Sundown & Serena (16 page)

Yes there is, you
bastard.
“I never want to see you again in my life,” I
grated out, emphasizing each word. “But now we’re bound into the
same circles, with me marrying Terian. So that’s what I’d like you
to do for me. You see me at a gathering, or a party, or anywhere
socially, you leave. I don’t care what reason you give, or how. But
leave. Never come within sight of me again. Don’t come to the
wedding. And I never want to hear your voice sing to me again. Not
ever.”

“As you wish,” Devlin agreed. “I will do
that, I promise. Good-bye, Sundown.”

“Go fuck yourself, Devlin.”

I hung up.

Chapter
Sixteen

A month later

I reached out my hand, enjoying the giddiness
that admiring my wedding gown sleeves brought me.
Silly isn’t ever a word I used for myself, but today, that
sucker fits. But screw it, even with all Terian’s promises, who
would have thought that I’d be here now, actually getting married?
Not me.

“Sundown,” my soon to be father-in-law Titus
called from behind me. “It’s time. Are you ready?”

I took one last glance in the mirror, forcing
my worried frown to become an anxious smile. My ivory dress was
perfect, the long tulle skirt dotted with sequins and beads like a
ballerina’s that I’d admired long ago as a child. My long hair was
up in a mass of waves and a bun, with a tiara and veil to crown me.
My shoes were high heels I’d probably be kicking off right after I
said “I do”, but they looked fabulous with the dress.

“I’m coming,” I called, adjusting my veil
down over my face.

The morning was still dark, the winter sun
just below the horizon. But dawn was approaching, and I hurried to
join my uncle John at the back of the outdoor tent for my walk down
the aisle.

So strange, that after all
this time, I actually have some family relations.
John was
my father’s brother, but one I’d never known until he’d called
Solutions, Inc. a few weeks ago, having tracked me down through the
lawyer’s office who had handled my dad’s will. There hadn’t been
any huge emotional outpouring like in a WE channel movie, but I had
gotten to know a little more about my grandparents, and why my
father had been the way he was. John was ecstatic to see me,
thrilled at my new life, and eagerly asked to stand in for my
father to walk me down the aisle. He unfortunately also had a lot
to say about my grandparents, plus a few cutting truths about my
mom’s alcoholism. I hadn’t wanted to hear that last part, because
the mother I remembered had been the only parent I’d had to hang
onto as a child. But hearing history I’d been too young to fully
remember brought some long-buried events back. While I didn’t want
that, and was still processing how to handle most of that new
information, I was grateful to have him with me at the wedding,
which was populated almost exclusively by coworkers and associates
of Terian’s. The only others I knew that were here to witness my
big day were Cia and the werefoxes.

But you’ll see other
relatives soon, for the first time.
John’s family had flown
in for the event; in fact, his oldest son’s wife was one of my
bridesmaids, his three grandchildren were my flower girls and ring
bearer, and his son was one of the groomsmen. While my father and
mother hadn’t ever been big on keeping in touch with extended
family, John was. He’d asked for us to come for a visit after the
honeymoon, so I could introduce my new husband to the family, and
also get to know them myself.

Terian hadn’t been too keen on this, and had
simply told John we’d visit that day, between the wedding and the
reception, then taken John’s hand in his and demonstrated
teleportation. John had handled the experience well for someone
with no previous supernatural experience, though he’d asked a lot
of questions that Terian hadn’t been eager to answer. After John
had left for his hotel, I’d sat down with Terian. “Do you not want
to meet with them?”

Terian looked up at me quizzically. “Do
you?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted, biting my lip.
“I’ve never really had family, though. I would like to at least
meet them.” I touched his hand, then grasped it in my own. “You
have family here with your mom and dad.”

