by Octavia Kore
“Right there! Gods, Ettrian, yes!”
Enough, my body is screaming at me to take her, to make her ours. I slide my fingers from her body and pull back, rattling as she moans in frustration, her hands clutching at me as she tries to press herself into my face. Aquilian lifts Xia up into his arms, carrying her to the flower where he lays her out in the center. When she reaches for him, he shakes his head and moves aside, looking back at me expectantly.
My quills begin to rattle softly as I let my gaze roam over her, taking in the sight of our mate as she writhes atop the flower. “Tell us that you want us, Xia. Tell us that you accept our bond.” With a frantic nod of her head, she moves a hand up to her breast, cupping it and pinching the nipple.
“Say it, Xia.” Aquilian commands, bringing his palm down on the side of her thigh with a sharp crack.
A moan slips from her mouth and she stares up at my brother in surprise, heat flashing in her eyes. “I want you, both of you.” she sighs as he smooths his hand over her pink flesh. “I accept the bond. Please, I can’t wait.”
A growl rolls up my chest as I crouch down and crawl up her body, dropping soft kisses along her thighs, hips, and belly. Her legs wrap around my waist, careful to avoid the horns on my calves, as I position myself at her opening. Running the heads of my cock along the wet folds that open to welcome me, I push forward slowly, claiming the female that my brother and I have waited for our whole lives.
Aquilian leans down to capture one of her nipples in his mouth, teasing her into a frenzy as his hand slides down her stomach to rub the tiny nub. With a groan, I pull out then slide back into her hot, tight body, begging the Sun Father for strength. She is ours. I can feel my control begin to fray as she moves against me, thrusting her hips into mine, pulling me into her. My quills rattle loudly, buzzing as I thrust between her legs.
“Fuck, that feels so good.” One of Xia’s hands snakes down to where we are joined and grasps the base of my cock as it writhes inside of her cunt, searching out her most sensitive places. Pressing my hands to her inner thighs, I spread her legs wide and piston into her. “Faster! Please!”
Aquilian’s fingers are rubbing her in time with my sporadic thrusts, his tongue flicking quickly over her breast. The hand Xia doesn’t have wrapped around me is buried in my brother’s quills, clutching the glowing lengths as I feel her cunt flutter. A moment later she throws her head back, my name tearing from her throat as she goes rigid beneath me. The rippling motion of her cunt as it clutches at my cock sends me barreling over the edge into a release more powerful than I have ever experienced before. As my knot begins to expand, I press forward, allowing it to tie us together. Shudders wrack me as I feel her hand trail up my body until she reaches my cheek, pulling me down for a gentle kiss.
Chapter 29
Aquilian
The sight of Inoxia coming undone beneath my brother is nearly too much for me and I grip my cock hard in my hand as I lean down to mark our mate between her neck and shoulder as Ettrian kisses her. The metallic taste of her blood flows over my tongue and I moan against her skin, drawing more of the rich liquid into my mouth. Her heart races and I can feel her renewed need flutter along the bond. “She wants you.” Ettrian tells me quietly as his knot subsides, allowing him to slip free of her body. I run my tongue over the small wound, helping to seal it, and stand as my twin rolls to the side.
Our mate lays before me, her body flushed, hair tangled around her head, and her thighs glistening with seed and liquid heat. She is the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen. “Are you ready for your punishment?”
“Punishment?” Her mouth drops open and she turns to Ettrian, as if he will back her up, but he only rattles softly and turns her face back toward me. “I thought, maybe you-”
“You thought I had forgotten?” When she bites her lip, her eyes flitting to the side, I know I am correct. “Stand up.” She does as she is asked, stepping forward onto one of the large petals. I trail a finger down the side of her face, neck, and the marks I made. “If you truly do not want the punishment, all you have to do is say so.”
A grin tugs at her lips and she shakes her head. “I want it, Aquilian.”
“Good.” Taking a seat in the center of the flower, I pat my legs in a silent gesture for her to lay down. As she moves into position, the quills on her necklace scrape across my thighs and I lift it, admiring the way it looks on her. “Tell me why you are being punished, Inoxia.”
“I didn’t listen to you.”
My fingers glide along the beading. “Tell me what you did.”
“I left the tree after being asked not to.”
Thwack! I bring my hand down on one cheek and then the other. Through the bond I share with my twin, I can hear her moan and gasp after each contact and it thrills me.
“What else, Xia? Tell us what else you did to deserve your punishment.” Ettrian tells her as he tucks a few strands of hair behind her ear.
“I put myself in danger.”
Thwack!
“When Aquilian asked me to let you speak to the elders, I didn’t listen.”
I can hear Ettrian laugh along the bond. That was not something I had told her, but I admit I had felt like taking her over my knee at that moment. If she feels like adding it to her punishment, I am happy to oblige.
Thwack!
Running my palm over the pink skin to soothe it, I slowly slide two fingers along the slippery folds of her cunt and delight in the way she squirms. Ettrian kisses her softly as I give her one last swat. “On your knees facing me.” Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are glazed with pleasure, but she looks up at me with defiance flaring in them. “Do you have something you want to say, my light?”
