by Sumida, Amy
“It's more wonderful than I anything I could have imagined,” Samantha leaned in.
She was standing behind me, looking radiant in an elegant, white, strapless dress with lace accents. Her hair was loose and long down her back and on her head was a silver crown, spiked and sparkling with crystals. I'd been told it was traditional.
We'd started another tradition the day before, when I'd brought her and Fallon into the inner courtyard of Pride Palace and placed a blessing on them with my love magic. I had decided that every Intare or Froekn who committed themselves to another would receive a blessing from me, and Fenrir had agreed enthusiastically. So all that was left now was the actual wedding.
I smiled at Sam reassuringly and she smiled back, holding her bouquet of orchids a little higher. I smoothed my own simple, blue dress and turned back around, looking to Alan, the Froekn who was organizing everything, to wait for my cue. Soft music started to play and he nodded to first Persephone and then me, so I began to walk sedately down the aisle.
As soon as I got on the path, I was able to see its end. Fallon was standing tall and proud in a black suit with Darius, his best man, beside him. To his right, stood Fenrir, who was officiating the ceremony. Before them, to either side of the aisle, were both Froekn and Intare intermingling, along with our god friends. I was glad they sat together, as if they were a family already, instead of taking sides. As I neared the front, I was able to see my men, they were all there, including my sons. I smiled at them as I took my place to the right of Fenrir and down a bit.
Then I turned and was able to watch Samantha as she made her way up the aisle. I'm not a crier. I don't cry at weddings or the birth of babies but seeing her so happy, so beautiful, walking toward a man I thought of as a brother, to commit her very long life to being with only him, I nearly became one of those silly crying women.
After she arrived at the end of the aisle, she immediately passed me her bouquet and turned to take both of Fallon's hands. Fenrir came forward and placed his hands over their joined ones. He nodded and smiled to them before he looked up to the gathering.
“This is a momentous occasion,” he said in his rich voice. “The first Binding ceremony done between Froekn and Intare. Fallon has proved his worth to the wolves and has been accepted as a worthy mate and brother. We welcome him into the family and welcome his family as our own but more importantly, we celebrate his willingness to bind himself to our daughter in the ways of our people.”
The Froekn cheered and I couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt for not binding myself fully to Trevor. Was that Fenrir's idea of a little jab at me? That ours should have been the first Binding ceremony between Froekn and Intare? No, I wasn't going to ruin Fallon and Samantha's day with bad thoughts. I focused back on the couple as Fenrir continued.
“As Valdyr of the Froekn, it's my pleasure to give this couple my blessing, as their Rouva and Tima has already done,” he squeezed their hands. “May the Moon ever smile upon you, may your path lay clear and unbroken, and may your happiness in each other grow with every passing day.” He stepped back to cheering and applause. Then he nodded to Fallon and the crowd silenced, even the forest seemed to pause and listen.
“I will treasure your life above my own,” Fallon's voice was clear and strong, “and stop the blade meant for your heart, with my own body.”
“Your death would be my death,” Samantha replied just as vibrantly. “I release you from your vow and bid you instead of dying, live for me.”
“So be it,” Fallon nodded and then continued. “I will put your needs above my own. I will go hungry so that you may eat.”
“Your hunger would turn the food to ash in my mouth,” Samantha shook her head. “I release you from your vow and bid you instead to keep your body nourished for me.”
“So be it,” Fallon said again. “I will love you above all others, including myself, without conditions or expectations.”
“I do not desire blind love. I release you from your vow and bid you instead to love yourself first, so that the love you give to me is strong and pure.”
“So be it,” Fallon said and held out a ring to Samantha. “Will you accept me as I am and wear this symbol to let all know of our commitment to each other?”
“Yes, I will,” she held her hand out and let him slide the ring into place. There was more cheering before the silence returned and Samantha repeated the vows Fallon had made to her, ending with her putting a ring on his finger and then more cheering.
