Heart of the Hunted Read online

  “Will that work?”

  Isabella shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I know that their blackmail was bullshit. Our loved ones are not in any danger. It was merely what was needed to get through the psychological blocks and shock of our abductions.”

  “So, if we were mad and scared, we would adapt more easily?”

  “You got it. We would work without question for a goal that was projected in front of us.” Isabella shrugged. “There have been a few rebellions but not as many as you would imagine. It is still too early.”

  “You mean there is a schedule for a rebellion?”

  “Of course. We are intelligent species. Once we can assure ourselves of our own survival, we look for freedom. There is a process to these things.”

  “Isabella, don’t you just want to scream, to fight, to run?”

  “Call me Bella, and no. I have nowhere to run to. Many of those of us taken had no family or friends. It was those that came with us that we wanted to care for. We became the assessors, working to put everyone in a place where they would be happy.”

  Bree sighed. “I remember my officer. He took my love of plants and turned it into a career. I liked it. He also helped me find courses for personal enrichment.”

  “Thomas Wing, right?”

  “Right.”

  “He has a gift.” Bella smiled. “His placements are accurate and usually fairly happy.”

  “It was nice to have a calm presence when I arrived.”

  “That is what we trained for. We were here for months before any of you arrived, but on Earth, it was less than a week.”

  Bree blinked in surprise. “I didn’t hear anything.”

  “We are all single people with few friends and less family. No one would have reported us missing, and we were taken from all around the world.”

  “Right. Of course. Did you know that the other worlds don’t teach Rrassic?”

  Bella smiled. “So you said. I am surprised that they are offering it to us, but it seems to be an act of good faith on their part.”

  “How so?”

  “We can read and speak their language. It makes it harder for them to hide things from us.”

  Bree cleared her throat. “How do you know so much about sex with the Rrassic?”

  “Research. I also have friends who like to gossip, oh, and I asked my boss.”

  “Oh my god. How did that go over?”

  The smile on the assistant’s face was evil. “He blushed and stammered, but I got it out of him.”

  Bree laughed at the mental image of the hulking Dorbin-Rrassic blushing. “You are my hero.”

  “Thanks. I get my fun where I can find it.”

  “So, I am guessing that everything I have just been told is for my own edification only.”

  “You are correct. This isn’t for general consumption, but as you are now living in a secure facility, Arix wanted you to know as much as you could.”

  “Well, I have more questions than I can shake a stick at, but I am going to ask one more before the guys pop out of there.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Babies. If we are compatible, what happens to the children? There haven’t been any pregnancies since we have been here that I am aware of.”

  “Well, since you need to know this, any pregnancy that you have will be removed so that the growing embryo can be treated and given gene therapies to allow them to grow up to be healthy and happy.”

  Bree put her hand on her lower belly. “Why can’t we take them to term?”

  “Because we don’t know if we can, and risking the life of any of the humans here is not on the agenda. You will be able to visit your offspring in the gestation tubes and check on them.”

  “Wait. Won’t I be more likely to get pregnant right away if the embryo is removed?”

  Bella wrinkled her nose. “That could be part of it. The Rrassic lost a lot of their colonies and outposts. Their population is at an all-time low, and they don’t want to join the ranks of the extinct. I am fairly sure that is why they created the Breeder compound. If you can have one of their children with a mate of your choosing, it is win-win.”

  “So, we are just supposed to get pregnant over and over?”

  Bella snorted. “There are not many human ladies who have taken mates that have a chance at another generation. The Rrassic queens are rare, so we and other species are their best chance for survival. This is a giant circle-jerk of need and necessity.”

  The door to the office opened, and Arix, Iktabi and Lekorh came out.

  Bree smiled at Arix, and he walked over to her, taking her hand and helping her to her feet. “I have concluded my interview with the overseer. If you are ready to leave, we can.”

  Lekorh smiled. “She knows nearly everything. She is handling it very well.”

  Arix looked at the Saya in surprise. “Of course she is. Bree is a woman of action. If she was not handling it well, she would have been out the window already.”

  Bella snorted. “She’s fine. She just enjoys parameters.”

  Bree smirked. “I actually do.”

  Arix hugged her. “I know.”

  Iktabi cleared his throat. “There is a matter that I wish to address with you, Bree.”

  She looked up at him from the safety of Arix’s arms. “Shoot.”

  He flicked a glance at Bella who grinned.

  “Right, well, we are going to be raiding the colony on Skekt and rehousing the stolen women. We will also be transferring in some of the livestock, and I was wondering if you would take charge of the herd.”

  She perked up. “The skark?”

  “Indeed. They are being brought to Imrahl while the ladies are being housed in a new facility on the far side of the city.”

  “The women are being housed? You mean they are here already?”

  Iktabi chuckled. “No, tomorrow. Arix has offered to guide us in.”

  She looked at her mate with wide eyes and punched him in the abdomen. He doubled over.

