Page 63 of The Alien's Private Redemption

It took several more breaths before Zoric was able to speak normally. He'd never been able to survive letting his emotions run away like that, and he didn't think he could count on it happening again.

"I cannot leave her again, Colonel Schuh," Zoric explained. "If I must, I will join her in the cell, but I will not be leaving herunprotected. Any future meetings can be held with both of us in the interrogation rooms."

Chapter 9

Angela could hear the beat of Zoric's heart in his chest, the rise and fall of each breath, and the weariness in Colonel Schuh's voice. The steady thrum beneath her ear grounded her, while the rough texture of Zoric's shirt against her cheek provided a sharp contrast to the smoothness of his scales where her fingers rested. His natural scent - something like sun-warmed stone and clean rain - wrapped around her, helping to block out the artificial smells of disinfectant and floor polish that permeated the facility.

"Zoric, you are not a prisoner here," the Colonel said, slow and calm. His words carried the weight of authority, but Angela could detect the undercurrent of uncertainty in his tone. The fluorescent lights cast deep shadows under his eyes, highlighting the strain of the situation on his face.

"Though I have concerns that your solution to Private McBride's condition was to Bond with her. Is that anything like what the Orvax do?" The question hung in the air like smoke, making Angela's throat tighten.

"It's not a solution to her condition," Ae-cha told him, her scales shifting in patterns that Angela was beginning to recognize as agitation. "But it may create a more stable environment for us to try and unravel what's been done." The lizardwoman's tail twitched against the floor, creating a soft whisper that seemed loud in the tension-filled room.

"Colonel Schuh, you can't just hand a human woman over to an alien!" Dr. Phillips protested. The sharp note of her perfume spiked with her outburst, making Angela's newly sensitive nose burn. The doctor's hands clenched on the table, her knuckles white with strain.

Angela lifted her head from Zoric's chest, though every cell in her body protested the loss of contact. "As you can see, Dr. Phillips, he's not handing me to anyone. If anything, Zoric has kidnapped me fair and square." She laughed, the sound surprisingly genuine even to her own ears, and cuddled closer to her lizardman. Her entire body felt effervescent, like she could float away with happiness if he didn't hold her tight. The Bond hummed between them, a tangible current of warmth and belonging that made the institutional chill of the room fade away.

She felt his response through their connection before his arms tightened around her, his scales softening where they pressed against her skin. The gesture was protective rather than possessive, and she could feel his willingness to let her go if she chose - which only made her want to stay more.

"Dr. Phillips, you may not realize it, but part of our treaty that allows me to be here explicitly states that I am not allowed to remove any human woman against her will," Zoric said, his voicerumbling through his chest where Angela pressed against him. "Now, if you'd like to attempt to tell Private McBride that she may not be with me, you're welcome to. But I do not hold out hope for your success."

The vibration of his voice against her cheek sent pleasant shivers down her spine, while his confidence in their connection wrapped around her like a warm blanket. Through their Bond, she could feel his genuine concern for her wellbeing mixed with a fierce protectiveness that made her feel safer than she had in years.

Angela didn't know why Dr. Phillips was angry. Something about her had rubbed the doctor wrong from the first day and she'd never been able to figure out why. Despite doing her best to be a model prisoner and answer every question put to her, she'd never seen anything from Dr. Phillips but clinical detachment and cold disdain. Even now, the doctor's body language was rigid with barely contained hostility - shoulders tight, jaw clenched, fingers drumming an agitated pattern on the conference table.

Even the anger she was showing now was new, and Angela didn't like it. The doctor's usual mint-and-lavender scent had taken on a sharp, acrid note that made Angela's nose twitch.

A change in behavior is a warning sign,the voice in the back of her head whispered.The doctor has become actively hostile, be prepared for violence.

Is this new behavior?Zoric asked, his voice like a caress across her mind, gentle but probing.It's consistent with what I've seen so far.

Angela flinched at Zoric's question. The running commentary from the voice in the back of her head shouldn't have been projecting at him. It was the part of her that she'd always hidden in the dark corners of her brain, ignoring its suggestions as often as possible. The voice that had kept her alive, but at what cost?

"I'm going to need a lot more information," Colonel Schuh said, interrupting her thoughts. "And I don't think I'm going to get it standing here. We'll adjourn for now and meet back in the conference room in an hour. Zoric, you and Private McBride will be escorted under guard to your rooms until I can find a better solution."

Zoric nodded and Angela could feel his arms tighten around her. Heat flooded through her and her heart raced with anticipation. The Bond between them hummed with shared awareness, making every point of contact between them feel electric. An hour wasn't much time, and she didn't know what they could actually do, but just being with him for that long was enough to make her pulse quicken.

"Dr. Torres, I want to see you in my office," the Colonel continued, his tone brooking no argument. "Now."

He turned and left, his footsteps echoing against the concrete floor. The others followed after him, their departures marked by the whisper of clothing and the subtle changes in the air currents. Through their Bond, Angela could feel Zoric calculating the positions of the guards waiting for them at the end of the cellblock, his tactical assessment automatic after years of training.

"It would be inappropriate to carry me to your room," Angela murmured, certain he could hear her. The warmth of his scales seemed to seep through her clothing wherever they touched, making it hard to think clearly.

"But it would be the most efficient way," he protested, and she could hear the amusement in his voice, feel it bubbling through their connection like champagne.

"Allow me some dignity," she countered. "At least in public. Can you really do that with your tail?"

Zoric laughed, the sound rich and warm, and loosened his hold on her. She stepped to the side and wrapped her handaround his, their fingers interlacing naturally. As good as his arms felt, and as giddy as their connection made her, it was easier to walk this way. At least, until he shared another explicit idea of just what else he could do with his tail.

I can do a lot of things with my tail,he said. His voice rolled seductively through her mind and sent a chill that had nothing to do with temperature down her spine. Images flickered through their Bond, too quick to fully grasp but enough to make her breath catch.

The guards assigned to follow them to Zoric's room looked uncomfortable, their discomfort evident in their rigid postures and carefully averted eyes. The facility was labyrinthine, and Angela found her focus divided between Zoric and the marks on the walls that would help her navigate. Old habits died hard, and the voice in her head wouldn't let her completely ignore potential escape routes, even if she had no intention of using them.

It felt completely natural to hold hands with the lizardman and bubbles of joy kept floating through her chest. Even the idea of being physically intimate with him seemed more of a logistics question than anything else. Her enhanced senses picked up minute details about him - the way his scales shifted with each movement, the subtle changes in his scent that matched his emotions, the warmth that radiated from him even through his clothing.

A glance at the expressions on the guards told her they had reservations. And maybe she should have them as well, but enjoying the Bond with Zoric was much easier and pleasant. Enough of her life had been unpleasant, especially recently, that she wasn't inclined to fight the feeling.

The guards are distracted by their judgement. They should be easy to distract and get past,the voice in her head, muffled and distant though it was, pointed out.

---