Then Fenrir came forward and put a hand on each of their shoulders. “Three vows made and three refused. Freedom offered and thrice rejected. You are bound now by the powers of the Moon and the magic of the Froekn. Cleave one to the other for only together will you survive eternity. So shall it be!”
I felt a ripple of power emanate out from Fallon and Samantha, both of them shivering with it, and I knew I was feeling their bond slide into place. She turned back to me and I gave her the bouquet before placing a quick kiss on her cheek. She hugged me and turned back to Fallon, who took her hand and escorted her past Fenrir and into the woods beyond.
I frowned, looking to Fenrir. “Aren't they going to the feast?”
“They have to consummate the bond first,” Fenrir laughed and chucked me under the chin. “You, of all people, should know that the Binding isn't complete without the consummation.”
“Oh, right,” I felt my face heating up. “Consummation. Is there at least a bed back there?”
“There's a beautiful bower set up for them,” Trevor answered and I turned to smile at him. “They'll be very comfortable but I doubt it would matter. A field of grass would be fine, they'll barely notice their surroundings.”
“Yeah,” I smiled, remembering our consummation. “I imagine you're right.”
“Now let's go celebrate for them,” he took my arm to lead me back to the Hall with everyone else. “They'll be around sometime later tonight. Maybe.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Evidently weddings, or rather Bindings, were a time to show off your prowess. In addition to the huge feast that was laid out banquet style on one of the long tables, there was the usual dancing but there were also games designed to exhibit a wolf's, or lion's, or god's expertise with such items as swords, daggers, and hammers. There were also games of intellect such as Chess and Backgammon. It was noisy, bright, and wonderful.
“Care to dance with Death,” a chill ran down my spine before I turned and saw that it was Azrael whispering to me.
“Oh,” I laughed to cover my unease. “I dance with death all the time but tonight I think I'd rather dance with you.”
“Maybe for tonight, Death will just be a man,” he grinned and swept me out onto the open space set aside for dancing.
Dark Horses was playing on a stage at the end of the dining hall, Rain's voice carrying over the rowdy crowd with ease. I smiled to see his newly cut hair worked into stylish spikes. He was taking Krystal's critique to heart and working the new look. Personally I preferred the long hair, a point me and Krystal would never see eye to eye on, but I could admit Rain was just as attractive with the short.
Azrael had short hair in fact, and I loved the way he looked. I ran my fingers up into the careless tousle of his black hair and he pulled me closer with a low groan. The music was fast but I didn't care, I slowed us down into a sexy groove and leaned into my angel. Under my cheek his chest flexed and I listened to his heart start to beat faster. It was sweeter music to me than anything Rain could sing.
I closed my eyes, the sound of that strong heart becoming louder and louder in my ear until it was all I heard. I could almost see Azrael's veins, blood sliding through them, flowing into that pulsing organ, just a few bones and tissues separating us. His scent filled my nose, vanilla orchids, delicate and sweet. It grew thick, I could almost taste it, taste him, on my tongue. I had the sudden urge to bite him, to feel his blood on my lips and know the secrets of his soul with just one lick. How many licks would it take to
get to the center of an angel?
I frowned, trying to muddle out this strange new desire. Then my beasts went crazy, all three of them, my wolf, my lioness, and even my jaguar, who ruled them all. They were racing around inside of me, chasing something, not chasing it away but chasing it to catch it. I had a sudden memory of Arach telling me how the chase was the best part of romance. Then a wave of heat rose up in me, shooting my eyes open, arching my back, and sending me into spasms.
I could hear people shouting but it was muffled, almost like I was under water or deep in the earth. I couldn't reach them and they couldn't save me. Another heat wave rolled over me and my vision changed completely. I was flying, soaring over rocky cliffs, and I barely noticed the cool air on my over-heated skin. I dove and rolled with it, spiraling through clouds and roaring my pleasure to the moon.
