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Chapter Eleven

N ova

Grace’s soothing music is playing through the computer in the background; Drayke is lying on the bed. He’s on top of the comforter but still covered by his hospital sheet. He’s nude; someone stripped those filthy, uncomfortable clothes off him while he was sedated.

Maddie brought me an industrial-sized pot at my request. I’ve filled it with warm water and it’s sitting on the stand next to the bed. I re-read the description from the scientific article. It addressed the specifics of how followers of Lord Anteros performed their rituals for opening the First Gate. I’ve heard Drayke mention his God, I’ve heard him pray, and I know he’d want me to follow these instructions as closely as possible. I’ll respect that.

There are no bathtubs on a vessel like this. Thus, no “ritual bath.” But I take a long shower, while I listen to the calming electronic music. I’m relaxed. There’s only one thing I can count on in this whole process—Drayke will not hurt me. Of this I’m certain.

I find a white shirt in his closet which is mostly filled with those sexy blue jumpsuits he wears when he’s not impersonating some asshole slave owner on one planet or another. It’s clean and smells fresh and seems like something an innocent female might wear to greet her male for this ceremony. Or at least it’s the closest thing I have that will honor this process.

I pull the bedside table as close to the bed as possible and pull off Drayke’s sheet. I can’t help but suck in a long breath. Awake or comatose, Drayke’s body is a beautiful sight to behold. He’s almost spare, there is no extra meat on his bones. That masculine form of wide shoulders, narrow waist and hips, and long muscled legs must be the pure luck of genetics.

After having been in the company of only gladiators for the past two years, and MMA fighters prior to that, I can appreciate the stark masculine beauty of a man who isn’t muscle-bound. A man who, just through daily activities and great DNA, is in peak physical condition. I can see his musculature under his gorgeous blue skin. He’s strong and handsome. To me, he has the perfect male body.

I begin washing him at the top of his head. I don’t want to soak him, but I use a washcloth to smooth his hair. I wash his face, taking great care to reach the corners of his eyes, his ears, his mouth. I’m taking this as seriously as I know he would on what in his mind would be his wedding night.

Grabbing the washcloth, I wet it again and wring it out, then move down those muscled shoulders and pecs to his slim waist. Back up to arms, fingers, and palms.

As I go back to the pot of warm water and wring the washcloth again I can’t help but stare at his cock. It’s hard. It has been since we’ve been back on board the Slacker from Aeon, and probably long before that. I can’t help but focus on his body’s perfection. The particular shade of blue is so beautiful. His cock and balls are hairless, and their darker color draws my eye, beckoning me.

I’ve been trying to do this ritual bath as chastely as possible. It would be the way Drayke would want it—to come to me clean and ready for beginning a life together. But I’m already so aroused; my mouth is dry, my core is clenching. Balling my fists, I curb the desire to stroke him.

Though I’ve been keeping the pace of this ritual as slow as I think Drayke would want it, my movements speed up of their own volition. I avoid the jutting cock that is almost imperceptibly pulsing near his navel. Washing his hips, I note the firm hip bone jutting from unmarred skin.

I try not to think of my skin, blemished by dozens of cuts and surgeries, not to mention the grisly scar at my amputation site. It would draw his attention if his eyes were open—I know with certainty he’d find me beautiful, scars and all. I recall him gently kissing the site of my wound the other day. It was a gesture of deep and complete acceptance, which is what I offer him now.

After rinsing the cloth, I wipe down his meaty thighs, his calves, ankles, and feet. He’s uncomfortable in fancy highborn clothes— he told me that. He had to practically sell his soul to pay off his student loans. I don’t think he had a particularly privileged life. But his skin is perfect, with no scars to draw the eye. He’s never been a slave, never worn a pain/kill collar, never been beaten. I’m glad for him. He hasn’t had to struggle.

Except for now. The woman he’s bonded with has rejected him, which has caused untold pain. His eyes clearly show how much he cares for me. I’ve tried to tell myself it’s only the bonding hormones, that I could be a brainless, toothless degenerate and he’d still want me because of chemistry. But that’s a lie. I know it. I’ve known that from the start.

He cares for me. He’s done more than tell me, which is the easy part. I watched my brothers say things to girls since I was in grade school. They would say anything to get what they wanted—to get a girl in their bed.

