“No! What are they doing?” She yanked her arm, trying to free herself.
“A little experiment.” He stared at the tableau on the other side of the window. “I was supposed to have you a little longer, but my bastard grandson found us sooner than I thought.”
She reached for calm. “Let Tylan go. It’s me they want.”
His chuckle was evil, horrible. And familiar. He’d been there before, when she’d been taken. “These two Ang are hoping to undo the prophecy I’ve set in motion.” His hand tightened on her neck, pressing her cheek to the glass. “Since you wouldn’t cooperate, I offered them Tylan. Think about the possibilities.”
“What are you talking about?” She swallowed, her throat dry.
“These Ang are as interested in Tylan’s DNA profile as they are in yours.” He kept up the pressure on her neck, forcing her to watch. “And they will pay me well.”
Tylan started to convulse, blood spattering his mouth. He screamed, his muscles rigid and clenched.
Shasta stared, horrified, as the majority of his scales dropped away and his body changed, morphing into something else. Tears fell down her cheeks helplessly as Tylan screamed again.
“Do you know what they seek?” The Dormrelian’s putrid breath was hot on her ear. “They are hoping for a miracle, to produce another Donny Pasquel.” Andev’s grandfather smiled, and the cruel upturn of his lips seemed insane to Shasta who could only see it from the corner of her eye. “But they will fail. I hold the key to the future.”
Tylan suddenly relaxed and looked dead. Shasta, enraged, turned her fury on the man who held her captive. The man had neglected to restrain her hands, fascinated by the torture in the other room. She reached up, fast as lightning, gouging his upper eyes with her fingers. He howled in pain, and she aimed a blow at his neck. His knees hit the floor, and she slammed her foot into his throat. He coughed, blood flecked on his lips.
With all her might, she jammed her fist into the tender flesh at his throat, knowing that’s where the biggest artery ran to the alien’s brain. He fell over like a big tree. She retrieved his blaster and the rifle slung over his shoulder. Then, she stepped cautiously into the hallway.
* * * *
It didn’t take long to put together Andev’s team. He contacted Elise Pasquel and explained the situation and what he wanted. While he tried to find the Ang ship and put together a plan of attack, Michael Tarune used an Omega shuttle, one of the fastest in the system, to come to Dormrela.
Andev met him at the shuttle bay. The man didn’t offer his hand but glared at him. “Well?”
In about twenty words, Andev told him what happened.
“What the hell do you want me for?” Michael snapped.
Andev studied him. “I heard a rumor once about a man who went undercover to investigate the Sidharta. He was human, but he knew more than anyone else about every location of the group.”
Michael’s face was completely blank. “Only rumors.”
Fine then. Andev’s nostrils flared, and he sighed. “You were Shasta’s childhood friend. They’ve had her for two days now. She’s going to need you.”
Michael blinked. “You think it’s that bad?”
“I was connected to her when my grandfather gave an injection of S.E.X. to Tylan. It’s pretty clear that the Ang have some plan in mind. And that’s never good.”
“Alright. Let’s hear the plan.” Michael clapped Andev on the shoulder. “We’ll get her back.”
There was no doubt in Andev’s mind about that. He just didn’t know what would be left of the woman he loved when he found her.
“We’ve located the Ang ship. It’s twenty light years from here orbiting a deserted moon base they used when they occupied our planet.”
“What facilities do they have?”
“It used to be an old Ang battleship. They’ve probably updated it.” Andev glanced at the other man. “I’ll show you the long range vids we have.”
“How many men?”
“There are twenty life signs currently.” Andev couldn’t keep the fear from his tone. At any moment, the Ang could kill the two people who meant everything to him.
“Your team?”
“Ten and you.”
Michael shot him a surprised glance. “That’s all?”
Actually, he didn’t want to take a large force against the Ang for other reasons. He could imagine what the vid streamers would make of the whole thing. “Small means quiet.”
“Stealth then,” Michael said as if he’d read Andev’s thoughts.
