END of LINE: Humanities Last Stand - part 3 (9 page)

“I wasn't aware that was how it worked.”

“Most people aren't. It is the grand lie of being the King. He has no personal finances. Our family will live off the state's funds until father either
retires or dies and my brother becomes King. Then it will be his family that lives in the Palace for as long as he reigns.”

“Where does that leave you?”

“Only in the event of the death of the Prince will I become Queen, otherwise I become just another Lady of the Court. I’ll become just a pampered Princess
who will be mated to some ranking member of the household. It will be that male's responsibility to provide for me then. I would rather plow the fields
beside a farmer that I loved than lay in the bed of a rich male I detest. Such a man's line would die with him because I would never open my womb to his
seed. Besides, I have already been shown who is to be my husband. That is how it is with our kind. The female often knows before the male. I shall love him
and he shall love me. I will wear his family colors proudly and present him with many strong healthy offspring.” That the females of the Lexonian race
controlled when and with whom they had children was not widely known. Jon only knew because his aunt had taught him many things about both the humans and the lexonians.

“You're pretty sure of yourself on that, aren't you?” Jon asked her.

She winked at him and told him that she was.

“Well, I wish you many cycles of happiness with the lucky male who is your chosen. Right now I think its time for me to be leaving. Thank you for sitting
with me while I ate. I've enjoyed your company.” Jon told her as he finished the last of his waffles and stood up from the table.

“May I come visit your home Jon Connell? I would like to see the home that the
Jon Connell
of legend built.” Satrina asked him.

“I have no objections. You may visit me anytime I'm at home. Maybe today isn't a good time though.” Jon told her. “Isn't it forbidden for you to be in the
house of an unmated male without a chaperon?”

“I am also forbidden to leave the Palace grounds. Right now I'll wager the entire Royal Guard are out searching for me.” she told him.

Waving to the cook and the waitress he waved his personal wristband over a scanner to pay the bill and walked outside. Once out of the diner Jon turned and
looked at the Princess. “I would very much like it if you came to visit me. You can come right now. I'll drive nice and slow so you can keep up.” he told
Satrina.

“Where you lead, I shall follow Jon Connell.” she replied with a smile that made Jon's heart skip a beat.

Jon smiled down at her and then jumped over the doors of his small hover craft and started it up. Soon both craft where skimming the roadway at a
reasonable speed. Partly so that Satrina could keep up and partly because Jon needed time to think. Right now he had two big concerns. If the Royal Guard
were indeed out looking for her, having her hover craft parked at his home could spell disaster for his military career. Secondly, what would he say if his
house disgusted her? This female was used to the extreme luxury of the Royal Palace, not the rustic simplicity of his well-maintained mountain home.
“You’ve really stuck your foot in it this time youngling.“ he scolded himself using one of his uncle's favorite sayings. “Too late now, here's the turn off.” he remarked to no one but the wind.

Jon turned into the long driveway that lead to his house and the closer to the actual building he got the faster his heart beat. He was starting to feel
like he had as a child when he had snuck out after dark to see if there really were snipes in the forest at night. He had stood with his pillowcase and a
flashlight all night waiting, but nothing had shown up. His uncle had assured him that if he stood very still and shown the light through the pillowcase,
it would attract the snipe and one would run into the pillowcase. All he had gotten was bitten by every insect in the forest and a bad case of the
sniffles. It wasn't until aunt Gala had treated the insect bites and scolded him for going out at night alone that his uncle told him he had used the wrong
light. Snipe were only attracted to green lights. Jon decided his uncle was having fun with him when aunt Gala punched his uncle in the stomach hard enough
to pick herself off the floor and uncle Billy had just laughed. Every memory Jon had of the three of them together here was a good memory. Always filled
with love and laughter.

“Pull your craft under the port over there. That way if they are out looking for you they won't see your craft from the air.” he instructed Satrina as he
pointed to the covered landing pads beside the house. She nodded her head and moved her hovercraft as he'd suggested. She had her mate alone now and did not
want the Royal Guards breaking the door down to get to her before she could claim him.

