by M. A. Church
I stared wide-eyed at Keyno, frozen, my mouth hanging open in shock. I was stunned, my mind filled to overflowing with confusion like a light bulb when it goes bad and starts flickering unpredictably. I'll carry our child? Jesus, no wonder their race is dying out. They need a course on human anatomy, stat.
"Dale..." Keyno's worried voice finally snapped me back to this cosmic joke that he'd just dropped in my lap.
Hysterical laughter bubbled out of me. My head started pounding again as wave after wave of laughter rolled over me. I clutched my sides as tears poured down my face, while I all but screamed with laughter. Well, the joke's on him.
"I can't... I don't..." I tried to rein in my emotions. "Oh, God, I don't have the right type of equipment to have a child. I assumed you would be the one—"
"DNA," Keyno said. "Actually, what we use is genetic Tah'Narian DNA. When we find a mate, a little of our own DNA is added. It's just a strand, not enough to cause problems in our young though. It's why Chad has a black streak in his hair that matches Gibor's hair, and you'll have a white streak to match my hair color."
That one word shut me down completely, and whatever he said after DNA was lost on me. If I hadn't been so freaked by what he'd just told me, I probably would've remembered about the DNA. And because of the disease, I'd been double-dosed. All of this came crashing down on me. Everything my sister had complained about so far during her pregnancy came hurtling back at me.
I remembered her bent over the toilet vomiting like she'd never stop every single morning, and it wasn't just in the mornings. She dashed to the bathroom throughout the day, non-stop, for the first four months. She didn't gain weight; she lost so much weight the doctor talked about putting her on IVs if it didn't stop. I remembered her constant phone calls to my mother, the frank conversations that nobody in the house could escape about everything from sensitive nipples to increased urination.
When she finally did begin gaining weight, she ballooned, and that was a nightmare, too. I knew more about heartburn, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, gas, and hemorrhoids than any man had a right to know, all because of my sister's mood swings, which were as fierce as a T-Rex with hemorrhoids. Her endless griping about stretch marks, swollen feet, and her aching back had been more recent, and honestly, more welcome. Anything was more welcome than hearing about her digestive problems and the baby's cravings. This was what cycled through my mind as I thought about my aching body and my pounding head. More than once my sister had snapped that women had babies because men could never handle being pregnant.
A spike of pain shot through my skull and my guts twisted. With a clarity that terrified me, I remembered the birthing DVD my sister had insisted the whole family watch, both the Caesarian section and the "natural" vaginal birth with an episiotomy. That was it; my reptilian brain took over and the fight-or-flight mechanism kicked in.
"I—I can't do this... thought I c-could..." I stammered, breaking out in a cold sweat as I threw the covers off me and scrambled out of bed. I didn't know where the hell I thought I could run to, stuck in a starship out in the middle of space, but my brain had told my body to run, so it was going to run.
Keyno gently wrapped his arms around me as I stumbled past him, hugging me close as he lifted me off my feet and into his arms. I promptly burst into tears, and mortified at my reaction, hid my face against Keyno's chest. I couldn't seem to make up my mind whether I wanted to push him away, drag him closer, or punch his lights out. He tried to hug me, and while I threw one arm around his neck hugging him back, the other beat at him ineffectively and shoved against him as I wept and shuddered.
"Shhh, it'll be all right. Your hormones are raging out of control right now." Keyno gently tucked me back in bed. "I know it's hard, and gods, you've had so much to try and adjust to."
"You're taking my manhood away from me!" I wailed, completely undone.
"Do you consider me less of a male?" Keyno softly asked, holding me closely.
I stared at him through what was left of my tears. Well hell, how could I possibly consider him anything but pure, unadulterated male? Dear God, if there was anyone who was the definition of male, it was Keyno. His body was damn near perfect and I hadn't seen all of him. What I had seen was well-defined, sculpted, and toned to perfection, a sensual work of art that was magnificent and made my mouth water.
"No, I think you're perfect—I mean, perfectly male." I felt myself turning red at what I had let slip.
