by R. E. Butler
“Everything.”
“It’s okay. None of this is your fault.” Rhett smiled at her and gave her a one-armed hug as he lifted his phone to his ear.
Two hours later, she was unpacking a bag in Brian and Kevin’s room. Next to them, Hope had taken a spare bedroom. She’d opted to not live with her mates until they were officially mated as well. A floor below, Rhett and Lisa were settling into one of the empty bedrooms.
Treasure sat on the bed and looked at her mates wearily.
“How are you feeling?” Kevin asked.
“Unsettled but also a little hopeful.” She rubbed her eyes. “I wish my dragon didn’t like the idea of being around other dragons so much. I feel like he keeps using it against me.”
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to talk to your own kind. We understand about shifting, but a dragon is far different from a mountain lion, so we can’t entirely empathize with what it’s like for you. If he’d offered to let you visit with females, or hang out with them with no strings attached, that would have been different. But he actively tried to get you to walk away from us and your family. He wanted you cut off from everything here,” Brian said.
“Yeah. He just didn’t understand that we’re a package deal. It’s not just me and my dragon he needed to worry about, it was the two of you, also. I don’t go anywhere you’re not welcome.”
“Us too, sweetheart,” Kevin said.
* * *
Treasure wanted to get back to normal because there were things to do before their mating day, but she couldn’t shake the worry that the king might try to get to her again. The next night, she heard a stirring outside while she was tossing and turning. She slipped from the bed where Kevin and Brian were squeezed in around her, and looked out the window, her heart in her throat and her pulse hammering.
Two black panthers padded by outside. A few minutes later, they made the circuit again.
“The clan offered to patrol at night until after our ceremony,” Brian whispered.
“That’s so sweet,” Treasure said.
“Think you can sleep now? Or I can stay up with you.”
She watched the cats as they made another circuit, one of them pausing long enough to look up at her window. She waved to him and turned to the bed.
“I think I can sleep.”
She wiggled in between her mates, snuggling against Brian’s chest. He kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry you were scared and couldn’t sleep.”
“Me too. I’ll just be glad when we’re mated and can put the dragons behind us.”
“I want that, too.”
* * *
When it was finally her mating day, she was relieved. She’d woken up after a decent night’s rest and was excited for the next chapter of her life to begin with her mates. The dragons hadn’t made another appearance, and she’d slowly started to feel like things were getting back to normal and she could focus on her future.
She, Lisa, and Hope had gotten up early and left the boarding house to head back to the farmhouse and prepare. They’d finished the outside decorations and worked on the food; then Lisa made them lunch and they got ready. Treasure changed into her gown and looked at herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom as Lisa zipped up her dress. The gown she’d chosen was a knee-length, pale pink lace tank dress, with a wide pastel-blue sash. Lisa tied the sash into a bow at the back and then fluffed her hair.
Treasure swayed a little, making the dress swish around her knees; then she turned and looked over her shoulder, letting her wings out. The pinks and blues of her wings made perfect counterpoints to the dress.
“Oh, you’re just so beautiful,” Lisa said with a sniffle.
“Mom, seriously, don’t cry right now,” Treasure said.
“Can I cry?” Hope asked. “‘Cause you look amazing and I can’t believe my bestie is getting married today.”
“No one can cry!” Treasure blinked away the sting of tears. She’d been planning for this day for so long, she hadn’t thought she’d feel anything but happy at the prospect of marrying her mates. There was definite happiness swirling within her, but there was also some sadness at leaving Rhett and Lisa’s and closing a chapter of her life.
Lisa dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “When Rhett and I brought you into our home, I had no idea what our lives would turn out like. You’ve made me a better woman, and you’ve brought so much joy and laughter into our lives that I can’t even really begin to describe it. Even though you’re not my biological daughter, I feel like you’re much more than that – you’re the daughter of my heart, and I love you to the very depths of my soul.”
Treasure’s eyes stung with fresh tears as she hugged Lisa. “Thank you for taking me in and loving me. You’re the mom of my heart, too.”
