Bound: Highgate Preparatory Academy, Book 2

I sit back, stomach pleasantly full after eating our delicious mashup of British and American cuisine. We had scrambled egg and bacon on tiny pancakes, loaded hot dogs, and chilli cheese fries, followed by the fake boiled eggs, and a selection of British cheeses and oatcakes to finish.

Patting my rounded stomach, I hear a deep chuckle either side of me.

“Full, Baby Girl?” Jax asks, his hand quickly dipping to ghost over my stomach in a protective gesture. Like Ash and Kai, Jax wears a light grey tailored morning suit, with a rainbow waistcoat and tie. Loki, my wonderful Knight of mischief, has gone for a full on rainbow suit, the fabric literally striped in rainbow colours. And he looks fucking stunning, as do the others, all tailored perfection and clean lines.

Because of our unconventional seating plan, I’m sitting at a round table with all of my favourite people. Jax is on one side of me—I dread to think how he won that privilege—and Ash, my new husband, on the other. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the fact that I’m now married. I’m now Mrs Vanderbilt.

Kai is on the other side of Ash, Loki next to Jax. Willow is here with us, chatting to Lex and Ryan, who are also at our table.

I cast a glance over my shoulder, and catch Julian’s eye, shivering when he gives me a feline smile before turning back to talk to my uncle. Yep, Adrian turned up, and briefly congratulated Ash and I, although the smile didn’t reach his eyes as he shook Ash’s hand.

The sound of tinkling glass swings my gaze back to Ash, who rises in his seat, standing up and taking everyone in his sweeping steel gaze.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to start by thanking you for joining Lilly and I on our wedding day,” he starts, glancing down at me, a warm smile tugging his lips up. My own mimic him, my cheeks hurting from all of the smiling I’ve done today, most of which has been at my guys so I’ll take the pain. “When Lilly agreed to be my wife, well, it truly was the happiest night of my life.” He’s staring at me as he says this last part, and my palms sweat, remembering that night at his parents’ manor house, and how fraught with tension it was. But he means it, and I realise that really was a happy moment for him, one in a life full of sad moments. “My wife,” he pauses, and takes a slight breath, letting me know that he’s as affected by these new terms as I am. “My beautiful wife is a fan of Shakespeare, so I’d like to read Sonnet 116 for her.”

He looks back down at me, holding my gaze as he recites the words.

“‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.

Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.’”

I take a gasping breath as he finishes, realising that I’d held it the whole time that he spoke. His image wavers as I try in vain to stop the tears from leaving my eyes. Cheers erupt around us as he bends down, capturing my lips in a kiss so tender and gentle that a small sob sounds in my throat.

“I love you, Lilly Vanderbilt,” he tells me, his lips ghosting across mine as he pulls away so that I taste his words.

“I love you, Asher Vanderbilt,” I whisper back, my voice raspy as I try to talk through the lump in my throat.

Another glass rings and I look to see Ryan standing up, tugging at the neck of his shirt, his face going slightly red.

“I was there when Lilly came into the world, kicking and screaming as Lex passed her into her mother’s arms. I was there when she learnt to crawl, then walk—at ten bloody months old mind, which I can tell you was a right nightmare!” He laughs along with us, then holds my gaze. “I was there when she started talking, when she went off to school for the first time, when she experienced a thousand other milestones that a young girl does. And some that she never should have had to.” I bite my lip, Ash gripping one hand and Jax the other, Jax’s other hand wiping away the tear that escapes. Coughing, Ryan continues. “And now I’m here, standing in front of a beautiful woman, a beautiful wife, and wondering how I got so lucky to have such a wonderful daughter.” He swipes his own wet eyes, Lex handing him a tissue whilst a cry-laugh escapes her. “And I couldn’t be more proud of the young lady that you’ve become. We couldn’t be more proud. And your mum, well, I just know that wherever she is, she’s smiling and jumping around like a loon at how far you’ve come, at how much you’ve grown.”

Tears track freely down my cheeks as I nod, unable to say a single thing to this man who is a father to me, in all but blood.

“You’ve found yourself good guys, little one. Good protectors, who’ll take care of you for the rest of your life.” None of us miss the way that Ryan gives no shits and includes all my Knights, not just Ash, and I couldn’t give a flying fuck about the whispers from the other tables. “So, let’s raise our glasses in a toast,” he continues, a roguish look in his brown eyes as he lifts his champagne flute. “To Lilly and her Knights!” he cries, a shocked giggle escaping my lips as others at our table raise their glasses and make the same toast. The rest of our guests follow suit, a little delayed as no doubt they thought they ought to be toasting the bride and groom, not the bride and grooms. Ah well, fuck ’em!

“My turn,” Loki leans over to whisper, standing up and coming up next to me, holding his hand out. “Come on, Pretty Girl.”

I quirk a brow at him, but let him pull me from my chair and lead me over to the dance floor, a stage set up at one end. There’s a band there, a beautiful quirky black-haired girl smiling down at me, standing in front of a microphone. I don’t notice much else as Loki leaves me standing there, pressing a kiss to my cheek, then hops up onto the stage.

