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“Sorry.” She laughed nervously. “Not every day I get to help give my niece away. It’s a lot more nerve wracking than I’d ever imagined.”
The faint hint of music made its way through the thick oak doors to Jezzie’s ears and stomach flipped, her hands trembled and her cheeks almost hurt from how large her smile became.
“Are you ready, my dear?” her father asked as he held out his arm to her. Her aunt stepped up to her other side and did the same. Tana took her position in front as the doors slowly opened to reveal a sea of onlookers.
“Let’s do this.” She watched Tana walk down the aisle before her, mentally begging her cousin to hurry the fuck up.
Caine froze. For a split second the woman who walked beside Jezzie appeared as someone else, before her features morphed and shifted into something else. She was beautiful either way, but the image he saw first was like a dagger to heart and searing pain blazed its way through his mind so fiercely he had to look away.
He caught sight of Deus and saw desire and intrigue stamped on his face as he also watched her. Irrational jealousy and rage set fire to his veins and flooded through him. Not again. No, please, not again. Memories triggered from deep in his subconscious. He’d buried them as best he could, though they tormented him and plagued him still. The onslaught almost brought him to his knees. Pain, but not his. Terror, but not his. The choices of his past pointed fingers of blame. Blood filled his vision and his body shook from the inside out.
He hadn’t realized he’d taken a step until Roth placed a hand on his shoulder and Deus stepped in front of him.
“Breathe, Brother. When was the last time you worked out your demons?” Deus looked him in the eyes, concern mixed with caution.
Caine understood why. His demons had the ability to incapacitate him, and they all feared one day he’d never come back. The idea of it wasn’t something which particularly scared Caine. Fuck! The peace would be nice, right? What he did fear was letting his brothers and sisters down. Failing them would be as if he’d failed her all over again, as if he’d failed his brother again, and he’d failed them both so many times already.
He looked over Deus’s shoulder as the trio reached the altar. Athon and Roth were very lucky males. Jezzie looked radiant as she smiled at them, love filled the air and he felt so very alone. The mysterious woman raised her brows at him, a quirk to her lips. When she looked at Deus, scorn flashed bright in her eyes. Damn, what had Deus done this time? Deus squeezed his arm as he chuckled softly and returned to his seat. Caine shook off the feelings which plagued him. This was a time for joy and celebration, he could have a mental breakdown later, when no one was around.
“I hereby pronounce you, with the blessing of the Almighty themself, husbands and wife. You may all kiss . . . well, each other, I guess,” Leraie loudly declared as cheers filled the room and echoed off the high ceiling.
Jezzie’s heart rate skyrocketed as she kissed each of her husbands and by the time they pulled apart her face was flushed and her breathing unsteady. Her whole being felt full and complete and tears of happiness filled her eyes. Nithe wrapped his arms around her and Roth and Athon smooshed up close.
Do we walk out now? she asked only them.
Not yet, mi amor. Athon smiled at her, his eyes alight.
Her father’s loud whistle rang through the rafters, catching everyone off guard. He raised and lowered his hands in a gesture for people to once again take their seats, and they did.
“I have an announcement to make. An important one, not just for myself, but for what it means for the angel species as a whole.” Her father’s tone was confusing, she felt his joy and his nervousness, but he sounded so serious at the same time. “As you are aware, Jezebeth and Nitierien are Azaroth and Leviathon’s fated mates. What only a select few already knew until now is that Jezebeth is my biological daughter.” The masses gasped and all seemed to stop breathing at once. “What does this mean, you might ask? Especially since angels can already have children with other angels and humans? Well, see, both of their mothers are neither angels, nor human. Those rules too seem to be changing.”
The room exploded with conversations, whispered words and shouted questions. Jezzie watched Marcos and Fynn slip out into the hallway as shadowed figures swirled around every exit.
