by Marie Dry
Zanr stared at his leader, barely aware that, slowly and with stealth, his claws extended. “Zyrgin warriors do not use their females such.” That was a code no warrior would ever break. There was an unpleasant buzzing in his ears, as if the bees they’d reintroduced to Earth, swarmed around his head.
“Retract your claws, warrior. I will not harm your breeder,” Zacar said. He held up a hand when Zanr opened his mouth. “Listen first.” Zanr would listen, but he would not allow them to use Rose in any of their plans.
“Remember the equipment failure a year ago?” Zurian asked.
“Yes.” Zurian’s breeder’s translator malfunctioned and almost killed her. Zanr had trouble concentrating—his blood felt as if it literally boiled in his veins. Why his breeder? Were they going to put a translator in her head, even before they were sure all of them functioned?
“It was sabotage,” Zacar said.
“Several of the translators meant for breeders malfunctioned,” Zurian said, a bite of remembered pain in his voice.
“My own translator took longer than it should’ve to start translating the primitive human language,” Zacar added.
That still didn’t explain why they wanted to use his breeder like a common warrior. “Why my breeder?” He glared at Zacar, a Zyrgin he had looked up to. “It’s because I have no blood.” The betrayal he felt was as bad as the day he’d realized his own blood would abandon him to the elements.
Zacar clasped his shoulder in a grip so hard, Zanr’s knees nearly buckled. With his blood from the Parenadorz, Zacar was stronger than any warrior on Earth. “I respect you as a warrior. Never would I act without honor toward you because of your blood.” Zanr noticed he didn’t say lack of blood.
Zacar released his tough grip on Zanr’s shoulder and continued, “A terrorist cell, made up of dissidents from our conquered planets, is working to destroy our empire.”
“That’s impossible.” Their empire was great, indestructible, and just. He’d been so furious about their threat to his breeder, the rest of Zacar’s words had gone past him.
Zacar balled his fists. “Any empire can be destroyed. But you will not repeat this to other warriors.”
“Never, my leader,” Zanr said. He did not wish this knowledge on his fellow warriors.
Zacar nodded. “We have been aware for some time that a small number of Zyrgins are working with these foreign agents against the empire. They have sabotaged supplies and blown up factories on some of our colonies. They are even targeting our eternal flames.”
Zanr sucked in a breath. No matter how many times he heard it, he just couldn’t believe the empire could be vulnerable to terrorists. No one would ever dare betray the Parenadorz. “Zyrgins are loyal,” he said, knowing he sounded naïve.
“We believe the terrorist cell got to several of our people.” Zurian turned his back on the live feed of the protesting humans. “Maybe even some of the warriors here.”
“What could they possible offer a Zyrgin to betray his world?” Zanr couldn’t hold back the question.
“That’s a very good question. And it brings us to the reason I want to involve your breeder.” Zacar stopped and clenched and unclenched his hand for a long moment. “Never did I think that I would request this of a warrior.”
With an abrupt, angry movement, Zacar brought up views of the humans they’d captured. Held in interrogation tubes, the cowards spilled every secret they knew. “We interrogated the scientists we captured and they said that after every time Parnell put her in that hole—when he took her out—they’d put her on a table in the lab until she was strong enough to be taken to her sleeping place.”
Zanr shook with rage. Rose had been naked when he found her. So weak she could barely open her eyes. He balled his fists. He would never understand how anyone could bury a female, a small female, like that. He could just imagine how vulnerable she’d felt. He’d kill each and every human who’d looked at her. Slowly. “Human males have no honor,” he spat. “It is my right to torture Parnell.”
Zurian and Zacar exchanged gazes again. “The Parenadorz has claimed that right.”
Zanr wanted to argue, but he couldn’t. What had been done to the Parenadorz’s breeder was horrendous. He should have the right of the torture. Zanr had seen the Parenadorz’s breeder when they rescued her from the camps. He couldn’t understand how anyone could treat a female like that. That did not stop Zanr from wishing he could have a day or two with the woumber. “Humans are barbaric, treating their females like that.”
