes; terrified.
"Look at me, Nia." Antonia had been shocked to hear Iris's voice speaking to her for the first time, obeying her within a heartbeat, and as soon as she looked into her golden eyes, she was gone.
"How can you even speak such a thing, Nia? How could you think, even for a second, that I can hate you? You-- You are everything to me, Nia. You and the children we are going to have are the only reason I am still here. There is no me without you. I am because of you, for you, and without you, I am a nonentity. I do not exist if not for loving you and cherishing you, my Nia." Iris's voice was heavy and thick with passion and devotion, her eyes bleeding with it too, and Antonia could do nothing but gawk at her mate; completely sure she was dreaming again.
"My heart worships the sound of yours, my eyes see so they can find you, words leave my lips so they can relay my devotion to you... I am for you, Nia. My very essence survives because of you. If Goddess deemed, I would worship you and you alone. I would kiss the very ground you walk on and bow down to no one but you. I... I can never not be completely, irrevocably, and hopelessly in love with you, Nia." There were tears in Iris's eyes, oceans of golden love, and Antonia was surprised that she hadn't passed out by the impact of her admission; her heart racing and her eyes brimming with tears too.
"You love me." Antonia had mumbled dumbly, her eyes wide yet fearful, and Iris's thumb caressed her cheek longingly as she gazed in her eyes; causing her to lean into her touch needily.
"I have been in love with you for so long that I have become it, my Nia. I am no one if I am not my love for you. As unworthy as I am of you, I am yours. I have always been yours. I will always be yours." Iris confessed honestly, a twinge of sadness in her voice, and this time it was Antonia who had reached out only to wrap her hand around her neck; pulling her in to join their foreheads.
"And I am yours, Iris. Just as you're mine. In every way possible. In this life and every other. Forever and more." Antonia whispered her profession, letting her emotions plunge into her voice, and Iris felt herself tremble by the intensity of it; her vampire and magic roaring happily.
And then, for the first time in this life, they became one...
Neither Iris nor Antonia knew who had initiated the most significant moment of their lives, their vampires and magic unbelievably in sync as they moved towards each other. It was only when they were a breath away that Iris had whispered through their mate bond, needing their mate's consent to kiss her at long last, and Antonia had felt so dominated by her mind-numbing emotions that she answered her with actions; removing the damn distance between their lips eagerly. As soon as their lips met - soft yet desperate but patient and loving - every single cell inside their body fluctuated, instantly, before humming on the same regularity, their magic glowing brighter than it ever had, and their bond grew so strong that they shared every single thing; including the memories from all their lifetimes together.
Antonia had gasped as she pulled away; having lived lifetimes in a split second...
"Nia, are you okay, my love?" Iris inquired worriedly, knowing it must have been too much to see all that, and Antonia suddenly felt like her chest was too small to contain all the love bursting inside her chest for the incredible woman before her.
Antonia had not replied, realizing that no words could ever be enough to explain the love that she had invariably had for her, so she simply pulled her precious mate in and captured her ripe lips with her own; reacquainting herself with the addicting taste of her mouth as she had done in every lifetime. Iris had seemed surprised by her sudden passion, unsure if she would be able to rectify it suitably, and she had tried to hold her thrilled vampire back but when Antonia moaned softly into their kiss, her silky tongue tasting her mouth eagerly; her vampire pushed through. The vampire had deepened the kiss, even more, pulling out soft moans from their mate hungrily, and growled in satisfaction every time their mate blessed them; their magic entwining with their mate's.
Like Iris, Antonia was struggling with her vampire too, and when they felt that their vampire mate had taken over, they did too. Antonia's vampire pushed Iris's onto their back, straddled their waist within a blink, and kissed them so fervently that she feared they might combust at any second; their magic getting hotter with every moment of their unique union. With the vampires in control, there was holding back, and when Iris's vampire ripped their mate's shirt to reveal their mate mark; she worried they might consummate right then and there if not halted. Fortunately for them, there was a loud knock on their chamber's door, and both vampires growled loudly in warning at whoever was disturbing them.
