Epilogue
TERRA
The honeymoon suite was unlike anything Terra had ever seen, which was saying quite a lot considering she was spending her wedding night aboard an enormous living alien spaceship orbiting Mars.
Before leaving the reception, she had checked on Cody, Lisa and Lucy one last time, despite her mother repeatedly assuring her that they were perfectly capable of surviving a single night without her hovering.
The three of them had been given a spacious guest domicile near the Market district, complete with two sleeping chambers, a little sitting area, and one of the living kitchens the children had already become fascinated with.
Terra had personally inspected every inch of the place before agreeing to let them stay there, however, and she had made Taurex promise—twice—that there were absolutely, positively, under no circumstances any pleasure blooms growing anywhere in the vicinity.
When he pointed out that the guest suites were nowhere near the private bathing gardens where such plants normally grew, Terra had informed him that she didn’t care if the nearest pleasure bloom was on the opposite side of the Mother Ship—she wanted confirmation anyway.
Only after Taurex had promised her that her children and mother wouldn’t be anywhere near the sneaky blossoms, did she feel comfortable leaving them alone.
“You know, they only reacted the way they did because of the mating scents we were putting out,” he told her. “They pay no attention whatsoever to children or the elderly because they do not smell sexually active.”
“I don’t care about any of that,” Terra said. “I just don’t want them near my babies—or my mom, for that matter.”
“They won’t be,” he said. “I swear it on my life.”
“Good.” Terra had nodded in satisfaction.
Tomorrow they would all spend the day together. Taurex had promised Cody and Lisa another trip to the Market to find more “space souvenirs.” Lisa was already planning to find additional charms for her mood-bloom bracelet and Cody wanted to look for a more complicated living puzzle.
After that, the big Monstrum intended to take them riding on the wole trains or wole-a-coaster, as Terra called it—an announcement that had caused both children to start cheering.
Lucy, of course, asked whether the giant centipede-like creatures had safety restraints and Terra reminded her mother that she had ridden one before and survived.
So tomorrow would belong to the family…but tonight belonged to Terra and Taurex.
The honeymoon domicile had been grown high in the branches of one of the enormous silver-barked trees that formed the inner forest of the Mother Ship, and reaching it required stepping onto a circular living platform nestled against the tree’s trunk.
The platform rose silently through the branches when Taurex placed his palm against the bark, carrying them upward past glowing flowers, curtains of trailing vines and tiny winged creatures that flashed like fireflies beneath the artificial night sky.
Terra stood beside her new husband with one hand tucked into his enormous palm, still wearing her wedding dress, and watched the forest fall away beneath them until the pathways below became ribbons of soft golden light.
“This is incredible,” she whispered.
Taurex looked down at her.
“You have not seen the suite yet.”
She smiled up at him.
“I’m sure it’s gorgeous, but I’m not sure how you’re going to top a flying tree elevator.”
“It is not technically flying,” he explained. “The platform is grown from the tree and moves through controlled muscular contraction of the supporting vines.”
Terra laughed.
“You really know how to keep the romance alive.”
His ears twitched.
“I was attempting to explain.”
“I know, baby.”
She squeezed his hand and Taurex’s mouth curved into a smile.
Terra loved that she knew his expressions now…
loved that she could tell the difference between amusement and embarrassment by the angle of his ears and the slight change in his golden eyes.
There had once been so much about him that seemed strange and intimidating, but now even the alien details felt familiar.
The platform finally stopped beside a broad branch thick enough to support a house, except there was no actual house waiting for them.
Instead, the tree itself opened. A doorway formed in the silver bark as they approached, curling inward like flower petals to reveal a softly glowing chamber beyond.
Terra stopped and stared, her eyes wide.
“Oh, wow,” she breathed.
The suite seemed to have been grown directly from the heart of the tree. Smooth, pale wood formed curved walls without corners or seams, and the ceiling arched overhead in a canopy of interwoven branches covered in tiny luminous blossoms.
The flowers glowed in shades of pink, gold and soft violet, creating enough light to illuminate the room while leaving everything intimate and shadowed.
One entire wall was open to the forest through a huge oval window formed from a transparent living membrane, giving them a breathtaking view across the treetops toward the artificial stars glittering high above.
