Moon Mark

by Scarlett Dawn

  “That’s what I said, Human. It’s an inhibitor.”

  “But now I understand how it works on you,” I mumbled. It was fascinating.

  “You are annoying as hell.”

  “And you kill your own people. I believe I win.”

  His nostrils flared, and he sat up on his elbows. I quickly jerked back to keep from connecting with any of his skin. He snorted softly at my action. “You do know it’s the Dynasty who has you now.”

  I stood up straight and crossed my arms, peering down at him. “Yes, I do. And it was hunters, who only wished to bribe the Dynasty who kept me in a box for months before this.” When his mouth shut, I cocked my head. I had rendered him mute—an incredible achievement. “How long has it been since we landed here?”

  His lips pinched, and then he told me.

  My eyes glazed over, and my head spun. I hadn’t wanted to know after all.

  “Don’t puke on me,” he hissed.

  I turned on my heel and walked to a cot at the front of the cell. I had no more words for him.

  The bed wasn’t hard, but it felt foreign to my muscles. My body was used to a box.

  I loathed the Kireg. All of them.

  It took one day to learn the start-up trials of the scientists. The easy tests always came first.

  We were hosed down in the morning and at night. We were fed fish and only fish. It was purple and green, a typical Kireg diet. But, the meals came three times a day, filling my belly full. Even if peculiar.

  In the morning, the three scientists had us running on hov-treads. They were testing our endurance compared to the captured Kiregs. They kept sacs nearby for those who needed to throw up, and then they were pushed back onto the machine with a warning to not get off again.

  In the afternoon, we were pressed into a confined space. Every single one of us in one small room. The lights would flicker off and on. Off and on. Off and on. Music blared, the same heinous tune on repeat. The cameras watched on as Kireg and Human alike had mental meltdowns, neither species breaking any sooner than the other.

  When we were all shoved back into our appointed cells, the nighttime was the worst.

  The lights went out—completely out. It was pitch black unless a guard turned on the light at one of the two checkpoints to the cell area. The quietness was eerie, not even an animal heard outside the building. All I had left were my thoughts. The idea of being trapped in a box—much like the cell.

  This routine repeated every day…until it didn’t.

  The time came when the scientists changed their easy experiments.

  When Subject 14 was called for a new trial. And Subject 8 was also picked.

  Geo and me. We were paired together…

  The see-through cage was no better on the inside than the outside. I trembled where I stood and grimaced, swallowing hard. My stomach churned so fiercely it was a real possibility I would throw up all over the white floor, my stomach literally cramping in painful clenches.

  The rebellion leader stood five feet away from me, both of us facing forward toward the onlookers, not glancing at one another. The captured Kireg and Humans stood in their straight lines wearing varying expressions. The Kireg were trying not to show how terrified they were of losing their king while the Humans were fidgeting on their feet and just as green around the gills as I was. Neither people were doing a fine job of keeping their feelings masked.

  The usual three Kireg scientists stood directly in front of the cage, their electronic tablets in their hands and their hidden eyes on whatever data they were typing. The middle white-haired man, who had taken the lead before, eventually lifted his head and stopped tapping on his screen. He adjusted the cloth over his eyes above his straight nose, and his mouth moved. I could hear him clearly where I stood, the microphone hooked over his ear and directed to the speakers on the cage’s ceiling.

  He explained with extreme thoroughness, “Subject 8. Subject 14. You have five minutes each to hit your designated red button to consent to have sex with one another. If both of you do not comply within that timeframe, the two of you will be eliminated with an acid shower. If you do consent, the sexual act will be performed right where you are with no exceptions.” He peered down at his screen and tapped. The red clock flashed inside the glass, the clarity vivid and gross. “Starting now.”

