by Luna Voss
My mouth hangs open in disbelief. I’m aghast. “You left their severed heads on pikes?”
“As a warning,” says Rukkarr darkly. “Not one of these clans has bothered us since.”
“But you said you’re at war?”
“Well, wouldn’t you be, if someone had beheaded your friends and put their heads on sticks? The gesture was not intended as friendly, and it was not received as such. Now they know our strength.”
I snort. I can’t pretend I’m very impressed by his reasoning. “Aren’t you worried about pissing off all the clans in the region, considering you have to keep coming through here to purchase Brides? That doesn’t exactly seem like great leadership. It sounds like we’re riding right now through hostile territory.”
Rukkarr chuckles, and his big hand begins to move slowly up my chest, stroking my skin. I do my best not to let any nervousness show as he reaches my neck and his fingers close around it. He keeps his hand on my throat, not squeezing, not choking me, just holding it there in a complete show of dominance. My heart starts to beat faster, and I feel a very unexpected tingle between my legs. For whatever reason, I’m not worried that Rukkarr is going to hurt me. His touch is dominating, possessive, but it isn’t cruel.
“Christy, let’s say you were furious at me. Let’s say you wanted more than anything to do me harm.” His fingers caress my throat, as though to remind me of their presence. “Would you expect me to be worried, in this moment, about that?”
I sit there in the saddle with his huge body wrapped around me, focusing on the feeling of his hand on my neck. I’m completely, utterly powerless in this situation, and a little bit amazed at how much it arouses me.
“No, I wouldn’t expect you to be worried,” I tell him, my voice small.
“That’s right,” says Rukkarr, releasing my neck. He wraps both his arms around me and squeezes me gently from behind, the gesture surprisingly tender and affectionate. “And so it is with these local Kyrzon tribes. I am stronger than they are, and they know that now. That is what matters.”
The chief falls silent, and I go back to watching the scenery, thinking about the interaction I just had with him.
Kyrzons are fascinating creatures.
* * *
“We are nearing the Clan Gurrak capital,” Rukkarr tells me as the last rays of sun begin to disappear behind the horizon.
Sure enough, I can see the outlines of distant structures in the dimming light. The settlement we’re riding to seems much more permanent than the tent city we were in before. It’s significantly larger, and as we get closer, I can see a very large building in the center that looks like a fortress or a castle of some kind.
“That’s Castle Gar,” says Rukkarr, pointing.
“Is that where Chief Gurrak lives?” I ask, guessing.
“That’s right. You are learning, little human.”
“And why are we here, again?”
“My clan requires that a certain ritual be performed on a warrior’s first night with his new Bride. It is here in Castle Gar that we will perform this ritual.”
I don’t bother to ask what the ritual is. From what I know about Kyrzons, I can imagine exactly what the ritual involves.
I knew this was coming. It’s not like I’m naive.
But that doesn’t make me any less nervous. My entire life, the idea of being intimate with a Kyrzon was just a forbidden fantasy. My name hadn’t come out of the lottery. I wasn’t a Kyrzon Bride. I thought that my role in city government would be the only relationship I had with these alien warriors.
Now I’m about to lose my virginity to one.
Chapter Nine
“Chief Rukkarr! Greetings!” roars a bearded Kyrzon, getting up from his seat at the dinner table. He walks toward us through the crowded dining room, and I see that the sides of his head are shaved, with his hair knotted at the top. He and Rukkarr hug.
I glance around the room as the two Kyrzons embrace. We’re inside the big fortress that Rukkarr called Castle Gar, and this is clearly the dining hall. Multiple big, long tables fill the room, each of them surrounded by eating Kyrzons. I see big, muscular warriors everywhere, as well as several women, both alien and human. The environment is raucous; everyone seems to be laughing and having a good time.
Rukkarr gestures to me. “I want to introduce you to Christy, my new Bride,” he says to the other Kyrzon. “Christy, this is Chief Gurrak.”
