Page 19 of Their Witch Bride

I don’t want to. I don’t want to do any of this. Looking at my mom, I see nothing but cruelty in her face. If I try to run, she’ll drag me back here. There is no escape. I have to do this.

Prince Rinan steps forward first and kneels, his blond hair falling into his eyes a bit as he does, and puts his left hand out. I hold one of the rings between my thumb and pointer finger, but I’m stuck. I don’t know which finger it goes on.

Do shifters put it on the same finger as witches? I look up at my mother for direction, but she jerks her head as if to say, “Get this done.” My vision shifts to the older man, but he’s not looking at me. He’s watching the crowd, forever on guard around my people.

The prince blows a breath on my hand that holds the ring, drawing my attention to him. He wriggles his left middle finger and gives me a knowing look. Ah, I knew it was different! I slide the ring on his finger. He bows his head to me and returns to the line.

Prince Arlys is next. He meets my eyes, his deep ones a color I’ve never before seen, but there’s no feeling there. He seems as unhappy about being here as I am, but I can also tell he’s trying to read me. I hope he can’t. If he can tell how miserable I am, he might just make this marriage of ours even worse. Let it take him awhile before he realizes what a terrible wife I’ll make.

I almost laugh. Me, a wife? A wife to three shifters, at that? A small chuckle escapes, and I cover my mouth with my hands, forgetting that I have two more gold rings in them. To my horror, one ring ends up in my mouth, and the other lands on the ground at Prince Arlys’ feet.

Fucking hell!

I quickly spit the ring out and wipe it on my dress, my heart racing even faster than before. Then I bend down to pick the one on the ground, only to collide with the back of Prince Arlys’ head as he stands to hand the ring to me. My chin hits the top of his head, making me bite my tongue. I whimper and clamp my lips shut, tasting blood.

A rumble of laughter begins in the once-silent ballroom. I dare to glance at my mother, and her face is twisted into a look of pure hatred. Great, I’m going to pay for that. Later on, there will be whipping. Hard whipping until she’s sure I never again embarrass her.

I freeze. No, there won’t be. Because I’ll be gone. The realization makes me feel strange.

“Princess Tara, the ring,” the old man says, more gently than I would have expected.

Prince Arlys holds his hand out, and I reach for his hand to put the ring on his finger. Strangely, I can feel the tension in the air as my hand approaches his. He doesn’t even want to touch me. Is it because I’m a witch or because once he caught sight of me, he changed his mind about this union?

There’s nothing I can do about it, so I force a smile and quickly shove the ring on his finger. My smile feels frozen enough to shatter. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to do this. How the hell do I survive what’s going to happen to me next?

Prince Arlys grunts, rises, and stands back with the rest of them, and my heart hurts. I never thought much about my wedding, but I did imagine having a partner. I thought if anyone actually married me, it would be because they loved me. Sometimes at night, especially after my mother whipped me, I’d lie on my stomach crying to myself, imagining a day when someone would be there with me, so I wouldn’t be crying alone.

That dream was dead. It died the moment my mom made this agreement. I survived without a mom who loved me, and without friends who cared for me, but I never imagined being linked to a man who despised me the way everyone else seemed to. Now, it isn’t just that my present is hard, it’s that my future, my dream, is gone.

I can’t think about this right now. If I do, I’ll come undone.

Prince Drogo huffs when he steps forward to kneel in front of me. He thrusts his hand in my direction and lets a low growl loose. His gaze is fixed on my face, and his expression is nearly as filled with venom as my own mother’s face. I’m shaking. I hate that I have to touch him. But I push the ring on his finger, careful not to make contact with his skin.

These shifters don’t like me. Of course they don’t like me. We’ve been enemies for longer than we’ve been alive. I don’t know whether I should hope they kill me quickly on witch lands, or hope they take me home and torture me slowly.

Probably the first one.

When he stands, I shake my hand at my side and remind myself to breathe. This ceremony might feel like it’s stretching on forever, but it’s not. It’ll be over soon, and then I should have a few minutes alone to pack and process.

Just focus on those minutes alone. Nothing else.

“Now for her ring,” the old shifter says, handing one to Prince Rinan.

Okay, I can do this.

Prince Rinan steps up, holding a ring. He takes my left hand and slides it onto my middle finger. His skin makes contact with my pinky, the one the nail had been pulled out of, and I flinch. He stiffens in front of me, watching me strangely, and I stare down at my feet, my heart rattling in my chest.

My mother clears her throat. “Princess Tara of the Crystal Coven, you are the connection between our coven and the shifters, a symbol of the peace between our people. Make us proud.” She pauses, and I look at her, but her face is a blank slate. “Before the crystals and the way of nature that guides us, I now pronounce the four of you wedded and bound. May your union forge peace in our lands.” The coven applauds.

Wait. Now they’re supposed to kiss me.

Tense, I stand, waiting. I don’t want the shifters to touch me. I don’t want them anywhere near me, but it’s part of the ceremony.

They look at me. I look at them, feeling the color drain further from my face.

Prince Arlys makes a movement toward me. I jerk back. He eyes me strangely.

I force myself to hold still.

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