by Rose Caraway
Shresha’s cheeks burned when the women around her snickered. On rubbery legs she approached the black box.
“Go ahead, child.”
Shresha nodded.
She slid a hand inside. Her fingers lowered into the cool depths. Licking her lips, she pinched her trembling fingers on a swatch of thick paper and then carefully withdrew her hand. Queen Teshiie smiled approvingly as Shresha clutched it to her chest.
“Neptsha!” the queen shouted for the next entrant and Shresha jumped. She scurried back down to her place in the crowd, her heart hammering in her ears the entire way.
“Desh!”
“Shawnii!”
Name after name, until the very last was called, and then the queen finally closed the lid. She slid her eyes shut as much in prayer as to build tension. After what seemed an eternity she opened her eyes again and shouted, “Open! Open them and let’s welcome this year’s new mother!”
A great dry rustle filled Shresha’s ears along with the heavy thumping of her heart. At some point she’d closed her eyes tight, listening for it; the scream, the laughter, the cries from the woman that had won, but none came. Her head began to throb. She strained to hear it; the utter joy that wouldn’t be hers. But there were no shouts, no screams of celebration.
“What are you waiting for?” a sour-faced girl beside her barked. Her own unfolded parchment revealed nothing but a blank page. Shresha looked down; she’d been clutching the folded page to her chest so tightly that her knuckles ached. She was sure that there would be no point in opening it. “If you don’t open it, I am going to do it for you!” the girl bleated, and started to grab for the folded sheet, but Shresha took a wobbly step back. She held her breath and slowly unfolded one corner, and then another until all that was left was one last fold. She hesitated.
“Open it you stupid thing!”
“Ishii!” The queen had come down from the Hill. “Go ahead, child.”
With trembling fingers, she slowly unfolded the last corner. Time stood still as she revealed the drawn image of the Key of Patria.
“You won!” Suddenly her hand was shoved into the air with such force, Shresha had to stand on tiptoes to prevent her arm from being yanked from its socket.
“You won! She won! Shresha won!”
She was stunned, her brain assaulted by doubt as she tried to believe that her wish had just come true. Her heart raced, ready to burst from her chest. Her pussy felt swollen, hot with a single, solitary need. A sharp burning lance of desire had suddenly struck through her very core. Shresha was unaware that the queen had saved her arm from the spastically jumping Ishii and escorted her to the top of the Hill. The crowd issued thunderous cheers for her, for the daughter she would soon bear, and so loudly that she checked the sky to see if the Goddess Shaiia Herself had suddenly appeared.
“All right…hush…settle down.” Now there was a low hum of eager whispers. Shresha’s stomach churned as the women eyed her with envy. Could they know why the pyre of lust burned so hotly inside of her? Did they notice the wetness glistening on her thighs because she wanted to be with a man more than become a mother?
Only when the queen was certain that the crowd was under control, did she address the Hunters. “Captain Shrom? If you please.”
On the lead Hunter’s command and in dramatic unison, the other Hunters withdrew their knives, curved blades glinting. With quick, calculated cuts the shrouds fell away, presenting Shresha with ten naked men. The Dalkivian was the only pale-skinned man there. Once again the hot lance of desire made her insides burn like kindling at the magnificent sight of him.
He stood there, tall and pale and mighty. Piercing glacial blue eyes. Chin, high and proud. She looked closer at his face. Was he fighting the effects of the Mage’s tonic? The Dalkivian was bigger than the other nine men; maybe he needed more. Shresha’s body vibrated with a mixture of emotions just then and she decided that the man’s resistance was only imagined. She wasn’t in the most reliable state of mind at the moment. It simply couldn’t have been possible that the Mage had miscalculated. Resisting or not, this was a man the Goddess Shaiia Herself might elect to breed with. His hair was a gloriously tousled mane as gold as the summer sun. Even his bearded foreign jaw stirred her blood. Shresha’s eyes lowered. Two big square muscles made up his chest, both dusted with light brown hair. Two columns of smaller but no less impressive muscles led her down his waist and there her gaze stalled in unexpected surprise. Nestled in a light brown patch of coiled hair the man’s cock hung, thick and long and unsheathed!
