by Viola Grace
Exposed by her own temper, she faces the hardest task of her existence, facing the Rrassic and resisting desire.
Niiva used to be a farmer’s daughter with every stereotype that went along with it. Her hormones raged out of control, and her body usually followed.
Now, she is on Imrahl, one of thousands of humans abducted to work with the Rrassic in their war efforts, and she has been kept away from the eligible warriors in a bid to keep her doing what she does best, farming.
One night after working late on a shipment, she finds herself facing a drunk human and a few of the leonine Regiz-Rrassic. They mistake her for a male and begin to get aggressive when another of their kind steps in to break it up. Argo takes notice of her, and it spells the end of her life as a harvester and a fast track into the Breeder compound.
Resistance is no longer a priority.
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Resisting Desire
Copyright © 2019 Viola Grace
ISBN: 978-1-4874-2470-1
Cover art by Angela Waters
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
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Smashwords Edition
Resisting Desire
Brace for Humanity Book 4
By
Viola Grace
Other Books in This Series
Untrained Fascination
Heart of the Hunted
Overseer's Chain
Chapter One
The labourers gathered around the announcement board, and Niiva stood behind them.
Rita giggled. “They want us to audition to become peacekeepers.”
Niiva blinked. “What?”
“Peacekeepers. To represent humanity on Imrahl. They want them to take Hunter training, and those that pass will gain a position on one of the teams.” Rita read the information as it scrolled on the screen.
Niiva turned away. “That is fascinating. I am going to finish setting the containers up. See you tomorrow.”
Rita sighed. “Fine, but I think it is right up your alley.”
“I have enough work here.” Niiva kept walking back to the packing area.
Tubers were the harvest of the day. They were eaten by every Rrassic she had ever met. Niiva went over each container and made sure that they weren’t shifting. An unstable load could wreck a shipment.
She was on the twelfth cargo container when her supervisor approached. “Niiva, you have missed the last shuttle to the city... again.”
Niiva looked around and then checked her chronometer. “Oh. I guess I have a long walk ahead of me. Sorry, Supervisor Mreth.”
The Sthik-Rrassic gave her a calm look. The Sthik were always calm, it was what made them such great supervisors for alien races.
“It is fine. Tomorrow is your day off anyway, but for today, take the cycle.”
She frowned. “That is yours.”
“Yes, but I am here late tonight to send out the shipment, and I will just sleep in my office.”
She felt a guilty pang. “I can’t.”
“You can. So, get home, set the cycle to auto return, and if it gets here before I leave, I will take it home. The best chance of that happening is you leaving now.”
Niiva finished tucking in the last of the tubers, and she sealed the unit. “Fine. I am leaving. Good evening, Supervisor Mreth, and I will see you in thirty-six hours.”
Niiva bowed to her supervisor and was a little surprised when he walked her to the equipment garage where the cycle was kept. “You know that tomorrow isn’t my scheduled day.”
“I am aware of it, but I am putting it into your file due to your propensity for working after hours.” He smiled. “The recruiters are also going to be here tomorrow, and I am very happy with your work here, so it is best that you are not here when they arrive.”
“Recruiters? For the new peacekeeping team?”
“Indeed. It is selfish of me, but I do not want you to be snatched away from me.” He blinked. “From our facility.”
She smiled. “I consider you a friend, Supervisor.”
“And I consider you an asset. Now, you remember how to ride the cycle?”
“I do. Can you register me as an authorized driver?”
“I did it before I came to dismiss you for the night. You are cleared and registered to take the cycle wherever you like.”
Niiva grabbed the handles and pushed the cycle out of the holding area. It was a large electric bike that had a computer that was smarter than the supercomputers of most nations. The bike was sized for the seven-foot Rrassic, but it could be driven by a human if she knew what she was doing.
Niiva hopped up and straddled the bike below the seat. She powered it up and pulled on her helmet. Mreth kept it on hand for the humans who needed to make quick runs to other harvesters for staffing support. Niiva used the bike about once a month.
Mreth waved her off, and in the rear screen, she could see him returning to the warehouse.
She revved the cycle and settled onto the bike seat. The drive back to the city would take an hour. She couldn’t approach the speed of the shuttle, but it was a fun ride.
Niiva mulled over Mreth’s motives. Did he want to hide her from the job or from the Rrassic? She had noted a trend in his actions. When other Rrassic came to the warehouse, she was mysteriously sent off to another site where a Sthik was in charge.
