“What…what is that?” she whispered. “Did you hear something?”
“The voice of wisdom,” Bram said. Opening the door of the shuttle, he came around to her side and reached for her to help her down. “Come on, little one—it’s time for our joining ceremony. Let’s go get married.”
* * * * *
“Married? You still want to get married?” Alanah looked at him, uncomprehending. She’d just told him there was no way he would be able to take her—to make love to her. Why would he still want to marry her?
“Yes,” Bram said firmly. “I swore I would join with you before our Claiming Period so you wouldn’t feel we were doing anything wrong and I stand by that.”
“But…didn’t you hear what I just told you?” Alanah demanded. “I won’t…won’t be able to bloom for you, Bram.”
He shook his head. “I don’t believe that’s true. But even if it is, I don’t care, little one. I want you—want you more than any female I’ve ever known. Please…” He knelt on one knee before her, putting them almost on the same level. “Will you join with me, Alanah? Will you be my bride?”
Alanah bit her lip. “I…I want to. But I don’t want you to be disappointed, Bram. I…I know that physical love is very important to men. And if you’re unable to…to penetrate me…” She couldn’t go on but she didn’t have to.
“Alanah,” he murmured, stroking her cheek gently with his big fingers. “Don’t you know there’s more to physical love than penetration? Even if my shaft won’t fit inside you, I can still caress you with my fingers and taste you with my tongue.”
“With…with your tongue?” Alanah felt her breath catch in her throat. “I…I never thought about that.”
Bram’s sapphire eyes went half-lidded with lust.
“Didn’t the males of your people like to taste their females?” he murmured.
“No, I…I never heard of any such thing.” It sounded scandalous to Alanah—shocking and wrong. And yet…the idea of her giant’s head between her thighs lapping her flower—what he had called her pussy—made her heart beat faster for some reason.
“We Kindred love it. More than that, we need it,” Bram stressed gently. “So you see, little one, I have much more to look forward to during our Claiming Period than just penetration.” He took her hands in his. “Now will you be my mate? My bride?”
“I…yes.” Alanah drew a deep, trembling breath. “Yes, Bram, I’ll marry you. If you really still…still want me.”
“Nothing could make me stop wanting you,” he murmured and kissed her hands. “Come with me—our ceremony awaits in the Sacred Grove.”
Chapter Nine
Feeling somewhat better about the situation, Alanah allowed him to lead her from the huge, echoing chamber which housed a great many more small ships like the one he’d brought her here in. Of course small was a relative term, she thought wryly. Everything here seemed impossibly large to her, built as it was on a scale for the Jor’gen Kindred.
Though Bram seemed to be one of the tallest of his kind she couldn’t help noticing that almost none of his shipmates were under eight feet tall. Most of them wore their hair as Bram did, in long, thick braids either loose or gathered in a club at the back of the head. They dressed in tight black leather trousers and long sleeved shirts of some heavy, silky fabric which clung to their wide shoulders and broad chests.
Seeing the giant Kindred in these uniforms, Alanah knew that Bram had only dressed as he had on her planet in order to put her at her ease. She liked him in the loose blue peasant trousers but she longed to see him in the clothing of his people too. She was certain one of the deep red or blue shirts she saw the others wearing would look wonderful with his dusky skin tones and glowing blue eyes.
Walking among the giant warriors, Alanah felt like a child in a room full of adults or maybe a kitken in the company of very large doggens but it wasn’t frightening—just strange. She tried not to stare at the Jor’gen Kindred and got the feeling they were trying not to stare at her as well but there was no shortage of curious and envious looks as she and Bram walked hand and hand through the vast Kindred Mothership.
“My Brothers all wish to have a female of their own,” Bram explained. “They envy me the beauty of my bride.”
“Beauty?” Alanah put her hand to her still sleep-tousled hair and looked down at her wrinkled blue dressing gown and bare feet. Suddenly she knew she couldn’t do this—not yet, anyway. “Bram, stop.” She pulled on his hand and he came to a halt obligingly.
“What is it, little one?”
“I…I can’t get married like this.” Alanah motioned down at herself. “I need to fix my hair and change my clothes to something proper. And…” She took a deep breath. “I need to let you know what you’re getting before…before we go through with this.”
“I know what I’m getting—you,” he said gently but Alanah shook her head.
“Please, is there a place we can go? Someplace private? I need some time to prepare.”
At last he relented. “All right, I’ll bring you to my suite—our suite,” he corrected himself. “And I’ll have the simulator take some measurements to make you some new clothes.”
“Thank you.” Alanah smiled up at him. “I appreciate it.”
“Come.” Still holding her hand, he guided her down another shiny silver corridor and into a tall box-like room with buttons on a metal panel as large as her palm.
“Is this it?” Alanah looked around in confusion. It seemed a small living space for such a large man.
Bram burst out laughing. “No—this isn’t my suite—it’s the lift. It will take us to the deck where my suite is located.”
He pressed one of the buttons, which lit up, and the little box whizzed upwards, moving with what felt like an alarming speed to Alanah. But before she could even get frightened, the doors of the small moving box whooshed open and they found themselves in yet another long, shiny metal corridor.
