CHAPTER SEVEN
Zade
Later, Zade climbed into his reju, sore and exhausted.
His training session with Drace had been rigorous.
He programmed the table to wake him when his female did as well.
Already, he thought of her as his. She was three Earth hours into a six-hour rest cycle.
Three hours of restorative rest would be enough for him.
Already he was looking forward to seeing her, talking to her, learning more about her.
He would increase the hormone suppressant in his eniband, just to be safe.
Ashley was just beginning to awaken when Zade’s reju woke him.
He climbed down, feeling tight in the joints.
A headache brewed behind his brows. He was hungry.
He went into his washroom and stood while a fuchsia apiviolet light flowed up and down over his form.
It was the quickest, most efficient mode of “bathing,” taking no more than ten seconds and leaving the skin clean and rejuvenated.
Afterwards, he changed into a fresh suit, increased the dose in his eniband, and went to the glass wall to observe his patient/mate.
She was sitting up on her table. He watched her arms stretch high, hands folded into loose fists.
She did not yet know she was being observed.
He watched her inspect her new leg with close attention, testing the texture of the skin, nails, the fine hairs.
She noticed the thin tubes running from her naval and shuddered at it, covering it back up with the blanket.
Another thin tube was attached to an artery in her neck.
It was tiny and designed to be painless, so she jumped when her fingers brushed it.
The tubes had delivered nutrients and medicine during her unconscious state but they could come out now.
Her hands tested the texture of the gel bed.
She wanted to get up, but couldn’t with the tubes.
Perhaps she needed to relieve herself, not realizing that any waste was immediately absorbed and removed by the reju.
It was time to go in there. Alone. No assistants. This was a test for him.
Nerves warred with excitement as he touched the wall and the panel slid open.
Her head snapped up. Light brown eyes regarded him without fear, but with some wariness.
He could almost hear her thoughts: Can I trust him?
What is he going to do? He had to handle her very carefully.
Patients, he understood. Mates, he did not.
He stopped well away from her and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “Hello, Ashley.”
Her gaze flicked to his, then away. She tucked the blanket up under her armpits. “Call me Ash. I was only called Ashley when I was a kid, getting in trouble.”
“Did you get in trouble often?” he asked mildly, conversationally.
The corner of her mouth quirked. “All the time. You?”
“Never.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I can see that about you.” Her gaze moved over him in a quick survey that made her cheeks flush and him inwardly pleased. She blew out a breath and looked around the room. “Where are the other two?”
“Attending to other patients,” he replied, feeling a little more in control. “Or to themselves. I do not manage their time. They have proven themselves.”
“Wow. You’re a good boss. I’ve never had one that hasn’t been a dictator about time. Like, the city could be shut down but if you were two minutes late, you were written up.” She bit her bottom lip, as if realizing she was babbling.
He smiled in an attempt to ease her nerves. “How are you feeling, Ash?”
She shrugged jerkily. “Okay. Good. I, um, have to pee.”
“Of course.” He moved toward her, watching her pupils dilate.
He liked to see he had an effect on her.
“Why don’t we remove those tubes? It will be painless.
” Out of habit, he placed his hands in the M-Clo machine and covered them in a sterile membrane.
She watched with curiosity, but asked no questions.
He moved to stand above her, looking down at the top of her head.
Those golden eyes were wide as they peered up at him.
“Please hold still,” he said, and placed his hand on her throat.
Goose bumps broke out on her skin as his thumb pressed gently.
He removed the tube quickly, and painlessly, as promised.
A dab of uli oil sealed the tiny wound and allowed the tissues to knit immediately.
“Please lie down. I will remove the feeding tube in your stomach.”
She lay down, but gripped the blanket to her neck. He saw her predicament. Either the top had to be lowered, or the bottom had to be raised and she had nothing on underneath. Baylans may not think much of nudity, but humans did. So did he, at that moment.
“There is little I have not seen in my occupation, Ash,” Zade explained, even as his own pulse ticked up. “I am here to care for your health.”
Keeping her gaze locked to his, she slowly lowered the blanket to her hips.
Her bare breasts rose plump and flushed.
Her chest rose and fell with fast breaths.
Button-hard nipples pointed upward like twin pink temptations.
He reminded himself that she was also in the early stages of the bond and was likely grappling with powerful arousal that would feel confusing and strange to her.
