Honour (5 page)

He rolled to his back with his hands around her hips.

She settled with her knees on either side of his hips, a width she could barely manage.

Sitting on top of him, she got an idea of how large her lover really was. Her hands looked tiny pressed to the muscles of his abdomen. She had no idea how he had fit inside her, but she got the inkling that it had something to do with the alterations that had been administered in the tank.

She slowly rocked her hips against him, feeling him swell even larger inside her. Her teeth lengthened again, so she didn’t bother talking.

In the dream plane, he had been shorter, more human-sized. There was no more pretence that he was anything but what he was, something that qualified as the most alien thing she had ever been astride.

She braced her hands on his belly and rocked her hips in a slow undulation.

He groaned and ran his hands up her spine, cupping her shoulder blades and pulling her forward. He leaned up and met her halfway, kissing her violently, his hand threaded through her hair.

Honour whimpered when his teeth grazed her lips, but when he growled at her, something snapped. She bit him back and grabbed his hair in her fists, snarling as the taste of his blood burst on her tongue.

Mixed together in his bloodstream were sweet, copper and chlorophyll.

She whimpered as her senses were overloaded and she felt the world spin. He sat up, and she bent backward as his lips caressed her neck and the curve of her shoulder before grazing her breasts with the sharp edges of his teeth. She squeaked in pain before he licked at the abrasions and settled in to suck in an alternating pulse of hard, soft and hard again.

Honour felt a strange touch on her belly, and looked down to see a tendril of vine moving across her skin. It slipped between them, and she closed her eyes and dropped her head back as Acuar sucked at her breasts and the vine circled her clit.

She screamed when her orgasm hit, digging her nails into Acuar’s shoulders. He continued nipping at her until her body ceased to pulse around his cock.

With a groan, he pulled her upright and cupped her buttocks. He lifted and dropped her hard and fast until his own vocal vibrations warned of his impending release.

She heard a rustle in the vines of the bed, and the moment that Acuar shouted his release, they were bound together again.

Honour rested her head against his chest. “Are they always going to do this?”

“Only until our link is complete. After that, it will only be for their own participation in our joining. Far less frequent.”

“They like sex?”

“It isn’t something they get to experience in their physical lives, so they do enjoy the change.” He nuzzled her temple.

She sighed and inhaled. She could smell musk, herbs and sweat. It seemed that the plants also got their freak on. “Did they get what they needed from me?”

He chuckled, “The question is, did you get what you needed from them?”

She raised her head. She felt stronger, more energized, but she didn’t know what he meant.

“Go look in the mirror.”

She slid off him with some difficulty and waddled over to the mirror on the door of the wardrobe. Her skin was glowing with bright beads of green down the exterior of her arms and legs. A rose pattern in rich green was appearing beneath the skin of her belly.

“It is a good thing my mother can’t see this. She disapproved of tattoos.”

“It isn’t a tattoo. It is in your genetic code. It was added during your tanking to indicate your species to all of Yalki.”

She blinked and narrowed her eyes. “You say that like they are going to be seeing me naked.”

“Not naked, no. But many of the formal clothing you will wear are designed to show off that pattern.”

She snorted. “Do you have a pattern?”

He grinned. “Did you see one?”

“No.”

He leaned in and whispered, “Then, you were not looking hard enough.”

She jerked back so fast, she cracked her head against his chin. He winced and jerked backward.

“Oops. Sorry. What is the deal with these marks?” She ran her hand down her arms.

“They signify your bond with the forest. You can use them to tailor your clothing and absorb sunlight as an energy source.”

“Seriously?”

“Of course. You are part Terran, part Freyalki and part forest now. You should be able to manipulate living plants and animals if you choose to.” He rubbed at his chin.

She was going to comment, but a sensation between her thighs caused her to pause and walk into the lav. She looked around and found the triggers to the shower. Honour could feel her skin sighing in delight at the deluge of water.

