The Lightning-Struck Heart (Tales From Verania 1)

And I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

But that was okay.

Because he couldn’t take his eyes off of me.

Not once did he look away through that long walk down the aisle.

Not once did I avert my eyes for any step he took.

For a moment, I allowed myself to imagine he was walking toward me. That it was my wedding day and he was shining just for me.

It was a good dream. A frivolous dream.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat, trying to control my breathing.

It almost worked.

He reached the throne. Mere feet away.

He stood, facing me.

I was over him. I was done with this.

I wanted to beg him to stop this.

I wanted to never see him again.

I wanted to wake up every morning with him curled around me.

And then the King and Justin were announced.

The King looked resplendent, his robes accentuating his powerful frame, burgundy and gold, the edges trailing behind him on the floor. He was smiling quietly at his subjects, but there was something else in his eyes that I couldn’t quite make out. He moved more stiffly than I’d ever seen him before.

Justin. Well. Justin on the other hand, looked regal and amazing as always. Perfect hair, perfect smile, perfect everything.

Even if he was wearing—

“Is that bitch wearing white?” Gary hissed in my ear. “Who does he think he’s fooling? There is nothing pure and virginal about him. Even his boots are white. Oh my gods. The travesty. The tabloids are going to have a field day with this. Who wore it better? Prince Justin or this homeless hooker.”

I coughed, trying to cover up the hysterical laughter. I didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself than already had been. It wasn’t my day and I knew Justin had the power to make my life a living hell, more so than he’d already done. But Gary was right. Justin was not pulling off the blushing groom he was trying to portray.

This was confirmed when I saw Tina practically swoon as he walked by on the King’s arm. Since I knew Tina absolutely had no taste whatsoever, I felt remarkably relieved.

“Ryan,” Gary whispered. “Shouldn’t you be looking at your future husband walking down the aisle rather than staring at Sam like an asshole?”

Ryan flinched and blushed. His eyes darted toward Justin and the King, and he swallowed with an audible click in his throat.

“That’s better,” Gary murmured. “Wouldn’t want you to miss any part of the best day of your life.”

“Oh snap,” Tiggy said.

“Oh snap indeed,” Randall muttered.

Morgan just sighed and I knew he was regretting all of his life choices.

I smiled softly at the King when they reached the throne. Justin ignored me completely, a determined look on his face. He stood near me, facing toward Ryan. Ryan paled slightly as Justin reached out for his hand. He glanced at me again. I kept my face blank.

The King turned toward his subjects. “I’ll keep this brief as today isn’t about me. Today is about love between two people. Two people who are pledging loyalty and devotion to one another for the rest of their lives. Two people who will one day take my place upon the throne, knowing they do so in complete honesty and transparency.”