“It’s weird Lill. I feel drawn to you. Not just typical wanting or needing, but like I can’t live without you. The time you were gone I was a mess. You never left my thoughts. I didn’t want to overstep boundaries with you though. When my mother finally told me what she thought was going on I didn’t hesitate to come to you. There is nothing I fear more than losing you. The thought of you being in danger drove me crazy. I couldn’t get to you fast enough. Now that I am here with you, I will never let you be alone. I am going to stand by you no matter what happens. With you by my side I can handle whatever it is my mother is hiding. You have half my heart Lilly. I love you. I need you, and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and to find Annie. I promise you.”
I was breathless and tears were building in my eyes. For the first time since his arrival, Shep let his guard down. Though we were physically together before we left, we hadn’t really had a chance to talk. My focus had been to find my mom and stop Jax. Though I was elated, even relieved to have Shep here, I hadn’t told him, or even admitted it to myself. I knew now he needed me as much as I needed him. I had known my whole life. I needed him.
“I feel the same pull to you Shep. Always have. Without you, I’m not me. I was stupid to leave you and think I could do this on my own. I will never leave you again. I can’t live without my heart.” I leaned in and kissed him slow, long and passionate. I could feel him with every fiber of my body, my heart, my soul, my love. He laid back, and I rested my head on his chest. We looked up at the sky, silent for what seemed like forever. There was comfort in our silence as he twisted his fingers in my hair, an understanding that words could not explain. I don’t know how much time passed when he shot up in a hurry, letting my head hit the ground.
“Ouch Shep, what’s the matter?”
“Let’s get married, right now.”
“What? Are you crazy? I don’t think this is the time or the place.”
“Oh Lilly, of course this is the time. I don’t care about the place, but I can’t be without you, even one night in the next room. We already promised ourselves to each other back home, we just have to find out what they consider marriage here and how they do it. Come on Lilly, be my wife, please?” His eyes were dancing with excitement as he looked down at me.
I wanted to be his wife more than anything, but imagined our wedding differently. I imagined my mother being there, and felt guilty even considering the idea. I should be focusing on her, but I wanted, very badly, to be Shep’s wife. I thought for a moment and realized I didn’t care about a wedding. If we could do it tonight, it wouldn’t hinder the search for my mother, and I knew I couldn’t be without him either. I grabbed my jacket and stood up, face to face with Shep.
“Well, Chocolate Muffin, you better figure out who it is that marries people in this land because it just so happens I don’t ever want to be without you either. Not for one night. You belong in bed with me, not across the hall.” The smile spread across his face slowly, deliberately. His arms slid around me before lifting me off the ground and kissing my forehead. “Let’s go get married.
~Chapter Fourteen~
We made it back into the village in less than ten minutes, excitement pushing us. When we arrived, we were surprised to find a huge fire burning in the center of the circle and people everywhere. It looked like a celebration of some kind. We forged our way through the Specials. No one paid attention to us. We made it to the inn and burst through the door laughing. The room that had stood empty just hours earlier was now full of Specials. All of them eating, drinking and laughing. No one noticed our noisy entrance. We wound through the tables and found Serephina sitting at a table with Leah and Kelsha. They waved us over. We sat at the table, breathless and giggling. The three of them wore looks of accomplishment. All looked happy and pleased with themselves.
“What’s going on?” Shep asked, since obviously none of them were willing to spill it without asking. It was Serephina who spoke, “Well, Kelsha addressed the people of Antiope regarding the situation with Jax. She informed them of the capture of Lady Annika. The people were all aware of the danger Jax posed, that’s why they came here after all.”
Leah broke in, anxious to tell part of the story. “The people of Antiope trust Kelsha with their livelihood, and they follow Lord and Lady Levannah because they believe in what they stand for. They want peace restored to Neveah.”
It was Kelsha’s turn to speak now and her words came slower, more deliberate. “The great people who reside here in Antiope are more than willing to stand behind us should a fight with Jax come to pass. We are hoping he will see reason, see he cannot win, and back down. If not we will be ready and waiting.” She appeared pleased with herself, and the three were wearing smiles as though the fight had already been won. “Wow, that’s great. Thank you Kelsha, thank you for your help,” I said. She patted my hand gently, saying you’re welcome without speaking.
