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Ravina wasn’t sure what she was going to witness next, but a priest stepped into the circle and began to speak to the bride and groom privately.

“He is preparing them for the mating now. The groom will leave a mark of teeth and the bride will leave a mark of claws,” Malachi explained. “Will you be alright to watch?”

“How can you leave a mark if you can heal?” She asked.

He smiled amused. “There is an instinct element to finding a breedmate but also a magic element. So when two souls come together willingly, ready to share a part of themselves the magic happens that bonds them.”

Magic?

She looked at the couple again as the priest stepped away. The groom pulled the bride into his arms as the drums beat in a slow rhythm and the sound of a softly blown flute followed. A romantic sound? She wasn’t sure yet, but they began to sway to the music very subtly as they hugged each other. The groom buried his face in her neck as his hands played along the sides of her body and back.

Ravina felt as if she shouldn’t be watching this. It felt too intimate. They acted as if they were all alone and she felt as if she was alone there with them. The fire burned out, the night became darker under the sky and music played softly like the night breeze.

Everyone was silent, watching, waiting for something, and then the drums slowly increased as the groom’s hold on the bride tightened. A group of men stepped into the circle and went straight to the groom, grabbing him by the arms, they pulled him away from the bride.

Ravina frowned confused. The groom complied at first but then he became hysteric, trying to tear away from their hold. The men held on to him, pushing him down on his knees to contain him.

Ravina turned to Malachi confused. “He has to awaken his dragon while still in human form so he can mark her. It is tricky and painful to just half turn so they are helping him contain himself.”

She nodded and looked at the groom again. He was trying to free himself as he deep growl left his lips. She could see his hands becoming claws, his skin thickening, and something crawling beneath before scales covered his arms and shoulders. His eyes became a molten gold then red flames and with a roar, he managed to throw off all the men holding him down.

While Ravina was worried and her gaze quickly shifted to the bride who was still in the circle, she found that the woman was calm, watching the groom rise to his feet. His burning eyes settled on her and then he stalked toward her with determined steps.

Ravina’s heart drummed in her chest as her eyes widened and widened. It felt as if she should do something, say something but all she could do was stare. The air thickened with anticipation and dread of what would happen next. But no one was reacting so it should all be fine, right?

Malachi reached for her and took her hand gently in his. She could feel its warmth, giving her a gentle squeeze of reassurance but she could still not tear her gaze away from the man and woman in the circle.

The groom closed the distance between him and his bride then and wrapped an arm around her waist. He tilted her back and she allowed herself to fall back over his arm, baring her neck almost as if she fainted.

Al-right…? What was happening? Did she faint or …? No she didn’t.

The groom held onto her, leaning in, bringing his face close to her neck. It looked like he smelled her and another animalistic sound came from him. This felt… forbidden to watch. It was strange yet… what would be the right word to even describe it?

Unknowingly her hold on Malachi’s hand tightened as he smelled her again, his lips brushing up her neck and then he licked her.

Ravina didn’t know what to do. Was this normal? She watched everyone else’s reaction but they were all waiting, watching intensely. Just when she wondered if the bite wouldn’t be painful, she noticed the change in the groom’s teeth. He had fangs and sharp teeth now.

The bride held onto his shoulders as he pulled her close, his mouth moving to the crook of her neck, and then she watched his jaw clench as he bit into her.

Ravina’s body jerked in time with the bride’s gasp and her hold on both her cup and Malachi’s hand tighten while the bride dug her fingers into the groom’s shoulder and arm. Red blood painted her neck but she didn’t look to be in pain. Her eyes were shut and her lips parted.

Ravina’s own lips parted to breathe after the intensity of waiting. And then again she felt like witnessing something…. something erotic? How could she even think that? This was biting and blood for God’s sake. Not that she found it disgusting. After all, she was the strangest person when it came to blood and injuries. She often enjoyed the taste of blood whenever she peeled her lips or bit the insides of her mouth. She even enjoyed the blood from biting her cuticles. The small sting of pain and the taste of metal on her tongue was… satisfying. But well, she was a strange one.

Did it taste the same for dragons? She was sure a small amount of blood and one from such a bite couldn’t be the same. As he drank from her or just bit her, she wasn’t sure, his skin returned to normal and his claws became normal hands again. Now she noticed the blood on his arm. The bride had left a mark of her nails on his upper arm and continued to drag down a little before she stopped. Then he tore his mouth from her neck and the crowd came alive, calling out things she couldn’t understand, clapping and whistling.

The music changed to something festive as the groom helped his bride to stand straight again. People joined them in the circle, dancing around them and throwing rose petals to celebrate what could be the end of the mating ceremony.

Ravine let out a deep breath.

“It can be intense,” Malachi spoke.

Ravina turned to him and then noticed how she dug her fingers into his hand. She quickly pulled back and he smiled.

“I must say, you did better than I thought,” he drawled.

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