Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
ZILARA
Iblink at the man sprawled before me, his mouth agape as I mention the tail. But of course he’d be confused. The main issue is, he’s so massive and strong compared to the heifers.
With them, I could easily subdue them if Morthran or Draagor weren’t around. This specimen of human flesh? Just barely. It’s both frightening and exhilarating to think about.
Dragging my tongue across my bottom lip, I gather a bit more of his cum into my mouth. It’s a bit saltier than Icorians. Not quite as dark and deep either. There’s a tang there, one I’m not familiar with, but find that I crave more of. I close my eyes and savor it as I wipe the excess from my lips.
Though there’s no shame in drinking from my bull, I don’t want the Medical Rancher to see my interest and somehow use that against me. Being a female Rancher is precarious already. I don’t need to give the court ammunition for my expulsion from my current status.
All it would take is just one missive from my father. Just one swipe of his finger across the ledger counters, and I’ll be done for. If only I could do this without his credits. If there were some way I could figure this out on my own.
Unfortunately, the only alternative would be to go into a partnership with another ranch... but then there’d be control there too. No matter how I look at it, I’m stuck. I’m just an insignificant female striving to make my way on a planet ruled by men.
“Mistress Rancher?” The Medical Rancher steps close and lays his hand against mine, pulling me out of my thoughts.
Drawing up to my full height, I put on that persona of a confident, competent Rancher and dispel the worry threatening to take me under.
“I’m concerned about his condition. More than that, I worry about his physical ability to do what I need him to do.”
The Medical Rancher snorts and jerks his thumb over to my bull.
“You mean besides providing you with an endless amount of cum? A toy you can ride until your needs are satiated? That is, if you can ever truly be satisfied by one of their species.” We both glance down at Ethan’s flaccid cock.
“Even with the serum, he’s about half the size of an Icorian male. ”
A sly smile slips across my lips as I reach down to pat my bull’s head. Thankfully, he doesn’t pull away like the sulking glare in his eyes makes me believe he wants to do.
“I suppose that’s a good thing. Is it not? Once he’s finished his year, then my valuable Icorian pussy will still be tight enough to entice an Icorian. Don’t you agree?”
A faint blush darkens the Medical Rancher’s cheeks as he looks away, his eyes filled with regret and shame. As they should be. At some point, someone here will take me seriously. Though I’m not sure what else I’ll need to do to prove myself, it will happen.
Hopefully, this new acquisition will help get me there. With free labor I don’t have to feel guilty about, I’ll have another set of hands to manage the land and make things flourish. The only problem is, I can’t use him if he’s not going to be able to handle the workload.
“While I gather the tools I need, I want you to compile a comprehensive report on what exactly is in his system, what I can expect from the detoxing process, and how long it will take to get him optimal.”
“Yes, Mistress Rancher.”
Exhaustion tugs at me as I walk over to the milking station and root around. Keeping up this forceful demeanor is certainly taking its toll. I can’t wait to get home and slip inside my tub and just soak.
Unfortunately, I can’t do that until Ethan is back in the transport and heading to the ranch. As I root around the shelves, all I can find are cow accessories for heifers. They should work on a male, but I’m not sure. Why in all of Icora did they bring him here to auction?
I glance over at my bull’s pained face, and my heart softens a touch. If the auctioneer is to be believed, he would be taken to the prison planet. It’s a fate I would never wish on my worst enemy, let alone an innocent human who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Irritation flutters down my spine as I grab the hooves and tail and make my way back over. We’re supposed to be better than the humans. Mistakes like these should never have been made. Even now, I’m sure someone is getting reprimanded over this.
By putting him up for auction, the capitol can make it look as if it’s all a joke, a game and nothing more. But I know the truth. Everyone who’s had contact with this human knows the truth. Shaking my head, I stride past the Medical Rancher and go out into the hall.
Perhaps Draagor or Morthran will know if these things will work on him. Instead of reaching their pen, I end up face to face with a capitol ambassador. His flowy robes billow out behind him with every step, making him look so out of place in this far more earthy situation.
