Damaged Queen (Darkness Within Duet 2)

“Really?”

She pushed some hair out of her face and turned toward him. “Fine. Axel told me you were going to propose. There. I said it.”

Draven snorted. “Leave it to him to spoil absolutely everything.”

“Everything?”

She watched as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a velvet box.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“I’ve been wanting to give you this for some time now. I’ve tried to find the right moment, and now that Axel’s fucked it up, I may as well. I want you to marry me, Harper. I want us to make this official. Real. To stop wasting time.”

“You really want to go through with this?”

“Yes. You, me, this, us.” He took the ring from the box. “I want to bind you to me forever so you know there’s no one else in the world that I could ever want.”

“I know there’s no one else in the world.”

“And now the rest of the world know who you belong to.”

She stared down at the ring, then into the eyes of the man she loved. “You changed everything for me. You turned your back on all that you’d known, for me.”

“Yes. I want you, Harper. More than anything else in the world. I love you more than anything. You’re mine. You know you’re mine.”

She stared at the ring and knew there was no one else she could ever want.

Harper loved him, and scars and all, she would have stuck by him through everything. “Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes.” She nodded her head and laughed. “A million times yes.”

He took the ring and slid it onto her finger. For Harper, it felt right. He took her hand, running his thumb across the diamond. “You’re never going to regret this. Not now. Not ever.”

When his lips pressed against hers, after all they’d been through, the heartache, the pain, the loss, all of it, they still had each other, and with that, nothing could take that away from them.

****

Six months later

Much to Draven’s disappointment, Harper wanted a proper wedding, one for them to remember. Even though she hated being the main subject of conversation where people stared at her, she still went through with the wedding.

Of course, for Draven, he didn’t have a best man.

He sent Axel one message. He wanted him, and no one else would be good enough for him.

Draven never got a response, and now as he stood in his changing room in the church, he had to wonder if Axel was even alive.

The only way he knew was from Harper seeing him six months ago, but now, was he dead? Was he lying in a ditch somewhere? He worried about his friend, but he took Axel’s threat seriously and he’d backed off. He’d called off his men. Axel’s threat was simple, if he didn’t leave him alone, he’d take Harper.

It was well played, and seeing as the only person Draven really loved was Harper, he knew it was a real risk.

Staring at his reflection, he had Ian on his team, making sure Harper didn’t do a runner. Not today.

He was running his hands down his suit, removing any wrinkles when the door opened and in stepped Axel.

His best friend looked like he’d been in a war zone. Neither of them had come out of their war unscathed. Behind closed doors, Draven still had to deal with certain … problems that arose from his past. He didn’t discuss any problems with Harper as he didn’t want her to worry. He wasn’t back in the lifestyle; he simply helped certain men and women find the right contacts.

“You made it.”

“You think I was going to let my best friend get married all on his own?” Axel stepped forward and started to fix his tie. “You got the rings?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll have them.”

“Where you been?”

“Draven, don’t even start with the third degree right now. Not in the mood. Are you sure about this wedding?”

“I love Harper. I want to marry her.”

Axel held up his hands. “I’m just giving you an opportunity to run if you need to.”

“Not going to happen.”

“Good. Right, let’s get this show on the road.”

“Are you sticking around?” Draven asked.

“I’ll stay for the party, but once you and Harper go, I’ve got things I want to do. A life to get back to. You’ve got Harper now, Draven. We’ve done what we set out to do all those years ago.”

“I miss Buck and Jett,” he said.

“They should be here.”

“They are,” Axel said. “As corny as this shit sounds, they’re right here, with us.”

“You’re right, that is corny.”

“One last chance to ditch.”

“I’m not ditching.” Draven smiled. “I’ve waited for this moment for far too long.”

He followed Axel out of the room, and they took their positions at the altar. The priest stood silent, and the guests talked amongst themselves.

Stephanie, Hannah, and Harper’s little sister walked down the aisle, and then the song changed.