LUNA
The vampire prince’s words swirled around me, and I stared at him through the holes in the lace that made up my thick, black veil. Everything he wore, from the crown on his head—still askew—to the shoes on his feet, was black. It only added to his unnatural beauty, a reminder of what I was doing here.
Myduty.
I remained on my knees, waiting for the elderly priest to turn and ask me if I agreed to this union.
I do.
The words rested on the tip of my tongue, and I drew in a deep breath. The cold stones cut into my knees, and outside the castle, the wind screamed. I wanted to adjust my dress, but I didn’t.
Instead, I focused on my breathing. In and out. Over and over again.
I must have inhaled at least thirty times, but the priest never turned to me. He did not ask me if I agreed to this union. He justskippedthat part of the marriage entirely.
The elf raised his arms. “This union is a blessing. Isvana and Ithiar have brought these two together beneath the red cloth, signifying their approval…“
He continued on and on about how incredible marriage was, but he never turned to me. He never asked me anything. My mouth fell open behind the veil, and I glared daggers at the priest.
He spoke about how lucky I was to have the chance to join the Montquartier family, and I wanted to scream.
Lucky.
He thought I waslucky?
This priest spoke as if marrying this vampire prince was something to be desired. As if being used like chattel and being sold was something I wanted. I barely contained a snort. I did not feel lucky.
Right now, all I felt was anger. My cheeks burned beneath the veil, and my blood boiled. I glared at the priest as if I could mentally connect with him and force him to ask me if I agreed to this union.
It did not work. Neither the priest nor the vampire prince I was marrying looked at me.
Speaking with increased fervor, the priest switched to a tongue I didn’t understand as his voice echoed through the otherwise-silent throne room. I clenched my fist so hard I knew there would be half-moons in the skin of my palm when I opened my hand.
“Ithiar save us all!” the priest yelled suddenly in the Common Tongue.
I jumped, but no one else seemed alarmed.
Once again, the priest sang in that strange tongue, his movements becoming increasingly frantic in front of us. I fidgeted, wishing I could pull my hand away from the vampire prince.
Everyone else was listening to the priest intently, but I did not know what he was saying. It was as if he was hitting me over the head with my differences.
You don’t belong here.
I never really fit in with my older sisters—they called me the Ice Queen because I had trouble crying when I was sad—but I had Marius and Papa.
But here?
I did not fit. I was a stranger. A mortal. And on top of all that, I was a female. Eleyta was still in the Four Kingdoms, even if it was so cold that my skin felt like it was moments away from falling off my bones.
Why would they ask the chattel if they agreed to be sold? This was a loveless match. An arranged union. Nothing more.
Honestly, what could be worse than an arranged marriage with a vampire prince?
Right now, I couldn’t think of a single thing.
The priest stepped forward. He reached out, placing one hand on the top of Sebastian’s head, before doing the same to me.
I jolted. The elf’s touch was icy, and there was something about the elf that made me feel wrong. His fingers dug into my scalp, and I turned to the vampire prince with wide eyes.