times already. “I used some of my painting commissions. I got you… well, maybe you should look.”
He opens the box and finds two rings. A platinum band, simple and plain but with an inscription in the inside that simply read, “Mon Monstre, je t’aime, de ta gentille fille.”
I watch as he pulls it out, reads the inscription and then hands it to me to slip it onto his finger the way we would during a wedding ceremony. He grins and looks back into the box, where the second ring sits.
“Two? You wanna make sure everyone knows I’m yours, baby girl?”
I grin at him, threading our fingers together and ignoring the eyes of the strangers around us. “I think I’d paint my name all over your skin before you went out if you’d let me, mon Monstre, but no. The second ring is for when you work. It’s silicon and won’t get damaged or damage you when you’re… busy working with your hands.”
He uses our joined hands to tug me into his body, cupping my cheek with his free hand as he kisses me deeply until I’m like jelly in his arms. We hear someone clearing their throat but his grip on my face holds me still until he’s done with the kiss.
When we break apart he smirks at the worker, taking the paperwork from her and leading me back out of the building and onto the busy streets of downtown Mounts Bay.
Mon Monstre walks me over to his car where we find an old friend waiting for us.
Le Loup looks older.
There's more color to her cheeks and the gaunt, starved look she had before has eased a little. She's still tiny, too small for someone her age, but she no longer looks emaciated. She nods her head at mon Monstre and gives me a small smile.
"Congratulations, I'm glad you guys have found this happy ending." She says, hesitating before hugging me quickly. She touches me as though she's handling a bomb but I remember what mon Monstre said about Mounty kids and their distrust of physical affection.
"It's not an ending, le Loup, but a very exciting beginning." I say, and she nods with a smile. She looks out over the crowd like she’s waiting for something, watching for someone to jump out and attack us. It makes me frown, nervous for her and that upsets mon Monstre. He squeezes my hand again and I remember the happiness of this moment for us both.
“I’m officially Mrs. Illium now. No more using my father's cursed name."
Illi chuckles and hands me an American passport. I stare at it for a moment, I’ve never even held my own passport before, and when I open it I find my married name is listed.
We've only been married for an hour.
He laughs at the confused look on my face and le Loup smirks at him. "You can get anything you want in the Bay with the right contacts and enough green. What does she need a passport for anyway? Are you honeymooning in the Caribbean?"
Mon Monstre takes my hand in his again, threading our fingers together and drawing me closer to the car. "We're spending a few months in Europe actually. Seeing the world together and getting out of this shit-hole to stretch our legs."
Le Loup smiles and walks us out to the car. She doesn't climb in, instead she leans on the side and listens to Illi with a half-smile on her face. Her joy is infectious, even if this weren't my wedding day I'd be smiling along with her.
"If you need anything while we're gone, call Roxas and Harbin. I've told them both to keep an eye out for you. No calling that fuckhead D'Ardo." She bites her lip as she looks at her feet. Illi smells the hesitance in the air and his eyes narrow. "What the fuck is going on, kid?"
She sighs and rubs a hand over her face. "I inducted someone."
Oh.
That's new.
I look over at Illi but he doesn't look surprised. "Yeah, the O'Cronin kid. I assumed that was a tactic against the old fucker Liam. Wasn't it?"
She nods and then shakes her head, as if she has no real answer for him. "He's kind of... my friend. I think. I know for sure I'm friends with his cousin. It's a fucking mess, okay? Matteo is already suspicious as fuck about the whole thing and it might get... bad.”
I glance over at Illi, ready to hear whatever it is he has to