A Warrior Wedding

by Teresa Gabelman

  “Angelina is naked!” Steve shouted then cringed.

  Okay, that made Jill back up a step or two. “Why are you coming out of Adam’s room, when he isn’t there, and Angelina is naked?”

  Steve pursed his lips together, pointed his finger at her, and rolled his eyes to the ceiling trying his best to talk his way out of this one.

  “Listen, Steve,”—Jill pushed him out of the way—“your lying is going to get you killed one day because you absolutely suck at it.”

  Looking over her shoulder talking to Steve about his lying, Jill opened the door to Adam’s room and walked inside. When she turned around and saw Angelina holding Adam up as she was leading him to the bed, her heart sank. “Oh, Adam.” Jill ran over to help Angelina. “No!”

  “I’m okay,” Adam replied, but didn’t refuse their help. Once at the bed, he collapsed, throwing his hand over his eyes. “God, I hate throwing up.”

  “Steve, get Slade,” Jill ordered, watching the worry flash across Angelina’s face.

  “I’m fine. Just give me a minute.” Adam swallowed hard before peeking up at Jill then to Steve. “And dammit, Steve, I told you not to tell her.”

  “Dude, I didn’t say a word.” Steve crossed his heart. “But damn she is ruthless with her questioning.”

  Adam groaned and sat up quickly. “Fuck! Watch out!” Jill jumped out of the way as he ran to the bathroom with Angelina right behind him. The sound of retching echoed in the room.

  “Go get Slade,” Jill told Steve as they shared a look. “And then me and you need to talk.”

  Steve didn’t question, he just ran out the door. Jill sat on the edge of the bed, her stomach cramping at the sound of Adam heaving. The feeling of defeat weaved its way into her mind, but she pushed it back and welcomed the anger. This so wasn’t fair and it pissed her off.

  Hearing the door open, she lifted her head, her eyes meeting Slade’s.

  “Where is he?” Slade asked, but then the retching started again answering his question. Slade headed that way. Angelina walked out, her face a mask of fear. Standing, Jill reached over giving her a hug. “He’s going to be okay.” She tried to comfort Angelina, but it even sounded hollow to her own ears.

  Once Slade got Adam back on the bed, he checked him out and took his blood. “I’m going to take more blood since you’re showing symptoms now. When did you feed?”

  “Today,” Adam replied. Jill could tell he was trying not to gag. “And I’ve been sick ever since.”

  Slade was in the process of taking his blood when Sloan entered. Jill and Steve stepped out in the hallway to give them more room. Jill pulled Steve further away.

  “I need you to do something,” Jill said low enough not to be overheard.

  “Anything.” Steve glanced at the room where more retching sounded. He looked on the verge of tears. Jill totally understood because she had been on the brink of tears for weeks.

  “I need you to find out when the next City of Cincinnati council meeting is that’s open to the public,” Jill said, her mind going a hundred miles a minute.

  “I think they’re all open to the public,” Steve replied, but nodded. “Okay. Yeah, I’ll do it right now. What are you planning, Jill?” Steve eyed her closely.

  “I’m planning on living, Steve,” Jill answered. She then hugged him tightly before walking quickly away ready to set step two of her plan in motion.

  *****

  Two hours later, Jill stood outside of Sloan’s office. She was actually getting sick of being in Sloan’s office, but she couldn’t chance anyone hearing what she was about to do. Taking a deep breath, she walked in closing the door behind her.

  Everyone who she asked to be there was present, even Adam, who looked like hell.

  “Okay, Jill,” Sloan said from behind his desk. “We’re all here. What do you need to say?”

  Jill prayed she could do this without crying. This was her family and she was going to do everything in her power to save them. She owed it to each of them. Her eyes touched upon Damon, Jared, Duncan, Sid, Adam, and then Slade, who looked at her with a question in his gaze. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her throat.

  “As you guys probably already know, Slade and I are getting married.” Jill began nervously. She so didn’t know how this was going to go over and she was about to pee her pants with nerves.

  “Jill, honey.” Sid sighed. “Are you sure you asked the right people here? I think you might be wanting to talk to the women since that’s all they have been talking about.”

