His to Protect

by S Alexander

  My nostrils flare, and my heart beats so fast that I almost feel it in my neck. I grab the guard by his uniform and bring him close to my face, my breath against his skin. “You shall obey me,” I whisper to him. The other guard takes out his weapon and fires. The same instant Anil’ha kicks his arm and the laser fires into the ceiling. I reach for mine and fire, the sonic wave leaving the guard unconscious. He’s not dead, yet. I clench my fist and hit the other one with all my force, blood splashing on my face. I wipe it off and throw him against the wall.

  “Let’s go,” I say to Anil’ha who comes to my side.

  “I think we’ll get into a lot of trouble for this,” he says and puts his weapon down.

  “This is the least of my problems right now. I need to find her… my female… Jessica.” A sigh escapes my mouth and I think of all the pleasure I’ve felt with her, the peace and connection we both enjoyed. I can’t lose that; I can’t lose her. She’s my most precious thing right now and I’ll do anything to get her back… even defy the Queen. “Let’s hurry. I need to speak to the Council. I have to find out what they’ve done to her.” I increase my pace and stroll along the twisting corridors. Anil’ha follows me and now I’m sure I can trust him. He stood by my side even though by doing this he betrayed the Council and the Queen.

  “What’s your plan, Ka’el?” Anil’ha gazes at me while we keep up the pace. I shake my head and shrug my shoulders. “I don’t have one. All I know is I have to FIND her.”

  We walk along the dimly lit corridor until we arrive at the primary entrance of the Council room. The doors are closed and there’s no way to get inside unless the scanner recognizes the identity. I doubt that I’m still granted permission to enter, but I try. I approach the iris scanning device and put my eye in front of the beam. The laser beam scans my iris three times until there's a beep. ''Identity not recognized. Permission to enter denied.''

  "We can't get in. They removed my permissions from the system." Anil'ha approaches me and looks at the scanning device. "I don't have permission either."

  I clench my fist hard and hit the wall, my teeth biting my lower lip. "Bastards! They knew I would come for them and they blocked me out." I think for a minute, my head dizzy and my pulse quickened. I walk up and down the corridor, thinking about what to do. I hit the wall three times in a row, blood covering the outer part of my fingers. "This can't happen. I'll blow the fucking door down."

  "They'll lock you up, Ka'el. They already call you a traitor for running away with the female." Anil'ha lays his hand on my shoulder and pats it. "You can't do this."

  "Just watch me." I take my weapon and point it at the door. I slide the power selector to maximum and fire. The force of the sonic wave blows down the metal door, pieces of metal flying all over. The force throws me backward against the wall, my back hitting hard against the surface.

  My back feels like thousands of knives penetrated my skin, but it's nothing compared to the pain I feel inside. It hurts worse than anything I've ever known. I force myself up and ignore my aching spine. They teach us from an early age to shut everything down and keep fighting. I turn my head to the side and I see Anil'ha dragging his foot from a large metal piece.

  "Are you ok?" I ask him and grab his hand pulling him up.

  "Yeah, it's nothing." He stands and stretches his leg for a little bit. "Now, let's get inside," I tell him and we both walk through what was left of the metal door. The dust hasn't settled in yet and there's still the burning smell of hot metal.

  I step inside the Council room, Anil'ha behind me. My muscles tense up and my hands sweat the moment I lay eyes on the Queen. There she is, towering over us in her flying throne. She’s alone, except for the four guards below her. The other members of the council are not here.

  "I've been expecting you, Ka'el," she says in her obnoxious superior tone. She flies down to the floor and stands, adjusting her glowing dress.

  "I knew you would come rushing in here." Sheerva comes closer, her icy blue eyes gazing straight into mine. "Why did you not surrender the female, Ka'el?" Her voice pitches into what I would call a shout. She frowns and I can see her temples pumping.

  "It's not of any interest to you," I say and push my chest out, my gaze fixing hers. I don't blink for a second and I don't care if my attitude defies her. That's the least of my concerns at the moment. All I care about is HER, my redhead Jessica. Her name brings back memories of her delightful scent and the smoothness of her skin.

