Chapter Ten
Sage
Once the ceremony ends and the others start closing in around us, Maeve leans in, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. "I know time's short," she murmurs, "but consummation of a nature-bound marriage is… highly recommended."
I can't find the words to respond before Donna wraps me in a crushing hug.
Jace appears out of nowhere with a flute of champagne—where the hell did they find champagne?
—and Tomas offers a blessing in Lakota. His voice is deep and steady, and though I don't understand the words, they settle in my bones like something ancient and true. My throat tightens.
I hug them all, one by one, and everything starts blurring together—joy, gratitude, nerves, excitement.
And fear. Fear that this is fleeting. That it'll be ripped away. But I shove the thought down.
Right now, I am married. A wife to two vampires. Which should sound deranged, but instead, it feels right. A strange sort of home. Like fate finally landed me somewhere, even if it doesn't lack irony.
The champagne is finished. The laughter dims. Astrid cuts through the moment. "We've got an hour until dusk. Perimeter's set. Weapons are ready. We should sweep the grounds again."
Asher nods sharply. "Do it."
"Yeah. Thanks," I add quickly. "We'll… join you in a bit."
The way I say it makes Kayden smirk. My cheeks flush.
Marriage in a rush. Consummation with a quickie. But what can you do.
I grab both their hands and head for the stairs.
"Maeve said it's important to... uh… seal the bond. Something about nature and balance," I mutter.
"Oh no, poor us," Kayden says dramatically. "But only if you ask nicely, wife."
"It has to be fast," I insist.
"Not ideal," Asher says. "But we'll make it work. And we'll take our time another night." He pulls me forward, steady and purposeful, leading us into his room.
As the door shuts behind us, Kayden's already at my back, unfastening my dress with quick fingers.
"A double quickie for Mrs. Darrow," he murmurs with a wicked grin.
I roll my eyes. "That sounds… awful."
Asher cups my chin, lifting my gaze to his. "It won't feel awful."
The undressing is a frenzy. Kayden sheds his suit like it's burning. Asher moves like always, deliberate and efficient, folding pieces even as his lips crash against mine. Every motion is charged. We're all stripped down in moments, breathless and bare, drawn to one another with magnetic urgency.
There's no teasing. No soft build. The bond demands it.
I find myself bent forward between them—Asher behind me, guiding himself in with a slow, thick push that stretches me open, making me cry out. The thick heat of him filling me anchors something wild inside.
Kayden is in front of me, his cock hard, pressed to my lips. "Open," he growls, and I do.
His hips thrust forward, sliding deep into my mouth, my moan vibrating around him. We move in a primal rhythm. Every sound, every gasp, every slap of skin is raw connection.
They don't just take me, but claim me. And I let them.
The moment tightens around us like a snare. Every thrust, every slick movement, pulls me deeper into them and into this union. It's not just sex. It's something ancient and elemental humming through my blood.
Kayden fists my hair as I take him deeper, his cock hitting the back of my throat with each roll of his hips. His pace is desperate, worshiping me in his own corrupted way.
Behind me, Asher's thrusts are relentless but precise, each one landing in perfect rhythm with Kayden's. I'm nothing but sensation, suspended between them, my body stretched and filled and trembling. My mouth full. My core clenched around Asher's thickness.
Then something shifts. Not just between us, but in the air. Like the bond is syncing with us, tuning itself to our bodies and our breath.
I'm close. Everything in me spirals tighter. My thighs shake. My nails dig into Kayden's thighs. A moan gets trapped in my throat, around his cock, and he shudders from the feel of it.
Asher grunts, thrusting harder, deeper. He can feel it too, this edge, the breaking point we're racing toward.
Asher thrusts once more, deep, grinding, his body pressed flush against mine, and I fall. My orgasm crashes like a storm surge and drags them both under.
Asher groans, hips jerking as he spills inside me. His body trembles against mine.
Kayden thrusts twice, then comes with a harsh moan, hot spurts filling my mouth, his free hand gripping my hair tight.
Then—stillness. Only panting breaths and slick skin.
My body sings with aftershocks. Asher holds me steady, while Kayden pulls out and presses a kiss to my shoulder, his voice just a murmur. "You're ours now. No backing out, wife."
I laugh, breathless. "You're not exactly giving me an escape route."
Asher pulls me back into his chest, arms wrapping around me from behind. Kayden settles in front of me, brushing his fingers along my jaw.
The bond is sealed. We're tethered. But something lingers. A thread still loose.
"I need you to do one more thing," I whisper, voice hoarse from pleasure.
Asher's hand tightens around my waist. Kayden shifts beside me.
"Whatever you need," Asher says.
"Just say the word," Kayden murmurs, his knuckles brushing my jaw.
"I want you to bite me. Draw blood."
Kayden blinks. Then looks away, like the want is too strong to show. Asher's brows lift, studying me, eyes gleaming brown gold in the low light.
"Are you sure?" Asher asks quietly.
"Yes, I feel it. Like it's the last piece that needs to settle."
There's a pause. Then Kayden gives a sharp, eager grin. "You don't have to ask me twice."
They move in at once, one on each side, shadows and heat, breath and teeth.
I tilt my head back, baring my neck, trusting them more than I've ever trusted anyone. My pulse flutters from a fierce kind of anticipation, a desire so deep it radiates through my bones.
Asher's hand cradles the back of my head. Kayden's fingers slide along my collarbone. Their mouths lower in perfect sync, lips brushing each side of my throat.
Then… twin stings.
Their fangs sink in together. My breath stutters.
Pain flashes, but it's eclipsed instantly by the rush, the pull of something ancient and electric. My blood flows into them, and something flows back like a tether beyond flesh.
My vision shimmers. My body trembles. This is not just sealing a marriage, but sealing a promise: I am theirs, and they are mine.
They drink in tandem. Slow, savoring, not taking too much, only what's meant to be shared. When they pull back, I sway, dizzy but grounded. Their mouths are red-stained, fangs retreating. Their eyes glow brighter than I've ever seen.
Kayden licks the corner of his mouth. "God, sunshine. You taste like sin and springtime."
Asher kisses the wound he made. "And you're ours. Now more than ever."
I stay between them for a long, peaceful moment.
When the dusk begins to fall outside, none of us speak. We move as one.
We're ready.