Forgotten (51 page)

“
Maybe this time you
really can teach me,” Kate said, smiling back. “I would love to
learn.”

“
We’ll talk about it on
the morrow,” Tante Corii promised. “For now, I’ll leave a glow on
for you.” She pointed to a small lamp on a low table by the bed.
“You can just blow it out when you’re ready to sleep. Oh—and before
I forget—I put your favorite petal gown in the fresher for you.”
She nodded at a small doorway in the corner of the room. But
instead of a door, it had a long curtain which appeared to be made
of flowering vines. “You always told me wearing it when you sleep
under the living blanket gives you the best dreams.”

“
I did?” Kate shrugged.
“Okay, that sounds really nice. Thank you so much, Tante
Corii.”

“
You’re welcome, child.
Now do try and get some sleep.”

“
I will,” Kate promised
and smiled as the old lady let herself out of the room and shut the
door behind her.

Chapter Twenty-three

As soon as she had the room to herself, Kate
went into the small fresher and examined the “petal gown” that
Tante Corii had left out for her. It did indeed appear to be a
long, flowing nightgown made entirely out of green and white flower
petals. The color started off white and light at the shoulders and
then gradually darkened to a deep emerald green at the hem, which
swirled around her ankles when she put it on.

“
Oh my God, this is
gorgeous,”
Kate murmured
looking down at herself appreciatively. The petal gown had a high
back and a low—a very low—front which scooped down to show the tops
of her breasts in a way that was sensual without being slutty. The
bodice of the gown fit nicely too—molding itself to her curves in a
flattering way that made her feel like some kind of nymph or dryad.
Maybe a flower spirit, wandering barefoot through the moonlit
garden at night…

Kate stepped out of the bathroom—or
fresher—and gazed through the open door that led to the garden. The
hem seemed to float, lighter than air, around her ankles and she
found herself looking longingly at the flowers under the light of
G’nera’s full moons. The multicolored blooms were painted in silver
and shadows and a soft breeze brought their rich, heady scents to
her nose.

It was such a beautiful scene and, in the
lovely petal gown, she felt like she was part of it. The cool, waxy
petals slipped over her bare skin sensuously, sending a shiver of
delight down her spine. It was like wearing living silk—like being
a flower herself.

I should be in the
garden,
she thought and the conviction
felt very real and certain in her head.
I
should be out among the flowers… I should—

A long, guttural cry that was almost a howl
cut the silence. Kate, who was already halfway out the door and
into the garden, stiffened suddenly. What was she doing? And why
had she suddenly felt such a strong urge to go outside?

Danger,
whispered the Knowing in her head.
Be careful, Kate—something here isn’t
right.

Stepping back, Kate quickly shut the door.
She didn’t know what was going on but she refused to take any
chances. Going quickly back to the bed, she got under the living
quilt of small red flowers and snuggled down, trying to get
comfortable and get rid of the uneasy feeling that was creeping up
her spine. But as she turned on her side, something hard poked her
in the back.

“
Ouch!” Kate reached under
the cover to find what it was and drew out the blue leather-bound
Volume of Submission that Tante Corii had given her. She frowned.
That was strange—she could have sworn she’d left it lying on the
kitchen table.

Curiously, she flipped to the front page.
The title of the book was written in an alien script she had never
seen before. But thanks to the translation bacteria in her
bloodstream, she was able to read it easily.

“
The Volume of
Submission,” Kate read aloud to herself. “Being the way in which to
seduce and submit to the Beast in order to tame it for the safety
and benefit of she who wishes such a thing.”

Hmm…interesting.

She flipped the page and was at once greeted
with a picture of a girl with dark hair and brilliant blue eyes.
The girl was wearing a gown that looked almost exactly like Kate’s
own, except it was made with white and blue petals instead of white
and green. “The gown of petals is traditional garb and will aid in
intensifying the scent of she who wishes to tame the Beast,” read
the caption.

