Morning came with little fanfare. The scent of mint and sandalwood greeted Mira as she awakened. It was still storming outside, and the howling wind seeped through the cracks and whistled down the chimney, chilling the room.
The fire had died out some time in the night and the window panes were foggy, but ensconced under thick down quilts Mira felt nothing but warmth.
She was lying on her side, facing the gradual brightening of the dawn. From behind without a single word he embraced her. She was soothed by the steady rhythm of his breathing, and lulled into a false sense of security from the steady beating of his heart.
Rationally, Mira knew that Zander was just her husband as a stopgap measure to deal with the issues of this world. She did not blame him. It was not Zander's fault that she accidentally fell into his world.
She also did not question his reasons for making her his temporary wife. She was simply grateful that he somehow had figured out a way to do so, and to do it with enough conviction that even his own parents, not to mention the Emperor of Jade Kingdom, would accept that they were married, without any ceremony, or even advanced notice.
She went along, acting as his wife because he made it so easy for her to fall into the role. But Mira knew that sooner or later, once she returned to her world, it would all be over. There was nothing long-term about this.
She could not remain here permanently, and he had a kingdom to rule.
He was breathing gently, with one arm tucked around her waist. She reached out and touched his hand.
"Good morning, wife." His soft voice was barely a whisper. "You're finally awake."
She could feel his lips grazing on her ear, traveling down the nape of her neck. Then he gently kissed the still-visible bite mark. "In the dull light of morning, our bite marks are a wickedly matched pair."
Mira smiled. So this was what it felt like to feel safe in the arms of a man.
Her feeling of safety was suddenly disturbed when he started kissing her.
"Zander…" She gasped.
"Hmmmm?" His voice hummed as he clamped his teeth on her skin and suckled hard, leaving a dark mark.
Suddenly, his movements increased with an intensity that, mere seconds before, had been lying dormant. His lips and tongue began consuming her skin like a starved wolf devouring his first prey in ages.
As his kisses hungrily moved over her nape, he made new dark red kiss marks on her shoulders and back.
Mira gasped with pleasure. "Aren't you supposed to be energy-cultivating...or something like that?"
"Energy cultivating?" He nibbled her ear. "What's that?"
"Mister High Wizard!" Mira raised her body up onto one elbow and turned to look at him. "You're supposed to be abstaining from all this."
Zander laughed. "I'm only touching my wife. A man is allowed to touch his wife, yes?"
"We're not really married, Zander, so--no!" She tried to remove his fingers.
"Who told you we're not really married?" With one quick motion, he pulled her back down onto the pillows.
Mira pushed against his chest. "Didn't you say we were supposed to pretend to be married while we were in Ashrya so you could avoid having to marry the Princess of Topaz?"
"Hmmm. Did I say that?" he paused to plant more kisses on her neck. "My brain is a bit foggy at the moment…" he continued to trail kisses onto her face. "I haven't slept at all. My beautiful wife has been in my arms all night long, and I have not dared to touch her because I didn't want to wake her up. I am at the end of my limits."
She squeezed her eyes shut. "Then let me remind you. We're not really married." She struggled to escape his arms, but they were like steel vices, clamped around her body.
"Hmmm??? Then who's the Mira Lee that's registered in the Tamein family registry as my Primary Wife?"
"What? When did that happen?"
"The night you came into my room and tried to seduce me, and quite successfully, I seem to recall. I was drawing up marriage papers at that time."
Mira clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes. Wasn't that a bit much? "Aren't you supposed to have an officiant sign the proper documents for it to be legal and binding? You can't just write someone's name in a family registry and call it good."
"Hmmm. But I did. And who's powerful enough to stop me?" His strong arms crushed her body into his.
"You...you put me in your family register? I don't remember signing anything."
"You don't need to sign anything when there is a royal decree that has been handed down." He whispered gently into her ear and then nibbled on her earlobe.
"Royal decree? What--Royal decree?" Mira squeezed her eyes shut. His lips felt so good, she was barely able to keep her mind on their conversation.
"Hmmm. MY Royal decree. I made it myself. I even stamped it with my ring." He proudly boasted.
"You--you made your own royal decree?" She panted furiously. "Is that even legal???"
"But of course. Who do you think dictates the laws of the land?"
"I thought it was the Emperor…"
"Do you think your husband is just a straw man? My parents and uncle have no choice. They have to accept the fact that you are my wife." He licked her shoulder. "So, like it or not, you are now and forever, the Princess Mira Lee, of Tamein."
"Your homemade back-of-the-napkin decree isn't even legal." Mira scoffed valiantly, trying to keep her body from betraying her with its desire to be loved by this man, but it kept reaching for his touch despite her best efforts.
"Didn't I tell you that in this world, my word is law?"
"Zander," Mira wiggled her body, trying to escape his vice grip. "You're supposed to be emptying your brains for the next major download of data from the Universe. This is the complete opposite of that."
"Woman, I have been awake all night long thinking about your sweet flesh. I am a starving beast." He released her body, and in one move, had straddled her from above. Then he slowly lowered himself until his face was inches from hers.
"I cannot stop myself," He mumbled against her skin, "Even if I fail and lose everything, I need to feel you, to touch you. Damn it! I need to taste you!"
"What are you doing. Zander…"
"Ahhhhh," Mira mewled, shivering with delight as his tongue darted in quick successions, building up waves of desire coursing through her body.
The more she quivered and moaned, the more insatiable desire built up within him. She felt his warm breath. "Madly, intensely, beautiful." His deep, muffled voice, rumbled. "My sweet wife. You don't know how beautiful you are."
He rose and placed his body over hers, "I want you..."
"Not yet." She shushed him with a kiss. "We will consummate our union, I promise you this. Just not yet."
He sighed, raising his head and gazing deeply into her eyes. "Hold still for me then. Just for a few minutes more. I want to capture this moment into my mind, to keep and hold forever."
Then, he gathered her into his arms and held her still.
There were no more words.