“Again, I’m not obligated to share anything with you. However, I feel inclined to give you a glimpse into the future, if you insist.” A cruel glint in his eyes alerted me to the true reasoning behind this sudden sharing of information—he knew it’d hurt me and derived pleasure from that. A highly vindictive man, Ricread surely couldn’t forget my win over him that one time. “Since my previous plans have been severely impacted by the actions of your so-called husband, I was forced to make some adjustments to the course of the experiment.”
“What adjustments?” I whispered, dreading his answer.
“So far, the new subject’s eggs have tested perfect.”
“You’re testing my baby’s eggs,” I muttered, staring at him blankly, my outrage frozen by shock for a moment.
“I have put a protocol in place to accelerate the process of her maturity. In six to eight years, she will experience the onset of puberty and will reach full sexual maturity by the age of twelve, ready to be bred—”
“Stop it . . . You can’t . . .”
“The main objective has always been to breed the human portion out of the subjects’ DNA, bringing the ratio back to what it currently is in Kealans—thus essentially re-creating our race.” His face lit up more and more as he spoke. Stunned, I realized he truly, passionately believed in what he did. For Ricread, this experiment was larger-than-life, any life. And all of us—myself, my family, even the staff—were but a means to get him the results he strived for, nothing more but resources to fulfill his ambition. “For that, the new subject will have to be bred with a pure-blooded Kealan.”
“There is no male, capable of reproducing on Keala . . .” I whispered. “Except for her father. Surely, you wouldn’t . . .”
“I would, if I had to. Although, her father may be past his prime by then, with his reproductive functions diminishing. There will be another, younger male, however—”
“Erix.”
“Exactly.”
“He is her brother!”
“Half-brother. I am able to block the harmful genes, thus eliminating the negative effects of inbreeding. Their offspring, however, will be significantly more Kealan than human.”
“You can’t touch Erix. His father gave up everything to make sure you would stay away from his son.”
“I still have at least a decade to figure out the details. However, the recent success has opened doors for me that may have previously been closed. I’m confident I can get access to any resources I need if I can present my case to The Group in a compelling way.”
Horror shook me to the point that I was afraid I’d drop Elizabeth. I clutched her tighter, making her squirm in protest.
These were not just some delusional ramblings of a lunatic. Ricread had the means and the power to bring his plan to life. He had been unstoppable in his ambition. By successfully breeding two sentient species, he had become untouchable.
“This is so wrong.” I shook my head. “Can’t you see how many lives you’ll ruin during this process? Including the lives of children yet to be born?”
“I’ve given my own life for this cause. I will not stop now over the concerns of the lives of others. Besides, what are a few individuals if I give a future to an entire race?”
“A race that demands sacrifices of children does not deserve to have a future.”
MY KNEES GAVE UNDER the burden of the horrible picture that Ricread had painted for my family. Zavis grabbed Elizabeth out of my arms, as I sank to the floor when he exited the room.
“This can’t be happening,” I muttered, feeling gutted. “You know this isn’t right,” I said to Zavis, searching her face as she avoided my gaze. “He may have tricked the rest of Keala into lauding him as a hero, but you must see him for what he is.” I glanced around the room, pausing to stare at everyone in turn. “Is this how you want to bring life back to your planet? I’m sure deep inside you know that what he is doing is wrong.”
With an apologetic expression on her face, Zavis slowly backed to the door with Elizabeth. Valran stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder.
I addressed him. “If you know he is wrong, you can’t obey his orders and remain true to yourself. Every time you agree to follow his rules, it chips away at your integrity—little by little—until one day you will no longer recognize the person you have become.”
Valran gave me a long stare before replying, “It is not easy to stop a rolling boulder. One risks being crushed, accomplishing nothing.”
He turned away and left swiftly.
Before following him, Zavis paused. She caught my attention then directed her gaze upwards, pointedly, as if trying to show me something.
