Under His Guard (30 page)

She didn't seem sleepy at all when I finished, so I tried another tactic, blowing a raspberry on her tummy. Her giggles were as bright as the light shining from her, so vibrant I did it again and again before I finally sobered.

“Your daddies wanted you to nap.”

She squinched her nose.

Calling upon my mom's songs—stored deep within me and stirring to the surface—I sang to Libby. The words and tunes came effortlessly, as if they'd always been waiting for this moment.

Leon strolled in after I'd sung Libby to sleep. I hummed the final refrains while he took in the sight of me with the baby in my arms.

“She's not that impossible,” I whispered.

“Did you use your emo magic on her?”

“No. She's happy. I can feel it. She loves her daddies.”

“You look good holdin' her,” Leon said, quietly pulling off his boots.

“I do?”

“Oui.”
Trodding to me on bare feet, he drew my head back for a kiss that shivered from the dipping tip of his tongue straight to my groin.

“I'm not ready for a baby yet.” I ran my thumb to his chin, hooking him to my gaze.

“I know.”

“I will be.”

“I know.” Leon turned his back and started to undress for bed.

“After you're mine.”

“Already am.” He sent me a smile over his shoulder.

“Not enough for me.” I wanted to get up and grab him, but I couldn't wake Libby. “Say yes.”

“D'ac.”

“No, no, no, none of that
d'ac
shit. You say,
Yes, Darke. I will become your husband
.”

Leon carried the sleeping baby to the makeshift cradle—our drawer of shirts I'd laid out on the floor—and set her down, smiling and crooning. He returned, guiding me to my feet. My heart hammered.

“
Oui
, Darke. I will be your husband and you mine.” The impish gleam in his eyes became something smokier as he led me to the bed.

I needed Cannon and Nathaniel to collect Liberty now. “We'll wake her.”

“You'll just have to be quiet.”

Several minutes later, I bit my lip to stave off a deep guttural groan when Leon swooped beneath the blankets and between my thighs to take me in his mouth.

I was waiting at the altar in the meadow on the afternoon of November 1, 2071. Dressed in a deep red shirt, with a black tie that flapped in the wind and a pair of charcoal-gray trousers, I rubbed my hands together. Darwin had somehow summoned my wedding clothes up from Alpha Territory in the week between the betrothal announcement and our handfasting.

Hills and Eden stood off to the side of me, their presence calming. Evangeline had kissed me on both cheeks when I'd taken my place. The Chitamauga people—grandparents, aunts, uncles, families in all shapes and forms—spread across the field as far as the eye could see. My own crew—Leon's, too—were among the closest circle.

Though Chief Shehu had been counseling me via D-P how to control the flow of emotions from others, I couldn't escape the onslaught of joy that matched mine and magnified it hundreds of times over when Leon appeared on the crest of the small knoll. Nor did I want to. The rich outpouring of love made the luxuriant autumn colors of the decorated meadow stand out as bright as the sun.

Leon paused at the head of the aisle that was no more than our friends and families parting a path for him down the center. Today everyone held a candle guarded against the flirty breeze by a small glass cylinder. But none of those flames could hold a candle to my angel. He wore sleek leather pants and a tight white shirt, his jacket zipped low. His hair was down around his shoulders, and the honey-brown waves danced in the wind.

He walked alone and I stood by myself. For this we needed no backup or help. He nodded when he was touched or spoken to, but once he locked his gaze on me, it never left.

When he stepped onto the wooden platform, I reached out and cupped his face. I kissed him with years of yearning, desire, and love swelling inside me. Swallowing his moan, I finally parted from his lips to delve into his clear gaze. His irises bloomed with a bright sheen.

Liberty squalled in Nathaniel's arms, all red-faced and pumping fists. He and Cannon didn't look one bit bothered as they attempted to quiet her cries with soft touches and murmured cajoling, and neither was I.

“Feed the kid already!”

“Check her diaper.”

Cannon took the small scrappy bundle against his chest with gentle care. “Shut the hell up. Libby's just overwhelmed. Now, pipe down so I can hear Leon's and Darke's vows. I didn't fight a goddamn Revolution for nothing.”