  Her phone buzzed in her back pocket. “Sorry.” Jill grabbed her phone and looked at the message from Steve. Holy crap, this had better work.

  “Jill.” Jared frowned. “Can we please get on with this? I have something I need to do.” A few grunts of agreement followed Jared’s statement.

  Okay, that pissed her off. “Well, excuse the hell out of me.” She glared at him. “Give me a damn second, would you?”

  Everyone laughed, even Adam who was looking greener by the minute.

  After shooting off a text, Jill put her phone back in her pocket. “Anyway, I want to do something special, but I need you all to agree.”

  “Okay.” Sid sighed. “What is it?”

  “First agree,” Jill replied, knowing it was a gamble because these Warriors were not born yesterday and for them to agree to something without details was such a long shot, she was surprised at herself for even asking it of them.

  The room erupted, everyone talking to her at once. Jill’s shoulders slumped from the onslaught, but her eyes caught Duncan’s who wasn’t saying a word, just staring at her as if reading her, but she knew that wasn’t happening, because she was closed off tight.

  “I agree.” Duncan’s voice boomed above everyone.

  Tears tickled the back of Jill’s eyes, but she held them back. “Thank you,” she said to Duncan before looking at the others.

  “Ah, what the hell.” Jared sighed. “I agree.”

  Soon the whole room agreed and Jill knew for a fact she was going to fight for these men and their loved ones if it was the last thing she did, and it probably would be the last thing she did.

  “I know you all love your mates above anything.” Grunts of agreements followed her statement. “I want my wedding to be your wedding also.”

  “Let me get this straight.” Sid scratched his chin. “You want us all to get married at the same time?”

  “Yes.” Jill nodded, then looked at Damon. “Damon, you and Nicole could renew your vows along with all of us.”

  No one said anything else. The room was silent. Her worried eyes met Slade’s and wondered if he was upset, but his widening smile and nod of approval made her heart soar.

  “But there is one stipulation,” Jill added. This is where it was going to get tricky. “It has to be in a week and I don’t want the women to know. I want it to be a surprise. The only thing you have to do is make sure they are at the place I tell you and you get the rings and a tux.”

  Again the room was silent until Damon spoke up. “Why a week and why a surprise?”

  “The surprise is because this is something I want to do for my sisters.” Jill felt the lump in her throat growing. “I want this day to be special, not only for me, but for them and you guys as well. It’s the only gift I can give to them for everything they’ve done for me. And as for the timeframe, I think we all know the answer to that.” Her eyes met Adam’s.

  “You’ve given a lot of thought to this.” Jared observed, a soft expression on his face.

  “Yes,” she lied, unless two days was a lot of thought.

  “Any of the unmated males along with Blaze and Hunter could give someone away. My dad will be giving me away.” Jill looked around at everyone staring at her. “I’ll give you more information in the next day or two.”

  “What do you need from me?” Sloan asked, an approving gleam in his eyes.

  Jill’s eyes met Duncan’s briefly. “Don’t turn Duncan in.”

  �
�He doesn’t have a choice,” Duncan replied before Sloan could. “I would turn myself in if he didn’t. I will not bring down my brothers that way. It’s the law and VC Warriors uphold the law, always.”

  “Even bullshit laws?” Jill said in disgust, but didn’t expect anyone to answer. “Okay, fair enough.”

  “Anything else?” Sloan replied with a small grin.

  “An advance on my paycheck?” Jill cringed when she asked the other question she’d been dreading. Then smiled when Sloan nodded with a laugh.

  As each Warrior left the room, they hugged Jill. Adam, other than Slade, was the last. “You are crazy.” Adam hugged her, but his eyes told her how much he appreciated her thoughtfulness.

  “That’s no secret.” Jill laughed, hugging him again. “Now go take care of yourself.”

  She watched him walk slowly out of the room, which was not at all Adam like. He was hurting and it scared her. Time was definitely not on their side. Her eyes swung back to Slade who stood in the corner of the room watching her.

  “Please don’t be upset.” Jill kind of regretted not asking Slade since this was his day also, but she couldn’t chance him saying no.

  Pushing himself off the wall, he walked to her, taking her in his arms and kissing her slowly. “I love you more than I ever thought possible.” He held her close.

