AydarrGoogle

by Veronica Scott

  “Any such decision is up to us,” the Khagrish supervisor said, intervening rapidly in a conversation he appeared to find uncomfortable. “Depending on the outcome of this situation, we’ll evaluate the necessity and efficacy of creating bonded pairs. Details have not been worked out. This situation is an outlier, done at the customer’s request. Enough discussion, get on with the ritual.”

  Aydarr led Jill to a side door, the cubs and cadets of his line marching with varying degrees of military precision behind them. The portal opened onto a side yard, which Jill guessed was fenced in with invisible force fields like the Preserve. He walked to a bench at the far end of the space and waited for her to sit before seating himself.

  The children arranged themselves in a semi-circle, youngest to eldest, and sat cross-legged on the grass. Jamokan and the Tzibir were similarly surrounded by their DNA line’s young, moving to a different corner of the yard. A fourth corner held a bench but no pack. Startled, Jill wondered if some other strain of Badari had been terminated, experiment failed. A shiver spiraled down her spine.

  “The pack and I leave on a mission tomorrow,” Aydarr said, addressing the cubs and cadets. “It’s unknown how long we’ll be gone this time.”

  “Will she go with you?” asked one of the younger boys, pointing at Jill.

  “No, although she was a soldier in the Sectors and certainly could hold her own in combat.”

  “But the Khagrish don’t know my resume or what I can do,” Jill said as all eyes turned to her. Why was Aydarr giving out important information freely today? “So I need you to keep my secret.”

  She saw all the cadets nodding. Apparently, the concept of secret keeping wasn’t new to them.

  “As my mate, Jill wields her own pack authority, so while I’m gone I expect you to obey any order from her you might receive. If there’s a problem here, in the Development Unit, requiring Pack intervention ask for Jill. Demand the Khagrish bring her to you.” Aydarr leaned forward, face serious. “For the first time ever, I’ll leave this place feeling you’re properly watched over, because of my mate.”

  “What if the Khagrish refuse to bring her to us?” It was the young alpha.

  “They don’t know what to do with the situation,” Jill said. “Use that uncertainty on their part. Demand your right to see me, as Aydarr’s stand-in, if there’s an issue or problem you would have needed him to resolve.”

  “I can’t talk to her,” said the smallest cub, his face sad.

  One of the others clapped his hand over the boy’s mouth. “We don’t discuss our link, ever. Remember the rules.”

  Jill left the bench and approached the child who’d spoken. The other cubs and cadets scattered to make way for her. The teenaged alpha stubbornly blocked her path until a growl from Aydarr made him lower his eyes and step aside. Reaching the cub, Jill sank to the ground and put her arm around him. Speaking close to his ear, she said, “I’m not Badari by birth, so no, there are things you can do that I can’t do, like talk to each in, uh, certain ways.”

  Aydarr nodded his approval of her circumlocution on their telepathy.

  She raised her voice to address the others. “But I’m proud to be a pack member by adoption and honored to meet all of you today.”

  “Tell my mate your names and swear your loyalty to her,” Aydarr ordered, “Before the Khagrish grow impatient and end our session.” He pointed at the boy Jill was hugging. “Bilmar, you first.”

  Bilmar pulled away from her, rising to his feet and placing his right hand over his heart, tiny talons making an appearance. “I, Bilmar of Generation 11, pledge my loyalty to Jill, mate of Aydarr, and I will defend her with my life.”

  The boy was so earnest . Jill blinked away tears, sad to see such a young child taking on the mantle of a warrior two decades his elder. The rapid ceremony continued, until only the teenaged alpha was left. He stood silent, rocking on his heels, frowning as he glanced from Aydarr to Jill.

  “I will hear your oath, Vattan.” Aydarr rose to his feet, talons and fangs manifesting.

  Jill and the children moved aside as the younger alpha walked to where Aydarr waited.

  Is this kid out of his mind? He can’t take Aydarr. She was astounded.

  “I am the alpha of this pack,” Vattan said, gesturing at the young behind him. “We don’t need your bedmate to think she can interfere. I don’t report to her.”

