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  She sat up and tried backing away, but he had her by the waistband. “What are you doing?”

  “Removing your clothing.”

  “I thought you said I could relax.”

  “That was before you decided to engage in subterfuge. I hate subterfuge.” He tossed her trousers to the floor, and he began on her sash.

  The sash went the way of her trousers, and his gaze grew intense as he slid his hands up her thighs, lifting her tunic out of the way.

  “It isn’t subterfuge, just privacy.” She tried to remember what she had kept from him, but his touch on her skin drove out all thought. The sensual menace in his features caused a gush of wet heat from her sex, and she blushed when it was apparent that it was his intent to find all of her secrets.

  Del trembled as she realized that she would tell him everything he wanted to know.

  Chapter Seven

  Del was tied to the headboard with her own sash, and she twisted desperately. “Fine! Please, what do you want to know?”

  Kurat looked up from his position between her thighs and idly licked her juices off his lips. “Why did you smile in the hall?”

  She trembled and tried to recall why as he eased two fingers into her while licking delicately at her clit. From this angle, she could see that his tongue was longer than it had any right to be, but based on the darkness of his gaze, she sensed that there was something else at work in his body.

  “What?” she closed her eyes and concentrated on the digits moving inside her.

  He licked at her again, the wet appendage circling her clit with delicate precision. “Why did you smile?”

  “Oh, because every time you kiss me, I get wet, I ache. It’s a first for me.” She trembled, wishing he would push a little deeper, a little harder.

  He paused in surprise. “That is it all? You felt it necessary to keep it a secret?”

  She arched into his hand. “You already know, so why should I have told you?”

  He chuckled. “You could have avoided this.”

  Her hips twisted lazily against his hand. “Why would I want to avoid this?”

  He shook his head and reached up with his free hand to caress her breasts ever so lightly while his tongue circled her clit until she cried out and slowly relaxed against his hand.

  Kurat removed his fingers from her slick heat and moved to lie next to her on the bed, tugging at the sash to release her arms. He licked his fingers as if savouring a treat.

  “So, what is it about your kiss that intoxicates me?” She trailed her fingers against the bands of muscle on his chest.

  He shrugged. “It could be a difference in species chemistry, or it could just be my personal charm.”

  Del snickered and sighed as her body relaxed in the wake of pleasure. The occasional flutter could still be felt, but she winced at the ache of emptiness that followed him leaving her. It was as if something had been missing, but she didn’t quite grasp what it was.

  Two jumps had flickered while he tortured her into confessing, so there was only one left before their jump into Na-Lanvin space.

  “Can I have my nap now?”

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. “Tell me about your world and your place in it before you left.”

  “I worked at a number of temporary jobs, couldn’t afford any additional education and was shocked to my shoes when the Volunteer centre called me and told me that I had been accepted.”

  He arched his brows. “And you ended up as a professional dancer?”

  “Dance in the Alliance is about surrendering yourself to tradition and rhythm. You have to embrace the sociology of a world to truly do it justice and that is what I bring to the table. I love to study races and cultures, to learn why traditions formed. It is my passion and my hobby all in one.”

  “Why did you volunteer?”

  “I was raised in foster care.” She saw his frown and explained. “My parents died in an accident when I was ten, there were no relatives to take me in, so the state took over and placed me in a group home, and after that, a series of foster homes where families were paid to take care of me. With no one to depend on or need me at home, there was no real reason to stay.”

  He smoothed his hand down her back. “That is horrible. Even my parents were with me until their end.”

  That got her attention. “How old are you? The documents didn’t say.”

  “I have passed a century. My parents died a decade ago.”

  “I am sorry for your loss.”

  “And I for yours.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and he began to hum softly.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but soft, warm darkness overwhelmed her.

  * * * *

  Kurat regretted using Rothu’s talent for enthrallment, but he was weighed down by the grief in Del’s tone. She was so alone that his heart ached for her.

  When the goddess took her, her body would undergo some changes to accommodate him, and it would ease their encounters dramatically. The tight fisting of her flesh around his would hopefully not change. He could live his entire life with part of himself inside her. Even the thought of it caused his cocks to flex, and the small frond furled and unfurled eagerly.

  He stifled the groan that worked its way out of him. In twelve hours, they would be back on his planet, and he would reclaim his body completely. He hoped that Delyth would like it when his horns grew in again.

  * * * *

  While she slept, it seemed that Kurat had rummaged through her luggage and made a selection for her landing garb. He was in the outer room when she woke, so she took a quick look around and darted for the shower. Oddly enough, parts of her were sticky.

  A quick shower renewed her sense of awareness of her surroundings. For a room on a spacecraft, the bathroom was enormous. Nothing too good for the High Prefect, she assumed.

  A brush was laid out for her, so she unclipped her braid and unrippled her wet hair into a straight curtain. She wrapped a towel around her head and went to take a look at the clothing he had picked out for her.

  She snorted. He would have her dressed by only the barest stretch of the imagination. Her Nyal dance clothing was lying there, and she turned away from it to seek out her bags. They were missing.

