“I don’t think I want to hear about you jumping your father, my mate. It’s creepy.”
Death laughed. “Anyway, I came to give you this stone. It was supposed to be for your child who will be the next Destroyer, but there are two of them. You might as well use it.”
“Use it?”
“I mean, wear it. If I give you some help fighting Fate, my sister will kick my ass. Let’s just say you’re holding it for Azriel.”
“What about Angelique?” she asked.
“She’s not going to be as powerful as her sister. She’s got her own future ahead of her. Flynn knows that while they’re both demons, only one can hold the job. Angelique will have her duties, and she’ll be revered.”
“She already is,” Jolie said, touching her belly.
“Can I help you get ready?” Death asked. “I don’t mind. Rinnon has a special place in my heart.”
Jolie stood. “If you try to take him, I’ll be really pissed. You made a blood oath, and he’s mine.”
“He’s yours because he loves you. Trust me when I say that Rinnon never loves. He’s a difficult man to get close to on a good day. Because Flynn is who he is, and so damn strong, he can handle being his vessel. You’re lucky.”
She was aware.
“Here’s my dress,” she said, holding it to her body. It felt wonderful against her skin.
This was part of Flynn’s past.
This was part of the man she loved.
“You’re going to be lovely. Flynn will be incredibly happy to get this gift.”
“I want him happy.”
Death helped her into the lace dress, and zipped it up. It was a little too baggy on her.
“Let me,” she said. Snapping her fingers, the dress fit perfectly. In fact, she felt like it was made for her.
“Here,” Death said, dropping the necklace around her throat. It hung between her breasts as a beacon of what lived in her.
The second the Tueur saw it, they’d know the truth.
The end was coming.
Jolie was touched that Death would help her. “It’s magnificent. I feel special today, and I hope Flynn feels it too.”
“Can I stay?” Death asked. “If I blend in and you don’t see me, can I remain?”
“You can stay,” Jolie offered. “I guess you’re technically Rinnon and Flynn’s family, but no wearing his mom!”
She laughed. “Very well. I promise. Can I kiss the groom?” Death teased.
“Sure. When hell freezes over.”
Death found that funny.
“You’re perfect for him. Rinnon has met his match. This is going to be fun to watch.”
Jolie believed that the three of them were perfect.
She couldn’t wait to give Flynn what he’d always wanted.
A wife.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
Flynn lost her.
All of a sudden, she was being pulled from him in death, and he couldn’t reach his mate.
In the darkness, as all the lost vampyres swirled around him, he called for her.
“Jolie!”
She didn’t answer.
Flynn didn’t give up. He’d yet to find Jacques, and now Jolie was gone.
It terrified him.
He struggled to move through the shadows as so many of the dead touched him, trying to take his energy. They knew he was a beacon in the dark, and he hated the way their cold kiss of death wrapped around his body.
Just as he was going to call for Death, he felt it.
Flynn was being pulled to the surface.
When he took that breath and opened his eyes, his mate was standing above him. He was dressed in a tuxedo, and had his hair pulled back.
Something was going on.
“What the hell? Are you going on a date?” he asked, glancing down at his watch. It was nearly dusk, and he was supposed to have been woken up by Mina hours ago.
She didn’t follow orders.
Something had to be happening.
“Yes, we have a date with our mate.”
“Uh, okay.”
“You need to put this on,” Jacques said, handing him a garment bag that Mina had brought him.
Flynn sat up and looked around. “Where are we?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises.”
“I know. That’s my present in all of this.”
“Jacques,” he began, reaching for his mind.
“NO! You can’t look. Jolie has something special planned for you, and if you ruin it, she’ll be hurt. You just have to do what I say and don’t peek.”
Flynn didn’t want to ruin it for her.
“Okay.”
Opening the garment bag, he ran his fingers over the material. It was old, it smelled like cedar, and he swore he’d seen it somewhere before.
Only he couldn’t place it.
“Put it on, and get ready.”
“Can I shower?” he asked.
“Nope. We can’t go upstairs. Do your snapping thing and take care of it.”
Flynn shrugged and did just that. Before Jacques could blink, Flynn was dressed, clean, and shaven.
“Handy.”
“It is.”
He loved his gifts.
“Can I have a hint?” Flynn asked.
“No.”
“How come you get to be in on this and I don’t? This seems unfair.”
Jacques crossed his arms as his mate fidgeted with the tie. “I guess you’re right. I’ll give you one hint.”
Flynn smiled. “Now you’re talking. What’s the clue?”
“You get this once in your life if you’re lucky,” he said, trying not to give him too much information.
“Okay, I can deal with this.”
“NO peeking!”
Flynn could hear laughing from outside the cottage. “What’s going on out there?”
“It’s part of it.”
“I don’t know if I like this game.”
“I need to blindfold you.”
Flynn really didn’t like this—not one bit. Still, if Jolie had worked at planning it, he wouldn’t spoil it.
You didn’t piss off a pregnant woman, let alone a pregnant vampyre.
