“Sunday is for the guests. The three of us will leave the ceremony late tomorrow night, well, technically around 2 or 3 Sunday morning. We’ll come home and will rest up, relax and recover from the ceremony.”
“What will everyone else be doing?”
“Eating. Drinking, dancing and fighting. Some will sleep. By Sunday afternoon, it will be as if this was all a dream and no sign of any of this will remain.”
“So what is going to happen tonight?”
“Since you don’t have a male family member to present you to us, and to accept your dowry on your behalf, tonight the men who want that honor will fight for it.”
“They’re going to fight so they can walk me down the aisle?”
“Pretty much.”
“That sounds barbaric.”
“It is, but there have already been so many men vying for the honor that we may have to start early.”
“I don’t even know how to feel about that.”
“Feel loved. That’s basically what it comes down to.”
“But they don’t even know me.”
“But they know me and they know Jareth. They love you because we love you-”
Carter stopped abruptly, shifting uncomfortably beside her.
“I didn’t mean to say that. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. I care about you, too. You both have been nothing but kind to me, and I’ll be sad to leave you in the spring.”
“You don’t have to leave.”
“I know that.”
There was a knock at the door and Jareth let himself in.
“Carter, the guests are arriving, let’s go.”
“Duty calls. You relax. Watch from here if you like and we’ll let you know when you’re needed.”
Lydia nodded, wishing that it was already Monday. She was ready for this weekend to be over so that they could fall back into their normal routines. Whatever normal was for them. She wasn’t sure she was ready to entertain so many people, and she definitely wasn’t ready for such an elaborate ceremony.
She wrapped a chenille throw around her shoulders and settled into to watch what she could see from the balcony. It wasn’t much, but there appeared to be more than one open area designated for dancing. Well, she hoped it was dancing, anyway.
The door opened quietly behind her, and she turned with a bright smile on her face, expecting to see Jareth or even Siva, who would be arriving as soon as she picked up the dresses from the seamstress.
She didn’t catch herself in time to stop the expression that spread across her face when she turned to find Adam, in her rooms.
“I see you’re looking well, Lydia.”
“Who told you that you were allowed in my rooms?”
“I’m an agent of Gavin’s office.”
“And? Being a glorified errand boy doesn’t give you the right to invade my private space.”
Adam didn’t budge, admiring the furniture on her balcony and trailing his fingers along the chair on the other side of him.
“I see you have a bed in these rooms of yours?”
“So?”
Lydia’s voice was intentionally harsh, trying to mask the quiver as she struggled for an explanation for why she slept alone.
“I’m just wondering if you think I’m stupid.”
“Of course I do, but that has nothing to do with my bed.”
Adam sucked in a deep breath, giving her a startled look as the red color crept up his face. He wasn’t accustomed to people being so bold. But he hadn’t met Lydia yet, and she wasn’t going to kowtow to this sleaze ball. If he thought he was going to waltz into her home and talk to her that way-
Her home? She wondered when she had started to think of it that way.
“Moving on,” Adam sneered. “I’m afraid I’ll have no choice to report back to Gavin that you’re living in your own room.”
He rubbed his fingers together while he spoke in an odd way, looking at them as if he was testing the cleanliness of her home and found it lacking.
Lydia found that she wanted to punch him in the face.
“If I were to tell this to Gavin, do you suppose that he would think that perhaps, your marriage is a farce?”
“We’re not married yet. I have my own room regardless. There are certain, logistics that go along with having two man to satisfy,” Lydia gave him a look that was dripping with disdain, “Something I’m sure you’ll never have to worry about any time in the near future.”
Adam was about to speak when Jareth walked out of her room and onto the balcony.
“Adam, I see you’ve forgotten your manners. That is assuming that you had any.”
Jareth walked past him, pulling Lydia roughly into his arms and planting a passionate kiss on her mouth. He pressed her against the railing of the balcony, her long hair flowing loosely in the breeze as his mouth captured and claimed hers. Several men from the ground below stopped what they were doing to watch, hooting and hollering their encouragement to their friend, the groom.
Jareth’s hand slid down and cupped her ass, squeezing tightly. Lydia’s body responded to his, and for a moment, she lost herself.
Adam cleared his throat from behind them, obviously uncomfortable with the display of affection.
Jareth pulled away, kissing her lips one last time, eyes locked on hers before he turned to give Adam his attention.
“Yes, Aiden?”
“It’s Adam.”
“I’m sure it is. Do you need something, or are you here to get tips on how to treat the ladies?”
“Hardly. I was just inquiring about Lydia’s rooms.”
“What about them? Shall I send my decorator to your house?”
“No. I’m just trying to decide how to explain to Gavin that Lydia is sleeping in her own room when you’re supposed to be so in love and about to be married.”
“You do realize that marriage is about more than sex, right?”
“Don’t play games, Jareth. You know what I’m getting at.”
“I really don’t. We all have our own rooms. When Lydia wants to be with one of us, she is free to join us in our respective rooms.”
