5: Life-Mates

Evan awakens before dawn. He's covered in sweat and shaking almost uncontrollably. He knows by nightfall the shaking will be completely uncontrollable. So, he dresses quickly. He can't let his parents see him like this. He won't be able to deny being in luxste'. He throws a blanket and a towel along with some other things he may need into his shoulder bag. He's not planning on returning home tonight in this condition or worse. He would rather die than be life-mates with Vor. He can't stand the thought of being bond to anyone except Eve. He leaves a note for his parents so they won't worry nor go looking for him. No one sees him leave the community and it's dawn when he reaches the river.

The dawn sunlight awakens Eve. She slept soundly. Maw is right by her side. Eve gives her head a scratch. She grabs her towel. She thinks a dip in the river will be a nice way to start the day. As she stands, she sees Evan on the other side of the river. He's spreading a blanket. She can't stop a grin from spreading ear-to-ear across her face.

"Evan," escapes her lips softly as she strips down to her underwear and waves.

Evan has seen her as well and returns the wave. "Eve," he whispers pleased as he removes his own clothing. He wasn't expecting to see her until much later in the day.

They dive into the river coming up facing each other in the middle. Eve's smile seems brighter than the sun to Evan. They begin talking at the same time, then laugh at themselves.

"[Glad to see you I am,]" Evan cupping Eve's face in his hand.

Eve rolls her cheek into his hand, then gets a strange look on her face. "[Evan, so warm is your hand.]" She touches his neck and forehead, "[You're burning up, and you're shaking.]"

"[Luxste',]" he says as the shaking worsens for a moment. He turns and swims for his side of the river. Eve follows closely behind him. He collapses into a ball on to his blanket, shaking uncontrollably.

Eve is scared. A tear runs down her cheek, "Evan???"

Suddenly, Evan bolts up into a sitting position grabbing Eve causing her to yelp in surprise. Gently, he pushes wet hair from her face.

"Yesterday," Evan swallows hard as he fights to lessen the shaking, "A question to ponder I gave you…" He kisses her neck and rubs his face into it, "Rush you I do not wish, yet your answer I need. Grows short my time. My life-mate will you be?"

Eve closes her eyes and puts her forehead to his. So many things are running through her mind. They've educated each other on how Malyon women and men are different from human men and women physically. They've gone over the basics of how each race mates and there're no huge differences. Yet she's nervous. She has no experience, but then neither does he. She's never been completely naked for a man. Plus, she's not sure exactly how sex will work between them; technically, the same as humans. Malyon male genitals are inside the body. He explained that the phallus exits for mating. Yet, she's unable to wash away her own fears away.

She opens her eyes and looks straight into his large deep green cattish eyes and answers, "[Yes, bond to any woman but me, tolerate I cannot.]"

"[My life-mate you will be,]" Evan making sure he understands.

Eve unties her top, "[Yes, Evan, your life-mate I will be. Be mine will you?]"

"[Yes,]" his mind had been made up almost from the first moment he laid eyes on her months ago.

Starving kisses and exploring hands as the last of their clothing is removed. There's nothing about his body that makes her nervous. He's tall and lean with broad shoulders. Malyon pubic hair isn't kinky like human pubic hair. It's smooth and soft and she's bold enough to touch it delicately. She's relieved to not be immediately confronted with male genitals. He sits cross-legged. Then he pulls Eve astride his crossed legs wrapping her legs around him. She crosses her ankles behind him at the base of his tail. They're chest to chest and his skin is burning hot against hers. He's still sweating and shaking slightly. Her fingers are pushed into his jet-black silky hair as they kiss.

Eve straightens up with a strange look on her face. There's something touching and caressing her intimately, as it seems to be searching causing the blood to pool low in her body. Yet, she knows exactly where both of Evan's hands are. One hand is in her hair and the other is on her back. Evan has stopped shaking for the moment. She looks at him questioningly, too afraid to glance down between them, not sure what to think or expect.

"It's just me," answering the look on her face. "[Is this the right place,]" getting a firm grip on her shoulders.

Eve nods as she answers with a simple, "Yes."

His hands are so large; her shoulders have nearly disappeared under them. She slides her own hands out of his hair to his broad shoulders.

Eve's head snaps back and she gasps as her eyes well up with tears. She may have jumped away from him if he hadn't had hold of her. Her fingers dig into his shoulders and her body trembles as it adjust to Evan's invasion, the thickness of him and the unexpected depth of his penetration. She can feel the extra wetness from her broken maidenhood. She looks into his eyes. She needs those eyes. She trusts those eyes. He begins to thrusts slowly. There's no pushing with his hips. Special muscles inside his body take care of that for him. His penis can be as flexible as a tentacle and with experience he'll develop very fine control of it. He picks up the pace and the thrusts become rhythmic and deep as he kisses her. A soft purr emanates from his chest.

"[A movement with your hips sometimes you do,]" Evan explains, "[I like how it feels. Can you do that movement with me?]"

Eve closes her eyes and finds his rhythm. His purr gets louder. He trails kisses down her neck to her left shoulder.