  “What was that for, Bree?”

  Bella was snickering, and Iktabi ran his fingers over one of his silver bands. Bella was pulled to her feet and to the overseer’s side. “Why did you laugh, Bella?”

  “She punched him because he didn’t check with her first. They are a newly mated couple. She doesn’t want him gone for long periods of time.” Bella’s words came out in a blank tone.

  Bree lunged forward and grabbed Iktabi’s arm. “Stop it. Whatever you are doing to her, stop it.”

  He glanced at her and drew his fingers across the band. Bella slumped back to her heels. She had been up on her toes.

  “You appear to have a champion, Bella. No lack of friends.”

  Arix pulled Bree back into his embrace. “Overseer, perhaps you should take a moment to have a private conversation with your assistant. I will take Bree for her med appointment.”

  Bella nodded to Bree to tell her to go.

  Lekorh smiled. “I will assure that nothing untoward happens. She will be hale and hearty the next time you are here. I assure you.”

  Bree let Arix escort her out, but she looked back at Bella and stated, “I will call you later this evening.”

  Bella answered. “I will return your call if I am not home. Don’t worry. He won’t hurt me. He just likes to play with gadgets, and I am attached to them.”

  The answer made Bree feel marginally better, but Iktabi still had a scowl on his face. She returned the scowl and let Arix lead her out of the offices and down to their transport.

  She had no idea why she was heading to the med centre with him, but it beat clawing Iktabi in the face. He could literally make her disappear and not in the Luthin way.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sitting in an exam room, Bree waited with Arix to find out what the result of his clawing her was.

  “I am sorry about this.” He held her hand as they waited for the blood tests to be processed.

&n
bsp; “Don’t be. It got me out in one piece.” She leaned against him.

  “Are you interested in the skark?”

  She laughed. “I am interested in anything that will get me out of the Breeder’s compound.”

  There was silence between them. “Speaking of getting out, when were you going to tell me that you were going back to Skekt?”

  “It was just decided in the office. When Lekorh saw the layout of the colony, he realized that we had a chance to get in and cut the colony out before it has an opportunity to grow.”

  “I don’t suppose I have a chance at coming with?”

  “No. You really don’t. If you were with me, I would not be able to get in and out as quickly as I want to. With you here, I will have a reason to hurry home.” He kissed the top of her head.

  The medic came back in with a smile. “Well, Bree, good news. Not only are you accepting the Luthin infection, but you are pregnant. We can safely remove the embryo today if you like.”

  Bree’s head snapped up. “No. Not a chance.”

  Arix stroked her shoulder. “It is for the best. It will keep the child healthy.”

  “No. Not until you come back. You can go to Skekt and do your thing, but I am not going to put this child in a canister until you are home and safe. If there is only going to be one, I am going to carry it to term.”

  Arix sighed. “I am coming home.”

  “And I am making sure that you have plenty of incentive.”

  The examiner looked from one of them to the other. “So, no removal today?”

  Bree crossed her arms. “No. No, removal today.”

  “Uh, very well. Whenever you want to place it in a safe gestation tube, come back to the health centre.” The Nool looked like he didn’t know what to do.

  Arix sighed. “Very well. We will be back the day I return.”

  Bree smirked. “Perhaps the following day. I get the feeling that the day you return we will be celebrating.”

  He made a face. “Promise me that if anything happens, you will report directly to the health centre.”

  “I promise. If I am even a bit queasy, I will be right back here.”

  Arix frowned, but she had put her foot down. If he wasn’t around, she was on her own.

  Bree kissed Arix goodbye near the entry to the port building. She held him tightly and heard him being called by the other men who were gathered to attack the colony on Skekt.

  “Take care, stay invisible unless you have to be visible, and come back to me in one big piece that is breathing and has an urge to celebrate it. We are having a baby, after all.” She smiled softly.

  He stroked her hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead, cheeks and lips. With one hand, he pulled her tight to him and he bent her backward with the intensity of their goodbye.

  She was teary when he set her upright and watched him walk into the port.

  Hunter Niwall cleared his throat. “Bree, we need to return to the Breeder’s compound.”

  She nodded and wiped her tears. “I know. Let’s go.”

  Her heart was pounding in her chest until she was back in her rooms. Her classes had been transferred to virtual, and she spent the next five days working on her Rrassic speaking skills.

  The knock on her door made her freeze. She wiped her mouth and splashed some water on her face before she headed to answer the summons.

  A woman in a dark uniform was standing there, smiling. “Hello, my name is Lianne, and Bella asked me to check in on you.”

  Bree paused. “Oh. Please come in.”

  She checked her reflection in the mirror and winced.

  “So, you have a Luthin as a mate?” Lianne walked in and led the way to the kitchen.

  “Um, yes. You seem to know your way around.”

