Companion's Dilemma

  Helping a friend leads to pain, and her recovery leads to discovery. Choosing a telepath has its disadvantages.

  Sarah has been a master of the service industry most of her life. When she wakes on Imrahl, she is assigned to a position in a teashop with extra privileges as a courier. Six months of steady events go by, and then, her best friend and boss has a moment of evolution and lashes out.

  Sarah wakes in the med centre and the minor empathy that had aided her all her life is now full-blow telepathy, and her mind is in danger.

  Lekorh the Saya-Rrassic is the telepath of the colony, and he takes her under his care and, eventually, into his bed. She should have seen him coming, but she is a telepath, not a psychic.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Companion’s Dilemma

  Copyright © 2019 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-2473-2

  Cover art by Angela Waters

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

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  www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com

  Smashwords Edition

  Companion’s Dilemma

  Brace for Humanity Book 5

  By

  Viola Grace

  Other Books in This Series

  Untrained Fascination

  Heart of the Hunted

  Overseer's Chain

  Resisting Desire

  Chapter One

  Sarah yawned as she got out of her car and locked the door. The bakery’s roof vent was already belching steam, but that was how it should be. The baker had been at his work for two hours.

  Sarah fiddled with her keys as she crossed the lot, looking for the key to the front door. She had to open up in five minutes.

  She could feel someone nearby, but there was always someone in a car waiting for the bakery to open so they could get the first donut of the day. When she felt the surge of their presence, she tried to turn, but there was a hiss, and her neck felt a cool pressure. She didn’t see anyone, and then, everything went black.

  She was breathing, but there wasn’t air. She could feel people near her, but it was like they were all asleep and neatly arranged. There were other folk nearby, but she couldn’t get a grip on how they thought. They were pillars of self-control moving through the ranks of sleeping people.

  She closed her eyes, and when she woke up again, the feeling of a few days passing was evident. The minds of the other humans were changing. They were being taken out of their confinement, and something was being added to them. Their minds, their auras were changing while her mind watched.

  Sarah had never thought about how she sensed things before, but she had plenty of time to consider it. Normally, her senses were linked to body language as well as the person’s general energy vibe. But wherever she was now, she didn’t even need her eyes to see. She was sensing from inside a fluid suspension and waiting for one of the humans she was watching to experience something unpleasant.

  She listened with her mind and only found that the minds were being given something extra. To her surprise, she was listening to the others so intently that when she was grabbed, she flailed a little.

  They fished her out, and mild sedation was applied. Her limbs went floppy. She was turned to one side and her lungs and stomach emptied of fluid rather violently. When she was breathing normally, she was laid back on the gurney for the next procedure.

  Careful fingers opened her eyes, and the sudden influx of light blinded her. Information began to stream in through the lenses, and now, she understood what the others had received. They were getting an alien language and the rudiments of society.

  She felt hands drying her, and then, they dressed her flopping and useless limbs. They obviously had practice as even her bra was smoothed into place with the ease of practice. When she was completely covered by what she could tell was her uniform, they wheeled her into the room where the other humans were being prepped, and her headset was still in place.

  Information was streaming through the unit, and she kept herself open to anything it wanted to tell her. The language she was receiving was Rrassic common. It was the language given to all the species that the Rrassic abducted. She was there to help in their war effort.

  Sarah didn’t know what kind of help she would be. She was content to sell muffins for a living. She sighed and kept still as the language nuances continued to fill into her thoughts.

  The minds around her fell into the rhythms of sleep, and the efficient alien minds started to move through the rows of sleeping humans. Hands carefully removed the lens unit on her, and she didn’t know how to pretend she was asleep. She blinked rapidly, and a man in pale grey smiled down at her. His face was vaguely feline, and his skin was a soft dove grey.

  He inclined his head and murmured, “Welcome to Imrahl, little one.”

  She didn’t know why he called her little until she saw the headset in his hands. Oh. That’s why. He was larger than she was by close to two feet in height, and she had no idea how much wider at the shoulders he was.

  She rolled the words in her mouth and whispered in Rrassic common. “Thank you?”

  He grinned and stroked her cheek. “Get some rest, lass. You will need it.”

  She closed her eyes and tried to calm her mind. Sarah breathed evenly of the air with unfamiliar scents and let herself drift off. At least she wasn’t alone.

  She sat across from a cheerfully polite woman who checked her file. “So, you work at a bakery?”

  “I did. Yes. I am counter personnel.”

  The woman smiled. “Do you like it?”

  “I do. I like working with people.”

