Thicker Than Blood by Aurora Kryan (books to read in a lifetime txt) 📕

A light, salt scented, breeze rose from the ocean below sending flickers of darkness across my vision. I brushed them aside, tucking the loose strands of hair behind my ear. Eyes drifting down to the ocean below I smiled. The varying shades of blue and teal surrounding the small reef located a hand full of meters off shore was beautiful. I had never gotten the opportunity to travel to the Bahamas, or any costal state for that matter, so being here where the ocean stretched as far as the eye could see was thrilling, and almost overwhelming to a city girl like myself.

            A voice called out to me, breaking the serene silence of the ocean. "Nora."

            Tearing my eyes from a shadow drifting around the reef below I turned to look at the voice behind me. A man with orange colored peach fuzz smiled, showing a flash of pearl white teeth in that sea of fine tanned skin and thin beard. That same shade of orange hair sat atop his head, the sides buzzed short while the top stayed long enough to gel into a small Mohawk like shape. The corners of my mouth lifted into a smile.

            "What is it, Ossian?" I asked.

            His smile turned sheepish as he got down on one knee. I physically jerked to a stop, eyes burning as they widened against the salty wind. Could it be, had the moment finally come, was I about to be Mrs. Zimmer? Brushing one side of his jacket back he pulled a small black box from his pocket. My chest clenched, heart beat roaring louder in my ears than the sea below.

            Opening the tiny box slowly he revealed none other than an engagement ring. Most women would have expected a thing silver band with diamonds covering the surface or one large rock accented in the middle. But the ring I was looking at now was nothing like that, and that made it all the more amazing to me. Two silver wolf heads starred at each other, a gap between them, their eyes replaced with pear shaped diamonds. Their necks curved in a circular fashion, connecting at the bottom to form the actual ring part of the ring.

            Ossian pulled it from the velvet cushions, pocketing the box. "Leonora Wielder Goldberg, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

            I swore my heart stopped halfway though that sentence. I even put a hand to my chest to check that it was still beating. It was, loudly might I add. My hand stretched out to grab the ring, a yes forming on the tip of my tongue. I paused. This was a huge step in our relationship, rather than just diving in head first I needed to think things through.

            I needed to decide if Ossian was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Looking down at him I felt my heart twinge. He was handsome, his ginger peach fuzz of a beard adding a hint of cute to that male figure. The clothes he wore weren't woven from silk, then again mine weren't either, but he wasn't wearing rags from day to day. I glanced down at my wrist where a charm bracelet sat that he had bought me, five charms decorating it, one for every year we had been together.

            And then there was the scenery. A tropical island, not even on a map, owned by a friend who had lent it to us for the weekend. How many people would go out of their way, be in debt to a friend, just to fulfill someone's dream to see the ocean? Ossian's smile dimmed a little, fear beginning to grow in his eyes as I delayed, lost in thought. I looked at the ring, reaching for it.

            In the five years we had dated, and the nine I had known him personally, he had never wronged me. I doubted he had even said one mean word to me. I had never know anger, sorrow, heart break, fear, or despair with him. If was upset being around him lifted my mood almost instantly. A smile pulled the corners of my mouth up, eyes burning as my vision blurred.

            Yes, he was the one I had dreamed of as a little girl. My own prince charming had come along in broken glasses and a Lacuna Coil hoddie as a snot nosed high school freshman and turned into the gentle, caring, man before me. Yes, I could see myself spending a life time with him. Yes, I loved him. Yes, I wanted to marry him.

            "Yes." I finally said in a broken voice, emotions to high to control now.

            I felt rather then saw him rise to hug me, the tears flowing down my face to thick to see through. Arm tightening around him I sniffled, the sound disgusting as I fought to stop snot dripping down my nose. It ruined the mood but Ossian just laughed, swinging me around like in the movies. It made me start laughing with him. He was so carefree when we were alone I could only imagine how good he would be with a family, with our children. A cold spike of pain struck my chest.

            Family.

            The word echoed in my head over and over like nails on a chalk board. The laughter died quickly from me, silence replacing it as I realized something. Ossian slowly set me down, a frown on his face. My eyes met his, focusing hard on those pale colorless orbs.

            My lips parted, words forming in my mind and rolling off my tongue before I could stop them. "On one condition."

            Ossian paled, his tanned skin an off white now. "Condition?"

            I nodded, playing with the ring as I slipped it on my finger. My gaze dropped to it, his hurt expression, the fear that I was going to take that yes back, far too strong for me to confront head on. "I want to meet your family."

            "My," his voice cracked, "family?"

            "Yes, let me met your family before I marry you, that's all I ask." I said it with a light smile but Ossian didn't seem relieved by it at all.

            "I-, why do you want to meet them so suddenly?" he asked.

            The smile faded. "We've known each other since high school and you haven't said one thing about your family. I started to think you were an orphan or something and I was too afraid to ask because it might upset you. But then I heard you and Tommy talking at the bar before we left." Ossian went snow white, pale as death. "I heard you mention them."

            He shook his head quickly. "I'll do anything you want, Nora, but not that. Please pick something else."

            My chest hurt just hearing the plea in his voice. But this was something I wanted, needed to do. If I was going to spend the rest of my days at his side, I wanted to know why he didn't have his mother and father by his. Why they wouldn't be by mine. It was the one thing I regretted about meeting Ossian, there was no family for either of us.

            "There's nothing else I want, Ozzie," I said using his nickname, "just give me two days to meet them and I won't ask again, I promise."

            His face twisted, serious thought in his eyes. After what seemed like forever he nodded. "Alright, for you I will go back there, for two days."

            I smiled, "Two days."

            He smiled back nervously, pulling me closer with an arm. "Just two days." he whispered, breath washing over my face.

            "Just two days." I promised, closing the space between us with a kiss.

Text: Story by Aurora Kryan
Images: Cover image from Google, Text by Aurora Kryan
Publication Date: 12-20-2014

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
Dedicated to Arcane.Weilder, for I was her Secret Santa. Hope you enjoy, I promise I will actually finish this one in the future.