Foretold

“It is time to get started,” the tall male said from across the room. “Skylar,” he began, addressing her by her Estilorian name, “I will be working with you. I am Yaz. Sage will be working with you, Olaya, and Penelope with you, Ambryl. We are very pleased to meet you.” He glanced at the bed. “Have you had a chance to look at all of the sketches to choose your preferred new hairstyles?”

  Skye wiped at her cheeks and looked again at the sketches. She lifted the one that had drawn her attention. The artist had even captured something in the eyes that reminded her of her own reflection. “I’m totally in love with this one. I would like this style under any circumstances, actually.”

  Yaz nodded. “He said as much. Still, I encouraged him to create some other options just in case. Especially when your sisters said they wished to have their hair cut, as well. Come with me, please. I will wash your hair first.”

  “You didn’t draw the sketches?” she asked nervously as he led her toward the bathroom. She deliberately kept her gaze from the mirror as her anxiety mounted.

  “I could only wish,” Yaz answered in his musical voice as he lifted a deep blue garment from the vanity and swept it around her shoulders. He buttoned the smock around her neck, lifting the uneven strands of her hair out of his way without batting an eye. “It is fortunate Caleb has such talent. He knows you each so well. He did excellent work on the proposed styles.”

  Her anxiety melted right along with her heart as understanding sank in. Once again, emotion brought tears to her eyes. And as Yaz sat her in a chair he had positioned in front of the sink, she sighed happily and allowed him to bring Caleb’s beautiful vision to life.

  “Your gowns for this evening were designed by your Gloresti,” Caoilinn explained as the sisters were having the finishing touches done to their hair and makeup later that day. “I have just finished supervising the placement of your gowns in your rooms, Olivia and Skye.”

  The sisters all exchanged surprised and curious looks. Gowns designed by the guys?

  “Amber, this is the gown Gabriel designed for you, with a bit of input from me.”

  Caoilinn waved her hand in front of the tall wardrobe against the far wall. One of the doors opened and lavender light glowed softly against the open door until the image of a dress appeared. Amber’s eyebrows rose. Skye gasped and Olivia said, “Wow.”

  The shimmering fabric of the strapless gown was a unique blend of sunset orange and gold. It had an empire waist to keep attention from Amber’s pregnancy. Just beneath the ruched bodice was a two-inch band of glittering accent stones in tones of orange, yellow and light brown. The ruching continued below the band of gems in another camouflaging cascade of fabric, filling out the full, floor-length skirt.

  “I thought the color a bit bold for your usual taste,” Caoilinn said as they all studied the gown. “But Gabriel insisted it reminded him of your wedding day.”

  There were sighs and grins over that.

  “Your jewelry will accent the gown, of course,” Caoilinn continued. “Penelope has the accents for your hair. Just a couple of gemmed pins to catch the light.”

  “We are ready for you to see your reflections now,” Yaz announced then. “To the bathroom, ladies.”

  Skye’s heart started racing. She was thrilled to realize that the racing was due to excitement. She had spent the past couple of hours watching her sisters get transformed with their absolutely stunning hairstyles. Olivia had gone with a deceptively simple cut that fell in flattering layers to just below her chin. Sage had parted the style on the right side of her head, bringing her light green streak falling in a rather dramatic curve over the left side of her face. It was both sweet and stylish.

  Amber had gone sleek and sporty. She now had bangs that started short on the left side of her face and fell in gradually lengthening lines into a long swoop on the right side of her face, blending her gold streak into the curve. The back had been cut in graduated layers that ended at the base of her neck. The Lekwuesti had given her a brush with an enchantment on it to smooth the curls. Skye thought it was about the coolest thing ever created.

  She followed her sisters into the bathroom, keeping her gaze on the ground until she stood in front of the mirror. As she heard her sisters gasping and issuing other sounds of approval over their reflections, she lifted her eyes.

