5. Addie

5

ADDIE

" N ow this one is just lovely —only the finest silk was used in making it," Sparki said, pulling yet another black dress from the tall, white wardrobe.

"Oh, really?" Addie tried to look at the dress but she couldn't help it—her eyes kept getting drawn back to the silky cage and its horrible inhabitant. She'd watched a documentary once with her nephew, who was fascinated by dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. In it, the narrator claimed that there was once a time on Prehistoric Earth when spiders got as large as cats, dragonflies were bigger than squirrels, and centipedes were longer than your leg.

According to the documentary, this was because there was much more oxygen in the air back then, allowing insects and arachnids to grow to massive sizes. It sounded like a terrible time to Addie—she hated bugs of all kinds—but her nephew had loved it.

I never thought I'd have to share my room with a giant spider, she thought, looking into the shadowy corner where the silky was now feasting on the poor little squeaker. It had wrapped the fuzzy little animal up in a silk cocoon and was currently sucking it dry. The sight was equal parts revolting and terrifying, as far as Addie was concerned.

"Hey, don't you want to look good for the feast tonight?" Sparki demanded, sounding slightly impatient. "The Choosing Ceremony to pick the Queen of Night is a big deal, you know."

"Er, sorry! Yes. Yes, of course," Addie said quickly, dragging her eyes away from the gruesome sight of the spider having dinner. "It's just that all these dresses you're showing me look kind of alike," she added apologetically. "I mean, they're all black and they all have long sleeves and deep necklines…"

Sparki frowned, looking confused.

"What other color could they be? You must wear black for the Choosing Ceremony. It honors both the Council of Aged Ones and Sheelash herself."

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry," Addie apologized again. "Though I'm not yet sure if I'll even be allowed to observe the ceremony," she added. "I know that Lx Sambla is going to try and get permission from the Council of Aged Ones but I don't know if they'll approve my presence there or not."

"Oh, they'll approve it," Sparki said confidently. "They absolutely dote on Lx Sambla—and I'm not just saying that because he's my brother."

"He is?" Addie asked, surprised. Aside from the platinum blonde stripe in her black hair, she didn't think that her new lady-in-waiting looked like the suave Vargan ambassador at all.

"Oh yes—well, he's my step -brother," Sparki amended. "We have different mothers. Since Sambla's mother was chosen as the Queen of Night while she was engaged to his father, he had to find a new wife. So he married my mother, who had been widowed in a previous year's Milking."

"That seems complicated." Addie frowned. "Why did he have to find a new wife just because his first one was chosen to be the Queen of Night?"

"Well because—" Sparki began but just then the connecting door opened and Drago came back in, followed by Teeza, Leeza, and Peeza. Addie thought the big Kindred's face looked red, as though he was embarrassed for some reason.

"Why did you leave so quickly?" one of the skinny Ladies-in-waiting whined. "We were just getting started showing you the bed!"

"I told you, I must be near Dr. Hollister at all times," Drago said, frowning at the three of them. "I am sworn to her service. Which means I don't have any interest in having the three of you ‘show me the bed.'"

"Fine— be that way," either Peeza or Leeza said and all three of them crossed their arms over their narrow chests and gave him pouty looks.

Sparki rolled her eyes expressively at Addie and turned to the other three.

"Why don't you help me choose a dress for Lssa Addison?" she asked. "Or maybe you could find some feast clothing for her bodyguard? Do we have anything in his size?"

This got the three skinny ladies-in-waiting excited again.

"Oh yes—we have to find him some feast clothes! And help him change into them!"

They left the room, arguing with each other about who was going to get to undress Drago. Their absence was a vast improvement, in Addie's opinion. She already disliked the three identical Ladies-in-waiting who reminded her of the clique of mean girls who used to roam the halls of her high school many years ago.

"There—that takes care of them," Sparki said brightly. "Now what about you? Which dress do you like the best?"

"Why don't you pick one for me and I'll try it on in the bathroom. Er, there is a bathroom, right?" Addie asked, hoping that there was an en suite somewhere close so she could get away from the sight of the spider having its meal—which was still twitching from time to time.

"If you mean a place to relieve yourself and bathe, of course!" Sparki said brightly. "Here, let's take these three feast gowns with us and I'll show you."

"I'll come with you." Drago started to follow them, but Addie held up a hand.

"Whoa—I need privacy to change," she pointed out.

"Well…" Drago frowned.

