by Marie Dry
He gentled his grip. The way she wielded that pink human mouth as a weapon, she never appeared her size. Holding her against him, the top of her head didn’t even reach his shoulders. The last time he held her like that, they were about the same height. Now he enjoyed that he towered over her. With this woman, he’d need every advantage he could get.
“I will beg The Zyrgin for mercy for your actions if you choose another one,” Zacar said.
It was a testament to how much he disliked Marcie. A Zyrgin warrior went down on their knees to show respect to their leader. Never to beg for mercy.
Larz looked at Zacar. “She is mine. I cannot let her die,” he said in the old language.
She snapped her fingers at him. “So you grew, you’re still tiny in my eyes. And get your paws off me.”
Yes, it would be a miracle if his woman lived through the next few months. Already Zacar and Zurian had offered to kill her, and Viglar had assured him he could put her down humanely. And Larz had to admit, if only to himself, sometimes the thought of strangling her crossed his mind.
“I cannot let her die,” he said again.
For a long time Zacar stared at him while Marcie struggled in his arms and railed at him. “You will be punished, human,” Zacar said.
Everything inside Larz froze. He turned to face his leader. “Allow me to claim her. I will present myself for punishment afterward. It is a warrior’s right to take his breeders punishment.”
“She tried to hurt The Zyrgin’s breeder. We know she is a spy, planted in the camps. Sarah told us of her evil nature. Marcie must die.”
“Would you be able to stand by and see Natalie killed? Even if she was a spy?”
Silence. Larz and Zacar stared at each other, both of them ignoring Marcie’s shrill demands to be let go.
“No,” Zacar said at last.
CHAPTER 2
Silence settled over the infirmary at Zacar’s quiet admission. Even Marcie stopped demanding to be let go in her shrill voice.
Larz stared at Zacar, refusing to back down. “She’s mine. She’ll always be mine.”
“You want her enough to give up everything?”
“Yes.”
Zacar stepped back. “Sleep with your weapons where she can’t get at them.”
Larz nodded. “That is good advice.”
She tried to jerk out of his hold. “You think you can keep me trapped inside that silver monstrosity and I won’t try to escape?”
“Quiet, woman.”
She struggled harder. “The next guard you put on me will die. Don’t think because I’m in a cell that I can’t get at you with my voodoo.”
The guard who brought her to them made to move back and checked himself.
“If you are executed, there will be no need for a guard,” Zacar said. “Even if you attack from behind, you cannot overcome a Zyrgin warrior.”
She snapped her fingers at Zacar. “You and whose warriors will execute me? You creeps don’t have any authority over me.”
Larz could honestly say he’d never seen Zacar stunned before. Larz dragged Marcie to the door and she fought him all the way. He wanted her gone by the time Zacar lost his temper. Larz doubted anyone had snapped their fingers at him, even when he was a pre-first-change warrior.
“You have three days. Use them well,” Zacar said in Zyrgin.
“What did he say? If you insist on keeping me here, I demand you give me a translator,” Marcie shrieked.
He steered her out of the infirmary and through the main cave to the big sliding doors leading outside. “You will never receive a translator.”
She twisted this way and that to get a look at everything in the cave. “So you’re squatting inside the mountain. Don’t get too comfortable. One of these days, you’ll be hunted down and exterminated like the rats you are.”
“If any exterminating is done, it will done by Zyrgins.”
They stepped outside into the brisk fall wind. He didn’t feel the cold but Marcie flinched. Her blue jeans and thin white sweater weren’t thick enough to protect her against the cold that came early this year. He doubted the warriors gave her a chance to pack or put on a warm coat when they took her to the holding cells. He contacted Viglar on his link and the doctor followed them out, a jacket in his hand. Nodding his thanks, Larz took the jacket and put it on her.
“I’m not a doll. I can dress myself.”
“What’s a doll?” he asked absently.
“I can still put her down for you,” Viglar offered. “She won’t feel a thing.”
“Stop saying that,” Larz said.
“A toy you play with, moron,” Marcie said and snatched the jacket out of his hands.
He led her around the big jutting rock hiding the cave entrance and through the force field. She shivered with cold, even with the jacket.
“You humans are weak.”
They should’ve strengthened their bloodlines centuries ago, instead of nearly eating themselves to extinction.
“You cannot even regulate your body temperature.”
“So you can regulate your body temperature, big--”
She stumbled and stopped, stared up at the cloudy sky with the strangest expression on her face, as if she wished to touch it, as if it was imperative for her to get closer to it. It was the most vulnerable he’d ever seen her. More clouds moved in front of the sun, and she hunched into the jacket. Still, she stood staring.
The human sky, pale blue with puffs of white clouds, looked like something a child painted. The colors were so strange and exotic to him. Every Zyrgin warrior was born with the knowledge of his bloodline and the home planet. To him, the color of the sky should be brown. He’d known Zyrgin history and how to fly a space ship from the moment he was born. He knew he had to work hard to receive his honor sword. Knowledge from all his Zyrgin ancestors was there for him. He was born with the human language imprinted on him.
None of that prepared him to deal with a breeder who wanted to get herself killed.
