by Bonnie Vanak
“And now my lady, I am next?” Uncertainty flickered over the Shadow Wizard’s face.
Danu gave him a cryptic look. “In time. I will see to it. In time. I have an assignment first for Gideon’s friend, Kieran.”
The other wizards sucked in a collective breath as Danu vanished.
“I hate it when she does that,” Xavier muttered. “Leaves us guessing what will happen next.”
“But everything Danu does is worth it,” Gideon countered. He smoothed back the hair from Alia’s face. There was purpose. Passion.
Most of all, love.
He and Alia’s lives would change forever. Gideon wouldn’t have it any other way.
Epilogue
One month later
Time to deliver a little old-fashioned wizardly revenge.
Clad in customary Crimson Wizard clothing of a red tunic piped with gold, red leggings and red boots, Gideon materialized inside the Diamond Palace of the Summer Kingdom.
Dark blond hair tipped with crimson, he looked as he had before losing his powers.
The only noticeable difference was the wide silver belt around his lean waist. The belt had a silver buckle etched with the emblem of both Summer and Winter courts, a gift from his bride.
Gideon walked through the throne room, appreciating the changes King Mauricio had made. Gone were the glittering, hard panes of diamond that made the room sparkle and shine, but blocked the direct sunlight. New windows allowed in wide shafts of sunshine.
The room sparkled now with conversation and life, instead of the cold, dead worship of a Fae King who suppressed women.
As he walked through the room, nobles and ladies greeted him with wide smiles. A circlet of silver upon his head instead of the heavy diamond and silver crown his father preferred, Mauricio lingered by one window, chatting with his advisors. At a nod from one, the king turned and saw him. A wide smile graced the king’s lean, handsome face as he came forward to greet him.
“Gideon!”
The new Summer King greeted him by clasping his forearm in a show of respect from one warrior to another. Gideon did the same, and then hugged him. Mauricio laughed and slapped his back.
“How is my sister?” the king asked.
“Very well.” Gideon’s glance flicked to the tight group of Fae gathered by the window, still in deep discussion. At least two Fae were women.
The balance still remained uneven, but it was a good start.
“I was discussing training sessions for all the kingdom’s women. My weapons advisor is arranging a schedule.” The king grinned. “My goal is to teach all the women to fight, and be even better than my personal guard. Perhaps I will replace my guard with them in time.”
The new king frowned. “I have weeded out all the evil guards who committed such atrocities on women. They are learning I will not tolerate such abuse. It will be a long road back to healing, but I believe with my people’s help, I can make the Summer Kingdom into a place of peace and equality for all.”
Gideon clapped him on the back. “Good. If you need my help, call on me.”
“I will.” Mauricio’s brown gaze turned serious. “I want your guidance and advice, Gideon. There have been too many terrible wrongs in this land. It’s time to bring justice back.”
Mauricio would make an excellent ruler. He was young, but kind, wise and fair.
“Speaking of justice, there is a matter I need to address. One of your guards wished to abuse Alia.”
The king’s face darkened with fury. “Who? Who dared to touch my beloved sister?”
“His name is Camus.”
Gideon materialized outside the royal stockyards. In the pig pen, a short, bulky Fae with red streaks in his hair slopped the pigs with a disgruntled expression.
Gideon’s nose wrinkled. The pigs smelled, but much viler was the stench of Camus. Mauricio had informed him that he’d caught Camus groping of the female servants and assigned him to the stockyards, where he would work only with animals.
Gripping his hands on the wood fence railing, Gideon leaned over. “Camus.”
The Fae straightened, saw the red glow of Gideon’s power pulsing like a neon light. He yelped and dropped the bucket.
Gideon waved a hand, transporting them both to a private room inside the palace with no furniture, only four bare walls. Hooking his hands behind his back, he paced.
“You dared to laugh and try to touch Alia, who was mine and mine alone to touch.” Gideon whirled, facing him. “I warned you would pay.”
The guard gulped and backed away. “I didn’t know you were the Crimson Wizard! I never would have touched her…”
“But you would debase other women. King Mauricio has advised me that you have used and abused many, and he refrained from administering justice so that I may do so for what you did to his sister, my wife. You are a despicable excuse for a Fae, and your actions make you more disgusting and dirtier than a lowly cockroach. Your treatment of women will end. Here. Now.”
Power surged through him, a clean, cutting blade. He flicked a finger at the hapless guard.
One minute he was Seelie Fae. The next…
Gideon blew at his finger as if it were a smoking pistol. A brilliant flash of red light filled the room, and then Alia stood before him. An ethereal silk gown of summer blue draped her curvy body, and a wide gold belt ringed her waist. Gideon’s heart swelled. Every time he saw her, joy filled him. He had found his love, and they would be together for all eternity.
His love. His life. And now, his critic.
A sigh and a headshake. “Really, husband? Overkill much?”
“Hello, wife.” He gave her a fond look. “It was necessary. I was merciful, since he took the lead from King Oren, who set the standard amongst his men.”
They turned and studied Camus, who was now a large, brown cockroach, antenna twitching as it crawled across the room.
The roach let out an unearthly squeal as the Crimson Wizard raised one boot as if to squash him.
“Turning him into a toad would have sufficed, Gideon.”
Gideon kissed her, her mouth soft and warm beneath his. “Not as much fun. And you, my love, have brought such joy back into my life that I can have fun.”
He gave her a grin filled with mischief. “Would you like to see my dance? I call it ‘The Camus Flamenco.’”
Gideon began stepping around the room in an elaborate series of moves, stomping his booted feet hard. Alia shook her head, laughing as the roach darted away in a frantic means to escape.
“Enough.” She fisted her hands in his tunic, drawing him down for another long, lingering kiss. “Turn him back. Let him know we are watching, and he will never get away with this again.”
“Your wish is my command.” Gideon picked up her hand. “But why not do it yourself? You have sufficient control over your powers now.”
Alia considered. “Very well.”
Sliding his arms around her waist, he bent his head to whisper into her pointed ear. “Remember what I told you. Imagine him in his natural form, concentrate and direct a beam of energy at his body.”
Licking her lips, Alia flicked out a hand. The cockroach vanished.
Only to be replaced by a brown earthworm, wriggling frantically.
“Oh dear.” She turned in Gideon’s arms. “I suppose this is how I imagined his natural form. A fat worm.”
Gideon shrugged. “Mauricio will not mind. Put him in the garden to work the soil.”
“I should ward him so no one uses him for fishing bait.” She flicked out another hand, and a slight red glow ringed the wriggling worm. Then the worm vanished.
“You did well,” he praised her. “Shall we return home now to Tir Na-nog? I have an urgent need to slather your lovely body with warm oil, and do wicked things between your legs with my mouth.”
The seductive smile she gave him made his heart beat faster. Immortality with his beloved Alia would prove interesting.
“Yes, let’s be off.”
&n
bsp; “Your wish is my command,” he murmured, and waving a hand, brought them home at last.
Thank you for reading The Mating Ritual. I hope you enjoyed the story.
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The Werewolves of Montana series in order
The Mating Chase (Dale)
The Mating Hunt (Kyle)
The Mating Seduction (Jackson)
The Mating Rite (Darius, Aiden’s beta wolf)
The Mating Intent (Gabriel)
The Mating Challenge (Aiden, alpha of the Mitchell pack)
The Mating Season (Tristan, the Silver Wizard)
The Mating Destiny (Alex, a dragon prince)
The Mating Game (Xavier, the Crystal Wizard)
The Mating Ritual (Gideon, the Crimson Wizard)
The Mating Ritual - Copyright 2017 by Bonnie Vanak
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