Watercolor Girl

28 JOP

Evie

Rea had Lev and me up first thing in the morning. Rushing us through our regular routines. I had to get my staples out today and Rea had decided that we must go and get the married thing done in the morning first thing. Chirping and chiding about government agencies in the human world taking their time with everything the longer we waited the longer the line would be. She handed Lev a bag before she’d pushed him out the door telling him to go get ready in the barracks because I was getting ready to here.

“Re, it’s not a wedding, I’m gonna see her on the drive over.”

“Humor me. Now get out.”

“You’re lucky I love you Xandrea.” He yelled through the door, Rea responded by rolling her eyes and clapping her hands together. I’d already showered.

“Hair and makeup.”

“I have eyeliner.” Rea dumped a bag of stuff she’d picked up while we had been at the mall. Sure enough, there was makeup. A knock sounded at the door, Rea jumped up and bounced to the door. In walked Kyrie, Patrick’s mate. I had only met her fleetingly in passing, she seemed lovely enough. But I couldn’t fathom or figure why exactly she was here.

“Evangeline.” she said nodding to me with an absolutely massive smile, I smiled and nodded back feeling a bit caught off guard in my towel as I sat brushing my hair.

“Kyrie is helping, since she and Patrick are witnesses and coming with.”

“Rea! We’re eloping!” Kyrie and Rea laughed.

“Humor me you’re the only pups I got.” The conversation we’d had in the dressing room came back into my mind and I relaxed somewhat. Rea braided my hair partially, careful to leave out the front chunks I always kept down in my face but so the rest was braided back, forming almost a crown of braided hair. It was simple and I appreciated that. Kyrie did my makeup. It was fairly neutral and very light. Again, I appreciated that. It looked nice, and I genuinely wondered where wolves learned to do the thinks they did with makeup. She had just a brown, bronze, green sort of blendy situation, but it wasn’t overdone. It was simple and even as someone who generally couldn’t stand makeup, I thought it looked nice. I told her repeatedly that it was amazing. She told me she’d show me sometime her magical make up ways. She was chatty but not obnoxiously. She talked mostly about her pup and how she’d initially wanted to strangle Patrick for accepting a title without speaking to her first, but upon learning both positions were paid she’d been thrilled about it and being able to be a bigger part of pack operations, even if she wasn’t a very hands on she wolf, she could help as she knew how. It worked perfectly, I didn’t have to deal with that crap and she seemed to love the idea of it. Occasionally mentioning arrangements she’d already made for the acceptance ceremony she was working on for all of us. Both mated couples who’d accepted titles of the court. She was likable and easy to be around. I liked her. And I liked hearing about their pup who was in the care of her sister for the day so she and Patrick could come with us. Kyrie asked questions about my tattoos, which Rea mostly answered since she had done them all and had much more knowledge regarding her trade and art.

“I’d love to get tattoos. I just never knew we could. It’s one of those things you just never see.”

“I’ve stabbed my fair share of wolves. You all have the perfect skin, it heals so quickly you don’t have time to mess ‘em up!” Rea handed me the bag with my dress and I waddled off to get put it on. When I came back out carrying my boots Rea was crying again.

“Reaaaaa. You’re gonna make me cry.” I whined at her.

“No no! No crying with makeup!” Kyrie chimed in.

“Well she just looks so pretty, my little Jelly Bean.”

“You’re wearing work boots?” Kyrie asked, puzzled.

“You won’t pry those off her feet. Only thing she’s worn for years. I’ve tried.”

“They’re not work boots they’re tactical boots and they’re comfy.” Rea and Kyrie rolled their eyes in unison. “And the laces match.” They did, nearly perfectly. The ribbon on my dress could have been cut from the same spool as the laces. I finished pulling on my boots. Rea whipped out her phone.

“Pictures!!!”

“Rea I don’t look…”

“Evangeline Vesper nearly Lyons, close your eyes in some if you must but it’s not like everyone here isn’t aware of your eyes.” Kyrie looked confused but said nothing. Rea handed her her phone asking if she would, and she came and stood beside me. Staring up at me with teary sparkling eyes. Kyrie took the picture, which I left my eyes open for.

“Oh. I see.” She said before laughing. “I’ve never seen that before.” She took several more pictures, some of me some of me and Kyrie some of me and her, selfies of the three of us, I closed my eyes for some. For most, but not all of them.

