Alien Mate Experiment Page 7

  Gyan asked, “It’s addictive and still humansss eat it voluntarily?”

  “That’s the rub. We start eating it at a young age, get hooked, and can’t stop.”

  “A system of control by your leaders.”

  “Ha. Funny thought, but no. I have… had a friend who was downright evil when she was denied caffeine. Withdrawal makes people mean and really aggressive. Bordering on homicidal for the ones who are really, really addicted. No system of government would ever do that on purpose. The moment they denied people their fix, they would be overrun.” She giggled with a giant grin on her face, probably imagining such a scenario. She opened her mouth but stopped talking when she caught sight of him. Her eyes lit up. “Captain Kader.”

  Everyone faced him and some startled, probably not realizing he’d been standing there.

  He stepped into the ring of those surrounding Semeera and nodded to her. “Artist Sssemeera.” He’d heard about her title from Gyan during one of the doctor’s many reports. “I am glad you are well. Forgiveness for the fright I caused you.”

  Heat bloomed in her cheeks, tingeing the brown of her skin with red, and she dropped her gaze. “Sorry about before… with your uniform, I mean. I’m not usually that clingy.”

  Flicking his tongue out, he tasted her embarrassment and was immediately struck again by how cute he found her. He schooled his features to remain stoic and his tone flat. “You have no need to apologize.”

  “Doctor Gyan said you were standing all night because I wouldn’t let you go.”

  “A minor inconvenience that allowed you to sleep peacefully. It wasn’t a hardship.”

  “You’re sure? You don’t have to be nice.”

  Kader smirked with a soft snort of amusement. “Anyone here will tell you that I am not nice. I would be a poor warrior to complain about sleeping on my feet for such a short amount of time.”

  “Nine hours isn’t a short amount of time.”

  “I’ve been on my feet for far longer, sleeping and awake. And your clinging allowed me to sleep longer than I have in weeks.” He bowed his head. “Thank you.”

  She let out a short laugh and finally raised her brown-with-green-flecks gaze to his. “You’re welcome.”

  Gyan stepped between Kader and Semeera then, blocking Kader’s view and chancing a beating. “I must speak to you on an urgent matter, Captain.”

  Semeera asked, “Is something wrong?”

  Smiling quickly, Gyan faced her and said in a gentle tone, “Not with you, Artist Sssemeera. I assure you. You are healthy and show no signs of this withdrawal you spoke of. Doctor Quagid is monitoring for any changes and will tell you immediately.”

  “Okay.” She didn’t sound or appear convinced.

  Gyan gestured to the door. “Captain.”

  Kader didn’t want to leave Semeera but preceded Gyan out of the infirmary to the hall. Once the door closed, he crossed his arms. “What has you worried, Doctor?”

  “Artist Sssemeera’s language.” He lowered his voice after a quick look around. “The technician you sent used her speech sample to locate anything that sounded similar and found her language in a black market database. The file information tag stated it had been put there by the Watchers.”

  Kader’s tail switched to one side, and he stiffened. “I know my technician would have made every effort to ensure the download was not traced back to us. But that means nothing to them.” He heaved a breath as he considered this new issue. “It’s been hours since the download and they’ve made no contact. Perhaps they merely had the information and their involvement with her species ends there.”

  Gyan nodded. “That is my hope, Captain. If Artist Sssemeera is from a protected race…” The male clutched his tablet, and fear was blatant in his gaze as well as in the surrounding air.

  Normally such a stink would offend Kader because of the implied insult that he couldn’t protect his ship, but the male had a right to be scared. The Watchers were a power in the universe no one dared cross. Their technology and reach were almost godlike. In fact, many species had confessed to worshipping them at various points in their histories. Khartarns hadn’t, but only because they hadn’t learned of the Watchers until after gaining space travel and conquering other worlds.

  Godlike didn’t make them gods. And they weren’t there. Kader let that knowledge bolster his nerve and firmed his resolve.

