The Love of Lady Dimitrescu ((Completed))

Chapter Twenty Two: The Wedding

While mother Miranda sits counting her lucky stars, well into the thousands, Catalena is still bedridden. She's healed miraculously, but Alcina treats her as though she's made of something more fragile than glass.

"Daniela!" Alcina barks, "Get that dog out of here! I don't want to see it on the bed again or I'll-"

"Leave 'im be. Erobus is a good dog," Catalena interjects, scratching the mutt behind the ears.

All it takes is one of Alcina's grave looks for her daughter to scoop up the pen and flee out the door. Catalena, however, has a look of her own. One of crippling disapproval.

"Don't look at me like that, you don't know half the disgusting, vile things his paws have run through. Worse yet what he's licked-"

"Ye don't know half the disgusting things I've licked. Or maybe ye do know one."

Alcina dares her lover silently to expound on that thought. Catalena doesn't but neither does she back down. She takes Alcina's hand, "She's jus' tryna help love. I'm bored to rot sittin' here day and night. I miss sleeping next to ye."

"And I you, but until you're healed this is where you're staying. Soft, warm, and safe like you ought to be," Alcina murmurs, peeling back the silk sheets to check on Catalena's legs.

It had tested Alcina's sanity a second time seeing Catalena's skin turn ashen grey and become rocky. Then it began to flake off. The new skin beneath the unsettling ash scabs is scarred slightly pinkish red and the skin isn't smooth anymore but it is leagues better than anyone was anticipating.

Catalena grins. She squeezes Alcina's fingers, "Take me 'round the castle. I'll go insane sittin' here another day with nothin' to do."

After a long debate Alcina every so gently helps wrap Catalena in her robe and scoops her up bridal carry style.

With Bela gone at Donna's house and Iulia and Quentin off doing god knows what that only leaves Daniela who is it's reasonable to assume is still playing with Erobus and Cassandra who hopefully won't cause any trouble.

"Mm, I missed the feeling of yer skin," Catalena hums with delight as she speaks and sighs. Her arms wind carefully around Alcina's neck and the countess squirms. "Geez, I guess you didn't miss me."

"Don't do that," Alcina growls, ducking through the doorway and making her way down the hall.

"Then stop treatin' me like a bloody heirloom. I won't break, I think we've proven that."

Alcina's hands shift. She can't grip Catalena harder without causing her pain, so her fingers shift. Her teeth grind together so hard her jaws and neck flex, "Never again."

Catalena's stalwart visitor, whenever Alcina absolutely must go to take care of winery business or to do patrols around the castle, is Cassandra. As the oldest she feels slightly responsible for her younger sisters. If she had been more vigilant then the villagers never would have gotten Iulia and none of this would have happened.

"Cassandra love," Catalena grins seeing her oldest daughter. She motions her over. It's never made the young woman's stomach uneasy before but seeing Catalena's missing fingers never fails to make Cassandra grimace.

"Yes mother?"

"I need yer help."

There's a dangerous gleam in Catalena's dark eyes. One Cassandra hasn't seen in a long time. It's her fae mischief. Her personality starting to show again. She smiles, "Okay."

"I need yer mother to stop fussin' over me so much. I'll be fine. I'm more worried about her worryin' herself into an early grave. And we can't have that, we still have a wedding to plan."