Mastering Marissa Page 15

  “You know what I feel,” she said carelessly, bemused by sensation and not thinking.

  He chuckled before touching a strand deep in her mind causing her nipples to remember the grip by the clamps. She gasped as the world blurred. She fought to reach the peak he held just out of reach.

  “More,” she groaned. “I need more, please…” she begged. He flexed his hips then stopped again.

  “Stop teasing,” she screamed.

  He slowly withdrew until the tip of his cock just barely held her channel open, all the while keeping the circle of sensation going in her head. “Tell me what you need,” he demanded.

  “More, more, more,” she heard herself mindlessly chant.

  He laughed. “Not yet. We’ve waited too long for it to be over so soon.”

  She was wild, every muscle taut with need. She wanted him in every way he could take her. Still he wound the coil within her tighter and tighter.

  He slammed back, using all his strength.

  “Yesss,” she hissed as he touched a core of need she’d never known existed. Kytar deepened his strokes. Her mind gave up its struggle for logic as he united them, mind and body, flooding her with his emotions.

  She felt him teetering on the edge, barely holding on. Responding, she inundated him, demanding the satisfaction they both craved. His control broke under her onslaught of need. And they exploded into shards of light. Screaming with the agony and ecstasy of release as they finally consummated their binding.

  * * * * *

  Marissa awoke the next day sleepy-eyed and suffering from exhaustion, to find her father seated in a chair next to the bed.

  As if he recognized her state, he smiled and kept his words soft. “I am proud of you. Your challenge ceremony will long be remembered.”

  Marissa waved a hand, barely hearing him as she wondered where Kytar had gone. She was still needy despite her recent satisfaction. But her father’s next words startled her out of her passion-induced fog. “There’s one more decision you have to make.”

  She groaned. “Enough,” she said. “I’m tired of your rituals.”

  “Nonetheless, you will listen and answer,” he replied.

  She briefly closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Where was Kytar? She should be able to feel him, shouldn’t she? But it was as if he’d never been in her head. She didn’t feel a trace of him. Opening her eyes, she nodded for her father to continue.

  “You’ve earned the right to leave, if you choose to do so.”

  “What?” Her heart sank at his words. “What do you mean? My challenge failed, the link strengthened. I can’t leave.”

  “Do you choose to leave?”

  Marissa stared at him. Leave? Why would she leave? Her mind slipped to the pleasure of Kytar’s body before she yanked her mind back to the present. Freedom, her father finally offered her freedom. She hesitated, but she couldn’t say yes when she found herself reaching for Kytar, trying to sense his presence in the house. Nothing, she felt nothing. Where was he?

  “What have you done with Kytar?”

  “Kytar is not allowed to interfere with your choice,” Davo said. “Do you choose to leave him?”

  “Does he want me to leave?” Disappointment and emptiness caused her to blurt the question before she could stop herself.

  Davo snorted, “Of course not. If he wanted you to leave he never would have bound you, trained you or faced the ritual with you, much less consummated your companionship.”

  Marissa couldn’t prevent a sigh of relief.

  “According to the rules of Darinth, you must answer me. Do you choose to leave?”

  “But you told me the ritual bound us tighter. How can you offer to let me leave?”

  “You are bound, but you were strong enough to challenge the link. You survived training and the ritual. That gives you the right to leave.”

  “You mean because I failed, I succeeded?” she asked slightly bewildered by this twist.

  He nodded.

  Marissa stared at her father. She wanted to scream in frustration. She’d thought she’d moved beyond the confusion of Darinthian rituals. His words made no sense but they must contain a hidden meaning. There was always a hidden meaning when the words got ritualistic. She tried to think it through. What was the catch?

  “What happens if I leave?”

  “Your bonds are dissolved.”

  “And that’s it, nothing else?”

  Her father’s jaw tightened.

  Then her heart stuttered. “Kytar—what happens to him?”

  “I am not permitted to answer that question. Do you choose to leave?”

  His ritualistic words sent a chill of fear rushing through her body and turmoil swirled in her brain. How many times had she cursed him and cursed Kytar? How many times had she begged for release? Now, freedom was hers. But release meant something bad for Kytar. She knew that, even if Davo wouldn’t tell her what.

