Since I was a little girl I’d always known I wanted to get married wearing a dress like those I’d seen growing up in South Africa. Mum had worn beautiful ruffles in shades of gold, bronze, and cream, but her dress—along with most of our other belongings—had been damaged during our escape all those years ago. I thought it had been lost, but she surprised me when she sent me the remnants and told me to use them for my own dress.

After three months of fittings and creative consultation with a local designer, I had a dress that combined my heritage with my new modern life. We’d salvaged Mum’s ruffled skirt and added new layers paired with a satin halter top trimmed by delicate beadwork. Isisa and Nandi wore different styles, but we’d all chosen pale gold over ivory and white. To accompany them, Nandi had found a South African store and ordered three matching bib collars with red, yellow, and blue beads, although Isisa looked the most elegant of all with her slim neck and swanlike poise surrounded by the layers of gold choker.

Someone knocked on the door to Leigh and Ian’s guest bedroom, the one beside the kitchen borrowed as a makeshift dressing room and makeup studio.

“Safe to come in?” Sebastian called.

Isisa opened the door to let him inside. Despite being fraternal twins, my brother could have been my masculine clone. He was taller than me and broad in the shoulders with the same pale blue eyes and silky curls. He wore his hair natural and untamed like a white-gold cloud against his tuxedo clad shoulders, resembling his lion half more than ever.

He stopped at the sight of us and held his right hand to his chest. “I’m blown away. This much beauty in one room should be illegal.”

“Sebastian.”

He looked innocent. “What? Those people out there may never see a sight this breathtaking again. I should go warn them.”

With too much distance between us for me to swat him, I mock-scowled instead. I was sitting at the chair while Julia fixed pearl-studded pins amidst my hair. We’d chosen not to straighten or curl it, instead twisting my hair into a fabulous updo. “Stop exaggerating.”

“He’s right. You look beautiful,” Julia said after she finished. “All of you.”

Isisa smiled and smoothed her fingers over the long dark brown feathers accenting her strapless bodice. Her corset and gathered, golden skirt gave the illusion of curves. Her matching hair wrap had hints of russet and cobalt as another nod to our African ancestry.

“I feel like a princess,” I admitted.

“And today you are, my sister.” My brother smiled, moisture gleaming in his eyes. “God, I wish Dad could be here to see this.”

“Me too.” I gazed up at him, blinking rapidly and at risk of losing the battle against inevitable tears. “But I see him here in you. I swear you’re the spitting image of him today.”

Julia dabbed her eyes with a small tissue. “God, I'm getting all weepy again. I didn’t struggle as much to keep dry-eyed at my wedding. Lyle was the one who cried.”

“Please don’t cry,” Nandi begged. “If you cry, I’m going to cry, and you worked so hard on our makeup.”

That made us all laugh and kept the emotional breakdown at bay.

Sebastian kissed my cheek and hugged me. “I’ll be cheering for you, sis.”

Holding hands with Nandi and Isisa, we listened for the wedding march while our escorts waited to lead us to the man we loved. Occasionally, we stole a touch of Nandi’s stomach, stroking her through the airy chiffon layers of her empire waisted dress—for luck, even though she’d told us a dozen times already that being pregnant hadn’t made her a Buddha, no matter how much she showed prematurely.

“Are you ladies ready?” Nikolai asked.

Distrusting my voice, and also fearing tears would ruin my makeup, I nodded. My dashing stepfather stepped forward and offered his arm to me. He had sworn it was his solemn duty and his alone to give me away. Although Ian and even my own brother had volunteered to walk Isisa down the aisle, she’d ultimately decided to ask her mother to escort her to the altar instead. After all, her mother’s strength and perseverance had saved her from a hopeless and dim future.

Initially, Nandi hadn’t known if she wanted to invite her family or not, but on a whim, she’d sent them invitations in the mail. And they’d accepted, her father calling her a day later and asking if he could walk her down the aisle, much to her surprise and secret pleasure. Her family had never been close to us, so it meant the world that they’d set aside their disapproval to provide what she wanted and deserved.

“Yeah,” Isisa answered. “Yeah, we are.”

Someone must have queued the pianist because the music began a few heartbeats later. The wedding procession went out ahead of us. Leigh, Juni, Dani, and Jada paired up with Esteban’s brothers and led the way down the aisle. Julia followed on her own, my matron of honor.

One of Esteban’s little cousins held the honor of being the ring bearer. The red silk pillow had each of our rings tied to it with a golden cord. Sophia followed him with a flower-petal-filled basket, which she took great care in scattering across the long runner stretching across the yard.

Then it was our turn. I’d decided that the others should go ahead of me and put my foot down when they tried to argue about it. Nandi went out first, then Isisa, and finally me. All guests were standing and turned around to watch us travel down the aisle at a measured pace, but I barely noticed them. Esteban waited for us at the end, so handsome in his uniform he gave me tunnel vision, and everything else faded to gray.

We exchanged vows before our friends and family beneath the budding trees as hummingbirds danced around Leigh’s feeders. Spring flowers provided pops of pink, blue, and yellow color against the green yard, and flourishing vines crawled pale purple blossoms over the fence.

I stood between Nandi and Isisa with Esteban across from us and fought back tears of joy as our shared love and happiness pulsed through our pride link. My fingers shook as I slid the platinum band we’d all picked out together onto his finger, with the promise to love and cherish him for all time.

“Since meeting you, my life has never been more complete,” Esteban said in a quiet voice. He looked to each of us in turn. “And I cannot wait to watch our family grow. I love you all more than words can adequately describe, but you all know my heart, and it will forever belong to each of you.”

Nadir passed over each ring one at a time, and Esteban slid them onto our fingers. Each one was beautiful and unique, with his grandmother’s diamonds reset in the place of honor. A tear slipped down my cheek, and I darted my gaze toward his mother. She smiled at me and dabbed her cheeks.

“I now pronounce you all, husband and wife,” the priest announced. “You may kiss your brides, Esteban.”

“Gladly.”

Applause and cheers filled the air as we all exchanged kisses, and then we turned to face them all as a united pride.

Only Esteban and I would be signing papers for now until legislation changed. Until shifters came out into the public and the world understood our bonds, one legal marriage would have to do. But in our hearts, the law didn’t matter.

A piece of paper could never dictate the love in our hearts, the dedication of our bond, and the strength of our pride.

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Author’s Note: Sasha, Nandi, Isisa, and Esteban’s story is not over and will continue in King of the Urban Jungle next year, but first, we’ll be releasing another novel starring Ian and Leigh titled A Man of Many Talons.

Bet you didn’t see Esteban’s secret coming, now did you?! Due to the African slave trade, Latin America has a rich and varied ancestry. It’s quite interesting to study. People with African blood can be found all throughout Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and many other countries in South America. Esteban’s biological father happened to be one of those people with African heritage.

Now, I have a super, super big favor to ask of you. Please don’t spoil the surprise for the other readers. I love, respect, and appreciate your reviews, but I’d consider it an amazing courtesy if when you review, you leave out spoilers of that nature.