“I…I guess so.” She sighed wearily. She would have liked to fight him but she was too weak—she could only rest in his arms. “Why did you do that?” she whispered, nuzzling against his chest. “Why did you come in me?”
“I told you—to teach you a lesson. You should be honored, Allisandra—I’ve never given my seed to a concubine before.” He sounded thoughtful. “I’m not completely sure why I chose to now.”
“I might be pregnant,” Alli whispered. The thought was still blowing her mind.
“Possibly,” Kane conceded. “Kru’ell Ones are not like other kinds of Kindred. We can easily impregnate a female without bonding with her.”
“Why?” Alli looked up at him uncertainly. “Why are you different from the others? Is it because you come from a different universe?”
Kane frowned—his face abruptly going as dark as a thundercloud.
“Because bonding is death to us. Enough cuddling.”
He stepped out of the pool suddenly and set her down on her own two feet. Brusquely, he handed her a towel.
“Dry off,” he growled. “Your first lesson is over…for now.”
Then he left her there, shivering and uncertain, wondering what in the world would happen to her in the future if this was only her first lesson with the big Kru’ell One.
Eleven
Kane cursed to himself as he made his way to his private rooms. Why had he given the curvy little female his seed? He hadn’t been lying when he’d told her he had never done such a thing before. Despite the many concubines he had taken, he had never given a single one of them his seed—had never come inside a single one of them.
Nor had he cuddled any of them. It was better to keep a cool, disinterested head when feeding from a concubine’s emotions. Usually Kane could fulfill a female’s desires enough to make her produce nourishment for him without getting involved himself. But somehow, he couldn’t resist the curvy little redhead he’d taken from the other Earth.
He was in dangerous territory and he knew it. As he had filled Allisandra with his seed, he’d had the almost overwhelming impulse to lean forward and sting the side of her neck at the same time, injecting his lust-honey and bonding her to him.
But he must not do that, Kane reminded himself—he must never bond! It was death to his kind—it would be the end of him. And yet he’d had the girl less than a day and had almost done exactly that.
What was wrong with him—giving her his seed like that and nearly bonding her? Was he simply reacting to her desire—so deeply hidden she barely knew it herself—that she might one day have a child of her own to love and care for? That she might feel her belly swell with life and nurse a baby at her breast?
Kane didn’t know but he did know he needed to stop being soft with her. From now on, he vowed to himself, she would get no special treatment. Allisandra was nothing more than another concubine—albeit, an extremely beautiful and beguiling one. He would treat her like all the others—he would not allow himself to be soft.
He would feed from her for a time and then take her back where she belonged and then he would never think of her again.
Kane swore it to himself. And he never broke his word.
Twelve
Alli stood there where he had left her, wrapped in a towel and shivering in the middle of the huge bathroom. What had just happened? Why had he gotten so angry with her after all that?
And had he made her pregnant?
Fear and trepidation overwhelmed her. She ought to go to the shower or get back in the pool and try to wash his seed out of her!
But Alli found she didn’t want to.
I’m just tired, she told herself. What a crazy night! I just need to lie down and rest for a while. Then I’ll do it.
She made her way to the bedroom and got to the bed. Her nightshirt was lying discarded on the ground but Alli was too tired to pick it up and put it on. The intense encounter with the big Kru’ell One seemed to have completely drained her strength.
She climbed under the covers naked and cuddled into herself, wrapping her arms around her legs and trying to keep warm. Between her thighs, she could still feel the warm seed Kane had shot in her filling her pussy. Again the thought that she ought to clean up came, but again she rejected it. She was too tired to do anything tonight—she would just have to sleep with his seed still inside her.
Tomorrow, she told herself. Tomorrow I’ll clean up and find a way out of here. Maybe I’ll steal a ship and try my luck with the wormhole generator after all. But not now—tomorrow.
So thinking, she closed her eyes and drifted into an exhausted slumber.
