COTTONMOUTH

NAGA BRIDES

6
Cottonmouth
Naga Names
New Earth
Map
1. The Arrival
2. Blood on the Floor
3. Blurred Lines
4. One Good Deed
5. Questions
6. Female Wanted
7. Seeking Closure
8. Chains
9. A Change of Heart
10.Faces and Facts
11. Fate
12. Relief From Acceptance
13.Attachment and Betrayal
14. Creature Comforts
15.Together In This
16.Prove Me Wrong
17. Hours, Days, and Weeks
18.Motivations
19.Survive or Die
20. A Delicate Trust
21. Dangerous Truths
22. My Ally or Enemy
23. A Guide Below
24. Nesting
25. Paranoia
26. A Little too Late
27. Old Friends and Thoughts of Escape
28. Empty Chains
29. Scanning, Scanning, Scanning
30. A Frail Truce, A Frailer Truth
31.At Long Last
32. Dregs and Disgust
33. Back To The Beginning
34. A Spine for the Taking
35. We Meet Again
36. Retribution’s Joy
37. The Last Barricade
38. A Little Bite of Pain
39. Dirty , Damaged Ship
40. Passage to Freedom
41. Eden’s Gate
42. The First Night
43. A Change of Plans
44. Plateaued
45. The Last
Descent Epilogue
One Epilogue
Two
Author’s Note
Copperhead
Also by Naomi Lucas
Copyright © 2024 by Naomi Lucas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form without permission in writing from the author.
Any references to names, places, locales, and events are either a product of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons,
places, or events is purely coincidental.
Cover Art by Naomi Lucas and Cameron
Kamenicky Edited by Mel Braxton, and LY

Created with Vellum

Ever since humans arrived, my world has changed. Tensions are
high as we quarrel over territory, reforming our fractured
clans.
I will have none of it. I did not capture
a bride. But then my world goes dark—
and she appears.
A female so lovely she possesses my mind, a bride who
blushes every time she catches my eye.
She is
sweet. She
is young.
She is everything I am not.
Except nothing is as it seems. I’m no longer in the
forest; I’m in a cage. I’m on a ship, far from my nest,
wrapped in chains.
And the
female? She is
my enemy.
Only I’m the devious naga who does not care.
To my hubby.
Names:
Vruksha— Pit Viper
Azsote— Boomslang
Zhallaix— Death
Adder Syasku—
Cottonmouth Jyarka—
Diamondback Zaku—
King Cobra Vagan—
Blue Coral Krellix—
Copperhead Lukys—
Black Mamba Xenos—
Sidewinder Volazar—
Anaconda Asera—
Red-Bellied Jide—
Scarlet Kingsnake
Darolus— Titanoboa
 ONE
THE ARRIVAL