“Ok if we don’t get you down there Lev is gonna choke me. If he gets into my head one more time I’m gonna lose it. He’s so impatient.”

“Rea you had us up this morning at the buttcrack of dawn.” Rea smirked.

“Maybe I’m impatient too and that’s why it drives me crazy when other people are.” She said opening the door and ushering us out. “Evie you have your ID, Lev has your birth certificate already.”

“My birth certificate? Where did he get that?”

“From the pack files.” I felt kind of silly but I hadn’t even known I had one. I’d never seen it and had never needed it for anything. I had some form in lieu of one to get my ID. Sometime I realized how naive I was to the actual world around me. 20+ years of being alive and I had never known I had a birth certificate. I bounced down the stairs feeling slightly embarrassed when eyes noticed me, I kept my eyes averted and did my best to push the blushing away. When I walked out the door of the pack house Lev and Patrick were standing at Lev’s truck. Lev was leaning on it, Patrick stood with his hands in his pockets, Rea had clearly been doing other shopping while I had shoved myself into dresses I hated because Lev wore a very matchy matchy green button down dress shirt tucked into black slacks that fit loosely. He also wore his boots. His hair was down, which I liked better then when he pulled it up or back, one side of it tucked behind his ear, the other hanging to frame his face. He looked handsome, smiling as he talked, his perfect sharp canines showing. I just stood there and watched him until he turned in our direction, standing off the truck and taking a step towards us. I tilted my head, his face kind of clouded over, and his lips tightened, forming a thin line where they should have been. Patrick reached over and patted his shoulder. Rea snapped pictures, and Kyrie cooed cutely. I walked to him, reaching up and brushing my fingers along his stubbly jaw line.

“What’s the matter?” He looked up at Rea and then back to me.

“You look, absolutely, overwhelmingly, stunning, little one.” His voice cracked a little and I smiled. He was such a softie despite the broody bada** picture he liked to paint of himself. Rea continued to take pictures. She had Patrick and Kyrie get in some, Lev and I, just Lev, all 3 of us, selfies of all of us, Lev and Patrick, Lev and Kyrie, me and Patrick. So many pictures. When she was done living her prom mom dream, we loaded up into Patrick’s SUV and went on our way. It was almost starting to make me uncomfortable that Lev had not removed his eyes from me at all. We sat in the 3rd row, Rea in a captains seat and Kyrie and Patrick up front. Lev’s fingers found my chin and he gently asked for my eyes.

“You look beautiful.”

“And you’re handsome.” I smiled at him.

“I don’t think I tell you enough how beautiful you are or how I know how lucky I am to have been chosen to stand beside you the rest of our lives.”

“Thank you, my love.” He planted a soft kiss on my forehead and pulled me closer to him, I rested my head on his chest. Closing my eyes and breathing in his smokey earthy scent.

“You look like a forest goddess.”

“Why are you so good to me?”

“Because you deserve it. And because I love you more than I love life itself.”

When we got to the small courthouse we obtained the Marriage license and went to wait in a hall with lots of chairs. Only two couples before us. It moved swiftly. Rea kept looking at Lev and I and crying, then laughing, occasionally she’d babble something about how proud she was. Before we walked in Rea gave us each a ring.

“You’re gonna look weird if you don’t have these. They’re cheapies but you know this world and they’re obsession with symbolism.” Wolves don’t wear rings. They can create issues if we shift. We don’t wear jewelry for that reason. It hadn’t crossed my mind that we should probably have something for the sake of not looking weird about not having them. Rea thinks of everything.

The process was quick, we went in and stood in front of a magistrate who asked a few questions regarding identities. Lev cried the entire time which was adorable in its own. I found that I envied him in a way for his ability to be entirely unashamed of his emotions as he was. I wished I could do the same. Rea cried more then Lev and took another 8000 pictures. Our witnesses, which included Kyrie and Patrick, signed some papers we signed some papers and then we repeated vows, kissed, and the magistrate signed some papers before handing them back to us and we were free to go turn all of it in and be officially married.

“You know, I’ve never felt inclined to get married before but now I kind of want to.” Kyrie somewhat yelled back to us from the front of the SUV.

“Oh, goddess.” Patrick muttered.

