Immortal Rider_ Lords of Deliverance Series_ - Larissa Ione [107]
And dear God, how could she possibly ever deserve him?
He handed her the chalice, and her hands shook as she held it. He watched her expectantly. Everyone did. When the trembling grew so severe that she nearly dropped the chalice, Arik took her hands in his and gently guided the rim to her mouth.
“You can do this,” he whispered.
Warm wetness touched her lips and tongue, and on her shoulder, both sides of her scales dipped wildly. “Arik,” she rasped. “I… I…”
She should lie. Make something up. The compulsion to tell a whopper had her clenching her teeth. She wanted to lay the foundations for a strong bond, but so many people were around, and it was for them that she needed to spin a tale. She’d once stood before a crowd and fired them up with fantastic stories that had led to rebellion against their lord, every word making her drunk with pleasure. Even now, her breaths came faster, her blood flowed like a raging river, and lies swirled through her mind, fighting to be chosen—
“Hey.” Arik’s deep, soothing voice penetrated her panic, and she realized she’d been looking at everyone but him. “My eyes,” he said. “Look at me. I’m right here.”
As if she’d grabbed onto a lifeline, she clung to his gaze, letting everyone else fall away. I can do this. For him, I can do anything.
Still, nothing came. There were too many secrets to choose from, and all were so horrible and hurtful.
Arik knew… bless him, he knew, and he came to the rescue.
“Since this is our wedding, maybe you can stick it to your ex?” He waggled his brows, dragging a small smile from her. “Do you have a secret about you and him?”
Fear soured her mouth, because yeah, she had a secret she’d never wanted to reveal, but if she was ever going to do it, now was the time, and this was the perfect place.
“I went willingly to my betrothal.” She cleared her throat. Her brothers’ shocked stares burned holes in her, but she ignored them, keeping her focus on Arik and praying he wouldn’t hate her for this admission. “I wanted to be Satan’s bride, and if he’d have had me at the time, I’d have done it.”
There. She’d said it. Her stomach was churning and her antiperspirant failing, but she’d done it. The silence in the room built as Arik stood there, stoic, his expression neutral.
“If you accept each others’ truths,” Idess said, “you may kiss.”
The wait… oh, dear Lord, the wait. Limos thought her heart might explode, and then, unbelievably, Arik stepped into her and slowly, so slowly, touched his lips to hers. Their blood mingled, their tongues met, and a powerful, intense pleasure washed over them both. She knew he felt it too, because in that moment, it was as if they were one being, merged together in an almost orgasmic ecstasy.
Tingles spread through her feather-light body, and what was that saying… the truth shall set you free? Yes. She felt freer than she ever had, and as Arik’s arms came around her, she felt safer too. Safe and wanted and free.
“Congratulations,” Idess murmured. “You are married.”
Arik never in a million years thought he’d be married. Or, more accurately, mated. Which, in the supernatural world, was a stronger bond than marriage, because generally, it was physical. The Sem brothers, for instance, couldn’t get out of their bonds unless their mates died.
According to Idess, the same deal applied here, too. Hopefully, Limos wouldn’t want a divorce anytime soon.
His body was on fire with pleasure as they stepped down from the stage, and he wondered how long the sensation would last. The blood and truth ritual had been powerful on so many levels—uncomfortable, frightening and, in the end, freeing. He hadn’t even known how much he trusted Limos until he’d voiced his truth, and when