Title Page 27

  Gabriel was watching Kiera, trying to judge her reaction to his family. He knew they were a lot to take in, but he hoped that she would feel comfortable around them. She had a myriad of emotions running across her face. Mostly, she just seemed uncertain. It was going to take a while to undo everything the Memphis wolves had done to her. He knew there was a spunky confident woman dying to get out, he just had to figure out how to release her.

  He looked around at his family. “Well, since Michael felt guilty enough to cook, we might as well eat.”

  Everyone sat down at the table and ate. They all had a few questions for Kiera. The wolves mostly wanted to know about the town she lived in. The better informed they were, the smoother things would go when they cleaned out Kiera’s place. The dynamics of the wolf pack in Memphis were vastly different than that of the Atlanta group. They were going to have to tread carefully tomorrow.

  Once everyone was finished with their meal, they put their dishes in the sink. Michael offered to take care of the clean-up so that Gabriel and Kiera wouldn’t be late for their appointment. He even loaned them his car again.

  The trip to the courthouse didn’t take as long as Kiera had expected it would. Apparently, Matt had taken care of everything but their personal information. The forms were waiting for them when they arrived. Within minutes, they were leaving with their license in hand. Next stop was the florist.

  The woman in the floral shop was thrilled to see them. She had known Gabriel’s family and had been friends with his mother. If she was shocked over the expediency of the wedding, she didn’t show it. Both Kiera and Gabriel were stumped when she asked where the wedding would take place. Of all the things for them to forget, that was the worst.

  Kiera touched Gabriel’s arm, “What about having it at your house? I saw a gazebo in the backyard that would be a nice place to say our vows.”

  He smiled at her. “I’d like that.”

  Looking at the florist he asked, “Think you could put different types of roses around the gazebo? Maybe we can put a carpet running from the house to the gazebo and the flower girl could drop rose petals.”

  “But Gabriel, we don’t have a flower girl,” Kiera said.

  He winked at her. “Sure we do. Cassie has an adorable little girl who would fit the bill perfectly.”

  Kiera laughed. “Then I guess we do have one.” She looked at the florist. “I love the idea of roses, but do you think it would be possible to add some jasmine to the mix?”

  The florist smiled at them. “Just leave it all to me.”

  ***

  Several hours later, they had flowers and food taken care of. Gabriel had dropped Kiera off at the bridal shop while he went to the hardware store. He was able to purchase a replacement door for the shop and have it delivered. He knew he should check on some stairs for the bed, but truth be told he rather enjoyed having to help Kiera get in and out of bed. He loved the feel of her in his arms. After making his purchase, Gabriel went to the bridal shop to pick up Kiera.

  Kiera’s dress was tucked securely in the trunk of the Vette and they were heading home. They had about two hours before the wedding was to take place. Hopefully, that would give Kiera enough time to get ready.

  Gabriel had made a few phone calls throughout the day. He had contacted the Memphis pack and secured their permission to be in their territory. He had also found out that Kiera had one friend in the whole town; a woman who could shift into an ocelot. He had immediately contacted Matt to make sure Kiera’s friend would be at the wedding; he wanted it to be a surprise for her. Gabriel had also invited all of their friends from the area, along with Cassie’s family. The wedding would still be small, but hopefully it would be memorable for Kiera. He just wished that she had family who could be there for her. It was a special day and it was sad that her mother and father couldn’t be present.

  When they got home, Cassie and Marin were waiting for them. They immediately rushed Kiera up to one of the second floor bedrooms. She was pampered and primped for over an hour. When she put on her wedding dress, both women told her how radiant she looked. It was a sleeveless white satin gown with a flared skirt that went down to her ankles. She opted not to have a train since the wedding was to take place outside. She had chosen something simple, not wanting a lot of seed pearls or sequins, it was understated yet elegant.

  Once Marin had made certain the men were already at the gazebo waiting on the bride, the trio headed downstairs. The sun had finished setting and every star in the sky shone brightly. Outside, they had hung blush, white and lavender colored paper lanterns around the yard. There was a gray carpet running from the back steps to the gazebo. The florist had not only wrapped flowers around the gazebo railing, but she had also added potted jasmine around the yard. The reception tables each had a vase of irises in the center.

  Before the women could open the door, there was a brilliant flash of light behind them. They turned as one to behold a stunning woman with long ebony hair and violet eyes. However, her most startling feature was her wings. Yes, wings! She had large wings that looked almost like stained glass and she wore a dark purple gown. The woman stepped toward them and held her arms out to Kiera.

  “Daughter, you look lovely tonight.”

  Kiera stared at the woman with large eyes. Looking at her, there was no doubt they were related, but her mother? Could it really be? Her father had told her there was something special about her mother, but she had thought he was just saying that because of how much he had loved her. She knew her mother hadn’t been a shapeshifter, but her father had never mentioned anything about her being a fairy; he’d also neglected to mention the fact that she was still alive.

  “Mother?”

  The woman smiled. “Yes, dear heart. I am your mother.”

  Kiera hesitantly stepped into her mother’s embrace. She hugged her mother tight and breathed in her floral fragrance. She smelled of lavender and jasmine, two of Kiera’s favorite scents. Having never hugged her mother before, she didn’t want to let go.

