“I hope so,” Rudy said, taking a warm cloth from Rand.
“We need to do this quickly,” Olaf said as they removed her robe and began to wash her body. “The mating fever will set in soon, whether she is awake or not.”
A few minutes later, they stood alongside the bed and withdrew their Water magic. Aisling awoke all at once, instantly aware of where she was and what had happened.
“How did it go?” she asked, frowning at the expressions of worry and her men’s faces.
“It went as it was supposed to,” Olaf replied.
“You guys look tired.”
“Do not worry over us, tia-flam,” Rudy said. “However, please know that we will never allow you to experience the slightest amount of pain again for the remainder of our existence. And beyond. Never.”
Aisling laughed and sat up, holding the sheet against her chest modestly. “Since we all agreed that we want children, that’s going to be an impossible directive to keep to.”
“No children then,” Rudy replied steadfastly. “We shall adopt.”
Aisling shook her head. “I’m sorry it was so rough on you,” she said. “But honestly, I never felt a thing. The last thing I remember was us sitting over there talking.”
“Truly?” Rand asked.
“Yes, truly,” she said. They all seemed to relax a little at that.
“What happens next?” she asked. A sudden wave of intense arousal flooded her body all at once, answering her question. She shoved the sheet away from her, unable to stand the feel of it against her suddenly hypersensitive skin. Her breasts swelled, her nipples grew so hard they ached, and her pussy gushed fluid down her thighs.
“Help me,” she gasped, “please.”
“We’re coming,” Olaf said as they all rapidly tore their clothes off. “Just one moment, bilara, we are hurrying.”
“Please,” Aisling gasped as her body began to shudder uncontrollably. Who would believe that arousal could become so intense that it hurt? She struggled to prevent the needy whimpers from escaping her own mouth, but simply could not hold them back.
Olaf tossed his clothes aside and reached for Aisling.
“Hurry up, Rudy,” he said as he lifted her from the bed and she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. The feel of her hot, wet vulva pressing against his stomach made him shudder with desire.
“I can’t stand this,” Aisling gasped, the tears running down her cheeks tearing Olaf’s heart to shreds.
“Rudy, you must hurry,” he said. “She cannot take much more.”
“Just another few seconds,” Rudy said, his voice strained. “I cannot hurt her, Olaf. I just can’t. I have to make sure this is right.”
Aisling whimpered, desperate with need.
Rand kicked his clothes aside and reached in between Olaf and Aisling, his long fingers finding her hard, throbbing clit. He stroked it gently, but Aisling whimpered in frustration. She didn’t want gentle. He grasped the slippery nub between his fingers and began to milk it with firm strokes.
Aisling’s head went back, her hips arching against him. He squeezed the nub more tightly, the way she liked, and tugged on it. Her entire body bent backward, her head slamming against Rudy’s shoulder as she climaxed so hard that she didn’t even have the breath to scream.
Rand continued milking her clit until her body began to relax. He released her slowly, then slid his hand free.
“I love you, bilara,” Olaf whispered.
“I love you,” she whispered back, her body already growing tense with need again. “I love all of you, so much. But I don’t think we have much time.”
Olaf reached down between them and grasped his cock. The moment he pressed the thick head into her hot, throbbing pussy, her inner muscles clamped down around him. He had to grit his teeth against the urge to fuck her hard and deep until they both screamed their release. Instead he pressed himself into her carefully, holding her hips to keep her from doing the very thing he wanted to do. When he was fully seated he took a moment to breathe. What he really wanted to do was whimper along with Aisling as her body continually pulsed and tightened around him.
“Rudy?” he asked.
“I’m ready,” Rudy said as Rand took his place on the bed.
Olaf felt Rudy shift Aisling’s body against him, then watched her face as Rudy pressed his thick cock into her tight rear opening. He was relieved when she began straining back towards Rudy as though eager for more of what he was giving her. Olaf held her still, knowing that the biggest danger at this point was Aisling herself. If they weren’t careful, she could easily cause herself injury.
