4The Star Queen
Chapter Six: The Marking Ritual
"Make love to me Natsu… Make love to me and give me your mark, make me yours for eternity."
He paused his ministrations only long enough to give her a wolfish grin that stole her breath away, and in the next moment his lips were everywhere, his hands caressing every inch of her skin. His surprisingly skillful fingers made their way behind her back, arguing a bit with her bra before finally getting those pesky little hooks to release. He stopped to take in the sight of her exceptionally large chest, he had never allowed himself to openly stare at them the way he was now, at first it was because he was trying hard not to pin her beneath him and ravage her the way he knew he wanted to. Then it was because he was nervous about marking her and making her his forever, but now he was kicking himself for not paying attention to her the way he had wanted to all those years.
She was beautiful, perfect in every way, and devoted only to him.
His lips ghosted over the hollow of her throat, earning a soft moan from her as she arched into him. He wanted this to be slow, knowing that when she lay fully naked beneath him, he would have to start the process. He undressed her in a slow and sensual pace, easing her panties over the crest of her hips as he nipped at the newly exposed flesh. His dark eyes found hers, while they were half-lidded with pleasure, he was relieved to see her smile and nod at him.
A sign of her acceptance and permission.
Slowly, he turned her onto her stomach and brushed her hair away from her shoulders, then sat with his legs around both sides of her hips. Her back rose and fell softly with each breath she took, and a light shudder went down her spine as his fingers lightly traced over her skin. He kissed her shoulder when he felt his primal side take over, his skin donning its draconic scales and his fingers turning into claws. Internally, he steeled himself for what he knew was going to hurt more than anything she'd ever experienced before, then he let his fingers move instinctually over her back, allowing them to make the first cuts. Surprisingly, she didn't immediately shriek in pain. Lucy bit her lip and whimpered into the pillow as waves of burning agonizing pain lanced through her body, the flesh of her back screamed at her as he continued to draw the initial shape of her mark.
However as one of his claws began to carve down the length of her spinal column, she found that she could no longer keep herself from screaming. The pain was everywhere, blocking her mind from focusing on anything but the agonizing sensation of his flame-laced talons carving into her skin. She wished he could stop for even a moment, just to let her catch her breath, but she knew that if he did the mark would forever be incomplete and it would never heal or turn into their Mate Mark. Tears poured freely down her cheeks as she felt the burn of his fire intensify, and with his full weight on her hips she couldn't roll away from his claws. The carving suddenly stopped, but the paralyzing pain of her wounds continued to throb as blood dripped down her sides. She felt his weight shift forward, and for a brief moment she foolishly thought it was over, but when his hands gripped the backs of her wrists and pinned her fully beneath him she felt her heart stop. His next words were spoken softly, almost apologetically, since he didn't need the full power of his magic.
"Fire Dragon's Roar."
Without hesitation all new pain blossomed throughout her entire body, she felt every nerve ending explode in agony as the wounds on her back allowed his magic into enter system and scorch its way through her blood vessels. Slowly, his breath attack ended. The shaking and bleeding form of his wife beneath him almost made him retch, but he knew deep down it would fade when they finally made love. Her screams soon subsided to whimpers and her tears turned into sniffles as the majority of the pain melted away as the wound on her back quickly began to close, the fresh pink scarring on her back a positive sign that she was ready to begin the final step to becoming his mate. Tentatively, he began to kiss the pink marks on her back, testing the waters. He was gratified to hear her sharp intake of breath as she found that it didn't hurt in the slightest to be touched, slowly she turned over to face him, nervousness written all over her face.
"It won't hurt anymore Luce… I promise."
Not trusting herself to speak yet, she merely nodded and reached for him. He kissed her slowly and passionately, knowing that she might still be achy so soon after the incisions were made. Her confidence grew the more she found she was able to move without pain or discomfort, and the more he touched her the more turned on she became. The mark was amplifying her bodys pleasured reactions while suppressing the negative ones, something she greatly appreciated. She pulled him down on top of her, raking her nails down his back and arms as he growled and ground his hardened member into the space between her legs. Before too long she was begging for him to touch her. Gently, he ran a finger through her folds, smirking when he felt how wet she was. He head lolled back as her mouth opened in a wordless moan, and as he entered a single digit into her she felt herself shiver. Slowly he began to play with her, adding another two fingers here and there, fully enjoying the sounds of her whimpers and the expressions of pleasure she wore on her face.
