Caia laughed dryly. “Ah, no thank you. I’m safer here.”
Lucien smiled softly. “You’re really not like the others, are you?”
She stilled under his gaze and gulped. Well she’d heard that before. “Is that a bad thing?”
He took another step towards her, his voice low as he said, “No. Not at all.”
“Caia, there you are.” Ella came bustling into the room, unaware of the electrical tension that was miraculously sparking. She brushed by Lucien, smiling distractedly at him, and grabbed Caia’s wrist. “You’re needed for pre-ritual photographs.”
Caia docilely followed her, her gaze glued to Lucien until Ella pulled her out of the room, jerking her eyes unstuck. Her mind was whirring. Had they just had a moment together? It had certainly felt like a moment. She had goosebumps. You didn’t get goosebumps from ordinary interactions... right?
Her mind was distractedly on the dreaded Alpha for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon as they bustled about with setting the house up for the post-ritual party, and settling Irini’s nerves. The backyard had been set up with white lawn chairs for the ceremony, all facing towards the woods where Irini and Aidan would stand before Magnus. The ritual would take place as darkness fell, when the moon was out, and they could call upon Artemis to bind their two souls. By six-thirty the driveway was chock full of cars and the pack were settling themselves in their finery out back in the chairs. The thrum of their voices floated through the quiet house. Caia took a deep breath. She would sit in the front row beside Ella, Lucien, Ryder, and Yvana. As Ella had already mentioned, her seat with the family and the fact that she was wearing the same color as Irini and Ella was deliberate, so that the pack viewed her as family as much as they themselves did. She would sit in between Ella and Lucien, since Yvana, although she had apologized for her outburst, was clearly still affronted by Caia’s mere presence.
“It’s time.” Ella took hold of her hand and led her through the kitchen behind Lucien and Aidan’s family.
“Ella, are you crying already?” she whispered, aghast at the tears in the Elder’s eyes.
“I’m just so happy and yet so sad. I just got her back, you know.”
Caia squeezed her hand and pulled her closer. “You still have her. She’s not going anywhere.”
Ella smiled, and they quieted as they strolled towards their seats. Seeing the family of the mating couple, the pack’s voices dissipated into silence.
Irini and Aidan approached Magnus from either side. He stood with his back to the woods. He smiled at the couple and welcomed the pack. When he stilled so did everyone else, and Caia’s skin prickled at the hush that washed over them all. Magnus tilted his head back and gazed up at the moon. Caia followed his movement, but then looked back at him when she realized that was what everyone else was doing.
“Artemis,” he called in his brandy warm voice. “Potnia Theron,” he appealed, using the lykans ‘mother’ title for the goddess. The rest of his recital was in Greek - the mystery of those words floated across her skin, as gentle and as awakening as the night’s breeze. “Artemis,” he finished, taking Aidan’s hand and placing it on top of Irini’s and holding the two in a bind. “Potnia Theron,” he continued in English, “Bind these two souls together in eternal devotion to each other and to you, their mother.”
Caia gasped as Irini’s and Aidan’s eyes widened, watching as they did as a moon-colored light emanated from their clasped hands and rushed exquisitely through their bodies. Magnus’ expression remained unchanged, but Caia was in awe, her gaze turning to Ella and Lucien to see if they were just as astounded. But no, they remained as still as Magnus, watching as the light burned brighter and then dissolved just as suddenly. Magnus grinned and stepped back releasing their hands. “Artemis has blessed this union.”
Aidan grinned and pulled Irini into a heated kiss that made Caia blush. Irini laughed and pulled back, and turned to smile happily at her mother. The pack was suddenly on their feet, whooping and rushing towards the couple in congratulations. Caia took a step back to let the others by.
“Amazing, huh?” Jaeden suddenly appeared, resting her chin on Caia’s shoulder, draping an elegant arm over the other.
“It was beautiful,” Caia whispered.
“I remember when I saw my first. It was for Christian and Lucia. Pretty awesome... to know that Artemis is really out there, watching over us.”
Caia turned to her with sadness in her eyes. “If she hadn’t bound Irini and Aidan together that would have meant they weren’t soul mates.”
Jaeden shrugged. “Yeah. But supernaturals rarely confuse these things.”
“But it happens?” Caia bit her lip, sympathizing with lovers who had gone before Artemis, believing they were in love, only to have Artemis refuse to mate them. “Artemis says no and a couple can’t... have children together.”
Jaeden nodded distractedly, her eyes on the happy couple. “Yeah, exactly. Come on.” She grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the kitchen. “Get your head out of the dark clouds and into the house. We need to choose the music before someone else destroys the night with ABBA, or something.”
“What’s wrong with ABBA?” Caia mumbled, glancing back at the crowds around Irini and Aidan. She was glad for them. They seemed safe and happy in their little world. She hoped it would always be so for them.
His house was filled with laughter and warmth; people in the sitting room, kitchen, and hallways, all drinking, and dancing, and celebrating. It was a fantastic atmosphere, and he really should be more into it than he was. But he was distracted.
Lucien sighed and leaned against the stairwell in the hallway, beer in hand, watching the festivities around him. Aidan was dancing to Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah with his elder sister in the sitting room. Her face was flushed with happiness and excitement, and Lucien was more than glad for her. One of his biggest regrets was that Irini had had to leave her pack behind. Ten years was a long time to be away, but she was home and in love, and she was safe. That was all that mattered now. He sighed again and turned to surreptitiously watch Caia laughing with Jaeden and Daniel in the kitchen. He’d been doing that since their ‘moment’ in her bedroom this morning. The sight of her standing in the dress as the sunlight filtered across her face just... ah, it was like he’d been punched in the gut, the force of the feeling was that strong. He had been going to kiss her. He knew he would have if his mother hadn’t walked in. That woman had good timing; kissing Caia then would have been a mistake; it would have frightened her and... well... it just wasn’t the right time.
“Why are you standing out here by yourself?” A familiar voice brushed his ear.
Lucien felt like rolling his eyes. Alexa. Instead, he turned and threw her a patient smile. She was standing too close to him, trying to impress him with her low cut dress that fit her like a second skin. Now, he wasn’t immune, and the girl was gorgeous, but her machinations were so obvious. She wanted him because he was the Pack Leader and nothing more. She was just her like brother. And that hadn’t ended well.
“This is a happy occasion, Lucien. You should act like it.” She ran her hand seductively up his arm. “I could make it happier,” the provocative comment was followed with a wink.
Lucien shrugged her off, wondering how long his patience was actually going to last. He hadn’t been bothered by her showing up with his lunch every Saturday because... well, he was usually hungry by the time she did and... she was fun to look at. But the past week her visits had become daily, and her flirtations more dangerously obvious. Ah, he sighed inwardly, wincing at the hope in her dark exotic eyes. She would find out soon enough that even if he might have been interested, there was no way he could make her his mate.