We all joined my mother on the ground. It would just be the four of us walking down the aisle —Hazel and I had decided against bridesmaids or maids of honor. The whole of The Shade would be in attendance, and that was enough for us. Hazel and I had always been close, but since Nevertide we had basically become inseparable. Aside from my family, she was the only other person who I truly needed to share this day with. I thought we both appreciated just how lucky we were to be at home, alive, and happy. It had been a long time coming.
We headed off toward The Shade’s largest lake, where the ceremony would take place. Ash, Tejus, Zerus and Hazel had built a barrier over the water with their mental powers—so we’d literally be getting married on the water. Unexpectedly, it had been Tejus’s idea. I guessed it was all part of him trying to get Hazel to embrace who she really was. After the initial shock of her being revealed as half-ghoul, she’d calmed down pretty quickly, especially as she honed her powers, realizing they were a gift rather than something she needed to be ashamed of. It was only Benedict who still delighted in teasing her about it—and in truth, I suspected he was just a bit jealous.
“I’m so proud of you,” my mom murmured to me as we walked. She clasped my hand in hers, smiling up at me as she admired my dress for the millionth time. “Of you and Ash. I think that both of you have chosen so wisely. I just know that you’re going to be happy—whatever you decide to do afterwards. Your happiness is all that’s ever mattered to me and your father, you know that, right?”
“I know,” I reassured her. “I love you, Mom.”
She squeezed my hand. Her mention of ‘whatever you do after’ reminded me of the fact that Ash and I hadn’t made any firm plans. Which, I guessed, was kind of typical of us both. We would be going on our honeymoon and then returning to The Shade for a short while for certain, but after that I just didn’t know. Ash would need to get back to Nevertide—there was an entire land to be rebuilt, but I worried about spending time away from my family and friends.
“Are you all packed for tonight?” my mom asked suddenly.
“Yes!” I laughed. “I’m all packed—calm down. Everything’s going to be okay, Corrine’s going to be taking us after the ceremony.”
“Not too early, though?” she replied.
“No—not too early. I promise.”
Tonight.
My wedding night.
That was a whole other life-changing issue…
Hazel
The lake was breathtaking. After we’d created the barrier, the witches had insisted that we left the decorations to them. Now the lake had been transformed into a beautiful autumn-colored fantasy. Huge bouquets of dahlias, willow, viburnum berries and lilies were tied to every available surface. They were tied with ribbon and natural string to the backs of chairs. Trestle tables were situated on the shore of the lake where we’d be dining—and dancing—and more flowers and vines were woven around both the redwood trees and the wooden pagoda where the actual ceremony would take place. The air smelled heady and rich, the flowers mingling with the warm smell of bark and nature’s own early fall scent.
The hushed and waiting crowd, the beauty of the lake and the smell in the air just reaffirmed for me that today was full of possibilities—the start of something new and exciting, an entire, unknown future waiting for me and Tejus to experience together. As much as I had been looking forward to today, it was the bit that came after which made my whole body tremble in anticipation—the nights and days of our honeymoon, and then all the time that would follow after, when we would start to build a life together.
Not long after we’d arrived home, Tejus had taken me aside one night and told me that he wanted us to live our lives here, at The Shade. He knew that Nevertide needed leadership, but that he wasn’t the man best suited for the job. He was a warrior, and they needed someone to govern the land and help rebuild it. Someone who had the patience to deal with the politics, to be fair and kind, someone more empathetic than him. I thought that Tejus was doing himself a disservice, thinking he wouldn’t be good at that role—I believed he would. But I also knew that he was better suited to helping GASP. Plus, I also thought Ben and my grandpa would have a lot to say about losing Tejus as one of their members. On hearing that we’d be spending the rest of our lives in The Shade, I had felt like my happiness was complete. I hadn’t returned home that night. Tejus and I had spent the night under the stars, surrounded by fallen leaves and darkness, dreaming of our future together.