“I’m in,” Rudy gasped after a moment, panting as he fought to hold himself still within Aisling’s hot, tight passage.
“Now Rand,” Olaf gasped. “Quickly, please.”
“Move a little closer,” Rand said. Olaf and Rudy worked together to shift a little closer to the bed. “That’s good,” Rand said when his cock was level with Aisling’s mouth. “I’m ready.”
“Aisling, we need you to raise your arms. Left one to Rudy, right to Rand. Once Rand is all the way in your throat, we will penetrate you with our fangs. It will only take a few seconds. You remember, we went over all of this, right?”
Aisling nodded, her breath rasping in and out of her lungs, her body struggling to move on the two cocks already penetrating her, barely able to think from the fire burning inside of her.
“Rand, get ready,” Olaf ordered. He watched as Rand lifted the head of his cock to Aisling’s lips, saw her open her mouth and take him deep without hesitation. He looked up at Rand who nodded as he lifted Aisling’s wrist to his mouth. He turned to Rudy and saw that he had Aisling’s wrist ready as well.
Olaf took a deep breath. This was it. The big moment they had never thought to have for themselves. After this, their souls would be linked. How often had they wondered what that would be like? How it would feel to be whole? To have the three parts of the soul they shared be rejoined, linked together through their Arima, as they were meant to be? They were about to find out.
He lowered his mouth to Aisling’s neck and, at the exact same moment, they all sank their fangs into her flesh and froze. Olaf counted his heartbeats, not daring to breathe as he waited for instinct to tell him enough. Finally, the moment came, and they all slid their fangs out. It was done.
Olaf heard Aisling breathe in deeply and glanced up to see that Rand was still deeply seated in her throat. The miracle was working.
They all began to thrust in and out of Aisling’s body in a strange rhythm they did not control. Their bodies moved of their own volition, and for a split second, Olaf nearly fought it. Then he remembered being told that this would happen, so he forced himself to relax as his body thrust into Aisling’s faster and faster, harder and deeper.
Olaf closed his eyes and sensed a light growing inside of Aisling. Small and green with a touch of gold at it’s center. The light grew rapidly as they continued to plunge into her, harder and faster until, all at once, they exploded into a massive simultaneous orgasm. Olaf’s seed sprayed from his body and into Aisling’s, racing through her passage towards the bright light in the center of her being. It met with Rand’s seed and then Rudy’s, blending together within the light, causing it to grow larger and brighter. The light began to vibrate, beckoning to them, wanting something more, though Olaf didn’t know what. He felt it reaching out to him, and something within him responded. His soul, he realized with awe. He felt it as it flowed through him and into Aisling, racing towards her light as his seed had before it. A part of Aisling entered him at the same time, sinking into his skin and bone. He felt the essence of Aisling, her warmth, her heart, her love, as it settled across his shoulders, there to remain forever, an eternal part of his being.
Suddenly the green and gold light flared as brightly as the sun. Olaf climaxed again, sensing his brothers and Aisling climaxing at the same time, all of them straining and groaning, holding tightly to each other as the pleas
ure roared through them with so much heat, passion, and love that he thought his heart might burst with it.
Eventually Olaf realized he had control of his body back. They remained standing for long moments, not ready yet to be apart from one another. Before long, their trembling bodies clamored for rest. Rudy and Rand carefully withdrew from Aisling’s body, gently laying her head against Olaf’s shoulder. He looked down and saw that her eyes were closed, and smiled. That was their Aisling.
Rudy and Rand quickly straightened the bed, then Olaf lifted her off of him, and laid her down on the cool sheets. Then they all climbed onto the bed with her and rested for a time. When their heartbeats returned to normal, and their bodies no longer trembled, Olaf, Rand and Rudy began carefully inspecting Aisling’s body, going over her inch by inch to insure that she was unharmed.
Her lau-lotu markings were beautiful, the bold, stern-eyed gryphons suiting her somehow. None of them had words for how they felt to see their binding marks on their Arima. When they looked down to see Aisling’s gryphon on themselves, it brought tears to their eyes.
