Chapter 9

Oriel fidgeted nonstop as he paced the length of the cathedral the following evening. He pulled on his cuffs. He tugged at his collar. And he found himself fixing his hair more than once. Assuming Cosette didn’t try to cancel again, he would be mated for life after the ceremony. It was a big deal, and his sister let him know it. Laurel had pasted herself to his side the entire day until Zachariah finally came to his aid and stole her away.

The cathedral appeared more intimidating than he remembered. The stained-glass windows stretched high to the ceiling in swirling shapes and colors. The pews seemed to expand for an eternity to the entrance. And the altar had never looked so vast.

He took a seat on one of the pews, but restlessness found his legs, and he began pacing again.

He bit his nails and tapped his foot. Who was Cosette? What did she look like? Most importantly, would she even show up?

His thoughts turned to the female he had danced with last night, confusion clouding his mind. Something about her seemed familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. He had never met someone more timid in his life. Well, except Cosette. She seemed quite timid even through her letters, though something shone just beneath he felt confident he could reach.

Which brought his thoughts back to Cosette and his uncontrollable nervousness. Would she show up? Would she leave him at the altar? If she came, they would be bonded by the end of the night. What did she look like? How tall was she? What color were her eyes? Her hair? Would they get along?

His guests began filing into the chapel. Laurel gave him a long, drawn-out embrace before she kissed his cheek and took a seat at the front beside Zachariah and Dracula. The twins held their own ceremony candles in the middle pew. He eyed them suspiciously. He didn’t trust them to behave.

Nicolae came in last through the entrance, beaming with happiness.

“Lord Covaci,” the Diviner said as he shuffled reverently toward him, the necklace of fangs from shahs past hanging around his neck. “I believe we are ready to begin. Is everyone here?”

His gaze drifted up to the choir loft to the two dark shapes in the shadows. Cosette’s guests. He couldn’t make out their faces from here, even when they held candles close to their bodies.

“Yes.”

The Diviner gestured to the altar, and Oriel knelt down on one side, wringing his hands in a fit of nervousness. He was terrified. He was ecstatic. He was anxious. He was hopeful. And he couldn’t breathe.

Two monks opened the double doors at the entrance of the cathedral, and that’s when he saw her. His heart thrummed quickly as his gaze rested on a slender figure wearing a conservative long-sleeved blue-and-silver gown with hints of purple-embroidered designs on the fabric. She wore a thick veil over her face to match, her hands clasped tightly together in front of her.

Cosette…

She took a single step forward but then paused. For one horrifying moment, he thought she planned to flee again, so he offered her a smile, hoping she saw it through her veil.

She continued forward. Slowly and timidly. But she was coming. And she wasn’t running.

He watched as she approached, her fingers pale from squeezing them together too tightly. She walked with such grace he hadn’t even known was possible.

The Diviner gently touched the small of her back and guided her to the other side of the altar, helping her kneel. Being this close to his soon-to-be mate, he couldn’t help but let out a nervous, shaky breath. He still had no idea who she was. He desperately wanted to lift her veil, but he kept his arms tightly to his sides.

At least until the Diviner instructed them to clasp forearms.

His heartbeat quickened as he grasped her forearm and she his. Her grip was dainty and gentle while he held tightly onto her as if she might slip away at any moment.

Smiling, the Diviner started, “Oriel Covaci and Cosette D—”

Nicolae very quickly interrupted with a sharp clearing of his throat, shaking his head ever so slightly. Oriel’s eyes widened in shock. Had the Diviner almost revealed Cosette’s surname?

He glanced across the altar at the female before him. She tipped her head downward as if unable to return his gaze.

Starting again, the Diviner said, “Oriel and Cosette. We are gathered here today to witness a union between two covens, between two lines, between two vampires. When you are joined as mates, you will be expected to look after one another, love one another, forfeit your lives for one another. You will become One with each other, One with our gods, One in mind, body, and soul. Oriel, can you accept to cherish your mate until death and into the afterlife?”

“Yes,” he replied without missing a beat.

“And Cosette, do you accept to cherish your mate until death and into the afterlife?”

Her fingers trembled against his arm, and he covered her fingers with his free hand. Nicolae truly hadn’t been lying. Cosette seemed to be terribly timid. To the point of trembling. She really was brave for being here. But she didn’t answer. She still trembled beneath his hand.

He leaned forward, whispering as closely as she would allow. “I will not fault you if you decide to leave. I want you to want to be here. Though, I can’t promise I won’t be absolutely crushed. I like you, Cosette.”

Her fingers stopped trembling for the slightest moment, and she exhaled a breath before her head turned toward the Diviner. The layers of veil swished around her face. Her voice came quietly but just loud enough to be heard.

“Yes.”

“Then with this blood,” the Diviner said as he picked up a goblet, “I unite you one with another. Blood to represent a union. A oneness. And to drink from the same cup, a bond between mates.”

Oriel took the first sip and handed it carefully to Cosette. She took the goblet in both hands, and he just barely caught a glimpse of a slender chin beneath her veil as she drank as well.