But Drayke isn’t like that. He’s done more than tell me things any woman wants to hear. He’s shown me with his behavior. He’s been kind and honest and almost-embarrassingly protective. Most obviously, though, he hasn’t pressured me about bonding. And look where that’s gotten him. Comatose and on the razor’s edge of insanity.

I refocus back on his blue skin and perfect body. My tongue presses against my bottom teeth, my jaw tight. I can’t wait to get on with this.

“Computer, dim lights.” I don’t want dazzling brightness, nor do I want to do this in the dark. I want to see every second of what's to come. I know it’s cheating to even think like this, but in a way, this is my wedding night, too.

I rinse the cloth again and wrap it around his cock. Sucking in a quick breath, I don’t move a muscle. I’m not even touching his blue flesh and I think I’m more turned on than ever before in my life. Even through the soft cloth, I can feel his blood pulsing beneath my fingers. It is so intimate, touching him here. I wish he’d open those cobalt eyes and talk to me. I want to hear how this feels to him. I’ll have to imagine it for him. How erotic it must be to have the female he’s fantasized about grab him in this private way.

I slowly wipe from base to tip, then back. I don’t know whether I want to keep this as chaste as possible, or if it should be foreplay. I decide the bath should be the bath, the sex should start afterward. I dip below to wash his balls and decide the bath is complete. I toss the cloth into the water. The sound of the splash catches my attention. Then I turn my eyes back to him and drink in the sight of him.

The ritual bath felt good, appropriate. It’s only now that I’m about to do other things to Drayke’s body, that a little voice in the back of my head begins to protest that this poor man is comatose. I guess it is a little pervy. If he were doing this to me when I was out of it, I think I’d be pissed.

But I settle down immediately. I know this is what he wanted. I honestly don’t think he’d be offended. This thought is like a starter pistol in my mind, but I ratchet things back and remember the instructions in the journal. What's next? A prayer.

“Dear Lord God Anteros,” I begin shyly. But this is how Drayke has addressed his God, I want this to be just the way he’d want it. “I don’t know anything about you. But I know Drayke believes in you and prays to you. Drayke is a wonderful male, and if he thinks you are a just and merciful God, then I offer these words to you.

“Drayke is a good male. He deserves the very best in life. He should have a female who will cherish him and bond with him and be good to him for all the days of his life. For his sake, I ask you to provide that for him. Please forgive me for... playing the system. I only want to bring him back to his regular self. Let him live through this and find a better female than me to bond with. Someone who will love him and give him the life he deserves…”

I thought I had more to say, but I don’t. My libido vanished and I’m sad. Not just sad—bereft. I just asked Drayke’s God to find him someone better than me. I know I’m not the right female for him, but that doesn’t make me happy about praying for him to move on. It’s interesting to discover a deep character flaw at a time like this, but I only now realize that I just might be the most selfish person I’ve ever met.

I lie on my left side next to him and put my right arm across the expanse of his chest. My arm still has a light wrapping of gauze over plas-film. Good, I don’t want to have to look at it. I place my right leg across his hips, avoiding his erection. I just hold him like this for a while.

I breathe in and out. Slowly, just like I learned in jiu-jitsu. Focusing on the breath clears the mind. Now that I’m in the moment, I allow my attention to stray to my body. I catalog every thought and feeling as it drifts through my mind. The softness of his skin. The way our breathing seems to sync without effort. The beauty of his profile. The tightness of my nipples. The desire pooling in my pelvis. My core pulses with desire. As I watch it, it builds and ignites.

I shift my weight and straddle him. I’m wearing the white shirt, but no panties. My core is inches above his abdomen; I want to grind on him, suddenly aware that I’m already dripping wet.

“Slow down, Nova.” I whisper to myself. “You have all the time in the world.”

I bend my head to kiss him. I feather kisses to his forehead, gently graze each eyelid, then ply kisses to those full, muted magenta lips. For the first time tonight, I get a response. Almost imperceptible at first, his lips press back. When my tongue delves inside, I’m bathed in his taste. I toy with his tongue, which begins to lick mine in return.

He groans. I hadn’t expected that. I sit up, not wanting to hurt him. This position puts my open, wet core directly on his muscled abdomen.

He makes another noise, this one not a groan; it sounds sexual, excited. I bend down again, to resume kissing. My slick slit is firmly planted on his flat belly. A sound escapes me, almost echoing the noise he made a moment ago. Yes, I want this, is the message it sends.

