Page 267 of Shadowblood Souls: The Complete Series

Dominic lifts my hand to kiss my knuckles, his eyes shining with affection.

“Even I couldn’t heal our group the way you did, Riva.

We belong together. We belong with you. And we shouldn’t have taken it for granted that we could just leave our relationship as it is.

I want you to know, every second of every day, how much you mean to us. ”

I started to choke up with Griffin’s short speech. By the final one, tears are pricking at the backs of my eyes.

I don’t know what to say, and maybe that’s okay, because they’re not finished yet.

In almost perfect synchronization, the five guys step into a semi-circle in front of me and sink down on bended knee.

Griffin reaches into his pocket, but they all lend a hand to hold the jewelry box he produces to me.

It’s open, a platinum ring embedded with five sparkling diamonds cushioned inside.

“Riva,” Griffin says, “will you marry us?”

A sound that’s part laugh, part sob hitches up my throat, but every part of it is giddy happiness. The swell of emotion overwhelms me. I throw myself at my men, heedless of the ring, and they close around me in a joint embrace.

“Of course,” I say when I can find my voice again. “Of course I’d want to be married to you. It’s just—it won’t really change anything about the way we’ve been living, will it? We might as well already be married.”

Andreas presses a kiss to my jaw. “We might as well be, but we aren’t yet. A horrible oversight. We all want to feel the connection we share in every way possible. You deserve that. It matters.”

If you asked me a few hours ago whether I thought a piece of metal would make any difference, I’d probably have snorted.

But Griffin slides the ring onto my finger, where it hugs the skin firmly, and the knot of uneasiness that’s been dogging me all this time cracks apart. A swell of relief fills my chest.

I beam at all of my guys. “This isn’t an actual ceremony, though. We need more than just a ring. You all need rings too! And?—”

Jacob gives my braid a teasing tug. “We’re on top of it. We had to make sure you’d say yes first.”

Dominic takes my hand again. “We’ll make the wedding every bit as amazing as you deserve too. Ready to go dress shopping?”

When we get out of the limo in front of the Recovery Gardens, my first glimpse of the sunlight reflecting off the glass walls tells me I made the right decision.

Andreas offered all kinds of fancy hotel reception rooms where we could have made a spectacle like a soap-opera wedding, but none of them felt quite right.

In a way, this marriage is about recovery—recovering who we are and how we’re going to live from the shambles our former keepers left us in. Reclaiming every part of ourselves—and each other.

That doesn’t mean I skimped on the dress, though.

After the bridal boutiques the guys escorted me to left my skin squirming, I spotted this black ballgown in a display window and dragged them over.

The asymmetrical tiers of ruffled silk spill around my legs with all the drama I could desire but without making me feel like I’m drowning.

The fitted bodice emphasizes what curves I have.

And the V-neck with its delicate embroidery shows off and brings out the five dark gray marks along my collarbone, the most concrete symbol I have of the bond I share with my men.

I’m not some innocent girl giving over my purity. Black suits me much better than white, if we’re being honest.

Besides, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the darkness in my soul anymore. If I need to be a monster again, it’ll only be to protect the people I love.

The guys took their cues from my fashion choices. They accompany me into the greenhouse all equally stunning in their black suits with deep gray dress shirts underneath—unbuttoned just far enough so their own marks show at the top of their sternums.

Anyone watching can see how we all fit together—how closely we’re linked, down to the impressions on our bodies.

There are a lot of people to see. As we walk down the paths between the foliage now hung with fairy lights and glittering streamers, I lose my breath at the sight of how many of our friends and associates have turned up to watch our vows, spread out along the sides of the paths for our entrance.

Nadia waves to me where she’s got her arm hooked with her boyfriend’s. Ajax and Devon shoot us synchronized thumbs-ups, with a comment from Ajax slipping into my head. Now that’s an entrance!

As a smile tugs at my lips, my gaze slides over the other shadowbloods we’ve rescued and rehabilitated, over various shadowkind students we’ve helped mentor at the academy over the years.

Most of the academy staff has shown up too, including Pearl, who gives a little whoop when she sees us and squeezes Toni’s hand as if she’s even more thrilled about this development than I am.

