Finding the Jewel Read online

“Really?” Chloe looked down at herself in surprise. “These robes are made of the same stuff your, uh, instruments are made of? But…they seem so different.”

  “Yes, well—that is the miracle that is resonite—it can assume every form of matter. It’s the reason that the original Monk Aaroni founded the Resort of Resonant Oneness here in the first place and then cloned himself in order to staff and run it.”

  “Wait—go back.” Chloe frowned. “You say he cloned himself?” If that was true, no wonder all the monks here looked so much alike!

  “Why yes—didn’t you know?” Taroni asked. “He tried to staff the resort with other people but he found that no one quite understood the Deep Harmonies as he did—they just couldn’t grasp his wisdom. And so he cloned himself many times over—he even made some female versions so that the males would not be lonely—and we have been running the resort for him ever since.”

  “So…y-you’re a c-cl-clone?” Tark asked, frowning.

  “Only one of many.” Taroni waved a hand airily. “Of course, we consider ourselves more as his children than his clones. He raised us, after all, and taught us all we need to know to do our various duties.” He frowned. “Speaking of that, I am neglecting my own duties at the moment. We must get the two of you measured.”

  “Okay, how do you do that?” Chloe asked.

  “Come sit here, my dear.” The monk waved for her to have a seat on a crystal bench—or rather, a resonite bench, Chloe supposed. “Very good, very good,” he said, nodding when she was settled. “Now then, let me just make a few adjustments…”

  He leaned over her shoulder and did something to a number of clear, crystalline buttons and knobs.

  “Don’t worry,” he said, as he was working with the instruments. “My touch is absolutely neutral so I will have no effect on your measurements. Now…” He stood back and nodded, as though satisfied. “Very good. Place your hands on the panel, my dear.”

  He nodded down and Chloe saw that in the place where a regular organ would have had keys, there were a number of lighted panels.

  “What, just—anywhere?” she asked, lifting her hands.

  “Anywhere.” Taroni nodded. “Don’t worry—it doesn’t hurt a bit. The most you’ll feel is a bit of a tingle.”

  “A tingle?” Hesitantly, Chloe placed both her hands on the panels. There was a soft thrumming which she felt more than heard and then the entire organ lit up in a deep, throbbing red.

  “Good—very good.” The monk seemed pleased. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with your passion at least. Now let’s try this…” He had Chloe take her hands away and fiddled with the knobs and buttons once more. When he nodded, she put her hands back on the panel.

  This time there was almost no light at all and the thrumming was extremely faint.

  “What? What’s this? This can’t be right!” With an anxious look on his face, Monk Taroni leaned over her shoulder and adjusted some more. “There, try again.”

  Chloe did, but with the same result. A faint flicker of pinkish light and a barely audible thrum was the only result.

  “Oh dear, oh dear.” Taroni looked extremely concerned. “Very well—let’s try you,” he said to Tark, who had been standing by watching silently.

  Chloe moved and the big Kindred came to sit in her place. The monk adjusted the instrument and then had Tark place his hands on the panel as Chloe had. Once again, the organ lit up red and a deep thrumming could be heard.

  “Very good! Most satisfactory! Your passion levels are also high—you should be very compatible with your mate.” Taroni beamed. “All right now, remove your hands please.”

  Tark did and waited as the monk adjusted the instrument. Then he placed his hands on the panel again at Taroni’s request.

  There was barely a flicker of light this time and no sound at all.

  “Oh, no! But this is terrible.” Monk Taroni looked absolutely distraught. “How can this be? You both have so much passion but you are suffering from the Skin Hunger!”

  “The what?” Chloe asked blankly. “Skin Hunger? What’s that?”

  “A terrible malady which should never, never strike those who are mated,” Taroni exclaimed. “It is the very opposite of Oneness!”

  A terrible malady? The opposite of Oneness? Chloe still had no idea what he was talking about. She hoped very much the treatment for this weird “Skin Hunger” wasn’t to eat anyone’s skin. There were limits to what she was prepared to do here.

