Page 23 of Bred By Zyros
I chuckle, brushing it off and grabbing my hair tablets. I don’t look at him, don’t even answer until I’ve breathed deeply and worked it into a lather, mussing my curls. “Just got in my own head for a minute. Where are we going today?”
I gasp as his tail hooks around my ankle, quickly holding my breath as he pulls me to him, making my head bob underwater for a second. When I surface, his arms wrap around me, cool emerald and teal scales that seem to shine even brighter when they’re wet. “Tell me what has made you sad so that I might eliminate it.”
Emotion erupts in my chest, a sob working up my throat, wondering how a being that looks as lethal as him can be so unintentionallysweetall the time. He’s rude, mean, abrasive, and domineering, and I— “Let go of me,” I order him.
He rears back as if I’ve slapped him, and it feels like I did. The possessive display yesterday, the holding and lurking, and obsessive watching, his tail hooking, coiling, and tugging like a leash…all of it…I’ve adored all of it. But adoringhimisn’t going to do anything good for either of us. I don’t want to be like mom; I don’t want my own instability toinflict. I breathe deeply, trying to move away from him, but his lower arms vice around my waist like a restraint, his upper hands forcing my face to his. His brow furrows at the sight of my tears welling again in my eyes.
I’m naked, hot, emotional, and straddling him, wrapped around him, and I don’t want to move. God, I don’t want to move an inch. “Female, explain.” He’s eerily still, barely breathing.
I sniffle.
I’m stupid, a big stupid baby that can’t manage to ever keep her shit together. And now more people I care about are suffering for it.
My cheeks flush, and my eyes are so full of tears I don’t dare blink. “You’re just touching me too much, do that less. I’m here to give you a baby on behalf of The Solar Breeding Agency. This isn’t meant to be for pleasure or companionship. We need boundaries. This is mine. Now let me go,” I rush out, each word feeling like a venomous lie on my tongue.
I can see it in his slitted eyes, the moment the concern and confusion turn to anger. He hisses, baring his fangs as his touch turns to a prick, his claws podding my flesh, but only just so. My heart jolts, thundering at the sudden change. “I would sooner drag us both to the depths.” I gasp as I’m pushed away, but not roughly, more like him releasing me all at once before his giant, lithe form surges from the water, leaving me in a pool of waves. “Get dressed, humanfemale. I am leaving before the sun hits high, and you will come, even if I have to drag you by my tail, writhing and screaming.”
I want to cry, to scream and thrash, but I’m too shocked to do any of those things, so I just swim in place, my wide, shocked eyes on the space he occupied before heading toward the outside of the cave. A little nudge on my foot makes me jump, my eyes slamming down to find five little guys swimming around deep in the spring. I sniffle again, frowning at them. “How did you guys get in here?”
They twirl lower, toward the darker parts I can barely see.
A path maybe, I guess.
Zyros will be thrilled.
The Thryss continue their little display before hesitantly surfacing, one of them hopping and chittering up to the edge before hacking up an oddly large red crystal. His buddies, as usual, are very put off by the action. I leave them to their…whatever it is that they do while I rinse my hair and try to settle my thoughts, aching chest, and wobbling lip.
thirteen
Melody
We’re going to space.
Again.
I’m already seated in my chair beside the pilots when Zyros settles into his. He doesn’t warn me this time before we launch into the air, his thick tail wrapping around me and my seat, securing my middle, thankfully leaving my arms free, even if it is only to receive the wasting bag he thrusts into my hands.
I grimace. “I’m not going to throw up.”
He doesn’t spare me a look as he launches into hyperdrive, and I immediately make a liar out of myself because I most certainly do, in fact, throw up. I’m still panting and retching when we finally slow. He wastes no time passing me a canteen and mouth cleansing tablet before he removes the sick-filled bag from my hands and tosses it in the waste lock. The silence drags on like eons, until it’s a physical rod lodged in my chest, and I can’t take it a millisecond more, despite knowing it's my fault.
“Who buys the crystals?”
Zyros doesn’t answer at first, his claws digging into his seat as he pilots the small ship.
“How’d you even get a ship?” I doubt the Alliance would hand one of those over.
Still no answer, but I’ve never minded one-sided conversations. “Did you kill someone for it? I bet you did.”
“Three,” he responds.
“Huh?”
“I killed threesomeonesfor it.”
I gawk at him. “Wait, seriously?”
“It was a small team with the Intergalactic Alliance coming to check on theirmachines. They come every few orbits to empty them. Last time, they took more than Nyssara wished to give. I lead a pack of thaldrakes to them. If they were worthy of being here, they could have defended themselves.”
