He laughed, his voice rich and pleased. “And you, my brides-to-be, you are both exquisite.” His gaze slaked over us and he bowed low. “Radiance embodied.”
Feeling oddly out of place, I kept my mouth shut. At times, Roman could slather on the charm way too thick, but he meant every word. And tonight was more his than ours. A sudden wave of sadness swept over me, though. I wished he could be marrying someone who truly loved him the way he deserved. But a little voice inside whispered, In time, love may grow. For all three of you.
Camille and Delilah looked slightly uncomfortable as Roman turned to them. “My dear sisters-in-law. You both are quite beautiful tonight. I thank you for being here. I know you may not particularly approve, but trust me, my mother and I wish no deceit or worry to fall on your family. Menolly and Nerissa have my blood-promise that I will not intrude any more than necessary, and they hold my heart in their hands to stake if I do.”
Camille cleared her throat. “Well, that’s not quite the most charming entry into our family, but you’ve helped us in the past, and we do appreciate everything. If this is the way we can give back, and Menolly and Nerissa feel it’s the right thing to do, we abide by their wishes.”
I felt oddly comforted that she wasn’t acting like everything was perfectly normal. I knew they had reservations, but I also knew that what she had said was their way of acknowledging our choice, even if they had misgivings about it.
One of the ushers from the main hall peeked in and gave us a two-minute warning.
I quickly turned to Roman. “Fill us in—you haven’t told us what to expect.”
“It’s simple enough. We walk down the aisle like in any wedding and go up on stage. Your sisters go first and stand to the side. My mother will be on stage waiting for us. She will marry us, and seal the union by feeding each of us a drop of her blood.” Before Nerissa could ask, he turned to her. “You, too, yes. She’ll ask us our pledges, and we simply say yes. It will be nothing you don’t already expect from our discussion last night.”
“And after?” I was hoping he wouldn’t demand we stick around and party.
“We—the wedding party and your guests in the audience—will retire and we’ll leave. There will be a party overseen by our advisors, which will include all of the regents, for all of the guests. Blood Wyne will receive them in a private hall afterward, with full security, but we’re not expected to attend. She’ll be taking care of more court business than anything else during that time.”
I nodded, running through it in my mind. “Then I guess we’re as ready as we’ll ever be.”
“Right on schedule, then. Shall we? First I will go, then Camille and Delilah, then Nerissa and you, my love. And trust that you’ll be watched over by the tightest security force in this nation. Even the president’s Secret Service can’t match our squads.”
And so we got in a line, and as the door opened, I could hear the music swell from the hall below. We headed down the stairs and then, positioned in front of the doors leading into the theater, waited for the music to announce our entry. A sudden blast of whirling notes shot out and I cocked my head. Even I recognized the Carmina Burana.
Roman leaned around Camille to quickly whisper, “Music fit for a prince and his brides. My mother loves this piece. It reminds her of our days when we ruled the countryside.”
And then—before I could answer—the doors opened and he began striding down the aisle. I watched his gait—it was measured and deliberate, neither fast nor slow. Everyone in the audience stood, bowing or curtseying as he passed by. By the looks on their faces, I suddenly realized this was a deadly serious event. We weren’t playing Cinderella and Prince Charming here. The vampires in this room, and more like them all over the world, viewed Roman as their liege. Blood Wyne was their queen and they knelt to her rule and decree.
And then he was on stage, waiting by the altar that was in the center, and it was our turn.