Adverse Effects

by Alicia Nordwell

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The Vlrsessiums chasing us kept roaring to each other. This was too fucking much like déjà vu. This time Yaseke ran next to me, but I was not happy someone was chasing us yet again.

  A body crashed out of the bushes just in front of us on the left. Not pausing, I aimed my weapon and fired right between his nasty, glowing red eyes. Green exploded everywhere, ichor, blood, goo…. I don’t know what it was, but it went all over.

  More roaring came from behind us.

  Yaseke stumbled. “Up. Run, damn it!” I pulled him to his feet.

  The silver glint of a vehicle in front of us startled me, and I jerked Yaseke to the side, trying to go around, determined to escape whatever fresh hell was coming for us. A black arm waved at us, and I snarled.

  I would not be taken. I would not let Yaseke be taken. It wasn’t happening.

  Then I saw the owner of that arm vault out of the vehicle… and begin firing behind us at the Vlrsessiums still hot in pursuit. The doorway stayed open, and we could see inside. I was relieved to see there were no ugly-ass Vlrsessiums inside. It was long and narrow, and there were seats alongside the far edge.

  Fieo stood up in the front of the vehicle and shouted at us, “Get in!” Two more men jumped out and joined the first guard holding off the Vlrsessiums. I pushed Yaseke in ahead of me, shoving him down into a seat.

  “Go, go, go!” I fell into a seat next to Fieo. The tall Caeorleian was driving, his eyes focused on the com screen. With a jerk, he turned it around, throwing the back end around in a quick arc right next to the other guards, who all jumped in. One stood in the open door, covering our retreat.

  My chest ached as I gasped for air. Yaseke was panting too, and blue blood was trickling down his legs from some scratches on his knees from when he fell, but he looked okay overall.

  “What the hell were those things, and why were they after us?” I demanded.

  “Vlrsessiums,” a guard said.

  “Yeah.” I snorted. “Yaseke already said that. I’m looking for a little fucking more information than a name.”

  “They’re not supposed to be here, not with the planet-wide bio net activated.” Fieo’s eyes glittered and his nostrils were flared, as our vehicle crashed through the trees. It was built long and narrow, but it easily plowed through the bushes and smaller trees in the way. We were probably leaving a hell of a track, though. “They’re highly aggressive and hostile aliens. They only move in groups of four—they have a sort of a hive mind—so the beasts stick together at all times.”

  “I took out two,” I said.

  “Mekril and I got the other two,” a guard said. “Did you see their vehicle or a ship?”

  “No,” Yaseke said. “They would have snuck right up on us in the hunting lodge if we hadn’t gone out to get some fruit.”

  “How in the hell did they know we were there? There’s no way that was a coincidence. Two attacks against us is no fluke.” I ground my teeth, rage still swamping me. Yaseke could have been killed! The thought alone made the edges of my vision tinge red.

  Fieo clenched his hands on the controls. “Someone had to have let them through the bio net and then told them where you were. Seral will find out who it was and eviscerate them. Slavers are not tolerated on Caeorleia.”

  I tensed. “Slavers?”

  Fieo nodded sharply.

  My fingers clenched on the arms of my chair; I couldn’t hold back my snarl, an angry hum erupting from my throat. “Buphet is the top of my list of possible traitors.” Mostly because I didn’t know who else could be responsible for this, but a lot of evidence pointed his way. This was the second time someone attacked me and had connections to the slave trade. “If I see him, he is dead.”

  “You can’t just go kill an asheksi,” Fieo said.

  “Watch me.” My angry hum filled the vehicle. Fieo snapped his head around to look at me, but then he had to jerk on the controls to veer us away from a tree that seemed to jump up in front of us. I almost fell out of my seat, and Yaseke yelped as he tumbled sideways.

  “Watch where the hell you’re going!” I spun in my chair, reaching for Yaseke, pushing my anger down so I could check on him. I pushed his muddy hair back from his face, stroking his cheek with my thumb. “You okay?”

  He nodded.

  “How are your knees feeling?” I tried to wipe off the mud so I could see them better, but I only smeared the sticky substance around.

