My chest squeezed. Holy moly. “You’re serious?” I replied. “Do I need to give you a Breathalyzer test?”
His grin widened. “I’m not drunk, princess. I’m in love. With you.”
I wasn’t dreaming. This moment was real. He went from on his knee to sweeping me away to a church. “And you want to get married? Right now?” My voice came out in a squeak.
“Not this second. Five minutes good for you?”
Five minutes? He wasn’t joking, but he was crazy. I glanced down at my attire. “I can’t get married like this!” Ripped jean shorts and a white lace halter was not the beaded gown I’d always envisioned. “I look like a hot mess.”
Slowly, his hands went around my waist. “You look beautiful to me.”
My heart melted. And what did it matter how I looked? I never wanted a big, flashy wedding. I had everything I ever wanted standing in front of me, someone who loved me unconditionally. Someone who vowed to always protect me. And now he wanted to give me his forever. It honestly couldn’t have been more perfect, even with the caveman style he had brought me here. Zane had flare—his own, and it worked for me.
“You know you didn’t have to drag me to the altar. I would have come willingly.”
His lips tilted at the corners. “Yeah, but this was more fun.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Now we have an interesting story to tell our children during Thanksgiving dinner.”
This was really happening, and my heart was going super fast. “What about the council?”
“We’d need to act immediately,” Zane replied. “The council can’t get wind of our marriage, not until after. The less people that know, the safer we are. If the council found…”
He didn’t need to say anything more. The council had been very adamant in their displeasure at my marrying someone without pure reaper blood. How could something so right be wrong?
I might be young, but I knew what I wanted. And I’d wanted Zane since the moment I’d laid eyes on him at the docks. It was a memory I’d never forget— the way the sunlight hit his face, the smirk that crept over his lips. But mostly, the feelings he enticed. I didn’t know it then, how deep our connection was, I only knew he made my knees weak and my body feel things it had never felt. “Will it be enough? Will it be legit?” I asked. “Make no mistake, there is nothing I would love more in this world than to be your wife. I need to know that it will be for real. If I lost you…I couldn’t handle it.”
The pad of his thumb ran over my bottom lip. “You’ll never lose me.”
Easy to say, and I only hoped it would be true. Life constantly threw curve balls when you least expected. Like me getting married today. I couldn’t believe we were having this discussion, rationally talking about getting hitched. It was a contract, in essence, to love, to honor, and to obey. I wasn’t sure about the obey part, but I would love him with all that I had. “Does this mean you’ve thought about Aspyn’s idea?” The one where you knock me up, I silently added.
“I’ve thought about it,” he said softly. “You still haven’t given me an answer. Piper, will you marry me?”
A ridiculous grin crossed my lips, and I looped my arms around his neck. “I thought it was obvious. Yes, I’ll marry you, Zaney.” If given the opportunity, we wouldn’t be rushing into this, but the outcome would always be the same. What did it matter if it was this week or next year?
“We’re getting married,” he said, wonder and bewilderment in his voice.
Now, that was more of the reaction I expected from him. Emotions clogged my throat. “I love you. I will always love you.”
I glanced around the room, memorizing the shape, the smell, and the feeling inside that I’d never be able to duplicate. “What do we do now? Don’t we need an officiant or something?”
“It’s all been taken care of. We have the two most important ingredients: you and me. And a marriage license.”
I buried my face into his chest, hugging him. “That was so cheesy. I loved it.”
An amused smile lit his face. “I have my moments.” He bent down and brushed his lips along my temple before holding out his arm. “Ready?”
I hooked my arm through his. “Lead the way, fiancé.” Wow. That was weird on the tongue, and in half an hour, I would be calling him my husband. The quickest engagement in history.
As we started toward the altar, Death walked into the room.
Of course. It made perfect sense. Zane’s father was an overlord. He had the station to perform the sacred ceremony as well as the traditional one. How many people could say the Grim Reaper married them?
His white beard was trimmed neatly, and his blue eyes sparkled with mischief, a look I’d seen in his son countless times. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
“Well, he did have to carry me here,” I said.
Death let a belly-jarring laugh. “Oh Piper, welcome to the family.” He opened his wide arms.
It was a bear hug like no other, gruff and tender. That pretty much summed up Zane’s father. “Thank you,” I replied.
Roarke cleared his throat and gave me a pat on the back. “We should begin,” he encouraged, moving to stand directly in the center of a circle painted on the floorboards.
The details of the room came to my attention. I had failed to notice them before. There were glowing rune-type markings covering the raised platform and up the pillars lining the aisle. My hand tightened on Zane’s arm as we took our places in front of his father. In a few minutes, we were going to be husband and wife. Come hell or high water, this marriage was happening, and damn anyone who stood in our way, who tried to separate us.
“Tonight we celebrate,” Roark said in a booming voice.