I stared up, too, as the wall between us solidified. There was nothing but the entrance mark.
A sudden thought occurred to me. Rising on my weakened legs, I moved to the wall. Leaning my forehead to it, I counted down to give Valran and the guards sufficient time to walk away then stepped back and ordered, “Open.”
My heart skipped as the wall in front of me shimmered and thinned forming an opening into the corridor. With a quick glance to make sure the space was empty of guards, I dashed to the closet to grab the cloak I hadn’t used in weeks.
Wrapping myself quickly, complete with the hood fully drawn over my face, I slipped out of my bedroom and ordered the door closed behind me.
Chapter 26
I HAD LESS THAN TWO hours before the next feeding when Zavis and the guards would be back in my room. And that was only if security hadn’t caught the image of a cloaked figure leaving my room and decided to investigate.
Without pausing, I headed straight to the clinical wing, determined to search for Tairan. I believed there was a reason why Zavis left the door unlocked. She knew I wouldn’t run away from the station without Elizabeth, but she gave me a chance to exit my rooms. And I hoped it was because Tairan was also out there somewhere where I could meet him.
Passing through the gardens, I made a turn to the Kealan waterfalls first, just on the off-chance Tairan was there. Not finding anyone by the waterfalls in the Kealan portion of the gardens, I decided to check the part with the Earth plants, too.
A black curtain separating the two sections had a warning in glowing letters in Kealan on it—cautioning about the harmful effects of sunlight. Reading it was easy for me now, I’d spent hours practicing my Kealan when on my own. Before Elizabeth was born, Tairan used to scramble the signal of my translator for about an hour a day, during which time we would speak his language in order to work on my pronunciation, too.
Slipping under the curtain, I entered the wide, brightly-lit tunnel, with walls covered by green vines. A short distance farther, the tunnel opened into a spacious cavern, with a blue ceiling, imitating the sky.
I inhaled deeply—even the air here had the quality of that outside on a warm, sunny day. Spending weeks locked in my rooms, this now felt very much like being in a summer meadow somewhere.
Savouring the warmth of the ‘sunshine’ on the exposed parts of my face and hands, I moved along the stone path in the tall grass, crossing the open space to the waterfalls. The air here was thick with mist.
“Isabella.”
I barely heard his voice through the crashing noise of the water, yet I recognized it right away.
“Tairan?” I rushed to the niche beside the falls.
A tall, cloaked figure dragged me behind the stone ledge.
“It is you!” I shoved his hood off, touching his face. His goggles were on, but I recognized the hard line of his jaw, the sensual curve of his mouth, the rise of his cheekbones.
“Are you well? Healthy? How are you feeling?” I kept asking, peppering his face with kisses.
Slipping his hands under my cloak, he yanked me to him, hungrily kissing me back.
“I’m fine now, with you,” he groaned against my neck.
“God, I’ve missed you,” I murmured, nuzzling the skin just above his ear, my heart feeling ready to burst from the pure pleasure
of being in his arms again. “I’ve worried, so much . . .”
“I love you, Isabella.” He leaned back, yanking his goggles down, and I met his intense stare in the shade inside the alcove. “I should have told you sooner. I should have said it to you every day.”
Sliding my hands under his braids and around his neck, I drew him close.
“I love you, too.” My breath caught in my throat, suddenly depriving me of words. Instead, I rose on my tiptoes, reaching for a kiss.
Eagerly, he covered my mouth with his, parting my lips. The kiss was fervent, hungry, passionate, and messy, yet absolutely perfect.
Finally, he let me come up for air, both of us panting.
“How is Elizabeth?”
Ricread’s words rose in my mind, spreading a chill through my insides.
“Tairan . . . They’re testing her. Ricread has a protocol in place to speed up her maturity. He’ll breed her before she is even a teenager . . .” Closing my eyes, I drew in a lungful of air, forcing the horror down for now, so I could continue to speak. “We need to get her out of here.”
