A Prince's Duty

by Lily Anton

  "What other purpose would it serve?" O’dair frowned.

  "Pleasure."

  "Well yes, but that’s to encourage procreation…"

  It’s why O’dair had never allowed himself to indulge.

  Duty to his family, duty to his people, and the possible risk of injury to himself simply to procreate? He had shied away from it for years, somehow finding himself giving in to a human female that made him feel that he had been waiting for her all his life…

  "Well, to be clear, when Satina agreed, she likely mistook ‘mating’ as only the act itself. So while she technically did agree, she didn't understand what she was agreeing to or the implications. That’s why she’s so upset."

  Kandann searched O’dair’s face for signs of understanding.

  When realization finally seemed to dawn on the Nagarren, O’dair just nodded sadly in reluctant understanding.

  "I see," he murmured, a conflicted look upon his face.

  "If I may ask…why the need to mate so quickly with one you barely know? I did not believe that to be part of Nagarren culture based on what you’ve shared with us…”

  O’dair audibly swallowed, eyes cast downwards towards the floor.

  "I’ve put off the need to find a mate for many years now. It was being made required of me and I wished it to my choice. I had come to the conclusion that I would never find someone…” he sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he thought about all that had led him to this point.

  “My species is not doing well…and with my status as High Borne son, I did not want to-“ O’dair cut himself off with a shake of the head.

  “She was the first peaceful, non-Nagarren I’ve come across. And she saved me. My fondness for her was…sudden and unexpected…”

  "There were no other Nagarren that you found suitable?"

  O’dair shook his head again. “When I awoke to discover Satina, who immediately displayed interest in mating, I allowed myself to be hopeful. I did not consider that we might have had very different concepts of what mating entailed. Perhaps I let my emotions get the better of me. The way she acted, smelled, and felt, all indicated to me that she was a compatible mate. It would seem that I made a very poor judgement call."

  "Would I be right to assume that the change in her physiology was also your doing?" Kandann asked, trying very hard to deal with the sudden influx of information.

  "Correct. As a human female, she already had the necessary biocomponents to carry and bare my offspring on her own. Later on in the term, she would also generate hormones to help her body adapt to the change. I will not bother going into further detail…the process is complex, and explaining it would be senseless if she only intends to destroy them.

  I will not stop her if that’s what she chooses. Her desires are her own, as is her body. The clutch can easily be removed at this stage but the sudden change in temperate with immediately make them unviable.

  "Would you try again?" Kandann asked tentatively, a few moments later.

  O’dair remained silent for some time.

  "O’dair…?"

  "I will not be able to," O’dair looked down at the floor again, clenching and unclenching his fists. "As I stated, I made a very poor judgement call."

  "Shit…" Kandann sighed. "I could give you a lecture on human behavior and interaction, but I'm afraid we'd be here for the rest of the day, and then some. Look, you didn’t do this with ill intent and based on what you’ve told me…I do have a better understanding of your position in all this…but I'm not certain that Satina will see things the same way. She doesn't always think logically. If they can be removed as harmlessly as you've said, that will be a reassurance."

  O’dair's blank expression was telling.

  Kandann had no idea why he was putting himself in the middle of this, but he did so nonetheless. “But, I'll save you the trouble of talking this over with her by discussing it with her myself."

  "Please omit the part about my inability to select another mate. This is not her concern, and I do not want her to change her decision due to a misplaced sense of guilt."

  ∆∆∆

  "I don't want to hear it," Satina bit out sharply, voice thick, eyes swollen and red.

  "I'd advise you to at least listen to what I have to say before you disregard it. It will offer you some clarification, as well as insight."

  Satina frowned, mouth clamped shut for several seconds.

  "... Fine," she conceded with exaggerated reluctance, as though she didn't care to hear the supposed explanation, no matter how valid.

  "O’dair didn't do anything without your permission. You just didn't realize you'd granted it to him," Kandann began, pausing for emphasis, "When he asked you if you wanted to mate with him, you said?"

  Satina's eyes narrowed, "Yes. I said… Yes."

  "And what purpose does mating serve for other species?"

  Satina's eyes widened fractionally, mouth opening and closing several times, before she swallowed dryly and went silent for a few long seconds.

