Back in her room, Kaylein unpacked the few clothes she had brought and walked towards the bathing room as he had called it, curious to see it. She could use a bath, and considering all she had seen in the vessel, she was sure, taking a bath would be an amazing experience, impossible to compare with the baths she had to put up within the tiny tub in her room.
But she couldn’t find anything similar to a tub inside the small room. With a frown, she was coming out of it, the same soft ring sounded, and the door to her room slid open.
“You could wait for me to open the door, don’t you think, Sir Cuyler?” she grumbled.
A mischievous smile crossed his face. “I thought you might not know how to open it.”
“I’m sure it can’t be that hard,” she grumbled.
He chuckled. “I thought you might like to watch as we leave your planet behind. It’s a sight worth looking at,” he said.
“Is that possible?”
“Yes, it is. Would you like to see it?” he offered once more.
"Oh, yes, please, I would love to." Perhaps, looking at it would make all of this feel more real. So far, she felt as if she was in some sort of nightmare she had no idea how to wake up from.
He opened the door and invited her to leave the room. At the control center, he ordered Igor to turn on the main screen and display the images of the planet they were leaving behind.
Kaylein gasped surprised at the first image of the blue planet. “That’s our world?” she asked, amazed.
“Yes, it is. One of the most beautiful planets I’ve seen.”
"It's round." She sounded so amazed; he looked at her.
“All planets are round.”
“The church swears it’s flat,” she replied, oozing scorn. “I wonder how much of what they preach is actually true or even real.”
“Not much, I’m sure. Religions are created to give the rulers control over their population. Few are based on the truth, believe me,” he assured her.
“What do you believe in?” she asked, tilting her head to face him.
“In the magic of the universe. There are more powerful forces out there than we’re aware of. If we play by their rules, we get to live a pleasant life. If we don’t, one way or another, you end up paying for your mistakes.”
“And who gets to dictate those rules?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, more interested in him, than in the planet she was leaving behind.
"It should be your common sense, but unfortunately, a lot of people lack that,” he said with a smile. "Respect, honesty, compassion, tolerance… these principles and a few more dictate the rules. If you act under those, you should do alright.”
She smiled pleased. “I like the way you think.”
“That makes me happy.”
Her heart missed a beat when she heard his words, and she scolded it in silence. She couldn’t be fool enough to fall for this man. She had to remember he had confessed he had already found his soulmate. And yet, he had kissed her, moving the ground from under her feet.
Confused, she turned to look at the screen once more, just to see as the planet became a small dot in the vast night of space.
“Would you like me to teach you how to use the bathing room?” he asked her, realizing there wasn’t anything else to look at.
“Yes, please, that would be nice.”
He guided her back to her room and opened the door for her.
“According to my men, all the women are taking the change of events in their lives pretty well,” he said, sounding pleased.
“These women are used to be ordered around. Most of them were servants, raised to follow orders; the other ones have been taught the men rule the world and are to be obeyed,” she replied with a hint of scorn in her tone. "So, other than we're on our way to another planet, things haven't changed that much for them."
“You’re not like them.”
She let out a bitter laugh. "If that were true, I wouldn't be here. I would have easily killed the two guards my father posted at my bedroom door, and I would have escaped. Instead, I followed his orders, and here I am.”
“I would have gone after you,” he assured her.
“No, you would have chosen another woman, and I would finally be free,” she replied, matter-of-factly.
“Would you have been really free? For what I saw, women aren’t really free in your society,” he pointed out.
“I would have to pretend I was a man…” she confessed.
“You would have been trapped in a lie for the rest of your life. I’m sure you would have hated that,” he said, in a serious tone.
“We won’t know that now, will we?” she turned around and walked to the bathing room. “Would you please explain how to use this? I could use a bath.” She had lost track of time, but the quick trip to the village had left her feeling sweaty.
“Of course,” he accepted the change of topic and proceeded to explain the use of the toilet, the sink, and the shower stall. This last piece was the one that amazed her the most. He could tell she would love it.