  “Thank you.” Jill hugged him back.

  “For what?” He pulled back looking down at her.

  “For loving me.” Jill kissed his chin.

  “What do you need me to help you with?” Slade brushed his thumb across her cheek.

  “Just show up.” Jill smiled up at him and kissed his palm.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He pressed his lips against hers.

  “Oh, and I need to borrow your car.” Jill stepped away holding out her hand. “With Adam sick, I’d feel guilty stealing his car.”

  Slade’s eyes narrowed, but he placed the keys in her hand. “You need to take it easy, Jill,” Slade warned. “The crackers and Pepsi may be working for you now, but—”

  “I’m getting plenty of rest, Slade. I promise.” She chauffeured him toward the door. “Now go check on Adam. He looked pretty green when he left. I’m fine.”

  Jill watched Slade leave before grabbing her phone. Looking up the number she needed, she hit send and waited. “Hey, I need your help.” Jill smiled. “Thank you. Text me your address. I’ll be there in half an hour.”

  Jill pumped her arm in the air in excitement mixed with a little relief. Turning, she headed for the door when a wave of dizziness hit her.

  “Whoa.” She grabbed onto the doorframe. “Slow down, dumbass.” Taking deep calming breaths, she opened her eyes to see if the dizziness subsided. Feeling more stable, Jill headed out being more cautious and slowing the hell down.

  CHAPTER 16

  Jill pulled into the long driveway and stopped alongside Hunter, who was nailing a sign to a wooden post. “Hey,” Jill called out, leaning toward the passenger side window. “You need a ride?”

  Hunter stepped back to look at his handiwork before turning and jumping in the car. “It’s hotter than hell out there.” He looked over at her with a grin. “What are you up to?”

  “I came to see Caroline.” Jill drove slowly down the bumpy driveway. “What about you?” She glanced at the hammer in his hand.

  “There’s been some hunters on Caroline’s property so Jax wanted me to go around posting these signs.” Hunter held up a No Trespassing sign. “Yeah, the big bad shifter comes up from the hills of Kentucky to hang signs.”

  Jill grinned. “Nothing on Jax’s brother I take it?”

  “Not even a lead.” Hunter’s brow furrowed in disappointment.

  “You going to be staying around long?” Jill parked, taking the keys out of the ignition.

  He got out of the car and pushed the door closed. “Probably for another week or two, unless something comes up.”

  Following him to the front door, Jill got her first good look at Caroline’s new house. “Wow.”

  Hunter glanced over at her with a smirk. “That’s one way of looking at it.”

  “This place is awesome.” Jill looked around in awe.

  “Are you blind?” Hunter eyed her as if she were nuts.

  “Hey!” Caroline walked out of the house with Jax following close behind.

  “Caroline, this place is beautiful.” Jill ignored Hunter and climbed the wooden steps, missing the broken one.

  Jax and Hunter both looked at the house confused, then at each other.

  “Thank you.” Caroline smiled with pride. “It needs a lot of work, but I love it.”

  “Okay, wait a minute.” Hunter held up his hands shaking his head. “Are you both out of your ever-loving minds? Caroline, I really like you... I do, but this place is a dump.”

  “No, it’s not!” Jill defended, both women glaring at him. “I mean, it does need a lot of work, but you need to look past that and see the beauty.”

  Hunter took two steps back and stared at the house for a long minute. “Nope, don’t see it.”

  “Well, you don’t need to see it.” Caroline frowned. “Because you didn’t buy it...”

  “Thank God.” Hunter snorted.

  “I did and it’s mine and it’s beautiful.” Caroline ignored his snide comment.

  “If it doesn’t have a beer or boobs, they’ll never get it.” Jill rolled her eyes at a grinning Jax and followed Caroline inside.

  “That would be a definite improvement,” Hunter called after them.

  “Ignore him.” Jill looked around. “This place will be a dream when you’re finished.”

  Caroline nodded in agreement. “I’m really excited and a little nervous.”

  Jill looked over her shoulder at Jax, who had stayed outside. “Well, it seems you have plenty of help.” She glanced back at Caroline with a cocked eyebrow.

