The Soul Mate (20 page)

"Will you honor Xan Daniel Delaneu as your
husband for the rest of your life?"

The rest of my life? Oh Gods.

“Yes,” I whispered, staring at my feet,
feeling faint.

"Will you accept his children lovingly and
bring them up according to Roma Law and lead them down the path
Nature chooses for them?"

Children! My eyes widened. I think they may
have even fallen out of my head. I no longer felt faint, I felt
downright horrified. Licking my lips, which had suddenly become
uncommonly dry, I drew in a shaky breath. Xan squeezed my hand. I
took a peek at him and wished I hadn’t. He was grinning.

Dirty bastard.

“Yes,” I choked out. Barely.

Done with me, Jericho turned to Xan. “Xan?”
He asked. The dirty bastard stepped forward to grasp my face in his
hands.

“I, Xan Daniel Delaneu, take you, Trinity
Shannon Petros, to be my lawful wife. I promise to be true to you
in good times and in bad. Especially the bad Trin. I promise to be
true during sickness and in health. And I swear to you fată that I
will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”

He leaned forward and caught my bottom lip
with his teeth. “And then some Trin,” He whispered.

Oh damn. Was I actually going to cry? Yep…
Yep I was.

Xan slid a thin silver band on my ring
finger, on it was a small black stone with flecks of white. A sense
of serenity enveloped me like a soothing balm. All the anxiety and
doubts I had about marriage and the anger I felt about being
tricked again instantly fled, leaving behind only my true feelings
for Xan.

“I chose you Trinity above all others, to be
my wife. I offer this ring as a token of our love, and as a sign of
my fidelity. With this ring and Nature’s blessing, I willingly join
my life to yours.”

I stared at the beautiful ring, turning my
finger over. The white specks seemed to move around, blending
together and then separating, like a lava lamp. A trick of the
firelight, I mused.

“It’s a snowflake obsidian and was my
grandmother’s,” Xan told me softly. “Luludja Deleanu was a powerful
healer, even more powerful than my mamă. I’ve asked her to protect
you if there is ever a time I cannot.”

“Kiss her!” Shandor bellowed.

Becki and Hockey had nothing on us. Xan
picked me up, tipped me over backwards and crushed his mouth to
mine. Every stroke of his tongue was a promise, a pledge to never
let me go and protect me with every fiber of his being.

Jericho raised his arms in celebration. "What
Nature has joined, men will never divide!"

The celebration was just as overwhelming as
the ceremony. The men and women who had danced for money in the
Gaje carnivals donned their colorful costumes just for us. They
performed elaborate dances that ranged from mind bending acrobatics
to awe inspiring fire breathing.

The food was spectacular, the decorations
beautiful and the entertainment top notch. As if I expected
anything less from a camp full of Gypsies.

When the party began to slow, the dancing
began and we passed partners to the cheerful cries of Lajos’s
fiddle. I watched Hockey hook elbows with Becki. They were
adorable, smiling happily as he thrust her forward, passing her
through the line of foot stomping onlookers. The bodies parted,
cheering and clapping as she spun by. Nicu waited at the end to
grab her.

“Hey!” She shouted locking elbows with the
eldest Ĉonka brother as I was being spun by Pitti.

I grinned at her. “Hi!”

“We’re married!” She mouthed.

Hockey was next; he grabbed his little sister
as he spun by, lifting her up and twirling her in the air. Simza
squealed in delight as she flew instead of danced down the line.
Passing her off to their father Hockey paused and looked around.
Becki was supposed to have waited for him at the end of the line
but she’d disappeared. I disentangled myself from Pitti and stood
on my tiptoes to look over the crowd of dancers.

Hockey spotted her before I did. I followed
his narrowed gaze across the end lot to the edge of the living lot
where Becki was shaking her arm out of Tobar’s grasp. He was
gesturing wildly at her and they both looked angry.

I looked back to where I last seen Hockey. He
was standing perfectly still, staring at his bride. The press of
dancing bodies soon enclosed around him and he disappeared from my
view.

Realizing I too had been standing still in
the middle of a dance floor, I turned to head out of the melee and
came face to face with my husband. Caught off guard, I staggered
back.

