Chapter 6

SIX

Taki

Everything I'd heard about Radian males was true, but at the same time those rumors didn't do this male justice. At all.

His cock jutted out from a nest of dark hair between his thick thighs to poke me in the stomach. The swollen purple head glistened with a drop of clear liquid that nearly had me falling to my knees. Submission was only a trait in Radian females when our vettes recognized a dominant male, one who would create strong offspring and be capable of defending the family.

I'd felt the slight stirring of my vettes before this around the humian, but I'd passed them off as confusion. But I was no longer confused. The reflection of the water showed my vettes glowing a bright red. The submission coupled with the raging heat of my vettes let me know that the unthinkable had happened.

This couldn't be happening here. Not now. The vette choice.

My body had chosen. The vettes on my arms and inner thighs burned, and I didn't even know this humian's name . There'd been this unspoken decision to remain wary of each other, like what we had was strictly a barter system, but my body was no longer agreeing to that.

My mouth went dry. I wasn't sure if he could smell my arousal like a full-blood Radian male could, but my question was answered when his nostrils flared and his pupils dilated, turning his eyes nearly black in the low light. And he couldn't miss the bright red of my vettes on my arms and forehead. He could likely feel the radiating heat.

I shouldn't want this male, not in any lifetime, but I couldn't control my body's reactions. For Radian females, our vettes choosing our mates was a dream, as it meant the male was compatible and right for us. This humian was strong, capable, and would surely create healthy offspring. I should have been happy. Elated. Falling to my knees to purr and rub against his manhood. To submit to him as a breeder.

There was just the little fact that he was a murderer. That we were on a prison planet. The horror of the situation must have shown on my face, because he reacted quickly.

With a snarl, he shoved me away and turned on his heel to dive into the water headfirst. I stumbled, falling to one knee before I stood again on shaky limbs. He surfaced with a flick of his head. His eyes had gone a dull matte black. "Bodies are just bodies. Ignore them and bathe quickly."

Those words stung. The entire situation stung. This was supposed to be a time of joy in my life, an event that happened for one in every hundred Radian females, but this male had not only rejected me, but rejected the honored vette choice. Some rational part of my mind told me I should reject it too. That this was crazy. That maybe my body was affected by something weird in the atmosphere or only drawn to him in this extreme situation. But my vettes burned hotter. Redder. I could barely think.

With shaking hands, I dropped my clothes. The humian wasn't even looking, as he'd begun running the soap bar over his arms and into his hair. When I stood naked at the edge of the pool, ready to enter, his eyes finally landed on me. His movements stilled, and from below the surface of the water, I noticed he bore Radian vettes on the outsides of his thighs. And they were red too. He could spout whatever words he wanted, but his body recognized me as his vette choice too. I slipped into the water, gasping a little when the water seeped into some of my cuts. The humian drifted closer and dropped the soap in my hand. Our fingertips brushed, and I didn't miss the way he shivered.

I tried to concentrate on bathing, but my body had other ideas as it prepared for mating. I could feel my hips widen properly to take cock, and my four breasts swelled while my nipples hardened to stiff peaks. The heat of my vettes was becoming uncomfortable. I could handle that, but the aching need in my lower stomach was not subsiding. My breath came in sharp pants, and I knew I wasn't the only one. The humian gripped the edge of the pool nearby, his knuckles nearly white. His jaw clenched so tightly I could hear his teeth grinding together.

"Maybe," I whispered while rinsing the soap from my hair. "Maybe we should?—"

"No," he gritted out.

"But—"

"This won't kill us. It will pass."

I wasn't sure if he knew much about Radian females. It would pass, but it would be a very painful and uncomfortable passing unless he bred me.

Turning away, I let out a small moan that ended abruptly in a sob. I couldn't get a handle on my emotions. I didn't want him. I did want him. I was angry with his rejection. I was glad he rejected me. We shouldn't rush into this. And what if one of us slipped during mating and bound our vettes? That would be dire.

Hauling myself out of the water, I took one step toward my clothes when a strange sound drew my attention. Clutching my clothes to my wet body, I straightened to find an unfamiliar pair of yellow eyes staring at me from the entrance of the tunnel.

The figure stepped further into the silent, his eerie eyes widening as he took me in. "Fuck me," he muttered before his mouth stretched into a grin that revealed broken and missing teeth. He was part human and something else. I couldn't tell in the dim light. My heart pounded and I couldn't seem to make my muscles move . "Never been lucky before, but I'm lucky now." He threw back his head with a cackle. "Let's go meet 005, female."

When the yellow-eyed human dropped into a crouch and bared his fangs, I sucked in a breath as the fur on his arms sprouted.

"Part wolpert," I whispered.

He reached for me, and I took a stumbling step back with a cry. Before the wolpert hybrid could get a hand on me, the pool to my left seemed to erupt. In a cascade of water, my humian rescuer emerged from the surface in a mighty upward surge.

The wolpert immediately turned his attention onto the attacker, yellow eyes bulging as he hissed in a raspy growl, "032."

Naked, the humian kicked the wolpert square in the jaw before sliding to a hip near our bags. The wolpert let out a snarl as he shook his head and then lashed out a clawed hand to catch the humian in the ribs.

I shouted in alarm as bright red blood spurted from the humian's skin, but he ignored me as he raised his arm. Sharp metal glinted in the flickering torchlight, and he swung his arm viciously toward the wolpert. The beast dodged the blow, just barely, so the blade sliced into his shoulder rather than plunge into his neck.

