Chapter 23

Sleep was difficult for Aria that day. She had too much to think about. Thoughts and fears, dreams and possibilities raced through her mind like a prized horse.

Vicente wanted her to become a vampire. Aria wasn't sure she was ready for such a monumental step. True, she'd known Vicente for over a year, and she trusted him implicitly, but this was huge. Becoming a vampire wasn't something she could reverse later on. She had to be absolutely sure before agreeing to it.

Vicente had also said he liked the idea of marrying her. Aria was nearly as overwhelmed by that thought. Marriage was less permanent than vampirism, but she still needed to be sure. They had been in a relationship for such a short time. He hadn't even said he loved her. She knew she cared deeply for him, but she wasn't ready for marriage.

She wanted to talk to Antionetta. Somehow, the Breton girl was always able to help her figure out the right thing to do. Her no-nonsense mindset had helped Aria before.

They got back on the road as soon as the sun set. The ride back to Cheydinhal seemed to go on forever. Normally, Aria enjoyed spending time with Vicente. However, after their conversation that morning, Aria wasn't in the mood to talk. Vicente seemed content to leave her to her thoughts.

They reached Cheydinhal early that afternoon and slipped into the abandoned house. As they entered the main room, Aria nearly stepped on the huge rat that raced by her feet. She jumped back and landed on Vicente's foot, making him yelp. Before Aria could apologize, Antionetta burst into the room.

"Schemer, get back here!" she shouted.

"Who's a schemer?" Vicente asked, rubbing his foot.

Aria groaned. "Please tell me you didn't name the rat..."

Antionetta shrugged. "Yes, I named him. What of it?"

Aria rubbed her forehead. "You do remember that Gogron threw him at us a few nights ago, right?"

"Of course I remember, Sister. I offered to help Gogron get rid of him, but by the time we found him, he looked so scared and pitiful that I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"So you decided to make him your pet," Aria said with a sigh. "Well, I didn't see that one coming."

Vicente touched her shoulder. "We should find Ocheeva and Teinaava."

"Right." Aria turned back to Antionetta. "I'll catch up to you later. We have a lot to talk about."

Antionetta nodded and continued to search for her new pet while Aria and Vicente started down the hall. They found the twins in Ocheeva's room.

Teinaava was the first to notice them. "You're back!" He cried.

Ocheeva stood up and clutched her brother's hand. "Is it done?"

Vicente reached into his bag and brought out the wooden box. "It's done."

Ocheeva cried and sank into her seat. Teinaava took the box and simply held it for a moment before open the lid. "Yes. This is indeed an Argonian heart. Scar-Tail is dead. We owe you more than we can say."

"Are you alright?" Aria asked.

Teinaava put his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Scar-Tail was once as a brother to me and Ocheeva. But his act of treason destroyed any vestige of that relationship. His death was well-deserved."

"Yes," Ocheeva agreed. She wiped her eyes and stood up. "Thanks to you, he is now where he belongs, lying with the worms of Bogwater. We are forever indebted to you, dear Brother and Sister."

Aria stepped forward and hugged Ocheeva. "You don't owe us anything."

"We do," Teinaava insisted. "Now if you will excuse us, my sister and I must put Scar-Tail to rest."

Aria nodded and stepped back as the twins left the room. Vicente slipped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her hair. "I think I'm going to go to the training room. Coming?"

"No, thanks," Aria said. "I want to tell Antionetta about our trip."

Vicente nodded and gave her a kiss before leaving the room. Aria went to the living quarters and put her things away, then went looking for her Sister.

She found Antionetta in the main room, trying to coax the rat out rom under one of the benches. When she saw Aria, the girl got up and pulled Aria down to sit beside her on the bench. "Alright, tell me whatever it is you need to tell me."

Aria gave her a brief summary of their trip to Bogwater and Scar-Tail's death, then told her about her conversation with Vicente and his offer. When she finished, Antionetta was silent for several minutes as she thought about everything. When she spoke a moment later, her question surprised Aria.

"So what's the problem?"

Aria stared at her. "He wants to turn me into a vampire."

"Yes, but he didn't say you have to make your decision right away. He said to take all the time you need. You don't have to make a decision right now."

Aria sighed and put her head back against the stone wall. "Yeah, but what about his comment about marrying me? We've only been together for a week."

"What about it? It sounds to me like he was simply voicing his opinion on the subject. He never said you have to marry him." Antionetta put her hand on Aria's shoulder. "You're overthinking things, Sister. And that's making you panic. Just slow down and take your time with the decision. The answer will present itself soon enough."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Aria said. She smiled at her Sister. "Thanks, Netta. Now let's see this rat of yours."