“And the end justifies the means if we breed successfully?”
“It may sound cold, but out of necessity, that is how it had to be.” He took the choker from her fingers. “Turn and I will do the clasp.”
She watched in the mirror as he bowed his head and fastened the exquisite piece around her neck.
“The goal of our entire mission is to find a way to save our people too, Kerr. Our world is very old and has been used harshly by humankind. We are in search of a new home. I’d like to think that if we found a world that met our needs perfectly, we wouldn’t be so uncivilized as to simply take it if it were inhabited, without regard for its inhabitants.”
His eyes met hers in the mirror. “You cannot speak so until the decision is forced upon you, Eva. Desperate people do utterly desperate things.”
Once finished, he spread his hands over her shoulders, the tips curled in front to rest on her collarbone. It sent tingles along her spine.
“Where are your males, Eva? I’ve wondered.”
“They are greatly reduced in numbers. Like your females, I’m afraid.”
“Through disaster?” he asked. “Or disease?”
“No, through war.”
“Ah, we have had to protect our home from alien invaders too.”
She scoffed. “That would almost be easier to take, for me. Our threat came from… within.”
Clearly taken aback, his black brows arced in his forehead. “Your kind wages war against itself?”
“Stupid, isn’t it? Learning from the mistakes of the past is not something Earth’s people have done very well throughout history. For thousands of years, our people have fought against each other for land, money, power. Only a few hundred years ago, a war wiped out a significant part of our population. In the aftermath, you’d think we would have learned better how to get along. But no, once we rebuilt our societies, we were at it again. But this time it was over the things we truly needed to survive: land to grow food, and feed what cattle we have left, fresh water, and fuel resources.”
When she stopped, Kerr stared at her, obviously appalled with a hint of something more curling his lips. “Your world sounds truly horrendous. Primarians have long since evolved beyond internal conflicts amongst ourselves. Thank the Maker we have saved you from such a world.”
“But to what end? To be enslaved by another race?”
“You are not slaves.” His reply was clipped and abrupt.
“We don’t have free choice, and serve at the pleasure of another. What is that if not slavery?”
“You are speaking foolishness.”
“Owned, subjugated and ruled over, is what I see.”
He cupped her chin and turned her face toward her reflection. “Cherished, cared for, and protected, Eva. That is as I see it.”
“A pet to dress up in pretty things and put on display.” He let his hands drop, anger sparking in his eyes. She knew she was pushing him, but she wanted him to see things as she did. “This is the reason our clothes are adorned with your rank and that mates wear their hair up in public, sporting a collar with their master’s device, isn’t it? It’s to show others who she belongs to.”
“You have no such thing in your world? Pairs don’t display to others that they are joined, and to whom?”
She flushed, but didn’t own up to the fact that they did.
“You do.”
“Yes, the woman often takes the man’s name and they wear rings to signify the bond, but that is entirely voluntary. It is our way.”
“As bonding and gender roles are our way on Primaria. Different does not mean wrong.”
“You are twisting my words, making me sound like a snob.”
“I don’t understand the term snob, but if you are referring to a bias to your own way as the only right way, or looking down on a society that isn’t like yours, then I would say yes, you do sound that way.” His thumbs swept up and rubbed along the curve of her throat beneath her chin. “It is all new. Reserve judgment until you get to your new home. Then you will see that it does work — and very well.”
A shiver rocked through her at his gentle, repetitive touch. “The choker and hair
style suit you. You’ll wear it this way when we are out in public.”
“Is that another rule? Like no panties?”
“If it must be. It is tradition, as I said, and has another benefit. We find the neck a tempting and beautiful area of the female form — and one of the few we can reveal, touch, or kiss in public without drawing a crowd.”
“Your people are very sexual, I’m beginning to see.”
His lips tipped upward and his golden eyes gleamed. “You’ve noticed.”
“How could I not? We’ve had sex four times in the span of a day!”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy. I’ll find more time for you when I get you home.”
She merely stared, tongue-tied, before she noticed a telltale glint in his eyes. He had to be teasing, right? To be certain, she held up the corresponding number of fingers.
“Four times, Kerr. More and I won’t be able to walk.”
His low, throaty laugh sent a tremor coursing through her in a direct path to her pussy and proved that what she thought couldn’t possibly happen again today could. His tight hug as he rocked her back and forth gently, and his lips nibbling along her jawline to her ear weren’t helping either.
“Your men aren’t as robust?” he inquired, his warm breath against her skin, stirring her depleted body back to life.
“Not any of the men I’ve been with.”
He stiffened, and she noted his face had darkened when her gaze shifted to the mirror. She realized her mistake by broaching that topic. “Let’s not get into that,” she suggested. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“Agreed.” He bent and kissed her bare shoulder before letting her go. “We’ve lingered long in our discussion. We must go now or we will be late.”
