19. Epilogue Gracie
Chapter 19
Epilogue: Gracie
~5 months later~
"Are you sure you're okay with the ceremony being so casual? I kinda feel bad after seeing Stella's grand one."
Even if we had both agreed that we wanted something casual, I couldn't help but worry over the fact.
After all, this soul-binding ceremony was something huge for demons and angels, it seems like, so seeing my friend's spectacular one made me feel as if I was short-changing Valphan and his important moment in life. Even if he assured me at least a thousand times at this point that he was more than fine with this because he didn't care much for a big celebration, I was still hesitant.
"Cupcake," Valphan sighed for the umpteenth time. "Our ceremony is literally going to start in five minutes." He deadpanned with a raised brow. "Before you get cold feet and cancel it all, really think about it. I mean, would you be happier with a huge celebration like Stella's? Which ceremony would you think back on ten years from now and smile upon as if it were the happiest moment in your life?"
Sighing defeatedly, I pouted at him because I had no good reply to his good question. Grumbling to myself, I lightly shoved Valphan's furry figure clad in nice clothing out my dressing room door. "Go wait at the altar. I'll be out there in five minutes, I swear."
Valphan was right. I wouldn't be happy one bit if I had some grand ceremony where I wouldn't even recognize more than half the people there. Granted, there were quite a few I didn't recognize from a quick look out the window just earlier, but they were people close to Valphan. To be fair, I didn't really have many on my side to invite to this ceremony. The only person here I knew was Stella and, I guess, Emma; I couldn't invite my cousins because, well, that was a can of rotten worms I didn't want to touch with a ten-foot pole.
Some other humans were out there, but they were the other entity's mates and people I didn't know.
I tried not to be too bothered by it because we planned a separate ceremony after this one, but more so for my side—a normal ceremony and celebration.
"Gracie? Girl, get your head out of the clouds. The ceremony is about to start, and you're still in your robe." Emma said with a nudge to my shoulder, gesturing at my dress still hanging in its bag.
Holding my breath, I nodded my head in response before letting the next few minutes pass by in the blink of an eye. By the time I zoned back into reality, I found myself standing at the end of the aisle in my floor-length wedding dress, decked out in strings of jewelry chains from the bottom to the illusion neckline. Honestly, I felt and sounded like a crystal chandelier—in a good way!
Every bead of jewelry scraped and jangled against each other with each step I took toward Valphan until I stood before him at the altar. "You know, I don't know why you were so insistent on me having all the crystal beads and such," I whispered, looking at my husband-to-be suspiciously.
"You'll see tonight." His toothy, wolfish grin never ceased to amuse me after all this time with him.
Yes, Valphan was still a demonic werewolf, and yes, we've made it work this whole time. We had to make a lot of adjustments to the house, mainly to accommodate his size, but we managed to get back into a nice routine again after working through Valphan's wild personality.
And, oh boy, his wild side was definitely something else. The constant ache between my legs served as a good reminder of that. I thought he was a good lover in bed before, but he was nearly insatiable in his current form. Damn demon practically had his huge cock buried in me 24/7, it felt like. On my good days, I didn't mind being fucked nearly every damn second of the day, but on ones where I had shit I needed to do or—God forbid—was on my period, yeah, those days were a pain in the ass.
Also, as much as I loved sex with Valphan, he was too much sometimes, especially with his huge cock. Thankfully, he weaved enough spells for me to make it not painful. Still, I could feel all the other effects of it every time we engaged with each other.
Remaining silent, I patiently waited for Aesophedus to finish his part while looking at Valphan with a tender smile.
My big ol' oaf looked so damn adorable in his white tunic top tucked into his black leather pants. The adorableness came from his big form being stuffed into clothes like an obsessed owner playing dress up with their dog. Valphan only ever wore a pair of loose shorts around our place, but he also went around naked more often than not.
The silence between the two of us broke upon Aesophedus, urging us to exchange our vows, a human tradition Valphan was rather insistent on having as well. Not that I minded, because this sweet moment was one I didn't want to forgo either.