  Moving so fast that Jill could only blink, Aydarr had the boy pinned on his back. “I am the Alpha for the entire pack, including the cubs and cadets, which is a responsibility I won by rite of combat. Until you can defeat me, best you not insult my mate or question my decisions.” His fangs and talons were prominent.

  Mouth set in a stubborn line, Vattan glared at Aydarr for a tense moment before raising his chin to expose his neck. “I submit.”

  Aydarr waited an extra heartbeat before allowing Vattan to regain his feet. “It’s true you watch over the young on a day to day basis, since the Khagrish don’t allow us to be housed together, but never forget—any of you—who is the rightful alpha of this pack.”

  Brushing himself off, Vattan moved away. “My day will come, just as yours did.” His face was set in sullen lines. “Until then, I pledge my loyalty to you and your mate.”

  A buzzer sounded from the direction of the building. “Our time is over,” Aydarr said. He held out his hand to Jill. “We must go.”

  She was bursting with questions, but she accompanied him to the pack cell without speaking. When they reached the common room, the rest of the band was missing.

  “Training.” Unconcerned, Aydarr shrugged off the pack’s absence. “I’ll be escorted to join them soon, I’m sure. Best you stay here today. All the warriors will be on edge and the Khagrish as well.”

  “What was all the fuss about? Why did the kid challenge you? He had to know he didn’t have a chance of winning.”

  “Vattan is ambitious, and the Khagrish fill his head with promises. The scientists think he’d be a more tractable alpha than I am, easier to work with. I tend to put as many obstacles in their way as I can, argue over their plans.” Aydarr’s grin was cocky. Grabbing a water bottle, he walked toward the alcove. “Sit with me until I’m summoned?”

  “Of course.” Happy to join him, she snuggled against his side on their bed. “I didn’t see any of the others rushing to join Vattan’s incipient revolt.”

  “No, he has no rising enforcers loyal to him.”

  “Whereas you have Mateer and Reede.”

  Aydarr nodded, running his hand up and down her arm in a lazy caress. “The three of us were bonded practically from birth. Brothers.”

  “Could any of the three of you become alpha? Or was the position destined for you to take?”

  “Being alpha isn’t something a man can choose. It’s woven into his DNA. My makeup, for whatever reason, makes me dominant to any other Badari now alive. And every Badari knows it. Vattan understands this.”

  “Even Jamokan and the Tzibir alpha?”

  “Theoretically we three alphas should be equals, which makes all of us edgy and unhappy, but we’re not pitted against each other. Not physically, at any rate. The Khagrish try to play mind games with us, create rifts. And, of course, the ultimate competition is to be the DNA line the customer picks to survive. I run my pack under the Khagrish yoke, and the other two do the same with their men.”

  Throat dry, she forced out her next question. “Do the Khagrish experiment on the children?”

  “To some extent, but primarily the cubs are raised with a firm hand, brought up to be soldiers. That’s been the emphasis for the past few generations anyway. Memory speaks of horrors in the earlier days of the program.”

  She shivered. “Don’t go there. I don’t need to know.”

  “Now the Khagrish running the program today seem to understand it’s more ‘optimal’, as the scientists might say, to have trainers and teachers who employ firm discipline, not cruel or depraved techniques. The Khagrish cull t
he cubs and cadets along the way, as the generation cohort grows up. The weaker individuals are removed from the training area and never seen again.”

  “Killed?” Tears filled her eyes at the idea of children like Bilmar meeting such a grim fate. Her hatred for the Khagrish, the Chimmer, and ultimately the Mawreg burned hot.

  “We don’t know, Jill. We always assumed the worst.” He leaned his head against the wall. “Mateer, Reede and I had to work hard to keep Timtur from being culled. He was weak and slow as a cub, so we covered for him, and eventually he caught up in physical development. He showed an aptitude as a medic so the Khagrish were intrigued and gave him specialized training. But there were two others we couldn’t save.”

  “We’ve got to put an end to this hellish program, destroy these bastards,” she said.

  Aydarr lifted her fisted hand to his lips and kissed it. “First we have to escape.”