The heat subsided, completely conquered by the altitude, and I drew breath into my lungs with relief. When I let it out, a string of fire appeared before me, startling me enough to come out of the vision and back to my body. I found myself lying on the smooth wood floor of Fenrir's dining hall, not really sure how I'd gotten there.
“Did I fall?” I looked up at Azrael, whose face was peering down into mine.
“Vervain,” he let out a relieved sigh and looked over his shoulder. “She's fine, everyone. Go back to what you were doing.” Then he looked back down at me. “Your flesh started to heat, then you fell back and started convulsing. I didn't know what to do.”
“Let me have a look a her,” Teharon came forward and knelt beside me. He laid a hand on my cheek and closed his eyes.
I felt his magic pushing against me and let him in, let him search my body for signs of whatever it was that just happened. I felt his power zinging through my muscles, a cool flow starting at my head, working down to my feet, and then back again.
“I think we need to find a room for some privacy,” Teharon looked back at Fenrir and Trevor, who were standing behind him.
“Follow me,” Fenrir said and turned to walk away.
Azrael helped me to my feet and I started to stumble after Fenrir. Trevor stopped me and lifted me into his arms with a concerned look. I tried to smile at him reassuringly but I'm afraid it only made him frown harder. So I opted to rest my head against his chest instead and wonder of wonders, I kept my mouth shut all the way to the bedroom Fenrir led us to.
As soon as the door closed behind us and I was laid out on the bed, I was surrounded by concerned male faces and questions. Not all of them geared toward me, at least. Trevor was asking Azrael what had happened in the moments before my collapse and Odin was asking everyone what the hell was going on, since he'd evidently missed the whole damn thing. Kirill was practically in bed with me, sitting on the edge of the mattress and leaning over my head, to hold a hand to my forehead like he was my grandmother. He kept asking if I was okay and I kept nodding but I don't think he believed me.
“She is varm,” Kirill finally looked away from me for a second, to interrupt the discussion above us.
“Yes, she was almost burning hot for a second back there,” Azrael leaned in and looked over my face. “What happened to you, Vervain?”
“I don't know,” I finally spoke. “I was listening to your heart beat and then I had this weird urge to bite you.” I sank into my worst Count Dracula voice and said, “I vanted to taste your blood, bwahaha.” Nobody laughed. “No? Wrong time for humor?”
“You had the urge to taste his blood?” Odin looked a little pale. “There's no magic in you that should warrant that.”
“Except for her fey heritage,” Trevor noted.
“But if that's the problem,” I shook my head, “then I'd be having these issues all of my life, or at least since puberty. I'm not really sure how the fey work.”
“What else did you experience?” Teharon seemed to be the voice of calm and reason.
“I...” I frowned as I remembered the vision and what had pulled me out of it. “Oh shit, I think Trevor's right.”
“Why?” Teharon prompted.
“I had a vision of flying and then of breathing fire,” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “But why now? If I've been fey all along, why is this happening now?”
“Well you did just come back from the Faery Realm,” Azrael sighed.
Odin was cursing in Old Norse again.
“Did you experience anything unusual in the realm of the fey?” Teharon asked and I raised a brow at him. “Anything that caused some kind of physical response from you?”
“Oh,” I thought back, going over every moment until finally coming to the last. “Oh shit. I think I know.”
“Feel free to let us in on secret too,” Kirill drawled.
“At the end,” I spared a quick irritated glance for Kirill, “when Arach finally ran me to ground, as it were, I was desperate. I tried to drain him but of course that didn't work.”
“He's fey,” Odin grimaced, “he is magic, he never took it from humans.”
“Right,” I nodded, “I couldn't get anything from him but then I felt the earth call me and I was able to pull huge amounts of energy from it, more than I've ever been able to pull from the earth of the Human Realm.”
“Yes,” Odin was frowning deeply, “because you were in Faerie, at the source of your own magic. You accessed the fountainhead and it's obviously changed you, awakened your dormant sidhe side.”
“Oh, that doesn't sound good,” I groaned. “You know, I remember feeling as if something had burst inside me, like a dam had been broken and something was released. That must have been my fey magic waking up.”
