Upon the Threshold (11 page)

Eli appreciated his sense of humor a great deal. “Thank you. I would like it if you came to check on me often. Who knows when I might need someone to translate for me or something such as that?” she teased right back.

“Precisely.” He nodded. Leaning over he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Rest, enjoy your day, and we will see you for the ritual this evening.” Drawing back, he went to the door and stepped through. Another glance to her just before the door slid shut, and then she was alone. For now.

“Sounds good,” she said with a smile. “Until later,” she whispered, and when the door closed she felt her chest constrict in pain. Closing her eyes, she shook her head. She rubbed her chest and walked from the door. After pulling off her shoes, she climbed up into the bed to try to have a small nap before everything began.

Chapter Eight

A knock on the door had Eli jolting up, disoriented. The sound of the door opening, though, had her waking up a lot quicker. “Elisabeth Washington, you must wake so we may begin to prepare you. There is not much time and much to accomplish so please awaken and join us. No, over there, please, Marya. Yes, that will work.”

“Are you Danykia?” she asked the beautiful Droushanian woman standing before her. “I’m awake,” she said softly and rolled from the bed. She smiled at the woman and took in a deep breath. “Okay, now what? I have no idea what I am doing. I have no idea what to expect, so will you please help me understand what will be happening?”

“Yes, I am Danykia,” she said. “And yes, I will tell you the plan for the day while the others finish getting everything ready. We will speak here in case you are easily embarrassed, though you will have to learn not to be with our males. Sit,” she ordered.

When they were both seated, Danykia began to explain the process. “We will be preparing you for the ritual. This includes removal of body hair or shaping it to a pleasing manner. You will have a massage and several very old oils will be used. They have been anointed since the beginning with all our important ceremonies. You will be attended to in all manners to make you relaxed and ensure you are at your best for the ceremony. During all of this, we will be preparing your body for sexual activities with two of our males.”

Eli nodded and understood that, mostly. “Can you tell me what to expect? They explained to me about the Beast. Will that play into the sexual activities that I will share with them?” She needed to know what to expect so that she didn’t hurt or offend her men.

“Yes, to a point. During your initial sexual encounter, you will be marked by them. Each species of the Beast has its own way of doing such, as does each male. Their own personality guides them. It will sting momentarily, and then it will pass quickly. Most markings are with claws, a light scratch that will be permanently etched into your skin. Some markings are a bite—again, not hard, but the mark will remain forever on your skin. Other times the marking will be both. It’s hard to say for sure, but they will both mark you at the same time as they will both be with you sexually at the same time. At least for that first true bonding.”

That had her nodding. “I can understand that. The need for a beast to mark and claim his mate. Thank you for telling me. I might have panicked should that happen and I didn’t know that it was coming.” Then something very important dawned on her. For several moments, Eli was sure she didn’t breathe. “How?” she asked with her mouth hanging open. “I’ve never… I mean, how?” Oh, good lord, she wasn’t so sure that this was going to happen.

“For them both to take you?” Danykia asked. At Eli’s nod, she got one in return and a small smile. “This is a part of the reason we will be helping you to relax. We will need to stretch you to ensure you are unharmed by the mating. We have items that we will insert into your ass and pussy to stretch you and help you learn to relax during their penetration. You will need to endure this twice, at least, for tonight. For they will want to each take you with their cocks in each hole. And they are large males, as it is with the Droushanian males. You will be well filled and well pleased by the end of your mating.” The woman paused then with a small look of worry on her face but said nothing.

“I think that perhaps we should begin that sooner rather than later. I don’t want to disappoint either of them, and I look forward to every single part of this mating with them.” Her voice rang of affection and desire. “I’m going to trust you, Danykia. I am in your hands to teach me how to be the mate that these two amazing men deserve.”

