Beyond The Veil

Chapter 3

3

Emerging from the bathroom with a towel around her neck, Anna resisted the urge to touch her hair. The bright blue dye was still sinking in. She would have to let it sit for about half an hour. “There,” she said with a curt nod. “All done.”

Melissa was in the hallway, leaning against the wall and smiling that gorgeous smile of hers. “It’s gonna be super cute!” she declared. “Jack’s gonna love it!”

“I hope so.”

“I know he will.”

Lifting her forearm, Anna checked the time on her multi-tool, a frown compressing her mouth. “Okay,” she said, striding into the living room. “We have to pick up the dress from the fabrication centre this afternoon. Jack should be home around dinner time. So, I want to get it tucked away before he gets here.”

She found her mother sitting on the white couch. The sunlight coming through the window behind Sierin made a kind of halo around her body, a beautiful image that was spoiled only by her scowl.

Here it comes, Anna thought, bracing herself. Her mother was the sort of woman who had strong opinions about propriety. It wouldn’t do for Sierin Elana’s daughter to embarrass her with a silly costume as her wedding dress. Seth was dreadfully confused by all of this; he couldn’t understand why humans would care so much about all the nitty-gritty details. To the Nassai, it was the joining of two souls that mattered most. All the pomp and circumstance was just a waste of time and energy. There were moments when Anna found herself agreeing with that sentiment.

Melissa came storming into the living room, stopping short after three steps. The young woman drew herself up to full height, planting one hand on her hip. “Wait, Jack isn’t staying here tonight, is he?”

Anna whirled around. “Why wouldn’t he?”

Poor Melissa just stood there with her mouth hanging open. She quickly took control of herself and gave her head a shake. “The whole point is that he’s not supposed to see you at all! Not until you walk down the aisle.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “You know, I’m getting a little tired of all these silly Earth traditions,” she grumbled. “You guys are so superstitious.”

“It’s not like that on Leyria?”

“No!” Anna exclaimed. “On Leyria, the bride and groom…or bride and bride…or the happy couple…They’re supposed to spend the night before the wedding together, sharing their excitement and comforting each other! There’s this whole tradition called Shalari Zin.”

“What’s that?”

“Basically, it’s cuddling,” she said. “Traditional cuddling. You hold each other tight and talk about your new life together and fall asleep in each other’s arms, feeling all safe and warm.”

“That sounds lovely,” Melissa murmured. “And you could always do both. Jack can leave early tomorrow morning and get ready at my dad’s place.”

“Blue hair, Leana?” Sierin asked, rising from the couch. She wouldn’t wait another moment to have her say.

Spatial awareness painted her as a figure made out of fog, standing tall with her nose up in the air: the very image of poise and class. “I don’t understand why you want to look ridiculous on your wedding day.”

“It’s going to look nice!” Melissa protested.

“Wait until you’re a little older, dear,” Sierin replied. “I’m sure you will revise that opinion.”

Anna spread her hands, wincing as she stuffed the frustration down into the pit of her stomach. “Okay, both of you, stop!” She turned around to face her mother. “Not to be a bridezilla, but it is my wedding, and if I want to look like a goof…Well, let’s just call it truth in advertising.”

Twisting slightly, Anna looked over her shoulder with a frown. “And I will spend the night with my wonderful, loving partner!” she added. “And I don’t care if he sees my dress! My willingness to bend over backwards to accommodate all these silly little rules has officially reached its limit.”

Melissa nodded as if that settled matters. “Good to know.”

“Why don’t you go pick up the dress?” she suggested. “Bring Claire with you. I’ll make you both some lunch when you get back.”

“On it,” Melissa said, hurrying out the door.

Ten seconds after she was gone, Sierin seated herself on the couch again, crossing one leg over the other. “I just don’t understand you,” she remarked. “Is this all just a joke to you?”

Anna stood with her arms crossed, grinding her teeth audibly. She refused to lift her eyes from the floor. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure the lack of understanding part has been clear for at least two decades now.”