“I doubt very much that there’s any chance of that happening.”
“It has before, though we were doing our best to wait until the wedding.” He turned to Lydia and allowed his eyes to trail over her body without shame. “She’s hard to resist. Someday, you’ll find a woman that does that for you, Alex. Until then, I don’t guess you could understand.”
“It’s Adam. I guess I don’t understand.”
When Adam started to address Lydia again after ignoring her since the kiss, Jareth raised his hand.
“Abel, I’m not sure if this is new for you, but you’re breaking the rules of the ceremony. Today is the day for the bride to rest and only women are allowed to visit her. That is, aside from her future betrothed and the man who wins the honor of presenting her for marriage. Unless you intend to fight about twenty other, stronger men for that position, I suggest you leave.”
Jareth leaned closer to Adam, his voice low, but his tone unwavering.
“I wouldn’t want to have to tell Gavin that his errand boy made such a huge faux pas at a wedding that he himself ordered. That wouldn’t look good in the papers.”
Adam paled a bit, the smug expression melting from his face almost instantly.
“I thought you might see it my way, Evan. Now, if you’ll leave us be, I have some things to talk about with my future wife. You’ll see yourself out?”
Adam left in a huff, no longer bothering to correct Jareth. Jareth waited until the door slammed before turning to Lydia.
Lydia took one look at Jareth and burst out laughing.
“Did you see his face? He was so angry that you couldn’t get his name right.”
“I know. He’s such a pompous ass. He needed to be brought down a peg or six.”
“Thank you for coming to my rescue.”
“Don’t worry. And don’t think that k
iss was all for show.” He winked at her dramatically, “I enjoyed it almost as much as you did.”
Lydia blushed furiously.
“Was it that obvious?”
“It wouldn’t be if you were wearing a bra.”
She didn’t get a chance to respond before Siva zipped onto the balcony. She took one look at Lydia and Jareth and shooed Jareth away.
“She’s yours tomorrow. Today, she rests. I don’t want to see any men up here again until her Tribute is chosen for tomorrow.”
Jareth waved goodbye
“What’s a Tribute?”
“That’s the man that’s going to present you to your husbands for the binding ceremony.”
“Binding?”
“Yes. Now let’s get you out of your pajamas and into something a little more fitting.”
“I thought today I was resting.”
“Yes, you must rest, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look good doing it. If you’re going to be on the balcony, you need to wear one of Jenna’s creations.”
“Maybe I’ll just sleep.”
“Don’t be silly. You need to get ready for the rest of the day. You’re free to lounge about, but I won’t have you looking like you just woke up. I have a reputation you know.”
Siva smiled at Lydia, obviously teasing her.
“Where do we start?” Lydia asked.
“Let’s start by making you look like a princess.”
Siva led her into her room. Lydia was surprised to see that her outfits were already hung and the room was filled with several women, all ready to help Siva transform Lydia.
“Is this going to hurt?” Lydia asked. She was only half-joking.
“Probably a little, but you’ll survive.”
***
A little over an hour later, Lydia stepped out onto the balcony with a confidence she never imagined possible.
Jenna’s first outfit was a custom, sleeveless jumper in a gorgeous, sapphire blue that matched Lydia’s eyes. The neckline plunged to just above her navel, giving a little peek of the jewel-studded front clasp on her matching bra.
The legs of the suit flared softly, giving her a more curvy appearance than she already had. Matching sandals completed the outfit, showing off her freshly painted nails and giving her a few inches on her height.
The hairstylist had curled her hair in loose waves around her face after creating a headband of braids from her own hair. Lydia didn’t need to look in the mirror to know that she did indeed, look like a princess.
Siva sent the women away, giving them instructions for when they were to return. Until then, they would enjoy the festivities with the rest of the guests, while Siva stayed at Lydia’s side.
As promised, Spencer and a few assistants showed up with a lavish spread of fresh fruits and finger sandwiches for lunch for both Siva and Lydia, which they took on the balcony.
They’d just begun to eat when Lydia heard a loud crash in the distance and perked up. She couldn’t quite make out what was going on in the field a short distance away, but it was obvious that it was something. People were making their way towards the sounds, eager to join in whatever was going on.
“What is that?”
“That would be the selection process for Tribute. You don’t want to see that up close.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not often that a bride has no one to speak on her behalf at a wedding. When that happens, it’s considered a huge honor to be that person for her.”
In the distance, Lydia could just make out the orange and black striped coat moving around in the makeshift ring, but the crush of bodies in the crowd made it almost impossible to see any other details. A large, silver tiger jumped into the ring and roared loudly.
“Why is that other one silver?”
“Interspecies children are silver. They’re not always as strong as pure shifters, though that really depends.”
“Oh.” Lydia watched in rapt attention, sitting on the edge of her chair and doing her best to make out the details of the scene in the distance.
“There are a lot more silver tigers here than other places.”
“Why is that?”
“A lot of people--both human and shifter--don’t accept them. It’s not a problem here, but down in Florida, there is a lot of unrest because of interspecies marriages.”
