Page 10 of Blood & Lace
"Is the whole family corrupted pieces of shit?"
A shrug was all I could muster as we headed out to the sanctuary. We were criminals, so yeah. The moment we walked through the doors, and upon seeing my face, the small orchestra began to play music. I knew nothing about music but I'd had Emir help me with that. Just like Elia had assisted with getting the outfits together. Without the twins, I would have fumbledhard but I was willing to owe them favors just so Onyx had the best day of his life. I would have been happy with a wedding under a cardboard box, as long as it was to him.
We stepped down the aisle. My mom's eyes were wide but she smiled at me, unlike my dad. He looked warily at Onyx but didn't say anything as we stepped past them.
Finally, the day had come.
3
ONYX
Wasthis what people called karma? I had always thought it was such an idiotic concept; people didn't get what they deserved. Good or bad, we were all shoved out into the shit of the world, and the only way to balance the scales was to do it yourself.
Now, as I stood in front of a room full of people with a psycho clutching my hand in his huge paw, wrapped in a silky dress I might have admired under different circumstances, I was starting to think I was stupidly and completely wrong. There was certainly such a thing as karma, and I was staring it in the face.
I only take out the ones that deserve it. This can't really be my fate, can it?
My stomach rolled as Lucero started walking and tugged me along with him. I stumbled, my composure slipping as I looked around the room. There was no way this group of strangers was going to let me marry this man, right? After all, they didn't know me. I had a sneaking suspicion Luceroreallyknew me, but the rest of them were completely out of the loop. Or were they all clued in and I was the only one dazed and confused?
Keep it together, Onyx. Don't ever let anyone see you crack.
When the big idiot had picked me up in the park, my phone had dropped to the sidewalk and was quickly forgotten. Now, I wished I had it. Cara was my eyes in the sky, but fuck, even she could call the goddamn police! I swallowed thickly as the altar approached, my blood running cold at the sight of the priest.
No. Fuck no. This can't be happening. Did that asshole kill me the other night and this is hell? It has to be.
I dug my heels in. Lucero stopped, turned, and tilted his head at me. I could feel the sweat on my brow, feel the way my chest constricted. I hated weddings. Hated being married. All of it. I went through with it when it was necessary, but being here made my skin itch.
"I need to go to the bathroom," I said, my mouth entirely too dry.
"Now?" Lucero asked. "But we're almost there. Can it wait for five minutes? That's all I need."
I stared at him. "I'm going to puke."
He frowned and rubbed my back. "You're sick? Why didn't you tell me? I would have gotten you some medicine."
The feeling of his hand on me made me want to stab him in both eyes, rip them out, and eat them in front of his family. I gazed up at him, giving him the sweetest doe eyes that I could.
"Just five minutes. I swear. I don't want to make a scene," I whispered.
"So don't." The man with the gun earlier stood not far away from us. "Get it over with."
Get it over with?
I narrowed my eyes at him, and he glared right back. Like I was the problem! Shit, I was the one that had been kidnapped, stuffed into a dress, and forced to walk down a goddamn aisle! Underneath my calm facade, I fumed. He was next on my list. The entire family was at this point.
"Stop making that face at him," Lucero growled. "We don't need help."
I do! I'll be good. I'll go to church again. Hey, I'll even pray. Are you listening, you big asshole? Can't you help me out just this once?
I was never big on God or religion, but right now I would do it if it meant I could get away from this pedo and his family. Speaking of, what the fuck did he want with me? Sure, I looked young, but notthatyoung. Why did he want me when his interests lied elsewhere? Was this a way to distract people from finding out the truth about him? My stomach turned all over again.
"Get moving," the man said to Lucero. "We don't have all day."
Lucero's face split into a wide, lopsided grin. He tugged and I went with him. What the hell else could I do? There had to be more of them, with more weapons, and I only had my knife on me. My hypodermic had been confiscated by this thug. Now I wished I had brought two. Hell, I wish I'd brought five because I was sure one would be a love bite to this moron.
"Ah, this is your fiancé, Onyx, right?" the priest asked.
My eyes darkened. "I'm not his anything. He just kidnapped me. Pretty sure I'll be shot if I say no."