His heart fluttered inside his chest. It was done. They were bonded as mates.

“Vii si prospera,” the Diviner said, and their guests echoed the words. Oriel had almost forgotten anyone else was there.

The ceremony was over, and he thought he had waited long enough. He reached for her veil, but she flinched back. He bit his lip with uncertainty and tried once more. Slower this time. She didn’t flinch again.

He lifted her veil over her head and froze. His breath caught in his lungs as he stared into her purple-amethyst eyes framed by dark lashes. Cosette was breathtakingly beautiful. Raven black hair fell across her shoulders in large curls. An ivory complexion. Pink, plump lips. Not only was she beautiful, but he knew her. They had met last night after Nicolae had urged him to dance with her.

His breath hitched, not just because she had stolen his breath away—though there was a certain amount of that too—but because he recognized her for who she was.

A Dragomir.

He glanced up behind him to the loft. Cosette’s guests exited the shadows. His eyes widened with surprise when he saw Lucian Dragomir holding his mate, Bridgette. They smiled at him.

He finally understood Nicolae’s meeting with Lucian. Oriel’s mate was a Dragomir. Not just any Dragomir, but Lucian’s daughter.

Finding himself unable to look away from Cosette for long, his mouth finally pulled into a crooked smile filled with unrestrained happiness. He was more than pleased with the mate Nicolae had found for him. She was brave. She was kind. She was beautiful. By the nine, she was stunning. And he looked forward to the challenge of overcoming her timidity.

“You are very beautiful,” he breathed.

His words colored her cheeks as she stared down at the altar between them. She still didn’t speak, but her actions spoke volumes. The fact that she was even here and underwent the ceremony to become his mate was plenty enough for now.

He softly gripped her forearm once more and leaned toward her. He could just make out her furious blush before he nuzzled his nose against hers in a display of affection only mates showed one another. The action caused his stomach to jolt in a very pleasant manner, and he could only hope she might have felt something similar.

In moments, both Lucian and Bridgette joined them at the altar. It was Lucian who helped his daughter to her feet, kissing her hand as his eyes radiated happiness. He turned toward Oriel, his smile—and visible fangs—staying put.

“My dear Cosette is very precious to me,” Lucian addressed him. “But you have proven you are of good character time and again. I know you will treat her well.”

“I will,” he promised, his throat closing with emotion. He still could not believe he was now mated. To a beautiful Dragomir. Cosette…

Lucian handed his timid daughter over to him, and he cupped her hand in both of his. He could already feel the vampire bond, even though he could also recognize it was not yet complete. It felt as if his heart was tugging him toward her. He wanted to be near her. He wanted to touch her. He desperately wanted to converse with her.

A crash of broken glass startled him from behind, and every eye in the room darted to the sheepish grin on Andrei’s face. His candle had gone straight through the stained-glass window, though how it had happened remained a mystery.

The Diviner thundered over to the twins, and in a sharp, hissing voice, he said, “Out! The both of you! There is a reason I don’t like you two coming into my cathedral.”

Andrei and Livia cackled mischievously before running away and disappearing from sight. Honestly, Oriel had been afraid the two vampires would have set the entire place on fire. A broken window was small in comparison.

He leaned closer to Cosette and muttered, “And your immersion in twin culture begins now.”

She rumbled slightly, and he wasn’t sure if it was because she was afraid or amused.

Laurel rushed into Oriel’s arms first, and then she embraced Cosette next. “I am so happy for the two of you. I know you will be so good together. You know, I had thought to introduce the two of you at the last Dragomir ball, but I never got the opportunity. I am so happy you two ended up together.”

His jaw fell open with surprise, and he wondered what would have happened if Laurel had managed to introduce them. Would a relationship have flourished naturally? Or would they still have become mates through an arranged union?

The other vampires came to offer their congratulations, and Oriel heard Dracula saying something in a growling tone to Nicolae. “You managed to snag a Dragomir before I did. Well, just you wait, Nicolae. I have a three-year-old grandson who will surely snag the next female Dragomir not yet mated.”

“In at least twenty years, I assume,” Nicolae said matter-of-factly. “Even I can tell Jesper has not yet come of age. Surely, a scheming grandfather can recognize as much.”

A pit of nervousness formed in his stomach as he glanced at Cosette, who kept her eyes on the floor. How would she fare being alone with him? The only word he had heard from her lips today was “Yes.”

He gently took her hand and slipped it into the crook of his arm. A smile lingered on his face as the others followed them outside the cathedral where he proceeded to help Cosette into the waiting carriage. But then his nerves got the best of him when Lucian slammed the door closed between his daughter and Oriel.

His breath stuttered, and several more anxious pits rolled in his stomach.

“Please,” Lucian murmured quietly as if not wanting Cosette to overhear. His expression contorted with a worried strain. “Please take good care of her. She’s my little girl.”

Concern rippled through Lucian’s violet eyes, followed by a shimmering, silent plea.