“What'd I tell you about the use of bad language, son?” Eden pointed her gnarled ceremonial wand at Cannon.

“Sorry, ma'am.” He ducked his head to Libby's pink cheeks.

“That's Mom to you.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Hoots and hollers followed, and Liz sidled over in a slinky dress—Desert Eagles strapped to her hips. “Give her to Auntie Liz.”

Taking hold of the baby, Liz did that maternal thing, hushing and patting and swaying. Big Man Cannon linked his arm around his Blondie's waist, jerking his chin toward Liz as if to say,
Told you so.
Linc watched his wife—the sniper, the soldier, the confidant—with fresh fascination. Even I did a double take.

Leon's warm lips pressed to the side of my neck, bringing my full attention back to him. We turned as one, facing Hills and Eden, both in their flamboyant ceremonial garb revealed only on the most special occasions.

Hills intoned, “We gather before the wind, the ocean, the earth, and the sky to join these two men in a union that shall never be torn asunder. Not by laws, not by religion, not by the hardships of a life such as ours.”

I squeezed Leon's hand. I tore my eyes from Hills, placing a small kiss along Leon's clean-shaven jaw.

“
Bien
?” I asked, my throat clicking with tight emotion.

His fingers slid along my cheek, and one tear escaped the long black lashes. “
Oui
. So
bien
.” He winked.

I exhaled noisily, and he laughed.

Hills bowed. “If there any here who would wish to object—”

“Fuck no!”

“Get on with it!”

Our elder smiled, clearing his throat. “We recognize a love that was fought for. It didn't come lightly to either man. Their desire to pledge their lives to each other demands our ceremony, our care, and our celebration.”

Hills touched both of us on our foreheads and then stepped back. Eden came forward, draped in her moon-silver gown. She rolled a red satin ribbon between her fingers, then wound it up and down our right arms.

“I bind thee now from North to South and East to West, where your love will carry on all winds. I bind thee from hand to hand and heart to heart.” Eden's palms rested against our chests. “The Goddess has blessed you, as you two have been blessed in finding each other.”

The red ribbon of unity tethered us together as a physical symbol of our everlasting promise to each other—one never-ending ribbon of love. Being superstitious—something that came part and parcel with my abilities—I recognized this was fate. All the obstacles in my course and all the people who'd been part of my life had brought me here. To this place where my existence intertwined with Leon's into a long future governed not by fear…but by freedom.

“You may now speak your vows.”

I was up first. My palms sweating, I felt peaceful and…nervy all at once. Reciting the intimate verse I'd written myself, I had to stop and start again more than once because Leon sang to me with his love and passion and pride and possession.

“I want you to know, I will give you all that I have. My angel, Leon.” I kissed his palm, his wrist, and the bend of his neck. My left arm ran up his back, pulling him against me. I spoke to him as softly as possible, as if every word were sacrosanct. “I will lay down my life for you. I give all my love to you.”

A sob caught in his throat. I lifted my free hand to his face, sweeping the moisture from his cheek. “Please don't cry.”

“It's because I'm happy.”

My heart leaped as a smile burst over my lips, lips I quickly pressed to his.

“If you're ready, Leon,” Hills prompted.

As unsteady as his reaction to my vows was, Leon's voice surged strong and clear. “I remember every'ting.”

Shock rattled through me, since the last time I'd heard those words, he'd spoken them in anger. But now Leon's fingers curled around mine.

“I regret nothin' 'cause it brought us to dis moment, dis place, these people, and most important, to each other. I, Leon de Bellisle Cheramie, promise to love you with all my heart.”

I held him closer by the wrists, feeling our skin heat where our palms rested against each of our thundering hearts.

“I vow to live beside you, to take care of you in all the ways I'm capable of, to protect and to cherish you.” He murmured the final vows against my lips, completing the infinity circle of our bodies, our pasts, our love.
“Tiens-moi serré.”

“I will hold you forever,” I whispered.

