by CY Jones
“That’s all I’m asking for. Come, let's get you hitched,” she says, opening the doors.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kaiden
This is it. My mother has done it. Winter is actually going to marry me. She hasn’t left screaming for the hills, or snuck out with Tristan aboard Skully’s ship. Unlike my mother, I know what Winter did, and I, for one, don’t blame her. I accidentally overheard what my mother had planned for him, and it wasn’t pretty. The darkness in me wants to expose Winter, but I won’t. I’m on a mission to earn her trust again. I want her to look at me with love in her eyes like she used to, and not the distrust I’m seeing now in her lovely violet-blue irises. I want to be a better person for her, and to do that it will have to start with Chaos. He’s already here standing proudly on the wooden deck under the arch made of branches. As usual, he’s wearing a perfectly tailored white suit, but instead of his usual gold accessories, he has on an indigo bow tie and a matching indigo handkerchief folded in his suit jacket.
“Can we talk before the ceremony starts?” I ask.
“Sure, let me put up a sound barrier,” he replies.
Once I feel the magic brush across my skin, and know the barrier is up, I blow out a deep breath and start one of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had in my life.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt out, and he looks over at me with curiosity dancing in his eyes.
“Not that I’m complaining about getting an apology from you, but what for?”
“You were my best friend, and I treated you terribly after learning about you and my mom. I knew deep down you were telling the truth, and I still chose to follow my mother. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I wanted you to know that I’m sorry. I’ve been holding on to this hate, because it was easier to hate you instead of my mother. I was wrong.”
“Why are you apologizing now?” He questions.
“After what happened with Tristan, it’s like something snapped inside me. I don’t want to keep losing people because of my mother’s actions. I don’t want to lose,” I abruptly stop, tongue tied in pain. “I don’t...”
“Winter,” he says finishing my sentence, and I nod. “You don’t want to lose Winter.”
“I love her more than anything in this world, more than my mother, and when I lost her trust, it was like something inside me died. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Why I’m always choosing to stay by my mother’s side when I know more than anyone how wicked she is. I should have believed you, I should have helped Tristan, and I’m so fucking happy Winter was able to do what I couldn’t by getting him away from here.”
“You knew it was Winter?” He asks shocked.
“Yes, just like I know he’s currently on Skully’s ship in search for her father. Don’t worry, I haven’t told my mother. I won’t do that to Winter.”
“Shit man. I’m still shocked you actually apologized. I never thought I’d see the day,” he responds, running his hand through his hair.
“I didn’t either, but it’s time I become my own man and make things right.”
“Alright, if you mean it, I accept your apology,” he says, holding his hand out, and I take it with a firm grip.
“To second chances,” he says and I repeat.
It’s like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I’m glad that I was able to make amends with Chaos, and maybe in time we will be the close friends we were before my mother ruined it. I can’t possibly understand why she would blackmail one of my friends to sleep with her. Truthfully, I don’t want to know why. I don’t think I could handle the truth. All I care about is that she has stopped going after him, and hopefully I can keep her from going after Winter too. She is the reason why I didn’t step up to my mother in the dungeons. It was better to have my mother’s ire on Tristan than Winter. It was a fucked up choice and an extremely difficult situation to be in the middle of. I hope once I explain myself, Winter will understand my reasoning, or all will be lost. I can’t live in a world where my purpose for breathing hates me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Winter
The music starts to play, a strange eerie tune that I’ve never heard before, and immediately my heart starts to pound. I’m nervous, which is silly since just yesterday I fought in an epic deathmatch in front of twenty times as many people who are out there now. I’m sure Hera thought only to invite the elite of the vampire race. If the Council wasn’t already staying here, I’m not sure they would have received an invitation. Giving me a parting smile, Willow starts off down the aisle in front of me. Bridesmaids aren’t the custom here, but it’s my wedding, and I can do whatever the hell I want, so I asked her to be one.
Counting ten seconds silently in my head, I walk slowly after Willow down the aisle. Once the bright sunlight outside hits me, and I start to come into view, I hear the loud gasp of the audience, probably shocked by the color of my dress. I’m mostly wearing Tristan’s House colors. It’s my way of representing my love for him. Since he can’t be with me in person, he’s here in my heart and on my body. Most of those seated in the audience I don’t recognize, which isn’t surprising. They all look like a bunch of scowling stuffed shirts. Just like I thought before, Hera only invited the elite, also the scowls on many of their faces are mostly female. Probably those who Kaiden slept with that are not happy I’m marrying him. I’m glad to see that Raven and her horrible mother aren’t here. Only Cardinal is seated with an expressionless look pasted on his usually stoic face. I guess I have Hera to thank for them not being here. I’m not sure if they have objections to weddings here, but if they did, those two would definitely be the first to jump up and say their piece. I also notice Raven’s BFF, Aura, giving me a nasty glare from the center aisle. I may have gained the love of the people, but most of the royals still see me as an outsider, a powerful contender in their little game that they’re not at all certain about.