  “Here—take your hands off the panel,” Taroni directed Tark when the big Kindred started to move. “No, just stay there—I want to try something. Come here, my dear.” He beckoned to Chloe. “Just come up here behind your mate and put your hands on his bare shoulders.”

  Chloe felt a little shiver of desire go through her and tried to tamp it down. How pathetic was it that just getting to touch the big Kindred’s shoulders excited her? But she couldn’t seem to help herself—she had never felt so drawn to anyone in her life. Though she had known Tark less than a day, part of her felt like they had known each other forever…that they belonged together.

  All right, Chloe—that’s crazy talk and you know it, she lectured herself. Take it easy. Keep it light and friendly and remember that after this is all over the two of you are going your separate ways.

  Gingerly, she stepped up behind Tark and put her hands lightly on his broad, bare shoulders. His skin was as warm and satiny as she remembered and she had a sudden, almost irresistible longing to run her hands all over him. Somehow she controlled herself and held still.

  But this didn’t seem to please the monk at all.

  “No, no,” he exclaimed, his orange eyes flashing. “Closer! Press yourself against your mate! Let him feel your body against his own.”

  Biting her lip, Chloe did as requested. Taking a step forward, she pressed her chest against Tark’s bare back. The big Kindred was tall but the bench he was sitting on was rather low so she found that her breasts were rubbing against his shoulder blades. To her consternation, it seemed that the contact between them melted the fabric of her robe-dress so that her bare skin was touching his. Her nipples grew instantly erect and she wondered if the big Kindred could feel them, pressing against him.

  She started to draw back but the monk shook his head again.

  “Closer!” he insisted. “Closer!”

  Biting her lip, Chloe wrapped her arms around the big Kindred’s neck and pressed her entire front against his back. As before, the robe melted away, leaving nothing between them. It was embarrassing but what could she do? She was pretending to be Tark’s mate—she had to obey the monk’s orders.

  Tark’s long hair, black at the roots and lighter at the tips, brushed against her face and she breathed in his spicy, smoky scent. Chloe felt her nipples get even harder and her pussy was suddenly liquid between her thighs. God, why did he affect her so intensely?

  He rumbled softly and shifted back against her, as though seeking even more contact. Was he affected by their touching too…or only putting on an act? Chloe noticed that both of their robes had gone a deep rosy red again—she wondered absently what it meant.

  “Good.” Monk Taroni nodded. “Very good. Now,” he said to Tark. “Put your hands on the panel.”

  Tark shifted on the bench restlessly and did as he was told. At once the organ turned a deep, burning red and a loud THRUMMM filled the entire room. It resonated with the other crystalline—no, resonite Chloe reminded herself—structures. Soon it sounded like the entire room was humming in perfect harmony. It was beautiful but she could hardly pay attention to it, she was so caught up in pressing herself against the big Beast Kindred and breathing him in. His scent was like a drug and she just couldn’t seem to get enough of it.

  I wonder if I smell half as good to him as he smells to me, she wondered. Is this some kind of cologne or just the scent of his skin? God, it makes me want to lick him all over!

  Visions of rubbing her naked body against his…of dropping to her knees befor
e him to stroke his long, thick shaft against her cheek and then putting out her tongue to taste it…to lick him, filled her head. Chloe could just imagine the deep, rumbling groans she could elicit from him as she tasted him…then spread her thighs to let him take her…

  God, what’s wrong with me? I have to stop thinking like this. Remember that Beast Kindred are big—too big, she reminded herself. Remember how scary it would be if he tried to fit himself inside you.

  But somehow the images wouldn’t go and all she wanted to do was get closer to the big Kindred…close enough to never be apart again.

  “Yes, yes—it is as I thought. Very well, you may stop touching your mate—for the moment. My dear? Hello? I said you can stop now.”

  It took a minute for the monk’s words to sink in and when they did, Chloe realized she was rubbing herself like a cat in heat against Tark’s back—basically dry humping him.

  “Oh, uh—sorry.” She jerked back abruptly, embarrassed at her own display. What had gotten into her? To her relief, she saw that her robe-dress reformed itself to hide the parts that had been pressed against Tark as soon as she stopped making contact with him.

