The War (Ultimate Power Book 2) (3 page)

“
I have been saved.  I thank you all.  I was forced to join the Dark Union.”  He sighed as he spoke.  “They took my family from me, but thankfully they escaped unharmed.  The longer I was with the Union, the harder it became for me to break free of the hold that was on me.  I am truly sorry for what I have done to you and your King.”

I couldn
’t believe what I was hearing.  Was this some kind of ploy to get me to let my guard down?  On the other hand, could it be that the man in front of me was telling the truth?  Either way, I wasn’t sure what the result of all of this was going to be.

The Queen
’s explained to me that I could grant Raylan one request and if I decided he was not worthy of his request, then he would be dealt with accordingly.

I wasn’t sure how to do any of this, but I went with it the best way that I could.  I tried to act like I was everything he thought I was, but inside I was trembling.  This man
’s life was in my hands.  It was all up to me.

Or was it?  Eric was my equal, so therefore, he has just as much say in this as I do.  And the realization of that made me feel so much better about the situation.  It gave me renewed strength.

“What is your request?”  I asked.

He stood there for a moment.  It seemed as if he was deciding on what would be the best thing to ask for.  I was sure not going to grant him any money or anything like that.  Even though, he looked completely innocent now.  It still was not going to get him anywhere.  He had tried to kill me.  He came after the man I love.  What makes him believe he even deserves a simple request at all?

I could feel the anger building in myself and, at once, I was sickened by the nature of it.  It was pure hatred, but I had to look at the real person in front of me.  I had to be sure to take my time and weigh all the options.  Even with all my anger, I had to do the right thing no matter what.  He was still a human life and I was never going to allow myself to take matters like that lightly.  Not after Katrina s uncle and the terrible feeling of guilt that my actions had caused for myself.

“
May I please be returned to my family?  And, if it is not too much to ask, could you cast a protection spell?  I mean, I just don’t ever want to be vulnerable to evil again.”  he asked sincerely.

I was stunned at what he had said.  I wasn
’t thinking that he was going to ask for anything near that.  He wanted to be back with his family.  How could I deny him that?  I couldn’t.

“
Eric.  Do you agree with me?”  I asked without ever explaining what my plans were.  I knew that our minds worked as one so, I was not worried about what his answer was going to be.

“
Yes, my Queen.  I agree with you.”  Eric said.

I thought for a moment more on whether or not I should grant his request or just kill him.  I guess that was the immature teenage girl in me.  I couldn
’t help it.

I‘ll grant your request and return you to your family, as well as keep you from the clutches of evil
, for Eternity.”  I said with sheer power. As soon as I said that, the circle started chanting a purification spell.  I released the hands on either side of me and walked forward to Raylan.  Tears were streaming from his eyes, and I could tell that he was truly sorry for what he had done, but, of course, that didn’t stop him from apologizing a million more times.

My heart filled with forgiveness.  I couldn
’t hold what evil had forced him to do against him.  He was genuinely remorseful.  His family deserved to have him back.  The spell would make sure that he wouldn’t come back after us when the Dark Union found him.  But, what was going to save him from them?

As that thought ran through my mind, I decided to add a little something extra to the spell.

“Take my hands.”  I said to him softly and he did it without hesitation.  I called to Eric and asked him to join me.

I joined hands with Eric and each of us had one of Raylan
’s hands.  I took a deep breath and began casting my spell.  I grant this man and his family safety from the Dark Union and if any of the Union’s members or associates tries to harm this man or his family, let them fall dead to the ground at their feet.  With a Queen and King’s power I command this to be.

As I let go of his hands, he hugged me tightly.  I could feel the wetness of his tears on my shoulder.  I just let him cry.  I was sure that was not a very Queen-like thing to do, but at the time it didn
’t matter.  It was the human thing to do.  I had restored hope and life in this man.  I was as happy as he was in the end.

