“So this whole thing is a building?” Kara flung out a hand, gesturing to the vast, empty-looking square of black dirt. She winced as the back of her hand banged into something. “Ouch!”
“Uh-huh—the Palace of the Unseen. You okay?” Raak asked, frowning. He took her hand and examined it carefully. “Gotta be more careful, baby girl. Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it can’t hurt you.”
“Okay.” Kara flexed her bruised fingers and frowned. “Um, if we can’t see the entrance, how do we get in?”
“I will open the door for you,” their plant-person guide said in its clear, tinkling voice. “But first you must disrobe and become all-flesh.”
“Uh, what?” Kara asked, frowning at it uncertainly.
“It means you have to strip.” Raak was already tugging his shirt over his head to reveal his muscular chest and unfastening the magno tabs that held his flight leathers closed.
“What?” Kara wrapped her arms around herself protectively. “You didn’t tell me we had to get naked.” She put a hand on her hip. “This is why you said I was dressed perfectly for Xephron Five, isn’t it? Because I only have one thing to take off to be completely nude.” She gestured down at his silver uniform shirt and frowned at him.
He frowned back.
“Didn’t think you’d mind. After all, baby girl, didn’t I just see you naked not that long ago? Or mostly naked, anyway.” His dark, silver-ringed eyes scanned over her body and his voice dropped to a low growl. “Saw you and touched you too, as I recall.”
Kara felt her cheeks grow hot with a blush and her fangs throbbed with the memory of their time together. But she was still hesitant.
“Well…yes, I know that,” she said, frowning. “But just because I let you see me naked doesn’t mean I feel comfortable letting a whole bunch of strangers see me naked too!”
Plus, she’d been out of her mind with lust and need when she’d acted in such an uninhibited way around him. She was more in control of herself now and the idea of taking all her clothes off in front of the big Unbondable—not to mention a bunch of strange aliens—made her distinctly nervous.
“Don’t worry,” Raak told her. “Nobody here but me has any sexual interest in your sweet, curvy little body, baby girl. And they’re only going to see you for a minute anyway. In fact,” he added mysteriously, “You’ll only see yourself for a minute too—or me—so enjoy the sight while it lasts.”
He flashed her that wild grin of his—a white slice in his dark face—and held out his arms as though to let her look at his body, which was, by now, completely nude.
Kara tried not to look and found she couldn’t help herself. She’d seen Raak with his shirt off, of course, but the big Unbondable completely naked was a sight to behold. Her eyes ran up his long muscular legs, cut torso, and broad chest and shoulders before sliding back down to rest on the long, thick shaft that nestled against one thigh like a sleeping snake.
He’s so big! she couldn’t help thinking and her fangs throbbed at the thought. Goddess, if he was that huge when he was completely soft, how enormous must his shaft get when he was hard?
And what would it feel like inside her?
Unbidden, the image of her straddling him as she had before, rose in Kara’s mind. Only this time, instead of just biting his neck, she was piercing him with her fangs as he pierced her below with his shaft. She couldn’t help imagining him thrusting up into her as she sank her fangs into his throat, the two of them penetrating each other for hours and hours…
Her fangs throbbed again as the forbidden image filled her mind and she had to force herself to look away.
“Seen enough, baby girl?” Raak sounded amused and she wondered if he had somehow guessed the naughty thoughts going on in her head.
“Shouldn’t we be going in?” she asked, deliberately not answering his question.
“Not until you get naked,” Raak told her. His deep voice became suddenly serious. “It’s an offense to the Kaji to show any part of yourself and the effects of the Palace of the Unseen don’t work if you’re wearing clothes.”
“The effects?” Kara asked frowning.
“You’ll see,” he promised her. “Or you won’t if you don’t take off your clothes. Of course, if you want, I can leave you out here and try to make the deal with Qi on your behalf.”
“You mean you’ll leave me here all alone?” Kara looked around at the rustling, reflective plant people that still surrounded them chanting,
“New,new,new,new,” in their soft, tinkling voices.
It was like being surrounded by a chorus of leafy wind chimes, she thought. Though she knew they meant her no harm, it was kind of creepy to think of being left alone with them.
Raak shrugged.
“Sure, if you want.”
“No, I’d rather go with you,” Kara said quickly.
“Well then, get naked, baby girl.” he motioned at her.
“All right.” Taking a deep breath to nerve herself up, Kara quickly slipped the silver uniform shirt over her head and dropped it on the pile of clothes Raak had already discarded. Then she stood there shivering, her arms wrapped around herself to hide her nakedness.
Raak’s dark eyes softened.
“Come on,” he told her, his voice dropping to a lower register, “You don’t have to hide yourself like that, Kara. You’re fucking gorgeous, you know?”
“Um, thanks,” Kara muttered. But his warm words and the honest and obvious admiration in his eyes made her stand up straighter and drop her arms to her sides. She could see her nude body reflected in the hundreds of mirrored leaves of the Xephronians around them, but somehow that didn’t seem to matter.
Raak thinks I’m beautiful, she told herself. And you know what—I am beautiful. I’m a strong, powerful female and I’m not afraid to show myself.