My teeth scrape downward, along his jawline, gently along the cords of his neck and toward his nipple. Down farther, past his six-pack, avoiding the pulsing cock. I nip the tender flesh above the hipbone, then down to the crease between torso and thigh. He likes this. I know because that garnered a slight hip thrust. I wonder if that brilliant brain is coming back online.

I’m now on my knees, crouched between his spread thighs. My core no longer has anything to press against; hot need pulses there. I cup his balls, which elicits another hip thrust. As I explore his tender sac, he moans again and bucks his hips.

“Drayke.” I want him here with me. I want his presence, I don’t just want his body. I want Drayke back the way he was, vibrant and earnest and funny. My heart clenches in desire. Not sexual desire, but desperate hunger to have him. All at once I realize how much I like him. We’ve been together almost every moment since he rescued me from Bellona and I don’t want to be without him. I don’t want him to fade away into insanity.

“Drayke,” I call again, but his eyelids are still closed, flickering.

I grab his cock again, this time with no offending washcloth running interference. How can something be so hard and so soft at the same time? I grasp him firmly, noticing how the skin moves against the unyielding tissue underneath.

Oh, he likes this. The hip thrusts are more pronounced. His cock gets even harder, thicker.

In the dim light, I see a tiny bead of liquid on the head of his cock. My tongue slips between my teeth. The desire to taste it is overwhelming. But I want to wait. I know Drayke is coming back. I know right now he’s fighting his way to the surface of consciousness. I’m not doing this without him. I’ll wait.

But what harm could it do for me to taste that one tiny drop of his semen? I bend down and flick the crown of his cock with the tip of my tongue. I roll the taste around my mouth. It’s slightly salty, slightly sweet and somehow tastes just like I imagined it would.

“Nova.” It’s Drayke, he’s back! But when I lift up to look at his dear face, he’s not there. The body is still, motionless—a blue mannequin.

“Come back to me, Drayke.” I’m more insistent now. I know he’s in there, he just has to keep swimming to the surface. “Come back to me. I want to open the First Gate with you. I want to lick you. I want you in my mouth. I want to make you feel good. I want to taste your come.”

“Nova.”

I peek at him again. This time my face blazing with embarrassment at the brazen things I just told him, but he’s not fully back. His eyelids are still fluttering.

“Come back to me, Dr. Drayke sun Omrun. Fulfill your duties as directed by your Lord God Anteros,” I urge. He emits a groan deep in the back of his throat. “Let me lick your cock.” I stroke it now, hard, the way he showed me. “Let me take your cock as far in my throat as nature will allow.” My hand surrounds him tightly, stroking until his guttural moans are loud and almost continuous, his hips pumping.

I crawl on top of him, my body pressing against the expanse of his warm, naked chest. I’m straddling him, my slick folds are riding his cock. It surprises me how much I want to be penetrated, to feel him move inside me.

I change my focus, and kiss him. Gone is the tentative softness of only a few minutes ago. My kisses are hard now, demanding. My tongue plunders his mouth, practically commanding his tongue to respond to mine.

“Wake up, Drayke. Come back to me. I want to taste you. I want to swallow everything you can give me.” A tremor flows through him like an electric current. His cock kicks against my slit.

“That’s right, Dr. Drayke sun Omrun, come back to Nova.” I’m almost ordering now. I slide back down and lick the head of his cock again, this time gathering more of his sperm on my tongue, loving the taste of it. I will not put him in my mouth until he’s awake, I decide. I want him present for that. Which doesn’t mean I can’t lick every inch of him.

I swirl my tongue around the tip, first one way and then the other. Then I reach lower and run my tongue under the edge of his crown. I can tell he likes this; the muscles in his abdomen tighten under all that luscious skin.

“Wake up, Drayke!” My voice is louder now. I’m not taking no for an answer. I start at the tip again and I run the flat of my tongue from the top of his cock to the root and back again. He moans loudly and all at once he gasps and startles. His body shudders. When I look up, his gorgeous eyes are staring at me. They’re not blue anymore, they’re black with passion.

“Nova?” Poor guy doesn’t know what’s going on. “You can’t do this, Sweet. You’re opening the First Gate. You don’t understand what this means.”

