Page 82 of I Married Amreth

He shook his head with a taunting expression. “Nope. This one is your giftto me, should you accept mine first.”

This time, I just stared at him speechless, my mind drawing a blank as to what the heck was going on. To my surprise, instead of growing even more smug and mischievous, Amreth suddenly looked a little nervous, almost shy as he unwound his tail restraining me.

“In the months since we’ve met, I’ve fallen madly in love with you, my Ciara,” he said in an almost solemn tone. “As Kayog deemed us soulmates, it has from the beginning been a foregone conclusion that you and I would marry. Our parents certainly are going all out on that front.”

The sliver of derision with which he spoke that last sentence made me snort and then nod in agreement. But I felt even more confused as to where he was going with this. If not for his initial sentence reiterating his love for me, I would be on the verge of hyperventilating at the prospect he was preparing to dump me.

“It feels like none of this was ever handled the normal and proper way. Everything was kind of done backwards. But I want to do this right. Youdeserveto have this done right,” he said, making my heart flutter.

My breath rushed out of me when Amreth took a step back before getting down on one knee. Eyes bulging, I watched him fish a small box out of his pocket and then hold it before me. Tears started pricking my eyes when he opened the lid to reveal the most stunning engagement ring. It looked like they had weaved algarium into the types of twists I occasionally did in my hair. In the center, the twists created a delicate receptacle which held a beautiful Kreelar stone, matching the color of my eyes, and engraved with the symbol for eternity.

“I want us to be one, now and always, in body and soul, because we chose and love each other. I want you to bond with me, and for these rings to be the physical representation of the commitment we make to each other, in accordance with your culture, while also embracing mine. Will you have me, Ciara?”

Cue the dam bursting.

Tears drenched my cheeks as I cried and laughed while blubbering my consent. My hand shook as he placed the ring on my finger. The oddest mix of amusement at my silly reaction and joy at my acceptance played on my mate’s gorgeous features. When he finally gave me the box from the table so that I could put the other ring on his finger, I nearly dropped it too many times to count from emotion, making him burst out laughing.

Eventually, I succeeded then threw myself into his arms. It was silly for me to have such a reaction to what technically was a mere formality, but this truly made it perfect. The thoughtfulness with which he came up with a way for me to partake in an important aspect of his culture while respecting my boundaries meant the world to me. That he would do it in such a way, making it clear that he didn’t take me for grantedjust because everyone saw us as a foregone conclusion made me feel loved and valued.

He claimed my lips in a possessive kiss that instantly set my blood ablaze. I reached for the clasps of his breastplate, eager to have an unfettered access to the perfection that he was. To my surprise, Amreth caught my wrists, stopping me. He broke the kiss and locked eyes with me as I stared at him in confusion.

“I want to bond with you. Do you consent?” he asked, his eyes flicking between mine.

My heart leapt. I licked my lips nervously, excitement and a sliver of fear making my stomach flutter. Obosians could only bond once in their lives, linking their soul for eternity to their chosen partner. Even the death of their spouse would not allow the survivor to form a new bond with someone else. They truly married for life. So for him to ask me to bond with him was not a commitment made lightly. He truly meant for us to be together for as long as we drew breath.

The bond itself didn’t scare me. I was more than all in. But they normally did this while flying. My wimpy self would more than likely ruin the moment peeing myself or flat out puking in fear because of the height. Based on the description Malaya had given me of her bonding flight with Kronos, it put to shame even the wildest, most neck-breaking rollercoasters out there. Although she skimmed over the details, it involved quite a bit of naughty play. The bond also caused quite a bit of pain for humans while it slightly modified us not only to enhance our immune system, but also to grant us the ability to see souls, although not to the same extent as a pureblood Obosian.

But it would take a lot more than that to keep me from bonding with the love of my life. My fear of heights be damned. I wouldn’t let it ruin the best thing that had ever happened to me.

“Yes, Amreth, I consent. I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” I said in a slightly shaky voice.

“My love,” he whispered, reclaiming my lips with a fervor that wrecked me.

He lifted me up, and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist, focusing on the feel of him around me and clamping down on the first hints of fear trying to take root in my heart. To my shock, Amreth didn’t take flight with a single powerful flap of his wings as was his wont. Instead, he casually started walking towards the house without breaking the kiss. When the giant doors parted open with a soft swish, I pulled back to look at him inquisitively.

He smiled tenderly. “Flying is not required. Your comfort and welfare are all that matters. Wingless Obosians can bond too while remaining land bound.”

My chest constricted with love for my mate and guilt for depriving him of the full experience of bonding.

“You’re so wonderful to me. I’m sorry for cheating you out—”

“You’re not cheating me out of anything,” he interrupted sternly as he made his way to our bedroom. “I can fly any time, any day. The bond isn’t about zipping through the sky, it’s about two souls coming together. I couldn’t care less where or how we do it. I just want my soul to be one with yours.”

“You’re so damn perfect. I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” I whispered, my voice filled with emotion.

He snorted. “You won’t say that the next time I pester you just for the fun of it.”

I chuckled, nodding as he carried me inside our room. He could be an insufferable pest, making me both want to strangle and kiss him. But all such thoughts flew right out of my mind when he set me back down in front of our bed. How was it possible for anyone to make me feel so loved with a single look?

We didn’t speak, our hands doing all the talking as we mutually rid ourselves of our clothes between gentle kisses and caresses. In this instant, there was none of the usual unbridledlust that normally fired us. It was pure love and infinite tenderness. He carefully picked me up and lay me down on the bed before joining me. For the next eternity, he worshiped every centimeter of my body, his hands and tongue on me bringing me slowly to a gentle climax, unlike the earth-shattering ones he often gave me, and which left me a complete wreck. This one had me flying high, shrouded in a cloud of bliss and complete well-being.

I understood that he was preparing me for the bite that would seal our bond. Before I fully came back down, he settled on top of me and carefully began pushing himself inside. I would never tire of the feel of his massive cock stretching me and filling me to the brim. His scales,xinnix,and piercings against my inner walls and my G-spot quickly had me cresting again. He kissed me, our tongues mingling while he gradually accelerated the movement of his hips.

He broke the kiss and lifted his head to look at me. One glance at the expression on his face turned my voluptuous moan into a strangled gasp. His silver white irises had shrunken so much they all but vanished in the black sea of his sclera. His bared fangs appeared longer, sharper, their tips glistening with a drop of what I suspected to be his bonding essence. But it was the feral way he stared at me, like a savage beast about to devour its prey that had my stomach do a couple of backflips.

Before I could do or say anything, Amreth moved at the dizzying speed of a striking snake and buried his fangs in my neck. An intense burning sensation exploded at the puncture point. I opened my mouth to cry out in pain, but a shout of ecstasy came out instead as he immediately blasted me with a powerful wave of hisbakaan, wresting an instant, powerful orgasm from me.

Simultaneously, something appeared to break inside him, and he unleashed his passion on me. His fangs still filling myveins with his essence, my mate fucked me hard, each stroke of his massive cock sending blistering bolt of fire coursing throughout my entire body as one insane wave of pleasure after another crashed into me, fueled by both his body wrecking me and his aura whipping my blood into a frenzy. This endless whirlwind of bliss drowned out the burning sensation of his acid-like essence eating me from within.

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