Markings in Our Vicious Oaths: Blood Bites, Vulnerability, and the Bonds They Forge
What Are Markings in Our Vicious Oaths?
Markings are the bite wounds exchanged between fae lovers during sex, specifically when blood is drawn. In the world of the novel, they are far more than love bites: they are a form of magical binding. As Kadeesha explains in Chapter Twenty-Four, blood exchanges during heightened passion can intermingle both parties' magics on a transcendental, metaphysical level, opening a two-way channel between their life forces and inner wells of magical power. This grants each participant uninhibited access to the other's life force and power moving forward, and it can irreversibly bind the two together.
The practice is heavily shunned in the southern courts where Kadeesha was raised. Among southern fae, even spouses married for centuries do not bite each other during sex. But in Malachi's northern Apollyon court, the custom carries different weight. Malachi reveals that his own parents wore Markings and were made stronger by them, suggesting the practice is less ostracized on the northern side of the Yunnas. This cultural divide shapes how each character initially reacts to what they've done.
How the Markings First Form
The Markings originate in Chapter Twenty-Three, during Kadeesha and Malachi's first sexual encounter. As they climax, their magic spontaneously intertwines around them—his void magic and her aether forming ribbons of black and purple. In that moment, Malachi bites her neck, and she bites his in return. The act is impulsive on both sides; Malachi later admits he did not scheme to do it, describing the urge as uncontrollable while inside her.
Kadeesha's reaction in Chapter Twenty-Four is immediate alarm. She recognizes the danger: the Markings expose her to a vulnerability she has never allowed. She is careful about what power she relinquishes in casual encounters, and now she has given Malachi access to her life force. Her fear is compounded by suspicion—she wonders whether Malachi manipulated her into this state to expand his might. Malachi counters that the Markings are a two-way passage: she has equal access to his power, and he would never willingly yield that to anyone.
A Symbol of Mutual Vulnerability
The Markings function first and foremost as a symbol of mutual vulnerability. Both Kadeesha and Malachi are powerful, ruthless figures who guard their autonomy fiercely. Kadeesha has spent her life under her father's control, facing an arranged marriage to Rishaud, and she is determined never to surrender power again. Malachi is a conquering king who has killed his own family members to secure his throne. For both of them, the Markings represent a crack in their armor.
The physical sensation of the Markings reinforces this. When Malachi kisses Kadeesha's Marking in Chapter Twenty-Four, she describes it as being struck by a lightning bolt that delivers endless waves of pleasure instead of agony, whether she wants to feel it or not. The Markings create a pull between them that operates independently of their conscious intentions. Kadeesha feels an invisible thread tugging her toward Malachi when she tries to put distance between them. This involuntary draw is precisely what makes the Markings dangerous: they bypass the careful control both characters maintain over their emotions and decisions.
The Markings as Strategic Tool
Despite the danger, the Markings quickly become a strategic asset. In Chapter Twenty-Four, Malachi notes that when Rishaud catches wind of the Markings, it will drive him insane. Kadeesha's betrothal to Rishaud is a central conflict of the novel—she has been promised to him since childhood, and he has used the prophecy of their union to claim power. The Markings signal to the world that Kadeesha is claimed by another, undermining Rishaud's position.
This strategic framing does not erase the underlying vulnerability, though. Malachi's comment that they will deal with the Markings when the need arises carries an unspoken acknowledgment that the Markings are a problem neither of them knows how to solve. They are useful now, but they are also a ticking clock.
The Markings and Physical Compulsion
The Markings create a physical compulsion that both characters struggle against. In Chapter Twenty-Eight, Malachi explains that he has been staying away from Kadeesha because the Markings have intensified an attraction that was already dangerous. When they finally meet, touching each other's Markings produces violent physical reactions—Kadeesha's whole body shudders as she cranes her neck to give him better access, and Malachi's answering shudder is equally intense. He curses and pulls his hand away, but the damage is done. The Markings make it nearly impossible for them to maintain the emotional distance their political situation demands.
This compulsion extends to the wedding ceremony in Chapter Thirty-Five. During the ceremony, Kadeesha experiences a brief vision of herself and Malachi together, which she attributes to their shared Markings. The vision is disorienting—she is yanked out of her own body and sees how right they look standing before the cleric. She shakes it off as an annoying effect of the Markings, but the implication is clear: the Markings are forging a connection that goes beyond the physical.