He confidently strides over to a high stool, which has an acoustic guitar propped up next to it, and a microphone in front of it. Grabbing the guitar, he sits down, giving me a panty decimating grin.

Then he opens his mouth and starts singing If We Never Met by John K, and Kelsea Ballerini and I just melt. He looks into my eyes as he sings, and there’s an intense look in his own, like although the song has a fun beat, he wants me to take it seriously. And I do. I take the message he’s giving me into my very soul.

At one point, the girl starts singing solo and Loki puts his guitar back onto the stand, hops off the stage, and grabs my hand, pulling me towards him and moulding his body to mine as we dance together. I’d somehow forgotten that this boy can move like he’s making love on the dance floor.

He picks up the lyrics, singing into my ear as he moves his hips against mine in a slow, teasing movement, and my knees go weak, a fire igniting in my core at the memories of the times he’s been singing into my ear whilst being inside of me.

All too soon the song finishes, as do his movements, and I’m left pressed up against him, feeling just how affected he is with his heaving chest and hardness pressed against my stomach.

“You may be his wife, Pretty Girl,” he rasps into my ear, nuzzling my neck like he just can’t help himself. “But you’re my soulmate, the mother of my child, and I will love you for my entire life, and then some.”

“I fucking love you, Loki Thorn,” I manage to choke out, my voice thick with all the emotions that are swirling inside of me.

A throat clears behind me, and I turn to see Jax standing there, waiting a step behind us. Loki laughs, and I glance back at him.

“Your other soulmates await,” he tells me ruefully, pressing a kiss to the corner of my lip. Before he can pull away, I turn my face, kissing him full-on, uncaring of our other guests as I kiss the shit out of him.

It takes a second, but with a groan he returns the embrace, matching my passion with his own. Reluctantly, he pulls away and looks at me like I am everything in the entire world to him. Stepping away—luckily, he’s managed to get himself somewhat under control so that he’s not walking around at full mast—he walks backwards, holding my gaze until I feel a warmth at my back, huge hands alighting on my upper arms.

“May I have this dance, Baby Girl?” Jax’s rough voice whispers in my ear, the same ear that Loki murmured into. I shiver with the feel of it, all rough hands and long nights spent wrapped up in each other.

“Yes, always,” I reply, turning and letting him hold me in his huge arms. It always feels like coming home whenever Jax holds me, like I’m in a warm room, safely tucked away from the raging storm outside.

The sounds of a country guitar start playing, and when a male voice starts singing, I recognise the song as Die a Happy Man by Thomas Rhett.

A happy shiver caresses my skin, and my lips split into a wide grin as Jax leads me into a slow country swing dance. He moves with a grace that only those of us who know him aren’t surprised by and we twirl around the dance floor, uncaring that we’re the only ones dancing.

We lose ourselves in the music and each other, the twist and twirl of the moves, the lead and pull. I know that he chose this song purposefully, telling me how much I mean to him through the lyrics, and the way that he holds me like I’m the most precious thing in the world.

All too soon the song finishes, and once again I’m being held close by one of my Knights.

“You are the greatest thing to have ever happened to me, Baby Girl,” he mumbles into my hair, his voice rough with emotion. “And I don’t care that you’re a Vanderbilt, because you will always be mine as well.”

“Jax…” I rasp out, my own throat thick. These boys are determined to make me bawl my eyes out and explode with happiness today.

He pulls back, gazing fiercely into my eyes, his own a swirling blue vortex. Achingly slowly he lowers his face to mine, his lips pausing a hair’s breadth above my own, his warm breath teasing me. Tired of waiting, I close the distance, a deep vibrating chuckle erupting in his chest at my brazen move.

Jax’s hand comes up to grip underneath my chin, his fingers on one side of my upper throat, his thumb on the other. He deepens the kiss with one of his signature growls, the noise heating my core as his tongue decimates mine, leaving me breathless and wanting more.

Before I can do something embarrassing—like climb him like a fucking spider monkey does a fruit tree—he pulls away, placing a gentle peck on my lips.

“Two more Knights, baby,” he whispers, taking hold of my upper arms and turning me to face away from him.

My head is still spinning from our kiss when honey amber fills my gaze.

“Hello, darling,” Kai’s melodic voice fills my ears, and even though my cheeks ache with smiling so much today, my kiss swollen lips lift.

“Hello, my love,” I murmur back, and his eyes close in bliss for a brief moment, before opening again. His hand reaches out, his fingers brushing my lips, heat making the amber glow like the setting sun.

The haunting voice of Aaron Smith comes over the speakers, singing Unconditional, and tears sting my eyes knowing the lyrics and knowing that they are perfect for us. For Kai and I.

He holds out his hand, and I place mine in his warm grip, letting him pull me close, taking me in a formal dance hold, and waiting a beat, before setting off in a waltz. My heart races as he spins us around the empty dance floor, the lights and colours of the marquee becoming a kaleidoscope as we dance.

