Dixon (Stratham Shifters Book 6)

by Sarah J. Stone

  Now, if they could just make it the best outcome for Sienna as well, it would be a miracle.

  Desmond wasn't sure Nature granted miracles much anymore, but he hoped for one, anyways.

  “She's all right,” Desmond said. “But her usual impatience is dominant. If we don't tell her within the next 10 minutes...”

  “I can do this,” Prada assured Desmond, as if she hadn't spent years not speaking to anyone else. “I've done it since we've last seen each other.”

  “You have?” Desmond asked in surprise “On someone so…”

  “On animals,” Prada said. “And I waited for portals, I waited for negative signs. So far, though, all is well.”

  “Well,” Desmond's mouth twitched as he glanced at Nathaniel. “What a skill.”

  “I think she can teach it,” Nathaniel said. “She's trying. But it could be that we've beaten death once and for all.”

  “Let's focus on the task at hand,” Desmond said, pointing toward the room where Devon was held.

  Prada squared her jaw, switching her focus.

  “I need you to stay back ,though,” she said, as she advanced forward. “Just in case something goes wrong.”

  “I thought that you did this before?” Nathaniel asked her.

  “On birds,” Prada protested, and Desmond's confidence was shattered again.

  Nathaniel stayed back at the door, watching his former Tiro as she approached Devon's body on the bed.

  “She's doing well?” Desmond asked Nathaniel, who nodded.

  “She is. But she's still…she's still reaching out, still second guessing herself. That will go away, I think.”

  Desmond smiled, looking at Nathaniel.

  “To a point,” he said. “Sometimes they still burst into your school room and eat the breakfast that you cook for yourself when they are still adults.”

  Nathaniel smiled. “Point taken,” he said. “But she's going to be all right, I think.”

  “She will,” Desmond said. “Nature does not make mistakes.”

  “No,” Nathaniel said. “Nature does not.”

  Watching Prada was almost memorizing, the way she moved forward, assessing the magic in the air, assessing the life force that was still left. She would have to make sure that she pushed and pulled at exactly the right moment, and she would have to close a portal as quickly as she opened it. She was focused as she put her hands on Devon's mechanically moving chest, closing her eyes.

  “Prada!” Nathaniel suddenly said. “There's no danger that you—”

  “No,” she said, her eyes still closed. “I'll be fine. I'm strong.”

  “Ground yourself,” he said. “Reach out if you need to hep. Channel us.”

  “Nathaniel,” she turned to him. “This isn't any scarier than any war we've seen. I'm all right.”

  “You are,” he said. When he started training Prada, he had no idea where it would go. But now, he couldn't be more proud.

  Prada drew the magic into her palms, reaching from sources that Nathaniel couldn't even try to feel. Prada was so strong, but she had needed to learn to stand alone.

  “Oh boy,” Prada said under her breath, as she felt how far gone Devon was. There was very little life force left, and she wasn't sure she would be able to pull it forward.

  Different path, came ringing through her ears as she tried and tried again. Everyone has a different path. Devon. Devon. Devon I know your girlfriend.

  There was no answer, and she sighed, gritting her teeth.

  Of all the things that she had been through, she didn't want this to be the one she failed.

  Sienna is alone right now, she tried again.

  There was no answer, and she growled, looking up at Nathaniel. He raised an eyebrow.

  “What?”

  “Just…patience,” Prada said, and closed her eyes again.

  Devon, Prada said. I'm a witch. I'm the witch Sienna was supposed to be. Come back and with the woman she is now.

  She felt a stirring of life and she pulled harder.

  Devon, she called again. Come back.

  She felt a jolt and her eyes flew open.

  “Oh,” she said, stumbling back slightly. Nathaniel moved forward.

  “It's okay,” Prada said, leaning against the wall. “It's okay. Just wait.”

  “I don't see any change,” Nathaniel said and she rolled her eyes.

  “Do you know how hard that is? Give him a moment. He was dead, by the way.”

  “He was clinically…”

  “He was dead,” Prada said, looking him in the eye. “But I don't think death matters anymore.”

  As if on cue, Devon took a huge breath, choking on the tube down his throat.

  “Can I get some help?” Nathaniel called down the hall to a nurse, half in shock as Devon's vital signs rose. A few nurses rushed in, and Nathaniel stepped back, his jaw open.

  “Prada…” he said, as Devon's eyes opened, and there was clarity in them. “Thank you.”

  She looked at him like it was obvious

  “Of course,” she said.

  “Not of course,” he said. “Before this quest…”

  “Before this quest I had a dark soul?” she asked. “I would not help others?”

  “Before this quest, you were afraid,” he said, softly. “And now, you are not. You are brave. You didn't let fear rule your life and that is what I am the most proud of.”

  “Not passing the tests?” she asked.

  “No,” he said. “Seeing you speak to someone else, seeing you stand on your own, that is where your challenge was.”

  “We each have a different path,” she said softly. “This was mine.”

  “I'm going to go and get her,” Desmond said, tapping Nathaniel on the shoulder. “All right?”

