Chapter 36 Grayson
It broke something inside of her to be ripped away from her family. A sadness clouded over her and homesickness took on a physical trait that I could only help with by rubbing Quentin’s back as she emptied the contents of her stomach.
“You seem a million miles away,” Larkin said as she stirred her coffee.
Despite the secret history that had unfolded in Larkin’s life, she held no animosity towards me and Erik.
Instead, we had fallen into a pattern of grabbing coffee together two days in the week.
I had no idea how Erik felt, but for me, it was too little, too late.
The guilt and the shame remained so white-hot that it was difficult to start with, but I’d grown used to the feeling in her company.
“Sorry,” I grumbled.
“Something on your mind?” Erik asked.
Larkin all but rolled her eyes. “Clearly.”
I could sit in silence and let them bicker, but it wouldn’t be productive. Instead, I chose to be honest because maybe they, mainly Erik, could offer some advice.
“Quentin.” Her name spilled from my mouth before I could organise my thoughts. “She’s doing well with the council and her responsibilities.”
They both nodded but stayed silent, waiting for me to continue.
“But there’s something more going on. She’s sad. She’s sick. She misses home and she won’t discuss it much, no matter how much I hound her about it.”
“Not the most effective way of getting her to open up to you,” Larkin commented.
“Well, it’s always worked before.”
Erik pushed his mug away from him. “Gray, may I ask when you are planning to cement your commitment to her?”
“Marriage? I’m not sure yet. We haven’t discussed it. She’s been busy and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to have others question her position.”
“Very noble,” Larkin muttered, getting in a quick jab.
“I understand your reasoning, Gray, but have you thought about it from her perspective?”
“Obviously.” I shot my brother a withering look.
“No, idiot.” There was Larkin with her diplomacy. “Not thought about her, but from her perspective.” When I didn’t respond, she continued, “Quentin is missing her family. You won’t commit to her.”
“I am committed!”
“You hounded her into accepting your proposal. Twice.”
“I did not.”
“You blackmailed her on your deathbed.”
“It was nothing like—” My argument died when I saw the shit-eating grin across Larkin’s face. “You’re a pain in the ass and you’re paying for this coffee.”
Erik chuckled to himself but, once composed, jumped onto her point. “She wants stability in a time of uncertainness, Gray. She’s forging it alone.” He held up a hand to stop my protests. “She wants to marry you. Why are you making us all wait?”
My brow crumpled. “What if they all think I’m taking advantage of her?”
Larkin barked out a laugh. “When did you care what other people think? You’ve gone soft in your old age.”
“It’s not about me. I don’t want anything to affect her reign.”
“It won’t. Look at her. She’s been handling it with a lot more grace than you could have.”
I couldn’t argue with her there. Work was Quentin’s domain.
She knew how to organise things. She listened to residents, took things on board, worked towards a solution.
All of this was done while she hid her own pain and heartbreak.
And all she’d asked from me was to get married.
To know that without a shadow of a doubt that we were a family here in Elysia.
“I’m an idiot,” I grumbled, shoving my chair back. The table rattled, and coffee spilled, earning a groan from Erik and a hiss from Larkin. “Thanks for the pep talk.”
“I’m putting all this on your tab!” Larkin yelled after me as I made my way home.
When I arrived, the house was quiet, and I stalked my way through, popping my head into rooms in a bid to find Quentin. Eventually, as I stepped out onto the grounds, I found her sitting on a bench with her feet curled up underneath her.
“You look comfortable,” I said, making my way over.
“Hey!” she said, looking up from her book. “I didn’t think you’d be back so soon. Was everything okay?”
“Peachy. Quen, we need to talk.”
The colour drained from her face. “About?”
“No. It’s nothing to worry about. I… I realise that maybe I’ve not been attuned to what you need,” I explained.
She closed her book and took her feet out from under her so that we sat side by side. “I’m not sure I’m following.”
“You want to get married.”
“Yes,” she said. “That’s why I accepted your proposal.”
“No. I mean, you want to get married. Soon.”