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ve got my own weapons, but I’ll need one of your cysuits.”
Andev raised his eyebrows. “Why?”
“Let’s not reveal my presence if we don’t have to,” he said. “It might cause complications.”
True. Already the council had enough controversy. The corruption of the captured council members had gone deeper than anyone knew. Transmissions with not only the Ang, but Earth Central, had caused a furor that still hadn’t died down. The Sidharta had done what Councilwoman Patel had thought they would and defended the fallen council members. This led to the revelations the loyal council members had wanted. Human hybrids existed on Dormrela.
The resulting firestorm had been surprising to the remaining council. Dormrelians turned on the Sidharta with an overwhelming majority. Apparently, it was the Pasquel women that turned the tide. Elise, of course, was almost worshipped because she’d brought so much of Dormrela’s culture to light and had once defied the Ang and the Dormrela. Sierra had won the hearts of a people who admired strength of purpose and dedication. Someone released various vids of Shasta’s heroic efforts during the war with Earth Central, and her plight drew sympathy from all of his people.
For the first time in his life, Andev felt like he was truly part of his heritage. It shocked him that many came forward claiming that they had human DNA but had hidden it from fear of being different. His people had paid for the experiments done on them by the Ang, but the results saved the planet from civil war. The small number of pure Dormrela were completely silenced by the majority, and the council was resoundingly supported. Some called for war with the Ang, but cooler heads prevailed.
The Ang denied all knowledge of the kidnapping.
But Michael was right. Alien interference, even someone who was human, would be regarded with a hostile eye. “Alright. A cysuit then.”
“When do we attack?”
“We were waiting for you. I’d like to leave in the next hour.”
“Let’s get to it then.” Michael strode ahead of him, and Andev had hope that he could save his mates.
If they were still alive.
* * * *
How long had it been? Shasta had hidden in the air vent above the room where they kept Tylan sedated. Whatever they had done to him had changed him dramatically. Beneath his scales, he had a layer of skin that had, at first, been rather brown looking. But since it had been exposed, it lightened until it was a lighter beige color. His facial scales disappeared, and so did one set of his eyes, falling out with a plop. Two of his arms shriveled up at an alarming rate and dropped off the second day during one of his frequent seizures.
He screamed in pain whenever he awakened. The Ang immediately injected him with something that caused him to go limp. Twice Shasta had barely avoided a search grid that swept through the air vents. Both times she was able to slide outside the vent and cling to some protruding hooks in the ceiling. She would hang just over Tylan, her feet braced on two rings and her hands clutched on two others. The first time, she’d done it expecting the cameras to pick up her presence, but when no one came, she waited until the sweep was finished and climbed back into the vent.
Lack of food and water, however, was taking its toll. At this rate, she’d be unable to walk, much less fight her way out of this mess.
Tylan woke up that second day and didn’t scream in pain. His two eyes blinked rapidly. He gazed around the room. His
nostrils flared. “Shasta?”
She desperately wanted him to know she was there, but couldn’t. They watched him, she knew.
An Ang came in, its eyes high on their stalks and an MI around its throat. “Your transition is complete.” A second Ang arrived. Those fuckers always came in pairs.
“What transition?” Tylan croaked out. His eyes were frantic, trying to look down at his body.
The Ang’s partner checked a screen and spoke to the first Ang. “I’m sorry, but you will not survive.” The pronouncement from the Ang sounded cold and distant through the monotone MI. Shasta put a hand over her mouth to keep her noise of distress from escaping.
“What did you do to me?” Tylan shouted and yanked on his restraints.
“Though we were successful in changing you into the fully human form that was recessive in your DNA profile, we cannot stop the degradation of your nervous system.” The alien’s gaze didn’t waver. “Only Shasta Pasquel’s DNA could stop the decay of your nerve cells, but she has escaped.”
Tylan grinned, a painful shadow of his former cocky smile. “Good. I’d rather die than let you assholes have her. Her life is worth any price.”
