Chapter 5

I woke the next morning to the pleasant sensations of a warm mouth surrounding my cock. As my head cleared, I revised that to be a hot mouth, and the swirling sensations of a Craxill's tongue filaments winding around the tip of my cock confirmed what the higher body temperature suggested.

I opened my eyes to find Priya lying beside me, smiling as Nilwint explained the finer points of oral sex to her sister, whose brown-furred head was bobbing over my lap as she followed Nilwint's instructions.

"Good morning, my lord," my wife said.

"Good morning yourself," I replied, trying to remain nonchalant as Larwint's eager efforts brought me closer to orgasm.

Smiling, Priya moved in for a kiss, and the taste of Nilwint's sex on her lips was enough to finish me off. Fortunately for Larwint's comfort, Nilwint had briefed her on the 'end game' and was able to warn her that I was going over. Larwint swallowed eagerly, then licked me clean before climbing up to lie beside me.

I licked Larwint's cheeks, then gestured Nilwint closer and gave her the same greeting. I got a distinct whiff of Priya's scent as I did so.

"A wonderful way to wake up," I told the three of them, smiling. Looking at Nilwint, I said, "I perceive that you gave Priya the same wake-up that you taught your sister to give me."

Nodding, Nilwint said, "I wished to thank her again for accepting not only me, but my sister, into your household, your family, and your bed."

Turning back to Larwint, I said, "Thank you for that. I enjoyed it immensely, as I'm sure your sister said I would."

Priya smiled, and said, "I'm afraid you ladies are spoiling him with all this attention. It's a good thing he knows where 'home' is, or I'd be jealous of how much of his time you all are granted."

With a serious tone, I told her, "If you EVER feel that you are being short-changed in any way, I want to hear about it immediately. I love them all, and enjoy their favors immensely, but I'd drop them all in an instant before I'd give you any reason to worry."

Larwint looked briefly concerned, and Nilwint stroked her arm comfortingly while Priya looked on with a smile.

"I know that, beloved Husband, and it forms no small part of the faith I have in you to do the right thing for us all."

I decided the best answer to that statement was a warm, loving kiss, and by the time I released her, Priya was panting slightly.

"You're planning on winding me up, then leaving for work again, aren't you?" she asked mischievously.

I remained silent, but couldn't avoid a grin.

"Oh, well, I enjoyed the results immensely the last time you did that, so I'll go along again," she said.

Turning to Larwint, I said, "I'd intended to do as I told you the day you became mine, to have you help to watch the children, but given what happened yesterday, I don't expect to be able to talk you into staying home. So you'll have a boring day at the office with me today. At least, I hope it's boring."

"Thank you, my lord," she said simply.

And, boring it was, especially in contrast to the squeaky pleasure of showering with three happy females, and the anticipation of hot sex when I got home that evening. The only excitement was the visit of a National Police detective, who wanted me to review the statement they'd prepared from the video they'd made at the crime scene.

"I expect a little tug-of-war over this bozo; the Privacy boys want to bust his ass over the original incident, and we're after him for yesterday's fun. I'd love to cut him in two, and let each of us take a half, but I don't think that will fly."

Larwint licked her 'lips' at that, bringing a smile to my lips, and a twitch to the detective's. He was clearly amused at her reaction and just as clearly hoping she wouldn't be offended. The officer took his leave, and the remainder of the day passed without incident.

Larwint spent the bulk of her time 'on watch' outside my door, except for meal time. The soundproofing of the office being what it was, I wasn't concerned about her overhearing anything she shouldn't know, even if I was wildly wrong about the success of my 'conversion' of her loyalties. Yesterday could have been a set-up, decided to reinforce my overconfidence, but it was looking less likely as time went on.

At the end of the day, we returned home without incident, and I headed to my bedroom for some quality time with my wife, while my 'bodyguard' spent some time playing with her nieces, and with the other human and Craxill children of the house. After playtime, we had dinner, and another quiet evening at home.

Over the next few weeks, things settled into a comfortable routine, with only intermittent events of interest. Larwint's first visit to the dojo was particularly interesting, as she demonstrated detailed awareness of the relevant customs, bowing to the corners of the mat and removing her footwear before stepping onto it. She did put the 'slippers' back on before actually fighting, after showing Sensei how the slippers kept her claws from injuring those she sparred with.

Larwint did some demonstrations with the senior students, surprising them with her speed and strength, while they in turn surprised her with their endurance. Craxill were sprinters, and if Larwint didn't score a take-down in the first minute of the match, she rapidly lost her speed and force advantage.

