Alien (25 page)

Kari snorted at that. “Point
taken.”

“I forget at times how young you
still are. Mayhap because there are parts of you that are wizened. You are
possessed of what you might have called an ‘old soul’ back on Earth.”

“Thank you, Klykka.” Kari inclined
her head. “I needed to hear that.”

“Take yourself to the
vesha
hides
and rest. Your training begins on the morrow’s moon-rising. Leastways, you will
need your energy and wits about you at the tavern.”

Kari raised an eyebrow. “To serve
matpow
and perform a show in the erotic arts? I might not be a High Mystik, but I’m pretty
sure after all these years of training I can do that in my sleep.”

“Nay, child. ‘Tis not your ability
I doubt. ‘Tis my fear that visiting Trystonni warriors will attempt to lure you
to their
vesha
hides. In a heightened state of arousal, ‘tis a wicked
powerful temptation to ignore.”

“I saw one today.” Kari’s eyes
rounded. “He was the biggest man I’ve ever seen.” He was also the most primal,
arousing, and handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on, but she decided not to
mention that part. Klykka seemed worried enough. “They do not rape women, do
they?”

Klykka waved that fear away. “Only
weak, cowardly men rape women. Leastways, your training has made you too
powerful an adversary for a male such as that.”

She blew out a breath of relief.
“Thank goodness for that.”

“’Tis a rare beauty you are,”
Klykka said. “Most males—if not all males—shall covet you. Take to the
vesha
hides any humanoid of your choosing so long as they do not herald from
Tryston.”

Kari’s cheeks pinkened. “You’re
saying that because you love me. I’m actually quite ordinary looking. What
Trystonni would want me when thousands of females who look like
that—
”
She waved her hand at Klykka. “Are walking around this city?”

“You seek to flatter me.” Klykka
grinned. “‘Tis working.”

Kari studied her adoptive sister
from head to toe. The High Mystik was as naked as she was—no doubt heading to
bed when the transmission ended—so it was easy to do. Everything about Klykka
was Barbie doll perfect. From her long, silky black hair, to her violet eyes
that glowed against the caramel coloring of her skin, to her perfect breasts,
pouty lips, and bald pussy…

“I need not enter into lesser
thought-lock with you to know where your mind is going.” Klykka sighed. “On
your Earth I might be extraordinary, but here I am quite ordinary.”

“You’re fucking perfect.”

“And you’ve just become my favored
sister.” Klykka’s smile, as brilliant as the rest of her, caused Kari to smile
back. “Yet you are missing my point.”

Kari’s forehead wrinkled in
thought. “You’re saying that what is ordinary on Earth is extraordinary on
Galis.”

“Not just Galis, but all of Trek Mi
Q’an. Mayhap even beyond.”

That knowledge was as sobering as
it was empowering. All her life she’d felt like the ugly duckling. The thought
of Trystonni warriors finding her red hair and pale skin provocative was heady
indeed. They were men further from ordinary than she’d believed possible. While
she realized she couldn’t have sex with one, just knowing they’d want to bumped
her self-esteem up several necessary notches.

“Rest up, child. As I said, you’ll
need it.”

“One last thing since I don’t know
when we’ll talk next.”

“Aye?”

“The woman I bought the
zokas
from…” Kari quickly recounted their conversation. “Am I being paranoid or—”

“Nay, you are not.” Klykka frowned.
“Leastways, no Galian warrior would dare to cross you so think no more upon
it.”

“Why not?”

“Because their sector would incur
my wrath. ‘Twould be my right under the holy law to wage war and no sector
could withstand my assault.”

Kari grinned, causing the dimples
in her cheeks to pop out. “I knew you were a bad-ass, but I didn’t know you
were like
the
bad-ass.”

Klykka winked. “Never forget it.”

Later that night, alone in her bed,
Kari’s thoughts returned to the grim giant with golden eyes. The way he’d looked
at her, the way her entire body had responded to his brazen stare…

Her hand slid down to her pussy.
Her fingers found her clit and began rubbing.

She might not be allowed to fuck
him, but she could damn sure fantasize about it.

