Page 64 of Ruined By a Devil

The ancient words fill the cold space of the chapel but all I can focus on is the way Malachi keeps looking at me, without taking his eyes off me for a single second. He is standing close, his body blocking out the cold draft coming from the side windows. I can feel the heat radiating off him, anchoring me to the stone floor.

My breathing finally slows down, the adrenaline from the crash beginning to fade, leaving behind a dull throb in my knees and shoulder, but I keep my chin up as the priest turns the page, his voice rising slightly as he reaches the core vows.

“Do you, Malachi, take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death do you part?”

“I do,” Malachi says instantly without hesitation. His voice carries a weight that feels heavier than the stone walls around us.

The priest turns his gaze toward me. “And do you, Jade, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death do you part?”

I look up into Malachi’s green eyes and suddenly it all makes sense. Nolan, the forced marriage, Malachi tricking me into an agreement to marry him, the car crash… It all had to happen for me to finally realize that this man was always meant to be my husband and that I was just waiting for him to show up in my life.

“I do,” I say.

The priest nods once, motioning toward the small tray on the altar table and Malachi reaches down and picks up the band. The ring is smooth and heavy, the same ones we used during rehearsal. He takes my left hand, his large fingers holding mine steady as he slides the cold band onto my ring finger. It fits perfectly, resting right next to the heavy diamond.

I reach onto the tray and pick up his ring. It’s thick, made of silver, cold to the touch. I take his hand and slide the band over his joint until it sits at the base of his finger.

Perfect.

He looks down at his hand, then back up at me, his lips curving into a smile as the priest continues. “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

The priest raises his hand to make a final blessing, but Malachi doesn't wait for him to finish the gesture. He crosses the already small distance between us, grabs my waist with both hands, and pulls me up against his chest.

The kiss is pure claim, his grip on my waist tight enough to leave bruises, pulling my torn dress flush against his dark suit until there is no air left between us. And I wrap my arms around his neck, sliding my fingers up into the short hair at the back of his head as I pull him down harder against me. I open my mouth to his, kissing him back with the exact same fierce intensity, eagerly accepting the mark he’s placing on me, giving it right back to him.

The chapel, the priest, Mal’s family, the men standing guard at the doors, all of it fades into the background noise of the rain outside.

When he finally pulls back just an inch, his forehead resting against mine, his breath is hot against my lips. His pale green eyes are fixed on mine, his thumb pressing hard into the curve of my hip.

“You’re mine now, Jade,” he whispers, his voice low. “No one gets to take you from me. No one will ever touch you.”

I look right back at him, my fingers tangled tight in his hair, my heart beating hard against his chest and I smile. I’m exactly where I want to be, I wouldn’t leave even if I had another choice.

“No one,” I agree.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Malachi

I step back just enough to look over her shoulder at the rear of the chapel. My brothers are already lined up near the heavy wooden doors, their hands resting near their jacket holsters, waiting for the word.

“Congratulations,” Riley steps towards us, pulling Jade into a quick hug and giving me a warm smile.

“Thank you,” Jade smiles back at her, and I notice a tear pooling at the corner of her eye. It hurts me to not have given her a proper wedding, but having her in one piece and safe at my arm, is more than enough for now. If she wants, we’ll have many celebrations once Nolan is at the bottom of the ocean.

“We have to go,” I say, interrupting their little chatter. “Riley, you should get to safety as well.”

“Don’t worry, Zeke has already arranged with Eliott to take me back to the villa,” She smiles, as comfortable with our world as ever. For anyone looking at her from the outside, she looks like someone who grew up surrounded by mafia. They’d never guess she was just a normal paramedic student struggling to pay her debt when she walked into Eden.

“Good,” I nod, knowing that aside from Zeke, Eliott is the safest person for her to be around. He used to be my brother’s most trusted man before Zeke decided to assign him as Riley’s bodyguard. It was a smart choice, something I plan to do with Milo now that Jade is my wife. “Zeke! Take Elijah, Cain and Levi, and put every tracker, every street contact, and every piece of wire we have on Nolan’s shadow right now.”

Ezekiel steps forward, his eyes sharp, nodding once. “You want him dropped on sight?”

“No,” I shake my head, my hand still holding Jade’s. “I want you to bring him to me alive. No one is allowed to make him bleed but me.”

“He tried to take your bride on the highway, Malachi,” Elijah speaks, his eyes falling to the dried blood on Jade’s face, then back to me. “The streets are going to be a war zone the second we step out those doors. Moving him alive is high risk.”

“I don't care,” I say, stepping in front of Jade, keeping my body between her and the open aisle. “Nolan crossed the line the second he put a driver in her car. He doesn’t get a quick bullet from a sniper. I’m going to break him piece by piece with my own two hands.”