Page 92 of Surrendering Hope (The Hope Legacy)

“Yes,” Zac grits out.

“It’s kind of like an engagement,” Emi says, still not looking at me.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

She tries and fails to blank her expression as she turns to me. “It’s a placeholder until you have the time to complete the ritual at home.”

“Ritual?” I imagine weddings, Greek god style. Don’t they already walk around in long flowing white gowns? Zac would most likely be his best man, and would murder me before we got the chance to say ‘I do’.

Emi chuckles whilst tucking her hair behind her ears. “Similar to what you did here.”

I frown. “What?”

Jed jumps up from the couch. “Babe, you and I are as good as siblings. You two getting your freak on upstairs whilst uttering sweet nothings is a binding promise, if you do that back home you are married.”

“And we don’t believe in divorce,” Barney throws in.

“What did you do if the relationship broke down?”

“Affairs were common, so was murder.”

I swallow a lump. “So because this wasn’t done in the other realm, we haven’t committed?”

Jed shakes his head. “Wrong again, babe. The universe is now waiting for you to make it official. There isn’t a male alive who won’t know you aren’t spoken for. If they come on to you with any amount of seriousness, the universe will divert their attention elsewhere.”

“But the good news is, he didn’t draw blood, so Archan won’t feel it,” Nathan says.

Zac barks out a laugh, snatches my jacket, pulls my shoulder free and exposes the bite. “Pretty sure that was done during the ritual.”

“You offered for me to be your bridesmaid,” Nathan mutters.

Emi pales. Awesome, Justice is worried for me. “I didn’t draw his blood if that helps?” Did I? My mind flashes to the bath, the utter torture of pleasure he had me balancing on. I bite my lip. It got a bit wild, I might have scratched his back?

“Is that why he wouldn’t heal it?” I ask.

She glances at the bite as I shrug my jacket on. “If it’s a claiming mark, yes. The longer it’s on your skin, the stronger the claim.”

I run a hand over my face. “We can sort this out after we have averted the end of the world.”

“Don’t Fear the Reaper” jingles from Duncan.

“Is that my phone?” I ask.

He nods, drawing it from his pocket. “You dropped it in the temple before Ty and Lawrence disappeared with you.”

He hands it to me, Ant’s name flashing along with the devil emoji. “You gave him his own theme tune?”

I shrug. “Seemed appropriate.”

“But you only give theme tunes to your friends,” Aaden says, frowning.

I glance at Zac. “Wrong, I give them to friends and idiots who I need to be in regular contact with.”

Zac rolls his eyes. “Aren’t you going to answer it?”

I press decline and shove the phone in my jacket pocket. “I’ll speak to him later.” I don’t want the prying ears of god’s intent on making me the villain of this story.

“What’s mine?” Jed asks with enthusiasm.

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