by Celeste Raye
“I need to go get ready for my wedding, remember? You were the one that said I had to get married. I would be more than happy to cancel this whole sham of a wedding so we can have a real conversation. You can’t be serious about this.”
Evelyn looked like she didn’t believe Celeste’s words. Celeste wasn’t sure if she believed them either. Her aunt called her out on it as well.
“Don’t act like you don’t want to do this, child. If you weren’t looking at him like you were in love with him, then I probably would have killed him on the spot. You know that our kind doesn’t mess with theirs. But you love him, and I’m going to let him live. Don’t take my kindness as weakness, Celeste. It won’t be you that pays; it will be him.”
She felt her insides run cold like she’d just ingested ice. It made her veins freeze, and she was trying her best to not show it. Her aunt wanted to see the fear, and Celeste refused. She instead just shut her mouth. Maybe Charlie was on to something, though she would never admit it to him.
Her aunt wanted to talk about the service and what was expected of her. More obligations.
“I have seen many of these before, aunt. It will be fine. I will do what I am supposed to do.”
“Good, then maybe you will get the power that is rightfully ours.”
“Mine, you mean?”
She didn’t fix her words, and Celeste was sure that she had meant exactly what she said. Her power would be her aunt’s because Evelyn would wield her like a sword. Celeste didn’t even want to think about what was really going on. She just smiled and nodded until her aunt was gone, and she could finally get to Charlie.
“Still mad at me?”
Celeste shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I have to marry you, or she will kill you, so it doesn’t matter. You should have just dropped me off. I bet you’re thinking that right now.”
“I don’t think I am going to share what I’m thinking. It would be better if I didn’t.”
She gave him a dirty look. “Don’t tell me that you want to do this? You don’t even know me. I mean, I know what you said before, but you can’t really believe that. It would be crazy.”
“I meant every word of it, Celeste. I am sorry if that is not what you wanted to hear.”
“Then you’re just as stupid as she is. I don’t know why everyone thinks that they can run my life, but I’m not okay with it. I’m not okay with it at all.”
“So, are we not getting married?”
She growled at him, and Charlie just smiled. “I didn’t say that. I don’t have a choice, so I guess we are. I just want you to know that I am not happy about it, Charlie, so don’t think that I am.”
“Of course.”
“Why don’t you do something to stop it?”
“Do you really think that’s a good idea? You have no idea what she did last time to get me to come after you. I can’t say that disagreeing with your aunt is pleasant.”
Celeste frowned and mumbled something about not knowing why she was marrying such a coward. She saw his eyes flare, and the beast in him wouldn’t let her words stand. Celeste still wasn’t quite ready to give it all up when she thought there was a possibility to end it.
“How can you say that to me, woman? I am not a coward.”
His vein in his forehead was poked out, and he was far more upset than she would have thought him to be. Celeste had set him on the path. She was hopeful that her aunt didn’t do anything too harsh. She was desperate, though. Celeste didn’t want to get married, even if he was the only man who’d ever touched her and made her feel all the things he had. Something was holding her back: the idea that she would be someone’s property. She wanted to make her own decisions and being married wasn’t one that she was ready to live with. Not yet. Not if she could get out of it. She had to try.
She watched him go into the cottage, and it wasn’t but a few minutes later that he was leaving and there was blood on his face, as well as a curse that she could see on his chest. Her aunt had cursed him, and she didn’t even have to know why. Evelyn was going to get her way, and Celeste hoped that she hadn’t done something that couldn’t be reversed.
Celeste started towards him, and his eyes were alit with anger.
“She cursed me, Celeste! Your damn aunt cursed me, and I am pretty sure that at sunup, I am going to die. From what she said, it is not going to be pleasant.”
Celeste waved it off like it was no big deal, but she was angry at her aunt for doing it. Evelyn knew that she cared about Charlie, so she would do what was needed. She would get married to him to save his life, though now Charlie wasn’t looking so happy about it either.
What a mess, she thought to herself. It would appear that some things were never going to change.
Chapter Eighteen
Charlie was screwed. He was actually digging the idea of getting married, but then his bride-to-be sent him to the wolves. He wasn’t feeling it, but now he didn’t have a choice.
The hour was upon them; the moon was full and high in the sky. He was going to marry a beautiful and very powerful witch. It would be a problem when he got back, but Donovan’s wife was human, and she’d been accepted basically. Charlie hoped that the same thing would happen for him and Celeste. After they got to know her, he was sure that they would love her just as much as he did.
One of the coven witches came to get him after he was oiled up and anointed. He didn’t know what kind of ceremony it was going to be. He’d never been to a witch wedding before, and he was trying to figure it out. He was wearing only a light piece of cloth that covered his manhood and tied in the back where half of his ass was out. He had no idea why he was dressed the way he was.
There was no more time to figure it out, though. He followed the other witch out and was immediately struck by how many people had shown up. He didn’t know any of them, of course, but it was a big deal. This was being taken seriously, and his eyes scanned all of the faces around him, but he didn’t see Celeste. She was the only one that he wanted to see, sure that once he saw her face, he wouldn’t be so nervous.
