The Mating Ritual (10 page)

“Cormac!” He may have been a descendent from
some legendary beast, but there was nothing crude or lacking about
his lovemaking skills. He was thorough and sophisticated, and knew
how to find all of her hot spots.

Close to losing control, Toni closed her eyes
and rode his cock with total abandon, with one goal in mind—to give
them both pleasure. The drums and noises of other couples making
love outside the light of the fire drowned out their mutual sounds
of gratification. His hands left her breasts, gliding down to her
hips, forcing Toni to pick up speed.
Oh God!
A kaleidoscope
of sensations swept over her senses. She was on a roller coaster
ride, about to plummet off the tracks.

A powerful orgasm ripped through Toni. She
cried out, her body held captive by the sheer bliss surging through
her. Cormac sat up at the same time, holding her close. His roar
resonated through the camp. He buried his fingers in Toni’s hair
and jerked her head back, covering her mouth with his. They
convulsed out of control against each other. Toni crumpled against
him, drained and out of breath while Cormac’s cock moved
unrelentingly until his balls were empty. He finally jerked one
last time, and the camp erupted joyously around them.

Toni opened her eyes to see that some of the
people were dancing around the fire again, while others lay on the
ground as if they’d collapsed. No one seemed to be paying them any
mind. She buried her face against Cormac, assuming that the mating
ritual was over. Sensing her unease, he untangled himself from her
and got to his feet, pulling Toni up with him.

“You are my life-mate now,” he stated
passionately, cupping her face. He began to lower his face, and
Toni lifted hers for his kiss.

“Not for long, Cormac!” said an angry voice
from behind Cormac.

Someone screamed a warning, and Cormac shoved
Toni away, swinging around with the speed of a striking snake to
face Malik. Toni landed on the ground, looking up at the two men
with shock and fear, barely aware that Lila and Didi had made their
way to her. She felt something go around her shoulders, and then
she was being helped to her feet.

“Your woman will be in my bed tonight,” Malik
continued, lunging at Cormac with a knife in his hands.

Toni’s scream turned Cormac’s attention to
her, a mistake that worked in Malik’s favor. His knife sliced over
the bulging muscle of Cormac’s arm, leaving a thin line of red that
soon began to run down the rest of his arm. His second lunge sliced
through air when Cormac jumped back at the last second.

“Come,” Lila said into Toni’s ear, trying to
draw her away.

“No!” Toni cried out, unable to take her eyes
off the scene.

“You must,” Didi insisted. “For Cormac’s
sake. Your presence here will distract him.”

Toni shook her head, unable to comprehend
what she was hearing. Her gaze was riveted on Cormac and Malik, as
they were twisting and rolling on the ground. “Why isn’t someone
helping Cormac?”

“That is not our way,” Didi explained. “Malik
has challenged Cormac for you. They must fight.”

Toni wanted to ask why Malik waited until
after the mating ritual to challenge Cormac, but it really didn’t
matter now. The two men were going at it like wild, dangerous,
animals, kicking up dirt, grunting, slamming each other against the
ground. Malik was the only one brandishing a weapon, and there were
several places weeping blood on Cormac’s upper torso.

Toni gasped when Malik raised his knife,
aiming for Cormac’s heart. Tears burned her eyes at the same time
that a breath of relief escaped her when he caught Malik’s wrist in
mid-air. They twisted and slammed to the ground again, rolling.
Malik wound up on top, but a second later Cormac rolled until he
was on top.

“Come, Toni. Cormac will expect you to be
waiting for him.” Lila said, urging her to go with them.

How could she be so sure that Cormac would
win? Toni wanted to believe that he would, but real life didn’t
always have happy endings or go the way that you wanted. She
reluctantly let Lila and Didi drag her away. As they led her to one
of the shelters, Toni’s gaze drifted back to Cormac and Malik more
than once.
If anything happens to him…

“The victor will come for you.”

“I don’t understand you people,” Toni said,
fighting back tears. “How can you just stand around and do nothing
while two men fight like animals?” She turned to face Lila.