“Aw, crap, this is so sweet,” Hope said, fanning her face with her hands. “I love you guys so much.”
Treasure and Lisa opened their arms to Hope and she joined them in a three-way hug, with some laughter and tears, and a lot of sweet words. Treasure didn’t know what her life would have been like if her biological parents hadn’t been killed trying to protect her. She couldn’t even fathom the path her life would have taken if she’d never come to this realm to live and found her mates. But she loved this life, and she wouldn’t trade it for anything.
There was a soft knock on the door. “It’s me,” Honor said.
The three females stepped apart and wiped their tears as Treasure said, “Come on in.”
“Aw,” Honor said as she stepped into the room and shut the door. “I thought I heard crying. Everyone okay?”
“Just happy and sad at the same time,” Hope said. She hugged her mom and sniffled.
“Sappy.” Treasure said. “That’s a word, right?”
Lisa chuckled. “Definitely. We’re all feeling pretty sappy right now.”
“It’s a beautiful day,” Honor said. “And you get to marry and mate the males your heart chose. There’s honestly nothing better.”
“Hear, hear,” Lisa said.
Treasure checked her makeup and adjusted the crystal combs in her hair, then turned to face the females. “I’m ready.”
“Do you have your four good luck charms?” Honor asked.
Treasure nodded. She held up her wrist, where a diamond tennis bracelet winked in the overhead light. “This is old and borrowed from Lisa. The shoes are new, and the sash is blue. I think I’m all covered for good luck charms.”
The females all laughed.
“Ready honey?” Lisa asked.
“Yes.”
* * *
Treasure walked out of the farmhouse and looked toward their special place, at the towering tree that had been so significant in many ways in her life. The pride was sitting on white chairs separated by a wide aisle which had been laid with a dark pink runner. The tree had been decorated with strands of ribbons, pearls, and crystals. Treasure hugged Honor, who took Bradley and Faith’s hands and led them toward the tree – the two young lions were the ring bearer and flower girl. Hope hugged Treasure and took the bouquet of snapdragons tied with pink and blue ribbon.
“This is it, bestie,” Hope said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “You’re going to be Mrs. Treasure Fallon. Are you ready?”
“Definitely,” Treasure said.
“I’ll see you there,” Hope said, smiling and walking away.
Rhett stepped off the porch, looking dashing in a light gray suit with a bright blue tie and vest. He smiled at Treasure, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “You’re a stunning bride, honey. I couldn’t be more proud of the woman you’ve become – so confident and sweet, with a heart of gold. I’m one proud papa.”
Treasure fanned her face, blinking back the tears. “Thank you for taking me in, Dad. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Lisa and Rhett hugged Treasure, and then Lisa left, walking ahead of them to take her seat in the front row. “Ready?” Rhett asked, offering Tr
easure his arm.
“So ready.”
They walked toward the seating area, accompanied by the sound of romantic music playing lightly. She watched Bradley and Faith go down the aisle, Faith dropping pink rose petals and Bradley holding the satin pillow with the rings. Then Hope followed, escorted down the aisle by Grant. Treasure and Rhett stopped at the edge of the runner, and the music changed to the “Wedding March.” She looked at her mates as she and her father walked slowly down the aisle, the pride standing to watch them pass. They looked amazing in their matching gray tuxes, their gazes riveted to hers, their faces alight with happiness.
When she was twelve and she’d come to Ashland as a scared kid, she hadn’t known what to expect of her future. Then she’d met Kevin and Brian, and her whole life had changed in an instant. The love she’d felt for them at the start had matured and changed as she’d grown older, and she knew that it would continue to evolve as they grew closer as a mated group.
The music faded as she and Rhett reached the end of the runner. Brian and Kevin waited there, along with Giselle, a bear-shifter minister who had presided over every mating and marriage ceremony in the pride since the first group – Callie, Eryx, and Ethan – had pledged their lives to each other.
