by Rachel Red
"So what ever happened to James Endicot?"
"Sadly, he was somehow stuck somewhere outside of Haverbrook when the Event happened. He died. Along with the rest of humanity. And nobody in Haverbrook even knows it was him who saved everyone. But someday, everyone will find out. Because the end goal of the Keepers is to wipe out the Oppressors and get the world repopulated again. That's why they protect Haverbrook. So that people can keep having babies and so that the population slowly grows over the generations. And that's why they need us Keeper wives, too. The Keeper race has to continue in order to protect the humans of Haverbrook for however long it takes to wipe out the Oppressors. Which might take hundreds of years; nobody knows. Victor and his top men, including Sam, have killed some of them, but around the same time they wiped out humanity, the Oppressors somehow turned themselves into really-hard-to-kill supernatural beings who age slowly and don't die of normal things and old age like humans. They're basically just like the Keepers; James Endicot kind of created the Keepers in their image. The only thing that can kill them is a dragon claw or other stabby-type object through the eye while being 'electrocuted' by a wave of fire from a Keeper dragon's mouth . Keeper flame contains electricity that kind of stuns Oppressors. And now, reverse this to understand how Oppressors kill Keepers, and unfortunately, there have been a few casualties over the years. Oppressors can cast a spell that shoots what looks like white lightning at a Keeper, which stuns them and can make them fall from the sky, and they can then be stabbed through the eye by an Oppressor. But some Keepers can do little deflection shield things, and so can some Oppressors. So you can see why everything's kind of at a stalemate even after nearly a hundred years. The biggest thorn in Victor's side is a sorcerer named Alexander, the leader of the Oppressors. Victor has been on so many missions to try to kill him... and Alexander's brought his men here so many times over the years to kill Victor. It's a whole cat and mouse thing. And the Oppressors don't really live all that far away, so they're a constant pain that has to be dealt with. They took over a town only about a hundred miles away. And that's where they keep all their human sex slaves, who are descendants of their original sex slaves. Sam's done a lot of scouting around their little town, which the Oppressors call Cold Creek, and he's said that the way they treat the slaves, and the conditions they keep them in...." Julia shivered slightly, even though the room was fairly warm. "There's even kids involved. All girls. The Oppressors kill the little boys at birth and just keep the little girls for future sex slaves."
I developed a literal ache in my chest just thinking about what Julia had just said. I could hardly wrap my brain around such horror and sadness.
She did a little shiver again and then suddenly stood up from the couch. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get into that part. This is no kind of talk for a pre-wedding night. Tomorrow's going to be one of the happiest days of your life, and you need some good rest. I'll let you get to it."
I walked her to the door; we hugged and said goodnight; and then I turned out the lights and fell into bed. Surprisingly, I didn't have any bad thoughts about the Mingling of the Blood rite or the Oppressors' slaves. I didn't have time to. I fell asleep within seconds of my head touching the pillow.
I awoke the next day feeling very well-rested and calm, but it didn't take very long for that feeling of calm to be replaced by a combination of anxiety and excitement. Mixed with a tiny dash of terror. I knew the Mingling of The Blood was unavoidable. I knew I would have to go through it in order to become Victor's wife. But that didn't make me dread it any less.
The morning went by in a flurry of activity, and same with the afternoon. I first showered, ate a little breakfast, and then got a manicure and a pedicure at Stonebrook's tiny beauty salon. Julia and I left the salon and met with the seamstress, who had somehow, miraculously, managed to sew my entire dress overnight. I tried it on, and we realized it needed just a few very minor tweaks.
Julia and I went back to the salon, where my straight hair was set in loose waves, half of it pulled back from my face with diamond pins. We took a break for lunch around one, though my nerves made it so that I could only finish half a sandwich and a few bites of fruit, and even then, only because Julia forced me to. Afterward, I did my own makeup, and we returned to the seamstress. My dress needed one more tiny tweak. Julia and I waited while the seamstress worked. I tried it on again. And this time, it fit perfectly. I felt like a princess. I hugged the seamstress with tears in my eyes.
