Carnal Rites by Ines Johnson (learn to read books .TXT) 📕

Merlyn straightened and looked down at Liam's red head of hair. The sun chose that moment to shine into the lab and she noticed a golden tint to his hair. She had the urge to run her fingers through it. It was such a silly notion. But she did things like that now, silly things. And so she ran her hand through his hair.

Liam straightened with a smile. "This is a brilliant find, Merlyn. I'll get started on some calculations."

Merlyn's hand traced down the side of Liam's face to the stubble on his chin. Liam caught her fingers in his mouth. He sucked one in, running his tongue over the pad of her finger.

Merlyn gasped. The sensation went straight to her core. "I was thinking we could redo the orgasm experiment. But this time with a human test subject."

Liam grinned, his green eyes glittered. "Who did you have in mind?"

Before she could answer, Liam leaned down and captured her lips with his own.

"Get a room."

Merlyn felt Liam groan. She smiled against his lips as he turned and glared over his shoulder at Jaspir.

"We're in a room. And we're working in here," Liam said.

"Yeah," Jaspir slapped Liam's ass. "Working hard, I see."

Merlyn felt Jaspir's fingers encircle Liam's waist as his chin came to rest on Liam's shoulder. Jaspir winked at her and she leaned in for a kiss.

"Come outside," Jaspir said when he released her lips. "I want to you show you two something."

Jaspir led them outside. The garden he was tilling looked far more vibrant than it should for only three months of work.

He led them to a bench Adom had crafted for them on his last visit. Before the bench was a stone garden. At the center of the stone garden was a familiar plant.

Merlyn gasped as she went to it. It was her plant. Her impossible starbust, that had survived so many winters without a place to take root. In the light of the day it looked healthy and vibrant. And there was another color there she hadn't seen before, a stripe of purple. Merlyn reached out to it.

"I've been working on this for weeks," Jaspir said. "I've grafted on a third plant." He looked over at Liam. "It can thrive now that it has a place to take root."

Jaspir handed Liam a watering can, to Merlyn he gave fertilizer. Together they put the plant firmly into the ground.

They sat down at the bench and spent the rest of the day gazing at their creation.

The story continues with Alyss, Adom and Emet

in Sacred Rites.

Sacred Rites SNEAK PEEK!

As dawn continued its break from dusk, a burst of orange from the rising sun bled into the deep blue of the previous night's sky. The blood orange tinted the clouds a vibrant shade of purple. When orange and blue mixed, the colors made a berry shade of red similar to that of a strawberry. Orange, purple, blue and reds. Alyss marveled at nature's unique canvas. The Goddess was, indeed, the ultimate artist. She always got her color mixing just right.

Unlike most humans.

The pale pink adorning Lady Milysa's skirts was a disservice to the color palette. Her top was a darker shade of red -fuchsia, Alyss guessed. And the pattern at her waist? No, it couldn't be. But they were! Polka dots.

Polka dots?

Alyss cringed. Who wore polka dots after adolescence? In fact, what self-respecting, little girl had ever donned polka dots outside of a nursery? As though the solid circles weren't enough, there were Lady Milysa's gold shoes. Alyss shut her eyes against the assault on good taste.

Lady Milysa, oblivious as ever to her fashion faux pas, stood in a huddle of young women, her hand outstretched, a smug smile on her pinched face. The flash of a huge diamond surrounded by two indistinguishable stones momentarily blinded Alyss as the young woman came nearer.

"I barely made it in today," Lady Milysa said. "They dote on me so. They don't know what to do with themselves without me there to tell them which foot to place in front of the other."

The ladies all nodded their heads in understanding, though none of them were bonded themselves. Young girls who were considering a lifetime of service in the Sisterhood held off on bonding until they were certain of their place inside the hallowed halls. Service to the Sisterhood required a woman's full attention, and the care and attention of men was far too much a distraction for a woman to do the Goddess' work on Earth.

The women of the Sisterhood often did not take husbands or have children. In a society such as theirs, where female births were so scarce, joining the ranks of the Sisterhood was a heavy decision. And so it was impressed upon the young dames who entered this sacred space of the inner sanctum to think carefully about the decision of giving their lives over to Her service.

It was a decision Alyss had been certain of for as long as she could remember. She wanted neither men nor children in her life. She was a perfect candidate for advancement in the Sisterhood.

"And the wedding night?" one of the hangers on of Lady Milysa asked tentatively.

Alyss was certain she was the only one who caught the slight grimace that slid across Lady Milysa's face before the newly bonded girl plastered on a superior smile.

"It was over in a snap. Really, all the fuss for a few moments of discomfort. I shouldn't be surprised if I were already with child now and we won't have to do it again for another year."

The girls around her sighed as though Lady Milysa alleviated some great fear of theirs. Alyss had little knowledge of the physical aspects of bed sports. But she did know that her sister, Merlyn, and her cousin, Chanyn, enjoyed intercourse enough to sleep with their bondmates every night. Alyss had once visited Merlyn during the day and