Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
The only problem was the fact that her nipples kept popping out between the holes in the leaves. Nora tried to hide them by tugging at some of the larger leaves to get them to cover them but she was afraid to pull too hard, for fear of tearing the delicate foliage.
The leaves felt cool and waxy against her skin and it felt strange to be wearing a dress with no panties underneath it, but other than the trouble with her nipples sticking out if she wasn’t careful, Nora liked her new feasting outfit.
Twilla seemed to like how it looked on her too.
“There—you look lovely,” she said, nodding approvingly as she straightened the dress. “You’re all ready for the Feast of Transformation and your chance to pluck the Bloom now.”
“Thank you for loaning me this beautiful dress,” Nora said, really meaning it. “I’ve never worn anything like it.”
“Oh, this is no loan—I am giving the dress to you,” Twilla said. “It will not fit my male form once I change and by the time I am ready to become female again, it will have wilted. So you may wear it as long as you are here among us. And take it with you when you go as a remembrance of me and the People.”
“Thank you so much!” Nora said, smiling. “I only wish I could take a picture of myself in it to show my little girl when I get home.”
“Ah, so you have young ones?” Twilla asked. “We do as well, but they live in the children’s village not far from here.”
“Really? Do they live by themselves with no adults?” Nora was surprised, but Twilla shook her head.
“No, we take it in turns to watch them. There is always one male and one female caretaker for the young ones. Who is watching your young one while you are here?” she asked.
“My mother and also a doctor—a healer,” Nora explained. “You see, my little girl—Anna—is very sick. That’s why I’m here, to try and get the Flower of Healing for her. Otherwise she’s going to…to die.”
She could barely get the words out but she made herself say them anyway. She wanted her new friend to know what was on the line here and why she’d come all the way to Primus Nine.
“Ah, how terrible to lose a young one!” Twilla’s jewel-like eyes were sympathetic. “I will pray that your sacrifice tonight is acceptable and that the Bloom shines for you so that you can pluck it. But I can tell already that the flavor of your feelings will be nourishing to all.”
“Er…the flavor of my feelings? Are you saying you can taste emotions?” Nora asked.
Twilla nodded.
“Oh, certainly! We feed each other as we may, but it is always a treat when visitors from other worlds come to share their feelings with us and feed us on their emotions.”
Suddenly the need to give an emotional sacrifice became clear to Nora. If these people actually could taste and feed on the feelings of others, it made sense that whoever came seeking the Flower of Healing would have to offer them something in the form of emotions in exchange.
“What do my emotions taste like?” she asked curiously.
“Hmm…” Twilla seemed to think about how to describe it. “Salty, like tears…and sweet with hopefulness. I also taste the strong flavor of determination—you will not fail your young one if you can help it,” she said at last.
“And what about Xarex—my husband? Can you taste his emotions too?” Nora asked.
“Oh yes—I tasted his at once for they are even stronger than yours,” Twilla told her.
“Really?” Nora was surprised. She would have thought that the Dark Kindred’s feelings would be more muted, but maybe without the emotion damper’s influence they were more intense than she would have expected.
“Oh yes—he gives off the strong, dark, slightly bitter flavor of protectiveness and possessiveness,” Twilla said, nodding. “His feelings for you are deep and intense. He also gives the fiery, hot flavor of lust when he looks at you. It nearly burned my mouth when I was near him!”
“It did?” Nora raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“Oh yes—such a fierce emotion!” Twilla nodded again, vigorously. “He wants you badly—which is well, since the two of you are mated,” she added.
“Oh, um. That makes sense, I guess.” Nora could feel her cheeks getting hot with a blush.
“You must not have been mated for long,” Twilla remarked. “The intensity of longing and desire that comes from him when he looks at you means his fire for you has not yet dimmed.”
“We just got married—er, mated—yesterday,” Nora explained.
“Ah, then it makes sense that you have no baby in your belly yet,” the other woman said. “I was surprised at first not to smell one in you, especially given the intensity of your male’s love and devotion for you.”