Page 8 of Blood & Lace
I stepped in front of him, shielding him from my brothers. It was Nash who stepped around me and groaned.
"You didn't," Nash said.
Onyx was surprisingly quiet; he stopped fighting the moment my brothers came out. I'd have to ask him why he stopped marking me when we were alone again.
"Is everyone here?"
Damian studied me. "You really going to go through with this? Mom is already freaking out in there. Dad had to clue her in just to get her to calm down. She's not too happy about you keeping secrets."
I nodded. There wasn't much I ever wanted. I had no real ambitions until I met Onyx. He'd gone by an alias back then but it only took money and time to find out the truth.
When it came to Mom, I couldn't let her know the moment Dad had. He'd tried talking me out of it along with my siblings.
"Are you okay?" I asked Onyx in a whisper.
"He looks fine, it's you who looks like you got hit by a car," Nash spat out.
I wasn't ever good at whispering. "Nope, these are all love marks."
He shook his head, his dirty blond hair falling forward before he shoved it back out of his face. "Lunatic."
Emir, one of the younger twins, appeared at my left. He glanced past me at Onyx and smiled at him. "Hi, you have no clue how much I've heard about you." He offered his hand.
"Don't touch," I growled, pulling Onyx back against me. My arms wrapped around his shoulders and midsection. I took the opportunity and breathed him in again. I dwarfed him with my size, nearly covering every inch of him.
Onyx still hadn't said anything, and I started to worry something happened since we got out of the car.
"Don't be selfish, he's joining the family. And I'm not into him anyway," Emir argued.
His twin sauntered over to us. "Don't argue, Emir. You know how he gets." Elia gave a cursory glance over at Onyx. "The outfit you wanted is in the back room. Better hurry it up, Mom and Dad are losing their shit." He grabbed his twin and they followed Nash back through the double doors.
Damian looked as if he wanted to say something, but instead, he turned too and followed behind our brothers.
"Sorry, they can all be a lot." I'd heard some of Damian's, Emir’s, and even Nash’s ex's say that. Even Prince, when he joined the family, had said our tight-knit group was overwhelming. He was now a part of the chaos, and I was certain, with time, Onyx would join in.
Or I could be selfish and keep him all to myself.
The thought was a constant one that looked favorable with every passing second I had Onyx in my company. I ushered us over to the door Elia had indicated and let it close behind us.There were two garment bags, one was bigger than the other, and I instantly knew the white one with Vera Wang logo.
"This one's yours." I unzipped mine, finding a tailored all black Armani suit waiting for me. I stripped out of my shirt and tossed it to the side. Pain flared over my back as wood splintered around me. I rolled my shoulders and turned to look at Onyx. He stared at the broken chair as if it had gravely insulted him.
"Save it for after our vows," I said, taking the chair out of his hand and tossing it to the side. "Get dressed, we're already late. No doubt the Father will have a few words to say to me later. I'll have to pay him a bit extra." I reached for the garment bag holding Onyx's outfit for the day. "I hope I got your measurements right."
"My what?" Onyx's head was tilted to the side, a look of pure confusion on his face.
He looked over to the bag, his mouth opening the moment he pulled the one of a kind dress out. One of the few good things that had come from waiting to have him was I got him a custom-made wedding dress. The top was sheer and adorned with Swarovski crystals. The bottom was thick tulle that gave off princess vibes. The dress was overall simple but elegant.
"How likely are chances I'll make it out of here alive after I kill you?" he asked seriously.
"No, I wouldn’t dare hurt you, and I won't let them either." Just the thought made me see red. The way my fingers curled in and the urge to punch something radiated over me.
Onyx waved me off. "With your entire family here, how likely?"
I shrugged. "They'd kill you before I drew in my last breath. I wouldn't be surprised if Nash isn't outside the door waiting." They were all protective like that. "But don't worry, I won't let anyone touch you."
"That's not reassuring." He stared at the dress. "And if I say no to this?"
A pang rang out in the middle of my chest, making it feel hollow. "I'm fine with dating, but I can't promise my family won't get in the way."
