My stomach dipped. In all honesty, I’d never imagined a wedding day of my own but this seemed so…brief? Functional? I looked at the man who now called me wife and wondered if this was how he’d pictured his wedding day.
The priest ushered us quickly towards the book of bindings. Sighing deeply, I allowed Matthias to guide me away, grateful no one noticed he’d missed the section where we would have had to seal our vows with a kiss.
Matthias signed his name. As I took the quill from him and stood before the page where our marriage would become legal and binding, I raised a brow, impressed at how his handwriting had improved. Even though the letters swirled, the blotchy, scratchy scrawl of the young boy had been replaced with a beautifully formed moniker, worthy of a king. I raised the quill and then hesitated. The script was too small, the light in this corner too dark. I squinted at the page, unsure where my signature was supposed to go.
I blinked furiously, hoping something would become clear. The all-too-familiar sting in my temples sprang behind my eyes, and I winced. Of course this would happen on my wedding day. The page swam like a tempest. Bile rose through me. I had to sign this, get outside and pray the fresh air cleared the pain. Clutching the quill, I aimed blindly. I couldn’t wait. I’d sign next to Matthias’s name.
‘No. No.’ The priest grabbed my wrist, lifted my hand. ‘Not there. We’ll have to start again if you do that. Gods, can she even read? Here’ – he pointed to a different part of the page with his stubby fingers – ‘you write yours here.’
I closed my eyes and bit back a curse. The priest shrieked as his sandaled feet left the floor and he was slammed against the wall. A vase of flowers crashed on the stone tiles.
‘Matthias!’ I cried. The priest’s feet floundered as my new husband held him against the wall by the scruff of his white robes. ‘You’re a bloody king. Put him down.’
‘Only when he apologises.’
‘S-sorry. I’m sorry,’ the priest spluttered.
Matthias dropped him, and the priest grabbed his neck, gasping.
Asher pulled him up straight, smoothing down his robes. ‘You’d do well to remember this lady is now a queen. My queen.’
My stomach flipped. A queen. It was too ridiculous to even consider.
‘Touch my wife without her permission again and?—’
‘You’ll find she’s perfectly capable of speaking for herself,’ I snarled. The pain dug in and I blinked back the sting of tears.
‘Of…of course,’ the priest said. ‘Apologies again.’
‘All I want is to sign this and get back to Pablo.’
‘Do you know where?’ Matthias came to my side. I bristled as he searched my burning face.
‘Here?’ I held the quill over the spot the priest indicated.
‘That’s it.’ There was a softness to his voice, and my mutinous pulse sparked. ‘If you need help, you can always ask.’ Snorting, I scratched my name down.
‘I need to get to Pab. He doesn’t like being chained up.’ I straightened my spine, cocked my head. ‘A feeling I’m appreciating, all of a sudden.’
‘A witness,’ the priest interrupted, taking the quill from me. ‘We still need the witness to sign.’
‘My time to shine.’ Asher took the quill and approached the book.
Taking the opportunity while the sound of the scratching nib echoed off the walls, Matthias moved closer to me and raised a dark brow. ‘Did you notice he missed out the most important part?’ he asked me.
‘We’d be here for another hour if we tried to fill in the parts he missed.’
Matthias laughed. Was it the gloom or had his eyes darkened? His fingers brushed mine. I hissed and pulled my hand back as Matthias’s stare burned into me. He leaned forward. My breath hitched as his whisper brushed the sensitive skin beneath my ear.
‘We’ve missed our first kiss.’
I felt the blood drain from my face. I narrowed my eyes as his darted to my lips. How easy would it be to let our mouths meet? We were married and, damn, if he wasn’t flashing that smile of his. But, this was still the boy who’d held Enfys while I lay alone in bed, heart, bones and sight shattered. I’d kiss Vyrus’s balls before I kissed Matthias.
‘A marriage of convenience,’ I said, crossing my arms. ‘Wasn’t that what you said?’ The heat burning from him was claustrophobic.
‘Of course. The kiss doesn’t have to mean anything. It just makes it official…in Evella’s eyes. One kiss, Sorrow.’ He shrugged. ‘You know, so it’s…binding…’
My resolve slipped as the candles flickered, illuminating the smouldering intent in his eyes, his wicked smile. It was time to move away. Get to Pablo. So why did my legs refuse to shift? The hitch in his breath was hypnotic. His head dipped, dark curled locks fell across his verdant eyes. He stopped short, his lips parted, his sweet breath warming my mouth. Matthias scoured my face, searching.
