Acceptance

Chapter 54

I groaned softly when I rolled over. Nathaniel pulled my back to him, tucking his face into my neck. "How do you feel," he asked me softly. "I feel great," I said then yawned. "Hungry, but great." I went to sit up but Nathaniel tightened his grip. Pyrus then came in while looking down at his phone. When he looked up he chuckled, "You look stuck my Phoenix." "I am," I told him. He came over to the bed, "Sharing is caring." He told Nathaniel before he tried getting Nathaniel to let me go. Nathaniel did let me go, but only to grab Pyrus and pin him to the bed, with Nathaniel on top. I slipped out of the bed before I was captured again. I went into the closet for some clothes.

Once I was dressed I saw Pyrus had managed to flip them, dominating a very heated kiss. Pyrus then pulled away with a smirk, "Get dressed, your parents are here." He then used his Fae speed to get off the bed and run to me, grabbing my hand. He then pulled me out of the room with him. "I'm now holding you captive," He informed me. I smiled, "I don't mind as long as you feed me." He chuckled, "Right this way my Phoenix."

He lead me to the kitchen where a few of the cooks were going around making food for the other servants and nobles who called this castle home. A cook came over to us, "How can I be of service?" "I know its past breakfast, but would you mind making me some pancakes and bacon," I asked them nicely. They nodded, "Certainly." They went off to make my food while and I turned to Pyrus. "So a certain genie told me your birthday is coming up," I prompted. He growled softly. "And that you don't enjoy celebrating it," I added in. "Can I let you in on a little secret?"

He crossed his arms, waiting for me to speak, "My birthday passed two months ago." His eyes widened at my statement. "Why didn't you tell us," he asked me. "Because I don't like to celebrate it," I told him. "Not only is it a celebration of my birth, but the celebration of my parents' death." He looked at the floor then. "We were celebrating my fifth birthday. My mom had just lit the candles on my birthday cake when they got a call about a horde of blood poisoned vampires," I told him. "When I blew out my candles, my birthday wish was for them to come home safely. I had been left with the Beta's mate, staring out of the window the entire time, waiting for them. They said when they got back we would open my gifts. Except, they never did. I couldn't bring myself to open the gifts from them until I was seven. I had hidden them in the tiny room I was living in, in the pack house. One was a white teddy bear, dressed as a princess. The other was a locket with a picture of my parents. I wore the locket up until Christmas when I was sixteen. It had been ripped off in the struggle. The bear however had been torn up when I was thirteen by some of the other teenagers, laughing saying I was too old for stuffed animals. During my years growing up with the pack, my birthday was never mentioned. After all, it was just a reminder of the day the pack lost one of their loved members and a reminder that I, his disgraced mixed breed daughter, was still alive."

The cook brought my food over to me on a tray, "Thank you." I took the tray and we went over to the table servants usually eat at. "I understand not wanting to celebrate your birthday, after all, it takes something huge to make you feel that way," I said to him. "However, we have some pretty special people in our lives who want to celebrate that we are alive, because it means we have another year we get to be with them."

He sighed softly, "I once had a twin." He confessed to me. "He was born much weaker and smaller. Because of that, our parents favored me, because back then medicine wasn't as advanced as it is now so they saw it only as a matter of time before he would die. He lived longer than they thought he would. He was my best friend. He didn't have the energy to play like the other kids, and using his magic exhausted him, but he had such a creative imagination. He would come up with so many stories and share them with me, and I loved drawing what he spoke about. One year a harsh winter hit us and he got sick. He was sick for an entire month. The doctors not knowing what else to do for him. One night after our parents went to bed I snuck into his room to lay with him so I could tell him happy birthday when he first woke up. Except he never did." A tear trailed down his cheek as he spoke. He wiped it away and continued, "Our parents didn't even mourn him, and saw it as useless to do so since we all knew he was dying anyways. I had refused to celebrate my birthday because it was a day I was supposed to be sharing with my brother, and it wasn't fair that I was still here and he wasn't."

