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Veldi and Gandur were hidden by clouds, making their path through the gardens to the Maker's temple shrouded in deep shadows. Kylo's skin itched as he walked, uncomfortable being out of the safety of the castle, but Rey did not give any indication that there was anything evil near at hand, so he held his peace.
The temple was old and had been standing there before Ljósur was built. Despite its age, it stood firm, built of bluff sandstone blocks with a small domed roof, the gilt long since worn away by time and the elements.
Before they entered, Luke lit a lamp that had been by the doorless entrance, the only window being one at the centre of the dome.
But as Kylo ducked his head to enter, Rey suddenly hissed loudly and started struggling in his arms.
Surprised, he stepped back out, as Luke brought the lamp up so they could see Rey's face, they found it pale, her eyes were wide, the pupils slitted and her sharp canines were barred in a rictus as she panted.
She hissed and turned her face away from the light of the lamp, the skin of her arms was an angry red, as if she had been burned.
Luke shut his eyes briefly before saying, "My sincere apologies, Rey. I forgot the temple was supposedly warded against Vampýrum, I had not given the legend any credence till now."
Kylo could feel Rey's muscles tense in his arms, even as they trembled. With a great effort she lifted her head back to the lamp, her eyes glowed in the light it cast.
She licked dry lips before answering, "Then we must do this quickly. I will put my arm over the threshold and will bleed it there. I regret I can go no further."
"You should not go in at all, just those few seconds have marked your skin, Rey." Phasma said, her tone attempted to be reasonable, but failed somewhat.
Rey shook her head, "It must be done. The sooner the better. Just do it fast, yes? Put me down, rukhs."
Kylo held onto her tightly, watching Luke as he battled with the decision, but then he sighed and nodded at Rey, then to Kylo. "If you are certain, Rey."
She nodded and Luke disappeared into the Temple to fetch the copper bowl and ceremonial knife.
Kylo set Rey carefully down by the door, he'd thought to lean her against the wall but even the touch of the stone that made the temple caused her to flinch and hiss with pain, so he sat down with her, and drew her to lean against him.
Phasma joined them on the floor on Rey's otherside, but she shrugged away from them both. "You must be careful, do not touch me. This magic in these stones, it strips my essence away."
And they could see what she meant, she had never looked so inhuman, she radiated other, predator, danger. It disturbed Kylo how alluring he found her in this moment, luckily he was distracted by Luke returning.
"Luke, move back, I must make the cut myself," Rey's inflection was sibilant as she edged nearer to the invisible line only she could sense.
Luke placed the bowl down with the knife and stepped back, deeper into the temple. Phasma looked at Kylo and he gave her a small nod and they both moved slightly further away from Rey.
Rey's whole body was taught as a bow string as she hissed a line of curses in her own tongue then grasped the blade and roughly cut her already red arm and placed it over the bowl.
Her curses turned to a high, thin, keening, it wasn't loud but it set Kylo's teeth on edge, brought bile to his throat as it ricocheted inside his head and seemed to vibrate in his lungs.
The bowl was only a third full when Rey toppled over, if Phasma hadn't darted in to steady it, that would had fallen over too.
Kylo yanked the prone form of his tiny Trollskïr out from the temple door as Luke rushed out of the temple to kneel beside them, quickly wrapping the wound in her arm tightly in a bandage.
He was barely done when Kylo stood, "Rouse the others Phasma, and anyone else who will not fight tomorrow, she will need more than last time, she has more to heal."
And with that, he ran back to the castle, Phasma hot on his heels, leaving Luke to deal with the blood.
Kylo made Javiell sit this one out as he had fed her twice already, the others were quick to offer their arms, though none of them were grinning now.
The skin on Rey's beautiful silken skin was blistered, her arms were worst, but her face and neck had caught it too when she had fallen into the temple doorway.
Phasma tracked down six others, though Kylo suspected she had dragged them there rather than asked. None of them looked happy to be there and one of them was fetched away by an angry, cursing wife who spat "Hon-marra! Hon-marra!" When she saw Rey feeding from Zainmar.
