“Are you going to tell me what the deal is with this Forbidden Cycle?”
“I suppose you deserve to know.” He sat in the enormous chair again and pulled her back on his lap. Comforted that he wasn't rejecting her, she snuggled against him.
“The Yehrin have long searched for compatible races with which to breed.” She stiffened and he dropped a kiss on her head. “However, we have rarely found such a match, even when all the genetic factors are compatible. Many generations ago, before the Forbidden Cycle, one such race was found. Many females were impregnated.”
Something in his voice disturbed her and she leaned back against his arm until she could see his face. “Were they impregnated willingly?”
“They were not asked,” he admitted. “Perhaps as a result, they somehow managed to communicate a message amongst themselves. On the Day of Sorrow, all of the women took their own lives and those of their unborn children.”
“Oh, no.” She could imagine those poor desperate women, unable to face the thought of giving birth to a child forced upon them by an alien invader.
“Thus, the Forbidden Cycle—a year to learn the habits and customs of a new species. As we have discussed, at the end of the cycle, certain warriors are allowed to make an offer to the females of that race.”
“Well, it’s certainly better than wholesale rape, but don’t you see, T’chok? You’re still not giving them much more than the illusion of choice.”
“It is a choice,” he insisted. “I have never forced a female and I never will.”
“You’ve done this before?” Nausea clutched her stomach.
“It is a matter of the survival of our race. The Supreme Council has decreed that an attempt must be made with each genetically compatible species.”
She jerked away from his arm and he let her go, but he kept her on his lap.
“How many times?”
He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “I have entered a breeding contract six times during my years of service. It was never successful.”
“Six times? So I’m just number seven?”
“No. I care for you, R’chel. I have never been tempted to break the boundaries of the Forbidden Cycle before.”
The stinging sensation in her throat threatened a bout of tears, but she refused to cry in front of him.
“Please take me back to the breeder pod.” The name sent an additional wave of pain through her.
Concern washed over T’chok’s face, and he attempted to cup her face, but she ducked her head.
“You do not understand, my zuzu.”
“I understand enough. It is just as well that you didn’t fuck me. I will never enter into a breeding contract with you.” Anger was beginning to overwhelm the pain and she spat the last words at him.
“I did not intend to offer you a breeding contract. I intend to claim—” He stopped abruptly. “This is not the time to discuss my intentions. I will return you to the other females.”
The walk back was a silent one. He took her hand and she neither protested nor responded, letting her fingers rest limply in his grasp. He stopped at the entrance to the pod.
“I am sorry, R’chel. I did not intend to hurt you.”
“You didn’t hurt me.” She kept her chin high and ignored the burning in her eyes.
His eyes narrowed. “Do not lie to me, little girl. Forbidden Cycle or not, I will not hesitate to punish you if you deserve it.”
“You don’t have the right to do anything to me, you asshole. Just leave me alone.”
For a moment, she thought he was going to ignore her protests and take her over his knee and she almost wished he would. Instead, he shook his head and opened the pod door. As soon as it opened, she scooted inside and headed for her bunk, ignoring the curious glances from the other women. The first tear fell as she threw herself onto the bed. Pulling the pillow over her head, she gave in to sorrow.
A long time later, she realized that someone was patting her back in a soothing manner. She wiped her eyes and looked around to see Sarah and Lizabet sitting next to her. As soon as she raised her head, Lizabet started talking.
“Are you all right? What did they do to you? Please tell me they didn’t hurt you. You saved me, Rachel. That horrible alien.” She shuddered. “I was so fucking afraid, but you made him go away.”
“It’s okay. He probably wouldn’t have done anything.” Uncomfortable with the girl’s gratitude, Rachel ducked her head.
“I’m not so sure,” Sarah said. “When he took you off in the corner… None of them have ever done anything like that before.”
Rachel sniffed and sat up. “What happened after I left?”
“Everyone freaked out,” Lizabet said.
Sarah laughed. “Pretty much. Bambi was yelling that we were all going to be punished, but I noticed she didn’t go over and check on him. No one did. Some of us were trying to decide if we should leave, too, but…” Pink flared high on her cheekbones. “None of us were brave enough.”
“It wouldn’t have done any good. I didn’t make it very far before I was surrounded by aliens.”
“Oh, no. Did they hurt you?” Lizabet’s eyes widened.
“No. But it was pretty scary.” She shuddered at the memory of all those tall alien bodies surrounding her. “I just kept saying T’chok’s name and then this Commander T’lan showed up. He said he was going to take care of things here. I assume he did?”
Sarah nodded. “He must have. All of sudden, a bunch of them showed up.”
“Even the old slut shut up when they came,” Lizabet said with a satisfied voice.
“They took Officer T’judin away and left two guards here. We were all kind of waiting to see if they would do anything, but they just stood by the door. Even when some others brought dinner, they stayed there.”
That was different. Usually the on-duty guard helped lay out the meal. The mention of food reminded Rachel that she hadn’t eaten but she didn’t think she could face the rest of the women right now. Her stomach growled and the other two looked at her.
