by Abigail Myst
Another loud cheer and Athen wasted no time in placing the device against his son's pale green chest.
"I name and claim you as my clan, from this day to my last. Baby Athen!" When he lifted the device, the baby let out a happy gurgle and then hiccupped, but all could see that he now had a spiral tattoo over his heart. This time, the warriors let out a shout and the wives let out a hardy whoo hoo, obviously getting the picture of how this ceremony was going to progress.
"Scrubs!" Athen called out.
Jane heard Bright mumble something under her breath, probably still grumpy that he had been renamed, but not willing to voice her displeasure to the warlord.
Scrubs turned to Clover, taking the child into his arms. "I present Trevor!" he proclaimed loudly, holding the baby aloft.
"I name and claim you as my clan from this day to my last. Trevor!" Athen declared. A quick press to the chest and the baby was similarly tattooed with no fuss.
"Zenik." Athen said. A hush fell over the crowd.
"In my eyes, Zenik never lost his honor, but now that he has defeated his foe, and killed many Suhlik and conspirators along the way," Athen paused for the inevitable victory shout of the warriors. "You wish for the Ceremony of Honor to reclaim what he stole?"
"I do!"
Athen nodded. A warrior handed him a much larger device than the one that had been used on the babies, but it was clearly designed to apply tattoos to an adult warrior.
"Zenik, I reclaim you as my clan, from this day to my last."
When he pressed it into Zenik's flesh, the only sign of movement was a flutter of the eyes. It was not something that most people would have even noticed. In fact, the wives and warriors all cheered. Jane knew the truth immediately. This device was not designed to dull the pain as the baby device was. This was a searing brand into the chest. Zenik, true to Mahdfel and warrior form, refused to acknowledge the pain.
Athen wasn't finished. "For your service on Zatlan 415." He pressed the device in again, lower on his chest. Again, Zenik didn't flinch. "And for Noven 90." In quick succession, Athen called out achievement after achievement and branded Zenik again and again. The damn fool was intent on regaining all of his tattoos in a single sitting. Jane took a step forward, but Bright grabbed her hand and squeezed. To interrupt him would not just be a breach of protocol. It would signal that she didn't trust him or think he was strong enough to weather such a painful ordeal. There was nothing to do but watch.
His eyes sought hers and their gaze locked. Zenik said nothing, showed no emotion, but she knew the minute it was over and there was no audience to consider, the pain would overwhelm him.
Finally, Athen stopped and the warriors let out a shout. As if they knew Zenik had little strength left, the circle dissolved and everyone headed toward the refreshment line that the wives had insisted a celebration like this needed. Jane simply put out her hand towards Zenik, and he stepped toward her. No words were spoken as she guided him the short distance to their quarters.
"Is there anywhere I can touch you that won't hurt like a fucking bastard?" Jane said as she surveyed the damage. His normally mint skin was a sickly green, covered with black swirls. It was going to take some getting used to, all these new marks on her husband. She had thought she knew every inch of his body, and now it was like looking at a different man.
"Here." He pointed to his mouth. She kissed him, letting him wrap his arms around her, rather than returning his embrace. She was sure that his skin was still on fire. Despite the pain, when he ended the kiss, Zenik had a lopsided grin on his face.
"Yes?"
"There is another location that is not in pain."
"Uh huh." Jane rolled her eyes. She noticed a jar on the bed that she had not noticed before. Odette's handiwork, Jane bet. She ducked away from her husband and grabbed the jar. With a twist, the lid came off and revealed a green cream with a pleasant minty smell. Jane scooped up a handful of the cream and dabbed a bit on his first tattoo, over his heart.
"That is not necessary," Zenik said. "That other location would-"
"What in fucking hell possessed you to get all your tattoos back at once?" She wanted to punch him, then fuck him, and then punch him again. She settled for slathering on a thick layer of cream.
"It is not something a warrior would do in stages."
"Why not? Get a tat for every naming ceremony. I'm sure you'd be covered in a few months."
