Page 1 of Vibing Unity

1

“I do,” I whispered, shocked how easy it was to say the words. Concern instantly filled Julian’s eyes, but I nodded everything was okay and he smiled.

“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Iolas announced. “Let’s congratulate the newlyweds as they share their first kiss as married partners.”

I smiled at Julian and let him pull me closer. His lips were soft against mine but fierce. He was desperate for me… As I was for him.

Still, I smacked his arm when he took the kiss up a notch. My godsfather was right there officiating the ceremony and my dad was two feet away. Even I had enough shame to not just go at it in front of them.

We’d already done that in the sitting room a hundred feet away where I’d gotten ready. It had started easy and him being so nervous and overwhelmed by people asking him questions that he’d come to find me.

And sneak a peek at my dress. He was pleased from the heat that filled his eyes.

Definitely pleased.

Everyone left us alone and then he was on me, saying he needed me, needed to know I was real, and we were really goingto be married. I argued that he was going to mess up my dress. My makeup. My hair—all of it.

While trying to get his fly open.

So that was how I was commando to my own wedding and yes, my hair was a bit of a mess. He promised that it was sexier than the prim do it had started as.

Sure, sure.

At least Cara and Jordan had hurried to fix my makeup after we were done. They couldn’t even hide their amusement. Whatever, I had no pride left.

Plus, the sex had been too good to be mad about… Even if we got too many looks clearly knowing what we’d been up to. Mostly, people seemed amused.

My father looked like he wanted to pound Julian.

I kind of couldn’t blame him.

“Behave or I will send you dreams of everything he does to me on our honeymoon,” I threatened under my breath when he came to congratulate us first.

“I’ll be good,” Lageos chuckled, knowing he was bested. “I cannot be angry when you’re shining, Daughter. If the warlock makes you this happy then I like him.”

Anya White was there to hug me next. “I was shocked by the change in the ending. I’ve been to human weddings and—did Iolas take liberties or is it a fairy tradition?”

I realized I had a lot of ears, so I decided to address the change. “In one human religion, that phrase is said to originate from when a priest would give a kiss of peace to the groom and then he would pass it on to his bride. But the deeper history is that marriage contracts weren’t valid until the groom kissed his bride and took ownership of her.

“Those contracts were made between her father and the groom—the men. The bride didn’t always have to say the ‘I do’ or that part was skipped if she was unwilling. It has roots againto a handshake finishing a business deal to purchase a mare or house—an asset.” I cleared my throat when people didn’t seem to know what to say.

“It always gave me the ick too,” Julian said as he slid his arm around me. “Another man giving permission for me to kiss my partner. The only one who gives that permission ever is her. So even if it seemed a bit petty or silly because it’s just a tradition now, Tamsin and I agreed we were going to do it how we wanted. I suggested he present us as Mr. and Mrs. Vale.”

“Oh, so you will be changing your name?” someone asked, latching onto the change of topic.

Julian really was amazing and so much better at handling situations like this than I was. He easily explained that he would in our world, but he didn’t want to start trouble for my human life. He was now Dr. Julian Craftsman Vale.

And he hadn’t really had a problem with the vows. Only once I said that it had always irked me and made me uncomfortable when I’d attended weddings did he agree we should change it. I knew it was nitpicky, but… I wanted to start everything right. I didn’t want to say words or have words said at our ceremony that gave meick.

Luckily, I married a man who loved me and understood me enough to want me to feel comfortable always.

I smiled as I saw the hobgoblin children handing out two intertwined magical flowers to everyone. They would never wither or die. They were how fairies did floral anything in their matings, and it was a keepsake most treasured and displayed from the matings they’d attended.

It was priceless since it was coming from a royal wedding—even if not a mating—and made with my magic.

But they’d also done the human tradition for me as well and been flower kids. Halfway down the aisle one of them had accidentally thrown some of the petals at another of the kidsinstead of just in the air and the world’s cutest petal fight had ensued. I had watched from where I was hiding and waiting to walk down the aisle with Lageos.

Both of us had barely contained our laughter. It was perfect.

---