Chapter 796 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY (9)

Jedrek looked at Lilac, eyes filled with pure affection. He felt his racing heart skip a bit once he heard her last vow. With a single word which meant she accepted him while smiling beautifully at him, she could relieve him from all of his worries.

"Jedrek, do you promise to always cherish and protect your mate?" Torak had shifted his attention toward his brother now.

Jedrek looked directly into her eyes and remembered how he had killed her before. "Yes," he said in solemn voice as he regretted his previous actions. He would protect her from now onward.

"Jedrek, do you promise to stay by your mate's side all the same, through the times of both light and darkness?" Torak asked his brother again.

Jedrek had put her in the dark and tried to chase her away from his life, but Lilac always found a way to him again.

"Yes," Jedrek replied.

His blue eyes bore into Lilac's. He silently promised to himself that he would give her everything. Everything he ever had, he would offer it to her.

Torak then nodded to Sebastian and Eaton as the two of them crouched down to scoop some water into their cupped hands before they splashed it on Jedrek's and Lilac's shoulder, which wetted their clothes and dress.

Lilac shuddered lightly when the cold water cascaded down from her shoulder to her spine.

Afterward Jedrek stretched out his hand and pulled Lilac closer to him, he raised their entwined hands and turned around to face their people.

"Long live the king!" Torak's voice boomed inside the throne room.

"Long live the king!" the mass of people repeated.

"Long live the queen!" Torak spoke even louder.

"Long live the queen!" the people followed after him.

Jedrek kept Lilac closer to him until the echo of the audience faded. However, this was not over yet. The next thing that was going to happen was what had been worrying Lilac the most.

After the echo of the people hailing their names died down, Jedrek turned around to face Lilac and ever so gently cupped her face between his big palms and lowered his head to kiss her lips.

His broad back, slightly covered Lilac's face while she closed her eyes and relished their kiss. The kiss didn't last for long time, but it took Lilac's breath away.

Jedrek finally gave her a peck in the end of their kiss before pulling backward and smiled softly at her. Lilac had never seen him looking at her this way before.

Did he truly love her now?

Jedrek brushed his thumb against Lilac's lips, he looked at her deeply when she bit her bottom lip nervously.

Afterward Sebastian and Eaton stepped forward and untied the white ribbon. They took Jedrek away from Lilac, creating a distance between them and Lilac didn't like it when she lost the warmth of her mate.

This was the only part of the long ceremony that Lilac couldn't understand why they have to follow this kind of cruel tradition?

Sebastian and Eaton brought Jedrek a few meter away from Lilac and practically ripped off Jedrek's shirt, leaving his molded torso exposed.

Lilac found herself unwilling to rip her eyes away from Jedrek's perfect body. His body was rippling with muscles, though he didn't look like a muscular man, she could clearly see that he was absolutely a man in good shape. If Lilac was not too nervous or for the fact that she knew what would happen next, she would have drooled over those juicy abs. That was truly a s.e.xy sight to behold.

However, this was not the right time for all of that. With her meager knowledge, she couldn't even appreciate the sight before her eyes without being worried.

Another three men came into the throne room, through the door where Lilac walked in. They brought a round plate made of metal which carried a white sizzling metal rod on top of the burning coals, from which white smoke could be seen floating into the air, indicating how hot it was.

Lilac fidgeted when the three men walked closer and finally stopped in front of Torak, who was standing next to Lilac. They put down the round metal and then they walked away to the other side of the room.

Torak moved forward to take the white hot metal rod and walked toward Jedrek.

On the royal seat, Raine stood up and looked at the scene unfolding before her. Unlike Lilac, who had been told about the rundown of the event, Raine was completely clueless about what Torak was about to do until his voice, once again boomed in the throne room.

"In the name of the moon goddess!"Torak shouted as he pressed the rod onto Jedrek's left shoulder.

Upon seeing that, Raine covered her eyes and yelped. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she wanted to stop Torak from doing that.

Her mate now was lifting the rod and rotated it. She saw him pressing it again against Jedrek's left shoulder.

"Jedrek Donovan!" Torak shouted loudly and the people inside the room repeated after him.

Raine was about to move forward when Calleb held her elbow and kept her in place. He whispered to her urgently.

"Raine, you can't do this," Calleb loosened his grip because he didn't want to hurt her.

"Call, Torak is torturing his brother," Raine protested in low voice, her eyes locked onto Torak's figure, who once again lifted the rod and pressed it again against the same spot on Jedrek's left shoulder.

"Lilac Donovan!"Torak's voice echoed throughout the room along with the other people's voice.

"No, Raine." Calleb shook his head. "This is their tradition."

Raine turned around and looked at Calleb sternly. "This is a torture," she hissed and grimaced when she watched Lilac's worried expression. It seemed the other guardian angel was aware about this, thus Raine relented.

On the other hand, Lilac wanted to avert her eyes when she watched how the hot rod marred Jedrek's shoulders. Her fear escalated when she realized that the rod was actually made of silver. It wasn't metal, but silver! How he could do that?!

When the rod stroke his shoulder for the fourth time while Torak shouted something that Lilac couldn't comprehend, she lifted her eyes and her gaze met with Jedrek's. His blue eyes stared intently at her.

Lilac could see how Jedrek's muscles tightened and contracted violently against the silver, but his steely gaze didn't falter from her face.

She really wanted to rush over and scream at the top of her lungs at Torak to stop this!