V IVIA N

KEEPING A LOW PROFILE, I slip away from my coworkers and

drift through the gathering group of military personnel.
Excited chatter fills my ears like white noise.
A ship just docked. One returning from
Earth. A ship that holds a new alien
lifeform.
A naga.
Everyone, including me, is here to decide what to do
with it and where to put it.
But I already know exactly where that alien is going.
Looking down at the tablet in my grip, I scan Ursula’s
encrypted message still displayed on it, requesting both my
presence and one of my medical podules. She sent it to me
thirty minutes ago just as I was starting my most recent
Yulen Medical Technology write-up about post-earth technology
and AI.
Arguments break out between some of the ship’s head
researchers now gathered on the docks below. My boss, Dr.
Ursula, is one of them, her very presence enough to cow a
few into silence. Brilliant, analytical, and a sociopath, Ursula
frightens everyone except my father.
The ship releases pressure from within and everyone in
the port goes silent. A side hatch opens and several men
walk out, one of them my father’s righthand man, Prime
Commander of the Military Sector, Pierce. Older than sin,
and with a bushy beard down his chest, he faces the small
crowd. His soldiers ready their weapons and gather at the
ship’s back hatch.
 “The lifeform is hostile but sedated—” he begins.
“Where is this lifeform being taken?” someone shouts.
“Should it even be on our ship?”
Pierce’s lips drop as his eyes narrow on the speaker. “To
Sector 8-1A, and if you interrupt me again, you won’t have a
job by the end of this shift.”
There’s a tense hush from the gathering, and leaning
forward, I glimpse Ursula’s smug face. Pierce says something
more, but I’m already shifting toward the rear of the empty
port. It’s not every day that one of The Dreadnaut’s ports is
evacuated, but upon the memo of the alien’s capture, the
place was cleared of all civilians.
As I duck out, a giant metal enclosure is driven into it— a
cage. I dodge out of the driver’s way as the vehicle heads for
the ship’s back hatch to collect the alien.
It won’t be long before that same vehicle heads straight
for Ursula’s
lab.
What I don’t understand is why Laura isn’t on that ship as
well. She
stole sensitive information and Father took it personally.
That was the
reason the ships left in the first place. Not to bring back an
alien.
Father came to me after Laura’s departure and
threatened my freedom, promising me another
round of isolation inside the Yulen medical storage
if I had anything to do with herescape, or
was withholding anything from him. It was how he
would punish me as a child and later as a young adult—
locking me away with no company and with nothing to do
except work on my studies for months on end. The isolation
was worse than a beating. I never knew when he would
return or let me out. Nervous about the consequences, I
didn’t know what to say other than I’d never spoken to her. I
thought he knew that. He’salways watching. He’s the
Supreme Commander of The
Dreadnaut.
Hurrying my steps, I head to one of the open elevators
and race to Ursula’s research laboratory. Lucky for me, the
elevator is blissfully empty, just like the evacuated
hallways. I enjoy the quiet ease of passage, even if it is
spooky.
The elevator shifts right and I clutch the handrail with
my free hand when the floor shudders under my feet. As it
takes me to my destination, I scan the rest of Ursula’s
message.
She warns me that the alien’s presence is to be
classified and not to be spoken of outside of those who
know about it. A little farther down is a brief.
Partially humanoid in appearance, these aliens first appeared to those
on the first mission to Earth. They can be volatile, aggressive, and
territorial and are easy to provoke. They can use basic technology and
speak the common tongue. They’re considered sentient and refer to
themselves as nagas.
The elevator stops, ringing once to signify the door’s
imminent release. I put my tablet away before stepping out
and nodding a greeting at the two junior research assistants
crossing the foyer ahead of me. They enter another elevator
to my right, and then I’m alone again.
The entryway to the medical research sector is more
ornate than most of the ship. With stone columns and a
fountain that has long ago stopped working, vitamin D
lights brighten the large space. Groups of cushioned chairs
and small tables are placed throughout for those waiting on
loved ones within, and a wide variety of fake plants give the
entryway a peaceful ambiance. Off to the right, a robot is
dusting a fern. Behind it are two large glass doors and a
smaller foyer, and from there, elevators lead to the different
research departments.
By the time I’m past the security checks, there’s a flurry
of activity around me. Retying my bun, I quicken to the
loading bay where the alien will be dropped off.
There are military personnel with weapons on standby
already waiting by the time I arrive. Several look at me as I
join the other researchers waiting for the alien’s intake.
Quickly saying hello, one asks me if I caught a glimpse of
the alien when I was above.
I shake my head.
It’s not until the vehicle security hatch hums open that
everyone falls silent. With military trucks flanking the
enclosure for the alien, they briefly pause at the ramps.
Ursula and Pierce step out of one of the trucks and guide
the driver onto the quarantine platform.
Ursula lifts her head and looks around until she spots
me. “Vivian, get over here! We need you.”
I’m at her side within seconds. Around us, people are
donning masks. Pierce hands me one without looking at me
as I head toward the large Yulen medical podule being rolled
from the laboratory and into the enclosure. I unlock the
technology and prepare it for a bio scan.
Until this moment, the arrival of an alien, an unknown
species at that, seemed like an elaborate joke.
But as dozens of guns are lifted by the military
personnel around me, as hushed arguments and barked
commands fade away, and as everyone’s eyes are directed
at the opening cage, a twinge of nauseous realization hits.
Feeling exposed, standing mere yards from a creature that
everyone seems to think is extremely dangerous, I
straighten rather than take the step back I crave. I tighten
my mask.
The enclosure door opens, and everyone holds their breath,
including
me.
 Pierce, Ursula, and several others duck inside it. I try to
peek but there’s too much activity. After a minute, the
groan of something inhuman reaches my ears, everyone
clears from the enclosure, and the alien is wheeled out.
Half the alien is wheeled out. What begins as something
that resembles a human quickly turns into something not
human at all. Covered with scales from his jawline to the
tail his body becomes, the alien has pointed ears and short
claws at the tips of its fingers. As more of its tail is revealed,
the more I question if my podule is going to be big enough
to fit the creature.
Ursula’s sharp green eyes squint at me, giving me a
silent order when I hesitate. Shaking now, I move forward
to help the soldiers shift the alien onto the podule’s table
and strap him to it. The AI is already scanning its vitals by
the time I’m changing out the bags hooked to the alien’s
IVs and replacing his tranquilizers. On every side of me
people are staring, guns aimed, as his restraints are being
rechecked.
Inhaling a quiet breath, I can’t stop staring at him.
He’s warm under my fingers, and as I replace the
needles I notice his blood is red, like a human’s. He’s
whitish-gray, whitish-beige, with his entire backside and tail
being the darker of the two, and patterned with spots and
jagged rings. My eyes trail over his muscled top half and
lower toward his tail, catching on the lighter part of his
pelvic region, discovering he’s smooth where his genitals
would be if he were a human.
Lifting my attention to his face, I
freeze. His eyes are open.
We stare at each other, his gaze hazy, unfocused, and
slitted. Too alarmed to move, I watch as his lips twitch and a
deep humming sound emanates from them.
My brow furrows just as he jerks upward, his mouth
aiming for my throat. His fangs catch my mask, knocking it
down my face. I grab onto his shoulders to stop from falling
on top of him, but his body braces to launch at me again.
When I push off him, a scream swelling in my throat, his
arm snaps the chain holding him to the bed. He strikes
once more, and my back hits the podule wall while his hand
catches my throat and squeezes, forcing me back toward
him. I stumble into the solid wall of his chest. Hitching,
knowing I’m about to die, I’m flooded by his earthy scent as
his powerful muscles flex beneath me.
I scream as I’m yanked away and gunfire erupts.
Soldiers flood the area between us and I’m pushed farther
back. A body is thrown across the shipping intake. I try to
duck and flee when the hand on my arm tightens.
 “Lock the podule before he escapes!” Pierce drags me
back into the chaos just as the alien breaks his arm loose
from one of his restraints. Panicked, Pierce grips the back
of my neck hard, forcing me to remain. Blood splatters my
face as the alien sinks its claws into a soldier’s throat. Their
body drops from the naga’s clutch to the ground.
I gasp. That could’ve been me.
With Pierce’s fingers digging into me, I finish setting up
the podule. “Good girl.” He releases me when I’m done.
My hand cups my chin where pain now radiates. Blood
wells and catches on my fingers. I stagger back and wipe
the blood off my face.
Trembling, gasping, the alien growls as it is pulled
inside the machine. A new wave of soldiers brave nearing
the alien to restrap his escaped limbs. It takes a strong
tranquilizer before the naga falls unconscious.
I stare, transfixed at how his massive muscled body
twitches like it’s still fighting. He’s not going to be an easy
specimen or potential diplomat for anyone to work with.
Every flex and jerk of his long, lean body screams
aggression. The alien isn’t here because he wants to be. My
stomach curls wondering what happened before his arrival.
Did he kill some of the soldiers? Was he captured unaware?
I lose sight of his straining body as people push in front of
me and I’m forced to step back.
Fleeing to the outer wall and out from the chaos, I catch
my breath as the naga is wheeled deeper into the ship.
I could’ve died.
My heart is racing, my skin is flushed. The smell of earth
and dirt fills my nostrils, stunning me. Feeling feverish, I
swipe my hand across my brow and shake my head.
Something isn’t right.
I look at my hands and find them covered in blood. My
chin radiates with pain. Touching the scrape, I flinch and
glance around to see if anyone noticed but no one is paying
attention to me. I quickly replace the mask over my face,
but desperate for fresh air, I leave the terminal and head
for my apartment. Thankfully I run into no one.
Once I’m alone and behind closed doors, perfectly safe
within the four walls of my unit, I feel the dampness
between my legs.
Dampness from My hand smells like
I tear off my clothes and run into the bathroom to clean
up and bandage my chin. When my nerves settle and I’m
composed once more, I head back to the medical sector and
my office.
Waiting for me is an encrypted message from Dr. Ursula.
I close out my research paper and scan the note.
Running my hands over my face, I sit back in my chair.
 My guess was correct; she’ll be in charge of the alien.
Now I’m expected at her office thirty minutes before my
next shift for a debriefing. I’ll be needed to run the
technology they plan to use on him.
Which means
I’ll be seeing the alien again,
and soon. Very soon.
 TWO
BLOOD ON THE FLOOR

