I shake my head, weakly pushing against him. I look up to meet his frown, and I almost burst into tears. What if I lose him? What if I tell him the truth about what we are to each other, and he rejects me? This island will be torn from my grasp, I’ll never see Vasz again, and Ordus… I can’t do it.
I don’t want to think about a future in which I won’t have him. I don’t want the only thing driving me forward to be a fear of everything.
Panic flares in Ordus’ expression as my eyes water, and he starts rubbing the back of my neck. It wouldn’t be fair of me to trap Ordus when he has spent his life praying to the Goddess for a mate who isn’t me. He—he wants a fucking kraken.
I blink back tears. “I am the destined bride who will end the Curse. But Ordus… I—” I choke, not wanting to say the words. Just a month ago, I was wishing I meant nothing to him. Now, it kills me that I’ll get what I asked for. I take a deep breath that does nothing to steel me. “I’m not your mate.”
“You are,” Ordus responds instantly.
“No, I’m not.” He’s making this so much harder than it needs to be. “You only thought I was because of the mark Deedee tattooed on my back. You—it’s only because I carry the Curse.”
He carefully arranges me so I’m facing him, propped up against his tentacles. His warm hand moves to cup my cold cheek while he twines his fingers with mine. “You are my mate, Cindi. Fated mate or not, I choose you. If you do not want to marry me, I will still choose you. If you want to leave this island and move to a faraway land, I will follow, because I still choose you.”
“Ordus,” I plead, gripping the wrist touching my face. Tears stream freely down my face and over his hands before falling between us. “I wasn’t who you prayed to the Goddess for.” My voice is barely above a whisper.
He lowers his head to mine until our noses brush each other. “You are better than anything I could have wished for.”
“Your real mate might still be out there.” I squeeze him, wishing upon everything he won’t change his mind. Still, I can’t be so selfish as to keep him to myself if he was meant for another.
“You, Cindi. I choose you. Always. If you die, I’ll follow. If you run, I’ll be there. I will never let you go. I will nevernotchoose you.” Nudging my face like he’s making sure I hear him loud and clear, he says, “I am your mate, even if you do not want me to be.”
I search his eyes for any hint of hesitance, and then without any second thought, I crush my lips against his, pouring every ounce of my emotion into the kiss. His mouth moves with mine with the same reverent intensity, like there’s nothing in the world that could pull us apart. Even though the Goddess didn’t pair our souls together, this is fate, and I’m done fighting it.
Climbing up him, I force my limbs to comply against the weight of exhaustion. I fist his hair at the nape of his neck andcurl my arms around him, flattening my body to his so there isn’t any space between us.
Fire lights my veins, a single match in the utter blackness of the Curse that then spreads like wildfire. It morphs from a hollow buzz to a rattling roar. With each kiss, another spark turns into flames that burn on water. It extinguishes the frozen chill in my bones until I’m pure molten lava, melting beneath blushing skin.
More, I can feel the Curse demanding, and there’s nothing else I agree with.
I pull apart long enough to say, “Marry me.”
“Cindi, you cannot take it back. You must be sure.”
“Where you go, I go.” I steal his words as he grips my hips. “We’re mates regardless of what the Witch or the Goddess or any other asshole thinks. I want to be with you even if marrying you doesn’t end the Curse. You make me feel safe, Ordus. Wanted, protected, loved.Seen. We had a rocky start, but I was always drawn to you. Even though there were times I wanted to be alone, I wanted to be alonewith you. I don’t want to be alone anymore. I don’t want to lose anyone else. I care about you more than I thought I would. So marry me, mate.”
Staring at me in dismay, Ordus says nothing, studying me like he’s waiting for the punchline, and he’s giving me the chance to change my mind or tell him I’ve decided to go off on my own and never see him again.
I press our foreheads together. “You need me to mark you, right? For the bond? Get me a knife.”
Clattering sounds behind me, and I glance at the nearby shelving, watching one of his appendages rummage around for the hunting knife I keep there. I chuckle at his frustrated growl and bite my lip when the stray tentacle smacks things out of the way, opens a drawer, and instantly grabs what Ordus was looking for.
It offers me the handle, and I take it without hesitation, but trepidation makes me pause. This is’til death do us part. What if he changes his mind or meets his real mate? What then? Will he?—
No, Ordus wouldn’t do that. He’s a good man—he’smymonster.
I balance myself with a hand on his shoulder as darkness ripples through me, sapping the little energy I have. I will my body to stay strong, and I raise my chin to meet Ordus’ eyes.
“Neck or chest?” I say, recalling the time I stabbed him and the very notable lack of scarring.
His purr is louder and smoother than I’ve ever heard it. “Anywhere you wish. I’ll be grateful regardless.”
Carefully, I hold the blade over his left pec. Like hell am I about to bring a knife to his throat after I killed Tommy—because he’s dead, and so is Kristy, and every other ghost who’s better left in the past. Cindi is a new woman, a second chance. She is Ordus’ mate and future wife. She doesn’t cower in shadows or huddle in corners.
Cindi does what she wants with a smile. She laughs. She goes to bed feeling safe, protected, loved.
That’s the woman who wants to marry Ordus.
“Do I need to say anything?” I ask.
