Devoted (Book Two, Caylin's Story)

by S. J. West

  Aiden sighs.

  “Don't keep it for long,” he tells Jered. “Otherwise it'll start to eat you up and that's no good for anybody.”

  Jered nods and holds his hand out to Aiden again.

  As the two of them shake hands, Jered says, “I won't let either of you two down again. You have my word on that.”

  And I know Jered means what he says because my internal lie detector would go off if he didn't.

  “I'll let the two of you go back to what you were doing,” Jered says with a small smile, as if he might suspect I was about to make out with my boyfriend before he knocked on the door. “I'll see you both at the wedding later.”

  “See you then,” Aiden tells him.

  Jered phases and Aiden and I are alone again.

  He sits back down on his stool and assumes the same position he was in before Jered interrupted us.

  “Now,” Aiden says, “what happy memory were we about to make before we got interrupted.”

  I giggle and walk back to Aiden, standing between his legs again and resting my arms over his shoulders.

  “Let me show you,” I tell him before lowering my lips to his and making a memory we would never forget.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  I stare at myself in the full-length mirror in my room and wonder what the heck I was thinking when I agreed to be one of Faison’s bridesmaids. I look like I was tarred and stuck into a bag of pink tulle only to escape looking like a deranged ballerina.

  I turn my back to my reflection and immediately go to my closet to pick out another dress to take to Leah’s house. I plan to take the nightmare bridesmaid dress off right after the wedding pictures are taken. Jess’ idea of changing clothes was absolute genius, and I plan to take full advantage of her suggestion, especially since Faison gave us her blessing to do it.

  I walk down stairs with my change of clothes over one of my arms only to hear the cackle of my little brother as I enter his line of vision.

  “You look like a pink puffball,” he says through his hysterical laughter.

  I narrow my eyes at him.

  “Don’t make me hurt you,” I warn in all seriousness.

  Will rolls his eyes at me as if he thinks I'm making an empty threat.

  “You always say that but you know you can’t hurt me,” he says full of confidence. “You love me too much.”

  I know he’s right, but I can’t let him think he can tease me to no end either.

  “What happened with Katie Ann yesterday?” I ask instead, effectively changing the subject.

  Will grins.

  “She melted like butter in my hands after she read the poem I wrote for her,” Will says. “We’re official now.”

  I can’t help but smile because Will looks so pleased with himself over his conquest of Katie Ann's heart.

  “Congratulations,” I tell him, not feeling like teasing him about his first love.

  I seriously doubt it will be his last, but for right now, it’s new and exciting for him. I can understand the feeling, and I wouldn’t belittle his moment in the sun of Katie Ann's adoration for anything in the world.

  “KK!”

  I look up the stairs and see my mom, dad, and Mae walk down all dressed up to go to the wedding. Mae looks angelic in her little pink flower girl dress. I feel somewhat jealous and wish my dress looked more like hers with its simple, classic lines.

  “That's some dress you've got on,” my dad says to me, but I can tell he's holding back a laugh with a smile.

  “Which is why I'm taking extra clothes,” I tell him, patting the dress across my arm with my free hand.

  My dad chuckles. “Good idea.”

  I see his gaze drop to my necklace.

  “It looks a lot better whole,” he comments.

  I raise my hand up to the pendant and smile. “Yes, it does.”

  “Aiden has good taste,” my dad tells me, and I know from the look in his eyes he doesn't just mean Aiden's taste in jewelry.

  “I'll meet you all at the church,” I tell my family. “I'm going to phase over to Mama Lynn's house first and leave my clothes there to change into later.”

  My mom leans in close to me and kisses me on the cheek.

  “Be careful,” she says.

  I nod. “I will. It'll only take a second. I’ll see you there.”

  I phase to Mama Lynn's front door and knock.

  It's immediately opened by Leah who looks like my mirror image. She busts out in laughter.

  “We look ridiculous,” she declares.

