Chapter 23

Lily stood in front of the full-length mirror, her hands trembling as she adjusted the lace veil over her elaborately styled hair. She barely recognized her own reflection. Was that really her? But beneath the makeup and finery, she was still just Lily—the same woman who never imagined she'd be standing in an upmarket hotel in the twenty-first century, about to marry a man from the fifteenth.

The door burst open and Anna, Lily's maid of honor, entered. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of her best friend.

"Oh Lily...you look absolutely beautiful!" She embraced Lily, laughing through her sobs. "I can't believe this day is finally here. My best friend, a bride!"

Lily hugged her back, wishing she could freeze this moment forever. She had dreaded telling Anna about the wedding, knowing it would mean the end of their carefree days together. She had known Anna since her university days and they had been best friends ever since.

Anna dabbed at her eyes. "I'm so happy for you, I really am. But I'm going to miss you. Are you sure you have to take this job and go and live up north? I'll never see you!"

Lily's heart ached. She wanted to confide in Anna, to tell her the impossible truth—that she wasn't going to live ‘up north' at all but was actually going to live in the fifteenth century. But she couldn't—it was too crazy, too dangerous, too complicated. All she could do was clasp her friend's hand and say earnestly, "I'm so sorry I kept this from you. Our friendship will always be one of the most important things in my life, no matter where I go."

Anna managed a small smile. "You're right. Friends forever."

She pulled Lily into another fierce embrace. Lily clung to her friend but their embrace was cut short as footsteps echoed from outside. There was a knock on the door and it swung open, revealing Magnus and Emeric on the other side. They had recovered from their injuries and scrubbed up nicely. Their hair was freshly combed and both wore their clan plaids pinned closed with osprey brooches.

"Are ye ready?" Emeric asked. "It's time."

Before Lily could reply, Anna swept forward. "Oh, hello, Emeric," she said, giving him a wide smile. "So nice to see you again."

Anna had met Emeric, along with the rest of Lily's new friends, at the pre-wedding dinner last night. She had taken to teasing him incessantly—a sure sign that she was attracted to him.

Emeric bowed, looking a little flustered "And ye, Lady Anna."

"Oh, isn't he cute?" Anna said to Lily with a grin. "I'm no lady, Emeric. I can show you how unladylike I can be if you want."

Emeric blushed to his hairline and Anna let out a wicked laugh.

"Oh, leave the poor man alone will you?" Lily said, rolling her eyes. "You're scaring him to death."

With Anna's arm linked in hers, Lily followed the two men out of the room. As they walked, Anna leaned in conspiratorially. "So, is Emeric single?"

Lily had to stifle a laugh. If only her friend knew the truth—that Emeric was a time traveler from the fifteenth century. "It's...complicated."

"Isn't that what makes it fun?"

As they approached the doors to the hotel's wedding room, Lily paused, a sudden wave of nerves washing over her. She had dreamt of this moment for so long, had even traveled through time to make it happen. Yet now that the wedding was here, her knees trembled.

Sensing her anxiety, Magnus turned and met her eyes with a reassuring smile. "No need for nerves, lass. Today is a joyous day." His deep voice was comforting.

Emeric nodded. "Oskar is the luckiest man in Scotland to be marrying ye."

Lily smiled, bolstered by their words. With her arm still entwined in Anna's, she lifted her chin and stepped forward.

The doors swung open and there he was, her Oskar, waiting for her at the end of the aisle. He was flanked on either side by Kai and Conall and his eyes locked on hers as she entered, full of unspoken promises.

Her friends and family sat on one side—her aunts and uncles and cousins. A lingering sense of sorrow washed through her that her parents couldn't be here but she pushed it aside. They were looking down on her, she was sure. Oskar's guests sat on the other side. Rory Stewart, Kai's older brother who was part Fae, had brought them all to this century as a wedding gift—and brought a whole contingent of fifteenth century Highlanders and their wives with them as well.

Oskar's eyes lit up as Lily approached. He looked dashing in his plaid, every bit the Highland warrior. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight and his red hair shone like burnished copper. Something shifted inside her. He was hers, this beautiful, wonderful man. She could hardly believe it.

The room was decorated with wildflowers, sunbeams filtering through the windows but Lily barely noticed her surroundings, unable to take her eyes off Oskar.

He smiled as she joined him. He'd rarely smiled when they first met but now he did it often. Even so, it still had the power to make her stomach flutter.

"Lily," he breathed, his voice a soft caress that made her skin tingle. He took her hand, her fingers feeling small in his big fist.

"Oskar," she whispered back, squeezing his hand in return. His palm was warm and calloused, yet it was also tender, gently cradling her own with a soft touch.

"I'm truly blessed," he murmured. He smoothly pulled her closer, his hands warm and solid on her waist. He leaned in, whispering words meant only for her ears. "Ye look breathtaking."

She reached up and stroked his cheek, feeling the prickly stubble beneath her fingers.

"Let's begin," the celebrant said, her voice carrying throughout the room. "Cherished guests, we are gathered here today..."