  “It’s all right, my dear—no need to apologize. I can tell how hungry you are. How hungry both of you are.” He tapped Tark on the shoulder. “If you would please turn around? Thank you. And you…” he nodded at Chloe. “Sit on your mate’s lap. I need to speak to you both.”

  Chloe thought about protesting that she could sit beside Tark on the bench but there really wasn’t room—he was too big and the bench was too small. She glanced at him, asking permission silently. He nodded and patted his lap.

  Gingerly, she settled herself on his knees but the Monk Taroni frowned.

  “Why do you do that, my dear? Why do you deny yourself the pleasure of your mate’s touch when you are clearly so hungry for him? Go on—sit back—allow him to cradle you.”

  Feeling embarrassed, Chloe wiggled backward…only to feel something hot and hard poking her behind.

  “Oh!” she gave a little gasp and felt Tark shift behind her.

  “S-sorry,” he rumbled in her ear.

  “It…it’s okay,” Chloe murmured back. “I don’t, uh, mind. I just don’t want to, you know—squish you. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  In answer, he took her firmly by the hips and brought her back again so that her bottom was planted directly on his crotch.

  “Al-all right?” he asked in her ear.

  “If…if it’s all right with you,” Chloe breathed back. She couldn’t believe they were doing this but again, what else could they do? The way she was sitting, she could feel the hard length of his shaft pressing against her outer pussy lips—right through the fabric of her dress and his trousers. In fact, the fabric was so thin it barely felt like anything was there at all.

  Suddenly she remembered the way the fabric across her chest had melted when she’d made contact with the big Kindred’s back. Was that what was happening now? She wanted to see but that would mean spreading her thighs to take a look which was way too obvious and embarrassing. All she could really do was sit still and hope that she was wrong.

  “Now then, if the two of you are comfortably settled, I need to speak to you seriously about your relationship.” Monk Taroni steepled his long blue fingers under his chin and looked at them earnestly.

  “Okay.” Chloe nodded. “We’re listening.”

  “When was the last time the two of you made love?” the monk asked bluntly. “It must have been ages ago—the two of you have such a severe case of the Skin Hunger you’re practically starving to death.”

  “Um…uh…” Chloe cleared her throat and turned her head to look at Tark, who shrugged uncertainly. “Honestly, I can’t, uh, remember the last time we, uh, made love,” she said lamely. “I mean, we used to do it all the time but then we just, uh, stopped.”

  As she spoke, the trim and hem of her dress, which had been white, abruptly turned black.

  The monk frowned sternly at them.

  “I cannot help the two of you if you are not honest with me,” he said, his orange eyes flashing. “Tell me this—why do you avoid each other’s touch when it’s clear that you are so hungry for each other? The Skin Hunger nearly consumes you!”

  “What is the Skin Hunger?” Chloe asked, hoping to side-step the awkward question by asking a question of her own. “You never really answered me when I asked before,” she pointed out.

  “Very well. The Skin Hunger is the need to touch and be touched.” The Monk Taroni frowned as though she ought to know this. “It is the desire to touch and caress the one you love—to bring them pleasure and take pleasure yourself in stroking them. What I want to know is why you have denied yourself this basic pleasure when it is clear you have passion for each other?”

  “Oh, um…” Chloe wished again that Tark could help her field some of these awkward questions. To her surprise, he did chime in.

  “I w-whu-was away,” he said simply.

  Which was true, Chloe thought—completely true. He’d been away from her all her life until a day ago. Wow, was it really such a short time since they’d met? She felt like she’d known him forever…wanted him forever. Which was crazy, of course, but she couldn’t seem to shake the feeling.

  “Away for an extended trip, eh?” The monk frowned and nodded. “Well, that would explain part of it. But you must not allow yourselves to get so hungry—it’s very damaging to your relationship.” He steepled his fingers again, clearly deep in thought. “Let me ask you this, when was the last time the two of you kissed?”

