Quest for the Moon Orb: Orbs of Rathira (43 page)

“Do not worry, Lady Techu, Cousin Zakiel,” Bredon said with a brief bow.  “I will see Kapia to her tent and watch over her in your absence.”

Bredon’s expression, if not his words, told Karma that he was promising to behave himself, and that he would not take advantage of Kapia while she was away.  Karma half expected Kapia to be upset at this, feeling as though she were being treated as though she were a child.  But Kapia’s expression indicated she was pleased at the prospect of a little time with Bredon out of the way of watching eyes.

“Nikura?”
she asked silently.

“Don’t worry, Lady Techu,”
he said wryly. 
“I’ve no wish to join either of you.  I think I will go see how the fishing is.”

“Watch out for crocodiles,”
she said, worried after what Rosia had told them.  Nikura was big, but not that big.

Nikura curled his lip, baring his teeth as his low chuckle sounded in her mind.  She had the distinct impression that the prospect of crossing the path of a crocodile was one he would enjoy.  She shook her head as she watched him walk off into the darkness toward the beach.

Zakiel touched her arm, instantly gaining her full attention.  She slipped her hand into his and smiled up at him as they parted ways with Kapia and Brendon, and entered his tent.  He led her into the chamber they had used the night before and she blushed as she sat down on a cushion beside the table.  Zakiel left, returning a moment later with two cups and his silver flask.

“You are embarrassed?” he asked, noting the pink in her cheeks as he opened the flask and poured wine into both cups.

“A little,” she admitted, accepting one of the cups from him and raising it to her lips.  She took a sip, then another, liking the way the liquid warmed her mouth and throat as she swallowed.

“Why are you embarrassed?” Zakiel asked.

“I was raised with stricter rules between men and women than you were, I think,” she said.  “We’ve not only broken them, we’ve destroyed them.”

“Do you regret what we did last night?” he asked.

“Not a moment of it,” she replied at once.  “I no longer believe in most of the dictates I was raised with.  But everyone will know we are here together right now, and will make their own guesses as to what we do.  That’s embarrassing to me.”

Zakiel nodded in understanding.  “We see things a bit differently here.  Before a couple is engaged, there are many rules that must be obeyed, many lines that cannot be crossed.  Once they become engaged, that changes.  It is expected that they will want to spend more time together, get to know each other better without being under the watchful eyes of chaperones.  There are lines that should not be crossed, but what occurs between them is considered to be their business.”

“Such freedom is not granted in my culture until after the couple is safely married,” Karma said.  “An engagement can be broken, after all.”

“That is the difference then,” Zakiel said.  “Here, an engagement cannot be broken without serious consequences to both the man and the woman.”

“What’s the point of engagement then?” Karma asked.

“As I said, it is a time for them to get to know each other better, become more comfortable with each other.  By the time they are married and find themselves alone in a new home with only each other for company, it is hoped that there will be more excitement and pleasure in the situation than fear and uncertainty.”

“I see,” Karma said, sipping her wine again.  “That actually makes a lot of sense.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Zakiel said.  “Karma, I promised you that I would do nothing to dishonor you.  Did you not believe me?”

“I did not consider our desire to be with each other dishonorable,” Karma replied. 

“Then why is it that you are nervous?” Zakiel asked.

Karma took another sip of the wine and put the cup down before forcing herself to meet his gaze straight on.  “What does your culture say about virginity?”

“That it should be saved until marriage,” he said.  “Although, again, once a couple is engaged, what they do is their business.  What does your culture say?”

“That it should be saved until marriage,” Karma replied.  She swallowed hard and said what she had to say.  “I admit to breaking many of the rules I was taught, Zakiel, but I don’t want to break that one.”

“Nor do I,” Zakiel replied with a smile.  “As difficult as I fear it will become, I want us to save that moment for our wedding night.”

Karma smiled with relief.  She knew it was hopelessly old-fashioned, even archaic in some cultures, but it was what she wanted to do.

“However,” Zakiel said, placing his palm against her cheek and leaning down, his lips so close they brushed hers when he spoke.  “I am more than happy to skirt that particular act as closely as possible.”

Karma laughed and he pressed his lips to hers, finally giving in to his urge to capture that husky sound for himself.  She opened her mouth to him and he deepened the kiss instantly, too eager to go slowly.  He’d spent the entire day trying not to think about her taste, her scent, her touch.  When she responded with equal passion it sent an almost painful thrill of arousal through his body, leaving him harder and hotter than ever. 

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and guided them both down on the cushions, breaking the kiss only when his lungs demanded he stop for air.  He gazed into her eyes, the silver stars shining against the soft gray, and his heart skipped a beat at the undisguised love he saw in them.  He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her again, slower this time, more tenderly, to tell her he’d seen her feelings and returned them in full measure.

The feel of her hands working at the laces on his pants startled him, and he pulled back to see a smile on her face unlike any he’d seen before.  He cocked an eyebrow at her and her smile widened into a grin.

“I told you last night, I’ve been dying to see what’s beneath these pants of yours,” she said.  “I’m not leaving here tonight until my curiosity has been satisfied.”

Zakiel returned her grin and reached down to help her with the laces.  “I could not bear to disappoint you,
valia
,” he said.  Once he had the laces open he withdrew his hand and waited to see what she would do next. 

“No,” she said, “that’s not good enough.  I want to see, Zakiel.  Please?”

“Really?” he asked.  He’d thought she wanted to touch him again, but the idea of a woman actually wanting to see his body was a new one.  One glance at her face and he knew she was serious.  He had no intention of denying her anything she wanted, even if he didn’t understand it.  “Very well.”

