Page 243 of A Realm of Shattered Lies

He shrugs. “One way in particular is coming to the forefront of my mind. But yes, all the ways.”

“Even in the way lychaen bind themselves to each other?” I tease.

Nox winces through his grin. “If that’s what you want, Blaise, then it’s yours.”

My heart fills with joy, and I chance a glance down at my finger, where a sole ruby ring glistens in the moonlight.

“It’s the color of blood,” I laugh.

Nox shrugs. “It’s all Bezzie had. I figured it would work, considering my mate has a macabre sense of humor.”

His mate.

The word makes my blood shiver.

“I don’t know. Becoming a wife might change her a bit.”

Nox holds my stare. “No one changes that much.”

I let out a laugh, and it’s the first time one has come freely from my chest in so very long.

“So what do you say?” he asks.

I simply grin.

CHAPTER 98

KIRAN

I wake to someone shaking my shoulders and a rather excited voice chattering my name.

“Kiran. Kiran, wake up.”

I groan, wiping the sleep from my eyes. I’m fairly certain I only just fell asleep, but my muscles tense all the same.

Something’s wrong.

I jolt to my feet, but when my eyes focus on Blaise, the female is practically glowing.

“Oh, don’t you look agitated?” she says. It doesn’t seem to occur to her she’s the reason for as much.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“What’s wrong is that Nox and I aren’t married yet.”

She’s right. Irritation swarms over me like a moth to the wick of a burning candle.

“You woke me up to tell me that?” I’m noticing now that Lydia and Fin are also grumpily wiping their eyes.

“No.” Blaise punches my shoulder lightly. “We woke you up so that you could marry us.”

I exchange a look with both my siblings, who appear equally confused and irritated. Who knew the three of us had so much in common?

“No offense, but I thought the two of you were already, I dunno, blood-married or something,” Fin says.

“We are,” says Nox, a glint in his eyes, “but Blaise would like to be unblood-married as well.”

“That seems unnecessary,” I grumble.

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