Chapter Twelve

Zoe

 

I don’t remember much about what happened after the last time the shiny black tentacles dragged me under. The putrid yellow liquid filled my mouth and lungs and everything started to go gray.

Vaguely I thought I heard someone—some familiar voice—calling my name. But the voice was too deep to be Charlotte or Leah. Could it be my ex? But no, I hadn’t seen Scott in nearly a year and besides, he hadn’t had a very deep voice for a guy. My father had, but he’d been dead for the past five years—he had passed in his sleep only a month after my mother had died of cancer. He just couldn’t stand to live without her.

Whoever was calling me sounded like that—like he couldn’t stand to live without me. But there was no one in my life who felt that way about me. No one I knew of, anyway.

The next thing I knew, someone was unwinding the choking tentacles from around my waist and pulling them off my lady bits. Then he hauled me out of the glass tank and started pounding me on the back.

I began coughing and choking, trying to get the awful blood-mud tasting stuff out of my lungs. It burned like fire coming up and several times I thought I might pass out from the pain.

“Zoe? Zoe!” someone said in my ear. “Can you hear me? Tell me you’re well.”

“’s aw-right,” I said, my stubborn tongue slurring over the words it refused to pronounce. “’m fine.” Which was a total lie but it’s what you always say, isn’t it? Even if you’ve just been half drowned in alien slime by molesting tentacle monsters, you still say you’re fine.

I do, anyway.

The person who’d hauled me out of the tank clearly wasn’t buying it.

“Little, liar—you’re not fine. Not even close to it,” he growled and then strong arms were lifting me and taking me out of the dark room while the black tentacles thrashed in their yellow tank, angry to have lost their prey.

“Lay some cloths on the bed. She’s soaked in this Gods-damned stuff,” the person carrying me commanded.

“At once, Master,” a prim and proper voice replied. It sounded familiar and memories began to come back to my oxygen-starved brain.

“Al,” I mumbled as I was laid on a cool surface that seemed to rock gently, cradling me in comfort.

“Yes, Lady Zoe?”

“Lady Zoe? Not…’m not…” I choked again, my eyes still closed. I wanted to open them but they felt glued shut by the sticky slime that still covered me.

“Zoe, look at me,” the deep voice ordered. I wanted to ignore it—now that I was finally out of the tentacle-tank I just wanted to rest. But there was an authority in his tone I couldn’t ignore. “Zoe,” he said again.

Reluctantly, I pried my sticky eyes open to see the Devil, complete with red skin, horns, and glowing golden eyes, staring at me anxiously. No, not the Devil—Sarden, a little voice in my head reminded me. I was lying on one of the silver, floating hoverbeds and he was standing over me.

“I’m okay,” I said and then I started shivering uncontrollably.

“It’s all right, little one,” he murmured, pulling me close. His warmth and the spicy campfire scent of his skin was comforting, and I felt my heart do a funny little flutter.

“The t-tank,” I whispered, my teeth chattering. “The t-tentacles…they p-pulled me in.”

He frowned. “I’m sure they didn’t reach all the way from the hold to your room. How did you get out of the Force-Locks anyway? And why did you go back there?”

“I p-pressed them with my n-nose,” I managed to say. “They turned g-green and unlocked. Then I u-used them as a k-key to explore. I was l-looking for a way out.”

“I see. Although why they worked for you I have no idea. They’re supposed to be keyed to Vornish DNA and I know you don’t have any of that—you’re a Pure One.”

“I was almost a d-dead one,” I told him. “The liquid…the slime…I was d-drowning.”

The memory of the yellow, slimy stuff closing over my head made me want to retch. It made me think of Angie again…of how I couldn’t save her…of how I nearly died trying.

Her face swam in my memory and a sob burst out of me before I could stop it. I clamped my lips shut against the next one that wanted to follow. I hadn’t cried for Angie in a long time. I didn’t want to start again now.

“Zoe? What is it?” Sarden still looked concerned.

“N-nothing. I’m f-fine.” But my teeth wouldn’t stop chattering and my heart was doing that flutter thing again. I put a hand to my chest, trying to calm it down. I didn’t like the way it seemed to be jumping around in there like a Mexican jumping bean.

“What is it?” Sarden asked again, more urgently. “Tell me!”

“N-nothing.” I glared at him defiantly. “My heart just s-skipped a b-beat—that’s all.” Actually, it was still skipping beats but I told myself that was only because I was still so upset from the trauma I’d just been through.

“Your heart?” Sarden frowned at me.

“Master,” Al, who was in his dragonfly form, spoke up. “Didn’t Count Doloroso tell you that the liquid in the sensitivity tank was toxic to most sentient beings?”

