Chapter 423
Clementine:
I watched him hold his hand out for me, and I placed mine in his without hesitation. A small laugh escaped my lips as he pulled me closer and spun me gently.
My dress swayed around my legs as my boots brushed the road. I swung around with my arm raised over my head, his hand guiding mine. For the first time, the North did not feel terrifying.
“You look like you are enjoying this,” Ian remarked, smiling as he guided me into a slow turn.
“That is because I am,” I replied, grinning as he caught me again. “I never thought I would have such a perfect wedding in the North p>
My words made him smile. He lifted my hand and made me twirl under his arm. I moved too fast and stumbled a little, but he quickly steadied me by the waist.
“So,” he uttered, lowering his voice slightly as he pulled me closer, one hand behind my back and the other holding mine, our steps matching as we danced together. “How many kids do you think we will have p>
I nearly tripped again.
“Ian,” I laughed, pressing my hand against his chest. “We just got married. You are already thinking about children p>
“That does not answer the question,” he replied, playfully frowning.
I tilted my head and rolled my eyes upward, pretending to think.
“Maybe two or three. Not too many. I cannot handle too many of you running around.” I stated.
He gave my back a small squeeze, making me shyly bite my bottom lip.
“That is fair,” he said. “I will need some peace too. I cannot handle too much noise, especially since you will be controlling everything p>
I raised my eyebrow at him, giving him a look that told him he was not wrong.
He guided me into another slow circle. Our steps stayed perfectly in rhythm, even though we had never practiced before.
We moved in wide turns, then smaller ones, my dress brushing against his leg each time he spun me.
As we danced near the darker corners, I noticed shapes shifting nearby. Hands reached out but stopped short. The monsters lingered at a distance, watching us, but they did not come closer. We stayed careful without breaking our rhythm.
“Do you think we will ever get out of the North?” I asked quietly as we danced, guiding us away from the darker corners. “Do you think we will ever leave the academy behind p>
He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine, stopping my words. When he pulled back, he kept dancing with me.
“Let’s not talk about that tonight,” he said softly. “Tonight is ours p>
I nodded and let the question go. He spun me again, slower this time, as if he wanted to watch my dress move. I laughed and followed his steps easily.
I pulled away and gave him a small bow. He bowed back, one hand on his chest and the other behind his back. Then we stepped toward each other.
We raised our hands without touching, leaving a small space between our palms and forearms. Our elbows bent as we circled each other, our eyes locked.
We repeated the movement with the other hands, then stepped back, moved forward, and bowed again.
This time, he wrapped his arm around me quickly and pulled me close. The dance grew closer as his hands guided my movements.
He turned me slowly, and when he pulled me back against his chest, his eyes widened. So did mine.
We turned our heads at the same time and saw the monster standing in the distance. It was a hollow man. It let out a vibrating sound and started running toward us.
Ian and I shared a glance, and then we laughed.
“Let’s go,” he said, grabbing my hand.
I lifted my skirt, and we ran together, laughing like children, me trailing behind him like a princess running away with her prince.
We both ran, laughing and giggling as loudly as we could, and then we jumped into the theater. The hollow man made that same vibrating noise, almost like he was angry, and the more annoyed he sounded, the harder we laughed as we lay on the floor of the theater.
Once the laughter died down, Ian rolled over and came on top of me, making me place my hands on his shoulders, my elbows resting against the ground. We stared at each other in silence for a moment.
“We forgot one thing,” he said.
I frowned in confusion.
He stretched one arm back and pulled out the same ring he had gotten for me the other day from his back pocket.
“Oh, shoot,” I complained, laughing as I stretched my neck back.
The moment I did, he leaned down and started to suck lightly on my skin.
“You just need an excuse to be intimate with me,” I groaned playfully, straightening my neck.
He pulled his head away while still holding me against the floor, staying on top of me. He raised the ring, and I lifted my hand. He slid it onto my ring finger, then began kissing my palm, making me brush my fingertips over his face.
“Where is my ring?” he asked, pouting. Then he raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you don’t have pockets p>
“Well,” I said shyly, “I did what women do when they don’t have pockets.”He made his fingers walk slowly over my chest and then over my breast, and up to my neck. Then he tugged gently at my neckline, pulling it down just enough for his fingers to reach inside my bra.
The touch made me clench my legs together as he pulled out the ring, smirking as he brought it close to his face.
“I wish I could stay in this valley forever,” he complained as he leaned down and kissed between my breasts before letting my neckline go.
I took the ring from his hand and slid it onto his ring finger. He quickly wrapped his arms around me, kissing my neck and leaving marks down my chest as we both giggled.
As we lay there laughing, my thoughts drifted.
“You know, when we go back to the mainland, I will have to ask my other mates for rejection,” I said. “I don’t want to keep them tied. I want them to move on and find their own mates p>
The moment I said it, he snapped his head up, staring down at me as if I had said something completely unexpected.