MatingRitual (8 page)

Kella stared at the woman, amazed at the change since their
capture. No more was Marte the frightened little mouse, the woman who always
turned to Kella for direction. She now took the lead and she now insisted that
somehow they would return to their former life. Her shoulders squared. Yes, she
would look for only one thing in the future and that was to escape, to live her
life as a chosen one. For once in her life she would follow Marte’s lead.

“They are coming,” Marte hissed again. “You must fool your
warrior so we can continue to meet. Be strong, Kella. Do not forget the Magya
blood that spills through your veins. Always be ready. Always be prepared to
run.”

Kella hugged her friend one last time before the men reached
them. When she turned to face Jaggar, she suddenly understood the journey to
her true fate would be a hard one.

* * * * *

That evening Kella paced across the floor of Jaggar’s den.
He had brought her back to the room and left her and now as the sun dipped
behind the mountain ridge to the west, she wondered if he would return any time
soon. Even two of the woman servants, with their black hair pulled tight around
their heads, had arrived earlier to escort her to the ditch. It was the first
time anyone other than Jaggar had done that and she wondered why. She’d had to
endure their poking and prodding as they walked the trail and their scornful
remarks of how ugly she was with her white hair and blue eyes. They’d watched
her squat over the ditch, allowing no privacy or the chance for her to escape.
Kella doubted she would have been able to outrun them anyway. Their legs were
much longer than hers, sleek, dark and muscular, and if Jaggar had entrusted
her care to them, they most likely would not want to arouse his anger by losing
his captive.

The door creaked and Kella spun to face it. Her heart
dropped when the same two women entered her room. She watched them come and go
as a male servant stood in the open doorway to assure Kella did not leave the
room. After three trips, the bath was half filled and they ordered her to strip
and get into the tub. Kella was about to refuse but remembered Marte’s pleading
eyes. This must be something Jaggar wanted her to do. She had no choice but to
play at submission if she was ever to see her way back to the Magya people.

Stepping into the warm water, she seated herself and watched
one of the women approach. Water was poured over Kella’s head and her scalp
scrubbed. Then the same sweet-smelling oil was added to a cloth and both silent
women cleansed her from her neck to her feet, even washing between her legs as
if she were a babe. They only spoke with an order to leave the tub before being
dried. Kella pressed them for a reason why they were helping, but their silence
reigned.

They ignored her and soon one left the room and returned
with a white sarong in her arms. She gently put it atop the bed and smoothed it
out. Kella eyed them as they left. When the door locked and she heard the latch
pulled down on the outer side, she hurried to the sarong. A soft breath left
her rounded lips. It was of the most luxurious fur her fingertips had ever
touched. She plopped down naked beside it.

What to do? Did she dare slip it on? Jaggar could be the
only person who would have gifted her with such a beautiful garment. But if she
clothed herself there was a good chance she would draw his anger in her
direction. Not knowing for sure, she finally decided to wait naked in the chair
across the room.

She watched the sun move across the sky outside the window
for quite a while before finally hearing his footsteps. Her body tensed and she
clutched the arms of her chair, waiting.

Jaggar stepped into the bedroom, his eyes immediately
setting on her. His brow quirked for a moment as his gaze moved to the sarong,
and then back to the naked woman. “You are not clothed,” he stated.

“I…” Kella clasped her fingers in her lap. “I did not know
what to do, so I have waited for your command.”

One of Jaggar’s eyebrows tipped up as he watched her
closely. “You waited for my command? Well then, here it is. Put it on.”

Kella rose and halfway across the room his voice halted her
in her tracks.

“Kella, come here first.”

She pivoted and took five steps to stand directly before
him.

He said nothing, but his eyes softened. Reaching out, he
rubbed a coarse knuckle over one nipple, his eyes widening when it budded hard.
Letting his fingertip drift over warm skin, he slowly circled around, his gaze
moving over her breasts, to the soft skin of one shoulder, the firm rounded
globes of her ass, and then her lightly furred mound as he came to a stop
before her once more.

Kella trembled at his gentle touch. She gasped when the same
fingertip that taunted her only seconds earlier now slipped between her cunt
lips. He teased her clit and Kella struggled to keep her feet planted firmly.
Only days earlier she might have slapped his hand away. Now? All she wanted was
for him to reach up inside her and bring back the hot magic. She closed her
eyes, waiting…

She felt his warm breath against the skin below her ear and
swallowed hard. The fingertip continued to tease between her lips but he would
not put it inside, even when she thrust her cunt forward.

“We must go,” he whispered and moved away. Instantly the
warmth of his body was replaced by the cool evening air that filtered through
the window.