"Do you have any idea what I would give just to have the ability once more to have our young?" Keyno asked, his hand clenching and unclenching. "My race had that ability, but lost it because we were greedy."
Whoa, what? That pulled me out of what was fast becoming a first-class hissy fit. "What in the hell does greed have to do with bearing children?" I was completely confused with the way this conversation was going.
"We call them 'young', not children." Keyno stood up and fixed me a glass of water. "Here, drink this; you need to keep hydrated."
I accepted the water as Keyno sat beside me. "As I told you, we attacked a planet called Onfre. We greatly underestimated their defensive capabilities."
"I know that."
"We didn't need to attack them, Dale. They hadn't attacked us, and they posed no threat to our race. Our attack was motivated by greed, pure and simple, and we paid dearly for it. In retaliation for our attack, they seeded our atmosphere with a chemical called FIVEBASE LR8E. It destroyed the part of our reproduction system that produces eggs, what you would call the female half of our reproductive system."
"Yes, I know. That was pretty—actually, that's damn devious."
"Without the ability to produce eggs, we've been forced to find new ways to reproduce. In the beginning, we tried in vitro fertilization with females from other planets. I think they do that on earth, don't they?"
I nodded. "Yes. It doesn't always work, and I've heard it can be really expensive, but it helps some couples who can't conceive have the kids they've always wanted." I gave him a look that I hoped wasn't as resentful as it felt. "I take it that didn't work for you guys?"
Keyno looked as sad as I'd ever seen him. "The results were disastrous."
I frowned. "Why? What happened?"
"Even supplemented with our DNA, the females' hormones couldn't be raised to sufficient levels to carry a Tah'Narian fetus to full-term. Every pregnancy self-terminated and the females went mad, completely insane. We discovered later that it's the XY nature of male chromosomes that makes them so malleable and receptive to our DNA, as opposed to female chromosomes, which lack that Y chromosome—" Keyno broke off, a grin on his face. "Your eyes are glazing over."
"Um, I never took anything past Biology I," I admitted. "I'm lucky I know why my eyes are this color. But what about cloning?"
Keyno snorted. "Because cloning through somatic cell nuclear transfer is simply inefficient. The success rate is practically nonexistent. Problems include the enucleated egg and the transferred nucleus not being compatible. Sometimes an egg with a newly transferred nucleus may not begin to divide or develop properly."
"I hate science."
"I'm not fond of it, either. Anyway, the few clones that do survive tend to be much bigger at birth than their natural counterparts. They tend to have abnormally large organs. This can lead to breathing, blood flow, and other problems. But since this doesn't always occur, our scientists cannot reliably predict whether it will happen in any given clone. Also, some clones have developed kidney or brain malformations and impaired immune systems, which can cause problems later. Every clone died by age ten, Dale. We haven't found a reliable way to clone."
"Jesus."
"Then there's the fact that the embryo might not implant in the surrogate. Or the pregnancy itself might fail. Well, suffice to say, we figured out pretty quickly that females from any species weren't going to solve our problem. Even if we could've used them as vessels to carry our young, it wouldn't have solved the problems of finding lifemates."
> "Vessels to carry young?" I asked softly. In my mind I thought of every science fiction horror film I'd ever seen, images of pods with humans inside flashing on the screen inside my head.
"Dale, we have the right to try to survive."
"No matter who you use as baby-making machines," I muttered.
I heard a soft, mewling sound, and looked at Keyno, but he wasn't looking at me. He had turned away, staring past me, his tail swishing like an agitated house cat. I didn't like that quiet sound, though I couldn't explain why. It... hurt me. I reached out and tentatively took his hand, and when he didn't jerk away from me, I pulled his hand into my lap, lacing our fingers together.
"You know, Dale," Keyno said, his voice low. "My race ended up going through a revolt over the decisions made by the previous ruler: the wars, the raids, the breeding experiments. You have no idea what it's like to live in a society on the edge of chaos."
"What I've studied didn't talk about that. I guess I haven't gotten to that part yet."
