jaxon curled up on the small sofa right in front of the fireplace. she wore only a thin robe, her small rebellion against the coming event, and the warmth from the flames felt good. she also liked the way fire light flickered and danced on the wall, bringing out the wood trim's golden hue. she was nervous, striving for normalcy, and needed something to keep her from thinking too much.

shaking out the newspaper, she began to scan it, reading as a policewoman, looking for any stray detail that might be of use in any of her open cases. often some odd item in the paper could help bring together pieces of information in police work.

finding an article on the second page, she could hardly believe her eyes. she recognized three names, attributed to three great humanitarians.

hal barton. harry timms. denny sheldon. the three men who had "visited" their home so recently. "lucian, have you read the paper this evening?"

he glanced at her, his black eyebrows raised in inquiry.

"what now?"

he hid his smile, knowing exactly what she was doing, what she was trying to avoid.

"i wonder. it seems your three friends, the ones who broke into our house and wanted you to invest in their foolproof security system, have become rather wealthy in their own right."

"i am glad for them. they will not need my money after all."

"they never did. i'm not a moron, you know. you did something to them, didn't you? what did you do?"

lucian's black eyes were laughing, but his voice was innocent. "what could i have possibly done? you were there. what does the article say?"

"the three of them worked for a couple of 'businessmen.' " her large brown eyes were boring into him. "ha! probably drug lords. i'm right, aren't i?"

she was altogether too smart. staying one step ahead of her for the rest of their lives was going to require effort. lucian shrugged, a secret little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

jaxon found him altogether too sexy. likely he was always going to get away with far too much. "anyway, these two 'businessmen' apparently met with a sailing accident and left their companies to the three of these guys, who now seem to be running the businesses legitimately and giving huge profits to charity. according to the reporter, they were investigated thoroughly, and the police are convinced they're completely legitimate."

"good for them. and this is somehow worrisome to you? you must explain this to me."

she glared at him. "you are so innocent, aren't you, lucian? you know what? i don't want to know what you did. it's probably illegal."

"you said they were investigated thoroughly."

"very convenient. no one would know if you did anything, would they?"

"angel." lucian's voice was soft and gentle, perfectly innocent of any mischief making. "they live completely across the continent. i do have limitations."

"if you do, i haven't noticed them yet," she answered and shook out the paper again, raising it high to cover her face.

lucian laughed softly. "i think you are just suffering prewedding jitters."

the paper rustled warningly. "i am not nervous."

"yes, you are. i am in your mind, honey. you are very nervous. i must say, it is an interesting phenomenon, when you are already irrevocably bound to me. we have been together under the worst circumstances, and you know you are sealed to me, so why are you so apprehensive about a little ceremony?"

"i'm not nervous." it was a blatant lie. "lucian, i don't know why you're insisting on this ceremony anyway. you said we were already married. that's enough for me. and weren't you worried about paper trails? i thought you said carpathians had to be careful about such things."

"you are trying to squirm out of it," he accused her. "but it is not going to work. i have been in your mind, and i saw how much such a wedding means to you."

jaxon carefully folded the newspaper and set it aside. "lucian, look at me." when he turned to face her, she locked her gaze with his. "it meant a great deal to me, lucian. now i know it isn't the wedding that counts, it's what the wedding means. i know we belong together, and your ceremony, although terribly sexist, is as binding as a human ceremony."

"more so," he said softly.

she smiled. "maybe."

"but still, the human ceremony is quite beautiful, and my brother has come all this way with his wife to stand beside me. i have endured his stupid grins and gloating manner long enough. he believes you have me wrapped around your little finger. you will go through with this, jaxon, just to pay for that alone."

"maybe we could go hide out in the mountains, lucian." jaxon stood up and went to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing up against him suggestively. "someplace where we can be alone."

he turned immediately and took her into his arms. "you are blatantly trying to seduce me into missing our wedding and disappointing our guests. shame on you, angel. and i am so susceptible to your charms." his voice held that husky note of desire that always took her breath away.

"many charms," she corrected, turning up her mouth to be kissed.

he obliged her, bending his head to her instantly, his mouth moving slowly, thoroughly over hers. his mouth was hot and moist, his tongue dancing with hers suggestively. her fingers brushed at his long, thick ebony hair lovingly, then slid to his shirt to push it from his shoulders, letting her burrow against his skin.