V IVIA N

IT’S BEEN three weeks since the naga’s arrival. In that time,
there have been countless debates among the senior staff
on how to proceed. He refuses to cooperate with us, and just
like in Ursula’s original message, is easy to provoke.
Diplomat, he is not.
Rabid Earth animal, he might be
Ursula directs the machine as it takes another tissue
sample. The incision is precise and clean. His vitals
accelerate as he regenerates tissue around the small wound.
Since the decision to study the naga has been affirmed,
despite the laws it breaks, I’ve learned he’s potentially vital
in understanding Earth’s current ecosystem, as well as
locating and unlocking Lurker technology. A technology we
desperately need for an advantage against the Ketts.
Whether or not I believe that, I’m not certain.
I think he cares only about escaping.
Though it’s also clear he wants Ursula dead, and if he’s
out for her blood next—my fingers twitch to touch my scar—
he’s going to have to join the large group of others who also
want her gone, diplomacy be damned.
I flick my gaze over his face, finding his strong
serpentine features relaxed despite his heightened blood
pressure.
Considered intelligent, his kind has been deemed
extremely dangerous and primitive in the ways of society
and culture. There are
rumors that a female officer from a previous mission to
Earth returned pregnant and that there are no longer
female nagas among them. I also heard that a live Lurker
has been spotted. No one is willing to make a definitive
statement on whether there’s any truth to the hearsay.
I’m only told what I need to know.
I understand the peril of the situation I’ve been forced
into. Sentient lifeforms are protected and must be
approached with care and delegation. Capturing one,
keeping them captive, and performing tests on them is
forbidden under the Sovereign’s Universal Commandments
and is punishable by turnover to that species’ governing
body.
Not even Father is above the Sovereign’s laws. Not
even me. If we’re caught I refuse to let the
thought finish.
What Father is doing is unethical, and it leaves a sour
taste in my mouth. Yet at the same time, it’s palatable, and
I hate that. When I think of the hundreds of millions of
innocents dying to the Ketts, cutting into an alien’s body—one
that is just going to regenerate anyway
—is a bearable sin. At least, that’s what I tell myself every
time I stick a needle in his unconscious body and steal his
blood.
“Lower the base temperature by two degrees,” Ursula
murmurs at the head of the table.
I adjust the setting. The naga’s medical unit, the podule,
is set to his body’s preferred environment. Which is hot,
humid, and wet, and nothing like the natural state of the
ship. Under my lab coat, my clothes are damp with sweat.
Muffin, Ursula’s other research assistant, draws another
vial of blood from the naga’s arm. We have gallons of it now,
but Ursula always wants more.
“Sedatives being readministered,” I announce when the
machine alerts me it’s time.
She labels the latest sample. “Pause them. I want to see if
he’s willing to talk today.”
Stiffening briefly, I nod and start the stopwatch on the
Yulen machine only I can properly run. Muffin collects and
places the newest blood vials in the refrigerator. I check
the naga’s restraints as the drug to induce limb paralysis is
attached to the machine’s IV.
Ursula collects her tablet and returns to the table. With
her silver hair tied away from her face, no one could look
more severe. Her skin is free of wrinkles despite
approaching her late sixties. She’s an impenetrable wall of
stone and ice, one barely containing an aura of evil hidden
behind it. But she has nothing to hide about her nature.
She’s a known sociopath, and my father prefers sociopaths
in jobs of authority. Being one himself, Father doesn’t want
his allies blinded by emotion. Emotion is for the weak.
Emotion is for those who aren’t warring.
 I was once emotional when I was a child, though I’ve
since learned letting any weakness show will only make
matters worse by inviting Father’s ire.
He sent me to Ursula upon the completion of my medical
training over six years ago, after I aced the machinery and
nursing exams. I’ve never worked for anyone other than
her. If she’s taught me anything beyond my father’s
lessons, it’s that messing up comes with consequences, and
being emotionless has its perks. I strive to be her.
I strive to not care.
In less than thirty seconds, the naga’s eyes snap open. He
blinks and clenches his jaw.
His furious gaze narrows on Ursula, and when he
realizes he still can’t move, a growl tears from his mouth.
Venom drips from his fangs when he bites in her direction.
Muffin tightens the strap across the naga’s forehead and
sticks a rubber rod between his teeth. Murder gleams in
his eyes as he glances up at Muffin, now collecting a small
sample of the naga’s venom.
I pray he doesn’t look my way.
Ursula stares him down. “Are you ready to talk?”
With rage in his fierce eyes, he glares back at her as
Muffin removes the rod and walks away. The naga slices his
tongue over his fangs in response, filling his mouth with
blood.
Ursula audibly sighs under her protective mask.
Realizing he can do nothing else, he settles his body,
allowing his fearsome gaze to answer for him.
I’m barely breathing under my mask, waiting for Ursula’s
next order, all while trying to keep my fingers from digging
under the elastic material to touch the scar on my chin. I
try not to stare at him, but it’s hard. He’s wildly interesting.
He’s the most interesting thing that has ever happened
in my life. His messy shoulder-length gray hair piles on
the table under him.
Unlike Ursula’s hair, whose gray indicates age, the naga
appears no older than a male in his early forties. With his
distinguished features, unblemished except for a few faint
scars, there’s a glimmer of masculine youth. Sometimes I
think he’s younger than Ursula, and at other times I’m
certain he’s older. Figuring out his age and the length of his
lifespan is part of our mission.
He’s a survivor, and if his scars weren’t an indicator of
that, the lack of fear in his eyes is.
He’s not afraid, and he should be. I’m one of Minton
Volp’s kids, and I’m afraid.
“If you would work with us, we could make your
accommodations here pleasant. You don’t have to be
sedated. You could have space,
water meat. We know you can speak. It is duly noted that
your kind communicates in the common tongue.”
He remains quiet.
She taps her tablet in frustration. “Have it your way. If
you still won’t speak willingly, I think it’s time to try
something new.” Ursula leans away and looks at me.
“Vivian, hand me a scalpel.”
I reach behind me and grab a sanitized one.
I wish I were a person with integrity, a person with
righteous morals who fought against the corrupt, but I’m
not because I am afraid. I grew out of morals when my father
introduced me to my mother. Her refusal to acknowledge my
existence sealed which side I was on. My father’s.
When I hand the scalpel to Ursula, I look down to
discover the naga’s eyes locked on me.
Like clockwork, my face spreads with heat—my body with
tingles— and I swallow shallowly. Hot already from the
temperature, I turn away. My hand cups my mask as I glance
at Ursula and Muffin. Their focus is elsewhere. They don’t
notice a thing.
He notices. I know he does. Even through his fury, he
knows something is up with me. It happens every time his
gaze finds mine in the brief moments he’s awake.
I’m sick.
And I’m certain it’s because his fang sliced through
my flesh. “Vivian, Muffin, leave the room.”
Jumping, I turn back. “What? Why?”
Ursula grabs an apron and ties it on. “You don’t need to
be here for this.” She pulls out a recorder from her pocket.
“You’re too soft.”
Soft? I scoff. I’m not soft.