Kella nearly toppled to the ground. A pearl of liquid
slipped down her inner thigh and she sucked in a ragged breath to gather her
wits. What sort of game did he play? Kella needed to stay strong but with one
touch of his finger, she turned to mud, her entire being soft and pliable
within his arms. Shaking her head, she watched him move to the bed to collect
the sarong, turn and hold it out to her.

“Get dressed.”

“Now? We are leaving the room?”

Silently he nodded.

With shaking hands, Kella took the sarong and slipped it
over her head. Even the inside of the garment was soft and velvety again her
skin. “It is beautiful,” she conceded as she looked up at him.

“There is one more thing. Where is the shell necklace?”

“Here,” Kella replied and hurried to the corner of the room
where the item hung on a peg. “Do you wish me to wear it?”

“Yes. Bring it here and I will tie it for you.”

Kella set it into his outstretched hand, turned and lifted
the white length of her hair from her neck. Her teeth captured her bottom lip
when his fingertips grazed the back of her neck. She struggled to keep her
breathing even. “May I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“It is late and we are leaving the room. You have not
allowed me to do that in all this time.”

“You will join me in the Great Hall at the market.”

“Why, is there—”

“Silence, Kella. No questions. It is time to leave.” Jaggar
opened the door and left the room.

She hurried behind him, the shells of her necklace tinkling
against the white skin of her chest.

Boisterous laughter and the booming voices could be heard
even before Jaggar and Kella even entered the Hall. Jaggar stopped and waited
for her to reach his side as a door opened. It surprised her when he tenderly
took her elbow and urged her forward through the heavy crowd. Warriors hailed
Jaggar, clapping him on the back while leering at Kella. The noisy confusion
was nearly too much as she shrank against his hard length to shield herself
from the unknown.

Finally they managed to make their way across the large room
and the crowd parted. Seven huge pillows were lined one beside the other on a
raised platform, each with a couple perched on the fluffiness. Jaggar led Kella
to the one pillow still empty. He sank into the center and pulled her down
beside him. Her harried gaze darted about, trying to understand what was
happening. Besides Kella, only one other woman residing on a pillow was Magya,
a girl named Allat, and the two stared silently at one another. The rest of the
females were of the Stonemen tribe, their dark skin shining in the glow of
fired torches. Each of the seven women wore the same beautifully furred
sarongs.

She turned to glance at Jaggar, surprised to find him
studying her. “Jaggar, what is this place? What are we doing here?”

He took her hand and gently held it, surprising Kella more.

“It is the Seven Night Joining Rite. Look around, Kella. We
are seven groups. Tonight and for the next six nights, the warrior from each
couple will declare before all who their chosen woman is. We will wait our turn
until tomorrow night, but we must respect each couple and their rite to become
mated for life. We must witness it.”

She shook off his touch. Her mouth opened but nothing came
out. She inhaled deeply, swallowed and finally stuttered a response.
“Cho…chosen woman? Are you choosing me?”

Jaggar’s mouth curved upward. “Yes, all those here know you
are my chosen one even though I will not speak formally until our turn
tomorrow.”

“You cannot, Jaggar,” she gasped. “I am chosen already,
chosen by a Magya warrior. I am Magya!”

The smile left his face in degrees until his eyes darkened
thunderously. He took her wrist and it was all Kella could do to not wince and
cry out in pain.

“You will lower your voice. Now,” he ground out. “I will not
be embarrassed in front of my countrymen. Do…you…understand?” Each of the last
three words he uttered was punctuated with a small shake to her arm.

His actions frightened her. Of the many times they’d spoken,
this was the first time Kella had absolutely no doubt he would snap her arm in
two if she did not obey. There was nothing she could do except submit. There
was still time to escape. Still time to flee at the very first chance, but she
could not do it if he watched her every movement. Her gaze flitted over the
crowd, searching, yearning to see Marte’s face for reassurance, but besides
Kella and the other Magya woman on the dais, the rest of the crowd were of the
Stonemen clan. She halted her gaze on Crete as he laughed with the group of
large men around him. No Marte.

“Do you understand?”

She dragged her gaze back to Jaggar’s and searched his angry
features.

She swallowed again, trying to wet her suddenly dry throat.
“I understand, Jaggar.” Her chin sank to her chest in a show of meekness. His
grip on her wrist lessened.

“I have never played false to you, Kella. You are my chosen
one and by my Gods, we will be declared mated for life on the Second Night.”

