by Ravyn Wilde
“My actions, my treatment, what I did or didn’t do to you,” he spat out between clenched teeth. “Can. You. Forgive. Me? Although right now I am not sure I am the only one that needs to be forgiven. You were thinking of another man,” he groused.
That did it. His sorely contained jealousy and her ruminations over her own inner realizations, knowing that she wouldn’t have liked what she would have become if she’d linked with him so early, softened her heart. “Of course I forgive you,” she stated simply.
Mica looked at her blankly. “What did you say?”
“I forgive you.”
Scowling at her, he sputtered, “What do you mean, you forgive me? You can’t just…” Realizing what he was about to say, he closed his mouth. He would never understand her.
Laughing at him now, Tala asked, “Mica. You were saying?”
“Never mind. I don’t understand you, Tala.”
“Well, sometimes I don’t understand myself. You do realize it would have been easier to understand me if you’d taken me as mate when I was younger?” She asked, pausing. “I think that’s part of why I forgive you. I wouldn’t have become who I am now.”
Mica sighed, “I am beginning to figure out that I made a mistake in not claiming you. Now you agree with my actions? I give up.”
“So do I. I just want to go home, Mica. Home to Tanar.”
Chapter 17
So Mica took her home. Slowly. Stopping often to love her along the way. She knew he still wasn’t completely sure what had changed her mind. But it had changed, and, for now, that was all that mattered.
Finally home in Tanar, Nyssa and Tar were waiting for them. It was time for the Claiming Ceremony. They wouldn’t wait for Raj; he would still be too weak to travel for several more nons. And then, he’d need to spend time with the Selven, to feed. Tala didn’t want to think about that too closely. That whole Vampen thing was more than she wanted to know. She just knew she’d have a hard time looking him in the eye when he finally got here.
Right now she had other things on her mind. They had quietly slipped into the ruling place this morning, cleaned up and now they were to meet with her brother and his mate to discuss the ceremony. She was not happy about the upcoming ceremony. Being presented to the Council of Ten wasn’t the problem. The whole ‘screaming orgasm with company watching’ was. She remembered Nyssa’s reaction when she’d told her about the binding sacrament and the drawing. Tala had grown up knowing that part of the ceremony included having the man draw her to him. Which basically meant he would use the links to make her climax in front of everyone to prove his control and mastery over her. It didn’t help. She wasn’t thrilled either. Nyssa had been able to turn the tables on Tar, forcing him to orgasm in front of the Ten. Then both Nyssa and Tala had run to hide with the Selven.
Nyssa’s show of rebellion and her obvious ability to manipulate the companion links had started a nasty revolt. Many ruling council members and a large quantity of the males on the planet were against any change. Women had been thought unable to use the links. Well, Nyssa had shot that notion to Hell. Traditionalists felt that the women’s use of the links would pose a threat to the long-established male dominated society. Others disagreed. Setnons later, arguments were still raging through the planet over whether or not the women should be allowed to continue to use them, or if laws should be initiated to forbid it. Some people liked the change, some didn’t.
Well, she wasn’t going to act submissive and pretend she didn’t know how to use them. If Mica got to use the links, so did she.
Sweeping into the chamber with her mind made up. Tala was pleased to find her brother and his mate waiting there with Mica. She had missed them. And Nyssa was beaming. Before Tala could greet them properly, Nyssa started dancing wildly around the room, arms and hips going in opposite circles.
“I’m pregnant. You’re going to be an auntie!” she exclaimed.
Tala grinned. “I am so thrilled. How soon?” she asked.
“Well, Tar assures me that pregnancies on Zylar are no different than on Earth, so about seven months,” Nyssa replied. “And you, you’re happy? Mica assured us that you two worked everything out. Can you believe you’re linked to him?”
As Nyssa paused, Tala hurried to get a word in. “Yes. Happy. Well, I would be happy.” Turning, she looked at Mica. “I would be happier,” she stressed, “if I didn’t have to go through that damn claiming ceremony.”
