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“Let’s just say I’m good at what I do, doll,” Kat said, returning unexpectedly. She was holding a hanger with an elegant, moss-green bridesmaid’s dress on it. “Here—try that on,” she told Lana. “And hurry—it’s almost time for the ceremony!”
Molly bit her lip as she looked at the chronometer on the wall of the dressing area. Kat was right—in just a few minutes she would be walking down the aisle to get married to her huge Kindred boss! Who would have guessed that Zach sending that awful video to yet another employer would have ended like this?
But it’s not over yet, she told herself. We still have to get through the honeymoon and the lawsuit!
She just hoped she could manage—it was going to be a challenge. Especially acting like she was in love with Torus while telling him she wasn’t in love with him, though she secretly thought she was beginning to have feelings for the big Kindred.
It was all so confusing! But Molly had no idea how much more confusing things were going to get in the near future…
19
TORUS
Before he knew it, Torus was walking barefoot down the grassy aisle between the benches that had been set up in the Sacred Grove. He had taken off his boots as had everyone else, because the Sacred Grove was dedicated to the Kindred Goddess—the Mother of All Life—and was considered to be holy ground.
The purple and green grass felt cool and ticklish under his bare feet and the trees overhead had been hung with flowering sweet-bell vines, so named because their many tiny white and purple flowers made a musical chiming sound. They hung down in graceful clusters, tinkling faintly in the breeze and spreading a faint but delicious fragrance through the air.
Soft music of another kind was drifting through the Sacred Clearing as well. It must be the string quartet that Kat had promised would play for them during the ceremony, Torus thought. They were playing a song called “Pachelbel’s Canon,” which Molly had specifically requested.
Because he knew the Joining Day ceremony was very important to Earth females, Torus had deferred to the little human in all the details. Though it was a fake wedding, he still wanted her to enjoy it and have things exactly as she wanted them.
Now he was extra glad he had let her pick whatever pleased her. Since getting the TET devices installed on their temples, he had picked up several thoughts from her about how her first wedding had gone. It sounded like it had been a cheap, disappointing ceremony with no after-celebration—what the humans called a “reception—” at all.
Torus had also caught a few of her thoughts about how her wedding night had gone. She had cut them off quickly, but he could tell that her ex-Mate had been cruel to her sexually for the first time that night—probably because once they were Joined, he felt like he owned her and could drop any pretense of kindness.
Torus clenched his hands into fists. Even the few, truncated thoughts that he caught about her ex-Mate’s cruelty made him wish he had ended Zachary Wyndham instead of leaving him alive with just a few broken bones.
Should have killed him, he thought fiercely. Then he tried to push the murderous thought out of his head. He was at his Joining Ceremony—even though it was fake, he shouldn’t be having such bloodthirsty ideas during what should be a joyful moment.
He reached the end of the aisle and came to the altar. To his left was a priestess in flowing white robes. She had green streaks in her hair and the green-within-green eyes of one who has communed with the Goddess for many years. The stone altar behind her was overflowing with flowering vines.
To his right were several of his Jorgen Kindred shipmates. They nodded at him and Torus nodded back. He was glad to have friends to stand with him.
Standing across from his friends on the other side of the aisle was Lana wearing a moss-green gown. Her Twin Kindred husbands were seated in the audience along with Commander Sylvan and his wife, Sophia, and almost all of the workers from the Kindred Information Department. Most of them were staring with wide eyes, as though they still couldn’t believe what was happening.
Torus felt a little that way himself—he never would have guessed when he had decided to punish Molly’s cruel ex-Mate that it would lead to a Joining Ceremony with Molly herself. But he couldn’t say he was unhappy. In fact, he felt his heart lift when he thought of being able to spend the next few weeks pretending to be her Mate. He loved the idea of getting to hold her hand and cuddle her soft, curvy little body close to his own. She was so sweet and delicate and?—
Suddenly the music changed to a kind of march. Dah-dum-da-da…Dah-dum-da-da…
There was a gasp of indrawn breath from the audience and Torus turned to see. Standing at the end of the aisle was Molly. The little Elite was wearing a gorgeous white gown which hugged her curves and a light, diaphanous veil that covered her face without hiding it. It floated around her shoulders like an ethereal mist.
Torus sucked in his breath. Molly was beautiful! He had thought so before, but somehow the bridal regalia made her look even more gorgeous and stunning—regal and lovely at the same time.
“Er…thank you,” he heard her whisper in his head and realized that he’d been unintentionally projecting his thoughts.
“Forgive me, little bird,” he sent back. “I forgot my mental shields when I saw you.”
“It’s okay,” she sent back. “We’d probably better concentrate now that the ceremony is beginning.”
“You’re right. Come to me.” Torus held out his hands and she came to him, almost floating down the aisle between the benches on her tiny bare feet. When she reached him, he longed to lean down and sweep her up, into his arms. She was too far away from him—he wanted her closer.
Since he couldn’t pick her up during such a solemn ceremony, he knelt instead. On his knees, he was only a little taller and it put him much closer to her and the priestess too.
The priestess, who had been staring at both him and Molly, nodded as though in approval. Then she made a motion with her hands and the song the string quartet was playing concluded.
Torus expected her to start the ceremony with vows, but instead she leaned forward and spoke in a low tone which was apparently meant only for him and Molly to hear.
“Listen to me, my children,” she said softly, her green-within-green eyes pinning the two of them to the spot. “I know what you are doing and I know you believe this is not a true Joining.”
