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ALEENA

“Are you ready, child? The Kindred Ambassador will be here at any moment.” Aleena’s father looked at her anxiously, taking in the Joining Day dress she was wearing with a critical eye.

It wasn’t new or fancy—it was just a rental that would have to be returned the next day. But it was much nicer than Aleena’s regular clothing—she hadn’t had anything new to wear in the past three years.

The breast net of the rental dress was made of a cheap golden alloy and it almost fit her, showing just a hint of the curves of her breasts. It sparkled in the noonday sun, which helped it look a little like real gold. (Rather than renting an expensive Joining Hall, her father had decided to have the ceremony in the gardens of the Public Parklands, which were free to use.)

The net was split in the middle, to facilitate the part of the ceremony where her new husband would claim her as his property. That was the part of the ceremony that Aleena was dreading. Her nipples were large and extremely sensitive—she hoped she wouldn’t cry or make any noise when her new Kindred husband claimed her. He would probably be rough, so she would have to steel herself for the pain he would no doubt give her.

Other than that, the rest of the rental outfit was standard. It had a long pale purple skirt split up the middle and dark purple panties to match. The flowing sleeves attached to the breast net were white, signifying her purity, though of course her jewel-toned amethyst eyes proclaimed that more eloquently than any article of clothing could.

After tonight you’ll no longer have such pale eyes, whispered a little voice in her head. They’ll be a darker shade once your new husband is done using you.

That was another thing Aleena wasn’t looking forward to—her Joining night. She wondered uneasily how rough her new Kindred husband would be. Rumor had it that the alien warriors were huge—much larger than a Karpsian male. Some were even said to have a kind of knot at the base of their shaft that they used to hold a woman in place so that they could breed her for hours.

Of course, as a pure and untouched virgin, she wasn’t supposed to know such things. But people talked and women gossiped. Aleena knew what to expect on her Joining night and none of it was going to be pleasant, she was sure.

Still, she was determined to go through with the ceremony. Not just because her father had gathered all the local dignitaries and the other members of the Ruling Council but because it was the only way her mother could get her next medical treatment.

Speaking of her mother, she had wanted so badly to come to the ceremony, but as a disavowed wife, she wasn’t allowed to attend an event her former husband was hosting. Of course Aleena’s father could have made an exception to the rule, but her stepmother forbade it. So her mother could only kiss her goodbye and wish her luck on her Joining with tears in her eyes.

“I’ll come see you soon,” Aleena had promised—she was crying herself as she hugged her mother goodbye. “Hopefully my new husband will allow me to visit you after our Joining night.”

“Don’t risk angering him!” Her mother’s purple eyes—a shade darker than Aleena’s—went wide with fright. “Obey him in all things. If he restricts you to the house, you must stay there. I don’t want you to be beaten!”

“I won’t be,” Aleena had said, though of course she could promise no such thing. After the Joining ceremony she would be the property of her husband and he could do anything he wished with her—including beat her if the mood struck him.

“I used to think your father was kind because he rarely beat me,” her mother said sadly. “But that was before your stepmother got such a hold on him and he disavowed me to Join with her instead.” She had sighed sadly. “How I wish I could come and see you be Joined, my dear! I used to dream of your Joining Ceremony when you were little—I had it all planned out. It was to be such a grand affair.”

Well, her mother would be disappointed if she saw what was happening now, Aleena thought. This Joining would be far from the “grand affair” she had dreamed of. There was no Holy Hall and no big reception afterwards either. This ceremony was going to be as bare as the branches of a tree in the cold season.

Still, the outdoor venue wasn’t all bad. The weather was fine and not too hot and the sun was shining on the billum blossoms, making their vivid colors even more beautiful. The birds were singing softly in the trees, which almost made up for the fact that her stepmother had refused to hire a chorus or even a single musician, though music was traditional for a Joining.

Her father had persuaded a leading dignitary to perform the ceremony itself and a local bakery had agreed to provide the Joining Bread for free, as long as they told everyone where it had come from. All in all, her father was getting off very cheaply for this Joining, Aleena thought. Especially since the dowry he had agreed to give, because he was sponsoring the ceremony, was going to be less than a fourth of what he would have given for Faleesha.

She only hoped that the credit he was saving was being put towards her mother’s medical bills. She had yet to get a call from the House of Healing saying that the balance had been settled but when she’d asked her father about it, he had waved her off, saying the matter was “being taken care of.” Aleena hoped that it was—her mother’s next treatment was coming up and they would refuse to give it to her if the money wasn’t paid. They?—

Just then a hush fell over the assembled crowd and her father whispered,

“He’s here! Be on your best behavior, child!”

Then he rushed over to the edge of the clearing where the ceremony was being held and began bowing and talking rapidly to someone Aleena couldn’t see because of the large bilberry bush in the way.

