Page 46 of Dragon's Desire

No weapons, mystical or otherwise, were allowed near the place, and witches had all agreed to a binding ritual that meant no spells could be cast in the vicinity. Once all the precautions were in place, the wedding could be held.

On the day of the wedding, Kiercy looked at Peter. He cleaned up nicely in a suit, vest, and tie. Though it did make him clash a bit with the rest of the forest around him. But this not being his world, it made sense. The black suits and plain dresses on his side of the aisle versus the more eclectic colors of hers.

Even after all their work, she still had concerns about this. Not marrying Peter. But the tension in the air was enough to make her have doubts about the possibility of bringing their two peoples together.

"I will be the first to admit I was more than skeptical about this pairing," said the matron of Kiercy's coven. She'd managed to survive Legermain's attack, in part because of Peter and Kiercy working together. "But despite a history of war between people's they've managed to form a bond. There is still so much that divides us. Witch hunters."

Kiercy saw Peter tense as if he was anticipating the next words to end poorly.

"Witches. We've warred for centuries. No matter how strong the love between Kiercy Carrier and Peter Winthrop is, it won't be strong enough to mend the rift."

"Not very inspiring," Peter whispered under his breath. Kiercy wasn't sure if the matron heard that, but she didn't react if she had.

Instead, she continued, "That's going to be the responsibility of the rest of us. We shouldn't place the burden on their shoulders to make peace. It's too heavy for one or two people to carry. But if we commit to that burden, to that peace, then maybe, someday, we can be lucky enough that their children will grow up in a world where they won't feel hatred from either side of their family."

The matron took a long piece of white ribbon and wound it around Kiercy and Peter's clasped hands.

"May the bond between these two be an example to us all. I bind you two together in body and spirit."

They had negotiated for one small space that would be the exception for magic. Kiercy felt the skin where their palms met grow warm and then almost hot.

"You will both carry with you a part of the other."

The usual ceremony would have had the words, "And nothing shall be able to tear you asunder following it.

But instead, the matron said, "I wish upon you both the strength of heart to honor that bond until your dying days."

This had been another negotiation point. Divorce tended to be rare among witches, but the idea of permanently bounding Peter and Kiercy's souls was a step too far for both families, so the spell was modified slightly. An escape hatch was built into the spell work.

Peter had objected to it. But his family refused to attend without that concession. In the end, Kiercy had told him he had to. He'd tried to say that he would never leave her. He always kept his promises. What finally convinced him was when Kiercy said, "I know that. So, there's no need to worry about you breaking the spell."

When Peter and Kiercy kissed, there was only scattered celebration on either side of the aisle. During the reception after, it was very much the same.

The two sides mostly sat around staring across the room, eyeing each other with great suspicion. It was primarily the young that moved to the center and joined Kiercy and Peter as they danced.

On Peter's side, that meant people under twenty-five. The number was slightly higher among the long-living witches. But what was more surprising was that some dance partners ended up being from different clans. A distant cousin of Kiercy's, Emma, was caught dancing with Mark, a family friend of Peter's.

There were murmurs when they joined hands for a slow dance and a few displeased groans. Some people even made a show of walking out. But it was a start.

But even if none of them agreed, it didn't matter. Kiercy was happy. She couldn't understand it. On paper, the two of them didn't work. Serious and nonsensical. Planning and spontaneity. Strait-laced and loose cannon. Witch and witch hunter.

But there must have been something to that idea of opposites attract. And maybe if Peter and she could make this work, maybe it meant that their warring factions could learn to set aside their history and work together to stop people like Legermain from coming to power. For all their families' differences, they were able to agree on that.

Peter and Kiercy didn't end up dancing the night away. After several rounds of dancing, eating, and drinking, Peter whispered in her ear, "So, when are we going to fuck?"

Kiercy rolled her eyes and laughed.

They made sure they were seen exiting together, a sort of final sign that this marriage was real, and people would have to accept it. They were leaving together because they were staying together.

As they exited, Peter turned back one last time. Emma and Mark were no longer dancing. Instead, they were sitting at a table by themselves talking. Peter had to chuckle and said to Kiercy, "Do you think they're going to be hooking up?"

"I don't know. Does Mark move as fast as you?"

Peter laughed.

"Probably not."

30

---