Except, eyeing the scalpel in her grip, my suspicion of
what’s coming amplifies. “Too soft for what? We can help.”
Muffin ducks out as Ursula levels a blank look of
warning at me. Knowing he’s watching, I stiffen, feigning
courage. I don’t want the naga to think I’m weak or soft; if
he does, it’ll make me an easy target if he attempts an
escape. I need to be nothing to him, not weak, not soft, or
even strong, but somewhere in the middle. Unnoticeable.
She gives me a tight smile, one I see straight through her
mask. “No. You’re right, Vivian Volp. You should stay. Put on
an apron. This will be good for you. Although if you interrupt
me or share with others what is about to happen, you know
the consequences.”
Glancing at the scalpel in her hand again, my stomach
churns. I stiffly grab an apron and tie it around my waist.
She’s standing over the naga when I turn back around.
“We could learn a lot from each other, you and I. Except
you refuse to acquiesce even if it’s in your best interest. Do
you understand what
that means? What your refusal is going to make me do? I’ll
have to up the ante.” She shows him the blade. “My knife is
sharp and small but it can cause a lot of damage. And since
you like to waste time, I will waste more of it with pain.
When you are ready to stop being so wasteful, speak.”
I stand across from her on the other side of the podule,
letting dread settle in my stomach.
There’s no convincing her not to do this—I knew this
was going to happen if the naga refused to speak—all I can
do is remain silent and be ready to administer painkillers
the moment she turns her back. I am weak.
His gaze slips back to me and his
nostrils flare. I jerk back.
Ursula sighs. “Are you going to be able to handle
yourself? Leave now if you can’t. I won’t deal with your
unconscious body if you faint.”
I nod sharply, avoiding the naga’s eyes. “Yes. I can handle
this.”
I won’t leave because a part of me, a small part of me,
wants to study him and understand what it is about him
that’s made me sick. He’s infected me with something.
Something that makes me think of him when I’m in bed at
night, something that sometimes makes me wet. He’s
frightening, and I should be scared, not confused.
Ursula’s attention shifts back to the alien, and she raises
the blade. “This is going to be messy. You have one final
chance.” She positions the scalpel at the bottom of his arm,
right above his wrist where his scales start. “Simply speak
and I will stop.”
He says nothing.
I flick my eyes to the screen displaying his vitals. I keep
my focus there.
It starts with a terrible silence—he doesn’t even hiss—and
all I hear is the slight shuffle of something happening. His
vitals blur across the screen, accelerating as the scent of
blood rushes past my mask’s filters and into my nose.
“Still nothing?” she asks.
Say something, I beg as the machine beeps, alerting us to
his distress. He may have hurt and attacked me, but that
doesn’t mean I want the same done to him. And this is
different, this isn’t self-defense on Ursula’s part—it’s torture.
She moves the blade up his arm. “I can and will hurt you
worse than this.”
The naga grunts. Holding my breath, I glance back at
him. His attention is on the ceiling, his lips flat, his brow
furrowed deeply.
His blood pools on the table. As Ursula continues to cut, it
drips onto the floor. She’s systematically slicing off all the
scales on his arm, leaving
none of the skin beneath.
He never speaks, even when I’m inwardly imploring him
to say his name.
There is only silence, punctuated by threats, and dripping
blood.
By the time Ursula gives up, the day shift has been over
for hours and I’m numb, traumatized, and unable to focus
on what’s going on around me. I’m vaguely aware of
Muffin’s return as he wheels the unconscious naga out of
Ursula’s lab and back to his medical cell.
I never had a chance to sneak painkillers into his IV.
Ursula didn’t stop until both of his arms and part of his
chest were stripped of scale and flesh. There were no
breaks.
“You surprise me, Vivian,” she says while peeling her
bloody lab coat off. Around us, several bots clean the floor.
“I expected more of a reaction out of you.”
“I can handle a little blood,” I murmur, gazing at the
diminishing pool on the ground.
She picks up her tablet and takes it to her desk. “Good
to know. We’ve learned a lot today, and tomorrow I expect
you to be ready to start all over again. He will speak. The
sooner he does, the happier your father will be and the
sooner we’ll have the answers we need.”
“Yes,” I agree, knowing it will appease her and, in
return, make her forget about me sooner. “He will speak.
Tomorrow, I’m sure.” Turning for the exit, I stiffly walk away.
“Definitely tomorrow.”
“Vivian.
” I
freeze.
“I want you to collect tomorrow’s samples before he’s
brought in for interrogation. It’s taking too long.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Escaping the room, I bypass my office and head straight
to the decontamination chamber and destroy everything I’m
wearing, retching bile all over the floor. There isn’t a fleck
of blood on me, but it’s not about cleanliness, it’s about the
destruction. After my suit is gone, and I’m left in only a
cami and pants, I walk the long hallways home,
encountering only a couple of others working the night shift.
They’re too busy to notice me.
My apartment is minimal in design, tucked within one of
the mid- level caste floors of the ship. Private units like
mine are often given to the serving staff of those in richer,
more lavish spaces, to keep them close in case of an
emergency. The higher floors are the safest places on the
ship, far from the turf battles and gangs that ruled the
Dregs—the central floors around The Dreadnaut’s core.
I’ve lived on this ship my whole life and haven’t set foot
in over half of the sectors within it. Colony ships often
employed guides for those
traveling to different parts of it. I used to have one
assigned to me after my grandparents died and I was
moved into this smaller space close to the medical research
sector.
That was over twelve years ago.
Except for those who trained me, I’ve been on my own
since. Alone except for the woman I work for and the few
people I encounter regularly amongst her staff, like Muffin.
Once my door is shut and locked, I hurry to the
bathroom and take a temperature reducer. Curling up on
the floor of the shower unit, I let the water wash over me
until my fever fades and the smell of my sweat and the
naga’s blood is replaced by soap.
Pruned, shivering, and exhausted, I stumble to bed,
sidestepping piles of old books, files, and boxes of hard
drives to get there. My apartment would be empty without
the mess that’s scattered across the floors and climbing the
walls. It’s everything there is about my family’s history,
Yulen’s history. Old technology, some of which has been
dismantled, covers every table and fills every drawer. I’ve
spent my life trying to figure out how the medical
technology built by my ancestors is locked down by DNA,
and further still, how to dismantle that lock.
Any other night, I’d be amongst the mess searching for
answers. Tonight, my mind is scorched with blood, scales,
and a massive gray naga with large dark hands and claws
that shred the white plastic of the cushion beneath him.
Tossing and turning in bed, sleep doesn’t find me as my
body overheats. Naked under my blanket, I stare at the
ceiling, petting my scar with my finger.
He’s just an alien, nothing more.
The Lurkers, the Gestri, and the Ketts were once just aliens too.
The naga’s silver-gray eyes appear within the ceiling.
Eyes that make my pulse race and goad me into thinking
unendurable thoughts.
Shuddering, I clutch my pillow and turn on my side until
my alarm sounds and it’s time for me to collect his blood.
 THREE
BLURRED LINES