  “I'm fully aware,” I tell her as she steps back from the doorway to give me space to walk into the house.

  I lay my dress on the back of the couch in the living room and turn around to face Leah.

  She isn’t laughing anymore or even smiling.

  “We never should have left you with Hunter,” Leah says frowning. “Joshua and I are so sorry, Caylin.”

  I shake my head.

  “Don't apologize for something you had no control over,” I tell her. “Aiden and I are fine.”

  “But if we had only stayed with you...”

  “Who knows what might have happened,” I finish for her. “It could have turned out worse. You both might have gotten hurt, or they could have used you against me too. I had the element of surprise on my side. Levi didn’t expect me to be so strong.”

  “I heard about what you did to him,” Leah says, her frown deepening. “Are you ok with what happened?”

  “If you're asking me if I feel any guilt about it, no, I don't. He deserved worse if you want to know what I honestly think.”

  “Good,” Leah says, her worry for me disappearing. “You shouldn't feel any guilt over it. And I agree, he deserved worse.”

  “Come on, Faison,” I hear Jess say in exasperation as she walks down the stairs from the second floor. “You're going to be late for your own wedding if you don't get a move on.”

  Jess descends the staircase in a pink puff of organza but somehow she still manages to look beautiful.

  She smiles when she sees me.

  “Hey, kiddo. How are you doing?”

  “I'm wonderful actually,” I admit.

  How could I not be with the morning I just had with Aiden?

  After Jered left, we kissed for a long time and then I finally tore myself away from him long enough to finish my painting for my mom. I wanted to make sure I got through with it because I had no way of knowing what might happen in the next few days, and her birthday was only five days away. I felt sure the time in between would be taken up with the plan we had to put the Princes of Hell into stasis.

  My attention is grabbed by Faison as she descends the staircase in a billow of white silk. Mama Lynn trails behind her with the long train draped over her arms.

  “Oh, you girls look so cute,” Faison says, crinkling her nose at us like we’re the most adorable things she’s ever seen in her life.

  Her smile is so bright and filled with such happiness I almost feel guilty for feeling stupid in the dress she’s making me wear.

  “Well, you look gorgeous!” I tell her, truly meaning it.

  Faison smiles shyly, as if she isn’t used to such praise. “Thanks.”

  “Zack’s going to have a heart attack when he sees you,” Leah declares.

  “Thanks, little sis,” Faison says.

  “Caylin, can you just phase us all to the church?” Jess asks me. “We're running late because someone was fussing over her hair.”

  “I wanted to make sure it looked perfect,” Faison says to Jess in her own self-defense.

  “It was perfect an hour ago,” Jess tells her sister. “Zack would think you were perfect even if you were completely bald with buck teeth and a wandering eye!”

  Faison tries not to laugh but fails miserably and begins to laugh so hard she's on the verge of tears.

  “Don't make me laugh again!” She tells Jess pointing a strident finger at her. “I'll ruin my make-up if you do!”

  “
You need to laugh,” Jess tells her in all seriousness. “It's your wedding day. It's supposed to be the happiest day of your life.”

  “And we're going to make sure it is,” Mama Lynn declares as she gathers up the rest of Faison's train in the back. “Now let's go to the church. We don't need to keep your man waiting at the altar forever.”

  I grab Leah's hand and walk over to the other three women. Everyone touches me and I phase us to the very front of the church where we’re all supposed to line up. When I do, I instantly see Aiden and openly gawk at his perfection.

  He’s on the other side of the little foyer speaking with Chandler, Joshua, and Mr. George, Mama Lynn’s husband. Aiden is wearing a dark gray frock suit, matching the antebellum theme of the wedding. Underneath the coat, he has on a silk vest that matches the pink of my dress, a white shirt and grey silk cravat around the raised collar. He's left his hair loose and curly, just the way I like it.

  When Aiden sees me, I expect him to at least chuckle at my attire, but all he does is smile at me, somehow making me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world even though I know I don’t look the part. He excuses himself from the others and walks over to me.