Nodding, Danykia got to her feet and gestured for Eli to stand as well. “We will begin with the preparation of your skin. We will remove the hair. It is a painless process just so you do not panic or worry. Then we will give you the massage and tend your feet and hands. After that the others will leave, and I will assist you in inserting the first of the implements, and you can walk around with them while I go through the ceremony you will be partaking of this darkening. After we have gotten you through at least three more implements, the others will return, and we will do your hair. At that time, we will insert the last one and prepare you to dress with final instructions. The last one will not be removed until after the ceremony. Come.” She waved Eli forward.

Following her right on her heels, Danykia clapped her hands and started giving tasks to everyone. Eli noticed there was now a long, relatively narrow, padded table in the middle of the room. It looked much like the old massage tables she’d seen from Earth. This one, though, had a few extra pieces here and there, so it was likely a multiple use item.

Danykia appeared in front of her with a towel. “As you are not of our culture, we realize that you may embarrass easily with public nudity. So if you would wrap this around you, drop the robe, and then climb onto the table on your back, facing up, we will start with the massage.”

Eli shrugged and looked to the woman. “I have no issue with other women seeing me nude, but I do with other men seeing me nude. I know that’s a strange way to look at things, but the only men I want to see me naked are Lukkis and Kraven.”

Danykia cracked her first real smile then. It wasn’t huge but it was approving. “Good. That is the way it should be. Then, if you would, drop your robe and climb on the table. Charron.” She said it like
Sharon
. “Can you drape a sheet over it so she doesn’t stick to it, please? Thank you.” The other woman did as asked and then waited, a patient expression on her face.

Doing as she instructed, Eli lay on the table and closed her eyes. Without thinking about it, she asked Danykia, “What are Kraven and Lukkis doing while I’m doing all of this? Do they have their own preparations that they must make as well?” She wondered.

Slick hands, oiled likely, began to work her feet and up her legs while others worked at her hands and up her arms.

“They are both working currently. They don’t have as much to prepare, personally. They do have a lot to prepare for the ceremony and the celebration after. The various staff all need to know about the food, setting up the location, and other general items. Both will want to make this very memorable for you and will likely be worrying over every detail. As well they both must attend to their regular duties, of which there are many,” she was told.

“Am I causing too much of a strain on them? If they have to balance their duties while planning our mating ceremony?” Eli hoped she wasn’t being an imposition on anyone.

“It is one day. They will survive.” Danykia spoke with authority, firm and not to be argued with. “They will survive it and, really, they have had so little to do since we all arrived, as have most of us. It will be good to have everyone with a first task and timeline to work with.”

That had Eli grinning. “I think that I’m going to like you,” she told the woman and then closed her eyes again. “You are a treat. You say it like it is, and I appreciate that a great deal. I look forward to making a friend in you.”

“You are not all that bad yourself, Elisabeth. Now, relax and remain quiet for a time. Focus on the sound of your breathing and slowing it to the point of nearly falling into sleep. It will help with the rest that is to come once the massage is completed.”

She did just that. Closing her eyes, she allowed her mind to simply drift away, anchorless in a sea of sensations. The feeling of the massage was marvelous. It was something she had never experienced before, and she liked it.

Then it was over, or rather one part was, leaving her limp and very relaxed.

“We need you to roll onto your stomach now, Elisabeth,” Danykia said. “We need to work all the tension from your back out so you are so relaxed you don’t think you could ever move again.”

“I could get behind massages like this,” Eli said as she turned and sighed. “And I know that this isn’t treatment that I will get ever again, but heaven’s sake this is miraculous.” She had never had anyone turning her to goo as they were doing to her now, and she was perfectly fine with that.

“You do not know that. All Droushanian, males, and females, are taught the art of the massage in our courses. It’s a sexual assistant and helps with pleasing mates and keeping a happy one. Both Kraven and Lukkis know all these techniques, Elisabeth, and will likely offer you massages often.”

“Oh, heavens.” Eli smiled. “I want to learn the massages as well then, please. Eventually. I would like to be able to give back to them what they give to me. Do you think that perhaps I could take these courses so that I would know what I could do to help my men and keep them happy with me as well?”