Before Mica could comment, Nyssa started raving. “That ceremony is so…so…well, it’s…”
“Hush, little cat.” Tar spoke quietly to his mate. “Let Mica speak.”
Mica grinned. Shaking his head he moved to take Tala’s hand. “If you think Tar and I haven’t already discussed this, you’re both crazy. Do you think we want a repeat of what happened with him and Nyssa? While you were in our bathing chamber, Tar and I met with the ruling Council. They don’t want any surprises either. In fact, the traditional ceremony has been changed for all of Zylar. The linking sacrament will, for now, remain the same. But—and this is the important part—it will end there. No longer will males, or females for that matter, be using the links in public,” he stated emphatically.
Tala grinned. Oblivious to Nyssa and Tar’s heated discussion, something about ‘Now, you change it?’ Tala turned to her life companion. She reached out to touch his face gently. “Thank you, Mica,” she said softly.
Mica smiled down at his mate. “Tell me something, Tala. If we hadn’t worked to change the ceremony, what would you have done?”
Tala just smiled wickedly. She would show him when they were alone.
* * * * *
It was time for the claiming ceremony. Tala sighed, looking down at herself. She and Nyssa may have gotten the Ten to change the ceremony. Women no longer had to submit to their mate in front of the council and be brought to a screaming public orgasm. But obviously they still had a lot of ground to cover.
The traditional Zylan linking sacrament had not been changed, nor had the mating gown. The damn dress didn’t conceal a thing. As always for the claiming ceremony, the dress was a burnished copper color. It clashed horribly with the burgundy highlights in her hair. Not that anyone would notice. They would be looking at the shape and color of her nipples. Nipples that could be seen clearly and in perfect detail underneath the sheer material. The gown was so thin, and so low cut that nothing was left to the imagination. It had a center slit running from the hem, up to inches before the waist, it allowed everyone more than a glimpse of her pubic hair. This was sooo not what she wanted to be wearing.
Mica’s brief outfit was the same color—but opaque. No shirt. The pants hanging low on his hips, showing clearly the link chains at his waist. But no short hairs were showing.
The Claiming Hall had also seen a few changes. The large room had little in it—even the pillows that were normally piled on the floor near the center for the now defunct physical claiming—had been removed. It was now a bare room with only the elevated platform to seat the Ten. Their mates still stood behind them. Tala glanced quickly at Nyssa. Their eyes met in agreement—there were still many things that needed to be altered with this ceremony.
Tala was formally presented to the ten councillors. Mica stepped forward, bearing witness to her acceptance of her Companion Links and to the authenticity of her being his true-life mate.
He then turned to say his vows to her, “I, Mica, take you, Tala, as my Life Companion. I hold you in my possession. I promise to put forward my life for you. Always you will have my protection. My faithfulness. You will become the vessel that holds my spirit, my essence, and, for always and evermore, my body. I take under my shelter all that is yours. Your life becomes mine, your pleasure within my reflection. You are bound to me with Companion Links for all eternity and always under my guardianship.” Mica nodded to Tala, letting her know it was her turn to speak her vows.
She repeated softly, “I, Tala, recognize you, Mica, as my Life Companion. I carry your vow w
ithin me, remaining faithful and obedient to your needs and desires. My life is pledged to your care, my pleasure a reflection of your own. I am bound to you with Companion Links for eternity and always under your guardianship.” Inwardly she sighed, the vows definitely needed updating. Well, she thought smiling; just give Nyssa and her a little more time…
After the binding sacrament was completed, there was an uneasy silence. This was the point where the drawing would have occurred. Tala looked at Mica, feeling a little anxious. Now what?
Mica smiled tenderly at his mate, and moved to cradle her face in his large hands. She stared up at him, enthralled and helpless against the drugging pull of his nearness, the warmth of his hands on her face, his scent. “I love you, Tala,” he whispered.
She wasn’t at all surprised when he kissed her.
Mica had only intended a brief kiss, but upon touching her lips with his own, he was consumed by his life mate’s taste and wanted to devour her. The need she created just by being close, by being his, made him crazy. It was a hunger he had no control over. He moaned low in his throat, sucking her tongue into his mouth and stroking it with his own.
