Rose

A single gunshot goes off and the room is silenced. No one moves as eyes slowly move to the back of the church.

My heart drops.

I watch as their eyes settle on the man beside me. His arm raised in the air, with a smoking gun in his hand. He looks over at me and winks, breaking into a grin.

This is really happening.

Suddenly the crowd erupts into cheers and my father walks up next to me, linking his arm on mine. I turn my head to look straight down the aisle.

"We can now begin the wedding," The host says.

Our traditions before marriage have always been a bit too much. Today, they have only managed to piss me off more. If that's even possible.

The music begins and my father tightens his grip on my arms and moves forward.

The huge grand church, with creamy white walls and windows letting in rainbow colored sunshine from its tinted glass, would be like a Cinderella story for any bride. Any bride except me.

The whole room holds me hostage, as the walls close in and the dyed light turns to red blood, pouring through the windows, flooding. The smiles facing towards me, all have a creepy and eerie aura. The priest stands at the head of the altar like satan, looking at me with hunger eyes, as if I was about to sell my soul.

And Caleb, looming like the grim reaper, waiting for me. The rings in the hands of two servants close behind him, both the signing away of my soul and the agreement to let death take me away the moment it slips on my finger, cuffing me. In turn, putting shackles around my neck, wrists, ankles, and heart. While the chains of my future prepare to pull me thin, into nothing.

This wedding is the start of my mental battle between my family and myself. And I have no choice but to let it happen.

That's just how shit went down and I'm going to fucking deal with it.

After this marriage, with the alliance uniting our two branches, the Killats and the Busken, and Caleb knowing he definitely won't have any power or say and yet not caring, like the bitch he is, I'll be the one in control of thousands of cold-blooded killers.

And I'll use them. I don't know how but it won't be pretty.

We reach the end of aisle and I freeze. My father tries to get a hold of my hand but I keep them firmly wrapped around the bouquet. Caleb has his hand out, ready to receive me.

I'm not putting my hand in with his filthy fingers and I won't be handed off to him like in some gift.

I slip my arm away from my father and ignore his face while I slowly walk up to stand in front of Caleb.

The air is tense and so am I. Never in my life have I felt so forced until this second.

I glare into Caleb's eyes while he stares at me with a hopeful expression and a slight smile he can't seem to control.

I hate him.

"Today we are joined here to marry our younger generation, Caleb and Rose, and bring together two of our strongest groups to create one force of power. May the groom and bride link hands?" The priest asks.

A servant behind me taps my shoulder for the bouquet, but I ignore her. I don't want to touch him, is that too much to ask for?

They've taken me away from the one I love, and my real home. My own parents are selling me in this alliance, and suddenly, for no reason mentioned, they turned my life into a prison.

When I tried to get away with my mother, she... completely disconnected and treated me like I wasn't even around, like I didn't matter.

I was all by myself but I didn't allow myself to think like this. I always thought about the future when I'd be happy, and that future came and passed, because of these people again.

So if I simply don't want to touch him, is that too much to ask for?

My dad comes up close to my ear, suddenly.

"I swear I'll put a bullet in that Lily servant, if you dont cooperate." He threatens.

I slowly turn my head to look at him, as he leans away from me while keeping a hard glare trained in my eyes.

I can't breathe properly for a second, as my lungs seem to beneath my ribs. My headache pounds heavier and I let out a sigh.

I stare at his face and slowly look him up and down. I nod.

Did he ever love me? Was I always just a tool for him to use? Were the first years of my life different because he thought he should get close get to me to be able to use me?

Fuck. It hurts. It hurts more than it ever did. This isn't the time or place but everything is breaking. The dam I put in myself to hold everything back, is cracking.

I send him my coldest glare, turning around to gently place my bouquet in the young woman's hands. She looks at me gratefully.

My father retreats back to the side of Caleb, and I bite the inside of my cheek, putting my hands in Caleb's.

Goosebumps of disgust spread up and down my arms and I avoid looking at his face, but I can feel his burning stare on my mine.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

Calm down, calm down. You need to calm down.

I vaguely register the priest beginning to speak, as I fall into a daze. The air feels thick.

I hope Ryder isn't worried about me right now. I hope he's on the couch with his boys, not thinking about me at all, eating or something. He deserves that.

This is officially the end of us. I'll let you go somehow from now on.

"You may now kiss the bride."

The words standout, like the focus of a blur, loud and clear. My eyes finally meet Caleb and his, mine.

Everyone silences and I can only hear the sound of my heartbeat in my ears.

Everything disappears except Caleb's ever leaning in body and myself. In what seems like slow motion, his eyelids flutter shut and his lips come closer and closer.

I stand tense, still, and dead, with my eyes open, I make no move away or towards him. He just needs to kiss me and this will be over, but mostly just starting.

Suddenly the church doors burst open with a loud creak and the room is filled with blinding light from the outside. My head snaps over to the scene. A huge group comes inside but as my eyes try to adjust to the new light, they remain dark figures.

A gun is shot and on Caleb's cheek, a line of blood appears. I follow the bullets path, and look behind me as it nicks the priest's ear.

My head goes back to the people and as I get used to the change, things become clear.

I gasp and hold my breath, ripping my hands from Caleb's.

In walks Ryder, with what looks like hundreds of men behind him, carrying machine guns all up and down himself.

My heart races and my breathing quickens.

His eyes land on me and a smile graces his lips.

God, I missed that smile.

"I think I remember telling you not to fucking touch her. I'll kill you personally myself, Caleb. I promise." Ryder says.

His voice...one I thought I had goodbye to forever, echos throughout the building.

"Rose, I came for you. We're going home."

He walks further into the church, all the men and soldiers in the audience seem frozen.

"I'll kill everyone here if I have to, but I'm not letting you go, and no way in hell, would I let you marry someone other than me." He comes shortens the distance between us, and even in a room full of warriors, no one moves as he approaches.

"You...dumbass, what are you doing here?" I say as he stops right in front of me. Everyone has their eyes trained on him, but probably cause of the men waiting at the door with guns ready in hand, no one says or does anything.

"I already told you, to take you home."

"This is suicide."

"I came prepared, just like you said. We followed your plan." He smiles harder, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close.

"I really fucking missed you." I say, putting my arms around his neck.

"Well of course you did, I'm your groom. Sorry, I'm late."

And with that, I grab a fistful of his hair and push him into my lips, as he wastes no time, holding our bodies even tighter together.
_________________________________________

2.31M

6/22/19

The book isn't over yet, just saying.

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