"I will be fine. Like pulling off a band-aid. The pain is momentary. It will only last for a short time."
"How short?"
"The Mahdfel skin is quite tough."
"Tough?" She turned around and began to slather his back. She ignored the fact that his speech was getting a bit slurred. Even if she honored his suggestion, he'd probably pass out mid blowjob.
"Sweetie. Have I told you that you are the love of my life?" Zenik said, surprising Jane. He'd never been this open before.
"You sound drunk."
"No, that would be dishon- dishonable."
It finally sunk in that there was more to the cream than mint. Jane kept slathering it on. She wasn't too worried about overdosing, considering the Mahdfel metabolism would probably kick it with a night's sleep.
"You should probably get to bed. Which side hurts more?"
He had to think about that for a while. He pointed to his lips again.
"Okay, Mr. Stubborn Ass. Lie on your back." Jane purposefully added a bit of suggestion to her husky voice. Any sober man would have seen right through it. Her husband practically leaped onto the bed. His skin rippled with pain, but then it dulled and he managed a smile and a wave.
Jane climbed up on the bed next to him, rubbing the last of the cream into his skin. His hand creeped under her t-shirt. Jane pulled it away and knelt on the bed. She performed a bit of a striptease, drawing out slipping her shirt off and unhooking her bra.
By the time she got to her panties, he was asleep.
"Good boy," she said. Jane gave him a kiss on the nose, and then lay back beside her husband.
***
The pain was gone when he awoke, and Zenik was glad, but suspicious. Jane was asleep next to him, but she was not wearing the same color of panties that she had been wearing when he'd passed out.
He rolled onto his side to inspect her closer. Her eyes opened and she smiled at him.
"Good morning, Sunshine."
"How long was I asleep?"
"A bit. About eighteen hours."
"I missed a shift," Zenik said as he sat straight up in bed.
"Hold your horses, cowboy. Your boss's wife dosed you. You think he didn't automatically assign your shift to someone else while you were unconscious?"
"I-"
"Besides," Jane put her hand on his chest and pushed him down onto the bed. He didn't miss the fact that she avoided pressing on any of his tattoos. "I believe that you were hinting heavily at something the last time you had your eyes open."
"I was?"
Jane wrapped her hand around his cock. How had he missed that his own clothing had also disappeared? He'd been too focused on her panties. Now as she hovered over him, her nipples were of great interest.
"Jesus Fucking Christ!" Jane said. She laughed. "You're gonna light up like a night light!"
Zenik saw the bioluminescence of his tattoos begin to glow brighter as he got harder under her hand.
"I gotta see what this does." That was all the warning he got before her mouth descended on his cock. The pleasure of her tongue circling and the delight in her eyes as the room got brighter nearly sent him over the edge, but Zenik was determined not to disappoint Jane. He didn't have to wait too long before she stripped her panties off and mounted him.
"Am I hurting you?" she asked as she ran her hand along his newly reclaimed marks. There was no pain. Only the pleasure of showing his mate how much he desired her. How he burned for her.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
Zenik pulled her down and flipped them over. "It
is only painful when I stop moving."
She laughed. "Well then, someone had better get to moving."
Zenik pulled nearly all the way out of her before thrusting back in, hard and deep. "I do not think I shall last long."
Jane wrapped herself around him. "That's okay, as long as you let me light you up like a candle in an hour or so."
"Done." Zenik began to thrust, holding on to his last shred of will until he felt Jane tighten around him and throw back her head in ecstasy before he emptied his seed inside her.
After a moment, Jane loosened her grip on him and Zenik rolled off, collecting her against him.
"Is that ever going to get old?" Jane mused to herself.
"I will love you as passionately as I do today for the rest of my days. Though we may have to rethink our positions as your belly expands."
Jane said nothing. She just snuggled closer to him.
"Sweetheart." Zenik said to her, tattoos engulfing her in light.
"Mmm hmmm?”
"You are going to have to alter multiple routines."