I feel a pang of guilt. He’s going to think I’m doing this for real, forever and ever. He would never agree to this if he knew I’m just gaming the system. Now isn’t the time to tell him.

“I know, Drayke. I read about your customs. I’ve given us both a ritual bath. I spoke with your God on your behalf. I begged him to provide the very best for you. I’m here to open the First Gate with you.” I’m not going to feel guilty. I’m not. This is for the best for him and for Braxxus and for Axxios. A tiny voice in the back of my head asks, and for you, Nova? Is this best for you? Fuck you, I retort. There’s no turning back now.

Dr. Drayke sun Omrun

I pull her up my body. I look at her, so many questions running through my head. Dear God, she is more beautiful than I’ve ever seen her. Her face is flushed. She’s clearly excited. The smell of her arousal is rich in the air.

I want. It’s a chant beating in my thoughts, beating in my hearts, beating in my pulsing cock. This isn’t the way I ever envisioned this night. Of course, when I thought about my first bonding night I always thought the faceless female in my arms would have blue skin. But Nova’s pink skin is so much more exquisite.

I can barely think, my passion is so intense. But this has to be right. Everything about this night has to be perfect. Perfect for us both.

I have so many queries, about what happened on Aeon II, about Braxxus; however, those can wait. But not this question. “Do you understand what you’re doing, Nova? This is a commitment. The beginning of a sacred bond. There are many ways I can pleasure you that won’t involve this pledge you’ve avoided. If it’s just a matter of satisfaction, I would do anything to please your magnificent body. But this? This is different.”

“I read all about it when you were in medbay, Drayke. I began things just as I imagined you would want. Do you want a moment alone? To speak with your God? I’ll wait for anything you need to do. But then I want to open the First Gate with you. Please don’t deny me.”

Did she just beg me not to deny her this? This? What I want more than anything else in the galaxy? I gaze into her eyes, to ensure she’s serious. She looks back at me. Her eyes don’t slide from mine.

She wants this. I will give it to her. I will fulfill us both.

I flip her onto her back, careful of her arm. I straddle her, sitting on my knees. She’s wearing one of my white shirts. She looks like a female should on her First Night. My smart little Nova, so intuitive. I rip it open, the ping of the little buttons hitting walls and floor is oddly satisfying.

I nestle my cock between her folds the tip poking her sensitive bud, loving the gasp this elicits from her. “So wet, Nova. If I didn’t know better I’d think you started without me.” She looks guilty for a heartbeat, then we both smile.

I initiate a slow rhythm, sliding up and down the folds of her sopping wet slit. My cock glides along her responsive nub.

“Drayke,” she sounds surprised and pleased and excited all at once. I want to hear her call my name again and again with just that tone. And then louder and with more urgency. But that will be later. Much later.

I keep up the rhythm down below, making sure to bump the head of her little button with every upward thrust and downward slide. Her legs open to me and her heels press into my ass, as if my pressure isn’t strong enough.

“Harder Nova? Does my Sweet One want more pressure right here?” I change the angle of my cock and make sure the tip presses against her sweet spot with more direct force.

“Drayke! This was supposed to be about you.” Her hips have picked up my rhythm and she pushes up toward me with every thrust.

I didn’t expect her excitement to increase so fast, but her breathing is ragged, her heels more insistent. I’d envisioned kissing and holding and pampering and ramping her up, but I think she’s moments from release.

“Come for me, Nova. Let yourself go. Enjoy this.” I press harder with the tip of my cock and adjust the angle in tiny increments until her breath catches and her fingers press into the flesh of my back so hard I know she drew blood. Nothing could make a Dacian male prouder than to drive his female so wild she marks him with his own blood.

As she comes she screams my name. I think it’s because I told her once I wanted that. The fact that she wants to please me in this most intimate way almost triggers my own release. But tonight we have to open the First Gate. I need to save my seed for that.

I turn us both on our sides, making sure she’s on her left. She showers me with kisses. Everywhere she can reach. “Unbelievable. Feels so good. Oh my God.”

I pet her hair, then I move far enough back from her body to bend close and nip the tips of her breasts. I take turns with each one until she moans, then place my knee between her legs. She immediately presses herself against me there and starts a rhythm.

“Ready for more, Sweet? I pull her to the end of the bed, her bottom and heels right at the edge. I kneel on the floor. I press her knees apart so she is open to me.

