Chapter Eleven

The air was fragrant, and Hari sighed. “I hadn’t associated scents with sex before.”

Zerul kissed her neck and stroked her back. They were at his desk, and she was straddling him in his chair. “How did we get here?”

He threaded his fingers through her hair. “You made my knees weak, so I decided the chair was a safe place to recover. That scent is mostly me with the sweet overlay of you.”

She wrinkled her nose. “It’s distinct.”

He laughed. “My scent is stronger because I am in rut. That is why the search for a consort occurs every five years. It’s my cycle.”

“Seriously?” She raised her head. “So, it’s that time of the half-decade?”

“Yes.”

“So, you have to be able to find more partners.”

He slid his hand into her hair and kissed her. “I wanted someone like you. A partner for me.”

She pressed her lips against his, flexing against the elegant curve and teasing him with her tongue. His hand clenched against her scalp, and he took over. Inside her, she could feel him expanding and stretching her once again.

They were still tangled in the dream realm, and she moved her hips on him, around him. The light circle motion came naturally, and he pressed a hand to her lower back and kept her rhythm to his.

She paused and felt the ache in her body fade as her repair talent did what it always did. “So, is this going to be a constant?”

Her body felt warm and lazy. Zerul’s hand was inside her dress and stroking her spine.

“Not constant. A few days, maybe a week. I have never had to deal with it longer than a week.” He chuckled and kissed her head. “You have gotten the hang of it.”

“What happened to my underwear?”

His voice denoted his laughter. “It’s a question for the ages.”

She lifted her head and sighed. “How long until dinner?”

His eyes were heavy-lidded, and he looked like he had just eaten a hefty dessert. “We have time for a shower.”

“So, we have to sprint through the halls like this?”

He chuckled and said, “I will slowly walk through the private hall with you.”

“My legs are still recovering.”

He kissed her softly. “I will do the walking. You hang on.”

She yelped as he shifted and slowly got to his feet. Hari clung to him and buried her face against him as his slow and steady steps caused him to fill her again. He opened a hidden panel behind his desk and walked through a clean but tight hallway. She wrapped her legs around him and held on while the friction and slow action aroused her again.

He paused in the hall and shuddered into her again. “Damn, I thought I would make it.”

“I am sure there will be other events in this snug passage.”

He chuckled. “I certainly hope so.” He recovered and started to walk again.

She sighed and held on as he moved in short thrusts inside her. Friction wasn’t an issue, as she was excessively slick.

He opened another panel, and they were in his bedroom. He continued on to his bathroom and started the shower. He calmly removed both of their shoes and stepped under the spray with both of them fully dressed. He had set his jacket aside at some point during the frolicking.

He undressed her and eased her off him. She understood the shower as a steady stream of semen made its way down her inner thigh.

“How were you able to hold it all in?” He circled a hand on her back as he undressed her.

“Uh, I believed I was plugged at the time.”

He grinned and removed her wet clothing, kicking it aside in the tiled space. When she was steady, he quickly removed his own clothing and kicked it to the side as well.

She wobbled a little and said, “Phones?”

“In my office.” He grinned. “Now, let’s get my mate tidy so that the vampires don’t pass out.”

“Huh?”

“You smell very hot right now, and there is no doubt who your partner is.” He chuckled.

“You scent-marked me?” She was slow to form a thought.

“Most definitely.” He rubbed his hands over her back and down to her waist. “Us base-instinct extranaturals use scent to do business and for all interpersonal relationships. That’s how I knew you were the right person for me, despite circumstances.” He pulled her in close. “So, I waited.”

“You waited very well.” She smiled and held onto him.

“Thank you. I am glad you kept yourself busy. How is your lawsuit?”

“Doing well. Waiting for Serel to figure out if her dignity is worth facing criminal charges. I am guessing she is going to refuse the confession. It’s okay. I have plenty of evidence. Now that I am free of the court-mandated debt and have documentation to prove the discharge of obligation, she can’t have me arrested for contempt of court. So, she has had her attack, and now, I start mine.”

“What’s your plan?”

“Oh, I have documentation that she was planning this whole thing, the dress, the assault, everything. She just didn’t expect me to do what I did. My manifestation blew a hole in her plans.”

“Luckily, it did.”

“Well, unluckily for him. If he hadn’t glamoured me, there would have been more of a fight and less of an explosion.” She felt his fingers massaging her neck. “I don’t respond well to coercion.”

He sighed. “No. Let me know if I ever push you too far.”

“You will know.” She chuckled.

“That is what I am wary of.”

The rest of the shower was businesslike, including him sliding his fingers into her to rinse her lightly. It wouldn’t do to have her dripping during dinner.

She wrapped herself in a towel and rubbed at her hair.

