Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
CYRENE
My hands were trembling so badly I had to press them together. Thank the stars the veil would hide my shock. I needed time to think, to process, to figure out what this meant before I lifted my veil and looked Kieran in the eye.
The lace brushed my lips with every shaky breath, tasting faintly of old magic. My pulse was drumming so hard I could feel it in my fingertips.
Had he known all along that his arranged bride would be me?
The thought made my stomach churn. This could be some kind of cruel joke.
He could’ve been laughing about it for the past week, knowing that the foolish little witch who’d fallen for his lies would be delivered to him in a lace-wrapped package.
I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted copper, anything to keep from glancing his way. If I saw even a hint of a smirk, I might set the entire ceremony ablaze.
The centaur officiant began speaking in his deep voice about the joining of our two communities, but the words felt far away. All I could focus on was Kieran watching me.
Quandary perked up on my shoulder, his little head tilting as if he’d finally noticed my groom standing on my opposite side. To my absolute horror, he began to purr like a tiny, scaled cat. He only made that sound in times of pure joy.
My treacherous companion. Of course he’d choose today to flirt with my nightmare.
Quandary, I said. What are you doing?
But my companion only settled against my neck, still making that infernal rumbling sound. As if he were happy. As if he recognized someone he liked.
Which made no sense at all.
The ceremony continued around us. The centaur spoke about duty and honor and the bonds between magical communities.
Vampires in dark, formal clothing sat stiffly on the left side of the garden.
Witches and other magical folk on the right looked slightly more relaxed but equally curious about this unprecedented alliance.
And there in the front row, my grandmother beamed like this was the most wonderful thing in the world.
The officiant started asking for our vows, traditional words about partnership and respect and building bridges between our peoples. Kieran spoke his part in a deep voice that sent unwelcome shivers down my spine. He sounded exactly the same as he had six years ago, and it hurt.
When it was my turn, I somehow managed to get the words out without my voice cracking. But inside, screams kept ripping through me.
“And now,” the centaur said in a boisterous, cheerful voice, “we come to the joining ritual. As is traditional in vampire marriages, the bond is sealed not with a kiss, but with the sharing of life force.”
I blinked. What?
“The groom will now feed from his bride, solidifying their union in the eyes of both communities.”
Feed?
As in, bite me? I looked up at Kieran in alarm, and for the first time, something flickered across his face. Uncertainty or concern? It was hard to tell.
I should’ve known this would be part of the ceremony.
Vampire rites often included a ritual feeding.
It was mentioned in every historical account.
But in my dread and denial, I’d somehow managed to ignore this rather significant detail.
Now I faced the reality of my new husband’s fangs, and I was woefully unprepared.
My throat went dry. Of all the ways I’d imagined this day going wrong, “bride becomes vampire snack” hadn’t cracked the top ten.
The centaur gestured for us to join hands. Kieran’s fingers felt cool against mine, and I had to resist the urge to pull away. His touch was exactly as I remembered, and it brought back a flood of memories I’d tried hard to bury.
Kieran’s eyes met mine through the veil. “Are you certain you’re comfortable with this?” he asked quietly, his voice pitched low enough that only I could hear.
The consideration in his tone caught me off guard. It made him sound like the man I’d known at the festival, not the stern vampire king standing beside me now. I couldn’t allow myself to be broken by him again.
“It’s fine,” I said in a strangled tone. “Let’s get this over with.”
He frowned at my tone, but lifted my hand, turning it over, exposing my wrist. His touch remained careful, as if I was made of morning frost that might melt at a hint of sunlight.
Kieran’s fangs extended, and I forced myself not to flinch. I’d seen vampires before, of course, but never this close. Never about to bite me.
He looked at me one more time, as if asking permission again, and I gave a tiny nod.
The world narrowed to the pale gleam of his fangs and the whisper of silk shifting as I clenched my skirt.
His bite on my wrist was nothing like I’d expected. Instead of pain, I only felt slight pressure, followed by an odd tingling sensation that spread through me like heat from a blazing fire.
The moment his lips touched my skin, Kieran went completely still. Then he made a soft sound, almost like a sigh, and his eyes fluttered closed before opening again. When he looked up at me, his pupils had fully blown, and his expression had gone dazed.
