Haven 1: Ascend

by Sandra R Neeley

  She was looking down at where they were joined, rocking her hips when his hand came into view. In a very strained voice he said, “Do you trust me, Vivi? Will you allow me to touch you, just a little?”

  Vivian was trembling, her entire body pulsing with need, but she was having a hard time sliding him inside her. She didn’t speak, just nodded. Quin pressed against her clit gently with his thumb. Vivian gasped, and her entire body tightened, and her eyes closed. “Shh, it’s alright,” he whispered as he started massaging her clit in soft, tiny little circles. Vivian started to moan, rocking her hips more and more quickly. His thumb slipped down to gather some of her wetness, then slid back up to circle her clit again. The moment he touched her, her eyes opened and she begged, “Please don’t stop.”

  “I won’t,” he promised.

  Quin watched Vivian as she experienced the first sexual pleasure of her life. She was gorgeous, skin flushed, panting, her eyes closed again, hips rocking in rhythm to his touch. It was building, it wouldn't be long. He could feel her clenching around him.

  Vivian’s breath started getting choppy, “Quin?” she whimpered.

  “I have you, let it happen.”

  She nodded, wrapped her hands around his to keep his thumb where she wanted him and rocked her hips faster. She tensed and threw her head back, her entire body quaking as she panted and moaned the sexiest sounds he’d ever heard.

  It was all he could do not to flip her onto her back and plunge all the way inside her, but he knew he’d scare her if he did. Instead, he bit the inside of his cheek to help him maintain control. He kept rubbing her until she pushed his hand away. When she looked down at him, he said, “That should help you slide me inside. You are wetter now, softer inside.”

  Vivian nodded and lifted slightly before sliding back down on him. To her surprise, she slipped him almost completely inside. She smiled at him while she experimented with him inside her, squeezing her muscles to become accustomed to him settled where he belonged.

  Quin knew he couldn’t go any deeper. Maybe at a later time, but not now. It would take practice for Vivian to stretch enough to accommodate him. He also realized she wasn’t sure what to do next. “I’m going to lift my legs, alright? You can rest against them and not have to worry about sliding all the way down and going too deep,” he explained to her.

  Vivian nodded, and he bent his knees, bringing his thighs a little closer together to keep her from accidentally taking him too deep. “Can I hold your waist?” he asked.

  Again she nodded, so he placed his hands around her waist, almost able to completely encircle it. He helped her hold herself up, then said, “Lean forward, place your hands on my chest to hold yourself steady.”

  Once she’d done that, he said, “Now, do whatever you like. Move any way you want to, find what feels good to you.”

  Vivian did exactly that. She moved her body back and forth, side to side, in tiny little circles. She found she liked the back and forth best, sliding him in and out of her. The more she did it, the deeper she went. He’d begun to rock his hips in time with hers. In fact she didn’t even have to move anymore. She just held herself still and enjoyed the feeling of him pushing in and out of her. It wasn’t long before she realized he was swelling inside her. She found if she curled her hips at a certain angle, he rubbed against a place deep inside her that made her practically whimper it gave her so much pleasure.

  “You’re getting bigger,” she whispered.

  He nodded, “You’re mine, Vivian. Will you have me?”

  Vivian agreed, “Yes. And you’re mine.”

  Quin snarled, “I’m going to go faster, but I won’t hurt you.”

  Vivian nodded and after his next couple of thrusts just kept her hips curled, so he’d hit that spot each and every time.

  Quin realized that she was close to an orgasm and held his back, biting into his lip hard enough to make it bleed this time, to hold out. Vivian started fluttering around him, squeezing him as she rode out her orgasm moaning out his name. Quin grasped her hips and increased his speed, filling her with his seed as he snarled, “Mine! My Ehlealah!”

  “Yes,” she just managed to pant, “Mine,” she said, claiming him back.

  Quin released her hips, bringing her mouth to his, he kissed her, nipping her lip just enough to draw blood, then kissed her deeply. The blood of his own mouth mingling with hers. He intentionally swallowed and pulled away from her mouth enough to say, “Swallow, Vivi. Seal our bond. My life force with yours.”

