Page 47 of A Fate of Blood and Magic (Fated #2)

Chapter

Twenty

ELIAS

Nerves overwhelmed me as I restlessly moved my hands from my trouser pockets to my neat hair, ruining the tight bun.

It was fine, though. Teddy preferred my hair untied.

But I’d wanted to look presentable for her.

While I hadn’t seen her yet because of some weird human tradition about the groom not being allowed to see the bride before the wedding, I knew she looked beautiful. She was always breathtaking.

I shook out my hands, making George eye me with confusion.

“Why are you nervous?” he asked.

I honestly didn’t know. While I hadn’t helped with any wedding planning, this day was important to Teddy. I wanted everything to go perfectly, which Ryenne promised me it would when she forced me to vacate our home before the sun had a chance to rise this morning.

But we’d already had to delay our wedding day because of the chaos in our kingdom. I wanted today to be exactly what Teddy had always envisioned .

“How angry do you think Ryenne would be if I went back home and demanded to see Teddy?” I asked.

Everly snorted. “I’d mourn your death.”

The terrifying part was she was only half joking.

Since I didn’t want to cross her after Donnie’s and my argument, I stayed seated in George and Everly’s living room.

It was a nicer, homier living room than the one we’d shared when we all lived together.

Their place looked more like a home than ours had, with little accents matching their personalities.

Then again, I’d never considered making a home until I’d met Teddy.

“I could keep Ryenne busy while you sneak in,” George said.

Was I really going to do that? Sneak into my own home?

“How are you going to distract her?” I asked.

“Leave it to me.” He clapped my back.

“I’ll remember you as the lovesick fool that you are,” Everly said with a smirk on her face.

I rolled my eyes before I bent space into the edge of the woods bordering our cottage. A few nearby trees rustled, and I wondered if they were trees or the lirio who continued watching the forest.

A female lirio stepped from behind a tree and quirked her head to the side in question.

I pointed at my home. “Humans have strange customs, and Teddy’s friend forced me out this morning. I want to see my mate, though, so I’m going to sneak inside.”

She blinked and gave me a knowing smile. “She’s in your bedroom with her brother.”

I nodded in thanks. With far too much confidence, George walked up to the front porch and knocked on the door. When Ryenne answered, I bent space and stepped right into Teddy’s and my bedroom.

Teddy let out a shriek that had Brenton reaching for his sword. Thankfully, aside from the lirio outside, no other fae in our home could’ve heard her scream. It was a good thing I’d spoken to the female earlier, or I was certain the lirio would’ve stormed through our home to save her.

With her hand on her chest, she drew in a ragged breath. “What the hell?”

But all I saw was Teddy. She was stunning with her red hair draped in loose curls over the milky white of her dress. The dress clung to her frame, probably wanting to touch every part of Teddy as much as I did.

Brenton said something, and by the look in his eyes, he wasn’t amused. I didn’t care. All I wanted at that moment was my soul-bound mate. After putting his sword away, he sent me a scathing look and left the room.

I took the two long strides I needed to reach her, cupping the back of her head as I leaned down to kiss her lips. Her arms wound around my neck, her breath warming my skin as she played with the tips of my hair.

“You are exquisite,” I said.

“And you are here when you should be at George and Everly’s.” She pursed her lips, and I ran a finger across them.

Her breath stammered out. Would she always react this way to my touch? With the same desire I felt each time she touched me?

“I had to see you,” I told her honestly. Taking her hand in mine, I knelt on one knee. “I realized I never proposed.”

Smirking, she shook her head. “You’re a little late for that.”

I kissed her hand, then I turned it over to press another kiss to her wrist and then her palm.

“You are my greatest wish come true, and I can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life loving you.

I vow my life to you. It’s yours. I’m yours.

I can’t promise to love you perfectly, but I vow to love you chaotically, maybe a bit recklessly but always completely. Will you marry me, mo elma ?”

She went to her knees and took my face between her hands. “Did your parents read you poetry when you were younger? Is that why you always have such pretty words?”

I laughed but didn’t say anything else as I waited for her to reply.

“I love you chaotically, recklessly, and always completely,” she said, and I tucked her promise into the chasms of my heart. “Hundreds of years together doesn’t feel like enough, but I’ll take every day we’re gifted as long as you’re by my side.”

