Triple Dog Dare

Chapter Twenty-Three

The next morning came way too early for Elain’s liking. It started out with Lina barging into their bedroom with a cup of coffee for Elain and running the men out.

“You guys can’t see her in her dress. It’s bad luck.”

Brodey scrambled to find a pair of shorts to put on. “Where are we supposed to get dressed?”

“You all can have the bedroom back after we get everything we need done for her. It won’t take you guys long to get ready.”

Ain leaned in and kissed Elain, who was blearily sipping her coffee. “We’ll see you in a couple of hours, sweetie,” he said.

“Move it, furball,” Lina playfully teased as she swatted him with a pillow.

When they were alone, Lina sat on the bed with Elain. “You okay?”

“I’m not awake, but I’m okay.”

Lina grinned. “Your mom’s been up since five thirty cooking breakfast.”

“Oh, man,” she groaned. “I didn’t want her going through all that trouble.”

“It’s okay. Your dad was up helping her.”

“He was?”

Lina grinned and dropped her voice. “I saw him kiss her, too.”

Okay, now she was awake. “What?”

Lina nodded. “Not swapping spit or anything, just a sweet kiss. But…” She shrugged, her beaming grin practically lighting the room. “I’m telling you, I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

“Feeling, or vision?”

“Not gonna tell you.” Lina laughed and clambered off the bed. “Let’s get you up and moving so the men can eventually get back in here.”

The rest of the morning moved along at a blur. Between Lina, Mai, Callie, her mom, and Lacey, they got Elain’s hair and makeup done and got her into her dress. When the photographer finished getting the obligatory staged candid shots, Elain stood in the guest bedroom with her mom and the other women gathered around her. She stared into the mirror at the dress. Somehow, she’d never really believed this day would come.

A glance at her hand once again showed no trace of Paul Abernathy’s blood on her skin or under her nails. She had to fight the urge to start reciting Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy.

Did I really do that to the guy?

Sometimes, she thought it’d been a dream, just a hazy nightmare she’d somehow managed to twist into a memory. Then she snapped out of that wishful thinking and tried to accept her new reality, that this was her life.

Carla dabbed at tears in her eyes even though she had a broad, beaming smile on her face. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”

Elain smiled at her in the mirror. “Thanks, Mom.” She hugged her. “I’m so glad you and Dad are both here.” Over the past couple of weeks, even though Carla and Liam still had separate bedrooms, they’d gone out alone on several dates and spent a lot of time together when Liam wasn’t out working with Ain and the guys on the ranch.

“You are gorgeous,” Lina said with a beaming smile. “I might have to change my mind about actually marrying my guys.” When Lina and her men got together, she’d legally changed her name, hyphenating their last name onto hers. She hadn’t actually married either of them because she didn’t believe she needed a piece of paper to prove anything. And she worried they’d kill each other fighting to be the legal groom.

Mai also smiled. “At least y’all won’t need to brush up on anything to help me with our wedding.”

“That’s just in a few weeks, too,” Elain said. She turned and they shared a group hug. “Thank you, all of you, for being here. I love all of you.”

“Enjoy today, Elain,” Lacey said. “We have a little time before things get bad again. Today is your day. Don’t think about anything else.”

They heard a quick knock on the door before Liam opened it and stepped in, shutting it behind him. “They’re ready for ye in the living room,” he said. “And I’m about to strangle that bloody photographer. He won’t leave me alone. He’s wanting pictures of us together.”

Carla gave Elain one last kiss. “I love you, baby,” she whispered.

Elain fought a bout of happy tears. “Love you, too, Mom.”

Carla hustled the other women out, leaving Liam alone with Elain. She felt a little nervous, but not because of her dad.

He stepped over to her and hugged her. “Yer beautiful,” he said. “Yer mum would be so proud.”

“Thanks, Dad.” She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The scent from her childhood, from the leather jacket, filled her lungs and nearly started her crying again.

After a moment, he patted her on the back and ended their embrace. “Let’s go, sweetheart. The photographer wants his shots, and there’s three young men out there waitin’ for ye. Rather anxiously, I might add.”

