Painfully Ordinary Special Edition (29 page)

“So, where
are we going?” I asked casually.

Talon took
me by the hand and led me to a bright-red Jeep Wrangler.

“Really?
For us?
You were listening
when Leah and I talked about our last trip here, weren’t you? I love the feel
of the warm wind blowing through my hair.” I gushed enthusiastically.

He stroked
my hair. “How many times must I tell you my only concern is making you happy?”

He leaned
the seat forward so Jace could lift Leah into the backseat. Jace jumped into
the backseat next to Leah throwing his arm over her shoulder. Talon lifted me
gently into the passenger seat and fastened my seatbelt. He started the
ignition and we drove down the road lined in beautiful flowers.

As we turned
onto the Piilani Highway, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warm scented breeze
blowing through my hair. I could see Talon’s smile out of the corner of my eye.
Jace and Leah nuzzled in the backseat while I was content to hold Talon’s hand
and watch the beautiful surroundings. He eventually turned onto the Hana
Highway.

I clapped my
hands and squealed at Talon with sheer delight.
“Really?
Are we going where I think?”

He caressed
my face with the back of his fingers. “Depends on where you think we are
going.”

I bounced in
my seat like a small child. “You darlings are taking us to Mama’s Fish House,
aren’t you?”

Leah shrieked
in the backseat and clapped her hands.
“Really?
It’s
our favorite place!”

Jace
chuckled. “That was the general idea.”

Leah leaned
over and kissed him soundly.

We pulled
into the lot at Mama’s and Talon came around the Jeep and gently lowered me to
the ground, letting his hands linger on my waist. Jace cleared his throat from
the back seat.

“Oops, sorry.”
Talon leaned the seat forward to let them
out. Leah and I took a few steps out onto the walkway overlooking the beach. The
surroundings were heavenly. Talon and Jace joined us and we walked past the
beach to the hostess stand.

“Welcome to
Mama’s Fish House. Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes, party
of four under Raikaa.”

The hostess
jumped to attention.
“Oh, Mr. Raikaa.
We have
everything all ready for you. Please follow me.”

I eyed Talon
suspiciously. “Where do you find the time to arrange all these things?”

Talon gave
me an innocent look and kissed the top of my head.

We
approached a table with an amazing ocean view. There were bundles of white
roses on two of the chairs. Leah shot Jace a blinding grin and threw her arms
around his neck as I stood on tiptoe, kissing Talon on the neck.

Even wearing
3-4 inch wedges, he still stood more than a head taller than
me
.

We all sat
at the table and the waiter came over immediately with a bottle of wine and poured
for Talon and Jace. Leah and I glanced at each other, sighed, and ordered a
couple of iced teas. Our age difference never even crossed my mind until
moments like this.

“How is it
you are never asked for ID?” I mused.

Talon shrugged
“When you’ve lived as long as I have, you learn a few things.”

I rubbed my
chin.
“Interesting.
So, can you get around all laws,
or just this one?”

Talon appeared
suspicious. “Why do you ask? Is there a particular law you’re having a problem
with?

I peeked at
him shyly. “Well, just one, the
Corpora
law which prevents me from marrying you tonight without my parent’s consent
until I turn eighteen in a couple of months.”

I heard the
swift intake of his breath as he captured my hand and held it to his heart. “Caitlin,
do you really mean it? You’d be willing to marry
me?
Here?
Now?”
He asked in a low voice.

His question
stunned me. How could he think I would want anything else?

“Talon, can
you think of a more beautiful setting? There’s no one I’d rather be with, and considering
my newfound identity, there’s no way I’ll ever be able to go to college or hold
down a normal job. I want to see the world. I’d like to see
Feydall
and maybe even meet the rest of
my family.”

He gazed out the window
thoughtfully. “Actually, we could perform the ceremony while we are here, but
we would have to keep it secret. I’m not entirely sure what the consequences
would be if your mother and Johr ever learned the truth. I wonder—”

I spent the
rest of the meal on the edge of my seat, Leah watching me carefully. I knew she
had heard us, but it was too much to hope we could find a way to make this
work.

