by Sue Mercury
Tears burned in her eyes. How many times as a girl had she imagined her wedding day? At least a thousand. And each time, she pictured her mother helping her get ready. Yes, there would be others assisting, a seamstress to make any last minute adjustments, a beautician to ensure her hair and makeup looked just so, and countless others doing this and that, but her mother would have been by her side. And her father would have walked her down the aisle, probably in Westminster Abbey. She sighed and turned to face the door.
Her incessant nerves had prevented her from fully taking in her surroundings, but so far what she had noticed of the village and of Zarr’s house had been a nice surprise. She’d heard that on many faraway planets aliens lived in crude huts or in caves, and it came as a relief to find the Sepkarians were a civilized society.
What technology they possessed, they kept hidden. The houses contained running water and were powered with electric lights built into the ceilings and walls. Well, at least Zarr’s house contained such amenities. She had also noticed his house was larger than most of the buildings they had passed. Was he considered wealthy among his people, or a man of great importance?
The wealth she didn’t care about. She only cared about his personality, his propensity for kindness. Would he treat her with respect? She had feared she’d plundered when she practically scolded him for using the phrase “shipments of females”, but his choice of words had struck such a sour chord that she’d been unable to keep quiet.
His apology had seemed sincere though. She hoped he had truly meant it and wished she could read him better. It was difficult to decipher his thoughts with those seemingly unchanging dark eyes of his.
After a series of deep breaths and a quick prayer, she exited the bedroom and walked to the top of the steps. Zarr waited for her below, and she gasped at how handsome he looked. He wore a dark, navy suit, an ensemble she doubted was traditional attire for a Sepkarian. It resembled the same kind of suit a man would wear on Earth.
Zarr had done research on her planet, she realized with a flush. She picked up the skirts of her dress and slowly made her way down the steps to her soon-to-be-husband. When she reached the bottom, he grasped her hand and pulled her close, flush against his hard muscular body. Her pulse raced as she peered up into his dark eyes that were now aflame. Was that desire flashing in his gaze? Maybe it wouldn’t be so difficult to read his thoughts and his moods after all. A delightful shudder went through her.
She hadn’t been so close to a man in ages, aside from her cousin’s husband, of course. She never thought she would marry. If anything, she had assumed she would remain in hiding for the rest of her life, until it had become apparent that even in hiding she wasn’t safe. Now it felt wondrous to be held in Zarr’s arms.
The sudden embrace chased much of her loneliness away. His touch and intense yet tender gaze filled in the empty places in her soul, the places she hadn’t even known were devoid of feeling and hope until he’d taken her so firmly in his arms.
“You look beautiful, Elizabeth.” His deep voice vibrated through her center, making her warm and tingly all over.
“Thank you, Zarr. You look handsome too. Um, how did you manage all this? I mean, I can’t imagine these happen to be the fashion of clothing worn on Sepkar.”
He smiled wide, revealing a mouthful of large, white pointed teeth. She cried out and drew back, wrenching herself from his grasp.
She covered her mouth and stared. He’d given her several small smiles since her arrival, but he hadn’t opened his mouth wide enough for her to actually see his teeth. Their walk through the village had been quick, and she hadn’t glimpsed any other Sepkarians teeth yet, either.
“Elizabeth, calm down.” He held his hands out as if in surrender. “All Sepkarians have teeth like this. Don’t be afraid.”
She felt her eyes growing wider as she continued to stare. Holy hell. What big teeth you have. When she had imagined the differences between them, she hadn’t considered the possibility of huge fangs for teeth. He could easily rip a hole in her neck if he wanted to.
Elizabeth felt an immediate stab of guilt at the wounded look on his face.
She uncovered her mouth and forced her hands to her sides, hoping she hadn’t hurt his feelings too badly. He certainly couldn’t help what his teeth looked like. Maybe he found her human teeth disgusting but didn’t say so because it wasn’t polite. She stepped forward and took one of his large hands in hers.