Queen Teshiie gently tapped her shoulder. “Have you made your choice?”
None of the other men existed; they paled in comparison and quite simply held no intrigue. The queen may as well have already ordered their disposal. Shresha could find no reason to consider the others because this impressive pale Northerner was all that she wanted. She cleared her throat.
“Yes.”
“Well? Which one?” The queen winked. Several loud suggestions were volunteered from the crowd.
“I, I choose the Dalkivian.” It came out in a whisper more than anything else, but the crowd could see the shapes of the words her lips had formed and enthusiastically sounded its approval.
“Captain Shrom, this woman has chosen the Dalkivian. Make him ready.”
Shrom inclined her head slightly as she accepted a small object from the queen.
“The Ring of Destiny!” Shrom held up a familiar stone ring—charmed by the Mage as well—to ensure that a female baby would be conceived. Captain Shrom abruptly turned and in one practiced motion threaded the Dalkivian’s thick cock through the loop until it rested securely at his base.
“This Key will unlock the chains of your chosen Donum. And as this key opens his locks, so too shall he open your womb…”
Shresha couldn’t hear much after that. The Dalkivian’s massive shoulders rolled once and his hands flexed again. Those intense eyes of his continued to gleam as though he were fighting an internal battle.
She was overwhelmed, her breath came in quiet shallow bursts and her knees trembled.
Guards stood just outside the locked doors of the Mating Chamber, but inside there was only Shresha and her chained Donum. She took a sip of water then set the heavy cup back on its tray, saving the rest for later. She would need it. Ten days they would be locked inside the chamber. Every night and every morning, the Mage would come to re-administer the tonic in order to keep the Dalkivian a malleable lover.
As his great shoulders rolled, his arms worked, muscles bunching in his chest. Shresha stared while recalling the lessons taught to her about the process of preparing a man. She absently chalked up the fidgety movements as normal behavior.
Stepping forward, she traced an exploring finger over the man’s lips and when they parted, all she could think at that moment was what it would be like to kiss them. So she did. With both hands she pulled his neck bringing his mouth to hers. His lips parted more, almost instinctively. A low rumble issued from his throat that made Shresha’s belly flutter with delight. Though still cuffed, he tried to reach for her, or was it the Key he wanted? The Mage’s tonic ensured that his body would function but his mind would only be open to commands made of him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing his full lips closer. “Kiss me, Dalkivian.”
He did.
“My breasts. Squeeze them,” she moaned as that hot lustful spike shot through her when his pale hands pushed aside the thin fabric of her robe and then closed over her dark breasts, but she noticed that the chains inhibited his mobility. She needed to make him more available to her.
“Wait a moment.” She pulled the necklace from around her neck. The Dalkivian mumbled something incoherent and the deep tenor of his voice made her toes curl. He flexed his fingers, tried to reach for her again but she stopped him.
“No, you must obey me, Dalkivian. I will unlock your bindings, but then I want you to get on the bed.”
With a twist and a click, two heavy shackles fell to
the floor in a clatter, directing Shresha’s gaze downward.
“I didn’t know your kind were unsheathed. This is a pleasant surprise Dalkivian…” Shresha touched the long exposed organ with a finger and smiled when it twitched and swelled. She knelt, unlocked the shackles from around his ankles, and then there came the distinct silky-metallic sound of a Patriian broadsword being drawn from the mounted panoply on the wall. Shresha was hoisted all the way to her feet and then the long cold blade of her ancestors was held firmly against her neck. The Dalkivian was fast, she gave him credit for that, but she would have plenty to say to the Mage when he returned.
“What is happening?” It was a drunken whisper fighting for control and Shresha couldn’t deny the sudden impatient temper that flared within her blood at his question. She wasn’t in the mood for explanations. The blade at her throat didn’t concern her. But it did offer a delightful challenge. A big, strong quarry to submit. She let him gain a little confidence first.
“You were chosen by Shaiia to be my Donum and give me a daughter,” she calmly stated.
