Grinning, I smear more mud from my bodice onto my cheek. “Do you like it? Since I’m marrying a monster, I thought I’d try to look more like one. What do you think?”
“It’s, um…” He swallows. “Actually, maybe we should find you another dress. I’m sure Tauren would rather?—”
“Tauren will marry me now or I will tell him you are personally responsible for delaying his wedding,” I snap. I hate the way his body shrinks, but I have to do this now. The longerwe’re out here, the more I’m thinking I should just beg him to remove my collar and have him escape with me.
Claren won’t meet my gaze. “I’ve been instructed to walk you down the aisle.”
“Perfect.” I take his hand quickly.
As we approach a wall of brambles, a servant girl passes me a bouquet of pink flowers, her eyes widening at me.
I take the flowers, even though they look ridiculous paired with my monstrous appearance. But they do make it easier to hide the small flask now pressed against the stems.
The second we pass through a gap in the brambles, my eyes grow as wide as the servant girl’s. Pretty orb lights hang from a soft fabric ceiling. White benches seat demon guests, each row finished with pink flowers, like bursts of colour above the dark demon grass. More petals line the aisle, some red and others pink. As my eyes follow them down the long aisle, a breath catches in my throat.
At the end of the aisle, stood under a tall flower-filled arch, is my custard-haired demon lord.
But he’s never looked more murderous.
“What is the meaning of this?” he snarls, but the music has already started and the guests are standing for my arrival.
Soft music weaves through gasps as each guest turns to look at me. Even Pumpkin, who’s curled up on a seat in the front row, lets out a startled whine, while the more Tauren stares, the more his jaw unhinges.
He’d look handsome if he wasn’t so shocked.
A dark crown, mimicking tree branches, sits upon his head. A black coat with intricate silver details fits snugly over his chest. Like Claren, he wears an embroidered cape that’s long enough to reach his leather boots.
Speaking of, poor Claren can barely walk on his shaking knees. When we reach the end of the aisle, he releases me beside Tauren and hurries away before I can even thank him.
As the music slows, I grin innocently at the demon lord. “I like your crown.” My fingers reach up to touch it. Mud smears onto the metal. Oops.
“What happened?” he growls. “Were you attacked?”
“Oh, no,” I giggle. “I just fancied a quick dip before the ceremony started. There wasn’t time to change.”
He doesn’t reply, just watches me with an unreadable expression on his face.
An old demon dressed in red ambles up to us under the arch. He passes me a surprised look before clearing his throat and reading aloud from a small book.
My mind tunes out as he speaks. I focus on counting the petals in front of me instead of the pounding heart in my chest.
“They’re dahlias,” Tauren whispers.
“Oh,” I breathe. I didn’t realise.
Eventually, the old demon closes the book and passes it to a guard. It’s replaced with a box, which he opens and holds between us. Two silver rings glisten up at me.
For some reason, my heart flutters.
With shaking fingers, I slide the larger ring onto Tauren’s hand, repeating the words I’m given while trying not to think about what they mean.
Before my hand can return to the safety of my flowers, Tauren takes it in his and slides the smaller ring on. His powerful gaze meets mine. “I, Lord Tauren of the Demon Court, take Princess Dahlia to be my wife. To be mine forever as I am hers. Death will not part us.” After he speaks, I feel an odd weight lift from me, and something slides off my neck. It’s like someone loosening a?—
I gasp. The thin red choker falls from my neck. It lands in the space between our feet.
“You are my wife now.” Tauren’s hand tightens around mine. “The collar is no longer necessary.”
I glance up at him, and a swallow lodges in my throat. I suspect it will be there for a very long time.
