Chapter 9
Aflutter consumes my stomach.
Dmitri— no, Kaz Volkov, my husband-to-be stands beside me, stoic as a marble statue while Father Steven drones on about the meaning of marriage.
I can barely breathe.
How is this possible?
Kara attempted to alert me as I made my death march down the aisle, but when I paused to understand what she was trying to stay to me, my uncle yanked me forward. By the time I was a few more pews closer, I saw him more clearly.
I had to get the veil out of my eyes so I could make sure it wasn’t my brain playing tricks with me. That the man I’d spent an amazing evening with, being brought to life with his tongue and his presence, wasn’t a mirage.
“I don’t understand how you’re here,” I whisper softly, taking a chance to look up at him from the side.
His jaw ticks. He’s annoyed.
“The same way you’re here,” he mutters. “Now pay attention.”
Father Steven is still rambling.
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“Me?” He huffs a laugh, then looks up at Father Steven. “Forget all the pomp and circumstance, just get this damn thing over with.”
A chill runs through me at his tone. This isn’t the man I playfully teased last night about being dangerous.
This is the monster who killed my brothers. One of them, anyway. The others are seated in the first pew behind us.
“Um…” Father Steven looks to me.
“Yes, Father. Please, let’s make this quick and painless,” I whisper.
“But your uncle—”
“I don’t give a damn what her uncle said. I’m telling you get to the vows.” Kaz orders.
“You can’t curse at a priest.” I admonish him, but the look he shoots at me shuts me up. Ice has frozen his stare.
“Do you have the rings?” Father Steven questions while flipping through his little book to get to the part of the ceremony where we make promises Kaz probably has no intention of keeping.
Turning to face him, I catch a glimpse of the first pew, and the woman I saw last night in the hall gives me a weak smile. She gestures with her hand in a sort of hello wave, then mouths something that looks like an apology.
Glancing at my side of the church, the pews are filled with my uncle’s men and associates. Some of my family is here—cousins who are desperate to get my uncle to notice them. Wanting to take Marco’s place as the head of the family here in New York or in Chicago.
Kara and Rosa are watching from their seats with sympathetic stares. I’m sure part of Kara is thinking this is great for me.
The man I’d told her all about this morning while I was getting my hair done and having this stupid veil installed on the top of my head, is actually the man I’m marrying. The other part of her, the part that is observant, can see how unhappy he is about me standing here.
“This is where you say your vows.” Kaz snaps at me.
I swallow back a retort that will cause the church to burst into flames and grab the ring Father Steven holds out to me.
“I’m sorry.” I give Father Steven an apologetic smile.
He swallows, his throat pushing against his collar. This isn’t his fault, but he’s stuck in this insanely awkward moment with the rest of us.
I lean toward Father Steven and whisper, “Can you repeat what you said?”
He nods. “Of course. Do you take this man, Kazimierz Roman Volkov, as your lawfully wedded husband and forsake all others, loving and keeping him in sickness and in health?”
My throat dries. “I do.”
“And Kazimierz, do you take this woman, Sienna Christiana DeAngelo, as your lawfully wedded wife and forsake all others, loving and keeping her in sickness and in health?”
His jaw ticks as the mention of my middle name, but he gives a curt I do when prompted.
“Good.” Father Steven nods approvingly. You’d think he just made it through an obstacle course with the relief displayed on his face.
He launches into another short lecture about loving one another even the worst of times. An eerie sensation makes the little hairs on my neck stand on end, and when I swing my gaze back to my fiancé I find the cause.
He’s glaring at me as though I’ve just committed a great sin by standing at the altar with him.
“If you’d rather not go through with this, I’m happy to end the facade now,” I offer under my breath.
Father Steven hears me and stumbles over a few words before continuing with his lecture.
“Get to the damn rings,” Kaz grinds out, and Father Steven breaks off and calls for us to bring out the rings.
“So that’s a no?” I ask as I turn to face him. “You don’t want to ditch this whole pretense?”
He might actually break a tooth if he clenches his teeth any tighter.
“I didn’t get a ring for you,” I confess.
“I have it covered.” He turns as the eldest of his brothers makes his way out of the pew and hands over two gold bands. “Give me your hand.”
He snaps his fingers as he opens his palm.
Snaps his fingers.