Soon enough, however, the stranger came into view. Aleena caught her breath when she saw him.

The Kindred Ambassador was absolutely huge. He was so tall that she estimated the top of her head would barely come up past his elbow. And he looked strong too—he was wearing a scarlet, long sleeved shirt that draped over his broad chest and showed the muscles of his arms under its satiny fabric. He also had on tight black trousers and high black boots, which emphasized his long legs.

He had short, sharp horns on either side of his head—horns! Just like a beast in a fairy story, she thought uneasily. But her eyes were also drawn to his thick black hair gathered neatly at the back of his neck—an unusual color on Karpsian Sigma, where most people had either gold or silver or copper colored hair. His skin was olive green—a shade or two lighter than Aleena’s own bronze coloring—and his eyes…

His eyes look like melted gold!

Aleena couldn’t help staring. They were beautiful and so unusual. Most males on Karpsian Sigma had dark colored eyes. Unlike a female, their eyes didn’t start out light and then change when they had intimate relations, so no one knew or cared how many females they had bedded. However, once a female’s eye color was changed and darkened, her value was gone—it was a double standard, but there were many such rules on Aleena’s home world.

Her father led the Kindred Ambassador past the rows of spectators to the front of the clearing where Aleena and the official who would be performing the ceremony were already standing.

“Er, I hope I’m not late,” the Ambassador said in a voice that was a low rumble in Aleena’s ears. “I was getting my new residence in order—I was under the impression that the ceremony would be starting a few standard hours from now.”

“No need to explain or apologize! Please, you are our valued guest!” Aleena’s father exclaimed. “We’re very happy to have you, Ambassador Bearick.”

“Thank you, Sir Greggor. And this must be your lovely daughter whom I am to Join with today? Faleesha, is it?” The Ambassador turned to Aleena, his golden eyes taking her in as he waited for an introduction.

Aleena felt her heart pounding in her chest as he looked her up and down. She hoped the Kindred Ambassador would find her attractive and pleasing—if he did he might be less likely to beat or punish her. He was so big that even one blow from his massive fist might kill her!

“Actually, this is Aleena, my oldest daughter,” her father said quickly. “We have a custom here—the oldest daughter gets Joined before the younger. I hope that isn’t a problem?”

“No, not at all.” The Kindred Ambassador shook his head politely.

“Ah, good.” Aleena’s father looked extremely relieved. “Well then—this is my daughter. Please use her in whatever way pleases you—she is yours now and if she doesn’t obey, you have my full permission to beat her.”

This was a standard part of the Joining ceremony—the part where the father gave his daughter to her new owner and husband. But the huge Kindred Ambassador looked taken aback.

“ Beat her?” he growled. “Surely you can’t be serious!”

“Oh, well…” Aleena’s father looked flustered, as though he wasn’t sure what to say.

“Excuse me, Ambassador,” the official who was performing the ceremony murmured, leaning closer to the big Kindred and standing on tiptoes to make himself heard. “But the correct response is, ‘I will take your daughter and use her however I see fit. I trust you have trained her well so that I will not have to beat her often.’”

“I’m not going to beat her at all,” the Ambassador growled. His face was like a thundercloud now with his thick black eyebrows drawn low over his golden eyes, which were blazing as though he was offended at the very idea of lifting a hand to Aleena.

“That’s very kind of you, but the ceremony has begun,” explained the official. “I’m telling you what you must say in response to Sir Greggor’s offering of his daughter to you.”

“Oh, well…” The big Kindred cleared his throat and looked around at the assembled crowd, many of whom were beginning to whisper behind their hands and look at him uncertainly.

Aleena wasn’t certain what to think either. It was unheard of for a man to declare he wouldn’t beat his wife! All her life she’d been taught that a woman had to be punished often and well in order to keep her in her place. For her new husband to say outright that he would not do his husbandly duty and correct her was very strange.

Not that she believed his words— all men hit their wives on occasion—it was simply the way things were. Even her father, who had a very mild temper, had beaten her mother on occasion before he disavowed her—mostly when she burned his dinner or didn’t get his clothing washed and pressed exactly as he wanted it.

“Just say the line,” the official murmured urgently to the big Kindred. “The ceremony cannot continue until you do.”

The big Kindred didn’t look happy about it, but at last he said,

“I will take your daughter and use her. I trust you have trained her well, so I will not have to beat her.”

“Excellent!” Aleena’s father looked vastly relieved. He clasped his hands together under his chin and made a bow to the Ambassador before backing into the crowd of spectators and taking his place by her stepmother and Faleesha.

“Very good!” The official looked relieved as well. “And now, Ambassador Bearick, look upon this woman. Is she the one you wish to Join with?”