They walked down it until Bram stopped in front of a tall door and pressed his palm to it. This door also opened by itself in a way that seemed to be magic but Alanah supposed was not. When she walked inside, though, she wasn’t so sure.
“This is amazing,” she breathed as she turned around and around in the center of the large, clean, warm room. She was used to the rough gray stone walls of the castle, only some of which were made brighter and softer by hanging tapestries. In contrast, this room had smooth tan walls with no stone or mortar or wood or plaster showing at all.
There were no hard, cold flagstones beneath her feet—instead some kind of warm furry carpet covered the entire floor. It felt soft and silky to her bare soles, cushiony and giving, as though she was walking on a cloud. And instead of the rough, hand-made wooden and stone furniture she was used to, there was a large, puffy looking chair that appeared to be wide enough for ten people to sit abreast.
Or maybe big enough for one person as tall as Bram to stretch out, she told herself.
The long, padded chair was in front of a fireplace where a fire with blue and green flames burned, sending heat and light to the entire room.
“Is this where you sleep?” she asked Bram, thinking it would be a very pleasant bed chamber.
But he shook his head. “This is just the living area. I see the fire droids were in and made up the fire. That’s good—Ren must have sent them.”
Alanah frowned. “Droids?”
“Mechanical servants,” Bram said. “Remember I told you that all the onerous chores you’ve been doing all your life would be taken care of?”
“Yes, but—oh!” She gasped and took a step back as a sleek sliver thing that looked a little like a doggen came smoothly up to her. “What…what is this?” she asked Bram.
“This is Rooter. He’s my personal droid, aren’t you boy?” he said.
The silver doggen sat up on its hind legs attentively and gave a low, friendly bark.
“He looks a little like a canis so I programmed him to act like one,??
? Bram explained. “Rooter here takes care of almost all household chores. If you have dirty clothes, give them to him—he’ll wash, dry, and fold them as well as putting them away if you show him where you want them. Feeling hungry? Tell him what you’d like and he’ll fix it for you. He can also wash the dishes, make the bed, sweep the floor, and pretty much anything else you ask him to do.”
“That’s…amazing,” Alanah whispered. “But…doesn’t he mind? I would hate it if someone made me do all of their work all the time.” The Gods knew she hated it enough having to do all she did at the castle just to survive without adding more menial labor on top of it.
“Does he mind?” Bram laughed. “No—he’s not really alive, Alanah. He’s another machine and he’s programmed to do housework.”
“Programmed?” She shook her head. “I’m afraid there’s a lot about your world I don’t understand, Bram.”
“It’s going to be your world too, little one,” he murmured. “And don’t worry, I’ll explain everything and be with you every step of the way. Come on—let me show you the rest of my domicile.”
He led her on a tour where every room seemed to be more amazing than the last. Alanah couldn’t get over the fact that there was no fire in the stove in his kitchen—instead it heated with the touch of a button. Or how everything looked so sleek and clean and Bram actually had a huge cold box to store perishable foods instead of putting them down in the cellar or salting and pickling them.
The bedroom had a bed that was so vast she was certain she’d get lost in it with pillows as long as she was tall and blankets so thick and warm she was certain she’d never shiver in her sleep, as she often did at home.
But the best part of Bram’s suite—the spacious area of the vast Kindred ship which was exclusively his—was, in Alanah’s opinion, the bathing room.
There was a rather strange privy—a tall white one she would have to climb up and sit on to relieve herself, instead of a wooden closet with a rough wooden bench with a hole in it as she was used to. But the strange white privy wasn’t the feature of the room that caught and held her attention. What Alanah liked best of all was the broad bathing pool with steam rising from its surface. She knelt to touch it and made a little noise of surprise.
“Oh, it’s hot! Actually hot. The hot spring pool in our bathing cave back home never gets much more than warm.” She looked at him shyly. “I…I’d love to try this out.”
“Of course you can. You can have free access to it anytime you want,” Bram promised. “And of course, we’ll use it together during our Bathing Night.”
“Our…Bathing Night?” She shook her head. “I don’t understand—is that part of the Claiming Period you talked about?”
“It is. I never told you what it entailed, did I?”
Alanah shook her head. “No—you just said it was a custom with your people and that we would have to shorten it to four days instead of four weeks.”
“All right, well it’s time you knew. Come, let’s sit and talk about it.” He took her hand and led her back to the living area. Everything in his suite was oversized but Alanah found she was able to scramble up onto the broad, plush chair which was covered in deep red fabric. It was as soft as it looked and beautifully warm because of its proximity to the fireplace. She still felt she had to disclose some things to Bram as well—she had an idea her giant didn’t really fully understand her dilemma—but for now she was content to listen.
“Tell me,” she said, turning to him. “What is the Claiming Period? How will you claim me?”
“It mostly has to do with a warrior and his bride getting to know each other,” he murmured, reaching down to stroke a strand of hair away from her face. “Physically as well as emotionally.”