He leaned forward suddenly and licked her clit, a predatory smile pulling at his lips when she gasped loudly and gripped the sheets beside her more tightly. That was all the affirmation he needed to begin his assault on her, his fingers moved faster as he licked and nibbled on her clit. He could feel her walls contracting as her orgasm reared up and claimed her, and as her juices spilled into his hand he found that he couldn't ignore his own need for an orgasm anymore. Shedding his pants and his boxers in one swift motion, he climbed back between her legs and positioned his throbbing member at her ready entrance. He watched her groan as he slowly pushed his cock into her, then he pulled her hips a bit closer until he was sheathed within her to the hilt. As much as he wanted to make the first time slow, he quickly discovered that it was damn near impossible to ignore the steadily building urge to come. He thrusted into her hard and fast, quickly gaining a rhythm that they both enjoyed as her second orgasm began to build.
He let himself pull out of her almost completely before slamming back home and pounding into her even harder, his fingers found their way to her clit once again as her cries grew louder. As much as he desperately needed to come he was determined that she did before him. As her cries reached their peak, he found himself pulling her up and onto his lap as he bounced her on his cock. She quickly buried her face into his shoulder as her nails dug mercilessly into his back as he brought her over the edge, the feeling of her clamping down around him was more than he could take. As he filled her he pumped one or two more strokes into her until he couldn't bring himself to lift his hips anymore, and as he laid back on the bed he pulled her into his embrace so they could catch their breath.
Natsu and Lucy laid there in the warmth of each other's arms for the rest of the night, and when Natsu woke up in the middle of the night for a drink he gingerly eased her under the covers and smiled at the blissful expression she wore. He laid beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist, kissing her shoulder lightly before succumbing back into his slumber. Lucy woke first, the early morning rays gently seeping into their room through the open balcony doors. Gingerly she sat up in the bed, testing her limbs to see how sore she was from the ritual and their first time. When she found she was only a bit sore from the previous night, she smiled and stood. Throwing on her white silken summer nightgown she'd bought last time they were in Crocus she made her way into the kitchen to make herself a pot of Earl Grey tea, careful to take it off the burner before it screeched and woke her husband, she poured herself a cup and went out to the balcony to enjoy the warm air and gentle breeze.
She was outside for no more than ten, fifteen minutes, before the gentle hand of her mate found its way to her hip. She smiled softly and turned around to kiss him, leaning into the comfort of his embrace. She felt a tendril of worry creep into her mind, as though someone had whispered 'Are you well?' in her ear. Frowning she tried to figure out what her brain was attempting to grasp, and it was only until she felt the rumble of his laughter that it clicked in her head. She was feeling his thoughts, his emotions. She stared at him in wonder and let her emotions consume her, sending them along their mark and watching his eyes light up as her own reply whispered around his brain. A sudden swell of emotions burst through her, a fast moving string of everything he was afraid - or unable - to tell her.
The two of them stared at each other for a long moment, wonder and awe whispering through their minds as they spoke to one another through their mark. They waited for the big finish, in every story they read they found mention of the Soul Tether that their Mark created between two mates. When the mark was fully developed, the Soul Tether would form and merge their souls together, making it impossible to live without the other. They watched each other expectantly, waiting for the moment when their souls touched, waiting for them to merge and share. Lucy was the first to feel it, the first to feel the way he felt for her. When Natsu felt it, tears pricked his eyes. For so long he had feared that deep down, she was afraid of his dragon side, that she feared he might one day hurt her in a fit of rage.
By the gods he was so wrong.
She worshipped him, she trusted him with every fiber and atom in her being. She loved him for who he was, the good and the bad, and most of all she loved his nature. He was so foolish to think that this beautiful creature could ever be afraid of the thing she loved most, that she would ever fear her dragon. He slowly sunk to his knees before her as the pain from earlier whispered into his chest, but then was suddenly replaced by the adoration and contentment and pure unadulterated bliss she felt right now. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he buried his forehead in her stomach, sobs shaking his body. Calm radiated off her in waves, singing through their mark and helping him relax a little as her hands gently smoothed his hair and her fingertips ghosted over his scalp. For some reason this simple action felt impossibly good, it felt like he'd been stuck out in the sun for too long and her fingers were cool droplets of ice-cold water, and suddenly he understood exactly why Lucy always fell asleep when he would do this while she laid in his lap on the couch.
