“Because too much is at stake,” Ellina explained. “The Potentate must conceive an heir in order to ensure the continued welfare of the kingdom. Therefore, no chances must be taken. Her sacred mouth must be opened both roughly and thoroughly and copious amounts of seed deposited inside it. Her womb must be bathed in it to be certain she conceives.”
“I don’t think you should have to endure that,” Ty argued. “It shouldn’t have to involve pain. Making love should be about pleasure unless the two parties agree that one or both of them want to be hurt, which some certainly do.”
“They do?” Ellina asked with wide eyes.
“They do.” He nodded. “But Ellina…” Reaching out, he cupped her face in his big warm hand and turned her to look at him. Scanning her eyes with his own, he said gently, “I can tell just from talking to you, you don’t want to be hurt. Especially not during your first time. It should be a pleasurable experience, one where you feel safe and loved and cherished and protected.”
Ellina shook her head sadly.
“There is no place for pleasure in breeding—not for a Potentate, anyway. We don’t even have the right equipment for pleasure.”
“How can you not?” He frowned. “Do you not have a, uh, ‘sacred mouth’ between your legs?”
“Yes,” Ellina murmured. “I do have one—there at least. But it’s not meant for pleasure—only for conception.”
“Who told you that?” Ty demanded. “Who told you your first time has to hurt?”
Ellina looked at him in surprise.
“Why, my Grandmamma, of course,” she exclaimed. She frowned. “She explained it something like this…have you ever had a bad tooth? One that hurts so much, it eventually makes you overcome your fear of going to the tooth healer?”
“Well, yes, I suppose.” He nodded.
“Right.” Ellina nodded back. “And you know that the visit to the healer is going to hurt, but the pain in the tooth gets so bad, you don’t even care anymore. You just want relief, even if that relief entails going through pain to get it.”
Ty nodded warily. “Yes, I did reach that point once.”
“Well that’s what Grandmamma tells me breeding is like,” Ellina explained. “At a certain point in your Heat Cycle, the need and pain get so bad, you don’t even care anymore that it’s going to hurt. You just give yourself up to your consort and let him do…” She bit her lip. “What he needs to do,” she added in a small voice.
Ty’s face was stony. “I still don’t see why it has to be that way for you. It seems cruel and barbaric to make you endure what’s essentially a rape just because you’re out of your mind with lust.”
“It’s not lust, exactly—it’s pain,” Ellina explained. “I’ve heard it said it’s like a fire in your vitals that can only be quenched by male seed.”
Ty didn’t look convinced.
“I still don’t like the idea.” His voice was a disapproving growl.
“Well, I don’t either,” Ellina admitted. “But as I said, I’m hoping to put it off for a good, long time.”
“How will you know when your Heat Cycle begins?” he asked.
“Oh, well…” Ellina bit her lip. “Things become…more sensitive,” she said, thinking of how sensitive her nipples and sacred mouth felt tonight. But that was probably just due to the hot bath she’d taken before putting on her nightdress, she told herself. “And you start to have…needs.”
“What kind of needs?” he persisted.
They were getting into territory Ellina wasn’t completely sure about. Her grandmother was usually wonderful about explaining things but on this subject, she had told Ellina the bare minimum and explained that she would understand completely only after she had gone through her first Cycle.
“I don’t know exactly,” she admitted. “I only know Grandmamma says I will know them when I feel them. That’s all.” She shrugged.
Ty frowned. “I don’t think it’s right that you should be left in ignorance about any part of this ‘Cycle’ of yours. It sounds serious.”
“As I said, I hope not to deal with it for some time.” Ellina didn’t want to talk about this with him anymore. It made her feel strange and uncertain inside. She manufactured a yawn. “Oh, I’m so tired.”
Ty tactfully took the hint.
“You should go to bed then. I think you have another public appearance tomorrow?”
“Yes, at the Holy Mists.” Just saying the name filled Ellina with dread. Possibly after seeing her in the mists tomorrow, Ty might feel differently about her. He had said she was “lovely” but after seeing her as she truly was, he would doubtless change his mind. He might not want to share his essence with her anymore either, since it took such an intimate activity for her to get it.
The thought made Ellina sad and she sighed deeply.
“Hey, little one—are you all right?” Ty looked at her, apparently concerned.
Since she couldn’t tell the big Kindred the truth, Ellina tried to smile.
“I’m fine. Just tired is all. I’d better go to bed now.” She hopped off the couch and nodded at him. “Good night, Ty.”
He rose and gave her a formal bow.
“Good night, my Lady. Sleep well and sweet dreams.”
“Thank you,” Ellina said but she thought what she would probably dream of was kissing him and tasting the sweet, spicy flavor of his essence on her tongue as his big hands gripped her hips.
It was a delicious memory and even if he should never choose to repeat it again, Ellina knew she would never forget it.
Chapter Eleven
Ty tossed and turned that night, telling himself he shouldn’t have kissed her. Or rather, shouldn’t have let her kiss him. Why had he told her to take him? And why had his shaft gotten so much harder when she straddled him, in effect, taking control—taking
