A Kingdom of Venom and Vows (Stars and Shadows #3)(55)

I couldn’t stop the small laugh that bubbled up my throat because he was right.

“Thalia’s not a gossip.”

“With you, she most certainly is.” He leaned down and kissed me again. “She used to be my most trusted friend, but not around you.”

I smiled against his lips, and he tightened his arms around me.

“I wanted you to have a grand wedding.” He whispered his confession for only me to hear. “I wanted you to have everything you could have ever wanted.”

“I do.” I slid my fingers into his hair and pressed my forehead against his. “You and I are all I need, all I want. Our friends, this kingdom, it is all more than I could have ever asked for.”

His hands clung to me, and I knew that he felt the same. I wasn’t marrying Evren for some grand show. I wanted it to be nothing like what Gavril tried to force me into. I wanted it to be us.

“Meet me down by the creek,” I murmured before slowly pulling out of his touch. “I’ll be the one wearing white.”

…

My hands trembled as my nerves raced through me. I could hear the voices of most of the people in town, all of them gathering at the last minute for our wedding, and I tightened my grip on my father’s arm.

“Are you ready?” he asked, and I leaned forward and picked a piece of lint off his pressed shirt.

“I am.” I nodded. I had never been more ready for anything in all my life.

I was Evren’s mate, but I desperately wanted to be his wife.

Music flitted through the air, the sound of a light fiddle dancing around us, and I let the rhythm settle deep in my chest.

My father took a step forward, taking me with him, and my grip on his arm was so tight I worried I would hurt him. But I couldn’t force myself to let go.

I had never imagined this day with him, with the honor of him giving my hand away, and tears clouded my vision as he led me toward the aisle.

I could see dozens of people standing before the makeshift altar, and they all turned in time to watch as my father and I headed toward them. Candles and flowers of every color covered the small space, and the flames flickered and shined off the dress that clung to my skin.

We moved toward the aisle as people gasped and looked upon me as if I were something more than what I was.

The sheer fabric of my dress curved around my breasts before it clung to my ribs. It ran down to the ground, laying against my body in a simple silhouette, but the fabric billowed behind me in soft translucent layers that dragged against the moss and the earth.

I searched the end of the aisle, and my breath caught in my throat when my gaze met Evren’s. He was wearing all black, his usual attire, but he wore the leathers of a warrior.

He looked fiercer than I had ever seen him before, and I knew that he would raze the earth for me if it was ever demanded of him.

His dark hair was pushed back out of his face, and his full lips parted as he took me in. With every step we moved closer to him, my heart rate slowed and the anxious feeling in my gut settled.

He was my mate, and it was him I needed above all else.

It was only him.

My father and I made our way to him, and my father slipped my hand from his before he gently handed it to Evren. My magic swirled inside of me at his touch, and I let him pull me forward until I stood before him and could see no one else.

The priest began speaking, but I couldn’t look away from Evren. His words became a blur, and I barely managed to speak the words he asked of me.

But Evren was steady and sure.

He was the rock against which I crashed, and he held me firm in his gaze as he lifted a simple gold band in his fingers and slipped it over my own.

He handed another to me, and I repeated the act on him with trembling fingers and a full heart.

“You are bound in this world and the one beyond.” The priest spoke as Evren wrapped his hand around mine. “An unbreakable vow bound to you forevermore.”

Evren pulled me toward him, not waiting for the priest to finish his words, and his lips crashed against mine. The kiss was desperate and far too inappropriate for the crowd of people who watched us, but I did nothing to discourage him.

I kissed him back with as much vigor and every bit of love that thrummed through me. Tears streamed down my cheeks, tears of pure happiness, and when Evren finally pulled away, I saw his own tears swimming in his gaze.

The priest reached his hands forward, and I watched as he handed Evren a small golden crown that matched the one that sat upon his head. The gold metal was curved into intricate stars and crescent moons and jewels encrusted much of its surface. Evren licked his lips as he looked at me, and he bowed his head softly in honor.

I dropped to my knees before him and bowed my head in return.

Evren placed the crown upon my head, the weight of it far heavier than I would have ever imagined, and the kingdom around us cheered as I lifted my head and looked back up at my mate. My husband.

He helped me back to my feet, and he didn’t drop my hand again. He pressed my knuckles to his lips, and he kissed the ring that now decorated my finger.

Butterflies danced through my stomach as I stared up at him. He was so handsome, so honorable, and I didn’t deserve him.

But I would never give him up again.





CHAPTER 20





ADARA





I clung to my husband as we pushed through the door, and I giggled when his hand slid under my dress and pressed against my thigh.