  Blushing, Caroline was also looking at Jax, but totally skimmed over Jill’s statement. “So what’s going on?”

  A wave of dizziness hit Jill making her squeeze her eyes shut to stop the room from spinning around her.

  “Jill?” Caroline grabbed her.

  “I’m okay. It’ll pass.” Jill took a deep calming breath, but she did grab onto Caroline’s arm.

  “You need to be resting.” Jax, hearing Caroline’s worried voice, came back inside the house.

  “You sound like Slade.” Jill snorted as she opened her eyes slowly. “And I don’t have time to rest.”

  Jax had pulled out his phone, but didn’t make the call as he stood staring down at her.

  “You guys need to promise me that what I’m about to tell you will stay here.” Jill looked at them both. She wasn’t planning on saying anything in front of Jax, but knew he wasn’t going to go anywhere and, in the end, she was going to need his help. Knowing Hunter was on the porch also listening, she added, “That includes you, wolfie.”

  Hunter strolled in with Blaze following him. “Wolfie?

  That’s a good one.” Blaze laughed as he walked past Jill and placed the signs and a hammer down on the table. “Signs are posted all along the back of the property,” he informed Jax, still wearing a huge grin.

  “If you don’t want my ‘wolfie’ biting your ass, you will never call me that again,” Hunter warned everyone in the room with a glare.

  “That totally depends on what you tell us.” Jax ignored Hunter. “And until I know what it is, I promise nothing.”

  Jill stared at him for a long second before sighing. “There’s going to be a huge wedding...”

  “Oh, I know.” Caroline smiled. “I can’t wait for you and Slade—”

  “It’s not just me and Slade.” Jill stopped her, wanting to get this over with because she was feeling dizzy again. Spotting a chair, she weaved herself to it. Blaze actually steadied her until she sat down.

  “I’m calling Slade.” Jax started hitting numbers on his phone.

  “Please!” Jill cried out.
“Don’t.”

  Jax looked up from his phone, a worry creasing his brow. “Jill...”

  “I’m fine,” Jill said with irritation. “I’m fine!” she repeated louder, her voice cracking.

  Hunter and Blaze shared a look, but Jill ignored it. Her eyes shot back to Jax with a plea that couldn’t be missed.

  “Jax.” Caroline shook her head.

  Putting his phone away, he frowned. “I won’t call Slade, yet,” Jax stated. “But I’m not letting you out of my sight until you’re back with him.”

  Jill nodded, too damn tired to argue. She had to get her plan set in motion and soon. “I’ve asked Damon, Jared, Sid, Duncan and Adam if they would share this day with me and Slade. They agreed. Damon and Nicole are already married, but they are going to renew their vows.”

  Caroline slapped her hand over her mouth with excitement. “Oh, Jill, that is...” This time, it was Caroline’s voice cracking as her eyes filled with happy tears. “Lana and Sid are getting married. I’ve got to call her.”

  “You can’t.” Jill shook her head. “Lana doesn’t know. None of them know.”

  “What?” everyone in the room said at the same time.

  “It’s something I want to do for them because of how they’ve treated me. They’re my sisters,” Jill replied, leaving out the other reason...for now. “And I need your help to pull this off.”

  All four of them were looking at her as if she’d lost her mind. Caroline was the first to speak. “You know I’ll help. So when’s the wedding?” Caroline laughed, almost bouncing up and down. “Weddings?” she corrected herself.

  “A week from today.” Jill stood when everyone started talking at once, except for Jax who just stared at her as if he saw right through her.

  “A week!” Caroline gasped. “Jill, how in the world is that going to happen?”

  “Adam’s sick now.” Just saying those words made her stomach twist painfully. “It will happen and in a week.”

  “Fuck!” Understanding flashed across Jax’s face.

  ******

  Caroline stared out the window, so many emotions swirling through her body. She peeked in the backseat where Jill sat, her head tilted back, eyes closed. Her eyes met Jax’s, but they remained silent. The whole time Jill had been inside her house, the little dead boy had been by Jill’s side, his small face staring up at her, and Caroline knew what that meant. She and Lana had learned that when a spirit attached itself to someone who was sick, they were waiting to guide them into the afterlife. Jill’s time was limited and it broke her heart.