Every Dawn Forever (24 page)

There was a knock at the door, drawing her from her introspection.  Alyssa opened it, kissing Dante on the cheek.  “They’re ready for you downstairs, Sydney,” Dante said.

Alyssa said with a smile, “Are they nervous?”

“Of course.”  Dante nodded.  “All males are nervous at times like this.  Mason was so nervous he spilled soda on his shirt because he was trembling so badly, and had to change before we got there.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet.”  Sydney laughed.

Alyssa smacked Dante on the shoulder playfully.  “Don’t go teasing my sweetie.”

“I won’t,” he bowed slightly with a roguish grin and stepped out into the hallway, both arms hooked at his sides so that he could escort them down the steps together.

Alyssa looked gorgeous in the silk gown that showcased the swell of her stomach and her glowing skin.  In a few months, Sydney’s own belly would start to grow, and she couldn’t wait.

Dante stopped just inside the big kitchen.  Mason escorted Alyssa into the family room.  Sydney’s mates had done all the decorating and made all the arrangements for the ceremony and party.  She couldn’t wait to see what they’d done.

As the
baro
leader, Dante had offered to walk her down the aisle, and she’d readily agreed.  Soft music had been playing in the background, and it switched over to
“A Thousand Years,
” by Christina Perri, which was the song that Orion had suggested she walk down to them to, and she’d agreed it was perfect.

“Ready to officially become Mrs. Stone?”  Dante asked as he offered her his arm again.

“Definitely.”

The furniture that had been in the family room was gone, replaced with wooden chairs with red bows tied at the backs.  Her mates stood in front of the picture window, the setting sun making them look like golden gods.  They wore suits, and it was the first time she’d ever seen them dressed so nicely.

As Dante walked her down the aisle, he stopped and she looked at him in confusion, until he pointed to the chairs on his right.  Two laptops sat open on the chairs.  The first one was her cousin Jan and her children.  The second screen showed four people watching eagerly, their faces filled with big smiles.  She knew immediately that these were her mates’ parents.

The laptop was pointed towards her mates and she continued on with Dante, looking over her shoulder at the screens and waving.  They all waved back, and her mates chuckled quietly.

The man who was officiating the ceremony wore a gray suit with a thin black tie.  He slipped glasses on and opened a leather-bound book.

“Who gives this woman to these men?”

“As leader of this
baro
, I do.”  Dante said in a clear voice.

Dante kissed Sydney’s cheek and stepped away to join his clan in their seats.  Orion took her hand and stood on her right, while Sterling and Crux sandwiched her left hand between theirs as they stood on her left side.

As the ceremony went forward, all she could think about was that she was marrying these men today and that she would be not only their mate, but from this moment forward she would also be their wife.  When she’d been sitting in the bus station bathroom, she never imagined that her life would turn out this way.  She never thought she’d find love.  But she had it here, with her men, in spades.

When they spoke their vows to each other, she heard the soft crying of their mother over the laptop’s speakers and her own tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.  She’d never been happier than at the moment they kissed her, one after the other, and they were declared husbands and wife.

The members of the
baro
cheered and clapped, and her guys hugged and kissed her.

Orion took her hand and led her over to the laptop.  “Mom and Dads, this is our mate and wife, Sydney.  Sweetheart, these are our parents:  Claire, Owen, Brax, and Ezra.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Sydney said, and wiped at the tears on her cheeks.

“We’re looking forward to meeting you in person in a few weeks, darling,” Claire said.  “Have fun at the party, and thank you, sons, for including us in your special day.”

Her mates said goodbye to their parents and the laptop was closed.  Then Sydney introduced her cousin to her mates and shared some happy tears with her.  As the
baro
members came to them and congratulated them on their marriage, they said goodbye to the officiant and her family and headed to the dining room, where a feast waited for them.

Dante said, “Your clan should sit at the head of the table, since you’re the guests of honor.”

Mason gasped in mock surprise.  “Wow.  He won’t even let
me
sit at the head of the table.”

Orion took the chair at the head of the table and drew Sydney to sit down in it.  “You’re the leader of our clan, Orion,” she said quietly.

“But you’re the center of our world, sweetheart.”

Sydney kissed him and sat down as he pushed the chair in.  Once Alyssa was also seated, the males all sat down, Orion and Sterling on either side of her and Crux next to Orion.

The meal was amazing, with rack of lamb, golden potatoes, grilled vegetables, penne salad, and a big bowl of cut fruit, which she waited eagerly to dive into.  The chatter around the table reminded her of television shows that she’d watched growing up, with the big families all sitting down and sharing their lives with each other.  The ache that would have been brought about when she thought about her lacking childhood was now replaced with the sweet knowledge that the child she was carrying would always be loved and wanted.

Her clan was her new family, and the
baro
and her new in-laws were her extended family.  She felt supremely lucky to be part of their lives, and she planned to spend the rest of her life showing them just how much they meant to her.

The End

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Contact the Author

Website: 
www.rebutlerauthor.com

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Also from R.E. Butler

Wiccan-Were-Bear Novella Series

A Curve of Claw

A Flash of Fang

A Price for a Princess

A Bond of Brothers

A Bead of Blood

A Twitch of Tail

The Wolf’s Mate Series

The Wolf’s Mate Book 1:  Jason & Cadence

The Wolf’s Mate Book 2:  Linus & The Angel

The Wolf’s Mate Book 3:  Callie & The Cats

The Wolf’s Mate Book 4:  Michael & Shyne

The Wolf’s Mate Book 5:  Bo & Reika

The Wolf’s Mate Book 6:  Logan & Jenna

The Necklace Chronicles

The Tribe’s Bride

The Gigolo’s Bride

Ashland Pride Series

Seducing Samantha (Ashland Pride One)

Hyena Heat Series

Every Night Forever (Hyena Heat One)

Every Dawn Forever (Hyena Heat Two)

Coming in 2013

Ashland Pride Book Two:  Loving Lachlyn

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Every Sunset Forever (Hyena Heat Three)

Coming Soon

Raised by wolves, were-hyena Whisper Callahan has spent the better part of her life struggling to fit into a world where she’s the odd one out.  Her adopted family loves her, of that she has no doubt, but now they’re encouraging her to connect with her own kind.  At an annual gathering of unmated were-hyenas in Pennsylvania, Whisper finds herself torn between the past she never knew and the family that raised her as their own.

Were-hyenas Nyte, Azrael, and Fade don’t expect much to come from the
gathering
except a few days off from work at Stone’s Gym in Dalton, Kentucky.  They don’t expect to follow the sound of tears and find their mate crying in the woods.  And they certainly don’t expect to find themselves trying to protect her from her own family while she comes to terms with all that she learns about herself and her past.  But hyenas are nothing if not protective of their mates, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to keep her safe.  And keep her forever.

It wouldn’t be a Hyena Heat novel without plenty of hot m/f/m/m loving, three males that would do anything for their mate, and a female that is in need of love.  Expect plenty of possessive behavior and excessive use of the word ‘mine’.

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