Nain and I walked through the huge arched front door of Assumption Grotto just as the church’s bells started ringing. I glanced over at him for about the millionth time since he’d come out of our room that morning.
“Stop gawking at me, woman,” he muttered, even as a smile quirked at the corners of his mouth.
“You are wearing the hell out of that tux, babe,” I said, and he laughed. “Damn.” He pulled his hand out of mine and put it around my waist, pulled me close. The wedding party was already assembled in the foyer, minus the bride, of course. I glanced around and had to smile. Nain, Brennan, and one of Stone’s best friends, a shifter from the Hamtramck pack, all stood there in their tuxes. The three bridesmaids were three of Ada’s best friends, fellow witches she’d known her entire life. We all greeted one another, and Eunomia and Heph walked in.
“A dress, Mollis? Will wonders never cease?” E asked, hugging me. I looked down at the pale purple long-sleeved dress I was wearing. Matching heels and everything, which had nearly killed me at least a dozen times. Screw Titans or insane immortals; it was the heels that would be the end of me.
“Ada picked this out. Can you believe she didn’t trust my fashion sense?” I asked, and she laughed. We all chatted for a few minutes as guests filed in, the priest came out of a little side room and smiled at all of us.
“Father Balester,” I said respectfully when he came over and shook my hand.
“Angel. It is an absolute pleasure to see you under happier circumstances,” he said, smiling.
“Definitely,” I agreed.
Father Balester wasn’t your average Catholic priest. His flock was not exactly normal, either. Father Balester was one of us.
Supernatural.
The man could turn into a tree. Not even kidding. He was an Earth guardian. His kind were rare, and their job was to try to keep the natural world in some kind of balance. He had his work cut out for him, working in an industrial city like Detroit. But he loved the city, and he went into the priesthood because he could sense that there was a need for someone like him for our kind to turn to.
In the past three weeks, he’d had his hands full presiding over supernatural funerals. Levitt. Chief Jones. Three vampires from Queen Rayna’s family. Five shifters from various packs. Two witches and a warlock who were allied with us. Things had been grim, and Ada and Stone had considered calling off the wedding they’d started planning before the world went insane.
As I stood there with my friends, I was even happier they’d decided to go ahead. Life was insane, and ours was even crazier. You had to grab happiness the second you had a chance at it, because it could be taken from you at any time. We knew that all too well.
“Shall we head in, then?” Father Balester asked, and the groomsmen all headed up the aisle toward the front of the church, where Stone was already waiting, looking more nervous than I’d ever seen him, his white handlebar mustache impeccably trimmed and combed. I smiled as I watched him pull yet again at the sleeves of his jacket. Nain kissed me before heading in, and Father Balester gave me another small smile. E took my hand, and we walked into the church together, heading for one of the front pews reserved for the bride and groom’s family. I spotted Shanti and Zero sitting with the rest of Rayna’s family, and waved at both of them.
One of the pews on the right side of the church could easily have been dubbed “immortal section.” Heph, Athena, my aunt Meg, my mother, my father, Persephone (who had struck up a fast friendship with Ada over witchy stuff after the battle downtown), Asclepias, and Artemis were all sitting there, and E and I joined them. I sat between E and Artemis, who had Sean on her lap.
I greeted everyone, then glanced at Sean, who looked pretty dapper in his tiny suit. He was almost a year old, and had just started walking. “Hey kiddo,” I said. My glowing eyes didn’t impress him anymore the way they had when he was an infant. Too many supernaturals around, all of us with varying colors of glowing, freaky eyes, and I was nothing special.
“This child is a nightmare,” Artemis said, a small smile on her face. She adored her great times about a hundred grandson. “I am starting to miss the playpen days.”
I smiled. “He’s keeping you in shape, old woman,” I said, and she smacked my arm lightly, laughing.
I looked down the row. The immortals weren’t here because they were particularly close to Ada (though some of them were). They were here for security. One reason we’d even considered holding off on the wedding was because things were still crazy among supernaturals, and a big gathering of our allies all in one place seemed like just asking for trouble. Ada and her witch friends and Persephone had worked a whole lot of magic to shield and protect the church and its grounds, and it was unlikely anything that wasn’t supposed to be there could get in.
But if they did, they’d have ten immortals ready to kick their ass. Nothing was going to mess up Stone and Ada’s day.
I glanced toward the front of the church to see Nain watching me. I gave him a tiny smile, then the organ music started, and the bridesmaids started making their way down the aisle. I turned with everyone else to watch them, and as I did, I surveyed the room. We were doing a good job working together. It was strange to see demons, immortals, shifters, werewolves, vampires, witches, and warlocks all in one place. It was even stranger to see them sitting, not solely in groups of their own kind, but all mixed up together. The battle for Detroit (as some in the media had started calling it) had brought us together, made us interact with one another in a way we never had.
