“You’re the reason I’ll always come back,” Patrick said, because it was a truth ground down in his bones, the soulbond something that had stretched itself between worlds, forever tying them together. He didn’t need to say anything more than that because Jono already knew how much he meant to Patrick. He slid the ring onto Jono’s finger, the fit perfect.
Jono wrapped his hand around Patrick’s, grip firm, the glint of gold on his finger drawing Patrick’s eye. It looked good on him.
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you married,” Gerard said. “You may kiss your—all right then, I hadn’t even finished my sentence.”
Patrick didn’t have time to laugh at Gerard’s verbal stumble, not with the way Jono had dragged him in close so the taller man could dip him back into a kiss that left no doubt how they felt about each other for their audience. The catcalls and whistles and clapping were a distant noise in Patrick’s ears; the only thing he was aware of—like always—was Jono.
They finally straightened up, breaking the kiss, but Patrick didn’t let Jono go, giddy in a way he’d never thought possible. Jono laughed, pressing a kiss to Patrick’s forehead, and Patrick didn’t want to let him go.
“That was the shortest wedding ever,” Wade said, sounding mournful.
“You’ll get fed faster,” Patrick tossed over his shoulder.
“Oh, yeah! Hurry up and walk down the aisle.”
Jono laughed, tugging on Patrick’s hand. He let himself be led down the flower-strewn grass, between the rows of everyone who’d born witness to their marriage, tiny mageglobes erupting overhead like fireworks, courtesy of Spencer Bailey. Despite the crowd, Patrick only had eyes for Jono—for hishusband—and he refused to look away.
Despite the odds, despite the gods, despite everything in this world and beyond the veil, Patrick had found his happiness in the man beside him.
“I love you,” Patrick said as they made it to the end of the aisle.
Jono leaned over to kiss him, his thumb pressed over Patrick’swedding ring. “I love you, too. Now, come on, husband. If we don’t get wedding pictures, Sage will murder us both.”
Patrick threw back his head and laughed, even as the word resonated in his soul like a bell.
Husband.
It had a nice ring to it.
7
Wade thrustanother glass of golden mead into Jono’s hand with a cheerful “Here you go!” and then wandered off back to his seat at the table where Riordan and his siblings were eating.
Jono peered down into the wineglass, tipping it slightly to watch the mead slosh about. Emma and Leon Hernandez—they’d gotten married a few years ago—had ordered plenty from Thor’s brewery in Chicago for the occasion. The mead definitely packed a punch for werecreatures if enough of it was imbibed. Jono was of the thought he could maybe get tipsy by the end of the night, if he put effort into it.
“He’s trying to get you drunk,” Patrick said from his seat beside Jono.
“I think it’ll take more than a couple of glasses of mead for that to happen,” Jono said as he set the wineglass down. His wedding ring caught the light from the chandeliers in the Terrace Ballroom, the polished platinum edge and line of gold glinting brightly. It kept catching his eye, as did the one Patrick now wore.
He took a moment to look around them, gaze sweeping over the ballroom. The floral centerpieces on every round table and the arches curved around the nearly dozen windows were a gift fromÓrlaith. The fae flowers were ethereal and beautiful, giving off a subtle scent tempered by magic to keep everyone from sneezing.
The catering had been done by an award-winning chef who owned and headed up a three-star Michelin restaurant in Manhattan. Jono could admit that the four-course meal was absolutely delicious, not the least because extra portions had been allocated for the werecreatures in attendance, as well as others in the supernatural community with larger appetites, and Wade. Marek had paid for the food and drinks at both the earlier outdoor cocktail hour everyone had enjoyed while Jono and Patrick took a metric ton of photographs and the reception meal.
The person handling the wedding music was a professional DJ from one of the packs under their protection. She had gladly agreed to handle the music for the evening, and right now, it was a subtle background noise while everyone finished up the dinner and chatted with their neighbors.
The table Jono sat at with Patrick had Sage, Marek, and Lillian seated with them. Joining them were Nadine and her new partner, Pascal, along with Spencer, Gerard, and Órlaith. It had been nice catching up with people they hadn’t seen in a while. Knowing that their friends were happy was a gift in itself.
Patrick nudged Jono in the side, catching his attention. “Yeah?”
“We should make the table rounds before we cut the cake,” Patrick said.
“All right.” Jono picked up his wineglass and downed the mead in a couple of quick swallows before pushing his chair back. He stood, offering his hand to Patrick, who rolled his eyes but took it with a smile on his face. “Let’s go say hello to everyone.”
They hadn’t been present at the cocktail hour, so this was the first chance they’d really been able to greet everyone who had come to the wedding. The first table they stopped at was the one where some of Patrick’s family sat, all of the Pattersons excited to see them.
It had taken some time for Jono to trust the lot of them, even after the coven had denounced Persephone as their goddess. But he’d comearound eventually, and he greeted Eloise with a kiss on her cheek as Patrick’s grandmother smiled up at them from her seat.
“I’m so happy for you both,” Eloise said, beaming at them. “It was a lovely ceremony.”
