Outlander (Borealis) (9 page)

I knew two things about Theophanes, the demigod who would
serve as God’s surrogate during my second training session. One, he trained
Marcus in the art of domination. That in itself was intriguing enough, but he
also trained all Doms, male or female. Two, all demigods were blessed with a
power and Theophanes’ was instruction. I wasn’t sure why instruction would be a
power, it sounded more like a skill, but what did I know.

When Marcus and I arrived at the training cell, he was
waiting for us.

The first thing I noticed was a full-color tattoo skillfully
inked over his right pectoral muscle, just above the nipple. The tat consisted
of a sun surrounded by a crescent moon on the left and nine small stars on the
right. It was a tribute to the spiritual and erotic bond between Aurora and
Boreas.     

Except for the body art, Theophanes was unadorned. He wore
no jewelry, belt or arm gear. Clothed in a white loin cloth that hung precariously
low on his hips, he reminded me of a baroque painting of Jesus at his
crucifixion.

He was leaning against the far wall, hands on his hips,
ankles crossed. With skin the color of butterscotch, his physique was suppler than
the Doms, but not as chiseled as God’s. A swimmer’s body, I thought, as I
mentally traced the athletic lines of his arms.

A sheath of charcoal-black hair obscured his face.

Marcus brightened at the sight of his former instructor.
“Theo!”

The demigod raised his head, revealing features that were
striking, yet ambiguous. His olive-green eyes were slanted. Sculptured
cheekbones and bee stung lips completed the package.  

With a genuine smile on his face, he reached for my Dom with
outstretched arms. “Marcus, it’s so good to see you again.”

The men hugged each other in that rough, masculine way men
do, patting each other solidly on their backs. The affection they had for each
other was palpable. Theophanes regarded Marcus like a proud father, though like
all Borealians—they appeared to be around the same age.

Marcus broke away from his teacher. “Claire, I want you to
meet my teacher, Theophanes.” There was tenderness in my Dom’s eyes when he
extended his hand to mine. “This is Claire, my submissive.”

Theophanes moved toward me with a fluid gait until he was so
close that I could smell the scent of fresh citrus and cloves on his skin. With
great ceremony, he took my hand and pressed it against his lips.

My nipples tightened at his touch. The demigod projected a
captivating, yet serene sensuality that stirred something inside me.

Stunning as he was, the most extraordinary thing about
Theophanes was the energy he radiated. Unlike God’s arrogant egotism, his
presence was comforting, though undeniably commanding. Galen had a similar
effect on me and I wondered if this was a trait all demigods shared.  

My hand still in his, he offered me a carnal grin. “I hope
your Dominus has seen to your every need. He was one of my best students.”

My cheeks flushed. Theophanes had taught Marcus to be a Dom,
had shown him how to anticipate my desires, please me beyond my wildest dreams.
I pondered the breadth of his skills while the dampness grew between my legs.
“Yes, my Lord. Dominus is extremely…generous.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Reluctantly, he let go of my hand and
gave it to Marcus.

With pensive expressions on their faces, the men traded
tense glances. It was time.

“Before we begin, I want to apologize for Boreas. Usually at
least one demigod is with him during creation. Perhaps if I had been there…”
Theophanes winced as if recalling a painful memory. “I’m sorry for what you
have been through. It must be awful to have no memory of your life path or of
the ways of Borealis. Though you have not imprinted with Boreas yet, you seem
to be doing remarkably well.”

A small, shy voice inside me wanted to say, “That’s because
I’m falling in love with Marcus.” Instead I said, “Thank you, my Lord.”

Theophanes clapped his hands together and let out a breath.
“I assume Marcus has taught you all the poses and protocol, so let’s go
straight to the ritual.” He waved to the cross table in the middle of the room.

Though my legs were wobbly, I managed to lie down on the X.
Marcus secured my ankles and wrists to the table as he had the day before, but
this time there were additional restraints—a thick leather strap across my
waist and another strap around the swell of each thigh. Being restrained in
front of Theophanes shook my resolve and I shivered.   

My skin broke out in goose bumps when the demigod stood
between my legs. I was getting used to being exposed for Marcus, but Theophanes
was a stranger.

“Marcus will restrain you like this every time, though the
apparatus and how God wants you to be tied will vary. When Marcus finishes
restraining you, he will comfort you. This is not the time to be brave. You
need your Dom now more than ever. He is your lifeline.” Theophanes nodded at
Marcus.

Standing behind me, Marcus grasped my right hand with his
left, entwining his fingers with mine. With his other hand, he stroked my
cheek. The scene reminded me of a husband coaching his wife through labor.

“It is your Dom’s love, his connection to you that will
allow you to withstand the rituals, especially the first ones, which will be
the hardest to endure.”

