Chapter 13
Two weeks later…
I was standing in my old bedroom at my parents’ house, getting ready for my wedding, which was about to take place in a couple of hours. I have no idea how my mother pulled it off, but she managed to put a years’ worth of planning, into two weeks.
I felt sick, I had already sent all my attendants away, and begged for some alone time to gather myself. I didn’t even have my dress on yet, but that wouldn’t take long. I glanced at it, hanging on the back of my bathroom door and sighed. I need some vodka or a Valium or both. A sharp kick to my bladder had me wincing, and remembering why that wasn’t happening, and why this wedding was on high speed.
Instead, here I was, standing in front of my mirror, hair and makeup done, wearing my ratty, old lavender dressing gown that should have been thrown out years ago.
“I’ve changed my mind,” I told my reflection. “I’m not ready. I can’t do this, it’s too soon.”
The woman in the mirror just looked back at me and remained mute.
“What the hell good is it talking to yourself, if you don’t answer back. All the good crazies have voices that answer back,” I muttered.
“Well––if you want, I can be a stand in?”
I spun around to see––well me.
“Oh god, I’ve finally lost it.”
The other me laughed before she rippled like water after a stone had been thrown. In a blink, the other me was gone, and Brodie stood in her place.
“Neat party trick,” I drawled.
I scowled when Brodie chuckled deeply at my disgruntled expression.
“Would you have still been laughing if you scared me into labor?”
“Hey now,” he held up both hands in surrender. “Let’s not be threatening my niece now. She still has some baking to do.”
I sighed.
“Brodie, you do realize that I am in no way related to you, so the baby isn’t either, right?”
“Really? And you know every relative on both sides of the family tree, do you? Hmmm, I thought you had only barely met your godly parents, and none of Cernunnos’s family?”
That thought made me pause.
“He has family?”
“Other than The Hunt? No clue, but I doubt it. He is older than time, you know. That little girl is the first naturally born hunt god, ever.”
Oh hell no, we are not going there.
“She is not a god! She’s just a baby, who isn’t even here yet.” I seethed.
“You keep telling yourself that, sweet cheeks. Her daddy is a god. Her mama is a goddess. Genetics tell us that your baby, will therefore be of the divine variety as well.”
I was going to smack the smirk right off his face.
“This is not helping me at all, you know.”
With not a care in the world, Brodie fell back, decadently across my childhood bed.
“Come tell me all about it, dumpling,” he chuckled looking pointedly at my expanding belly.
That’s it!
I materialized a cushion and threw it at his big fat head.
The bastard caught it in mid-air, and put it behind his head, making himself more comfortable.
“Don’t be a cow, Dia.”
Right.
I materialized a cricket ball that time and let it fly right at his arrogant smile. I was going to chip that fucking perfect smile of his.
The ball stopped its forward motion but still spun an inch from his nose. Damn, I was off on my aim.
He reached out a finger and touched the small wooden ball. It crumbled into ash.
“That wasn’t very nice,” he tsked.
“Fuck right off, Brodie. You just called me fat. Twice!”
“I didn’t call you fat, I called you a cow, and a dumpling. If you decided to take that as calling you fat, then it is hardly my fault that you have insecurities about your weight. Personally, I think you look fabulous and have a certain, glow.” He said with a flourish of his right hand.
“Why are you here?” There was no use arguing with the man-child. He would just twist it around again. I hardly knew him, and already, I could tell, he was one of those men that had to have the last word.
“Because you needed me here, of course. Think of me as your fairy godfather,” he giggled. “No wait, you already have one of those. How about,” he tapped his chin. “Your own agony uncle. When you need a pep talk, some girl talk, the sex talk,” he looked at the belly again!
Ugh, I was going to use lightning next time, I swear.
“Ok, whatever you want to call it, Brodie. Why do you think I need you here right now?”
“Oh, that’s easy, sugar plum.”
Don’t hit the insane, more powerful than you, man. Deep breath, and repeat.
It worked. Once he saw I wasn’t going to rise to the bait, he sighed sadly and continued.
“You have cold feet. It’s your wedding day; you get to marry one of the loves of your life, in front of all your family and friends, not to mention every nosy busy-body that could wrangle an invitation. Purely, for the sole purpose of wagging their silly tongues about how the poor little rich girl, who had everything, got mixed up in such a sinful and debauched debacle.”
