by Viola Grace
The gym had a huge glass dome, and that was the building he pulled in front of.
She was out of sorts when he lifted her off the bike.
Lianne stomped along with him. He was carrying one of the parcels from the clothing shop, and she was curious.
He handed it to her and said, “Take this to the change room. I will be out here when you are ready.”
The day had spun wildly out of her control. If she could get a grip on combat training, she would take it.
She checked in at the gym and went into the change room, opening the parcel when she was inside and safe behind the gender barrier.
The parcel made tears come to her eyes. She got dressed and tightened the breast band before wrapping the straps from either side of her breasts to tie them behind her neck. The wide-legged trousers and bare feet felt right. She swung her braid behind her and left the change room with her clothing tucked in a locker coded to her band.
Sorrok was leaning against the counter, and he straightened and grinned, showing a lot of fang. “You look amazing.”
The Nool attending the front desk stared at her.
She smiled tightly. “Did you get us a space?”
“I did. This facility doesn’t engage privacy screens. Is that a problem?”
She shrugged. “Nope. Let’s begin.”
He offered her his hand, and they walked to the workout room with the padded floor.
Sorrok showed her the first position of the dance the men had engaged in the night before, and she mimicked him. From there, they moved together. She was his slightly slow shadow.
She didn’t know how long they had been working out, but she was completely at peace by the time she finished. Her body was covered in sweat, and her skin was flushed. She looked to Sorrok. “How was that?”
He leaned in and kissed her, holding her head with one hand and not touching her anywhere else. The warmth of his lips and tongue teased at her, and she went up on her toes to keep the contact going.
She closed her eyes and remained in the moment as they met in the most basic of ways, only their mouths and his one hand touching.
When he pulled away, she went up on her toes a little further, fighting the lack of contact. She opened her eyes, and there was only one thought in her head as she met his smug gaze.
Damn it.
Chapter Ten
Lianne looked around her new apartment, and she grimaced. It was gorgeous. Damn it.
She wished that she could pick on it, but the space was wide, beautifully lit, elegant and had all of the amenities she could want.
Her new clothing was already hanging in the wardrobe and an invitation to dinner a few doors down was flashing on her com unit.
With a desperate reach for what she considered normal, she called Mrtok.
“Hello, Lianne.”
“Supervisor, I have been moved to the Breeder compound. Am I still working for you?”
He frowned. “Let me check.”
She watched as he shifted and pulled up the information on his computer.
He smiled. “Yes. You are still my loader. I am expecting you tomorrow.”
“Good. I just have to find out how to get there.”
“The overseer’s office will send you an escort. They will be there in the morning an hour before you are due at the port. There is also another investigation note on your file, but that appointment is in the afternoon. What has happened now?”
“Attempted abduction by Regiz. It got a little bloody, but I have seen a medic and I am fine.”
“You will have a follow up tomorrow when you are finishing your meeting with the overseer.”
She made a face. “Fine. See you tomorrow.”
“Good. I need someone here I can trust. There was a flawed shipment, and the Hunters are all over the place. I am counting on you to get things moving.”
“You know me. I live to work through the lists.” She smiled.
“Good. We have shipments to get out.”
“Yes, sir, see you in the morning.”
His scaly face split in a grin. “You had better. I am depending on you.”
She nodded. “I will be there.”
She disconnected the call and sat back in her chair.
Sorrok had left once he saw her to her door, promising to return shortly. Upon opening her door, she had found that all of her possessions had been placed around the room and set in pleasing displays. It was annoyingly organized.
She got to her feet and practiced the patterns that she had just learned. The smooth movements and light pull on her muscles was relaxing. Even the twinge from her arm soon ceased as she bent, turned and stretched in slow, controlled combat with no one.
By the time she had calmed down a little, her head was pounding a little and she was reminded of how the day had started.
A knock at her door brought her out of a lunge, and she headed to the door, peeping at the view screen and opening the door for her morning companion.
He held up a padded container. “As you are on medical observation, I got you something for dinner.”
She snorted. “I had nearly forgotten about that.”
“I did not. I had to hand over the shreds of your clothing and picked up the meal on the way back.”
“Oh, yeah. Evidence.”
“Correct. The witnesses have already ensured the sentence of banishment, but this will keep leniency from emerging.”
“So, I don’t have to testify?”
“Not if there were witnesses and vid recordings. The fight took place on the street.”
“Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot. It was distracting.”
He chuckled and reached for her, pausing. “May I approach you?”
“You didn’t ask that in the gym.”
He smiled. “You had already given me authorization to touch you for instruction purposes. The kiss was a liberty.”
She sighed. “Fine. You can approach me.”
She was engulfed in a hug a moment later. Lianne inhaled and smiled against his chest at the soothing scent that surrounded her. She relaxed by increments, and he rubbed her back.
