Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
ZAKAI
The wedding was a several-day event. There were ceremonies each day that had to be done to bless the wedding and our marriage, as well as meetings to finalize the alliance.
My mother did everything she could to include pieces of the barbarian culture, but a good deal of it was what I’d experienced each time my siblings had married.
Day after day of old men and women droning on about the sanctity of marriage and future prosperity.
It was boring, especially since none of it seemed to be about me and Uttin.
They said the same thing at every wedding. Mine wasn’t special. I hated that.
An arm came around my waist, stopping me from hitting the old priest who had droned on for the last hour. Most of the room was falling asleep at this point.
“Be at ease, tavi,” Uttin murmured against my ear.
“But he’s so boring,” I complained under my breath. If I actually made a scene, my mother wouldn’t hesitate to punish me.
“Think of other things until he is finished,” Uttin coached.
I frowned at him. “Like what?”
“Like the final ceremony tomorrow. It is the biggest, yes? And afterward, we will be done with all the fuss.”
Leaning heavily into him, I bit back a sigh. “Can’t we be done now? I just want to drag you to our rooms and—”
Clapping filled the room, signaling the end of the priest’s droning speech.
I breathed a sigh of relief, taking Uttin’s hand as he helped me to my feet.
But before I could sneak away with him, my sister grabbed my arm, pulling me out of Uttin’s grasp and pushing me into the herd of my siblings waiting behind her.
“What—What are you doing?!” I demanded incredulously.
“It’s the night before your wedding,” Samira chided. “You will not stay with your intended this night. Honestly, you should not have been staying with him this entire time, but Mother and Father overlooked that since they are still feeling the urge to baby you after your kidnapping.”
“We’re not that nice,” Nadia added, clutching my arm with her talon-like nails. “You’re staying with your family tonight. Tomorrow, you can return to your man.”
“Wha—But—” I protested, but they gave me no chance to argue.
With seven siblings, I had no hope of overpowering them.
Uttin watched the exchange with amusement before letting his own clan brothers drag him away.
At least if he was with them, I could hope that he wouldn’t find Orthorr and start working again. I wanted him to relax.
Because my siblings knew me well, they didn’t try to demand we go out drinking.
That would end in disaster for us all. Especially if Nadia challenged me to a drinking contest. She was the smallest of us but drank like a fish.
Instead, they had set up an evening of pampering with massages, body wraps, and rejuvenation pools.
And they brought me all my favorite foods as well.
I put up with their interference for a time. Begrudgingly.
Thanks to hours spent relaxing, I woke up the next morning bright eyed and excited.
I was finally going to be married to Uttin, and no one would get between us again.
I was bouncing as I dressed in the traditional wedding robe laid out for me, and Samira kept laughing at the staff’s attempts to settle me with snacks and drinks.
It wasn’t until I was walking down the aisle that I finally settled.
Uttin waited for me in wedding attire my family must have provided for him.
I knew there were parts of his culture that would be part of the ceremony, but I would bet he chose the clothes to make me happy.
And he looked quite handsome in them too.
There was another long speech but it was hard to feel annoyed while looking into Uttin’s eyes. He looked at me affectionately, squeezing my hands where we held them in front of us, keeping my attention on him and not on the priest or anyone else in the room.
I was so distracted by him, I barely noticed when the wreath of flowers was placed around our shoulders together.
I only moved when Uttin led me, and I kept my eyes on him until he flashed me an expression of amusement, tipping his head toward the crowded room.
I wrinkled my nose, having no interest in anyone in that room other than him, but grudgingly turned forward, letting my gaze drift over the people I considered family in the room.
My blood family, parents and siblings and their spouses, and the family I made during my journey.
Simon, now my closest friend, wiggled his fingers, leaning against his bondmate as he listened to the priest’s speech.
The other male bondmates, who’d accepted me into their group even before I was truly claimed.
And the barbarians who protected me even against an army.
I’d thought when Hameed betrayed me that I’d lost everything dear to me.
Instead, I got more than I would have ever thought to hope for.
