by Keri Kruspe
“You really want to help me? No bullshit?”
His dimples came out to play when a noise outside of the room had him stepping closer to her. Their bodies ended up mere centimeters apart.
Then it hit her.
The body-tingling, wake up girl, he’s here…masculine scent. His ambrosial aroma was a mouthwatering blend of masculine musk overlaid with a hint of black licorice and ylang-ylang. She inhaled to capture a whiff of the intoxicating tang. Her nipples hardened into nubs as her clit swelled in appreciation. Holy shamoka…was he ever potent!
“Do you smell that?” She was too enthralled to be embarrassed about the husky rasp coming out of her mouth. “What is it?” She raised her gaze to his and got lost in his eyes. She moved her body to mold into his.
He mirrored the deep breath she took, then dropped the weapon as he enfolded her to him, his mouth taking control of hers. At first, his lips nudged softly until the innocent embrace kicked into high gear. He wrapped his arms around her to slide his body over hers. His tongue demanded entrance…and she gladly invited him in.
When their tongues joined, her mouth exploded in a multi-layered buffet of sensual decadence. He had slight nubs along the side of his tongue that he used to make carnal demands. Black licorice and tart spice combined with musky man flooded her senses.
His large palm at the back of her head held her in place. His other hand found the globe of her ass, kneading and pulling it toward his groin in increasing passion.
Lora settled her body against his and collapsed into a boneless heap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him in. She plunged her hands into the thick hair at the nape of his neck and wallowed in the luxurious feel. The rich tresses on the top of his head were in a tight man bun, but her fingers had no trouble delving into the sensual warmth. She massaged the base of his neck as she rubbed her lower body against his.
Never before had she gone from calm, cool, and collected to a wild woman between one breath and the next. She was more than ready to indulge in the delights of eroticism with him. As his tongue danced with hers, she moaned and sucked on the little nubs.
Not to be outdone, he started moving the hand cupping her head in a downward, caressing journey.
She wiggled her groin in appreciation against the hardened bulge at the apex of his thighs.
A distracting, insistent squeak came from the floor. His head jerked back from hers, causing her to stumble out of his arms.
“Oh, my.” She became lost in the blatant desire tightening his face. She reached out, her fingers itching to touch him.
He grabbed her wrists and brought her hands up to his still-wet mouth for a light kiss on her knuckles. Taking a deep breath, he kept her gaze trapped with his and said only one word. “TrueBond.”
Okay, that was new. Points to him for being original, if not outright confusing. “Huh? What?” Maybe it was a Zerin thing, which of course, they refused to cover in their classes on board the StarChance. Her friend Aimee once asked to know more about them, but their liaison snidely told them it wasn’t necessary since Zerins weren’t allowed to attend the Exchange.
“Danka shit!” Ignoring her question, he reached down and retrieved his helmet. “I’m afraid we can’t get into this right now. I swear you have to give me time to figure out how to get us out of this.”
She liked that he said the word “us” and didn’t doubt his sincerity. It was there in his tone and facial expression together with his rigid stance.
“Trust me.”
He started to put his helmet back on, but Lora put her hand on his arm before he had a chance to. “Wait! What’s your name?”
Those deadly dimples came out again. “D’zia. My name is D’zia Yaq E’etu.” He dislodged her grip and placed another kiss on her palm.
“I’m Lora Dharma Callahan.” Wait, she’d never gushed in her whole life, but here she was, gushing like a mindless, simpering preteen. Way to make an impression, Lora.
“As much as I would love to stay here, we’d better leave now.” He put the hideous helmet over his head before he grabbed his pistol off the floor. “Follow my lead and I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” The last part came out in a grating, tinny voice, now that he had his helmet on.
With that reminder, Lora trembled, her nerves tight. “Okay.” What choice did she have? She had to trust someone, and she trusted him. Even if she didn’t know why.
Lora held her breath when D’zia waved open the utility door and peered out into the corridor. He gestured for her to wait. After a few seconds, he signaled it was okay and she joined him in the near-empty corridor.
