15 Targeted (49 page)

Saskia’s eyes widened.

“Why, they are the Elders in the Holy Mountains of Rageron. They deal with all of the
Khalla,
so they do.”

“Deal with them in what way? Tell them what to do? Where to go?”

“Of course. A
Khalla
is a treasure to be cherished by all. The Elders see to that.”

“You mean to tell me some group of old men are going to run my life once we get to Rageron?” Emily was beginning to get upset. “Who are they that they should say what I do and where I go?”

“The Elders are both male and female and they are chosen by the Goddess to guide her
Khallas.”
Saskia looked a little shocked at her no-doubt blasphemous words. “Don’t worry, Emily—they’ll send you where you’re most needed.”

“Send me where I’m needed? What does
that
mean?”

“Well, if there’s a region with drought or famine…or one where many have been injured in a war or ravaged by disease…some
Khalla’s
have even been known to go into the Deep Blue if they are needed there.”

“What?” Emily demanded. “What do I look like—the freaking Red Cross? I mean, I’m all for pitching in if there’s a disaster or something but I don’t want to spend my whole
life
going from one disaster to the next like some kind of weird mascot! I teach kindergarten—I work with
children.”

“And so you will—there are sure to be some orphanages where healing is needed.” Saskia stroked her arm soothingly. “I’m sorry I got you all riled up, so I am. Forgive me, Emily and please don’t worry about the future.”

“Of
course
I worry about the future—I’m turning into a whole other person! Someone I don’t even know is going to take over my body and live my life and it won’t even be
my
life apparently—it’s going to be whatever a bunch of dried up old men tell me to do,” Emily snapped.

Saskia’s eyes widened.

“Do you really feel that way about your
Kit’tara?
But Emily, she is just another part of you. And a
Khalla
must go where her duty takes her—that is the life of one who is blessed and chosen by the Goddess.”

Emily put her fingertips to her temples and rubbed, trying to push back the tension headache she could feel building.

“I’m so sorry—I shouldn’t have said all that! I just had such strange dreams last night and I feel all weird and out of sorts this morning.”

“Strange dreams?” Saskia looked troubled. “What kinds of dreams?”

“I don’t even know.” Emily shook her head. “I just woke up feeling
wrong.”

“You’re worried about your fate, so you are,” Saskia said. “But you don’t need to be, Emily—you’re in the hands of the Goddess.”

“Right, the Goddess.” Emily sighed. From the time this whole mess had started, she’d heard about the Goddess, first from Tragar who seemed to think he had abandoned the Kindred deity and was now damned by her, and then from his old master, Xen’dex who seemed to think the Goddess had some kind of hidden agenda Emily had to fulfill, and now from Saskia, who wanted her to put all of her trust in a being she had never seen—one she doubted strongly was anything but a figment of the imagination.

“Yes, the Goddess.” Saskia smiled at her. “She is always close to her
Khallas—
they are her special children, the daughters she loves the most because they represent her in a mortal form.”

“Yeah, well I don’t
feel
much like a goddess,” Emily muttered. In fact, she felt exactly the opposite of divine. Aside from the disturbing dreams she’d had all night, her breasts were full and aching again and she felt strangely sensitive between her legs, which was making her irritable.

The full breasts were her most immediate problem. Emily had been hoping against hope that Tragar was wrong when he had guessed that her nectar wouldn’t flow without help. Not that she
wanted
her breasts to gush like a fountain but in a way it would have been easier if they had. Because she felt really awkward about asking the big Kindred to suck her nipples again.

Of course, he hadn’t seemed to mind helping her the night before and it had been the most erotic experience of her entire life. But Emily knew he believed tasting her nectar was an act that might damn him although she didn’t fully understand why. She felt weird about asking him to commit such a grave “sin” again, even if she didn’t believe in the Goddess he was sure he was sinning against. So no matter how much her breasts ached, she was determined to keep it to herself.

They were boarding his ship and setting a course for Rageron today, she reasoned. Maybe once she was there someone else could tell her what to do. Of course if what Saskia was saying was correct, the Holy Council might want to tell her exactly what she could and couldn’t do the rest of her
life
—not a pleasant prospect at all.

But by then the other will probably be in control so that’ll be
her
problem,
Emily thought grimly.
I wonder when she comes out again? In the third stage of Tenrah? What did Tragar call it again? Let’s see, I’ve already been through Kalor and I’m in Scintil. Next comes Vlammen and then Hel right? Will I even know who I am by the time I get to the end? Or will my whole personality be completely gone?

“Are you ready, my
Khalla?
It’s time we were away.” Tragar’s deep, rumbling voice interrupted her morbid thoughts.

Emily forced herself to smile at him and squeezed Saskia’s hand one more time.

“I’m ready. Just saying goodbye.”

“Farewell,
Khalla,
chosen of the Goddess,” Xen’dex said formally. He came to stand beside Saskia and put an arm around her slender waist. “You are ever welcome in our domicile,” he told Emily.

