His breath caught as he saw how many of his Hellchasers had shown up for him.
Damn. It looked like all of them. Past and present. To his complete shock and delight, his side was every bit as full as Simi’s. Fang Kattalakis was there, along with his wife Aimee and their three kids and their grandkids. Devyl Bane and Marcelina, along with their children. William Death, Jake … all of his Deadmen and their spouses and children.
Thorn couldn’t believe how many were here.
For him.
Granted, Simi still had more on her side, but not nearly as many more as he feared.
He couldn’t believe how many of her “friends” he actually knew. Kyrian and Amanda Hunter and their kids. Talon and Sunshine and their army of children. Valerius and his brother Zarek.
But the ones who meant the most to him were on his side of the garden. Cadegan and Jo, along with Thorn’s grandkids and E.T. who sat beside his mother.
My kids came. He’d sent them an invitation with no expectation of their joining him for this.
His chest tightened at the sight of them, and of the men and women Thorn had known for centuries.
All here to watch him tie his life to Simi’s.
Clearing his throat, he moved to his position in front with Shadow by his side.
With his hands folded in front of him, he heard the harpist begin to play the Macarena. Still Simi’s favorite.
Thorn bit back a laugh at Simi’s choice of wedding procession music. Why would she have chosen anything else?
God, I love her.
She was the most unique creature to ever grace this earth. Her sister Xirena’s four-year-old daughter, Mara, came down the aisle first, scattering rose petals and bird seed.
Her mother followed behind in a vibrant red dress, carrying black roses that had been sent to them from Apollymi. The goddess had wanted to make sure that at least a part of her was here for the ceremony which she was watching from her pool in Kalosis.
Xirena made her way to her spot that was opposite of Shadow.
Then Thorn saw Acheron. But that wasn’t what mattered to him. It was the little demon goddess standing at his side, dressed in a black Goth wedding dress, complete with a black veil.
Never had he seen anything more beautiful. Simi’s long black hair was curled to perfection and her eyes twinkled as she looked at him.
As they stopped by his side, he saw a moment of hesitation in Acheron’s swirling silver eyes. It looked as if the Atlantean was thinking of picking Simi up and running with her.
But after that, resignation descended over his features, and he placed Simi’s hand on Thorn’s arm. “Take care of her.”
“Always.”
Ash placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a fatherly squeeze before he headed toward Tory.
Thorn kissed Simi’s hand as they turned to face Savitar who was officiating the ceremony. While this might not be legal in a human world, it was in theirs.
Savitar, who was actually wearing pants for once and not board shorts, smiled at them. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today because hell has apparently frozen over.”
Thorn glared at him. “Could you please be serious?”
Making a face, Savitar sighed. “Everyone here knows how hard that is for me, but for Simi’s sake, I’ll try.” Clearing his throat, Savitar began again. “We are gathered here today to honor Thorn and Xiamara who are creating a life together … gods have mercy on you.”
“Seriously?” This time, it was Acheron calling him out.
Savitar held his hands up. “All right. All right. You have made the conscious decision of commitment to one another, and today you will begin your future as a wedded couple.”
He looked out at the huge crowd. “To those who’ve come to witness this union, and there are a bunch of you, you are the most important people in Simi and Thorn’s lives. We’ve assembled here from near and far to celebrate this wonderful moment. You are the ones who know them well, and you are an integral part of their lives and this ceremony.”
