Lesson 11 Xerven Traditions 201

She fit into my arms perfectly. Her lips, so soft and gentle, moulded against mine. I knew deep within my heart that this was meant to be. We'd been raised a galaxy apart, but we'd always been meant to be together. We were two halves of a whole and for the first time in my life, I felt complete. Pure joy filled my soul. I wanted to scream with happiness. Tara was mine, my mate, my female, my queen. Holding her in my arms was the best feeling in the universe.

I deepened the kiss and she opened her lips willingly, letting me in. I playfully swiped my tongue against hers before claiming her mouth. I'd been holding back for so long, but now I was letting go. I gave myself to her. Poured all my pent-up emotions into our kiss. Showed her just how much she meant to me.

I don't know how long we stood like that, our breaths mingling, our bodies entwined. We were one. How it was supposed to be.

Her hands roamed over my back, slipping under my tunic. Shivers ran down my skin and straight into my cocks. I was harder than ever before. My mating cock pulsed within its sleeve, begging to be released. Soon. I'd not explained the starlight ritual to her yet. Was she ready? I hoped she was.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips bright red, her pupils wide. I wanted to kiss her again right away. My mate was the prettiest female in the universe. And she was mine.

An'tia snorted impatiently, as if to say, get a room. I smirked, amused by the stabhorn's manipulation. She'd get extra treats after we'd completed the ritual. She was manipulating and arrogant, a true diva, but without her, I would never have found Tara.

I returned my attention to my mate. A smile played around her swollen lips. She looked happier than I'd ever seen her. For a moment, I was sad that she'd been unable to be this happy for the first week of our journey. I should have handled it all differently. Maybe if I'd figured out An'tia's manipulation earlier, it wouldn't have been as hard for Tara. But it was too late to change the past. All I could do was ensure that she'd have the happiest future imaginable.

"Thank you," I said, my voice hoarse with emotion.

"For what?"

"For trusting me. For letting go of your doubts. For giving me the best kiss I've ever had."

She quirked an eyebrow. "The best, huh? I think we can top that."

She put her hands on my hips, pulling me closer. Amused, I leaned down and kissed her once again. Talks about the ritual could wait.

An'tia'simpatient whinnies ended our kiss. She was hungry. Tara and I worked together to fill her trough and make sure she had enough water.

"Let's give her some time alone," Tara said with a grin. I bet she wasn't suggesting that just for the stabhorn's sake. As tempted as I was to take her right into my bedroom and start the ritual, I didn't want to rush her. Instead, we headed to the relaxation quarter. I ordered two kiki shakes from Andromeda and they appeared on the table a few clicks later.

"What"s that?" Tara asked when I handed her a glass.

"Kiki shakes, a delicacy from planet Kardar. I don"t know what they"re made from, probably better not to know. But they"re delicious. Try it."

She gave the murky grey liquid a questioning look, but then took a cautious sip. I watched with pleasure as her eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up. Her face was so expressive.

"That"s delicious," she moaned and drained the glass with a few large gulps. "Can I have another?"

With a grin, I passed her demand on to Andromeda. I sipped my shake slowly, my attention fully focused on my mate. I loved seeing her this happy and relaxed. She finished her second shake before I emptied my glass. I made a mental note to provide her with daily shakes. They were full of essential vitamins and minerals. Essential for Xervens, but maybe for Peritans as well. I would have to look it up. Andromeda had strict instructions to only serve food and drinks suitable for Peritans, but I hadn"t researched if the same things were healthy for the both of us. It would be strange if Xerven junk food turned out to be nutritious for Tara.

We sat down on one of the benches, our thighs touching. I didn"t even mind that the bench was uncomfortable because it wasn"t made for my tall frame.

"I would like to talk about the starlight ritual," I said and took her hand. She didn"t pull away. On the contrary, she leaned against my side and rested her head on my shoulder. I had to crouch to let her do that, but I"d take the discomfort to make her happy.

"What is it?" she asked. Her voice was so lovely when she wasn"t screaming at me.