Once my men come into view the gasps and murmurs in the crowd turns into white noise, and all their faces start to blur into nothing until all I can see is them. Chaos standing sure and proud with Kaiden right beside him, looking like delectable treats in their suits. My steps quicken, and soon I’m standing in my place between them. The same love I have on my face is reflected on theirs, even Kaidens, who I’m still mad at. Besides Aster, the only thing that is missing is my dark knight, Tristan. I wish he was here with us. I belong to him as well.
“You look beautiful,” Kaiden whispers close to my ear and I smile. I thought he would be pissed with my lack of his house colors, but he seems to be ok with it, or better at hiding his ire than before.
With Aster, a man with dark robes stepped out to officiate our marriage, but here, Hera steps in front of us.
“As the leading monarch, I will be the one sactioning this union,” she announces in a loud clear voice, and I finally understand why Willow needs her acceptance. She needs not only Hera’s blessing, but also, she’s the only one who can marry them.
Taking out a long golden thread, Hera asks us to hold out our wrists. I watch fascinated as she wraps the delicate string around Kaiden’s wrist, mine, and lastly Chaos’, before tying off the string connecting us.
“This is a representation of your bond. This simple thread is what wrapped around you, connecting you three in an unbreakable bond. This is forever. The very meaning of till death do us part,” she recites, giving me a pointed look. Like I need the reminder that there is no such thing as divorce here. I get it. Continuing on, she says, "if you are not able to make such a commitment, this is your chance to back down, or forever hold your peace.”
Well, isn’t that just a wicked twist to the human version. When neither me, Kaiden, or Chaos say anything, Hera nods her head, and councilman Arcus comes out, this time wearing a blood red robe and holding a sharp jewel encrusted dagger in his right hand.
“What’s going on?” I whisper to Kaiden, since he’s the closest to me.
“Arcus will take that dagger and cut our wrist so
that our blood will run down the thread until it starts to mix together. Then he will use the dagger to slice at the thread. If it breaks, it means our mating wasn’t accepted by The Fates.”
“Ok,” I frown. “If they don’t accept it, then what?”
“Nothing really. It will just let everyone know that our bound isn’t a True Match. We can still be together, but we will be given another chance to back out so we can find our real mates. Only couples who are not soul bound mates thread breaks. If we choose to stay together, it’s still just as binding as a True Match.”
“Oh,” is all I say.
Marriage is so weird on this side of the veil, and always uses blood as the deciding factor. With Aster, it was dripping our blood into the fountain, here it’s letting it drip onto some string. Who are these Fates, and how can I meet them? I have a lot of questions to ask.
Even though it was just explained to me, I still watch Arcus carefully as he runs the dagger across each of our wrists, drawing blood, and murmurs what sounds like some kind of spell under his breath. As we were tied, I didn’t think the blood could flow to mix together in the first place, but as if magic was pushing it along, I watch amazed as the blood breaks off in tiny beads and move along the thread. When the three beads meet with one another, it blends until it becomes one and soaks into the thread until the whole thing turns red. Taking the dagger, Arcus slices it across the side connecting me and Kaiden. When it doesn’t break, he does the same thing to the side connecting me and Chaos. When the same result happens, he addresses the audience in a loud, clear voice.
“A match blessed by The Fates. May their love burn bright, and their powers never falter. May they be blessed with many children, and their blood run true for the end of time.”
At the end of his words, a shiver runs through my body and involuntarily a bolt of lightning exits my skin and runs along the now blood soaked thread like a live current. At first, I was afraid it’d shock Kaiden and Chaos like it did Raven, but I relax when I see it coasting over their wrist like a gentle caress and neither one is shrinking back in pain. In fact they both look expectant like they knew this would happen.
“What’s going on?” I ask out loud.
“Our power has chosen which of our houses we will be known by from now on,” Chaos answers, confusing me even more.
Then I see the anger flashing in Hera’s eyes when she says,“long live, Prince Kaiden, Prince Chaos, and Princess Winter of House Storm, may their power never falter and their reign never fall.”
That’s when I get it. Why she’s so pissed. It’s like the human version of when the male takes the female last name, but here, Kaiden will forever be known as House Storm and the House that currently holds the monarchy will die with his mother. Once the audience gets over the shock of what just happened, they all stand and repeat her words. Tugging on my arm, Chaos pulls me to him and kisses me hard, taking my breath from me. Once he releases me, Kaiden does the same, and has to hold me up, because my legs turn to jelly. Once that is over, Chaos slips a platinum band encrusted in diamonds on my ring finger on top of the one Aster slipped on me last night and Kaiden does the same with a ruby encrusted band, after a curious look at Aster’s sapphire band. His eyes holds questions, but it’s not like I can answer him right now and he looks away. Once the ceremony is over, Council member Apollo takes over for Arcus and leads us away through the castle to a suite of rooms I have never seen before. Once he leaves with a cheshire grin and a ‘do everything I would do’ comment, I turn to my mates.
“Why did he bring us up here?”
The room is nice and airy, decorated in colors that reminded me of the ocean with the light browns and different colors of blues, but why not take us to our own rooms.
“This is the suite direct royal couples to the monarchy are brought to, to complete the bond,” Kaiden answers for me as he unties the thread around our wrist.
“What? I’m not getting in that bed then,” I say, looking at him with a disgusted look on my face.
