Nephilius - A Walker Saga Book 5 (35 page)

The next few
hours were filled with a flurry of dresses, hair,
make
-up, and tantrums – which were just
from Lucy – but in the end all of us were dressed and waiting at
the door. My dress fit perfectly, and it was really comfortable. I
had totally lucked out.

Fury wore
red, which suited her personality and somehow
didn
’t clash with her skin. Talina’s
dress was short and a pearly white color, which set off her
stunning hair, and Ria looked like a supermodel in the black
strapless number that I’d been denied.

And then there was Lucy.

She looked
ethereal, her long blond and green hair falling in large curls,
flowers threaded through in the same design as mine, but hers
continued down the full length of her hair. Her dress was also a
perfect fit, thanks in part to the lace
-up corset back.

“
You look so
beautiful, Luce.” Talina looked teary as she hugged our tiny pixie
friend
, arms a little awkward over the
wings.

“
Gosh, stop
that, Talli, she’ll be shedding glitter again
,” Fury said, her voice light.

A knock at the door had us straightening.
And before I could speak Lallielle stepped into the room. She was
dressed in a shimmery white silk that fell to her knees and draped
her figure beautifully. She looked stunning.

“
Oh
, my god, you girls all look
just beautiful,” she gasped as her eyes scanned us. “Glenda and
Cherine, you did a spectacular job.” She moved forward and hugged
them both. “I left your portraits in the front room,” I heard her
say as the mother and daughter exited the room.

First World
worked on a barter system, so that was more than likely payment for
their time
spent on our
make-up.

“
Okay, let’s
get downstairs
. Everything is set up.”
Lallielle started ushering us out of the room. Most of us were
unsteady on our heels, except for Lucy, of course.

“
Did someone
see if Delane wanted to come?” I asked as we staggered down the
stairs, risking our necks. Fury had a double-handed
death-grip on the railing.

“
She’s
already in her seat
,” Lallielle said.
“The spare chairs next to her are for Fury, Ria, and
Talli.”

“
Lucky
,” I muttered.

Lucy elbowed me, and I threw her a huge
grin.

Instead of taking us through the front door
Lallielle led us out the back, and toward the right side of the
house.

“
Okay, you
two wait here while I seat the girls.” Lallielle looked
excited
. Her voice was
breathless.

With last
hugs and kisses on the cheek
, Lucy and I
were left to wait nervously. We couldn’t see any of the setup. We
stood just out of sight, but I could smell wafts of floral scents
and hear the sounds of soothing music. Like a harp or piano or
something. Lallielle was back in moments and she had two bundles of
flowers and Josian with her. My jaw dropped at how handsome my dad
looked. His black tuxedo fitted him perfectly, accentuating his
giant height and breadth. His red hair was brushed back, framing
his perfect features and flashing bronze eyes.

“
I have some
very good
-looking parents.” I gave them
both a hug.

“
You look
stunning, baby girl.” Josian kissed me on the forehead. “And you
Lucy are a picture of beauty.” He held out one of his
tuxedo
-clad arms. “I’m here to walk you
down the aisle. You’re like a daughter to me, and it would be my
honor.”

Flickers of
something crossed Lucy’s face
. I guessed
she was thinking of not only her fake Earth parents, but also of
her unknown faerie father. But finally a teary grin crossed her
features.

“I couldn’t think of anyone better to walk
me down the aisle.” Lucy slipped her arm into Josian’s. She had to
fly to reach his elbow, but it didn’t look awkward.

“Come on, Aribella.” Lallielle took my hand.
“You’re first. Just follow the red path all the way and stand on
the opposite side to Brace.”

She handed me the slightly smaller bouquet.
I shuffled along after her, my eyes trained on my feet because the
grassy terrain was not suitable for heels. I looked up the moment
my toes hit the red carpet, its ruby tones sparkling in the last
rays of the setting sun.

The
sunset blinded me for a moment before a series
of harsh breaths fell from my lips. I froze in the act of taking my
first step. You would think the reason I almost fell on my face was
because of the stunning ceremony that had been set up. But I barely
even noticed.

My feet
started to move then, but it must have been instinct because I
seemed to have lost all control of my body. I didn’t see the softly
glowing candle arches that led the way down the aisle. Or the huge
bunches of colorful and delicious
ly
scented flowers that filled in the end of every chair row. Or the
masses of people who had turned to face me. Or even the backdrop of
a stunning sunset over the tumult of the crashing ocean.

I saw nothing but Brace.

I felt as if
my eyes had been locked onto him and there was nothing I could do
to tear them free. He stood next to Colton and he looked solemn as
he stared at me, but there was heat in his dark eyes, and something
more. I tried to figure out what his expression revealed, and
finally, halfway down the aisle
, it came
to me – awe. As if he couldn’t believe I was real.

I had to physically stop myself from running
straight down the red carpet and throwing myself into his arms.
Just before I reached the end, he leveled the softest of smiles on
me. I fought back my tears, turning away to take my place opposite
him.

Cerberus
moved from where he’d been perched at the back of the
sea
ted guests and bounded up to sit next
to me. Reaching out a hand, I laid it on his closest head. I loved
this dog; he was the most loyal creature I’d ever met.

All of the
faces
had turned back to look down the
red carpet, waiting for the bride. It looked as if Lallielle had
coached them on wedding protocol. I took a moment to observe the
crowd.