“She’s stunning,” Rand gasped as he turned his right arm back and forth.
“I’ve never seen a gryphon with red fur,” Rudy said. “She’s magnificent.”
“Stunning, magnificent, and ours for eternity,” Olaf said. “She was worth every minute we had to wait for her.”
Chapter 32
“Roar room. Clever,” Karma said as she and Aisling stepped through the door that Rudy was holding open for them.
“Actually, these compartment are officially called Shift Chamber,” Rand said. “We have them on all of our vessels, for obvious reasons. Someone on the Katres’ ship came up with the term roar room, and it spread throughout the fleet.”
“I kind of like it,” Aisling said. She stepped up to the long viewing window and looked into the room. It was much bigger than she’d expected, with white padding along the walls and floor. She looked up. Ceiling too. She knew that the padding was meant to protect the ship, not the Clan Jasani in the room, but she was glad it was there. Just in case.
“I love your binding marks,” Karma said. “They’re very beautiful.”
“I love them too,” Aisling said, looking down at her arms. Olaf had shown her how to make them fade, but she preferred to leave them showing. She liked looking at them too much.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Karma asked, watching Rudy open the door into the padded room and step into it. “It’s only been one day.”
“I’m sure, Karma,” Aisling said. Karma worried a lot, but Aisling wasn’t going to get testy with her about it. Having someone worry about you wasn’t a bad thing.
“Just make sure you don’t let anyone else in here,” she added. “I don’t mind you watching me make a fool of myself, but I don’t want any other spectators.”
“Too bad,” Karma said. “I was gonna sell tickets.”
“The problem with money is, no matter how much you have, you can’t take it with you when you die,” Aisling said brightly.
Karma scowled. “Spoil sport.”
Aisling leaned over to kiss Karma on the cheek. “Thank you for helping out last night,” she said. “I really appreciate it.”
“What’re friends for?” Karma replied. “I’m very happy for you. You do know that, right?”
“Yes, I know that.”
The door opened behind them and Olaf entered, locking the door behind him. “Sorry I’m late,” he said. “The Captain wanted to tell me that we got an unexpected jump slot last night. We’ll reach Rathira tomorrow morning.”
“That’s great news,” Aisling said. She’d been worried they would miss Urwin. For some reason, she felt that if they didn’t get there tomorrow, it would be too late.
“Let’s go learn to fly,” Rand said, standing at the door into the room.
Aisling cast one nervous glance at Karma, straightened her shoulders and went through the door into the roar room. Her feet sank into the thick padding on the floor, making it difficult for her to walk to where Rudy stood waiting several yards away. The room was even bigger than it had looked from the viewing window, which made her feel even more nervous.
“Relax, tia-flam,” Rudy said when she finally reached him. “This will be easy for you.”
“Okay, what do I do?” she asked as Olaf and Rand joined them.
“Imagine your gryphon in your mind, and call her,” Olaf said.
“Call her?” Aisling asked, perplexed. “You make it sound like she’s a different...being from me.”
“In a sense, she is,” Olaf said. “She is you as a gryphon. Not you in the form of a gryphon.”
“That makes no sense,” Aisling said flatly. “None. Are you messing with me?”
“No,” Olaf said, hiding his smile. “I am not messing with you, and it does make sense.”
Aisling crossed her arms in front of her and looked at Rudy, then Rand. They both wore smiles, though Olaf had at least tried to hide his.
“You’re gonna have to add another couch to that sitting room,” she said.
“Why?” Olaf asked.
“So all three of you will have a place to sleep tonight.”
“Oh.” Olaf cleared his throat and decided he should start over.
“Imagine that you have two options,” he said. “One of them is to put on a costume that will make you look like a gryphon. It has the right color fur, the right shape and size, but it’s a costume. When you put it on you look like a gryphon, but you aren’t a gryphon. You’re a person in a costume. Understand?”
“Yes,” Aisling said, starting to see where he was going.