I turned my attention back to the bridesmaids, and once the final one reached the altar, the music changed, the wedding march started, and everyone rose and turned toward the back of the church.
When Ada walked through, tears came to my eyes. She was radiant, her silver hair intricately braided around her head, her face glowing with happiness. She wore a long cream dress that trailed behind her, lace everywhere. I could see the silver pentacle she always wore, still around her throat. No veil, and I was glad. The look in her eyes, the happiness there, was absolutely breathtaking. She glanced toward me as she made her way up the aisle, and smiled. I smiled back and watched her continue up to the altar.
We all sat, and I dabbed at my eyes.
“I never would have taken you for the type to cry at weddings,” E whispered, leaning toward me.
“Shut up,” I said. “I’m not crying.”
“Of course not,” Artemis whispered on my other side, rolling her eyes.
I shushed them both and focused on the group at the front of the church. Father Balester started talking, and my attention went back to my husband.
Damn.
As crazy and sad as the last few weeks had been, between the continued fighting and all of the funerals we’ d attended, it had been a happy time for the two of us. We were having that goofy, happy newlywed period we’d never had before. We were all over one another, and it still wasn’t enough. Every day I learned something about him that I loved. And every day, he did at least one thing that made me want to kick his ass.
He’s a demon, after all.
I watched him, smiled to myself.
I can’t wait to tear that off of you later, I thought at him.
You are insatiable. Quiet, woman.
Though maybe you could keep the tie on.
I watched as he tried to keep a straight face.
You are gonna get it later.
Promise?
His eyes met mine, and I could see that he was trying not to laugh. And then I turned my attention back to Ada and Stone as they started saying their vows.
They were beautiful. That was all I could think as I watched them say their vows, exchange golden bands as if they were the only two people in existence. The way they focused on one another. The love between them was strong, warm. I wiped at my eyes again, and E passed me a tissue, right before she dabbed at her own eyes.
When it ended, everyone milled around taking photos, and then we all slowly but sure
ly made our way back to the loft for the reception.
The loft was empty of all of our usual furniture. That was all sitting in moving vans down in the garage, waiting for us to move the rest of the stuff out. Nain had found us two duplexes, side by side in Harper Woods. Between the four units, there would be enough room for everyone who currently lived at the loft.
I hated that we had to move.
But now that Nether was free, it was just a matter of time before she finished generating a body. And once that happened, she would come after me.
Which meant that she would come after everyone I loved. And she knew everything I knew from sharing soulspace with me for so long. From sharing my mind and body. She knew who I loved. Where to find those people. Who my friends and allies were and where they lived.
Everyone was moving. Shifter packs. Rayna had already relocated her people to a house in Indian Village. We were almost done packing, and then we’d be moving on from the loft, too. But it was the perfect place to host this little get-together, now that the main part was empty. Long tables had been set up, each covered with a white tablecloth, with wooden folding chairs along all of them. The reception, like the wedding, would be fairly small, but we hadn’t cut any corners. There was a towering white wedding cake on the kitchen island, where everyone could see it, and the former training floor was now a dance floor. Near that, one of the vampires was setting up his system. Yep, a vampire DJ, one of Rayna’s people.
Rayna had brought us plenty of connections. She was a shrewd business woman, and it was becoming clear how she made her money. She had several small businesses, including a restaurant and catering company. So we used them, and even got a discount because she likes us. The vampire servers were setting the food up on a long table along one wall, and I could smell it. I was starving.
Everyone milled around, talking and eating, congratulating the bride and groom. The cake was cut, and then the DJ started doing his thing and we watched Stone and Ada have their first dance. Nain stood beside me, huge hand on my hip, and I could feel his happiness for his two oldest friends.
“They look so happy,” I said to him.
“They do.”
I glanced up at him. “We should try to get them to retire. Move them to Florida or something,” I said quietly.
He nodded. “We’ll see. You know they won’t take us up on that.”
“We should still try.”
He squeezed my waist, then took my hand and led me to the dance floor, where other couples were starting to sway to the music as well. I danced with him, loving the feel of being in his arms, his strong shoulder under my hand, his fingers twining with those of my other hand. I loved the way he leaned down and nuzzled the side of my neck.
“If you don’t stop that I’m going to drag you into our room one last time,” I whispered.
“We should have another go on the roof before we move out, too,” he murmured, and I blushed. Our roof had seen more than a little action in the past couple of weeks. We’d broken the glider, and Nain promised me he’d get it fixed.
