Fated to My Vampire Lord novel · Chapter 24 of 24

Chapter 24: Chosen

"Say it again," I said.

"Stay with me."

"Without the clause?"

"Without anything." His hands were shaking, and he looked down at them in surprise.

"Willa, if you walk past me now I will let you."

"And?"

"I will spend the rest of my life learning to be sorry for it."

I crossed the ten feet between us and put my hands on his face.

"You idiot," I said. "I didn't end it so I could leave."

"Then why?"

"Because I wanted to hear you ask."

He laughed, once, and it broke in his chest.

Then he kissed me, hard, with the river loud behind us, and I kissed him back with my whole mouth.

"Yes," I said against his lips. "Yes. I'll stay."

We married on the Ridge three nights later, under a full moon, in the circle where I had been Struck.

Nine hundred wolves stood around the stones, and nobody wore white but me.

Ottoline sat in the front row in black with her stick across her knees.

She cried openly, and she would deny it for the rest of her life.

Otis stood beside me as my witness, in a suit he had borrowed and hemmed himself.

At the edge of the crowd, in an apron, Keeley handed out cups of hot cider and did not look at me.

When I looked at her she nodded, once, and that was all we said.

There were no cameras.

I had said no, and the Courts had grumbled and agreed.

Tiernan held out his wrist.

"The mate-bite goes both ways in the old rite," I said. "You didn't read that part either."

"I read all of it this time."

"Good."

I took his wrist in both hands.

His skin was cool, and under it was the slow beat I had learned to hear.

I bit down, and the taste of him went through me.

I felt the pairing close from my side.

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