“I’m not sorry I left the tree.”
“Excuse me?” Ettrian moves to sit next to me and frowns at her. “What was that?”
With a deep breath, Xia looks first at my brother and then to me. “I’m not sorry I left the tree that day. If I hadn’t gone with Doxal we might not have found Mina or the babies. We might not have known Ayku or Yasi were trapped there. But,” Her tongue slips out to wet her lips and she fidgets with the quills on her necklace. “I am sorry that what I did caused you to worry and I’m sorry that you went through so much to come and rescue me.”
“You almost died, Inoxia. You were almost taken away from us, from Kareen.”
“But I wasn’t. I’m still here and I refuse to live my life always thinking about what could have happened. I lived, thanks to you both, thanks to Lief, thanks to the seed pod, and the Sun Father.” Xia scoots forward until she is seated in my lap and presses her forehead to mine. “Forgive me?” She glances sideways at Ettrian and holds out a hand. “Both of you?”
I trail my fingers up her sides, delighting in the way she squirms against me. “I never asked for an apology.” My fingers slide along the swells of her breasts before circling her nipples. “Look at me.” A tremble works through Xia’s body as I touch her and when I brush across the hard points I have been teasing, her lids begin to slide shut.
Before I can even move to correct her, Ettrian’s hand comes down on her bottom with a sharp crack and she jumps, her eyes flying open in surprise. With a gentle nudge I get to my knees and rub my face along the column of her neck, inhaling the erotic fragrance of sweat and sex that clings to her. “I anticipate many more punishments for you. In fact,” I bring my palm down on the fleshy side of her hip and a rattle works through my quills when she digs her teeth into her bottom lip. “I think you enjoy them.”
Behind her, Ettrian gathers up the long curly strands of her hair and wraps it around his hand, drawing her head back so that she is looking up into his face. “Do you like being punished?”
Her throat works as she swallows. “Yes.” Pretty green eyes search me out. “Please, Aquilian.”
“What is it, my light?” With a featherlight touch, I run the tips of two fingers along the inside of one thigh and then down the other, avoiding the place I know she
craves to be touched. I feel the vibrations from Ettrian’s quills as they rattle and I know he is enjoying this as much as I am. “Tell us what you want.”
“I want you inside of me.” A red flush warms her face and her eyes dart away. “Both of you.”
My brother’s gaze jumps up to mine and I can feel his excitement course through me. Our quills rattle and a shiver works its way up my spine as I watch Ettrian’s free hand slide across her belly, pressing her against his chest. I stroke the hard length of my cock as I move forward to drop soft kisses onto her cheeks. “Is that right?”
“Yes dammit!” She growls in frustration.
I suppress my laughter and pull her hips against mine, slipping my cock between her legs so that it runs along her wet folds. The vibrations of her moan tease my ilo and I pull back, dragging the tips of my cock along her sensitive nub.
“Fuck! Please, Aquilian! I can’t…” Her breath comes out in short huffs. With one hand she grips the back of my neck and begins to grind herself against me, while her other hand reaches back to hold onto Ettrian. “Please.”
The sweet sound of her whimper undoes me. With a little adjustment, I push up into her and take a moment to relish in the searing heat of her body. Ettrian’s hand curls around her throat as his tongue traces the shell of her ear and I watch her eyelids flutter as he grip on my neck tightens. Thwack! “Open your eyes, Inoxia.” They fly open quickly as my palm soothes her skin.
“Are you going to let me in, Xia?” Ettrian asks as his hand flexes around her throat.
She tenses slightly when he presses his hips against her bottom, but a soft press of my fingers against her nub seems to help her relax and a moment later I feel their pleasure slide against me along the bond. “Gods, yes!”
One of her legs hooks around my hip while she uses the other to push herself up and down, slowly sliding herself along our cocks. For a few heart beats we simply enjoy the way she takes her own pleasure, using our bodies to bring herself all the way to the edge, but I have been holding out this entire time and my body is begging for release. With a quick motion, I pull her leg higher and slam into her, falling into a rhythm with Ettrian as if it were the most natural thing.
“So close. Please.” Xia pleads, her nails digging into my skin.
A moment later I feel her cunt flutter before it spasms, rhythmically milking me as I thrust up into her. Head held back by Ettrian’s hand in her hair, mouth open wide in a scream I experience through my brother’s ability to hear, Xia writhes between us. Behind her, Ettrian presses close and goes still, rattling in pleasure. My own quills vibrate violently as my breath catches and my muscles seize. The knot at the base of my cock swells within her as I finally give in to my release.
It takes Ettrian three rounds of mating our female before he remembers to mark her himself. The way his teeth sank into the bare flesh of her shoulder next to my mark sent a shiver down my spine. By the way Xia lays sprawled across the flower, her arms stretched above her head, I would say the mating has been successful. She is murmuring in her sleep and I close my eyes as the vibrations of her speech run along my ilo.
