Cecilia's Mate

by April Zyon

  Draven had three younger half siblings. Two brothers and a sister. “The woman he was married to found out that Sunneva was pregnant and oddly enough took her into their home to care for her during the pregnancy. Sunneva had to sign a contract giving up all rights to me upon my birth, and as far as Craegin society was concerned I was the Kiralys’ child in all ways.” But he didn’t have his parents for long.

  “They were murdered,” he whispered. “The couple they’d chosen for my godparents actually plotted their deaths. It was a political move. One of my father’s enemies on the counsel paid them to get close to the Kiralys. They became friends over a number of years, invited over for dinners, and all that. Then once a child was in the picture, me, they had orders to kill the Kiralys. But they ended up deviating from the plan slightly. Instead of handing me over to be raised by the enemy of my father, they kept me to raise as their own. They knew the plans he had for me, and even though they were willing to kill for money two adults, they couldn’t condemn a baby. For two years they moved around thanks to the credits they were paid for the Kiraly murders. That’s when they were in the accident, with me in the conveyance, and the authorities put me into the system. Because they’d altered most records to show my name to be Draven Ackermann, and because my certificate of birth had been password protected, I was lost in the system. To everyone that knew of the birth they assumed I died in the same tragic home intrusion as the Kiralys.”

  Draven turned the data pad off and tossed it next to him, then slid his now-free hand around Cecilia. “Apparently the Kiralys and the Montereys, Sadie’s relatives, are the two founding families. The oldest of them all.” He shook his head before resting his cheek to her hair. “I just don’t know what to make of all this. I have no idea what to do with all the information. While I have this mild curiosity to meet Sunneva, I truly don’t know what good it would do. But I fear the harm it could cause if her family doesn’t know about me. Of course there is the other side of that. Draven Kiraly is dead, according to all records.”

  The marshal had made the offer of reissuing all his paperwork to reflect his true name, but Draven was wary of the offer. Once the fact was known that he hadn’t died as his father’s enemies had assumed, they might very well come after him. And if they couldn’t get to him, they might go after Cecilia. Now that the news had leaked out, there really was no hope of passing it off as a rumor. But maybe he could minimize the risk by not accepting the title and the lands, by trying to keep himself and Cecilia out of the public eye?

  “I don’t know what to do about all this,” he whispered. He was so damn tired. All he’d learned weighed heavily on him. On one hand he wanted to claim his birthright, to let the Kiraly name live and thrive once more. On the other hand… On the other hand it was nothing to him. It wasn’t who he was. It wasn’t a representation of all he’d personally gained. “What do you think about all this?” He couldn’t ask her what he wanted to ask. But it was so tempting to ask her to tell him what he should do. Oh so tempting to let her make the decision. Even if it did go against everything within him.

  Cecilia moved so that she was fully in his lap, her small hands moving over his tense shoulders, making him let out a moan of appreciation. “I think you already know what you want to do. I think you should meet your mother. Meet her, get to know her and the family you have out there. If things work out between you all, then spend more time with them.” She was stroking the side of his neck now, relaxing him more and more.

  “As for the name.” She shrugged. He felt it as her delicate shoulders lifted and lowered. “You have created a name for yourself. However, your family name is one that should live on as well. They named you Ackermann, so you already have lived up to that part. The question is, can you live up to the other part? Kiraly? I know you can but I have a feeling that you’re doubting yourself, love.”

  He let out a breath and allowed her words to roll around in his head. Draven didn’t doubt her assessment of the situation. He was doubting that he could live up to the Kiraly name. While growing up he’d only had to prove to himself that he could do something and only had himself to disappoint. But if he took on the Kiraly name he’d have a whole society ready to pick apart every move he made.

  Pulling her closer, Draven tucked her head under his chin. “You’re right, I am doubting myself. As Draven Ackermann there were no expectations placed on me, because I didn’t have anyone placing them on my shoulders. But with the Kiraly name. By the stars,” he muttered. In his head he added a few curses as well. “I remember learning about the Kiraly line in the academy. They were revered. Stuffed up on pedestals because of all they did for the Craegin people, rich and poor alike. They were one of the few families that ensured not a single Craegin went hungry during the worst drought we ever suffered as a people. They had, still have, actually, scholarships to put disadvantaged youths through classes and into the academy should they make the grades. They started the Reaching Further foundation. You know the one, it builds houses and complexes to get people off the streets and into a safe environment so they can better themselves. How the hell do I live up to all that, Cecilia? These programs have been running for years and are managed by a special group that my father and his wife had specified before their deaths. How do I live up to that?”

  “You simply be you, Draven,” Cecilia told him with a smile that lit her eyes. “You be who you are. Deep down you are a Kiraly. You know it as well as I do. You have always been a bastion for good and kind things. You’ve always fought for the underdog and if I recall correctly you also give to the very foundations that they set up. You just didn’t know it. I know you, Draven. You know that I’m right.”

  “Why are you women always so smug when you know you’re right? You are so lucky I love and adore you,” he murmured. Sighing, Draven dropped his head to the back of the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. She was right, as she usually was. A very annoying trait, in his mind. Just once he wished she’d be wrong about something, anything. “By the stars, the amount of paperwork I’m going to have to do to get my name changed alone. Then there’s all my military ID, our marriage certification, and the list goes on forever.”

