Finding the Jewel

  “You’re very welcome,” he wrote at last, on the tablet. “It is my pleasure to serve you, Chloe.”

  Chloe felt like her heart was melting in her chest. Those words and the way he was looking at her…

  Stop it, she chided herself. He’s just being a nice guy. Reign it in, Chloe. Keep it together, girl!

  “I…” She cleared her throat and licked suddenly dry lips. “I just wish there was some way I could…could repay you. I wish I could have helped you find the jewel you were looking for.”

  He hesitated for a moment and to Chloe it looked like he was debating with himself. Then he bent to the tablet and wrote again.

  “There may still be a way to get the jewel. I thought it was in the Commercians’ space station but there is one other place it might be. Another place where there’s a door between worlds—a dimensional rift. It’s called the Resort of Resonant Oneness, and it’s located on Fet’lkk Three.”

  “Really? That’s awesome!” Chloe exclaimed. “You should go there—don’t give up on your dream.”

  Tark frowned. “I don’t want to give up but there’s a problem,” he wrote. He hesitated then for so long that Chloe wondered if he was ever going to go on. Finally, he wrote again. “It’s a couple’s resort.”

  “You mean like…a marriage retreat?” she asked, frowning and eating another Thin Mint. “Like unhappy people go there to work on their relationships?”

  Tark nodded.

  “Exactly. Single males are not welcome without a partner.”

  “Oh, I get it—you need someone to go with you to get in.” Chloe nodded. “So…” She hesitated. “Would you like me to come with you? Pretend to be your wife or girlfriend or, uh, whatever?”

  She could feel her cheeks heating again as she asked. They would certainly look like a mismatched pair to any outside observer—her with her pink hair and plus-sized frame and Tark with his lean, muscular build and gorgeous golden eyes. He looked like a male model and she…well, she didn’t look like a model.

  She had a pretty face but there was no way she could keep up with him in the fitness and all-around hotness department. As much as she owned her curves, Chloe had to admit he was way out of her league. Hell, they weren’t even in the same ballpark.

  But when she looked up, the big Kindred was nodding eagerly.

  “Would you?” he wrote on the tablet. “I know it’s a lot to ask and I wouldn’t ask it if there was any danger. But it’s just a resort for troubled lovers. If I could just get in long enough to look for the jewel…”

  “Of course I’ll help you,” Chloe exclaimed. “After you rescued me from a fate worse than death? I owe you! If it wasn’t for you I’d probably be being probed by tentacles right now—everywhere.” She shivered, remembering the awful Globber.

  A low growl rose in Tark’s throat and at first she thought she’d made him mad. But then he wrote rapidly on the tablet.

  “Fucking Slimerian bastard. He’ll never touch you—I swear it!”

  “Well, thank you…” Chloe breathed, putting a hand to her heart. She couldn’t help the way it pounded when she remembered the possessive light in his golden eyes when he’d kept the slimy tentacle from touching her and growled, “Mine” at the awful Globber.

  Of course, it was a moot point since she was pretty sure the Slimerian was dead—she’d seen Tark shoot a hole right through him after all. But it still gave her a thrill to see that protective look on the big Kindred’s face and know it was directed at her.

  She cleared her throat, trying to still the fluttering of her heart and get back on topic.

  “So, how far away is this, uh, resort anyway?”

  “Very close,” he wrote. “Only one wormhole away.”

  “Uh, one wormhole?” Chloe frowned. “You go through wormholes? Is that safe?”

  Tark nodded and then appeared to consider.

  “Unless you are pregnant,” he wrote and then raised his eyebrows at her.

  “Pregnant?” Chloe couldn’t help laughing. “Please! I haven’t even had a date in over a year. So unless it’s an immaculate conception—”

  She caught herself, realized she was saying too much. Well, blame it on the chocolate high. Looking down, she realized she had somehow finished half of the first sleeve of Thin Mints. Better save some for later. Regretfully, she closed them and looked back at Tark.

  “Sorry, kind of an overshare there. I didn’t mean…I mean, I just…there’s no way I’m pregnant. That’s all.”

