Chapter Three
Syri lay naked in the flower-scented waters of the purifying pool, preparing herself to meet her mate-to-be. This room, unlike the rest of the ship, was a contrast of technology and nature.
In the gardens, there was a hologram of the real sky projected above them. There were trees, rivers, and nature of every sort. It was easy to forget they were on a ship, rather than back at home. But here…the room had metal walls lined with panels, grass growing wildly, and a pool that appeared to be a hot spring with smooth rocks lining the bottom.
I will have to get used to technology again when I am back on Hope, the mother ship. When I am Rayden’s mate.
In just a few short hours, she would arrive on the mothership. There, Rayden would have prepared their joining ceremony according to her desires, and within hours, she’d be in his bed.
She closed her eyes as an image of him came to her mind. The last picture she’d been sent was more than two years old, but she hoped he hadn’t changed much. The red rings around his eyes were a blend of deep red to pale red that spoke of his pure bloodline. Dark, spiked hair, a dusting of a beard, and a perfectly square jaw made for a breathtaking combination. And his large, muscular body…something warm rushed through her.
Gasping, she sat up straight, her heart racing. What was this feeling? Her body felt strangely warm, goose bumps erupted on her flesh, and she felt her womanhood tingle.
Breathing rapidly, she forced herself to lay back. Somehow she knew this was connected to her mating frenzy, to not taking the blue pill. For the first time in longer than she could remember, her thoughts weren’t calm. She was no longer simply focused on the present, but the past and possible futures came swirling into her mind with a presence that was almost overwhelming.
What is this? The mating frenzy should impact her mate…but no one mentioned how it might impact her. Suddenly, she found it strange that in all her time in the Garden she hadn’t thought to ask.
Feeling so hot it was almost suffocating, she threw one leg out of the pool. To her shock, her flesh was no longer a soft blue. Was it actually taking on a slight red hue?
The thought terrified her. Males were fire. Females were ice. Together they were perfectly complete. But what would it mean if she ran as hot as her male?
The Great Mother entered the chambers. “Have you cleaned yourself?”
Syri pulled her slightly off-colored leg back into the pool, feeling self-conscious for the first time in more years than she could count. “I have.”
“Then, step out, my child.”
Folding her arms over her chest, she slowly shook her head. “Mother, there is something wrong.”
The old woman walked softly across the grass and stepped to the table made from a massive fallen tree. In the mirror, Syri could see her unfolding a leather package, but she couldn’t quite see what she’d unwrapped.
“What could be wrong on such a joyous day?” She picked up a soft, white blanket and held it out.
Syri’s embarrassment rose. “My skin…it seems to be changing color.”
The old woman laughed kindly. “That is one of the effects of your mating frenzy…of not taking the blue pill. It’s perfectly natural.”
She felt a little better as she slowly climbed out of the pool. “Why is it that I didn’t know to expect this?”
“Because,” she said, draping the large blanket around her shoulders. “We explain only what’s absolutely necessary for our girls to know.”
“Is there more?” Syri turned toward her, her uncertain emotions blossoming into an unusual sense of irritation.
The Great Mother raised one brow. “I’d think that would be obvious…”
Syri frowned. “It isn’t.”
A smirk twisted her thin lips. “When was the last time you felt the kind of frustration you feel now?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. “Not since I first came here…my gods, the blue pill does more than hold off our mating frenzy. Doesn’t it?”
The old woman didn’t look the least bit guilty. “It keeps all of you calm and easy to manage.”
Is she joking? Then we’re just like livestock in a pen!Syri tossed the blanket to the ground. “That’s awful. Shouldn’t we even get a say about being drugged?”
“Oh, child,” she said, turning back to the table, “can you even imagine trying to keep a female as rebellious as you here all these years? No, the drugs are necessary. They keep all the females patient until it’s their time to leave.”
It shouldn’t be allowed.“When I’m Khara, I will change this.” Syri clenched her fists, making the promise to the Mother as much as to herself.
“If we reach our new home soon, you may not need to.”
Her words were softly spoken, but Syri found anger rising. “There are other options than the blue planet.”
“Of course,” she whispered soothingly. “Now, time to fit you for your Xoater.”
Syri barely had time to think when the Mother was pressing the mechanical device to her flat stomach. Instantly, the metal spiderlike contraption crawled down her belly and slid into the entrance of her womanhood, stretching itself across the opening.
“Gods!” she gasped, reaching and trying to pry it out of her, but she felt it nestle deeper in retaliation. She pulled, but the device didn’t move. Instead, she felt something enter her core, the pain stinging then stretching.
She cried out, crossing her legs, her hands covering the mound of her womanhood. “Make it stop!”
“Steady now!” the Mother said, draping a robe over her shoulders. “It is all part of the tradition.”