“What?!” Kyrie turned to him. “It’s cute. It’s so weird to see an Alpha be all emotional over his mate. And I’m kinda jelly that you aren’t like that.” Patrick looked at her narrowing his eyes a bit.

Lev looked at me and sang

“She said I'm a crybaby, I can't be up lately

Girl, you drive me crazy…”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and laugh pushing his face to the side a bit so he wasn’t looking at me. He leaned back and pressed his face to neck.

“But I could be cool too, and you got them dance moves

And I got this vibe, I swear it's perfect to ride to…”

I found his lyrical knowledge of Lil Peep’s Crybaby somewhat endearing, he teased me constantly about my minor obsession with his music to a point I’d assumed he never listened to it when I played it.

“How did I find you?”

“How is it possible you know me so well? How on this entire earth could you be so perfect?”

“Because we were made for each other, silly.” He said booping the tip of my nose matter of factly.

“How does it feel to not be Nightclaw anymore, Jelly?!” Rea chirped. I smiled, Lev sniffled.

“Better.” It was like leaving a weight behind actually. I didn’t have to be attached to the weight of the name of a person who had done so much damage.

“So what’s on the agenda for the day then?” From Kyrie

“I have to go to the clinic and have the stupid staples removed, finally. That’s why we had to go so early.”

“I’m firing up my machines when you get back. I have ring designs for you two.” Rea said.

“I want tattooooos” Kyrie was so peppy. I liked her.

“I’ll power it up we can have a tattoo party. It’s been too darn long since I’ve gotten some stabbing in. You can hang with me until they’re back.”

We pulled into the lot and exited the SUV. I walked towards the pack house, but Lev grabbed my hand and spun me towards him, I fell into his arms.

“Don’t change. Let me admire you like this for just a little longer.”

“Uhgggg. You two are so cute it’s gross. Kyrie, come here, let me admire you a little longer.” Patrick teased, mocking Lev.

“I don’t sound like that.” He grumbled. Opening the door to his truck for me. “We’ll be back shortly.”

••••••••••••••••

“Wow, Lev, how did you get her to leave them be for 3 whole days!” Silver quipped pulling each staple out with a plier like tool.

“Thank you, Silver.” She looked up at me. “I’m sorry I’m a terrible patient. I don’t like the clinic, I don’t like being here. I was in here for 4 months before, I had planned on never coming back.” She looked at me with a calm face, feeling another staple out of my leg.

“You’re not the worst patient we’ve had. 4 months in here is enough for a lifetime. How did you get her into a dress, Lev?”

“I married her.” He said smiling.

“He cried the whole time.”

“You know what, that doesn’t surprise me.” Silver laughed. Finishing up the staple nonsense. “You shouldn’t scar based on your history of healing, Luna. It’ll probably continue to fade for the next few days and you’ll be right as rain. You’re free to shift and run around in bane infested forest all you’d like.”

“Thank you, Silver.”

“Why don’t you guys like Ronnie? I’m on call 24/7 even on his shifts in case you two come in. Did something happens there I should know about?”

“Something feels off about him. He makes me uncomfortable.”

“I can see that. He’s a weird dude. Do I need to keep your files locked from him?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“No problem, Luna. And congrats on the wedding. You two seem to suit each other. Maybe keep your fingers crossed for me in that respect? I’m not getting any younger.” Lev and I both nodded at her before I got up and we started to the door.

“You should come to the beta ceremony. A lot of the Snow Claws are coming. If your mate isn’t in this pack. Maybe he’s in theirs.”

“You know, usually I use my ‘mission essential’ work status to skip those things. But maybe I will go to this one.” She said smiling. As much as I didn’t really want to, I kind of liked Silver. She was straightforward and blunt, she didn’t back down and would throw it right back at you as she’d done when I had the staples put in. Her history with Lev didn’t really matter I guess. My petty jealousy was misplaced and I could understand why he would have enjoyed spending time with her. I decided at that moment to let it go. To let it all go, as maybe I should have before. Lev held nothing against me, even when he really should have. I resigned to being more like that and less afraid that I would lose him somehow. Closing the door on that insecurity wasn’t simple, but I was choosing to.

