Page 26 of Voyage of Magic and Malice (The Vampires of Charleston #3)

epilogue

I HATE RUFFLES

“Is it really necessary for me to wear this god-awful dress?” I ask the small crowd gathered around me. “I haven’t worn this much fabric in three hundred years.”

“Quit complaining, Elsie,” Fran says, zipping me into the fabric torture chamber. “You’re going to look beautiful. Just roll with the flow and let it happen for once. You can’t be in control of everything.”

“Whatever.” I scoff. I sound like a bratty teenager, rather than the centuries-old vampire I am.

Fran steps back from her creation, covering her mouth with her hand. “I was right. You look beautiful.”

“I don’t feel beautiful. I feel like a stuffed hog.” I fluff the oversized skirt, hoping it helps make my point.

“It’s perfect,” Nyssa says, coming into the room. “You’re going to be a showstopper.”

“She’s grumpy,” Fran warns with a smile.

“I’m grumpy because I’m wearing twenty yards of fabric. Can we take this off now?”

Fran has me unzipped and free from bondage seconds later. “You might want to hurry. The guests should be arriving soon.”

“Thank you,” I answer, changing my tone instantly. Truthfully, I’ve become so dependent on Fran, that I can’t imagine not having her around. She’s been splitting her time between Charleston and New Orleans while helping everyone and everything. We all owe her a debt of gratitude.

A familiar energy hits me in the gut, stopping Fran and me in our tracks. “What?” Nyssa asks, looking between the two of us. She looks around quickly. “Do I need to be ready to fight?”

“I don’t think so,” I answer, moving vampire speed out of my bedroom and to the front door. I open the door just before the man on my welcome rug rings the bell.

“Elsie,” he says, taking my breath away.

“Oh, my gods.” I look the man up and down. “You…you are gorgeous.” I don’t wait for an invitation. I wrap my arms around him in an instant, pulling him close to my body. Energy passes between the two of us.

“You can let me go now.” His deep voice resonates through my mind.

I pull back, wiping a stray tear. “Alex, I’m so proud of you and…I’m speechless.”

“That’s a first,” a girl says, stepping from behind him. Long blonde curls hang to her sides, and the smile that covers her face is one I’d recognize at any age.

“Autumn?” I rush to her, copying my motions from Alex. Her energy floods me in an instant. “You were hiding your energy?”

“Yeah. Well, we didn’t hide it.” She turns toward a young woman standing by the gate. “We had a little help.”

“Everly?” I can’t hide the tears that flow down my face. The last time I saw the immortal children, they were just that, children. Now, standing in front of me are three adults. Each is grown and beautiful in their own way.

“It’s me,” she says with a smile.

“Why do I feel like a mom whose kids just came home from college?”

“Because you’re older than dirt,” Alex answers.

“Not quite, but I’m older than you.” I step away from the doorframe. “Please, come in.” The trio follows me into the large colonial-style house, through the piazza, and into the open foyer. “Nyssa! Thorne! Fran!” I call into the house.

“They know we’re here,” Alex confirms. “They wanted to give you a first glance.”

Fran and Thorne appear at my sides with Nyssa running down the stairs moments later. “Oh, my gods. Look at the three of you.” Fran manages to hug all three children at the same time. She steps back, looking each one of them up and down. “You are gorgeous. All of you.”

“Thank you,” Autumn answers. Her blonde hair is styled perfectly, flowing away from her angular face. “You all look the same.”

“Were there any…consequences?” Fran asks.

The trio shares a look. “No. Celeste was able to put us in contact with a practitioner who didn’t require anything of us other than money.”

“I’m so happy for you all,” Fran says, wiping a tear.

“When does this party get started?” Everly asks. “I haven’t had the chance to attend a wedding as an adult. Hell, not ever.”

“Tonight,” Nyssa answers. “The backyard is set up for the small group that’s invited.”

The doorbell rings, drawing my attention to a new energy. One that I recognize instantly. “Amelia, Topher, and the baby are here,” I announce.

Fran beats me to the door, greeting her familiar friends. Ignoring the adults, she takes baby Edon, who is almost as large as his hybrid mother, into her arms. “Oh, Edon. Grandma Fran has missed you so much.”

