Page 5 of Star Crossed Delta
She was married to a taciturn, cold Akkadian religious nut who treated her like shit, but that was another story.
‘Should I need a chaperone, I’ll ask Aveline,’ Saba murmured to Sylvana.
Her aunt cursed and flounced off in a fury.
Despite the celebration, there was tension in his posture, a vigilance honed over years of careful alertness.
Though he cast his face away from her, Saba sensed the inner turmoil beneath his stoic mask.
A sense of sympathy stirred in her. He seemed to endure the pageantry, his true self hidden and concealed by layers of formality and obligation.
Her heart surged. Instinctively, she reached for his hand, squeezing it in an attempt to offer comfort.
His muscles tensed under her touch, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he turned to her, his eyes meeting hers with such emotion that it took her breath away.
For a moment, vulnerability flickered in his stare, mirroring the turmoil inside her. Then, the look shifted to rage, reminding her of the distance between them, of which her sins were the origin.
His gaze broke away, but his grip remained steady. His firm hand around Saba’s offered an unexpected reassurance amid the suffocating expectations.
Mak had the power to cause a scene, to reject her outright, or even harm her.
The stories of his ruthlessness and how he eviscerated the sachem burned in her mind.
She imagined him turning on her in an instant, ending it all with a bullet in the heart or his fangs to her neck.
Yet, he did nothing of the sort, and for that she was grateful.
For now. He still had the option to pull the proverbial trigger when the celebrations were over.
‘Ready?’
Saba glanced up at his hoarse rasp, meeting his amethyst and golden gaze. She nodded, taking his arm and falling into step with him.
Their wedding party rose, clapping and cheering as they walked down the reception aisle.
As they approached the sumptuous bridal table, Mak pulled out her chair.
She sat, as the crowd stared, and the inevitability of it all sank in.
She was trapped.
With the impending reckoning yet to come, even the finest dishes were ash, and the best wine like brine.
Each bite was a battle, every sip a struggle.
Saba picked at her plate, her unease growing, but she forced strained smiles at the guests seated for the lavish banquet.
Mak, by her side on the dais, wore a dark, brooding expression for all to see.
His silence was heavy, his cold stare a warning to anyone who dared approach.
Despite the opulence around them, Saba felt nauseous, dreading the inevitable confrontation with Mak that would determine her fate.
No one came near them, perhaps fearing the storm brewing in her husband’s eyes.
He didn’t speak to her but leaned away to confer with Santi, one of his tall, handsome Signet hermanos .
Alone, her gaze took note of how the Lisades and Sauvage families eyed each other with wariness, every so often staring at the couple on the dais.
What was meant to unite the houses only served to highlight the divide.
Her uncle’s ire was evident.
She could tell he was enraged and worried that all his hard work was in jeopardy. He glowered at her from their family table.
Overwhelmed, Saba almost snarled at him and her aunt, the architects of her demise.
The only light in this fokkin ’ tunnel, the only hope she clung to, was that a bond forged in the fires of fate might end in some form of beauty from ashes.
Hell, she was dreaming.
In truth, her destiny was sealed, her chance at happiness fleeting.
A burst of activity from one corner of the room drew her attention.
Her eyes followed a pair of her groom’s bodyguards as they approached a group of young women and admonished them for breaking Mak’s no-holo-recording rule.
It was a tacit reminder that her groom was a private and reclusive man.
He’d always sent emissaries to do his bidding in Shiloh’s bride price negotiations.
Rumors and whispers abounded about his secluded nature and obsession with privacy and secrecy, as well as his coldness and ruthlessness.
Now, they were bound together in matrimony, for better or worse.
Relief hit hard when Saba’s eyes met Aveline’s across the crowded space.
With a subtle wave, she beckoned her friend over.
Aveline was at her side in moments, her smile forced but her eyes sincere, as she squeezed past the throng to join her.
Saba leaned close to her, murmuring, ‘Save me, woman. I need a break.’
She turned to Mak. ‘I’m going to the bathroom with my maid of honor.’
A skeptical raise of his brow was followed by a glower of disdain, then a terse nod.
‘Go.’
In truth, she craved a reprieve, a chance to confide in her closest confidant, other than Shiloh.
‘Act like my bridesmaid, please,’ she muttered to Aveline.
Her best friend gave her a quizzical look and a wry smile, but didn’t hesitate.
She helped Saba adjust her trailing dress and veil as they slipped away.
At the ?ar’s chin lift, one of Mak’s Sauvage sentinels detached himself to watch over them.
Their departure was a silent spectacle witnessed by the entire wedding party.
Once inside the secluded bathroom, the guard cleared the room of curious-eyed, whispering women, closed the door, and waited outside.
The two friends sank into a pair of chairs before a vast, mirror-lined wall.
Saba broke the silence with a shaky laugh that dissolved into bitter disbelief as she tried to hoist the mantilla off her scalp.
‘Hell, this veil is killing me,’ she whispered. ‘It’s pinned with a siyaasa , and its freakin’ spokes are causing little circles of pain where they bite into my skin.’