“Come.”
He pulled her toward his dwelling. He’d thought to live with her, get to know her before they did the first knowing. Now he had run out of time. Without him, she’d only be a human without honor, about to be executed for threatening The Zyrgin’s breeder.
She stopped again, staring at the three dwellings in the distance. At this rate, it might go faster if he simply carried her.
“How many of you freaks are squatting on my planet.” She frowned at the three dwellings he, Zurian, and Azagor had built.
Larz didn’t know why Zacar had allowed him to build a dwelling before his third change. He was just grateful for it. Azagor had insisted he be allowed to build a dwelling for his breeder. Larz had three guard duties staked on Azagor working up the courage to face his Eduki in the next year.
“That is not your concern.”
They found tracking devices in her body when they first brought her to the guesthouse. She was linked to Parnell and the humans amassing outside the force field. Larz pulled her along. She stumbled, for once quiet, while she still stole glances at the sky, as if she didn’t want him to see her longing, didn’t want him to know she had a weakness.
She tried to shrug off his hold. “Not my concern, this is my country you’re trying to colonize, freak.”
He dragged her to the door and she went crazy, kicking and screaming. “I won’t be buried alive in your silver monstrosities anymore.”
He had to jerk back his head to avoid having her hurt her hand on his cheek. “You are not buried alive, merely detained for your own safety.”
“Yeah, right. We’ll fight you. We’ll kick you green bastards back to whatever hole you crawled out of.”
He pulled her inside their dwelling and let go of her. She staggered a few steps. It was the most uncoordinated move he’d seen her make. Something was different about her, but he couldn’t decide what. He’d had to adjust his hold several times. Zorlof was right. She was slippery.
“We o
wn Earth and every human on it.”
“Hey watch it.” She righted her jacket and looked around with the scowl that seemed to be stuck permanently on her face. “Humans won’t be owned.”
“You helped the raiders to enslave human women.”
She shrugged, as if unconcerned with her actions, and frowned at the room. “Great, more silver walls,” she repeated.
He could change the color to whatever she preferred if he wanted to. Right now, he didn’t want to.
She pushed her hair behind her shoulder. “What is this place?”
“This is my dwelling. You will live here, as my woman.” He’d built it for her, but she didn’t need to know that. Until she learned to act with honor, until he could forget what he’d have to give up for her, she didn’t deserve more. She should be satisfied with being allowed to live.
“Great, another silver and gray prison.”
His communicator bleeped, and she didn’t react. He suppressed a sneer. Humans had inferior hearing. The Zyrgins could shout out their plans to conquer earth and not one human would hear it.
“Report for judgement in two days,” Zacar said over the link.
“Yes, my leader.”
“The Zyrgin will pass judgement.”
“Why?” Normally, the leader of the occupied planet, Zacar in this case, would pass judgement.
“Forcing a change is our greatest taboo. I have long suspected our leader knows why it’s taboo. And she tried to harm Sarah.”
She snapped her fingers in front of Larz’s face. “Stop grunting and listen to me. If you think you can lock me up here and use me as some breeding machine, you’ve got another think coming.”
“I will be ready,” Larz said to Zacar in Zyrgin. He focused on Marcie and crossed his arms over his chest to stop himself from dealing with those snapping fingers. “How will you stop me?”
Maybe when she looked into a mirror she saw a giant instead of an undersized human woman surrounded by Zyrgins who wanted her dead.
She squared up to him. “I’ll find a way to get away from you, you overgrown green freak.”
He reached out and clasped the back of her neck. He could snap it with only two fingers and, for one half earth second, he was tempted. The knowledge of her vulnerability was reflected in her eyes. Still, she lifted her chin. If she had honor, as well as courage, she would’ve been magnificent.
“You will never get away from me, human.”
“We’ll see about that, and stop calling me human. I’ve got a name.”
He was tempted to extend his claws to see if that would put some healthy fear in her. “You will never be a breeder.”
He waited for her to react to the worst insult a Zyrgin could give a woman. Taking a woman to live with you, without claiming her as a breeder, was frowned upon in Zyrgin. Strongly frowned upon.
Again she threw her tresses over her shoulders in an unfortunate habit that drew attention to her ugly red hair. She ignored his hand cupping her head. “Thank my lucky stars for small mercies. What woman would want to be a breeding machine for repulsive aliens?”
“I sacrificed for you,” he said, without meaning to tell her that much. Did she truly find him repulsive?
She batted her lashes at him as if she thought it made her look attractive. “Are Mommy and Daddy angry that their baby wants big bad Marcie.”
“You will learn to respect your warrior,” he snarled at her.
Surely there was a way to teach her proper behavior. He lifted her until her toes barely touched the floor, leaned down, and extended his incisors, enjoying her slight flinch. “Never call me a baby again.”
He and Zorlof still endured taunts from Zurian and Azagor over Natalie calling them her babies. He would not allow this woman to humiliate him in the same way.
Her eyes widened and she paled. She swallowed and then her eyes narrowed and her face settled into that mean expression. She shrugged. “Yeah, yeah, that’s what you keep saying, little boy. Don’t hold your breath.”