  She wasn’t quite sure why she needed to swallow, only that he wanted her to. So she did. She accepted his kiss again and this time swallowed deeply several times.

  Vivian collapsed on top of him, with him still inside her.

  Quin held her tightly against him with one arm while stroking her lower back with the other. He knew she loved being ‘petted’ there.

  He was complete. For the first time in his life, he understood his mother’s push for him to find his Ehlealah. This. This is what she wished for him. This wholeness.

  Gradually their breathing returned to normal. Vivian still held in his arms and enjoying his stroking the small of her back, said, “Why did I have to swallow? What did that mean?”

  “It is our final bond. We have made the vow. We have joined our bodies, and now we have joined our life forces. Yours in me, and mine in you. We are one.”

  Vivian raised her head to look at him, “I belong to you.”

  “Yes. And I belong to you.”

  Vivian laid her head back on his chest, sighing in satisfaction. “I had no idea it could feel like that.”

  Quin lay beneath her, smiling smugly. He knew he’d given her pleasure. A lot of pleasure. And he was a typical male after all. “It will only get better with time.”

  Vivian’s head popped up, “Really?”

  Quin smiled seductively, “Yes. Shall I show you?”

  “Yes, please!” she answered, already beginning to pant.

  Chapter 29

  Quin realized he was hot. Very hot. His neck was sweating he was so hot. He opened his eyes and realized he was face down on his pillow, his arm thrown over Vivi. She was facing away from him, her back pressed to his body. But she was not even holding him. Then why the hell was he so hot? Then he knew. A large paw slid over his face, blocking one of his eyes. Damn Kitty! Kitty was sleeping on him. More specifically across the back of his neck and head. He swatted away the paw, “Move, Kitty!” he whispered harshly. The paw swatted back at him.

  That’s it. He pushed himself backward, shoving Kitty off the bed. Kitty landed on the floor with a thump and a snarl. “Do not sleep on me,” he told the creature. “Your bed is over there,” he said, pointing to the blanket Vivi had left for him on the floor days before.

  “Zha Quin? Are you awake, darling?”

  Quin froze.

  “Zha Quin? I thought I heard you moving about, dear. Are you awake?”

  He dropped his head back on the pillow. He really didn’t need this right now. He’d just claimed his Ehlealah. He had to meet with his men first thing this morning to plan the attack on Malm. And now there was an intruding female standing in his quarters calling his name while his mate slept peacefully beside him.

  “Who is calling your name?” Vivian mumbled from beside him.

  Well, he’d thought she was sleeping. “I thought you were asleep, my Vivi.”

  “Yes, well, I’m not anymore.”

  Quin sighed, trying to avoid the obvious as long as possible. “Your Kitty slept on my neck.”

  “Oh, that’s so sweet,” Vivian said.

  “No, it is not. It is hot and uncomfortable.”

  “Zha Quin? Are you awake, my darling?”

  Quin closed his eyes, shaking his head. “She is not going away is she?”

  “Doesn’t sound like it. Who. Is. She?”

  Quin sighed, “My mother. And please allow me to apologize in advance and also to remind you that you swore forever. You bound yourself
to me and promised to stand by my side forever.”

  Vivian burst out laughing. Between bouts of laughter, she caught glimpses of his highly-offended face.

  “This is not funny, Vivi.”

  “Yes, it really is. You are a fearsome Commander. An alpha male capable of bringing planets to their knees in deference to you and your men.”

  “And…” he demanded.

  After another bout of laughter she finished, “And you’re afraid of your mother. It’s cute, you’re afraid of your mom.”

  “It is not cute, and I am not afraid of her.”

  “Then why did you remind me that I’m bound to you?” she asked, still snickering.

  “Because she can be quite trying, and I felt it best to remind you that you are not leaving — no matter how irritating she may become,” he said, rising to get dressed and go face his mother before she let herself into their bedroom.

