Chapter 37

CHAPTER 37

D roplets of water from my clothes hit the hard floor in beats. I was trying to make sense of what was before me and string together the words which had just come out of her mouth. I would have thought that time itself had frozen if not for the cadence of the water hitting the floor, quietly marking time. "What?"

"I asked John to marry us. Only the three of us and Amory currently know. Well. And Avril. She of course likely already knows."

I swallowed. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I heard you," she explained. "I heard you tell me that a day not married to me is a waste. I heard you tell us that we couldn't let fear drive our footsteps and turn us into something we are not." She moved her hands down her dress to smooth it as she rose to standing. "And while for security reasons we cannot have a massive wedding right now, we can be married right now. Right here."

She looked me in the eyes as she added, "This is not a secret. I want the obnoxiously large wedding also. As soon as we can get it planned and my advisors think it wise. Being soul bound and not married feels wrong somehow. Like we have jumped with both feet into this, but there is still an invisible rope holding us back. The wedding itself feels a bit like a piece of paper at this point, as I know with certainty you are embedded into my soul. But I recognize that this matters to you, so I made it matter to me . This will happen now, and again later, when it is safe to do so."

My eyes went to John. John, who had married my brother and Jorah, and would now be marrying Esta and me. "And you were in on this, you old fool?"

He grinned. "Only brought in on it just this morning. You cannot believe how hard we have all had to work to make this happen today. Queen Esta sent me to the library to research the royal bloodline. Who I was pleased to find have quite extensive family trees."

Esta smirked. "We wanted the dragon bloodline to avoid extinction, not be tainted with inbreeding."

"A valid point," John conceded.

I rubbed a hand across my brow. "You brought this all together in a day? Complete with a piano?"

"It is your gift. From me." She beamed. "And yes. Amory and I had to grab a dress and sneak it over here. A rather hilarious story which I will share at another time. Not nearly as funny as your having to save your drunken men from my riders," she paused as she took in my appearance, "which I do understand might be too soon from happening to be funny yet. But for now, shall we go ahead and get married?"

Shall we go ahead and get married?

Everything I had gone through today, her keeping me from the castle, it had all been for her plan to marry me? Because she knew I wanted this, so she wanted to give it to me?

All those years spent being molded into a delegate by my father had taught me some basic phrases I could say in all times to keep the conversation going, to ease tensions.

For this?

I had nothing.

"I am done avoiding you," she promised.

I was hit down our bond with all the determination of the dragon queen behind those words, and I almost went to my knees.

"Both down our bond and in proximity, I am done avoiding you," she clarified. She moved to come toward me, and that's when I realized I was still dripping on the floor. I quickly used my magic to dry and warm myself before I soaked her dress.

"I do not want you to be my secret," Esta explained. "But for now, while we plan the bigger wedding, I would like to do this. I would like to not waste any more days and be your wife. If you'll have me?"

If I'd have her? I closed any and all distances between us, crushing her into me. Of course I'll marry you.

Good. Told you you'd like this surprise.

A moment later a throat was cleared as John offered, "I am assuming that was a yes from Keir? For those of us without a telepathic relationship?"

I turned to him, this old man who had looked after me my whole life. The same one who was staying with me in Dra Skor and would now wed me to Esta. "Go ahead, Mind Seducer."

He smirked. "I should say before we begin, as I understand it is of a greater importance to Dra Skor than the two of you, but Esta had me dig for a reason. And in that digging this afternoon I found three instances where the royal bloodline married either a different shifter bloodline, or a regular human." He paused. "In all three instances, all produced dragon shifters, though not entirely dragon shifters. I think it extremely likely, given your different Enchantments, that all will be Enchanted, and at least half will be dragon shifters. I will keep researching, but I think the dragon bloodline is safe."

Esta's eyes were on mine as she said, "I will love our future children with my entire heart no matter which Enchantment they hold. Simply because they are ours . If one of them had no Enchantment, I would love them just the same. I promise you, Keir. The rest of Dra Skor might take more persuading, but you will not have to worry about my love for them, should we be so honored as to have children."

I moved to brush her hair out of her face. "Sweetheart, that hadn't even been a concern of mine."

"I still needed to say it," she said quieter. "Because of how highly Dra Skor holds the dragon line. A life with me comes with the baggage of the throne attached. The pressure of producing heirs."

"Do you see me hesitating?"

She smirked. "No."