"You won't, either. All that is not included. It's something my people aren't proud of. It was a horrible, bloody time." Keyno sighed. "And the result of our greed seems to be ever-reaching. What I told you is the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot more, but that can wait."
"Well, I really do feel a lot better," I said. "Can I get up now?"
"No." Keyno shook his head. "Your DNA is mutating, Dale. Do you understand that? Your internal organs are actually changing so they can sustain a new life. It's a wondrous thing, but it is hard on your body. You need to rest."
Chills raced over my skin at his words. Or maybe it was just from the massive amounts of alien DNA that they had pumped into me.
"Are you all right?" Keyno's ears pricked up and he inhaled deeply. His tail flicked.
"Yeah," I muttered. I figured it was time to change the subject. "Am I really going to have to stay in bed for two days? I feel fine."
"Well, in that case, why don't you study some more?" Keyno raised an eyebrow. "I need to check on some things, since the Harvest happens at the end of this week. We'll eat here in our quarters tonight."
I didn't want to think about was supposed to happen at the end of the week. Soon after the Harvest was done, we'd be leaving for their planet, and any opportunity of speaking with my parents would be gone.
Chapter Five
I spent the next hour with the education headgear, listening and watching, learning about their culture. Finally, Keyno made a motion with his hand for me to stop.
I removed the thing from my head. "Yeah?"
"How do you feel?"
"I'm fine, I guess." Fine as I could be stuck off in space on a starship orbiting the Earth with an alien that I wasn't sure about. The smartass in me was tempted to plaster a big cheesy grin across my face and do the universal 'thumbs up' sign. I resisted the urge, barely. Who knew how long my self-control would last? "I'm a little hungry. Can we eat now?"
Keyno watched me for a moment before nodding his head. "Yes. Anything special you want, or should I just surprise you? Let me shut down the holo-comp and we can decide."
"What's that thing again?"
"It's like a computer but the image is projected."
"Oh, cool."
Keyno shut down the holo-comp and moved around the living quarters, straightening things. "Anything in particular you want?"
"I'm craving steak—and I want it rare. Which is odd, since I don't like my meat still kicking when it gets to the table."
Keyno moved around the room. It took me a minute to figure out he was doing things to keep busy—like he was nervous or something. Somehow, that made me feel better.
"Can that machine handle that?"
Keyno just gave me a little private smile as he turned away, like he knew why my eating habits were suddenly changing. "Yes, it won't take long. Why don't you go wash up? I'll bring your dinner to the bedroom and we'll eat there."
"You're really serious about keeping me in bed for the next two days, huh?" I jumped out of bed and sauntered to the bathroom. I felt fine.
"Yes, I am. I just wish the reason was different," Keyno mumbled under his breath.
Okay, that got my feet moving. I hurried to the bathroom. I ran the sink full of cool water and seriously debated dunking my whole face in it, anything to get rid of the redness in my cheeks. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. What he said actually made me hard, and wasn't that a trip? Where had this sudden spike of sexual tension come from? I didn't want to be attracted to this alien, even if I was wearing his—well, he called it a necklace, but the word "collar" came to mind.
What was happening to me? Was it all that alien DNA they'd flooded me with? Okay, yes, he was good-looking, for an alien. I liked my guys big and tall... and human. Didn't I? The whole head-dunking thing was looking better and better. I stared at the mirror and tried to figure out what was happening to me—what I wanted. Was I actually attracted to him? The evidence said I was, even though my mind yelled that I was being stupid. He'd all but kidnapped me and I still wasn't happy with him over that. Okay, "unhappy" was an understatement.
I didn't want to be here—I shouldn't be here, but here I was. That wasn't going to change. I ran my hand through my hair. Resistance was indeed futile. But he'd promised not to rush me into anything, and I believed him. What I didn't understand was why he was so sure there would be something to rush me into.
I glanced back in the mirror. Who was I kidding? I was attracted to him, despite everything that had happened. Why? Had I lost my mind somewhere along the way? I stuck my tongue out at my reflection and washed up. I knew if I stayed in here much longer, he'd come check on me. The slight smell of cloves drifted through the air, wrapping around me. What is that damn smell?