Jon opened the front door and held it open for Satrina to walk through. For once Satrina could be herself without all the pomp and circumstance that went
along with being a Royal at the Palace. Here she was just a regular female and her giant, while he could never be “just a male”, was at ease and not stiff
or afraid to say or do the wrong thing. She carefully took the two steps down from the door to the floor of the spacious living area with its huge
fireplace and comfortable looking furniture. She was most impressed by the way the house was designed to start wide at the bottom and angled up to a point
at the top. Then there were all the exposed beams of real wood, likely cut from the forest near here many cycles ago.

“The kitchen area is straight across and back up two steps, then on the upper level is the sleeping chamber, relief chamber and bathing area. Down those
stairs there is another space where my uncle added a hidden room as an office. He called it his den, but it’s really an office. With a desk and chair,
several comfortable chairs and a lot of paintings that family legend says were brought here by the first
Jon Connell
. They supposedly were found
in a magic cavern not far from here.” Jon gave her the five second tour. “There are also two more sleeping areas and a full relief chamber down in the
lower level complete with a bathing unit. One of them was my room when I was growing up here. Jon and Leadora added the lower level when they needed the extra room for their offspring.”

It didn't take long to let her investigate each of the rooms as he explained some of the things she had never seen before. Then as they were about to climb
up to the sleeping area so Jon could show her the view from the deck, Satrina quickly went ahead of Jon and up two steps before turning and leaping into
his arms. Oh Goddess, the male was like a mountain! So massive and strong. So hard and still soft and warm. She had never felt so safe in her life as she
did at this moment with his arms wrapped around her.

She threw her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to her mouth before kissing him firmly on the lips. As she felt him begin to relax she explored
his lips with her tongue until he opened his mouth. Quickly she stabbed her tongue into his mouth and began to swirl her tongue around his until he pushed
back and rammed his tongue into her mouth. That is when her body reacted of it own accord and her essence began to flow. As a thirsty man gulps down water,
Jon took every drop of her essence without even stopping to breathe.

Jon was totally unprepared for Satrina's leap. Somehow he had managed to catch her tiny body to prevent her from falling, but what happened next was the
real stunner. Everywhere her body touched his, he felt the heat of desire even through their clothes. When she kissed him his mind exploded! She tasted so
sweet. Just as he remembered from that innocent introductory kiss on her hand, she tasted of wild honey! Jon drank her in like a dying man drinks down life
giving water. Somewhere in the far reaches of his brain he remembered his aunt teaching him about Lexonian female’s mating essence and how it was
delivered. However, he was too busy enjoying the kiss to focus on such things as his aunt’s history lessons.

After several seconds they broke the kiss and each tried to speak only to find themselves breathless. Jon recovered first, “Rina, what have you done to me.
My head is still spinning. That was a great kiss. You taste so sweet. You are like the wild honey I learned to find and take from the bees as a boy. Do you
sting like they do?”

“I don't think I sting, shall we find out?” she questioned him looking suggestively up at the bedroom upstairs.

“Rina, I don't think that would be a good idea. I am only going to be here for a few more days and then I have to return to the Peacekeepers.” Jon wanted
nothing more than to carry this beautiful female up those stairs and make passionate love to her, but he knew he could not. Hell, considering the
difference in their size, he would probably split her apart if he tried to rush their lovemaking. No, to do it right would take several hours of careful
teasing and playful efforts. “I cannot use you and then leave you while I go fulfill my contract. What would happen to you should I become injured or worse
yet even die? I know how you Lexonians put so much value on your females remaining chaste until they are properly mated.”

“My heart doesn't care, it wants all of you right now, but my head knows your words are true. I must have my father's blessing before I can fully mate, but
know this Jon Connell. I, Crown Princess Satrina of the Lexonian Confederation claim you as my mate, now and forever! I shall keep myself only for you. No
other male will ever touch me or have me! I shall proudly wear your house colors and bear your offspring in due season.”