“I’m okay with us going there after the
wedding for a quick visit,” Terian said slowly. “But I don’t think
they should come to the reception. Even without Danial there,
there’ll be a lot of questions about the other attendees.” He
squeezed my hand. “You’re part of a world they aren’t part of, Sun.
It’s kind of like Sar’s family and friends she had before Danial;
she had to let those friends go, and now only sees her immediate
family. I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

“Sundown!” Titus boomed. “It’s time!”

I pushed away my worries, and headed out to
the hall. Peeking around the corner, I saw most of the guests were
here, and Terian, Theo, and Theoron, Sar’s son with Danial, were up
with the justice of the peace in front waiting. My flower girls
were fidgeting in line, as their mother tried to keep the ring
bearer from throwing his pillow and ring on the floor. Jenny was
talking with Cia, and both of them gave me smiles and excessively
huge eyes to say I’d missed something shockingly hilarious, and
that they’d tell me as soon as we three girls were alone.

John gave me a huge smile, then hugged me.
“You look beautiful,” he exclaimed. “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I joked, taking
his arm in mine.

Titus patted my back, then took his leave,
cueing the music as he headed down to the front row where Leri
waited. Nervous, I fidgeted as I saw the first flower girl start on
her path, a million worries flooding my mind.

Am I making the right decision?
Yes.

What’s our life going to be like
together? Probably not like John’s life with his family. Will
Terian still love me when I’m old and he’s still young? He’s never
been anything but true blue so far.

What about Sar?
I
peeked around the corner again, as the second flower girl began
walking. Sar was indeed there, close to the back, with Lash at her
side and her daughter, Elle.
She’s got Lash,
she’s not a problem for Terian and me anymore.

What if Terian loses control and goes
all demon again?

I took a shaking breath, as Cia went down the
aisle. The reason I was pregnant now was that Terian had “gone to
the demon-side” back in the fall. He had lost control to his demon
half during sex with me. The experience had been terrifying.
Although I hadn’t been permanently harmed, I’d gotten pregnant. All
of Terian’s talk about the potency of demons hadn’t been macho
bullshit. Terian had fought back over the next months and regained
control, with Titus’s help. As soon as my love knew I was pregnant,
he’d proposed with the same ring he’d offered me before years
earlier. This time, I’d said yes.

As Jenny began walking, John turned to me,
concerned. “Are you okay, Sundown? There’s still time to change
your mind.”

I looked at him aghast, then pasted a smile
on my face. “I’m okay.”
When had his wife left?
Shit, we’re next to walk down the aisle!

“You look terrified,” he whispered. “If you
don’t want to get married, you don’t have to.”

Terian and all the other
weres can hear that he’s asking me this. John, you mean well, but
it’s too late for do-overs, not that I’m looking back ever
again.
“I want to,” I assured him, taking a deep breath.
“I’m just nervous.”

The music suddenly stopped, then the wedding
march began loudly, and I heard the loud grating sound of many
chairs pushed back as everyone got to their feet. John nodded, then
began walking and I matched him step for step as we strode into
view. Cameras began flashing immediately, and I smiled widely, my
eyes catching Terian’s form waiting for me. I kept focused on him
until we were down at the justice of the peace where John was
hugging me, and then pushing back my veil.

As the justice of the peace said the
traditional bit, I clasped Terian’s hand tightly, and tried to
breathe.

“Have you the ring?”

Theo handed the ring to Terian, who placed it
on my finger. “I promise to love you, cherish you, keep you safe,
and do my best to make you happy as long as you live,” he said
solemnly, slipping the ring on my finger.

I blinked back tears, then felt Jenny nudging
me with Terian’s wedding ring. I took the ring with trembling hands
and put it on his finger. “I promise to love you, cherish you, and
do my best to make you and our child happy, as long as I live,” I
said, my voice breaking as soon as I said the word child.

“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the
justice of the peace said with spread hands. “What has come
together today let no force put asunder.”

Light had been building in the sky, and as he
intoned the words, the dawn broke, the light of the new sun searing
my eyes as I looked at it. Then Terian kissed me and I forgot about
everything but him, and the possibilities of our new life
together.

