My fingers trembled in hers.Yeah. That was weird.
Ava and I remained silent as the music stopped, but one thing became very clear. Even though we weren’t prepared for this, and we certainly weren’t ready, we couldn’t resist our bond. Our magicwantedthis. It longed for this day since the moment we met— and it was here sooner than anyone could’ve anticipated.
“Dearly beloved,” Hemlock said, her voice projecting across the chapel. “We are gathered here today to join Charlie Wahkin and Ava-Marie Mitoh in holy matrimony. Have the two of you prepared your vows?”
“Uh… um,” I stammered. I didn’t even know what to say. Ava and I weren’t getting married because we werein love. We were marrying each other out of obligation. How could I tell her how I truly felt if I couldn’t tell her I loved her?
“Yes, we have vows,” Ava answered. She squeezed my hands, obviously noticing my unease. “I can go first.”
“Very well,” Hemlock said.
Ava drew a deep breath. I heard a soft sound as she took one of the rings from Oberi’s horn and positioned it over my finger. “Charlie Wahkin, from the day I met you, I knew I would never stop hating you.”
“That’s romantic,” I said with a scowl.
“Hear me out,” she insisted. “IthoughtI knew how I felt about you, but then we were sentenced here, and things changed. I came to the Institute thinking I’d been sentenced to hell, but you’ve been by my side every day. What I thought was going to be hell turned out to be… something amazing. Incredible, even. This might not be the wedding of my dreams, but I’ve been unable to predict anything we’ve gone through since the moment we met. I’ve always been searching for adventure, but there’s been no adventure greater than the one I’ve lived with you. I promise you from now on, you will never be alone. And so, I vow to follow you on all future adventures, because being with my worst enemy is the greatest adventure of all.”
Ava slid the ring onto my finger. I didn’t know if she meant any of it, but damn, it’d felt so sincere. Kallie had said we had to play the part, and Ava played itvery well.
I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. “Hell, Pidge.”
Ava didn’t say she loved me. We weren’t ready for that yet, because if we did, this would become far too real. But somehow, in her own terms, shehadsaid it. How could I followthat?
Say what’s in your heart, Oberi encouraged. She nudged my shoulder with the tip of her velvety nose, and I took the ring from her horn. I held Ava’s hand and placed the ring on her finger.
I let out a wavered breath. “I hated you, too.”
Ava snorted, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I know. Shocker, right?” I chuckled. “I didn’t know I could despise someone more than I hated you. But that hate turned into passion, and that terrified me. You wanted adventure I couldn’t give, and I wanted security you couldn’t promise. But I’ve come to realize that there’s only one promise I truly need— and that’s my promise to you. Ava-Marie, I vow to serve you as your bonded partner from now until the day we die, no matter how long that might be. I vow to hate you with the same intensity as the day we met, because no matter what happens, no one can take that from us.”
I didn’t know if Ava had spoken the truth, but I meant every word I said. I cared about her. I always had, and I always would. Making a permanent vow to stand by her forever didn’t frighten me one bit, because it’s what my soul had decided when I’d given up my sight for her long ago.
I’d given her my eyes. I was more than happy to give her my life.
Hemlock waited a moment before asking, “Charlie Wahkin, do you take Ava-Marie Mitoh to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?”
I couldn’t believe I was going to say this. My hands shook in Ava’s as I answered with firm conviction. “I do.”
“And Ava-Marie Mitoh, do you take Charlie Wahkin to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?”
Ava paused. For a moment, I was terrified she was going to back out, and I felt unease flicker across our bond. A long moment passed in the chapel, and I heard a few people gasp to hold their breath.
Oh,shit. She wasn’t going to do it. I was going to be left at the altar.
Then my heart trembled as Ava cleared her throat and said, “I do.”
“Then by the power vested in me by the United Supernatural Union, I now pronounce you man and wife,” Hemlock announced. “You may now kiss the bride.”
We hesitated, and I felt Ava’s unease through our bond. She was a free woman. She didn’t want to get married. If she kissed me, it sealed the deal.
And yet Ava must’ve been willing to give that up for me. Otherwise, I’d be headed to the Underground right now.
Ava leaned into me, and I wrapped my arms around her waist. I hadn’t kissed Ava in months, and my heart hammered in anticipation. An awkward silence passed, and the tension in the air was palpable.
Then her lips connected with mine, and all that tension fell away. My heart hammered, and my head spun. Every moment we’d shared prior— every word, every touch— came rushing back. I was suddenly reminded about all the reasons why I loved her.
I couldn’t read Ava; she’d blocked me out. I didn’t know if she felt the undeniable passion surging between us, but I sure as hell did, and it was enough to make my head start spinning.