Zade’s gaze slid over her smooth, flat belly.
That smooth tract of skin begged to be caressed, kissed, touched.
It took all of his energy not to look to her delicious breasts, or think about the sweet mound of her sex that lay beneath the thin fabric.
He pulled in a fortifying breath, focused on the thin, clear tube extending from her naval and set about removing it.
“Hold still,” he said again, and placing two fingers on either side of her belly button, he smoothly removed her last tether to the wall behind her.
She did not jerk or tense, and another drop of uli oil here sealed the tiny wound without a speck of blood.
“Very good.” His voice sounded like gravel.
“My assistant left clothing for you. Go through that door to bathe—whatever you need.” He motioned to his washroom.
“Thank you,” the female whispered. She wrapped the blanket around herself and swung her legs over the side of the table. Her brow creased with worry as she wiggled the toes of her new foot. “This foot works a little slower than the other. Could you…?”
Zade moved to her side. “It will take time and practice for the nerves to fully mesh and respond quickly to your command.”
She held out one hand and he slid his palm into it.
Her fingers wrapped around his, tightening as she prepared to use her legs.
He placed his other hand below her armpit for support.
He felt her ribs, smooth skin covering them, and the soft swell of breast against his knuckles.
She shivered at his touch. Zade sighed at the impossibility of their situation.
He should not be treating her—not with his arousal warring with the noxious quantities of hormone suppressant pumping into his system—but the thought of putting her in the hands of another, turned his vision red. He simply could not do it.
She slid off the edge of the reju and onto the floor on one foot. She did not yet trust the one he had built for her.
“You must use it,” he said mildly. “Your leg will get lazy if you do not. It must learn its purpose and obey your commands.”
He caught the swell of her cheek as she smiled. “I’ve never heard anyone describe a body part like that.”
“In my work, I often spend more time with body parts than with whole beings,” he murmured. “I have developed a unique relationship to them.”
He watched her press the sole of her new foot to the floor and test its strength. Her face turned up to his, wearing a bewildered, uncertain expression. “It’s not sure of me, yet.”
He felt her wobble and held her tighter. “It will carry you well for the rest of your life, Ash.”
“You said something about a rejection issue.” She used his support to balance herself, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. “Because it’s not…human. It’s Baylan?”
This was an odd situation. If their bonding progressed and they began to have frequent sex, her body would respond to his semen by making changes.
Over time, her DNA would alter, allowing her human body to turn Baylan enough to become fertile to him, and only him.
The process would also cause the Baylan tissues to integrate fully into her own.
When her body’s changes were complete, she would no longer need to take anti-rejection medicine, and she would also enjoy the benefits of a much longer life and a body that did not break down with age.
He held her tight as she took small, tentative steps toward the washroom.
It took them a while to get there. Fortunately, it was a small, efficient space.
The center of it featured a tall, clear cylinder wide enough to contain him comfortably or her with plenty of room.
Once inside, the occupant could choose which substance they wanted to be cleaned or moisturized with.
It was designed for expediency, not indulgence.
The necessities were present. Still, she would likely be overwhelmed by choices.
“I can set the bathing station to water, if you like. But there are other settings, which—”
“Water would be great,” she said quickly.
He set the cylindrical bathing station to water, showed her how to set the temperature and how to use the fast-drying system. Yoli had thoughtfully left clothing for her. Zade handed her the small, white bundle.
“I think I’ve got it.” She gave the clear tube a long, wary look. “Thanks.”
He stepped away, hands tingling. “Will you need help dressing?” Stars, he hoped not. Handling her as he did was already too much.
“No. Thank you.” She closed the door and Zade turned to his workstation console.
His stomach felt sick—undoubtedly the result of his body trying to reject the hormone suppressant.
He sank down at his seat. Thousands of messages crowded his screens.
He worked through the messages on his communication link, sifting through questions from colleagues, referral requests, supply transfers—were those not someone else’s responsibility? —but they slid into a blur.
All he could think of was Ash naked in the washroom so close to him. What would she do if he ripped off the eniband, stripped naked and joined her in there? What would those small hands feel like on his skin, gripping his cock and guiding it into her hot, pink slit?
With a growl of frustration, he pinched the bridge of his nose and focused on his screens. One day, he would find out—hopefully before he was driven to madness.