"I'll be fine," Addie told him. "It's just me and Sparki—right?" she looked at her favorite lady-in-waiting who nodded firmly.

"Absolutely. Just the two of us."

"And no, er, silkies in the bathroom?" Addie asked cautiously. She wanted to be forewarned if she was going to have to get close to another giant spider.

"Not in the bathing chamber! They wouldn't like the heat from the hot water and the steam," Sparki explained. "Come on."

"I'll wait here then." Drago pushed the black netting aside and sat on the side of the bed. "Just don't take too fucking long," he added, cutting his eyes to the door that opened out into the hallway. "Who knows when they might get back and want to ‘dress' me?"

Addie had to suppress a smile at the hunted look on his face. It might be petty, but she couldn't help liking the fact that the big Kindred seemed to derive no pleasure in the obvious way the three skinny-minny ladies-in-waiting were throwing themselves at him. She could have told them it was a waste of time flirting with the big Kindred. After all, she'd tried getting under his skin almost from the minute she met him but it didn't do any good—Drago was all business.

She followed Sparki through a sliding door, which was made to look like part of the wall, and found herself in a vast marble en suite bathroom. The color scheme was black and white—the same as the bedroom. Addie wondered if all the guest suites were decorated the same way. If so, the designer had a definite lack of imagination.

There was a large, gleaming, white marble tub with black metal faucets—three of them in a row—in the center of the room. Against the wall was a black marble sink and a small oval mirror. There was a small alcove where Addie assumed the toilet was and then the far wall was completely covered in a large, golden-framed mirror.

"See, this is the perfect place to try on dresses," Sparki said, hanging the three dresses she'd chosen for Addie on a nearby golden towel rod. "Now get undressed and let's see which one looks the best on you."

Addie was a little shy about getting almost naked in front of someone she'd just met, but the short, curvy lady-in-waiting was so friendly, that she found she didn't really mind. So she got started trying on the chosen dresses.

She expected to like one of the dresses more once she tried them all on, but honestly, once again they all seemed the same. Apparently there were subtle differences in the lace and the patterns but Addie didn't notice these details until Sparki pointed them out to her. Basically all three clung to her curves and ended at the ankles. They also all had plunging necklines which showed off her neck and cleavage to an almost alarming degree.

Wow—the women here certainly like to flaunt their assets! Addie thought, looking down at the tops of her breasts which were wobbling like exotic fruit put on display. Luckily, she was wearing float dots—an alien invention commonly used by women aboard the Mother Ship to elevate their breasts. The two ruby-red, tear-drop-shaped dots adhered to the undersides of her breasts acted as tiny anti-gravity devices. They kept her ta-tas looking perky, even without a bra.

That didn't mean that Addie went around braless, though. That was because she had large, puffy, prominent nipples. Meaning not only did her nipples stick out—her areolas did too. They were wide, sensitive bands around her tender peaks that looked almost swollen, as though a bee had stung her there.

Addie had read that having "puffy nipples" was simply a genetic variation that some women had, but she was intensely insecure about hers ever since a jerk she'd dated in college had made fun of them. So even though she wore the float dots, she also wore either a bra or a thick camisole under her blouse at all times. This hid her nipples—which were extremely sensitive—and kept them from chafing. She was glad she had a bra on now—though it was a bit awkward that her white bra straps were visible through the thin black silk of the identical dresses.

But though she couldn't tell the difference in the dresses, Sparki clearly could.

"Oh, that's it—that's the one!" she exclaimed rapturously as she watched Addie modeling the third dress. "Praise be to Sheelash, you're gorgeous!"

"Oh, er, thank you." Addie smiled at her. "Then I guess this is the one I'll wear to the feast."

"Yes, you should! Oh my, that gown will get you into the Choosing Ceremony for sure if only the Council of Aged Ones will allow it," Sparki told her.

"Wouldn't that be exciting!" Addie agreed, smiling. Not that she wanted to participate in the special ceremony Lx Sambla had told her about, but she did hope she'd be allowed to observe it.

"We need to get you some jewels," Sparki said, smiling. "Something sparkly to wear around your neck. You have the most lovely pale, creamy skin," she added.

"Oh, thank you. I'm a natural redhead so the paleness kind of goes with the territory," Addie told her.

"But first you have to take off your undergarments," Sparki went on.

"Excuse me? I have to what?" Addie frowned.

"Well, I mean it's all right to keep them on during the try-on process, but now that you've chosen a dress, you have to wear it right," Sparki said. "Like mine, you know?" She nodded at her own black dress and Addie saw that her nipples were poking at the black fabric prominently.

