Chapter 7

I found Nilwint resting in her quarters, recovering from the reward Kirnwan had given her. I found myself beginning to harden as I looked over her well-used body, but I restrained my baser urges. I wanted a quick rundown on Lantral, so I could get back to the party before I was missed.

"We don't gossip, as I understand the term," Nilwint said when I asked her. "On the other hand, in a small community like the Embassy, things either stay secret, or everyone knows them before too long.

"Lantral is a walking tragedy. She's rather old to be unmated, and someone eventually asked when she was in a vulnerable state. She suffers from a developmental malfunction. She's sterile, her testes and seminal glands are missing. There's no genetic flaw, they just didn't develop. The tragedy is that she didn't know, and fell in love, and when they tried to mate, it didn't work. He couldn't trigger her release because there was nothing to release, and so she couldn't trigger his, and they didn't bond. It left them both sexually frustrated, and when a physical examination revealed the problem, she was devastated."

I swallowed, and felt my own balls draw up in sympathy.

"I can see how she would be. How did her prospective mate deal with it?"

"Badly, from what I'm told. He was horrified, of course, and felt terribly for her, but his family insisted that he look elsewhere for a mate, and it tore them apart. Lantral convinced him that it was for the best, but she's never been happy since then."

Kirnwan had been listening quietly, but he spoke up now. "I work in a department that interacts with Lantral's, and there's been a change in her the last month or so. She'd always been withdrawn, as you'd expect with a history like that, and no prospects for mating, but her mood has gradually lightened, and someone said she actually laughed a week ago. Nobody has any explanation for it."

I nodded, and said, "If what I've heard about her is true, then I suspect I know. And I'm afraid if what I've heard about doesn't pan out, the consequences for her could be profound, and very bad. Please do not speak of this to anyone. Lantral will be visiting us Tuesday night to discuss the situation. If they permit, I may involve the two of you in the discussion; we'll see how it goes. Thank you for your information. When Nilwint is recovered, she may join me at the party again."

I left two very curious Craxill behind me, but I couldn't share what I didn't know, and other than the fact that Roger claimed to be in love with, and loved by, Lantral, I didn't really know much.

There were no further surprises during the party. I got to spend quite a lot of time with my mother and new step-father, catching up on each other's lives since we'd parted after the ship returned to Earth. My children and nephews were duly presented, and duly gushed over, and the announcement that Rillnam was expecting again was greeted with the expected glee. I invited them to stop by the next day, when we could spend more time together.

I didn't quite manage to tell my mother about Nilwint, but I had a sneaking suspicion that she'd find out soon enough even if I didn't tell her. I wasn't ashamed, or avoiding the subject, but it did not in fact come up, and I didn't have to steer the conversation to make that happen.

I made a similar presentation of the children to John's and my Craxill father and mother, and received equally gushing compliments on their intellect, appearance, and general moral superiority. Tanya and William seemed quite impressed with the oddly shaped stuffed animals they received, while Savita was rather more aloof, discarding the toy almost immediately in favor of another grab at the fancy clothing her "Granddad" was wearing.

When the kids started to show signs of fatigue and hunger, I made my excuses again, and helped Priya and Jessica bundle them up and take them back into the house for a meal and a nap. I invited the Ambassador and his wife to visit our home, and promised to contact his personal assistant to find a mutually convenient time. Given the huge demands on the Ambassador's time, I suspected that Nilwint and Kirnwan's child would be out of the womb by the time the Ambassador managed to visit us; Lisa might very well be born by then as well.

I spent the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening playing host, having brief exchanges with various guests, but nothing longer than a few sentences. By the time the last of the guests had left, and the caterers had cleared the tents, I was exhausted. Priya had long since gone to bed, as had the triplets, and when I eventually joined her, I faded off to sleep almost before my head hit the pillow.

Monday dawned far too early for my tastes, but I managed to get to the kitchen and coffee without injuring or offending anyone. The rest of the household looked equally bedraggled, except for Cook, who never seemed to show any signs of wear, no matter how strenuous her day (or night) had been.

My fatigue continued at work, where I found an elevated level of minor irritations. I dealt with them all, without any casualties, but my mood was not the best as I returned home that evening, to find a smug Priya reclining in the living room, with the afterglow of sexual satisfaction spread across her face.

"I hope you don't mind, Husband, but I was playing with your pet," she said playfully. "I'm afraid I'm not quite forceful enough to have given her what she needed, so she's a bit wound up, and her mate is tied up at work and wasn't available to relieve her. I can tell you've had a hard day, so why don't you go use her to take the edge off so you can relax?"

If my mood had been just a touch worse, I might have been offended and snapped at her, but as it was I just snorted and said, "Don't mind if I do," before turning and heading for our bedroom suite.

I found a shivering Nilwint bound on my bed, spreadeagled and face down. I could smell her arousal, but her body language showed tension and fear as well. Her anus was shiny with lubricant, but it and the muscles around it were tense, as were the muscles in her shoulders.

As I stroked her ass, she flinched slightly, and turned her head to face me. The fear I though I'd seen in her posture was also plain on her face, and I frowned slightly.

"What is wrong, Pet?" I asked, trying to sound reassuring, not angry.

Nilwint's voice shook slightly as she said, "I have been waiting for you for some time, My Lord, and I am ... full ... and not prepared to accept you as I should. I was beginning to fear I would foul your bedding."

I was rather irritated with Priya when I heard that. She clearly needed to learn a lot about bondage, domination, and safety. She'd obviously tied Nilwint here, then left her unmonitored, or at least without instructions on how to ask for help if she had problems.

In a brisk, but not angry tone, I told her, "Then I suppose the first order of business is to empty that ass of yours, so that I can fill it again properly."