Once again, Lora walked in front. Instead of worrying about the person behind her, she concentrated on everything around her. Now the rooms they passed were empty and dark, except for the glow of an occupied room they were walking toward on the left.
She entered first and immediately wished she hadn’t. A blast of rancid odor, like something died and left to rot, assaulted her nose. She made a move to turn around, but D’zia stood at her back. They were close enough she could feel his body heat. Good thing too, because every nerve in her body was poised to run.
In a desperate attempt to find an escape route, she scrutinized the room. It was a little bigger than her doctor’s examination room back on Earth. It had a metal table long enough for a person to lie on, plus various machinery around it, including several spotlights already blazing. Countertops lined the back wall, devoid of any instruments. Above the counters, the walls were bare, except a lit open square hole with empty glass jars and cups in it.
She started to shiver at the sight of the strange egg-shaped tank floating without support on her right. A light-blue goo filled the inside, with various tubes and needles embedded on the sides. She sure hoped that wasn’t for her…she had a major phobia of drowning.
The room faded into the background when she focused on the alien standing beside the table. She couldn’t decide if the being was ugly or just put together wrong.
He was well over seven-feet tall, but thin and gaunt; his murky green skin was the color of vomited pea soup. There were chunky splotches of orange and yellow throughout his exposed face. Instead of white, the background of his eyes was black, with an iridescent diamond pupil in an orange iris. His ears were tiny cups and sat on top of his head like a mouse’s.
He wore the same outer clothing as the Zerins she’d passed in the corridor, a long, blue overcoat, and gloves over his pincer-like fingers.
Lora bit the inside of her mouth.
Oh my God, he was a cartoon version of a mad scientist bent on world domination. A navy-blue one-piece suit outlined his bow-legged posture with the fabric tucked into low-heeled black ankle boots. He was void of hair, not even eyebrows or eyelashes. His nose was dual slits above his nonexistent thin lips, which stretched into a condescending smirk.
“Good, bring her over to the table.” His high-pitched voice grated. Great, mad scientist was a chipmunk in disguise.
D’zia gave her a slight nudge between her shoulder blades.
Oh right, she had to bide her time for now. Got it.
Too bad brave intentions didn’t translate into brave deeds. It was hard to resist the urge to glance behind her at D’zia for encouragement. She took tiny steps closer to the table. She had to stall, anything to keep from getting on that table. So, she blurted the first thing that came to mind. “Hey, what’s your name?” She asked the ugly, towering alien. She eyed the shiny metallic table. Jeez, it wasn’t even padded.
The alien’s head cocked at her like a spastic bird. “I don’t see how that is relevant.” He gestured to the tabletop. “Get on and lay down.” He narrowed his eyes toward D’zia. “Guard, assist her up.”
“No, no, I can do it.” Lora didn’t want to bring D’zia to his attention. She went over to the table and hopped onto the hard surface. Damn, she could feel the bite of the cold metal through her tunic pants. “But really, what’s your name? I’d like to know.” No,
she didn’t, but she had to say something.
He pulled up a hypodermic thingy and regarded her with utter disdain. He mumbled something, but she missed what he said.
Her full attention was on the instrument in the scientist’s hands. D’zia soft snort made Lora realize she missed the alien’s reply. She wasn’t going to check with D’zia for clarification, so she stared at the alien instead. “Excuse me? What did you say?”
His black eyes narrowed as his expression hardened. “I said my name is Dr. Knum’Nz.”
Lora squealed with laughter. No way she’d heard him right. “Are you kidding me? Your name is Numb Nuts?” She slapped her thighs as she rocked between snorts and giggles. She had to stop from falling off the table as she devolved into hysterical laughter. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard!” Okay, maybe it wasn’t that funny, but with her nerves stretched tight, the comic relief was welcome.
“Ignorant human,” Numb Nuts muttered. “Subdue her,” he commanded D’zia in a demanding tone. He grabbed a flask filled with orange liquid.