He came out and swiped her hair towel, buffing his horns and otherwise naked.

She got the brush out of his vanity, took care of her hair, then reached up and brushed his hair.

He smiled, and she reached up to fluff up his golden locks, grinning when a cowlick made itself known just over one horn. “When did the horns come in?”

“When I was thirteen.” He smiled. “It was quite the dramatic entrance to puberty.”

“Yeah, but I am guessing that the horns turned some heads.”

“Past is the past.”

She smirked. “Right, so what am I supposed to wear?”

“I have a few things that are suitable for evening wear for you.” He smiled.

He dried off, and they both walked into his room and headed to the wardrobe that had been stocked for her. He hummed and pulled out some dresses that were quite pretty and would make her look like a cross between an ancient priestess and a cuddly toy.

After she made her selection, she got dressed. She was wearing a bra, and the elegantly cut black dress ended just above her knees. It looked modest, but it wasn’t.

She stepped into the heeled pumps and fluffed her hair out. She wandered to the bathroom and pinned her hair up in a loose twist. Hari was adjusting her hair when Zerul came up to her with a dress in each hand. He stood behind her and put the first in front of her. “This one is subdued but pretty, and I like this one for planning the rest of our night.”

One was a matte black dress, and the other was lined silk with a slit up one thigh. “Matthias is here?”

“Yes.”

“He brought his assistant?”

“Yes.”

“I will wear the silk.”

He grinned. “I knew you liked me.”

“I am also wearing my wings.”

“You really, really like me.” He wagged his brows at her in the mirror.

She snorted and took the dress from him. “The food had better be good, or I am going in to do it myself, wings and all.”

“It will be. Reyna has pulled out all the stops once she realized you were moving in.”

“Yeah, I have noticed an uptick in quality.”

He kissed her shoulder and returned to the wardrobe in the main bedroom. She put on the dress and looked at her reflection. He walked back to her and handed her the shoes that matched the clothes she was wearing.

When the shoes were on, she focused on letting her wings out, and when they floofed out, she tucked them against her back and left the bathroom.

Zerul was fastening his cuffs and slowly smiled as she walked toward him. He put on his jacket and offered her his arm.

“So, now?”

“Now. The guests are waiting.”

They headed into the manor and walked through the halls until they went into the receiving room and met with the vampire king and his assistant.

It was an interesting and very long evening.

* * * *

Benny got into her evening gown and smiled. “This is going to be fun. We rarely have a chance to play this variety of dress-up.”

Tremble zipped up the back of her dress and kissed her shoulder. “You look stunning.”

“Thank you. You look like you should be scampering through trees.”

He grinned and straightened his formal tunic. “I will save the scampering for after the ceremony.”

Smith and Argyle were brushing their formal suits into pristine arrangements.

“So, have any of you been to something like this before?”

Tremble shrugged. “The wedding of a demigod? No. This is going to be a very specific event for the history books.”

“I didn’t think that they were allowed on this realm,” Benny mentioned.

“And yet, here we are. They are more benign than demons, so I believe there has not been a reason to fight them. Plus, many of them have taken up a position in the mage guild. That is probably having some effect.” Smith smirked.

Benny checked her makeup and turned back to her partners. “So, are we ready to raid the buffet?”

Argyle chuckled. “We are. It was very nice of Zerul to put us up in the mansion.”

Benny led the way to the door. “Yeah. It was very nice of him. We must have caught him at a weak moment.”

Smith smiled. “He was definitely distracted.”

They laughed together on their way through the hall to the ballroom. It was going to be quite the party.

* * * *

Hari was getting dressed with the other ladies, and looking around, she smirked. “This looks like a nymph convention.”

Asta chuckled. “I believe that was the idea. I also saw a reveal orb getting set up by the local mages. So, we are going to see our power signatures overlaid on our bodies.”

Eon chuckled. “Glad the ballroom has high ceilings.”

They chuckled at that. Twelve women in total were smiling in long Greek-style gowns wrapped with gold cords and made of different shades of silk.

To Hari’s eyes, they looked more like a bridal party than offerings. “Well, the dresses explain why no one was worried about the fit of these outfits.”

Gen chuckled. “They do tend to fit any size, and a light fold can accommodate any height.”

They were all wearing sandals with kitten heels, and Hari smiled at the new faces that friends had recruited in the group. Everyone met the criteria for the evening, and they all had an amused expression as they looked at the other ladies, all knowing that Zerul was already taken.

Hari led the way to the ballroom with her wings out and stared at the mix of males whom the governor had invited. Arkus was watching intently for Vega’s appearance, and he didn’t relax when he saw her. He tensed up.

Hari made her way to the spot on the floor that held the mix of memories. She stood as the other ladies took their positions and softly laughed as Arkus diverted Vega from her position. One of the backups took the spot.