Nilwint shuddered as I released her legs, clipping the ankle cuffs together with a short hobble chain, then released her arms from the bed frame and cuffed them behind her back.

She'd been struggling against the bonds long enough that her legs couldn't support her, so I picked her up bodily and carried her to the bathroom. Despite her height, which nearly equaled my own if she stood fully upright, the lean Craxill body form left her quite light in my arms, about the weight of my much shorter wife.

I settled her down on the toilet, balancing her upright, and said, "You may proceed."

Nilwint shuddered with humiliation as I watched her empty her cloaca, then lifted her slightly on still-unsteady legs to clean her anus. I pulled her upright, and held her against my side as I fished my cock out of my pants and emptied my own bladder into the bowl as she watched.

As I shook the last drops off into the bowl, I mused aloud. "I'll have to ask the gardener if chicken shit makes good fertilizer. I suspect your output would be chemically similar. Instead of having you use the toilet, I could just take you for a walk in the garden whenever you needed to go. Ah, well, a thought for another time. Now, it's time for you to serve your Lord."

I half-pulled, half-carried Nilwint back to the bed, and pushed her face down onto the mattress. With her arms bound behind her, she couldn't avoid landing on her face and chest, which left her momentarily breathless. I used a wipe and the tube of lubricant that Priya had left on the bedside table to finish cleaning and lubricating her ass, then undressed quickly and added a coat of lubricant to my cock.

I positioned myself at Nilwint's opening, and pressed in with rather more pressure than I usually used. Once in, I began to pump firmly and rapidly. I was laying flat on her back, and thrusting with my hips, so my chest pressed quite hard on her bound arms. Between that weight, and the more-forceful assault on her anus, I was sure she was in considerable discomfort, probably even more so than when I'd made her my pet a few days before.

Despite the discomfort, or perhaps even pain, she was incredibly aroused, as her scent and the tone of her moaning made clear. And when I stiffened and began to fill her recently emptied cloaca with my seed, she spasmed around my spurting cock as she came beneath me.

I collapsed on top of my pet, crushing her beneath me, as I gasped and tried to regain my strength. After a moment, I pulled out and rolled off, then reached over and released the restraints that kept her arms bound behind her. She winced as she brought her hands forward, and again as she pushed herself up onto her side, then smiled as she looked into my eyes.

"Thank you, My Lord, for the gift of your seed," she said, love and worship in her eyes. "Each time you use me, it fills me even more with love for you. Use me roughly, or gently, I care not, so long as you enjoy your use of me."

She winced again, as she tried to lift her arm to stroke my face, and I took her hand and held it to my cheek.

"I seem to have used you more harshly than I intended," I told her, "While I know that you set no limits on your service to me, as is proper, I have set my own limits, and they do not permit me to casually harm you. You seem to gain increased pleasure from minor hurts, but I wish never to leave you in pain after the pleasure has passed."

"It is true that I am in some discomfort, My Lord, but I find it well worth it, for the intensity of pleasure I felt as you used me," my pet replied. "I would find it difficult to please you properly right now, but I will be fine in a few moments. If you permit me to rest, I will clean you, so that you may rejoin your mate and your family."

"No," I said, "You lay here and rest, while I clean myself. You have served me well, but I have guests coming and must prepare for them. When you are ready, clean yourself and return to the living room."

"As you command, My Lord," Nilwint said, bowing her head.

I lifted her chin, and kissed her, human fashion, before licking her cheeks in the Craxill equivalent. "I love you, Pet."

True to my word, I rose and headed for the bathroom, for a quick shower. Once I was clean and dry, I dressed, and left the bedroom, pausing to finish unshackling my pet, and give her another Craxill kiss before patting her head, and telling her I'd see her when she was rested.

I returned to the living room, and found Priya surrounded by the rest of our family: Jessica, Nadiya, Rillnam, John, and all of the children. I casually pulled Priya aside, and gently explained the dire straits I'd found Nilwint in.

"If she'd fouled the bed, she'd have expected to be punished, and I do not wish to go down that road, with her or with anyone," I said in a low tone that nonetheless expressed my displeasure. "But that is only one of the things that can go wrong when you leave someone bound like that. You may tell them you're leaving, to play mind games with them, but always have a way to monitor them, in case of problems."

"I am sorry, Husband, I did not realize," Priya said contritely.

"You are forgiven, of course, beloved Wife," I said. "I was quite grumpy when I came home, as you noticed, and I'm afraid I was quite vexed with you when I found Nilwint. Fortunately for all of us, I vented my frustrations on her, and she found the resulting abuse quite stimulating. I find myself hoping that Mother and her husband arrive before she recovers, so that I can break the news to Mother gently. Having a naked Craxill at my feet showing obvious signs of recent hard use would be a bit too abrupt, I'm afraid."

Our private discussion was interrupted by the universe granting my wish, as the house announced an arrival at the transit station. A quick check of the monitor showed my mother and her new husband Sargent William Rollins walking up the path towards the house.

I met my mother and her husband at the door, and welcomed them inside, accepting the bottle of wine that the Sargent had brought along. I handed it to Cook, who'd popped up at just the right moment, then disappeared just as quickly, and brought my guests into the living room, to the waiting arms of my family.

As I introduced them to those family members they didn't already know, Priya hugged my mother, kissed her cheek, and welcomed her to our home. Sargent Rollins got the same effusive greeting, which brought a blush to his face.

Jessica and Nadiya were rather more restrained, but equally warm and welcoming, while Rillnam and John nearly genuflected, greeting their Clan Lord's mother and her mate with the respect they were entitled to under Craxill custom.