by James, Honor
“Ready to go and wave to the rest of them?” Michael asked quietly. As they walked, he was looking at everyone while appearing to look at nothing. Outside the chapel, he led her toward the stairs. They had to go up to the second level to reach the royal balcony, the only place where they could overlook the yards where those unable to fit in the chapel could be seen and see them.
“I’m ready.” Rissa looked up at the love of her life, and the other two men she loved, and smiled happily. “I don’t think that anything will ever top this day. I really don’t. This is perfect. We are perfect together, wouldn’t you say?”
“Be even better after we eat and drink, you guys dance, and we all escape. Then, and only then, behind closed doors, this will be perfect,” Raphael said.
“I must agree there. I’m not really looking forward to the hours of wining and dining ahead of us all. Or the older women with roaming hands that love to grab at any unsuspecting male,” Gabriel muttered.
Rissa giggled and shook her head. “Well at least Michael no longer has to worry about that, and you boys can just tell them that you are on duty and to keep their grubby, nasty hands to themselves.” That was one thing she didn’t understand. Some people refused to wash their hands, and it just didn’t make sense to her. She liked to have clean hands and body all the time, not just three times a year.
“They need to look and sound meaner than they normally do,” Michael said. “A good, solid, bone-chilling growl will ensure they keep their distance. Why do you think I always had a ten-foot radius of clear space around me at all events?”
“Except when I’m around. I can’t seem to get close enough to you. My poor wolf, never able to have that private space again because I’m mucking it all up, aren’t I?” Rissa teased him. “Do you need me to begin to give you more distance?” she teased.
“Why would you ever think that?” he asked quietly. Stopping her just before the doors to the balcony, Michael looked down at her. “I like having you close, Rissa. Never pull away, no matter my mood,” he said softly.
“Good,” she said and hugged him closer. “As long as you are sure that is where you want me, that is where I will be. I have no plans to ever leave you alone or without me at your side. Just know that, honey. You are mine now, forever.”
“Never leave me,” he whispered against her ear. “I can’t live without you, Rissa. I can’t survive without you. You are my breath, my every heartbeat, everything to me, little mate.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek and worked his way to her lips.
“Never,” she whispered honestly. “I will never, ever leave you, Michael. Not now and not ever. I mean that,” she admitted to him quietly. “We are solid. We are all good together, and we will never be alone.” Somehow and some way, they would see to it.
Pressing a kiss to her lips, he nodded. Michael closed his eyes and rested his forehead to hers. For long moments, they just stood there. The guards were antsy by the doors, but Gabriel and Raphael barely even breathed. They seemed to know just how hard it all was for Michael and for her as well. Finally, he lifted his head. “Let’s do this quickly,” he said softly.
“Fast as lightning,” she assured him. Stepping onto the royal balcony with Michael at her side, Rissa smiled out at her people, their people. With Michael close to her side, they waved to their people, to the people of their kingdom that would benefit from having them as their King and Queen.
Standing at her side, he had his arm wrapped around her waist. He didn’t wave, though, just let her do all the waving and smiling. Poor Michael looked really uncomfortable. He so hated to be the center of attention.
After five minutes, Rissa finally laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m ready to go in now. Please make sure that all of the people are fed?” she asked Gabriel. “The feast that was prepared should be enough to ensure that each person of our kingdom has something to eat, shouldn’t it?” She didn’t like large, ostentatious presentations and would rather ensure her people were fed and happy as opposed to putting on a show for others.
“It should be, Princess.” Gabe nodded. Smiling, he bumped her lightly. “Another couple days and we’ll have to give up calling you that,” he teased.
“Nah, she’ll always be our Princess even when she’s Queen,” Raphael said, putting in his opinion. “Michael, on the other hand…I seriously can’t wait to practice all my bows on him. I’ve got this one that…” He didn’t get any further. Michael was growling at him in warning. Raph, the rascal, was laughing.
“Are you really sure we can’t ship them off somewhere?” Michael asked her quietly. It had been a popular question from him over the last couple of weeks, usually whenever Raph and Gabe started to wear on his last nerve.
Gabriel snorted. “She’d miss us too much. I’ll see you down in the ballroom in a bit. I need to make sure the tables have been put out for the people. And to make sure that they will be able to hear the toasts and such.” He gave a bow to Rissa and winked. “See you soon, darling mate.”
“See you soon,” Rissa told Gabe with a smile. Sighing, she shook her head happily and licked her lips. “God, I love that man.” She loved all three of them, and they very well knew it. Looking up at Michael, she smiled. “I’m exhausted. Do you think we have time for a small little nap if we just curled up on the sofa in our room?”
