Trifecta: Wind [Complete]

Chapter 25: Over At Last

Time continued forward, that ever moving stream, but I never quite ran out of tears. Sometimes happy, sometimes sad, tears often pressed at the back of my eyes over minute things that once would not have affected me.

Even then they gradually slowed, but I could feel them trickling down my face as I walked down the aisle on my father's arm to find Matthias waiting for me at the end. Not that I had any doubt that he would be there, he had always been waiting for me, longer than I had known, perhaps, as he said, even longer than he had known.

Matthias looked more happy than I had ever seen him when I reached the end and my father passed me to him.

Pastor Jensen, the overseer of the Trifecta's joy and sorrow, led us through the service. Matthias and I proceeded to make promises to each other. Some would would be easy to keep, although some of the smaller points might be more of a challenge.

We kissed and sealed the deal and then we left the church, and greeted our guests. In a truck, garishly decorated by our friends, we headed back to our territory to enjoy a party.

I was grateful for the long drive after the ceremony, because it gave me time alone with Matthias to catch my breath. I smiled at him and it was so easy, doing anything else would have been a challenge.

"This feels surreal," I told him, shimmying over to sit directly beside him. I had worn my mother's wedding gown since my father had kept it for me, one of many surprisingly sentimental things he had done. I looked at the second ring of the matching pair now on my finger and glanced at Matthias's face.

"Yeah," he agreed. "It does."

"Felt like we'd never get here," I commented.

"Yes." His tone was fervent with the memory of just how long he had waited, then he turned towards me and offset it with a grin.

I leaned against him, my heart pumping at his proximity. It was nice to lean on him simply because I wanted to, not because I was looking for relief from harassing magic. Matthias put his arm around my shoulder and for the rest of the ride I simply revelled in his proximity, with my mind on the future.

We arrived at the community hall twenty minutes later. I slipped out of the vehicle, but before I was able to get out, Matthias held me against me and we kissed for long moments, hints of what would come later.

It was a stolen moment, because as soon as we entered the hall we were the center of attention.

Under the influence of the curse, I had not wanted to deal with large groups, but now it seemed as simple as breathing. Surrounded by family and friends, old and new, we danced and kissed and enjoyed the promise of the future we would build together.

Then, when the night was finally over, we got onto the back of Matthias's new used truck and headed off towards our new home.

The house we had been given as a gift from my father and Moramay was small, but still exciting, because it was our start.

As Matthias carried me inside as if I weighed nothing. It was like I had been waiting forever for this moment to arrive.

But maybe I had been waiting longer than I had realized. Perhaps I had been less adept at ignoring what was right in front of me all along than I imagined. Maybe deep down I had wanted this since the first time I had noticed the strength of his shoulders, the height of the man he had become.

Matthias let me slide down to my feet. I glanced at him. "So now that the threshold bit is taken care of, what next?"

It was no time to make it easy for him, I thought with a small smile. "I wonder." I walked further into the house and glanced at him innocently over my shoulder. I did not know the specifics, but the general concept was easy enough. Thank you, incredibly uncomfortable conversation with my father.

I smiled as I heard his footsteps coming up quickly behind me and he grabbed my wrist to pull me to a stop. I let him pull me around and I looked into his eyes at him as he brought his mouth down to my own. My eyes fluttered closed as our mouths came together.

Then we were moving towards the bedroom and made it to the bed and Matthias was all over me. All the waiting was over at last.