"So…you want me to take off my bra?" she asked uncertainly. She really didn't want to do that. It was fine for the other women around here to show off their nipples but she didn't want to show hers. She wouldn't have minded if they weren't so large and puffy, but they were .

"Is that what you call that breast-hider thing you're wearing?" Sparki asked. "Yes, it must come off. You'll never be allowed in the Choosing Ceremony if you don't show your assets."

"Well…" Addie really didn't like this. But as a Xeno-anthropologist she understood that sometimes you had to endure discomfort to get close to the people you were studying. The time that she and Drago had been invited to a feast where the main dish was a giant boiled cockroach leaped nimbly to mind. Just the thought turned her stomach and she quickly pushed the memory away.

"Come on now—don't you want to be included in the Choosing Ceremony?" Sparki coaxed. "I know the Council will let you in if you look right—they're dying for fresh blood around here, you know."

"They are? What do you mean?" Addie asked, as she reluctantly pulled down the top of the dress and began removing her bra.

"Oh, just that we're all so inbred around here because the High Borns are such snobs. Nobody with even a touch of Sheelash White in their hair wants to marry beneath them." She pointed to the stripe of platinum blonde that ran through her thick black hair. "See that? It shows I'm a descendant of Sheelash herself."

"It doess?" Addie frowned. This was the second time someone had claimed to be descended from the mythical Spider Goddess they worshiped here on Crimson Moon. Did they really believe it?

Sparki certainly seemed to, because she nodded gravely.

"Uh-huh. And the black in my hair is because my great-grandmother fell in love with a common man—a Low Born who came from outside the ruling class. It takes ages to breed the common blood out again and have pure Sheelash White hair like Sambla does," she added

"But…wouldn't I be considered a commoner, er, a ‘Low Born' too?" Addie asked uncertainly, pulling the dress back up again.

"Oh, no—you're a klixa— an honored off-worlder. It's not uncommon for a klixa to be invited to participate in the Choosing Ceremony, though it's been years since one was actually chosen to be the Queen of Night," Sparki told her. She tilted her head to examine Addie. "There—you look so much better with your assets on display! But you need to remove your pussy-covers too."

"I'm sorry—my what?" Addie asked, almost laughing.

"Whatever you call those garments covering your sex." Sparki pointed to her panties—which, to be fair, were also visible beneath the sheer black silk dress.

"Really?" Addie felt even more self-conscious. "I really don't think?—"

"You have to," Sparki told her. "Look, I'm up for the Choosing Ceremony too this year, you know. It's my one and only chance to be crowned the Queen of Night. But I want you to have a chance too—please, Lssa Addie?"

"Well…all right." Addie didn't like the idea of being completely bare beneath the dress, especially in mixed company. But she supposed it couldn't be helped. If she wanted to observe the Queen of Night Ceremony—and also possibly get a chance to witness the Thirst Quenching ritual—she was going to have to bite the bullet and get naked under the black silk garment.

Reaching up under the long skirt of the dress, she snagged the side of her panties and pulled them down. She was glad that she'd done some personal grooming the day before coming here—her nest of soft curls, a shade darker than the hair on her head—was a neat triangle that barely covered her mound.

Once she'd folded her underwear neatly, she smoothed the dress back down.

"Okay, I'm ready—I guess."

Sparki clapped her hands.

"Now you look perfect! Oh, I can't wait to stand in the circle with you as the cup is passed around!"

"The cup?" Addie asked uncertainly.

"You know—the cup of Sheelash's Bounty. It reveals which maiden is worthy to become the Queen of Night," Sparki explained. "Come on—it's almost time for the feast! I hope the tiresome threesome have gotten your bodyguard dressed," she added.

Her mention of Drago made Addie suddenly remember that the nobles of the Vargan Court weren't the only ones who would be seeing her half-naked—or at least, naked under her dress. The big Drake Kindred was going to see her too. And a quick glance in the mirror revealed that he would be seeing a lot.

Her large, puffy nipples were poking obscenely at the sheer black material, which seemed determined to mold itself to her every curve. The skirt of her dress clung to her too, so much so that even the slit of her pussy was on display.

Oh my God, this is a mistake! I need to put my bra and underwear back on!

But before she could reach for her undergarments, which she had folded neatly and laid on the corner of the marble sink, Sparki grabbed her arm and opened the bathroom door.

It was too late—Drago was going to see it all.