“I agree. Their savagery never ceases to amaze me,” Zacar said.
“But you want to send my breeder into danger?”
Zurian held up a hand. “We would never put your female in danger. According to the scientists and agents we interrogated, she is an agent, as well. We are dealing with two problems. The first is that several months before we destroyed that building, five scientists stole advanced weapons from the human Golden Age and disappeared with them.”
“What is our second problem?”
“We have proof that someone stowed away on board the latest supply ship. He disappeared and we cannot trace him with the DNA scanner,” Zacar said. “He was briefly scanned by the onboard scanner before it ceased to function. From the brief data the scanner collected, we could determine that he isn’t Zyrgin.”
Zanr noticed that Zacar didn’t tell him the origin of the stowaway. So much for trust.
Zanr stared at his leader. “How is that possible?” The DNA scanner was one of their most advanced pieces of equipment. With it they could find anything.
Zacar nodded, the motion looking odd on a Zyrgin. “The stowaway must have a way to block the scans and the probes. We believe he made contact with our technicians on Zyrgin and they provided him with a way to block our scans.”
“Our scientists would dare betray us?” Zanr said, outraged. He was beginning to sound like an idiot. But betrayal of the empire was unheard of. He could never accept such a thing.
Again, he noticed Zacar and Zurian exchange meaningful glances. “We believe he is hiding himself and the five human scientists from us.”
Zanr rocked back on his heels. As a bloodless, he didn’t have the knowledge of his ancestors in his head, but he’d always believed that a Zyrgin would never act without honor.
“My breeder cannot be locked into our dwelling. She even broke into the communications room,” Zurian said suddenly.
Zanr didn’t see what that had to do with them wanting to use his breeder like a warrior or in catching the traitors. But he kept that thought to himself. Zurian had trained him when no one else were willing to even be seen with him.
“I soon realized that I would have to allow her some freedom or she would become broken and not the breeder I first claimed,” Zurian said. He came to stand in front of Zanr. “No matter what happens with this assignment, remember that. If we don’t change, we are going to be left behind.”
“A breeder has to be kept safe,” he told Zurian.
“It pains me to say this, but sometimes a breeder won’t stay safe in your dwelling. Even if you give them a small human female from their factories. Instead they insist on being by your side. Or figuring out how the door locks work,” Zurian said. He tried to sound pained, but Zanr heard the pride in his voice when he spoke of his breeder.
“I will think of this.”
“Think fast. You need to get her to tell you everything she knows and report to me the moment you have any useful information,” Zacar said.
Zanr relaxed. If they only wanted information, maybe Rose was safe. “She will not talk.” His breeder had a stubborn chin. She might be physically weak and scared, but she was stubborn. “How do you make a female talk?” If it was a male human, he’d break his bones or cut off pieces of limbs until they begged to talk. He would never do that to a female. And especially not his breeder. He didn’t have to tell Zacar and Zurian that. They’d never expect him to torture his breeder.
“You will try
. Report back to me here, with or without the information,” Zacar said.
“Yes, my leader.” Zanr saluted and turned to go.
“Zanr.” Zacar sounded grim.
He turned back to face Zacar. His leader glared at him—the glare warriors saw moments before he killed them. Zanr stiffened, prepared to defend himself. Rose would be left alone if he died. “Don’t ever extend your claws to me, unless you want to fight me to the death,” Zacar said with deadly purpose.
If he could blush like a human, his face would turn red. He’d acted without honor in the presence of his leader. The humans had an expression: “bad blood will out.” Maybe his lack of blood would show no matter how hard he tried to live with honor. “Yes, my leader.” Zacar had taken a chance on him and he’d rewarded him by extending his claws in his presence. Shame crawled through him. He pushed it back and looked Zacar straight in the eye. “I will defend my breeder, even if it means losing my life.”
