by Zara Zenia
"No, that's not fair! I'm worried about you! I'm worried that you are going to wake up and find out that you don't actually feel what you think you feel! That you're stuck in a bond that you never wanted in the first place!"
Bella glared at her. "Is that what happened to you? You weren't happy with your bond and you feel stuck?" she accused.
"No, I love Dev, but I didn't at first. I was manipulated by Nor and I had that full cocktail. I did everything I could to get out of it, I didn't want it, I…" Melody stopped and sank down in a chair. "I just want it to be your choice. I don't want you to find out that he's manipulated you. I want you to understand all of the facts."
"Look, I know you're concerned about me, but I've been taking care of myself for a long time now. I get what you're saying about the injections, but I didn't have all of them, just the first three. And I did feel that my emotions were supressed for a while, like a wall was built around my real self, but I broke through it when I attacked Emryn and tried to escape. Luckily, she was too pissed off at me and didn't give me the next injection. Instead she opted to torture me for a bit and then you all showed up." Bella sighed. "All I'm saying is, I am aware that I have the chemicals in me, but I'm also aware of myself. I admit, I am drawn to Terrex, but the guy is gorgeous, and sweet and protective of me. If he's manipulating me for some reason that I can't think of, then that's on me for believing him. You've warned me numerous times. But I don't think he is. What reason would he have? I'm not in charge here. I don't have a way to get him off the ship if that is his goal. I mean he let Sina cut him open for God's sake! Why would he do that if he was working against us?"
Melody frowned. "I don't know. I haven't figured him out yet." She dropped her head down on the table on top of her fisted hands. "Just promise my you'll be careful. And you might want to ask him why he was in the medbay when you first met him."
Bella's brows furrowed. "What do you mean? He tried to escape, right?"
Melody's eyes were sad, and she pursed her lips. "Just ask him."
Bella nodded. "Okay, I will."
Melody stood up, gave her one last concerned look, and then reopened the galley door and pushed past Jodie without a word.
"What's up with Mel? Why is she in a mood?" She looked after her, watching her march back to the command station.
"She's mad at me." Bella sighed.
"What for now?"
Bella shook her head. "She thinks Terrex is manipulating me."
Jodie sat down across from her. "What do you think?"
"I don't know, honestly. I don't think he is, but what if I'm wrong?" Bella bit the inside of her bottom lip.
"Why does she think he's manipulating you?"
Bella snorted. "She didn't have a reason. Did she have a hard time accepting the Omega thing?"
Jodie nodded. "Yeah, from what she told me. But she and Dev are more like equals. I suppose she's concerned because of Terrex's reputation. It's not the best, I gotta tell ya."
Bella nodded. "I know all about the things he's done, and I know why he did a lot of it. He told me. I don't think he's the kind of guy Melody thinks he is."
"Maybe." Jodie smiled. "I think you should trust yourself, chick, trust your heart."
Bella smiled and squeezed Jodie's hand on the table. "Thanks. I think I’m gonna go find Terrex. I have a couple of questions. I think that might help me to decide if I should trust myself or not."
"Sounds good, chick. Lunch later? It looks as if you're skipping breakfast." She smiled.
Bella looked down at the now cold eggs and bacon. "Yeah, lunch later sounds good. I hate to waste this, but I can't eat it now."
"It's okay, go, I'll take care of it."
"Thanks, Jodie."
Bella left the room and headed up to the gunnery.
25
Bella entered the gunnery to find Terrex on the floor, curled into himself grunting in pain. She dropped down next to him. "Terrex, what happened? Who did this to you?"
He curled tighter into himself and seemed to be grinding his teeth.
"Somebody! Help!" Bella called out.
A door slid open from one of the outer gun rooms and Mabav rushed out. "What's… oh crap. The Frenzy. Dude, why didn't you say it was coming on?" He shook his head.
"The Frenzy? You mean…" Bella's eyes were wide. Her stomach twisted at the clear agony Terrex seemed to be in.
