Page 35 of Gift from the Source (Source of Elementra #5)

Thirty

Gaster

Three months later

My old heart simply cannot take this.

The sound of my shoes clanking against the floor echoes down the hallway toward Aurora’s room and out into the central foyer.

Outside those doors, there are a mass of people waiting.

Waiting to see my granddaughter.

Who is taking an impossibly long time getting ready. We’re minutes from being late.

“You think she changed her mind?”

I scoff as my pacing ceases. “Don’t ask such ridiculous questions. Of course she didn’t. She loves those boys madly.”

I do ask myself how sometimes but never why.

“I’m just saying, my sister can in fact travel far beyond our reaches. If she were to run, who’s to stop her? Not me. Plus, that whole weird the guys couldn’t see her first thing this morning.”

Lyker holds his hands up innocently as if he’s not trying to take a side.

There’s only one side to take obviously .

“That means nothing. Just a strange custom held in the nonmagical realm that she wanted to incorporate. She’ll be ready any moment.”

I sure hope.

My pacing resumes as the seconds tick by longer than my long, long lifespan. The two of us wait in our silence and the little huffs coming from him grind on my nerves.

I’ve already had to tell him twice to keep his paws away from that door. She’ll be ready when she’s ready.

“Gaster, will you come in here for a minute, please? I need your help.”

My footfalls freeze as Willow’s voice enters my mind, and I clear my throat for no reason other than to clear my mind. “Of course, Willow.”

“Get out of my way, pup, she needs me,” I demand as he paces annoyingly right in my way as soon as I go to run for the door.

As I approach it, I pull my shoulders back and shut down my aura.

I know she’s already nervous as it is, and I won’t make it any worse.

“Come in,” she calls after I knock twice.

Yes, I’m sure this is what a heart attack would feel like.

I clutch my chest as the beating organ threatens to fall out when my eyes land on her.

Dressed in a floor-length white gown, the embroidery has changed from the cream that it was, to purple. There was a train to the original design, but now she’s trimmed it so it doesn’t trip her feet.

My gaze falls on the crown on her head, then it swings to Aurora.

My boy placed that crown on her head for her Nexus’s ceremony.

She placed it on her sister’s at her ceremony.

“Gaster, are you okay?”

Willow’s worried tone pulls me from the memory, and I blink away the tears. “Never been better, child. You look amazing.”

Her smile widens and my heart triples in size.

She spins around in place, looking down at the material lovingly. “You think I did okay? I didn’t want to alter Mom’s dress too much.”

“She told you to change it completely just as she did when she found her mother’s. She only told you where it was stored so you could have it if you wanted it. I think she’d be smitten and so proud.”

Her shoulders sag as a whoosh of air escapes her and I take a tentative step toward her. “Good. Okay, I have something old, something burrowed, two things actually. Something new,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows at Oakly, Aria, and Aurora. Judging by those giggling noises they make, I deem I do not want to know. “Now I just need something blue. Will you help me with that?”

Something blue?

“Absolutely. What do you have in mind?”

My confused gaze follows her across the room as she grabs a shirt that’s lying across the couch. I immediately recognize it and my eyes soften as I watch her bring it to her nose.

“It still smells like him,” she says quietly as she passes me the shirt. “I trust your creative genius. Will you use this to make me something blue to go with the dress?”

My throat tightens. “Of course.”

I walk around her slowly as my fingers strum over the fabric of CC’s shirt. With each step, I begin to unravel the threads.

As I come to stand in front of her, I lift the bottom of her dress to see her shoes, and I chuckle as her bare toes wiggle around.

My element glides through my fingers as I begin lacing the blue threads around the purple design she implemented herself. I keep the stitches thin so it doesn’t take from hers but accentuates it.

She laughs and holds her arms out for balance as the silver shoes I create raise her up about an inch. I weave the blue in intricate patterns all over them. Some strands I dye purple as they glide through my fingers so her whole scheme matches.

Once I’m done, I give her a nod and she lifts her dress to look.

“Oh, Gaster, they’re beautiful.”

“He’ll be with you every step of the way, child.”

Her eyes instantly well with tears when she throws her arms around my waist. I hold her tenderly and close my eyes for only a moment.