“I am sure that could be arranged. In fact, I would place wagers on that. Your mates will have likely already checked into a few courses for you to choose from. If it’s not on the list, tell them of your interest in the art and they will see to you taking it. But you need to be on the Droushanian homeworld to take the courses,” Danykia said quietly.

“They recognize the matings that occur offworld, but for the record it has to be overseen by one of our officials for it to be entered into the hall of records as legal.”

“As long as I am not separated from my men.” She hoped that she wouldn’t be, at least. “Will there be issue with them having mated me? Kraven assures me that there will be no issue, but he had that tic at the corner of his eye like he was hiding something. I know I barely know him, but I have noticed that about him.” She felt as if she knew these men intimately already.

“No,” Danykia said, but there was something in her voice. “We will discuss it once the initial preparation is over, Elisabeth. It isn’t bad; believe me there. It’s just a little…sticky.”

Eli nodded and then asked, “Should I ask them this question so that I don’t put you in a difficult position?”

“No, it is fine for me to speak on it. We’ve all had some discussions after it was decided we’d stay, so we all know exactly what Kraven’s position on the matter is. One of the younger ones asked about it, and Kraven told us all, quite clearly and with no little amount of annoyance. It is a situation that was forced on him and one he did not, in any way, agree with, so he is in a much happier place with you as his mate now.”

“I’m glad that he’s happy. I don’t want to cause him grief or trouble. I just simply want his happiness. I need him to be happy.”

“You are their mate. Just as they will do anything they can to keep you happy, it is your driving instinctual urge to reciprocate,” Danykia said. “All right, the massage portion is now over. If you could slide off the table, I will steady you if needed. We will adjust it into a reclining position and begin with the hair removal. This is permanent, so if there is anything you wish to have remain, speak up about it.”

“It can all come off. However, I would like to keep my eyebrows and the hair on the top of my head, please. Everything else, take it.” Eli slid off the table and was glad that Danykia was there. “Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said that this would make me feel all gooey.” She allowed the woman to help her into a chair and leaned back with her eyes closed. “Thank you, Danykia, for talking to me, for taking the time to explain everything to me. I appreciate that.”

“It is my honor and privilege to be here to help you through this today,” she said. “You should drink this.” When Eli opened her eyes, she saw that Danykia had one of the bottles from the cooler unit in hand—one of the ones she’d taken a liking to. Actually, Kraven’s favorite. “It will help to rehydrate you and also wake you up a bit from all that relaxing.”

Danykia passed the bottle over and then moved to help the others with the table. In practically no time at all, the table was a reclined chair with stirrups, much like an old-fashioned doctor’s pelvic exam setup. “Come, we will get you settled in comfortably and then apply the gel. Are you sure you wish all the hair below your neck to come off? As I mentioned, this is permanent, so I just want to be sure that you are before we begin. I am not questioning your choice in any way.”

“Yes, I’m very sure. I have no issue with it all coming off,” she told the woman with a smile. “I’m ready for this. Everything from the neck down, please remove. It’s not like it’s hair that I need, so I’m more than ready to get it all gone.” Besides, she wanted to give her mates something, and having all of her hair removed would be something incredible for them, she hoped.

“Very good.” Danykia nodded. “Then please, if you would, onto the table. Though it is more a chair now.” She shrugged. Holding a hand out, she took the bottle of juice Eli had pretty much finished and set it aside. Then Danykia helped Eli up from her chair—good thing too, since she was still a bit wobbly from all that loosening they’d done on her muscles.

Once she was on the reclining table, Eli closed her eyes and sighed. Leaning back, she nodded. “I’m as ready as I am going to get.” She looked to Danykia and smiled. “Again, thank you.” The woman couldn’t possibly understand how much this meant to Eli, having someone on her side as this woman seemed to be.

“There is no need to thank me as you keep doing. Once was more than enough,” Danykia said. Eli was adjusted in the seat, her feet put up in the stirrups, and then they were moved out slightly. Her arms were put up over her head, where she was instructed to hold on to the bar there. Really easy to do. She just needed the smallest curl of her fingers to hold it.