"Yeah, think you can help me get him down to the medbay?"
Bella nodded. "If you can get him on his feet, I can help get him down there." She stood up and backed out of the way.
Mabav bent down and pulled Terrex to his feet. "Come on, man, let's get you down to Sina. I'm sure she can help you."
Bella wrapped her arm around his waist on the right, while Mabav had him from the left. Together they got him down the two flights of stairs and to the medbay. "Sina, can you help him?"
Sina took one look at him and sighed. "The Frenzy again, yes, set him on the bed. I'll need to give him something to numb the pain. It's not one hundred percent effective, but it should lessen the pain."
"Why is it so painful?" Bella asked, feeling as if her heart was being crushed just looking at him in so much pain.
"We aren't sure. But it is the reason they need Omegas. We just do not approve of the way they come by their Omegas. Terrex of course does not have one, so he suffers. Each time he goes into it is worse than the last one."
"That's horrible. I wish I could do something…" Bella said softly, her hand on his arm.
Sina looked at her. "Do not say that, Bella, dear. Not unless you mean to be there for him for the rest of your life. You still have those Canian chemicals in your system, so perhaps it is that making you speak such things, but I beg you, please. Know your heart before you decide to help him."
Bella nodded. Wasn't that pretty much the same thing Melody had been saying? She supposed it was. Still she hated seeing him like this. Sina gave him a shot and soon his body relaxed a little bit and his eyes fluttered open. Bella could still see the agony of it in his eyes, but he seemed a little bit better.
"Beautiful… what are you doing here?" he asked. His voice was weak and filled with agony.
Bella pulled up a chair next to his bedside and took his hand. "I need to ask you something and I need you to be honest with me, Terrex. Can you do that?"
His eyes closed, but he nodded. "Always be truthful with you, beautiful." His stomach twisted and his cock felt as though it was being crushed between to metal beams. This was so much worse than it had been when he'd been locked in the cell for it.
"Why were you in the medbay the day I arrived here?"
He opened his eyes and looking into the depth of her gaze. A tiny bit of the pain subsided a little and he reached out a hand to her. "I said I wouldn't lie. I hadn't tried to escape the cell, merely my life. The pain was crushing. The worst thing I had ever felt before, until today."
Bella's eyes widened and her heart squeezed in pain at his words. "You tried to kill yourself?"
He nodded and scooted closer to her on his bed. Being close to her helped a little. Something about her eased a tiny bit of the pain. "I couldn't bear it. I had no hope." He forced his eyes to open and gazed at her again, memorizing her face for the millionth time. "Then I met you." His words were barely a whisper as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Bella felt her heart begin to race. She wanted to help him, but she wasn't sure if it was her want or if it was the chemicals that were urging her to be with him. She needed a moment away from him. Her heart told her she was more than half in love with him, but could she trust her heart?
She brushed a lock of hair from his forehead, leaned down and kissed his lips softly and then moved away from him. "You'll look after him? Keep him as comfortable as you can?" she asked Sina.
"Of course. Though, he will be asleep for a while. The sedative I gave him should last about eight hours. I'll check on him then and if he needs another dose, I will see that he gets it."
&
nbsp; Bella nodded and headed back to her room. She had a lot of thinking to do about her feelings.
26
Bella made her way down the hall and back to her room. She sat in the chair by the window and gazed out over the universe as they passed by planets of various sizes and colors. It truly was an amazing view. But her mind wasn't on the view, it was on Terrex and her feelings for him. She was examining every little encounter they'd had, looking for anything that would tell her that he wasn't a good man deep inside.
She replayed that first meeting, waking up to see him in the bed next to her and his handsome smirk asking if she liked what she saw. She had very much. He was incredibly handsome, and she could get lost in his eyes. She liked how protective he was over her too, but still wanted her able to take care of herself. It made her feel secure, but strong as well. She'd never felt that way before.