“Good,” Olaf said. “Now, the other option is to become a gryphon. Inside, outside, in every way, you become a gryphon. You have the gryphon’s instincts, the gryphon’s body which has four legs, a tail, a beak, and wings. It isn’t like your human body. There are no lips, no arms, no fingers. It cannot talk, or push buttons on a hand terminal, or call someone on a vox. But since you are the gryphon, you don’t care about any of that, because you aren’t human, you’re gryphon. You don’t have to think how to walk, or fly, or decipher the way your eyes see and your ears hear, which are different from the way a human sees and hears.”
“So, in a way, there are two of me now,” Aisling said thoughtfully. “The human me that looks like this, and another me that is a gryphon.”
“That’s right,” Olaf said with some relief.
“Am I still me though?” she asked. “When I’m a gryphon, I mean. Can I still think?”
“Yes, your personality remains the same, though it is enhanced by the gryphon’s instincts. A gryphon is less patient than a human, and is far more apt to kill it’s enemies than capture them. We are able to communicate with each other telepathically while in our alter-form, so we will be able to assist you if necessary.”
“All right, first things first,” Aisling said. “Picture my gryphon, then call her.”
“Yes,” Rand said, holding his arm out so she could see herself. She smiled at the odd looking gryphon with the dark red fur on it’s neck, tail and ankles. For some reason she had thought she’d have green fur like the guys, but she didn’t. She looked like herself. Her eyes widened with that thought, and she understood a little more how this worked.
She closed her eyes, pictured herself as a gryphon, and then called to her. She remained motionless, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. She opened her eyes and looked down at Olaf, Rand and Rudy. Down?
She blinked, then turned her head to look back at herself, surprised when her head turned almost all the way around. She opened her beak and made a strange half roar, half squawking sound.
“What was that supposed to be?” Olaf asked, his laughter sounding in her mind.
“A laugh,” she replied, turning to see Olaf’s gryphon standing beside her. He was taller than she was by at least a couple of feet, but she didn’t mind. Eight feet at the shoulder was plenty big enough. A
nd she had a tail! She twitched it experimentally and laughed again.
“Gryphons don’t laugh,” Rudy said.
“Now he tells me,” Aisling thought back.
“Do you want to fly now?” Olaf asked.
“Yes,” Aisling replied eagerly. She started to ask how, then realized that her gryphon already knew. She crouched down a little on her rear leonine haunches, then sprang forward and up, her wings unfolding with a sharp crack, her neck stretched out, the air whistling past her beak as she sped toward the wall. She banked left, twisting her body as her wings tilted at an angle, and in a blink she was speeding toward the other side of the room, laughing in her mind as she listened to Rand, Rudy and Olaf’s praises.
“Bilara, do we still need to have another couch added to the sitting room?”
“Not just yet, no,” Aisling replied as she banked again, feeling as though she had been born to do this. She could hardly wait for the chance to fly outside.
Chapter 33
Karma walked beside Aisling after they left the terra-pod, stunned by the beauty of the land around them. They’d been instructed to land in an area that was some distance from the main city of Ausar so that their ships did not frighten the people. This was a world which had several levels of knowledge, and the common people were unaware of the Thousand Worlds, or even the concept of travel among the stars.
There were no paved roads here, nor any powered vehicles such as ground-cars or speeders. In an effort to remain as inconspicuous as possible, Captain Singer had asked that they leave the ground-car in the hold of the terra-pod, and send the terra-pod back to their ship rather than remain in wait as they normally would have.
“That outfit is killer,” Karma said as they waited for the Gryphons to finish speaking with the pilot.
Aisling grinned as she glanced down at herself. The top was cut in the shape of a bustier with lacing up the back, and gold buckles at the shoulder straps. Her pants and boots were the same design she usually wore, but matched the olive green of the bustier top, with gold buckles instead of silver. It was all made of the usual kevlex and leather, and the pants had the utilitarian pockets and loops that she needed for her weapons. The difference was that this top bared a tantalizing section of her flat, muscled stomach when she moved, and a daring bit of cleavage. Karma had helped her design it, and though she’d been a little nervous about it at first, the Gryphons’ reactions when they’d seen it had swept her doubts away.
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