Thirteen
Alli was woken by a tinkling sound that made her think of little silver bells. Her first thought was, That’s not the sound of my alarm. And her next, when she opened her eyes was, Where am I?
Looking around the opulent bedroom, she had a moment of disorientation. This wasn’t her bedroom in the townhouse she shared with Douglas, or her suite aboard the Mother Ship. This was someplace completely different. Someplace…
Someplace in a whole different universe, whispered a little voice in her head.
Suddenly, everything came flooding back to her. The way Kane had come for her in the middle of the night…going through the swirling blue vortex of the inter-dimensional wormhole to get to his home, the erotic bath he’d given her and the “lesson” he had taught her by coming deep in her pussy…
Oh God, he came in me! He came in me—what if I’m pregnant?
Alli sat up in bed, running a hand through her disheveled hair. She had to get up—had to take a shower. Not that it would probably do any good, but she needed to wash his come out of herself! She just couldn’t understand why she hadn’t done it the night before.
She had a vague memory of a really intense orgasm which had seemed to go on and on until she was completely worn out, but was that really an excuse for going to bed without at least trying to get his seed out of her?
I don’t think so! What’s wrong with you, Alli? You’re not normally like this! the practical little voice in her head berated her as she got out of bed and found her discarded nightshirt. She slipped it on and started to go for the shower, her mind still churning.
She also wasn’t normally submissive and there was no other word for the way she’d acted last night. Why had she given herself up to the big Kru’ell One so easily? Did she secretly desire to be dominated? Or was she just disorientated by the surreal circumstances?
It must be the latter, she thought uneasily. Surely she didn’t really want to be tied down or blindfolded or anything like that. She had fantasies from time to time, of course—but that was all they were, just fantasies. It wasn’t like she really wanted them to come true. She—
Her inner monologue was interrupted by the silvery tinkling sound again—the same sound that had woken her up in the first place.
Irritated, Alli looked around.
“Where is that coming from?” she said aloud. “It sounds like a bell but I don’t see one anywhere. Where’s the damn bell?”
At once, a little silver bell with a black handled appeared, floating in midair right in front of her, the same way the candelabra had appeared the night before when she had asked for more light.
Alli gasped and took a step back, one hand to her pounding heart. God, she would probably get used to things appearing out of thin air when she asked for them eventually, but for right now it was still really disconcerting.
The bell tinkled briefly and she got the idea that maybe she was supposed to grab it. After all, she had asked for it—sort of. So maybe she needed to take it.
Hesitantly, she reached out and plucked the little silver bell out of the air. It reminded her of the kind of thing you saw in old movies—the kind of bell a lord or lady might use to ring for the servants.
The thought made Alli smile. Holding the bell at an arms-length, she rang it briskly and said,
“I’d like a table laid for one with the finest li
nen, china, and silverware, please.”
At once, a small table just the right size for one person appeared in the clear area between the bed and the living room where the couch and the viewscreen were located. It was draped in a white linen tablecloth and laid with a pale blue china plate and gleaming, ornate silverware. There was also a crystal goblet, which she hadn’t specifically asked for, though it was a nice touch, she thought.
“Wow,” Alli murmured, walking over to the little table. She knocked on it experimentally with her knuckles—it sounded like solid wood. The snowy table linen felt real too.
By now, she had forgotten all about getting a shower. Looking at the little table with its lovely setting made her think of going to a fancy restaurant back on Earth. Her stomach rumbled at the thought and she realized it had been a long time since she ate anything.
An ornate wooden chair with a plump blue seat cushion had appeared with the table. Alli pulled it out and seated herself. She thought for a moment, then decided to keep up the pretense that she was in a restaurant. It made things seem less weird, somehow.
She rang the bell again and said clearly, “I would like a menu, please.”
Immediately a padded, leather bound book with the word “MENU” in curving gold script appeared in front of her.
Alli plucked it out of the air and opened it, wondering what she would find inside.
