Terran (Breeder) (22 page)

“Where is she?” Qalin demanded.

“I-I don’t…know.”

The guard tightened his fingers.

“Guess.”

The band around his larynx contracted more. Pain exploded. Blackness crowded his vision. “H-her quart-quarters?”

“We have been there. I will give you one last chance.” Qalin leaned close, touched him with his rank breath. “Where is the Terran female?”

Agony impeded his ability to think. He had to send them someplace where he knew Tara wasn’t, so he gave them the first name his panicked, oxygen-stressed brain could retrieve. “En-enclave.” He forced out a whisper, wondering if his throat would be permanently damaged.

“Excellent.” Qalin stepped back. Cold, black eyes did not even blink. The Alpha lifted his hand with a desultory motion. “Kill him.”

* * * *

Omra hugged Tara. “Are you sure you cannot stay? You may remain with us for as long as you like.”

“You and the Commander have been wonderful, but I need to leave.” Tara was grateful and touched by the hospitality Omra had offered during the past week. But seeing the obvious love and affection between her and Dak jabbed a dagger into her heart. “If I don’t go now, I’ll miss the shuttle, and it will be weeks before another departs.”

Omra sighed. “I understand.” She rubbed her abdomen. “Dak has promised that on his next diplomatic mission to Terra after Berik is born, he will take me. Perhaps we can visit?” She eyed Tara expectantly.

“I would love that!” Tara exclaimed.

“I regret Dak could not be here to see you off. He received a message this morning and rushed out before the light arose.” Omra nibbled her bottom lip in concern.

“I imagine in his position, he is called away often,” Tara said to relieve her obvious worry.

“More so lately”—Omra crossed her arms and hugged herself—“but this time, I had a really bad feeling. It seemed serious.”

“What do you think it was?”

“I wish I knew.”

“I’m sure it will be fine. If anyone can handle a crisis, Commander Dak can.” Tara tried to reassure her.

“You’re right.” Omra massaged her abdomen. “Perhaps it is just my condition. Gestating turns me into a worrier.” She didn’t look convinced.

“You’ve done so much for me, I hate to ask, but could I impose on you for one more favor?” Tara hesitated. “Since yesterday, I’ve tried to contact Ramon on your PCD to say good-bye, but he has not responded to my messages. Would you contact him for me? Inform him I have left, and I will be in touch?”

“I would be happy to.” Omra grinned. “I’ll tell him in person. It will give me an excuse to have Dak take me to the Bazaar, so I can shop.” She paused. “What is your Terran saying? Kill two bulls with one stone?”

“Two birds,” Tara corrected.

“Yes, that,” Omra said.

* * * *

Tara strapped herself into her hard, uncomfortable seat in the Terran section of the shuttle and tried to prepare herself for the thirteen-day, butt-busting flight. After dealing with the extremely tall Parseon males, she’d come to view Terran men as small, but that didn’t hold true when she was being squished from both sides. She pressed her elbows against her body and folded her hands in her lap. Of course she’d gotten the middle seat! She hoped her assigned sleeping pod would be more comfortable, but she doubted it. If she had any questions about where Terrans ranked in society, the accommodations provided the answers. The PTA—Parseon Travel Authority—assigned passengers seats by their status. On her way to the overcrowded, uncomfortable seats, she’d passed by a spacious, luxurious alpha lounge and the adequate beta section—both vacant because few Parseons traveled to Terra. She’d heard the shuttle contained an Alpha Commander cabin, which so far had been used only by Dak.

“Are you going home on vacation or for good?” asked a ponytailed man to her right. An innocuous query asked by a congenial fellow passenger.

“For good,” she mumbled. Her home existed with a certain golden-eyed Alpha Commander. But he had rejected her.

“I’ll be back,” Ponytail offered. “I’m going for a little R and R.” He relaxed into his seat, and Tara stifled a groan. Just her luck to be seated next to someone chatty. But it was too much to hope that he wouldn’t speak for thirteen days.

“Did you work at the Bazaar? I hadn’t seen you around.”

“It’s a big place.” She pictured Marlix striding into her store. Examining a bolt of silk. Laughing.
Of all the shops in all the markets in all the worlds, he walks into mine.