  Taking a step back, Kiera looked into her mother’s eyes. “Why are you here? Why did you leave after I was born? And why didn’t father say anything about you being a fairy?”

  Her mother laughed. “One at a time my dear! I’m here to see you on your wedding day. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you found your life mate.”

  Kiera smiled at her. “I’m happy mother. I truly am.” Her brow puckered. “But there’s a vampire on his way here. He can’t find you here!”

  “I know. I’m the reason he was chasing you to begin with. If not for me, your blood would be pure werefox, but instead you’re only half werefox and half fairy.”

  Kiera shook her head. She wasn’t sure what to say to all of this. There was a knock on the door behind them and Marin turned to answer it. Michael was on the other side.

  “I think Gabriel is starting to get a little worried that his bride has changed her mind. The bloodsucker is outside, too.”

  Marin glanced over her shoulder. “Kiera sort of had a surprise visitor, but I think she’s about to leave. We’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  Michael gave her a questioning look and moved her aside. Nothing could have prepared him for the shock of seeing a fairy standing in their home.

  “Is she what I think she is?” Michael asked in a near whisper.

  Marin grinned at him. “That depends. Do you think she’s a fairy or Kiera’s mother?”

  Michael’s eyes grew huge. “Kiera’s mother is a fairy? Does Gabriel know about this?”

  Kiera turned to Michael. “Please don’t say anything right now Michael. The vampire doesn’t know my mother is here. It would be deadly for her if he did. And no, Gabriel doesn’t know I’m half fairy. Until a few minutes ago, I didn’t even know I was half fairy!”

  Michael nodded and closed the door. He went to give his brother, the antsy groom, the news that his bride was ready to marry him but just needed another minute. The tension visibly left Gabriel’s should
ers after being reassured that Kiera hadn’t changed her mind.

  Back in the house, Kiera and her mother said their goodbyes to one another.

  “When will I see you again, Mother?”

  “I’m not sure. This was the first time I was allowed to visit the mortal realm since having you. My punishment for falling in love with your father was to not set foot in the human world again for at least a hundred years. I was able to talk your grandfather into a short visit for your special day.”

  It was all a bit much for Kiera to take in. Her mother kissed her and in a flash of light vanished. Marin and Cassie both had stunned expressions on their faces. Kiera was fairly certain she had a deer in the headlights expression herself. It wasn’t everyday you discovered the mother you had thought was dead was really a fairy; a fairy who had been banished from the human world. Only in her life could weird things like this happen on a regular basis. First a vampire and now fairies… was Bigfoot going to show up next?

  Clearing her throat Kiera told Marin, “Well, I guess I should get outside to my groom.”

  The women lined up at the door, with Cassie and Marin in front. Cassie’s daughter had been unable to be a flower girl because she had woken up with chicken pox that morning. All in all, everything else was

  perfect. The florist had done a terrific job; the caterer had created a fabulous buffet out in the yard complete with round tables and chairs; and her best friend had been flown in that morning. And did she mention that her groom was the most perfect man on the planet? Weirdness aside, it was a perfect evening.

  As Cassie and Marin started down the back stairs to the yard, a quartet started playing the wedding march. Cassie and Matt had truly thought of every little detail. Their thoughtfulness touched Kiera. She made her way to Gabriel’s side. When she was finally by his side, she gave him a watery smile. She was fighting tears of happiness, but she could tell by Gabriel’s expression that he thought she was upset. Grabbing his hand, she squeezed his fingers in reassurance.

  The minister started the service. Everything passed in a bit of a blur. Kiera was happy to be joining her life to Gabriel’s, but the vampire in the crowd made her a little nervous. Just because he had said he would leave her alone if she married the alpha, didn’t mean that he would keep his word. She wasn’t sure how honorable vampires were. Anyone who lived off the death of others probably shouldn’t be trusted.

  At the end of the service, the minister declared them husband and wife.

  “You may kiss the bride,” he told Gabriel with a smile.

  Gabriel bent his head to Kiera’s and kissed her softly on the lips. “You look beautiful tonight.”

  She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

  As they turned to face their guests, the minister said, “I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel Andrews.”

  Half way down the aisle, the vampire walked over to them. He nodded his head to each of them. “You have both kept your word and so shall I keep mine. But know this, I will be watching. If you should separate or divorce for any reason, I will come back to claim her.”

  Gabriel tightened his grip on his new bride. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll never leave her side.”

  “And I’ll never leave his,” Kiera told the vampire, meeting his gaze boldly.

  The vampire quirked his lips in what might have been a smile. The fangs made it look more threatening than amusing. He didn’t plan on keeping his word, but let them think they had won. When their guard was down, he would strike. Not only would her blood make him invincible, but he would be taking the mate of an alpha wolf. Oh the possibilities! Things were getting better and better.

  With another nod to each of them, the vampire turned and disappeared. Kiera wasn’t sure whether he was able to vanish into thin air or if he just moved so fast that it appeared he could do so.

  Kiera relaxed into Gabriel. “I’m so glad he’s gone.”

