Cavek rolls his eyes. “No, he wasn’t. Not really. He was more anxious because, despite his failings which he acknowledged, it’s an important landmark for him.” I continue to stare at him with full-on cluelessness and he sighs.
“When a male trollbie gets to be around the age of ten, they have their first hashavan rites. This means they must get approval from the father of their closest unrelated female acquaintance that they are seen as a worthy companion. A male who doesn’t pass this milestone will have difficulty as he gets older when he attempts to court females. Trolls are a gossipy bunch, and everyone will know if he failed to get that approval. No doubt because he’d attempted to protect Boukie, his family decided that it was the best time for him to fulfill his hashavan.”
Both my eyebrows shoot up. “That’s pretty intense.” Maternal alarms immediately start blaring through my psyche. “Wait, that doesn’t mean he’s courting her, does it? They are too young!”
Now he laughs.
“No, love. A troll won’t have much interest in bonding before he is at least an adolescent, and I doubt it is that much dissimilar with humans. They are just friends, which is the most necessary part of his hashavan. It merely demonstrates that he is worthy of trust for the welfare of an unrelated female. It’s a test of his character.”
“Isn’t ten a bit young to determine that? I don’t want anyone judging my son when he’s ten on the matter of his character based on the say-so of some little girl’s daddy. That’s not fair.”
Cavek rubs a soothing hand on my arm, but his body shakes with silent laughter, which irritates me even more.
“Don’t stress over it. Bafulk got off easy. Usually there is all kinds of quizzing and demonstrations, but unless a male shows a deciding lack of character, they always gain the approval. They are just made to sweat a bit. Here in about a week’s time I will go to his hashavan ceremony and confirm him in front of his kin. Boukie was clever to wait until the High Sun Festival to introduce him, likely wagering on the public venue to dissuade me from making the process a lengthy one.”
“I still think ten is too young to decide such things,” I mutter.
“Trolls reach adolescence at the age of roughly thirteen. Should they be made to wait until then, when they have hormones running wild through their bodies? A young troll male is uncontrollable at that time in his life. The hashavan is more psychological, keeping the male grounded by his socially recognized responsibilities. At ten, males are feeling the desire to take on responsibility without the burden yet of hormones influencing them at every turn.”
“I suppose that makes some sort of sense,” I agree reluctantly. “How did your test go?”
Cavek shudders. “Terrible. Asana was a female who my mother arranged for me to befriend. I don’t make friends quickly and she didn’t want me to ‘fall behind’ in my tests among our kind. Her father quizzed me for two hours in the hottest room of his den until begrudgingly giving me his approval. Most miserable experience of my life, especially when Asana saw no need to continue our friendship afterward.”
“Brutal.”
“That’s the problem with having a romantic for a mother. She is convinced all she needs to do is put people together in the right conditions and they will just click. She’d assumed that arranging for me to have an appropriate friend would mean that we would be friends,” he says with a laugh.
“Well, that explains Serus...” I mutter.
Cavek frowns down at me, pulling Cavekji’s hand out of his face as our son stretches his tiny limbs.
“Explains what? Start talking, Kate.”
I bite my lip. I didn’t mean to let that one slip, but how was I to know that Serus kept his brother in the dark over his mating?
“Serus happened to mention that he and his mate are only together to keep your families from constantly trying to interfere in their lives. They live together, but otherwise they lead completely separate lives.”
“That doesn’t make sense. I have seen them together. They act as any mated couple...”
“All choreographed to make it believable, I’d guess.”
CAVEK
Knowing that my brother is living a farce of a mating makes me all the more grateful for finding my bloodbonded mate. I knew that he wanted to escape Mother’s constant nagging, but it’s beyond incredible that he felt the need to establish a false mating.
It is sad. More than that, it is dangerous.
Lies and deceptions of such magnitude eventually blow up in the face of the one who hides behind them.
