Ray straightened up the flower crown on her head, biting her lip to contain the tears. The tribute chosen this year was her. It had been a long grueling month to accept her fate. The moment she first woke up and saw the red arrow launched through her window, she knew it would be her.

Her father had grieved and tried to deny the truth, her younger brothers were just as sorrowful to see her off. She told the eldest of them to take charge and to take care of everyone as she had. Ray could only hold the youngest one's hand and tell him everything was going to be ok – that she would be fine and they would see each other again. He hardly understood what was happening. Her father was the one who had the hardest time accepting it.

Through his denial, she found it easier to accept the circumstances. After all, one of them had to maintain the strength.

"Ray, it's time to go."

She took a deep breath.

Being the tribute meant she was to be taken into the forest with nothing but a small candle. And when it went out, she would be swept away into the night and never to be heard from again. What awaited her was anyone's guess.

I'm gonna be eaten.

Their god required a yearly sacrifice else he would destroy the harvest. A legend from when she was a kid regarding his origins involving great sorrow and loss and this was a yearly tradition to humble themselves. Maybe this would be the year where he wouldn't accept it. Some years, he didn't accept a sacrifice and the harvest went bad. This could end up that way. Or he would accept her and she would never be seen again.

The day dragged on as she was led to the forest, her friends and family slowly leaving her as the sun vanished. The candle still burned strong. Somehow, she wished she was given a shorter candle. Ray laid it down and sat across from it. Maybe the real game was waiting to be eaten by some kind of beast of the forest. Either way, she didn't have long. In fact, she was about ready to put out the candle herself.

That seemed better, actually.

Instead of waiting for it to go down by itself, which would take a while since it was a full candle. With no food or water, she could die before it went out.

Yea, screw this.

She might as well invite death. Ray inhaled deeply and blew out the candle, her only source of light instantly gone and suddenly, she became very much aware of the shining golden eyes staring at her from the bushes and the low growling emanating from it. She fell back in a panic, scooting away as much as she could. And yet, she couldn't tear her eyes away from their intense gaze.

Maybe this beast would eat her whole.

Ray yelped as she felt her back hit something. She quickly turned her head, confirming that it was just a tree and as she turned back, she could've sworn she saw movement. The golden eyes were gone, but she still heard the low growling. Panic was sweeping her, she shouldn't have blown out the candle. She should've kept it lit and savored the light for whatever time was left. But no, her impatience overruled her and now she could only wait for death.

She closed her eyes and her breathing hastened. It was nerve-wrecking, hearing only her own panting and the rustling of the bushes around her. She dug her fingers into the ground, waiting for her heart to be carved off. Or her head to be lopped off. Literally anything.

And yet, she felt no pain. Nothing. Cautiously, she opened one eye and immediately covered her mouth to stop her screams. This was… was a monster before her eyes. The golden eyes, they were not human. His unruly gray hair, the things protruding where his ears should be, the large black wings from his back… Not human. Was this their god?

He flashed her a smile as he leaned closer, his mouth against her ear. "You're an eager one." His breath was warm against her, sending odd tingles across her body. "Not that I mind…" Whatever this creature was, he was bold as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Given his appearance, gentle was not what she expected to describe his lips on her ear.

"W-w-wait!" Ray could barely speak, unsure of what to do or say as she pushed both hands against his chest – oh, his skin felt incredibly weird. "I, er… what are you-" She bit her lip, suppressing a giggle at feeling his lips on her neck and small nips on her skin. Ray tried to squirm away but that only made his hold on her waist tighter. Exactly what was he doing?

Who was he?

What was he?

And where was his hand…!

"Hey!" Ray pulled on what was supposedly his ear and he yelped in surprise. He did indeed move his head. Now he faced her with an indignant pout as her cheeks reddened. They had different ideas on where this was supposed to go. "What are you doing!"

"You. Or at least trying to."

Her cheeks were practically on fire now, she could feel the tips of her ears go ablaze. "You're the God of this region, Zarc… right?" The first thing she needed to do was to make sure she didn't unintentionally anger him. If he was not their god, she had no reason to play nice.

He nodded and huffed – it was like an impatient child. "Well, duh. And you're mine. You're not being super cooperative either…"

Ray felt lost. She had never been told how Zarc accepted the tributes, just that they were to be sent to the forest with a candle and they were never seen again. Presumably, given the tales, she thought he devoured them. Or killed them in some over the top ritualistic fashion. It never crossed her mind that he would try to… touch them.

"E-Exactly what do you expect?" Surely she was wrong and he wasn't actually trying to… no, of course not.

"Well…" His fingers were pulling at her waist, messing with the material to try and gather it as his other hand stayed at her hip. "I expect you to please me." She didn't have a moment to react properly before his lips were on hers. She'd been kissed before, none were the greatest or with any sort of skill but they were passable. This was different; rough, commanding. A searing touch as though he was branding her.

