Page 49 of Stained In Sin (The Twisted Trilogy #1)

D she would never believe how easily he accepted my marriage. He hugs me before allowing Dante to take my hand in his.

I stand face to face with Dante, taking in every moment so I can store it for as long as humanly possible.

His face is freshly shaven. His tattoos peak out of the top of his suit. His smile is a crisp white, and his eyes are the same possessive eyes I have grown to love. He looks so handsome… so… mine.

I feel my cheeks heat as he bites his bottom lip. I look down nervously, not wanting my dad to see it. Dante lifts my chin, forcing me to stare into his eyes as our ceremony begins.

The ceremony passes by so quickly that I don’t even realize it’s my turn to speak. Astra nudges me, handing me my crumbled piece of paper.

I clear my throat and begin my vows:

I always thought I wanted a Prince Charming.

—But then I met you.

You didn’t try to change me. You offered me peace and acceptance, for whoever I wanted to become.

I fought my feelings for you, but you won every time.

Even in chaos, you were the one thing I could never let go.

You are my obsession, my undoing, and my… home.

You have stained me with sin, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

So I won’t promise to love you like a fairy tale.

I promise to love you like a storm.

Loud. Unforgiving. And Eternal.

I am yours in life and in death.

I’ll always be yours.

I take a shaky breath as I meet his eyes, as I slide his ring onto his finger. He looks like he is about to devour me right now. My eyes are watery from my vows. I rewrote them countless times before I found something that felt real and true .

Dante looks me in the eyes and begins his vows:

I didn’t write anything down.

I didn’t see the point.

You already know what I am.

And I think you always knew I would never love you like anyone else would.

Because this isn’t gentle. This isn’t safe.

It’s violent. Addictive. Fucking irreversible.

But I will destroy this world for you, Evelyn.

I will kill for you. I will bleed for you. I will die for you.

I am always yours.

So no, I don’t vow to protect you. I vow to destroy anything that tries to harm you.

You are my religion.

And I will worship you until the day that I fucking die.

Tears sting my eyes at his raw confession of love. I know he means every word. He slides the band onto my finger to complete the ceremony.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

He leans into me cupping my face with his hand as he whispers against my lips, “It’s about fucking time.”

He crashes his mouth to mine as if no one exists around us. We are suspended in this moment, floating through space, never wanting to feel the weight of the earth again.

Our kiss breaks, and the guests stand to cheer.

“I now introduce to you for the first time, Mr. & Mrs. Voss!”

We walk down the aisle and head straight for the cabin. I know my man will want to see what I am wearing beneath this dress sooner or later. I’d rather not risk him ruining my wedding dress. After all, I hope one day to have a daughter that I can show it to.

* * *

Evelyn

I slip into my evening gown as I make my way to the reception. Dante looks so handsome, he has that post orgasm afterglow, as I like to call it.

We enter the tent, and everyone stands around talking. I know a few people have already left due to travel. My father is one of them. I know he hates to be here without Mom. It was hard for all of us.

I stride over to Lucien.

“Hey, is Astra around?”

“She practically darted immediately after the ceremony.”

My shoulders slump. If there is one thing I wanted, it was to hang out with my bestie like old times.

I stroll over to Dante as he mingles with a few friends. He passes me a glass of champagne with a wink. I give him a fake curtsy and take my glass, sauntering off to the girls who linger.

My phone buzzes in my clutch. Astra.

I know I don’t deserve your help… but if you’re reading this, I’m already gone.

Don’t look for me.

Please don’t.

I’m so proud of you, Ev.

XOXO

Astr a

I call her immediately.

Nothing.

I rush up to Lucien, and panic settles in my chest.

“Hey, read this.”

His face pales.

“I’ll take care of it. Go enjoy your husband.”

I nod and run off to find my husband. My forever .

* * *

Dante

We are enjoying our honeymoon in Jamaica. There is nothing I love more than seeing my girl half-naked lying on the beach. The scar on her skin reminds me of all that we’ve been through. She’s a goddess, and she’s my fucking wife.

I take a seat on the bench, watching her from afar. She always knows how to make my cock stir to life. I don’t even try to stop it anymore. She gets this lustful look in her eyes when she sees what she has done to me, then she begs me for it. She will always be my slut.

I pull out my phone, checking in on business since I’ve been MIA for two weeks. I have a few messages from Lucien.

Business is going good, thanks for asking.

I smirk to myself. Asshole. Then I read the next one.

Just making sure your little princess didn’t fucking kill you. Text me back.

Aw, he’s worried about me. How cute. The following text wipes the smile off my face .

Astra is still missing. I’ve been trying to find her since she left the wedding. She just vanished.

I send him a message telling him that I will help him locate her as soon as we are back in the States. He doesn’t respond. I know he won’t. He’s fucking obsessed with Astra. No matter how hard he tries to deny it, he will never let her go. And that might just kill him.