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  “Well, she’s not much to look at, is she?” the Doyan said, taking Regan’s chin in her hands and studying the girl’s face roughly. I could tell this irritated Regan, but more than that, it bothered me. What wasn’t to like about this female? I would have enjoyed looking at her all day if I could. But I couldn’t tell either of them that.

  “Can you imagine the offspring that would come out of her?” Vera let out an unkind laugh, and I prickled.

  “Just the same as any other hybrid offspring, I’d wager,” I said, trying not to let my anger out in my voice. Regan glanced at me, a look both pleading and grateful. Did she know I was trying to defend her? I’d tried to sound objective. I would have to be more careful.

  “My children would be much more attractive than you are!” Regan said, looking steadily into Doyan Vera’s eyes. I grinned secretly. Not only was it true, in my opinion, but Regan had done well in utilizing one of the human stereotypes: unabashed vanity.

  “Is that so?” Vera exclaimed, her voice high-pitched and affronted. “Just what makes you so sure of yourself, Yula?”

  Regan held her gaze, the same defiant expression I had grown to expect from her firmly fixed on her face. “Internition.”

  “Intern…Volaire, is she trying to say ‘intuition?’ Darling, English is your first language, is it not?”

  “First and only!” Regan exclaimed delightedly.

  “That’s odd…most humans at least have a basic understanding of the Verian linguistics…”

  Doyan Vera walked slowly to the other side of the room and looked up at me, her face filled with concern. Finally, she spoke to me in our native Verian tongue. “I mustn't have an idiot child! It would already be too hard to bear to look human, let alone to think like one.”

  “Perhaps another female would suit you better,” I said politely. “This one seems to have her own set of troubles. No need to pass them along to Verian spawn. Especially not one to be born and raised in nobility.”

  Regan raised her eyebrow at me, and I smiled patiently at her. “Poor thing can’t understand a word that we’re saying. She must have some kind of learning disorder.”

  Now I was just teasing her, and Regan’s cheeks flushed an attractive pink color. Vera saw me gazing at her and followed my eyes.

  “What is it, human?” she asked suspiciously in English. “Are you ill?”

  Vera moved even closer to the edge of the wall, her eyes wide and disgust etched in every line of her face.

  “I just don’t like when people talk about me behind my back!” Regan exclaimed. “You Verians are the rudest race I ever saw. If I had a chance, I’d -”

  “That’s enough!” I barked, startling everyone in the room. Regan’s eyes widened on me, and I saw a distinct question in them. Was I truly yelling at her, or was this all part of the act? Did I really want to protect her from the Doyan and her nauseating family unit, or was I just attempting to serve my own interests?

  None of those were questions I could answer. But not just to Regan. They were questions I needed to truly ask myself. What was the cause of my fixation? It was absolutely forbidden to form any attachments to humans, let alone tender feelings that could lead to the biggest sin of all: love.

  “Is she dense?” the Doyan exclaimed. “Does she not realize that speaking such things, in front of the leader of the Verian race no less, could get her killed?”

  “If she did realize that, then it would appear she has a death wish,” I muttered, glaring at Regan. I wished I could tell her that she was going too far before she even went there, and longed to be able to hold her gaze for longer than a few seconds without betraying my fondness of her to the Doyan, even to Regan herself.

  “I don’t want to die. I want to live long enough to see the humans win their victory. Because we’re the best there is in the univers, and don’t you deny it!”

  I had to bite the inside of my cheeks to keep from laughing as Doyan Vera began to grow different shades of orange I had never seen before. It was quite a sight.

  “Get her out of here, Zaine, before I kill her myself!” the Doyan shouted, pointing at Regan as if sentencing her to an execution.

  “Of course, Yula,” I said, kneeling briefly before shoving Regan out of the room and leading her down the hallway.

  “Looks like you pulled it off for now,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I pushed Regan around the corner. We were facing each other suddenly, Regan’s clear blue eyes boring pensively into my own.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Why did you do that?” she asked, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “Why did you help me?”

