Page 80 of Of Vows and War: Special Edition
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For a while, I let the sobs overtake me. Every memory of Wrath seemed to circle my mind and attack my last bit of hope. I thought of Bellamy. Of faith and family andlove.Was it truly real? I pinched and slapped my skin, pulled my hair, held my breath. Anything I could think of that would prove that I was really in Pike. That I had gotten out and Bellamy was nearby.
My head snapped up, the closed door calling to me as if something had locked into place.
Before I could so much as second guess myself or this reality, I dried my tears and leapt to my feet. I passed the slightly cracked mirror, realizing I wore a black pair of Bellamy’s cotton trousers and one of his black tunics. Not a pretty sight, but I did not care how much of a mess I looked. Within seconds I was at the door, ripping it open and dashing out into the hall. Trying to think of where Ranbir would have taken Bellamy, I let my thoughts wander and search. Maybe the training yard. A chance for him to work through the anger he was suffering from.
Bounding through the halls and down the stairs, I dodged beings left and right, causing many to begin whispering. Ray caught my eye at the bottom of the final set of stairs, her face in a notebook as she scribbled. I could have cried at the sight of her mousy brown hair, soft russet skin, and fiercely sculpted jaw. She looked so much like her brother that it nearly hurt.
She was real. They were real. It was real.
I knew what was real.
“Ray!” I shouted, causing her to jump back in surprise. When she looked up at me, her eyes went wide. My body connected with hers, wrapping her in a fierce hug.
“Princess Asher? You should not be out of bed. Our schedule does not have Ranbir clearing you for at least another day.” Laughter escaped me in uncontrollable jolts, hysteria the icing upon the cake of my insanity.
“Seeing you is so lovely. I need Bell, though. Where is he?” How long had it been since I saw him? An hour maybe? He would not leave Pike. Not without me.
My grip on Ray’s shoulders left her wincing, and I quickly withdrew my hold to instead stare into her eyes. I could take it from her, that would be faster. But before I could do something rash, his beautiful voice tickled my ears.
“Ash! Are you okay? I heard you were running. Please, I promise not to hurt you, just stay still and I will get Ranbir again.” Bellamy had his hands out, palms facing me and blue eyes crinkled in desperation. He was so extraordinarily beautiful, something I had not let myself notice earlier. His dark waves were a mess atop his head, his freckles like constellations on his cheeks. His full lips were a deep pink, his icy blue eyes bloodshot. Dark circles bruised the skin beneath his eyes and his cheekbones were more prominent than they should have been. Still, he was ethereal. Perfection in living form.
He was mine.
I closed the distance, binding him with my arms and breathing in the smoke and cinnamon scent of him—basking in the sunshine of his mind just as I had on that battlefield.
“I am so sorry for everything. I should have never forced you to stay away. I should have fought harder. I should have loved you the way you deserved.” The words flowed from my mouth like a rushing river. Bellamy gasped, wrapping me up tightly in an embrace. “I love you. I have never stopped loving you. Evenwhen the world was upside down and Eternity seemed on the brink of collapse, I loved you, Bell.”
“My beautiful creature, I always knew that. I never questioned your love for me. There are no words for how much I love you. Please, let me take you upstairs to rest.” His voice shook with the emotions building within him, as if his body could not hold them all. But I would not be deterred.
“No, you need to understand. I am so, so sorry. You are real and you are here and you are everything I could have ever dreamed of. I would give up food and water and air for this—for you. I would let the entire world burn for us. Marry me, Bell. Marry me and be with me forever. Be my king, be my friend, be my husband,” I begged. It was a shitty proposal, but it was all I had.
“Asher,” he breathed my name, a tear hitting my shoulder where his chin rested. “I have loved you since the moment I saw you in Reader River. My heart was made to be yours. Every day before your introductory ball was just a prelude to my life. You are the beginning, the end, and every moment in between.”
He released me slowly, backing his face from mine when my feet touched the ground. Nerves skyrocketed within me, an old fear surfacing: rejection. I shook as he placed either hand on the sides of my face, the fire in his veins heating my cold skin. And then, with soldiers all around us, Bellamy bent down on one knee.
A cry slipped between my lips as his fingers traveled from my cheeks down to my hands, gripping them tightly and then releasing them. I watched with disbelief as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a shining ring. The band was gold, thin where it would sit on the back of my finger but curved into the shape of small petals around tiny black diamonds near the center stone. Three of the flowers sat to the left and right of the center stone, grouped together like a triangle. In the middle wasa large moonstone, nearly clear. A star in the night sky. I had never seen anything quite so beautiful.
It was gold, but I thought then that maybe it had to be.
“Asher Daniox, there is nothing in this world that I would not give, sacrifice, or destroy for you. You are the breath in my lungs and the beat of my heart. Be mine. Marry me.” His dimples poked out as he said the word “mine.”
“I am no one’s but yours, demon,” I whispered between what could only be described as a sobbing laugh. With that, I shoved my hand towards his, smiling openly as he slipped the ring onto my finger. Then I oh-so-gracefully tackled him. He let out a bark of laughter as he slammed into the ground, which I silenced with my lips as I straddled him, consuming the beautiful sound.
He was real.
Wewere real.
Applause echoed across the open entrance of Pike, demons, mortals, and fae all cheering. Bellamy swiped his tongue across my lower lip and then bit down, the tantalizing pain distracting me as his stolen Moon magic portaled us through time and space. To his—ourbed.
IV
Act IV
Peace and War
Chapter Thirty-Five