Lev

I am fairly certain I had never seen anything or anyone more beautiful then my mate when she walked into the parking lot from the pack house. She struck me stupid and all I could do for the moment was stare at her. She never took the time to do anything extra regarding her appearance, which was fine, I found her captivating even when she was wandering around the wing like a zombie before she had her coffee in the morning, but to see her for the first time accentuating the things that made her beautiful was a trip to another universe. Rea had done well in being pushy about making it a bigger deal about all of this then we had planned. And it was nice to see Rea so happy in her proud mama way. She always seemed so proud of Evie and she supported her in a diehard way. You couldn’t not love her for that. You couldn’t not love Rea in general but the way she was so fiercely about Evie made me love her even more. And she’d accepted me and opened up her support and love to me with little hesitation. We were both her pups and she treated us as so. I literally cried the entirety of the time in the courthouse. At some point it seemed to be excessive but the onslaught of Evie’s emotions on top of my own kept me in a constant state of emotional pour over. I just loved her. I loved her so much.

The staple adventure was interesting, i had expected it to be somewhat awkward but it seemed like Evie and Silver had made peace with the awkwardness that existed surrounding my pre fate emo guy antics. I trusted Silver with her, I really did and I got the sense that Silver was actually, genuinely happy for me to have found her. She knew better then most what finding my mate had meant to me considering we had been on the edge of s*x multiple times and I always ended up backing away from it with lame stuttering, excuses of just not being able to and wanting to wait for my mate. Silver had been pushy, but always understanding. You can’t expect to turn someone on and then shut them down without at least some frustration, despite that, she was never forceful and she always let it be when I shut it down. I respected her vastly more for it now then I had at the time. Contributing even more now to the vast respect I had for Silver, was how she treated Evie. I couldn’t help but to be warmed when Evie told her she should come to the beta ceremony.

“So when are we going to head out to the shed?”

“You literally JUST had the staples pulled, Evie.”

“You said we could go when I could shift again.” She pouted.

“And we will, I promise. We have to figure out where the rest of them are out there. But we have to get the ones who didn’t choose Snow Claw pledged, Taylor will end us if we go without him since he has a greater knowledge of locations and the potential defenses they have out there. There’s a few things we have to do. I want Stev gone and taken entirely out of the equation before we go back out there too. He’s scheduled for Monday. So after Monday. I promise, I promise.” I couldn’t fathom the horror that Monday would bring. In my blackest darkest nightmares I couldn’t come up with it.

When we got into the wing Patrick and Kyrie were there with Rea. Rea handed Evie and I drawings she had done. Evie’s ring was a Celtic design. The Lyons clan had come from Ireland before settling here in the Storm Solstice pack. There had been no deviation in the heritage of our bloodline until now, all of my ancestors had mated to other purely Irish bloodlines. Evie was the first to be of a different cultural background that had mated to a Lyons. She was considered to be of a native or ancient bloodline, descendent from the original werewolves that inhabited this area, comparable and related to the native tribes of the human world. I believe, although I’m not positive, the majority of our native lines in this area can be traced back to the Abenaki tribe. Rea had drawn mine to look like a simple wooden band. The perfection of it humbled me. My little forest warrior who thrived in a simpler world, nothing I could have come up with on my own would have represented her better. Patrick handed me a bottle of whiskey, I tossed it back before handing it back to him. Kyrie was sitting and looking through one of Rea’s portfolios sipping on a glass of wine. Rea had already started on Evie’s ring she’d wasted zero time at all.

“Rea, don’t they say you can’t put fine detail on the hands?”

“You can’t, unless you’re tattooing a wolf. You guys don’t destroy them like humans. These things will still look brand new in 50 years.” She had tattooed all the way around the finger, completing the band. Evie held her hand up to show me. I kissed her forehead. My mate and my wife. Forever.

“Get your butt in the chair, Cowboy. You’re my next victim.” Rea patted the seat before going through her sterilization process and changing needles. Handing me a red hard candy.

“Where does Cowboy come from? I don’t get it.” Patrick asked.

“I really don’t know. It’s just what came to mind the first time I met him. It stuck.” She told him as she was pouring inks. Browns, yellows, blacks and whites. She ran a razor over my finger and laid down a small stencil that basically just framed the band. Patrick watched her go through her process.

“So, how did you, like, get into the tattoo thing? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wolf with tattoos like Evie has.”

“Evie had them when I met her. Said she knew a great artist she highly recommended.”