The words of self-affirmation helped and she lifted her chin, determined not to be ashamed of her nudity. After all, if Raak could be so comfortable and unconcerned about being naked, it hardly made any sense for her to be cringing and trying to cover herself all the time. Especially when, as he had pointed out, the Xephronians had no interest in her sexually.
“All right,” she said, lifting her chin and letting her arms hang free at her sides. “I’m ready to go.”
“And gorgeous too.” Raak’s dark eyes ran over her body, taking her in the same way she’d looked at him and Kara couldn’t help noticing that his shaft twitched and came to attention as he admired her. “Too bad I won’t get to see you once we get inside,” he added cryptically. “But of course, if I could, it would probably only distract me so much I couldn’t make a good trade with Qi.”
“What do you mean you won’t be able to see me?” Kara asked, frowning.
“You’ll see, baby girl.” Raak motioned to the plant-person who had led them here. “Okay, we’re ready. Open the door and let us into the Palace of the Unseen.”
“As you wish,” the Xephronian said in its high, tinkling voice.
With a rustle of its silvery leaves, it did something to the air in front of where they were standing and then made a motion with its remaining leaves that seemed to beckon to them.
“Enter, esteemed guests of the Kaji,” it said. “And remember, you must be unseen in order to be seen by Qi.”
Kara didn’t understand this at all, but Raak was already taking her by the hand and leading her through the invisible doorway.
“Come on, baby girl,” he murmured. “Let’s go see if Qi can help you with your fangs.”
And then they went through.
Twenty
They stepped into…nothing. The door slid shut behind them with a soft whooshing sound and then they were completely enclosed in what looked and felt like a box of empty air. Even the black dirt under the Palace of the Unseen had disappeared—there was literally nothing to see.
Not even herself.
“Oh!” Kara exclaimed, looking down and not seeing her feet or legs—or any of the
rest of her body for that matter. “I’m invisible!” she exclaimed, dropping Raak’s hand to feel her own unseen body. To her relief, she was still there, even though she couldn’t see the body parts she was feeling.
“Uh-huh—that’s a feature of the Palace of the Unseen. Everything inside it disappears.” Raak sounded completely unconcerned so Kara tried to take her cue from him.
“It’s very…unusual,” she said, trying to keep her voice casual. “It, uh, sort of makes me feel like I’m going blind.”
“Only because your eyes are always looking for stimulation and there isn’t any here,” Raak said. “I’d tell you to shut them but it doesn’t make any difference since your lids are invisible too which means they don’t block out any of the light.”
In fact, light was all there was to see around them, though even that didn’t vary in the slightest. The area around them was uniformly lit with a soft, golden glow which seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
“Come on, we can’t keep Qi waiting,” Raak said and she heard him shift, as though about to move forward.
“Wait—at least take my hand. I’ve never been here before and I have no idea where I’m going!”
Reaching back, Kara grabbed for his hand, only to feel something long and hard and hot in her palm. Whatever it was seemed to throb as she wrapped her fingers around it.
Kara frowned. What in the world?
“Uh…that’s not my hand, baby girl.” Raak’s deep voice sounded slightly strangled. “That’s my, uh…”
“Oh!” With a little gasp, Kara snatched her hand back. She was certain that her cheeks were bright red with a blush of mortification, even if Raak couldn’t see them right now. “I’m so sorry,” she exclaimed. “I didn’t mean to—”
“I know you didn’t,” Raak interrupted her. “Don’t worry about it. Just hold out your hand and I’ll hold out mine.”
Kara did as he said and after a bit of fumbling in the empty air between them, they managed to take hands again and then Raak gave her a little tug.
“How do you know which way we’re going?” she asked as she stepped forward tentatively, following him. The floor beneath her feet felt smooth and cool and featureless.
“Just walking straight ahead—it’s what I did the first time I met Qi and eventually I ran into him,” Raak said. His deep voice coming from the empty air at her side was both comforting and unsettling at the same time.
This must be what it feels like to be a ghost, Kara thought to herself. Present but unseen.
Raak led her along for what felt like a long way. Kara wondered if the whole house was bare or if there was furniture somewhere and they were just walking past it. Maybe they were in a long hallway that led off to other rooms and if she let go of Raak’s hand, she would find them.
But then again, what if there was something awful waiting in the emptiness on either side of her? What if there was some kind of alien monster she couldn’t see or hear which was watching her hungrily from only a few feet away?
The thought made her shiver and grip the big Unbondable’s hand even tighter until he murmured,
“You all right, little girl?”
“Fine.” Kara tried to make her voice sound normal but it came out high and squeaky instead. “Just a little freaked out, maybe,” she admitted in a low voice.
“Don’t be,” Raak assured her, giving her hand a little squeeze. “Everything is gonna be just fine, baby girl—I promise you.”
“It is my palace you are standing in and so I shall be the one to make the promises,” a voice said.
It was soft and high with just a hint of the chiming quality of the reflective plant people outside, Kara thought. Also, it was coming from about ten feet above their heads. How big was this Qi anyway? If it was Qi who was speaking to them. She had a mental image of one of the silvery plant people grown to an enormous height and towering above them, huge but unseen.