The Markings and the Wedding Bond
The wedding ceremony in Chapter Thirty-Five deepens the Markings' significance. Malachi produces jewel-handled daggers, and they cut each other's palms, mingling blood in an ancient binding rite. This is a separate ritual from the Markings, but it operates on similar logic—blood exchange as binding. After the ceremony, they kiss and bite each other's Markings, and a storm of aether and void magic erupts around them.
In Chapter Thirty-Six, Kadeesha bites Malachi's Marking again during sex, and he responds by coming inside her. The Markings have become part of their intimate vocabulary—a way of claiming and being claimed. When Kadeesha declares her body is his, and Malachi's internal response is a litany of mine, the Markings literalize this possession. They are a physical mark of ownership that both parties have consented to, however reluctantly.
The Markings and Pregnancy
The Markings also have practical consequences neither character anticipated. In Chapter Twenty-Nine, Yashira explains that the Markings disrupted Kadeesha's fertility tracking, which is why she did not realize she was pregnant. The magical bond between Kadeesha and Malachi has interfered with her body's natural rhythms, another way the Markings erode her autonomy. Kadeesha's plan to terminate the pregnancy—and Malachi's decision to bring her the tea himself in Chapter Thirty—shows how the Markings have entangled their lives in ways neither of them can easily untangle.
The Markings and the Novel's Themes
The Markings connect to several of the novel's central themes. They are a form of binding promise, similar to the oaths, bargains, and binding promises that structure the political relationships in the book. But unlike a spoken oath, the Markings are involuntary—they bind without fully informed consent. This connects to the theme of bodily autonomy and reproductive agency: Kadeesha's body has been controlled by her father, by Rishaud, and now by the Markings. The Markings represent another form of external control over her body and her magic.
The Markings also speak to the moral cost of vengeance. Kadeesha and Malachi are both committed to destroying Rishaud, and the Markings serve that purpose. But the cost is their own autonomy. They have bound themselves to each other in ways that complicate their plans to kill each other once Rishaud is dead.
For Kadeesha, the Markings are a threat to the freedom she has fought to claim. For Malachi, they are a reminder of his parents' bond and a vulnerability he never intended to accept. The Markings tie directly into the novel's exploration of power, rulership, and legitimacy, as well as the prophecy as a tool of control that has shaped Kadeesha's life.
Study Questions
1. How do the Markings function differently for Kadeesha and Malachi given their cultural backgrounds?
Kadeesha comes from the southern courts, where Markings are heavily shunned and considered a long-abandoned practice. For her, the Markings represent a catastrophic loss of control—she has never relinquished power in a sexual encounter before, and the Markings expose her to a vulnerability she finds terrifying. Malachi, by contrast, comes from the northern Apollyon court, where Markings are less ostracized. His parents wore Markings and were strengthened by them, giving him a more positive frame of reference. He is less panicked about the Markings' existence, though he still acknowledges their danger. This cultural divide shapes their initial reactions: Kadeesha's fear and suspicion versus Malachi's relative nonchalance.
2. Why does Kadeesha suspect Malachi of manipulating her into the Markings, and how does he respond?
Kadeesha's suspicion stems from Malachi's established ruthlessness. He has killed his own family members, coerced her into coming to his court, and plans to absorb her kingdom into his. She cannot rule out the possibility that the bite was a calculated maneuver to gain access to her power. Malachi responds by pointing out that the Markings are a two-way passage—she has equal access to his life force and magic. He also insists the bite was impulsive, driven by desire rather than strategy. His frank admission that her scent, voice, and entire being hold him prisoner is one of the few moments of genuine vulnerability he shows.
3. How do the Markings complicate Kadeesha's plan to kill Malachi after Rishaud is defeated?
Kadeesha's plan to kill Malachi is central to her character arc. She is determined to reclaim her autonomy and refuses to live under any male's control. But the Markings create a bond that makes this plan increasingly difficult to execute. The physical compulsion draws her to him against her will, and the vision she experiences at the wedding suggests the Markings are forging an emotional connection she cannot fully suppress. The Markings also give Malachi access to her life force, meaning killing him might have consequences for her. The Markings represent the tension between her stated intentions and her growing feelings.
4. What role do the Markings play in the novel's exploration of bodily autonomy?
The Markings are a direct challenge to bodily autonomy. Kadeesha's body has been controlled throughout the novel—by her father's arranged marriage, by Rishaud's prophecy, and now by the Markings. The Markings operate without her full consent; she bites Malachi in the heat of passion, but she does not understand the consequences until afterward. The Markings also disrupt her fertility tracking, leading to an unplanned pregnancy that she initially plans to terminate. The Markings represent the ways in which bodies can be bound to others against one's will, and they force Kadeesha to confront the limits of her control over her own body and magic.