Typhon

Epilogue

Stone~

It was almost midnight, and let me tell you, Catholic churches were creepy as fuck in the middle of the night. Illuminated by candlelight only, shadows dancing over the statues, if demons rose from under the floor to fight angels coming in from the stained-glass ceiling, I wouldn't be surprised.

Though the priest stood patiently at the altar, his demeanor-surprisingly-not comforting, I supposed that this was what it meant to succumb to nerves.

Lennox, Saxton, Ross, and Fox stood behind me, one standing next to the other. Kincaid stood behind Rylee with Jennifer and Alexis standing next to the other in the same fashion as the guys. Lennox was the only odd man out, but everyone knew to keep mum about the details.

We were having a midnight ceremony, and I'd broken another Order stipulation by refusing to have the initiating panel in attendance as witnesses. However, I'd requested that the church film the ceremony, so that I had proof to take back to the panel, should they ask.

After Rylee had let me take her all night and all morning, we had checked her out of the motel room, then had taken her stuff to my place. It'd been an easy decision since she was always going to move in with me after we got married anyway.

However, it had taken the rest of the day to convince her to marry me so soon, but I'd done it, and a sizable donation had opened the church doors this late. A quick text to the guys, and it'd all been arranged in less than two hours. Plus, if Jennifer and Alexis thought that it was odd that we were all dressed casually and August and Laney weren't here, they weren't saying anything.

"Are we ready?" the priest asked, and Rylee and I both gave him an affirmative nod.

"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and in the presence of these witnesses, to join Stone Holden Lexington and Rylee Ember Madden in holy matrimony, which is an honorable estate, instituted by God in the time of man's innocency, signifying to us the mystical union which is between Christ and His Church..."

The entire church was silent as the priest continued with the ceremony, and it wasn't until he got to the commitments that I spoke, and then Rylee. We had opted for traditional wedding vows, which had included the obey part, and while I had no intentions of ordering Rylee around like a pet, we had agreed to include the traditional vow for the sake of the Hera contract. If the video showed Rylee vowing to obey me, then it would help keep The Order off our backs.

When instructed, I slid the platinum diamond band on Rylee's finger to join her engagement ring, vowed to love her forever, then she slid a matching platinum diamond band on my finger, vowing the same. When the priest announced us as man and wife, I kissed the fuck out of Rylee in front of everyone. However, when I finally came to my senses and remembered that we were standing in front of a man of the cloth, I broke off the kiss, then dropped my forehead to hers.

With her beautiful face in my hands, I said, "I love you, Rylee." Her eyes shimmered at my words. "I'll love you all my life."

I didn't know if it was because she wasn't ready, or if because she was too emotional to vocalize what she was feeling, but tears leaked down her cheek as she mouthed the words back, and what no one in the room knew was that it was the first time that she'd ever said the words to me. I'd said them to her plenty since Saturday night, but she'd held them bottled up tight.

Until now.

"Again," I demanded. Smiling, she knew what I wanted, but she shook her head, and I couldn't even be mad at her. I'd wait, and I told her so. "I can wait."

"Really?" she whispered.

"I'd wait forever for you, Rylee."

The tears really started flowing, and as soon as her arms wrapped around my neck, I lifted her in my arms, then swung her around. Everyone was clapping, cheering, and catcalling, and it was perfect.

When I finally set her back on her feet, she stretched up to kiss me before she turned around to hug Kincaid, then Jennifer, then Alexis.

When I turned around to face the guys, I got handshakes and back pats. When I'd gone through the line, Fox asked, "Now what?"

"Now we figure out what to do about August Remington and Laney Spinner."

The End.