Lily could barely focus on what she was saying. She was aware of the words—they were familiar, after all—but all she could think about was Oskar. She drank in his features, the way his jaw tightened when he was nervous, the small twitch of his lips when he tried to hold back his smile. God, how she loved him.

She was pulled from her thoughts as the celebrant asked, "And do you, Oskar, take Lily to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, to love and to cherish till death do you part?"

"I do," Oskar affirmed, his voice steady and certain.

Lily felt a surge of warmth spread through her at his words. She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"I do," she said softly when it came for her time to speak.

The room echoed with her words, and Oskar let out a relieved breath, pressing his lips to her forehead. Lifting her hand, he slid the wedding band onto Lily's finger, his movements sure and steady.

Her heart raced as she did the same for him. It fit perfectly—just like they did.

The celebrant raised her hands and declared solemnly, "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

The words were met with applause and Oskar's grin stretched from ear-to-ear, his happiness infectious.

"You may now kiss the bride," the celebrant continued.

The words reached her ears as if from a great distance. Oskar leaned in slowly, giving her time to close her eyes and tilt her head at just the right angle.

Their lips met in a kiss that was both sweet and passionate, like a promise of all the days yet to come. Cheers erupted around them. Oskar wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

"Thank ye for marrying me," he whispered.

She gave him a teary smile. "Thank you for asking me."

Arm in arm, they made their way outside into the warm summer afternoon and strolled around, greeting their guests and chatting. Music played as people milled around, talking and laughing, enjoying the sunshine and the joy of the day. Lily spotted Anna trying to teach a baffled Emeric some modern dance moves. She had to laugh at his confused expression.

After they had greeted everyone but before the banquet started, they slipped away for a moment and strolled down a wooded path in the hotel grounds, leaves rustling in the breeze. Lily kept her hand firmly wrapped around her new husband's. Husband. She could still barely believe it.

"I could stay here a hundred years and never get used to it," Oskar remarked, gesturing around them. "The clothes, the speech, the metal carriages racing about. It's like nothing I could imagine. Everything moves as quick as a hare. I feel dizzy with it all."

Lily smiled. "Don't worry, we'll be going home soon."

Oskar turned her to face him, his arms encircling her waist. "No second thoughts?"

"Never."

Oskar's eyes searched hers. "I'll stay here with ye, if that is yer wish," he said earnestly. "I was only joking about never getting used to it. Ye need only say the word."

She reached up to caress his cheek. "No. Our home is in your time. I like who I am there. I'm stronger. Better. It's where I'm meant to be."

If ye have the courage to take it, it will lead ye to the place where ye will find yerself, and to the person who will show ye who ye really are.

She had taken the path Irene had set out for her and she had found who and where she was meant to be. Would Irene be pleased?

Oskar smiled. "I like who ye are no matter what time we are in."

He drew Lily close and brought his lips to hers. Lily melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

And that was it. It was as though a dam had broken loose and desire and need came flooding through Lily in a tidal wave. The kiss deepened, his hands began to roam and caress with growing urgency and Lily knew Oskar wanted her as badly as she suddenly wanted him.

She didn't resist when he gently laid her down among the soft grasses or when he began pulling at her clothes. In fact, she helped him, eagerly tossing her garments away, wanting nothing between them but hot skin.

As he pulled off his shirt, Lily ran her hands over the muscled expanse of Oskar's shoulders, taking in the feel of warm skin under her fingertips. His eyes studied her, darkening with desire. Then he leaned forward and cradled her face in his rough hands, his calloused fingers caressing her cheeks as his lips descended on hers again. This kiss was slower, deeper, but no less passionate than before.

Part of her said that they ought to wait until their wedding night and that they had guests waiting but Lily couldn't have stopped now if she'd tried. She'd spent last night away from him as tradition dictated and that was more than enough. She wanted him badly. She had to have him.

Her breath hitched as he kissed his way down her neck, his stubble dragging lightly across her skin in a delicious friction that had her arching towards him.

"Oskar," she gasped, her fingers tangling in his hair. Her pulse raced, her senses filled with him—his scent, warm and masculine, the gentle pressure of his lips on her skin, the feel of his body, strong and solid against hers.

"Ye're beautiful, Lily," he breathed, his voice a low rumble that echoed in the quiet woods. He pushed her onto her back and moved over her, his body aligning with hers in a way that felt perfectly right.

Her world, for that moment, became the small patch of grass beneath them, the leafy canopy overhead, and the man above her. She didn't care about anything else.

He placed his hands to either side of her face and looked down at her. She had always loved the light blue of his eyes but now they were dark like indigo, full of desire. It sent heat pooling into her stomach.

He nudged her knees apart, lowered his hips, and exquisitely, slowly, pushed himself inside her.

"Ye are mine lass," he breathed into her ear. "Forever."

Lily arched her back and gasped. She gripped his shoulders, her nails digging into the taut muscles. She breathed heavily, trying to adjust to his size.

Oskar stilled above her, his gaze focused on her face. "Are ye all right?" He was always gentle with her, careful of her long-standing injuries. She knew he would never, ever, hurt her.