“Forgive me, Zarr. I hope I didn’t offend you. I just wasn’t expecting you to have teeth so sharp.”
He brushed her hair around her shoulders and straightened her veil, just as she imagined her father might do before she prepared to walk down the aisle. Emotion tightened in her throat.
Elizabeth was so out of her element on this planet, it wasn’t even funny. As a princess, she had been accustomed to interacting with a broad spectrum of cultures. Her parents had traveled the world on goodwill missions and always taken her along, at least in the years before the first war started.
“It’s all right, Elizabeth. You aren’t the first human girl to scream at the sight of a Sepkarian’s teeth. Our ancestors hunted the large beasts in the forest and ate little fruits and vegetables, thus the need for sharp teeth. Many of our kind still prefer to hunt and eat the catch in the forest, uncooked and all, but I grew up in a more modern family and I promise we won’t be eating any raw meat. Also, the village manages several greenhouses and a long stretch of farming fields. Since more and more human girls will be arriving, we have upped our production in both.”
She listened to his explanation, feeling relief.
“Again, I’m so sorry. I promise I won’t keep freaking out over our differences.” She bit her lip, overcome with shyness as she considered what else might come as a surprise. More than once, she had wondered what kind of…appendage a Sepkarian had hanging between his legs. Nothing too different from a human male’s cock, she hoped.
Dear Lord, what kind of thoughts was she entertaining? She glanced away from Zarr, hoping he hadn’t surmised her thoughts.
Still, she couldn’t stop worrying. She’d heard of some alien races with massive manhoods that could hardly fit inside their human brides, and she’d also heard of one race with two cocks. She gulped as Zarr led her outside into the warm night air.
*
The wedding ceremony was a success. All the brides seemed appreciative of the Earthlike attire and familiar wedding vows.
To accommodate brides who weren’t from the same culture as Elizabeth, each pair repeated slightly different vows designed by the groom. Zarr had encouraged the men in his village to research their prospective mates’ background as much as possible using information disks provided by Mail Order Human. It pleased him to see all his men had heeded his advice. Perhaps now the single Sepkarian males would take notice and there would be less human girls running through the streets trying to escape in the future.
Once the priestess pronounced the last couple husband and wife, a collective cheer went up in the village square. All residents, mostly men and young boys, had come to witness the mass nuptials. At one time there hadn’t been a single female living in their village, and as a result weddings were now a most joyous event.
They feasted at a long table set up on the street. Wine flowed freely and a great bounty of food was passed up and down the table. It pleased Zarr to see Elizabeth smiling and greeting those who approached to offer congratulations, and it also pleased him to see her eating so much. It was a sacred duty for a Sepkarian male to make sure his mate was properly nourished.
Traditional Sepkarian males still fed their females by hand, but most of those in his village had strayed from the strict customs of the past, including him, and he allowed Elizabeth to feed herself. When she licked a drop of berry juice from her bottom lip, his blood heated with desire and his cock throbbed inside his pants.
Goddess Tika, he couldn’t wait to remove his Earthlike attire. He found the suit restrictive and lon
ged to tear it off, starting with the dress pants. He couldn’t wait to strip Elizabeth’s clothing off as well.
Hours passed and finally, once the large orange moon rested directly overhead, the festivities drew to a close. His heart pounded and he clasped Elizabeth’s hand, giving her an encouraging look. He didn’t wish for her to be frightened of their wedding night, but he had to have her, and soon. Not just because law stated they must consummate their marriage on the very night of their wedding, or else another male could make a claim on her, but because ever since he’d set eyes on her he couldn’t stop thinking of making her his.
“Come, wife,” he said, rising from the table. “Let us retire to the marriage bed.”
Chapter Three
Let us retire to the marriage bed. Elizabeth couldn’t stop replaying his words in her head.
Oh my God. This was really happening.