The sounds of sniffles start echoing around the room and I look at my other granddaughter. “None of that, Oakly. You’re going to start a chain reaction, and we don’t have time for it. ”

“You’re right. Fuck, they snuck up on me. I’ve done so good all day.”

“Sorry, that was probably my fault,” Aurora says softly as she blots her eyes and Aria holds her hand out for a tissue as well.

“Enough, you three. Goodness,” I playfully scold as I cup Willow’s cheeks. “They’re waiting on you, child. Are you ready?”

“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”

“Good. Okay, girls, you first. We’ll be behind you,” I say, clapping my hands together and waving them out.

As soon as we step out of the room, the wolf’s eyes bore into poor Aria. She quietly mumbles a soft thank you as she stares back at him. Willow’s giggling at them draws their attention.

He crosses the few steps over to us and holds out his elbow for her. “Look at you, little dragon. You did so good on the dress.”

“You like it?”

“I do. You look just like her.” He smiles and she leans her head to his arm.

She gives herself a moment to soak up the moment between them, then she straightens her shoulders and slides her hand into the crook of my arm.

“Okay, Aurora, lead me to my men.”

With a giggling line, Aurora, Aria, and Oakly lead the way through to the central foyer and the music begins playing. The voices that drift in from outside quiet down and Willow releases another breath.

Each of the girls walks ahead and the doors shut behind them as we step up to wait for our cue.

“Elementra, I’m so nervous. Why am I so nervous?”

“It’s a very exciting moment. This is your bonding ceremony, and the realm is witnessing it. It’s completely normal to be nervous.”

“If you’re having second thoughts, let me know now so we can haul ass,” Lyker offers.

I scowl at him while Willow glows.

A mischievous smirk crosses her face. “They’d hunt us down.”

His grin melts away at the excitement in her tone. “Yeah, and your dragon man would eat me. I’ve changed my mind. You’ll be walking down this aisle like you’re supposed to. ”

“You’re right where you’re meant to be, filia mea.”

She sighs deeply and I choke on my breath as CC’s voice enters our minds. The sheepish grin she gives me tells me she didn’t mean to shock me. “I was getting worried you were going to miss it. What took you so long?”

“I’m sorry, my girl. I wouldn’t miss this for the realm. Your mother is sitting right here with me. We just had our hands full.”

“Can you really have that much going on in the beyond, my boy?” I ask once I compose myself.

“Here lately…yes. A good full, though. I’m so happy you’re there to witness this, old man.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

I smile down at Willow and pat her hand as the cue to her music starts up.

All heads turn to us, and I keep my eyes on the boys.

If each of them doesn’t shed a tear over how gorgeous she looks, I will turn us around and we will start again.

Willow’s chuckle filters through my mind.

Even as a slow tear rolls down her cheek, she smiles brightly. Through her mind, I reassure CC of it and I inform him the boys are blubbering messes over her.

“Elementra, we come to you today to ask for your continued blessing over this union between Willow Vito and her Nexus members. Corentin, Tillman, Caspian, and Draken Vito. You’ve guided and aided them thus far and in return, they have guided us all. We ask you to continue to do so as they make their bonding official to the realm they serve fiercely. Who will bear witness to that today?” Ry announces loudly as we walk her to the open center spot between her men.

I thought the brute was going to die when she asked him to officiate their ceremony.

He’s doing good so far, though.

“I, Alpha Lyker Quinn, brother of Willow Vito, will witness Elementra’s blessing and give my own to this union.”

“I, Gaster Ducere Cato, grandfather of Willow Vito, will witness Elementra’s blessing, give my own to this union, and pass on the blessings from the beyond given forth by her mother, Iris Quinn, and her father, Orien Caduceus Vito.”

Her brother hugs her to his chest, then turns her to me.

My lips land gently to her forehead.

As the two of us hand her off, Corentin, Tillman, Caspian, and Draken give me grateful looks. Gone are the personalities that usually burn so bright. In front of me are a group of brothers thanking me and accepting the most precious thing in our lives.

I bow to them.

From babies to men, I’ve watched them grow.

They all deserve this more than any I’ve ever known.

I don’t wipe away or fret about the waterworks flowing into my long beard. They are the happiest of tears.

There have been many, many times in my life since the fall of my line that I’ve asked Elementra why she took them all but me.

That is no longer a question in my mind as I gaze at my Guardria and her Nexus.

I am right where I need to be.