“Give you a…I’ve heard of your kind, but I didn’t think—I’m your…captive?” A grumble came from his throat as he rubbed his temple with his free hand. The Dalkivian shook his head in an attempt to clear the groggy effects of the tonic.
“Until you are of no use, of course. That is the only reason you are in Patriia.” Shresha leaned closer, against the edge of the blade and her pussy clenched at the deadly thrill of it.
“Something stung me. I, I…fell to the ground. I remember a dark woman standing over me, grinning!” The large man shook his head again.
“Yes, Shrom is Patriia’s greatest warrior—”
All Shresha had to do was call to the guards outside. She didn’t want to though. She really didn’t need to either. Though he was strong, a veritable mountain of muscle standing before her, she could easily salvage the situation.
“You call yourselves warriors?” The man looked around the chamber now, searching for something.
Shresha smiled.
“You should be honored.”
“You can’t abduct men and use them this way!” He hadn’t shouted exactly, only raised his voice and whatever Shresha did now, it had to be done quickly before the guards did hear him. If they came in, the Dalkivian would be killed immediately. She preferred to delay his destiny as long as possible. The talking had lasted long enough anyway. She wanted this man. Now. Ten days suddenly seemed to tick by before they had even begun. With efficient grace, Shresha grabbed the same hand the Dalkivian held the sword with, shot a quick palm against his nose with her other hand, smashing cartilage, then looped her arm across his throat and at the same time stepped around, thrust her hips behind his and then tossed him to the stone floor, hard.
She mounted him and dug her fingers into the fleshy part of his thumb, stripped the sword from his grip, then held the deadly blade to his throat. The look of astonishment in his crystalline eyes made Shresha smile in savage triumph. “I can have you anyway I want, Dalkivian. You are all mine now, and have but one purpose. I plan to have you many, many times so you might as well get used to it right now. This…is but the first way I intend to do so.” She grabbed a handful of luscious golden hair, pinned his meaty arms with her knees. She lifted the sword but still pointed its tip at him in warning and then brought his mouth to her pussy. He didn’t resist. The tonic still had a strong effect on him and it was plain to see that he wasn’t formally trained in combat because he didn’t attempt any of the number of escapes available to someone under the blade of a sword while lying flat on his back. Shresha, though not a Hunter, was still very well trained. She knew a variety of moves that would—even when matched against a man as large as the one beneath her—ensure her success. Patriian women were cunning and precise when it came to battle. It was an essential key to keeping their land secret from outsiders.
His thick probing tongue felt hot, slick. It trembled a little while licking her.
“That’s good, Dalkivian. Now, suck me a little.” Shresha pushed her pussy to his mouth harder. Visions of the other men on the Hill, naked and obedient, filled her mind and to her surprise, she wanted them too. All of them. Her breath caught when the man beneath her moaned a muffled, unmistakable sound of enjoyment. Maybe she wouldn’t be too harsh on the Mage after all.
The large arms pinned at his sides stirred. “You want to touch me? Do you want to stick me with one of your big fingers, Dalkivian?” His nod thrilled her. She lifted her weight just enough so that he could maneuver beneath her. The sword stayed cautiously in its raised position, creating a delicious scene for her. She felt his large hand searching for her opening, and she moved to meet it. Then a finger, long, hard and so very thick found its mark and Shresha lowered herself onto it, sucking air between her teeth. She bucked her hips, grinding against his mouth and atop his finger. Glancing behind her, she found his cock standing straight and tall, the Ring of Destiny still boldly crowning its base and its blunt tip glistening, ready to penetrate her. To impregnate her. She released his beautiful hair and reached for it, stroking him at the same pace with which his finger fucked her. Another groan came from him, and it vibrated into her pussy. The next moment she felt a hot liquid gush and she made him drink her salty orgasm until her sensitive clit could take no more.
Shresha rose to her feet, boneless and panting, staring at the massive, naked man lying on the stone floor. His sexual need deliciously evident and unfulfilled. She suddenly wondered what he would taste like. Then she recalled the other men and wondered what they would all taste like. “That was good. But we are far from finished yet.” She pointed the sword at him. “Get up and get on that bed, Dalkivian. I want your cock now.”