The script of the menu looked like English at first and there were the usual headings, Appetizers, Entrees, Soups and Salads, Desserts. There was even a listing for wines and drinks.
But when Alli looked a little closer, she saw that the choices which appeared under the headings, weren’t at all familiar.
Zornk Stew, read one under the Soups and Salads section. Tasty chunks of young Zornk flesh are slow roasted and braised in a Fulk stock with assorted root vegetables.
Fresh Chub Steak, under the Entrees category had a star by it. Best served well done, it read. Management not responsible for Chub ordered rare.
Well, that was weird, Alli thought with a frown. Then again, all of this was pretty strange. She skimmed over the other listings and took a minute to look at the desserts.
Blib-blabs, read one of the options. Fresh and juicy, plucked from the vine just this morning and rolled in granulated petal-steeped sucrose.
U’ka-tok, another said. Tender u’ka-tok tentacles and antennae lovingly wrapped in buttery pissa pastry and baked until golden brown.
Alli made a face. Tentacles and antennae? Well, she was definitely going to give that last one a miss!
Just then, her stomach growled again. She frowned.
“Well, I guess I’d better order,” she muttered aloud. She cleared her throat, consulted the menu once more, and said, “I’d like to order the Tika-tika-boo-boo please, with the soondu sauce on the side.”
This was from the Appetizers part of the menu. The name sounded so ridiculous, Alli just had to see it.
Immediately a tall, silver metal container appeared in front of her. In it, were an assortment of different colored sticks, all about the same diameter but twice the length of drinking straws. They stuck out of the container is a colorful profusion of bright green, brilliant purple, and pinkish-orange. There was also a small round bowl of pale blue sauce on the side that appeared to be the same consistency as mayonnaise.
“So…” Alli murmured, looking at her appetizer with interest. “This is Tika-tika-boo-boo with soondu sauce. Well, let’s see how it tastes.”
Picking out a bright green stick, she saw that it had a hole in the middle of it, which made it look even more like an extra-long drinking straw. The tika stick was clearly battered and deep-fried. It felt crispy and smelled spicy to Alli when she put it to her nose and took a sniff.
She decided to try the stick by itself at first. Carefully, she bit off one end and chewed it.
To her disappointment, the tika stick didn’t taste like much of anything. It was bland and vaguely salty. Well, maybe it just needed the soondu sauce to give it some flavor.
Alli dipped the end of the long, crispy fried straw into the pale blue sauce, getting a generous amount. She took a big bite and began to chew before she realized that the sauce was burning hot—her mouth was on fire!
Gasping, Alli spit the bite into her napkin and reached for her goblet, only to find it empty.
“Water!” she gasped, but nothing happened. She tried again but again got no response. Then her eye fell on the menu. Maybe she had to order one of the drinks from there?
Desperately, she looked at the Drinks section.
“Mooldonado—now!” she gasped. God, what in the world was in that soodu sauce? It looked so innocent and pale blue but it tasted like the time she’d accidentally eaten a curry sauce with ghost peppers in it!
Immediately the crystal goblet filled with an opaque green drink that had pink swirls running through it.
Alli wasn’t sure what to think of this, but by now she was so desperate she would have drunk anything. Picking up the goblet, she took a big swig of the liquid—only to find that it was the most sour thing she’d ever tasted.
“Ugh!” Alli gasped after she managed to swallow. “Like somebody mixed lemon juice and vinegar!”
She put the goblet down and frowned at it. So far she was not enjoying the food from Kane’s world at all. At least her mouth wasn’t burning quite so much now, though. Somehow the ultra-sour drink had managed to ease the burning from the soondu sauce. So there was that, at least.
Sighing, Alli decided to try again. After all, she was still hungry. She picked up the menu again and consulted the Entrées section.
