Gyan snapped his mouth shut and stepped away from the bed. His tail swished behind him, betraying his nervous agitation.
Kader rounded to the side of the bed, grasped the edge with one hand, and lifted as he crouched. The weight of the bed barely registered, meaning Gyan was even weaker than he first thought. Straightening his arm, he held the bed over his head and stared at the alien female, who had curled herself into a tight ball. Tremors shook her body.
“Come, Soft One,” Kader said in a low, soothing voice, probably surprising the others in the room. Everyone thought warriors were brutish and forceful. But battle required many varied tactics to achieve victory, and Kader had learned them all well. “No one will harm you, I promise. Did you hurt yourself when you fell? The doctor can help with that.”
Soft One, as Kader would call her until she gave him an alternative, lifted her head only slightly and then buried her face with a scared yelp. She’d clearly never before seen someone like him.
He waited patiently, allowing her to come to terms with his appearance. When she lifted her head again, her gaze curious, he didn’t move a muscle. Movement behind him, probably Gyan, made him swipe his tail at them to be silent. He didn’t want them scaring Soft One when he’d almost gotten through to her.
The movement stopped.
Soft One’s attention strayed to his tail.
Taking a chance, Kader brought it forward and extended it toward her.
She stiffened with a squeak that bordered on cute and then peered at his tail.
He flipped the tip of it slowly, lazily. Coaxing her to touch it. He almost smiled when she poked at it, but reminded himself not to move. This was the most important moment. Patience was key.
She watched him as she prodded and then petted his tail. The back and forth motion of her hand over his scales seemed to soothe her. It soothed him too, which surprised him because he hadn’t realized he was tense. Not from fear of an attack. He doubted anything she could do would harm him. Plus, a warrior didn’t fear. He simply wanted her not to fear him.
Kader said in a soft voice, “You may not understand my words but you can comprehend my tone. I will not hurt you, Soft One. Come.” He extended his hand slowly, palm up.
For several breaths, she stared at it. And then she uncurled herself and put her small hand in his. Trusting him even though she still smelled of fear.
Kader urged her toward him with a gentle tug. Once she’d crawled forward from under the bed, he backed up a step and lowered the bed to the floor. He shot a look at Gyan to keep his mouth shut.
The doctor wisely stayed silent.
Rising to his full height, Kader realized he was wrong. Soft One stood level with his chest, but not by much.
She said something he didn’t understand but could guess from her tone that his height surprised her. But not in a way that made her frightened. She gave him a small smile that made her appear even cuter.
He smiled and patted her head, taking a chance and happy it paid off. She didn’t pull away from his touch or become upset. “You are as soft as you appear.”
Gyan raised his wand with a questioning expression on his face.
Kader lifted Soft One onto the bed. She truly was tiny. His hands completely circled her waist. Her soft waist. Very squishy. He had to stop himself from squeezing her to find out how squishy. He didn’t want to hurt her.
Her chuckle and headshake caught him off guard and even made Gyan startle. They both exchanged a questioning look, but no answer would be forthcoming until they figured out a way to communicate with Soft One.
Kader was just happy she allowed him to resume petting her. The ropes on her head were coarse as he sifted them through his fingers. Not braided or twisted, but knotted, now that he looked closer at them. As Gyan had said, not a punishment because they appeared too well maintained.
“Interesting and strange, whatever this is. I look forward to the day we can converse so I can ask its purpose.”
Her reply was as indecipherable as everything else she’d said, and she’d asked him something he couldn’t hope to answer. But then, she probably knew that and was simply speaking just to speak, as he was.
“Captain,” Gyan said with a hint of annoyance in his tone.
Kader relinquished his spot but stayed near, feeling that he would be the one to soothe her if she became agitated again. However, Soft One stayed still and let the doctor wave his examination probe over her, only flinching away a little when he waved it too close.
Gyan said, “She still has pain in her head.”
Anyone with eyes could see that in the way Soft One squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temple. No fancy diagnostic devices needed.
Waving toward her, Kader said, “Give her more medication.”
“While I agree that is the best course of action, I dislike treating her with our medications when we do not know how they will affect her over time.”
“Small doses should be fine.”
“Very small.” Gyan adjusted the examination probe and then touched it to Soft One’s forehead.
She startled and then sighed, sagging in obvious relief. And then she held up her hand and beckoned.
Kader and Gyan chuckled over her insistence and the way she leaned toward Gyan to hurry him along.
The doctor administered another dose.
Instead of sighing this time, Soft One smiled before slumping forward.
Kader caught her across his forearm, keeping her from toppling off the bed. “Is she well?”
Gyan performed a quick scan and then nodded. “The medication alleviated her pain. It had a sedative effect on her. She’s sleeping.” After locating the tablet he’d held earlier, the doctor scrawled notes.
Meanwhile Kader continued holding Soft One, marveling at the heat suffusing his arm from her body. Her heat. “She’s very warm,” he said before he could stop himself.
“Yes, the opposite of us, her species is endothermic,” Gyan said in a far-off tone. “The monitors show she’s maintained a constant temperature since leaving stasis. Only a two-degree spike when she became agitated and dropping now that she is slumbering, but not by much.” He glanced up from his tablet with a frown. “You can put her down now, Captain.”