The man rose to his feet, though he hesitated a moment before obeying. She watched his muscles bunch and move as he walked and then climbed onto the bed and lay down. He turned his head to her expectantly, waiting for the next command, his great cock pointing upward. She gripped the sword and walked to the bed.
She had every intention of making the most of the next ten days.
This morning, while it was just the two of them beneath the sheets, Shresha stared at the sleeping giant, feeling somewhat lazy as she studied his features. She was accustomed to seeing his expressive face during sex by now, and she found that she rather liked how peaceful he looked while sleeping too. One of his hands rested on his chest, reminding her how they sometimes snatched at her one moment and then caressed her the next. How they were coming to know how she wanted to be touched. She lifted his hand and brought it to her lips. His eyes fluttered open revealing two beautiful blue eyes. His hand closed over hers, and he gave her a brilliant sleepy smile.
She realized that today already marked their sixth day in the Mating Chamber and she also finally admitted to herself that she needed to take things a little slower. Her body ached, unaccustomed to so much sexual activity—she just hadn’t been able to summon the will to stop. Over the last several days she’d made requests that the other men be brought to the Mating Chamber, sometimes five or six at a time. She had shamelessly fed her curiosity and allowed herself to become a goddess in her own mind. With so many men surrounding her, worshipping her body, her goal to become pregnant was forgotten. Shresha relished every moment in the Chamber. The position that had quickly become a fast favorite was when she had enough men for her to simultaneously hold a cock in each hand, suck on another and have the Dalkivian beneath her while yet another penetrated her from behind. In those moments of greedy bliss, Shresha thought she understood what it must be like to be the Goddess Shaiia. And strangely, the attentive Dalkivian surprised her at every turn by anticipating her needs. What had truly shocked her was when he had confessed that her pleasure brought him pleasure. In the darkness while she lay warm and cozy in his arms the night before, sleep did not come as easily as she had hoped.
Their morning meal was complete and Shresha felt refreshed and energized. She stood and reached up f
or a long, spine-cracking stretch and the Dalkivian knelt on the floor in front of her, his eyes just at breast level. She felt a flutter of excitement, but there also came a twinge of…something else.
Shresha frowned.
“What do they call you, Dalkivian?”
“Mmm?” his wet lips drew her nipples tight. Shresha let her head fall back and grabbed handfuls of his long hair then shoved him downward. She wouldn’t tolerate his not paying closer attention. As punishment for the slight infraction, she bucked and ground against his lips, tongue and teeth until the Dalkivian was out of breath. She released him, panting, and he rested his cheek against her hip. He tried to catch his breath and responded gruffly, “Behln. It’s Behln.”
She made her next demand, but carefully avoided eye contact. “Sit down, on the floor, Dalkivian.” She refused to use his name; it was too personal. But she could still hear him saying it over and over in her mind. Behln. It’s Behln.
She sat on his lap, facing him. While she fucked herself on his cock he stared at her breasts as they danced before his eyes. Shresha liked that he watched her body. It always resulted in his own more enthusiastic performance. She’d tested this theory by presenting him with loud rejoicing cries, and he’d responded vigorously. Now as her pussy clenched over his cock ready to release, she leaned down and took his mouth, feeding him her cries of ecstasy. He accepted them eagerly by wrapping his heavy arms around her, crushing her to his hard chest and pumping into her until he came with a great countering roar.
The Mage returned that night to administer more potion and Shresha still hadn’t mentioned anything of Behln’s growing resistance against it. Besides, she was becoming accustomed to him this way. She was confident in her own skills that she could easily subdue him at any time. Behln had free movement within the Chamber, but was well aware that with one word from Shresha, the Guards would kill him without hesitation. But, he never seemed to want to flee. He spoke of it and would occasionally question what was to happen after the tenth day, but Shresha quieted him with a sharp order, not to mention some very effective, distracting and energetic rounds of fucking.