  “They’ll be fine.” He smiled at me. “It shouldn’t take long to get back to the residence. Larede can clean them up there.”

  I scowled a little; I hadn’t forgotten how the doctor had tried to trick me into spilling my guts to Yaseke. I’d thought Larede could be a friend, but friends didn’t manipulate each other.

  “He’s a good male,” Yaseke said quietly.

  I shrugged with one shoulder. “Maybe.”

  The guard standing in the door moved inside and shut it. The space was tight, and I jerked back when he stumbled too close to Yaseke’s chair and almost touched my arm.

  Amazing how quickly I had gotten used to not having to worry about being touched. While I was glad we had been rescued, I wasn’t thrilled about our return to the populated residence within the busy city. Yaseke frowned sadly when I crossed my arms over my chest.

  I turned my seat to stare back at Fieo. “How long until we’re back? You got to us very quickly.”

  “Not long,” he answered. “We’re back on the road, and I’ve slowed down and set the auto drive to save some power. It’ll take a bit longer getting back, though. We had to hurry to reach you before….”

  His voice trailed off, but it was too late. He knew something! I pounced on his statement. “Why would you do that, hurry to reach us?”

  When he pressed his lips together and refused to speak, my temper exploded.

  They hadn’t tried to disarm me, so I still had my weapon. My finger twitched on the trigger as I aimed it at his head. “Talk.”

  Suddenly I had several weapons pointed at me.

  “Hey! Everyone needs to calm down.” Yaseke’s hum was loud, but he didn’t shout. “There’s no need for weapons.”

  I didn’t take my eyes off Fieo, not even to look at his men. “I can shoot him before any of you can shoot me, and a shot from this range is close enough that he won’t survive.”

  “And this vehicle will crash, which could hurt Yaseke.”

  Fieo raised an eyebrow. I narrowed my eyes at him, unsure of what he knew. I played it off, calling his bluff. Our joining mark had been hidden by the mud.

  “Yaseke, fasten your restraints.”

  His hands shook as he did it. “Dade—”

  “Not now, please.” I kept my voice steady. “Talk, Fieo. Or I’ll take my chances. I’m sick to death of the fucking secrets, and I will not be a mindless drone to whatever you have cooked up. I am not a soldier anymore. I will not have my life played as a pawn in others’ plots.”

  “Dade, you need to lower your weapon.” I caught the scared expression on Yaseke’s face from the corner of my eye, and it killed me, though I was impressed by how calm he kept his voice.

  “Not until I get an answer.”

  Fieo sighed but started talking. “Seral caught interference on the call this morning. At first he thought it was just from the lodge equipment, but then the com system identified that a tap had been placed on the call. It activated when Yaseke’s voice registered with the com.”

  “Is that possible?” I asked Yaseke.

  “Well, I’m not an expert with the coms, but yes, I believe that is possible. Please lower your gun, Dade.”

  It took me a long minute to consider Fieo’s explanation. “You rushed out, thinking someone was going to be doing the same thing, and hoping to beat them from the city out to our location?”

  “Yes.”

  I eased the tension in my trigger finger and took it off the mechanism. I lowered the pistol to my lap, and Yaseke blew out a long breath. Fieo’s should
ers eased a little.

  “Want to call off your guards?” I knew there were several weapons being pointed right at me by amped-up men. I kept my movements slow. We didn’t need an incident, now that I was getting some cooperation. Fieo seemed like a good guy. I had seen how protective he was with Nicklaus, and the small man trusted him.

  There was one way I could be sure of what Fieo was feeling, but the thought of touching him made my stomach lurch.

  “Mekril, Barda, Vikij.” All it took was their names in his firm voice, and they lowered their weapons. One was very reluctant, glaring at me. I ignored him.

  “Can Seral track that tap?”

  “He had someone working on it before I even left.”

  I sat back in my seat, staring out the front of the vehicle. “Good.” They could say the person behind the attacks and tap could be anyone and cautiously wait to get their evidence before they’d believe what I was already sure of. I knew who was behind this, though, and Buphet would be made to pay.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” I grabbed Yaseke by the arm as he started to walk away.

