by Kimbra Swain
“I just need you,” I said.
We sat in the truck watching the rain hit the windshield. I slowly backed the truck up to turn it around. Dylan never took his eyes off the cleared place for our home. He slumped back into the seat. “Will you go by the old house?” he asked.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I need to check something,” he said.
“Okay,” I replied, turning down the road that would take us to the burned ruins of his restored antebellum home.
Even through the rain, the embers smoldered where the house stood. I sighed because the house itself was a beauty. Dylan had done so much work on the house to please Winnie and me. I hurt for him as he stared at it.
“Can you see if the magic is gone?” he asked.
I switched to my fairy sigth. The faint residue of the old ward was there, but it was no longer intact. Something that large was anchored by the house, and since the house was ash, so was the ward.
“Nothing there,” I said.
“Be right back,” he said, darting off into the rain before I could call after him.
He walked through the embers which did nothing to his skin. Small flames flared at his feet as he walked. He pushed through debris with fiery hands until he uncovered what he was trying to find. I saw him lift the old safe that used to be in the upstairs hallway, turning it to face him. He grabbed the handle with a molten hand, and the door jolted open. He shook his hand to remove the flames. His skin turned from bright amber to his normal tanned shade. He reached into the safe, dragging out an item in a plastic bag.
When he got back to the truck, he was barely wet. Just his shirt, but the rain had evaporated as it touched his skin. Carefully he opened the bag, pulling out the items inside. First, he placed the circular dish on the dashboard followed by the dainty teacup covered in red roses.
“How long have you had that?” I asked.
“Since I took it from your house,” he said.
“It was broken,” I muttered through tears. Yes, I was crying like a baby. Again. After he gave it to me, there was a time that I felt like he had betrayed me. Technically he had, and I still didn’t understand why. In my fury, I shattered the cup and saucer on the wall of the trailer. I knew he had taken the pieces, but I never dreamed that they could be whole again.
“It’s not now,” he said.
My memories were flooded of the day Dylan gave me the teacup. He said I was like whiskey in a teacup. Back then I was pretty sure I was nothing but bite, but Dylan saw through all of that from very early on. He said he had always loved me. I saw that now in a pristine teacup that was once shattered.
“I’m so tired,” I said.
“I’ll run around. You slide over here, and I’ll drive us home,” he said.
I did as he asked, letting him take over. I rested the teacup in my lap as we drove. He had kept it all this time, waiting for the moment to give it back. Thankfully it survived the house disappearing and burning down. I knew then looking at the cup that Dylan and I could make it through anything together.
We woke up the next afternoon to Dylan’s phone buzzing. Winnie laid between us with Rufus somewhere under the sheets.
“Hello,” Dylan mumbled.
I could hear Troy on the other end.
“Yeah, man. I’m fine. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Dylan said. He hung up the phone as his feet thudded to the floor. I didn’t look over at him. My eyes were fixed on the teacup sitting on my nightstand. “Mind if I shower?”
I rolled over to look at him. Winnie stirred as I admired him shirtless and groggy. He saw the look in my eye giving me a smirk. I knew we didn’t have time for it, but I could lust. I was allowed.
“Up and at ‘em, Atom Ant,” I said, shaking Winnie.
“My name is not Atom Ant, Mom,” she said suddenly sassy.
“Oh, my bad. Hungry?” I asked.
“Is the wedding now?” she asked in return.
“Not now, but it is today,” I said. It seemed the rain had slacked up, but it still sprinkled outside. I wanted to get a good look at the bog before we left.
I fixed what basically was lunch for Winnie, but she insisted on pancakes. Thankfully, I had some of the frozen ones in the kitchen. I fed Rufus, then provided the brownies with their morning cups of milk. Dylan took a long shower. I ached to join him, but I knew that I needed to keep an eye on Winnie. When he came out of the bedroom with only a towel around his waist, I could barely contain myself.
“Hot damn,” I said.
He kissed me on the cheek. “I knew you missed Levi prancing through the house in a towel,” he teased. I slapped him on the arm.