“Are you trying to embarrass me?”

With a great deal of effort, Anna looked up to study her mother with what she hoped was a blank expression. “No, Mom,” she said. “I’m trying to plan a wedding that I will enjoy and that my fiancé will enjoy.”

A grimace crumpled her face, and she shook her head in dismay. “And I’m having a b****y bleak time of it!” she snapped. “Because we were going to put it off for a month or two, but now, we’re going on this dangerous mission-”

“Dangerous mission?”

“I shouldn’t have said that.”

“What sort of mission?”

“I really can’t talk about it,” Anna said hoarsely. “But it would mean a lot to me if this whole thing could just go smoothly.”

“Of course, Leana. Whatever you want.”

She spent the afternoon with Melissa and Claire, mostly just girling out. For the first half hour, Claire kept insisting that she should be the one to do Anna’s makeup. And when she got her way on that, she changed gears and started insisting that she should come with them to Abraxis.

Anna was already regretting letting her sit in on that meeting. A twelve-year-old shouldn’t be anywhere near this craziness. No amount of whining, pouting or preteen, sulky face would change her mind on that issue.

Jack did make it home in time for dinner with his father in tow. Arthur offered a few half-grunted pleasantries before they both took off to get him settled into a hotel. And then she got to have a nice, quiet meal with her fiancé.

Jack was a little freaked out by the lack of a rehearsal dinner. Apparently, that was another quirk of Earth weddings. Anna couldn’t understand it. What exactly was there to rehearse? You showed up. The officiator asked you if you wanted to spend your lives together. You said yes.

She was starting to think that Earthers would enjoy weddings a lot more if they didn’t obsess over every last detail. Jack kept worrying about silly things like what door he was supposed to come out of and where he was supposed to stand. They would tell him all of that tomorrow!

She suspected this had something to do with the whole “don’t see the bride” thing. Companion forbid that he might walk down the wrong corridor and catch a glimpse of the hotness that was Anna Lenai.

The funny thing was, her boyfriend generally was not a superstitious person. And neither was Melissa for that matter. But oh boy were they scared of weddings! They treated the whole thing like a bomb they had to defuse. One wrong move and kablooey!

When she finally got him into bed, she had to spend ten minutes just massaging his shoulders to help him relax. And still, he wanted to bolt for the door! She almost felt sorry for him, but her traditions mattered too. And she was getting her cuddles tonight.

The tiny lamp on the nightstand filled the bedroom with a soft, golden glow. She had left the window open just a c***k, allowing a cool breeze to waft through.

Curled up with her head on Jack’s chest, Anna sighed contentedly. She snuggled a little closer, holding him tight. “I’m really glad you’re here with me.”

He said nothing.

Her eyes snapped open. “What is it?”

Jack was tense, staring nervously at the ceiling. “Are you sure…” he mumbled. “Are you sure we should be n***d?”

Sitting up, Anna held the blankets to her chest and hit him with a glare. “Sweetie, we sleep n***d together almost every night.”

He winced as if someone had just punched him. “Yeah,” he agreed. “But…You know…I’m not supposed to see your body until our wedding night.”

“Sweetie, you’ve already seen my body.”

“Yeah…”

Gently, she laid a hand on his cheek, turning his face so that he was made to look into her eyes. “Look, I realize that you think the universe is going to take away the things you love,” she began. “But I promise you that you and I will always find each other. And silly superstitions don’t actually do anything to keep a couple together.”

She bent down to press her lips to his forehead. “Communication does that,” she went on. “And empathy. Compassion. Love. We’ve had our share of fights; you know that. We work through it. We always do.”

“I’m not worried about you leaving me, Anna.”

“Then what?”

“I’m…”

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and then nodded slowly. “You’re worried about me dying,” she mumbled. “Well, yes. That might happen. But tell me something: will indulging a bunch of silly superstitions change the odds one bit?”

He hesitated.

“I’m waiting.”

