by K. L. Hiers
“We can visit whenever you’d like,” Loch said, kissing Sloane’s cheek. “I always know where to find them, even if more than seeing and hearing their lights is impossible while you’re a living mortal.”
“Thank you.” Sloane wiped away his tears and smiled. “Now! We have a wedding feast to get to, don’t we, husband?”
“Yes, my darling,” Loch agreed. His arms tightened around Sloane as he prepared to whisk them away, but something happened to make him pause.
“What is it?”
“Look,” Loch whispered.
Sparkles of starlight were beginning to fall all around them. They fell as softly as fresh snow and twinkled with a stunning violet radiance that took Sloane’s breath away. He could feel immense power in every glowing fragment, watching them all cling to their hair and clothes.
“What… what is this?” Sloane was stunned by the magnificent display.
“Great Azaethoth,” Loch murmured, closing his eyes and smiling.
“Wow,” Sloane whispered.
Great Azaethoth, Creator of All, was with them. Sloane could feel tears stinging his eyes from the intense sensation, his mortal body nearly overwhelmed to be in the presence of such power. He knew this was but a small fragment of the mighty god, and Great Azaethoth was visiting them this way for his sake.
His full godly glory would have probably crushed him, but this—a piece—was more than enough.
Sloane could hardly breathe, and he was surrounded by an enveloping warmth that resonated in every pore of his being. He had never felt anything like this before, and although not a single word had been spoken, he knew exactly what message Great Azaethoth was sending them:
Love.
The starlight swarmed around them for a brief moment, almost like a hug, before finally vanishing away.
“Holy shit,” Sloane gasped, grabbing on to Loch to steady himself. “That…. That was amazing. That was, that…. That was Great Azaethoth. That was really him!”
“Yup!” Loch was positively smug. “Told you I was his favorite.”
“Obviously!” Sloane laughed.
“Mmm. Are you ready to go back, my love?”
“Yes,” Sloane breathed out. “I’m ready.”
“Let’s go.” Loch held Sloane close and took them back to the garden in a blink.
Sloane found himself seated next to Loch at the head of a long table piled with all sorts of food. There were roasts and cakes and pies, and Sloane didn’t even know where to begin. All of their friends and family were already seated and waiting for them, cheering joyfully upon their arrival.
Of course, there was a very large bonfire.
“Now,” Loch boldly proclaimed, “the ritual is complete, my mate is mine, and we shall feast!”
“He’s only yours after you’ve consummated!” Yeris jeered.
“No need to worry about that, Uncle!” Loch cackled while Sloane bashfully hid his face in his hands. “We will be consummating until my husband’s mortal body is completely exhausted! For hours and hours until he is damp with perspiration from my persistent pounding and dripping with my—”
“Okay, okay, okay! They get it!” Sloane moaned, laughing as he bumped his shoulder against Loch’s. “You’re so gross.”
“Hmmph. I thought ‘perspiration from my persistent pounding’ was rather poetic.”
“It’s beautiful. Now, isn’t it time for cake? Presents?”
“I know you’re just trying to distract me,” Loch accused, “but it’s working.” He kissed Sloane. “Mmm, yes. Presents and cake, please.”
“Don’t we need to eat first and then do presents?”
“No, I am a god, and the god wants to eat cake while he opens presents!”
“Whatever you want, my loving husband.”
“My gift is also the cake, so I’ll be going first!” Urilith presented them with a towering layered sponge cake soaked in lavender milk that made Sloane’s mouth absolutely water. She kissed them both and embraced them together with a wave of tentacles. “I wish you both an eternity of happiness together.”
“Thank you, Mother,” Loch said, a few of his own tentacles slithering out to hug her back.
“Thank you so much!” Sloane gushed as he watched Loch cut them each a gigantic piece. He eagerly dug in, moaning out loud as the moist cake melted in his mouth. It was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted, sweet and fragrant, and he felt Loch staring at him. “Wuh?”
“I’ve never heard you moan like that from eating food before!” Loch huffed.
“You’re jealous of a cake?”
“Yes.”
“Mmm, well, you watch all those cooking shows.” Sloane chuckled. “Maybe you should actually try, I dunno… cooking?”