  “Looks like it,” Desmond said. “I think you've done it, Prada. And maybe one day, you can teach us.”

  “I was actually thinking.” Prada brushed her hair out of her eyes. “That I might be able to teach Sienna how to use other people's magic instead of her own. That's what this is, after all, pulling rather than pushing. If it never enters her bod, it would be fine.”

  Nathaniel's jaw fell open.

  “Really?”

  “I don't know for sure,” Prada said. “But I think I could try.”

  Nathaniel couldn't believe it. But if anyone could do it, it was Prada.

  They had come so far from the Tiro that hated Sienna, that hated the world.

  They had to go through a war and pain, death, for Prada to find her place, but she had found it and grown so much.

  Sienna coming to the door was the trifecta Supported by Desmond, her eyes lit up when she saw Devon sitting up, without breathing tubes, without monitors The nurses had barely stepped back when Sienna grabbed his hand.

  “Devon? Devon, are you all right?”

  His voice was raspy, but he managed to get some words out before taking a breath. “Sienna, my love. Are you all right?”

  “Oh, Creator!” She collapsed in tears, crawling into the bed beside him.

  “Ironic that we spent half our lives pulling them apart,” Desmond said and Nathaniel smiled.

  “And now we have our own loves,” he said, as Eliza came to the door. Her hand was on her mouth, and she smiled at Nathaniel.

  “So it's true, then?”

  “It's true,” Nathaniel snaked an arm around Eliza. “Devon will be at our wedding, as well, I think.”

  “This is…” Eliza turned to Prada. “This is all because of you. Thank you.”

  “This is because I found my path,” Prada said with a shrug.

  Desmond leaned against the wall, watching the scene unfold. After the coronation, he would return to Mariah, to continue to live their private, quiet lives.

  When they had been warriors, and serving, he never thought they would all have happily ever afters. The only thing he cursed was being so blind that he couldn't have the happy life earlier. This was the path for all of them, blessed by magi
c, blessed by love.

  “Thank you.” Sienna turned to Prada, tears rolling down her face. “Thank you for doing what I couldn't.”

  Prada smiled.

  “You were the trailblazer,” she said. “You were the trailblazer for everything here.”

  “This is a fairy tale,” Sienna said, looking at all of them as she leaned against Devon. He grasped her hand, pulling her close. Fairy tale was the word she used growing up to describe the romances she didn't yet know were forbidden “It really is. And now you will be a Prince, Nathaniel.”

  “That's because Eliza won't marry me without giving me responsibility,” Nathaniel answered. Eliza smacked him in the side and he chuckled. “See? Responsibility to save my skin, even now.”

  “I'm quite happy to carry on the way we were,” Eliza said, teasing him, but he kissed the top of her head.

  “No,” he said “I think we finally seal the deal and make each other miserable forever.”

  “Forever,” Eliza said, looking up at him with a smile.

  “Forever,” Nathaniel said.

  They may not have walked the traditional path, but they had ended up happy. And as Sienna lay her head on Devon's chest, and Desmond looked on with a smile, Nathaniel finally felt like he had succeeded in life. And now, with death behind them, they had a future in front of them that was guaranteed to be happy.

  “We should prepare for the coronation,” Eliza said at last. “Give the lovebirds some space.”

  “Anything, my love.” He laughed. “Anything for you. But do I have to wear a crown?”

  “Oh, Nathaniel.” She smiled. “You have no idea what you are in for.”

  Epilogue

  Eliza was Queen of Jeffro and many systems. It was the grandest wedding the planet had ever seen, and Nathaniel knew that it was going to be that way. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed at the front of the grand church.

  “I was sort of hoping we could just have a quiet little ceremony with paperwork.” Nathaniel said to Desmond, who he had asked to be his best man.

  “With the Queen of Jeffro?” Desmond asked. “That was likely.”

  “You could have reassured me,” Nathaniel replied. “It's what Sienna and Devon did three days ago and their wedding was perfect.”

  “Have you ever known Sienna to want attention like that?” Desmond asked. “Theirs was perfect for them. And your wedding will be perfect for Eliza.”

  “Thank you so much, Desmond,” Nathaniel rolled his eyes. But then, the church doors rolled open, and his jaw dropped.

  In true Jeffroian fashion, Eliza had on the largest gown that could possibly fit into the church. Her head dress with the crown on top was several feet tall, it felt like. But underneath it all, it was beautiful Eliza, the girl he had fallen in love with.

  Walking down the aisle to him was something they had fought over, because she was Queen and he would be the one marrying in. But eventually, she submitted and he was so glad that she did.

  Seeing her walk toward him was enough to set his heart aflame.

  All he could think about was how many years he had spent wishing, hoping and pushing this moment away at the same time. He should have done this when he was eighteen years old, using his magic on the throne when he first fell in love with her.

  He hadn't really thought of the words that he would speak after the marriage. The only thing he really cared about today was marrying the love of his life.