Tala’s arms slipped around his neck. Her soft and nearly naked breasts nestled into his chest. He started to move his hands up, ready to slip them through the material so he could feel the warmth of her skin.
Tar clapped him on the back and pulled him out of the sensual haze he had fallen into so quickly. He had forgotten where he was. Setting his mate away from him, he chuckled at the glazed look in her silver eyes. Glancing down at her chest he swore softly. Her nipples were tightly puckered. Begging for attention from his mouth. The traditional gown hid nothing from his gaze. From anyone’s gaze. Swearing under his breath, he quickly fashioned a thick cape from the air and draped it over Tala’s shoulders, hiding her obvious arousal.
“Tala,” he said hoarsely.
Tala looked up at him, and blushed furiously.
Tar laughed. “I thought the idea of changing the ceremony was to keep this kind of thing private?” he said.
Nyssa came up beside them. “Shut up, Tar. That was like a wedding kiss on Earth. It’s easy to get carried away when you’re in love. Congratulations to both of you. I am so happy it worked out.”
“Well, I am not happy at all,” said a gruff voice behind Nyssa. “This is a disgrace. I cannot believe that the ruler of Zylar and his High Priest would allow their mates any power over them. You both should be displaced for the profane changes your mates have brought to Zylar!”
Mica and Tar turned as one to confront the red-faced man that challenged them. They presented a united front. Mica spoke first. “Brac. How wonderful of you to choose my claiming ceremony for this discussion. For your information, the Ten—of which you are a member—decreed in the meeting this morning that changes would be made to the ceremony.”
The displeased councilor glared at them; his hatred for Mica obvious to all. Brac had also been born with copper highlights in his hair. His psychic skills were a close match to Mica’s. It was no secret that he felt it should have been his place to stand beside the ruler of Zylar. If he’d talked at birth the situation might have been very different.
“I wasn’t able to attend the meeting. As you well know.” Brac cursed himself for missing the councillors gathering, he had decided to play a little power game, thinking that if he didn’t show, no decisions would be made and the Claiming Ceremony would have to continue as it had since the beginning of time. He’d made a mistake. They had decided to make a ruling without him. “And I wasn’t just talking about this travesty of a ceremony. I was also talking about how you allow your women to use the links. It is repulsive that our Ruler and his High Priest have no dominion over their own mates,” he stated with blatant contempt in his voice.
Nyssa had had enough. Tala and Mica’s wedding was no place for this conversation. Moving around her mate, she turned her furious gaze on the man spewing nonsense. Before anyone else could respond, she challenged the enraged councilor, “I believe you have overstepped yourself, Brac. This is neither the time nor the place for a dialogue on the future of Zylar. I trust you will apologize to Tala and Mica for your mistake,” she commanded.
Tar’s eyebrows rose in contemplation.
Brac turned his focus on Nyssa. “You have not been given permission to speak to me.”
Tar interrupted, with a deadly calm voice he responded for Nyssa, “She needs no permission to speak, Brac. I suggest you do as she says, apologize and leave. We will discuss your position with the Ten sometime in the next non.” The threat was not veiled. The councilors were chosen by Tar. He could revoke their calling just as easily.
Brac turned to stare in disbelief at Tar. Stiffly and with palpable disdain, he apologized to Mica and Tala. He then turned and roughly pushed a woman, evidently his mate, towards the door. She never moved her eyes from the floor.
Mica felt a brush of despair coming from Brac’s mate. Scowling, he realized he had never spoken to her. Never seen this woman other than at the few ceremonial functions that mandated the attendance of the councillors’ mates. Mica had a strong premonition that something was very irregular about their situation. He needed to spend some time looking into it.
Tala could tell that Mica was upset. She wasn’t too thrilled either. Moving her hand to rest on his arm, she stood on the tips of her toes to whisper in his ear. “Get us out of here.”
Mica moved his arms around his mate. “Gladly.” In the blink of an eye they were standing in his chambers.
“Mum. That wasn’t exactly what I meant,” Tala exclaimed. “I thought we could politely say our good-byes.”
