Sacred Rites

by Ines Johnson

  Her hand opened, and the crumpled paper fell to the floor. Her head jerked up at the sound of the paper crashing to the ground. Her eyes opened. The brown of her eyes eclipsed the gold as they came to rest on the wad of paper on the ground.

  Emet bent to pick it up. For the second time today, he unfurled the parchment. The colors were already fading from the abuse it had taken. Emet had never been one to understand the abstract, but he deciphered the representations here. The vines were Adom’s ropes. The engorged petals floating off into the wind was Lady Alyss’ core. This was her interpretation of last night.

  Emet’s eyes connected with hers. They were no longer dark and bleak. There was a spark of gold in her irises. The flecks resembled a small bundle of embers struggling through refuse and debris to stay lit.

  “Come here.” Emet took a step towards her.

  Her body stiffened.

  “I just want to hold you, my lady.”

  “Why?”

  “To offer you comfort.”

  “Aren’t we enemies?”

  Emet shook his head. “We’re mildly cordial.”

  A laugh startled out her chest, causing her shoulders to shake. Emet took advantage and brought her into his arms. She came willingly. Her arms felt cold, but after a moment, they warmed to him. She fit perfectly inside his frame.

  “I suppose I must go to the outlands with my sister.”

  “Why would you do that?” Emet buried his head in her hair. It smelled of berries and sunshine.

  “You heard what she said back there, about being inseminated. I can’t do it. I won’t do it.”

  Emet wanted to jump for joy. There was the fiery woman he’d locked swords with earlier.

  “I don’t have a place in the Sisterhood any longer without my family’s backing. I have no money, no skills.” She laughed, but it was humorless. “I’ve been discarded. Have you ever heard of such a thing? A female discard?”

  Emet pulled her tighter into his embrace. She breathed into his chest.

  “Its going to be horrible. My sister lives in a cottage in the middle of nowhere with her two bondmates.”

  “I know. I’ve been there.”

  “You have?”

  “Jaspir’s my brother.”

  The cottage was one story with two bedrooms. The second bedroom they’d converted into a laboratory for Lady Merlyn and Lord Liam to run their scientific experiments. There would be no space for Lady Alyss and what Emet expected was her massive wardrobe and accessories.

  “You could stay with us.” The voice sounded unfamiliar to Emet’s ears, but he’d felt his lips move, felt the air rush through them, and knew that those were his words.

  “With you and Adom?”

  “We have a spare room. It was my home office, but I rarely use it.”

  “I couldn’t.” She finally pulled away.

  Emet didn’t allow her to go too far.

  “It would be improper. We’re not bonded and I have no desire to bond. I’ve lived all of my life bound to my family. I just want to be free of them, of everything.”

  “It's just a room.”

  Alyss looked into his eyes. He pulled his lower lip into his mouth to catch the moisture that seeped out at the thought of her body laying so near his at night. Alyss’ eyes watched the movement of his lips, his tongue, and desire flared beneath her hooded gaze.

  They both saw the lie. Those four walls would never withstand the heat between the two of them. If she agreed to this crazy idea of staying in the bedroom beside his, he would be in that room and between her legs before nightfall. Her eyes flared as though she read his thoughts. But the way she opened her mouth, Emet sensed words of protest coming forth.

  “Adom needs you…for his work.” The words came out in a rush.

  “Adom?”

  “Yes.” Emet pulled her to him once more. He ran a hand down her spine. It came to rest at the base, just above her ass. The same ass he’d had a handful of last night. “Adom needs you. As his muse. For his work. He’ll be opening for the gallery soon. You would do him a great service to be at his beck and call day…and night for any final paintings or…touch ups.”

  “And you?”

  “Me? I…I would help him…the two of you…in the studio… Help you pose. Like before. If you needed me to. If it were your choice.”