“I imagine it must have been challenging for a woman to work on Parseon.”

“It had its moments.” Mostly good ones. She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth to stave off tears. She would never see Marlix again.

“I think Parseon offers a lot of opportunity if you’re a man, but if I were female, I’d think twice about coming here.”

“One should not pass up on opportunities just because they are challenging.”

“Good point.” The man craned his head and glanced around. “Did you hear about the kidnapping, though?” he whispered. “One of the Alphas marched into the Bazaar and abducted one of the women vendors right out of her stall. He raped her, and when he finished, he enslaved her at a brothel.”

Tara’s jaw dropped. “That’s not true!” she sputtered.

“I think it is,” Ponytail said with all the confidence of the clueless. “I heard it from a buddy, who heard it from his boss, who heard it from a vendor, who saw it happen.”

“I heard it too,” the passenger on Tara’s left chimed in. “The Alpha and his beta both assaulted her, and a doctor had to be called in.”

“That’s not what happened!” She shook her head.

“How do you know?” Ponytail frowned.

“Because…because I know the woman! The Alpha took her out of the Bazaar because she’d been injured and needed medical assistance. She fell in love with him and stayed because she wanted to.” She punctuated her explanation with a scowl.

“I don’t know…” Ponytail cocked his head doubtfully.” Even if what you say is true, it still sounds like kidnapping. I’ll bet she’s suffering from Stockholm syndrome.”

“She is not! She loves him and—he loves her.” Of the first part, she was certain. Once, she’d hoped for the second part, but she’d destroyed any chance.

Hadn’t she?

Her unintentional disobedience had caused a tragedy, but love was not brittle or fragile. It was flexible, and that made it strong.

“I do not care. I do not want you.”

“I do not say things I do not mean.”

He’d said those things with his words. But his actions contradicted those statements. He’d
claimed
her as his breeder. He had taken her from the Bazaar. Sought medical attention for her. Held her, comforted her, made love to her in ways probably no Parseon male had done with a female. Tried to please her. Taken her on a date!

His behavior had demonstrated kindness and flexibility. He would demand but then retreat and request. He’d changed his mind and reversed his actions.

What if he could forgive too?

She’d fled before she could find out. She’d always thought of herself as a fighter, but in reality, she was a runner, a scared rabbit. When her mother had died, she’d hidden from the authorities. After Bobby had attacked her, she’d fled Terra. After Marlix had ordered her to leave, she’d run before he could take her to the tram.

What if she had stayed and fought? Or begged. What if she’d done anything other than what she had? Would things have been different?

You can’t make somebody love you
. She slumped in her seat. Marlix had rejected her. He’d had two weeks to find her if he’d changed his mind, but he hadn’t. She was doing the right thing by going home.

Except Terra wasn’t home. Parseon was. And leaving didn’t feel right. It felt miserable.

Tara tore off her seat restraint. “Excuse me, I need to leave.” She jumped up and scrambled over the man in the aisle seat.

“Leave? We’re about to launch. Where are you going?” asked Ponytail.

“Home,” she said and raced for the exit.

A beta attendant barred her path. “Boarding has been completed. The flight inspection has begun, and we launch in twenty minutes.”

“I need to get off the shuttle.”

“PTA regulations do not allow passengers to disembark once prelaunch has been initiated. Return to your assigned seat.”

“Get out of my way.” Tara glared at him.

“Identify yourself,” he demanded.

“Fuck off.” She shoved the beta hard, and he fell across a row of passengers. Tara ran.

“Stop that Terran!” the beta shouted.

Tara squeezed through the closing shuttle door. She doubted they would disrupt the launch to chase her but wasn’t going to chance it. She ran until she cleared the interplanetary terminal. Outside, she slowed to a jog and headed for the sky tram.

* * * *

Marlix arrived at the shuttle ten minutes before launch. He’d strode on board, giving no indication of the tremendous relief weakening his knees. His orders had gotten the PTA to open the sealed hatch, but not even an Alpha could halt a shuttle once it had launched.

He’d searched for Tara the past week, but she’d seemed to have vanished. He finally thought to check the interplanetary flight manifests and located her name.