  He was staring at her intently. After a moment, he wrote, “So you have no mate? No male in your life?”

  “Oh. Uh—no.” Chloe found herself blushing again for some reason. “No, I don’t. Just can’t…” She ran a hand through her hair self-consciously. “Just can’t seem to find Mr. Right—you know?”

  He nodded. “I have no female either. It’s a good thing since we are going to the Resort of Resonant Oneness together.”

  “Can’t wait.” Chloe smiled at him. “Hey, do you want any more of these before I put them away?” She nodded to the cookies but Tark shook his head.

  “For you,” he wrote. “I like to watch you eat them more than I like eating them myself.”

  Chloe wasn’t sure what to say to that.

  “Well…thank you.” She smiled at him tentatively. “That’s very sweet of you. And thank you for getting them for me. You know, I tried to break into that damn pantry myself with a meat mallet but it just bounced right off. And you took it down in one punch.” She shook her head. “Amazing.”

  Tark grinned at her and flexed one bicep jokingly, making her grin back. But holy crap, even though he was just kidding around, his muscles were huge, Chloe couldn’t help noticing. She had to restrain herself from reaching out to touch his bicep to feel how rock-hard it was. God, why did she have so much trouble keeping her hands to herself around him?

  “Well…” She got up from the table, forcing herself to put distance between them. “Since you cooked, I’ll clean up. Okay?”

  He nodded. “I need to plot a course for the Resort.”

  “Great.” Chloe hesitated. “There’s, uh, just one problem.” She bit her lip as he looked at her expectantly, one eyebrow raised. “I don’t really have anything to wear,” she pointed out. “I mean, unless you don’t mind letting me wear more of your shirts as dresses, that is.” She nodded down at herself, clad in his thin white shirt.

  Tark’s golden eyes scanned over her rapidly and she almost wished she hadn’t brought attention to the problem. Her nipples were suddenly harder than ever and poking out from beneath the thin material. It was embarrassing to have him looking at her but at the same time, having that intense gaze on her made her heart beat faster and her breath come short. Embarrassing but intriguing too, she decided.

  Finally, he stopped looking at her and wrote.

  “Don’t worry—I did some research. They give the pilgrims that come to their resort robes to wear.”

  “Pilgrims, huh? Oh—okay.”

  Chloe imagined herself swathed in a shapeless white sheet and breathed a sigh of relief. After days of wearing too-tight, too-skimpy clothes which were supposed to motivate her to lose weight, she would finally be able to relax! It would probably be like going around in her bathrobe all day. That would be nice.

  “Sounds good,” she said to Tark. “Then I guess we’d better get going.”

  He nodded. “Thank you again. And I swear that once we have the jewel, I will return you to your home planet of Earth.”

  “Oh…” for some reason all the warm fuzzy feelings Chloe had been having suddenly deserted her. He wanted to take her home—he already had it all planned out.

  Of course he’s promising to take you home—he’s a nice guy! she scolded herself. But still, she couldn’t help feeling a little let down. Oh well, at least it proved once and for all that Tark wasn’t interested in her—that he only needed her to help him get his jewel and then this would be all over.

  “Thank you,”
she said rather belatedly. “That…that will be fine.”

  He looked at her intently for a moment, then nodded and turned back to the front of the ship, presumably to set a course for the resort. Chloe sighed and turned to the task of clearing up the remains of their meal. It was time to get her head out of the clouds and her feet back on the ground.

  So as she cleared, she reminded herself of the facts: One—the big Kindred was amazingly strong and sweet and kind and intelligent. And two—he wasn’t for her. That was something she needed to keep in mind—especially once she started pretending she was his wife.

  I can do it, she told herself. I owe him that much. So what if I’m not his type? I can deal with that—I’ll find somebody back on Earth. Hell, maybe I’ll try that dating app Amanda was raving about before I got snatched by the Commercians.

  But she knew it was false bravado. Somehow she didn’t want to meet anyone else and the little pain around her heart that came from knowing the big Kindred had no interest in her wouldn’t quite go away.