“Frozen Hells! He did,” Sarden growled. “Come on.” He lifted me again, as though I weighed no more than a doll.

“Where…where are we g-going?” I whispered. By now my heart was pounding in such an erratic rhythm I felt sick and it was hard to breath.

“To the PPC,” he said grimly. “We have to get that slime off you now.”

“What? You mean the weird purple bathtub thing? No!”

Despite the fact that my heart was going crazy and my teeth wouldn’t stop chattering, I somehow managed to twist out of his grip. Probably the slippery slime on my skin helped. Anyway, I fell to the ground with a thud, landing bruisingly on my knees. It hurt like hell but it was better than going in over my head again in yet another vat of alien liquid.

“Look, I know you’re frightened of being submerged but you have to,” Sarden said, bending to try and scoop me up again. “The slime in the sensitivity tank is toxic—we have to get it off you.”

“No,” I said stubbornly, scooting away from his seeking hands. “I d-don’t care—put me in the mister. I won’t go in that drowning-tank. I w-won’t.”

“The mister won’t get it all off,” he objected. “It’s not strong enough.”

“Well I’m not strong enough to g-go through another n-near drowning,” I said, glaring up at him defiantly. “You d-don’t understand. My…my little sister…”

I couldn’t go on but I didn’t have to. Sarden hunkered down on his booted heels beside me, looking me earnestly in the eyes.

“I can see there’s a story here—a reason you’re afraid,” he murmured. “But I’m not just going to throw you in the cleansing pool, Zoe. I’ll come in with you.”

“You…you wh-what?” My heart was pounding in an irregular rhythm, the sound filling my ears and I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right.

“I’ll go with you,” he repeated patiently. “After all, I’ve got the slime on me too—we’ll get clean together.”

“Will…will my head have to go under?” I asked at last, tremulously.

“Only for a moment,” he promised. “I’ll hold you up and I won’t let you fall—I promise. If you go under, I’ll go under too.”

“Well…” My heart was going crazy now, stopping and starting, making me feel like someone was squeezing it mercilessly in an iron fist.

“Listen to your body,” Sarden urged me quietly. “You’re going into cardiac shock—you need to get that damn slime off your skin so it can start beating properly again.”

I looked at him uncertainly. There was anxiety but also patience in his golden eyes. If he’d wanted to, he could have picked me up by sheer force and thrown me into the vertical bathtub—he was certainly strong enough to do what he wanted with me. But he didn’t—he waited for me to make up my own mind to go with him. To trust him.

Chilled to the bone, teeth chattering, and heart pounding I made my choice.

“All r-right,” I said at last. “As long as you p-promise not to leave me.”

“I promise,” he said gently and scooped me into his arms.

 

Sarden

 

She felt so light in my arms and I could hear how erratic her heartbeat had become. It scared the hell out of me and I wanted nothing more than to rush her into the cleansing liquid of the pool. But the fear in her eyes told me I had to take things slowly, no matter how worried I was.

I cradled her close to my chest as I pressed the switch on the side of the vertical tank. The door slid to one side—the force field holding the cleansing liquid in place—and I stepped into it, holding Zoe high to be certain it didn’t go over her head.

“Sarden,” she whispered and I felt her shaking—not from cold but from fear—as we got fully inside. The warm liquid was up to her neck, though it was only up to my shoulders, and her eyes were shut tight, as though she didn’t want to look.

“It’s all right,” I assured her, holding her closer. I felt the slime from the Gods-damned sensitivity tank beginning to melt away at once. Good—I’d been feeling somewhat shaky myself. Doloroso had been right—the tank was no good as anything but as part of a collection. The slime inside it was much too strong and the sensu-pods were far too aggressive to use on a living sentient being.

I wondered again how in the world she’d been able to get out of the Force-Locks and use them to get back in the hold in the first place. She obviously had no Vornish DNA—maybe it was because she was a La-ti-zal. But could her gift really be that strong, even with the inhibitor in place?

Zoe was still trembling against me, her arms clutched tight around my neck. I rubbed her back soothingly and murmured to her that everything was going to be fine, that I had her and wouldn’t let her go.

But you’ll have to let her go, won’t you? whispered a nasty little voice in my head. Once you get to Giedi Prime you’ll trade her to Tazaxx and never see her again, unless he extends an invitation to his private zoo.

I thought of that, of only seeing her from behind a clear force field, of never being able to hold her or touch her again and my heart felt like someone was twisting it.

It’s the toxin, I told myself trying to push the feeling away. I haven’t even had her for two solar days yet. Trading her to Tazaxx should be no problem.

So why couldn’t I make myself believe it?

