in the heart of a crumbling, ancient society where people whispered about monsters lurking in the shadows, riki and you had been forced together. the rumors were right about the monsters, but nobody mentioned how beautiful some of them could be.

riki was a vampire, and your marriage had been arranged to solidify the tenuous truce between humans and vampires. despite the shared enemy in disease and poverty, trust was rare, alliances rarer still. some thought your marriage might tip the balance in either direction — either toward peace or a bloodier war.

the morning of the ceremony dawned gray, as though the sky itself dreaded what lay ahead. you dressed in layers of heavy, dark velvet and gold thread, the finest garments your family could afford. your hands shook as you placed the veil over your head. for all the elegance, it felt like armor against a fate you couldn’t escape. you knew little of riki other than he was of noble blood, ruthless in war, and immortal.

the cathedral was full of expectant faces, both human and vampire, waiting for the marriage that might save or ruin you all. at the altar, riki waited, dressed in somber black, his gaze as cold and piercing as the steel of a blade. his skin was pale against his dark hair, his eyes shadowed by what you assumed was centuries of burden. yet, he was strikingly handsome, in a way that made your heart both thrill and freeze.

as you reached the altar, he extended his hand, and you took it. his fingers were cool, not deathly cold, but firm and unyielding. his touch was an unspoken promise, one you weren’t sure he intended to keep. the priest recited vows that barely registered in your mind as riki’s gaze held you captive. you were certain he could hear the frantic beat of your heart, smell the nervous sweat on your skin.

when the ceremony ended, you left the cathedral together, bound by vows and duty, into the night of your new life. your marriage was not just between the two of you but an unsteady bridge between worlds — his kind and yours.