Chapter 29
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
VALI
M y wedding day is a magical one. Even though I have yet to give Lord Vor his fish, it feels as if the gods are smiling down upon myself and Ranan. The weather is beautiful, the sun shining and a light breeze making the warmth pleasant. Ranan’s mother Ajinai is in our tent with me. I’ve placed my tiara in my hair and woven the ribbons Ranan gave me through my curls. Ajinai helps me dress in the traditional garb of a woman of the seakind—several long, thick necklaces made of shells and pearls, and a long, pearl-lined wrap skirt made of fish leather. She has made these garments in anticipation of Ranan’s future bride, and so they’re all a bit oversized. The skirt is so long it drags on the ground behind me, made for a much taller woman. I don’t care. Ajinai looks at me with approval and happiness, and I feel beautiful.
“You will keep these,” she says to me. “Use them as an example so you can make them for your daughter when she is old enough.”
I’m not sure if we’ll want children, but I like that this is mine to keep. I give her the cobweb of gold collar because I’ll never wear it, and she smiles with radiant happiness, immediately putting it on.
Now we’re both adorned for my wedding, and I feel a little closer to Ranan’s mother.
We emerge from the tent to the gathered flotilla’s occupants, and everyone looks happy to see us. I don’t even mind that I’m topless under the necklaces—I feel like I fit in. Ranan devours me with a hot look as I come to his side, and a few steps away, his father stands behind him. Lakos has never said two words to me, his expression as impossible to read as Ranan’s. Lakos says he’s shy and suffers from the same tongue-twisting his son does, so he rarely speaks in the presence of others. Today he gives me a small nod of approval as I put my hand in Ranan’s.
And then I stop looking at the crowd and pay attention to my bridegroom, because he looks magnificent. There are no bandages on his leg, only an ugly, jagged, bright-pink scar. He leans on a crutch that has been decorated for the ceremony, and he wears several necklaces that match mine. Instead of a wrap at his hips, though, he wears a slender fish-leather loincloth decorated with seashells. His skin has been rubbed with oil and he gleams in the sunlight, all gorgeous muscles and shining skin. More attractive than any of that is the smile that curves his mouth as he looks down at me, his expression flicking between happiness and possessiveness.
I could float away with the joy I’m feeling right now.
I put both of my hands in his, and since I only have two of them, he double-holds each one. As tradition dictates, the priest of Belara is bribed with a pouch of money, and then the vows are said. I practically float when Ranan declares to honor me as his bride for all eternity, as is tradition. But then he adds another line that takes my breath away. He looks me in the eye, his thumb skating over the back of my hand. “My Vali. You have always said that you want to belong, that you never have a home. But I need you to know that your home is with me, at my side. Your place is in my arms. You are my home, and I hope I am yours.”
I lift our joined hands and kiss his knuckles, tears of happiness threatening to brim over.
“In the eyes of the gods, you are now joined,” the priest says.
Ranan pulls me close, no doubt for a chaste kiss. I fling my arms around his neck and press my lips to his, eager to show him just how much love I have to give.
He lifts me off my feet, ignoring my squeal. “Your leg!”
“I’m not lifting you with my leg,” he says, and kisses me harder.
To the sounds of laughter and cheering, he carries me across the flotilla and back into the tent that is set up for our wedding celebration. He limps a little, but my protests are forgotten as we kiss, and kiss, and kiss. As is tradition with the seakind, the new couple feasts in private and emerges the next day at dawn to present another offering to Belara and the rest of the gods. I’m less interested in feasting and far, far more interested in touching my new husband.
He keeps kissing me as he carries me into the tent and finally sets me on my feet. “My Vali,” he murmurs. “Were there human customs you wanted? Was the ceremony to your liking?”
“It was perfect,” I say, moving in close and pushing aside the necklaces so I can press kisses on his bare chest. “Let’s have sex now.”
