The Breeding Lands (An Epic Erotic Fantasy Novel) (10 page)

Quite suddenly, a figure appeared before Mia and the tiger. It was a pale colored sprite, with translucent hair that wasn’t much darker than her own skin. Her hair was styled high on top her head, with wild pieces sticking out. She had two small wings sprouting from her back, and she was beautiful in an otherworldly way. There was also something frightening about the fairy. Her dark, slanted eyes and high brows gave her air of superiority.

“You have been chosen by the Sabre Pride,” she chimed, her melodic voice ringing out clearly for Mia and the tiger to hear.

The Peace Keeper extended her hand towards Mia, and Mia stared with wide eyes at her long sharp fingernails. The Peace Keeper laid her hand upon Mia’s head, and Mia felt the bracelet dissolve around her wrist. She looked down just in time to see the grains of blue fall back into the blue sands.

When Mia looked up the Peace Keeper was gone. Before Mia could catch her breath, or even look for Melanie, the tiger before her began to transform. Mia watched with fascination as the tiger morphed into a man. He stood before Mia, and she took in his new appearance. He was tall and muscular, his skin a burnt tan from the constant sun of the Southern Lowlands. Mia noticed he wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing, and she quickly looked up at his face, embarrassed.

His eyes were the same golden amber they had been in his tiger form. His hair was a dark auburn, hanging just above his shoulders. Mia had to admit that he was handsome. She studied his strong jaw, wondering how old he was. He looked young, and Mia assumed that he couldn’t be much older than she.

“Hello, human,” he said slowly. “I am Ayo.”

Mia gave him a small, shy smile. “I’m Mia.”

“Mia,” he repeated, letting the name roll over his tongue.

He reached out to Mia, and she slowly took his hand. This man before her, Ayo, was now her husband. She would spend the rest of her days with him. Part of Mia wanted to weep, while the other half of her was intrigued. She took his hand, felt the warmth of his skin. She didn’t know why, but she felt safe and protected. She knew that she could have done much worse. She gave a small shudder as she thought of the bear.

“Is something wrong?” Ayo asked.

Mia shook her head. “No. I was just thinking of the bear you fought.”

Ayo made a face of disgust. “Filthy Usari,” he muttered, “He was not deserving of someone as lovely and beautiful as you.” He reached up to touch a strand of Mia’s red hair. “You have the most stunning hair,” he murmured.

Mia felt her face flush. She was not used to such compliments, nor used to standing so close to a man. She didn’t even notice the couples around them that were now falling to the sand, tangles of limbs and skin making their union complete.

Ayo cleared his throat. “You are aware of what comes next?” he asked awkwardly.

Mia nodded shyly. “Yes.”

Ayo wrapped his arms around Mia and pulled her towards him. She stiffened, never having been wrapped in a man’s embrace before. Ayo chuckled. “Relax.”

Mia forced herself to relax and she rested her head on Ayo’s warm chest. She could hear his rapidly beating heart and it calmed her own. Ayo tilted her chin towards him and lowered his mouth to her. The kiss was awkward at first, and Mia forced herself not to think of her first and last kiss with James, the only other kiss she had ever experienced.

Ayo continued to move his mouth against hers, and Mia began to warm up. She gently parted her lips, allowing Ayo access to her mouth. Ayo groaned softly, kissing her more eagerly as he slipped his tongue inside her mouth. Mia jumped, surprised at his invasion, but she had to admit that she liked the feeling. Ayo tasted of citrus, and she began to kiss him with more passion as her body heated up. Ayo ran his hands along Mia’s bare arms, and then cupped her face as he continued to kiss her. The world seemed to melt away, and Mia paid no notice to the battles still going on around her.

“You’re beautiful,” Ayo rasped, running his hand through her hair and giving it a slight tug, forcing her mouth to turn up to him. Ayo kissed from her mouth down to her jaw, leaving a trail of heat in his wake. Hungrily, his hands reached around the back of her dress, and he began to fumble with the buttons. Mia could feel the air against her skin as he began to undress her. No longer shy and embarrassed, Mia was eager to have her dress off. Ayo finished the last button and he brought his hands up to the collar of her material, and gently pushed it off her shoulders.

The material slid down her arms and Mia quickly pulled her arms out. Ayo’s breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell on her breasts, and he shoved the remainder of the dress down over her hips so Mia was standing in only her underwear. Ayo crushed Mia’s body to his. Mia tentatively ran her hands along his chest, letting her fingers linger on his muscles.

“Yes, touch me,” Ayo breathed, closing his eyes with pleasure. Mia bit her lip, desire filling her as she ran her hands over Ayo’s chest and down his biceps. She ran her fingers down to his navel, and slowly followed the line of hair that led from his navel to this manhood. “Keep going,” Ayo urged. Unsure, Mia ran her hand further south. Hesitantly, she wrapped her hand around Ayo’s solid erection, and she felt him throb within her grip. “Stroke me.”

Mia looked into Ayo’s eyes and saw nothing but desire and acceptance. Slowly, she ran her hand up and down his shaft, feeling his thickness. Ayo groaned, his eyes on Mia’s pale hand, a stark contrast to his tanned skin. Mia stroked him faster, watching Ayo begin to fall apart before her. His breathing was coming rapidly, and his eyes rolled back in his head. Just when Mia thought he might reach a point of explosion, Ayo pushed her hand away and gasped.