"Gracie, my little blessing, my life didn't start until you came into it." The two of us paused for a second to chuckle to ourselves. "Your voice woke me to a new world, one I have the pleasure of sharing with you. Every second you taint my life is the best. I cannot wait to spend an eternity by your side, watching and helping you craft your stories for the world to indulge in."
A happy pause filled the air as Valphan smiled at me with tears in his eyes. "I will forever be grateful for every day I get to wake up to you and care for you. I will never grow tired of how your eyes light up and how your smile widens whenever I do something for you. I love how patient you are with me and my grumpy ass sometimes when I have to learn something new about this century. You never cease to amaze me with how motivated you are with your aspirations, and I will always be thankful for the effort and faith you put into me and our relationship."
Leaning down, he nuzzled his face into my cheek for a second. "I will never get over the fact that you adjusted your whole life to love me, especially when I became stuck like this. You really do love me for better or worse, and I will spend forever loving you in return. I will always treat you like the queen you are to me."
Then, he pressed his lips right against my ear. "I may be your god, the one you get on your knees for and shower with sweet kisses, but you are my goddess." Pulling back, he put his cool and calm fa?ade back on. "And at the end of the day, I will always bow before you and worship you and the ground you walk on. I will always protect you in my arms and keep you safe from the evils of the world while you sleep."
Settling his forehead against mine, he locked his promising eyes full of adoration and devotion onto me. "I vow on my soul that I will always do right by you, remain by your side no matter what, for better or worse, rich or poor, in sickness and health, all until death." His words resonated into my soul as his gaze penetrated it.
"Valphan," I whispered with a tremble in my voice. "I never expected a demon roommate, nor did I imagine the demon lurking in my closet would someday be my soulmate. But I would never want to change a thing about how things have unfolded in my life. I'll admit to you now that I really enjoyed your little closet creeping sooner than I admitted to you before. Knowing that you are always there watching over me makes me feel safe and sound, and your shadowy touches were always so soothing to me, even if I liked to argue otherwise."
Smiling happily, I tightened my hands around his. "Sometimes I can't believe we're soulmates, but I will never take this gift from the world for granted. You are my forever as I am yours, and I can't wait to see how the rest of our life together unfolds." Brushing my thumbs over his fuzzy knuckles, I grin up at him. "The story of our life is going to be the best creation we ever write, and it will be the story that only we will ever enjoy."
Fighting back tears so my makeup wouldn't be ruined, I chewed my bottom lip for a moment before finishing my vows. "Every second with you will forever be the best time of my life, and I can't wait to spend forever with you. You are always there for me, and even though I may slack in the housework department, I swear I will make it up by spoiling you with so much affection and gratitude that your tail will fall off from all the wagging. I will always cherish you and everything we have now and will create in the time to come. I will be with you every step of eternity, for better or worse, rich or poor, in sickness and health, until death."
We firmly held each other's hands and looked at Aesophedus to continue the ceremony.
The shadow king looked between us for a second before continuing. "Once two souls are intertwined and bound, there is no going back. Do you two understand this?" Aesophedus looked at each of us sternly for confirmation before continuing. "Are you both here of your own free will? No coercion or blackmail from anyone?" And again, he waited for a positive answer from both of us before continuing.
Then, his gaze went to the small crowd, all of whom had nothing but big smiles on their faces as they eyed us with pure joy. "Is there anyone here who objects to this? Speak now or stay forever silent." His question rang through the air, and it was met with no objection of any sort.
After a slow look around the crowd, Aesophedus returned his gaze to me and Valphan. "I will ask you two again: are you absolutely certain? There is no undoing once your souls are bound." He wasn't doubting us; the question was the ceremony's formality and process.
"Yes, I am certain. I am choosing to bind my soul with Valphan's out of my own free will and sound mind even after knowing the end result." I replied to Aesophedus with a proud smile.
