Page 22 of Dark Company

From there, she stands in front of my knees and rests her hands on them, pausing before applying pressure. “I was going to wait until tomorrow to tell you this, but part of my job is to arouse you, to get you turned on and ready for the cock you’ll have to impale yourself on. Normally, we just pamper the women and help stretch them out, but with you….”

She trails off and looks at me, a soft smile tilting her lips before she continues. “You’ve been on suppressants for so long that they’re unsure of whether you’ll be able to perform like you need to. None of us wants to see you get hurt. That’s the absolute last thing we want.”

“But, why you? I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with you. I just -.”

Chuckling, she cuts off my babbling with a quick squeeze to my thigh. “That’s because I actually enjoy turning women on and I’m not a threat. With males, there’s no guarantee that they won’t defile you before the ceremony, especially if you’re close to heat. They won’t be able to help themselves. But I can. I can resist if needed.”

Frowning, I let my mind mull over her words. What she’s saying makes sense, and truthfully, I’d rather do this with a girl than to get embarrassed with a guy. Besides, as on omega herself, Alexi would know what’s normal and what’s not.

“I’m going to spread you out now, Karis.” Her voice is deep and husky. “I need to see you before you clean yourself. Besides, come tomorrow, Ladria and I will see and touch every inch of you as we prepare you for your sacrifice.”

My body trembles as I hold my legs shut, unsure if I want this or not. If it’s true that they’re going to be seeing me anyway, what’s the harm?

“I don’t have to do this, Karis. If it’s the fact that I like women that makes you nervous, I will not touch you. Ladria can be the one to stretch you open. I know for a fact that she doesn’t have improper thoughts about women. She’s allowed me to relieve her since her barrier is still intact, but she expresses no desire to be with me after the ceremony.”

“Do - do I have to be with you after the ceremony if I let you do this?”

“No, Karis.” Her words are featherlight against my skin, as if her words themselves are skimming against my body. “After the ceremony, you may choose any man to lie with. You are not beholden to me. Nor are you required to like my attentions. If you do, that’s okay too. It doesn’t mean that you have to stay with women your whole life. It’s perfectly fine to want a man to be the one to satisfy you.”

Swallowing hard, I look at the ceiling, unwilling to meet her gaze. “And the gods will not condemn me for our actions?”

“Heaven’s no. Besides, right now, I’m only going to look at you. There’s no harm in that. You’re going to be the one touching yourself. Now, if you want me to be the one to clean you, I can do that too. It’s whatever you wish. Now then, will you allow me access, Karis?”

Clenching my hands into fists, I dig them into the blankets below as my knees release enough for her to slide her hands in. After I release the breath I’m holding, she spreads me apart, much like how Dr. Jakrob had me when he examined me. Her breath is soft and scalding on my inner thighs as she rubs her cheek against the sensitive skin.

“Again, it’s my job to arouse you, but I will not stand by and overwhelm you. The moment it’s too much or I make things too uncomfortable, tell me to stop.”

Alexi pulls back and stands in between my thighs until the harsh rasp of her dress brushes against my divine anatomy. She leans down and skims her hand across my abdomen to drop the rag off by the side of my head. Stepping away, she rummages around until she finds a different cloth and holds it up to me.

“The other rag was with the equipment. There’s no guarantee that it’s sterile. This one is clean and ready for use.”

Her hands once more press against my inner thighs, opening me back up before taking her cloth-covered fingers to my lower lips. Each scrape against me is calculated, perfunctory. It’s so clinical compared to the heavy breaths that escape her lips.

She forces them open, peering down at me until my cheeks are once more on fire. I’m not sure what she’s looking at so intently. Does this mean I’m truly injured? She glides the cloth up one way and down the other, but never once touches the part of me that throbs. Groaning, I move my hips, desperate for some relief, but it doesn’t happen. Instead, she pulls back with a wicked grin on her face.

“I see no trace of blood or injury. All that’s present is your arousal. Here.” She pauses to hand me the rag. “Clean yourself and get dressed so we can go.”

With no further conversation, she turns around and heads out between the curtains, leaving me alone with my thoughts. My skin is hot and stretched thin. Everything aches, and it’s not just in between my thighs. All my joints start to hurt as I slip the black dress over my head and place the veil on top, obscuring my face.

Pulling up the edge of the gown, I swipe the rag a few times between my thighs, ridding myself of the wetness that continues to plague me. Though I long to wipe across the part of me that aches to distraction, I refrain. Now is not the time or the place for that sort of exploration. Once I’m convinced that I’m clean, I put my dress down and head outside the curtains.

Alexi links her arm through mine and leads me back to the colossal statue that started all of this. I stare up at the massive phallus, this time with hunger instead of trepidation. I need to be filled, bursting, anything to take away this ache. Alongside the Clan Mother are other figures clad in black. Their faces are obscured the way mine is, so I’m unable to see who else is joining me on the dais.

“My people. What should have been a day of rejoicing and merriment has been cut short by the actions of another. Standing before you today is Brennen, accused of forcing an omega into a rage by his actions. I have spoken with not only her, but the others that surrounded her. They all say the same thing. She wanted to be free of his affections, but he forced them on her, anyway.”

Pausing, she looks down at Brennen and shakes her head, sorrow dimming her eyes. “It is never easy to lose anyone that is within the flock, but when one comports themselves to be a predator, there is no longer a place for them here. As with our laws and customs, he will receive rations and be sent out into the desert to either find a new place to dwell or absolution.”

Two men come up from the crowd, one carrying a large waterskin and the other carrying a different sort of bag. That must be his food. I cannot see inside, and I honestly don’t wish to scent the air to see what manner of meat they’re sending him off with. It’s bad enough that I can’t identify it even when eating it.

They say nothing to him, only thrust the items into his arms and walk back into the crowd. They all part, giving him a direct line from the dais to the commune’s exit. All are silent as he shuffles forward, casting glares at everyone he can. There’s a slight pang in my heart, a regret for how things turned out. But the Clan Mother is right. I can only feel bad for my actions and not the actions of others.

Once he clears the makeshift gates, everyone steps down from the dais and mingles into the crowd. The omega that sacrificed her virginity earlier that day takes their place and spreads her arms open wide, showing off her naked curves. Scanning the crowd, she points to one of the beta males and motions him forward.

This must be the part that Brennen wanted to have with me. The male lays her down onto the stone and strips off his clothes, revealing his divine shaft to the others. Unable to look away, I watch as he kneels in between her legs and lowers his face to her own divine anatomy. I’m able to catch the quick flash of his tongue as he licks her, devouring her as if lapping at water to quench his thirst.

All around me, others separate off into couples, with a few of them moving into groups of three or more. They all remove their clothes, leaving just those that are too young or pristine to take part in celebration. Instead, they are either forced to watch or go off to do their own thing. Alexi smiles at me as she grips the hair of a beta woman and forces her lips down to her divine anatomy in a mimicry of what the male beta is doing to the sacrificial omega.

Heat radiates from my skin as all around me, the grunts and groans of pleasure pepper the air. This is what they kept from us. By not allowing us to touch, to explore, or even to watch others, we were kept in the dark about so many things. Perhaps it’s a good thing. Stanlion would never function if everyone acted this way.