My Celestial Twin mates

CHAPTER 8 – CASEY’S POV –ANNOYED AT MY MATE

It had been three days since the ball, and we hadn't seen the King since he walked us home.

He had been sent an urgent message the next morning that he was needed in one of the outer villages.

Rogue dragons had invaded, so he went to help his troops.

Ava was furious by his absence, mumbling angrily to herself from time to time and slamming doors.

She felt as King he should have stayed at the castle and commanded things from here for his own safety but I knew my sister better then anyone.

She was worried for our mate but we both knew how powerful he was and that he'd come back safely, she was mad that she hadn't gotten the dinner he'd promised us for the night after the ball.

We had stayed up late the night of ball, talking about all the questions we wanted to ask him.

Mostly it was Ava who had the questions, I only wanted to know a few things but because of his departure, our questions had to wait.

She was also mad because she was planning on trying to seduce him again, she had come up with a plan that King Aiden could just command the healer to say we were virgins but not actually perform the exam and that way she didn't have wait weeks if not months for the wedding.

The only thing that seemed to quench her fool mood was todays event.

We'd been invited to a garden party today by Lady Chrystal, her mate was in the council so we had to attend.

As celestials, we'd grown up having to attend these things but I hated them, I always felt so restless stuck in one place for too long.

I was sitting on my bed reading through a letter from Katy. She had been one of our private servants growing up but a few years ago she met her mate.

He was the Beta to a Lycan Alpha who'd come for a meeting to renew a peace treaty and the second they met he claimed her and she'd had to leave us.

I missed her alot, she'd often cover for me whenever I'd try to sneak away and she taught me all about painting.

'Ava' I said excitedly as I looked up from the letter 'Katy's having a baby'

'Great' Ava said grumpily and shoved a pin in her hair to keep one of her curls in place. I rolled my eyes, and everyone thought I was the temperamental twin.

'I wonder if it will be a normal Dragon birth or a Lycan one' I returned to reading again 'Lycans are only pregnant for 4 months, can you believe it?'

Dragons had very different pregnancies and births, we were pregnant for 8 months and had to shift into our dragon form to birth the egg which we needed to nest with and continuously blow fire on for another week before it hatched. I often wondered about our own mother doing this for us, losing sleep to keep the fire going, having to rotate our egg every few hours to keep us alive.

How could a mother go to all of that trouble but then somehow loose us in the woods, why wasn't anyone watching us, we were only one at the time.

We'd asked King Aiden to help us find our family when we were little but he said it was something better left for when we were older and asked us not to bring it up again until we had come of age

But I was going to ask him again when I saw him next, surely now that we were officially mates, he'd help us find them, they had to be missing us all of these years, they probably even thought we were dead, we could even have brothers and sisters by now.

Ava never cared about finding our family, she'd always just thought of the King as our home and I guess I did too but I still wanted to meet my mother, I bet she was beautiful.

'Does it matter' Ava shrugged and stood up and looked at me 'Either way, she'll have a baby, unlike us, because our mate won't even touch us!'

'Ava' I groaned and placed the letter down 'Stop it, he explained that stupid virgin rule, it's not like he doesn't want you, how could he not, you're beautiful'

Ava smiled at me but then her face changed.

'Do you think there really was an attack?' She asked sadly 'Maybe he went away to avoid us'

'Why would he do that?'

'Maybe the council weren't happy to hear we were his mates' She explained as I stood up from the bed 'There is a chance we'll die during the ritual and if Aiden has marked us then he might try and kill himself, you know everyone always says losing a mate is the worst thing imaginable, so maybe the council want him to take a chosen just in case and his trying to pluck up the courage to tell us he changed his mind'

'Firstly, even if he did choose another, we're still his destined mates, so he'd still try to kill himself if we died whether he chooses another or not' I pointed out 'And secondly, if that were going to happen, don’t you think I'd have seen it in a vision?'

Ava's face lit up again 'Oh my gosh, your right' She said happily 'You would have, so that means he isn't going to reject us'

'Of course not silly' I smiled and wrapped my arms around her waist 'And anyway even if he does reject us, I swear I'll never leave you, I love you Ava and I'll always be here for you'

'Do you swear'

'I am a lady' I joked 'We never swear, but for you, yes, I swear'

Ava laughed and I kissed her cheek

'And don't ever mention dying during the ritual ever again, you're going to be okay, I will make sure of it'

'Right' She smiled 'Now let's go'

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my shall, I felt very uncomfortable in my pale purple and silk dress so I thought I could hide under the shall but Ava snatched it and tossed it back onto the bed

'Don’t even try' She warned me 'I didn't spend an hour trying to get you out of that hideous looking servants dress for you to cover this one, you're going to be Queen soon, so you have to dress like it'

She took my hand and started dragging me out of the bedroom before I could argue.