The redheaded boy laughs and hugs her around the neck. “Nana Fran,” he says with a smile.

“When did he start talking?” I ask, welcoming them.

“Last month. He went from grunts and points to full-fledged sentences and paragraphs in one day.” Amelia sets the heavy baby bag on a chair next to the door. “I have a feeling he’s going to keep me busy.”

“Nana Fran doesn’t care. Edon can come over to my house anytime he chooses.” Fran’s singsong voice fills me with joy.

“Don’t say that too loud. I might take you up on it.”

Topher lifts his nose into the air. “I smell my brother. Where is he?”

“Here,” Cam says, coming from another room in the house. “You have no room to talk.” He sniffs the air dramatically. “Can you even smell yourself?”

The two men embrace, throwing muscled arms around each other. “Congratulations, brother.”

“Thanks,” Cam answers.

“Zeke will be here in about an hour. His flight was held up at the airport.”

“What about Celeste?” Fran asks.

“What about Celeste?” a soft voice says from the open door. Behind the now large crowd gathered in the foyer is Amelia’s twin and a lycan I don’t recognize.

“Oh, my gods. This is more than I can handle.” Fran rushes to Celeste’s side, wrapping her arms around the daughter she raised. She turns to the lycan, wrapping her arms around him. “Jasper, it’s so good to see you.”

“You, too, Fran.” He hugs her back.

“Does anyone else realize how much supernatural power is in this foyer?” Nyssa asks, looking around the room.

“Enough to destroy a city,” Topher says with a smile. “Don’t get any ideas, kids.” He gives the immortal children a look that only a father can perfect.

“Whatever, old man,” Alex answers. My mind flashes back to the little boy who was terrified, abused, and a killer. To see him now brings tears to the surface once more.

“I can read your thoughts,” Alex says, interrupting my pity fest. “I wasn’t a killer.” He wraps his arms around my neck, kissing my forehead.

“I’m not used to you being this tall.”

“Yeah, me, neither.”

“I’ve taken the liberty, even though this is Elsie and Thorne’s house, to assign each of you a room. You’ll find your names on the doors. Please make yourselves at home. The wedding will take place at six,” Fran announces to the group. “You’ll find everything you need in your rooms.”

The group disbands, following each other up the grand staircase and into their respective rooms. I watch as they disappear around the corner. Thorne senses my mixture of emotions and wraps his arm around my shoulders.

“Everything’s going to be alright, acushla.”

“I know.”

……

Three hours later, I’m covered in fabric for the second time today. “Let the record state that I wouldn’t wear all of these ruffles for anyone else.”

Thorne’s deep laugh echoes through our room. “You won’t be the only one.” He steps out of the bathroom wearing an outfit that draws me back to the nineteen-year-old girl traveling to America on his ship and the first night I saw him.

He stands tall, his coat a deep weathered blue with brass buttons catching the faintest light. Beneath it, a burgundy waistcoat hugs his frame, covering a linen shirt hanging open at the collar.

“Oh, my gods,” I whisper.

“Too much?”

“No. Never. Just brings back memories.”

“Aye, for me, too. Whose idea was it to dress for our time period?”

“Nyssa. No doubt for her own personal enjoyment.”

Thorne holds his bent elbow to his side. “Shall we?”

I latch my arm through his. “We shall.” We exit our room, heading downstairs. I have to concentrate way more than I should to get both me and the dress down the stairs in one piece. Waiting at the bottom is the trio of immortal children.

Alex is wearing a pinstripe suit straight out of the 1920s. His dark hair is slicked back, and he’s leaning on a cane for effect. “You look amazing,” I whisper, kissing him on the cheek.

“I prefer the word dapper.”

Autumn grabs onto his arm, wearing a poodle skirt and iconic 1950s clothing. “I’m glad I never had to wear crinoline. This sucks.”

“You look adorable, either way.”

“That’s what I told her,” Everly says, grabbing Alex’s other arm. She’s wearing a pair of straight-legged jeans, rolled at the ankle; an oversized brightly colored sweatshirt; and a pair of high-top Converse.

“You look like an MTV video,” I say with a smile.

“Yeah, I feel like an MTV video.”

“You two look really cool,” Alex says, moving closer to Thorne. “This is awesome. I’m loving dressing from our time periods.”