Fire King had announced that the Circle was leaving and that we all should be getting home as well.  I was glad to hear it too.  My body was starting to feel like a pan of Jell-O and I was extremely tired.
  We all said our goodbyes and we watched everyone leave.  Standing there, I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to be Raylan.  To be turned evil against his will.  More than that, to be taken from his family had to be the worst thing out of all of it.

When Eric and I got back into the car, I remembered that he had told our parents that we would decide on a date for the wedding, but I was exhausted and was not really up to making any important life decisions now.  Beside all of that, I couldn
’t deny that it had to accomplished.

“
Do you have any day you would prefer?”  Eric asked.

“
Not really.  I suppose any day will be fine.” 

Eric drove down the road at a much slower pace than he had on the way down here.  He seemed to be lost in thought.  I sat quietly and waited for him to say something.

“How about doing it next month?  Maybe on Christmas Eve?”  Eric finally asked.

That was so soon, I thought to myself.  I was excited about it.  I wanted to marry him as soon as possible.  With all the drama of the Dark Union behind us, I had a newfound outlook on the wedding and on life in general.

“Yeah.  That sounds great!”  I replied with more enthusiasm than necessary.

Chapter 2

Eric and I walked in the front door hand in hand.  Our parents were all in his kitchen and I could see from the looks they were giving us that they wanted an answer on the wedding date.

“Well.  Have you two decided yet?”  My father asked.

“
Yeah.”  Eric replied with a giggle.

He stood there without answering them right off.  I thought it was rather funny in a way.  Our mothers were squirming and I thought they were going to jump right out of their skin if they didn’t t get an answer soon. 

I smiled and cleared my throat.  “Would Christmas Eve be too soon?”

Smiles spread across all of our parent
’s faces.   They seemed to be as pleased with the idea of it as we were.  I could see the tears flowing down both of our mother’s cheeks. 

“
That's a little less than a month away, but I think we can manage it.  Don t you Amy?”  My mother said calling Eric's mother s name.

I had never heard her called by her name before.  I rather liked it.  It sounded better than Mrs. Gray did.  I had never heard Eric say his father
’s name either, but I’m sure he had told me what it was.  I just couldn’t remember it for one reason or another.

I stood there feeling like I was being introduced to her for the first time.  It was awkward to me and I was slightly embarrassed by not remembering his parent s names.  In my defense, I had a pretty good excuse.  All of the drama that had been going on lately made me wonder if I even remembered my own name.

“Jim and I are going to run over to the house for a bit if that’s alright.”  Dad said.

“
Sure.”  That's fine my mother replied.

After several hours of my mother and Amy going over wedding plans with us, I feeling so sleepy that I had to fight to keep my eyes open.  I needed to go to bed and I knew that Eric felt the same way because I had to nudge him from time to time to wake him up.

“Guys, I’m really sorry, but I’m going to go home and go to bed.”

“
Sure thing, Bailey.  It is getting late.”  Mom replied.

I kissed told everyone goodnight and Eric walked me to my front door.  I didn’t want to be away from him, but if I didn
’t get to sleep fast I was going to go to sleep standing on my feet.  We lingered at the door, neither us not wanting to leave the other. 

“
Soon we won’t have to do this.  I love you.”  Eric said as he kissed me then opened the front door.  I told him I loved him too and shut the door behind me.

I could hear my father and Jim in the living room talking.  I went in to tell them that I was going to bed and hugged them both.  They returned their own goodnight wishes as I walked out of the room.

I didn’t bother turning on the light in my room.  All I could think about was getting in the bed, but I had to change out of these clothes first.  I blindly grabbed a t-shirt and pajama pants out of my dresser and changed.  I couldn’t even tell you if I put them on the right way or not.  It didn’t matter.

I got into bed and found a comfortable position to lie in.  Before I realized it, I was slipping into one of the most beautiful dreams I had ever had.
  The water was clear and blue.  Refreshing sounds of the ocean filled my ears as I sat on the beach.  The sand was warm and soft against my skin. Warm rays of sunlight felt comforting on my skin.  The coldness of the present weather was all but gone in my memory.  I remember lying back on the sand and drifting off to sleep.  How weird was that?  Who dreams about going to sleep?  I must be extremely tired.

