Sully’s nostrils flared as he grabbed my hand and slid the third and final ring onto my finger. A smaller feminine version of the feathered diamond creation already on his.

With a soft shake of his head and a gentle chuckle, he murmured, “I just had an epiphany, my wonderful Eleanor.”

“Oh?”

He stroked the double diamonds on my finger, thoughts clouding his gaze. “Ever since I met you, there has been one question that never had an answer. I thought I had it when I first told you I loved you, but...I have a much better response now.”

“What was the question?”

Sully ignored me and turned to the celebrant. “Can you please bind us now?”

I shivered as the celebrant nodded and clasped his hands. “Do you, Sullivan Aiden Sinclair, take Eleanor Grace to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do.” His rumble sounded like the volcano I’d always likened his temper too. The quiet cracking of tectonic plates, the absolute threat of power ready to be unleashed at any moment.

“And do you, Eleanor Grace, take Sullivan Aiden Sinclair to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I have a middle name too. I’d like to add it, please.” I glanced at the suited celebrant. “Jinx.”

Sully sucked in a breath, swaying enough that he grabbed his cane and spread his legs in the sand for support.

I smiled, desperate to kiss him, wild to get him into a bed so we could finish our final vows with his body inside mine.

The celebrant sighed but repeated his question. “Do you, Eleanor Jinx Grace, take Sullivan Aiden Sinclair to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do.”

“In that case, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Sully jerked me into him, but instead of planting his mouth to mine, he nuzzled into my hair and whispered against my ear. “Who are you, Jinx? Who the fuck are you to destroy me, restore me, and ultimately make me the happiest monster alive?”

I shivered as his tongue licked the shell of my ear.

We had an audience. Waves licked around our bare feet, soaking our hem and cuffs. Two parrots flew around our heads, not appreciating that they’d been excluded, and eyes watched us as Sully once again broke tradition.

“Who are you, Eleanor?” he murmured.

And I knew exactly the answer he wanted.

The question he’d asked since the beginning.

The question that had dragged a whole suitcase of answers with it but never gave quite the right one.

I’m yours.

I’m your other half.

I’m your ever after.

I’m...

“Who are you, Jinx?” Sully asked again, biting the simple pearl dangling in my ear.

I had the answer.

The only answer.

“Who am I, Sully?” I kissed the whiskers on his face. “I’m your wife.”

His entire body shuddered. His exhale made him bow into me. And his voice wobbled with awe. “Damn fucking right you are.” Pulling my head back with his fist in my hair, he crushed his mouth to mine. He once again smashed apart any wedding expectation of a simple public kiss and made the beach ignite with roaring fire as his tongue plunged past my lips and plastered me hard against him.

His cane dug into my dress. His arms banded around me. And his kiss made me breathless and aroused all in one.

I met his hunting tongue with my own.

He groaned as I dropped all propriety and kissed him as savagely as he kissed me.

We kissed as if we’d survived the wreckage of life and were truly shipwrecked on this sinful paradise.

We kissed until Cal drifted away with Jess, the celebrant grumbled and returned to the helicopter, and my father turned off the video feed, leaving us all alone in the warm-licking shallows.

We kissed until even the sun bowed to our need, extinguishing itself into the sea in a flaming orb of blood and carnage, summoning the cloak of night to keep our kisses and our animalistic drive to ravage each other far away from innocent stars.

Chapter Forty-Five

MY WEDDING NIGHT AND my body had almost reached its limit.

How fucking sad was that? How fucking embarrassing.

Five weeks since I’d woken, and I still suffered so many effects from harpoon wounds and helicopter falls. I cursed my weakness, but I was also rather proud. I’d earned those bruises and scars in defeat of my enemies and the defence of those I loved.

I’d earned them.

I would wear them with pride, even if it meant having wild sex with Eleanor would tax every last power I had left.

“We’re at my old villa.” Eleanor glanced up as we slowly made our way down the sandy laneway. Thanks to everyone leaving during our wedding kiss, we had no transportation. Even Pika and Skittles had abandoned us.

Not that the short walk from the beach to Jinx’s old villa was an issue. It was an honour to walk beside her as birds roosted and the shadows of bats flickered just out of sight. I hadn’t intended to return to Nirvana tonight.

I’d...done something.

I’d gambled on a new recipe Peter Beck had been working on and set up a surprise for Eleanor. I had no clue how she’d take it.

“Let’s go inside,” I said, digging my cane into the sugary sand and doing my best not to lean too heavily on her. If I couldn’t walk unassisted, then I’d married her under false pretences, and that would be blasphemy.

She was my wife.

She’s my wife.

Fuck, I’d never get tired of that.

Slinking out from under my arm, she dashed to the door and pushed it open. Waiting for me over the threshold, she laughed suddenly, eyeing up my slow, steady stroll. “You broke so many wedding traditions today, I’m wondering if I should break one of my own.”

“Oh? Which one?”

“I think the bride should carry the groom over the threshold.” She ducked out of my reach as I swiped for her.

“Say such things again and I’ll have to punish you for trying to emasculate me. That kiss before almost ensured I fucked you right on the beach—with or without an audience. I can’t control myself around you, and I definitely don’t need you carrying my ass across a stupid doorway.”

She winked and darted inside. “Ah well, plenty of time for you to sweep me off my feet and complete that particular tradition later.”

“I’ve already swept you off your feet.” I grinned, closing the door behind me and wiping at the heat on my nape. “I’d say I was pretty successful at it, seeing as my ring is now upon your finger.”

She held up her hand, catching the Hawk diamonds in the sconces around the villa. They glittered with every promise and pledge I’d given. “They’re stunning, Sully. I love that Pika and Skittles are included.” She wrinkled her nose. “Where are those birds anyway?”

I shrugged, moving slowly but steadfast into the living room. “Getting drunk on hibiscus probably.” From here, I could see the surprise laid out on Eleanor’s bed. Familiar black boxes with purple orchids stencilled on the top.

For the past three weeks, I’d worked fairly hard, emails and theories, new concepts and trials. I’d achieved a few things during my work hours that I hadn’t divulged to Eleanor.

One, there were hints of a pandemic brewing that required swift vaccines and expensive research to inoculate mass populations. I’d tasked the scientists on Monyet to deconstruct the current viruses on hand to hopefully provide at least some immunity, if and when that pandemic spread.