“Enough!” bellowed her father. “You can discuss this later. Any questions can be asked another day. This day we celebrate this joyous union and all it represents. For Hell’s sake, it’s not every day one witnesses the Devil’s daughter get married. Let’s celebrate!!”
A flash of light momentarily blinded Jezzie. A powerful feminine voice commanded her attention even before she caught sight of the goddess standing beside her father. And she was nothing short of a goddess, both in power and in beauty. She held such a raw brutality about her, her face lit with frustration and anger as it was. But there was a softness there too, like a mother with her children as she brushed their hair and loved them.
“Not yet you don’t,” the goddess boomed, halting any who would dare take her father’s cue to leave. “My son, come.” She held out her hand, palm up to Nithe and beckoned him closer.
Jezzie watched, curious, but not worried. A sense of rightness and peace wafted from the female, despite the anger she sensed in her.
“I cannot believe they kept me from you, my boy. You are born of my land, my rivers run through your veins and the soul of one of my dragons beats in time with your heart. By rights, you are mine to protect, mine to bless, and I have failed you. I promise, had I known what they did to you I would have halted it in an instant. Trust me when I say I will be having words with those fickle bitches of fate and the Almighty who still supports them.”
Nithe’s face reflected his awe and shock at the one who spoke so passionately about him. Was this his mother? Jezzie pondered, but quickly discarded the notion. She’d seen the image of his mother in his memories and this beauty before them was not her. Who then? Though it was quickly answered as she held aloft a masterpiece of forged steel and leather hilted lethality and placed it in Nithe’s outstretched palms.
“It is with long overdue pride and honor that I, Tiamat, Goddess of Dragons, Watcher of the Realm, and Bearer of Blessings, bestow upon you, Nitierien Kenacdrath, blooded kin to the rightful king of Thisavros, Thaddeus Drakenos, your dragon sword. Forged in the blessed waters, deep beneath the mountain by my hand. May it keep you and your loved ones safe and mete out the justice you are bound to seek. Congratulations, my son. Both on your vows here today and for your coming of age here today. The latter was long overdue. Now, I’m off to give the ones responsible an earful. They will regret it.” With that she nodded to Lucifer and disappeared in the same manner in which she’d arrived.
“Um, so, I guess we can now celebrate?” It was somewhere between a question and a command, but as Nithe turned and grinned a cacophony of cheers filled the hall.
Jezzie and the guys threw their arms around Nithe, careful of the sword he placed at his side as food filled tables and drinks flowed. Music played and angels danced. Her aunt, she noticed, avoided both Deus and Caine, but not the others. Deus she could understand. Caine had her raise an eyebrow. Soon she was too immersed in her males to worry about who her aunt interacted with as the party whirled around her.
Holy fuck! He was not expecting that. Shock rippled through the crowd around him, and he took the moment to let his shadows slip out and swirl around the exits. Leaving the dining hall was easy. He’d gotten used to slinking around. It was imperative he not get caught as he doubted Lucifer would be very lenient in his punishment for his betrayal. He knew it was risky, but this was news Gabriel needed to know, and he needed to know it from him. How he hadn’t known before now was a question which burned in his belly. He’d have to find out why Sthenno hadn’t told him later.
He made the call. Expletives filled his ears that made even him blush. Damn, Gabe was pissed. As he hit the end call button he didn’t see the two shadows converging on him until it was too late. His muffled screams turned to whimpers, and then to silence as they swept him away and down to the buried depths of the dungeons.
They danced, they ate, they kissed, and they enjoyed the spectacle that was an angel hosted wedding reception. Halfway through the guys ushered Jezzie sneakily out of the room and up to the meeting room. They entered to a loud chorus of, “Surprise!” Tears flowed as she saw her father, Aunt, Tana, Thad, Leraie, Ramiel, and the Devil’s 13 packed into the otherwise bare room. How they’d gotten the big assed table out she had no idea but it had to be some kind of magic.
Leraie winked at her. “Clever girl.”