Before I could process what was happening, he dropped my hand and cupped my face through the veil. His head crashed down, and he kissed me. Deep and passionate and desperate, like a man drowning who’d finally found air.
The crowd gasped. Someone in the vampire section made a shocked sound. But I couldn’t focus on any of that because Kieran was kissing me through the lace as if the world was ending. And my treacherous body was responding exactly the way it had six years ago the few times we’d kissed.
My magic surged in response, a burst of golden sparks dancing around us.
The joy magic I so carefully controlled in my work flowed untamed, creating a whirlpool of light that spun around us like luminsprites soaring across the sky.
Something ancient and powerful unfurled in my chest. This wasn’t the flutter of attraction I remembered from before, but something deeper, like roots suddenly finding fertile soil after years of searching.
It was like drinking starlight, and for a moment, I forgot everything but the taste of this man holding me like I meant everything to him.
The veil fluttered between us, scorched at the edges where our magic had collided. My knees had turned to jelly, my mind a fog of starlight.
When he finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard. His eyes still held that strange, dazed expression, and he looked as confused as I felt.
“I…” He suddenly seemed to realize where we were. The silent crowd stared at us in shock. Even the centaur looked stunned.
“Well,” the officiant said. “That was…enthusiastic.” He cleared his throat. “By the power vested in me by the Council of Magical Communities, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Murmurs rose from the crowd. Kieran was still staring at me like he couldn’t figure out what had happened. He reached toward my veil, and I knew the moment of truth was coming. He’d see me. He’d know.
He lifted the lace carefully, and our eyes met without any barrier between us.
Recognition didn’t dawn on his face. Instead, he simply said, with absolute certainty, “Finally, Cyrene.”
The sound of my name on his lips was a spell I thought I’d broken years ago. Apparently, I was wrong.
I lifted my chin, determined not to let him see how much this was affecting me, how much it hurt that he’d confirmed he’d known all along.
“Well,” I said in a tone colder than a block of ice. “This was certainly unexpected.”
An understatement of epic proportions, but I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart. Not here, not in front of everyone.
“Indeed it is,” he said, his voice carefully controlled. But I caught the slight tremor in it, the way his hands weren’t quite steady as he stepped back to give me space.
The centaur cleared his throat again. “Perhaps we should move on to the reception? There are traditional toasts to be made. Food to consume. A celebration to get underway”
Oh, yes. This nightmare wasn’t over yet. Now I had to smile and pretend to be a happy bride while my entire world had been turned upside down.
The crowd began to move, flowing from the garden toward the manor house where tables laden with food waited under floating wellawisp lanterns. I started to follow, but Kieran caught my elbow.
“Cyrene.” Something almost pleading came through in his tone. “Could I have a moment before we join the others?”
People were still staring at us, a few whispering behind their hands.
Sasha was pushing through the crowd toward us, her face a mask of protective fury.
Adele stood beside Victoria, both of them wringing the fabric of their formal gowns, looking like they’d like to hug me. If only I could rush to them.
Run away.
Victoria gave me a nod before the two started toward the reception.
Kieran followed my gaze, and something that might have been amusement flickered across his face. “Ah. One of your sisters is coming, looking like she’d like to stab me. Good thing I don’t see a stake in her hand.”
“Give her thirty seconds. Sasha’s probably conjuring one as we speak. She’s no doubt planning seventeen different ways to make you disappear if you hurt me.”
“Only seventeen? I’m impressed by her restraint.”
Was he actually making a joke? The Kieran I’d known at the festival had been funny, charming, and easy to laugh with. This stern vampire king spouting dry observations was not what I’d expected.
Sasha reached us before I could respond, her eyes flashing with barely contained fury. “Cyrene.” Her stern gaze never left Kieran’s face. “Are you all right? That was quite a dramatic ceremony.”
“I’m fine,” I said. “I was surprised. Nothing else.”
“Surprised,” Sasha said flatly. She reeled toward Kieran, and I swear the temperature dropped several degrees. “Your Majesty, that was an interesting display at the altar.”