Page 148 of Wicked Magik

Benedict and I said our goodbyes, and I walked up to the balcony. People were dancing, smiling, and happy. There were even children playing, running around tables and chairs. It wasn’t just the ones that hadn’t been mated, but the families of those waiting for their friends to find their loved ones.

I smiled as I started to descend the stairs and the music came to an abrupt halt.

Awkward.

Looking around, I noticed all eyes were on me as I gracefully descended the grand staircase.

“Come down, pet, we are waiting for you.”Oryx’s voice brushed my mind.

The hush that fell over the crowd made my heart race, but I kept my composure and focused on each step, my red velvet gown swishing softly with my movement. The golden candlelight flickered off the walls, casting intricate shadows that danced along the marble floor.

Wait, no music?

Veylor chuckled.“No, all eyes and ears are to be on you.”

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I smiled and let out the breath I had held through each step. Veylor and Oryx stood waiting for me. Veylor’s eyes sparkled with an excitement I couldn’t quite place, while Oryx’s stance was large, proud, and his tail immediately wrapped around my midsection.

The room felt charged with energy, a potent mix of excitement and nervousness that hung in the air. I could sense the collective heartbeat of everyone in the room, beating in time with the music that had now resumed with a lively tune.

Veylor extended his hand towards me, a small smile playing on his lips. “Are you ready, my darling?” he asked softly, his voice barely audible over the music and chatter around us. “Mix and mingle before we claim you?”

My nipples hardened within my dress.

“Mmm, she is aroused. Can we take her here?”Oryx mused, his tail swiped across my breast.

He’s in so much trouble.

Veylor snapped.“As I share my love for the both of you I will not share our lovemaking with anyone else. Are you mad, Oryx?”

Oryx huffed and rubbed the side of his head on Veylor’s cheek.“I’m only thinking of relieving the stress of our mate.”

I giggled and settled my arm into the crook of Veylor’s arm. Oryx moved closer, his presence a comfort at my side as we stood together in the center of the room.

The guests around us watched with bated breath as Veylor spoke, his voice carrying across the room with a commanding presence, and the music paused once again.

“Tonight, we come together to celebrate a bond that transcends time and space. A bond that unites us in ways we never thought possible.”

I gazed up at Oryx as his tail coiled protectively around Veylor and me. The crowd's eyes widened, their whispers hushed to silence as Veylor's fingers traced gentle patterns along the scaled appendage they'd only heard through horror gossip.

Here we go…

"Tonight, I present to you Vesper—not merely as my cherished companion, but as the woman who will become my bonded mate before dawn breaks." A ripple of gasps gave way to enthusiastic applause that thundered through the hall, each clap hammering into my skull like tiny daggers until my head throbbed with gathering pain.

As the applause died, my headache didn’t get better, and my vision began to blur.

"Many of you have glimpsed us in the village, those in the outlying villages have not. Allow me to introduce Oryx properly. What you see before you is not merely a body, but a vessel I crafted with my own hands. In creating him, my first such endeavor, I selected substantial components to ensure both his durability and his strength. I wanted him to be capable of defending himself in a world that might fear what they do not understand..."

Murmurs swept across the crowd.

I leaned up against Oryx who held me up. His nose sniffed into my neck.

“What’s wrong, pet?”

I shook my head. “Headache. Keep going.”

“Lies,” Oryx whispered. “Something is wrong.” His head rose.

“He is perfectly safe,” Veylor said, grabbing Oryx by the arm, “he is intelligent, perfect, and is also the love of my life.”