  Kader said, “If she were from a protected race, we would have never gotten her off her planet. Assuming we somehow sneaked past them with this transgression, they would have been here to retrieve her by now.” He switched his tail to the other side. “No, they don’t know or they don’t care. Either scenario means we can expect no retaliation.”

  “That is reckless.”

  Kader agreed but didn’t say so aloud. The smart thing to do would be to contact the Watchers and confirm whether Semeera was their ward or not. And if so, return her. That was the part that bothered Kader. He didn’t want to return her. Better to claim ignorance than to give her up.

  He said, “Risk assessment is my duty, Doctor. Ensuring Artist Sssemeera’s health and well-being is yours. What was it you said to me earlier?” He met the doctor’s gaze with a superior one. “Do not concern yourself with my duties when you have studies of your own to perform.”

  Gyan clenched his jaw but gave a grudging nod.

  “You will not mention your suspicions to anyone else. If the Watchers become a threat, I will assume the burden of their wrath. Agreed?”

  “Agreed.”

  Kader passed Gyan and reentered the infirmary to find Semeera peering around Quagid with an anxious expression on her face. The moment she caught sight of him, she smiled, making him smile.

  “Everything okay?”

  “As Doctor Gyan said, it is not a matter that concerns you.”

  “Oh.” Her smile fell.

  Kader instantly missed it and rushed to fix his blunder. “Forgiveness, Artist Sssemeera. My tone was harsh without meaning it to be. Doctor Gyan’s conversation with me had to do with security.”

  “Oh.” A smaller version of her smile returned. “And everything is okay?”

  “You are safe.” He clasped his hands behind his back. “You are also free.”

  “Excuse me?”

  At the same time Gyan snapped, “What?”

  Kader kept his attention on Semeera. “As you can now communicate, there is no reason to keep you sequestered in the infirmary.”

  Gyan let out a dismayed gasp. “Captain—”

  “I have prepared a room for your use,” Kader continued over Gyan’s protest as if the male hadn’t spoken. He couldn’t care less that Gyan didn’t like Semeera being moved. The male had monopolized enough of her time.

  Gyan puffed up to his full height, which placed him at Kader’s shoulder. “Captain, I must object. It is best Artist Sssemeera remain here.”

  “Best for whom that she stay in a location where she is constantly monitored, given no chance for privacy, and where even her bio-waste habits are recorded and tested?”

  “That… We…”

  “Yes?” Kader waited for the male to formulate some kind of excuse, willing to be sporting when he knew already he’d won. He was a warrior, after all. Defeat wasn’t an option. “Doctor?”

  Gyan said in a resentful tone, “I concede to your logic, Captain.”

  Semeera sounded hopeful as she asked, “I can get out of here? For real?” She was already off the bed with her pants draped over one arm before he could reply, confirming his suspicion she didn’t want to be there.

  Kader stepped to the side with his hand out toward the door. “When you are ready.”

  “Now. Right now. This instant, if not sooner.”

  Her enthusiasm brought a chuckle, unbidden, to his lips. “Did you want to dress?” He pointed his gaze to her pants.

  “Nope. I’m good.” She tugged on her long shirt that reached the top of her thighs. “Let’s go.”

  Gyan said quickl
y, “There is still more we wish to learn about you, Artist Sssemeera.”

  Kader smacked his tail against the floor with a quiet hiss that sent Gyan a few steps back.

  Semeera flinched and said in a cautious voice, “I figured. Having a room of my own doesn’t mean I won’t be back.” She looked at Kader. “Right?”

  Calming his irritation, he nodded slowly. “You can spend as much or as little time in the infirmary as you wish. In case Doctor Gyan failed to mention, their study of you is at your complete discretion. You are a guest, not a lab animal.”

  “He said something like that.”

  If Kader had to guess, he would say Gyan had downplayed just how much autonomy Semeera had in this situation while still letting her know she could refuse certain things. Was that the reason for her bare legs? He planned to ask once they were away from the doctors.

