Page 170 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

“Not an issue,” he said, staring at me.

“What?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. It is just nice to have an equal in every way. You are perfect.”

He looked at me, and a warmth rubbed across my subconscious, inviting and welcoming as an ocean breeze against the shore. It was lovely and peaceful, but as soon as it touched me, it was gone.

He couldn’t see my smile, but it was there regardless. “Remember you said that when I say something annoying later.”

“Absolutely.” He nodded, not even trying to deny it.

“Or piss you off,” I added.

“I’ll keep a list,” he said, humor lacing his words.

My hands fell to my hips. “So we have a major fight, argue, and three days later, you drag me out to an abandoned, broken city to propose to me and kill some infesting bug species?”

He nodded at the large cathedral-style building up ahead and started toward it. “Not just that. We are here to retrieve the last officiant in the realms that can perform the Ritual of Dhihsin.”

“What?” I called, nearly tripping over my feet as I followed after him.

“Did I misspeak?” he asked, glancing back at me over his armored shoulder.

“No, it just sounds like you want to perform a ritual we can’t actually do since I have no soul. We aren’t super, special mates anymore, remember?”

“We are to me,” he said, not missing a beat. “We can still perform it. The mark will not appear, but in all ways, you will be what you call in your world my wife.”

This time, I did trip. I grabbed on to one of the half-destroyed buildings as we rounded a corner. “Wait, stop.”

He did, turning to look at me.

“Are we getting married now? Here?” I asked, gesturing toward the demolished town filled with rubble and smelling like death.

“No, not here.” He glanced to where I pointed, then back to me. “I have another place I found while I was away. I want to perform the ritual there.”

“Sami.” My heart lodged in my throat as another realization struck me. “You planned all this while you were gone?”

He looked at me as if I had grown horns. “Yes. If we cannot share the mark, I want the next best option. I want everyone who encounters us to know who we belong to. I want something that can protect you when I cannot. I thought I’d made my intentions very clear?”

“No. You did, and it’s very romantic.” My throat dried up at the thought and care he had put into all of this when I thought he wanted nothing more to do with me. “But . . .”

“But?”

I shrugged. “It’s just in my world, couples plan weddings together. Family and friends are there, and it’s a big celebration.”

“It is for us as well, but our family is not with us right now. Also, given what we have learned about my resurrection and what you no longer have, I refuse to search for them or put either of us in harm’s way until this is done.”

I said nothing, but he caught the change in my posture.

“I swear to you, you will have the most extravagant ceremony when we all can be together once more. I’ll move every star for that day.” He closed the distance between us and grabbed my hands. “But right now, we don’t know when or if we will have time for this again. Every time we get a brief bit of happiness, it is ripped from us. I refuse to wait anymore. I want you, all of you. I love you, all of you, and if I have to carve out time for this, for us, by the old gods and the new, I will do it.”

The tension in my shoulders eased, and I took a deep breath. “Okay.”

Samkiel ran a hand down the back of my armored neck before stepping back and tugging on my hand. The walk through the destroyed city was quiet aside from the sounds of our armored boots on cracked stone, and then another thought raced through my head.

“You know,” I cast a glance at him as we walked hand in hand, “I don’t have a dress.”

He kept walking, my hand grasped firmly in his, and I struggled to keep up with his long strides. It was as if, now that he had my agreement, he was unwilling to wait any longer. We passed more abandoned houses, following the road toward a small hill.

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