Authors: Corinne Davies
“I understand that. I had some time to think after I left and I realized that I acted hastily and judged your lifestyle before completely understanding it.”
Rock hadn’t expected her to agree with them so soon. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I love you both and I’m willing to try. All I ask is that you teach me about your world but allow me some choices that you wouldn’t normally consider.”
Rock didn’t know what the word love meant but it was obviously very important to his Atan. He’d give her the moons if she asked for them. When he stepped closer and she didn’t move, Jag continued to approach from the other side. She remained in place but looked back and forth between them. Her fingers locked together behind her back and he could see her fidgeting in the reflection.
“We don’t recognize that word. What does it mean?”
Destiny turned her face toward him. He could sense her conflicted emotions as they coursed through her body at rapid speed. Confusion seemed to be the sharpest one.
“You would give your life for Jag. Do anything to save him. What is your word for that?”
“Brother,” he replied, and it dawned on him what it was she wanted. “And we call you Atan because you are meant to be ours. We would sacrifice our last breath to keep you safe.”
Jag stepped closer and wrapped his hand around hers. Cupping her jaw he turned her face so she was looking up at him. “We carry you inside our soul. We breathe, because you breathe. Our world has two suns but it is your smile that warms us.”
Tears welled in Destiny’s eyes and Rock was thankful for his brother’s quick thinking and talent with flowery worlds. “Is that love in your world? Because we both feel that way for you?”
She nodded. “We like to hear it. A lot.”
“I love you, Destiny. Our Atan.” Rock bent his head and brushed his lips over her, sealing her vow. He moved back to give his brother a bit more room but not so far that he lost his connection to her.
“We will happily give these words to you and would like to hear you feel the same way. I love you with every bit of strength in my body.” Jag captured her lips in a passionate promise. Her eyes looked dazed when Jag let her go and happiness filled her expression.
“I love you both so much I feel like I could explode with it.” Rock wanted nothing more than to take their Atan to their bed and celebrate their admission but this would make their Cha’an all the more sweet. “We will teach you everything but ask that you understand there are reasons why we would restrict your movements.”
Destiny nodded. “And instead of running off, I’ll ask why and argue with you if I don’t agree.”
“That is all we ask, Destiny.” Jag claimed her lips again and Rock felt another wave of pure joy rock through his system.
While her face was turned, Rock bent and pressed his lips against the silky skin at the base of her neck. His cock was throbbing with the need to feel her under him and to watch her being taken by his warrior brother. They didn’t need any damn dance to ascertain who she belonged to. She was theirs from the moment they saw her and she dropped them to their knees, literally.
He glanced up and saw Jag had claimed her lips. Her hands slid up their arms and she gripped his shirt by his shoulder when Jag deepened their kiss. Rock slipped his hand over her shirt and cupped her breast and continued to press kisses along her collarbone. He’d love to take her to the floor and bury his cock deep inside of her, but both he and Jag were filthy from the fighting earlier and needed to bathe before getting her dirty, too.
He lowered himself to his knees in front of her and lifted her shirt, pressing his cheek against the soft skin of her belly. He kissed the skin above her belly button and then darted his tongue into the small indentation. She moaned, and he felt a shiver beneath his lips.
“Ahem, Nohchils.” IxChel’s voice echoed around them. “Destiny must be made ready for the
Ook-at
. You don’t want to deprive her of this, do you?”
Yes, yes I do, Rock thought to himself as he lifted his lips from the taste of pure pleasure.
“You’re ours, Destiny.” He heard Jag’s muttered words as he stood up, mentally cursing IxChel’s sense of timing.
“We’ll never give you up,” Rock added before claiming her lips. They parted sweetly and she slid her tongue along his, inflaming him further. His cock felt as though it was about to rip through his pants. The need for her coursed through his veins. He wanted to brand his name on her soul right next to Jag’s as she’d done to him. No matter what happened at the
Ook-at
, he would carry her in his soul.
“What’s going to happen to me?” Destiny’s eyes looked glazed and hooded as she looked up at him. It made him want to holler to the sky, scoop her up, and take her to bed, traditions be damned.
“Nothing you won’t enjoy,
Atan
.” Jag pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m sure IxChel will take great pleasure in filling you in on the details as you get ready.”
Rock clasped her hand and brought it to her lips, kissing the back of it as he’d learned was an old Earth tradition. Her cheeks pinkened and the smile she gifted him with made the odd gesture worthwhile. “We will wait for your decision,
Atan
.”
“Come, Destiny.” IxChel waved her forward and both he and Jag stepped back to give her room. She gave them each a worried glance before going to the healer. “Don’t worry, child. You’re going to love this. It’s an old tradition that everyone has been waiting years to take part in again.”
Destiny turned and pressed her fingers against her lips and then blew on them. Jag repeated the gesture as did Rock, which made her giggle. They watched IxChel lead her out of the room and Rock pressed his hand against his rampantly hard cock. Her giggle almost had him soaking the fabric that covered his groin.
“What did that mean?” Jag asked as he, too, rubbed at the bulge in the front of his pants.
“I’ve no idea, but I hope she tells us later.”
“They’re going to do
what
?” Rock heard Destiny’s exclamation echo down the hall. IxChel hadn’t wasted any time filling her in on the ceremony. “And I have to do it with
all
of them?”
