Yield (33 page)

I
’d seen the dress before today, but on her it was something altogether unreal.  Every step she took made the curve of her hips collide with the side of her body and ripple up to her arms.  The dress had to be pure silk and it was against every single part of her body.  I couldn’t see her legs, but this dress left me knowing every inch of them were there.

On the last step she curled sideways and her entire back was completely bare.  I wanted to throw a blanket across her.  She was absolutely a work of art. 

I loved her hair up.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen it up before.  All of her shoulders visible.

The elder before us cleared his throat and both Emma and I lifted our eyes at the same time to find the others.  She was magnificent.  Glowing.  Her smile was a like an aching need met each time I saw it.  Like if I could make her smile one moment after the next it would fill me up until I could make her do it again.

I knew we both said the same words and repeated all the right things, but if you asked me what they were, I’d have to ask the elder or someone in the crowd.

But I remember the ending.

He just promised to love me forever.  He said he
’d always cherish me.  I know he was just repeating the words he was told, but he said them.  His eyes said them if he didn’t know his mouth was. 

The kiss.  I know they said the goblin
’s kiss was all powerful and fulfilled the two who shared it with blissful love, but it didn’t come close to this one.  Human, witch, goblin, or whatever, a kiss is what is it is created from.  Every moment, every heartache, every breath of fear and passion and longing was all wound up in this one kiss.  It was more feeling than any word could express.

Walking on clouds.  The rest of the wedding and reception was just that.  We said our goodbyes and left the courtyard at nearly dusk.  Humans went on honeymoons.  Goblin kings consummated their marriages in their “
chamber room” of love.  Ames had explained that I wouldn’t be able to go to Hawaii or Bermuda like many of the human brides wanted, but I told him that had never crossed my mind.  Really, it hadn’t.  I didn’t care
where
, just the when.

The night was magic.  I couldn
’t have called it something else.  And as far as what the room looked like when I walked through that door...I promised Ames I would never tell a soul.  But I will say this—I think I married the most wonderful man in the world. 

We did sleep.  Some.  Food arrived at precisely the exact time I
’d planned it.  Wicker was the only one allowed near the door, per Emma’s requests.  We didn’t leave the room for another twenty-four hours.  After the next morning, Emma hadn’t lost her blushing face for a second and was now requesting to not leave the room till everyone was in the bed.  When I asked why, she told me she didn’t want to face everyone knowing what we’d been doing all this time.

I chided her silly notion and reminded her every married couple in the court would probably give some good guesses.  She didn
’t like my reason, but agreed to leave for dinner only because we needed to be greeted as part of the customs of our realm.  A celebration dinner was usually held the next night, but Emma made other plans last night and I didn’t want to alter what she had in mind.  It was better than food.

What I didn
’t expect, was the two uninvited visitors who interrupted dinner for a private eye-opening chitchat.  At least they waited till I’d eaten.

Giggles came from every direction. Men smiled knowingly.  I felt like every single person looked at me differently. 

At the table Katelyn stayed on one side with Ames obviously on the other.  Diving into a warm meal was heaven.  I looked up once to see Katelyn whispering to Ellen, a girl I’d met the first time I came to the realm, but never really knew.  They were both the same age.  Even though that was only two years younger, I was farther along in life than they were.  Married and all, the looks they were throwing me made me feel
old
.

Finally self conscious about the constant glances and snickers I asked them what they were laughing about.  Katelyn, my
best
friend, opened her big mouth and says to Ellen across the table not me, “You’re glowing like they said you would.”

I wanted to die.  First, they were talking about me.  Second, I didn
’t think I would look
different
.

I peeked under my lashes and long hair to see if Ames was still engrossed with his discussion to his left and sure enough, he wasn
’t.  He was every bit the chest puffed male before me strutting in a seated chair for every person within hearing distance to know he heard.

“That
’s it.  Paybacks.”  I wouldn’t be the only one sitting here with fire on my face.

A quick flash of unaccustomed fear crossed Ames
’ face before I turned back to Katelyn and Ellen then said rather loudly, “
Sooo
, girls.  Did I mention Ames has a distinguishing birthmark right above his—

A mouth covered mine.

Swerved sideways and laying halfway between two chairs, I was pushed against my husband’s chest and being offered up as a public display. 

