by Octavia Kore
A laugh tumbles from my lips. “I’m sorry, but how would you know that?”
“You only mated Aquilian, yes?”
“That’s hardly any of your business.”
“If it was only Aquilian and not his twin as well, then you cannot become pregnant.”
I’m sure I look dumbfounded because that’s exactly how I feel. “Wait, I have to be with both of them?”
“Yes,” Doxal looks at me like he can’t believe he is having to explain this. “Dauur mate in trios, two males and a female. That is because it requires the seed of both bondmates to fertilize a female. Since your mates are twins, like Yssig and I, they did not have to seek out a bondmate. Therefore, you cannot be pregnant unless you were also with Ettrian last night.”
“Alien breeding is so strange.” I mumble out loud, but I admit I’m relieved to know these bastards won’t be getting a baby from me. Not yet, anyway.
Doxal just smiles and closes his eyes as his head falls back against the wall. “Your mates will come for you.”
Chapter 18
Aquilian
Almost two full days have passed since we set out to find Xia and it seems as if we are no closer than we were the day before. Yssig had known exactly where to go and what to do to escape our confinement, but now he seemed to be leading us in the wrong direction. Ettrian and I had not just grown up in the forest, we lived in it. We knew these woods better than anyone else in our village and this male was underestimating us. There was a large fruit tree up ahead of us, its branches curling up and away from the spiraled trunk. The purple fruit that grows from it is so heavy that it causes the branches to droop all the way to the ground.
From the notches I carved into the tree this morning when we stopped to pick Kareen something to eat, I know we are going around in circles. I push at the bond, trying to speak to Yssig, but the male has blocked me. The wall he has built in his mind is so strong that sweat beads along my skin as I try to break it. Why would he shut us out?
Bunnyfly hops past me, nearly tripping Ettrian as he bolts between his legs. The little rammit emits an excited vibration, obviously happy to be out of the tree. My twin’s lip curls in frustration and he pushes the creature from his path with his foot as he adjusts his hold on a sleeping Kareen. His eyes slide to mine and I feel him reach out to me along the bond.
“We are going in circles, aren’t we?”
“I believe so. I carved notches into that fruit tree earlier; when Yssig wasn’t looking.”
“We will allow him to believe he has us fooled a little longer. Kareen does not need to see another fight.”
“I agree.”
A couple more hours pass and we find ourselves standing outside the dome. Yssig looks up at the barrier as if he is unsure about how we have returned to the place we left barely a day ago, but there is something in the nervous way he taps his fingers against his thigh that tells me he is trying to figure out what lie to tell us next.
“This is the dome.” Ettrian tells him, but Yssig does not acknowledge him until he speaks aloud in the way Xia and Kareen do. Through my bond with Ettrian I can “hear” how frustrated Yssig sounds with my twin’s questioning.
“I do not know how we circled around. I must have gotten lost.”
“Do not play us for fools. We have allowed you to lead us in circles all day and this is the end.” Ettrian rattles his warning and I can see Yssig preparing for a confrontation. In my arms Kareen is looking back and forth between the males, her little hands worrying my quills like she can sense the tension.
“We only wish to find our mate, Yssig. Please, help us.” His face softens, but before he can answer there is a small disturbance in the trees off to the right. Yssig and Ettrian take up defensive positions and I step behind my twin as I try to shield our kit from whatever is out there. A bright light pulses from within the brush and I pause, noting the familiar green. “Lief?” I reach out toward the alien male’s mind, waiting anxiously.
“It is me.”
“Calm, we know this male.” I say, moving toward the brush. Lief steps out, his skin glowing softly as he eyes my twin and Yssig. I spent many days in this males shadow, fascinated by his ability to communicate along the bond as if he were one of us and grateful that he did not seem to care that I was Darkborn. He held a special place in my heart and memories.
“Aquilian,” He places his fingertips over his chest, a gesture he taught us was to show respect. “It has been a long time.”