Leah pushed
her chair back and motioned for me to come with her. “Would you gentlemen excuse
us for a second?”

Jace stood
to help her out of her chair.
“Of course.
I’ll even
give you fifteen minutes instead of ten this time.” He grinned cheekily.

Leah rolled
her eyes. “You spoil me.”

She grabbed
me by the hand and led me to the bathroom.

“Caiti?”

“Yes.” I
answered absentmindedly while checking my makeup.

“Is
everything okay? You seem
really jumpy
. I hope you
aren’t thinking about doing anything stupid.”

I turned and
saw the concern deep in her eyes.
“Oh, Leah.
Everything’s
great. I’ll explain it all to you later. I’m afraid of jinxing things. I
promise
,
I know what I’m doing.”

She grabbed
me by the shoulders and shook. “Oh now you
have
to tell me what you are planning – as if I didn’t already know. You can’t leave
me hanging like this.”

I cautioned
her to wait. “I promise–later tonight, when we get back to the suite.”

She sighed
deeply. “Okay, I’ll hold you to that.”

We finished
up dinner and Talon took care of the check. We picked up our roses and allowed our
respective Prince Charmings to lead us back to the Jeep. This time, Jace held
the seat forward while Talon lifted me into the back. Talon jumped in beside me
and gathered me close. Jace gently lifted Leah into the passenger seat. We
pulled out onto the Hana Highway, the wind blowing the smell of fresh mango
through the air. Talon rubbed his thumb under my eye and across my cheekbone.

“You look
rested. I’m very happy you finally ate something. It’s very easy for you to
become drained during our exchanges, and I hate to be the cause of your
discomfort.”

I suddenly
had a revelation. “Talon, we’ve had several exchanges. The last two have been
especially intense. How is it I’ve been unaffected by the transformation?”

Talon appeared
shocked. “It never even crossed my mind. Only a full
Ethereal
would be completely untouched by the transformation.” He
stared off into space, deep in thought. He suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders.
“Caitlin, love… are you sure Jason was your father?”

The question
hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought back to my vision of Mom and Johr and I
struggled for my breath.
“
Johr
!
That’s what Breeg meant earlier. Oh my
God,
Johr is my
father
.”

Talon’s grin
slowly stretched from ear to ear.

“This
changes everything.” He was speaking rapidly, his accent very thick. “The
daughter of a member of the
Turvata
is frequently granted the right to marry another member of the
Turvata
. Even your status
as a
Lumina
should
not affect this. We could marry anywhere we wanted, and I think Johr would be
quite agreeable to a match between us. He knows I will protect you with my
life.”

I stared at
him cautiously. “How does this affect your original line of thinking from
dinner?”

He kissed me
gently. “Love, it doesn’t change my immediate plans at all. As far as I’m
concerned, I’ve belonged to you since the beginning of time. I’ve spent my
entire life in darkness looking for you. There’s no way I could ever let you go
to another.”

I threw my
legs over his and pulled his head to meet mine. Our embrace began gently, but
quickly heated as our pulses raced. He ran his hand up the length of my leg and
I was shocked. He was normally so careful about keeping certain lines very
clear. Protecting my virtue was at the top of his list. I couldn’t get back to
the hotel fast enough – afraid he was going to come back to his senses and pull
away.

The Jeep pulled
up to the valet stand and Talon hardly waited long enough for the car to stop
rolling before he jumped out and lifted me over the side. Leah and Jace exchanged
a curious glance.

I was so
happy I was positively glowing and, knowing me, it was a definite possibility. We
had to walk past the bar again and the same group was still there drinking. I
don’t know if it was my euphoria or the amount of alcohol they had consumed,
but one of the men approached us and he knelt down at my feet.

I stared at
him in shock. It’s not every day I have a man get down on his hands and knees
at my feet.

“Please have
one drink with us. You’re amazing. I’ve never seen anyone like you” He hiccupped.
"I’ll give you anything you want, just
spend
thirty
minutes with us. All you have to do is sit and talk to us for a while.”