“Oh, I…” Alanah began to feel a little embarrassed. “How…exactly do they, uh, get to know each other?” she asked in a small voice.
“Well, as I told you before, there are usually four weeks—the Holding Week, the Bathing Week, the Tasting Week, and the Bonding Week,” he said, counting them off on his fingers. “For us those will be days instead of weeks.”
“So…that makes today our Holding Day, right?” she asked, looking up at him. “Does that just mean we’ll get close to each other and…and hug and hold each other?” She looked at him shyly. “Because I think that sounds wonderful.”
“I’m eager to hold you too, little one,” he rumbled. “In fact, I feel like I could never get close enough to you.”
“Should we start it now, then?” Raising up on her knees, Alanah scooted closer to him. She could feel the heat radiating off his big body and smell the warm scent of his skin. Gods, how she wanted him! For so many years she’d felt too big but being near Bram made her feel small and delicate and feminine. It was a unique and addictive sensation.
“I’d love to start but you should know that holding isn’t all we do during the Holding Week—or day,” he told her.
“It…it’s not?” she whispered, rather breathlessly.
Bram shook his head. “The Kindred warrior is also allowed to caress his bride—over her clothing of course—and try to bring her pleasure by touching her.”
Alanah felt a shiver go through her. But then she had a thought.
“Is the, uh, bride also allowed to touch the warrior?” she asked softly. “Will I be allowed to…um, explore you as well?”
His eyes were suddenly half-lidded and glowing in the dim firelight.
“Oh yes, little one. You can touch me as much as you like and anywhere you like. I am yours to command.”
Alanah bit her lip. “But I’m not sure you’d want to touch me if…if you saw me…saw me as I am now,” she confessed. “I mean, with my flower—my, uh pussy—unbloomed and my nipples unripened.”
“Alanah, look at me…” He tilted her chin up so that their eyes met. “You’re beautiful to me, no matter what—so beautiful.” He stroked her face gently. “Why don’t we go to bed and start our Holding Day right now so I can show you how much?”
Her breathing began to quicken and her heart started to pound.
“Right now? In the bed?”
“There will be nothing but holding and touching—very gentle touching,” he assured her. “You’re so beautiful…so delicate and tiny. I would never risk hurting you with rough treatment, Alanah.”
She had to put a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, seeing his puzzled expression. “It’s just that I was thinking earlier of how all my life I’ve been considered too big—too tall. The other girls used to make fun of me and tease me about it. They all said I’d never find a man who was big enough to want me.” She looked up at her giant fondly. “And now look at me. I found you—or rather, you found me.”
“And I’m so glad that I did.” Bram drew her up into his lap and looped his arms loosely around her waist. “Alanah, will you let me touch you now?” he rumbled softly.
She bit her lip. “Um…over the clothes, you said?”
He nodded. “Yes. Tomorrow on our Bathing Day we must be naked when we enter the bathing pool together. But today we can take things slowly.” He shifted. “I’ll probably change into some sleeping trousers—they’ll be more comfortable for lying in bed.”
Alanah looked down at herself.
“Well…I already have my sleep shift on since I didn’t have time to change when Jenla finally managed to wake me up this morning.”
He frowned. “You said that witch—Thiera—drugged your tea?”
“I think she did.” Alanah frowned. “It made me sleep so deeply I could hardly get out of bed. I think she was hoping that you would leave before I ever awakened.”
“That wouldn’t have happened,” he said firmly. “I was prepared to wait all day and break down the gate if necessary to come and find you. I was honestly afraid she’d locked you in the dungeon somewhere.”
Alanah felt a lump in her throat.
“She might as well have. It could scarcely be
worse than refusing to perform the proper ritual so that I can bloom for you.”
“What exactly does the ritual consist of?” Bram asked. “Why is it so important?”
“It’s vital to helping a girl bloom,” Alanah told him earnestly. “As for what it consists of, no female is supposed to know because only the husband-to-be is invited to watch. But I…” She cleared her throat. “I hid in a cupboard when I was a girl and watched once while Thiera performed it.”
“And what did she do?” Bram asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, she had two dolls—mannequins she calls them—those she actually does show to people because she needs a drop of blood for the female mannequin from the bride and a drop from the husband for the male mannequin. Anyway, after she gets the drops of blood, she takes the two dolls—and the husband to be—into her magic room in the castle.”
“And what does she do then?” Bram looked genuinely interested.
“Well, the time I watched, she told the husband to be—it was Freyer, who was to be wed to Hanlah, one of the court ladies—to be silent and watch for he would learn what to do on his wedding night to make his bride bloom.”
“She showed him using the dolls—er, mannequins, as props?”
“I guess so, yes.” Alanah shrugged. “But first she poured sacred oil on both of them in their sacred spots—the breasts and flower, er, pussy for the female doll.” She blushed. “And the, uh, shaft and mouth of the male doll. And she chanted magic words.”
“What words?” Bram wanted to know.
“Oh…” Alanah bit her lip. “It’s been a long time ago but I still remember it like it was yesterday. It made a very strong impression on me. She said…
‘With your hands, you mold her flesh
Lay your mouth upon her breast