Last night’s orgasm must have
knocked her out like a sedative because she slept in a hell of a lot later than
she’d planned on. Kari had hoped to explore all the technological gadgets in
the penthouse, not to mention take in some sightseeing, but she barely had time
to figure how to shower and grab a bite to eat before she’d need to leave for
the tavern.

Still quite groggy, Kari stepped
into the bathing chamber and prepared to figure out how it worked. Standing in
a conventional Galian room, she gasped when, a blink of an eye later, she found
herself standing in a lushly green jungle under a cool, tropical waterfall.
Macaws flew by, spider monkeys hunted for berries in the treetops…

Tears of happiness spilled from her
eyes. She was home, back on Earth, drinking in the glorious Amazonian sun. The
bathing chamber was somehow able to sense exactly what she needed and where she
needed to be—the only thing missing was the sight of her sister.

Kari half-laughed and half-cried as
she craned her neck and basked in the warmth. The waterfall’s temperature and
pressure was precisely what her body craved. She ran her fingers through her
soaking wet hair and smiled up at the yellow sun she sorely missed. A cool
breeze wafted past, hardening her nipples.

“I don’t want to leave,” she
whispered. “I want to stay here forever.”

Her brain knew this wasn’t real,
that either technology or magic was responsible for this earthly reunion, but
neither did she care. She was
home
. And she was going to enjoy every
moment of it.

The sounds of the rainforest were
at once calming and stimulating, which Kari supposed was the point. The
perfectly simulated environment felt so good, so reassuring, that she didn’t
care if she had time to eat before going to training—she wanted to stay exactly
where she was for as long as she could. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever.

A blink later and Kari was back in
the ordinary bathing chamber, her hair dried and flawlessly styled, her body
washed, exfoliated, dried, and polished. Even her mons had been trimmed and
waxed into a perfect triangular patch.

“Why doesn’t Klykka have one of
these installed in her palace?” she muttered to the walls. She was already
looking forward to her next shower. “This is too cool.”

Five minutes later, Kari strolled
out onto one of the penthouse’s many terraces. Still naked, she sipped from a
chalice of warm
jumya
, a beverage that was brewed from the blue leaves
of
jumyun
trees. An array of fruits, breads, and the Galian version of
cheese was spread out on the terrace’s only table, ready for her to eat. She
smiled. “It’s going to be difficult to go back to the basics after living in
the lap of luxury for three moon-months.”

Why oh why did Klykka keep the
palace so stark and simplified when she could obviously afford to live like a queen?
Bathing chambers that sensed your needs, instantaneous food delivery at the
click of a button, high-rise crystal structures with elevator-like machines
that transported you in less than a heartbeat from the building’s entrance to a
luxurious penthouse 700 stories up…

This
was the life. Indeed
the only thing missing from it was a sexy, virile male to share it with.

That thought led to another, namely
to the man she shouldn’t be thinking about.

Plopping down on a
vesha
-soft
crystal chair, Kari sighed as she set down her chalice of
jumya
and
picked up a piece of fruit. Seventeen Yessat Years and the first male to arouse
her was the one she couldn’t have. Talk about bad fucking luck!

She bit into the fruit with the
disgruntled force of a vampire who couldn’t locate a good vein. Klykka had told
her there would be humanoid males from all across Trek Mi Q’an galaxy in
Crystal City. Kari hoped at least one of the various species looked like the
warrior from Tryston she’d seen yesterday. She glanced poignantly toward the
chalice of warm
jumya
and frowned.

Seventeen years. If she were a man,
her balls would have been bluer than that fucking drink by now.

* * * * *

Nervousness set in as Kari walked
into Mettle Tavern. The boisterous atmosphere should have been welcoming, but
tonight, her first night on the job, it was unnerving. Wearing the black,
sparkly
zoka
she’d purchased from Nyoki, her long, wine-red curls cascading
past her butt, she looked pretty damn good if she did say so herself. Klykka
must have been correct about Kari rating a perfect 10 on the exotic scale
because every male who saw her walk past stared at her as though she were the
sexiest woman alive.