  It was so exactly right. The style combined punky sass with sophistication. She now also had bangs, but rather than change length like Amber’s did, hers feathered across her entire forehead. And unlike Amber’s smooth look, Skye went with her natural curl, allowing the short bob to spike at fun angles that suited her face. Like her sisters’ styles, hers ended just below her chin. She was already thinking of the awesome earrings she would be able to show off now.

  Her smile all but split her face. Turning, she hurried from the bathroom and threw her arms around a very startled Yaz.

  “Thank you! I look amazing,” she gushed. “You did a wonderful job.”

  The girls spent several minutes complimenting each other and the Lekwuesti. Skye figured they were probably overwhelming the poor stylists, but they were all so happy with the results of their efforts. Eventually, Caoilinn said that they needed to start dressing for the ball.

  “I can’t wait to see your gown, Liv,” Skye said as Caoilinn opened the adjoining door and led the way over. “I wonder what James picked for you.”

  The gown was hung over the wardrobe door, much as Amber’s had been. Skye gasped again. She was highly impressed by her brothers-in-law.

  Olivia’s gown was midnight blue with delicate, light green lines streaking into vine-like patterns throughout the fabric. The bodice fastened around the neck in a thin blue strand, conforming along the bust-line and then dipping into a deep V in the back. The full skirt started low in the waist and flared out gently. The gown was elegant despite the amount of skin it would reveal, and Skye knew that Olivia loved it. As Amber had followed them into the room to see it, she also gave her vote of approval.

  “Well, I guess we should go and see how Caleb did, eh?” Skye said with a grin.

  “Lead the way,” Amber said.

  It felt strange when she twirled not to have the long sweep of her hair funneling out behind her, but she was pleased that the reminder of her new hairstyle didn’t upset her in the least. Since all of the doors were open between the rooms, she walked from Olivia’s room through James’ old room and into her own.

  The gown hung on her wardrobe to the right of the door as she walked through, much as she expected. Her breath caught in her throat as she walked all the way into the room and approached it.

  It was almost entirely white. The sleeveless, straight-line bodice was fitted through to the waist, where the full skirts flared in yards of gathered fabric. There were intricate swirls of light and dark blue stitched along the very top of the bodice and subtly throughout the full skirts. And she saw with a great deal of amazement that the dress had a train made of white, light blue and dark blue fabric.

  “Oh,” she managed as she tried to absorb how unbelievably gorgeous the gown was. “Oh, wow.” She reached out to touch it, a troubled look fluttering across her features. “Oh, gosh. Does he realize this is a, um…”

  “A wedding gown?”

  She spun toward his voice, bringing a hand to her chest. Caleb was lounging in the doorway between their rooms, still dressed in his training tank and pants, watching her. She also realized Gabriel and James had snuck into the room while her back was turned and Caoilinn was no longer present. But none of these was even slightly the most shocking thing she noticed.

  Her mouth hung open as she walked the distance from the gown to Caleb. She blinked several times as she tried to find her voice. Eventually, she managed, “You…cut your hair.”

  It was now about the same length as James’ and Gabriel’s. Longer on top than in the back and on the sides, with enough loose curls falling over his forehead to give him a very rakish appearance.

  He shrugged negligently. “I’
ve heard it’s not very manly to have longer hair than your wife.”

  She simply stood there gaping at him.

  Pushing away from the doorjamb, he walked up to her and lifted her chin, giving her hair a careful study. After a moment, he nodded and caught her gaze. “You are beautiful.”

  “I…Caleb,” she said, shaking her head with a dazed expression. “You overwhelm me. I can’t take all of this in. You cut your hair—for me. I—are you asking me to marry you?”

  “No,” he said. And then, seeing her puzzled frown, he lifted one corner of his mouth. Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out its contents, and got down on one knee. “Now I’m asking,” he said, reaching out and taking her left hand in both of his. “Skye, will you marry me?”