The woman and her pale husband were kicked out of the room by Phasma, who was white with fury at the insult.
Once Rey had fed on the eight available men, her skin was whole again and her colour returned, though she was still deeply asleep.
Now Kylo allowed himself to breath easy once more. "She can sleep with me tonight, I can fetch someone else if she wakes with the need," He told Phasma as they helped the last donor out of the room, Phasma just nodded tiredly - she looked as drained as he felt.
It was a measure of his exhaustion that on his return to his room, he merely undressed and slipped into bed beside Rey, not even appreciating the feel of her against his body as he swiftly fell into a deep sleep.
His dreams were a muddled mess of monsters until he felt a sharp, searing pain in his neck and awoke to find Rey firmly attached to his throat.
He was unsure if this was a dream or not and he couldn't bring himself to care either way as the pain morphed into that overwhelming pleasure.
He pulled her body against his, then dragged her leggings and underwear down so he could reach that hot, sweet place between her thighs. As soon as he brushed his fingers against her, she moaned, rocking her hips slightly against his touch, she was deliciously wet and his mouth watered as he remembered the taste of her.
He slipped a finger inside her, she whimpered and rocked her hips more insistently, so he started thrusting gently as he worked his thumb on her most sensitive spot, and then she was shuddering against him, coming apart as her body clenched and spasmed, and again, he could feel it, but this time, he lost himself completely in it, his orgasm burned through him, seeming to sear his very veins.
When he returned to himself, he found that he was already hard again, rock solid and aching. Sometime during their combined climax Rey had let go of his neck and he roughly pulled her mouth to his own, uncaring that he could taste his own blood mixed in with her sweet saliva.
Kylo ripped off her remaining clothing, then moved his mouth to cover one of her breasts, she arched her back and he returned one of his hands to her throbbing sex, her hips jerked and she moaned and he was so drunk on his lust, on her magic, that he lost any reason he had left.
He gripped her hips, lined himself up and thrust inside her, she was tight, unbelievably tight, but so wet. Her spine arched and she threw her head back as she gasped, her mouth open and canines bared, as he worked his way in, till he was fully sheathed by her.
Her muscles clenched around him and he growled, pulling her down to him so he could feel her pressed against his body as he began to move.
Her lips found his and she gasped and panted into his mouth as he took her, as he ran his hands over her skin, caressing her sides, arms, buttocks, anything he could reach, he only knew he wanted more, he wanted everything, he wanted her.
They came together, he tried to hold off but as her body gripped him like a vice, as she quivered inside and out, as she bit his neck again, he could hold it back no longer. The very air around them seemed to grow thick with energy, Kylo wasn't sure if the sparks he saw were inside his mind or really in the air, as it hummed, laden with fulfillment.
He held Rey tightly against him, unwilling to leave the embrace of her body as she lazily licked his wounds closed.
As he came back to himself, he awaited her hiss of fury, fully expecting her to fight him or scream, yet he couldn't seem to muster any guilt over his actions, it had felt too… right. Almost as if he had been led to this by something, perhaps fate, perhaps destiny.
Once their skin had cooled he heard her sigh, there was a soft hiss to it, but only slight, and to his surprise she snuggled against him.
"Halwâ Mahal," she whispered against his chest and he looked down to see her eyes, shining in the darkness. "We should not have done that... yet I could fight it no longer. You are mine now, Kylo Ren."
At the sound of his name upon her lips, at her claiming of him, where he had thought he had claimed her, his sex twitched inside her and she left loose a soft gasp, followed by a low moan, as he somehow hardened inside her.
He rolled them over, so he was above her now, still sheathed inside her as he grew again, she writhed beneath him, he savoured the sight for a moment, then started to move, pulling out almost completely before he thrust himself back inside her already clenching walls, he repeated it, loving how she jerked every time he thrust. He could feel as the pain and pleasure mingled in her head, knew that she loved the combination, he leant down to bite her neck, licking and sucking as one of his hands squeezed a breast, somehow keeping his rhythm steady, even as her nails bit into the skin of his arms, leaving trails of fire in their wake.
