“Come,” Yaltu said from over her shoulder as we continued through the empty room.
She tore the big fruit in half and handed me the larger portion. I took a hungry bite. The fruit was succulent and firm. It tasted like a cross between the most juicy apple I’d ever had and sweet nectar. There were no seeds I could identify, and I ate quickly.
Our destination appeared to be a closed door at the far end of the room. The door was made of metal. I couldn’t tell what kind it was, but the dull sheen made me think of steel, possibly reinforced military-grade material. It would be blast-resistant, heat-resistant, and only one small step away from a door used to secure a fortress. Again, I was impressed with the amount of effort these people showed for Yaltu.
She continued walking toward the door, so I followed. With one hand, she pushed it open and walked inside. I followed, and was greeted with a wave of warm air. It was then that I smelled something delightful. A fragrance resembling candy, tinged with a hint of spice. I looked around for the source but couldn’t place it.
Yaltu’s room had several large bunches of the glowing mushrooms along the walls, and I wondered if they were the source, or if it was some kind of perfume added to whatever was creating the heat and humidity.
There was only one bed in the room, but it was big enough for several people. At least six pillows crowded for space against an intricately carved headboard of the blackest wood I’d ever seen. An expansive blanket that sparkled like it was made of weaved platinum covered the rest of the bed. It was quite the place to sleep on a planet like this.
Another doorway to the left revealed the edge of a wide bath, tiled just as beautifully as the ones I’d seen earlier. Steam wafted from the room and coiled around the ceiling above us.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you brought me in here for a bath,” I said to Yaltu.
“Your clothes are crusty, and you reek worse than Brazud’s sewer,” she teased.
“Do you do this with all of your visitors, or just the humans?”
“Only certain guests,” Yaltu informed me with an odd smile. “Have you finished your interrogation?”
“For now,” I chuckled.
“Then, it is time to bathe,” she said as she pulled her cloak over her head, revealing her traveling garments. I stood rooted in place as she removed her light-green tunic. Her breasts were small but firm. They fit her thin proportions perfectly, and when she caught me admiring them, she didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.
I took the hint and removed my own filthy shirt. We both stood in silence for a moment as we admired each other. She made the next move by untying a string at her waist. A second later, her traveling pants dropped to the floor, and she stepped out of them, along with her shoes.
Removing my shirt had been the easy part. I wasn’t sure how she’d react when she saw my manhood standing at attention. She was completely hairless, but her parts looked compatible. Either she’d recognize mine, or we’d have an awkward moment where we’d try to figure each other out. I dropped my trousers and waited. The small, mischievous smile she held turned into an even bigger mischievous smile.
She liked what she saw.
The soft pattern of green scales formed a curling pattern along the back and side of her neck, joining together along her spine. From there, they formed great swirling loops, and small arcing hooks down the back of her legs. They resembled tattoos, drawn by an artist whose sole goal in life was to make the woman as alluring as possible.
The only big difference between her body and those of human women, so far as I could tell, was a small line of ridges that traveled half the length of her spine. They were subtle, and I only noticed them when she climbed into the bath, using a little stool that appeared to have been made for the purpose.
“Will you join me?” she asked.
If only those who’d given me the call sign, Paladin, could see me now. Actually, I’d have preferred if they didn’t, but this planet was starting to make the name less and less relevant.
I followed her into the small room and noticed the wonderful scent again. I eased the knots out of my muscles from the day’s fighting. When I stepped into the hot water, my nose was greeted by a musky scent that reminded me of the top-shelf alcohol from Mars.
Pheromones.
The realization struck me like a slap. Not only was she sending the right signals, so was her body. But I didn’t feel like I was being mind-controlled. It was just an increase of an already existing desire, and I figured Yaltu was giving me them intentionally. She wanted me at least as much as I wanted her.
Several small vials were lined up against the edge of the bath. Some were made of glass and contained colored liquids. One appeared to be a bowl with a lid, and a larger one was pottery with painted flowers adorning it.
Yaltu reached for the latter. “Will you wash my hair?” she asked as she approached through the water. I noticed the hungry look in her eyes and wondered if hair-washing was part of a mating ritual.
I uncorked the bottle and gave the contents a sniff. It smelled both peppery and fruity at the same time. I carefully tipped a thick liquid into my other
