FALLEN ANGEL: MARRIED TO THE DEMON KING-Chapter 121: THE COMPLETED BOND (1)

Her sex throbbed with need so raw, so much so that she was sure if he brough tup the topic of him taking her in the battlefield, she would agree.

However, she was stronger than that.

Arella grit her teeth and clenched her fists at her sides, forcing the heat to remain in her cheeks and not seep lower, forcing it to not curl around her resolve like smoke and destroy it. It was not the time, she reminded herself, even as Varziel’s fingers brushed against her lower back, playing with the material of cloth that covered her body.

His touch igniting sparks under her skin.

"Focus," she repeated, though her voice was slightly hoarse this time.

Varziel raised a brow. "Are you saying that to me, or yourself?"

"Both," she muttered, pulling back just enough to create a sliver of distance between them—a sliver that did absolutely nothing to cool her thoughts. Varziel pulled her back, not allowing her that breath of fresh air that she needed so painfully.

Still, Arella forced herself to take in a deep breath, then another. When she was finally sure that her voice would not betray her, and she would not be begging Varziel to pin her to the ground and take her in all ways he wished, she began to speak again. She kept her gaze down as she spoke. "What I mean by speaking of finishing the bond, I am speaking about completing the thread that connect us. The thread that exists between us is unfinished, and until it is completed, we will not be able to use our power to its full capacity."

Arella looked up at him, at the eyes she felt were always glued to her. "I did not understand it before, but now... I do. It is more than just using our power fully, it is about weaving what was once separate into something singular."

Varziel was silent, looking into Arella’s eyes. Something had changed in his angel and it was very clear for him to see. However, he would not ask. Not until he was sure she was ready to share it with him.

Just the simple fact that she was ready to completely mate with him had him overjoyed. It was too soon for her to have the same unwavering love for him as he did for her. But that was alright. He would wait, he was a patient demon.

"So the power to close the vortex will require you and I to be connected with the bond?"

Arella nodded at his question.

Varziel knew it. She was not agreeing to the bond because she had suddenly fallen in love with him. No.

It was because of the duty she had as an angel. He did not know much about the duty itself, just that angels took pride in the duty to protect the world. He looked at the halos that hovered above her head. They were different from the one that he was used to, but they were beautiful nonetheless. The Arella that was looking up at him was doing her work, protecting the weak.

Still, he could not refuse her, he never could.

He never would.

Varziel lifted her hand gently, pressing his lips to her knuckles. "Then let me do my part too," he murmured, his voice low and serious now. "Not as your mate. Not even as your lover. But as someone who believes in you more than I’ve believed in anything else."

Arella’s throat tightened at that. She had been prepared for teasing, for resistance, maybe even a battle of wills—but not this quiet, unwavering acceptance. Not this tenderness that was beginning to unravel her heart. However, if she really thought about it, this is how he always was. He had made it clear that he was firmly on her side, and come what may that was not going to change.

Arella was not even sure what she was expecting if not the same unwavering trust in her that he always seemed to have.

"I’m sorry," she said suddenly, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Varziel blinked, surprised. "For what?"

"For using the bond as a means to an end," she confessed, her fingers tightening around his. "I told myself it was necessary. That it was for the demon world. But... I also knew you’d say yes. Because you always do. I just have this need to protect the realm that you rule over."

Varziel was silent for a moment longer.

"I trust you, Arella." He gently cupped her face with both hands, "If binding our souls together forever is what it takes to stand against this threat, then I will do so without hesitation." He pressed his forehead to hers, "and do not think that I am not taking this opportunity to bind us together. I am much more sly than I look, my angel." He pressed their lips together for a brif moment.

Arella’s breath caught for a moment, both at his sincerity and at the power that hummed in the air between them. It responded, not to him, no to her, but to both of them. It pulsed faintly.

Varziel pulled back slightly, just enough to see her face. "Arella," he said softly, brushing a stray curl from her cheek. "Are you sure?" This was the last chance he was giving her to put a stop to what they were about to do.

Arella’s gaze was cool as she nodded once, the movement small but certain. "I am."

Varziel’s lips twitched with a very small smile.

"We must do this now," Arella continued, "I do not think Cassie can hold the attackers back for much longer."

"Then we make this fast, but not rushed," he murmured, and cupped the side of her neck, tilting her face so her pulse was exposed. "We honor it."

The air around them thickened as a mix of holy power and demonic energy stirred in response to their intent. The halos above Arella’s head shimmered more brightly for a moment before settling into a soft golden glow. Their light pooled around her shoulders, casting them both in a quiet radiance that seemed to mute the chaos.

Varziel lowered his head to her neck, his lips brushing the skin there first, a reverent kiss to the place he would mark. His breath was warm against her throat, his fingers steady against her waist.

"It might hurt," he warned, voice lower now, more guttural. She affected him in ways that he could not explain. "But only for a moment. I will hold you through it."

"I’m not afraid," Arella replied, her voice a breath of wind against his ear. "Do it."

Varziel’s demon nature flared—his eyes glowing with flickering red hue. His fangs elongated and his gums throbbed with painful need. His restraint was admirable, even now, when she had offered herself willingly, he still had half a mind not to hurt her. Then, with one final glance into her eyes, he sank his fangs into the delicate skin at the curve of her neck.

Pain flared—sharp, hot and immediate—at the point where he had bitten. Arella gasped, her hands flying to his shoulders to brace herself. The bite wasn’t deep enough to maim, but it was deep enough to draw blood, enough for power to surge out of her in instinctive defense. And yet... she did not push him away.

In fact, her knees had gone weak, like jelly, and the world around her spun. There was no one else in the world apart from the two of them. Nothing existed in that moment apart from the two of them. The need to have his length pulsing inside of her grew larger, and Arella wished they were in the confines of their room where she would push up the skirts of her dress and sink herself onto his shaft.

As the blood welled and Varziel drew just a taste, there was a pulse.

Not from her body, but from the space between them.

A radiant light burst from her skin around the bite mark, searing not with flame, but holy resonance. Varziel groaned softly against her neck, overwhelmed by the sensation—not of pain, but of being _filled_.

Being filled of her essence, which was bleeding into him, pure and bright and vast.

Varziel was drunk in the feeling of being connected to her in this way.

He was like a man stranded in a desert and she was the oasis in the middle of it all. He craved more, more than what they were getting.