Alien-Under-Cover (13 page)

He calmly adjusted himself. “I have killed the Eduki for you and brought you the pelt to prove I have mekrin bar gera.”

“Mekrin bar
what
?” She had to get as far away as fast as she could from this caveman, or she was going to end up some sex slave popping out little alien babies.

“Mekrin bar gera.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I earned the right to take you as my breeder. I will protect you and keep you round.”

A red film covered her sight, her ears rang, and she couldn’t feel her hands and toes. When she could see again, she had him by the arms, or rather by the bulge on his upper arm--her hand wouldn’t go around his whole arm--and was shaking him. Except he didn’t move and she ended up shaking herself, poking his penis into her stomach with each attempted shake. She didn’t care.

She went higher on her toes to shout right in his face. “You call me fat one more time and I swear I will, I’ll--” She stopped screaming, unable to think of a dire enough threat.

He leaned closer, loomed over her. Stared her down. There was no anger, no fire on his face. Eyes like cold boiling tar pits looked down at her. “What will you do to me, tiny human?”

It was almost a caress the way he said it.

She had the strangest feeling that he enjoyed her fighting with him. Julia felt him poking her again and, blushing, she released his arms and stepped back. “I’ll teach you about a human custom. It’s called sleeping on the couch.”

She tried to say it with as much conviction as she could manage. She could’ve bitten her tongue right off. What was she doing? She had to convince him she needed her own room. That she was not breeder material, whatever that meant.

He took her hands in one of his huge hands. “A puny human female cannot harm me when I sit on the couch.”

“That’s not what it means. Oh, never mind just stop calling me fat. And let go of my hands.”

“No.”

“You are talking to a Benzoni.” In most parts of the country saying those words would provoke fear. At the very least caution.

“Why should I fear Benzoni?” the alien asked.

“I come from a family of the most vicious criminals on Earth. Their blood is in my veins. I could kill you in your sleep with no remorse.”

She tried to channel her father. To look capable of beating him to death but that made her feel so sad.

She cocked her head. Up to now, things had been so crazy, she’d never stopped to think how he knew to disguise himself as John.

Once again, she felt a pang for the John who had looked after her in the reverend’s basement. Logically, she knew it was the alien in front of her that was in that basement with her.

But her emotions kept telling her if John could come back, she would be safe again.

“How did you know to look like John if you don’t know about the Benzonis?”

“We heard that John was coming to meet with the reverend.”

“How?”

“That is not for a breeder to know.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. Was he in for a rude awakening? She gave him a deliberate scornful up and down. Not easy to do when he stood in front of her, obviously aroused, looking ready to devour her. “Let me guess. You’ve got some nifty alien surveillance going. So you disguised yourself like him and got there first. An undercover alien.”

“Yes.”

“Why not simply go invisible, invade their privacy, and listen to their conversation like you did with me? Weren’t you afraid they would see through your disguise?”

“Humans are gullible. They only see what they want to.” He leaned closer. “We kiss now.” Something flashed in his eyes before they evened out to black again.

“Wait you have to explain what--”

He kissed her, his lips slightly harder than a human’s. Slowly, almost as if he tested the texture of her lips, he rubbed his over her. Still staring at her, not even blinking, he forced her lips open. His tongue dueled with hers, as if he wanted the kiss to be a hard won battle. The way he kept their gazes locked was scarily hot.

He lifted his head and stared down at her. He had his hand curved around the back of her neck to hold her still for his kiss. She could feel the taut muscles of every inch of him pressed so tightly to her. And, yes, his erection stabbed into her again.

“We will do a lot of human kissing,” he said with such arrogance she wanted to hit him.

The strange need for his kisses dissipated. “You arrogant alien b--”

He bent and kissed the words back into her throat. His tongue invading her mouth until she thought he might stroke her tonsils.

Desperate for air, she choked and slapped his chest until he drew back. “You don’t just push your tongue down someone’s throat.” She drew in deep gulps of air. “Is that how you aliens kiss?”

