Cursed Read online

  “Spanking?” Nar’sa frowned. “Oh, I see what you mean. No—I thought you understood, there is not striking of your partner here. It is not permitted. Corporeal punishment is only used as a last resort in extreme cases of severe discipline. And then, only one of the Joined may conduct the punishment.”

  “Oh…okay.” Charlie nodded. She picked the hairbrush out of the locker and stared at it diffidently. “What do I do with it?”

  “Put it in your pocket for now. You will probably use it after last meal.”

  “But I don’t have any…” Her voice trailed off because in the side of the white robe a slit had appeared where there had been none before.

  Charlie slipped the bulky hairbrush into it, expecting to be irritated by its weight against her leg. Instead, it seemed almost to melt into the robe, leaving not even a bulge.

  “Hey! Where’d it go?” she exclaimed, patting the side of her robe where now even the slit had disappeared.

  “Do not worry—it will be available to you again when you need it,” Nar’sa promised. “Now come—we must go.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Stavros stood when Charlotte entered the communal dining area…and then wished he had not. The sight of her in the thin, nearly transparent white robe made his cock start to rise under his own thin garment. His was not a robe, however, but more of a long white cloth which wrapped around his waist and fell to his bare ankles. It had a split in the middle to around knee level so walking in it was not difficult but he still felt somewhat awkward wearing the alien clothing with no underbriefs beneath it.

  He felt even more awkward about the fact that his chest and arms were bare which showed the curving black lines of his Curse. It seemed to stand out against his skin, shouting to any who cared to look that he was on of the wretched few—a Sin Eater. On his home planet of Tranq Prime, he had kept the markings hidden as much as possible since they were considered ugly and bad luck. Indeed, just the sight of them was enough to make many of his kinsmen shun him completely so it was difficult for him to let them show so openly.

  It occurred to Stav that he could let his hair out of the club he wore at the back of his neck and cover some of his mark. But the curving black lines covered his entire back and the sides of his arms. Though his hair was long, it wasn’t quite long enough to hide that much area. Reluctantly, he had resigned himself to letting it show. At least Charlotte hadn’t flinched from it when he showed her his back in the Mother Ship, he reflected. She had even touched the mark—something no female of Tranq Prime would have ever done.

  Just the memory of her cool fingertips trailing over his back and the warm taste of her mouth when he had healed her tongue was enough to make his fangs throb and his cock even harder.

  Get control of yourself! Stav lectured himself. Here she comes—don’t be a fool! Act naturally.

  Right, act naturally. As though he couldn’t see her luscious, curvy body right through the thin robe she wore. But he must pretend not to notice—as much as he could, anyway.

  “Huh—you look like King Tut,” Charlotte remarked as she came over to the recessed table where Ta’no had instructed him to wait along with several other couples who were talking quietly together. She looked nervous but she was clearly trying to be offhand about the way both of them were dressed. “All you need is a headdress and a big gold yoke around your shoulders.”

  “Who is ‘King Tut?’” he asked, trying not to stare at her breasts. Gods, they were so full and ripe and her hips were emphasized by the blue sash bound tightly around her waist. Stavros had on a sash as well but he thought it looked much better on Charlotte.

  “Never mind.” She waved a hand, which caused her breasts to jiggle enticingly. “It’s not important.”

  “All right. You look lovely,” he said, looking fixedly at her face and nothing else.

  She looked around. “You don’t have to say that. I don’t see Nar’sa or Tonto either.”

  “Ta’no,” Stav corrected her. “And he has gone to get our last meal for us. Though I believe in the future we are to serve ourselves.” He caught her eyes with his. “And I did not say it to impress our councilors—I meant it.” He let his eyes sweep over her once, allowing himself to take in the fullness of her curves and the beauty of her form. “You are…breathtaking. A falinda.”

  “A what?” She frowned at him uncertainly.

  “It is a word in my native language—I suppose it doesn’t translate, even with the translation bacteria. It means a goddess in corporeal form. A deity who has deigned to grace a mortal male with her presence. I feel most honored to have you by my side.”

  Charlotte’s cheeks got red and he wasn’t sure if she was upset or pleased by his compliment. Yet again, he wished that he could sense emotions and not just physical pain. He wanted desperately to know what she was feeling.

  “Thank you,” she said at last. “That’s very…nice of you. Now how about we sit down and eat? I’m starved.”

  “All right.” Stav motioned her to the table which was low—only a foot or so off the ground—and surrounded by cushions which were placed on the smooth pale wooden floor around it. Actually, the cushions appeared to be part of the floor because they didn’t move. He chose one on the end of the table and sat down, letting his legs slide down into the recessed area under the table that seemed to be for that purpose.

  “Okay, this is an interesting table.” Charlotte seated herself on a cushion across from him so that they were facing each other. There were two other couples at the table and they nodded briefly as she got settled.

  “Yes, it is.” Stav wished he could think of something more intelligent to say but he was too busy trying extremely hard not to look at her breasts. It was strange—he was surrounded by females wearing the exact same outfit as Charlotte yet she was the only one he could see. The one who drew his attention to the exclusion of all else.

  “It’s really cozy and—oh!” she gasped, jumping a little and looking down at her cushion. “What the…I think this thing just got fresh with me!”

  “The gundar is simply conforming to the shape of your body,” the female sitting beside Charlotte explained. She had pale blue skin, as did her mate, and thick, fleshy tentacles for hair which were writhing slowly, as though they had a mind of their own. “It wishes to make you more comfortable—that’s all.”

  “A gundar—that’s what it’s called?” Charlotte looked at the pale purple cushion uneasily. She was halfway off of it, as though she couldn’t decide if she wanted to continue to sit or get as far from the gundar as she could.

  “It’s all right—it won’t hurt you,” the girl with blue skin said. She smiled at Charlotte. “I’m Ssstha by the way and this is my mate, Hsssthnk.”

  “Oh, uh, pleased to meet you. I’m Charlie and this is Stavros.” Charlotte offered her hand automatically in the Earth greeting Stav had often seen. She clearly meant to shake hands with the alien female but Ssstha just looked at her outstretched hand, mystified.

  “It’s a greeting from my bride’s home planet,” Stavros said, joining the conversation. “They clasp hands firmly and then shake them up and down a time or two before letting go.”

  “Oh—like this?” Ssstha took Charlotte’s hand carefully in her own which had six long, blue fingers and pumped it exactly twice before letting go.

  “Just like that.” Charlotte smiled at her, clearly amused. “And how do your people greet each other?”

  “We are from Thsssartha,” her mate said, speaking up for the first time. “And we generally entwine tongues in greeting.”

  He opened his mouth and the longest tongue Stavros had ever seen slithered out. It was bright green and forked on the end. It twitched sensitively, as though he was tasting the air around him. He leaned across the table to his mate and Ssstha extended her tongue as well. The two slippery ropes of flesh wrapped around each other in a slimy embrace.

  After a moment, they disengaged and then, tongue still extended, Hsssthnk looked at Ch