Page 34 of Dark Horizon New Dawn

He'd read the last sentence somewhere, and it had stuck in his memory. Hopefully, Callie wouldn't mind that not all the words in his vows were original.

He had to let go of one of her hands to pull the ring out from his pocket. "We don't need symbols to represent our everlasting love, but it's tradition, so here goes. This ring has no beginning and no end, and symbolizes my eternal love, faith, and commitment." He slid the ring on her finger. "With this ring, I bind my life to yours."

He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I know that I'm supposed to wait until the Clan Mother pronounces us joined, but I needed this."

"Me too." She wiped the lone tear that had slid down her cheek.

Taking a deep breath, Callie took his hands. "Brundar, my guardian, my strength. In the tapestry of my life, the threads of darkness were once overwhelming until you entered, bringing light, hope, and incredible courage. When shadows loomed large and the path ahead seemed insurmountable, you became my protector, my shield, my guardian angel. I will never forget that you were willing to sacrifice yourself to save me or the terrible injuries you sustained while rescuing me from a monster. You have shown me what true bravery is. In the solace of your strength, I found the courage to dream, to be unapologetically myself, and most importantly, to love as I will."

This was the only mention of their shared proclivities, and it was subtle enough for most of their guests to gloss over, but those who knew them well and were aware of the games they liked to play smiled and clapped.

Callie gave them a slight nod before continuing, "I vow to honor the sacrifices you've made and to cherish the love you've shown me every step of the way. With every beat of my heart, I promise to be your sanctuary and safe harbor as you have been for me."

She turned to Anandur, who stood first among the groomsmen. "Neither of us would be here if not for you. In our darkest moment, in the crucible of despair, you came to our rescue, and for that and all the other times you stood by your brother's side, you have my eternal gratitude."

For a change, Anandur didn't retort with a jest or a joke. Instead, he put his hand over his heart and dipped his head. "For as long as there is breath in my lungs, you will have my protection. As you know, I take my big-brother responsibilities very seriously, and once you became Brundar's mate, you also became my little sister."

"Thank you." She blew him a kiss before returning her gaze to Brundar. "In the human world, when you marry a man, you marry his whole family. I'm overjoyed to be part of yours." She waved a hand over the gathered crowd. "You are all the best people I've ever met, and I love you all."

As applause and cheers erupted, Callie smiled and waited patiently until they subsided. When the room fell quiet again, she turned back to face Brundar. "Today, as I stand with you, I see a future filled with promise. I vow to weather every storm with you, and to glide through every calm. I promise to support you in every struggle, and to celebrate your every triumph."

Callie extended her hand to Wonder, who placed a ring on her palm.

"This ring is a symbol of my eternal gratitude, my unending love, and my commitment to our joined journey." She slid the ring on his finger. "Brundar, my love, my angel, my knight in shining armor. You are my fated mate."

As the crowd erupted in a new wave of cheers and applause, Annani lifted her arms. "In the presence of all gathered here, I pronounce you bonded for eternity. May your love shine as a symbol of hope and transformation and the unyielding power of the heart." She waved a hand. "You may kiss the bride."

23

MARGO

"The food was delicious." Margo leaned back in her chair and rubbed her tummy. "It's good that I don't get to eat like that every day."

"Why not?" Alberto asked.

She smiled. "I don't want to gain weight."

He waved a dismissive hand. "Women think too much about their weight. Men might like to look at skinny models, but they don't want them in their beds." He threw a charming smile at Jasmine. "They don't want a bag of bones under them. They want their woman to be soft."

His words rubbed Margo the wrong way even though she couldn't totally dispute them. She wouldn't be attracted to a guy that was all bones either, but she wouldn't phrase it like that. She would never say that she didn't want a pile of bones in her bed.

Alberto talked about women as if they were sexual objects and not people with minds, feelings, and thoughts.

It wasn't unusual for men, and maybe even for some women, to think about possible partners exclusively in sexual terms, but it was small-minded and offensive.

"Are you calling me fat?" Jasmine asked teasingly.

"I'm calling you perfect." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. "One of a kind." He kissed it again. "A rare and coveted jewel." He kissed it for the third time.

Hadn't he told Jasmine that she should get plastic surgery to slim her thighs? Maybe Jasmine had made that up?

The guy acted as if he worshiped the ground she walked on, even if he was only infatuated with her body and gorgeous face and couldn't care less about her personality or her mind, both of which Margo found lovely. Jasmine was effortlessly friendly, she wasn't conceited, she didn't act entitled, and she was intelligent.

Jasmine smiled. "You are such a charmer."

That he was, and Margo had reconsidered her initial suspicions about him wanting to sell Jaz, but there was still something about him that bothered her.

Perhaps it was just his Latin machismo.

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