Joven's Bride

by Clarissa Lake

  “Perhaps, you should take some time to research… Learn about Glasica, the Alliance and how your world will function in their expanded reality,” Joven said. “It’s not something you have to decide immediately, meomee. We do not need the credits.”

  “But I want to feel like I contribute to this partnership.”

  “You do, and you will. Do not think that your contribution to this relationship is not important. One day, maybe sooner than later, we will make offspring. Caring for offspring is important.”

  “Of course, it is. That is why I became a teacher, and I want our children, too. But I need something productive for me.” She told him earnestly.

  “We have interstellar communications. You talked about the possibility of virtual teaching. You could send children of Earth lessons about your experience of migrating through space to a colonial world,” he said. “Our AI can find you all the information you would need about Glasica and the other colonies as well as the Alliance.”

  Carly thought for a moment, then smiled affectionately at Joven. “What a great idea! I will still be teaching children from Earth about life out here, and charge a fee for the courses. Our technology is not as advanced as yours, but these days, almost everyone has internet access …and you said I can access it from here.”

  She slid her arm around Joven’s waist and hugged him, pressing her face against his chest. He hugged her back. “Thank you for reminding me.” She turned her face up for him to kiss her. It was a light kiss because they both knew anything more intense would arouse their passion and make Joven late for his meeting. Joven left immediately for just that reason.

  Carly sighed wistfully as she heard the low whine of Joven’s flier lifting off. Except for his night prowling while she was sleeping, she and Joven had barely been apart since he came for her on Se’Nar. She realized she was feeling a bit of separation anxiety. She knew he would only be gone a few hours at most.

  She wandered through the house, exploring the rooms she had seen only briefly in Joven’s quick tour. The house seemed huge compared to the apartment she’d had back on Earth. Joven had planned it for the family he hoped to have one day.

  Making a child with Joven could happen sooner than later because they had decided Carly would not use birth control. At 29, she was already past the prime age for having children. Of course, the nanites she received by injection and through mating with Joven would slow down the aging process. Carly didn’t want to wait to have children, and Joven was more than happy with that.

  After she had given herself the full tour of their home, Carly went to the room he had designated as her equivalent to a man cave. It was both a lounge and office. The wall mounted viewscreen was a combination of entertainment, communications, and an AI link that could record both video and audio. It was everything she needed to figure out how she could fit into her new life.

  Once she entered the room, she stopped in the center and turned in a slow circle looking around. It was elegant in its simplicity. The colors were soft pastels, the furniture sleek and modern with exquisite artwork and a skylight.

  Although his home was built before their matching, the room was designated for his mate while she was still a hopeful wish in his mind. However, he didn’t have it decorated until she agreed to become his wife.

  Carly had just finished studying her new sanctuary when there was a beep from the vid-screen followed by a female voice, “Incoming call from Skye Carter Knight. Will you take the call or decline?”

  “Take the call,” Carly said and moved to sit at the desk near it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A lovely woman with soft brown hair and green eyes popped on to the screen almost instantly. “Hi Carly, I’m Skye Knight, and this is Jhenre Driza. Welcome to Glasica,” she introduced her friend. “We heard that you would have some time on your hands, so we thought it would be a good time to comm and introduce ourselves.”

  Carly smiled warmly. “I’m so pleased to meet you both. ...And I bet I know who leaked the information.”

  “It gave me an eerie chill when Rader told me that you were on another side of that huge hole the Drayids cut in Washington. And now we’re on the same obscure planet married to cyborgs who fought together in the Drayid wars,” Skye said.

  “But your transport ship didn’t get raided by pirates. Now my luggage is still on the transport because Joven and I were too distracted with each other that we couldn’t take time to get it,” Carly said, shaking her head.

  “I can only imagine,” Skye chuckled. “Captain Be’Kal from the ship that brought me here was on a mission when he met his meomee. Jenna had been kidnapped by aliens from Earth. Captain Be’Kal and his brother were sent to Se’nar to rescue them. They were trying to fight it and function well enough to make their escape. Neither one of them were looking for a mate.”