  Chapter Eight

  “Welcome to the Resort of Resonant Oneness, pilgrims.”

  The monk bowed low to them, exposing the bald crown of his head. His scalp was dark blue—as was the rest of his skin—and the hair that fringed the bald spot was a series of bright red spikes that stuck up in a circle around his head like a bizarre crown. He had bright orange eyes which reminded Chloe of a lighted Jack-o-lantern and he was dressed as she had imagined—in a baggy garment which looked like he had simply wrapped two white and black sheets around his thin frame. His long, flat feet were bare and vaguely amphibian—there seemed to be webbing between all seven of his toes.

  Before her time in the Commercians’ station, Chloe would have thought he was the strangest thing she had ever seen. But after being exposed to both the wormy blue Commercians and Globber the Slimerian, the Resonant Monk, as Tark had said they called themselves here, didn’t faze her in the slightest.

  “Thank you,” she said, taking the lead since the monk had risen from his bow and was looking at them expectantly. “We’re very happy to be here to, uh, work on our relationship.”

  Her voice echoed in the broad cavern which was the entrance to the resort. Tark had told her that it went far under the earth, one cave leading into the next, down and down and down for miles. Chloe could well believe it. The walls of the vast area they were standing in were solid rock and reminded her a little bit of Grand Caverns in Virginia, which she had visited as a girl when her parents decided to take her and her sister on vacation there one year.

  Only, instead of rough rock, the walls of this cave were polished to a high gloss. Even the stalactites and stalagmites were shiny and smooth as though someone had buffed them until they shone. The light seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once—a warm, indirect golden glow that made her think of candlelight and romance. Which was probably on purpose since this was a couples’ retreat.

  “Truly, you are welcome.” The monk nodded his red-spiked head again. “I am Baroni—I will be one of your attendants. Tell me, what aspect of your sexual life are you having the most difficulty with?”

  Chloe nearly choked. “Our…our sexual life?” she managed to get out.

  “Indeed.” The Monk frowned sternly. “Here at the Resort of Resonant Oneness we believe that sexuality is the foundation of any relationship. When that is healed, all else will follow. We will treat your sexual dysfunction with touch, tone, talk and taste. Using these tools and techniques, we have been healing couples—and sometimes threesomes, foursomes, or moresomes—whatever is acceptable to your culture—for many thousands of years.”

  “Wow.” Chloe nodded respectfully though inside she was quietly panicking. “That’s, uh, a really amazing record.”

  “Thank you. I am humbled by your praise.” Baroni the monk bowed low again. “Now,” he said, rising. “The first thing to do is to get the two of you fitted for your Resonant robes.” He clapped his hands and a woman who looked enough like him to be his sister—from the orange eyes and blue skin to the crown of red spikes for hair—came striding out from behind a bunch of stalagmites. She, too, was dressed in black and white sheets and she and Baroni nodded at each other tranquilly.

  “This is Monkess Laroni,” Baroni said to them. “She is Mistress of Robes here—a very important position, I assure you. She will see to it that you are fitted with the perfect robes to enhance your time here with us.”

  “Thank you, Monk Baroni, for that fine introduction,” Monkess Laroni said. Weirdly, her voice sounded almost exactly like his except that it was slightly higher.

  They must be brother and sister, Chloe thought, looking at the two monks together. Maybe even fraternal twins—they’re so much alike!

  “Come with me,” the monkess said and turned silently on her seven-toed feet to lead them behind the stalagmites.

  Chloe started to follow the other woman but Tark stopped her with a hand on her arm. He frowned and raised his eyebrows and she realized he was asking her if she wanted to go on. After all, it was beginning to sound like this place was a little more than they had bargained for.

  Chole considered for a moment. She knew she might be biting off more than she could chew but honestly, she didn’t mind having a chance to get closer to the big Kindred. And it wasn’t like anyone had asked them to have sex with each other. There would probably just be lots of talking about their “sexual relationship.” It would be embarrassing but she thought she could probably fake her way through it.