  I furrowed my brow. If she knew I had been trying to help her, that would be it for my position. She could report me, and I would be discharged from my position (and quite dishonorably). It would be a blight on the rest of my life.

  I wanted to tell her the truth; that ever since the first time I’d seen her, I’d wanted her. In my mind, as far as I was concerned, she was mine already. And anybody who wanted to harm her had to answer to me. But those kinds of feelings weren’t just taboo. They were against the law.

  “Who says I was helping you?” I asked pointedly, trying to keep my voice from wavering.

  I wanted more than anything to hold Regan’s slight body against mine; feel the curves of her pressed against me as I had when I’d been behind her in the lunchtime rush. But that wasn’t possible. Especially not with the Doyan present at the prison. Who knew what kind of punishment I would be asking for if she caught me? Breeding and mating were two different things, and the thought of any self-respecting Verian man being attracted to an Earthling was laughable. They were there simply for our utilization, and nothing more.

  “Well, whatever you were doing, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave with that woman. She makes me nervous.”

  “Well then. Keep that in mind next time you’re misbehaving. I could have you sent right to her door.”

  “Sure,” Regan said, looking at me with her eyes dancing. “If she’d allow it.”

  The human had me there.

  We ceased speaking once we reached the hall where the cells were kept and walked silently down the long, winding corridor. I deposited Regan sternly in her cell, much to the delight of the other human females that were staying with her.

  I felt a twinge of worry when I noticed the off-putting look of malice emanating from one of the women in the cell, directed at Regan. I had seen that look before. This was a female who would do whatever she could to let out her aggressions on somebody else, and she had obviously picked her target. I would have to look out for that one.

  I caught Regan’s eye briefly as I locked the cell behind her, and she turned her head away quickly. I wished I could say something more to her, but I could feel the tension of hundreds of pairs of eyes on me, watching my every move carefully as if it might somehow lead to their own release…or punishment.

  “Stay out of trouble, Yula,” I said without glancing back at Regan. “Or you will learn what trouble is.”

  And with that, I left the ward.

  ***

  I was in my office alone during the middle of my meal break – the Verian people need to eat only once per day as our metabolisms are quite slow and thorough compared to humans – when the alarm rang.

  “Freg,” I grumbled, pushing aside my meal. Something was wrong in Ward B, where the humans were kept. I grabbed my weapon and rushed down the deserted hallways as quickly as I could. Nobody else would be willing to respond to the signal, except a few reckless Pelin who wanted to be recognized for their bravery.

  “What’s going on?” I shouted over the blaring alarm. I could hear women shrieking and yelling, while others laughed and cheered. It sounded like a fight had broken loose, and I had a sinking feeling I knew exactly who it had broken out between.

  A chorus of shrill female voices started filling the narrow hallway.

  “She started it; get her!”

  I pee
red inside Cell 3, fearing the worst. Most of the humans were crowded in toward the back wall, shouting indistinguishable things to the two females who were fighting. It didn’t take long to make out the swollen, bleeding features of Regan’s face being struck again by the tall, brawny woman in front of her.

  “Go, Casey, go!” a woman exclaimed.

  “Silence!” I shouted. It wasn’t difficult for me to reach very high volumes. It was a skill humans lacked, but the Verians were equipped with a vocal range unlike any other race in the universe. We could hear and speak in frequencies many lower life forms couldn’t hear. It came in handy during the war.

  The females suddenly froze in place, Carmen hovering above Regan’s head with her fist poised in the air. Regan’s blue eyes were huge and terrified. I saw suddenly that her arms were being held back by two other females, who dropped them quickly as soon as they felt the heat of my gaze turn on them.

  “Yula Lawrence,” I said evenly. “Surprise, surprise.”

  I unlocked the cell door and glowered at Casey, who backed away, a smug smirk on her face.

  I ignored her and walked toward Regan, gripping her arm tightly and tugging her with me out of the cell.

