“What? How?” Trin frowned. “Doyou have some kind of ritual?”

“A ritual?”

“Yes. Before they make a lifebond, females on my planet have an entire ritual they go through to get eachother ready for the silver penetration rods. Is it something like that?”

“Well…not exactly like that but…” Thrace frowned,trying to think the best way to put it. “Look, with any female, the key to nothurting her when you, well…when you penetrate her, is getting her ready first.”

“Ready? As in…?”

“As in aroused.” He looked into her eyes. “You need to be hot—sexually hotenough to take the shaft inside you without pain. I can help you with that.”

“I…” Trin was back to nibblingher lip. “How?”

Thrace shrugged. “Mostly by doing the same thingswe did last night. Sucking your nipples…rubbing your pussy.”

“Oh, um…” Trin’s creamy cheekswere growing dark again.

“But in order to absolutelyguarantee you have no pain, you’ll have to let me go a little further thanbefore,” Trace murmured.

“Further…how?” she whispered.

“Well, rubbing your pussy won’tbe enough. I’ll need to taste it—taste you—too.”

“You will?” Was her breathing alittle faster? “Why?”

“I have…compounds in my salivathat will help you open.”

“You do?” Her eyes widened. “Isthat some kind of a Havoc trait?”

Thrace nodded. “It is. You may have noticed I’mnot exactly…small.” He nodded to the area between his thighs. “Well, no Havocis. So to compensate and ease the way for any female we make love with, ourbodies produce chemicals that help even the tightest and smallest female open.It’s not that unusual—some of the Kindred produce similar chemicals for theirfemales.”

“But in order to do that…to helpme open…”

“I’d have to lick you. A lot,” Thrace emphasized. “And not just onyour outer pussy. I’ll need to put my tongue deep inside you.”

“You’re sure that’s necessary?”Her voice sounded soft and breathless.

Thrace nodded slowly. “It’s the only way to besure you can open with no pain.” He tried to speak nonchalantly, as though itwas no big deal. As thought the idea of spreading her creamy thighs and lickingher sweet, wet pussy while she moaned and trembled under his tongue didn’t makehim hard as a rock. “Also,” he murmured, “It’ll be a good way to get you usedto penetration…a good way to work up to wearing the phallus.”

“Get me used to it? How…howexactly do you mean?” She was definitely breathing faster now and the warm,feminine scent of her arousal was filling the air around them.

“What I mean,” Thrace said in alow voice, looking into her eyes, “Is if I penetrate you very softly andgently, first with my tongue and then with my fingers, you’ll be much more openand ready to take that damn shaft inside you too.” He nodded at the blue velvetbag.

“So…you don’t just want to putthe phallus in me. You want put parts of yourself as well.” Trin frowned buther heartbeat was galloping—Thracecould hear it. He was so attuned to her right now he felt like he could haveheard her breathing a parsec away.

“I want to work you up to it—getyou ready for it. Remember, you’re going to be wearing it all night. You needto feel comfortable and open before you put it in,” he reminded her.

“And you’re sure you’re not justoffering to do this because you want to…to touch me that way. To taste me?” Trin looked skeptically atthe hard ridge of flesh which had risen under the black loincloth covering theopening in the crotchless black leather trousers he wore.

Thrace cupped her cheek. “Baby,” he said softly.“I honestly want to help you through this. But I’d be lying to you and tomyself if I said I didn’t want to get on my knees and worship your pussy withmy tongue. Because that’s what it is,” he went on before she could protest.“Worship—a sacrament. To my people,anyway.”

“I thought the Havoc didn’tbond,” Trin whispered breathlessly.

“We don’t. Well, we try not to.” Thrace sighed. “But when we taste afemale, we take it very seriously. Many of my kind believe it is an offering tothe Goddess—the Mother of All Life. I know you think of it as some kind ofblasphemy but to us it is the ultimate act of devotion and worship. If not tothe Mother herself, then to the female we adore.” He lifted her hand and placeda slow, hot kiss in her palm. “Plus, we absolutely fucking love to do it.”

“Why?” Trin asked, her voicetrembling a little. “What pleasure could you get from it?”

“The pleasure of having abeautiful woman spread out before you, her most tender and intimate placesexposed, her sweet pussy wet and trembling and ready…” Thrace licked his lips, picturinghow Trin would look in such a situation. “Then, the first taste…the drag ofyour tongue across her cleft, the sweet, salty flavor of her juices…the way shemoans and gasps when you trace her clit with the tip of your tongue…when youpress lower and thrust it inside her…”

“Oh…” The word was a long sighescaping her lush lips.

“The way she trembles under yourmouth as you bring her to the edge,” Thrace continued, unable to stophimself. “The way she pulls your hair and begs and calls your name when shegets close…and the way her pussy gushes with honey when she comes under yourtongue.” He let out a low growl of desire. “There’s nothing like it in theuniverse. Nothing I’d rather do.” He looked at Trin. “I’d like to do it withyou. Will you let me?”

* * * * *

Trin looked at him uncertainly.Those hot, forbidden words he’d been saying had made her feel shaky inside—likeeverything from the waist down had turned to molten lust. She’d never beenaffected like this by anyone before. No one had ever made her feel weak withneed, just by talking to her.

Buthe’s a male! You shouldn’t do this—you know it’s wrong!

She knew the guilty little voicein her head spoke the truth. But… it sounded like letting him taste her was theonly way she could wear the heart’s blood phallus inside herself without havingany pain. And considering how tight and tiny she was, Trin honestly felt likeit was necessary.

Riiiiight.And that’s the only reason you wantto do it, the little voicemurmured sarcastically.

No, not the only reason, Trinadmitted to herself. She looked at Thrace who was sitting therequietly beside her, waiting to hear what she would say. He was being patientbut there was a lust burning far back in his piercing silver-blue eyes thatmade her stomach feel fluttery and strange.

Hereally wants to do this, shethought. And I want to let him. And…I’m going to let him. After all, it’s notreally blasphemy unless he penetrates me with his shaft. True, I won’t be oneof the Unpenetrated anymore but that can’t be helped. And anyway, it’s onlyjust this once. After we get finished here I’ll leave Yonnie Six and neverthink about what I had to do here again.

She had almost rationalized itto herself but there was still one thing bothering her. The idea that shewasn’t only agreeing to this out of necessity.

“Well?” Thrace rumbled softly, watching herthrough half-lidded eyes.

Trin looked up at him.

“I…I shouldn’t want you to dothis,” she whispered at last, trying to put her thoughts into words. “I shouldn’t want this.”

“But you do.” It was astatement, not a question. “I’m a male and you should want nothing to do withme. You shouldn’t want to spread your thighs for me and let me lap your softlittle cunt until you come all over my face.”

“Thrace…” She hitched in a breathand crossed her legs under the scarlet dress, pressing her thighs together.Already her nipples were tight and achy and her pussy was throbbing and he’ddone nothing but talk to her about what he wanted to do.

No…whathe’s going to do, Trin told herself and knew it was so.

“But you’re going to let meanyway, aren’t you, baby?” he murmured. “You’re going to open for me and let metaste you…let me get you nice and wet so I can slide that shaft deep into yourhot little pussy.”