by Lacey Thorn
“I have an even greater need for you as we have not finished what we began. So you will wait, little one.”
“I am finished.”
“You will finish many more times before we are through,” Galen stated boldly, bringing chuckles from her fathers and the other warriors still present.
Erika blushed crimson in embarrassment as well as anger. “I do not wish this. I will not join with you and Arik. I…am…finished!”
Galen’s eyes took on the sheen of steel and his grip tightened on her wrist. “Did you not flower in our arms? Did we not give you pleasure?”
Erika just looked at him, refusing to speak.
“Answer him, daughter!” one of her fathers ordered. “Did the Savari bring you to pleasure?”
Erika wanted to lie so badly. She knew that her admission would allow them to claim her. So she kept her mouth shut and said nothing. Arik bent close to her ear and murmured just loud enough for those closest to her to hear, “If you do not answer your fathers’ question then you will leave us with no choice but to strip you and bring you to pleasure again. Here, in front of all of these witnesses. Is that what you want us to do, my heart?”
Erika’s eyes flew to Arik’s and then to Galen’s and she knew that they would do just what Arik had said. She looked to her fathers for help, knowing that they had heard every word Arik spoke as well. There would be no help from them either. When she still didn’t respond her fathers nodded wearily to the Savari brothers.
Before she could register the significance of that nod Galen had her against his chest again. He bent to her head and took her mouth in a demanding kiss, thrusting his tongue in and out. She felt Arik against her back again and then his hands were on her breasts. He plucked her nipples and placed kisses along the back of her neck and shoulder. She couldn’t hold back the moan of pleasure. Pulling away from Galen’s mouth, she shuddered, gulping air. Just when she thought that she could breathe again Galen latched onto one of her nipples and sucked it hard into his mouth. He was angry and in his anger he was rougher than he was before. At the first nip of his teeth, Erika cried out. At the second, she bucked against him.
She felt Arik’s hands on the ties to her shirt and looked back at him with eyes filled with tears. “Please,” she whispered. “Please, not like this. Not here.”
Galen must have heard her as well for he released her nipple with an audible pop. He turned her face to his. “Do you consent to our suit? Do you admit that we give you pleasure?”
“Yes,” Erika whispered.
“Louder, little one. You must speak so that all may hear.”
“Yes!” Erika yelled when Arik pinched her nipple that was still sore from Galen’s teeth. “Yes, you gave me pleasure.”
Silence fell around them. Erika closed her eyes in shame and acceptance.
“Daughter, you understand what this means?”
“Yes,” she whispered again to her fathers. “I understand.”
“Our daughter has consented to a union between her and the Savari warriors, Galen and Arik.” One of her fathers boomed the words out so that all could hear and know. “She will be formally joined with them in two days. The ceremony will take place the eve before her twenty-first year.” Nodding to Galen and Arik, he continued as the brothers removed the cord from her hair and unwound her braid. “As of today, our daughter, Erika, is claimed. None other may touch her or try to pledge suit. As of today she belongs to the Savari warriors.”
A cry rose up from the people around them. Galen could see the misery in Erika’s face and it hurt him. He didn’t understand her reluctance. He knew that he and his brother were considered a good match. Many had wanted to bond their daughters with the Savari warriors, but they had waited for Erika. And the wait had been well worth it. Erika was more beautiful than he had ever imagined. His body ached with need of her. Shaking his head, Galen knelt before her and glanced up to his brother. Arik took Erika’s hands in his and crossed their arms over her chest, holding her tightly against his own body.
Galen removed his sha stick from his belt and placed it on Erika’s lower right abdomen just above her skirt. She felt a stinging pain and then blessed numbness. Galen stood with a yell that was returned by all present. Erika glanced down and saw the falcon on her abdomen, the mark of the Savari clan. She was theirs now. The official ceremony was just for her parents and his to bless their union.
Erika felt the darkness surround her and gladly surrendered to it. Without a sound she fainted against Arik.
* * * * *
Now she lay awake on her girlhood bed. She knew not when they would come for her. Sometime soon she would be taken to the home that Galen and Arik had built. She glanced again at the falcon on her belly and shuddered. She would never be allowed her freedom again. Galen would keep her confined to their home, she was sure. She knew that his family still clung rigidly to the old warrior code that stated their women should be bound to hearth and home. Tears filled her eyes again. How would she survive without her trees and flowers, without cooling dips in the pond?
She quickly closed her eyes as the curtain covering her door was pulled back. She felt someone sit beside her on the bed and then her mother spoke. “I know that you are awake, Erika. So please sit up and talk to me. We have much to discuss and little time to achieve it.”
Erika sat up quickly and fell into her mother’s open arms with great sobs. “What am I to do, Mama? What am I to do?”
“Hush, child, there is nothing that I can do. You are the Savari warriors’ now. If you had only come to me sooner… But enough. Wipe your eyes and focus. I must know about the quaking of the earth. Did you cause this to occur?”
Erika looked up at her mother with wide eyes and nodded her head yes.
“How long have you known that you had this gift to move the earth, Erika?”
“Since I was thirteen.”
