Chapter 13 Holly
HOLLY
Iopened my eyes, immediately aware of my surroundings. I was back in the small gray cell made to look more like a room and less a prison than where they kept Syko.
A wave of relief made tears prickle, though I swallowed down the tears. I still remember him.
I ran through my memory from the beginning when I’d woke up in his cell. Taking the bracelet off. Throwing myself against him, staying close so he couldn’t bite me until I could convince him I wasn’t food. His monster trying to fuck me.
My brain flinched, my pussy automatically tightening with dread, but the memory was still there. I was glad. I wanted to remember.
Because that made him shifting to his other form and working so hard to calm me all the more special.
On my side, curled up against the wall, I could close my eyes and still smell him.
The harsh, strange smell of predator. It burned my nose and made the hairs prickle on my nape.
Goosebumps rose on my arms, making me shiver.
Instinctual dread—mixed with anticipation.
Because yeah, I could feel heat flooding my core.
If I were home in my bed, I’d slip my fingers down between my thighs.
I’d relish how wet I was. Laughing because I’d never gotten so wet before.
In fact, I could probably close my eyes and imagine Syko here.
Behind me, protecting my back, solid and warm and heavy.
His arm draped over me, pinning me against him.
He wouldn’t even have to touch me. Just hold me. Let me breathe in his scent.
Rhythmic clenches pulsed through my core, soft and gentle but undeniable. My breath caught, trying to hold in a soft moan.
A low chime sounded. “Good morning, Holly. Your morning beverage is ready.”
I hoped to god they didn’t know what’d just happened. Syko had made me climax—and he wasn’t even here. Just thinking about him—
Sitting up quickly, I made my mind focus on something else. I didn’t know all the stars in the Draco constellation to recite. Though that made a smile twitch briefly on my lips.
“You’re in a good mood this morning, Miss Price,” Snyder drawled.
Immediately dousing said good mood.
I didn’t look toward the doorway. I didn’t want to see the gloating smug look on his face that I heard in his voice. “What did you do to me while I was out?”
“Very little, to be honest. Some anti-inflammatory meds and a little something to help you rest, and you’re as good as new.”
“I meant before you dropped me into the cell with Syko.” I dragged my gaze up to Snyder’s, putting emphasis on the name he’d denied the BGR++ having.
His eyebrows arched in a brief tick of surprise. He’d hoped that memory had been wiped. Too bad, bucko. I remember everything.
“You were given hCG to promote follicle maturation. This is a breeding program after all, Miss Price. I was honest about that aspect of your stay with us from the very beginning.”
“Honest is not a word I’d associate with you, Dr. Snyder.”
“If I may ask, how much do you remember?”
I merely stared back at him, keeping my face smooth and blank. Play dumb. Stay alive. “Of what?”
“Do you remember the BGR++ raping you?”
I narrowed my eyes to hopefully disguise the flinch. You won’t have to endure me again.
But what if I want to, Syko? Though maybe not the T-rex. “This is a breeding program, as you said. What did you expect to happen if you put me in with a ravenous monster?”
“Do you understand the significance of what you accomplished?”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. “All I know is I survived when a hundred other women didn’t. What now?”
He stepped back toward the laboratory and motioned for me to come with him. “We get to work selecting your next candidate.”
I wanted to see Syko, but I played along and followed him back to the workstation where another cloche waited. The view screen displayed thumbnails of the fourteen other dyni on the ship.
Clearly, he didn’t want me to focus on Syko. I didn’t want to betray too much attachment—but I also needed to figure out Snyder’s endgame. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep trying with the one who didn’t kill me, instead of risking an attack with an unknown dynos?”
“Eat your breakfast, Miss Price, and I’ll answer your questions. We must keep you vibrant and healthy.”
Letting out a soft sigh, I sat in the offered chair and removed the cloche to reveal a beautifully fluffy, cheesy omelet stuffed with spinach and mushrooms, another cup of coffee, and a bowl of fresh fruit salad. As soon as I took a bite of papaya, Snyder continued.
“The BGR++ needs to be taught a lesson in restraint. I’m afraid he’s being rather unruly after his little session with you. Once he cooperates, we’ll allow you to see him again.”
Maybe it was my imagination, but I could feel something in the air. Vibrations. Sounds too low to register in my human ears. Syko was evidently putting up quite the fit.
My lips twitched as I took another bite. Good.
“Besides, you did specify a desire for a full squad like Miss Whit. Though I’m afraid it’ll be quite the challenge to put together a cohesive squad like hers.
Squad Z288C was built to suit each other’s strengths and weaknesses from the very beginning.
Only Axxol was experimental. The rest of the squad was developed from tried-and-true archetypes, making them exemplary specimens. ”
I ate methodically, not responding to his words. Evidently he thought women could be manipulated just by playing on emotions like jealousy. He was trying to needle me into some kind of competition. “My squad’s better than your squad” bullshit.
“If I may make a recommendation, I’d like you to consider this specialist as your next conquest.”
One of the images expanded. The dynos had way too many legs, and for a moment, I feared it was the spider guy. But this one had two large pinchers on either side of his armored triceratops frill and two long antenna-looking things rather than horns.
“For your health and safety, I’d prefer to ensure you have a medic on the squad. Rekt is the latest SP iteration on a triceratops base crossed with a decapod for more armory. Unlike Snryx, he only has two medical implements, but he can still complete surgeries and administer life support.”
