Taboo Descendants and the Multi-Dimensional War
CHAPTER XXV—DEPART AT DUSK

I felt my sheets move as something large entered my bed near my feet. It slipped under the top sheet and moved up my legs towards my mid-section. I stopped breathing.

What is it? I wondered.

I could feel the weight of it beside me now, bigger and heavier than my own body. I could feel it pulling my body towards it, my thigh rolling into the indention it made in the soft mattress. I was the Earth falling into orbit around the sun.

We made contact, warm skin against warm skin, as the temperature rose with increased physical awareness. I could feel him and smell him. He was fire and hickory, sweetness and spice.

“Chéri,” he breathed into my ear.

I faced him. His hand slid down my side to the small of my back and stopped, fingers brushing my derriere. I had kicked off my pajamas at some point during the night. I lay there next to him wearing only a wireless bra and boy shorts.

I reached up for him. I found his chest first, firm and robust under my soft touch. I squeezed his pectoral muscles and felt a shiver run through my body. An urgent, anxious tremor.

My hands moved up towards his face and found it. I cupped his jaws in my palms and leaned towards him. Our lips connected. His were plump and soft as I tasted him for the first time. I loved how savory his kisses were to me.

Our tongues danced for quite some time. I felt like a teenager again. I could have kissed him for hours upon hours and been perfectly content with my place in the universe.

For him, however, the kisses provoked the sensual hunger inside of him, not satisfying it in the least.

He did not require any further instructions or invitation. Using his strategically placed hand, he firmly but carefully pulled me closer to him. Our torsos joined at last.

I moaned. How long has it been? Twelve years? Thirteen?

The kisses became more vigorous. His hands began to grope and feel all over my body. My head fell back as I released another moan.

He took that opportunity to kiss on my neck. Little did he know, but he had found my weak spot. The tremors became more frequent and intense. I brought my head back down. I could barely stand the satisfaction that his lips gave me.

As if sensing my trepidation, he stopped.

I took a couple of deep breaths. He slowly leaned in and kissed me softly on the cheek. I smiled underneath the pressure of his lips. I could feel him smile back, his lips flattening out against my face as he chuckled lightly, his breath warm against my skin.

He resumed kissing me, only a little slower this time. Each brush and peck of his lips landed intentionally, both gentle and supple. The kisses traveled from my cheek to my neck leaving a trail of hot fire behind them.

I cried out, my emotions unable to be contained.

“Chéri,” he whispered, “Your roommate may hear us.”

“I don’t care,” I answered breathlessly.

I was sure that she had heard worse before.

In one quick motion, Jules was on top of me. He was nimble enough to make the transition without injuring either of us. I could feel the pressure of his body over mine, but he did not feel heavy at all.

He used his strength to hold some of his own weight without breaking the physical contact we shared. I ran my hands up and down his arms, his skin felt tightly stretched across his taunt muscles. I loved how muscular and firm he felt though his skin was soft to the touch. Even his elbows felt like satin.

He leaned in and kissed my lips once more. Again and again our lips found each other in the dark.

We continued to kiss in the ways attributed to the good people of France.

“Jules,” I purred.

“Yes, Chéri,” he panted.

“Do you love me?” I asked.

“Of course, Chéri. I love you more each and everyday.”

“Oh, Jules—”

“Oh, Jules, what?” shouted Iris in a shrill chirp.

My eyelids shot open. My body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and my pajamas clung to me uncomfortably. The sensual warmth I had once felt vanished. There was no Jules. I laid alone in my bed.

Iris looked taken aback and absolutely furious. I tried to hide my shame and guilt, but it was no use. Surely, she had sensed everything. Every carnal emotion still hung in the air like dirty laundry. I tried to compose myself and rein it all back inside.

“Well?” she asked angrily.

“Well, what?” I answered sheepishly.

“What do you have to say for yourself?”

Mind your own business and I wouldn’t have to say anything.

“Nothing.” I said aloud.

“Nothing?” She questioned incredulously.

I knew the inquiry to be rhetorical, but I answered anyway.

“Nope. Nothing at all.” I grew more defiant by the second.

Iris paused to process the situation. “What did Jules say to you the other day?”

“When? I have no idea what you’re referring to?”

“Don’t try and play dumb now! It’s far too late for that type of shenanigan. I felt you that day, Kaya, from the dining room. I knew something was up.”

“You don’t even know what a ‘shenanigan’ is, I bet,” I mumbled.

“Don’t try to distract me from the subject at hand.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t know what that means either, but let me tell you something, Kaya Lena Jerito!” She leaned in closer than I would have liked. I could not believe she had used my whole name as if she were my mother. “You and the Commander will not be seeing much of each other these next few weeks, so you can just throw your perverted thoughts off La Sierra Madre de Oaxaca and into the clouds where they belong!”

