Page 8 of Radakk's Mate
The captain starts to give me an exasperated look, but his expression soon gives way to a glittering smirk. He glances at Emperor Radakk as if to say, “She’s your problem now.”
I shake my head. “It’s not right. Forcing women from the brig to endure an invasion like that. It’ll be traumatizing.”
I think about the women in the brig. Last time I checked, there were about one hundred, most being held on charges of theft. Resources on theJansonnaare scarce and some have resorted to stealing food and medicine. I could easily be one of them. It could easily bemeforced into an examination room and surrounded by Darrvason doctors. Shudders affect me as I imagine how frightened the women will be, and I give Emperor Radakk an angry look.
“The females will not be harmed.” Agitation ripples off the emperor as he stares down at me. When I open my mouth to argue further, he grips my upper arm and growls. “You will remain silent on this matter.”
My breath catches in my throat, and I hate how my insides tremble with terror. But I can’t keep silent. I can’t hold my tongue.
“Your analysis of the blood samples already proved Darrvasons and humans are capable of sexual reproduction,” I say, confirming that I was indeed listening to every word of their negotiations while hiding in the shadows. “I don’t understand why physical examinations are necessary. Unless you perverts just want to see what a naked human female looks like. Is that it?”
Rage flashes in Emperor Radakk’s eyes.
I’m dead. So dead.
Somehow, I summon enough bravery to keep my chin held high. But inside… inside, I’m quaking with fear. I have a feeling my soon-to-be mate isn’t used to being challenged.
The emperor leans down and places his lips at my ear. “Once we are mated, little spy,” he whispers in a voice so low I doubt anyone else will hear, “I will take great pleasure in training you to be an obedient empress. A female who never interrupts her male superiors or offers her unsolicited opinion. Now be quiet. You are not part of these negotiations.”
Male superiors? Unsolicited opinion? A shockwave of undiluted fury hits me. Then the warmth of his breath dances along my neck, and his closeness reinvigorates the heat quaking between my thighs. His chauvinistic remarks make me want to punch him in the groin, and my visceral reaction to his nearness is maddening. I fight the urge to scream.
I open my mouth, a furious retort on my tongue, only for him to murmur, “Not another word,” in a tone that brooks no argument. His hand tightens on my arm so hard I expect it to bruise.
Shame and defeat weigh heavily on me as I press my lips together and stay quiet. But I give him one last furious look before I lower my gaze.
My mate.Ugh.
I don’t want him. I don’t want any man.
I never planned to marry or have children.
All I want is freedom.
All I want is to escape theJansonnaand move from outpost to outpost as I search for my mother, doing odd jobs in between to earn a living. Ever since I was a little girl, it’s been my dream, and I’ve been working on a plan to escape the worldship undetected in the near future.
Now those plans are going to hell.
Not only is the dilapidatedJansonnaincapable of reaching the nearest outpost, but we’re being forced into an alliance with a powerful race of aliens who are demanding over two thousand human females. Sure, Captain Warren says he needs more time to confer with his command team before officially agreeing to the Darrvasons’ terms, but I can’t imagine him coming up with a better option to save humankind.
Officer Brute reappears and hastens in our direction. I notice a small box in his hand and my anger wavers.
Bio monitors.
I’m about to be fitted with bio monitors just so the emperor can ensure my safety, and I can’t escape the sure knowledge that without his help, I would soon have a date with a depressurization chamber. Not to mention the violent interrogation that would likely precede it.
The security officer approaches and opens the box, revealing a series of small, flat white strips. Emperor Radakk picks one up and fixes it to the underside of my right wrist, then he does the same to my left wrist. The flexible material sticks to my skin and when I touch the monitors, I’m unable to remove them.
“Pull the neckline of your shirt down, little spy.” The emperor’s purple eyes flare with heat.
With trembling hands, I obey, drawing the neck of my shirt down until he makes a noise of approval in his throat.
He fixes several smaller white strips at the swell of my breasts, and I’m pretty sure he takes his time on purpose. His breath keeps catching, his nostrils keep flaring, and the bulge in his pants grows larger.
That bulge. I can’t keep myself from stealing glances at it.
My heart races when I remember Emperor Radakk’s comments about not detecting the seed of a male on me, as well as his revelation that he has more than one male appendage, and my nervousness grows. Dual shafts, he’d said. My shaking increases.
Apparently, the Darrvasons breed the old-fashioned way. The barbaric way. They engage in physical congress to impregnate their females rather than use a fertility lab and artificial insemination like my people have been doing for decades now.Ohgodohgodohgod.