Before he could say anything else, a large gong resounded
across the room and the crowd hushed. Kella watched wide-eyed as the crowd
reverently parted and a costumed holy man entered the hall. His painted face of
red and white was frightening to her, his feathered clothes making him appear
much larger than he already was. She peeked up to see Jaggar with all his
attention clearly on the beginning of the ceremony. She closed her eyes and
gathered her strength, vowing to take each day in stride until the moment of
escape. The most important thing right now was making Jaggar believe she could
be trusted. It was the only way.

She followed his line of sight and took in the proceedings.
One of the couples rose and pulled their pillow to the middle of the floor.
They knelt atop it before the holy man. The hall fell completely silent.

“You have come before me,” the Shaman stated loudly. “What
is your intent?”

The kneeling warrior rose to his full height. “I come to
declare on this First Night of Seven that the Stonemen woman, Ludo, be declared
my mate for life. I will nourish her, protect her always, and protect any
future descendants between us.”

The Shaman turned to the woman. “Rise up, Ludo.” He paused,
then continued once she was on her feet. “Do you accept this warrior, Ander, as
your life-long mate?”

Ludo nodded, but remained silent.

“You will honor him. You will only take this warrior between
your legs and into your body. To forsake him means death to you and your
offspring.” He raised his arms. “I am the power on this First of the Seven
Night Joining Rite. You, Ander, are granted the female, Ludo.” He stepped back
and away, but never took his eyes from the newly dubbed mated couple. His hand
slipped into a pocket and he pulled out a sharpened stone. “Your wrists.”

Kella watched in amazement as the couple each held out an
upturned hand in the Shaman’s direction. With a quick, glinting flash, the man
sliced a mark across each wrist. Instantly blood dripped to the floor. Silently
he crossed Ander’s wrist with Ludo’s, letting their blood mingle as one. “Now
join together. Ander, show your right now that the woman, Ludo, belongs to
you.” He stepped away further and crossed his arms.

Kella searched the crowd. Not a noise was heard; hardly a
breath taken in. Her gaze was drawn back to the couple in the middle of the
crowd, who now disrobed. The woman’s dark nipples peaked hard. The warrior’s
cock rose stiff and erect from a mass of dark curls.

Kella’s fingers curled into tight fists when Ander knelt
before the woman and widened her stance by pressing the inside of her knees.

Her breath caught in her throat. They were going to mate.
Here. Before all. Her mind shot forward to the next night. It would be Jaggar,
naked on his knees pressing her legs apart for all to watch! At that moment she
felt the heat of his hand slip around her back to capture her waist and pull her
closer to his side. In a blink, he had her across his lap.

“Are you watching, Kella?” His whisper could barely be heard
against her ear. “Tomorrow I will spread you before all and claim you as mine.”

She dropped her gaze, but Jaggar would have none of it. His
strong fingers firmly, but with no pain, gripped her chin and turned her head
until she looked directly at the couple.

Ander spread the woman’s cunt lips wide with his fingers and
now slipped his tongue into her cavern. The woman’s buttocks flexed with each
lick of her warrior’s tongue, her body surged forward in a slow, steady rhythm.
Ludo’s head lolled back as her hands clutched Ander’s thick mass of hair and
held his head tighter against her body. He reached about her black naked hips,
and dug his fingers between her ass cheeks. Kella clenched her pelvic muscles,
knowing exactly what the woman, Ludo, experienced in the throes of sexual
tension. It was as if the warrior, Ander, mated Kella.

Audible gasps of shared desire from the crowd filled the room
as Ludo’s body bucked. Moans of extreme pleasure left her throat. Kella knew
Ludo experienced the flaming inferno now, the same Jaggar helped her to
discover. Time after time, Ander plunged his finger into the woman’s ass and
his tongue pleasured her cunt.

Kella’s arms and legs numbed as she watched the couple. A
fiery ache smoldered between her legs, her cunt clenched, her body yearning for
the same enjoyable release, but she battled the emotion. Her shaking hand swept
through her hair as she tamped the hot feelings threatening to reduce her
former resolve. She managed to get her body under control, but Jaggar ruined
her newfound strength by trailing a finger up the outside of one bare thigh.
She hadn’t even realized his hand found its way beneath her sarong.

“It is beautiful to watch, is it not?” he whispered. “I want
you, Kella. Tonight I will show you.”