Zacar clapped him on the shoulder. “I knew I chose wisely when I accepted you into my team.”
Zurian clapped him on his other shoulder, and he nearly went down from the combined weight. “And I knew when I chose to train you, that you would be a warrior of courage and strength.”
Zanr didn’t know what to say so he saluted and got out of there. He felt dazed. His leader thought him a warrior of honor? He’d thought Zacar chose him because of his skill as a warrior.
Zanr almost tiptoed past Zacar’s quarters. At least he wasn’t the only warrior acting this undignified around Zacar’s dwelling. When he left the cave, he ran at full speed to his own dwelling, then stopped dead in front of the door. For a moment he couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that he was about to interrogate his own breeder.
Zanr drew in a deep breath and entered his dwelling. If he was a lucky warrior and an even luckier Zyrgin—his breeder would look at him with lust in her eyes like in the movies he found on the human database. He could almost sweat like a human just thinking about those movies. The way their bodies moved. Except he couldn’t imagine being like that with anyone, only Rose.
Inside he found Rose awake and agitated. She sat upright in bed, her hair framing her beautiful face. She’d undone the hairstyle he’d made for her and this pleased him, because it meant he could make another one for her. “I don’t know if it’s day or night without windows. Why did you leave without making a window?” Her voice sounded wrong, shrill on his eardrums. Her face had lost color. Her chin and lips trembled, and he could see her trying to firm them, to hide the physical signs of fear. He would settle for five minutes alone with Parnell.
He ordered the walls to be transparent. She visibly relaxed and swung her legs over the bed so that she could slowly stand on her feet. Her legs were as superior as her hair, long and a little too thin, but with a very good shape. She shuffled toward the bathroom, keeping the window in sight.
Zanr ignored her protests and helped her to the bathroom, and then returned to their room. He went to the closet. He could give her the rest of the dresses afterward. Maybe it would help her over the ordeal of being interrogated. She was delicate, after all, and he’d have to interrogate her as if she was the enemy. What chance would he have of her looking at him with desire in her beautiful eyes if he had to try and scare her into telling him about the secret lab and the scientists?
She came out of the bathroom and stopped and stared at the dress he held up for her. He wanted her to see the full effect and enjoy her appreciation. Before he destroyed her trust. She seemed overwhelmed with gratitude; she stared, unblinking, at the dress in his hands. His chest swelled with pride. He knew she’d appreciate the trouble he’d gone to, to get her the perfect dress. And she didn’t yet know that he’d bought her many. He’d show her the other dresses after the interrogation. His food threatened to fossilize in his stomach at that thought. “I have paid a human many credits to obtain this for you.” He could’ve intimidated the human into giving it to him, but he knew his breeder wouldn’t approve. Now she would see that he was worthy to be her warrior.
“It has many frills,” she said.
“I chose dresses with the most frills. I can afford to pay for more material in a dress.”
She bit her lip, obviously overwhelmed at her good luck. “I can see that. It also has lace and beads. Many laces and beads.”
Still with that strange look on her face, she took the dress from him and went back to the bathroom. She emerged looking so beautiful he almost fell to his knees. How did he get to be so lucky? He’d thought he’d never be allowed a breeder, and instead he got the best one of all.
“You are the most beautiful human female on this planet.”
“Where did you get this?” She tried to see her image in the wall and he ordered it to become a mirror.
“I paid a human in a city who have a shop full of such pleasing clothes. I did not spare any expense.”
“Was it expensive? All these frills and lace and beads must have driven up the price.” Still staring at her image in the mirror, she touched her sleeves and then the neck. She touched the sleeves again. “I have never seen sleeves this puffed. It must’ve really pushed up the price.”
“I have enough credits to care for my breeder. I did not count the cost.”
She turned the other way. “It must’ve been considerable, all this lace.” She sounded overcome and Zanr had never been so proud.
