He had already committed to two more years under T’ngorzul—one year to have the bastard refrain from ordering any experiments for a full shift, and another for the opportunity to have L’ren spend the shift with him. The thought of the additional time filled him with dismay, but he had to do everything he could to protect L’ren.
The commander stopped and considered him thoughtfully. “You are behaving as if this primitive female was your L’chka.”
The term echoed in his head. Every Yehrin warrior yearned for that elusive mating bond, but, like their females, they were increasingly rare. Surely he couldn’t have found his L’chka here on this isolated planet, through a mere accident of fate?
Before he could voice a coherent response, T’ngorzul nodded. “Very well. You may have the upgrade for a year of service.”
He managed to choke out a thank you and salute before hurrying off to make the arrangements.
An hour later he returned to the med lab, his head aching from the upgrade. His female was huddled on the exam table, but he was relieved to see that S’kran was nowhere in sight. He wouldn’t have put it past T’ngorzul to have ordered the medic to begin testing, in spite of their agreement.
As he approached the table, he saw that her eyes were closed. Although their time together would be limited, he was reluctant to disturb her slumber. He was debating whether or not to wake her when her eyes opened. For the briefest second, she looked happy to see him, then her eyes hardened and she looked away.
“L’ren, I must talk to you.”
“You can talk now?” She pulled herself back up to a seated position, glaring at him when he started to help her. “I suppose that was all part of your game.”
“It was not a game. I had to request the upgrade.”
“Why bother? You brought me here the way you were supposed to.”
He wasn’t sure which bothered him more, the bitterness or the defeat in her voice.
“I did not bring you here because of my assignment. I brought you here because you required medical assistance. It was, perhaps, naive of me to assume that your condition would prevent Commander T’ngorzul from seeing you as a subject.”
“Who are you, anyway?”
“I am Officer T’saran R’llen—”
“Not you personally. I mean all of you… Yehrin, was it?”
Despite his disappointment that she was not interested in him, he was pleased that she was at least speaking to him.
“Yes, we are part of the Yehrin Empire. This ship is part of the Yehrin fleet.”
“And you really think you’re going to conquer Earth?”
He hesitated, but he wasn’t going to lie to her. “I know we will. Just as we have conquered hundreds of other planets.”
“For breeding experiments?” she asked warily.
He had resolved not to lie to her, but this was one piece of information that he could not share. It was too vital to his people. He compromised on a partial truth. “It is one of the reasons. We also choose to assist planets in transitioning to life beyond just their own world and in developing technology that will not destroy their planet.”
“By conquering them?” she asked skeptically.
“Planets at your stage of development benefit from a firm hand.” The lesson had been drilled into him at an early age.
“I’ve yet to find a benefit to a firm hand,” she muttered, then ducked her head away from him.
The move reminded him of an abused sekhmet that he had fostered for a short period of time during his first assignment. Had someone abused this pale, fragile woman? Just the thought forced him to turn away and stalk to the door before he frightened her with his anger.
Several deep breaths later, he had regained enough composure to turn back to her. The way she was watching him warily, her shoulders hunched, added to his suspicions, but he forced them aside.
“I am truly sorry that bringing you here has forced you into this position. I have offered repeatedly to return for another female, but the commander will not let me.”
“Would it be any better if it were another woman?”
He understood her point, but again went with the truth. “It would be for me. I do not like the thought of you in T’ngorzul’s hands.”
She paled but her shoulders actually straightened. “I don’t like it, either. What does he have planned for me?”
“I am not entirely sure. We have basic information about humans in our data banks already, but he seems to be looking for something more.”
“His breeding experiments?” She made a noise that could have been a laugh. “Then you definitely picked the wrong woman—”
S’kran stepped into the room. His gait was unimpaired, but his hands were trembling, and even from here, T’saran could catch the distinct smell of alcohol. L’ren, too, recoiled.
“What are you doing, S’kran?”
“I have experiments to run. On her.” He peered blearily at L’ren.
“Not tonight. Commander T’ngorzul has agreed to give her a shift to recover from her injuries.”
“No experiments?”
“Not tonight.”
With an aggrieved sigh, S’kran went to his workbench. Conversation would be impossible in his presence.
“Will you come with me, L’ren? I wish to talk to you.”
“What if I don’t want to talk to you?” she said bitterly, then hunched her shoulders again.
“Do you wish to remain with the medic?”
After a quick look at S’kran, who was now frowning at the two different bottles in his hands, she shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
“Then come with me. You have my word of honor that I will not harm you.”
His hearts pounded as she hesitated for a long moment, but she finally sighed and nodded. “Okay.”
“Thank you, my L’chka.” The word slipped out unintentionally, brought about by her presence and her trust, however reluctant.
“Your what?”
“I believe you would say, my lady.” It was not a literal translation, but it was close enough.
“Huh. No one’s ever called me a lady before.” A smile flickered across her face, turning her quiet beauty radiant. “Let’s go, my monster.”
