20. A Delicate Trust
TWENTY
A DELICATE TRUST
Vivian
Syasku is returned to the cell several hours later.
In that time, after Muffin left, a stack of blankets had been delivered along with enough water and rations to keep me fed for weeks. Weeks .
And unless I’m now sharing the supplies with Syasku—if he would even want or need them—I can almost relax knowing there are weeks left ahead of me where I won’t be starved again. Whether this all ends with me alive or dead, I at least have some semblance of a timeframe now. I chuckle under my breath, wondering if I’ve gone a little crazy because I’m happy about that.
At least I won’t perish from hunger or thirst. I chuckle some more when I realize I’m chuckling at all. No wonder it was so easy for Father to control me—no matter what situation I’m put in, I can always find something positive about it.
My absurd giddiness halts as Syasku is escorted into the room by several armed soldiers, Commander Pierce and Dr. Ursula not among them. The soldiers take him to the wall and chain him to it. When they replace the embedded one around his tail, I wince, watching his blood gush as the sharp points sink into Syasku’s flesh.
After the soldiers leave, I slowly stand and walk toward him, pausing a few feet away. “Syasku?”
Staring distantly, he doesn’t look at me.
I pause, wondering what happened. It’s unusual for him not to meet my gaze. The last time we were alone together, I was sucking on his cock. Did something happen?
His scent envelopes me, fresh and heady, as the return of arousal swirls my thoughts. My whole body tenses, heats, and my lips part. The longer I stand there, the less sure I feel about how to proceed. Shuffling from one foot to the other, I cross my arms and glance around before returning my attention to him.
“Are you okay?” I ask, regretting the words as soon as they leave my mouth.
Of course, he’s not okay.
There’s swelling around his nose and dried blood under it, on his chin, and a little on his chest.
When he remains silent, I grab one of the blankets and some water and head back to him. I break open the water pod over the edge of the blanket, and he finally meets my gaze when I raise the wet cloth to his face.
His lips pull back. “I do not want water, female.”
Hearing his voice brings me more relief than I’d care to admit. “You should want it, and I know you need it, but this isn’t to drink. This is to wipe the blood off of you.” I don’t ask him what happened. If something had, and it wasn’t good, I don’t need him to relive it for my sake. “May I?” I ask, lifting the wet cloth again.
He glances at it and back to me before narrowing his eyes and nodding anyway. His tail circles and he yanks at his chains, lowering to the floor to sit. I kneel at his side.
It’s a good sign.
He’s watching me now like he usually does. I gently press the cloth to his cheek and notice his hands twitch and his tail go rigid. Reading his body language, my stomach churns. He’s been through a lot. We both have.
Silently I clean his face, loosening the dried blood under his nose. With it dripping from his chin and onto his chest, I slide my hand down to wipe off his shoulders and torso. He denies me no part of him, and when the blood is gone from his chest, I continue downward to clean the rest of him. Taking my time, I polish his scales as I go.
His eyes close at some point and his breathing deepens, turning into a soft hiss.
Crawling back to his upper half, I lean up on my knees and tackle his hair. Soaking it in water, I scrub it as clean as I can, pausing for a time to massage his scalp. Not wanting to stop touching him, I end with his hands. Taking his large ones in mine, I clean the dirt and blood out from under his claws.
Not every touch has to hurt.
His rigidity returns when I courageously wipe the dried seed off around his slit. I expect his cock to release, but it stays hidden away.
Maybe he’s second guessing this, us, me . Maybe I went too far and he’s pulling away. A thousand more maybes run through my head before my thoughts circle back to what might have happened to him today.
By the time I’m done, having nothing left to wash, I’ve dirtied two of our blankets and used up half of our water supply. Leaning away to check him over, he meets my eyes with languidly hooded ones.
“Sleep,” I whisper.
Syasku rests his head on the wall and slowly closes his eyes. For a time, I watch him to make certain they don’t reopen.
After a few minutes, I retrieve one of the dry blankets, and place it over him, tucking the ends around his frame.
I’ve never seen him sleep.
I’ve only ever seen him awake or unconscious.
Settling back against the wall to his right, I eat a ration and keep watch. His hair curls as it dries, and enticed by it, I move to his side to brush out the strands with my fingers. Growing tired as well, I take the final blanket, wrap it around my shoulders, and lie down next to him.
I startle awake when his tail slides along my side. Rising on my hands, I check to see if he’s trying to push me away. Our eyes catch, and finding his heated and gleaming, I shallowly swallow, unable to move and lie back down.
He watches me and I watch him, and we’re back to what we did at the beginning.
His silence lingers and my doubts grow.
“They allowed you to leave,” he says, breaking the stifling silence first.
Able to move again, I settle into a sitting position. “I—yes. After you were taken away, I was escorted to a bathroom and given a change of clothes.”
“You came back.”
“I didn’t have a choice. But I would have returned even if I did.”
A twinge of curiosity eclipses his gaze. “Why?”
I opt for the truth, hoping it will keep him speaking. “Because the one person who’s supposed to care about me made it clear he doesn’t. If I’m out there, he would make me do his bidding, which is to return here. In here it’s the same, but I feel freer than I would out there. If that makes any sense…”
“He?”
“My father.”
His brow cocks. “You are hiding then.”
“I suppose I am.” Sighing, I look away.
“Why not kill him and take your freedom?”
I snort. The idea is ludicrous. “Is that what you do down on Earth? It’s not that easy here, in any sense of the word. He’s powerful, and there’s not a place on this ship he couldn’t go, except for the Dregs. No one would dare stop him.”
