by Sable Sylvan
“Really? No frikkin’ way,” said Addison.
“My grandfather and I share a special bond,” said Sage. “It’s his story to tell, not mine. Is there anyone you want to tell before we tell him that we’re going to the ball together?”
“Um, I think I should probably tell my sisters,” said Addison. “Otherwise, well, they’re going to flip out when they see pics of you and me at the ball together. They still think I hate your guts.”
“Do you hate them a little less now?” teased Sage.
“A little,” joked Addison. “Pass me your phone.”
Sage passed Addison his phone. She made a group call and called up her sisters and put them on speaker phone.
“Hey, guys,” said Addison.
“Addy, is that you?” said Alice. “How’re things?”
“Hey, Addy!” said Abby.
“Hi!” said Savina.
“Hey, girl!” said Cayenne.
“Hey, everyone,” said Addison. “You know I wouldn’t be doing an unscheduled group call if I didn’t have news, big news.”
“You got into that class you were excited about?” said Savina.
“That was so last week,” said Cayenne. “You fell in love with a prince, and now you’re going to be a fairytale princess?”
“Yup,” said Addison.
“Okay, okay, not that, so…” started Abby.
“No, I was serious when I said ‘yup,’” said Addison. “Girls…I found the one. Like, the one.”
“Holy heck,” said Savina.
“Who is he?” asked Alice.
“It’s someone you already know,” said Addison.
“Hey,” said Sage.
“Is that…Sage?” asked Abby. “OMG. Addison, really?”
“Yeah, I can’t believe it but it turns out we have a lot in common, and long story short, we’re fated mates,” said Addison.
“I frikkin’ knew it,” said Abby. “I knew it! I knew you two would end up together.”
“Then why the heck are you on the phone?” asked Savina. “Congrats, and have fun! Everyone, hang up in three, two, one…”
The group call ended, and Addy passed the phone back to Sage.
“There’s just one person we’ve got to tell,” said Sage. “My grandpa, Morten. Mind if I call him?”
“Not at all,” said Addison.
Sage pulled out his phone and called up his grandfather, the patriarch of the Scoville Polar Clan, Morten Scoville.
“Sage?” said the man on the phone.
“Hey, Grandpa Morten,” said Sage. “How’re things?”
“Well, that depends on how you answer my next question,” said Morten. “Did you find yourself a date to the ball? You can invite that Georgina girl, you know.”
“Yeah…that won’t be happening,” said Sage.
“Sage…do I have to go through my book and find someone for you?” asked Morten.
“No, I found someone,” said Sage. “There’s a girl I’ve invited…a very special girl.”
“Well, out with it,” said Morten. “Is she from a good family?”
“I’m inviting Alice’s younger sister, Addison,” said Sage. “She’s the one at Bonimolean for a semester.”
“Addison? Oh, yes, young Addy,” said Morten. “Is she there?”
“Yes, Grandpa,” said Sage.
“Well then, put me on speaker!” said Morten.
“All right, gimme a sec,” said Sage before tapping a button. “There. You’re on speaker.”
“Addison, my dear girl,” said Morten. “How are you finding Bonimolean?”
“Very good, sir,” said Addy.
“Call me Morten,” said Morten. “None of this ‘sir’ stuff. You’re not my employee, now are you? No, really, are you? I don’t know everyone who works for our companies by name.”
“No, sir, I mean, Morten,” said Addy. “Sage won’t have to go to HR. I’m very honored to be attending your ball.”
“Well, I’ll be honored to have you,” said Morten. “I know Abigail and Clove can’t make it, but I’ll be delighted to meet you. Will Alice and Herb be in attendance, do you know?”
“Unfortunately, not,” said Sage. “They have a meeting they can’t move that day.”
“How unfortunate,” said Morten. “Well, you two will have to represent both the Quincy and the Scoville clans. After all, Basil is in Brazil, and I have no idea where Mace is.”
