by Rebel West
“You must keep a low profile while you are here,” he demands, as we walk down one long hall after another. “Nobody is to know that you are treating, or even meeting the prince. Nobody except me, my advisors and guards, and a handful of doctors and allies whom I will explicitly introduce. Is that clear?”
“Yes. I promise.”
“If other Luminars or humans ask why you are here, you will tell them that you’re working on a confidential scientific information exchange that deals with data tracking and recording for a retinal study regarding vision comparisons. You will not mention anything about a neurological consult.”
“Okay.” I wince, thinking of my NDA.
“You are not to leave this building without being escorted by me personally. If I decide you may take further action after meeting my brother, I will give you access to a lab and your own guard. You will be allowed to visit the lab and your chambers, and that is all, without me. Is that clear?”
“Not even outside to the parks, or to—anywhere? The city? Nothing?” This one is more concerning; it brings back the feeling of isolation and enclosure I felt in the med transfer station.
“No. Your room and the lab alone, that is all. You signed an agreement saying you’d abide by the local rules of your delegation. I am your delegation.” He pierces me with his stare. “It’s not meant to be cruel. It’s for your safety, and that of the prince.”
“Ah—okay.”
“I need to hear you say yes, you agree.”
“Yes, I agree.” I summon a smile. “Although I’d like, if there’s time, to tour the city? Maybe visit a park, or the ocean?”
He smiles briefly. “If you end up staying to help my brother, I will arrange outings for you.”
“If I end up staying?”
“Your contract is open-ended, is it not? We reserved a sleep pod for you on each of the weekly shuttles for the next three months.” His face takes on a bleak expression. “That way, once we determine your time here is up, we will send you home expeditiously.”
The thought of leaving brings a heaviness to my chest, because I want to stay and learn more about this amazing new world. It has nothing to do with Lock’s ripped physique or his sexy lips. I am here to work—and it will be a tough task figuring out what’s wrong with an alien prince whose best physicians are out of ideas.
“When you’re done with me.”
“Exactly.” He nods.
I frown.
“Is something wrong?” He tilts his head to examine me.
“No. I’m just a little overwhelmed. I’ve seen a lot today, and finding out about your brother—I had no idea my patient was going to be a member of the royal family.” I massage my neck; the muscles are hard, and my chest is tight from the lower oxygen. Bouncing when I walk is fun, but feeling breathless is not.
His expression softens, and he slows his pace to match mine. “I appreciate your coming.”
“Even though you don’t think I’m really going to help.” My voice is wry.
“It’s a monumental trip to make, not without certain dangers. It’s a brave individual who’s willing to undergo hypersleep and adjustment to a new planet for a secret mission. I wasn’t sure you’d come.” He nods.
I think it over. “I suppose if I’d said no, my government would have found a way to make me come. If they thought it would be advantageous to them to send me, because you’d offer something in return, then I wouldn’t have had the option of declining.”
He frowned. “Is that so?” He stops and looks down at me.
I shrug. “Not anything… horrible. I guess. Just… if it was a diplomatic trip and considered necessary, they’d not be unwilling to play hardball.” I shudder.
He sighs. “Life is difficult all around, is it not?”
For a moment I feel an odd affinity with him, this alien man whose life and experiences are so different from mine.
Looking into his eyes, I’m struck again by how handsome he is. His chiseled cheekbones are so sexy. And those full lips, those dark midnight blue eyes. I want to run my hands through his inky hair, trace the path of his muscles down his chest to his pants.
I can’t help but think about the conversation with Keela and Meryke in the EVTS, and my glance strays to the juncture of his thighs. Yes, he’s definitely sporting a large package. I blush and clear my throat. “So.”
“So.” He repeats my word with a small smug grin.
He saw me checking him out! Embarrassed, I swivel, but trip on my shoe.
His strong arms shoot out to grab me. “Easy,” he soothes. “Are you okay?”
