He grinned broadly and repeated the process with me. “Wear this ring for me so that all who look upon it may know that you aremine!” his voice rose at the end, becoming a warning to anyone who might challenge that.
“With the blessing of Lachia, Goddess of Air—” the High Priestess started.
“And the blessing of Balvoran, God of Water—” the High Priest added.
Then, together, they finished, “—we declare these men to be husbands, united in holy matrimony!”
The assemblage cheered as Konstantin grabbed the back of my neck and yanked me into a joyous kiss. My hands went to his face, my grip as possessive as his, accepting this gift from the Gods. Claiming it. Letting them and Kon know that I would never let go.
Then I eased back and did something I'd never thought I'd do; I gave my husband an order, “Kneel, Konstantin.”
Konstantin went to his knees, and damn if he didn't look proud to do it. As he did, the High Priest handed me the new crown.
I lifted it above my husband's head and declared, “I crown you, King of the Larchs.” I set the crown upon his head. “Now rise, King Konstantin Ivanovich Garin-Lebedev, and greet your people.”
Oh, did I forget to mention that Kon was taking my name? That it was his idea? Well, my husband was full of surprises. He also cut an impressive figure as he stood and faced the gathering, chin lifted and a soft smile riding his lips. He took my hand as the Larchs bowed and simultaneously pledged fealty to their new king.
Several terms had been offered as a title for Konstantin, things like King-Consort, but I didn't want to differentiate between us. Our people knew that I would have the final say in kingdom matters and that was enough. Besides, Kon had added a hyphen to his name for me, the least I could do was give him a title without one.
Chapter Forty-Seven
“Are you sure you don't want to keep the house?” I asked Konstantin as he packed his woodcarving tools.
We'd been married for five days, one of which had been spent at Larch Castle, half of another in traveling to a public beneather portal, and the rest here, in the Oregon Zone. The secret beneather community had astounded me upon arrival. Beneath Oregon's coast, its cavern stretched for miles, made by Gargoyle magic and guarded by Gargoyle claws. Oh, and beneather technology. The gate we had to pass through to enter was damn impressive. Also impressive was the lighting system that spread across the top of the cavern, consisting of UV lights that brightened during the day and slowly went dark at night, mimicking what was happening above ground so that it didn't feel as if we were below it.
I stared through a mullioned window at Konstantin's front garden, a small piece of land but lovely, nonetheless. Full of flowers and fruit trees. And the home itself was warm and bursting with personality, an echo of the man who lived there. Orhadlived there.
I turned to look at him. “I don't want you to give this up. We could come here for visits.”
“And let it stay empty the rest of the time?” He closed the top of the trunk and stepped over to me. “I love that you want to keep this for us, but this is a home, and it needs to be lived in. I'm not going to hoard it because I might want to visit for a few weeks out of the year.”
“You're right.”
“Enough packing for today,” Kon declared as he took my hand and headed for the stairs.
“Yes, you should probably rest before we go out with your friends tonight.”
Konstantin was part of a whole Kaplan community in the Zone. Those tigers had been both shocked and delighted when he'd shown up with a husband. Even more so when they heard about his new royal status. Tiger King of the Swans, they'd started calling him. On our first day there, they'd thrown a wild party for us in the streets of the Kaplan neighborhood, and every day since, his closest buddies had come by, suggesting something new for us to do during our visit. Even though it was our honeymoon, I didn't mind. I liked going out in a group and seeing Kon with his friends. And this would be his last chance to spend time with them for a while.
But today, Konstantin had put them off, saying that he had to pack. So we were meeting up with them later for dinner. Dinner sounds tame, but I knew it wouldn't be. Or if it was at first, it wouldn't remain so. The Kaplan didn't stay tame for long. They were brutal party animals, and we'd both need our strength to keep up with them.
“Well, wearegoing to bed, but it's not to rest,” Kon said.
At the top of the stairs, we headed right, then into the master bedroom with its prime view of the garden. Rustic wood beams crossed the high ceiling, and the walls were simple plaster, but the room had become an exotic playground for me.
Konstantin had begun to teach me about a healthy S&M relationship.
At the foot of the tiger-sized bed stood a trunk that made me shiver every time I looked at it. On our first day in the zone, Konstantin had taken me shopping at some very unusual stores and we filled that trunk with our purchases. Leather restraints, glass phalluses, ball gags, riding crops, and more. There were so many toys to play with, things that excited me instead of scaring me as Nikolay's toys had.
Konstantin showed me the other side of my dark desires. He taught me that the submissive had all the power. At least in a proper relationship. We had a special word that I could use if I felt uncomfortable. With that single word, I could stop him. So, even as he dominated me, I was the one who truly had control.
Of course, the fun came in pretending otherwise.
“Get undressed,” Konstantin's voice instantly transformed into something sharper. Harder. With steel in it.
As I stripped, shivering with excitement, he went to the trunk and flipped open the lid. His strong hand hovered over the erotic collection, and my breath caught as I wondered what he'd select for our sport today. He looked over his shoulder at me, shining eyes dropping to make sure that I had obeyed him. With a grunt, he grabbed something, and I didn't catch what it was. I'd been too focused on his stare, on his possessive approval.
Konstantin strode over to me and pulled some of my hair forward, draping it over my chest, then smoothing it with a long stroke that ended with his brushing my hard cock with the back of his hand. I shuddered at the casual touch—casual but deliberate. Then he brought forth his choice. I gasped.