She laughed. “Are they afraid of me backing out on them or something?”

He smiled. “No, I don’t think that’s their worry. Brodey keeps drooling over the cake. Cail’s threatening him with duct-taping his mouth shut.”

She laughed again. That was her Brodey. “Then let’s go. That would make a weird wedding picture.”

They called the photographer in so he could get his shots. Once he finished, Liam led Elain out to the hallway.

Only their immediate pack was gathered in the living room. Elain stood at the end of the hall with her arm hooked through Liam’s and looked at everyone gathered there. Extended family and friends were all outside mingling and mixing and preparing to take their seats.

This was the real wedding, as far as Elain and her men were concerned.

As Liam escorted her through the living room to where Ain, Brodey, and Cail were gathered with their attorney, she couldn’t help but let a smile crease her face. All three of them looked incredibly handsome in their tuxes.

For the briefest of moments, Elain thought she spotted a hazy, misty form reflected in the glass of the sliding doors, but upon second glance figured it had to be her imagination.

Even though it vaguely resembled a woman.

Liam handed her off to Ain before stepping over to Carla’s side.

Their attorney, also a shape-shifter as well as being a Notary, smiled at them. “Ready?”

Elain looked up into Ain’s grey eyes and smiled. They’d agreed they wanted to keep the private ceremony short and sweet. “Yes.”

Ain motioned Brodey and Cail forward. All three of them clasped Elain’s right hand, and while only Ain put a ring on Elain’s left hand as he said his vows, Elain repeated her vows with each man, slipping an identical ring on their left hands.

When they finished, the attorney smiled. “Ain, Brodey, Cail, I now pronounce you all men and mate. You may kiss your bride.”

Ain didn’t get greedy. He brushed a brief, gentle kiss across her lips before handing her off to Brodey. He knew he’d get his chance in public in a few minutes. Brodey, however, took full advantage. He grabbed her and laid a deep, passionate kiss on her that nearly melted her right out of her shoes and made her want him to drag her to bed right then and there.

They were interrupted by a good-natured throat clearing as Cail tapped him on the shoulder. “Dude, come up for air. Share.”

Elain laughed as Brodey smiled and released her to Cail. Cail also kissed her, deeply, passionately. When he released her, she swayed a little on her feet.

“Wow!”

Ain took her hands in his. “Ready for the next one?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I want cake.”

Brodey proudly grinned. “That’s my girl!”

Trent looked around before leaning in to his partner. “There are a lot of shifters here,” he whispered. They’d had no problem getting in. They’d parked in a field with the other guests and made sure they had a clear exit without worries of getting parked in. No one was checking for invitations. Had they been challenged, their agreed-upon story was that they were reporters looking for the caterer to do a magazine story on her. Trent carried a reporter’s notebook and professional-grade digital camera for cover.

Ken nodded. “I know. I’m going to sneak into the house during the ceremony and scope it out. See if there’s a back door we can take her through. You have the stuff?”

Trent nodded and passed him a small, black pouch. “I have three, and you have three.” Inside lay syringes full of clear liquid, M99, a powerful animal tranquilizer.

“You think it’s strong enough to take her down?”

He shrugged. “If it’s not, she’ll kill us and it won’t matter. You saw what she did to Paul.”

Ken shuddered. “I also saw what Abernathy did to Paul for losing. I don’t want either happening to me.”

“Then let’s not fuck this up. Get moving.”

Ain removed his ring and handed it to Lina, who was acting as Elain’s maid of honor for the public ceremony. Elain gave hers to Brodey, who was Ain’s best man. Everyone except Liam and Elain headed outside to take their places.

Elain started to say something to Liam when again she caught a glimpse of a wispy apparition reflected in the sliders. She walked over to it, but it disappeared before she could be certain.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he followed her.

She frowned. “I don’t know.” She reached out and touched the glass. It felt warm to the touch, from the outside warm afternoon weather radiating in.

“Then why do ye look like ye saw a ghost?”

