Page 26 of King of Shadows

I turn to Bea, my mouth falling open. “Did you know about this?”

She nods. “You always told me you wanted to get married by the beach.”

“You did this?”

She shakes her head. “Kazimir did. I just helped make sure everything came together.”

I look back at Kazimir, and he is still watching me, my heart feels so full that I can barely breathe. “You deserve to be happy, Chloe,” Bea says, squeezing my hand. “Now, are you ready to get married?”

I nod, wiping away another tear. “I’m ready.”

Bea takes my arm and helps me walk toward the aisle as the violinist begins to play a soft, romantic melody. The music drifts across the beach with the sound of the waves, and suddenly everything around me seems to fade away, because there is only Kazimir.

His eyes never leave mine as I walk toward him, when I finally reach him, he takes my hand and looks me over slowly, a smile spreading across his face. “You look so beautiful.”

I clear my throat, trying desperately to keep myself together. “Thank you. You good too.”

His thumb brushes over my knuckles. “Thank you for the dress, the jewelry, and everything,” I say, my voice thick with emotion. “I can't believe you did all this.”

“You deserve the world.”

A small smile touches my lips, and before I can say anything else, the priest clears his throat. “Shall we begin?”

“Yes,” we say together.

The ceremony begins, and as the priest speaks, I find myself barely able to take my eyes off Kazimir. When it is time for the rings, Lev steps forward with the small velvet box. Kazimir takes my wedding band and slides it onto my finger, it’s a perfect match for my engagement ring, with tiny diamonds that catch the sunlight as he settles it into place.

I take his ring next and slide it onto his finger, my hands trembling slightly. The priest looks between us with a smile. “By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Before I can even process the words, Kazimir pulls me into his arms and his lips meet mine in a deep, passionate kiss that makes me forget everything except the man holding me. I wrap my arms around his neck as the sound of applause rises around us.

I hear Bea cheering and clapping, followed by Lev, but none of it matters as much as the feeling of Kazimir's arms around me. When we finally pull apart, I look into his eyes, still struggling to believe it. I’m finally married to the man I love.

After the ceremony, we head to one of Kazimir’s restaurants for lunch, a five-star restaurant I have always dreamed of visiting but could never get a reservation at because it is usually booked months in advance.

I had no idea it belonged to Kazimir, and the realization only adds to the growing list of things I am learning about the man I married. We celebrate over an extravagant lunch with Bea, Lev, and some of Kazimir’s men, before Kazimir takes me home.

When he told me I would be moving into his home, I had no idea what to expect, but the moment we pass through the massive estate gates, I realize I was nowhere near prepared for this. Two men stand on either side of it, dressed in black combat gear with guns strapped across their chests.

I look out the window taking in the sprawling grounds and the sheer size of the property as we drive deeper into the estate. There are more men stationed around the property, all dressed similarly. The property stretches farther than I can see, surrounded by perfectly maintained grounds and towering trees.

I turn to Kazimir. “You live here?”

He glances at me, clearly amused by my expression. “I do. And you do now.”

I look back at the house. “Wow.”

By the time we stop in front of the entrance, several workers are already outside waiting for us. They move forward to greet Kazimir as we step out of the car. Before we can even reach the front door, it swings open, and a woman who looks to be in her thirties stands there with a warm smile.

“Welcome home, sir.”

“Thank you, Sofiya.” Kazimir turns to me. “Chloe, this is Sofiya. She’s the housekeeper.”

Then he gestures toward me. “Sofiya, this is my wife.”

My heart still skips whenever he calls me that. Sofiya’s smile widens. “It’s so lovely to finally meet you. We’re very happy to have you here.”

“Thank you. It’s lovely to meet you too.”