“I, Azazel,” he began, his voice like rough-spun silk over my skin, “take thee, Zoe, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, come hell or high water—” his eyes flashed at the word hell “—to be your...loving and...faithful husband, until death do us part.” He paused, and a weight settled between us. “This is my vow.”
It hadn’t escaped me how he’d stumbled a bit over the loving and faithful part. I narrowed my eyes.
The women’s “awwwww” drew me back into the moment. I took a deep breath and swallowed. This was it. If I said my vow, I’d be shackled to this grouch for—would that be eternity? What kind of lifespan did demons have? Would I now live as long as him?
And there would be no going back. I was sure divorce was not an option for this particular union. What kind of life would await me? How much pain and misery?
My stomach turned. I had to gasp for air because the weight on my chest wouldn’t let me breathe deeply. Spots of light danced through my vision, I swayed and—
A large hand closed around my upper arm like a band of hot steel. I jerked and met the demon’s eyes, the connection so raw, so vibrant, it stripped me of anything but the awareness of his presence, his power. My lips formed the words before my brain caught up.
“I, Zoe, take thee, Azazel—” speaking his name intensified the fiery connection of our eyes “—to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, come—” I made a small sound of despair “—hell or high water, to be your loving and faithful wife, until death do us part.” My breath hitched on the last, fateful words. “This is my vow.”
Something snapped into place between us, hot and piercing, strong and supple, a tide of energy so fierce it would have knocked me off my feet if he hadn’t still held onto my left arm.
I couldn’t breathe.
His other hand took hold of my right shoulder, the contact searing, branding, while a storm raged in his eyes. Fine muscles ticked under the hard planes of his face, his cruel beauty like a blade, cold and cutting.
I was still choking on air.
“Now kiss!” The squeal came from somewhere to my right.
“Kiss, kiss, kiss!” The other women chanted.
I tried to draw in air. My lungs flat-out refused.
Dizziness crept in, the pounding of my heart a slowing drumbeat in my head. I fought it, but my eyelids slid down, my vision going dark—
The sizzling heat of his mouth on mine.
My eyes flew open. My lips parted without my doing, and his breath rushed into me. A firebrand, all the way down to my soul. My lungs started working with a jerk, I grabbed his shirt—my fingers finding purchase somewhere between armored plates—and held onto him for dear life.
He growled into my mouth, a sound as sensual as it was threatening, and then he licked over my lips, slipped his tongue between and touched mine.
And I was done for. The shudder that wrecked me was embarrassingly close to an orgasm. My entire body was abuzz with arousal.
I gasped as he let go and stepped back, keeping one hand on my shoulder to steady me.
“Woohoo!” The women hollered.
“Now that’s a kiss!”
“God, I wish someone would lay one like that on me…”
The others sighed in assent.
“Y’all are so cute,” the blonde said, a dreamy expression on her face.
I focused on her and the others, anything to avoid looking back at the demon who had just shortcircuited my system. My thoughts were still ajumble, and I refused to unjumble them.
Her brunette friend raised her glass. “To the happy couple!”
The other two joined in the toast.
“May you always cherish and love each other,” the black-haired woman slurred.
“May your marriage be full of joy and the right kind of excitement.” The blonde grinned.
“May God bless you and the home you build together,” the brunette said.
The black-haired woman leaned forward and held up a finger. “And may you never lie, cheat, or steal. But if you must lie, lie with each other. And if you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must steal, steal each other’s hearts, every day anew.”