Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Nate looked down at himself. Aside from the embarrassing erection, which still persisted, he didn’t see anything special about his chest. He was muscular—he always had been and a life of constant running and fighting over the past five years had kept him in excellent shape.
He had a small patch of dark hair between his pecs which led in a little trail down his washboard abs. He didn’t work on the abs out of vanity, however—it was important to have a strong core, especially when you had to be constantly ready for anything.
Then he realized that something was different. Earlier, he’d been covered in the small red marks which were scars left from the wires the Scourge had shoved under his skin when they’d hooked him up to the machine that fed him bad images so the AllFather could feed on his pain. Now…they were gone. Every last mark had been erased completely.
And that wasn’t the only thing missing.
“Hey—my appendectomy scar!” Nate muttered, looking down at his right side. As a kid, he’d suffered a burst appendix that had gone septic on a camping trip and nearly killed him. By the time they’d gotten him to a hospital, there had been no time to do a laparoscopic surgery—the surgeon had been forced to open him up the old-fashioned way which had left a jagged scar.
“We had to gut you like a fish, boy! You’re lucky you lived through it,” he’d told Nate cheerfully, when he came to check him after the surgery. “Your guardian angel was looking out for you—that’s for sure.”
Guardian angel…was that what Lan’ara was? Was this some kind of heaven or afterlife? How had all his scars been erased?
He was also missing the various war wounds he’d gotten while fighting the Scourge. The twisted, puckered spot on his left triceps where a laser blast had gone right through the muscle…the knife cut he’d gotten from hand-to-hand combat with one of the Flesh Vat grown monsters the Scourge called soldiers…even the burn marks on his wrist he’d gotten cooking for the guys one night. All just…gone.
“I see the Outermost Pool did an excellent job on you.”
Lan’ara was looking at his bare chest with what appeared to be satisfaction.
“Is that what happened to my scars?” Nate demanded. “That pool healed them?”
“The Outermost Pool can heal most any physical wound, as long as it is not life threatening,” she said. “You had an old scar here I wasn’t sure it could get rid of. But it did.” Her slim fingers brushed along his abdomen, causing his flesh to pebble into goose bumps. At the same time, his cock surged in his trousers, making Nate clear his throat and take a step back uncomfortably.
“Yeah, my appendectomy scar,” he muttered and found that his eyes had somehow been drawn back to her breasts. He’d always liked full curves and big breasts and the erotic sight of the wet white dress, which was practically transparent, clinging to her tight peaks was damn hard not to stare at.
Get hold of yourself, Nate! he lectured himself. You’re acting like some kind of kid who’s never seen breasts before!
He looked away, dragging his eyes back up to her face—which was really gorgeous, in an alien, exotic way. Her big eyes were like stars in her heart-shaped face and her lips were softly rounded and looked very kissable.
For a moment he had the urge to cup her cheek and bend down to taste those sweet lips…but he forced the impulse away. Such a tender gesture wasn’t appropriate with a woman he didn’t even know, even if Lan’ara claimed that she knew him, due to this weird “Dream-sharing” thing she said had happened between them.
If she was upset with him for looking at her, Lan’ara didn’t show it. She simply smiled, as though pleased at how well the pool had healed him.
“Are you feeling better now that you’re able to move and see your surroundings?” she asked, looking up at him.
He nodded.
“Yeah—hell of a lot better. Still want to explore some, though. I’ve never been on another planet before.”
“We’ll explore together.” Lan’ara held out a slim, light purple hand to him and, after a moment, Nate took it.
“All right,” he said. “Let’s go.”
They went.
FOURTEEN
LAN’ARA
“He doesn’t know me. Months of Dream-sharing and he doesn’t even know me!”
Lan’ara could hear the anguish in her own voice, but she couldn’t seem to help it. She’d been so sure that once Nate calmed down and saw her face, he would recognize her instantly. But no such thing had happened. It was like she was a complete stranger to him—just some strange female who had wandered into his life who meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.
“I know it’s hard, child.” Tante Na’lla patted her shoulder soothingly. “But not everyone remembers their dreams—Dream-sharing is different for everyone, as you know.” She picked up a long stick and stirred the driftwood fire she’d made on the beach, causing golden sparks to fly upward. The Healing Grotto wasn’t far from the Inland Sea and the faint hush of the waves breaking along the shoreline was soothing.