o0o
Leneivi could only too easily imagine what he might be like in bed. Dominant and aggressive. And given his build, she wondered if his male organ would match his powerful frame. She'd had fierce and strong lovers in the past and was no stranger to rough sex, but would she be able to withstand passion from a being far more powerful than she?
"Are you chaste?" he asked. She was tempted to say no, but one of the tenets of Kada was honesty. If one didn't want to answer a question, they would respond with silence, and let that speak for itself. She tried to turn her face away from his, and could only avert her gaze.
"Have you been with men? Women? Both?" he demanded quietly. She kept her gaze down, trying to squirm free of his grip, feeling the flex of his bicep against her side.
He shifted, and Leneivi found her back pressed against the wall, her hands pinned near her head by a pair of tentacles. He nestled himself between her thighs as he brought his face level to hers.
"Does my appearance disturb you?" he asked bluntly.
"You are... intimidating," she admitted in a voice barely above a whisper.
"This is how I was made. Accept it, just as I accept how you were created, as well."
There was calm logic in his words, an observation that at one time, hadn't mattered. She'd been polite and civil to the entire group. However, now, to consider being mated to one... sharing intimacy with him... A soft gasp burst from her throat as she felt one of his hands lightly cup one of her breasts. She tried to jerk free, but his grip was too strong, and his tentacles barely budged when she sharply tugged her wrists against them.
Several tentacles remained hooked in her hair and around her head, keeping her from turning away.
"Look at me," he commanded. Slowly, her gaze met his.
"You are absolutely certain you want me? But you do not even know me!" she protested quietly after she felt his embrace tighten a bit.
"We are never wrong about our mates," Zand'n replied calmly, one of his tentacles sliding along her cheek. "I can see that priests and priestesses are valued among your people. They do credit you with summoning us and thus saving your land. However, mates are valued to my kind, and you are the greatest treasure I could ever have."
"I am not something to be owned," Leneivi replied archly, lifting her chin. "I am not a treasure to be taken and hidden away."
He stared at her, letting out a slight breath. Before he could speak, they heard footsteps, and a young man dressed in a comfortable tunic and pants dyed indigo appeared in the doorway, a wristband on his arm denoting his occupation as a priest of Kada.
She made eye contact with the priest just around Zand'n''s shoulder. Like her, he was dark-haired and -eyed, with an olive complexion.
"Is... everything all right?" the young man asked. Leneivi was tempted to call for help.
"We require privacy," the Teuthid stated, turning his head a fraction to the left to cast a sidelong glance at the intruder. The priest's eyes met hers again. She shot the Teuthid a quick glance before looking back at her fellow servant of Kada. Battling reluctance, she gave him a brief nod. He was quick to retreat, and she let out a shuddering breath as she contemplated her fate.
"That was wise," he whispered. She did not make eye contact.
"Can you let me go? For a moment? Please." She felt his grip tighten for a moment before she was allowed to pull back, his tentacles sliding from her body. She took several steps away, moving into the sunlight and welcoming its warmth on her scalp. She took in a gulp of air, trying to clear her mind. Kada, help me, she prayed. Mercifully, her would-be mate was silent, standing where she'd left him.
"What does... being a mate consist of?" the priestess asked, keeping her back to him. The Teuthids were reticent about their own world, revealing little about their society, and the world of R'lyeh. The only thing they would say about mating was that the women would be very valued and treated well.
The Teuthid remained silent for a moment, as if surprised. Finally, he spoke. "The function is comparable to what your people here call wives. You will be well-provided for."
"And in turn, consummation is... required?" Leneivi clarified. Again, there was a brief silence from Zand'n.
"Not immediately."
She raised her eyebrow and slowly turned to him.