  My eyes glued to the red numbers ticking down until my head fell to stare blindly at the sterile floor. Sweat beaded my forehead, and my fingers went numb. I heaved in a mouth full of oxygen, only to curl my lips at the scent of the antiseptic shower still covering my skin. Everything these Kireg—the Dynasty—were doing was merciless and revolting. They wouldn’t change their minds even if I begged—that much had already been proven. A hot tear leaked out of the corner of my right eye, but I swiftly wiped the evidence of my turmoil away.

  There was no one here to help me. Not the rebellion or my peers.

  No one…but for me. My destiny. My fate.

  My chin quivered with the realization I would have to choose on my own.

  I jerked my attention away from the floor and glanced at the clock.

  Three minutes, two seconds.

  The hearing in my right ear went in and out, a buzzing warning of survival.

  My head slowly turned, my gaze running over each rebellion member and captured Human. Past all of the Kireg with their weapons, their expressions void of any emotion—pure killing machines. My narrowed gaze scanned the scientists who only watched on with a clinical mind, no apologies in their regard.

  Until I turned my head to the side and stared at the Kireg standing next to me. The man who had killed countless others of his own species. The individual who was so cruel and heartless he had started a war without remorse, all for a cause only he had first believed in. A Kireg with profound power and utter devotion from his subjects.

  But none of these views were helping my situation.

  I attempted to calm my hatred of him, pressing my thoughts to turn logical. To look at the Kireg’s position in life, the authority he held with a firm hand.

  This man was a powerful individual every Kireg and Human would need on their side if we ever got out of here. He had the experience in battle and warfare. This Kireg knew how to win a war. He knew how to exact revenge without his emotions getting in the way. And the civil war would continue if we escaped this hell hole.

  My jaw clenched, and my eyes stung with unshed tears.

  The decision was easy.

  While I wanted to save my own life…this bastard was the person I was actually saving.

  A man I hated with every fiber of my being.

  And I was going to save him.

  Save him.

  He stood straight forward, his cold eyes simply staring at the back wall, though his white brows began to crease under my direct regard—the moment when you realize someone was watching you. His purple gaze flicked in my direction, and then returned to the wall only to snap straight back at me when he understood I was staring.

  The air rushed past my lips on a shaky exhale as his chilling eyes met mine. I turned my gaze away from him and kept my sight on the ground. But the cage was elevated. My resolved, downward gaze wasn’t hidden from the scrutiny outside of the room, my repulsed determination clearly on display. I moved and placed one bare foot in front of the other on the cold and painted concrete. I attempted to ignore the heads snapping in my direction from the onlookers, their surprised regard sending unwanted goose bumps over my flesh. I flinched when one of the Humans in the front shouted.

  His words were clear through the speakers. “Don’t you fucking do it!”

  “Be quiet!” a Kireg instantly barked. “She’s doing what she must.”

  My hand hovered over the podium in front of me, the red button mocking.

  What I must. I wish that were true. It was still a choice.

  My own choosing.

  One I was making as I pressed my hand down on the red button.

  The Kireg scientist in t
he middle pushed on his microphone, his expression shocked and elated at my action. His mouth started moving as he turned around, but I couldn’t hear what he was ordering—though his directive was evident when most of the guards began herding everyone into a straight line—to lead them out of the room. The scientist glared at the Human, who had yelled at me, the asshole lab coat not appreciating the interference of my personal decision.

  I wasn’t wounded by the man’s words. If his emotional outburst had caused their removal from this horrid scene, then I would thank him later. This wasn’t anything I wanted anyone to see, whether it was my death if the rebellion leader didn’t press his button or if it ended with us having sex if he did. Neither were outcomes I wanted anyone to observe.

  The prisoners continued to watch, though—the clock still ticking.

  The fucking scientists hadn’t paused the countdown.

  As they finished lining up their detainees, a guard opened the door to herd them away…

  Geo stepped beside me. He pressed his button.

  The red numbers stopped at one minute, thirty-four seconds.

  My hands shook down by my sides, horror and panic holding me captive.

  This was going to happen.

  Neither one of us looked at each other, our attention solely on the Kireg scientists.