THE END

SERENA

Chapter
One

A normal weekday night in the diner, with me
still busy flipping burgers at five minutes to closing. For us
restaurant workers, ten at night meant the end of the workday,
though the attached lounge was open until one a.m. The city of Rio
de Janeiro loomed close enough to send us nightly traffic in
Penedo, our small tourist town on its outermost outskirts, but too
far away for any of the glamour or wealth of its inhabitants to
fully reach us.

Don’t think about that, Serena. Longing for
what you don’t have won’t bring it to you. You’ve got a job to do.
Just do it, so you can get home to bed.

My boss, Fred, was standing nearby, griping
about the cost of beef. Then he abruptly switched topics. “Serena,
I need you to fill in for Patty,” he said gruffly. “She’s going to
be late again.”

Big surprise.
Patty
was late for almost every shift she worked, and I always ended up
working an extra hour while she had one last screw with whatever
man she was calling her boyfriend this week. Yet Fred would never
fire her. Patty’s double D figure brought in the customers late at
night, and her Latin good looks got the tourists in the mood for
drinks in the adjoining lounge when she waitressed. Which was fine
by me, as I always needed the extra money, anyway.

I nodded without looking at him, and finished
my last orders, putting them on plates for him to take to our last
customers. Then I undid my apron, and hung it on a nail. “I’m
taking a fifteen minute break,” I said, and headed outside to get a
little air. Fast food tasted good, but the heavy grease sometimes
got to my nose. I was part fox and part coyote, one of the mixed
blood weres. Tonight, the scent seemed to cling to me like a second
skin.

I looked up, leaning against the outside of
the building, taking deep breaths to clear my head. The stars were
somewhere above me, but I couldn’t see much of them. The diner was
located on a tourist strip, and the lights from the many nearby
attractions lit up the skyline in both directions.

It would be nice to see the stars, I thought
to myself futilely. Nice to be walking along some beach, and have
someone to talk to...

“Jazz, get your ass moving!” a raucous voice
yelled out, drawing my attention. Two men were hurrying into the
front door of the diner, a third man trailing behind by a few
paces.

Great. We were closing the kitchen in a few
minutes, but Fred wouldn’t tell these men that; he liked money too
much. But he wouldn’t be the one to cook their food. In short,
there went the rest of my break.

I took one last look at the sky, then headed
back inside. Fred was waiting for me. “Can you take care of the
three men that just came in? Patty’s still not here, and I need a
smoke.”

I nodded, and headed over to the table they
were sitting at. “What can I bring you, boys?”

All of them ordered beer. I brought that to
them quickly, and asked them for their food orders, hoping it would
be something simple that wouldn’t need to be defrosted first. They
asked for another minute. I nodded but stayed there as they looked
at menus, because I knew as soon as I moved away, they’d be ready
to order. Customers were always like that.

While I waited, I looked them over, trying to
determine where they were from. They were all wearing jeans and
short-sleeved button down shirts over T-shirts. They didn’t look
like tourists, but they weren’t dressed like local men in khakis
and tank tops. Also, they were too pale skinned. Their tans were
light, as if they spent most of their time in the dark.
Curious.

The one who seemed to be the leader was tall,
with short straight blond hair, styled so that the top was a little
spiky. He had blue eyes of a light color, and fair skin. He wasn’t
so much handsome as masculine looking; his body was powerful, his
upper body heavily muscled.

The man next to him was so handsome as to be
almost delicate-looking. His hair and eyes were a rich color brown,
like chocolate, and his hair was styled too, but in longer, loose
curls hanging over his eyes and collar. He was also heavily muscled
for his size, though not so much as his blond friend.

The last man had dark hair, and his skin was
darker than his friends, almost swarthy. His five o’clock shadow
was dark, and he had brown eyes, his expression affable.

Still, even as good-looking as this trio was,
I wanted to go home. “Are you ready to order?” I asked
impatiently.