“Beautiful.” I press my tongue deeply into her wet channel, tasting her fully. “You taste like the sweetest catalaberry on Dacia. A delicacy.”

I can’t get enough. I want to give her another release. I lick up from her core to her sensitive bundle of nerves. I take my time, going slowly, following the folds upward. She gets impatient and pulls me against her harder.

I clamp my mouth around her bud, then create suction. This affects her so powerfully her pelvis lifts off the bed. I stop for a moment and let her catch her breath, then surprise her by creating the suction effect again. Her nails curl into the skin on my back. This fills me with pride and ramps up my own excitement. My cock is throbbing with need, desperate for fulfillment.

I use my tongue to press her little nub, her moans are louder, she’s near release. I enter her with my middle finger and the pitch of her noises lowers. She likes that. She’s so wet, drenched. Pressing in with another finger, I cause her to buck. The rhythm I create with my hand, along with the pressure from my tongue makes her frantic; her head thrashes from side to side, her noises are even louder. And then she comes so hard her muscles clamp around my fingers. Her release goes on for long moments. The noises she makes signal transcendent pleasure.

I slow my rhythm and just wait. Not wanting to distract her from this exquisite intensity. Almost as soon as I put my mouth on her clit again, another orgasm hits and she comes again, bathing my fingers in her cream.

Her spasming finally stops. I hear her panting; her fingers release their grip from my shoulders. I slide up next to her to look at her lovely face, softened by spent passion. I notice her body is covered in a sheen of sweat. Her eyes open when she senses my face near hers.

“Amazing.” She takes a deep breath as if there’s more she wants to say, but she just shakes her head and smiles. She tucks the top of her head under my chin and snuggles next to me. She swings one leg over me and cuddles even closer.

“That was intense,” she tells me as her hand roams from my shoulders to my belly. Her knuckles graze the head of my cock. I assume that was accidental by the way her hand skitters back up my stomach.

“I want to open the First Gate with you.” I love the way her voice sounds both confident and shy at the same time.

I grab the hand resting on my abs and pull it lower. A silent invitation to touch me.

Nova

I’m still returning from the orgasm-induced haze he put me in. I didn’t know my body could tolerate so much pleasure. I want him to have that. I want Drayke to experience this delicious feeling of delight.

I grasp him and begin stroking, but by the sound of his low growl, I realize the time for foreplay is long over.

Moving between his legs, I admire him for the quickest moment. I know he’s more than ready for what I’m about to do, but I just love to look at him. His cock is straining upward. Grasping it firmly in my hand, halfway up the shaft, I pull it toward my mouth as I lower myself to the perfect height and angle.

I begin where I left off before he woke up. I swirl my tongue around the head. Now that he’s awake, this action earns the reward of deep guttural moans and a thrust of his hips. I stiffly stroke the tip of my tongue upward against the ridge of his crown, flicking all the way around it.

I glance up to see his head thrown back in pleasure against the pillows, his eyes closed in bliss. I lick from root to tip and back again—his hips buck with anticipation. He’s more than over the need for preamble, I open my mouth around him and plunge myself as far down the shaft as I can go.

“Nova!” His voice is so deep and gravelly it hardly sounds like him.

I curl my hand around the base of his cock and set up a rhythm with my mouth. He meets my downward movements with upward thrusts. I love the taste of him. I love the power of this. And right now I want to use this power to make him come.

I focus on his breathing, intuiting exactly what he responds to best. I make a satisfied noise in the back of my throat, which must act like a vibrator, because this amps him up another notch. I reach below and touch his sac. This puts him over the edge. I wasn’t sure what it would be like to receive the hot jets of his semen. Part of the ritual is to swallow. His fluid tastes mild, slightly sweet. Not only do I swallow, but I also lick his shaft while I keep my eyes focused on his.

“You honor me, Nova. You’re a better mate than I ever dreamed of. Better than I deserve.” He pulls me up and rests my head on his chest.

I’m glad he can’t see my face. If he did, he might read my guilt. I’ve never been a liar. I’ve never tricked anyone into doing anything in my entire life. I’m toying with his emotions. I have no intention of opening the Third Gate with him. He will never have the bonded mate he desires so fervently.

I’m a complete shit. He’s a wonderful male and I’m fucking him over. If there is a God, I’m going to pay for this.