The wedding was to be at four. It was almost time. Julia and I waited in a little anteroom while Michael the officiator and his wife Elizabeth readied the cavern where the wedding would take place.
I looked at Julia, who sat next to me on a low couch. "I'm just... I'm just getting really nervous all of a sudden. Why do shifter wedding have to happen so fast?"
"Well, it's just better this way. Victor and the senior council members believe that immediate gut reactions are usually truest and best, so that's why claimings happen so fast, and then after that, they don't want engagements to go on very long at all, because with still quite a few single men around here, that could lead to fights and jealousies, and all sorts of stuff like that that wouldn't be good for harmony in Stonebrook."
I realized that all made sense. We were both quiet for a few moments, and I noticed my hands were trembling a little.
I clasped them together, trying to get them to stop. "I'm freaking. What if I jerk my hand away and make Michael cut my hand really bad?"
Julia gave me a comforting little smile. "Won't happen. Victor will hold your hand in place so that that doesn't happen. That's what Sam did for me. That's a husband's job."
"But what if my adrenaline is really pumping and it makes me strong enough to yank my hand from Victor's grasp?"
"Again, won't happen. Did I tell you last night about Keepers' strength?"
I shook my head.
"Well, while in human form, every Keeper has the strength of about a hundred men. So you being able to pull your hand out of Victor's grasp definitely won't happen."
I nodded, biting my lip. "Okay."
"Hey. Want me to tell you something that will completely take your mind off the Mingling?"
I nodded again. "Yes. Anything. Please."
Julia's big brown eyes twinkled, and she lowered her voice.
"Okay, well, there's this. Increased strength isn't the only increased thing that shifter dragons possess. They also have increased... appetites and stamina. And I mean like... in the bedroom. And I can't say for sure that it's on a level a about a hundred times that of a normal man's, like their strength is, but...." Julia fought a smile. "Just based on my own personal experience, it's gotta be pretty close."
I let this information sink in, The Mingling suddenly forgotten.
Julia giggled. "It's, um... it's really fun to have a shifter husband, Kate."
I didn't doubt it. I thought about Victor, with his long, hard body and chiseled chest. I thought about his muscular thighs and biceps. I thought about how our wedding night was mere hours away.
Julia giggled again. "Knew that would take your mind off things."
Just then, Elizabeth poked her head in the anteroom and said that everything was ready. She smiled at me. "Your soon-to-be-husband and guests are just waiting for you to walk down the aisle."
She left after giving me a bouquet of pink flowers, and Julia squeezed my hands, grinning. "Come on. I go in first, and then you. I'll be standing right by you the entire time. And remember... think wedding night thoughts."
I couldn't help but grin. "Okay."
We left the anteroom and walked down a short hallway that led to the entrance to the wedding cavern.
Julia whispered near my ear. "Step inside and start walking when you hear Elizabeth start playing the wedding song on her violin."
We stopped just before the cavern entrance, and Julia gave me a quick hug and a smile before heading inside. I worked on taking slow, deep breaths and soon heard the first few notes o
f Elizabeth playing her violin. Clutching my bouquet, I stepped into the wedding cavern and began walking.
The room was well-lit with white twinkle lights, cream-colored candles, and electric wall sconces. Garlands of fragrant pink flowers hung on the sides of several pews where the dozen or so guests were sitting. Tall crystal vases filled with white, pink, and fuchsia-colored flowers sat on various small wooden tables around the room.
But I hardly saw any of it. My eyes were locked on Victor. He stood at the back of the room, dressed in an immaculate black tux that highlighted his broad shoulders. Sam was beside him, and Michael the officiator stood at a small, narrow table behind him. I couldn't breathe for a long moment. I didn't know it was possible for a man to look so handsome and still be real. Victor smiled at me, and I managed a smile back, looking into his deep gray eyes, my pulse pounding. But then I paused, catching sight of a dagger glinting on the small, narrow table. Right next to a chalice decorated with golden dragons. I began walking backward, trembling.