“The mattress and sheets are changed after each mating. Besides, the last mating pair to use this room was my mother and father,” Kaiden replies as he tries not to laugh at the look on my face.
“Well, that’s just weird,” I mutter.
“It's an old outdated practice from when royal maidens were expected to be virgins,” Chaos explains. “The blood on the sheets were collected as proof.”
“That’s probably where the humans got it from, but isn’t blood going to be on the sheets anyway from when we bite each other?” I ask, blushing.
“Yes, but they have magic that can tell virgin blood from the rest,” Chaos answers, which only makes me blush harder.
“Are they going to check our sheets?” I question.
“Yes, since you’re a royal, but they already know not to expect you to be a virgin. It’s just to confirm that we actually had sex and consumated the bond.”
“And who is this they?” I ask, raising my brow.
“The Council and my mother, of course,” Kaiden says sheepishly. At the mention of his mother, I start to remember why I’m mad at him in the first place.
As if sensing the mood change in the room, Chaos gabs a bottle of fairy wine sitting in a chilled bucket on the table and says, “I’ll give you two some time to talk,” before giving us a two finger salute and exiting out onto the balcony. The lucky asshole. I almost want to go with him to avoid this conversation that’s probably going to end in another screaming match. We’re mated now. Kaiden has no other use for me.
“Winter, I’m sorry,” Kaiden rushes to say, and I look at him like he has two heads. Seeing that I’m shocked speechless he carries on. “You’re right. You’ve always been right, and I’ve been acting like an all out ass. I should have stood by your side, protecting you from Raven and my mother instead of letting everything play out. I wasn’t there for you or my friends and I feel wretched about it.”
Who the fuck is this pod person and where’s the real Kaiden? I’m quiet still staring at him in shock afraid if I move this would have all been a dream. That I’ll wake up and Kaiden will still be an asshole.
“Say something,” he says in a small, unsure voice.
Blinking I mumble, “I don’t know what to say,” I finally answer. “I mean, I never expected you to apologize.”
“I get that. After what happened with Tristan, I thought I lost you, and then I realized I could live if I lose my mother, but I couldn’t live in a world without you by my side,” he chokes out and I rush right to him and brace his face in my palms.
“Kaiden, you will never lose me. No matter what you do. I can’t lie and say if you didn’t apologize I wouldn’t still be pissed at you because I would have, but I will never leave you. You own part of my soul and have a key to my heart. I couldn’t live properly if I didn’t have you,” I tell him and a tear slips out his eye and onto my fingertips.
“I love you Winter. I love you more than myself. Everyday I wake up wondering how someone as beautiful and amazing as you can put up with an asshole like me.”
“I like your assholeness,” I admit, trying to lighten the mood, or else I’ll be bawling like a baby too. Seeing this sensitive side to him is something I never expected to see or even knew he was capable of. “I love you too, Kaiden. Nothing you can do will ever stop my heart from beating for you,” I confess, so he knows just how serious I am.
As soon as the words leave my mouth, his lips are on mine. Our lips enter into a battle, both trying to prove to the other how hungry we are for each other. When his mouth moves down to my neck, I cry out when his fangs pierce my throat right at my pulse point. When he starts to suck, my nipples harden and I can feel myself growing very wet in between my thighs.
“Now this is a conversation I can get down with,” Chaos says, stepping behind me and placing his hands firmly on my hips. I was so engrossed with what Kaiden was doing I didn’t even hear him come in and step behind me. When he grinds into my backside, I feel jus
t how much he wants me and I moan louder. I want them both to take me at the same time and show my body that they’re mine. Releasing my neck, Kaiden looks at me with so much love in his eyes, it almost makes me want to cry. He’s looking at me like I hung the moon and the stars and I know if I turn to Chaos, he would have the same exact look in his eyes. When he licks the blood that escaped from his mouth, I follow the movement like I’m in a trance. If anyone ever told me that I could get wet from blood, I would ask them what kind of drugs they were on, but now it’s like my kinky button has been pushed and I’m ready to go. My own gums throb from my fangs aching to burst through, more than ready to get a taste of my mates.
Leaning back into Chaos, I tilt my head back and start to kiss and lick his neck near his pulse point which makes him grind harder into my backside, damn near dry humping me. Distracted, Kaiden uses the opportunity to remove our clothes and moves his mouth down to my bare chest, sucking one nipple in his mouth while his other hand pinches my other nipple, bringing on the pleasure and pain. Not able to handle the sensation, I moan before biting down on Chaos neck in the same spot Kaiden bit me. Once his blood hits my tongue, it’s like I’m in heaven. I have never tasted anything so good or so fucking powerful. My bond to him wraps around us, and like with all the rest, I feel complete.
“Let's say we move this little party to the bed,” Kaiden says in a husky voice as he releases my tit with a loud pop.
Once I release my mouth from Chaos, I lick the puncture marks close and he takes my hand and pulls me to the bed and gently pushes me on the mattress. I watched fascinated as they both walk up to the bed, both gazes full of lust as they take in my naked body.
“I think you’re overdressed for this party,” I tell Chaos and he chuckles.