Page 68 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Soul

"I promise to cherish every moment with you, in laughter and in tears, in triumphs and challenges. I vow to be your strength when you feel weak and to be your mentor when you need guidance in this modern world you have awoken to, helping you overcome the challenges it throws your way. But most of all, I promise to always make you laugh, to fill our days with joy, and our nights with the warmth of my love. I pledge to be your partner in every adventure that awaits us."

He paused, his heart brimming with emotion. "I vow to love you, to respect you, and to grow with you for as long as we both shall live, which, hopefully, is forever. You are my heart, my soul, and my fierce Wonder. I am forever yours, completely and irrevocably."

As he concluded his vows, the room burst into applause, but Anandur's focus remained solely on Wonder.

Moist with tears, her eyes sparkled with love and adoration.

"I love you," she whispered. And if that was the extent of her vows, it was good enough for him.

Wonder

Wonder remembered her first encounter with Anandur vividly. It had been in the alley behind the club where she worked as a security guard, and the moment that had sealed her fate was probably when he'd smiled at her, giving her a two-fingered salute. Initially, she had thought he was checking her out but soon realized that he was reading her T-shirt, which read "bouncer" for the club. She had wondered then if he was also a bouncer or perhaps a policeman, but he was neither. He was something far more extraordinary—an immortal Guardian—but it would be a while before she found out that he was one of the good guys and not one of the evil ones whom she'd intercepted trying to drain human females of their blood.

He had seemed different from the start, so nice and friendly, but as he followed the behavior pattern of the others, disappointment had washed over her. Appearances could be deceptive, and nice-looking males were often the most dangerous, capable of luring in unsuspecting victims.

Determined not to let her guard down, Wonder had followed him into the alley, hoping that he was different, that he wasn't intent on killing the woman he was taking back where no one could see him.

As she'd peeked time and again, gauging the situation to see if she needed to intervene, she'd been envious of the woman and her obvious pleasure, but when Anandur flashed his elongated fangs, she could wait no longer and had pounced, tasering him until he'd collapsed in a heap. The woman had screamed, and Wonder had quickly thralled her into silence, a necessary but crude intervention.

Straightening the woman's clothes, Wonder had sent her back to the club and turned her attention back to the male.

Anandur had been still twitching from the taser's effect, fighting it with all his might, so she had knocked him out with the butt of her taser gun. After stripping him of his clothes to ensure that he had no tracking devices on him, she'd dumped them in a dumpster and had hoisted him over her shoulder. She knocked him out again before stuffing him into her car, and then dumped him in the gorilla cage, like she had done with the others she had caught.

Now, as she stood beside him on their wedding day, Wonder couldn't help but smile at the irony. The man she had once apprehended and viewed as a potential threat was now the love of her life, her fated mate.

Life was full of unexpected turns.

Her eyes never leaving his, Wonder's heart swelled with love. "It is true that when we first met, I knocked you out and treated you as a threat, but deep inside, I knew you were not the enemy.You shone too bright to be evil, but I couldn't take any chances. I imprisoned you, hoping that you would prove to me that you were good. In my gut, I must have known even then that you were my destined partner, my fated love, and in short order, you convinced my mind that my gut and my heart had been right."

A chuckle rippled through the crowd, and Anandur's smile broadened, his eyes twinkling with amusement and love.

"In you, I found not only a formidable warrior but a kind and loving soul. You've turned my world upside down in the best possible way. You've challenged me, supported me, and loved me unconditionally. You accepted me for who I was and stood by me through thick and thin, even when I insisted on following distant whispers all the way back to the place that I had awoken in."

Wonder paused, her eyes prickling with unshed tears. "Anandur, my love. I promise to cherish every moment with you, in laughter and in tears, in triumphs and challenges. I vow to stand by your side and be your partner in every adventure life throws our way."

Her voice grew softer, more intimate. "Even the most formidable warrior needs to come home to find comfort and support, and I promise to always be there for you as your sanctuary, your confidante, and your best friend." Wonder smiled. "And I solemnly swear to occasionally let you win when we spar, just to keep things interesting."

They never did spar, but she had known their guests would love the comment, and to prove her right, laughter filled the room.

Anandur's grin widened. "You're on, love."

"Most of all," Wonder continued, "I promise to love you with every fiber of my being for as long as we both shall live. You are my heart, my soul, my Anandur. And I am forever and irrevocably yours."

As she finished her vows, the room erupted with more applause and cheers, but for Wonder, the only person in the world at that moment was Anandur.

Frankie

Frankie dabbed at her eyes with a napkin, blotting the tears that had pooled in their corners.

The three wedding ceremonies she had witnessed had been so beautiful, each with its own unique and touching story, and she couldn't help but wonder what was special about her own love story with Dagor.

What would their wedding vows be about?

She'd met a god, thought that he was hot, and the rest was history?

The most unique thing about their relationship was that Dagor was a god, but even though that was most extraordinary, it wasn't something to wax poetic about.

Upon further reflection, though, she realized that within a very short span of time they’d had experiences most people didn't share in a lifetime.