“Oh, Erika, why did you never tell me of this? Why did I never see the signs?”
“I was afraid. It was all so new and frightening. I didn’t want to scare you or make you think that there was something wrong with me.”
“I would never feel that way about you, my love. You are flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood and favored above others by the goddess herself. Tell me, Erika, what are you able to control and do with your abilities?”
“I can move rocks and boulders with a thought and a wave of my hand. I can make plants grow and bloom by wishing it so while waving my hand over them. The trees will bend down for me if I command.” Erika looked her mother straight in the eye when she revealed her last gift. “And I can make the very earth tremble and shake by placing my hands upon it.”
Erin couldn’t contain her laughter at her daughter’s confession. “So that is how you managed to prevent the breaching.” Erika flushed at her mother’s words. “You will not be able to prevent it that way now, Erika.”
“What do you mean? Of course, I can.”
“No, Erika. You are unable to use your powers against your protectors, which Arik and Galen now are.” Erin pointed to the symbol of the falcon that rested on her daughter’s abdomen. “When they placed their mark upon you they took that option away from you. You will have to submit to them. No longer will you be able to use your powers to prevent them from anything.”
“I don’t want to join with them, Mama. I am frightened by the thought of what they will do to me.”
“Yet your body desires their touch.” Erika flushed crimson but remained silent as her mother continued to speak. “I saw the demonstration as well, Erika. You brought it on yourself when you refused to admit what had happened in privacy. I will tell you now what I have not spoken before. You have been promised to the Savari brothers since you were ten and Galen rescued you. Galen accepted your fathers’ gratitude and he and Arik have waited patiently for you to grow and become claimable. I know that Galen frightens you, but you must see that Galen has always looked upon you as his from that day forward. He wanted only to protect you.
He was your protector while Arik became your friend and confidant, listening to your girlhood banter and dreams. It was not easy for either of them, but those were the roles that you allowed, the roles that you cast them in. No matter what acts of kindness Galen bestowed on you, you never treated him as you did Arik. Just the same, when you were in need of a protector from your fathers or from others it was always Galen you sought out, never Arik. So now, daughter, you must deal with what you have set in motion.”
“What will I do, Mama? Galen will seek to keep me bound to their home. He will not let me go to the forest or work in the gardens. I will die if I am kept away from all that I hold dear.”
“That you must learn on your own. You must keep your head. A woman’s body is a place of great pleasure for a man. When he is anxious he will agree with much. When he is sated he will listen softer. You must tell them how you feel and pray to the goddess for guidance.”
“When will they come for me?”
“They will not come until the morrow. You will spend this last night in your girlhood bed. That was all that I could persuade them to allow, one night for me to speak with you of what to expect.”
“I am afraid.”
“They will not hurt you more than they have to. There will be pain when you are first breached, but I know that they love you dearly. You felt pleasure with them already. They will see to it that you feel it again before they lay claim. A warrior’s sword is mighty but it can bring a woman great pleasure.”
“They do not love me. How could they when they know so little of me?”
“They know more than you think and less than they think. Trust them to show you how they feel. Words are not easy for a warrior. Their actions speak for them instead. Listen with you heart to all they say with words and actions and you will know where their truth lies. But now I must take time to speak to you of your abilities. Do you understand what this means? Do you understand the enormity of this gift?”
“I…I’m not sure what you mean. I know that what I can do with my mind and my hands are a special gift.”
“You, Erika, bear the gift of earth, blessed by the goddess herself. It has been twenty-five years since the curse was laid upon this land. ‘In five times five the Guardians will rise, five women marked through the goddess’s eyes. Of fire, earth, water and air, four will become the Guardians of Altair. The fifth shall ply the mystic realms and draw them together in the valley of Elms.’”
“What are you saying, Mama?”
“You are a Guardian of Altair, Erika. You have been granted power over the very earth that we walk upon.”
Erika’s eyes were huge. “What will I do? Where do I go? When do I leave? How will I leave?”
“You will know when the time is right. You will receive the call and be guided by the Mystic where to go. For now, we must work on honing your skills. We will eventually have to let your fathers and husbands know what you are.”
“No! You know that they do not believe in the curse. They find other explanations for the war that constantly surrounds us. They will not believe us.”
“Then we will show them what you can do. They do not believe because they have not seen and seeing will definitely mean believing.”
“But I cannot use my powers against them anymore.”
“You cannot use them against Galen or Arik, but you can use them against anyone else. Your mates are the only family that your powers will know now. It is the way that it was written. They will protect you and you will protect them as well.”
“How do you know this?”
“There was more to the curse than what was told to the warriors. A task set to the women to prepare the way for the Guardians. I would have told you once you were claimed as is every woman. Now I know that I have spent these years preparing the way for you, my very own daughter. All of the women in the village have. We will all stand behind you on this.”
“What if he will not allow it?”
Erin knew that she spoke of Galen. “Then you must persuade him differently. Speak with love, not anger and your words will be heard.”
“I do not love them. I’ll never love them.”
