Chapter 9
GISELLE STARED AT THE blinking lights of the cockpit, one of Thase’s arms wrapped around her waist as he pointed out the different functions.
It was all going right over her head—she’d never been much of a tech person—but something about the firm grip around her middle pleased her. She hadn’t resisted when he’d asked her to join him in the cockpit, hadn’t tried to stop him as he’d pulled her onto his lap.
But he was behaving, at least for now, making no move to hurt her like he claimed to enjoy doing.
“Our ship harnesses the energy of nearby stars, converting light into propulsion. You press this to engage the drives, which create a bubble of negative energy density around the ship. It is how we contract space-time to enable faster than light travel without violating causality…”
She nodded, biting her lip and turning to face him.
He smiled at her, perhaps understanding that she wasn’t grasping much of what he was saying, his voice trailing off as he gave her a squeeze. He gripped her chin with his other hand, but there was no cruelty to the move, just curiosity as he ran his thumb across her skin, studying her.
Things had been different with him since Umuna, since they had given her their eggs. Thase had cared for her tenderly while the sterile clutch dissipated, and even when they were gone, the sneers had mellowed to gentle smiles.
“Why are you being so nice? I thought you liked to hurt me?”
She regretted the words as soon as she’d said them, panic bubbling in her stomach. Surely she’d break him from whatever spell was making him docile, kind.
But he didn’t make a move to squeeze the hand at her throat, to press his claws into her. He blinked rapidly, taking a long moment before answering.
“I do not wish to upset you.”
His hand slid behind her neck, tangling with her messy hair, and she almost thought he was about to kiss her.
“What does that mean?”
Thase rolled his eyes, a sly smile curling his lips.
“I would like you to be happy here. With Vrix. With me. And when I hurt you, it makes you upset.”
Since when did he care so much about her happiness? Dread coiled in her, despite the sweet touch, the kind words.
“It would make me happy if you took me back to Earth.”
His eyes narrowed, a glare directed at her, though his grasp on her remained gentle.
“What is so great on Earth that we cannot give you here?”
Giselle opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when she found no easy answer. Her mind had been more calm in the past few days than any other moment she could recall. What did she have on Earth?
A messy breakup? A monotonous job? The only family she had anymore was Anthony’s, and clearly they’d have nothing to do with her now that they weren’t together. God, what would she even tell her therapist?
“Hi, yeah, oh, last week was pretty good for me, though the alien abduction really put a damper on things…”
They’d have her committed.
Something about the ship, the endless vastness of space, calmed her. Or was it the two aliens who gazed at her with that same look of utter reverence.
She couldn’t answer his question, so instead she asked another.
“Have you spoken with Vrix?”
There’d been a glimmer of hope after he hadn’t completely disregarded her the other day, but she wasn’t sure if he’d talked to Thase yet.
“About the surgery?” he asked, eyeing her carefully.
She nodded, too nervous to speak, uneasiness prickling her skin. He was silent for a long while, his fingers brushing through her hair.
Finally, he answered, cradling her head so she rested against the crook of his neck.
“There is something wrong with us. It is why we have been exiled from our homeworld. It is barbaric to utilize living hosts for our clutches, has been illegal for centuries since our species developed the artificial incubators that serve our population.”
Giselle held her breath, her mind whirling with the information whispered in her ear.
“Our species craves order above all else. What we have done is wrong, unnatural. But once we started using living hosts, it was impossible to go back. The machines… they’re so cold, sterile.
They don’t properly hold reverence for the beauty of the act.
The act of creation. Life. I believe many Dalgurs feel the way we do, but they are taught to resist, to deny themselves the pleasure they crave.
Or perhaps they are just more clever than Vrix and I. Perhaps they just didn’t get caught.”
She squirmed in his lap, maneuvering so she straddled his hips, needing to fully see his face. She rested her hands on his shoulders, searching for something that would save her, any bit of morality within him.
“Please don’t give me the surgery. I will stay with you, but please don’t force me to be your host. I don’t want that.”
Her body trembled, her lip quivering as she scrutinized him for a reaction.
Thase nodded, not saying a word. She couldn’t tell if that was a good or bad sign.
“For me, the pleasure of filling you is more than enough. We have already sent many broodlings into the world. It was why were exiled, for having a connection beyond what is acceptable for Dalgur society. We are meant to mix our genes with as many other Dalgurs as we can, not devote ourselves to one.”
“You really can never go back?”
“We cannot. The sovereign’s decree is irreversible. We had been careless with the way we utilized natural hosts, reproduced together.”
A knot balled in Giselle’s throat, one she tried hard to swallow.
What they did… it was objectively horrifying, at least from a human’s viewpoint.
Using unwilling hosts for their broods. The sick gratification they got from the spreading of pain and pleasure.
But there was love between them, palpable in how he spoke of Vrix with such affection, even when he tried to hide it.
They’d been willing to risk everything for each other.
Thase brought her attention back to him, his gaze soft.
“We will not force you to have surgery.”
The shock of his statement froze her for a moment, but then her heart soared like an eagle in the sky. She had no reason to believe him, but she did.
On an impulse, she took his face in her hands, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. They were hard, as solid as the rest of his skin, tasting of salt and sea. She breathed in a sigh, then pulled away, his wide eyes staring at her.
“Are you trying to… bite me?”
She snorted a laugh, a laugh that turned into a giggle that she couldn’t quite suppress, the absurdity over all that had happened bubbling over.
“What is so funny?” he asked, the look of utter confusion on his face making her laughter start up again.
When she could finally breathe, she smiled, resting her hands on his shoulders.
“It’s a kiss. It’s a way that humans show intimacy.”
Thase nodded, his eyes narrowed like he didn’t quite believe her, but before she could break the awkward silence, he pulled her face to his, their lips connecting once more.
She flicked her tongue, enjoying the way he jolted, his claws tangling in her hair, bringing her closer to him. Another hand was at her ass, squeezing, stoking her arousal. His tongue pressed into her mouth, any gentleness gone, his mewling whimpers doing nothing to quell her lust.
There was a whoosh as the door opened, Vrix entering with wide eyes.
“What are you doing?” he asked, as Giselle pulled herself away.
Thase spun the chair to face him.
“We are kissing. It is how humans show intimacy.”
Vrix’s eyes went wide, hurrying to stand next to them.
“I would like to kiss too!”
Anticipation hummed on the surface of her skin, a smile pulling at her mouth.
She reached up, knotting her fingers in his hair and pulling him down to her.
Their lips met, a bit clumsy at first, but Vrix got the hang of it quickly, his rubbery tongue sliding into her mouth, flicking against her own.
His hand glided over her body as electricity filled her, silencing some of the anxiety floating through her.
A beep sounded and Vrix pulled away, his chest heaving, his eyes glancing to the dashboard.
“We are approaching Occaro X7,” Thase said, his hands still gripping her ass.
Vrix groaned, his body slumping like an exasperated child.
“Thase must be unencumbered to land the shuttle. But you can stay and watch if you’d like.” After a pause, he added. “I would like to try more kissing later.”