Kate’s small fingers entwine with mine and I shove aside the weight of my concern. There’s nothing I can do about it. What my brother and his mate have done will eventually need to be dealt with. But that’s not something that anyone else will be able to do for them. Instead of dwelling on it, I turn my attention back to the festivities going on around us.
The High Sun Festival is something that everyone in the Middling Way looks forward to all year, and many neighboring species travel just to take part. We suspect that the pixie mating season is the draw. While most lotus ponds are in private territories near our dens, there are a few public ones that the adventurous visitor can take advantage of.
The satyrs in particular enjoy it. Satyrs are extremely lusty creatures and put themselves at strategic spots near the public ponds to seduce any female who is hit by pixie dust. I eye a small group of five males prancing in a sexually provocative dance to a flute barely visible outside of the designated family area. We trolls are not shy about our sexuality but once satyrs started showing up, we decided collectively that there were just some things not everyone needed to see.
Kate chooses that moment to crane her neck to see what I’m looking at and promptly turns away red-faced.
“That was a bit of an eyeful,” she mutters to herself.
I press my lips together to keep myself from laughing. My poor female, despite much of her boldness, is uncomfortable with such displays.
“Please tell me that they aren’t going to be hanging around the lotus pond.”
“Not our pond, anyway,” I agree with a quick smile.
“But at the public ones, I take it. I sure hope all the females around here got the notification.”
I watch a female werewolf approach one of the satyrs with a keen interest in her eye and her thick tail flagging, and I chuckle.
“I suspect there are going to be enough females intentionally showing up that there won’t be any problems.”
As we wander among the stalls set within small clearings between the thick growth of trees and the path of streams, my mate exclaims over nearly everything she sees. The dryads draw Kate in to dance with them and several other females for a while. We then spend quite a bit of time listening to the haunting singing of a trio of mermaid sisters who have traveled all the way from their cove to celebrate the high sun with us.
These sisters come every year, although sometimes they arrive with others of their kind to perform together. One of the females who recognizes me waves and blows me a kiss, much to my embarrassment. I cling to my mate in a clear warning. The mermaid merely winks, although I’m pleased to see her falter when my mate attempts to advance on her. My heart swells with love but I restrain Kate. Mermaids may look soft and sweet like humans, but they are not. Male merfolk are okay, but the hot-tempered females will chew someone up and spit them out with little provocation.
I do discover that Kate is particularly interested in some of the enchantment tournaments and the mock battles. Although I do suspect that with the latter, she just enjoys watching the half-naked males show off their strength. Much to my amusement, Serus and Orgath compete against each other, and Sammi yells louder from the sideline to support her mate than anyone else in attendance. It provides almost as much entertainment for those gathered as the contest itself. I hug Kate close to me to remind her just who her male is before I redirect her attention to something else that she finds pleasing. I’m not jealous—much.
/> We do not see much of Boukie since she spends most of the day with Bafulk and his family, although occasionally the pair will trail along with us before running off again to play a game or look at some craft or display. Even Cavekji seems to be in a good mood throughout the day when he is not dozing. At some point, Kate gives him a peach to suck on and within twenty minutes I’m wearing the juices and the mashed remnants of the fruit.
When evening nears, we run into Orgath and Sammi again. Or, more accurately, we run into Orgath. We find him standing outside a large stall bouncing his daughter, Ferona, in his arms, who’s wide-eyed and jabbering away in her broken baby talk despite the late hour. I don’t even have to ask where Sammi is, because every so often he glances into the stall with a look of resignation and love on his face. She rejoins him just as we draw up beside him. Sammi shifts her bundle in her arms and plays with Cavekji.
“Where’s Boukie?” she asks, as she makes a ridiculous face at my son.
“A few booths down looking at enchanted blades,” I say.
“Excuse me, she’s what?” Kate says as she slowly looks up from cleaning our son’s face.
“No one is going to sell her an enchanted blade,” I laugh. At least I’m fairly certain they won’t. “Besides, I already told them she had to wait until she is at least fourteen years old. We don’t give minors weapons.”