Lily nodded, a shiver of delight running across her skin as she felt him twitch inside her. "Yes," she assured him in a breathless whisper. "I'm more than all right."

Oskar began to move. Each thrust was slow and deliberate, each pullback a sweet torture. Lily matched his rhythm instinctively, their bodies moving in harmony. She could hear the sound of his harsh breathing mixing with her soft moans and gasps.

Lily clung to him as they moved together, gasping his name as she felt herself spiraling towards the precipice of ecstasy. Oskar seemed to sense it too—he quickened his movements, pushing them both to the edge.

"Lily. My wife," Oskar breathed out, his voice gravelly and low, his expressions contorting with pleasure. He was close, she could tell, and so was she.

"Oskar," she whimpered, her body trembling as waves of pleasure began to wash over her.

And then, with one last powerful thrust, Oskar sent them crashing over the edge together. Lily clung to him tightly as they rode the waves of ecstasy, their gasps and cries mingling in the warm afternoon air.

Spent, Oskar collapsed onto the soft grass next to her, pulling her into his arms. Lily snuggled against him, her head resting on his broad chest as she listened to the steady rhythm of his heart.

In the distance, she could hear the music and hubbub of their reception in full swing but here all was peaceful.

Oskar broke the silence first. "Do ye think they've missed us yet?"

Lily laughed softly. "Probably," she admitted. She pushed herself up onto her elbow. "I suppose we should go back now," she said reluctantly, gesturing towards their discarded clothing. "They might start thinking we've run off together."

Oskar smiled. "Perhaps we should."

Lily grinned mischievously as she considered Oskar's words. "Nah. I don't think we'd get far. Anna would catch us before we'd gone a mile."

The deep rumble of his laughter echoed through the woods, a sound that filled her with joy. She rolled away from him and climbed to her feet. They began to re-clothe themselves and once they were decent again, Oskar stretched his hand towards her. Lily took it, her fingers fitting perfectly into his.

They set off, the faint sound of laughter and music guiding them back to their guests. The wedding party was in full swing, unaware of the bride and groom's brief disappearance. From their seclusion, they watched as their guests drank and danced.

Oskar looked down at Lily, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. "Ready to face them?"

She chuckled softly and nodded. "I suppose we should.

He offered her his arm and together they stepped out of the woods and onto the gravel path that led to where the pavilion had been set up.

Lily spotted a wooden bench on the path up ahead and her breath hitched as she saw someone sitting there, waiting for them. That someone was small, elderly, and had gray hair pinned into a bun.

Oskar missed a step, clearly having seen her too. "Is that—?"

"Ah! There ye are!" Irene MacAskill called brightly, patting the bench beside her. "I've been waiting to talk to ye. I can see ye've been...busy."

The old woman's dark eyes swept up and down Lily and Oskar appraisingly, sparkling with mischief. Lily felt herself blush.

Irene cackled at their discomfort and then patted the bench again. "Come, sit with me."

Lily shared a look with Oskar then the two of them warily lowered themselves to the bench beside her.

"What are ye doing here, Irene?" Oskar demanded. "This is our wedding day. We dinna need any Fae intrigue—"

"Canna an old woman just come to wish newlyweds good luck on their wedding day?" Irene cut in, her eyes gleaming with humor. "Or is there a law against that now?"

Oskar frowned, looking as though he was about to argue. But before he could, Lily squeezed his hand and smiled at Irene. "It's good to see you, Irene. Oskar and I have a lot to thank you for."

Irene's eyes crinkled with delight. "Yes, well, love has a funny way of making everything fall into place now, doesnae it?" she replied with a grin. "And ye can thank me by living a long and happy life together."

Lily smiled. "We intend to."

Irene patted her hand affectionately and then gazed over at where the guests were gathered. "Aye," she breathed softly. "Love and the Balance always finds a way, no matter how unlikely it may seem."

Lily followed the line of the old woman's gaze and saw that she was watching Anna trying to get Emeric to dance.

The sight of them brought a smile to Lily's face. Anna was being her usual stubborn self, tugging at Emeric's arm while he looked at her as though she'd grown a second head.

"Look at them," Irene murmured, her words barely audible. "So much in store for them."

She rose suddenly to her feet. "Well, I had better be going," she said brightly. "Ye have a busy night ahead of ye, I ken."

"Won't you stay?" Lily asked, rising to her feet. "You'd be most welcome."

"Aye," Oskar agreed. "Ye would."

Irene smiled and patted Lily's hand and then Oskar's. "That's mighty kind but I've played my part in yer story and it's time for ye to write the next chapter yerselves." Off in the distance, the strains of a lively reel started up and Irene clapped her hands with glee. "Ah, that's my cue! Off I go!" And with that she turned and ambled away, disappearing into the woods as completely as if she'd never been there at all.

Oskar's arm slid around Lily's waist, pulling her against him. "Our adventure begins now, lass," he whispered in her ear.

"Yes, it does," she agreed, tugging him along the path towards the party. "So let's go get it started shall we?"

Hand in hand, they went to join their guests.

THE END