Page 152 of Queen of the Crimson Throne

“We are newlyweds, it comes with the territory after all.” She placed a quick peck on my cheek before moving from the bed. She let the sheet fall to the floor as she waltzed towards the bathing chamber. I watched the perfect swells of her ass as she swayed her hips. Her long hair flowed down her bare back in a tangle of waves. Goddess, she was stunning.

She stopped at the entrance to the bathing chamber, placing her hand on the door frame as she looked over her shoulder at me.

“You coming?”

I had made a point to avoid temples since my mother’s funeral.

Why it is that they are places where we celebrate new beginnings and also mourn the ones we’ve lost?

The temple at the center of Alethens was similar to the one in Cel Nox, temples were fairly uniform across all courts. They all had rows of bench seats that led to an altar at the front—used to worship and give thanks to the Goddess and the Stars.

At the center of every temple, there was a scene depicting the Goddess. At the Star Court temple, a portrait of the Goddess creating the first High Fae was etched into the stone. The Fae was kneeling in front of Astria as she held the Fae’s face in her hand, her fingers brushing her newly pointed ears. The one in the Blood Court wasn’t as flattering towards the Goddess—not that it depicted her in a negative way, but it was a simple portrait of Astria etched into the red stone.

The room quieted around me, a sign the ceremony was about to begin. The rest of the guests filtered in and found theirseats. The temple was packed full. Several crowns glimmered in the front rows as their heads turned towards the temple entrance.

Nothing would ever compare to how Lennox looked last night, but nonetheless, she was still breathtaking.

The gown was a stark difference from last night—gone was the dark glimmering gown of moonlight in favor of colors typical of the Star Court. The gown was sleeveless, leaving Lennox’s chest exposed with no adornments. The bodice was fitted at the top and was a dark blue that disappeared as the gown flowed, ending in a white as pure as snow. Flecks of gold were scattered throughout the gown, tying in the Star Court’s signature color.

Lennox’s hair was pulled back and gold gems that resembled water droplets adorned her ears. It was simple and elegant.

I let my gaze drop to her hand, where her marriage mark was hidden. The mark that marked her as mine.

There were murmurs around me, but I couldn’t hear them. All of my attention was focused on the female walking towards me.

On Lennox.

On my wife.

59

LENNOX

When Luka looked at me it made everyone else fade away. There were hundreds of people in this temple, but all I saw was him. When I finally made it to the dais he took my hands in his, leading me up the stairs towards the priestess standing at the center, clothed in her golden robes.

Marriages didn’t require someone to guide a couple through a ceremony, but in public ceremonies like this, it was common for someone to narrate the ceremony, typically a priestess. I looked at Luka as the priestess addressed the crowd. I couldn’t help but notice how different this was from our ceremony last night. All these people dragged here to witness us say a few words to one another—and to make matters worse, we were already married.

Not that anyone would ever know. Luce had placed a glamor over the mark on our hands and would release it at the right moment to make it convincing that we were receiving them during the ceremony.

I turned my attention back towards the priestess as she finally stopped talking. She reached for the goblet behind her and held it between us in her hands.

“By sharing this wine you are both agreeing to bind your lives to one another,” she declared.

She handed the goblet to Luka first. He sipped from the glass, smirking at me over the rim. “I bind myself to you, Lennox Adair.” He passed the goblet to me.

I sipped from the glass and repeated the words, “I bind myself to you, Luka Rossi.”

I handed the glass back to the priestess, and she continued talking, something about the sanctity of marriage.

“And now for the exchanging of blood, as is customary in the Blood Court.” The priestess handed a dagger to Luka, her face paling slightly.

The dagger was ornate and I wondered if it had ever been used before, the pommel and blade were gold with raised swirls and whirls adorning it. Even if it was decorative, it was sharp, the steel cut across mine and Luka’s palms easily as we repeated the same steps we had last night. When we intertwined our bloodied hands the priestess spoke again.

“All of Lethenia!” she exclaimed as she raised her arms dramatically in the air. “I introduce to you the newly bonded couple in marriage, High Queen Lennox Adair and Prince Luka Rossi!”

Luka took a step towards me, the cheering from the crowd faded into the distance as he kissed me, brushing his lips lightly over my lips before devouring me entirely. His hand at the back of my neck pulled me closer, deepening the kiss as I melded my body to his.

I felt Luce’s magic wash over me as Luka’s tongue slipped into my mouth. I pulled him closer as my tongue stroked against his.

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