  “What the hell?” Her bags had been out when she entered the shower.

  She grimaced at the silken web of gems and loose strands of threads that made up the halter and matching skirt. If she adjusted it correctly, it would cover her decently, but one wrong inch, and she was going to be on display to all and sundry. Before leaving Earth, she did not know that there was an art to getting dressed, but it was the first thing she had learned in dance training.

  She tied it as tightly as she could without causing abrasions, settling the halter in place and boosting her breasts into an advantageous position. The skirt tied on at one hip, and the weave of gems covered the vee of her sex by an inch and a half.

  Del winced at the cool feel of the gems on her skin. The thread skirt fell to mid-calf and was thick and silky. She twirled slightly and took a few steps, dancing and twisting her way around the room.

  When she was confident that the strands would stay down if she moved cautiously, she put on the matching jewelled sandals, turned to the door and entered the other room.

  Kurat was lounging in a comfortable chair that appeared to be designed specifically for him. He looked up with a smile. “Excellent. You look lovely. Every inch the goddess.”

  A hot blush worked up her cheeks even though she knew what he would see when he looked at her. What there was of the clothing was a deep blue the same colour as her eyes. The gems were amber and scarlet, complimenting her skin tone and lips.

  She scowled. “I would have preferred to wear something with actual fabric for my first footsteps on Na-Lanvin.”

  He shrugged. “I am in charge, and I prefer you in this.”

  Del frowned as he went from seductive to practical. “When do we land?”

  “We a
re in orbit right now. The moment we are in the shuttle, we will be on our way down. Your luggage is already on the surface.” He set the data pad he had been reading aside. “Shall we?” He got to his feet and offered her his arm.

  She took it with bewilderment, “Your attitude has shifted.”

  “The previous hosts are insisting on speaking with you before you acquiesce to go to the selecting grounds. I do not want them to speak with you.” There was a dark shade to his skin.

  “Are you blushing?” Amazed, she stared and the colouration got darker.

  “Of course not.” He cleared his throat. “I just don’t want you to be frightened by anything that they say.”

  Del fought her smile as she heard his unease. “I promise to weigh each thing I am told with due care. Why are you so down about it?”

  Kurat’s eyes almost burned as he looked down at her. “The sooner the goddess is within you, the sooner I can join her.”

  It was Del’s turn to blush, and she kept her mouth shut during the entire descent to the planet below.

  Chapter Eight

  The palace was in the centre of a bustling city, high-tech vehicles moved in graceful order, and automatic sidewalks took pedestrians wherever they wished to go.

  Del had to admire the sleek lines and attention to detail that were obvious everywhere. “How long have you been in charge, Kurat?”

  “I took power when I was thirty, so seventy-five years now.”

  “Was it always like this?” She gestured to the busy streets.

  “No, but it is now and that is what matters. The improvements are a labour of love.” He smiled.

  Their private conveyance landed on the palace grounds. A line of women in flowing dresses lined the edge of the landing site.

  Kurat scowled. “I will give you an hour with them and no more. We will attend the selection ground by sunset.”

  She snickered and accepted his hand out of the vehicle. The wind grabbed her skirt and pulled it this way and that as she walked toward the women.

  The eldest smiled and welcomed her with hands extended. “Welcome, potential.”

  Del bowed. “Thank you, previous host.”

  They closed ranks around her, and she was escorted into the building. Six women swirled around her, keeping her from the eyes of the curious folk lining the wide halls.

  Two figures in military dress opened a set of double doors to let them pass. A series of couches were arranged in a semi-circle facing a comfortable chair. The older woman smiled and led her to the chair while the others took seats around her.

  Del waited for them to speak, and finally, the youngest chimed, “Don’t you wonder why we are here?”

  She smiled. “You are here to tell me about life with Kurat. Please, begin.”

  The youngest one looked to the eldest. “I am Paj. I spent two painful nights with Kurat when the goddess took me, and then, she let me go.”

  Del frowned. “Two days?”

  She blushed. “I know. It was more than most here have had. There was pain before the goddess could take it all and then, he was simply ravenous.”

  The others nodded and murmured in agreement.

  Del twisted her lips. “You all volunteered for this?”

  She stared, and one by one, the women nodded.

  “So, you knew that the previous host had it rough, and you still volunteered?” Del wanted to get to the bottom of this.

  The eldest woman explained it. “A woman who mates with the High Prefect can have her pick of husbands. His intimate touch cures a barren woman.”

  The women blushed one by one.

  Del scratched her chin. “So, you were all sterile and had no other choice but to throw yourselves at the mercy of the god of rutting?”

  The elder held her hand up to stop the others from speaking. “Yes. For our own reasons, we volunteered to be imbued with the soul of one of the goddesses. We do not want you to repeat our error without knowing what will happen.”

  A woman who had not said much said, “You know he has two penises, correct?”

  Del nodded politely. “He disclosed as much to me. He has been perfectly frank as to his needs and wants.”