Without hesitation, Valphan spoke up right after me. "I have never been more certain of anything in my life, and I can't wait for forever with my little blessing." To further sweeten his words, he brought my hand up and kissed the back of it.
Much like Stella and Kastoron's ceremony, Aesophedus proceeded to procure an ancient dagger and pierced a small area of our chests.
Now, Stella did warn me that it sucked, but holy hell, it hurt like a mother fucking bitch to have my soul ripped out of my body! I nearly threw up and passed out with how much I clammed up from the pain! I mean, thankfully, I didn't because I don't know how I'd live that embarrassment down.
More fortunately, the rest of our celebration went off without a single hitch. Soon, night fell upon us, and the after-party came and went, leaving me Valphan to round back to our home as bound soulmates.
However, instead of venturing inside to our marriage bed to consummate everything, I ended up being dragged around back by Valphan. "Fawny? What?" My grunt cut my words off from Valphan, throwing me to the ground at the edge of the wooded area in the backyard.
Standing menacingly above me, he grinned down at me with the most unhinged grin full of teeth. "Sixty seconds." Reaching down, he grabbed the train of my dress and ripped it, turning my long dress to below my knees. "Run."
Wide-eyed, I scrambled to my feet, slowly backing away from Valphan with a racing heart. "W-wait? Tonight?" My breath trembled with excitement and nervousness as our conversations about having our first chase raced through my mind.
"Safe-word?" His voice gained a growl to it as he slowly advanced with heavy steps.
"Gate." I got it out in a single breath before spinning around and hightailing it away.
The adrenaline coursing through my body made me want to scream and yell out of fear and excitement about what was to come. I knew when the moment happened, then it would be intense, but I never imagined it to be this much of a rush to run from my demon lover—and we've barely started!
A roar shook and echoed through the thick, sparse wooded area, spurring my aching feet to pound against the uneven ground faster. I knew I stood no chance against him, and honestly, it was pointless for me to run, but the thrill of this blood-pumping excitement was what I wanted. No matter how much of a lazy-ass I was, the prospect of a chase through the woods to get fucked to oblivion by my demon mate gave me the perfect jolt.
"I can smell and taste your fear and excitement in the air, cupcake!"
My heart nearly froze at his growling words that sounded like they came from every direction. I didn't know which way to go! Breathing heavily, I whipped around randomly, weaving through the foliage randomly to deter him for a few seconds longer.
"You can run all you want, little blessing, but I can hear every breath from your body, every step of your feet, every beat of that racing heart of yours, and more importantly, every jingle and jangle of those beads." His voice cackled with a howl, chilling my whole body to the bone.
Cold air sliced at my airway with every inhale as I pushed my protestant body forward despite the outcome. I couldn't stop running from him now if I wanted because my instincts held the reins.
Then, everything came to a shrieking halt. "Gotcha!" Valphan's face moved from my periphery to my front side in a millisecond, causing me to slam into him.
I had screamed so loud that I was sure anyone within a ten-mile radius could hear me loud and clear, and my throat ached from the rawness at which I shrieked.
Instinctively, my hands and feet flew at him, kicking, punching, clawing, and even biting him as he forced my body back up against a large tree, where he trapped me with his massive one. "My sweet blessing, all ready for me to consume and break." His hot breath washed over my ear and neck, making me shiver and whimper as I struggled uselessly against him.
A winded grunt slammed into me from Valphan, slamming me against the tree, momentarily dazing me enough for him to restrain me with his shadow tentacles. With my wrists bound above my head and legs spread wide up in the air, I could no longer fight Valphan, and he was free to shred the rest of my clothing off until I was stark naked.
"Valphan, wait! I'm not ready to take you fully yet!" The startling sight of his painfully swollen cock, all throbbing and leaking precum, was a bucket of iced water to my face. I mean, I didn't even care or know when he stripped, but it was probably when he chased me just now.
Another of my screams—this time smaller and shorter—ripped through the air from the sudden smack to my cunt from his heavy cock after he slapped it with his huge hand. My breath hitched from the sudden jerk of my face, forcing me to look at him as he held his glistening hand accusingly in my face. "Liar. Look at how much you drenched my hand from a single slap."
