by Wells, Juno
The man whispered in awe, “Praise be to the gods. My prayers are, once again, with you.”
Within minutes, his interview was in every data stream. Bradon sat in his lounge nervously wondering how the females were faring and if Grace was managing to control the situation. Suddenly he found another feed from the data stream. It appeared to be Grace having the time of her life. She was smiling, happy, and joking with the women. The Davarian females were teasing her about finding his stone. Everyone seemed so happy. No wonder priests were thin on the ground at his estate. Most of his staff was somehow on the human ship with Grace. That would be Ralon’s doing, no doubt about it. Still, he trusted the older priest to do as he thought best in this situation. His priests were serving drinks, passing around platters of food, and even grooming the ladies’ hair.
Bradon snorted a laugh. Poor Ralon was definitely pulling his load today. He noticed males in the background. Squinting, he saw they were human males. He enlarged the data stream and could see them setting up tables with equipment for cutting stone. They seemed to be setting up a long row along the back perimeter of the room. He smiled that they were all business today and pulled back out to watch his Queen.
Grace began speaking and the room hushed. “I think we should apply some organization to the order in which we chose stones. Let the youngest go first. I know I am the oldest because I spent many solars in my sleep pod, making me twice as old as most of you.”
There were giggles from the females. Ralon walked up with his arm around a very young female.
Grace took her hand and asked, “How old are you, precious?”
The shy girl found her voice and replied, “Seventeen.”
Ralon walked the young girl through the process that they’d set up. “How sweet you are, youngling.” Escorting her over to an overly complex machine, he sat her down at a seat. When she sat the seat gave no bounce, as human seating didn’t hover like Davarian furniture. She sat with a plop, looking embarrassed.
Ralon and Grace stood on either side of the youngest member of their group. “Look, this is the way of choosing, young one. We have a grappler on the outside of the ship. In fact, we have installed several dozen. You use it to grab a stone. If you concentrate really hard, you can feel the energy the stone gives off. It should draw you to the stone belonging to your true love. You don’t have to be any certain age to feel the connection, but you must still your soul and concentrate. Take as long as you like. When you feel the energy, grab. The gods will see that you get the right one. Do you understand?”
The girl nodded nervously. Ralon guided her hands onto the grappler’s control levers. The room went quiet. The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She waited for what seemed like an eternity then quickly snatched a stone. She pulled it through the decontamination portal, and within moments it came rolling through a slot and into a bin which was clearly designed for that purpose.
She picked it up and said, “By the gods, do you feel that? The rock sings to me.” She put Ralon’s hand on it, but he shook his head. “No one but you, can feel the frequency, little one. You did well. If the rock sings to you, you have found your one. Now we make a prayer circle, and if you pray, it will lead you to the one you were meant to be with.”
Grace murmured. “We’ll make you a necklace, but I already know who the rock belongs to.”
Ralon’s eyes narrowed and he insisted, “My lady, I’m sorry but that is not possible.”
Grace rolled her eyes and turned the rock over. There was a name carved into it. It looked like Graih with the mark of one of the Davarian great houses.
Grace turned to the camera. “Hello Graih. If you are watching, I’d like to introduce you to your new mate. She is beautiful, and I am certain you will have a long and happy life. Also, you are clever boy for carving your name into the stone. It does make finding you so much easier.”
Ralon grumped, “That is not supposed to be how the process works.”
Grace murmured respectfully, “All ways lead to the same outcome.” The women laughed and began lining up at the grapplers.
Bradon was amazed at the speed at which the females chose their stones. Most seemed extremely happy. Some few seemed to think they had made bad choices. Hour after hour they pulled stones through the decon portals.
Bradon watched the spectacle unfold and was pleased by how Grace fussed over the females, ensuring each got what she wanted from the experience. Their feed was augmented by interviews with the participating female’s families. There was even an interview with the clever young male who’d inscribed his name onto his stone. The youth was embarrassed but pleased with himself, as he was eager to meet his new mate.
The day flew by, and then it was nearing nightfall. There were less than ten females left. All were mature, at least in their mid-twenties. They were picky girls who spent a long time at the controls. For some reason they had private conversations with Grace and as time dragged on, a favored member of their families arrived to support them during their choosing. It seemed that his lovely bride-to-be “left no stone unturned” when it came to pleasing the females in her group.
Her sister tinkered with the grappling machine prior to each of the remaining women using the device. It did not come as a surprise that a hastily constructed machine, built for a singular purpose might need adjusting after being used so many times in rapid succession.
When each woman hauled her stone in, everyone gathered around her. The entire planet was held spellbound as they watched each female run her hands over the stone and proclaim it her one.
For some reason Bradon found himself getting caught up in the process, hoping against hope that each female got a stone that spoke to her soul. He laughed at himself for becoming a hopeless romantic. Had it been such a short time ago that he had lost all hope of finding his mate?
Suddenly, it was Grace’s turn at the controls. Bradon was on the edge of his seat as he watched Grace’s sister tune the machine one final time. She nodded to Grace and she gripped the controls with shaking hands.
