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She grinned at me, and I reached over and squeezed her thigh. I would’ve kissed her, but I needed to keep my eyes on the road.
“It’s my life’s mission,” I said.
“Awesome! You’re very good at your job, you know.”
I laughed. “I was just thinking that.”
She punched me playfully in the shoulder, then pretended she’d bruised her knuckles. I rolled my eyes, and she laughed.
“Let’s see how good you are at picking out curtains,” she said.
I let out a fake groan. I loved doing this with her, and she knew it.
Epilogue
Maya
Kara helped me put on the white bodice and laced it in the back. I stood straight, unmoving, looking at myself in the full-length mirror. The dress was so perfect that I was afraid to do anything in it, walking and sitting included. Mason hadn’t seen it yet. I’d told him it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding – a human tradition. Kara had supported me, though she confessed she hadn’t respected it herself on the day of her wedding.
“All done,” she said, straightening her back and looking at me. “Beautiful. Now for the veil.”
She placed a tiara on my head and attached the veil with expert fingers. My long, dark hair was gathered up in a bun for the first time in years, and I was wearing light makeup, tiny pearls in my earlobes, and a string of pearls around my neck. On my finger – a gorgeous diamond ring that caught the light in all the right ways. Mason had gifted me all of it – the jewelry and the wedding dress. For the dress, he’d given me his card and sent me shopping with Kara and the kids. I could get used to this life, was all I could say.
“Ready?”
Our eyes met in the mirror, and I nodded. Someone knocked on the door, and Kara went to open it. It was my mother.
“Your father is waiting outside,” she said. “I just wanted to see you.”
We hugged, and she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I said. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.”
It had been hard to convince my parents to come to my wedding. When I broke it out to them that I was in love with a golem, they nearly had a heart attack. In my defense, I did askthem to sit down when I video called them and did small talk before telling them about Mason and motioning for him to step in front of the camera. Their first reaction was speechlessness, then my dad reached over my mom’s shoulder and ended the call. I gave them a few minutes to recover, called them again, and I had to send Mason away so he wouldn’t have to witness my parents’ meltdown.
This was a month ago. They were feeling better about the whole thing now, and they were here. Kara had helped a lot. Seeing her so happy with Goliath and seeing their beautiful hybrid children had been eye-opening for my parents. Now they were excited for me to start my life as a married woman.
Hand in hand, we walked out of the room, where my father was waiting. We were having the ceremony and the party in our backyard. The thing with golem properties was that they were so big that they felt luxurious. I was thrilled to bond my fate to Mason’s in our own home, with our families and friends as witnesses. We’d invited all our neighbors, and their children, hybrid or not, were running around, giggling and stealing cookies. Xavier and Nira were having the time of their lives.
The officiant was an old golem woman. Mason was waiting for me next to her. Goliath was by his side, and when the guests noticed me and my father, they took their seats and fell silent. Piano music started playing, and my father led me between the two rows of chairs.
Mason couldn’t take his eyes off me, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He looked so powerful and handsome in his tailored suit. As I approached him slowly, I saw the awe in his glowing orbs. Through the cracks in his skin, I could see the Mating Fire burn brightly. He kept it subdued, so as not to freak out our human guests, and by that, I meant my parents. They were incapable of understanding how Mason’s fire worked. To be fair, I didn’t quite get it myself, but I knew he would neverburn me to a crisp, like my father insisted on warning me every few days.
Alas, things weren’t perfect, but we were making progress. In time, my parents would have to accept this relationship was right for me, and Mason was more than right for me – he was the only one.
We stopped in front of the officiant, and my father kissed me on both cheeks. He then patted Mason on the back, and Mason stepped next to me.
“You’re beautiful, Maya. You look like a queen. My queen.”
I blushed. “You’re not too bad yourself.” I wanted to tell him he was my king, but for some reason, the thought of saying that out loud made me blush even harder. Maybe it was better to leave it for the bedroom.
The ceremony started, and I could barely focus on the officiant’s words. I was so overwhelmed with emotion that my head was spinning, and I felt jitters in my stomach. I wondered if that was what Mason felt when the Mating Fire took over. When it was time to say our vows, I stumbled on my words. I had to take a deep breath and ground myself by looking into Mason’s eyes. He smiled at me and squeezed my hand, and that gave me power.
There were many things I loved about him, and that was one of them – with him, I felt powerful. Safe and cared for, and like I could do whatever I set my mind to.
He’d been right about the kindergarten needing a human teacher. I went to an interview, got the job, and I couldn’t wait to start working there next week. I was going to be Xavier’s and Nira’s teacher. They were just as stoked as I was.
My future looked great. As Mason said his vows, the understanding that this was true happiness took over, and I couldn’t stop smiling. A tear tumbled down my cheek, and Ididn’t stop it. Mason saw it, frowned, and wiped it with the tip of his finger.
“You may kiss the bride,” the officiant said.
He leaned in, I lifted myself on my tippy toes... He wrapped his arms around my waist, I clung to his neck... Our lips crashed, and I tasted his fire, breathed it in, let it consume me.
Applause and cheers exploded, but it was as if they were far away. Mason and I were in our own world, an impenetrable bubble where all that mattered was our love for each other.
We were one, and our story was just beginning.
THE END
