7
Karen
—
Karen thought she’d gotten used to Omaron and its strangeness.
The spaceships, the flying vehicles, the various races of beings, the underwater cities, the intelligent and self-operating robotics that the people treated as commonplace.
But this? This was just a new level of weird.
“They’re called what?” she asked staring into the pool. There were things swimming in the water. They looked like eels, their colour morphing from iridescent blue-green to silver as they swam in idle circles.
“Wai,” answered Suri. “They are harmless.”
“But you said they bite.”
“No, they nibble. It is different.”
“Nibble, bite, eat, it all sounds the same to me, princess.” Karen gripped the belt on her robe. “I love smooth, healthy-looking skin like the next girl, but I’m not getting in that pool with those things. Lotion works just fine.” She screwed up her face in disgust as a new and horrible thought dawned on her. “Aren’t you afraid they’ll enter certain… orifices?”
“These were trained for regular use,” said Suri.
“You can train them?”
“Yes.” Suri’s eyes were alight with amusement. “There are kinds trained for pleasure. Or, as you said, ‘entering certain orifices.’”
“Suri, my ladyparts have put in a vote: they would like to vacate this planet immediately.”
Suri laughed as she undid her robe, unveiling her nakedness beneath. Karen stared, caught between open admiration and envy of the Dava female’s stunning body. The princess didn’t seem to have any shame that she stood naked in front of someone else. Who would when they looked like that, Karen thought.
Her friendship with Suri had strengthened ever since that night when Suri had helped her with Kess. Karen used to believe the alien princess would live up to her title, possessing an uptight, superior attitude perfected by years of extraordinary wealth and privilege. Karen had quickly learned Suri was quite the opposite. Suri had a sense of humour like her sisters, her friendliness and jubilant nature genuine.
With a girlish squeal one would not expect from a woman who usually carried herself with poise and grace, Suri jumped into the pool, her long dark hair flying behind her. The wai encircled her, pecking away at her skin.
“Join me, Karen,” Suri said. “Your sisters were hesitant too, but now they use it often.”
Oh, so that’s why Megan and Jillian’s skin looked so flawless. And here she’d thought it was just the different air on Omaron. Karen eyed the eel-looking things with mild distrust. Then again, what was life without some new and strange experiences? Case in point: she was pregnant with an alien man’s baby in an attempt to save his life. That was the definition of ‘new and strange’.
It’ll be fine, Karen told herself. She’d worn a swimsuit, after all. As she undid her robe, Karen hoped that the spandex covering her ladyparts would deter any wayward wai from enacting anything resembling tentacle porn.
As soon as she slipped into the water, some of the wai broke away from Suri and swam to her. Karen giggled at the slight ticklishness as they nibbled on her arms, stomach, and thighs. The pool was somewhat deep, so she paddled her hands to keep herself afloat.
“I guess it’s not so bad,” Karen admitted with a sheepish grin. They floated in comfortable silence as the wai did what they were trained to do.
“I want to host a party,” Suri said after a while. “For you and Yen Kess.”
Karen furrowed her eyebrows. “Why?”
“To celebrate your baby,” said Suri. She made a wide sweeping motion with her hands and the wai retreated, swimming away. Then she swam closer and Karen fixed her gaze only on the princess’ face. Why were Dava beings so carefree in the nude? It was just like that moment in the infirmary when Kess had awoken. He’d stood before her, unconcerned in his nakedness, his sculpted body begging her fingers to caress every groove in his flesh, his cock—
“You don’t need to do that,” said Karen abruptly to cut off her lewd train of thought.
Suri gave her a strange look like if she knew exactly the sort of filthy ideas Karen harboured about Kess. Megan had said Mikaal once joked that Suri could read minds. Which probably wasn’t inaccurate since Karen had learned that, with training, Dava beings were capable of mind-reading.
“It is Omaron tradition,” Suri said in emphatic tones.
“Yeah, maybe for a happy couple who wants a kid.” Karen frowned. “But Kess and I are just two people tied together by a tiny thing growing inside me. Without it, we would mean nothing to each other.”
“You are connected by much more than the babe in your belly,” said Suri. “Your meeting wasn’t coincidental, it was fated.”
Karen snorted. “Suri, have you been reading those fated mates Paranormal Romance books on my e-reader?”
“Perhaps.” Suri grinned. “The images of the muscular Earth men are very appealing.”
Karen shared a laugh with Suri then swam to the edge of the pool and climbed out. Suri followed suit, guiding Karen to the showers to wash away the transparent slime the wai had left on their skin. When they finished, Karen marvelled at her smooth, healthy-looking flesh. Huh. Bitten and slimed on by alien fish had its benefits after all.
“Every push inspires a pull, and so, a strong fighter inevitably becomes weak,” Suri said, out of the blue.
Karen raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”
“It is a quote from the ohma san, the book of teachings by which the Elders live and which they encourage others to live.” Suri rolled her eyes, a smile curving her lips. “Every Omaron being has to learn the gods-be-damned passages from front to back of that heavy, tedious book. Though I’ve never bothered to listen to my tutors drone on about the meanings of all the phrases.”
“So why did you quote that line from the book, then?” Karen laughed.
“Because it applies to you and Yen Kess. The more you fight against fate, the harder you’ll fall for each other.” She grinned and raised a fist in victory. “And I will get to host that party for your baby.”