Page 33 of Not A Ghost

Which was when a pair of knuckles rapped against the open door behind him. "I heard someone is getting married today, so I went shopping." Nikki held up a simple summer dress with a pretty floral pattern made of soft pastels. "Evidently, our resident black dog got the lowdown on this ceremony we're going to be doing. I have wendigos and vampires out picking flowers."

"In the daylight?" Thane asked.

Nikki made her way closer, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Dahlia, it's a good thing he's pretty."

"Vampires don't burn in the sun," Dahlia assured Thane. "They just prefer to drink blood instead of fuck. Prefer, not limited to."

"Right," he breathed.

Then Nikki reached over and plucked a trio of hairs from the back of his head. "And now you can go do groom stuff, hunter."

Thane rubbed at the back of his head. "Is there a dress code for this?"

"No," Dahlia said before Nikki could answer. "In my day, the goal was nice, but that was often little more than clean."

"And Roarke is waiting," Nikki said, making a shooing motion at him.

Surprisingly, Thane complied, but Dahlia noticed the witch kept a tight grip on those three hairs. Once her future husband had his things together in the smaller pack, he left, but neither woman spoke until the front door closed behind him. Dahlia immediately sat up and grabbed Nikki's wrist.

"Don't you dare put a curse on him," she warned.

"A protection," Nikki promised. "He got you a ring. I thought you might like to give him something back. If that something just happens to let the rest of us know that he's spoken for..."

Both of Dahlia's brows shot up. "You can do that?"

Nikki murmured like she was weighing her answer. "It's a variation of what they use in those tattoos, I think. The concept is from Obeah, which I learned as a girl in Barbados. Since they told me I was a witch, and that was the only witchcraft I knew…" She laughed once, but it said enough.

"At least you had some myths to guide you," Dahlia pointed out.

Nikki canted her head like she only half agreed, and kept going. "The execution of my spell requires something to bind to him, a bit of his vitality, and a drop of your blood." She jerked her chin at the dress now laying across the foot of the bed. "So put that on while I use a few of the arts and crafts supplies I also got this morning." And she turned, calling behind her, "But I like him, Dahlia. He seems like one of the good men."

What Nikki didn't do was close the door behind her, and Dahlia was still naked in bed. She also didn't care. Throwing off the covers, she got up, had a shower, and then got dressed. Nikki came in with a safety pin to prick her finger, staining a tiny wildflower with the drop of blood, and then Dahlia was left alone again to fix her hair and put on a little makeup.

Minutes ticked by while she did her best to make sure she looked perfect. Dahlia could still remember her marriage to Hrokr. They had both been so young and nervous back then. Fumbling was the best word she had for it. And yet, something about that innocence had felt so sweet. Would Thane be nervous? Because Dahlia was starting to feel it.

Deep in her belly, her gut was twisting and the butterflies were dancing all through her stomach. She kept smiling at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Three thousand years later - give or take - and Dahlia was finally getting married again. Just like the first time, she barely knew her husband. No, she hadn't told Thane that part of her culture, but married couples were supposed to grow together over time. The difference, however, was that this husband wouldn't ask her to be obedient.

When she finally felt ready, Dahlia headed back into the living room to find Nikki braiding a clasp onto what looked like leather. But, before she could even ask, Nikki turned to display what she'd made. It was a bracelet, and masculine, but in the middle of it was one long cylindrical bead. The thing was clear, like plastic, and inside something had been captured.

"Three hairs, one symbol - a flower this time - and a drop of the protector's blood," the witch explained. "I used UV reactive resin to make the bead, so it should hold up pretty well. By including your blood, I was able to both negate you from the effects, but also give him some protection against the abilities of other eidolon. Vampires won't be able to muddle his mind, my spells will rebound, and those who play with fire won't burn him, even if he will feel the heat."

"It's perfect," Dahlia breathed, moving closer to examine Nikki's work. "Thank you. This will make me feel better about dragging him here."

Nikki just pressed it into her hand, then checked her own phone. "Good, because it's almost - " She didn't get to finish before a notification made the thing vibrate in her hand. Flipping at the screen, she chuckled. "Ok, it is time. Are you ready for this?"

"Will you stand as my family?" Dahlia asked.

Nikki wrapped her hands around where Dahlia held the bracelet. "Proudly. And Surya, the djinn, is helping too. C'mon."

They barely made it outside Dahlia's apartment before Surya appeared holding a wreath of flowers and grasses. "Your crown," she said, handing it over.

Dahlia handed the bracelet back to Nikki and took the natural crown. Tilting it in her hands, she paused to look at the intricate weaving of the grass and stems. It wasn't just a simple braid. This was gorgeous. The sort of thing a woman in her day would've been proud of.

"This is amazing," she told the djinn.

Surya grinned. "Well, when I was alive, we had to weave our own baskets. It seems I haven't forgotten as much as I'd thought."

When she settled it on her head, both Nikki and Surya moved in to straighten the floral crown, making sure it was secured with twists of hair so it wouldn't fall off when she turned her head. Then they checked her dress, her shoes, and even Dahlia's eyeliner to make sure that she looked perfect.

---