Dragons Against Them (Kingdoms of Fire and Ice #2)(55)
“And what of you?”
She lowered onto her heels and stepped away, avoiding the look of concern that now tinted his gaze. “I’m fine. Great. Super.”
Super? Why not just wave a neon pink sign over your head that says in big bold letters, “I’M A PATHETIC WIMP”?
“No one will think poorly of you if you wish to forego the bonding, my lady.”
“I’m not backing out of this.”
“Addie.”
She held a hand up. “Really, it’s no big deal. Just some words, maybe a little incense, a big old gash in my hand—what’s there to want to back out of?”
“Adelaide.”
She sighed. He’d used the future-king tone, which meant it was pointless for her to bullshit him any longer. Addie looked down and ran a thumb over her left palm.
“Okay, so maybe I’m a little nervous about the whole thing. And the blood. I’ve never been good around blood. Ask Emeline—she got to see firsthand how I react to flesh wounds that first day at Godfrey Manor.”
“I do recall her mentioning something about your less than desirable intestinal fortitude in the past. Though, that was before she came to accept you as one of our own.”
Addie met his gaze. “But what if I pass out again? Embarrass you in front of the others?”
“My sweet, sweet Adelaide. When will you come to understand I care not what anyone thinks of you or me? Only that you are happy and safe.” He drew her closer and tucked her loose hair behind one ear. “You have no idea the guilt I bear for putting you in a position such as this. Even now I feel compelled to torch the others for suggesting this method of healing. If you chose to forego the enchantment, I would think no less of you.”
“But I want you to get better. To keep you safe. To keep all of us safe.”
She stared into his eyes, wishing, hoping he would say there was another way. That she didn’t have to endure the pain and bleed all over the place to get what she wanted. But of course there was no other way, and his lips did not move.
Addie looked at his chest, at the jagged stripes left by her father’s attack, and gave herself a mental smack. He had already endured so much more. Unimaginable pain in each of the lashes inflicted upon him. Because of her.
Guilt tried its damnedest in that moment to swallow her whole, but she fought it with reason. Because while his past pain she could do nothing about, she did have some control over his future. No way was she going to stand here and allow him to hurt any longer.
Addie turned from him and looked to Haelan, who, she now noticed, stood a short distance off watching them with keen interest. “Let’s do this.”
Though he’d never actually thought of what his wedding might look like, this certainly would not have been the image. Zayne, standing pressed against Addie before a crumbling, war-battered altar. It felt surreal. And while this wasn’t to be their true matrimony, once they were partially bonded, there was no going back.
A rush of excitement rippled through his weary body, not just at the prospect of a full recovery from the lingering pains of yesterday’s torture, but also for what he and Adelaide were about to do together. To bind with a mate was his people’s highest honor, an act that pledged loyalty, trust, and eternal commitment. It pained him not to have his mother here to witness the occasion, but he made a silent vow to safely retrieve Rosalind so that Queen Helena could indeed be present at their actual wedding.
Tristan stepped forward, acting in place of Addie’s male elder. He raised Zayne’s and Adelaide’s intertwined left hands to be level with their hearts, then bound their wrists with a swath of white cloth. The ceremonial cloth served as both a symbol of the purity in their hearts and to prevent either from pulling away once the bonding began. Tristan placed a chaste kiss to his twin’s cheek, and Zayne’s gaze was drawn again to Addie’s, a look of determination in her eyes. He knew not what had transpired within to cause her earlier shift from worry to conviction, only that it had finally come. Selfishly, he had not attempted to sway her from the decision.
The look she gave him now advised him not to bother trying either.
Heavens, how he loved this woman. Edana would gladly receive a woman of such bravery and compassion as its queen one day, just as he would gladly receive her as his true mate and wife. He slid his right hand tighter around her trim waist, and she did the same to him.
Haelan stepped forward, dark blue eyes glowing beneath the drawn hood of his robe.
“What we shall bind today, let no one attempt to sever.”
Thus ended the traditional matrimonial litany, which Zayne found to be both a surprise and a bit of a relief. He hated to rob Adelaide of their true wedding ceremony, or his family. Haelan’s voice took on a high and musical tone as he began his enchantment, walking in slow circles around them and uttering words no one but he understood. Addie’s gaze had locked with Zayne’s, still shining with determination though her palm against his began to sweat. He offered her a smile, but her returning one was thin-lipped and did not quite reach her eyes.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“You’d better,” she replied, a full smile ghosting to her lips. “And I love you too.”
The hum of Haelan’s enchantment began to soothe, washing away the apprehension he felt on Addie’s behalf. Her lids grew heavier, the spell clearly having the same effect upon her. He was ready for this next step in life. To be a husband, a mate, and, one day, a father. Did she feel the same way?