  “Kissed?” Chloe turned her head to exchange another look with Tark. His golden eyes were blazing and half-lidded. Also, she couldn’t help noticing that the bulge under her ass hadn’t gone down a bit—if anything, it was bigger and harder than before.

  “I—” she began but the monk cut her off.

  “Kiss each other now,” he ordered. “But first, turn around your mate’s lap, my dear. You’ll give yourself a dreadful crick in the neck otherwise.”

  “Oh, uh…” Chloe wasn’t at all sure the big Kindred wanted to kiss her. But his body certainly seemed to react to hers. And since they were there for him, so he could find the jewel, he could hardly complain.

  She stood and then felt awkward about the prospect of climbing back into his lap, facing him this time. How exactly was she going to accomplish this without looking clumsy and weird?

  Tark solved her dilemma by lifting her easily and settling her on his lap so that her knees straddled his thighs. Then he pulled her close, his big hands cupping her ass possessively.

  Earlier she had wondered if he wanted to kiss her—now she had no doubts. The look on the big Kindred’s face was pure desire. Either he wanted her as badly as she wanted him, or he was one hell of a good actor. Chloe hoped it was the former and not the latter.

  “Tark?” she whispered, making his name into a question.

  “O-okay?” he asked in a low voice and she realized he was asking the same thing she was.

  “Yes,” Chloe breathed and then she couldn’t help herself anymore. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her lips to his as she had been longing to do.

  Tark seemed every bit as eager as she was. He wrapped his muscular arms around her waist and drew her even closer, deepening the kiss. Chloe felt him stroke the seam of her lips with his tongue and she opened for him gladly.

  God, why did it feel so good—so right—to kiss him? She had thought the monk was making things up when he talked about the “Skin Hunger” but she couldn’t deny the hungry need that was coursing through her now. She moaned as Tark stroked her tongue with his own and then explored her, tasting her as though he owned her. He tasted salty and hot and faintly—very faintly—of the chocolaty Thin Mint cookie she’d given him earlier.

  Chloe tangled her fingers in his long hair and gave as good as she was getting—kissing him back, sucking his tongue eagerly, grinding against him. She forgot they had an au
dience and that they were only supposed to be doing this for the sake of the act they were putting on. The fire inside her was real, burning her up—consuming her.

  Tark seemed to be as hungry as she was. He made a deep, needful sound in his throat as he devoured her lips and his hands were everywhere, stroking her back and hips and shoulders, then pulling her down as he pressed up against her.

  The way her thighs were spread meant that her pussy was open too and Chloe had never felt so wet and achy and hot before. She became aware that the fabric of their robes seemed to have melted away and something hot and hard was brushing against her open pussy—doing more than brushing actually—his hard shaft was actually pressing against her swollen folds. God, that felt good!

  Acting on an instinct she couldn’t deny, Chloe spread her legs even wider and settled lower in the big Kindred’s lap—she wanted more contact with him—wanted to feel his hard, hot shaft rubbing against her core.

  Tark groaned again and then he was gripping her hips and thrusting up against her, the long thick shaft sliding between her open pussy lips to rub hard against the aching button of her clit. Chloe could feel how wet she was—she knew she was coating him with her honey—but she couldn’t seem to help it. Every slow stroke of his shaft against her pussy was making her hotter, pushing her higher. His mouth tasted so good…his hands on her felt so right…

  And then she realized what she was doing.

  Oh my God, what’s wrong with me? I’m grinding all over him like a stripper giving a lap-dance! What will he think of me? I have to control myself!

  With a little gasp, she pulled away, her eyes wide with shame and mortification.

  “Tark,” she gasped. “So sorry! We shouldn’t…we can’t…”

  For a moment it seemed as though he didn’t want to let her go. His hands on her hips tightened and his golden eyes blazed even more fiercely. Then her words seemed to get through to him.

  “S-sorry,” he growled, letting go of her abruptly. “D-d-didn’t m-muh-mean to…” He shook his head, obviously unable to get the words out.

  “Why did you stop, just when you were finally feeding the Skin Hunger?”