I bristled with anger now. I untangled myself from the sheets wrapped around me tight as bandages. Sure that my awkward actions did nothing to aid in my intimidation tactic, I countered my clumsiness by getting on my knees atop the high bed.

Iris and I were face-to-face.

“You listen to me, Iris Okin Veex.” I said with as much threat as I could muster. I still loved and respected her, but I felt betrayed by her at that moment. “I will do whatever I please with whomever I choose. And that’s none of your concern! You’re not my mother. I barely even know you!”

Her face fell as the sting of my words hit home. I suddenly felt awful for yelling at her. She straightened herself up from the leaning position she had taken when I had laid in the bed.

She then walked across the room and calmed herself. I could feel her wrapping her body in a cool blanket of serenity. I decided to do the same, but it was my first time. It did not work the way I felt it should have worked. My blanket felt small and full of holes, like a moth-eaten door mat.

I was less than steamed, but hardly back to a neutral state when Krya turned to face me again. Her demeanor had completely changed. She sighed.

“I came by to invite you to first meal in my quarters.”

I stared at her, unable to say anything nice or forget the confrontation so suddenly.

“Would you like to have first meal with me?” she repeated.

“No, thank you,” was all the manners I could muster.

“Kaya, I—” she thought about her next words long and hard before she continued to speak. “On Tepo, our home planet, it is unlawful for a Veex, man or woman, to be in any intimate relations with a Zux. The same is true for a Zux to a Veex. We have discussed this some.

“This law is easily abided by all citizens because each Veex is so different from each Zux. One is not even compatible with the other beyond the physical similarities. On Earth, it would be equivalent to a dog mating with a cat. It just doesn’t happen.

“The only Tepons who coexist harmoniously are the elders. There are four of them in total. Xoqune and Ytincoko are the Root Parents of the Veex people. Xun and Reki are the Root Parents of the Zux people.” She spoke of them with much reverence in her voice, as a Catholic would refer to the Pope and his bishops.

“In the same fashion,” her tone became sinister, “It is strictly taboo for a Tepon, man or woman, to mate with or have any relations with any non-Tepon. ‘One mustn’t create a Huzeen’.” She recited the last part like a mantra. “That is one of the oldest doctrines in our culture.”

She calmed herself some and continued, “It is the only law we possess that is punishable by death. This is why Rahim was so upset to replace out what you were. Not only are you a Veex Huzeen, but you are also related to our bloodline. Someone in our own family has committed the greatest crime there is.”

“But who?”

“We loss an uncle once—in the Vkouh Fuk.”

“What is that?”

“The Great War.”

“But how would he have gotten here to Earth?”

“That’s a good question.” She pondered on her thoughts a while, reluctant to speak ill of her uncle. “I believe he came here with Dr. Quchen. That is the only explanation. But what I don’t understand is why he would have committed such an atrocious act.”

“You mean procreating with my ancestors?” My inquiry was laced with sarcasm, but she did not care.

“Yes, precisely.” She answered tartly.

There was a knock at the door.

Iris and I stared so intently at one another that we did not recognize the sound. There was another knock, more intent than the last.

“Who is it?” I call through the wood.

“Soy yo, Ary.”

“Come in, Ary.”

She pushed the door open and walked in slowly. I heard her collide with the computer desk near the door. I continued to glare at Iris.

“Ouch! Why is it so dark in here?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“Why aren’t you wearing your contacts?” I countered.

“I had a hard time getting them out and was too afraid to put them back in.” Her voice was still lined with trepidation.

“Hold on—” I grunted. I willed my contacts to lessen in strength and brought some artificial light into the room with my mind. I was glad that I did not have to get up and grope for a light switch anymore. Tepon technology integrated with each species it encountered by touch and allowed that individual to control their living space.

“Must you all do that?” Iris complained. Her eyes could not adjust as the contacts adjusted.

“Oh, sorry Iris. I didn’t know you were here,” Ary apologized.

“She’ll live,” I said to Ary while continuing to look at Iris. Iris slide her dark shades onto her face. They only made her look cooler than she already appeared. I despised that about her.

“Okay. Did I miss something?” asked Ary confused.

“Yes,” started Iris before I could open my mouth. “I invited Kaya to my quarters for first meal, but she declined.”

“Well, that’s just rude.” Ary gave me a reprimanding look.

“Would you like to come to my quarters for first meal, Ary?”

“I’d be honored, Iris, thank you. What time should I be there?”

“I could have Inga whip us up something delicious in one hour. What time would that be?” She looked down at her wrist and screen appeared on her shirt sleeve. “9 o’clock this evening. How does that sound?”

“Perfect. May I bring a guest?”

“What?” I protested, knowing Ary’s intentions.

“Sure,” replied Iris.

“I said no already,” I objected.

“Kaya and I will see you in one hour,” assured Ary as if she had not heard my objection.

Iris smiled and left the room.