As he bit her neck again she came, convulsing beneath him as he continued to thrust, once, twice, and on the third he could not deny himself anymore, her clamping muscles and still thrusting hips milking him for all he was worth.
Kylo collapsed on top of her as he shuddered, gasping against her neck as her hands gripped his sides, digging her nails into his flesh, still shuddering herself…
Kylo awoke, blinking in the early morning light streaming through his uncurtained window. It had not been a dream, Rey lay against him, limbs tangled with his.
Her eyes opened as he looked at her, her canines peaked out as she smiled at him, "Mine," she said, eyes green and golden like the valley grasses, "Yesthar-ê."
Kylo pulled her against him more firmly, but kept his eyes on her face, "You need to translate for me, tiny Trollskïr. I do not like not knowing the names you call me."
He was surprised by the blush that crept into her cheeks, "That bad was it?" He asked lightly and she shifted against him, eyes looking down at his chest.
"Not bad… yesthar-ê, it means... I am not so good at translating." He narrowed his eyes at her- she was lying. She had the grace to blush even more before saying, "It means, it means something like... supreme mate."
Kylo couldn't help the chuckle that her words brought forth, she squirmed against him, an indignant and embarrassed hiss escaping her.
He gripped her more tightly and placed his lips against hers, "Mín yvirstaddur konufólk." he said softly, "It carries the same meaning," then he kissed her gently, but it deepend quickly as she opened her mouth to his.
As his hands stroked down to her legs though, she winced slightly and he pulled back with concern, "Did I hurt you?"
Rey's cheeks were flushed again, though it may have been from the desire that swirled in the air around them. "I ache a little," she admitted.
Kylo sighed inwardly, regretting what he said next, "We can wait a while, perhaps bathing would help, and we probably need to clean ourselves anyway."
Her eyes widened, "It is daylight!"
He chuckled, "It is, but it is very early, though I am afraid we must collect a change of clothes for you on the way, I think the ones you wore last night are nothing but scraps now."
"Rukhs indeed," She said, but she was giving him that grin again, the one that showed the points of her canines.
"Indeed?" He asked deceptively softly, before rolling them both out of bed and gathering her to him as he stood, holding her firmly, "One day soon, I shall eat you. But I promise you, you will enjoy it." And so saying, he carried her hissing, protesting, and wriggling form to the baths.
Thankfully, his words proved true, for they encountered no one, which was doubly fortunate because by the time he was stepping down into the hot water of the baths, he was rock hard and throbbing.
Rey hissed, long and low as her body met the water after his - she was still held in his arms. She glanced down at her legs then back up to his face, uncertainty flickering across hers, "I have bled, that is... normal?"
Kylo eased her slowly into the water, "For the first time, yes. Afterwards, there should be no more… How are you feeling now? After the blood loss?"
Surprise crossed her features, as if she had forgotten about her sacrifice, "I feel good…" She said slowly, a small frown appearing on her delicate features, "Strong. There is no weakness in me… I do not understand this... unless… There really is magic in your blood, yesthar-ê," She closed her eyes as she inhaled slowly, "Now we are bonded, I feel it."
Kylo's skin stood up in sudden goosebumps, despite the heat of the water steaming around them.
"And what of you?" She asked as she opened her eyes again, "I took more than I should. Your forgiveness - I should have warned you about sleeping near a depleted Trollskïr," She blushed, "Sometimes, with proximity and need, we feed unconsciously."
To Kylo's surprise, he realised he felt as Rey did - strong, powerful even, no hint of the weakness he had felt yesterday, he took one of her hands in his and held it against his heart, which was beating steadily in his chest, "I am well, my tiny Trollskïr. Truly; this bond seems to have strengthened us both."
Rey glared up at him, "That is good, but I am not tiny, you are a giant, rukhs."
"I must disagree, tiny Trollskïr," He said and went to grab her, but she danced away from him and dived under the water almost soundlessly.