Kate’s eyes widen further. “You consider fourteen to be an adult?” she asks wanly.
I scrub the back of my neck. “Not exactly, but we do consider them of age for apprenticeship at that time, which often involves training with tools and weapons depending on what they are doing. We call that the apprentice stage. It’s between minor and adult.”
My mate rubs her face and groans and Sammi giggles and rubs her back with sympathy.
“Hey, don’t worry. It’s not all that bad. Orgath has already started building an arsenal for our daughter for when she comes of age.”
“It is good to be prepared. She will have all that she needs for her training,” Orgath says simply as he allows Cavekji to play with his thick fingers. Ferona stares down at Cavekji with total fascination, which he returns. They both giggle and grab at each other.
“Looks like they just might be great friends already,” Sammi says. She looks at us speculatively. “You guys look like you could use some quiet time. Tell you what, why don’t we take Cavekji and Boukie off your hands? Knowing Kate, she has extras of everything the kids need packed in the diaper bag. We need bonding time with the little guy, anyway, since you’re coming to our village soon.”
Kate and I exchange a look, and I see relief and a burning need hidden in her eyes. Their spark of promise starts a fire kindling within me and I find myself eagerly handing my son over to our friends.
“Just be careful with him,” I caution as I hand his sling and baby bag over. Orgath rolls his eyes but Sammi giggles.
“Relax, Cavek. Orgath and I survived the baby days and have another on the way,” she says, patting her slightly rounded belly.
“Gods help us all,” Kate chirps. Sammi bursts out laughing.
“Go, both of you, before we change our mind,” she threatens as she cuddles our son. The last thing I see as Kate pulls me away is Ferona grabbing a handful of Cavekji’s hair and pulling.
“Kate, don’t you think—”
“Cavek, I do believe you promised to take me to our lotus pond. The pixies are all gone from the festival. We’re going to miss the good stuff!”
I laugh and allow my mate to tug me down the path toward our home.
Chapter 23
Kate
The pond in the fading light is brighter than I’ve ever seen it. Everywhere, dozens of pixies are flitting, so much so that it brightens the air. Even the light mist that’s rolled in is turning shades of pink and purple from the glow of the females. The males, however, are easily a hundred smaller lights dancing around them.
There are obviously many more hives of males than there are females to queen them. The hopeful males zip around in arcing, dancing displays in an attempt to entice the attention of a female they desire. The females flutter lazily around the flowers, showing off their large bright wings.
After what seems like something caught between a breath and the rolling endless march of time, the females ascend from the pond, carrying nectar in small bowls from the lotus blooms. Time has no meaning; everything is eternal and there is something so profound and mystic at this moment. Far more powerful than the aphrodisiac dust. Perhaps others come for this feeling of eternity and ancient power that I am feeling. And at this moment, I’m pretty sure I’m drugged by the pixie dust.
It starts so slowly that I barely notice at first until it gathers like ultra-fine pollen in the air, shimmering pink “dust” drifting through the air. I watch as it slowly starts to gather on my skin. At first, it’s just a few flecks, like freckles. But in no time, it looks like I spent the afternoon playing in glitter.
As the dust builds, a tingle washes over my skin that slowly seeps into my blood like a warm caress. It licks through me, gaining power the more the pixie dust coats my skin. My heart beats quicker and to my surprise I feel the first quiver of interest from my sex. I clench my thighs together and swallow back a moan as the sensation rises.
Looking over at Cavek, his green skin covered with the glowing pink dust makes him sparkle like an exotic gem. His eyes burn with desire and his cock bulges against his breeches, and I know he’s just as affected as I am. His pupils are blown out with desire, and he clenches and unclenches his hands in forced restraint. He’s teetering on the edge of civility.