He would have arrived sooner, except he’d received communication from Dak that Qalin’s army planned to attack the Enclave, requiring an immediate evacuation and strategy meeting. Enclave residents had been relocated to refugee camps, and Marlix had moved a convalescing Urazi and a grieving Anika to his underground abode.

Though he would be in close contact with Dak and Ilian during his absence, this was the worst possible time to travel to Terra.

But Marlix would not allow
his breeder
to leave him. He considered ordering the PTA to haul her off the flight, but, knowing her temper as he did, he was certain that would have antagonized her, and he needed her receptive so she would accept his apology. He had told her once he did not say things he did not mean, but he’d broken his rule and now faced the consequences.

What better way to demonstrate his sincerity than to meet her on her own ground? She would feel more secure there. And if he couldn’t coax her, as a last resort, he would take her again. Getting her off Terra might prove more challenging than whisking her out of the Bazaar, but he was resourceful. He would win.

He’d warned her of that too. He would always win.

Losing Tara was not an option.

An attendant escorted him to the Alpha cabin. “Is there anything I can get you, Commander?”

“You can tell me where Tara Diehl is seated.”

“Certainly.” The beta called up a screen and tapped into it. “She is located in the Terran section, row twenty, seat B. Shall I have her brought to you?”

Marlix could picture Tara dragged down the aisle, kicking and spitting epithets. That would not soften her to what he had to say.

“No. That is all.” Marlix waved his dismissal.

He sank into the wide, padded chair and stared at the screen. Perhaps he
should
summon her. While he had planned to surprise her, if he waited until they arrived on Terra, it would be nearly two weeks until he saw her, before he could speak to her and begin to convince her to return. Perhaps he should begin to soften her now.

“
Shuttle launch to commence in thirty seconds
,” an electronic voice announced.

Marlix rose to his feet. His long-legged stride carried him out of the cabin. He followed the marked directions across the length of the shuttle to the Terran side.

Attendants gawked but did nothing. Rules did not apply to Alphas.

“
Fifteen seconds
.”

Marlix advanced down the aisle to row twenty.

“
Ten seconds. Nine
…”

Two men flanking an empty seat widened their eyes at his approach.

“
Eight
…”

“Where is the female who should be sitting here?” Marlix pointed at the vacant space.

“
Seven… Six
…”

One of the men, his hair gathered to resemble the backside of a conveyance beast, spoke. “She got off the shuttle, Commander.”

“
Four seconds
…”

Chapter Twenty-One

Tara sniffed. A faint, smoky odor drifted on the otherwise crisp autumn air. Had something caught fire? She scanned the horizon, but the landscape and sky appeared clear. She wrinkled her nose, shrugged, and pulled her thin jacket tighter.

As she tromped the few kilometers to the Enclave, she rehearsed her speech.

I’m sorry for everything. Let me prove I can accept your world
. She wrinkled her nose again at the growing odor of smoke. It did not smell homey like the fires she’d lit to cook and heat water in their little hut.

Head bowed, she trudged along the road.
I’ll do anything except give up on what we had. Please take me back.

Why should he? What did she have to offer? She’d caused him nothing but trouble. Tara faltered. What had seemed clear when she’d left the shuttle had begun to gray like the smoky sky. What was burning?

She lifted her head and sought out the Enclave in the distance. She blinked. Rubbed her eyes.

Blackened, smoking remains existed where the village used to be.

She swore in Parseon and sprinted toward the ruins. The stone guard tower remained, but the heavy wooden gates joining them had burned away. There were no sentries to welcome her or call her to halt.

In disbelief she crept through the columns into a village reduced to cinders and ash. Huts—gone. The blacksmith’s shop, the stables, the infirmary, the food silo and storage lockers, the taverns and inns—gone. Only the structures composed of stone had withstood the conflagration.

She did a slow circle and scanned her environs, pressing a hand to her chest in relief when she did not see bodies. At least the people had gotten out in time.

What the hell had happened? Had someone left a cooking fire unattended and caught his hut ablaze? Constructed of wood and thatch, the structures burned easily. But wouldn’t the fire-suppression brigade have been deployed to prevent it from spreading? She raised her face to the afternoon sky. There was no breeze, but then fire created its own wind.