The next morning, I woke up feeling like I had been run over by a bulldozer.  Every muscle in my body ached.  It hurt to move.  I had rested well, but I was sore from being in bed for so long.  I felt Eric enter my mind. 
How are you feeling this morning, my Queen?

Terrible.

Let me help you with that.

I heard him start saying words in another language.  It sounded old and unfamiliar.  I do
n’t think I had even heard anyone speak like that, even in the movies.  However, I lay there patiently and listened.  His voice was so calming, my body was relaxing more with every word I heard him say, and I could feel all the tightness and pain leaving my muscles.  It was a miracle to say the least.

We seemed to be getting good at miracles here lately, I thought to myself.  I heard Eric chuckle at the thought.

That should do it, he said pleased with his healing my body.

Thank you so much, I said with utter appreciation.

Eric told me that I should probably go ahead and get up and dressed because the circus had already come into town. 
The Circus?
I asked.

Yeah.  Our parents are already over here.  The florist will be here within the hour,
he said trying to hurry me.

Oh. All right.  I’m getting up.  I‘ll be over there shortly.

I took a quick shower and got dressed.  When I walked out the door to go over to Eric’s house, I could see that his driveway was jam packed with cars.  I understood now why he said the circus had come to town.

Everyone was in the living room when I walked in.  
“We were waiting for you.”  Amy said gleefully.

There were several people sitting there with notepads and books scattered on the tables and floor.  I was introduced to everyone and Mom explained that if we were planning to get this wedding done in time, we needed to get to work.

I agreed and took my place beside Eric on the couch.  I had not really had time to think about what I wanted, but as long as I married Eric, I would be happy.  Not many of the details were going to matter all that much to me.  Just a few.

After Eric and I picked out the seating arrangements, dinnerware, and things, I was beginning to be more optimistic about it.  This didn’t seem as hard as I thought it was going to be.  I figured it would take forever to get every little detail in order, but everything that I could possibly need or want was now at my fingertips. 

We worked diligently, going through each section they had mapped out.  The subject of dresses caught me a bit off guard.  With everything that had been going on, I hadn’t had a chance to ask any of my friends to be my bridesmaids.

I quickly excused myself to go up to Eric
’s room to make a few phone calls.  Without questioning me, Eric followed.

“
I haven’t asked anyone yet.  Have you?”  I asked him, slightly nervous.

“
Yeah.  Damien and Jared agreed.”

“
Oh, good.”

I opened my phone and scrolled through down my contact list until I reached Jasmine s name.  I quickly hit send.  The phone rang only once before she answered.

“Hello?”  She said.

“
Hi Jazz!”  I replied unable to hide my excitement.

“
What’s up doll?”

I explained to her that Eric and I were going to get married.  She almost flipped out.  I think I went temporarily deaf for a moment from her screaming.

“Jazz! Listen!  Will you be one of my bridesmaids?”  I asked knowing she would say yes anyway.

“
Absolutely!”  She screamed into the phone so loudly that I had to jerk it away from my ear..

I asked her if she could come over to Eric s house to meet with the dress fitter. 

“When?”

“Um, n
ow?”  I said expecting her to scream again.

“Sure.  I
‘ll be right over.”  Jasmine said and hung up the phone.

Eric was smiling at me.  I think he was trying
not to laugh, but he couldn’t help it.  I told him to go on back downstairs and wait for me.  I was going to call another one of my friends and I don’t think he could handle another screaming fit.  He would die laughing over it. 

Eric shut the door behind him, but I could hear him laughing all the way down the stairs.  It must just be a guy thing.

I called Beth and went through the same fit that Jasmine had given me.  Only this time it was longer and louder.  Thank goodness, I’m a very patient person.  She agreed to come straight over and be measured for her dress.

I closed the phone and hoped that they would both be over all the dramatics by the time they got here.  Hurrying downstairs, I went to pick out their dresses before they got here. 