“If he is powerful, why are you in here? He should have the means to protect you.”
I frown. He doesn’t know my father runs the ship. That, because of my father, he’s here at all. Part of me wants to tell him while the other… The other part is scared of how he might react.
Nobody responds well when they hear my father’s name.
He could decide to hate me for something completely out of my control. I’ll tell him, just not today. It doesn’t change his or my fates. No one controls my father, least of all me.
“He does protect me, if he wants to… But I’m one of many children and not even a legitimate one. Murder is also deeply frowned upon in my society. Killing him would be a death sentence for me as well. I would have to run to survive, and I’d be pursued like—” I clear my throat, not wanting to broach that subject.
“Like?”
“It’s nothing.”
He eyes me like he’s still waiting for me to answer.
I sigh. “Like my mother. Are you happy?”
“No.”
The side of my lips twitch. “If I keep talking about my father and murder, I’ll be tried for treason.” I glance around the room, keen on changing the subject, never sure who might be watching or listening. “What about your father? Is he anything like mine?”
He huffs out a breath like he hates the question. “I do not have a sire.”
“He’s dead? Gone?”
“I would not know. There were others around me, but they were like me, confused like me. As far as I know, there was no father or mother among them.”
“You… don’t remember?”
“If they existed, I am not aware of them. Those first days are a blur.”
“I’m… sorry.” I squint at him, wondering if he’s lying and he doesn’t want me to pry. “Anyway, yes, I was escorted out of here for a time.”
His eyes narrow and he hisses. “Do not leave here again, not without me.”
“I… I might not have a choice.”
“If your father will not protect you, you are safest with me. I will protect you. In here, I can keep you safe.”
“Syasku, you’re in chains,” I point out. He looks at me with annoyance, refusing to acknowledge the limitations of being bound. “And you’re not always in here. I can take care of myself,” I add. “My choices are my own here. At least… I need to believe that.”
When he doesn’t respond, I look away and rub my eyes. He is right about one thing: I am hiding. And… I’m fine with hiding. I’d willingly hide forever if I could. Maybe my mother had it right all along. Hiding is better than oppression.
I don’t like how that makes me feel. It’s not like she ever tried to help me, let alone try to know me.
Then again, why would she? I was a donated egg and one of Minton Volp’s children; I had access to resources other kids could only dream about. I never had to worry about food or water, living conditions, or basic supplies. I was given an education and a spot as an assistant to a renowned doctor and researcher. My Yulen ancestry had a lot to do with my existence, but it was my father that made me privileged. How many kids could say the same?
I could run. I could go to the Dregs… and hope they don’t outright kill me.
They’re not loyal to Father down by the ship’s core. They hate him down there. But if they found out who my father is, they’re just as likely to kill me as they are to help me. Worse, they could ransom me and send me right back into his clutches.
Running to the Dregs always seemed like a step in the wrong direction. It was never an option, and will never be an option.
The only reason I’ve been able to survive up until now is the promise of getting whatever I want once I break the Yulen genetic code. Father told me that once the passcode is erased, I could have my freedom.
“You smell different now.”
“That would be the soap.” I hope. “You smell the same.”
“I like it. Thissss soap.”
His gaze heats, and feeling increasingly warmer under it, I press my thighs together and try not to squirm. We stare at each other, my thoughts returning to the way his seed tastes and how I want to taste it again.
Leaning up in a moment of courage, I press my lips to his. He goes stiff and his mouth freezes. Pushing into him, I try to deepen the kiss, shifting and threading my fingers into his hair.
Wanting to soften his lips, I rub mine over them again and again, getting used to the feeling. Not sure if I’m doing something wrong, never having kissed anyone before, I pull away to look at him.
With a dumbstruck expression, he lifts his hand and runs his fingers over his mouth.
“It’s called a kiss,” I whisper, worried I went too far.
Syasku’s arms band around me, and pulling me into him, our bodies are pressed tightly together. “Again, female,” he demands, his voice gruff with surprise. “Your lips. Give them to me again.”
Blushing, I lean into him and press my mouth back to his. With a sharp groan, he clutches me to his chest, causing his chains to rattle. Dabbing my tongue between his lips, I find him salty, almost metallic tasting. He goes still once more.
Closing my eyes, I suck his lower lip between mine, giving over to instinct. Nibbling it with my teeth, I’m sliding my tongue across it when his forked one slips into my mouth. I stiffen as he slides his tongue along mine. My flesh prickles. Sensation burns my core, and I grab his shoulders for more when I remember his fangs and jerk away.
His grip on me tightens.
“Your fangs,” I gasp.
He leans back and reaches down to his slit. His cock springs free and my eyes widen, sharpening on it. “You can kiss me here if you prefer.” Seed trickles from his tip. “There are no fangs on my prick.”
“I…” My mouth opens and closes. “No, there aren’t.” Arousal ignites and my core quivers as his cock nudges hard against my stomach. Wetness soaks my panties as I dig my nails into his shoulders almost to the point of begging.
I’m panting as my vision tunnels and my body trembles. My thoughts turn hazy. I imagine the delicious stretch of his cock pushing into me, and the way I’ll shudder with pleasure when I’m finally filled. My body goes taut as wicked thoughts take over my mind, blighting out everything else. I reach for him, forgetting all about blankets and hiding.
And just as I’m about to grab him, the lights go out, consuming us both in darkness.