Desert Lily

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Kai

When Lily fainted at the cathedral, I panicked when I caught her. Acu reassured me that she was okay and that the Goddess Storrerhia had approved of us as mates. But, we would be facing dangers and difficulties along the way. I didn't know whether to be afraid or happy. Dangers and difficulties? What type of dangers and difficulties?

Shaking my head, I stared at Lily as my dad showed her pictures of all of us and told her about my mother. Eventually, him and Sihea swapped places as dad went to finish cooking the feast. He didn't know what Lily liked to eat yet so he cooked up some sweets and some of mom's favorites that he thought might be better suited for her tastes. "Dad, what does it mean when someone tells you that there are dangers and difficulties with you mate?" I asked while leaning back on the counter as my dad glanced at me from cooking before pointing towards the sink.

"Wash up and join me." He gestured as I did as he said before he put me to work. "It means that you'll have a lot of things in the way of your happiness. No matter who your mate is, there'll always be dangers and difficulties. Hell, your mom and I went through hell trying to be together. Reds were demon, blue were the messengers and yellows were the saints. Red hated yellows for a long time even though there were a few who fell in love and had to keep it a secret. That was us. We thought it'd be smooth sailing once we were here but even then, your mom had issues conceiving. It was a struggle to have you both but here we are now." He smiled sadly as I nodded while cutting up some flori. The large blue petals were good for sweets as they had a soft sweet texture.

"You're right." I nodded as my dad clasped my shoulder while smiling again.

"No worries, son. I'm doing better thanks to the counseling and therapy. My shoulder is a lot better as well." He laughed while showing off how well he could move his shoulder as I laughed at him. "Nothing can take down the great Rowen!" He boomed with laughter as I couldn't help but laugh harder. My dad always loved to make people laugh even when he was hurting.

[~~~]

Once dinner was ready, we all sat down and had a feast. Dad, Sihea, and Sihea’s mate all had ribbons curved around their horns in celebration for us finding out the good news. Sihea also introduced her mate, Ghix, to Lily who greeted him happily. She was more amazed with how he had wings and horns. He was pink with short white hair and light blue eyes. His wings and horns were white as well. Lily kept telling me how he reminded her of cotton candy and an angel which I laughed at how adorable she was. She also seemed to like everything on the table once she stopped being shy about eating around us. She mentioned her weight once during the entire time before my dad mentioned how much mom used to eat.

Sighing in bliss, I leaned back against the couch as Lily laid on my side. She had grown tired from laughing and chatting with my family and eating as much as she pleased. "Lily?" I quietly called while running my hands over her braids, slowly undoing them as she hummed in reply. "If you're tired, we can go home." I whispered while kissing her forehead as she quietly giggled before shaking her head. "We could stay here for tonight and head home tomorrow. I'll even show you my second workshop." I added while running my fingers through her now slightly curly hair as she nodded before I pulled her into my lap. Slowly standing up, I held Lily in my arms while walking towards the backdoor.

Once we were outside, I gently kissed Lily's forehead again as her eyes slowly opened before looking up at me. Surprise flashed across her eyes before the tiredness returned. "You can put me down now, Kai. I'm up." She mumbled while making no attempt to get down as I shook my head.

"Both you and I know that you wouldn't make it." I quietly laughed as she nodded her head before looking around at our surroundings as she perked up. "This is my mom's garden. My dad now takes care of it but this was her favorite place to be since it brought her peace." I explained as Lily looked around at the large fruits and vegetations growing beautifully in the large backyard. There was even a path through the garden that I started following. As I walked along the path, Lily's eyes followed every vegetation including the ones lining the archways we passed through.

"What are on the archways? What happened to your mom?" She softly asked while looking up at me before placing her hand on my chest, warmth flowing into me.

"Those are wilmers berries. They're kind of sour and round. I think your people would call those grapes though they're not. They can grow as big as your hand depending on the location of their growth." I smiled as she looked at her hand in amazement before looking back up at me. "My mom was killed on a mission. Her and her team were supposed to be clearing an infestation of lower level creatures on the top but something happened. The only survivor said something about the Cliaggorons and Ijiratians but nobody knew exactly what happened. Everybody that didn't make it came back to their families in pieces or ripped apart. It was a lot for all of us." I explained as Lily's warm hand caressed my cheek much to my surprise.

"I'm sorry that happened, Kai." She consoled while gently kissing my jawline as I smiled down at her. She was just what I needed. "I saw a lot of pictures of her. She looked like a great woman." She added with a smile on her face as I stopped in front of the wooden building.

"Thank you, Lily. She was an amazing woman just like you." I smiled while kissing her forehead. "This is my second workshop. My first is back at our house." I explained as her eyebrows went up in surprise.

"Our house?" She asked, surprise and doubt fighting each other in her eyes as I nodded.

"I built that house for you." I explained while laughing and opening the door with one hand and holding her with the other. "I told you when I first brought you there that I had built that house for my mate and our family. Do you doubt that we're mates?" I asked as she looked stunned, constantly closing and opening her mouth while I gently sat her down on one of the chairs.

"But, the Goddess didn't give me a clear answer." She finally called out with her eyes trained on me as I flipped the lights before she went silent. Lining each wall was a set of different tools and saws with counters and desks beneath it full of gadgets, prototypes, and bits and screws. A small furnace sat in the far corner, already lit and smoking. The walls were the same as the outside while the floor was the same color and material as the stone paths leading up to our houses.

"The Goddess may speak in riddles but she gave you a clear answer. Even if she confused you, Acu gave me a clear answer. He said the Goddess approves of our joining but there will be dangers and difficulties." I explained as she sighed while rubbing her head. "The mother of all likes to play games and tricks." I laughed as Lily nodded in agreement. "I'll show you a few things here then we'll go to bed."

"Okay." She smiled while I went to work on one of my prototypes to show her. We spent a few hours in the workshop before I took her back to my old bedroom. I insisted she take the bed and I'd sleep on the floor but she called it "bullshit" and demanded I sleep in the bed with her. Once I was laying next to her, she fell asleep in my arms as I soon followed pursuit.