Page 97 of Charmed By Destiny

“Gabriel, it’s in the safe inside the vault, would you mind grabbing it?” Clark asked.

“Sure, I’ll go get it.”

Eric crossed his arms. “Don’t ask me to go, I don’t trust anyone in this house. You could be tricking me to lock me in the vault.”

“If I thought you needed to be in the vault, there wouldn’t be a discussion or an argument,” Gabriel stated as he headed out of the great room.

“He’s right, Eric. You going into the vault when necessary isn’t optional,” Clark stated.

“Wait,” Luke said, wondering what was going on. “You guys lock Eric up?”

“In avault,” Eric replied, emphasizing each word.

“I’m the one who’s confused,” Maribeth said. “Richard didn’t explain the vault to you?”

“I didn’t know there was one in the house,” Luke remarked.

“Bu-wh-excuse me?” Maribeth demanded.

Clark chuckled at her baffled expression. “Lucas, it’s imperative to us that our family is safe. So, whenever Gabriel deems it too dangerous for us to be in the house, we retreat to the vault. It’s for Eric’s protection, and he can stay in there for over a month with food, water, and every other essential.”

“Except, like, the sun,” Eric argued.

“You don’t need the sun, we put Vitamin D3 supplements in there in case you suddenly become less of a necromancer and need human nutrients,” Clark drawled. “And we only did that because of your whining.”

“I hate the vault,” Eric said.

“Too bad. We’d hate if anything happened to you,” Rosalind retorted. “We’ll make sure you know where the vault is and how to access it, Lucas.”

Gabriel returned and handed Luke the jewelry box with Richard’s engagement ring in it. “I guessed that you didn’t need the rest of what was in the bag.”

“No, not today.”

Maribeth sucked in a breath and pointed at the jewelry box. “Is that anengagementring?”

“Wait until you see it, Mari,” Eric said.

“Open it already, Lucas,” Maribeth demanded.

Happy to oblige, Luke grinned as he flipped the lid up. “What do you think?”

Her mouth dropped open. She shut it with a snap. “He’s going to fucking love this! Oh, you and Gabriel have set such a high bar for rings. Once my soulmate shows up, she better have her shit together and buy me one that’s as perfect for me. She’s gonna have to do it. I thought it’d be me, but now I’m too scared. I can’t pick out jewelry this nice.”

“Yes, you can,” Rosalind assured her as she wrapped an arm around Maribeth’s shoulders. “You’ll know exactly what suits her and will pick out what’s right. I believe in you.”

Maribeth held Rosalind close by resting a hand on her waist. “Oh, Lucas, Richard will lose his mind when you give him this. He’ll be showing it off to every person he passes.”

“I just hope he says yes,” Luke said.

“Please,” Maribeth replied with a roll of her eyes. “He adores you. And honestly, even if he hated you, he might marry you to get his hands on this ring.”

Clark laughed. “I don’t know if that’s true, but you’re right about Lucas not having anything to worry about.”

“Okay, so I’m taking him shopping. How long do you want us gone? Like, are grabbing lunch? Should we be getting our nails done? He’s nosy as fuck, so I need to have plans on how to keep him distracted.”

“At first I thought of a romantic meal, but I may throw up,” Luke said. “Mostly because you’re right. Richard will know I have something on my mind, and he’ll ask me so many questions that I’ll get queasy.”

Rosalind clasped her hands together. “I think Richard would appreciate having his family there.”

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