“No,” Jack admitted. “We’ve got some very consistent odds here.”

“Don’t you want to cuddle with me?”

She got her answer when Jack’s strong arms encircled her. He pulled her close, and their lips met in the softest kiss. A kiss that lingered for a good, long while. Then he held her, cradling the back of her head, running fingers through her hair.

“I love the colour,” he said.

“I thought you’d like it.”

“I’m sorry for ruining cuddle time.”

Anna wrapped an arm around him, nuzzling the side of his neck. “No,” she said. “This is exactly how you’re supposed to spend the night before your wedding. Talking about your worries and your hopes for the future. I’m glad you opened up.”

He was grinning at her, the lamplight sparkling in his gorgeous, blue eyes. “You know, I’m starting to think that Leyrian traditions are pretty cool.”

“Mmm. I think so too.”

That night, she slept like a baby, safe and snug in Jack’s arms. She almost didn’t want it to end. But when the first golden rays of sunshine came through the window, she found it impossible to remain in happy dreamland.

It was a big day. And she wanted to savour every moment of it.

The next morning just flew by. The girls arrived early, and Jack left about five minutes later. They ate a light breakfast that Kez prepared – some kind of fruit cakes with granola; Anna would have to ask her for the recipe – and then set to work.

Claire did Anna’s makeup, as promised. Melissa offered to help with the dress, but that was unnecessary. Getting the thing on wasn’t much of a challenge. The hardest part was finding her shoes. She could have sworn she had put them in the spare room closet, but of course, they weren’t there.

When she checked her reflection, she was pleased with the result. She had left her blue hair loose to fall just past the nape of her neck with long bangs almost touching her eyes. The glitter on her cheeks was Claire’s idea. “For the costume,” she said. “To make it more authentic.”

Turning away from the mirror, Anna froze when Claire came rushing into the bedroom. The girl wore yellow with her long, dark hair pulled back in twin braids. “One more thing,” she said. “Sit.”

Anna did so, composing herself on the foot of the bed while Claire rummaged through her bag of supplies. The girl was grimacing and muttering under her breath. She seemed to be having a hard time finding whatever it is she wanted. “Ah!” she said at last. “Here it is! Hold still!”

Claire applied a bit of neon-blue lipstick. “I found this last week,” she explained. “It’s not really my colour, but I thought it would be perfect for you. There! All done! What do you think?”

“I love it.”

“Now come on,” Claire said, taking Anna’s hand and practically dragging her into the hallway. “Melissa found your shoes.”

“Where were they?”

“In the front closet.”

Anna stopped dead, scowling as she tried to figure out how they had gotten in there. “I could have sworn I put them in the spare room!” she insisted. “Wait, is there some silly rule about bad luck if Jack sees my shoes?”

“No, you’re fine.”

The others were gathered in the living room: Melissa in silver, Kez in red, both looking amazing. They were all beatific smiles when they saw her. “Oh, my god, Anna!” Melissa squealed. “You look adorable!”

Spreading her short skirt, Anna bobbed a curtsy. “Thank you, thank you!” she said. “Now, come on! It’s picture time!”

Jack checked himself in Harry’s full-length mirror. The blue uniform fit him well. It was just a pair of trousers and a knee-length, double-breasted jacket with gold buttons. He especially liked the patch on his right shoulder – a large numeral four in white embroidery. Another patch on the opposite shoulder displayed a glyph that almost looked like a pair of wings with a sword through the middle.

What he liked most, however, was that the material did not irritate him. He wasn’t sure what it was made of; Anna had been with him when they fabricated the costume. She had been the one to work out all the details. She wanted him to be comfortable on his wedding day. As opposed to every other formal engagement where he would feel it every time the soft fabric rubbed against his skin. Jack loved her for that.

Turning on his heel, he marched out of Harry’s bedroom and found his friends waiting in the kitchen. They were all sitting around the table, chatting amicably with each other. Rajel was in the middle of some elaborate story that had Arin laughing.

