by Viola Grace
She whispered, “So, if a Saya has a child, does it have a higher chance of being a Saya?”
Argo shrugged. “Saya tend to remain alone, so I don’t believe it has ever been tested.”
“That’s sad. Every other kind of Rrassic can seek companionship. Why not the Saya?”
“Saya can read the minds of anyone near them. That is not a comfortable thing for most.”
Niiva frowned. “Nor for the Saya. That would suck.”
“Apparently, it is why they prefer solitude. The Saya who works with the overseer is the only one allowed a dwelling outside the city.”
Niiva’s attention was fixed on the building. “What is the fail rate of the canisters?”
“Gestation, in general, can have a success rate as low as five percent with certain species blends. With humans, there will be a five to ten percent rejection rating at the most. We are a very close match.”
“Now that alterations to the humans have been made.”
He sighed. “Yes, that as well.”
Their vehicle came to a halt, and the driver got out to release them from the car. They had been held captive in the back during the ride and would be searched on the way out. The Rrassic took their new offspring seriously, and no one was going to have a chance to steal them away to a wild colony world.
Niiva had learned about the wild colonies the night before while lying in Argo’s arms, and she thought about them as she noted all the security in place for the protection of the next generation. Humans had been stolen and taken off world. This was one of the reasons that peacekeepers were essential. If a human saw something, she needed to feel safe in calling for help.
They checked in at the desk and were assigned a medic for their tour.
“In the future, you need only check in at the desk, and you will be able to go and visit your offspring whenever you like.”
The medic was a Zjin-Rrassic. His stripes and heavily muscled shoulders looked a little out of place in the blue medic uniform. Niiva was used to the unrelieved black that the Rrassic wore.
“How quickly will the cells develop?” She was not able to imagine them as children.
“Five months from now the decanting will occur. You will be called for the event, and you can decide if you want to raise your children for a few years or to put them in a creche. Both options are available.” The medic smiled kindly.
Argo put his arm around her. “We will discuss it.”
Niiva was holding her breath as they took a secured lift to the floor where the canisters were installed.
It looked like a library waiting for books. There was one shelf that was occupied, and Niiva walked straight for it.
There was a set of three canisters nestled together, and they all had little silvery babies halfway through development. Another canister a few spaces away had a slightly smaller developing creature, but the fifth visibly occupied canister had a nearly fully developed baby in it. The child had slightly pointed ears, and its sex couldn’t be determined from the angle it was lying in, but it looked nearly ready to be born.
“Wow. It’s huge.”
The medic chuckled. “We were lucky that an accelerator was found among your people. We hope that she is receptive again soon, but time will tell.”
On a shelf to her right were two glowing canisters, and she smiled at the miniscule specks that were floating around in them.
“My tiny contributions to the world. Oh, and Argo’s, of course.” She smiled at him. She leaned forward to look, but the medic put his hand on her shoulder.
He walked to the edge of the shelf, and with a smooth motion, he pulled out a lens. With an easy stride, he moved back to her and arranged the lens in front of the first canister.
“Oh, wow. It is a little cluster. A teeny ball.” She felt Argo next to her, and she moved over so he could look.
To her astonishment, he blinked rapidly to clear his vision. Smiling, she took his hand and squeezed it.
She looked at the medic. “What are the options for viability? The likelihood of survival.”
“The cellular replication is energetic and proceeding according to our estimates. They are both girls, by the way.”
Argo swayed.
She held him and moved the lens over to the next canister. “Look, she has your eyes.”
The medic snorted, and Argo narrowed his eyes at her.
“Not funny.”
“No, but they are cells right now, and I have helped to inseminate enough cows to know that not every start has a happy ending. When they are past the sixty percent development mark, I will be more impressed. For now, I just can’t get myself involved for fear of what is likely to happen.”
Argo put his arms around her. “We are better at taking care of our developing population than cows are. I was grown in a canister like this from cells donated by one of our breeding queens, as were all of the Rrassic here. The egg supply has run out, so now, we are trying to work through this in the most direct way possible. The women who can breed with us will supply the population for the next generation.”
She sighed against him and inhaled his sunny and spicy scent. “What about those who can’t?”
“They will still help by assisting us with supporting the next generation.”
“Well, that is something, I guess.” She muttered it against his chest. “When I figured out what I was, I never expected this.”
“Everyone here was grown in a canister, just as our children will be. With the alterations to our physiology, it would be dangerous for you to attempt a standard pregnancy.”
“You don’t get it. I never thought I would be able to have children. I mean, why else have clones?”
He chuckled, and he stroked her hair. “The term Breeders didn’t tip you off?”
“I thought that was just about sex.”
He chuckled. “That is a very important part of it. The men here were chosen because their features matched what the majority of humans consider to be attractive. Other species have different interests, so on other worlds, the Rrassic have a different appearance.”
