Page 26 of The Jorogumo (The Sanctuary #2)

One Month Later

Haruto

There were a lot of benefits to getting married at the Sanctuary. We didn't have to spend a lot of money—the only thing we'd bought was wedding tuxes and a cake from The Baking Bee—and we already had a venue, food, an officiant—because of course, the headmaster was legally certified to perform weddings—and everything we might need. Jacinta had insisted on doing most of the cooking with a few sous chefs they thought were 'passable,' and so Liam and I woke up on the day of our wedding excited and eager to tie the knot.

Of course, Touya came and took Liam away right after he'd freshened up to 'get ready,' even though the wedding wasn't until two .

Before I could start missing him, Silas and Zamir showed up, and they took me to Touya and Silas's cabin, where I was supposed to get ready. Liam and Touya were at Khush and Dustin's house with the two of them—Dustin was eight months pregnant, and Khush would not be leaving his side for the next many months—while someone else would be getting our place 'ready for our honeymoon' since we'd decided against going anywhere. Liam didn't want to close his store so soon after buying it, so we'd decided to postpone it until he either felt comfortable closing or hired someone on.

"How are you feeling?" Zamir asked, raising a brow at me as he held out a plate of breakfast, and I took it even though my stomach was too full of butterflies to eat.

"Excited, mostly. A little nervous, but only because I want everything to go well."

"Damn, Haruto. You're being so sweet I don't even feel like teasing you," he joked, making me laugh.

Despite not feeling hungry, I ate my breakfast while Silas and Zamir told me what all they were planning to do.

"I figured since you guys vetoed bachelor parties, we could at least hang out before the wedding," Silas said, explaining why they'd pulled us apart so early.

So that was what we did. We sat there and chatted about everything under the sun. Zamir talked about his plan to visit The Lair—he'd been putting it off until he felt 'full enough' to be comfortable around humans—and I had a feeling he'd get on well with Nolan.

Then the conversation switched to Khush and Dustin's coming baby, and I wondered if Liam wanted kids. It wasn't something we'd talked about, but I knew that I'd be happy either way, so I decided I'd ask Liam later. It wasn't like it would change my mind about anything .

After what felt like years, Silas declared it was time to get ready, and he grinned as he disappeared into a room, returning with a garment bag with my tux inside. We'd gone with the traditional black-and-white theme, with my shirt and jacket both deep black, with a white pocket square, while Liam's were both white with a black pocket square.

Liam had joked about wanting a bridal gown 'if only he could pull it off,' and I'd told him—quite honestly, I might add—he would look stunning in one. He'd still gone with a tux, but I knew he'd been pleased by my statement, and that was all that mattered to me.

Unbuttoning my shirt, I threw it over the couch, then took the shirt Silas held out. It fit perfectly, and I slid the jacket on, running my palm over the smooth material.

Then Zamir declared he needed to do my hair, and went, "Don't worry, Dustin taught me everything," so I lowered myself a little, giving him easy access to my hair as he applied product and ran a brush through it.

When he tried to put makeup on my face, I decided I was ready enough—though I did accept the moisturizer—and the two changed into their outfits. We hadn't picked best men since we were both close to practically the same people and we didn't want to pick one person over the others, so our groomsmen had divided the responsibilities amongst themselves, much to our relief.

Silas's phone buzzed a few minutes later, and he clapped his hands. "All right, we're ready."

We'd decided to get married in the Lakes area since it was more...scenic. We'd debated over a beach wedding but ultimately decided against it because Khush and Keoni did not fare well in the sand .

According to Silas, Liam and the others were ready, but we had to get to the venue first so they could join us. I was so damned excited to see Liam in his tux, to say my vows to him, to marry him, and I hurried out of the cabin, followed by Silas and Zamir's chuckles as they tried to keep in step with me.

The altar was set up near a large lake, the water reflecting the sun's rays and lighting up the already bright area. I sucked in a breath as I took everything in, amazed by the effort everyone had put into this.

An arch of bent branches tied together with twine and decorated with flowers framed the altar, where Headmaster Morrigan stood in his traditional sorcerer robes, the deep purple material pooled around his legs.

A path lined by the residents of the Sanctuary led the way to the altar, and Keoni waved me forward when I stopped short at the beginning, reminding me that I had to walk to the altar. He had a basket of flowers in his hand and a wide grin on his face.

Taking a deep breath, I scanned the crowd, smiling at the faces of all the people I saw daily, all the people who were my friends and family.

My heart felt full as I made my way down the path, Keoni leading the way as he threw flower petals everywhere. While the supes had studied human wedding customs to make today amazing for Liam, I could see they'd added their own flair to things, and I loved it.

Alaric, Bellamy's kelpie mate, had filled the air with water bubbles that reflected a rainbow of colors onto every surface; Mira, a siren, was singing, her sweet, enchanting voice adding more magic to the already magical day, and I was sure others had contributed in ways I couldn't see just yet .

Once I was at the altar, Zamir and Silas retreated, while Keoni raced back to the beginning just as three people walked in from the side.

My breath caught as my mate appeared at the beginning of the path, bright and so damned beautiful as he smiled at something Touya said to him. He looked up, our eyes met, and I fell in love all over again.

