Part 22 (1/2)

”And you wonder why she feels angry with you and thinks you do not care?” Xen'dex said quietly.

”I care for her,” Tragar protested. ”That is...I wish to protect her and see her safely to the Holy Mountains.”

”You wish more than that for her.” Xen'dex gave him another piercing look. ”It is time you stopped lying-both to yourself and to Emily. A Khalla needs more than just protection, Tragar. She needs love.”

Tragar turned away.

”That I cannot offer her. My love died ten cycles ago with Jalex and Landra. And even if it had not, I am not her chosen mate.”

”Tragar...” Xen'dex put a hand on his arm. ”What happened to your family-”

”Was my own fault.” Tragar shook off his old teacher's hand and looked at him grimly. ”Entirely mine. But I will not allow another in my care to come to harm. I will get Emily to the Holy Mountains before another stage of her Tenrah pa.s.ses. There she will find someone worthy of her. Someone other than me.”

Xen'dex looked at him for a long time and then nodded.

”Very well-if that is the way you wish it.”

”I do,” Tragar said shortly but his heart was sore as he spoke the words and he found he couldn't meet his old master's eyes.

”Wow, this is some bathroom!” Emily looked around herself in amazement. Everything in the bathroom seemed to be alive. The sink and the toilet-which was high and square-seemed to have been grown rather than made. They were smooth, black wood with the same blue and green vines draped around them that hung in the doorway. There was another curtain of vines-this time purple and pink ones-which s.h.i.+elded the shower area.

”I'm glad you like it. The shower is modeled after the ones they have on Rageron-my mate disliked our mode of bathing and insisted on his own.”

Saskia swept the purple and pink vines aside and stroked a smooth black square just inside the large shower stall. At once a chute opened up near the top of the ceiling and a rush of warm, sweet-smelling, clear turquoise water poured out. Emily thought it looked like a miniature water fall and longed to get in it at once-she didn't know when she'd needed a shower so badly.

Of course, she'd had a brief shower back on Tragar's s.h.i.+p but that seemed like ages ago. Since then she'd been cooped up in the stuffy shuttle, a guest in Grandy See-er's rather cluttered hovel, and running up and down a hot, dusty street being chased by a bunch of h.o.r.n.y alien men. She felt grimy and sticky and thoroughly disgusting.

”The controls are here.” Saskia patted the smooth black wall panel just inside the shower. ”They're very sensitive so tis best to use a light touch. Swipe left to make the water hotter, right to make it cooler. Swipe up to release foam to cleanse your hair and body and down to turn the water off completely.”

”Sounds wonderful,” Emily said gratefully. ”Um...should I just get in then? I mean...” She didn't know how to ask for privacy but she really didn't want to strip in front of the other girl. No matter how nice and friendly Saskia seemed, she was still basically a stranger and Emily, being a plus sized girl, had more than her share of body image issues.

Once again, Saskia seemed to know what the problem was.

”You seem fine so I'll step out and give you some privacy,” she said tactfully. ”But please call out for me if you need help-I don't mind.”

”All right. Thank you.” Emily smiled at her as the other girl left, brus.h.i.+ng aside the vine-curtain briefly to get out. As soon as Saskia was gone, she quickly stripped and stepped into the flow of the warm, clear turquoise water.

For a long moment she just enjoyed it rus.h.i.+ng over her in a long, rippling waterfall. It felt wonderful and warm-like an ocean wave caressing her. In fact, it was hands down the best shower she'd ever had in her life except for the fact that her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were throbbing painfully where the water hit them.

That reminded her that she had yet to try removing the silver nipple caps. Should she? Everyone seemed to think it was so important yet she was still strangely reluctant to do it.

But there's no way they'll let me keep wearing them-especially not Tragar. She thought of the stern look in his golden eyes...and that thought led to the memory of him holding her so gently and squeezing her nipples...the tender way he'd licked the droplets of nectar from her b.r.e.a.s.t.s...

Stop it! she told herself. You're supposed to be mad at him, remember? But for some reason, under the warm, rus.h.i.+ng waterfall, it was harder to hold on to her resentment. All the anger and doubt and irritation seemed to just float away in her delicious enjoyment of the shower. But she couldn't stand there enjoying herself forever.

Emily looked down at the silver caps on her nipples and sighed.

