Rituals of Passion (15 page)

The four  remaining women rose as well, and in pairs  of two began an intimate dance in which they smoothly arched their bodies together in time with the drumbeat,  meeting from cunt to breast in a slow rolling motion that added to Maven’s arousal.

People in the crowd began to whistle  and cheer. The wetness between Maven’s  thighs  increased with each moment and she wondered if the  back of her dress would be  stained when she stood up. She yearned desperately to  touch herself, and the  wine had her so out of sorts that she actually considered it, wondering what Dane would do if he looked over  to find her stroking herself beneath her dress. Worse, she also found herself wanting to reach under the  table and begin stroking
 
him
—stroking that stupendous  cock she knew rested between his thighs. Even as she hated  herself for kissing him there  earlier, she hungered to know that part of him better.

As the dance continued, the women broke apart from their various partners to reform a circle  and began to spin and dip and sway in untamed movements that showed  off their legs and breasts to best  advantage. Then each reached out to the female to her  right and, still swaying sensually, pulled a string  that caused their small silk tops to fall  away! The crowd responded with loud clapping and cheering as each girl’s beautiful round breasts were put on display.

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Maven could scarcely believe this was a marriage feast—yet she was enjoying it despite herself. Just like today in the bath, she was discovering the beauty of other women in a way she’d never imagined.

The women caressed their bare breasts as they danced on, still in a revolving circle

so that the spectators got the opportunity  to enjoy each female as she moved past.

As the drumbeats increased in furor, the  dance grew wilder, almost reckless, the  women throwing back their heads, jerking from  side to  side, breasts jiggling, glimpses  of pussies being revealed by their crazed  movements. They all began to twirl in  circles—fast, wild circles that Maven could barely see. The women moved so rapidly  that they each became spinning blurs of  flesh and fabric. The crowd now  clapped in time to the  beat, which seemed to gather  strength along with the women’s motions, every eye in the room  held captive, until finally the dancers collapsed onto the floor in dramatic poses at the last beat of the drum.

Raucous cries sounded from the  crowd and even Maven applauded with great fervor, amazed by the dance and spurred on by  the enhanced sense of arousal she feltafter watching it. Although the  drums had  ceased, her cunt still pulsed against her chair.

As the dancers began to depart,  Dane got to  his feet and lifted  his goblet high. “Ahearty toast to Kells for such titillating entertainment on  my wedding!” Goblets aroundthe room were eagerly raised and a small  cheer rang out for Kells, but quieted when  Dane continued. “I cannot  think  of a more enjoyable end to this great feast, nor a more fitting beginning for the Rituals of Passion!”

Rituals of Passion?
 
As more wild voices called out their agreement, Maven was left stumped over the words her new husband had just uttered. Even amid her arousal, panic shot through her.

He sat back down and leaned over to her, casting another of  the wicked grins she had come to expect from him. “Now, my little virgin bride, it is time for you to go.”

She blinked. “Go? Where?”

He laughed, then spoke softly. “Fear not,  Maven. You will be brought back to mevery soon, once you’ve been made  ready for the rituals.”

“But what rituals
 
are
 
these? I’m not familiar with the term you just used.” Her heart

threatened to beat through her chest.

“You’re such a difficult girl,” he said  on a laugh. “But don’t worry—you shall  understand very soon. All the mysteries will be made clear.”

She looked up to see Kaelen, Anya and Tally all at her side, dressed in the same short white frocks as  earlier, only dry now. “Come,” Kaelen said, her green eyes  seeming to reach out to Maven. “You are to go with us.”

Maven was entirely confused. Perhaps it was the wine. But no, even if she’d not  drunk a drop, she’d still have no idea what was taking place or what would happen  next.

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When Kaelen took her hand and  pulled her gently  to her feet, she had little  choice but to go. Kaelen led her from the great hall, Anya and Tally following behind. Likewhen she and Dane had entered, the crowd of  scantily clad people parted and watched her pass.

As soon as they reached the hallway, she  turned to Kaelen. “Dane said it was timeto begin the Rituals of  Passion. What are  these rituals? No one told me of anything called by that name.”

Behind  her,  Anya  and  Tally  giggled,  but  Kaelen  only  offered  a  soft  smile  as  theywalked on. “It’s part of what  they keep secret from the royal girls. But don’t be afraid.  It’s simply the part of the evening when you play the Maran tiles.”

Upon entering Maven’s room, the girls immediately began to undress her—Anya worked to unwind the gold fabric that circled her torso, then Kaelen and Tally togetherlifted the gold wedding dress over Maven’s head to leave her naked before them oncemore—except, she remembered,  for the gem-studded  leather choker around her neck.  At moments she’d forgotten it was there —at other times, however, she was keenlyaware of the way it made her feel slightly bound.

Before Maven knew what was happening, Anya had produced a shocking array of apparel, laying it out on the bed. A swath of black leather, a miniscule black leather skirt, and a tall pair of leather boots such as  were worn in winter. Only it wasn’t winter, and at a glance, these did not appear to be fur-lined.

“Come,” Kaelen said, motioning Maven toward the bed. Together, Kaelen and Tally pulled the wide swath of leather tight around  her torso until she could feel Anya lacing it from behind. The garment possessed two pouches of leather that lifted to cup her breasts, but … “My nipples are barely covered,” she told them.

Tally pulled back a few steps to  look. “Indeed. Lovely,” she said.

“But…”

Kaelen seemed to read  her mind. She lifted her hand, gently grazing her knuckles across the curve Maven’s right breast as she spoke. “It’s supposed to fit this way. It’s supposed to make you look like a sexual goddess—a woman worthy of Ares himself.”

Maven swallowed. “But Dane said I would be  brought  back  to  him.  Did  he  mean  inthe great hall? Like this?”

