Page 9 of Married to the Beast

He felt slimy in a whole different way after the Karpsian Joining ceremony he’d just been through. He’d hated saying such misogynistic things to the sweet little female who was now his bride.

Your temporary bride—don’t forget, this Joining isn’t supposed to last,whispered a little voice in his head. Bear winced at the thought of that. When he’d been speaking over the viewscreen to the girl’s father, Sir Greggor had made the idea of disavowment sound simple and easy.

Well, it probablyissimple and easy for the males on this planet,he thought. But for the females, it seemed to be a whole other proposition.

The very fact that they had a clause for instant divorce if the male found another female he wanted more than his wife built right into their Joining ceremony told Bear all he neededto know about what kind of people the Karpsians were. If they hadn’t needed access to the wormhole so badly, the Kindred wouldneverhave agreed to deal with them.

His people believed that every female had a spark of the divine in her—they were all molded after the image of the Goddess, after all. The Mother of All Life who had created the Kindred people and still watched over them held a special place in her heart for her daughters and the Kindred—who were ninety-five percent male due to a genetic anomaly—revered females as a consequence.

In contrast, it was clear the Karpsians didn’t value their females at all. They felt free to toss their mates aside at the least provocation, like used tissues. Bear felt scorn for any people so misguided. How could they not see the value of their females?

Hadn’t you better “get down off your high horse” as the humans say?whispered that same little voice in his head.Have you forgotten that you’re going to abandon and discard your new bride as soon as your business here is concluded?

Bear felt a flush of unease pass through him. Well, yes that was true, but he had made a vow never to call and keep another bride after his beloved Zelia had died. He couldn’t break a solemn oath which he had taken in the Sacred Grove before the Goddess herself—could he? He would just have to be certain that his new wife was well cared for after he disavowed her. There was nothing else he could do…was there?

“Come, my husband.” The soft, sweet voice drifted up to his ears, breaking into the guilt and confusion he’d been feeling. He looked down to see his new bride—what was her name again? Oh yes,Aleena. He looked down to see Aleena looking up at him and tugging tentatively at his sleeve.

He couldn’t help noticing, now that the ceremony was over, that his new bride was uncommonly pretty. She had lovely, smooth bronze skin and long wavy hair that was the rose-goldcolor of pure copper. The color shouldn’t have worked with her gorgeous pale purple eyes, which sparkled like jewels, but somehow it did.

In addition to her lovely face and bewitching eyes, she was also what the Kindred called an “Elite”—a female that the Goddess has blessed with extra full curves. Gods, she almost made him wish he hadn’t taken his vow!

He pushed the thought aside guiltily. He shouldn’t be thinking such things about a girl he didn’t even know.

“We must go,” she said, tugging on his sleeve again.

“Er…where are we going?” Bear asked her, frowning.

“We must be the first to sample the Joining Loaf,” she explained, nodding in the direction of the other end of the clearing. “And we must let the guests congratulate us on our Joining.”

Bear noticed that the fine-link metal netting that she wore was still pulled up and thrown over her shoulders, which meant her full, ripe breasts were still bare. He didn’t like that for some reason—didn’t like the idea of her exposing herself when there were so many other males here who might see her. A wave of protective possessiveness passed over him and he remembered guiltily how full and firm those lovely breasts had felt in his hands.

“Shouldn’t you put down your, er, breast net?” he asked, nodding at the golden links.

She looked down modestly.

“It is not for me to say if my breast net should be worn up or down, my Lord Husband—only you may determine that.”

“Put it down then,” Bear growled, frowning. “I don’t want the other males to see your breasts. It isn’t right.”

Aleena seemed surprised, if her wide eyes were any indication, but she obeyed them at once, pulling the two goldenchain-link panels of the netting back down to cover her full breasts again.

“Is that better, my Lord Husband?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Much.” Bear nodded. “Come on—show me the Joining Loaf.”

She led him across the clearing but it was slow going since every guest there had to congratulate him on his new bride. And of course, this included his new “father-in-law,” Sir Greggor, and what he assumed were the other members of his bride’s family.

“We’re so happy that you agreed to accept Aleena as your bride,” Sir Greggor said, smiling genially. “I know she wasn’t your first choice, but I hope that you’ll be very happy using her body for your pleasure.”

Bear opened his mouth to protest this statement but the older woman standing next to Sir Greggor chimed in. She had brassy gold hair and was wearing an elaborate golden breast net set with precious stones that flashed in the sunlight coming through the branches of the trees.

“Yes, we apologize—we know Aleena’s notnearlyas lovely as her little sister, Faleesha,” she said, nodding to the young woman at her side, who had a spoiled, petulant look on her pretty face. She wasnotan Elite, being nearly as skinny as a rail and her breast netting was silver and also flashed with gem stones. It covered much smaller breasts than Aleena’s, Bear noted.

But he couldn’t stand by and listen to his new bride being maligned like this. Of course, he planned to end the Joining before he left, but while he was her mate, he was going to protect and defend her, he told himself.

“Actually, I think Aleena is beautiful,” he said firmly, frowning at the older woman. “I’m very pleased to have her as my bride.”

“Well!” The older woman frowned. “You have to admit she’s rather on theplumpside. Still, at least with her broad hips, she should have no problem bearing your heir once you plant your seed in her belly.”

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