“Tell me about your life before you were brought to Imrahl.”
She noted the name of her current world of residence. “I just worked like I do here, loading and moving shipments all day, every day. On the weekends, I would go out with friends, but now, Lisa is on the other side of the city.”
“Who do you miss from home?”
She stiffened and pushed back. “My mom, my sister, my brother. All the folks on my file that are being threatened depending on my good behaviour.”
He sighed. “It was considered the most expedient way to get cooperation from your people. It worked.”
She scowled and looked up at him. “Holding our families under threat isn’t exactly endearing.”
“It was decided by the overlords and the Saya that it was the fastest way to get you here. It has worked.”
She knew he didn’t have anything to do with it, so she settled against him. “Have you been to Earth?”
“I have. It is very busy. Many people.”
She chuckled. “What were you doing there?”
“Scouting. I was looking for humans who would fit our needs.”
“Oh. Which cities?”
He chuckled. “I don’t know. They all blurred together. I found my targets, marked them and was on to the next city.”
“So, you were tagging men and women for the Rrassic?”
“I was. It was my job to select those who would be close to compatible with us, as did others of my kind, all wearing camo projectors.”
“How did you do that? I am pretty sure that folks would notice you, even disguised.”
“No. As long as no one came into contact with us, we looked just like everyone else on the street.”
He was running his hands up and down her back, and she heard a weird rumble vibr
ating in his chest.
She leaned back and asked, “Are you purring?”
His expression was slightly embarrassed. “You feel good.”
She blushed hot, pressed her forehead to his chest for a moment and then stepped out of his arms. “That is a little quicker than I want to move.”
His happy sound stopped, and he let her go. “Well, I still have to watch you and keep you awake for another five hours. So, what would you like to do?”
Lianne looked at him and considered her options. “Sit on the couch, eat and watch documentary vids.”
Sorrok blinked. “That sounds interesting.”
“So, let’s get to it.”
She found the container he had brought in and set it on her counter. “You get plates or bowls or whatever is needed.”
He chuckled. “Nothing is needed. It is all finger food. All you need to do is wash your hands and you have all the utensils you need.”
She smiled and went to the sink, washing her hands. He followed her and washed his striped hands by surrounding her at her back and reaching around.
If he was wearing her down by proximity, it was working. She wanted nothing more than to lean back against him.
She dried off her hands and handed him the towel, ducking under his arm. To her surprise, he popped his claws and scrubbed them as well.
“Are you planning to use those?”
He chuckled. “Maybe. Some of the food gets slippery.”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about slippery food, but when he was done flossing the sharp claws, she handed him the towel.
He dried his hands, folded the towel and draped it over the rack next to the sink where it had come from.
Sorrok went around her, grabbed the pack he had come in with and carried it to the living area, settling on the centre of the couch, triggering the vid menu.
Lianne trailed after him and settled six inches away from him, watching the small packs that he was pulling out with alarming speed.
“How many dishes are in there?”
“Forty small bites. You mentioned that you were unfamiliar with Rrassic food, so I brought you some.” He smiled.
She looked at the vids queued up and blinked. “I don’t have those on my old system.”
He grinned. “New rank equals new access.”
He explained the first line of small containers as appetisers and gave her their names. Most of it blurred together, but when she ate the first small shredded mushroom ball, she had to admit that the Rrassic knew food.
The first documentary started, and she watched the developmental path of the Zjin-Rrassic.
“How coincidental.” She chuckled and leaned past him. “What is this one?”
“Cold noodles with a spiced dressing. Srebak.”
She pinched a tangle off the pile and carried it to her mouth, tilting her head back like a baby bird. She ignored Sorrok’s fascinated gaze.
The narrator was discussing the early life of a Zjin as a Nool. They gravitated toward occupations of action and confrontation.
The documentary went through the development of musculature and the change of the skin. To Lianne’s surprise, the stripes were designed to blur the vision as the Zjin attacked. They were built for speed and ferocity.
Lianne continued to work through the food, but when the mention of the Zjin finding the temporal engines of the Voboth occurred, she paused and focused.
She leaned forward when she heard mention of the Voboth. Images of a huge gateway that gave off a familiar spark of light filled the display. “That is... what is that?”
“Listen.”
She watched the documentary, and pieces of information began to fill in. Lianne looked to Sorrok. “How long have you been here?”
“One month longer than you have, but the Rrassic have been preparing Imrahl for years.” He smiled. “You will have to watch the Dorbin documentary for that.”
“What are the Voboth?”
He wrinkled his nose and leaned toward her. “They are a species that is trying to kill us. Our teams broke into one of the attack ships and found a star chart with the Rrassic home world on it, and yours was one of seven included in the mix. Teams were sent to each world for assessment, and the results were debated. Plans were made, and here we are. Other worlds have the Rrassic and other species, but the bulk of our army is at home and defending our own against the incursion.”
