The double doors were flung open, and a regal-appearing Kaldoran who could only be the king stormed in. “Stop this wedding!” he thundered.
Chapter Six
Hekkel!The very situation he’d tried to avoid had happened.
His mother followed on the heels of his father, who was breathing smoke and fire. Jaryk had never seen him so angry. The officiant looked concerned; all six writhing antennae periscoped on the king. Falkor smirked like this was a grand lark but moved out of the way to observe from afar, and a wide-eyed Karma scurried over to stand beside him, leaving Jaryk, Kismet, and the officiant to face the king.
His bride trembled, and he shifted closer, forming a barrier between her and the king’s wrath. How dare his father scare his soon-to-be wife this way? He would not let his father browbeat her the way he’d done to him. Paternal interference stopped now.
“I do,” he stated loudly and clearly.
“Then, by the power vested in me by Cosmic Mates, LLC, I proclaim you legally bound in matrimony in accordance with the aforementioned provisions,” the officiant said nervously.
“You will rescind that proclamation immediately!” the king bellowed.
“On what grounds, Your Majesty?”
“On the grounds I so order it.”
“My humble apologies, but I must have a legal reason. Is one of the parties already married? Is one of them mentally infirm?”
“My son must be mentally compromised, or he wouldn’t be doing this.”
“Rullok…” His mother placed her hand on the king’s arm.
“You will invalidate this marriage!”
The officiant wavered. “Do you wish to reconsider?” He looked at Jaryk.
He clasped Kismet’s hand. “No.”
“N-no…” she replied in a shaky voice, and he squeezed her hand. He regretted she’d been subjected to this; it had to be daunting. His father’s ire was a force of nature.
He’d expected him to be furious, but not quite this enraged. Of course, he hadn’t planned for him to find out until well after the ceremony at a time of Jaryk’s choosing when he could control the conversation. He’d tried to keep the wedding secret, but an arrival of humans, followed by a Cosmic Mates officiant, would have been noted and reported. His astute father would have made the connection.
“I am sorry, Your Majesty, but they are married. Cosmic Mates marriages are recognized as legal by all members of the planetary alliance.”
“I would expect something like this ofyou.” His father’s scowl wiped the amused smirk off Falkor’s face. “But not fromyou. You have greatly disappointed me.” He glowered at Jaryk before stomping out of the library.
He faced his mother, who was shaking her head. “I thought, for sure, it couldn’t be, so when we heard, I told Rullok it was probably just a rumor. How long has this been going on?”
“Long enough for me to know that Kismet is the one I want.” He hated lying to his mother, but his parents had to believe the marriage was real, or they might merely postpone his engagement to Alia instead of canceling it. Or his father would continue to browbeat the officiant.
“This marriage affects the entire kingdom.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“As we arrived late to the wedding, perhaps you would care to introduce me to your wife.”
“Mother, this is Kismet Kennedy of Earth. Kismet, my mother, Her Majesty Queen Myka of Kaldor.” He released his new wife’s hand.
His mother offered a rueful smile. “No doubt this is not what you expected of your wedding. My apologies.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” she replied in a trembling voice.
“This is Kismet’s sister, Karma.” He extended a hand to where she stood next to Falkor.
His mother eyed their two siblings. “Is this a double wedding?”
