Queen of the Lycan, Karina Espinosa [accelerated reader books .TXT] 📗

almost laughable that someone could possibly want that. I was such a mess, and I knew I was a handful even on my best days. But even with my shortcomings and character flaws, I made him happy. How could committing to the man make me nervous?

“I love you,” he mouthed. My eyes teared up as I mouthed the words back to him.

“Please face one another,” the priest instructed. I snapped out of my daydream and turned my body fully to face Bash while he did the same. “Under the full moon, bring out your wolves.”

Bash was the first to close his eyes. He tightened his hands before releasing a growl and flashing his sapphire eyes at me. The bond between us hit me like a wrecking ball and if I hadn’t been holding his hand, I would have fallen backward.

A low growl slipped out of me and my canines slid out as I looked down at the ground before looking up at Bash with my silver eyes.

The tether that held us together tightened and drew us nearer, making us stumble closer. At first, I didn’t understand how this could be happening, but when I glanced at the ground again, I noticed we were standing in a circle that was ringed with a powdery substance. It looked like … mountain ash, which is used to ward off evil spirits. How didn’t I notice it sooner?

The priest reached for a gold bowl resting on a small table and brought it between us. “These are Nightshade berries. For humans, it is deadly. For Lycan, it provides a vision, similar to a hallucination, when we bite into our mate. Ingest a piece and mark your mate.”

I peered into the bowl with wide eyes and cut my eyes back up at Bash like we couldn’t possibly do something so crazy.

I’m not going to eat that shit! It’s basically like going on an acid trip in front of hundreds of people. And then he wants me to bite him? The fuck kind of kinky shit is this?

Without hesitation, Bash reached into the bowl for a berry and popped it into his mouth, swallowing it quickly. I stared at him wide eyed. He definitely wasn’t taking in my facial expression or social cues.

Bash stepped closer to me until we were chest to chest and I sucked in a breath, holding it before he gently took hold of my chin and tilted my head to the side. He leaned down, breathing heavily in the crook of my neck as his canines glided against my skin. I automatically reached for the lapels of his tuxedo and clutched him tightly, anticipating the pain of his bite, all the while thinking, This is completely absurd!

His canines pierced my skin and I flinched. He growled loudly in my ear before releasing me, holding me at arm’s length.

Was it weird that I really wanted to punch him in the face for doing this? I was really tempted to do just that before his hold on me tightened and his eyes rolled to the back of his head until all I saw were the whites of his eyes.

“Bash!” I shrieked, trying to grab him before he fell, but the priest held me back.

“Relax, Yer Majesty,” the priest offered calmly. “He’s having a vision.”

I snapped my mouth shut, suddenly embarrassed by my outburst, and stood perfectly still as I waited for him to come back to me. For fuck’s sake … this should have been done in private! Not in front of a crowd. I avoided making eye contact with anyone, feeling my face overheat.

I stood awkwardly for about ten minutes before Bash’s eyes returned to their sapphire blue and he sucked in a deep breath. I reached for his face to get him to look at me and make sure he was okay, and was surprised to see him grinning. I’d never seen him look this ecstatic.

What the hell did he see?

“Yer Majesty?” The priest held the gold bowl out to me.

I glared at him, and not too politely. My eyes were still silvered so I knew I looked intimidating. I tried to step out of the circle, but found I couldn’t leave the mountain ash barrier. I was trapped.

“It’s okay, Mackenzie,” Bash whispered. “Trust me.”

Fuck this. Furious, I reached into the bowl and plucked out a berry. I popped it into my mouth and grimaced at the sickly sweetness. The instant I swallowed, I felt lightheaded; the effects were fast.

I grabbed Bash by his shirt and pulled him toward me roughly. The crowd laughed at my vigor, but I wasn’t laughing with them. I snarled angrily, tilting his head to the side and exposing my canines. I bit into him hard and felt him wince. I wasn’t even trying to pretend to be gentle. I was mad about this weird-ass tradition. I just wanted a normal wedding! Was that too much to ask?

I pulled back and released him, then stumbled back as the room spun and the corners of my eyes dimmed. My eyes rolled back and my head flopped to the side as I blacked out.

“I like her a lot,” a young man admitted as he stood before me in my office. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen years old. His hair was darker than midnight and he was tall and lean. He looked like a teenage version of Bash.

“What’s the problem, then?” I asked, shrugging as if it wasn’t a problem.

“You know what the problem is,” he sighed, his voice deep for a teenager. “She’s not—well, you know.”

“Don’t make a big deal about it. I won’t.” I walked over to make a cup of coffee. “Have you told her?”

His eyes widened. “No! Of course not! Are you crazy?”

I chuckled. “I’ve been known to act a bit insane from time to time, but the idea isn’t that outrageous. Just tell her. You never know, she just might reject you!” I laughed.

He growled. “Not funny.”

“I mean, it’s kind of funny.