It’s about time
, she
sniffed, holding her head up high. Every woman deserved to feel like the belle
of the ball at least once in her life. Apparently her turn had finally arrived.
She conceded she’d probably enjoy her proverbial moment in the sun more if she
didn’t feel nervous enough to vomit on the customers.

“Kari Gy’at Li.”

She came to a stop and looked
around, unable to find the female voice that had called out her name. A group
of Trystonni warriors were staring her down from the table they shared, their
arousal obvious. Seated almost at floor level, they still looked taller than
her while standing. She swallowed roughly, breaking eye contact.

Similar to a Japanese or Indian
restaurant back home, the customers of Mettle Tavern sat on
vesha
pads
that kept them close to the ground. The patrons shared their meals around
tables that appeared to automatically adjust to the perfect height for every
group. Humanoids and non-humanoids—holy shit did that thing have an ass for a
head?!—interacted, but mostly sat or lounged with members of the same species.

“Kari Gy’at Li.”

Kari crooked her neck. The voice
was distinctly feminine, yet the only females in the tavern were the ones
serving food and drink to the clients. For some enigmatic reason it gave her a
thrill to know those women were warriors in training, yet the visiting males
believed them to be, in their eyes at least, “lowly” serving wenches.

That’s right, misogynists, she
thought on her second haughty sniff of the night, score one for the home team.

“Kari Gy’at Li.”

At last Kari spotted her. The
gorgeous Galian female making her way toward Kari had to be Arista, the warrior
who owned Mettle Tavern. Klykka had instructed her that Arista would know who
she was when she walked through the doors.

“I see The Gy’at Li did not
exaggerate your beauty,” Arista purred in Trystonni. Kari knew the table of
warriors from Tryston were listening, which embarrassed her a bit. Coming to a
halt in front of her, the female warrior ran a hand through her hair.
“Fire-berry indeed. Leastways, this explains your name.”

Kari. The Galian word for
fire-berry.

“Yes, Mistress,” she returned in
Galian, hoping the warriors didn’t speak their tongue. “My hair is unusual for
Trek Mi Q’an.” She smiled, her dimples popping out. “Or so I’m always told.”

“And you have a small patch of
fire-berry above your mons?”

The warriors made appreciative
murmurs, indicating they spoke Galian just fine. Shit. How mortifying.

“I do,” Kari stated, hoping the
heat she felt on her face wasn’t showing.

“I am Arista.”

“I know.”

Her smile was slow and sensual.
Kari hoped that meant she was being accepted as an apprentice. She knew
protocol dictated that she say nothing until spoken to—at least not until
Arista decided to take her under her wing.

The seasoned warrior Klykka had
praised as the best teacher of the erotic arts in Galis took her time visually
inspecting Kari. Her violet gaze raked all over her body, making her aware of
her near nakedness. She managed to remain stoic despite the earthly instinct to
shrivel into the shadows. She just hoped the teacher accepted her so no shame
was brought to the House of Gy’at Li.

After what felt like forever,
Arista resumed eye contact. Inclining her head, for the average Galian woman
stood several inches taller than her, the tavern’s owner gently cradled Kari’s
face and began to kiss her. Kari could sense the Trystonni warriors’ arousal.
They obviously thought this was an erotic show, but Kari knew what it meant.

Arista thrust her tongue inside
Kari’s mouth, her hands falling to tweak her nipples. Kari moaned and wrapped
her arms around the Galian’s neck, kissing her back with everything she had to
give, excited and grateful Arista had accepted her as an apprentice.

To outsiders, this was a show of
sexuality. To Galians, the meaning was dependent on the situation. Regardless
of the condition, the physical joining allowed Galians to link with each other
in
fatoomi
—or fearlessness—a lesser form of thought-lock.

Kari’s mind merged with Arista’s in
the void she’d learned long ago to not resist. It permitted them to have
conversations nobody could eavesdrop in on.

“I accept you as mine, Kari
Gy’at Li.”

“Thank you, Mistress.”

“You will retain the name of
your sector, though you belong to the House of de Valor whilst under my dominion.”

“The House of de Valor?” Arista
was from the royal line itself! “I am not worthy.”