“Why bother? They are all smart enough to figure out why we left.”
“And why is that, Mica?” Tala dropped the cape from her shoulders and gracefully walked over to stand in the fading light at the window. The two setting suns of Zylar painted her body lovingly with their golden flames.
She took Mica’s breath away. Briefly closing his eyes, he thanked the Goddess for surrendering Tala into his care. For giving him the good fortune of having her as his link mate. Opening them again, he moved swiftly to her side. “Let me show you, my heart,” he murmured against the fragrant skin of her neck. “Let me show you.”
The force of Mica’s desire rolled over Tala, capturing her with its intense potency. He was so passionate, so mesmerizing. He reached out and lightly touched her hair. Need coiled through her veins, making her throb.
Their bodies didn’t touch and yet she swore she could feel him along every single quivering cell.
He bent down and whispered in her ear, his breath tantalizing her skin. “I want to taste every inch of your body. To use my tongue and explore every inch of you until you beg me to stop. Then I want to wrap myself up in your heat, until we can’t tell where one of us ends, and the other begins.”
Tala shivered in response to his seductive tone of voice. All thought was suspended as she waited for his lips to claim hers, waited to taste his passion again. He took her in his arms and kissed her so possessively that it made her breathless. Tala moaned as she savored him not only with her lips, but also with her heart. “Mica.”
Mica worked to overrun every sense she possessed. His muscles gathered and released under her seeking hands as his tongue swept hers up in a tangled war. He growled low and deep in his throat, feeling like an untamed beast. He lifted her with his arms, supporting her weight against him as he deepened the kiss. His strong hands cupped her bottom, bracing her so that his bulge pressed against her core.
She moaned at the intimate contact. Moved to wrap her legs tightly around his waist. His chest brushed against hers, shifting the sheer silk of her gown, causing it to lightly scrape across her responsive nipples.
He slowly slid the hem of her skirt up, pushing it over her thighs. She trembled at the sensation of cool material skimming along her skin, followed by the warmth of his hands. Again he shifted his palms up the backs of her thighs to cup
her now bare bottom. He growled in pleasure, the sound primitive and compelling. He knew he could get rid of their clothing with a thought, but he wanted to prolong this seduction. She was his. The binding ceremony added a layer of possession to his emotions he hadn’t expected.
Mica moved his mouth gently away from Tala’s, licking his lips in anticipation; he pushed the claiming gown up to her waist. His head reeled with the feel of her body wrapped around him like this. The heat of her inner thighs scorched his waist; he could feel her wetness against his stomach. He turned with his precious burden and carried her to the bed, laying her tenderly down without breaking his hold. He lay over her and kissed her fully, intensely, as he pressed his inflamed groin against the part of her he couldn’t wait to bury himself into. Closing his eyes, he inhaled her unique scent and let it move through him to set the links in motion.
Tala wanted to howl with torment when he pulled away from her.
He pulled her gown from her body and tossed it to the floor, then quickly returned to lie on top of her. She reveled in the feel of him, all that warm, tawny skin at her disposal. She moved her arms down his back, around his waist to his crotch. His erection was huge. Pulling back slightly, she watched his face as she pushed the fabric down, releasing him to her hands.
He locked his icy-hot, blue gaze with hers. Rumbling deep in his throat, he rocked himself gently against her palms.
She loved the feel of him in her hands. He was so ready for her. She combed her fingers through his short curls, moving her hand lower until she could cup the soft heat of his sac, rolling it softly. Shifting, she shoved his pants lower, down his thighs so that she could snag her toes into them and pull them off. The fabric was so fragile, it ripped. Neither noticed.
Dipping his head, Mica took the tip of one of her nipples into his mouth. He reveled in Tala’s moan of delight. The feel of her puckered areola on his tongue combined with the increasing vibration of the links, compelled his already engorged cock to distend even further. He brushed his hand down the bow of her hip; over her supple thigh, and down to the moist tangle of curls until he could touch the part of her he craved the most. He carefully separated the tender folds until he could tease her cleft.