“I want to pleasure you,” he explained, pulling Mia down into the blue sand. Mia had expected the sand to feel coarse and gritty against her skin, but instead it was smooth and silky, caressing her back. The sensation was incredible. Ayo lowered himself between her legs, and hooked his thumbs under her white panties. He slid her panties over her legs and pulled them completely off her body. Never in her life had Mia been so exposed. Ayo spread her legs open; Mia covered her face with embarrassment, uncomfortable with Ayo’s face so close to her sex. “Enjoy,” he murmured, and the next instant his mouth was buried in her soft, pink folds.

“Oh!” Mia cried out, squeezing her eyes shut and biting down on her lip. The pleasure was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It was amazing.

Ayo spread her open with his hands, flicking his tongue against her every nook. Again and again, Ayo’s relentless tongue licked her with long, lush strokes, making Mia moan and writhe on the ground. Then Ayo did the unthinkable, thrusting his tongue deep inside her tight opening. Mia cried out, her body ready to explode. Ayo withdrew his tongue and crawled on top of her.

“You’re ready,” he panted, and he fumbled between his legs until Mia felt a foreign pressure against her thigh. “This might hurt,” he added.

Mia braced herself and felt Ayo push himself inside of her. It was painful at first, and she yelped as he entered her, stretching her open to accommodate his girth. Once he was completely inside her, he stayed still, letting Mia feel all of him and adjust to the new sensation. Very slowly, he slid himself out. Mia moaned—the friction mind-blowing. Again, Ayo pushed into her, and this time his entry wasn’t painful. A few more thrusts and Mia was moaning wantonly, lifting her hips to meet Ayo’s powerful thrusts.

“Yes,” Ayo growled, turned on by Mia’s enjoyment. He began to move faster, his strong body taking Mia again and again as he made her his own, solidifying their marriage and binding her to him. Mia raked her nails along his back, tossing her head back as she cried with pleasure. She could feel a strange building deep within her core, and Ayo pounded into her with a new urgency.

“Ayo!” she cried out, suddenly frightened, unsure of what was happening to her.

“Yes! Feel it! Let go!”

Mia obeyed, and let herself go, succumbing to the pleasure. She shook and trembled, crying out, as sensation spread directly from her sex. Ayo cried out gruffly, driving into her one final time. She felt him throb and pulse within her. She could feel herself filling up, and she looked wildly at Ayo for answers.

“My seed,” he said, his eyes wild from lust.

Unable to think any longer, and her mind too jumbled from pleasure, Mia closed her eyes and rested her head against the blue sand as Ayo filled her completely.

* * * * *

CHAPTER SEVEN

Leila

* * * * *

The weeks leading up to the Mating Ritual were bleak and depressing—certainly not the weeks Leila had imagined. Not only had Gemma’s death ruined any happiness Leila would have taken from being selected, but it hung over the entire city of North Point, darkening the already depressing place.

Most of the city was in shock from Gemma’s gruesome and brutal death, though some murmured that she was a whore and a tramp, and she got what she deserved. Others lived in fear, parents threatening their teenage daughters, using Gemma as an example of what happened to young girls who didn’t follow the law and wait until they were nineteen to marry and have sex.

The school days were subdued, the usual jubilant mood after selection not present this year. Leila wasn’t even sure if she would bother with school after being selected. But in light of Gemma’s death, she chose to attend school just so she would have something to do to fill her days, something to keep her mind off losing her best friend.

Leila pushed on through the days, desperate to make it through the four final weeks of her life in North Point. The only ray of sunshine during her days of mourning was her mother’s slow but steady recovery. By her last week in North Point, Leila’s mother was out of bed and slowly making her way around the apartment.

“I can’t believe how well you’re doing, Mama,” Leila exclaimed as she walked into the apartment. It had been her final day of school, and she was more than relieved that her school days were behind her. The mood had improved in the building, and many of the girls were excited and eager for The Mating Ritual the following day.

Leila’s mother smiled, pulling down a glass from the cabinet. “Let me!” Leila said quickly, grabbing the glass and setting it on the kitchen table. She went to the refrigerator and opened it, momentarily surprised at the stocked shelves. Leila had sold all of her possessions to stock the pantry before she left for the Ritual. She wouldn’t be able to take any of her things with her, so it seemed to make the most sense. “What would you like?” she asked her mother. “Milk? Nectarine juice? Carrot nectar?”

Her mother smiled at the choices. “Milk, please.” Leila poured a tall glass of milk and put it before her mother. “Thank you, Leila,” she said softly before taking a long drink. Her mother placed her glass back down and looked directly at Leila, her brown eyes brighter than Leila had seen in a long time. “Thank you for everything, Leila.”

Leila nodded, feeling her emotions get the best of her. “I love you, Mama,” she said, bending down to give her mother a gentle squeeze.

Her mother patted her shoulder. “You will have such a better life, Leila. And if you see either of your sisters, tell them I love them. Tell them I’m okay.”

“I will,” Leila sniffed. She knew it was best for her to go live with a tribe, but it didn’t make it any easier to leave her mother.

“How was school?” her mother asked, and Leila was glad for the change in conversation.

Leila shrugged and sat down across from her mother. “Most people were in a better mood today. Girls were excited to be getting out of North Point. Some girls were sad that they hadn’t been selected and were losing their friends.”

Her mother nodded, tracing the rim of her chipped glass. “I remember that. I remember wanting to be chosen. But there were so many pretty girls that year. Prettier than me. I lost my two closest friends.”

Leila had never heard her mother speak of the selection before. Now, Leila’s mother was frail and old looking, but Leila knew her mother had been beautiful when she was younger. Leila and her sisters had gotten their beautiful blond hair from their father’s side. If Leila’s mother had been blonde, she probably wouldn’t be sitting at their scratched kitchen table now. She would have most certainly been snatched up by one of the tribes.

“The pain of Gemma will begin to fade,” her mother said.