8. Bloom
BLOOM
Afiddle plucks up a cheerful tune.
The lilting melody is my cue to start walking down the short aisle.
Everyone has poured into the village square to enjoy the day.
Sets of wooden chairs are filled with well-wishers down both sides of the walkway.
Wildflowers lay atop the pale gold runner, separating my delicate slippers from the cobblestones.
Daffodils and daisies thread through my hair, matching the ones sewn into my white frock. The short sleeves are perfect for the summer heat as the short train drags behind me. Despite it being a mild day, sweat beads on my brow.
There had been much to attend to, but as I look out at the crowd, all the last-minute effort had been worth it.
I smile down at my mother’s wedding dress before turning the expression towards my father.
Tears shine in his dark eyes as he grips my arm tighter.
He is not as frail as he once was. With Rhydian’s help, the more laborious aspects of being a baker have fallen to him.
He has been both of our salvation in different ways.
My gaze travels up the aisle to where he waits.
The local pastor is dressed in pale green as his book of prayers rests open on the stand. I pay him little mind as my focus rests solely on Rhydian. He looks more handsome than ever in his matching white linen pants and shirt. His eyes glow as they look me over from head to toe.
His gaze snags on my chest where my breasts have been pushed up with the aid of a corset. Normally I would’ve forgone it with the heat, but seeing the way Rhy’s eyes sparkle is worth the discomfort.
Besides, I won’t be wearing it for too much longer.
It’s shocking how many things can change in a week. The longer I stare at him, the more it feels like we’ve already known each other for a hundred years. When you meet your soulmate, finite things such as time hold no weight. Rhydian is my present and my future. My everything.
My love.
The first few days since our return to town had been rocky.
Despite my assurances he would be welcome, many villagers had been put off by his arrival. They viewed him as the creature Pyke had convinced us he was. Some had been hesitant in believing the truth, even when presented with evidence of Pyke’s treachery.
Rhydian had remained steadfast by my side as I made a show of his innocence. Only once Rhydian and I were able to gain access to Pyke’s estate did people begin to come around. The proof of his atrocities couldn’t be denied. Every gift that had been meant for Rhydian was in Pyke’s possession.
Once the people of Dew Hollow reclaimed their lost wares and were flush with gold again, they were much more amenable to Rhydian’s presence. He swayed the last of them when he promised the tithe would be abolished. His only desire was to work and live amongst them as an equal.
He shared the details of Pyke’s attack on his father, and that had softened their hearts further. Most were ashamed by how easily they had been tricked. Three days after we returned to Dew Hollow, Rhydian was welcomed in as if he had always been here.
No one was more receptive than my father.
Once he learned that I was unharmed and I shared all of what Rhydian had done for me, my father brought him into our home. It was an arrangement that was not meant to last, as the walls in our family cottage are very thin.
Rhydian asked for my hand the night we returned from the Woods, to which my father wholeheartedly agreed. All that was left to do was for Rhydian to purchase the house next door with some of the gold his father had kept. We moved in immediately.
Together, we have fallen into a comfortable routine.
Rhy and I wake every morning in each other's arms, before making the short journey to the bakery. We spend the day working side by side. We share dinner with my father before heading home and restarting the blissful pattern the next day. I’m trying to savor these moments as I know it will not be just the two of us for long.
If I had my way, I’d already be pregnant.
My father’s strength is increasing, and I want him to have as many years with his grandchildren as possible. More than that, I want Rhy and me to have the family we always dreamed of. He will be a wonderful father.
When we reach the end of the aisle, I turn towards my father.
“I’m so happy for you, my darling. Your mother would be proud.”
Tears burn my eyes as he kisses my cheek before handing me over to Rhydian.
“You look beautiful,” my soon-to-be-husband whispers. “I missed you.”
My smile makes my cheeks ache.
Taking me by the hand, he guides me up the small step before clasping my hands in his. I smile up at him as the pastor begins his speech. Rhydian and I’s bond goes beyond the oaths sworn before a holy man. Our souls are one. Our connection is primal and innate—one that can never be broken.
As the service trickles by, the more my desire for him grows.
He had been inside me only a few hours ago before we had to part for the ceremony. Drying seed clings to my thighs. I want more of it spilling out of me. I plan on spending my afternoon in bed with my new husband, bringing us one step closer to having the child we both desire.
