Page 49 of Vows of Ruin

Everyone’s here. Riot, Torque, Wrecker, Elias, Doc. Even Hugo, sitting alert but calm, like he knows this moment matters.

Candles are everywhere, lining the garden, circling the base of the tree, flickering with golden firelight. They cast shadows that dance around us, but none of it matters except him.

Max leans in as we walk toward the oak, “You deserve this,” he says. “And he wanted to give it to you.”

My throat tightens. “So… I’ll be married to both of you?”

“In every way that matters,” he says softly. “Forever.”

He kisses my cheek again, and this time he doesn’t let go of my hand. I can’t stop the smile that curls my lips. When I look ahead again, Liam’s smile is already waiting. It’s quiet, genuine, and full of something so raw it makes my heart ache.

Love.

The kind you only feel once in a lifetime. And somehow, impossibly, that I get to feel it twice.

Max’s hand squeezes mine as we reach the base of the tree, the soft glow of sunset casting molten light across the grass. The black flowers in my hand tremble slightly, either from the breeze or from my nerves, I’m not sure which. Liams stands at the center of the clearing, framed by candlelight and shadows, his dark suit cuts sharply against the fading light. A storm wrapped in silk.

Max steps forward and places my hand into Liam’s, then moves to stand beside him.

I look up at them both, my devils, my anchors, my ruin, and for the first time in what feels like forever, there’s no panic clawing at the edges of my chest. Just peace. Just fire. Just them.

I blink back the tears stinging my eyes and say with a laugh. “This is one hell of a surprise. I don’t even know what to say.”

Liam’s hand tightens around mine, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “You don’t have to say anything.” He murmurs. “Just say yes.”

I do. I say it with my whole chest, my whole fucking soul. “Yes.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Reaper

The moment the word leaves her lips, I feel something shift in my chest, like a lock finally sliding open after years of pressure against the door. Wrenley Blackwood just said yes. To me.

I glance at Max. He meets my gaze, no hesitation, no doubt, just a small nod, quiet and solid. He’s been the one to push us together, to explore this thing between the three of us. Right now, I need this. She needs this.

I take a breath, look back at her, and the world narrows to just her eyes, glistening with unshed tears and starlight.

“I’ve been in love with you since the day I saw you point a gun at Riot,” I say, my voice steady but low. “To protect that overgrown carpet gremlin.”

Laughter ripples through everyone, light and easy.

“Rude,” Riot mutters under his breath, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Hugo barks once like he agrees, and the laughter grows.

Wrenley laughs too, even as tears slip down her cheeks. God, she’s beautiful.

“I knew then,” I continue, “That you were fire. Not the kind that burns quickly and dies, but the kind that survives. That refuses to be put out. I’ve never loved anyone like this before.”

Her eyes lock with mine, her smile trembling.

“You brought light into my life… warmth I never had. Every moment with you feels like a dream, a beautiful escape from the chaos we breathe every day. You’re my haven, my greatest adventure, and my deepest love. I can’t fathom my life without you now and I don’t ever want to.”

She’s crying, but not the falling-apart kind. The kind that says she knows.

“You’ve become the center of my universe, the reason for my smile… the beat of my own damn heart. I love you more than words can express, more than actions can show. You are my everything, Little Warrior.”

I pause long enough to breathe her in, then shift closer as I recite what matters most.