A narrow stream of water emerged from one wall and ran through a shallow channel in the floor before disappearing beneath the roots again, filling the room with the gentle sound of trickling water.
Beside it grew clusters of tiny white flowers that released a faint scent somewhere between jasmine and vanilla whenever Terra walked past.
“They respond to movement,” Taurex explained when she noticed.
She inhaled deeply.
“They smell beautiful.”
“They were selected specifically for human-compatible mating suites,” he told her.
Terra looked at him.
“Please tell me that doesn’t mean they’re related to the pleasure blooms.”
Taurex rumbled laughter.
“They are not.”
“Just checking.”
“I personally requested that no pleasure blooms be grown within three habitation sectors of this suite,” he told her.
Terra laughed.
“Thank you. Now that’s romantic.”
There was a bathing area beyond a screen of hanging vines, complete with a warm waterfall cascading into a shallow stone basin and flowers that produced soap, shampoo and fragrant oils.
A small alcove held fruit, drinks and what Taurex explained was a special sweet, fermented beverage traditionally shared by newly Joined couples, although he assured her it was mild enough that neither of them would become intoxicated.
But it was the bed that captured Terra’s attention immediately.
It occupied most of the center of the suite and was enormous even by Monstrum standards—a broad oval platform formed from intertwined roots and covered with a thick mattress of living moss so soft it looked more like clouds than vegetation.
Thousands of small blush-pink flowers were scattered across the surface, their petals open and glowing faintly from within.
Terra stopped several feet away and pointed at the flowers.
“What do those do?”
Taurex’s ears twitched.
“They are harmless. They are called silara blossoms. They grow only in mating domiciles.”
Terra eyed them suspiciously.
“Uh-huh. Tell me more.”
“They do not possess tendrils,” he offered.
“That’s a good start. Go on.” She made a motion with one hand.
“They cannot move independently,” he said.
“Even better.” She nodded. “But what else do they do?”
“They release a mild compound when touched by bare skin. It increases circulation and heightens tactile sensitivity,” he told her.
Terra frowned.
“They heighten sensitivity? How much?”
Taurex’s golden eyes were suddenly half-lidded.
“Enough to be pleasurable.”
A flutter went through Terra’s stomach.
“Any surprise penetration involved?”
“No.”
“Anything trying to drink bodily fluids?” she asked?
He shook his head.
“No.”
She raised an eyebrow at him.
“Anything that might suddenly decide I’m a particularly attractive member of the plant kingdom?”
The corners of Taurex’s mouth twitched.
“No.”
She nodded.
“Okay. Then the pink flowers can stay.”
“I am relieved. It would be extremely difficult to get them off the bed since they are actually part of it.”
Terra laughed and reached up to kiss him.
It was only meant to be a quick kiss, but Taurex’s hand settled at her waist and the contact lingered.
His mouth moved over hers slowly…teasingly…
and for a moment Terra forgot where they were.
When she pulled back and looked up at him, she knew she needed to get out of her dress.
“I need to change into something more comfortable,” she murmured.
Taurex immediately released her.
“Of course, lovely one,” he growled softly.
Terra felt a shiver of pure desire run through her.
“Don’t go anywhere,” she told him.
“I have no intention of doing so,” he murmured.
“Good.”
Terra took the small bag containing her wedding-night things and disappeared behind the living vine screen into the bathing area.
She had spent an embarrassing amount of time choosing what to wear tonight.
Part of her had considered something soft and romantic—a silk nightgown perhaps, elegant and modest enough to make her feel like the mature bride she now was.
Then she had remembered the way Taurex looked at her body—how he hungered for her and worshipped her. So she had decided to buy something much less sensible.
The white lace teddy she had chosen fit tightly over her curves, its scalloped edges tracing the tops of her thighs while the cups lifted her breasts just enough to make her cleavage impossible to ignore.
Instead of closing completely in front, the garment tied between her breasts with a narrow satin ribbon and then opened below, revealing a matching pair of lace panties beneath it.
The panties themselves were even more daring—they were crotchless and their tiny, lacy strings framed her pussy beautifully.
Terra stared at herself in the living mirror and felt sexy and hot.