I could see
scattered Doreens and Abernaths, including Brace’s mother and
sister. Magenta was also there
. She stood
next to a golden-haired man who had soft moss-colored eyes. The man
held Petal; she was squirming in his arms. Maybe he was the little
Walker’s father. Magenta and Petal were the two remaining members
of Colton’s family. The rest had been killed by his father’s wolf.
I was glad they were there.

Another
familiar face caught my eye
. Malisna was
fluttering just above the ground, Refis next to her. I felt my
heart jump at the thought of Lucy’s family also being here. For so
long we had both thought we had no one but each other, and now our
hearts overflowed.

It was
Colton’s low rumbling growl
vibrating
through his chest which tipped me off to Lucy’s arrival.

The
candlelight washed across her in a sparkling light as she fluttered
her wings up near Josian’s shoulder. She looked
otherworldly
. Her pixie genetics had
never been more obvious than right at that moment. And she was
radiantly happy. It oozed from her (along with some wafts of pixie
dust).

Colton
started to move
. It was only Brace’s hand
on his shoulder that stopped him charging down the aisle and
claiming his mate right then and there.

I grinned at
Josian
. He looked proud, standing tall as
he led the floating pixie through the masses of smiling faces.
Colton was still now, but in that way of a predator who is biding
his time to strike for the kill. His eyes always gave away his
wolf.

F
inally they reached the end of
the red carpet, and with a Walker handshake Josian handed Lucy off
to Colton.

Brace moved from his place to stand in front
of the couple. Lucy handed me her bouquet to hold, and we all faced
toward the stunning ocean.

Brace gave me a wink as he started. “Dearly
beloved, we are gathered here today …”

I hid my
smile
in the masses of flowers I held. It
sounded as if they’d done some research, which had to include old
movies. There was no other way to see Earth weddings.

The ceremony was beautiful, short and
sweet.

Lucy and
Colton held on to each other and their eyes saw nothing but
the other. Finally it came to the moment where
they had to speak their vows. But in Walker style we did not get to
hear the words. They were spoken quietly, private and meant only
for the other.

And then it was time for the true
bonding.

E
nergy left Brace, and I watched
as it entered Colton, and then in long shimmery tendrils connected
to Lucy. Her head fell back as she gasped. And then both of them
were visibly surrounded in their green and white
tethers.

I wasn’t sure if everyone else noticed it,
or if it was just me, but I saw the actual bond cement between
them. It was tangible now. I could have reached out and grasped
onto the thick cord which seemed to extend from their chests.

“
You’re in
my head
,” I heard Lucy whisper. Tears
filled her eyes. “Don’t you ever leave.”

Colton
kissed her, lifting her delicate body up into his arms. “Not even
death could steal this bond
. I will come
back for you in any life.”

Their love
held us all immobile. I could see lots of kissing couples in the
crowd. Dune and Fury were almost on the side of
indecent
. The fire between those two was
figurative and literal.

And then I felt his warmth wrap around me.
Brace captured my hand and hauled me into his arms. I felt the
shock from a few people – especially the half-Walker girls – when
he kissed me.

I’d forgotten that most people didn’t know
we were true mates. Well, they did now. And I planned on telling
them the entire story, no more keeping information from the very
people who deserved to know everything.

“So is this the full Walker bonding done?” I
thought he’d told me long ago about something more.

“No, they still have to travel into the
place of Walker birth, and if their mating is accepted, I believe
something magical happens that brings the bond into a level of
untouchability.”

W
e’d never been ‘officially’
bonded, so he didn’t actually know.

“Is the bond always accepted?” I asked.

Brace tightened his arms around me. “No,
sometimes people mistake lust for love, a true mate for a right-now
mate. You can fool yourself, but you can’t fool the bond.”

While the ceremony had been going on,
Lallielle must have had people setting up a banquet on the front
lawn, in the space between the house and the ocean. She led the
crowds around.

The area was
lit up with millions of what looked like
faerie lights, but they were not connected to anything.
Just tiny, sparkling lights floating above the scene. I looked
closer. Were they actually little faerie’s floating there? How
would Lallielle have managed that? Maybe Malisna had a hand in
organizing the ceremony.

I was distracted from the softly lit area
set up for dancing by Lallielle capturing my hand.

“
This is so
amazing, Mom.” I hugged her hard. “I can’t thank you
enough
. You made the most beautiful
moment of Lucy’s life absolutely perfect.” I realized that she was
alone. I looked around. “Where’s Dad?”

“
He had to
go and take care of something, baby girl
.
He said he’d try and make it back as soon as he could.”

I found that a little strange, him leaving
in the middle of an important event and not even telling Lallielle
why. It was obvious he’d just given her the old
something-important-came-up line.

“
Is
everything okay with
Dad?” It was time to
ask the question. “He’s been acting a little strangely. Has the
fifth Seventine been released?”

Josian had said he would let me know. Was
that where he’d disappeared to?

Lallielle
’s eyes dulled a little,
but her smile appeared readily enough. “No, he checked out the dark
mountain just before this ceremony. At the moment we’re ahead of
them, and if you can find the next girl I think we’ll have a real
shot at beating them to the end.”

She reached
out and grasped my hands. “Don’t you worry so much, darling. Jos is
a strong, loyal man and an amazing leader. He
’ll do the right thing in the end.”

I was
opening my mouth to ask her what the hell she was talking about,
but she distracted me by taking my arm and ushering me onto the
dance floor. I froze as I realized Brace was standing there waiting
for me, forcing the other dancers to move around the mountain of a
man
standing in their center.

I heard a
shriek of laughter
. Colton and Lucy were
enthusiastically shaking what their mommas had given them, which
made me laugh. No slow-music first-dance for those two.