by I. T. Lucas
The second coat of nail polish and the topcoat were dry by the time Bhathian called to say he’d arrived and was downstairs waiting with everyone else.
Bridget and Amanda fussed with some last minute unnecessary touch-ups to Nathalie’s hair and makeup, while Syssi went to get Fernando, who’d spent the afternoon watching William and some of the local boys play video games.
Nathalie had been so worried about Papi’s reaction to another new place and new people, but he surprised her with how well he was handling everything. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought he was improving. Sadly, the doctors had told her that dementia wasn’t curable, and the best she could hope for was to slow its inevitable progression.
The door opened, and Papi walked in, looking debonair in his tuxedo.
His face lit up, and he clasped her hands. “My Nathalie! You are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen. You look like a princess.”
A tear stung at the corner of her eye, but she was afraid to touch it and ruin Amanda’s masterpiece. “Excuse me, Papi.” She pulled her hand out of his grasp, grabbed a tissue, and gently dabbed at the tiny drop.
“Hey! No crying, girl!” Amanda waved a finger at her.
“I’m trying, but it’s hard not to get emotional with all these crazy hormones floating around.”
Amanda smiled wickedly. “You leave me no choice. I’d have to walk behind you and tell you annoying jokes. And if that doesn’t work, I’d have to kick you. You can’t get mushy while pissed.”
Fernando frowned. “No one kicks my daughter.”
Amanda smiled sweetly. “I was just joking, Fernando, I love Nathalie.” She leaned in, as if to air kiss Nathalie’s cheek, and whispered in her ear, “I’m so going to do it.” Out loud she said, “Big smile, girl. Show Andrew and everyone else how happy you are to become his wife forever and ever.”
Amanda might have meant it as a tease, but it had been exactly what Nathalie needed to hear. She and Andrew were getting married, and everything else, small or big, was inconsequential. Still, she was grateful that Papi was there, and that her biological father was there as well.
As the bunch of them spilled out of the bedroom, Nathalie glanced at the ornate, tall ceiling and couldn’t believe she was getting married in a real castle.
The curving staircase was magnificent, but she wondered how she was going to manage the descent in her full dress. Real princesses and the actresses playing them must’ve trained for hours perfecting the skill of walking gracefully with their heads held high and not getting their feet tangled in their skirts.
“Girls?” She glanced at Amanda and then at Sissy.
They understood immediately, and each picked up a side, together with the countless petticoats under it. Luckily, the staircase was built on a grand scale. The three of them, including her dress, could stand side by side.
When the last step was behind her, Nathalie felt like she’d overcome the final obstacle. From now on, everything was going to be wonderful. The smile came naturally; a big grin everyone would see even from under her veil.
Amanda and Syssi let go of the skirts, and Papi took his place at her side. She threaded her arm through his, and together they waited a few moments for the bridesmaids to enter and join the groomsmen.
It was good Papi wasn’t paying attention to the details because the ceremony was only loosely based on the traditional one. For starters, one of her bridesmaids was married, and then the three had entered together and not one at a time. The thing he was sure to notice, though, was that a woman was officiating. A glowing, otherworldly woman.
The first notes of Here Comes the Bride sounded from the pipe organ, and Nathalie patted her father’s arm. “It’s our cue, Papi, let’s go.”
As they entered, a hush fell over the assembled company. They advanced at an easy pace toward the altar, where Andrew was grinning from ear to ear and looking more handsome than ever.
You’re stunning, he mouthed.
Nathalie grinned back, her eyes trained on her man to the exclusion of everyone else, including the small, glowing figure up at the altar.
“Look, Nathalie,” her father whispered in awe. “An angel came to marry you. You two are blessed.”
“Yes, we are, Papi.”
Chapter 49: Andrew
“Good morning, Mrs. Spivak,” Andrew said jokingly and kissed Nathalie’s warm cheek. The pagan ceremony hadn’t called for a name change, and he wasn’t sure Nathalie wanted to take his even after the civil one. But it was fun to say.
Nathalie groaned and turned around, presenting him with her best asset. Poor girl. She’d been exhausted after the wedding and the reception, and he hadn’t had the heart to hold her up to her promise.
His Nathalie had gotten her dream wedding, and she’d had fun.
After discarding the petticoats that had been weighing her down and restricting her movements, she’d gotten comfortable and danced the night away. Toward the end, her feet had been so sore that he’d had to pick her up and carry her up to their room. Not that he hadn’t planned to do so anyway.
Andrew would’ve let her sleep the day away, but people were leaving and wanted to say goodbye.
“I don’t want to get up,” she moaned. “Every muscle in my body hurts.”
Damn, his plans for morning sex with his wife would have to wait. He pressed his erection to her luscious behind. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but you have to.”
“Why?”
“Because my parents are leaving and want to say goodbye, and so are Syssi and Kian and many others.”