  “Good. There are a few positions for you. You can work at a teashop or as a courier or both if you are so inclined.”

  “A courier?”

  “Yes, delivering the clothing from tailors to secure areas. You don’t have any inclination for violence, so I am willing to put you up for a high security clearance.”

  Sarah smiled and looked at the woman who was wearing the name Isabella in her mind loud and proud. She delved in slightly and blinked as a bit of information emerged. Her smile wobbled. “I think I would like to start at the teashops and go from there.”

  “Very well, I will still put in for your security clearance. You never know when something will come up.”

  The wristband was printed, and Sarah extended her arm. The click of it as it closed on her wrist had a certain finality. “Right, so where do I go from here?”

  “There is a kiosk outside that has your address in it. Just use the scanners, and they will tell you where you work, how to get there, and how to find your way. Orientation sessions will be had in your building, and it should be fine in no time. Bear with them. The Rrassic don’t really mean us any harm.”

 
Sarah got to her feet. “I understand. It’s okay. I will be my own little cog in this machine, and hopefully, I won’t ruffle any feathers or fur or whatever they have.”

  Isabella smiled. “Fur. They all have a fine nap of fur.”

  “Good to know. I hope that I see you around.”

  Isabella nodded. “I hope the same. Have a good day.”

  Sarah smiled again and headed out of the office and toward the front of the building where other sorted humans were standing, waiting for their turn at the machines.

  Sarah hummed softly and worked around the edge of the crowd, peeping outside. She saw a scan unit out on the street next to a shop, and she shrugged, leaving her people behind and walking up to the unit to scan her band.

  She grinned. She lived three blocks north and two blocks east. Her job was one block west of her home.

  With a casual look around, she walked out with her hands in her uniform pockets, and she smiled and nodded at the few men that she passed on the street. She kept her trepidation to herself. This was where she lived, and she knew why she was here. Isabella’s mind had been very forthright. They weren’t the original women that had been taken, they were clones in the clothing of the original.

  Somewhere on Earth, Sarah Wilkerson had been set down bare ass naked. She would not be pleased.

  She smiled at the thought that somewhere out there her own personality had gone from frightened to furious in a matter of heartbeats. Once trustworthy people were around her, she would have calmed right down. It would have been a weird anecdote for her to recount when she was with friends on a Friday night.

  As Sarah walked through the streets, she saw a few more information kiosks and made a note of the location in case she got lost.

  In a fit of whimsy, she walked to the teashop before she went to her apartment.

  The shop was occupied by several Rrassic sitting around and eating a surprising array of cakes with their tea. She grinned. She was going to have to learn these things.

  She walked up to the counter and looked at the silvery male behind it. “Hello. I am Sarah Wilkerson. I believe that this is my place of work?”

  She felt all the heads of the men in the shop turn toward her.

  The man—she looked for the specific definition and found it—Nool looked at her with a smile. “I was not expecting you until tomorrow. Come in the back, and I will show you around. I am Vedder, and I own this teashop.”

  She smiled. “Please. I am here to learn.”

  He walked her through the washing station, the serving station, and the dessert layout as well as some savoury pastries. There was a selection of thirty items that she would have to remember.

  “Why did you come so early?”

  She shrugged. “I skipped going to my apartment. The crowd won’t work itself out for an hour or more. I can usually find my way around with a map.”

  “You found a map?”

  “My assessment officer told me about the kiosks. I wanted to see if they worked. They really do.”

  Vedder chuckled. “I am glad you have sense. I was terrified that they would send me a bit of fluff that needed protecting.”

  “I might need a hand if they get grabby, but from what my initial programming tells me, I am fairly safe here.”

  She looked at him. “What time do you need me tomorrow?”

  “An hour before dawn. We cater to the early shift coming on and the late shift getting off.”

  “And how long do I work?”

  “We cease operations mid-afternoon. There are other shops open all day, but I have never felt it necessary.”

  Sarah smiled. “I think that will be fine. So, is there a listing for what the pastries are?”

  “No, they are all traditional Rrassic foods. Look up pastries when you get to your quarters tonight, and tomorrow, you will be given samples before you start.”

  She nodded. “I will. What about the teas?”

  “The teas are all listed on the menu. You can read Rrassic common?”

  She stared at the glyphs, and they moved into an understandable format. “Apparently.”

  She looked down at her uniform. “What about clothing?”

  “Wear something comfortable that won’t get caught on anything.” Vedder grinned. “That is good for today. I will see you tomorrow. Get your rest, this place bustles in the morning.”

  “Wait. One more thing. How do folks pay, and how do I ring it up?”