Her heart bounced around. She did not want to be strong. She
wanted to be mated! Shame filled her but there was nothing she could do to
force the heated thoughts away! She watched Ander force Ludo to her back upon
the pillow. In one swoop he pulled her legs apart and lifted her lower body to
his mouth, sucking at the woman’s swollen nub. Ludo’s body bucked and arched as
she pulled at her breasts and plucked her nipples. Kella knew the hot flame
would come again and soon. Her lips parted as she watched the sheer joy of the
couple’s mating. The inside of her upper thighs dampened with excitement.
Suddenly Ander flipped his woman to her belly, dragged her ass up over her
knees and pierced her hard with his swollen cock. Ludo screamed and met each of
his strokes with a rhythmic pounding.

Kella could not suck in enough air as she watched Ander pump
with short, hard jerks inside Ludo until he pressed in hard, forcing Ludo down
flat onto her stomach. He followed, ramming his cock time after time until
their coupling slowed and they both lay still.

The crowd roared their pleasure. Amidst all the noise,
Kella’s insides thumped with the need for release. She wiggled, trying to force
her cunt into Jaggar’s palm as he stroked his fingers against her outer thigh.
He ignored her silent plea and instead, he whipped her from the pillow to leave
the hall with huge, hurried strides. Kella bounced on his shoulder, the breath nearly
being knocked from her, but she didn’t care. Her mind focused on the hot feel
of Jaggar’s hand against her ass as he entered his home, tramped by the
surprised servants and raced up the stairs. Once in the room he tossed her onto
the bed and stripped his leggings off in one hurried motion. Reaching out, he
dragged her across the furs, flipped her around, forced her ass up and her
knees wide.

Kella’s cunt splayed wide and wet, glistening in the glow of
the lit candles. Jaggar wrapped his fingers around her waist and yanked her
close. Instantly his cock pounded her hole, hard and resolute.

* * * * *

Hours later, Jaggar stared into the darkness of the room.

Tangled, white strands wound their way over his wide
shoulder. His fingertips brushed the soft skin of Kella’s upper arms. He sighed
with contentment.

Kella wiggled closer in her sleep. Her small hand drifted
across the span of Jaggar’s chest and rested over his heart. Her breath warmed
the skin just above his nipple.

Perfect, he thought. The night was perfect, the mating
they’d shared was perfect, and the petite white-haired woman sleeping beside
him was perfect. And so was his love.

The thought still surprised him, but he turned it over in
his mind once more. He loved her. He may have told Kella about the emotion of
love, but it wasn’t until this very moment that he actually understood he
shared a part of her soul and could never be without her in his life. Love was
an all-consuming feeling of joy at being in her presence, of never ever wanting
to be anywhere except beside her. His mother had spoken to him about it years
earlier when Jaggar mated for the first time. He thought of his dead woman, his
mind still loving her. He had been lucky that time also. The Stonemen had laws
to be followed. It was always hoped the emotion of love would exist between a
mating couple, but if it could not be found, there was nothing to do. Clan
people declared mated must go on together and never forsake their mate.

He’d lived within those restrictions and had found happiness.

But this connection with Kella was like nothing he’d
experienced before.

He smiled against her hair. He had heard for those who found
a bonding of not only bodies but of complete heart and mind, the world was a
different place. Less harsh, less frightening. They were the fortunate ones.
And to think he was lucky enough to experience a happy first mating, and a
second that took hold of his heart like never before.

His lids were heavy. Not surprising, he mused. He’d mated
with Kella most of the night and now the morning light began to filter through
the window. And as much as he could find haven in her hot depths, instead he
would let her rest. Tonight they would attend the Second Ceremony of the Seven
Nights, and all would know Kella belonged to him forever. It was early, but he
had things that needed attending to. Jaggar would be back between her legs
again soon enough.

She rustled beside him, adjusting her body in sleep. A trim
leg cupped his upper thigh, making his cock bounce to life. Jaggar willed it
flaccid. Once her breathing deepened, he slipped from her unknowing hold to
begin his day.

* * * * *

When he returned to the room, Kella still slept on. The sun
rose higher and higher and Jaggar wanted to walk her to the ditch before
leaving her until meeting again before the evening’s ceremony.

Watching her sleep warmed his heart, but he had no choice.
Moving to the bed, he bent over and whispered into her ear. “Kella, time to
wake.” He watched her stretch lazily behind closed lids, then tuck her hands beneath
her cheek and burrow under the furs. Enough was enough. In one fluid motion, he
whisked the furs to the floor, chuckling as she jerked to a sitting position
with her cloud of white hair cloaking her breasts.

“Jaggar!” she cried out and swiped her sleepy eyes. “You
frightened me!”

The sight of her nude body made him forget all the tasks at
hand, but Crete waited with Marte at the front gate. He reached across the bed.
A second later he tossed her lightly into the air before catching her close to
his chest.