“More aliens?” Yssig asks.
“Lief is a friend.” I turn to him with a glare.
“You’re Venium.” In my arms, Kareen turns, her head tilting to the side as she looks him up and down.
“I am.” Lief nods, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. “You are human.” My kit nods her head excitedly. “You are a long way from home, little one.”
“Aliens took us!”
“Us? There were more with you?”
“Her mama was brought here with her.” Ettrian informs him. “They were placed within the dome and that is where Aquilian found them.”
“If not for our technology picking up the dome, I would not have known to take a closer look. I was on my way to check in with your people when I noticed something was not right.”
“She is our mate, Lief. She has disappeared with Yssig’s brother.” I can feel the panic rising up inside of me, but I beat it down.
“A Darkborn?” Lief asks, turning his gaze on a guilty-looking Yssig, who nods slowly. “Mmm, I thought so.”
“We have been walking in circles for days because this one does not wish for us to find the aliens that his brother has given our mate to.” Ettrian sneers, his quills vibrating angrily.
Yssig’s body clenches, his hands curling into fists as he squares off against my twin. “That is not what it is. I do wish for you to find your mate.”
“Then why have you been leading them in the wrong direction?” Lief asks casually.
“I took them in the direction I thought it was.” The young male insists.
“Ah, then the Darkborn male I saw carrying a human female that way must have just been coincidence.” The Venium gestures toward a path going in the opposite direction we traveled in when we left the dome and anger rises up inside of me.
I wanted to believe this male was simply turned around, that he didn’t know the forest the way we did, but the look he gives Lief tells me that I was fooling myself. This male knew what he was doing and he has given the aliens more than enough time to do unspeakable things to our mate. “Why would you lie?” I ask quietly.
Yssig shakes his head, his jaw clenching as he glances around at us. “They won’t hurt your mate, but they would hurt my sister if we didn’t do as they commanded. It was the only way…”
Beside me, my twin vibrates in frustration. “It was not the only way! You could have confided in us.”
“Just like you confided in your brother?”
Ettrian jerks back as if he has been slapped. The accusation confuses me and I turn to my twin. “What does he mean, Ettrian?”
Chapter 19
Inoxia
Yasi’s quills are pliable and soft beneath my fingers. She reminds me of a kitten, if kittens had rubbery, flexible spines coming from their heads. The tips of her quills aren’t sharp at all and bend easily as I caress them. We’ve been stuck in here for what I think has been a couple of days now, and honestly if it wasn’t for Yasi’s apparent need of me I probably would have lost my mind. The little female and Doxal distract me from my worry over Kareen and what is happening with her. I know Aquilian, and Ettrian, if he has woken up, would never let anything happen to her, but the anxiety eats away at me. It goes without saying that the sooner we escape this place, the better.
Even without the threat this place poses, with its lab equipment and sterile looking operating tables, I don’t want to be anywhere near these aliens. I definitely don’t wish to be away from my family. A sharp pain cuts through my chest w
hen I think about the family we have left behind on Earth. My parents and Mina have no idea where I’ve gone and the orphanage would have been alerted to Kareen’s absence the day of the festival. Who knows how long we have actually been missing? Even if we never make it back to Earth, I know that we have at least made our own family here and I can find comfort in the thought that my family back home would understand and be happy for me. This was moving on from Trent in a big way.
The aliens in the other cells I saw the first day have been slowly disappearing. They leave with a Tachin guard and then never return. It makes me nervous and I find myself going rigid just at the sight of the aliens anytime they come inside our cell to draw blood or bring us their version of food, which looks like paste that has been hardened into blocks. We haven’t been allowed to bathe and the pretty silk I have wrapped around me is starting to look dingy.
In my arms, Yasi shudders and a sad whine falls from her lips as she wraps her arms tighter around my left leg. I run my hand over her forehead and crest, cooing to her softly until she calms again.
“You have a natural way with kits, Xia.” Doxal notes, his voice slipping into my mind.
