Page 59 of Courting the Dragon Prince

“Very good.” The grand monk nodded to him. “Do you understand, Luther Drachen? And do you consent to enter into this irreversible contract written out onto this scroll?”

Luther’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yes.” He let out a breath. “I consent.”

Those hadn’t been the words the grand monk had told them to say, but it seemed to be enough for the grand monk, who smiled and held out his hands wide. “We, the Monks of the Way of the Dove, bear witness today to your union and to this contract you enter into. Now sign your names on the scroll.”

Without giving himself time to think over the gravity of what he was about to do, Onyx picked up the quill, dipped it into the swirling ink, and signed his name.

He stared at his name for several seconds before he held the quill out towards Luther. Luther grasped it, and Onyx took a step back. Luther dipped the quill into the ink and pressed it against the parchment. It blotted as he held it in place. After several seconds, he signed.

The monks’ chanting rose in volume. Both their names began to glow on the parchment.

“I ask you to face each other and place your palms together,” the grand monk said.

Onyx faced Luther. For the first time that day, Luther met his gaze. Onyx lifted his hand, and Luther placed his against Onyx’s. Around them, the chanting echoed, bouncing and reverberating off the smooth walls.

Suddenly, he felt as though his hand were being pressed from behind into Luther’s. Onyx frowned. So did Luther.

The chanting continued, growing louder and louder in time with the strange pressure. He wanted to tear his hand away from Luther’s. But the pressure just kept on, locking their palms together, not allowing them to part.

Suddenly, everything stopped. Onyx and Luther dropped their hands, the pressure gone. The monks stood silent, their chanting finished. Onyx’s and Luther’s names on the parchment no longer glowed. Now they just appeared as if signed in plain black ink.

“The union is completed,” the grand monk said. “You are bound together for this life, Onyx Obsidian and Luther Drachen.”

Onyx closed his eyes. Defeated acceptance washed over him.

ChapterTwenty-Six

I’m married.I’m married to a man who looks down on me. To a man who despises me. To a man who is disgusted by me and disgusted by his desire for me.

Onyx hates me. My husband hates me.

Luther angled his body away from Onyx. They sat at a special table set up for the two of them at the front of the banquet hall for their wedding feast. Now everyone could stare at the happy couple.

Flowers of green and orange, garlands, and bowls of grapes and berries decorated the small table. At marriages in Draconia, the married pair were meant to feed each other choice morsels from their own plates as they stared adoringly into each other’s eyes.

Onyx and Luther weren’t doing that.

Luther stared at all the people eating and drinking in the banquet hall, wishing he could be amongst them and not here beside Onyx.

He ate, not tasting the food. He drank his wine in gulps.

He didn’t know why it hit him so hard. He’d had plenty of time to get used to the fact he was marrying Onyx. It shouldn’t feel like such a shock, like such a slap to the balls.

Luther drank down the rest of his wine. He motioned for a servant to refill it.

“Don’t you think you should slow down?” Onyx muttered.

“No. I don’t think I shall, dear husband,” Luther said as the servant filled his goblet. “And the wine is so good tonight.” And he’d only drunk one cup so far.

But instead of drinking, he set his metal goblet on the table. For some reason, he didn’t want to deal with Onyx’s disapproval, which was strange. Normally, he liked to rile Onyx up. Tonight, he just lacked the energy. He slid his finger along the goblet’s stem, shoulders sagging.

Perhaps he’d just not realised how much it would hurt to be married to someone who thought him to be worthless.

Luther stared into his goblet of wine. For many, marriage was about love. And although Luther had never expected that for himself, he’d never considered he might marry someone who loathed him.

Now he wouldn’t be able to escape Onyx. Ever. They’d been bound together for life. They couldn’t even be apart for long periods of time.

And every time Luther looked into Onyx’s eyes, he’d see how Onyx saw him. His fingers tightened on the goblet’s stem. He’d see Onyx’s hatred, his disgust. He’d see that Onyx saw him as nothing more than a failure.