  He looked at me, his face blank. “To my quarters.”

  Shaking my head, I towed him toward me. “No. We’re going to my room.”

  “We are?” His hum was so hopeful.

  I couldn’t help but snicker, which made Yaseke shiver. “Yes. Did you think that I was just going to let you walk away now that we’re back?” We’d been debriefed already. Buphet, rat bastard that he was, was nowhere to be found. The guards were trying to track him down. Now everyone believed what I’d already known, and there wasn’t anything more I could do that wasn’t already being done by Seral and his men.

  Having spent most of my life attending briefings while hungry, dirty, tired, even bleeding, I probably wouldn’t have minded staying, but I’d seen Yaseke shiver and rub his stomach. He needed food and to get cleaned up before collapsing into a real bed. With me. Preferably we wouldn’t leave my room for a few days.

  Mindful of the guard once again following me, I didn’t mention our joining. The mud was drying on his body and flaking off, but I had a red robe that would cover my mark on his heart space.

  Just for a little while.

  Towing him with me, I led the way back to the suite I shared with Nicklaus. Going inside, I was stopped by the smaller man. He rushed me, throwing his arms around my waist. Intense relief swamped me, and my legs wobbled.

  An angry hum filled the air, and Nicklaus was yanked off me. Standing in front of me, Yaseke had his fangs bared.

  “Hands off.” The angry hum of his voice made the bone behind my ear vibrate unpleasantly. The feelings Nicklaus had flooded me with faded slowly, and I had to resist the urge to wipe at my sides, as if the emotions were something I could clean away.

  I put my hands on Yaseke’s shoulders. “Shhh.” I tried to soothe him, rubbing at his tense muscles. “I’m okay.”

  Nicklaus’ eyes were huge as he stared at us. “What—”

  “It’s been a rough few days, and we’ve been attacked twice,” I said quickly. “We’re both a little on edge.”

  Nicklaus nodded nervously, twisting his hands together. “Okay. That makes sense. Sorry.”

  Yaseke slowly relaxed, and he stopped that vicious, buzzing hum. “I am as well. I didn’t mean to react that way.” His stomach growled.

  “Oh!” Nicklaus took a step forward now that my tziu had calmed down. “You’re probably just hungry. Would you like me to order you some food? I’m sure you’d like to get cleaned up right away.”

  “That would be nice,” I said. “Thank you.”

  We made our way through the sitting area of the suite to my room. I was tired, so Yaseke was probably exhausted. He healed faster than I did, but as a soldier I was more used to the insane situations we’d found ourselves in. This was far from the first time I’d been hunted through the wilds. Hopefully it was the fucking last, though. I was getting too old for this shit.

  Well, I had been. I had no real idea how long I’d live with all the tampering with my body the doctors had done.

  “Hey, Yaseke, how long do Caeorleians live?” I asked as I grabbed some cloths for the shower. The mud covering us was still sticky. It was probably going to be a bitch to get off.

  “Forty turns or so, on average.”

  Shit. “You’re kidding?”

  Yaseke tilted his head, giving me an odd look. “No,” he said slowly.

  If each turn was roughly five years on my birth planet… that was two hundred years. Would I live as long as Yaseke?

  “This besedad thing… what does that mean? Will I live as long as you? You’ll live as long as me?” Had I doomed Yaseke to a life half the length he should’ve had?

  Yaseke pulled me into the shower when I stood there staring at him. The warm soapy water sluiced over us. He handed me a cloth, but instead of washing myself, I started washing his back and sides. He sighed, putting his arms against the walls of the shower.

  “The doctors don’t really know. Seral asked those same questions. As far as any tests show, Ryker appears to have the same basic genetic makeup as a Caeorleian. But we know you guys are not exactly the same.”

  I turned him around and attacked the mud covering his chest, wanting to see my mark on him again, even if the mark stood for something dangerous for him. “I’m sorry.”

  He slipped his arms around me. “For what?”

  “Risking your life. Just being around me has put you in danger, and now this.” I shook my head, avoiding his gaze. Would I see accusations there, now that Yaseke had time to think about all the implications of being with me? Things were calmer now the immediate danger had passed and reason returned. Maybe everything between us could be chalked up to the adrenaline of the situation.