"i don't care if all our guests miss us. i want you, lucian."

"you cannot wait a few hours?" he teased her. "i made love to you just this rising."

her eyes darkened, and she allowed her robe to slip from her shoulders. "let's have more hot, crazy sex, then. it works for me."

his dark eyebrows shot up, but he obediently waved a hand so the room's door lock snicked into place. his body tightened painfully, hard and throbbing in anticipation. "you are, after all, my lifemate, and i can do no other than to keep you happy." his clothes floated to the floor immediately.

pressed as she was against him, jaxon found the thick evidence of his compliance thrust temptingly against her bare breasts. she cupped him in her hand, her fingers sliding, caressing, stroking until his breath slammed out of his lungs. "it seems to me, since i'm being so demanding, that i should help you out... get you in the mood." her breath was deliberately warm on him. she blew softly, gently, her tongue stroking curling heat along his length.

a rough growl escaped from his throat. jaxon laughed softly. he was pushing against her. "i'm not quite sure what you want," she teased.

his fist bunched in her tousled hair. "i will make myself perfectly clear," he murmured softly. "open your mouth."

he threw back his head, arching more deeply into her as her mouth, hot and moist, closed tightly over the most sensitive part of him. her tongue teased and danced as her hand tightened to slide over him again and again. "jaxon," he groaned, forgetting the wedding, the guests, everything but her mouth and her hand.

reveling in his reaction, jaxon forgot she was deliberately seducing him, the haze of his pleasure echoing in her own mind. she wanted him so much she couldn't think clearly. this was no longer a ploy to distract him but a necessity.

"are you ready for me? you have to be ready for me," he bit out between clenched teeth.

she lifted her head slowly and smiled at him sexily. very deliberately she slid her hand down her body, drawing his attention to her breasts, her narrow rib cage, her stomach. she heard his breath catch as he watched her fingers disappear between her legs. she moved, a sensuous ripple of her body, then withdrew her fingers to hold them up to him. glistening. hot.

lucian bent his head and drew her fingers into his mouth, his black eyes burning over her. without any further preliminaries, he simply lifted her into his arms. jaxon wrapped her legs around him and began to settle over him, taking him into her body inch by exquisite inch until he filled her, stretched her. "all of me, honey, take all of me," he whispered in encouragement. her breath came in small, needy gasps as she took him into her sheath, hot and slick and so tight he was shuddering with pleasure. it was her desire, her need, that drove them now, and lucian let her set the pace.

he watched her ride him, her body supple and strong, her arms around his neck, her skin, caressed by the firelight, glowing. she began to hasten the rhythm, tightening her muscles, clenching and gripping until he was as breathless as she. one hand caught her small bottom, pressing her to him as he began to move, thrusting into her again and again. fast. furious. hard, hot sex. just what she wanted, what he wanted.

he caught the back of her head, brought her face to his, thrusting his tongue wildly into her mouth. his mind thrust into hers, sharing his excitement, the taste of her, of him, sharing the intense pleasure and passion of her body, of his. they moved together in perfect unison. the firestorm burned hot and bright through both of them, sending them soaring, clutching each other, hearts nearly exploding with the shared pleasure.

jaxon laid her head on his shoulder, holding him deep within her. "i love you. i know i do. let's just run away together, disappear for a while, lucian, just the two of us, like it was in the cave."

very carefully he lowered her to the floor, separating their bodies. his hands framed her face. "you really are afraid of marrying me." he kissed her gently, tenderly.

her long lashes swept down to conceal her expressive eyes. "it isn't marrying you, lucian, it's the wedding. it's turned into such a big deal!" she wailed. "everyone's going to be looking at me. and i don't even know half the guests. you have all these big shots attending. aidan savage from san francisco. desari, the famous singer, singing at my wedding. how did that happen?"

almost automatically, without any real thought, jaxon cleaned and clothed her body in the way of carpathians. she was still struggling to regain her breath and lower her heart rate.

lucian's eyes lit up with pride. she had accepted her new way of life as she did everything - embracing it quickly, passionately. he matched the rhythm of his breathing and pulse to hers and easily regulated them. then he responded mildly to her concerns.

"desari's lifemate is aidan's twin brother, julian. when i asked aidan and alexandria to attend, along with antonio, who is practically a member of the family, aidan asked if we would like desari to sing. apparently she and julian were visiting. from what i understand, she is very nice." he added his own clothes, then smiled when jaxon raked a hand through her hair, once more tousling her short, silky cap. "and you do have most of the police force attending."

