Page 81 of Ties of Frost

“In the sight of Iskyr and all of those gathered here today, by the authority granted to me by Iskyr and the Order of the Rengir, I hereby declare you husband and wife. People of the Laedreshian Empire, I present to you: Kyrmaris!”

A roar went up from the crowd.

I tapped my toes, growing more impatient by the moment.

Aekyrdra raised her hands for quiet. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Kyrundar grabbed my waist and braced one hand against my upper back as he dipped me back so fast he stole my breath. I gripped the front of his white and silver tunic to steady myself. Then, his eyes glittering and a lopsided smirk on his lips, he bent down and kissed me.

My eyes drifted closed. It was a good thing he had a firm grip on me, because my legs turned to jelly. I released his tunic to wrap my arms around his neck and bury my fingers in his silky hair. He deepened the kiss, and for amoment, I could no longer hear the cheering crowd. Nothing existed but me, my ice elf, everywhere our bodies touched, and the hungry movement of his mouth against mine.

We separated, and Kyrundar whipped me back upright. I stumbled a little and laughed as I caught myself against his chest.

He held me close and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

I groaned. “I want more proper kisses.”

“Then we’d better get out of here,” he said with a mischievous grin.

My heart fluttered. He started to turn toward the front of the cathedral, but I grabbed the sides of his head and pulled him down into another kiss. His hands tightened on my back, and a soft groan escaped my lips.

He pulled back and sighed contentedly. “I love you, Zee.”

I opened my eyes and gazed into the face of the man whose heart I was so blessed to have. “I love you, Kyr.”

At last, we turned and waved to the crowd. And as the bells of Vairdros Cathedral rang out and the crowds cheered and tossed handfuls of dry rice, we ran down the center aisle and into the next chapter of our lives—together, as we were always meant to be.

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