Tears filled her eyes as she leaned into him, letting him take her weight. “I can’t believe it.”
She lifted her right wrist. The crescent moon was gone, leaving behind smooth, bare skin. Ronan looked at his left wrist and saw that his mark was missing as well. While he didn’t miss the weight of the curse, he didn’t like the fact that he no longer shared that mark with her. It was something they’d always shared. Maybe he could talk her into matching tattoos.
Someone cleared their throat right next to them and Ronan looked over to find the officiant giving him an uncomfortable look.
“Yes?” he asked.
“Uh, well, the ceremony isn’t complete, so…um…”
Ronan smirked and nodded. “I understand.” He kissed Dominique on the forehead. “Princess, let’s finish this so we can celebrate.”
She sniffed, but straightened, her eyes still teary. “Yes. Let’s do that.”
Neither of them looked away from the other as the cleric began speaking and unwinding the silk that wrapped around their hands. Even when they were no longer boundtogether, Ronan turned his palm over to lace his fingers with Dominique’s.
“I declare you wed in the eyes of the gods and your kin. Go forth and live with love.”
At the officiant’s final words, Ronan leaned forward and swept Dominique into his arms. This time, her cry was one of pure joy and laughter as he all but ran past their guests and back into the castle.
By his measure, he had at least twenty minutes alone with his bride until his family forced them to attend the wedding feast.
As it turned out,Ronan didn’t even get five minutes with Dominique before his sister appeared and demanded to hug and kiss her new sister-in-law. Aisling met his gaze over Dominique’s shoulder, and he saw the truth in her eyes.
She and her guard had removed the threat of Dominique’s parents permanently. They would never return to harm his bride or his family. He would have to tell Dominique, but not today. Tomorrow would be soon enough.
After she released his princess, Aisling approached him with open arms. “Congratulations on tricking a woman like my sister-in-law to marry so far beneath her.”
He pinched the side of her waist, making her squeal in his ear, before he gave her a hard hug. When had his little sister grown up? It seemed like yesterday she was nothing but skinny legs and arms and teeth that were too big for her face.
Now, she was a fully grown woman, strong and fierce. And she was as tall in her flat boots as Dominique was in her heels.
“When did you get so big?” he murmured in her ear.
It was her turn to pinch him, making him flinch because she did it much harder than he had. “Big?”
“Grown. Adult. No longer my scrawny little sister,” he expanded.
The smile on Aisling’s face slowly faded. “It was time,” she said simply.
They shared a look of understanding before his mother appeared in the doorway.
“There you are! Your guests are waiting and you’re being incredibly rude. Now, get to the great hall for the wedding feast. If we don’t feed these people soon, there will be violence!”
Resigned he wasn’t going to get a moment alone with Dominique, Ronan allowed his mother to herd them toward the great hall. He would sneak her out after the meal while the guests were tipsy on mead and nightwine, dancing like fiends.
As soon as they entered the great hall, a raucous cheer went up from their guests and the staff. Everyone clapped and shouted. Some of the cries were congratulations and others were not so wholesome insinuations about the wedding night.
Usually, Ronan disliked gatherings this large, but it was clear that his new wife was having a wonderful time. She smiled more than he’d ever seen her, blue-green eyes sparkling with joy and humor every time she looked at him.
No, it wasn’t just that she was smiling more. The ice princess cloak she wore was removed. She was connecting to their people, chatting with them, and making them feel as though she cared.
The longer he watched her, the more Ronan realized she did care. He could see it in the tilt of her head to listen when someone spoke and the way her gaze remained locked on their face during conversation. She gave them her undivided attention and his people were hungry for it.
Ronan realized he might have trouble abdicating the throne if he took it before his sister. Not because he wouldn’t wantto, but because his people would resist losing his wife as their queen.
His. Wife.
The words sounded perfect, even in his own mind. She was everything he needed but never knew he wanted.
