“You came!” Liana laughed, running towards her to hug her. “I didn’t even know this was happening, but I’m so glad you’re here!”
“I’m staying all weekend,” Clairice said smugly. “You don’t think I’d let my little sister’s wedding pass without telling lots of embarrassing childhood stories at the party? Or wait—mating, not wedding. This’ll take a while to get used to.”
“I’m so happy you’re here,” Liana whispered, tears of joy in her eyes as she hugged her sister tightly.
At first, she hadn’t been sure what her sister would make of all of this—her sister, the sensible lawyer with the perfect career, who didn’t even like fantasy movies?
And at first, Clairice had been extremely skeptical. But it was difficult to keep denying the existence of shifters when there was an entire island community of people who could turn into animals.
Moreover, when Timothy had bought the game company for Liana as a gift, Clairice had spent an entire night going through the contract. She’d scrutinized every clause and footnote. And at last, she’d come to grudgingly accept that—despite his reputation as a suave billionaire CEO—Timothy wasn’t out to hurt her little sister.
“Good to see you,” Clairice now said with real warmth in her voice when she looked at Timothy.
Timothy held out his hand, which she shook—only to keep hold of it and pull him into a sudden hug.
“Congratulations,” Clairice said, her eyes gleaming a little. “I’m so glad you two found each other.”
“Thank you,” Timothy replied softly, his voice hoarse as he drew back at last. “That means a lot.”
A moment later, Aimee was hugging Liana. She’d put on thick black eyeliner and had dyed a strand of her hair a deep purple.
“Congratulations again,” Aimee said, giggling when Liana was too overwhelmed to answer. “I can’t believe we managed to keep this a secret from you all week!”
Clairice smirked again. “We’ve all planned this together. James and John called me last week, and ever since then, it’s been non-stop planning. Fortunately, your neighbors told us that you usually spend the afternoon out on the deck facing the ocean. So we had time to get everything into place.”
“Wow,” Liana breathed when the shifters before her parted.
And there, behind the crowd that had gathered, blankets had been spread on the beach, a few pavilions had been erected, and someone had managed to construct a tiny tiki bar.
Everywhere she looked, there were
flowers and billowing ribbons of silk. And for the evening, unlit torches stood ready.
“This is incredible. I don’t know what to say!”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Clairice said, her eyes gleaming again as if she was trying hard to hold back tears of happiness. “This is for you. For both of you. Thank you for making my sister so happy, Timothy. To love, and to eternal happiness.”
She raised her coconut, and someone pushed a drink into Liana’s hand.
Hers was served in an actual glass, although it also came with a little paper umbrella. The cocktail shimmered blue—as blue as the ocean and the sky.
When Liana raised it, she saw that Timothy’s eyes were shining with the same blue light again. The ocean pearl pulsed against her skin, the song of the ocean a gentle melody that wove all around them.
As she looked out at all the people who’d gathered to celebrate with them, she could feel the power of the sea pulse through her. Blue light twined around the golden light of the mate bond connecting them.
“To love and eternal happiness,” Timothy murmured. There was a soft smile on his lip—the same smile that always lit up his face whenever he looked at her.
Liana clinked her glass against his.
“To love and eternal happiness,” she repeated. She remembered the moment when she’d sunk to the bottom of a river with the wounded Timothy in her arms, and the afternoon when they’d explored the bottom of the sea hand in hand.
But that was only the beginning. There were so many more adventures to come.
And in the end, they’d always return here—to their home, and to this close-knit community on the tiny shifter island, where everyone was welcome and everyone lived in peace.
Liana’s smile widened. Then she wound her arms around Timothy’s neck, not caring that she spilled some of her cocktail.
Their lips touched, and as their guests whooped and cheered, Liana felt the joy inside her lift her up. She felt as free and careless as the first time she’d experienced the wonder of dragonflight.