Page 133 of Between Imminent Fates

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nina

Five Weeks Later

Nina was stunned. The bubble gum pink that was Celeste’s signature color had now shifted to a deep, mahogany red. It was an intense color that made her violet eyes pop and her delicate features even more feminine.

“Like it?”

“Are you kidding?” Nina laughed. “I adore it.”

Overcome with her affection for the other woman, she tugged Celeste into a tight hug. What was meant to be brief somehow transformed to a fierce embrace that both women had trouble leaving.

Blair interrupted the emotional moment. “We’ve got things to do, ladies. Come on, bubble gum, we need to get you in your dress.”

Forty minutes of lace and corsets later, Celeste was fit to be officially mated. It’d been several months since she and Derikles had finalized their bond, but both of them had wanted to wait for the official ceremony, given the circumstances.

Now that Nina was feeling more herself—as were Key and Isaiah—the ceremony had been planned to perfection.

Celeste hadn’t informed Derikles that she was dyeing her hair. Hopefully the groom wouldn’t be too surprised at the sudden change, and he’d roll with the punches. From what Nina had seen from the man already, she was firmly one of his fans.

She’d heard from Zeke firsthand how Derikles had confronted him and demanded to see Celeste. The tattooed Raeth had had every intention of bringing war down on Zeke’s head should he decline, and Nina had to admit that she was impressed. Derikles had more tenacity than she’d suspected.

Plus, this time, the bride and groom had given Nina forewarning that they would require her to sing.

The mating ceremony itself was a mixture of traditional and contemporary. Both artistic spirits, Derikles and Celeste had eagerly thrown out portions of the ceremony while devoutly clinging to others.

As their mating was across clan lines, both sovereigns had been asked to be a part of the proceedings. To make things fair, they’d asked Nero to officiate. Overwhelmed at the measure, the Osé sovereign had instantly said yes, only to be approached by Jax and Key a week later with the request that he officiate for them, too. He was a busy—and happy—man.

Having Nero conduct at her best friend’s wedding when she could not was the next best option. Seeing as how it was the best of both worlds, Nina hadn’t cared, but Isaiah had been much dismayed at the prospect of his closest friend reciting verses from another sovereign.

That was, of course, before the happy couple told Nina and Isaiah they’d have to walk down the aisle together, arm in arm. Zeke had nearly blown a fuse.

Nina’s lips quirked as she remembered the conversation. Having fully recovered from his brush with death, Zeke’s psychic capacities were once again overflowing.

It’d been unsustainable. Nina saw that now as clearly as ever, and she blamed herself for the circumstances Zeke had been forced into. If she been thinking straight, she’d have laid the same foundation with someone else that Isaiah had done with Derikles. Hindsight was twenty-twenty.

What was done was done, and she could now only apologize to her mate who wouldn’t hear any of it. He’d never blamed her for her self-sacrifice, and even now it was still a taboo topic. Along those same lines, he still refused to discuss her former clan territory, but she’d chip away at him until they decided what to do with it.

But that was for another day.

“Bubbles!” came a voice at the door. “Stop fluffing your skirts and let’s go! Time’s a wastin’, princess.”

A wry grin curved Nina’s lips in response to Remmus’ orders, and with a flick of her hand, the door opened to reveal the tuxedoed Raeth who was one of Celeste’s closest friends. His eyes widened when he caught sight of her, all the humor leaving his face.

“Celeste—you look—”

“Stunning, I know. Tell my devastatingly handsome mate that I’ll come out when I’m good and ready.”

“Go on,get,” Ava added, slamming the door closed in her mate’s face with far too much enthusiasm. “Gotta show them who’s boss sometimes, Celeste. Remember that.”

“I heard that.”

Remmus’ muffled voice sounded through the door, inspiring a round of laughter from each of Celeste’s bridesmaids.

As they arranged themselves in order of go, the bride’s nervousness piqued. Nina found herself giving her a pep talk as Lucius and Jaeda started down the aisle.

“We can wait for however long you want, Celeste. The only ones who matter are you and Derikles, and I’m pretty sure the man would wait months for you before he finally hauled you over his shoulder and marched you up there himself.”

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