  Eula Tel Mo’ Kok took a seat on the sofa in her son’s living room. She knew full well he was awake and had finalized the bond between himself and his chosen Ehlealah the previous night.

  She’d been alerted by several of those loyal to her personally within his crew of what had happened to Vivian the previous day. She’d been planning to visit the ship anyway to both show herself and insure her authority was still much respected, but also to make formal introduction to the female who’d so efficiently stolen her favored son’s heart. The news that she’d almost lost her future daughter before she’d ever met her just hurried her plans a bit. She sat back, crossed her legs and elegantly sipped her cup of litah. It was a smooth blend of leaves from a specially cultivated plant. They were dried, ground and used with hot water and a blend of flavorings to create a slightly sweet, slightly herbal tasting hot beverage. Eula particularly enjoyed it with an extra splash of sweetness added to it.

  The bedroom door opened and moments later, Eula found herself the subject of a very curious shraler kit. “Well, hello. I’m guessing you are the infamous Kitty I’ve been told of.” Eula regarded the shraler shrewdly as she spoke to him, calmly sipping her litah.

  Kitty yowled at the strange woman sitting on his sofa, but before he could get much more interested in her, his nose alerted him to some new scents floating through the air. His nose wrinkled, and he stood, nose lifted in the air, following the smell of food at the same time heavy footsteps approaching the living area let her know her son had finally joined her.

  Zha Quin stood in front of her, his lips pursed, “Mother.”

  “Zha Quin.”

  “You’ve not chosen the best morning for this, Mother.”

  “Of course I have. She is family now, is she not?”

  Quin straightened his spine, bringing himself to his full height, proudly, “She is.”

  “Excellent. Besides, it’s best if I meet her sooner rather than later. If there’s a repeat of yesterday, she may not be long for this world. You should see to increased security for your Ehlealah, don’t you think?”

  “I have,” he practically snarled.

  “Then why was she caught unawares?”

  “Because she routinely evades them and goes off on her own.” He raised his eyes to Vivian where she was just entering the room, “But she will no longer escape their guard, will she?”

  Vivian beamed a perfect smile at her new mate, “I made no promises, I said I’d try.”

  “Vivi…”

  “Quin,” she answered.

  Eula watched this interaction with a growing smile of her own, her heart near bursting with happiness for the adventure her son had embarked on. His life would ever be richer because he’d truly found her. His one. The one that was made for him and could and would stand up to him or beside him as needed. His true equal.

  “We have talked about this, Vivi,” Quin started.

  “Yes, you did. And I listened,” she answered as the array of foods on the table caught her attention, “Ooooo, what are these?”

  “Sweets and meats I thought to offer you both. Some are Zha Quin’s favorites, others mine. Please,” Eula waved her hand leisurely in the direction of the foods, “help yourself, daughter.”

  Vivian turned at her voice and laid eyes on the woman who was mother to her mate for the first time, in person anyway. The vidcom she’d first seen her on did not do her justice at all. The first thought that entered her mind was elegance. Followed immediately by grace, strength, beauty and high intelligence. Vivian had reached out and taken a slice of what resembled a ham-like meat in one hand and what looked like a breakfast pastry in the other. She was holding the pastry out toward Quin and still held the meat in her hand, halfway to Kitty, intending to hand it to him, when she turned and locked eyes with Eula. The woman was beautiful, almost ethereal. Her silver-white hair was swept up and into a swirl pinned atop her head and accentuated here and there with emerald-tipped pins. Her ice blue eyes were heavily lashed with silver lashes, and the shade of her eyes was matched by the pale, iced blue of her skin. Her lips were a pale blue, her nose straight and refined with high, sharp cheekbones. Her limbs were long, the fingers of the hand grasping the handle of her teacup feminine and graceful. She was dressed in a calf-length sheath dress of silver fabric that shimmered as she moved. She wore jewelry of silver or at least what looked like silver, or maybe platinum or white gold, accented with emeralds at her throat, ears, and wrists — it was elegant in its design, yet understated. Her legs where her ankles were crossed were slender and graceful yet strong. Vivian felt small, inconsequential. This lady was pure regal nobility with no doubts at all of her place in the universe or her effect on it.