“I'm not sure I'll say the right words, but here goes. Know this Satrina, Crown Princess of the Lexonian Confederation, I, Jon Connell, accept your claim
on me and offer my own claim back upon you. I shall keep myself only for you. I shall give my life to protect you and keep you safe. I promise this now and
forever.” Jon waited a few seconds before asking, “Did I say the right things?”

“Yes. But now I must also accept your claim on me. I freely accept your claim Jon Connell. “With her voice shaking and tears filling her eyes Satrina told
him. “Please, just hold me now.”

Cradling her in his arms like a small child, Jon walked to one of the couches and sat down with her in his lap. Not a single word was said by either of
them for a long time until a low growl could be heard near the sliding backdoor to the house. Satrina looked up at Jon with fear in her eyes. “What was
that?”

“That was Talga, my tiger. He must have sensed the smell of a stranger in the area.” Jon told her. “Can you learn to love another giant? This one has been
my friend for many cycles. I trust him with my life and he trusts me with his.”

“If he loves you only a tiny bit as much as I do, I already love him.”

“Let me up then and I'll introduce you to my one true friend.” Jon told her. Then taking her tiny hand in his much larger one he led her to the door where
nothing but a thin sheet of clear plastisteel separated them from a huge solid black saber-tooth as it paced back and forth. Seeing them through the clear
panel, Talga stopped his pacing and sat looking first at Jon and then at Satrina. To Satrina, it seemed as thought the massive cat's fierce green eyes
pierced straight through her and she trembled before wrapping her arms around Jon's waist.

“THAT'S ONE OF HAVEN'S TIGERS!” she exclaimed. “I don't think your friend likes me.” she next whimpered.

“He is taking your measure, trying to make up his mind if you are friend or foe. Come my tiny tigress, time for you to meet my brother.” Jon effortlessly
lifted Satrina off the floor, slid opened the backdoor and carried her over to a chair where he sat placing her back in his lap. “Ignore him and look only
at me. In fact, kiss me again.” Jon instructed. Satrina was a fast learner. She wasted no time at all in curling herself into a tight little ball in her
giant's lap and kissing her male with all of the passion she dared to release with her clothes still on and a wild tiger watching. Except for the huge cat
behind her, this was how she wanted to spend her days. Wrapped in the warmth and safety of her giant. His rock hard body with its strong muscles and tender
touch, her thoughts only on him and her entire being on fire with love was all she'd ever need for real happiness again.

Soon Talga grew impatient with this new animal sitting in its human's lap. He remembered how he had once sat in that same lap, in that same chair, when he
was still a helpless kit and how safe it always made him feel. He had curled into a small ball just like this being was doing. He had slept for many bliss
filled hours in his human's lap. Was this then some frightened new animal come to take his place? Did it need to be protected just as had he? Will he have
to share his milk with it? What are they doing with their mouths and why is it taking so long? What are those moans coming from the new animal? Is that how
it purrs? It seems happy enough to be with his human. Enough of this! He will not be ignored!

Talga walked over and lowered his massive head to gently bump the new thing. After the third bump it finally responded.

Jon felt Talga bumping Satrina so he held her tighter to let her know not to move yet. After the third and before the fourth bump Jon broke their kiss and
smiled at her. “You taste so sweet to me. I could drink your kisses forever.” Jon truthfully told her. “Stay in my lap, but turn around and look at him.”

Doing as she was told, Satrina gasped at the size of the beast. Sitting in Jon's lap had the big cat's head in line with her own. “Does he always look so
scary?” she asked.

“Only when he's thinking. You're something very new around here. You are the size of aunt Gala, but you don't smell like her. Now, after that kiss and
because you've been wrapped against me, you also have my scent on you. He knows you are neither Aunt Gala nor me, so what are you? Get ready, I'm going to
call to him and he will move closer. Just stay still in my lap and do not show any fear. Be strong my tiny tigress.” Jon warned her and she nodded to let
him know she would try, but he felt the fear inside her at being so close to a wild beast.