United Eden (9 page)

The trio of us shared a remembered grin as we ducked through the door. Our smiles faded in the same amount of time it took the gazes of those closest to us to look the three of us over like we were a science experiment gone wrong.

Way to blend in, Wil iam muttered over to us.

Its the tux, I stated, looking to the side. The dude waiting at the pearly gates cal ed, Patrick. He said he wants his glowing white suit back.

This is imported silk, hand-tailored, and cost a fortune. If anyone even tries to take this baby from me,”he ran his fingers up to his col ar, popping it up rock-star style”divinity no exception, Il throw down.

Hate to break up the two of your stimulating conversation happening here, Wil iam whispered over to us, but were only drawing more attention.

Maybe we should mingle a bit?

Wel if you two werent dressed for some runway show for Wal-Mart, they wouldnt be staring, Patrick snapped, sliding one hand into his jacket pocket. Actual y, wait, Im with you. Of course theyd be staring.

Wil iam sighed, beginning to weave through the crowds. Goodbye, Patrick. He looked back at me and I knew from that alone he was asking me to come with him, wishing he could lead me around the room with his hand rooted at the smal of my back.

I fol owed after him. Wel stop stealing your thunder, I said back to Patrick.

He grabbed hold of my eyes and didnt let them go. Whats thunder without his trusty sidekick lightning?

Patrick may have been a mystery to a lot of people, but he was easy to read for me and I didnt need further clarification as to where he was going with this. A loud, booming noise alone in the dark, I answered him, keeping it light.

Ouch, was his only response as he disappeared into the crowd.

I turned and hurried my pace to catch up to Wil iam, wishing I could pause for a minutes time to enjoy the result of the endless hours Abigail, Cora, and I had sacrificed planning this thing.

When Joseph lunged in front of Wil iam, his face so serious he looked more like his older clone than Id ever seen him, I knew stopping to enjoy the fruits of our labors wasnt going to be happening any time soon.

Because I love you both and dont want to see you suffer a slow, painful death, Im going to give you a warning, although if you tel Cora Im the one that told you, Im a dead man, Joseph said, his voice low and hurried. Or at least never sharing a bed with my wife for the rest of eternity.

Whats up, Joseph? Wil iam asked, angling his body at me. The only intimacy we were al owed in public.

Joseph leaned in, scanning the area like he expected her to materialize from thin air. Coras on her way here with a gown in hand and a glower that could bring John Townsend to his knees. He stood up tal er, something catching his eyes back at the entrance. I take that back. Coras
here
with a gown in hand and a glower that could bring the god of the underworld to his knees. Joseph smiled between the two of us, gathering us into a quick embrace. My advice to you would be”a look over our shoulders resulted in the amplification of his eyes”run!

I heard Coras rol ing grumble as Wil iam grabbed my hand and ran the two of us through the tent, dodging circles of Immortals so deep in conversation they didnt notice us. Reaching the opposite end of the tent, we crouched behind a debutante width bal skirt. Wil iam glanced over at me, his eyes playful and excited, like there wasnt anything better than dodging an angry sister-in-law with me.

You two real y are made for each other, a demure voice said as the wide skirt rotated towards us. In an attire”Abigails eyes sparkled as she looked down at the two of us, arms encircling one another”and an Immortal code inappropriate kind of way, youre perfect for each other.

Might I compliment your gown selection, Abigail? Wil iam whispered, looking up. In addition to making you even more stunning than usual, it serves as an effective means of evading Cora.

Abigail grinned, running her hands down her dress. Why, thats exactly what I considered when purchasing it. She looked at me. It seems the two of you could use al the help you can get.

Youre astute and an angel, Abby, Wil iam said, looking up at Nathanials overbearing form.

You guys real y think thats the best idea? Nathanial asked, his deep voice as quiet as it would go as he took in the two of us huddled behind his wife. Its not like youre Betrothed.

Wil iam and I glared at him in unison.

. . . yet, he added, smiling despite his recent reprimand. You guys real y dressed to un-impress, didnt you?