Liam

My breath whooshed out of me in a loud exhale as my eyes met Haruto's, and the love shining in them almost brought me to my knees.

Keoni raced down the path back to me, then walked ahead of me, scattering flower petals on the path, clearly ecstatic about his role as the "flower guy." I tried to keep pace with him, but all I wanted to do was rush forward and throw my arms around Haruto.

When I finally reached the makeshift altar, I hurried up the two short steps, coming to a stop in front of Haruto, with the headmaster on my right and our family and friends on my left.

Haruto smiled at me as he took my hands in his, and I squeezed tightly, holding on to him as I snuck a glance at all the people gathered here for us.

Everyone in the Sanctuary who could come was here, and the headmaster had set up a spell so those who couldn't come could see or hear what was happening from their areas if they wanted to.

Diego was also here, and my heart swelled at his presence among all my friends. Everyone I loved was here, and in front of me was the man I loved the most .

Earlier, I'd felt a moment of pain at the thought that my parents would miss my wedding, but just imagining what they would've said if they could see us—even if it was a completely human-friendly wedding—had reinforced my decision to not invite them.

Headmaster Morrigan cleared his throat, and everyone fell silent. He smiled at me, then at Haruto, before turning to everyone else.

"Everyone, we've gathered here today to bear witness as our beloved Haruto and Liam vow to spend their lives with each other. Most of us have known Haruto for years, and while Liam became a part of our family recently, he's earned our love and respect with his friendly nature, and his calm support."

I flushed at the praise, and Haruto winked at me, making me smile. While I'd talked to the headmaster a few times, I hadn't realized I'd made an impression on him. It felt nice, being appreciated.

"Okay, we all know I'm not big on speeches," the headmaster said, and chuckles rang out through the crowd while someone—sounded like Khush—called out "Could've fooled me!"

" So ," the headmaster stressed with a roll of his eyes, "Haruto, if you'd like to say your vows."

Haruto smiled brightly at me, his hands tight around mine. "Liam, when I told you I would ask you to marry me, I only wanted to do it to make you happy. Because to me, you were mine the day I recognized you as my mate. But as I started planning my proposal, I realized that there was a certain beauty, a certain romance in promising your life to another in front of the people you love."

Haruto's eyes gleamed brightly, and I held back my own tears as he cleared his throat. "So, in front of everyone we love, I promise to always love, support, and treasure you. I promise I'll always take care of you. I promise to share all my comics with you, to bring you lunch everyday, to love you with all my heart, for the rest of our lives."

"Liam?" the headmaster prompted after a moment, and I had to clear my throat and sniff a little before I could speak clearly.

"Haruto, I love you so damned much. I never thought I'd find someone who understood me as well as you do. I promise I'll always love you, and be there for you. I promise to be your extrovert shield when you don't feel like socializing, to always keep a copy of the new issues for you. I promise to love, cherish, and feed you for the rest of our lives."

Haruto huffed in amusement when I said feed, but his eyes glittered with unshed tears, while mine merrily made their way down my cheeks.

He reached up with our clasped hands to wipe them off, and I smiled. God, I loved this man so much.

Headmaster Morrigan cleared his throat, and I glanced at him, surprised to see his eyes looked a little shiny too. Damn, was the headmaster a romantic ?

"Wow, those were some beautiful vows. Dustin, are you okay?"

I looked at the audience to see Dustin crying into Khush's shoulder as he waved off the headmaster's concern, while Khush mouthed "Hormones" over his shoulder, only to get a smack on his arm as if Dustin could tell exactly what he'd done.

Chuckling, I returned my attention to the headmaster, who continued speaking. "Now, who has the rings?"

Silas and Touya hopped up, handing us our engagement rings. We'd decided to use them for the wedding as well, though Draven had stolen them one night—as in, he literally snuck into our house with a damned magical lockpick and slid them off our fingers as we slept—to add modifications.

Now, the plain platinum bands were lined with pure white, the pattern not unlike one of Haruto's webs. They were beautiful, and utterly perfect.

As our family cheered for us, Haruto and I slid rings onto each other's finger, the widest of smiles lighting up both our faces.

And when the headmaster announced we were husbands?

I jumped at Haruto, and he caught me like I'd known he would, his hands gripping my thighs as I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him like we were alone, though the wolf whistles and cheers kept me from forgetting exactly where we were.

Still, I clung to Haruto like a koala, and he let me, kissing me back with just as much enthusiasm.

"All right, all right," the headmaster said, and Haruto reluctantly pulled back, helping me back to my feet.

"Everyone, make your way to the Dining Room after you've greeted the new husbands. Jacinta has prepared a delicious meal, and there's cake."

Everyone cheered, and I took Haruto's hand, walking into the crowd of our friends with him. My mate. My husband. My everything .

"I love you," I murmured, knowing he'd hear me despite the chatter around us.

Shooting me a bright smile, he leaned closer and kissed my cheek. "I love you too, husband ." I shivered at the title, and he raised a brow, clearly sensing how much the title affected me. "Oh, we're going to have some fun tonight, my sweet, sweet husband. "

Damn, I could already tell he was going to destroy me on our wedding night. I couldn't wait.