“From what I have seen, she would have been better in our care. She has lived a life of inanity and debauchery.” The Ang turned its back on Tylan.
“You don’t know anything about her, do you?” Tylan focused his gaze on the ceiling and seemed to look right through the vent to where she hid. “She’s one of the strongest women I know.”
The two aliens exchanged a weird glance with their stalks and then the first Ang seemed puzzled, its color changing to a strange light blue. “You are in love with her? She is mated to another.”
Something shifted in Tylan’s gaze. “I know that.”
“Yet, you care fore her.”
“She belongs to Andev.” The way Tylan said Andev’s name suddenly made sense to Shasta. Tylan loved Andev. Not just the “hide the dick” kind of lust that fades into something less potent. Something infinite and stronger than just friendship. And he cared for her because of Andev. Complicated shit.
“Does she love you?” the Ang asked him.
“No, of course not!” Tylan pursed his lips.
“I think she does. And if she knew—”
Shasta couldn’t take anymore. She slid the vent open and dropped down. “You can stop now. I’m sure you knew I was there.”
She expected them to restrain her, keep her imprisoned. But she wasn’t going to let them torment Tylan anymore. “You will use my DNA to save him and let him go.” Tylan cared for her because he loved Andev. This was the best solution. The Ang had always wanted one of them. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
“Shasta, no!” Tylan strained against the leather straps. “What are you doing?”
“I have no ties other than an arranged mating.” Might as well keep that fiction alive. She kept her gaze on the two aliens. “If you go back on your word, I will not cooperate. You may keep me, but I won’t be willing. My father will crush you. If I’m here of my own free will, he’ll have to accept it.”
They stared at her. The only sound in the room was the whir of the equipment and Tylan’s harsh breathing. Then one of them strode around the operating table and held up a syringe.
It wasn’t easy, but Shasta remained still as the alien inserted the needle in her vein. For all she knew, they were injecting her with something as they took her blood. When the syringe slid out of her arm, she held her breath. Whatever happened now, she was committed.
The Ang injected her blood into a machine that was hooked up to Tylan. The man convulsed, and Shasta rushed to him, holding his head and brushing away his hair. He shouted and gritted his teeth as every muscle in his body contracted. Guilt ripped through Shasta. It hadn’t worked. He was going to die, and she hadn’t stopped it at all.
“Twice,” he croaked out through tight lips.
“What?” She stared, his eyes wide open.
“Twice you’ve save me. Why?”
“Why else?” she quipped. “Your sexy smile.”
His eyes drifted closed, and he relaxed. She studied him until she was convinced that he was sleeping normally and then she faced her captors. “Put him on a shuttle and take him back to Dormrela. When I see he’s safely home, I’ll send a transmission to my father.”
“Why would you sacrifice your life for this man?” The second Ang had slid over beside its partner.
“He would do it for me,” she stated. I did it for Andev. Because I love him and I always will.
And she would be fulfilling her destiny. Ironic.
Alarms blared, and the room darkened briefly. The first Ang spoke quickly to the second, and they gripped her on either side, their tentacles slippery and tight around her arm, and turned to the door. She closed her eyes. They would take her now, to their laboratory and perhaps Shasta Pasquel would do some good before she died.
But before the Ang could do anything, an explosion in the corridor threw them all to the floor. Shasta was flung several feet from the Ang. She glanced up, and her heart jumped to her throat. A group of huge Dormrelian warriors poured into the hallway.
It was a jumbled mess as rebel Dormrelian warriors fought the rescuers. The first Ang was dead, its fragile brains scattered over the floor. The second Ang was bent over its companion’s body, its skin a bright, neon orange. A horrific sound broke through the cacophony of fighting, and Shasta realized it was the Ang.
She clapped her hands over her ears, but the penetrating sound vibrated all around her.
Stop the noise! Stop it! Memories flooded her mind and shattered her into a million tiny pieces. Abruptly, every single moment of her capture as a child came back to her in all its terror and all its ugliness.