“And we will,” he said, with hard determination in his tone, then freed his arm from the cloak, flicking the screen of his device on. “Can you read this out loud, please? In English?” He pointed at the Kealan writings on the screen. “I’ll record it right now and send it to your brother.”
I skimmed over the words quickly, to get the meaning of the message. Tairan was requesting Tony pick us up in a week, the exact length of time my brother had said he needed to arrange for the aircraft.
“I’ll have to find a way to get Elizabeth.”
“Here.” He pressed a smooth cylindrical object into my hand. “Hide it. Don’t let anyone see it.”
“What is this?” I examined the heavy, dark-grey cylinder with a metallic sphere on one end.
“A stun gun. I stole it the day Elizabeth was born. Hold it like this.” He made me wrap my fingers around the cylinder. “Then press the end with the ball to the person and squeeze the handle right here, to release the charge. It works through several layers of clothing, too, and will keep them out for a few hours.”
“Thank you.” Now I just had to figure out how to take down two guards, without one of them overpowering me while I neutralized the other. And Zavis . . . The thought of having to hurt her did not sit well with me, but I couldn’t risk letting her in on our plans.
“Be careful, please,” Tairan begged. “Don’t let them get close enough to tackle you. Physically, they’re stronger than you.”
“I will knock them out,” I said firmly, cupping his face. “Promise.”
Turning his head, he kissed my hand then tugged his hood over his head again—even in the shade, the traces of the reflective light from outside of the alcove must be still bothering him. “Can you read the message now? I’ll record and send it right away.” He put the screen in front of me as soon as I hid the gun in my pocket.
“Tairan, it won’t be easy—us living anywhere else on Earth,” I warned. “Even if Tony manages to find a space underground, deep enough to hide you from sunlight, it will never be as good a shield as this facility. And it may not be near the poles, with extended darkness.”
He shrugged one wide shoulder.
“I’m not concerned about myself, Isabella. I know for sure now that Elizabeth can tolerate the sunlight. She would need to wear sunglasses, long sleeves, and some strong sunscreen, but she will be able to stay outside during the day. That’s what matters.”
“How do you know?”
“Zavis ran some extensive tests and found a way to share the results with me.”
“She did? Zavis helped me get out of my room today, too. Did she know you’d be here?”
“They have just allowed me to go for walks again. As much as Ricread hates to let me do anything that brings me pleasure, he needs me fit and healthy in time for the next scheduled insemination. Zavis knows my schedule.”
Another prick of guilt hit me at the necessity of having to use the stun gun against the woman whom I had begun to regard as a friend. Yet, Zavis had been following Ricread’s orders all this time, and I couldn’t risk losing our one chance to escape if fear and compliance prevented her from helping us after I confided in her. Besides, it would be safer for her not to know our plans in case she was questioned at any point.
With a deep inhale, I took a hold of Tairan’s forearm, bringing the screen closer, then translated the message out loud for him to record it.
“Just give me a moment, please.” He punched at the screen then hit a few keys on his arm device. “It’s done.”
He lifted his face to mine. Streaks of magenta pink shimmered through the violet rims of his irises.
“What should I pack?” I asked.
“Just our daughter. I’ll bring some supplies. Make sure you’re both dressed warmly. We’ll have to hike past the warning barrier to meet the aircraft. The main Kealan craft is scheduled to be at the South Pole then. It’s taking some supplies there in preparation for the next move. The small maintenance vehicles here don’t have enough range or speed to chase the Arctic exploration aircraft of humans.”
He took my arm, punching a few keys on my armlet.
“The communication between our devices is still blocked. We’ll need to agree on the time now and make sure neither of us is late.”
He entered the exact time of our escape into my device and set a count-down, visible to me only.
“Tairan, Ricread also has plans to break your agreement with him,” I warned. “He wants Erix.”