  Besides, she owed this to Tark—he had rescued her. And she could see how much his stutter bothered him and affected his whole life. When she looked into his golden eyes, the part inside her that wanted to heal—the part that had caused her to go into Speech Therapy in the first place—felt for him deeply and wanted to see him cured.

  No matter what they had to do to get it, she wanted him to find that jewel.

  She held his eyes and nodded her head firmly. Yes, let’s do this. Let’s go.

  Tark scanned her face and after a moment, he nodded.

  “Well, are you coming? Every moment is precious.” The Monkess Laroni looked back at them, an annoyed expression on her dark blue face.

  “Yes, sorry.” Chloe hurried to catch up with Tark at her side. They rounded the corner and found that the highly polished stalagmites—which were mottled shades of cream and rust red—led into a kind of corridor which sloped down to a lower level.

  “Follow me and do not get lost,” The Monkess Laroni said sharply. “There are ways within ways here at the Resort of Resonant Oneness and it does not do to wander unannounced into any of the chambers, lest you interrupt a treatment in session.”

  “Um, right. We’ll keep up,” Chloe said. She had to trot to keep up with the monkess though Tark, with his long strides, appeared to be holding himself back a little so he didn’t get ahead of their hostess.

  The corridor zigged and zagged downward and they went on for what felt like miles, sometimes passing rooms on either side where activities of some kind seemed to be taking place. Most of the doorways were closed only by curtains and from under several of these, Chloe saw colored lights flashing. The sound of chanting came from other rooms, resonating mellowly in the rocky cavern. And from a few she heard what sounded like groans and moans of pleasure.

  Those few made her feel extremely nervous. What were the people in there doing to each other? And would she and Tark have to do things to each other too?

  Like you’d mind, whispered a sarcastic little voice in her head. Admit it, Chloe—you’ve got the hots for him in a big way. You’re not going to be too upset if someone makes you give him a back massage or makes him give you one.

  Images of herself rubbing and touching Tark’s big, muscular body filled her head and Chloe felt a throbbing between her thighs. It was strange but she felt almost hungry to touch him—a craving every bit as powerful as her urge for chocolate had been while she was on her period the past week.

&
nbsp; Thank goodness I’m over that at last, she thought to herself. The last day was always the worst but the last time she had checked, Aunt Flo had gone home and wouldn’t be troubling her for at least another month. It made things much more convenient since she had left the weight-loss house without any personal sanitary items to speak of.

  “Now then—here we are—the Hall of Robes.” Monkess Laroni spoke with a hushed reverence as she drew aside a hanging curtain and ushered them into a cavern with a high, arching ceiling.

  From the name of the room, Chloe would have expected to see racks and racks of the same bulky black and white sheet-robes the monks all seemed to wear here. Instead, the vast room appeared to be bare—just an empty rock room filled with a warm golden glow.

  “Now then, pilgrims.” Monkess Laroni pulled the curtain that covered the doorway back into place and turned to look at them. “You may strip and I will call for the proper robes to clothe you.”

  “Um…” Chloe felt her cheeks get hot. “Strip?” Her voice came out in a squeak of uncertainty.

  “Most assuredly.” The monkess frowned at her sternly. “How can I get a sense of which robes will be appropriate if I cannot see you in your natural form as the Goddess created you?”

  “Um…ah…in front of each other?” Chloe got out at last. “I mean, don’t you have his and hers changing rooms or something?”

  Monkess Laroni looked at her as though she’d asked if she could go change on the moon.

  “What? Are you ashamed of your body, pilgrim? Or afraid to allow your mate to see it? What do you do when you make love?”

  “We, uh…” Chloe cleared her throat. She wished that Tark could jump in and help her but of course, he couldn’t. “We usually do it in the dark,” she said at last, improvising.

  “In the dark?” The other woman looked at her as though she’d just admitted to some kind of kinky perversion. “Well!” She shook her head and frowned. “I see we have much work to do to heal your relationship. We have no use for false modesty here—you must not be ashamed to be naked before your mate—nor he before you.”