We’d set it up so the pavilion was behind us, acting like an arch, though we stood in front of it. Unfortunately, we hadn’t been able to fit all nine of us in here with Ivy—Eloise had play-tested the situation to make that observation.
That left us standing in front of it, with ropes of flowers dangling like a curtain at our back.
“We had a lot of help,” I replied, winking at the children, who giggled.
The smile pulling at Ivy’s lips widened as she glanced over her shoulder at the girls. “Keeping secrets, I see.”
“Only the best kind,” Hawk interjected. “Only good surprises.”
Ivy scoffed, a tear sliding down her cheek. I caught it before it could fall, smoothing my thumb under her eye. For a moment, she leaned into my touch, eyes finding mine.Thank you.
I pulled in a shaky breath, heart racing.Anything for you, my love.
“This won’t be your typical ceremony, and it won’t be like your wedding to Rhadamanthus,” Adrian explained, taking a step forward. “If you were Queen, we would be knighted, made your eternal council, your warriors and protectors.”
“Even though you aren’t,” Maeve continued softly, “that does not stop us from wanting to give ourselves to you. You wear our marks, Ivy. But we want to wear yours, too. We want to be yours in all the ways that mean something. We want all the realms to know that you are our mate, and we are yours.”
“Will you not just be our mate for eternity, but our wife, too?” Xerxes asked, voice shaking.
I felt like I was holding my breath, could almost sense the others doing it, too.
Ivy’s gaze flickered over us again, so soft and full of love. The bond between us heated with the power of her love, with everything she felt towards us.
Love. Devotion. Happiness. Content.
All of it shuddered through me.
“I would love, more than anything, to be your wife,” she whispered, tears falling freely now. “And it would be my honour to mark you all, too.”
7
Adrian
Even though I knew what her response would be—there’d been no doubt in my mind or heart that she would say yes—I still sighed in relief. Heat filled my chest as our guests cheered and Ivy moved to stand directly in front of us.
“I give you this ring,” Maeve said, sliding the ring she’d gotten back from Dante’s compound onto Ivy’s finger, “again as a sign of our love and protection.”
Ivy blinked hard, though she choked on a sob. “I can’t believe you found it.”
“It was like the Goddess knew,” the vampire murmured. “This ring is my wedding gift to you. Will you take me,a mhuirnín, as your wife and life partner? Will you let me love you for the rest of our lives, to care for you in the only ways I know how? For so long, I have been broken, lost. The darkness was the only way I knew how to live. Until I found you. You are my light, my hope, my salvation. Without you, I would still exist without hope. But you, Ivy, are my hope. My dreams. My everything.”
There was no point in stopping the tears now. Ivy couldn’t speak as she nodded, which brought Maeve into her arms. They shared a kiss, one that had some of our friends and family clapping. Usually, these sorts of things were more private. Butboth Eloise and Thea fought for this, and just through the bond alone, I could tell it was the right call.
Ivy might have been a private person, and these last couple of months had shown just how much she valued that. But not even she could hide how happy she was to be with her friends and family for this moment.
And honestly, I felt the same way. When I looked out over the crowd of guests, I saw the faces of the people who stood by us during the war, those who’d protected my mate, who saved her in ways we hadn’t.
Ivy flushed as she pulled away from Maeve, though her smile didn’t falter. “And now’s the part where I mark you?”
Maeve nodded. I knew she wasn’t hesitant at all about being marked by Ivy. The last couple of months had allowed us all to get closer. It started out as something for Ivy’s sake, because even though Dante was defeated and we were safe, there were still some obvious tensions. But now, I could say that we were family. Like siblings, only we shared a wife now.
Goddess above, I really liked the idea of calling Ivy my wife. Now I got why Rhadamanthus loved it so much. It was like a drug.
My wife. I couldn’t wait until it was my turn.
Ivy helped Maeve undo her suit jacket so the flesh connecting her shoulder and neck was exposed. Ivy had never actually bitten anyone before—not as part of her connection to Maeve’s power or as a shifter—so now was a first for everyone.
But our girl didn’t hesitate. Fangs popped free of her gums, borrowing the power of the vampire, and with silent consent from Maeve, Ivy bit her neck.
