Chapter Seven #2
His gaze flicked to her, and I found my muscles tensing until he looked away. She might not smell like a proper omega yet, but she was still mine, and I didn’t like the other male giving her any attention.
He stepped aside and gestured toward the shuttle, and I moved my hand to Elaina’s back to urge her forward. She took two steps before stopping, looking between the shuttle and her vehicle.
“I need to get to the shuttle so I can go take the test.”
Raising a brow, I nodded towards where I’d been trying to lead her.
“It’s right there.”
She blinked at me, as if having trouble processing the meaning of my words. Her mouth opened before she looked at the shuttle once more, then she lifted one shoulder and shook her head.
The cabin of our shuttle had to be more comfortable than the Human public transports. It certainly was for me. Larger seats, wider walkways, and no other Humans staring.
Elaina stopped just inside the doorway, looking around with more energy than she’d shown outside. She seemed to be trying to memorize the writing she could see, a hungry expression on her face that had my interest stirring.
She was truly fascinating. She was ready to collapse, and yet she was still trying to read an alien language.
Eventually she muttered something beneath her breath and sank into one of the seats. The shuttle lifted moments later, and Elaina remained stubbornly upright until we had moved over the vast amount of toxic water her planet sported before her eyes drifted shut.
Her head tipped sideways, her breathing evening out into the slow pattern of sleep. Gone was the female who glared at me and didn’t think I noticed her temper. Gone was the quick wit and surprising snark. What remained in her vulnerable state seemed... softer.
It was a dangerous thing to be around predators, but I was there to protect her, although no one was going to be able to protect her from me.
I’d wanted an omega for as long as I could remember, but I’d never expected to have one.
I wouldn’t take advantage of her during her change while she was ill, but once she was truly an omega…
I wasn’t sure I’d be able to resist her allure.
My gaze lingered. Fever painted her dusky cheeks pink. Dark curls escaped her braid to frame her face. Plump lips twitched, as if wanting to say all the things she held back when conscious.
I spent the remainder of the flight studying her. To be able to use her as bait for the rebels, I needed to know her well enough to predict the way she would react, and her pitiful attack in her home had been a surprise as well as being ineffective.
Most omegas would hide at the first sign of a fight, but there were a select few who chose the warrior way of life. Many did it for the benefits it brought, the honor, but no matter the reason, they could be shockingly fierce when properly trained.
Elaina had already chosen to become a soldier for her people. Perhaps it would be an asset to train her properly.
When we reached New NewYork, I called her name to wake her, but got no response. Her breathing was steady, but a flicker of concern lit inside my chest, and I touched her cheek to check how warm she was.
Her eyes flew open, glassy, but alert. Lips parting, she sucked in a breath before seeming to remember where she was.
Amusement tugged at me and my lips spread as she straightened her glasses.
“We have arrived.”
I stepped back so she could stand but she nearly fell on the first attempt, catching herself with a hand on the wall as she tried to pretend she hadn’t almost toppled headfirst into it.
I swallowed my huff, knowing it would only stir her temper. Acting like I hadn’t noticed, I opened the airlock and stepped out into the humid air that made my nose wrinkle.
There was truly too much water on Earth’s surface.
It was a waste. Morrakan had a single ocean, smaller by half than Earth’s smallest, and highly toxic, although it hadn’t become that way due to anything we had done.
Our drinkable water was all safely underground, flowing in rivers, contained and protected by the stone around it.
We descended into the building, following the guide who had met us on the rooftop. The medical wing was instantly recognizable, the bare white walls bland eyesores.
Dr. Keene greeted us with a smile at the entrance to the room where Elaina had received the injection.
“Right on time.”
I smiled back even though I knew it had no effect on the doctor. As the first Human to become an omega and mate one of my kind, my differences didn’t bother her.
“Unlike some Humans.”
Elaina shot me a look and I raised a brow, inviting her to contradict the truth. Dr. Keene let out a quiet laugh as she waved us forward, moving deeper into her treatment room.
“Already teasing her?”
It was my turn to laugh as Elaina took a seat in the same chair as the prior day.
“She makes it easy.”
The glare I received for that only amused me more. The muscles in her cheeks bunched, telling me she was clenching her teeth, and it made me wonder what she wanted to say.
Did she hold back out of propriety, or because she wasn’t sure how I’d react to a challenge?
I found myself excited by the prospect of her growing comfortable enough to show some claws. I’d chosen her because of her obedience, but I didn’t mind a bit of bucking before her submission.
The blood test itself was uneventful. She sat still while the doctor pricked the tip of her finger with a small device before taking the sample to a machine across the room.
Nyrel entered to study whatever it was that came up on the screen with her, and Elaina watched them with the intensity of a hunter with its prey cornered.
Except she was on the wrong side of that comparison.
I was starting to see a pattern in her behavior. Habits that were hard to turn off once you had learned them. Actions that made me think she was more than the simple linguist and supply analyst her file claimed her to be.
Kael had feared Serenya had been a spy for the Humans, yet it seemed I had been the one to get lucky.
The results of the test didn't take long, and Dr. Keene turned to Elaina with a smile.
“The serum is taking hold.”
My chest lit with relief. I hadn't even realized I was concerned, but Elaina was too good of a fit for me to be forced to try another.
Elaina's shoulders drooped, but it wasn’t relief that flit across her face almost too fast to catch. It was resignation, and for a moment, the realization bothered me.
Did she not appreciate the significance of being another tie between our people?
“The changes are progressing normally, but your fever is a bit high. Make sure you’re taking something for it every four hours, and if it creeps up any higher, go to the kethral on the ship.”
“There is no kethral on the Zeydvorrash, but it is a scout, and we will reach Morrakan quickly.”
Before Elaina could respond, another presence made me turn to the door before a familiar scent reached me. Sweet fruit and something floral, overlaid by pepper and embers.
Kael blocked the doorway, Serenya behind him. Her markings glowed from her tan skin, the matching pattern and color evidence of a completed bond.
“Dr. Keene said you were having the test this afternoon. I hope its good news?”
Serenya smiled from Elaina to the doctor who dipped her chin, confirming that the injection had worked.