A Place To Bloom

All's Fair

I woke in the middle of the night with a throbbing erection and Miyani's sublime physique on my mind. I wanted to lay down next to her, stroke her body, kiss the back of her neck, move on top of her, and rest my whole body weight on her arse. I thought about sneaking outside somewhere to finish that thought.

As soon as I sat up, something shifted in the darkness. Beside where Geraln slept—with Chirpy on his chest—was something much, much bigger.

I lay back down. When I closed my eyes, I was in the grass looking up at the cloudy sky with a gaping hole in my gut, and Blue was over me with my liver in his jaws.

I had a problem, and I needed to stop.

Lust was a sin.

It cost me Sarina. It cost me Davina. I'd lusted after Oasis, and it cost me the church in Ulum. May well cost me my life if she caught up with me in Carthia; wouldn't that be a way to go out? Giant alligators, lizards that rip your throat out, venomous snakes, an invisible enemy lying in ambush in the jungle—survive all that for one really pissed off girl to get you.

She did promise.

Breakfast was some grainy, paper-flavored slop and came with large, green-red fruits that had a wonderfully sweet-tart yellow meat inside with a stringy texture and made a sticky, glorious mess. maŋo, they'd called it, and it was beyond delicious.

Gino sat across from me. "What have they got us doing today?"

Davod answered. "Some lady named Ahmi is supposed to give us a demonstration."

"On what?"

From the end of the table, Faren's smooth voice crept through the chatter. "He's good, man. Doc says his fever's improved and he'll be back to normal again soon."

My jaw dropped. Ales should have been dead within hours. It'd been days. Impossible.

Borel was silent. He spent the morning glaring at Chirpy, who still clung to Geraln's shoulder.

Northstar sat with his hands behind his head and an easy grin plastered all over his long, narrow face. Jame nodded towards him, "somebody had fun last night!"

Northstar's eyes popped. He blew out and shook his head vigorously.

Kelint's whole baby face smirked. "This place is insane, man! These girls..."

"Women," Davod corrected him.

"Yeah, that. My point is this place is un-fucking-bel—"

"Don't use that word." Davod shook a finger as if he hadn't cussed right along with the rest of us.

Everyone stared at him.

He took a bite from his bowl and went back to Kelint. "Anyway, you were saying?"

Kelint stared at my best friend.

Rock leaned in with a big smile. "I telling you! Nice Tobori girl, big..."

"Woman," Davod corrected him.

"Yes, big and fat," he held his hands in front of his chest for emphasis. "She saying it: We wanting sex to you I having the friends, you all come! We never seeing her before this! We eating—very more good the food to this shit garbage—when she saying this!"

"You're kidding?" Jame's eyes popped. "That's not even 'easy' anymore. That's just... downright..."

Gino grabbed Geraln's shoulder, the one without the miniature throat-ripping lizard. "This one met the love of his life last night."