“Monster?” He recoiled as the word translated.
“I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” she said quickly. “Just when you came swooping down out of the sky like that to rescue me, that’s what I thought you were. My own monster, come to save me.”
He considered, then bowed his head. “Then I am honored. Will you allow me to assist you down from the table?”
The brief smile reappeared. “Since it’s almost as tall as I am, I suppose that would be a good idea.”
He stepped closer, his senses swimming with her scent, her warmth, her closeness. As he reached for her, she looked up at him, her strange human eyes dark and earnest. “Don’t betray me again, my monster.”
“Never, my lady.”
Chapter Five
As Lauren followed T’saran out of the cluttered medical lab, she hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. She found she believed his explanation, believed that he hadn't wanted her to end up as part of his commander’s plans. The knowledge that he would have taken another human woman should have disturbed her more than it did, but she wondered if the Yehrin considered humans as anything more than a primitive species. And were these alien invaders really coming to conquer Earth? It seemed impossible, but looking at the tall, broad figure in front of her, horns sweeping up above his head, and remembering how easily he had eliminated her attackers, she shivered.
The spaceship, on the other hand, did not seem very threatening. The dingy metal walls and scuffed floor bore more resemblance to a rather dirty industrial building than any type of advanced technology.
When they reached an intersection, T’saran paused to look in both directions before leading her to the left. She would have asked what he was doing, but she could see the tension in his shoulders. In he
r experience, a tense man was an angry man. He had yet to lash out at her, but she didn’t want to push him. Another intersection, another pause, then he ushered her quickly through another door.
Unlike the rest of the spaces she had seen, his small cabin was almost compulsively neat, and clean white paint covered the walls. A neatly made bed occupied one side of the room while a row of cabinets filled the other, but her eyes were drawn beyond them to the window that dominated the rear wall. The moon floated just outside; every detail perfectly clear.
“Is that really the moon?”
“Yes, that is your moon.”
Her knees weakened as the full impact of her predicament slammed into her. Despite his alien appearance, despite the revelation that she was on a spaceship, some part of her had remained skeptical. Looking at the moon floating in front of her now, seeing it as she had seen it in countless movies, made it only too clear how far away she was from home.
She reached out a trembling hand toward the window and felt herself sway. T’saran wrapped her in his big, warm arms before she collapsed and led her to the bed. She sat down gratefully, her knees still feeling unsteady. He stepped back, and she found she missed the warmth of his touch.
“What’s going to happen to me?” she asked.
“S’kran is going to examine you. He will not hurt you,” he added quickly.
“And then what?”
He hesitated, then his face hardened. “I will return you to your planet.”
“Really?” She wanted to believe him, but... “Even after your commander just told me an alien invasion is coming?”
After a brief pause, he sighed and sat down next to her. The bed suddenly seemed a lot smaller, and she was acutely conscious of his warmth and a faint spicy scent.
“Do you think your government would believe you?” he asked.
“Believe a waitress from a crappy diner in Philly? No.” Despite her conviction, she remembered the commander’s cruel face. “But do you think your commander will be willing to take the chance?”
“I will not give him the opportunity to object,” he said firmly, but she had an uneasy suspicion that it was not quite that simple. Still, she went along when he changed the subject away from her return.
“Why do you not think your government would listen to you? Is a waitress not an honorable occupation?”
“Honorable? I suppose it’s honorable enough.” Better than selling myself on the streets. “But the diner wasn’t an… ideal job. I didn’t have a lot of choice because I have no other skills.”
Her father had arranged for her to marry Adam straight out of high school. She hadn’t objected. His boyish good looks had made her heart flutter, and she had yet to realize the monster beneath. She had half-jokingly called T’saran her monster, but despite his fearsome looks, he had treated her with the tender protectiveness she had never received from her ex-husband.
“I do not believe that was a safe environment for a delicate female,” T’saran said sternly.
A bitter laugh escaped. “You think? But I don’t have a car and the diner was close to my apartment.” Apartment was a fancy term for a one room studio in a rundown building. “When my ex-husband divorced me, he managed to avoid paying me any alimony by providing me with living quarters for a year. He chose the cheapest thing he could find.”
“Husband?” His head tilted as he studied his wrist device, then he looked at her in horror. “You have a mate?”
“Not any more. I told you. He divorced me.”
The words still stung. While she had been happy to get out from under Adam’s thumb, she hadn’t been prepared for him to cast her aside so quickly after her father’s death. She wondered again if her father had anticipated that. She had been part of the arrangement when Adam was made a partner in the family business, but the will had left the rest of the business to Adam with no strings attached. As soon as the will was read, Adam had turned to her, eyes glinting with satisfaction.
“Looks like I don’t have to put up with your skinny ass and frigid ways anymore. I want you out of the house tomorrow.”