  This man standing next to me had better be worth it. I was saving him. I would eventually expect a return on my investment. And the deaths of the fuckers before us would be a decent start.

  The scientist in charge kept his back to us until all the prisoners had been removed from the room. Then he turned around to face us. The crazy bastard wasn’t hiding his excitement, making me wonder if none had pressed the red buttons before. On each side of him, the two lab coats were essentially grinning.

  It was sick as fuck.

  I bared my teeth at their obvious delight.

  The rebellion leader took a large step forward and punched the glass hard enough to make it shake. I flinched and peered at his fist, gauging the damage. His knuckles were bleeding, but no bones were sticking out of his skin.

  He stated in a cold, calm voice, “I’m going to enjoy killing each of you.” He bent at the waist and placed his hands on his knees, his face even with theirs. “I’ll do it slowly. And remove your scarves so you can truly see—since you’re perverse enough to find two people being forced together appealing. And I’ll leave your tongues intact, so I’ll have your screams to remember you by long after you’re dead. But I’ll take your brains at the end and shit on them.”

  I held perfectly still, his very calmness alarming.

  He was the first to threaten them. Our situation didn’t allow us to do so.

  They could do whatever they wanted in retaliation.

  But, seemingly, instead of an instant acid shower, they simply disregarded him.

  The two Kireg scientists on the sides peered down to their tablets while the lead scientist pressed a button on his microphone. He pushed his cloth up again and presumably, peered down his nose at the rebellion leader. His voice heard again, he explained clearly, “If you try to escape during this experiment, the acid will be activated, and both of you will be eliminated.”

  Geo gradually straightened and rolled his head on his shoulders. He took another step forward and placed his forehead against the glass, glaring ice-cold daggers at the scientists below him. His fists clenched down by his sides, itching to break through the barrier.

  The muscles under his shirt tensed.

  Mother Joyal. I hadn’t thought the situation could get any worse.

  My voice was small inside the room, but it was still a warning. “Don’t. Kill. Us.” I growled quietly under my breath in the face of his silent fury. “I did not just lose all honor I have for you to fuck it up now, Kireg, before I can earn my respect back from my people. You want to kill them? Do it later.”

  He let loose his own soft growl. It was his warning to me, cold and in control. He relaxed his fingers, and then clenched them again into fists. “I’m just memorizing their faces, Human. I’ll kill them when it’s the appropriate time.”

  They stood evaluating us as they tapped notes on their tablet, unfazed by his statement. Then the rebellion leader took a significant step back. Another. One more. He was aligned with me now. He turned to give them his back and crossed his arms as he stared at the back wall, unable to look at them.

  He groused over his shoulder, “What now, perverts?”

  “One moment,” the lead scientist mumbled. He didn’t even look up from his writing.

  My hands started to tremble anew. The rebellion leader stood near—so close I could feel the heat coming from his body. And we were about to get even closer—too close. My shoulders hunched when the scientist finally spoke.

  “Remove your clothing. Both of you.”

  The tears that formed in my eyes burned and my vision blurred. I turned my head to the side, away from him, when the rebellion leader began to remove his gray shirt, his back still to the scientists. My chest pumped too quickly, my lungs working overtime. My eyelashes fluttered when another tear escaped.

  I winced when his shirt hit the floor between us, his hands moving to the waistband of his pants. I kept my attention off any flesh that might now be on display and quickly wiped the tear away that dangled on my jawline. My hands went to the hem of my shirt. In silence, I removed my top with shaking hands, fighting to stay where I was when the rebellion leader’s pants landed on the floor.

  He was bare next to me. And I was swiftly naked next to him, my shirt and pants in a pile in front of me. I kept my right arm over my breasts, and my left hand covering the juncture between my thighs. My breaths were mere gasps as I kept my attention down on my clothing pile, studying the threading on the collar of my shirt to keep from passing out. I didn’t think they would give us a free pass even if I fainted. The bile that rose in my throat eventually helped my breathing, my constant swallowing calming my airflow—or near panic attack.