“Darlin’, you make that towel look good,” I said.
“Is it the wedding yet?” Winnie asked.
Dylan said, “Winnie, we have to get dressed, then we will go.”
“What are you waiting on?” she asked.
“Winnie. That wasn’t very nice,” I said.
“Sorry, Momma,” she muttered.
“No, you apologize to your Daddy,” I said.
“Sorry, Daddy,” she said. He kissed her on the forehead.
“I forgive you, Winnie. Grace, go get a shower,” he said.
I finished off my coffee and headed toward the bathroom. “I’ll fix her hair when I get out. Briar, help her get in her dress.” Briar urged Winnie to finish eating, but I realized that pancakes probably weren’t the best idea. “Nevermind. Kiddo. You need a bath.”
“I’ve got it,” Dylan said.
It only took an hour, but we were all dressed and ready to go. The dress that Dylan gave me was classy in a way that I didn’t think fit me. I was brass and sass, but in this, I felt reserved but beautiful.
“You look amazing,” he said admiring his handiwork.
“Thanks. I’m trying to see myself in it,” I said.
“You are in it,” he laughed.
“Fit the profile,” I said.
“Not trashy enough?” he teased.
“Not even close,” I laughed. “It’s lovely.”
He came up behind me, lifting his arms above my head. As he lowered them, his warm fingers brushed my collarbones. He slipped a necklace around my neck. A simple silver chain with a tiny teacup charm. “I bought this before we got the cup back, of course, but it’s a little sassy for your lovely dress.”
“It’s empty,” I said, staring at the tiny cup.
“There will be plenty of drinks after the wedding,” he said.
I knew this to be true because I had planned the bash after the party at Hot Tin. Nestor allowed me to push the pool table out to the storage room to set up a buffet. There would be plenty to eat and drink.
Dylan loaded Winnie in the car as I walked to the bend in the road. There were close to three feet of water under Jenny’s trailer. It had started to touch the underpinning of the trailer closest to hers on that side of the street. I looked at the other trailer which still glowed with the green ward.
“Yikes,” Dylan said. “We need to pack our bags up. Get Winnie’s stuff out of the trailer.”
“Yes, we should do that tonight,” I said. “Where do we go?”
“I’ll ask Remy if he has anything open right now for us to use until the house is finished,” he said.
“I’ve watched one trailer burn. I might as well watch this one flood.” The clouds rumbled promising a gully washer. Just what we needed. More rain.
I found an umbrella under the seat in the truck and held it over Dylan as he got Winnie out of the truck. We rushed inside to reach the comfort of the Summer Realm hidden inside a portal in the Baptist Church. I closed the umbrella, leaning it against a tree closest to the portal. So many friends and townspeople had gathered to celebrate Troy and Amanda’s big day. Dylan scooped up Winnie, rushing her off to the waiting wedding party.
As I took a place in the large circle forming around the center stone, Tabitha walked up beside me. “New look?” she asked.
“Dylan bought it for
me. What do you think?” I asked.
“It’s different. It looks great on you. Are you gonna get all mature on me now?” she asked.
We laughed and talked about all the people who were there when the crowd’s eye was turned to the last three people to walk in the door. Tennyson Schuyler, Remington Blake and the leggy red-head who reeked of Summer.
“Who is she?” I asked.
“Rowan Flanagan. Summer Royal. Looks like she’s taken up with Tennyson Schuyler,” Tab said.
“My uncle,” I said.
“What?” she exclaimed a little too loudly, drawing attention to us. Remy looked over at us, but instead of grinning at me like he usually did, he was smiling at Tabitha. I elbowed her in the side.
“Oof! What?”
“He’s giving you the eye. Did you sleep with him?” I asked.
“Maybe,” she said.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” she replied, turning away from me.
“I think it’s great. Despite my past with Remy, he is kind of a good guy. I just couldn’t get over it,” I said. “Good luck.”
“You mean it?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said.