My heart hurt for him. "When I told our other mates, they said the usual things, and although I was happy they cared and didn't have the same thoughts my parents had, it didn't make me want to celebrate it." He ran a hand through his hair, "Yet here you sit, making me the world's biggest hypocrite because I want to celebrate your birthday despite you not wanting too." I smiled softly at him, "Yeah I know. I'm a hypocrite too." He ran a hand over his face with a soft growl. He then looked at me steadily.

"Fine," he told me. "We celebrate mine, if we celebrate yours." I nodded, "Fair enough." He then smirked, "Just because your birthday passed, doesn't you're going to get away with not celebrating it this year." I huffed out a sigh, "Fine, but we celebrate yours first and I get the Magic Gathering out of the way then we will celebrate it." He shook his head, "I don't think so my Phoenix, you kept it hidden for the last two months, no way am I letting you go even longer without celebrating it. Plus, ladies first." "I already have enough going on, let's celebrate you first," I argued. "There can never be enough when it comes to celebrating you or any of my mates," he countered.

"What did I just walk in on," Qin asked when he came in, the cooks and servants bowing and seeming concerned their King was in the kitchen. "Her birthday was two months ago," Pyrus told him. "Why didn't you tell us," Qin asked me. "Because, like Pyrus, I don't like celebrating my birthday," I explained to him. "However, after talking, we both agreed, that we're hypocrites and if we celebrate his then we have to celebrate mine." "I agree," Qin said. "So what's the argument about?" "On when we celebrate hers. I'm telling her we need to celebrate hers before mine, even if we celebrate mine late. But she argues that she has enough going on with the Magic Gathering that we can celebrate hers afterwards," Pyrus told him. "We missed it two months ago and I think we shouldn't put it off."

"Why don't you just share a day together so both birthdays are being celebrated at the same time, then next year we celebrate them separately," Qin suggested to us. Pyrus and I shared a look. He smirked and I sighed in defeat. Pyrus looked back at Qin, "That is a brilliant idea." Qin smiled softly, "Glad I could help. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go watch our newest warrior recruits train." We waved him off before turning to each other. He then stood, "Looks like I need to go present shopping." He kissed my head before leaving with a smirk. This was not how I pictured our conversation going, but I'm happy we had it.

I just finished eating and on my way to go join Qin to watch the warriors when Shelton found me. "When were you going to tell us about your birthday passing," he asked me. I sighed, "I was never asked so I never mentioned. I only told Pyrus so he would know he wasn't alone. However, I didn't see the outcome of us both celebrating our birthdays but that's what is happening." Shelton smiled and wrapped his arms around me, "You're amazing, you know that?" I rolled my eyes, "So everyone keeps telling me." "So how did you find out about Pyrus not wanting to celebrate his birthday," he asked me after kissing my head. "Cindy told me the other day when I took her out for some girl time," I told him. "She asked me what I planned to get him, and I didn't even know his birthday was coming up." He nodded, "I see, and then today you cornered him into talking?" I shook my head, "No, I simply told him my reason for not celebrating and then he shared his. We then came to the agreement, if we celebrate one we have to celebrate the other's. It was Qin's idea to celebrate both of our birthdays together." He nodded, "Well, you're going to want to apologize to Cindy. She finds birthdays to be extremely important. Especially yours since it's a rare miracle half breeds could live past puberty before we broke the curse." To genies birthdays were extremely important since it's hard for them to have children. So each year to celebrate that you are a child that made it to this world was a very big part of genie culture.

I sighed with a nod, "I will." He kissed my head once more, "She's busy right now with her check up, but she informed me she will be hunting you down once she is freed." Talk about scary, I thought. He chuckled, "Good luck." He then walked away and I sighed while running a hand through my hair. With Cindy's hormones who knows how she will react. I just pray she doesn't cry. I really hate it when I make her cry. Goddess, why me?