  “Why do you look so good?” I ask him, wondering how he can look so handsome in antebellum style clothing.

  “Because I picked a good body to come to Earth in?” He asks jokingly.

  I roll my eyes at him. “Well that’s obvious, but how can you look so good dressed up in these clothes? I look like I got attacked by a bag of cotton candy!”

  Aiden shakes his head at me as though I’m being ridiculous and leans down to kiss me on the cheek.

  “You look beautiful,” he tells me.

  “And how can you say that truthfully?” I ask, knowing his words weren't a lie.

  “Because you always look beautiful to me,” he says in a low voice. “No matter what god awful outfit you're wearing.”

  I giggle somewhat relieved that at least he acknowledges the dress is hideous.

  As I look Aiden up and down, I tell him, “I have to say I like you in that suit. You really do look good in it.”

  Aiden grins. “Good enough to dance with later?”

  “Good enough for more than that later,” I whisper, past the point of being overly shy in telling him what I want.

  Aiden seems to get the gist of my meaning because I see a small hint of a blush appear across his cheeks as he grins at me.

  “Ok boys and girls,” Jess says, interrupting our moment. “Time to get this show on the road so we can get out of these clothes.”

  We pick up our bouquets from a table near the entrance of the church and line up in our designated order. Jess handles keeping Mae and Max in line and giving them last minute instructions on what they are supposed to do once we enter the sanctuary. I stand beside Aiden and take a deep breath.

  “Are you nervous?” Aiden asks me.

  “I don’t like crowds or people watching me,” I confess.

  Aiden holds a bent arm out to me, and I loop my free arm through it. He pats my hand reassuringly.

  “I’ll be right by your side,” he says. “Just look at me if you get nervous.”

  I look up at Aiden and know without any doubt that he will always be by my side. He will always do whatever he has to do to protect me. And he will always love me. To be my age and have someone like that in my life is a blessing not many people get to have. I silently promise him that I will not take him, my gift from God, for granted.

  As we walk down the aisle together, I see my parents in a pew near the front of the church smiling at me. It makes me think back to the vision of me walking with my father down a church aisle on my own wedding day. I didn’t look much older than I am now in the vision, and it makes me wonder how soon it will be before Aiden and I decide to get married.

  As we reach Zack standing with the preacher at the front of the church, Aiden and I have to separate so he can go stand on Zack’s side of the altar. I feel him squeeze my hand on his arm gently before letting me go.

  The ceremony goes by quickly and without a hitch. I’m thankful Faison is able to have the wedding of her dreams to Zack and know they will have a happy life together.

  After the ceremony, we’re forced to take about a million pictures by the rather bossy little woman photographer Mama Lynn hired. I feel like I’m in boot camp, and she’s my sergeant giving me orders on where to stand, when to smile and when to get out of the way. I’m thankful when we’re given permission to leave and change clothes to go meet all the other guests at the reception.

  The reception is set up behind Mama Lynn’s house in a large white tent that was erected just for the occasion. Even though it’s February, there are a sufficient number of heaters to make the inside of the tent feel toasty warm and comfortable. When Leah and I enter the tent after changing into more comfortable dresses, I immediately see why Mama Lynn had Leah’s father, Remy, and Zack making so many origami swans. They’re hanging everywhere from white silk ribbons draped from the center pole out to the sides of the tent.

  The other thing I notice immediately is the large group of Watchers on one side of the tent chatting it up with one another. Aiden is among the group talking with a Watcher I know but have never personally met before.

  “I’ll catch up with you later,” Leah tells me before making a b-line to her honeybun, Joshua, who is speaking with Jonathan, Mason’s son.

  I head over to Aiden.

  Almost as soon as the Watchers see me approaching them, they stop talking to one another and start staring at me.

  Can we say uncomfortable?

  I look to Aiden and he smiles at me, making me lose some of my unease at the sudden onslaught of undivided attention from the other Watchers.