  “I thought I told you to stay out of trouble!”

  “But-”

  I already knew she had nothing to do with it. Still, I had to put on a show for the rest of the prisoners. This was what they wanted to see.

  “I’m going to have to detain you,” I said darkly, loud enough so that everybody in the prison could hear me.

  “No! I’m sorry. It was just that-”

  “When I say silence, I mean silence,” I said, looking into Regan’s beautiful blue eyes sternly. Her face slackened with fear, and she held her tongue, which was a big surprise. I had expected to have to reprimand her all the way down the hall.

  The females in the cells cheered as I drug Regan away and she furrowed her brows but kept her mouth shut.

  When we were finally alone in the hallway, headed for the solitary cells meant for trouble-makers and those who just couldn’t seem to get along with the other inmates, I finally spoke.

  “That female, Casey, she did this to you?”

  I looked into Regan’s face. There was a deep gash on her forehead, and she had a black eye. It made my blood boil.

  “Yes,” Regan whispered. “And her friends once they realized she couldn’t take me on her own.”

  I raised an eyebrow. So, Regan was scrappy. That was interesting.

  “Stay in here,” I said quietly, depositing her into the quiet single cell. There were no other humans in the ward with her, and it was rarely patrolled by anybody but myself when there were.

  Regan sat on the cot immediately and put a hand to her head as I made my way to my office to retrieve bandages and a special healing salve that had been engineered by my people. I wasn’t sure it would work on humans, but I figured it would be worth a shot. Especially if we were going to have hybrids. It wouldn’t have adverse effects, of course, but it might have no effects.

  “Here, drink this,” I said when I returned, thrusting a half-dose bottle to Regan. She studied it skeptically and sat it down beside herself.

  “I’m not sure…”

  “Suit yourself,” I said, kneeling in front of her. My heart thudded hard with my body so close to hers, and I could smell her sweet scent wafting close to my nostrils. All I wanted to do was touch her.

  “Let me see your head,” I said instead.

  Regan bowed toward me, long strands of silken hair tickling my knees, and I swallowed hard as I dabbed at the wound on her face. She flinched at my touch, gentle against the raw wound, and fury began to bubble in my chest. The females who had dared to hurt Regan were going to regret it.

  “There,” I said, securing the bandage. “If you’d like to speed up healing, you can drink the elixir. If you’re not sure about it, that’s all right. But it might help you keep from getting a headache.”

  Regan gripped the little bottle in one hand and stared at me skeptically.

  “Why are you helping me? I thought I was in trouble.”

  I pursed my lips tightly. I couldn’t be forthright about my feelings toward her. Anybody who overheard me saying that I had become consumed by a human would accuse me of treason. Surely Regan would know the power she held over me if I admitted my attraction to her. I couldn’t just confess. Especially not in a prison bunker, no matter how short-staffed we happened to be.

  “Verian philosophy favors balance,” I said, avoiding the subject. “We believe that the worlds will continue to exist in harmony so long as balance is maintained. The cell, in there, is not balanced. Without you as an added element, it is. You can stay balanced better on your own, while the females in Ward B would stay balanced better without you to blame for everything that goes wrong.”

  Regan’s full lips broke into a small smile, and she scoffed. “I guess I’ve made quite a reputation for myself. I guess that’s what I get for trying to help people.”

  I was silent for a moment, my eyes searching for any small hint that I might be able to trust this human.

  “Indeed,” was all I said. I got up and cleared my throat, gathering the bandages and healing supplies. I left the elixir in Regan’s hands and made my way to the door.

  “You will take your meals in here for the next few days. Until you’re fit to return.”

  Regan nodded, her blue eyes suddenly very tired. I wished I could offer her some encouragement. Some escape out of this dreary situation I myself had put her in. But there was nothing I could do. I returned to my office, my heart heavy with the knowledge that, whether I liked it or not, human and Verian would never coexist.

