A Midsummer Night's Demon(37)
The Priestess regaled the multitude with tales of the Sun God impregnating the Goddess during Beltane. She spoke of how tonight they celebrated the Goddess being heavy with child from the mating. Her erotic descriptions of the physical act riled the crowd, causing the scent of male arousal to mix with female heat in a heady combination that left no one in attendance unaffected.
Ky pressed his body against hers. The hand that rested possessively on the nape of her neck pulled her to him for a kiss. His full lips pressed against her in wanton demand. Lyn parted her lips in response, the desire burned through her blood to heat her body. His tongue slid against hers in an erotic glide. Their tongues thrust back and forth between their mouths struggling for dominance, fueling their passion.
The feel of his fangs lengthening against her tongue made her pull away. “You’re being vampirey,” she whispered against his mouth, trying to catch the breath he had stolen with his kiss.
“What?” His question sounded thick, heavy as she nibbled her way over his strong jaw to find his ear.
“Your fangs,” she whispered, nuzzling his ear. Lyn ran her tongue around the delicate lobe, and felt a shiver go through him. “Pull your fangs back.”
Ky’s fingers threaded through her thick hair to hold her steady. He pulled back from her, looking into her eyes. “My body is responding to the emotions around us. It is difficult to rein in my natural instincts.”
She ran her hand over the thick evidence that supported his statement. His most manly part jumped behind the material of his pants in response to her touch. “I can see that, but you need to try to pull back those fangs. Please Ky, for me.”
No one could know he was a vampire, not yet. Not before they completed the Bonding Ritual.
She watched her vampire close his eyes. He took a deep breath that expanded his thick chest in the most tantalizing way, and let it out in a long exhale between his pursed lips. Another slow breath escaped his mouth.
Around them people sat enthralled by the sensual story the Priestess narrated. The couples touched and kissed one another passionately as the story about the coupling gods came to its climax.
Feeling a bit grateful when the story at last ended, Lyn glanced up to find Ky smiling at her, his teeth normal length. Relief flooded her body.
Before the mass could get any more carried away by the sensual desire the Priestess created with her tale, the woman raised her arms to the sky, calling out to those around her, “Now is the time for all couples to declare their love by participating in the Bonding Ritual. Please join hands.”
Lyn grabbed Ky’s hand and stood. With her mate in tow, they joined the other couples to form a line, standing two by two. It stretched down the beach behind the fire.
Ky leaned over and whispered in Lyn’s ear, “What happens next?”
“We jump over the fire.”
“What?” The concern in Ky’s voice drew her eyes away from the fire to look at him. His dark brows narrowed over his icy eyes. “I’m not jumping over any fire.”
“Lower your voice,” Lyn whispered when the couple in front of them turned around in surprise at Ky’s protest.
The line advanced toward the fire, and the crowd cheered a couple who took the leap.
“You did not tell me the celebration required us to jump over a fire.” He leaned down, putting his lips next to her ear. “Vampires hate fire. It is one of the few things that can kill us. You can’t expect me to willingly jump over that. Look, over there. I see people who aren’t in line. Why aren’t they jumping?”
Lyn glanced over at the groups of people sitting on either side of the bonfire, Matt and Bret among them. “Jumping the fire ensures a long and happy relationship, financial prosperity, and many offspring. The ritual is only done by couples in a commitment.”
With the horde cheering, the line continued its advance as several couples took their turns to jump over the blaze in quick secession.
Ky watched another couple make the leap. “I am wholly committed to you, Daelyn. I don’t need to jump over a fire to prove it.”
“Yes, you do.”
Pulling his eyes from the fire, Ky looked at her with a hurt expression on his face that threatened to break her heart. “You doubt my love for you? Do you really believe that I will not remain with you forever?”
Lyn cupped his cheek in her hand. “Of course I believe you love me. I can see it in the way you look at me. But my family will not easily accept you, Ky.” She leaned closer to whisper, “because of what you are.”