As usual, Anya and Tally giggled at her  innocence while Kaelen answered. “It is a sacred ritual—it must be done.” Then she smiled. “But in case you didn’t notice, those attending the feast wore no more clothing than this, so  you’ll be in good company when you return.”

True enough, Maven thought. But she still couldn’t help feeling shy.

Kaelen and Tally wrapped the tiny excuse for a skirt around Maven’s hips, and again, Anya laced it tight at one side. The  skirt barely covered any of her thigh and shewondered how she would walk without exposing her cunt. Lastly, the maids helped her step into the high boots. They rose past her knees, onto her thighs, and the raised

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heels made her a few inches taller, leaving her  to feel as if she towered over the other  girls.

Only once she was fully dressed did they  lead her from the room and down  the hall  to stand before the most enormous viewing glass she’d ever seen, attached to the wall. She was at once thrilled and appalled by  her appearance. She indeed looked like  a  woman, not a girl—and not just any woman, but a woman made for sex. If only her hair  were not still bound.  “What about my hair?”  she asked, still looking at her veined  reflection in the pieced-together artifacts. “When will it come down?”

Kaelen smiled. “You’re getting anxious,” she said. “That’s good. Dane will be  pleased. As for your hair, removing  your braid is part of the ceremony.”

“You shall  look so pretty when your hair can fall around your shoulders,” Tally  said.

“Dane will be unable to  resist you,” added Anya.

Maven pulled in her breath at the thought and  her chest heaved  within  its tight  confines, swelling above the leather that  barely concealed her. She still didn’t like Dane—didn’t like him in the slightest and thought he  was an utter barbarian. And she remained upset about becoming his wife, his possession. But, Ares above, she could not  deny that she longed for him to want her  like this—her  pussy hungered for his touch, and yes, even for his cock. Somehow that part  of her felt…empty, needing to be filled, and she understood it was a desire for the various shafts she’d seen over the past week,  and more specifically, for Dane’s.

She tried to banish her shyness as she was  led by the three maids back to the great  hall. The moment Anya and Tally opened  the wide  wooden doors, another path  cleared, straight down  the middle of the room. The feasting tables had been removed  now—and at the opposite end of the hall stood two large pedestals, one facing her,  upon it a throne-like chair upholstered in red silk.

Kaelen walked ahead of Maven, Anya and Tally still following behind. Maven felt  every eye upon her as she made her way up  the wide aisle, the heels of her boots clicking on the smooth stone floor.

At the end of the walkway, Kaelen mounted the steps to the stage-like area, so Maven followed, wondering if her pussy could be  seen beneath the tiny leather skirt. It tingled madly.

Kaelen motioned for her to sit down in the  red chair, so  she did, turning to face the crowd. The main person she saw, however, was Dane. His own pedestal was much smaller than hers, a circular platform not far  away. He sat in a similar chair, facing her, and she got the immediate impression it was the chair of a spectator, rather than a participator in whatever was about to happen. He was going to watch.

The maids had already disappeared into  the crowd, but a moment later,  Anya and Tally reappeared, carrying between them a small wooden table, upon it a Maran board, the tiles already carefully stacked in the  pyramidal formation that began the game.

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No one  told  her to commence playing, but  every eye rested upon her, awaiting this important part of her wedding night, so she started removing the tiles, two by two, matching them with their mates.

Only—
 
oh Ares
 
—she could tell from the start that  it would be a difficult game. Being on a stage in front of so  many people made  it hard to concentrate, and Dane’s presence only added to the distraction. Not only that, but the quantity of wine she’d consumed with dinner had her feeling off-balance. Quickly, she reached a point where the tiles became hard to match, and  unlike her practice at home, she was having  trouble tryingto think ahead and puzzle it through.

Concentrate
, she commanded herself.

Aha!
 
She plucked off two of the “birdfeet”,  as  she liked to think of that specific geometric design, and beneath one of them  found a match for another tile awaiting a mate—the pair picturing what she’d silently named the “interlocking waves.”

Suddenly,  the game  was going better—her concentration was returning, herconfidence at the Maran tiles as well. She  was removing tiles at a quick pace now and would soon be down to the last few.

Except—just then, she  realized she could see no more matches.

Look again.

But no matter how she searched the board, no  more matching pairs could be  found.  And she’d left…oh no, an astounding amount! An embarrassing  number. She didn’tthink she’d played so poorly since her earliest practice sessions a year or more in the past. “For Ares’ sake,” she bit out in frustration beneath her breath.

She continued studying the board, hoping against hope to find another move or two, but they simply weren’t there. On this,  the night of her sacred game, she’d playedbadly.

Biting her lip, she looked up, toward Dane, then toward her three maids, who’d taken a spot just beneath her pedestal. She  wasn’t sure what to do or what would happen now.

“Is the game complete?” Dane asked loudly  enough that his voice echoed through the chamber.

She was suddenly so nervous she feared  she couldn’t answer. She merely nodded

instead.

“Kaelen,” he said, “take a count.”

Kaelen scurried up  the pedestal’s stairs, her breasts bouncing lightly  as sheascended. Unstacking what remained of the  pyramid of tiles, she arranged them on theboard according to symbol.

She announced to Dane and the crowd, “Two  pairs of breast tiles, one pair of cunt tiles, and three pairs of cock tiles.”

The crowd let out a collective sound of awe as  it struck  Maven for the first and only time—the symbols on the tiles represented  body parts and…perhaps actions? Even now

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she had no idea what some of them might mean, but she could  suddenly see that the long cylinders on the tiles represented  a cock, that the diamond-like shape with  rounded edges indicated a pussy. Maybe this explained why she sometimes felt  aroused after practicing at the Maran board.

But all of that mattered little now. All she  could do was wonder what it meant, and what would transpire based on the outcome of the game.