“If you have any doubt, just use this,” he said picking a communication device from her nightstand. “All you have to do is push this button, and you’ll be able to talk to me,” he explained.
She chuckled, fascinated. “If father Francis could see this he would be sure you had come straight from hell.”
He smiled amusedly. The little man had always avoided him and his men, as if he feared they would become the demons he feared they were, at any moment. "I'm sure of it."
“Well, thank you very much for your help,” she said, trying to dismiss him.
But he wasn’t ready to leave. Not yet. He had been through a lot to have her right there, in his domains, at his mercy.
“It was a pleasure,” he replied.
“If you don’t mind I would like to use the bathing room,” she said, her tone a bit colder now.
“Go ahead… tell you what. Since you have lost your maid, I would be more than pleased to help you out of your clothes,” he said, with a seductive smile.
She took a step back, flustered with the idea. “No… I can handle on my own, thank you,” she mumbled, feeling her heart speeding its pace inside her chest.
“Oh, but I insist. I would not have you harm yourself trying to unlace your dress,” he insisted, poking her a little.
She was wearing a dark red dress, pretty similar to the one she had worn the day they had met on the river. The dress was laced in the back, and it was obvious she would need some help to come out of it.
“No… really…” she mumbled.
“Perhaps, you’re suddenly afraid of me? Is that it?" he challenged her, eager to see if she would fall into his trap.
She did.
“Afraid? Of course not, why would I be afraid of you?” she replied, sounding offended.
“Exactly. So, you won’t have a problem with me helping you.” he closed the trap around her and she quickly realized he had played her.
Pursing her lips, she stared at him with a killer shine in her eyes. "No problem at all,” she assured him, in a cold tone.
Taking a deep breath, Kaylein shielded herself and turned her back on him. If he thought he had won this battle, he would have to think again. After all, she was wearing her underwear… and for that, she wouldn't need any help.
With a predatory smile on his face, Cuyler stood behind her and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "I'm glad to hear that."
His breath caressed her ear and sent chills of thrill down her back. Her heart was now thundering in her chest, and the sound was so deafening she was sure he could hear it.
Slowly, he started to unlace the ribbons that held her dress in place, the graze of his fingers on her skin, sending chills of the thrill she was sure he was able to perceive.
Once he unlaced the dress, he slid it down her shoulders and allowed it to puddle at her feet.
She stepped out of it and though feeling a bit uncomfortable standing in underwear in front of him, she tilted her head to face him. “Thank you, I can take it from here,” she assured him.
“I’m sure of that, but I want to help you,” he replied, closing the distance between them, pressing his manly body against her back.
She gasped surprised when she felt his coarse tongue tracing the edges of her ear.
She wanted to walk away, she really did, but he seemed to have tied her to him with invisible threads of passion and desire, and she wasn’t able to move. Tiny waves of pleasure rushed through her body when he traveled down to her neck, kissing and nibbling it. It felt so good; she was having trouble to listen to her common sense and all she had been taught about allowing a man to touch her the way he was touching her.
It was impossible to think… All she could do was feel.
His hands slid around her waist, and he pulled her even closer to him, as his lips played up and down her neck, for a few moments. "I've dreamed of this moment the first time I saw you in the woods. You looked so brave, so full of courage, with your dagger in your hand,” he muttered, moving his hands up, to cup her big, round breasts, over the thin fabric of her underwear.
She heaved harder as she tried to recall the moment he was describing. “It was you… in the forest that night? You flew away before I could to reach you,” she said, as the events of that night finally made sense.
“Yes, it was me,” he confirmed.
“Why didn’t you show yourself?”
“How would you have reacted?” he asked instead of answering.
She frowned but she could see his point. Seeing him in the woods at night might have scared her.
“I’m not sure.”
“I wasn’t ready to introduce myself to you or people,” he explained, as his fingers started to play with hard nipples, making her forget everything but the way his caresses made her feel.
Making her turn around in his arms, he cradled her face and brushed his lips against hers a few times, inviting her to open hers. When she did, he deepened the kiss, sliding his coarse tongue inside her mouth, fueling the sizzling passion that already burned inside her.