A teleported Patrick appeared right beside me. Shes coming, he warned, grabbing my hand and pul ing me away, crouching low in his hurried state. I told you to watch your six, he hol ered back at Wil iam, who was looking shock-faced at the two of us, because Cora had found us so fast or because Patrick had pried me from him, I wasnt sure.

Aha! an equal y proud and furious voice exclaimed. Gotcha! I was grabbed by the shirt col ar and spun around, no measure of gentleness in it, to find Cora with the garment bag in one hand and Joseph pul ed along by her other. Joseph had underestimated her glower.
Vastly
underestimated.

You hold her down, she dictated to her apologetic faced husband. Il dress her.

I dont think thats necess . . . Wil iam started, coming to my rescue before Coras slit eyes leapt to him.

I am a woman on the verge, Wil iam Hayward, she snapped, annunciating each word sharper than the prior. Do not mess with me.

Wil iams face of shock was worth the inconvenience of Cora chasing me around. You would have thought shed just told him she was giving up coffee, designer clothing, and Joseph from the wide-eyed look he was giving her.

You,”she snapped her finger my way”are coming with me.

The music stopped at the same time someone clanged a butter knife against Abigails precious Italian crystal. I couldnt see her, but I knew the look she was giving the crystal assaulter.

Ladies and gentlemen, Charles voice cut through the crowd without the assistance of a microphone. Coras fingers and expression dropped from me as she turned her attention to the center of the tent . . . Id never been so relieved to hear Charles voice interrupting a conversation. Please take your seats. The announcement of the Betrothals is about to begin.

I had that stomach dropping sensation times about a thousand. Patrick looked like he was experiencing the same thing. Actual y, as I scanned the faces of the Haywards surrounding me, they al had varying degrees of the same sort of feeling lined on their faces.

That was, except for Wil iam. He was beaming like Id never seen him, no measure of uncertainty to mar the upcoming announcements. His eyes swept over to me, his smile dropping ever so slightly when he recognized anxiety in my eyes. Whats wrong? he whispered.

It was heart-breaking to watch his overjoyed reaction dim. I didnt want to imagine how it would feel to watch him crushed when . . .
if
. . . Patricks name was cal ed out instead of his.

I manufactured a smile, feeling al of the Haywards eyes on me, wondering how I was going to respond. Nothing. Just pre-Betrothal jitters.

I felt the combined sigh of relief from those around me. Wil iam centered himself in front of me, running a hand down my face. The Haywards acted appropriately and quickly, pul ing tight together, forming a shelter against any wandering eyes.

Forever is moments away, he breathed, his lips wanting to connect with mine so badly I could feel his hunger. Il meet you out there. His eyes jolted to the vacated dance floor before flashing a wink at me and taking off in the direction of his father.

Hed been granted an eighth seat at the table of seven, not as a Council member, but as the recently embraced chosen one.

Il see you out there, I whispered, chasing away the tears before they could surface.

Without warning, Cora flung herself at me, throwing the gown bag at Joseph and tossing her arms around me. Good luck, she whispered, her voice tight. Were al here for you, no matter what. Just as quickly, she broke free and headed for the Haywards table, dabbing her eyes with the sides of her fingers.

Josephs parting smile was worth more than any words of reassurance he could have mustered.

Abigail came up beside me, weaving her elbow through mine. The underskirt of her bal gown rustled as she leaned into me. Believe with your whole heart it wil happen, she said, not whispering like Id expected when shed leaned into me. She wanted me to hear this, loud and clear. And so it shal . Patting my hand, she smiled before fol owing after Cora and Joseph.

Nathanial squeezed my shoulder in passing, genuine yet stil awkward as Nathanial and I remained cool acquaintances, although I knew at the heart of it al , he wanted his brother happy and, since that meant being with me, Nathanial had embraced me as another member of his family.

I had to remind myself how to walk as I made my way to my table, situated directly across the dance floor from the Council table, and as I found my place seating from the sand dol ar cal igraphied with my name, I found I was directly across from Wil iam. He didnt miss it either. His eyes grabbed me as he rose from his chair, making a slight bow my direction.

That man has it
so
bad for you, a voice lilted beside me, breaking my attention from the man stil smiling like a lunatic at me.