“All will be made clear soon. Rest now, my love. The morrow comes soon enough. I will speak with your fathers only when you are comfortable with it and perhaps we will speak with your mates at the bonding ceremony. If a demonstration is required then you will put on a hell of a show. Now rest, Erika. The morrow brings much for you to deal with.”
“Yes, Mama.”
“Know that I will always be here for you, my love. I will stand beside you come what may.”
“Thank you, Mama.”
Erin left the room and Erika curled into a ball. She still feared what the Savari would do to her tomorrow. She remembered well how Galen had told her at the age of ten how a warrior’s sword would spear deep inside her, ripping her asunder. She feared the breaching more than anything else.
Chapter Four
Erika rose as early as she could and quickly left the house of her childhood for the forest. The morning air was cool against her skin. The dawn was one of her most favorite times of the day. When she could she would sneak to the pond and watch the animals come for their morning drinks. It was quiet then. There was no ringing of swords or other warrior weapons until later in the morning when meals were finished.
She leaned against a tree and nibbled at the palona fruit. Although many removed the greenish-brown skin before tasting its pink fruit, Erika loved the salty taste of the skin mixed with the sweetness of the fruit inside. Waving her hand over the earth next to the tree, she watched as the flowers she wanted shot up and bloomed. Their sweet scent filled the air and brought a smile to her lips. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. With the smile still upon her lips she brought the fruit back to her mouth for another nibble and lost herself in the small noises of the forest coming awake around her. She must have dozed because the next thing she knew he was there.
“Care to share your morning bounty?” Galen’s voice whispered in her ear.
Startled, Erika jerked away from the trunk only to be pulled onto Galen’s lap. She had not heard him at all. Yet, somehow he was now seated beside her near the trunk of the tree. “What are you doing here?”
“Somehow I knew that this is where I would find you. So here is where I am.” Galen bent his head and licked the juice of the palona from her lips. “Sweet.”
She didn’t know if he spoke of her or the fruit. Galen bent to her again and nipped at her bottom lip with his teeth. Her lips parted on a gasp and Galen thrust his tongue into her mouth. He ravaged her mouth, licking everywhere that his tongue could reach. She was so lost in his kiss that she was flat on her back before she realized it with Galen lying between her now-spread thighs. Erika was only five feet eight so both Galen and Arik were a foot taller than her. Still she could feel the heat of his stomach against her mound. He continued to lick and suck at her mouth. When she tentatively moved her tongue into Galen’s mouth, he groaned and suckled at her. She felt his hand at her breast, softly plucking at her nipple. She moaned and arched her throat back. Galen followed the smooth arch of her throat down over her shoulder and to her other nipple. He gently licked it through the thin material of her top.
She felt a tug at her neck where his other hand was and then the nearly transparent material was pulled from her breasts, leaving her exposed to Galen’s lust-filled eyes. Before she could protest he was kissing her again and she didn’t even feel him untie the material behind her back and remove her top completely.
With this accomplished, Galen moved his mouth back to Erika’s bountiful breasts and began licking and sucking at her flesh. She groaned and thrust her breasts against his mouth in mindless need. Galen smiled against her and slowly began working his hand under the waistband of her skirt. As his hand reached the smooth crease where thigh began he couldn’t stop the need to gently nip and bite at her nipples.
Erika cried out at the f
eel of Galen’s sharp teeth tugging and nipping at her breasts. The slight pain seemed to bring her back to herself and she became aware of his hand moving back to the curls on her mound. When his fingers parted the lips of her pussy and began to pluck at her pleasure pearl she couldn’t stop the moan even as her hands tried to push him away. “Please, Galen. Please.”
“Yes, little one.” Galen groaned as he thrust a finger into her tight sheath.
Erika cried out in fright more than pain at the feel of Galen’s finger inside her. She pushed harder against him, crying out at the same time. “Stop! Please, Galen, stop!”
Finally realizing what Erika was saying, Galen tried to shake off his lust as he looked down into her tear-streaked face. “What is wrong, little one? I only seek to give you pleasure.” He moved his finger in and out of her moist pussy. “You are already wet for me. I know that my finger does not hurt you, so what is wrong?”
“Please, Galen, I don’t want this.”
Galen’s face seemed to turn to stone. “And if I was Arik would you still tell me stop?”
Erika looked startled at his question. “Yes, of course I would. I do not want to mate with anyone.”
“But why, little one? It is natural for a woman to cradle a warrior between her thighs. ‘Twill only hurt the first time and even then I will do all that I can to ensure you feel your pleasure.”
“I have felt you against me, Galen. You are too big. I will be torn asunder.”
Galen smiled down at her as he realized where her true fear lay, not in him but in the breaching. “You were made for me, little one.” He began moving his finger in and out of her again. “I will prepare you until you drip with sweet cream. Only then will I breach you.”
“I have not forgotten what you told me that day that you saved me, Galen. I know that I can be torn and hurt.”
“At the age of ten, Erika, not now. Now you are able to take me deep inside and feel pleasure more than any you have ever known.”
Erika bit her teeth against the moans building in her at what his finger was doing. “But even your finger feels large. I cannot do it, Galen. You will kill me.”