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  A sigh of relief whooshed out of her and Mandy turned to hug Nicolas’ neck. He’d done this for her, to try and impress her and woo her, not for anyone else. “It’s beautiful, but it’s not very masculine, perhaps a compromise? I feel that there needs to be more in here for you too.”

  “Sure, we can do that. Now let me show you what’s behind this door.” Nicolas pulled back a tapestry that hung on one wall to reveal a small alcove and a door. When he opened it and waved her ahead, he scooped up a blanket and followed. It took her a moment to realize just where they were while he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, but when it finally clicked she gasped.

  They were on the castle wall! All around them snowflakes fell, leaving a fluffy pile on the walkway and Mandy felt like a medieval princess huddled in her cloak and looking out over the land. Yup, she was a sucker for fairytales. “This is amazing,” she whispered in awe. “It’s so beautiful up here.”

  “You’re beautiful,” Nicolas bent down to kiss her and Mandy felt herself melt into his embrace. “I like to come out here and just look at the stars on some nights,” he admitted, before his blue eyes zeroed in on her with carnal intent. “Tonight, though, I want us to make this room ours in every way possible.”

  Her stomach did that funny little flip again at his roughly spoken words. Oh what this man’s voice could do to her. “That sounds like a good plan to me.”

  By the time they both collapsed onto the bed, the room had most definitely been claimed by them. Mandy’s body ached in the most delicious places and she was sure she would be sore the next day as well, but it was worth it. He was worth it.

  Chapter Ten

  Christmas day arrived and Mandy awoke to the sun’s rays streaking through the stained glass window in their room. The bright colors created a kaleidoscope effect when combined with the many pillows scattered about.

  Enjoying the beauty of the morning rays, she rolled to her right and snuggled into Nicolas’ side. The warm colors danced across his chest and she found herself reaching up to trace the dips and valleys of his muscles.

  Her hand slowly traveled up, fingers combing through the soft curls on his chest, only to pause when she saw a sparkle from the corner of her eye.

  There, on her left hand—on a very important finger—sat a dazzling diamond solitaire. Shifting her hand to get a better look, Mandy watched, stunned, as the light moved through the stone like an inner fire.

  “Mandy?”

  Her wide eyes shot to his, meeting his heated blue gaze and feeling her heart skip a beat in her chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing would come out, so she snapped it shut.

  “Sweetheart, your idea for the ornaments was wonderful. All of us placing our Christmas wishes inside and then looking back to see if they came true,” he began, rolling until his body lay atop hers. “I’m afraid that my wish involves a few steps `on my part before it can possibly come true.”

  Mandy lay there, shell-shocked as Nicolas brought her left hand to his mouth and brushed his lips over her knuckles before opening her fingers and kissing her palm in such a tender way, she felt tears pricking her eyes.

  “Nicolas…”

  “Shh, you don’t have to answer me right away. Just think about it, about us,” his soft voice, rough from sleep, flowed over her nerves, soothing her like nothing ever had before.

  This was where she wanted to be, where she planned to remain for the rest of her life. Nicolas was hers, and she was his, that was all that mattered. He’d stolen her heart already, so it was only fair that she steal his last name in return.

  Mandy sighed dreamily as he gently kissed her lips before rising from the bed. “Let’s get ready for breakfast. I have a feeling Garrett will be coming with a wake-up call if we don’t come down soon.” He stood and offered her a beautiful emerald green silk robe to slip into. “This color is very becoming on you.”

  “Thank you,” Mandy felt her reply was inadequate, but was unable to offer more. Nicolas obviously meant to spoil her and she’d never had that happen before, so she wasn’t entirely sure on how she should act. “I’m sorry, I’m just not used to all of this,” she gestured to their lavish room with a sweep of her hand. “My apartment is rather small, furnished with second-hand furniture and appliances which are probably older than I am. I work hard for what I have, so to have you and Jonathan buying me things and attempting to spoil me is a little awkward.”

  Nicolas just smiled. “I don’t want you to feel awkward, I just want you to see how much I care about your comfort. How much I care about you,” he emphasized. “I love you Mandy, and I want you to have everything you could possibly desire.”

  “That’s just it, I’ve never been a materialistic person, and I never will be. I’m just a simple girl, with simple needs,” she insisted.

  “And what might those needs be?”

  “I just need to be loved. We could be completely destitute and living in a cave, but as long as you loved me I would be content. All of this is simply icing on a very large cake. It’s nice, but just decoration for what lies beneath, because once you strip away all of the extras you’re left with only yourself and what you feel.” Mandy took a deep breath and mentally hiked up her big girl panties before taking the plunge. “The only thing that you could possibly give me that I would promise to keep forever, would be your name. That alone is something that can’t ever be taken from me.”

  Nicolas let out a whoop and hoisted Mandy into a bear hug while twirling them around. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me!” he exclaimed.

  Laughing Mandy replied, “Oh, I think I have an idea.”

  “I can’t wait to share the news. You just tell me when you want to do this and it will be done. Anything you want, the sky is the limit.”