“You lost Mace again?” asked Sage. “Ugh. Grandpa…”
“Don’t ‘grandpa’ me!” said Morten. “I’ll send you, Clove, and Minnie out to hunt for him sometime. He’s probably doing Fate knows what in Ibiza, far too warm for my tastes. Well, I better let you go. Looking forward to seeing you both.”
Morten hung up the phone.
“Well, now what do we do?” asked Addy. “I got the prince and an invitation to the ball. I guess usually the order is the other way around…”
“Hey now, you heard your sister,” said Sage. “It’s time for round two.”
Chapter Nine
Four Weeks Later: February the 14th
Addison and Sage spent the next four weeks getting ready for the Scoville Ball. It turned out that Sage’s grandfather was born on February 14th, so the ball was held on Valentine’s Day. The ball was both a social event, a birthday party, and a Valentine’s Day party, so it was a triple whammy. Addison was busy with her days spent at classes, nights spent at etiquette lessons, and weekends spent dancing on her feet and in the sheets with her boyfriend, Sage.
The day of the party, a Saturday, Sage and Addy took a private helicopter to London and a private plane from London to Oslo. A town car brought them to the family entrance of the Scoville Manor, which was in a forested estate just outside of Oslo proper. Sage and Addy went to their rooms (Sage’s personal bedroom and a guest room for Addy) to get changed. Once they got changed, they met in the hallway entrance to the ballroom.
That’s when Addy got déjà vu…
* * *
A red dress. She looked down and she was in a puffy red dress that made her look like a Valentine’s Day cupcake, with a sugared rose petal marshmallow topping, as the dress had pink petals embedded underneath a layer of red mesh and lace that was embroidered with green leaves. On her feet was a pair of shoes that looked too fancy, tall but somehow easy to stand in, probably easy to walk in.
She looked up and couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
There was an arch. The arch was made of red roses, a path of pink rose petals leading to the archway, where there was one figure, wearing a red velvet suit with an ivory cream cheese colored shirt and a crimson silk tie. The figure had hair like spun gold, and his eyes were like two bright sapphire-blue topaz gemstones. He was reaching out to her.
Addy walked toward the figure slowly, but it felt like she was floating. She stood in front of the blond man, who towered above her even in her heels, and he placed a hand on each side of her waist. She reached up to his shoulders, not just to reach up to see his face, but to hold her down and onto the ground because she felt as if she would just float away if he happened to blow on her neck a certain way.
The man leaned in and whispered, “It’s time for the ball, my love.”
“Love?” asked Addy softly.
“But of course,” said the man. “Why else would we be attending this ball together? You are my fated mate, after all. I love you, Addy.”
* * *
Addy was spinning, not like she was dizzy, but like she was dancing, moving and turning according to a rhythm that she could hear outside of her dream. She hadn’t expected Sage to tell her that he loved her this quickly. She knew rationally that yes, she was his fated mate, but hearing him say he loved her was something else entirely.
“Sage…I love you, too,” said Addy. “I don’t know why I’ve been afraid to tell you. I’ve known for over a week now. I wasn’t sure it was possible, but…for the first time in my life, I’m in love.”
“The first
time in your life?” asked Sage. “There wasn’t someone before, not in America?”
“Never ever,” said Addy. “Sage, that date we had at the school dance, that was my first date ever. When I said you were my first, I meant my first everything. I’m so nervous.”
“Don’t be,” said Sage. “You have nothing to be nervous about. Come on.” Sage took Addy’s hands off his shoulders and placed them in his. He leaned down to give her a kiss and then they made their way down the staircase into the ballroom.
Addy had been given a tour of the Scoville Manor upon her arrival with Sage. She hadn’t seen close to every room in the manor, and she certainly hadn’t seen the ballroom yet. It had been in the process of being set up for the party. She also hadn’t met Morten yet. He had been too busy with party preparations to meet with them, but of course, as it was his birthday, their first stop would be to his giant throne, a holdover from the feudal era, to give Morten his present.