I took her in my arms, kissing every inch of her face while she let out a breathy giggle that sank into my bones.

“Is that a yes?” I asked.

She bit her bottom lip but couldn’t fight back her smile. “That’s a hell yes, which is great timing on your part since I’m already wearing a wedding dress.”

“Are you angry with me for seeing you in your dress before our wedding?”

“Would you care if I was?” she asked.

“Of course.”

She gave me a mischievous smile. “I think you can find a way to make it up to me.”

I looked at her smile, at her lips, and I couldn’t look away. The tip of her tongue dragged across her parted lips, and when I leaned in, just a breath away, she let out a soft, shivery breath that made my pulse kick up.

Still cradling her against me, I carried her to our bed.

Her dress shimmered in the low light, and I was careful not to tear it as I kissed the edge of her jaw, making my way down the column of her neck, across the slope of her chest. I traced my fingers over the silk of her dress, lifting it inch by torturous inch until I felt the warmth of her skin.

“Teddy,” I murmured against her collarbone and when she whispered my name, need slammed into me.

She lay beneath me, her hair sprawled against her pillow as she parted her legs for me. I groaned at the sight. I kissed down her thigh, biting gently at the curve of her hip, tasting her skin that trembled beneath my tongue.

I trailed a finger between her thighs and found her bare and already soaked for me. I fought for control, wanting to draw out her pleasure. I blew gently over her slit and she groaned.

“I’ve got you,” I whispered, looking up to find her head tipped up and hips lifting into my touch. “You mustn’t be loud, my mate. You wouldn’t want your friend throwing me out again, would you?”

Eyes wide, she shook her head.

I stroked my tongue across her pussy. Slow at first, savoring the way her thighs tensed around me. When I plunged into her, her cry made my cock throb painfully. I held her hips steady as she writhed, loving the way she unraveled beneath me.

She gripped the back of my head, like she wanted me deeper, harder. Her nails scraped my scalp, and every breathless whimper made me ravenous.

“Be a good bride,” I said against her clit, “and don’t be loud.”

She arched into me when I slipped two fingers inside her, curling just right as I sucked on her swollen clit. Her hips jerked while she fisted her hands into the sheets. I dragged her closer to the edge and she spread herself wider.

I devoured her. Not gently or slowly, but a claiming.

“Vith,” I gritted out, flicking my tongue over her clit.

“Elias, I . . .” Her voice broke across a moan.

I lifted my head, licking my lips so she could see how I savored her. “You are a masterpiece.”

Then I dragged my tongue over her again, flicking, sucking, nipping. Her hand flew to her mouth and when my canines lengthened and grazed her, I gave in to instinct. I nipped, just enough to draw a bead of blood and licked her clean.

She shattered.

Her whole body arched and trembled, her orgasm washing over her. I kept my mouth on her through each pulse of pleasure, holding her tight as she came apart.

When her body finally stilled, I pressed reverent kisses over the soft fabric of her dress and across her belly to her breasts and collarbones. I kissed her throat, her jaw, the corner of her mouth, until her breath came steadier again.

“Elias.” She called to me softly, desperately.

I met her dark gaze, and while her body shuddered, I made it my mission to piece her back together. One kiss at a time.

A desperate need to be inside her filled me, but I pushed it down. This was for her, to fulfill her needs. Later tonight, I’d cast an invisible shield around us and take her until the bubble I’d create echoed with our shared moans.

Although Donnie hadn’t spared me even the slightest glance, he’d come to walk Teddy down our makeshift aisle with Brenton at her other side. She looked radiant, her smile one of wonder when it was me who was in constant awe of her.

I stared at her shamelessly as she made her way to me.

Smiled at her like the lovesick fool Everly had called me.

But I was a lucky fool to have her as my mate, my queen, and as my wife.

She was a living part of my soul, so embedded in the deepest parts of me that I couldn’t fathom living a single beat without her.

While marriage wasn’t something I’d ever heard of, it was similar enough to an intended ceremony, I knew just how lucky I was to watch her walk toward me and give herself to me. I was even luckier that she would take me, flaws and all, and would protect my heart the same way I’d guard hers.

Outside, Ryenne had turned our backyard into what I hoped was Teddy’s dream landscape. Flowers lined the white cloth Ryenne had placed as Teddy’s aisle with fae lights floating above. The lights cast a delicate glow upon our small, intimate scene.