"I'm going to carry my bride across the threshold," he said.
"Isn't that just a silly human tradition?"
"Not at all. It means that I am carrying you into our new life together.”
He stepped through the doorway and shut it with his foot. The door slammed with a loud whack and it made Desdemona giggle. She clung to his neck as he carried her through the suite and into the bedroom. He set her down on the bed in her beautiful wedding gown. He looked down at her as he loosened his tie and in that moment Desdemona was swept away in the reality of how perfect and beautiful her life had become.
19
Titus removed his cufflinks and set them on the side table as Desdemona watched him with bated breath. They had made love before and he had even claimed her, but now it would be as man and wife. Her lack of experience with any other man before she’d met him came into full focus as she trembled in her wedding gown. Titus removed his vest and tie before unbuttoning his shirt and draping it over the back of the chair.
When he was naked to the waist, he came to her and told her to stand and turn around for him. His big hands and deft fingers opened the tiny pearl buttons that ran up her back. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck and it made the little hairs rise to attention. He slid his hands under her sleeves and pushed the dress forward and down her body. The bodice slipped away from her chest and the skirt pooled on the floor where it fell.
Desdemona was left standing in her lacy underwear, structured corset, and white heels that were encrusted with crystal beads. Titus held her hand as she stepped out of the dress. He gathered her in his arms and ran his hands down her back to her ass. He squeezed the exposed flesh and pulled her against his hardness. Desdemona gasped. He tilted her chin toward him, gazing deeply into her eyes.
“This is as new for me as it is for you. I’ve never had a wife before,” he whispered into her ear.
“I’m glad I’m your first,” she teased.
He pulled her against him, pressing his erection to her body. Titus growled and began to unfasten the buckles at the front of her corset, soon revealing her round, youthful breasts. After all day in the tight clothing, being unwrapped by her new husband made her feel exposed and sensitive all over.
He cupped her breasts in his hands and squeezed as he ran his thumbs over her nipples. Desdemona bit her lip and groaned. It was then that Titus seemed to lose whatever control he had over himself. All that calm, quiet subtlety was gone and it was replaced by a man whose eyes glowed with his inner dragon and whose breath was fiery hot on her skin.
He growled and picked her up, placing her on the bed where he removed her panties. He climbed over her, finally naked himself, his cock stiff and throbbing. She couldn’t wait for him to be inside her.
Titus flicked his tongue in and out of her mouth and slid his cock against her wet folds. She felt swollen and hungry to be filled. She arched her back and her breasts pressed against his chest. Titus moved over her, sliding his tongue down her body. He came to her nipples and sucked one in after the other. Desdemona ran her fingers through his hair, loving the feeling of him licking, sucking, and fondling her breasts. But he didn’t stop there, he continued down her body with his hot tongue leaving a trail of desire all the way down to her thighs.
He slid his tongue up her slit and pressed it against her clit while his fingers slid inside her wet core. She groaned as her pussy sucked his fingers deeper. His pumping fingers slid over her inner pleasure, exciting her until she felt she was on the brink. Titus pressed his tongue against her clit, circling over it in quick motions.
Desdemona groaned as her body quivered with release. He didn’t waste any time between her climax and climbing over her naked body. His erection was thick and throbbing and she reached out and grabbed it. Desdemona stroked up and down his shaft, gripping his hard cock with her little hand. Titus growled and she licked the drop of precum on the tip of his cock and slid it over her lips.
Her tongue flicked from her mouth to taste his offering. Titus took her hand away from his shaft, moving over her to rest between her legs. He pressed the head of his cock against her wet, throbbing opening. He kissed her with her juices still on his lips.
Thrusting forward, he pushed inside her, stretching her around his width. Titus wasn’t just a man, he was an immortal, a dragon, a demigod. He was built on a different scale, and that included his cock. Even though they’d been together before, the feeling of him sinking inside her would always blow her mind. He stretched her wide over his girth, filling her beyond reason.
She clung to his back as he slid further into her channel, sinking to the root of his dick. Desdemona licked Titus’s ear as she writhed under him. The sensation of his body inside hers was like the rushing wave of sound that flowed through her when she played her guitar. The whirling flood of magic welled all around.
The binding spell reverberated throughout room. Desdemona threw her head back and gasped, her eyes going wide. Titus growled in her ear. She wanted him deeper, filling the depths of her soul.
20
Desdemona’s young body clenched on his shaft. She was so beautiful. The light of desire shining in her iridescent brown eyes made him so hard he could barely keep from exploding inside her right then. Titus wanted to take his time. He wanted this moment to last. He slid his hand up her thigh and moved her leg higher, positioning her just how he wanted. She took him so well.
The times they’d been together before had been the best moments of his life. On their binding day, with the magic running through them, he couldn’t get enough. This woman would keep him coming back for more for the rest of eternity. He wanted to make sure she felt it.
He needed all of her now. No more games. No more intrusions. This was their night and he didn’t want it to end. He could tell she was close to another climax as her breaths began to come hard and fast, her moans growing deeper. He bounced her on his cock, hitting her clit just the way she needed, pinching down on her nipple with his free hand.
