Walking down the aisle with no one but Mr. Stripes by my side felt so momentous. I’d worked so hard for my independence, which made trusting my guys so quickly odd. At this point, most witches would have their fathers or someone significant, walk them to their waiting groom—grooms in my case—but I wanted to do this on my own, with just my little guy, showing the world I was strong and capable.
Each step became more confident. The soft gauzy material of my dress skirt billowed out around my legs, the breeze shifting the loose quarter-length sleeves around my biceps. My dress was light and airy, perfect for the summer weather in Ignis. From the waist up, it fit my chest nicely while leaving the skirt flaring out softly, so even if I was showing a tiny bit, no one would ever know—yet, anyway.
Turning my attention to the end of the aisle, I took in my guys, all looking amazing in their dark suits. Prime Minister Gennady stood between them as they flanked the runed circle. It was such an honor to have him doing this for us. We’d grown so close over the past several years, there was no one else I’d rather ask, and he’d accepted immediately.
When we reached the edge of the circle, Mr. Stripes patted my leg, and I crouched down, wrapping him in a hug and adjusting his adorable pink bow tie before he scurried off to join the other familiars, who stood with matching pink accessories in the front row of the crowd. I blew them a kiss before putting my focus on my future husbands.
Each one of them had a look of such pure love and adoration, it nearly brought me to my knees. Even my grumpy Kye and stoic Xan were happy and excited. My heart beat faster in my chest as reality settled in. They were about to be mine… forever.
Don’t cry, Aris, or you won’t be able to properly see this!
Gennady gestured for me to move into the middle of the pentagram he’d drawn, putting me in the center of the rune circle, then directed my guys to the five points of the star. Generally, the groom would stand at the northern point, where Torryn currently stood, but the five points worked in our favor.
The groom was also supposed to say five magical words to bind the couple together, following the bride’s introductory word, but since I was lucky enough to have five grooms, it was split among them. Five was the lucky number in Akasha, and they were the perfect group of five wonderful men.
Having rehearsed this ahead of time, I took a deep breath and let my eyes dance over each of them in turn before I faced Torryn at the top of the star, my spelled word falling from my lips.
“Aeternum.”
The center of the star glowed a soft white around my feet, making my lips curl up into a smile as I twisted around to meet Caspian’s eyes.
“Amare,” he said.
The two lines forming his point of the star glowed brighter as they melded with mine. I turned to Xan next, who stood between Torryn and Caspian, his soft smile making my chest warm as our eyes met.
“Vita,” he called out, his voice clear as it resonated through the air.
His point of the star joined ours, the glow continuing to grow.
Following the instructions we’d practiced, I turned around once again to face behind me where Drayce stood at the point next to Cas. His lazy smile brightened his features as he took a deep breath, eyes shining with happiness.
“Familia,” he sang out, his happiness practically palpable in the air, my entire being humming with the love they projected my way.
Next, I faced Kye, who stood there with his cocky half-grin and eyes boring into mine, their expression showing me without words how truly blissful he was at the moment.
“Felix,” he said.
The glow now at near blinding levels with the addition of his line. The magic was growing so strong, it wavered in the air around us like a mirage. Finally, I faced Torryn once more, his hand reaching up to wipe a stray tear that had one of my own falling free. My emotions were already high, thanks to the ceremony, and the witchling growing in my stomach was making it even more intense.
“Gratus,” he choked out, his voice cracking as another tear fell. The sheer amount of love in his voice made me feel like the luckiest witch in Akasha.
As Torryn’s word was uttered, the entire star glowed fiercely, and an audible gasp echoed from our guests as we were enveloped in light. Something within us snapped into place, and I could actually feel them all in my being. Their emotions mixed with mine, and I knew I would always be able to experience their feelings without having to physically see them. Our bond became significantly stronger than before.
The light faded slowly, and my legs wobbled as the magic dissipated, but my coven stepped forward as one unit to catch me, our love pulsing through our bond as we let the magic flow through us, filling empty spaces we hadn’t even realized we had.
When the magic had dulled to a soft hum, we finally broke apart, and Prime Minister Gennady turned to the crowd to announce our new coven as one bound unit. The pride in his tone sent my already elated mood soaring impossibly higher.
The next several minutes were a rush of hugs and well wishes as our guests rushed us. My voice was growing hoarse from all the talking over the crowd, and I was becoming exhausted. As if she could read my mind, our photographer rushed up and dragged us out of the crowd.
“Photo time!” Miri called, rounding the six of us up, the familiars following excitedly. “The food and drinks will distract the rest of the guests for a while, so we can get some lasting memories for you guys.”
We spent ten minutes, shifting through various poses, pairings, and expressions, Miri’s camera shutter clicked repeatedly as she snapped every shot she could, the floating lights around the camera moving with her as she got every possible angle. Nearing the end of the photo op, I felt another wave of excitement flow through me, glancing at Miri and winking subtly. Her head dipped in acknowledgment, lifting her camera to her face in preparation as she directed all the guys to face away from us, playing off it was just another set of photos.
“Hey, guys,” I called out after I used my magic to pull the sign out of its hiding place that I picked earlier. The white cardstock floated out from behind the tree near us and into my hands. At my voice, they turned, their eyes falling on me. I took a deep breath for courage—and to settle the flip-flopping of my stomach—before I flipped the sign up for them to see. I could have done something fancier, but I was excited for Xan to turn this into nursery art one day.
Watch out, Daddies, a witchling is on its way!
Jaws dropped, and eyes went wide, every one of them speechless until Caspian—being the eloquent guy he was—blurted out, “Holy hellsticks!” The stunned silence was broken, and they all began talking at once.
“That’s amazing!”
“I can’t believe it! We’re going to be dads!”
“A baby! Hells bells!”
“You’re going to look amazing with your little round baby belly!”
Miri’s camera continued to go off as they converged on me in a giant hug. I couldn’t tell whose kisses were whose or what each guy was saying, but at that moment, it didn’t matter.
It was just them, me, and our little witchling, on our happy ever after day.
The hours passed, the reception a whirlwind of dancing, fun, and laughter. Everyone retired to their assigned cabins as the night ended, and we headed into the house. My face ached from smiling so much, but as soon as the door was closed, my mind shifted in a more… naughty direction.