Kylo surged after her, yet though he watched carefully, no trail of bubbles surfaced to indicate where she was and she proved difficult for him to spot, clearly swimming along the bottom.
He had paused, trying to work out where she had got to, when her small, hot body leapt onto his back, gripping his torso with her arms and legs as laughter bubbled out of her, her teeth grazing his shoulder.
His surprise turned immediately to lust at the feeling, and he reached back to palm between her legs, she immediately gasped, her limbs loosened and he pulled her around his body till she faced him, he cupped her behind with his hands and moved purposely to the underwater stone bench.
Kylo sat with her in his lap, her sex resting against his as he claimed her mouth hungrily, and when he caught her lower lip between his teeth, she moaned against his mouth as her nimble fingers found his nipples, pinching almost painfully.
The sensation spiked his need and he urgently lifted her hips and pushed inside her with one thrust. Her back arched as she threw her head back, her nails dug into the meat of his shoulders, her hips rocked as he drove into her again and again, his breathing as ragged as hers.
The world narrowed down to just them, just the joining of their bodies, just the connection that had been forged with blood and sex and magic.
As Kylo felt her coming close to completion he growled, "Bite me, kærur Rey, bite me," as he insistently pulled her body out of its arch and back towards him.
She hissed with pleasure, her pupils shrunk to slits as she bared her canines and obliged him; and she didn't hold back, sinking her teeth into his throat.
The stimulation sent them both into a shining abyss, both shuddering as her body spasmed and he emptied himself inside her as she drank from him.
Little aftershocks flooded through them, and her lips lost contact with his neck as she jerked and panted. He ran his hands lazily over her back and arms till she calmed, sighing as she leant her head against his shoulder.
After some time, she moved her mouth to his neck, licking over the wound then moved her head down to glide her tongue over the bloody crescents where her nails had scored his flesh.
He moaned softly at her touch, moving his hands to caress her small breasts, and they may have started all over again, but Rey suddenly froze, the abrupt alertness and perfect stillness eldritch even now. Next she was off him and four foot away, dipping down into the water as she blushed furiously.
Then Kylo heard it, voices, coming closer and if he was not mistaken one of those voices was Luke's… well this could be awkward.
Rey hissed softly, eyes wide and darting, "We did not collect clothes!"
For Kylo, that wasn't much of an issue, nakedness wasn't an embarrassment in Tokuni as communal baths were the norm, but he could imagine Rey swooning from horror.
"They will have brought towels with them, they should be by the steps, you could take one of those?" He said softly.
She nodded, "Yes" She hissed softly back, "I will leave under the water." And with that, she disappeared under the surface with nothing so much as a splash to mark her departure.
Kylo felt somewhat bereft at her hasty escape and he tried distracting himself by washing his hair and body, after last night and this morning, it was sorely needed. He was soon joined by Luke and a few of the castle guards.
"Kylo! You are up early; is all well with Rey?" Luke asked as he sat down next to him.
Absurdly, Kylo felt a blush creep into his cheeks and heat his ears, thought hopefully Luke would attribute it to the heat of the water, "She was well when I last saw her… How are the preparations going? Was the amount of blood she gave sufficient do you think?"
"That is good, I confess I was concerned for her. I hope what she gave is enough, I do not think we could ask for more. The preparations go well, the pass garrison should be here in a few hours, and I remembered something your father and Chewbacca taught me years ago, a secret recipe for combustibles that ignite upon impact, Poe, Iolo and Muran are making some up now. Those used with slings alongside the fire arrows and blessed arrows, should make quite an impact. Then there will be your Knights and any other elite fighters, myself included, with blessed weapons, to clean up any of the Deyði-eta left… I am unsure about including Rey in that though, she mentioned the Ancient one she speaks of, may weaken her, we may not be able to protect her and ourselves should it become necessary."
Kylo nodded, he had been thinking the same thing, though perhaps for other reasons - he didn't want his tiny Trollskïr anywhere near the Deyði-eta. "I agree, though we may have to tie her down, I doubt she will like the idea of staying behind."