  "Re... Reproduction."

  "And what is O’dair?" he pressed, ensuring that the situation was perfectly clear before continuing.

  "A Nagarren—” she scrubbed a hand across her face, "Not human. He isn't human."

  A few beats of silence and, "Oh god. I agreed to this!"

  She shook her head in disbelief, hand not leaving her face as if she was attempting to hide behind it.

  "I fucking agreed. I never… I knew thinking with my…you know…could have consequences, but I always imagined something superficial, like… an infection or

  something…"

  Kandann resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

  ".,.I never thought it would get me fucking knocked up."

  "There are much much stranger things than pregnancy," he added dryly. "But keep in mind that this was a chance for him to help save his species..."

  He anticipated something of a protest; some sort of argument or counterpoint, but what he received instead was more silence.

  She was thinking it over.

  "But if you wish to remove the eggs, O’dair understands things from your perspective."

  Satina buried her face in her hands.

  "He’s too fucking nice for his own good…," she murmured weakly.

  Kandann knew he had promised O’dair he wouldn’t say anything but honestly, he couldn't not say something.

  "O’dair has been searching for a compatible mate for quite some time, now. It would seem that he can only have one mate in his lifetime, and he chose you. I suggest you speak with him personally."

  "Oh fuck…”

  Satina stood up slowly, quickly rinsing off her face in the sink, and was out of the room a second later.

  She found O’dair where she'd left him…staring longingly at the magnified holographic image still being projected.

  Satina cleared her throat, waking him from his apparent reverie, as he diverted his gaze to Satina.

  O’dair offered her an awkward, semi-uncomfortable smile that certainly didn't reach his eyes, and Satina's heart ached anew. She had done that.

  She closed the distance between them in just a few quick strides, taking O’dair by surprise as she clambered into his lap; O’dair's hands instinctively coming up to grab her waist to stabilize her, as Satina's hands found either side of his face, holding his gaze.

  Satina inhaled shakily, finding solace in the way O’dair squeezed her waist in reassurance as if he could sense her distress.

  "I'm sorry," Satina finally began, voice cracking, a familiar pressure building behind her eyes. She took a few deep breaths before continuing, blinking away tears.

  Confusion pulled at O’dair's eyebrows, head cocking to the side.

  "What I said…I didn't mean it. Okay?" her lower lip trembled, causing her to clench her jaw.

  "Okay." O’dair murmured softly, posture relaxing and a more genuine smile finding his face.

  Was it really that simple?

  It was, wi
th O’dair, Satina reasoned internally, whose emotions and feelings weren't nearly as complex as a human's.

  O’dair, who didn't think to ask 'why?' when someone said no…accepting everything at face value.

  It was both a blessing and a curse.

  Satina would continue to feel guilty over something that O’dair had long gotten past…and wouldn't hold anything against her.

  If anything, it made her feel worse.

  "I did consent to this," Satina established, eyes searching. "I didn't expect it, I didn't even consider it, but…you asked me a question, and I said yes, and I meant it. I didn't know that I'd meant it at the time, but now… Now I do."

  She took a deep breath and continued. "And… I'm scared. O’dair, I'm fucking terrified, because I know literally nothing about…this. About what I should expect. And I hate being unprepared…”

  "You wish to carry and birth my clutch?" his gaze softened as he looked at her, eyes disbelieving.

  Satina’s chuckle was wet with emotion she was trying hard to stamp out.

  "Well you don’t have to be so formal about it…but yes, I’ll…give it a go…"

  "When I selected you as a mate, I thought I had made a good decision," O’dair began, and Satina felt her stomach turn with the implication that his decision had been a mistake.

  Her face fell.

  "Healthy…compassionate…warm, and so very eager and receptive. I was… happy, with my hasty decision. I could think of no better mate; you had all of the qualities I thought were lacking in a mate…

  And your scent was…potent. I did not think anyone could-“ O’dair took a breath, eyes locking onto hers. “It felt inevitable that I ask you to mate with me, as I wished to mate with you. Hence why I believed I had made a good decision.

  Perhaps, I could have waited until after courting you, but at the time I did not believe that I would form a bond with you. Nagarren as I’ve mentioned before… do not usually develop emotional attachment as mates..."