Sorsha and her four partners made it, with their adoptive son and daughter standing with them. I’m not used to seeing Jonah, who’s become the academy’s youngest administrator, in their midst rather than with the academy crowd. He grins broadly with an encouraging tip of his head.

Rollick watches over the proceedings with his usual unflappable air, but he does flash a smile at me when I catch his eye. I wonder if he has any idea how his brief comment ended up leading to this moment.

It’s one of Sorsha’s men, Ruse, who moves to the temporary podium to conduct the official ceremony.

When we were making our plans, it came up that the incubus got himself ordained—in more than one tradition, even—over the years.

Apparently, he likes to celebrate more types of love than just the bodily, which isn’t really a surprise after seeing how doting he is with Sorsha.

Coming to a stop in front of him, I breathe in the soothingly sweet air, but the only nerves left in me are giddy excitement. I barely hear Ruse’s remarks about commitments and official partnering.

He beams at the six of us. “Before I confirm this marriage, I believe you all have vows you’d like to say to each other?”

On either side of me, my men turn to face me. Love shimmers in all of their gazes, bringing the fondest of aches into my heart.

Unsurprisingly, they picked Andreas to go first. He holds my gaze, a warm smile curving his lips.

“It’s no secret that the six of us have been through a lot together.

From the early days in the facility to all the battles afterward, we’ve had each other’s backs.

And Riva looked out for us even when we were temporarily being idiots and assholes.

That love and devotion is something I’ll never stop treasuring with every bit of my being. ”

Jacob clears his throat. “Our Wildcat got us through the worst fights alive and smacked some sense into us. She keeps us grounded when we start to spiral. But at the same time, she lifts us so much higher—lets us see how much we can be and how far we can go. She’s made for us, and we’re made to be here by her side giving her back everything we can. ”

“She’s always seen the best in us,” Dominic says, with an audible swallow, “and sees it so well she helps us become just that. I’ve never felt more like myself than when I’m with her or more happy with who I am. I’ll keep spending every day doing the same for her as well as I can.”

Zian tugs at his suit collar, a flush coloring his neck. “I’d fight a hundred guardians if it meant getting an extra day with her. But we’re going to have decades, centuries—I know it. And the only reason I’m looking forward to all those days is because Riva will be in them with me.”

Griffin’s gentle tone washes over me, as soft as the silk of my dress.

“I was lost for a long time. Riva was my path back to myself, guiding me like the moonbeam I’ve always said she is.

She shines so bright for all of us. There’s nothing I’d like more than to keep fueling that light in her for the rest of my existence. ”

He slides the ring they already gave me back onto the finger it’s meant for. I didn’t want to wear a ton of jewelry, and the one they picked out for the proposal is already perfect.

Tears have welled up in my eyes. I have to blink hard against them and master the emotions clogging my throat before I can speak.

“All the pain and the struggles we’ve been through have been worth it because I got to go through it and come out of it with the five of you.

Drey, you find the magic in our story and make every new memory something to be cherished.

Jake, I know there’s nothing you wouldn’t give to keep us all safe and sure of our strength.

Dom, you heal our hearts as well as our bodies when we need it.

Zee, you keep me always wanting to grow alongside you so we can be and do even more. And Griffin…”

I meet the eyes of the guy I almost lost, and a few tears do spill out, streaking down my cheeks. “We were lost too, without you. You bring us together just as much as these marks do, making sure we never lose sight of all the love we share.”

Billy darts forward with the box that holds the five rings I had made—platinum to match mine, with a crescent moon etched on them like our matching tattoos. As I ease them onto each of my guys’ fingers, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them beam brighter.

With the last ring in place, applause breaks out through our audience.

Ruse bobs his head. “Very touching, very touching. I almost don’t need to do my job at all. But I will. Do you all do?”

I suppress a laugh. “I do.”

“I do,” the guys all echo with grins of their own.

The incubus holds out his hands. “I pronounce you all husbands and wife!”

Pearl’s voice peals out from the sidelines. “Now kiss!”

My laugh spills from my lips. My guys close in around me, and we give her exactly what she asked for.