Author's note: Okay, y'all, this is the penultimate chapter. You ready for it? There are a couple spoilers in here, but I tried not to make them giant because I know at least one of my readers hasn't had a chance to read The Indigo Spell yet, but if you have, you know what it means. :)
Happy reading!
Chapter Thirty-Three
"I am freaking out." I said into the phone.
"Please just breathe." Jill prompted.
"Okay." I took in a large breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. The dress is already there, yes?"
"Yes. I looked it over myself. It's in great condition. If there are any problems, I can fix it."
"I've got my shoes and everything else. Adrian has the rings."
"Honeymoon luggage?"
"Yes, the honeymoon clothes are in a separate bag."
"Passport?"
"I've checked on it ten times. It's in my carryon."
"Then you're all set. Why are you freaking out?"
"Because I'm getting married in four days." I sat down hard on the bed.
"To a man who loves you. He wants you. He's happy to be marrying you. Keep breathing."
"I'm trying. This is just…Like…I don't know."
"You're already living together. You already changed your last name. You're just standing in front of everyone and declaring the decision you made. You'll be fine. Now get your act together and get your ass here. I want to see my two bestest friends in the whole wide world get married."
I laughed. "You always say the right thing, Jill. Thank you."
"I do what I can."
After hanging up with her, I walked downstairs to find Adrian leaning against the door to his studio.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
He tapped his chin with his forefinger. "Trying to decide something."
"What?"
"If I should show you the painting now or make you wait until we get back."
"You're not bringing it to Pennsylvania?"
He smiled. "There's too much to stress over already. So do you want to see it now or wait another two weeks?"
I walked over. "Out of my way."
He laughed as he opened the door and waved his hand for me to enter. I walked over to the easel. He had draped a cloth over it. He took me by the shoulders and moved me a little. He walked over to stand beside it. He put his hand on the cloth and gently pulled it away.
The first thing I noticed was that he caught me in a moment when I wasn't expecting to be photographed. I stepped closer. The detail was breathtaking. He had even included the little mole I had on my knee.
"Oh, Adrian." I said softly. "You've…" I had no words. I turned to my husband and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Thank you."
His arms came around me as he covered my mouth with his own. He kissed me slowly, thoroughly. His lips were soft. His tongue silky smooth.
I broke the kiss and rested my forehead against his.
"I put all my love into that painting. I'm glad you like it."
"I like it a lot. But I don't know if I want people to see that slight curve of my breast." I turned to the portrait and pointed.
"It's tasteful. I think it's something both of us can be proud of." He ran his hands down my sides and over my hips. "You have an amazing body, Sydney. You have nothing to be ashamed of."
I smiled and wiped away an unexpected tear. "Then we should start searching for the perfect spot right away."
"Maybe after…" he pressed his mouth to mine once more.
I broke the kiss. "Unfortunately, we have a plane to catch. And we have to get my mom and sisters."
"Oh. Right." he kissed me again.
"I think I have everything."
"Good." He put his hands on the sides of my face. "You are so beautiful."
"You're not so bad yourself." I gave his bottom a quick slap and then walked out of the room.
"You're getting feisty." He said appreciatively from behind me. "I like it."
I laughed. "I'm glad." I picked up a couple of my bags. "Let's get going."
I could hear the yelling from inside my parents' house as we walked up to the front door. I tried to get Adrian to stay in the car but he insisted on helping with my family's luggage.
"I said no!" My father yelled. "Zoe stays here."
"Zoe's made promises. It's one of the good things you've taught her." My mother countered.
I opened the door without knocking and saw my mother and father facing off. My father had a grip on Zoe's arm. Carly stood off to the side looking helpless.
"She's still under eighteen. I'll say where she goes." He shook my sister's arm.
"She already has one assignment under her belt. She can take care of herself."
"She can't take care of herself and she's not spending social time with any of them. I refuse to let it happen."
"Can you please stop yelling?" I asked, walking into the middle of the room.
"You aren't welcome here." My father sneered. "Either of you." He turned back to my mother. "If you and Carly want to go, then get your asses out of here. Zoe stays behind."
"Did you even ask what Zoe wanted to do?" I asked as calmly as I could.
"She doesn't know what she wants."
"She's an adult."
"She's my charge. I couldn't keep you in the organization, but I'll be damned if I'll sit back so you can brainwash her."
"Dad, please." Zoe said softly. "I want to go. I promised Zoe I'd be her bridesmaid. I have a dress and everything. Please let me go. After this, I won't have anything to do with them. I won't even go to the reception. Please let me do this just this once. I'll never ask you for anything else again."
