Mated To The Alpha Dragon (A BBW Paranormal Romance) (5 page)

            I clasped them together, trying to get them to stop. "I'm freaking. What if I jerk my hand away and make Michael cut my hand really bad?"

            Julia gave me a comforting little smile. "Won't happen. Victor will hold your hand in place so that that doesn't happen. That's what Sam did for me. That's a husband's job."

            "But what if my adrenaline is really pumping and it makes me strong enough to yank my hand from Victor's grasp?"

            "Again, won't happen. Did I tell you last night about Keepers' strength?"

            I shook my head.

            "Well, while in human form, every Keeper has the strength of about a hundred men. So you being able to pull your hand out of Victor's grasp definitely won't happen."

            I nodded, biting my lip. "Okay."

            "Hey. Want me to tell you something that will completely take your mind off the Mingling?"

            I nodded again. "Yes. Anything. Please."

            Julia's big brown eyes twinkled, and she lowered her voice.

            "Okay, well, there's this. Increased strength isn't the only increased thing that shifter dragons possess. They also have increased... appetites and stamina. And I mean like... in the bedroom. And I can't say for sure that it's on a level a about a hundred times that of a normal man's, like their strength is, but...." Julia fought a smile. "Just based on my own personal experience, it's gotta be pretty close."

            I let this information sink in, The Mingling suddenly forgotten.

            Julia giggled. "It's, um... it's really fun to have a shifter husband, Kate."

            I didn't doubt it. I thought about Victor, with his long, hard body and chiseled chest. I thought about his muscular thighs and biceps. I thought about how our wedding night was mere hours away.

            Julia giggled again. "Knew that would take your mind off things."

            Just then, Elizabeth poked her head in the anteroom and said that everything was ready. She smiled at me. "Your soon-to-be-husband and guests are just waiting for you to walk down the aisle."

            She left after giving me a bouquet of pink flowers, and Julia squeezed my hands, grinning. "Come on. I go in first, and then you. I'll be standing right by you the entire time. And remember... think wedding night thoughts."

            I couldn't help but grin. "Okay."

            We left the anteroom and walked down a short hallway that led to the entrance to the wedding cavern.

            Julia whispered near my ear. "Step inside and start walking when you hear Elizabeth start playing the wedding song on her violin."

            We stopped just before the cavern entrance, and Julia gave me a quick hug and a smile before heading inside. I worked on taking slow, deep breaths and soon heard the first few notes of Elizabeth playing her violin. Clutching my bouquet, I stepped into the wedding cavern and began walking.

            The room was well-lit with white twinkle lights, cream-colored candles, and electric wall sconces. Garlands of fragrant pink flowers hung on the sides of several pews where the dozen or so guests were sitting. Tall crystal vases filled with white, pink, and fuchsia-colored flowers sat on various small wooden tables around the room.

But I hardly saw any of it. My eyes were locked on Victor. He stood at the back of the room, dressed in an immaculate black tux that highlighted his broad shoulders. Sam was beside him, and Michael the officiator stood at a small, narrow table behind him. I couldn't breathe for a long moment. I didn't know it was possible for a man to look so handsome and still be real. Victor smiled at me, and I managed a smile back, looking into his deep gray eyes, my pulse pounding. But then I paused, catching sight of a dagger glinting on the small, narrow table. Right next to a chalice decorated with golden dragons. I began walking backward, trembling.         

C
HAPTER FIVE

To get me to look at her, Julia, who stood near Victor, Sam, and Michael at the back of the room, cleared her throat so loudly and violently, it sounded like some sort of strangled cry. When I met her gaze, she clearly and slowly mouthed the words
wedding night
. I paused, realizing she was right. My wedding night wouldn't even happen if I didn't go through with the wedding, including the Mingling rite. I couldn't back out.

            I began walking forward again, though still shaking a bit. Victor's smile, which had faded, returned. I reached him and came to a stop just as the last note from Elizabeth's violin faded. Emily took my bouquet from me and went to stand just a little ways behind me.

            Victor took my hands and spoke in a low voice. "You look absolutely stunning."

            I couldn't help but smile, and I whispered, "Thank you. You look pretty incredible yourself."

            He grinned, making my heart skip a beat. Michael, a medium-sized man with salt-and-pepper hair who appeared to be in his forties, began speaking, welcoming everyone to the ceremony. With his thumbs, Victor began rubbing slow, soothing circles on the backs of my trembling hands. I tried to maintain eye contact with him, but almost against my will, my gaze kept darting over to the glinting dagger and chalice on the table beside us.

            After a short speech of the importance of strong marriages to the Keeper community, Michael asked Victor if he claimed me as his bride.

            Victor looked into my eyes and spoke, his voice clear, deep, and strong. "Yes. I do."

            Michael asked if I accepted Victor as my husband, and I said yes, my voice coming out in a squeak. "I do."