Anger glinted in the older woman’s eyes. “Do
you think Oh-Mah would follow a leader who can’t fight for and win
what he wants?” Toni stubbornly remained silent. “Only the best,
the strongest, lead Oh-Mah,” Lila said in a calm tone that
contradicted her expression.

“Is not the first time Cormac has had to
prove himself,” Didi added in a softer, more understanding
tone.

Is that supposed to make me feel
better?
Toni took a broken breath and wiped at her cheeks. She
turned her back on the two women and moved further into the
shelter. The first thing her gaze fell on was the bed of white furs
stacked against one makeshift wall.
The bridal bed?
Other
than a small fire pit in the center of the room there was a large
wooden bowl of water and another filled with some kind of fruit or
vegetables.

“And if Malik wins? I’m just supposed to
submit to him?” Toni didn’t even want to think about Cormac not
winning.

“It is how it has always been.” Lila’s tone
was matter-of-fact. “It is our way.”

Speechless, Toni watched them leave. There
was no way in hell she was going to let Malik touch her. Cormac was
bigger and stronger, but Malik had attacked him right after they’d
made love, when Cormac’s strength had been compromised. Malik had
stacked the odds in his favor, the coward!

Toni fought the urge to run back out there
and help Cormac in some way, even knowing there wasn’t much that
she could do between two giants. She prayed Cormac was the one to
walk through the crude doorway, and began to look around her,
unsure what she was looking for. Then she saw it, a small
primitive-type knife sitting in the bowl of food. Elated, she
snatched it up. If Malik walked through the doorway, she wouldn’t
hesitate to use it on him.

With nowhere else to go, Toni stationed
herself right next to the doorway, raising the knife and preparing
to strike if Malik came through. A surprise attack would be more in
her favor. She heard something outside the shelter, then a hand
pulled aside the soft fur hanging as the door, and Toni brought the
knife down. Cormac turned, caught her wrist in mid-air, and hauled
her against him.

“Must I fight you, too, little one?” His tone
was slightly amused.

“Oh, thank God!” Toni cried, sinking against
Cormac gratefully. “I was so scared you were Malik.” The knife fell
from her hand. She heard his indrawn hiss and backed away. “Are you
hurt?” She stepped back with concern, running her gaze over him.
“You’re hurt!” she gasped. She took a quick inventory of his
wounds, which all appeared to be superficial. “Did you… Is Malik…?”
Toni wasn’t even sure she wanted to know what had happened to
Malik.

“Sunie is tending him,” Cormac responded. “We
don’t fight to the death.”

“But Malik had a knife.” She was still
trembling from the ordeal.

Cormac smiled, “The challenger is allowed a
weapon,” he explained.

That hardly seemed fair. “I think I have a
lot to learn about Oh-Mah,” Toni admitted reluctantly, realizing
what she was saying. Had she decided to stay with them? “I’m happy
it was you who won.”

“You are my life-mate now.” He stated
passionately, cupping her face as he’d done before Malik had made
his presence known.

“But─” His finger touched her lips, silencing
her. Toni gulped, feeling an emotion swell inside her heart that
she wasn’t prepared for. She couldn’t exactly call it love, but it
was a deep feeling of affection.

“You will have my babies.” His hand covered
her flat belly. “They will suckle from your beautiful breasts.” His
hand moved to her breast. “As my woman I will protect you
always.”

Toni felt moisture fill her eyes at the
unexpected passion in his voice. His touch was tender, his eyes
fiercely claiming. He was committing himself to her in the only way
he knew how. Cormac offered her more than she’d ever had outside
his world.

“In time, you will learn our ways. You will
accept your new life, and you will learn to be happy with me.”

Toni thought that time would be sooner than
later. She stood on tiptoe and offered him her lips. Cormac didn’t
hesitate, and as their kiss grew, so did their passion. As the
celebration continued outside, they sank down onto the bed of soft
animal hides, exploring each other with eager hands and mouths,
their hunger renewed.

Cormac made love to Toni as if it was their
first time, worshipping her body with gentle caresses. He probed
her pussy, and the opening to her anus with careful control. His
kisses were long and sweet, and he tongued her nipples as if he was
savoring sweet, ripe berries. Toni arched her body against his,
sighing with pleasure as she ran her hands over his hard, and
muscular frame mindful of his wounds.