  The Watcher he was speaking with turns to face me as I approach. He has shoulder length brown hair that is wavy at the ends and dark brown eyes. His smile is an easy one, and I instantly feel at ease in his presence.

  Aiden holds out his hand for me to take as I get closer, and I’m thankful for the comfort of his touch as I slip my hand into his.

  “Caylin,” Aiden says, “I would like to introduce you to Desmond. He’s a very old and good friend of mine.”

  I hold out my free hand to shake hands with Desmond.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I tell him.

  Desmond shakes my hand exactly like Jered did, cupping my hand between both of his.

  “The pleasure is all mine, Caylin,” he tells me with a slight bow of his head in my direction.

  I notice an Irish lilt to Desmond’s voice, but it doesn’t take me by surprise. I already know he’s the Watcher in charge of the United Kingdom headquarters.

  “Aiden was just telling me the two of you will be attending Yale together. I have to say I’m a bit jealous of him.”

  “Why jealous?” I ask.

  “I think we all wish we could meet our soul mate,” Desmond confesses to me. “Aiden was lucky to find his, and considering his soul mate is you, doubly lucky.”

  I feel my cheeks grow warm under Desmond’s intense gaze.

  “Stop flirting with my girlfriend,” Aiden tells Desmond good-naturedly.

  “Well, can you blame me?” Desmond says with a grin to Aiden. “I hope you realize she’s far too beautiful for someone like you. She should really be with someone… oh, I don’t know… maybe more like me with ruggedly handsome good looks instead of pretty boy ones.”

  “You better watch yourself, Desmond,” someone behind me says.

  I turn around to see a Watcher who rivals Brutus in the department of most muscles. Even though he’s wearing a nicely tailored light gray suit, you can still see his bulging muscles because they’re pushing against the fabric as if they want to get out. His skin is the color of caramel. He’s bald and wearing an easy, open smile on his face as he walks up to us.

  “Or have you forgotten Aiden is a War Angel?” The man asks Desmond.

  “Was,” Aiden corrects the other Wat
cher, “not anymore, Slade.”

  Slade stops once he’s in front of me and bows to me at the waist.

  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Caylin,” he says as he stands back up to his full height.

  “It’s nice to meet you too,” I reply, but find it odd that the Watchers I have met lately keep bowing to me like I’m royalty or something.

  Slade grins. “We heard what you did to Levi. I have to say I’m impressed and that doesn’t happen very often. None of us knew you had our strength. Is there anything else we should know about you?”

  “A girl should never share all her secrets,” I tell him.

  Slade laughs. “Isn’t that the truth? Aiden said you beat him at arm wrestling. Mind going up against me one of these days?”

  “Sure,” I tell him, “as long as you don’t mind being beat by a girl too. I’m up for it.”

  “Cheeky,” he says looking at me sideways, “I like it. Shows spunk. You’re going to need that for what’s to come. Don’t lose it.”

  I understand what he’s telling me. I’m going to need to be strong while we attempt to place the princes into stasis. I still don’t know how we’re supposed to do it exactly. They won’t just stand still and let us stab them with the daggers. They’re sure to put up a fight.

  I just have no way of knowing how far they will go to stop us.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Faison and Zack come in soon after and the party is officially allowed to start. They do the prerequisite cutting of the cake, and then we are allowed to eat the buffet lunch that was prepared for us. I can’t help but get amused at some of the residents of Cypress Hollow while I stand in the buffet line behind Aiden. The females of the small community seem to be all a twitter about the Watchers at the reception. I can’t say I blame them. They do make quite a spectacle when they're all gathered together in one place. But, there’s only one Watcher who has my undivided attention.

  Aiden’s taken off the coat, vest, and cravat of his suit, and unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt. As I stand behind him, I find my eyes wandering to just below the waistband of his pants in the back and wonder why I never noticed before now how well-formed Aiden is on that particular area of his body.