"Sure princess, but right now I want it in you." Even though Ileus was craving to take it in her mouth, his wolf was clamoring inside to mark his mate. He leaned down and positioned his erection against her core. With one hand he guided his crown in her.

She gasped. "Ah!" He was too big for her. She squirmed a little and he allowed her to adjust to his size.

His chest muscles tensed and sweat appeared on his bulging arms as he waited for her patiently. When she seemed okay, he entered her, slowly. He hissed, "Anastasia, you don't know how long I have wished to enter you and mark you." With his hand he pressed her face to the side and his head dropped to her neck, to the point where his wolf wanted to mark her.

"Mark me Ileus," she rasped, wanting this as much as he wanted it.

He took his shaft out. "I will!" He licked his fangs with his lips, coating them with his venom and then pierced them as he drove his shaft back inside her.

Anastasia screamed not able to comprehend which was more-the pain or the pleasure.

As he thrust his erection in her, he held her in place with his fangs.

"Mine!" he let out a muffled snarl against her throat.

He continued to plow her relentlessly and after sometime, Anastasia only felt pleasure. Pain had receded in the background. How could this be? She was surely not in her right mind. How could she? She had married a vokudlak, who also happened to be a dark wizard.

His movement caused her muscles to clench again around his cock. She heard him snarl and he increased his speed. Not able to take anymore, she came all around him and he followed her in the release. His body convulsed as he released arc upon arc inside her. Once he was done, he took his fangs out and licked her over there. His venom would heal her fast.

Ileus slumped over her as their breaths became shallow. He didn't remove himself from her. He continued to move in her, slowly as his mouth went to hers. She opened up again for him and he seized it. They didn't know how many more times they chased their pleasure, but for once it was good to be free of tension and just be with each other, explore each other. When they were spent to the point of exhaustion, he glided beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. He closed his eyes. "Don't leave me, Ana... I'll die..." he murmured and then drifted off to sleep.

The sky outside cleared and sunlight cascaded through the windows. Anastasia held her ring up as the sunrays fell upon them. The ring glowed every now and then and she wondered how she would hide the glow, not that she wanted to, but what if it was needed? Would the ring glow like that in Yelgra? She touched her ring and traced the band. It was beautiful, ethereal. A smile wormed on her lips when she realized that she was wearing the ring of the man she loved and she so wanted to show it to Aed Ruad. She chuckled at the thought, waking him up.

"And what are you doing, wife?" he asked, amused. "That ring is going to stay there permanently."

"I want it to stay here permanently, my lord."

"Ah! 'My lord' sounds like music to my ears."

"Umm... I think I should call you my sex lord or sex slave. Which is better?"

"Only 'My Lord'."

She laughed. She took her hand down and looked at him. "There is something I wanted to tell you, but I want you to promise me first that you won't be mad at me."

He frowned. He propped up his head over his hands and said, "Do you know I can read minds of people and enter their cells?"

"What?" Her face blanched. Did he know about Iona all along?

"But I have rarely done that with you, and only when you felt unsafe, I enveloped my security around you."

Color returned to her face as she breathed a sigh of relief. "That just felt like an intrusion of privacy." But she was amazed that he had that ability.

"I won't do it without your permission Anastasia," he said to reassure her. "So tell me what is it that you wanted to say?" His fingers went to his mark on her neck and he lowered his head to lick it again.

"Why do you do that?" she asked.

"My venom is going to heal those puncture marks fast," he said and licked again. "Now what is it that you wanted to say?"

Anastasia pursed her lips. She looked at him and said, "You haven't promised."

"I can never be mad at you darling," he said. "Even if you kill me."

She took a deep breath and said, "I know where Aed Ruad took Iona, but I am not sure that she is still there." She stopped and looked at him for a reaction.

Ileus froze. "What?" he rasped. "You knew all along about her and you didn't tell me?" Why didn't she tell him? He got up to sit and raked his fingers through his hair.

"No, I didn't tell you, but I had my reasons."

He narrowed his eyes. "And what could be those reasons?" he asked, his tone a bit sharp.

"I wanted to meet Queen Adrianna and tell her instead of you. I wanted to bargain with this information."

"In exchange of what?"

"In exchange for helping me to get my kingdom back and to free my parents from the celestial prison," she replied. Somehow she should have felt bad about telling him about it now, but she didn't.

"You trusted my mother over me?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"Ileus, I didn't know you at that time."

"But you knew me better at Óraid!" he snapped.

"Don't be mad at me, please."

He stabbed his fingers through his hair again. "If you would have told this earlier, I would have gone to find Iona. Why did you delay?"

"I told you, I wasn't sure about revealing it. I wanted to meet your mother and then things happened too quickly!"