A blaster shot ripped through the Ang like a knife through butter, its guts oozing all over the floor.
Shasta screamed and screamed.
The big Dormrela swung his hand and slapped her. She flew backwards, unable to stay on her feet against the force of his strike. “Stop screaming, you little human bitch.”
She refused to allow this monster to tell her what to do. After all, she didn’t let anyone tell her what to do. She opened her mouth to scream more, and he punched her in the belly.
She couldn’t breathe. Gasping, she doubled over, pain ripping through her. She’d never been hit before. Not even Kinley had hurt her and she’d gotten pretty mad at her. Why was this alien so angry with her? She hadn’t done do anything.
Except been born.
Helpless tears dripped from her eyes, and she couldn’t have stopped them if she wanted to. A painful grip on her hair only made it worse. The Dormrelian jerked her head back and it was then she realized he’d taken his pants off.
She was twelve. Oh stars, help me!
It wasn’t the first time she’d seen an erect penis, but all those other times had been by accident when she’d walked in on colonists who had been under the influence of S.E.X. Her mother had explained the mechanics of it and told her she wasn’t to ever let anyone touch her. Ever. Not until she was old enough. Her mother’s gray eyes had been sad when she explained to Shasta that, on other planets, a child didn’t know about these things, but Asberek made things more difficult.
She’d made Shasta promise to talk to her about any questions and not to do anything until she was older. And here this alien had his big penis shoved in her face. She kept her gaze on the floor, embarrassed and confused.
“Stop!” a male voice, childish, young, sounded from the door. “I’ll do it. Leave her alone.”
Shasta glanced up, and the big male smiled. It was an ugly grin she swore she’d never forget. When she was out of here, when she was free, she’d find this one. She’d slit his throat, kill him slowly.
The vicious thought surprised her, and she immediately lowered her eyes. He’d see it, she knew. When the big Dormrelian stepped away, gentle fingers lifted her chin, and she met the gaze of another Dormrelian male. His e
yes were brown, kind and concerned. They weren’t mocking or hateful.
He glanced back at the big warrior. “I want the two-way and the vids off.” This one didn’t look old enough to be telling the other male what to do, but the warrior narrowed his eyes and then nodded.
“My name is Andev. Just let me…” He struggled for words.
“Fuck me.” She finished the sentence for him, using the word she had only heard but knew nothing about.
“Listen to me, Shasta Pasquel, I have a secret I’m going to share with you. One that if you tell anyone, I’ll be killed.” He kept his fingers gentle on her chin, but didn’t touch her anywhere else.
She was intrigued. “You are? Why?”
“Because I’m as trapped as you are. I don’t know why the Ang want this, but they forced this on both of us.”
“How old are you?” she blurted out.
“Twelve.”
“I’m twelve.” She blinked away a few tears. “I don’t understand.”
“Me neither but we don’t have a choice. Don’t fight me and I’ll be fast.” He glanced at the two-way window.
Then, he reached up and pressed a button on the upper right side of his chest. Like magic, the scales and two of his arms disappeared.
He was human.
Relief made her sag against the wall. “You’re—” He put his hand over her mouth and shook his head.
“Trust me, Shasta. I won’t hurt you if I can help it.”
It was his concerned expression, like he wasn’t sure of himself, that made her willing to let him…let him. She closed her eyes briefly. Then, she took a deep breath. She smiled, even though her lips were trembling. “Okay.”
“Shasta!” It was Tylan, stumbling out of the operating room.
Laser fire burned the wall next to him, and she vaulted to her feet to cover him. On a dead Dormrelian warrior, she found a blaster and sprinted toward Tylan.
His human limbs seem to be a bit wobbly, and he fell to his knees. A Dormrelian broke through the corridor, his shout echoing in Shasta’s ears. She didn’t think she’d get to Tylan’s side before the Dormrelian lopped off his head with the huge archaic sword he whished through the air. Just as the sword sliced toward Tylan, Shasta got a shot off, and the sword clattered to the floor.
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