When the Shadows Fall by Elise Noble

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 46 - ALARIC

BETH HAD ONE request for the wedding. She wanted to ride Chaucer down the aisle, and Alaric was only too happy to accommodate her because he knew how much she loved that horse.

Which meant they’d initially planned on having a small wedding in England. Just the two of them and Rune, plus Ravi as best man and Judd and Naz as witnesses. Alaric invited Sky and Emmy too, and although having your ex at your wedding might have been considered odd, Beth understood why he wanted the two women there. If it weren’t for that pair, he and Beth would never have ended up together.

But then someone—Beth suspected a busybody from the livery yard—told Beth’s family that they were getting hitched, and suddenly they were being bombarded with so many orders and instructions that Beth informed her mother they were getting married in America and slammed the phone down.

Alaric didn’t mind. It was easier to fly the horse to Virginia than deal with his soon-to-be in-laws.

The downside was that Bradley took over, but at least he didn’t try to invite five hundred people and draw up a contract to have the photos featured in a national magazine the way Beth’s mother had. And Emmy did her best to keep Bradley under control. She also agreed to let them hold the ceremony at Riverley, which wasn’t Alaric’s first choice of venue, but Beth loved the little sun temple thing in the corner of the west lawn, and who was he to disagree?

Originally, Beth’s parents had planned to make the trip to Virginia, but last week her sister, Priscilla, had announced she was divorcing her new husband to marry Beth’s ex, and Mr. and Mrs. Stafford-Lyons cancelled to deal with the fallout. Was Beth upset by the news? No, she’d laughed her pretty head off.

The wedding had grown a little—thirty or so people and their plus-ones, or in Judd’s case plus-two because he’d decided he was bringing not only Gemma but Nada or whatever her name was as well. Both women were still living in his house, along with Nada’s baby daughter. Nada had also borrowed his surname four months ago, and so far, she didn’t appear to have given it back. Even the baby had a passport naming her as Indamira Millais-Scott. Alaric wasn’t quite sure what was going on there, but he did know that he was in no position to judge, especially in light of his plans for tonight.

“Everybody, take your places,” Bradley instructed. “We need to get this show on the road.” He closed his eyes, crossed his fingers, and tilted his head heavenwards. “Please don’t let the horse poop in the aisle.”

Alaric and Ravi walked slowly towards the sun temple. The little domed building looked centuries old, a relic from another civilisation, but it hadn’t been there eight years ago. Bradley had planted a grand piano beside it, and Asher was tinkling away on the keys.

“Thanks for doing this,” Alaric said to Ravi. “It means a lot.”

“Beth’s your unicorn.” Ravi smiled the smile that had drawn Alaric in on the night they first met. “Maybe one day, you’ll return the favour.”

“I’d like to think so.”

The officiant took his position under the rose arch, and the guests took their seats. Emmy stood to the side, waiting to hold Chaucer once Beth had ridden down the aisle.

And there they were. His two girls. Beth in a cream satin dress astride her gleaming bay horse with Rune walking alongside. The younger McLain had skipped school to play bridesmaid, but her headmistress didn’t mind because Rune had studied half the syllabus by herself during summer break anyway.

At the sun temple, Beth slid off Chaucer into Alaric’s arms, and it was all he could do to make himself let go while Rune rearranged the bottom of the dress. He folded back Beth’s veil and looked into those beautiful blue eyes. Was he nervous? No, just happy.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of—”

Frantic neighing interrupted the officiant, and it wasn’t coming from Chaucer. Emmy’s horse wasn’t the culprit either—for once, Stan-slash-Satan was grazing peacefully in the distance. Suddenly, a white streak rounded the corner of the house, followed by a sprinting cowgirl waving her arms. Oh, fuck. Alaric stared in horror as the runaway horse bore down on them. Guests were already scattering, and half of them had guns in their hands.

“Don’t shoot!” he yelled. “Don’t anybody shoot!”

Beth’s mouth dropped open as the grey horse skidded to a halt in front of her, ribbons of pristine turf curling from under his hooves.

“Polo?”

The one and only. Beth had his name tattooed over her heart, right above Alaric’s. The ink was still fresh on the latter—she’d revealed that surprise two weeks ago when he got home after signing yet another new contract on behalf of Sirius, the sly little minx.

Now Polo nuzzled her, leaving a streak of yellow goop up the front of her dress.

“Oh my gosh, it’s him. It’s really him.”

