by Emma Layne
Last night, he’d gotten lucky, but Blaze was out of his depth when it came to courting a woman. He had brief, raw sexual encounters based on lust, rather than longing. And on Iradia, relationships and marriages were more like mergers, heavily contracted, and planned far in advance, especially among the upper classes. It was a means of consolidating wealth, and ensuring the bloodlines remained “pure.”
Women of many different classes had graced his bed, but he’d been an oddity, a raw sexual encounter for them, and he hadn’t been in public with any of them. Instead, noble women came to his jousting matches, offering him tokens and favors. After his opponents had been vanquished, they sought him out for more intimate interactions.
“Why?”
“I’m asking to impress a lady.”
“I will search for it.” Link tilted his head to one side and Blaze heard a whirring sound. “While you did not ask, I should point out, this is an unwise course of action.”
Apparently, his brothers had been talking behind Blaze’s back. He shouldn’t be surprised, they were a tightknit group, and had no real secrets among them, with the notable exception of Mydon, of course, because he was the leader, and had to keep them in line.
“I didn’t come here for relationship advice, I’m seeking knowledge.”
“Yes, and I am about to share mine with you. Getting involved with the human did not work out so well for Faro.”
“I beg to differ, and shouldn’t you be concentrating?”
“Unlike a humanoid, I have the capacity to pursue more than one line of inquiry at a time. As I was saying, do you wish to suffer the same fate as Faro?”
Mydon had punished Faro for his insubordination by giving him the tasks no one else wanted. Corporal punishment was no longer an option because Faro was mated to Amy, and his injuries became hers. They literally became one, mind, body, heart, and soul.
“I’ll take my chances.”
“Mydon would not approve.”
“I don’t care what he thinks.”
“You might reconsider when he has you lashed to a pole with a whip in hand. I do not possess the requisite pain sensors, but it looks excruciating.”
“Believe me, it is.” Mydon was ruthless when it came to keeping the brothers in line. They’d all felt the bite of his lash at one time or another except for Link.
“I’ll send what I find to your neural relay.” The Knights had several implants, one for communication and translation, and an upload center for information.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
He shook his head. “Just remember I tried to dissuade you.” Link opened a port on his forearm and then plugged it into the console. Afterward, he hit a few buttons.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, Link, you can push my buttons anytime you like. I love the way you do it.” The voice was throaty, playful and echoed throughout the ship. Blaze had never heard it before. “Who’s that?”
He blinked. “Never mind. My apologies for the interruption.” With another button push, he silenced the breathless female.
Blaze snickered. “Tell me.”
“It is nothing, do not concern yourself.”
“Don’t make me drag this out of you.”
“It was an oversight on my part. When I put us into orbit, I thought I had disabled all Vixen’s subroutines. Clearly I left one or two out.”
“And who, pray tell, is Vixen?”
As if in answer, an image appeared before them, wavering, flickering on and off. The woman had long blonde hair. She wore a pair of thigh high boots and a thin scrap of cloth between her legs. She had enormous, almost comically large breasts, accentuated by a leather harness, which fastened under them, placing the fleshy globes on display.
Blaze went slack-jawed. Was this some kind of sex program Link used to, er, satisfy his urges?
Link placed a hand on his forehead. He’d been programmed with a wide array of nonverbal reactions. He winked, blinked, sighed, and they all seemed a bit off, pale imitations, but not this time. Link seemed genuinely distressed.
Blaze clapped him on the shoulder. “Are you swiving the spaceship?”
“No, of course not.”
“Link, come here.” She crooked a finger at him.
He shifted in the chair uncomfortably.
“Then why is she coming on to you?”
“She’s an interface, nothing more.”
“And who programmed the ship to proposition people?”
“Like a lot of items used for this mission, the ship and the shuttle were repurposed. They used to be pleasure crafts.” He shut Vixen off once more.
The shuttle was a small transport ship, with a handful of seats, meant for short flights. They’d hidden it near Bleak Bay, for ease of access, and used it to ferry supplies to the larger spacecraft in orbit. A court alchemist had created the spell to hide their activities, a pocket universe to store their ill-gotten gains, lest some hapless fool chance upon them.
Their ship was in orbit, also cloaked by a powerful spell. A scientist would call it a spatial distortion. On Iradia, there was no difference between science, and magic, they were one and the same. Magic and physics had much in common, both influenced the physical environment.
“So?” The rich and powerful owned many starships and used them to sightsee.
Link frowned. “No, you do not understand my meaning. This ship was used by a brothel, it is literally a pleasure craft, meant for small jaunts to service customers.”
“I see.” Blaze smothered a laugh. He must’ve missed it during one of the briefings. Then again, these decisions were made far above his head. The Knights had little say over this mission, they’d simply been ordered to carry it out. “It explains a few things.”
The larger vessel had small bedrooms with a place to lie down and little else. Although, he’d been locked in a stasis pod for most of the voyage, so he hadn’t gotten the chance to do much exploring. Blaze’s curiosity was piqued, and he’d definitely give the ship a more thorough tour.
