A Few Hours Later…
NORA
A few hours later, Nora woke to the world shifting in the darkened recovery room. The bed creaked as the mattress dipped beside her. She opened her eyes. Airik sat awake, holding her left hand. He held a delicate silver chain and slipped it around her ring finger.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her heart pounding.
Airik looped the chain so it fit snugly at the base of her finger, then tied the ends in a bow—just as he’d done when braiding her hair. His lips burned deliciously as he sealed everything with a kiss on her finger. “You’re going to marry me, Nora Shaw of Earth,” he said.
Nora gasped softly, trying to suppress a smile. “Am I?” He couldn’t possibly have known what he was asking, but an odd sort of hope made her wish that he did.
“Yes.” He gave her that calm look of his that said he was serious and knew exactly what all the words meant.
“You are mine, and I am yours. The Valhalla Code of Conduct says to prove it and to have you in my bed in the dwelling unit I will have for us, I need a paper that says I asked this question and you said yes.” He touched the chain around her finger.
“I don’t have a ring, which the exo-net said is a human custom.
But…I have your uncle’s chain. I think maybe this is better. ”
A flutter filled her chest. She swallowed, knowing exactly what she wanted to say but afraid to say it out loud. What if the world broke open at the sound and she’d be sent back to a different reality where she actually belonged?
He made a soft hum, waiting for her patiently, his eyes two twinkling stars in the dark room.
“Yes,” she whispered, not bothering to wipe away the hot tears. She knew they’d keep falling for hours after this. The heart-rate monitor beeped fiercely. Was this the first time in her life she’d cried with joy?
He let out a loud sigh, kissing the chain on her finger, then her lips. “There are so many fucking rules here in Valhalla,” he said against her mouth. “More than the Veynari, I think.” He settled back on the bed, resting his ear against her chest.
Nora laughed, combing through his hair. “You’re marrying me because of the rules? Are you sure?”
Airik lifted his head, smiling for the first time since they had found one another again. “Cheranna… Do I need to ask you twice?”