Pausing, I incline my head and wait for him to pass. When he doesn’t? I glance up expectantly and frown at the serious expression on his face. Has my father played his hand already? Does he not want his precious Icorian daughter to be sullied by human cock?
With a crook of his fingers, he motions for me to slide into a nearby room with him where we’ll presumably be alone. However, on Icora, we all know you’re never truly alone until you’re out on the ranches. There, the capitol has far less reach.
It’s one of the reasons I can breathe so easily. It’s a haven for me, a place I can just be and exist with no one dictating my every step until I’m about to go feral. It’s home.
As much as I don’t wish to think ill of my upbringing, I never truly felt like I belonged in the capitol. I never wanted the life my father insisted I take. What do I know of politicking and backstabbing? On my ranch with my fingers in the dirt, it’s the most honest I’ll ever feel.
“Mistress Rancher,” the ambassador intones, his lips pulling up into a slight sneer. “I have heard whispers you are the one who’s purchased our first ever bull.”
“Whispers should have nothing to do with it. My credits have left my coffers and entered yours. The transaction is done and sealed with no subterfuge. I boldly affixed my signature to the amount. Same as for the two heifers I purchased as well. Is there something wrong with my funds? I checked my credit balance before placing my bids, and for the bull, no one else even lifted a finger to dispute my claim.”
“Yes. As you, not quite so succinctly, put it, there is no one to dispute your claim.”
“Then are my credits no good? I can assure you, the money is there.” Unease prickles the back of my throat as I study the slimy, oily male.
“The credits are good. It’s your purchase that concerns me.”
“Oh? Is there something I should know about the heifers? I was already informed that one has copious drugs in her system that are to be leached from her body. I saw not one mark on her to show she had caused an issue on the ship. Is there something else?”
“You know I am not here to discuss the heifers,” he hisses. “Do not play dumb with me.”
The urge to just bat my eyelashes at him like some innocent female slams into me so hard I almost forget myself. But I can’t. I can never forget who and what I currently am.
“Forgive me, ambassador. You wish to discuss the bull.”
“What are your plans for him?”
“I don’t understand the question.”
“You don’t need a translator to understand the words coming out of my mouth. If you need me to slow down or repeat them, please inform me.”
Irritation churns in my gut as I stare at the pompous male in front of me. He postures like a strutting avian, preening under the triple suns. It’s males like him who make me detest the court.
“I understand your words perfectly. What I do not understand is what it is you actually want to know. Your question is broad and vague. I wish for you to elaborate and tell me clearly what you want to know so I can answer it.”
“This is an unprecedented time. Never before have we failed in this way, and we’re still trying to ascertain the reason. As you must know, a heifer from Earth has already infiltrated the mainframe. It is not a secret we’ve been securing communicators and consoles ever since.”
“I am aware. My communicators and consoles are completely up to standard. If you doubt it, you need only conduct a search. I have nothing to hide.”
I can tell my words cause him to be riled up. With each breath, his nostrils flare a bit and his eyes turn a touch darker. “I need not conduct a search. This is not the reason I’m having this discussion with you. Are you purposefully being obtuse?”
My lips thin as I resist the urge to cross my arms and slide further into his space. “I’m merely an Icorian female. I’m not sure I’m capable of such actions. Please, explain to me what it is you need from me. I have matters to attend to and must seek an audience with the capitol before I leave.”
“Depending on what you’re seeking an audience for, I can possibly help you. I do, in fact, speak for the judges of the court. What I say will be their law.”
“But?”
“But only if you cooperate with me.”
“What is it you need me to do?”
“We’ve already had one meddlesome human muck about in our world in ways she has no business. I find it odd that another is threatening to upset the balance. You must watch him carefully and report anything suspicious. Anything at all.”
I step back for a moment and merely stare at him. So far, Ethan hasn’t done anything but object to his new status. As I understand it, all cows seem to have a transition period. Nothing far out of the realm of normalcy.
“I am a loyal citizen of Icora. I will never knowingly allow harm to come to my planet.”
“I need more than that, Mistress Rancher,” he seethes as his eyes flash in anger. “You are already an anomaly. It’s not right for a woman to work the earth and raise cows. Your place should be elsewhere.”