Unbound (The Captive #7)(104)
Within the center of the colorful array of blooming roses stood the fountain she’d come to love dearly. Clear water ran through the fountain to spill into its basin. Red and white rose petals floated in the water and more petals had been scattered over the center walkway to create a rose carpet for Tempest to walk down. Chairs were set out, and all of them were filled with the numerous guests waiting for the ceremony to start.
William had wanted to get married in the woods, but Tempest had fallen in love with the garden the minute she’d seen it. After seeing the fountain, she’d decided they should be married while standing before it, and William had happily agreed.
Sadness slid through Aria as she recalled her own small wedding in the woods and Daniel’s loving and wise words as he’d married her and Braith two years ago. At the time, Daniel had been so young. He’d had the whole world at his feet and a lifetime stretched out before him. If only they’d all known how short that lifetime would be, she would have tried to cram in two lifetimes worth of time with him before he’d been killed.
Today, instead of Daniel marrying William and Tempest, William had asked Xavier to perform the ceremony. Glancing back, she realized Xavier hadn’t been the one to follow her out of the room, Braith had.
“What are you doing?” she inquired of him.
“Making sure you stay safe,” but his eyes were latched hungrily onto the swell of her breasts in her blue gown. She may not be one of the bridesmaids, but the blue of her gown matched their gowns. It also matched the blue cloth square Braith and the other groom’s men wore in their coat pockets. Maggie, her friend and lady-in-waiting, had sewn the gown for her.
“I’m perfectly safe within the palace,” she retorted.
His mouth curved into a smile as his eyes met hers. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
She nearly tripped over the hem of her dress and had to resist the impulse to run back and jump him. “I have things I must do,” she replied with far more haughtiness than she felt.
“So do I,” he replied, and one of his fangs flashed in the sunlight spilling through the windows.
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as her feet stumbled on the carpet. Turn away! I’m the worst best woman ever!
She forced herself to focus ahead of her again, but she heard his stalking steps behind her. She didn’t dare look back when she arrived at the solar where Tempest and the other women were. Her hand trembled when she lifted it to knock on the door.
“Who is it?” Hannah called.
“It’s Aria,” she called back.
“Come in! Come in!”
She dared a glance back at Braith when he leaned against the wall beside her, his thick arms folded over his broad chest as he watched her. “As soon as this is over, you’re mine,” he vowed.
Aria swallowed and her toes curled in her slippers. “Then I’m going to get their butts in gear,” she replied before slipping into the room.
She closed the door behind her and leaned against it until she trusted herself enough to walk away from it. Her eyes widened when she took in the chaos of the room. There were clothes strewn everywhere. Hannah hustled from one end of the room to the other with a veil in her hands. Tempest’s best friend, Pallas, was fluffing her hair as Melinda pinched Tempest’s pale cheeks.
Aria almost groaned aloud when she saw Melinda doing this; she recalled her sister-in-law trying to do the same thing to her. Nora, one of the young orphans from Tempest’s town stood in the corner, looking completely overwhelmed by everything. Moira, another woman Tempest had fled Badwin with, was pushing white roses into a thick bouquet while Maeve wrapped a ribbon around the stems.
“We’re almost ready!” Melinda declared. Her hand went to her back as she stepped away from Tempest to reveal her rounded belly. She was due to give birth next month, but Aria thought the baby would be coming sooner as it seemed far too big for Melinda’s slender frame.
“How is William doing?” Tempest asked anxiously.
“He’s nervous,” she admitted as her gaze ran over Tempest’s exquisite gown. She’d never seen anything like it. The sleeves were off the shoulders and dipped down across her upper arms. The low cut of the bodice revealed the swell of her breasts and the front of it ran down in a deep V that emphasized her slender figure and rounded hips.
Ice blue thread had been stitched throughout the gown to match the color of the bridesmaid dresses. More than the ice blue color gave it a wintry appearance. Icicles had also been intricately interwoven and threaded throughout the lace covering the skirt of the dress and the train spilling across the floor behind her. Tempest came from a town where winter had ruled; she’d loved her mountains and the snow. It was only mid-September, yet she looked like the snow-covered village she’d escaped with William and her friends.
“That dress is beautiful!” she gushed to Tempest.
Because Aria was part of William’s wedding party, this was the first time she’d been allowed to see the wedding gown. Melinda had been afraid she’d accidentally reveal something about it to William. Aria didn’t like that Melinda believed she couldn’t keep a secret from her brother, but she’d been more than happy to avoid all of Melinda’s wedding planning. Her interest in dresses was as much as most people’s interest in dirt. She’d actually rather deal with dirt.
Tempest gave her a radiant smile as she smoothed her hands down the front of her gown. “Thank you,” she said.