“Sorry,” I breathed.

He grabbed my hand, lifted it high above my
head and twirled me out into the crowd. Reeling me back in, he
pulled me close and held me. With his chest pressed firmly against
my back and his hands wrapped tightly around my middle we began to
move with the music.

I caressed the strong dark arms gripping my
waist and leaned into the lips pressed against my neck. Shivers
escaped me as his long hair spilled over my shoulders and tickled
the bare skin of my chest and breasts.

There was no more twirling for me, no more
passing down the line. Something primal and instinctual was taking
us over and the music took a back seat to our movements.

His teeth nipped at my neck and with a soft
moan my head lolled back on his shoulder and my eyes closed. I
glimpsed visions of starlit dances by fire light, laughter and
singing, and nights that would never end. I saw Xan as I woke up
next to him every morning, touching him whenever I wanted, making
him smile, having his children…and loving him always.

As if he could sense my thoughts he moved
faster, attacking with more vigor, sucking on my skin, sending cool
shivers down my overheated body.

I cried out softly, needing more.

Spinning me around so we faced each other, he
crushed me to him and we began to move slower. Cupping my chin, he
tilted it upwards and those dark, wicked eyes of his I found an
echo of my thoughts.

“You were wrong,” I whispered against his
lips.

“It’s not often that that happens.” He smiled
at me and I couldn’t stop myself from pressing a kiss to that
devilish smirk.

“What was I wrong about fată?” He asked,
running his hands roughly through my hair, destroying Jaelle’s
masterpiece.

“About magic,” I told him.

“Oh I was, was I?”

“You do have it.” I grinned. “Without it you
couldn’t have broken the spell.”

He paused for a second and just stared down
at me. Then his mouth met mine in a collision of teeth, tongue and
hunger.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Hungary, 1074 A.C.E.

Treime was exhausted. It was the second day
of wedding festivities and what little sleep she’d gotten Emilian
had interrupted with vigorous bouts of lovemaking.

She was eager for life to get back to normal
around camp but celebration is important to the Romani, especially
after the birth of a child or a new marriage. The continuation of
the clan is everything but Treime didn’t think her legs could take
another day of dancing or lovemaking.

“
Treime! Come see! The men have brought
the pigs and they are huge!” Little Donka looked so excited about
the roasting of pigs that she gave in, hiked up her skirts and
followed the girl outside the bridal tent.

Emilian. She smelled him immediately.
Although the copious amounts alcohol he’d ingested almost
overpowered the beautiful scent she had associated with him her
entire life.

Large hands encircled her waist and swung her
around. “My wife, my beautiful wife!” A group of men playing
fiddles paused in their merrymaking to cheer. Donka giggled before
running off.

Treime swatted at her new husband. “Put me
down.”

His smile faded. “What’s wrong puţin o?”

She shook her head. “Nothing really. Just
tired.”

His smile returned. “In that case, you’ll be
happy. It’s time Treime.”

Treime didn’t smile back. She wasn’t looking
forward to this part of her wedding at all. She allowed her husband
to lead her toward the bonfire where the feasting was in full
swing. Her mami and sisters were waiting for her with tears
streaming down their faces.

With a tentative glance at the Baró’s wife
Treime felt her stomach sink all the way to her knees. Violca
waited for her, stern-faced, holding Treime’s brand new diklo,
ready to wrap it around her head and hide her hair from the
world.

Treime loved her hair. She took extra good
care of her shimmering waist length black locks, and didn’t care of
it made her vain in the eyes of the lord. She knew it was beautiful
and wanted to show it off. Wanted it to be seen and now wanted
everyone to know that Emilian’s wife had such a lovely trait.

Her tată kissed her first, on both cheeks and
both hands, his face full of fatherly pride. “Ten and eight already
daughter? I swear you were born just yesterday.”

Her two sisters hugged her tight and her mami
embraced her.

“
I’m not leaving you,” Treime whispered to
her weeping mami. “I’ll be right across camp with that… awful
woman.”

“
No, you’re not leaving,” Her mami
whispered back. “But you are a woman now and I thank god I have
raised such a wonderful child.”