The medic cleared his throat. “Is she authorized for that information?”
Argo spoke over her head. “She is aware of the origin of her kind on Imrahl. She got the information on her own.”
The medic made a small noise. “Has she informed anyone?”
Niiva spoke against Argo’s chest. “She has not. It would not help her people to have this concern on their shoulders and would destabilize many. I don’t want to hurt any of the women here.”
The medic sighed and nodded. “Well, your two daughters are healthy for now. Feel free to come back at any time to visit them.”
Niiva looked back at the tiny blobs under the magnification of the lens. “I will think about.”
The medic walked away, and Niiva went to look at the little blobs. “What do you want to name them?”
Argo chuckled and wrapped his arms around her again. “What do you want to name them?”
“Abigail and Teeree.” She wrinkled her nose and stroked the canisters in turn.
“Good names. Once decanted, they will be Abigail and Teeree Niiva-Argo.”
She chuckled. “Niiva-Argo?”
“If you choose another mate, his name will come last on his offspring.”
“Right. So, it is a built-in genetic tracking.”
“Correct.”
She leaned her head against him. “Do you think I am going to seek out another mate?”
“We do not know much about each other yet. That seems to be an important side of human mating practices.”
Niiva nodded. “True, but some of us go on instinct, as flawed as it is.”
“I have enjoyed your instinct.”
She chuckled. “I have enjoyed yours as well, but I still don’t know why you tracked me down.”
He chuckled and squeezed her. “Because you faced off against two Regiz with nothing to defend yourself but the helmet.”
; “Interesting. So, my attitude attracted you? I thought all the Regiz were obsessed with appearance.”
“We are, but some of us are aberrant and actually seek out females with aggressive tendencies.”
“Perverts.”
He leaned down and nipped her ear. “You appeared to enjoy it.”
“It seems so long ago. I think you need to refresh my memory.” She turned in his arms and looked up through her lashes.
His mood went from teasing to tense in a second. The vein in his neck pulsed under the gold of his hide.
“I believe we should get back to your quarters.”
She smiled. “I thought that shopping was also on the agenda.”
He sighed, and it was a rough sound. “Right. Will you promise not to be suggestive while we choose your new wardrobe?”
“I will try. I probably won’t succeed, but I will try.”
He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. “Try hard.”
She blinked, and her body warmed. “Now, who is being suggestive?”
His smile at the close range showed a lot more fang than she remembered him having. Her memory went back to the feel of those teeth in her neck, and her good intentions wavered.
“Right. Go, shop, home.” She pushed at him, and he chuckled, leading the way out of the library because she couldn’t think of anything else to call it in her mind.
“Yes, pet.”
She was going to have to get him to stop calling her that, but keeping her breathing even and her pulse normal was her primary focus. Her muscles were still sore, but she had a very good idea of what to do to loosen them up.
Horizontal therapy was something to look forward to.
Chapter Eight
The shopping took an hour, and there were quite a few Rrassic who came by the shop door to watch her trying on clothing. Some of those guys had a fetish that needed attending to.
The sports tops were her favourite acquisition. She was delighted with the supply she had gotten and a little surprised that she was being issued with a peacekeeper uniform before she had finished her training.
They were back in the secured vehicle and on their way to the Breeder compound when she asked, “Why the gowns?”
Argo shrugged. “If you want to go to any of the social events, you might want to wear a gown. There are socials and dances nearly every night of the week, and it is an excellent way to socialize with the other Breeders as well as any that you might prefer as a match.”
She tensed her lips. “Stop offering me other males. It makes me want to hesitate instead of crawling into your lap until we are both exhausted.”
The driver glanced back at her, and she smiled slightly.
He exhaled slowly and continued until they were going through the initial security gate. It seemed he had to focus the entire way.
Niiva smiled at him as she left the vehicle, and Argo carefully bustled her into the complex. They registered in, and then, they walked to the stairs that would take them up to her floor. A gathering of women was in the atrium, and there was a lot of giggling.
“What is going on there?”
Argo glanced back and kept walking. “They are teaching the ins and out of sex with the Rrassic.”
Niiva chuckled. “There is certainly a lot of that if you do it right.”
He growled, and she sprinted up the steps, fighting the muscles in her legs that told her she was done for the day.
Staggering to her door, she opened it with the signal from the wrist band that she and all the other humans had gotten when they were assigned to their workplaces.
She grunted as she walked into her apartment, and she glanced back to see Argo closing and latching the manual lock on her door.
Niiva waited. “What is on the agenda tomorrow?”
“More combat practice and you might get to beat up the simulator.” He moved toward her with a slow and deliberate step.
Niiva blinked. He was stalking her. She decided to derail him a little. She kicked off her shoes and loosened the closure of her trousers, letting them drop to the floor.
He froze in place.