She tilted her head back, allowing him to go even deeper, to steal her breath away, while his restless hands slid her white underwear down to the floor, making her stand naked in front of him.
Never leaving her lips, he trashed the clothes he was wearing, too eager to feel her smooth skin against his for him to be patient.
Soon, they were both naked, but feeling a bit shy, Kaylein kept her eyes on his face, too embarrassed to look at his powerful body.
She had seen a few men naked before. Her curiosity and restlessness had her around the village all the time, and she had caught a few of them bathing in the river and even making love in her father's stables with some of the maids. But she discovered that hadn't prepared her for this moment. Heat colored her cheeks, and she closed her eyes.
Picking her up in his arms, he carried her to the narrow bed, laying her there before he crawled up to meet her.
Breathless and still lost in the haze of desire he had awakened in her, Kaylein welcomed him in her arms, so eager for more she wasn’t able to recognize herself.
But he didn’t give her much time to think. Kissing her once more, he dragged her back to the world of passion he had conjured for her.
He worshiped her whole body, with kisses, nibbles and caresses, especially her breasts, taking her arousal to levels so high she didn’t even know were possible. Feeling his coarse tongue drawing spirals around her hard nipples felt so close to paradise she felt she had died and gone to heaven, but feeling his hand sliding down to between her legs made her realize she was pretty much alive. His claws grazed her sensitive skin, and she let out a small whimper of sheer pleasure and awe. She had never been touched this way, and she felt as if her whole body was on fire as this craving need rushed through her body making her ache for the unknown… she needed him like she hadn't needed anything in her life.
One of his fingers slid inside her wet folds, wandering around, poking her tight entrance making her shudder under his touch.
Sliding his lips up, he captured hers in a passionate kiss as he gently slid his finger inside her, finding some resistance, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. She was wet and the way she arched her hips towards him, told him all he wanted to know. She wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Replacing his finger with his hard cock, he rested its thick head at her entrance for a few moments before he thrust it all the way in.
A sharp pain made her let out a louder cry than she would have wanted. Distracted with his kisses and caresses, she hadn't been expecting the pain that pushed her back to reality.
“What’s the matter? Am I hurting you?” he asked, distraught, as he started to pull out of her.
“No…, please… stay still…” she begged him. She had known making love hurt. She had listened to her mother as she prepared her older sister for their marriages.
She had always warned them that receiving their husbands was a woman's duty and that though it was painful and uncomfortable, they had to endure it and accept it since it was the man's right and the woman's sacred duty.
She had always thought that her explanation wasn't accorded to what she had seen so far, but now she wasn't sure.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked her again, clearly upset with the idea.
“It’s supposed to hurt… or so I’ve been told,” she muttered, opening her eyes with a faint smile on her lips.
He was flustered. “It can’t be true,” he replied.
"Please… don't worry… I'm alright. It doesn't hurt anymore." And it was the truth. After the initial pain, she wasn't feeling any more pain.
“Are you sure?” he asked, with a deep frown.
“Yes… I’m sure,” she sounded so brave, he had to smile, before he leaned over and kissed her, making sure he took her back to the path towards paradise they had been on, just a few moments before.
Determined not to hurt her, he moved inside her, slow at first, his eyes locked on hers all of the time.
She didn’t flinch and seemed more confident, he started to thrust in and out of her, increasing his speed as he saw no more pain in her expression.
Incredibly, the moment Cuyler started to move inside her, any memory of the pain was erased, replaced by waves of pleasure that seemed to grow as he went faster and deeper inside her.
Kaylein could feel a bundle of emotions welling up inside her, making her heart go faster, and her breath become harder. When he started to kiss her again, whatever was building inside her, became bigger and bigger and she wasn’t sure she could hold it back.
Her moans quickly matched his groans, and when he pulled her legs up and against her chest, she finally lost the last thread of self-control she still had, and her whole world exploded. Wave after wave, pleasure washed over her, as her whole body shuddered, her heart thundered, and her chest heaved harder than even.
