Page 180 of Kings & Queen

Pulling the ends, she untied it carefully. “It’s heavy, too.”

Her eyes met mine, then trailed over to Nik’s. I could see the question in her eyes. Ivan’s head was bowed, and she sensed his inner turmoil in that special way she had.

“My beloved,” she called.

He lifted his gaze and took a deep breath.

“I know you understand the importance of what the five of us do. My gift to you is twofold as well, similar to Nik’s. It’s a his-and-hers kind of thing. I’ve never met a stronger or braver woman than you. If it were up to me alone, I would have you sporting a tiny skull tattoo and by my side when I don black.” He paused and flicked his eyes to the four of us sitting across from them.

“Unfortunately, little love, I was outvoted. Go on, open it.”

With careful hands, she lifted the lid and gasped. Her hands traced the gleaming blade, the one he always wore. His prized possession. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she saw what he’d done to his blade.

“Ivan, you put my name on it? You put my name on your blade? I…uh…I don’t know—”

“Take it out and turn it over.” His voice was full of emotion.

With trembling fingers, she turned the blade over carefully and promptly burst into tears. “It’s me. You put me on your blade?”

She brought it to her chest and hugged it like she’d done with the damned Squishmallows.

“Easy, now,” Sebastian barked.

She pulled it back and traced the engraved image, then turned it around for all of us to see. She stood proudly and walked behind Ivan.

“May I, Sir?” she asked sweetly.

He was still on one knee and looked back as she unsnapped his empty sheath. She carefully worked the blade into its home on his belt. She traced his shoulders as she came around in front of him once more.

“From now on, you’ll be with me everywhere I go.” He dug into the bag once more and pulled out a smaller box. “And it only seems fitting I present a piece of me to you, so that you know you are never alone.”

He held the box out, and she undid the bow and lifted the lid.

“It’s beautiful.”

She pulled out a miniature replica of his blade. Even though I couldn’t see it from where I sat, I knew it held an engraved image of him. The flip side had his name engraved on it.

He grabbed her lower half fiercely, kissing her right thigh, while still kneeling. He reached into the bag a final time and pulled out a garter strap. Grinning, he proceeded to push her dress up and secure it to her thigh. He adjusted it and then placed the blade into the sheath.

“Little love, my greatest desire is to drown in you so that nobody can find me. Without you, I would not know what love is. You brought it into my life and made me the happiest man in the world. I’ll die without you.”

His gaze pierced hers, and his right hand reached behind him. He released the snap and pulled his blade. Something profound happened between them, another one of their silent exchanges. She pushed her dress back and pulled hers.

“Kinsley, you are flesh of my flesh.” He nodded, and each of them grabbed each other’s free hands. “And blood of my blood.” They each made a tiny cut on each other’s thumbs.

“I’ll lay down my life for you, bleed for you, until my dying day. You are mine, and I am yours.”

“And I bleed for you, my beloved, forevermore, for all of eternity.”

I fucking shivered at their profound words. Connection and intimacy swirled around all of us as their symbolic declarations spoke of their unbreakable bond.

Lightning fast, she moved. That pretty mouth of hers parted slowly, lips wrapping around his thumb like a promise. Her tongue flicked over the pad, and I felt the shift in the air. The tiniest moan erupted from her lips as her eyes fluttered closed while he mirrored her and sucked hers into his mouth.

With a soft kiss, he released her thumb. She wrapped her arms around him, and he stood, lifting her like she was a prize he’d won.

He looked over at me as if to say, “I did it.” I couldn’t have been prouder of him. But now it was my turn to feel nervous.

“I’m not a dancer, but I’ll twirl you around a few times and then let Alek give you his gift. Something tells me you’re going to need tissues for his. Lots of them,” Ivan said with the goofiest grin on his face.