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18

XAREX

They made their way back to the feast and settled in the circle beside their hosts. Xarex made sure that he was seated with Nora on his right and Jammu on his left. To Nora’s right was Twilla .

The many colored leaf dress that his new bride was wearing looked beautiful on her—the way it hugged her curves made it hard for Xarex to stop looking at her. But he noticed that she seemed uncomfortable and kept tugging at the hem and doing her best to keep her legs closed and her thighs together.

“Is your new garment not comfortable?” he murmured, leaning close to her so that his words were for her ears alone.

“Oh, uh, not exactly. It’s just that they had me take off my underwear before I put it on,” she whispered back, her cheeks getting pink. “ I’m trying not to flash anyone.”

Her words brought a mental image that made Xarex’s mouth water. He couldn’t help remembering her soft little pussy—how wet it got for him when he was stroking her and caressing her Goddess Pearl in the shower the night before.

The memory made him shift uncomfortably as his shaft grew almost painfully hard. He really should have finished himself last night, but he’d been so concerned that his W’rx half had frightened Nora he’d lost all desire for a while. Now he wished he’d made some time to have a release so his thoughts wouldn’t be clouded with lust.

“Now you’re the one who looks uncomfortable,” Nora murmured, nodding at him. “ Are your new leaf pants scratchy?”

“No, but the thought of you with no underthings on has certainly made them too tight,” Xarex answered honestly.

Her cheeks got even pinker and she put a hand to her mouth.

“Xarex!” she exclaimed, her eyes going wide.

“Forgive me. I cannot help wanting you,” he told her. Which was the truth—but then, he’d wanted her from the very first.

She seemed about to say something else but then Jammu passed him a broad leaf filled with some kind of fruit. They were small—about the size of the Earth fruit called “blueberries” but instead of round, they were square. Also , they were bright pink.

“Try them—they’re good,” Jammu urged him.

Xarex took a few and carefully sniffed them. The poison sensors located in the silver sensor strips along his cheekbones didn’t indicate a problem so he popped one into his mouth. At once a tart, sweet flavor unlike anything he’d ever had spread across his tongue. It was actually quite good and he passed the leaf to Nora .

“It’s all right—they’re not poisonous,” he murmured. “ And the flavor is quite refreshing. Try some.”

Nora took a few berries from the leaf before passing it to Twilla . When she tried one, her eyes lit up.

“Oh, it tastes like raspberry mixed with pink lemonade!”

“Those must be Earth flavors I haven’t tried before,” Xarex remarked. “ You’ll have to show me where to get them when we return to the Mother Ship .”

“Sure, I can show you.” She smiled up at him and Xarex felt a warm glow. This emotion was easy to name—it was simply pure happiness, he thought. Beside him, Jammu made a sound.

“Ahh—so smooth and creamy! Your joy warms my tongue,” he remarked to Xarex .

Xarex wasn’t sure what to say to that and he was glad when another leaf was passed to him, this time with slices of some green, juicy fruit that had been carved into triangular wedges.

The new fruit tasted like a “caramel macchiato with extra caramel syrup and toasted marshmallows,” according to Nora . Xarex didn’t like it quite as much as the square, pink berries and gave his second slice to her. Both of them had eaten before folding space, so they weren’t extremely hungry. But of course, it would be rude to refuse what their hosts were offering.

Luckily, there were no strange meats to contend with. The people of Primus Nine appeared to be vegetarians. All the offerings were raw fruits and vegetables and most of them were quite delicious, though Xarex tasted a few that were too bitter to be enjoyable.

He was about to try a few of the bright purple berries that were being passed around, when Jammu put a hand on his arm to stop him.

“No, my friend—these are transformation berries,” he cautioned. “ Unless you long to become female with a receiving pocket instead of a phallus for thrusting, I recommend you abstain from them.”

Since Xarex most certainly did not want to lose his phallus and grow a “receiving pocket” instead, he passed the berries along and whispered to Nora not to touch them.

Her eyes went wide when he explained why and she quickly passed the leaf to Twilla , who took a handful of berries and popped them all in her mouth.