She wondered what Mreth knew that he wasn’t telling her. He had been hiding her since her last assessment. She was usually intent on her work, but even she had noticed that he was not letting her come into contact with other Rrassic. Her home was at the edge of the city, and she left before dawn to catch the shuttle out to her worksite. On her days off, she usually just booked in to get her hair done and a massage, sleeping the rest of the day. She socialized at work. Days off were for resting.
The lights of the city were ahead of her, and she leaned into the controls to increase to the edge of legal speed. The acceleration sent frissons of excitement through her, but she had to throttle down as she began to drive past pedestrians.
Her timing could have been better. She had just gotten to an intersection as the indicator changed when a drunk woman staggered into her path. The screech of the sudden stop made the woman flinch, and she stumbled back, falling off her heels and onto her ass.
Niiva sighed and stopped the cycle. She got up and walked around the bike to lift the woman to her feet, but two Regiz-Rrassic got there before her.
“You are not allowed to socialize with the females, human.” One of them growled low.
The woman looked at the two males she was with and immediately went limp again.
The other asked, “Did you hit her with that cycle? What are you doing on one anyway?”
>
She frowned, but they couldn’t see it. She was wearing the helmet, and it hid her from view. Her body was similarly concealed in a boiler suit that also masked her curves.
“I was working overtime and needed to get back to the city. The use of the cycle was authorized. Why weren’t you looking out for your companion when she was obviously inebriated?” It was second nature to go on the attack.
The Regiz snarled at her, and one left their giggling lady with his friend, and he stalked toward her. “Who are you to accuse me of neglect?”
A new voice entered their little conversation. “She’s one of the humans, Rokan. Use your fucking nose.”
A solo Regiz walked up to her and bowed. “I saw the incident, and she fell on her own ass. May I assist you home?”
Niiva shook her head. “Thank you, but no. I am a little done with Rrassic males tonight.”
She turned and got back on the cycle, steering it around the grouping and heading for the safety of her home.
Niiva activated the return function and left the cycle to travel on its own with her helmet tucked under the seat. She walked up the steps, and when she was inside her home, she groaned with relief. Going out and coming home was the tensest part of her day.
She opened the closure of her suit, kicked off her shoes, and walked to the bathroom for a shower and to release her breasts from the binding fabric that she used to keep them out of the way. Her job required a lot of lifting and reaching, and double Ds just didn’t make it easy for her. Tying them down was painful, but it increased her range of motion.
Her shower was amazingly wonderful. She massaged her sore flesh and debated whether or not to masturbate that evening. It had been a tense day, and the release would be welcome, but the pheromones that she would give out might gain her some attention if she forgot to shower in the morning. Smiling, she reached between her thighs and circled her clit. She was in the shower now, so might as well kill two birds with one stone.
* * * *
Argo walked to the peacekeeper dispatch office and headed to his desk. He brought up the registration number of the cycle he had seen and the list of registered users. Today, there was only one human registered for the operation of that cycle. Niiva Dollard. He brought up her stats, and he blinked. It couldn’t be the same woman. No way would he have missed those curves.
He checked through the attendance logs at the harvesting and packaging centre, but everyone else had taken the shuttle home. Where the hell had her breasts gone?
He drummed his fingers on the table and got her ident number. He was scheduled to be in the harvest areas doing recruitment tomorrow. He would meet up with this shapeshifter then.
Her attitude had been amusing. She had stood up to the Hunters as if she expected to win the fight. There was nothing in her file to indicate that she was capable of hand-to-hand combat, but she had been willing to berate the Rrassic around her into submission. That amused him. She had a lot of fire, and if her file information was correct, she was stunning.
Idly, he opened up her medical file and was stuck looking at a blank page. There was no record of her last assessment or the one before that. Was the scent he had caught that of a human in heat? It was sweet and hot at the same time. But, if she was in heat, why didn’t her supervisor send her in? Even Sthik could tell when a female was in season, even if they didn’t want to do anything about it.
The next morning, Argo was standing in front of the workers at the harvesting centre, and one person was missing.
“Supervisor Mreth, where is Niiva Dollard?”
The supervisor cleared his throat. “She has been working overtime, so I granted her an extra day of rest.”
Argo was more suspicious than he had been when he arrived, and as he went through and interviewed the women, looking for signs that they would be suited to law enforcement and asking them one pertinent question. Every woman at the harvesting facility had the same answer when asked, “Who among the women working here would be an excellent peacekeeper?” Every single woman answered, “Niiva.”