This part was not hard.  I picked a tasteful style, floor length of course.  The color was a rich deep purple.  My mother recommended adding a slight shimmer to the fabric.  “I agreed.  That would be so beautiful.”

My friends arrived a few minutes behind Damien and Jared.  Which was good because that gave me some time to finish calming them down so they wouldn
’t fidget when the woman went to measure them.

Damien and Jared stood like statues while the tailor measured their arms.  Eric couldn
’t help but to laugh at them.  His laughter spread like a wildfire and the boys lost all control, leaving the tailor to wait until they could compose themselves long enough to finish.

After everyone was finished with the measuring, the tailor and dress fitter explained that they needed to watch and not gain or lose any significant weight due to the timeline we were working with.  None of them seemed to be worried about that.

Several hours passed as we finished going over every minor detail.  The only thing left was my dress.  I was stupefied.  I had no idea what I wanted, or what would even look right on me.  Mom always handled that for me.

“
Don t worry Bailey. That’s what she is for.”  Mom said pointing at the dress fitter, Mary.

I apologized and laughed nervously.  Mary asked me to accompany her upstairs to work out the details for my dress.  Mom and Amy followed.  I was thankful for that.  I needed all the help I could get.

The wedding planner, whose name I hadn’t quite caught, took our friends to the side to talk about the things they needed to do.  I overheard some of it on my way up the stairs.

Amy led us into the office room at the top of the stairs.  It was big enough for us to all fit in comfortably. 

Mary laid a bridal gown book in front of me on the desk.  I was stunned at the size of it.  There was no way I would be able to make up my mind if I looked at all the dresses in here.  I looked up at Mary with a look that prompted her to ask questions.

“
Do you have an idea of what you might want?”  She asked politely

I told her that I didn
’t have any earthly idea where to start and explained that my mother had always picked out any formal wear that I needed.  I was always very pleased with her selections. 

With that in mind, she picked up the book and gave it to my mom.  I watched as the three of them flipped through page after page until deciding on four gowns for me to look at.

I didn’t like the first one at all.  It was to antique looking for my taste.  The second one was plain looking.  The last two they showed me was extravagant.  Choosing between them was going to be difficult.

I studied each detail of the dresses, comparing each one to the other and finally came to a decision.  One of the dresses looked exactly like something out of a fairytale, Cinderella to be specific.  The difference was this one had long sleeves and didn
’t have any color on it except white.  I requested that she used purple on it in some way or another.  “Maybe a ribbon going down the front or something like that.”

Mary nodded and said,
“I know exactly what you want.”  It was if a light bulb had gone off in her head.  She grabbed a pad of paper and sketched out her idea of my dress.  I looked at it and was captivated. It was the same as the idea I had.  A mixture of both gowns.

Without thinking, I jumped up out of the chair and hugged her.
“Thank you.  It is absolutely wonderful!”  I screamed. 

We all talked for a few minutes and then went back downstairs.  All the clutter from the books and forms had been gathered and put away.

“Well that seems to be everything then.”  the wedding planner told us.  “I‘ll stay in touch with everyone and update you on the progress of everything.  It will take about three weeks for the gowns and tux s to arrive, then we will call everyone in for a final fitting.”

The crowd began to leave and we said goodbye to our friends.  I was glad that everyone was leaving because I was not sure how much more of this my brain could handle.  On top of everything, I was feeling a little sleepy again.

“Bailey.  Are you feeling alright?”  My mom asked.  “You look tired.”

“
I’m fine.  I think I just need a nap.”

“
Go on up to my room and get some rest.  I’m sure everyone will be here when you wake up.”  Eric said with a smile.

“Okay. Thanks.”
I said and kissed him on the cheek.  He gave me a quick wink as I headed up the stairs to his room.

I wasn
’t sure why I had begun to feel so tired.  All I knew was that I needed to sleep for just a little while.  I took off my shoes and put them in the corner next to the door.  I was glad to be in Eric’s bed.  It was much more comfortable than mine was.  Too bad that he wasn’t in here with me.