Barbaric

Chapter Thirty-Two

A month went by faster than I could even comprehend, and now...now was the day Delkele was going to marry Emylle. And the poor man was nervous. I didn't even have to be a genius to know that. I mean, ever since we had woken up, he had been pacing around the room, nibbling at his nails, muttering under his breath in Narakkan. I didn't blame him for being nervous. Hell, I would be too if I were being forced to marry some woman I hardly knew, just to appease her psychopath of a father. And Delkele wasn't too great in front of large crowds either, thanks to his social anxiety. So this day was definitely going to strain him, and I knew that once everything concluded, he was going to need me.

I watched the man in question stop his pacing with a sigh before dragging a tanned hand through his hair. "Everything is going to be fine," I tried to reassure him as I stood from the pod and walked up to him.

Delkele sighed once more and glanced at me, crimson gaze searching mine. "I know, I know. I'm just...I'm nervous. Obviously, you know this, but I've never married anyone before. There's apparently a lot that goes into a Narakkan wedding, and I'm terrified I'm going to screw something up." He walked closer to me and dropped his head on my shoulder, causing me to purse my lips and pat him reassuringly on his bare back. "If I end up messing up in front of hundreds and thousands of people...I'll be horrified."

I pressed a kiss against the side of his head and pulled back to look him in the eyes, hating the way fear swirled within the crimson depths. I cupped his cheek and wiped my thumb gently under his eye. "I understand why you're nervous, Del. Honestly, were I in your shoes," I glanced down at his bare feet with a chuckle, "or lack thereof, I would be nervous as well." I then pressed a kiss against the corner of his lips, causing him to huff and close his eyes. "I'm sure you'll do amazingly. And if there's a moment where you feel lost, or stuck...well, pretend Emylle is me. Pretend it's just us alone in a room, and you're telling me your vows."

Delkele opened one eye and stared at me, before he opened the other and began nibbling at his bottom lip, giving me a little peak of those precious little fangs. "O-Ok. I'll try that." A dark blush then splashed across his cheeks, causing me to swoon as a small smile formed on my lips. "It might actually help, since...you know...I love you so much and all." The last half he muttered, but I was still able to catch it as a small, amused laugh escaped me, causing me to playfully pinch the other man's nose.

"There's no reason to get so shy when telling me that, Del," I told him before grabbing ahold of his hands, "I'm not shy when I tell you that I love you. Because I do love you too, a lot. More than I have ever loved anyone in my life."

Delkele raised a brow. "What about your family?"

I snorted. "I'm meaning romantically, Del."

Delkele blushed. "Oh. Right. Duh."

I laughed one again and pressed another kiss against Del's lips, sneaking a bit of tongue in there before I pulled away and patted his cheek. "So, what does a Narakkan wedding entail? I'm quite curious to know what goes into it. Are there vows? Promises? Our bonding ceremonies include a small bit of blood..."

Delkele scrunched up his nose. "Wait, seriously? Blood?" He then shook his head. "Gods no, nothing with that kind of thing. There are vows, and ribbons and cake..."

My brows rose with interest. "Cake? Like what humans eat after the wedding?"

Delkele ran his hand through his hair and sat down on the pod, leaning back as he stared at me. "Actually, it's for during the ceremony. They're small round cakes, about as small as half of my palm," he held out his hand to demonstrate, "and after we give our vows, and after the ribbons are wrapped around our arms, we use our free hands to feed the cake to one another. It's...a strange tradition, but it's been this way since Naraka was even discovered."

I sat down next to him with interest, surprised at such a unique tradition. "Wow, that actually sounds...sweet. Almost intimate, really."

Delkele scooted closer to me and laid his head on my shoulder. "Well...one day, when Elphes is long out of the picture...it could be us up there." A small smile formed on his lips. "And I could feed you."

I laughed in delight and pressed a kiss against the top of his head, a loving warmth filling me, as the man I loved took comfort against me. "You can feed me anytime, Del. In fact," I pushed him back against the pod before propping myself up above him, a mischievous smirk on my lips, "maybe that's something we could...you know...bring to the bedroom."

Delkele blinked and raised a confused brow. "You...want me to feed you when we are intimate?"

"Not necessarily feed me, but I have heard of some lovers using food as a sort of, foreplay. I don't know, I just thought it might be interesting to try." I tilted my head as Delkele mulled it over, his crimson gaze clouded over while he thought about it.

Finally, after a moment, those eyes flickered to me, his cheeks red. "I-If t-that is something you wish to try o-out, I guess I-I could accommodate you."

I grinned and kissed him, causing him to practically melt as my tongue swirled around his mouth, gingerly poking at his cute fangs before gliding across his tongue. After a moment of making out, there was a knock on the door that had me reluctantly pulling away from my love, causing a sigh to leave the other man's lips as I went over to the door and opened it, revealing Delra.

Without even inviting her inside, she brushed me aside and walked into the room, causing Del to blush and jump out of the pod. "What are you...you're not even dressed!"

Delkele chuckled awkwardly and began wringing his hands together as Delra crossed her arms. "S-Sorry, I-I got a little sidetracked."

Delra's gaze flickered to me. "I can see that." She sighed and turned her attention back towards her younger brother. "Look, the wedding begins in about thirty minutes. Emylle is already dressed, and I need you on that stage on time. So, you need to get yourself dressed and ready, and you need to do so now."

Delkele pursed his lips and nodded, causing Delra to relax before she pursed her lips and awkwardly patted the taller man's shoulder.

"Good. Now, when you get dressed, I have a hairstylist waiting for you outside your door." She grabbed a lock of his red hair. "Definitely need to make these tangled knots more presentable. Do you ever use a brush, Del?"

The man in question pursed his lips. "Of course, I do. I just...haven't today."

Delra snorted and began moving back towards the door, before she paused and glanced back at him. "Remember, thirty minutes, Delkele!" And with that, she walked out of the room, leaving Del to sigh dramatically and move over to the plush chairs, where his "wedding outfit" was resting.

He picked up the thin fabric with pursed lips and glanced at me. "Gods, I cannot wait until this ceremony is over. The sooner I can get Elphes off my back, the better I'll feel. Not to mention, I'll get back to you sooner, and," his cheeks darkened once again, "we could try out that...that food thing."

I grinned and made my way over to him before pulling him into a sensual kiss, making him melt against me. After a moment, though, I had to pull away, especially since I knew that Del was running out of time to get ready. "Alright, Del, let's get you dressed in these things before Delra comes back to chop our heads off, or something equally as violent."

Delkele laughed. "She is quite scary when she's angry."

I pecked his cheek. "See? Now we have even more reason to get you dressed."

And with that, I began to help Delkele dress in his wedding garb, all while secretly wishing that the one he was marrying, was me.