Page 154 of Ruthless Scoundrel
She pulls me in and embraces me even tighter than before. “I love you,” she whispers.
My eyes and nose burn. It’s hard to talk, to swallow, but I croak out anyway, “I love you, too.”
She kisses my cheek and then pulls away. “Good night.”
“Night,” I whisper, waving her off.
Jasper appears at the end of the hall and his eyes light up when they land on me. He passes Alyse with a dip of his head and a quick “Princess” as he hurries toward me.
Giddy excitement swells up in me and I jump into his arms as he reaches the door. He hugs me hard and kisses my neck as he breathes me in. He cups my ass and pulls my legs around his waist, then steps us back into the room.
“Ready for bed, my love?” he asks, closing the door behind us.
Suddenly, the weight of weeks of travel, the pain of the new runes on my chest and arms, and all the things that lay before us hits me. My eyes droop without my consent and I nod.
Jasper holds me close as he walks to the lamp on the desk and pulls the magic from the magus crystal, dimming it low. He drags back the sheets on the bed and climbs in, clothes and all, and lays us down on the soft pillows.
It’s extravagant compared to what we’ve been living with the last months, and despite my desire to stay awake and kiss my fiancé, oblivion claims me first.
The door bangs open, and I scream as I sit up in bed. Two Spiders march into the room with rigid postures and fear compels me to reach for my power…
But it’s stuck just under my skin.
I look down and find copper binds on my wrists.
Jasper is gone.
The Spiders grab me under the arms and haul me out of bed. I kick and scream and fight, begging to wake up, praying that it’s just a dream.
But it’s not a dream.
The queen has come for me again.
Chapter forty-seven
Jasper
“She’s going to hate you, you know,” Scarlett says beside me at the altar.
“I know,” I say, unable to stop the smile from creeping onto my lips. “It’s sort of our thing. Hating each other.”
She titters. “That’s fun.”
I look out over the sea of black punctuated by a few bits of color here and there. Scarlett and Zane brought in most of their soldiers for this, partially for protection, but mostly because it’s common for humans to have a large attendance at their wedding. Selkie bondings are acknowledged after the fact with a hunt and a feast, but since I’ve been removed from my own culture for so long, the human ritual will serve just fine for me—if it’s what makes Reina happy.
And by happy I mean ready to murder me.
There’s still a chill in the air though the sun rose nearly an hour ago. Orange, red, and golden leaves shiver on the treesaround us as the breeze picks up. It smells of dirt and decay, not a familiar scent, but very pleasant.
I hope she loves this.
I hope she doesn’t escape…
A distant scream, savage and unhinged, lights up my body.
“Here comes the bride, all dressed in blood,” Scarlett says in a singsong voice.
A banner is strung across the two trees that serve as the entrance to the ceremony area. A long, blue carpet rolls out from me to the edge of those trees, looking like a river. At the end wait Lily and Alyse, ready to pounce the moment she appears.