Loch perked up at the thought, musing, “If I provide you with mortal sustenance that pleases you, perhaps it will put you in the mood for mating more often….”
“Only one way to find out!”
“Hey!” Milo exclaimed, Lynnette at his side as he approached. “Congratulations, guys!”
“Thanks, man!” Sloane stood back up to hug Milo, and he grunted from the force of their embrace. “Ugh, I love you.”
“I love you too! And hey! I love you too, your godliness!”
“Of course you do,” Loch said proudly. “I am absolutely worthy of all mortals’ love.”
“Congrats, sweeties!” Lynnette presented Loch and Sloane with a small envelope. “We tried to think of something to give you, and really nothing felt like it was enough.” She hugged Sloane and then Loch, a quiver in her voice as she said, “You gave me my brother back. He gets to be an uncle now, and… and….”
Milo squeezed Lynnette’s shoulder when she began to cry. “Look, we love you both, but it’s, like, pretty much impossible to get a proper gift for a god and his Starkiller hubby, okay? We are mere mortals, you know. But we thought you would like this.”
Sloane didn’t want to be tacky, but he had to peek inside the envelope. “Oh… oh! Wow! Thanks, guys! It’s uh… uhm….”
It was a generous gift certificate to a custom sex toy company.
“What is it?” Loch asked, trying to see.
“We’ll look later!”
Thankfully, Galgareth was already bustling through to give them her gift, a lusciously soft blanket she’d made for them out of starlight that promised a lifetime of good luck. Yeris was right after her, offering amber bracelets that glittered like the sun and would save whoever wore them from drowning. Shartorath gave them a glowing bag of incense to bless their new married home, and Babbeth gave them an old gold coin.
He pressed it into Sloane’s hand with a sly little smile and no other explanation.
On the youthful visage of his current vessel, it was a bit disconcerting.
Before Sloane could question the unusual present, Robert and Lochlain were coming to present their gift and exchange hugs. It was another envelope, and Sloane repressed a groan when he saw what was inside. It was also a gift certificate to the same custom sex toy company Lynnette and Milo had given them.
“I don’t understand why you won’t let me see,” Loch loudly complained.
“It’s rude to look in front of our guests.”
“But you’re looking!”
“Oh, hey! Fred! Ell!” Sloane greeted their final gift givers, ignoring Loch’s pouting as he got swept up into a rib-shattering hug. “Ugh, hey, Fred. Thanks again for coming.”
“Congrats,” Fred rumbled, releasing Sloane to shake Loch’s hand.
“If you ever need help with your sexual performance, I am at your disposal,” Loch said solemnly. “Mating is very important to every relationship.”
“It’s totally fine, thanks.” Ell smiled bashfully and shoved a big box into Sloane’s hands. “Here, this is for you guys.”
Sloane’s fingers touched Ell’s, and even through the glove, he felt… something.
A spark of power, like a crack of lightning.
Sloane froze, and he
stared at Ell with a new level of scrutiny. He didn’t know the young man very well, though what little he’d heard from Lochlain or Lynnette had always been good. They all trusted him with the truth about Loch’s identity, and Sloane shouldn’t have felt so suspicious.
And yet, he wanted to raise his hand for a perception spell because there was no way that Ell was human—
“Oh! Look!” Loch exclaimed as he brandished two pairs of black silk boxers. “They match!”
Loch had already opened the box, and Sloane saw it was full of several little gifts. The first was a matching set of boxers with “Groom” emblazoned over the butt. He was already pulling them on and shamelessly flashing his ass to their guests as he showed off his new underwear.
“Oh, maybe you should open the rest later!” Ell had turned away, giggling into Fred’s shoulder while Fred shook his head.
“But why?” Loch continued to paw the bundles of tissue paper. “Ohhh! Lubricant! Look, my love! It’s strawberry flavored!”
“It’s pretty good stuff,” Fred mumbled encouragingly, and Sloane swore he was blushing.
“By all the gods,” Sloane moaned and started laughing as he tried to wrestle the box away from Loch. “I think these are gifts meant for the wedding night—”
“So why can’t we look at them now?” Loch fussed.