“It will take a bit of time until everything and everyone is ready, Princess,” Raphael answered her. “Go and have a nap. I’ll come and get you both when we’re ready for you.”
Nodding, Michael looked down at her. “It has been a long day, especially for you, little mate. I think a quick nap to refresh yourself is a good idea. We can remove that veil and the train on your dress, too. That way they won’t be damaged during the dinner and dancing.”
“That sounds like a good idea. I would rather be able to cuddle up with you and have a nap. I am exhausted, very much so. I hate feeling so very tired, I really do.” But she was exhausted. All of the ups and downs of the day were killing her.
Nodding, he tucked her close to him and guided her back into the palace. Raphael went off to do what he needed, and they headed for the staircase. “After today you should be able to relax, at least for a couple days. After the official coronation, though, I have a feeling we’ll be fairly busy.”
“I think that we will as well. I truly hate that, but we will always find time for us to be able to be together, right? We will be able to always have time for each other, won’t we?” Rissa would demand that they always had time for each other. “I will demand it.”
“We will set aside time every day for just us. Same with one day every week, we’ll block off an afternoon and that will be our time. You and I, Raphael and Gabriel, will all take time out of our busy schedules and just enjoy life. Doesn’t matter what we do as long as we can be together and ever strengthen the bond with you.”
“Good. That’s what we need to do so that we can all have an amazing life together. Yes, it will be necessary to increase the bonds between the four of us. Yes, we have a kingdom to run but we have the bonds that will come first. Always. You guys will always come before anything else in my life.”
“Glad to hear it.” He chuckled quietly. Walking at her side, he paused at a window. “I’m sorry this day didn’t go according to plan, Rissa. I never would have left you unguarded had I thought anyone would try to strike at you, today of all days.”
“I know you wouldn’t have. None of us would ever have anticipated that at all. It’s not something that any of us could have possibly foreseen,” Rissa told him with a smile. “It’s okay, honey, really, it’s okay. It’s over now. We know who was behind the deaths of my family, and that in the end is that. That’s what I needed, that’s what I wanted. Now it’s time for us to simply be alive and live.”
Nodding, he wrapped his other arm around her and held her close for a time. “I’m still sorry, love. I should have thought of the possibility. Even if it never came to pass, I should have covered all possibilities.
I hate to think what would have happened if I hadn’t felt your emotions shift.” Thank God for their mating bonds.
“Thank goodness you felt my emotions, because you were able to come to me. That’s what matters, honey. Let’s not think of anything else. We will simply think of the here and the now, not what could have been. You came, you saved me, and we will ensure that everyone knows that they can’t try to separate us. Period. We are a team.”
“That we are.” He nodded slowly. Pressing a kiss to her lips, he drew back and took her hand. “Let’s get to our rooms. You need a nap, and I need to sit for a time. I’m still vibrating from that near-miss with Victor. I should warn you now, little mate. I doubt I’ll let you out of my sight for a very, very long time.”
“I am perfect amiable to that. I don’t want to be out of your sight for a great long time either. I think that for now I will stick at your side.” Rissa was more than happy to be able to spend as much time at Michael’s side as she could possibly spend there. She happened to really adore her time with him.
Only when they were in their suite, the doors shut, guards posted and they were sitting on the sofa did he speak again. He also handed her a box, long and thin. “For you,” he said quietly. He looked nervous, unsure. Not the man others ever got to see, this one hid behind the tough facade of the warrior he was. This was the man who worried about her and took care of her, and who spent too many nights pacing the floors. And he was giving her another gift.
“Michael,” she whispered softly and looked up at him. “You didn’t have to get me anything, honey.” She took the box like a child on Christmas, however, and opened it. Inside, nestled in soft down, was a beautiful necklace. There were three wolves on the pendant, obviously hand carved, with one woman in the center. “It’s perfect,” she whispered with tears trailing down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry, love,” he said softly. He wiped at her cheeks gently. His lips followed, brushing over her cheeks and her lips lightly. “I’m glad you like it, but no crying. You know what your tears do to me, little mate.”
“I love it. They are happy tears, tears of intense joy. I love you so very much, and I can’t believe that you did this for me. I’m just, I don’t know what to say or what to think. Thank you, Michael. I will treasure it always.”
“No throwing it out of windows,” he told her. When she shot him a look, he shrugged. “Raphael felt the need to share with me what you did to the last necklace I gave you. Especially since I’d consulted with him and Gabriel on the design, as I was a little stuck on what to do.”