  Nicolas’ eyes were practically glowing in his excitement, but another thought suddenly occurred to her, one that somewhat dimmed her happy moment. She wasn’t sure what type of wedding Nicolas would want.

  Mandy had no family or friends to invite while Nicolas and Jonathan probably had scores of friends they’d made in their eight hundred plus years. She wasn’t too keen on the idea of a large scale wedding, but would not stand in the way of the brothers sharing that time with the people they held dear.

  Her next problem, she planned to take care of at breakfast.

  “Let’s hit that bathroom you were talking about. I think a nice long shower is in order,” she purred with a little bob of her brows. “We can worry about the details later.”

  “Anything you say, sweetheart.”

  * * * *

  At breakfast their announcement was met with cheers and congratulations from everyone. Anna had even proclaimed that she was going to call her father to her in order to get his blessing for her and Jonathan to have the Binding Ceremony performed.

  Everything seemed to be coming together perfectly, but Mandy still had one thing to see to so she quietly excused herself from the table and stepped into the kitchen where she found Garrett finishing up a tray of pastries.

  “Mandy, what can I do for you?” he asked, ever the cheerful cook.

  “Actually, I do have a big favor to ask,” she hedged.

  “Anything dear, after all, we’re family now.”

  “About that, you see, I don’t exactly have any family to invite to the wedding, much less to stand with me, so I was wondering if you would be willing to walk me down the aisle, since you’re like a father to Nicolas and Jonathan…”

  Luckily, the sweet, sweet man took pity on her and cut into her babbling. “I would be honored, Mandy.” He drew her into his embrace and whispered in her ear, “We are your family now. You’ll never have to fear being alone again…like it or not,” he chuckled.

  Mandy sniffled, “I’ve been alone long enough. I think that having a family will be wonderful.”

  “Indeed, and don’t wait too long before having babies. It’s been an eternity since these walls have heard that laughter of children. Now go back out and I
’ll be right behind you with these sweet treats.”

  The thought of having Nicolas’ children rolled through her mind and filled Mandy with warmth. She had no doubt that he would be a great father. He was attentive, affectionate, and would no doubt be a patient teacher when it came to their abilities.

  Back at his side, she settled into her seat just as another thought settled in her mind. They’d been intimate three times now, and had yet to use any form of protection. Good lord, but she could be pregnant already!

  Her hand automatically moved to her stomach and Nicolas bent to whisper, “Are you feeling well?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” she replied. I just need to talk with Anna, like, now!

  “We were discussing possible wedding dates,” Nicolas still watched her closely, but thankfully didn’t question her further. “Any thoughts?”

  Oh, she had plenty of thoughts, but they weren’t revolving around the wedding at the moment. Perhaps they should be though if she wanted to fit into a nice wedding dress. If she was indeed pregnant, then that would make buying a dress extremely difficult.

  “Would a small ceremony be alright? If so then we could have the wedding fairly quickly.”

  “When did you have in mind?” Nicolas asked, Jonathan looking just as interested in her answer.

  “How about New Year’s Eve? I would love to be married before I had to fly back to America.”

  Nicolas stiffened next to her. “Why would you go back?”

  “Umm…to get my things? I need to take care of a few things there before making the move. I was hoping that you would come with me, but with this whole werewolf thing going on I understand that you need to be here. It would only be for a week, tops.” Was he going to be upset that she wanted to go back? She had very little of any real monetary value, but even sentimental value was worth a lot when you had nothing.

  “I could have everything packed up and shipped here if you’d like. Jonathan told me how you hate flying,” he added. “It’s no trouble.”

  Mandy thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that she could handle everything else through email and phone calls, so she agreed and watched as Nicolas seemed to relax once again. It would appear that he didn’t want to be separated from her any more than she did from him. “Alright, that should work. I’ll just need to use a computer to take care of the rest.”

  “There’s one in the study,” Jonathan offered. “I’ll show you later.”

  “Thank you.”

  “So,” Anna broke in, “New Year’s Eve only gives us about five days to get this planned. We’ll need to get you a dress, plan a meal, decorate…where are we going to do this?”

  “There’s a solar in the west wing. It will need a little work, but I think that Jonathan and I can manage that while you ladies take care of the shopping.”

  Garrett seated himself next to Jonathan. “I would be happy to take you ladies down to the village if you’d like. I will place orders for food, wine, and flowers to be delivered while you search for dresses and such.”

  “Thank you Garrett that would be great.” Mandy turned to smile up at Nicolas. “I can’t remember ever having such a fantastic holiday.”

  They all dug into the sweet, honey covered pastries that Garrett had prepared and began to hash out plans for the upcoming ceremony before gathering around the tree.

  It was exactly the way Mandy had envisioned Christmas should be. Wrapping paper littered the floor as each person tore into their gifts, ooh-ing and aahh-ing with delight at the surprises inside. Mandy had never before received so many gifts and was humbled at the thought that had been put into each one.

  As the day went on, they gathered around the fireplace in the main living area and prepared themselves for the next event of the day. Anna was ready to ask for her father’s blessing and had requested that everyone remain with her for support, and because she harbored a fear that her father would try and force her to return to the fairy mounds.