Charlie had never thought about being married before. It didn’t even sound like a good idea to him. He knew now, of course, that it had nothing to do with being married. It had to do with the woman. He’d never found the right woman. That had been the problem the whole time.
He stood where he was supposed to because doing anything else wasn’t going to help. He wanted to be with her, and Charlie knew if he saw her, all of the worries that were plaguing him would be gone. When everyone started to look to the side, it was then that he realized that she was coming up the aisle towards him. That was all he needed: one look from her sparkling blue eyes to reassure him that he still wanted her.
She stopped next to him, and it looked like she was having a hard time meeting his gaze. “You look beautiful.”
There was a wave of sounds from behind them, but Charlie wasn’t worried about that. He hadn’t said it for their benefit, only for his new wife. He’d never wanted a wife, but ever since he’d met her, Charlie had a protective feeling that went further than it was supposed to. Now, it was a bit possessive as well. He wanted to be her first and her only. That idea made him grow warm inside, and it threatened to embarrass him in the get-up that wasn’t going to be very good at hiding anything. He felt like he was out for the world to see.
“Don’t worry; if we married and you were soft, that would be a bad omen.”
He caught a whiff of her perfumed body, and he let his eyes glance over her oiled skin. She was wearing even less than he was, and she had circles drawn on her breast and belly. It was supposed to bring about a child to the union, but according to Evelyn, that was already in the making. Much of the ceremony, reminded him of the one they did at home for weddings. He had to wonder if they were all that different.
Then the chanting started, and they were both levitated into the air. That is when the wedding was no longer like the ones he’d gone to in the past. The voice of the one marrying them wa
s booming because they were up above the trees at one point.
“Are you doing this?”
Celeste shook her head. “No, and you have to trust them or it will mess up. Just don’t look down.”
He did so immediately and then start to get a worried look on her face. The tinkling of her laughter ignited a look on his face.
“Are you laughing about it?”
“Yes, I was just messing with you. You are so nervous. You don’t really like magic, do you?”
He shrugged and then finally admitted that he didn’t. He didn’t care for magic at all if he were honest with himself.
“I like your magic, Celeste.”
“That’s a good enough answer for me, Charlie.”
The ceremony part of it was winding down, and they were coming back to earth. He wasn’t going to ask what that was all about, but he did hear comments about how high they’d gone. He tried to remind himself to ask her later. Charlie wanted to know what it all meant because most of it he hadn’t heard or been able to understand.
It was a part of agreement, and Charlie didn’t hesitate. How could he when she was oiled up, painted, and naked? It was hard to breathe when he was looking at her. There was no way that he was going to be able to say no to anything that pushed him closer to her.
When the kiss came, he pulled her up close as he’d wanted to the whole time, and there was more laughter and sounds from the audience. He didn’t care. He needed her so badly.
“Not now, bear boy. You are going to do it right here in front of us all, huh?”
His face got heated, but Charlie knew that if it were an option, he would have. He would have thrown her on the ground and taken her hard and fast, in front of everyone. All they had to do was give the signal. He’d already agreed to it all, so Charlie would have done whatever was needed for it to happen.
Instead, though, he faced the crowd of witches and saw many of them looking at his growing need. There were comments made about waiting, and he ignored them. He looked to Celeste and asked her, “Now what?”
“We go down the aisle together, and you take me to bed.”
He grinned at the sound of that. “I am really starting to like this whole witch wedding thing. It’s quick and gets me right down to the good parts.”
Celeste paled. He didn’t know why, so he kissed her again to perk her up. The redness on her cheeks added a glow, and they finally walked down the makeshift aisle that was covered in flowers and petals. It was quick, impromptu, but the little details were what he noticed. It was for real and not just an act. They were really married, and he was trying his best to contain himself.
Chapter Nineteen
They got back to a small hut-like thing, and there was a bed made. It was clear what the place was for. There were candles burning everywhere, flowers in water to add a fresh scent to the air, and soft music played from some nook where a radio was hidden. Everything had been thought of, but none of it was really needed.
Celeste was more than ready for him to take her. She’d tried hard to contain herself when they were in front of everyone, but now there was no point. She wanted him, and when he pulled her down to the soft bed coverings, she immediately opened her legs to let him lay between them.
His hard length pressed against her womanhood, and she gasped as he entered her. She was about to come unglued. The sound was right at the tip of her throat. She tried her best to pull herself together, but it was hard, impossible even.
Another few thrusts and Celeste was calling out into the soft glow. His lips covered her own, taking in all of the sounds that she was putting forth. She knew that there were many people all around them, listening, but she didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was how good he felt inside of her. No matter what, Celeste was convinced that it was going to be a long time before she was able to handle the man that was now her husband. She was still getting used to him inside of her, anyone inside of her. It was an overwhelming feeling.
Celeste clung to him, and his tongue played in her mouth. It was all coming to a head when there was a loud voice outside of the door. She almost immediately panicked, but Charlie continued to push in deeper still, dragging out and slamming back in. The whole time, someone was waiting for him outside.