Ive got it worse for him, I said, smiling over at Sierra before scanning the other faces around the table. I didnt recognize most of them, but the three guys in between Sierra and me had accompanied Wil iam on a couple of his missions out in the medical field.

Excited? one of the guys asked me.

I gave it my best try at responding with an expression that said I didnt know what he was talking about.

Wil iam talks in his sleep, he explained, shrugging his hulking shoulders. If he isnt moaning your name, hes sighing about a Betrothal. His friend to the right elbowed him, but it was more one of those that was encouraging him on that tel ing him to shut up. Ive spent a lot of time with Wil iam in the field. Hes the best man Ive ever known. Youre a lucky woman.

His friend throwing elbows scanned me with peaked brows. Hes a luckier man.

Yes, yes. We al know Bryn is the height of al woman-dom and youd saw off your left testicle to have her. As always, Sierras way with words had a way of bringing on a communal cringe to any conversation. But Wil iam would rip off the rest of your manhood for even thinking about that, so lets shut our traps and show a little respect?

The men hadnt made me feel al that uncomfortable, other than the eyebrow-elbow ones once over, but I shot Sierra a smile of appreciation.

She answered back with a pistol shot hand gesture and a click of her mouth.

The smal talk was abruptly over as a hush fel over the room and the table of men across from me rose in unison. My body ran numb down to my toes and a nervous energy was buzzing with such strength I pul ed the linen napkin into my lap to wring some of it out.

Good evening, my friends, Charles stated, glancing around the room, his eyes the warmest Id seen them as he seemed to acknowledge everyone. Ive never been a man of words, nor particularly good with those words I choose,”a soft laughter of assent echoed through the tent”so why dont we get to the heart of why were al here? he said, pul ing out a piece of paper from the inside of his jacket.

The room went fuzzy in that old-school black and white static television kind of way. It felt quite possible I was on the verge of passing out for a record second time as an Immortal and it wasnt something on my list of things I wanted to do in front of every last member in our Al iance. That would be something theyd never forget. Literal y.

I heard a clearing of the throat that was as recognizable as it was obvious, but it gave me the break I needed in my overwhelmed state to look up, right at him.

Charles paused mid-unfolding and turned his head to his son.

Excuse me, Wil iam said, a smile pul ing his mouth into position.

Charles head shook, but there was no disapproval in it; he looked more amused than anything. Wil iams stare returned to me and he let out the most non-existent kind of winks. Hed succeeded in getting my attention turned elsewhere than on my trepidations about whose name was planted next to Bryn Dawsons on the sheet in Charles hand.

Standing with his hands clasped in front of him, at the end of our seven council members dressed in tuxes, Id understood why hed wanted to get my attention. His surf attire stood out as much as he did in a room and, next to the stark black and white al around him, it brought a laugh to the surface. Thankful y I was able to restrain most of it before what was left surfaced as a hiccup.

I saw Sierra having to work at containing her own laughter then, but Charles pretended not to notice. One guttural outburst was enough for him for one Betrothal announcement.

If there are no more interruptions, Charles said, raising his eyebrows in Wil iams direction, eliciting another echo of laughter from the room. It gives me great pleasure to announce the first Betrothal of the night.

I was pretty sure my name would be last on that list again, because a. they liked the idea of torturing me for as long as possible, b. they wanted to make their chosen ones Betrothal a grand finale, c. they wanted to make sure al the Betrothals were announced before Wil iam tore the room apart when Patrick and my name were paired, or d. al of the above . . . except for b.

Miss Bryn Dawson is hereby and forever Betrothed to, Charles cal ed out, eyes pul ing me out of the crowd, just in time for my face to fal . Heres what I should have calculated in my Betrothal line-up”when the Council was involved, always expect the unexpected.

A few moments passed in silence as I felt al the eyes in the room bearing down on me, as if they were waiting for me to do something. If it wasnt passing out, I wasnt sure what they wanted or if I was capable of it in this present mess.

Charles gestured his hand up, signaling me to rise. I offered him a forced smile, popping up so quickly my knees hit the table on my way up, rattling the tables china. I heard an obvious snicker coming from the Haywards table to the right of the Council table and I didnt need to look to know it was coming from a white tux.