  “I can’t quite imagine being taken by surprise and feeling such desire for a total stranger. Joven and I were acquainted and attracted to each other before the mating frenzy took hold,” Carly said and chuckled. “I am so glad you commed. I was starting to have a bit of separation anxiety. Today is our first time being apart.”

  “Well, I guess Joven contacted Rader through the cyborg network and told him you would be alone for a few hours today. He also told him about the dinner party at your place next rotation set.”

  “I nearly panicked when he told me. Then he said the droid would do all the work. Everything is automated in the house, too. That literally leaves me nothing to do in the way of housekeeping and cooking. I was just coming into my ‘woman cave’ to figure out what I can do to occupy myself while Joven is busy with his patrols. What do you and Jhenre do?”

  “Jhenre is an artist, and I help her sell it online with the AI network,” said Skye. “How do you like the art in your new home?’

  “It’s beautiful, and it looks expensive.”

  “Well, Jhenre did the wall hangings and the sculptures,” Skye said. “They actually are expensive, but Joven can afford it.”

  “This home is incredible. All I had on Earth was a four-room walk-up apartment,” Carly said. “This place seems like a mansion.”

  “We are looking forward to seeing it,” Jhenre said. “We saw pictures before it was finished and decorated from the floor plan.”

  “We will be at the soiree. We just wanted to meet you and welcome you to Glasica. I think you’re going to like it here,” Skye said.

  “What does one wear to one of these soirees?” Carly laughed. “All I have to wear right now is what I have on. Everything I brought with me is still on Star Traveler. Joven’s feline. We were not thinking about wearing clothes after he rescued me.”

  The three of them laughed.

  “Cyborgs get pretty randy when they meet their mate’s as well,” Skye added. “But Rader told me about felines, and a feline cyborg gets a double whammy when he meets his meomee.”

  “I knew what was going to happen as soon as we met,” Carly replied. “But the intensity of what I felt as soon as we hugged was light years past how I imagined. …And I never expected the separation anxiety I felt when Joven left this morning.”

  “Hon, anytime you need to talk or want to talk, com either Jhenre or me.” Skye and Jhenre each gave their com codes. “I know what it’s like to come to a new planet and not know a soul but the man you married. That’s why we wanted to set up this gathering to get acquainted with all the ‘newbies.’ I was lucky that Rader and Makus were friends, so Jhenre, and I met soon after I got here.”

  “Back to the matter of clothes,” Jhenre said. “Parties like this are not that formal. We wear mostly tunics and pants, long or short, depending on the weather.”

  “Joven said we would order some clothes when he gets back.”

  “Oh, that should be fun,” Skye deadpanned. “That’s what’s great about their tech. Your tablet or house AI can scan you then display whatever outfit you choose on a life-sized hologram of you.”

  “Wow, I never thought of
that. Joven and I commed holographically while I was on Star Traveler. That will make it easier to decide whether an outfit is right for me,” Carly said. “Skye, did you find that most of the clothes you brought from Earth were suitable to wear here?”

  “Basically, anything you might have is fine. People from many different species and cultures have settled here, and clothing styles vary just as widely,” Jhenre explained.

  “I’ve been here almost a year, and I still use most of the casual clothes I brought. Except now that I am pregnant, they don’t all fit,” said Skye. “But I am thrilled, I’ve always known I wanted to be a mom. I think back on Earth, the women’s movement lost sight of the fact that being a mom and raising your children is an important career.”

  “I agree,” Carly said. “I loved being a teacher mostly because I loved working with the kids. When my friend Sara was killed in the Drayid attack, it hit me that my biological clock was running out and I hadn’t had a date in at least a year. That’s why I signed up with Interstellar Matchmaking. I knew almost immediately that Joven was the one. We are letting nature take its course.”