Jammu was eating them too, so Xarex watched the two mates closely. He was wondering when the transformation would begin and if it would be obvious or subtle when something new was passed to him. It was a large drinking cup that looked like it was made from an animal’s horn. The liquid inside smelled spicy and sharp—like the Earth spice called cinnamon, he thought.

“What is this?” he asked Jammu cautiously.

“Ah, now this my friend, you should imbibe in,” Jammu told him. “ It is a relaxation drink—it helps those who have come to seek the Bloom to offer the best sacrifice possible.”

Xarex still wasn’t sure what the liquid was, but since it was supposed to be helpful in getting the Flower of Healing , he took a long drink and then passed it to Nora .

“What’s this?” she asked, sniffing it.

“Jammu informs me that it is helpful for those seeking the Flower of Healing ,” Xarex told her. “ He recommends that we drink it.”

That was apparently all Nora needed to hear. She took a deep drink from the horn as well before passing it on to Twilla , who also imbibed.

The cinnamon and spice flavor lingered on Xarex’s tongue and he found that he did, indeed, feel more relaxed. In fact, everything seemed to have slowed down some and the whole world seemed to have taken on a golden, happy glow.

Beside him, Nora seemed to be feeling the same effects.

“Mmm, I like that stuff, whatever it is!” she whispered. “ It makes me feel really loose and relaxed.” She shifted and pressed her thighs together. “ But kind of horny too.” Then she giggled.

“Horny?” Xarex frowned uncertainly. “ What is that?”

“It…it’s an Earth word that means ‘aroused.’” She giggled and shifted again. “ Oh my— I’m really feeling it now! My goodness!”

At that point, Xarex was feeling different too. His shaft had gotten even harder and it was pressing against the leaf fabric of his new trousers. He wondered uneasily how strong the fabric was and if it could stand the pressure. He wanted to say something to Nora about it, but when he looked at her again, he noticed that the ripe tips of her nipples were peeking out from between the leaves of her dress.

The sight made something roar within him and suddenly Xarex was no longer feeling relaxed. Instead , he felt the lust inside him rising to the surface as he looked at his new bride and imagined how hard he wanted to fuck her. How he wanted to tie her down and thrust his cock deep in her soft little pussy until she cried and moaned for him…

No wait—what was he thinking? Xarex shook his head, trying to clear it. Why was he suddenly having such lustful thoughts? It almost felt like the W’rx part of him was coming out, when he’d been trying to suppress it for years.

But before he could wonder more, the One who Cares for All rose from their place in the circle and began to speak.

“And now, my people, we have come to the crux of the night. Our new friends, Nora and Xarex , have come to ask us if they may pluck Syrilla’s Bloom , so named for the first of our People to find and cultivate the Flower of Healing . They will come forward to offer a sacrifice to us now that we may see if the Bloom will shine for them.”

All of the Primiens around the circle patted the ground with their hands once more—clearly it was some kind of applause, Xarex thought. Then the One turned to him and Nora and gestured with both hands.

“Come—come up to the center of the circle and stand near the Holy Tangle ,” they said, nodding at the square-shaped tangle of purple and green vines with the mound in the center. “ Come and see if the Bloom will shine for you.”

Nora’s eyes went wide and Xarex smelled her fear. He knew she didn’t like being the center of attention. Nevertheless , she got up at once and he got up with her.

They walked together to the center of the circle and stood before The One who Cares for All .

“Very well—now the Holy Tangle contains vines that come to us all the way from the deep Jungle , where Syrilla’s Bloom grows,” The One told them. “ You will stand upon it and perform your sexual sacrifice for the People to see if you can make the Bloom shine.”

“But what kind of sacrifice do you want?” Nora asked.

“Whatever brings about the strongest emotions,” The One answered seriously. “ The more intense your emotions, the better. Those who truly need the Bloom will feel with desperate intensity. That is the kind of sacrifice the People most enjoy and the kind most likely to cause the Bloom to shine.”

“We will do our best,” Xarex promised. And he meant it. He had sworn to Nora that he would do anything he could to save her daughter and he was fully prepared to go through any trial to do just that.