Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
T he amphitheater blazed with color, a sea of black, crimson, and gold banners rippling in the breeze like flames. Novi's stomach turned as she gazed at the tens of thousands gathered there for Fallon and Jennae’s wedding. Her palms were slick with sweat beneath her silk gloves.
"Breathe," she whispered to herself, struggling to calm her racing pulse. “Just breathe.”
Fallon’s conversation with the King hadn’t gone the way she’d hoped. He’d returned with instructions for her to meet with Jennae and beg for the honor of being her lead bridesmaid.
“It would show our people how much you mean to me,” Fallon had explained.
Novi had her doubts, but he had told her to trust him, then mumbled something about breaking chains. The next thing she knew, Esteban was making her gorgeous custom gown that rivaled Jennae’s.
Now she was walking down the aisle, scattering petals, doing everything in her power to keep her chin up and stop her lower lip from trembling. She didn’t know what Fallon was thinking, but she believed in him.
The air was scented with flowers and incense, and thick with anticipation. Every step that Novi took down the aisle made her heart pound a little faster.
Fallon stood at the altar, his broad shoulders draped in a velvet cloak of Blackwood Red. Dillon stood nearby, sone-faced and stoic as he stared into the distance. This had to be nearly impossible for him to bear.
It certainly felt that way for Novi.
Fallon’s obsidian eyes met hers across the aisle, and for a moment the world fell away. She could practically feel the heat of his gaze on her skin.
No matter what happens today…you will be mine forever.
A hush fell over the amphitheater as Lady Jennae appeared at the end of the aisle, resplendent in a gown that seemed to merge the lightness of silk and the flicker of firelight with each step. Novi's breath caught in her throat at her unparalleled grace and beauty.
Novi swallowed hard, feeling a pang of envy twisting in her chest.
Dillon's jaw clenched almost imperceptibly as Jennae glided towards his younger brother. She handed her bouquet to Novi, then took her place by Fallon’s side in front of the altar.
The new Prioress stepped forward, her black robes rustling as she unfurled an ancient scroll. Her voice rang out, clear and bright:
"We gather today to witness the sacred union of Prince Fallon Blackwood and Lady Jennae of Ordeya…"
Novi's stomach clenched. She forced herself to continue to breathe, willing her face to remain impassive.
The prioress continued, "May their lives be bound as one in the eyes of the gods."
With reverent movements, she set aside the scroll and opened the thick, ornate, ancient book that had been sitting on the altar. Novi had only seen it one other time, in the Temple of the Chimera.
The Ellunian Book of Life.
Novi's pulse quickened. This was it—the moment that would seal Fallon's life with Jennae’s for all eternity.
The prioress produced a black quill, its gold tip glinting in the sunlight. "Prince Fallon, Lady Jennae, step forward and add your names to The Ellunian Book of Life. Let your union be eternal."
Fallon took the quill, examining the exquisite, slender handle of solid gold that came to a graceful point at the tip. Then he bent over the book, his expression unreadable as he wrote. He stepped back just as his name and all the other names before it began to glow, then suddenly lit up as if they’d been set on fire.
Rays of radiant white light shot out in every direction, so intense that he and Jennae both covered their eyes.
Novi’s stomach turned and her heart thumped so hard that she could hear it in her ears. Fallon's gaze swept the amphitheater, landing on Novi. His eyes blazed with an intensity that made her breath catch.
As the light faded, she saw Fallon turn to face Jennae.
“Forgive me.”
Her polite smile disappeared as Fallon slid the Book of Life off of the altar and into his arm. The crowd's whispers crescendoed into words of confusion as he walked past Jennae and stepped over to Novi.
Her jaw fell, but Fallon was grinning. He repositioned the book to face her, then held out the magical writing instrument. Its golden tip shook slightly in response to his own thundering pulse.
"Sign your name," he instructed, his voice husky with emotion.
Novi's fingers closed around the black quill, electricity sparking where their skin touched. She looked up at Fallon, searching his face. "Are you sure about this?”
His demonborn eyes were filled longing and desire. So was his smile.
“I am more certain about this than anything else I’ve ever done. Sign your name, Novi. Let our union be eternal."
The amphitheater fell eerily silent as Novi reached her hand over the book. Her fingers trembled as she pressed the quill to the page and began to write.
As she finished the last stroke of her name, another burst of blinding white light exploded from the page. Novi gasped, feeling the magic of the book course through her veins, binding her and Fallon together.
Forever.
“You might want these,” Dillon said from nearby. He took the Ellunian Book of Life from Fallon, trading it for a pair of gold rings.
Before Novi could ask questions, Fallon was sliding one of the bands down the length of her left ring finger. Then he put on the other one.
“That completes the ceremony, doesn’t it?”
He looked at the Prioress, who was staring at Fallon in shock.
“Well? Are we married? I’d like to kiss my wife.”
Still rendered speechless, the Prioress could only nod.
Fallon’s hands fell around Novi’s waist and he lifted her into the air, turning in a slow circle before crushing her body against his own. A lifetime of proper manners and decorum went out the window as he kissed his new bride so tenderly, so passionately, that his tongue all but melted against hers.
The nobility around them had gone from stunned silence to a loud clamoring of shock and disbelief. The only sound of celebration was coming from Dillon, who was clapping his hands in slow, obvious approval.
A second later, the general public erupted into raucous cheers and screams of joy. Their Sacred Son had married their Sacred One, both anointed by the gods.
The words had been spoken. The names had been written. Rings had been exchanged. The wedding ceremony was done—sealed with the kind of kiss that left no room for interpretation.
For the first time in Fallon’s life, in spite of all his duties to the kingdom and crown, love had finally won.