Blessedly, the ceremony is over shortly as I watch Rhydian slide a gold band up my finger. I do the same to him, repeating the matching vows to love and cherish him forever. The pastor pronounces us husband and wife, and Rhydian takes me in his arms.
I squeal as he dips me backward and seals our marriage with a bruising kiss.
Riotous applause erupts as yellow and white petals are thrown into the air. My arms wrap around his neck as I kiss him back with fervor. He groans as our tongues slick together. Reaching beneath my knees, he scoops me into his arms and turns us from the crowd.
A feast is to be held, but my husband has his sights set on devouring something else. I call out thanks to our attendants over his shoulder. Rhydian’s pace picks up as our house comes into view. He carries me over the threshold and slams the door shut with enough force to crack the hinges.
“Impatient, husband?” I ask.
He huffs, stomping towards our bedroom in the back. Atop the bed are more white and gold flower petals. Rhydian sets me down on them. His fingers make quick work of the lacing at the back of my gown. Together we shuck off my corset and dress with trembling fingers.
Once I am naked, save for the gauzy white stocking prowling up my legs, Rhydian steps back to admire me. The bulge in his pants makes my mouth water.
“Fuck, Bloom. How are you even more beautiful today than yesterday? Then this morning?”
Wonder threads through every word. I smile up at him as I fall back on the bed. The soft sheets caress my naked skin.
“Because I’m your wife now.” I beckon him forward with a finger. “And I need my husband inside of me for the first time.”
Rhydian growls as he comes down on top of me. I love the feeling of his weight along my body. He’s so powerful and yet incredibly gentle with me. His velvety skin rasps against my nipples as his mouth descends on mine.
The rich scent of his skin invades my lungs as his tongue slides into my mouth. It mimics the way he thrusts into my body. Dominating, commanding. I open my mouth wide to let more of him. I feel him everywhere—in my blood and carved into my bones.
His fingers tease down my body, eliciting goosebumps.
Releasing my mouth, he trails open-mouth kisses down my chest. Pausing to taste each of my breasts, he groans as he squeezes the fleshy mounds. Licking and biting his way across my stomach, he settles between my splayed thighs.
Cupping me under my knees, he presses me up and back until I’m bare to his hungry gaze.
“Pretty little pussy. Look at how wet she is for me. Needy for my tongue—my cock. My seed still clings to her, and yet she needs more.”
“Please, Rhydian. Taste me. Fill me.”
He grins before savoring my pussy in one long lick.
I moan as he does, tossing my head back. Teasing me again, his tongue trails lower. I feel the wet glide of his slick muscles against my back entrance. I scream as he gently prods it, my face on fire.
“One day, I’ll claim this little hole too.” His eyes glow anew. “But for tonight, it’s all about your pussy. I need to spill it all inside you. Get you pregnant if you aren’t already.”
“Please, please!”
“I need a taste first, Bloom.” A wicked grin curves his lips shiny with my arousal. “Come quick, so I can give you what you really want.”
His lips latch onto my clit. I moan as his fingers spear into my entrance. First two, then he adds a third to pump me roughly. My hips rise from the bed to work myself against his face. My climax is already looming with the promise of his cock on the line.
I love when he devours me. Love the feeling of his snout nuzzling into my most intimate flesh. Gripping his smooth horns in my hands, I hold him tight to my entrance and grind out my release.
His blunt teeth nip my clit, and I erupt.
Arousal sprays from me and soaks the linen of his shirt.
Rhydian gets to work licking me clean. For as pleasant and quick as my release was, the first climax always leaves me wanting more.
I need to be filled by Rhydian’s cock to reach true completion.
Sometimes, in the heady afterglow of our lovemaking, I’ll keep him inside of me just to have the physical reminder of our connection.
The soreness in the morning is always worth it.
I watch through heavy eyes as Rhydian strips off his clothes. A gasp leaves my lips once he’s bare to me. My eyes trace over every harsh muscle before resting on his massive cock. Seed trickles down his shaft as he roughly smears it all over the head.
“Keep those pretty thighs open for me, wife. I have more seed to give your little cunt.”
Biting my lip, I slide my legs open as wide as they’ll go. Rhydian kneels between my legs before roughly smacking his cock on my clit. I moan as he glides his length through my wetness before tucking it into my entrance.