by Pearl Tate
I mean, come on! I just met him.
But being here, in a church and kissing. It’s almost like I heard, “You may kiss your bride.”
After all, being mated is pretty much being married. An arranged marriage. But that doesn’t seem to bother me—or my body, a bit.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
- Devlin
Samena takes us back to the suite that Jenny’s been given. I’m worried that Jenny regrets our kisses. She can barely look at me since we were disturbed. If not that, I wonder what bothers her?
Could I have done something wrong? Was I too rough? Or is this just because she’s shy and we were interrupted by Samena? Even now, I glower at him. He ignores me, opening the door for us.
Selas is waiting at the entrance to her dwelling as we turn into the hall. “I need to speak to you two immediately.” He doesn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he lets us in, leading the way into the large living space that Warden Benard used for many years. I can still smell him here and I can’t help wishing I could take Jenny back to my dwelling.
I want to see her in my bed. Naked. Eating food from my hand, that I’ve prepared for us.
“What’s wrong?” Jenny interrupts my musing as she lowers herself stiffly into a chair, staring at Selas.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, I realize how tired he looks. Defeated. Something is wearing on him. It may just be the responsibility he’s inherited. I don’t envy him that.
I’ve always been an avoider. After my unfortunate incident—attacked in the first couple days I was here—I’ve tried to stay out of everyone’s way. When I get noticed, I make sure everyone wants to avoid me afterwards.
“The Discovery contacted me. They discovered that Shelly and Beth have contracted Tirus X.” My heart sinks. I need to hold Jenny. Moving around the chair she’s sitting in, I pick her up and pull her into my lap.
“What is that?” She’s so distracted by the conversation, she doesn’t even acknowledge I’m now wrapped around her.
“It’s an air-born virus on the planet. It starts off innocent enough, making you tired. But within a month, you begin to lose control of your body.” Her hands flutter on top of mine before gripping me tightly.
“So, it’s deadly?” I can’t believe how calm and resigned she sounds. As if dying and leaving me is an option.
“I won’t allow that to happen. There’s a a cure. I’ve had it. Right, Selas?” Selas looks pained as my eyes drill into him.
“Yes, there’s a vaccine. But they don’t keep it here or on the Discovery. It's manufactured and kept on Quasar. It’s administered with the nanos that also keep you on Dactyles. Bren has had Hannah negotiate with the council. Shelly and Beth settled on a five-year commitment. They'll be studied on the planet Quasar with their mates in exchange for the dose.”
“She’s not going.” My arms tighten. The thought of her leaving me now is incomprehensible and I can’t leave. Leaving the atmosphere would be a death sentence. The nanos ensure that.
“Just wait! You aren’t letting me tell everything. And this is Jenny’s decision.” Selas leans forward, moving his eyes to Jenny in front of me. “Susan hasn't contracted it. Atticus, the ship’s physician, believes he knows why. Due to her progressing relationship, she’s received some of Matthias's nanos in her system already. They are already at work, changing her. That would explain why Beth and Shelly have it in their system, but she doesn’t. They are giving you the choice. You can go with them back to Quasar or stay here and take the chance that Devlin’s nanos will affect you the same way.”
Jenny has stiffened in my lap. I’m torn. I can’t lose her, but I don’t want to watch her die either.
“Beth’s mate has already been identified on the planet Quasar, so they need to go back there anyway.” Selas pauses as Jenny opens her mouth, clearly wanting to cut in but too polite to interrupt.
“Explain to me how I get Devlin’s nanos?” Running my hands up and down her arms, I try to soften her stiff posture. Smirking over her shoulder, I see Selas hesitate, torn.
“Sex would be the most direct…” His gaze drops to the floor, clearly uncomfortable. “Bodily fluid exchange…”
“Like kissing?”
Selas looks up. “The mouth touches? I suppose…”
“Can we test her now? Here? See if it’s active in her system now? That would make me feel a lot better.” Will they have to take her up to the Discovery for the test? I’m not sure but I’m afraid if she does that, she may be swayed to stay there and go with them.