  "How dare you? You fool; she could be the one to save our race from extinction. She and her little friend. The lab results showed they're compatible for breeding with our kind and the doctors are positive about a viable offspring." She breathes heavily and raises her hand to slap my face. I grab her arm by the wrist and push it aside.

  "Do not do that again, sister," I groan. My heart is about to jump out of my chest, my teeth gritting. "Stop acting the all-mighty queen with me. I'm not impressed."

  "I am your queen and you shall obey my orders. You're the damn head of the Breeding Program and you hide your most precious subject, the one able to mate with our males. You're pathetic. I don't even know why I gave such a privileged position. You're not worthy of it."

  "Save it for the others. We both know you murdered mother and father to be ruler. You make me sick!" I glance over to the guards and see their hand approaching their weapons. My heart won't stop beating like it wants to jump out of my chest. My whole skin tingles and my fists clench by themselves. I want to hit her and make her pay for what she did. My father was a good and kind ruler. He did everything for his people, for Valkrya.

  "Shut up... shut up... shut up," Sheerva screams and takes her hands to her ears to cover them. The truth always hurts, and it hurts her. "I don't want to hear you anymore," she yells at me.

  "Does it hurt, sister?" I hold my stance and gaze into her eyes, not before glancing again at the guards behind her. I must be prepared to fight them. Anil'ha stands behind me, his hand on the weapon.

  "Why do you care so much for that female? Do you not care about your people? Your planet?" She speaks to me in a more gentle voice, her hand touching my cheek. I push it aside. I can't stand her touching me. She's my true sister, but her crimes make me forget all the bonds we share.

  "I care about Valkrya more than you ever will," I say to her. "Where is she? What did you do to her?" I ask Sheerva in a commanding voice. She turns her head to the guards and goes behind them. She lifts her hand and presses the communication device on her wrist. A hologram appears in front of me. Jessica lies unconscious on an examination table, her hands locked to the sides. A bunch of doctors swarm around her, taking her blood, sticking needles in her body, scanning her up and down. My stomach clenches at the sight of this, my legs trembling. Is she dead? She can't be. It's my fault. I shouldn't have left her alone.

  "Behold your precious female," Sheerva says from behind the guards.

  "For your own sake, I hope she's not dead. If you killed her, I'll strangle you with my bare hands." I groan and step forward, the guards blocking my way.

  "She's not dead... not yet anyway. And if you want her to stay alive, you must obey me. She will mate and bear a baby or she dies. And you'll be the one to mate her, every day, every time you receive orders, every second if that's what it takes until she's with child." Sheerva points her finger to my face, still hiding behind her guards. She's always been a coward and she'll die one.

  "You're crazy... you hear me... crazy!" I shout to her and try to grab her from behind the guards. They come in front, making a wall of male bodies between us. My breath quickens to high velocity and my blood races through me like it's on fire. My mind becomes enraged and all I can think of is getting Sheerva. I see myself breaking her neck and make her pay for everything. I reach for my weapon and pull it out in a flash, my head turning to Anil'ha. "Anil'ha, left side."

  In a split second, my beam reaches the guards on my right, their bodies dropping dead on the floor. Anil'ha takes the others dow
n until there's nothing but bodies between me and Sheerva.

  "It's only me and YOU now, sister." I approach her in an instant and grab her by the neck. My squeeze is tight and I force her body down. Her eyes bulge as my fingers squeeze harder. She gasps for air and tries to free herself from my grip, but she can't. And then... I let go. I can't. I want to. Every cell in my body screams KILL HER, but I can't.

  "You did the right thing." Anil'ha lays his hand on my shoulder. Sheerva is still down, gasping for air a few more times before coming to her senses.

  "Why don' you kill me? You're too coward? I always knew you're a scared little boy." She grins and bursts into laughter. "That's why I'm QUEEN and you're nothing... a worthless... piece of nothing."

  "Shut up!" I reach down and smack her jaw. She falls to her side but drags her body to the throne. I grab her leg, pulling her to me, but a sharp sting in the back of my neck leaves me powerless. I release the grip. My muscles don't listen to me anymore. I can't move and the harder I try, the more the room spins around me until I no longer see anything. Only darkness and silence. All I can hear is absolute silence.

