He had no idea how soon his prayer would be answered.
THREE
The Dark Side of the Monstrum Mother Ship really was amazing, Terra had to admit. Iyanna had told her that it used to be a huge dark space with nothing but a single path of lighted flowers to show the way through it. But now that the Glow Blooms had spread, it was revealed for what it was—an enormous forest with a river winding through it, and all of it was lit with the gorgeous glowing blossoms which seemed to be everywhere.
The neon glow of the blue and green and pink blossoms outlined the forest making Terra feel like she was in some exotic, tropical location. For once she completely forgot about her ex and his upcoming wedding and just let herself soak in the amazing sight.
“Oh, this is beautiful!” she breathed, turning in a complete circle, the better to take in the sights and sounds. A soft wind ruffled her hair, bringing with it the rich, growing smells of the night forest. She would never have guessed she was inside a spaceship if she hadn’t already known—it felt like she was standing on the surface of an alien world.
“It is gorgeous, isn’t it?” Iyanna sighed fondly. “This is my favorite part of the Monstrum Mother Ship—it’s where I met my husband, you know.”
“Really?” Terra frowned. “But I thought you said it used to be completely dark in here. How did you see him?”
“I didn’t.” Iyanna laughed. “I ran into him in the dark—literally.”
Terra laughed.
“Talk about a meet cute! I bet there’s a funny story behind that!”
“Well…I guess you could say that…”
Was Iyanna blushing? It was hard to tell in the darkness if her creamy brown skin was getting darker with a blush or not, but she was definitely biting her lip.
Well, maybe it’s not a “funny” story at all, Terra speculated, grinning to herself. Trying to change the subject, she said,
“What an amazing ecosystem! What I wouldn’t give to be able to stay here and study all this.”
“Oh, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want, you know,” Iyanna said quickly. “I have you set up in a guest suite but there’s no time limit here.”
“There is for me, I’m afraid,” Terra said ruefully. “I have to get back to my kids by next week—finals are coming up and we have a lot of reviewing to do.”
Iyanna smiled.
“I bet you’re a great teacher.”
“I try,” Terra said honestly. “But you know, teaching isn’t my first love—research is. I was supposed to go for my PhD but just about the time I was applying, I turned up pregnant with my son. And then my husband—well, my ex-husband—started making enough to support us but not enough for me to go back to school and well…here I am.” She shrugged. “I’ll always wish I had pursued a career as a researcher, but it’s too late now—I’m too old and set in my ways to change.”
“It’s never too late to change your life,” Iyanna said firmly. “And don’t call yourself ‘old’—you’re gorgeous! In fact…” She nudged Terra with one elbow. “I happen to know there are certain Monstrum warriors who find women in your age bracket extremely attractive.”
“I’m sure—if the women in question are thin enough.” Terra patted her broad hips ruefully.
“Actually, the Monstrum like curvy girls,” Iyanna told her.
“Really?” Terra shook her head doubtfully. “I don’t know about that.”
“Girl, have you seen my behind?” Iyanna raised her eyebrows. “I’m not just curvy because I’m pregnant—I’ve been curvy all my life. And believe me when I tell you that the Monstrum—and most Kindred actually—love curves.”
Terra laughed.
“Well, I’ll take your word for it. I just got out of a long-term relationship and I’m not looking to hop into another.”
“Better stick close to me, then,” Iyanna told her as they stepped onto the path that led through the forest. “Oh, and stay on the path if you don’t want to meet any scary Monstrum looking for a wife.”
“Is it safe to go into the forest at all, then?” Terra asked, looking at the dark trees apprehensively.
“Oh, yes! My husband’s bonding scent will mark me as unavailable and as long as you’re close by me you shouldn’t attract any unwanted attention,” Iyanna reassured her. “Now come on—I want to show you some really unique specimens…”
They walked down the path, stopping every now and then when they found a new plant Iyanna wanted to show her. Since she was a botanist, this was definitely her area of expertise and it was truly fascinating. But Terra couldn’t help wishing she could study some of the animal life she heard moving in the rustling tree branches. What kind of alien fauna lived in this forest and what might it look like? What—
“Lord! What in the world is that?”
Iyanna’s question broke Terra’s train of thought. She looked to where her friend was pointing and saw a tall archway covered in glowing flowers—only these weren’t pink or blue or green like the rest of the blossoms on the Dark Side. They were a red so deep they were barely visible in the darkness. In fact, they wouldn’t have been visible at all except for the fact that there were so many of them woven into an arch.