Looking down, I saw that the slime had melted off both of us. I was completely clean since I hadn’t gone in under my head. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Zoe. Her long red hair—so vivid when I held her despite the inhibitor she still wore—was matted with the stuff, and it still clung to her face and her long lashes and eyebrows too. She was going to have to go under—there was no other way to get rid of the slime completely.

“Zoe,” I said, as gently as I could.

She opened her eyes a crack and peeked at me.

“Yes?” Her voice sounded tiny and uncertain—very different from her usual confident banter—but at least she’d stopped trembling in my arms.

“We have to go under,” I told her. “Just for a moment. Just to get your face and hair clean.”

“I…I know,” she whispered, looking up at me with those big, impossibly blue eyes. Even coated in the thick slime of the tank, I thought I had never seen a lovelier female. Her freckles stood out against the skin of her face—probably because she was pale with fear.

“Can you trust me?” I asked her. “I’ll go under with you, I promise. Will that help?”

“Maybe. If…if I can see you.”

“We’ll be face to face the entire time. Look.” I shifted her around so that her legs were wrapped around my waist and we were facing each other directly.

“Okay.” She clung to me tightly, her arms wrapped around my neck as she pressed as close to me as she could. Her lush, naked curves were distracting but her fear was too obvious for me to become aroused. I’ve known males who got off on the fear and pain of females but I have never been one of them.

“All right,” I murmured. “On the count of three take a deep breath and we’ll go under. We’ll stay under for a count of three and then come back up. Understand?”

She nodded, her eyes big with fear. It hurt me to see how terrified she still was but I couldn’t help it—this had to be done.

“One,” I told her. “Two…three.” Taking a deep breath, I ducked us both beneath the purple liquid of the cleansing pool.

Zoe’s long hair floated free, the liquid in the pool going to work at once on the slime left by the tank. I hoped it would do its job quickly. She was trembling against me so violently now that it vibrated my entire body. I had the sense that this was bringing back some old trauma for her and that she was barely holding on to her self control.

I made a count of three and then lifted us both, breaking the surface.

Zoe gasped in a breath, her eyes huge in her pale face. Then she squeezed them shut and a deep, hitching sob came from her throat. She clamped her lips shut as though to keep another from following it. Clearly this experience was absolutely terrifying to her—and just as clearly she was determined not to give in to the fear and cry.

“Zoe?” I looked at her with concern.

“Is it done?” she whispered in a small, choked voice. “Please tell me it’s done, Sarden.”

I felt her thick hair with my free hand. Unfortunately, there was still slime caught in its curly locks.

“I’m afraid not,” I said regretfully. “Your face is clear but your hair…”

“It…it always takes forever to rinse the shampoo and conditioner out,” she said and tried to laugh. “So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Do…do we have to go under again?”

I was about to say yes but I had a sudden thought.

“Not if you don’t want to,” I told her. “Not if you trust me enough to support you.”

“You’re supporting me now,” she pointed out.

“Yes, but I mean support you while you float on your back,” I said. “I’ll hold you up and you can lean back and let your hair drift in the water. That way at least your face doesn’t have to go under. What do you think?”

“I think…I guess that would be okay.” She nodded. “Only I don’t know how to float.”

“You don’t really have to—I’ll hold you up,” I promised. “Just relax and trust me. Can you do that?” I very much wanted her to say yes, to know that she trusted me, though I didn’t know why. When she nodded her head, I felt as though something clenched tight inside me had loosened a little. “Good,” I told her. “On the count of three, then?”

“Yes, okay.” She took a deep breath. “Just…just put me where I need to be.”

“I will,” I promised her, stroking her cheek. Gods, she was lovely.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Thank me later—when we’ve gotten all this off of you,” I told her. “One…two…three.”

Zoe

It was both awkward and terrifying, floating on my back in the purple liquid. I’d had boyfriends before who promised to teach me how to swim and I knew this was how you were supposed to start—just floating with someone you trusted holding you up.

I hadn’t trusted a single guy enough to let him do that for me. Not until Sarden. And I didn’t know why I was trusting him now. I barely knew him, so why was I okay with believing he would hold me up and not let me go?

I couldn’t answer that question, even to myself. I tried to think up some snarky explanation but my mind was too tangled in knots with the past and the future merging together to make one big nasty mess of my emotions.

When the snarky part of me goes into hiding, I know I’m in trouble.

I tried closing my eyes but I kept seeing Angela’s face—Angie, little Angie that I was supposed to be responsible for. That I was supposed to watch. Guilt and sorrow flowed through me until I couldn’t bear it and had to open my eyes to look up at Sarden who was holding me firmly and patiently, just waiting for the cleansing liquid to do its job.