Sybil pushed Azure to speak when they heard the scary voice; terrified...
"Er, Iris, it is I, your sister Azure. We, uh, we understand that you have only just met--" Genevieve loved her mate, she truly did, but she knew she had to take over because Azure looked like a red tomato as she tried to speak.
"Calm the fuck down you horn dogs! Your magic is too strong and it's causing the earth to shake! Don't kill us all with your hot sex!" Genevieve yelled without a filter, gaining proud looks from Sybil and Esme, while Azure looked horrified and Kahlan blushed in Sin's arms; most embarrassed.
Inside, Iris shook her head and Antonia blushed deeply; in control again...
"Blue, please take your mate away before my vampire and magic turn her into a frog again." Iris's voice was sweet as it slipped onto everyone's minds, causing Genevieve to gasp, and Antonia placed her head in the crook of her neck shyly; cursing her vampire who looked way too cocky at the moment.
"Wait, what? When did that happen and why is this the first time I'm hearing about it? Iris, I wanna learn that spell too!" Sybil looked scandalized, grinning at Genevieve who was glaring at her, and Iris ignored them as she wrapped her arms around her mate; happy and content.
"Sorry for ruining your moment, Iris, but I think you will need a more safe space for the next step of your mate bond. It's stronger than ours." Azure replied to her sister, gently yet cheekily, and Antonia was surprised when she heard her inside her head; sharing that with her mate too.
"Although my vampire does not seem pleased with the interruption, I understand, Blue. You may rest assured. I will be careful." Iris answered back sweetly, letting adoration reach her sister, and Azure smiled before dragging everyone away; ignoring Genevive and Sybil's bickering.
"And I thought our first time was something..." Sin's mischievous words reached the mated pair just before they vanished, causing Antonia to blush even more, and Iris merely held her strongly; sharing her feelings.
Antonia had never felt serenity like this before...
"Thank you... For giving me another chance." She whispered after a long while, at home in her mate's arms, and her body moved when Iris sighed happily; making her giggle cheerfully.
"I have missed the sound of your sweet giggles. I have missed holding you like this." Iris admitted then, her voice gentle and loving, and Antonia pulled her head back only to look up at her mate's beautiful golden eyes; losing herself in them.
"You will never have to miss it again, Iris, because I'm not going anywhere. I'm never leaving your side again." Antonia told her firmly, yet softly, and when she noticed Iris's eyes glancing at her lips, she quickly leaned up only to peck her sweetly; blushing even more.
Iris's chest rumbled with silent chuckles; her face serene...
"Thank you, my love. You are utterly too kind." Iris pressed her hand against her mate's back, her heart soaring at the flush on her face, and Antonia felt like she was dreaming; surely this crazily handsome Princess wasn't so unbelievably in love with her or real.
"Shall I bring your pets here?" Iris had asked all of a sudden, a thoughtful look on her handsome face and had surprised Antonia enough to bring her out of her daydreams.
"How do you-- Oh no! My pets! My sweet little furbabies! I forgot all about them!" Antonia had jumped to her feet, looking horrified, and Iris tilted her head as she watched her mate; her vampire and magic both confused.
"They were the only things that kept me going and I am so horrible that I forgot about them. Oh, I am the worst mom ever. What if they--" Antonia was clearly spiraling, her eyes tearing up again, and Iris was quick to use her magic to bring her back to bed; cutting her off with a sweet peck against her lips.
"Calm down, my love. Your, furbabies as you call them, are completely fine. I made sure they would stay at the best home in the mortal realm while you were here. I... I was not sure if you would wish to stay with me or not so I did not bring them here and asked a dear friend to look after them." Iris explained gently, her voice so soft it almost lulled her mate to sleep, and Antonia had snuggled against her before speaking.
"I didn't know you had done that or that you knew about my furbabies or that you even knew people in the mortal realm much less made friends with them... I really do not know anything about you from this lifetime, do I? Only the memories you shared and all of them are ruined because of me." Antonia spoke sadly, clutching the collar of her mate's shirt, and Iris had kissed her forehead before grabbing her hand gently; easing her with the simple yet loving touch.