She started to reply, then stopped herself.

Ghost?

Naw. Her life was freaky enough already without adding ghosts to the mix.

She took a deep breath. “I’m just seeing things, Dad.” With a smile, she turned to face him and hooked her arm through his. “Let’s get this over with so we can eat.”

Over three-quarters of the guests were shifters or shifter-friendly. Elain had invited a few friends, including former coworkers, but the past few weeks had taught her a thing or two. People she would have previously labeled “close friends” didn’t come a fraction as close to her heart as her new friends and adopted family. She’d never realized before how guarded she’d been, even before all the developments of the past several months and meeting the guys, over the years. Never letting people in close.

As she stood with her arm hooked through Liam’s and stared at the guests, some familiar, some not, she swallowed back a nervous gulp. She knew it had to be nerves, but at the pit of her stomach she kept having the feeling something bad was about to happen.

Here? With everyone around? Not likely.

Liam leaned in and whispered into her ear. “Relax, sweetheart. Yer already married to ’em. This is just for show.”

She smiled. Ain, Brodey, and Cail all stood at the front, waiting. Lina and Mai also stood at the front.

Suddenly, a hysterical laugh caught in her throat. Both her bridesmaids were pregnant. How much longer before I join them?

Where before she didn’t want to think about having kids until some undetermined point in the future, now it was all she could think about.

She stifled her nervous giggles all the way down the aisle. Liam patted her arm and when he handed her off to Ain, he kissed her forehead.

“Yer beautiful, sweetheart.”

The lawyer spoke. “Who gives this woman away?”

Liam straightened, looking handsome in his tuxedo. “Her mother and I do.”

Elain’s nervous giggles almost burst out of her as a sob. Her mother and her father both there for her on one of the most important days of her life.

Yet the gaping hole in her heart for the woman she’d never know still felt like a raw wound.

Liam took his seat next to her mom. Lina couldn’t focus on anything but Ain’s grey eyes as she said her vows and placed the ring on his finger.

“By the power invested in me by the state of Florida, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Ain took Elain into his arms and, to a rousing round of applause, gave her the kind of kiss that nearly fried her panties right on the spot. When Ain finally let her up, he used their mental connection to speak to her. “Just wait until the three of us get you alone later.”

“I can’t wait.”

“I present to you Aindreas and Elain Lyall,” the lawyer said. “The bride and groom invite you all to join them in the tent over there for the reception.”

Ain walked Elain back down the aisle and toward the tent with the rest of the wedding party following behind.

“You won’t smash cake in my face, will you?” she whispered to him.

“Me? Would I do that?”

“You’d better not.”

“I promise I won’t do that.”

“What about Brodey?” It was just the kind of thing he’d do.

“I can’t speak for him.”

“You can edict him not to.”

Ain grinned. “Now what fun would that be?”

Lina kept a sharp lookout. She’d warned Jan, Rick, Kael, and Zack to be ready for trouble, but didn’t want to scare Elain. Something was afoot, she just didn’t know what. She’d awoke that morning feeling grouchy and surly. It’d taken every ounce of her strength to paste a smile on her face and force herself to be cheery for Elain.

This was her friend’s day. She wouldn’t ruin it for her.

She stretched before she sat down in her seat. Mai leaned in. “What’s wrong?”

Lina shook her head. “Nothing. The twins are killing my back today. Glad I wore flats.” She scanned the crowd, however, not wanting to say anything to Mai, either. No sense in alarming her.

After the reception, everyone hooted for Elain to toss the bouquet. Carla dragged Lina and Mai into the throng of women with her, standing in front.

Elain turned her back to the group and with a laugh, heaved it over her shoulder. She looked just in time to see Lina reach for it and grab it seconds before an expression of horror transformed her face.

Elain raced to her side. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Carla and Mai also flanked her as Rick, Jan, Kael, and Zack tried to push through the crowd to reach her.

Lina gasped and looked up from the small puddle now surrounding her feet. “I’m not sure, but I think my water just broke!”

THE END

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