  Chapter 11

  Jessica

  I tilt my head to the side and force my eyelids up. It's hard, but I struggle. There is nothing familiar around me. I try to get up but I'm trapped, my arms tied with metal straps to the bed. I'm surrounded by machines and devices that flash before my eyes. My body is covered with sensors connected to these machines. I try to move once again, but the straps hurt my arms. I try again and again until I almost choke from lack of air. I close my eyes and rest for a minute. My heart beats so fast against my chest, my forehead covered with drops of sweat. I don't understand and I don't remember how I got here. It's like I passed out for the entire time. I think of Emma and suddenly I remember the blue male who dragged me out of the cell.

  "You're awake!" A voice reaches my ears and I open my eyes. I don't see anyone. "You'll be fine now," the voice says again. This voice is unfamiliar, softer than the deep voice of the males I've encountered.

  "Who's talking? I don't see you. Who are you?" I ask and tilt my head from side to side, trying to spot where the voice comes from.

  "I am sorry. My name is Catleya." An alien female moves to the front from somewhere behind me.

  "I am a physician in the Breeding program."

  "Why am I here? What did you do to me?" I ask her and try to free myself from the grip of the metal straps. "Please, do not fight it. You'll only hurt yourself." The alien female says and comes closer to me. She presses a button on her wrist device and the metal straps retract, releasing my arms.

  "You can stand now if you want. I healed your bruises and wounds," she says and hands me a white dress. It's long and flowing with silver thread woven in the textile. It's beautiful. "Put this on."

  I gaze at myself and cover my breasts. I'm naked, but I don't see any of the bruises I had before. She's right. They're all gone, and it doesn't hurt anymore. And most of all, I don't feel cold.

  "I don't feel cold even though I'm naked," I say to her and take the dress from the side of the bed. It wraps my body perfectly, the soft material brushing against my skin.

  "Yes. You don't feel cold anymore. The kahuni is regulating your body temperature." She says and goes over to the machines on the right side. With a press of a button, she reveals a hologram of a moving worm-like thing. "This is the kahuni. You are fortunate to receive one."

  My heart almost stops in my throat and I feel sick. There's a fucking worm inside of me. "No... no. Get it out of me." I jump from the bed and stand, my hands touching all over. "Where is it? Where did you put it?"

  "Do not worry. It is not meant to hurt you." The alien female approaches me and touches my forehead with her thin long fingers. "It's right here."

  I take my hand to my forehead and touch my skin, trying to feel the symbiont under. My palms sweat and my stomach clenches as I feel its motions. It rolls under my skin, moving away from my touch. "Get it out," I shout at the alien female.

  "I can't do that. It's for your own good. Just relax." She reaches for my forehead and brushes her hand against my skin. "The kahuni is not your enemy. He's your friend."

  Her touch is soft, and it relaxes the symbiont because it stops moving. It does not wiggle under my skin and that feels good.

  "I didn't ask for one and don't want it," I say to her. She gazes at me with her dark blue eyes, her ash hair flowing over her shoulders. Her features reveal kindness, her soothing voice relaxing my body until I no longer feel my muscles tense.

  "You need it. Just don't think about it and you'll be fine."

  Not think about it? I wish I didn't think about it, but how can you not think about a moving worm under your skin. It's gross, and I'd rather be dead than have a fucking moving vermin inside of me.

  "Why do I need it? I was perfectly fine without it. And how did you put it inside me? I can't see any cut." I approach a screen and inspect my forehead for any lesions. I can't see any.

  "There's no cut. I inserted the kahuni through your nose. It can find its way up to your forehead." She comes closer and disconnects the remaining tubes from my body. "You're all good now. No need for the tubes."

  I wonder why she's so kind to me. She's nothing like the other aliens I've met. They all treated me like a piece of nothing. This female is different. Ka'el treated me nicely too and I miss his touch. I wish he were here with me and tell me I'm his mate.

  "We must go now. Follow me." The female heads for the exit and signals me to follow her. I do not move. She stops at the doors and turns her head. "Come with me."