  Chapter 5

  Regan Lawrence

  I listened as Zaine’s footsteps headed down the corridor, and I ventured off of the cot, a rush of pain filling my head. I wrapped my hands around the cold metal bars and looked out, both relieved and a little panicked to find that there was nobody at all in this area.

  Another rush of pain nearly brought me to the ground, and I struggled back to the cot and leaned my back against the cool wall. My weight on the cot brought the little vial rolling toward me, and I picked it up, studying it closely.

  Zaine had encouraged me to use it to relieve the pain. I wasn’t sure if it was simply the Verian way to help the injured humans in the prison, or if there was something more to it than that.

  The image of Zaine kneeling before me, his beautiful features creased with concern made my heart tremor. I hadn’t expected to find anything attractive about a Verian. They were enemies of humanity. What kind of traitor was I?

  Still, I couldn’t help but replay what I thought might be concern in Zaine’s eyes when he saw that I was being attacked by Casey and her lackeys. The way he had charged in, not betraying any softness toward me at all, and rescued me from danger had been unbelievably heroic. At least, to me at the time. When he’d started shouting at me about being in trouble, I could tell that his heart wasn’t in it.

  Or maybe I was just making things up to try to survive this horrible mess. Wouldn’t it be easier to pretend I had an ally in this place as opposed to feeling utterly abandoned and desolate, the way I really was? There was no way a Verian man would find a reason to give me special treatment. Especially not after all the hell I’d tried to raise since we’d arrived. Nobody liked me here. I was a burden on everybody, just as I had been on Earth.

  I sighed and looked at the vial of elixir one more time. Would it really matter if I drank this and something bad happened to me? It couldn’t be worse than what I had coming to me. Besides, the searing pain in my head was so bad that I felt like I was going to throw up.

  I tilted the bottle back, examining the clear liquid one last time.

  “Bottoms up,” I mumbled. The elixir had barely hit my tongue before the world turned black.

  ***

  “This way,” Daniel’s gentle voice called to me.

  My heart was swollen
by the sound of it, and I hurried forward, looking for his visage. But it was nowhere to be seen, and I frowned, panic swelling in my chest.

  “Over here! We don’t have much time.”

  “Daniel?”

  The world was a confusing fog, and I barely made out the lines of the barricades around Zone Seven: the tall walls that kept the Verian out and the people in. How I wished to be able to move past those walls freely! Just as Daniel and the others did.

  “Here!”

  A monstrous wave of emotion swept over me when I spotted Daniel’s silhouette waving at me from a distance, and my feet started moving toward him automatically, his name frozen in my throat. I felt everything: love, desperation, panic, disbelief, and, more than anything else, grief.

  Hot tears spilled from my eyes as I came closer to the edge of Zone Seven, Daniel’s handsome face smiling at me as I drew closer. All I could see was that smile.

  But before I reached him, his waving hands were no longer beckoning me, but waving me away. Waving goodbye.

  I sped up, running as fast as I could to catch up with him, but he had already turned his back on me. He was heading into the danger zone, beyond the walls, away from me.

  Black terror electrified my entire body, and despite my need to catch him, my body was frozen as a sudden explosion muted my world and I watched helplessly as the man I loved vanished from my life forever.

  ***

  “Human! Regan! Are you all right? Wake up!”

  “Daniel!” I sobbed.

  Strong hands were suddenly on my shoulders, and the soft mutterings of the Verian language sounded in my ears. I could understand, but just barely. It was a small prayer of comfort, and I pulled away from the hands, confused, still half stuck in the nightmare that was my reality.

  “It’s all right, Yula; you were sleeping.”

  My eyes were bleary, and my heart bitter as Zaine spoke, his voice soft and comforting in the darkness.

  “Get away from me! It’s all your fault!”

  “Half a dose must have been too much…humans and their pitiful body chemistry,” Zaine said, his handsome brow furrowed as he picked up the empty glass bottle on the cot beside me.