He chuckles, a hint of tension in his voice. “You do not want to eat first? My mother and father have spent many hours preparing our feast?—”
“Don’t care,” I say, and turn my head to lick a particularly enticing nipple. It’s been so long since we’ve kissed and touched. So long since I’ve sat on his face or had his cocks in mine. There’s an ache deep in my belly that tells me that I need to be filled by my husband. I slide one of his arms around my waist, but he doesn’t pull me any closer and it worries me. “Don’t you want to have sex now, Ranan? Don’t you think we’ve waited long enough?”
“I have not had sex,” he confesses. “For some reason, the thought makes me nervous. I want today to be perfect for you.”
Is he being shy? Right now? After we just were joined in front of his people and the gods? “You’ve seen all my bits,” I tease, running my hands over his torso. “I’ve seen yours. I can help you if you need assistance figuring out where everything goes, but I’m sure you have an idea.”
“Are you…I have two cocks, Vali. I know humans do not.”
“We’ll make sure they both get attention,” I reassure him, sliding my hands down to that shell-covered loincloth and pushing it aside so I can touch him. I grip one already hard cock and sigh with pleasure at the feel of him. There’s nothing quite like the weight of a very fine cock in your grasp and the reaction of the male it belongs to.
Ranan makes a choked sound, even as he presses into my hand. “You…always…so eager…”
“Of course I’m eager. Just look at you.” I use my other hand and run it down his side, fascinated with his hard abdomen. How can he possibly think I’m not excited to touch him? Everything about his body is perfection. His chest is a wall of muscle, and all four arms are taut and corded with veins. I even like his bubble of an arse and the delicate fins along his limbs. I stroke his side even as I tease his cock…
…and he jumps, moving out of my grip.
Startled, I look up at him as he rubs his side, a sheepish expression on his face. “Ticklish.”
What? How can this be? Have I never run my hand down his side before? Have I somehow missed this perfect, touchable spot in my focus on his (admittedly fascinating) cocks? I need to try it again. I abandon playing with his shaft and try to put my hands in that spot on his side again, but he bats them away.
Well, that’s just encouraging me.
Our caresses turn into wrestling, as I try to tickle him and he uses all four arms to prevent me from doing so. I’m a wriggly sort, though, and I manage to get a few tickles in even as he tries to stop me. He grunts every time my fingers make contact, and I slide out of his grip just to tickle again, laughing with delight. This is the best.
Ranan wraps all four arms around me and propels me into the bed on the far side of the tent. Then I’m on my back, a heavy male pinning my arms to my side. We’re both grinning and slightly sweaty, and my smile fades as I remember that my gorgeous husband is still injured. “Your leg…”
“Not using it at the moment.” He keeps my arms trapped, even as he leans in and presses kisses on my neck.
I wriggle, squirming against his hot mouth, and angle my chin so he can kiss as much of my throat as he likes. “Just don’t hurt yourself.”
He huffs and doesn’t even lift his head from me. He nibbles on my ear with delicate teeth and lips, making me whimper, and then returns to my neck and jaw. I’m peppered in light, soft kisses that make me ache with arousal, and I squirm against his grip, desperate to put my arms around him.
“I want to touch you,” I whisper.
“You can, but later, after you’ve forgotten all about that spot on my side.” His mouth grazes my collarbone.
“I promise not to tickle.”
I get another huff as an answer, and then he’s pushing necklaces aside so he can nuzzle the tip of my breast. I moan, hot desire licking through my body. Gods, that feels so good. It’s been a while since we’ve touched like this, and I’ve forgotten how much I adore his caresses. I stop trying to get away and arch my back, giving him free access to everything he wants to kiss. His lips, his tongue, his enthusiasm are the best feeling in the world. I would pick his touch over a thousand gold necklaces, the soft noises of approval he makes as he strokes me, over hundreds of pretty dresses. I want him and this moment, nothing else.
