The palace quieted afterward while ancient symbols ignited brighter beneath the ceremonial platform around us. And the atmosphere shifted. Because this was the real moment now. The true bond. The terrifying royal secret demons guarded more carefully than kingdoms.
Then my demon moved directly in front of me. No teasing this time. No smug flirting. Just complete focus settling onto me hard enough to make my heartbeat betray me instantly.
Then, unexpectedly, he smiled just a little, and the expression was reckless enough to make my heart trip over itself.
“You’re nervous.”
“I’m considering escaping.”
“You’d come back.”
That answer hit harder than expected. Because annoyingly, he was right. Before I could recover, his hands settled gently against my waist while silver shadows curled around us both. Immediately several council members looked scandalized.
One older ruler whispered: “Oh for the love of…..”
My demon ignored them completely. Then he pulled me closer directly against his chest instead of standing properly apart for the ceremony. The palace collectively gasped again.
“This feels illegal,” I whispered.
“That improves the experience.”
“You are impossible.”
“And still you love me .”
Then he rested his forehead gently against mine, and the entire kingdom seemed to disappear around us. The palace, the council, the screaming crowds outside, all of it faded until there was nothing left except him. Then, quietly enough that only I could hear it, he whispered:
“Lucien Vaerion.”
The bond crashed through me instantly afterward, and this time it wasn’t only power I felt. It was him in every possible way. Chaos tangled with devotion, desire wrapped around something so overwhelming it nearly stole the breath from my lungs. Beneath all the flirting, the teasing, and every smug comment he hid behind, there was something devastatingly sincere waiting underneath it all. Something ancient. Unshakable. He trusted me completely. Me.
The realization hurt me in the worst possible way. Then silver markings ignited across my skin beneath the ceremonial fabric while warmth spread through my chest like living fire.
The kingdom erupted around us afterward. But I barely noticed. Because my demon was still looking at me like I’d ruined his entire existence in the best possible way.
I swallowed once before whispering shakily:
“…That is still the hottest thing anyone has ever done to me.”
He laughed softly against my mouth before kissing me hard enough to destroy at least half the council instantly. Again. One elder sat down immediately.
Meanwhile, Eva was absolutely laughing at me. Traitor.
Then through the completed bond, his voice moved warmly through my soul:
“You are going to make eternity disastrously entertaining.”
Chapter 37
Kaelith POV
The palace celebration still roared somewhere far below our chambers. And thousands of demons celebrated the completed bonds across the city beneath us.
But the second the doors closed behind us, the entire world narrowed down to her.
My wife.
Eva barely made it three steps into the room before turning toward me. And lord, the mating marks glowing faintly beneath silver ceremonial fabric nearly snapped whatever remained of my coherent thoughts. The bond pulsed violently the second she looked at me.