Well, guess it's time to try and take these off...

Gingerly, remembering how much it had hurt to put them on, she stepped a little way out of the water and took the right silver cap with its long golden ta.s.sel between her thumb and forefinger.

Now, there should be a hinge somewhere...didn't Grandy See-er squeeze them to open them up? She seemed to remember something like that although her memory of her visit with the kindly old lady was still strangely dim and foggy. She also didn't question how she'd gotten from Grandy's cottage to the middle of the Howlund-it simply didn't seem important right now. I'll think about it later. Right now I have to get these off.

Carefully, she squeezed the silver cap, trying to make it pop open.

Immediately, a bolt of agony ran through her-much worse than anything she'd felt before. It felt like someone was slicing through her tender nipple with a red hot knife.

With a m.u.f.fled scream, she s.n.a.t.c.hed her hand away and stepped backwards, almost as if she could get away from the pain by distancing herself from her own body. Her elbow went back, knocking against the black wall panel that controlled the shower and sliding over its slick surface in a half hazard fas.h.i.+on.

Immediately she was covered in a mountain of thick, pale blue foam which came pouring out like an avalanche to cover her from head to toe.

”Oh!” she gasped and got bubbles in her mouth and up her nose. They tasted like a mouthful of soapy flowers and there was more and more coming all the time.

Coughing and choking, Emily scrabbled at the black square, trying to stop the mountains of foam that were still pouring out. The whole stall was filling up with alarming rapidity and she was afraid she might suffocate in the billowy blue mess.

The foam stopped when she swiped, replaced by a drenching rain of freezing water that took her breath away. Emily couldn't even scream this time-she was too shocked as a deluge of what felt like ice water poured over her. Reaching for the panel once more, she tried to turn the cold water off, only to be drenched in more foam-this time purple. A third swipe resulted in water so hot it melted the foam instantly-and felt like it might melt the skin right off her body at the same time.

With a shriek, Emily jumped back. Cornered at the back of the stall, away from the lava-hot waterfall from h.e.l.l, she huddled in a ball in the half-melted foam, trying not to touch her b.r.e.a.s.t.s which were throbbing and aching miserably. So much for the best shower she had ever had! Now she just wanted to cry!

”Emily? Emily?”

The low, familiar voice filled her with shame. Oh, no-she really didn't want Tragar to see her completely naked! It was bad enough that he'd seen so much of her when she was only wearing her nighty-but that at least hid her stomach and thighs. Body image issues rose up to crowd her mind and she gathered as much of the melting blue and purple foam around herself as she could before answering him.

”I'm fine. Just...the water got a little hot is all.”

He stuck his head in the shower and put a hand in the steaming waterfall before drawing back with a hiss.

”A little hot?” Quickly he did something to the panel and then felt the water again. ”All right-that's more like it. Come rinse off.”

”No.” Emily stayed stubbornly at the back of the stall. ”You leave first.”

”Not until I'm certain you're all right.” He frowned at her. ”Come here, Emily-let me be certain you're not burned.”

The commanding tone of his voice couldn't be disobeyed. Reluctantly, she rose and stepped forward into the water which was now barely tepid. She turned her back to him and rinsed away the foam but Tragar wasn't to be denied. He was half in the shower with her now, staying mostly out of the flow of the water though he didn't seem to care very much if he got wet.

”Let me see you,” he said, a little more gently. ”Please, Emily-I just want to be sure you're all right.”

”I don't want to.” She could hear the tears in her own voice but couldn't seem to stop them. ”Please, Tragar, just leave me alone!”

”I can't do that. Not until I know you're not hurt.” His voice became gentler still. ”What is it, Khalla? I've already seen and tasted your b.r.e.a.s.t.s-why are you afraid to let me see you now?”

”It's just...” Years of unhappiness with her body rose in her until she almost couldn't breathe. ”It's just that I'm not someone you really want to see naked,” she finished in a defiant voice that still wavered just a little with tears. ”I'm not exactly thin, you know?”

”I know-you have ripe, luscious curves.” He put a hand on her shoulder, turning her gently around. ”You're what the Twin Kindred call an Elite'-a female the G.o.ddess has blessed with a fuller figure than most.”

Emily gave a little laugh that was almost half sob.

”Seriously? Well, I guess that's a nice way to put it.”