Page 119 of Dark Destiny: The Turning Of The Loom

"I did not need the words, or the cheering crowds, or the approval of the other gods. I needed you. I would have taken you as my husband in a tent on the caravan road, with no witness but the sand dunes. The first ceremony was for my father and mother and their court. This one is for us." She drew a breath. "So, I will not repeat what I said then, even though I remember every word. Those vows belong to a young girl with a big heart and very little life experience. I meant every word I said then, but I did not yet know the pain of keeping a vow when there was no one left to keep it to. Still, even if I knew then what I know now, I would have made the same vows because they came from my heart."

Somewhere behind her, one of her bridesmaids sniffled, but she did not look back to see who it was.

"I vow to learn you as you learn me. The new you, not the boy I married five millennia ago. I vow to let you walk on your own feet and not rush to stabilize you when you stumble, because I know how much you need to make it on your own. I will stand back and watch you grow into who you were always meant to be. I vow to be your wife, your mate, and to always tell you the truth, whether or not you have asked for it, and to always be by your side." She smiled. "I am never letting you out of my sight again. I will never again let you stand anywhere but beside me."

Annani turned to Wonder and extended her hand.

Tears filled Wonder's eyes as she placed the ring in Annani's hand.

"Thank you." Annani smiled at her before turning back to Khiann.

"I, Annani, daughter of Nai and Ahn, take thee, Khiann, son of Yaeni and Navohn, as my mate, to love and to hold, in this world and beyond."

She lifted his hand. The old ring was on it, which had stayed with him through five thousand years of stasis. She slid the new one on beside it, white gold against the old alloy, and the two bands sat together on his fingers without looking like a duplicate. They looked like one sentence with two clauses.

"Now and then," she said in the old tongue, "for eternity and beyond."

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause even before Toven concluded the ceremony.

Toven lifted his hands, and the crowd settled.

"By the power vested in me by the Fates and whatever divine powers that may stand above them, I pronounce you joined for eternity." He turned to Khiann. "You may kiss the bride."

Khiann turned to her and gathered her up. Her feet left the dais, and he held her against his chest so they were face to face, his strong arms locked under her, and then he kissed her.

The hall erupted again.

Annani heard the roar rising as if from a great distance. The hoots and whistles, the crash of people getting to their feet, Esag laughing, and Allegra's small, furious voice demanding to be lifted so she could see.

Annani had her arms around Khiann's neck, his mouth on hers, his fangs against her lip, and she was two feet off the ground in the arms of her truelove mate.

When he set her down, the roar had not stopped.

"Congratulations to the newlyweds," Shai said over the loudspeaker. "Annani and Khiann, please take the dance floor."

As the music started, Khiann took her hand and led her down the steps to the open square of polished stone between the dais and the tables, and the clan drew in around its edges to watch.

He put his hand at her waist, and she put hers on his shoulder and let him lead, knowing he had been practicing and did not need her to show him the steps.

He was tiring, though. He had been on his feet far too long, and the strain was starting to show.

She rose on her toes and pulled him down so she could speak near his ear. "We do not have to finish the song," she whispered. "We can sit down."

His hand tightened at her waist. "I will finish this dance if I have to finish it on my knees. Then we will sit, and I will rest for a little bit. Then we will come back." He turned her, and she went with him. "I promised you three dances, sa-mu, and this is the least that I plan to deliver."

43

NAVUH

Navuh lay on the bed with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling and listening to the music thumping through the concrete, not the melody, just the bass, the deep, pulsing thrums that seemed to vibrate through the bed frame into his bones.

There was no one beside him on the dungeon level.

Areana had left hours ago to get dressed for the ceremony in the penthouse that Annani made available for her use. Even his ever-present Guardian was gone.

They had just locked the door and trapped Navuh inside.

The landline was his only means of communication with the outside world, which, in his case, was the security room.