“Thank you.” A smile plays over my lips as I look up at him. He is sitting cross-legged against the back wall, his hands resting in his lap, as he watches his sister sleep.
“I am sorry for what I said to you the day I took you.”
I manage to giggle a little. “Which thing are you sorry for?”
“All of it, but mostly for making you think my twin would do anything to harm your family.” There is a drawn out sigh from the big, dark male. “Yssig would never have hurt them. I just needed to get you here, to stall them.”
I’m still not happy with them, but the anger I first felt has diminished greatly. After seeing these aliens and the fear they inspire in Yasi and her siblings, I know I would have been just as desperate to do something if it were Kareen’s life on the line. Just as I open my mouth to tell him I understand, a flash of green at the edge of my vision catches my attention. The Tachin have returned, but this time it isn’t with food or for testing. They don’t look particularly happy as they glare at Doxal from the barrier.
“You lied, Dauur.” The Tachin I’ve come to realize is the one in charge of this facility snarls as he walks into the room, two others flanking him and three more waiting outside.
This is not good. Doxal jumps to his feet, a growl rumbling up from his chest. “I did no such thing!”
“Take the female Dauur.”
Both of the Tachin on either side step toward me, reaching out for Yasi. “No! Get away from her!” I wrap my arms and legs around the girl, not willing to let them take her without a fight. She gasps against my chest and squeezes me tightly as hands clutch at her. There is a scream and a loud thud as Doxal sends one of the Tachin flying across the cell into the back wall. The second soon follows, but the guards who had been outside are on us in a heartbeat. Two of them take Doxal down with high-powered weapons that remind me of the tasers on Earth while one extends a club and begins to use it against the Dauur’s back.
“Stop! Do not hurt him!” Yasi is screaming frantically.
“You told me the female had been bred,” The Tachin leader says coldly, flicking his clawed hand to halt the beating. “We have tested her and every single one has come back negative. Either this female was not bred or you are keeping secrets. Either way, your sister will be removed.”
“Wait!” Doxal is panting heavily, his arms shaking as he tries to push himself up. “Two males.” He mumbles.
“What was that?”
“It takes… two males.”
“Doxal, do not-” Yasi begins, but he growls at her, effectively quieting the girl.
“Breeding requires two male Dauur. She was only with one of the males within the dome. This is why she is not pregnant.”
My chin trembles and I know this is not information he is telling them lightly. My heart sinks as I watch his eyes close in defeat. Blood is spilling from the wounds the guards opened on his back and he sways on his hands and knees.
“This is false.”
Doxal’s head snaps up and glares at the leader. “It is the truth.”
The lead Tachin sighs and he tilts his head, watching the dark male. “We have successfully bred a human with one male Dauur not very long ago.”
“That is not possible. All Dauur males mate in pairs. I have never heard of what you speak.”
“Possible or not, it was done.” The Tachin flips his hand nonchalantly as if this is all irrelevant. “We will try it your way.” He turns to a smaller Tachin cowering outside the barrier, “Bring me all of the males from within the dome. And you,” The guards jerk when he gestures at them, “Bring the small female. We will return for the human.”
Yasi starts to scream immediately clutching at my hands as she is pulled away from me. This time Doxal does not try to fight, just rattles angrily as he stares down at the floor. With my legs stretched out in front of me, I lean backward, pulling with all of my strength. “You can’t have her! This isn’t right!”
“Remove her!” Someone shouts and I feel myself being lifted from the ground.
I’m suddenly weightless and I realize at the last second that I am flying through the air. With a grunt, I feel myself crash into something that feels suspiciously like Doxal. Without thinking, I wrap my hand around one of his sharp quills and yank it free. He hisses and I make a mental note to apologize to him if we are still alive later.
