Page 100 of Intense (Beneath The Blaze #3)

FINN

Song, Take Me Back To Eden, Sleep Token.

M y breath catches in my throat the moment those double doors open. My entire fucking world steps through, Nyx coiled up her arm, a bouquet of red roses clutched in her hand.

Her dress is everything I imagined. Sexy and elegant, with just enough sin at the neckline to show the edge of her tattoo.

With every step she takes, my chest tightens. The sting of tears presses against my eyes.

I remember our first wedding. I was tipsy, but I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew I wanted her.

But this… this is different.

Because Stephanie is walking toward me with purpose. To become mine. And I’ll become hers. For eternity.

This time in front of our family and friends. This isn’t just about us anymore—it’s about Stephanie finally finding the family she’s fought so long without. She won’t fight alone again. She has all of us now.

Even Frankie and Zara, wide-eyed, are watching her come down the aisle.

The mafia life might break you down. Sometimes destroy you. But it’s ours. It’s what we live for.

Behind the gates of Decadence, we’ve built something powerful. Something worth bleeding for.

Our dad’s death wasn’t in vain. It led us here. To this. To her.

To my wife.

When Stephanie stops in front of me, the tears break free, slipping hot down my cheeks. I reach up, brushing away her own.

“Hi, beautiful,” I whisper.

“Finn. You look so handsome my panties are wet.”

The priest clears his throat, but I can’t help the smile tugging at my mouth.

I lean in, lips brushing her cheek. “I’m disappointed you’re wearing any, love.”

Her blush blooms against me.

“Not for long, I hope.”

Hallie slips Stephanie’s bouquet from her hands so I can lace my fingers with hers. The priest starts his speech, but all I see is her. The way she lights up the room, the way she’s always lit up my fucking life.

I pull my vows from my pocket, and Conan steps up, handing me the notepad.

“I’d like you to read out loud the very first page. My first ever observation about you.”

Her brows rise. “Is this the book? I get to keep it?”

I chuckle. “It’s one of the books, yes. I have four.”

Her jaw drops.

“I’m really that interesting?” she teases.

“To me? The most fascinating person on the planet, love.”

She flips open the little black book, and her breath stutters into a sob. My collar feels too fucking tight as I tug at it.

“Stephanie Miller. This is our second interaction. She scowls at me, a lot. I think she might find me attractive. I’m not sure. I will observe her behavior further. Note. Her smile is infectious, and so is her scowl. She’s the brightest person in the room, including myself.”

The crowd breaks into soft coos. Stephanie’s sobs rack her chest, but she steadies herself and reads on.

“I’m fascinated. I need to be in a room with her on my own to assess further.”

She flips through more pages until she finds a folded piece of paper. Her face pales as she unfolds it.

“What is this?”

Her voice trembles.

“Finn. Tell me what this is.”

Fuck.

“No. No, it’s all good, love. It’s healthy. Just the scan results. When I was falling in love with you, I had brain scans done. I needed to be sure I wasn’t sick. It all felt so alien.”

Her lip trembles. “You thought loving me was making you sick?”

I shake my head, firm.

“Loving you is the only thing that makes everything in here okay.” I tap my temple. “That day was confirmation of what I already knew. That I love you.”

She folds it carefully, tucking it back into the book before pressing it into my palm.

“So you were obsessed with me from day one.”

A grin pulls at my mouth.

“It would appear that way, temptress.” I wink.

The priest clears his throat, carrying on, but pauses when we give him our request. He wasn’t thrilled, but a few thousand dollars softened the blow.

Declan hands me two gold scalpels. I give one to my wife.

“Dec. I need you to take Nyx,” I murmur.

He freezes. “You never fucking mentioned that. You know how I feel about it.”

“It?” I growl.

He sighs.

“Put your arm next to Stephanie’s, and I’ll move her over, okay? Just… breathe normally and relax,” I tell him calmly.

Christ, they’re all such pussies when it comes to Nyx.

I move her carefully, and Declan looks like he’s about to piss himself before dropping into the front row with Charlotte. I spot Reggie, who is looking more stressed than usual.

Perhaps it’s pre-wedding jitters for his own big day coming up. If Theo can find his runaway sister, that is. I was right. She’s going to be a complete handful. And I cannot wait to watch this unfold.

Stephanie and I press our palms together, blades poised.

“We bleed for each other.”

We cut a shallow line across our skin. I take her hand and lick the blood from her palm. She does the same to mine.

As the priest announces us husband and wife, I crash my lips to hers. One hand locked around her throat.

I kiss her with everything I am. Everything I’ll ever be. Everything she’s healed inside me.

A love like this burns eternal.

And I vow to spend every day of my life making sure my wife knows she saved me. That she brought me back to life. And that I would die for her.

She is my purpose. My fucking world.

Our love is intense. Some might say it’s crazy. But, it’s perfect, and it’s ours.

Forever.

THE END.