Jenny wraps her arm around my neck, turning into me. “If they can test me, that’s great, but unnecessary.” I open my mouth to argue, but her soft, small finger taps on my lips gently. “I have faith I wouldn’t be sent here just to contract a deadly disease and die.” Her smile is small and final.
Leaning forward, she brushes her lips against mine, leaving her salty, sweet flavor on my lips. I want more, but now isn’t the time.
“I’ve told Devlin, but not you, Selas. I have a rare genetic disease called cystic fibrosis. It should be interesting to see how the nanos treat that in my body too. Maybe you should get a reading on me, so you have a baseline?”
Selas stands. “Let me contact the Discovery and see what Atticus may have found out during your brief time up there. We may have a baseline already. And I have a kit to test you here. I’ll just send it up to him and we’ll know in the next hour.”
“That sounds great.” Jenny’s slight body turns even more on my lap. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be fine. You’ll just have to spend a lot of time kissing me.”
This time, when her lips meet mine, she deepens it immediately. Instead of caressing her lips with mine, she flicks her tongue against the seam of my mouth.
Opening for her, I stroke back against her, sliding my tongue along hers and my arms tighten. She fits so perfect against me.
Breaking away, I give her a heated look, pulling her ass firmly against my cock. It’s tingling and tightening and that’s the most I’ve detected from it in many years. I want her to notice it and know how much I want her. If I could plunge into her, I would.
Cupping the back of her head, I pull her dazed face towards me so our mouths meet again. We’re kissing with all the intense passion I feel. She’s my everything. If I can’t get my nanos in her by sex through my ejaculation, sharing our fluids through our mouths could be enough?
“Should I give you guys time?” Jenny pulls back, tugging her hair wrapped around my hand, pinning her. My own hair has come out to our wrap around us, and she lifts a hand, threading her fingers through it as she smiles at me.
“No, Selas. Let’s just get this over with.” She tries to wiggle away but I grab her hips and turn her slightly.
“Open your mouth.” Selas leans over her and quickly scrapes the inside of her cheek, pulling back and dropping it into a small vial. “I need access to under your arm.”
Looking at Jenny, I realize her shirt has long sleeves, and the neck is too high to reach under her arm from there. “I’ll do it.” My tone is adamant and Selas hands the kit to me and turns his back.
Jenny lifts the side of her shirt facing me, holding her arm straight into the air. I’m immediately exposed to her scent and smooth, white skin on her side. She wears a white covering over her chest, the band under her arm stretched tight.
The white covering doesn’t hide her shape. The curve of her breast is enticing. I want to reach out and slip my hand under her silky covering to stroke the smooth skin there too.
Giggling, she looks down at me, interrupting my wandering thoughts. “Hurry. I know it will tickle and the anticipation is killing me.”
Right. Scraping her skin gently with the sharper end, I gather some skin cells and drop the tool in the vial. Leaning forward, I kiss her exposed skin, and she almost falls off my lap. Jumping, she jerks her arm down, lowering her shirt at the same time.
“I knew it!” Grabbing the vial, she taps Selas on the side with it. “You just couldn’t
control yourself, could you?”
“No.” I answer simply. I don’t know if I’ll every be able to. I enjoy the sound of her laughter and the playfulness is so new and foreign. I want to prolong every second.
“Atticus said he did take samples of you when you were on the ship and Tirus X was definitely not present at that time. He didn’t notice any other diseases, but now that he knows, he’ll run some tests, so he knows what to keep an eye on. You said this was a genetic disease?” Selas looks back and forth between us.
“Yes. I was born with it. Some humans are carriers. When two carriers produce a child, there’s a twenty-five percent chance of their kid having the disease.” Selas just nods.
“Atticus would like to talk to you about it. Why don’t you two come next door and I can fix you some food and put him on the tablet to tell him about it?” Selas walks towards the door as I stand.
