Page 72 of The Crown of Nyx

He took my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing my knuckle softly.

Rowan released me next. “I believe in you,” he whispered. “We’ve got your back. Always.”

Dammit, I did not want to cry. So, I pressed my lips together and stepped towards Damon as both Adrian and Rowan joined Maeve and Hawk. Elias and Orionclosed in either side of me, my wolf shifter touching my hand lightly as a sign of support. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye as he moved to stand with Hawk and Adrian. When our eyes met, he winked at me.

Orion made no move to touch me, or offer any sort of reassurance, which I should have expected. But my heart still cracked a little bit at the clear dismissal. He stalked towards Maeve and Rowan, wearing the mask of the Luna Prince, not Ry, my first mate.

I shoved it aside and refocused on the demon king. His hand remained outstretched, and at my back, the tension of the other demons and creatures thickened the air. Magic pulsated under my skin, rising to the surface. Soft gasps filled the air as my magic, thin violet tendrils, danced over my skin.

Damon’s lips quirked. Like he understood there was acceptance from my magic.

But that didn’t mean there was full trust from me.

Taking his hand, I joined him in front of the throne. The tattoo on my right arm moved down the length of my forearm to wind partly around my wrist, and also around his.

I barely suppressed a gasp, but my gaze met his. My eyes widened as the smile only grew. “My Queen,” he said, voice booming. The music softened, and the creatures fell silent. “I stand before you, not as the Elysian King and Protector of the Elysian Fields. I come to you as a humble, loyal follower of our Goddess Nyx, and a creature under your rule.”

I held my breath as his red eyes darkened. He lowered himself to one knee, keeping my hand trapped in his, eyes locked on mine. The crowd reacted, their gasps louder than before.

He was good at putting on a show.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Not as my magic, still dancing across my skin, grew brighter. Not as my heart raced and the shadow tattoo warmed, tightening around our wrists.

I wanted to know what they all saw. But I understood the power in his actions.

He was showing the creatures under his rule who he bowed to.

Who hekneltto.

And that was the Queen of Nyx.

Tome.

“I offer myself to you, Queen of Nyx,” he continued, voice darkening, eyes turning black. “I offer my body as your shield. My power as your own. I pledge not only my loyalty to you, but I promise you my eternal soul. I am yours.”

I inhaled sharply through my nose. Every word of his had been even. Clear. The denizens of his kingdom understood the gravity of them. There were hushed whispers. More gasps. A shuffle of surprise as the weight of his declaration settled upon us. My mates each had their own thoughts on his speech. Which I had to shove back, because if I focused too much on what they were thinking, then anxiety would take over.

Damon’s eyes bored into mine as he took my other hand. He turned my palm up so it faced the ceiling, keeping his hand beneath mine, holding it between us. I watched as a dark spot appeared in the centre of my palm.

“My soul is yours, my Queen,” he murmured, closing my hand into a fist around the new mark. “And should I fail you, it will remain yours for eternity.”

30

Ivy

Iliterally had the soul of the demon king in my hand.

His real soul.

My eyes widened and met his. But he didn’t give me a chance to refuse. “With this deal, we tie our lives together,” he said, voice booming once more. Like he hadn’t just placed his actual soulin the palm of my hand. “I become your loyal husband, and you become my precious wife.”

As soon as the wordwifeleft his lips, the bind around my thigh burned, and the snake tying our wrists changed. My lips parted as it went from dark, shadowy tendrils to a dark pink, almost red colour, fadinginto my skin and no longer moving. The mark did the same to him, like a burn, settling against his tanned flesh.

“We are one,” he finished, rising to his feet. He dipped his head, like he intended to kiss me. I held my breath as his forehead brushed against mine. I felt the desire from my mates to stop whatever he was doing, but they held themselves back. “A bond only you can break, wife.”

I swallowed hard. “Then make sure you don’t disappoint me.”

A wide smile unfurled across his lips, but he pulled back, turning to address the creatures watching us. Damon kept our hands joined, the ones linked with the snake tattoo, but I held my closed fist at my side.

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