Chapter Eight
I’m pressed up against his chest, my thighs touching his thighs, his hands grasping my arms, not hard, but with a certain possessive flair that I like.
“Yes, I just stumbled. I’m a little—I’m fine.” I should pull away, but I don’t. He doesn’t pull away either, or make a move to release me. As we stand there, something changes, and the pressure of his fingers isn’t just protective, it’s erotic.
His hands soften on my arms, slide down my forearms to my wrists, circling them loosely with his strong fingers. I dare to move in another inch, almost resting my cheek on his chest. He smells good—woods after the rain, damp stone.
We stand like that for a few seconds, my heart beating wildly.
“Dr. Taylor?” His voice is mild, soft. Curious.
I look at his chest, just in front of my face. “Please call me Cali. I prefer that.”
“Cali.”
My heart beats faster.
“Look at me, please?” The request is tinged with an order, and I obey, meeting his even gaze.
“When we are alone, you may call me Lock.” He smiles, and I almost combust with the beauty of it, and the raw power behind his eyes.
“Lock.” His name feels good on my lips. I can’t look away from him. God, the tension between us is so tight—need coils in my body. I crave those strong hands on my bare skin. My breath hitches.
“I can see your heartbeat,” he murmurs, touching my neck. “It is racing. So fast.” He seems mesmerized. “In general, faster than Luminarian heartbeats. And now, even more so.” His fingers are warm and gentle, and the touch is intoxicating.
“Y-yes,” I whisper. His eyelashes are so long, practically brushing his cheeks—those hard, chiseled cheeks. The juxtaposition of soft and sharp makes me want to lick him.
“Why?” His voice, sexy, rolls over me. The smirk on his face tells me he already knows why.
“I don’t know.”
He laughs softly. “Don’t you?”
He leans in slightly and I tilt my face upward. Is he going to kiss me? God help me, I want it. My eyelids flutter at his breath on my neck, hot.
“Cali.” His voice is low.
“Yes?” I’m in a trance.
He smiles. “On Luminar, when a male and a female have an attraction, and they are not otherwise engaged, they are free to share time together.”
“Like… like we did today? When you showed me things?” I hold my breath.
He smiles. “No. Not like that.”
“Ah.” I lick my lip. “On our planet, it is the same.”
“It is?” His hands tighten on my wrists.
“It is.” My voice is husky with desire.
“Interesting similarities.” He quirks a brow.
“Very.” I can barely breathe. His eyes flash in the light, sending new arousal through me.
“But I should tell you something that might be different.” His voice is low. His thumb brushes my palm and a wild arousal sparks in my belly. “It’s something you would need to know, if you ever wished to have a relationship with…. a Luminarian.”
“And that is?” His fingers drive me wild, the touch of his strong hands on my soft ones.
“What do you know about dominance and submission?”
“Dominance?” Why does that send another sharp spike of need between my thighs? “As an Earth woman, I’m used to being tre
ated as an equal.”
“Dominance in the bedroom.” His voice is rich and strong, and I feel dizzy. “Not in society. You’ve seen how our females are equal in society.”
“But what if they don’t want that in the bedroom?” The thing is, I’ve never wanted anything more. I’ve fantasized about dominance and submission more than once. Having this hot prince whisper it to me? Damn, I want to throw myself at him this second.
“They usually do.” His voice is low and persuasive. “Because having that kind of relationship is so entirely arousing to us, here on this planet.”
“It… it is?” My voice hitches as he traces one finger down my shoulder.
“Definitely.”
“I find that hard to understand.” I understand it just fine. And I want it.
“It’s more the kind of thing you have to experience to really appreciate.”
I gulp. His eyes are mesmerizing, his scent intoxicating. As if of their own volition, my hands move up his arms, and I press my palms against his chest, feeling his powerful muscles and the beat of his heart, slower than mine.
His head drifts lower and his breath on my neck is warm and tingly. “I think you’d come to see the beauty of such an arrangement, Cali.”