“Hey, I was a little upset. I did immediately go in search of it, if you will recall, mister,” she muttered. “Seriously. Yes, I tossed it out and shouldn’t have, but that was when you just left. It felt like you were buying me off, but this…This is perfect. I love it. This is you telling me how much you love me.”
“I’ve always loved you, Rissa. I just couldn’t face you then. I was hurting and I pushed you away, for which I will be forever sorry. If I’d only stayed then maybe your parents would have been here to see your big day,” he said quietly.
“If you had stayed, I have a feeling that we wouldn’t have had this big day. They would have somehow and some way gotten in and destroyed us all from the inside out. My parents were here, in spirit. I have to believe that.”
Nodding, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and then settled into position. “Have your nap, little mate. I somehow doubt we will have very long before our presence is demanded down in the dining hall.”
“You always take the best care of me,” Rissa said with a smile. “Especially when you curl up and nap with me. It makes life so very worth living.” It was more of a nudge than a hint, or a hit over the head, rather.
“This sofa is too small for me to curl up with you, Rissa. And in this outfit, I’d likely never get back up if I dared to try. But if you’d like me to hold you while you sleep, we should move to the bed. And I’ll need to remove the jacket at least,” he told her, cocking a brow.
“Good point. Let’s move to the bed. We will get naked and then we will curl up in bed. That’s what sounds good to me, honey. It really does. I think that is what we should do. That way we don’t have to worry about much else until it’s time for us to get dressed, okay?”
“We can’t get naked, Rissa, we still have dinner to attend. And without that army of seamstresses and maids, I seriously doubt we could get you back into this lovely gown. I can get you out of it, but it may be a permanent solution. So you are stuck in it for now, princess.”
“Well, shoot,” she muttered. “All right, but we can lay on the bed together right? You will be able to hold me even though all this fabric and frills?” She hadn’t wanted the big gown, but there had been no choice when the seamstresses got ahold of her.
“I will gladly hold you, Rissa.” He smiled at her. “Kick off your slippers and go flounder onto the bed. I will be right there as soon as I get out of this jacket and my shoes.” He helped her to her feet before standing. He held out the necklace. “Put this somewhere safe, Princess.”
“Good. I’m glad that you will.” She gave him the necklace back and turned. “Around my neck. I never want to take it off, so please, put it on me?” It should go on by his hand, since he was the one that gave it to her. It simply was the way that it should be.
“All right,” he said softly. A moment later, the cool metal settled against her upper chest. Then it slid down as he settled the chain around her neck. His hands on her shoulders turned her to face him. “Looks good on you,” he told her quietly with a slight smile.
Rissa touched it and turned to look at Michael. Happiness lit her eyes as she spoke. “I love it. Mostly because it’s from you, but I do love it. It’s beautiful and it’s absolutely perfect. It’s my three wolves.”
“And you, our Princess, soon to be Queen.” He placed a finger on it before looking into her eyes again. “Without you, we would not be here. We wouldn’t be who we are. Without you, we’d not have the future that now stretches before us.”
“And what an amazing future it will be. We will save our kingdom. We will put things to right, and soon we will have peace and happiness. We deserve a happily ever after, don’t we?”
“Some might not agree. But they are idiots,” he said softly. “We definitely deserve a happily ever after, Princess.” Leaning in, he kissed her gently. “I love you, Rissa. Now, let’s think on how we create this happily ever after and get started, shall we?”
“I love how you think,” Rissa said with a smile, and they proceeded to do just that.
THE END
WWW.HONOR-JAMES.NET
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in the mid-seventies Honor has always had a love for the written word. Whether she is reading a book from another author or writing a story of her own, she is always letting her mind expand and delve into possibilities. It all started off as scribbles for her, then a phase of poetry before she found her true calling in the erotic paranormal genre where her imagination is the only limit.
Since beginning her journey as a published author in 2011, Honor says she has learned a great deal about herself and writing. She believes that it’s a never-ending journey, the mind always wanting to learn and to grow. With that comes a better skill and smoothness to her writing she’s discovered and begun to enjoy more with each story she creates.
Thankfully, as she puts it, she has a job that gives her plenty of opportunity to write whatever comes to mind with very few interruptions. Her biggest supporters are, as always, her family. Her two children and her husband are continuously providing her with laughter and joy, making the time she takes to write a little bit easier. Without them and their support she knows she wouldn’t be half the author she is today.
For all titles by Honor James, please visit
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
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p; James, Honor, The Big, Bad Wolves [Mischievous Fairy Tales 2] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour)