“You said—”
“Forget what I said. Do you want to do this?”
There was a silence in which she studied me carefully. Finally, she placed her hand across my forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
I swatted her away affectionately. “I am fine. Answer me, golden girl. Should we set a date?”
“Please don’t joke about this.”
I took her face in my hands. “No jokes, Quen. Let’s do it.”
Have you ever felt a day that dragged on? As a God, living for an eternity, you never really felt that, but today was the longest day of my existence.
“We should head down to the pool.”
Erik’s words were like music to my ears because it meant Quentin was finally ready. It had taken long enough. The only thing that woman was ever punctual for was for work. Everything else she took her time with, and why would our wedding be an exception?
Following Erik, we walked to the pool. Chairs had been set up along the bank and bright floral arrangements took up any space that was available. Lanterns lined the aisle, giving light to the area as the sun began to set.
“You really went all out,” I muttered to Erik, feeling a swell of love and appreciation for my little brother.
“I did it for Quentin,” he replied with a smug smile. “She has an image to uphold now. Already damaging it marrying you…”
I gave him a shove and Erik laughed as he almost fell into the pool, face lighting up with joy.
We walked down to the archway that Erik had set up, draped in silk and flowers.
As I looked back out to see the seats slowly filling with our guests.
Gods and Goddesses and a few choice mortals that were granted access for the day.
There was no doubt in my mind that Quentin would have delayed our marriage if she thought that her family and friends couldn’t be here for her.
I spied my parents taking their place. They offered me a small smile, which I returned. Since things with Hunter, they had kept to themselves, although Larkin had visited them on multiple occasions at their request. I was grateful they chose to be here today.
Taking in a deep breath, I straightened out my cuffs and ran my fingers down the gold embroidery. Black and gold. It was the colour scheme of my life these days. All that darkness had finally found its light.
My aura flared out around me, darkening the space around us. My head snapped up, and I smiled at my brother. “She’s here.”
“Breathe, Gray,” Erik reminded me with a laugh.
“Sorry.”
A surge of nerves hit me. I’d never entertained the idea of getting married, but everything to do with Quentin had become something unexpected. Asking her to be my wife felt like the most natural thing in the world. Where else would she be but by my side?
A string quartet started, notes drifting away through the air, and I heard the shift of everyone rising to their feet. It was only when I saw Erik’s eyebrows almost disappear into his hairline that I felt another surge of nerves.
“She looks beautiful, Grayson,” he told me.
I couldn’t wait any longer. Turning around, I glanced down the aisle and, for the first time in my life, I lost my breath.
Quentin stood at the other end of the aisle, arm looped through Cass’s as she looked down and fiddled with the dress—a beautiful white gown that hugged her figure and trailed behind her. And decorating the white, were intricately embroidered black details.
As she looked up, we locked eyes and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. My aura grew larger around me, enveloping everything nearby in darkness, but it didn’t last as Quen’s aura balanced it out.
Cass carefully gave Quentin’s hand over to me and I took it, bringing it up to my lips.
“Quentin,” I said, mouth dry. “I have no words.”
She flushed pink and squeezed my hand before directing her attention toward Erik, who was beaming at us.
“We are gathered here today to witness the union of Grayson and Quentin.”
Erik started the ceremony, but I could only pay attention to the woman opposite me.
Now and then, she caught my eye, and I watched the smile tug at the corners of her mouth.
I couldn’t help myself. I knew I should stand and listen to every word Erik said, but it wasn’t enough.
My aura slowly crept up around her waist and pulled her towards me.
“Gray,” Quentin whispered.
“What?” I asked innocently.
Erik looked less than impressed. “Grayson.”
“Do you have a problem with this, Quen? As leader of Elysia?”
I quite enjoyed the fact that I could use that card when I liked. I’d take all the perks I could. A healthy abuse of power.
“Quentin,” Erik pleaded.
She looked up at me as I pulled her tighter and the colour spread across her cheeks.
“I don’t have a problem, Erik,” she told him.
“I… The two of you will be the death of me,” he grumbled, earning a few laughs from the congregation.