“I don’t know,” I breathe. All I can focus on are his hands, his strong grip. His breath. His lips, so close to my skin. His abs, begging for my touch. “I…”
“You what?”
“I’d like to learn more... about your society.”
“Would you?” His voice is a tease and a challenge, light but with a hint of iron.
“Yes.” Closer. I want him closer.
“The thing about having the power to dominate your mate,” he murmured, “hinges on the fact that she accepts it, welcomes it. And the flip side is that we also provide rewards. Very nice ones, in fact.”
“I’d like to learn more about the rewards,” I whisper, tracing my hands up his chest.
He sucks in a breath. “Those can be quite pleasurable,” he says, putting his hands on my back and tugging me closer. Then he leans down and bites my neck, making me squeal, and kisses where he bit. I moan and melt into his body, grabbing his upper arms and squeezing him, pressing my hips into his body, trying to touch every inch of myself to him.
Suddenly he growls and curses under his breath in Luminarian. He steps back. “Forgive me.” His voice is clipped. “That was inexcusable. I am your delegation lead and I should not be engaging you in anything but a purely professional relationship, no matter how much I—”
My eyes widen and I touch my neck, then my lips. “It’s all right.” What I want to say is, Take me back to my room and fuck me, Lock.
“I was not thinking.” He crosses his arms, and I stare at the way it makes his muscles bulge. “I am stressed, and I...” He clears his throat. “We are colleagues from different planets. It must not happen again.”
He’s right. How could I, the lead neurologist from Earth, be jumping into bed with the first handsome alien male I meet? My delegation host, to be exact, and a prince on this planet? How weak am I? I flush hot, thinking of the censure I’d get back on Earth if anyone knew.
“If you wish to learn about Luminarian relationships, you should talk to established couples,” he suggests stiffly. “Humans need to learn about Luminarian society, and we about yours. There are so many unique characteristics to each planet.” He takes a breath. “There will be chances to meet some citizens, in a controlled way, later.”
I dart a glance at his crotch. When he pressed up against me, I felt how large he was. And how hard.
I take a deep breath to curb my disappointment. “I understand. I’ll do that.”
“That cannot happen again.” His eyes are distant. “Please accept my apologies and let us continue on as colleagues.”
“I agree. I’m eager to work with you.” I push away a stab of unhappiness and embarrassment.
“Then let us proceed to meet the lead doctors who are working with Maxxon, and then you will meet the prince himself.”
Chapter Nine
“I’m Dr. Jayya.” The alien female is taller and leaner than I am, and appears to be in her thirties. Her hips are narrow and her chest holds the smaller breasts typical of the Luminarians. Her face glows silver and her pale blue hair matches her icy eyes. “It’s good to meet you.” She holds up her right hand and bows.
I repeat the gesture, and smile. “I’m glad to be here and to learn about the patient.”
The other alien with her, a shorter, silvery male with a kind face and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, bows. “I’m Dr. Amakka. Thank you for coming.” His smile is warmer than Dr. Jayya’s. He looks like he’d be in his forties, if he were an Earth man. My research taught me that Luminarians live to a similar life-span as humans, and they show similar signs of aging.
“I’ve been asked to share with you all of our research.” Dr. Jayya wrinkles her nose and frowns. She stands tall, her willowy form elegant, her hair flowing around her shoulders. I try not to feel grubby in comparison.
“I’m ready to start whenever you are.” I nod. “Thank you.”
“It is we who thank you for coming to help.” Dr. Jayya looks at me without smiling. She doesn’t blink or come closer, and I feel a distinct unwelcome vibe.
Lock interrupts. “Dr. Taylor, I will leave you with Dr. Jayya and Dr. Amakka, and I will meet you later in Maxxon’s quarters.” He raises his hand and bows, then leaves the room.
