Binding Rituals?

Random spontaneous moments like that never happened anymore. At least not without interruptions, so to find ourselves naked in bed an hour later was unprecedented. Alex was leaning against the headboard with his hands behind his head while I laid my heard across his stomach pressing tender kisses to the soft skin.

“What Ryan said earlier, it’s not true is it? We don’t want to suffer together do we?” Alex asked as a hand fell across my shoulder and rubbed soft circles against the rough skin there.

I shrugged. “I don’t think so. But he had a good point.”

Alex chuckled. “The binding ritual?”

I nodded and pressed a kiss to his stomach again. “Instead of a wedding. It’s like a wedding, he whole gathering with witnesses…” I rolled on to my back to look up at Alex, “But there is sex involved. Like public sex.” The look on Alex’s face told me he hadn’t known. “Ryan didn’t mention that part.”

“He said he was in his early twenties when it happened so a long time ago,” Alex said. “What do you know about it?” he asked though I was pretty sure he was more interested in knowing where I heard my information from.

“I just know that it is how Ant was conceived. Cari can’t bear children she died – a real human death, that’s how she became a vampire. But something about the magic allowed the conception to take place. The binding ceremony cements the bond in the traditional consummation of what is now a wedding – the honeymoon so to speak. Except it’s a part of the ceremony.”

“So how does that work with us?”

I shrugged. “No idea. I can’t get pregnant.” I grinned at him. “And I’m pretty sure you can’t. Unless you are hiding something from me.”

Alex laughed. “Yeah I’m hiding a twat you haven’t found yet. I mean you are sort of obsessed with my cock.”

I grinned. “I’m obsessed with all of you.”

Alex smiled. “And I love that. I just wish you’d let me worship you like you do me. I’m so worked up by the time I’m coherent again there is so little time.”

“You need to learn to wait, babe,” I poked fun at Alex. “But I love that I make you crazy.”

“I do too. So you’d want to do this?”

I nodded. “If you do,” I said. “I told you forever and always, Alex. A bond, stronger than the one we share would be awesome. To know you were safe, and not in pain would be good.”

“You’d think that would happen?”

“Yeah. The bond is a mystical connection. We’d share parts of each other, and I assume that means our powers, our emotions, along with our lives.”

“So I’d be able to do what you do?”

I shook my head. “Not exactly, but maybe. More like see what I see, heal a little better. You don’t have the latent talent to bend the elements, but maybe I don’t know.”

Alex grinned. “So how do we do this?”

“I’ll talk with Ant. I need to get a wicca here anyway to work with me on that rune for Hunter. He can’t have all his sight gone, just the bad stuff.”

“You think that’s possible.”

I nodded. “I do. I think the book will help if I ever get a chance to take a look at it.”

“Could it help you? Ya know keep you contained without losing control. I know that scares the shit out of you.” Alex was running his fingers over my chest and I was getting distracted by the touch.

The door opened and Jin dropped her gaze. Alex didn’t even bother covering me up like he usually did, there was no point in it, Jin had seen us in more compromising positions before. “I ordered pizza for dinner, so the two of you could spend more time together. But the prince of darkness and his mother are waiting for you.”

I sighed. “I’ll be there soon,” I said.

Jin closed the door and Alex leaned down to press a kiss to my lips. “Duty calls.”

“As always.” I got up and started getting dressed. “What are you going to do about Quinn? I mean other than keeping her here. You are keeping her here aren’t you?”

Alex slid to the edge of the bed. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. All I want to do is kill them.”

“I know,” I said. “Did you at least call her mom to tell her she’s safe?”

Alex looked up at me and frowned. “No. I can’t talk to her. I’ll just yell and that won’t get us anywhere.”

“So send her a text, or an email. Or have Sage do it,” I said. “Wouldn’t you want to know your daughter is safe?”

“They will say I kidnapped her.” Alex frowned.

“I’d call New York CPS and tell them what happened. Get them to assess the situation and then they could contact her parents and the other state’s CPS could do their thing,” I suggested.

“You’ve done this before?” Alex asked.

“Most wolves that get caught in New York are pack less – runaways who don’t know they are wolves and when they change they make a mess of things and that’s what we do with the minors.”

“How many teenagers have you see turn, I thought they didn’t until their mid twenties.” Alex asked.

“Yeah, there are some gangs that attack kids for sport. They try to induct them immediately, but some of them run away before they can. It’s not common, but sometimes it happens. And there are accidents all the time.”

“That’s horrible,” Alex said.

“It is. But the human government can’t do anything, and the Venatori don’t care, it’s pack business, even though they are targeting kids and humans the Venatori don’t care about that crime, only the one when they make themselves known to the world.”

“A bunch of hypocrites.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “We don’t get many in New York, we try to work with the locals as best as we can. Be easier if we could speak openly, but Adrian and I can’t really do that. But I have a CPS contact if you want her name. She can help keep things discrete.”

Alex pulled on his t-shirt, during our conversation we’d both gotten dressed. How boring of us, there was no fun looks shared. Oh I saw everything earlier pretty boy, and I will again soon. I promise.

I smiled at the lust filled thoughts in my head that weren’t mine. He sighed, “Why are you helping me after the way I treated you?”

“Because you are my fiance, and everything we do we should do together.” I shrugged. “And I said I wouldn’t fix it, I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you.”

“Same thing.” Alex frowned. “I’m sorry I’m an ass. I just want to protect her myself. Everyone’s always running to you like you are some magic pill.”

I grinned. “Alex, baby, I run to you when I need help. You are my rock, my light house, the strength and light in the darkest night. I need you.”

Alex pushed me away. “You are so cheesy.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me back against him and kissed me hard. “I’ll see you before midnight, I’m going to make those calls.”

I nodded. “Good luck.” I didn’t need to ask if he needed the numbers, he just fished them from my head.