Apparition (5 page)

Zoe had been in healing waters before.
Tonans
had introduced them to the water’s ability when a
woman had been cut by accident, before the men had been killed. For some reason
the
Tonans
liked to torture, but they rarely drew
blood. Healing waters had a strange property to it. She knew what to expect.
The water came to life and swirled around her. Bubbles attacked her back where
the
Tonan
had struck cruelly. Doss poured dribbles
over her face across her bruising. The entire time he apologized.

“I’ve never bruised. I’m sorry I didn’t know. I’ve
never felt pain. Damn, I feel yours and it’s beyond unpleasant. Bastards, how
could they? I should kill them all. I’ll slit their fiendish throats until
their blood runs in rivers and their flesh is a mass pile of—No, don’t feel
scared. I’m not angry with you. It’s fine really. Stop panicking. Please calm
down.
Too many emotions at once.
You need to stop with so many emotions. I can’t concentrate when
there’s too many.”
Doss suddenly held her at arm’s length and shook his
head. He was breathing heavy. His eyes were wide and he looked like he had been
run over by a truck.

Zoe was so confused.
So tired.
His secretions washed away in the water. He no longer wore the tight whitish
pants; he was nude, but how? Now she was afraid again. There were no more
hurts. The water was calm. Doss was huffing out large amounts of air; his
facial expression was a cross between perplexed and a grimace. His fangs had
grown. Would he bite her? Zoe started to cry, she could feel the tears as they
dripped down her cheeks.

“No, no.” Doss’ eyes widened. “Wait, no. Your eyes are
dribbling.
Holy shit you’re drowning
.
Does the water absorb and leak out your eyes?” Doss jumped with her out of the
water and started to shake her. “I’ll wring you out, don’t panic. You should
have said something.”

Zoe cried harder, her hands clung to his wrists; she
was a foot off the ground. “You’re hurting me. I’m crying; the water is tears
from my eyes. Humans cry. I’m not drowning, I’m just sad and scared and I’m all
alone.”

Doss stopped shaking her. His look was skeptical. He
pulled her back into his arms and held her tightly cuddled to his chest. Zoe’s
face buried into his neck. Her tears mingled with his secretions. She could
feel the moisture absorb into her body. She was calming again. Doss began
rocking her. He started humming a tune deep within his throat. He carried her
back to the bed and sat her on it. Zoe couldn’t help herself, she stared at his
cock. Everything about the man was huge.

“You’re naked,” she whispered. She reached for the bed
sheet on the ground and wrapped herself in it.

“The water attacks foreign objects like dirt.
Including clothes.”
His cock, even at rest, was long and
thick. Zoe shuddered. “I scent your worry. I won’t hurt you. I’ll put more
clothes on.”

“I’m hungry,” Zoe said.

Doss scooped a last tear onto his finger. Zoe watched
as it slipped into his skin. He looked sad. “I’ve never seen tears.”

She thought as much. Could he really feel her sorrow?
He looked like he did. What was more astounding was he looked like he
understood it. His thumb trailed across her cheek.

“You’re not alone, Zoe,” he whispered.

*
* * *

Doss went to the replicator and slipped on the
flexible clothes he asked for. He still remembered the day his mother took the
device. She had marched into her father’s home, picked it up and walked out.
Her father, Doss’ grandsire, looked furious but with the protection of Doss’
shield, his mother had no fear. Because Doss’ father had given him a piece of
his shield, both Doss and his mother had the shield’s protection until he was
weaned. He and his mother had been more indestructible than a
Tonan
-armored male.

After Doss had been weaned, his mother was more
careful. By that time she had helped herself to everything they would need for
their exile. Doss simply woke one morning in his armor right before he turned
four. His mother had been proud. She had called him handsome. She had always
loved him. Doss was a little sad he suddenly weighed too much for her to carry
but she would still sit by him and they could cuddle.

Doss had grown to love his armor. He was fast, faster
than his mother and before long, he could carry her through the trees at a
lightning pace while she laughed and howled of the indignity. If his mother
needed anything Doss would take it from his grandsire. Doss felt the man owed
his daughter for abandoning the both of them. Doss’ grandsire was afraid of
him. He smelled it. His grandsire was dead now. Doss had no family left. A
Castian
and
Tonan
battle in the
skies had ended his grandsire’s miserable life. When the
Tonan
ship had exploded during battle, his grandsire was left to float endlessly in
dark space until his armor could no longer regenerate and sustain him.

Growing up, Doss didn’t have a male to teach him to
fight, so his mother had taken up the task.
Tonan
women weren’t exactly excellent warriors and she had no protection. Doss had to
be careful. His mother hadn’t any talons, or armor or anything. She had tried
to stir battle memories within him; all she had really done was
elicit
the memory of a female needing protection. His mother
didn’t have the warrior battle scent. She had tried, and she had loved him.
Doss had loved her for trying so hard. Doss hung his head for a brief moment.
Thinking about his mother left him sad, feeling lonely. But he wasn’t alone; he
needed to convince Zoe to stay with him. She would be safe.

Doss spoke a command and a tray of food appeared in
the replicator. When he returned to Zoe, she was watchful. She grabbed the tray
and practically pounced on it. Thankfully her wariness and her hunger were her
only emotions. Doss had felt his head spin with every feeling she had bombarded
him with. Human females were bathed in emotion. Perhaps it was their battle
weapon; it was harder than hell to fight. When her eyes had leaked, he had been
terrified she was drowning. Doss had never felt such fear in his life. He knew
part of it was
her own
fear, but it had been horrible
to think he was the cause.