  She simply fell to her knees in front of him and threw her arms around him. “Oh my goodness, Caleb,” she said as tears filled her eyes. “You really didn’t have to do all this. But thank you so much…it means more to me than you could ever know. I love you. Of course I’ll marry you.”

  Her family all applauded, making her laugh. He got to his feet, lifting her up with him.

  “Most Estilorians missed your sisters’ weddings,” he said, placing her on her feet and continuing to hold her. “There has been a bit of an uproar about that. So I thought we could get married tonight at the ball.” He looked up and caught Olivia’s gaze. “At the stroke of midnight.”

  Skye felt the smile on her face spreading wide at the fairytale reference. She nodded happily.

  “But first,” he said, holding out his right hand and showing her the rings he held. “I thought a more private ceremony with just family for the exchange of vows.”

  Her heart was absolutely overflowing. She did what she could to suppress her surging emotion, knowing her makeup would be ruined, but tears still spilled from her eyes. Again, she nodded. He smiled. Then he pressed his ring into her right hand.

  She glanced down, deeply curious. The rings were silver in color. Her band was delicate and crafted of filigreed waves surrounding the center stone, a yin-yang circle of light blue and midnight blue gems. His band was also silver but solid, and contained the same center stone. She thought of how well she and Caleb complemented each other and knew the rings were completely perfect.

  And when she looked up and saw the love in his eyes, she also knew pure joy.

  He held her gaze as he spoke. “Skye, my life is better now and always will be because you are in it. I know that I am the most fortunate being on any plane simply because of your love and faith in me. I love you beyond all reason, and I’m looking forward to spending the rest of this lifetime with you. I offer you this ring as a symbol of my love and my unbreakable commitment to you.”

  He slid the ring he held over her left ring finger. It started to glow a deep blue-green. Her eyes widened as she marveled over how right it felt on her finger.

  She took a moment to center herself so she could speak after his heartfelt vows. Then she caught his gaze, smiled and said, “Caleb, my life is better now and always will be because you are in it. I know that I am the most fortunate being on any plane simply because of your love and faith in me. I love you beyond all reason, and I’m looking forward to spending the rest of this lifetime with you. I offer you this ring as a symbol of my love and my unbreakable commitment to you.”

  She lifted his left hand and placed the ring on his finger. It also started glowing the blue-green color. To complete the ritual, they joined their left hands so their rings touched. Then they leaned forward and kissed to seal their vows.

  Because their eyes were closed, they didn’t see that their rings sparked and flared with that unusual blue-green light...that the light then also flared from the rings of their siblings, causing them all to jump and wonder.

  What Skye and Caleb did experience was the brief sear of pain indicating the making of their avowed markings. Her right shoulder blade and the outside of her eyes burned with a flick of power, as did his right bicep. When they finally parted, she glanced curiously at his mark, knowing it would match hers.

  The symbol was a dark blue triangle at the center connecting three light blue swirls emanating from each of the triangle’s points. To her, it symbolized the strong, centering force that he provided for her.

  And to me, it symbolizes how you take me beyond that center to even greater things.

  She gasped, then laughed as his thought filled her mind. She knew that was going to take some getting used to. Pulling him close for another kiss, she allowed her love for him to fill them both.

  Come on…let’s go get married.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The ball was held in the largest stadium within Estilorian Central. Although it had been designed for things like skills competitions, it was very rarely used and had never been filled to capacity. For the quickly-planned dinner event that would end with the wedding of Skye and Caleb, the Lekwuesti had converted the stadium seating to include long tables and chairs along every tier, ensuring room for at least ten thousand beings.

  It was standing room only.

  “Have the wedding at the ball, you said,” Caleb muttered to his brothers, glancing around the chaotic stands from where they stood beneath one of the tunnels. “Oh, sure.”

  “Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” Gabriel pointed out. “You’re avowed to Skye, so don’t knock it.”

  “Hmm.”

