Deklyn squeezed my hands, and I realized I hadn’t been listening carefully. Heat rushed to my cheeks, but I didn’t care.
“I do,” I blurted, then grinned at the chuckles from our guests. “I really, really do.”
The officiant smiled indulgently before turning to Deklyn and asking him the same questions, which I noted were straight from Earth ceremonies.
“I do,” Deklyn interrupted before the Drexian finished his questions. “I absolutely do.”
We slipped rings on each other's fingers, and then the officiant was pronouncing us mates for life, but I couldn’t wait another second. I threw myself into Deklyn’s arms, my train swirling around us as he caught me and spun me around. His lips found mine in a passionate kiss that confirmed that I was exactly where I belonged.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause behind us, but all I could hear was the thundering of my heart and Deklyn’s soft whisper against my ear: “Finally.”
“Finally,” I whispered back, holding him tight and knowing this wasn’t the end of our story. It was just the beginning.
Chapter
Fifty-Three
Ariana
The reception tent glowed with thousands of tiny lights that twinkled against the fabric ceiling like captured stars, the ocean breeze carried the scent of salt through the open sides of the pavilion, and servers in crisp white uniforms weaved between the tables with silver trays of champagne.
I sipped my bubbly and smiled as I watched Serge and Reina spinning around the black-and-white checkered dance floor. The holographic band had somehow transformed “Don’t Stop Believin’” into something that sounded like a big band classic from the 1940s, complete with brass section flourishes and swing rhythms. The tails of Serge’s blue suit flew behind him as he dipped Reina dramatically, her hair sparkling under the lights.
“They’re quite a pair,” Volten murmured beside me, following my gaze to the dance floor. His perfectly fitted dark Drexianuniform stretched across his broad shoulders, and he had clean-shaven cheeks.
Despite Volt making my pulse flutter, my attention drifted to the head table, where Sasha and Deklyn sat close together, their heads bent in intimate conversation. Deklyn had loosened his formal collar and rolled up his sleeves, while Sasha had kicked off her heels and tucked her feet up under her. They looked completely absorbed in each other, hands intertwined on the white linen tablecloth.
“She looks happy,” I said softly, warmth blooming in my chest as I watched my sister laugh at something Deklyn whispered in her ear. “Really, truly happy. I haven’t seen her like this since we were kids.”
Volten’s gaze followed mine to the newlyweds. “Deklyn looks like someone hit him over the head with a brick. A very pleasant brick.”
I laughed, remembering how stunned Deklyn had looked when Sasha had thrown herself into his arms before the officiant had finished the ceremony. “A pleasant brick is one way to describe Sasha.”
“And her sister,” he said under his breath.
I elbowed him as I laughed, and he gathered me in an embrace. “You’re a very pleasant brick whom I adore.”
“You do, do you?” I peered up at him, feeling the alien bubbly rush to my head.
“You know I do.” He tipped his head toward the bridal couple without releasing my gaze. “What about it?”
I blinked at him. “What about what?”
“What do you say to marrying me?”
I eyed him, wondering if he’d had too much bubbly. “Don’t tell me you’re getting wedding fever too. Between you and Serge, I’m going to be surrounded by hopeless romantics.”
Volten shrugged, his expression surprisingly serious. “There isn’t anyone else I plan to marry.”
His words robbed me of breath. I stared at him. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
Before he could respond, Kann dropped into the chair right behind us. “You two aren’t dancing?”
“I was asking Ariana to marry me,” Volten said.
Kann’s jaw dropped as Britta came up behind him and circled her arms around his neck. “What’s going on over here?”
“I was waiting for Ariana to agree to marry me,” Volten said, holding my gaze.