I kissed his throat as the song ended, and then we both started trying to be good hosts, talking to the people who had come to Ada and Stone’s reception. Of course, any gathering of supernaturals is an opportunity for politics, and this was no different. Shifters and witches who were maybe not as high up in our hierarchy as Nain, Brennan, Rayna, Jamie, and I seemed, already, to always be trying to work their way up, as if leadership of Detroit’s supernatural community was something to aspire to. I spent the next hour and a half listening to people complain. I promised meetings. I answered questions. When I finally freed myself from an especially irritating conversation with an older warlock, I looked for a quiet corner to hide in.
Ugh. Socializing. This so wasn’t my thing.
I looked toward the living room, which was quieter than the dance floor and where the tables were set up. There were folding chairs there, too, arranged in small groups for conversation. Brennan sat in the corner, Sean on his lap. I glanced toward the dance floor, where Nain was dancing with Ada. I caught his eyes and glanced toward Brennan, and he nodded.
I walked over to Brennan and Sean and sat down in the chair next to him. I kicked the torturous heels off and tucked my feet under the chair, barely suppressing a sigh.
“It was a nice wedding, huh? I’ve never been to one before,” I said. Sean dozed against Brennan’s chest.
“It was nice. They looked happy,” he said. I sensed for him. Nervousness. Sadness. Guilt.
“No date?” I asked him, and he shook his head, met my eyes.
“I’m taking a break. I think that’s for the best,” he said, and I didn’t know how to respond to that.
We sat in awkward silence for a few minutes. “I’m surprised you’re talking to me,” he said finally.
I glanced over at him. “Did you think I would give you the silent treatment forever?” I asked him.
“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did.”
I sighed. “I have a hard time being mad at you. I mean, maybe someone saner than I am would look at everything that’s happened and wonder why I haven’t killed you yet.”
“I have wondered that myself,” he said, and I was happy to see a little bit of a smile on his lips.
“I can’t hate you, Bren. Not for the witch, not for Sean. Not even for telling Ross and his guys about me.” Agent Ross, who headed a special division of the Department of Homeland Security that was specifically tasked with watching supernaturals and responding to the chaos that had erupted because of Strife. Brennan’s boss. “Like you said: I save the world my way, and you save it yours.”
He was quiet for a minute. “So you get that none of what we had was a lie, right?”
I nodded. “I know.”
He took a deep breath, and I felt relief roll off of him. “Good.”
“Why did that relieve you so much?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “Because if you actually believed that I didn’t really love you, that would only make you doubt yourself more, and that’s the last thing you should do. And I was crazy in love with you and it matters that you know that.”
“I do.”
“Why the change of heart?” he asked me.
I shrugged. “Look how crazy everything has been. How many we’ve lost.” I shook my head, ended up looking over at him and meeting his eyes. “Life is too short and too insane to stay mad at the people you care about. And no matter what else happened, you were there for me when no one else was. I mean, I’m not ready to start hanging out or anything like that, but I’m sick of losing people. And I’m sure the hell not going to lose someone who’s still alive and well.”
He just stared at me. “Who are you and what have you done with Molly?”
I laughed, and after a couple of seconds, he joined in.
I glanced around, saw that Nain was on his phone. He hung up and started walking toward me and Brennan. He leaned down.
“We have to take off, baby,” he said.
“What’s going on?” I asked, standing up. Brennan stood up too, shifting his hold on Sean.
“That was one of the Delray shifters. Apparently the whole fucking neighborhood just disappeared.”
“What do you mean, disappeared?” I asked him.
“I mean it’s gone. Nothing there, like the Earth just swallowed it up. That’s what he says, anyway.’
I watched as Brennan and Nain exchanged a glance. “Hopefully he’s been hitting the bottle again,” Brennan said, and Nain let out a grunt of agreement.
“That’s what I’m hoping. With all the other weird shit going on, I doubt it, though,” Nain said.
Brennan gestured to Artemis, and she walked over, took Sean. “I’m coming too. Can you watch him, Artemis?” he asked, and the immortal nodded and took Sean from him.
Within a few minutes, we were heading out of the loft, still dressed in our wedding clothes, heading for a neighborhood that no longer existed.
&nbs
p; * * *
Read more in
Nether:
Hidden Book Five
Coming Fall 2014!
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About the Author
Colleen Vanderlinden is the author and publisher of the Hidden series, which currently includes Lost Girl, Broken, and Home. She lives in the Detroit area with her husband, children, and two lazy cats. She enjoys reading, obsessing over comic book characters, gardening, and playing World of Warcraft.
Learn more about Colleen at her website, http://www.colleenvanderlinden.com, contact her via email at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
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The Hidden Series
Book One: Lost Girl
Book Two: Broken
Book Three: Home
Book Four: Strife
Book Five: Nether - Available Fall 2014
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Strife: Hidden Book Four Page 27