Sitting in a white, wooden chair, looking sharp in a two-piece suit, Harry drummed his fingers on the table. He spared a glance for Jack but held back whatever it was he had been planning to say.

It was Sora who made the first comment.

Coming out of the living room in a sleek dress, she smiled at the sight of him. “My,” she said. “Don’t you look-”

“Silly?” Harry interjected.

Sora silenced him with a glare.

Ten seconds later, she was fussing with Jack’s collar, humming softly as she straightened it. “Don’t listen to him,” she said. “The man has no sense of whimsy. It’s your wedding day! Enjoy it!”

Arin hefted up the plastic spear that Jack had left in the corner, examining it as if he thought it might cut someone. It looked real, but that edge was as dull as a meeting about the new tax code. “I take it you’ll be carrying this.”

“Part of the costume,” Jack said.

Arin tossed it to him.

Jack caught it with a deft hand, frowning thoughtfully as he inspected the phony weapon. “They really did a good job with this,” he remarked. “Look, they even put the glyphs on the haft!”

“Leyrian craftsmanship,” Arin noted.

Harry was bent over with an elbow on the table, pressing his fingertips into the side of his head. “Children,” he muttered. “I’m surrounded by children. It’s your wedding day, and you’re playing with toys.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Arin strode across the kitchen with a smile. “You look good,” he said. “Very…Jack.”

“Thanks. All right, people. Vamanos!”

Anna had chosen a lovely venue for the ceremony; the community garden near the university was nothing short of breathtaking. Flowerbeds made concentric rings around a small, grassy field, each one supporting blossoms in every colour of the rainbow. Vibrant reds, oranges, yellows and pinks.

Jack had never learned very much about gardening – it just wasn’t a subject that held his attention – but even he was impressed by his fiancé’s choice. Best of all, it was sunny. He had been worried that it might rain, but there wasn’t a single cloud in the deep, blue sky.

They had set up white chairs in a circle beyond the innermost ring of flowerbeds. That was the Leyrian way: everyone was equal, and everyone would have an equal view of the proceedings. With only twenty-five guests in attendance – not including himself and Anna – it was easy for Jack to count every face. They were all watching him intently.

It made him want to fidget.

Two perpendicular, cobblestone paths met in the exact centre of the field; that was where he stood, waiting for his bride to arrive.

Since he was wearing the uniform of a bridgeman, he did his best to adopt a formal posture: shoulders square, feet apart. Still, it was hard not to shift his weight. He wasn’t sure how long he would have to stand here with everyone watching him. Usually, he didn’t mind being the centre of attention. But only if he could start telling jokes or doing something to defuse the tension.

Jack felt Summer’s elation like warm sunlight on his skin, a steady pulse of joy that reverberated through his mind. He could say with confidence that she hadn’t been this happy since the day they Bonded each other. Summer loved Anna almost as much as he did.

That earned him a spike of irritation, and he was forced to revise the sentiment to “just as much as he did.” As far as Summer was concerned, they were all one big, happy family. She had told him once that she spoke to Seth every night while he and Anna slept peacefully in each other’s arms.

It was only then that he realized the chair next to Larani was empty. Where was Jena? For that matter, where was the officiator? He should have been here by now.

He got his answer when Jena came sauntering down the path in a green dress that left her shoulders bare. Her smile made it clear that she had something special planned. “I hope you don’t mind the change of plans,” she said. “But I thought I’d surprise you guys; so, I went and procured a license to perform the ceremony.”

“You’re going to marry us?”

“Anna says she’s all right with it. How do you feel?”

Jack blinked, startled by the fact that she even had to ask. “Please!” he exclaimed, gesturing to her. “I would be honoured!”

“Well, all right then! Ladies, enbies and gentlemen, I would like to thank each and every one of you for joining us on this momentous occasion. Two of my dearest friends are getting married, and we’re here to make sure that they remember this wonderful day for the rest of their lives.”