“Aye, you are. If my finest,
strongest warrior sends you to me, you are worthy.”

Kari’s eyes widened. “I did not
mean disrespect to Klykka, my adoptive sister. My love and respect for her is—”

“I know, child.” Arista smiled.
“’Tis 750 Yessat Years since the day I was birthed. There is little I don’t
know.”

Kari nodded, but said nothing.

“When we break
fatoomi
you will follow me without words into my private chambers. There we shall
discuss your next three moon-months.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“I give you leave to speak to me
at your will.”

“Thank you, Mistress.”

Arista broke the kiss and the
fatoomi
came to an end. The Trystonni warriors looked ready to come, assuming they
already hadn’t. Either oblivious or unimpressed, Arista paid them no attention.
She turned on her heel and strode away. Kari cleared her throat, quickly broke
eye contact with the male warriors, and obediently followed behind her.

* * * * *

Arista’s private chambers were also
on the 700
^th
floor. She dwelled in the soaring white crystal tower
behind the tavern instead of the purple one in front of it where Kari lived.
Just like Klykka’s palace, Arista de Valor’s mansion was technologically
advanced and opulent in its splendor. Kari followed closely behind her. When
they passed the bedchamber doors, she couldn’t help but notice the twenty to
thirty males of Arista’s harem lounging around inside it, penises fully erect,
waiting for their Mistress’s attention.

“You fear that a Galian male will
never please you,” Arista said without looking back, startling Kari. She
continued walking toward what appeared to be the palace’s dining hall.
“Leastways, ‘tis naught to worry about, child.”

Kari’s mouth worked up and down,
but it took a protracted moment to get her question out. “How did you know?”

Arista didn’t respond until they
reached the great hall. She motioned for Kari to be seated at the table.

“There are fewer older than I in
Trek Mi Q’an, child. Mayhap only the Chief Priestess of Tryston herself has
seen more moon-risings.”

Ari. Klykka had told her a little
about the Chief Priestess, but not much. “Isn’t Ari like a thousand Yessat
Years old?”

“Mayhap more. Leastways, none can
say.” Arista took a seat directly across from Kari at the dining table. “Ari
was birthed from the belly of the goddess, yet she is half-mortal.”

Kari thought back on her history
lessons. “Her father was a Trystonni warrior chosen by the goddess Aparna.” Her
nose crinkled. “Correct?”

“Aye.”

“Her father died?”

“He breached the Rah the moment his
seed took root.”

According to the dominant religion
of the galaxy, the Rah was like a gate that separated the world of mortals from
those who’d passed on into immortality. “He died the moment the goddess became
impregnated?”

“Though ‘tis natural to grieve a
loved one who has breached the Rah, for a certainty no soul ever truly dies,
child. Ari was born on the other side of the Rah, and because she is
half-divine she has the power to visit there at will.” Arista pressed a button
and beverages instantaneously appeared. “Ari herself told me our loved ones
await us in paradise and so it is.”

Apparently religion was the same
everywhere. It provided what those in mourning most needed—hope.

“Do not dismiss these lessons as
fanciful thoughts, child. Leastways, it matters naught do you believe for what
is will always be.”

Kara looked to the table. “But that
means I’ll never see my sister again.”

“Nay. It means quite the opposite.”

Her head shot up. She searched Arista’s
gaze. “But religion where I come from is different.”

“Klykka tells me your people
worship the male one-god.”

“Yes.”

Arista shrugged. “’Twill mayhap be
a surprise to them when they breach the Rah, yet for a certainty the goddess
will not turn them away.”

For some reason her explanation not
only made sense, it also made Kari feel better. She’d resisted religious
teachings and texts since her arrival on Galis, afraid to contemplate what
believing in them could mean, only to discover her greatest comfort was to be
found in that which she’d most feared. Ignorance, she supposed, wasn’t the
bliss it’s credited to be.

“It never is, child.”

Kari’s eyes rounded. “You can read
my mind?”

“Nay. Leastways not until you are a
High Mystik able to enter into
hyatzi
, the highest and most powerful
form of thought-lock.”