I glanced at
Talon helplessly. He sensed my distress and came to my rescue. He pushed me
behind him and growled deep in his throat.

“My woman
will not be joining you for drinks or anything else. You will not approach her
again.”

The guy was shaking
slightly. He slowly rose to his feet and went back to join his friends, all who
remained speechless.

Talon swept
my legs from under me and carried me the rest of the way to the suite. I
wrapped my arms around his neck and grinned madly at Leah. He didn’t even put
me down to open our door. In fact, he refused to put me down until
Leah and Jace had come in
and the door had closed behind
them.

Leah
giggled. “What was
that
all about? Did
that guy actually throw himself at your feet?”

I nodded
“Yes, for lack of a better description. It was
really weird
.
I have no idea what caused that.”

Jace pointed
in Talon’s direction. “I do. You two wear your feelings for each other all over
your faces. Caitlin, you positively glow when you’re around him. Only an
Ethereal
would recognize the glow, but humans
just sense there’s something special, and they’ll be instinctively drawn to
you.”

I walked
over to the kitchen, pulled the strawberries out of the
fridge
and put them on the coffee table. Leah and I sank down on the couch, kicked off
our
shoes
and tucked our feet beneath us. I flipped
through channels while she grabbed a strawberry for each of us.

“Hmm.”
I said thoughtfully. “If that’s the case, I’ll have
to start watching myself when we’re in public. We don’t want that little scene
to replay itself.” Biting into the strawberry and licking the juice from my
lips, I stared across the room into Talon’s pulsating sapphire eyes. I had almost
forgotten what happened the last time we ate the strawberries.

I looked
around the living area and realized the bags from our shopping trip were still
all over the floor, I jumped up gathering the bags and took them to the
bedroom.

“Sorry about
the mess. I meant to grab those earlier.” I cringed. I hated to look like a
slob in front of company. Of course, Leah had seen me at my absolute worst –
but I wanted to keep up appearances with Jace for just a little while longer.

Jace snorted.
“Please, pixie. The bags don’t bother me at all.”

Talon sat on
the loveseat and patted the spot next to him. I smiled at him before gliding over
and sitting down next to him. He immediately cradled me in his arms.

Jace grimaced
before winking at me.
“Finally.
I thought you’d never
get out of my spot on the couch.” He pulled Leah over so she was leaning
against him.

We all sat together,
simply content to watch the movie. When the credits rolled, Leah sat up and
yawned, stretching her arms over her head.

Jace caressed
her hair tenderly. “I guess that’s our signal.” He gently lifted her off the
couch. “I promised to carry you over the threshold, Mrs. Adair.”

Leah went
into a fit of laughter as Talon opened the door for them and they disappeared
inside. He closed the adjoining door and locked it. I walked out onto the lanai
and enjoyed the warm breeze that was blowing in from the ocean. I could taste
the salt in the air and smell the brine coming off the ocean. Talon came out
and handed me a large glass of orange juice and two chewable vitamins. I giggled.

“Do I really
look that bad?”

He chuckled.
“No, but I don’t want you to ever get as run down as you were this morning. I
was truly worried about you.”

I obediently
chewed up the vitamins, took a big mouthful of the orange juice, and realized
he had poured the rest of my nectar into the glass.

“Nice
touch.” I teased.

“I saw no
point in letting it going to waste. Anyway, I thought it might be a good mix.”

I finished
off the glass and put it on the table. Folding my arms, I leaned on the railing.
Talon came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. Warmth spread through
my body at the contact.
So safe.
It just felt…right.

I cocked my
head to the side never taking my eyes off the horizon.

“I’m
curious. How do weddings work for
Ethereals
?
I seriously doubt any of the races put a lot of stock in a
Corpora
civil service.”

“No, we
don’t usually go down to the courthouse, if that’s what you mean.
Ethereals
don’t require a large formal
ceremony. There is a ceremony used for high profile
Joinings
, like royals, but most marriages
are
created privately and followed up with a large reception for family and friends
.
It’s simply a matter of the prospective groom speaking the ancient text. Once
it
’s spoken
, another cannot separate the two. Their
souls are tied together, severable only from within.”