The small chapel was like something out of a medieval movie. The soft candle-scented was humid but warm and inviting. The walls were made of misshapen rocks and mortar, with the former covered in a light dusting of moss. The only light were the multitude of candles laced throughout, some even sitting in erratic holes in the worn rocks.

At the front, where the altar would normally set, was a semi-circle of cloak-clad figures, their faces hidden by the large hoods pulled low. Olivia counted thirteen and almost laughed. Still not entirely sure why she’d agreed to go through with this whole farce, she hooked her hand through Samuel’s pro-offered arm and allowed him to lead her down the narrow aisle father-and-bride style.

She wore her own robe, made entirely of white opalescent scales that clacked softly as she walked. It appeared as though the garment had been coated in millions of tiny pearls but she’d been told they were minute scales taken from one of the Old Ones’ tombs, as was custom.

The hood lay open against her neck, the soft downy fur occasionally feathering against the bare skin on her nape. Totally nude underneath, she padded barefoot down the rose-petal-strewn floor and stopped a few feet short of the center figure. He or she - she wasn’t sure which - held an ancient tome in their hands, open to a page with colorful illustrations and writings.

Old hinges creaked loudly, the noise echoing wildly throughout the sacred space. A tall figure, clothed in a black robe entered the room and moved across the floor as if he floated. Olivia knew instantly that it was Jaxen.

He lifted the hood from his head and their eyes met.

The priest raised his head, allowing his own hood to fall away and motioned for them both to approach him. Once they stood side-by-side, the elderly man began chanting in a language she’d never heard before. Occasionally he’d pause for Jaxen to utter something in response.

After a few minutes of this, the priest pulled a long, silver blade from the folds of his robes and sliced it quickly across Jaxen’s forearm. He turned toward Olivia and Jaxen motioned for her to offer her arm to the blade as well. She winced as the cold steel cut into her flesh and watched as a thin line of blood welled in the tracks.

The priest placed Jaxen’s forearm against Olivia’s, their wounds lining up exactly and pressed them firmly together, allowing their flowing blood to mix. A rush of tingles erupted in the wound site and had soon spread through the entirety of her body.

“You are now one,” he announced and replaced his hood.

The entire ceremony took less than ten minutes. But maybe it only felt like minutes ago to Olivia. Two massively large men escorted the newlyweds to Jaxen’s bedchambers and then turned to stand sentinel outside the door.

“They’re only there to make sure no one disturbs us,” Jax explained softly. “This part of the ceremony is sacred and not to be rushed.” He then advanced on her with a hungry gleam in his eyes.

Olivia had mere seconds to brace herself before she found herself wrapped in Jaxen’s arms. With quick, deft fingers, he managed to open the clasp at the neck of her robe and toss it somewhere over his shoulder. He repeated the same motions with his own and then they stood chest to chest, naked as the day they were both born.

“I have to look at you,” Jaxen murmured huskily and took a step away from her, but keeping a firm grip on her biceps. She wondered if he thought she’d bolt and run if he didn’t keep a firm grasp on her.

His hands on her arms gentled and he tucked a finger under her chin, prompting her to look up at him instead of the floor.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured huskily. “So lush, curvy and beautiful,” he repeated and leaned down to press his lips against hers. Olivia’s arms instinctively went to his neck. Heat pooled in her core and she almost moaned out loud. She was more than happy with her body, but no one had ever made her feel as though she was desirable. Being larger than most girls used to bother her, but after enlisting in the Army and completing her basic training, Olivia was proud to have that little extra. It made some things more bearable.

“I didn’t want this,” Olivia blurted and prepared herself for a confrontation when Jaxen stilled.

He pulled away and stared into her eyes, his head tilting sideways in a quizzical look. She inhaled sharply when she noticed that his brown eyes had lightened to the purest yellow like honey. His pupils had elongated vertically and his fangs peeked out through his parted lips.

A small ball of fear coiled in her belly and she waited for him to lose his control. Instead he shook his head slightly and chuckled.

“Oh, believe me sweetheart,” he rasped. “This isn’t something I wanted either. You received your orders just like I got mine.” He took her hands in his and gently swept his thumb back forth across the backs of hers. “We all answer to someone higher up, don’t we?”

Her brows furrowed in confusion at his declaration. But instead of offering anything further, Jaxen dove back in for another kiss.

Olivia decided that just for once, she’d do something crazy and unplanned. She’d followed orders and married a perfect stranger, but for some odd reason, this stranger ignited a fire within her she’d never felt before. Her mind screamed for her to get to the bottom of this; to question everything until something made sense.

But just this once she decided to throw caution to the wind and listen to her heart. The traitorous organ thrummed in contentment and urged Olivia to let go of all the rules and structure. It begged her to let Jaxen do what he wanted with her; as long as he continued to make her feel good.

Jaxen knew the moment reason lost its war with pleasure. Olivia’s body relaxed from the taunt line into a puddle of neediness.

“That’s it,” he coaxed her gently. “Just let go and be. I’ll make sure you never regret following orders.”

His hand snaked down the curvy contour of her body, stopping only when he’d reached his destination. His hand cupped her bottom, the motion forcing her body closer to his. Her eyes snapped up to his when she felt his hardness pressing into her.

“What the hell,” Olivia murmured in surrender and poured herself into kissing him, her lips hungrily devouring his. “We only live once,” she finished and shoved him backward until he lay sprawling on the plush surface of the king-sized bed.

She moved up the expanse of his body and then sat, straddling him, the heat of her core burning into his lower stomach. He reached up and palmed both healthy breasts, his thumbs brushing across her nipples and she moaned in response.

“Do you always have to be in charge?” Jaxen inquired huskily. To which she merely smiled and ground herself against him playfully. This time it was Jaxen who moaned.

In a flash, he bucked her off him and had her pinned underneath him, the warm weight of his body pressing hers into the soft mattress.

He thrust his hips, his long, thick shaft entering her in one fluid motion and she gasped in delight. She let him set the motion and then rushed to meet him thrust for thrust. With each reunion of his body into hers, the tension within her built higher and higher until she felt like she’d climbed Mt. Everest. Her lungs burned from the panting breaths whooshing in and out of her lungs.

She felt him swell within her, knowing that meant he was only seconds away from his release. She reached down and grabbed two handfuls of his tight, delectable butt and pulled him harder and faster into her; her fingernails no doubt leaving scores along his tight globes. The moment she reached her own blissful peak, her body clamped down on his and Jaxen moaned low in his throat. He then bent to piece the soft skin of her neck with his fangs.

The sweet-painful heat flooded her system, maximizing her orgasm to a level she’d never experienced before. She pressed her eyes closed tightly and sighed when fireworks burst behind her eyelids. Her body convulsed over and over as she rode wave upon wave; shocked when it seemed to go on forever.

“Is this what it’s like being with a dragon?” Olivia gasped as a searing heat bloomed in her stomach.

“It’s our mating,” Jaxen whispered in her ear from where he still lay sprawled atop her. “It may get uncomfortable, but don’t fight it, just let my essence sweep through your veins. It means we’re becoming one. Our DNA is mingling and mine is supercharging your dormant genes.”

Suddenly, along with the fire sweeping through her veins an unfamiliar sensation also blossomed inside her heart. Could it be love? She wanted to scoff at her insane notion. They hadn’t known each other long enough for that and yet when she thought about spending the rest of her life with him, she wanted to smile. Simple elation filled her. Was it possible?

A sudden piercing pain ripped through her body and her back bowed violently off the bed, successfully tossing Jaxen to the floor like a weightless rag doll.

“What’s happening,” Olivia demanded and then screamed as another flash of torture tore through her flesh.