Applause filled the chapel, and our friends screamed so loud that my ears rang.
Ava clung to me as she whispered, “I hate you so much.”
“I hateyouso fucking much,” I replied breathlessly. I could feel her emotions now, as she’d opened back up again. She wasso relieved.
“Get a room!” Chancey shouted.
“You have to sign the paperwork before it’s official,” Hemlock reminded us.
“Now. Let’s sign it now,” Ava insisted.
She grabbed my hand and led me over to a table. Papers rustled as Hemlock set the papers between us. Hemlock placed a pen in my hand.
“Right here,” Ava said, guiding my hand to the signature line. I scribbled down my signature, then handed the pen to Ava.
“Kallie, Marcus!” Ava said in a rush. “We need witnesses. Sign, hurry.”
Kallie and Marcus were at our side in an instant. They each signed their names, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“It’s done,” Hemlock announced. “In the eyes of the United Supernatural Union, you are officially married—”
The doors of the chapel burst open, and Ava went rigid. My heart turned to stone in my chest. I didn’t have to question who had just arrived.
“There he is! Get him!” The Warden’s voice boomed across the chapel.
The guards’ footsteps started up the aisle. A weight grew heavy in my chest and settled in my throat. They’d finally come for me.
Hemlock stepped in front of me, like she was willing to take a bullet for us. “Excuse me, Ophio. What exactly is going on?”
The Warden spoke smugly. “Charlie Wahkin is a liar and a criminal.”
Hemlock scoffed. “Of course he is. Why else do you think he’s at the Institute?”
“He’s anElf!” The Warden sneered.
“I fail to see how that makes him a liar,” Hemlock said coolly. “Until a year ago, Mister Wahkin wasn’t even aware magic existed. He grew up in the human foster care system, did he not? It’s reasonable to assume he’s unfamiliar with his lineage.”
The Warden snarled, “I don’t have to explain myself to you. I’m taking Wahkin.”
“No you’re not,” Ava said proudly.
“Excuse me?!” The Warden boomed.
Our marriage license rustled as Ava grabbed it. She stomped forward and smacked the papers against the Warden’s chest. He let out a low grunt.
“Charlie and I are married, which makes him the son-in-law of a Hawkei chief,” Ava sneered. “You can’t legally split us up, so if you’re going to take him, you’ll have to takeme, too. But you don’t want to incite a war just yet, do you? No… that would be too messy.”
The following stunned silence was satisfying as hell. I could almost feel the Warden’s disbelief radiating off him from here.
“I was fucking right. You can’t touch him,” Ava said smugly.
“This is a fraudulent marriage!” a woman screamed. I didn’t realize someone else had entered the room with the Warden, but she soundedpissed.
“Jaymin, please.” Hemlock sighed. “To the contrary, this marriage is entirely valid. I officiated it myself.”
“Under Union law, inmates of the Darke Institute for Supernatural Offenders must undergo a psychological eval before getting married,” Jaymin seethed. “I performed no such evaluation.”
“You’re not the only qualified individual to do so,” Hemlock snapped.