He watched her for several tense silent moments. Then he let go of her arm and stormed toward me. He got in my face and said softly, "This is the last time I will ever tell you this. You are not allowed in my house. You are not allowed around Zoe after this. If I so much as find an email from you, I am pressing charges. Do I make myself clear?"
"Hey, you need to show some respect." Adrian said, taking a step toward him. "You don't have an ounce of knowledge about what she's gone through in her life."
He rounded. "You don't talk to me like that." He clenched his jaw and then walked out of the room.
"Let's hurry up and get out of here." Carly said. "I don't even know why I bother coming over anymore." She picked up a bag from the corner and stormed out of the house.
The car ride was silent. My mother clenched her teeth. I saw the tears glistening in her eyes.
"I'm sorry you all had to see that." She said as we pulled into the airport.
We all said it wasn't a big deal. We all knew Jared was a jerk, but it was hard to see him take it out on someone that wasn't you. When it was me, I could handle it. I know the same was true with my sisters and my mother.
Mom and I sat together for a while once we were in the air. We were silent. Adrian leaned over the back of his chair and joked with Carly and Zoe. My older sister was engaged. My younger sister tried very hard not to be interested, keeping to her promise to our father.
"I don't know how much longer…" My mother started. She shook her head. "I don't want to talk to you about this."
"Mom, you don't have to, but if you want to talk, I'll listen."
She patted my hand. "I know you would. Let's not worry about that. This is your time. You'll be a Mrs in a few days."
"Do you really like him?" I asked, watching my soon-to-be and sisters for a while.
"I do. I really do."
The next several days, Jill had me busy trying out hair styles and make-up. I told her it wasn't a big deal, but she assured me it was. We also took a lot of time talking with Patty about the cake and with the caterers about all the food. They seemed happy that the meal was a relatively easy one. All they really had to prepare beforehand were the meats and the batters for pancakes and waffles.
"I think we're ready." I said, putting my hands on Adrian's waist.
"I hope so. It's tomorrow."
I felt the smile spread across my face and pushed myself up on my toes. "Tomorrow." I kissed him softly.
"Have fun." He whispered.
"And what are you going to be doing?"
"I think Eddie has some video games in mind. I really don't have anything else I want to do. I mean, a drink would be nice, but I'm holding off for your sake and for Jill's and for mine. I want to remember making my promises to you."
"I want you to remember them too."
"What do you girls have planned?" He asked, smoothing my hair away from my face.
"A good old-fashioned middle school slumber party. It was Jill's idea."
"Will there be pillow fights in your underwear?"
I laughed. "Oh, if only the bond went both ways." I kissed him and then walked to the door. "You have to leave now. And I'll see you tomorrow evening."
He pushed me against the door frame. "We're getting married."
"We are." I pulled him down for a kiss.
"Hey, now, none of that." Jill said as she walked down the hall. She had a board game under her arm. "You have plenty of time to do that after you're married. You need to go away, Adrian. It's ladies' night. Carly and Zoe are on my heels."
My sisters walked out of their hotel room down the hall a moment later.
"I have some guy things to do anyway. You know, howl at the moon and beat my chest and objectify women." He kissed me once more. "The next time I do that, you'll be my wife." He whispered. He turned to Jill and grabbed her shoulders. "Have fun. But not too much."
"Promise." She turned her head. "How about a kiss for your favorite water user?"
He chuckled and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, kid." He hugged both my sisters. "Where's your mom?"
"She'll come over in a bit." Carly said. "She was talking on the phone. I think with Dad."
He looked over his shoulder a moment and then nodded. "Have fun tonight, ladies." He bowed and walked away.
I watched until he turned the corner. Then I waved everyone inside.
"Do you think Mom and Dad are going to get a divorce?" Zoe asked as Jill set up Monopoly.
"I don't know. She really does love him, Zo." Carly said.
"Yeah, but he can be such an asshole."
"Zoe!" I admonished.
She shrugged. "Well, he can be."
There was a knock on the door. "It's your mother."
Jill jogged to the door. "And Rose."
The guardian smiled and waved. "Hope you don't mind if I come crash your party for a little while."
"Of course not." I assured her. "You're the guardian on duty here, right?"
"One of them. Since your guy has Eddie." She smirked and walked around the room. I could tell she was doing more than just taking a random look.
"Are we safe, Guardian Hathaway?" I asked when she plopped down on the bed.
She chuckled. "Completely. So what sort of debauchery are you ladies up to tonight?"
