He tried to rise and she rushed to help him keep his balance. “What did they do to you today?” she asked.
“Something new, some drug.” Arm flung over her shoulder, Kierce leaned on her, breathing hard. “The side effects were pretty awful. I’m sorry you were worried, but I was still suffering pain in my nerve endings when they dumped me in the cell.”
“How could I not be worried? I care about you. Here, sit down while I get the blankets. Fresh air is probably the best thing for you right now—help clear your head maybe—so we’d better stay outside.” As soon as he was stable on his own two feet, Elianna ducked under his arm and rushed to the door. “I’ll bring some water too.”
When she returned outside, he was settled in next to the wall, mimicking the position the cat had been in. Handing him the blanket he used as a kilt, she kept her eyes firmly on his face as he rose to don the inadequate attire. Berating herself for giving in to her own wish to spend time with him, she said, “I apologize for persuading you to change forms on my account just now. If you want to revert to being the tiger I understand.”
He finished wrapping the fabric around his hips then held out one hand to her, drawing her to sit next to him. “You reached out to me and I’m grateful. It was my choice to leave the tiger form, not anything you did or didn’t do. Time with you is precious.”
As he held her hand, she leaned against him, relieved to hear him say he felt the same way she did about their chances to spend time together in the human form. Enjoying the warmth and closeness, Elianna snuggled close, reveling in the safety of his clasp. “I was pretty worried. And I missed you. This place is scary and lonely, especially during the day when I don’t know what’s going to happen next, or if I’ll ever see you again.” Laughing a little at herself and how her craving for his company was unlike her usual introverted attitude, she added, “I’m normally quite a loner but this situation is overwhelming. Your being here makes it all more bearable, even though I wish neither of us was in this evil place.”
“I missed you too. I kept telling myself time with you would be my reward for surviving the day.” He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand in a gentle caress. “What did you do before you were kidnapped?” Before she could answer the seeming non sequitur, he chuckled. “I distracted myself today trying to imagine what your normal life was like, if you had a family, what you did for a living…I made guesses, probably all wrong. Thinking of you helps me push the pain away.”
A difficult mix of being gratified by his admission as well as angry and sad at his predicament knotted in her belly. “I’m a crew member of a spaceship, working on the tech, engines and such. So I’m able to be by myself a lot, didn’t have much passenger interaction, which was fine with me. But here I find myself counting the minutes until I see you again and I’m not alone anymore.” Her face and ears heated as she forced herself to reveal how much he was on her mind.
“No one special in your life?” Not meeting her gaze, sitting preternaturally still, Kierce signaled with his body language how much significance the answer held for him.
His question was straightforward, but her pulse raced at the implication he cared whether she might be emotionally available. Kierce fascinated her on so many levels, and she was definitely feeling the pull of a physical attraction again tonight, sitting next to him, bodies touching. His presence, warmth and concern were just as enticing as the sheer male physicality of his human form.
Catching her breath, Elianna collected her thoughts. She wanted to get her answer exactly right so he wouldn’t be left with any doubts of her interest and availability. “No, I’m a loner, I told you. My family and I moved a lot because my parents didn’t want to settle in any one place or on any ship for too long. My dad’s people historically wander the galaxy, fixing things, learning new tech whenever they can—it’s their chosen lifestyle. I guess I got the liking for independence from him, as well as my innate abilities with tech.” She swallowed hard and answered his primary question. “When I was in the military for a few years, I had a few casual encounters here and there, but no one I regretted losing touch with when I’d be reassigned. Since I reverted to civilian status, there’s been no one.”
Hearing herself, she was startled how lonely her life had been and how she’d excelled at not making herself examine her choices.
“I’d regret losing you to the end of my days,” he said, sneaking a look at her, his eyes molten gold with emotion. “You’re a special person, Elianna.”
Hearing the deep sincerity in his tone, she struggled with her natural reserve. She was wildly attracted to Kierce and the situation was unusual, literally day to day survival…so why she was holding onto any inhibitions? Clearly, he’d be receptive to an invitation for intimacy from her, but she was shy by nature and the words wouldn’t come. He was the most desirable man she’d ever met and the insecure part of her heart held fear of revealing herself even more. Elianna had learned the hard lesson long ago—men like Kierce didn’t fall for sturdy, practical women like her.
But maybe things were different on this planet. Maybe he was different.
When she stayed silent, caught in her paralyzing self-debate, he shrugged. As if answering her doubts, he said, “Maybe the Badari are more uninhibited about these things than humans. We tend to say what we think, and I think the goddess blessed me the day she sent you into my cell.”
“I’m not inhibited,” she said with a flash of annoyance. “We just met a few days ago. Hell, this is only our second conversation, other than me talking at you when you were a tiger.”
“Are you insulted by my interest in you?” He pulled away a few inches to get a better angle for seeing her face. “I meant nothing but to express my admiration and liking. I want to know more about you.”
“Of course I’m not insulted. Tell me more about your life because it’s your turn to talk,” she said in attempt to buy some time and get a better handle on her undeniable attraction to him.
