Prologue
My fingers trembled like leaves in the breeze as I raised them my heartbeat hummingbird quick. Lucifer’s strong hand was firm and sturdy as he took mine and slipped the ring onto my finger.
White gold with twenty small diamonds.
What was meant as a sign of love and devotion for other couples was nothing but a testament of his ownership of me. A daily reminder of the golden cage I’d be trapped in for the rest of my life. Until death do us apart wasn’t an empty promise as with so many other couples that entered the holy bond of marriage. There was no way out of this union for me. I was Lucifer’s until the bitter end. The last few words off the path men swore when they were inducted into the Houses could just as well have been the closing of my wedding vow.
'I enter alive and I will leave dead'.
I should have run when I still had the chance. Now as hundreds of faces from the House of Silva and Dilhvea families stared back at us, flight was no longer an option. Nor was divorce. Death was the only acceptable end to a marriage in our world. Even if I still managed to escape Lucifer’s watchful eyes and that of his guards, my breach of agreement would mean war. Nothing my father could say would prevent Lucifer’s family from exercising vengeance for making them lose face.
My feelings didn’t matter, never had. I’d been growing up in a world where no choices were given especially to women
This wedding wasn’t about love or trust or choice. It was about duty & honour, about doing what was expected.
A bond to ensure peace.
I wasn’t an i***t. I knew what else this was about. Money and power. Both were dwindling since the Helio Empire expanded their influence into our territories. The humans & demons across Grimgar needed to lay their feuds to rest & work together to annihilate their enemies. I should be honoured to marry the eldest son of the Dilhvea family. That’s what my father and every other male relative had tried to tell me since my betrothal to Lucifer. I knew that and it wasn’t as if I hadn’t had time to prepare for the exact moment, and get fear corseted my body in a relentless grip.
“You may kiss the bride”. The priest said.
I raised my head. Every pair of eyes in the pavilion scrutinized me, waiting for a flicker of weakness.
Father would be furious if I let my terror show and Lucifer’s family would use it against us. But I had grown up in a world where a perfect mask was the only protection afforded to women and had no trouble forcing my face into a placid expression. Nobody would know how much I wanted to escape Nobody but Lucifer. I couldn’t hide from him, no matter how much I tried. My body wouldn’t stop shaking. As my gaze met Lucifer’s cold obsidian eyes, I could tell he knew. How often had he instilled fear into others? Recognizing it was probably second to nature to him.
He bent down to bridge the 10 inches he towered above me. There was no sign of hesitation, fear or doubt on his face. My lips trembled against his mouth as his eyes pierced through me. Their message was clear. You are mine.