The big Kindred looked down at Aleena and she forced herself to look up, meeting his eyes. This, too, was part of the ceremony. He must be given a chance to examine her and see if he liked her enough to go ahead with the ceremony.

His golden eyes swept over her body and then returned to her face and their gazes met. For some reason, Aleena’s heart started pounding even harder. What was this look in his eyes? She had expected a cold appraisal but there was warmth in those golden depths—even heat. Could it be that the Ambassador found her pleasing?

“Yes,” he said at last. “I’ll Join with Aleena. If she wants to Join with me, that is,” he added.

There was more scandalized murmuring from the crowd at their backs.

“Her wishes do not enter into it,” the official said stiffly. “If you find her pleasing, that is enough for the ceremony to continue.”

The big Kindred looked like he wanted to protest for some reason but at last he simply nodded his head.

“All right. I find her pleasing. Are we supposed to exchange vows now?”

“Yes, of course.” The official nodded. “Kindly lift your bride’s breast net and take her breasts into your hands.”

“What?” His golden eyes widened in apparent surprise. “ What did you ask me to do?”

“I said, you may lift her breast netting and hold her breasts in your hands,” the official repeated patiently.

The big Kindred still looked like he couldn’t understand what he was meant to do. To help him, Aleena reached up and twitched at the corner of her rented breast net, showing the bottom curve of her left breast. She kept her back turned to the crowd of spectators so it wouldn’t be obvious what she was doing.

She didn’t know why she was so willing to help the Ambassador with the part of the ceremony she had most been dreading. Maybe it was because of his refusal to beat her—though she still didn’t really believe it. Or perhaps it was the warmth she saw in his melted gold eyes. For whatever reason, she wanted to help him get through the ceremony, so she showed him what to do.

Slowly, as though he still wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing, the Ambassador reached for the bottom of her breast net and pulled it up. Because it was split in the middle, the two sides of the metal netting came up easily and he was able to lay them over her shoulders, baring her breasts completely.

“Good—very good,” the official said encouragingly. “And now you must take your bride’s breasts into your hands.”

He looked at Aleena again and she almost got the feeling that he was silently asking for permission. She gave a short, barely perceptible nod of her head and stood a little straighter, thrusting her bare breasts out at him. Of course she had no nipple bands yet—he would have to place them himself—so there was nothing but her naked breasts for him to look at and to hold.

The big Kindred reached out and cupped her breasts in his big warm hands—hands that were so big, in fact, that for once she didn’t feel like her chest was too large. She’d always been told she was too curvy and too top-heavy but though her breasts filled his hands, they didn’t overflow them.

There were approving murmurs from the crowd as people watched—the fact that her husband’s hands were big enough to contain her breasts was considered a lucky sign. It meant that he would be strong enough to contain and rule her as a man ought to rule his wife.

“Very good,” the official said. “Now, please repeat after me: I hold your body in my hands and claim you as my property.”

The big Kindred frowned, but looked down at Aleena and repeated the words.

“I hold your body in my hands and claim you as my property,” he rumbled in that impossibly deep voice of his.

“I hold your life in my hands to do with as I wish,” the official continued.

The big Kindred repeated the words, though the look on his face said they left a sour taste in his mouth for some reason. Was the ceremony making him mad, Aleena wondered anxiously?

But if it was, he didn’t show any other signs of his anger. He didn’t pinch or twist her nipples or grip her breasts harder in his big hands. In fact, if anything he seemed to be going out of his way to cup her gently and not hurt her.

But that’s only because we haven’t gotten to the placement of the nipple bands yet, she thought apprehensively. That was the part of the ceremony where a man could assert his dominance over his new wife—some men twisted their bride’s nipples until they shrieked in pain, just to show they could do anything they wanted to her now that she had been claimed.

“I will keep you by my side as long as you bring me pleasure,” the official went on. “If you cease to bring me pleasure or fail in your wifely duties in any way, I will disavow you and cast you aside to find another woman who pleases me more.”

The Kindred Ambassador’s face darkened into a scowl and Aleena had to fight the urge to back away from him. For some reason the official’s words had made him angry—surely now he would take his rage out on her!

But though his face looked like a thunderstorm about to break, the big hands holding her breasts didn’t squeeze or pinch or hurt her in any way. Instead her new husband rumbled in a voice so low she could barely hear it,

“I don’t want to say that.”

“Excuse me?” The official frowned up at the huge Kindred uncertainly.

“I said, I don’t want to say that. Surely there must be something else I can say instead.”

“But, well…these are the words of the ceremony!” the official protested. He was also speaking in a low voice, so as not to alarm the guests. “There are no other words to say!”

The big Kindred scowled.

“Very well. But it seems fucking cruel.”