Ray was stunned, too stunned to move. What was even the proper reaction? Hesitantly, Ray kissed him back. This was what she was supposed to do… right? It must've been, the slightest bit of reciprocation made him eager and he pulled her till their chests were pressed against the others.

A strange feeling coursed through her. Was it disgust? Resignation? Whatever it was, it left her uneasy and she turned away, trying to catch her breath. Her suitor, however, had yet to stop. His lips went back to her neck, nipping and sucking at her skin. Ray couldn't help but giggle, it was difficult not to considering it tickled. Why was he doing this though? Was this his way of toying with the sacrifices before devouring them?

A queasy feeling set in as she began to shake.

Zarc noticing something was wrong. Aside from the giggling, no sounds of enjoyment came her and instead she was shaking. He backed up slightly, moving his hands up to cup her face and examined her.

She could hardly look at him. Her focus was on the odd spikes under his chin, down his arms… she didn't want to know where else they were.

"Well, I don't see any injury…" He removed his hands from her and simply sighed, another pout. "Am I doing something wrong?" Ray was even more lost than before. Why was he acting so concerned? Wasn't he supposed to be killing her or torturing her or whatever it was he usually did to the tributes? How could she even respond to him? Zarc groaned, backing away completely and sitting cross-legged across from her. "Geez… you're not exactly helpful. Why did they even send me a bride?"

That caught her attention.

A bride?

"What…?"

She wasn't a bride. No, she was a sacrifice. She was in a simple white dress meant for corpses. The flowers she wore on her head signified death, the end of life – funeral flowers. Was he acting like this because he mistook her for a bride? He couldn't have.

No way.

Zarc reached out and removed one of the flowers from her crown, knowing taking the whole thing off would probably cause her injury since it was tied into her hair. "My bride." He emphasized, holding the flower out in front of her.

It was a white flower, one that signified death and… no, wait. This wasn't a funeral flower. No, that was an anemone. That was the flower they decided to decorate her crown with and normally, they chose any white flower. But this one wasn't… that. Her eyes went wide as she put the pieces together.

This was the type of flower for celebrations of love. For marriages and happy couples, for…! Her face reddened. That's why he was touching her, kissing her and being gentle. He assumed she was given as a bride, a different type of sacrifice and he was clearly accepting her if he was touching her. She needed to correct him immediately. "I-I think, um…" But on the other hand, telling him she wasn't a bride - just another sacrifice meant she had a different fate. The same as all the others before her.

Being a tribute meant she was to be devoured and tortured, making sure her village stayed alive for another year till the next sacrifice. Whereas a bride… she could stay alive and perhaps… Ray gulped, her cheeks still flushed.

"You think, what?" He raised a brow. She had gotten uncomfortably silent. Was this normal behavior for brides or did they give him a weird one? Maybe that's why she was given to him, she was the weird one of her town and they figured this was an easy way to get rid of her. Well, he wasn't entirely picky. The idea of a bride just never really came to mind.

"I think that…" She took a deep breath and moved away from the tree, slowly crawling toward him. His eyes widened slightly as she climbed atop him, putting her legs on either side to straddle him. This was one way to stay alive. "You should really start calling me Ray, if you want to please me."

His arm came around her waist and she could feel one of the spikes poking her side. This made her wary of movement but it kept her in place. "Is that so?" Her hands fisted into his hair and pulled his head back. Zarc couldn't help but grin. "Well Ray, I only want to please my bride."

Bride… She had to play the role of the bride, not one of the sacrifice. This was her wedding night now and she had to make the best of it. But how was she supposed to do this? His skin felt weird against hers, scaly and cracked. She needed to be mindful of the spikes, not cut herself on them – wherever they could be. And more so, she didn't have much of an idea of what to do – only vague knowledge.

Ray trembled as she leaned down, pressing her lips against his. It was a slow kiss, soft and nervous – much like the rest of her body. Zarc held her tightly, his lips moving against hers in a rougher manner. She felt something against her lips, his… his tongue. Teasing licks to her lips as she opened her mouth, the kiss deepened. She heard him groan as his tongue pressed against hers and he moved his body abruptly, flipping their positions so she was beneath him, her back on the dirt.

There were too many things to concentrate on; where his hands began to roam on her body, the increasing chill of the air on her skin as he removed her clothes, her pounding heartbeat echoing in her ears. She broke the kiss, needing air more than anything. It didn't stop him however, as his kisses became more eager. The teasing nibbles on her jawline down to her collarbone, all the while the tips of his spikes grazing her skin. She hadn't realized how… strange, different this sensation could feel.

A surprised moan slipped out as his hand was on her breast, giving it a soft squeeze. Ray tried sitting up, realizing she was practically naked under him. He didn't allow her to move much further, pushing her back down and his mouth against her ear. "You stay here." His voice was rough, impatient. She nodded slowly, mumbling an apology under her breath. Her body trembled, the last thing she wanted to do was anger him lest his lust turn into bloodlust.

