Wrapping his arms around my middle, Keryth rests his chin on my shoulder when he sees his parents’ entry, and I feel a stab of melancholy when I turn to the middle and see my own mother and father listed.

“I bet they were so happy,” I say, trying to keep my voice light. Keryth doesn’t want our day to be tainted by sadness, but it’s hard not to feel grief. “I can’t help having pity for my father. He only had his mate for twenty-seven years. In the expanse of our long lives, that’s barely anything at all.”

Nodding, Keryth clears his throat. “Yes, in the grand scheme of things, mine didn’t have much longer—a hundred and seventy-eight years together. But at least they were with each other when they perished. I like to think they’re still embracing somewhere beyond the sky.”

Snagging a pen off the shelf, I hand it to Keryth and turn to a blank page.

I smile. “It’s time to start our story.”

He scrawls his name in big letters, and then I do the same underneath his, making sure some places overlap. I like the way our names look when they’re intertwined.

Setting the book down, I keep it open so the ink has time to dry.

When I glance at Keryth, I find him staring at me. His pupils are so large they’re nearly black, and when he licks his lips, I audibly gulp.

He looks like he wants to eat me. And I just might let him.

I jump a little when his hands go to my sides, and I let out a nervous laugh when I realize he’s undoing the corsets. They loosen immediately, and I tilt my head in confusion.

“How’d you get so good at this?”

“Practice.”

White hot jealousy ripples through my system. It’s so strong, flames shoot from my fingertips to the floor.

Pausing, Keryth gives me a wicked smirk. “A former soldier of mine lent me one of his mate’s old dresses,” he clarifies. “No one was in it when I honed my skills.”

“Oh,” I respond, sheepish.

I don’t normally have such a temper, but the thought of Keryth with anyone else makes me burn. My hands are still smoking a little, and my gaze dips to the charred rock.

Fitting a finger under my chin, he forces me to look up. “Don’t you know how much you mean to me? How long I’ve waited for you? I wanted you before I even knew you. I could never be with another. All of me is yours.”

His words cause a dipping sensation in my stomach, and heat settles in my lower belly. The cap sleeves of my gown slide down my arms, exposing my breasts to the humid air.