The Bound (Ascension #2)(119)

Cyrene was sure they were supposed to follow her inside, but the last thing she wanted to do at this point was face his family after that conversation. She had the sneaking suspicion that Edric would never agree to let her marry Dean…or anyone really.

She looked down at the ring on her finger and felt her magic jump at the sight of it. She was engaged. And she had no idea if she would ever get married.

“Cyrene”—Dean grabbed her hand and kissed the finger that the ring was on—“you said yes.”

She laughed hoarsely and tried to hold the tears back. “I did. I mean…you proposed! You want me to be your wife. Are you sure that’s what you want?” she asked, her fears getting the better of her. “You’re not just doing this so that I won’t have to leave?”

“Of course I don’t want you to leave, but that’s not the reason. It was going to happen anyway.”

“It was?” she asked softly.

“Yes. I love you, Cyrene. I love everything about you.”

Cyrene smiled wide and threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, too.”

He squeezed her tight. “It is so good to hear that. I feel like I’ve been holding that in for months. But I’m glad you know now. I’m not going to let one letter get in the way of us. You’re not going back to Byern unless it’s what you want to do. It’s not, is it?”

She shook her head. “No. I want to stay here with you.”

He sighed. “Good.” He kissed her hard on the mouth. “Come with me. I kind of had something planned in case you said yes.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” she asked, following him back out onto the boat.

“I wasn’t sure if it would be too soon with you. I knew I wanted it, but I didn’t want to rush you. We have our whole lives.”

“I’ll admit, it wasn’t high on my priority list. I have a few other things I want to figure out before getting married. A lot of things actually, but that doesn’t mean it feels wrong with you.”

He leaned back in the gondola and kissed her as they sped through the canals to their destination. His lips were tender, as if her words had sparked a fire within him. His fingers threaded into her intricate updo, and he grumbled as he kept hitting pins.

Cyrene laughed and pulled his hand away from her hair. “Leave it be. I have to be presentable for the party later.”

He groaned and leaned his head back.

She ran her thumb along his hand. “So, where are you taking me?”

Dean smiled but didn’t fill her in.

A few minutes later, they were docked in Fifth Harbor, and Dean was pulling her toward a large ship. She followed after him and got on board.

“Another boat?” she asked in confusion.

“A celebration,” he said. “I wanted to do something special for you.”

“We’re celebrating on a boat?” she asked again.

“Well, at sea. I hired a small crew to take us out on the water. It is the Bride of the Sea ceremony today. And since you will be my bride at sea and are wearing a bride’s ring, I thought it was appropriate.”

“About as appropriate as it gets,” she agreed.

The crew cast off, and Cyrene watched the capital city grow smaller in the distance. She could still see it as a speck on the horizon, but they were closer to some of the other volcanic islands in the area. It was a beautiful sight to behold. It was the first time she had ever seen the island like this. The last time, they had come into the city at night. Now, she was seeing it as it would appear to a stranger.

The crew stuck to themselves so well that Cyrene basically never even saw them.

They had lunch above deck, out of a basket that Dean had filled with Eleysian delicacies. He spread a blanket and placed a few cushions out for them, and they toasted their engagement with a bottle of bubbly champagne that went straight to her head.

When lunch was over, they didn’t have that much time left before they needed to go back for the party, but neither of them seemed ready to leave.

Dean’s fingers trailed up her arm and to her shoulder. Goose bumps broke out across her flesh, and she leaned into his touch. He kissed her shoulder and then her collarbone. She sighed.

“Creator,” he groaned. “That sigh is going to kill me.”

He stood, hoisted her into his arms, and carried her below deck. She didn’t even protest when they entered the bedchamber. For the first time since she had found her magic, she felt out of control, and she loved it.

Dean set her down on the bed and lay next to her. She had slept in his bed more than once in the months since she had come to Eleysia, but never had it felt more intimate than the moment when she was looking up at her future husband.

His fingers threaded back up into her hair, and he slowly removed the pins, one by one. Her dark tendrils fell out of its style until it cascaded down her back. Then, he pushed his hands through the mass of hair once more.

“I like it better down,” he told her, brushing it to the side and gently kissing her on her bare shoulder.

“Then, I’ll wear it down,” she told him.

Their eyes met in the dim lighting, and it was as if everything in the world made sense. She might have been sent to Eleysia to find Matilde and Vera, but finding Dean along the way wasn’t a coincidence. And she loved him.