Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Molly wondered if this was what a Soul Bond was like for the Kindred and their wives who were Bonded? If so, it must be even more amazing than Lana had described it to her.
She also wondered what was going to happen when they were alone together on their honeymoon. She couldn’t help remembering how Torus had said he wanted to kiss her everywhere. The thought made her face get hot and she tried to push it away and concentrate on the present—they still had the reception and the cake-cutting to get through before she had to worry about anything like that.
The reception was being held in the parklands which surrounded the Sacred Grove. Kat had set up lots of clear glass, waist-high bar tables and servers were coming around with tall, fluted glasses of champagne and a pale blue drink called “Woo punch.”
“Be careful with that one,” Kat warned them as she put two glasses in front of them. “It really packs a punch! So if you don’t want to be too drunk to cut the cake, just take one or two sips.”
Molly was mindful of Kat’s warning and only took a single sip of the fizzy punch before putting her fluted glass back on the table where she and Torus were standing. Or rather, she was standing and he was sitting in a special armchair that had been provided by Kat.
“So you two can be on the same level during the reception,” she said, smiling as she showed them to their places.
But Torus didn’t seem to like the arrangement.
“Come here,” he rumbled, motioning for her. “You’re too far away, little bird. We can still be on the same level if you sit here.” And he patted the broad leather arm of the chair.
“Okay.” Molly sat and Torus put one long, muscular arm loosely around her waist. She liked being so close to him but she felt a little surge of worry when it came time to cut the cake.
“What’s wrong, little bird?” she heard Torus send through their TET link as two servers wheeled a many-layered wedding cake out and placed it right in front of them.
“Oh, nothing,” Molly sent back hurriedly.
Secretly, though, she was remembering her first wedding with Zach. She hadn’t had a proper ceremony or a very nice dress—he had refused to pay for any of that. But Molly had put her foot down and demanded a wedding cake—that wasn’t too much to ask, she’d thought.
Zach had sulkily agreed to buy the cake—which he got from a grocery-store bakery—and they had brought it with them to their “reception” at Chipotle. But when it came time to cut the cake and feed each other a piece, her new husband had smashed a whole slice in her face. He and his stupid gamer friends had laughed trollishly as Molly wiped the frosting off her face and tried not to cry. He—
“Did he really do that to you?” Torus’s eyes were fierce and she realized that she’d projected the whole awful cake-cutting ceremony through their link.
“Oh, I didn’t mean for you to see that…I’m sorry,” she tried to apologize. God, how humiliating! She hadn’t wanted him to know all the awful things Zach had done to her! He might think differently of her if he did. Some things were better kept secret—she had to work on her mental shields!
“It’s all right, little bird.” Torus pulled her closer and stroked her back and shoulders with one big, warm hand. “You never have to be ashamed with me,” he murmured through the TET link. “I’m just sorry that happened to you—but I swear it won’t happen again. Why would he do that with the cake in the first place?”
“He thought it was funny,” Molly admitted. Her ex had thought a lot of mean little jokes or pranks were funny. His trollish sense of humor meant that even when he wasn’t angry and screaming at her, she’d lived in fear of him.
“You never have to fear me, that way,” Torus told her. “I’ll never hurt you—I swear it.”
“I know you won’t.” Molly looked at him shyly. “Um…should we cut the cake now?”
“Yes, let’s do it together,” he agreed out loud. Both of them got up and Torus stood behind her and leaned over so that he was looking over her shoulder. Molly picked up the ornamental silver knife and he put his hand over hers. Together they carved out a slice of the bottom layer of the cake—which was chocolate with raspberry filling—Molly’s favorite.
“Now what?” she heard him murmur in her ear.
“Now, we feed each other a little piece of cake,” she told him. Breaking off a small chunk, she turned to face him. Torus leaned down obligingly so she could put it in his mouth.
His eyes widened as he chewed.
“Mmm! This is delicious! What flavor is this?” he sent through their link, since his mouth was full.