I'd tried to wear a light brown dress, claiming it suited a garden party but Ava had demanded I changed, even going to the extreme of threatening to get nanny to hold me down so she could change the dress herself In the end it was just easier to let her dress me as her own personal doll.

'I don't want to be Queen' I told her patiently 'How about we make a deal, you can be the face and meet the people and I can be behind the scenes and do the work'

'Ha' Ava laughed and rolled her eyes 'Nice try but no deal'

'Worth the try' I mumbled Ava chatted happily as we walked towards the main garden grounds, her mood had definitely switched.

As we passed a group of girls they stopped talking and glared angrily as we walked around them but even furious at us, they still bowed We'd always had the girls envious of us because we had powers and a good 80% of them didn't and because King Aiden would dot on us but now it was even worst.

Most of the girls had hoped they'd get chosen as his mate, it as very unusual for a King not to find his mate around his hundredth birthday so everyone thought that his mate must have died and hoped they'd get him.

Long before I knew he was our mate, I used to wondered why he never gave up and chose someone as his queen, he must have been lonely I added that question to my list I was curious about.

'Well if it isn't our future Queens' I stopped a groan of anger from escaping my lips and turned to see Ezra

He was the son of Lord Bracker, his father owned several islands around the main territory and was one of the biggest importers of grains and seafood into the capital which made him a very wealthy man.

Ezra was due to inherit it all once he found his mate and he had once had me in mind for the job and even tried to kiss me when I was 14 but I'd kneed him in the crotch and told Beta Ryker, who had the boy flogged for attempting to make advancements on me without my consent.

His father had been furious and demanded that Beta Ryker get punished but King Aiden had told him that if he had been the one to punish the boy, he'd be dead and that Lord Bracker had better start doing a better job at teaching his son proper manners or he would teach him with pain.

Ezra left the castle shortly after that but had returned last year to complete his fighting training, something every dragon was required to do.

He hadn't changed much since the last time I'd seen him, he'd put on more muscle and his black hair had grown out a little longer but otherwise everything else remained the same

He has dark chocolate skin and freckles, with dull brown eyes, his was only just taller then me and always dressed in the finest clothes money could buy To add to my annoyance, he was walking with Selene who was smiling at us with her stupid fake smile.

I didn't understand how no one else seemed to see through her horrid act She was wearing a very pretty blue silk dress with a thick pale blue ribbon around the waist that tied off into a bow at the back.

She had one arm linked through Ezra's and the other was holiday a camisole. How did Beta Ryker and Lady Elenore have such a spoilt-intitled b*tch of a daughter.

'Good morning Selene, Ezra' Ava greeted them in her sweet kind way as they stopped a few feet from us and bowed 'Are you both coming to the garden party, shall we walk together?'

I squeezed her arm in annoyance but she just smiled at me, I'd get my revenge for this, she knew I didn't just hate Selene, I actually wanted her dead.

The only comfort I got from knowing the King would sleep with her was knowing that I would actually have justification to kill her without the council getting involved and punishing me.

'That would be lovely Ava, thank you' 'You will address the Luna by her title' My guard Rick warned her and I smiled on the inside Selene looked murderous but she bowed to my sister again

'My apologies Celestial Ava' She said sweetly 'I didn't think we were using your title of Luna until you were officially married'

'Luna and your majesty aren't our only titles Selene' I reminded her 'Perhaps we should speak with your parents about your tutors, they clearly haven't been training you properly about dedicate, they may need to be replaced' Selene glared at me but I simply smiled back.

'That won't be necessary' She told me tersely 'I wouldn't want to bother my parents over such a trivial matter'

'Nonsense' I waved my hand, enjoying putting this b*tch in her place 'Its no bother really and your education is so important'

'I simply misspoke to Luna Averly just now' She bowed to me 'It will not happen again'

'I am sure it won't' I said in warning 'We should get going or we'll be late'

I turned and pulled Ava along quickly but Ezra rushed after us

'And how have you been Lady Casidy?' He asked 'We haven't had a chance to speak since I've returned to the castle'

'Yes' I commented but didn't look at him 'Its almost of if that was intentional on my part'

Ava giggled but covered it with a cough, though she was fooling no one.

