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I don’t know if ‘the next life’ will be in Hell again, or if I’ll go elsewhere. I’d like to think that Az’s Heavenly Father wouldn’t condemn me to an afterlife of torture just for marrying a demon Prince, but at the same time I’d hate to spend forever separated from Az, existing in a whole other dimension that He can’t access.
“In lieu of rings, the couple has chosen to exchange crowns.” Matt gestures to little Ben and Geiger, our crown bearers. Ben hands me Az’s Crown, and Geiger—Cherry’s other kid—hands Az mine.
My crown is the same one that manifested when I transformed in Leviathan’s tower, except I see now that Az had the thorns gilded at some point before the ceremony. I took His old iron crown, the one He used to wear when He gave a shit about that stuff, to give back to Him. We don’t plan on wearing them formally while we reign, but they seemed more fitting than rings.
“Asmodeus, repeat after me: With this crown, I thee wed.”
I gotta give Matt props. He’s not only rolling with our weird changes to a normal ceremony, but he’s taking it all seriously. He isn’t joking or giving us strange looks—just acting like this is totally normal. Y’know, wedding in Hell, demon Prince for a groom, the usual.
Az’s voice shakes a bit as He repeats Matt’s words. His hands have a bit of a tremor, too, when He places the crown on my head. It’s kind of adorable to see Him so nervous.
Matt turns to me. “Callie, repeat after me: With this crown, I thee wed.”
I lift Az’s spiky iron Crown, standing on my tiptoes to place it. I’m tall for a human woman, but Az is even taller in this form. To accommodate, He kneels before me. Phones click and flash as Rick and Billy take photos of the moment. Weird how the sounds didn’t register until now. They’ve probably been taking pictures the whole time, but my brain had shut out everything that wasn’t part of the ceremony.
Az stands again once I’ve got the crown on Him, and we both turn to Matt.
This is it. This is the big moment.
“I now pronounce You Prince and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
And boy howdy, does He! Az lifts me by the waist and plants the most amazing, toe-curling kiss on my lips. I wrap my legs around His hips and my arms around His neck, diving in with everything I have. Hoots and whistles follow, and red and black glitter rains down on us, tossed by our friends.
We move on to the reception, which is also held in Az’s home Domain, with a long iron table laden with all kinds of food. Human food, not cooked demons. I’ve had enough of that to last a lifetime, but Az has already promised to hook us up with a paranormal DoorDash for my meals. He’s still pissed at His Brother for forcing me to watch my food get slaughtered in front of me, and He has mentioned no less than ten times that He wishes He could kill Leviathan all over again for it.
Az scoots our chairs closer together so He can keep a hand on me while we eat. The rest of the night, actually, He stays achingly close, always with His hand on my back or shoulder or holding mine. When we have our first dance together, He presses close enough that I can feel His cock against my rounded belly.
Gods, will this reception ever end? I’m jonesing for my husband, and even though I love our friends and family, it’s all I can do not to take Az’s hand and yank Him to our room for the night.
Finally, late into the night, Holden whispers something to Cherry, and the next thing I know they’re shooing people away, insisting that everyone has jobs and families to get back to. It’s a little embarrassing because I’m fairly certain the wolves can smell my arousal, but hey, whatever gets the job done, I guess.
Lena’s the last to leave, her boyfriends having taken the kids back already. She holds my hands like it’s our last time seeing each other, which is silly; she knows I can plane shift back to Earth anytime I want, and she knows how to get to Hell if she needs me.
Tears fill her eyes, and she’s sniffling. It breaks my heart to see my rough, tough sister so vulnerable.
“You’d better come to the kids’ birthday parties,” she says, wiping her nose on her arm. “Fuck! Here I am, planningparties. Forkids. What the fuck happened to me?”
I chuckle and conjure her a handkerchief. “Here. Don’t wipe your snot on your arm, doofus.”
Lena laughs and takes it, blowing her nose so hard it sounds like a foghorn. “Shit. You’re turning me into a softie, Cal, and the sad thing is, I think I’m starting to like it. Parties, weddings … fuck. Next thing you know, I’ll be going full Stepford.”
“Nonsense. You’re no more a Stepford wife than I am. You’re more a punk rock wife. With four boyfriends and kick-ass powers. I doubt that a few parties are gonna soften you that much.”
She cracks a crooked grin. “Maybe I’ll be the next to get married.”
“Are you kidding? I had my back turned, but Az told me how Molli went absolutely feral to get that bouquet! You’d have to race to beat her to the altar. My guess is we’ll be having a fae wedding here in a few months.”
Lena’s eyes sparkle as she gives me an expression of mock horror. “Oh no! That means I’ll have to wear flowers and shit!”
We break into a fit of giggles and embrace each other in a crushing hug. Then, once we finally let each other go, Lena turns and strides off towards Nowhere’s own little entrance to Hell. She has the power to plane shift if she wants to, but I reckon maybe she needs some time to herself to think. The walk will do her good.
With everyone gone, I turn to Az and give Him my best hungry glare. “Ready for therealwedding night festivities, baby?”
He growls low in His throat and scoops me into His arms. “I thought you’d never ask.”
He turns and carries me to Our room behind the throne, slamming the door behind Us.
Chapter 30
