Page 124 of On Brutal Thrones

Then Thorian clears his throat. “We aren't finished.”

I glance at him. “We aren't?”

His gaze moves from Nyx to Talon, then settles on me. “She made a promise to all of us.”

Oh. He's right. Somehow, in the middle of being emotionally destroyed by my own wedding, I forgot that part.

Thorian reaches into the center of our little circle, palm up. Nyx places her hand over his, then Talon adds his. I put mine on top.

Then, Thorian looks at each of us before he speaks. “I promise to stand beside this family, to protect it, and to choose it above everything else. Whatever comes for one of us comes for all of us.”

My throat tightens.

Talon looks down at our joined hands, unusually serious. “I promise to stay, even when staying is harder than leaving. And if any of you are foolish enough to face something alone, I promise to be right there being foolish with you.”

A watery laugh escapes Nyx.

Then they all look at me. Hell. I thought I'd already survived my emotional portion of this ceremony.

I squeeze their hands, looking at the strange collection of people who somehow became mine. “I promise that none of you will ever have to wonder if you belong somewhere again. Wherever we end up, whatever happens to us, this is our family. And I'll spend the rest of my life making sure we never forget it.”

Nyx's face crumples. Mine probably does too. That's it. I'm done for. I reach for my wife.

Thorian reaches for her at the same time, and Talon gets dragged in with the rest of us, complaining about how many group embraces we've had lately while wrapping both arms around us anyway.

I bury my face against Nyx's damp hair. She smells like river water and woodsmoke. Not flowers. Not perfume. Nothing like I ever imagined a bride would smell, and I don't care. I want to remember this exact moment for the rest of my life. The heat of the fire against my skin. Nyx tucked safely between us. Thorian's arm pressed against mine. Talon's annoyed sigh that doesn't fool anyone. The stars blazing overhead and the endless darkness surrounding our tiny circle of light.

We don't have a priest. We don't have rings for all of us. There are no witnesses besides the gods, and frankly, they can all fuck off. But I know what those vows mean.

Nyx pulls back just enough to look at me.

“So...is that it?”

I laugh, my chest still so full it hurts. “That's it.”

Her eyes widen. “We're married?”

I look at Talon. At Thorian. Then back at her.

“We're married.”

For a heartbeat, she simply stares. Then her face changes. A smile spreads across it, slow and brilliant and so full of happiness that I swear the whole night grows brighter.

My wife.

My family.

My future.

For once, the Trials don't feel like they're waiting in the darkness to take something from me.

For this one perfect moment, they've given me everything.

17

Nyx

We're married.