“Why are the people celebrating now though?” I asked. “Well, Lilly, they think you are the one to stop Jax. Sort of the chosen one I guess.” It was Serephina who spoke, and was bracing for my reply. I thought this over a minute. I knew I had been brought here to rescue my mother, and had accepted the challenge without question. I knew this Jax man could be a problem, and I had to visit the people of Neveah. I had to convince them to stand with the Levannah family should Jax not take kindly to my attempt at rescuing my mother. He was a powerful man with his own followers. He could create a war if he chose. I really hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but we had to be careful and fear the worst.
I had taken this burden without questioning it once. I had not asked myself or anyone else why I was the only one that could help my mother or why I had to be the one to rally the troops. The chosen one, the words spun in my head, chanting, taunting. I had been so stupid. How did I get myself into this without asking why? For all I knew I was just bait and my mother was already gone. Suddenly, I felt sick. I followed an elf through a portal and believed the words of complete strangers because I wanted to believe my mother could be here. Now, Shep was here and in danger. What the hell had I been thinking? No questions! I had questioned no one.
“What’s wrong Lill?” It was Shep. He was watching me with worry. “Uhh, I was just thinking. I had never considered I would be a ‘Chosen One’ of any kind. Actually I was also thinking how I could have been so dumb to follow some elf girl here and trust the word of a bunch of people I had no idea even existed. I was thinking that maybe I am being used and my mother is not here at all, and maybe I am just here to save Neveah. Maybe I am being used here. How should I know? I don’t know anyone here, and now you tell me I am the Chosen One, chosen of what?” I realized I was shouting and the smiles the women had been wearing had fallen away and were replaced by a mixture of shock, horror, and hurt. Shep was the only one not staring at me, as though I had lost my mind. My breathing was coming quick, and my heart was pounding. My hands were shaking, and I could feel tears building. I was freaking out. I needed to calm myself down but had no idea how. Suddenly, I was panicking, unsure of what the hell I was doing here. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Leah.
Her warm eyes were the same as I had always known. Her face was soft and safe. No trace of the Leah I had seen only hours before. “Lilly, look at me. You are not here with strangers, you have Shep and me. I wouldn’t fool you or lead you astray. . No, I don’t know your mother’s parents well, or Serephina for that matter, but I knew your mother and I knew her story. I know of her love for your father and Jax’s love for her. I also knew, through Annie, how much her parents loved her. They would never send you into danger for their own sake. Yes, you have been seen as the one to stop Jax, but you are here for one main reason and that is to save your mother, my best friend. If you stop Jax in the process, with all of our help, then bonus! Ok sweetie? I know you’re afraid, trust me, so am I, but we are here together.” She was hugging me now, tightly. I realized the tears were not only building now, they were flowing freely
.
I stepped back, breaking her hold. “I want to trust you Leah, but how can I when you are obviously hiding something from us. I don’t know what to believe anymore.” I sat on the nearest chair, reaching for a cloth napkin to wipe my face. Shep moved to stand next to me, as though he was my defender against all.
“She’s right mom, something is off here and I have never seen you act as strangely as you did when you met this woman. Maybe you could explain!” Shep’s voice was quivering slightly, he never questioned his mother.
“Yes, there are things in my past that I am not proud of, as a matter fact they are shameful to me. They are things I don’t care to relive by way of explanation. My past does not change who I am or what I am here for. My sister and I have not always had the closest relationship, but we are grown now, things are different. I would love if we could move on and focus on Annie and Jax. Maybe someday I will explain it to you, but this is neither the time nor place and they are my burdens to bear not yours.” She had spoken, and that would be that. Her tone had been final but not harsh. Shep sat in front of me, looked me straight in the eyes and asked, “Do you want to go home, because I have no problem leaving. Sure this special thing is cool, but our life in Keno was more than enough for me. But, if you want to stay, take a leap of faith, maybe find your mom, maybe save a land, maybe not. I will stay with you, no matter what. I will stand by you, whatever path you choose.” His hands were on top of mine, his eyes full of love and trust. I wiped my tears and my nose.