Desdemona exploded around him, her pussy clenching hard and fast. He came hard inside her, the hot jets of his seed pumping deep into her channel. He could almost feel their bodies connecting and creating something totally new that hadn’t existed before.
He held her tight in his arms, their bodies still intertwined as one. He breathed in her clean, fresh scent, adoring his bride on their wedding day. She was worth the two thousand year wait.
He slowly slipped from inside her and rolled over onto his back, pulling her with him. She rested her head against his chest and lazily ran a finger over his muscles. The gentle caress of her delicate fingertip undid him and he could already feel the stirring of desire for another chance to be inside her.
"That was beautiful, my love," he said, kissing her on the forehead.
Desdemona melted into him and he held her close. The magic of the binding spell twined around and through them. He knew they belonged together before, but now that they had been bound, and he had claimed her, there was no denying that they would always be as one.
The permanency of it solidified in his heart and rested against the foundations of his soul. Contentment blossomed from his gut and radiated up through his brain. The warmth of her embrace was a tender cocoon they shared and would last with him for the rest of his immortal life. The chance to be with her like this was a miracle, a revelation.
It was everything he had waited for during his entire five-thousand-year life. Coming into this space with his beloved girl gave life its true meaning.
He looked into her eyes and she leaned up to gaze into his. Her beautiful brown eyes were awash with a love and adoration that he could feel beaming into him from the very depths of what was Desdemona. He'd never felt anything so beautiful. That timeless moment that they shared was where he wanted to be forever.
"I never want to break the spell," he said.
"This is where we belong," she breathed.
"Always," he said.
They slowl
y drifted to sleep, feeling their souls merge, their personalities polarizing and complementing each other. It was the most blissful sleep he'd ever experienced.
When he woke the next morning, he had coffee and breakfast brought to their suite. The butler Benny brought their things to their room and set them on the table. Titus had Goudy working for him at his penthouse, but most of the goblins lived underground or in secluded fortresses like this one.
"Thank you, Benny," Titus said.
The goblin nodded and left the room.
Desdemona leaned up on her elbow and stretched her arm above her head, yawning. She was so beautiful with her long black hair draping around her shoulders. He went to her and gathered her in his arms, kissing her softly on the lips. She was still soft with sleep and he breathed it in, loving every bit of her.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked, moving away to prepare their breakfast.
Desdemona stretched again and slid from the bed, grabbing her bathrobe and wrapping it around her shoulders. The sight of her supple young body in the morning sunlight made him stiff with need and he wanted to pull her back into the bed.
She sat down across from him, smiling cheerfully. She knew what he was thinking in the most basic sense. The claiming and the binding brought them into a kind of symbiosis that they did not have before. And their connection to each other had become almost psychic.
He could feel her wild, rebellious youth, the energy and drive of it. Her need for adventure and freedom and growth. It excited him beyond measure. He knew she also felt him, his ancient wisdom, his solid strength, his everlasting devotion. They sat over breakfast and coffee, wordlessly smiling and eating to their fill.
When Desdemona slipped off to take a shower, Titus checked his messages from home to see if there had been any further word on the investigation. His dragons had found more and more evidence pointing to interference by immortals.
Dealing with immortals was tricky. It could start another conflict not worth the risk. But Titus refused to let the matter go unsolved. It had cost him a great deal of time, money and reputation already, but he was a stubborn enough man to refuse to quit.
21
After Desdemona finished dressing, she met Titus back in the living room. He’d showered and changed in a separate bathroom, letting her have space to prepare for the day. She’d seen the gleam of lust in his eyes and hoped he might join her. But when she found him pacing in front of the antique couches in their suite, Desdemona knew something was wrong.
He had his glass pad gripped in his hand and was rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at it intently.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“The dragons I left to investigate the missing shipment found further evidence of immortal involvement.”
“Maybe it’s time to take Lucia up on her offer to help.”
Titus nodded and took Desdemona’s hand. He led her out of their suite and down the hall to the elevator, texting Orion as he walked. Titus pressed the button for the top floor and it came out into a large workshop where Orion and Lucia were sitting at the back of the massive room full of computers, robots, and magical items. Lucia held one child and the other was in a playpen. There was also a box of adorable kittens close by on the floor.
“Come in,” Lucia said, the baby nestled in her arms.
She waved them over to the sitting area. Orion walked across the room to slap Titus’s shoulder. Desdemona slid into a chair across from Lucia.
The Arch-Priestess gazed at Desdemona with that enigmatic look in her green eyes, like she could see into Desdemona’s soul. And maybe she could. She knew she probably should have let the more experienced priestesses tell her about her past before leaving with Titus, but things had turned out well in the end. The men joined them in the seating area and Orion poured them all tea while Lucia held the baby.
“We want to take you up on the offer to use your second sight to locate my missing shipment,” Titus said.
“Of course, I’d be glad to. What is it again?” Lucia said.
“A shipment of zero-point energy devices went missing in Lake Michigan several months ago. I’ve found evidence of immortal involvement, but I haven’t found who or why.”