He wrapped his prayer circle around his hands and prayed harder than he had ever prayed before. Bradon could almost feel her anxiety. No wait, that was his anxiety. The more he concentrated, the more he felt another emotion. It was certainty. His eyes flew open as he realized his Grace knew with one hundred percent certainty she was going to pull his stone. His gaze never left his beautiful mate. She was stunning today. She had her hair pulled up and studded with gemstones. Her long white silk gown clung to every curve. Grace was the goddess personified in his mind. No other female would ever do, after knowing her. She was sweet, innocent, sexy, and funny.
She absolutely spent forever at the controls with her eyes closed. Micron after micron ticked by, and just when he was giving up hope, she quickly snatched a stone. As she pulled it in, his breath caught in his throat. He might be able to tell by looking at the stone. Most males cut their stone right down the middle forming two long semi-circles. Bradon had cut his the opposite way leaving two large round fat semi-circles. It would not be conclusive evidence, because many cut this way in the old days.
Grace turned around and lifted the stone up for all to see. It was cut as he had cut his stone all those many eons ago. He brought his prayer circle to his lips and kissed each bead in turn. He thanked the gods for just having the chance to be her one.
He watched as she gently caressed the stone. The look on her pretty face was pure love and devotion. He knew the look because she had given it to him before. She held the stone above her head and said in a loud voice, “This stone sings the song of my heart. I can feel it. I don’t yet know for sure who it belongs to, but its resonance feels familiar to me. Whoever you are, my love, know I’m coming for you.”
Her words tore right through him like nothing he could have imagined. His chest swelled and his cock hardened. He could feel every square inch of his skin tingling. Bradon looked down. His stone was warming to his touch. It shimmered for a brief moment.
Come to me, my love. I will never be foolish enough to let you go again.
He watched as Ralon assisted her making her prayer circle. The old priest made a point of not touching the stone any more than he had to in order to assist her properly. When her ship was returning to the launch pad, he opened a com channel to the ship and asked for her. He watched on the data stream as she took his call. She put him on a large screen and all the ladies gathered around.
“Greetings to all. It is my honor to congratulate you on selecting your stones. You did a fine job. May they guide you to your happily ever after.”
They all sighed that he has used the Earth phrase to describe it.
“I wanted to extend to you an invitation to a celebration at the Great Hall of Awakening. I have invited eligible males. We had so many requests to attend, that I had to cap the number at two thousand. I am sorry, but it is all the Great Hall can accommodate on short notice. If you will land your ship on my private landing strip, my priests will accompany you to the gardens.”
That offer earned him squeals of delight all around. Grace was beaming at him. “Thank you, my friend. We would all love to attend your celebration. Dare I hope that you managed to find Graih? His love mate would be so disappointed to miss him.”
Unable to keep a smile from his face, Bradon replied candidly. “I am told he is present already. He has been very excited for most of the day. The priests say he has done the work of about three men to assist in preparing for our gathering.”
Grace’s laugh told him how pleased she was by that information. “So does the stone I chose look familiar, my love? You know, I am hoping against hope that the stone I chose is yours.”
Bradon’s breath caught in this throat, to be addressed so lovingly, and so publicly. He nodded, “I cannot be certain from looking, but I did cut my stone horizontally instead of vertically like most males do. That gives me cause to hope, my love. Let the will of the gods be done in this matter.”
Glancing at the mature group of females, she murmured, “Or the will of women.” They beamed knowing smiles back at her.
Before he could ask about her cryptic response, she concluded their conversation with a fond farewell. “I will see you soon.”
20 Soul Mates
Bradon
Bradon signed off from watching her feed on the data stream in favor of preparing for the night to come. After a long bath, he laid on his sleeping platform staring at his prayer circle. He searched his soul one more time, and found no reason to doubt his feeling, that Grace was his one. Before meeting Grace, women seemed a bit of a mystery to him. The human was easy to understand. She said exactly what she meant and meant exactly what she said, leaving no room for him to wonder about her motivations. He’d gotten foolishly off track the one time he’d dared to doubt her honesty. That had cost him her companionship and almost doused the flames of her love. He’d not make that mistake again. Grace understood him so well in a short period of time. It must be because she was his one.
His attendants came to help him get ready. Bradon knew he would be scrutinized all evening. He chose a fine suit of Davarian silk in a dark color with a blue shirt. He wore his prayer circle on the outside of his clothing. There was nothing to do but join his Davarian brothers and wait for the females.
When he went outside, he was warmly received. Several males came to him, and they chatted excitedly about the images from the human ship. They complimented him on his potential mate. One joked that he would not like ending up with a female who had so publicly professed her love for another.
This was the kind of amicable companionship he’d normally held himself back from enjoying. His fear had been that mingling too closely with his people would make him seem weak and siphon away his power as their ruler. Now, he could see just the opposite happening. These males respected him because they saw his plight mirrored in their own.
Davarian military shuttles began landing on his pad, and the females came pouring out. They were all happy and excitedly talking about their day. Everyone seemed well satisfied with the experience. His priests had created a hovering platform for the ladies to stand upon. They all crowded onto the tight space, happily jostling for room.