"[Hurt this will,]" he whispers in her ear, "[But necessary it is to bond myself to you and you to me completely.]"

Eve opens her mouth in a silent scream as Evan embeds his teeth into her left shoulder. His rhythm slows and she adjusts to it. Trickles of blood run down her back and over her left breast. She can feel blood being extracted from her by his upper canines while the lower canines inject fluid from him into her.

Suddenly, the pain in her shoulder doesn't matter. Eve's temperature rises. The rhythm between her and Evan changes again. All that matters is his rhythm as her breathing become irregular and her heart races faster and faster, Evan's own heart rate and respiration increases. He removes his teeth from her shoulder and licks the blood from his lips. The bonding of their bodies has begun.

Their bodies are adapting to each other, making necessary metabolic changes. Evan's body was designed to change and adapt to another's body. His body has to make many more changes for Eve's body than it would of had to make for Vor, yet he's adjusting well. But Eve's body wasn't made to do this kind of adapting. She's pouring sweat and trembling uncontrollably. Tears start to streak her face as she slips into blackness.

"Eve," Evan scared as he's cradling her limp body in his arms. A violet tear runs down his cheek. He sees she's still breathing and can feel her heart beating in her chest. He roots around inside his bag with one hand till he finds the item he wants. He flips open his medical scanner and scans Eve. He's scanned her many times before this and knows what's normal for her. And at the moment, none of her vitals are normal. Her neurons are firing wildly resulting in her unconscious state. Respiration is irregular and heart rate is more than twice normal. While her body temperature has risen to 40 degrees Celsius, he knows he has to get it down.

Evan carries Eve into the river. He walks with her until he's nearly chest deep in the water. He supports her head and upper torso with one arm. With his free hand he pours water over her forehead. Then he gently washes away the smears of blood from her thighs. He thinks the hymen that a human woman has until her first intercourse was a cruel thing for nature to install. Next, he checks the wound he inflicted upon her left shoulder, washing it carefully. It's bruising, but it's an excellent imprint of his teeth. It will be an excellent bond mark, if she survives.

He holds her close resting her head upon his shoulder. The water has washed the bloody trails away. But there's still a little residue on her back. So, he carefully washes it away.

As Evan stands there chest deep in the sparkling jade waters holding Eve, he begins to sob softly. He clutches her tightly as he wonders what he was thinking trying to bond with this fragile creature. Her body wasn't meant to make these kinds of changes. She's so weak compared to a Malyon woman, whose average height is 1.85 meters and weighs at least 80 kilograms. Eve is only 1.52 meters tall and 60 kilograms, at least a head shorter and more than one-third less in body weight. The top of her head doesn't even come all the way up to his chin, and he's on the short side for a Malyon male. Malyon males are seldom under two meters in height.

"Evan," he hears whispered in his ear, "you're crushing me."

He loosens his grip while maneuvering her back into a cradling position. She looks groggy as she reaches up and tentatively swipes a violet tear from his cheek.

"Hey, none of that now," she smiles, "It's just me, your life-mate, Eve."

Evan hugs her and kisses her. Then brings her close to shore, but he's afraid to remove her completely from the cool water. He has Eve sit in the shallows while he retrieves his medical scanner. Her neurons are no longer firing wildly. Respiration and heart rate are back within normal range. Her heart rate is still a bit rapid, but not racing. Her temperature has dropped, yet remains slightly unstable. It's jumping between 39C, normal body temperature for a Malyon, and 37C, normal body temperature for a human. Evan trembles nearly dropping his medical scanner into the water.

"[Evan, are you alright?]"

"[I will be. Not complete for either of us yet is the bonding process. Without intimate physical contact it cannot finish.]"

"[Back to the blanket, take me. Finish what we have started we will.]"

They spend the rest of the day clinging to each other. His purrs are a melody to her ears. Her soft moans and kisses satisfy a deep need within him.

"It's getting dark. I promised my brother I'ld read him a bedtime story tonight," she doesn't really want to leave the comfort of his arms.

He kisses her and helps her put her underwear back on. He swims to the other side with her and helps her dress. A thin bandage keeps her support strap from lying directly on top of the bonding wound. At the same time, the strap keeps the bandage compressed so it won't be noticed under her blouse and vest.

"[Walk you at least part way I should,]" Evan concerned about Eve's weakened condition. And even though she hasn't complained, she's obviously sore from spending the day mating.

"[No,]" Eve won't allow him, "[too dangerous.]"

"[This way it should not be,]" Evan wishing things were different, "[We are life-mates. Together we belong. A secret we should not have to keep each other.]"

"I know, but I can't take you home. And you know you can't take me home either. And we can't come here to each other every day."

"[Day after tomorrow,]" Evan studying her face.

"[Ahda,]" Eve nodding yes.

"[My life-mate,]" Evan taking Eve's face in his hands, "[You have no idea how happy you have made me.]"

They kiss each other and Eve watches Evan swim back to the other side of the river where he dresses. She definitely has an idea of how happy he is. They wave to each other then head back to their own villages.