Page 32 of Demon Daddy’s Nanny (Demon Daddies #3)

The morning light filters through the temple windows, casting golden rays across the polished stone floor. My heart pounds against my ribs as I stand before the altar, watching Eva walk toward me in a flowing white dress that catches the light like fresh snow. The silk rustles with each step, and her smile - gods, that smile could bring armies to their knees.

"You look terrified." Eva's whisper breaks through my thoughts as she takes her place beside me.

I force my shoulders to relax. "Not terrified. Just..." The words catch in my throat. How do I tell her that after all these years of holding myself apart, the thought of being completely open to another person shakes me to my core?

Annalise sits in the front row, practically vibrating with excitement. She clutches a bouquet of silver moonflowers to her chest, her wings twitching with barely contained joy. Behind her, the handful of witnesses - my closest advisors and Eva's chosen family - fill only the first few rows of the vast temple.

The Nashai approaches, her ceremonial robes trailing behind her in shades of deep blue and gold. Her weathered face carries the wisdom of centuries as she raises her hands. "We gather today to witness the binding of two souls."

Eva's fingers find mine, warm and steady. The contact sends a jolt through my body, and my wings shift, adjusting to accommodate her presence at my side.

"Are you prepared to join your souls for eternity?" The Nashai's voice echoes through the chamber. "To share not just your lives, but your very essence?"

"Yes," Eva's voice rings clear and strong.

My throat tightens. The last time I stood here... No. This isn't the same. Eva squeezes my hand, and I squeeze back. "Yes."

The Nashai's hands begin to glow, tendrils of golden light weaving between her fingers. The magic pulses, alive and ancient, reaching toward us like curious fingers. As it touches my chest, warmth spreads through my body, and I feel Eva's presence - not just beside me, but inside me. Her emotions wash over me: love, certainty, a trace of nervousness that mirrors my own.

The magical tether between us solidifies, sinking beneath our skin. Over my heart, a mark burns into existence—a pattern unique to us, marking me as irrevocably hers as she is mine.

The Nashai's voice fades into the background as I stare into Eva's eyes. My vows spill out, raw and unfiltered, each word carrying the weight of years spent building walls around my heart.

"I spent so long convinced that duty was enough. That being a leader, a father, meant sacrificing everything else." My voice roughens. "But you showed me I was wrong. You walked into my life and refused to let me hide behind protocols and paperwork."

Eva's eyes glisten. Her hand trembles in mine, but her grip remains firm.

"You didn't just love me - you taught me how to love again. How to be present. How to..." I glance at Annalise, whose silver eyes mirror her mother's but shine with a hope I haven't seen in years. "How to be the father my daughter deserves."

Eva's vows wash over me like a healing balm. Each word sinks deep, filling cracks I didn't know existed. The tether between us pulses stronger with every promise, every declaration of love.

When our lips meet, the temple's magic surges. Golden light explodes behind my closed eyes as the soul bond snaps into place. Eva's joy, her love, her fierce determination - it all crashes through me. For the first time since Sera's death, the hollow ache in my chest disappears.

I pull back, pressing my forehead to Eva's. Her presence fills every corner of my mind, every empty space in my soul. This is what I denied myself with Sera. This completion, this absolute certainty that I am exactly where I belong.

Through our new bond, I feel Eva's answering surge of love. Her hands cup my face, thumbs brushing over my cheeks. In her touch, I find peace. In her eyes, I find home.

The temple doors burst open as we exit, and sunlight bathes us in warmth. Eva's hand stays locked in mine, our new soul bond humming with contentment. Through it, I feel her pure happiness mixing with my own - a foreign sensation after so many years of keeping my emotions locked away.

Annalise bounds down the temple steps ahead of us, her wings spread wide in excitement. She spins around, platinum hair catching the light. "Does this mean I can call you 'Mom' now?"

Eva laughs, the sound traveling through our bond like ripples in a pond. "Only if you want to."

"I want to." Annalise's silver eyes—so like her mother's—meet mine. There's hesitation there, a question she's afraid to ask.

I open my arm, and she crashes into my side. My wing curls around both her and Eva, creating a cocoon of golden feathers. "We're a family now. All of us."

"A real one?" Annalise's voice cracks. "With family dinners and everything?"

"With everything." Eva's fingers brush through Annalise's hair. "Your father already promised to leave his paperwork at the office more often."

I grunt. "I did no such thing."

But they both feel my amusement through the bond - Eva directly, and Annalise through the way my wing tightens around her.

"Race you to the garden!" Annalise breaks free, launching herself into the air. Her golden wings catch the wind, carrying her toward the palace gardens where the reception awaits.

Eva tugs my hand. "She's happy."

"She is." I watch my daughter soar, remembering all the times I pushed her away, buried myself in work instead of facing my grief. "Thank you for showing me what I was missing."

"Thank you for letting me." Eva's love pulses through our bond, and I pull her closer, pressing my lips to her forehead.

Together, we follow Annalise's path to the garden, where our new life as a family begins.