  “This way.” Kader headed to the door with Semeera close behind him as well as the guards assigned to her. He stopped and faced them. “Your duty to Artist Sssemeera is at an end. A female of your ranks will be assigned to her. For now, you are dismissed.”

  Gyan said, “I must object, Captain Kader. They are for her safety.”

  “Are you implying I, a warrior, am incapable of keeping her safe?”

  “No, of course not, but in the room you have prepared for her—”

  “My guest room, which we can both agree is the safest place she can be.”

  Gyan made a strangled noise and his tail swished in agitation. “It is, Captain.”

  “I’m glad you see reason.” Kader used his tail to usher Semeera forward and out the door before Gyan could come up with any other excuses to delay them.

  “Your guest room?”

  The mechanical translation of Semeera’s question echoed through the halls, grating on Kader’s nerves and bringing them both up short.

  Several of those in the hall glanced around and then at them, startling Semeera, who shied against his side, gripping his sleeve.

  His annoyance fled as her warmth caressed his scales. He removed his personal comm from his collar and transferred it to the hand between them. “Computer, transfer infirmary translation program to captain’s personal comm.” A soft click signaled the change. “Testing.”

  Semeera’s language filtered out of his comm but nowhere else.

  “Better. Now we can speak without too much of an audience.” He got them walking again. “Once we reach my suite, I will supply you with a comm of your own. Forgiveness for not having it with me when I retrieved you.”

  “No problem. I’m just happy to be understood.” She smiled up at him and released his sleeve to rest her hand on his forearm.

  Kader enjoyed her familiarity, something only a mate or a female questing for copulation should have. He knew that wasn’t her purpose, and she didn’t know any better, but he didn’t educate her of its meaning either.

  “So, your… suite?”

  “Yes. I have a two-bedroom suite. We will share a common area between the rooms. Your room has a private bath. I thought it best to house you with me to deter anyone whose curiosity overrides their good sense.”

  “Smart.”

  Kader indulged a wry grin. “Some are surprised when a warrior exhibits such.”

  “That wasn’t what I meant,” Semeera said quickly.

  “I did not think you did. I merely state a commonly held belief of my people. They see warriors as mindless soldiers only concerned with battle. Violent.”

  “You’re not. You wouldn’t be so nice to me if you were. A violent male would have pulled himself free rather than stand all night at my side.”

  Kader stopped himself from saying he would stand by her side forever, unsure where the sentiment originated. Forever? With this alien? No matter how cute he found Semeera, such could never happen. Entertaining the thought was folly. He still hadn’t discovered if their bodies were compatible but had already jumped ahead to mating.

  He said, “The moment you arrived, your safety became part of my duty. For a warrior, duty is all. I will take no action that will hurt you.”

  “Oh.”

  Something spicy sweet tickled his nose. He flicked his tongue to get a better sense of the faint scent. Almost imperceptible but there. Arousal. He jerked his gaze down to the top of Semeera’s head.

  She was aroused?

  Had his words aroused her?

  He flicked his tongue again to taste the air, but the scent had long faded. Not arousal. Awareness, then. They were alien to each other but possibly had a mutual attraction. The only way to be sure would be to court her favor.

  The thought made too much sense to deny. Semeera would be part of their society soon. As such, she could have many suitors in the future. Kader wanted to be her first. It surprised him just how much he wanted to be first. In fact, he wanted to be her only—a thought that came unbidden just the way the mating thought had moments ago.

  What was wrong with him?

  They neared his room, and he pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He opened the door and stepped to the side.

  Semeera released his arm, entering his suite ahead of him. “Nice.”

  “Sparse.” He closed the door behind him. “As this will be your home for the foreseeable future, feel free to ask me for anything.”

  She chuckled with a shake of her head. “Not anything-anything, though, right?”

