The Sun God Diaries

The next day, I was emerging from the showers after an intense morning for swimming laps with Aunt Valentina timing me as well as working on my shifting speeds with Uncle Clay and Uncle Colin. After changing into a pair of my favorite black Levis jeans and a red pullover sweater, I was ready to get through an afternoon of light classwork and a test for my royal lessons with Iain. Just as I was about to turn on the computer, there was a knock on my door. “Come in,” I hollered, booting the device up.

In stepped Chai and Divinity (both of them in biker-chick gear with Chai in pastels and Divinity in deep red) with lunch on hand as Aunt Yesenia followed behind them with another bouquet of roses in hand. “Good morning, Glory Boy,” Divinity crooned. “Busy morning?”

I nodded. “More than I expected, given that the annual Autumn Formal ball is coming up,” I replied as I clicked on the link before getting out my books. “And after my shifting lessons and some online classwork, I’m doing a test on the vampire kingdoms with Iain. It’s hectic, but it never pays to slack off.”

“True,” Aunt Yesenia assented as Divinity sat down a to-go platter from Denny’s, and Chai handed me a bottle of Pepsi. “Anyway, it looks like you got another invite to a romantic date with the Sons of Enya.”

I nodded, accepting the roses before opening the accompanying envelope. It smelled of Burberry fragrance after I unfolded the small card and began to read.

My elegant royal beauty,

I cannot wait to light up the skies for my date with you tonight.

Dress casually. Floriana and her mother will join us.

Tomorrow evening, six p.m.

Until then, I’ll be dreaming of us dancing under the stars.

-Cyler.

“Hot damn,” Chai drawled, her Vietnamese accent apparent in her excitement as she took the roses from me. “If only I can find a guy like that.”

“You’ll get your chance,” I commented. “Looks like my mates are giving my brothers a run for their money, especially when it comes to Abaddon and Azrael trying to be more romantic these days. Last night, they took Addison and Alyssa to a nearby carnival that the girls wanted to go to, so it was a good start. And even Taylor and Terrell took a page and took Destiny for a romantic hot-air-balloon ride in Sonoma while Phillippe and Claude took Tomeka to a candlelight dinner in Napa Valley.”

“What about Clayton and Kaden as well as Gabe and Mike?” Divinity wanted to know.

“Last time I checked, the angelic mermen bros took the Booker twins to a romantic campfire in Yosemite as Kaden and Clayton surprised Mariah with tickets to the opera in Milan,” I replied, pausing to open my to-go plate and popping a French fry in my mouth. “And even my fathers are wooing Dad for their usual date-night surprise: a visit to Seattle and a stay at a bed-and-breakfast.”

“Fancy,” Mrs. Yanez commented. “I’m hoping that Pauly will follow suit when he finds his mate.”

Speak of the devil, Pauly came in with a small dessert plate from a nearby bakery. “Hope you like cheesecake,” he said, handing me the covered plate. “You got Cyler’s message?”

I nodded. “Floriana and Aunt Ciara will be accompanying me,” I replied.

“Cool. Gotta head back to class.” With that, Pauly quickly hurried out as he quickly entered in.

I turned to the ladies. “What’s with him?” I asked, confusion plastered on my face.

The older maid shrugged. “Maybe he’s on the hunt for his mate,” she suggested. “He’s been acting antsy lately, more so with your ongoing road to being a royal.”

“Well, I hope he takes time to let himself breathe,” I said before turning my attention back to my food. “I need to go ahead and eat before my online classes begin. I got two tests and a paper to conquer, so I’ll need to focus.”

Chai nodded. “Then we’ll leave you to it,” she replied, standing up as she and the others left. “Have fun on your date tomorrow night.”

“I will.”

***************************

“So beautiful,” said Cyler (now an African-American teenager with cropped black hair) as Floriana, her mother, and I (I decided to go as Salgiel and wear comfortable jeans and a button-down sweater) greeted him at the park the next day. The park itself was full of life with humans and supernatural beings enjoying evening strolls and after-work time to relax. Even a small pack of were-hawks were gathering around for a twilight flight in the skies. “Babe, you look scrumptious enough to eat.”

“You’re not too bad yourself,” I replied in my Southern drawl, granting him a light kiss on the cheek. “So, what are we doing tonight?”

He grinned, ushering us all to a nearby picnic area that was similar to the one that Damien and Isaiah held for me when I went on their date a couple of weeks ago. But as we all took our seats, we saw that the food itself had more of the gourmet picnic items than the one I first had. “You made all of this?” Floriana asked excitedly, accepting a chilled bottle of club soda.

“Had to,” Cyler admitted. “I wasn’t going to do something catered since I’m a bit old-fashioned when it comes to food. I believed that nothing beats a homemade meal.”

“I heard that,” Aunt Ciara replied.

We all enjoyed the sunset while dining on finely-crafted BLTs and mini ham-sandwiches alongside pasta salad, mixed berries, and even oven-roasted potato wedges that were coated in truffle oil and parmesan cheese. For dessert, he had made an exquisite triple-decker chocolate brownie cake that was so good even a few people that passed by wanted to have a piece of it. By the time we were finished, the sun had fully set and everything was either packed up for leftovers or tidily thrown away.

Cyler led me out of the Pavillion where everything was set up and led me to a clearing. He took out a remote control and pressed a button. “This is the grand finale,” he whispered. “Look up, my sweet.”

Instantly, the now-darkened sky was lit with a stunning display of fireworks in various colors. My eyes went wide as I saw the fantastic display that formed various patterns and even some cartoons. Everyone oohed and aahed as they stopped to look. “This is amazing,” I murmured. “You really know how to keep it simple and yet go extravagant.”

“Thank you,” he said. “And now, the finale for the grand finale.”

He pressed one more button and then a message in red sparkles formed the words I LOVE YOU, MALACHI DUBAUER with hearts and roses that made it more impressive. “I love you,” Cyler breathed in my ear. “I will never stop loving you.”

I turned to him, smiling as the girls squealed excitedly. “I love you too, Cyler,” I breathed, granting him a chaste kiss on the lips that earned us a round of applause from the other attendants and various citizens. The were-hawks above us cawed and howled as they formed a heart over us.

Three dates down, one date to go. And let’s hope that Veronique can close the deal.