Page 40 of Bathed in Blood

I shake my head.

“Lana, have you come here freely and without reservation to marry?” he asks, and one of the guards snickers behind us.

The man sputters, his hands fumbling with the pages of the bible, snot dripping from his nose. “Right. I, uhm. My apologies.”

He continues to flounder, and I don’t know what possesses me, only that I’ve endured enough pain today. I don’t have the stomach to sit through more. When I step forward, much to the displeasure of Christian, I place my shaking hands on his cold, mottled ones, stilling them.

“Lana,” Christian warns, but I ignore him.

The pastor’s eyes meet mine, fear in them that I know well. I give him a weak smile that doesn’t touch either of us. “I have.”

Christian’s voice sounds thick when he clears his throat. “Come back, princess.”

I give the man a small nod before stepping back into Christian’s arms. The pastor steals himself once again, sniffling.

“Do you take Christian Vanegas to be your husband, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health,and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”

I suck in a shuddering breath, the bandage on my hip pulling painfully as Christian goes rigid. He’s… actually nervous. It’s almost… sweet. “I do.”

“Christian, have you come here freely and without reservation to marry?”

“I have.”

“Do you take Lana to be your wife, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her, as long as you both shall live?”

My heart thunders in my chest.

“I do.”

The pastor pauses, looking at us. “Do you have vows?”

I panic, my mouth opening and closing. I’d thought about this moment so many times, played it over in my mind as a child, but now, everything is empty.

Christian’s eyes find mine without hesitation, dark hair falling into his face, bottom lip swollen from where I hit him just hours ago. “I will spend the rest of my days worshipping you, protecting you, earning my right to be your husband, myrightto your trust.”

Tears prickle my eyes, and all I can offer is a nod.

When the time to exchange rings comes, panic once again swarms me until Christian wipes it away, placing a delicate moss agate ring on my finger. It fits perfectly, the light green gem standing proud on the thin sliver band. My fingers are fumbling, my palms slick with sweat as I return the favor with his own thick silver band.

“Lana and Christian, having witnessed your marriage vows in the eyes of God and before…allwho are assembled here, by the authority invested in me by American Marriage Ministries and the State of Virgina, I pronounce you husband and wife. Youmay now kiss the bride.” With that, he sags, turning away from us to rest his head on the back wall.

I barely notice his distress, because within a second, I’m swept up in Christian’s arms, a yelp leaving me as he hooks my thighs around his hips, his mouth greeting mine halfway. What little space there is between us fizzles, igniting in my veins as I deepen the kiss, the tenderness in my core and the burning, pulling pain at my hip forgotten as he claims me.

He only breaks the kiss long enough to utter a single word. “Out.”

The room clears of all but one, and I nearly feel guilty now that the mind-numbing sadness isn’t as profound. I can hear the cries from the back room behind the stage where I know his congregation is being held.

“This… this is a house of God. Have you not defiled it enough?” the man seethes, his head turned towards the heavens.

“Then let God witness our consummation,” Christian purrs in my ear as I fail to stifle my answering moan.

20

Vanegas

Closer by Nine Inch Nails

Somewhere between his hoodie being wrenched over my head and my musty sweatpants being jerked down over my ass, I realize if Christian asked me to follow him into hell, I would.

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