  He paused, taking a few seconds to collect his thoughts.

  "With each passing day, my fondness for you has only increased. It became apparent today, when I realized that despite your protest, despite your aversion, that my perception of you did not change. That I did not hold any resentment towards you regardless of your choice.

  If you were to tell me right this moment that you did not wish to be my mate, I still would not think less of you.

  This is a process that can only be repeated with a single mate. I could not simply find another, nor do I desire to do so.

  To hear that you would be willing to carry my young, is something that…fills me with great joy. So, I would like to say sincerely, thank--"

  Lips plastered to his own, cutting him off mid-sentence, shocking him into silence and stillness, before tentatively moving his mouth against Satina's in turn.

  She moaned into O’dair's mouth, his tongue sliding over hers.

  It was the closest thing to a love confession Satina had ever received, and she could swear she'd never been more turned on; unconsciously rocking her hips against O’dair's and letting out a small whimper.

  "I need you," Satina gasped against his mouth, entire body quivering.

  "Here?"

  "Right here. Right now," Satina pushed, temporarily removing herself from O’dair's lap to hastily strip down before straddling him once more. "Please tell me that you don't need to be submerged in water to-"

  "I do not. Water only acts as a catalyst. It is something I can control at will."

  "Then why have we only been fucking in bathtubs for the past three weeks?" Satina whined, "We could have been using beds."

  "Water is my natural element, and where my aquatic form functions best. You have been insistent on only mating while in my aq-"

  "Okay, okay. Just. Please stick something inside of me. now."

  To Satina's pleasant surprise, in mere seconds she was met with the familiar sensation of a tentacle sliding in between her legs, rubbing over her slit several times before teasingly prodding against it; applying just enough pressure that it felt like it was going in, before simply sliding over it again instead.

  Before Satina could protest or complain, it was slipping in…warming her insides as it left its hot slick inside of her.

  O’dair wasted no time in starting to fuck her properly; his pace set according to what Satina was the most responsive to: hard, deep thrusts, with the girth of the tentacle filling her so completely that it hit her g-spot with every stroke, rapidly bringing her closer and closer to release.

  He'd managed to learn Satina's body, inside and out, in just a short couple of weeks: where she was most sensitive, what she enjoyed the most, and what she didn't enjoy.

  Which is why he had a tentacle wrapped around Satina's chest…the suckers that lined the underside rubbing over her nipples, squeezing and relaxing intermittently.

  Another four wrapped around her sensitive thighs, and alongside her arms and wrists…suction cups stuck to her skin and leaving small hickeys all over her body.

  Two other tentacles came up and grazed over her, caressing it reverently where the subtle bump was barely noticeable.

  With their fingers intertwined, and a tentacle pistoning in and out of her, she felt her climax nearing, O’dair's name on her lips as his tentacles held her through it.

  Her body arched against his as her walls pulsated against him as his mouth latched onto her neck, growling into her skin as he found his release, flooding her body once more.

  As they came down from their orgasm, Satina draped herself over O’dair's body, their lips meeting for a lazy yet sated kiss..

  Later, when they found themselves twined together whilst laying in Satina's bed, with the assurance that Satina did intend on carrying O’dair's eggs to laying, she found her nerve again.

  "So…what sort of… changes… should I be expecting?" Satina asked, hesitantly, unsure of whether it was best not to know.

  O’dair hummed in consideration, his fingers tracing gentle patterns on her forearm.

  "If you weren't already aware…it will not be the same as an average human pregnancy. As you are my mate, the only thing your body is now capable of doing is carrying."

  "So…I'm basically a human incubator," Satina mumbled, deadpan.

  "Yes, and no. The eggs were minuscule in size when I implanted them inside of you, and while the genes being passed on are my own, they will adopt some traits from you. Perhaps, mannerisms, or hair and eye color…it is not something that can be determined until after they have hatched."

  "So…they're…ours? Both of ours?" Satina shifted to look at O’dair's face

  "Yes," O’dair answered simply, staring at Satina when the human offered him the tiniest, softest of smiles.

  "The only thing that can properly be determined is that they will be fully Nagarren, no matter which traits they take on. They are still eggs of my species."

  O’dair squinted at the ceiling, temporarily lost in thought.