21. Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-One
Reaper
The moment the word leaves her lips, I feel something shift in my chest, like a lock finally sliding open after years of pressure against the door. Wrenley Blackwood just said yes. To me.
I glance at Max. He meets my gaze, no hesitation, no doubt, just a small nod, quiet and solid. He’s been the one to push us together, to explore this thing between the three of us. Right now, I need this. She needs this.
I take a breath, look back at her, and the world narrows to just her eyes, glistening with unshed tears and starlight.
“I’ve been in love with you since the day I saw you point a gun at Riot,” I say, my voice steady but low. “To protect that overgrown carpet gremlin.”
Laughter ripples through everyone, light and easy.
“Rude,” Riot mutters under his breath, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Hugo barks once like he agrees, and the laughter grows.
Wrenley laughs too, even as tears slip down her cheeks. God, she’s beautiful.
“I knew then,” I continue, “That you were fire. Not the kind that burns quickly and dies, but the kind that survives. That refuses to be put out. I’ve never loved anyone like this before.”
Her eyes lock with mine, her smile trembling.
“You brought light into my life… warmth I never had. Every moment with you feels like a dream, a beautiful escape from the chaos we breathe every day. You’re my haven, my greatest adventure, and my deepest love. I can’t fathom my life without you now and I don’t ever want to.”
She’s crying, but not the falling-apart kind. The kind that says she knows.
“You’ve become the center of my universe, the reason for my smile… the beat of my own damn heart. I love you more than words can express, more than actions can show. You are my everything, Little Warrior.”
I pause long enough to breathe her in, then shift closer as I recite what matters most.
“In return for what you have given me, here are my vows to you.” I pull her hand to my chest, pressing it flat against my thundering heart.
“I vow to you my loyalty before my mercy. My truth before my comfort. My name before my life. I will stand beside you when the world crowns you a monster and when it begs you to be one. I will not ask you to be smaller, softer, or forgiven. I vow to be your shield in the light and your blade in the dark. What hunts you will answer to me. I will keep your secrets as I keep my scars, without regret, without apology, without surrender. If you fall, I fall with you. If you burn, I will feed the fire. If you are damned, then so am I. This is not a promise of salvation. This is a vow of devotion. I bind myself to you. You are my war. You are my home. From this breath to my last… I am yours.”
The silence that follows isn’t empty. It’s full. Heavy and waiting. She steps into me, not soft, not overwhelmed, but deliberate. Her hands slide up my chest, into the lapels of my jacket like she’s claiming her ground.
“Then stand with me,” she says quietly.
No tremor. No hesitation.
“No shrinking. No flinching.”
Her fingers curl tighter, dragging me down just enough that I have to look at her, really look at her.
“I don’t want saving, Liam. I want standing.”
That does something to me. Something violent and holy all at once.
“If I fall, you fall,” she murmurs. “If I burn, you burn.” She pauses for the smallest of breaths. “And I choose you. Every time.”
The world could split open beneath us and I wouldn’t move. She presses her lips to mine. The kiss is heat and promise, every vow sealed in the space between our mouths. Gasps, cheers, laughter. Someone whistles.
Behind me, I hear Max chuckle. “My turn next,” he says.
I don’t know if he means the kiss… or the war. But it doesn’t matter. We’ll face it the same way we face everything else now. Together. As the last beats of the song drift into twilight, her lips brush mine again. Barely a whisper.
“You’re mine now.”
My smile goes feral as I answer her without pause. “Always have been.”
Everyone’s hugging now. Riot slaps me on the back so hard I almost stagger, and Wrecker lifts Wrenley off the damn ground in a spinning hug which makes her squeal.
Torque’s got that proud big-brother glint in his eye, and even Elias pulls me into a quick embrace before launching into his usual antics.
Max leans in and steals a kiss from Wrenley, deep and slow. I don’t mind, I never have. Not when I know that after tonight, after this, we’re bound tighter than blood. She’s ours and we’re hers.
Elias, the sarcastic bastard he is, clears his throat dramatically. “Okay, but is it Blackwood-Hayes or Hayes-Blackwood now? Or are we going full chaos and combining it, Haywood or Blayes, maybe?
I snort. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”
He shrugs. “That’s why you all keep me around.”
Wrenley’s smile is soft and glowing, flicking between Max and me like she’s trying to bottle the moment.
Max smiles at her. “Whatever you want, Sparrow.”
“I think Hayes-Blackwood has a nice ring to it.” She says.
Max and I share a look, the kind you only give to the man who helped you build a world around the same woman.
We shake hands, firm and full of fire. No words needed.
Everyone begins drifting toward the house, laughter and footsteps fading into the warmth of the night.
I tug Wrenley’s hand before she can follow.
“Stay a minute.”
We’re alone under the oak now, candles flickering like they know something sacred happened here. She looks up at me, eyes glistening, lips still stained with our kiss.
“I’m so happy,” she says, breath catching like she’s afraid to admit it out loud. “I love you, and I love that you rewrote the Serpent's vows just for me.”
I cup her face, my thumb brushing just under her eye. “You deserved to hear them like that. Just for you. Just for our queen.”
Her breath hitches. I lower my head and kiss her slowly and devoutly, like a promise. She leans into me, her hands gripping the fabric at my sides.
I pull back just enough to murmur against her mouth. “Come on, Little warrior. Let’s go inside before I steal you away for the whole damn night.”
She laughs, soft and wicked.
“Champagne first,” she whispers, her grin full of mischief.
“Then champagne it is.”
I lace our fingers and lead her inside, ready to celebrate the chaos, the love, and everything that’s still to come.
We’re almost to the living room when Margot bounds down the stairs like a cat who knows she’s just knocked something over.
Wrenley narrows her eyes at her. “What are you up to now?”
Margot throws a hand to her chest, mock-offended. “Nothing! God, this place is full of interrogations.”
Wrenley just shakes her head, but I see the suspicious glint in her eyes.
Inside the living room, Doc is already waiting, holding three champagne flutes.
“Congrats,” she says, handing one to each of us.
“I didn’t really get it when Torque first mentioned this…
arrangement. But after what I’ve seen?” She shakes her head, smiling.
“I get it now. You both love her in your own way. And she, in her own very Wrenley way, loves you both right back.”
Wrenley wraps her in a tight hug, her voice soft against Doc’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here.”
We all take a sip, talking, laughing. Elias makes some snide comment about how this whole night needs to be a holiday. Riot starts ranking wedding moments on a scale of chaos. I catch Max, just beyond the edge of the group, watching Wrenley like she hung the stars.
After a few more minutes, and a few empty bottles of champagne, Max grabs a bottle by the neck.
“Alright, I’m off to open another. I’ll see you in the morning, Sparrow.
” He leans in, pressing a kiss to her lips that lingers a breath too long to be casual.
She beams at him. That smile could punch a hole through my chest.
Once he disappears into the kitchen, Wrenley sets her glass down and grabs my hand, already tugging me toward the stairs.
Wrecker steps into our path, grinning like an idiot, “You. After I towed what was left of the SUV to the garage,” he says, “I found a black bag in the back. Margot said it was yours, I left it on your bed.”
He winks at her, exaggerated. “Not everything survived… but I think the most important piece did.”
Wrenley blushes. Not a subtle one either. Full-on red cheeks, wild grin. She laughs out loud, shamelessly, and damn if I don’t love that sound.
“Thank you,” she tells him, already pulling me past.
I glance down at her, brows raised. “What am I missing?”
She grins up at me like a storm cloud about to break. “You’ll see,” she says, wicked and glowing. “Now follow me.”
Whatever it is, whatever she’s got waiting, I’d follow her anywhere.