My eyes widened behind my veil as I stepped into the arched doorway of the ballroom. A center aisle had been made between the rows of gilded chairs; silver to the right and gold to the left. All the seats were filled, but it wasn't the guests that had surprised me; it was the ballroom.
Lavender, white, and yellow flowers decorated the rectangular room; accented by gold and silver silk. Lavender and white for me and yellow and white for Re. Among the yellow and white blooms were the narcissus flowers we'd decided on. Swaths of flowers and fabric were hung along each side of the aisle, between columns on the dais at the end of the aisle, and over every window. There were only windows on the right side of the ballroom, but that was okay because the best view was on that side of the palace.
A serene river flowed before a manicured lawn dotted with palm trees. Far in the distance, the jewel city of the dead caught the light and set the horizon to glittering. The sun was still up, but it would be setting before our vows were said; Re wanted the ceremony to go from day to night. When the sun went down, the water would be painted with rose and gold, and then when night fell, the Moon would cast its silver reflection there.
But the Sun outside was no match for its avatar.
A quick glance showed me my husbands, Lesya, and Toby sitting in the front row on my left, but I couldn't spare them more than that one look. My eyes were drawn to Re. He stood with Osiris on the dais; smiling at me brightly. Re couldn't seem to look away either; not even a flicker when his daughters passed him and murmured their blessings. He said something back to them but kept his eyes on me.
Re was as stunningly handsome as ever; dressed in a black suit with a gold tie. His complexion looked paler against the dark material, but it also shimmered more. From the highlights in his chocolate hair to the gleam in his metallic eyes, Re was every inch the golden god. But it was the look on his face that held me enthralled. He was smiling with the joy of a man who had gone through extraordinary hardship to fulfill his dreams. Re's smile was full of gratitude; a deep, humbling, awe that he was standing there, waiting for his bride. I'd never seen such a look on his face before; not even when I'd accepted his proposal. He had been happy, sure, but not like this. It made me realize that Re hadn't been certain of me. He had known that I was having doubts, and seeing me walk down the aisle to him—with obvious delight—was an answered prayer. A god's prayer to his goddess.
With a small epiphany, I knew that he was my miracle too.
I stepped onto the dais and absently handed Bastet my bouquet; keeping my eyes on Re. He swallowed roughly and started blinking rapidly; his golden eyes filling with tears. I instantly wished we were alone. Re's joyful tears were precious, and I didn't want to share them. So, I lifted my veil and slipped it over his head; hiding us together beneath the lace.
Re chuckled—as did our guests—and I lifted my mouth to kiss his laughter. Our kiss was brief but sweet; tasting of sunshine and moonlight.
Osiris cleared his throat. “Um, I believe that part comes later.”
The guests laughed harder, and I pulled away from Re reluctantly.
“Screw them,” he whispered gleefully and pulled me back. “This is for us.”
“Yes, it is.” I wiped the tears from his cheeks and rubbed them into my skin; they were mine now. “Are you ready to do this?”
“I'm beyond ready; I'm eager,” he said.
Re took my veil and lifted it up and back; laying it gently over my hair. Then he claimed my hand, kissed it gallantly, and turned us to face Osiris.
Osiris was an original Atlantean; he'd married into the Egyptian Pantheon just as I was about to. But he'd done it so long ago—at the beginning of the pantheon's creation—that he'd been made a major Egyptian god by the humans. He'd taken on the appearance that they believed him to have; that of a green-skinned, sharply bearded, virile man. Osiris could appear to have more human-colored skin, but today, he was going for traditional and was rockin' the green. He had many titles, but one was particularly fitting for this occasion; the Lord of Love.
“Friends,” Osiris began. “Family. Thank you for making the journey here to celebrate the amazing love between these two gods. I'm honored to be the one to join our founding father to a woman who has shaken the realms and stirred things up; sometimes even in a good way.”
Some of the gods snickered at that.
“Whatever your feelings may be for the Godhunter, they don't matter today,” Osiris went on. “Today is about the feelings that Re has for her, and we are all here to give him our respect and support in that.”
I frowned a little; it wasn't exactly the type of speech I'd have liked to hear on my wedding day. Re noticed my response and narrowed his eyes at Osiris in warning.
“And by the end of this ceremony, Vervain shall be one of us,” Osiris went on with a meaningful glance at Re. “She will be our Queen, and so I'm overjoyed that you've all come here to give your blessing to this momentous event, and your allegiance to this incredible woman.”
The Egyptians who'd been snickering went silent.
I widened my eyes at Osiris. Nope; this wasn't at all what I was expecting, but I'd take it.
“Re and Vervain have prepared their own vows, and will exchange them
