She walks toward me, looking like a dream I wish to never wake from.
Her fingers clutch a collection of twining stems. Above, poppies’ red petals bleed into pink roses while the deep blue of dainty forget-me-nots weaves between.
I stand beside the willow’s mighty trunk, beside my brother and sister. I’m swallowed in the swaying branches, lost in a tangle of slender leaves.
It is only me, and the ghost of those I love, awaiting Paedyn beneath the willow. She, too, steps into our future alone, but not entirely.
Her slippers pad slowly across the stretch of soft grass. Adena hugs her tightly atop the plain dress she wears; the memory of a father encircles the thumb wrapped around her bouquet.
Time slows long enough to let me bask in a moment I’ve only ever dreamt of.
She is my dream.
She is my piece of paradise.
She is my inevitable.
My composure begins to crumble with every step she takes toward me. Tears well in my eyes, but I smile for her. Always for her.
Thunder rumbles beyond the willow’s embrace, but Paedyn’s gaze never leaves mine. Happily, I drown in it.
A bead of water splatters Paedyn’s nose. She laughs. Rain drips from the canopy of leaves to sprinkle us in the brewing storm. Damp hair curls atop my forehead. Jax lifts his palms toward the crying sky. Ellie stares lovingly at her queen. Gail’s tears mingle with the rain while Andy rests her head on the cook’s shoulder. Lenny winks at the drenched bride who passes.
This is no grand wedding. We wear no crowns or jewels. This is the gathering of loved ones, and the spirits of those left behind. This is a union of souls that ache to be stitched together.
Lightning cracks through the sky behind Paedyn. Her steps do not falter.
When she stops before me, I nearly fall to my knees.
I am forever awed by the mere presence of her.
She passes her bouquet to Ellie. I grab her hands, willing to let her lead me wherever she pleases.
There is no rambling Scholar, no lengthy vows exchanged.
It is simply us, standing before fate and defying the odds.
Pae’s commitment to me lacks any hesitancy. “I do.”
My heart stutters. It is broken and healing and missing Kitt beside me. But it is full.
She is what my scarred heart beats for.
I tilt her face toward mine before clutching it in my trembling hands. “I do.” My voice is heavy with emotion. “In every lifetime, I do.”
Her lips find mine, sealing the promise between us.
Thunder claps alongside our family.
I breathe in my bride. She tastes like my forever.
We walk from beneath the willow’s canopy, hand in hand.
King and queen.
Shadow and Flame.
Poet and muse.
Tears fill the eyes of those around us, accompanied by clapping and followed with laughter. The small group parades behind, wet branches grasping at our clothing as we push through the leaves. Lightning is quick to greet us. We step into the clearing beyond, damp grass beneath our feet and a raging storm above.
“I have something for you,” I murmur against Pae’s ear.
She smiles up at me. “Oh?”
Jax hands me the dripping crown with a beaming grin. I hold the twining circlet of roses between us, watching Paedyn’s gaze widen. Then I’m placing that delicate crown onto her damp hair.
She gapes at me in shock. “You finally did it. You made a flower crown.”
“I just needed more practice.”
Water drips from her lashes with every astonished blink. “All that hard work for me?”
“For my Queen,” I correct with a soft kiss to her lips.
And then we dance.
Paedyn is spinning in my arms, laughing in the spitting rain. The hem of her dress is muddy, but she can’t seem to take her eyes off me long enough to notice. I push wet hair from her face, straighten her crown of roses, hold the hand that now wears my brother’s ring. We cling to each other while shadowed figures dance around us. Laughter envelops our swaying forms, warming us despite the chilled rain.
I hold Paedyn against me.
My wife.
My eye in the storm.
She slips a hand into one of the many pockets of her vest before shouting through the rumbling thunder. “You’re not the only one who brought a gift.”
I track the movement, blinking in the rain as she pulls a stem of forget-me-nots from the soaked fabric. Paedyn Azer’s smile is dangerous as she reaches up to tuck the flowers behind my ear.
“So you don’t forget who I am,” she whispers against my lips.
“And what am I?” I trace my thumb along her bottom lip. “A fool. A cocky bastard?”
Her voice is steady. “You are mine, Malakai.”
Water drips from my lashes, some from her nose. “I always have been,” I murmur. “Until… whatever the hell.”
The laugh that spills from her soft lips has my breath catching. She tips her head back to smile at the storming sky, unburdened by the mention of Adena. “Until whatever the hell,” she echoes, letting that piercing gaze fall back to me.
Beads of water trail down her bared neck as I greedily take in the curve of her mouth. Like a reflex, reverence softens my gaze, coats my voice. “There is that smile I have been waiting to memorize.”
Paedyn blinks up at me in the rain, grin widening. She twines slick arms around my neck before her cold nose is brushing mine. “And you have all the time in the world to admire it.”
