Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Catalina

She could feel the anger in him expand when he thought the Andaran raped her. But that wasn't what happened. How could she make him understand it was so much worse? As hard as the story was to tell, it would be horrific to hear.

"He didn't rape me. His crime is more complex. I understood from the very beginning that the Andaran wasn't nice. The first thing he did after he stripped Navid of all his wealth, including me—was forbid me to leave his compound. I could no longer take a walk or go to the market. The few people I made friends with, I could no longer visit. He also seized the small amount of money I saved over the years. It came from the small stipend Navid gifted me and in no way added to Jacanas's wealth. But he took it so I wouldn't have any resources."

Catalina turned her face toward the soft breeze. She could smell a hint of the floral drug up here. Along with the fresh scents of the garden. But this close to Baby, she was more aware of his spicy aroma. She loved the way he smelled. She wanted to bury her nose in his neck and inhale until she filled her lungs. The craving for what he offered grew every minute. She wanted to close her eyes and drift away.

Her wish was simple. To be held in his arms for as long as she wanted. But Cat knew as soon as he realized what had been done to her, there would be no more talk about becoming his mate. There was nothing she could do. In a few short months, she'd be dead.

She took a breath and began to explain, "In the beginning, I believe Jacanas tried to keep some things he did… hidden from me. I knew he openly made threats to kill family members if those he targeted didn't immediately give him what he asked for. I also know he killed people. That he didn't make empty threats. He was open about drugging the air so no one would rise and fight him. He was a horrible, egotistical nightmare of a man to work for. I hated him from the beginning. But I did the work. Kept my mouth shut, and learned to empty my mind so he wouldn't know what I thought of him."

BaOBy reached out and took her hand. Holding her to this time and place, instead of letting her relive all the horrible memories. "You said that three months ago, he realized you were a threat to him. How did that happen?"

Unable to repress the shiver that ran through her body at the question, Cat turned to face him. "It isn't a secret that he buys and sells slaves. You'll need to prove he's been doing it for years. I have that proof. More… I found all of his documentation on the profit he makes buying women from Earth and selling their wombs. He came into my office while I was reading through the buyer's contracts. I could always hide my disgust and hatred of the male—keeping my mind a careful blank when he was near. I failed miserably that day."

She had to make him understand. He was silent, waiting for her to continue. Glancing around—it appeared the entire planet was waiting—she couldn't hear any birds or even the hint of movement on the street.

"You need to listen to me, Baby. Listen and understand not just what he's done to me, but what he's done to countless women. Before the Alliance sends in an investigator, you need to help me kill him. Otherwise, every slave he owns, every slave on this planet, will be put to death. He has procedures in place should he catch even a hint of someone watching him. In fact, the manufacturing plants that produce and distribute the Violeta drug… have other poisons stockpiled. The Andaran knows that slavery by his hand is the only infraction the Alliance punishes with the death sentence. But if Jacanas gets one whiff of their intent to investigate this planet, he'll destroy all evidence of slave trading. That might mean just killing all the slaves, but he has the means to wipeout everyone on this planet. He has enough credits for a hundred lifetimes and a private spaceport filled with escape options. One tiny sign that someone is after him and he has elaborate plans to take the money and run."

"I don't understand, Catalina. We retrieved the bags with your evidence for the Alliance. If you didn't intend to use it, why did we collect them?"

That was a simple question. "Yes. You collected my bags because there are documents and account records in there. Along with the addresses of everywhere Jacanas keeps both money and slaves. I also have an inventory of his ships and all his weapons. While we wait for a chance to kill him—I want to round up all the money and figure out where all the slaves are. Then we can begin to rescue them. There are several he won't miss until it is too late. If possible, we should disable or hide his fleet of ships. But you have to believe me that the Andaran will kill all the slaves before your investigator arrives. We need to do most of this before you even tell the Alliance what happened. Without physical bodies, his sentence will end up being just a few decades. You know he'll use mind control to get that reduced."

"I believe you, Cat. And we can deal with all the other details tomorrow. Right now, I want to understand what he did to you. You said he didn't rape you. But he sold your womb and let someone else rape you?" Her big Baby was confused. If the topic wasn't horrible, it would be cute.

Without dissecting her need, she moved closer, and Bao wrapped both arms around her body. Cat refused to pull away, allowing herself to be comforted. She sighed with contentment. This… was so incredibly amazing. Having someone hold her. If only for a few moments. It scared her how much she needed this. Would it weaken her resolve, or make it stronger?

She sighed. "No. What he did to me isn't technically rape. Although he took away my right to say no in so many ways. The Andaran didn't touch me. He doesn't really like women, I don't think. However, I know he isn't above rape. He uses that treatment to break a woman's spirit. But no one touched me in that way."

Pausing, Catalina blew out a breath and whispered, "Jacanas had his scientists impregnate me with a raptizaer zygote."

BaOBy blinked. For a moment, he was silent. "I don't understand… The word zygote is unfamiliar. Give my translator time to clarify. Here we go… fertilized egg …" The full horror overwhelmed him.

Cat could feel the reaction when his heartbeat went wild. It was in his gasp and the intensified grip around her body. It amazed her when he didn't push her away in disgust—he pulled her closer. As if he could protect her from what was coming.

He choked out, "He impregnated you with one of the most violent and humanoid-incompatible species in the known universe. Why?"