  “It’s a good thing that you have me with you, isn’t it? I’ll do whatever I need to do in order to help you, and if you wanted to you could marry me all over again. Our marriage night was such a fabulous night and I wouldn’t mind a repeat.” There was passion in her eyes, her cheeks pinkening and her breath sharpening as she spoke, sure signs that she was eager for her mate.

  “We very well might have to, depending on what the marshal’s office can do to smooth this out. I’ll have to contact the marshal and let her know I will be taking on the Kiraly name. I only hope neither of us ends up regretting that I made this decision, little one.” Stroking her hair back gently, Draven took a moment to luxuriate in the smooth feel of her silky hair. “I never want you to be hurt by anything I’ve done. It’s my worst fear.”

  “We are in this together, Draven. You and I are a team. If something hurts you, then it hurts me. Just know that I will always have your back and I know you will always have mine. I understand that you don’t want me harmed, and I won’t be. We will put your family’s name back into society.”

  Draven nodded slowly. “I’ll send a message with my formal approval to proceed with the name change to the marshal’s office. It will likely take them a day to send through all I have to fill out to start the process, so we’ll have tonight to ourselves. Except for dinner with your brother, of course.”

  “Good,” Cece said before she bounded off and headed for their bedroom.

  Putting in the code for the marshal’s office, Draven quickly recorded a message and sent it out, then waited until the confirmation came through. Once he knew it was received Draven turned the video console off and headed for their bedroom. He paused at the sight of Cecilia kneeling in the center of their bed. Smiling at the image she presented, her pussy on display along with the rest of her body, Draven
began to remove his clothing.

  Chapter Twelve

  Six months later…

  Sadie looked at Cecilia and smiled her approval. At least, Cece hoped it was approval shining in the woman’s eyes. “So are you sure you want to marry him a second time?”

  “Are you kidding? If I could I would marry that man every single day. Don’t you recall your wedding night?” Cece and Sadie had became fabulous friends over the last several months. They commiserated together when Draven and Bracken were fighting with the seemingly endless paperwork that came with reinstating his family name.

  “Right, good point. Maybe I can somehow get Bracken to marry me again. That man is…”

  “Please stop. Right there. That’s my brother.” Cecilia stopped Sadie mid-sentence because she didn’t want to have to hear once more the virtues of her brother’s stamina and other things that a sister never should know about her brother.

  “Oh, hear that?” Sadie shifted on her heels and nodded. “Sounds like they’re ready for us.”

  A knock sounded on the door a moment later. Bracken stuck his head inside. “They are ready for you, baby sister. You sure you want to do this again? Wasn’t once enough?” he asked with a wink to his wife.

  “You bet I want to do this again.” Cece said with a grin. “Especially the wedding night. He’s…” This time it was Sadie who cut Cecilia off with a hand over her mouth. Cece just grinned and winked at her sister-in-law. “Is he ready for me, too?”

  Bracken was eyeing them both with a confused look. “Yes, he’s definitely ready. If it’s even possible he’s more nervous this time around than he was the first. It might have to do with the massive crowd in there, though. He’s worried how you’ll react to so many people watching this unfold.”

  “There is a crowd?” Cecilia felt a bit sick then. She took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. I can do this. He’s there waiting for me, and you are going to walk me down. All I have to do is focus on him.”

  Sadie touched Cecilia’s arm, rubbing it lightly. “That’s right, sis, we won’t let anything happen. Let’s get you married to Lord Kiraly, shall we?”

  “He’s so going to kill you if you call him that,” Cecilia said with a snicker. “Or at least go to the mats with Bracken about it.” Because Draven would never do anything that would harm or cause Sadie any pain either.

  “Okay, you two, enough of this. We need to go before he comes looking for you, Cecilia. If he does that the marshal might very well have a fit.” Bracken held out his arm to her and squeezed her hand when she slid it over his arm. “Sadie can lead us in,” he said. “Just like the first time around, my love.” The smile he turned on his own wife was warm and gentle.

  Cecilia took a deep breath and smiled. “I love him,” she told her brother without preamble. “With every beat of my heart. He’s everything to me. You understand that, right?” She knew that if anyone would it would be Bracken. He would understand because she knew he felt the same for Sadie.

  “I do understand what you mean,” he said softly. Squeezing her hand again gently, he leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Let’s get you married. Again. I get why he’s doing this and why the marshal insisted on being the one to perform the ceremony the second time around. Fintan and Adira are both here too, so you have a couple other friendly faces out there.” Sadie headed out the door ahead of them. “No sign of Mother, thankfully,” he said under his breath.

  “Thank the stars,” Cecilia muttered. “It could be the fact that her invitation was a bit delayed.” At least if the runner understood what she had told him the invitation would have been delayed. She couldn’t stop the announcements, but she could delay the invite at least.