I stick out my hand to shake, and Gurrak takes it. “I’m pleased to meet you, Christy,” he says. “Any Bride of Chief Rukkarr is more than welcome in my hall.”
“Thank you for your hospitality,” I tell him.
Gurrak smiles broadly. “Come, eat, you must both be famished!”
He begins to walk back to where he was sitting at one of the tables, and Rukkarr and I follow. Immediately, two warriors rush to clear their plates, making room for us to sit. I feel awkward to be taking someone’s space, but I’m sure it would be considered rude to reject the gesture, and so I sit down.
To my happiness and surprise, I see that the person sitting across from me is a human woman who only looks a few years older than myself. Immediately, I feel relieved. Having another human around is immensely comforting in this new world of strange aliens.
“Hi, I’m Julia,” she says, smiling at me as I sit down. “You must be Chief Rukkarr’s new Bride?”
“Yes!” I tell her. “I’m Christy. I didn’t expect to see another human here!”
“Well, there aren’t that many of us,” she says. “But we exist! None of these warriors would have wives or mothers without us humans.”
I glance at Rukkarr, already deep in conversation with Chief Gurrak. I guess I hadn’t thought about that. It does seem likely that Rukkarr’s mother was a human.
“How are you settling in?” Julia asks me. “I understand you were only purchased this morning?”
“Well, I—” I try to begin a happy, enthusiastic answer, wanting to match her warmth, but I can’t quite fake it. It’s not like I’m miserable, exactly, but this whole situation is just so overwhelming and new. None of this is anything close to the life I had planned out for myself.
Julia seems to sense my internal conflict. “It’s okay, I remember how nervous I was when Chief Gurrak first bought me. It’s stressful.” She glances around the noisy, crowded room. “Would you like to eat with me in private? We could take our food and get away from all the hustle and bustle, have a little bit of peace.”
I nod gratefully. “That sounds great. Today has been so exhausting.”
Julia tugs on Gurrak’s sleeve, getting his attention. “Christy and I are going to go eat upstairs. We’ll catch up with you later?”
Gurrak smiles, and he and Julia kiss. Rukkarr glances at me, looking slightly uncomfortable at the idea of letting me out of his sight, but he nods his approval. “I will see you later,” he says.
Julia and I each dish up big plates of food, and I follow her upstairs.
* * *
Julia takes me to the top floor of the castle to a comfortable room with a fireplace, table, and chairs. We sit down and I dig into my food hungrily. For a little while I just eat, happy to have hot food in front of me and a room to eat it in that isn’t filled with Kyrzons.
“So, you’re the girl who finally won Chief Rukkarr over,” Julia says after a few minutes, her voice teasing. “I was wondering when he would finally buy himself a Bride.”
“Has he been searching for a long time?” I ask, suddenly curious.
Julia laughs. “More like too busy being a bachelor war chief. Every time he comes through here, Gurrak and I tease him about purchasing a Bride, and he always says he’s too busy with clan business. I guess something about you changed his mind.”
I laugh off the complement. “I can’t imagine anyone teasing Rukkarr.”
She grins. “Oh, he has a sweet side to him, you’ll see. You’ve probably only seen the gruff war chief side of him, huh?”
“Yeah, pr
etty much.”
She pauses, and her eyes widen a little bit. “I just realized, if Rukkarr only bought you this morning, then you probably haven’t…” She trails off, her cheeks turning red. “Sorry, I don’t mean to intrude.”
I blush too, the thought of my first night with Rukkarr now inescapable in my mind. I look down, embarrassed even talk about it.
“Are you nervous?” Julia asks me kindly, as though she’s testing the waters of this conversation topic.
I look up at her slowly and nod my head. “I’ve never… done anything with a guy. Like, at all. I didn’t even know I was going to be a Bride until a couple of days ago.”
Her jaw drops. “Wait, what? How is that possible? I had seven years to prepare for my Auction Day. I knew from the time I was 13.”
