Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
“And now we’re back!” Pearly White said, smiling at the camera.
“You’ve seen the music videos, the chemistry and the camaraderie.
Now we get to see what our beautiful princess wants.
” He flashed his teeth at me, warning me not to go off script.
But this was my life. No one else was going to write it for me.
The entire world had seen that music video, had seen the prince of angels depicted as a fallen, lustful, objectified man. He was such an idiot. He hadn’t even thought about the implications, the fact that no one would trust him and years of careful PR would be completely wasted.
“Which duet will the princess choose as her favorite? The friendship that blooms in the dark?” he asked, gesturing at Banus.
“The brilliant soloist?” He gave Fellicci a gesture that was slightly dismissive.
“The predator who competes for her heart and her prey,” a nod to the wolf. “Or the angel who fell for her?”
My teeth ached from clenching them in a smile. Exactly. The angel who fell for her. He already seemed fallen. Maybe it was true. Forever. Whether it was or not, I had to fix this.
I took a deep breath and went to the vase filled with red and white roses, and I picked up the whole thing.
I staggered until I channeled some vampire strength and straightened up, heading left, where Banus and the Fairy stood.
Had they seen the videos? Fellicci looked like he expected to receive the entire bouquet for his fabulous performance.
I took out a white rose and handed it to him.
“White for friendship,” I said, holding it with a smile while he stared at me, shock and outrage on his gorgeous face.
“I’ll never forget how much you taught me.
It was an honor to sing with someone so magnificent.
” I left the white rose in his hands while I walked up to Banus.
I pulled out another white rose and handed it to him.
My smile was slightly more sincere. “It’s been such a pleasure meeting you.
I’ll be grateful for the lessons you taught me about business and choosing the hand you can live with. Thank you for your friendship.”
He accepted the rose with a bow and a slight smile on his lips. “The pleasure is mine.”
I walked up the steps to the landing between the two staircases and then walked back down, past the angel and to the wolf who had a very colorful face. He must have landed on it. I could relate.
I handed him a white rose. “Thank you for teaching me that I don’t want to share my life with a werewolf.”
He bared his teeth at me, but I turned and then threw the remaining roses on Richard. Also the water in the bottom of the vase. Oops.
He stood there dripping, red and white roses sliding off his shoulders, face wet and shocked.
I turned to the camera. “After we rehearsed the song all day, we got married. Before the music video. We were actually online friends for five years before that, but I never thought anything romantic would come of it. But I was wrong. And I’m so happy that I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.
” I smiled at the camera while I gestured at the soaked angel dripping in water and roses behind me.
There was a beat of absolute silence and then everything erupted into chaos.
The werewolf lunged at me, shifting into beast form, the fairy started screaming in some language I didn’t know, Sordivian?
and Banus started laughing. His laugh was the first time he’d actually used his incubus allure, and it was enough to make me almost not dodge the werewolf’s jaws.
Richard’s sword came out, flames at the beast’s throat, and the werewolf pulled away, snarling and spitting in a truly excellent toddler tantrum.
The fairy switched to English, gesturing dramatically at me. “I can’t believe I wasted my talents on someone like you. Clueless, foolish, childish, and completely lacking in beauty and charm! You won’t have me? I won’t have you even more! A million times more!”
Banus smiled a gleaming smile at me that made my skin prickle.
“If I’d realized that you wanted to be seduced, I certainly could have persuaded you to have me.
” His smile faded and he sighed, shaking his head.
“But if you were already friends with the angel before the show, how can anyone compete with true love like friendship?”
The werewolf growled and snarled with his beast face.
The Siren gave a grand gesture with his hand. “This is Pearly White, and once again, love has its way. We’ll close out with our princess dancing with the evening’s winner. I think it’s safe to say that the audience is pleased to finally land on the same page as the princess. Have a good night!”
Richard grabbed me around the waist and vaulted over the balcony, wings outstretched, still soaked and covered in roses and water. He landed with me and carefully placed the vase back on the table before leading me to the open space for dancing.
