The Sacrifice of a Virgin

Pg. 85

After Cirino, Dario, Edmondo, and Maximillian drank her blood, they did something on their own that wasn't part of the ceremony but wasn't against the rules of it either as such Cassius didn't say anything. 

Before going back to their seats as by this time Cassius had untied Natasha, they went and kissed her on the cheek except for Maximillian who spoke out loud as to be heard to the back of the ceremony room, "When the time comes that you should take Victoire's place I will bow at your feet, as I am now and just as I would have obeyed the princess of the Delacroix house, I shall do to you."

He got up in turn instead of kissing her on the cheek, he kissed her on the forehead as he said some words in Slavic that were so low, that she did not hear all she felt was a warmth and happiness inside of her she had not felt throughout the ceremony and he had a glow on his face she had not seen since she met him.

After Maximillian left, "Octavian," spoke Cassius, "come, I give you your companion, the one that you waited for and was turned by you when asked so that she could forever be for you, come Octavian, and take your future wife and our future princess."

He got up from his seat and with a smile on his face walked towards her to take her hand although what he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and tell her she did a great job, a magnificent one at that. But he could only take her hand for now.

When he reached the front to be next to her as prince of the house of Delacroix, Cassius announced them to everyone as such, "I Cassius, Judge of the Council present to you our future Princess of the house of Delacroix, Natasha, and Prince Octavian Victorian Delacroix." Natasha thought them Octavian looked so handsome wearing his his prince headwear as well as his brothers.

Everyone stood up from their seats and clapped with smiling faces but Natasha had noticed that she had not only acquired a sharp memory but a hawk's vision as well and she saw someone who hadn't stood, didn't have a smile, and wasn't clapping and if memory served her right that she was Sire Rebekah from the clan Shadow Covet.

Natasha hadn't been the only one who had noticed. Judge Hearst and Blair both were standing in the back of the room also noticed as they looked over the 'crowd' and made a note of it. They as well as all the other Judges were tired of Rebekah's tantrums and her wanting everything to go her way.

If they had proof that she had sent newborns to kill Countess Elizabeth and her husband they would have banished her a long time ago because it was a rule that their kind cannot set loose newborns near a family and the newborns that raided Elizabeth's place were Rebekah's newborns and when she found out that the Council was going to talk to them she had them slaughtered and blamed the town people but they knew that the town people had nothing to do with the death of her newborns it was all her.

Octavian knew Natasha had been accepted and was happy, "Please, join us in the ballroom for refreshments, good companions, and music, let's enjoy this joyful event for me and our family." The Judges saw how Rebekah kept twisting her mouth and rolling her eyes and knew they should be ready for trouble, maybe this was the event that would bring about her banishment.