CHAPTER FIVE
To get me to look at her, Julia, who stood near Victor, Sam, and Michael at the back of the room, cleared her throat so loudly and violently, it sounded like some sort of strangled cry. When I met her gaze, she clearly and slowly mouthed the words wedding night. I paused, realizing she was right. My wedding night wouldn't even happen if I didn't go through with the wedding, including the Mingling rite. I couldn't back out.
I began walking forward again, though still shaking a bit. Victor's smile, which had faded, returned. I reached him and came to a stop just as the last note from Elizabeth's violin faded. Emily took my bouquet from me and went to stand just a little ways behind me.
Victor took my hands and spoke in a low voice. "You look absolutely stunning."
I couldn't help but smile, and I whispered, "Thank you. You look pretty incredible yourself."
He grinned, making my heart skip a beat. Michael, a medium-sized man with salt-and-pepper hair who appeared to be in his forties, began speaking, welcoming everyone to the ceremony. With his thumbs, Victor began rubbing slow, soothing circles on the backs of my trembling hands. I tried to maintain eye contact with him, but almost against my will, my gaze kept darting over to the glinting dagger and chalice on the table beside us.
After a short speech of the importance of strong marriages to the Keeper community, Michael asked Victor if he claimed me as his bride.
Victor looked into my eyes and spoke, his voice clear, deep, and strong. "Yes. I do."
Michael asked if I accepted Victor as my husband, and I said yes, my voice coming out in a squeak. "I do."
Michael announced that it was time to exchange wedding rings, and Sam handed a ring to Victor. A little thrill rippled through me while Victor slid the gorgeous, sapphire-diamond-ring on my finger. Sapphires were my absolute favorite stone; I loved them. Julia knew this, and I wondered if she'd put a bug in Victor's ear about it. She gave me a little wink while handing me Victor's ring, confirming my suspicions, and I smiled at her. I put Victor's golden band on his finger, noticing that my hands weren't trembling as badly as they had been.
But they only remained that way for all of about three seconds.
Michael picked up the dagger on the table and asked Victor to extend his left hand, palm up. Victor did, not looking disturbed or hesitant in the least. Julia edged closer to me and whispered for me to look away, but to my horror, I found that I just couldn't. I felt frozen like a block of ice. Michael grasped Victor's fingers with his left hand, and with the the dagger in his right, quickly cut a line down the middle of Victor's palm with one smooth movement. Victor didn't even flinch. Blood sprang from the cut immediately, and Michael released his hand.
My face went hot and then freezing cold and then hot again. Julia hissed at me to look away. But I remained like a statue, frozen. Victor lifted his hand above the chalice on the narrow table and made a fist. Blood trickled from his palm in a thin stream. Horrified beyond words, I shook my head. Julia actually took my cheeks and turned my head. My face went icy again, and the sensation spread down my entire body.
Soon she whispered. "Okay, Sam's got him all bandaged up now. Everything's all right. Just hang in there."
Michael asked for me to extend my left hand, palm up.
I looked at Victor, my eyes suddenly filling with tears. "I'm sorry. I can't do this."
I wondered if he was going to be angry, but to my surprise, he gently took me in his strong arms and just held me, rubbing my back, his mouth near my ear. His voice was a low, quiet rumble.
"It's okay, beautiful girl. It's okay. I'm here, and I'm going to help you."
I buried my face in his hard chest with my eyes squeezed shut, not even caring that the dozen or so guests in attendance were surely watching me act like an absolute baby. "I can't. I'm sorry."
Victor held me tighter, giving my ear a few feather-light kisses. "Shh. Shh, sweet girl. I won't let you go."
Even in my near panic, I couldn't help but notice his clean, woodsy, masculine scent. It was literally the best thing I'd ever smelled in my life. By miles. By thousands of miles.
He gave my ear another tender, light kiss. "Shh."
He slowly moved his right hand, wrapped it around my left wrist, his grip firm yet gentle, and extended my hand, palm up. Fighting a wave of nausea, I kept my face buried in his chest, not even attempting to struggle. I felt Michael wrap a hand around my fingers. And then immediately a sharp pain on my palm that made me gasp. My hand was made into a fist. And within seconds, I heard the quiet sound of liquid trickling into liquid.
