by Rena Marks
“I often wish they would have created more people from my species. I feel so alone sometimes, trying to figure out these manifestations of myself.”
“Oh, Pax,” she said. “Don’t you see? Your species tended to feel alone. That’s why you developed to the point of where you morphed aspects. They are supposed to be your best friends. They’re supposed to take care of the loneliness. You just have to let them.”
“I think that finally dawned on me. They were pretty supportive—enough to jump out during the sex doll embarrassment. They broke the rules and were born right in front of you to help smooth over the matter. Of course, I was such an idiot all I saw at the time was my own jealousy that they’d been with you.”
“You should have been with me, too. The sexual attraction between us is off the charts.”
“I didn’t want to take advantage of you.”
“Then let’s take things slow. When you feel like you’re not taking advantage of me, you can take the next step.”
She could feel him inhale and she realized he liked this idea. The cleanser—activated on a timer—shut down and she stepped from the unit to grab a towel. Rubbing it briskly over her body stimulated her nerves even more.
“Happy mentioned your conversation of ending a bubble at your neck area. We’re going to work on that. If I can get you mobile—get you out and about from time to time so you can meet other people, we’ll see if you want to pursue things with me or if you are just growing dependent on me.”
She felt like shaking him. How could he not see he was the sexiest, most luscious, unique man in the world? Why was it so easy for his aspects to be comfortable with her? To call her their girlfriend, to give her orgasms? But Pax continuously held her at arm’s length. And then she realized getting out would be a good thing. Would he turn around and fight for her if there was a possibility of her attention being grabbed by another? He had a jealousy shard. But technically, one couldn’t be jealous of himself.
Would he be jealous of another? Enough to fight over her? That she was about to find out.
She draped the towel over the bar and turned around, watching his eyes flicker along the length of her naked body.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Chapter Ten
SHE STARED UP AT THE skylight during one of the rare moments when she was alone, studying the clouds that danced across the darkening sky overhead. The Xeno Sapiens were making it rain, which meant it was Wednesday and it was seven o’clock. She imagined having rain would be harder for the people who lived along the outer walls of Xenia, but it was necessary to force rain to water the crops planted to feed everyone. At least the tents were slowly being replaced with more suitable housing arrangements.
All the shards were with Pax today, working in the main lab. In his private lab, the one she hadn’t stepped foot into since the fiasco. The door between the lab and her room slid open. The only ones with access were Pax and the aspects. She listened to the footsteps to see if she could get a clue as to who entered without having to stop and look for identifiable mannerisms.
But she heard more than one set of steps. No one ever visited her in groups. She sat up.
Three Pax’s stood elbow to elbow, grinning. It was impossible to tell which was which.
“We have a breakthrough, Serena,” the one on the left announced. Ahh, Pax, then. He was the only one who still insisted on calling her by her full name.
“Mostly it was me,” Vain said, winking at her. She knew it was him now. He’d turned up the collar on his shirt. The same shirt the others wore somehow tightened across his chest, showing the musculature underneath the fabric. Definitely Vain.
Original Pax wouldn’t bother trying to impress anyone. Vain? Oh, hell, yes. He impressed himself most of the time.
The one next to him scowled, short with his tom-foolery. Impatience.
“You’re going outside today.” Pax grinned. “You’re going to see the world.”
She gasped, standing so quickly she felt the blood leave her head.
Heading to a small pull-down desk, Pax lowered it from where it folded against the wall, and Impatience placed a small case onto the table. Pax opened the case to show a dozen tube-like objects.
“We didn’t want to make too many of this first round,” Pax said. “Because I’m sure we’ll notice some need for improvement. Maybe the next batch will have to be thinner. Or thicker. Maybe this batch won’t be opaque enough. For that reason, we’re taking you outside but surrounded by us until we’re sure.”
He grabbed a handful of the tubes and placed them in the cabinet above the desk.
“Speaking of not being opaque,” Vain said, grabbing one of the tubes and holding it up to the light. “This is one of the transparent suits. Not sure how one got by without having the pigment wash.”
He stared at it puzzled for a moment and then, as if he wanted to keep it separate from the others, he stashed it in the desk drawer instead.
“Okay, let me show you how to put it on,” Pax said. “It’s a bit of a pain, especially if you’re excited or in a hurry. But if you just remember to take a deep breath and go slow, you’ll be fine.”
“First things first,” Vain said. “I’m sorry, precious. We never could get the necklace sturdy enough for the opacity of the pigmented bubble to adhere to. We’re going to need to give you some piercings.” He pulled out a piercing gun.
“Eww. Where?”
“Several studs around your shoulders. Where the bio-film meets your natural skin. We agreed that would be easier than piercing around your neck.”
“Serena,” Pax interrupted. “You can have anyone do the piercing. Impatience will be quick and to the point.”
Impatience nodded.
“But I’m gonna make you look pretty, lovely.” Vain leered, much like Lust normally would have.
“Have you been hanging out with Lust?” she asked, laughing.
He looked a bit surprised. “How did you know?”
