Page 55 of Shift of Morals
“Wait, there are legit Ladies? Like female Lords?”
Rowan grinned. “There are. Though there are none in the U.S.”
I scoffed. “Of course there aren’t.”
“Anyhow,” he drawled after my interruption, “the old magic blesses their union. It’s an ancient ceremony, one of our most sacred traditions.”
“Does it always bless the couple?”
Caelan’s eyes flickered, though he held his tongue.
Rowan sobered. “There have only been two times in our histories where the union has not been blessed.”
“What does it mean when the couple doesn’t receive a blessing?” I had to ask Hazel about this ceremony. What in the world was I getting myself into?
Caelan spoke this time. “Usually, one or both parties stops the ceremony.”
My lips parted. “Even if they love each other?”
Sadness touched Rowan’s handsome face, and I wondered who’d broken the tender Lord’s heart. “Love doesn’t make a union work. The gods’ blessing is a precursor of what’s to come.”
I rubbed my hand over my face. “Why have I never heard of this?”
“It’s not normal in regular ceremonies, even for other paranormals. If you’ve never attended once either, it makes sense you’ve never heard of it.”
“Does every Lord hold this ceremony?”
Rowan’s quick glance had my stomach tightening. “No. Several Lords have chosen to forgo the bonding ceremony.”
“If the Lords want a marriage to happen and there is no blessing, what happens then?”
Rowan’s eyes sparkled with an emotion I couldn’t identify. “Then the Lord has an out, if you will.”
I leaned back in my chair and studied both Lords who were projecting such an air of innocence I was immediately suspicious. Realization struck me like a truck a few seconds later. “Oh,” I breathed. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Lord.”
Caelan’s eyes glittered. “No games, Evie. The ceremony is sacred, and Gianna believes she is destined to be my bride.” He tilted his glass up in a small salute. “We shall let the gods decide.”
After that, there wasn’t much more to say. I gathered the box up, leaving the last arrangement for Rowan when he asked if he could have it.
“I’ll see you out,” Caelan said.
My lips tightened. “No shenanigans.”
“I make no promises.”
Rowan’s soft laugh made me shake my head. “Fine. But I need to get home. I have a house guest.”
A question had been nagging at me for days now. I waited until we were almost at the door before I stopped, lowering my voice until it was barely a whisper. “Do you even like Gianna?”
Caelan stiffened. “Does it matter?”
I blinked. “I would think so. Hoping the gods will shun your bride on your wedding day is insane. What are you going to do if they bless your union with rainbows and butterflies?”
Caelan’s stare was so intense my breath caught. “I’ve never been a man of unshakeable faith in beings who appear as fickle as humans sometimes.”
“Better not let my mother hear you say that,” I muttered.
The Lord grinned and took my elbow, gently guiding me outside. “What I do have faith in is myself. My beliefs. My rule. I’ve never failed in my duty, and I think Joy Springs deserves a strong Lady, someone who believes in the rule of law, fairness, and ethics.”