“Please clear the first course,” she said after a moment and bring me a…um…a Chub Steak. And make it…hmm…”
She looked at the star beside it again, recommending that this particular dish be ordered well done. Management not responsible for Chub ordered rare, it said. But honestly, she couldn’t stand well-done steak—it tasted rubbery and dry. She decided to order it the way she usually did—rare.
“Make it rare,” she said decisively. “Chub steak extra rare.”
At once the long, thin, crispy Tika-tika-boo-boo sticks and their devilishly hot dipping sauce disappeared and a silver platter with a matching silver domed lid appeared in front of her instead.
“Fancy,” Ali murmured, eyeing the silver dome with its elaborate gold and silver handle. It looked like a serving dish you’d get from room service at a Four Star Hotel—somewhere a ham and cheese sandwich would cost you fifty bucks plus tip.
Prepared to be amazed, she grasped the handle and lifted the large silver dome off the silver platter.
At first all she saw was what looked like a large mound of green and purple lettuce. Frowning, she poked at the lettuce with her fork. Was this it? Where was the steak?
Then she noticed that the lettuce was moving. It seemed to be quivering ever so slightly. Also…was it making a sound? Alli leaned forward and put her ear to the mound of lettuce. Sure enough, there was a quiet crunching sound coming from it. What was this stuff, anyway?
She poked at it with her fork again—harder this time—and was startled by a piercing squeak.
“Oh!” Alli gasped and dropped her fork with a clatter. The green and purple lettuce leaves shook and then a small, furry face looked out from between them. The fur was bright pink and the eyes were brilliant green, but other than that, it looked a lot like a guinea pig, she thought.
“Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. “Just look at you! Is the rest of you as cute as your face, little guy?”
Reaching down, she carefully pulled the other lettuce leaves aside to reveal a plump, furry body that matched the face. It really did look like a guinea pig, Alli thought, other than the fact that it had a long, furry tail that looked like it belonged on a Golden Retriever or an Irish Setter. The tail was twice as long as the pink guinea pig creature’s body, when it was unfurled, and had long, feathery fronds floating all around it.
“So are yo
u an extra rare Chub?” Alli cooed at the little creature. “I’m so sorry I poked you with my fork—I didn’t know you were in there. Hey, could I pet you, do you think?”
Moving slowly, she reached down to try and stroke the silky little head. But the Chub seemed to take a sudden fright at her gesture. As her hand came down, it reared up on its chubby hind legs and hissed at her, showing long, sharp, green teeth that matched its eyes.
Then its long, silky tail began to spin a little like a helicopter’s blades. Throwing lettuce in every direction, it lifted right off the plate. Still hissing at Alli, it zipped away, it’s chubby pink body dangling by its swiftly rotating tail.
“Wow.” Alli watched it go, feeling like she had the one time in college when she’d dropped acid. The little creature dived out of sight behind the bed and abruptly stopped hissing. She supposed she would have to try and find it later. This was definitely turning out to be the strangest meal she’d ever had.
Not that she’d gotten to eat much of anything. Her stomach growled again and she looked doubtfully down at the menu.
“I don’t suppose I could just have a chicken Caesar salad or a cheeseburger, could I?” she asked out loud. But nothing happened. Apparently she could only order from the menu.
“All right.” Alli sighed. “I guess I’ll try the Zornk stew.”
The silver domed platter and the spilled lettuce disappeared to be replaced by a lovely china soup bowl. It was filled with steaming multi-hued blue broth that had pink and purple chunks floating in it.
Alli picked up a silver spoon and dipped it into the broth. In it were swirls of sky blue along with streaks of turquoise and navy and cerulean. It looked like someone had taken all blue crayons from a child’s box and melted them into a soup.
She wasn’t hoping for much, so she wasn’t surprised when the sip she took tasted a little like a cross between sweet dill pickle juice and Vietnamese fish sauce. Sweet…sour…tangy…strange were the words that came to mind.
Dark and Light: A Kindred Tales DUET Novel. Contains: Saved by the Drake AND Captured by the Kru'ell One Page 19