'Come now' He said sweetly and I wanted to deck him 'You can't still be mad about last time, we were just children and I would never repeat my actions, especially with the King's mate'

'Speaking of the Kings mate' Selene commented 'Were you aware that this is the first case of any King having two, I wonder why it wasn't just one of you, it must mean that you aren't enough on your own, what a sad thought'

'Well it's lucky there are two of us then' Ava said, still in her sweet tone while I was attempting to stop myself from shoving Selene into the small river we were now waking over via the bridge 'No one else would have been enough for such a powerful man but you needn't worry about Aiden so much, it's not your place, Casey and I are very capable of giving our mate anything and everything he needs'

'Yes of course, I'm sure you're right' She said back with repressed anger 'Its just... I do worry for him, if he needs you both because you're not enough individually then will he be happy enough if one of you die during the ritual next year'

'As Ava said' I looked at her furiously as the wind picked up due to my temper 'He isn't yours to worry about'

'Oh look Casey it's Lady Roslyn from the hospital committee' Ava said quickly to defuse the situation 'I have to speak with her today'

Ava waved happily at her and she smiled and waved back

'Please excuse us' Ava said to the others and pulled me away

'I swear' I whispered 'One day very soon, I'm going to kill her and it will be the best moment of my life'

'Shh' Ava said softly as we passed one of the servers in all white attire, he looked at us but I didn't care if he heard me.

'Lady Roslyn' Ava greeted her fondly and kissed her cheek 'You look beautiful today, is this a new dress'

I forced myself not to I roll my eyes, I hated all this fake small talk, half of the women wouldn't even look at us twice if we weren't celestials, we'd have just been two orphans that they could turn their noses up at like they did the other children.

Speaking of which, I could hear a few children playing in the park on the other side of the garden and I longed to go and play with them instead.

'My lady's' Roslyn bowed 'Thank you child, it is a new dress, my mate brought it back with him this morning from Tarney'

'Tarney?' I commented 'But.. isn't that one of the villages that was under attack, when did the troops return?'

'Was Aiden with them?' Ava asked Lady Roslyn looked uncomfortable but she nodded

'Yes, the troops returned early this morning, I believe King Aiden was among them'

'I see' I said grumpily, so he'd returned and didn't have the decency to let us know he was safe, us officially being his mates clearly didn't change anything for him, he was just going to use us whenever he wanted something and then cast us off to our wing when he was busy with other things 'Nice of him to tell us'

'Well that’s good news' Ava smiled but I could tell she was just as angry as I was 'We will have to go and visit him after the party and welcome him home, he must be exhausted and needed to rest before telling us he had returned, not to mention he'd been fighting, goodness knows he'd need to bathe'

'Yes I'm sure that is it' Roslyn smiled 'I am sure he is planning on seeing you sometime today, he must have missed you a great deal'

'Yes, as made evident by him not telling us he was back in the first place' I snapped before I could contain myself 'If you'll excuse me, I am going to get a drink'

I walked away angrily before Ava could stop me and took a drink from the first server I past, regretting it instantly when I'd taken my first sip and realized it was wine... gross I placed it back on the tray and asked him to get me a water, I didn't care for alcohol, it was vile but others seemed to enjoy it which confused me.

I began to wonder around, speaking briefly with the other guests and doing my duty but I never stayed with one group too long, it was all mechanical at this point, a routine I'd developed over the years to make it look like I cared.

I looked over at Ava who was laughing and having a great time, I wished I could be more like her, she seemed so happy here, she was going to make an amazing Queen but me... I always felt so trapped, so out of place.

'Hiding away my dear?' I turned to see Elder Elisa, she was nearing her 700th year but thanks to the way dragons aged, she only looked like she was in her 40tys, we never really aged after our 40th year.

'Good morning Elder Elisa' I smiled as she bowed 'I was just taking a break, everyone keeps asking about the wedding but I don't really know what to tell them, it's more of Ava's thing, not mine'

She laughed and linked her arm with mine

'Come walk with me dear' She said and started pulling me off without a response while my guard quietly followed us 'I was never one for pomp and show either, when my mate Tarik was King Aiden's grandfather's Beta may be rest in peace, I would always hate coming to these things but now, it's quite amusing watching all the young ones put on a show' I smiled

'How is Lord Tarik?' I asked

'Oh as good as can be expected at our age' She waved her hand, causing her many bangles to rattle 'His off with our son and grandson today, some business about a hunting trip, if I'd remembered about this garden party I had to attend to today, I may have joined them' I laughed 'I wish I could have to'

'You young hatchling's are always so restless' She commented 'I was the same way at your age, never sitting still, always looking for the next adventure but as you age you come to realize that it's all meaningless, your mates and your families are the most important things, they're the only thing that truly matter in this life'

'Perhaps' I agreed 'But you say that after you already had your adventures, I've never been allowed out of the castle for more than a day and even then I had to hide and get surrounded by guards' 'Well then I'm sure you're extremely excited about the wedding tour?'