S Y A SKU

H UNGER GNAWS MY STOMACH , while thirst shrivels my tongue.

Sensing that I am alone, I realize I must have fallen
asleep. Stirring, I test my strength, flexing whatever muscles I
can. I am never unconscious when they poison me, not
entirely, not anymore, not for long. Each time they force me
under, I am more aware than before, pretending otherwise. It
is only a matter of time before their poisons do not work at
all.
I can be patient. Each time they wake me, I learn more.
These humans want knowledge. They want the secrets
of my land and the relics hidden throughout it. They want
technology, the locations of caches, and even though they
offer me things in return—some comfort in my capture—the
one who promises these things also ridicules and threatens
me.
Her taunts are pointless.
I am not afraid of her. This Urssssula.
Because in my mind she’s there, waiting for me. The
female I had in my arms, the one Azsote stole when these
humans snatched me from the ground and locked me in one
of their ships. Her blonde hair, her warm body against mine
I had almost gotten her within the wetlands surrounding
my territory. If I had, I would be there with her now, far
from these humans and this foul-smelling place.
They stole from me what I have been waiting for my
entire life.
There is nothing they can do now that I have lost the one I
caught.
 A swoosh to my left and tapping across the floor pulls me
from my thoughts.
I know who makes tapping steps like that.
The quiet female who is often at Urssssula’s side.
Her scent captures my attention each time she is near. It
is familiar. She smells like the one I lost, if vaguely. She is a
constant reminder of my failure. This is the first time she
has come to visit me alone.
She stops to my right, and I debate whether this is the
time to make my move. She would be easy to dominate, to
make her do what I want. With her, I might escape. These
humans would not attack me if I used one of their women
as a shield. No species would risk such a valuable resource.
My fingers strain as I test my strength. They barely
move. Today is not the day.
Letting my frustration recede, I settle in for what she has
in store.
I hear shuffling as she prepares her tools. Slitting my
eyes open, I see her bushy brown hair tied tightly at the
back of her head, so thick, it is like a cloud of swirling curls
against her soft brown skin.
Between her and Urssssula, I much prefer her. She avoids
my gaze.
She fears me yet refuses to flee.
But I am not so fickle in my desires. A caught female is
worthier of being a mate than one who approaches danger
without caution. And this female, the one Ursula calls
Vivian, does not flee from a dangerous situation when she
should. She does not have good survival instincts.
Still, she is always around when I am poked, probed,
and questioned. She is always nearby to do whatever
Urssssula demands of her. I have not yet figured out why.
She obeys all of the older female’s commands even if they
make her hesitate. It is her hesitation and the familiarity of
her scent that tickles my curiosity.
After the initial shock of my new surroundings and the
intrigue of it waned, the beeping and lights quickly
becoming annoying, all I could initially think about was the
fact that there were unclaimed, unmated females around
me and no males vying for their attention.
It makes no sense.
Ursula’s assistant is slighter and shorter than her. As a
potential mate, she does not appear strong enough to
handle one such as I, or any naga for that matter.
Between her and Urssssula, Urssssula would make the
better mate physically.
My stomach shrivels at the thought, and I had once
believed any female would be a gift. My naivety infuriates
me.
I hear a series of clicks, and the bed lowers.
Closer to the floor, I peer once again at the female, Vivian.
 She is wearing her usual white mask and form-fitting
white clothes. Watching as she prepares something on the
large tower beside me, which I am often attached to, she
places a vial inside a slot within it.
She is taking more of my blood. It is always my blood—A wave
of agonizing pain streaks through me before I finish the
thought.
I strain, trying to see where the pain is coming from.
There is red on my arms where there is usually gray.
Glistening, shiny, wet red. Blood, dried and fresh. The pain
intensifies. Every limb strains as the agony escalates.
“Oh!” She gasps.
Straining harder, a furious hiss tears from my throat,
and the table groans beneath me.
“Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit! I forgot the painkillers.”
A loud beeping goes off, and the scent of her stress
bleeding into the air floods my nose.
My thoughts stutter to a stop. With it, a cold numbness
spreads through me, taking away the pain as fast as it
came. Realizing the female is poisoning me more than ever
before with her numbing liquids, my head falls back as I
force out words with my last thread of consciousness.
“Sssstop.” Everything fades to an endless gray haze.
I manage to rouse, never falling fully into
unconsciousness. My eyes open to the same warm brown
ones I have woken to before.
She flinches when she sees me. I register fear in the way
she looks at me, the anxiety—her oddly familiar scent wafts
with it—but there is something else gleaming in her eyes
something I do not understand.
Testing my limbs, then my mouth, I find I am paralyzed
once more from the neck down.
“You can speak the common tongue.” Vivian’s voice is a
breathy whisper, drawing my attention away from my flayed
body.
I bare my fangs in answer.
Worry clouds her gaze as she steps back to look around
the room. “You shouldn’t talk to me.” She shakes her head
like it is a warning. But it does not seem to deter her from
speaking to me further. “Ursula won’t stop until she gets
what she wants from you. It’s going to get worse if you
continue to deny her. Please tell her what she wants to
know.”
When I do not respond, she glances around again like
she is afraid of something. Something other than me.
“Others will be here soon to transport you to her lab for
another round of of ” Her brow creases as she glances
down at my body.
My lips twitch as her gaze drifts over my flayed hide.
“I’ve numbed you for now, but I won’t be able to later.” She
leans back. “I’m sorry.” Sweat beads across her brow, above
her lip. She wipes
her face and her brows furrow. “I really am sorry.”
Sorry?
Ursssula’s female is sorry? I would sooner throw her
across the room to free myself from this wretched place, and
she is sorry?
My initial thoughts were correct—she would never survive
Earth.
She looks nervously around the room once again before
turning from me to face the machine. I glance around the
room like she did, trying to find the source of her fear.
“Ssssyasku.” I do not know why I say it, why I give her
my name.
All I know is that I did not want her to stop
speaking. And that makes me curious.
That, and her apology. She slowly turns
back to me. “What?”
“My name issss Syasku.”
She stares, confusion flooding her eyes, and it is the first
time I can look at her head-on. There is pain as well, but it
vanishes as her fear comes crashing back. She steps away,
shaking her head.
I hiss with frustration, once more searching the stark
room for the source of her nervousness. What is more
fearsome than me?
Refusing to look at me again, she focuses on the
machine, punching in buttons harder than usual.
Her voice is free of emotion and her lips barely move
when she hits me with a truth I had not yet realized. “I’m
not sure what you have been told, Syasku, but you should
know that you’re on a spaceship. And even if you did manage
to escape from your restraints, there is nowhere for you to
go. There are miles of metal all around you and hundreds of
soldiers between you and the nearest port—which has been in
lockdown since your arrival. There is no escape right now—
for anyone.”
Another beep sounds and what little blood I have drains
from me, stealing the last of my strength. No words leave
my mouth when I try to speak.
I am not concerned by soldiers and metal walls.
The world around me darkens as I listen to the taps of
her shoes fade.
 FOUR
ONE GOOD DEED