There were no words able to explain the feeling roaring inside her, and she didn’t even try. She just let the pleasure and bliss carry her into another world.
Cuyler growled as he felt her walls clenching hard around his thick shaft, pushing him a bit closer to the edge, but he was determined not to come before he was sure pleasure had taken over her.
Fortunately for him, it didn't take her much to surrender to pleasure, and he was finally able to allow himself to explode inside her, pouring all his essences deep inside her.
The waves of pleasure that washed over him were so powerful, so mind-blowing that if he had had any doubt she was his soulmate, after this experience, they would have disappeared. He had never felt this way, so connected with a woman, to the point the drogon inside him struggled to come out and make her his as well.
Knowing it wasn’t the moment, he hid his face in the crook of her neck and let out a groan.
“You’re an amazing woman,” he whispered in her ear.
She chuckled, still lingering in the fantastic world he had taken her to.
After a few moments, he finally slid out of her and rolled next to her in the narrow bed, but the sight of blood between her thighs made him jump out of bed.
“You’re bleeding,” he blurted out.
She raised her head to see what he was talking about, finding a small puddle of blood on the white covers of her bed and smeared between her legs.
“That’s the proof I was a virgin,” she said, not understanding his surprise.
“Virgin? What does that mean?”
Frowning, she leaned on her elbows, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable.
“That I had never been with another man before,” she explained.
"Oh… why not?" he asked. Though women and men were mated in this planet when they reached their maturity, and sex between the youngsters was common and encouraged. Mating was a life commitment, and his people believed that everybody should experience pleasure and adventure before making such a commitment.
“It’s forbidden by the church and considered a sin, something you would be accused of when facing the final judgment,” she explained, but in the face of the recent events in her life, she was starting to question everything she had known up until then. Nothing seemed to make sense with the discoveries she had stumbled upon.
“Do you believe in that?” he asked, sounding so surprised, she had to chuckle.
“I’m not sure what I believe in right now,” she confessed, looking at him, admiring his muscled body, especially the huge member that rested between his legs. No wonder it had hurt so much.
But what puzzled her the most, were the ridges along the shaft. Like the small beads, they rolled up from the head to the base of his member on either side of it. It looked like no other she had seen up until then.
He smiled at her answer and stretched his hand asking for hers. “Come, I’ll show you how the shower works,” he invited with a naughty grin on his face.
“I’m sure I can do it on my own,” she protested, not very convincingly.
“I have no doubt… I simply want to,” he explained, smiling wider when she finally rested her hand on his and he pulled her up.
He guided her to the bathing room, and just a few moments later, they were under the warm stream of water.
“Oh… this is fantastic…” she muttered, raising her face to allow the water to wash her face. "No wonder you hated our bathtubs."
"You hated them as well,” he teased her, as he grabbed a bathing cloth and poured some liquid soap on it before he washed her with it.
The whole experience was amazing, but by the time they left the bathing room, he wanted her again. Sure, she had to be sore, after the abrupt start, he grabbed one of the tunics available for guests from her wardrobe and put it on, offering another one to her, the smallest he was able to find.
It was time to let her get some rest. But before he left, he pushed a button on the headboard of the bed, and the bloody covers were slid underneath the bed by some hidden mechanisms, and a cleaned one was stretched over the bed.
“Oh… I believe I’m going to love your world,” she murmured, as she watched the show.
He kissed the top of her head. “I’m sure you will. Why don’t you get some rest before the next meal?” A soft gong will let you know when it’s ready.”
“Where should I go?” she asked, remembering the labyrinths he called halls.
“I’ll come for you.”
She nodded and watched him go away.
Feeling a bit restless, she picked up the clothes she had taken off and the ones he had discarded and folded them over what looked like a chair of some sort, though she was sure it wasn’t made of wood, and it was attached to the floor.
The room was too small. In no time, she was feeling suffocated and unable to take it much longer; she grabbed the first clothes she found in her bag and put them on. It was a deep blue, velvet dress, with long, flared sleeves.
When she was done, she combed her long hair into a simple braid and left the room.