The boxing styles were to Larwint's initial advantage, and became evenly matched after a few minutes. The control-and-throw sessions were a wash; neither side was adequately familiar with the pressure points and joint-forces necessary to take control of their opponent.

The real surprise was the weapons work. The extra joints in Larwint's arms introduced just enough weakness in her weapon control that even I was able to score 'touches' with the saber and katana. On the other hand, she was able to beat everyone but Sensei with a short-bladed knife of the type she wore on duty. And in bare-hand combat, her claws were even more destructive than her knife blade. (Destructive to the padding her opponents wore, not their flesh. We weren't stupid.)

The subculture of Craxill drones meshed well with Sensei's martial philosophy, and over the next few weeks Larwint and Sensei became very good friends, to the extent that Larwint relaxed her vigilant watch over me enough to take her lunch breaks at the dojo several days a week. I encouraged this, and eased her guilt by eating at my desk those days, the better to 'protect' myself from the 'threats' of the common dining areas.

At home, Larwint was integrating well, and making up for lost time in renewing her bond with her twin. Unlike Larwint's growing friendship with Sensei, there was an initial reluctance on both sides, since modern Craxill custom banished drones to their own social circles, the better to insulate Betas from the submissive example of the drones. I'd had to be moderately firm, but once it became a matter of obeying their lord, both sisters' reluctance vanished.

About a month after Larwint joined us, I had a couple of interesting phone calls on the same day. My human mother called to ask if we still had "a room to spare" for an extended visit. I told her it was getting a bit more crowded around the house, but there was still room left for her and her husband. She was somewhat vague about the anticipated duration of her stay, and said nothing about its purpose at all. I got the feeling it was more than just a desire to see her grandchildren, but I didn't press. She promised to let me know what the travel arrangements would be once she and William had finalized them.

The other call was a request from my Craxill father to visit him in his quarters, on a personal matter. Again, I didn't press, but to say I was curious would be like saying the ocean was wet. Delicate comments elicited the information that Priya would be welcome to accompany me, but it would be best if the children and other clan members didn't attend. A quick electronic message to Priya confirmed her availability, and we set a date for the following evening.

The next night, Priya and I arrived at the Ambassador's quarters at the appointed hour, and were warmly welcomed by him and his wife, my 'mother' Wintath. The initial pleasantries were exchanged, and we were offered refreshments. Once we settled in, the reason for our visit became clear.

"I received a message from a cousin of mine, asking my help," my 'mother' began. "Her second daughter has become enamored of a young Maltorl boy, and wishes to bond with him. He loves her as well, but gave a promise to his grandmother that he would never bond to a Poxrill. In the grandmother's youth, our clans were rivals instead of allies, and she never accepted the change."

Priya said, "I know that the general custom is for the man to become part of the woman's clan, but can she not become Maltorl, and then bond with him? Would that meet the conditions of the promise?"

"It would be slightly evasive, but the promise was extracted from him when he was a child, and that in turn weakens the obligation on him to meet the spirit and not the letter of the promise. Unfortunately, he is also a second, and must mate outside his clan, so adopting her will not work."

My father Sartotl took up the thread of the narrative, saying, "Your acceptance of Nilwint as a Pet, and your bringing of Lantral into your clan to facilitate her marriage to a human are well-known among both the Maltorl and Poxrill clans. In addition, there are rumors of the intensity of the bondings that you have meditated, though knowledge of this as a fact is less widespread. The youngsters involved know of it, and wish to join your clan, and to be bonded within it. They do not know of your personal involvement in the bondings to date, and it will be up to you and your mate to determine the nature of your involvement in theirs. Even if you allow them to mate strictly according to recent traditions, you will still be granting them a great favor."

I nodded understanding, and said, "My previous 'immigrants' each came with a certain degree of controversy. I am slightly concerned that by accepting them, I will be perceived to be continuing a pattern of assisting in the evasion of responsibility to one's clan. The concern is not great enough to deny young love, but I do worry about it."

"That will not be a concern in this case," Wintath said. "The promise was not public, the grandmother in question is deceased, and the survivors that know of it all disagreed both with the thinking that lead her to extract it, and the manner in which it was obtained. The only issue is the son's sense of honor, and of the love he felt for the woman. He has seized on the benefits to his mate if the bond in your clan as the justification for his attempt to mate with the woman he loves while not violating his given word."

