Everything about it was flowing, free, and beautiful.I never could have envisioned such a dress for myself, but somehow Scarlet had taken the spirit of the forest and turned it into a masterpiece that was intrinsicallyme.
“It’s perfect,” I breathed.
Scarlet scrunched her mouth up as she studied me with a critical eye.She went to fix one of the dangling leaf patterns, but her mother grasped her hand again.
“You heard her; it’s perfect,” Ruby said.
“You both did such an amazing,beautifuljob,” I whispered.“I can’t ever thank you enough.”
“No crying,” Ruby instructed as she wiped away the tear sliding down my cheek.“You can’t get married if your skin’s all blotchy.”
“No, you can’t,” Scarlet agreed.“I won’t have you ruining the aesthetics of this dress with red skin.”
I blinked away the tears as love and appreciation filled me.“I couldn’t do this without either of you.”
“Of course you couldn’t.You were going to get married inpants.”Scarlet shuddered.“The horror.”
I laughed as I blinked away the last of my tears.While I longed for my mother to be here, I was blessed to have them with me today.
A pang tugged at me as memories of my mother and father danced through my head.They weren’t ghosts, but I liked to think they were together and watching over me today.
Scarlet grasped my hands and squeezed them as she smiled at me.“Do you really like it?”
“Iloveit.It’s amazing.”
“It is,” Ruby agreed.
“Good.Now, it’s time to get you married,” Scarlet said.
I grinned as I threw my arms around them.
CHAPTERNINETY
Ellery
Someone had gathereda bunch of colorful leaves and spread them across the forest floor to create an aisle leading to the riverbank.Between the splash of fire covering the ground and the blaze burning in the trees, the forest was alight with the shifting colors of the leaves.
In a black jacket and matching pants, Ryker stood at the head of the aisle.To his right was Tucker.
Tucker grinned when he saw me, but Ryker stared, his mouth slightly ajar and emotion filling his eyes.Awed and dumbfounded, he didn’t breathe as he gazed at me.
Then his lips curved into a smile that lit up his entire face and eyes.His hand went to his heart, and I swore tears shimmered in his eyes before he blinked them away.
Ruby and Scarlet left me at the head of the aisle to stride to the end.They went to the left and took up their positions while they waited for me.
Standing at the head of the aisle, I didn’t feel alone as numerous poltergeists and the over five hundred amsirah from the camp lined the aisle and spread into the trees.Our numbers had swelled, but we still didn’t have enough to take on the duke and his armies.
However, we were growing, and Val had reported that support for us was getting stronger throughout the sea villages.The duke had more control over some now that he’d taken their children, but he’d also created bigger enemies in those amsirah.
They might be scared that fighting would result in the deaths of those they loved most, but they were alsofurioushe’d robbed them of their children.I didn’t know what many of them would do when the time came to fight, but until then, we would work on growing our numbers and training.
We’d prepared for anything… or tried to, but something could go wrong.
That was tomorrow’s problem; today was about me, Ryker, and love.It was about family.
My family was gone, and I was about to start a new one.
I swore I felt my parents on either side of me, beaming with pride and radiating love.Their presence, whether imaginary or not, brought me a sense of comfort I hadn’t expected to experience while standing here alone.