“
Zyrgins
do not kiss.” He stressed the word Zyrgin.

“I suppose you read how to do it in your manual.”

“Yes, it is very detailed.”

“Well, the manual can’t tell you everything. Everyone has their own way of kissing.”

“You will learn mine.”

“It wouldn’t be right for me to kiss you when I’m going to marry a sweet wonderful man. A human man that loves me. We will have four children and a dog and maybe some chickens in the yard.” Somehow the future she had always dreamed of seemed hollow. Unattainable.

“Where is this man?”

Menace dripped off every word. He leaned over her and she had to remind herself that she was a Benzoni and didn’t scare easy. His hand tightened on her neck. Not enough to hurt, just enough to make her aware of her own vulnerability.

Briefly, so fleeting she thought she imagined it, a long claw scraped against her throat. “Nowhere. I mean some day I’m going to marry a man like that.”

“If you find such a man, I will kill him.”

“What?”

“Your human male cannot protect you.” She opened her mouth to tell him the hypothetical man did not need to protect her, she could look after herself, but he continued. “Zyrgin men are not as puny as humans males. When you are well I will give you many hours of sex making.”

It should have been a threat to her but, instead, she was tempted for one brief moment. She weaved on her legs. He picked her up and laid her down on the bed, covering her with blankets.

He lay down next to her and loomed over her. “Do you require the doctor?”

“No. I’m feeling heaps better. If not for the poison, I’d be on my feet already. I was just a little woozy for a moment.”

His eyes, briefly, very briefly, flashed red. “You are small but strong.”

He leaned down and kissed her. Julia put her hand on his shoulder and followed the curve down to his upper arm. They sure grew them well on planet Zyrgin.

He kissed her again and she moaned with pleasure. She enjoyed kissing and had kissed her fair share of men, but never before had she felt as if she would explode with pleasure from one brief kiss.

He moved down, kissing her neck and her shoulders, slowly, as if he savored each inch of her skin. Zurian moved the blanket down her breasts and she moaned at the friction over her nipples. He kissed the top of her breasts, nuzzled the loose neck of the T-shirt away, and she briefly felt teeth. Even with the strange ecstasy she experienced, she stiffened, remembering the frightening fever dream she had. He stilled and then lifted his head. Inky black eyes, that seemed like a well without a bottom, stared down at her.

“I have honor. I wait for the first knowing.”

“The first knowing?”

“When I claim you as my breeder. Prove to you that I can satisfy you.”

He drew the blanket up to her neck, grunted, and the room went dark. He lay down next to her and she half expected him to pull her closer, use the opportunity to try and touch her. Instead, she could see him on his back with his hands at his side.

She wanted to demand her own room but it was comforting having him there. With him next to her, she didn’t fear going to sleep and seeing one of the enforcers holding a gun in her face.

She fell asleep wondering how Zyrgins proved they could satisfy their women.

***

The next day, she woke alone and so much stronger that she managed to get up, take a shower, and wash her hair. It was a blissful feeling to be clean again, but she trembled with fatigue and that was getting old fast. She needed to be strong, to find Sarah, talk to Natalie, and make sure her friend was okay. After rinsing, she shut off the water and reached for a towel. Zurian handed her a large silver towel. She screamed, grabbed it from him, and quickly wrapped it around her, her whole body burning under his intense gaze.

“I do not wish you to scream like that.” He touched his ear. The most human motion she’d ever seen him make.

“Then stop scaring the life out of me. Don’t creep up on me like that.” She’d noticed before that he made no sound when he walked. “And don’t come in here when I’m taking a shower.”

“I am your warrior.”

“Don’t start that warrior and breeder business again.” She tightened her hold on the towel. “Where’s my stuff?”

“If you tell me what you need, I will bring it to you.”

“I need my clothes.”