"I will tell you everything you wish to know, My Nia. Do not be sad." Iris whispered those words to her mate, a promise, and Antonia believed her blindly; easing up at once.
"My dear friend, A, is more like family to me than a friend and she is the one who found me. She had white hair, just like I, and she told me that she found me fascinating. I was surprised to find out that she believed in the supernatural world, she was quite eager to learn about us too, and she had been kind enough to offer me help when I needed it to protect Kahlan from her own family... A's family is noble in their world and she introduced me to her wise mother who helped us move Kahlan to Italy without raising questions in the hunter community... I remain in debt to her since then, providing little to no help if she seeks it, and she remains my family in the other world." Iris had shared her memories with her mate, showing her the first time she met her dear friend, and Antonia had gasped when she realized who it was; looking up at her immediately.
"Iris, that's-- is that why I received so many security assignments from them? They are a big deal in that world and I owe more than half of my success to them. Did you-- Did you make them help me?" Antonia wasn't mad or anything, just curious, and her heart melted when she found Iris's face color in meekness.
"I had to ensure your safety, my Nia... I had asked A to help me once and after she learned about you, what you meant to me, she told me you reminded her of her wife so she decided to keep an eye on you for me. A is the one who took care of your rival company when they tried to sabotage yours... She is very adequate at that." Iris was honest with her words, conveying her remembrances again, and Antonia her grumbled before pecking her lips a few times; pulling away when her magic started to buzz.
"Well, now that I know she is A, your friend, I respect her and her family even more... In fact it all makes sense now. I remember this one time I was invited to their company event and she had kicked out everyone who tried to hit on me. Poor woman. I thought she fancied me so I kept glaring at her the whole night." Antonia turned sheepish then, grinning at her mate, and Iris instructed herself to apologize to A as soon as she could; aware of how loyal her friend was.
"A would never do that. She is one of the most loyal people I have ever known and she is deeply in love with her wife. She is her mate after all." Iris told her sweetly, pecking Antonia's nose only to have her giggle, and her heart ached for their Tulip who would inherit this soon.
Antonia smiled at Iris's thoughts; pecking her cheek...
"Yeah, I realized that after I saw her and her wife together. I hadn't known that humans had mates too before that and... I had realized that they were a mated pair, I could feel it, but that was it... I didn't feel pain or guilt or sadness as I watched them. I knew I had a mate. I knew you were out there and... I could never feel our bond. Or my vampire... And a part of me had me fooled by believing that I was lucky for it." Antonia sounded sad then, remembering the time she had wasted trying to fix herself, and Iris's guilt stabbed her heart; causing her to look at her at once.
"I... I needed to take that away from you so you... If I did not take it away from you, the pain would have been unbearable, and I was not strong enough to do that... I would rather you hate me for over a century than live a day with the pain of losing our little girl." Iris's eyes teared up, her Tulip's memories on the forefront of her mind, and Antonia had kissed her gently; sharing them with her without her asking to.
This was what Iris had been needing all this time; her mate, her Nia...
"Whenever you wish, I will bring your furbabies back to you and... If you wish to, I could introduce you to A too. She would love to meet you." Iris sniffed as she spoke, about to use her magic to wipe her tears, and Antonia beat her to it; wiping her face with the most gentle and loving touch.
"I would love that, my Iris." Antonia had whispered the words, recalling from her recollections from other lives how much Iris loved it when she called her that, and when her mate's eyes turned even more lustrous; her heart clenched.
"You... You called me... I-I never thought I would hear you say that again. I... I never thought you would love me again, Nia. I-I was so scared I had lost you." Something broke inside Iris, a dam of restricted emotions, and Antonia had wrapped her arms around her mate; letting her cry her heart out in her arms.
"I will always love you, my Iris. Do you not remember? You are my home. No matter how far I go, I will always find my way back to you. I will always come home to you, my Iris." Antonia recited the words she had told her in another life and used them in all, and Iris's body shook with silent sobs as she clung to her; her heart aching.