“Do you want me to get you something to eat?” Sarah asked.
“I’ll go.” Lizabet bounced up and hurried away.
“Why do I feel so much older than her?” Rachel asked, envying the young girl’s energy. The events of the day washed over, leaving her exhausted and sad.
“What else happened?” Sarah asked. “I know that’s not all.”
“Not much.” Avoiding Sarah’s eyes, she plucked at her blanket. “Commander T’lan took me to meet his mate. Her name is Emily and she’s human.”
“She is? What about the forbidden thing?”
“I’m not sure I entirely understand but apparently someone took advantage of her and he stepped in.” She debated for a minute, but after a quick look at the door to make sure Lizabet wasn’t on her way back, she leaned closer to Sarah and whispered. “And she’s pregnant.”
An expression of longing flashed across Sarah’s face. “They can get us pregnant?”
“Apparently. I get the feeling that it’s a big deal as well.”
Lizabet returned with a plate piled high. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted so I got a little of everything.”
Rachel looked at the mound of food and laughed. “Thanks, Lizzie. I hope you’re planning on eating some, too.”
“Maybe just a bite.”
Rachel put the plate between them, and the three nibbled and chatted until lights out. When she was alone in her bunk once more, Rachel’s thoughts kept returning to T’chok. Six women? It wasn’t that she expected T’chok to be a virgin, just because she was one. Even back on earth, she hadn’t expected that her future husband, assuming she ever had meet someone, would be a virgin. But the circumstances were so different. He had outright admitted that getting a woman pregnant was important to the Yehrin—so important that he’d tried it six times with women in the same position she was in now. How could she believe that he would want to be with her for any other reason?
The next day T’chok did not appear. Officer T’berdai did the inspections without him. The new pattern of two guards at the door at all times continued, with additional warriors to bring and remove the meals.
“I guess you scared them,” Sarah said, surveying the stern faces of the door guards.
“Somehow I doubt that,” Rachel said dryly, remembering how terrified she had been throughout her flight, but she was too distracted worrying about T’chok’s failure to appear to argue the matter further. Where was he? Now that he knew she was on to his games, had he decided to stay away from her? Ignoring the sinking sensation in her stomach, she tried to tell herself it was for the best, even though she felt that everything between them was still unresolved. By the time the evening meal appeared, she actually considered not eating. Surely if he cared at all, he would show up and start bossing her around again. In the end, she sighed and got a plate, although she was unable to do more than pick at it.
“What’s the matter, princess? Your alien tired of you already?” Bambi sneered as she walked by.
Rachel had spent more time in the main room than usual, although she refused to admit it had anything to do with a desire to see T’chok. As a result, most of the other women had approached her at one time or another. The majority couldn’t seem to decide if she was brave or crazy, but they recognized what she had tried to do for Lizabet. Bambi and her group had ignored her up until now.
Despite knowing she shouldn’t engage, Rachel’s mouth opened to respond just as the door slid back. T’chok entered, a slight limp hindering his usual confident stride, and she saw a gash down one cheek and several more on his arms. Two more guards accompanied him, but she only had eyes for him. She was on her feet and rushing to his side before she made a conscious decision to move.
“T’chok, are you hurt?”
“Do not worry, my… I am fine, R’chel,” he said, and moved past her to talk to one of the on-duty guards. She stared after him and realized that her mouth was hanging open. He had never been so dismissive of her. She thought she had seen a brief flash of emotion when he first looked at her, but it had immediately disappeared behind his stern warrior mask. Apparently, he had just been playing games with her.
Behind her, Bambi giggled. “You really don’t know how to keep a man happy, do you?”
Rachel managed to keep her expression calm but before she could respond, T’chok reappeared at her side.
“B’mbi, you will accompany me.”
Pain seared through Rachel as Bambi shot a triumphant glance at her.
“Your confinement will be extended due to your attempted manipulation of the guards.”
“What?” Bambi gasped.
No trace of sympathy showed on T’chok’s face. “Your evening activities were observed.”
“That’s impossible. He turned off the cameras—” Bambi stopped abruptly as she realized that her objection only validated the charge.
Brittany, another member of Bambi’s small group, was also being led in their direction, protesting loudly. Bambi started yelling about her rights, a stream of profanity accompanying her complaints. T’chok pulled out his blast tube and shot her. She slumped to the floor, and the other woman lapsed into shocked silence. A guard flung Bambi over his shoulder and together with Brittany and the other guard, turned to the door. T’chok started to accompany them.
“T’chok?” Rachel called softly.
He turned back, and she could swear there was longing in his gaze before his mask fell back into place.
“What will happen to her?”
“She will be removed from the breeding program and confined until her sentence is completed.”
“I know she’s not a nice person, but Commander T’ngorzul manipulated her.”
“No, R’chel. The recordings are quite clear. She approached him.”
“Oh.”
Silence fell between them, but he didn’t move away this time. She bit her lip, her eyes traveling over his wounds. He looked tired, and despite everything, she had the urge to take care of him. “I…”
“Yes?”