I tried to help it along some by lifting my arms very, very carefully over my head to scrub at my hair. But then I suddenly became aware of the fact that I was naked and my boobs were floating very obviously, my nipples like two little pink boats bobbing on the surface of the purple liquid. More like two red boats actually—those damn starfish suckers on the end of the tentacles had really done a number on me!

“Oops.” I lowered my arms hastily to cover myself, feeling both shy and more vulnerable than I could ever remember feeling before. Yes, even more vulnerable than the night before when the damn hoverbed had been touching me while he watched.

Sarden frowned but never let go of me—his large, warm hands were spread carefully under my back and the top of my butt, holding me up.

“Are you still so shy with me?” he murmured. “You have nothing to be ashamed of—your curves are lovely.”

“Thank you but that doesn’t mean I want to go parading around naked as a jay bird,” I said tartly.

“What?” He frowned. “Is that some kind of Earth creature?”

“Yes, a bird—you know, they fly through the air?”

“We have such creatures on Vorn 6 and also Eloim,” he said, nodding. “The Ancient Ones sowed the seeds of life everywhere. But the birds on my home worlds usually have feathers. On Vorn 6, some have scales as well.”

I tried to picture a scaly bird and shuttered. Ugh.

“They have feathers on Earth, too,” I said.

“Then how can a bird be ‘naked’?” Sarden asked reasonably. “I don’t understand.”

“Honestly, I don’t either,” I told him. “It’s just a saying. Look—do you think we’re almost done here?”

He felt my hair carefully, making sure to keep me well supported with one large hand under my back.

“I think so.” He nodded. “I take it you’re ready to get out?”

“More than ready,” I said fervently. “Seriously, so, so, so ready.”

“All right.” He gathered me close to his broad chest and prepared to exit the vertical bathtub. The fabric of his sleeveless shirt was soaked and clinging to him transparently in an extremely yummy way but it was hard to appreciate when I wanted so badly to get out of the water.

But then he just stopped. Instead of taking me out of the PPC, he just looked at me.

“What? What is it? Why are we stopping?” I asked nervously. “Please, Sarden, I really want to get out of here!”

“I can tell you do. But I’d like to understand why.”

“Why what?” I asked, feeling exasperated.

“Why you’re afraid of going in over your head.” He was still looking at me intently. “What happened to you, Zoe, that made you so fearful of water or swimming?”

“Angela…my little sister,” I said stiffly. “She…there was an accident. She was only five. I…” I shook my head. “I don’t….I can’t talk about it.”

“You did tell me you had a sister—I remember.” Sarden looked at me thoughtfully.

“Had being the operative word,” I said, my throat tight.

He raised an eyebrow. “She died?”

I looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

“Look, can we please just get out? I am so past ready to leave this damn purple bathtub thing it’s not even funny.”

“Right.” He nodded and, to my infinite relief, let the subject drop. I’d had enough trips down Memory Lane today, first in the awful tentacle tank and then in the weird vertical bathtub. I just wanted to let the memory of my sister and what had happened to her fade away—at least for now.

We stepped out and I started shivering again—the liquid in the Personal Pool of Cleansing, as Al had called it, was as warm as bathwater. The outside air felt incredibly chilly in contrast.

“Here.” Sarden carried me over to the mister and stood me on my feet in front of him. I wobbled a minute but then I was fine—my heart was beating normally again. Well, as normally as it could when I was naked and so close to the huge, muscular alien.

Sarden changed the controls so that blasts of hot air started coming out to dry us. It felt wonderful against my chilled skin but not so good against my tender nipples, which still felt like they’d been half sucked off by the awful tentacles in the tank. You know how it is when you burn your hand and then you try to cook something over a hot stove? The heat hitting your burn is almost more than you can stand. That’s how it was with my nipples…and between my thighs too. Those tentacles had been awful.

“Ouch!” I winced involuntarily and took a step back from the hot air.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Sarden sounded concerned. I turned to him.

“Nothing, it’s—hey, you’re naked!”

“Of course I am.” He kicked the heap of sodden clothes he’d shed to one side. “I have to dry off too.” Rivulets of the purple cleansing liquid ran down the hard planes of his abdomen and beaded on his broad, bare shoulders. Between his long, muscular legs his shaft was every bit as big and impressive as I remembered. It was also more than half hard.

“All right, well…fine.” I started edging away from him.

“Where are you going?” he demanded. “Don’t be foolish, Zoe. Just because I’m naked doesn’t mean I’ll suddenly try to molest you.”

“Right” I said, still moving away. “You’re not just naked. You’re also, uh, excited.” I nodded at his half-hard shaft.