“Stop pretending, Link. We both know you like the sound of my voice.” Once again the image appeared, and this time, she hopped onto a nearby console and spread her thighs wide.
Blaze couldn’t resist checking out the digital goods. He was curious, if not tempted. Virtual sex was an acquired taste, one he wasn’t into, but he appreciated the effort which had gone into creating her. The programmer must’ve been very talented.
“Very realistic.”
“Thank you, sir.” She blew him a kiss. “And which one are you?”
“I’m Blaze, pleased to meet you.” Evidently, she knew about the Knights, because she had access to all of the computer files.
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine.” Vixen stroked her 3D bosom. “Speaking of, may I suck your—”
Link hit another button, and the rest of the sentence was muted, and then she disappeared once more.
“My apologies for the disruption, she is an annoyance.”
“I think the word you’re looking for is delicious.”
“No.” His lips flattened into a thin line. “She is nothing more than what I used to be, a sexual plaything for others.”
Link had originally been created as a comfort companion before he’d been tasked to this detail. He’d been the paramour of a wealthy, and influential noblewoman before she’d donated his services to “the cause.” Link didn’t speak about it much, and the Knights hadn’t pressed the issue.
“I’m sorry I made light of it, brother. I can tell you feel used.”
“I do not feel anything.”
“Even so…”
“It simply a political reality. Iradia is an imperfect society. There is a distinction made between androids and humanoids.”
“You want rights?”
“Yes, I do. I am a sentient being with my own thoughts and emotions, should I choose to experience them.”
He understood where Link was coming from. Their society didn’t protect those who
were considered lesser beings. As far as King Leofrick was concerned, Blaze was property of the crown, too. They’d been created to serve a purpose, and he had no control over his life. Even though drakes were also intelligent, sentient beings, they were viewed as subhuman, and therefore inferior.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
“Funny. I had always figured you were as much of a rogue as I was.”
“No, I was her toy.”
Blaze didn’t know what to make of his response. It was every man’s fantasy, to be sexually possessed by another, a purely carnal experience and yet, Link made it sound empty.
Perhaps he has a point.
Link swiveled to face him. “You made a telling error.”
“What?” Blaze was too distracted to fully concentrate on the conversation. The thought of Molly was a constant hum in his brain, a distraction he could ill afford, and yet he couldn’t push her out of his thoughts, not completely.
“You spoke in the past tense. You are no longer a rogue?”
“No, I didn’t.” Had he? “If I did, it was simply a slip of the tongue.”
“I do not believe you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I’ve been searching through Earth’s records, and I believe a psychiatrist by the name of Sigmund would call it a Freudian slip.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, you are rethinking your debauched lifestyle.”
“Balderdash.”
“You are taken with this human female, are you not? You are engaging in courtship rituals with her.”
“It is a way to pass the time, nothing more.” He’d nearly choked on the lie.
“By all means, keep your delusions. I, however, have the option of becoming a rogue, should I choose to.” He frowned. “I have not considered it before. My sexual prowess is superior to yours. In my database, I have a vast selection of lovemaking practices from a variety of cultures all across the universe.”
Blaze would give his eyeteeth to get a peek at all the information, but he’d be damned if he asked Link for any tips.
“If you say so.”
“I do, and I am much more flexible than a humanoid male ever could be,” Link said, leaning forward. “And I have enormous genitalia.”
“Well, I have two penises.” Even though this wasn’t a contest, per se, he felt compelled to defend his own manhood.
Link returned to the controls. “Quality over quantity.”
Chapter Eight
“You’re spending a lot of time with Captain Innuendo.”
“No, I’m not.”
Molly found Ivy leaning against the wall in the hallway with a leer on her face. She had a bag slung over one shoulder, and sweat dotted her temples. She’d probably just come from the dance studio where she’d been practicing.
“Oh yeah, is he in there?”
Not anymore. “No, of course not.”
“What’s going on between you two?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh, please.” She snorted. “I saw him doing the walk of shame earlier.”
“He, um, asked for towels.” She lifted her chin.
“I’m sure. And you gave him yours?”
“No.” Somehow, she’d made it sound dirty.
Last night had been fun, magical even. Maybe Molly had been missing out on something special by not dating, after all.
No, don’t think about Blaze. Focus.
It was difficult to concentrate on anything else though. He filled her thoughts, and she was eager to see Blaze once more, even if she felt guilty for going behind his back with the DNA testing.
Ivy reached down and massaged her ankle. She’d broken it during a performance, and it had ended her professional dancing career. Molly had noticed she’d been favoring it lately, and wondered if the injury was getting worse.
“How’s the ankle?”
Her face went blank. “Fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She didn’t elaborate, so Molly let it go. “You have a hangover, don’t you?”
“How’d you know?” Molly gave an experimental sniff. “Do I smell like booze?”