I lifted my eyelids and found everything spinning. "Victor, I really don't feel very...."
A current of what felt like actual electricity coursed through my body. Gray dots floated in front of my eyes. I felt my legs give out, and I felt Victor holding me up in his strong arms. Right before everything went black.
When I came to, however many minutes later, I found myself lying on the couch in the anteroom, a pillow behind my head and a light blanket covering my body. My left hand, which had been bandaged, hardly hurt at all. Julia, Sam, Elizabeth, and Michael sat in chairs against a wall, talking. Victor was kneeling beside me, smoothing my hair, his expression anxious.
"How do you feel? Are you all right?"
I didn't answer right away, realizing that surprisingly, I did feel all right. I felt like I'd just awoken from a very restful nap.
I gave Victor a little smile. "I actually feel fine. But if I don't deserve a kiss right now, I don't know who does."
He grinned, dipped his head, and brushed my mouth with a lingering kiss, his lips firm but tender. Julia, Sam, Elizabeth, and Michael broke into applause, and Julia whistled. Soon, after I'd sipped a little orange juice, I got up and we rejoined the other wedding guests in the large cavern, where everything on the narrow table had been cleared away. Everyone clapped and gave their congratulations. Victor and I kissed again, to even louder clapping and cheers. After receiving many hugs and well wishes, I apologized to everyone for fainting.
"I really didn't mean to be such a baby about everything. I just have an incredibly weak stomach when it comes to blood."
Several people said to not be sorry at all, and others murmured similar supportive things.
One of the women smiled at me. "You actually did extremely well. I fainted once, came to, and immediately fainted again. And that was all even before the exchanging of the rings."
Everyone laughed; Sam popped open a bottle of champagne, and Victor pulled me close, grinning, his intoxicating woodsy scent making me feel a little faint once again, but in the most pleasant possible way.
The wedding reception in the great hall was all I ever dreamed of and more. Victor and I slow danced for probably half of it while Elizabeth and the other violinists, and then later, a pianist, several trumpeters, and a clarinettist, played. Victor and I cut a slice from a cake with so many tiers it was taller than I was. Sam and Julia gave brief speeches, and then Sam made a t
oast to our love and happiness.
He raised his champagne glass to the crowd, which was nearly the entire population of Stonebrook. "To Lord Victor and Lady Kate!"
The hall erupted in people echoing what he'd said, lifting their glasses. It hadn't yet dawned on me that I'd now have a title. I thought how it would take some getting used to, although I didn't dislike it at all.
The entire evening felt like the sweetest dream. I couldn't remember ever being happier in my entire life.
But a short while before midnight, which was the traditional time that the wedding couple retired to their rooms while the reception continued on, a little knot formed in my stomach. Earlier, I'd been more than a little excited about the prospect of my wedding night with Victor. Actually didn't even begin to cover it. But now, now that our wedding night was immediately imminent, my excitement was beginning to feel a little more like anxiety.
Hoping to take the edge off, I drained my third glass of champagne that evening. But the knot in my stomach remained tight. And it was getting tighter still.
The truth was, I wasn't very sexually experienced. I'd only made love twice, both times to a guy I later wondered if I'd really been in love with. The lovemaking hadn't been very fulfilling; it had been awkward more than anything. I knew my level of sexual experience was surpassed even by many teenagers in Haverbrook. I wasn't sure why this hadn't occurred to me before, but I suddenly couldn't stop wondering if I would be able to please Victor in bed. And in fact, the more I thought about it, the more I became certain I wouldn't.
He seemed to pick up on my anxiety, and a full fifteen minutes before midnight, he asked if I was ready to leave. I nodded, not wanting to tell him that I wasn't, for fear of having to explain why. After he'd given a short speech thanking everyone for sharing in the celebration of our wedding, we made our way out of the great hall.
We held hands but didn't talk while we walked down the couple of hallways that led to what would now be our rooms, which I hadn't seen yet. The knot in my stomach continued to tighten. We exchanged a few silent smiles, but Victor's didn't reach all the way up to his eyes. And I knew mine probably didn't, either.
