Page 81 of No Greater Sorrow

All other feelings were dulled by the elation swelling in her chest. She wanted this more than anything, despite all they’d been through, but she hadn’texpectedit. Especially not here and not so suddenly.

“We can do it right here if you like,” Nicolas said; it was one of those rare moments when he sounded hesitant, as if Aleja had erupted into flames and he was carefully approaching her with a bucket of water.

“Now? Don’t we need… What’s the Hiding Place’s equivalent of a priest?”

He gave a low chuckle. “We don’t have one. We could summon the others if you want, but marriages between Otherlanders can be sealed by whatever sort of ceremony we like. Including a private one.”

Aleja bit her lower lip. “They’re probably sick of us if I’m being honest. Let’s do it alone.”

“It’s how we did it the first time,” Nicolas said.

“It is?”

“Yes. We spent the day in the ocean collecting mussels for dinner. I didn’t mean to ask you then, but we were neck-deep in the water, and your skin was warm from the sunlight beneath the waves. And when you kissed me, I knew there was nothing else I could possibly say at that moment but ask you to be my wife.”

“I agreed?”

“Surprisingly, yes. And when I asked when you’d like to go to the temple, you suggested we instead marry ourselves in ruins belonging to gods even more ancient than our own. We made our vows to each other that night.”

“I can’t remember,” Aleja said, the anguish of her lost lives as keen as it ever had been. “I wish I could. Maybe we can make a new memory.”

“I would like that, Aleja.”

“So would I.”

He took her hands, running his thumb over the ridges of her knuckles. It was a relief to feel his heat again after the horror of his body cooling while she could do nothing to stop it. “We’re going to fix this,” he said, suddenly and fiercely. “We always have, and we’ll do it this time too. And if the Second tries to take you away again?—”

“Hush. There’s no one here but us tonight, understand? No traitors, no Messenger, and certainly no Second. Just us.”

“Should I go?” another voice asked. Aleja and Nicolas both startled, then fell into laughter against each other.

“Yes, Garm. Go back to the camp and see if you can help. We’ll be back in a few minutes,” Aleja told him.

“A few hours,” Nicolas amended.

“Hours?” Aleja asked.

“I’m not trying to be presumptuous?—”

“Garm, tell them we’ll be back before midnight,” Aleja said, waving the hellhound away. Garm seemed very much inclined to take her up on the command and disappeared into a shadow.

“What do we do now?”

“We say vows however we see fit.”

“I didn’t have a chance to prepare any,” she said.

“It’s better that way. Say whatever is on your mind.”

“Do I have to go first?”

“No.”

“Then, you do it. I need time to think.”

“These aren’t the vows I gave to you, back then. It wouldn’t be right to repeat them, not after so much as happened between us. But they’re similar enough. Just give me a moment…”

He paused, looking away.

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