Chapter Nineteen #2
“Most, but not all. This one is for those of my line. As my mate, you are allowed to use it. And no one would bother you while I am with you anyway.”
Her eyes flicked to mine, her kethra glowing bright, but I didn’t detect anxiety the way I’d expected.
“And will you be joining me?”
I kept my eyes locked on her as my vorran stirred. I may have been imagining it, but I thought I heard invitation in her voice.
“If you are comfortable with it. It would certainly be faster.”
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. I doubted she realized it was instinctive for her to taste air, searching for clues in my scent. If she knew what she was searching for, she wouldn’t miss my interest.
Chest rising with a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and nodded.
“Can you turn around while I get in?”
I kept tight control of my kethra as I did as she asked.
Nudity was common among the Morrak, it was something barely noticed. If she knew how much her reluctance only made me more focused on seeing her body, I doubted she would try as hard to hide it.
The splash behind me was small, and when I glanced over my shoulder, she was waist-deep, arms crossed over her chest, cheeks flushed. She sank to her chin with a squeak, the steam making her outline blurry.
As conscious of her nakedness as she was, it made me wonder if she’d seen a male unclothed.
We were built similarly, and Nyrel had assured me the important parts were all in the same locations and functioned as expected, but would she be as shy about seeing someone else’s body as she was about showing hers?
I turned to face her, reaching for my belt. I loosened it and left it open as I unfolded my korrvek and let it slip from my arms. The water hid her scent from me, but if her kethra grew any brighter she was going to rival Vorrashan, and a smirk lifted the corner of my lips.
She was interested, and she didn’t look away. The light of her kethra shone on her eyes, revealing them even within the steam.
Loosening the tie beneath my belt, I let the weight of the leather pull the rest of my korrvek to the stone beneath me. My vorran was erect, and Serenya grew bright enough to make me squint before she squeaked and spun away as if it wasn’t already too late.
I couldn’t help my laugh as I stepped into the water. I was tempted to close the space between us, but if I went too fast, it would only set us back, so I settled on the underwater shelf on the opposite side.
“I am not as modest as you, veyrari. You may look. My vorran is beneath the water if you are worried.”
She peeked over her shoulder before turning in place, but she refused to meet my eyes.
“I’m going to need a Morraki to Common translation guide. Morraki to English would be even better.”
I let my grin grow, my tail swishing under the water where it couldn’t give me away.
“What is the word for a Human male’s… anatomy. The English word.”
It was too steamy to see if the question made her flush, but I imagined it did. She seemed so innocent and sheltered. Nothing like I’d expected for General Hale’s daughter.
I found it appealing.
“I shouldn’t teach you naughty words.”
My laugh echoed from the stone around us.
“Naughty? Knots were something Mara mentioned is different between us. Do you know about that part? She claimed humans don’t have them.”
Serenya made a strangled sound in her throat, and I had to clench my hands on the stone behind me to hold myself in place. I wanted to be close enough to see every nuance of her expression. To scent what she didn’t want to say aloud.
“Who is Mara?”
I hummed, liking the note of possessiveness in her voice. Omegas could be fiercely possessive of the alphas they chose, especially as they neared their heat.
“Doctor Mara Keene, the woman who injected you with the serum. She was the first Human omega.”
Her eyes widened and I could almost see her making connections in her mind. I gave her a moment before guiding us back to the prior discussion.
“So? Which will it be? The English word for my vorran, or what you know about knots? Which we call zulkar, for future reference.”
I heard her swallow before sucking in a ragged breath. It was agonizing to wait, but I wanted her to show me she was willing. I could go at her pace, but I need to know she was going to meet me.
“The part between their legs has many names that are also used for other things in English. I’ve been told it’s a difficult language because many words sound alike but have different meanings, and many words have multiple meanings depending on the usage.”
I waited but when her pause grew too long, I prompted her again.
“It sounds like you’re avoiding the question.”
I couldn’t call the sound she made a growl, but I had a feeling the emotion behind it was the same. I kept my laugh to myself, letting the steam and darkness hide my grin as I waited for her to find her courage.
“Dick. Prick. Penis if you’re discussing anatomy. Cock if you’re being… vulgar.”
Releasing the stone behind me, I moved across the pool. My steps were slow enough she could have retreated, kept the distance between us, but while I could see ripples from her trembling, she didn’t move.
The water was barely deep enough to cover my vralekh since it touched my abdomen with my vorran erect, and with Serenya lowered to her neck in the water, I had to curl my claws into my palms hard enough to cut to keep from thinking about pulling her closer.
“Cock. Hmm. It almost sounds Morraki.”
With how close we were, the steam didn’t hide anything. I knew where her eyes were aimed. Which kethra she was tracing with her gaze.
“So, Serenya, do Humans have a knot at the base of their cock? Do they lock inside you when they release?”
Her breathing was uneven as she pulled her focus up to my face. She was already a short little thing, but she had to be almost on her knees in the water, and I was looming over her, but she still didn’t move away.
Her head barely shook from side to side.
I was tempted to rise to my full height so she could see the real thing, but easing her into it seemed the safer option, so I swung my tail around until it emerged from the water between us.
She still gasped before realizing what it was, and my kethra flashed.
“If this were my cock, this,” I circled the tip with my fingers, “is the vralekh.”
I held it for a moment for her to see just the tip sticking above my fist before sliding my grip down.
“At the base of the vorran, an alpha has a zulkar. A knot. It starts out flat, just part of the vorran, but as the alpha nears sehl’ar, it will begin to inflate. It locks inside the omega, holding them together and keeping his seed trapped inside to assure time for claiming and…fertilization.”
Her round pupils had expanded until there was only a slim ring of the pale blue circling it, and her rapid breaths were creating waves in the pool. I knew if she were on land I’d be able to smell her slick, and from her position, she could likely scent my arousal leaking into the water.
“I—uhm. Thank you, for that… lesson.”
Easing back, I let myself sink the way she floated, so my eyes were level with hers. I had more questions for her. What she called her parts, and how she liked them touched, but they could wait.
I could wait.
“The cleanser is in the basket behind you. I’ll wash and then find us drying cloths.”
She moved aside so I could take a handful of the powdery minerals. Dripping water into the palm holding it, I worked it until they lathered, then stood to clean myself. She hesitated before mimicking me, turning her back before standing.
“Thank you. For today. And for not pushing.”
Her voice was soft and distant, as if she spoke to the caverns around us, but I inclined my head.
“You are mine, but you are not a prisoner, Serenya. There are certain traditions we must follow, but I do not seek to make you uncomfortable. The bond will not flourish in fear.”
A long silence stretched, filled only by the sound of the wind through the pillars and the soft splashes as we washed. I was finished and climbing from the pool when she spoke again.
“Do you wish things were different?”
I traced her shape with my eyes before turning my gaze to the distant pools where other Morraki bathed. I had never planned to claim an omega, I couldn’t afford a weakness, but with the prospect of bonding her on the horizon, I found I wasn’t opposed to the thought anymore.
“I have. But wishing does not build a future. Actions do. And you are part of mine, Serenya, so I will show you the devotion you deserve.”
She let out a breath and began to turn. Every part of me froze, even my tail too tense to twitch as she faced me.
“Then I want to be ready.”