He sat up and removed his boots, then stood up to slide his pants off.  He looked at her once more to be sure this was what she wanted.  The expression of curiosity, desire and anticipation on her face nearly brought him to his knees.  He gritted his teeth against the sudden urge to come and held his breath, wondering how she brought him so close so quickly with only a look. 

After a few moments, carefully not watching her watch him, he slid his leather pants off and dropped them to the floor.  Almost before he knew it, Karma was on her knees before him, her hands on his thighs.

He stared down at her in shock, his mouth too dry to speak, watching as she studied his body for a long moment.  Her hands slid up his thighs, then across his hips to his cock, which was so hard that it hung away from his body, the broad mushroom shaped head pointing toward her.  She gently wrapped one hand around it as far as she could and stroked him gently the way he’d showed her the night before.  He clenched his jaw, but made no move to stop her, unable to take his eyes from her face.

She reached down with her other hand and fondled the heavy testicles hanging between his legs.  He shuddered, locking his knees to prevent himself from falling to the floor.  She stroked him a few more times, exploring his long, thick shaft with her eyes and her fingers, causing his skin to pebble over and over in hot rushes.  The only reason he was able to prevent himself from coming was the open expression of curiosity, love and desire on her face.  He would not ruin this moment for her. 

As he watched, a drop of fluid seeped from the head of his cock and caught her attention.  She leaned forward so that her warm breath caressed him, then she opened her mouth, and caught the pearl of fluid on the tip of her delicate little tongue. 

Zakiel threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut, every muscle in his body trembling with the effort to hold back and remain still for her.  He had never dreamed she would do such a thing for him, could hardly believe that she
had
done it.  He was uncertain whether it was the utter innocence of her actions, or the sight of her tongue on his cock that had him fighting so hard to hang on to his last vestiges of control.  But when the warm, soft sensation of her lips wrapped around the head of his cock, and her hot tongue swirled slowly around the sensitive flesh, he lost his battle.  Without thinking he arched his hips toward her, pushing himself deeper into her hot, deliciously soft, wet mouth.  His hands went to her head, his fingers sinking into her glossy hair as he held her still for him.  Suddenly aware of what he was doing he pulled back, but her hands gripped his buttocks and refused to allow him to withdraw.  Unable to resist her obvious desire, he thrust forward again, carefully this time, trying to control himself to some extent. 

He came a little, fighting to hold back, but knowing that some of his essence had spilled into her mouth in spite of his efforts.  He expected her to pull back in distaste and braced himself for the loss.  Her deep moan of pleasure at the taste of him was totally unexpected, and sent him flying over the edge he’d fought so hard to hang onto. 

He thrust forward, completely out of control as his orgasm ripped through him with such force he nearly fell on top of her.  But Karma was stronger than she looked, and she held his hips tightly, taking as much of his thick, pulsing flesh into her mouth as she could manage as she helped to support him. 

When the first hot spurt of his seed shot into her mouth she squeezed her legs together and shuddered, her pussy clenching tightly.  Then another spurt, and another, each one stoking her own arousal higher and higher.  Then Zakiel, losing his battle for silence, shouted his pleasure, sending her into an orgasm of her own.  She pressed her mouth tighter to him, feeling his hot, wide cock push against the back of her throat which intensified her orgasm until she was squeezing his hips with her arms, holding him tightly as her body quivered and shook with her own climax.

The first thing Zakiel realized as his body began to come back down after the intensity of his orgasm was that he had two fistfuls of Karma’s hair.  He relaxed his fingers, releasing her hair and smoothing it down.  Karma relaxed her grip on his hips, and slowly leaned back, allowing his softening flesh to slip from her mouth.  She bent forward to give him one last kiss, then leaned all the way back, lying down against the cushions again as she tried to catch her breath.

Zakiel laid down beside her and pulled her into his arms, his heart still beating faster than normal.  He opened his mouth to speak, but found that he couldn’t.  He reached over to the table behind him and picked up his wine, taking a long drink of it.  Karma’s head raised up off of his chest and he offered the cup to her.

“I cannot believe you did that,” he said, placing the empty cup back on the table.  He felt her body stiffen in his arms, and realized she’d misunderstood him.

“
Valia
, that was the single most erotic thing I have ever seen or felt in my life,” he said, gazing into her eyes.  “I never expected you to do that, and I would never ask it of you.  But I will never forget it.”

“Why is it so different from what you did last night?” she asked curiously.

“I don’t know,” he replied.  “It just is.”

“Well, I don’t know if this will shock you further, but I enjoyed it a great deal,” she said meaningfully.  “In fact, I got the same type of pleasure from it that you got.”

Zakiel frowned as he tried to understand her meaning.  His eyes widened in surprise.  “Do you mean to say you climaxed from that?”

“Yes, I did,” she said, watching him carefully.  “Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, my love,” he said, smiling.  “There is nothing wrong with anything we do together, so long as we are both happy, and receive pleasure.  Unfortunately, I am now more anxious for us to be married than ever.”

Karma laid her head back on his chest, comforted by the sound and feel of his heart beating beneath her cheek.  “I know, I feel the same,” she said.  “We are just going to have to wait until we return to Ka-Teru though.  Unless one of the Hunters or servants is capable of performing a marriage ceremony for us.”

“I think it’s safe to assume that is not the case,” he replied.  “However, I think Rosia could probably do it.”

Karma raised her head again and studied his face as she considered that.  She sighed.  “I don’t think we have time.  We must leave first thing in the morning.”

“Yes, you are right, I know,” Zakiel replied. 

“Perhaps on our return we can ask her?” Karma suggested.

Zakiel smiled.  “Yes, I like that idea.  I know that my father will want a formal ceremony when we return home, so you will not miss out on that.  But I would like us to be married as soon as we can.”