  Jill stayed in the cell the next day. The guards made it clear they didn’t care what she did, and Aydarr had asked her not to accompany them. “It’ll be all business, focused on the battle plans. I need my pack to avoid distractions.” He said it with a smile which went a long way toward allaying her annoyance.

  She tried for a light tone. “Like me outplaying them on the ball court?”

  “Indeed, your abilities there were an amazement to them. A good reminder not to underestimate the smaller, nimble opponent. I think Dr. Sheyall is looking out for you, for now, so I’m not too worried about you being here alone.” Holding her closely, he added, “And, if I must tell the truth, you distract me from everything, mate.”

  So she stood on the black line for headcount then watched the pack march away under the usual heavy guard. One guard lingered, digging a handheld from his pocket. “Dr. Sheyall issued you this.”

  Jill stepped to the still open portal and accepted the handheld. It was smaller than the ones the pack had been given, but it was better than nothing. “Please thank the doctor for me.”

  “You’re to be careful with it,” he said, motioning her to step inside the cell.

  “Of course. I will—thank you.”

  So excited she was practically shaking, Jill sat at the table and activated the device. It was mostly loaded with the pretty visual displays but, as the day wore on, she was able to bypass all of that and hack into the first layer of the lab’s AI network. She wasn’t far enough in to take any action, but she stayed on the fringes and watched, studying the data patterns. Haven’t the Khagrish ever heard of hacking? There seemed to be no network security, but the absence of obvious safeguards made her wary.

  As she heard the approaching footsteps of the pack returning for the evening, she flicked the off button on the device and slid it into her pocket. Rising to greet Aydarr and the others, she halted in midstep as the guard detained Aydarr outside the cell then gestured to her, issuing a stern command as he did so. “You, come with me.”

  “But I need to remain with my men—it’s the night before we ship out, and there’s more work to be done on mission planning,” Aydarr said as Jill slipped out of the cell to stand beside him. His jaw clenched and a muscle jumped in his cheek.

  “Tough. Dr. Sheyall gave special orders for tonight.”

  A squad of guards formed up in a square with the prisoners in the middle, and Jill took Aydarr’s hand as they were escorted away from the cell. What had the young scientist done? What was going to happen to her and the Badari alpha? Uncertainty made her tense, her adrenaline rising as if she was going into combat. Aydarr squeezed her fingers in silent reassurance. At least the two of them were together. The walk was long and took her into unfamiliar territory. Aydarr was silent, walking beside her.

  Eventually, the procession stopped in front of a locked door, which the guard swung open for them. “Inside.” He gave Aydarr a push in the back, knocking him into Jill, and only the alpha’s superb co-ordination and balance kept them from falling as the door slammed behind them.

  Mouth open in shock, Jill took in their new accommodations. The cell was smaller than the one the pack occupied but large enough to contain a generous bed, shoved crookedly against the wall. A table and chairs sat off to one side and covered plates waited. Beyond the table was an alcove with the bathroom facilities, including a shower.

  “This is my fault.”

  Aydarr swung back to her, his face set in a frown. “Why do you say that?”

  “Dr. Sheyall gave me a hard time yesterday about why I wasn’t breeding yet, as she put it, and I reminded her they had us in a cell with ten other guys and no privacy. I never expected her to give us our own space.” Jill rested her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. I know you should be with the pack, not alone with me. The idea she’d change the arrangements didn’t even cross my mind.”

  He took a deep breath. “What’s done can’t be undone. “

  “Do you think the Khagrish have vids in here?” Jill walked the perimeter of the room, scanning the walls. “I’m not seeing anything. She knows how I feel about privacy obviously so maybe the room is unmonitored, after all.”

  “We should eat.” He gestured toward the table.

  “All right.” Jill joined him, and they took turns uncovering the dishes. “Wow, Dr. Sheyall made the cook work for us tonight. Real food. Do you suppose the pack is getting better rations too? Is it a night before the raid ritual?”

  “No.” He sniffed the barely cooked meat and took a bite from a hunk of bread. “Passable.”

