9781631054099GracefulAcceptanceBeck (8 page)

“We will begin
planning immediately for your Pronouncement.
It will
be quite the event, everything we have all been awaiting.” Chiara smiled as her
eyes filled with tears. Grace’s mother was giving away her final daughter. It
would be an emotional time for her.

Trevor’s eyebrows drew
together and over his eyes, al
ready partially covered
by his riotous curls. He reached for his water glass and took a sip. Grace
thought he was preparing to speak, but he remained quiet. It was Davina who
spoke.

“We are uncertain how
all of this will play out, but with the imminent thr
eats
against our race gone, we hoped to slow the process down.” Seeing concerned
faces, she added, “Just a little, just enough to allow us more time to
acclimate. With three, it seems to need more time.”

Nods came from around
the table. Grace was glad that
was so easy.

Shooing away the
conversation with her hand, Adelina focused back to their earlier conversation.
“I am so interested to see how the circle has strengthened.”

It took only the
single reference of the circle for the women to focus solely on the
ir speculations regarding the fulfillment of the prophecy.
Then the elders told stories of their homeland in Italy. They’d emigrated
during different times, but both families left because humans were growing
curious about them. America was a good choice, a
nd
land ripe for growing grapes meant the Santuccis could continue doing work they
loved.

Conversation flowed
easily through these topics until finally every plate had been cleared and
Adelina was encouraging the women to join her in the library. She looke
d to Trevor who gave her a reassuring glance. Grace didn’t
like being separated. They had been her constant companions for weeks now and
being without Trevor made her stomach clench with sensations of not being
complete. She didn’t like it one bit.

“I’ll b
e fine. You’ll be fine. We’ll see each other in a bit.”
Trevor winked as he headed in the opposite direction to the parlor.

* * * *

Gathered in a circle
with their fingertips touching ever so slightly, a wave of power like nothing
else Davina had experie
nced pushed the breath out of
her. She looked around at the other women. Each
were
transfixed on her. Shooting bursts with
crackles like lightning claimed the air around her. While they radiated outward
to include the full circle, the bursts originated fro
m
her aura.

Dusk was just closing
in and the mild temperatures that had moved in brought
a stillness
to the evening. There was no breeze
coming in through the open windows. The concentrated scent of their burning
incense was prevalent and reassuring. As wo
men of the
Magdalena Circle
, they each had strengths of their own.
When combined, they were a mighty force, likely unstoppable.

Davina led the
chanting that customarily began with the elders. Tonight, the spirit moved her
to begin a new chant. Words she wa
s unfamiliar with
resonated out from her. “We are called. We are chosen. Come to us, Mother of
all Mothers. Goddess, we are yours.”

Their chanting grew
louder as each of the women joined in.
First Davina and Grace.
Then Adelina and Chiara.
Next Layla, Eloi
se, and Gemma.
Finally Paige, Amelia, and Sadie.
Their voices melted together in a
beautiful harmony.

The wind whipped
around the circle, coming out of nowhere, moments before the ribbons of white
swirled in the middle of where they stood. Similar to when
those capable of teleporting appeared, a smoke of vapors
plumed outward. Colors and lights nearly blinded them as the women watched.
Davina knew what they’d see when the smoke cleared.

Davina’s voice
penetrated through the hum of the chanting as she called
forth to Mary Magdalena. “Come to us, Mother of all Mothers, and bless
us. Call forth the earth with its nourishment, the wind with its spirit and the
water with its purity.”

The chanting altered
to “We are yours” as the women watched, transfixed by the m
iracle before them. The sparks of power that congregated
above them faded to the brilliant sight of the Goddess herself standing inside
their circle. Davina drew her eyes upward, hungry to take in every bit of the
magnificent Mother. It was a testament to
their faith
as women of the Magdalena Circle that their Goddess manifested herself before
them.

Their chanting stopped
abruptly as they awaited the Goddess’s message. Davina felt as if she was
floating and a surreal cloud of joy carried her upward. She was
bolstered with a newfound sense of calm that all she had
prepared for was coming to fruition. It was a peace she’d never known.

The Goddess raised her
arms,
the drape of her red gown hung to the
floor, and acknowledged each of them with a smile that fille
d her face with joy. It was the joy Davina felt in her
heart, made real through the Goddess. Davina kneeled down and the others
followed her lead.

