Page 43 of Secretly Married To My Monster Alien Boss
The necklace looked like it had been forged especially for Alissia’s slender neck.
As soon as Rynar gently grasped her palms into his, an indescribable current passed between them. He’d felt it on the night she’d come apart in his arms, too.
The human priest stepped closer, a smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes. It had been difficult to find a holy man who wanted to officiate the wedding between a human and a Deruzian, and this one didn’t seem particularly thrilled, either. Those articles Dyson had paid to run wasn’t helping their cause.
It was one of the main reasons neither Zaryn nor Nazyn had gotten married yet. They wanted everything to bespecial. Because their love was pure and real.
“We are gathered here today to witness something I and my forefathers had never imagined,” the priest began. “The first marriage between a human and a Deruzian.”
A corner of Alissia’s lips ticked up in a smirk and didn’t fall down throughout the ceremony.
Not when they recited the wedding vows and promised to trust each other, “for better or worse, for as long as we both agree”.
See? No lies.
Then came time for Zamolxy’s part. He was so old, his glorious horns had turned almost milky blue.
Alissia and Rynar kneeled down on the embroidered pillows he’d brought; green and gold, of course. Traditionally, Deruzians kneeled on the ground, but their knees were sturdier than a human’s. Rynar wanted Alissia to be as comfortable as possible. Not a scrape, not a bruise, not amos-qui-tobite on her soft skin.
The monk raised a pair of golden bells high in the air, shaking them as if he was summoning a storm. The wind picked up, rattling the leaves around them.
“The union of all unions has come,” he began, voice deep and stony, as if he hadn’t used it in eons. “As it was foretold by the Nines.”
Alissia’s eyes grew as she searched Rynar’s. “What?” she mouthed.
“He always says that,” Rynar mouthed back and she relaxed. “Tradition.”
The first tradition among many. After the monk asked for protection from the Nines and gods that brought redemption through fire, he placed a sturdy chalice in Alissia’s hands, filled with an amber liquid.
“The bride drinks three sips for love, protection, and devotion.” Zamolxy rattled the bells louder.
Alissia sent a quick look to Rynar, before doing as the monk said. Three sips that coated her already red lips. She ran her tongue over them once she finished, mesmerizing Rynar all over again. The monk looped a crimson fabric over their shoulders, signifying their shared future, filled with love and passion.
Alissia had left lipstick marks on the cup and that’s exactly the spot where Rynar drank from. He swore he could still taste her, even with the strong, earthy scent of the customary triusca in the cup.
Next came the ring exchange. Alissia slipped a gold band on Rynar’s finger. He instantly felt the weight of it. The responsibilities and promises it represented. He didn’t mind them, not one bit.
Giving Alissia the ring was a different matter, however.
As per Deruzian tradition, she had to guess where it was. Back on his home planet, the couple could spend hours finding the rings. One story said a male had to climb the highest mountain next to the capital to retrieve his.
“I’m not very good at climbing,” Alissia had said when Rynar had told her about this tradition. “Especially not in heels.”
“Don’t worry,” Rynar had replied. “I’ll go easy on you.”
And he had. He held out both of his closed fists, the ring hidden in one. If Alissia guessed wrong, he’d switch hands until she found it.
But Alissia being Alissia, pointed straight at his right hand, not taking even a second to guess. She was right.
Rynar opened his palm to reveal a beautiful gold band. It was a simple symbol. Rynar swore she would get her real ring by the end of their marriage.
A promise made was a promise kept, even one Rynar had decided on without telling anyone else.
He gently grasped her slim wrist and slipped the ring on her dainty finger. Rynar didn’t know if she was shaking or he was. Maybe they both were and maybe it wasn’t shaking. It was a vibration that passed between them.
He stared at the ring on her finger with pure male pride.
His.
