Jumping to her feet, her face alight like she was about to marry me off, she rushed away, calling back that we’d talk later.
I had to laugh. It was that or I’d freak out under the pressure. Deloria hadn’t been lying—in my time I’d learned and accomplished a lot. I’d even reached the point where magic was often my second or third option to achieve my goals, instead of forgetting I had it at all.
It helped that the swirl of energy was so strong inside now that it made me very aware of its existence. And the fact that I quite liked the convenience of it was even better.
I finally felt ready to embrace it all.
Pushing minor nerves aside, I spent the rest of the day in planning sessions for this ceremony. Usually they had more time, and everyone was in a tizzy about it being tomorrow, but I didn’t really mind. My only request—one I kept to myself—was how much I wished Jacob could be there.
I missed him. Like … so much more than I expected. The way magic had awakened an awareness inside of me, Jacob did the same, and I always felt part of him with me.
Being separated like this was a decision I was growing to regret. I could only hope that all of it had happened for a reason, and that, in the end, we’d be stronger for it.
“You’re so beautiful!” Deloria cried, clapping her hands together as she stepped back to survey me head to toe. Reaching out, she adjusted the headpiece I wore before declaring me perfect.
I hadn’t been allowed to look at anything during the process, so this was my first chance to see what she’d done in her hour playing dress-up with me.
Taking a deep breath, I turned toward the large piece of reflective stone.
This land was no longer as it had been when we first discovered it—everything wasn't encased in gems, so it mostly looked like Earth. A shinier, magic infused Earth. But that didn’t mean rubies weren’t everywhere here still, and this particular piece was stunning. At least seven-foot-tall, shimmery and metallic, it showed a clear, slightly pink-tinted image of how I looked.
“I blessed each piece,” Deloria said, still fussing around me. “So you’re as one with our gods and the stones as you can be.”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely. A month ago I would have scoffed at this over-the-top attention, but I’d grown enough to know that I was blessed to have a family again, and that I needed to appreciate them for all they’d given me.
Stepping closer to the mirrored surface, I shook my head. "I barely look like me,” I whispered.
It started with a crown, a full set of ten rubies crossed my brow, each of them at least twenty carats in size. The metal that held the crown together was red as well, blending in so it almost looked like just the jewels themselves wrapped across my forehead. The piece was heavy, ornate, and absolutely priceless.
Draping off the side and over my hair was a red veil that matched the genie-style outfit. The top was sheer and red, lots of skin peeking through as it fell billowy over my arms until the point it tightened at my wrists. My stomach was on display, another set of rubies crossing a jeweled belt that hung lower on one hip and spanned below my bellybutton.
The red pants—they were definitely sticking on theme—were billowy like the top, tight on my ankles, and my feet were bare. My skin looked darker than ever, and after spending time with my father, I couldn't believe how much I was like him. Not just in looks, but even in mannerisms.
Seemed some things were genetic, even those I’d thought were learned traits.
"You're ready," my mother said.
I surprised us both when I turned and hugged her. Gently, because I was rocking about a million dollars in rubies, and those bitches were like mini-weapons.
"Thank you for everything," I said, feeling a little choked up. "I didn't expect to find my place like this. It's … so much more than I dreamed of."
I was happy. It had crept up on me, but it was there. Whatever had been holding me down for years, pushing at my soul, dragging my energy into the depths of the Earth, was easing as I accepted the fey side of myself, and released some of my past.
Memories assaulted me briefly, but I refused to let them win. Not today.