Reaching down, he shoved three of his fingers into me, making me moan and thrust my hip at him. "You're fucking soaked, yet I haven't done anything but chase you through the forest like a maniac."
Putting an inch of space between us, he lowered his head down and shoved his hot tongue into my mouth, muffling every sound that came out of me and even going as far as shoving his tongue down my throat while he ran his claws up my legs. Every brush of his claws brought upon surge after surge of tingling pleasure, especially when he reached my inner thighs.
Then, a brief screech of pain jerked my body when I felt him dig his claws into my tender flesh, breaking the skin and causing my warm blood to bead out in their wake. "To sink my fangs into these luscious thighs, mhmm fuck." His words rumbled against my lips before I felt his tongue descend my body to my sensitive nipples. "And these little chocolate nipples of yours, so fucking delicious."
A sharp gasp choked my moan out as my body tensed in response to the feeling of something slipping into my ass. It wasn't his huge cock—thank God—'cause my ass wasn't completely stuffed full, and his hands were occupied with groping every inch of my body, so that only left one answer.
"Valphan, please, not so much like last time. You'll break my ass." As if that was even possible, but I had to try. Besides, the fear was always there no matter what, given the sheer difference between us.
"No." He denied me with a wicked grin. "You are going to take all I give you like a good little slut. I am going to stuff your ass just as full as your cunt when I take you as my wife tonight." His long tongue licked my cheek hungrily. "Really claim every fucking inch of you as your husband before finally knotting you to keep you full of my cum."
Yeah, that thought really terrified me because I've never taken his knot before, something we decided to keep for our special occasion as a first for us. But I've seen it more than I could count at this point in time, and the thing was a monster on its own.
Growling lowly, he pressed my legs to open further until my thighs were almost even with the rest of my body. "Your cunt looks so good right now, just begging me to feast upon it until you can't squirt and gush anymore." Bending down, he gave me a long lick with a groan. "Too bad I need to get inside of you right now. Otherwise, I'm going to lose my fucking mind."
Then, without warning, he shoved himself balls deep into me in a single thrust, making me roll my eyes as my mouth hung open in a silent scream of pleasure. This was a typical reaction every time he penetrated me, but something about this time felt different. Everything felt heightened, and I felt more connected to him strangely. It was as if we were truly becoming one.
Delirious from the pleasure, I felt myself giving in to Valphan's actions. Every scratch along my body; slap against my clit, tits, or ass; pinch of my nipples; bite along my neck or shoulders; every thickening of the shadow dick in my ass; and every soul-shaking thrust of his cock into me brought me to a new height of rapture. There was a pain to it all, but the pain was so sweet and good—I wanted nothing but more.
"Focus on me, cupcake. I'm about to knot you for the first time, and I want you to see the effect your sweet body has on me." His deep voice brought me out of the depths of my lustful haze, and my eyes struggled to focus on his straining face as his hips picked up in pace and force.
Over a period of what felt like hours, his hips jerked out of rhythm to a halt as he let out a loud roar that shook the area. Buried fully in me, I felt the familiar throb of his cock with my tightened walls, but this time, something else followed before his cum.
Pain furrowed my face tight as I felt my stretched walls being forced to stretch more as his knot inflated. "Oh fuck! Valphan! It hurts!" I sobbed and bit through the pain of his cock, locking himself into me.
What was even more shocking was my body's reaction to it all. Yes, it hurt like a bitch, but somehow, my body decided to get off on it. Tremors of pure pleasure ravaged my body as I felt myself tighten around his knot and my hips thrust against him for some friction. "Shit… I'm coming. I'm coming from your knot."
Throwing my head back, I let out a deep and loud moan, letting myself come undone completely on his cocks in me.
"Love you… Fucking…. I love you so much, Valphan."
Warmth pressed against my cheek and all over my face. "Thank you. Thank you so much for loving me and letting me love you back."