All thanks to the barbarian beside me. My protector.
My bondmate. The fates had heard my pleas and sent me the perfect person to be by my side. I couldn’t be happier.
UTTIN
After the ceremony set up by the king and queen, Orthorr followed up with the familiar speech of unity he typically gave during bonding ceremonies.
I gifted Zakai a pendant of gold I’d made myself with instruction from a blacksmith who worked for the royal family.
I wanted Zakai adorned as the other bondmates were, but wood or clay didn’t feel quite right to me.
Zakai beamed at the trinket, pleased, and I felt my heart settle a little.
I worried he’d be harder to please after his upbringing, but he seemed happy to accept whatever I gave him.
After the warrior’s chant bringing Zakai into our clan, we were led to a table for the newly wedded couple where food was laid out and we could be greeted both by my clan and by Zakai’s people, most of whom he told me were part of the court and not his biggest fans.
They put on polite smiles, though, and seemed to know better than to say anything rude in my presence.
The party thrown by the people of Al Nuzem was tame in comparison to a true bonding ceremony, and Orthorr had instructed the clan to be on their best behavior while in the palace.
I felt the need to throw Zakai a proper party once we left his family home.
He enjoyed having fun, and I agreed with him that the droning speeches of the priests had been exhausting.
We were allowed to slip away after a few hours, and Zakai was the first to bound to his feet when his parents said we could. There were catcalls and cheers from my clan as we left, but Zakai just winked at them and gave them a thumbs up before dragging me out of the room.
When we reached our rooms, he groaned, flopping face first onto the bed. Chuckling, I shrugged out of the robes given to me by the staff and kicked off my boots. Zakai pretended he wasn’t watching, but I could see him peek out and the way he squirmed on the bed told me what he needed from me.
After my clothes were removed, I set to removing Zakai’s.
Like the brat he was, he did very little to help me.
He enjoyed me manhandling him too much to help.
He laughed out loud when I flipped him onto his back so I could better reach the fastening, clawing to keep himself where he was when pulling off his legwear dragged him down the bed.
Seeing the joy on his face, the excitement in his eyes for what was to come, warmed me, and I attempted to taste that joy with my lips on his, dropping my weight on top of him and pinning him beneath me.
Zakai let out a moan, arms thrown around my neck as his tongue tangled with mine. He seemed to enjoy kissing more and more every time we came together. Like he couldn’t get enough. I was happy to provide him with what he needed.
We stayed that way until Zakai grew restless and stretched away from me to grab the oil. I took advantage of this, kissing and sucking along his neck, making him shiver and gasp.
“You evil barbarian,” he growled breathlessly. “I can’t focus when—Ah!”
While he’d been complaining, I slid a hand between us, rubbing over his hole in a teasing caress.
My little prince loved to be fucked and even little touches set him off.
He bucked his hips, trying to push down against my fingers, but I wouldn’t allow it.
Not without the oil, which was held loosely in his hand, his attention on my teasing touches.
I took it from him, grinning when he whimpered and planted his feet, lifting his hips to give me better access.
Demanding even when he wasn’t using words.
As I pushed a finger inside him, I watched his face, taking in the greedy eagerness as he babbled for more. I took my time, as I always did with him, ignoring his whines and avoiding the key to his pleasure until his bratty nature came out to play.
“Damn it, Uttin! Stop teasing!” he growled, shoving his hips down to take more of my finger.
He reached for me, perhaps hoping to pull me closer to get more of what he wanted, but I captured his wrists, pinning them above his head as I slipped another finger inside.
His mouth dropped open on a gasp and his eyes clouded over with lust.
“You like when I hold you down, don’t you?” I whispered against his ear, feeling his shiver like we shared it. “You like when I make you accept what I give you.”
He shook his head, his words breathless when he said, “I don’t know why.
I’ve never let someone do that to me before.
I just like—ungh!” His voice cut off for a moment as I rewarded his words by rubbing against the key to his pleasure.
His hips popped up in abortive thrusts, his neck arched as he was forced to feel the pleasure without being able to take it for himself.