“Wait, why can you tell me this now when you couldn’t tell me a few hours ago?”
He smiled. “Your location has upgraded your security level.”
She pinched her nose with her clean hand. “Sure. Of course it has.”
A thought occurred to her. “So, why did the Regiz try and steal me this morning?”
He wrinkled his nose. “Under investigation, they were found to be colonists. They want to grab available Breeders and start their own world instead of defending ours.”
She shivered at the close call. “Wait. Wouldn’t they have to take me out through the port?”
He shook his head. “We use a different portal. The port is only for goods and materials. There is less security as the humans are very easy to spot.”
Lianne looked at him and said, “They were going to use that camouflage thing on me, weren’t they?”
Sorrok shook his head with a small smile. “That was their plan. It would not have succeeded.”
She was leaning in to ask why when there was a knock at the door. Lianne got to her feet and headed to the door, identifying one of the ladies from the night before.
She opened it and smiled, “Hello.”
The woman went to take her hand, but Lianne held it back. “Sorry. It’s sticky.”
“Hello, Lianne. I was just coming to invite you to dinner so that I can go over the rules of the Breeder quarters.”
Missy’s eyes grew wide when Sorrok appeared behind Lianne.
“What rules are these? The only regulation that applies is that the Breeder class not leave the quarters without an escort.” Sorrok wrapped an arm around Lianne’s waist. He propped his chin on her head.
She didn’t let her amusement show. Instead, she said, “Sorry again, but I have a guest and am under supervision for a medical issue. I can probably come tomorrow after work, or you could just send me the list and I will go over it. I will ask you about any questions that I have.”
Missy frowned. “Work? We are not allowed to work.”
“I am an exception and really need to get back to resting quietly. I promise to contact you with any questions, just get me that list.”
Lianne eased her door closed and locked it. The lock was a nice touch.
“Sorrok, get your thumb away from my boob or I will break your fingers.”
He chuckled, released her ribs and pressed a kiss to her temple.
Apparently, foreplay had just changed gears.
Chapter Eleven
Five hours and the rest of the tiny dishes later, she was sitting in Sorrok’s lap with her head against his shoulder.
She squirmed a little and watched the vid on space travel versus portal travel. “Am I allowed to sleep yet?”
He checked his band. “If I say you could have gone to sleep an hour ago, will you threaten to break my hand again?”
She snorted. “No. It got you all frisky.”
He laughed. “The threat just let me know that you weren’t treating the woman’s visit seriously. I have heard rumours that they were trying to work out a strict society, but this was the first time I was exposed to it.”
“What, don’t you frequent the mixers?”
He sighed. “Frankly, no. Until you made your surprise appearance, I had no idea that I would be interested in a Breeder. I had hoped, but I didn’t feel interest in the few I had met.”
She leaned and looked up at the fine nap of his fur, and the colours that contrasted and confused his appearance. “Hm. Are you sure it wasn’t when you sce
nted me? According to the vid, that is your primary trigger.”
He inhaled along her temple and jawline. “Well, it could be a factor. I think it is the feel of your lips that definitely locked my focus.”
She leaned up and kissed him softly, leaning back when she felt a twinge in her arm. “And I think we need to stop this there. I don’t want to do anything that will open up the new skin.”
He sighed and pressed his forehead to hers. “This is going to be the hardest walk of my life.”
“I am sure you will recover. Go and punch someone. It normally works for me.”
He laughed and helped her to her feet. She had already cleared the dishes, and he picked up the pack to take with him.
She grinned as she walked him to the door. “Thank you for coming over.”
“I said I would watch you for twelve hours, and I meant it. I would watch you for longer, but you are putting an end to my supervision, so I will have to say good night.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him, kissing her with far more intensity than she had shown to him.
She threaded her fingers through his deep-blue hair and pulled him against her while raising her knee up the outside of his thigh. She heard the pack hit the floor, and then, she was pressed against the wall while he ran his hands over her side and one squeezed between them.
His hand gripped her breast, and she gasped against his mouth; her arm twinged as she jerked in response, and he pulled back.
His low growl was that of an animal being deprived of its meal. “I am going to go now.”
“And I am going to take a cold shower.” She slowly eased down the wall, lowering her leg to support her.
He grinned. “I will see you tomorrow.”
“I am working tomorrow.”
He nodded. “I am aware of it. Good night.”
He grabbed the pack and slipped out the door. Through the display, she saw him wait until she latched the lock before he left.
Her limbs were quaking, and she really wanted to follow him down the hall, but instead, she headed to her bathroom and checked her synthetic skin before she stepped into the huge, multi-spray shower.
It was going to be a long night.