“I was a Replacement Bride,” I tell her. “And I’m not even 19, I’m only 18. They extended the age range for the Replacement Lottery because they had four Brides to replace.”
She shakes her head slowly, looking aghast. “Four Brides to replace… Four brides? That’s horrible. What happened?”
“Raptor attack,” I explain simply.
Julia keeps shaking her head. “What an awful thing to have happened. And you’re only 18… This must be such a shock to you. You weren’t prepared for any of this.”
I don’t have anything to say. She’s right.
Julia takes my hand. “Christy, do you want to be mated to Chief Rukkarr?”
I hesitate. I wasn’t expecting to have anyone ask me that. “What I want,” I begin, trying to gather my thoughts “is to go back to my life in New Byzantium. Before my name came out of the Replacement Lottery. I was an intern in the governor’s office. I had everything planned out.” I sigh. “But I can’t do that. You know as well as I do the way runaway Brides are treated in Human Territory.” Julia nods, her expression understanding. I continue: “And the other thing is… I mean, I was practically on the City Council. I used to go to Auction Board meetings all the time. I literally can’t even count how many Brides we sent to the auctions. I can’t participate the way I did, and then skip out on my duty when it’s my turn.”
Julia nods. “I understand,” she says. “I want you to know, I respect where you’re coming from. I just don’t want you to feel trapped.”
“I don’t feel trapped,” I tell her, trying to convince myself of my own words. “This just… isn’t exactly the way I expected to lose my virginity.”
Julia’s eyes flash with a kind of mischievous excitement. “You know,” she says, “I don’t know exactly what you’re expecting the mating process with a Kyrzon to be like but… How shall I say this…” She giggles. “Well, if Rukkarr is anything like Gurrak, you’re not going to be disappointed.”
I feel myself blushing in spite of myself. “I don’t even know what I’m expecting,” I lie, pushing aside my persistent fantasies of rough Kyrzon hands pinning me down and spreading my legs apart. “I really have zero experience with men.”
“Neither did I, when I had my first time with Chief Gurrak,” says Julia, her tone reassuring. “I, uh, learned quickly. These Kyrzon males are nothing if not enthusiastic.”
My blush grows deeper. “I don’t even know what to do,” I admit, the panic rising in me slightly. “I’m just so nervous.”
Julia hesitates. “Well… I might be able to give you something to calm your nerves a little bit. If you wanted.”
She seems slightly awkward about what she’s trying to suggest. I raise my eyebrows. “Oh? What is it?”
Julia hesitates again. “Have you ever heard of passionberries?”
I frown. “No, I don’t think I have.”
“It’s a berry that… How do I say this…” She looks like she’s trying to find the most tactful words to describe something. “Okay, you know what, I’m just going to come out with it. They make you horny. They make you really horny. If you take them, every physical sensation is going to feel absolutely incredible. Like, way better than usual. For the next day or so. A lot of the women in Clan Garruk take them from time to time. Just thought I would give you the option,” she finishes, blushing slightly.
My mind races as I consider this. I can’t deny I find the idea appealing. A berry that would completely wipe away my nerves and guarantee that having sex with my new husband is an enjoyable affair?
“What’s the downside?” I ask.
“There really isn’t one,” Julia tells me, grinning. “Unless you consider spending the next day or so feeling like a little sexpot to be a downside. But I have to warn you, it can be a bit… intense. I’m not joking when I say you’re going to be horny. If for some reason you and Rukkarr don’t get a chance to do it tonight, you’re really going to want to take some alone time.”
I feel my own cheeks starting to get red as I take her meaning.
“You don’t have to decide right now, I just wanted to put the idea out there,” she reassures me. She pulls a small pouch of red berries out of her pocket and places it on the table. “I mostly thought to mention it because I already had some fresh berries on me.”
I raise my eyebrows. “What for?”
She laughs, and gives me a suggestive look. “What do you think? Chief Gurrak only just got back to the castle after being away for an entire week. This is our first night together again. I assume you can fill in the rest of the details yourself?”