“Thank you.” Emily tried to smile at him but she was feeling stranger by the minute. Her breasts ached and there was a growing urgency between her legs that made it hard to think.

“You have your coordinates?” Xen’dex asked, turning to Tragar.

“I do.” The big Kindred nodded firmly. “We’ll take the Gatspian wormhole—it comes out only a few parsecs from Rageron. From there it should only take one solar night to get there.”

“Very good,” Xen’dex said gravely. “But Tragar, a word of advice…even once you bring Emily before the Holy Council, you cannot consider your duty done. The voice witch—”

“You mean Grandy See-er?” Emily asked. She felt a cold finger of dread run down her spine though she didn’t know why. “How can she hurt me? I mean, now that I got rid of her, er…devices.” Her face felt hot as she spoke but the tickle of unease at the back of her mind wouldn’t go away.

“I don’t know if she could affect you from so far away or not.” Xen’dex looked troubled. “I only know that she has very potent magic.”

“Surely even the most powerful witch cannot hold sway from such a distance,” Saskia protested, frowning at her mate. “Don’t frighten Emily by making her think that awful old female still has power over her!”

“Forgive me, my love—I just want her to be safe,” Xen’dex said.

“You need have no fear about Emily’s safety,” Tragar said, lifting his chin. “I have pledged my life to protect her. I’ll keep a watchful eye on her—you may be sure of that.” He put an arm around Emily protectively and she pressed against him, glad for the heat of his big body. God, why was she so cold all of a sudden? It was as though the mention of Grandy See-er had sucked all the warmth out of the room.

“See that you do,” Xen’dex said. He clasped arms with Tragar and they squeezed each other’s forearms tightly in a warrior’s grip. “Be well my student,” he said to Tragar. “Remember that the Goddess loves all of her children—even those that have strayed.”

“I doubt she’d care much for one who has strayed as far as I have,” Tragar growled. “Still, I thank you for your thought—and for your hospitality and advice, my old Master. Be well and may Fortune favor you.”

“You as well,” Tragar’s old master said. “Go with the Goddess.”

The ride up to the ship was a silent one. Emily was biting her lips and looking out the window at the fast retreating planet. She could feel the big Kindred glancing at her from time to time but she kept her eyes averted. She didn’t want him to ask why she was so fidgety and nervous. All she could smell was his warm, spicy scent and every breath she took seemed to make the throbbing ache between her legs worse until she thought she would go crazy.

As soon as the shuttle docked with the ship, Emily was up and through the airlock in a flash. She had to get away from the big Kindred and his maddening scent. Her breasts ached—they were fuller than ever—but they were no longer her primary concern. Now she just wanted to get to the bedroom as soon as possible and see if she could figure out what was wrong between her legs.

She hurried down the long metal corridor to the bedroom Tragar had put her in before—
his
bedroom which was probably the last place she ought to be but Emily didn’t know where else to go. Her jog down the corridor irritated the affected area and jiggled her full breasts painfully but she couldn’t slow down—she had to find out what was going on
now.
The door slid shut behind her and she went over to the huge bed, barely noticing that the fire bubbles in the fireplace had turned a tranquil blue.

God, I’m so sensitive!
She winced as she raised her long pale green skirt and looked down at herself.
What’s wrong with me? Is it the aftereffects of that star-silver dildo thing kicking in?

Whatever it was, the problem was certainly severe. Her outer pussy lips were full and swollen and the little pink pearl of her clit was thrusting out prominently, as though begging for attention. The aching need she felt seemed to center there, in her clit.

Looking at herself, Emily felt that if she could just have an orgasm, she might be able to alleviate the strange craving she felt growing in her. Come to think of it, maybe an orgasm would help her nectar flow too. She felt so
pent up
inside—like a bomb waiting to go off. She needed to release all this tension and then she’d feel better.

Eagerly, she reached between her legs, ready to take care of all her problems in one fell swoop. But the minute her fingers came in contact with the swollen folds of her pussy, she gasped in pain.

“
Ow!
What the Hell?” The sharp burst of agony was so unexpected her knees almost buckled and she nearly fell off the side of the bed. What was going on? Certain that it must have been a mistake, she tried again—more gently this time.

But the moment her fingertips made contact with her pussy she cried out in pain. It felt like she’d been stung by a bee and the stinger was still in her, making every touch pure agony.

“
Khalla?
Are you well?”

Tragar’s deep voice behind her made her jerk and gasp. Quickly, she smoothed down her skirt and turned to face him.

“I…uh…” She cleared her throat, trying to think of an explanation and hoping he hadn’t seen her groping between her legs.

“Are your breasts full of nectar again?” He frowned at her, eyeing the way her round globes were thrusting out under the pale green flower petal top. Her nipples were especially prominent—tenting the gauzy material and showing clearly through the ultra light fabric in a way that was both pornographic and painful. Honestly, her breasts had gotten so sensitive that even the light fabric hurt them but Emily had been so preoccupied with the pain and urgency in her pussy she’d barely noticed until now.