She was tightened up, ready to spring forth with another way of orgasm. She was constantly exploding when he was inside of her, and this was no different. Celeste was shaking, almost not caring that someone was out there at all. At the moment, she didn’t know if she could care about any of it.
“Charlie, you need to get out here now! Your brother is here, and he isn’t too happy by the looks of it.”
Charlie didn’t know who was talking, but the mention of Jake made him pause. He cursed out loud, not wanting to be interrupted in such a moment, but he knew that he had to go see what it was about. His wife, damn that was going to take some getting used to, was squeezing the damn life out of him, and he pushed back in.
Celeste wasn’t speaking and he was slowly pushing in and out of her. It was still going to get her to the peak, it was just going to take a little longer than he knew possible, which meant that she would be able to handle it better. Celeste would make less noise, and then he would be able to have her a little while longer.
Even with the idea of Jake looming in the back of his mind, Charlie was ready to lose himself in the moment. She felt so damn tight and wet, massaging him from the inside. He never wanted to leave her love tunnel, satisfied beyond belief that it was all his for the duration of their life.
“You get what I am doing in here, right? Tell him to give me a damn moment!”
“Get the hell out here, Charlie. What is this? I leave for a few weeks, people are dead, shit’s tore up, and you’re in here banging a damn witch? What the hell has gotten into you?”
As Jake’s booming words were coming to Charlie, he couldn’t stop. She was so close. He was still inside of her when Jake pulled the door open and stepped in. He whistled in between his teeth and then watched his younger brother pull out. Charlie felt bad and slid back in once, to let it send Celeste where she needed to be. She tried to hide the feelings of it, but he felt her insides milking him, as well as the soft moaning from her pleasure.
He ripped out again, this time satisfied with what had been done so far. Charlie didn’t want to see Jake, but he literally couldn’t think of a worse time to have any conversation with his brother.
“That’s one hot piece of ass, Charlie, sweet orgasms, but you need to tell your little witchy friend that she needs to go. We need to talk, and we don’t need her kind’s ears around.”
It took Charlie a minute to figure out what to say. His erection was exposed, and it was like he couldn’t process it until it was at least covered up and he had covered up Celeste as well.
“Celeste isn’t going anywhere. She is my wife. I was going to introduce you when I got back tomorrow. This is our wedding night, Jake. We just got married.”
Jake paused for a moment, looked guilty, and then his eyes slipped to the witch. Charlie could see the attraction in his brother’s eyes. He knew that Jake wouldn’t act on it, but he didn’t like the look of it.
“You married a damn witch? Are you fucking kidding me? Did you really get married, or is it just some bullshit thing? I mean, are you for real, Charlie. I wasn’t even gone that long.”
Charlie got a bit offended. Everyone was supposed to accept Jake’s old lady that was from an enemy gang, but his wasn’t acceptable. That made him mad. His brother had a damn human bride.
“We’re really married, and I would like you to stop talking about her like that. She’s right there, and whether you like it or not, she is now your sister-in-law, so don’t be a dick.”
Jake was surprised by Charlie’s words almost as much as he was. It was how he felt, of course, but generally, he could keep things like that to himself. Usually, Charlie agreed with his older brothers. He looked up to them and had been watching them all for years. Most of what
Charlie had learned had been from Jake and Donovan. His father never had time for him.
So, it was hard for him to go against Jake, but the way his brother was talking to Celeste, wasn’t going to be tolerated. It couldn’t be.
Jake looked from his brother to his new sister-in-law, and Charlie could see that it was going to be a lot for him and the rest of the gang to get used to. A human had been bad enough, but in the end, she was harmless. It’s not like she could really do anything but tell on them. Celeste, though, she was magical and powerful. She could do what her aunt had done with just the flick of her wrist. Charlie knew that he was asking for more out of his people, but it didn’t stop the need for him to ask. Celeste was his wife, and though it was done under duress, he would do it again if need be.
“So, you think that we’re going to let a witch into the gang? Do you really think that Rebel Bears has a place for her?”
Charlie shrugged, realizing that he didn’t care. They were going to get used to the fact, or they wouldn’t. Either way, he was still married, she was about to have his child, and that was all that mattered. Just like Donovan, Charlie was willing to go it alone if he had to. He was willing to do what it took, no matter what.
“I don’t care if they do or not. This is my wife, and that’s the end of it. If you don’t want us there, just tell us, and I will figure out something else. I guess it will be that way if you want, Jake. Now leave. I am in the middle of something, and I am not going to talk about it anymore. I will see you in the morning.”
“You would dare put your alpha off like that?”
Charlie shrugged. “For my wedding night, yes, I will. Now leave, please.”
Jake looked like he wasn’t going to go anywhere. He was not used to being talked to like that and the only reason he walked away, Charlie knew, was because no one else had heard it. Except Celeste, but she wouldn’t be counted. If it would have been said in public and embarrassed him, he would have had to fight him about it.
