Page 116 of Unleashing Chaos

“Desi. Are you sure you’re okay?” he whispers, leaning in and gliding the backs of his fingers over my forehead.

I chew my lip and nod. “Yes. I told you, I feel a little light-headed that’s all. Just hold on to me.”

“I won’t let go.”

My father drags the back of his hand over his brow and releases a slow breath. He clears his throat once and then twice before saying, “The bonding of two beings should never be taken lightly. It is more than a promise to remain together until your dying day. You are swearing to always look after the other’s well being and work together to better our realm. The words you speak today supersede you and extend to all Infernis’s inhabitants.” My father turns his attention to Cannon and holds his gaze. “Cannon Pierce, do you swear to serve this realm for the rest of your existence, to honor Desideria as your eternal partner, and exalt her as your queen?”

Cannon looks around the room and shifts side to side. His grip on my hand loosens and his words are softly spoken. “I do.”

“Desideria, do you swear the remainder of your days to Cannon, to partner with him in your rule as a queen of Infernis, and to place his needs above all others?”

Time stops in that instant. My heart, which had been racing, slows to a crawl, and I swear, I can’t breathe. Can I really promise this to Cannon, knowing that my heart will always belong to Jace? Even though I know I can never have him? Can I truly place Cannon’s needs above all others?

“I—”

The doors to the throne room fly open and bang against the wall.

“Stop! Fucking stop! Cannon is an angel.”

Thirty-six

DESI

The two occisors chase Jace down the aisle but he hauls ass, and the bulky demons can’t keep up. He charges past Cannon and me and grabs the ax hanging from my father’s hip. The weapon breaks free of its restraints and Jace swings it in front of him at Cannon. The ax—specially made for my father—flies from his grip and somersaults toward the crowd as Cannon ducks, though the ax came nowhere near his head.

Screams echo off the vaulted ceilings and demons flee the weapon’s path. Jace’s gray eyes grow wide, his arms held out before him as if he still has control of the weapon.

“I saw that going differently in my head,” he mutters.

My father shoves Jace to the side and grunts, “No one can wield my ax but me.” He holds out his hand and calls it back to him. It stops and spins top over bottom until it lands in his palm. “What is this all about?” my father asks, securing the handle to his belt again.

The guards rush forward. “We’re sorry, Your Majesty. The human is stronger and faster than we thought. We’ll take care of him.”

The occisors each take Jace’s arms and pull him down from the dais.

“No!” I rush forward and attempt to pry the occisors’ meaty fingers off Jace. “He needs to go. He doesn’t belong here.” When they don’t release him, my panic morphs into pure anger. “Let him go. Now!”

“It’s all right, Desi.”

I glance up at Jace, realizing he was talking to me the entire time.

He holds my stare and again says, “I know what I’ve done, and it’s all right.”

“Jace?”

He looks like he hasn’t slept—his hair’s a mess and dark bags sit under his eyes, but he’s as beautiful as always. I’ve never been happier to see someone . . . but also, I’ve never been more confused. How can this be all right when it isn’t what he wanted? Jace doesn’t give me a chance to wonder for long.

His features harden as he turns to our friend and repeats, “Cannon isn’t who we thought. He’s an angel.”

Murmurs erupt and the crowd steps back, putting as much distance as possible between Cannon and them. Even my brothers lean back in their thrones. Saying an angel is in our realm is the equivalent of telling us the plague is sweeping through Infernis. If what Jace says is true, in a few hours Cannon will be tied to our realm and the energy flowing from him will affect every demon and those who have chosen to remain in chaos for eternity.

“Leave it to Desi to choose a damn angel as an eternal partner,” one of my brothers says with a snicker.

Cannon holds up both hands and moves away. “I’m not—I mean I am, but . . .”

“His chest. His angelic mark is on his right pec,” Jace says.

“What?” I whisper, my eyes darting between Cannon and Jace. “How could I not—I would have noticed . . .” No, I wouldn’t have. We hadn’t ever taken things that far because we didn’t feel that attraction toward each other. Our energies clashed.

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