There was a chime, and Zerul’s door opened. He stepped out in a formal black suit, and his horns had obviously been polished.

He walked toward the first in line, which was Livia with her wings out. Then, there was a pulse of energy from the crowd, and the ladies changed. Asta’s long ponytails were soft grey bunny ears, one of the other ladies had delicate doe horns, and Eon looked very tall. Gen had her bat wings. One of the ladies had gleaming scales, and another was made of stone. The woman in white flames was a surprise, as was the jackalope and the lady just glowing softly as the spare.

He spoke softly to each of them until he got to Hari. He smiled slowly. “Anhara, my consort. A woman of cunning, patience, and stamina.” He went down on one knee and pulled a ring from his pocket. “My dearest mate, will you be my partner, my consort, and my own from now until the day we mutually part this coil.”

Hari looked down at him and stared.

He grinned. “Do you have an answer?”

“My answer is yes, but I was wondering about looking down at the top of your horns and calculating forever.” She felt the flush in her cheeks.

He grinned and slid the engagement ring onto her finger. “I wonder what position would engender that angle?”

Her face got hotter.

He chuckled and got up for a congratulatory kiss. “It looks like your bridesmaids are already dressed. Come with me.” He looked at the others and nodded. “Ladies, this way.”

Hari took his hand, and they walked out of the ballroom and onto the grounds. She covered her mouth in astonishment. Flowers everywhere. An arbour covered with flowers was set, and the happy exclamations behind them showed that the ladies were just as affected.

Zerul looked pleased with himself as they walked to where Matthias and his assistant were waiting. Leo was in a lovely gown of rose pink, and she stood at Matthias’s side.

Zerul turned to face her. Matthias said something about love and Zerul setting a high bar for future arrangements.

Hari looked into Zerul’s eyes, and when she was prompted, she repeated after the vampire king. More rings appeared from somewhere, and Hari put a ring on Zerul’s finger, and he did the same to her.

The kiss blanked her mind, but she started laughing when Zerul flipped her over his shoulder and ordered everyone to enjoy the reception.

Inside the manor, she stated, “I can’t believe I am missing my own reception.”

“I will make it up to you. I promise.” He chuckled and ran his hand up her thigh. It wouldn’t have been disturbing, except it was under the dress.

He got to his private rooms, locked the door, and walked to the bed with her still draped over him, her wings lazily opening and closing behind her.

Zerul set her on her feet, turned her, and hugged her. “Wife.”

“Husband?”

He chuckled. “You don’t sound sure.”

“You don’t feel like the take-out-the-garbage type.”

“I promise to make myself useful. It was in my vows.”

“I didn’t really hear them. My pulse was pounding in my ears.”

His hands moved over her back, around her wings. “I have had something added to our bedroom.”

She snorted. “Really? Is it tacos? I could go for tacos.”

He grinned. “Speaking of. Raise your hands above your head.”

She did and looked up. There were soft loops of material hanging from the ceiling. He reached up and guided her hands through the loops, and then there was a distant soft whirring that pulled her off her feet.

She went higher and higher until she was hanging with her groin at his head level. She snorted. “I see what you did there. Taco.”

He laughed and winked. He reached under her dress and removed her skimpy underwear then pushed the skirt out of the way, and there was no other word for it; he dove in.

Zerul was insistent and soon learned what made her shiver and what made her moan. The rings were tight on her hands when she clenched on the straps suspending her as her wings flapped as an outlet to her body’s overwhelmed senses.

She hung there and eventually screamed as she bucked against him. He gave her sex a soft kiss before she was lowered, and he turned her to lie on the bedding.

It was the beginning of a wave of energetic coupling that didn’t end until the following morning.

Preparing to doze off, she muttered, “Who were all the guys?”

“The most powerful extranaturals who could be here in a day and were single and looking for a female. You brought the ladies; I brought the gentlemen. I am hoping that a few matches were struck.” He stroked her back where her wings had been.

“So, what now?” She was sleepy the moment that the aches had healed.

“Now, we live happily ever after. We sort your legal issues, you decide how much time you want to spend at the club, and we sleep like this every night, morning, or whenever. I am not sure, but we will work it out.” He sighed happily. “Now, we have all the time in the world.”

“You aren’t worried about me using the scream?”

“No, I am making it my duty to stand between you and anyone who will trigger it.”

“More like a weird hobby.” She rubbed her cheek against his chest. She was nearly asleep when she muttered, “Why did we get married?”

“Because, as we have discussed in the dream realm, I am for you, and you are for me, and I want you to know that I am at your back every moment that I am not with you, and I want others to know it, too.”

“Aw. Bully.”

He chuckled and said, “See you in your dreams, Anhara.”

She let herself drift off, and he was there to hold her again.