V IVIA N

HE SPOKE TO ME. He told me his name.

Syasku.
Why? I don’t want to know his name. I don’t want to
know anything about him except for what can suppress my
fever. Twisting my fingers together, I bring them to my
mouth.
I know why.
I apologized in some lamentable attempt to relieve myself
of guilt. It was stupid of me, but we were alone and he
looked horrifying. The wounds inflicted upon him had barely
begun to heal and his pain meds had depleted; the reek of
his blood was making my stomach churn with nausea. I
forgot to give him more before his numbing agent wore off.
After he told me to stop, I should’ve left and
alerted Ursula. Instead, I remained and took away
his pain.
Ursula is cruel, like Father, especially to those who stand
in her way. If I don’t do what she says, she’ll make my
miserable life even more miserable. The painkillers will be
in the naga’s body all shift, and if she finds out that I’ve
wasted her time, there’s going to be hell to pay. There are
cameras in the labs, and I know everything that happened
was caught on them. I expect someone will watch the
footage back and alert Ursula as soon as it’s discovered.
Lowering my face into my hands, I palm my eyes.
It’s cruel to inflict pain upon another to avoid it yourself.
I know this. But I’ve been protecting myself for so long, I
don’t know how to
stop. I glance at the locked door of my office again. It’s only
a matter of time before someone comes to fetch me.
I should be in the laboratory with Muffin and the others,
but no matter how hard I try to suppress my fever, it’s only
worsening. Remaining calm and collected has been working
for me, and right now I’m anything but calm or collected.
Instead, I’m hiding, anticipating the worst. Either way, the
naga’s deep, rumbling voice is now in my head, repeating
his name again and again, heightening my nerves.
Why did he have to speak to me?
Even if no one watches the footage back, Ursula will
know something happened.
My soles click across the floor as I pace around my
office and my panic builds.
Grabbing a wad of tissues, I pat the sweat on my brow
and face and check my appearance with a hand mirror.
Settling into my chair, I smooth out my hair. Except every
curl is cinched tightly, dampened by perspiration, and the
loose strands frizz outward, making it look like a chaotic
halo around my head and shoulders.
I was not blessed with any of my mother’s fair genes.
Whereas her hair is smooth and blonde, mine is thick, curly,
and brown.
Everything about the way I look comes from my father.
All of his children take after him, legitimate and illegitimate
alike. His controlling, narcissistic nature had to have come
from somewhere.
There’s a brief, loud knock before my office door swings
open, and the man himself appears on the other side. I jolt
from my chair as my breath escapes me, straightening as
he steps into the small space of my dimly lit room.
“Father,” I greet him, pretending I’m fine. “I wasn’t expecting
you.”
His face is unreadable as he stops at the edge of my
desk and assesses me.
At barely five feet, three inches, I’m tiny compared to his
six-and-a- half-foot frame. My height is the only thing that
didn’t come from him. All of my half-siblings are tall except
me. The Volps are known for their height and darker
features, and with my father’s slick jet-black hair and
lusciously warm complexion, his
symmetrical, gentlemanly features women
flock to him, never taking a moment to consider if the
man underneath is a good one.
He tips his chin. “You’ve made progress with the alien.”
“Dr. Ursula is adept at getting results. I have learned
much under her tutelage.”
“It’s not Ursula who has gotten a reaction out of him.
It’s you.” God. He knows.
It’s been an hour, and he already knows.
 I eye him, nervous. Father rarely addresses me
anymore, and rarer still makes the trip across the ship to do
so. I don’t think he’s ever come to my office. I’ve only ever
seen him in Ursula’s laboratory, and those occasions were
rare until recently.
But if he already knows about the naga speaking to me,
then he’s either been told or he’s seen the footage for
himself.
As my mind races to come up with a reply, the door
opens again, this time without a knock preceding it, and
Ursula steps through. “Supreme Commander Volp,” she
addresses Father formally, saluting him. “This meeting would be
better in my office.”
“I agree—” I quip.
He puts up his hand. “I’m not staying.” He levels his gaze
back on me, and I can feel Ursula’s cold eyes following,
spearing me through with ice. “Tomorrow’s session. I want
Vivian to conduct it.”
“Yes.” Ursula nods. “I was thinking the same
thing.” “I will be in attendance,” he adds.
My skin burns hotter.
“Very good, sir,” she responds.
With both sets of eyes shifting to me, Father finally
ushers the threat I’ve been waiting for. “Your mother has
always been a disappointment, Vivian. Not only because of
her disloyalty to me but to her own species. She is a
criminal and has committed treason. I know you eased the
alien’s pain. In doing so, you’ve disappointed me, daughter.
You are too like Laura for your own good.” He scans me up
and down. “I had hoped your patriotism would be
something others could look up to, something that would
set you apart from your siblings. You are lucky the naga
gave you his name. If he had not, you would have been sent
back to your studies. I am tired of waiting for results.”
“I am nothing like her,” I snap. But I wouldn’t know if I am
or not.
Laura Yulen refused to acknowledge my existence, and
now that she’s gone Father’s anger has been incensed. He
hates it when he loses control of a situation. And with the
capture of Syasku, and me being Ursula’s assistant, he’s
since retaken notice of me.
For years I’ve floated under his radar. For years I was
nothing more than an afterthought. Only having to send
him a monthly report of my progress in cracking Yulen’s
DNA coding, reports I’m certain he never reads. Now he’s
paying me visits in my office.
“You are more like her than you know, my dear. Ursula—”
he says, dismissing me to face her.
Nausea bends my stomach, but arguing with him will
only make things worse, so I hold in my discomfort, and my
relief, as his attention shifts away.
 I won’t be punished. Not yet at least. Father almost seems
proud that the risk I took benefits him.
“—have you procured the subject?” he
asks. I pause on his words. Subject?
“I have, sir.”
“Good. Walk with me.” He strides out of my office, and
without another glance my way, Ursula follows him.
The door closes, and I’m alone once more.
I lock the door and strip off my uniform jacket, moving
back to my desk to drop down into the chair. Refurbished to
oblivion, the padding still has a little cushioning left to
comfort me. Chugging the last of my water, I down two
more fever suppressants.
Throughout it all, my body trembles, and the pressure
between my legs intensifies. Fisting my hands, I wait until
it passes, trying hard— really hard—not to seek out Syasku
and check up on him. He would be with Ursula right now if
she decides to move forward despite the extra pain
medicine I’ve given him.
Not sure I can handle any more blood today, or his gaze
on me, I remain at my desk and finish up paperwork.
A couple hours later, I’m back at my apartment downing
a sleeping pill and pulling out my tablet to do a deeper dive
on the years leading up to Earth’s demise.
I won’t think about Syasku or what’s going to happen
tomorrow. Not tonight.
Father’s visit was enough to jolt some sense back into
me. My fever is just that—a fever. I haven’t caught anything
strange from the alien. It had to be a coincidence and
stress. Everyone else around me has been exposed to him,
and no one else has gotten sick. At least not that I know of,
and I’ve been watching. Either I’m the only one or everyone
else is better at hiding it than me.
And the more I think about it, the uncomfortable arousal
I’ve been feeling since Syasku’s arrival could be
psychosomatic. If I’m aroused, it’s a hormonal issue, or a
pent-up one, and nothing to do with him. I’ve made no
effort in pursuing someone, even if it was for a single night
just to get it out of my system. I’m afraid of catching
feelings and having Father use them against me.
If things were different, I’d pursue a sexual relationship.
But like my DNA, my life was laid out the moment my egg
took in surrogacy. Thankfully I’m not particularly fond of
others, and so self-satisfaction has always been an easy
choice for me.
At least until lately.
Switching from Earth’s history, I scroll through Muffin’s
notes on today’s session and our most conclusive
discoveries. Syasku’s cells
continue to regenerate outside of his body regardless of the
environment they’re in, but only for a short time, and
separating and isolating them continues to fail. I keep
scrolling.
My finger pauses on the last data
segment. The samples taken today
smelled like grass.
My nose wrinkles, reminded of his scent. Dirt, moist and
fresh, but dirt nonetheless, and grass can only grow in dirt.
There’s very little dirt on The Dreadnaut outside of the few
green areas. It’s not a common scent in space. I can’t recall
the smell of grass. It’s been too long since I visited a green
area.
Staring at the word, the sleeping pill hits. Grass and dirt
and a world without walls are my last thoughts before sleep
pulls me under.
 FIVE
QUESTIONS