Jacques dropped a blindfold over his mate’s eyes. Then he took his hands and led him through the house until they were outside.
Flynn could smell candles, and the second they exited, silence fell. The demon in him knew there were people around them. He could sense them. As he scanned, most felt familiar.
Still…
It made him edgy.
“Jacques.”
“Hold on,” he whispered. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then just enjoy the moment. I promise it’ll be the best night of your life.”
He went with it.
As they walked through the backyard, Flynn could smell flowers and hear the tinkling of wind chimes.
It sounded beautiful wherever they were.
As they got to the end of a path, Jacques stopped in front of him.
“Are you set?”
Flynn was nervous, but he was curious.
“Yes.”
He could feel the blindfold coming off. It took a second to register what was going on around him.
There were white lights in the trees.
The garden was full of flowers and chairs.
As he heard sound coming from across the yard, he tracked it with his eyes.
“What the hell?”
It was Jacques’s family, and even he looked surprised.
“Where are we?” asked Flynn, thoroughly confused. He didn’t get why the secret location or why he was in an old tux.
Jacques finally let him in on it.
“Welcome to your wedding, Flynn. Tonight, you’re getting married.”
His mouth dropped open.
“What?”
“I do believe here comes our bride.”
Flynn simply stare
d at the house. When Jolie exited, he couldn’t think.
He’d never seen this coming.
And now there was only one thing to do.
Cry.
∞ Chapter Twenty-Seven ∞
He couldn’t speak. The tears flooded from his eyes as he tried desperately to keep from breaking down. Never in his life did he truly believe this day would happen—not with her. It always seemed just out of reach.
Jolie was lovely.
Still…
There was no way he’d heard his mate clearly. In fact, from the look on Jacques’s face when his father, mother, sister, and soon-to-be brother-in-law entered the backyard, he, too, was a victim of this surprise.
“I’m getting married?” Flynn asked as Kiera exited her home dressed in flowing white robes.
“Actually, we are. Jolie has arranged for a handfasting ceremony. We’re both going to be her husband.”
Flynn stared at him.
“What?”
“You wanted a wedding. This is it.”
He didn’t know what to say. There were so many things racing through his mind at that point. He was on overload.
A wife?
A wedding?
“Both of us?”
He was getting a husband too?
Flynn was staggered by all of it.
Jacques tensed at his question. He assumed Flynn would want to be bound to him too. Maybe it wasn’t a customary human wedding, but it was still one, right?
“Yes, is that a problem?”
There was that uncomfortable pause where Flynn continued to process it.
“Flynn?” he asked.
The switch was flipped.
Flynn grabbed his mate and kissed him on the mouth. When he pulled away, he was grinning. “This is a really good gift. Why would it be a problem? I’m doubly blessed.”
Jacques relaxed.
“We’re going to marry each other. You wanted a wife, and we wanted you. We’re officially going to be a family, ‘til death do us part’.”
His eyes filled with even more tears. The beauty of that said it all for him.
He was wanted.
This was his permanent place to call home.
Then he heard the music and saw Jolie begin her walk toward them.
All other thoughts fell away.
There was the most beautiful woman in the world, and she was walking toward them.
As she got closer, his heart skipped.
Now he got it.
Now he understood the old tuxedo.
Jolie was wearing his mother’s wedding gown. Someone had decided to give him another big gift. His parents, in spirit, were here with them.
He didn’t know how Jolie pulled this off, but he wanted to love them both forever because of it.
This was beautiful.
There had never been a more amazing gift in his life. This topped everything they’d ever given him—and they’d given him some wonderful things.
Flynn focused on their bride. She moved slowly, and when Jolie stood before him, his heart ached to touch her.
‘Go ahead,’ she offered.
Flynn ran his hands down her hair, feeling the beautiful inky strands against his skin.
She looked like a princess walking out of a dream world, ethereal and untouchable.
“Jolie, you’re beautiful.”
Even Jacques agreed. “You’ve never been more lovely. I hadn’t seen her yet tonight, and I concur, Flynn. Jolie looks like she belongs here under the stars and little white lights. You are beyond beautiful.”
She smiled at both of them.
This was an amazing night, and she wanted to kick it off. Kiera had told her there really wasn’t a formal approach. She could wing this.
So, she would.
First, she looked at Flynn. Since this was all for him, she wanted him to understand why they were doing it.
“I didn’t only do this to give you a wife,” she offered. “I did it to have a husband. I want you in my life forever.”
His heart skipped.
“I love you, Flynn, and sometimes, we forget that you’ve come to us from a different world. We take that for granted that everything we have is good enough. Sometimes, we forget that you have feelings too, and that they matter. When you came into my life, Flynn, I found things I didn’t expect ever to find in a human. I found sincerity, integrity, and humor. You brought happiness to my heart and laughter to our souls. You complete us, and we are better because of you.”
“Baby,” said Flynn touched by her words.
They stopped him.
