She had gotten dressed and been told where to stand and what to do, but she still had no clear way to understand it. It was a lot more elaborate than she had bargained for. Obviously, she had seen people go through the same thing in the past, but they had not doing it the ancient way.
When she had asked him why they were doing such a spectacle, he said something about every queen needed a great wedding. It wasn't something that she understood well, another comment that went over her head. It felt like there were more and more of those lately.
Laurel looked at the barely-there outfit she was supposed to wear and then to the sun going down in the sky. Before long, it would be gone, and the night would be upon them. That night was going to change everything for her, in more ways than one.
It wasn't technically the ceremony that had her nervous, it was what happened next.
She heard a knock at the door and was surprised to see Star there. Laurel had been sad that she wouldn't be able to have her parents there. They were still human and would not understand who they had raised all those years. She wanted to believe that she would be able to tell them one day and they would be able to accept her, but what was going on that day, would not be a good backdrop to such a conversation.
So, with Star there, at least she had someone on her side. Everyone else was there for Nathan, besides Mallory and Ethen. It was good to have one more person in her corner.
Giving her a big hug, Star asked her if she was alright and Laurel immediately replied that she was, now that Star was there. It was only then that Laurel realized how wound up she was and how alone she’d felt moments before.
“Now, let's finish getting you ready. We’ll do your hair and ask whatever you want. It seems like you're going to need a few tips from me.”
***
Star was apparently well-versed in the ways of men and it gave Laurel a lot to think about. While she knew a lot of it, Star had given her ways to make Nathan feel as good as he made her feel.
That was what played in her mind through the whole ceremony. Laurel had a feeling that it was supposed to be longer, but her new husband had cut it short and she was actually thankful for that part.
They’d snuck away, her on his back. She loved to ride his dragon form and it brought back all of the feelings that had gone through her the first time that she had done so.
By the time they stopped, she was all worked up and by the look in his eyes after he shifted, so was he. It was only after he’d kissed her and laid her down on the ground, that she realized there was a blanket there. He had to have come out earlier, though she wasn’t certain. It felt like the first place she’d felt the crushing attraction to him. It was the same stand of woods.
Laurel opened her legs up and let him slide in between her thighs. She was gasping for air, her hips rising, trying to end the weeks-long desire that had taken her over. Now that they were mated, there was nothing else to hold them back and Laurel was ready.
When she didn’t get what she wanted right away, she whined again, making it known that she wasn’t happy.
“What are we waiting for now? Why do we have to wait another minute, Nathan? We’re married. I’m yours, claim me.”
He grimaced at her words and held her off for a moment, seeming to pull himself together.
“I am trying to do this right, be gentle with you.”
She scoffed. “I know that it’s going to hurt, and I know that you’re bigger than average. It’s going to hurt, no matter what we do. So why don’t we just get on with it.”
He stopped kissing her neck and groaned. “Get on with it? That’s not what I want to be going through your head at the moment. I want you to need me, need this, so badly that you can taste it in your mouth already.”
His words were confusing, and Laurel wasn’t quite sure what it was supposed to mean.
“Please, Nathan. I don’t want to wait anymore.”
His hips shifted and pinned her into place. Laurel thought that it was time, but still he was putting it off. She knew what to do. How were they ever going to be together, if he still wouldn’t be with her?
“Is there something wrong with me?”
“Why would you even think that?”
“Because no matter what I do, you still won’t be with me.”
“It’s for you, not me.”
Another scoff. “I don’t believe it. If you wanted me as much as I’ve offered myself to you, you would have taken me by now.”
“Why don’t you see that I want it to be right?”
Laurel saw that he thought it was necessary, but she didn’t. She just wanted what was promised to her. Pleasure, and lots of it.
