Author's note: pic of Liam and Amelia was added as a comment in Chapter 693: Liam's vetiver (3)
Seeing that James' lips were glistening from juices, Cornelia grabbed a napkin with the intention to make him presentable.
James enjoyed the cleaning service, but he wished that Cornelia used her tongue.
When she was done, she pushed another napkin into his hands.
"Am I messy?", Cornelia asked while pursing her lips and moving her head sideways to give him a good view.
"A little bit", James responded and grabbed her chin.
Cornelia thought that he will wipe the mess, but the cheeky werewolf kissed her right there, for everyone to see.
His tongue quickly found its way into her mouth and caressed her tongue in ways she couldn't refuse, and Cornelia gripped his shoulders to steady herself.
James inched away and looked at Cornelia who was slightly dazed. He loved that he had this effect on her.
"I think I missed a spot."
He was about to kiss her again, but Cornelia was quick to put her hand over his mouth.
"Not here!", Cornelia whispered with urgency.
She was the second-ranked witch in the Coven, yet now everyone saw her being kissed. And it was not just that she was kissed, but she was kissing him back! How undignified.
"OK. I will lick that off later", James said and winked mischievously.
He chuckled at her outraged expression that sizzled away within a second. She was unable to be mad at him no matter how cheeky he was.
Neither of them could deny the fact that when they were together and touching each other, neither James nor Cornelia worried about the uncertain future.
The witches and werewolves gathered around the fountain, eager for the ceremonies to start.
The silvery flames danced above the statue of the woman and the wolf, spilling the light over the surface of the water, making the whole fountain appear like it came out of another dimension.
Amelia and Liam were first.
Witches started chanting and the couple stared at each other like they were the only two people on the planet.
The scene reminded Talia of the ceremony that Yasmin and Axel had, but this time Yasmin was next to Evanora, adding to the chants of high-ranked witches that were led by Evanora.
Amelia and Liam stepped into the fountain, and the chants intensified at the same time when the silvery flames at the top of the fountain started dancing wildly like someone was fanning them.
Shiny ripples in the dark water started moving toward Liam and Amelia, and then the light climbed up their skin. They glowed. Literally.
Amelia and Liam faced each other, the silvery light from the fountain ignited their golden tattoos, giving them the appearance of ethereal statues.
"The heavens are blessing your union", Evanora said when Amelia's and Liam's bodies were completely lit up. "May you have long lives full of happiness."
The witches burst into cheers when Amelia and Liam kissed.
The ceremony boosted their energy levels and Liam felt a pulsating need in his crotch area. He really wanted to jab himself inside her, but he was faintly aware of all the eyes on them and he knew that it wouldn't be appropriate.
Liam lifted Amelia in his arms and carried her princess style. Everyone knew that they were going back to Amelia's room.
Amelia loved how Liam had eyes only for her, and the fact that his erection was poking her behind told her that her mate means business.
Amelia used healing spells and herbs to ease soreness from all that lovemaking, and she hoped that Liam didn't notice because she wanted to make him happy. Well, he was making her happy also, many orgasms happy, but it was getting sore later, and she didn't want him to know about that last part.
Liam's steps didn't pause in the slightest when witches surrounded them with an intention to congratulate the couple. With one fierce growl from Liam, the witches parted to make way and Amelia giggled while snaking her arms around Liam's neck. His hostile expression softened in an instant when he looked at Amelia.
Yasmin patted her chest dramatically. That was romantic and raw, and she loved it!
Talia loved it as well. The animalistic urge to claim mate was super-sexy and Talia really wished to bite Damon and mark him again. Soon.
Her eyes moved to Damon to meet his fiery gaze directed at her.
'Mate looks yummy', Liseli spoke in Talia's mind. 'I can feel Sapa's excitement. Can we go for a run after the ceremony?'
'I'm sure we can.' Evanora never mentioned any restrictions related to moving within this realm, so it would be fun to let their wolves out to explore while spending quality time with each other.
Next were James and Cornelia.
The duo moved to the fountain to face each other.
Cornelia tilted her head up to see James' face and she wondered if he was always that tall.
The silvery light reflected on his skin, making the golden designs on his pale skin shimmer, his shoulders were broad, and he didn't look like a teenager, not even a little bit.
Yasmin and Evanora took turns chanting, and even a laywoman like Talia realized that something was different compared to the previous ceremony.
The air stirring at the fountain was sharper, and the flames on the fountain grew bigger.
Cornelia and James didn't break the eye contact, and they either didn't notice that the water in the fountain was splashing around them, or they didn't care.
Cornelia could feel the energy seeping into her, and she was in a euphoric daze. It was like she had a private channel with nature, only for her to use, and she wondered if James felt the same.
The more she looked at him, the more handsome he was, and the pull toward her soulmate became unbearable. It was like her skin was on fire and only his touch could soothe it.
Cornelia realized that something was wrong. Why was she getting aroused?
She bit the inside of her cheek harshly to snap out of her daze and then her head snapped toward Evanora and Yasmin.
"What are you doing?", Cornelia hissed.
Instead of responding, Yasmin chanted with more enthusiasm.
Yasmin knew about the challenges Cornelia and James were facing, and she discussed with Evanora to add to the ceremony a dose of sensitivity. Evanora was not willing at first, but Yasmin persuaded her. As usually.
With this addition to the ceremony, both James and Cornelia had become more sensitive to the energies around them, and that included nature and their mate bond. Everything else was a side effect of that.
Cornelia looked at James as the silvery light climbed his body, following the golden patterns on his skin and she wondered what was going on with him because he was just staring at her without moving a muscle.
Cornelia feared that James' wolf will end up hurt from this. She would scold Yasmin for doing whatever she was doing, but Cornelia found herself unable to move. Was James OK? He looked like he was struggling with something.
'MATE', James heard a voice in his head and the desire for Cornelia became maddening. James was fighting against his urge to claim Cornelia right then and there, but the attraction was intensifying by the second, clouding his mind completely.