He kept his sword out, almost like he didn’t trust the werewolf or the fairy, and I was still freaking out about what had just happened.
I’d announced that we were married to the world.
Wasn’t that against the fine print? Would I owe Pearly White half of my soul for breaking the contract?
I didn’t care if it saved Richard’s reputation, his career, his life.
The music began, our duet, and it was a waltz, so that made dancing easy. I held onto my manic smile and he held onto his sword.
“Why did you do that?” Richard murmured, barely glancing at me before refocusing on the others.
“Love must have its way,” I said weakly.
“You never said you loved me. I don’t think you know if you do.
Everything was too sudden, but you’re making grand announcements like…
” His hand tightened on my waist. “Specifically that we were married before the video. In case someone thinks I’m a fallen angel, and you have to protect my reputation.
In spite of it already being in shreds which absolutely nothing could repair.
” He frowned and shook his head slightly. “That’s not fair to you.”
I smiled for the camera even as I hissed at him.
“That’s what you think, but no matter what else Richard the Lion is, fallen isn’t one of them.
Rude, arrogant, vicious, egotistical, but never, ever impure.
How could you throw away generations of angelic PR for absolutely no reason?
” My heart beat faster as I clung to his strong shoulders.
We were married. Publicly. Forever? Really?
He snorted, dipped me, and then spun us around so he could hold me more closely. “And you are my hero. I’m sorry I’m so stupid.”
I sighed through my smile. “It’s probably because you’ve gotten your head chopped off so many times.”
“Only three.”
“Three head choppings is too many times! Three slivers isn’t so many, but decapitations?
One is so many, not to mention three. I can’t believe you let your head get chopped off three times.
Never do that again,” I said through my gritted teeth.
He was so careless with himself! Didn’t he know that there were things in the world that could permanently put him to death?
And then what would I do? Forever. He’d promised forever, but he was so terrifyingly careless.
He smirked, eyes twinkling. “I can’t believe you can have this conversation without it showing on your face.
You’re a born ambassador. That’ll be handy to have in a wife.
And all those languages you know. You’ll be an absolute asset.
And you’ll probably make me go to all the dull events that are good for angelic PR.
My father will love you. Scratch that, he already loves you.
Not as much as I love you. I love you so completely. Why are you so perfect?”
Yes, me and my carrion wings were so perfect.
I almost glared at him and then kissed him until he passed out from not breathing, but managed to remember that we were on live tv.
Was he really mine? Forever? To kiss whenever I liked?
To protect from his own careless impulses?
Really? I raised my chin. “I’ll make a point to be the perfect wife.
Why are you so perfectly ridiculous?” Three beheadings? Seriously?
His smile was absolute adoration. Was he going to kiss me? He leaned close and murmured, “Why are you so perfectly perfect? Full stop. You really are absolutely everything I could ever…” He pulled away with a frown, glancing over my shoulder.
I turned my head in time to see the fairy pull off a butterfly necklace and throw it on the floor.
He stomped on it, and up sprang a very symmetrical silver portal, bringing darkness and despair with it.
He’d had that necklace on since the first meeting, but hadn’t used it until now.
If Fellicci failed to kill me, he and everyone he loved died.
I guess there were some perks to narcissism and not loving anyone but yourself.
The wolf went for the fairy, surprising everyone.
“You’re going to get all of us killed!” Rafe screamed, words garbled in his half-wolf snout, but the gist was quite clear before he vanished in the darkness and the fairy’s shriek was also swallowed in the viscous shadows spilling from the silver frame.
Were we just going to keep waltzing? The glow of Richard’s sword was the only light in the room, but we continued to move in time to the music I couldn’t hear anymore.
What was going on? Would I be able to keep him safe?
He was the priority. My heart. My love. My angel.
I couldn’t die now. I had to live, and so did he. No matter what.
A voice like death slithered through me, reverberating in my skull. I couldn’t tell if the words were inside or outside, but they pierced me to my delicate soul.