Someday she’d have to tell them how they blended better by rubbing off on each other. But not today. Today she was too excited to try the suit. “Lucky guess.”
“The other aspects—Lust included—are in my lab,” Pax said. “We didn’t want to create a wall of men around you making you nervous as you were pierced so they agreed to stay behind. We had to split up Lust and Vain because they egg each other on.”
“He’s my brother from another mother,” Vain said, grinning as he held out his hand for her to take. Balancing herself with his touch, she stood on the small stepstool Impatience had placed on the floor between the four of them.
“Go ahead, Vain,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “I’m ready.” She wasn’t. But she was brave. She’d been through much worse this year.
“That’s my girl,” he said gently as he raised the piercing gun. He pinched a small seam of flesh between his thumb and forefinger and brought the gun to it. When the gun depressed, she felt pressure and then the loud, popping sound made her jump.
“Okay?” he asked, his eyes dark.
It hadn’t been too bad. A pinch, really. The noise was probably worse than anything. She had live through a huge amount of pain lately.
She nodded and Impatience stepped in to wipe a small smear of blood away with a white cloth. Pax pinched the next spot on her as if preparing her.
Vain began to speak, as if he wanted to distract her. “The bubble isn’t perfect, not by any means. But it’s such a far cry from the first one we created for Everly.” Pop.
She flinched slightly.
“Not that this one is bad. But it has a catch.”
“A catch? Like Cinderella? It dissolves at midnight?”
He snorted. “Hardly. The catch is this: with the original bubble, it was placed over the head, yes?”
She nodded.
“But if we do that with you, you have a clear bubble around you, but you’re still naked underneath, defeating the whole purpose. So we made the bubble opaque. Yet
it couldn’t go around your head being opaque, because then you’d be blind. The next step was to end it at your head, leaving your natural skin exposed. In doing it that way, now the way to remove the bubble is rendered useless. We used to need to have a layer of moisture and heat on the inside of the bubble—so blowing on it, for example—in order to soften it and begin scratching out a hole from the inside out. You can’t do that with your head on the outside. Vain here—” Pax looked proud as he gave credit to Vain. “—realized all you have to do is step in the sonic cleanse. It takes a while, sadly, because of the addition of pigment. So far, around forty-five minutes.”
“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’ll take it.”
“You can also let it wear off on its own. Naturally. But there’s no way to know how long you have. Or how it would dissolve. Would it come off in pieces? Slough off leaving giant bare spots? Who knows?”
“All done,” Vain said, stepping back.
She blinked in surprise. She’d hardly noticed after the first couple of pops that the rest was being done.
“Now for the bubble itself,” Vain said. He took the bit of plastic film and placed it on her belly. “You need to be careful you don’t break it as you apply. It stretches, but it needs coaxed.” He pulled it gently from her skin, where it stretched like elastic goop. “As it stretches, it dries and holds its shape.”
“It took some time, but it now grows a bit easier. Eventually, it will grow automatically. But right now you have to give it a starter boost.”
The filmy plastic seemed to grow on its own, stretching and becoming looser between her belly and his fingers. When it was stretched out about an inch, he carefully laid it flat.
“Now, it’ll go.”
She watched the film stretch, one end staying attached to the original spot on her belly while the other moved down.
“You’ll have to pay attention when it gets around your feet,” he said. “You’ll have to raise each one as it spreads…all the way until it meets. If it hasn’t started growing to your back yet, you may be able to sit down and raise your feet. Or, if it’s completed on your back, you can sit down. Just be aware that if it’s in the process, you may stop the back end disruption if you sit and it’s not connected.”
She giggled. “Did you just instruct me not to sit on my butt while the bubble does its work?”
Vain leered at her. “I was just noticing what a mighty fine bubble butt you have, and it’s a shame to cover it up.”
Impatience rolled his eyes at Pax. “We could have just brought Lust.”
“He would have been worse,” Pax said. “And then your crabbiness would have started rubbing off on me.”
“I honestly don’t know what she sees in them,” Impatience said, ignoring the crabby remark.
She giggled.
“Now, one issue we have,” Vain said, “is that the pigmented bubble, once it dries, conflicts with the clear bubble. They stick together and try to merge. So while you dry, the three of us will step into the sonic cleanse and get rid of ours so we don’t compromise you.”
“That probably shouldn’t turn me on,” she muttered.
She was rewarded by Pax’s bark of laughter. Even Impatience smiled. But then Pax sobered. “We’ll see how you feel after meeting other males in the city.”
She could just shake him.
“There you go. Bubble has reached completely around,” Vain said, walking around her.
“How will I know when it’s dry?” she asked, raising her arm to study it. The color seemed slightly off. Whitish.
“It’s going to become opaque,” Vain grinned, staring at her nipples.
“Oh.” But she didn’t bother to hide them, instead standing straighter and arching them out just a bit.
She was rewarded by a growing bulge in his pants.
“To the sonic cleanse,” Pax muttered, as he and Impatience each grabbed one of Vain’s arms to pull him away.
She would have gone to watch them as she had teased. But she knew they’d be fully dressed in the shower, as the bubbles sat atop their clothing. So instead she went over the mirror, studying herself.