I look down, embarrassed. I can indeed fill in the rest of the details myself.
Suddenly the door opens, and an older human woman enters the room. “Julia,” she says, “I’m glad I found you. I’m sorry to bother you, I know this is your special night with Gurrak, but Verkkie won’t stop crying. None of us can calm him down. I think he just needs his mama.”
Julia’s face softens, and she gets up from her seat. “Thanks for coming to get me, Kayla. I’ll be there in a second.” She turns to me. “Verkkie is our son,” she explains. “Some of the other women were babysitting him tonight. I’ll try not to be long, okay?”
I gesture for her to go. “Take as long as you need! I’ll be here.”
* * *
I stare at the pouch of berries on the table as I wait for Julia to return. I keep going back and forth in my mind whether I want to take them. Part of me thinks it sounds wonderful. The perfect way to calm my anxiety. The other part of me is terrified at the idea of losing control of my faculties. I’m in a brand-new world full of tribes and warriors and customs I don’t understand. I should probably keep my head together, even if it means turning down something that might make tonight more enjoyable.
At the same time, though, I really am nervous. Incredibly nervous. More nervous than I was when I applied to be an intern in the governor’s office, even. Everything about this situation is just so sudden. I’m the kind of girl who likes to plan things out. I always thought losing my virginity would be the result of a carefully thought-out process of getting to know a guy and deciding that I approved of him. I never imagined that my first time would be as a Kyrzon Bride.
Of course, that quite literally isn’t true. Of course I imagined it. I mean, how could you not? The Kyrzons are these huge, muscular, generally very handsome creatures who dominate our planet and are known for ravishing their human mates. I think every girl growing up in Human Territory has imagined it at some point.
But imagining is very different from taking the idea seriously. And I definitely never took the idea seriously. A fantasy is all it ever was, just something fun to think about during private moments of self-enjoyment. It was safe to fantasize about because it wasn’t real.
Now it’s as real as it gets. And somehow, that realness doesn’t make the fantasy any less exciting or enjoyable. In fact, quite the opposite.
But it doesn’t exactly help my nerves, either.
You know what? I’ll take the berries. What do I have to lose? I’m already attracted to Rukkarr, so it’s not like they’re going to make me feel anything new. If eating the passionberries allows me to calm dow
n and focus on my arousal, then that can only lead to me having a better first time. And then once my first time is over with, sex won’t be such a big deal.
I pull a couple berries out of the pouch, and I’m feeling more positive about things before I’ve even popped them into my mouth. It’s all a matter of attitude, anyway, right? For all I know, the passionberries are just a placebo, and Julia offered them to me knowing I would feel better if I believed I had taken an aphrodisiac.
I smile to myself as I chew on one of the berries, allowing its sweet juices to linger in my mouth. Placebo or not, these things are actually pretty tasty.
Chapter Ten
A little while later, Julia returns. “Hey! I’m back,” she says, coming through the door.
“I hope your baby is okay?”
“Oh, he’s fine. Have you thought about the berries at all?”
“Yeah, I figured I’d try eating a couple.”
Julia laughs. “Well, you don’t actually eat them. But I can you how we use the passionberries right now.”
I freeze. “You don’t… you don’t eat them?”
She frowns at me. “No, we usually crush them up into a paste, and then let it absorb through the skin.”
“What happens if you eat them?”
She gives me a confused look. “I wouldn’t know, I’ve never tried. I think it’s supposed to be a lot more intense that way. Why?”
I look back at her, and my lip quivers. I glance down at the pouch, lying open on the table.
Her jaw drops. “You didn’t… Christy, did you just…”
My eyes tell the whole story.
Julia lets out a giggle. “How many did you have?”
“I… Three, I think,” I say, trying not to panic.
I can tell by the look on her face that three is a lot. She starts to giggle uncontrollably, like she can’t even stop herself. “You ate… You ate three of them?” she repeats, tears in her eyes.