I took a few deep breaths and told them I was going to stay.
“I can’t risk leaving, and having my mother still here, needing me and me just running away. I guess I will have to have some blind faith, on one condition.” Everyone was watching me waiting for my condition. “How do people get married in this place?” Shep broke out a smile and stood up pulling me up into his arms. The three women stood, once again looking shocked.
“Married, what do you mean?” Asked Serephina. “It’s the wish to be joined heart, soul, and body, bound to each other by the spirits and the law. They call it marriage in the Ordinary World.” It was Leah who explained this to Serephina, and I detected a hint of excitement in her voice.
“Ahhh, well I know who can do that,” exclaimed Kelsha. “There is a lady here in Antiope who joins Specials whenever they find their soulmate. I suppose that’s what you are talking about right?”
“Uh, yeah I guess that’s right. Can she do it right away? We are heading out in the morning. You rallied the town’s Specials’, there’s nothing left for us to do.” Shep was holding me by the waist as he spoke. The three women started talking all at once “Where can we hold the ceremony?” “What’s she gonna wear?” “I will need to get Madame Angelica right away.”
Chaos was ensuing. Shep had lost control of the situation. He was at the center of the women, trying to get them to calm down, with no luck. He glanced at me with a look of defeat. Neither of us wanted anything more than to say I do. We didn’t have the time or resources for an actual ceremony. The talk of a wedding threw these women into a tizzy. I stuck two fingers in my mouth and whistled as loud as I could. They turned to me with annoyance. “Ladies, we appreciate your ideas and the thought but let’s not forget what we are here for. Shep and I don’t need or want a big production. We just want to be married and move on with what we are here for.” I thought my point had gotten through until Leah laughed and turned back to the women, ignoring Shep and me.
The planning ensued. Shep shrugged his shoulders at me, and then held his hands up in surrender. I motioned to the door with a wink. I headed toward the exit with Shep behind me. We were almost home free when Leah caught us at the door. “Look, I hear what you are saying, no big deal. I understand we have much bigger things to worry about and time is limited. But it would be simple and not time consuming in the least if you let us plan just a few little details. We could be ready in an hour. Deal?” She was begging now. It was almost pathetic. I looked up at Shep with a look of defeat. All he could do was shrug. She smiled showing all her vibrant teeth. Just as I thought she was going to leave us in peace, she turned back asking, “I know you kids love each other, that’s been obvious for years, but why now, what’s the rush to do it before we leave Antiope?” It was a fair question, and I had considered it over and over in my head since Shep suggested the idea.
Shep spoke first. “Lilly is my soulmate. I can’t explain my need to be with her, near her, but it’s overwhelming. When she is away from me for even a second anxiety kicks in. I don’t know what the future holds when we head out of this place, but I know it’s going to be dangerous. I don’t want to regret anything. I don’t want to die without knowing I married the woman I love.” He squeezed my hand as a tear rolled down my cheek. I was speechless. He didn’t wait for my response. He wrapped an arm around my waist and led me out of the inn and into the open air.
True to her word, an hour later the stage had been set for me to wed Shep. I had butterflies, but more from excitement than nervousness. Kelsha had borrowed a dress made of ivory silk from a lady in the village. The dress was simple. The front wrapped around creating a V style neckline and was cinched together at the waist with an ivory colored rope. It flowed free and long, covering my feet, and the sleeves were loose reaching my wrists. Serephina had braided flowers into my hair, before placing a halo of white flowers on my head. Leah just happened to have some blush and lip gloss that I applied lightly.