“Because people don’t need to know what we’re going to be doing later!”
“I think they already know,” Loch said, smooching Sloane’s neck noisily.
“At the bottom, there is something safe, I swear,” Ell piped up.
Sloane found a hard edge, a book, pulling it out and tearing away the paper. He gasped when he saw what it was, murmuring in awe, “It’s Starlight Bright.”
“What’s that?” Loch ceased his assault on Sloane’s throat long enough to look at the book.
“It’s a children’s book,” Sloane explained. “It’s a book about the gods for kids. I used to have a copy when I was little. My parents read it to me.” He smiled at Ell, surprised by such an unusually touching gift. “Thank you.”
“You probably don’t remember, but, uh, you read me one of the poems in there,” Ell said with a shy shrug. “I would have loved to have a book like that growing up.”
“Wait, when?” Sloane blinked. He didn’t remember meeting Ell until Robert and Lochlain got married and certainly didn’t recall reciting any poetry.
“Lynnette’s Galmethas party,” Fred reminded them with a smirk. “You were both trashed.”
“Oh gods,” Sloane groaned as a recollection of fractured memories came rushing back to him. “It was right after we came back from the temple with all the erotic murals….”
“That was such a fun party, glorious and wonderful.” Loch paused to reflect, as his own memory was apparently lacking. “I think.”
“I didn’t wanna say anything and embarrass you guys,” Ell said earnestly, fidgeting, “but that poem… it just meant a lot to me. I was raised Lucian, you see, so I never had that growing up. And, uh, well, Fred told me that you and Loch are planning on spawning a lot—”
Sloane cut his eyes at a very guilty Loch.
“—and I thought it would be nice for your kids,” Ell went on. “I’m really glad you like it.”
“I love it,” Sloane promised, reverently placing the book back in the box. “Thank you, guys!”
“I helped pick out the other stuff,” Fred said quietly.
“You did well, my mortal child.” Loch clapped a tentacle on Fred’s shoulder. “When I’m feasting on Sloane’s body later, wet with artificially flavored strawberry glycerin, I will think of you.”
“Ugh.” Sloane set the box aside with the rest of their gifts. “You’re terrible.”
“You married me,” Loch said proudly.
“What was I thinking?”
“That you love me and adore me and the thought of being apart from me for even a mere moment is complete and absolute torture?” Loch suggested.
“Yeah,” Sloane said with a warm smile. “I think that was it.”
“Come on, my love!” Loch purred, pulling Sloane into his lap and putting a glass in his hand. “Now it’s time to feast!”
Wine flowed, the feast was devoured, and Sloane was having the most fantastic time. He forgot all about the strange moment with Ell, reveling in his wedding celebration.
The gods were especially happy, twirling around the fire in wide circles and dancing to music that only seemed to play when they moved. Glowing stars kept descending upon them all like magical fireworks, and Sloane was completely entranced.
So captivated by the divine beauty and relaxed by several glasses of wine, he was only mildly alarmed when Yeris tried to make out with Shartorath and was promptly slapped.
Loch was eager to get Sloane up for a dance, grabbing him by his waist and stumbling as he carried him toward the bonfire. “Come along, my husband! It’s time for a dance!”
“Loch! Ah! Be careful!” Sloane laughed, definitely fearful that Loch might drop him for a moment. He was relieved when his feet touched the ground again and laughed again as Loch swung him around. He’d definitely had more than a modest amount of wine, swaying as he wrapped his arms around Loch’s neck as they danced.
“You look so beautiful,” Loch gushed, nuzzling their noses together.
“Mmm, so do you,” Sloane replied. “My very own beautiful god…. This is seriously the best day of my entire life.” His attention was drawn to the fire as the flames grew, the fuel provided by Yeris chucking portions of the table into it. “Oh… hmm. So that’s happening.”
“Now this… this is how you have a wedding!” Loch beamed.
“No offense to Robert and Lochlain?” Sloane chuckled and planted a firm kiss to his lips.
“All the offense. It was terrible, boring, and there was no fire.”
“Mmm, but ours is okay?”