  “Oh, sorry. I have been preoccupied for a few days with law enforcement training. They are tapping me to be the human interface when it comes to dealing with the workers. Oh, and my mate is a Zjin.”

  Bree looked toward the door. “Is he here?”

  “No. He is out on his normal investigations. I was asked to come here and check on you. Aside from your food requisitions, no one has seen you, and based on your skin tone, I am guessing you are pregnant?”

  “I am.”

  “You didn’t have the child placed into a decanter?”

  “I threatened Arix that I wouldn’t have it removed until he came back, but I didn’t count on feeling this horrible.” She chuckled weakly.

  “Well, I am going to get some tea into you, and then, your escort and I are going to take you to the health centre.” Before Bree could say anything, Lianne raised her hand. “And we will get something for that nausea. You can’t stay strong for your mate if you are puking up everything you eat.”

  Bree smiled. “Are you an angel?”

  They giggled, and Bree got dressed for the trip to the health centre.

  Their escort treated Lianne with respect, and they were soon on the way.

  “You are making sure he has a reason to come home.” Lianne observed.

  “I am. I know time is different off world, but I am waiting this out.”

  “It is? I hadn’t heard that.”

  Bree winced. “Different worlds, different solar and lunar systems. Time is a manmade concept. Well, the measurement of it is. You could call a second a gronk and it would be the same amount of time.” Bree distracted her with a conversation about the abstracts of human thought.

  By the time they got to the health centre, they had shared a conversation that rambled from personal cycles to the size of the universe.

  The Nool medic checked her bloodwork, and when he returned, there was an entire team with him. “Lady Bree, you need to have the embryo removed.”

  “No.”

  Lianne stood next to her and held her hand. “Why?”

  “Her biological balance is off. The child is starting to drain her.”

  “Can you stabilize her and leave the child in place?”

  The medics looked at each other. “Yes, but it would be simpler to remove it now and place it into a tube.”

  Lianne cleared her throat. “Speaking as one who has put a child into the tube, it isn’t simpler, it is just safer. She will do it when her mate is here to hold her hand as mine was for me.”

  The men nodded, and the medic who had examined her asked her, “Lady, will you come with us and let us treat your symptoms?”

  “Yes. That I will do.”

  Lianne smiled. “I will come with you and stay with you until your mate returns. Mine won’t like it, but he can sit and spin for a while.”

  “How long have you been together?”

  “A couple of weeks. We are due for a night apart.” Lianne took her hand and squeezed. “I will have your escort let him know where I am.”

  “Well, as bonding goes, this is an interesting first meeting.” Bree let them help her to a patient room.

  Lianne made her calls and settled into the chair next to the bed while Bree was hooked up to drips and monitors. She settled in for the long haul and relaxed for the first time in days. She could tell that Lianne would be there when she woke.

  It must have been the middle of the night when Bree woke. “What the hell is going on?”

  Lianne was sitting next to a Zjin, the room was filled with security and two Sthik were on the ground unconscious.

  Lianne’s mate was kissing the back of her hand. There was blood on her skin, and he licked at it carefully.

  Lianne smiled. “They tried to take you, so I objected and hit the silent alarm. Sorrok just happened to be passing by with his team, and we stopped the abduction. There is just something about you that they want.”

  Two Luthin flickered into view, and they cuffed up the Sthik. Bree’s heart lifted in her chest until she realized that neither of the men were hers.

  Lianne must have been watching her. She left her mate and came over. “He is fine, Bree. H
e is coming back.”

  She looked around at the room full of strangers hauling away two men who meant her harm. “I really hope so. I like a little less population in my bedroom.”

  The room at large laughed, and for a moment, she felt like she was in a community again, even if she was sick and flat on her back.

  Chapter Twelve

  Bree was sitting up and reading with Lianne doing some homework next to her. She felt an arm go around her waist and pull her toward a familiar scent.

  “Arix!” She threw her arms around him and kissed him senseless.

  His arms were careful, and he slowly came into visual range. “They told me you were here. I was worried.”

  Lianne sat up and smiled. “I will leave you two to your reunion. You have been missed, Hunter Arix.”

  Lianne left them alone, and Bree had tears in her eyes. “I thought you weren’t coming back.”

  “I will always come for you. You know that. Why are you at the health centre.”

  She sighed and took his hand, pressing it to her belly. “She is growing too fast. She’s taking everything I have.”

  He stared down at the mound that took up his entire palm. “Why didn’t you have her removed?”

  “I told you. Not until you were back.” She sighed and leaned back. “Thankfully, you are back and she can go and suck up nutrients in a tank without killing me.”

  He was still staring down at his hand on her belly. “A girl?”

  “A girl. A fast-growing girl that is going to be here in two months.”

  His smile was priceless. “A girl.”

  She reached out and stroked his cheek with one hand while pressing the call button with the other. When the med team rushed in, she said, “He’s here; we can put her somewhere safe now.”

  The team sighed in relief and eased Arix aside.