"The ritual will cement the mating bond between us. It will give you the same legal rights on Allopo that I have, but it will also... How do I put this without sounding crude?"

"Just spit it out," she encouraged, using one of her strange expressions. I wasn"t going to spit on her.

"How many cocks do Peritan males have?" I blurted. I"d forgotten to check.

Tara looked at me as if I"d grown Ferven horns. "One. What are you saying? You have more than one?"

Her gaze flicked to my crotch, but she caught herself quickly and focused back on my face. I imagined how she was fighting the temptation to look back at my trousers, which felt way too tight by now.

"I have two," I confirmed. "One is my pleasure cock, which has been active ever since I reached maturity. The other is my mating cock, trapped in a sleeve until my mate releases it during the starlight ritual. Only the mating cock can pass on my seed to a female. And my mate is the only one who will ever get to feel both my cocks inside of her."

Tara sucked in a sharp breath. "Both? At the same time?"

"Of course. I have been told it is even more pleasurable for the female than it is for the male."

Again, she couldn"t resist peeking at my crotch. "How does that work? I don"t know what Xerven women look like down below, but I doubt there"s space for two dicks inside me. Unless they"re tiny. Wait, what size - no, never mind." Her cheeks reddened again. Adorable.

"They will fit," I reassured her. "My mating cock will change shape to match your physiology. It"s why Xervens can find mates among other species. We"re...flexible."

Tara giggled. "You don"t want to know what I"m thinking just now. But that means your, what did you call it, pleasure cock can"t make a woman pregnant?"

"It cannot. It is only there to help a male gather experience which will in turn help him pleasure his future mate properly. But nobody has ever seen or touched my mating cock, not even I. It is for you alone."

"That"s almost romantic, if a little weird." She laughed again. "So what does that ritual entail?"

"Usually, the couple"s family will attend, but I don"t want my sire to be part of it and your family-"

"I don"t have one," she interrupted brusquely.

I"d noticed that she"d never mentioned wanting to return to her family during our fights, only her home. It had made me realise her family was either dead or estranged from her. One day, I"d ask her, but I didn"t want to ruin the mood. Not now that we were so close to becoming permanent mates.

"We will do the ritual together, just us," I continued. "Unless you want An"tia to watch."

Tara"s wide grin returned. "No way."

"I agree. We will both cleanse ourselves, then present our naked bodies to each other. It signifies openness and trust. There are some old Xerven words we have to say, but you can simply follow my lead. Then you remove the sleeve of my mating cock and-"

"Wait," she interrupted. "This is terribly unromantic. I don"t want to hear all of it in advance. It might put me off going through with it. Right now, I"m crazy enough to do your ritual. I should probably wait and take off my rose-tinted glasses, but fuck it. If An"tia thinks we"re to be together, then so be it. It"s not like I have anything waiting for me on Earth. I always wanted to travel. And we won"t have to stay on your planet all the time, right? We can visit my friends. Who probably believe I"m dead by now. Maybe not such a good idea. I should-"

I put a finger on her lips, silencing her. "Yes. We can go wherever you want. Once my sire determines that I have completed the job, I will be paid and will have the resources to give you the life you deserve."

"I will find some sort of job," Tara promised. "I don"t want to be a lone little housewife. I don"t know what I"ll be able to do on your planet, but I definitely won"t sit at home all day, waiting for you to come home."

"I never expected you to stay at home," I said quickly. "You could start as my apprentice, working with stabhorns. You"re so good with An"tia that I don"t think it"ll take long for you to learn how to care for other stabhorns. We could make a business out of it. Our own stabhorn park."

Tara shot me one of her beautiful smiles. "I like that. As long as none of them try to matchmake again. I don"t want to be stabbed."

I laughed. "After the starlight ritual, even the most stubborn stabhorn will know that we"re together. There will never be another female in my life. Never. You"re the one, Tara Crawford. Are you ready for the ritual?"

She bit her bottom lip. With every click that passed in silence, my heart grew heavier, until she finally nodded. "Yes. I"m ready."