The Soul Reaper's Arranged Marriage

Chapter 4

Hunter Armstrong was the son of Jason and Elizabeth Armstrong. He came from a long line of powerful and wealthy Witches and Wizards, and grew up as one would expect for a highbrow English gentleman. However, going into his final year in his Wizarding education, his priorities simply consisted of ruling the school, being captain of the sports team, and getting laid.

But all of that changed when Osiris returned earlier that summer. Hunter was too young to remember the Rebellion of Osiris, but his parents were proud, loyal supporters of his beliefs and fought to put him into power. But when Catherine Edwards defeated Osiris, it was assumed that he was dead. The Armstrongs laid low for a while, but had fully integrated back into the magical community by the time Hunter went off to school at the age of 13. Hunter was always popular (or at least feared as a bully) while at school, although he did often find himself in conflict with Noah Edwards, who seemed to be one of the few people that couldn’t let go of the fact that his family were former Osirians.

And then Osiris appeared on their doorstep one day, and his parents accepted him back with open arms. All summer the manor was bustling with activity as Osiris and his parents reached out to other former Osirians to come together once again. What was once a quiet home of just him, his parents, and the servants was now taken over by Osiris, who made himself right at home.

He also brought in his three Soul Reapers from the United States to live at the manor. Hunter didn’t have much interaction with them since he was not allowed into the Inner Circle just yet. He wasn’t quite sure what a Soul Reaper was, but it certainly sounded menacing, and he’d heard they were very powerful.

And now he was expected to marry one of them. He had never even met her and was expected to wed her any minute now. God, he only became an adult a few weeks ago, but he was already supposed to take a wife? He had thought about refusing, but he was too afraid of his parents to go against them. After all, it was ultimately Osiris’ command.

Hunter paced in the corridor outside of the ballroom, running a hand through his thick chestnut hair. He wore a black tuxedo with tails, which fit his muscular, athletic frame and lightly tanned complexion well. His light brown eyes darted around the corridor nervously as he waited to be summoned, agitatedly running his hands down his face across his subtle facial hair.

The door to the ballroom opened, and Hunter’s mother appeared in the doorway, wearing a beautiful emerald green evening gown that lightly dusted the floor as she walked. She had the same chestnut hair as her son, which was pulled back into a loose updo.

“It’s time, Hunter,” she spoke, waving him in toward her. Hunter obediently followed his mother up to the altar.

His mother was an expert at throwing parties, but she’d really outdone herself with so little time to prepare. The room had red uplighting around the perimeter, giving the room a romantic and seductive glow. Gold chairs were seated in rows near a raised platform at the front, where Hunter went and stood. An archway made from red roses and black curtains created the altar backdrop.

Scanning the room, Hunter noticed candles floating in the air near the ceiling, suspended with magic. Toward the other end of the room was a single, long dining table where dinner would be served after the ceremony. A string quartet played a mysterious, dark setlist of classical music.

This wasn’t quite what Hunter would have imagined his wedding would look like.

He’d barely noticed that everyone had taken their seats, but when the double doors at the front of the room opened, he realized that his bride was entering the room. What was her name again? Daisy, was it?

But when he laid his eyes on her, he was stunned. She donned a Victorian-style black and red dress, which fit her hourglass figure perfectly, and her bosom peeked out tastefully from the low neckline. Her lips matched the shade of red roses she carried in her bouquet.

When she finally arrived at the alter, she turned her cerulean eyes to meet his. Hunter felt his heart skip a beat, which was an unfamiliar feeling for a guy who was accustomed to the girls at school throwing themselves at him.

God, she’s gorgeous.

Hunter didn’t even notice that the ceremony was fully underway until he was asked by the officiant to say, “I do.”

“Yes, I-I do,” Hunter stuttered, taken by surprise. He reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small, velvet box. Inside was a gold ring, with intricate etched flourish designs and a large diamond in the center. Taking her hand into his, he slipped the ring onto her finger, noticing how soft her skin felt against his. He felt her shudder just slightly at his touch. Was she uncomfortable, or did she feel that same electricity too when they touched?

