Providence looked sideways at him for a second then broke out into a fit of giggles. The stressful day just made it worse, as she let loose and laughed till she doubled over, and her belly hurt.
"Oh god. Okay so I've said holy cow one too many times." Providence gasped. "It's not a god, it's a saying. Well I guess to some humans it's a holy animal and they don't eat it. I'm sure that's where the saying came from, but most people find cows delicious." Providence giggled.
"Interesting an animal that is a food and worshiped." Madhava considered with a tilt of his head.
Providence sighed feeling so much better after a good laugh. She leaned against Madhava, watching Dagaa tend to their dinner. She thought about how nice it was to have not two, but three people to share the chores, not that she'd ever considered domestic home life much. Providence always assumed she'd have a normal partnership, but this was anything but traditional. She found herself more than happy with their arrangement.
Providence realized that she wasn't quite certain what the status of their relationship was. The men had asked for her to bond with them. But their seemed to be some nuances between bonding and mating. Were they, officially married, engaged or what?
"Tell me something. You spoke about bonding versus mating, and somehow bonding is connected to how I feel when you bite me. What does that really mean?" Providence asked.
"You are our female." Dagaa grinned. "What we share is deeper than what unbonded mates share."
"Mates can be together for many reasons, like status or a Second taking a widow. Sometimes they feel strongly for each other though the bond may never be forged. But a bonded couple generally shares not just the emotional connection, but a primal, soul deep connection." Madhava added.
"I think I understand. Among my people a couple usually loves each other before they marry, or mate, unless it’s a marriage for convenience as we call it. But we don't have anything like bonding. It sounds like bonding is chemical thing, like lust gone wild. Never have I heard of a man biting a woman and well you know." Providence demurred, her lashes dipping as she stared up at them with a shuttered gaze.
"Ah. Well yes, that is a difference between us. You clearly respond to our conjugo mark." Dagaa's eyes took on a wicked seductive look as he bared his fangs at her.
Providence shivered as she recalled just how she did respond to their liquid euphoria.
"Mating is usually a formal event that follows bonding." Madhava said. The look on his face said he knew exactly where her wayward thought had gone.
"Most loving couples tend to find themselves bonded, sometimes one happens before the other, but it usually coincides." Dagaa added as he squeezed Providence.
"It is hard to explain how bonding happens, besides the obvious act of marking. It’s like being struck by lightning. One day you like a female and the next you find yourself desperate to sink your teeth into her and claim her for the entire world to see." Madhava leaned in and whispered into Providence's neck, his lips tickling the bite mark he'd given her on her shoulder.
Providence felt her nipples harden. She felt their bond, it was nothing like she'd felt at home for any man. Dagaa was right it went deeper than just raw attraction. Not only did she want them desperately, to the point she wanted to jump their bones, but she also orgasmed so hard when they bit her. It was a shocking and crazy biological response since she wasn't Cadi. But it wasn't all just lust. Providence found herself rapidly falling deeply in love with her men.
"So are we going to be mated?" Providence asked.
"We'd be happy to have the ceremony." Dagaa beamed as he pulled her onto his lap while Madhava plated their steaks.
"Are you asking me to marry you, because that was a pretty pathetic proposal?" Providence smiled coyly.
"Yes!" Madhava jumped in quickly making both Dagaa and Providence laugh.
"You, my fiery warrior, have brought joy and light to my life. I praise the Goddess for the day I discovered you on that ship. With every day that passes I find my heart more deeply ensnared by you. For the first time I am excited about what the future may hold by your side, and I can't picture a tomorrow without you. So yes my bonded, it would be a great honor if you would mate us for all to see that you are our chosen." Dagaa caressed her cheek then pulled her in for a kiss that stole her breath.
When Dagaa released her, Madhava was in front of her, on his knees.
"I never fathomed I'd find a female who could accept this." Madhava gestured to himself. "A harsh cruel male who has been far from perfect. I'd long given up my hopes for a bonded, certain it was a fate meant for better warriors. But what I see in your eyes when you look at me, it humbles me and shatters all the walls I built to shield myself. I don't deserve you, but goddess I need you like the very air I breathe. If you are willing to have me for all to see, it would make me the happiest warrior in all of Cadi." Madhava squeezed her so tight as his lips descended on hers.