“I knew it would come down to it sooner or later.” He didn't seem overly surprised, just calmly determined. “Once you and Elizabeth are safe, I’ll be looking for a way to get on the next ship going to Keala.”
“Is that even possible? To get on one without Ricread re-capturing you?”
“I’ll find a way,” he said firmly. “I will get my son back.”
I nodded, wishing it for him so badly, even as the dread of all the possible dangers threatening him rose inside me.
“I’ll be waiting here on Earth,” I said softly, fighting the tears prickling my eyes. “I’ll be waiting for both of you.”
“I won’t leave until I am absolutely sure you and Elizabeth are safe,” he assured me.
Not trusting my voice, I nodded again.
Spearing his fingers through my hair, he took my head between his hands. “Isabella,” he groaned softly, drawing me in for another kiss—long and tender—I didn’t want it to end.
After missing him and fearing for his life all this time, I needed him closer now.
I wanted more.
Tracing the line running along the front of his cloak, I opened it, then eagerly slid my hands inside.
“I was so scared for you, Tairan. I missed you so much,” I whispered, hot against his mouth. “Every freaking minute of every day.”
With a groan, he deepened the kiss, walking me backwards until my back hit the far wall of the alcove behind the ledge.
I opened his suit swiftly and moaned with pleasure the moment my hands connected with his skin beneath. Touching Tairan was like coming home, every ridge of his hard body loved and familiar.
His arm around my waist, hand under my cloak, he shoved the dress off my shoulder, freeing my breasts.
“I’ll need to go soon,” I whimpered, as a hot charge of arousal shot through to my belly from his fingers playing with my nipple.
“Don’t leave.” His voice was thick and raw, heavy with desire. “Just a few more minutes of being with you . . .”
Hands under my backside, he lifted me onto a rocky protrusion in the wall and parted my legs.
I fisted my hands in his braids when he hiked up my skirt and knelt in front of me. Everything inside me trembled with need, making me realize how much my body had needed his touch.
“Oh God. Tairan . . .” I gasped, the air escaping my lungs the moment he put his lips and tongue on me—hot and hungry, jus
t like the way he kissed my mouth.
Gripping his head between my legs, I dug my heels into his shoulder blades, lost in the hot storm of ecstasy that Tairan had plunged me into. Having starved for him all this time, my arousal now was fast and furious, my need for him fierce.
“Wait for me,” he rasped, hurriedly rising to his feet, and I whimpered in protest, needing him more than ever. “Come here.” Opening the bottom of his suit, he grabbed my hips, yanking me closer. Then I felt his marvellous dick at my opening.
“Come on, honey,” I urged, hooking my leg around his waist to bring him closer.
Hands pressed into the rock wall above my head, he brought his hips forward, sliding into me, ridge after a delicious ridge.
“How I’ve missed this.” Wrapping my arms tight around his neck, I breathed in the familiar scent of his skin, holding him close as he moved inside me.
The fire he had started in me burned brighter, flaring with intense desire through my entire body, until it exploded in violent pleasure. Holding me tight, Tairan thrust harder, chasing his own release and making mine stretch longer.
Clinging to him, I felt his climax shudder through him as I rode the final waves of my orgasm, wishing I never had to let him go.
AFTER FINALLY TEARING myself from my husband, I rushed through the gardens then down the grey corridors back to my rooms.
I was deliberately taking a longer route to get back, walking through those parts of the station that I knew were more likely to be free of any passers-by at this time of the day.
Rushing by the turnoff to the pool area, I remembered swimming with Tairan when we were still in Antarctica, protected by the agreement I had made with Ricread. Something akin to nostalgia for those times, when we could roam the station relatively free, overtook me for a moment.
Despite all the pain and suffering that Ricread had put Tairan and me through, I had no resentment towards this place. On the contrary, the facility itself had been a safe haven for Tairan, its walls and ceiling a reliable shield against the burning sun.
Experiment Page 21