  "Where to? Where are you taking me? What is this place?" I ask her, my body remaining in the same spot.

  "This lab? It's the Breeding facility lab." She walks to me and takes my hand, her gaze on me. "Now, please come with me." She walks to the exit with me, her hand still holding mine. The female takes me with her, but not with a grab, maybe a gentle tug. I go along and follow her through the dark corridor. Another dark corridor. We stop in front of an elevator and get inside. It goes up a couple of floors and then stops. The doors open and we enter a bright hallway with doors on each side. The female stops in front of one door and puts her finger to a scanning device on the wall.

  "Where are we?" I ask her and turn my head from side to side, not knowing where she's taken me.

  The door opens and we enter the room, a brightly lit room with white walls and a bed in the middle. On the right side, there's a table with two chairs. On the opposite side, there's a round-shaped window that overlooks darkness. There's no daylight.

  "Please, enter," she says and lets me walk in first. "You'll stay here until further orders. Get some rest. You really need it. I'll bring you some food later on."

  I step inside the room, my heart sinking in my chest. "Who's orders? Where's Emma? Please, tell me what you'll do to me."

  "Enough for now. Sleep for a while and I'll come later with something to eat. Don't stress over this and relax." The female nods her head and closes the door behind her as she storms out of the room.

  She's right. I feel tired and I guess I could use some rest. I walk to the bed, but my gaze is drawn to the round-shaped window. I take a few steps toward it and gaze outside in the darkness. My heart swells in my chest as a huge blue planet reveals its shape to me. It's enormous, but nothing like earth. This must be Valkrya, the alien planet. My breath quickens. I'm on a spaceship. A real, giant spaceship.

  I take a few more breaths and close my eyes, just like my yoga classes back on Earth. This relaxes me and makes my anxiety puff into thin air. I turn my head to the bed. It looks comfortable and quite big for a single person. The sheets are soft and silky and so nice to the touch as I lay down, curling in a cozy position. Finally, some good rest. I haven't had an enjoyable sleep in God knows how much time. Ka'el pops into my thoughts as I am on the verge of sleep. He's the only good thing on this fucking planet and he's not here. I question whether his words and actions spoke the
truth.

  Chapter 12

  Ka’el

  I wake up in my quarters on the breeding spaceship. My body rests still on the oval-shaped bed, the terrible headache making my eyes clench. I push my body up and massage the back of my head. It hurts. I turn my head from side to side, trying to remember how long I've been sleeping. I can't remember. The last thing I remember is bringing a bunch of Dahki females we kidnapped for breeding experiments. I've been the head of the Breeding Program for years and still no viable offspring was born. I have no regrets, however. It's all for a higher purpose; for Valkrya.

  "General Ka'el, you're awake," Catleya says as she enters my quarters. She's one of my best doctors in healing injured females. Many females end up bruised and hurt from mating with our males. Valkryan males like rough mating and when they're under mating fever, there's nothing stopping them from enjoying it. Unfortunately for the females, it comes with a price... for many, their lives.

  "Yes, Catleya. It's just this headache. Make it better. I can't take it any longer." I stand and approach her, my hands to my temples.

  "Sure general," she says and points the healing device to my forehead.

  “So much better.” The headache is almost gone, only a slight reminder of the pain my head endured. “Thank you,” I smile to her.

  “My pleasure, general.” Catleya smiles back and brings up a holo screen. “The Dahki females have been unsuccessful in producing an offspring. They’re still mated regularly but their species does not seem a suitable one for producing a hybrid.”

  “That’s disappointing. I really thought they’d be a good match for our kind.” I shake my head and raise my eyebrows, a soft sigh escaping my mouth. “The breeding program seems like a failure and I hate failing. There’s gotta be a compatible species out there. We just didn’t find it.”

  I stare at the holo screen, trying to process all the information before my eyes. It’s so strange, really. Something isn’t quite right. The Dahki have mated already? To me, it feels like we’ve just brought from our female finding trips. I don’t remember anything after that, but I say nothing. I don’t want anyone to know that, so I nod my head, pretending to agree with Catleya.