“And do you, Daisy, take this Wizard to be your protector, your leader, and your head of household? Do you promise to obey and submit to him?”

Hunter could see that she was visibly uncomfortable at these words. As she hesitated, Hunter could have sworn to see her eyes narrow in the direction of the officiant.

“I do,” she responded flatly. She pulled a ring box as well from a pocket in her skirts to reveal a smooth gold wedding band, with a single, smaller band of obsidian embedded within it. She quickly slipped it on his finger and withdrew her hands away from his.

“Then I now pronounce you Husband and Wife,” the officiant announced. “You may now kiss your bride.”

Hunter had a brief moment of internal panic, having forgotten to expect this part of the ceremony. Daisy’s wide eyes turned back toward him, waiting for his next move.

Hunter slowly leaned in toward her, pressing his lips gently on hers in a chaste kiss.

But Hunter did not expect her to kiss him back. Her soft, pillowy lips met his innocently, but it slowly deepened as she began to suck lightly on his lower lip. It sent an excited tingle down his body. He met her tempo and involuntarily flicked her lower lip with his tongue.

She broke the kiss and leaned back slowly, her eyes fluttering open again. Hunter slowly became aware of the sound of applause from the wedding guests, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of the woman before him.

The touch of the officiant on his shoulder startled him. Hunter turned to look at him, and he gestured toward the dining table, indicating it was time to sit down for their meal. Hunter offered his hand to Daisy to help her step off the platform, but she immediately let go of his hand as they began to make their way toward the table.

Osiris took his seat at the head of the table, with Hunter to his right and Daisy to his left. Hunter’s father took his seat next to Hunter, followed by his mother. Hunter noticed two unknown boys about his age sitting across from him next to Daisy. He wondered if those were the other Soul Reapers. Did she not have any parents or family attend?

The taller one with the dark hair sat immediately next to Daisy. He wore the same serious countenance that she did. However, the sandy-haired boy next to him seemed to be enjoying himself as he happily began shoveling the food from his plate into his mouth. Hunter wondered for a brief moment if the dark-haired one was Daisy’s boyfriend.

The clinking of a glass rang out in the ballroom, and the conversations of the guests hushed as they turned toward Osiris at the head of the table, who stood to speak.

“Welcome, everybody. Before we indulge in this delectable feast, I wish to say a few, brief words. First of all, this marriage represents the solidified bond between all of us, a symbol of us coming together to strengthen our ties of loyalty to one another. A toast to the lovely couple,” he said, raising his glass and nodding toward both Hunter and Daisy. The guests followed suit.

“I also wish to express my gratitude to you all, my most loyal followers. You have returned to my side after all this time, and your devotion and fidelity will be rewarded, rest assured.”

Osiris began to pace slowly around the table, heads turning to follow him as he went.

“The Osirians were built on a desire to see a change within the magical community. For too long we have bowed to Witches as our leaders. They have allowed the population of Witches and Wizards to dwindle to close to nothing here in Great Britain, as well as all over the world, as a result of the breeding that has become commonplace with non-magical humans and other species. The Witches in power have turned a blind eye to this disgusting behavior and allowed it to continue, unchecked, for centuries, gradually breeding out the superior magic blood of our race. They are too weak to do what needs to be done to change this, and instead encourage young Witches to pursue interests outside of motherhood while emasculating our young Wizards to be subservient in their despicable matriarchy!”

“Here, here!” called out the guests, clinking their glasses excitedly.

“The first step is to take over the Gealach School of Supernatural Beings, which has been tainted by the Witch Cassandra. We may have failed all those years ago, but this time we will be prepared. We will outsmart our enemy, and we will take back what is our birthright as Wizards and as men!”

The guests began clinking their glasses again in agreement. Hunter looked across to see Daisy’s hands in her lap and noticeably not participating in the cheers.

“But tonight,” continued Osiris, “we celebrate our reunion after all these years apart, and we will feast and drink merrily. Tomorrow is a new day, full of opportunity and the promise of a brighter future for our kind.”