11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Tareq

I can scarcely breathe as As'Trah touches me. My focus is entirely on holding back my primal urge to pull her closer and kiss every inch of her plump human body. I love how fearless she is. How curious she is about my body.

The scent of her arousal fills the air, and it takes every inch of my feeble self-control not to act on my desire. But I can't screw this up. She's just started trusting me, maybe even admitting to herself that she's attracted to me. I can't act rashly and scare her away.

With that in mind, I sit patiently, my skin prickling under her soft touch. Her fingers feel icy against my skin, and I wonder if that's normal for humans or if she's cold. Perhaps I should warm her again, like last night when I held her in my arms.

My cock wholeheartedly agrees with the warming part. Not so much with merely holding her in my arms.

My beautiful human cellmate is curious about my teeth. It's no surprise, since hers are short and blunt. Useless, much like her claws. My sharp teeth and elongated fangs probably make me look like a dangerous predator to her. Part of me is happy that I look fierce, but I also don't want her to be afraid of me. I can't remove my teeth to soothe her fears, but I can show her I'm in control. I won't accidentally bite her when kissing. Or when licking her pussy.

My gentle nip has her jerking in surprise, but there's no fear in her expression. Good. Her cheeks, however, change color, and she starts saying something quickly. Apologizing? She used one of the words before when apologizing for laughing at me.

I don't want her to apologize. I want her to continue exploring. I want her to take my pants off and gasp at the sight of my cock.

I have a great cock. She'd love it.

As'Trah places her hand at the center of my chest, right above one of my hearts. With bated breath, I wait for her to slide lower, over my abs, to the bulge under my pants. But perhaps I'm asking too much of her.

I have to keep in mind that just yesterday, she was terrified of me. Even though she's brave, she probably doesn't want to jump straight into something so intimate. Perhaps humans have special courting and mating rituals I'm not aware of. I know very little about them.

I'll have to be patient with her.

However, since I have allowed her to freely explore my body, perhaps she'd be willing to let me do the same. She has no tail I could "accidentally" grab, but her hand is still resting on my chest.

Slowly, not wanting to startle her, I place my large hand over hers. Her breath hitches, but she doesn't move away, merely watches me with her mouth slightly parted.

Oh, what I wouldn't give to have those lips around my cock! Is that a human custom too? Would she be willing to take me in her mouth?

Reminding myself to be patient, I chase the thought away and gently wrap my fingers around her hand, raising it to my face. As'Trah watches me with wide eyes, but doesn't protest when I circle one of her blunt claws with my sharp one. Some of hers are broken, the skin beneath them raw and chaffed. The tip of her index finger is covered in dried blood.

I frown, guilt clawing at my insides. This is my fault. She hurt herself trying to open the ventilation grid, which was my idea.

I kiss each of her fingertips, licking at the dried blood as if that might magically heal her wounds.

As'Trah speaks, her words encouraging. She isn't angry that my plan resulted in her wounds, which diminishes my guilt. A little.

I touch the skin covering her palm, admiring the smoothness of it. She has pale, soft hairs lightly dusting up the length of her arm, nothing like my completely hair free skin. As I trace the tiny, nearly invisible hair up to her shoulder, I wonder where else she has hair. Females of certain species have hair around their pussies, which is something I've always found fascinating. I think I glimpsed a shadow of hair between her legs when she was naked earlier, but I was trying not to ogle. I can't wait to find out if I was right.

I slide my fingers across her collarbone, pausing at the dip below her chin. As I spread my fingers wider to encompass her soft, vulnerable neck, just beneath the damned slave collar, a tiny moan escapes her, and the scent of her arousal thickens.

Most peculiar, I think to myself, remembering her reaction for later.

Her red mane is tangled and greasy, just like mine, but I still admire the gentle waves falling over her shoulders.

I poke her ridiculously rounded ear, unsurprised when it doesn't twitch. Few species have mobile ears, like the Syndorans do. She giggles when I tap the shell of her ear, then sucks in a sharp breath when I gently slide my claw down to her lobe.

I run my finger down her forehead, between her beautiful brown eyes and over her pointed nose. Then I'm at her lips. Her soft, plump, pink lips.

I trace their outline with my finger, wanting to remember every detail. As'Trah lets out a shaky breath, closing her eyes, her mouth parting a little. The moment I put my finger into the inviting gap, she closes her lips around it, sucking my finger inside then running her tongue around it, all the while grinning cheekily at me. My fragile self-control nearly shatters as I gasp at her actions. Hells, I'm not far from spilling my seed in my pants without even touching myself!

"You're one wicked female, Myále ," I whisper, the endearment slipping out again. I know she can't be my mate but in this moment, I don't care.

After testing that her teeth are indeed as blunt as they look, I remove my finger from her mouth, running it down her chin to her throat, then all the way down to where the blanket is wrapped around her body. Unless I want to explore her bare feet, which, sadly, are as dirty as mine, I've touched every exposed part of her body. I can only continue if she removes the blanket, but that has to be her choice.

Her blunt teeth dig into her lower lip as she clearly contemplates it, her gaze heated, with only a hint of worry. I can't do anything to allay her fears, so I wait patiently, stroking her neck to let her know I'm content to just touch her like this without continuing further.

Eventually, she huffs out a laugh and mumbles a few words that sound almost self-deprecating. But her hands undo the blanket, and she lets it fall to her waist, bunching it there as if to let me know that's as far as she's willing to go right now.

