Page 41 of Flying Blind

“Oh, that will be nice, too, but this one is lived in, has been loved, and is very much alive. The energy is really good here.”

Rayd didn’t walk directly to the house. He walked into the shadow of some oaks and knelt on one knee. “Zara, will you marry me?”

She blinked. “What?”

“Will you marry me? I have discussed it with everyone involved, and they are all in favour of it. So, your voice is the most important.”

Zara looked at him and stroked her fingers over his jaw and across his lips. “Is this what you want?”

“More than anything.”

She looked at him. He didn’t have to. They were bound by contract, and she was going to be well taken care of no matter what happened. “Yes.”

He smiled. “Yes?”

“Yes. I will marry you.”

He pulled a ring box out of his trousers, and the thumbnail-sized ruby made the third portion of her knuckle disappear.

He kissed her hand and got to his feet. The kiss he bestowed on her bent her back, and when she was righted, she looked toward the main house where Axel, Emma, Lyric, Lykon, and Taka were cheering in the window.

Zara laughed. “I guess we have to plan a wedding. Lyric is going to be all over that.”

He hugged her and spun her around. “So is Emma, not to mention the Book Club.”

“Oh my. That is going to be a fun bachelorette. I am thinking of the karaoke club with a ladies- and omegas-only rule.”

He chuckled. “That sounds like something that won’t give me a heart attack.”

“And for your bachelor’s, I think that if it’s the same night, it won’t be much fun if you are at the Shattered Diamond. Half the girls who work there are or were members of the Book Club. The club wouldn’t be fun without the dancers.”

He blinked. “Oh, right. I forgot about that. Are any of them Elite omegas?”

“One, at least. Why?”

“She could make a lot more money in that form.”

“Or be taken by the Elite.”

“Oh. Right. I keep forgetting about that.”

“You and a lot of people.”

He sighed. “I think it will be dinner and watching sumo wrestling or something. Frankly, I can’t stand the thought of anyone else in my lap.”

Zara smiled. “I have no idea why that makes me so happy.”

He kept his arm around her, and they walked to the house where a giantCongratulationsbanner was hanging. Lyric was terrifying.

Wedding planning began.

Zara looked at the binder that had just come together. The guys were outside grilling something for lunch, and Emma was cooking. Lyric said, “This is your home now. You are welcome to invite friends over as you like. I will make myself scarce.”

“This is your home. I am not kicking you out.”

Lyric smiled. “I know that, but sometimes, newbies aren’t welcome in tight groups.”

“If we don’t want you there, I will go to Nora’s and meet there.”

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