More laughter erupted from behind us. Heat flushed my cheeks.
The King continued.
“Do you agree to uplift these vows for the future of Rewyth?” he asked.
“Yes,” Malachi responded without a second of hesitation.
The King turned to me. His eyes were an electric blue, almost shocking to look at. But there was something cold in his gaze. Something… fae.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Lady Farrow,” he addressed me. “As wife to Prince Malachi and princess of Rewyth, it is your duty to honor and protect Prince Malachi, it is your duty to honor this wedding agreement and it is your duty to lead our people as you would your own for as long as you both live.”
My heart was pounding in my chest.
This was all happening too fast.
“Do you agree to uplift these vows?”
I looked away from the King and back to Mal. Back to Prince Malachi. My soon to be husband.
He was shockingly handsome. That much I could not deny. But his gaze was harsh and evil. He had seen and done terrible things. He would do terrible things again, he would likely do terrible things to me.
But I had made it all the way here. I had to do this for Tessa, I reminded myself.
And frankly, I had no choice. Any one of these fae could kill me in a heartbeat.
I blushed when I realized I had been staring, but I did not look away. He smirked as if he knew what I was thinking. I was not going to show him weakness. He wanted a scared, submissive human that would bow down at anything these fae said.
I was not going to be that wife. I was not going to be that human.
“Yes,” I said strongly. Malachi looked almost… shocked.
I didn’t move a muscle. I kept my chin high, even as the brothers continued to giggle and snicker. I saw the way they stared at the exposed skin on my body, yet I did not move to cover it.
I was not going to die as a weak little girl.
“Excellent,” the King said, pulling a small knife and grabbing Malachi’s closest hand from mine. The King roughly sliced Malachi’s skin, blood pooling in his palm. He grabbed my hand, skin cold as ice, and did the same. Despite my best effort, I flinched as the pain stung my hand. The blood pooled in my palm, and the King clasped both of our hands together. The blood flowed together, down our fingertips and onto the floor.
“Jade Farrow, Princess, welcome to Rewyth,” the King said. Before I could object, he grabbed my face with both hands and planted a harsh, nasty kiss onto my cheek.
I was frozen. Vile rose in my throat. If this was any type of wedding tradition that the fae followed, I was not a fan. Especially when his wandering hands found the skin on my bare back.
Just before panic began to set in, Malachi grabbed my shoulders and pulled me backward, away from the King’s grasp. I opened my mouth to object to whatever the Saints had just happened, but Malachi squeezed my shoulder. A warning.
“You must learn to share, father,” Malachi said. This elicited more laughter from the brothers, but something dark and hateful laced each of his words. I dared a glance at the queen, who sat silently with a bored look on her face.
The King laughed. “You can’t blame a man for noticing beauty,” he said. “And you should be thanking me for finding you such a stunning human this time.”
This time.
“Now, Prince Malachi,” he said, gathering his composure once more. “Kiss your wife, and let the party begin!”
I could still feel the King’s lips on my skin. I couldn’t do it again. I couldn’t let them defile me this way.
But Prince Malachi was my husband now. This kiss was going to be the least of my worries. Malachi stepped forward, coming just inches from my face. I prepared myself for the worst, but felt relieved when he simply placed a quick, featherlight kiss on my lips.
I supposed it was better than the King’s kiss, but I could still feel my cheeks flushing pink.
Cheers of applause erupted in the room. I had completely forgotten about the hundreds of fae witnessing the ceremony. Certainly, they were all here for the food and booze the fae were rumored to indulge in.
Malachi placed a hand on my lower back. “Stay by my side,” he whispered close to my ear, loud enough for only me to hear. I gave him a small nod of acknowledgement and let him guide me back down the aisle I had just come from.
Except now, I was not just a human girl in the fae world.
I was the wife to Rewyth’s Prince of Shadows.
Had the other wives survived this long? Or was this when they all were killed?
It didn’t matter. There was nothing I could do here with hundreds of fae surrounding me. I held my chin high and kept a straight, emotionless face as Malachi led us through the crowd and out the giant doors. As the large doors were closing, I heard the King make a muffled announcement, which cued a loud chorus of music and even more cheers from the crowd.