“I can’t help being aroused when I see your naked body,” he said, as if it was a totally reasonable thing. “Especially when I was just holding you against me. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to act on it. Come back and dry off—I don’t want you getting sick.”

“It’s not just that I’m embarrassed to be naked with you,” I said, although I totally was. At least, partly. “It also hurts. The hot air, I mean.”

“It hurts? What are you talking about?”

“It’s too hot—it’s burning me.” I wasn’t about to say where but Sarden’s eyes flicked to my nipples, which I was trying unsuccessfully to hide with one arm, and narrowed at once.

“The sensu-pods—what did they do to you?” he demanded.

“The what?” I asked.

“The tentacles in the tank. They’re meant to test nerve conduction and sensitivity—the same way the Commercian’s table does,” he explained. “But those had been dormant for over ten cycles—they’re starving and extremely aggressive.”

“Tell me about it,” I said, my teeth chattering. “Not to mention extremely rapey.”

His face darkened and he took a step toward me. “What did they do to you? Did they hurt you? Did they—”

“There was no, uh, penetration,” I said quickly, seeing where he was going with this. “Just a lot of really, really aggressive suction. It hurt. A lot.”

“I need to see if you’re injured—I need to examine you,” he announced.

“What? No!” I took another step back.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Zoe.” His deep voice was soft and coaxing. “I just need to make sure you’re all right. You could have a life threatening injury and not even know it.”

“I’m not injured, just sore,” I protested. “It’s not like being dunked in that damn tentacle tank is going to kill me.”

“It almost did kill you,” he pointed out. “Look, at the very least we need to be sure you got the slime that housed the sensu-pods off you completely. We need to be certain there isn’t some left somewhere.”

He looked pointedly between my legs and I could feel my cheeks getting hot.

“I’m fine. I’m sure I got it all off,” I protested.

“Then it won’t hurt to let me check,” he countered.

“I’ll check,” I said quickly.

He raised an eyebrow at me. “Are humans so flexible, then? You’re able to see that area with no problems?”

“Um…yes…” I didn’t sound very certain, even to myself.

“It will only take a minute. Come.” Sarden started for the bedroom but I hung back. “What is it?” he demanded, looking over his shoulder and seeing that I was still in the bathroom. “Is it that I’m still nude? Look.”

He made the closet appear in his wall again—(how did he do that?)—and quickly got dressed, pulling on another pair of the tight, black trousers and a black sleeveless shirt. Then he turned to face me and held out his arms.

“See?”

“Great. So you’re dressed,” I said flatly. “That doesn’t exactly qualify you as a gynecologist.”

“A what?” He shook his head. “Never mind. Look, Zoe, what if I swear to you that I have only your wellbeing in mind? I promise not to hurt you or touch you in a sexual way—I just want to make sure you’re all right.” He made his voice softer. “You trusted me to take you in the cleansing pool. Please trust me again.”

I don’t know why I went to him but somehow I did. I was mostly dry by now, just from standing around in the air arguing. Well, except for my hair which still hung wet and dripping down my back. Sarden handed me another one of his long sleeved shirts to wear—between the two of us, we were really going through his wardrobe at a quick rate, I wondered who did the laundry around here—and gave me a clean, dry cloth to blot my hair.

While I did that, he cleared the blankets that had covered the bed and still had slime on them, throwing them down the laundry chute in the wall. At least, I assumed it was a laundry chute.

“Does that lead to the laundry room or something?” I asked, nodding at it. “Or wherever you keep the washer and dryer?”

“The what and the what?” He threw a frowning glance over his shoulder.

“That chute—where you threw the slimy blankets and where you put your dirty clothes earlier today? Are there machines for cleaning clothes at the bottom of it?”

“No, the chute itself cleans them. It’s a clothing cycler,” he explained. “It connects to my storage unit.” He pointed at the closet. “The dirty items are washed and dried and hung or folded back where they belong within the space of about one standard solar hour.”

“What?” I stared at the chute, suddenly green with envy. “You have a system that washes, dries, folds, and puts clothes away? Forget your hydrogen scoop engine, we’d kill for something like that on Earth!” Especially those of us who had to deal with slobby boyfriends or husbands. Scott had been awful about leaving his dirty clothes all over the place and I was constantly picking up after him. It was either that or live in a pigsty.

“Really?” Sarden was fiddling with the controls on the bed. “It’s actually very simple tech. Here—I’m ready.”

He stepped back and I saw that he had converted the floating silver beanbag bed into a kind of semi-reclined chair.

“Umm…” I wasn’t sure what to do.

“Come sit here so I can look at you.” He patted the silver material. “Come on, Zoe—it won’t take long. I just want to be sure you’re all right.”