If only he could show her all the other things he’d gotten for her, it would be a very good day. But he had to interrogate her as if she was a common prisoner. Everything in him rebelled at the thought. But Zacar had given him a chance when no one else wanted to take him on. Maybe if he gave her the things afterward, she’d forgive him.
“I have to ask you some questions.”
She stiffened. “About what?”
He grabbed her and went to the living room. He put her down on the couch and then sat next to her. He tried to loom, to look big and dangerous. She was so small, it wasn’t difficult to do.
Except she narrowed her beautiful Zyrgin-dawn eyes and leaned toward him. “What,” she snarled in his face, so suddenly, he almost leaped back.
“Tell me about the lab in the basement of your building.” She probably didn’t realize they’d blown up the building, and for now he wouldn’t tell her. He wanted a happy breeder.
She folded her arms over her chest and he stared at her beautiful breasts. They were of a size he liked. “Eyes up, alien.” At least she didn’t sound angry.
“Zanr, you will call me Zanr or ‘my warrior’.”
She snorted. “And you may call me gone,” she muttered.
“That is an odd name, my breeder.”
She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Don’t call me that. I told you my name is Rose.”
“I remember—it is like the flower?”
“Yes.” She watched him and seemed to relax a bit when he said nothing else. She muttered something that sounded like “at least no stupid flower compliments.”
“Tell me about the basement labs.” A solution occurred to him—maybe he could wear her down. He didn’t have to do it the way they did it during interrogation of the enemy.
She lifted her chin. “No.”
“We know about the labs. You wouldn’t reveal any secrets.”
“No.”
No matter how many times he asked, she remained firm.
Maybe he could make her believe he’d hurt her if she wouldn’t talk. But he balked at that. A no-blood warrior shouldn’t scare his breeder. “I can make you talk,” he said, and she shivered.
She lifted her chin even higher, but he could see the way she shrank down into herself. He hated this, hated scaring her. Glaring at him, she spat, “I will not tell you anything. You can torture me and beat me or kill me—I won’t talk.”
He was trying to think of a way to make her talk without scaring her too much, when the door alarm sounded. “I need to give your breeder a final checkup,” Viglar said on the comms
.
Zanr gave the command for the door to open. Viglar walked in. “I do not agree with the interrogation and torture of breeders.” How did the doctor find out? Sometimes Zanr thought warriors were like chattering breeders.
“You insult me. I would never torture my own breeder.”
Rose jumped up. “Who is he?”
“Our doctor. He will―”
She screeched and jumped up. “I have been immunised against truth drugs; injecting me with it will not make me talk.” Her eyes were wide and scared, and she looked ready to run through the walls to escape Viglar.
“Why does her hair stand up like that?” Viglar asked in Zyrgin. His eyes widened and he leaned closer. Rose looked ready to climb the wall to get away.“Is that the home galaxy on her head?” Rose screeched and stepped back from him.
He caught Viglar’s hand before he could touch her hair. “My breeder has superior hair. I experimented with a few hairstyles,” he said modestly. He treasured everything about his breeder, but her hair was truly magnificent.
Viglar almost rolled his eyes the way Rose had earlier. “Earth women seem to steal a warrior’s sense. Tell her to sit down so that I can examine her,” Viglar said.
Zanr turned back to Rose. She glared at them, proving he’d made a good choice. She was scared, but refused to show it. “Sit on the couch, my breeder. Viglar needs to examine you.”
She looked between them and then seemed to come to the conclusion that she had no other choice. Zanr sat next to her, and ignoring her glare, he took her hand in his. “Hold onto me if you become scared.” She stared at him, a strange look on her face.
Viglar stepped close and moved his scanner the length of Rose’s body. He glared at Zanr. “She wiggles like a worm and then she jumps like those rabbits Natalie got for the small human. Your breeder has to be still.”
Zanr bent over Rose. “I know you are afraid, but you have to remain still so that Viglar can make sure you are totally healed from your torture.”
“I wasn’t tortured and I’m not afraid of any―”
He put his palm over her mouth again, and her eyes flashed daggers at him.