Could that be the chemicals, or was it just that she'd gotten to know him, and he made her feel that way? Could she be happy with him? Could she be happy not living on Earth and being in the middle of the action? Could she trade that for a life with Terrex? She wasn't sure.
Hours passed and then her thoughts were distracted by a sight far off that seemed to be moving straight toward them. She narrowed her gaze on the object, it was still a long ways off, but it was moving fast. Another ship maybe? She hoped it wasn't the Yebraxians, she wasn't ready to fight them off again. A moment later, the alarm sounded, the one for the Imperial force and her heart started to race. She jumped from her chair and headed to the hall.
"What's going on? Are we being attacked again?" she asked seeing Mabav coming up from the lower deck.
"Not yet, best to stay in your quarters. Dev and Rayhan will figure out what to do."
Bella frowned, but returned to her quarters. She stood at the window, watching as they passed planets and asteroids, meteors and stars... they went by so quickly. She couldn't see the other ship anymore, but that didn't mean it wasn't still heading in their direction.
After a few minutes, the ship slowed, and she wondered if that was by design or because something had forced them to slow. She contemplated going back out to the hall again, but Mabav had said it would be best to stay in her quarters. Frowning, she paced the room. Then she noticed something rather exciting.
The ship was moving closer to a planet, but she had no idea which one. It wasn't like they posted signs up in space to tell you which planet you're passing or stopping on. Bella giggled thinking it would be helpful if they did, kind of like the zoo… And here we have Plant Lionis, inhabited by Lion like creatures who devour alien lifeforms. Unless you are Yebrax, it is best to steer clear. Or in the case of Starsinia, You have reached Starsinia, a peaceful planet, inhabited by pink skinned and jeweled-eyed creatures. If you are Canian Pirates, please stay away and do not trouble us. Thank you for your cooperation.
This planet was green and brown, with bits of blue and orange. However, the closer they got, she realized the size of the thing was immense. Excitement flowed through her. This would be the first time she'd ever been on a planet other than Earth. Quickly, she grabbed her camera and started shooting pictures of their approach. She wanted to document the event for herself.
"We are entering Planet Taliam's atmosphere," Melody's voice came over the comm system.
Planet Taliam, interesting name, Bella thought as she continued to snap pictures. They were really close now, and her camera was having trouble focusing. I wonder what kind of creatures or aliens reside here. I hope they're friendly, she thought as she slung the camera around her neck.
"Prepare for descent!" Melody's voice again crackled on the comm system.
How? Bella thought, looking around her room. What was she supposed to do?
"The wall panel next to the door to your room should be opening now to reveal seats that will keep you from hurtling around your rooms, for the ladies sharing a room, one of you take that seat, the others sit in the chairs around the table, Jodie is on her way to help you!"
Bella glanced at the wall by her door and the panel slid open and a seat unfolded that was attached to the wall. She quickly moved to it and strapped in, holding onto her camera so it would be protected as well. She could feel the shift in the ship as it began it's descent to the planet. The speed was so fast that everything whizzed by the windows incredibly fast. Then, chrome panels slid to cover the windows, she guessed to protect them as they moved at such high velocity. Her room grew dark, but the furniture stayed in place and didn't move around. She could see that it was locked in place with some sort of clamp system that had come up from the floor.
Bella held tight to the straps crisscrossed over her chest, keeping the camera close as well. She could actually feel the difference as the ship moved, tilting from left to right. About thirty minutes later, the ship straightened out and seemed to hold a steady pace for a few minutes and then slowed and finally came to a stop. She waited a few minutes, wanting to get out of her seat, but fearful that they were still in flight.
A moment later, there was a soft knock on her door.
The door snicked open and Jodie poked her head in. "You can unstrap, but stay in your quarters and be as quiet as you can, okay? We're hiding out in Taliam's swamps. Loud noises will draw attention to creatures we don't want to be noticed by, not just the Imperial Force." Jodie's voice was so quiet that Bella had to strain to hear her.
Instead of speaking, Bella nodded.
