EPILOGUE 5 #3
“This is perfect,” Ezla cuts Scotty off firmly before he can spiral, turning to face him and planting her hands on his chest. “I know you put a lot of thought into where you would take me, but this does not change anything but the order of your plans. Do not stress. Nothing has gone wrong. It cannot when this is a result of one of my Bonds’ desperation for me.
We can eat and have a nice evening out afterwards. ”
“Of course you knew about the restaurant,” Cooper mutters under his breath.
“Only that there would be one. I did not pry further. I have been extremely disciplined.”
He snorts while Scotty relaxes the more he studies her face.
“Open yourselves back up to me,” she commands steadily, stare not leaving his. “Feel my truth.”
No one hesitates to take their walls down—no stray thoughts can ruin the surprise now that we’ve reached this moment—and relief almost topples me over as I feel her again.
Oh my god, I’m never doing that again. That was torture.
I will hold you to that, or you will know the meaning of true torture, Ezzy’s lovely words find me, and I let out a moan of pure contentment. Also, she wasn’t kidding—her satisfaction, her happiness, her possessiveness, her intoxicating love . . . it all flows into me freely in a heady concoction.
Scotty’s such a perfectionist, especially when it comes to her, but he really just wants her happy, and his shoulders loosen completely as he feels everything from her. “In that case . . .” His voice is a low murmur as he drops down to one knee.
I move faster than I’ve ever moved in my life, Alby hot on my heels as we both find our positions in the circle we’re forming around our Bonded, mirroring Scotty as he bring his ring box in front of him, opening it up to reveal the ring he was gazing at so intently in the jewellery shop.
Cooper kneels down between him and Tate to complete the circle, opening his own box as he looks up at Ezla unfalteringly.
“Havoc,” Tate rumbles, and she turns to face him.
“You know I’m not good with flowery words and shit, so let me just tell you—there was never a doubt in my mind that you’d be mine.
You’ve always been mine, even before you knew I existed.
We were made for each other, and there was no way you wouldn’t know that.
I didn’t give a shit about anything, and then I saw you, and you were everything.
” A pause before he demands, “Marry me.”
Cooper’s brows twitch downwards. “You’re meant to ask.”
“That’s what I thought,” I whisper, trying to keep my voice down so I don’t ruin the moment but unable to keep my thoughts in.
Tate ignores us both, only keeps searing his storm-grey eyes into Ezla.
Letting out a short breath, Cooper shakes his head before attaching his own gaze firmly back to our Bonded.
“Vengeance, I . . .” Clearing his throat, he tries again, “I love you more than anything. In that first week, I recognised you immediately—I saw you. Despite my hatred of violence, I was drawn right into you, and not once did I try to fight it. I’d never felt the way I did after only just meeting someone.
” Swallowing hard, he continues, “And you’ve made me so goddamn happy, Ezla.
I didn’t realise there was something missing, would never have expected you’d be that something .
. . and I just . . . I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
To be able to call you my wife.” I only notice there was a fine tremble in his hands when he forces them still. “Will you marry me?”
She doesn’t answer him yet, and it’s clear she’ll hear us all speak before she gives any of us a response as her mismatched eyes linger on him.
Scotty starts gently, “Love . . .”
All her heady attention zeroes in on him.
His blue eyes hold hers. “Never have I met anyone like you. Someone so extraordinary, so ridiculously strong . . . intelligent, so assertive . . .” Lips twitching as satisfaction ripples through the bond from Ezla, his entire expression softens again as he carries on.
“I’m in awe of you every day, Ezla. I’m so damn grateful to have you by my side, to wake up with you each morning and be able to tell you how much I love you—to hear and feel your love for me in return.
I can’t put into words how happy you’ve made me, how amazing every second with you feels.
And the way you let me take care of you means so goddam much.
I want to be able to give you everything you deserve, to look after you for the rest of our lives, and nothing could get better than you calling me your husband while my brothers and I make sure you’re the happiest woman on the planet.
” A layer of moisture coats his eyes, and he exhales an unsteady breath before finishing, “Please . . . will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”
The ridge of her throat shifts with her swallow, her slim fingers twitching.
I can only wait a moment as I gradually pull in every single particle of oxygen in the vicinity, heart pounding as I watch the silent, deeply intimate moment, before the dam bursts.
“From the moment I met you, I knew I would marry you! You’ve always been exciting, even when I was terrified of you and you cut my arm off after I tried to flirt with you—something I’d never tried before that, but that came so naturally with you, turning me into a god of temptation for you, your pet, and your loyal future husband from there on out!
You’re so unique and confident, and I love how you express yourself without shame just like I do!
It’s one of my favourite things about you!
I absolutely adore the way you’re your amazing, super scary self all the time and you just own it, chopping everyone but us apart!
Oh, and you treat me so, so good! Not once did you make me feel different for my ADHD, even when I’ve been able to tell you wanted to toss me to another country!
Will you please become my real wifey, Wifey/DN/Deadly Nightshade/Ezla/Ezzy/Ez? !”
I say everything in the one single breath I prepared (Okay, I might’ve slipped an extra one in there.), and I’m not sure if that’s the reason for the light-headedness making me feel all woozy or it’s from all the excitement.
Dragging in multiple gulps of air, I don’t think I’m appearing as handsome and swoon-worthy as I was meant to, but it’s fine because through my slightly concerningly spotty vision, I see Ezzy’s beautiful focus all boring into my soul.
She keeps that gorgeously overpowering gaze on me until she sees I’m not about to die from lack of oxygen, then turns to face the last of us.
Alby’s visibly trembling, and he has to take several deep breaths before he can begin.
“When I . . . when I first saw you in person, I was sure I was about to die at your hand. I’d never been more scared in my life.
” He pauses, and I know he’s remembering Game 1 right now.
“But then I bonded you . . . and you spoke to me . . .” The tips of his ears are swallowed by his full-body blush.
“It’s the first time I had the reaction I did.
I’d never had a crush on anyone before, and suddenly, I was feeling all these new things, and it was all because of you.
I had no idea what I was doing—I still don’t, really—but you guided me.
You . . . you didn’t treat me like an anomaly, and you .
. . you’ve changed me, pushed me to be the version of myself I could only ever dream of being.
You’ve made me comfortable in my body, happy with who I am.
You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I really, really want to call you my wife.
” He’s shaking as he whispers, “Will you . . . will you marry me?”
The air seems to still, silence enveloping the room as his words fade away.
I don’t know what we’ll do if she says no.
I know we’re already bound to her in the most intimate way a person can be bound to another with our bonding cubes, but marriage feels just as, if not more, important here.
She’s already chosen us in so many ways—she literally bound our lives together.
But the reality is our first binding wasn’t her choice—it was ours.
She never would have chosen us back then.
She never would have chosen anyone. And I’ve never not believed her when she’s said we’re hers and she’s ours in return, but with who she is, the way she’s lived all her life .
. . accepting our proposal would be going against everything she used to believe in.
Before, willingly binding herself to anyone would feel like walking right into a cage, like one of the worst things she could ever experience, and I’m not sure how much of those feelings she still has.
I’m not sure if she’s at the point where all she’ll see in marrying the five of us is love and freedom.
Not until she slowly turns to take each one of us in and says, “Never did I think I would be so deeply pleased by anyone trying to bind me to them, and yet the five of you so determined to do so in every way possible makes me extremely . . . happy.” Her words turn blunt in a snap. “Yes. I will marry you.”