Page 10 of Kazzon's Human Bride
Yet here she was. A prisoner on a Tarrkuan ship.
What would happen to her?
A shudder ran through her as she considered the possibilities. From her studies of the alien culture, she knew that defiant Tarrkuan brides were sometimes sent to re-education facilities on the planet—for example, if a human mated to one of the aliens spoke out against the trade agreement. Would she be sent to one of the facilities before she was given to a Tarrkuan male and forced to become his mate?
An increasing sense of dread made her hands shake and her stomach clench. She’d been so stupid, walking the streets of New Leesburg after midnight. She should have ended the visit with her family well before curfew, as her father had suggested, then none of this would have happened. But she’d been so reluctant to return to her empty house that she’d stayed an extra three hours.
She curled up in a ball atop the covers, her gaze still on the black night. A dust storm had blown over the dome-city several days ago and it must yet be going strong, as neither the moon nor the stars were visible. A sigh escaped her.
Yes, Earth needed the Tarrkuans’ help. Until humans managed to build a massive worldship to evacuate mankind from Earth, Caylee’s people would truly be at the mercy of the Tarrkuans. The TEC600 reactors were the only thing keeping the dome-cities functional with breathable air and regulated temperatures. If the Tarrkuans failed to send one shipment of reactor material to New Leesburg, the entire dome-city might perish.
You have violated the trade agreement between our worlds.
You’ve committed a crime, Caylee.
Her captor’s sternly spoken words flitted through her mind, causing her to bolt upright in the bed. Shehadviolated the trade agreement. But would the settlement of New Leesburg suffer in any way for her actions? Oh God, she certainly hoped not.
Regret swam through her consciousness, making her feel sick. Her family and friends called this dome-city home. She would never forgive herself if her crimes caused those she loved most to suffer.
Maybe she ought to be more cooperative when her captor returned.
As she thought about the huge alien, a heated flush overcame her, nearly taking her breath away. She swallowed hard and tried to push the unwanted sensations away, but she couldn’t help it. For a reason she couldn’t fathom, she found herself hopelessly attracted to the alien who’d discovered her in the alley.
Chosen Tarrkuan brides are not usually sexually attracted to human males, though they are of course, by design, attracted to Tarrkuan males.
Again, his words returned to taunt her. Her heart raced faster. She had learned all this during her schooling with the elderly Tarrkuan teacher, of course, but it wasn’t a topic she had ever allowed herself to dwell on for long.
It was true though. She had never once felt even the slightest attraction to a human male, even those her friends claimed were very good looking. But God, when she’d seen her captor walking down the street, his form-fitting clothing accentuating the lines of his powerful muscles, his dark blue skin and black hair gleaming underneath the street lanterns… well, she had been unable to control the heat rapidly building between her thighs.
Tarrkuan males visited New Leesburg on occasion, but they were usually older government officials, much too old for her to consider as a mate. The alien who’d grabbed her today was the youngest Tarrkuan she had ever seen. The lifespan of humans and Tarrkuans was comparable and she guessed him to be in his late twenties, or perhaps his early thirties. A bit older than her, but he was of the average age most Tarrkuan males were when they took a human bride, as Tarrkuan males were required to spend several years mining the Feshinga Asteroid Belt in order toearntheir respective human females.
To her surprise, the door suddenly zipped open and her captor entered the bedroom. She shot off the bed and stared at him, torn between fighting him or offering an apology for her crimes, if only to protect her beloved dome-city. But before she could speak, he stepped closer and reached for her, placing his hands upon her shoulders.
His closeness rendered her speechless as the aching in her womanly core from earlier reignited, causing her legs to tremble as she pressed her thighs together.
To her mortification, his nostrils flared and he inhaled deeply.
“I have come to inform you of the punishment for your crimes, little human.”
Chapter 7
“Please,”Caylee found herself saying, “please don’t punish my dome-city in any way. I take full responsibility for my crimes and I will accept whatever punishment your people have deemed fit.” Summoning her bravery, she lifted her chin and held her captor’s dark gaze.
“I have conferred with the Tarrkuan Council and we have determined that no action will be taken against your dome-city or any of the citizens within.”
Relief flooded her and she exhaled the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Her arms and legs felt weakened as she trembled in the aftermath of his announcement. Her family, in particular her brother, who had printed the fake palm print to help her fool the Tarrkuans, could have easily been arrested. She was grateful for their safety.
“That is good news.” She peered at the stern-faced alien. “Thank you for not taking action against my dome-city.” She didn’t dare hope he would allow her to remain in New Leesburg, and she waited for him to announce her punishment. She expected to be incarcerated or sent to re-education, though she knew eventually she would be handed over to a single Tarrkuan male, a male with whom she would be required to mate and procreate.
She shuddered as the alien moved to cup her face. His touch was warm yet caused her to tingle all over. Goosebumps also erupted over her flesh and she started to feel quite breathless. She wished this Tarrkuan wasn’t so attractive and once again wondered about his identity.
“Now,” he continued, brushing his fingers over her cheeks, “about your punishment.”
Her stomach flipped. Why was he holding her face so tenderly? She quivered in place, waiting for him to announce her punishment.
“Well, it’s not truly a punishment, little human, but I am certain you will view it as one.”
She wished he would spit it out already, rather than prolong her torture. Tears burned in her eyes and she blinked rapidly, not wanting to cry in front of this alien male.