He lavishes attention on my breasts, until I’m panting and needy underneath him. My nipples are taut and aching from his ministrations, and when he leans in to give them more affection, I whimper a protest. “Let me touch you, Ranan. Let me suck your cocks.”
“Later,” he murmurs, and then takes my nipple into his mouth and sucks on it. When he releases it with an audible pop, my breast aches in the best way, and I practically whine a protest that he stops. “I want to be inside you this time, my Valessa.”
An even better idea than mine. Just the thought of it makes my core ache, as if my body is desperate for the very same. “Oh, I want that, too.”
He moves up my body and kisses me, this time on the lips. A small smile curves his mouth as he gazes down at me, and that hungry, possessive look comes over him. “You’re certain?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I’m bigger than a human male. And I have two.”
“I noticed, aye.” His uncertainty is adorable, and ever so slightly baffling. “Why would I have a problem with that?”
“My bride should enjoy her wedding night. I just want to make certain we both are enjoying.”
“I’m enjoying everything, I swear.” I run my now-freed hand over his shoulders, appreciating his strength. “I’ve had sex before, Ranan. Nothing we do will surprise or frighten me.”
He nods. “I’ll get the sacred pot, then.”
Did I just say he wouldn’t surprise me? I guess I was wrong, because I have no idea what a sacred pot is for. But I want Ranan to keep on going, so I prop up on my elbows, necklaces sliding to my sides, and watch as he crosses the tent. He picks up a small earthenware jar and returns to my side, his expression the one he wears when he’s ill at ease. I’m curious what he’s so uncertain about, so I watch with interest as he pulls the small lid off the jar. A light, perfumed fragrance fills the air, and he dips his fingers in. They come out gleaming and slick.
Oil.
Of course there’s oil involved in a wedding night if the groom has two cocks. It makes perfect sense to me, and I smile my approval at Ranan. It’s very considerate—as a virgin, what wouldn’t I have given for someone to oil me up to ease things that first time? “What a thoughtful custom. I’ve never used such a thing.”
“No?” He flexes his greased fingers, and they’re so large and blunt that the small movement sends a hot needle of arousal through me. I can’t wait to watch him touch himself with his slick hands. They’ll just glide over his cocks like butter on a hot roll, and the thought makes me bite back a moan of hunger. I’ll get to watch that before he puts himself inside me, and it feels like the best sort of present.
But Ranan doesn’t touch himself. He puts one slick hand on my pussy, stroking his thumb over the seam of my sex. “I want to make sure you can take me without pain, Vali.”
“I don’t mind a little pain.” Sometimes it can be exciting. And it’s not as if he’s setting out to hurt me. If he gets a little too eager and doesn’t go as slow as he could, I wouldn’t hold it against him. I’d just coach him through it for next time.
Ranan’s gaze meets mine. “I mind your pain.”
That might be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. I open my mouth to tell him so, but then his slippery, oiled fingers stroke over my clit, and I nearly come out of my body with the intense bolt of pleasure that soars through me. “Ranan!”
“I have you,” he murmurs, and strokes his fingers lower, teasing two of them into my core. My body is already wet, and the oil on his hand makes a wet, squelching sound as he fingers me, but gods, it feels so good. I don’t even care about the loud, embarrassing noises of my cunt. All I care about is that he keeps doing this.
I fall back on the blankets, my thighs spreading wider. “What…what about children? Should we do something to prevent them?”
He shrugs. “There are sea plants that prevent a pregnancy, if you want such things. I’m happy either way.”
“I am, too.”
“My lovely, eager bride,” he murmurs, and there’s such pride in his voice that it makes me ache. His fingers glide in and out of me in a careful, precise rhythm. He strokes into me a few times, then adds another finger, stretching my body.
I’ve never been so slippery, so wet, and so damn eager for my lover. I whimper his name, my hands going to my nipples to tease them while he drives into me. “Ranan, please.”
He groans, moving up my body to kiss me even as he pounds into me with now four fingers. “You think you can take me, sweet Valessa?”