D’zia’s hold was light as he grabbed her upper arm. Her mutated reflection on his triangular helmet showed her wild eyes and tense mouth. She coughed to regain her composure. “It’s okay,” she whispered. She made sure the ugly alien wasn’t paying any attention to them. “I’m okay. I’ll behave.” She gave a sheepish grin in the curved image of his headgear. “At least I’ll try to.”
Nodding slightly, he let her arm go and stepped back. He took a position by the door.
“Take your outer clothes off and lie back, human.”
Her body froze as her mind blanked before she flushed in anger. She had to stifle the urge to spit the excessive saliva in her mouth toward the disgusting puke-green alien. Instead, she took in a deep breath and figured she had little choice but to do what he’d demanded. She ignored everyone and pulled the tunic and pants off. She left the band around her breasts, her panties, and her soft shoes. Now the sting of the cold metal burned her exposed skin as she lay down. The minute she settled, restraints came out to encircle her arms, wrists, thighs, and ankles. A wide, firm strap held her head down, so movement was impossible.
She pressed her lips to stem her rising panic, but swallowed hard and stared at the bland ceiling. The only comfort was D’zia being close to prevent the sinister scientist from doing anything too bad to her.
“You may go,” Dr. Ugly Nuts said.
She couldn’t see who he talked to, but the only other person in the room was D’zia.
“Unable to comply. My orders were to stay with the prisoner at all times.” His voice was high and tinny coming out of the metallic helmet.
If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear he was a reject from munchkin land.
“You dare argue with me?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the tall alien leave her side to confront D’zia. “As you can see, she is strapped in and isn’t going anywhere. I need to work unimpeded and you’ll only be in the way. I assure you, I will call when I’m finished with her.”
“My orders were quite specific.” D’zia countered in a calm tone behind the metal helmet. “If you need other arrangements, please contact my superior to issue new orders.”
Lora admired the steel in his voice. Beanpole doctor didn’t intimidate him one bit. She couldn’t see what D’zia did next but imagined him turning his head to the other male.
“I will not take orders from you until I am cleared to do so.”
Damn, sexy alien man showing his alpha status was hot…hot…hot. She closed her eyes and pictured their recent kiss. Yeah, she’d rather relive that instead of thinking about the crappy situation going on around her.
The air was heavy as the two males battled in a moment of silence.
“We shall see,” Dr. Creepy Nuts said. His voice got closer before his ugly mug took over her field of vision. He pulled one light down, shining it around her mouth. “Now open wide, human.” He gave a spine-chilling chuckle that exposed his forked yellow tongue. “Hold still, this won’t hurt…much.”
* * *
D’ZIA
Watching Dr. Knum’Nz poke, prod, scrape skin, and take blood samples from Lora was the hardest thing D’zia ever had to endure in his life. When they’d stepped together in the confines of that small medical closet, the irresistible scent of cinnamon and tangy citrus flooded his system. Every cell in his body exploded with the knowledge he’d finally met his TrueBond—the one female in the entire galaxy made for him. When their lips met, an unwavering hunger took over and he reveled in what she willingly offered. Sheer bliss overtook him as his higher cognitive functions floated away. If it weren’t for JR10 sending out a squeaking signal to get his attention, he’d still be locked with her inside that small supply room.
It was a good thing JR10 was working out a contingency escape plan, or he’d lose control. To counter his mounting frustration, he daydreamed about dismembering the Erkek hybrid, piece by piece. He’d relish every scream that came out of the alien’s disgusting mouth before he’d rip the Erkek’s head off his skinny shoulders and ram it up his ass.
What the scientist did to Lora in the next macroclicks wasn’t life-threatening but it caused her a lot of unnecessary pain. Sweat gathered in the humidity of his helmet as his nerves reached a breaking point. “JR10, report,” he said through flat lips. He refused to look away as Lora gave a small moan when the doctor scraped her inner thigh with a sharp scalpel for another sample. She lay there shaking in her undergarments under the doctor’s indifferent gaze. There were beaded dots of blood welling where the fiend had scraped samples away or given various injections.
