Chapter 23
“Are you ready?” my father asked as his eyes gleamed. He offered his arm, looking like the perfect gentleman.
“No,” I admitted as I rested my palm on his forearm and craned my head to look up at the massive set of double doors.
My Virtues all waited for me on the other side. I’d never thought about a traditional wedding because, really, there was nothing traditional about me.
I didn’t even have a standard mother and father.
“I wish Silvia were here,” I admitted, although I hadn’t intended to say that aloud.
My father made a sound of agreement. “Me, too, daughter,” he said, also looking up. I blinked at him, surprised at the lonely loss I spotted there. “I loved your mother. Losing her cost me a little piece of my soul.”
Despite everything I knew about my father, I believed that.
“Why didn’t you warn me about Seth’s plan?” I asked.
My father hummed as the music started up on the other side, signaling that I was about to enter the large garden he had chosen for the wedding.
It was the center of his territory and in the middle of his compound, but I liked to think that he had selected an outside venue because he wanted the whole world to see that my dreams had come true.
“Because you wouldn’t have believed I was trying to help,” he said quietly as if that pained him.
He gave me one of his charming smiles that made it difficult to stay mad at him.
“I don’t trust a Necromancer or a demon, but their plan was a good one.
And it hinged on convincing Calamity to move on to its next Echo.
That seems like the natural order of things by this point, doesn’t it? ”
I wrinkled my nose as I tried to breathe while wearing my intensely tight corset. Transforming one of my fingers into a demonspawn claw, I nicked part of the boning on my rib cage to break it, then took a deep breath.
Better.
“I wanted to destroy Calamity,” I admitted. “Or rather, I had a plan to let it destroy itself.”
Calamity wanted to become corporeal. Wasn’t that what all gods wanted? To experience life like their creations did, to come down to Earth and become one of them.
Maybe that was a dirty secret of gods, but it was one I was living.
One I knew to be true.
“You can’t destroy death,” my father wisely stated. He pinched my chin and lifted my head for me to look at him. “You can only evade it. And you, my daughter, have had enough death to deal with. It’s time to pass it on.”
As much as I hated to admit it, my father was probably right.
Calamity couldn’t be destroyed. I’d been arrogant to think that I could have accomplished it.
I will focus on my Virtues, then, I decided.
Maybe saving the world was too big a task.
I would instead surround myself with those I loved and shower them with everything I had to give.
My father kissed my forehead. “There’s my girl,” he said, then knocked on the wide doors.
They cracked open, making chills rush over my skin as a roar of cheers sounded.
The doors swung outward, revealing an entire audience of supernaturals and Fortune Academy’s students—and staff—here to celebrate with me.
But my eye was drawn to the dais, where my Virtues waited, making me suck in a shaky breath.
Dante, my Hunter, stood on the far left, all cleaned up and now wearing an attractive suit that fit his physique. He drew out a magicked dagger and suggestively licked the tip of the blade.
Our vows will be made in blood, he promised me. The darkness inside me preened at the finality of that thought.
Hendrik’s dark eyes found mine and his wicked smile made me lean a little more into my father for support. After this, I’m going to make your soul scream, he promised.
Kaito wrapped a ribbon around his knuckles as he feasted on the sight of me. His curled horns gleamed with deadly promise as I wondered what he was going to do with such a delicate piece of fabric. I hope you’ve done your homework on wrist-binding ceremonies, he thought at me with a grin.
I had definitely not studied wrist-binding ceremonies, but now I was ready to learn.
Orion, the largest of my mates, stood on the other end as he glimmered with power.
I’d definitely placed a piece of my goddess spirit inside of him, but it complemented his already powerful divine nature.
My wedding gift is a new star, he told me in my mind.
When I make you come on my tongue, I’ll take you there, sweet goddess.
A blush rose over me as the twins took my attention next. Their white wings floated behind them and they’d chosen to go without any shirts, as had Cole, probably because it was more comfortable.
Samael and I are going to resume flying lessons, Azra informed me. Have you ever had sex in the air?
I had, which made me glance at my demon.
He grinned, showing off sharp teeth as his tail swished around his feet. Demons at a wedding, hmm. The Queen of Hell is the host, so I suppose I’ll stick around. I do have a ring for you, though. He produced something from his pocket and flicked it around his fingers. My eyes widened.
It was a ring all right, with something protruding on the end of it.
Cole! Put that away! I thought at him, which only made the demon chuckle.
Because he’d whipped out an anal toy at a fucking wedding.
He did as I asked, but purred more wicked promises into my mind. Don’t worry, little angel. I’ll be using my tail for the most part anyway.
My face flushed even redder as I wondered what Asher and Logan might have in store for me.
Asher winked when he said, I chose the location of our honeymoon, love. I hope you like running through the woods.
Oh gods.
Can I be in wolf form when I chase you? Logan whispered next. He and Asher had clearly been talking, because I doubted they could hear each other in their minds, but their words insinuated the same thing.
I was going to be literally cast to the wolves.
My mother waited in the center, beaming proudly with her hands clasped and a crown of Blood Stones adorning her head. Thankfully, she was blissfully unaware of all the crude things my mates were promising me in my mind.
She stood in the middle, though, because the Queen of Hell was going to marry us all, naturally.
“Beautiful,” my father breathed, but I realized he wasn’t talking about me.
When I glanced between my parents, I wondered if there was a chance for them after all.
As I took my first step onto the trail of black rose petals, Logan’s howl pierced the air.
My other Virtues roared in response, making me blush as all of their voices rushed into my mind. I realized that the door had been a magical barrier just as much as a physical one, giving my father and me a moment to talk.
Now, all my Virtues wanted a taste of me the second our vows were said.
Tonight was going to be one hell of a honeymoon.