“Well…” Reluctantly, I went and sat in the chair. Sarden had lowered it somehow but once I was settled into it, he raised it again so that it was hovering in mid-air once more.

“Now, let’s see.” He pulled the sides of the shirt apart first (it was another black one which really did look good with my pale skin) and examined my nipples. “Hmm…” He frowned as he looked but didn’t touch. “These do look painful. And extremely red.”

“They, uh, they are.” I wished my voice wouldn’t come out sounding so breathless but he was so close I could feel his warm breath against my tender flesh. It made a rash of goosebumps break out all over my body.

If Sarden noticed my discomfort, he didn’t say anything—he just kept staring at me. Then he ducked lower, kneeling in front of me so that his face was level with my thighs—which were tightly shut.

“Open.” He put one big hand on my knee, making me shiver. “Please, Zoe—I need to see.”

Biting my lip, I spread my legs for him.

“Hmm…” Sarden leaned closer and now I could feel his hot breath against my sex, stirring the neatly trimmed reddish curls on my mound. Oh God, this was so embarrassing! I swore to myself if I could just get through this, I’d never complain about going to the gyno again.

“The outside looks all right, if somewhat red,” Sarden remarked at last. “But I can’t see your inner depths. I’m sorry, Zoe, but you’ll have to spread yourself for me. Unless you’d rather I do it?” He looked up at me and I bit my lip and shook my head.

“No. I…I’ll do it.”

Had I said I was embarrassed before? Well up that by a factor of about a thousand. I was mortified as I made myself reach down between my legs and spread my outer pussy lips for him.

Sarden leaned closer until he was close enough to kiss me. To—no! I pushed that thought away as quick as I could. Only it wouldn’t go. I kept thinking about how he’d said that Vorn males loved tasting their females. It made me feel hot and cold and trembly all over. Especially since I could feel his hot breath right against my open pussy.

“Hmm,” Sarden murmured again but this time he didn’t sound quite so clinical and detached.

“Well?” I asked at last because it seemed to be taking him an awfully long time. “All clear?”

“I believe so. Although your skin is as red as mine here—is that normal?”

I looked down—really looked—and saw that my inner pussy was cherry red, just like my nipples.

“No,” I said, sounding worried, even to myself. “No, it’s not at all.”

“I didn’t think so.” He frowned and looked up at me. “Do I need to look further in? You said that the tentacles didn’t…penetrate you, correct?”

“Right.” By now I was sure my face was probably cherry red too. “There’s no need to look any further—honest.”

“I hope you’re right. You know…” He looked up at me. “You shouldn’t have been back in the hold in the first place but I’m sorry you were hurt by the sensu-pods.”

“You and me both.” I thought of the shiny black tentacles again and shivered. “They were awful!”

“I know.” He stroked my thigh soothingly. “I can heal this for you, if you’ll let me.”

“Heal it?” I looked at him suspiciously. “Heal it how?”

He shrugged. “The usual way of course.”

“And what’s the usual way? You have a first aid kit? Some kind of antiseptic cream or numbing ointment?”

He frowned. “I don’t know what any of that is. I meant I can heal you with my mouth.”

“What?” I nearly jumped out of the chair but he held me back firmly with one large hand and frowned at me.

“Why are you upset? Because I’m not your mate? I know unmated people don’t often heal each other—at least they don’t on my home worlds—but—”

“It’s not that,” I burst out. “You can’t heal me with your mouth! That’s just an excuse to be perverted.”

Sarden looked startled. “You can’t heal each other orally on Earth? What do you do when you have a minor injury like a cut or burn?”

“We get a freaking Band-Aid,” I snapped. “We don’t offer to lick each other on the…” I trailed off, blushing.

“Hmm…” He frowned. “Maybe there are some disadvantages to being so purely bred and sheltered on your little planet. Most of the rest of the Twelve Peoples descended from the Ancient Ones have the ability to heal.”

“Well maybe you evolved it or whatever,” I said. “But we don’t have it on Earth. And I don’t know that I believe you have it either.”

He raised an eyebrow at me.

“So you think I’m lying just to get a chance to taste your pussy?”

“Well…yes,” I said, feeling my cheeks get hot as I pressed my thighs together and crossed my arms protectively over my breasts. “Ouch!” I jerked my arms away quickly—my nipples were more tender than ever. In fact they were absolutely throbbing. Between my legs didn’t feel too great either.

“Zoe, please—you’re clearly in pain. And I’m afraid that the sensu-pods might have injected you with some kind of nerve stimulator to heighten your sensations. Which means it’s only going to get worse unless you let me heal you.”

He sounded very reasonable and concerned but I was still reluctant to let him “heal” me orally, as he put it.

