Bound at the Ball (Siren Publishing Allure) (3 page)

“Very true. Stop.” Matner bent at the waist. “Wow, politics and practice don’t mix well, huh? I’m beat. Either way, at least we’ve got a planet to call home, a job to do and the possibility of pussy at the festival tomorrow.”

Sabar’s thoughts moved once again to his night’s appointment. He’d been chosen to attend a female’s cleansing ceremony, and the thought of it kept his brain simmering with excitement. It wasn’t his first ceremony, and it surely wouldn’t be his last, but each one was unique and intimately beautiful. He wondered for the thousandth time what the female would look like. It usually didn’t matter if the females were overly beautiful. Being part of their sexual awakening was intimate enough.

Unwanted, the memories of girls crying invaded his mind. He silently cursed his government. Most of the females weren’t ready to be handled by males. The women were taught to ignore their needs. So many beautiful nights had been turned uncomfortable and embarrassing because of the laws. How were males supposed to find mates if the females feared them?

“What’s got that look on your face? It looks like someone slipped something sour onto your tongue.” Matner’s words jerked Sabar from his thoughts.

“I have a ceremony tonight. My dick’s been hard since they called me to attend. I just hope she’s not a crier. I hate when we’re forced to touch females that don’t know what’s being done to them. I wish the girls knew we’d be there. Wouldn’t it be so much better if we walked in and the girls actually welcomed us to their innocent bodies?”

“Don’t let the higher-ups hear you talking like that. You know they have some archaic reason for the way we deal with the females. At least you get asked to attend the ceremonies. I haven’t been requested since my accident. Seems my scar is too scary for blindfolded females.”

Sabar snorted. “I would love to change the practices, but at least we’re aware of what’s happening at each stage. I’m sick of tricking females into being with me at gatherings and forcing my touch on them at ceremonies. How are we to find a female we want as a mate if they are terrified all the time?”

“I hear you, but I don’t agree, at least about finding a mate. Right now I am just happy to be allowed at the ball tomorrow night so I can get my hands on some warm flesh that doesn’t belong to another warrior I’ve been battling. It’s been too long since my cock’s seen any action.”

A bark of laughter erupted from Sabar. “I totally understand, my friend. I’m hoping for the same thing. I’m going to wash up and get ready for tonight. I just hope the female I’ve been selected for isn’t a screamer. I hate when they start screaming in terror. My ears ring and my cock shrivels for hours after leaving their home.”

“Have a good time tonight. I hope you get a sweet, quiet one.” Matner grinned and waved as he wandered off.

* * * *

“Go to the bathing room with Lena. She can start the cleansing process while we clean up the dishes.” Bana was being bossy again, and it grated on Rella’s nerves. She did what she was told but sneered at her sister’s back. Her nerves were already on edge, and she bit her tongue to keep from voicing her annoyance. The lack of eye contact from her other sisters and father throughout the meal had her mind working overtime on scenarios and worries. Her father had been silent, tensing each time she tried to speak to him. His reactions set her fear in motion. What could be so bad that it sent her father into a stupor? Was he ill? Worried about the next night?

The only conversation she could pull from him had ended with him giving her a lecture about being a good citizen and following the teachings. He’d hinted that the Cleansing Ceremony was the start to doing just that. She huffed. What was that supposed to mean? Her stomach rolled with fear again.
I’ll be so much happier when tomorrow night is over.

Entering the bathing room was like walking through a dimensional mirror. Gone was the normal quiet, serene atmosphere. The floor and cabinets were littered with implements she’d never seen. Bottles, tubes, and small containers were spread around the sink, covering the counter. Some she recognized as beauty products, others were completely foreign to her. The air nearly vibrated with agitation and mystery. There was a massive trunk in the middle of the floor that one of her sisters must have dragged in a short time before. The bath was steaming, a scent wafting to her on the clouds of moisture. She sniffed the air and tried to place the smell. It tickled her nose and made her skin tingle, tugging at a memory.

“Get in. We have much to accomplish tonight.” The soft voice sounded loud in the room.