I don't mind, excited to explore her ample breasts. Just like the rest of her body, they're soft and they fill my hands perfectly. I knead them, noting how As'Trah's eyes flutter shut, a soft breath escaping her. I focus on her nipples then; the peaks tightening under my fingers. A flick of my claw over a nipple earns me a whimper and a stream of urgent, encouraging words. I'm more than happy to oblige.

I lean in to run my tongue over one nipple while teasing the other with my fingers. As'Trah whimpers again, pushing her chest closer to my face in request for more. I suck the hardened nipple into my mouth, letting my teeth scrape against it ever so gently.

As'Trah jerks and lets out a soft cry, her hands flying into my hair. She doesn't push me away, though. Quite the contrary. She yanks on my tangled strands to pull me even closer, crushing my mouth against her chest.

Grinning, I switch to the other nipple, my cock throbbing incessantly as I listen to As'Trah's moans. She's trying to be quiet, which is wise given the situation. Yet, I wonder what she would sound like if she could scream out her pleasure for everyone to hear.

"Tareq…" she moans my name, tugging on my hair. Whispered utterings tumble from her mouth, both begging and pleading. She reaches for my hand, guiding it down her stomach, under the blanket covering her lap.

I can scarcely believe it. Is she really going to let me touch her?

As'Trah shifts to spread her legs and my fingers brush against a soft tuft of curly hair, the air whooshing out of me. Yes! Pussy hair!

Just when I'm about to reach lower to test how wet she is, my skin prickles, a growl rumbling low in my chest. An angry, fiercely protective growl. There's a noise outside of the cellblock, which means the Genixarians are about to come in.

With deep regret, I yank my hand from between As'Trah's thighs, pulling the blanket up to cover her chest. Hurt flashes through her expression, sending a jolt of discomfort through my hearts. Does she really think I don't want to touch her?

I shake my head, pointing at the door, trying to explain the situation without words. Her eyes widen in understanding a second before the lights in the room flash on. As'Trah lets out another whimper, this time it's one of fear, then flings herself into my arms.

Grateful that she's seeking my protection, I pull her into my chest and carry her to the rear of the cell. She'll feel safer if we're further away from the guards.

As the Genixarians approach, I risk a glance at the ventilation grid to make sure it doesn't look tampered with. The guards, Gamma and Omicron, aren't the brightest stars in the galaxy, but the scientist, Alpha, is smarter, and he's with them. This can't be good.

The Genixarians stop in front of my cell, scowling. "Have you bred the female yet?" Alpha asks.

"I have," I lie shamelessly, "but there's no guarantee she's with young." I don't want them to take As'Trah away from my cell.

Alpha's scowl deepens. "Male breeds a female and puts seed inside of her," he says with disgust. "That should be all. I wonder if you are a fertile male after all."

"Of course I am!" I growl. I won't have this vat-grown creep question my potency. "But most females are only fertile a few days in every cycle. Some even have to meditate to release the egg for fertilization." I know of one species with such complicated mating rituals. I doubt humans are the same, but the Genixarians wouldn't know. "If I could talk to this female and convince her to release her eggs, things would progress much faster," I lie, hoping the scientist will take the bait.

Alpha scratches his bald head. "Hmm. I suppose we could add the cost of the translator nodes to her price when we sell her. It is expensive technology, you know?"

"Of course," I agree, when deep inside, I'm seething. The translator nodes aren't expensive technology at all. Everyone in the galaxy has them. Even children from the poorest families have nodes, but this asshole can't spare a pair for As'Trah?! "You'd also have to update mine with the female's language."

"I know that!" the scientist bristles, fiddling with the collar remote. "I recommend you stop patronizing me, slave, or I'll make you regret it."

I lower my head so that Alpha wouldn't see the pure anger contorting my features. I let go of As'Trah, moving a few inches away from her. If the Genixarians activate my collar on a higher setting, my entire body will spasm. I don't want to accidentally hurt As'Trah if that happens.

To my relief, Alpha lowers the remote, clearly pleased with my fake submission. "The female will be given the nodes so you can tell her to release her eggs," he announces. "This better work, Syndoran," he tells me before turning to his guards. "Bring the female to the lab. I shall perform the procedure. After that, bring the other human to me. I'm not done with my experiments."

Other human? There were other humans on the ship? I haven't noticed any, but there are hunched figures huddling in the corners of several cells. I suppose one of them might be a human.

All thoughts of other humans abandon me when the cell door clicks open and my own human lets out a strangled cry of terror. Belatedly, I realize As'Trah has no idea what's going on. The only thing she knows is that I talked to her captors, and now they're taking her away. She probably thinks I was the one to tell them to take her.

Even though it's against all of my instincts, I step aside and let the guards grab her. The utter betrayal in her eyes stabs at my insides like a rusty blade. The hateful glare that follows isn't much better.

She's smart enough not to fight or scream, not after Alpha raises the remote and gives her a threatening look. As they lead her away, she keeps glaring at me with raw hatred. I sink onto my knees, rubbing at my chest, surprised by the pain now throbbing there.

She will understand, I think to myself, trying to soothe my anxiety. After they bring her back, she and I will be able to talk, and I'll explain everything to her. I'll make her see I didn't betray her, that I didn't toss her to the evil aliens to save myself or whatever is going through her mind right now.

I can only hope she'll give me the chance to explain.