D’zia clenched his fists around the barrel of the blaster pistol he held. It was either that or he’d wrap his hands around that scrawny, green neck and squeeze…
“Bro, again? Chill out, dude. I’m doing the best I can,” JR10 complained. “But I do have good news.”
That perked up D’zia’s waning restraint. He released his tight hold around the impenetrable metal of the blaster. “Oh, what kind of good news?”
A deep sigh pinged in D’zia’s mental receptor. “My Betty…my PYT. She’s finally ready.”
“Your what?” Even he, who prided himself on his grasp of Earth slang, had a hard time keeping up with JR10. “What’s a PYT?” He didn’t want to know who Betty was.
“Pretty Young Thing. Goddess in a handbasket, dude. Get with the program already!” How could one little AI pack in so much attitude? “Her name is JR11! And bro, I gotta tell you, she is perfect.”
It wouldn’t do any good to roll his eyes in the helmet, but that didn’t stop him from doing so anyway. “What is a JR11?”
“JR11 is my creation, my one and only.” With that pronouncement, JR10 transported into D’zia’s helmet to clasp on the top of the warrior braid at his temple. “Holy schwiz wizzes! What’s he doin’ to her?” The little Spybot must be talking about Lora splayed out on the table and not whoever this JR11 was. The bot’s spindly legs tickled as he scrambled to his favorite place in D’zia’s hair.
“Now you know why I want you to find a way for me to take her out of this Goddess-forsaken place as soon as possible.” D’zia clenched his teeth so hard he heard his back molars grinding. “I don’t know how much more I can take before I snap.”
“Yo, bro! You smell funny,” JR10 observed aloud. “Are you beginning the TrueBond process?”
D’zia wanted to laugh when the little bot actually gasped in a whisper. “Yes, you annoying little thing! She’s my TrueBond and I have to get her out of here.”
“Humph, I suppose you’d like us to get out of here without getting killed, eh?”
“Yeah, good idea,” D’zia ground the words out through his clenched teeth. “Wish I’d thought of it.” Stress sweat ran down his forehead and rolled into his eyes. He checked the helmet’s environmental controls and adjusted them to a cooler setting.
“Well, as I was saying…” JR10 continued blathering “…JR11 i
s ready for her.”
D’zia closed his eyes to help him connect to the conversation. “Tell me.”
“JR11 is like me, only a little smaller but able to interface with your human to keep communications open between us.”
D’zia’s eyes opened. “You made an AI for Lora?” Okay, that was nice. But how was another spybot going to get them out of this predicament?
“Guard!” Dr. Knum’Nz barked in D’zia’s direction. “Get this human out of here.”
D’zia snapped to attention and grabbed her discarded tunic before he walked over to the table holding his strapped TrueBond. Clasping his fingers together in a tight fist to avoid punching the hybrid in the face, he stood and waited for the doctor to release her. A flick of the doctor’s hand over the table controls and the straps disappeared.
Tears pooled out of her eyes and darkened the blonde hair lying beneath her ears. Her nose ran and her cheeks were splotchy while her full mouth twisted in pain. Her expression was one of shame and embarrassment mixed with a touch of agony.
D’zia swore he’d never seen anything so beautiful in his life. Nothing or no one could destroy this glorious creature…his TrueBond. With extra care, he helped her sit as she swung her legs over the table edge. He gave her the grey-blue tunic with a slight squeeze on an uninjured upper part of her arm, trying to show his support.
She nodded, took the garment, and with shaking hands put it on over her head. Then she wiggled her butt off the tall table edge until her toes touched the floor. She paused for a few clicks before she placed the rest of her weight on her feet.
D’zia swallowed the chalky taste in his mouth since he couldn’t take away the pain and discomfort his beautiful Lora endured. He’d never experienced the inability to take action in any situation. It galled him to be helpless while his TrueBond’s life was in danger. He trembled as his rage seethed from not protecting her.