With his hand riding the small of her back, Kerr led her down the corridor to the communal dining room and their first official appearance as bonded mates. Although they’d cleaned up after round four — the enormity of that alone boggled her mind, a twofer being the best her old boyfriend had ever managed — she was still tingling, and could feel the memory of Kerr’s possession deep inside her. After so much sex, not to mention all the drama, it amazed her that she could cogitate and put one foot in front of the other. Even now, with his light touches, the low, sultry sound of his voice, and the brush of his chest or hips against hers where he stood so close, her body hummed with sensation. And without panties, she just knew her juices would once again wet her thighs.
Hearing voices up ahead, she dragged her feet. His hand slipped to her hip, his arm at her back urging her forward. “Relax. You are beautiful, Eva, as always, but tonight you are exquisite.”
“Everyone will know that I’m naked beneath my dress.”
“From the blush on your lovely cheeks, they’ll know you have been thoroughly breached. As far as these panties you lament, you’re right, everyone will know your sex and bottom are bare because none of the other females will be wearing anything underneath either. Nothing else will give you away. You are perfect.”
“They will, uh, smell me.”
His arm flexed, bringing her closer into his side. “Stop worrying, sprite. Only I will be close enough to tell. Besides, on the off chance anyone did notice, they will only smell me. Remember, you scent of me now.”
“Everywhere?”
“Most definitely,” he grinned.
“Wow, is that weird? Having me smell like you?”
He stopped. With his hands encircling her waist, he crowded her until her back pressed up against the corridor wall, his face buried in her neck as he inhaled. “It’s not weird. In fact, I find it very comforting to realize that as my scent grows stronger you are becoming mine in the fullest sense. And the reality of that makes me hard.”
She didn’t need to be told the last part because th
e proof was nudging her in the belly. The man was insatiable, and quickly making her that way too. Too tender from his generous proportions and repeated possessions to even contemplate more, she told him so.
“I can’t, Kerr. Not again. You’ve worn me out.”
He chuckled, his tongue tracing a path up the side of her neck. But he took a half step back, his hands falling away as more voices echoed louder around a corner up ahead. Taking her hand, he started them back along their path. “You’ll adjust, but I’ll give you a brief reprieve.” She blew out a breath of relief. “At least until after our meal.”
“Don’t you ever get tired?”
“Of you? Never.”
“Let’s hope it’s a very long, elaborate meal so I can catch my breath,” she muttered as she was pulled along, rushing to keep up with his long strides. “An appetizer, soup and salad — preferably separate. Maybe a sorbet to cleanse the palate. Both a cold entrée and a hot one, followed by a dessert. Something that takes extra time to prepare, would be nice. A soufflé perhaps, or baked Alaska with fresh meringue? That’s at least twenty extra minutes. And lingering over coffee, that’s a definite must.”
“What are you going on about?”
“Just trying to buy some time to recuperate and make sure your appetite is satisfied with food — at least for a few hours.”
Chuckling low again, he shook his head, “My mate is a jokester.”
“On the contrary, supreme Maxime, I’m very serious. And limping along, as it is.”
“Shall I carry you, little one? I wouldn’t want you to overexert yourself and be too tired for dessert. That would indeed be a tragedy.”
“Now who’s the comedian?”
Their banter stopped as they turned the corner and saw several other couples moving toward a set of double doors that were thrown wide open.
“This is a formal dinner acknowledging the eight newly mated pairs and subject to formal etiquette. We didn’t have time to cover many of our customs and rules, so you will stay by my side at all times, and speak only when spoken to. I will direct you on anything else that should come up. Is that clear?”
“No.”
His head twisted and she felt his disapproving stare. “Should we return to the privacy of the corridor where I can make it so?”
She shook her head, replying quickly. “I understood what you said, but I don’t like it.”
“Liking a rule isn’t a requirement. Only obeying it is.” He arched a brow, waiting to see if she had further comment. When she remained still, glaring at him for his high-handedness, he nodded. “Let’s go. I see General Trask about to go in.”
Eva didn’t know who that was, but she saw Lana at the front of a long line of uniformed men who were filing into the dining room. The only two that she saw that didn’t wear the two-tone tunics, were older, gray-haired men, who wore floor-length robes with wide sleeves. They entered in front of Lana and the tall brown-haired warrior beside her, who held her hand. Both Lana and her companion wore red like she and Kerr did, but the male’s shoulders were adorned with silver chevrons. Lana’s gown was ornamented similarly, shot through with shimmering silver threads.
At Kerr’s call, the warrior guided Lana out of line, allowing others to precede them as they waited. Her teammate waved when they drew near, the man at her side inclining his head at Kerr in greeting.
“Eva, I’ve been so worried!” Lana rushed forward, but was stopped short, held back by the warrior who clamped an arm around her waist.
“Remember your manners, mate,” he intoned sternly. “Silent, unless addressed. And, this is our Princep. How did I instruct you to greet him?”
“I’m sorry, Trask. In my excitement to see Eva, I forgot.” Lana glanced up at Kerr shyly and then bent her head as she gathered her skirt and dipped at the knees. Eva’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Was that a… curtsy?
The warrior assisted her to rise while smiling his approval. “Very nice, paulova.”
