Page 119 of Her Darkest Possession

"You know," Anatoly says, his voice low and intimate, "the best surprises always come in threes."

I blink at him, still dazed from the kiss and the letter. "What? You have something else planned?"

Anatoly's lips curve into that dangerous smirk I've come to love. Instead of answering, he looks over my shoulder. "Sveta?"

Svetlana steps forward with that signature eye-roll of hers that I've come to know so well.

"You just can't help but be a little extra today, could you, Tolya?"

But there's no mistaking the affection in her voice as she drops something small into Anatoly's waiting palm.

Time seems to slow as Anatoly lowers himself to one knee. His eyes never leave mine as he looks up at me. Amara gasps beside me, her own excitement temporarily forgotten.

"Indigo," he begins, his voice steady despite the vulnerability in his eyes. "When we first married, there wasn't a real proposal, and you didn't really have a choice."

He opens his hand to reveal a stunning ring with a deep blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds that catch the light from every angle.

"Which is why I want to do this properly," he continues. "The way you deserve."

He takes a breath, and I realize I'm holding mine.

"You've become everything to me. My wife, the mother of my child, my queen..." His voice grows softer, more intimate. "My britvochka and my printsessa all at once. So I'm asking you now, with a real choice."

I feel tears welling up in my eyes, and I know my answer even before he asks.

"Indigo Taylor, will you marry me?"

"Yes," I whisper, then louder with conviction, "Yes, I will marry you. Again and forever."

33

INDIGO

Sunlight warmsmy face as I sit in the barbershop while Svetlana and Amara fuss with my makeup and hair.

Marcus sits in the chair by the window that he finally accepted the money from Anatoly to fix. The sign on the door says closed, but that hasn't stopped the entire neighborhood from gathering outside.

My dress hangs on the entrance. Outside the window, I spot the tiny altar that Roma has set up earlier today. It's nothing like the impromptu wedding by the sea the first time I wed Anatoly. And if you were to ask any random person on the street about it, they would say that it looks almost far too ordinary for us.

But that's exactly what I want today.

Today, we choose each other again.

"You ready to walk me down that aisle?" I ask Marcus without opening my eyes.

Marcus responds with a soft chuckle from his spot by the window. But instead of a quick retort, he's been unusually quiet most of the morning.

"You getting all weepy on me, Marcus?" I ask him loudly.

"Hell no." He clears his throat roughly, but his voice is thick with emotions. "Just dozed off for a second. That's all."

I can't stop myself from giggling at his attempt at hiding his feelings.

"Hold still," Svetlana says, concentrating on my eyeliner. "Everything has to be perfect today."

"She's already perfect, Sveta," Amara teases from her chair, where she's been watching with obvious amusement.

"I'm just trying to not give Tolya any excuses to make fun of me later. You only get one shot at getting married to the man of your dreams." She pauses for a moment to put on the finishing touches. "Well, maybe sometimes you get two. There. Take a look, Indigo Malcolmovna."