I glanced at Priya for permission, and then said, "Then you may convey to him, his mate-to-be, and the appropriate officials that I would be glad to accept her into my clan. I assume that the customary exchange of females will not be an issue in this case?"

"Only the most hide-bound clans require that any more," Sartotl said, "Even Sminran does not, and they are nearly as reactionary as Ritmurt. If the demand is made, most clans will seek volunteers to submit, but they will never ask for a replacement if one of their females seeks a new clan. It helps that such exchanges are uncommon, but there is no stigma on either clan nor upon the one who moves."

I intended to grant the young couple the 'benefit' of my interaction during their bonding, but I already had more than enough potential bed-mates, so unless they needed attention, I wouldn't be adding to my list of regular sexual partners. My 'parents' didn't need to hear any details of my sexual life though, so I didn't mention it then. I did tell Priya later, and she reassured me that she trusted my ability to manage my 'duties' appropriately.

The rest of the evening was spent in quiet conversation, and a review of some videos and stills of Sartotl and Wintath's grandchildren. Herding the children through a transit pod was still not a pleasant process, and the Ambassador's schedule and security requirements made trips to our home both rare and complicated, so visiting was infrequent, and often limited to one or two of the six at a time.

Eventually, we made our good-byes and returned home, in time for stories and bedtime, before turning in ourselves.

A few weeks later, I accepted Silnath Ronwalt of Poxrill into Clan Phoenix, in a ritual performed at the Embassy. Her would-be mate Nalwan Slonwal of Maltorl was in attendance, but his relationship to her was not mentioned. As Craxill rituals went, this one was brief, with her professing allegiance to her new clan, proclaiming that all debts to her old clan had been discharged, and that any personal obligations were still in force. Speaking for Poxrill, the Ambassador proclaimed her free of further obligation to them, and expressed hope for her happiness in the new home she had selected.

As with my Acceptance of Larwint, there was a private ceremony after the public one. Unlike Larwint, however, I had no sexual contact with Ronwalt, though I did take the opportunity to explain to her, under oath of secrecy, exactly why Rillnam, Nilwint, and Lantral were so much more firmly bonded to their mates than was common among the rest of Craxill society.

"Discuss this with Slonwal, and him alone, under the same oath of secrecy, and decide how much of my attentions you wish to endure during your bonding," I told her. "You are part of my clan, now, but if you wish, I will make you mine during your bonding. You may speak to this with Rillnam, Nilwint, and Lantral as well, if you want their advice."

As if my life wasn't complicated enough, Ronwalt moved in at about the same time as my mother and her husband (who I was becoming used to thinking of as the father I'd never had) showed up for their 'visit.'

"We aren't planning on moving in permanently," my mother told me when I commented on the size of their luggage shipment, "But we are immigrating to Greater India. We'll discuss why later, after I've played with my grandchildren."

And, that night, when the children were in bed, she and William did that very thing.

"When I retired from the University," she began, "I had a certain set of beliefs about the current political situation in the North American Alliance, and on what the proper opinions were on a large number of subjects. Interacting with William caused me to question several things I believed to be fact, and as we visited various parts of the country, those questions grew.

"I don't know if you realize just how much of a political echo-chamber a University faculty is," she said after taking a sip of wine. "Anyone who disagrees with the 'consensus' rapidly learns to remain silent. As one of the leading political powers, I had a great deal of influence in establishing the 'consensus, ' and regrettably little information on many of the topics I was firmly convinced I understood."

"I had a similar problem, for different reasons," William commented, "Since I was active-duty Space Service, I didn't get to meet very many groundhogs whose livelihood didn't depend on the Service, and so I was pretty out-of-touch with what the average citizen thought."

"As we learned more, we both began to worry about some long-term trends we see in the politics of the NAA. The old United States had a long tradition of isolationism, and the 'elites' that I considered myself part of were proud that they'd managed to 'grow' the country beyond that. The problem is, that 'growth' exists only in their own heads, and the bulk of the population is still isolationist, and growing steadily less happy with what they see as the costs of external contact.

"Cross-marriages, and integrationist pressures have turned the cultural stew of the turn of the twenty-first century into a melting pot again, and the new wave of immigrants are provoking some hard feelings among folks who are just getting ahead now that the world economy is back on its feet. I'm seeing signs that the demagogues are on the way back, exploiting the upsets caused when an active economic growth phase starts under way to gain influence over those who fear the costs of change.