“Yes,” I whine, nipping at his mouth as he pulls away. “Give me everything.”
“Not everything. Not yet.” He kisses me again, his tongue teasing lightly against mine, and then puts his hands on me to turn me over.
I roll, helping out, and push my hips into the air as I get on hands and knees. I’m eager, all right. So very eager to have him over me, inside me, filling me…
Ranan’s larger body presses against my backside, and as I watch, he takes one cock in hand and drags it through the slippery mess between my thighs, slicking it. He notches himself at my entrance, and then presses in. And…gods. It’s glorious. I gasp as he pushes into my channel, and his cock feels enormous and thick. The other brushes against my thigh, and I reach between my legs to touch it and press his length against my pussy even as he feeds the other into me.
He hisses with approval, then grunts as he seats himself to the hilt inside me. His other cock pushes against my hand, and I drop my elbows, pressing my cheek against the blankets so I can use my hand on him.
“How does it feel?” he asks.
“Shockingly good,” I breathe. I want to flex my hips, to try to get comfortable with what feels like the world’s most enormous prick spearing me to my core, but the feel of him brings its own sensation. My skin prickles all over with awareness, and I can feel his every twitch. It’s like we’ve become one.
And I’m very, very thankful for the sacred pot.
Ranan strokes my back with one hand, even as he pulls back to thrust again. “My wife.”
“Yours.” I feel dreamy with bliss, and when he surges into me again, I want to stay in this moment forever. I feel good. Sexy. Wanted. “All yours.”
I work his lower cock again and he groans, pushing against my hand. My grip is awkward due to the angle, and it doesn’t feel like enough. “Can I put my legs together?” I ask him. “Will that bother you?”
He makes a tortured sound and one hand tightens on my hip. “The flotilla could fall apart and it would not bother me in this moment.”
Smiling at the thought, I bring my legs together slowly, and as I do, I rub the slick length of his cock between my thighs and grip it. It changes how everything feels—now he can’t plunge as deep inside me, but when he thrusts forward, his second cock shuttles between my tightly-pulled-together legs. “Is this better?”
“All of it…is good,” he answers, voice thick. “So good…” He sinks deep again, squeezing my arse as he does.
“But is this how your people do it?” I ask, my toes curling when he bottoms out inside me.
It steals my breath away and I forget all about making this as good as I can for him, because my own pleasure gets in the way. Keeping my thighs rigidly together increases the friction on my pussy, and when he thrusts his second cock forward, it drags against my cunt. The head pushes between my thighs and I press it up so it can rub against my clit when he moves again. My whimpers turn into choked cries as he works me relentlessly, and when an orgasm quivers up my legs and spirals through my body, I welcome it. I cry out his name, clenching around his cock, and Ranan’s gritted curse tells me he feels my body reacting. I wring every bit of rapture I can from his thrusts, until I’m so sensitive between my thighs that I have to move him away or it’ll drive me mad.
“Amazing,” I wheeze, when I catch my breath.
“You…I felt that,” Ranan says, his hands roaming over my back. “That was incredible.”
By the gods, it absolutely was. My toes want to curl again when he twitches inside me, and I feel every bit of it. I move my fingers between my legs, seeking out his second cock. The head of him is slick with seed, but not enough for him to have come. He’s still hard inside me, too. “You didn’t come.”
“Not yet. I’m enjoying myself.” His thumb grazes the cleft of my ass.
“Is that how your people do it?” I ask him again, drowsily curious.
Ranan pauses. “Women of the seakind have…two entrances to receive a mate.”
Two wombs. Two channels. Whatever you call it, I’ve only got the one…but I’ve also got a nice, erotic imagination. “So do I, if you think about it. And we’ve got plenty of oil.”
He goes still over me. “Is…is that something you would want, Vali?”
“We could try it. I don’t mind trying. We can see if it’s something we both enjoy. If you want to, that is.”