            Michael announced that it was time to exchange wedding rings, and Sam handed a ring to Victor. A little thrill rippled through me while Victor slid the gorgeous, sapphire-diamond-ring on my finger. Sapphires were my absolute favorite stone; I loved them. Julia knew this, and I wondered if she'd put a bug in Victor's ear about it. She gave me a little wink while handing me Victor's ring, confirming my suspicions, and I smiled at her. I put Victor's golden band on his finger, noticing that my hands weren't trembling as badly as they had been.

            But they only remained that way for all of about three seconds.

            Michael picked up the dagger on the table and asked Victor to extend his left hand, palm up. Victor did, not looking disturbed or hesitant in the least. Julia edged closer to me and whispered for me to look away, but to my horror, I found that I just couldn't. I felt frozen like a block of ice. Michael grasped Victor's fingers with his left hand, and with the the dagger in his right, quickly cut a line down the middle of Victor's palm with one smooth movement. Victor didn't even flinch. Blood sprang from the cut immediately, and Michael released his hand.

            My face went hot and then freezing cold and then hot again. Julia hissed at me to look away. But I remained like a statue, frozen. Victor lifted his hand above the chalice on the narrow table and made a fist. Blood trickled from his palm in a thin stream. Horrified beyond words, I shook my head. Julia actually took my cheeks and turned my head. My face went icy again, and the sensation spread down my entire body.

            Soon she whispered. "Okay, Sam's got him all bandaged up now. Everything's all right. Just hang in there."

            Michael asked for me to extend my left hand, palm up.

            I looked at Victor, my eyes suddenly filling with tears. "I'm sorry. I can't do this."

            I wondered if he was going to be angry, but to my surprise, he gently took me in his strong arms and just held me, rubbing my back, his mouth near my ear. His voice was a low, quiet rumble.

            "It's okay, beautiful girl. It's okay. I'm here, and I'm going to help you."

            I buried my face in his hard chest with my eyes squeezed shut, not even caring that the dozen or so guests in attendance were surely watching me act like an absolute baby. "I can't. I'm sorry."

            Victor held me tighter, giving my ear a few feather-light kisses. "Shh. Shh, sweet girl. I won't let you go."

            Even in my near panic, I couldn't help but notice his clean, woodsy, masculine scent. It was literally the best thing I'd ever smelled in my life. By miles. By thousands of miles.

            He gave my ear another tender, light kiss. "Shh."

            He slowly moved his right hand, wrapped it around my left wrist, his grip firm yet gentle, and extended my hand, palm up. Fighting a wave of nausea, I kept my face buried in his chest, not even attempting to struggle. I felt Michael wrap a hand around my fingers. And then immediately a sharp pain on my palm that made me gasp. My hand was made into a fist. And within seconds, I heard the quiet sound of liquid trickling into liquid.

            I lifted my eyelids and found everything spinning. "Victor, I really don't feel very...."

            A current of what felt like actual electricity coursed through my body. Gray dots floated in front of my eyes. I felt my legs give out, and I felt Victor holding me up in his strong arms. Right before everything went black.

            When I came to, however many minutes later, I found myself lying on the couch in the anteroom, a pillow behind my head and a light blanket covering my body. My left hand, which had been bandaged, hardly hurt at all. Julia, Sam, Elizabeth, and Michael sat in chairs against a wall, talking. Victor was kneeling beside me, smoothing my hair, his expression anxious.

            "How do you feel? Are you all right?"

            I didn't answer right away, realizing that surprisingly, I did feel all right. I felt like I'd just awoken from a very restful nap.

            I gave Victor a little smile. "I actually feel fine. But if I don't deserve a kiss right now, I don't know who does."

            He grinned, dipped his head, and brushed my mouth with a lingering kiss, his lips firm but tender. Julia, Sam, Elizabeth, and Michael broke into applause, and Julia whistled. Soon, after I'd sipped a little orange juice, I got up and we rejoined the other wedding guests in the large cavern, where everything on the narrow table had been cleared away. Everyone clapped and gave their congratulations. Victor and I kissed again, to even louder clapping and cheers. After receiving many hugs and well wishes, I apologized to everyone for fainting.

            "I really didn't mean to be such a baby about everything. I just have an incredibly weak stomach when it comes to blood."

            Several people said to not be sorry at all, and others murmured similar supportive things.

            One of the women smiled at me. "You actually did extremely well. I fainted once, came to, and immediately fainted again. And that was all even before the exchanging of the rings."

            Everyone laughed; Sam popped open a bottle of champagne, and Victor pulled me close, grinning, his intoxicating woodsy scent making me feel a little faint once again, but in the most pleasant possible way.

            The wedding reception in the great hall was all I ever dreamed of and more. Victor and I slow danced for probably half of it while Elizabeth and the other violinists, and then later, a pianist, several trumpeters, and a clarinettist, played. Victor and I cut a slice from a cake with so many tiers it was taller than I was. Sam and Julia gave brief speeches, and then Sam made a toast to our love and happiness.

            He raised his champagne glass to the crowd, which was nearly the entire population of Stonebrook. "To Lord Victor and Lady Kate!"