She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. “This is going to be a hybrid ceremony,” she went on. “A little bit of Earth, a little bit of Leyria. See, normally, the bride would be standing right here with her partner when the officiator showed up. But we’re doing things a little differently today.”

The doors to the community centre opened, allowing Anna to come out. Jack’s heart started racing the second he laid eyes on her. He had always thought that she was lovely beyond words, but this topped even his wildest expectations.

She wore a strapless blue dress with waves on the hem of its knee-length skirt. Her hair was the perfect shade of sapphire-blue, left loose to fall almost to her shoulders. Her skin glittered in the sunlight.

People murmured and gasped as she glided up the cobblestone path toward him. She must have heard some of those comments because she started blushing. Even Sierin was impressed.

Stopping right in front of him, Anna took his hands and smiled up at him. “Hey!” she said. “You doing anything special today?”

Several people laughed.

“Shall we get started?” Jena asked.

“Let’s do it,” Jack replied.

“A reading from the Book of ‘It’s About Damn Time,’” Jena said, provoking even more laughter from the guests. “I first met Jack shortly after he had been suspended from active duty for disobeying orders. I knew right then that I wanted him on my team. You might think that’s an odd quality to look for in a subordinate, but to me, it meant that Jack had the courage of his convictions. He was willing to risk his career, his reputation and his livelihood just to do what was right. Who stands lenshar for this man?”

Arin rose from his seat and strode forward to join them. “When I first met Jack, I was trying to kill him,” he began. “And our second encounter didn’t go much better. We had both been captured and thrown into a cell, made to fight each other as part of a test of our abilities.

“Jack had every reason to distrust me, every reason to believe that his life depended on ending mine. But he didn’t. He spoke of cooperation, of working together. He told me that I could be a better person. Even after I betrayed him, he still believed that I could change. He never gave up on me. Anna, you could search this galaxy from one end to the other, and you will never find a heart so full of compassion, mercy and integrity.”

Everyone started clapping.

Jack shut his eyes, a tear rolling down his cheek. “Thank you.”

“A beautiful sentiment,” Jena added. “I met Anna when I was dispatched to Earth to retrieve her after she had been stranded there. We spoke a few times; I thought she was young and impulsive, an opinion that I reaffirmed when she came to work for me. But I quickly learned that she is a woman of infinite compassion. Never have I met anyone with such reverence for life. Anna will risk her safety to protect anyone who needs it, friend and enemy alike. Who stands lenshar for this woman?”

Alia was on her feet before Jena finished speaking, though she was a little less hasty about shuffling through the grass to join them. “Anna is the bravest person I know,” she said. “When she was young, she used to protect all the kids on our street. Sometimes from bullies twice her size. She always stood up for what she knew was right, and she always took care of me. Even in times when I didn’t appreciate it. I may have been the older sister, but Anna is the big sister. The one I could always turn to whenever I was in trouble.

“What I admire most about her is that she always chose kindness and compassion over anger and violence. Even with those bullies. She would always try to talk them out of doing something stupid before she threw a punch. And she’s still doing it. I’ve seen how hard she tries to end this war. She risked her life to save people who would have called her an enemy, people who – if the situation had been reversed – would have shot her without hesitation. My sister is a woman of boundless compassion and wisdom. Jack, you couldn’t have made a better choice.”

Once again, everyone clapped.

“You’ve heard the testimony,” Jena said. “Anna Lenai, Jack Hunter, do you wish to spend your lives together?”

“Yes,” they answered in unison.

“Will you promise to stand by each other in good times and bad, to face the world side by side, to love and cherish one another?”

“Yes.”

An enormous grin broke out on Jena’s face. “Then congratulations,” she said. “You’re married.”

Before Jack could say one word, Anna stood on her toes and kissed him on the lips. Her body melted against him as he wrapped his arms around her. He was dimly aware of everyone clapping, but it was a faint and distant thing.

“So,” Jena said. “Now that the formalities have been attended to, who wants to party?”