  She closed her eyes, swamped by the memory of Kytar’s lips and hands on her body, playing her like a fine instrument. Could she really walk away from the satisfaction he gave her, satisfaction far beyond anything she’d ever imagined possible? Even now, she longed to feel him. Where was he? Why wasn’t he here to help her with this decision?

  Then she realized she didn’t need his help, not now. While she might not be enamored with the planet, she certainly didn’t want to leave Kytar. He challenged her and satisfied her on so many levels. She simply couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him.

  Yes, his strength frightened her at times but it also lured and thrilled her, making her feel safe and protected. She belonged with him. Peace flooded her because this decision didn’t have to be hard. For once, she’d take the easy route. Opening her eyes, she smiled and said, “I love Kytar. I will never leave him.”

  Her father sagged with relief. “The challenge is complete. Welcome to Darinth, daughter.” Smiling, he held out an envelope. “Your mother left this letter for you,” he said.

  “What?” Marissa tried to form a coherent sentence. Drained from the past few weeks, the sudden call from the past shocked her. She hadn’t expected any further communication from her mother. She looked at the small rectangular square of white. The last letter had changed her life. What would this one do? Her father left the room while she was still fixated on the paper he’d placed in her hand. Sighing, she broke the seal and read.

  My darling,

  I hope you don’t hate me. If you are reading this letter, then you belong on Darinth. You’ve achieved a state that always frightened me. It frightened me so much that I ran from your father. I learned too late that I should have accepted his will and judgment. The binding frightened me and I gave in to fear. I am glad you are braver. Not a day has passed that I haven’t regretted leaving your father. Not a day has passed that I haven’t remembered him with longing. I was happy on Darinth. Perhaps by now you understand why. I hope you will forgive my earlier deception. I wanted you to have the opportunity to understand how freeing it is to be a companion, held safe by a strong man’s arms. To know you are loved and protected frees you to love in return. I couldn’t explain—you had to experience Darinth to understand. If I had told all at the beginning of your journey, would you have gone to Darinth? Enjoy your adventure.

  All my love, always,

  Mom

  Tears streamed down Marissa’s face. She remembered her mother’s life and realized how much pain she must have hidden. Marissa’s stepfather was a poor imitation of a Darinthian male. Her mother had suffered for turning her back on love.

  Lost in her musings, Marissa hadn’t seen Kytar enter the room. She felt him though as he gathered her into his arms. His mind played lightly over hers, easing her emotional pain. She sighed, content in his arms. She forgave her mother’s deception.

  She couldn’t deny the deep satisfaction she felt with Kytar as he mentally reminded her of the power of their link.

  * * * * *

  The next day, Marissa’s hands shoo
k as she tried to brush her hair. This was silly, she told herself. She shouldn’t be more frightened of meeting her family than she had been by the challenge ritual. But her stomach clenched into a tight knot that refused to relax.

  Kytar came up behind her and took the brush from her hand. Soothing her turmoil, he said, “They are just as excited to meet you as you are to meet them. They are family and family is sacred on Darinth. Otherwise, the council wouldn’t have agreed that you meet them before we go into isolation and consolidate our bonds. You needn’t stress over this encounter.”

  She sighed with relief as he stroked her thoughts, soothing the rough edges, replacing her anxiety with excitement. She leaned back against his broad chest as his arms came around her and he kissed her hair.

  “We have to leave if we’re to be on time.”

  Feeling more secure, she nodded. “Let’s go.”

  Kytar held her close as he led her to her father’s house. They walked through the door into a crowd of a hundred people. Her eyes widened, these were all relatives? Before she had a chance to panic, Davo spotted her and came over.

  Grabbing her hand, he said, “Come, it is long past time for you to meet your relatives.” And he led her into the welcoming crowd.

  About the Author

  Cyna Kade started reading science fiction and fantasy when she was ten. By age fifteen she added romance to her reading list. Erotica followed much later. Cyna belives the best books mix genres and she's followed that belief in her life. She’s lived in north, east, south and west. She’s been married and liberated and deeply loves her children. She’s worked as an x-ray tech, a computer programmer, a systems analyst, a university instructor and earned a multidisciplinary Ph.D. Hobbies are equally varied, including stained glass and tai chi. Cyna is now newly single and rediscovering herself, exploring pathways long thought lost.

  Cyna welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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