Page 5 of Bred By Zyros
“Yes,” I chirp.
“Excellent! Now the two of you have access to this room for another twenty ontics before you must vacate. May fertility find you, and if anything should arise, you can contact us at any time. Thank you for choosing the Solar Breeding Agency.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Oozarian move quickly before, but they certainly are rushing now. From the room, from the shady legality of what we’ve just done. Leaving me withhim.
three
Melody
My eyes slide to Zyros, the air in the room heavy with tension. His colorful scales stand out against the cold metal as he shifts. His severe, regal face only makes him look more out of place, like a god visiting its subjects,reluctantly. He’s beautiful, by far one of the most attractive species I’ve been matched with, and the grumpiest. That usually comes after the breeding, when we’re in the awkward incubator period. Just two strangers who have seen each other’s private parts occupying the same space.
As if to compound my thoughts, he finally speaks, his voice like lethal velvet. “Am I to your liking, human?”
My lips part, a deep flush blooming on my cheeks before I avert my eyes—although it’s far too late to pretend I wasn’t gawking. My mind blanks. Suddenly, I’ve never spoken to another being before. I don’t even knowwords, can’t form a single syllable in my mind. “Uh—”
Uh?
His brow furrows deeper. “Are you defective?”
I rear back at that. “Not the last time I checked.”
“Perhaps check again.” He grumps, and now I’m glaring too. “If there are anyhuman thingsyou need to take care of, you can do so on my ship.”
My eyes brighten at that, anger forgotten. “We won’t be using the portals?”
He doesn’t answer my obvious question, simply gestures with his head for me to follow as he slips from the room. My lips score my inner cheek as I watch his tail upset chairs as it drags out behind him. He’s halfway down the hall before the end is in sight, and for the life of me, I cannot explain why I reach down, letting his tail run across my palm. My lips part on a silent gasp as electricity spreads across the flesh there, running the length of my arm like pins and needles.
His muscles underneath my palm tense like I’ve struck him. I jerk my hand back, my heart pounding as I follow the tip out into the hall, sure I’d been caught. He says nothing, and neither do I. It’s important to maintain boundaries in this line of work. That means no touching unless for mating reasons—different rooms, different beds. Usually, all these things are discussed beforehand, but Zyros…I know nothing about the situation I’m walking into. Only that I need to get pregnant and given his planet’s class, I’m most certainly not supposed to do that with him.
He finds his way through the halls expertly, slipping through them with ease as I jog to catch up with the upper half of the giant male. I only just reach it when we finally break into the outer rim of Vortara. His head lowers as we flood into the bright neon lights, his face hidden behind his long hair.
“Lady Melody!”
I swivel toward the voice. My bag hung over my shoulder as Vorthak jogs toward us from his storefront, his bulky framemaking other beings around him grumble and clear the way. The Vorlithans are a kind, mild-mannered people, but they are intimidating as all heck to look at.
“Hey!” I smile.
A subtle hiss sounds behind me as I meet the older man halfway, his rock mineral structure hardened into the most beautiful shades of amethyst, his cheekbones standing out like daggers. I’ve known him since I was a toddler, and in all my life, I’ve never seen him age. Not a day. We lived around them for a time when I was young, Vorthak’s family in particular, for my father’s research. Their planet is dying; the Intergalactic Alliance had at one point considered it worth saving. They no longer see it that way. My heart pinches at that.
“You never come by the station without visiting me,” he chastises. Vivid purple eyes land on the looming figure behind me, my heart racing in my chest as the males size one another up. It’s a good thing the Vorlithan people are known for their peaceful dispositions. They possess a terrifying ability to manipulate minerals at will.
They could collapse this station into a husk of nothing if there were enough of them to simply see it through.
The lattice like light that is etched into his rocky flesh pulses as the male behind me shifts.
“I know, I’m sorry. I was running behind this time! Vorthak, this is my new pairing for the breeding program, he’s from—” My words are cut off as a harsh claw-tipped hand snatches my waist, tugging me against his chest.
My head snaps up toward Zyros, his deadly form tense where my back meets his chest as he rises higher on his tail. A chill runs the length of my spine, making me shiver. “We do not have time for small talk, human Melody.”
Oh shit, yeah. Oh god, I’d almost admitted to an intergalactic crime in the middle of Vortara.
Vorthak takes an uneasy step closer. “Are you alright?” I can tell it's no minor feat to ignore the male behind me. The murmuring increases around us, the way the crowd parts little by little, giving us a wider berth.
“Oh yes, I’m fine, but we really need to get going.” I smooth my hands over my dress where the fabric had bunched as I was grabbed, his claws digging into the material just enough to prod my flushed skin underneath.
“Here…” Vorthak offers. My eyes widen as he lifts his palm, a crystalline structure forming there. A thick lump grows in my throat as he snaps it off, offering it to me. Another remarkable thing about the Vorlithan people is their unique seismic language they call "Echo-Tongue." They can form and break off pieces of themselves, their verybeing,to transmit emotions, memories, and even complex ideas across the galaxies. And it goes both ways, like a holo pager that has no limitations. It’s why the Intergalactic Alliance had been so keen to help them, before my father’s research showed that only thebeingscould produce the tech, meaning their planet was more trouble than it was worth to keep around. I accept it with shaky hands, knowing what he’s giving me. A link, a safety net, should I need one. Which also means he likely assumes how primitive the being behind me is. We need to go before the others do too, before someone decides to ask questions.
I peel myself from Zyros’ grip, throwing my arms around the older male, always so pleasantly surprised at how comfortable they are, not at all as pokey as you’d think. He lets out a deep, thundering chuckle, leaning down to meet my height to return the hug. “Be safe. I’ll contact your father, should you need it.”