  * * *

  Chapter Sixtenn

  * * *

  Dusk reached up into the day and pulled down the curtain of night. Adom stopped walking and held still while the light blue rays, illuminated by the dimming yellow sun, shaded into a light purple in a matter of moments. He stared in marvel at nature’s unique canvas. The Goddess was, indeed, the ultimate artist.

  Adom had spent the morning working on his final painting for the gallery. With the masterpiece done and drying, he’d felt incapable of keeping still. He closed the shop and walked to the other side of town. His feet carried him to the only other place he’d called home; the Temple of the Pleasure Hounds.

  Having renounced his vows years ago, he was no longer allowed upon the grounds. Adom stood at the gates, gazing at the round spires. He’d loved his time inside the temple’s walls. Everything inside was a thing of beauty to him as a child; the ornate archways, the majestic columns. He would stare at the mosaics on the stone floors for hours, and still each time he passed, he would find a new pattern.

  It didn’t surprise Adom that he’d thrived in the structured constancy of temple life. Clearly defined lines showed an imaginative mind the exact boundary of where it needed to tread in order to thrive. That is why the constriction of ropes and bondage gave certain individuals freedom and clarity. Adom wished he could tie Lady Alyss and Emet together so they would come to an idea outside of the boundaries of the lines society had drawn for men and women.

  Adom knew his dream was unlikely. Rules existed because people believed they needed to protect what was theirs. They didn’t practice the Goddess’ teachings that all of Her creation was interconnected and the self was an illusion.

  Adom pushed away from the gates of the temple. Before leaving the property, he stuffed an envelope into the letterbox. It was the gems Lady Alyss paid him for the rope dress. Adom knew the temple was on the upswing. After Jian’s success in orchestrating Lady Chanyn’s conception, the temple had taken on new recruits. But Adom always tithed a portion of his earnings back to the place that had taken him in when he was a discarded third son.

  With that business now taken care of, he could stall no longer. Adom turned and trudged back home under the cover of night. He knew that news of the outcome of the Insemination Bill awaited him across the threshold of his home. He wasn’t sure if he wanted his bondmate to greet him, elated that he’d beaten Alyss. Or if he’d prefer to comfort a distraught Emet because Alyss dealt a crushing blow to the Male Movement.

  When Adom arrived at the shop, the door was open. He was certain he’d locked the door this time. Down the hall, he spied the light to his studio illuminating the stairwell. Emet had no reason to go into Adom’s studio without him. Adom went down the steps uncertain if he’d like what he was about to see. At the door of his studio he gasped.

  Seated before his easel was Lady Alyss, her arms covered in paint. Her right hand worked furiously over the parchment. Adom stood in the doorway behind her and watched her work.

  It was a self portrait. In the painting, her head was thrown back in ecstasy, the tendrils of her hair stretched outward like rays of freedom. On her plump red lips was a heart-aching smile, so brilliant Adom felt tears prick the edges of his eyes. The lower half of her body was encased in a cocoon. But the cocoon was cracked, and from the torso up she’d broken free. Her body was a lush movement of orange, black and white, just like the monarch butterfly dress she’d worn only days ago. Her brown arms were crossed at her chest, to cover her ample breasts. From her back sprang the purple wings of a butterfly. From the crown of her head spilled a rainbow spilled as though her curls spread her love of color to the world.<
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  “This is me.” Her words were possessive, slightly manic.

  Adom hadn’t even recognized that she’d stopped her brushwork. She looked at the painting with the same awe he was sure shown on his face at each of his creations.

  Adom’s eyes came to rest on hers. “Yes. It is.”

  A smile spread across her face as her fingers hovered over the canvas. He hadn’t heard the question in her voice, but it appeared as though she took his affirmation as a confirmation of her soul.

  “How did you know? About me?” Her eyes searched his. “All this time, something’s been aching to get out of me, and this…” She pointed to the painting. “You could you see this when I couldn’t see it myself? This is who I’m meant to be. I didn’t realize how trapped I was until you tied me up.”

  Adom let out a small laugh. The ropes had worked for her in freeing her creativity. He only wished they would work in the political arena. Adom looked around. “Where’s Emet?”

