Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
God, she thought, hugging the soft, woven blanket he’d given her tighter around herself, if anyone had told me I’d start the day sitting in the Hilton ballroom and end it being massaged and pampered into an orgasm by a Monstrum Kindred Panther on a living spaceship, I never would have believed them.
But here she was and the night wasn’t over yet.
“This way,” Korrath rumbled. He parted a curtain of vines and led her into another living chamber.
Miranda looked around…caught her breath.
It was a pool—no, a lagoon, big enough to swim laps in. The water glowed faintly from within, swirling in shades of turquoise and gold. At the far end, a small waterfall spilled down from a ledge of flowering vines, filling the air with a soft, steady rush. The sound was soothing, like rain on a roof at night.
Around the pool, trees that looked like a cross between a willow and a cherry blossom trailed their branches into the pool. Their pale pink flowers glowed softly, shedding petals that drifted like sparks across the surface of the water. The whole place looked like something from a dream.
“This is…” She shook her head, at a loss. “It’s beautiful.”
Korrath smiled faintly.
“The Mother Ship provides for us in many ways. Here, you may wash, soak, and be renewed.”
Miranda stepped closer to the pool’s edge, fascinated. That’s when she noticed the vines. A purple so dark they were nearly black, they ringed the pool like a living fence. From them sprouted long, waxy blossoms—blue for the most part, but here and there a crimson one glistened, its moist petals parting and closing in a disturbingly lifelike motion.
“What are those?” Miranda asked, leaning closer before she could stop herself.
“Pleasure blooms,” Korrath rumbled. His emerald gaze flicked to her, gauging her reaction. “They are… specialized plants.”
She blinked at him.
“They certainly look, uh, special.” She nodded to a crimson blossom with fleshy lips that looked a little too much like a woman’s sex for comfort.
As if to answer her, a long, blue blossom nearby—which looked disturbingly like an enormous waxy phallus—nudged forward, seeking the crimson one. The red lips quivered, then turned toward the blue blossom, sucking noisily at its tip.
Miranda’s eyes went wide as the blue blossom slid itself between the crimson petals and began to jerk and thrust.
“Oh my God,” she breathed, unable to look away. It was obscene…in a botanical kind of way. But also kind of erotic.
The plant pair writhed together shamelessly. The red bloom clung and sucked, making wet sounds as the blue one thrust deeper, its slick outer petals glistening with some kind of secretion. Then, with a final shudder, the blue bloom plunged all the way in and went rigid.
Miranda gasped as she watched ripples run along the red petals, almost as though it was swallowing. Moments later, the blue blossom shriveled, collapsing into a limp ribbon, while the crimson bloom looked stronger than ever.
“What just happened?” she demanded, both horrified and fascinated. “What happened to the blue one?”
“The male blossom has done its part,” Korrath said matter-of-factly. “It deposits its seed into the female bloom, then it dies. Soon, that crimson blossom will bud and produce new offspring.”
Miranda shivered, rubbing her arms through the blanket.
“That’s… morbid. And kind of obscene.”
Korrath gave a low rumble, somewhere between amusement and sympathy.
“It is simply the cycle of life. The Mother Ship creates what is needed—even pleasure and release.”
Miranda tore her gaze away from the blossoms, though she could still hear their wet, sucking noises. She looked at the glowing pool again, at the soft petals floating on the water.
“I think I’ll stick to the bath,” she said dryly.
“As you wish, lovely one.” Korrath moved closer, his hand brushing the small of her back. “Come—the water is warm. Wash away the oils, and let yourself be soothed.”
Miranda hesitated only a moment before stepping toward the edge. The steam rising from the water curled around her bare skin, caressing her like invisible fingers. She clutched the blanket tighter, suddenly aware of how naked she was beneath it.
Korrath’s purr deepened, low and unmistakable.
“Do not be shy. This place is for you. Let the water touch you as I long to do.”
Her pulse jumped and her heart started beating faster. Was this just about washing off the oil from the massage…or something else?
She clutched the blanket tighter and cleared her throat.
“Are you… coming in with me?”
Korrath tilted his head, his green eyes catching the glow of the blossoms.
“Of course—if you want me to.”
She hadn’t expected that. And she certainly hadn’t expected her stomach to do a slow, startled flip at the thought of seeing him naked. God help her, she did want him to.
“Yes,” she heard herself say. “Come in with me.”
A pleased rumble vibrated in his chest. “Whatever would give you joy would give me joy as well.”