“Sure. But I’ll be telling him more symptoms and side-effects. I don’t know all the scientific stuff about it so I don’t know if that will help.” Jenny’s voice is calm and even. She’s so strong.
To have lived with a disease like that her whole life? I just want to grab her and run. Take her somewhere to hide her away.
I don’t enjoy having to constantly deal with others here but if it makes Jenny healthier and happier, it must be done. I have to convince her to let me spend hours kissing her tonight. We need to make sure that we exchange kisses as often and as long as possible.
I also can’t wait to taste her everywhere. I’m sure that will be necessary too. My tongue in her cunt can only help! I can’t wait.
CHAPTER TWELVE
- Jenny
Devlin teases me as he shows me how to use their version of cooking appliances. He takes every opportunity to touch me. A stroke there, a grab here. It’s maddening and arousing.
I’ve never felt so sexually aware in my entire life. Right now, he’s plastered to my back, legs bent as he kisses my neck. Although I suspect he’s breathing and sniffing at me more than kissing.
Even though he’s told me he can’t get hard, he isn’t shy about showing me what he does have—down there. It’s big. When he pulls me over to sit on him, there's a very large lump under my butt!
For the first time in my life, I can’t wait to touch a man. I want to explore every inch of his body. The mating marks running up his arms tease me with what they cover under his baggy shirt. I can tell he’s built like a god.
And the hair! I could never explain to someone how sexy it is when it runs over my skin and wraps around us. It’s almost as if his hair has its own brain and is so excited to be with me. The way strands flutter and touch, then skip away in excitement, reminds me of our neighbor’s poodle!
There’s a commotion at the door, and we both look up in the crowded suite. We’re the only ones in the kitchen right now. There are three men at the table and Selas is talking to one guard that was outside the door. I guess there’s even a team set up with different equipment in a bedroom.
I don’t understand what they all do but it’s clear that Selas runs the show. They’re all dressed in the same gray uniform. Devlin tells me that’s the Discovery’s uniform.
Selas disappears out the door. He’s giving us a few minutes to eat before he calls Atticus. My vials have already been shuttled off to him. I don’t know how long deliveries to the ship up there take. I’ve absolutely no memory of traveling and I’m not sure if I’m happy about that or disappointed.
Devlin’s palm skates up and down my stomach. He must have heard grumbling. His hand bumps the bottom of my breast on each pass and I wonder if he realizes it. Well. Of course, he does. But I don’t mind.
A commotion near the door has me looking up to see Selas returning with two naked men. No wait—only one is nude. The other is wearing a loin cloth and I quickly avert my gaze in embarrassment. They’ve settled into the chairs closest to the door. They’re speaking their language but when I overhear Rachel’s name, I can’t ignore them any longer.
Screeching in excitement, I move closer to listen to them. It was definitely Rachel because Selas immediately repeats her name back. Probably asking where she is? That’s what I want to know!
I hold my breath while they bicker back and forth in their language. When Selas turns around and yells at everyone, I clasp onto the wild man’s arm closest to me. He’s the one wearing the loin cloth.
Devlin growls behind me and I realize he’s followed me over. Looking up at him, he tugs me towards him, pulling my hand from the new guy’s arm. Is he mad at me?
“I just want to know what’s going on. They said Rachel! Is she here somewhere?” I’m excited and breathless, coughing a little as my lungs work overtime.
Devlin turns to the loin cloth guy, asking for me. He gets a lengthy explanation. That’s a good sign! Could it really be true? Rachel is here?
The naked guy picks up the story and adds his two cents before the loincloth guy asks Devlin a question. It’s then that I realize. I've been so careful not to look too closely at them because, duh? Naked! But this guy has mating marks! Could he be Rachel’s mate?
Devlin pulls me tighter to him as he answers his questions back. Wrapping my arms around him, I pat him on the tummy. I’m dying for him to fill me in! Come on, come on.