 
Then the Goddess spoke, her words coming
at them as if from a long distance.
“You have pleased me, my faithf
ul ones. The time has now come to pass. Words I had spoken
and promises I gave will be made known. Release the curse, the sins cast upon
your ancestors, and open the tomb of hope. Your destiny is yours to claim. It
is, at long last, as it should be.”

As su
ddenly as she appeared, the Goddess was gone. The same
smoke and swirls of white ribbons coalesced into nothing as the room grew
silent. No one wanted to be the first to speak. Each woman looked to Davina.
She recognized that for what it was. She was their
leader. It was as her prophecy had foretold. Davina had her mate beside her,
and together, they would begin the new race.

“My prophecy spoke of
my leadership over a new race, with my mate by my side.” Davina smiled at Grace
who watched with tears in her e
yes. “I understand now
that our children, the children from those of the circle, will be the new
generation. They will be the race my prophecy references and they are new
because they will not carry the sins as we have. Of this, I’m now certain.”

Grace squ
eezed her hand. “Of this, I’m now certain.”

One by one, each woman
gave her agreement. Then Davina raised her arms, the others following, and
focused her powers. A hum, the vibration from their joined powers, descended
over their circle as they prayed for
guidance, for
thanksgiving, and for peace.

As each returned to
herself, the women noticed the room appeared to have been ransacked and the men
stood on the periphery watching in concern. They had been so consumed by what
occurred within their circle, they’
d lost touch with
the outside world. And by the looks on the men’s faces, they expected answers
even as they went to their mates once the circle had been broken.

“The Goddess spoke to
us. It’ll take us some time to interpret but we can be certain now that
the Sinsters were the seven spoken about in the prophecy,”
Amelia, the first to regain her focus, explained.

“The Goddess appeared
to you?” Tony, Grace’s father, sounded incredulous, nearly envious.

“Oh, father, she did.
It was incredible, more so than any
thing we’ve
researched,” Gemma exclaimed from the arms of her mate.

Seamus, like all the
other mates, held onto his woman as if she’d disappear. “I believe I speak for
all men in this room when I say that what we witnessed was scary as hell.”

The men
nodded and Trevor explained when he saw Davina’s
questioning look. “We saw nothing inside the circle but the wind tunnel in the
center causing chaos. The room is wrecked.” He motioned around them. “When we
heard the loud noises, we came running but there w
as
nothing for us to do. We knew enough not to disturb you while casting the magic
but it was a helpless feeling not to be able to protect you.”

“Silly
man.”
Davina touched his cheek and kissed him gently. “We never need protection while
in the circle. Tha
t’s when we are most powerful.”

“Yea.
Well, doesn’t change the fact that as
Valendite Breeds, we are conditioned to protect our mates,” Madden added.

“I understand. And you
guarding our circle
is
the best protection you could provide.
Truly,” Layla reassur
ed not only her mate, but all
the men in the room.

“What now?”

Everyone looked to
Davina. This would take getting used to. When her mates flanked her, each
taking one of her hands in their own, her heart leapt in her chest.

“Now we plan our
Pronouncement,
and I know just the place for our
ceremony. We’re going on a trip to Italy.”

Chapter Six

Grace didn’t think
she’d get everything done before they flew to Italy next week. With Samhain
approaching, the date for the Pronouncement, like all else, had b
een determined for them. To be honest, she was relieved it
would be soon. The Acclimation period was wreaking havoc on her emotions and
she looked forward to solidifying their Mating.

By the time she and
Davina arrived at the dress shop for their private v
iewing,
her sisters were waiting. Just seeing the women she most cherished lined up in
the large picture window watching for her arrival made Grace’s heart swell. She
had never imagined her life would work out the way it had and she wanted to
jump from the
car to hug each of them, but she waited
and followed security protocol.

Aside from their
standard security guards, each of the women also had a tracker installed in the
bracelets they wore. Davina grumbled about the security. Grace heard her
arguing with Madden this morning about remembering they were powerful women of
the
Mag
dalena Circle.
Davina had even offered to show him her
powers, and that was when Madden agreed to back off just enough to give the
women their privacy. Truly, between her now stronger powers and the
self-defense classes her father insisted on when they wer
e younger, Grace was pretty kick-ass when she needed to be.