The air was slightly chilly but dry, so I decided shoes were not necessary. The three women had worked together to make me a bouquet of flowers to hold and it was magnificent. Flowers of white, peach, pink, and gold were intermixed with leaves of green and blue and were held together with silk ribbon that matched the dress. I stood in Kelsha’s room, in front of a large mirror. I was amazed at what they had accomplished and sad that my own mother was not here. I felt guilt creeping up at my not waiting for her to be there when I married Shep. I knew deep down she would understand. I also knew I could wait no longer to be his wife. My connection with Shep seemed to have intensified greatly since coming to Neveah. I could blame it on our time apart, or the magical feel of Neveah, or my fear of what the future held, but I knew my heart was his. There was no going back, even if I had wanted to.
I took a deep breath, ready to pledge my life to the man I loved. I secretly made a vow that once we got to my mother and this was over, we would marry again. It would be a grand affair, and my mother would be there. I made the silent promise to myself. I took a deep breath and headed down the stairs to meet the three women responsible for my wonderful wedding. I found Leah at the bottom of the stairs alone. “Where did Serephina and Kelsha go?”
“They went out to meet Shep and Madame Angelica. I wanted to be the first to see you all ready.” There were tears in her eyes.
“You know Lilly, I have always known you would marry my boy. It was no accident, your mother and I traveling through the portal together. Did you know I had never even seen her before the incident with Jax? I didn’t have anything to stay here for, and she was just so damn charismatic, like you! I was drawn to her, as though I never had a choice but to follow her. She became my best friend, my sister. I am proud to have you as a daughter Lilly and swear to help you get Annie back. Just promise to always love my boy, he sure loves you.”
“Oh, Leah, I love you! You have always been part of my mother and me. Now Shep and I will make it official. I promise to always love him. He is my other half, like he was made just for me. Thank you for him.” I reached out, hugging my new mother. She held me tight, as though willing the feel of my mother to penetrate her hold on me, and I appreciated her for that. Her arms were familiar and safe, and I was so happy she was there with me.
“Well, are you going to get married or not?” Asked Kelsha, her head poking through the door.
“Is everything ready?” Leah asked
“Yeah! We are just waiting for the two of you.” With that Kelsha disappeared out the door.
“Well, ready?” Leah asked, holding out her hand to me. I smiled in response, grabbing her hand in mine.
When we reached the door she instructed me to close my eyes, which I did without question. She led me through the doors, outside. I felt the coarse wood under my feet as we walked along the porch then down the steps. I felt the soft cool grass under my feet. Thankfully the weather had been warm and dry enough to walk barefoot. I loved feeling the ground beneath my feet. I walked along. I had no idea where I was by the time she stopped walking. She told me to open my eyes. I hesitated for just a second, and felt my breath catch when my eyes opened.
The center of town had been lit by hundreds of candles and flower petals were placed strategically on the ground. I looked around in awe of the magnificent beauty of the circle when I caught sight of Shep watching me. He was standing in the center of flickering candles, waiting for me. He was dressed in ivory silk pants that flowed from his waist to his bare feet. Silk fabric of the same color was worn on his upper body and hung open in the front exposing his beautiful chest. He had a chain of flowers around his neck that matched my head piece and bouquet. The sheer beauty of him made my heart skip a beat. Knowing this man would be mine forever made my heart soar. I walked over to Shep and took his hand. The need to touch him was overwhelming. The thought of the future and all we would endure erased from my mind. The only thing that mattered to me in that moment was Shep. He had always been with me. But seeing him, shimmering in the light waiting for me to promise my life to him made him seem new to me.
I was anxious to take my vows and looked around for Madame Angelica. I had yet to see her, but somehow knew when my eyes found the woman. She was small with long, white hair and the face of an angel. Her name had not been decided by accident. She approached us smiling, holding one candle in each hand. She shook Shep’s hand and kissed my cheek. She placed one candle in each of our hands, and we turned to face her. We promised to love each other the rest of our lives and stood as she recited what sounded like a prayer of love to us. She sprinkled us both with something that resembled glitter then instructed Shep to light his candle first, using the flame of her candle. He then turned to me saying, “Lilly, my wife, my love, I thank you for taking me as your soulmate, your partner, your husband. I promise to love you until the day I die.”
Neveah Box Series (Neveah Box Set Book 5) Page 12