Chapter Eleven
IxChel smiled at Destiny, but it didn’t reassure her in the slightest. “What you do mean they will all try to seduce me?”
“The
Ook-at
is part of the
Cha’an
. I take it those two didn’t tell you anything about it?” The older woman shook her head. “I knew they were avoiding the subject and didn’t want to do it.”
“Why not?” Destiny squashed the inner voice telling her it was because they were embarrassed of her and she wasn’t good enough to be with them. That was her insecurity and nerves talking.
“They’re afraid of losing you to the others, especially since they knew you were angry at them, and they worried that you would choose otherwise.”
“So it’s my choice? No matter whom I choose they will accept my final decision?”
“Yes, they will.” IxChel nodded but leveled a serious look at her. “It would kill them inside to do so, but they would abide by your decision. A warrior can be certain that they’ve found one of the chosen, but it’s the woman who knows her
iicham
, her husbands.
Ook-at
is a warriors’ dance and a public event to attract your attention. Only the men chosen by the gods will have the ability to enchant their Atan by their movements.
The claiming is a private ceremony witnessed only by the warriors present. Our people do love their traditions and this is one of the oldest. The men spend every moment of their day with each other for the majority of their lives. They were raised to be our protectors and have sacrificed everything for that cause. The stories of the Atan gave them something to look forward to, knowing that there is a woman destined to be theirs. It is written that each woman will bring her own strengths to her men and they are stronger as three than as two. They will share the energy created during the claiming with each other. As warriors and protectors they’ve witnessed many things that would break a man’s soul, but legend has always given them hope for the future.”
Destiny stopped and pressed her hands to her flaming cheeks. She could feel the heat against her palms. IxChel’s description of this ceremony both aroused and intimidated the hell out of her. “I don’t have to do them all, do I?”
“No, of course not, they’re far too possessive. A warrior will only share his Atan with his brother. But they will share the energy the three of you create during the claiming with each other. When Rock and Jag claim you in front of the other warriors, it bonds you to them as well, their family will increase by one and if the gods are generous then the Atan will birth the next generation of warriors.”
Destiny remembered the first time she’d been in the baths and when she realized that other men had entered and were watching her pleasure Rock. It was embarrassing then, but now she thought of it as more empowering. “What about the Raxka?”
“They’re there for the warriors’ pleasure only and have no part in their private ceremonies. They should know better than to approach a claimed warrior, but times have changed and it’s been many generations since we’ve lived under the protection of Sacred warriors. It all depends on your preference. If you don’t mind sharing your men with them…”
“Hell no,” Destiny snapped before IxChel finished. “I’m sorry, that was rude.”
“Not at all, Noonsa.” IxChel smiled and slipped her arm through Destiny’s. “It may be premature in calling you that, but I think you’ve already made up your mind who you want.”
Without a doubt,
Destiny thought to herself but still feared she might be wrong. What if two of the other warriors were meant for her? She didn’t worry about Falcon, Wolfe, Blade, and Thunder. She’d spent enough time with them and not felt any attraction other than a healthy dose of female appreciation for them and friendship.
IxChel showed her to a private bath and told her that she would be allowed some time alone to collect her feelings and prepare. There was a tray sitting to the side with a variety of creams and she was to pick her favorite. One particular jar was for removing any unwanted hair and IxChel assured her it was instantaneous, painless, and would prevent any regrowth.
Destiny looked around after IxChel left. It felt like a sauna in there. A wall of blossoms grew on thick vines along one side of the pool and scented the air with a heady, sweet tropical scent. Destiny quickly stripped down and slipped into the water. She swam across and took a close look at the blooms. They were like overgrown carnations, but the petals looked like small tiger lilies.
The pool was pie-shaped with a wall of windows on an angle to the flowers and the front bowed out in a gentle arc. There was more than enough room for her and a dozen friends and at the moment Destiny wished she had someone to talk to. IxChel was a sweet woman, but she felt like a mother figure. Destiny would’ve loved to be able to gossip with a girlfriend and share her worries and anticipation with her. Rock would probably tell her this was her duty, but then whisper all sorts of decadent things in her ear. Jag would grin at her and tell her not to worry, and she’d be too busy screaming in orgasmic delight to care what else was going on.
She swam around and ducked under the water to see if she could touch the bottom. When she was unable to she swam to the surface and then started to stand up. Instantly the bottom formed under her feet as she walked. Laughing at her own silliness she pushed off and paddled to the edge. There was a silver tray with all sorts of bottles and creams on it.
A ledge-like seat formed for her and she kneeled on it and opened the containers, exploring their contents. A couple of them smelled medicinal and one smelled like French vanilla and mandarin oranges. She set that one aside as her favorite. The depilatory cream smelled like curry and cayenne pepper.
I’m not putting that on the kitty!
Destiny experimented with a small bit of her leg where some stubble had developed over the last few days. She rubbed the cream on her skin and the hair instantly disintegrated and the cream turned to a dust on her skin. Feeling braver she took care of her entire legs, underarms, and bikini line. She wasn’t certain if she wanted to remove it all, so she left a small triangular patch on her mound.
I can always change my mind later.