  Quin, without thought, crossed to Vivian and took the pastry from her hand where she stood frozen in place, sniffing it, then taking a bite before handing it back to her and mumbling, “It’s fine, Vivi.”

  Eula watched curiously.

  “Thank you,” Vivian muttered before handing the meat to Kitty. She didn’t need Quin to test Kitty’s food — she figured if it was bad, Kitty wouldn’t eat it. Kitty was at the moment sitting beside her, balanced on his haunches and back legs, his front paws grasping, pulling at her wrist where her hand held the meat intended for him. Coming out of her surprise at the appearance of Quin’s mother, she whispered, “Here sweet baby,” to Kitty before reaching for another piece and handing it to him. Then she walked across the room to stand a few feet away from Eula. “Hello. Thank you for the food, Sovereigna,” Vivian said, bowing her head. No one had prepared her for this. She had no clue what proper behavior was, but didn’t want to embarrass Quin with her lack of protocol. She had no problem being herself, but she also had no problem reining it in a bit for the benefit of his mother. She was, after all, the freaking queen of everything — well, their everything, anyway.

  Eula smiled, then chuckled, “Daughter, I am simply Mother or Eula if you prefer.”

  “Oh.” She decided to go with honesty, “I’m not exactly sure what is proper protocol. I only know that you are royalty. And you’re Quin’s mother. So I was trying for respect. I’m sorry.”

  Eula smiled endearingly at her once again, “I see. Well, here is your first lesson, child. I am Sovereigna of Cruestace. My male, my mate, is Sovereign. We rule Cruestace. My eldest son, Zha Quin Tha, ‘Quin,’ you’ve called him, is next for the throne. He is Sire of Cruestace. You, as his female, his Ehlealah, are Sirena,” she explained. “When you both take the throne, you will become Sovereign and Sovereigna.”

  Vivian’s eyebrows rose, reality setting in, as she nodded slowly.

  Eula continued, “You need never bother yourself with such things as protocol when we are alone as a family. I am not an authority to you. I am not a ruler, nor anything other than family. You will treat me as you would treat your own mother, and I will treat you as I would my own daughter. That is what you are now, my daughter. Do you understand?”

  Vivian watched the elegant woman speaking to her, her voice soft snarls, so like Quin’s, but softer. She waited for the translations that immediat
ely followed and nodded her understanding. “Yes, ma’am,” she answered.

  Kitty rose up on his back legs pawing at her hand where she still held her pastry. She handed it to him absentmindedly, patting him on the head while she continued to give her attention to Eula.

  “You do know that when he’s fully grown, he’ll be bigger than you?” Eula said, a smirk in place as she indicated the shraler.

  “Seriously?” Vivian asked, looking to Quin. “No one told me that! That is so awesome! How big?”

  Eula laughed, this new daughter was delightful, rather than intimidated by the future size of her pet, she was intrigued by it. “He will be at least two hundred pounds and likely stand as tall as your waist when on all fours. Taller than you no doubt, when raised up on his rear legs.”

  “Hmm, maybe I should put him on a diet now,” Vivian said thoughtfully.

  “After the way he protected you yesterday, I suggest you feed him even more. The larger he is, the more dangerous he is to others,” Eula said.

  “I agree. Just teach him to sleep on his bed, not on me,” Quin added.

  “You do?!” Vivian asked Quin, grinning.

  “Yes, surprisingly I do agree,” Quin answered, scowling at the shraler now begging for a treat from his mother, who, by the way, was not the least perturbed with the animal’s presence.

  Eula handed the furry beast one of the pastries sitting in front of her on a small plate. Kitty yowled at her around the pastry in his mouth and wandered off to devour it. Eula smiled as she watched him wander away, then “Make a plate, daughter — come, sit with me,” Eula invited.