Sipping the coffee, I finally replied, “He has too many legs.”
“Well, he is crossed with crustacean DNA. Deca—”
“I know what decapod means,” I broke in. “Ten feet. I get it. I just don’t like it. He looks too much like the Araneae dynos. I don’t do spiders.”
Snyder’s face slipped to the silver agent, as if he quite honestly didn’t know what to do with me.
“SPTD was found to lack enough flexible implements in the field for an active-duty squad. But for your medical care, he should have plenty of adaptability.” He coughed lightly.
“Other than the crab-like legs, which unfortunately we can’t do much about. ”
“Is there another medic in the bunch?” I knew the answer already, but if he wanted to lecture me on Greek prefixes, I might as well keep up the illusion that I really was just a pretty face with a rich daddy.
“Sadly, no. Medics are expensive to engineer, so DSC tends not to wander too far into experimental combinations. Especially after a failure.”
I nibbled on more of the breakfast, delaying my answer.
My brain raced with possible responses, trying to trace through the best option.
I needed to “cooperate” at least on the surface as long as possible, which would give Syko more time to find a way to break out of his cell.
He’d been here a year already and hadn’t been able to free himself.
As long as I played along with Snyder, he would continue to allow me to have the illusion of some element of control over my situation.
If I refused outright and demanded to see Syko again, he could simply drug me and throw me in wherever he wanted.
But could I jump into another cell and face off against a very dangerous dynos who very well might decide to chop me in half with one of those massive pinchers? Or worse, try to fuck me like the BGR++?
I tried to imagine what that might be like. Gripped in one of those powerful pinchers. All those legs around me.
Shuddering, I pushed the plate away, unable to eat another bite. “I don’t know that I can do it. Not if he’s his creature.”
“Ah, yes, very understandable. However, Rekt is not as difficult to manage as the BGR++.”
The image on the view screen switched to a humanoid shape very much like the other dyni I’d met.
Though his skin remained a reddish color with black mottling.
His eyes were entirely black. The image rotated in a slow three-hundred-sixty shot to show the black dotting down his spine and ringing his waist in a suggestive vee to what I would have classified as an impressive dick.
Until I saw—or rather felt—Syko’s. Even soft, the angry-looking red penis was intimidating.
“Rekt will remain in his humanoid form for your visit, and he’ll be briefed on the program. You’ll find him extremely intelligent, articulate, and eager to meet you.”
This was starting to sound like a really bad dating app. Which only made a twinge of guilt stab through me. What would Syko think of me dropping into other cells? Possibly fucking them?
I closed my eyes a moment, trying to sense the flare of indigo that might give me a clue, but my brain hopped around too much to focus.
He said he’d get me the squad. But maybe I didn’t even need a full contingent now.
Just dealing with him had been a lot. Much more difficult and challenging than I’d expected.
How on Earth did Natalie deal with both Axxol and Kroktl, for instance? That seemed impossible now that I knew Syko. I couldn’t imagine him chatting with this new guy and being chill about him fucking me. Not like Kroktl. Surely.
I wish I could ask you for advice, I thought toward her. I don’t know how to do this.
A feeling of warmth flooded me. As if Natalie had heard or felt me calling her and returned a mental hug. She loved Kroktl. She even loved Axxol. I’d heard her say so.
Love made it possible. As cheesy as that sounded.
Could I love Syko? Like love love?
I’d only been with him for a brief time.
Maybe an hour or two. I really had no way to measure the passage of time in his cell.
But it’d been an eternity, full of ups and downs, terror and laughter, tears and ultimately, pleasure.
He’d scared the shit out of me and then tried his best to make a terrible situation more bearable.
He’d taken the time to calm and soothe me, when he could have just nutted inside me and been done.
We were mated. While I didn’t fully understand what that meant, I felt different now. Changed. At a biological level.
Not even DSC with all their advanced technology could undo what had happened between us.
So neither would entering another dynos’ cell. Even—especially—if I decided to fuck him. Unless he didn’t give me that choice. Then…
I’d let Syko deal with him once he was free.
Though the thought of trying again with another dynos so soon made my stomach quiver with dread. Maybe I could delay somehow. “If he’s easier to control and can talk to me, does he have to stay in the cell? Like could he come here and sit down and have a conversation with me first?”
“I would prefer not to risk any of this equipment if he does have some loss of control in his excitement, but I do understand the desire not to meet in a holding cell. Tell you what, Miss Price, I’ll make a bargain with you.
You put on the teleport bracelet and allow it to be locked for your security, and we’ll move Rekt to a training chamber like the one you saw in the vids yesterday.
Though ours isn’t as large, it should be a more natural environment for you to meet.
There will more risk that he’ll shift into his dynos without surrounding tungsten, so we need to be able to remove you quickly in case you’re alarmed by his creature. ”
I really didn’t want the bracelet locked on me. I had a feeling it’d do more than transport me in and out in case of danger. “You’ll take the bracelet off after I meet with him?”
Snyder inclined his head. “Of course. It’s merely a safety net in case we need to remove you quickly from a dangerous interaction.”
My lips quirked. I didn’t see why I needed a “safety” device if Rekt was so much more civilized and easier to control. “My clothes stay on this time.”
“As you wish, Miss Price.” He didn’t say anything else, but I could almost hear the “for now” hanging between us.
I wasn’t ovulating yet. Once I did…
I had a feeling Mr. Nice Professor would be long gone.