Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,318

of her high heels more than once before stopping at my side.

She leaned towards me like she expected me to lift her veil, but I just stood there, scowling, giving no shits if everyone could see how much I didn't want to marry this fucking woman. I felt like I was rooted in place with an iron rod through my spine, no choice but to follow through on this twisted fate while every inch of my being begged the stars for a different fate. But the heavens had forsaken me a long time ago and it was clear they weren’t done punishing me yet.

Mildred giggled and lifted it herself, grinning broadly at me and revealing the brown lipstick she'd smeared across her mouth and teeth. I had no damn idea why she had decided to start taking Faeroids or when but the effect they’d had on her body was beyond grotesque. What was to say she could even get pregnant with all of that shit affecting her so much?

My dick was going to shrivel up inside my body before it would ever end up inside this fucking specimen. She batted her spiky eyelashes at me and I shuddered as I looked away from her, my gaze finding Roxy as I spilled a thousand silent apologies into the air that hung between us while the ceremony began.

The ringing in my ears grew too loud for me to focus on the words that were spoken to me as the minister read out the vows and promises and I only jolted out of my reverie when he nudged me to make me clasp Mildred's hand for the binding.

Her hairy knuckles brushed against my fingers and I swear her fucking hands were bigger than mine. She gripped me so hard I felt my bones grinding together and my cock retreated further at the thought of her getting her death grip on it.

"You must now both speak the words of the binding," the minister announced and the words seemed to push their way into my mouth unbidden as I spoke in unison with Mildred.

"I choose to bind myself to you in marriage. Let us both enter this union with clarity and honesty and forever be linked by the stars."

I felt so sick at the finality of those words that I didn't even feel the clap of magic that must have accompanied them, locking me in marriage to the woman I'd sworn I'd never wed.

My gaze found Roxy again, but before I knew what was happening, Mildred had lunged, her moustache was brushing over my upper lip and her thick, wet tongue was swiping across my mouth. She gripped my head so fucking tightly that it felt like she might bust my skull open and I could only keep my mouth stamped firmly shut and wait for her to fucking stop.

The motherfuckers watching this farce were clapping when I finally wrenched myself away from her and I swiped a hand over the back of my mouth to remove that fucking brown lipstick from my face.

"You are now bonded in a marriage everlasting in the eyes of the stars. May fate never tear you asunder and may destiny always shine on you kindly," the minister announced with a flourish and my gaze met Roxy's once more as a weight heavier than any I'd ever carried before seemed to fall around my neck.

Father smiled widely as I looked at him, pulling the vial of spring shine elixir from his pocket and handing it to Roxy so that she could heal herself before the autumn bloom took root in her heart and killed her.

Father stepped up to me as Mildred squealed in delight, hanging off of my arm and posing for photographs that I wasn't even looking at.

"Well done, boy," he purred, clapping me on the back. "Now go and fuck her before you come and join us for the rest of the celebrations. I want that Heir on the way as soon as possible - and don't think I won't know if you lie about it. Mildred is a virgin and we'll be making sure that's no longer the case once you're done with your marital duties."

"What celebrations?" I asked, refusing to comment on the horrors of what I was going to have to do next and picking up on how excited he'd looked when he mentioned that.

"You'll see," he replied elusively. "But I can assure you, it will be a day to remember for all of Solaria.”

Before