“
Huh.” Kate looked down at
her own gown suspiciously. Was there more to this gown than she’d
thought? Had Tante Corii, who clearly believed that Kate should be
allowed to tame Rone’s Beast, been giving a not-so-subtle hint when
she gave Kate the petal gown as a present?

She turned the page and found an
illustration of a tall, muscular man. He was standing naked in a
moonlit glade and his eyes were pure silver so deep that even the
pupils were no longer black—they had been swallowed by the other
color, giving him a mindless, bestial expression. His chest and
arms were covered in a dense mat of hair almost more like fur, and
the hair on his head was shaggy and wild.

“
The male as a Beast,”
Kate read, looking at the caption. “Though he is most fearsome, it
should be noted that a male in fur-form used to be considerably
more terrifying.”

The next page showed a
huge, furry animal that looked like a cross between a bear and a
wolf. It had staring silver eyes and a slavering mouth filled with
long, sharp teeth that made Kate shiver. So
that
was what the Wulvens’ Beast had
looked like before the Kindred had come to interbreed with them!
Thank goodness she didn’t have to worry about Rone turning into
something like
that.

Not that it matters what
he turns into. It’s not like I’m going to see him,
she told herself. But she still had an uneasy
feeling in the pit of her stomach when she turned the
page.

This illustration showed the girl in the
petal gown stepping into the moonlit glade to meet the male with
silver eyes. She held her hands at her sides, palms up in a
non-threatening manner. Her head was lowered submissively, looking
down at her bare feet and the carpet of grass she was standing
on.

“
She who would tame the
Beast must not look into his eyes—for that is a sign of
aggression,” read the caption. “Only stand quietly and allow the
Beast to approach.”

So just stand there and wait to be
taken?

Fascinated, Kate flipped to the next page
and saw the Beast sniffing the girl. He had his face pressed to the
vulnerable column of her throat and the artist had done an
excellent job of showing a look of mingled fear and longing on her
face.

“
She who would tame him
must allow the Beast to smell of her scent and must submit to all
he wishes to do to her,” read the caption.

Kate read it and then
studied the girl’s face some more.
She
doesn’t know if he’s going to breed her or rip out her
throat.
How awful!

But also, how intriguing! Unable to stop
now, she flipped to the next page and saw that the Beast had
apparently decided not to kill the girl—at least, not yet. In this
picture, she had pulled down the front of her flower petal dress
and was offering her breasts. They looked full and almost luminous
in the moonlight, capped with berry-dark nipples. But Kate could
only see one, for the other was hidden from view as the Beast
crushed the girl to him and sucked the tender peak deep into his
mouth.

“
The Beast will suckle at
the breasts of she who would tame it. This must be allowed without
complaint,” read the caption.

Kate shifted on the bed, pressing her thighs
together under the red flower coverlet. She could imagine doing
that with Rone…pulling down the front of her gown and offering him
her breasts…

Stop it,
she told herself uneasily.
It’s not like you’d have to do that—Rone doesn’t want
that.
But still, the girl’s abject
submission sent a little shiver through her, though she didn’t know
why.

Still thoroughly intrigued, Kate kept
flipping pages. The next showed the girl naked with the gown around
her feet. Clearly she had stepped out of it voluntarily to give
easier access. The page after that showed her lying on her back
with her knees bent and her legs spread. The Beast was kneeling
between her thighs and Kate saw that his long, red tongue was
lapping at the girl’s open pussy.

“
The Beast will taste of
she who would tame it,” Kate half whispered as she read to herself.
“And this she must allow with no complaint. If her flavor is
agreeable to him, then he may proceed to breed her if she shows the
proper form of submission.”

Kate flipped the page and bit her lip. In
this picture, the girl with long dark hair was on her knees before
the Beast, eagerly licking the long, hard shaft that rose from
between his muscular thighs. Was this the “proper form of
submission?” Once again, she couldn’t help imagining herself doing
this to Rone. She loved the hot, spicy scent of his skin—she could
well imagine licking and sucking him.

