Page 123 of Broken Souls

“To live together in matrimony, to respect him, serve him, honor and obey him, in both sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, in anger and in happiness, to have and to hold, from this day forward, til death do you part?”

My eyes narrow.

Maddox half-coughs, half-laughs into a closed fist as I grit out, “I do.”

Though ‘until death do us part’ might be coming really fucking soon.

Rudy steps forward, his lips curled in as he tries to keep his face straight. My narrowed eyes turn to him, a trickle of paranoia hitting me as Varius stiffens.What the fuck is about to happen now?

But then I notice it. There isn’t a ring on the pillow he’s holding. It’s a fucking collar. Black and studded like for a dog.

“Where are the rings?” Varius growls low so only the three of us can hear. But Rudy just grins wide, knowing his brother won’t make a scene in front of this many witnesses. I narrow my eyes at the red-headed devil.

“I used to like you,” I mutter.

His teeth flash white as he pulls another collar out from inside his red jacket. This one is pale pink and has a bow on the front. For a moment, Varius and I just stare at it. Then understanding dawns. One of us is going to have to wear it. I snap my arm forward, grabbing it right before Varius does.

“Ha!” I grin wide. Rudy laughs silently as the celebrant clears his throat.

Varius slowly picks up the black collar, his lips tight. But it isn’t annoyance that’s coming down our bond despite what his face says. It’s joy at the sight of my happiness.

When he turns to me, my smile fades, washed under the hard beating of my heart. His intense gaze on mine, he undoes the buckle. A shiver runs down my spine. The man in front of us says something, but I don’t hear it. I don’t hear anything other than the blood rushing through my skull.

I stand dead still as Varius reaches forward and wraps the collar me. The leather is hard against my skin. It pulls flush as he buckles it. I swallow and feel the press of it.

A small breath leaves me.

Lifting my free hand, I touch the leather collar; the way he put it on didn’t feel like the joke it started out as. It feels more permanent, more meaningful than any ring.

“You’re mine, Micha.”

Property of Varius fucking Shadow.

In front of all these people, you are mine.

When the celebrant clears his throat, I’m jerked back to the fact that I’m surrounded by people who are waiting on me. I blink rapidly with a small shake of my head as I drop my gaze to the collar in my hands. My hands shake slightly as I undo it. I breathe out, then reach up to place it around Varius’ neck.

The air feels poised and pregnant as I struggle to do the clasp. Reaching up behind him, he closes his fingers around mine, steadying them. He stares into my eyes, and I am reminded of the night he took me to sing karaoke. The silent support he gave me when I almost got cold feet. I wet my lips, then try again when he drops his hand.

It takes a bit of feeling, but I finally manage to poke the prong through the right hole. I thread the end tip through the rest of the buckle until it lies flat.

His gaze doesn’t leave mine.

The world starts to fade again...

“...I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Forty-Two

HER

Varius hauls me to him, and his lips descend on mine. Hot and wild, it’s not the kiss of a man who doesn’t give a shit about his bride. It’s a kiss of passion and desperation, a primal need to have me as his. To mark his claim for all to see.

By the time he pulls away, my knees are weak, my lips are far too sensitive, and my heart is raw and loud inside my head. A pen is shoved into my hand. I blindly sign the registrar, and then he’s pulling me down the aisle as the crowd cheers on either side of us.

He walks quickly, and I stumble to keep up with him, my awkwardness hidden under the white puffy skirt of my dress.

I glance over at him. At the sight of his erection, my pulse kicks up a notch. As soon as we reach the house, he pulls me inside rather than continuing to the reception area that’s been set up in the backyard. He shuts the door behind us, pivots, and pins me against it.