27. Chloe
Chloe
I have to stop myself from crying as I open the chapel doors and Ascensionism by Sleep Token starts playing.
It’s the song that was playing when Zack and I made love for the first time.
I always thought that wasn’t a real thing— making love.
To me, sex was an emotionless act. Something done to you.
But that time with Zack showed me how it feels to be truly in control of my body.
Mine and Zack’s wedding is hardly a conventional affair, so I never even considered music to walk down the aisle to. There are even rose petals scattered on the ground, and more candles lit around the hall. Zack’s really gone out of his way to make this as special as it can be.
I clutch my hands to my chest as I walk toward him. My cloak is off so he can finally see my wedding dress. It was only right that I dressed in black for the occasion.
My dress hugs my curves. The form-fitting black lace shows off every part of me that only Zack will ever get to touch from now on. He can’t see my dreamy expression through the dark veil draped over my face, but it’s there as I drink him in .
Zack is breathtaking, standing there at the altar in his black suit, all splattered in blood. The large red and black stained-glass window is just behind him, and it glows down on him, making him look like my very own prince of hell.
Since I only get to experience this moment once, I take my time walking down the aisle, and let it all sink in.
Zack’s beautiful presence, the ethereal sounds of Sleep Token as the piano echoes around the hall, and the scent of death lingering in the air.
Complementing the music are the most satisfying sounds in the world: the groans and sobs of dying men.
I keep my head held high as I pass them. They hold no power over me now. The only man I’ll ever bend for is right in front of me.
Our beings are connected in a way I never thought possible. In just one night, we fell in love. Anytime I imagine my life without Zack in it, all I see is an empty black hole. Cold, dark, and so lonely.
When I reach him, he lifts my veil with his heavily ringed fingers, and I’m stunned by the light shining in his blue eyes.
Every time I look at him, I want to soak him all in like it might be the last time.
His white hair is now streaked with blood, and it sends a pulse of excitement through my body.
The whole sight of him makes my knees weak.
His fingers brush my cheek, and I lean into that touch and sigh happily. He looks just as content as I feel.
“You’re fucking breathtaking, little sinner.”
I kiss him like I’ll die if I don’t.
Being on holy ground makes the sinful taste of him even more delicious .
I want to stay like this forever, feasting on his wickedness, transferring it into myself to fuel my own dark heart. But he pulls away far too soon, making me pout with need.
Cupping his hand around the back of my neck, he says, “I’m pretty sure the kissing part comes after we say I do.”
I let out a throaty chuckle. “This is our house now. Not God’s. Which means we can do whatever we like.”
Whines and gargled sobs come from behind me. Slowly, I turn and smile down at our guests. I’m shocked to see the blood pouring down their chins onto their chests.
I raise an eyebrow at Zack, and he shrugs. “They were talking a lot, so I took away their tongues.”
“All of them?”
Zack bends down so we’re at eye level. “Don’t worry, darlin’, I’m not about to screw up the best night of my life.”
The best night? For me, I thought that was the night we met, but now that I’m standing in the place of my nightmares with the men who wanted to break me taking their final breaths, and the love of my life at my side, I know I agree with him. This is the moment I’ll cherish forever.
The Fathers—whose eyes are still open—all glare at me.
The one who doesn’t have blood coming from his mouth glares the hardest. Father Stone.
I can’t say he was the worst of them all, they each had their own unique ways of inflicting pain that I’ll never be able to forget.
But he always had a quiet malice to him that allowed him to keep order in this place.
I stare at him, waiting for him to say something, but his thin lips remain pursed tight. He looks close to death, and I’m sure he knows it too. Perhaps, he thinks if he does what he’s told, we’ll spare him.
Taking a step forward, I say, “Thank you all for being here tonight to celebrate this very special moment with us. Most of you should remember me. I’d be offended if you didn’t after how intimate we were.
” I sneer out the last few words. “There are a few new faces here, so I’ll give you a quick introduction.
I’m Chloe, a disgraced member of your flock.
This is Zack. You don’t know him, but he saved me, and he’s the most perfect nightmare come to life. After I killed Father Daniels?—”
“I knew it!” Father Stone exclaims.