My fingers trail along her hip and then around the indentation of her navel. The fact that she will soon carry our kit within her is slightly surreal, but I can see her standing in the opening of the tree, her belly swollen as she watches Kareen play with Yasi. I see Kareen’s face light up as her new brother or sister is placed in her arms and the way mama and our papas will rattle with pride when they meet the newest member of our family. My cock twitches behind my slit like it is ready to mate her again to ensure all of these visions become a reality.
“Ettrian? Are you still awake?”
“I am. What is it?”
“Did you hear Lief when he said he would make a run back to be sure the Tachin lab was destroyed?”
“I did.”
“When he comes back to speak with the elders I want to make a request.”
My brother sits up to stare at me over Xia’s sleeping form. “What sort of request?”
“Inoxia belongs here, among our family and her friends. Our papas and mama love her, but I see the way she looks at them.”
“What do you mean?”
“She has spoken of her own mama and papa, about them still being on her planet. Even Kareen has said how much they both miss her parents. Perhaps we could speak with Lief, see if he would be able to bring them here.”
“I think it would mean a lot to her.” Ettrian rubs his face against the side of her breast and she shivers. “Do you think there will be a kit by the time they arrive?”
“If the Sun Father is willing.” My eyes slide shut and I feel myself starting to drift off.
“Aquilian?” Ettrian calls hesitantly.
“Yes?”
“I have something I need to confess.” The vibration of his quills runs over my ilo and sends a nervous chill through me.
“Well?” I prompt when he says nothing. “What is it?”
“I mated with Safia before you did.”
“I know.”
“No, I mated with her so that she would mate with you.” He holds up a hand before I can respond and I see that he is struggling with how best to word this. “I only wanted to help. You were so distant, constantly going off on your own without me, lying to Mama when she asked where you went. I knew you had sought out the company of other females and that they had refused you and I just… I just wanted to help.” Shame flashes in his eyes. “I was afraid I would wake up one day without you. I have heard the rumors, the ones about Darkborn who take their own lives, and I could not stand the thought of losing you. It is why I followed you when you left the last day we were in the village.”
My first response to his confession is anger and hurt. Both emotions swirl around inside of me, dropping into my stomach like heavy stones as I watch him run his fingers anxiously through his quills. He bribed a female to mate with me. The thought makes me feel pathetic, but just as I am wallowing in my hurt, Xia murmurs my name along the bond. As if she can sense what I am feeling, she reaches out for me, her fingers burrowing into my quills as she strokes them softly. The contact is instantly soothing and I take a deep breath before looking back at my twin. “I forgive you.”
“What?”
“I said I forgive you, Ettrian.” I reach out to run my finger over Xia’s nose, remembering the day we met when I thought it was so revolting. “If you had not done that, I would have never asked Safia to be our mate, which means I would have never been so far out in the forest that day. We would have never found our mate, would have never known our family was out there waiting for us. So yes, I forgive you.” Because of the decisions my brother made, I will never be alone again.
Epilogue
Inoxia
“Okay seriously you guys, can’t you just tell me where we’re going?” I laugh, trying not to stumble since Ettrian’s hand is covering my eyes. With Aquilian’s hand held tightly in my own, I reach out along the bond to pry, only to be rudely closed out. “Hey!”
“It’s a surprise!” Kareen squeals from her perch atop Aquilian’s shoulders. I protested when he set her up there, but she insisted, telling me she knows to be careful around her ‘Papa Quilian’s’ quills. She is far too grown for my liking.
“Patience,” Ettrian scolds. “We are almost there.”
“Pregnant women are not as patient as you seem to think and I’m probably going to have to pee soon so we might need to get a move on.” Kareen giggles because talking about bodily functions is hilarious to her at the moment.
A tiny, but strong foot gives me a good jab and I press my hand over the spot, feeling the bump the kit within me has made. As if the little one can feel the heat or pressure of my touch, I feel another sharp kick before he or she pushes up into my ribs, knocking the breath from me for a moment.
“Easy little one,” Aquilian chuckles along the bond. “Your mama is too small for you to bounce around so much.”
According
to Safia, it isn’t likely our baby can understand the words we speak to them, but this one seems to enjoy the sounds. This little one, boy or girl, has two papas and a big sister who lay against me every night, whispering how much they are loved and how they can’t wait for his or her birth. The way Ettrian and Aquilian love this baby as much as they love Kareen makes me feel weepy.
To my left I can hear Kareen giggling just before Ettrian shushes her. “Are you ready, Inoxia?”
“Ugh, yes!” When he removes his hand I blink to clear my vision and realize we are standing in front of another one of the tree homes on the outskirts of the village. It isn’t the one we are in now, the one where Mina is still resting in the seed pod. We haven’t left yet because I can’t stand the thought of not being near when she wakes. “I don’t get it. I thought we were going to wait until Mina was better?”
“We are. The tree is not the surprise.” Aquilian calls out to the tree and as it begins to open, I see that there are two people inside, two humans. My parents.
“Oh my gods. Mom! Dad!” I race toward them, not letting the fact that I’m heavily pregnant stop me from getting to the two people I’ve missed more than anything these last few months. “How did you get here?” I ask as I throw my arms around them both. Pent up tears burst free and I lean into them. “I’ve missed you guys so freaking much.”