The priests carefully nudged the males to form two long rows. They were positioned like a long winding serpent, snaking through the garden and back again. Once again it struck him that everything was being managed for the sake of appearances.
Yet there was method to their plan. The males were positioned in a manner that enabled each lady to walk through and see if her prayer circle generated a response from the necklaces belonging to any of the males. It was a clever and efficient way to manage the numbers.
The first female was linked directly with her mate, as he was kind enough to put his name on her half of the stone. The poor boy could not have been more than eighteen. He was teased repeatedly. He couldn’t seem to quit grinning, no matter what anyone said about it. He seemed especially pleased to see their stones drawn to one another in proof of their bond. Davarians had long since discovered the stones were magnetic, each one vibrating at a different frequency that ensured it would only be drawn to the correct polarity of its other half.
The procession started, with Bradon being positioned in the very last space at the tail end. He was only about twenty paces from the platform but had to wait while each and every lady walked the path. It took hours, and about thirty percent of the females came out with mates.
Finally, it was the moment his whole world had been waiting for. Grace was the last female to step down from the platform. She began to walk the path. As she walked, each male kneeled, and began to pray for her to find her one. Grace touched each male on the top of the head as she went by. It was her way of thanking them for their support, but it looked to Davarian eyes as though their new Queen was blessing each male in turn.
Bradon knew his female so well that seeing her fatigue was easy. Though she hid it well, Bradon knew that after her long hectic day, she was putting one leg in front of the other by sheer strength of will alone. She was truly exhausted, from managing the women all day. It was plain as day on her face.
She walked the path to honor him and the ways of his people. That knowledge made his throat close up with emotion. The moment she glanced up, he looked into her eyes and just knew she was his one. Grace’s excitement grew by leaps and bounds as she approached him.
Suddenly, she was standing in front of him. He reached for her and she came willingly into his arms. Before she could even think, his lips were on hers. There was loud, thunderous applause and rejoicing. He released her, and they both realized their necklaces were glowing slightly and stuck together like magnets.
Grace lifted their joined hands above their heads and stepped forward to speak.
“I am told that on the day of joining with a Davarian male, the female must visit the family of the male, and convince his family of her love for him. As you all know, Bradon’s family passed in the glorious darkness many years ago. Tonight, I ask all Davarians to stand in their stead.”
The absolute and utter quietness of the night slammed home how stunned his people were at hearing her sweet request. He pulled her closer, wrapping both arms around her slight form as she continued addressing the crowd. “I thought of writing a nice speech, but instead I decided to speak from my heart. When I first came to your beautiful world and met your Queen, I fell in love with all things Davarian. I was drawn to Bradon even while he slumbered. Your Queen assured me that he was as attractive on the inside as he was on the outside.” Elbowing him gently in the side, she continued, “I found that to be a matter of opinion. However, the purest love grew in my heart for him, not because he is perfect, but because he isn’t. I believe it is the imperfections that draw us together as people. Though Bradon is too dedicated to his duty in my opinion, he enjoys teasing me too much by far, and he steals the blankets at night, I declare that I do love him. I love him for all his perfection as well as all his fla
ws. I promise to be always at his side, during the good times, and the bad. I have gifted your Regent with a sleep pod that will enable us both to slumber together. I plan to discipline my life to sleep and wake according to his schedule. I will support and nurture him with all of my being and do all within my power to ensure his happiness. I hereby ask your permission to take him to me.”
Bradon turned her to him, placed his hand on her cheek and made the Davarian mating call. The deep guttural sound resonated from his throat because he could barely contain it any longer. When she smiled at him, his lips fell on hers, and he could feel the anxiety melting out of her body.
They got lost in their kiss for a brief moment as the crowd grew quiet. Grace ran her fingers through his hair. Bradon deepened the kiss until she was plastered against him, and a soft strangled cry broke from her lips. Oh yes, she was definitely his.
He pulled back, unable to contain the overwhelming lust coursing through his veins. “I do hereby claim you as my mate. Let all rejoice in the knowledge that your regent has found love.”
A cry of pure elation rose from the crowd, sealing their fate together.
“I’ll be hearing lots more of those sweet sounds you make when we kiss from now on. Don’t think to ever leave me again, Grace. I won’t have it.”
Grace ran her hand affectionately over the side of his face and replied, “Then don’t give me cause to leave. You are now under a one-female barricade. Don’t think to sample more females, because I won’t have it.”
“I really like arguing with you, kitten.”
“I really like arguing with you too, big guy.”
Bradon pulled her to his side, wrapped one arm protectively around her waist, and turned to face the crowd. “Today is an auspicious occasion. It is the day Bradon the Devoted took a mate. In celebration of the occasion, every solar of my reign, on this day, my lovely mate will escort eligible females to seek their love stones. I, in turn, will host a celebration for eligible males, that their mates might more easily locate them. If you were not fortunate enough to find your female tonight, let it not worry you. Most of you are by far too young for the bonding bed, in any event. Come yet again next year and try your luck.”