Page 34 of Offering Herself to Darkness

“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.”

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