The ballroom was full of gorgeous people in beautiful clothes eating delicious gourmet food, engaged in interesting conversations in a bevy of languages, and dancing on the dance floor. Sage and Addy were by no means the first people to arrive at the party, but there was still a bit of a line to see Morten. Of course, being Morten’s grandson meant Sage could break some rules, and so he did. Sage took the package that they had given to the party planner’s assistant off the large table filled with gifts for Morten and gave it to Addy.
“You’re sure you want me to present him with the gift?” asked Addy.
“Trust me, you’re gonna make a heck of a first impression,” said Sage. “Come on.” Sage and Addy cut in line and approached the throne.
Morten Scoville was tall, muscular even in old age, and his blond hair had become a shade of platinum blond that was not quite white, but not yellow enough to pass as ivory. He was wearing a dark charcoal suit that didn’t look fancy, but which read as old money rather than nouveau riche. Next to the throne was a familiar face, with a shock of hot pink hair and a hot pink tie. He was wearing a suit jacket and a black V-neck with a pair of black jeans and a hot pink belt. It was Mace, Bonimolean’s missing freshman, the youngest of the Scoville Polars. When Morten saw Sage approaching the throne, a small smile crept along his face.
“Sage, you made it,” said Morten. “I was afraid I’d have to send Mace out to retrieve you from some Oslo record shop.”
“Of course, I made it,” said Sage. “I haven’t missed one of your birthday parties yet.”
“And I see you brought me a present,” said Morten. “You must be Miss Addison Quincy.”
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir,” said Addy, giving a small curtsy that wasn’t overly formal. “Happy birthday and happy Valentine’s Day. I bring a gift from the entire Quincy family.”
“A gift? You didn’t have to,” said Morten. “I must open it at once. Mace, if you don’t mind…”
Mace nodded and came forward to take the present from Addy and pass it to his grandfather.
The package was wrapped simply in brown kraft paper, tied with red and white baker’s twine. Morten undid the twine and then carefully undid the wrapping paper, leaving it one piece. Inside was a cardboard box. He opened it carefully.
Inside the box were not one, not two, but three bottles of hot sauce, nestled in a nest of cardboard shavings. Each hot sauce bottle’s label was black, with a picture of a dragon on it, a dragon that resembled the same dragons carved into the ancient Norse rune stones that dotted the Scoville estate. Each dragon was the same color as the sauce inside the bottle. There was the ‘Secret Sauce’ that had brought Alice and Herb together in the first place, a jalapeño sauce that was green and contained lime juice. There was the ‘Awesome Sauce’ that contained fire roasted habaneros, a crimson sauce with a crimson dragon that looked like a stylized Celtic knot on the label. Finally, there was the ‘No Bullshizz’ sauce which had finally been perfected. It was an adobo chipotle sauce with a deep chocolate brown dragon on the label. Below each dragon was the name of the hot sauce and above each dragon was the words, ‘The Feminine Mesquite.’
It was a risky gift to give Morten, especially given his history with Elijah Quincy, the rivalry which had started this whole crazy venture. Now, it was time to see if their gamble had paid off.
“‘The Feminine Mesquite,’ eh? ‘The Feminine Mesquite,’” said Morten. “You know what? It has a nice ring to it. The only question is…what are we going to try this with? Mace, my dear boy, some mozzarella balls, if you don’t mind.”
“On it,” said Mace, before he quickly walked to the buffet.
“It’s been a while since I had a hot sauce that I liked,” said Morten. “Let’s see if my old recipes have stood the test of time.”
Addy wanted to correct him, but it wasn’t the time or place, so she kept her mouth shut.
“So, Miss Addison, have you enjoyed your time at Bonimolean?” asked Morten. “I trust that my grandson has been a good tour guide.”
“Yes, sir,” said Addison. “I can see why Bonimolean’s reputation as one of the best universities in the world has stood the test of time, and consider myself most honored to have been given the privilege of attending.”
“Oh, drop the ‘sir’ nonsense,” said Morten with a wave of his hand. “We are to be family soon, what with the impending nuptials of your two eldest sisters to my two eldest grandsons. Call me Grandpa Morten. And tell me…what do you really think of Bonimolean? I’m interested in your opinion, as an American.”