  “You have to go through with the wedding,” James said sagely. “Gabriel won’t let you two have sex otherwise.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Yep.”

  Caleb’s eyebrows drew together. “I’m not getting married for the sex,” he grumbled, earning grins from his brothers. “And anyway, I don’t see how it is that you two got to have private ceremonies attended by only the elders and I have to do this with every being on the plane watching.”

  “It’s not our fault you fell in love with the sister who enjoys the attention,” Gabriel said.

  Knowing he had a point, Caleb sighed. He looked over his shoulder. The sisters were a few feet behind them chattering away about everything from their hair to their clothing to the food that would be served. He could only hear half of what they were saying over the crowd noise, but he occasionally had a stray thought of Skye’s filter through his brain. Mostly, she was thinking how very happy she was.

  She also thought a lot about how good she thought he looked in his tuxedo. It almost made it worth wearing the uncomfortable thing just to experience the thoughts she had when she looked at him. Almost.

  She laughed at something Amber said then, and he felt a smile pull at the corners of his mouth in reaction to the contagious joy in the sound. She could always make his heart twist in his chest with her laugh.

  He supposed if it meant he would be officially bound to such a beautiful and inspiring female, he could get through this one challenge.

  She caught his gaze, her light blue eyes twinkling. It’s not like you’re facing down a Mercesti horde, you know.

  No, that would be easier.

  She laughed again.

  Shaking his head, he turned back to his brothers. “Security is going to be a nightmare,” he observed, once again glancing around the stadium.

  Gabriel and James sent thoughts of agreement. The good news was that they had quite a few volunteers from among the Waresti, Corgloresti and Gloresti assisting in the security detail that evening. Gabriel and the elders had met with the volunteers and briefed them all earlier. Rather than having the seating separated by class, as they had done at the welcome ball, this time the seating would be mixed to encourage mingling. It had been easier to place the volunteers throughout the stadium without drawing attention to them that way.

  “Well, it looks like they have our table ready,” Gabriel said a few minutes later. “We might as well head on out there. Better to get seated while everyone else is doing so.”

  Caleb heartily agreed. Much better that way than to have everyone’s attention focused solely on them as they ente
red.

  They escorted the sisters from the tunnel. They all walked past where the other elders stood conversing with the Lekwuesti who had organized the event. The elders would be sitting at the same table as Gabriel, James, Caleb and the sisters. That table was in the center of the ground level, which would be converted to the dance floor following the meal. Due to the increased guest count, there had been extra tables set up around the elders’ table to accommodate everyone.

  “Holy mackerel,” Amber mused to Gabriel. “I haven’t seen a stadium this packed since we went to see the Braves in the playoffs.”

  Caleb had no idea what she was talking about. Gabriel sent a brief thought to explain she was referencing a human athletic sport called baseball. That thought flashed through his mind even as he scanned the stadium looking for any potential danger. Although they didn’t want to think there would be any problems that evening, they had to be prepared.

  As the Estilorians milling around the seats realized the sisters had entered the stadium, the noise suddenly lowered. The girls hadn’t even reached their seats when everything went utterly silent.

  They stopped walking a few feet from the table and glanced around. Caleb realized that everyone was staring at them. Amber, Olivia and Skye took a few steps closer together as their eyes moved around the seats. Caleb, James and Gabriel moved protectively to shadow them.

  And then everyone who had already taken their seats suddenly stood. In continued silence, everyone bowed from wherever they happened to be standing.

  Holy cow.

  Caleb heard Skye’s thought and felt the emotion behind it. Her awe flooded through him. He knew she was deeply humbled by the show of welcome and honor. He also knew she didn’t feel she was worth it.

  He placed his hand on her shoulder. You’re worth this and more.

  She gifted him with a smile. The tiara she wore sparkled in the light but couldn’t compete against that smile in brilliance. Then she joined her sisters in issuing graceful curtsies to acknowledge the welcome.