  His long, slender fingers captured my chin. “Hey, look at me.” He tightened his grip until I turned my head and looked him in his shining yellow eyes. “I don’t care if we only have nine to twelve more cycles. Being with you is worth it. Every one of those cycles is precious time spent having you as my isit. I can’t help but believe that is better than living all those long cycles alone.”

  My eyes burned and I closed them, leaning down to rest my forehead against his. I dropped the cloth, burying my hands in his hair, the warm, wet strands tangling between my fingers. I had to touch him, possess him. I leaned him back, out of the water and claimed his lips.

  I stroked my tongue in and out while I rubbed small circles at the base of his head. Yaseke groaned, his hands clenching painfully on my arms, and his claws came out, pricking my skin. The small licks of pain went straight to my cock.

  I was starting to back him into the wall when Yaseke’s stomach rumbled. It was so loud we could hear the growl over the pounding of the water.

  I started laughing, but that made Yaseke moan again and rub our cocks together. I suppressed my amusement. “Hey, babe, we need to get you something to eat. Then we can go to bed. I bet Nicklaus has already gotten a meal delivered.”

  Yaseke wrinkled his nose, but when I pulled back, he let me go with a sigh. This time I handed him the cloth to let him finish washing himself. If I put my hands anywhere near his cock, we wouldn’t be getting out of the shower anytime soon. Grabbing the second one, I quickly scrubbed my body, then bent forward and ran my fingers over my short hair vigorously.

  I got out first and handed Yaseke a towel, leaving him to dry off. I spotted a tray sitting by the door on a small table when I headed toward the closet. I grabbed out two robes, one in white for me and my red one for Yaseke. The fabric was cool against my heated skin. I couldn’t wait to feed him, then take him to my bed. My robe bulged as my cock started to stiffen yet again.

  I turned as my tziu was just coming out of the bathroom, completely bare, then spun again when the door to my room slid open.

  Larede’s eyes were huge as he stared at Yaseke. A loud, painful hum broke the silence as rage overtook me as I stalked to the doorway. The doctor gasp
ed when I grabbed him, yanking him into the room, and the door shut behind him.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “What…?” Larede didn’t fight my grip at all, even when my hand tightened on his wrist as he stared at Yaseke’s chest and then at me with wide, dark eyes.

  I ground my teeth. “Stop looking at him.” It was unreasonable to worry about people looking at Yaseke, considering how often the Caeorleians ran around naked, but I didn’t care. He was attracted to Yaseke! I could feel Larede’s lust wane even as it made my cock stand up. Intense surprise took its place. I dropped Larede’s arm but moved so I was closer to the door than the doctor.

  “Sorry,” Yaseke muttered as he reached for my robe, tying it around his waist so that it covered the mark on his chest that matched the one on my palm. “What are you doing here, Larede?”

  “You joined?” A frown marred his face when Larede turned to glance up at me. “With him?”

  Well, that sounded complimentary. “What’s wrong with me?” I glared at him.

  Larede’s face paled. “Nothing!” He looked away, glancing furtively at Yaseke.

  I clenched my teeth. Had he been together with Yaseke before? Or did he just want to be with him? Was that why he suggested Larede when they wanted a therapist to evaluate me? I knew that my tziu had a past, and he hadn’t been a monk. I did too, but damn it, I’d begun to think of Larede as a friend before I learned about what he’d wanted Yaseke to do. Friends didn’t try to manipulate you.

  I held tight to my emotions, pushing them down so the anger wouldn’t explode. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “Sit down, Larede.” I gestured to the small table where food was already laid out for us. He followed my direction quietly, taking the chair by the dresser while I took the seat by the door. Holding out a hand, I waited for Yaseke to come to me so I could pull him down to sit on my lap.

  The cool slide of the fabric of the robes between us was sweet torture, but I felt only my own arousal and need for my tziu as I touched him. I was heady with relief that my ability still didn’t work with him, letting me relax into his caresses when he patted my hand.