I glance at my bare feet and then at the roses and thorns I have to make my way across to get to him. It’ll be worth it to finally be able to call him mine after a century of my soul being lost without him. The thick, jagged thorns that will tear through my skin, and the blood that will drain to seal our eternal bond is worth any amount of pain.
I take my first step toward him. The prick of thorns burying themselves in my skin leaves me frozen and hissing in pain. I knew it would hurt, but damn, it’s much worse than I imagined it would be. A part of me is dying to use my magic to heal the wounds and shield my skin from any more damage, but I know it’s forbidden. If I want him, then I must prove to the gods and to him that I will endure through anything. The next step hurts even more, the thorns digging into old wounds and ripping open new ones, the searing pain endless and unforgiving. Warmth drips from my feet and stains the ground with my crimson sacrifice, but through the pain, I persist. I endure. I keep my eyes focused only on him. His smile grows as I step closer and closer, fists clenched at my sides, blood pooling as it drips from me, smiling as I imagine his shadows wrapped around me and offering sweet numbness. It hurts, but I am deserving of him, and this is how I prove it.
Making my way up the steps to the throne, my feet slip and leave bloody imprints on the stone, but my heart melts as the look in Ere’s eyes changes to one full of pride, and the scars left on my skin will be worth it. He extends his hand to help steady me, and I grip it tight as I ascend the last two steps and join him on the platform. His glowing eyes wrap me in warmth and numbness, the stinging pain from my fresh wounds fading to just a dull ache.
He takes my hands, eyes on mine as he kisses the top of one and then the other, bowing his head low. “My queen,” he says, his horns rising back up and towering over me.
“My king,” I whisper with a small smile, bowing low in return.
The energy radiating from both of us is full of more happiness and hope than I’ve ever felt or known could exist. This is our moment and we deserve this. He deserves this.
Releasing one of my hands, he faces the crowd full of the dead he chose to keep safe from the pit, so I do the same. Even the demons are here, though hiding and peering out from behind boulders and pillars across the realm and from within caves on the sides of the mountains. Ere offered them the choice of either death by his shadows or peace, and they chose to submit to him, so they live for now. I’d prefer them all to be dead
Ere closes his eyes. “We offer our blood and our unwavering loyalty to each other and to this realm. Old gods awaken and hear us. Accept our offering and bind us as one.”
My eyes widen, arms stiffening at my sides as the blood covering the thorns and roses scattered below us is absorbed into the cracked earth, vanishing before my eyes. The flames from the torches encircling the altar and surrounding the platform shine brighter, the black flames flickering out and then igniting in bright blue and purple flames. Shocked faces in the crowd are no longer enshrouded by darkness and shadows. My divine light flashes to life around the entire realm.
Glancing over at my dark king, I can’t help but smile. “What exactly does this mean?”
Dipping his head low, his hot breath tickles my ear as he whispers, “it means you belong to this realm. You belong to me. The gods have accepted our bond.” He presses his lips to my cheek, lingering against my skin for a moment.
I press my forehead against his, getting lost within the red swirls of his hypnotizing eyes. “I have always belonged to you. I always will.”
His eyes dance with excitement as he pulls away. “There is one more thing we must do to make it official.” The mischievous smile that brightens his face makes my heart lurch, but I’m not afraid.
I’m ready to be his. The worst of it is over. The wounds on my feet no longer hurt at all. Magic healed them the moment the gods accepted our bond.
“Anything for you. Whatever it takes.” I smile, stepping forward with him as he wraps his hand around mine and leads me to the darkest corner of the platform.
He lets my hand fall as we step up to a table draped with a velvet burgundy cloth with two golden cups and two rings in the center. These aren’t the rings I remember from before. Ours were made of pure gold and they were wrapped in beautiful red roses. These rings look like they’ve been carved from black obsidian, and vines and thorns coil around their curves.
“The rings are different. What happened to the old ones? These are beautiful, but those rings were so special to both of us.”
He stares into the cups in front of us, only briefly meeting my eyes. “Those rings hold memories of our past, my love, a past that has been corrupted by Nyx’s darkness. I prefer to not have reminders of that day. Losing you. Losing everything I had ever wanted. I would rather we put it all in the past and focus only on the future. On only the good from this day forward.”
I nod in agreement. I’d rather we never have to think of Nyx or talk about her ever again, but even so, those golden rings meant a lot to us. A part of my heart aches at the thought of never seeing them on our fingers. But these ones, now that the stars have aligned and the gods have accepted our eternal bond, they will mean much more.
“This is how we become one and how we show our realm and every other that you belong to me,” he places his hands on the chalices in front of us, his crimson eyes glowing brighter.
“And that you belong to me, as well,” I tell him with a smile.
His lips quirk as he winks and then waves his hands above the cups, his shadows curling out around him and swirling around the table. Mesmerized by the beauty of his power encircling the rings, I reach out to touch them.
Gently stealing my hand, he shakes his head. “Let me, my flame.” He smiles and keeps his eyes pinned on me.
I can’t breathe or think, everything else falling away as he looks down at me with so much light and love in his eyes that it nearly stops my heart. I get to have him and hold him forever, and I am so damn grateful.
He reaches for the smaller ring, the obsidian glittering under the flames of the torch light. Unbreakable thorns slowly spike out from the inner circle of the ring, thorns that will push their way deep into my skin, binding me to it and to him forever, and gods will it hurt so good knowing he’s mine.
Any amount of pain, temporary or endless, will be worth it for him.
“Will you give yourself to me in every way, Hemera, mind, body, and soul?” His eyes burn into mine, waiting for the answer he already knows will come.
“Yes,” I tell him without a moment of hesitation.
“Even if it means following me into darkness? Being so consumed by me that there is no light?” A smile flashes as his shadows wrap around me, enshrouding me within a pitch-black void.
“I will follow you wherever you may go. I want your love to consume me.” I swallow thickly as the words ring true in my heart and soul.