“A little bit. Seriously, I get it. I’ve seen him, so no judgment here. Who wouldn’t want to live it up with a hot guy?” She held up her hands. “All I want is some juicy gossip.”
Molly leaned against the other wall for support. Maybe it would help to discuss this with someone else?
“I honestly don’t know what’s happening to me. I used to be focused, I mean laser-focused on finishing my degree in going to med school, and yet I can’t stop thinking about him.”
Ivy smiled. “I love that stage, the infatuation when you can’t stand to even be a few feet apart from each other.”
“Then why aren’t you seeing someone now?” Ivy went through men like they were paper plates.
“I think it’s the crux of my problem, actually. I get bored with the romance once it’s a bit more settled and you have to deal with the reality of the situation. I get the hell out once the butterflies are gone.”
“How depressing.”
“Reality often is.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” Molly liked feeling this way, and she wanted to hold onto it as long as possible.
“Oh, yes, it does.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You suck.”
“Yup, here to help.” She didn’t look the least bit offended.
Molly didn’t think she was wrong, but she didn’t dwell on the subject. She’d worry about the potential demise of the relationship, once they’d settled into it.
“So what’s the deal? Are you two a thing?”
She found herself smiling. “Yes, we are.”
Ivy rolled her eyes in mock dismay. “God help me, you’re both in lurve.”
“Whoa, I didn’t say anything about love.”
“I said lurve, which is way different. It’s lust and infatuation at its finest.”
“We’re just dating, so it isn’t going anywhere.”
“We’ll see what happens.”
And then she slipped into her room and shut the door, ending the conversation.
I guess we will, in more ways than one.
Now that I’ve got a free moment, it’s time to check out the DNA.
***
“No, this can’t be right.”
After she’d left the inn, Molly had swung by her mother’s lab to get her findings on the way to class.
Even though she’d said the words, Molly knew she hadn’t made a mistake. She’d painstakingly run the tests, using the protocols her mother had put in place, so she didn’t cross-contaminate the sample. As a precaution, she’d even ran duplicate tests, for the sake of redundancy.
And yet, according to all of the results, the DNA she'd tested was part human, although it contained unexplained, slight variations like the difference between Neanderthals, and humans.
However, it had been mixed with a reptile of some unknown origin.
She’d come here for answers, but only got more questions.
“This isn’t possible.” Molly hated to admit it, but after spending time with Blaze she’d wanted the results to be normal.
“What isn’t?”
Molly glanced up from her computer screen to see Zoe standing in the doorway. Once again, she was the first person in the lab.
“I think I botched my test.”
She shrugged. “It happens to the best of us.”
The problem is, Molly doubted she’d made a mistake.
And what if you’re losing your mind?
Marshall had been a college student around her age whenever his symptoms had started. He’d become paranoid, delusional and then he’d slowly slipped away from them over the course of a semester.
Oh, God. What if it’s happening to me too?
After all, Molly had the genes. Her mother had her tested, to be sure. Until now, she hadn’t shown any signs or symptoms.
Zoe turned to go, but Molly spoke up. “Hey, can you take a look at this? I want to make sure I’m reading these results right.”
“Sure.” Zoe peered over her shoulder. “Looks like you got some reptile DNA mixed in. Did the subject have a pet snake or something?”
Well, I’m not completely crazy, and I’m not wrong either.
***
Molly got back to the inn late.
She was still troubled, although Molly had made it through the day. She’d gone to class, fed Lucifer, did her homework and then went back to the lab to check her findings one more time.
They hadn’t changed.
Molly had sat there for a couple of hours, staring at the data, trying to find a reasonable explanation, but couldn’t think of a plausible one. More than anything, she wanted to talk this over with Leslie, but her mother would think she’d gone off the deep end.
When she walked in the door, she didn’t see any sign of Blaze, but Molly found Lucy sitting in front of the fire with a handful of pages and a red pen. Evidently, she was editing a draft of her book, and the manuscript was bleeding.
Lucy brought lots of good publicity to Bleak Bay’s small, private university because she frequently published in respected scientific journals, as well as popular publications. She’d gained a lot of notoriety in the field and with the public at large.
“How’s it coming along?” Molly asked.
“Slow. My eyes are starting to cross." She placed the pages on the coffee table. "I need a distraction. How was your evening?"
She was in her early thirties and worked as a visiting astrophysicist at the local university. Lucy rented a room at the inn, instead of paying for an apartment and signing a long-term lease.
The word “astrophysicist” conjured images of a nerd in a lab coat, but Lucy didn’t fit the stereotype. She played bass in a band, The Nebula and had a rock-, and-roll vibe. Lucy had dark-blue, and purple streaks in her blonde hair and an eyebrow ring.
Molly shrugged. “I’ve had better.”
“Oh? What’s going on?”
Molly didn’t consider Lucy her friend, but they were friendly and neighbors as well. Maybe Lucy could provide some insight. While she wasn't a medical researcher, Lucy was an astronomer and a fellow scientist. Perhaps she could point Molly in the right direction.