Syri tried to close her legs, but the slight penetration only rubbed harder. “What is this?”
“It is to prepare you to take your mate. Our males are too large to enter their females without preparation…so the Xoater will prepare you.”
“Get—it— out,” Syri ordered, clenching her teeth.
“If I did that, your mate would be too much for you.” The Great Mother tried to stroke her cheek, but Syri jerked away. “It also has another benefit. You will have protection from any other male but your chosen male taking you when you enter the mothership.Even still, it is dangerous to have a female in her mating frenzy aboard a ship with unmated males. This will prevent them from…losing control with you.”
Syri’s stomach flipped. Was the old woman actually suggesting what she thought?
“Not to worry,” the old woman reassured. “You will be brought on board surrounded by guards, have your ceremony, and then you will be confined to his bedroom for several weeks. Or more…depending on how long it takes to complete your bond.”
Weeks?Her cheeks flamed. I’d thought my male would need me for a few nights to sate his fires. I never imagined it might take weeks.
A young woman entered the room, a fiery red cloth draped over her arm. “Mother,” she held it out, bowing low. Next, she bowed lower to Syri. “My Khara, I am honored to bring your ceremonial gown.”
Syri smiled at the young girl. “I’m not your Khara yet.”
The Mother took the gown from her, and the woman bowed again and left.
“This color will suit your dark hair and eyes well.” She held it out, and Syri put her arms in the sleeves. The Mother wrapped it around to the front, crisscrossed it, and tied it behind the younger woman at her waist. “Look,” she whispered, turning her to the mirror.
Just the slight shifting of the silky fabric against Syri’s naked breasts made her nipples harden into two visible peaks. She stared in shock at the gown, finding that it was more like a second skin than actual clothing. It draped down between her breasts to reveal a wide V, and the slit on both legs crept up to her waist. She feared if she took too wide a step her womanhood would be visible for all to see. Yes, it was true that she had worn nothing but her white gown with no undergarments for years, but this felt different. Sexual. And I will be in front of other males.Then my mate.“This is too much.”
Standing behind her, she could see the Mother shaking her head in the mirror. “Today every man will envy your mate, and your mate will not be able to control himself. It is the way of our people.”
She thought of the moment she would see Rayden for the first time. Will he still look the way I imagine?
Over the years, she’d received only one photo from him, smuggled on board. But it was enough. Hidden beneath her mattress, she’d taken it out night after night. It reminded her that he was no longer the boy she’d been best friends with, but had grown into a man.
A ridiculously handsome man at that.
Closing her eyes, she pictured the soft curves of his mouth as he smiled in the photo.A flash of heat crackled through her body like lightning. Closing her legs, warmth uncoiled in her blood. The man was perfection. Hard, strong muscles, eyes that darkened with need. He would not be gentle with her, he would take her with force. The way you want to be taken.
The Xoater between her legs suddenly shifted, and she felt another small object rising from it to breach her entrance. Like two fingers inside your core. The sensation was uncomfortable. But…it also left her wanting more.She allowed her muscles to slowly relax.
Over the next hour, The Great Mother brushed her long hair until it gleamed, then laid it across her shoulders. Then the woman added makeup to her face, a soft glittering of gold across her eyelids, and crimson lipstick across her lips. At last, she stepped back.“You’re finished, and the ship is waiting.”
Just as Syri was about to stand, the Xoaterslid another invasive fingerlike object into her body. She cried out, gripping the handle of the chair as waves crashed over her.
“What’s—happening—to me?”
The Mother smiled. “Your mating frenzy is drawing closer. Soon, your body will need his manhood inside you, more than you need to breathe. The desire for him will be so great, so all-consuming, that it will be painful. But fear not, the closer you get to him, the more the Xoater will prepare you for his entrance. And when it is ready, it will drop from you, making room for him.”
Perhaps I can accept this awful thing has a purpose…but what about everything else…?
“Why is my skin changing color? Why does my body ache like this?” She shifted uncomfortably, feeling violated and embarrassed.
“Because the fire within you is burning hotter and hotterto match his, so you can join without pain, and enter the mating frenzy as two dancing flames.”
Syri shook her head. “But we are ice and they are fire. He should burn for me! Not me for him!”
“Oh, child.” She brushed her hair back from her face. “A female’s mating frenzy is the one time she burns as fiercely as her mate. And trust me, you want to burn for him, too. Do not be afraid. There is no pleasure better than this.”
Syri closed her eyes as she felt her inner muscles clenching around the Xoater. The last thing she wanted was to lose control. To finally see Rayden and need him inside her so fiercely that she couldn’t think. Never in her life had she considered she might feel like this.
I hope he’s ready for me when I arrive.
And that he wants me just as much.