He noticed her sudden fear and chuckled softly, moving up slightly only to kiss her nose. His hands were gentle again, smoothing her hair before kissing her again. She clung onto him, holding him close. This kiss was more tender than before, his hands smoothing over her shoulders and down her sides before resting on her hips. Zarc slid his leg between hers and she shifted, nudging what she assumed was another spike. Zarc broke the kiss and moaned. Ray however, was confused and nudged it again. "Geez… how many spikes do you have?"

"… that's not a spike, Ray."

"What?"

Zarc huffed and if it were possible, he was sure his cheeks would be red. "That's not…!" He grumbled – why was he getting embarrassed? She had more right to be, referring to his erection as a spike!

Ray stared for a moment, nudging it again and his moan was louder this time. It was then… she realized exactly what it was she kept nudging. Her face reddened and she turned away, embarrassed at her ignorance. Zarc watched her expression change from curiosity to sheer shame and he couldn't help but find it funny, endearing even and laughed. "Don't laugh! I'm not…" Not used to this, she wanted to say and defend herself.

How was she supposed to know that wasn't another spike but rather his…

"No, it's fine." His hand smoothed her shoulder as his other hand stayed on her hip. "I forget humans are absent-minded." She was an odd one, that much was for certain. But she was pleasing him – definitely enjoying his night with her. Though he was getting impatient. She was beneath him and naked and he hardy touched her. Was he the only one getting eager?

"I'm not absent-minded."

This wasn't as terrible as she thought it would be. Often times, the stories she heard of wedding nights were… horrific. The women of the village always told the girls once they had their first cycle that they could bear children now. That sex was simply there to make children. For the men to enjoy. This was a weird experience, strange emotions bubbling up but it wasn't so much of a chore as described. She liked kissing, and the touching felt kinda nice.

"You're not? Let me change that…" A mischievous grin, Ray could almost describe him as handsome. His hands and head moved down her body, laying kisses along her stomach. She giggled again, somehow, he kept finding the spots she was most ticklish at. She covered her mouth, trying to suppress her giggles. This wasn't the time to be laughing, but he had yet to scold her. No, instead his lips stayed there till her hand went to his hair and yanked.

"Stop tickling me!" Her face was still flushed, both from her laughing and his intrusive kisses. The grin stayed as he raised his hand and held onto her wrist, pulling her till she softened her grip and eventually dropped her hand. He went back down, moving down from her stomach to even lower. On instinct, she tried to close her legs but his hands held onto her thighs, keeping them spread and preventing her from putting his head into some kind of chokehold and hurting herself.

"Hold still, Ray."

Her body was shaking again, for different reasons. Not so much of fear but anticipation. At feeling his tongue against such a sensitive area, she flung her head back and moaned. She hardly knew what to make of this sensation but it… it felt good. He did it again, slower and experimental licks and she moaned loudly, trying to fight against his hold on her thighs and close them. It was weird, how tight his grip could be and how easily she could be reduced to moans and trying to cover her mouth.

"…ah!" A moan slipped out and she arched her back, finding it difficult to keep fighting against his hold. Instead, she was sitting up slightly, trying to grip onto his hair in an attempt to try and hold onto something, anything. To ground herself as pleasure ransacked her body.

Zarc smirked as he watched her struggle dissolve into surrender, her initial shy and nervous shaking become more of her uncertain of how to respond to pleasure. Oh… he definitely liked this girl. He liked her reactions, her moans, even her constant giggling. A repeat of this night was in order – something less… awkward. Something slower, longer. He wanted to memorize each curve and fold of her body and perhaps see her more aggressive, less nervous.

But for now… Her moans became more frequent as his licks traveled up to her clit and turned to sucking, enjoying how her grip on his hair became tighter. "Zarc!" She moaned his name, repeatedly as her body began to shake.

Something like this… he wanted a repeat. To her turn like this again, crying out for him and moaning for him.

Ray was nearing her end, feeling like the knot in her stomach was ready to burst. All thoughts and ideas were gone, nothing but how good this felt and how badly she wanted release. Almost to torture her, Zarc was humming against her. With how sensitive she became, it didn't take long for her climax to come and her body to shake.

It was… such a strange experience to feel such overwhelming pleasure only for her body to become heavy and tired as she fell back, panting heavily. Zarc lifted himself up onto his elbows, wiping his mouth and proudly smirked as he stared at her. Her eyes were half-lidded and her chest fell and rose with her quick breaths. He quite liked this look on her. But still… "Ray…" He whispered to her as he picked her up, ignoring her quiet protest as he cradled her in his arms, pressing his lips against her forehead. "Did I please my bride?"

She felt too embarrassed to verbalize, merely resorting to nodding her head. Ray tried to shift in his arms, but his grip on her held firm as before. It was strange, his eyes seemed somewhat distant, as though he were deep in thought.

Mostly, he was thinking about his own needs. How his own body was still hot and eager. The night was still young but continuing on in the middle of a forest… no, he didn't want onlookers. He wasn't in the mood for sharing or interruptions. "Rest a little." He spoke softly against her, a smile against her skin. "… You haven't pleased me yet, Ray."