“This is perfect,” Loch promised.
“I’m so happy.” Sloane reached up to pet Loch’s curls and cup his cheek. “Seriously, I can’t wait to spend the rest of my damn life with you. I’m so thankful for everything that’s ever happened in my entire freakin’ life right now.”
“Even the bad stuff?” Loch’s brow furrowed.
“Yes! Even the bad stuff!” Sloane smiled. “Because everything that’s happened, good or bad, has brought me right here to this moment with you. I wouldn’t change a single thing. I’m married to the god I love, to you, and now we have an eternity together.”
“Oh, Sloane.” Loch’s eyes were dark and starry as he gazed at Sloane. “I love you, my dear husband.”
“And I love you,” Sloane replied earnestly. “My mate.”
“My mate,” Loch repeated, sighing adoringly as he leaned in to start sucking and kissing at Sloane’s neck. “My beautiful, beautiful mate….”
“Mmm, Loch…. Wait, Loch!” Sloane gasped when a tentacle slid up his kilt. “Loch! Stop! Everyone is watching!”
“I know.” Loch hiccupped. “You just taste so good….”
“Wait, Loch, are you drunk?” Sloane eyed Loch’s flushed cheeks. “By all the gods, including you. You’re drunk, aren’t you?”
“My sister may have brought some godsmead that is much more potent than mortal libations, and I’m a tad intoxi, intocica… yes, I’m drunk.”
“Me too,” Sloane confessed. “Better be careful or we’re gonna have a repeat of Lynnette’s party.”
“Would that be so terrible?” Loch nipped at Sloane’s ear. “I’m sure we had a lovely time.”
“I wanna make sure we remember every second of this,” Sloane insisted, swatting at Loch’s invading tentacles.
“Very well,” Loch groaned dramatically. “I shall cease my alcohol intake at once.”
“Mmm, let’s get some more of that cake your mother made,” Sloane suggested. “It’s so good! I think it’s some kind of love cake, because I’m actually getting kind of….” He dropped his voice. “Ahem, like, really in the mood
for mating.”
Loch studied Sloane’s face before very loudly announcing, “I wanted to thank you all for coming, it’s been lovely, but now I’m going to mate with my new husband.”
“Wait! You mean right now? Like right this second?”
“Right this very second,” Loch confirmed. He waved to all of their guests, calling out, “The consummation will begin shortly! I hope you all have a lovely night!”
“Oh, come on—”
“You boys have fun!” Galgareth cheered over Sloane’s protests. “We’ll make sure everyone gets home safely!”
Loch picked Sloane up into his arms and marched through the garden toward the lush clearing with the giant bed. The hedges and trees rose up around them to give them privacy, and Sloane laughed as Loch clumsily dropped him on the sheets.
“Sorry,” Loch said, melting their clothes away with a thought. “Mmm, perhaps I drank a little too much….”
“It’s okay.” Sloane scrambled back to rest his head on the pillows. He grinned as Loch crawled over him, claiming his lips in a deep kiss. “I’m sure it won’t affect your performance.”
“Very unlikely.” Loch chuckled, one of his slitted tentacles slithering down between them to start sucking Sloane’s cock.
Sloane’s hips twitched, and he moaned softly at the brilliant suction wrapping around him. His cock flexed, hard and throbbing, and he gasped as Loch increased the pressure. He could feel warmth resonating throughout his entire body and grabbed Loch’s hips to brace himself.
“Oh, my love.” Loch nuzzled the side of Sloane’s neck. He wrapped his arms around him, his other slitted tentacle sliding up between Sloane’s legs.
Feeling himself getting wet and gently stretched open was so familiar now, and Sloane savored the sensations. He kissed and hungrily mouthed along Loch’s shoulder, spreading his legs wide to receive him. “Oh, Loch. I love you so much.”
“I love you, my darling husband,” Loch replied, sharing a breathy groan as his tentacle began to slowly dip inside. “Mmm, you always feel so perfect….”
“So do you.” Sloane gasped again as Loch’s tentacle lazily thrusted. It was slow but deep, and the sweet friction on his cock was leaving him panting.