He settled against the wall and she curled closer to him. “Not much to tell. We live in units, ten or so Badari males of all ages, with a Khagrish in charge of each unit.”
“You don’t have your own leaders?”
Eyes narrowed, he considered his answer carefully before speaking. “The Khagrish don’t want us to have men among our brotherhood we can look up to and give our loyalty. The scientists cull such people if they suspect leadership abilities.” He winked. “So our wisest and best must be very very careful. But we know who our key personnel are.”
Elianna pondered the information. Life under the harsh hand of the Khagrish had so many complexities—she was amazed Kierce was as strong and sane as he seemed to be. “What do you normally do all day? If you were with your brothers?”
“Training, physical conditioning, drills. Experiments at the whim of the Khagrish scientists running the lab. Sometimes two men are made to fight each other to the death.” His voice was level and calm but she thought she heard the emotional pain lurking below the façade.
Fists clenched, she said, “These people are depraved.” Of course, what the Khagrish guards had planned to do to her was equally barbaric.
“Matches to the death have been happening less and less frequently.” Briefly he closed his eyes as if to shut out visions of past horrors. “Their ability to create more of us has been curtailed, if not ended from what I’ve overheard. I have no idea what the problem is. But, just as Innimarrg was told he could only have the three of us and no more, the Khagrish at my original base have had to scale back on the more dire activities and experiments. Good for us, except for our dwindling numbers.” He curled one fist then unfurled his fingers, his deadly talons flashing in the moonlight. “We want to beat the Khagrish, to slaughter them as they’ve killed us over the centuries, not defeat them by passively dying off. I pray slow extinction is not the will of the Great Mother. I pray she gives us a chance at vengeance for our slain brothers.”
She bit her lip, not sure what sh
A companionable silence fell. Elianna listened to the rustle of the wind in the tree branches and somewhere a night bird called. It was peaceful, except for the part of being prisoners with an awful death lurking as a strong possibility at the whim of any Khagrish.
“You know my favorite times?” he asked in a wistful, soft voice. “Other than being here with you?”
“Tell me.” She rubbed his arm in support and comfort. With a flash of sorrow, she wondered how he’d found any moments to enjoy in a life under the harsh Khagrish rule, living as an experimental subject in their labs.
“We were created to fight in the Sectors,” he said, “But as yet we’ve never been into your interstellar space. We have been deployed on other planets, in the areas where your civilization has yet to reach. On the fringes, I guess. As if the Khagrish and their masters the Chimmer are afraid to challenge your government openly yet. Sometimes we get brief downtime at the end of a mission, when we’re waiting for the extraction ship. I like to sit and pretend I’m free, pretend I could walk away and make a new home for myself, somewhere the Khagrish are unheard of.” Kierce’s eyes were soft and his whole body was relaxed under the influence of his daydream and the happiness it contained for him.
Such a simple yet profound wish. Elianna considered her own life and how much she’d taken for granted, including her ability to make choices.
“But I’d miss my brothers, of course. Foolish dreams.” He patted the ground with his free hand. “This is our planet, for better or worse.”
“The Badari are originally from this world?” If he and his people were native to the planet, there might be havens or help somewhere. Not that the two of them could reach out to anyone, but it’d be comforting to know someone somewhere might be free of the Khagrish.
“We don’t know where we’re from. Probably not here, although we regard it as our home now. Each man awakens with inner knowledge, of his name, of our language, of our beliefs, bits of lore. Whatever makes us perfect for their experiment also gives us our own identity as a people.” He sounded proud and fierce.
Considering what he’d just shared, she was struck by the way he’d phrased a fundamental aspect of his existence. “‘Awakens’? Not born?”
Kierce shook his head. “I told you we’re genetic constructs, not born of woman. I don’t know how the Khagrish create us, to tell you the truth, nor do I want to know, but each Badari awakens in a medlab.”
“As a full grown man?” Elianna tried to imagine what coming into the world in such a way might be like, and her mind boggled.
“In the form of a young boy, ten years of age perhaps. Then we grow to manhood over the natural span of years under their cruel regimen of training and punishment. Does it make me lesser in your eyes?” His tone was neutral but the way he crossed his arms as if to shield himself from hurt gave away the depth of his emotion.
“No, not at all.” She hugged him, enjoying the sensation of his hard, muscular body against hers and persisting until he loosened up and enfolded her in his arms. He was warm and smelled of man and musk in an appealing way. “I’m fascinated by everything about you,” She said, surprised at how easily she could admit the truth.
“We have other aspects of which the Khagrish thankfully remain unaware,” he said. “We can speak mind to mind amongst ourselves. It’s a closely guarded secret you must not repeat.”
“Wow, I’d love to be telepathic.” Stuck by a sudden notion she eyed him suspiciously. “Can you read my mind?”
“Regretfully, no. You remain a mysterious being, your mind entirely your own.” His tone was gently teasing, and the skin around his golden eyes crinkled in amusement.
“I’m thinking we ought to get off our rear ends, wonderful as it is to sit here together, and check this enclosure again for a weakness or a way out.” Elianna stretched and rose to her feet, extending a hand to him. “What had you considered, before I got here?”
