The preparations for our wedding started. Xipe had no one to invite and neither did I. But it didn't matter. I was so excited about this.

Xipe helped the best he could, but he didn't seem very interested in choosing what we were to wear or what we were going to eat. I was doing my best with what limited tools I had. And limited time. We didn’t want to wait.

We were going to do it all in the beautiful garden behind the house. Just the two of us.

I was getting ready next to Xipe the night of our ceremony. He painted his eyes with charcoal, caught my gaze in the mirror and winked at me.

“Are you ready?” he asked softly.

“Yes. I've never been more ready.”

He took my hand in his as he rose to his feet and together, we walked into the garden. Under a tree with candles hanging from the branches, he turned to me.

He briefly looked up at the stars and smiled, before looking back at me. “You complete me. From the moment I saw you, I knew, I loved you. That I would always love you. I want all the gods and deities to know, that my heart belongs to you. My heart, my body, my soul, the very breath in my lungs. It all belongs to you.”

My eyes and throat were burning, and I had a hard time pulling myself together. “I love you now and forever. You breathed new life into me and if life ever leaves me, it'll be with you by my side. I give all of me to you, Xipe.”

He smiled widely and leaned in, kissing me. I sighed against his lips as he looped his arm around me and pulled me closer, kissing me harder. I shoved my fingers in his hair and pressed my body to his, my heart pounding right along his.

“I have a gift for you,” he murmured in between kisses.

I pulled back a little, breathing hard. Neither of us moved for a good while, just breathing the same air, our gazes locked completely.

“Gods,” he growled and kissed me again. His tongue pounded against mine and everything else melted away. Only Xipe mattered. Only his arms around me, clutching me to him as if he thought I'd disappear if he let go.

I had never felt anything as fierce as this. It was like a wave washed over me, drenching me in the sensation of his mouth on mine. Soaking me in our love.

He pushed my back against the tree, pressing his entire body to mine. I think he was overwhelmed too, but he didn't let that stop him. This man right here knew what he wanted, and he took it. I was willingly giving it all to him too, taking just as much myself as he demanded. We gave each other everything.

He pulled back and chuckled softly. “I really want to give you that gift.” We both knew what would happen if we didn’t stop now.

“Right,” I panted back.

He planted a small soft kiss on my lips and took a step back. He kept his arm around my waist, forcing me to place mine on his shoulders. I kissed his temple as we walked back inside.

He took me to the large dining room and sat me down by the end of the table.

Both Ton and Zitzi had disappeared from the house for some reason. I didn't know why. They could've joined if they wished. But I didn't mind being alone with my husband.

He pushed a little wooden box across the table and smiled. I took it in my hands and carefully opened the lid.

“You have one piece of your home, I wanted you to have one of mine too.”

I softly gasped and my eyes were burning again. A golden ring much like the ones Xipe and his siblings wore was sitting on top of a small velvet pillow.

“Here,” he said and took the ring, sliding it on my finger. “Now you're mine, just as I am yours.” He pulled up on his sleeve and etched into his skin was my name written in my runes. “Until death.”

My eyes must've been as wide as teacups. And I knew that dinner wasn't going to happen right now.

I rose to my feet and so did Xipe. He brushed everything off the table, plates, glasses and cutlery clanking off the stone floor. He grabbed me and put me up on the table, his amble fingers making sure the belt around my hips disappeared quickly. He was definitely hungry.

And so was I. I grabbed the back of his neck and got him to go down with me as my back hit the cool mahogany tabletop, pulling his top off. I snaked out of the tunic myself, him pulling my trousers off and he was on me immediately.

He grabbed my hips and pulled me down, draping my legs around his. He smiled at me before he briefly kissed me on the mouth and then going down to my throat. I grabbed his hair as his teeth punctured my skin. I moaned loudly and that made him even wilder.

While feeding his clothes almost magically disappeared, his hands clutching at the fabric, tearing it off.

“Gods, you're amazing,” he murmured after releasing my skin. He ran his hand over my ribs and I sharply inhaled, making them almost protrude my skin.

I slid my hand up in his hair and smiled as he groaned, briefly closing his eyes. They opened again and he smirked at me as he slowly slid himself inside of me. We both groaned loudly as he started moving.

It was hard to keep it together. This felt so different from all the other times. We were one now. His pleasure was mine, and mine was his. A strong bond had been forged between us and nothing would ever break it.

Xipe pressed his forehead to my chest as he dug his fingers into my ribs, his hips just pounding at me with no sense of rhythm. I buried my fingers in his hair, wrapping it around my knuckles so I knew it would pull on his scalp.

His voice came out high pitched. He moaned against my skin, trying to smother it but if anyone were in the house, they'd hear us. They definitely would hear us. But I didn't care. I never wanted him to not sound exactly like that.

He growled like an animal and stopped abruptly. He found his release before I did and that had never happened. Either he didn't find it, or I did first and he kept going. But… He found it first now. He slowly lifted his forehead up and met my gaze. I smiled at him and then pushed him downwards. He chuckled and kissed my stomach on his way down. He almost purred as he took me in his mouth. My back arched without my permission and my knees bent. My toes curled and I had the hardest time containing myself and not act like a fool.

My husband's mouth went slowly up and down the length of me, taking me all the way, undoing everything in me. And he just kept slowly going, slowly guiding me towards the release I had been longing for since we finished the ritual. And then I found it. With him.