“All right, Grandpa Morten,” said Addison. “I was worried that the students at Bonimolean would be snooty and stuck up. I was worried that as a rather provincial American girl, that I wouldn’t fit in. I had never even left the Midwest before coming to Europe for this semester. However, I found that I was the one that had prejudged the students. The fancy clothes that the stylist gave me helped with my confidence, but I think that even if I was wearing rags, I would’ve been fine at Bonimolean. Only a few students have given me any trouble at all.”
“Tell me their names, and I’ll have them expelled,” said Morten.
Addison laughed.
“He’s not joking,” said Sage.
“It’s fine,” said Addison. “There have just been a few people jealous of the relationship that Sage and I have.”
“So, you two are dating, yes?” asked Morten.
“Yes, of course,” said Sage. “Grandpa, you know how it is.”
“You are awfully supportive of your grandsons finding their fated mates,” said Addison. “Honestly, I was a bit worried you wouldn’t approve of me, given that I’m, y’know, your rival’s grandchild.”
“Ah, yes,” said Morten. “Well, my dear, you must understand where I’m coming from.”
“Where you’re coming from?” asked Addison, a hand on her hip.
“Sage and I, as you may have gathered, have a special connection,” said Morten. “I am from another world, another time. The world you live in today is totally unlike the world I grew up in. You see, back then, it didn’t matter how much money you had…you could still see your children pass away before you. Luckily, I never had that happen to me, but my parents were…not so lucky. You see, I was originally the gamma of my clan.”
“The gamma?” asked Addison.
“That’s right, ranked third in the clan,” said Morten. “However, the war broke out when I was in my twenties, and both my older brothers enlisted in the war. After all, noblesse oblige, as the French say. Nobility is obligated, and in this case, obligated to serve their country in what proved to be the greatest conflict this world has ever seen. It was World War 2, and my family, like many others, lost people…including my two older brothers.”
“I’m so sorry,” said Addison. “I had no idea.”
“Neither of my older brothers had the chance to pursue their fated mates,” said Morten. “They died without ever finding their true loves, passing on their legacies. I vowed that no matter what, I would try
to help other shifters find their fated mates…and that’s why I have this grand ball every year. Why else would I have it on Valentine’s Day? It’s not really about my birthday. My birthday is actually in July. It’s about finding true love…and that goes for all my grandsons, not just the alpha. I care about everyone, from the alpha to the omega, finding their fated mates. The world we’re living in is changing swiftly. In a generation or so, maybe clans and alphas won’t matter anymore. Or, maybe they’ll matter more than ever. One thing won’t change, and that’s the importance of true love. I was once in Sage’s place, as a gamma, so I can identify with his role in the clan. I can identify with Clove and Herb as I’ve been the beta and the alpha, and even with Basil and Mace, because although I was never a delta or an omega, I also never thought that I’d be the alpha.”
Morten let out a sigh and gave them a smile. “That’s why I’m not mad. I could never be mad at any shifter finding their fated mate. Sometimes, Fate plays strange games. Now, if I’m not mistaken, Mace is back from the koldtbord.”
Mace came back, and they opened the sauces and tried them with the mozzarella. Every last sauce got Morten’s approval, and Sage and Addy were shooed away to go and frikkin’ dance!
Chapter Ten
Sage and Addy hit the dance floor. What Addy had been so nervous about before now came easily. With Sage’s hands on her waist, her hands on his shoulders, she trusted him to lead as he spun her in small circles. Between dances, they talked to their friends from Bonimolean, including Minerva who, of course, looked stunning, with her two dates, Julio and Nia. They had even made polite small talk with Georgina.
“You know, you look like a red velvet cupcake in that suit, complete with cream cheese frosting,” said Addy during one of their waltzes, brushing her hand on the crimson velvet lapel of his suit before giving his tie a playful tug.
“Is that your way of saying I look ravishing?” asked Sage.
“Is it working?” asked Addy.