Zern Page 15

  “These are the honored Heakai. The wise. They are responsible for breaks in new Verian technology and are going to take you into their care for the night.”

  The Heakai stood in a line in front of us, their eyes shining with anticipation. Although it was just a routine step in ensuring the success of our breeding program, they took great joy in examining new humans. I felt an odd sense of relief in knowing that Regan wouldn’t be examined by these sadistic Verians, whether it was for the benefit of our scientific knowledge or not.

  “Welcome, Earthlings,” the leader of the Heakai, Yul Karan Thorgal said, his voice cold. I had always found the man to be rather off-putting myself, and tried to avoid any lengthy conversations with him. It was clear he had one passion and one passion alone: scientific inquiry.

  The women were reluctant to greet him back, but I turned and fixed a stern look upon them. They all knelt as they had been taught to do during their orientation, and Karan grinned.

  “We will be working with the youngest among you first. Please organize yourselves in a line from youngest to oldest. Do not try anything funny. Our testing will reveal any inconsistencies. We wouldn’t want any of you to end up permanent residents of the lab, now, would we?”

  Karan’s eyes met mine and sparkled. Of course, that was what he looked forward to most of all. He seemed particularly cheerful today, and I had half a mind to ask him why. But it was my job to ensure the order of the females as they organized themselves chaotically, until, finally, the youngest of Earthlings stood nervously in the line, eyeing the group of Heakai with horror.

  “Which one is she?” Karan asked quietly into my ear as one of the secretaries carried a clipboard down the line, demanding every human write their name down.

  “Who?” I asked, though I had a sinking feeling that I already knew exactly who he was referring to.

  “The human destined for this wonderful place of study and discovery! The rebel!”

  “The Pelin have a nasty habit of wagging their tongues,” I said sharply. “Unfortunately, she was unable to make it here today.”

  “What?” Karan asked, frowning deeply and glaring at me. “I was quite looking forward to meeting her!”

  “She will not be the next victim of your experiments, Yul Thorgal,” I said as good-naturedly as I could muster. “She has been injured. I’m honestly not entirely sure whether or not she will manage to survive the injuries she sustained. Even with our current technological advancements, most resources are going to the soldiers. You know that.”

  “Well if you send her her, I can see to her care,” Karan said, his eyes twinkling. “I do like the live ones.”

  “Are you suggesting we commit treason to save one foul-mouthed Earthling?” I exclaimed. “We’d be better off without her!”

  It hurt me to say such a thing, especially about Regan, but it seemed I had little choice. I didn’t want Karan touching her. Period. And that was just going to have to be the end of it.

  “Of course, Yul Volaire. Please, don’t tell the Doyan what I suggested!”

  I stared hard at Karan, who was sincerely terrified of the thought that I might betray his confidence and turn him in to the Doyan. It was a funny thought, really. She wasn’t likely to get rid of him anyway, but apparently Karan didn’t know what sway he held over the leader of our planet.

  “Your secret is safe with me…for now,” I said. “Just take care of the Earthlings tonight and make sure they are all returned in one piece. No repeats of what happened last time.”

  Karan’s face deepened with an embarrassed orange tint, and he shook his head enthusiastically. “Of course. That was just a…a silly mess. I won’t let it happen again.”

  “Good,” I said, sincerely relieved to hear it.

  The man had taken a handful of females for his own experimental pleasure without informing me first, and had subjected them to horrific tests. They hadn’t been the same after that, and I had found the six of them huddled in the back of their cells during mealtime, disoriented and bruised from head to toe. I didn’t know what the man had decided to do to them, but I knew that even humans deserved to be treated more compassionately. Especially if they were to be Mai to our children.

  “Injections will be distributed!” Karan’s assistant began to inform the humans. We had all agreed that the humans took the news much better from another female, and I waited tensely for the inevitable reactions of the humans. “These injections will prepare your body for the rapid growth of Verian offspring.”

  As if right on cue, the females in line began to furrow their brows and mumble in protest and disbelief. They couldn’t comprehend their use as incubators to the children of the Verian race. It was always like this, and I was meant to stay and secure their safety and that of the Verian scientists until they were safely in their individual holding cells for the night. Then I would be able to go back to the prison to check on Regan. It had been Narei’s job to give her the meal in the infirmary, and I felt a strong pull to check to make sure she was all right.

  I wondered, suddenly, if I had chosen to take the females in for their injections that day as a punishment for what had happened to Regan. I had to chase the thoughts away though as Karan’s assistant continued, her voice low and serious.

  “The Verian children will require much nourishment, and may be susceptible to the many diseases humans carry within them. These injections will not only prepare your uterine lining for the rapid expansion of child-growth, but it will also provide a vaccination for all Verian-human hybrid children that will be born to each female. Is that understood?”

  The humans were furious now, shouting in protest against the utilization of their bodies for breeding purposes. Again, I was grateful that Regan was in the infirmary. I could only imagine what kind of ruckus she would kick up if given half a chance. That was a female who simply could not keep her mouth shut. Even for her own good.

  “Silence, humans!” I bellowed. The females quieted down, but were far from silent. It was still an improvement though, and the assistant continued.