Hoops and hollers mounted around the room.  Ames stood me up and dipped me in the kiss, then leaned me back up holding onto my back when I wobbled.

Leaning in he said, “Paybacks can be fun, can’t they?”

“They say revenge is sweet.”

Ames chuckled.  “For the record, I could care less about who knows about my birthmark as long as I know who’s the only girl who gets the privilege of enjoying it.”

“Who says I enjoyed it?”

His brow rose dangerously high.  “Should I go make sure?”

I giggled uncontrollably as he tickled my side and motioned for me to sit back down.

So that didn’t go the way I planned and Ames still had the last word, but I was starting to like him having that
privilege
.

Everyone was full of smiles and laughter after that.  Love seems to make everyone happy.

Until the air in the room changed dramatically when our guards chased two screaming trespassers into the room.  The lesser friendly one of the pair insisted on meeting with Ames.

“You could have waited till after our dinner?” I asked politely holding my temper back in front of others.

“This can
’t wait, grandson.”

“Don
’t.call.me.that,” I gritted my teeth.

“Either we move somewhere or we talk here.”

I was tempted to humiliate her in front of everyone, but I wouldn’t do that to my realm.  They didn’t know what she’d done.  I wanted to hate her with every part of me, but the compassion Emma would show to even her worst enemy made me want to be different in that way too.

In Emma
’s unused bedroom, we formed a circle.  I almost decided to bring Wicker inside with us, but put him and Trigger right outside the door waiting for anything instead.    

Emma stood halfway shielded from my body as I was completely covered in fear of what they might want.                                                                           

Both grandmothers held up an arm.  Mrs. Clark showed me her wrist.  Mrs. Ryman lowered hers and hiked up her skirt.  On both of them was the same familiar mark Ames and I shared.

It meant nothing other than that we were all from the same kind—witches and warlocks. 

“What’s your point?” he asked them pointedly.

“That what you did three nights ago changes everything.”

“And what’s that pray tell,” Ames was slowly closing in with his hand moving up my back to my neck. 

My grandmother hadn
’t greeted me yet.  Not even a word.

“When you offered up yourself as the golden hero boy sacrifice, you made yourself equal to her.”

The way she said
her
wasn’t particularly nice.  And apparently my grandmother thought the same.

Mrs. Ryman
’s face twisted like she was holding back a rush of emotion, “You talk to them like you should.  You’ve lost the right to treat either of them the way you have.” 

Lost the right?

“Your foolishness cost you your born right.”

I
’m still lost.

“Start making sense you old bat or get the he—get out.”  Ames was really mad at her.

“When Ames gave himself the same magically inclined cocktail my coven mother gave you, he sacrificed his magic to give yours back.  When you sacrificed your magic to save the two of you, it left room for sacrifice to be returned.  When Ames returned it, he also connected it, and when the two of you,” Mrs. Ryman looked at the still made bed, “consummated the deal, Ames transferred the born right to you as a female.  Magic doesn’t leave us, it can only sit dormant.”

I think I figu
red out what the mumbo jumbo that came out of her mouth.  I waited either way to be sure.  Ames drank the same drink and never told me.  Either it didn’t work or he got it back and didn’t tell me.  Maybe that’s why he was a sweaty mess when I woke up on the floor the other night.  He was going through the same thing I was.

“You were the coven leader whether you wanted it or not.  I did that for you.  If you
’d severed yourself from her like I said, she could stay in the goblin rule like she was meant to be and you could run the coven like you were meant to be.  You knew for years you didn’t belong.  You said so yourself when you made the deal with Joshlin to retrieve her for him in trade for your freedom.  I was that close to having you then and you gave it all up…for her.”  She looked at me disgustedly.

She must not marry into the Cahn realm, previously the Torrer realm, without a severed craft.

She knew back then.  It was more proof.  “I don’t think so.”

“You have no choice now,” Mrs. Clark turned even sourer. 

“Then considered me grounded. I’m never leaving this realm...ever.”

“
You can’t do that to us.” Mrs. Clark stepped on my foot not meaning to, but when she said that and stepped on my other foot, Ames reacted.

“Touch her again and I will send you so far away from anyone you wish you were in hell.   And never will you hear from us again.”  His face contorted as she glazed over for a fraction of a second.  It was so fast I didn
’t know what magic Ames was doing until she shook her head out and told him, “Your illusions are grand, but mine are worse, grandson.”