He let out a roar which the humian answered with one of his own. Bleeding, the humian went into a crouch with one foot forward and the other one braced behind him.

"005 will flay you alive." The wolpert shook his furred shoulder and snapped his jaws.

The humian didn't answer and instead lunged forward with a quick jab of his blade. He caught the wolpert in the face, and fresh blood bloomed on his nose. After that, the wolpert pounced, and I let out a scream as the two collided. The humian landed on his back near the edge of the water, with a bone-crunching thud. A sob left my throat as I searched for a weapon of my own, but all I had were my clothes. There wasn't even a stick.

The two were trading blows—the humian thrashed with his knife and fists, while the wolpert slashed with teeth and claws. Blood arced through the air, and I couldn't determine who was winning. Suddenly the humian kicked his legs up, tossing the wolpert into the water. He hit with a splash, and a moment later, the humian dove after him.

I crawled to the edge of the water and peered down, but I could only make out blurred shapes twisting and writhing below the surface. Dark liquid stained the water, and self-preservation kicked in. If the wolpert killed the humian… I couldn't be here. I had to hide. But I couldn't make myself leave the humian alone. He was in this mess because of me.

Suddenly the shapes went still, and I held my breath, arms aching as I braced myself above the surface. Something moved slowly, a lanky form that I couldn't make out in the dark light. A head broke the surface, and I scuttled back until the green eyes of the humian met mine. His hands flailed as he sought purchase on the bank of the pool.

"It's you," I whispered as I ran to him. I grabbed his arm and tugged, and he grunted as he managed to get his hands on solid ground and pull himself out of the water.

I gasped as I took stock of his body. I couldn't be sure where he was bleeding because as the water sluiced from his body, blood seemed to seep from… everywhere. He fell on his face with a moan, and I rushed to his side to try to help him to his feet. He stumbled, muttering words I couldn't make out. I held my ear to his lips.

"Bunker," he whispered.

I grabbed the bag and our clothes. Together, we stumbled into the tunnel on our way back to the bunker.

I wasn't quite sure how we made it back. I managed to pull on some pants, a shirt, and slipped into my boots. I also tugged the humian's boots on his feet to protect his soles but getting him into any other clothes was low priority.

He walked on his own for a few steps, and then would wobble, forcing me to hold most of his weight. That was the way of it up the tunnel, out of the mouth of the cave, and then as we fumbled our way in the dark back to the bumper. His head hung low, dark hair dripping into his eyes, but he managed to direct us back to his bunker based on landmarks and the star pattern above us.

By the time we reached the hatch, my muscles ached, my lungs burned, and I couldn't figure out if I was wet from water or the humian's blood. I tried to get him in the bunker delicately, but he ended up falling most of the way with a low, pained moan.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I whispered hurriedly as I slid that hatch closed. I fumbled about in the dark until I lit the lantern and then immediately rushed to the humian's side.

Blood. Blood was everywhere—in his hair, his eyes, and staining his teeth. "You can't die," I murmured as I ripped apart the old blanket that I'd recently mended. It was good he'd retrieved a new one. "Please. Don't leave me alone here."

This was my fault. He wouldn't have had to fight that wolpert if it wasn't for me. If I hadn't had so much ferm, if I hadn't fled from Tauran, if I hadn't stumbled on that stupid escape pod… then this humian wouldn't be bleeding out from dozens of cuts.

After soaking the cloth strips in a disinfectant I'd found among his supplies, I cleaned his injuries and then focused my attention on the worst ones—a large gash on his thigh, his ribs, and a cut above his temple.

Still naked, he lay on the bed pad breathing shallowly. His eyes fluttered open occasionally, as he fought to remain conscious.

"Just rest," I murmured as I wrapped his thigh in a thick strip of blanket to stem the bleeding. My hand brushed the soft round sacks between his legs, and he jerked at the touch. "Sorry," I murmured again.

I tied another strip around his head and then held a large square to his ribs. Luckily, that cut no longer pulsed blood but instead trickled slowly.

With one hand on his ribs, I fell back onto my butt near his hip and swiped my hair out of my eyes. When I turned to look at him, his eyes were half-open watching me.

"Do you need something?" I asked. "Water?"

He licked his lips and then gave me a little nod. I held a skin to his lips, and he took a few gulps with a wince. His eyes were bright, skin flushed, and he seemed a little out of it.

"Do you want something to eat?—?"

"Never killed anyone before I came here," he said in a low rasp. Confused, I went still as the scars on his back were punishment for killing a Radian. He snorted and covered his eyes with a forearm. "That wolpert… was my first kill."

My heart pounded, and my fingers curled where I held the bandage to his ribs. He let out a little grunt and peeked at me with bright eyes from beneath his arm. "You don't believe me, do you?" Snorting, he shook his head. "Doesn't matter."

I didn't want to believe him. I didn't want to think that this humian had been sentenced to this life unjustly, but I also couldn't find a reason why he'd lie. He hadn't hurt me. He'd defended me. He'd killed for me. And on top of that… I trusted my vettes. They wouldn't react to a male not worthy.

"What's your name?" I asked softly as I pulled his arm away from his eyes and brushed his hair off his forehead.

He peered up at me, face slack with exhaustion. "Zanner."

"I'm Taki."

He nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but his eyelashes began to flutter closed.

"Sleep," I whispered. "I'll be here when you wake."

He shook his head, but I couldn't ask why, because in the next moment, he was asleep.