She had never been with a man before, and while she knew what to expect, knowing wasn’t the same as doing. In England, the crown (her parents) had guarded her virginity carefully. She hadn’t gone anywhere without guards, and it had been difficult to manage even a quick kiss or hold hands with a boy while being chaperoned so diligently.
At the time, she had resented not being able to live a normal life like a regular teenager. Well, as normal a life as one could during wartime. Her first kiss had been interrupted by one of her guards clearing his throat loudly to remind her she had an audience. All her future attempts to sneak off had been thwarted and she was therefore terribly inexperienced. Fiona might have wished she had been born a princess, but Elizabeth had often wished the opposite for herself.
Wanting to start her marriage to Zarr out right, she hoped he found her pleasing and feared disappointing him. Logically, she knew how stupid that sounded. She appreciated that Sepkarians respected women and held them in high esteem, but she still couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that he’d paid for her. She wondered how much he’d given Mail Order Human in exchange for her delivery to his planet. She’d heard the company’s fees were exorbitant.
She supposed he’d had his reasons though, just as she’d had her reasons for leaving Earth. Once again, she recalled how few females she’d seen in the village, even during the wedding celebration.
As they approached the front door of Zarr’s home, he swept her up in his arms, making her squeal and then start laughing. She hadn’t expected him to follow so many of her peoples’ customs. His efforts touched her.
“Zarr, your attention to detail is remarkable and I appreciate it,” she said, still laughing. “But you don’t have to carry me all the way upstairs.”
He carried her all the way upstairs anyway, past the bedroom she had gotten ready in, and into a larger room with a massive bed dominating it. She supposed he needed such a large bed to fit his wide, tall frame.
Small, twinkling lights decorated the walls. The windows dimmed as he carried her inside, giving them privacy from the village. She marveled at the way their technology worked, so seamlessly and without having to press buttons or issue commands. It reminded her of the smart houses that had once been so popular on Earth. She meant to ask him about it later, but for now her thoughts rested on her impending wedding night.
Fiona had warned her to obey her husband, lest the man she married believed in disciplining her for disobedience. Many of the alien cultures Mail Order Human catered to had a reputation for being quite backward, and she felt fortunate for having been matched with a man on Sepkar.
She hoped her initial impression of the village and Zarr’s people was never proven wrong. She’d seen women working alongside men in the market earlier and participating in the celebration unhindered, moving about and interacting with many men, even as their husbands looked on. If the Sepkarians were extremely backward, she doubted their females would be permitted to mingle with the opposite sex as equals.
Zarr paused in the middle of the room and gave Elizabeth a tender look. Then he carried her to the bed and placed her upon the soft, fluffy covers. She rested her head upon a pillow and peered up at him, wondering what to do next. Take her clothes off? Kiss him? Talk dirty?
She felt at a loss and only knew one thing for sure—she wanted Zarr on top of her, wanted him touching her and tangling his fingers through her hair.
He reached for her veil and pulled it from her head, laying it on a chair next to the bed. His eyes still shone with tenderness. She no longer had a difficult time reading his moods. The change in his eyes was faint, but she could detect it, along with the change of his expression, the lines of his face softening.
Her gaze dropped to his middle as he removed his pants.
She screamed.
*
“Don’t be afraid, Elizabeth.”
Zarr really should have warned her. He had done enough research to know the area between his legs didn’t look much like a human man’s. Somehow he’d hoped she wouldn’t glance at his manhood. Sepkarian females were submissive in bed, even shy, and usually didn’t look directly at their mate’s appendages.
Elizabeth peered at him now with wide, frightened eyes. She was huddled in a corner of the room, holding up a hand to ward him off.
“Elizabeth, come back to bed,” he said more firmly. Didn’t she realize he wouldn’t harm her? Didn’t she realize he intended to give her pleasure? He wasn’t selfish in bed, and though it had been ages since he’d had intercourse in a Sepkarian pleasure house on the other side of the planet, he was certain he remembered how to please a female.