“I don’t know…” I said stubbornly. “I mean, I just don’t know if I believe it.”

“Let me prove it to you then.” He rose from the metal floor smoothly and leaned over me again so that we were eye-to-eye. “Let me lick just one of your nipples once. If you don’t begin to feel better again right away, you’ll know I’m lying and I won’t touch you again.”

“Well…” I bit my lip, considering it. Then I thought of something else. “Your mouth—last night when you, uh, kissed me—it’s hot. I mean, it stings like hot cinnamon. I don’t need that when I’m already in pain.”

“What you tasted was my healing factor,” he said reasonably. “It’s what makes me able to heal you orally in the first place. It may sting your mouth but I promise, it will soothe your injuries.”

The sincerity in his eyes finally decided me. I didn’t know why he cared if I was in pain but he did seem to really want to help me.

“All right,” I said at last. “But just one lick.”

He nodded. “Absolutely. Do you care which one I heal?” He nodded down at my breasts with their bright red nipples. Ugh—I looked like something out of a weird porno for people who fetishize maraschino cherries or something!

I shook my head, my cheeks burning.

“No. Uh—take your pick.”

“Very well.” He leaned closer and reached for me, one big, warm hand sliding from my thigh, up my side to cup my right breast.

“Hey,” I said breathlessly as he lifted my breast to his lips. “You don’t have to uh—”

“Watch me,” he cut me off, his deep voice a soft growl. “Watch me heal you, Zoe.”

I twisted my hands into the silver material at my sides and tried not to make a sound as he brought my nipple to his mouth. Then, looking me in the eyes the whole time, he put out his tongue and dragged it slowly…so slowly…over my tender peak.

“Oh!” I gasped as the burning sensitivity in my nipple was replaced by a tingling coolness. As I watched the cherry-red flesh went back to my normal pink color. It was like some kind of magic trick—only I don’t know many magic tricks that make you hot and bothered and I was definitely both.

“See?” Apparently finished with his long, leisurely lick, Sarden leaned back and looked at me. “Was I lying?”

“No,” I whispered, all the wind taken out of my sales. “No, I…I guess not.”

“So will you let me heal the other one?”

I looked up at him. His golden eyes were blazing into mine, making my heart pound.

“Y-yes,” I said in a shaky voice.

“Good.” Sarden repeated his performance, his eyes locked with mine the whole time. It was incredibly intimate holding his gaze while he licked me but somehow, though my pulse raced and my palms grew damp, I couldn’t look away.

He spent a little more time on my left nipple, swirling his tongue around it slowly until I thought I might scream from the gentle torture. I knew he was just supposed to be healing me but God, it felt so good.

At last he drew back and gave me a serious look.

“Zoe,” he said softly. “You know what comes next.”

“I don’t know about…about that part.” I still had my thighs crossed though I had to confess that my pussy was really in pain at this point.

He raised an eyebrow at me.

“Why not? Don’t you want to be healed?”

“I’m not sure.” I was blushing and biting my lip, feeling uncertain and scared and embarrassed all over again. “I mean it’s just…very intimate. You’re sure you don’t…don’t mind?

He frowned. “Why would I mind?”

“Because, well…some guys don’t want…I mean…what if you don’t like it?” I blurted out at last. My boyfriend in college never had much and Scott had never even asked if he could go there.

“How could I not like tasting you?” he murmured, reaching out to cup my flushed cheek. “Even if it’s just for the purpose of healing you, it’s a privilege. Your scent is intoxicating and your pussy is so beautiful and delicate—it reminds me of a yonah flower.”

“A what kind of flower? No—never mind.” I took a deep breath and made a decision. “You can do it,” I told him. “But only…only on the outside. Okay?”

Sarden frowned. “But your inner pussy is in pain as well. I saw how red you were, Zoe.”

“I don’t care about that,” I said stubbornly. “I’ll manage. Just…just lick the outside—that’s all.”

He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling.

“If that’s how you want it but I’m afraid you’re going to have a lot of pain and discomfort later.”

“Let me worry about that,” I said. “Do you want to do it or not?”

His gold eyes flashed. “More than anything. All right—spread your thighs and let me heal at least the outside of your sex”

Heart hammering, I did as he said, forcing myself to spread my thighs as he knelt in front of me again. Sarden leaned forward slowly, taking his time, making me even more nervous, the big red bastard!

“So beautiful,” I heard him murmur and then his long, hot tongue was lapping slowly over my swollen folds, making me moan and gasp and squirm in the silver beanbag chair even though I tried really, really hard not to.

“Sarden…” I gasped breathlessly.

“Hold still.” He frowned up at me. “You moved too much—I have to do it again to be sure I got everything.”