Slowly, minute by minute, she could see the bubble growing from a translucent white to a milkier white. It was also growing a bit more form-fitting with the color drench.
Holy shit. The suit itself may have been even sexier than her just parading around stark naked. Right now she looked like she wore a catsuit. Every detail of her body—including the shape of her lips—was outlined perfectly.
“Fuck.” From behind her, Impatience’s groan was completely unexpected, but it verified her thoughts.
“I think it’s dried,” she said, twirling a little so they could see her from all angles.
She was aware of how Pax’s mouth tightened. She could imagine what was rolling through his head. He wanted to make her cover up, but with the pigment addition, they didn’t know what chemical reaction that might have. He wanted to make her stay indoors, but he couldn’t let her down. No, he had to grin and bear it.
And she was going to grin and milk it.
He stomped off to his private lab to call the others while Vain gave her a knowing wink. Impatience merely sighed.
“This is going to be a battle of wills, isn’t it?” he said.
“Yup,” she said, walking toward him and tugging on his tie to yank him to her. “Try to enjoy it.”
His lips parted in surprise as she kissed him. “God, I’ve been wanting to do that for so long.” Because she’d kissed him before, of course, but this—this was skin to skin.
“Fuck,” Vain said. “Who knew I was a watcher?”
But she let go of Impatience and turned to him, pulling him in for a kiss also.
“There. Now I know what that’s like,” she said, licking her lips. “I’ve wanted to taste you both for so long.”
“And the only one standing in the way is Pax,” Impatience growled.
“Not for long,” Vain said, eyeing her curves. “I don’t think he’ll have any strength to resist after today.”
She twirled for him again as the others came into the room. Pax, Happy, Envy, and Lust.
“Work it, girl,” Happy said, pulling her in. “You look marvelous. Sexy. Like a goddess.”
He deposited a kiss on her forehead, aware of Pax’s glare.
Lust didn’t care. He pulled her to him and sank his mouth to hers, opening her lips, stroking her tongue. Kissing her so thoroughly she forgot they were being watched.
And then she was yanked from Lust and pulled into Envy’s hard chest. Lust didn’t mind. When she finally pulled away from Envy’s magnificent kiss, Lust was heavy lidded, the familiar desire strewn across his face.
Pax was not. Pax stood off—a bit away from the others. Alone. Refusing to allow himself to be pulled into any kind of enjoyment whatsoever. So she held out her hand, making him get involved in their entourage. “Show me the way.”
He looked surprised that she chose him, but he took her hand. The rest followed, taking it in stride, flanking her on either side when they could, but falling behind through arched doorways and small halls. Giving her this moment with Pax.
And she was aware of how they rushed her, making sure no curious eyes lingered on her too long from any of the Xeno Sapiens who stopped to stare. Pax was going to be in for a hard time today.
Chapter Eleven
HER FIRST BREATH OF the outdoors was magnificent. The temperature was perfect, if not even, like the lab. Here it was hotter in the sun, cooler in the shade. She’d forgotten what the warmth of the sun felt like. The air was sweeter than she remembered. She had no smells breathing the filtered air inside the laboratory. A myriad of smells hit her senses—green grass. Flowering trees. Earthy dirt.
Good gracious. She could even smell the salty tang of sweat. She twisted her head toward the smell.
“Those are the gladiator pits,” Impatience said softly. He’d been watching her. “Xeno Sapiens spar with each other. Train. Hone
our senses.”
“Can we go?” She tightened her hand in Pax’s, silently asking permission from him.
“Of course,” he said.
“We need to sit on the side without as many people,” Envy said. “Her suit may be opaque, but it’s still form-fitting.”
“Agreed,” Impatience said.
“I don’t care,” Serena said. “I’m outside. I’m breathing sweet air.”
“Sweet?” Vain wrinkled his nose. “It’s blood and sweat.”
“It’s musk and salt,” she said, winking suggestively at him. She was going to show Pax how they all were with each other—how he could be, too, if he’d just let himself.
Though Pax was still at her side, he didn’t say much, preferring to let his aspects keep up the banter with her. The lot of them climbed onto the bleachers and settled down. Serena turned her face up to the sun, aware of other Xeno Sapiens watching, but enjoying the warmth too much to care.
Because their side of the bleachers was still relatively empty, two women with giant strollers came, settling onto the bottom bleacher.
“Oh, look. All the aspects are out,” one of the women said, waving. They looked alike, though not exact. Not like Pax’s multiples.
“Angela, Everly, meet our Serena,” Happy said. He sounded so proud, Serena couldn’t help the warmth that hit her at the introduction.
One of the ladies bounded across the bleachers, climbing higher to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you finally, Serena. I’m Angela. Happy’s told us a lot about you.”
As Everly came up more slowly behind her sister, she smiled a bit more shyly and shook Serena’s hand. “I’m Everly. You may need this umbrella for the sun,” she said, handing her a small, white parasol. She’d hung behind her sister to retrieve it from one of the strollers. “The bubble is working, I see.”
“This is our first trial run,” Serena said.