Lost in thought, Grace
jumped when the door suddenly opened and Tomas told them it was clear for their
exit. Tomas took her hand while Stefan dropped a half step behind with Davina,
and together t
hey walked into the small dress shop
where her sisters waited.

Layla drew Grace and
Davina into a warm embrace. “We are so happy for the two of you. After all the
worries, you both found what you were seeking,”

They were all talking
over one another, excit
edly sharing thoughts for the
Pronouncement, when the owner came in from the back room. The short, round
woman with the face of a grandmother cleared her throat to get their attention.

“Let’s get to work. I
was told there was no time to waste.” The woman c
lapped
her hands and two slightly younger women came out with dresses of all styles in
their arms. “You’ll both need to give me some idea of what you like. I’ve
pulled only red gowns but there is still much assortment from which you may
choose.” She extend
ed her arms towards the girls now
hanging red gowns from the hooks around the room.

“And I was also told
white sheaths for the rest of the women.” Another young woman walked out
carrying samples of white dresses. “There is still a variety but less so with
these. You will let me know which is best.”

“Do we all need to be
the same style?” Sadie asked as she was already holding a slinky little dress
to her body.

“No, I don’t think
so.” Grace shook her head.
“Just
any of the white dresses.”

And so the dress sho
pping commenced. Davina and Grace chose their favorites,
narrowed down their selections to complementary styles, and began trying them
on. Grace was certain she’d tried on a hundred dresses before she walked out
with the one she adored. When she exited her
dressing
room, Davina pulled back her curtain as well. Their eyes locked before they
both took stock of the other.

“These are the ones,
Davina.”

“Yes,” Davina agreed
with her.

Both gowns were
scarlet red, floor length, and single shouldered. While Davina’
s hugged her curves, Grace’s flowed along her body. The
shimmer of the silk appeared nearly iridescent and with every step the fabric
gave off a glow.

As they stood admiring
one another, Eloise came around the corner calling for them, “How about…” Her
words were halted with a gasp that shocked them out of
their reverie. “Oh Gracie, you two are stunning. These gowns were made to be
worn together.”

The others must’ve
heard the commotion and joined them in the small space of the hallway. At first
a hush sw
ept over the group as they took them in.
Then echoes of Eloise’s sentiments confirmed what Grace and Davina already
knew. These were the dresses they would wear to their Pronouncement.

“These are the ones.”
Grace nodded to the dressmaker who was making her
way
through the crowd of women surrounding them.

“So beautiful,
Gracie,” Paige said. “Now, you and Davina hold still while she pins you for
measurements and take a look at the dresses we chose.”

“If you don’t like the
look, it’s all up to the two of you,”
Amelia added as
she raised an eyebrow to Sadie as if daring her to disagree. They all knew
Sadie’s style was the flashiest of the group.

Sadie grinned and
shook her head. “She’ll love mine, even more than yours,” she teased.

After another hour,
taken up w
ith measurements and deciding on her
sisters’ matching white gowns, Grace was growing tired and needed something to
eat. They changed into their casual clothes they’d arrived in and, able to
sense her mate’s needs, Davina suggested they head back to the bo
okstore and café for coffee and cupcakes.

“Cupcakes?”
Grace asked. “Since when are you
selling cupcakes?”

Davina gave a
conspiratorial grin and looked towards Paige. “Since your sister convinced me
to consider expanding the café. The storefront next door w
as for sale.”

“I bought it!” Paige
exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “We’re going to connect our shops,
expand the café portion along with the custom cakes I already do.”

Grace looked between
Paige and Davina, pleased that her sisters were so readily
welcoming Davina into their family. “That’s great.” She
took Davina’s hand and moved towards the door. “Now, let’s go sample the
products.”

* * * *

Sitting in the café,
Grace sampled one of each cupcake flavor. Thank the Goddess they were mini
sized tre
ats. The sugar rush was just what she needed
after the hectic few days they’d had. She was happily sitting back and letting
Davina answer most of her sisters’ questions until the conversation turned
pointedly to her.

“Do you all remember
all the times Grac
ie told us she didn’t want to
mate?” Layla asked.

They all nodded and
Grace felt her face growing red. She didn’t want to talk about this.

“She was so concerned
about it and we hadn’t a clue why. Why didn’t you tell us what was wrong so we
could’ve helped?
” Amelia wondered.