Kader scooped up Soft One, marveling at how light she was, and placed her on the middle of the bed. “You will contact me the moment she wakes, Doctor.”
Gyan nodded. “I feel that is wise as well. Limiting her interaction to you and myself should keep her agitation down.” He turned to his colleague and said, “Doctor Quagid, run continuous scans as she sleeps. The stasis field hindered our initial readings, which was something we didn’t expect. Did you record her when she spoke?”
“Yes, Doctor Gyan. However, such a small sample is not much to work with. The technicians will need more.”
“They will have it once she wakes. Tell them to work with what they have.”
Kader turned his attention back to Soft One. Very cute—especially when asleep and relaxed. Though her earlier smile had been cute as well. His old weakness was rearing its ugly head. A weakness he, as a warrior, shouldn’t have. He needed to get away.
He stepped back to leave but something snagged on his uniform shirt and brought him up short. A quick glance down showed not something but someone. Soft One held him. She’d balled her little hand into his shirt, holding it tight. No amount of tugging freed him. If anything, it made her hold tighter.
Prying himself loose was out. His claws may hurt her.
“Captain?”
Kader gestured to his predicament. “It would seem Soft One wants me to stay at her side.”
Gyan assessed the situation before making more notes on his tablet. “Would you like a chair, Captain?”
“Unneeded. She’ll release me soon enough.” Not that he minded if she didn’t. This situation gave him an excuse to study her longer.
Such a strange species. No natural defenses to speak of, not even when threatened had she done anyt
hing to defend herself, opting to hide and cower. He brushed the back of one knuckle against the hand that held him, smiling when she clenched her fist.
Her coloring still intrigued him. She was gem toned, the deep brown of the most expensive cliff jewels, priced for their rarity and the expense of mining them. Her eyes resembled the color of the sands of the desert sea at midday. A dangerous elusive beauty.
Her pupils were round, a mildly disconcerting state. Khartarns’ pupils only grew round when confronted with something they had a deep interest in, usually in situations of desire. A mating cue. Not so with Soft One. Did her pupils change to a different shape when she wished to copulate?
Why should he care? Her arousal state and the changes it wrought on her body were no concern of his. His interest in her began and ended with her threat level to his ship and crew, which was none. As soon as she released him, he would return to his normal habit of ignoring the scientists and their doings on his ship unless and until one of them tried to destroy it… again.
Chapter 4
Semeera wished she could discount the events during the last time she’d opened her eyes as a giant s’mores-induced dream, but the strange language being spoken in hushed voices around her proved that wasn’t true. She didn’t need to open her eyes and confirm it. Remaining in her self-imposed darkness wouldn’t do her any good either.
With a small sigh, she opened her eyes. At least there wasn’t pain this time. Her head didn’t hurt at all. Whatever the doctor—she assumed the lizardman with the strange metal wand had been a doctor—had given her worked amazingly well. No pain anywhere and she felt well rested, something she hadn’t experienced in months.
Funny how being abducted by aliens made mundane anxieties like bills and divorce and finding a job just go away. But, as she looked up, and up some more, at the tall lizardman standing beside her bed—she wouldn’t get over how tall he was anytime soon—she had other anxieties to worry about now.
Was he guarding her?
He sure appeared to be with his bowed head and his arms the size of her thighs crossed over his massive chest. Why in hell would they give her such a big-ass guard? They couldn’t think she was that much of a threat. Then again, they probably didn’t know she wasn’t and were erring on the side of caution.
She could almost mistake her guard for a statue. He barely moved a muscle and didn’t even appear to be breathing. His eyes were closed too. Was he asleep? How long had he been standing there?
When his eyes opened and focused on her, she yelped at having been caught staring.
He spoke softly and then tugged on his shirt, making her hand jiggle.
She held his shirt in a tight fist. “Oh!” She quickly snatched her hand away. “Sorry.” When she saw the wrinkles she’d left behind, she tried to pat them flat. “I’m really sorry. You should have just shaken me off.”
Her guard said nothing.
She looked up to see if he was annoyed.
He had a subtle smile and appeared amused. When he spoke in that rumbling voice of his, Semeera stopped to just listen. He had a really nice voice. Deep and rich. Decadent even. One of those voices where she didn’t care what he said so long as he spoke, which was a good thing because she didn’t know what he was saying.
Muscle flexed under her fingers. Jerking her gaze down, she looked at her palm pressed against his well-muscled thigh. Again, she snatched her hand away and apologized again.
He patted her head with a gentle chuckle before speaking to someone behind her.
The doctor from before came over, appearing pleased. He waved that same metal rod over her while nodding. His claws clicked on the tablet he held. Funny that the tablet invented by an alien race resembled the one from Earth so much. But it was a pretty simplistic design and not far-fetched that two species with no previous contact had conceived of it.
But that was enough admiration. Time to get down to business.
She needed answers. To get them, she needed to bridge the language gap. That started with names. She waved at the two males, bringing their attention to her. Not that the big one had looked away from her this entire time. If he were a guy on Earth, she would think he was angling to take her to bed. Since he was a giant lizardman from space, she guessed he was waiting for her try something.