  Her eyes never left the painting. “He stayed behind at the chambers.”

  “What happened today, my lady? With the bill?”

  She tore her eyes away from the painting of her true self and gave Adom her full attention. “It passed.”

  There was no look of triumph on her face. Her eyes, glowing with pride and awe a moment ago, looked sad. Like a curtain of night had been pulled down over her brightness.

  “There was an amendment,” she continued. “Emet and I came to a compromise. Bonded pairs can elect to have the insemination procedure only if one or both males agree to it.”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  She shook her head. “My Mother didn’t think so. She withdrew my sponsorship in the Sisterhood and turned me out of the house. I’m a discard.”

  Adom’s mouth couldn’t work to form a coherent sound. He’d never heard of such a thing.

  “But, Emet said that I might stay here.”

  Adom gulped audibly. Had he heard her correctly? Lady Alyss, under his roof, within his reach at all hours of the day? The hope in his chest dared not ask her to repeat herself because the dream was too sweet.

  Lady Alyss watched the undulation of his throat and her darkened countenance turned cloudy. “He thought you might need me. For the paintings. At least until the gallery opening. Then I would find my own way, my own place. It can’t be too hard,” she looked away from him, straightening her shoulders. “Mothers discard their sons all the time.”

  Lady Alyss was high bred and used to everything being handed to her. He knew she wasn’t a woman used to asking for favors or help.

  “Stay as long as you like,” he offered. “Stay forever.”

  She turned back to him with a look in her eyes that had his cock twitching madly in his pants. Adom took a step back, away from her desires and his own. Where was Emet?

  “Why don’t we get started on the next painting?” She stood and reached for the laces on her dress.

  Adom’s eyes riveted to her fingers which worked the laces as he tried to work his tongue to stop her.

  “I’m finished,” he finally managed. His voice was louder than he’d intended and she jerked back at the force of his pronouncement.

  “Finished?”

  He wobbled his head in a semblance of a nod and then pointed to the covered canvases in the corner.

  Alyss looked over her shoulder at the canvases, her fingers still on the laces of her dress. Adom spied the swell of one lush breast peaking through the fabric. He took another step back. But it was really more like half a step, and he wondered if the half counted because he hadn’t set his heel down.

  Alyss turned back to him, her hand still taut on her laces. “There’s nothing else you’d like to work on?” Her eyes darted over to the rig, the meaning of her words crystal clear.

  Adom swallowed. He looked to the door. Where was Emet? The blood was rushing from his brain and going southward.

  “Nothing at all?” Her voice was a plea. Her tone begged him for the ropes. Did she have any idea what begging did to him?

  But he couldn’t.

  At least not without Emet present to help temper his desires.

  “Unless,” her hands fell back to her sides. “You don’t find me attractive in that way? I know some men only like other men and don’t care for women-“

  “Alyss, you are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen in my life. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the first time I laid eyes on you. I dream you. I wake and then have to paint you. For the last few months it’s been the only way I could find peace.”

  “Then why not?”

  How could he explain to her? “I don’t trust myself…with you.”

  “I trust you. I trust you completely. I let you tie me up. I stood naked in front of you. I trusted you when you let your husband taste my maidenhood. I never thought I’d ever want one male, let alone two. I loved the way your hands felt on me that first time I posed for you. I wanted more then. I want more now. Please, Adom?”

  Her lips parted, her hands stretched out, just like in his painting.

  What if he could?

  It wasn’t like his last time with a woman. Alyss liked the feel of the ropes. She ached for it. He saw it in her eyes even now.

  He reached out a hand and ran it down the side of her face. She leaned into his touch. He cupped her face with the other hand. She whimpered and tilted her chin up to him. Her eyes opened again. The sea of trust assaulted him.

  He could do this. He could please her. He just needed to pace himself.

  She reached for him then and pulled his head to hers. Their lips crashed. Adom felt his control slip. He pulled away from her. She moaned her protest.