  When they entered the hall she stopped and sighed. There he stood. Draven. He was everything she’d ever dreamed he would be. He stood with a new uniform on, one that spoke of his status more than his ranking in the military. His hair was pushed back, his gaze locking onto hers. She took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m ready.” She began to move with Bracken then as the music played. The closer she got to Draven, the happier and safer she felt. The more relaxed she became.

  “Hey, you,” she whispered to her husband when they reached him. “Miss me?”

  “Yes,” he hissed back. Taking her hand, he helped her up onto the dais and pulled her in closer to him. “I was feeling very alone standing here with all these people, most of whom I don’t know, staring at me. If you hadn’t shown up when you did I’d have come to find you, very quickly, and very desperately.”

  “Well, then it’s good that I couldn’t wait another moment for you,” she teased, moving in just another step closer to him. She heard the marshal clearing her throat and smiled. “Sorry, I can’t seem to help myself. I happen to love this man a great deal and look forward to every second with him. I can’t wait to marry him again.”

  The marshal gave her a serious look, but the woman’s lips definitely twitched. She held up a hand to still the talk in the room. Then she began. It was a slightly longer, much more formal service than the one General Daykin had performed. But in the end they said their vows to each other, gave their solemn oaths, and kissed to seal it all. When Draven pulled back from her he was smiling. “If we find out about any other mysterious relatives, no more name changes. I would marry you time and again, but the paperwork is too much.” He gave her another kiss as their audience applauded.

  “Oh shit,” she heard Bracken mutter.

  “What is the meaning of this?” a scarily familiar voice screeched into the sudden silence of the large room. The woman had walked into the room with her daughters in tow.

  “Shoot,” Cecilia muttered and looked up at Draven. She turned, Draven’s arm around her middle as they moved. “Mother.” She bowed her head respectfully. “This would be me marrying Draven, again. He’s taken his true family name and asked me to marry him once more as a Kiraly, so I of course said yes. I see that you’re still angry that he and I have wed?” Typically Cece wouldn’t be so bold, but with Draven holding her, and knowing that they could never be parted, she felt a little bolder.

  “You are promised to another so this marriage and the one previous are complete farces. The contracts were signed long before this, this…” her mother waved a hand in Draven’s direction with a sneer, “person came into your life. You will be marrying the man chosen for you as he was promised, under contract, by your father.”

  “Except for the fact that we nullified anything that you or your husband may have signed,” the marshal said from behind Cecilia. “The wedding of Cecilia and Draven is lawful per my office and in the eyes of all Craegins. What I want to know is how you could have even known this was going on?”

  “I had to send her a runner. He was supposed to arrive in five hours,” Cecilia grumbled. She hadn’t wanted to do it, but her father had sent her a message basically guilting her into it. “As you can see, Mother, my marriage is very valid and it’s been consummated, often.” That did have her blushing. “I suggest that if you can’t give us your well wishes, then you should leave. Now.”

  “She won’t be leaving,” the marshal said. “Now that she’s revealed herself she will be accompanying my guards as some questions need answers. We’ve uncovered a lot of things she needs to clarify. But you two should get on with your married life, again. Go, celebrate, and be happy.”

  “Thank you.” Cecilia began to shake when the marshal walked away. She watched as her mother and sisters were grabbed by the guards waiting there. She should feel badly for the women in her family but truthfully, she couldn’t. She felt nothing but distinct dislike for her mother and sisters for all that they had done to her over the years and for what they had done to keep Bracken and Sadie apart. She turned to Draven. “You married me. Good thing that you didn’t marry my family.” Just that he still wanted to be with her with that mess that showed up for their wedding told her that she meant as much to him as he did to her.

  “Of course I married you. I love you.” Turning
her in his arms, he pulled her in for a hug and kissed her cheek gently. “You are the only one that matters to me. Everyone has a few people in their family tree they’d rather not acknowledge. The fact that yours are all from the same time frame isn’t a reflection on you. It only shows how strong you truly are. You resisted everything they did, becoming your own person and knowing your own heart. You knew what was right and what was wrong without any real guidance. You did that because you are amazing. Your brother’s okay, too, I suppose.”

  “He really is.” Cecilia hugged him tighter before she took another deep breath and pulled back. “Let’s go and start our new wedding day the right way, please? Without hateful words hurled at us?”

  “Agreed,” he said quietly. Giving her a squeeze, he rubbed a hand to her back. He stepped back and took her hand in his. “We should grab something to eat, have a drink, and then we can go to the rental suite. We’ll lock the doors and hide out in there until we need to go back to the destroyer.”

  “You have the best ideas,” Cecilia said with a grin. “All right, Draven Ackermann Kiraly, how about you and I run for the food, and then keep on running after that?” She was all for skipping the reception afterward.

  “I’m willing to go along with whatever you want, Cecilia Ackermann Kiraly. No more than an hour at the reception. Preferably less time, but we’ll do whatever is necessary before we get out of there.” Squeezing her fingers, he pulled her toward the main doors before following the guards’ directions to where the reception was being held.

  “My husband is the smartest of all men,” Cecilia said as they walked out of the hall and toward the reception room. Life was good, very good, and it was only going to get better. Cecilia knew this without a shadow of a doubt. She was married to her soul-bonded mate, and nothing was ever going to get in their way.