Page 85 of Guarded By the Clanker
The deputy mayor nodded at Sera with a smile, encouraging her to start in accented English. She took a deep breath, straightened, and looked into my eyes.
“You are my guardian angel, Dean, and I’d never be here without you. Having you and being yours is the best thing that has ever happened to me. And so today, I give you my heart, my loyalty, my days and nights, and everything I am and own.”
There was a faint noise of appreciation from the crowd, but Sera ignored it. Her face was stretched in a huge smile that looked a bit feral, and she squeezed my hands so much, her knuckles were white.
“Dean, I vow to love you, stand by your side, and protect you when you’re in danger. We fit, you and I, and if we don’t, I promise to do everything in my might to make us fit, because we are one. And if you ever forget...”
Her throat must have tightened too much to speak, because she stopped, swallowing convulsively as she stared at me with panicky helplessness.
I displayed the remaining words of her vows on my forehead. Sera’s eyes widened, and she made a sound of outrage. I leaned in to bump my nose against hers.
“Finish your vows, sweetheart.”
“And if you ever forget,” she continued, her voice choked up with tears, “that you are a person who is precious and loved, I will remind you. If you ever lose memories, I will help you make new ones. And I vow to let you… Hey, that’s not in my vows!”
I blinked at her, doing my best to look innocent. “But it should be. Come on, snookums. You know you want to.”
She laughed shakily, rolling her eyes, but read the words. “And I vow to let you call me every endearment you ever wish without making a fuss, because you love me and want to call me sweet words, and also because you so magnanimously let me call you Clanker.”
There were a few scattered laughs among the guests, but neither of us turned to look. Sera sighed and blinked at me. I blinked back.
“I take you as my husband, Dean,” she finished softly.
My core pulsed with happiness so great, it made my vision white out at the edges. I swayed on my feet. Herhusband.It was forever. She owned me now.
“Your turn,” she whispered, squeezing my fingers.
“I take you as my wife, Sera Evans,” I spoke, my voice clear and confident. “I vow to feed you when you’re hangry, carry you around when you’re tired, and give you massages with a happy ending whenever you’re stressed out.”
“Dean!” she hissed.
I grinned. “But most of all, I vow to love you. You are in my core, which means I cannot be without you. You are precious to me, the reason why I’m here, and I promise to never let you go, even if you want to. If we’re ever in danger again, I’ll save youfirst. You are my favorite music, my beloved story, and my most anticipated adventure. I love you, my wife.”
Tears streamed down her face, and I swiped them away with my thumbs, leaning low to kiss her. It was deep, probably too spicy to do in public, with a lot of tongue. She shivered in my arms, pressing as close as she could, and I squeezed her bum once, rumpling the silk of her dress.
“Save it for the wedding night,” Charlie said in his deep, reproachful voice, though he sounded amused.
I pulled back and placed one last tender kiss in the corner of my wife’s mouth.
We exchanged wedding rings. The one I gave Sera was literally a part of me—it was made from some of the metals making up my body. I’d kept my parts whenever I needed an upgrade, and had enough to melt for a beautiful band. The one Sera gave me was gold. She’d used her parents’ bands to make it.
It was done. We were husband and wife, if only in France, but I knew the rest of the world would follow soon.
Our friends stood up and cheered, and I sent my helpers a signal. The secret pavilion was uncovered, revealing Sera’s favorite composer, Harshassar. Sera screamed in shock when she heard the first notes of her song being played live. The musician was incredible, her serpentine body coiling in a trance when she played the cello, her tail tapping out a wild rhythm on a drum.
We danced late into the night, and yes, there was champagne. Sera called me her husband any chance she got. I called her every endearment from my list, and then, when dawn came, and we lay entwined in bed, I finally called her the one that stuck.
“I love you, my beautiful wife.”
THE END