V IVIA N

WE HAVEN ’ T HAD SO
many people watching us before.
Not many are privy to Dr. Ursula’s research, let alone to
Syasku’s existence, and those who are aware of him know
better than to let any information slip out. Still, it makes
me wonder why today is different besides me leading the
session.
No one, not even me, is going to get the naga to speak
unless he wants to.
I finish prepping the machine while Muffin and several
other assistants collect their data. With how many tests are
being run daily, samples are gathered every morning and
every evening. No human, not even a full-grown healthy
man, could survive what the naga has been going through.
Thankfully he’s been allowed to regenerate over the night
shift, which means someone has given him food and water.
And although the scales on his arms and upper chest
haven’t grown back yet, his skin has. Seeing him mending
lifts my spirits though it might only be temporary.
Ursula’s not stupid. Even the plastic cushion beneath
him has been replaced. It would be idiotic of her to flaunt
his torture.
He can handle a lot. If there was nothing else we’ve
discovered about his species, it’s that they can endure. It’s
something I can relate to. Flicking my eyes over Syasku’s
unconscious form, evaluating the
amount of strength his body exudes even while he’s passed
out, makes
me hopeful he’ll survive this too. We’ll both survive this.
 In the corner, standing upon a platform that looks down
into the laboratory, are Ursula and Father. They’re
speaking quietly with Commander Pierce, who talks to them
from below.
I catch them looking at me.
Straightening, I glance at the two additional soldiers by
the door.
We’ve been guarded since the beginning, and today is no
different.
I shake off my paranoia because that’s what this is. I’ve
slept well and have reviewed the questions Ursula wants
me to ask. I just hope I don’t get my throat torn out for
asking them. But the scenes running through my head give
me hope that I can handle whatever comes. If I experience
the worst possible scenario in my mind, experiencing it for
real won’t come as a complete surprise. Taking a settling
breath, I know I can get through this.
Muffin steps back and calls out. “All set. He’s ready.”
Ursula leaves the platform and joins us. Donning the
same clothes and slicking back her silver hair as always,
she’s dressed like any other day.
She eyes me as she accepts the chart I hand her. “I
assume you’re ready, Vivian? If you’re nervous, he’ll know.”
“I’m ready.”
Her cold blue eyes roam over me. “Good. Your father is
expecting results. Take that pressure and put it to use.
Remember what’s at stake.”
I swallow. “Of course.”
Lives. Lives are at stake.
The next several minutes pass in a haze. The additional
research assistants leave while Muffin and I triple check
the naga’s restraints. I reposition his medical podule so he’s
mostly upright and facing me and those on the platform.
Clutching my screen, I sit down across from him. If he’s
faking being unconscious, he’s doing a great job.
I thought he was unconscious
yesterday. “Waking him in three,
two—”
Ursula returns to stand with Father and Pierce. The lights
behind me darken.
“—one,” Muffin finishes.
The room goes silent, waiting for Syasku to open his eyes.
He’s lounged, his head back and at an angle, like he’d
succumbed to exhaustion. His mouth is closed, and he
appears peaceful, blissfully unaware of what is about to
happen. He’s been cleaned too, the dirt and dried blood
washed away, and even his hair, once crusty and greased
with bodily fluids, has been scrubbed and brushed out, the
silver-white strands now appearing soft where they curve
behind his pointed ears. He’s bent at the waist, where he’s
been made to sit, almost giving him a
human countenance if it weren’t for the long, winding tail
bound in front of him. The tip is bent under the seat and
out of my sight. He’s strapped by a half-dozen bands to his
seat, ranging from his shoulders to where his tail hits the
floor. His arms are pinned to his sides, and there are large
leather gloves encasing his hands.
I’ve never seen him so trussed up before. But then
again, we now know our tranquilizers and paralytics
haven’t been as effective as we thought.
As my gaze flicks back over him, heat rushes my cheeks.
He’s the most exotic creature I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I
remember the way his body felt beneath mine. Sitting
across and forced to look straight at him, has never made
me feel more vulnerable.
His eyes peel open, and in a cool sweep of the room, his
gaze freezes on me. His body strains briefly, clearly
checking his restraints, but then he relaxes as his eyes flick
over to me once more. He takes me in.
I suck in my stomach and greet him. “Hello,
Syasku.” His eyes narrow.
“Today, you and I will be talking.” Gaining composure, I
try to keep his attention on me. He hasn’t hissed or bared
his fangs yet, which I take as a good sign.
This is okay—I can do this.
“If you would only work with us ”
Anger flashes across his features, and he releases a low hiss.
I swallow the rest of my words. “I won’t hurt you.” I
keep my eyes glued on him, avoiding Ursula or Father. If I
can make him believe it, maybe I can believe it too.
As Syasku continues to stare at me, my guilt amplifies.
To him, I’m no better than Ursula, Father, or anyone else.
I’m just as terrible as they are. He’s taking in every inch of
me and judging it.
I clear my throat, knowing the longer I stall, the worse
this will get. “You told me your name yesterday. Do all nagas
have names?” My voice strengthens. “Do your names have
meaning?”
Nothing.
“Have you always lived on Earth?”
“Do you have ships? Technology of your own
design?” Still nothing.
“Where do you come from?”
“Where are the others? Why do you live
separately rather than together?”
One by one I ask the same questions in a variety of ways,
and one by one he gives me silence in return.
“Do you have a leader? Someone you take orders
from?” “Do you have a family?”
 “Children?”
“Do you have amate?”
He jerks forward at that last question. After nearly an
hour of silence from him, I glance at Ursula and Father to
see what they want me to do, but neither is looking at me.
Straightening, I face Syasku again, only hesitating long
enough to scan the next question.
As our eyes catch once more, my breath stalls, finding his
gaze darker and more intense. Pressure squeezes my chest as
a flash of heat warms my cheeks.
Lips parting, I tear my eyes away only to notice the
muscles along his tail twitching. When my core clenches in
response to his flex, I frown, nervous something is off. His
tail muscles shouldn’t be twitching They’ve never twitched before
Someone coughs, and I shift in my seat. “Do you know who
we are and why we’re here?”
Other than his eyes roaming over me, he doesn’t respond.
I swallow. “We’re here hoping for our salvation,” I tell
him. “We’re searching for weapons and technology to help
us in the fight to come. Instead, we found you.”
Still nothing, nothing except his gaze traveling along my
body.
“Do you know who or what the Ketts are? Have you
spoken to or encountered a Lurkawathian?”
My fingers curl into themselves, and his eyes drop to my
hands.
Curious, I loosen them until they are stretched out and my
palms are open to his scrutiny. When his focus sticks,
another tactic comes to mind. One that could get me in
trouble if it doesn’t work.
I flip my hands over so he can see the backs of them.
“My name is Vivian, and I’m a medical research assistant,
but my main goal is to maintain the integrity of what is left
of my ancestors’ medical machines here on The Dreadnaut, as
well as its AI and software. Most of which was lost
centuries ago. Technology like my family’s is on Earth,
waiting to be rediscovered and returned to our species. It
would help me do my job and accomplish my goal.” I feel
my father’s gaze on my back. “It’s technology we hope you
can help us locate and possibly retrieve ”
His gaze drifts back to mine, and I’m emboldened to say
more.
“We are not so different, you and I,” I say, my voice
softening into a whisper. “You’re a survivor. So are we. And
we want the same things. A home, peace, a life without the
threat of annihilation. Medical technology ”
If this doesn’t work, I’m in trouble.
No one stops me when I continue, “Help us find what
we’re searching for, and we can help you. We can share
what we know, and protect you and your family ” Help
him with what, I don’t know.
Maybe the inevitable fight against the Ketts when they
finally make their way to this side of the galaxy? The longer
I watch him for a reaction, the more certain I become that
there is something he wants other than his freedom and his
vengeance.
Maybe he does have a family back on Earth, one he’s
desperate to return to.
Resisting the urge to wipe the sweat from my brow and
cross my legs, Syasku’s lips part, and a low vibration fills the
room.
It turns into a soothing hum that sends prickles up my
arms. Unlike anything I’ve heard before, it settles my
anxiety. Like a lullaby, his hiss cascades over me in gentle
waves, calming my frayed nerves and quieting my scattered
thoughts. Easing into my chair, the tension seeps from my
limbs, fading into the background.
There’s a stillness around us like there’s no one else but
him and me, no one else anywhere.
“Please, let me help you,” I whisper.
His humming deepens, growing richer, and thicker, and
the rest of my guard drops, subduing me completely. As my
eyes hood and my body melts into the chair, a slit opens in
his tail and a long, thick appendage emerges.
Like a sword being brandished from his pelvic region,
his girth curves toward his chest, his cock’s tip lodged in
the air, leaning into him. The underside of it bulges
outward, faintly knotted into a ball that ripples downward to
his base, the creases becoming more rigid the closer they get
to his tail. The length and thickness larger than any human
man’s.
I press my thighs together, horrified and completely
bewildered.
Tearing my eyes from his cock, our eyes catch, and his
soothing hum stops as he tries leaning toward me. The
predicament I’m in comes crashing back, and I jerk. Stunned
silent, my gaze flicks back to his cock and then to everyone
else around me.
My mouth opens and closes, and I’ve never been more
thankful that a mask hides the majority of my face. Because
despite my shock, my body is still reacting to his. Clenching
even more, I start anticipating penetration. Tingles play
across my sex, growing into frantic, needy pulses. Torn
between horror and embarrassment The need to walk over
to Syasku and press my body to his consumes me.
“Good job, Vivian.” Ursula’s voice cuts into me as she
descends from the platform to Syasku and grabs his cock.
“You’ve done well.”
He growls and strains against her touch, and it’s enough
to drop me back to reality.
“Well?” I choke, blinking the fuzz from my head. “We’re
done? Wait, what?” My attention zeroes in on where Ursula
grips him, and my brow
furrows, sick swelling my throat.
“We are. You got something out of him, even if it didn’t
happen to be answers.” Syasku bares his fangs, his hissing
returning with violent intention as Ursula wraps a band
under his knot, tying it tightly around him, constricting his
blood flow.
Syasku roars, fighting his restraints with
increasing fury. I jump to my feet. “Stop! What
are you—”
“Up the sedatives,” Ursula orders Muffin, unfazed. Father
and Pierce stride forward at the same time, conversing about
something I can’t hear. “You’re not neededfor this next
part.” Ursula looks at me with
frustration as I rush forward. “Step back.”
Next part?
As Pierce and Father step in front of me, my inability to
do anything helpful hits home. I tried to help before, and this
happens. I don’t know what would happen if I tried again
with everyone watching.
Hearing his struggles, I do what Ursula says before I
can make matters worse. Rejoining Muffin, he’s already
dosing sedatives by the time I push him aside and take
over.
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” Ursula coos at Syasku.
“You could still talk. If you do, I won’t need to use this against
you.” She doesn’t wait for him to respond and instead turns
and addresses Father.
Father.
Nausea cramps my stomach as they speak. Ashamed, I turn
away as Syasku’s thrashing wanes. He’s going to think I
tricked him.
This is my fault.
His body slumps as his chair returns to a bed and shifts
back into the podule.
“You better know what you’re doing,” Father warns
Ursula, indicating Syasku’s erection with a wave. “I was
expecting today to end in cooperation, not this.”
“He won’t work with us. If this is all Vivian can get out
of him, it will have to be enough. He’ll have no choice but
to take a mate, especially if we make it easy for him. Once
he’s possessive of her, he’ll tell you whatever you want to
know. They are fiercely protective of their mates. This is the
collateral we need.”
Feeling faint, I try to come up with a reason to excuse
myself or an idea to stop what’s happening.
I want to scream and slap Syasku for speaking to me at
all. Why did you have to tell me your name?! Panting harder, I can’t
seem to get enough air into my lungs. I curl my fingers into
my palms and pin them to my side, stopping them from
tearing off my mask.
My eyes hood as they shift over him.
This is because of me. His cock released for me.
 I straighten away, shivering with the knowledge.
Ursula escorts Father and Pierce out of the room, giving
neither Syasku nor me another glance. The soldiers follow
after, and with Muffin taking charge, I peer back down.
Thankfully his features have softened into slumber.
I swallow and close my eyes. When I reopen them, I look
at his cock. Bound up so it can’t return to his tail, his
appendage has only thickened since its emergence.
Consequences be damned.
I untie the restraint around it. As his cock drops to rest
against his body, a gush of seed releases from the tip to
trickle onto his stomach.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
Gently cupping his base with one hand, I spread open
his slit with the other. Once I have it parted around his
base, I slowly push his cock back into his tail, working it
harder when his knot makes it a struggle. Huffing with the
effort, and not wanting to accidentally hurt him any more
than he has been, sweat beads across my skin.
“Leave it,” Ursula snaps, returning to the room and
coming up behind me.
I face her. “I was just trying to—”
“Show him dignity? Of course, I know you. This is the
second time that you’ve been compassionate. You’ve already
disobeyed me once. Do so again and you’ll be in solitary
without a bed—or a light.”
She forcibly takes my spot beside Syasku. It occurs to me
that Ursula knows more about his kind than I do, and it
makes me wonder what else she might be keeping from me
and her staff.
I move to reattach the rest of Syasku’s IVs when she
waves me away. “Don’t bother. He’s coming off the Yulen.”
“He’ll wake up if we don’t keep him medicated.”
“Yes, he will. Though not for long. Your father has ordered
it.”
Right then, Pierce returns to the room with more
soldiers. One of them is holding a large black collar and a
small black device. Ursula steps aside to allow him space to
fit the collar around Syasku’s neck.
“Your services are no longer needed, Vivian. You’re
dismissed. You can return later for the machine.”
She takes my arm and leads me out of the room,
shutting the door in my face.
 SIX
FEMALE WANTED