  The scientist simplified, “You have two minutes to begin sexual affairs.” The numbers on the clock altered to show a two-minute countdown, already ticking away. The Kireg didn’t explain our deaths would come at the end if we didn’t do as he ordered—that much evident. “I might remind you, in this instance, sex is the male penis and the female vagina, coupled. Both of you must reach your completion—at least one orgasm per individual during sex—for your lives to be spared.”

  I swallowed slowly once more, my body quivering where I stood. I knew enough about sex from the literature on Joyal. But…

  What was an orgasm?

  The rebellion leader snorted and rotated to face them completely. “Thank you for explaining what sex is. I hadn’t realized it involved my dick in her pussy. We really would have been fucked—more than we will be soon—without that clarification.” He lifted both hands and waved them in the air. “Where is the shield protector? Or do you expect me to impregnate her, too?”

  I blinked slowly at the floor. It could get worse.

  The scientist replied, “We won’t be allowing protection at this time. Perhaps in the future, we will if you please us.” He peered down to his tablet and typed. “Are you worried about creating a baby with a Human, Subject 8?”

  King Jordan lowered his arms. “Fuck you. And fuck your beliefs.”

  “Is that even possible?” I gasped.

  The scientist hummed quietly. “We don’t believe so. A Kireg’s deoxyribonucleic acid is much different from a Human. The probability is almost zero.”

  My eyes widened. “Perhaps you should give him one of those shield protectors he wants?”

  “We’ve already given our answer. It is no.”

  The rebellion leader stepped in front of me. And my lowered gaze got a clear shot of his ass.

  My lips curled. A bastard like him shouldn’t have a fit, tan butt like that.

  I quickly looked up, though when he turned to face me, only my pile of clothes between us. I didn’t
need to see his dick, even though my body was going to become too intimate with it soon. My attention stayed higher than waist level. My blue eyes stared at his chest, and I took a quick step back. He was massive. His pecs were enormous, no hair on the smooth flesh, his stomach a ripple of muscles. The mere size of his body was intimidating compared to my smaller frame.

  The rebellion leader surprised me, though. He didn’t mock my show of fear.

  Instead, he asked calmly—with a frown, “You’re not untouched, are you?”

  “Yes,” I whispered. “I’m a Human. We don’t have sex to procreate.”

  “Sacred Moon,” he cursed and rubbed at his chin.

  I nibbled on my lower lip to peer up—a little—to his strong chin. “Are…” I cleared my throat and tried again. “Will you be able to become hard, as a male will need to be in the act?” It was a valid question, and I needed to know how much I would have to work to pull this off.

  He lifted his right hand and ran his fingers through his white hair slowly, his bicep flexing with the motion. His head tipped down, and his cold eyes flicked down my body, pausing on the parts I was covering with my arms. The rebellion leader lifted his gaze and grunted, his tone quieting. “I’ll manage.”

  Thank Mother Joyal.

  I tilted to the side and glanced around him to the clock. “Fourteen seconds.”

  “Time to start then,” he hissed. My eyes widened as my gaze flew to his when he came right at me, trampling my clothing. His purple eyes were frosted with determination—and loathing. His warm palms landed on my bare sides, his body still moving, pressing me backward until my shoulders hit the rounded wall behind us. “Stop covering yourself.”

  I jerked my hands away from my body and fluttered them in front of his, not sure where the hell to touch him. Not wanting to touch him. “Uh…”

  He snorted. “Just let me handle this, and it’ll go a lot smoother.”

  I finally smacked my hands down on his shoulders, my fingers trembling on his flesh. His skin was hot and hard beneath my palms. I nibbled on my bottom lip and swiftly peered around him again. The clock had stopped at two seconds. My chest—my bare as hell chest—heaved in relief. Nevertheless, I held perfectly still when the rebellion leader invaded my personal space, placing his body flush with mine.