Full circle. The war begun and the Revolution won. Love lost, love gained. I lifted Leon off his feet. He tilted his head, moving in for the slowest, hottest, wettest kiss he'd ever given me.

“That ain't fair! We had to wait until after the rings,” Cannon complained, a smile in his voice.

Eden stood in front of us, gently unwinding the ribbon from our arms. She folded it before passing it to me. “Do you wish to exchange wedding bands?”

“Fuck yeah.” Leon dug into his pocket. “Me first dis time.”

He presented a wide band of hammered copper, gold, and silver. It bore the unmistakable marks of Smitty's naturalistic work. “This is a symbol of how much I'm gonna own your ass.”

I exploded with laughter, as did everyone else.

Twirling the circle between his fingertips, he became serious. “I read dis a long time ago in a contraband book. I've always wanted to say it, never thought I'd get the chance.” Shy eyes shined at me when he pushed the ring down my finger. “With dis ring, I thee wed.” The metal warmed against my skin as he slid it home to rest. “With my heart, I thee pledge.”

“May I?” My hands shook when Cannon placed the ring in my palm.

“Yes,
cher
.”

“This was my father's.”

Leon pressed a knuckle to his mouth, and I dragged it back down.

“Now, don't do that, baby. I need your ring finger.” I spun the ring slowly down his finger and kissed the very tip. “My heart,
mon coeur
, my angel. Be mine.”

He nodded his head, accepting my ring. “Always.”

“Forever,” I said with conviction.

I sniffed so as not to cry, but my small effort was futile. With Leon's hand clasped in mine, we turned to the congregation. Everyone began pumping their fists to the air.

Hills beamed like the last blazing night star from the middle of the altar. “Today we rejoice!”

“To Leon! To Darke!”

Leon leaped into my arms, laughing, crying, kissing. I set him down to do the final duties, to give honor to my elders, Eden first with a kiss to her cheek. Hills last. We both knew this would be his final handfasting.

I clasped his palm. “Thank you.”

“You will take care of our people, Warrior Darke?”

“I will.” With those two words, I accepted my future place as commune elder.

Hills's head snapped up when the red ribbons unfurled from each person's hand in so many dancing arcs across the sky. Their shouts raised in unison:
Live in Freedom. Love at Will!

Leon and I walked the long rows, hugging everyone who had stood witness to our marriage on our way to the town hall. Festivities were our specialty when we weren't knee-deep in Revolutionary shit. Tonight the party was in full swing within minutes. Freelander banners hung from the rafters. Lanterns were lit, illuminating the room with a soft glow. Food and drink were abundant.

Leon was dragged from my arms as soon as we'd entered. No amount of grumbling had swayed our friends from pulling him to the middle of the dance floor.

I drank from a mug of ale, unable to wipe the grin off my face. I kept catching sight of Leon's lissome body moving amid the throng as he danced from one person to the next. As long as he didn't rub against that Jack-anapes or Dixon Dickhead, I could deal. Besides, he was my husband now.

“Congrats, my man.” Cannon leaned against the trestle table next to me. He held out his hand.

“Just following your lead.” I shook his hand before pulling him in for a hard hug.

There were very few people who could understand what this chance at second love meant. Cannon was one of them.

“You two looked good up there at the altar,” he said, taking a swig from his cup.

“Felt good. It felt…”

“Right.” Squinting at me, he clanked his mug to mine.

I dropped my voice. “I don't feel guilty anymore.”

“And you shouldn't. It took me even longer than you to figure it out, but the wait was worth it—don't you think?”

I agreed with another taste of my drink. “Where's Libby?”

Rolling his eyes, Cannon pointed across the room, where Micah's twin daughters, Calliope and Dauphine, had Liberty set up between them, taking turns whispering in the baby's ears.

“Built-in babysitters. Nice.”

“Where's your husband?” he asked.

The moment Cannon said that, my throat squeezed. My hands shook so much I had to set my mug down.

He gripped my shoulder. “Yeah. It's pretty fucking amazing hearing that for the first time, isn't it?”

My voice was uneven. “You could say that.” My laugh was tremulous, too. “Leon's dancing, of course. Where's Nathaniel?”