Chapter 25 The Wedding Crash
Janelle
I woke up drowning in silver fire.
Magic poured through my veins like molten metal, responding to the desperate need burning in my chest. Adrian was getting married. Adrian was about to kiss another woman and bind himself to her forever, and the mate bond was screaming in agony at the thought.
"Janelle!" Elena's voice sounded far away, though she was kneeling right beside me. "Child, you need to calm down. Your magic is out of control."
The entire war room was filled with silver light, crackling and dangerous. I could hear King Edmund shouting orders, chairs scraping as people backed away from the magical storm I'd become.
"I have to go to him," I gasped, struggling to sit up. "I have to stop it."
"You can barely stand," Darius said, his voice tight with worry. "The mate bond sickness is killing you."
"Then I'll die trying to save him." I pushed myself to my feet, swaying but determined. The magic swirled around me, and suddenly I could feel it, a new power I'd never accessed before. The ability to tear through space itself, to travel vast distances in the blink of an eye.
"Teleportation magic," Elena breathed in amazement. "I've only read about it in the oldest texts."
"Can it get me to Adrian?" I asked urgently.
"Janelle, no." King Edmund stepped closer, though the silver fire made him flinch. "You're not strong enough. If you try to teleport in your condition, it could kill you."
"Staying here will definitely kill me." I closed my eyes, reaching for the connection I shared with Adrian. Even across the hundreds of miles between us, I could feel him. His anguish, his desperation, his love for me burning bright despite everything.
And I could feel something else. The wedding ceremony, happening right now. The words being spoken that would bind him to another.
"I can feel where he is," I said, opening my eyes. "I can get to him."
"The magic drain alone.." Elena started.
"Will be worth it if I can save him." I looked around the room at all these people who'd become my family. "Take care of each other. If I don't make it back..."
"You will," Darius said fiercely. "You're the most stubborn person I've ever met. You're not allowed to die before telling me whether you'll honor our betrothal or not."
Despite everything, I almost smiled. "I'll give you an answer when I get back."
+++++++
The cathedral of Ashwick was the most beautiful building I had ever seen. Sunlight streamed through massive stained glass windows, casting rainbow patterns across white marble floors. At the front of the cathedral, framed by an arch of white flowers, Adrian stood beside Princess Sophia.
He looked magnificent in his ceremonial uniform, deep blue velvet with gold embroidery, his dark hair perfectly styled, a prince's crown resting on his brow. But his green eyes were hollow, empty of everything that made him who he was.
Princess Sophia was radiant in ivory silk and diamonds, her golden hair arranged in elaborate curls. She looked like every fairy tale princess come to life, perfect and beautiful and completely wrong for the man beside her.
"Do you, Prince Adrian of Ashwick, take Princess Sophia of Ravenscroft as your lawfully wedded wife?" the priest intoned.
"I do," Adrian said, his voice flat and mechanical.
"And do you, Princess Sophia, take Prince Adrian as your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do," Sophia replied, her voice ringing with triumph.
"Then by the power vested in me by the gods and the crown, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The priest smiled benevolently. "You may kiss the bride."
No. No, no, no.
Adrian leaned toward Sophia, his face a mask of resigned duty. She tilted her face up expectantly, her eyes closed and her perfect lips curved in a satisfied smile.
I'd arrived just in time to watch the man I loved kiss another woman and destroy us both. The silver fire inside me exploded.
Magic erupted from my body like a shockwave, racing down the cathedral's center aisle. Windows shattered in a cascade of colored glass. Flower arrangements burst into flames. The massive wooden doors at the back of the cathedral slammed shut with a sound like thunder.
Everyone turned to stare at me, their faces frozen in shock and terror.
I stood at the back of the cathedral in my torn and dirty traveling clothes, my hair wild around my face, silver fire dancing around my hands. I probably looked like some vengeful spirit risen from the dead.
"Stop," I said, my voice carrying clearly through the sudden silence.
Adrian's head snapped up, his eyes finding mine across the crowded cathedral. The hollow emptiness in his gaze vanished instantly, replaced by joy so pure it made my heart sing.
"Janelle," he breathed.
Princess Sophia's eyes flew open, her perfect composure cracking. "Impossible. She's supposed to be in exile."
"I'm supposed to be a lot of things," I said, walking down the center aisle. Nobles scrambled out of my way as silver flames licked at the air around me. "A servant. A victim. A dead woman. But I'm still here."