  “Rader and I decided the same thing. These guys have waited their whole lives to have a mate who loves them and wants to build a family with them,” Skye said with a smile. “Rader is a great husband, and this is a wonderful place to raise a family.”

  “It is. Getting here was a little scary,” Carly said. “I never even thought about our ship being hijacked by pirates.”

  “We heard what happened to you. That was just horrible. Are you doing okay now?” Skye asked with genuine concern.

  Carly frowned slightly but nodded. “I’m dealing with it most of the time. As soon as Joven hugged me, all of that was pushed to the back of my mind. I didn’t learn until later that Joven had killed Crazell.”

  “Because Crazell was a traitor,” Skye said. “Rader figured that he knew you were Joven’s meomee, and he singled you out to get even with Joven for getting him tossed out of the Defense Force.”

  Carly had gone quiet, and she started to tremble. Suddenly she didn’t feel like she was all right. She thought she had put it behind her. After a moment, she realized she was having a flashback.

  “Carly? Oh, Carly, I am so sorry! I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  Carly closed her eyes and breathed deeply in and out a few times. Crazell is dead. He can never hurt anyone again. I’m safe, on Glasica. Safe.

  “I’m okay,” Carly said finally. “Just a little flashback. The nanocybots are working on my brain chemistry to help me get past the bouts of PTSD.” She hugged herself, wishing she had Joven’s arms around her.

  “Have you decided what you will do with your time while Joven is on the job?” Skye had deliberately changed the subject.

  “I’m going to research and organize some virtual courses about Earth history for people in the Alliance, and Alliance history and laws for people on Earth,” Carly said.

  “That sounds interesting. I am always looking for new programs for my children. They know the basics about the Alliance, but with Earth now officially inducted into the Alliance, they should know its history and culture.”

  “I might even dabble in some sculpture of my own. I used to make dragons when I was in college. Joven told me there are real live dragons here. I saw one flying overhead when we first got here.” Carly said, her enthusiasm returning. “Joven said we will probably see a lot of them since our land borders the Selkeres Reserve.”

  “They’re the coolest animals I have ever seen,” Skye said. “These dragons are warm-blooded reptiles, and they look just like the mythical dragons of science fiction and fantasy.”

  “I wonder if they would make good pets,” Carly said. “I always wanted a dog, but my landlord didn’t allow pets, and my job didn’t leave much time to care for one.”

  “Don’t hold your breath, they have laws against keeping dragons,” Skye warned.

  “Do people even have pet’s here?”

  “I don’t know what a dog is, but some people have an animal called an eklan. It’s a cute furry creature with large eyes, and a short snout has four legs,” Jhenre said. “My kids want one. Makus and I are thinking about it.”

  “Well thanks for the info,” Carly said. “I will look it up, but I really wanted a dragon.”

  They chitchatted for a while longer then signed off with the two women urging Carly to call for any reason. After that tense moment talking about Crazell, they ended their conversation with pleasant farewells.

  Chapter Sixteen

  After her conversation with Skye and Jhenre, Carly stayed in front of the combination communications and AI screen looking up eklans and Selkeres dragons. The eklans were pretty cute and looked a bit feline. They were a long-domesticated species of carnivores which were spread throughout the Alliance on colonial worlds. The Selkeres dragons were so much more fascinating.

  They were initially found only on Glasica in that sector, but they had spread through several colonies in the quadrant, from stock poached on Glasica. It was not illegal to be a dealer of domesticated dragons off-world. It was only illegal to capture and train the wild Selkeres dragons.

  Carly decided; she should give up the idea of a pet dragon. The eklans looked promising, but she wanted to see them in person before deciding to get one of her own.

  She was still surfing the AI when she heard the soft whine of Joven’s flier landing on the pad at the front of the house. Although he had only been gone just over three hours, Carly wanted to run and fling herself into his arms. She didn’t; it might seem too needy.