Just as Jodie was about to leave, loud screaming sounded from further down the hall. Bella's eyes flew to Jodie. "Terrex!" she cried out softly.
27
“Stay here, Sina will—" Jodie started.
But Bella wasn't hearing her, she was already pushing out of her room to go to him. "He's in pain, Jodie!"
"Duh, it's the Frenzy, of course he's in pain," Jodie called softly after her.
Bella didn't care that it was the Frenzy, all she knew was that she needed to be there, needed to comfort him. She quickly opened the medbay door and went straight to his side.
"Bella, do not get to close, it could trigger the cocktail of drugs Grell gave you," Sina warned her softly. "I've given him a sedative. He should sleep for some time. You should return to your quarters."
Bella shook her head, her eyes on Terrex's face. "No, I'll sit with him. Keep him calm if he wakes again. I promise, I'm fine." She smiled over at Sina. "You don't need to worry about me."
Sina bobbed her snakey head, but Bella could tell she didn't quite approve. "Very well. I will return later to check on him. For now, I must go see that Gaddis is well."
Bella moved to the rolling stool, clicked a button to loosen it from it's clamp and rolled over to sit beside Terrex. They were the only two in the med bay now. She took his hand and brushed the hair from his forehead. He was still breathing hard and his body seemed to twitch every now and again. She stroked his hand gently each time his body made those movements and it seemed to calm him some.
"Bella… don't… don't go…" Terrex mumbled, his head tossing from side to side.
"Shhhh, Terrex, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere," Bella said softly.
"Want you… stay…" Terrex continued to mumble, half delirious.
Bella moved, standing up and leaning over him. She felt his forehead again and it was burning up. She started to turn, to go and retrieve Sina, but the grip on her hand had her turning back to him. "Terrex, I'm not leaving, just getting Si—"
Terrex pulled her to him as he sat up. His eyes were wild with need and lust and something else that Bella couldn't place. He crushed her to him and pulled her into the bed with him, under him.
Bella blinked up at him as he hovered over her a moment and then captured her lips with his. Her arms slid up around his neck and she melted into his kiss, his tongue swept across hers, sending delicious vibrations through her. His hands squeezed her side and her breast, and then he was pulling her shirt off of her and dragging the cups of her bra from her breasts so he could torture her nipples with h
is tongue. They quickly grew hard under his ministrations. His hands moved to her jeans, undoing the button and zipper and sliding them down her body.
"Terrex," she moaned his name as his lips moved down her body, planting kisses as he made his way down to her panties.
He kissed her pussy through her lace thong and made a growling noise before they too were removed from her body. His tongue then dipped into her folds and her back arched off the bed at the pleasure of his tongue. Her toes curled and all she could do was grip the sheet as she came hard, moaning his name.
He moved back up her body, nudging her legs wider, and the next thing she knew he'd plunged his cock deep inside of her and she came shrieking as her body convulsed around his cock. He chuckled as he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. His body rocked against hers fast and hard, his hand gripping her breast as though he'd fly off the bed if he let go.
Every inch of her was overwhelmed by him. She couldn't get enough of his touch. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer as he slammed in and out of her. Bella's fingers clawed at his back, digging in as another orgasm rocked through her. She bit his shoulder to keep from screaming out.
Terrex rocked into her faster and faster, every wave harder than the last, but Bella didn't care, she was consumed with him, with the fire he'd built inside of her and she didn't want it to stop. She was on the peak of mountain again, ready to crash and fall into the euphoric bliss she knew was coming. And then with a final thrust, he shoved her over the edge, carrying her with him as they both cried out in pleasure.
Bella's heart raced as she panted for breath. Her mind whirled with flashes of what had just taken place, of what they'd done together, created together. He was tucked into her side, having shifted just a little so he wouldn't collapse on top of her. She blinked, looking at the ceiling and then around the room, realizing where she was, where they were. Anyone could have come in and seen them, could have come in while they were in the middle of all that. Not that either of them would have noticed.
