Burning (13 page)

"I can think of a reason to get into a tux," I teased. 

We reached the gazebo and separated to our sides.  The music changed and Anita walked out with her dad.  To say a bride is stunning is cliché but also true.  Her dress was as unique as she was.  She looked like sweet sin.  All eyes were focused on her, but I managed to look at my best friend.  I saw love and a sense of completeness on his face.  With Anita by his side, he was complete.

Carlos
placed Anita's hand on Dean's.  "Anita, you have had more heartache in nineteen years than you should have ever experienced in thousands.  I thought I was protecting you by staying away, but I failed.  When I was captured, I couldn't save you, and I failed again.  Your friends and this young man here were there for you when I couldn't be.  Dean, I'm trusting you with the most precious thing in the world to me—my heart.  My daughter is my heart, and now, she is yours.  Treasure each other, stand by each other, and remember you are stronger together than you ever will be alone."

Dean and Anita exchanged the traditional wedding vows. 
When they were done, Cooper stepped forward in a ceremonial robe, holding a golden cord. It was the deepest midnight blue with half moons embroidered by silver thread.  It was long and hooded, covering his entire body. The officiant's eyes widened until Carlos started murmuring a quiet chant.  He slipped into a trance-like state, allowing the supernatural portion of the ceremony to be completed.

Cooper placed Anita's right hand into Dean's left and started wrapping the cord around them. 
Carlos took the place of the officiant and resumed chanting.  Chloë moved opposite Carlos and joined the chant. 

"
Thrice around and these two are bound.  Where there were two, now there is one.  These words are the seal. Let our will be done." 

The gold cord flared bright as the light of dawn.  The cord disintegrated and seeped into their skin
, tattooing an identical band on their wrists.  They were left with an intricate pattern of Celtic knots that had no beginning and no end.

Carlos and Chloë resumed their previous spots, and Cooper handed the robe to Carlos.  When
everyone was back where they were before, Carlos ended the officiant's trance.  He continued speaking as if he hadn’t been interrupted. 

"I now pronounce you man and wife.  You may kiss the bride." 

Dean dipped Anita low and kissed her deeply.  After several very long moments, Carlos cleared his throat, and everyone laughed.

Grey pulled out his phone, and his brow furrowed
while he examined a text.  "We have to move.  I got an ID on the guy watching us pick up Nik.  He is a professor of biology at Central.  I don't think it was a coincidence he was here.  To make matters worse, Marguerite just sent us a message.  Nik has disappeared.  He went into town and never returned."

Carlos stepped away and started barking orders on his phone to have the plane ready immediately.  Our
drivers, members of the
Aware
, collected our bags from the hotel during the ceremony. 

"Carlos"
—Grey stopped him with a hand on his shoulder—"we have to make a detour and see if we are followed.  I'm not sure if we are being targeted yet."

Carlos started pacing back and forth.  He looked at Anita with a panicked expression.
  Neither Dean nor Anita saw the fear in his face.  Of course they were off in their own little world, and by the looks of them, we really needed to send them off on their honeymoon soon. 

"I should have seen this coming.  Why wouldn't they already be in Ellensburg?  That is where the exposure happened
, after all.  Here we have been chasing the auto-da-fé all over the world and the leaders have been entrenching themselves in the town where my daughter lives.  Marguerite will never allow us to move the Central Coven."  A wicked glint crossed his face.  "Marguerite might not allow me to move our children to safety, but she can't prevent me from staying here with them." 

"What are you planning?" Grey asked him suspiciously. 

Carlos's smile widened.  "Did I ever tell you I wanted to teach Spanish?"

Anita

"Oh no, you guys are not joining me on my honeymoon!" I shouted. 

Dean seemed oblivious that they were even on the plane with us, headed to the same location.  No, he was too busy running his fingers through my hair and playfully nipping at my neck.

The tattoo on my wrist tingled every time his skin brushed mine.  Everyone around us disappeared when his hand cupped my face. 

"I can't wait to get you alone," Dean whispered in my ear.
 

"Do you think you could wait until we get to the resort before you seduce my daughter?" my dad snarled at Dean. 

Grey chuckled.  Ass. 

A growl started rumbling in Dean's chest.  My instincts told me to
comfort him and calm him down.  I leaned into him and placed my hand over his heart.  The rumbling in his chest slowed to a stop. 

"Hey
, everyone. Let's leave Dean and Anita be, okay?" Cooper instructed. 

Dean pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me tight.
 

"Are you ok
ay?" I whispered to Dean. 

"Mmm, I'm hanging in.  Just don't move too
far away from me," he murmured. 

The whine of the landing gear signaled our imminent descent.
 

"We will be in Portland in a few minutes. 
I know it isn't ideal to have so many people around on your honeymoon, but we think we might have picked up a tail in Las Vegas and we need to exercise precaution," Grey told us.

"How are we going to do that?  I don't really feel like hanging with my dad on my wedding night," I complained.
 

"I don't want to come along on your wedding night either
. That is why I'm staying in Portland.  We have you registered under false identities.  Finn's parents are meeting me here in Portland.  The rest of you are posing as newlyweds on a marriage retreat," my dad replied.

The impact of the
landing gear on the runway paused our conversation.  Unfortunately, that quiet ended when Bridgett opened her mouth. 

"How are we to be paired up?
"  She looked pointedly at Finn. 

"Obviously Dean and Anita are together," my dad began. 

"Chloë is with me," Finn blurted. 

