Tarnished Crown (Gravestone Elite #2) by Caitlyn Dare (books like beach read TXT) 📕

is long and painful with Cade looking smug as fuck and my stomach churning as if I'm going to empty the contents of it on the car floor at any moment.

But I'm sure it's nothing compared to how Mia's feeling right now.

I don’t know what's worse: being a part of this and forced to endure what's coming her way tonight, or watching from the sidelines, not really understanding everything that's about to happen.

"Right, this is it, gentleman," Cade announces as we pull up outside of Gravestone Hall. "Time for me to make an honest woman of my prosapia.” His eyes flick to mine, glowering for a second. “Hell knows she's not experienced a real man yet."

My teeth grind, but he's out of the car before I can figure out a good enough comeback.

"Ignore him. He's trying to push your buttons. Do not let him win," Channing warns.

Much like the last time we were here, we're directed to a bar where we have a drink with Quinctus before one of the waitstaff comes to tell us that it's time to go through.

Every guest stands as we enter the ballroom. I glance around at the faces, most of which I don't recognize. I don't know why I bother; I already know she's not here yet. We take our seats, as do the rest of the room. The men around me chat, but I don't hear a word of it, my eyes firmly locked on the doors, wanting to be the first one to see her.

The second a voice rings out, asking us all to rise, my heart jumps into my throat.

This is happening.

It’s really fucking happening.

My breath catches the second I see her. She looks like a fucking angel in her ivory dress. My heart races and my palms sweat as I imagine how I might feel if it were me she was here for right now. Like the luckiest motherfucker in the world.

But she's not here for me.

She's here for him.

My eyes find Cade as he damn near molests her with his stare alone. My stomach turns once more, thinking about him touching her later, making her his. The room starts to spin around me, making me wish I took something before we left to take the edge off a little.

Thankfully, we're encouraged to sit again, and I fall down to my chair as if my legs can no longer hold me up.

The meal passes at a snail's pace, each plate of food more pretentious than the last—not that I eat any of it. My appetite vanished a long time ago. I barely look up, too scared of what I might be able to read on Mia's face, but I do know that she's eaten about as little as me.

Phillip brings the meal part of the ceremony to a close and invites Q and the Electi to the Sanctuary for the ceremony. The second he says that word, my eyes shoot to Mia. She looks like a rabbit caught in headlights. My scared little mouse.

Her eyes narrow as we stare at each other, a final silent goodbye passing between us that damn near rips my heart right out of my chest. She stands beside Cade and allows him to take her hand and lead her from the room. Q and her father follow before the rest of us.

The hallways are dark and oppressing, much like every building that has something to do with Q, and with each step I take it feels like it's another closer to death, because I already know that everything about my life is going to be different when we emerge from this building.

There are two rows of seats that we all take as Cade and Mia stand at the front before Phillip Cargill, as if he's about to perform their wedding ceremony.

My heart thunders as I watch them. Cade stares at Mia as if he's about to eat her alive, while Mia looks like she's about to bolt for the door at any moment.

Look at me, I silently beg in the hope that I can reassure her.

I'm sure it's luck, but I like to think our connection is so strong that she can actually hear me, because after a beat, her head turns, and she immediately finds my eyes in her small congregation.

"I love you," I mouth, not giving two shits about who might be watching me.

She nods ever so slightly, her eyes telling me everything she can't right now, before Phillip begins the service.

I don't hear a word of it as I keep my eyes on Mia, praying that she can take the strength from me that she needs.

I gasp when Phillip turns and takes hold of a similar branding iron that he used for my initiation brand. Except this one is different. The circular brand splits into two irons.

A pair.

One for Mia.

One for Cade.

Fuck, I think I’m going to puke. The knowledge that he's about to brand her beautiful, flawless skin has my fingers curling around the chair beneath me to keep me in place. But unlike when he did it to me, a woman appears from the shadows and rubs some kind of ointment onto her skin, right over her heart, before Phillip raises the iron and presses it against it.

Mia flinches, but that's the only reaction she shows as it scars her for life. Internally, I scream in pain for her, knowing that her fate has just been sealed.

That's it.

It’s done.

She's his.

30

Mia

Applause rings out around us as Cade slides his hand to the small of my back and presents me to the Electi and Quinctus elders.

The fresh brand over my heart is nothing more than a faint sting. But I know its effects will live on long after tonight.

“And now for the binding,” Phillip Cargill says, coming around to us. He lays my hand on top of Cade’s and wraps them together with a length of fine silk emblazoned with the Quinctus crest.

“Tonight marks the start of your new life together. A toast to new beginnings.” He hands us each