"Guards!" King Magnus roared from his throne-like seat in the front pew. "Seize her!"
Royal guards moved to surround me, but I raised my hands and silver fire formed a protective barrier around my body. The guards stopped, unwilling to risk getting burned.
"Hello, Your Majesty," I said politely, never taking my eyes off Adrian. "Lovely wedding. Sorry I'm late."
"You dare interrupt a royal ceremony?" Magnus's face was purple with rage. "You dare defile this sacred space with your witchcraft?"
"I dare a lot of things." I took another step closer to the altar. "Like refusing to let you murder another innocent family. Like refusing to stay hidden while you destroy the man I love."
"Janelle, get out of here," Adrian said urgently, though he hadn't moved away from me. "It's not safe."
"Nowhere is safe anymore." I could feel the mate bond singing between us, our connection stronger than ever now that we were close. "But I'd rather die fighting than live without you."
"How touching," Princess Sophia said coldly. "The little servant girl thinks she can steal my husband."
"He's not your husband," I replied calmly. "Not really. The ceremony isn't complete until he kisses you, and that's not going to happen."
"Adrian." Sophia turned to him with desperate eyes. "Tell her. Tell her you chose me. Tell her you love me."
Adrian looked between us, his jaw clenched with internal struggle. When he spoke, his voice was clear and certain.
"I can't," he said simply. "Because it would be a lie."
The cathedral erupted in gasps and shocked whispers. Princess Sophia's face went white with humiliation and rage.
"You're making a mistake, boy," King Magnus said dangerously. "Choose your words carefully."
"I've been making mistakes for weeks," Adrian replied, stepping away from Sophia and toward me. "Letting fear control my choices. Putting duty before love. Allowing other people to decide my fate."
"Adrian, don't," I said urgently. "Think about what you're doing. Think about your kingdom."
"I am thinking about it." He reached the edge of the altar steps, close enough that I could see the determination burning in his green eyes. "My kingdom deserves a king who fights for what's right, not one who bows to tyrants and murderers."
"Murderers?" Magnus stood slowly, his hand moving to his sword. "Watch your tongue, son."
"You murdered the Crimson Moon Pack," Adrian said loudly, his voice carrying to every corner of the cathedral. "You slaughtered innocent people because they threatened your power."
"They were rebels and traitors."
"They were families. Children. People whose only crime was believing in peace instead of war."
The nobles in the pews were murmuring now, shocked by the accusations flying between father and son. Some looked skeptical, but others seemed thoughtful, as if pieces of a puzzle were finally clicking into place.
"That's enough," Magnus snarled. "Guards, arrest them both. The prince is clearly under some kind of magical influence."
"The only influence I'm under is love," Adrian said, stepping down from the altar. "And I choose it over fear."
He walked toward me, each step deliberate and certain. Behind him, Princess Sophia let out a shriek of rage.
"You will not humiliate me like this!" she screamed. "Guards, kill the witch! Kill her now!"
The guards hesitated, looking between their furious king and the prince they'd sworn to protect. In that moment of uncertainty, Adrian reached me.
"I love you," he said simply, taking my hands in his. "Whatever happens, I need you to know that."
"I love you too," I replied, tears streaming down my face. "But Adrian, the mate bond sickness, if you don't complete the ceremony with her.."
"Then we'll die together," he said calmly. "I'd rather have one moment of truth with you than a lifetime of lies with her."
The silver fire around us pulsed, responding to our connection. For a moment, the cathedral was silent except for the sound of our breathing and the whisper of magic in the air.
Then Magnus drew his sword.
"Kill her," he commanded, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "Kill the witch, and my son will come to his senses."
This time, the guards didn't hesitate. They raised their weapons and charged toward us, steel gleaming in the colored light from the shattered windows.
I started to raise my magical barrier, but Adrian moved faster. He stepped directly in front of me, spreading his arms wide to shield my body with his own.
"No!" he shouted at the approaching guards. "If you want to kill her, you'll have to go through me first!"
Time seemed to slow as I watched six armed men rushing toward the man I loved, their swords raised to cut him down. Adrian stood unflinching in their path, choosing to die rather than let them hurt me.
The mate bond flared between us, and I felt something fundamental shift in my magic. This wasn't just about saving Adrian anymore. This wasn't just about stopping a wedding or exposing Magnus's crimes.
This was about protecting my mate, and my power woul
d not let him be harmed. Silver fire erupted from my body like a supernova, and for the first time in my life, I wasn't afraid of what I might destroy…..