She expected him to refuse but he left and came back with a silver sack bulging with clothes. She could see her favorite red sweater peeking out. He set it down next to her.

“Why don’t you wait for me in the living room?”

“Why?”

“I want to dress and I’m not getting naked in front of you. How would you like it if I went around walking in on naked warriors?”

“You are never to walk where warriors are bathing.”

Obviously aliens didn’t get sarcasm. “I promise I’ll restrain myself.”

“You are my breeder. In our case, it is not rude.”

“I still don’t know what you mean by breeder, and I never agreed to have a relationship with you.”

This was getting weirder by the minute. He was so different now. No trace left of the man--no alien--who’d protected her in the reverend’s basement.

“We will discuss this later. The doctor is waiting.”

She clutched the towel until it bit into the flesh under her arms. “The one who tried to burn me? No way. He’s not getting near me.”

“Put on your clothes.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and, glaring at him, she struggled to put on the T-shirt while still covered by the towel. She pulled it down until it covered her thighs.

“I need some privacy.”

She didn’t want to be around Zurian and the doctor covered in only a thin T-shirt. He simply widened his stance, planting those big boots with a determination she couldn’t miss. He would soon learn that she was not that easily intimidated or outsmarted.

She grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt with button and swore softly when she had to pull out almost everything in the bag to get to her underwear. Smiling at him she went into the bathroom to dress. If he tried to follow her, she’d drown him.

“I will bring the doctor.” He left and returned with the other alien.

“Come to burn me again?” she snarled at him.

Zurian had protected her, stood between her and bullets, so she allowed him some leeway, but this asshole had tried to burn her.

He didn’t answer her, merely ran a silver rectangle over her while carefully studying the strange symbols that appeared on the small screen. She really had to get her hands on their gadgets. It was the one thing, besides her parents, she missed when she fled Denver. The family prided itself on the research and technology it had.

Without coming any closer or touching her, she assumed he scanned her with that silver gadget and then grunt-growled something at Zurian before leaving.

“What a rude alien,” she muttered.

“Zyrgin.”

“Whatever. He could’ve at least introduced himself.”

“Why?” he asked and stepped closer to her.

“Because it’s the polite thing to do, that’s why.” She had to get out of here before she either went crazy or he bit her again with those freaky teeth. She didn’t remember it, but she had to assume he had from the marks on her neck. And last night she’d felt teeth when he kissed her.

“Rest,” he said and left.

***

Zurian caught up with Viglar just outside his dome. “I am going to need a translator off the supply ship.”

They had brought a big supply of translators and other equipment with them, but most of it was lost during the collision with the asteroid when they were pushed into the black hole.

Initially, they’d thought they were too far away from their home world to receive supplies but once they’d managed to contact the home planet, their best scientists had tracked a course through the same black hole. The result was that the first supply ship to this world was almost here.

“The warriors on board the supply ship have been informed of the urgency and will ensure the translator is delivered first.”

Zurian nodded. He did not want to communicate with Julia in her ugly language. Once she had the communicator implanted, they would speak Standard Galactic to each other. She would forget her ugly language eventually. He also needed the tracking device it contained installed. Natalie had shown them how foolish humans could be. He needed to be able to find Julia if she got away from him.

“Did she agree to stay with you?

“No.”

“Did she complain about having to share her room?”

In Zyrgin, it was the habit to provide a breeder with an apartment in your home and to allow her to have a life with her female friends. It was one of the few things a breeder could insist on and they always did. Zacar had changed all that by not telling his breeder about the custom. And Zurian had no plans to inform Julia either.

“Not much,” he said, feeling proud.

“Is it true Zacar had convinced his breeder to give him five hours?”

“Yes.”

“How many hours do you think yours will agree on?”

“As many as I want.”

Zurian went to the cave and reported to Zacar. They’d spoken briefly while he cared for Julia but, now that she was stronger, they needed to discuss the problem with the equipment. His shield should have protected Julia as well. No bullet should have touched her.