Her inner thighs were abraded, and there was heat coming off her sex. She cleaned up as quickly as she could and then wrapped herself in the soft towel and twisted her hair into a cable.

“Is my seed so offensive to you?” Acuar was leaning in the doorway, watching her.

She snorted. “Do you normally run around with it coursing down your thigh?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I suppose not.”

“Well, it gets a little uncomfortable when I can feel it and others can smell it.” Honour smiled, turned, and patted his cheek. “If we had been in bed, I would have slept and dealt with it in the morning, but you wanted me up and around, so here we are.”

She sat at the dressing table and found the brush. She worked from the bottom up, combing her ridiculously long hair until it hung in a shining wave again. “This is stupid. Is there a scissor around here?”

“It wouldn’t do any good. It will grow to that length again in a matter of hours. All the brides have had hair down to their ankles. It is the design of the forest and the reason that the maid was so eager to be your groomer. She will have plenty to work with, and her skills will be on display daily.”

“I see. I am to be a billboard.” Honour started to weave her hair into a thick braid from the waist down.

“I do not know what that is.”

“Bragging. Advertising for her.”

“Possibly, or it is simply possible that a display of dexterity will win her a mate. Many men would be interested in a woman with that kind of delicate touch.”

She laughed. “Poor, Acuar. You are out of luck there. All I can do is tell you which plants to use to stop a cold or keep someone from getting heartburn.”

“Or, keep you awake.”

She blushed and tied her braid off with a few strands of hair wrapping tightly around it. “Or that.”

He stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. The warmth of his skin had a sedating effect on her. She felt drowsy.

“I believe you have done enough for the day, lady. Time to get in bed and stay there until dawn.”

She looked into his green eyes in the mirror and yawned. “What about food?”

“Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“The forest has fed you for the night. Tomorrow is soon enough to begin your new life. Rest.” His words had weight that made her sway in place.

She nodded forward, and he lifted her in his arms, carrying her to the bed that had been grown in place and settling her in the soft sheets. He crawled in next to her and curled up, spooning her against him.

“Acuar?”

“Yes, Honour?”

“When did I start to see in the dark?”

He chuckled and soothed her into sleep, not answering her question.

For the first time in her life, Honour did not resent the morning light streaming in on her. She stretched and pushed the bedding aside to give her body full exposure.

The dots on the backs of her arms weren’t glowing in the light, but she could feel the humming of power under her skin. Acuar was sitting at a desk that she didn’t remember from the night before, but for all she knew, the forest had grown it for him.

“I thought you were going to sleep the day away.” He turned and smiled at her.

She wrinkled her nose. “What time is it?”

“Nearly noon. Touch the headboard and think of food. It will be delivered in a few minutes.”

Bemused, she reached out and conveyed her request. She felt an acknowledgement and sat back. “Huh. I guess it beats a bell pull.”

“Again, don’t know what that is.”

She thought about explaining it to him, but instead, she opted for a trip to the lav. Running around naked had never been one of her favourite pastimes, but it felt completely normal to be doing it now.

After she brushed her teeth and combed out her braid, she walked to the wardrobe and looked at her options. Acuar had been correct, crop tops abounded in company with long skirts made of panels shaped like the petals of flowers. Overlapped, they formed a decently opaque skirt.

Belts were made out of woven vines.

She made a few choices, belted the skirt in place and looked in the mirror to see what she would change when more clothing was offered. Her skin heated and the top rose an inch, exposing the rose completely. The fabric darkened to a colour that more closely matched her eyes. The rose on her abdomen took on a blush pink colour with the leaves turning a bright green.

“Very nice. You seem to be catching on quickly.” He rose to his feet, wearing a deep green tunic and trousers that made his eyes glitter in the sunlight.

“Thank you. This was more about wanting to be dressed when lunch arrived.” She smirked.

Just as he took her by the arms and bent to kiss her, a knock sounded on the door. Acuar kissed her softly and then lifted his head, calling out. “Come in.”