'What’s a wedding tour?'

'Oh, none of your advisors have told you about the tour?' she frowned 'Dragons these days, so useless, once you marry the King you'll need to be introduced to the clan in all of the outer villages and not just the castle village, the King will take you and Lady Averly to meet everyone'

This was music to my ears, I'd get to be free, even if it was only for a few days, I was so excited.

'Are you sure this will happen?'

'I don't see why not' She shrugged 'Every other King and Queen went on their tour, although they were all of age, the King may wait until you have both shifted'

'But that’s months away' I pouted 'And what if he chooses not to take us because we're celestials, his never let us out for so long before'

'I am afraid those questions are best left for the King my dear' She said and patted my hand softly 'Now, has the King taken the two of you down to the catacombs to pick out your nesting area?'

I blushed, a nesting area was a very private place for a dragon, more so for a King, the royal line had their own private catacombs where all the royal children were hatched, it was also where we'd consummate our marriage.

King Aiden had taken us down there when we were little because we were learning about nesting from our tutor's. I found it odd at the time that he'd insisted on being the one to talk to us about it but now knowing he was out mate, it made sense.

'No' I said shyly 'We haven't gotten to spend time together since the ball because of the rogues'

'I see' She nodded thoughtfully 'Well, his home now so things can get back on track, it's important to pick the right spot'

'I am sure we'll choose a spot before the wedding'

'It's been a long time since I've been to a royal wedding, I'm quite looking forward to it'

'You and everyone else' I sighed 'Do you think we'd get away with eloping?'

Elder Elisa laughed

'You could certainly try' She said in amusement 'Although from a conversation I overheard earlier from Lady Ava, she's already planned half the ceremony so she may murder you if you try to suggest eloping'

'Probably' I pouted and kicked a stone out of my path.

'I didn't have the heart to tell the child that royal weddings are all pretty much the same with a few exceptions' She told me 'There isn't a lot of room for change, the council won't approve of it'

'Great' I groaned 'And I suppose I will have to be the one to fill Ava in on this'

'Better you then me dear'

I smirked and shook my head as we continued down the path that was wrapping around and leading us back to the party.

'Elisa my darling!' Another of the elder women called out 'Luna Casidy, over here!'

She was standing with a group of women all dressed in beautiful flowing dresses with their hair elegantly done and to my great disgust, Selene was among them.

I suppressed my sigh and continued to walk over to them with Elder Elisa until we reached the women who bowed.

'Hello Ladies' I smiled warmly 'It’s wonderful to see you all'

'And you my darling' The women, Elder Sonya said happily, I don't think I'd ever seen her angry, not once in my whole life 'I was just speaking with Lady Averly, she's going to come for a dress fitting to design her wedding gown, shall I make time for you as well?'

Lady Sonya was one of our finest dress makers, she loved to travel through the dimensions and find new and exciting materials and designs to play around with and King Aiden had forced me to go visit her every year for a new fitting.

'Can’t you just use my old measurements?'

Lady Sonya looked at me as though I had grown a second head.

'Of course not' She told me as though I was being completely unreasonable

'Your wedding gown must fit perfectly, besides, it has been months since your last fitting and from the looks of you , you have grown out a little more in the chest area, I'll need to adjust'

I blushed and looked down.

'This kind of discussion isn't very appropriate in public Lady Sonya'

I gasped and spun around to see King Aiden standing next to Ava who was happily holding his hand.

King Aiden was looking angrily at Lady Sonya who had fallen silent

'If I ever hear you discuss my mates body like this is public again I will not be so forgiving a second time'

'Forgive me your majesty' She said nervously before turning to me 'Forgive me Luna, I meant no offense darling, I just want your dress to be perfect'

'Why?' Ava smirked 'With any luck, she won't be wearing it for long!'

'Ava!' I yelled at the same time as King Aiden but there was an amused twinkle in his eyes.

Ava giggled before turning to Lady Sonya 'I will bring Casey with me for my fitting and we can talk about the dresses'

'Very good Luna'

'Wonderful' King Aiden smiled before looking over at me and reaching out his hand 'Now that that's settled, I will be stealing my girls for a moment, Casey?'