  They regarded each other, both panting.

  Adom stepped away. He went to his drawer and pulled out a length of rope. When he turned back to her, Alyss’ eyes flared at the rope.

  “You trust me?”

  She nodded, her eyes hooded, breaths panting in anticipation.

  Adom coiled the rope in his hands. “I would never do anything to hurt you, Alyss.”

  “I know.” She held out her wrists, eagerness in her stance.

  Adom smiled. She mimicked the expression. And best of all things, she meant it.

  He approached her and began to bind her.

  First her hands. He bound her wrists together. Then he took her to the small cot he kept in the room. She frowned as he led her away from the rig. He laid her down on her back. With her wrists bound, he looped a rope through the center of those bindings and lassoed the single rope to the metal bars.

  Then he set on her legs. He spread her thighs wide. Then he bent her knees. He bound her ankles to her thighs, setting her feet flat against the mattress so that her hips stayed open.

  She was panting, and he hadn’t yet touched a single erogenous zone.

  Adom stood over her. Now that she was at his total control, bound hands stretched above her head, legs tucked open wide, he allowed himself to kiss her. He bent down and devoured her mouth. Alyss arched her head, her back, but she didn’t struggle against the ropes. This pleased him. When he pulled away, she bit her lip to hold in the whimper.

  Adom bit at her breasts. His tongue painted a path over the two globes. Her body arched off the bed. His hand drew patterns down her stomach until it reached her wet heat. She was soaking with need. With her legs spread wide open, he traced the contours of her labias, never taking his eyes off her face. He’d painted her core, he traced it from memory.

  When his head came near her face, Alyss tried to capture his lips, but he wouldn’t have it. He hadn’t seen her orgasm up close. He wanted more details. He made circles, avoiding her clit. Her heels dug into the bed. Her hips tried to anticipate his moves. He found her clit and flicked fast and light. Alyss’ ass came off the bed. Only her bound wrists and feet remained in contact with the mattress.

  His eyes zeroed in on details. He hadn’t captured the crinkles in her eyes and at the side of her mouth. He s
tudied every crinkle until Alyss came down from the orgasm. When her eyes opened, he saw she was already pleasure drunk. She didn’t realize this was just the beginning of their journey.

  His head disappeared between her thighs. She could hold still no longer. She trembled, trying to back away from him. Adom ignored her. She’d soon learn that after the first orgasm they got easier.

  Her next orgasm was deeper. Adom could tell because instead of rising off the bed, her hips ground into the mattress. Her moans were guttural. She tried to close her legs to ease the sensations, but the ropes prevented it.

  Adom placed two fingers inside of her. He searched until he found the soft patch of nerves at the front of her core. Her eyes went wide, her breathing shallow and loud. Adom stroked, first in a soft circular pattern. And then his fingers stroked upward and hard. Alyss screamed. Adom’s palm filled with her juices as she leaked her sweet essence.

  He waited the briefest moment for her to catch her breath before doing it again.

  And then again.

  By now his cock was throbbing. Alyss’s eyes were dazed. Her body was completely pliable.

  Adom undid the drawstring of his pants. It had been years since he’d been inside of a woman. Alyss, though dazed, still looked at him with complete trust and desire in her hazy eyes. Adom leaned in and kissed her lips lightly. She sighed against his mouth. Her arms and legs slack with a ton of give in the rope. She lay open for him, welcoming him into her world.

  Adom stood and went to his chest of toys. He dug around in vain.

  On the bed, Alyss became agitated. “What are you looking for,” she demanded. Her voice was huskier than he’d ever heard it.

  “A contraceptive ring.”

  “You don’t need it,” she said.

  Now Adom worried she was in delirium.

  “I’m not fertile today. I’m not ovulating.”

  Adom looked at her with doubt, hesitancy.

  “Growing up in my family, I would know. Trust me.” She threw his words back at him.

  Adom returned to the bed. Still looking into her eyes, he placed the head of his cock at her entrance. “Say ‘please.’”