“I swear I will,” Oriel vowed just as quietly. “You have my word.”

“I know you will, but…” Lucian’s gaze flickered to the carriage, but then finally he sighed. “I would not have agreed to this proposition for my daughter’s hand if it had been anyone else on the opposite side of the altar. Just…be patient with her. It may take some time for her to adjust.”

He nodded and clasped Lucian’s wrist in farewell before climbing into the carriage after his new mate. The doors closed behind them, bathing them in darkness as the carriage rolled forward. Cosette didn’t speak. She kept her gaze out the window. She looked beautiful beneath the moon’s glow, and it was all he could do to keep his hands at his sides when all he wanted was to touch her raven black hair, run his thumb over her bottom lip, kiss her…

But he would have to wait. He could be patient.

“Nicolae oversaw your belongings being moved to my estate,” he said as a way to break the silent tension in the carriage. “I know it will be quite an adjustment living anywhere other than the castle, so I’m here to help in any way I can.”

She glanced at him for a moment, but then her gaze drifted to her lap. She still didn’t say anything.

Suddenly, he realized why she had never wanted to meet in person before the ceremony when he had suggested it. She was far too timid to get hardly a word out. In time, he hoped to change that. After all, she had seemed comfortable enough writing letters to him. He hoped conversing would become natural eventually.

Little time passed before they arrived at the estate, and when Oriel helped Cosette out of the carriage, she stared with awe at his home. However, it didn’t seem to be the building itself to catch her attention, but rather the spacious yard filled with greenery and several varieties of flowers, whose petals she trailed her fingers across as they passed. From hydrangeas to burning hearts to begonias, the flowers required little sunlight to thrive in a place so close to Ichor Knell. He wished he could plant an entire garden of poppies, but he was afraid they would die quickly with so little sunlight and rain.

“Do you like it?” he asked, and to his pleasant surprise, she nodded. “I’m happy to know of it. The garden is yours to do with as you wish. I have servants who can plant or construct anything you desire. Or you can plant things yourself if you prefer. Or you can leave it the way it is. I don’t have a feminine touch, so I can’t imagine it would be completely to your liking.” He sighed and hid his face in his hand. “I apologize. I am rambling. Let me lead you inside so I can further embarrass myself by rambling in there too.”

Her mouth twitched as if she fought off a smile. He very much wanted to see her smile. He imagined it would take his breath away.

As he’d instructed earlier in hopes of not overwhelming her, only two of the servants made their presence known as they entered the estate. One curtsied, and the other bowed as they stepped into the entry room.

“Cosette, may I introduce you to the head butler, Mr. Emerson Chaplin, and the head housekeeper, Mrs. Angelina Chaplin. If you need anything at all, these are the two to ask. You will also have a ladies’ maid, though I will let you choose your own. Mrs. Chaplin knows many great ladies for the position if you need suggestions.”

Mrs. Chaplin curtsied. “At your service, milady.”

Again, Cosette said nothing. She kept her hands clasped in front of her and stared at the ground. He quirked his mouth to the side in concern. Was she uncomfortable? Overwhelmed?

He dismissed the servants with hopes that she might relax. She didn’t. But at least she hadn’t run away.

“I suppose a tour can wait until tomorrow,” he said. Perhaps some rest would do her good. “I’ll show you to the Great Chamber.”

They climbed a flight of stairs, Cosette trailing a couple of feet behind him at all times. When he slowed for her to catch up, she also slowed. And when he looked at her, she blushed and looked away.

“Here we are,” he said as he opened the door leading to her room.

Flickering candlelight filled the room. Her things had been put away in their respective places, and a vase of bright red poppies lay on her bedside table. It wasn’t much… But he didn’t have a lot to work with. After all, he hadn’t known much about her before the ceremony to begin with.

A door on one side of Cosette’s room connected to his own. Knowing she resided on the other side would make sleep difficult to come by tonight.

“And I am surprised I didn’t ramble this time.” He chuckled. “However, I make no promises about tomorrow.”

He turned back to her, and his smile faltered when he noticed the fear in her amethyst eyes. Her hands trembled, although she tried to hide them in the folds of her skirt. A feeling of guilt took him by storm. It hadn’t even occurred to him that she might think he had expectations of her on their ceremony night, especially after their short acquaintance.

Realizing he might be a little too close for her comfort, he took a step back and gave her a reassuring smile. “You don’t need to be afraid,” he whispered. “I promise not to touch you unless we are both comfortable with the idea. I have no expectations of you. None at all.”

Her trembling ceased, but she still didn’t speak.

He resisted the urge to give her fingers a squeeze. “I am very glad for the opportunity of meeting you. You are already more than I had hoped for. Good night, Cosette.”

He walked away, down the opposite end of the hall, planning to leave her by herself for a while. Besides, he had several estate duties he had neglected while he’d been a jumble of nerves this morning.

Overwhelming happiness consumed him. He had obtained a wonderful mate, and he swore to himself he would do whatever it took to make her happy.