Zane and I both burst out in laughter. It must have been the nerves, because I was having a hard time taking Death seriously as an ordained officiant.
Roarke looked at his son. “I guess we can skip the traditional ceremony and get straight to the vows. We are, after all, under a time restraint. Take her hand.”
We didn’t have any vows written, so we were winging it. Zane appeared a little nervous for the first time tonight. He took my hands, but not before he blew out a breath.
I looked into Zane’s eyes. Oh my God. This was really happening. I told myself not to cry.
In a velvety voice, Roarke began again. “You will each say the vows of commitment.”
“I, Zane Hunter, promise to stand by your side and sleep in your arms. I will risk my life for yours. I will die for you. There are only so many ways I can tell you how much I love you, but I vow to show you every day. We shall bear together whatever trouble and sorrow may lie upon us. You will never be alone. Even in death, our souls will find each other. I let you go once; I won’t do it again, Piper. I can’t lose you. Never.” His accent came across, punctuating his words, heavy and lyrical. It was beautiful. He was beautiful. “I marry you and bind my life and soul to yours.”
How was I supposed to top that? Silent tears slipped down my cheeks. These weren’t just words. He meant every one of them from the bottom of his heart. This was one of those moments I wished I had on videotape. Too bad I didn’t vlog. I wanted to capture every second, bottle these feelings inside me.
I swallowed, tightening my fingers on his. No more tears. It was my turn. “I, Piper Brennan, promise to be your partner in crime. I promise to share hopes and dreams with you as we build our lives together, assuming the world is still standing.”
A laugh escaped Zane, and Death only shook his head.
“I marry you with no hesitation and with my whole heart. My commitment to you is absolute.”
Death pulled out a slim blade. “Now we will join your bloodlines.”
I looked at the sharp tip of the knife and my stomach got a bit queasy. You are not going to faint at your own wedding. “It’s a good thing I don’t pass out at the sight of blood,” I said, right before Roarke poked the tip of my finger with the end of the blade. I jumped, but the sting was gone and forgotten when I lifted my gaze.
We pressed our fingers together, mixing our blood. There was an instant jolt of power, followed by a cool tingle. I stared mesmerized by our joined hands. I’d seen our veins glow together before, especially when our souls merged, but this…it was something truly magical. It made me dizzy with happiness.
“Together you will repeat after me,” Roarke said. “From this point, we form an eternal and sacred bond. The promises and ties made today will greatly strengthen our union, and will cross in this life and the next, bound by our souls.”
In unison, Zane and I stared into one another eyes as we recited the words of our blood oath. I had never felt closer to anyone as I did in this moment, not even when we had joined bodies. This was a different kind of intimacy.
“You are now bound eternally to each other. Do you have the ring?” Roarke asked.
Zane reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a platinum band. He slid the ring onto my not-so-steady finger and lingered. The looked on his face was almost bashful, but his voice was smooth. “With this ring, I vow from this day forward, that your love is my anchor, your trust is my strength. May my heart be your shelter, and my arms be your home.”
Tears blurred my vision. “You had this planned, didn’t you?” I whispered, unable to take my eyes off his. For a spontaneous wedding, he had all the elements.
“Let’s just say I was optimistic. It crossed my mind a time or two since the council made the foolish decision to join your bloodline with Crash. I can’t bear to see you with anyone else. You’ve turned me into a jealous maniac. We’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
I turned my hand from side to side, admiring the beautiful scroll wrapping around the ring. I had no idea what it said, but it was the most exquisite piece of jewelry I owned, and I would treasure it always. “What took you so long?” I asked, lifting my damp lashes.
He wiped a tear from my cheek. “Some things need to age, like good wine.”
I couldn’t stop smiling. “See, I knew you were drunk.”
He laughed, tucking my hair behind my ear. Zane’s gaze was locked on me as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. He had kissed me a hundred times before, but none like this. Fireworks exploded inside me as his kiss reached farther than just my lips. I swore he branded my soul, and he might very well have considering our unique connection.
Death cleared his throat a second time. “I don’t think I said you could kiss your bride yet.”
“Well, hurry up and say it, old man,” Zane murmured, his lips hovering over mine.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your…”
Zane’s lips were already on mine, and I’m pretty sure my heart exploded.
“…bride,” Death sighed.
My arms were secured around him with a permanent smile on my lips. I was floating on air, never so elated in my life. I was someone’s wife— not just anyone’s— but Zane’s. With misty eyes, I gazed up at him and whispered, “I love you.” We. Actually. Got. Married. No one busted through the doors to object.
His hand lingered at the curve of my neck. “Let’s go home, Mrs. Hunter.”
I almost tripped over my feet. Home. Oh God. Zane was moving into the manor. “We need to tell TJ and Parker.”
He leaned down and pressed his cool lips to mine. “We will, after,” he murmured. “The rest of the night is about us.”
Oh man. I liked the sound of that. If only he had been right.