  “From there, we will observe you and take measurements of your bodies…do an examination of each of you for our records. A thorough one. Anybody who objects to our methods will be given the alternative of volunteering as living subjects for our research. Regardless of your choice, your bodies will be utilized to the maximum effect. The Verian race needs warriors in this war against Earth, and the only way we can get those warriors is through you.”

  A stunned silence fell over the crowd of females, and I sighed heavily. These females didn’t understand fully the role they were to play. And even those who volunteered to be living subjects always ended up changing their minds only a few hours into their duty. Verian scientists had few boundaries, and the females in their care always left a little more damaged than they had been when they arrived.

  “Now, follow me, one by one, to your rooms.”

  I expected more of a fight, but the females were clearly scared to death of the Heakai. And for good reason, too. I knew though, that if Regan were there, given the opportunity for silence, her voice would be ringing through it loudly to try to protect the females of Earth, even when they did nothing but victimize her. She truly was something extraordinary.

  I waited around until each female had been led back into the holding chambers, and gave Yul Karan Thorgal a brief kneel. He returned the gesture, and I left, eager to return to the infirmary and check on Regan.

  ***

  “Where have you been?”

  Regan’s accusing voice cut through me as I entered the door, and I gritted my teeth hard to keep from replying sharply to her. The last thing I needed was to be forced to deal with her unyielding temper.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked, without bothering to answer her question. She sighed heavily and stood from the infirmary bed.

  “I’ve been better, but it’s not as bad as the night before,” she said, her blue eyes focused on the ground in front of me. “I’m sorr
y if I…”

  She trailed off and laughed mirthlessly, shrugging. “Why am I apologizing? I honestly don’t know what was real about last night and what was a terrible dream.”

  “Terrible?” I asked, raising an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a little bit of offense at the thought that the kiss we’d shared had been terrible for her. For me, it had been the single most erotic moment of my life, and I’d left for the night unable to sleep as I replayed the memory over in my head again and again. It had been the farthest thing from terrible I could ever imagine.

  “Well, I don’t mean…”

  Regan’s cheeks grew red, and I couldn’t help but smile. Our skin tones may have been much different, but the act was the same. Verians were pale, but a ruddy orange glow animated our features, while many humans had a variety of skin tones. Regan’s happened to be a sun-kissed copper, with an attractive pink accent. When she blushed, the pink deepened into red, and I couldn’t help but wonder what color they might be if I gave in to my body’s impulses as I had been sorely tempted to do the night before.

  “Do you think you feel well enough to return to your cell?” I asked.

  Regan nodded. I could tell she didn’t trust herself to open her mouth, and I couldn’t blame her. I imagined that if I was a spitfire like she was, I wouldn’t know whether or not it was safe to let the words spill out of me either.

  “Good. That means your infection is going down.”

  I gripped Regan’s hand tightly and pulled her out the door, vaguely registering the bashful look on her face as I led the way out. She was quiet as I walked her down the hallways and back to the solitary cell where she had been sleeping the night before, and I smiled at her as comfortingly as I possibly could.

  “If anybody else asks you though, do not tell them that you are healing just fine. I have a feeling there is going to be some inquiry about you, and it would be better to avoid any suspicion. Do you understand?”

  Regan nodded impulsively as we stepped inside the cell together, and then seemed to change her mind. Her eyebrows furrowed and she turned her bright blue eyes onto me.

  “No, actually. I don’t understand any of this,” she said, flinging her hands in the air desperately. “I don’t get what I’m doing here. I don’t know why you’ve been trying to protect me, or why you’ve gone out of your way to heal me when I know, at least I think I know, that you are only collecting humans to serve some weird war agenda. And I don’t even know whether or not that moment we shared…I don’t know what’s real, and I doubt very much that you are going to be the kind of man I have been imagining you to be.”

  I waited patiently for Regan to quiet down, and she glared into my eyes. I couldn’t help but smile. She was so fierce, even though, despite my illness, I was still likely to be a hundred times stronger than she was.

  “It was real,” I forced myself to say. “I gave in to a moment of weakness on my part last night, and for that I am sorry.”

  “But why are you sorry?” Regan exclaimed. “What is it that makes it so hard for you Verians to just admit what you feel and try to talk things out instead of making everything so needlessly complicated?!”

  I frowned, unsure of what she might mean by this accusation. Verians may have been somewhat disconnected from their feelings, but that didn’t mean that we were monsters. We were simply able to put logic and intellect before our own useless emotions. And my logic and intellect were saying that it would be a fatal mistake to feel anything toward this human but what it was my duty to feel.

  “I need you to tell me, Zaine. What is it that you are feeling for me? What do you want? Because I’m a really straight forward kind of a person. I can’t do guessing games. This is just too much for me right now. Please!”

  Regan’s voice wavered, and she stared at me, brave and vulnerable all at the same time. I sighed. I couldn’t voice my feelings. I was having a hard enough time understanding them for myself. But there was one thing I could do.

  Regan gasped as I gripped her hard, my mouth suddenly on hers. Her eyes widened before she surrendered to the strength of my grip, and I knew that this time there would be no way to stop myself. Regan would be mine.