Giselle smiled at Treasure. “Who gives this female to these males?”
“Her mother and I do,” Rhett said, his voice cracking with emotion.
Treasure smiled at him and he kissed her cheek, moving away to join Lisa. Treasure stepped between her mates and looked at each of them. She could feel how much they loved her, an emotion that was mirrored in her own heart.
“Please be seated,” Giselle said as she opened a small book and smiled at the trio. “We’ve come today to join together these three as mates, and also as husbands and wife. Because we’re shifters, our people look on matings as if they’re more permanent than a marriage, but in actuality, having both makes the bond between those in love even stronger. You come before the pride today to join together officially as mates. Brian, do you accept Treasure as your mate? Do you swear to be the best mate to her, and to protect your family to the best of your abilities?”
“I do,” Brian said, his voice growing thick with emotion.
Giselle posed the question to Kevin, who answered the same. Then she looked at Treasure.
“Treasure, do you accept Kevin and Brian as your mates?”
“I do,” she said.
“Members of the Ashland pride, do you accept the mating of Kevin, Brian, and Treasure, and welcome them officially into your ranks?”
The pride members cheered, and Treasure and her mates laughed at their joy.
“Wonderful,” Giselle said as the noise quieted. “Now Treasure, as a dragon shifter you have a special way to mate your males. Are you ready?”
Treasure turned and accepted the iron brand she’d created in her workshop. Her dragon had shared the symbol for her family’s lineage in her mind, and she’d even dreamed about the image several times. After doing some searching, she’d located it within the pages of one of her father’s books: a series of overlapping Vs that formed a dragon face complete with horns. She’d fashioned the iron so that it would leave a clear, one-inch brand on her mates’ skin.
“I’m ready,” she said. While her mates took off their suit jackets and rolled up their sleeves, she called on her dragon and carefully blew a stream of fire on the brand. When it was bright red, she turned to her mates, who held out their left hands to her, palms up.
“With this brand, I mark you as mine forever,” she said, pressing it swiftly against the inside of Brian’s wrist.
“I am yours forever.” She pressed the brand into Kevin’s wrist.
The smell of burned skin wafted upward, and her dragon let out a satisfied, happy trill.
Rhett took the still-hot brand from her and set it aside to cool. She blinked at the sting of tears as she saw the brands healing swiftly on their skin.
Treasure nodded at Giselle. “You’re now officially mated according to dragon and lion tradition, and you’re members of the pride. And now we get to the fun part. Ring bearer, may we have the rings?”
Bradley walked to them and held up the satin pillow with the rings on it. Treasure handed her bouquet to Hope and took the two bands for her mates, and they each took one for her. Bradley walked back to his parents and sat down, and Treasure smiled as she heard Melody tell him what a great job he’d done.
“Treasure, take Kevin’s hand,” Giselle said.
She turned to face him and took his left hand, holding the ring at the tip of his ring finger. As Giselle spoke, Treasure echoed the words, her eyes blurring with happy tears.
“With this ring, I thee wed.” She pushed the ring onto his finger. He brushed the tears from her cheeks and then put the band he’d chosen for her on her right ring finger, repeating the words that bound them as husband and wife.
Then she turned to Brian, whose eyes were bright with unshed tears. He mouthed “Love you,” and tears slipped over her cheeks as she mouthed the words back to him.
She repeated Giselle’s words to Brian, putting the ring on his finger, and then accepting the ring from him on her left hand. They turned as a group and faced Giselle, who smiled sweetly at them.
“By the power vested in me by the State of Indiana, I now pronounce you husbands and wife. Gentlemen, you may kiss your bride.”
She kissed Brian first, and then Kevin, the claps and cheers of the pride echoing around them. They faced the pride and Giselle announced them as Mr. and Mrs. and Mr. Fallon.