I don’
t know who was steaming more, the man before me or his sixty something year old grandmother. 

“She comes with us,” she said from the door.  “If she
’s capable of even running it.”

That was it for Ames.  His bubble was about burst.  I grabbed his hand wanting to end his pain and pulled him back.  “I
’ll go.”

Everyone stopped where they were.

“On one condition.  Ames is always with me, I go when I please, and I am not consumed by that world because I am happy with the one I’m in.”

“
You can’t do it halfway.”

“I
’m not intending to, Mrs. Clark, but I don’t know one thing about it either.  Ames, nor I, asked for this.  If this is your way of welcoming a very unknowing person into your world, you suck at it.  I know Ames like I know myself.  We can learn it together and help make it a better run group the best we can, but we can’t give you our all and be here too.  It’s not going to happen.”

“Then you need to vow before the coven that you will never leave this place no matter what.”

I needed to know something before I said what I needed to.  “Why did you come to the wedding at the Loggin realm and stand up for me?”

“
I regret it.”

That wasn
’t a loving person who needed to be in charge of anyone.  Personal gain is her only agenda. 

Her back was to the rest of us.  “Who will be the coven leader if neither of us choose it?”

“Until I die, I will remain.  Then it will pass to your offspring if you refuse.”

“Can
’t I give it to someone else in some kind of ritual circle kind of thing?” I asked.

She didn
’t answer.

“Yes,” my own grandmother started to speak again. 

“Don’t speak.” Mrs. Clark rounded on her.

“
You can’t tell me what to do unless she makes you coven leader again.”  Mrs. Ryman turned back to me.  “You can go before the inner coven and renounce your claim acknowledging that another family may take claim over it.  Only the coven leader can do this.”

With the anger Ames
’ grandmother was throwing out, it didn’t sound like something that happened often.

“When was the last time that happened?  Did it work out then?”

“This would be the first.”

Oh.  I thought about Joshlin the instant she said it.  Leadership was only as good as its people let it to be.  They could have overtaken him a million times in my opinion, but they didn
’t.  Wouldn’t.

Would a different group of people let this evil women do the same?  In answer to that, they have.  “How long have you been coven leader?” I asked the lady who refused to turn and look at us still.

“Forty seven years.”

Of tyranny.  Maybe it is time for a change.

“I change my mind.  I want to be the leader.”

“What?” Ames flipped to face me.

“I think it’s time there was a new leader.  I told you once that you couldn’t let your people be led by a tyrant and I won’t either.”

Mrs. Clark grunted like a dang pig.  Mrs. Ryman smiled the brightest I
’d seen even since all my days in high school.

“
And I won’t either,” Ames looked wearily from me to his grandmother.

“Then we do it together.”

Ames walked me over to the bed I guessed for a small amount of privacy. 

I leaned into him
like he was going to lecture me and braced for the ready.  His mouth skimmed my earlobe, “I will if you will.”

I squealed.  That might not have been becoming of a queen/coven leader but it was me.

Ames grandmother left.  My grandmother relaxed.

I kissed Ames quickly and sat us all on the sofa to do some quick background and organization before we left this room.  I needed a few facts worked out that I knew I were missing.

My grandmother, the seer, admitted she once saw me as leader.  I asked her if she meant more than the goblin realm and received a huge smile.  When I asked if she ever shared this with Mrs. Clark, her coven leader, her smile stretched wider.

My heart broke when Ames heard that his own grandmother sent in the warlocks to take him in as coven leader.  They were instructed, by her, to take me to get to him.  She wasn’t above anything.

Mrs. Ryman said there wasn’t a record of why any of us had magic, just that we all had these strange marks that resembled a tattoo with no actual meaning.  And here I thought when I learned Ames had one that it meant something really awesome.

She considered it might have been a way of knowing if a true witch or warlock lies within that person and perhaps long ago it was a way of letting each other know they were genuine.  The only piece in that particular puzzle she could trace was that magic has grown over the centuries and magic can be sensed when one is taught the proper way to detect it. 

I reserved those lessons for another day.

The bonding-marital bliss-
made us equal partners in all of our endeavors for both worlds and we were sacrificing ourselves for a good cause.                Sacrifice...sacrifice...sacrifice seems to be the word of the day but isn’t that what love is all about?