            The hall erupted in people echoing what he'd said, lifting their glasses. It hadn't yet dawned on me that I'd now have a title. I thought how it would take some getting used to, although I didn't dislike it at all.

            The entire evening felt like the sweetest dream. I couldn't remember ever being happier in my entire life.

            But a short while before midnight, which was the traditional time that the wedding couple retired to their rooms while the reception continued on, a little knot formed in my stomach. Earlier, I'd been more than a little excited about the prospect of my wedding night with Victor. Actually didn't even begin to cover it. But now, now that our wedding night was immediately imminent, my excitement was beginning to feel a little more like anxiety.

            Hoping to take the edge off, I drained my third glass of champagne that evening. But the knot in my stomach remained tight. And it was getting tighter still.

            The truth was, I wasn't very sexually experienced. I'd only made love twice, both times to a guy I later wondered if I'd really been in love with. The lovemaking hadn't been very fulfilling; it had been awkward more than anything. I knew my level of sexual experience was surpassed even by many teenagers in Haverbrook. I wasn't sure why this hadn't occurred to me before, but I suddenly couldn't stop wondering if I would be able to please Victor in bed. And in fact, the more I thought about it, the more I became certain I wouldn't.

            He seemed to pick up on my anxiety, and a full fifteen minutes before midnight, he asked if I was ready to leave. I nodded, not wanting to tell him that I wasn't, for fear of having to explain why. After he'd given a short speech thanking everyone for sharing in the celebration of our wedding, we made our way out of the great hall.

            We held hands but didn't talk while we walked down the couple of hallways that led to what would now be
our
rooms, which I hadn't seen yet. The knot in my stomach continued to tighten. We exchanged a few silent smiles, but Victor's didn't reach all the way up to his eyes. And I knew mine probably didn't, either.

            When we reached the rooms, he surprised me by picking me up and carrying me over the threshold, making me giggle, despite my nerves. And when he put me down, I actually gasped. His rooms were nothing short of magnificent. The foyer opened into an enormous vaulted-ceiling living room illuminated with dozens of electric gold sconces encrusted with jewels. Plush, cream-colored rugs carpeted the floor and matched several overstuffed chairs and long couches. A floor-to-ceiling mural of abstract designs in precious stones and gold leaf spanned the length one entire stone wall. One side of the room opened up into a large dining room with a crystal chandelier hanging above a glossy, polished table.

            I smiled at Victor, my nerves easing a bit. "Everything's so beautiful."

            He gave me a tour of several other rooms, tracing slow circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. My anxiety continued to fade. And by the time we reached his bedroom, I decided to just come right out and tell him my concerns about our wedding night. I asked him if I could talk to him about something, and he said of course, and lit several candles on the dresser, filling the room with soft light. We sat down on the edge of the four-poster bed, and he took my hands.

            "You can talk to me about anything. Always."

            "Even something... kind of embarrassing?"

            "Anything."

            "Okay, well...." I took a deep breath. "I guess I'll just come right out and say it. I'm not very, um... I'm not very sexually experienced. And I don't mean I'm a virgin, but I'm definitely... I'm definitely on the very low end of the experience scale. And I'm just worried that...." I took another deep breath, fighting to maintain eye contact with Victor. "I'm worried that I won't... please you."

            His expression became one of complete tenderness, his dark brows angling upward. "Sweet Kate. Please, please don't worry about that. You're my wife; you're beautiful; and I've... I've fallen completely in love with you. How could you not please me?"

            "But there are things...." I swallowed, heat rising to my face. "There are things that I'm just... completely unfamiliar with. There are things I'm really uncertain about whether I can even figure out how to do them."

            Just for starters, I'd never actually touched, stroked, or held a man's member. My ex-boyfriend had just gotten right into things the two times we'd been together.

            Victor squeezed my hands. "Anything and everything you're uncertain about, we'll work through together. We won't rush things; I promise."

            I nodded. "Okay." I gave him a little smile, and he gave me one back.

            "I promise."

            Completely reassured, I suddenly wanted him to kiss me, and not briefly, either. Seeming to read my mind, he leaned in and brushed my lips with his own, moving his hands to cradle my face.

            It wasn't long before our kissing intensified. Victor pulled me up to stand and unzipped my dress. It fell to the floor, and I stepped out of it, along with my shoes.

            He surveyed my body, naked except for lacy underwear and a strapless bra, in the candlelight. "Absolutely gorgeous."

            My face flushed even a little warmer than it had a couple of minutes earlier. And my pulse sped up to a rate I knew was well above normal.

            Victor pulled me close, gently tipped my head back, and began kissing me again. Slowly, he moved his hands from the small of my back to my bottom and cupped each of my full cheeks, pressing me against him. He was already hard, and not just hard, but what felt like granite-hard. And I could tell just from the feel of his hardness against the soft curve of my belly that he was very large. I made a soft noise of pleasure, the area between my thighs tingling. With a low growl, Victor slid his hands inside my lacy underwear and began caressing my bare rear while continuing to kiss me. The noise of pleasure I made this time was a definite moan.