"Are you ready to be married then?" John said as he rose, like we were talking about a meal or something mundane and not one of the singularly most important decisions we could make. Though with us being soul bound already, I supposed a large portion of risk was already removed from the equation.

We stood right there at the balcony door as he opened up a book and began going through the process of marrying us. I had no idea what he started with, I was too focused on Esta, too focused on the love and adoration I felt down our bond to pay much attention to anything else.

"Now your vows," John stated.

"I didn't prepare any," I admitted. I was going to have to wing it.

Esta gave a vehement shake to her head. "Except you did. The day we got bonded. So say those. But I'll go first."

She cleared her throat. "When you first came to Dra Skor, I wanted to destroy you. "

I snorted a laugh. That was one way to begin some vows.

"But within only a few weeks, you managed to do what no one else could. You managed to see the real me, beneath the scaley and harsh exterior. In doing so, you reminded me of who I was. That even trapped beneath the weight of my shifted form, I was still worth saving. That I was enough ."

I swallowed hard as I noted the sheen in her eyes.

She took my hand, hers far warmer than mine felt. She slipped a black band onto my finger. "You are the beat of my heart, the wind which powers my wings, and last but certainly not least, you are forever my annoying moon. You are the strongest person I know. I know I can always count on you to do the right thing. And I know without a doubt that you will protect Dra Skor alongside me.

"You were never our enemy, instead you were a fire. The fire we all needed in order to rise from the ashes. You took a lit match to us all, but particularly to my soul. I love you, Keiran James Kairos Valanova. I vow to love you and protect you in this form and my other, all the days of my life."

There was a sniffle, which shockingly did not come from either Esta or me.

My eyes darted to John.

"Gods," he stated, moving his glasses aside to wipe at an eye. "My apologies."

That was all it took to get my own emotions under control. "Keep it together, man. How else am I supposed to?"

"Right, right," he muttered. "Go ahead with your vows, Keiran."

"Here," Esta provided, quickly removing her engagement ring for me to put right back on her finger in a matter of moments.

It wasn't going to be word for word, but she was springing a damn wedding on me, so Esta was going to have to deal with it. "You have carved out my heart and reformed it. With your smile, your wit, your strength—in both forms. My heart is no longer fully my own, but yours to wield. Take it and whatever you need of me. There is no end of me and beginning of you, for you are always with me. We are two strong beats of the same heart." I slid the ring onto her finger taking my time, wanting to remember this very moment for the rest of my days. "The same rhythm."

A tear fell from Esta's eye, which I was quick to brush away with my thumb. "I fell in love with you long before I saw your human form. I experienced your grit. Your courage. And your intelligence in protecting your people. No matter your form, you have the most gorgeous of souls I have ever had the pleasure to know. I am honored to get to serve alongside you. I have found my soul mate, and I couldn't be more honored to call you mine. I will stand steady beside you, behind you, in front of you, wherever you should need me to stand." I had to stop to swallow hard. "May our love be the armor that protects us both. I love you, Estalena Rhea Mallick. As both my queen and my wife. I vow to keep loving you. I vow to love you and protect you, all the days of my life."

John finished up saying whatever words he had to in order to declare us married, but my eyes were too lost in Esta's, my concentration too intently focused on our bond for me to listen to it.

There was a time I had wondered if this would ever be possible. If the tensions between our countries were too great. If my last name was too great. But here I stood, bonded and married to Esta. We were of two entirely different countries, two entirely different Enchantments, two entirely different souls. Yet our hearts reached across that divide and began connecting all of it until we were not two any longer, but one.

As Esta moved to kiss me, John said with a chortle, "I do believe I will just let myself out, eh?"

"Eh," I responded before grabbing Esta. She was only a breath's distance away and that was entirely too far.

I love you, Esta sent me.

I love you, my wife .

As our lips sealed what words had promised, I couldn't ever remember a time I felt this level of rightness. I had once given up a crown because I felt unworthy. Because I knew my brother was the better man. Now I found another such crown thrust upon my head. Yet the weight of it felt entirely different this time. Felt entirely different next to her.

As whispered words and even breathing itself became difficult, I was a man consumed. I chose her with a ferocity that I knew would carry me until my last breaths. Life itself would never dare to tear her from me. If only because I willed it.

"Please," Esta begged.

There was not an inch of her, body or soul, that I did not know. She did not have to tell me what it was she needed; I just knew. "Always."