  “Me, too. I was more than prepared to fight him, but he moves so fast I’m not sure I would have won.”

  Looking up at her new husband she said, “I have faith in you. You would have won.”

  He smiled at her. “I’m glad that you have so much faith in me. We should probably finish greeting our guests and start moving through the buffet. No one will start eating before us.”

  They made their way through the small crowd, side by side. After they had greeted everyone and thanked them for coming, they started fixing their plates. Kiera was so nervous about her wedding night that she wasn’t sure she would be able to eat anything. She hadn’t told Gabriel something very important about herself. Tonight was going to be her first time to be with a man. Since none of the shapeshifters at home had wanted her, she had remained a virgin. She knew it was going to come as a shock to him. Who had heard of a twenty-eight year old virgin?

  The rest of the evening seemed to fly by. Before Kiera knew it, the guests were leaving. Michael, Cole and Marin were the last to go. Michael walked over to them and hugged Kiera.

  “Welcome to the family little sister.”

  Hugging him back, she said, “Thank you.”

  “So … since this is your wedding night, I’m going to catch a ride with Cole and Marin and crash at their place tonight. I figured you would want your privacy. I already stashed a bag in their car.”

  Kiera blushed, but Gabriel just grinned at his brother. As Michael turned to leave, Gabriel tugged Kiera toward the house. When they got to the top of the stairs, he lifted her into his arms and carried her across the threshold and up the stairs to their room on the third floor. Gabriel put her down after he closed the bedroom door.

  Looking around, Kiera was surprised. Someone had come in and set up the room to make it as romantic as possible. The lights were off, but the room had the soft glow of candle light from the ten or so candles spread around the room. Rose petals dusted the floor and were strewn across the bed. The dark bedding from that morning had been replaced with light blue satin sheets and a silver satin comforter. Noticing that candle light was spilling out of the partially open bathroom door, she peeked inside and saw that the large tub had been filled with hot water; rose petals were floating on top of the water.

  She felt Gabriel’s presence behind her. It was still hard to believe he was her husband. Even more incredible was the fact that the vampire had kept his word and had left once the ceremony was over. It was all a little strange. Something told Kiera they hadn’t seen the last of the vampire, regardless of what he’d told them, but those were thoughts best left for another day. Tonight was her wedding night.

  She turned and smiled up at her new husband. “It seems that we have the house all to ourselves for the night.”

  Gabriel wrapped his arms around her. “Yes, we do. I still stand by what I told you yesterday. We really don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

  “I know. But I want us to have a real marriage. It had a rather unconventional start, but what we do with it is up to us. We can either embrace what destiny has brought us, or we can try to ignore it. I’d rather embrace it personally.”

  He smiled at her. “The fates chose well when they picked you as my mate. I think we’re going to do quite well together.”

  It wasn’t the words of undying love she had always imagined her groom saying to her on her wedding night, but all things considered it would do. It was hardly fair for her to expect him to love her after only twenty-four hours. Married or not, life just didn’t work that way. There was a difference in being a mate and being in love. If you were destined to be someone’s mate, then you had a closeness that most people couldn’t fathom. But it wasn’t love… it was something more primitive, more like animal instinct.

  Kiera hoped that one day Gabriel would come to love her. Until then, she would have to satisfy herself with the knowledge that as her mate he would never cheat on her or abuse her. To do so would go against everything they believed in as shapeshifters. She sometimes envied the humans who married for love, but in some ways, being som
eone’s mate was better. People could fall out of love and get divorced, leaving both parties hurt and angry. When you were mated to a shapeshifter, it was forever.

  Smiling at him, she replied, “It would be a shame to let that hot bath go to waste.”

  “Why don’t you climb in first? Neither of us got a chance to eat much tonight. I’ll see if there’s some leftover champagne and maybe some crackers and cheese in the fridge. I’ll be right back.”

  He brushed a quick kiss across her lips and headed out the door. Kiera looked around. Her wedding night! She was excited, but also nervous. She wasn’t naïve enough to not know what happened between a man and a woman. After all, what woman didn’t enjoy a good romance novel every now and then? But there was a vast difference in reading about it and actually being part of it.

  Sighing, she unzipped her dress. Letting it pool at her feet, she slipped out of her undergarments and headed into the bathroom. Her hair was going to get soaked if she didn’t pull it up. She piled it on top of her head with lots of bobby pins before climbing into the tub. A few minutes later, she heard Gabriel return to the bedroom.

  The first thing Gabriel noticed was the pile of clothes in the floor. It seemed that his new bride had already stripped and gotten into the tub. Grinning, he sat the bottle of champagne, glasses and snacks down on a nearby chair. He removed his clothes in record time. He figured the food could wait, but grabbed the champagne bottle and glasses before heading into the bathroom.

  Having seen her in the tub last night, he should have been prepared. He wasn’t. Knowing that the beautiful woman before him was his wife changed everything. When she saw him, Kiera smiled. Her eyes

  traveled down his body, a becoming blush staining her cheeks. The animal side of him was screaming for him to mate with her. The human side, which was thankfully winning, was telling him to make this as slow and romantic as possible. After all, you didn’t get to have a wedding night every night.