By the time I returned, he had dinner ready for us.
"Back in bed. I have trays for both of us." Keyno waited until I was settled before placing the tray over my lap.
He sat on the bed, close to me, while we ate. Several times he offered me things from his plate. He fed me from his fingers while I nibbled at them, his eyes lingering on my mouth. The ever-present scent of cloves stayed throughout the meal. By the time dinner was over, I couldn't remember what I'd eaten. But Keyno... he looked like he was ready to go to battle. He was tense—his body was tight and his eyes heavy.
Oh, I knew that look; it was the same for human or alien. Keyno was aroused. And shit, so was I. The sexual tension was so thick between us I could've cut it with the knife I'd used on my steak. As he stared at me, I was afraid to move for fear I'd upset the delicate balance between us. Something was happening—and I wasn't sure I was ready to deal with whatever had changed. Neither of us moved, until finally Keyno took a deep breath, stood, and took the trays back to the kitchen. I reclined back in the bed, fighting the urge to fan myself.
Keyno went into the bathroom and changed out of his uniform. After what seemed like days, he joined me in bed wearing only silky night pants that looked like mine. That was the only thing that looked like mine.
"Holy cow." I stared at his chest. He doesn't have nipples.
Keyno stopped and looked around. "What's wrong?"
"You... wow, man, you don't have nipples." His chest was broad and muscular with tiny white hairs all over his upper body. It wasn't really fur, just a fine dusting of hair. He had a six pack that I could honestly say that I envied.
Keyno grinned, his eyes on my chest. "And you do."
We were both shirtless, and that scent I smelled from earlier was stronger. Both of us sat there staring at each other like scared teenagers. He moved toward me just as I lay back on the pillows. As he leaned over me, the smell of cloves rose around us.
"Dale?" he asked, the question clear in his voice.
"Well, hell, kiss me," I whispered.
Gently he eased into me, his lips softly brushing against mine. I opened my mouth, letting his tongue slide against mine, dueling and exploring me. I moaned deep in my chest as his hand sank in my hair. Finall
y his tongue subdued mine as I gave way to him. Again and again his mouth slanted over mine, urging me to respond to his kiss. The feel of his shaft rubbing against mine had me melting into him.
"So good," he purred against my mouth, his lips moving down the column of my throat.
A small nip was the only warning I had before he sucked hard at the base of my neck, marking me. The hand buried in my hair kept my head still. "Holy hell, that tongue."
A soft purr rose from Keyno. He tightened his hold on me, grinding our cocks together. The silkiness of my pants rubbed against my erection, causing more sensations to spread through my body. He nudged at my chin until I tilted my head back, baring my neck to him. He eagerly rubbed his cheek against my throat.
"What—what are you doing?"
"Marking you."
With him that close to me, I finally figured out where that scent was coming from. The scent came from his body, and it was stronger than ever.
"Promised not to rush you," he whispered against my throat and then looked at me. "Tell me to stop."
Panting, I stared into his eyes. "Not—not yet, please."
"Do you want more?"Keyno murmured against my throat, working me with his cold nose.
"Yes." My body trembled as he held me. I couldn't fathom where this burning need had suddenly come from.
"Be sure, chosen..."
His sentence trailed off, and his words slammed into me. Fuck, yeah, I want this. The smell of cloves floated around me, blanketing me in warmth—an erotic enticement.
"Will you stop if I ask?"
"Always," Keyno promised.
Instead of answering, my hand crept up to his pointed ears, gently caressing the tips. I ran my finger from the point down to where his ear met his skull. A soft growl worked up from his throat as he rubbed against me. Looked like I'd just found a hot spot for him.
"Touch me, please," I whispered.
His hand flattened against my groin, toying with me through my pants. I hardened even more as his other hand tilted my chin up. Awareness swept through me at what I saw in his eyes. Not just desire, but something more, something I wasn't ready to deal with yet.