"I think—because he read my mind." Cat shrugged. "Nothing he does makes sense. But I believe he read my intent to see him dead. Exposed. For the Andaran, my death needed to be spectacular. He wanted me to fear him first. Jacanas knew once the fertilized egg was implanted, at some point during the following ten months, the baby would kill me. And he'll make six million credits from the parents. It's a win, win for him."

BaOBy's body and mind were in shock. She could see his mouth open and close, trying to form sentences. But he didn't know where to start.

So she'd help him. "The raptizaer species don't give birth. When the mostly avian fetus is mature, it will use its hooked beak and razor-sharp talons to eat and slash its way out of the mother's womb. Or, well… in my case, not mother. But you know…"

She waved her hand to dismiss any tie to what shared her body. "And when the time comes, it will have both beak and talons. They didn't just shoot me full of sperm to create a half-human baby. The implanted zygote is completely raptizaer. The couple who gave the Andaran both sperm and egg paid six million credits for my throwaway womb."

"I… I don't understand. How does he get away with this?" Bao backed up and sat in one of the chairs. But he didn't let go of her. He pulled Cat onto his lap. Holding tight.

"This small part of his slavery ring is well-hidden. I didn't know about it for over four years. There are rumors. I think those abound because you have to get the clients from somewhere. Right? But everyone believes the implantation of killer embryos is just a wild tale. No one would ever do something so evil… except for Jacanas. I hate to sound like a broken record—but that's why we need to kill him."

Baby's voice was low. Fierce. " Oh, he's a dead man. No question. Slavery and torture warrant an immediate death sentence. He wanted to make you pay."

Cat realized Baby's mind was no longer confused. The last statement was firm. He understood at least part of what the Andaran was doing to her.

But not everything.

Sitting in his lap, Cat reached up and laid her palm on his cheek. Baby tilted his head—touching her forehead with his. "Tell me the rest before you leave tonight," he whispered before he drew back, giving her room to breathe. "Let's get this out of the way, so you don't need to think about it and we can go on to the next step."

Keeping her voice low, she shared the horror her life had become. "Jacanas visits often to torture me with my death. He wants me to think about what it will be like. To worry about it every day during all the months I'm pregnant. He gifted me a re-breather years ago. That way, the drugged air wouldn't affect me and I could be more efficient with my work. He didn't take it away because he wants me to be aware and afraid—every second." Cat fully understood that Baby thought there would be some way to fix this. She knew there wasn't.

Baby reached out and retrieved her water tube. "Drink," he urged. Handing Cat the tube and running his hand through her hair, moving it off her face.

She needed the water to soothe her throat. As his touch soothed her soul. "There are three other Earth women in that house across the street. All three are pregnant with raptizaer offspring. They don't have re-breathers and in addition, he keeps all three well sedated. I don't think they realize what is happening." Catalina wasn't sure she could finish the rest. But Baby tightened his arms around her, letting her know he was here… holding her. Better to get this part over with.

"The Andaran brings me videos of raptizaers slashing their way out of their mothers' wombs. Forcing me to watch them with him. Then he reads statistics on what happens to the mothers and how. He framed pictures of the aftermath of these births and had them hung in my room, so I can never escape the reality of my situation. The female of this species can only give birth once. Less than two percent of their women survive pregnancy. There is a very lucrative market for what the Andaran termed throwaway wombs . They don't care that the captive incubator won't live through the experience. Implanting the embryo in another species ensures their females live. And the babies are still one hundred percent raptizaer."

Her shoulders slumped, and she took a shaky breath. It was done. Cat refused to cry. Not here. Not now. She'd rather soak up the feeling of powerful arms holding her tight before he pulled away in disgust. She told him everything about her situation. Now he would realize he couldn't save her. She couldn't be his mate.

But he didn't push her off his lap, or move his arms. Cat was shocked when he continued to hold her.

When Baby spoke, she could hear the rage in his voice. "The Galactic Alliance will ban the raptizaer and any other species that believes using someone else's womb is a good idea. This might prompt research into the use of robotic wombs or some other medical option for them. But it will be too late to help you and the other women in that house across the street."

Cat was glad he remembered them. Reluctantly, she scooted off his lap and stood. "The Midnight Moon is rising. Soon it will fill the sky with light, and I won't be able to sneak back across the street."

She let him take her into his arms. Allowing him to brush his lips over each of her eyelids. To ease down to her lips… and kiss her. The thought that she could now die happy… fluttered through her mind. It was meant to be a little sarcastic—and a little breathy—virginal amazement.

Catalina was absolutely both. A sarcastic virgin. She'd keep that little tidbit to herself.

Her knees buckled, and Baby supported her weight. When he brought his mouth down on hers for the first time, it was with exquisite gentleness. A soft whisper of his lips. Heat spiraled through Cat, and she needed more. His kiss—silenced all the crazy thoughts in her head. His tongue teased the seam of her mouth and she opened for him.

Cat needed this. Melting into his body—she couldn't deny that THIS felt right. She was destined to be his mate. His arms wrapped around her. Tight. Nearly crushing her as he offered her love and protection. The kiss went on. Both a little heaven and a lot of hell. She needed to get back to her room so she could dissect the wonder of her first kiss… and cry herself to sleep that it was probably her last.