“Maybe the dress is working,” she teased. I elbowed her again as Matthew entered the circle. The crowd quietened down as he began to speak.
“If you mess around with Levi, I might not have the same reaction,” I muttered.
“I didn’t,” she confessed.
“Let us all gather that we might cast the circle,” he said. The crowd formed a circle around the center altar.
The crowd parted at the southern point of the circle. Troy, Dylan, and Mark entered the gathering. The circle closed behind them. They wore simple linen suits with light blue ties. They were barefoot as well.
At the northern point, Amanda, Robin, and Winnie entered the circle. Winnie threw the petals in the air instead of on the ground creating a sweet effect around the bride. Amanda’s dress was simple but elegant. White chiffon with a silvery cloth belt. Robin and Winnie both wore light blue to match the men’s ties. Amanda and Troy approached Matthew. As they joined hands, their love radiated from their bodies. I had known these two for several months, but I hadn’t realized how joined they were. I supposed it had a lot to do with their species and the fact that Troy was an alpha male wolf.
Matthew opened a book which contained four large crystals. Each was pure quartz and the size of my hand. He walked to a stone pillar in the East.
“I call upon the spirit of air whose breath of life we share. Come now and bless this love, so be it here below as it is above,” he said.
Suddenly the sylph that gave me the air stone, hovered above the pillar. She smiled at me, then nodded to the crowd. She raised her arms swirling the air around us. “Bless it here below as it is above,” she said in a clear tone that echoed off the trees of the grove. She shot into the air, disappearing from sight. He laid the crystal on the pillar, and it glowed with a milky white light.
Matthew walked to the Southern pillar. “I call upon the Southern fires whose light brightens the darkness. Come now and bless this love, so be it here below as it is above.”
A burst of flame flashed the gathering, then Dylan stood behind the pillar. “Bless it here below as it is above,” he said with a wink to me. The crystal ignited with a glowing flame. Matthew laid it on the pillar. Dylan walked back to his spot standing beside Troy.
“I call upon the waters of the West whose flow connects us body and soul. Come now and bless this love, so be it here below as it is above.”
A small pool formed at the base of the pillar, and a woman rose from it. I eagerly watched, knowing this was the woman I needed to meet in order to gain permission to use the water stone. If I had control of it, I might be able to stop the rising waters at the trailer park. The woman rose to the point where her feet almost left the water. A white dress hung from her body, drenched in the waters of the pool. Her blonde hair fell in waves down her back and across her shoulders. A golden circlet sat on her head. If she had wings, I would have thought she was an angel. Her beauty radiated around her as droplets of water fell from her entire body. On her Celtic knot embroidered belt, a long sword hung. I knew the sword. It was my father’s sword. Unconsciously, I stepped toward her. Tabitha grabbed my arm, and I shook off the concentration on the weapon and the woman wearing it.
“Bless it here below as it is above,” her mature voice resounded in the grove. Before sinking back into the puddle, she looked at me. A wave of sadness flowed over her face like a ripple in still water. As the top of her head disappeared into the water, Matthew took a moment to look back at me. He winked. I knew then that he was summoning the primal forces for my benefit, not just for the wedding ceremony. They didn’t have to appear here, but here they were. They were here because of me.
The crystal in Matthew’s hand glowed vibrant blue, and he sat it on the pillar.
Finally, he turned to the north and called the final force. “I call upon our Mother, the Earth whose gifts include life and death, love and breath. Come now and bless this love, so be it here below as it is above,” he said.
A woman walked out of the circle to stand behind the pillar. I recognized her immediately. Josie, my old neighbor in the trailer park who just disappeared after I accepted the role of Queen of the Exiles, stood behind the pillar. She was either still pregnant or pregnant again. I wondered if Mother Earth was always pregnant. She wore a simple sundress that rode high in the front over her bulging belly. On her feet, she wore simple flip-flops.
“Bless it here below as it is above,” she said with a smile. I watched as she waddled back to the circle of friends gathered for the ceremony. I tried to keep track of her in the crowd which wasn’t huge, but she was behind a group of people. I lost sight of her quickly. At least, I knew who she was.