"i'm certain desari is very nice, lucian, but she's famous." jaxon tried not to kick him in the shins. he was being far more difficult than usual. and he looked gorgeous - someone who deserved a tall, elegant, beautiful woman. "and it isn't most of the police force, just my coworkers and friends. i don't want strangers looking at me."

"you will be beautiful in your wedding gown, angel. a dream." he said it sincerely. "my dream. i find you very beautiful and incredibly sexy."

she glared at him. "i have never worn a pair of high heels in my life. i'll trip and break my neck." she wrung her hands.

he shrugged with his casual grace, took possession of her left hand, and turned up her palm to place a kiss in the exact center. "why would you wear something uncomfortable? your gown is long. wear whatever you like beneath it."

"and when you take off my garter in front of the entire crowd, they can all see my elegant tennis shoes." she pulled her hand away and nibbled nervously at her nails.

he sensed she was close to tears. his arms circled her small body and brought her into the protection of his chest. "honey, there is not going to be a problem with your shoes. wear your tennis shoes until we need to remove the garter, and i will ensure you have on your elegant high heels when the time comes."

"what if you forget?"

he bent to brush her temple with the warmth of his mouth. "i never forget anything important to you, jaxon. you must have learned that by now." his mouth found the pulse in her neck, felt it leaping beneath her skin. "you must know that."

she was nodding, her face buried against the heavy muscles of his chest. "so who else is coming to our wedding?"

"the mayor. a few others you know."

"i wasn't asking about them. i was asking about your friends. our wedding is taking place in the middle of the night to accommodate your people."

"our people," he insisted. "naturally, desari's brother and his lifemate are attending, and another member of her band - barrack and his lifemate, syndil, who is also in the band. the only other person whose name you might recognize is savannah dubrinsky, the magician. she is the lifemate to one of our greatest healers and vampire hunters and the prince's right hand man, gregori. they might attend also."

"i'm not doing this. i'm not. those people are famous. and what's this about a right-hand man to the prince? he sounds important. why would he come?"

lucian laughed softly. "angel, i am considered rather important in our world. gregori is of my lineage, and he is attending our wedding out of respect. the prince would have come, also, but he is not in the states at this time. naturally gregori would represent him if they can make it here in time. savannah, by the way, is prince mikhail's daughter."

jaxon was shaking her head at him. "don't tell me any more. i can't take it. you really do have all that money, don't you?" she made it an accusation.

"money means nothing to our people, jaxon. it is used only to make things run smoothly in the present time period."

she thumped his chest with a clenched fist. "still, all those people sound so important. why are they coming? you need to tell them to stay home."

"actually, i am interested in meeting desari and her brother, darius. i am related to them. and it just so happens that gregori is my younger brother by a thousand years or so. i gave him much advice when he was a fledgling and would very much like to see how he turned out."

"your relatives?" she said accusingly. "they're all related to you? your family? really, lucian, i don't think i can do this."

"of course you can, angel. i will be right there beside you. together. in your mind, in your heart. and, technically, we are already married, so they are all related to you, too. when this is over you will feel that they are your family. you will know that we are family. you will love this, angel. it's your dream wedding."

she managed a nervous smile. "sometimes the dream is better than the reality, isn't it? this sounds terrifying."

"this from the woman who helps me destroy vampires and ghouls and runs around like a maniac chasing criminals?" his fingers tangled in her blond hair. "settle down, angel. francesca is coming down the hall to help you dress."

"kiss me now, lucian, or i might run for it."

he made absolutely certain he did a thorough job.

the wedding was out of a fairy tale. barry radcliff walked jaxon down the aisle, and she didn't see a single face to make her nervous as she walked slowly toward the altar. her eyes remained locked with lucian's. he looked tall and handsome and impossibly courtly. beside him was his twin, looking every inch an adonis. still, she would have known the difference between them anywhere, anytime. lucian took her breath away. as she approached on barry's arm, she knew this was right. she loved lucian, and she would for all eternity. they were two halves of the same whole. and now, after all these lonely years, he was giving her a family too.

with her eyes held captive by his smoldering black gaze, jaxon put her small hand in his large one without hesitation, fully prepared to make their vows.