  He blinked. “Oh, right.”

  He showed her the system that was simply push button and swipe the wristband. Everything was done with the band.

  She cheerfully declined nine offers to walk her to her quarters and walked out to her apartment building. The wristband allowed her access, and she joined the gathering of nervous women in the lobby for the full orientation.

  The scaly Rrassic representative looked relieved when she appeared on his roster via her scan in, and he took them on a tour of their facilities. The other women were radiating fear and nervousness, so Sarah kept away from them when she could. She didn’t know what had set her mind off, but it was picking up far too much ambient emotion. Working in the tea house was going to be easy. Lust was excellent to dodge. It didn’t follow you, it simply radiated.

  When she got to her apartment, she closed the door with relief and went to make herself a cup of coffee. She pulled up short when she realized that there wasn’t any coffee to be had. Damn. She was in hell after all.

  Chapter Two

  Sarah took her tray around and picked up the teacups and plates that had been left behind. Vedder was preparing for the lunch rush, and only the late-shift regulars were still hanging around.

  She took the dishes to the back and set them in the cleanser. “Well, Vedder, it has been six months. What do you think of having a human assistant?”

  He grinned. “I think that I could have a full-time baker on staff and still not keep up. I don’t know what you do to the customers but keep it up.”

  She grinned. “I just listen and help them with flirting tips for wooing humans.”

  She reset as much as she could and went out to chat with the last three Rrassic who were in her café.

  Eegan, the Zjin, leaned toward her. “Sarah, why don’t you let me take you away from all this and worship you for hours on end?”

  Sarah grinned. “Because it is the middle of my shift, and by the time I am free, you will have gotten off all on your own.”

  His buddies laughed.

  He sighed. “You are exceptionally cruel.”

  “That is why I work here. Anything else for you, Rokin, Melor?” The Regiz and Luthin shook their heads. Their Hunter team often came in after a late night doing whatever it was they did. Their blend of varieties of Rrassic was rare in a team. There tended to be one Zjin and the other members of the team were of another type, but these three got along very well.

  They shook their head, and Rokin answered, “We are good. Thanks for letting us decompress here.”

  “It is Vedder’s place. I just work here.” She picked up their spent dishes and put them on her tray.

  “See you tomorrow, Sarah. Stay cheerful.” Eegan nodded, and the other two bowed slightly.

  She did a clear out at high speed and got the teashop ready for the rush. Only fourteen people could be seated in the shop at a time, but the takeout option was always there. The tea was served in paper cups that only lasted ten hours once hot liquid had been added. It was a devious idea that Sarah definitely admired. Of course, it meant that if you took some home and didn’t drink it, you were going to have a large puddle where your tea used to be.

  When the first of the lunch rush arrived, she got to work, and before she knew it, she was approaching the end of the day. She finished up the dishes and took a look at what was left in the display.

  “Vedder, can I take what’s left?”

  He was frowning and rubbing his forehead. “Sure. Yes. Sorry. I have been a little distracted lately.”

  S
he smiled and patted his arm. “Take care of yourself.”

  “I will.” He paused. “Sarah?”

  She was getting her delivery bag ready, and she stopped to make eye contact. “What is it, Vedder?”

  “Would you be upset if I changed?”

  Sarah set the bag aside and went over to take his hand. “You are my friend. You can physically change all you like, but I am going to remain at your disposal.”

  Understanding flared in his eyes. “You know.”

  “I do. I know what to expect. Will you be gone long, or will you ever be back?”

  He dragged in a deep breath. “I will be back as soon as I can, but I am turning into a Zjin, so there will be complications to my transformation. I will be expected to take on a commanding role.”

  She nodded. “You are good at being bossy. Just channel it into your work. Will you be closing the teashop?”

  “No. I have requested another Nool to take over running the shop and the baking, but you will have to keep him on the right path.”

  She nodded. “I will.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “Right. I am going to take the pastry to the admin building and then work my way through the city.”

  It was a way for her to move things through the marketplace without gathering attention. She had delivered quite a few tailored bits of clothing to ladies in the Breeder compound as discreetly as she could.

  The first stop was the admin building, so she walked the route and entered the main floor, scanning her wrist at the lift to get up to the overseer’s offices. She had the pack in one hand, and when she left the lift, she looked around to see if she could locate Isabella.

  The giggle from the overseer’s office tipped Sarah off. She went to Isabella’s desk and got out the two pastries that were the favourite for the assistant and her mate. Steeling herself for the emotional onslaught, she took the two wrapped articles and walked them into the overseer’s office, setting them on the desk before she turned and walked away.