Weapon in hand, I launch myself at the lead Tachin aiming for the spot where his wings connect to the rest of his body, but I miscalculate a tad. Instead of hitting at the top, the quill in my hand slices through the delicate wings and lodges deep into his side. I yank it out as he screams, spinning on me and swinging his arm out. The clawed hand barely scratches my cheek and I duck down, pushing my shoulder into his abdomen as I bring the quill back down, landing it somewhere near his shoulder. I keep stabbing until I am pulled away and the quill is knocked from my hand.
“You vlech!” The Tachin yells, furry lacing his voice as he trembles on the ground. His guards swarm around him, their wings rubbing together to create a loud, overwhelming vibration.
“Fuck you! You’re nothing but an overgrown house fly!” Ok, girl, dial it back, my mind warns, but I’m pretty positive I’ve lost it at this point. “You all can’t figure out how to keep your species going so you abduct innocent people to experiment on instead. You are sick! When my mates find you they are going to tear you to pieces!”
The head Tachin stands slowly, shoving the others away from him as he stumbles toward me, one hand clutched over the wounds I inflicted. “You, little human, are going to regret your actions.” A clawed hand grabs my face, squeezing tightly as his eerie gaze bores into mine. “Forget the Dauur, I want this one prepped and on the table. Now!” His command bounces around the room and everyone scrambles to do his bidding. “I will see you soon.” With my heart racing in my chest, I watch as he leaves.
“Xia!” Doxal and Yasi call as I’m pushed forward on wobbly legs.
I’m pulled from the cell so quickly that I don’t even get a chance to look back at them one last time. You’ve stepped in it this time, chicky, I tell myself. At least Yasi is safe for now. I bought her more time. My Tachin escort drags me out into the open bays that contain the tables and I begin to panic, fighting them. I let my legs collapse and they jerk under my dead weight before another guard grabs my ankles. With a grunt, the aliens hoist me up onto the cold metal and I try to twist away, but there are more on the other side waiting for me. Painful bindings are strapped around my arms and legs and I start to scream, my throat becoming raw as tears run into my hair.
“Humans have an unsavory habit of leaking fluids when they are scared.” The voice near my ear makes my blood turn to ice in my veins and I freeze, my body going rigid. Something sharp pokes my arm and the Tachin near my head slams his clenched fist on the table I’m strapped
to. “No medications! She doesn’t deserve them.”
My heart is nearly racing out of my chest. I’m not sure what they plan to do, but it sounds like he means for it to be painful. The straps dig into my skin as I struggle and my tears begin again, leaving hot wet trails on my flesh. A hum fills the air as a blinding white pain resonates through me, a moment before the smell of seared flesh hits my nose. It is so intense that the scream that bursts from my lungs catches in my throat, coming out as a strangled gurgle. Eyes rolling to the back of my head, the pain spreads along my lower abdomen, and it’s obvious they are cutting into me. “Please! Stop!” The scream tears through my mind and my vision starts fading in and out.
“Check to make sure there is no fetus.” A distant voice is saying. “If there is nothing, we will begin the direct injection testing.”
The darkness swallows me whole and I think I must have blacked out because the next time I open them the pain has spread and I can feel pressure inside of me as hands or instruments are moved around. A scream finally makes it past my lips and I begin to shake violently.
“Gag her.” Someone growls just before something is shoved inside my mouth.
Nausea assaults me as the aliens continue their work. Sickening sounds race around inside my mind and I want to scream and cry. I want to thrash and tear myself free from these bonds. I want Ettrian and Aquilian to burst through the doors and rip these aliens limb from limb.
“Success, sir,” I hear as my vision fades again. The world goes black and I am blissfully numb.
Chapter 20
Ettrian
Yssig has disappeared. Even with three sets of eyes on him, four if you include little Kareen’s, the male managed to escape while Aquilian badgered me about what I had kept from him. While the fact that the twins had been sent to breed Xia had not seemed like something my brother needed to know at the time, I see now that I should have disclosed this information. Although he says he has forgiven me, I feel the disappointment and irritation coming from him along our bond. As much as I wish to go after the runaway male, finding our mate and bringing her home is much more important.