"Natsu?"
"Hmm?"
"What happens now? Is there anything else we need to do?"
He thought about it, and to his knowledge they'd done everything necessary for the Marking Ritual to take full effect. He shook his head, then lazily looked up at her.
"Not that I'm aware of… But I think we should both take a shower, my hands are covered in dried blood and I'm pretty sure your back is too."
Lucy blushed softly as she remembered the previous night's activities, and nodded in agreement. She gently kissed him and made her way back inside, when she reached the bathroom she shed her nightgown and hung it up on the hook behind the door. As she passed the massive mirror she stopped, her body held so many bruises, and as he'd said not a moment ago her back was coated in dried blood. Her eyes passed over her mark, then suddenly snapped right back to it. She was awestruck by the beauty of it, the design reminding her of a phoenix spreading its wings. The mark spanned the entire length of her back, with the upper tips of the design stopping just before the curve of her shoulders. It was made of interwoven curves and points, each part falling either above or below the upper portion of the mark. The end points stopped at the cusp of her hips, forming a lazy upside down 'V' from the tail ends of the deep red curves that fell symmetrically on either side of her.
The color scheme was a deep dark red that was layered over the mesmerizing gold of her part of the mark, the reds were outlined in gold and the golds in red. That bit confused her for a moment, then as her brain caught up with her she suddenly understood why. They both provided each other with unwavering love and protection, completely unafraid of sacrificing themselves for their mate.
It would make sense that their Mate Mark would reflect that in both its colors and it's design.
The awe coming from her end of the mark eventually drew him into the bathroom, where almost immediately his eyes fell on the mark that spanned the length of her spine. His breath caught in his throat as he too suddenly understood the meaning of their mark, and as his eyes brimmed with tears he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her shoulder apologetically. He couldn't ignore the blood that covered her back, not matter how beautiful the mark was. He guided her into the shower after he shed his own clothing, letting the water run down her front as he washed her hair for her and lathered her body to rid her of the dried blood. Once she was clean she turned and with an impish smile, began to do the same for him. His hands were coated with it, it was caked under his nails and crusted over his knuckles. Slowly she worked her way up, cleaning and lathering his body with soap as he merely smiled lovingly at her. Careful to keep her nervousness in check, she waited for him to lean his head back to clear the shampoo from his hair before quietly sinking to her knees in front of him.
She hadn't forgotten about how he'd coaxed her into her first orgasm, and she was absolutely determined to give him the same attention. Once the soap had cleared away from his body, she quickly leaned forward and gently took his cock in her hands, he jumped slightly then let out a groan as her tongue lapped at the tip before slowly sliding him into her mouth. She let the rhythm come to her naturally, her hands bracing themselves of either side of his hips to keep him from bucking forward unintentionally and ramming his cock down her throat. The sounds of his moans and the way he struggled to keep himself upright spurred her on and gave her quite the confidence boost, before too long she was swishing her tongue along the underside of his shaft as she bobbed her head back and forth, fully enjoying the way his face grimaced with pleasure as he tried not to rip her away from his dick and shove her up against the wall so he could fuck the sense out of her. However the moment she decided to relax her throat and take him even deeper into her mouth, he found the the urge to do so was no longer able to ignore.
Grabbing her by her golden hair, he yanked her up and spun her into the wall in front of him, stepping between her legs he ran the head of his cock up and down her folds. She shivered slightly as she felt him enter her ever so slightly, looking back at him in irritation when he suddenly stopped with only the head inside her. The carnal smirk on his lips made her quiver in anticipation, and the way he gripped her sides only enhancing the desire that now swept through her in waves.
"It's a very bad idea to tease a dragon Luce…"
Needless to say the water was quite cold by the time they got around to getting out of the shower.
Hey guys!
As promised, here is the other chapter for you with all the steamy details and the much-anticipated lemon. If I need to explain the mark a bit more thoroughly PLEASE let me know, I can't fix anything if nobody says anything. By all means, point out flaws and issues with my story. I WELCOME THEM.
I would like to take a moment and let you guys know that I'm moving to California with my girlfriend next week, so this is a bit of a cushion to - hopefully - keep you guys happy while we settle in so that i have some time before I start writing the next chapter. I apologize in advance for the lack of updates, bear with me here guys, I'm trying.
As Always,
BlackRose999