"Monopoly." Jill announced glumly. "Sydney could have picked any game in the world and she chose Monopoly."
"It has a special place in my heart." I smiled.
"I know it does. But it's so boring!" She laughed.
"Not boring when you don't remember any of the roads."
"He was a little drunk that night." She pointed out.
"What are you two talking about?" Zoe asked.
I blushed. "One of the things a spirit user can do is walk into people's dreams. Adrian came into mine several nights in a row once. We played Monopoly because that was a game we remembered the board to. But one night he'd had a little too much to drink so the board was blank in places and others had made up names. Jill can see because of their connection."
Rose joined us for the game. She had told the other guardians that she would watch the room so they wouldn't have to "deal with the women." I think she used it as an excuse to have a little fun while on duty.
The game got pretty competitive. Jill and I were in the lead when we took a break to order room service. I pulled Mom aside.
"Is everything okay?" I asked.
"It's fine." She assured me.
"No, it's not."
She sighed. "Dad and I are going to sit down and have a long talk when I get back."
"And?"
"And you don't need to worry about it. Dad and I will figure it out."
Our food arrived. We sat around the room in various places to eat.
Carly said, "So the big question we are all dying to know is when did you know you were in love with Adrian?"
I smiled into my plate. "It happened when I was doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing."
Jill laughed. "Didn't you do a lot of that while we were in California?"
"Well, yeah." I laughed. "But this was something big. Anyway, it just hit me. And I ran to him. He'd already been declaring his love to me for a while. I just finally gave in."
"That's so sweet." Zoe gushed.
"Yeah." Carly sighed.
Mom smiled at me. I saw something wistful in her eyes, like she was remembering something from a long time ago. Was she thinking about Dad? How she had fallen in love with him?
After a few more rounds of Monopoly and girl talk, Mom left to go to bed. The rest of us lasted a little while longer. Rose moved out to the hallway reluctantly.
The rest of us changed into pajamas and piled into the giant bed. We turned out all the lights and giggled about love and boys. Zoe was the only one without a serious guy in her life, but she admitted that she'd had a couple interested in her and she in them.
They got me to talk about Adrian. Once I started, they kept prompting me to say more. Jill and I stayed awake long after my sisters fell asleep.
"Jill?" I asked softly, staring up at the dark ceiling.
"Sydney?" She said from the other side of Zoe.
"Does he really love me as much as he claims?"
"Of course he does. Why would you think any differently?"
"I don't know. All this stuff with my parents."
"You and Adrian are a forever kind of couple. Like Lissa and Christian. Not everyone is like that. I know how much he loves you because I can feel it. I was there when it all started. I think I knew before he did because he was too scared to let himself love again. But he loves you, Sydney. He loves you so much that sometimes it simply overflows into me even when I have the block firmly in place."
"Do you still hate the bond sometimes?"
"Yeah. The block is getting easier to put up. But it's still hard, like when I'm stressed and need to focus on a bunch of other stuff. And then you and Adrian start making out and I get images of you that I don't need when I'm studying. Images I don't really want to see anyway."
I laughed. "I'm sorry."
"Well, I'm glad you chose this time of year to get married. I don't have a whole lot going on in school."
"I thought you had your first big design project coming up?"
"Designing is second nature to me. I've been doing it for a while now. I can focus on the block well enough."
"Do you like your courses?"
"I do. I might have to take some on campus courses next semester. Not looking forward to that. I'll never have any time to do what I want."
"Welcome to college life, Jill." I chuckled.
"Do you ever wish you had gone? You still could, you know?"
"I do wish I had sometimes. But I like where I am now. And in the event that Adrian convinces me to have a baby, my mother will be very forgiving."
She chuckled. "So are you thinking about it?"
"I know I would like to be a mother one of these days. But…" I yawned. "I don't know how I will be received anywhere as a former Alchemist with a Moroi husband. And then adding us raising our dhampir babies out in the open. Pretending they're human for all the general public knows."
"I get that you're scared, Sydney, but you don't need to be. You and Adrian will love your children no matter what. Who cares what any of the people here think? Or the Alchemists in wherever? They'll be your blood. You will create them out of your love for each other. Don't stress over it. When the time is right, you and Adrian will make a very adorable and smart child."
"Thank you, Jill." I yawned again.
"Get some sleep. I need us all at the church to get ready no later than two tomorrow afternoon."
"Yes, ma'am." I chuckled and rolled over. I was so nervous that despite my exhaustion, I didn't get to sleep for a while.