The flowing headpiece and the lace fabric featured the most precious and purest of diamonds, resembling dewdrops on gossamer.
It floated over her gold and ebony gown, a creation of sheer beauty with gauzy accents.
Aveline saw none of it, her eyes dilated in shock.
‘What in the actual fokk , Saba?’ she breathed. ‘I thought Shiloh was the bride.’
‘She was until last night,’ Saba burst out, finally letting go of the tidal wave of frustration and despair.
‘Two days ago, I was archiving manuscripts at the Nautilus’ library and researching energy systems while envisioning a weekend celebrating my sister.
This morning, unable to stop this freakin’ out-of-control maglev train from halting, for it had long left the station, I stepped in for her, wearing her veil and dress. ’
‘Why?’
‘Tis the question I keep asking ever since I slipped on this get-up.’
Her panic ratcheted as reality hit.
Aveline laughed. ‘It is stunning, though, woman,’ running her hands over its diaphanous beads, which shone with an exquisite aura. ‘When you came down the aisle, floating in a constellation of stars in the velvet cloud of your veil, I believed you were Shiloh.’
‘I had to convince you all that I was, even as I gave myself over as a living sacrifice to my husband-to-be,’ Saba muttered. ‘ Fokkin ’ hell, Aveline, I’m now Mak Sauvage’s ?arim. ’
The shock hit hard then, and Saba bent over her knees, hyperventilating.
Aveline’s hands stroked her hair and spine as she heaved, although nothing came up from her empty stomach.
‘Sweet mother of essence,’ Saba whispered after a few moments as she righted herself. ‘I’m standing in her shoes,’ she muttered, ‘and they hurt because she’s always been smaller than me.’
Aveline reached out, her hand gripping hers. ‘Where the hell is she? What happened?’ she murmured.
‘I can’t say much now,’ Saba confessed. ‘Regardless, I’m in serious shit with the ?ar . He had no clue. He’s livid. If I’m found dead tomorrow, know he eviscerated me overnight for my deception.’
Aveline clapped a hand to her mouth. ‘You think he might kill you for this. I can see it in your eyes. Hell, woman, do we need an escape plan?’
Saba let out a sigh, hand over her fast-beating heart and vacillating soul.
‘He’ll find me. He’s a freakin’ Sauvage lycan venator and a Signet strong guard, the most lethal combination.
If you never hear from me again after tonight, please know that I did it for Shiloh.
For her reputation, to maintain her dignity, and to keep our family alive.
If I refused, he and his Signet wolves might have killed the Lisade clan and started a war between the families. ’
Aveline blinked, eyes dilating. ‘ Fokk me.’
‘Indeed. I’m fokked every which way you look at it, forced into a union I never chose.’
Aveline’s eyes glistened as she said, ‘I don’t even know what to say, honey. Only, it makes me wonder what you are sacrificing?’
Saba let out a hollow laugh, shaking her head.
‘It’s ironic. I rebelled against our oppressive traditions, only to be bound to a man I’ve never met.
I’ve been robbed of my autonomy, of my opportunity at true love, because I’ve pledged my life to someone without ever speaking to him.
The only hope I cling to is that maybe, just maybe, fate might help us get along and find a shred of beauty amid this ashy side-arsed shitshow. ’
Saba swallowed hard, the truth of her words pressing on her.
‘I’m sacrificing everything I dreamed of.
My freedom, my happiness, even a chance at devotion that isn’t tainted by duty or expectation,’ she confessed.
‘I never wished this. I never wanted to be trapped by a marriage of extreme convenience. Hell, am I dreaming this awful nightmare? Can you pinch me awake?’
She blinked tears away, sorrow burning a hole in her chest.
Understanding the assignment, Aveline found Saba’s bag, gave her a paper tissue to dab her eyes, and then touched up her makeup.
Her voice softened, and she placed her hand over Saba’s. ‘Babe, the only way into the light will be a step-by-step through the darkness. Know this: I’ll always be here for you, even if the entire Akkadian clan and the Lisades family are against you.’
A brief, hopeful smile tugged at Saba’s lips. ‘ Sante , but I can’t even see beyond today. All I hope is to survive the next few hours.’
A rapid knock sounded at the door. ‘ ?arim ? It’s time to return.’
Saba jolted and glanced at the entrance with a sigh.
She stood, brushing away tears. ‘Even though I want to stay here forever, let’s get out of here and face them all again.’
Aveline rose, lifted her chin, and extended a hand out to Saba.
Saba took it, and they stepped out together.
The strongman assigned to her gave a short bow and fell in behind them as they walked back to the banquet hall, where the party roared on without pause.
Aveline helped her back to her seat, curtsied, and left with a furtive glance at Mak’s glowering face.
Saba slumped into her chair, eyes unseeing, and wondered.
Would this union ever be more than a tragic necessity?
Or was it the beginning of her slow descent into a fate she could neither escape nor deny?