She looked over to watch the trays being brought in. “Nice. Does it just work with the bed?”

“Any piece of wood is now a conduit for your thoughts, and through it, the forest will speak with the Freyalki you wish to communicate with.” He smiled and his hand at her back urged her into the front room.

A table was set for two with a large quantity of covered dishes and a pitcher with clear water in it.

Honour smiled at the servers and said, “Thank you. It is welcome after all this time. I feel like I have not eaten in forever.”

The women smiled and bobbed their heads as they left. When Honour touched the table, she could feel pleasure radiating from it.

“Is everything here alive?”

He shrugged and pushed her chair in. “Pretty much. Some utensils need to be metal but most things that can be made out of wood are made out of shallowly rooted trees that are amenable to being altered to be useful.”

“So, this table is alive and will eventually grow into a banquet-sized table?” she tried to figure it out as he uncovered dishes that were as lovely to look at as they smelled.

Flowers were everywhere, but they didn’t add a sweet scent, some were citrusy, some smoky, all added to the presentation of the food involved.

“I am aware that meat was a primary portion of your diet, so an effort has been made to acquire mushrooms and seedpods that mimic the flavour and texture. The craving for animal protein was removed from you, but it might still be there in psychological form.”

He talked, but she was busy taking one portion of each plate and tasting them all.

She didn’t know if it was the change in her physiology, but she didn’t find anything lacking. There were plenty of herbs and savouries, differences in textures, enough to keep her mouth humming along and her stomach eagerly awaiting anything she swallowed.

The water was nice as well. No wine or juice to muddle the taste of the food.

“We drink wine when we are socializing, not at meal times.”

She paused and flicked him a look. “I didn’t say that out loud.”

“You were touching the table. Are you up for a walk this afternoon? You can see more of the city and the forests.”

“Of course. Give me a second.” She sent a request for Nayin through the table.

“Very good. You are definitely doing very well. There have been few brides who were able to alter their clothing on day one, let alone send communications.”

He was leaning back and looking satisfied.

“So, you ordered me to do that just to see if I could?”

“Yes.”

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. “Bully.”

“No. Merely encouraging education.”

A knock on the door made her perk up. “Come in.”

The door swung open, and Nayin was there with a small chair and a bag over her shoulder. “Lady, shall we get to work?”

Honour smiled, “Please, I am eager to see the world around me and don’t want to do it with screwed-up hair.”

Nayin bowed to Acuar. “Host. Good day to you.”

“Good day to you, Nayin. We have a videoconference in an hour. See what you can do.” He rose to his feet and returned to his desk in the bedroom.

Honour got to her feet. “Shall we?”

“Yes, lady. We shall.”

“Oh, my. This is very pretty. It sits so well on my head; it is as if the pins are holding their own weight…which they probably are.”

Nayin grinned. “They are very strong and will hold your hair in place. I left the back long for the sake of tradition. Some length is always to be exposed. The rest is twisted into loops that link together to join the long tail that falls to your feet.”

“I have never had anyone sew my hair into place before. It is neat, but do I need you to undo it tonight?”

“No. Just grip it and ask it to leave. The materials will remove themselves with ease.” Nayin bit her lip and fussed a bit. “There. That strand was bugging me.”

“Am I presentable?”

“You are lovely. It is nice to work with such a contrast in colouring. I will try and get some cosmetics for those moments you want it,” Nayin smiled, “lady.”

Honour got to her feet and turned so that Acuar could see her all decked out in Freyalki traditional garb and hairstyle. “Well?”

“I would like to dismantle that hair, strip off that clothing and lock you in this room with me, but we have other matters to attend to. Shall we?”

Bemused, she took his hand. “Thank you, Nayin.”

“It was my pleasure, lady.” Nayin bobbed a curtsy.

They walked through the halls, down the stairs and into the vaulted gathering space.

“The videoconference room is this way. We use it for communication with the space station.”