“How is it cruel?” the official sounded genuinely confused. “If you disavow your bride to find another, what of it? That is a male’s prerogative.”

“Not in my culture,” Ambassador Bearick growled. However, he lifted his chin, took a deep breath, and said quickly, “I will keep you by my side as long as you bring me pleasure. If you cease to bring me pleasure or fail in your wifely duties in any way, I will disavow you and cast you aside to find another woman who…who pleases me more.”

He seemed to have trouble getting the last words out, but he did finally manage, much to Aleena’s relief. She’d been afraid for a moment that the words of the ceremony had so offended him that he would refuse to go on with the Joining. In which case, the bargain she had made with her stepmother would be off and she would never get the money for her mother’s treatment.

“Very good.” The official seemed relieved as well. “And now for the placing of the bands.” Reaching into the pocket of his long, black robe he withdrew a small blue box. Opening it, he displayed two adjustable nipple bands.

They were silver washed with gold—the cheapest bands that could be bought which still looked somewhat expensive. Aleena knew this because she had heard her stepmother saying so—she was extremely proud of preserving the appearance of giving Aleena a nice Joining ceremony while actually doing the bare minimum for the least amount of credit possible.

“Er…what am I supposed to do with these?” Ambassador Bearick rumbled, looking confused.

“Why—you put them on your bride, of course,” the official said, frowning.

“Yes, but where?” The big Kindred looked perplexed. “They’re too small to fit on a finger. Do they go in her earlobes somehow? I don’t see any piercings,” he added, ducking down to examine Aleena’s ears.

“No, no!” the official hissed, apparently running out of patience. “You must put them around her nipples! They are a sign of your ownership of her—so that all other men will know she has been claimed and she is private property!”

A look of dawning comprehension came into his golden eyes.

“Ah—I see. All right then—do I just wrap them around?” He plucked one of the gold-washed silver bands from the box as he spoke and Aleena found that her breast, which had been formerly cupped in his warm hand, was suddenly cold.

“Yes, but first you must make certain her nipples are stiff enough to use the bands,” the official explained, frowning. “Many men also use this time to assert their dominance. Grasp her nipple and twist it as hard as you like before placing the band.”

Aleena bit her lower lip, trying to steel herself for this treatment. Ambassador Bearick looked extremely strong—she just hoped he didn’t make her bleed!

But to her surprise, instead of twisting her nipple or even pinching it hard, her new husband cupped her bare breast again and began to rub his thumb lightly over the tip of her delicate peak.

“Oh!” Aleena’s eyes widened and a soft moan escaped her lips. The way he was touching her didn’t hurt at all. In fact, it felt… good. Sparks of pleasure radiated from the tender tip of her sensitive nipple and seemed to travel all through her body.

The official looked on with a disapproving expression on his dour face. Clearly he didn’t approve of the big Kindred giving his new bride pleasure instead of pain. But the crowd behind them couldn’t see exactly what he was doing and Aleena’s small cry and the moan that followed brought approving murmurs, since they assumed her exclamation had been made out of pain.

“Now I put the band on?” The big Kindred looked from the small gold-washed band to her tight nipple and back again, appearing confused.

“You must put it in your mouth first,” the official instructed. “This will allow the metal to expand so that it will fit on her nipple.”

“Ah…all right.” He slipped the ring into his mouth for a moment and Aleena saw a look of surprise on his face—maybe he could feel the nipple band expanding on his tongue? At any rate, when he withdrew the band, it was big enough to slip over her tight peak.

It was warm at first from the heat of the big Kindred’s mouth but a moment later it cooled and she felt it tighten around the stem of her nipple. It wasn’t so tight that it cut off circulation, but it made her nipple stick out more, exposing the tender tip and making it even more sensitive.

“And now the other band,” the official said.

Ambassador Bearick plucked the other nipple band from the box and repeated the performance—first teasing her nipple gently with his thumb and then placing the second band after first holding it in his mouth for a moment.

“Very good!” The official looked very relieved when the second band was placed. He raised his voice. “This woman is yours now, Ambassador Bearick—you own her and can do anything you wish with her. On behalf of her father and of all the males here assembled, I wish you much pleasure in the use of her ripe young body. Please breed her long and hard when you change the color of her eyes and do your best to plant your heir in her belly.”

The Ambassador didn’t seem to know what to say to that. But at that point the ceremony was over. And since there was no formal reception, there was nothing to do now but mingle with the Joining guests, drink some of the Joining punch and of course, taste the sweet Joining Loaf to symbolize their union together.

Aleena tried not to think of what would come after, once they left the ceremony together. It was better to concentrate on the present, she told herself. She ought to try and get to know her new husband and see what pleased him.

That way, maybe he wouldn’t hurt her too much when he changed the color of her eyes that night.