Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 86074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Dark went first in case it was a trap and Light took up the rear with Lili staying safely between them. He wondered if the narrow entrance was to discourage theft. Probably, but it was still a pain in the ass. He practically had to turn sideways to fit his shoulders, which were too broad for the tight passage.
At last, however, they came out into a kind of entryway. It was a broad, round area with a floor made of multicolored Ionian marble swirled in all different shades of purple, blue, black, and white. Veins of pure silver and gold ran through the other colors and the walls seemed to be pure silver, so shiny they could see their reflections in it.
As though by mutual but silent agreement, the band of guards surrounding them suddenly came to a halt. The head guard—a stick-insect-looking male, (Light had been right about that,) wearing a tall golden hat, turned to them.
“Here is the entry to the Golden Tower,” he said in a stilted, buzzing voice. “And here all secrets must be revealed.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Dark growled, pulling Lili protectively close to his side.
“It means we must all undergo the serum of transparency,” the head guard buzzed. “Please be assured that it will do no physical damage but it is necessary for entry.”
“What is the serum of transparency, exactly?” Light asked, frowning.
“You will see,” the guard assured them. “In three…two…one…”
The countdown made Dark fucking nervous. He started to ask what in the Seven Hells was going on, but just then a light mist began falling from above.
“The fuck is this?” Dark looked up, reflexively trying to shield Lili at the same time. On her other side, Light was doing the same thing.
But this seemed to agitate the head guard.
“No, no!” he buzzed. “You must allow the mist to penetrate your clothing! Unless the serum of transparency covers you, you may not pass beyond to see the Collection of the Great One, f’loon.”
“We’re not letting a single fucking drop get to our female until you tell us what the fuck this stuff does!” Dark growled. He was ready to fight the guard—The Fury boiling up inside him—but Light put a hand on his arm.
“Wait, Brother—I think I see. Look.”
Dark looked down and saw that his twin was nodding at his own sleeve, which was getting drenched in the tiny droplets from the mist. As they sank in, they slowly turned the black fabric of his uniform shirt transparent.
“What the fuck?” Dark muttered, staring as his own shirt slowly went transparent as well.
“Oh!” Lili exclaimed from between them. “My dress!”
Dark looked and saw that—sure enough—the silky blue dress she was wearing was now almost completely see-through. Apparently, the mist penetrated all clothing—no matter how he and Light had tried to shield her, they couldn’t keep it out.
In very short order, it looked like the three of them were naked. Dark could still feel the fabric of his clothing against his skin, but he couldn’t see it. His shirt, trousers, and boots had all gone completely transparent. He was relieved to see that at least the smart metal sheath that covered his arm was still visible—maybe the “serum of transparency” only penetrated cloth and leather but not flesh or metal.
Being naked didn’t bother him and he was sure Light felt the same. But Lili was a different matter. She had one arm over her clearly visible breasts and the other hand was cupped over her soft little pussy. Gods, she looked mouthwatering, but it wasn’t how she looked that concerned Dark—it was how she felt that worried him.
“Oh, what are we going to do? Why is this necessary?” she demanded, her eyes going wide.
As inexperienced with emotions as he was, Dark was becoming very attuned to the little Elite. He could tell by her tone of voice as well as her tense facial expression that she was upset. Clearly human women were more modest about showing themselves than his own people were.
“Your clothing must be rendered transparent so that we can be sure you are not attempting to steal any of the precious art or artifacts,” the head guard buzzed at them. “See—we are also subject to the serum of transparency,” he added, indicating the fact that his golden uniform was now see-through, showing a skinny body that looked like a tree trunk to Dark.
“But I’m not a thief! I teach Art History. f’loon knows that—we’ve been corresponding for months!” she protested. “I can’t meet such a famous collector like this! I’m practically naked.”
Dark felt the little female’s unhappiness as his own. Just as her laughter made him happy, her anxiety and distress seemed to make him both distressed and angry. Once more The Fury bubbled up inside him like hot lava.
“Reverse it!” he growled to the guard. “Fucking now!”