  Chapter 7

  Regan Lawrence

  My body responded immediately to the powerful longing within Zaine. His muscles were tense all around me, and as his hot mouth covered mine, the electricity between us nearly made me buckle to the ground.

  But he was strong and quick-thinking and held me up gently with ease, his arms wrapped around me as he devoured my lips. His sweet kisses immediately brought a moan to my lips, and as soon as he heard it, I felt the impressive hardening of his groin against my thigh.

  I was in constant wonder of the strange similarities and differences between human and Verian, and the thick, urgent muscle nestled beneath his uniform was definitely biologically superior to the men on Earth.

  Zaine took his time exploring my body, and I gripped the firm muscles in his arms. His handsome, full lips parted in a broad smile, and my heart lurched as, in one fluid motion, Zaine lifted me onto the cot and stripped me of the gray prison uniform.

  I shuddered as the cool air roamed over my naked body, and Zaine’s silver eyes took in the sight of it appreciatively. My hands were shaking as I reached them hesitantly toward him and pushed the pants of his uniform off of his body. He stripped his shirt for me, and my eyes widened as I took him in.

  His body was milky white, much like the paleness of his face, all but for his erect member, which was swollen and a deep orange color. His bellybutton was shallow, almost non-existent, and his broad torso was packed tightly with muscles that rose and fell as he breathed heavily in front of me. He was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen in my life, and I knew that I would do anything to have him inside of me.

  As if he could sense my thoughts, Zaine was suddenly on top of me, the head of his massive member nestled close to my middle. I gasped as his hands and body massaged me gently, sending sparks of pleasure coursing throughout my entire body. The fire within me had been awakened, and had quickly gone from a small spark to an outright inferno.

  I moaned deeply as Zaine’s hips began to move sensually against mine. I had never imagined I would be in a situation like this, with a Verian of all possibilities, but now that I was here, it was proving to be one of the most gratifying experiences of my life.

  Zaine kissed me deeply before moving his mouth to the most sensitive regions of my body: from the nape of my neck down to the sensitive mounds of my nipples. I shuddered beneath his body in pleasure and bucked my hips against him: an unspoken signal that I was ready.

  Zaine wasted no time in pushing my legs apart, his hands firm against me as his well-muscled body gave an uncompromising thrust. Suddenly my entire world was shaken from the inside out as Zaine entered inside of me, and a deep moan escaped my lips.

  “Shh,” he whispered into my ear, his deep voice a rumble that simply intensified my passion. “Try to stay quiet for once, will you, Yula? If anybody hears us, there will be consequences.”

  Even then he was trying to reprimand me, to punish me. But I couldn’t blame him. It would hardly look good if one of the other guards or a Pelin, who, I had noticed during my brief stay in Cell 3, had a penchant for gossip, saw the highest ranking warden in the prison bedding one of the inmates.

  Frankly, it would be a very messy situation, so I bit my lip to keep from crying out loud as Zaine’s impressive shaft made its way further inside of me. I could feel him swelling with pleasure once he was completely wrapped up in my body, and I couldn’t help but moan softly with rapture as my insides were stimulated and gratified by Zaine’s body.

  His handsome face smiled down at me, and I felt as if we were sharing a special, secret moment that I would want to treasure for the rest of my life. But that was impossible. I couldn’t be falling for a Verian. It was wrong. I just couldn’t be.

  Still, as Zaine’s body moved, his silver eyes sparkling as he explored every
inch of skin beneath his long fingers, I couldn’t help but think of just how much I had grown to depend on this man on the planet Helna. He’d gone out of his way to tolerate and accept me. To protect and to heal me. And frankly, I had wanted nothing more than to be near him from the moment I had heard his voice and we first laid eyes on each other.

  It was just a fling. It had to be. Just something temporary so that we could get on with our lives and get this out of our systems. Right? He couldn’t love a human any more than I could love a Verian.

  But all the complexities of our situation were driven from my head as Zaine’s body began to thrust inside of me in earnest, and I gasped quietly as he brought me closer and closer to ecstasy. Bliss filled my entire body as Zaine’s impressive shaft was enveloped deep inside of me, and we both hissed in pleasure as my climax began to build to its breaking point.

  I bit onto Zaine’s bicep to keep from crying out loud as my body betrayed my feelings for him, and I closed my eyes, relishing in the ecstasy of my orgasm. I could feel myself contracting tightly around Zaine’s member, and he unleashed a furious torrent of power, his hips shaking us both on the cot until, with a deep, gratified grunt, he intensified my orgasm with a flood of his seed, hot as it erupted from deep inside of him and spilled out inside of me.

  I panted hard as he emptied himself fully inside of me, the heat of his climax taking my own to new heights, until my body, extra sensitive after the release, trembled beneath Zaine and he pulled out gently.

  I was too exhausted to lift my head as he climbed off of me, and closed my eyes blissfully as Zaine’s lips pressed against my temple.

  “Rest now, Yula. There will be much to do in the morning.”

  I was slipping into a deep sleep as I listened to Zaine dressing himself, and then the metallic clanking of my cell doors signaled to me, just as I let go of consciousness, that I was once again alone.