Chapter 25
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule twenty-five: Say yes to the dress.
Fingers dig into my cheeks, wrenching my face from side to side. The motion is jarring, and I fight to regain consciousness. But the moment I surface, a low moan wells up inside of me, and I instinctively curl my knees up to my chest.
There’s pain, so much pain.
My ears are ringing, and I’m afraid to open my eyes. It’s hard to breathe. It feels as though someone has carved me open, only to burn me from the inside out until only a hollow shell remains.
Writhing, I realize that’s exactly what he did. Leon burned away half my soul. But he didn’t just burn away Sin, he scorched every last part of me that was intertwined with my mate.
Am I a Forsaken now? Because I know with absolute certainty that in doing so, he broke my soul. He fractured it, irrevocably.
I drag in a staggered breath, even though all I want to do is die – anything to make it stop.
The hand gripping my face disappears, only to start slapping my cheeks. “Wake up. You’ve slept more than enough.” The voice is cold and angry.
I want to sleep forever.
Still, my eyes open against my will.
Leon is leaning over me, his hands resting on either side of my body. He’s caging me against my bed, and his eyes narrow when they meet mine. Any shred of affection that he might have held for me is gone.
Good.
My own stare is defiant, even as a tiny, hopeful piece of me desperately searches inside my chest for any sign of my bond to Sin.
Mate bonds are supposed to be permanent. It can’t be gone, can it?
I find nothing.
My breaths grow shallow and frantic.
“Listen closely, because I will not be repeating myself. Your mate bond to Sin is gone. Any thoughts you’ve had about avoiding your destiny end now.
Our wedding celebration has already begun.
You will get dressed and attend the party.
We will publicly complete our mate bond during the ceremony.
You will not speak to guests, and you will do as you are told.
If you put so much as a toe out of line, I will remove every remnant of your free will, permanently.
” Leon’s voice is void of emotion, and the mental leash gives a painful tug with each of his orders.
I bite the inside of my cheek, choking back a sob.
“This is how things will be from this moment forward. You are my mate. My wife. My property. You will serve and obey me.” Again, his words ring through the leash.
A small tear escapes, rolling down my face.
“Nymara will be by shortly. She will deliver you to the grand hall. It is customary for the bride to join her future husband at the ceremony. The gesture shows that you are leaving behind your life to devote yourself to mine. We will be wed when the moon is highest in the sky.” He straightens and gives me a final cold look before striding out the door.
The moment the door shuts behind him, a gasp is wrenched from my lungs. The pain I’ve been trying to mask is coming back full force. My chest feels like it’s been torn to pieces, and I wrap my arms around my body in a pathetic effort to hold myself together.
It isn’t working.
This is it.
I tried. I tried so hard.
I failed.
The pain only worsens when I realize Sin might be in the castle. He might already be in danger.
I start shaking as sobs wrack through me.
“Please stay away,” I mentally beg, even though I know he can’t hear me. Because no matter how hard I try to find a hint of our bond, I find nothing.
There’s a soft knock at the door, and I glance over as Nymara enters. She’s carrying a fabric bag, which I assume holds my wedding dress. As usual, she’s wearing a plain black dress.
I guess she doesn’t need to attend the party.
Lucky.
Her worried gaze sweeps over me as she closes the door and slowly approaches.
I don’t bother moving.
Her expression turns heartbroken, and she opens her mouth to speak, but no sound comes out. Instead, she scans the room, and her mouth snaps shut with a sharp click. Her brow furrows as she comes to take a seat beside me.
I watch with a strange sense of detachment as she gives me a knowing look, twirling a finger in the air before tapping her ear twice.
The walls have ears.
The ache in my chest continues, and the room grows fuzzy. I don’t particularly care if someone is listening. What difference does it make if people hear me getting ready for a shotgun wedding?
Nymara frowns, and her hands tighten on the fabric bag. “Hello, Vivian,” she says in a cheerful tone.
Her smile is blindingly bright. She’s faking it.
“It’s my duty to help you get ready, and then deliver you to your wedding,” she continues.
“Okay,” I whisper without inflection.
She purses her lips, taking in my defeated expression. Her eye twitches, but her smile doesn’t waver. “It’s quite the affair. We haven’t had leaders from every realm attend a ceremony in over a millennium.”
I barely hear the words as I try to let my mind go somewhere far away from this place.
“Even Sin and Morgana have been invited,” she adds casually.
My eyes snap back to hers.
Nymara gives me a look that says ‘it’s about damned time’ before continuing, “It’s all anyone can talk about.
After all, this ceremony is really just to show the realm leaders that you and Leon are truly the prophesied couple.
Mother wants to put an end to all the rumors that you aren’t here of your own free will…
rumors that have been growing much stronger since yesterday. ”
Her tone is scolding, and her perma-smile becomes more of a shit-eating grin.
“Of course, mother is saying that this is a momentous occasion, and that all the leaders were invited as a gesture of goodwill. She is looking for peace, and if all goes well, the realms will no longer be on the verge of war,” Nymara notes, and her false-cheerful tone could put a Disney princess to shame.
“That’s why your actions tonight are so important, Vivian,” she adds, and her entire facade drops.
Her expression turns dead serious as she slides off the bed and walks over to the wardrobe.
Opening the doors, she reveals the poofy, white monstrosity of tulle that is meant to be my wedding dress.
The gown isn’t even close to the options that were presented to me, and I’m sure it’s something Need or Leon chose.
The neckline is modest, and the sleeves are massive and ballooning.
There are so many layers of fabric that it takes up the entire wardrobe.
Nymara lifts the fabric bag off her arm, and I frown, confused. Maybe she’s going to the party, and that’s her dress?
Her intense, unwavering stare fixes on me as she unzips the bag. “Your actions tonight will determine exactly where alliances stand.”
She opens the bag and hangs a stunningly beautiful gown on the wardrobe door.
It’s the antithesis of my wedding dress and can only be described as sin incarnate.
Some strategic parts are made from a silky-looking black fabric, but most of it is thin, very see-through black mesh.
There’s a plunging neckline that would reach just above my belly button, and a slit that runs all the way up one side of the loose, flowing skirt.
But it’s the beads that steal my breath away.
The entire dress is beaded with intertwined swirls of gold and red.
Colors that perfectly match me and Sin’s powers.
My gaze snaps back to Nymara. Her brows knit together, and it’s the only sign of how tense she is.
If I wear this dress, Need will know exactly who is responsible. We’ll both be punished or possibly killed.
I search her eyes, wordlessly asking if she’s ready to face the consequences.
She swallows and gives me a small but decisive nod.
I feel the words we can’t speak. It doesn’t matter how they punish us, because we both know this might be our only opportunity.
Our last chance to spark a full-blown rebellion.