It is very kind, very thoughtful, that Posey and the others felt Cora should celebrate finally turning twenty-seven, should celebrate that along with our mating, but when I argued against making it a surprise it seems as though I went unheard.
I tried.
Tried rather hard actually, to get them to allow me to tell my light about their plan but when Posey said Allie was crying because she was so disappointed, I cracked and gave up the fight like the obviously whipped male I am.
A female in tears has always been a weakness of mine, especially a female I care deeply about, one who happens to be mated to my best friend and carrying his child.
Who's a sucker? This idiot right here.
So I wound up answering questions about my mate that I've known for ages but never had to rely on for anything other than my own purposes.
Favorite dessert? Chocolate profiteroles with fresh berries, something I went all the way back to France to obtain for Cora during the first year of our relationship.
Favorite flower? Delphiniums. I left them with each letter I wrote to her, placed them together on Cora's window sill each night before the end of my patrol. I began doing it because their color reminded me of my light’s eyes, but once she explained what they symbolized, specifically ardent attachment, they became a favorite for both of us.
Favorite color? All of them. My light rarely ever settles on only one color, almost feels guilty for having a favorite, but based on watching her before and now, Cora is still very drawn to the palest shades of blue. Yep, the same fucking color as my eyes, thank you very much.
They also asked if there was any food in particular that Cora won't eat or doesn't care for, to which I laughed out loud because though she is tiny, my light’s appetite rivals most men my size. And when she gave me a look as though I was crazy for laughing at my phone, Cora arched a brow and smirked but didn't question me, to my great relief. Had she asked what I found so funny or pressed me over who I'd been texting all day, I would have cracked faster than an egg thrown by Daisy in the midst of a tantrum. I cannot, have never been able to lie to my Cora.
Withhold the truth? Absolutely.
Dance around it in order to protect her? Definitely.
But bold-faced lie to my love, especially while looking at her? Hell fucking no. There is no way I would not have completely spilled the beans over this damn party and I am grateful she was so engrossed in her damn book that she let it go.
Then I almost had a heart attack, or would have if I were capable, when they asked about gifts.
The surprise party is bad enough, but if any one of our family members decided to actually buy Cora a gift and attempt to give it to her, then I would not be the only one enduring her wrath.
It's not that my angel is unappreciative, not at all. As a matter of fact, the simple thought of receiving a gift from someone she cares about typically moves her to tears, but Cora has always been more adamant on time spent together being the greatest gift of all.
Which is also why the only two things she ever received from myself or one of my brothers that was not handmade or free—ie, sweet treats, flowers, letters, my drawings, Henrich's borrowed books, Milos's teachings on how to use weapons, Kai's guidance on meditation, Andrej's training in hand to hand combat—were my pocket watch and Andrej's dagger because they had meaning, purpose, and could be returned.
Ultimately, I believe this to be a result of the lack of connection with Josef and Anastasia.
The only gifts my light received prior to our relationship were ones given to her with explicit details regarding the reason behind the “gift” itself.
Toys as a child? So Cora had something to keep her busy because the other children wouldn't play with her, bullied her and forced her to spend ungodly amounts of time alone.
Dresses or jewelry? So Cora looked “less like the ghost of the daughter they should have had and more like someone a man will want to marry and take far away from them.”
The piano her mother insisted she needed? That was a gift given in order to teach Cora discipline, posture, a skill that would impress even the most simple of men. And so she had less of a reason to speak to them when her mother lined up the endless suitors she tried to pawn my angel off on. If they heard her music instead of her words, surely someone would see her fit for marriage. Little did Anastasia know that my love possessed a natural gift, a prodigal ability for the instrument as well as singing, and Cora would use that to entertain soldiers when we took her with us to taverns; therefore, giving voice to those words she never wanted her to speak.
Samson? Cora was gifted with Sammy when she was a teenager for two reasons. One, her parents were sick of seeing the way the other adolescents shunned her for being so strange, and if she was going to “act like an animal and play in the mud” she may as well have the only sort of companion that would tolerate her. Two, Sammy was actually Josef's attempt to earn favor with the human king, a Harlequin Great Dane pup to emphasize his regality, but the king found the one blue eye and one black eye so disturbing that he discarded the eight week old puppy and gave him to his hunting dogs to play with. Of course, my light found out and went apeshit over it, rescued Sammy just after those hounds ripped the still fresh stitches from his cropped ear and nursed him back to health. The only reason Josef allowed her to keep him was the former.
“Freak begets freak. Your eyes make that clear. The two of you will surely bring a curse upon this house, but if that mongrel keeps you preoccupied and prevents any more shame brought to my head, so be it. The less I have to deal with you, the better.”
Guy was a real asshat.
So, my angel decided that if she were given gifts it was actually a negative thing, a manifestation of her shortcomings in some way and if there was no true meaning behind them then Cora didn't want it.
Gifts of love, of knowledge, and time spent hold so much more value to her, and I both love that she feels that way and hate why she does.
I expressed a shorter version of that to the other females and thankfully they understood and decided the party itself was enough.
"Where are we going?" Cora's other hand comes up to my forearm, her warm fingers resting against my cool skin. "Not that I mind, it's so beautiful out here and I have the best company, I'm just surprised you wanted to take such a long walk in the sun."
"Just to the lowest point of the valley, angel." I struggle to get the words out. "I thought perhaps you'd like to see it, enjoy the way the mountains and forest create such a magnificent hideaway on the property."
