Page 32 of Forty Deaths Till Us Part

He touched my cheek. “I do not need more power, Raven. Only you.”

My hand slipped to the box. “What is this?”

He smiled. “In many ways, a binding ceremony is like a marriage. It is customary for a husband to gift his intended with a dress.”

“Human women pick their own dresses.”

“I am aware. Many clan members choose to have a human wedding as well, and if you wish to have a more formal ceremony later we will.”

“Will Jana be here?”

“No. This is a vampire ritual and is sacred to our clan. Only Cassara and Constantine will be present, but I will throw you the wedding of a century for your daughter’s benefit.”

“Okay. She will love that. So will Isra.”

“Thank you, Raven. You have no idea how much your trust means to me.”

“Can I see the dress?”

He passed me the simple white box. “I chose this for you myself. But honestly, I do not care what you wear as long as you are mine.”

I understood he was telling me that, unlike our huge walk-in closet at the mansion, our personal concierge had not picked this dress. “I’m not sure that closet genie actually exists. I have never seen him.”

“He is older and lives on the outskirts of the property and only works for me. You will someday.”

I pulled off the top of the box and sucked in a breath. The satin dress was simple, with crystals lining the scooped neckline. My fingers slipped over the shiny material before I picked it up by the straps. “It’s stunning.” The full-length slim-fitting dress was more than that.

“And yet, it pales in comparison to you.” He leaned toward me. “I look forward to taking it off you, though.”

My eyes roamed over the sparkling creation. “Pervy and powerful. I’m a lucky girl.”

Rene chuckled. “I believe I am the lucky one. Would you like me to help you with the zipper?”

I lowered the magnificent dress back into the box. “Isn’t Cass going to help me get ready?”

“The ceremony is in a half hour, Raven. I kept you in stasis until now. The poison will sap your strength quickly, so we must get you ready and meet the others by the river.”

“River? Where are we?”

“A private location. This is a personal... retreat. I built this house hoping I would find a woman to share my life with. That was a few hundred years ago.”

“Nobody else has stayed here?”

“No. Not even Cassara. In truth, I have never spent more than a few hours here myself.”

I stood up and pulled on the beautiful dress. Rene zipped me up, and I tied my hair into a messy bun with a few tendrils falling to my shoulder. When I glanced in the full-length mirror in the corner, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Even with no makeup and a twenty-second hairdo, I looked stunning. My skin was paler than when I was human and flawless in every way.

Rene slipped his arms around my waist. “You are a vision. Are you ready?”

“Is it a long walk?”

“Place your arms around my neck.”

I did as he asked and as a gust of wind blasted against my face, I was transported to an open clearing beside a tinkling stream. Cassara was standing beside Constantine and while both wore leather outfits, they also had long dressy jackets and silver chains with a medallion around their necks. “Wow.”

Cass smiled. “I was about to say the same about you.”

The similarity in Constantine and Cassara’s outfits was noticeable. “Constantine looks like a death dealer.”