Page 70 of Merciless Sinner

I switch my gaze from him and look at my side of the family. I find Cillian first, sitting ahead in the front row along with a few other relatives I recognize from pictures Seamus showed me. But when we reach the middle of the hall, I feel a different set of eyes on me. Intense eyes of hatred.

They’re coming from Virgo’s side of the family on our left.

I’m not surprised when I look there and find his father staring at me with all the revulsion in the world. He’s looking at me as if I’m his enemy, and if he could, he wouldn’t just kill me; he’d grind my bones to powder and allow the wind to carry it out to sea. The dark blonde woman next to him is Virgo’s mother. She gives me the same evil look. Piper is next to her. She’s smiling at me, but I can tell she’s uncomfortable.

Seamus tugs on my arm, a silent notion to stay focused.

I look away from them and back to Virgo just before we reach him and Seamus hands me over to him.

Virgo takes my hand, and the next moments feel like time freezes and I’m watching everything as if I’m having an out-of-body experience.

Before I know it, we’re taking our vows. The rings are exchanged, then the priest pronounces us husband and wife.

“You may now kiss the bride,” he declares.

Virgo lowers his head to kiss me. When his lips touch mine, I’m taken away to that place where all I feel is him.

* * *

The moment night falls, Virgo comes to find me.

He cuts in, slipping his arm around my waist while I’m talking to five of my friends from high school. Amelia was helping us reconnect.

“Time to go home,wife,” Virgo whispers into my ear.

At the mention of that word—wife—and in that low sensual tenor that makes his Russian accent deeper and sexier, my nerves tingle. But not with anxiety. It’s with the same desire that’s been building all week.

I notice Amelia watching us, so I smile back at her and the other girls.

“See you all later. Thank you for coming,” I tell them.

“Go, have fun with your husband.” Amelia giggles.

Virgo barely waits for the rest of them to reply before he whisks me away keeping his arm around my waist.

About an hour ago, I noticed him watching me while he was talking with Dante and few business associates. The look in his eyes held the promise of soon.

I’ve had this part of the evening in my mind all day knowing we’d probably stay as long as we had to, then leave.

Honestly, I thought we would have left well before now, and I hoped we would.

Not because I’m eager to jump into bed with Virgo, but it was overwhelming to be around so many people who knew me when I don’t remember them.

Most of our family also left earlier.

Like his parents. They were the first to leave. No surprise there. They left as soon as the ceremony ended.

Cillian left after the ceremony, too, but he explained he had to head to England as a matter of urgency to check something out in regard to the investigation. He didn’t give me any more details than that, but of course I worried.

Seamus left an hour ago, along with Piper. I got to reconnect with her a little and meet her husband. Her presence softened the harsh vibe of tension that came with her parents and other members of the Antonov family.

Now we’ve reached this point of the evening, in what feels like a dark, twisted fairytale, about to cross another line. One Virgo is so eager to jump over, he’s walking at the speed of light.

When we reach the wide stone steps, I almost trip. It’s my heels. Normally, I’m wear pumps or mules.

Virgo steadies me.

“We don’t have to be in such a hurry.” I glance at him.

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