A thousand things rushed through her head, but none of them emerged. When she didn’t continue, his face grew even harsher. With a curt nod, he turned and left, the door closing silently behind him.
Chapter Ten
T’chok stood outside the pod door, fighting the urge to return and gather R’chel into his arms. For a moment, he allowed himself to consider a wild fantasy of carrying her to his personal flyer and hiding her somewhere on earth where they could be together. Of course, the chances of escaping Yehrin technology were slim, and, more importantly, he could not abandon his duty, no matter how much he wanted to claim his little female.
His warriors had moved ahead so he followed at a brisk pace, ignoring the pain in his leg. T’judin had fought well but the outcome was never in doubt. Although, perhaps he should not have been quite so self-confident. Determined to punish the borag for his unacceptable behavior, he had played with him rather than ending the fight quickly. As a result, T’judin had taken a swipe at his hamstring which had almost succeeded in severing it. After that, T’chok brought the fight to a swift conclusion. When T’judin lay dead at his feet, his blood had pumped with victory and all he could think about was finding R’chel. T’lan had finally stunned him in order to get him under control.
Reviewing the tapes had revealed a disturbing pattern of both abuse by the guards and attempted manipulation by some of the females. Along with eight other females, the two from Pod Eleven were deposited in the brig. Five warriors were removed from duty and sentenced to hard labor on Kadah. Two others would be executed in the morning. Relieved that the troublemakers were no longer his responsibility, he finally dismissed his squad and headed slowly back to his quarters.
His thoughts immediately returned to R’chel. Despite her anger over his previous breeding contracts, she had been concerned about his injuries. He had wanted to reassure her, but he had to focus on the immediate task instead of sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her back to his cabin. Perhaps he should try talking to her again. It was after lights out in the pods; would she be sleeping already? He envisioned her curled warm and sleepy in her bunk and his cock thickened. Instead of awakening her, he could carry her back to his quarters and hold her all night. He was heading in that direction before he came to his senses.
Once again, he found himself at T’lan’s door. M’lee answered.
“T’chok, are you hurt?” Her eyes went instantly to his wounds and he found himself smiling. His friend’s L’chka had a compassionate heart. It was one of the reasons he had given her his honor and would always watch out for her.
“I am fine, M’lee. I wish to speak to T’lan.”
“He’s in the shower. Come and sit down and I’ll make you some tea. Or would you prefer something stronger?”
He rarely drank, but tonight… “Assarian brandy, if you have it.”
She opened a cabinet and surveyed the small collection of bottles. “Which one is it?”
“The green bottle on the right.”
M’lee poured him a generous amount before wiggling up on the other end of the couch.
“How’s your girlfriend?” she asked innocently, but her eyes revealed her amusement.
“She is not mine, M’lee. She can not be mine before the end of the Forbidden Cycle. And she is not happy with me.”
“Because you have to wait?”
“Because I told her that I had entered breeding contracts in the past.”
M’lee winced. “I can’t imagine that went over well.’
“It did not. But this is different.”
Before she could respond, T’lan appeared dressed in loose evening pants. He glared at T’chok. and a low growl vibrated in his chest.
“Stop that, T’lan.” M’lee tried to jump up, but her enlarged stomach made rapid movements difficult. T’lan picked her up and sat down in her place with her curled on his lap, still glaring
at T’chok. M’lee poked him. “You know T’chok is our friend.”
“I do not wish you to be alone with another male. And you should not answer the door when I am not here.”
M’lee rolled her eyes. “Relax, big guy. I checked to see who it was. I wouldn’t have let anyone else in. Well, except Tren. Or maybe T’rarchar. Or…” She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
T’chok hid his amusement at T’lan’s frustration. Officer T’renan and Supreme Commander T’rarchar were also close friends, but a Yehrin warrior always preferred to keep his L’chka away from other males.
“Enough, my L’chka. We will discuss this later.” T’lan tried to frown at M’lee, but his face immediately relaxed into a smile and he dropped a kiss on top of her blonde curls. “Why are you here, T’chok?”
“I almost claimed R’chel last night.” He shot a quick glance at M’lee, but she did not look shocked. “I wish to take your suggestion to remove the females to the Earth facility.”
T’lan frowned. “You are sure?”
“Yes, I do not believe I can be here on the Khaichi with her every day and resist.”
“Isn’t there some way you can be together?” M’lee asked. “I understand why the Yehrin came up with the idea of the Forbidden Cycle but surely there is some exception for love?”
“Love?” His hearts thumped.
“I know, it’s not a word you guys like to use—although, trust me, Rachel will expect to hear it. If you prefer, an exception for claiming your L’chka when you find her?”
“No, M’lee,” T’lan said. “The risk is too great. Our arrangement has already caused much discontent. Another exception would only add to that.” He looked at T’chok. “Is the Earth facility ready?”
“It is close. The building is suitable, isolated from other human establishments. The existing cleansing facilities are adequate, and the cooking areas are being retrofitted. The barrier will be complete by the end of the week. Internal monitoring is the furthest behind, but we should be able to have the main areas covered.”
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