She pointed to herself and said, “Semeera.” Then she pointed to the doctor.
He cocked his head to the side and said something that couldn’t possibly be his name… she hoped.
Pointing to herself, she said again, “Semeera. Seh-meer-ah. Semeera.” She gestured to him with her eyebrows raised in what she hoped they interpreted as a questioning expression.
Understanding lit his face and he tapped a claw to his chest. “Gi-yawn. Gyan.” He pointed to her and said, “Sssemeera.” He drew out the S in a hiss, which almost made her laugh at how stereotypical it was.
But she didn’t want him thinking she was laughing at him, so she held it back. Pointing at him, she said, “Gyan.”
He nodded and then gestured to her guard. “Kader. Kah-der.”
She looked at the guard and repeated, “Kader.”
The guard nodded with an encouraging smile. “Sssemeera.”
“Yes, now we’re getting somewhere. At least I hope those are your names and not your titles. Not that it matters what they are so long as you answer.” She sighed and looked around. Or tried to. Without her glasses, she couldn’t see much beyond the massive bed she sat on.
Gyan and Kader spoke over her head while she awaited the verdict of their conversation. She noticed their language had no S sounds, which explained why they drew it out in her name.
Kader had a tone of disagreement and glared at Gyan when it sounded as if he planned to argue. Did guards outrank doctors here? Or maybe the guard’s superior had given him a direct order, and the doctor was trying to get him to go against it.
Either way, the doctor backed down with a worried glance at her.
Semeera gave him a sweet smile. “This is interesting and all, but I need a restroom.” She scooted to the edge of the bed and found Kader’s hand waiting for her. Not to stop her. Offering. She gave him a smile of thanks as she put her hand in his and let him slow her descent to the floor.
She would need a running start to get back on the bed if Kader wasn’t there to lift her up, but she would worry about that later. Her top priority at that moment was relief. She assumed the I-have-to-pee position with her thighs pressed together, her hands over her crotch, and bounced a little. Her need wasn’t that urgent yet, but it was getting there.
Gyan hopefully figured out her issue and waved for her to follow him, which she did, with Kader trailing her. He led her across the room and opened a door with a large, squat stool in the middle of a small room. Beckoning her forward, he pointed at the hole in the seat and spoke.
A backless toilet, maybe? With these guys’ tails, it made sense. There was a hole in the bottom, but it lacked water. She was willing to believe these guys had waterless toilets, but she didn’t want to do her business in the wrong place because they had misunderstood her need. Then again, she would only have to make the mistake once before they figured it out.
Hoping she had it right, she nodded and made a shooing motion. “Out you go. This isn’t a peep show. Bye.”
Gyan and Kader stayed where they were.
She smiled, and they smiled. Then she chuckled and shook her head. “Uh. No. Out.” She pointed at the door with her best not-playing expression fixed on her face. Abducted or not, they didn’t get to watch her pee.
Both males looked over their shoulders and then at her. They had a short back and forth before Kader shrugged and left the room.
Gyan was slower to follow, giving her worried looks.
When they were both out of the room, she closed the door with a sigh. That was one point for her. Unless they had surveillance in the restroom. She pushed that thought out of her head. It didn’t matter. Not being stared at was her immediate concern.<
br />
The next concern was a lack of toilet paper or reasonable substitute. The toilet stool didn’t have a bidet situation going on either. Was she supposed to drip dry?
First a language barrier and now no toilet paper.
A little voice in her head announced, When abducted by aliens, some inconveniences may occur. Your patience and understanding are appreciated. Thank you.
“Fuck it.” Semeera unzipped, wiggled her jeans along with her panties down to mid-thigh, and then perched on the edge of the stool. Like the bed, it was meant for someone bigger than her, and if she sat back, she would fall in.
She peed then bounced a little to remove as much moisture as possible. She really missed toilet paper and didn’t relish pulling up her panties without drying off. But she did so along with her jeans, having to suck in her stomach to button them again, which made her lower abdomen ache.
If she’d known she would be wearing these clothes for a prolonged period, she would have worn looser pants. If she’d known aliens would abduct her, she would have… What? What could she have done any differently to make this situation better? Well, besides pack a bag with a roll of toilet paper in it?
Three small pedals at the base of the stool caught her attention. She tapped one with her foot and a spout of water from an unseen spigot at the front of the stool shot out. They had a bidet!
She tapped the other two. The second spouted water from the rear. The third did nothing. She tapped it a few times. Still nothing. Was it broken? She held it down and heard a faint blowing noise. She held her hand over the stool and felt warm air. Ah, the drying button.
Too late now, but she knew for next time. She still preferred toilet paper, though. Chuckling to herself, she opened the door to see Kader and a worried Gyan standing right outside.
Gyan quickly waved the metal rod over her. Whatever it told him made him relax with a nod. He said something over his shoulder and then motioned Semeera out of the doorway.
Another lizardman—were there really only males around?—entered the room. A moment later he exited with a vial of yellow liquid.
Alien Mate Experiment Page 4