Luke laughed, "You are right. Yet I doubt we will find anyone willing to do the deed."
Kylo smirked, "The Knights and I will take on that challenge, does the castle have any cells? Simply tying her down may not be enough."
Luke sobered slightly, "Do you really think that will be necessary? There are a few cells here, they are seldom used, but are secure."
Kylo gave his uncle a wry look, "Her teeth would make short work of any rope or binding, so yes, I think it will be necessary."
"That is a very good point," Luke said resignedly as he nodded.
Kylo left the baths, snagging one of the towels himself before walking to his room to dress. He was just finishing when Phasma entered, looking concerned.
"Have you seen Rey? I was hoping to spar with her this morning… why are you up so early?"
Kylo shrugged nonchalantly, "We woke early, though I haven't seen her for a while, did you try the stables?"
"I had not thought to look there…" Phasma tilted her head as she regarded him, then the tangled mess of his bed, her eyes widened, "You didn't?!"
Kylo looked at his bed and realised there was no way anyone would believe he had not recently had sex in it. "We did," He told her levelly, unsure what her reaction would be, still unsure what her feelings for Rey were.
Phasma folded her arms and narrowed her snapping blue eyes, "I hope it was while she was awake, Kylo Ren," she said, her tone dangerous.
Kylo rolled his shoulders, "I think you could say she initiated it, actually."
"Well aren't you lucky," Phasma said softly, then grinned, "So, no blades involved then? I'm almost disappointed."
Kylo relaxed, "No blades, I cannot say that I am disappointed by that, though."
Phasma laughed, "Come, tell me all about it over breakfast, but before you leave, I would recommend opening the window and pulling your blankets back," She finished with a smirk.
They took their food and te out onto the terrace, enjoying the warmth of the sun as it soaked into their similarly pale skin.
Kylo told Phasma an edited version of his night and morning with Rey, he had to pause as she doubled over with laughter over the way they had parted with the arrival of Luke.
"Oh, Kylo." She said as she wiped tears from her eyes, "You know Zainmar and Leonmar are going to be horribly jealous, don't you?"
Kylo smirked as he shrugged, "When destiny calls, you must obey."
"Destiny? Are you exaggerating or is there more to this story?"
Kylo sighed, but he didn't like to keep things from his Knights, and this seemed like something significant, so he explained the bond as best he could, still unsure of most of the details and implications himself.
Phasma was silent for a while as she digested the information, gazing inward as she thought.
Presently she focused her gaze back on Kylo again and to his surprise she grinned, "You do realised you basically just got married, right?"
Kylo froze, Phasma was right, Maker, she was right. Despite his and Rey's exchanged spousal terms, it hadn't occurred to him what it had meant, he had been so caught up in the moment... But they were now bound...
Phasma laughed at his expression, "Your mother, the Princess, is going to kill you."
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The Rule Of Three
Once, Twice, Thrice To Feed
Paired With Pleasure To Fill The Need
Then Once, Twice, Thrice To Mate
This Makes A Bond, Only Death Can Break
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After writing this chapter, it kinda made me think of the Buffy episode, 'Where the Wild Things Are'… and two songs- Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nail by Poisonblack.
I am sorry to say updates may be coming more slowly than they should, your forgiveness. Thank you so much for reviews and follows, so glad people are enjoying this bit of weirdness ^_^
Translations/meanings for chapter 6 & 7:
Neo-Khuzdul (Vampire)
Darmul-Bassu = bond blood
Damul Azlâl = blood drunk
Halwâ Mahal = sweet god
yesthar-ê = my supreme partner/mate
Faroese (Gamal)
Uruk - Flesh Eaters (Orcs)
Flúgva-piltur = fly boy (insult)
Býttlingur = fool(s) (more than fools, extra foolish)
Hon-marra = she devil/ female incubus
Mín yvirstaddur konufólk = my superior mate/spouse/partner
Kærur = beloved/dear
