I meet her gaze, and she looks almost as unsettled as I am. Unable to stop myself, I reach over and gently wipe the leftover blood off the side of her mouth, and her jade eyes darken with something I can’t quite decipher.
The priestess makes an annoyed sound before we turn back to her, nodding for her to complete the ritual.
She pulls out an official binding scroll from somewhere deep within her robe and has us mark the page with our bloody thumbprints before she pierces her own and signs her name in blood.
The parchment glows as the seal of the gods completes our marriage, and the golden ribbon tying our hands shimmers and sinks into our skin before disappearing. There is no turning back now. Not that I would choose to. For better or worse, Raelyn and I are bound.
“It’s done,” Rae whispers.
“It’s done,” I reply.
“Do you feel any different?” she asks almost hesitantly.
I move my wrist where the gold ribbon disappeared and shake my head. “Not really, no.”
“Huh,” she replies.
“Do you feel different?” I ask.
She pauses, as if afraid to answer, before she shakes her head. “It’s nothing. Probably just nerves from the whole thing.”
“Are you ready to go to the palace?” I ask.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
The priestess hands us our binding scroll before bustling back out to the carriage, shouting orders at Alex.
He gives me a wry smile before mouthing, “You owe me,” and they take off toward the city.
“Let’s go start our new lives then.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
RAELYN
My rear end is incredibly sore after all the riding we’ve been doing, and my inner thighs are screaming for relief. I’m so nervous about what’s going to happen next. We show up at court, and then what? Will I have time to bathe or rest? I shudder to think about meeting the king in my current state. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been in his presence. This is certainly not how I would have chosen to get reacquainted.
The palace gates are finally in sight, and we thunder toward them. I still can’t believe I’m actually married. So much has changed in only a few hours, and I’m struggling to figure out what it all means. My new taste for blood, the most pressing of all.
I recall my first taste that night the intruder came in, when I shook it off as a weird occurrence. Now that I’ve tasted blood again—twice within hours of each other—I fear there might truly be something wrong with me. When I pulled the splinter out of Kian’s hand, it took all my willpower not to draw it to my mouth and suck. Drinking blood is not something humans do except forthe rare ritual, but does this mean what I think it does? I shake my head. I’m utterly exhausted and grasping for straws at this point.
The guards at the gate wave Kian through without trouble, and before I know it, he’s helping me dismount near the stables.
I peer up at him through the hooded cloak, grateful for the protection from the sun. Two days in a row of clear skies must be a record. “So what now? Please tell me I can take a nap.” I give him a wan smile.
“Well, considering your stepmother has probably discovered your disappearance by now, we want to make sure we get to the king first.”
I frown as I look down at myself. “Surely you will allow me to clean up before then.”
Kian laughs. “Of course, love. My father is probably still asleep, as early as it is. Do you have something to change into?”
My shoulders sag, and I tug at my small satchel. “Does it look like I have court apparel hidden in here?”
“Fair point,” he agrees.
“Not to mention, my sisters ransacked my closet and stole all my gowns the moment Stepmother relegated me to service.”
“That’s incredibly shitty,” he says. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we can find something for you to wear. I just need to sneak you into my wing for now until we can meet the king.”
