12
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Tekil
Tekil and Vi’del have three small animals in hand thirty minutes after the sun sinks below the horizon. That’s when Zeno starts projecting images.
Tekil chuckles at the irony of the situation. It seems that he tortured the other two with his constant thoughts and occasional actions with Myla, and now Zeno is deliberately projecting though the link, torturing both of them.
When Andred got too close, Tekil’s jealousy took over. But now, it has (somewhat) abated.
“I am going to kill him for not waiting on me,” Vi’del grumbles.
“What do you mean?” Tekil asks. He had always been the na?ve one, the man who always sat behind a desk; the other two were far more versed in… worldly …matters.
“Did you not learn anything from our captors?” Vi’del shoots him an incredulous look.
I guess not . Always roaring and fighting mad, he never took the time to listen in on the conversations.
“I heard talk of three other N-taps who escaped. They had a Human woman with them who was fiercely protective; that’s why they bought a Human this time—Myla.”
“What do you…I don’t understand. Why would a Human be of such value?”
“Think about it!” Vid’el shakes his head. “If they can turn her into a mate, and hold her hostage, they can make her mate or mates do anything.”
“Then what were the kill/stun chips for?”
“Zeno once overheard them say that the first N-taps who escaped dug their chips from the base of their necks.”
Does that mean they planned to use Myla as a secret weapon? Why we all hold this uncanny attraction toward her?
They make it back to the camping area as Zeno projects himself clamping down on her neck, claiming her as a mate.
Anger boils up and Tekil’s lip peals back in a snarl.
Easy brother, she belongs to all of us , Vi’del reminds him calmly.
You are right , he replies, although…I am not certain she is entirely willing. I have heard that Humans on Earth prefer to choose their own mates. Generally one, I believe.
This is not Earth, and she is no longer an…ordinary…Human, is she? Vi’del points out.
I suppose not. But I do not think Myla would agree with that assessment.
Vi’del shoots him an empathetic look but says nothing further.
Needing to wait on Myla to eat, the two of them sit on small, smooth boulders and wait until Zeno and Myla return to camp.
“What is she like?” Vi’del asks.
Tekil stabs a stick in the ground. “Confusing. She is timid and shy, then suddenly dominant and demanding. I can tell that her reactions surprise her most of the time.”
“The experiments,” Vi’del says. It is not a question.
Tekil sighs, frustrated. “Yes.”
As Myla and Zeno stroll into camp, her lust- filled gaze catches Tekil’s, causing his cock to instantly harden. As much as he wants to go to her, sate her desire himself, he has blood from the kill on his hands.
Zeno walks over and clamps Tekil on the back, then takes a seat. Tekil is still holding her passionate gaze when he says, “Come sit, we have food.”
Her eyes water and she bolts toward the sleeping canopy instead. Puzzled, Tekil follows. Crawling inside, she is laying on her side, her back facing the entrance.
“Myla, are you alright?”
She doesn’t respond, doesn’t even move. He crawls over to her, places his hand on her shoulder. “Myla?”
She turns over, allowing him to see her tear-soaked cheeks.
Alarm slams into him. “Are you hurting?”
Her lower lip quivers. “I’m sorry, Tekil. I feel so ashamed.”
Uncaring of how dirty his hands are, he pulls her up into his arms. “Why?”
“Because…I am not that type of girl, or at least I didn’t use to be. I don’t know why I let Zeno do that. Please don’t be upset with me,” she begs.
“Myla, I am not upset.”
She looks up with those large green eyes. “You’re not?”
“No.”
She makes a fist and thumps his chest hard. “Well, you should be. I thought you liked me?”
Tekil grabs her wrist, laughing for the first time since his capture. This little feisty female is spirited.
“I do like you,” he admits. “Give Zeno and Vi’del a chance, and I know you will like them too.”
Her eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”
“Come. I know you’re hungry so let’s eat, and then I will explain things after.”
Sitting in the dark around a circle, Myla takes a bite of raw meat, her eyes darting between the three of them. Tekil can see she’s a little embarrassed.
“You must be Vi’del,” she says.
“I am,” Vi’del smiles at her.
It is then that Tekil realizes it is not jealousy he feels with them around her, it’s his own insecurities caught in this half-changed state.
“Thank you for rescuing us,” Vi’del adds.
Smooth , Tekil says sarcastically.
I thought so . Vi’del smiles at Myla again. She is timid at times and needs a slow hand until that aggressive part takes hold.
Agreed.
“Alrighty then,” Myla interjects, studying them. “This silence is awkward. Do any of you know how to get off this planet? You know, before we get captured again?”
Tekil chuckles. “After we eat, we plan on searching for one of their ships.”
“Well, that’s a good start,” she mutters.
About half-way through their meal, the scent hits Tekil first, followed by low, menacing growls.
Andred! he alerts the others.
The three of them stand in unison, forming a tight protective circle around Myla when Andred steps into sight, flanked by Hitak and Soav.
Kill him! Zeno orders.
Not yet , Tekil cautions.
Why should we wait? Vi’del asks, even though it sounds more like a statement.
We don’t kill because we want to. Wait until he gives us a reason.
One more step closer, Andred’s eyes lock onto the half-eaten carcass. “Is the food for everyone?”
It’s a challenge, he can feel it. Looking at the other two Kintue with Andred, Tekil sees that they are just as unstable.
You don’t mean for us to hand our food over? Zeno asks, both his eyes and Vi’del’s briefly shifting Tekil’s way.
Now is not the time to fight.
“Of course,” Tekil says aloud, offering a forced smile.
The three men step forward to claim the remaining meat. After tearing off a few chunks, Andred asks, “So, what’s the plan?”
The air thickens with tension and Tekil knows that at any moment, a fight will break lose unless he intervenes. Zeno and Vi’del will not want to take the other three with them, but to borrow Myla’s phrase, there is ‘safety in numbers’ should they encounter any hostiles on the way to find ships.
“After we eat, I say we look for a ship and get off this planet,” Tekil replies calmly.
Andred squats, his elbows resting on his knees while holding a chunk of meat. He grins. “I have already found one.”
“Is that where you have been?”
“It is best to know your surroundings.” He chucks the last bite into his mouth and stands. “Ready when you are.”