He shook his head. “No.”
“You can’t stop me from going!” If I went with him, I could protect him. “I can help you, I can protect you.”
“You have to stay with Elan and Naira.” Carefully, he pulled a clump of wet hair away from my cheek and tucked it behind my ear.
“Why?”
Thayde’s lip twitched. “Because Tammer won’t be able to take care of them. He’s going with me.”
“What?”
“Ezen is too. Aletheia will meet you in Idaho. There, she’ll help you learn to control your powers. Once we’ve taken care of the problem, we’ll meet you there and figure out our next step.”
It had all been planned during the few hours I had lain in the bathtub. Some Link I was – I had no clue what they were planning and I had been overruled.
“When are you leaving?” I dreaded the answer.
“Tomorrow morning.” Thayde gauged my reaction. “Tammer wanted to leave tonight, but I convinced him to stay one more night.”
“Don’t leave me,” I begged and he didn’t answer. I rested my head against his neck and just cried. When I couldn’t cry anymore, I phased back into my legs, covering myself with the towel, and he carried me back to our empty bedroom and laid me on the bed. For a while he stroked my hair.
“Will you marry me?” He asked out of the blue.
“We’re already engaged,” I whispered.
“Will you marry me? Today?”
“What? How?”
“Let’s go to the courthouse and get married.” His somber face changed as he smiled.
“You’re serious?” I sat upright.
“Yes.”
“What about my parents?”
“They can come.”
“But my mom, she wants a big wedding,”
Thayde’s look made me realize why he was suggesting such a short and un-intimate ceremony instead of a grandiose wedding.
“I’ve dreamed of marrying you my whole life, Morgan. If I’m going to spend my last days tracking Limus, I want to at least know that we were married.”
I nodded. “Let’s go right now.”
“Tiesa,” he called and she entered the room. The look on her face was controlled frenzy.
“Let’s do this,” she said.
“Tiesa’s going to help you find a dress. Ezen and I will buy the rings and we’ll meet you at the courthouse in three hours.”
For a brief moment he held my gaze before pulling me into his arms.
“Ready?” Ezen popped his head in the door. “Let’s get going.”
A moment later, they were gone.
“Right,” Tiesa said, throwing a pair of jeans and a tee shirt at me. “Put this on. We’re going shopping!”
Dressing as quickly as I could, I grabbed a hair clip and pulled my hair into a bun.
“What are we going to tell my parents?” I asked, scarcely believing what we were about to do.
“They are spending the time together as well. We’ve said we’re each going on separate dates before they leave.” She chucked my purse at me and pulled hers around her shoulder.
“Ready?” Not really, but I nodded.
A black limousine took us directly to a Vera Wang bridal studio. Once inside, we were surrounded in yards of billowing white material and rows of beautifully designed wedding gowns. A beautiful woman dressed in a black Donna Karen wrap dress and red high heels approached us.
“Which one of you is the bride?” She asked in a kind voice. Tiesa pointed to me. “When’s the date?”
“Today,”
Her brown eyes widened and she hesitated for a brief moment. “Do you know what you’d like?”
“Something elegant,” Tiesa said.
“Something practical,” I added, looking around at the gorgeous but very impractical dresses.
“And white,” Tiesa finished.
“Yes, I’m sure we can help you.” The saleslady smiled, motioning us to follow her. We walked to the back wall where a few white suits hung.
“This is practical,” she said when she noticed my look of horror. “Do you have a more precise idea of what you’d like?”
“A dress,” I said in a slow, monotonous voice as I thought out loud. “Long, slim, with spaghetti straps.”
She nodded. “Chiffon. Follow me.”
The moment she brought the dress out, I knew it was perfect. It was exactly as I had described. She slipped it over my head and it hugged my body, falling about my legs gracefully, reminding me of the way our fins moved in the currents.
Tiesa clapped her hands. “That’s it! That’s the dress!”
“Are you planning on wearing your hair up or down?” Sales Lady asked, hovering around me.