  Jonathan had promised to be a perfect gentleman while her father was present and reassured her that they had no ill feelings toward the Fey King. They had actually come to terms with their hatred and directed it to its proper place… at her brother.

  “Surely, once he sees how happy you are, he’ll give you his blessing,” Mandy assured Anna.

  “I hope you are right. I actually have no idea what to expect and I believe that is what scares me the most,” Anna confessed, her hands shaking as she wrung them.

  Jonathan—being the loving and supportive man that he was—took her hands in his own to still their nervous movement and gave her his most charming smile. “Everything will be fine.”

  “How can you be sure? What if he decides that he does not approve of us being together? What if he tries to make me leave? I do not want to leave you, Jonathan,” Anna whispered through her tears.

  Again he just smiled at her and urged her, “Just call out to him sweetheart, you’ll worry yourself sick with all of the ‘what if’s’. Let’s just have a little faith in the fact that your father wants you to be happy.”

  Nodding, Anna took a steadying breath and called out to her father.

  The air before Anna and Jonathan shimmered and in the blink of an eye, an imposing man—whom Mandy could only assume was the Fey King—appeared. He was tall, broad, though not as trim as the brothers, and had silver hair that was pulled back on his nape. The platinum beard on his chin added to his regal appearance as his lavender eyes took quick inventory of all persons present in the room before coming back to Anna.

  “So, this is where you ran off to. I must say I am surprised. I had suspected you harbored a fear of the brothers,” his booming voice startled Mandy, but the small smile he gave Anna went a long way to reassuring them all that things would work out just fine. “So, to what do I owe this summoning?”

  Anna took Jonathan’s hand in hers, causing the King to raise a brow in question, and then presented her request. “Father, I have met the man that I am destined to be bound with,” Anna beamed. “Would you please allow us your blessing and agree to perform the ceremony for us?”

  “I had long thought on a way to approach the two of you with the offer of a truce between us once more,” the King announced, addressing the brothers. “I never would have imagined that my sweet Anna would be the one to bring our worlds together again.” He held out his arms and Anna rushed into them. “My darling girl, I would do anything for you. If this man makes you happy, then so be it. I would never stand in the way of a fairy and their intended.”

  “Thank you!” Anna gushed. “I was so worried you would not approve that I almost did not call.”

  “I am glad that you did. Now, whenever you decide to have the ceremony, you just call on me again. I will come to you no matter what, and remember that you are still a princess, so you have access to anything you could possibly need or desire. You need only ask.”

  “Thank you, Father.”

  “And as for you,” he directed himself at Jonathan now, who stood back smiling as Anna hugged her father. “You make sure that you take care of my little girl. She is the only child I have now.”

  “Don’t worry, she’ll be treasured like the precious jewel that she is. I’ll keep her safe and happy,” Jonathan vowed.

  The group relaxed and spoke of everything from past to present, acknowledging the past, making peace between their kinds and discussing the future.

  It turned out that the King was a very animated fellow, with a very charming and charismatic personality that one couldn’t help but enjoy. He was adamant about the happy couple not waiting too long before having children. Apparently his Highness was itching for some grandchildren.

  The day was nearly over, with the clock chiming, alerting everyone that it was eleven o’clock. Mandy tried to hide a yawn behind her hand, but evidently she failed because the King rose and enveloped Anna in his arms.

  “I expect to see you from time to time, you know,” he teased. “Jonathan, you are a fine man,
and I have no doubt you will make an excellent husband for my daughter.”

  “Thank you, sir. I will do my very best,” Jonathan replied, tucking Anna under his arm.

  “You are welcome to visit whenever you like,” Nicolas offered. “This will be your daughter’s home now as well.”

  The King accepted the brothers’ handshakes and hugged Anna one last time before shimmering out of sight.

  The minute he was gone, Anna whooped and jumped into Jonathan’s arms, “We did it! We are going to be together forever.”

  Jonathan scooped up her legs and hugged her tight to his chest. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.” He turned to Nicolas and Mandy, “Good night guys, we’re heading to bed.”

  “I bet you are,” Nicolas smirked, earning him a sharp elbow from Mandy. “Good night, you two.”

  Another jaw-splitting yawn saw Nicolas scooping Mandy into his arms, much the same as Jonathan had with Anna. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m carrying my own princess off to the tower to ravish her,” he replied.

  “Oh,” a truly brilliant reply on her part, “Well, lead on, my Dark Knight,” she purred.

  Later that night…much later…Mandy couldn’t help but think, This is the best Christmas ever, as she drifted off to sleep, comfortable, warm, and sated, next to the man she loved.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, Mandy, Anna, and Garrett all piled into the SUV for their shopping trip into the village.

  Mandy and Anna spoke excitedly in the backseat about everything from dress styles and how to fix her hair, to shoes and nail polish colors. Mandy informed Garrett that he could be the one to pick out the flowers and he promised the arrangements would be both elegant and fragrant.

  With Garrett also handling the food order and procuring the priest, Mandy and Anna were free to spend the day focusing on just themselves. This was a rare treat for Mandy to indulge in and she intended to savor the experience.