He spread my thighs even wider, putting his big hands on my legs and opening me so wide I could feel my pussy lips parting with the gesture. Again my hands clenched into fists in the silver material. Oh God, I couldn’t stand this…

But I had to. Once more he dragged his hot tongue over my swollen pussy. But this time there was a difference. The first time, he’d used the flat of his tongue and I’d felt it stroke over me smoothly. This time I felt it enter me. Not a lot, but enough. I felt just the tip of his tongue slide lightly over my throbbing clit and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from moaning. God, it felt so good…

At last he finished and looked up at me.

“You’re delicious, Zoe.” His deep voice was thick and his eyes were heavy-lidded with lust. “I’d love to heal inside you now—would love to lick your sweet pussy until you’re all better.”

“I…I don’t’ know what you mean by ‘all better,’” I whispered in a breathless voice.

“Oh, I think you do.” His eyes gleamed. “I mean I want to taste you until you come. Until you come all over my face.”

“I…you…we shouldn’t,” I protested weakly.

“Why not? If it makes you feel good. Besides…” His voice took on a lecturing tone. “Having an orgasm would help facilitate the healing process.”

“It…it would?”

Slowly, he nodded.

I knew it was an excuse to let him continue but hell, at this point I wanted an excuse.

“Okay, well I guess so,” I whispered. “If you think it will help…help to heal me.”

“I know it will,” he growled. “So just lie back and let me work on you. Let me heal you.”

“I…I’ll try,” I said in a shaky voice, but he was already at work. Leaning forward again, he parted me with his thumbs and began circling the swollen bud of my clit with his tongue. I moaned and bucked up against him, unable to help my reaction. Damn, he was good at this! So good I could hear myself panting, unable to catch my breath as he licked and licked, tracing and stroking my hot little bud as though he’d been born to do it.

This was nothing like my boyfriend in college, nothing like anything I’d ever experienced before. The hot cinnamon of his mouth felt tingly against my inner folds and seemed to intensify every sensation until I was almost begging for release.

“Sarden!” I gasped, arching my back as he lapped me eagerly, like an ice cream he didn’t want to melt. “Oh, Sarden!”

He paused for a moment, his thumb taking the place of his tongue as he looked up. His mouth was shiny with my juices and his eyes were filled with a flickering, golden lust. “That’s right, sweetheart, give it up,” he growled. “Gonna make you come. Gonna make you come so hard now.”

“Sarden—” I wailed as he started to duck back down between my legs. I could feel my orgasm beginning—my insides tensed in a knot that was destined to explode as the broad pad of his thumb slid over my tender bud again and again and again.

He was right, I was going to come. Going to come harder than I ever had in my life while he tasted me with his long, talented tongue…

Just then, Al buzzed into the room, still in his firefly form.

“Master!” he said in his proper voice. “Forgive me for interrupting you and Lady Zoe while you are…” He paused delicately. “Well, I am not certain what you are doing. But—”

“Go away, Al,” Sarden growled, glaring at him. “Go away.”

But it was too late—the mood was lost and so was my orgasm.

Feeling ashamed of myself, I clamped my thighs shut and sat up straight.

“We weren’t doing anything Al,” I said, trying to make my voice sound normal.

“Yes, we were,” Sarden growled. He looked at me, his eyes still hungry. “Come on, Zoe—I was about to make you come.”

“Come where? Where were you going?” Al wanted to know.

“Nowhere, now,” I said and sighed. I looked at Sarden and shook my head. “Sorry. I just…can’t. But, um, thank you for, uh, healing me.”

“Fine.” He sighed and sat back, looking at Al. “What do you want? Spit it out.”

“Forgive me, Master, it’s just that Count Doloroso is here to pick up the collection of Assimilation medical artifacts. I have asked him to wait outside the ship but I cannot keep him waiting forever.”

“Frozen Hells—I completely forgot he was coming.” Sarden jumped up, leaving me feeling exposed. Immediately I started refastening the shirt I was wearing.

“Bring him around to the back entrance to the hold. I’ll meet him there,” he said.

So there was an exit from the ship in the hold! I bet myself I would have found it if I hadn’t been grabbed by the damn rapey tentacles. I wanted to go see exactly where this Doloroso guy came in at so I could get out if I wanted to. But I was steering well clear of that awful tank.

I hopped up but Sarden pointed a finger at me.

“You stay here.”

“What? Why?” I demanded.

“Because every damn time you leave this room you get into some kind of trouble or other,” he growled. “I mean it, Zoe—stay here.”

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll go finish drying my hair in the mister if I can figure out the controls.”

“An excellent idea.” He gave me one last stern look and left with Al buzzing behind him.