  The older woman asked, “And yet, you will still proceed?”

  Delyth smiled. “I am in a very different position than you were. When I left my planet, there was no chance of a normal life with family and friends. I was out in the Alliance living from day to day. In Kurat, I have a chance at a visible future for the first time. Laughter and lust, caring and conversation have been offered to me, and I will attempt to take it.”

  The older woman smiled, “You wish to have children?”

  Del shook her head. “No. I have a daughter. I wish for a purpose beyond entertainment, a life with meaning and someone to share it with.”

  “What if the goddess leaves you as she left all of us?” Paj was petulant, her arms crossed over her breasts. She was a typical Na-Lanvin, golden skin with brown hair. Her face was especially lovely.

  “Then, I will take my payment and leave, seeking my purpose elsewhere. For some reason, Kurat does not foresee that as a likely scenario.” Del smiled again.

  One of the middle women asked, “Did he dress you like that?”

  Del held back a full response. “Yes. Why?”

  “It is merely typical of him to dress his female in as little as possible. I wonder where he found it?”

  Del grinned. “My luggage. It is a Nyal dance costume right down to the sandals.”

  The older two women hooted with laughter, the woman who had spoken looked appalled and the younger ones looked confused.

  The older one explained. “They are her own clothes, Paj, Tori. He didn’t make her wear anything.”

  Del didn’t mention that he hid all of her other clothing. He had been demonized enough by these women, she wasn’t about to add fuel to the fire.

  She explained. “I am looking at this from a point of view outside your own culture. I do not know your social morays, I will learn as I go, and I do not doubt that I will make a few mistakes.”

  “My name is Kahla, by the way. I was the High Prefect’s first lover all those decades ago. The goddess was with me for three days, but I only spent one in his bed.” The oldest of the women sighed. “He was in such a hurry that I could never imagine him as a proper lover after that.”

  Del looked at the faces surrounding her. “You cannot talk me out of it, but may I come to you with questions if I have them after the fact?”

  Kahla smiled. “It will be too late then.”

  Del chuckled. “It is too late now. It was too late when I met his gaze over the crowded dining hall and definitely too late when he courted me over dinner.”

  Paj frowned. “Courted you?”

  “Yes. A slow seduction of wine and words.” She would have said more but Kurat came through the double doors. The wood shattered around him and the women jumped and scattered.

  Del stared at the man who was wearing the gods within him quite thoroughly. “You could have knocked.”

  “Come with me, Delyth. It is time.” The eyes were solid black, and she knew that it was not Rothu or Kurat who was talking.

  She rose to her feet and took the hand he extended. “Pleased to meet you.”

  His lips quirked up at the corners. “Let’s see how long that lasts.”

  His fingers closed warmly over hers as he led her through the halls with no care for her shorter legs. They walked directly through the palace and out into a wide span of gardens. Central to the garden was a stone ruin.

  “Welcome to the selecting ground. Step forward and meet your goddess.”

  Chapter Nine

  Delyth Raygen of Terra stepped forward and waited to see some sign that the goddess she was called for was there.

  Del could feel something in the air aside from the watchers gathering around the paved edge of the neat garden. She bent and removed her sandals, somehow craving the touch of the ground under her feet. The stan
ding stones beckoned, so she walked into their centre, breathing deep and extending her hands to either side.

  The suns went down with shocking suddenness, plunging her into darkness. Light bloomed around her, swirling and twisting in glowing chains around the confines of the ruins. The light gathered closer and closer to Del until it was encasing her from head to foot.

  A riot of scents came to her as she stood in the maelstrom of goddesses fighting for a place inside her. Forests, fire, blood and water came to Del’s nostrils.

  Following an instinct that she didn’t know she had, she extended her hands forward into the column of light surrounding her and let the goddess that best matched her come to her.

  With her hands in the column, she knew one thing. This energy being had once been whole and something had shattered it beyond recombining.

  Fire crawled up one arm and ice, the other. Del held still as the two energy patterns joined and blended in the centre of her body, working their way inside.

  She concentrated on breathing, pulling air in and exhaling carefully while the energy patterns synched with her own. The light show ceased as suddenly as it had started, leaving her standing in the centre of the ruin, her skin glowing brightly in the darkness.

  Kurat was waiting for her on the near side of the stones. He held out his hand, and she could see the two foreign energy signatures in him, one hot red, the other black. Kurat’s own signature was the same bright green as his eyes.

  She moved carefully, her body felt full, heavy and strangely off balance. Del reached out to take his hand and pitched forward. He caught her and lifted her in his arms.

  The darkness was firmly in control of him. “Welcome back, my goddess.”

  She was limp in his arms, unable to respond as energy poured through every limb. The transformation was starting.

  Screaming would have been a blessed relief, but it was not an option that Delyth had while the goddesses renovated her body.

  Kurat knelt at her side and held her hand while the alien beings lengthened her body, widened her hips and did something to her pussy that Del still couldn’t figure out.