Page 12 of Alien Rescue

“Yes, my leader.” Zanr saluted and turned to go.

“Zanr.” Zacar sounded grim.

He turned back to face Zacar. His leader glared at him—the glare warriors saw moments before he killed them. Zanr stiffened, prepared to defend himself. Rose would be left alone if he died. “Don’t ever extend your claws to me, unless you want to fight me to the death,” Zacar said with deadly purpose.

If he could blush like a human, his face would turn red. He’d acted without honor in the presence of his leader. The humans had an expression: “bad blood will out.” Maybe his lack of blood would show no matter how hard he tried to live with honor. “Yes, my leader.” Zacar had taken a chance on him and he’d rewarded him by extending his claws in his presence. Shame crawled through him. He pushed it back and looked Zacar straight in the eye. “I will defend my breeder, even if it means losing my life.”

Zacar clapped him on the shoulder. “I knew I chose wisely when I accepted you into my team.”

Zurian clapped him on his other shoulder, and he nearly went down from the combined weight. “And I knew when I chose to train you, that you would be a warrior of courage and strength.”

Zanr didn’t know what to say so he saluted and got out of there. He felt dazed. His leader thought him a warrior of honor? He’d thought Zacar chose him because of his skill as a warrior.

Zanr almost tiptoed past Zacar’s quarters. At least he wasn’t the only warrior acting this undignified around Zacar’s dwelling. When he left the cave, he ran at full speed to his own dwelling, then stopped dead in front of the door. For a moment he couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that he was about to interrogate his own breeder.

Zanr drew in a deep breath and entered his dwelling. If he was a lucky warrior and an even luckier Zyrgin—his breeder would look at him with lust in her eyes like in the movies he found on the human database. He could almost sweat like a human just thinking about those movies. The way their bodies moved. Except he couldn’t imagine being like that with anyone, only Rose.

Inside he found Rose awake and agitated. She sat upright in bed, her hair framing her beautiful face. She’d undone the hairstyle he’d made for her and this pleased him, because it meant he could make another one for her. “I don’t know if it’s day or night without windows. Why did you leave without making a window?” Her voice sounded wrong, shrill on his eardrums. Her face had lost color. Her chin and lips trembled, and he could see her trying to firm them, to hide the physical signs of fear. He would settle for five minutes alone with Parnell.

He ordered the walls to be transparent. She visibly relaxed and swung her legs over the bed so that she could slowly stand on her feet. Her legs were as superior as her hair, long and a little too thin, but with a very good shape. She shuffled toward the bathroom, keeping the window in sight.

Zanr ignored her protests and helped her to the bathroom, and then returned to their room. He went to the closet. He could give her the rest of the dresses afterward. Maybe it would help her over the ordeal of being interrogated. She was delicate, after all, and he’d have to interrogate her as if she was the enemy. What chance would he have of her looking at him with desire in her beautiful eyes if he had to try and scare her into telling him about the secret lab and the scientists?

She came out of the bathroom and stopped and stared at the dress he held up for her. He wanted her to see the full effect and enjoy her appreciation. Before he destroyed her trust. She seemed overwhelmed with gratitude; she stared, unblinking, at the dress in his hands. His chest swelled with pride. He knew she’d appreciate the trouble he’d gone to, to get her the perfect dress. And she didn’t yet know that he’d bought her many. He’d show her the other dresses after the interrogation. His food threatened to fossilize in his stomach at that thought. “I have paid a human many credits to obtain this for you.” He could’ve intimidated the human into giving it to him, but he knew his breeder wouldn’t approve. Now she would see that he was worthy to be her warrior.

“It has many frills,” she said.

“I chose dresses with the most frills. I can afford to pay for more material in a dress.”

She bit her lip, obviously overwhelmed at her good luck. “I can see that. It also has lace and beads. Many laces and beads.”

Still with that strange look on her face, she took the dress from him and went back to the bathroom. She emerged looking so beautiful he almost fell to his knees. How did he get to be so lucky? He’d thought he’d never be allowed a breeder, and instead he got the best one of all.

“You are the most beautiful human female on this planet.”

“Where did you get this?” She tried to see her image in the wall and he ordered it to become a mirror.

“I paid a human in a city who have a shop full of such pleasing clothes. I did not spare any expense.”

“Was it expensive? All these frills and lace and beads must have driven up the price.” Still staring at her image in the mirror, she touched her sleeves and then the neck. She touched the sleeves again. “I have never seen sleeves this puffed. It must’ve really pushed up the price.”

“I have enough credits to care for my breeder. I did not count the cost.”

She turned the other way. “It must’ve been considerable, all this lace.” She sounded overcome and Zanr had never been so proud.

If only he could show her all the other things he’d gotten for her, it would be a very good day. But he had to interrogate her as if she was a common prisoner. Everything in him rebelled at the thought. But Zacar had given him a chance when no one else wanted to take him on. Maybe if he gave her the things afterward, she’d forgive him.

“I have to ask you some questions.”

She stiffened. “About what?”

He grabbed her and went to the living room. He put her down on the couch and then sat next to her. He tried to loom, to look big and dangerous. She was so small, it wasn’t difficult to do.

Except she narrowed her beautiful Zyrgin-dawn eyes and leaned toward him. “What,” she snarled in his face, so suddenly, he almost leaped back.

“Tell me about the lab in the basement of your building.” She probably didn’t realize they’d blown up the building, and for now he wouldn’t tell her. He wanted a happy breeder.

She folded her arms over her chest and he stared at her beautiful breasts. They were of a size he liked. “Eyes up, alien.” At least she didn’t sound angry.

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