“That’s some big words, Brodie,” I smiled. “I don’t even think I’ve ever heard anyone use the word debacle in my life, much less in a sentence.” I laughed.
Wow, that felt good.
“Yes, laughter is the best medicine,” the devil on my bed grinned wickedly.
“What did we say about reading minds, Brodie?”
“We said nothing, you said it was rude. If you don’t like it, learn to block it. You really should you know how. Little ears and all that.”
“Don’t tell me that I’m going to have to deal with telepathic infants.”
“Ok, I won’t tell you. That will be the least of your problems anyway, since I’m assuming you are planning to raise her in this realm.”
“Yeah, that was the plan.”
For a second, a serious look entered his eyes, but it disappeared under his normal devilish glint.
“Well, may you live in interesting times.”
“You do know that was more of a curse than a hope for good fortune, right?” I asked.
“Abso-fucking-lutly.” Brodie laughed.
“I was there when Chamberlain said it.”
I sat down on my dressing stool and put my face in my hands.
“Am I making the right choice? I’m not talking about Daniel, but all of it. A year ago, I was moving to London, to learn to make my way in the world. First job, first taste of freedom, first everything. Then it all went topsy turvy, and I ended up down the rabbit hole, with three boyfriends––who are not human by the way. My family has been turned upside down, finding out my bio parents were a teenager and a horny god, who liked to swing. Not to mention The Hunt, getting knocked up, and on top of it all, some fucked up random crazy person wanting to catch and collar me, for who knows what!”
I was breathing heavily by the end of my rant, but Brodie had only raised one wicked brow.
“And?”
“What do you mean, and?” I felt like screaming, but it came out as a whisper-shout instead. All I needed was for the family to come running. That would be fun, explaining a strange man in my bedroom before the wedding. Because my life was not fucked up enough already.
“Well, life is about the up and downs. You’ve had your downs, time for your ups, Dia. Get over yourself already, and go enjoy your day. You only get one––or ten,” he winked.
“Besides, you have three great big hunks of burning male goodness downstairs that think the sun rises out of your––” He stopped when I held up a hand threateningly. The electricity crackling around my clenched fist helped a little.
He sat up and swung his feet to the ground.
“Times up, Dia-girl. It’s now or never. The clock is about to strike, and your sister is walking up the stairs right now to collect you.”
“Oh shite,” I whispered. “I’m not dressed yet.”
“You look nice enough to me,” Brodie chuckled.
I was going to argue, but I looked down to see I was wearing my wedding dress.
“Brodie, you are an arse, but a wonderful one,” I reached out to hug him.
He gave me a real smile and pulled me close.
“What’s the saying, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?”
“Yeah, but–– I was cut off.
“Take this for all of them. It is very old, but new for you, the blue is in its jeweled eyes, and it’s yours to borrow, until the little one gets here. Think of it as an early birthday present for her.”
I looked at what he held out to me. It was beautiful and so finely wrought. Delicate gold snakes wrapped around one another to form a scrollwork of sorts. Each snake was biting the other’s tail, and each had glittering sapphire eyes.
“How do I wear it,” I asked?
“It will be perfect as a cloak pin today, Dia.”
He carefully attached it to the hook holding the lace together. And I was surprised that the heavy metal didn’t weigh it down and pull at the delicate material.
“A little magic goes a long way,” He winked.
“I will see you at the church, dumpling,” he laughed and swatted my butt, before disappearing. I was about to yell an insult after him, but there was knock on my door, followed by my sister’s voice.
“It’s time, Dia. Are you ready?”
“I––” I paused before smiling and opening the door.
“Yes, yes I am. More ready than you know.”
Mara smiled at me happily. “Then let’s get you to Daddy, so he can walk you down the aisle, and get one last threat in to Daniel, Kale and Robin before you officially become their problem.”
“Mara,” I gasped.
“Hey, when I got married, that’s exactly what he told the hubby––that I was now his problem.” She laughed.
“Oh dear Lord,” I sighed. “The man has no shame.”
“Nope,” my sister giggled. “He’s our dad, it’s his job to embarrass us. Now, let’s go and get you married!”
Arm in arm, my sister and I made our way to the stairs where daddy was waiting for us.