Page 143 of The Edge of Darkness

I smiled underneath my hood.

As if Niall could see it, he beamed even more, his eyes igniting with a rim of gold. I focused on the glow of them, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. My own heart was pounding. So much so, that I thought I’d start glowing at any moment.

The bottom of the steps came quicker than I expected, and my cloak swirled around me as I came to a stop aside Remic. The basins of fire pulsed, sending flames higher into the air, acknowledging our presence.

Niall stepped toward us, his smile widening as he regarded me up close.

Remic slipped his arm from mine, and I raised both hands to my hood. With a deep breath, I pushed the fabric back. Firelight drenched my face, and a hush fell over the entire room.

The low, wispy bun at the nape of my neck gave the audience a clear view of my rounded ears. I felt each of their stares, but I cared nothing of it. My eyes locked onto Niall’s, and the crowd fell by the wayside.

I waited, giving the intensity of the moment some time to settle, before I reached up and unclasped the cloak from where it was fastened at my neck. Remic took the garment by the shoulders, guiding it off my body as I slipped my arms free of the oversized sleeves.

Niall’s gaze drifted down, roaming with such a heavy, heated edge to it that chills skittered along my spine. He paused on the tendrils of shadowfire that were stitched into the upper overlay of the gown, and upon realizing what it was—what it represented—his eyes shot back to mine. His brows pinched with such a deep expression of awe, one would have thought I’d physically pulled my own heart from my chest and handed it to him for safekeeping.

His lips parted, and the next instant, he reached out and snagged me by the waist, pulling me into his body, past the threshold of the basins of flame. He crushed his lips to mine without a care in the world, forgetting that we weren’t supposed to kiss until the end of the ceremony. His other hand cradled the back of my head, so delicately, yet with a strength that had me weak at the knees.

I kissed him back.

Thoroughly.

Spectators be damned.

I briefly heard a few sentiments of awe echo through the temple, but it was the gentle clearing of someone’s throat that got my attention. I brought the kiss to a halt, pulling away and peering around Niall to find The Adorner standing in wait, brows hiked, with a sheepish grin on his face. He inclined his head toward the altar that stood between him and us, signaling for us to take our places.

I pressed my lips together, feeling a blush creep across my face while Niall continued gazing at me.

“We’ll get there when we get there,” he said. “Right now, I just want to look at you.”

He took my hand and spun me around, slowly, deliberately, admiring every inch of me and my dark gown, and allowing the rest of the room to do the same. “Gods,” he said under his breath, “I can’t wait to make you mine.”

I let out a quiet laugh as he pulled me back in and turned to face the center of the room. Hand in hand, we approached The Adorner.

The chamber buzzed with amusement as we took our places at the altar, then they quickly quieted, until the only sound that could be heard was the gentle roar from the twelve fire basins surrounding us.

“Citizens of Calledan,” Syros began, “it is my greatest honor to gather with you today as we bear witness to the binding of your High Lord, to Lady Auren Everton, of Belthria.”

Voices rose once more as guests conversed amongst themselves.

I knew what they were saying.

She’s human!

How is this possible?

Syros lifted a single hand to calm the crowd, but Niall took it upon himself to ease everyone’s concerns. He turned in place, speaking to the entire temple. “I know that you are all wondering how a human has come to be in our midst. But more importantly, how is it that she and I have come to be bound together?” He scanned the audience, pausing as a grin tugged at the corner of his lips. “It’s quite simple actually. She is my mate.”

More gasps filled the room.

“And she is the chosen one.”

While the majority of the guests held their tongue—undoubtedly still unsure of how they felt about this—a select few spoke up at that declaration.

“That is heresy!” a male shouted.

“A human cannot be the one to fulfill the prophecy,” said another.

“How is she even on this side of The Veil?” a female called out.