Page 110 of Wedding the Werepanther

“You’re family.” She says it simply, as if it’s no big deal.

But she’s wrong. It’s a big deal. Huge. Her easy acceptance is so sweet and supportive that I almost cried when she first offered it. Even now, emotion tightens my throat as I hook my arm through hers.

As we walk slowly down the aisle, we’re joined by the final members of the bridal party. The flying hearts float over my head, like I’m one of those cartoons with my own personal rain cloud, only my cloud showers me with feelings of love.

When we reach Shadow, Moonlight presses a kiss to my cheek, then does the same to him. “May the Moon Goddess shine on your mating.”

She takes my bouquet and sits in the front row with the other werepanthers who’ve come from Faerie for the celebration.

Shadow grips both of my hands. “My love, you look beautiful.”

“You’re not so bad yourself.”

His grin widens. “Please, I’m magnificent.”

“And humble.”

His laugh washes through me, along with the heady feelings of love and joy coming through our mate bond.

“I can’t believe we’re doing it for real this time,” I whisper.

“Hannah,” Shadow raises his voice, “get this thing started before my bride changes her mind.”

Everybody laughs.

I fight to keep from smiling at his antics. “You’re playing dirty.”

“No, I’m playing to win the greatest prize of all.” He squeezes my hands. “You.”

Hannah steps forward and begins the traditional wedding vows Shadow and I chose for the human part of the ceremony. When she asks if anyone protests the marriage, Wisp calls out, “Nobody better do that!” with chorusing cries of support from the other werekittens and Dewdrop.

Laughter rings through the backyard, Shadow’s loudest of all, and I’m grinning along with him, loving how he finds so much joy in everything, loving that he’s brought that joy into my life.

His green eyes hold mine as he slides a wedding band onto my finger. “I, Shadow, take you Kayla, to be my wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.”

I’ve heard these words a hundred times before, but they still strike me right in the heart, because this time the words are spoken by the man I love as he joins his life to mine.

My voice sounds a little hoarse as I start, but gets clearer. “I, Kayla, take you Shadow, to be my wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.”

At a gesture from Shadow, Dewdrop flies up to hover in front of us, handing him a ring.

Shadow slides the white gold wedding band onto my finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

I take the other ring from Dewdrop, noticing the magic tingling through it. Shadow told me the gnomes enspelled it to change size when he shifts, so he can wear it always.

I grip his left hand and slide the ring onto his finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

Shadow smiles and brings my hand up to press a kiss to my knuckles, the love pouring through our bond so strongly my knees almost buckle.

Severin takes the silver-embroidered handfasting ribbon from Dewdrop, and my familiar settles back on the ground. The fae king has us clasp left hands, then drapes the ribbon over them. Magic tingles through the fabric. “In the modern tradition of the fae, you’ve chosen to write your own vows. You may say them now.”

“Kayla, from the moment we first met, I’ve known I had no future without you in it. You’ve brought so much love into my life, and you’ve given me the home I never thought to find on Earth.” He wraps one end of the ribbon around our hands. “I love your strength and your determination. I love your creativity and your ability to bring joy into the world. You are my perfect mate, and I will spend the rest of my life showing you exactly how much I love you.”

It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard, and I have to swallow a few times to be able to speak.

“Shadow, when I look into your eyes, I see a future I never could have imagined for myself, one full of the kind of magic and love I thought only existed in stories.” I take a deep breath and wrap the other end of the ribbon around our hands. “Even morethan that, you’ve brought me joy and family and the feeling of belonging I’ve always wanted. I love you.”

Magic swirls around our bound hands, and the ribbon tightens until it becomes snug.