Rella hadn’t noticed Lena entering the room. Her sister was so quiet now, sedate. Even with a swollen belly, the woman moved with smooth refinement and grace she hadn’t had before her mating. She stood in the shadows, watching with a pitying look on her beautiful face.

Dropping her clothing took only a moment. A sigh whispered from Rella’s lips when she climbed into the steaming bath. The heated water wrapped around her body in a warm embrace. It felt different, slippery, as it surrounded her. It must have been from the same substance causing the fragrance that had been added to the water. She rubbed her hand along her arm and almost giggled at the slickness of her skin. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and hummed in satisfaction. Soaking in the tub wasn’t something she was allowed to do often. Baths were for special occasions. She rarely had enough time to enjoy a soak, and never had she been ordered into the bath.

After a few moments, her body felt hotter than normal. Her skin blushed with the heat. A fine sheen of sweat broke out over her face. The scent in the water was invading her body with each breath she took. It seemed to be changing as she warmed, becoming stronger and strangely seductive. The sensations of arousal began to build under her skin, starting with goose bumps racing along her arms and legs. Shivers shot down her back. Her belly warmed and her nipples beaded, tingling as the minutes passed.

The sudden urge to run her hands over her body and cup her pussy made a small gasp escape her lips. Her fingers twitched with the need to touch herself, even if it was just to pull on a nipple or tap her clit. Her body wanted something and the ache was building quickly. She barely fought the urge to keep her hands from her cunt.

She mustn’t touch herself was the thought that had been engrained in her. She followed the rules, most times. But now… Her body cried out for release. Rella rolled her head against the edge of the tub and moaned. Her skin felt like it was on fire. The throbbing discomfort skated along her arms and legs and centered at the apex of her thighs. She moved, trying to find a position that alleviated the ache building there. While she shifted again, she brushed an arm across her breasts. The sensation was so intense she opened her eyes to make sure nothing had changed. She stroked her fingers across her puckered nipples and panted as liquid sensation throbbed between her thighs.

“Don’t do that or it will just make it worse.” Bana’s voice pulled a gasp from her, and her eyes flew to the doorway.

She’d forgotten that her sisters would be helping with the ritual cleansing. She couldn’t focus on anything else besides this need. All three stood watching her. Their faces held a mixture of regret and sympathy. Blushing, she tried covering her breasts and mound with her hands. She closed her eyes and tried to swallow a moan when her palms skimmed her sensitive skin.

Fear burned through some of the heat pulsing in her veins. She didn’t know what was happening to her, and she didn’t like it. Her skin felt too tight, and the ache between her legs was so intense it took her effort to focus. She knew it would take one tap of a finger on her clit and she’d climax right there, in front of her sisters. She couldn’t act on that knowledge without giving away the fact that she knew how to masturbate.

“Rella. Stop touching yourself. It will just make the sensations worse.” Marena’s voice was quiet and sad. “Let’s get this over with. You must wear this blindfold so you can’t identify the males that will assist during your ceremony.”

Rella opened her eyes wide, fear skated down her spine. She didn’t know males would be entering the home. Other than her sisters, she hadn’t been seen naked by anyone in years. Having unknown men intimately involved in something she knew nothing about, without being able to see, seemed over the top. She opened her mouth to argue, but the look Marena gave her stopped the words. There was compassion and understanding in her eyes, but tears rolled down her sister’s cheeks. What was going to happen in this room if her sister was crying for her? Fear gripped her chest, squeezing her lungs, making it difficult to pull a breath in. Would they let someone harm her?

“Just do as you’re told and all will be fine. Please, put on the blindfold and do not remove it until you’re told to. You are in no danger and we will be here the entire time.”

Rella nodded and reached out to take the piece of cloth from her sister’s hand. Before she wrapped it around her eyes, she watched all three sisters move around the room. Lena collected a shaving kit and a bowl of steaming water. Marena knelt near the tub and dropped a cloth in the water. Bana knelt on the other side and handed a pair of safety gloves to each sister.

“What are you guys doing? Why do I feel so hot and achy? It’s the oils in the water, isn’t it?” Her voice came out reedy and quiet. She groaned. The water moved over her skin in small waves, teasing her nipples. The urge to rub her clit was getting stronger with each passing moment. Her body burned with the need for release.