“Well,” Erik huffed. “I invite you both now to say a few words. Gray, if you’d like to start. And maybe turn so everyone—”
No. Not happening. Instead, I let my aura wrap around us, blocking out the rest of the guests. It was only the soft glow from Quentin that stopped us from being in complete darkness.
“Gray,” she said. “What are you doing now?”
I kissed the side of her neck gently. “I want to tell you my few words.”
“But you’re meant to let everyone else hear.”
“Why? It’s not for them.”
She raised her brows but nodded slowly, understanding my reasoning.
“Do you know I never believed in luck?” I asked her. “Not until I met you. That day I locked eyes with you when we arrived at the institute, I knew I needed to know you. And I thought I had the worst luck in the world when I got to know you at first.”
Quentin laughed. “Charming.”
“And now, I think I am the luckiest being alive to have found you. It took me five hundred and thirty years, but it was worth the wait. And I would do it all again, every single second of it, if it meant that I could have you by my side. Every single thing we have been through has only made me love you even more.”
I cupped her face with my right hand, and she leaned into the touch. Quentin was a warrior who needed the right environment to soften. What a blessing to be that for her.
“You saved me in more ways than one. You’ve shown me love in the best ways possible. Thank you for everything you’ve done and everything I know you’ll continue to do. I love you, Quentin. I hope I give you even a fraction of the happiness that you bring into my life.”
She placed a hand over mine, and the other went to my chest, above my heart.
“I never expected to find you,” she said, voice breaking immediately.
She laughed and tried to blink away her tears.
“I never expected to find you,” she started again.
“I think part of me had given up on the idea of loving someone because loving someone, anyone, meant being vulnerable, and I hated the thought of being vulnerable, but you… Gray, you made me realise there’s no shame in being vulnerable if it’s with the right person. ”
The fear she held had been there at every step of our relationship, and I didn’t blame her. Quentin had lost so many people in her life. The fact she stood here with me today proved how strong she was.
“There will never be a point where I regret meeting you or anything that’s happened between us. You are my bad influence. You bring out the worst in me.”
I let out a bark of laughter. “As if you needed my help.”
“I was nowhere near as bad until I met you.”
“Whatever you say, love.”
“Thank you for supporting me so unconditionally through everything. Thank you for loving me so fiercely, and I hope those things continue for the rest of eternity. I hope that I am able to be enough for you.”
“Always,” I told her firmly.
My aura faded away from around us to reveal Erik, arms folded and looking murderous. I smiled at my brother.
“Do you two just want to run this ceremony?” he asked.
Quentin reached out and squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry, Erik.”
“Forget it,” he said with a sigh. He shot her a small smile. “I take it you exchanged your words?”
Quentin looked back at me with a smile that made my heart thump, and she nodded. We looked back at Erik, who glowed red with his aura.
“That leaves me to ask you both some important questions.”
About time he got to the point.
“Do you both promise to nurture the bond that has brought you together? Do you promise to support each other in every venture you may undertake? Do you promise yourselves to each other for the rest of eternity?”
“I do,” I said, beating her to the punch.
“I do,” Quentin repeated.
Erik’s aura flared out around him in a flash. The space was veiled in red, making everything hazy.
“Please exchange your rings,” he said, voice catching on the words.
He waited patiently as we took our bands and slid them onto each other’s ring fingers.
“As God of love, I give this union my blessing. May you live the rest of eternity in happiness and surrounded by love as deep as you feel today.” Erik’s eyes glowed red as everyone joined in the blessing and gave us their well wishes. “Go ahead and… Yeah, I knew he wasn’t going to wait.”
I brought my mouth down hungrily on my wife’s. Her arms wrapped around my neck, body pressed flush against mine. The sound of cheers and whistles filled the air around us.
“You are my wife,” I told her, breaking apart.
“And you are my husband,” she breathed. “Finally.”
“Ladies and gentlemen. Gods, Goddesses, and mortals, it is my honour to present to you for the first time as husband and wife, Grayson and Quentin, Lord and Lady of chaos.”