Page 61 of Cinder's Trial
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To say we stood there slightly shell-shocked would be putting it mildly. Two marriages and not a single death. The evening had definitely not gone as expected.
At least in my case, I came out a winner. Levi was my husband. But Killian and Belle…
I glanced over and saw Prince Killian rake fingers through his hair and Belle looking bemused.
I hustled to her side to exclaim, “Fast thinking marrying the prince! And don’t you worry, I’ll have it annulled ASAP."
To my surprise, Killian shook his head. "Don’t be too quick.” He glanced at Belle. “If you don’t mind, I could use a bit of a respite from having shoes tossed at me.”
“Pity the story wasn’t about panties. They’d hurt less,” Belle quipped, and my mouth rounded in shock.
However, the prince chuckled in amusement. “These past few days have been insane. When did the curse get so bad?”
“Recently,” my flat reply. “We’ve noticed not only an increase in reenactments but a darker edge to many. It’s as if something is agitating the Grimm Effect and it’s taken an ominous turn.”
“There has to be something we can do,” Killian stated. “And before you say it, I know people have been looking?—”
Belle interrupted. “Not really. Most who dared to try and investigate the root of the curse found themselves roped into some of the uglier stories. The kind that don’t end well. Needless to say, it’s led to a lack of curiosity, as most people don’t have a death wish.”
“Maybe what happened tonight will put both your stories to bed.” I offered them a branch of hope.
“Maybe…” Belle sounded skeptical, whereas Killian offered a hesitant, “Do you think so? I’d like to believe it’s over, but I do worry an annulment will bring back the madness.”
Once more, Belle glanced at Killian. “You know, we could use this break from the curse to work on cancelling it permanently.”
“I thought you said people tried and got punished for it,” Killian reminded.
“None of them have been as determined as me, though,” Belle remarked, and I, for one, could vouch for her tenacious nature.
“Where would we even start?” Killian asked.
Having seen Belle’s research room, I wasn’t surprised she had a quick reply. “In the town that first reported the Grimm Effect. There has to be a reason it began there and spread. I say we start our search in that area.”
“We?” Killian sounded surprised, and yet he quickly nodded. “Yes, let’s do it.”
“Not alone.” Levi showed he’d been listening despite huddling with his Knights. “Hannah and Gerome will accompany you.”
“We will?” Hannah didn’t hide her surprise.
“Yes,” Levi stated with a tone that brooked no argument. “You are hereby assigned to the prince and his bride until further notice.”
“Aye, aye, boss.” Hannah rolled her eyes as she saluted him. As for Gerome, he grunted.
As we dispersed, I half expected Levi to whisk me away. After all, it was our wedding night, but my new husband had business to attend to. Not willingly, but I wouldn’t let him shirk his duty. Despite the Ash potentials dispersing, we couldn’t be complacent because I had a feeling the curse wasn’t done with us yet.
While Levi dished out orders to the Knights, I prepared for the coming evening with Rory as my bodyguard in the hall outside the open door. The dress stayed on, but I took down my hair from its intricate coiffe. The mice brushed it out until it crackled but fled out of sight when Levi arrived. Izzy hustled to a spot under the dresser. Guess they knew what would be coming next. Anticipation curled my toes.
My new husband entered and firmly shut the door. His expression smoldered, and my mouth went dry. Odd because we’d been intimate, so why did it feel different this time?
“Hello, husband,” I said softly.
“Wife,” he stated with a low rumble. “My wife.”
I shivered at the possessiveness of it. This was the man I would spend my life with. My partner. My lover. My Knight in shining armor.
I couldn’t have said who moved first, only that we came together for a passionate kiss that had him lifting me from the floor and twirling me around.