“For a long while, I
didn’t understand it myself so I wouldn’t have been able to explain it. Then
once I realized I was attracted to women, we believed we were the chosen ones
of the prophecy,” Grace explained.

Nodding, Gemma went
on, “W
hich meant you’d have to mate with a male, a
Valendite Breed.”

“Right.
I couldn’t be the one to stop this
incredible event. It would be selfish and I recognized that. I didn’t see any
way around it so I accepted what my fate would be.”

“You were willing to
give up your happiness?” Layla asked, her voice holding a
sense of awe that Grace felt unworthy of.

“I am a woman of the
Magdalena Circle.” Grace stated that fact as if it meant everything, explained
everything. For her, it did. There was no other choice
but to honor her commitment.

“You are amazing.”
Davina stood behind her and squeezed her shoulders.

Grace shook her head.
“It’s nothing any of you wouldn’t have done.”

The women all looked
from one to the other, serious faces, some frowning. Clearing her t
hroat, Eloise admitted, “I’m not sure I could say the same
thing, Gracie. You aren’t giving yourself enough credit.”

“Perhaps your
willingness to sacrifice is what brought your reward?” Gemma suggested as she
looked up at Davina pointedly.

“Well, it
certainly worked out for me,” Davina spoke up. “I suspected
for a long while that Grace could be my mate, especially given what I knew
about my own prophecy. I waited though because I couldn’t reconcile how it
could work with the Prophecy of Seven.”

“And h
ow did you finally know?” Amelia asked. “We’d been coming
up against dead ends in finding any more information.”

Amelia, Gemma, and her
own father had been scouring old manuscripts trying to uncover details, but
nothing ever turned up.

Davina chuckled and
kissed Grace on the top of her head. “Grace doesn’t even know this part. Trevor
came to the café on opening day. He was chaperoning Paige and Layla, and while
he waited, he had a latte. Later that night, he returned to drive me home. Re
member there was the unseasonable storm.”

Everyone nodded,
remembering the storm and those few days. Grace nodded because she understood
the significance of him drinking the latte with Adelina’s magic water.

Davina continued her
story. “Well, we actually k
issed that night and
something inside of me clicked into place. I didn’t let on and I stopped his
advances in their tracks but I knew. I knew he was also my mate.”

“So why’d you stop
him?”

“Something told me
that claiming Grace had to come first.” Davina r
eached
down for Grace’s hands and held them as she bent down and wrapped her arms
around Grace.

“You three are in
uncharted waters. There is no other mating of its type. The only thing coming
close is the
Tre Adoro
,” Gemma told them. “Anyway, the
Tre
Adoro
is actually
translated directly as the third love. His talents are only unlocked when he
meets the female in the mated couple he is meant to serve.”

“But that isn’t at all
like the three of them. First, it’s two women and one man. Plus, they are all
equa
l in what they bring to the triad. There are no
special talents, no special physiological explanations,” Amelia argued.

“I agree. My point, I
guess, is just that their triad is unique and what I most wanted Gracie to hear
was that she needs to create the r
elationship that
works for them without fear of it being wrong. She never liked being different.
I don’t want that to hold her back,” Gemma explained, eyes focused on Grace.

“I know and I suspect
my mates will stay on top of that. Thank you, sister.” Grace
reached over to touch Gemma.

Her sisters truly had
no idea how much their acceptance of her mating meant to her. She couldn’t
explain the dynamic of their triad because that was too personal, too private,
but Grace knew that together, they were a more sol
id
unit. They each brought different talents and strengths. And Grace could never
say which one she needed, or loved, more.

Goddess, she loved
them already.

“Will we meet Trevor’s
family? Will they travel to the Pronouncement?” Layla asked.

“Yes. They actu
ally still live in Italy, very close to the site of the
ceremony,” Davina answered. “He’s spoken to them to explain our mating, and
they were concerned at first. Then they spoke with your father and apparently
he knew just what to say.”

“They’re of the old
world. They did not embrace modernization and actually
remain still in the Village of Origin.” Grace shook her head, concerned. “I
expect our families descending upon them will be a shock to their quiet lives.”

“True enough.” Gemma
nodded.

“There’s nothin
g quiet about our families,” Amelia agreed.

“And speaking of
quiet, or the lack of it as it is, I need to get home to Julianna before the
men folk come calling.” Layla got up from her seat. “Who’s riding with me?”