“You’re insolent, not worthy of being chosen by a warrior,” he told her.
Every cell in his body was bred to become a warrior. If their leader didn’t execute him, he’d be stripped of his warrior status. He’d rather be executed than live his life as a mere citizen. He let her go and stepped back. Why couldn’t he let this unworthy woman go?
“Does that mean you’ll let me go now? Will I be spared your love-sick lurking all the time?”
“I have duties every day. You will remain here alone.”
She looked around and frowned at the couch. “I’m not a fan of the minimalist look. And I’m not going to be stuck here every day with nothing to do.”
He didn’t know what she meant by the minimalist look, so he ignored her strange statement. “Pray to your human God I stay around, because that is all that is stopping Zacar from ordering your execution.”
Her skin broke out in white spots and sweat glistened on her brow. She still opened her mouth to answer. “And I suppose I have to be ‘nice’ to you or else.”
“Yes.” He knew what she meant by nice, and his body reacted to the thoughts going through his mind.
“Shall I start by kissing you?”
“Zyrgins don’t kiss.” They didn’t, but he’d been burning to find out what that exotic custom felt like. With her, she had beautiful full lips that looked soft, that he wanted to taste.
She smiled and sauntered up to him. Her swaying hips mesmerized him. She had a narrow waist and round hips he couldn’t wait to wrap his hands around. “You should always try everything once.” She leaned up and placed her lips over his. They were as soft as he imagined. She tasted of the honey of the bees they’d reintroduced to earth. And strong Solarian spices. And forbidden pleasure.
And deceit. Her moans, the way she pressed against him, were all an act. Her green eyes remained watchful and cold.
She broke the kiss. “Was it all you fantasized about those times you came mooning around the guesthouse. When you got yourself off in your lonely warrior bunk at night?”
It was better than he thought it would be. The mean attitude from his breeder could be improved upon. “I am a warrior. No kiss can compensate me for a woman without honor.”
“I don’t have to show honor to invaders,” she spat at him.
“And to your own kind. When you hurt Sarah, what do you call that?”
In the raider camps, she’d encourage the men to hurt Sarah, had ensured Sarah had very little to eat. Her lack of honor stained his bloodline, would stain it for many centuries.
She flinched. If he hadn’t watched her so closely, he would’ve missed it.
“Her snivelling annoyed me.” She frowned slightly, as if surprised at her own words. Sometimes it was as if there were two women in her head, fighting for dominance.
He tightened his grip, careful not to hurt her fragile human shoulders. “You will satisfy me in the sleeping place, live in my dwelling, and be my woman.” He set her back from him, stepped away from her. To claim her, he’d have to get close to her. He couldn’t be near her at this moment and not strangle her. “Nothing more. Never will I call you breeder.”
She clapped her hands over her cheeks in mock alarm. “Oh no, somebody save me from the dreadful fate of not becoming a breeding machine for slimy aliens.”
He ignored her theatrics. “We will share many hours of sex.” Maybe enough hours of fucking would improve her attitude. Might make it worth losing everything for her. He couldn’t let her inaccurate statement go. “Zyrgins are not slimy.”
“If that’s supposed to be a threat, it’s not working. Sitting in that guesthouse bored me out of my mind. Sex with you would, at least, relieve the monotony.” She smirked at him, he’d have to guard her well or she’d be killed. “And you are slimy, so deal with it.”
He would teach her not to lie. “Prove it.”
“How?”
“Show me a slimy spot on my body.”
She gave him a narr
ow eyed once over and he had to admit that look might have made him run, if he wasn’t a brave Zyrgin warrior.
“Enough of this,” he said.
They were running out of time. The Zyrgin was unpredictable and if he brought the judgement time forward again, Marcie have to be a fully claimed breeder.
“You have two choices.”
There was a chance the leader would condemn him to death, and she had to be safe if that happened. At the moment, it felt like he had to save her from herself more than The Zyrgin.
She tapped a toe on the floor. “And what would that be?”
“I kill you now...how is it you humans say?...and put you out of my misery.”
Unease moved over her face before she smoothed it out. “Very funny. I doubt you’ll kill me before you’ve crawled between my legs.”
“Or you stay in my dwelling as my woman without complaint.” He lifted her chin until her neck arched. “Zyrgin warriors do not crawl.”
She lifted her chin higher, arching her neck even more, mocking his attempts at intimidation. “Well, whatever. At this stage, I’d be grateful to be allowed to go outside. As long as you let me out now and then, we can share as much sex as you want.”
“You will stay in the dwelling.” If he allowed her outside, she’d try to escape and get hurt--or insult someone and be killed.
“Take me to the bedroom,” she whispered and kissed his neck, licking the vein running down into his shoulder.
His tough Zyrgin skin throbbed with unexpected pleasure. Her actions shocked him, even knowing how bold she could be. Breeders were supposed to be seemly. They should always allow their warrior to take the lead. To do the pleasuring.
He held her back from him. “You are not acting seemly, human. You never touch me without permission.”
“You wish,” she sneered. “I could make you beg for it if I wanted to.”
And she wanted to. He could see it written on her face. She wanted him in her power and helpless to resist him.