“This is who you are, how can it be bad?” Everyone looked at Azrael like he'd gone crazy but he just shrugged. “I love her, no matter what, don't all of you?”
“Well, maybe not in the same way some of you do,” Teharon grinned, “but yes.”
“Good,” Trevor rolled his eyes. “Her bed's full enough.”
“This is a part of who she is,” Azrael continued patiently. He was good at that, being patient, which was a huge plus when dealing with me and mine. “It may be what's best for her to know it and accept it. It may complete her in ways we can't even conceive of. She's had to live a half life, part of her basic nature submerged and denied, without ever knowing it. Maybe it will be good for her to truly know herself. It sounds like she's inherited some powerful magic and I don't see the negative in that.”
“You,” I shook my head, speechless, “you are so amazing.”
“Yes, the wonder and wisdom of the angels,” Odin said, sarcasm dripping. “The negatives you don't see, are that a dragon-sidhe, a male who claims she's the only female of his kind in existence, may be able to sense this change and use it to not only find her but take her from us. He seemed rather intent to begin with but I have a feeling this coming into power or whatever it is, may intensify his desires.”
“But he's in the Faerie Realm,” Azrael wasn't bothered in the least by Odin's criticism and I think that bothered Odin even more. “He has no access to her.”
“Maybe not yet,” Odin grimaced, “but now their wards have been weakened twice, once by Vervain and once by myself when I went to bring her back. This Arach may be able to find a way to weaken it further and if he can break the barrier, the fey will be able to return to the Human Realm.”
“Chyort voz'mi,” Kirill swore.
“Indeed,” Odin nodded grimly.
“Huh?” I looked up at Kirill.
“It means oh shit, basically,” Trevor answered instead.
“Oh,” I huffed. “In that case, chyort voz'mi.”
I conveniently forgot to tell them about Arach and the mirror.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I didn't want to cut the evening short over my little episode, so we all went back to the party and acted like everything was fine. Yep, no problem here, I just had a little faint, everything's all right, no dragon-sidhe magic rearranging my insides, and there's definitely not a randy male dragon-sidhe possib
ly breaking through a barrier into the Aether to come and get me and make me his lizard love slave. Oh yeah, everything's dandy.
I did manage to have a good time though. I ate a lot, drank even more, and danced with all of my men, over and over. Also, I got to see Fallon and Samantha enter the room in a glow of happiness and unity. They looked different, I'm not sure what it was exactly, something in their faces, their muscles more relaxed, or maybe just a confidence in their manners. They looked wonderful and it made everything seem a lot better just to see them that way.
The evening finally did wind down though, and we all headed home, Trevor, Kirill, the Intare, and I to Pride Palace while Odin, Azrael, and everyone else returned to their own homes. Fallon and Samantha were staying in a special bridal suite Fenrir had made up for them. Then they'd be coming home to Pride Palace to live with us. I was kind of excited to have another woman in the house. I mean, even my cat's a boy. I was in serious need of some estrogen.
I was exhausted as I walked through the halls to my bedroom, I wanted to sleep for a week. So I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings when I entered the master suite where we slept. I passed by the King sized bed that fit really well into the safari theme, with it's polished wood posters and mosquito netting. I was pleased that it didn't look out of place since it was in fact a replacement of the original bed which had belonged to Nyavirezi and held way too much bad memories for Kirill. We kept adding to it, at first it was just a double-tiered, mahogany platform and then we'd added the posters, and then finally the netting. I was pretty happy with it now, and evidently so was Nick, who was curled up in the center of it.
I just kept walking, heading into the bathroom. I had no idea anything was wrong until I heard Trevor and Kirill growling. I stumbled back into the bedroom to find my two lovers facing off with a hissing black cat who sported a white spot in the center of his chest. The cat's eyes were glowing green and his fur was standing on end, making him look like a pissed off, black cloud. Okay, that was definitely not Nick.