  She got up from her chair and strolled into the dining room and toward the front door. It slid open, and Joven strode into the room. As soon as he saw her, his steps quickened, and he scooped her into his arms, lifting her feet from the floor and claimed her lips in a deep heated kiss.

  Carly put her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips, clasping her ankles behind him. Caressing the back of his head and neck, she hummed a soft sound of pleasure as their tongues met and swirled around each other. It seemed pretty clear that he was just as glad to be back as she was to have him.

  “Joven,” she murmured contentedly when their lips parted. “I missed you, too.”

  “We are only two, and a half rotation sets out of our mating frenzy,” he said with a sexy grin. He started walking with Carly still wrapped around him.

  She knew he was headed for their bedroom without even asking. She laid her head on his shoulder and hugged him. Her body had gone into alert when she heard his flier land. She was completely wet and ready for him when Joven took her into his arms on arrival.

  He had them both out of their clothes in less than a minute. They embraced naked, but they were both too aroused to spend much time on foreplay. After a long, passionate kiss, Joven released Carly, and she got on the bed, moving to the middle.

  Joven climbed on from the foot of the bed as Carly parted her legs for him. He knelt between them drinking in the sight of her spread open for him. Her nipples were puckered into tight points on her full round breasts. Her waist nipped in, and her hips expanded from there in lush curves that continued in her long shapely legs.

  Carly lay smiling up at him, her thighs spread wide with her knees drawn up slightly, waiting to cradle his hips between them. The dark thatch at the apex of her parted legs opened to reveal the pink of her sex, glistening with her juices. The sight and scent of her, knowing she was meomee, thrilled him and made his cock go even harder.

  Her pussy clenched before his eyes and Carly held up her arms, silently beckoning him to sink his engorged cock into her. Joven leaned over her, holding himself above her with one hand and using the other to guide his rigid member up and down her channel then pressed it against her opening.

  Carly rested her hand on his sides, ready to fully embrace him when he lowered himself on top of her. As soon as he did, they both moaned in the satisfaction that his cock was fully seated inside her. He balanced on his el
bows and slid his hands between them to pinch and roll her nipples, making Carly’s inner walls squeeze against his cock.

  She smiled up at him, stroking his muscular back as he stoked her arousal. Her lips parted, inviting his kiss, and he pressed his mouth to hers and slipped his tongue inside to slow dance with hers.

  He pulled back and thrust deeply into her and held it there for a moment rotating his hips to stimulate her clit.

  Carly groaned pressing her hands against his lower back, holding him to her. He felt so good because he was the man she loved. He was meomee, her soulmate, and she was his. She didn’t have to ask if he loved her; it was in his eyes.

  She whispered his name breathily as though it was a love word. He responded, pulling almost out of her and driving his cock into her. Carly groaned in pure pleasure, as waves of it rippled through her. She moved her hands up and down his back while he continued to thrust hard, hold, and retreat.

  With each one, Carly moaned and began to pant and gasp as every nerve seemed attuned to Joven’s hard male body on her and in her. Each time he filled her, stroking that sweet spot inside, he rubbed his pubis against her sensitive bud. Her muscles tensed as Joven drew her steadily toward her climax. She knew Joven could feel it too.

  Her eyes closed and her fingernails dug into Joven’s back. He claimed her mouth, dominating her with his tongue. A few thrusts later, he pinched her nipple, to take her over the crest into bliss. Her cry of release was muffled against his mouth as she convulsed with the first contraction around his cock.

  Joven made a few quick thrusts into her until he came as well, shooting his hot seed into her womb. Carly continued to contract around him and shudder beneath him as he kissed her tenderly. In between gentle kisses, he murmured meomee and purred like his big-cat alter ego.

  Neither of them seemed in any hurry to separate, basking in their post-coital harmony. When the couple finally did part, they went into the bathroom to shower together. Joven took that opportunity to have her again before they finished cleaning up.