"I know. But if you think I'm going to stop working and living and instead act as a brood mare, you've got another thing coming."
Many of the other Mahdfel took the position that mothers could not carry on any tasks that they had previously done. Jane had already taught him that she was more than capable of being a mother and a kick ass, as Meadow would put it.
"I just meant teaching the women self-defense is going to get awkward when your belly is extended and you cannot see your toes. You should probably instruct them from afar and let someone else take over the flipping and punching."
She patted his chest. "Glad we're on the same page." Jane sighed.
Epilogue
Jane
Kave looked serious. He actually looked worried as he sat alone on the deserted beach. The fact that he sat alone without his wife was enough for Jane to see what the hell he was up to. If he was planning mischief, the least she could do was manage it.
"Etlon has spoken," he said as he saw Jane approach.
The Etlon in question had left an hour ago with as much fanfare as he had arrived. He had also left behind one grumpy looking warrior who surveyed the camp with the eye of someone not liking what he was seeing.
"And what has Etlon spoken about?" Jane prompted.
"A city."
"Are you being transferred?"
"No, not quite. He wants a city, here on Noven 90. And I am going to be in charge of building it."
Jane tried to process this information. It was a huge responsibility, to build a city.
"I shall name it Humility."
"Are you sure you want to do that?"
"Why not? Is it not often done? To name a city after a beloved?" Jane wasn't so sure she'd want a city named after her. Not that anyone would name a city Jane. Or even Barbara Jane. It was a silly name for a city.
"Have you asked Humility if she wants a city named after her?" It would be awkward, anyway, to be the center of all that attention. Jane couldn't imagine Humility being the type of person who would want to be center of attention and have to explain to every new person she met that, yes indeed, she was the Humility of Humility.
"Usually we only name cities after people are dead."
"Oh." His face fell, then brightened. "Then we shall name it Paula. She boldly fought the Suhlik by your side."
"Let's wait a bit to name the city. I'm sure more people will want to put in their input. Maybe you could ask Bright. I'm sure she can offer advice."
"Indeed. But do you think it is a good idea? For me to take charge of a city. It means that I shall leave Athen's side, though I suspect that once we have more than one city, Etlon will move to make him a governor of the planet."
"Because Athen is too stubborn to move home, he's going to move home to him?"
"Something along those lines. But it means that I will need to take some warriors with me. Zenik?"
Kave was definitely hinting that he planned to move Jane with him as well. She didn't have a lot of engineering experience, but the military had given her a good command of logistics. She could make herself useful.
"Just as long as you're not taking Zenik simply so I’ll go too."
"No. We will need a pilot for all the supplies that will be arriving." He paused and looked sheepish. "Humility will want me to take Meadow too. So Goru. And he’ll want Braille. Do you think they will mind?"
"My suggestion is that you ask them."
"A commander does not ask if his warriors want to be reassigned. Especially if simply due to his wife's desires."
Jane nodded. Kave was right, but it would be easy enough for Jane to find out unofficially if there were couples ready to move to a more urban environment.
"You let me take care of that. Give me a list of the candidates and I'll get Meadow on it. What's our timetable here?"
"The architect will begin his survey in the morning. Once he finds an optimal site and finishes his design, the building phase will begin. But even before then, there will be a site selected for materials to arrive, any modular pieces to await assembly. And of course, more warriors to implement the plan."
The warrior that had been dropped off by Etlon must be the new architect then. No wonder he had been assessing everything within sight. That was his job.
"Sounds like we'll have our hands full," she replied.
"Life on Noven 90 will never be boring."
"Then why are you out here, instead of celebrating with your mate?" Jane asked.
"I was just trying to decide a few things."
"For example?"
"The architect. He says he does not want a mate. Perhaps, he needs some persuading like Athen," Kave said with a grin.
Thank you for reading!
I hope you enjoyed Zenik. If you haven’t already, catch up with Scrubs and Clover and their mini novel Snowed in With the Alien Doctor. Otherwise, Devin the architect and his mate are up next.
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