“And you say they aren’t as strong? Why is that?”
“I don’t really know. I think it’s a myth, really. I don’t feel weaker than everyone else.”
“You’re a silver tiger?”
“Yes.”
“So how many are there, like you I mean?”
“I don’t know. As mixture between the species becomes more acceptable, our numbers grow. Here and in places like Canada-where there are no laws around marriage between species, there are more silver tigers than other places.”
Lydia kept watching, listening to every word as the two tigers continued fighting.
“How do they know when to stop?” Lydia asked, indicating the scene in the distance.
“They go on until one gives up. Then the winner steps out and two new tigers go at it. Once everyone has had a chance at one round, then the winners pair off and begin again. As many potential Tributes as you have, we likely won’t know who the winner is until the last possible minute.”
“That’s sounds fun.”
“Your sarcasm is duly noted.”
Siva smiled at her, tossing a ripe, red strawberry into her own mouth and taking a sip of sparkling water.
“So, is this what we’re going to do today?”
“Until dinner, pretty much. You’ll change into another outfit before dinner and then immediately after dinner, you’ll go to bed.”
“That early?”
“Didn’t anyone tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“The ceremony starts at sunrise with a blessing of the grounds and an ancient warrior’s dance.”
“Do I have to dance?”
“No. But you have to be there to sit in your cathedra and observe.”
“And then what?”
“After that is when the real fun begins.”
Lydia sipped her drink and tried to hold her emotions in check. This was going to be the longest weekend of her life.
She was starting to wonder if she was ready for all this. It was one thing to sign a piece of paper, pretending to be married. But to go through all this, and the endless training that both Carter and Jareth had gone through to prepare, seemed too grueling for a ceremony that meant nothing to them.
Maybe she was asking too much of them.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Dinner passed in a haze of scantily clad servers and a line of well-wishers that seemed to go on forever. By the time Lydia was done for the evening, she was ready to get out of her dress and into the tub before bed.
Siva helped her unzip the long, ice blue gown that was so pale it was almost white and slip into a plush robe while Siva hung the gown in the closet. Sitting down on the bed and pulling a low, overstuffed stool in front of her, she motioned to Lydia to sit down and started pulling bobby pins out of Lydia’s hair. The crown of braids that the hairstylist had wrapped and piled atop her head fell slowly as Siva pulled over fifty pins out, one at a time.
“Don’t forget that I’ll be here bright and early tomorrow morning around four.”
“That sounds horrible. I’m not really a morning person.”
“If you don’t fool around and you go to bed immediately after your bath, you’ll have almost ten hours to devote to sleep.”
“That’s great, except I’m much too excited to sleep.”
“I put something on your counter to help you sleep. Don’t take it until you’re completely ready for bed or you may wake up on the floor.”
Siva pulled the last of the pins out and began to quickly unbraid Lydia’s hair.
“Has a Tribute been chosen?”
“No. There are four pairs left to battle. Th
e winner from each will pair up and battle again and so on until there is only one left to stand beside you during the ceremony.”
“Is that all he’ll do?”
“There are a few things here and there that a father would do for you, and he will step in there. But everything he accepts for you on your behalf and that he agrees to on your behalf is for show and a tradition. Once the weekend is over, everything will be turned over to you and you will only talk to your Tribute if you choose to contact him.”
“That’s good to know.”
“You’ll meet with him tomorrow morning after you’ve had your breakfast and dressed for the first ceremony of the day. I’ve seen the eight that are left. No matter who wins, they are all good and kind men. The only one who will take better care of you during this weekend is me.”
Siva moved around to kneel in front of where Lydia sat on the low stool so they were eye-to-eye. Siva picked up Lydia’s hands and squeezed them reassuringly.
“We’re going to make sure that these are the beginning of the best days of your life. Don’t you worry about anything. We’ll take care of every detail and guide you through it all.”
She hugged Lydia and quickly left the room before Lydia could say anything but “Good night.”
Left alone again, Lydia dropped the robe and headed into the bathroom. She needed to wash all the styling gel out of her hair and the scent of dinner from her skin. She bypassed the bathtub, too exhausted to trust herself not to fall to sleep in it.
The giant shower was spacious and beautiful. Unlike the room she stayed in originally, this shower had shower heads coming from all angles that were completely adjustable by a touchpad on one wall. She set two of them to massage and set the temperature just a hair below scalding and stepped in.
She dallied in the shower for a few minutes after she’d scrubbed herself clean, letting the hot water wash away the day.
Seeing Jareth and Carter in their wedding finery had left her feeling unbalanced. They were both handsome in their own way, but dressed to the nines and sitting on either side of her, she was struck by how much she’d come to care for them and really how attractive she found both men. Together, they were the perfect man: Carter was dependable and soft-hearted, and endlessly patient; Jareth was the opposite, quick to anger but quick to cool off. He joked often and laughed more than anyone Lydia had ever met in her life.
The Tigers Shared Mate Page 8