She grinned and lifted her tunic over her head, dropping it to the ground before she skimmed out of her panties and then her bra. “Sir, I believe that I have plans for you, and it involves you seated comfortably so I can have my way with you. Nudity is preferable.”
His tunic hit her in the face, and by the time she clawed it away, he was pulling the last tube of fabric from his leg. He was gold from head to toe, and his erection was flared with a slick head.
She grinned and beckoned to him, walking back into the living room and pointing to the couch. “Sit.”
He reached for her, and she stepped back. “Sit.”
His frown should have been unattractive, but she wanted to stroke his brow and nibble at his lower lip.
When he was seated, she walked toward him and kissed his lips. He threaded his hand into her hair, so the duelling of his tongue with hers was enough to make her pulse thump in her groin.
She braced one hand on his shoulder, and the other reached between his thighs to stroke him slowly. He shuddered, and she felt more of his teeth and a slight prick on the inside of her lip. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. “So, this time, I am in charge. Next time, you can have your turn again.”
He grinned. “Excellent.”
She knew she was wet and she would have no difficulty getting him inside her. Holding off her own orgasm would be the difficult part. She was nearly cumming, and all she had was an alien warrior at her mercy.
She slowly straddled his hips and set her knees next to his hips, reaching between their bodies and moving his cock into contact with her wet folds.
He shuddered. “Do you know what you are doing?”
She shook her head. “Nope. This is an experiment, but if it works, I would like to do it again.”
She felt the tip of him slip inside her, and she looked up to meet his gaze as she lowered herself slowly and deliberately until the width of his slightly tapering penis got stuck. She gripped his shoulders and slowly pulled herself up again, and a deep and ragged sigh went through her at the delicious sensation.
“Let me help.”
She looked at him, and he slid his hands under her shaking thighs. She smiled. “Thank you. Today might not have been the best day for this.”
He chuckled. “Let me be the judge of that.”
He slowly lowered her, and she closed her eyes at the blissful feeling of fullness. A sharp exhalation as he lifted her again and a slight mewl of disappointment escaped her throat. She frowned. “One day I am going to have you pinned under me.”
“Today is not that day, but I do look forward to it.” He grinned and lowered her on his cock once again.
She whimpered, and he repeated the motion, lifting and dropping her with a steady rhythm until she dug her nails in his shoulders. Her hoarse scream when her body bucked and clutched at him was swallowed by his mouth. He held her in place and shuddered as his hips bucked upward in short bursts.
When they unlocked from each other, she dropped her head to his shoulder. “That was fun, but I sort of...”
“What?” He ran a hand down her sweaty back.
“I sort of missed the bite.”
“It will happen again when you are receptive.”
“So, ovulating.”
“Or just on the edge of it. Some of the other variants of Rrassic have specific methods for spurring ovulation. I have to wait until you are ready.”
She chuckled and burrowed into his arms with his cock still throbbing inside her. “It looks like we have a tense month of waiting.”
“Well, there are many things that we can try that would be easier if we weren’t trying to get into a position where I can bite you.”
She laughed. “You have plans?”
“Fantasies that spring to life whenever you touch me.”
“That isn’t all that springs to life.” She did a slow
stirring circle with her hips.
“Ah, yes. I am glad that the uniform contains a tailored tunic.” There was a distinct amusement in his tone.
She sighed and simply held him, breathing in the scent of sex. “Why did you take some of my blood?”
He chuckled. “You caught that?”
“I did.”
“I was keying myself to you.” He stroked his hands up and down her back.
“Why?”
“So that even if you are urged to mate with another male, I will remain faithful.”
She blinked and looked up at him with a scowl. “The contract that was read out to us said that they couldn’t force us to take multiple mates.”
“They can’t, but it might be requested of you regardless. I am keeping myself on standby for you at all times.”
“That is very well and good, but it isn’t going to happen. The more I learn about you, the more I like you.”
She accepted his kiss, but she was still perturbed that he would think she would move on to another man.
He lifted his mouth from hers. “I am more than willing to father as many of your children as I can, but they are trying to draw the line at twenty children per breeding pair. We might reach that limit within the year if your cycle matches your scent.”
“What does that mean?”
“You smell like you are approaching heat again, but it has only been a day since the last extraction. Your hormone levels should not be this high.”
She pressed her forehead to his chest. “They shouldn’t have selected me. This isn’t a problem I want to pass to my daughters.”
“Knowing what the issue is, gene therapies can be applied while the girls develop. Did you know that you have abnormal muscle, ligament, and bone development?”
“Uh, no. I didn’t.”
“Your children will be stronger and more durable than the standard human-Rrassic hybrid.”
She rubbed her cheek against his chest, enjoying the sensation. “Really? That’s a good thing.”
“Yes. It will take a few weeks to determine the effects of our particular blend of genes, but once we find out how many offspring we are allowed, we can make plans for the future.”
She sighed and relaxed in his arms.