“
She who would have the
Beast breed her must offer the sacrifice of pleasure and taste of
his seed before she may feel it spurting within her womb,” read the
words under the picture.

“
Geeze,” Kate muttered to
herself. “It’s like porn.” Porn that was making her extremely hot.
She squeezed her thighs together again under the red flower quilt.
God, maybe it was time to stop looking at this book!

But somehow she couldn’t put it down.
Instead, she turned the page and saw a picture of the girl, now on
her hands and knees. Or rather, her hands and forearms. Her thighs
were spread wide and her pussy was fully on display. The Beast was
behind her, also on his knees. There was a hungry look in his solid
silver eyes and he was thrusting his long, thick shaft deep into
the dark-haired girl’s vulnerable pussy.

“
She who would tame the
Beast must offer herself for penetration without complaint or
reservation,” Kate read, her own voice sounding hoarse in her ears.
“She must take his shaft and his seed deep within herself many
times in order to tame him and bind him to her.”

Kate looked at the book, her pulse racing.
She couldn’t imagine a more abject scene of domination and
submission. Kneeling naked in the cool grass and waiting for a man
you loved—a man who had become a mindless Beast—to fill you and
fuck you. Opening yourself to him, knowing he would ride you hard
and fast, over and over again until the animal lust that controlled
him was finally satiated…

“
Stop it!” she told
herself aloud. “Stop thinking about it—it’s not going to happen!
Rone doesn’t want it to happen!” And it wasn’t like she did
either…did she?

Of course I don’t want it
to happen—don’t want to let Rone’s Beast do that to me,
Kate told herself sternly.

She shut the ancient book decisively and put
it on the table beside the bed. Then she blew out the small,
flickering glow-flame in the lamp and cuddled under the red flower
quilt.

I won’t think of
it,
she told herself firmly.
I won’t!

But somehow when she closed her eyes, the
vivid illustrations from the Volume of Submission kept flashing in
front of her eyes. Only in the pictures she saw, the girl’s hair
was red instead of black and the Beast wore Rone’s face.

It took forever to get to sleep and when she
finally did, Kate had such strange dreams…

* * * * *

“
Now then, she’s finally
asleep, so she is,” whispered the old hag. She was standing at the
edge of the forest with Y, who was watching the back of the
cottage, outlined in the brilliant moonlight.

“
How can you tell?” he
asked in a low voice.

“
I can sense her, right
enough—so I can,” was the reply. “She’s got a power inside, has
that one. Grandy See-er will have to be especial careful of her, so
she will.”

“
I don’t care about her
power,”
Master Two snarled restlessly in
Y’s head.
“Tell the old hag to get on with
it! We have to get her into the Howlund where that Wulven mate of
hers is waiting.”

“
How long will it take to
get her to her mate?” Y asked the old woman. “My master wishes to
have her there soon.”

“
Don’t fear about
that—Grandy See-er will get her there right enough—if your gold is
good.”

Y handed her a bag of coins that made a
muffled clinking sound. Grandy See-er opened it and cackled at the
dull shine of precious metal in the moonlight.

“
All right. I don’t know
why your master wishes the little mistress to tame her mate’s
Beast—is it just he wants to see some fucking? For that could be
managed more easily and for less gold than this. Not that I’m
giving it back.” Quickly, she stuffed the sack into her voluminous
bosom.

“
That is none of your
business,” Y said stiffly. Honestly, he still didn’t know himself
why Master Two wanted this. He’d said it was to send a message to
the Kindred, to let them know that they couldn’t hurt or stop
him.

To Y, it seemed needlessly convoluted. Why
not just kill both the female and her male and send the Kindred
High Council their bodies instead making them breed? But no, that
would have been too easy for his Master. He had declared that
because the Wulven Kindred didn’t want to hurt his mate, that was
exactly what he must do. But it still seemed silly to Y who
thought—