The car slowed and came to a stop near a secluded path. One of the guards opened my door, and I stepped out carefully, the hem of my dress brushing against the uneven ground. Eldora followed, her presence as steady as ever.
The guards stood at a respectful distance, their faces unreadable. I turned to Eldora, searching for guidance, assurance, escape. Anything.
“What now?” I asked, my voice brittle.
She gestured toward the path winding ahead. “You’ll take this route to the cliff. It’s not far.”
I stared at the trail, the sound of the waves growing louder with each step it promised. My feet felt rooted to the ground. “And you?”
Eldora squeezed my shoulder. “This part, you do alone.”
Alone. The word echoed in my mind, and my grip tightened on the bouquet. I glanced back at the guards, then at Eldora, who nodded. There would be no reprieve, no turning back. I took a deep breath, the scent of the sea mingling with the roses, and steeled myself.
This was it. There was no fucking turning back now.
The path felt endless, every step weighed down with the knowledge of what waited for me at its end. My legs trembled from the sheer force of my nerves, but I forced myself forward.
As I approached the cliff, the figures ahead came into view. The first thing I noticed washim. The Shadow. He stood tall, a commanding presence even in this idyllic setting, wearing a tailored black tuxedo that hugged his frame. My traitorous eyes lingered on the way the fabric clung to his broad shoulders and the defined curve of his arms. His muscles flexed faintly, a subtle movement I hated myself for noticing.
Damn him.He looked devastatingly handsome, which only made my loathing run deeper. Of course, he would look like this today of all days. How infuriating that the man who had orchestrated my nightmare could also embody the kind of dark beauty designed to ensnare.
But then I saw his hands. They were shaking.
The sight stopped me short.What the fuck?My first thought was that he was disgusted, that he was so repulsed by me he could hardly contain it. A small, cruel voice in the back of my mind whispered,Good. Let him feel even a fraction of what you feel.But what if it wasn’t disgust? What if this whole thing unsettled him as much as it did me?
To his right stood a man I didn’t recognize. He was tall and lean with sharp features that gave him a predatory elegance, yet he seemed frail. His white hair was swept back neatly, and his deep crimson eyes gleamed with a quiet intelligence almost as unsettling as The Shadow’s silence. His suit was accented withintricate embroidery in dark red, the patterns resembling veins. Around his neck hung a large pendant that glinted ominously in the light.
As if sensing my scrutiny, the man turned his head and smiled at me, a gesture so unexpected that I almost stumbled. The warmth in his expression caught me off guard. It was the kind of smile a host at an intimate dinner would give, which was not what I’d expected in the middle of my surreal nightmare. I didn’t smile back.
To the left of The Shadow was another figure, draped in a heavy black cloak that obscured their face and body. I couldn’t tell if they were male or female. They were more a presence than a person. The hooded head turned slightly in my direction, and a faint chill ran down my spine.Freaky family blood rituals,I thought grimly, recalling the book I’d found in The Shadow’s private library. This must be some grotesque tradition tied to his cursed bloodline.
Fucking wonderful.
As I neared, I heard The Shadow address the man to his right. “Altair.”
Altair inclined his head slightly, his smile softening as his gaze returned to me.
But The Shadow didn’t smile. He didn’t even speak as his eyes locked on mine. His dark gaze pierced through me like I was something to be dissected. The silence between us was unbearable, but I wasn’t going to be the one to break it.
When I reached him, he extended his arm toward me, a gesture so formal it felt almost like mockery. For a brief, insane moment, I considered refusing, but then I caught sight of the cloaked figure from the corner of my eye and thought better of it. Obedience was my only option.
With a shuddering breath, I slid my arm through his. His grip was firm but not rough, his warmth startling against my clammyskin. The contrast only worsened my nerves. My thoughts betrayed me as I felt the solid muscle beneath the fabric of his jacket.Don’t think about it,I snapped at myself.Focus on the plan. Survive this. Find your escape later.
The crashing of the waves below reached my ears as we stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, and I stared at the sight before me. The sea stretched endlessly, its choppy waters glinting under the sunlight. The salty breeze whipped at my hair and dress, and I inhaled deeply, letting the scent calm my racing heart. For just a moment, the beauty of it eclipsed the terror coursing through me.
Then the officiant spoke in a deep, resonant voice, dragging me back to reality. “On this day, under the watchful gaze of ancient blood, we gather to witness the binding of two souls. This is no mere union of flesh and bone, but a merging of destinies, sealed and sustained by the magic that flows through the veins of the Gallanti bloodline. We call upon the old ones to bear witness. May the spirits of the ancestors, who walked this path before, bless this union with strength, and may the shadows themselves bind your souls together.”
My stomach churned as the words washed over me. The officiant turned to me then. “Vivian Solis, you stand before the heir of the Gallanti line, the keeper of shadows and master of illusions. Do you come willing to give yourself, ready to bind yourself to him in darkness and in light, knowing that what you enter into today is a pact as much as a marriage?”
My gaze flicked to The Shadow. His face was unreadable, but his eyes held a warning, a threat, a promise of what he would do if I dared refuse. The crashing waves below suddenly felt far too close.
“I… yes,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.
The officiant turned to The Shadow. “Raffaele Gallanti, you stand as the heir of your bloodline, chosen by the shadowsthemselves to wield the power bestowed upon you. Do you accept this woman as your bride, knowing that her life is now entwined with yours?”
Raffaele.So, The Shadow has a name after all.
“I do,” he said, his voice unflinching.