"I-I have been waiting, Nia. I-I tried to be patient b-but I was so terrified. I-I lost our Tulip. I-I failed you." Iris's words reached inside her mate's chest and squeezed her heart, tears rolling down her cheeks, and Antonia merely kissed her head as she allowed her to let it all out.
"You didn't fail me, Iris. You did your best, my sweet mate. And Tulip is not gone, remember? She is right here with us. We will have her again, my Iris. We will have the life you have always wanted. And this time it won't just be Tulip. We will have Ethel and Sadie too." Antonia told her mate happily, her children's faces making her heart soar, and Iris has pulled away when she heard her; a serious look on her handsome face.
"Yes, we will have them and we must not wait a century and a half to bring Sadie into this world. I promised her that I will make sure that she doesn't have to wait so long and that I will teach her all the spells she wished to learn." Iris spoke solemnly, as if talking about some mission, and Antonia chuckled through her tears; so happy that she could dance.
"Oh, my Iris... You are going to be the cool mom, aren't you? You'll do anything our kids ask of you and I'll have to be the uncool one and keep you all in line." Antonia was beaming at her mate, not at all worried about that dynamic, and Iris nodded before pressing her face against her chest; sighing happily.
"I love them, Nia. I love them so much. I do not think I will ever be able to say no to them. So, yes, you will have to take that responsibility because I already know that I can never say no to our kids." Iris sounded happy, peaceful, and Antonia's heart melted at her words; causing her to kiss her head lovingly.
"I know, my Iris. I have seen you with them... Although I think I agree with Sadie. You do love Tulip more than her and Ethel." Antonia had teased her mate, knowing that wasn't true, and gasped in surprise when she suddenly found Iris hovering above her; her golden eyes like suns.
"You know, my Nia, that I love them all equally. They are like three pieces of my heart... But I think I love you the most." Iris's voice was low and smooth, like vines wrapping around Antonia, and her eyes burnt brighter when she could feel her mate's desire for her; it made her head spin.
Although Iris had been disappointed when Antonia flitted away; smirking...
"As much as I would love to hear more about it, your mothers are here and Athena does not sound happy about what Esme did." Antonia was smiling as she watched her mate closely, standing a few feet away from their bed, and Iris groaned softly when she finally heard her mother's voice.
"Tulip warned me about Mother fighting Esme and how I would not like it and I guess my sweet girl was right, as always." Iris smiled as she thought of her wise daughter, flitting to her wife, and Antonia shared her feeling; momentarily ignoring the sounds coming from outside their chambers.
"I know you love our Tulip and Sadie but I can not stop thinking about Ethel. You are the one who will give birth to them, Iris. They will be a part of you. I can not wait to hold them again. They are just like you." Antonia spoke dreamily, leaning against her mate, and Iris wasn't the only one who heard a certain sound of snicker; both of them recognizing the one responsible at once.
Iris smiled lovingly while Antonia scowled...
"Ethel and Sadie, you do know your Maman and I can feel you right? It is not wise to travel just to find out who's our favorite. Now leave before someone else realizes you're here." Antonia had spoken sternly, picking up on her kids' emotions as easily as her mate's, and Iris smiled as she felt Ethel and Sadie leaving.
"Tulip, Maman's love, you must be careful if you wish to travel with your siblings. You must leave before your mom finds out. I can tell she has already caught Sadie and Ethel in the act." Iris's smile was the brightest Antonia had ever seen when she spoke, knowing their daughter will be listening, and they both felt Tulip's kisses on their cheeks just before she left.
Antonia beamed at Iris; in love with her smile...
"I can not wait to have them, Nia. These children are so precious to me. I can not wait to show it to them every single day." Iris whispered to her mate, leaning down to rest their foreheads together, and Antonia cupped her face before joining their lips.
"Me too, my Iris... But for that to happen, we will need Esme and Athena alive and if we don't hurry, they're going to kill each other. Come on now. Let's save our babies' family." Antonia chuckled at her mate's face, knowing she didn't wish to leave her side, and Iris stole another kiss from her before obeying; eager to begin their happily ever after.