“Yeah, speak for yourself, but thank you.” Thorne motions toward the back doors of the house. “Shall we?”

The once immortal children follow us through the large double back door into the perfectly decorated backyard. Thorne escorts me down the aisle to the first row of seats. Alex, Autumn, and Everly join me as we wait for tonight’s festivities.

A few minutes later, more guests begin arriving. I lose count of the number of lycan that join, all sitting on the opposite side of the aisle. Topher escorts Amelia and Edon down the aisle, seating them next to us before heading back into the house. He comes back with Celeste on his arm not long after, sitting her next to her twin.

“It’s about to start,” he whispers as he retreats down the aisle one more time.

“I like your dress,” Amelia says with a smirk.

“Pfft.” I scoff. “I’m only doing this for Nyssa.”

“Elsie?” Nyssa’s voice echoes through my mind.

“Nyssa? Aren’t you supposed to be walking down the aisle?”

“I need you.”

I don’t hesitate. I move slower than I normally would but faster than a human, into the house and into her room. “Are you okay?”

She wipes a tear from her cheek. “I don’t know.”

“Do you not want to go through with this? I can send everyone home.”

“No, that’s not it.” She stands up straighter. “I don’t have anything blue.”

“What?”

“You know. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”

“I’ve never heard that in my life, and I’ve lived a long life.” I look around her room for something that will work. I spot a bright blue pencil on the corner of her dresser. “Here. Will this work?”

“Not really. I’m sorry. I realize this is dumb. It’s just that when I thought about this day, I imagined it would be perfect.”

“And something blue will make it perfect?”

“Goddess, I’m dumb.”

I stare at the woman who has quickly become my best friend. “I have something perfect. I’ll be right back.” I return a heartbeat later. Opening my hand, I reveal the perfect blue item.

“No,” Nyssa argues. “That was meant for you.”

“I don’t think Brayden would mind you using it for a while.”

She takes the flawless blue crystal from my hand. The energy that flashes through the room as she touches it is confirmation. Nyssa wipes her cheek, leaving a small streak of mascara in her wake. “This is perfect.”

“Aye.” I reach for the makeup brush on her counter, rubbing it across the smear. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you, Elsie.” Moving toward the window, I see the entire wedding party in place. Thorne is standing at the foot of the aisle, with Cam next to him. Topher stands behind his baby brother, his hand protectively on his shoulder.

“It’s time.” I offer her my arm, and the two of us walk downstairs and to the back door.

“Will you walk me down?”

I turn toward my friend. “Are you sure? You were so adamant that you were coming down alone.”

“Yeah, I’ve changed my mind.” She looks at the lycan side of the garden. “There are a lot of wolves out there.”

“Nyssa, you went through a mating ceremony, for God’s sake. This is nothing.”

“I know. Walk me down and hush.”

She takes my arm once more, and the two of us exit the house, heading toward the sexy sea captain. “You’re about to be married by the hottest vampire in existence,” I whisper. Thorne smiles at my words.

“Thank you all for indulging me with the costumes.”

“Yeah, you owe me.” I take her to the end of the aisle, where Cam is already wiping tears.

“You look beautiful, my mate,” he says for her ears only.

“Who gives this woman away?” Thorne asks.

I wrinkle my forehead. “Umm, me?”

The crowd surrounding us laughs as I work my way back to my seat to be an observer, not a participant. The ceremony doesn’t take long as Thorne moves through the process of joining them as one. “Cameron St. James and Nyssa Jamison, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Cam, you may now kiss your bride.”

I watch in awe as two of my closest friends become one. The weight of this moment isn’t lost on me. The Elsie who spent two centuries running from her maker is not the same woman sitting here today. That Elsie was angry, ruthless, lashing out to spread the pain she carried. She thought she was punishing the world, but in the end, she was only hurting herself.

This Elsie—she sees the world differently now. There will always be cruelty and darkness, but I’ve learned that I get to choose where I stand. I can dwell in the shadows or reach for the light. And for the first time in my life, I am truly in control of me.

As Cam escorts Nyssa up the aisle, Alex reaches over, lacing his fingers through mine. No doubt, he heard my thoughts. “I love you.” I send his way, squeezing his hand slightly.

“I love you, too. Thank you for being my light.”