It was possibly the happiest day in Rick Payne's twenty-three years of life. Today, his beloved girlfriend would become Mrs. Payne. 

Rick absentmindedly listened to the priest's speech, but most of his attention was on the beauty before him. Mia looked even more breathtaking than usual. Her emerald eyes made Rick want to look into them forever. The shoulder-length curly blonde hair contrasted with her healthy tan skin. A pure white bridal gown hid the well-toned body of a fitness model. No one would believe that Mia Sanders had been a chubby glasses girl back in the middle-school. 

Mia couldn't stop her heart from beating faster than after an intense cardio workout. She was about to become the wife of her favorite person—something she'd dreamed about since her childhood. She gave her partner a sneaky glance. Some would find his complexion a bit too pale and his face too plain, but to her, Rick Payne was the most handsome man in the world. When she had been at her lowest, he'd always been there for her. Of course, even objectively, he was more than a match for her—as an independent game developer, his income wasn't to be scoffed at. In the last couple of years, he'd also put some muscles on his 6-foot body. 

The wedding ceremony proceeded without a hitch. The priest was slightly annoyed with the couple that had been paying more attention to each other than him, but it was only to be expected. Neither Mia nor Rick were truly catholic—in fact, both of them considered themselves agnostics. But the wedding was still a wedding. They both wanted to make it grand, and exchanging vows and rings was a part of the course. 

At each side of the would-be-weds stood their respective witness. Emily and James were the couple's good friends ever since high school and actually were dating each other as well. Perhaps this experience would motivate them to take a step further and become a husband and wife as well. 

As the ceremony neared its end, the priest—Father Gregory—coughed in his fist to attract everyone's attention. It was time for vows. 

"I, Rick, take you, Mia, as my lawfully wedded wife," the groom declared solemnly as his hazel eyes locked on his lover, "to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

More like, even after death makes us part! Rick added in his mind. 

The bride repeated the vow's words and made a playful mental note as well: As if something as insignificant as death can stop us from being together. 

Next came the turn for the ring exchange. And another vow, obviously. This time Rick and Mia were the ones to prepare the texts. 

Father Gregory slightly frowned when he saw the rings in question. The two wedding bands were black in color and had irregular wave-like edges. Tiny red, black, and white crystals were embedded in each ring, forming complex runes. The pastor had seen some unique rings throughout the years of being a marriage officiant, but it was the first time for him to encounter articles with such devilish appeal. The rings made him both fascinated and ill at ease. 

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Rick gently offered the wedding band to his bride and proclaimed, "I give you this ring as the proof of our inseparable connection. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I pledge to you all what I am and what I will ever become as your husband. Accept this as my covenant to be with you—forever and ever." 

Mia had her cheeks flushed red as her eyes moistened. Overwhelmed with emotions, she barely mustered her will to reply, "I will forever wear this r-ring...as a proof of our eternal bound..."

Mia wiped her tears of happiness before continuing with her own side of the vow. "This ring is a token of my infinite love for you, Darling." She had always wanted to call him like this but had been holding back up until now, reserving this word for this exact moment. "It's the proof that I'm yours and only yours—in heart, body, and soul. Today, and forever."

Mia felt that her vow was kind of lacking compared to Rick's, but the groom couldn't be happier right now—if the brilliant smile plastered on his face was the proof. He could feel the honest sincerity in her vow, and this was enough to make him overwhelmed with joy. 

Both Rick and Mia meant every word they had said. They had been officially dating for the last eight years. They were the first partners for each other and couldn't imagine life without one another. And yet, they hadn't quite put their feelings in words properly. Until now. 

The bride and the groom put the rather peculiar wedding bands on each other's fourth finger of the left hand. When Rick had seen these paired rings on eBay, he'd instantly known that they were a perfect choice. More than this, after messaging back-and-forth to the seller and then doing his own research, he realized that these jewelry pieces' actual value was dozens of times above their price—which wasn't low to begin with. 

As soon as the rings were in their rightful place, both Rick and Mia felt a hot but comfortable sensation where the black metal contacted their skin. They were too absorbed into the moment to pay any serious attention to this little peculiarity, though. 

"And now, you can kiss the bride!" Father Gregory declared, secretly relieved that it was almost over. He could obviously see when a couple wasn't truly Christian, and it had always irked him the wrong way. But at least these two weren't of the same sex...he hoped. 

Absorbed into a world of their own, Rick and Mia were oblivious to the cheering of the witnesses and encouragement from their two friends. With their eyes closed, the bride and the groom kissed. 

It wasn't their first kiss—that had happened when both of them were just eleven-year-old kids fooling around. Ever since becoming a pair at fifteen, Rick and Mia had done way more kinky stuff than just kissing. They weren't very conservative in this aspect. Nonetheless, right now, both of them were extremely nervous, as if it was their first time touching each other. And in a way, it was—from now on, they were not just a couple, but a husband and wife. 

A shiver of pleasure ran through Rick's spine as he felt the warmth and softness of Mia's cherry lips. The newlyweds joined in a kiss more passionate than they ever thought possible. A sweet taste of each other's saliva filled them with bliss as they tightly intertwined their tongues as they did the same with their hands. 

Completely engrossed in this physical declaration of love, Rick and Mia didn't notice the weddings bands on their fingers making contact with each other. As soon as this happened, bright light exploded from the mystical runes, enveloping the groom, the bride, the priest, the best man, and the maid of honor. Five people disappeared from the small church before the astonished eyes of the dozens of witnesses. 

When their passionate kiss ended minutes after its beginning, Rick opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was elegant horns on his lover's head. Little did he know that Mia was equally shocked as she stared at his snake-like tail.