Page 107 of Leviticus
“Because,” he prompted, his eyes fixated on me. He was with me, right there with me as I worked to say the words we both needed.
“Because I love you. Because I trust you.I trust you because you haven’t treated me the way I expected a husband to treat a wife. You haven’t treated me the way my father treats my mother, or the way my brother-in-law treats my sister. It’s so different. Night and day different. You treat me as your equal. And not just some of the time, but all the time. Even as I kneel, I am your equal. I am your equal because you aren’t taking that submission. You aren’t demanding it and stealing it from me. You take the gift that I offer to you. And I give you that submission, giving you all of myself to look after while we play so that I can give up and give in to your Dominance and feel just as whole as I do when we are just Levi and Ruth. It’s the most astounding thing that I never knew I always needed. I always needed you, Levi.”
Myeyes felt wet with unshed tears of joy and mirrored his. I felt like I could see into his very soul.
Then, leading me into an open space between the kitchen and the dining room table, he said the words I had not known I was longing to hear.
“Kneel for me, Ruth.” His voice was thick with emotion, his eyes welled with unshed tears that matched my own.
I lowered myself to my knees, moving into the position that he had taught me, the position that I had come to find peace and tranquility in.
“Today, I want to formalize the commitment to each other that we began weeks ago. Not when we stood before the congregation of the Follower of Zion, but the commitment we began here in this very home when we made the agreement to meet each other with respect, with honesty, and with transparency.”
His words took my breath away. Was this really happening?
“But in formalizing our commitment to one another, we must also acknowledge its place amongst the other commitments of our lives. I am asking you to commit yourself to me and make me one of the highest priorities in your life, but just as you commit yourself to me as your husband and as your Dominant, I also ask that you commit a vow to yourself, as a woman, as my wife, and as the hopeful future mother of our children. I ask this of you because you have worth, Ruth Temple. You alone, without any service, without any contract, and without anything else, have worth in simply being the beautiful person you are. Do you accept these terms?”
His words floored me, and I answered with every ounce of sincerity I had within me.
“I accept.”
“I promise you that I am committing myself to you and making you one of the highest priorities in my own life, second only to the children we may someday have. Do you accept this promise?
“I accept.” The words that passed my lips were the utter and complete truth, solidifying the love I felt for this man.
“Today, I wish I could offer you a collar. I will have one for you soon. So until then, please know that I offer you the promise of a collar and with it, my love. I will promise to love and guide you, to protect and honor you in everything that I do. In return, I ask that you honor me, and honor our bond in all things that you do. I ask that you promise to give me your love, your honesty, and your commitment; to put us first in everything you do. Do you accept?”
“I accept,” I promised, breathless with the weight of emotions his words carried; full of the love in his words.
“I don’t know how much of the Bible I believe that at this point in my life, but in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 it states two are better than one; because they have good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Levi took a deep breath, steadying himself as he continued.
“In binding ourselves to each other, we recognize that we are not merely making a commitment between two individuals. We have hopes for a family someday, however those families look. As we intertwine our lives, so too do we intertwine theirs. In recognition of this, I promise to put our family first and to work together with you to build a world that is better than the one we were given. To build a future that is worthy of the children we may someday have. Do you accept this vow?”
“I accept.” My eyes held his as tears poured down both of our faces. These vows were far more real, far more binding than anything we had uttered in that church all those weeks ago. It was my turn to speak.
“I bind myself to you today, Leviticus Temple, promising to be your partner for life. I promise, above all else, to live in truth with you and to communicate fully and fearlessly. I give to you my submission, my obedience and my heart. May it be a sanctuary of warmth and peace. I pledge my love, devotion, faith, and honor as I join my life to yours. Whatever is done by only me, is your doing, my love and my Sir. I fear no fate, for you are my fate, my love.” My words cut off on a sob as the words carried me away in this poignant and vital moment.
“Sir, I humbly accept the promise of your collar as a symbol of your ownership of me. I promise to appreciate your truth, rest in your strength, and excel in your care. To you I pledge my love, obedience and servitude. I know that in your hands, I will be looked after and tended to with the utmost of care. I know that I will receive both the affection and discipline that I require. In return, I offer to you the gift of myself. Thank you for allowing me to serve you in the way that we both desire. Thank you for allowing me to be yours.”
“Just as the lighthouse stands as a beacon for ships so let the love and strength we share light our path and set an example for others to follow. I shall love you all of my days, Ruth Temple,” Levi’s voice took over, cementing the bond we committed ourselves to that night.
“Come with me, my love, my wife, my Beloved.”
He led me down to the playroom, where we cemented the bond we had made, where we had put action to the promises and words we had made. To the vows we had spoken that rang more true than any we had said on our wedding day.
CHAPTER24
LEVITICUS
I laid there in bed that night, after I had spoken words to my wife, my submissive, that I had never planned on speaking. Well, I had dreamed of finding a submissive of my own some day, to have a dynamic that lasted more than a handful of months or a specific amount of meetups at Abditory. But this? I don’t know if even I had concocted a dynamic like the one Ruth and I had officially begun this evening.
She was everything I could have ever dreamed of and more. I truly thought that if I had sat down with whatever higher power did truly exist and asked him or her to make me the perfect submissive… I’m not sure that even such a deity could have created the union we now shared.
I had not expected her to say the words she had said tonight, to ask for more. After all had been said and done, and the scene was over, we had laid in bed together, discussing everything we wanted our dynamic to look like. We had discussed all the things we wanted our marriage to potentially look like. The way both of those things intertwined, ebbing and flowing together like some masterful dance, had made me joyous beyond compare. She was truly a woman like none other. She was perfect. Flawed, fierce, feisty, and absolutely perfect for me.
We were perfect for each other.
As I let sleep take me over, I thanked the stars above for bringing this woman into my life. I would do everything in my power to never give her a reason to leave. No matter what the future would bring us.