Endure
, what a sanitized way of saying
torture
,
I mused.

“After you bond fully with your Dom, the rituals should
become gratifying, even ecstatic spiritual experiences.”

Marcus had echoed that yesterday and I still didn’t believe
it, though I had to admit that my Dom had a way of refocusing and arousing me
even in the oddest situations.

Theophanes removed the Light from the drawer inside the
torture apparatus and held it in his hand. It pulsed and crackled like a tiny
storm trapped in a sphere.

“The performance of the Goddess ritual is at the heart of
our religion. It is sacred, but it is not easy on submissives, at least not in
the beginning. As a demigod I can serve as God’s surrogate during training so
you will be prepared for what is to come. I will enter you sheathed, as it is
forbidden for any man except God to enter you that way.”

The words refused to register. I understood the concept of
Theophanes as surrogate, Marcus had explained it’s meaning, but I felt removed
from it.

“I will be channeling an aspect of God’s essence. I will
behave differently, but I will not inflict any pain, though you may be
uncomfortable at times.”

My heart hammered against my chest.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes, my Lord,” I said tightly.

Theophanes inhaled deeply. With his eyes closed and his head
lowered, he looked like a man in deep prayer. Suddenly, his head snapped up.
His features hardened before my eyes. The air in the room changed and
electrified, as if the atoms that held everything together tightened just a
little bit. Tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention.

Theophanes’s skin gleamed with perspiration, emphasizing his
supple chest and defined abs. A drop of sweat traveled the channel between his
pecs and disappeared into the tiny hollow of his belly button. When he opened
his eyes, they were a dark green, almost black. His back was straighter and his
chest was broader. The same lithe arms that had hung relaxed and loose at his
sides only moments ago were now tense. Arteries and veins on his neck, arms and
hips protruded, pulsing visibly.

A frantic voice inside me screamed.
Theophanes is
becoming Boreas!

Marcus’s warm breath on my face compelled me to look up at
him.

“It is just an illusion, Claire. Don’t let it frighten you.”

Theophanes hissed, “What is this body for?” Absinthe eyes
bore into mine, demanding an answer.

Shocked and terrified, I almost forgot my lines, but after a
shaky breath I remembered them. “My body was created for your pleasure, Master.
Do with it what you will.”

Theophanes took a long look at my struggling, exposed body
and gave me an oily smile. With a tug by his hip, he unraveled his loin cloth
and it floated soundlessly to the floor. His cock and balls were covered in a
thin, silver sheath that fit so snugly that it seemed to be painted on his
flesh. The sheath was etched with graceful swirl patterns.

My mouth dropped as I stared at it; watched the light from
the torches glint off the reflective surface. It enthralled me, excited me. But
then my emotions twisted and I became overwhelmed and afraid. The metal was
cold, Theophanes was an alien with supernatural powers and he was going inflict
physical pain, no matter what Marcus said.

When my legs visibly trembled, Marcus whispered in my ear.
“Focus on me, Claire. Concentrate on the sound of my voice. You and I are the
only things that are real.”

Theophanes palmed the glowing sphere. Leering at me, he bent
down to inhale my scent. “When I finish torturing and fucking you, I’m going to
break you, sub.”

My breath hitched. I wriggled, testing the unforgiving
leather bands that held me in place. There was no way I could free myself
unless one of them released me.

“Remember the first time we kissed?” Marcus asked. “The
first time I made you come?”

Theophanes reached under the cross to another drawer and
took out a knife with a short curved blade.

“No!” I cried out in a panic.

Marcus kept repeating that Theophanes was not going to hurt
me, but the demigod appeared to be filled with bloodlust as he turned the knife
over and inspected it.

When Theophanes, his eyes cold and hollow, pointed the blade
under my chin, I began to sob. “Please, don’t!”

The more frightened I was, the more aroused he became. His
erection was at a 90 degree angle now and hovering outside my open slit.

The blade traveled to one breast, the sharp tip pushed
against my nipple. I screamed.

“He is not going to cut you, Claire. Trust me!” Marcus
insisted.

Theophanes slipped the blade under the strap that curved
beneath my right breast. He pulled the knife in one swift motion, slicing the
leather piece in two. I jumped and quivered as he repeated the process over and
over again. Within seconds he had severed the leather outfit from my body.

Before I could catch my breath, Theophanes dropped the knife
and slid the sphere over my belly. It was very hot and when he rolled it over
my sensitive nipples, I recoiled.

“The heat is erotic,” Marcus said. “It feels sensual as it
glides over your soft skin.”

I tried to quiet my thoughts and concentrate on what Marcus
was saying. He was right, it wasn’t that hot. The sphere wasn’t burning me or
hurting me. In fact, it wasn’t that unpleasant at all.