He makes a pained sound, as if the very thought is almost too much for him to take in. “I would try it, aye. Bury myself in both of your wet heats? I would love to.” He skims a hand along my buttock again. “It wouldn’t harm you?”
I chuckle. “Not if we grease everything properly.”
“You truly are the most amazing of wives,” he tells me. “To think I found someone so eager and willing to take me, all of me…”
He sounds amazed, like he’s not handsome and gorgeous and rich and thoughtful. He doesn’t realize that I feel like the lucky one. That I should be sending a dozen fish to Vor every day in gratitude for bringing Ranan into my life. We’re still figuring each other out, but there’s nothing wrong with that. I want to spend the next fifty years of my life figuring him out. “I’m the lucky one.”
“To have a tongue-tied boor of a mate?” He scoffs at the thought.
“You can’t help it,” I murmur, arching against his touch as a bit of oil is dribbled into the crease of my backside. A moment later, his fingers are there, teasing at my back entrance. “And we’re getting better at figuring each other out…ooooh.”
He presses something into my arse. It might be a finger. Might be a thumb. It just feels big and invasive and intriguing all at once. Ranan plays with the pucker of my arse for a time, easing first one finger and then adding a second and stretching things. All the while, he tells me how beautiful I am, how enthusiastic and clever, and how I’m the perfect bride for him. All the while I wriggle and moan under his fingers.
“You think you’re ready to take me?” he asks after I’m squirming once more.
I nod.
He pulls his cock from my body, leaving me hollow and aching. Behind me, there’s the sound of wet oil being slicked over his cocks again, and then his cock is at the entrance to my body…and at the entrance to my backside. He presses in slowly, pushing against my body’s natural resistance even as I try to relax and bite back my whimpers. It doesn’t feel bad, just…strange. Different. My body relaxes, letting him sink in, and then his other cock is filling my cunt.
Ranan presses forward, and I feel very…full. Perhaps overly full, but as he pushes into me, I notice that every sensation is heightened. Even breathing in feels like an explosion of nerves. I can feel Ranan’s every twitch, the pulse of his body. And when he moves forward and then draws back to gently thrust into me, I let out a sobbing breath.
“Good?” he asks, voice tight.
I have to think about it for a moment. Do I like these new sensations? The strangeness of it is melting away, and I’m left with trembling, breathless enjoyment. Of my body stretched taut. Of being pierced doubly by the man I just married. It’s the most wicked and fascinating sensation.
Aye, I’m enjoying it. I manage a nod.
And when Ranan slides a hand along my front to gently rub at my clit while he pumps into me with short, shallow thrusts, I come undone. I float on a sea of sensation, climaxing again as he thrusts into me twice over.
I’m dimly aware of his movements growing erratic, his hips jerking and his control shattering, and when he comes, his entire body quakes over mine. Ranan falls over me, caging my body in his arms even as he continues to work my clit. I have to grab his hand and twine his fingers with mine to get him to stop.
“I…came…” he announces, breathless. He sounds as dazed as I feel. “That was…amazing, Vali. You are incredible.” He squeezes my fingers. “You…did you enjoy that?”
Did I enjoy that? “I think at one point I came so hard I nearly blacked out, so aye, I enjoyed it.”
He chuckles and squeezes me tighter. Then he sighs and gently eases off of me from where I’m collapsed in the blankets. When his body leaves mine, I feel a little raw, a little achy, and used. A good used, I decide. I roll onto my back, trying to find the strength to get up and clean off after sex. To my surprise, Ranan brings a towel and water to me. “I’ll take care of you, my bride. Let me tend to you.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I relax back, spreading my thighs obediently so he can clean away the mess of our lovemaking. “We should do that again,” I say. “Maybe not every time, because I won’t be able to walk straight, but we’ll definitely need to do it more.”
Ranan’s sail flicks and he’s quiet. Feeling shy again. He brushes his fingers over my ear, and that small touch tells me everything.
