Page 29 of Hexy Bear
"I do," Griff said, his voice carrying the absolute conviction of someone who had found exactly where he belonged. "I choose her today, tomorrow, and for every day after that."
"Do you, Mara Voss, choose Griff Cooper as your mate, your anchor, your companion through whatever challenges life may bring?"
"I do," Mara replied, her voice steady despite the tears that sparkled on her cheeks. "I choose him, and I choose the family we're building together, and I choose the love that makes us stronger than we could ever be apart."
When their lips met for the traditional kiss, the magical bond that formed was visible to everyone present. Light erupted around them, not blinding but warm and welcoming, creating patterns in the air that spoke of protection, growth, and infinite possibility. Tilly cheered from her position beside them, her own magic adding sparkles to the display that made the entire celebration feel like a blessing from the universe itself.
The reception that followed was everything a supernatural community gathering should be: abundant food that had been magically enhanced for both flavor and nutrition, music that incorporated minor enchantments to lift spirits and encourage dancing, and conversation that ranged from mundane gossip to complex magical theory. Ruth, now serving as the town's specialist in supernatural corruption, gave a toast that brought tears to every eye. Aerin and Leo announced their own engagement, their research partnership having blossomed into something deeper and more permanent.
But as the evening wound down and the guests began to disperse, Griff found himself increasingly aware of the fact that he and Mara had yet to complete the most intimate aspect of their mating bond. The magical connection was established, thelegal paperwork was filed, but the physical claiming that would seal their relationship on every level was still waiting.
"Ready to go home, Mrs. Cooper-Voss?" he asked, his voice rough with anticipation as the last of the wedding guests said their goodbyes.
"More than ready," Mara replied, her green eyes dark with promise as she looked up at him. "Tilly's spending the night with Aerin and Leo, which means we have the house entirely to ourselves."
The walk home was a study in barely contained desire. They managed to maintain appropriate public behavior until they reached their front door, but the moment they crossed the threshold, years of careful restraint finally gave way to the need that had been building between them all evening.
"Finally," Griff breathed against her throat, his hands already working at the delicate fastenings of her wedding dress. "Finally mine, completely and forever."
"I've been yours since the first day I came back to this town," Mara said, her fingers tangling in his hair as she pulled him down for a kiss that tasted like champagne and promises kept. "But tonight, everyone else knows it too."
Her dress whispered to the floor in a pool of moonlight-colored fabric, revealing skin that glowed with the aftermath of magical bonding and the anticipation of physical completion. Griff's formal clothes followed with less grace but equal urgency, until they stood skin to skin in their living room with nothing between them but desire and the absolute certainty that this was exactly how their story was meant to unfold.
"Upstairs," Mara said, though her voice lacked any real conviction as Griff's hands mapped the curves he'd been dreaming about since their first interrupted encounter months ago.
"Upstairs," he agreed, but instead of stepping away, he lifted her into his arms with the care of someone handling something infinitely precious. "Our bedroom, our bed, our wedding night."
The trip to their bedroom was punctuated by stolen kisses and soft laughter, the kind of playful intimacy that only came when there was no more need to guard their hearts, no more battle to prepare for. Just them. Just tonight. Just a promise made flesh, sealed not with ink but with soul-deep certainty.
Griff kicked the door shut behind him, Mara cradled in his arms like she was both a gift and a prize he'd fought centuries to earn. The room smelled faintly of lavender and woodsmoke, the windows open to a silver-streaked night and the breeze carrying the hum of enchantment that lingered from their mating ritual.
He laid her on their bed as if laying a sacred offering on an altar.
“Mara,” he murmured, brushing a thumb across her cheek, her lips, the curve of her collarbone. “You don’t know what you do to me.”
Her green eyes glittered in the moonlight. “Then show me.”
And he did.
He started slow. Reverent. Worshipful.
His lips mapped the slope of her neck, down the line of her clavicle, trailing lower until her breath caught and her body arched, inviting him to taste. Her skin glowed faintly where he kissed her, like the bond was tattooing its memory into the fabric of the world.
“Griff,” she breathed, running her fingers through his dark hair. “I want you.”
“You have me,” he growled, voice low and rough. “Every inch, every breath, every fucking heartbeat.”
He kissed his way down her torso, dragging his mouth over the soft curve of her breast, the swell of her stomach, until he reached the apex of her thighs. He spread her open slowly, hisbear purring under his skin at the sight of her—wet, flushed, utterly ready for him.
“Gods, you’re perfect,” he muttered, kissing her inner thigh. “I could spend the rest of my life right here.”
“Then stop talking and?—”
He flattened his tongue against her pussy in one long, slow lick, cutting her off with a cry that made his cock throb in answer. She tasted like heat and magic and the kind of surrender that could only come from trust. He licked her again, then again, groaning into her folds as she bucked beneath him.
“Griff—Griff, fuck—” she whimpered, hands twisting in the sheets.
He wrapped his arms around her thighs and devoured her, tongue swirling around her clit before plunging into her cunt with a hunger that bordered on holy. Every sound she made, every twitch and tremble, fed something wild and protective in him. He needed her to fall apart. Needed to hear her scream his name.