  The computer took a moment to explain her meaning, defining the repetition implied that he didn’t mean to offer her things that may be outside his ability to provide.

  “You are correct. All that is within my power.”

  “I was going to make a joke about you sending me home, but it’s not that funny now that I think about it.” She sighed and her shoulders sagged.

  “Forgiveness.”

  She waved her hand. “Not your fault.” Taking a breath, she lifted and shook her head, making her hair wave similar to the way a female would wag her tail to entice a male’s attention.

  Kader cursed under his breath. Everything about Semeera spoke of copulation, and she didn’t do it on purpose. His own deviant mind supplied context where there was none.

  She asked, “Which room is mine? I want to shower and change clothes… if I had clothes to change into.”

  “I can provide you with a shirt for now.” And happily, he added silently. “It should be long enough to allow you modesty.”

  Her smirk as she ran her gaze over him said he had understated the situation. It also said she wanted him.

  No it does not! Focus!

  “I will request a female to provide you with a catalog for the purchase of more clothing.”

  “Purchase? As in spending money? But I don’t have any way to pay.”

  “That isn’t something you need to worry about. There is a fund for refugees.” Not that he planned to use it. Courtship demanded he handle all financial burdens. But Semeera wasn’t a female of his kind. She didn’t seem as if she would appreciate the expenditure, so he would keep his plan to himself.

  “How much of this refugee fund am I allowed to spend?”

  “As much as you need. All that you need will be provided.” He gestured to the doorway of her room. “Shall I show you how to use the shower?”

  “Yes, please. Thank you.” After she entered the room, she chuckled. “I’ll need a step stool to get on that bed.”

  “I shall get one.”

  She gasped and started to speak only to close her mouth with a nod. “Thanks again.”

  Showing her the use of the facilities was a quick task. He left her only long enough to retrieve one of his shirts, the softest he could find, hoping she liked it. His hopes were answered when she took it and rubbed it against her skin while smiling.

  “This is really nice. Is it really okay that I borrow it?”

  “You are not borrowing the shirt. It is yours now.”

  “You’re sure? I’ll have my own clothes soon.”

  “Starting with that shirt.�
� He would not allow her to return it. Not when imagining her in it had him fighting to keep his tail from wagging like a prepubescent lad courting his first female. It didn’t matter that Semeera didn’t know the significance of such an action. He knew. “Is there anything else you need?”

  “Meat.”

  Kader’s rod throbbed painfully in his sheath. “Excuse me? I think the translation failed.”

  “It didn’t. I want meat.”

  Another throb that pushed his tip out before he willed himself to calm down enough for it to recede. She didn’t mean that kind of meat, though he would gladly give it to her if she had. This courtship had just started. He didn’t know Semeera well or her species at all, but he doubted she would so quickly fall into bed with a male she’d just met. Especially not with an alien male almost twice her size.

  She said, “With teeth like those, I know you eat meat. I do, too.”

  “Ah. The doctors wondered. Your teeth confused them.”

  She pointed to herself. “Omnivore.”

  “My people are mostly carnivorous but understand the value of plant-stuffs in our diet to help with… certain things.”

  Semeera smirked with a soft chuckle. “Yeah, it does help with that.”

  Kader was happy she understood without him spelling it out. It would seem their two peoples weren’t so different after all. “Of course, you can have meat. Do you eat it raw or cooked?”

  “Cooked, please. If that’s not too much trouble.”

  “It isn’t. Our preference is raw when it’s fresh. Unfortunately, all we have to offer currently is frozen. Cooking masks the… old flavor.” He took a step back. “Proceed with your shower. I shall secure dinner.”

  “Thank you so much, Captain Kader. I’m sorry to be such an imposition.”

  “You are not, Artist Sssemeera.” He bowed his head. “I shall await you at the table in the common room.”

  After her nod, he left her room and closed the door behind him. He put in the order for their meal and then went in search of his spare comm device. It didn’t take long since all his belongings had specific locations for easy retrieval.