Eva
Cascading arrangements of roses, wisteria, and lavender spilled from towering golden vases by the doorway.
Garlands of greenery and bright colored blooms hung from the ceiling of the great hall, transforming it into a fairytale forest as the crowd sat in wait.
It barely looked like the same room as candelabras cast the hallway in a warm, romantic glow, and faerie lights scattered amongst the greenery like fallen stars.
White, I had been relieved to learn, was a mortal tradition.
My dress was gold. Enormous gold lace roses covered every inch of the full skirt, each hand sewn and utterly unique.
The dropped-waist bodice was sleeveless, a sweetheart neckline showing off the silver star amulet around my neck.
My chestnut curls cascaded down my back, gold strands intermingled throughout.
The actual ceremony would be quick—after all, Bash and I had said the same two sentence blessing we would repeat today the night we had accepted that bond.
You are my beloved.
And I am yours.
My brother looked more like himself than ever as he stepped up beside me, ready to walk me down the aisle at last. The glow of his magic lit his eyes as he watched Quinn from where she chatted animatedly with Pari and Rivan across the room.
Phantom’s tail wagged happily as Marin fed him treats, Yael scratching behind his ears.
The music swelled. This would all begin soon.
I couldn’t help but smile at the way he looked at her. “I take it you’re next?”
My words still felt a bit stilted, like my mind took a beat too long to find the one I wanted. But today, I barely noticed.
Tobias frowned uncertainly. “For what?”
“A bonding ceremony.”
His eyes darted back to Quinn, a strange expression crossing his face. “I…well, it’s your day.”
“Toby,” I said imploringly. “If it’s my day, then I should get what I want, no?”
Shushing me, he looked again at Quinn to make sure she was occupied as he led me behind a nearby veil of flowers. The blooms acted like drapery, so dense they hid us nearly completely from view.
My brother looked uncharacteristically nervous as he reached into his pocket. “Can you keep a secret?”
Tobias took out a ring. I sucked in a sharp breath at how lovely it was—how perfect it was for her. The pale-yellow diamond looked like an exact match for Quinn’s sunflower amulet, the classic emerald shape set on an intricate golden band.
“I had a jeweler here reset one of my mom’s rings once I found the right diamond,” Tobias whispered.
“I picked it up this morning. Quinn and I already said the only vows that matter…But I was thinking of taking her to a field outside Soleara once we’re home.
Just us, a few friends, and my completely unimportant twin sister, now that they’re in bloom. ”
“Now that what’s in bloom…?” I started, then realized I already knew the answer.
“Sunflowers,” we said in unison. Tobias let out a beleaguered sigh at the twinness though I saw his smile. Then footsteps sounded around the corner. He hastily shoved the ring back into his inner pocket.
Bash poked his head around the drapery. “Is everything okay, hellion?”
I could feel his awe as he saw me—the first time seeing me in my dress—across our bond. The love and wonder and blatant lust streaming across it nearly bowled me over.
“You look…” It was rare to see him so speechless. “You look too lovely to be real.”
It was nice to see him looking at me without the hint of worry crinkling his eyes that had been present ever since I recovered. He woke up from nightmares more often than me these days, reliving the moments when I had almost slipped away.
I winked at him. “What happened to waiting for me at the end of the aisle?”
Bash shrugged. “The realm gets everything else. I thought I’d take one moment just for the two of us.”
Tobias placed a hand on Bash’s shoulder, giving it a familiar squeeze. “I’ll give you two a moment then.” He glanced back at me with an easy smile—one that had become wonderfully familiar. “Let me know when you’re ready, sis.”
He walked away, beelining straight to Quinn and wrapping his arms around her from behind.
Her face glowed as she smiled up at him.
I quickly looked away as he placed a kiss on her bare shoulder.
While I was happy for them both, I never wanted to know the details my best friend normally shared with me.
Considering the hickey placement I noticed when Quinn adjusted her dress, I knew far too much already.
Bash took my hands, pulling me closer. His lips met mine in a chaste kiss that I quickly deepened into more.
“Tell me something true,” Bash whispered against my lips.
There were tears clouding my vision as I looked at Bash. His smile dropped as he immediately held me closer.
“I can’t believe this is real,” I said, my voice wavering. “That we’re here together, after everything. That you’re mine forever.”
“I told you I’d collect.” There were tears in Bash’s eyes too, that swirling storm of green and blue glistening like the sea. “Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together.”
There was so much left to do, especially when it came to bringing change to a realm whose concept of power and who deserved it were firmly entrenched in hierarchy and tradition.
But real, consequential change had never come without persistence.
It was up to me to challenge the systems that benefited from keeping things the same—to build a better world with my friends and family by my side.
“I’m hoping the only thing next, for today at least, is finally getting to kiss you at the end of the aisle.”
Bash smiled as he led me forward to where our family waited.
“I think we can manage that.” A tendril of shadow looped around our fingers, binding them together until they were entwined as tightly as our souls.
“I have to admit, as much as this feels like a spectacle, I’m looking forward to showing the realm how lucky I am that you walked into my life. ”
“More like fate and ill-intentions sent you to kidnap me.”
Bash smirked. “Semantics.”
My smile widened. “Did you ever think this would happen the day you found me on the other side of the mirror?”
Bash shook his head, the expression of his face almost rueful. “Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined how entirely I was about to fall for you.”
My darkness swirled around us, hiding us from view for one more minute before the ceremony began. The voices around us muted as Bash’s shadows joined them—their streaks of gray like a storm forming against the deepest night.
Then I kissed him, knowing he could feel the way my heart beat for him, just as his did for me.
“Until the stars fade from the sky,” Bash breathed. His thumb brushed against my cheek, his gaze drinking me in like he could be content to stay in this moment for eternity.
My joy unfurled like a rosebud finally opening wide—the feeling rebounding right back to me.
“And forever after that.”
Thank you for reading!