“Greetings, Qi,” Raak said, addressing the invisible being with ease. “I have come to trade with your people once again but this time I bring a female with me who has need of your infinite wisdom.”
“My wisdom, is it?” The soft, high voice sounded amused. “Well then, I will be pleased to help your female if I can, Raakshas. You are welcome in my Palace of the Unseen, as always. But before I can offer any assistance, you and your female must consume comestibles with me.”
“Uh, he wants us to eat with him?” Kara whispered to Raak.
“It’s a courtesy,” the big Unbondable whispered back.
“But what do they eat? Is it even safe for us to eat their food?” Kara asked.
After all, if the Xephronians were plant-based life forms, weren’t they likely to live on a diet of dirt and water and carbon dioxide? What kind of meal would that be? Would she be able to make herself swallow mouthfuls of dirt? And how would that affect her later?
“Do not fear, female of Raakshas,” Qi’s voice floated softly down to her. “All that you are served, you will be able to consume with pleasure. Come—will you consume with me?”
“Of course we will,” Raak answered quickly. “We would be most honored to consume comestibles with you, oh Qi. Thank you for your kind invitation.”
“Very well. Then bend your stalks, for I know your species prefers to be in a bent position while consuming,” Qi told them.
“Uh…bend our stalks?” Kara asked.
“I think he means he wants us to sit down,” Raak murmured back.
“Yes, that is the word—it escaped me for a moment,” Qi said and she heard a rustling as though his leaves were rubbing together in agreement. “Sit down, please, my guests.”
“Um, that’s very kind of you but where should we sit?” Kara asked doubtfully.
“Simply sit down where you are,” Qi answered serenely. “There will be a seating platform for you when you bend your stalks and drop your posteriors.”
Kara wanted to protest that she knew there was no “seating platform” directly behind her because she would have had to walk right through it or at least around it and that hadn’t happened. But Raak squeezed her hand again and murmured,
“It’s okay. Sit down.”
Doubtfully, Kara began to bend her knees and lower herself backwards. She felt like she was getting into “chair pose” in Yoga and wondered how long she would have to hold it for.
But just as she was wondering, she felt something firm and smooth pressing against the back of her legs and then her thighs and butt came in contact with a seat.
“Oh!” she exclaimed in surprise as she relaxed and felt the chair holding her weight. “Oh, but how—?”
“Who knows?” Raak murmured from beside her. From the way his voice was close to her ear, Kara could tell the big Unbondable had taken a seat as well.
“But he, I mean, it, somehow made a chair appear out of nowhere!” Kara protested in a low voice. “How is that possible?”
“I am afraid your small mammalian meat brain could not begin to understand,” Qi’s voice said from somewhere over her head. “Only one with a plant brain—one whose roots reach far and branches spread wide—can begin to contemplate the wonders and mysteries of bringing matter into and out of existence with a mere thought.”
“Oh. Okay,” was all Kara could think to say. She had never considered her “meat brain” to be a liability before but it was clear Qi did and since he was their host and she was hoping to get some help from him, she had better play along.
“Now place your hands before you onto the table,” Qi instructed.
Kara started to ask, “What table?” but then just decided to do as she was told.
Lifting her hands, she placed them in front of her and—sure enough—found that they were resting on a hard, flat surface that was a little higher than waist height to her.
Though she knew she shouldn’t be surprised after sitting on an invisible, magically appearing chair, the invisible table still surprised her. She felt around carefully with her fing
ertips on its smooth, flat surface but found nothing as far was she could reach.
“I don’t feel any food,” she hissed to Raak.
“Because I have not called any comestibles into being yet,” Qi’s soft voice said. Wow, he—or it—really had a good sense of hearing! And apparently he could understand the Kindred Standard tongue as well. Kara made a mental note to be careful what she said around him—or it—in the future.
“We await your pleasure, oh Qi,” Raak said formally.
“Then please partake of these luscious xanthos,” Qi told them and suddenly Kara felt several round balls appear under her fingers.
“Oh, what in the world?” she exclaimed, feeling the strange things. They were firm yet squishy with the texture of a well-filled water balloon and they ranged in size from a pea to a golf ball.
“These are xanthos,” Qi repeated patiently. “They are a rare delicacy. Please enjoy them.”
“Thank you, Qi,” Raak said. “They are indeed delicious.”
“Uh, yes—thank you,” Kara said. She wondered if Qi could see them or not and decided it probably could in some way. Which meant she was going to have to eat at least some of the round, squishy balls she felt under her fingers if she didn’t want to offend it.
Hesitantly, she picked up a pea-sized ball and popped it into her mouth. It burst the moment she sank her teeth into it and a liquid which was both sweet and bland coated her tongue.
Well, that isn’t so bad, Kara thought to herself. It’s a little bit like weak tea.
Feeling braver, she popped a slightly larger ball into her mouth and bit down on it as well. This one had a different flavor—it was blander and the liquid seemed a tiny bit thicker but it still wasn’t horrible.
“Are you enjoying the xanthos?” Qi asked as Kara chewed and swallowed the thin skin of the ball she had eaten—which was a little like a grape skin, she thought.
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