The Ranger of Marzanna (The Goddess War #1) - Jon Skovron Page 0,82
to his pledge.” She handed the ring to Sebastian.
“Lo—” Sebastian cleared his throat. “Lord and Lady Prozorova, with this ring I pledge my heart, my honor, and my life to your daughter, Galina Odoyevtseva, so that we may be bonded for this life and the next in eternal matrimony. May she wear it as proof of this commitment?”
“She may,” replied Lord Prozorova.
Sebastian held out the ring, his eyes locked on hers. “Galina Odoyevtseva, do you accept this ring?”
Galina held his gaze as she extended one of her gloved hands. “I do.”
He gently slipped the ring onto her finger.
“Let all here witness the promise made this day between Sebastian Turgenev Portinari and my daughter, Galina Odoyevtseva Prozorova!” Lord Prozorova said in his deep, dry voice.
“We witness.” The sound of so many voices speaking at once boomed like thunder. Then everyone burst into applause.
Sebastian stood, red-faced and lock-kneed, his eyes clinging to Galina’s soft smile like a man about to drown. The only time he’d felt more overwhelmed was when he’d first released the full force of his magic on the Pustoy Plains.
The six of them stood there until the applause began to die down. Then Lord Prozorova signaled to the orchestra and they struck up a tune that sounded surprisingly like an Izmorozian folk song, rather than an imperial courtly air. The musicians, all Aureumians, were clearly struggling with the unfamiliar piece, but they plunged gamely on.
“Well, Sebastian?” said Galina. “Shall we dance?”
Sebastian swallowed hard and held out his hand. When her slim fingers touched his, he drew her in until their torsos were nearly touching.
“I’m afraid I’m not very good at this,” he whispered in her ear.
She grinned. “Did you think I was?”
“What shall we do, then?”
She shrugged. “The best we can, I suppose. If we are able to avoid stepping on each other’s toes, I shall call it a success.”
And so they began their awkward, four-legged gait around the open space in the center of the room, with their guests smiling politely all the while.
At first Sebastian felt painfully self-conscious, but as they danced, his attention was drawn to just how close Galina was. His hand was pressed against her lower back. He could feel her muscles shift beneath the fabric of the dress, and feel the heat from her skin through the thin material. He could feel the softness of her cheek as it brushed against his, and see the throb of her pulse in her elegant neck. What did he care what others thought when he held this beautiful, perfect woman in his arms?
“There they go,” she whispered sadly in his ear.
He turned to see her parents, his mother, and Commander Vittorio quietly slip out through a door in the back.
“I do dislike the transactional nature of this ceremony,” she told him.
“Yes.”
“However, there are some aspects I like quite a lot.”
“Such as?”
She flashed a surprisingly wolfish smile. “Well, for starters, you are expected to kiss me as often as conveniently possible. So why don’t you do that now?”
They gave up the pretense of dancing, and instead he took her face in his hands and drew her in for a kiss. She returned it with a fierceness that surprised and delighted him. She grasped his back with both hands and pulled him closer so that their bodies were pressed together, and his head was swimming in a rapture he had never known before.
Silently, he renewed his vow to protect Galina Odoyevtseva no matter the cost. Nothing would take this happiness away from him.
33
As Sonya and Jorge continued their trek west, dark clouds covered the sky, changing the tundra snows from sparkling white to drab gray. It was nice that they didn’t have to wear snow goggles as they trudged along, but it cast a dreamlike gloom over their surroundings that made it difficult to distinguish where the land ended and the sky began. It reminded Sonya unpleasantly of the banks of the Eventide River.
The clouds also brought a noticeable drop in the temperature. The storm Tatiana had mentioned would be here soon. She could already smell it on the wind.
“We better stop and make camp here,” she told Jorge.
“So early?” he asked. “Why?”
“There’s a bad storm coming. We need to take some extra time now to dig out as sturdy a shelter as we can, because we might be stuck there for a few days.”
“A few days?” His eyes widened.
“Aw, don’t be like that, Jorge.” She grinned at him. “I don’t smell that bad, do I?”