Zack claps slowly, and I feel the protective heat of his body as he comes to stand behind me. “Well done, you learned that two plus two equals four,” he scoffs. “Of course, it was Chloe. She disappeared on the same night his head was bashed in. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that shit out.”
“Why come back here? You made it out. You could have stayed gone rather than disturbing our peace.”
I storm down the few steps to the pews and grab him by the collar.
“You call this fucking peace? This place is hell! You…” I cast my anger over all the men surrounding him, “are all monsters, not deserving of anything other than suffering! I hope hell is real so that you get to spend eternity there never knowing peace again.”
I yank the knife out of his stomach, cut his ties, and drag him off the seat, shoving him toward Zack.
“Get him set up for the ceremony,” I command.
Zack licks his lips like he can taste my rage in the air. “Yes, ma’am.”
He drags Stone up to the pulpit and slams his hands on it, palms down.
I pull another knife out of the nearest Father. Seems he’s dead already since he doesn’t move or make a sound. Once I pass both knives to Zack, he impales Stone’s hands to the pulpit.
“Quit crying and start the ceremony.”
Stone looks up in pained confusion.
Zack waves his hands down my body. “Is it not fucking obvious we’re getting married?”
“N-no, I refuse to do that. You two are insane! You’re going to hell, where your twisted souls will burn!”
As long as I get to have Zack, I’ll happily sin and fall into hell with him. Our souls are one and the same, and they’ll always burn together.
“Refuse, and I’ll cut the balls off every single one of your rapist friends and feed them to you along with your own.” Without breaking eye contact with me, Zack’s fist flies out, breaking Stone’s nose. I take hold of his hand and kiss his blood-stained knuckles.
With wide, shaky eyes, Stone looks from Zack to me. “He really will do it. I’ve seen him insert a screwdriver into a man’s penis.”
He gulps loudly and looks down at the open bible between his hands.
“You can skip all the gospel bullshit. I’ve had enough of that for one lifetime.”
Zack and I take our places, our hands clasped together as we lock eyes. It’s hard not to get lost in his dark depths, but I manage to focus on Stone’s stuttered words.
We get to the vows and Zack goes first. His eyes never stray from mine as he says, “Chloe, I thought I had nothing left when I met you. When you ran into my life, you changed it completely. Changed me completely. I reveled in breaking you, but you were the one breaking me. You found your way into my empty heart and made it full again. Now, there is no me without you. I’d rather die than exist without you. ”
“Zack…I…” My mouth is dry, and I struggle to get my words out, but this wonderful man deserves to hear every single one, so I pull myself together.
“I want to thank you for kidnapping me. You taking me along for the ride that night was the best thing to happen to me. I’d lived for years thinking my thoughts were wrong, that there was something evil inside me.
But you showed me that I’m perfect just the way I am.
It’s those who hurt us who are the truly evil ones.
You’re a part of me now and always will be.
No matter how far apart we are, I’ll always feel you because we’re two parts of the same being that were always destined to join together. ”
Zack’s eyes are wide, and a stray tear tracks down his cheek. It’s surprisingly easy to make my big, bad psycho cry.
Turning to the pews, I proudly speak at the vermin sitting in their own filth and blood.
“You’ll all be pleased to know, I finally found God.
Embraced him even. It took combining the darkness in me with his light.
Because as much as he thinks there isn’t any light in him, I know that’s not true.
I’ve seen the miracle that is him with my own eyes.
” I turn back to Zack. “My God is good. Everything he does comes from his heart. He fell and he chose to live for me. And I will always choose him.”
Zack’s breath comes out in shallow needy bursts. “Finish the ceremony,” he growls, and I’m instantly wet.
Grabbing his shirt, I pull him close and whisper, “I need you, and it can’t wait.”
Before he can answer, I push him down to the floor and straddle his hips as he grins up at me.
“Finish. The. Ceremony,” Zack repeats as I get to work freeing his hard cock. He’s already leaking onto my hand as I line him up to my entrance.
My lack of underwear lets me sink all the way down and as I take Zack to the hilt, Stone starts talking again. He fumbles over his words, repeating some things, missing out others. I’m not even sure he’s conducting the ceremony in the right order. But I’m enjoying Zack’s cock too much to care.
“Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”