Alaric, the vows, the entire wedding was forgotten as Beth hugged her old horse. It had taken Sirius months to find that nag. None of the transfer-of-ownership records for that breed registry were computerised, and Ravi had spent three nights going through filing cabinets in the dark while Judd kept watch outside the building. Hartsfield Napoleon II, also known as Polo, had been renamed Ghost of the Ages and sold as an eventer to a teenager in Belgium. After she’d fallen off a number of times, he’d bounced around the world and, as far as Naz could ascertain, eventually ended up in Ohio. Frickin’ Ohio. Emmy had gone to Columbus with Alaric because he didn’t know one end of an equine from the other, and she’d concluded it was the right horse. By then, Polo was festering in a field, having refused to go over a single fence with his latest owner, and Alaric bought him for a song. The horse just gnashed his teeth as the deal was concluded. Harriet, a new friend who happened to own a horse farm, had picked him up and hidden him until today. She’d been only too happy to help after Alaric promised her the fifty-thousand-dollar reward that came from returning Emerald to the Becker Museum.

“It was meant to be a surprise,” Alaric muttered.

“Oh, it is. It definitely is. My goodness, he’s got so fat. And his coat’s much lighter.”

By then, Beth had mascara streaked all down her face, and Alaric’s black suit was covered in white horse hair.

“Happy wedding day, my sweet.”

Beth clapped her hands to her cheeks. “The wedding! I’m so sorry.”

At least Alaric knew where he stood in terms of his soon-to-be wife’s affections. Luckily, she had enough love to go around. A red-faced Harriet moved Polo to the side to stand with Chaucer, and Alaric finally had his Mrs. McLain.

And an hour later, he had her again, this time bent over the saddle rack in the Riverley tack room, still in her wedding dress. Alaric had learned his lesson from Beth’s sister and locked the door while he fucked his new wife harder, harder, until she screamed not only his name but several obscenities she’d never utter in public.

Four months ago, on the day they got together, they’d confessed their darkest fantasies to each other. Three each. A wish list of filth to work their way through. Alaric’s items were all checked off, but he still owed one to Beth. Tonight he’d pay up. She just didn’t know it yet. No, she sat patiently with her legs spread while Alaric cleaned up the mess he’d made, and then they staggered outside so she could feed carrots to her horses.

“This is the best gift ever.”

“Let’s see if you still say that tomorrow,” Alaric murmured.

“Sorry?”

“Never mind.”

The reception—or the after-party, as Bradley insisted on calling it—would have been fun on any other day. Good wine, good food, good friends. But tonight, Alaric couldn’t wait to escape. He finally got his wish as darkness fell and the limo he’d hired pulled up near the rear terrace. Tonight, they’d be staying at Hillside House. Emmy and Black had offered their private island for a honeymoon, but Alaric had arranged the flights for the following week, first to Lorelei Cay and then on to Italy to visit the vineyard he part-owned. Having just got Polo back, Alaric didn’t think Beth would thank him if he tore her away for a vacation right afterwards. Next summer, they planned to take a month off and drive Route 66 with Rune—their first proper trip as a family. Alaric looked forward to the future now. The past was the past, and there the bad memories would stay.

Tonight, Rune was staying at Riverley, and she rushed over to give them both a hug. She wasn’t quite back to her old self after Emerald did her worst, but she was heading in the right direction thanks to a good therapist and the school she loved. Plus she seemed to be getting along well with Sky, despite their vastly different personalities. Alaric wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“See you tomorrow,” she said. “Love you both.”

“Love you too, sweetheart.”

Beth ran off to the stables to say a last goodbye to the horses, and Emmy sidled up to Alaric and straightened his jacket.

“I’m glad you got your girl.”

“So am I.” He removed the envelope she’d surreptitiously slipped into his inside pocket. “What’s this?”

“The deed to your house.”

“What? You can’t…”

“Just did. Now sod off and make your wife happy.”

She didn’t look back as she took Black’s arm and walked past Rafael into Riverley Hall. Typical Emmy. Kind yet bitchy at the same time. Alaric was still chuckling softly when Beth’s arm wrapped around his waist.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. Let’s go home.”

They climbed into the back seat of the limo, but rather than gliding straight down the driveway, it made a pit stop at the front of the house. Ravi slipped out of the shadows and climbed into the car with them.

Beth’s face was an adorable mask of confusion.

“What’s going on?”

“You had three wishes, sweetheart.”

It took her a few moments, but she finally understood.

“Oh!”

If she balked, Ravi would leave. He and Alaric had discussed this at length, and Ravi was up for a little experimentation if Beth was.

But Beth didn’t balk. The look of shock faded, and her eyes gleamed.

“Oh…”

Alaric leaned forward and tapped on the privacy screen. The limo moved off. He lifted Beth’s dress, pushing the layers of silk and lace up to her waist, and ran his hand along her thigh. Ravi mirrored him on the other side.

“Ohhhhh…”