  She reached him, outstretching her hand to take his. Sienna as her maid of honor stood to his right side. He winked at her before turning back to his bride, who smiled.

  “Are you ready?” she asked, and he grinned.

  “What if I said I was not?”

  “Too late,” she answered, squeezing her hand.

  “I guess I am here then,” he teased her. “Of course, I'm ready, Eliza. I've been ready for ages. It's you we were waiting for.”

  “Mm,” she answered. “I may have gotten lazy in my old age.”

  “Are you two ready?” the priest asked, used to them bantering between them. Ever since he met with them to start planning their wedding, Eliza and Nathaniel had bantered and teased each other. However, no one could doubt the love between them. They were two peas in a pod, meant for each other.

  “Yes, sorry,” Nathaniel answered, giving him a guilty smile. “ Go ahead.”

  The priest looked down and then cleared his throat, fulfilling the lines that he had to say.

  “Dearly beloved, We have come together in the presence of Creator o witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. The bond and covenant of marriage was established by Creator. The union of husband and wife is intended by Creator for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given each other in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God's will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord. Therefore marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by the Creator.”

  No one said a word. The grand church was completely silent, watching the historic moment between their Queen and future Prince. Because she was the sole ruler, he would outrank her as King, so he had to have the rank of Prince. But it didn't bother him. He knew they were partners, and if it ever came down to it, she was born into this role, and would likely be better at it then him.

  “Into this union, Queen Eliza and Nathaniel now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not be lawfully wed, speak now, or else forever hold your peace.”

  Luckily, no one said a word. Eliza didn't think they would, especially after everything they had been through. The people of Jeffro had always liked Nathaniel, and they had always supported the two of them in public, even when it was unofficial

  “I charge you both, here in the presence of Creator and the witness of this company, that if either of you know any reason why you may not be married lawfully and in accordance with Creator's Word, do now confess it?”

  “No,” Eliza was fast to answer. “There is no reason why we should not be married.”

  “And Nathaniel?”

  “No,” he answered, according to the script. “There is no reason why we should not be married. There is about a million why we should, though, so could we hurry it up?”

  There was laughter throughout the crowd and Eliza rolled her eyes.

  “Queen Eliza,” he turned to her “Will you have this man to be your husband; to live together with him in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto him as long as you both shall live?”

  “I do,” she answered. It was two simple words and yet it meant so much. Nathaniel gazed into her beautiful eyes, so stunned as always by her beauty.

  “Nathaniel , will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together with her in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?”

  “I will,” he said, his voice quivering. After this, they would never spend a moment apart. He would wake up beside her every morning, and be able to hold her hand every day. That fact was mind blowing to him, and he couldn't wait to get started.

  “Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?” the priest turned to the whole crowd.

  “We do,” everyone answered.

  “Bless, O’ Creator, these rings as a symbol of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other,” the priest said, and indicated that Desmond and Sienna should hand over the rings. They were intricate, twisted gold, and looked like the crowns they would wear.

  “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, ” Eliza said, pushing the ring
onto his finger. He stroked her hand, and then switched, so that he could put the ring on her.

  “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you,” he whispered, sliding the ring onto his beautiful Queen.

  The priest looked between them, satisfied that part was fulfilled.

  “Now that Queen Eliza and Nathaniel have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are husband and wife. Those whom Creator has joined together, let no one put asunder,” he said.

  Eliza and Nathaniel held hands, knowing that it was almost over. In rehearsal, Nathaniel had blazed this part into his mind. He couldn't wait for the final words to be said.

  “Bless, preserve and keep you; the Creator mercifully with his flavor look upon you, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may faithfully live together in this life, and in the age to come have life everlasting. Amen,” the priest prayed over them.

  “And also with you,” everyone echoed.

  “Queen Eliza and Nathaniel, having witnessed your vows of love to one another, it is my joy to present you to all gathered here as husband and wife. Nathaniel, you may kiss the bride.”

  Nathaniel grinned and dipped her down, to the applause of the crowd. Everyone roared and cheered, as Nathaniel brought her back up.

  But there was one more thing to do before they walked down the aisle.

  “Eliza, Queen of Jeffro,” said the priest, as head of the church. “Now, that you are married to this man, do you name a successor?”

  “I do,” she said “I name Nathaniel, my husband, as Prince of Jeffro, my heir and the future father of my children.”

  “Then let it be known that Nathaniel, husband of Eliza, is to now be known as Prince Nathaniel, Regent of Jeffro. God save the Queen!”

  “God Save the Queen!” came the cry as everyone dropped to their knees.

  Nathaniel grabbed Eliza's hand, as they advanced down the aisle. They had to greet the public on the steps, as their first official duty. He felt Sienna at his back, not just as the maid of honor, but as the Baroness, to greet the public, as well.

  And, as he came to the end of the church aisle, there was Prada, standing there. He had wanted her to come, but she had been on assignment, deep in Dramoon politics. However, it appeared that as always, Prada had found a way. She was dressed in field clothing, and she cocked an eyebrow at him, and then bowed.