Page 84 of Taste of Fate

This was so much more than getting married, though. I was about to become blood-bonded to Cyan, my lifespan connected to his. Instead of hoping to survive to my seventies, or optimistically, eighties, I had about seven hundred years of life to look forward to. A typical life expectancy for a vampire, but unfathomable for a human.

The entire blood mate ceremony, including the blood-bonding ritual, would be performed by a high priest from the clan Temkra’s Blood. They considered themselves direct descendants of the vampire’s main deity, and dedicated themselves to preserving the history and teachings of Temkra. For that reason, they were the ones usually called on for ceremonies such as this.

It was also rumored that the high priests of Temkra’s Blood were truly immortal, most of them being thousands of years old.

Human wedding tradition had nothing on blood mate ceremonies.

I looked out at the crowd from our place on a raised dais. The last few invited guests were finding their seats, while the public drew as close as they dared to the Blood 'til Dawn clan members posted around the perimeter as security.

We were in the main square of the Cap, and people were also watching from windows and rooftops in the surrounding buildings. The moon hung full and round in the sky, and while vampires didn’t have particular affinity for the moon phases, I found it beautifully poetic that our ceremony was being performed on a full moon night.

I spotted Amy near the back of the seating area, a handsome, well-dressed vampire at her side. He was Novak, and the one Des and Laith grumbled about being here. He had pale, silvery-blonde hair to his shoulders that contrasted with brown skin. His arm rested on the back of Amy’s chair, his gaze sweeping the crowd as if checking for any threats.

Apparently Novak belonged to a clan that was a longtime enemy of Blood 'til Dawn’s. I didn’t know the full story, nor how he ended up as Amy’s plus-one. She’d only met him two weeks before, and scared me half to death when she’d gone missing for most of a day. It turned out she’d been with him.

Amy’s expression was blank, her eyes vacant like she was lost in thought. Adjusting to life as a brusang had been hard for her, to say the least. Our friendship felt strained since her turning. She argued with me more than she ever had as a human, often yelling at me to leave her alone.

It hurt, but I tried not to take it personally, as Cyan and Bea often reminded me. Amy was mourning the loss of her old life, and the transition to her new one would take time.

She showed up for my mating ceremony, which I appreciated. For a while I wasn’t sure if she would.

Novak placed his hand in her lap, angling his head down to speak to her in a low voice. Amy immediately cocked her head to listen, her gaze sliding toward him with a slight smile. They seemed close, and I had to admit it worried me. In Sapien, guys would pretend to like her just to ridicule her and break her heart.

But no matter how deeply protective of her I was, she was her own person making her own decisions.

A figure ascended the short staircase on the back of the dais, and my breath stuttered at the sight of the priest. He was shirtless and covered from neck to waist with ritualistic scars that looked very old. I recognized a few characters of the vampire’s ancient language. Stripes of black and red paint also covered his forehead, cheeks, and torso.

The priest had long, straight black hair to his waist. He was barefoot with loose-fitting pants and a wide leather belt around his hips. There was a presence to him, a low humming vibration in the air surrounding him. I didn’t know if it was his connection to Temkra, his magic, or his age, but he radiated something that was unique among all the vampires in attendance.

“Hello, I’m Ruslan,” he said with a slight bow of his head. “It’s my honor to join two blood mates before Temkra and all of her children.” He looked at Cyan and then at me, his eyes such a dark red they were almost black. “Are you ready to begin?”

Cyan and I only needed to glance at each other for one heart-pounding moment before nodding. “Yes, we’re ready.”

“Excellent.” Ruslan gave a slight smile. “Octavia, do you renounce your human lifespan and accept the blood bond to this vampire? Your lifespan will directly connect to his, and as such you will live for centuries. When Temkra carries you to eternal rest, you will both go together. Do you accept this?”

I looked at Cyan, who was biting his lower lip as if he was nervous. As if there would be any doubt in my mind.

“Yes,” I said, a little breathless with emotion. “I accept the blood bond.”

Ruslan turned to my mate. “And are you, Cyan of Blood 'til Dawn, willing to make a vow in silver to this woman as well as a blood bond, before Temkra and and all of Sanguine present?”

“I am,” Cyan said solemnly, his gaze locked onto mine.

“Do you have a silver blade with which to make your vow?”

“I do.”

“You may proceed with your vow.”

Cyan removed his loose-fitting shirt and placed it on the small altar next to us. He picked up the silver dagger next to the shirt and unsheathed it. With his eyes on me and without a single beat of hesitation, he held the sharp tip to his skin right above where my name was carved. On his next breath, he spoke his vow as he carved it into his skin.

“I vow to honor, love, protect, and cherish Octavia…”

A sharp breath escaped me when he carved out my name, cutting into the scar tissue that was already there. Why wouldn’t he just skip over it?

“My blood mate,” Cyan continued. “Only her blood will fuel me. Only her embrace will hold me. Only her love will sustain me.”

His breathing labored slightly, and his entire left side was swollen and red, but his gaze and voice never wavered. “Octavia has my devotion, my body, my love.” The vow was long enough to be going under his chest now, cutting across his ribs which had to be horrifically painful. “Until we die in each other’s arms, and Temkra carries us to eternal rest.”

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