“He had visions of the shuttle coming to the planet and when it landed, he was already there. He took Rachel off the shuttle immediately and back to his dwelling. He lives outside the dome.” Devlin tugs me back towards the kitchen to retrieve our food we left sitting. “Unfortunately, Warden Benard's men realized someone had taken a female off the craft. They’ve been searching the areas outside. They located Whik, the other man there with Amari. He was leaving the area where Amari was at with Rachel. They caught him and used Whik to lead Amari away so they could grab her. They left Whik tied up not too far away and when Amari freed him, he told him it was a trick. They came back together to the dome to get her away from them, but he was told that Selas would help him locate her…”
I catch pleading behind me but one man from the bedroom, distracts me when he walks directly for me. “Are you Jenny?” He has a tablet style device in his hands. It’s smaller than an iPad but looks very similar.
“Yes.” Devlin wraps his arm around me. He’s clearly not impressed with this random guy striking up a conversation.
“We had an incoming call, and they requested you.” Oh. This must be Atticus. I’ve never met him but when I take the device from him and say hello, it isn’t him—it’s Rachel!
“Rachel! Oh, wow! Where are you? There’s a guy here named Amari with mating marks looking for you…”
She cuts me off, her voice breathless. “Listen, Jenny. I’ve been taken by these guys. Other guards from the prison, I assume. But it’s super fucking weird, because I’m starting to understand some of their language! They’re talking about something they call tracenda. They’re planning to put it under the carmeda and trannee. I’m fine right now, but they’re planning on killing everyone and leaving to plamalemn? I think tracenda is what they plan to kill everyone with? It’s confusing, but that’s what I understand. Don’t forget, okay? Tell them. They have been discussing how the tracenda is set up under the carmeda and trannee.”
“Are you okay though?” Tears have run down my face. This is terrible. Poor Rachel!
I hear shuffling behind me and turn to see Selas and Amari rushing towards me. Angling the tablet in their direction, I make sure they can make out her words too.
“Yes, I’m okay so far. Just remember what I said about the tracenda…”
Amari starts to roar, the sound building in intensity. And I mean roar! Like a wild animal sound…
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
- Jenny
Then chaos breaks out as Selas starts yelling. Freezing, I don’t even realize when Devlin plucks the tablet from my hands and gives it over to Selas. He’s holding on to Amari, who’s seriously losing his shit. It’s like he’s hyperventilating but trying to
breathe through it. I’ve been there!
Selas flicks a button on the device and then there’s video. Someone I don’t recognize fills the screen, but he immediately angles the camera behind him and I see Rachel in a cage—naked! Amari and Selas huddle around the video call, obstructing my view. I turn into Devlin, tears streaming down my face.
Sniffling, Devlin’s arms tighten around me as I take comfort in his embrace. They’re all listening to the call. My sniffling is the only sound. The man continues to speak in their language, but I can’t follow a thing.
Except Rachel! Who’s still chattering in the background. Repeating the same thing over and over. It’s faint, but I understand her. “The tracenda is set up under the carmeda and trannee. The tracenda is set up under the carmeda and trannee.”
The room is silent as everyone listens.
When the call ends abruptly, I hear a commotion behind me and glance over to see Amari sinking into a chair. He looks exhausted but is still barking at Selas.
Grabbing Devlin’s attention while I can, I plead. “You must tell them what she said. Did you understand the words of your language she didn’t? Can you tell them? Will it help?” I hang on his arms as Devlin stares at Selas over my head.
“Rachel told her she’s beginning to understand parts of the language. Her captors are discussing how the tracenda is set up under the carmeda and trannee. She didn’t realize they were talking about bombs under the community kitchen and water treatment facility. She kept repeating that over and over saying she’s fine. But they are planning on killing everyone and leaving to plamalemn. She thinks they have a place set up to go to outside the dome.”
Selas translates to Amari who rises to his feet again, spinning in a slow circle. It’s as if he doesn’t know where to go. Selas just pushes him into the chair again as he yells at everyone in the room! Probably even the guys in the bedroom. He sounds so mad!
My food is forgotten as my belly flips and churns. Poor Rachel. I have to find out what is going on!
