The damp air in the cave suddenly feels heavy and suffocating, making it difficult to take a deep breath. Without warning, my foretentacles wrap quickly around Leeenuh, bringing her plush body tightly against my own.
Panic surges through me as I see the brothers explore Leeenuh’s breasts. Their forceful kneading on her skin continues, and I am left feeling utterly helpless in stopping them. As our torsos touch, her body's warmth radiates through my skin.
Meeting her eyes, I am overcome with the need to apologize, unable to find the right words.
“I’m so sorry Leeenuh, I’m sorry. I told you I can’t control them—”
Without warning, she leans forward, and I can feel the softness of her lips against mine. The sudden, unexpected gesture leaves me motionless, my muscles frozen in surprise.
As her tongue delicately explores the depths of my mouth, the shock intensifies. I feel the sharpness of my fangs being tested, a surprising sensation that has me leaning closer to her. The meeting of our mouths overwhelms me as I surrender to this unexpected connection.
As I let her explore, the sound of our hearts pounding in my ears drowns out everything else. Strange as it is, this new sensation fills me with a rush of exhilaration. I let my eyes close in silent contentment.
I don’t even realize that the brothers have loosened their grip until she finally breaks our contact. As if she was in some haze, she shakes her head quickly. A tendril from her pink mane falls onto her forehead.
“Eyem sowwee, eye dount noh wat kam ovuh mi,” she says in a daze.
“I, I’m sorry,” is the only thing I can manage to get out, still in shock myself.
She gently places her hands on each of the brothers and strokes them softly.
“Issa okay, cahm downa.”
She speaks with a gentle tone, her voice like a melody that caresses my ears. Her touch is a sensation from another world, sending shivers down my spine. In her presence, my senses awaken, and an undeniable surge of desire rushes through me as my cock hardens.
I can see she’s aware of it, but it’s almost as if she chooses to overlook my body’s undeniable reaction. The sound of my breathing intensifies as I try to contain my growing desire. Despite the stiffness that engulfs me, she seems determined to disregard it, leaving me longing for her touch.
Only when my placated foretentacles release Leeenuh completely do I feel her step back. Losing her body warmth sends a shiver down my spine, leaving me cold and disconnected.
“I’m sorry, again, so sorry,” I say as I turn to grab a woven cloth to tie around my waist in an attempt to hide my shame.
I turn my head when I feel her hand grab my biceps.
“Etts fighne—eyem okay,” she says softly as our eyes meet.
Even though I don’t understand her strange language, I understand her intent.
No harm caused.
I am astounded by her ability to soothe the agitated brothers. I can sense their desire to reach out and pull at her delicate frame, but I can also perceive their self-restraint, which is a sensation I have never experienced before.
I wonder if her mating mark has anything to do with their sudden obedience. The thought of her mark brings the old familiar ache back, the wanting to belong to someone completely. If this truly is my path, if Leeenuh is my future, maybe completing the Great Proving will somehow cement our bond. Even if I don’t bear a mating mark of my own.
Leeenuh sits next to the dried plants and twists the lashings into cords. I watch her, longingly, as the ache roots itself deeper into my heart. What was that strange custom she initiated—the act of pressing our lips together? The Andjin have no such tradition, and I don’t know what it’s supposed to signify.
My body reacted…interestingly.
Before I turn back to her, I flip my still hard cock up into the wrap’s waistband before I make my way over to sit by Leeenuh.
Grabbing the dried seaweed, I begin to work on her restraints. I open my mouth a few times, but the right words won’t come out. Leeenuh must notice my anxiety.
“Kitaico, doan worree abou eet,” she says, patting me on the back.
She holds up one of the purple torun sponges for just a moment as our fingers touch, and I show her the knots I planned on using.
Even though we’re from different worlds, Leeenuh is a quick study. I grapple with the impossibility of our situation as we work side by side. I can’t help but let my mind wander, to imagine what my life would be like if we were true mates.
I could love Leeenuh. I know there’s a connection beyond her mating mark between us. Is it possible that my role in her life could be more than that of just a protector? Could she even want me in that way?
A brief flash of her with a round belly lounging in my nest crosses my mind. I feed her the tenderest bits of my kill, and she lets me ornament her body with the jeweled body chains given to expectant mothers.
She presses our mouths together again and smiles at me.
But I scrub the imaginary life from my mind.
Leeenuh doesn’t want me as her mate, and I will keep her safe and respect her choices.
I snap back from my daydreams as one of the brothers slips around Leeenuh’s back and begins to creep up her thigh.
“Guud boi,” she tells him before stroking him softly. She doesn’t remove him, and a tingling sensation shoots from her hand on my foretentacle to my already aching cock. I can feel precum leaking from my tip and have to bite the inside of my cheek to stifle a moan.
I wonder if I’ve offended the Great Mother in a past life to be tortured like this. Maybe I haven’t given enough of myself to this great test. I am not the strongest hopeful in my division, or the cleverest. I am just Kitaico, a normal male of no great importance.
Is devoting myself to Leeenuh part of my Proving?
Is resisting her my ultimate test?
9