Matthew returned to the center and stood facing South.
The final item he pulled from the book was a braided cord. He nodded to the couple who presented their hands for a fasting. Troy held his hand palm up, while Amanda’s faced palm down. She gripped his wrist as he did hers. Matthew handed the book to Robin, then laid the cord across their wrists.
“This is the tie that binds. Behold! Troy and Amanda wish to be bound by love. Each of you here are witnesses to this oath. As the cord is tied, it is not their hands that are bound, but their hearts. While the cord has two ends, their love shall be eternal. Now they will say their vows,” Matthew said.
Troy spoke first. “Amanda, I am thankful for you with each passing day. Once I was a man with no pack. However, since you’ve come into my life, my pack has grown from one to three. I take you as my wife, and Mark as my son. I give to you my body, my heart, and my soul forever.”
I saw the faint hint of tears glisten at the corners of Amanda’s eyes. She took a deep breath before speaking. “Troy, I know that our relationship started off rocky, but you have been steadfast through it all. My life’s course has been forever changed by you. I take you as my husband and father to my son. I give to you my body, my heart, and my soul forever.”
As she finished her vows, Matthew tied the ends of the cord into a knot. He stepped back, then turned in a circle to speak to the crowd. “You are witnesses to this bond. If there is anyone here who would like to speak, the bride and groom welcome it.”
I felt an urge inside of me to speak up as their Queen. Offering a blessing over their union was common practice by the Kings and Queens of the fairies. However, I didn’t want to draw any attention to myself. Looking at Dylan, I waited for his eyes to meet mine. He would know my internal struggle and tell me what to do. His twinkling blue eyes met mine, then he nodded slightly. His acknowledgment encouraged me to step forward. Matthew’s eyes landed on me, and he nodded.
“As the Queen of the Exiles, I am honored to attend this wedding. Thank you for your invitation and for requesting my daughter, Winnie, to be a part of your ceremony. Following the example of my father, I would like to wi
sh you happiness and prosperity for all of your days,” I said, then stepped back into the circle. I could have made a joke or quipped about marriage. However, the moment called for me to act like a royal. I tried my damnedest.
“Thank you, Gloriana,” Matthew said with a slight bow.
Several other people from the town stepped up to wish them well or to tell a short story of how they came to help in their line of work. I could tell that the werewolves had made their own place in our community of misfits. Somehow the mismatched puzzle pieces of this town formed a beautiful and unique mosaic. At that moment, I was honored to be their queen.
“Your hands and hearts are bound, so shall your souls always be. Ladies and gentlemen, I pronounce them husband and wife. Troy, you may kiss your bride,” Matthew smiled.
Troy didn’t hesitate. He yanked their bound hands, pulling her to his body. He leaned over, planting a very unchaste kiss on her lips. I appreciated the kiss, but there were others who might find it unsettling. I had no doubt the wolves had a very healthy sex life. As I watched them, I felt his eyes on me. I met the azure flame blue of Dylan’s eyes. The man knew how to smolder. It made me long for this moment for us. I had delayed it needlessly. The moment Levi and Finley returned, I wanted to be married to Dylan. Dream or no dream. It was always meant to be.
Troy and Amanda walked toward the exit portal of the grove. As they reached the circle it parted for them, but a broom filled the gap lying on the ground. They jumped it enthusiastically as the crowd cheered them on. The wedding guests filtered out of the portal, heading to the after party that I had planned at Hot Tin. Winnie ran up to me.
“Momma, wasn’t that fun?” she said.
“It was. Did you like being the flower girl?” I asked.
“I did. Daddy said I could be the flower girl again when you get married,” she said.
“You most certainly can,” I said. “When Uncle Levi and Uncle Finley get back from their trip, then we will do it.”
“Yay!” she said, jumping up and down which spilled the remaining petals out of her basket.
Dylan wrapped a warm arm around me, then kissed me on the cheek. “You want me to kiss you like that?” he asked.