He wanted to caress and kiss Elizabeth until she moaned and grew wet, until she parted her legs willingly and begged him to enter her.
“I will not come back to bed.” She pointed at his center. “You-you have two things between your legs.”
He glanced down at himself, then looked back at his nervous bride. “I suppose I do.” He gestured for her to take his hand. “Come here.”
She shook her head, her eyes ever wide. “You have a tentacle! Where on Earth is that supposed to go? I tried to prepare myself for the possibility of you having two cocks or maybe one very large cock, but…” She flushed and retreated deeper into her corner.
“Well, I wouldn’t call it a tentacle exactly.” With a smile tugging at his lips, Zarr searched his English vocabulary for the proper translation and came up empty.
He ran a hand through his hair. Had there not been a shortage of females on Sepkar, he would be one of the most sought after males on the planet. He was wealthy and had been elected chief of his village. Men and women looked up to him and followed his lead. He was used to being respected and trusted by all who crossed his path. He gazed down at his shaking, wide-eyed bride and wondered what in the name of the Goddess Tika to do.
He gripped the appendage in question, the long and thin umblina that normally rested flaccid and curled up beneath his cock. As he tugged on it, his manhood rippled with pleasure and grew harder. The demonstration caused Elizabeth to squeak.
“This is my umblina. Its purpose is to stimulate the female. Among Sepkarians, at least, females are more easily bred when they reach the heights of pleasure. My umblina goes inside you alongside my cock, and…it will make you feel good.”
“It goes inside me?” She shuddered, and for a moment he feared she would swoon.
“It doesn’t have to go inside you, Elizabeth. It can also remain outside and pleasure you in other ways.”
“What other ways?” This time, to his relief, she appeared more curious than afraid. At least she no longer looked on the verge of fainting.
“Well, I’ve read that human females have a…what is it called?” He tapped his chin, trying to remember. “Ah, yes. A clitooooooris. Sepkarian females have something similar. My umblina can also remain outside of you while my cock is pounding into you, and it can stroke and vibrate against your clitoris.”
Most of the fear left her visage. Her shoulders relaxed and she lifted her chin. “Um, did you say it vibrates?”
He nodded.
“Yes. I can make it vibrate fast or slow, depending on your preference.”
She blew out a breath and rubbed her face. “Well, I’m not sure what to say. I’m still a little scared, but I guess if you’re not going to force it inside me, then I might be persuaded to…come to bed.” A nervous smile flitted across her face.
“Elizabeth, I would never force anything inside you. It’s imperative that we consummate our marriage tonight though, so I hope we can join as one. I promise not to hurt you.”
Her eyebrows bunched together as she rose to her feet. “Why is it imperative we consummate our marriage tonight?”
“If we don’t, another male from the village could decide to claim you. It probably wouldn’t happen, and if it did it would be a member of our community who follows the Old Ways, a Traditionalist, but it’s still a risk I would rather not take.”
“How would a Sepkarian male know we hadn’t, you know, gone to bed together?”
He hesitated. The truth would indeed send her running from the bedroom and out into the streets. “They can tell by looking at you,” was all he said.
When the time came to mark her, she would be so out of her mind with pleasure that she probably wouldn’t notice the bite mark until morning. He ignored the wave of guilt that rushed over him.
Still, he had no choice. There was a small but persistent group of Traditionalists in the village. If one of them managed to steal Elizabeth away and mark her first, there was nothing he could do to stop it, unless he killed the Sepkarian who stole her. He hoped nothing of the sort came to pass and pushed such thoughts away. He would spend all night wooing his new bride if he must.
“Very well,” she said, standing tall and squaring her shoulders as if preparing for battle.
He grinned at her, thinking she looked positively adorable, then quickly closed his mouth out of fear that another glimpse of his teeth would scare her further. He wasn’t ashamed of his appearance, but he was mindful of her reluctance to get close to him. He imagined himself in her place and decided he would be fearful too, and he admired her bravery as she finally approached him and accepted his hand.