Page 16 of His to Protect
Chapter 11
Jessica
Itilt my head to the side and force my eyelids up. It's hard, but I struggle. There is nothing familiar around me. I try to get up but I'm trapped, my arms tied with metal straps to the bed. I'm surrounded by machines and devices that flash before my eyes. My body is covered with sensors connected to these machines. I try to move once again, but the straps hurt my arms. I try again and again until I almost choke from lack of air. I close my eyes and rest for a minute. My heart beats so fast against my chest, my forehead covered with drops of sweat. I don't understand and I don't remember how I got here. It's like I passed out for the entire time. I think of Emma and suddenly I remember the blue male who dragged me out of the cell.
"You're awake!" A voice reaches my ears and I open my eyes. I don't see anyone. "You'll be fine now," the voice says again. This voice is unfamiliar, softer than the deep voice of the males I've encountered.
"Who's talking? I don't see you. Who are you?" I ask and tilt my head from side to side, trying to spot where the voice comes from.
"I am sorry. My name is Catleya." An alien female moves to the front from somewhere behind me.
"I am a physician in the Breeding program."
"Why am I here? What did you do to me?" I ask her and try to free myself from the grip of the metal straps. "Please, do not fight it. You'll only hurt yourself." The alien female says and comes closer to me. She presses a button on her wrist device and the metal straps retract, releasing my arms.
"You can stand now if you want. I healed your bruises and wounds," she says and hands me a white dress. It's long and flowing with silver thread woven in the textile. It's beautiful. "Put this on."
I gaze at myself and cover my breasts. I'm naked, but I don't see any of the bruises I had before. She's right. They're all gone, and it doesn't hurt anymore. And most of all, I don't feel cold.
"I don't feel cold even though I'm naked," I say to her and take the dress from the side of the bed. It wraps my body perfectly, the soft material brushing against my skin.
"Yes. You don't feel cold anymore. The kahuni is regulating your body temperature." She says and goes over to the machines on the right side. With a press of a button, she reveals a hologram of a moving worm-like thing. "This is the kahuni. You are fortunate to receive one."
My heart almost stops in my throat and I feel sick. There's a fucking worm inside of me. "No... no. Get it out of me." I jump from the bed and stand, my hands touching all over. "Where is it? Where did you put it?"
"Do not worry. It is not meant to hurt you." The alien female approaches me and touches my forehead with her thin long fingers. "It's right here."
I take my hand to my forehead and touch my skin, trying to feel the symbiont under. My palms sweat and my stomach clenches as I feel its motions. It rolls under my skin, moving away from my touch. "Get it out," I shout at the alien female.
"I can't do that. It's for your own good. Just relax." She reaches for my forehead and brushes her hand against my skin. "The kahuni is not your enemy. He's your friend."
Her touch is soft, and it relaxes the symbiont because it stops moving. It does not wiggle under my skin and that feels good.
"I didn't ask for one and don't want it," I say to her. She gazes at me with her dark blue eyes, her ash hair flowing over her shoulders. Her features reveal kindness, her soothing voice relaxing my body until I no longer feel my muscles tense.
"You need it. Just don't think about it and you'll be fine."
Not think about it? I wish I didn't think about it, but how can you not think about a moving worm under your skin. It's gross, and I'd rather be dead than have a fucking moving vermin inside of me.
"Why do I need it? I was perfectly fine without it. And how did you put it inside me? I can't see any cut." I approach a screen and inspect my forehead for any lesions. I can't see any.
"There's no cut. I inserted the kahuni through your nose. It can find its way up to your forehead." She comes closer and disconnects the remaining tubes from my body. "You're all good now. No need for the tubes."
I wonder why she's so kind to me. She's nothing like the other aliens I've met. They all treated me like a piece of nothing. This female is different. Ka'el treated me nicely too and I miss his touch. I wish he were here with me and tell me I'm his mate.
"We must go now. Follow me." The female heads for the exit and signals me to follow her. I do not move. She stops at the doors and turns her head. "Come with me."
"Where to? Where are you taking me? What is this place?" I ask her, my body remaining in the same spot.
"This lab? It's the Breeding facility lab." She walks to me and takes my hand, her gaze on me. "Now, please come with me." She walks to the exit with me, her hand still holding mine. The female takes me with her, but not with a grab, maybe a gentle tug. I go along and follow her through the dark corridor. Another dark corridor. We stop in front of an elevator and get inside. It goes up a couple of floors and then stops. The doors open and we enter a bright hallway with doors on each side. The female stops in front of one door and puts her finger to a scanning device on the wall.
"Where are we?" I ask her and turn my head from side to side, not knowing where she's taken me.
The door opens and we enter the room, a brightly lit room with white walls and a bed in the middle. On the right side, there's a table with two chairs. On the opposite side, there's a round-shaped window that overlooks darkness. There's no daylight.
"Please, enter," she says and lets me walk in first. "You'll stay here until further orders. Get some rest. You really need it. I'll bring you some food later on."
I step inside the room, my heart sinking in my chest. "Who's orders? Where's Emma? Please, tell me what you'll do to me."
"Enough for now. Sleep for a while and I'll come later with something to eat. Don't stress over this and relax." The female nods her head and closes the door behind her as she storms out of the room.
She's right. I feel tired and I guess I could use some rest. I walk to the bed, but my gaze is drawn to the round-shaped window. I take a few steps toward it and gaze outside in the darkness. My heart swells in my chest as a huge blue planet reveals its shape to me. It's enormous, but nothing like earth. This must be Valkrya, the alien planet. My breath quickens. I'm on a spaceship. A real, giant spaceship.
I take a few more breaths and close my eyes, just like my yoga classes back on Earth. This relaxes me and makes my anxiety puff into thin air. I turn my head to the bed. It looks comfortable and quite big for a single person. The sheets are soft and silky and so nice to the touch as I lay down, curling in a cozy position. Finally, some good rest. I haven't had an enjoyable sleep in God knows how much time. Ka'el pops into my thoughts as I am on the verge of sleep. He's the only good thing on this fucking planet and he's not here. I question whether his words and actions spoke the truth.
