Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
By the time Ioniko handed MJ to his care, his bride was crying profusely. “Take care of her, Andreadis,” Ioniko said soberly.
He nodded. “I will.” He meant it with his life. And he would treat her gently, too. Treat her like she was a piece of fragile jewelry because she was that precious to him.
But when MJ continued to sniff and sob next to him as they walked to their seats, he heard himself growling, “Stop crying.”
“I’m trying.” But she only ended up sobbing more loudly anyway.
“If you don’t stop crying...”
She looked at him innocently. “Wh-what?”
He muttered under his breath, “You might have me in fucking tears, too.”
Her eyes widened.
He glared at her. “And if that fucking happens, I’ll kill you.”
But his threat, rather than scaring her, ended up making MJ smile. At least her tears stopped, Helios thought. As they took their seats, he grasped her hand and squeezed it tightly, the tension inside him only easing when she squeezed his hand back. These days, he had a pathological need to know she was really there with him.
When it was her turn to speak her vows, she stood up, surprising Helios because they had initially agreed that they would not be making any personalized vows. But she had always intended to say this, as a way of thanking him for loving her during her darkest days.
She looked at him, and his sheer gorgeousness took her breath away, as always. His hair had grown a little longer now, enough for him to have to tie it back halfway, making him look sexy and rakish. Combined with his wonderful black and white suit, and he looked like a cross between James Bond and a pirate, guaranteed to make every eligible girl in the church swoon.
Taking a deep shaky breath, she said, “When I first met Helios Andreadis, I thought he wasn’t human. It wasn’t because he was the grouchiest person ever...”
Laughter from the crowd made her pause and smile, but she hurriedly continued when she saw Helios’ glare. “It wasn’t that, really. It was because...he took my breath away with his courage, his strength, his compassion. He’s not...” She closed her eyes, remembering the time Helios had saved Rick from the men who had abducted him.
“He’s not the type to back down from a fight, to stop fighting for the people he loves...” She remembered the time he had allowed himself to be beaten up just to prove to her that he could be normal for MJ. “And just as easily, he would allow himself to be defeated if it’s what it takes to protect the ones he loves.”
Wiping her eyes, she said, “It was because of these things that I fell in love with him and did everything I could to get into this school. I wanted to see him, be a part of his life, and maybe if I was lucky, maybe I might even get him to fall in love with me.”
“You mean seduce him,” Kellion coughed not so subtly from the front row.
MJ turned red, but Helios only smirked.
“I was so excited when I was about to meet him the first time here in school. I had so many things I wanted to say but when the moment finally came...” She smiled sheepishly at Helios. “I ended up making him mad because I was talking to him like this. Do. You. Understand. What. I’m. Saying?”
Helios scowled, which only made the crowd roar with laughter.
“In my defense, it wasn’t like I wanted to make him feel stupid. I just thought he might not be so fluent in English.”
Helios slowly ran a finger across his throat.
She gulped. “Anyway, my time as a volunteer at Afxisi was made special because I got to wake him up most days. The times he was not alone, I’d rather not remember.” This time, her eyes bored through his while color stained his cheeks.
“I got to see sides of him that not everyone gets to see and all of it, the good and the bad, it just made me love him more.” She smiled at Helios, mouthing I love you. Tears stung her eyes as he mouthed the words back. The old Helios would have never done this for her, but ever since she had been taken away, it was as if Helios was determined to make her feel loved and cherished every second of her life, never mind if it meant having his pride dented once in a while.
But today, it was her turn to give back.
“Helios is the most magnificent man on earth. And in hindsight, I would never have known how much he loved me, I would never have been able to comprehend how much he loved me if not for the time...I was taken away.”
Silence descended on the crowd as her words sunk in.