Ary and I arrived at Iris’s quarters at 8:58 p.m. Ary knocked on the door with hurried impatience, eager to get inside. She did not like the vastness and lack of light within the cavernous hallways of Qego Mouyo. Her adjustment to the Tepon night-vision contacts was not smooth.

I felt little sympathy for her.

Despite all of my protesting and objections, Ary had made me do the exact thing that I had not wanted to do. She had always possessed a certain power of persuasion over me. She knew just how to guilt me into her acts of kindness or positive perspectives.

In this case, she reminded me that I had not only dragged her into an interdimensional war, but also onto an alien vessel.

Ary had no idea why she was there, and she did not see an easy way to return to her life anytime soon. It was all just too much for her.

Ary needed her best friend right now, and she needed something to eat. Therefore, there I stood in front of Iris’s door with my arms folded across my chest.

Iris opened the door and looked nothing less than a goddess.

She had dressed for company in a way she did not normally dress to conduct business. Her general top that she often wore had certain symbols embroidered on the collar and sleeves. I felt certain that one of these markings depicted her rank. Tonight, she did not wear her uniform of dark blue pants with the dark blue, decorated top to match.

This evening, she wore a loose, navy chiffon dress and veil. Her hair and been tied up into an elegant bun and adored with jewels. Around her neck, she wore the eye symbol that adored the necklace she had given to me when we first found out what I had been cursed by General Hayami.

Her new blue-eyed pictogram sparkled with shining gemstones, mostly blue topaz and sapphire. The pupil of the eye consisted of an onyx gemstone, while the whites of the eyes appeared to be quartz. The iridescent pendant was a beautiful thing to behold.

Iris, in her flowing blue robes, waved us into her quarters with her free hand. We walked passed her without a word. She smelled of spring flowers and sweet nectar.

I had scarcely noticed the sweet scent before, but found it deceptively misleading. It reminded me of the liquid at the bottom of a pitcher plant luring the fly to its doom. General Iris Okin Veex was not to be crossed.

She led us into her dining room where the table had been laid out with what looked like a Greek feast big enough to serve five hungry people. I fixed a plate of pita and hummus, falafel, tabouli, olives, Greek salad, dolmades, and baklava for dessert.

We all sat down at the clear end of the table where three placemats had been set. I sat next to Ary who was across from Iris.

I looked down at my plate. I could feel my mouth begin to water. I reached for my fork.

At that moment, Iris bowed her and began to speak, “Divine Creator of this and every universe, I would like to extend to you my sincerest gratitude for the great repast before us now. May it both please and strengthen us. We ask only that you continue to sustain us. We shall be evermore grateful each day. May it be so.”

I lifted my head and looked at Iris. She had begun to eat her meal. I decided not to ask her about the prayer at the time. I found it intriguing that being from another dimension would have a custom so similar to our own.

It was Ary who broke the silence following our meal. “Thank you, Iris, for your gracious hospitality.”

“You are quite welcome, Yesenia. I hope everything was to your liking.”

“It was delicious, thank you.”

“Inga has taken the liberty to learn many Earth meal and food preparation techniques. Although there are many ingredients that you all use here that we would not, due to the cruelty to animals or the environment, the adjustments are easily enough made.”

“Well, please extend my thanks to the chief.”

“Surely,” said Iris with a smile. “She’s our physician, nutritionist, and chief—all noble causes. She keeps our crew healthy and fit. You two have not had the privilege to begin physical trained yet, but after last night’s encounter, I am recommending to the Commander that you both become skilled in hand-to-hand combat.”

I looked up at Iris with a bewildered expression on my face.

“I agree,” chimed in Ary. “We need to learn how to defend ourselves. In the event we are ever alone or separated from you, I fear the worse.”

“There are no plans to let you two wander around unattended at this time, but your concern is valid. We will start training you tomorrow night. Tonight, we must journey again to the Earth-Mexican state of Oaxaca.”

“Really?” asked Ary intrigued. “Is this about the other Star People?

“There is a site there that we need to see. It’s called Monte Albán.”

“I know it well.”

“Good. We’ll need your help there. While we were in the church last night, Oluh and Yzee were on a reconnaissance mission with Kachina gathering information on the surrounding area.

“We were trying to determine what could have brought the Zux here to begin with, and we picked up some interesting energies at and around the Monte Albán site.”

“Incredible!”

“Would one of you please explain to me what Monte Albán is?” I asked perplexed.

Ary turned to me and asked, “Do you remember last year when I told you about this awesome ancient city I had gone to everyday for two weeks straight?”

“Yes, you said it was like no place you had ever visited before.”

“It was Monte Albán.”

“Okay. Where is it and what’s so special about it?”

She glanced at Iris with a mischievous look on her round face. “I can tell you on the way,” she answered. She stood up and placed her napkin on the table. “Should we leave now, General?”

“Absolutely. Let’s fire up the Lotus!” she replied with a grin.