He licks his lips as his eyes rove over me, and fresh wet heat soaks me under the perusal. All he has to do is look at me and I’m a needy mess. To my embarrassment, I’m so aroused, so wet, that I feel a trickle of moisture run down my inner thigh. Cavek’s nostrils flare and he growls deep in his throat.
“Cavek,” I whisper, my voice weak with longing.
Like a predator faced with vulnerable prey, he doesn’t waste any time. I’m barely aware of his movement soon enough to open my arms for him when he’s upon me. We collide and fall into the mossy slope near the pond. His mouth crashes down upon mine and a guttural growl rises ceaselessly from within him.
I find myself responding to that primal sound as I pull at his clothes with eager hands. Impatient, he stands up and strips in a rush before falling upon me again. His claws carelessly tear open my clothes, and my breast spring out into the open air as my pussy throbs.
Gods, if this can make me feel this eager every time, he can demolish my clothes any time he wants.
CAVEK
Desire is an inferno within me. Never before had I willingly exposed myself fully to pixie dust the way so many others do. It’s a shock to my senses, but I do not think I would feel so strong if it wasn’t experienced with my bloodbonded. Coated with this pixie dust, she shines bright as a star. A living star gifted to me that I may hold, love, and adore. Almost unable to believe she’s real, I breathe her in deeply. My hands stroke her body, stoking the burnishing flame of her arousal until that’s all I’m aware of.
I can’t get enough of her. Her scent, already the sweetest to me, pulls me in and drowns me in pleasure. I am helpless to resist. Everything I love and adore about her is magnified by the pixie dust. Her hair gleams with highlights of blue and purple in the pixie lights and it coils around my arms like a lover’s caress. Her lips are red from my kisses and all I want to do is drink from her until I am satiated.
I marvel at the softness of her skin, so sweet against my tongue as I lick the stain of my mark that brands her shoulder, and she quivers in my arms like a leaf in autumn. So, I nip lightly at it and her body arcs into mine, pressing against the length of me with her silent demands. These I am eager to obey.
Every bit of my instinctual drive clamors at me to bury myself within her and release my seed. To fuck her until I don’t have energy to do anything but lie panting in the grass.
>
My fingers rub the small nub of flesh between her legs and slick through her folds, diving into the warm, hot grip of her until wetness floods my hand and she sighs. It’s a long moaning sound that wracks my body with pleasure. This moan turns ragged, and she begins to pant and shiver with another orgasm as I relentlessly push her into another. I can’t wait any longer.
I pull my fingers free from her most intimate place and sit back on my haunches. I move Kate into my lap as I suck her tongue into my mouth. My cock is so hard it aches, and my balls are heavy. Pulling her thighs to either side of me, I lift her and without error line her cunt up with the head of my shaft before pulling her down on me with desperation.
When her ass meets my legs, I rock against her, grinding into her. I lock my eyes with hers and marvel at the shine of pixie lights reflected in their beautiful depths. I lift her up and drag her back down again. She whimpers and it blends in with the humming sighs of pixies mating in the air around us.
A female and her three males flit by us. Two of the three males are in a breeding lock with her, and I recall enough lore to know that they are pumping into the female’s cunt at the same time while the other male waits for one to drop off so he may take his turn to breed. Although I have no desire to share my female, for some reason it stokes my own lust as a fresh coating of dust falls from them upon us.
With vigor, I lift my hips and thrust up in time as I slap her ass down on my thighs. She wiggles and cries, her breasts jiggling, her thighs gripping me, and her toes digging into the mossy grass. Kate winds her arms around my neck. I whisper her name and mine bursts forth from between her lips in a sigh of ecstasy.
Our movements become sharper as I jerk her down upon my hard length. Her cunt grips me with every quiver, and every rippling orgasm attempts to draw my seed from my body.
I reach up with one hand, the other grasping her hip, and tangle my fingers in her hair, drawing her head back to expose her throat. I lick her from collar to jaw and back down again before biting on the soft flesh at the side of her neck. Kate shrieks and her silky sheath bears down on me. Her nails scrape over my back.
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