“What?” She’d stared at him. Her mind was still reeling from her father’s death. He had been harsh, and frequently unkind, but he had still been her father. Despite the fact that he’d never softened towards her, not even when she nursed him through that last endless year, she’d always hoped that her presence meant something. But no words of love or appreciation had ever crossed his lips, and the only thing he’d left her in his will was a boat. A boat moored miles away in North Carolina that she could neither use nor sell.
She was so lost in her bitter memories that it took her a long time to realize that T’saran was staring at her.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I do not understand this concept. Divorce. Is the translation interface correct? An Earth male would put aside his mate?”
“All too easily. You don’t have divorce in your society?”
He looked appalled. “No Yehrin warrior would ever put aside his L’ch… his mate.”
Despite his hasty amendment, she caught the slip. “That’s what you called me earlier. L’chka. You said it meant lady—you never said anything about it meaning mate.”
“I apologize.” He rubbed his chin, looking as embarrassed as a seven-foot tall, horned warrior could look. “I had no right to make that claim.”
“But you… wanted to? You don’t even know me.” Despite her protests, a small surge of pleasure filled her. No one had ever really wanted her before.
“A Yehrin warrior always knows his mate. And I do know you. You are both brave and beautiful.”
No one had ever called her beautiful before, either. She had gone from a pale, skinny teen to a pale, skinny woman, easily overlooked.
Before she could decide on a response, her stomach gurgled. T’saran looked confused.
“What was that noise?”
“Um, my stomach.” She could feel her cheeks heating. “I haven’t eaten.”
“You are hungry?” Once again, he looked appalled. “I will remedy that at once.”
He rose and went to the other wall, opening one of the cabinets to reveal shelves and a small microwave-type device. Then he stopped.
“The replicator is only programmed for Yehrin food. I do not know what to feed you.”
Replicator? She had the oddest sensation of being in a science fiction movie; however, the thought of alien food was not appealing.
“Um, maybe just some fruit?” She tried to think of something relatively innocuous. “Or soup? I eat a lot of ramen noodles.”
He frowned at the device. “I will try.”
“Also, do you have a bathroom?”
“There are no bathing rooms on the ship.” He turned to survey her, his eyes heating. “Although I find the thought most enticing.”
Dammit, she was blushing again. “I didn’t mean bathing—although that does sound wonderful. I meant, um, urinating.”
To her relief, he didn’t laugh. Instead, he opened another cabinet door to reveal a small white closet that looked barely large enough to fit him. There was nothing inside.
“How does this work?” she asked doubtfully.
He walked her through the buttons, including one that thankfully made an odd shaped toilet emerge from the wall.
“Would you like to shower as well?” he asked.
“Oh, yes.” She hadn’t realized how much she longed to be clean until he suggested it, but the thought of removing the grime of the alley, not to mention the persistent fast food stench of the diner, was almost unbearably tempting.
He showed her how to operate the shower, then rubbed his chin. “Would you like something else to wear? I am afraid the only thing I can offer you is a mutashi.”
“Mutashi?”
“We wear it for certain types of training. And for leisure times.” He opened another cabinet and pulled out a pair of loose white pants and a wrap top.
Both of them would swallow her
whole but they were still better than her torn uniform. She nodded, and he showed her where to place them to keep them dry while she showered.
“Thank you,” she said gratefully.
“You are very welcome. I only wish I had clothing appropriate to your beauty.”
Unable to think of a response, she bit her lip and escaped into the shower unit.
A significant amount of time passed before she emerged. To her delight, the shower not only washed but dried with a blast of warm air. Her bra was beyond saving but she was able to wash and dry her panties the same way. As she suspected, the clothes he had provided were way too big. The pants were impossible, but the wrapped top came down to her knees, covering more of her legs than the cheap uniform had done. She wrapped the top as tightly as possible, rolled up the sleeves until she could get her hands free, took a deep breath, and returned to the cabin.
While she was showering, T’saran had arranged a table in the middle of the small space and every inch was covered with dishes. She stared at it in amazement until she realized that T’saran hadn’t said anything. When she looked in his direction, he was standing frozen, yet another dish in his hands, but his eyes were fixed on her.
His gaze traveled up over her bare legs, over the mutashi top, to the hair that now streamed down over her shoulders, and she felt it like a physical touch. Her nipples hardened under the silky white fabric, and she instinctively looked away. But as she did, she snuck a glance of her own, taking in the broad muscled chest, the heavy thighs… and the massive erection tenting the tight black uniform pants.
Her breath caught as she flashed back to the alley. But he hadn’t hurt her then and she prayed that he wouldn’t hurt her now. Gathering her courage, she raised her eyes to his. Glowing purple met dark brown, but despite the undeniable heat in his eyes, there was an element of… was it tenderness? She felt herself relax, despite the lingering arousal dampening her panties.
“I like your hair free,” he said, and she gave him a pleased smile.
Long and thick, her hair was her one vanity, and a little thrill of happiness went through her at his obvious appreciation.
Alien Selection Page 3