“Look at me,” Marcus ordered. When my eyes locked with his,
he smiled that suggestive smile of his. “Do you know what it’s doing to me, to
see you spread wide like that, naked and helpless? Oh, the things I want to do
to you when we get back home.”

My pussy started to swell.

“This is only a training session. Theophanes is playing a
part. Focus on how the sphere warms your skin, softening it.”

“My Light will burn you!” Theophanes warned.

“The Light
excites
you,” Marcus countered, in a silky
voice. “Open yourself to it.”

When the hard surface of the sphere glided easily over my
wet clit, the sensations were intense, but delightful. I pushed my pelvis
towards the sphere and moaned. I wanted to be filled with its heat.

Theophanes’s sheathed cock, now fully erect, pressed against
my sex.

“That’s my cock. I am going to drive myself into your wet pussy.”
Marcus gently slid his thumb into my mouth and I sucked on it, tasting him.

I sealed my eyes shut and lost myself to the fantasy that
Marcus was plunging his cock inside me. It was Marcus, not Theophanes or
Boreas, inching his cock beyond my folds and into my tight channel. My muscles
gloved around his hardness. I rocked my hips as his rhythm met mine.

“Yes, my love, like that.” Marcus closed his lips over mine,
allowing his tongue to sensually explore my mouth.

His cock was now deep inside me, thumping against my womb.
My clit hardened and engorged as my pelvic muscles contracted. Sweet, arduous
pressure continued to build.

He thrust himself deeper until I was filled completely with
him. The tension in my pelvis pitched to an almost uncomfortable crescendo,
sending erotic tendrils that reached out from my core. I moaned into my Dom’s
mouth. When ecstasy finally came, it crested like fierce waves that drowned me
in pleasure.  

Deliciously sleepy and sated, I opened my eyes. I was
instilled with a peaceful calm when Marcus released my mouth and pressed a kiss
on my forehead. “You did it, Claire.”

Relieved and a little proud of myself, I grinned and allowed
myself to exhale.

Theophanes braced himself against the table and leaned into
me. He was panting and covered in sweat. Exhausted, but back to his serene
self, he mirrored my smile. “You will do fine.”

Marcus eyed me intently as we lay naked on our bed. “You
must have questions.”

That was an understatement. Theophanes and the ritual training
had left me shaky. “When Theophanes was inside me, I fantasized it was you and
it felt so real. But what was going through your mind as he…you know?” I looked
down, unable to meet his eyes.

“If he had been unsheathed or not performing a proper
training for ritual, I would never had let it happen.”

“But what about when the ritual is real with Boreas? How
will you feel then?”

He crawled on top of me, holding my hands above my head. “I
am not jealous of Boreas if that is what you mean.”

That was hard to believe and it stung that he wouldn’t be. I
wriggled and the faintest smile appeared on his lips. “Why not?”

“He is God and you are a submissive. Your union is sacred.
It is my job to facilitate that union and perform the Goddess rituals.”

I struggled with my Dom’s sense of right and wrong, but he
was consistent. There were rules and he was going to follow them. Though Marcus
was obviously in a playful mood, I still had questions. One in particular kept
gnawing at me. “You said before that you exist only to love me.”

“I do.”

“But we hardly know each other.”

“I disagree. I think we know each other quite well.”

“Theophanes said that to endure the Goddess ritual I had to
focus on your love for me.”

“Yes.”

“But do you…do you love me yet?”

“Yet?” He released my hands and stared at me like I had two
heads. “Are you joking? I have loved you from the moment I first saw you. I
knew then you were mine.”

Shocked, my mouth dropped open.

“That surprises you?”

“Yes, on Earth, love usually takes longer than that. People have
to be with each other for a while before they even say it.”

“That’s very sad.”

“You have never actually said it, that you loved me.”

Now it was his turn to be taken aback. He squeezed his eyes
shut and sighed. “I thought you knew.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what to think. This is all so
overwhelming.”

Marcus took my hands in his and peered deep into my eyes.
“Claire Alexis, I love you. I knew it from the moment I saw you and I will
spend the rest of my life showing you how much.”

A knot formed in my throat as tears sprung from my eyes. In
that moment, I knew I felt the same way. I let out a nervous laugh. “And I love
you, Marcus Alexis, with my entire being. With you I can bear anything. You
protect me and love me, and it means everything. I hope you I can show you my
love every day from this day forward.”

His eyes glistened, filled with emotion. This beautiful man,
dominant as hell and sensitive to a fault, was touched that I loved him as much
as he loved me.

As he pressed tender kisses on my neck, I knew he would take
his time with me tonight. And I would savor every moment of it.