“Cormac!” she whispered passionately, using
the head of his cock to pleasure her clit. Toni moved her hips up
and down, straining for the ultimate ecstasy while at the same time
wanting to fulfill his needs. She kissed and nipped her way to his
nipples, biting and pulling on them until he sucked in his breath
and thrust forward, penetrating her pussy as far as his cock could
reach.

She raised her legs over his shoulders and
his deep grunt told her that he liked the new position. Toni liked
it too. It allowed her to feel every inch of his magnificent cock
as it glided over her clit and sank deeply into her body. Further
stimulation came from the feel of his heavy balls slapping against
her butt. Cormac’s low groan told her he was nearing an orgasm.

“Oh God! Oh God!” she cried out, overtaken by
a throng of mini orgasms. She jerked uncontrollably beneath
Cormac.

He halted what he was doing. “I’m hurting
you?”

Toni shook her head. “Your cock is rubbing
against my G-spot.”

“G-spot?”

“It’s a certain spot inside a woman that
gives her great pleasure,” she explained, closing her eyes. Every
time Cormac’s cock twitched it felt like someone pressing a finger
directly on the ultra-sensitive area. She didn’t know how much more
she could take.

“So this feels good?” Cormac shifted his hips
so that it forced his cock to move against the roof of Toni’s
channel. She sucked in her breath, nodding yes. His passion-filled
eyes actually filled with humor. “This, too?” He put his hands on
her hips, and the next time that he did it he forced Toni’s body
downward at the same time.

“Ohhhh, Cormac!” she yelled out, overwhelmed
by the intense orgasm exploding around his cock.

Toni shook against him wildly, lost in
rapture, her breath stolen from her in a moment of total bliss. She
tightened her muscles around his shaft, holding tightly until he,
too, lost control. With a thundering bellow, Cormac climaxed. Their
sweat covered bodies shuddering uncontrollably as they rested,
panting, against each other.

It took Toni a long time to come back down to
earth, and when she finally became aware of the present again,
Cormac had rolled to his side and she was wrapped in his muscular
arms, held close to his warm body. The last thing Toni realized
before drifting into an exhausted slumber was that life in the
mountains with him might not be so bad. He offered her protection
and more, and she felt completely whole with him.

She’d tried to escape to go home, but maybe
she was already home.

One year later…

Toni sat on a rock at the water’s edge,
kicking her feet blissfully in the cool water, her face turned up
to the warm sun. She couldn’t remember ever being this happy, and
because of her life with Cormac and his people, she had everything
she could ever want or need. She rarely missed her old life now,
and when she did, it was Mary’s smiling face that she saw. Mary
would understand and be happy for her.

A splash drew Toni’s attention to the middle
of the spring, where Cormac and some of the other men were spear
fishing. He glanced over at her at the same time, and they
exchanged smiles. Toni didn’t know when she’d fallen in love with
him. She just woke one morning, warm and content in his strong
arms, and realized that her feelings had grown for him, as well as
his people.

I can feel my heart swelling with love for
him. Cormac positioned himself, and the next time he jabbed his
spear and pulled back there was a large fish at the end of it. He
slipped the fish into a leather pouch with the others, and went
back to looking for another one. Toni’s gaze ran over his powerful,
Viking-like body, naked but for the pouch tied around his waist. As
usual, she felt a stirring in her own body, she hadn’t even tried
to learn how to control her constant need for him.

She’d adjusted to mountain life easily, and
found that the simple existence of living off the land was more
fulfilling than she could ever have imagined. Plenty of food and
fresh water, shelter from the elements, but Toni’s favorite was
sleeping beneath the stars when the weather was nice. She’d gotten
used to the various stages of nudity displayed, realizing early on
that they viewed nakedness as completely natural, just as they did
sex.

Toni had learned a lot living with the
Oh-Mah, and what she hadn’t experienced firsthand she’d been
educated by Lila and Didi. Having no children of her own, Lila had
kind of adopted Toni, in the same way she had adopted Cormac when
he’d lost his mother as a young boy. The children were raised
strictly by their mothers, the boys until puberty, when they were
taught to be men by the men.