The translation of the foreign sounding word was instantaneous in her brain. The big, stern warrior had called her ‘little lamb’. Lana clearly understood as well, blushing as she glanced away.
Something occurred to Eva right then, and she forgot her recent lesson. “Wait. Why are you bowing to him?” she demanded of Lana, whose mouth fell open in surprise. When Lana didn’t reply, Eva turned on Kerr, asking just as insistently. “Why are they bowing to you?”
“I explained this. I am Maxime Princep of Primaria.”
She blinked. “I thought you were a governor or something.”
“As I understand it, a governor is a purely political position. My role is more… comprehensive. Further, it is not an elected position, but passed on through my family. My father was Princep, as was his father, and his father before him.”
“Then you’re what? Royalty? Like the king?”
“Oh, Eva,” Lana breathed. “That makes you a queen.”
Her friend was way ahead of her as that hadn’t even occurred to her. “Oh. My. God!”
Kerr shot Lana a quelling look as her warrior shushed her. “Eva, what is this? I explained I’m the principal leader.”
“Of a city, or a state. I assumed at most maybe a president.”
“I have the ultimate authority and power, ruling all of Primaria.”
“You’re the king of the entire freakin’ planet?”
“Why does this bother you?”
“I don’t understand. Why did you bond with me? Won’t you need to marry among your people? To a princess or another queen? Good heavens!” She pulled away abruptly, and backed up a step. “Why didn’t I figure this out before? You never mentioned marriage, only breeding. Is that what this is about? We’ll be your baby making machines? You’ll have your fertile concubine to provide you with an heir in the event that your chosen queen cannot?”
“Trask!” Lana shrieked, also pulling away. “Is this true?”
“What nonsense is she spouting?” Trask asked as he hauled his mate back.
Kerr, equally caught off guard by Eva’s outburst, gave her a sidelong glance of utter disbelief before answering his general.
“I haven’t a clue. Give me some time and privacy to figure it out.”
Trask turned to guide a reluctant Lana inside the dining room. She dragged her feet, casting worried glances over her shoulder at Eva as she went.
Kerr pulled her back around the corner and she found herself up against the wall once again, but instead of a smiling, good humored, teasing lover in her face, she had a grim faced, glowering warrior with anger sparking in his eyes. As he towered over her, his powerful arms caged her in as they bracketed her head, trapping her between his body and the wall. The golden light blazing down at her reminded her he wasn’t human, but an alien from a far off world. A big scary one at that.
“Concubines and baby makers, by the Maker, explain what that was all about?” The last words were barked at her and she flinched. “What did I say in the time we’ve been together to make you think I’d take another? We are a monogamous society, Eva. Once mated, as I’ve told you time and again, its forever. I am not used to having my words doubted.”
“You don’t mean to take a queen?”
His eyes shot toward the ceiling and she could almost hear him counting to ten. “There is no king or queen. I am the principal leader and you, as my mate, are prima, the first consort. But whatever the title, you will have a position of respect endowed through me, and all the honor that is due you.”
“What about marriage?”
Kerr’s gaze came back to hers. “I don’t know what that is.”
“It is a civil joining, often a religious one as well.”
“Unnecessary when we are mates for life. No bond is stronger.”
“And there is no cheating?” Although she tried to contain it, her voice practically dripped with disbelief.
“None,” he replied without hesitation, meeting her skepticism head on.
She looked at him si
lently for a moment before she challenged, “How do you know?”
“You recall the burning you felt following the breaching?”
“I’m not likely to forget; it was quite uncomfortable.”
“Indeed. Once the bond is complete and the female’s make up changed, sex with anyone except her mate will make the burning far more intense. In ages past, women who dared have said it was very painful, like a scalding from hot liquid or a chemical burn. What’s more, the dishonorable men were burned in the process too. It is the female body’s way of rejecting foreign seed, not to mention a strong deterrent for both genders.”
She grunted. “As usual, nature has made it easy on the male. What is to keep either sex from wearing a condom and straying as they choose?”
“Condom?” he asked with a blank look.
“It’s a covering for the man’s”—she flapped her hand toward his crotch, seeing him frown—”for his rod, his cock as you call it.”
The appalled look on his face would have been funny any other time.
“You don’t have such a thing?” she asked.
“Maker’s bounty, no! Why would a male want to cover himself? I imagine that would reduce the pleasure, tremendously.”
She almost rolled her eyes at that piece of logic. Universally, men were the same, she thought silently, but decided it best not to address the pleasure and focus on the other benefits. “They also prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.”
He grimaced. “You pass disease through sex? That’s horrifying!”
“And pregnancy, how is that prevented? Hormone implants?”
“It isn’t.”
“Excuse me?”
“Eva.” The exasperated sigh he let loose was enough to ruffle her hair. “I explained our population destruction. Why would we prevent conception when breeding is the goal for mating?”
She blanched at how cold that sounded, reinforcing her fears. “This is unbelievable.”
“Believe it. We are a proud people. Sex before mating occurs, though it is discriminating; our people are not promiscuous. Often, both males and females wait until they have found their mate.”
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