I curl up on the blankets and turn towards him, hands under my cheek. He puts away the water and towels, then approaches the pallet of blankets and joins me on it. I smile when he lies down and faces me. “How’s your leg?”
“Better every day.”
That’s the same answer he gives every time I ask. “I mean right now. Does it hurt?”
“No.” His gaze roams over me. “Do you have regrets?”
“Why would I have regrets?”
His expression turns solemn. “Because now you’re stuck with me.”
I reach out and flick his nose. “Don’t be silly. I’m here because I want to be. Or is this you fishing for compliments? If you are, I am happy to reassure you that the sex was incredible and I want to do all of that over and over again.”
Ranan’s hard mouth curves into a wry smile. He brushes a lock of tangled hair back from my brow. “I am not fishing for compliments. I just…want this to work. It feels too good to be true.”
“You won’t be saying that when I get cranky over eating fish every day,” I joke.
“Yes, I will.”
Gods, he’s making me want to kiss him all over again. Then again, there’s nothing stopping me from doing so. I lean in and press a kiss to his mouth, touching his chin as I do. “Don’t worry so much. I’m happy to be your wife.” I brush my fingers over his jaw and trace the lines of it. “So what happens now? Is this our new home?”
He pauses. “Do you want to stay with the flotilla?”
“I don’t know. Do you?”
“I want what will make you happy.”
By Belara, we’re still dancing around each other’s feelings, aren’t we? I move a little closer to him, until our noses touch and our breaths mingle as we lie down and gaze at each other. “I want us to be honest with each other.”
Ranan thinks for a moment and then says, “My mother would like for us to stay with the flotilla, but I’m not sure I’m ready to abandon Akara. She’s too young to join the flotilla.”
“I don’t want to abandon Akara either,” I tell him. “And I don’t mind going around on her back, but it’s nice to have a permanent home. We can’t stay at the grotto?”
He shakes his head slightly. “Not with a sea dragon in the area. It’ll chase off most of the larger fish—or devour them—and it’ll be dangerous for swimming. But there are plenty of other grottos along the coast. We can pick a new one and make it a home.”
“What about the stuff you have in your old one?” It seems so strange to me to just abandon it. I think of all the statues he has there, the trunks full of goods, the jewelry, the coin, the delicate dishware…
He moves closer, his nose rubbing against mine, as if he just wants to be that much closer to me. “We can retrieve what we need as long as we are quick and stay in the shallower waters. There’s nothing I require from there. If you want anything specific, we can always get it later.”
I consider that, running my fingers along his smooth jaw and stroking his skin. “I suppose we can always get that stuff later. There’s nothing I wanted. It’s just that it seems like a lot of treasure to abandon.”
“No one will find it. The grotto is impossible to access except underwater. It’s safe there.”
True. “And will you continue to rob ships? To pirate?”
He grins at me. “I like doing it. Most of the ships along this coast are merchants or slavers, and I don’t feel bad about robbing them.”
I wouldn’t feel bad about robbing them, either. “Can I help out?”
“It can be dangerous.”
“Not if we’re smart about it.” I tap the tip of his proud nose. “I’ll get some of those sea herbs you mentioned so I don’t conceive until we’re ready and we’ll work together. We can come up with some sort of storyline—that I’m your slave and being forced to help you out. I can do the talking for you so you can just stand there and look scowly and fearsome.”
He’s surprised at my enthusiasm. “You want to do the talking?”
“Yes, because if you ask for another bride, I’m going to pull her hair out.”
Ranan chuckles and then touches my ear. “I have the only bride I want.”
We gaze into each other’s eyes for a long moment, and it feels natural when he leans in and kisses me. Our lips meld, and time slips away, and there’s nothing but my husband and his hungry, tender mouth on mine. He pulls away and rubs his nose against mine once more.
“I still need my fish for Lord Vor,” I whisper.
Ranan groans, and then his hands are on me, tickling.