He wasn’t just marrying Jolie. He was marrying Jacques too, and it was his turn.
Jacques took over. “You gave me a brother I never had and gave me a family I’ve always wanted. When Jolie bonded you to us, I was skeptical it would work, and now I am happy it went beyond work right to perfection.”
His heart skipped.
“We want to marry you. We want to be yours forever,” Jolie said, handing Kiera her flowers.
Flynn couldn’t breathe.
She wanted to do this right.
“Jolie.”
“Let me make it official. Flynn Xavier Brogan, will you marry us?” Jolie asked.
His heart skipped.
“Will you tie yourself to us forever, marrying us to make us a family so our children have a home?”
Flynn felt time stop.
This was all he ever wanted.
“Jolie, how could it ever be no? Yes, I’ll marry you both,” he said, leaning down and pulling her against his body. He kissed her first, making sure she realized how happy she made him.
When he set her free, he thanked her. “I needed this.”
They were aware.
Next, Flynn kissed his mate again. Jacques went into his body, and they shared the moment.
This was perfect.
Flynn set him free and took both of their hands in his. They were joined.
“Let’s get hitched.”
Jolie laughed.
‘I love you, Jolie,’ he whispered into her mind. ‘This is perfect.’
She thought so too.
As Kiera cleared her throat, the rest of the family took their seats.
Camille sat beside her mate, Detective Gress, and their shared child. Cari was wearing a sweet pink dress and looked like an angel.
Behind them was Jacques’s Mother, Morganna. She was dabbing her eyes as she smiled at her son. She was weeping a lot, and they figured it was because her first child was walking down the aisle.
Jacques was astounded at what Jolie had pulled off without him knowing. Maybe he wasn’t the king of this kind of thing after all.
Jolie reigned in their world over this too.
Jacques kissed her on the forehead. “Thank you for inviting them here. I wanted it, but I didn’t think he’d come.”
She knew he meant his father.
“He was excited to be here. Your mom has been crying all day.”
He wasn’t surprised.
Jacques blew her a kiss. He was overwhelmed that his family had made the trip.
It was almost unbelievable.
His father, Mordechai, was smiling. He didn’t look nearly as cranky as he usually did. Their family had come and wanted support them, and both men were touched.
Kiera smiled at the couple as they headed toward the altar. “When you are ready, let’s begin.”
Jacques led them there, tugging his mates along the light kissed path. When all three were ready, Jolie waited patiently to become their wife.
They were starting a new adventure, and it was going to be amazing.
As they approached, Flynn saw a stranger sitting beside Vanth. He could smell her.
“Death?” he whispered.
“Yes,” Jolie replied. “She wanted to stay. She’s part of Rinnon’s past, and that makes her family.”
Well, that was interesting.
Flynn could hear the amused laughter from the demon deep w
ithin his body.
Kiera waited for them at the altar and greeted each of them with an Irish blessing in Gaelic and a kiss. She had never done a handfasting ceremony on two vampyres and a demon, but she could see looking at them that they were indeed in love.
That was all that mattered.
As it was time to begin, Kiera lifted her hands and called for the goddess of night, air, earth, fire, and water. She welcomed her into the circle.
“Welcome all to the handfasting of Jacques Degaul, Jolie Harcourte, and Flynn Xavier Brogan. All who come here come in perfect love and perfect peace, while you join us here in the garden, come with an open heart and an open mind for we are here with acceptance and love, not judgment.”
She glanced over at the family. “Please welcome and be one with our lovers and partners.”
The family looked perfect sitting among the flowers and vines as if they belonged there. This whole evening was out of a storybook for all three of them.
This was their fairytale.
Kiera began, “You come before your Mistress Death and the Goddess with the intent of wedding one another in the sacred ceremony of the handfasting.”
Jolie and Flynn nearly laughed.
Kiera didn’t realize that Death wasn’t far away. Her statement was really accurate. Their mistress was there to watch it all go down.
Why wouldn’t she be?
This had to be big.
Rinnon was taking a wife.
Kiera continued, “From this day forward, after the vows are made, you’re joined. In one year’s time, you may decide to end the vow together or carry it forward until death do you part.” She paused, “Do you all understand the seriousness of these vows?”
Jolie, Flynn, and Jacques nodded.
They were taking it very seriously.
“Then we begin the vows,” she said, looking toward the vampyre closest to her. “Jacques, take the hand of your beloved, and Flynn take the other.”
Both men did as instructed.
“What say thee on this eve in the garden with your family before you as your witnesses of your love and your promise?”
Jacques began, so his brother and friend would have an idea of what the vows were to be like.
“I, Jacques Degaul, tie myself for eternity to the woman and man before me. Jolie Harcourte, you’re half of my heart and the love that fills me. Without you, I have no partner, no reason, and no desire. You’ve made, filled, and created me, and I vow to love and protect you and our children until my last day on this earth. I will always love you, and with that love, I will shelter you.”
Dangerous Sacrifice (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 6) Page 32