Willing to indulge her, Kierce walked the perimeter of their relatively small space at her side, remaining silent as she tested the barrier periodically by throwing a broken branch at any likely spots where she though the underlying buzz of the energy was weaker. Being the lighter weight, Elianna ascended the tree all the way to the top, her stomach a mass of butterflies as the highest branches dipped and swayed under her, but there was no escape there either.
“Are you satisfied now?” he asked as she climbed down and jumped the last few feet. “The Khagrish have centuries of keeping my people successfully imprisoned.”
The next question seemed inevitable to her. “Are there Badari women?”
“Not to my knowledge. Never in all the centuries at the lab where my people dwell. Only Khagrish females, every bit as evil as their male counterparts. We encounter females of other species in occasional training sessions with women imported from off planet and paid for the purpose.” Kierce yawned and stretched. “Did you get the guard to give you a deck of cards?”
“The lab tech did, the one who’s been friendlier than the others.” As she explained, she wondered what he was getting at. His voice was lower, even a bit mischievous.
“Why don’t you get the cards? Or tell me where the deck is and I’ll fetch them. We can play a few hands before I have to revert to being a tiger.”
She did a double take. “Seriously? You want to play cards?”
“Why not? There’s nothing else we can do to make an escape. We have enough light out here thanks to the three moons. I’ll enjoy pitting my wits against yours. It might take our minds off the situation we’re in. We Badari have more than a few interesting games.”
There was a teasing twinkle in his eye And the effect was enticing, as if he was daring her to take a risk on a greater scale than merely playing a card game. “You do realize we ship techs spend all our downtime playing cards while we’re waiting for the next catastrophe?”
Raising his eyebrows, Kierce said, “And we Badari spend all our time in between drills and experiments honing our skill with the cards. I’ll even give you a few points credit since you don’t know the game as well as I do.”
“Oh, we’re playing a Badari game, are we?” Getting to her feet in preparation to go inside and retrieve the cards, she laughed. “I’m not sure how fair your offer is.”
He shrugged. “Badari cards, Badari game, Badari rules.
“Something tells me I’m getting conned here.”
Giving her a playful bow, Kierce said, “I guarantee to expend my best efforts to ensure we’ll have an enjoyable evening. What’s left of it anyway.”
When Elianna returned with the deck of cards, Kierce had spread the other blankets on the grass under the tree.
“Did I neglect to mention this game is played for forfeits?” His grin was broad as he laid down his first card in the opening gambit. “Be prepared.”
“What kind of forfeits?” She tried to imagine a group of lethal Badari warriors like Kierce sitting at a table playing a card game for such stakes. But, being prisoners in a lab setting, what other stakes would they have had to wager? Her heart beat faster. Could he possibly be hinting at an alien version of strip poker? The idea was alluring and fit in with his suddenly more light hearted mood.
“Nothing objectionable. I’m sure we can agree on suitable terms, win or lose, mutually satisfying although the stakes between us certainly won’t be the same ones my brothers and I played for.” He examined the cards she’d given him, and apparently satisfied, rearranged his hand a bit. “Of course, you could let me win the first round so I can show you what you might have to forfeit.” He reached out to touch her arm in a caressing motion and his eyes sparkled.
The feel of his hand on her skin was electrifying and sent a pulse of heat straight to her core. Game on. “All right, I get the gist.” She gave him a mock shove in the ribs. I can see where this is probably going. The possibilities were enticing, and her heart rate ratcheted up. “Play your cards and we’ll see what happens.”
She won the first round but only barely. There was strategy and bluffing and a lot of laughter before Kierce conceded her victory. “I’ll fight all the harder for the second round.”
Raising her hand, she cleared her throat and used her most serious voice. “Not so fast—I get to impose a forfeit.”
“So you do.” He shuffled the cards in a dazzling riffle with a cascade finish. “What do you choose?”
She swallowed hard past the lump in her throat, leaned in closer and asked for what she really wanted. “Kiss me?”
Keeping his gaze locked on her, Kierce set the cards on the blanket and reached to cup the back of her head gently with one massive hand. Elianna closed her eyes and took a deep breath of anticipation. He drew her closer until their lips met, the touch electrifying and tantalizingly soft at first, just a whisper of a caress but enough to set her nerve endings on fire. She twined her arms around his neck, seeking to hold him closer as he stroked her lips with his tongue, asking for entry. Tilting her head, she was happy to give him what he wanted, and suddenly they were locked in the embrace, each exploring the other as if discovering a new world. Kierce pulled her onto his lap, and she shifted to a more comfortable position, savoring the pressure of his arousal under her.
Reluctantly they came up for air, although Elianna didn’t let go of him. He held her like a treasured and fragile ornament. He studied her face for a moment before pulling her close again, eager to resume the kiss. Secure in his embrace, Elianna tugged him downward onto the blanket spread over the grass, adjusting herself as she reclined so his cock rested in the vee of her thighs, an insistent presence against the fabric of his kilt and her jumpsuit. His bare chest was hot against her.
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