It would be nice just once to be married because some man just loved me rather than needed to protect me.
The pixies landed on me again, and I watched as they perched on my hands and lapped up the tears that had fallen there.
I also had to deal with the fact that I might be pregnant. Apparently ancient fertility gods didn’t do safe sex. There had been condoms on the altar, but they hadn’t been used. Tonight had been the first time Dev had taken me without protection. Up to now, we always used two forms of birth control. I took a shot four times a year and he used a rubber. I had to hope the shot worked, but that magic had been so strong and I had taken the brunt of it. It might work out just fine for the boys. I would be pregnant and confined to the safety of a sithein for the rest of my life. They could have their war knowing the wife was safely left behind.
“Zoey,” Padric’s voice called from behind me. “Allow me to take you back to the shelter.”
I shook my head, unable to face anyone just yet. “I’ll just stay here for a while, thank you.” I glanced back at the man who was for all intents and purposes my new father-in-law. “If you could please ask Neil to come for me in an hour or so, I would be grateful.” I could get the crying out of the way and then I could tell Neil about it.
“Devinshea would have my head if I left you alone.”
“Oh, Dev has had everything he could want from me this evening,” I replied unfairly, but I couldn’t help but be a little bitter.
“I wanted a happy wedding night and a happy bride,” Dev said quietly as he walked my way. “I did not get everything I wanted, Zoey.” He nodded to the royal guard. “Please leave us. I’ll take care of my wife. I’ll start acting like her husband rather than a spoiled child.” He reached down and picked me up, lifting me into his strong arms. “Let us go and join Daniel. Perhaps he can bring back your smile.”
I slumped in his arms because I was almost boneless in my exhaustion. He carried me through the pasture where the wolves were breaking up and returning to their tents. They seemed happy and hopeful. They stopped and watched as we passed them. It was no wonder they gawked a bit. Dev was a god carrying his goddess with a trail of pixies following. It wasn’t a scene they normally saw every day.
“You didn’t wish to be married to me?” Dev carried me toward our tent. I noticed the field was filled with wildflowers that had been absent before the ceremony. Life had sprung up everywhere. “I was to remain the third in your marriage to Daniel?”
“I didn’t understand, Dev. I didn’t listen to you or Ingrid or anyone else. I was thinking about the heist and then I was thinking about finding Neil and losing Daniel. I thought of everyone but you.”
He stopped. “You didn’t answer my question. If you don’t want this marriage then I can annul it.”
“I didn’t say that,” I practically cried. “I love you. I’ve acted as your wife for a long time. Why would I not want to marry you? I told you last night I would never leave you. I was ready to marry Marcus if it meant keeping you safe. Don’t question my love. Answer me this. Did you marry me because you love me or did you and Daniel see it as a convenient way to tie me to Faery? Our marriage makes this fight Faery’s fight. Tell me that didn’t occur to you.”
I saw from the flush on his face that I was right. He began walking again. “I love you. Why is it wrong to want you safe? I want this marriage. I want it more than anything. I’ll annul it and when you are ready, we can try again. Perhaps we can marry as is customary on this plane. It won’t be recognized by Faery. It will be just for the two of us. I’m sorry. I thought it would please you. You’ve said in the past that you wanted a real ceremony. I was being selfish in giving you a ceremony from my culture that you didn’t even recognize as a wedding.”
“Dev, I should have…” I started but he was talking over me.
“I suppose public proof of sexual compatibility is not a part of human ceremonies,” he said with a shake of his head. “I also bet that non-corporeal gods don’t fuck the bride at a human wedding.”
“We also don’t have pixies and I really like the pixies. I don’t want to annul our marriage. I love you. Can we just forget about the last twenty minutes and have a happy wedding night?” There was nothing to be had from annulling our marriage. There was nothing good that could come from us fighting. He’d had good intentions.
“I would have married you even if Padric had declined to intercede,” Dev explained quietly. “I would have counted myself your husband without my family’s consent and I would have cut ties with them. I love you, my wife. I love you more than you can know.”
I nodded and rested against him. “Then understand this, my husband. I might never blow you again. My jaw is never going to be the same.”
Dev threw his head back and laughed. “Well, if that was my last blow job, at least I got to go out with a bang. You have Declan’s everlasting respect, my wife. Good evening, Zack.” Dev greeted the wolf who was standing guard outside the tent.
“All went well, sir?” Zack asked, politely not commenting on what I was sure he could smell.
“It was rocky, but we got it done,” Dev admitted.
Zack threw back the door flap and we entered the tent. The front room was full. Neil and Chad sat in a chair, Neil on Chad’s lap, and it was obvious they had made up. Chad had his face buried in Neil’s neck doing that thing Danny had done last night. Sarah and Felix were sitting together on the sofa and Daniel was pacing.
Dev looked straight at Daniel. “You’re a bastard, Donovan.”
Daniel slapped Chad on the shoulder. “I told you. You owe me twenty bucks.”
Chad turned his eyes to me, humor forcing his lips up. “You were surprised at being married? When did you realize it was a wedding, Your Highness? If the white dress didn’t clue you in surely the handfasting ritual did it, right?”
I frowned as Chad laughed.
“Zoey,” Sarah said with sympathy, “Goddess is what they call the wife of a high priest.”
“Yeah, well you might have mentioned that to me,” I shot back.
Dev lowered us into a chair but kept me in his arms, which I appreciated. I cuddled against his chest because I still had the shakes.
“You’ve dated a faery prince for almost two years, sweetie,” Sarah pointed out. “You’ve lived with the man for over six months. I just thought you would know.”
Daniel was laughing, and I sent him a forbidding look. “Don’t you even say it, Daniel Donovan. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking no one could be that stupid, but we both know damn well I can.”
“I’m sorry, Z.” He knelt down in front of me. “It was mean of me. I was just jealous because our wedding was so crappy and Dev got to plan out his dream wedding.”
“Yes, it was a dream, Daniel. She didn’t even realize it was a wedding until Declan welcomed her to the family,” Dev said. “You should have mentioned it to me.”
“Wow,” Felix said, looking around the room with a light in his eyes. “That’s a lot of pixies. That was some strong magic.”
“I felt it from here,” Sarah acknowledged. “I’m not surprised you have the shakes. You were the closest one to it. I have Albert heating up a tonic that should work.”
I couldn’t help but notice Neil, who was being strangely quiet. He moved off Chad’s lap, and his eyes were following the pixies. He watched the sweet little butterflies with the sharp gaze of a predator. He moved suddenly, so quick a person not paying close attention would have missed it.