Page 82 of Chasing Stripes (Enchanted Falls #3)
EIGHTY-TWO
O utside, twilight had deepened to true evening. Lanterns illuminated the path to the ceremonial circle where friends and family waited. The gathered crowd fell silent as Artemis appeared, Bartek at her side.
The twins preceded them, carrying small golden pillows that held ceremonial bracelets woven from both fae-blessed silk and tiger heartwood. Kalyna walked behind, discreetly steering the twins when they veered off course, her fox magic creating subtle illusions that made the girls’ path seem to sparkle.
At the circle’s center, Selene and Tygra waited with solemn dignity. The ceremony itself unfolded like a dream—ancient words spoken in languages both familiar and forgotten, traditions blended from tiger and fae cultures in recognition of their unique bond.
“The soul-tether that connects these two,” Selene proclaimed, her fae magic shimmering around her, “manifested spontaneously, but has been strengthened by choice and trial.”
“What began as instinct,” Tygra continued, tiger heritage evident in her amber eyes, “has been forged into something unbreakable through courage and sacrifice.”
The final moment approached—the exchange of bracelets that would symbolize their eternal bond. Lily stepped forward with solemn dignity, Jade right behind her.
“Now?” Lily whispered, a bit too loudly.
“Not yet, little tiger,” Bartek whispered back, affection evident in his voice.
Jade fidgeted impatiently. “How about now?”
“Almost,” Artemis promised, fighting a smile.
Kalyna caught Artemis’s eye from the front row, pantomiming an exaggerated wink. She’d positioned herself strategically between Gloria and Mimi, the three women forming a united front of support. Despite their different supernatural natures—fox, tiger, and bear—they’d bonded over shared experiences and mutual respect. Seeing them together, smiling up at her with genuine joy, Artemis felt a rush of gratitude for the family she’d found in Enchanted Falls.
The moment Selene uttered, “The circle is complete,” both twins squealed in excitement and jumped forward, accidentally triggering the magical fireworks meant for the ceremony’s conclusion.
Golden sparks erupted prematurely, cascading over the crowd in a dazzling display that drew gasps of delight. The twins froze, eyes wide with momentary horror until they realized nobody was upset.
“Perfect timing,” Bartek declared, kneeling to their level. “The most important members of our ceremony knew exactly when to bring the magic.”
Relief flooded their little faces as they proudly presented the bracelets. With gentle hands, Bartek fastened Artemis’s bracelet, and she did the same for him.
The patterns on their skin shimmered, shifting into their final form—interlocking eternal knots that matched the designs on the bracelets. Magic swirled around them, settling into their very beings.
As they faced each other, the world seemed to narrow to just the two of them despite the crowd surrounding them. In Bartek’s amber eyes, Artemis saw everything she’d ever wanted—acceptance, partnership, and a love that transcended ordinary boundaries.
“My Fairy Princess,” he whispered, his forehead pressed against hers. “Forever.”
The endearment that had begun as a teasing nickname had transformed into something profound—acknowledgment of both her heritage and her precious uniqueness to him.
“My Tiger Hunk,” she replied, her voice thick with emotion. “Always.”
Their kiss sealed more than a ceremony—it sealed a destiny neither had imagined weeks before. The golden light of their soul-tether expanded outward, touching everyone present with warmth and hope.
“Now that’s how you seal a magical bond,” Kalyna declared loudly, dabbing at suspiciously misty eyes. “After years of studying magical connections, and I’ve never seen anything quite so...” She paused, searching for the right word.
“Perfect,” Gloria supplied, wrapping an arm around the fox shifter’s shoulders.
“Exactly,” Kalyna agreed, her scholarly distance momentarily abandoned. “Absolutely perfect.”
As Artemis and Bartek turned to face their cheering friends and family, she felt a sense of completion she’d never known was missing. She had found what she’d sought her entire life—belonging, purpose, and a love that defied ordinary explanation.
From somewhere beyond, she sensed her parents’ presence—not as ghosts but as an echo of love and approval that brushed against her consciousness like a gentle caress. We did it, Mom and Dad, she thought. We protected the bakery, protected the town... and found something amazing along the way.
Bartek’s arm tightened around her waist, and she knew he sensed it too—the blessing of those who had come before, the promise of those who would come after, and the perfect rightness of this moment, here and now, bound in golden light.
“Ready for whatever comes next?” he murmured against her hair.
Artemis looked around at the community that had become her family—the pride members who had accepted her without question, the supernatural friends who had fought beside them, the bakery that would continue her family’s legacy. She looked up at the man bound to her by choice as much as by magic, his amber eyes reflecting the same certainty she felt.
“Absolutely,” she replied. “As long as we’re together.”
The golden tether between them pulsed in agreement, binding past to future with threads of light that would never dim.