"I really don't think that would be for the best. 
Finn and I look more natural together.  Perhaps Chloë can remain with Carlos and help him in Portland," she plotted. 

"Is she for real?" my dad asked
, stunned. 

"I'm afraid so.  She never wastes an opportunity to make a pass at Finn," Grey
answered.

"Listen close
, Bridgett, because I don't like to repeat myself.  The main members of the
Council
have been exploring alternate marriage contracts for our children.  These arrangements are agreed upon based off of what is best for the future of the
Council
, the supernatural world, and the happiness of our children.  We have a member of the
aware
that is a matchmaker.  Her talent is to find soul mates and set them off to meet," Carlos began.

The plane started to taxi back to the hangar, and my father pulled out a blue file folder.  Inside was a picture of a woman.  "Do you recognize this woman?"
He held the photo up for us to see. 

"Yeah
. That was one of the registrars I saw before school started last year," I agreed.  Dean, Finn, and Chloë all agreed with me. 

My father smiled like he was about to reveal a really neat prank he
’d played on us.  "That was the matchmaker.  I just wanted to see you taken care of, but Marguerite and Hans were determined to form an alliance.  Regardless of what any of us wanted, we swore to uphold the vision of the matchmaker.  After all, she doesn't actually do anything more than recognize if two people are well suited for each other."

Finn started to squirm.  I shot Chloë a look after I realized
that Finn was worried that she wouldn't handle the idea of her mom wanting them to marry very well.  She released her belt buckle and sat near Finn. 

"Hey, look at me," she urged.  Very slowly
, he turned to face her.  "I'm guessing by how you just shut down you heard this same news—well, part of it—today, and you have been worried about how I was going to react.  Am I close?" Chloë asked. 

Finn dropped his chin to rest on the top of her head and grasped her firmly to his chest.
  His breathing was hard and slightly panicked.  "I know you are waiting for something to come and screw things up, waiting for me to screw things up.  You think one of these moments is going to become too intense and I am going to want to back out.  Well, I realized there was one other way our relationship could fall apart, and that is if your mother wants us to be together."

Chloë stroked her hands through Finn's soft
, black hair, soothing his tension.  "I know my mother wants us to be together, and I felt...relieved actually.  She is so difficult to fight, and this is one area of my life where I don't mind agreeing with her.  But—" 

Finn groaned, "
There's a but?" 

"But," Chloë continued, "
I do need us to be strong together before we move forward.  We have a few issues to resolve.  And we will because you are important to me." 

Finn reached out and drew her into a brief kiss.  "And how will we know when these problems are worked out?" 

I laughed.  For all the talking—hell, arguing—over their trust issues, they failed to see that those issues weren't really there anymore. 

"They'll get
it eventually," Dean whispered. "Bridgett just hit on Finn in front of all of us, and Chloë didn't retaliate.  Also, the dumb blonde doesn't seem to realize that Finn never looks at her." 

"Why would he?  When you have the one you want
, other beauty still exists—it just isn't alluring to you anymore," Dean said. 

I copied Chloë's movements and stroked Dean's hair. 
"Is that how it is for you?" 

"I have the sexiest wife on the planet
. Why would I ever want to look at anyone else?  You are all I will ever want or need."

"Not me
. I am going to need a few more things besides you," I taunted.  He started that grumbling noise, and I fought back a laugh at my little joke.  "Would you like to hear what I'm going to need?"  Dean nodded his head, too enamored not to try and give me what I wanted.  I leaned in and whispered closer to his ear, "I need a room with a lock and a bed.  Oh, and your hot self to keep me company," I purred. 

A growl ripped from his chest
.  When the plane touched down, Dean tossed me over his shoulder and carried me to the limo.  Finn, Chloë, Cooper, Jo, Grey, and Leah climbed in behind us. 

"I'm going to take Bridgett and check in with Hans and Eliana Christensen to see if the sweeper teams turned up anything at your house
," my dad said, tugging a reluctant Bridgett to the other car.

The car ride was quick to the resort outside of Multnomah Falls.
  We climbed out of the car, and I was scooped into Dean's arms again. 

"You guys have fun
. We'll see you in a couple of days," Dean announced.  I squealed.  "Let's go, wife. You've waited long enough."

Dean

"I love it when you go all caveman."  Anita squirmed playfully.

I swatted her lightly on the
ass.  "Settle down before I drop you, woman." 

Always game for a challenge
, she wiggled herself down and wrapped her legs around my chest.  She threw one arm around my neck, and the other snaked down my back and pulled the keycard out of my back pocket.  She handed me the card and focused on my neck.  I felt her tongue flick out and trace my skin until she reached my ear.  She pulled my earlobe into her mouth, and I swear my eyes crossed.

I felt my body temperature rise higher.
  My heart thumped in my chest, and my body was trembling.  I fumbled with the keycard in the lock, scraping the card against the wood several times before I swiped it through.  I pushed the door open and carried her over the threshold.

She slid
down the length of my body.  I felt her soft curves and firm muscles press into my arms, my chest, and lower, and I sucked in a pained breath.  It was the sweetest torture.  Anita's eyes sparkled, and a flush crept on her face.  I dug my fingers into her waist, begging her to slow down or speed up.  I wanted to drag out this seduction and end it simultaneously. 

Suddenly
, the difference in our level of experience worried me.  What if I couldn't live up to her expectations?  I wanted her so badly—what if I couldn't last?  I needed a few minutes to calm down before I totally humiliated myself and ruined our wedding night.