I stare at his open hand, counting to ten silently in my head to keep my temper from bubbling over. Uncle Vicente would take out any anger he has at me for messing this up on Tommy, and I can’t allow that.
“Dear, he needs your fingers.” Father Steven leans forward, keeping his voice as low as he can to keep it from carrying across the church.
With a nod, I lift my left hand. Kaz snatches it and isolates my ring finger.
“With this ring, I give you the promise you will from this day forward never walk alone.”
He shoves the ring over my knuckle until it’s in place.
“I vow to honor you, protect you, and keep you. I give you this ring as a symbol of my ownership, authority, and commitment.”
A sharp gasp echoes from the pews, and I don’t need to turn to know it’s Kara. If anyone else thinks his vow is a little unorthodox, they know to keep it to themselves.
“Um, all right. Sienna, it’s your turn.” Father Steven takes a breath, as though getting ready to enter a battle he has no chance of winning.
As he says the words, I slowly move to stare at him.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I ask, because I couldn’t have heard him correctly.
Kaz grips my fingers tighter when I try get out of his grasp.
“You heard him. Now say it.” He orders thrusting the larger of the bands at me.
“I did hear him, but he must be mistaken. Those aren’t the usual vows.”
“Your fiancé wrote them specifically, Sienna,” Father Steven mutters.
My uncle clears his throat from his position in the front pew. An order to get on with it.
“Fine.” I clench my teeth. If he can write his own vows, so can I.
“Just as he said them,” Kaz leans forward. “Exactly those words.”
I stare at him, unbelieving this man glaring down at me with such hatred is the same man who made me scream his name last night.
He’d been charismatic, so easy going.
Had it all been a joke? Did he know who I was last night, and thought why not play around with me like some toy?
A cat batting the mouse around before going in for the kill.
“With this ring I promise you that from this day forward you will never walk alone.” I shove the ring over his thick ring finger, pushing harder when his second knuckle gives some resistance.
“And the rest of it.” He grabs hold of my hands before I can let him go. “All of it, Sienna. Before our families, give me your vows.”
I might vomit on his shoes.
Standing up straight and lifting my chin, I spit out the words he’s chosen for me to recite before God and our families.
“I vow to honor you and obey you.” I stop, swallowing down the bile rising in my throat. “I give you this ring as a symbol of my…loyalty…obedience, and commitment.”
“Good girl,” he mutters, low enough that only I hear him.
Well, me and my vagina. While my brain knows what an asshole he’s being, she doesn’t seem to understand that those words that made me so aroused and needy last night aren’t the same words uttered here.
“Excellent.” Father Steven looks ready to collapse; he’s so relieved we’ve gotten through the horrific vows.
“I pronounce you man and wife. You may—uh—kiss the bride.”
Before I can take a step back, Kaz’s hand slides beneath my veil, holding me steady as he crushes his mouth over mine.
My insides melt, and it’s last night all over again. Except, this time the kiss cuts off short, and he glares down at me. His nostrils flare.
Everyone is standing and clapping for us.
“I think we’re supposed to walk down the aisle.” I tell him, gesturing.
He grabs my hand in his and pulls me down from the altar.
My uncle’s narrowed eyes are on me as we pass. I’ve done what he wanted. How can he possibly be angry with me now?
I’ve just vowed my life to this monster that’s dragging me up the aisle to the back of the church.
“Sienna!” Kara puts her hand out as we pass them, but before I can so much as look at her, Kaz yanks me to keep up with him.
When we get to the vestibule, he drags me to a side door where two of his men are standing.
“Kaz, we need to talk—”
“Take her to the reception.” He ignores me entirely and nudges me toward the men.
“Where are you going?” I demand when he lets me go and turns to stalk off. “Kaz.”
“I have something important to see to. You go to the reception.”
“Something important?” My jaw leaves an imprint on the marble flooring.
Our families are exiting the church and heading to their cars while Kaz leaves me standing with these two buffoons.
“I’ll get a ride with my friends,” I say.
Kaz hears me, turns on his heel and stomps back over to me.
“You will do what you’re told, wife.” He puts a little too much heat on the moniker for my liking. “They will drive you. You will go, play the dutiful wife, and I will be there later.”
“You’re really leaving me right now?” I search his eyes. Surely something of the man I met last night is still in there.
Just when they start to soften, he flicks his gaze to his men.
“She rides with you. If she gives you any trouble, feel free to use the rope in the trunk.”