Music filled the air, and their family blew bubbles from little plastic bottles as they walked back down the aisle. They strolled through a curtain of tiny bubbles back to the farmhouse, where Melody was going to meet them to take pictures. She’d promised to give them a few minutes of privacy, and Treasure’s mates wasted no time pressing her between them and holding her tightly. Her bouquet fell to the ground as she lost herself in the sweet kisses of her mates, until their sensitive hearing picked up Melody and her mates walking toward them.
“I can’t wait until the party’s over,” Kevin whispered.
“Me either,” Treasure promised.
Melody took dozens of photos of Treasure and her mates. Then their parents joined in, and their cousins, and eventually the entire pride was in one huge picture that Melody promised to make copies of for whoever wanted one. After the pictures were all taken, the pride headed to the area set up for the reception, where picnic tables outlined a large square wooden dance floor. Long tables held platters and bowls of food, from Kevin’s favorite bacon-wrapped scallops and Brian’s favorite fried mac-and-cheese balls, to Treasure’s chocolate fountain complete with an assortment of fruit for dipping. Lisa walked alongside Treasure and held her plate as she picked what she wanted.
“My stomach is still in knots,” Treasure confessed, looking at the hardly filled plate. “I thought the ceremony being over would get rid of the butterflies, but I just can’t shake them.”
Lisa pressed the back of her hand to Treasure’s forehead. “You don’t feel hot.”
Treasure chuckled and took Lisa’s hand, kissing the top. “I’m not a kid anymore, Mom.”
“Trust me, I know,” she said. “Force of habit.”
Kevin looked at Treasure and rubbed the back of his neck. “My cat’s feeling strange, too.”
“Mine, too,” Brian said.
“Let’s just hope it’s wedding-day excitement and nothing more,” Lisa said.
Treasure smiled, wanting to put her mom at ease. But something was definitely bothering her dragon, and she didn’t like it one bit.
Today is supposed to be joyful, she reminded her dragon, who huffed in her mind and urged her to be alert.
Mentally rolling her eyes, she sat at the head table between her mates and looked down at the plate Lisa had filled for her. She focused on the party and everyone in the pride who had gathered to celebrate their special day. These people had take
n her in and accepted her without hesitation. She was one lucky dragonfae, particularly on this day, when she got to mate and marry the loves of her life.
“It’s been a good day,” she said, looking at her mates.
“A great day,” Brian said.
“The first of many to come,” Kevin said.
Chapter Thirteen
Brian leaned back in his chair and looked at the pride as they ate and talked. The younger kids were running around as music played lightly in the background. He’d been to many pride weddings and celebrations over the years, and it was surreal to be the one finally getting mated after so many years waiting. He half expected to wake up and find it all a dream, to still be waiting for this day to happen. But he just had to take one look at his gorgeous bride and listen to the purr of his cat in his head to know that it was very real. His dreams had come true, as sappy as that sounded in his head.
“You know what?” Treasure said, folding her napkin and putting it on her plate.
“What, sweetheart?” he asked.
“I’m ready to dance. But should we cut the cake first? I don’t know what the prototype is.”
He frowned for a second at her choice of words, and then gently corrected her. “Protocol.”
“Didn’t I say that?”
He smiled and kissed her. “You were close.”
“I’m glad you understand me when I say the wrong words. You’d think after so many years in this realm that I’d get the hang of it.”
“It’s part of what we love about you,” Kevin promised.
She beamed, her eyes glittering with happiness.
“The protocol is whatever we want it to be,” Brian said. He pushed back his chair and stood, offering her his hand. “If you want to dance first, then we will.”
“Then cake?”
“Whatever you want,” he said.
The trio walked to the portable dance floor and Brian waved at Micah, who had agreed to act as the DJ for the reception. The music they’d chosen as their first dance came through the speakers, and they whirled around the floor, talking and laughing as they made an attempt to dance as a trio. Brian kissed Treasure sweetly and twirled her into his brother’s arms as the song ended, and the one they’d chosen for the parents’ dance began to play. He walked to Lisa and offered her his hand, sweeping her onto the floor while Treasure danced with Rhett, and Kevin danced with Sam.