She took out Treime’s braids slowly, much to
Violca’s dismay, then ran her fingers gently through the loose
hair. Treime had seen the ritual done so many times before and had
never fully understood why everyone was so emotional over such a
trivial thing.

But now, at her own ceremony, she was crying,
refusing to leave the arms of her mami.

Violca pried her away and tied the violet
colored scarf around her head. She knotted it tightly in place and
tucked any stray hairs away to symbolize Treime’s status as a
married woman. Never again would she be allowed to be seen in
public without it. Her eyes met Emilian’s. He smiled at her, his
pride evident. And then it was done.

Whooping with joy, Emilian leapt in the air.
Then he grabbed Treime, swept her off her feet and before she knew
it, they were dancing again.

By the time they reached their tent Treime
could barely walk. Emilian lay her down on their lush bed of furs
and kissed her tenderly.

“
I hate it,” Treime pouted as Emilian
began untying her diklo.

“
Ah, puţin o you’re even more beautiful
now that you are my wife.”

As Emilian began to untie her bodice, Treime
shot him a look of annoyance and grunted her displeasure. “Really
Emilian? Again?”

His eyes grayed and heat swept through her.
“Really Treime, again and again and again. I shall never tire of
you.”

She felt her husband’s magic envelope the
small space; he could barely contain it in her presence.

Her own eyes grayed with lust and their
shared magic crackled at her fingertips. She knocked Emilian on his
back with a blast of air.

He laughed heartily. “Couldn’t Nature have
gifted me a more docile wife?”

Treime’s magic crackled angrily as her temper
flared.

Still on his back he held his arms out to
her. “Come here my love, I wouldn’t change you for the world.”

“
You can have your way husband,” She told
him, smiling. “Just be sure to get me with child quickly. I have no
desire to live with that mamă of yours any longer than we have
too."

“
Ahh, Treime…” He laughed again, rolling
over top of her. “Have I given you reason to believe that I don’t
plan on keeping you heavy with my children for many, many years to
come?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“Shandor Asenov,” Jericho announced.

Kizzy let out a bloodcurdling scream. “You
cannot make them both go!”

Maisera nodded in agreement. “She’s right
Jericho. You’ve already drawn his father, pick another name.”

Shandor gave his mother a thunderous look.
“I’m going with tată. You’ll have Simionce home with you.”

Giving him a nod of respect Jericho continued
pulling out names from a box that would decide who was going on the
next raid. So far Gunnar Horváth, Marko Siwak, Punka Moldoveanu,
Mihai and Shandor Asenov, and Benyamin Vãdura had been
selected.

Jericho stuck his hand in the box again. He
pulled out the small slip of paper and sighed. Maisera looked over
his arm and closed her eyes.

“Stefen Sava Jr.,” He announced. “I’m sorry
Becki.”

Becki didn’t scream or cry out in protest.
With Hockey’s hand clasped inside her own, she remained quiet

“Last one,” Jericho murmured.

“Xan Deleanu.”

Xan’s arm shot out to hold me back but I
shook him off, jumping up from my comfortable position on his
thigh.

“No!” I yelled. “He goes all the time! Even
when he doesn’t have to!”

“This is true,” Maisera agreed.

“Then the decision is his,” Jericho said.

“I’ll go,” He answered immediately, refusing
to look at me.

Shocked that Xan would give his decision so
quickly, without talking it over with me first, tears sprung in my
eyes.

I was well aware that our camp couldn’t
survive on our small vegetable gardens and the meager hunting found
in the surrounding woods. Raids were a way of life here and we’d
all accepted it. At least I’d thought I’d accepted it. Things
change when you have something to lose.

“You’ve gone on every single one,” I accused
Xan when the meeting had disbanded. “Every one. Even when you
didn’t have to.”

“That’s something you can tell yourself when
you’re worrying about me.” He lit up a cigarette, frowning at the
inside of his pack. “That I’ve gone on every single one and I
always came home.”

I was seething now. Arrogant, danger chasing,
adrenaline junkie.

“Fată?” Xan asked still frowning. “Did Tobar
stop by today?”

“What?” I had to think about it for a minute.
“Yeah, I think so.”