“Yes, Linax oil is causing the reactions within your body. Our job tonight is to prepare you for tomorrow. Just relax and let us do what we need to do, okay?” Lena’s voice was soft. Rella looked at her sister and almost teared up at the look of compassion she saw there. What could be so bad that all three of the women were looking at her as if she were on her death bed?

“Now put the blindfold on. You will feel other hands on you. Males will be entering the bathing room the moment you put the blindfold on. Don’t fight them. The punishment will be far worse than anything else you’ve endured if you struggle against them.” Even Bana looked sick to her stomach. Males? How was she supposed to lay, naked and exposed, while unknown males entered the room? Well, she’d survived enough beatings and pain to be able to endure much. She would make it through this. She nodded stiffly in understanding.

She wrapped the black cloth over her eyes and lay back in the tub. Whatever happened, she’d be safe. Her sisters wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. She hoped.

Moments passed as she lay in the darkness. What were they waiting for? She was already a throbbing pile of need. Perhaps that was another part of the ritual. If she was to endure a long period of arousal, she needed to get a handle on her body. She sucked a deep breath into her lungs and stifled the moan. The air tasted of sin and release, carrying the oil on the steam rising off her bath.

She was jerked from her thoughts by a large palm being wrapped around her wrist and a rough slide of fabric over her skin. A second hand wrapped around her other wrist, and she fought weakly in their grasp. Washing clothes moved over her, strumming the heat, fanning the flames threatening to burn her from the inside out. The coarse texture of the material scraped across her stomach, skimming down the inside of her thighs. Her body wanted to melt into the caresses, but her mind was screaming to flee.

Large, rough hands slid down her arms and over her ribs. A male was touching her. In a panic she tried to move, but more hands rested heavily on her arms, holding her with a strength she couldn’t break. Her voice stuck in her throat, the scream trapped by overwhelming need.

“Don’t struggle. You’re safe with us.” A deep, unfamiliar voice broke through her thoughts. She shook her head in denial. “Shh. I promise no harm will come to you. Relax and let us cleanse you.”

A nod was all the response she could give. Slowly she was washed. A coarse cloth moved across her sensitive skin. She slowly relaxed into the caresses. Every moment that slid by and nothing but pleasure surged through her body and loosened her muscles, letting her melt into their touches. She bit back the moans of need that threatened to escape with each drag of the material. Every part of her body was rubbed, caressed, but only with the cloth. She ached to have flesh-on-flesh contact with the males. Even as fear and anger bubbled inside, she couldn’t resist the need. The oil was doing its job, robbing her of her good sense and strength. Soon she knew she’d be begging for someone to give her release even as her mind baulked at the lack of control.

By the time her body had been cleansed, she shook with need. Her breasts were swollen and hot, between her thighs ached and throbbed. She couldn’t keep the gasping sobs from rushing through her lips. Her breaths rasped in and out of her lungs. It no longer mattered that silent men touched her. She hurt with the need to come. She knew her clit was swollen, could feel it nestled between her pussy lips, pulsing. How to ask for relief, though? Tradition would have her waiting, only accepting what the males were willing to give her, but she was so achy. Would they punish her if she asked? Would begging and pleading get them to forgive her and take away the throbbing?

“Spread your legs, little girl. We’ll make the heat stop for a while.” The male’s deep voice whispered through the cloud of discomfort in Rella’s head. She did as asked, letting her knees fall to the sides, resting against the cool tub walls. Even that small movement caused water to flow across her sensitized skin. She moaned. Heat spiked and a rush of want centered in her pussy.

More hands skimmed down her belly, pulling an incoherent plea from her lips. Finally she could feel their skin, rough and wonderful. Other hands moved to cup her breasts. A pressure started between her legs, more fingers moved along the inside of her thigh. Someone clasped her nipples and rolled them. The hands on her legs kneaded her flesh, slowly getting closer and closer to the apex. Every nerve in her body centered on those palms, and when they moved to cover her pussy, she sighed with acceptance. Someone was going to help her. Fingertips moving through her folds were rough and thick.