He nudged her shoulder affectionately. “Too late for that, you are stuck with me.”
Their voices faded to the background of my mind as Melanie walked closer, eyes wide as they drifted between me and the rest of my family who had all taken a step back. Zhari looked pleased with her work—as she should. I never would have imagined that my bride could look even better than when I first saw her in that room.
Melanie stopped just a couple of feet away from me and my heart picked up after missing too many beats. Could I die from being struck on the spot by her ethereal beauty? Me, who always struggled to connect or feel attracted to other females? Who, up until three days ago, was determined to make this whole thing a convenient arrangement and keep her at arm’s length to stay focused on my role as clan’s leader?
This next year, leading was going to be Thanato’s problem. I did not even care that I argued against it for days—weeks, before I met her. That I planned on keeping my bride away except for the potential monthly breeding attempts. My world had shifted on its axis, and I would take the whole time off with her as our tradition demanded. No clan business. No outside issues. Me and her, in the more secluded place reserved for newly-mated.
I would erase the fear off her face. She will never get out of my sight and when our time is over, she would hopefully have submitted and be well into her first pregnancy.
Because she might look afraid, but there was still a fire behind this anxious blue gaze. And I had a feeling our fights were going to lead to something otherworldly.
“Sir Ghauro,” the old man said, for once pronouncing my name correctly. “Sorry we’re late. I do have to head backto the base as soon as possible, so we’ll have to wrap this up quickly.”
Melanie stiffened and Zhari squeezed her hand with a reassuring smile.Bless my all-seeing sister.
I held up my hand for her to place my Bride’s in it. Warm. Soft. So small inside mine.
“The human way is quite simple,” the man said, planting himself on our side. “I’ll say a few words that you have to repeat to each other. Then comes the ring exchange and a kiss—or not, I guess. You’re free to ignore that part.”
“No,” I said. Melanie’s hand tensed in mine. “No skipping on any ceremonial tradition,” I continued. “We are to be mated, it needs to be done the right way.”
He cleared his throat. “Alright then. Repeat after me.”
I did. Each and every word about promising to look after her whether she was sick or healthy. To not take on another mate as long as we lived or until we parted ways. To provide her a safe home.
As our customs demanded, I slid my tail around her waist to bring her closer to me and waited. Waited for her to do the same as she repeated the words next.
She didn’t.
I searched her gaze but only found anxiety and the damn lingering fear. Why was she not returning it?
“Alright, I’m not going to ask if anyone has any objection to this union because frankly I can’t deal with the paperwork right now.”Perfect. No objections.Let’s just be done and move on to the kissing part. Then the fighting part. Then thebreedingpart.“I’ll let you exchange the rings.”
Reluctantly letting go of her hands, I reached for the small box tucked in my pouch as she turned to the side, receiving hers from my sister. I didn’t understand this part; how was sliding a metal ring on her finger a proof of our devotion to each other? The blacksmith looked at me funny when I requested it straight after I came back from the human base in space…
She held her shaky hand to me and I froze, the golden intricate band surrounded by small leaves between my fingers hovering just an inch away. What finger was I supposed to place it on? Was it a random one? Did I have to choose my favorite finger of hers?They are all pretty, it doesn’t make any sense.
She saved me by wiggling her fourth finger. I handed my own hand to her and she arched a brow.
“What—”
Melanie bent to take my other hand. There was a specific side where the ring was supposed to go on? Why were they making this so complicated?
The similarly colored ring slid along my finger and I stared at it. The feeling was strange. No matter how light and small it was, it felt like it carried the weight of the words we exchanged.
“Miss Traynor, you may kiss the groom,” the man said and my stomach made a loop.
The color of her face changed, going from a light pink to a deep red, the darker flecks dotting her nose and cheeks contrasting sharply. I leaned forward, placing my forehead against hers without breaking our eye-contact. My tail pulled her closer, until her soft body was plastered againstmine. She inhaled a sharp breath, her hands landing flat on my chest. The stiffness of my cock that I had struggled to keep down since she showed up was back. There was no way she did not feel it pressing against her stomach.
Her lips parted as she blinked and I moved my face to rub our noses together. It was strange, embracing a female who did not have horns nor hooked me back with her tail. Was I even doing the right thing? It was how our people kissed…Yet she looked confused and kept casting pleading glances to the two humans standing to the side.
“So…no kissing then?” the man said.
“I—” Melanie started but stopped herself, letting out a charged breath.
What was he talking about? Wewerekissing. Or I assumed it was what he meant by it…Was I—
Oh.