“I wish I had known sooner,” Lucia said, putting her sleeping baby in a bassinette before she stood.
Orion stood quickly and helped her up. She looked from Titus to Desdemona and back again.
“I can see now that this has been a great weight for you, Titus. Come, we’ll scythe it in dragon fire.”
Orion walked with Lucia through the workshop to the elevator where they got inside and took it down to the first floor of the mansion. Once to the door outside, they turned to the eastern stone circle at the top of the hill.
They took the well-tended path. The forest dripped with moss in the late morning sunlight. The chill of winter had given way to the fragile warmth of early spring.
They trekked the top of the hill and stood in the stone circle surrounding a central fire pit. Orion stood back and shifted into his massive dragon form, glistening with silver scales. He blew dragon fire at the stack of logs at the center of the fire pit. The logs burst into flames and Lucia stood beside the fire, her gowns swirling from the heat of the flames and the burst of Orion’s dragon breath. She held a long slender oak wand in her hand.
Facing the flames, Lucia waved her wand in an intricate design, her eyelids fluttering as she spoke the words of her spell. Her other hand drew waves of raw white energy into her palm. She gazed into the sparking fire. Orion had shifted again, his nanotech clothing shifting with him.
Desdemona watched, enraptured as Lucia pushed her energy ball into the flames. Lucia stepped back, blinking her eyes repeatedly, and she almost buckled at the knees. Orion was there to catch her, helping her stand on her own feet.
“What did you see?” Titus asked carefully.
“There is a dark shadow over a small island in the center of the lake. These dark shadows usually mean magic of some kind. It’s too powerful for anything a dragon or vampire could cook up. Definitely witch magic.”
“Are you saying witches did this?”
“This magic feels ancient and dark. I sense Xander and his Surge.”
“They are nowhere near Lake Michigan. Their forces are focused in Paris.”
“Not from what I can tell,” Lucia said. “I would check that island closely. It may have gone unnoticed by you and our instruments because of the magical shield. But if you are aware of its coordinates, and go directly there, you should be able to see through the magic.”
“This has been incredibly helpful,” Titus said.
“What will you do if it is the Surge?” Orion asked.
“What else can we do but fight back?” Titus said.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Orion said.
“Believe me, I won’t be. Just remember Denver, Orion.”
“I’m sending you the coordinates now,” Lucia said, typing them into her glass pad.
Desdemona could sense the tension between all of them, but she was relieved that Titus finally had what he needed to solve the mystery that had been plaguing him for so long.
“Thank you, Lucia. This is a huge help to me.”
Lucia stepped forward, reaching up to kiss Titus on the cheek. “Any time, brother. And I want to add how happy I am that you two finally found each other.”
“I am too, Lucia. Thank you for everything. The wedding was beautiful,” Titus said.
Lucia hugged Desdemona and smiled at her. “Are you satisfied with the result of the mating ritual?” Lucia asked.
“Yes. More than a billion times, yes,” Desdemona breathed. “I finally found my Titus. I wish I had known everything sooner.”
“We did try to tell you.”
“I know, I’ve been stubborn.
“How have your studies been? I know it can be hard to continue after you’ve been mated.”
“I’m trying to stay on top of it,” Desdem
ona said. “I haven’t had a lot of call to use my skills in Titus’s penthouse.”
“You need to find a venue for your music, my dear. I’m sure your husband can help you.”
“Of course,” Titus said, taking her hand.
He led her down the trail, Orion and Lucia behind them. When they made it back to the mansion, they had their things packed and taken to the jet while they said their farewells to everyone. Desdemona’s mom clung to her and made her promise to write. Desdemona stopped right then and told them she’d send them one of Titus’s free energy devices. Titus immediately agreed and the shipment was quickly arranged.
“This will change our lives,” her father said.
“I wish I could do more to help,” Desdemona told him.
“Just knowing you are happy is more than enough already,” her mom said.
She hugged them both one last time before they got into the jet with Bridget. She waved goodbye and her heart felt truly light for the first time since the Dark Sun. As Desdemona was about to climb into Titus’s jet, Lucia suddenly grasped her hand and leaned into her ear.
“You’re pregnant,” she whispered. “And I have a kitten for you. Her name is Snowpuff, because she’s white and fluffy.”
“I’m…” she said with a shiver.
“Good luck,” Lucia said, letting go of her arm.
Desdemona climbed into the jet holding the purring little kitten, her head a daze and her heart blazing with emotion. She sat in the chair beside Titus as he powered up the glass pad dashboard. He looked over at her, concern in his eyes.
“What is it?” he asked her after he’d leveled off above the coastal mountains.
“Lucia told me I’m pregnant,” Desdemona said, still stunned.
“A baby?” Titus said, sweeping her up in his arms, careful of the kitten in her lap.
She clung to his chest, her emotions raging. She didn’t know what to think. In her ancient lifetime, she’d wanted children so much’ she’d wanted hundreds, if not thousands of them. In this lifetime, she couldn’t even imagine one at her age. But now, she had Titus’s baby growing inside her. Their love had created a new life inside her womb.
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