The song swells and ebbs, guiding our moves, but Kai stares into my eyes the entire time, captivating me in his gaze as he expertly leads. Everything that has passed between us is there; the immediate connection, the brief doubt, the coming together again, and every revelation. Every declaration. Every iota of feeling that exists between Kai and I flows between us, and I can almost see it’s light connecting us until it becomes something continuous and everlasting.

My cheeks feel damp when finally, reluctantly, we slow, eventually standing there, still staring into each other’s eyes. His hand lets go of mine, his fingers brushing my tears away.

“You and I are the stuff that dreams are made of, my darling,” he tells me, his voice strong yet there’s a rasp to it too. “We are what the stars envy, what the moon longs for, and what the legends of old tell tales of. Our love is more than this world, Lilly. More than a piece of paper with a new surname. And it will remain long after we are gone from the earth.”

A choked sob falls from my lips, and I feel them tremble against his as he kisses me with a tenderness that makes the tears fall faster down my cheeks. He worships me with his kiss, his lips parting mine reverently, his tongue caressing the seam until I let him in. Hands cup my cheeks, holding me like the most valuable gem as he fills me up with his love, making me taste the truth of his declaration.

My lips chase his when he ends the embrace, placing a tender kiss on my forehead before taking a step back.

“One Knight left, darling.”

Giving him what must be a very watery smile, I turn, my heart leaping and breath catching to see Ash standing several steps behind me. He looks sinfully handsome, the grey of his suit matching his eyes to perfection, tailored to his incredible body beautifully. His ink peeks out at his neck and wrists, tantalising as it hints at what’s underneath.

There’s a devilish smile on his lush lips as he stalks towards me, all elegant grace with a touch of restrained destruction. He stops just in front of me, our chests brushing, and I have to tip my head up to look into those grey orbs. Cuntbucket.

“Did you enjoy your first dances, Mrs. Vanderbilt?” he questions, his brow arched arrogantly.

“Immensely, husband,” I sass back, noticing the glint of possession in his eyes when I call him that. I feel his hand reach around my waist, his palm warming the skin underneath my dress.

“It’s about time that the bride and groom had their first dance, don’t you think, wife?”

“I don’t know,” I can’t help but tease, loving the flare of annoyance that flashes in his gaze. “You’ve got a lot to live up to after their performances, don’t you think, husband?” I repeat his own question back to him, and his smile turns positively evil.

He gives a small nod, not taking his eyes off me, and a piano starts to play the opening notes of Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Ray. My gaze goes wide as the singer starts to sing, and I twist to face the stage seeing Lana Del fucking Ray standing there in a beautiful glittering gown, singing into an old fashion microphone as a miniature orchestra plays behind her.

“Shall we?” Ash asks, his voice full of smug amusement, and I face him once more, unable to say anything. “Not like you to be speechless, wife.”

He pulls my compliant, still shocked body into his, one hand on the back of my waist, the other holding mine in a classical hold, and begins to waltz me around the floor. Years of dancing has my body moving on autopilot as I no doubt gape like a fish.

“T–that’s…” I trail off, unable to finish my sentence.

“Lana Del Rey? One of your favourite artists?” he asks, full-on smiling now, which doesn’t help my short circuited brain. “I know.”

“H–how?” I croak out, stealing a glance at the stage as we spin past.

“I have my ways, Princess,” he replies, still sounding entirely too pleased with himself. I mean, he should be, so I can’t hold it against him really. His face softens. “And I wanted to make today special for you.”

“Ash, marrying you is special enough,” I assure him, looking solely at him, following his lead as he spins us. “You are an amazing man, and I’m proud to be your wife.”

The smile he gives me after the words leave my lips would leave the sun full of envy. His hand tightens on my waist, drawing me in closer until our bodies are flush and I can feel his heat warming the front of me.

“Fuck, Lilly. I still can’t believe that you’re mine, let alone that you are now my wife,” he confesses, and the look of slight disbelief on his usually assured face makes my chest tight.

“I still can’t believe that you, all of you, are mine,” I reply quietly. But he hears me, a fierce intensity entering his gaze.

“Forever, Princess. We will always be yours,” he assures me, his deep voice strong and with no hint of hesitation. “We will always love you. Always be by your side, no matter what.”

Tears well in my eyes again, and I blink like crazy whilst at the same time feeling a weightlessness in my limbs at his words. The song comes to a close, and Ash brings us to a sweeping stop, dipping me like a fairy tale princess and kissing me like Prince Charming would. You know, if that pansy wasn’t afraid to use tongue and make his princess all hot and wet for him.

My hands grip his lapels, uncaring if I crease them as I pull him closer, deepening the kiss until he growls and pulls me back upright, abruptly ending the kiss.

“Keep that up, wife, and the guests will get more of a show than they have already,” he rumbles out, and I’m sorely tempted to take him up on that offer, but decide to save it for later.

After all, isn’t that what a wedding night is for?