Ryophlira POV

I forced myself to bridge the distance between us, each step in my heavy bridal gown. As I approached, Yue-Senn slowly slid his right hand out of his trouser pocket, extending it toward me in a silent, commanding offer. I took it without a second thought. I needed him, even if he was the very monster who had just disassembled my life.

The moment our fingers locked, he led me out through the towering doors.

A deafening wave of sound hit us immediately. Thousands upon thousands of people from the kingdom lined the streets, erupting into ecstatic, earth-shaking cheers.

As we walked down the grand palace steps together, Yue-Senn deliberately slowed his natural, pace, matching his stride perfectly to mine so I wouldn’t trip on the heavy, cascading of my train. Hand in hand, we put on a flawless show for the masses.

From the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of motion beneath the deep shade of a sprawling tree far off to the side It was my sister. She stood entirely alone in the shadows, her posture stiff as she watched our descent from afar, a silent spectator to the execution of her own political future.

Yue-Senn didn’t spare her a glance. Reaching the bottom of the steps, he casually waved his free left hand. Ki-ri materialized from the crowd instantly, stepping forward with a lined case. Inside rested three big blue gems, teleportation crystals.

"Where did you get those?" I asked, my voice laced with genuine puzzle. Ever since the borders of the Southern kingdom had closed, teleportation crystals had become a mythical rarity in the West, nearly impossible to procure on the black market.

"Your parents gave them to us as one of their many wedding gifts," Yue-Senn replied smoothly, a dark, rich undertone of amusement in his gravelly voice that sent an unwelcome shiver straight down my spine. "But don’t worry, darling... I have already prepared your personal wedding gift for when we arrive at our true home."

My eyes narrowed as I tracked the swirling, blue magic that suddenly burst out of the first crystal as Ki-ri shattered it, ripping a glowing, tear in the fabric of the air. "Why are we using teleportation crystals?" I demanded, looking from the tear back to his unreadable face. "Riegthar said we were traveling by road to the North. I thought we had a two-day journey by car."

Instead of answering me with words, Yue-Senn’s fingers tightened around mine like a steel trap.

With a sudden, aggressive jerk of his arm, he spun me inward. My heavy layers of dress twisted around my legs as my front slammed hard against the solid, unyielding wall of his chest. He stepped directly into my space, his broad-shouldered frame completely blocking out the bright afternoon sun, enveloping me entirely in his shadow. I was trapped between his body and the roaring magical rift behind him.

He leaned down, his face burying into the curve of my neck, his lips brushing against the highly sensitive shell of my ear.

"There is no need for such a long journey," he murmured, his voice a low, vibrating growl that echoed directly through my bones. His breath was hot, entirely intoxicating against my skin. "...when we need to get started on making an heir."

Before a gasp of outrage could even form in my throat, his tongue swiped deliberately, slowly against my bare skin.

A sharp, breathless moan caught instantly in my windpipe. Panicking, a wave of pure electricity tearing through my core, I frantically clamped my left hand over my own mouth, my heart hammering against my chest. The sheer intimacy of it stripped me bare. My parents were standing just yards away on the upper terrace. The guards were watching our every movement. The streets were packed with commoners, families, and young children staring at the royal display. Worst of all, my sister was still staring from beneath the tree, her expression twisting into a look of pure, betrayal at our public display of lust.

A sudden, terrifying weakness flooded my limbs, turning my knees to absolute water. I hated myself for it. I hated how my body reacted to his touch. When I frantically brought my free hand up to push against his heavy shoulders, my fingers completely betrayed me instead of shoving him away, they clenched, burying deep into the dark fabric of his tuxedo jacket, squeezing him tightly just to keep myself from collapsing.

Yue-Senn smirked against my neck, feeling the tremor running through me, thoroughly enjoying the internal havoc he was wreaking.

He pulled back just enough to look at me, bringing his large, heavily tattooed right hand up. His long, thick fingers wrapped gently but firmly around the front of my throat. He didn’t squeeze to cut off my air, but the possessive, suffocating weight of his palm forced my chin up, pinning me in place and pulling my face a mere inch from his.

"Darling, are you blushing already?" he whispered, his eyes burning into mine with a wicked, heat that made my blood run hot. "I haven’t even told you all I want to do to you just yet... Filling every single hole, starting with the one right here, is of great importance, don’t you think?"

He leaned down the final fraction of an inch, his lips pressing flat and heavy against mine in a bruising, soft kiss.

The moment his skin touched mine, the humiliation and the desire locked in a vicious war inside my chest. I snapped. I clamped my jaws shut and bit down hard, sinking my teeth straight into his bottom lip until the sharp, metallic taste of his blood burst across my tongue.

Yue-Senn recoiled slightly, a sharp hiss escaping his teeth, but he didn’t pull away completely.

I tilted my head up, my eyes blazing with a deadly, quiet fury, but I forced a brilliant, blindingly beautiful smile to my face so the cheering crowds would think we were merely sharing a blissful, intimate joke.

"Kiss me like that again," I whispered through my beautiful, fake smile, my voice dripping with embrassment asnd hate, "and the next thing I sink my teeth into will not be just your lips. I will tear you apart from the inside out, honey."

Yue-Senn stared down at me, the blood from his lip smearing slightly. Instead of anger, a dark, thoroughly thrilled expression crossed his features. He slowly ran his tongue over his bottom lip, tasting his own blood, his eyes flashing with a dangerous, unchecked hunger that told me he welcomed the challenge.

He slowly let go of my throat, his thumb wiping a stray drop of blood from my lips, his touch lingering just a second too long.

Turning his attention back to Ki-ri and the crystals with a sharp flick of his wrist, he shattered the remaining two teleportation crystals. Two massive, towering rifts of swirling blue and white ice magic tore open, stabilizing into giant gateways that opened directly into the heart of the Northern kingdom.

He turned to face his people. "The portal to the left is for all the knights, maids, and guards who will be joining the Northern royal family," Yue-Senn commanded, his voice booming over the cheers of the crowd. "The portal to the right should be loaded immediately with our resources the grains, the food provisions, and the wedding gifts we are taking back."

As the soldiers immediately sprang into motion, a heavy, suffocating weight pulled at my chest. I couldn’t stop myself from looking back one last time toward the palace steps.

Riegthar was standing there. His face was twisted into a mask of pure, murderous hatred as he glared at Yue-Senn, but when his purple eyes shifted to me, they filled with a profound, crushing disappointment. He truly believed I had betrayed him. That I was complicit in this lie.

My throat tightened, tears threatening to spill. Looking at my brother, I silently mouthed three words: I love you.

He didn’t blink. He didn’t wave. He just stood there, turning into stone.

Before I could break down, Yue-Senn took my hand again, pulling my attention forward. "Time to go, wife," he murmured, his tone shifting back to that possessive, dominant tonr.

He led me straight toward the center teleportation door. The moment we neared the swirling white vortex, the heavy, humid air of the West vanished, replaced by a sudden, blast of biting, sub-zero arctic wind that whipped my veil wildly around my face.

Before the cold could even penetrate my gown, Yue-Senn used his massive right arm to sweep me off my feet in one fluid motion. He lifted me bridal style, my body securely against the furnace of his chest, and walked straight through the flashing portal.

The world spun in a blur of blinding white frost. When my feet finally touched solid ground again and the magical wind settled, bracing myself for the barren, desolate wasteland of ice the rumors always spoke of.

But as I looked out at the scene before us, my breath caught in my throat. What I saw was absolutely nothing like the rumors had said.