  Jill leaned close as they shared the food onto empty plates and began eating. She whispered in his ear, toying with the fastening of his jumpsuit flirtatiously in case she was being watched. “Can you talk to Mateer maybe? Let him know we’re ok? Tell him whatever you need to tell him?”

  “I am,” he replied.

  “Oh, all right then.” She fell silent, since he seemed distracted, and concentrated on the unusual meal. Anything was better than the gruel and slop they were normally fed. This food was actually palatable.

  “I apologize,” he said a few moments later. “Now my attention is all yours. I’m not sorry to have time alone with you, you know.”

  Tongue tied, Jill realized this was the first time she’d been completely alone with Aydarr since the two of them battled the creature in the pit, which hardly counted. They’d been busy trying to stay alive.

  “Why are you smiling?” he asked.

  “Thinking about us fighting the monster in the pit. Do you realize that was the only time since I arrived there weren’t other people in close proximity?”

  “Although Mateer joined us in the pit.”

  “Not a moment too soon.” She shuddered. “I was so grateful to you and him.”

  “I never thought I’d have reason to be grateful to the Khagrish for anything, but it has been amazing to have you as my partner. As my friend.” He reached to take her hand, twining his fingers with hers and studying their hands, his so huge that hers was almost lost in his gentle grip. “No matter what happens, I could never regret knowing this closeness with you.”

  “Don’t talk as if tonight is the end,” she said in instinctive protest. “You’ll be back. Your pack comes back safe every time, right?”

  “We’re tough, and we’ll do our best. Even if we do return safely, the Khagrish will change the situation. They’re capricious and cruel. Especially if the Chimmer force the issue of ending the experiment and selecting only one pack to survive.” He raised his gaze to her face. “I’m going to be desperate with worry for you the whole time I’m gone. I’ll pray to the Great Mother to keep you safe.”

  She rose from the chair and sat in his lap, twining her arms around his neck, laying her head on his broad shoulder, breathing in his scent. “I’ll be the same, thinking about you.” The pressure of his unmistakable arousal increased against her bottom. When he’s taken away from me tomorrow, I don’t want any regrets about missed opportunities. Raising her head, she pressed a kiss on his lips.

  After his first instinctive startle,
Aydarr tilted his head to find the proper angle and kissed her back. Jill licked the seam of his lips and he gave her entry, his tongue warm and sensuous against hers. They were both out of breath when the kiss ended.

  “Come to bed with me?” she said. “We can’t let this chance go to waste.”

  He glanced at the walls of the cell. “Even if the scientists might be watching? Are you sure?”

  “They can go to the seven hells and burn. I want you. I’ll take the risk of Khagrish voyeurs.” Incredibly aroused, she felt reckless, the desire to be intimate with Aydarr not to be denied. Sliding from his lap, she stepped away and unfastened her jumpsuit, taking care to step out of it and the ugly white underwear together so he wouldn’t glimpse them. A girl has her pride.

  Aydarr stared at her, his glowing eyes hot and hungry.

  I probably should have done more of a striptease, but that’s not me. A bit self-conscious under his scrutiny, she covered her breasts with one hand. “I miss the pink nightie. Much sexier than this.” She kicked the one-piece garment.

  “You’re beautiful.” He rose from his chair. “I would be greatly honored if you would consent to be my mate in truth tonight. It’s what I’ve wanted since the first night in the cave.”

  “Even though mating is what the Khagrish intend for us to do?”

  “I wouldn’t be doing anything for them.” He picked her up and carried her to the bed. “This is about you and me.”

  Once he’d deposited her on the lumpy mattress, he stripped. Jill swallowed hard as his muscular chest and sculpted abs came into view. Then the garment was off, and he stood in his underwear, his engorged cock pressing against the fabric in an impressive bulge of need and desire. She moved to the end of the bed and ran her hands over his body to his hips, where she slid one hand under the waistband of the briefs, to grasp his erection and stroke it, before she moved lower, fondling his heavy sac and kneading gently. Aydarr’s hips bucked in response to her touch, and he reached out to cup her breast, teasing the nipple.