“Do they hurt?”

“They’re not comfortable.” I said laughing. “But honestly it’s not too bad. They itch like crazy when they’re healing. I’ve also heard that tipping the artists makes them hurt less.” Rea snorted, laughing one of her big, loud contagious laughs.

“Do you have more, Lev?” Kyrie asked.

“Just one.”

“What is it?”

“Her.” I said looking at Evie who was admiring her new one.

“What?” Evie said realizing that Kyrie and Patrick were looking at her. Everyone burst out laughing, Evie flushed, reaching for the bottle of whiskey that Patrick had been hoarding. He watched her swig some of it down before handing it back.

The evening turning into the night was wonderful. Evie seemed to like Patrick and Kyrie. Rea liked everyone. I couldn’t remember a time in my life where I had enjoyed anything social as much as I enjoyed the entirety of the day. It was beyond perfect in every way. When all had settled, Rea had retired to go to bed, hugging Evie and I so tightly I thought she’d break us, thanking us for everything we’d brought into her life, Kyrie and Patrick had left to pick up their pup and settle in for the night I laid on our bed and watched my wife take her hair out, running her fingers through the loosened braids. She was barefoot, standing by the foot of the bed turned away from me partially. I scooted to the edge of the bed and pulled her to me, she leaned down and kissed me, climbing onto my lap and unbuttoning my shirt. I ran my hands over her thighs, and up over the curve of her a**. I didn’t expect my hands to meet skin, Evie wasn’t the type to put any concern into how sexy her underwear was, she wore simple black panties and that was that. The unexpected discovery of the lack of coverage almost instantly had my attention. She pushed my shirt open, kissing my neck, her small hands on the back of my head tilting it back so she had more access to one of the most vulnerable spots on my body. Wolves are taught from infancy to protect your throat, she could have tore it open and I wouldn’t have minded in that moment. I tried to unbutton the cuffs of my shirt, failed, and instead simply ripped them off

“I love you so much.” She whispered in my ear, nipping gently at it before she stood up, and pulled her dress off over her head, dropping it onto the floor beside her and looking at me slightly more disheveled but 100 times more herself in a feral wild sort of way with messier hair and the shy smile she always got when she took her clothes off in front of me. I couldn’t help wanting to touch her. I pushed my shirt off before reaching to and putting my hands on her hips, tracing the thin lines of her underwear around to her behind, causing goosebumps from the contact. Her skin always reacted to my touch. I pulled her back down onto my lap and brushed her long hair back away from her neck she was chewing on her lip, I brushed the strands of hair that she always kept across her face back and ran my thumb over the scar on her cheek before pulling her face to mine. She kissed me tentatively. I picked her up and placed her on the bed, unbuckling my belt and ridding myself of the restrictions of my pants, and boxer briefs, before hooking my fingers under what felt like threads and pulling her underwear down, watching her shift away from the bed to make it easier. I dropped them to the side before crawling back between her legs her hands had found my face and brought my mouth to hers, kissing me this time with greater fervor. Her body reacted to my penetration, slightly arching against me and a quiet gasp caught in her throat. I moved slowly, because I had to, despite being able to last longer inside her, I still struggled to control it and I didn’t want this moment to be over on account of my eagerness. Her eyes held mine, and there was a confidence that’s hadn’t been there prior. She had always seemed to avoid eye contact during intimacy but not tonight, we moved in unison, our bodies pressed together, she moaned quietly and I felt her muscles tightening around me. Her neck craned and my mouth found it. Moving to her shoulder, kissing my spot on her collarbone, nipping at it, evoking little gasps and moans, her arms tightening around me.

“Do you wanna come?”

“Please. Please” she was close, I could feel it and I was struggling to stave off my own. I bit down gently on my mark before drawing my fangs, kissing the spot, and then biting into the spot as I had done the second night we were together. Unexpected was when her fangs found mine. Electric light ran through me again, and I released, as she had, I rolled off of her onto my back, breathing heavily, she shimmied to my side, resting her head on my shoulder, I wrapped my arm around her, kissing her forehead. I drifted into one of the last peaceful sleeps I would have before the chaos that was to come. In that moment, everything was perfect. Evie, my mate, and my wife, curled against me in our bed, in our home, breathing quietly as she slept.