Chapter 34

• KNOX
• The clang of steel against steel echoes through the castle corridors as I make my way toward the family meeting, the sound of ongoing preparations for the binding ceremony filling every corner of our home. Servants rush past carrying armfuls of white silk and winter roses, their faces flushed with the constant activity that's consumed the castle since our engagement announcement. The scent of pine and cinnamon drifts from the great hall where workers have been planning the altar construction, mixing with the underlying tension that's been building all week.
• The ceremony preparations are moving forward steadily, though we still have time before the winter solstice. Still, the reality of what's coming makes Liam practically purr with satisfaction every time I think about it.