She turned back around. “Is anybody staying?”
Wrapping his arms around her, he cupped her butt cheeks and gave them a gentle squeeze. “Dalhu and Amanda are flying out tomorrow, and Bhathian the day after. I think that in three or four days we will be the only ones left.”
She smiled a sleepy-eyed smile. “And we will be off on our honeymoon.”
He kissed her soft lips. “What do you want to do first? Explore the countryside or stay in bed for a few days? I vote for staying in bed.”
“I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t keep my promise.”
He rubbed her back. “You were exhausted, I would’ve been an asshole if I didn’t let you sleep.”
She sighed. “If I were immortal, I would’ve had the energy. But as a human, I can’t keep up with you.
The last thing Andrew wanted was for Nathalie to feel less than perfect the morning after their wedding. “As an immortal, odds are you wouldn’t have gotten pregnant. After the transition, fertility rate drops to an almost zero level. We’ve been given a precious gift. The extra wait is a small price to pay.”
More than anything, Andrew hoped that he wouldn’t be proven wrong. So many things could happen between now and then, but he refused to let worry spoil the moment.
“I know. I’m just tired and achy and envious. You are strong and healthy and gorgeous, and you’re going to stay like that, while I am going to get fat and even more tired. It’s unfair.”
“What can I do to make it up to you?”
She shook her head. “Ignore me. I think I’m moody because I’m crashing from yesterday’s high.”
“I don’t mean right now. For the next eight months. Is there anything I can do?”
“Just keep loving me and telling me I’m beautiful even when I look like a hippo.”
“That goes without saying, and my princess is never going to look like a hippopotamus.”
“An elephant?”
“You’re going to look like a beautiful woman who is pregnant with my child.”
That seemed to appease her, and a small smile bloomed on her face. “Is it true that men find pregnant women sexy?”
“I don’t know about other men, but I find you incredibly sexy. You want me to prove it to you?” He pressed his erection against her belly.
Regrettably, he didn’t get the response he wanted. Instead, Nathalie reached for his pendant. “It came out pe
rfect.”
“It’s okay, but it’s a poor substitute for the tattoo.”
“What else can you do? Nothing will stay permanent on your fast-regenerating skin. Do you want me to get one?”
“A tattoo? No way.”
She pouted. “Why not? I can have the experience and then it will fade away after the transition, same as yours.”
“But that’s exactly the point. It will fade, so why bother. I have a better idea, but only if you agree.”
“Shoot.”
Andrew hesitated. Nathalie would not refuse his request even if she didn’t like it. If he thought she’d only agreed for his sake, he would scrap the idea himself. “What do you think about the name Phoenix?”
“For our daughter?”
He nodded.
“It’s beautiful, but I told you that I don’t want to name her until after she is born.”
Andrew released the breath he’d been holding. Nathalie had spoken truthfully. She really thought the name was beautiful. “How about a list of potential names? Is that considered bad luck as well?”
Thinking it over, she first frowned and then shook her head. “I think it’s okay. So we have two for the list; Sari and Phoenix.”
“Phoenix and Sari. Sari would be on the list of middle names.”
Nathalie snuggled closer and kissed his neck. “I think Phoenix is perfect, and it will definitely go to the top of the list.”
“You are the best, my Nathalie.” Andrew closed his eyes and gave a silent prayer of thanks for the gifts he’d been given.
First and foremost, for the gift of life—his human one. He’d been spared when so many hadn’t. He hadn’t expected to survive and yet he had. Same for immortality. He hadn’t expected to come out alive on the other side, and yet here he was, healthy and strong.
But maybe he’d been given those gifts not because he’d wished for them or earned them, but because Nathalie had. She was so much more deserving than he.
It made perfect sense.
God or fate had entrusted Andrew with Nathalie’s wellbeing, and he was going to spend his days and his nights making her happy, holding her, and loving her, for as long as they both lived. Which, hopefully, meant as close to eternity as it got.
Ready for Eva & Bhathian’s story?
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Book 11 in The Children of the Gods Series
Dark Guardian Found
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SERIES READING ORDER
THE CHILDREN ON THE GODS
series reading order
Kian & Syssi’s story
1: Dark Stranger The Dream
2: Dark Stranger Revealed
3: Dark Stranger Immortal
Amanda’s story
4: Dark Enemy Taken
5: Dark Enemy Captive
6: Dark Enemy Redeemed
Kri & Michael’s Story
6.5: My Dark Amazon Novella
Andrew’s Story
7: Dark Warrior Mine
8: Dark Warrior’s Promise
9: Dark Warrior’s Destiny
10: Dark Warrior’s Legacy
Bhathian & Eva’s Story
11: Dark Guardian Found
(Coming May 2017)
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Copyright © 2017 by I. T. Lucas
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This is a work of fiction!
Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any similarity to actual persons, organizations and/or events is purely coincidental.