And that no man, no fae, no beast, nor creature,
Shall come between us or sever this bond,
Not upon penalty of death or other threat of pain
But out of respect for the love that binds us all
The power that ties each of our destinies to that of the other.
I raised my arms up, gesturing to the crowd. "Gentlefae, I ask that you show your enthusiasm for the loving couple. Put your hands together!"
My changeling friends began clapping enthusiastically, cluing the other fae into what was expected of them. Soon the meadow was filled with thunderous applause.
I looked at my two friends. "Becky and Finn, you can smooch now."
Becky threw her arms around Finn's neck and gave him the biggest whopper of a kiss I'd ever seen. The longer it went on, the more exuberant the crowd became. Leaves began to fall gently from the oak over our heads, caressing my arms gently and giving me a small shiver.
Flowers came flying over the heads of the crowd to land in the binding circle. Soon my two friends were covered in colors, surrounded by the love and magic of more than a hundred fae.
Spike came over and pulled me into a warm embrace. "You did a great job, babe. Perfect."
"I like your band. They have potential now that they have the right conductor."
"Yeah. Just wait for my next act. I got some guitars and drums brought in for the reception."
"It's going to be an epic party," I said, smiling so hard I thought my face might crack.
"You said it. Come on ... let's get the happy couple over to the reception hall." Spike took me by the hand and started to lead me away, but then a slight breeze at my back had me stopping to look around.
"You go ahead," I said. "I'll be right there."
I ran to the edge of the forest on the other side of the meadow, following a sense I had that something was happening, something that needed my attention. I passed through the edge of the trees, seeing nothing at first. But then the shimmering began, and three sets of wings attached to three angels appeared before me.
"Hello, Jayne."
"Hello, Shayla. Chase ... Beau. What's up?"
"We've come to pay our respects to the happy couple," she said.
"And to remind you that we are here to watch over you, should the need arise," said Beau.
I looked at Chase. "Anything to add?" It was a challenge, but a friendly one.
"I just wanted to tell you how proud we are of you."
My cheeks turned pink. "Thanks. That means a lot."
"And I wanted to tell you too how happy I am that you accepted Spike's love for you. He's a good man. A good fae," said Chase.
"He is exactly what you need," said Shayla. "Don't ever forget to be grateful for what he has to offer you."
"I won't. I promise. Thanks for stopping by. I'll tell Becky and Finn you said congrats."
The forms of Beau and Shayla began to fade out, but Chase's remained solid.
"What's up?" I asked him, confused about the tortured expression on his face.
"I also came to apologize."
I smiled. "For what?"
"For making your life difficult ... for keeping you from doing what you needed to be doing. It was selfish and unkind, and for that I'm sorry."
I stepped over and rubbed his upper arm. "Stop worrying about that crap. I'm totally happy right now. I'm not pining over you or wishing I could go live in the Overworld. Spike's the guy for me. I know that now."
Chase smiled. "You really are happy."
"Yeah, I really am. Life has a way of working out, even when it seems like there's no way it can."
He nodded. "I've got to go now. I'll see you on the other side?"
"Yep. In a few thousand years."
"Good enough." He slowly faded out to nothing, leaving me alone in the trees. I turned to go, noticing Spike waiting for me at the edge of the meadow.
"Everything cool?" he asked, putting his arm around me and drawing me near.
"Yeah. Everything's awesome. Especially now that I have you."
"So ... uh ... I was wondering ..."
"Yeah?" It was weird, Spike sounding so nervous all of a sudden.
"I kind of have a question for you. It's ... you know ... important."
I laughed. "Out with it, dope. You're making me nervous."
"Okay. Do you think you'd ever want to do that with me ... you know ... what Finn and Becky just did? A binding ceremony?"
I smiled. It was impossible not to. "Hmmm ... I don't know. Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Yeah. Maybe. If you play your cards right. You know, show me that the foot massages aren't just a passing phase, convince me you'll still love me even when I look like Maggie, stuff like that. Then, maybe ... yeah. I could see that happening."
Spike lifted me up and spun me around in circles. "It's not exactly a yes, but I'll take it anyway!"
I laughed with the joy of it - the strength of Spike's arms around me, the smells of Spring in the air, and the anticipation of being in a circle of flowers one day with the man I loved. I could see it already, a vision coming through my mind and warming my heart as we walked back to join our family - Spike holding my hands in a beautifully-flowered meadow and standing under the oak where my mother had been laid to rest, telling the fae world he wanted to be with me forever.
About the Author
Elle Casey is an American writer who lives in Southern France with her husband, three kids, Hercules the wonder poodle and Monie the Bouvier des Flandres who will someday be bigger than everyone in the family. In Elle's spare time she writes women's fiction and young adult novels (you can find her Women's Fiction work under the pen name Kat Lee.)
A personal note from Elle ...
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving positive feedback on Amazon.com, Goodreads.com, or any book blogs you participate in. More positive feedback means I can spend more time writing! Oh, and I love interacting with my readers, so if you feel like shooting the breeze or talking about books, please visit me. You can find me at ...
www.ElleCasey.com
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Other Books by Elle Casey
Apocalypsis: Book 1, Kahayatle
Apocalypsis: Book 2, Warpaint
Apocalypsis: Book 3, Exodus
*Apocalypsis: Book 4, Haven
War of the Fae: Book One, The Changelings
War of the Fae: Book Two, Call to Arms
War of the Fae: Book Three, Darkness & Light
War of the Fae: Book Four, New World Order
Clash of the Otherworlds: Book 1, After the Fall
Clash of the Otherworlds: Book 2, Between the Realms
Clash of the Otherworlds: Book 3, Portal Guardians
My Vampire Summer
*My Vampire Fall
*My Vampire Winter
*My Vampire Spring
Wrecked
Reckless
*Coming soon
Acknowledgments
The writing, formatting, and marketing of this series has taken untold hours of my personal time to write, so that means that there's one group of people who must suffer for it all, and that is my family. I would be remiss if I didn't recognize the sacrifices they make so that I can fulfill my dream of being a writer. Thank you for allowing me to be me!
To my readers, who purchase my books, read them, leave reviews, and tell their friends and family about my work, thank you! Without you I'm sure I would have given up long ago. Your outpouring of support means so much to me. I wish I could express this better, but words just don't suffice. Imagine me giving you all a giant group hug.
To my characters who came to me and introduced themselves, I thank you for allowing me a glimpse into your worlds.
To Derek Emmons who graciously permitted me to use his art for my cover, thank you! I ha
ve never seen such amazing work before, and I feel incredibly privileged to be one of the few authors he's worked with. Derek, don't ever stop doing what you do, man! You are truly gifted.
Thank you to my friends in France who never hesitate to celebrate my successes with me and to my Facebook friends and family who are always there to drop a kind note on my wall, laugh with me, cheer me on, and tell me I'm wonderful and talented when I need it.
To the fans to take the extra step to contact me personally, make songs and sing them for me, who create cover or banner art for me ... thank you! You guys just blow me away with your kindness, dedication, creativity, and love. Biiiiig hugs, y'all. Big ones.
To Margaret, Theresa, and Craig who read like the wind and find those troublesome errors that my eyes always seem to miss and give me feedback out characters and plot issues, thank you every so much. My work is better because of you.
And finally, to Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook, all the services that help me and my fans spread the word about my work, make it available to my readers, and make it possible for me to communicate with people who connect with my characters, worlds, and writing style. I'll never not be grateful for the opportunity that you've given me.
Elle Casey, After the Fall
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