As she stuffed food into her mouth, barely chewing, he
was remorseful. Maybe the stallion
could
take better care of her. The thought angered him. It wasn’t his fault. He
didn’t know females, not really. And human females were new to them all. He had
heard the chatter of the
Tonans
when they didn’t know
he was listening. They claimed the human females were weak and pitiful.
Tonans
thought their fear was hilarious.

Doss had felt Zoe’s fear. He found nothing about it in
the least humorous.
Yet another reason to loathe
Tonans
.
Zoe coughed and guzzled the water from his
flask. It dribbled down her chin and throat wetting the bed sheet that dried
the spot immediately. She resumed her meal.
Attacking it as
though it would disappear.

“I won’t starve you,” Doss said.

Zoe looked up at him. Her cheeks bulged. Her eyes were
wide. Her teeth made a chuck, chuck sound. Okay maybe
that
was a little funny. It reminded him of his mother telling him
to chew his food. Doss shook his head as even more passed her lips. He thought
one more bite and her head would explode. Her finger was pressed to her lips to
keep everything in.

The sheet slipped to her waist. Her high breasts were
exposed. His mother had told him a woman could feed a baby with those beautiful
round globes. Oddly enough, he thought it would be interesting to touch one.
Just to see what it would feel like. Zoe continued to chew contentedly with her
eyes closed. She had finished everything on her plate, drank all of the water
and now she looked tired.

Doss settled her back into the sheets. He continued to
stroke her face with his fingers. He remembered how to calm a female from his
ancestor’s memories. They were buried deep but once he touched Zoe, they sprang
to the surface and Doss knew what he needed to do because of his emotional
scent ability. She relaxed under his touch. Now he knew why his mother had
yielded to his father. The secretions didn’t make a woman want a male; they
just calmed her enough to decide without any other influence, such as fear or
even common sense. It was only what she wanted.

“I can tell you aren’t afraid of me
any more
.” Doss’ words were quietly spoken.

“Did you drug me?”

“Not exactly.
You can separate your own emotions when you’re
calmer. Deal with each individually without being bombarded.”

“I don’t want to have sex with you.”

Doss sighed. “I know. I won’t force you. Only a vile
creature would.”

“The
Tonans
did that, so did
the
Castians
to the other women.”

“Did they do it to you?”

“No. First they attempted to weaken me. There were
promises of food and fresh water if I told a
Castian
how badly I wanted him. For a piece of information, they took a woman. I didn’t
want the
Castian
the
Tonan
gave
me to and he knew it. He was angry and I was beaten.”

“The
Castians
are prisoners.
They wear collars. But they should have more control.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

“What are you?”

Doss would have to tell her eventually. “I’m a
Tonian
. Not
Tonan
, not
Castian
.”

Zoe reached her hand out to touch his chest. “I like
Tonians
better.”

She was telling the truth. Doss knew what a lie was;
the
Tonans
were filled with them. That was why they
grew tails. Doss’ mother told him to never lie. He never had. He wanted no
filthy tail of deceit to follow him around. The
Tonans
told lies often to grow a tail to help them fight. But it could be snapped off
causing great pain. Another would grow soon enough.

“I can scent your exhaustion, Zoe. Sleep, I won’t hurt
you. We can talk more in the morning. I can protect you if you’ll let me.”

She looked pale. “I can’t ever go back to the
Tonans
.”

“You won’t have to if you stay with me. The
Tonans
fear me. They won’t touch you if they know you’re
mine. Your Earth is gone; you can’t go back. You can’t hide any more with the
horses.”

“I’m so tired.”

Zoe’s hand slipped from his chest to the bed sheet.
She was sleeping. Her slumber was restless. Doss settled himself beside her.
She smelled so wonderful. Better than an Effie flower in full bloom. He tugged
her against his chest. Her hair was still damp but the sheets were warm and had
dried her body, they would continue to dry her hair.

Doss buried his face into her throat and she mumbled
something. Her body pressed even closer. Doss reveled in the feel of her. He
had been alone for so long. He wanted nothing more than to claim her. His
Tonan
half battled him. She was his after all. He could
take her and share his shield by mating her. He would even give a piece to
protect his child when she conceived. Doss shook his head. He knew what rape
was. He had heard the
Tonans
talk about it. If it was
something a filthy
Tonan
and dirty
Castian
did it was something Doss would never do.

For now he was content to hold her in his arms. His
hand caressed the swell of her rump. Her skin was so soft. She lifted her knee
to settle between his warm thighs. Doss continued to secrete his hormone. His
body sensed she needed it to sleep soundly. Humans experienced something called
nightmares. He wanted her to dream only pleasant thoughts. Doss could do that
for her. He tried harder until he saw her smile. Then and only then did Doss
give in to his own need to sleep and regenerate.

Chapter 3

Doss could feel warm breath on his ass. He wondered
what it was then remembered he had captured a human female.
Saved
her really.
Perhaps she had gotten turned around. When massive teeth
sunk into his flesh Doss yelped and jumped up, his armor crashed over him, his
pain was gone instantaneously. Zoe screamed. Caveat stood in the cave, ears
back, and teeth grinning.

Shit,
I’ve just been
bit in the ass by a horse.

Caveat stomped both hooves onto the ground then
reared. His legs flailed in Doss’ direction. Doss dodged the blow. He didn’t
want to hurt the animal but the attack was frighteningly close to Zoe who sat
dazed. She was still obviously feeling the effects of his secretions. They
continued even while he dozed to keep her comfortable. Doss thought of his
options. He could jump onto the horse, knock him down and bite him into submission.
His fangs contained a powerful drug that would render the victim of his bite
helpless. As Caveat continued to approach he thought it his best option. Before
his plan came to fruition Zoe had hopped from the bed to the stallion’s back
and they were off.