Dr. Jayya waits until he’s gone, looking after him with her head tilted, then turns back to me. “So now Dr. Amakka and I will review our entire case history. It’s been securely uploaded to your wristlet and may be accessed with your retinal scan on the holo. There are results in the system that you can request, such as his muscle samples.”
“How…” I twist the device. “Can you demonstrate?”
The alien doctor doesn’t roll her eyes but the way she moves her hand seems impatient, the little flutter. “You are so new to everything,” she comments, her tone neutral. “I forget just how naïve you are. Press your fingerprint into the surface of the bracelet and wait for the tone and the vibration. Then look at the holo image that appears in front of you and say, ‘Access Drive.‘ Or blink the holo up, and blink-click it on your holo screen. It’s been customized for you into English.”
I touch the right side of my head, where the chip was implanted. I try to focus, but only succeed in crossing my eyes and getting dizzy. “It’s not responding to me, I don’t think.” I try again and again. “I can’t make the holo image appear.” Panic surges in my stomach.
Dr. Jayya sighs, and glances at Dr. Amakka. “She will need the enhancer. I don’t understand why it wasn’t implanted already, since they nearly all need it.”
She strides across the room and holds her hand under a SkinProtect system, then opens a part of the wall by murmuring a command. “It’s never too late. Push back your hair behind your left ear, please.” She approaches me with a syringe.
“What are you doing?” I put my hand protectively over the side of my head. “Are you going to inject me?” I take a step backwards. “We’re both doctors. Please give me the courtesy of explaining exactly what you want to do.”
“It’s a basic enhancer chip.” Dr. Jayya blinks rapidly. “It’s similar to something Luminarian babies get when they are young. It’s a basic, bare-bones holo-system chip, but if we give it to adult humans on the other side of their head from the original chip implant, it acts as a signal enhancer and makes it easier for them to tap into their advanced holo for the first time.” She holds up the syringe. “It will inject in a neutral saline solution. It’s so simple.”
“I see.” As a doctor, this is fascinating. As a potential patient, terrifying.
She smirks. “I promise it won’t hurt, and it will dissolve within a few weeks into neutral components that will be absorbed and excreted as waste. It’s made of materials that are nontoxic on Earth,” she adds, glancing at my face
. “Other humans have them. If you prefer to wait, I can send you documents to review.”
“Ah, okay.” I swallow. “If other humans have it, I guess, sure. And then we can all race off a cliff like lemmings together.”
“I don’t understand that.” But Dr. Jayya doesn’t seem to care about an explanation. She gestures with the syringe. “May I?”
“Ah, I’ll read the documents first, please.” I raise an eyebrow.
She pulls up the pertinent information on her holo screen and allows me to stand close to read it, while she explains the details. I recognize that this additional chip is nearly standard for many humans who do the transfer, and many long-term visitors to Luminar already have it. None of them have suffered ill effects. In fact, future delegations will probably receive it during shuttle hypersleep.
Finally convinced, I push back my hair and tip my head. “I’m ready.”
“It won’t hurt,” she promises. I feel a cooling cleanser on my skin and then the tiniest prick, barely perceptible, before she’s clattering around, disposing of the device, holding her hands under a SunStation to dissolve the SaniProtect coating.
“Try summoning the holo again,” she suggests. “With the enhance chip, you should be able to do it.”
It takes me at least fifteen minutes to get it to pop up and then to blink-click on it. But eventually the holo reads my retinal scan and unlocks the files. I’m so proud that I made it work that I grin and look around, wishing for someone to high-five me. But Dr. Jayya’s busy on her own holo, and Dr. Amakka is doing something with a slide and a scope.
“You can increase and decrease the opacity of your screen with the scroll controls on the left. See? You can practice on your own. Your holo chip has been programmed in English for you. And your holo has all of your Earth accounts linked in, as well, for your convenience.”
As I begin checking out my holo display, Dr. Jayya adds, “The files labeled Patient X are Prince Maxxon’s.”
“All right.” I pull up the name and find that there are dozens of subfolders and hundreds of files, some including images.