The dark look that he gave to the supervisor promised further follow-up on how things had been handled. “I assume you have had a hand in her medical records as well?”
If it were possible for a Sthik to pale, Mreth would have.
Argo checked his chronometer and made a quick calculation. “Right. Sevos, Makrink, I will meet you back at the office. I have one last harvester to interview before this day is done.”
They nodded.
Supervisor Mreth raised his hand. “Can’t we keep her?”
Argo frowned. “If she is more suited to our work than yours... no, you can’t.”
The Sthik slumped his shoulders in defeat.
Argo got on his cycle and drove back to the city. He had a human to interview.
Chapter Two
The auto massager had finished with her an hour ago, and now, Niiva was hanging around her apartment wearing a loose skirt, matching shirt, and no bra. This was definitely the way to relax.
She waved the vid to the next selection and slouched on the couch with her hair loose around her. She giggled and watched the cartoons as they cavorted on the projected screen.
She was enjoying the day off, but because it wasn’t on the schedule, she didn’t have any of her favourite activities booked.
The knock at her door came as a bit of a surprise.
She grunted as she wedged herself off the couch and went to the door. She opened the door to a Regiz-Rrassic. “Hello?”
His mane of golden hair seemed to puff up, and his golden skin appeared to darken. “You are Niiva Dollard?”
“I am. Who are you?” There was something familiar about him. “Oh, wait. I saw you the other day.”
His nostrils flared, and his eyes darkened. “I need to interview you for the position of peacekeeper.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Your harvesting group was selected for interviews today, so as you are not at work, it was necessary to come to you. May I enter your domicile?”
She nodded and stepped back. “Please come in. Can I get you some tea?”
He nodded. “Yes, please. That would be welcome.”
Niiva smiled and waved for him to take a seat. “I will just be a moment.”
* * * *
To say that he was stunned was an understatement. She was striking. Her hair was a tawny wave down her back, her eyes were a piercing green, and her figure was all curves. The shirt she was wearing lifted up slightly and exposed her waist, while the heavy sway of her breasts hypnotized him.
Her measurements were as recorded in the archive, but now that he saw them in action, he couldn’t imagine how she hadn’t been kept in the city or the Breeder quarters.
He inhaled deeply, and another punch to his groin occurred. She was either very receptive, or his nose was deceiving him in the cruellest way.
She returned and set a cup of tea down in front of him. The gesture gave him an unobstructed view into her shirt, and he had to jerk his gaze to one side. Damn.
* * * *
When he looked away, she glanced down and quickly stood so that her neckline wasn’t in full view. “So, what did you want to interview me for?”
“We are assembling a peacekeeping force, which includes humans. Toward that end, we are looking for human females who are willing to undergo the training to act as ambassadors of sorts to ease the conflicts that occur on Imrahl.”
She nodded. “I am content as a harvester.”
“The decision isn’t yours to make. If you are suitable for this new assignment, you will change your occupation.”
Niiva sighed. “I like working as a harvester and packager. I used to work on the family farm, and the labour is mostly the same. A lot of lifting and analyzing.”
He nodded. “I gathered that when your supervisor gave you today off so that you would not be there for the interview process.”
“I did wonder about that.” She didn’t cross her ar
ms over her breasts when she leaned forward to get her own tea. Experience had taught her that it just brought attention to them.
“May I conduct the interview?”
She nodded, and he took out a flat tablet, setting it on the table.
“Please, keep all of your responses verbal.”
She smiled. “I will. Yes, you may conduct the interview.”
“Excellent. Niiva Dollard, do you consider yourself competent?”
“I do.”
“Do you know your strength level?”
She frowned. “I don’t know about the level, but I can comfortably lift my own weight or slightly above it.”
He raised his brows in response to that. “Do you have a strong moral sense?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any formal combat training?”
“No. Nothing formal.”
“Are you sexually receptive right now?”
The question caught her off guard. “What?”
“Are you sexually receptive right now?”
“Not that I am aware of.”
He nodded. “Do you consider yourself to have fast reflexes?”
“I do.”
“Do you consider yourself able to manage most vehicles on Imrahl?”
“I definitely do.”
“Why would your supervisor keep you from applying for this position?”
“I believe he likes that I do half of his job as well as the job of two harvesters. And I can spot and destroy local predators. It means we don’t have to scream for him when they come in on a shipment.”
He nodded. “Good. There is just one more thing.”