S Y A SKU

TIME PASSES—DAYS, weeks—I am no longer certain as one

thought turns into a thousand more.
Coiled in the corner of a large steel room, the constant
white noise from the crisscrossing pipes and vents far
above me makes it hard to hear anything else.
On the wall to my left is a steel door I am unable to
reach. To my right there is nothing, and across from me is a
mirror, a large one that doubles as a wall itself. I
sometimes hear humans on the other side of my reflection,
conversing about me.
The female, Vivian, was right. Escape will not be easy.
Getting past endless metal walls and armed humans might
be harder than I anticipated.
Now that I am awake most of the time, I have realized
nothing around me is remotely familiar, especially the
smells. If I can manage to get my restraints off, and away
from Urssssula and her pests, I would not know which
direction to go. I am in a giant machine in the sky.
Earth is unreachable.
Sedation and sleep at least made the time pass faster.
The chains attached to my bands do not let me move far,
especially the one attached to my collar, and when I do
resist my captors, mostly out of boredom now, I am flooded
with endless waves of shocking pain, pain that I am unable
to fight or think through, stunning me inside and out. These
new weapons are something I am not accustomed to. Their
shock rods from before lasted for a couple of excruciating
seconds while their shock bands lasted for hours.
But even electricity is preferable to the torture I am
made to endure. Sedation, paralysis, shock weapons, and
scalpels do not hold a flame to the agonizing pressure of my
engorged prick. The band around it has been removed, but
the pain remains.
Zapped with electricity, I release a frustrated hiss as my
eyes shift to the door.
I smell them.
Urssssula.
Ursula and her latest female.
My hands are pulled and pinned to the wall, the chains
tugged into the recesses within it. The electrical current
increases as the locking mechanism on the security door
gives way. The two females appear shortly after, Ursula
followed by a woman in a shiny black robe that ends at the
middle of her legs. It is easy to assume she is bare
underneath, as I can smell her slit within seconds of her
being here.
Chemicals. She reeks of chemicals.
They approach, stopping at the center of the room.
Ursula scans me, her cold gaze dissecting me for anything
new—all the while never seeing me at all. At first, I did not
cooperate with her because of indignation and rage; now it
is out of entertainment and spite.
Next to her, the female in the robe shudders.
She is younger than the last three. Light brown hair tied
up at the top of her head, her face is clear of injury, and
her eyes are wide. Fear takes over her expression when she
realizes how large I actually am and how easily I could kill
her. Yet, despite the fear, there is also resignation. “Maybe
this one will appeal to you?” Ursula suggests, looking down
at the screen in her hand. “Go on, drop your robe and
approach him,” she tells the woman without looking up,
clearly uninterested in offering her any comfort. “He can’t
hurt you.”
“I I don’t know ”
Ursula sighs. “Take off your fucking
mask.” I silently growl at them.
Because she is right. I will not hurt the female even if
my chains were slack. Like Vivian, all of them have the
scent of fear about them. They are made to be here,
whatever their circumstances are, they are afraid—
desperate.
I have no interest in hurting females or getting
involved. Except Ursula.
She will die with my hands around her neck.
She walks out of the room without warning—as she does
— abandoning the woman in the room with me. By the
time the female
realizes she is locked in and that Ursula is not coming back,
her courage has flown.
I sense Ursula behind the mirrored wall by the time the
frantic banging on the door stops and the female turns
back to face me, deciding what she is going to do. I do not
envy her. She has been tricked or coerced. I do not know
what Ursula tells them to make them come here, and based
on their reactions when they first see me, they were not
fully aware of what awaited them.
One chose to huddle in a corner, frozen in terror. One
tried to talk to me. Another approached and tried to touch
me. They are each given their time, and as their desperation
sinks in and nothing they do works, they are taken away,
never to return.
There is no chance with me. Not anymore.
I know better than that. And since all Ursula does is take,
I expect that that is what she is planning the moment one
catches my attention.
Vivian had caught my attention, held it, and the way she
smelled familiar
My nostrils flare as I push the memory away. Now she is
gone too, and my prick aches having been allowed to
return to the sheath of my tail. Because of her soft brown
eyes, her voice, her interest in me
My erection reemerges.
Yanking my arm forward to loosen the chain, I run my
blistered palm up and down my shaft. Hardening further, I
groan out a hiss.
I felt her grip me as I tried to remain conscious,
ruthlessly pushing my shaft back inside me.
But Ursula’s cold hand replaces Vivian’s, and I tear mine
away, letting my throbbing erection drop. Disgust fills me as
my seed releases anyway.
After Ursula’s touch, I do not know how I can find any
human appealing.
The female remains frozen in the center of the room,
staring at me. My gaze flicks to hers, and when our eyes
meet, her brow furrows and her focus shifts to my prick.
Dangling from her fingers is her mask.
Annoyance grips me. The ones that remove their masks
are the worst. The female shudders and takes a half-step
back.
I close my eyes and settle my coil to the floor. As I do, I
hear her shuffle to the far wall.
Eventually, she will not be able to resist coming closer.
Stuck in here with me my body straining with the need to
mate my pheromones thick in the air, unable to escape, and
invading her senses
She will fight it for a time, perhaps she will last for days,
tiring without food, and when she is weak, hungry, and
thirsty, she will approach, desperate with arousal.
 She should have kept her mask on.
“Do you have a name?” she asks gently, already seeking
comfort. Settling deeper into my tail, I ignore her.
She is not the one I want.
Sleep grips me, and for a time I am content to be
unaware. I do not have to expect an attack from another
naga or wild animal here.
When I awake, the female has moved closer. Back in the
center of the room, she is trying to talk to me, while her
eyes move over my still- exposed prick. I peer at her with
hooded eyes, inhaling her cloying scent. The chemicals have
faded into a feminine musk.
She is not diseased or broken. She is neither beautiful
nor ugly. She is utterly insignificant, and I will ensure she
leaves this room alive.
Still, as I take in her shaggy shoulder-length brown hair
and now partially open robe, I would have once happily
taken her to my nest not that long ago. But looks can be
deceiving. I would have accepted Urssssula back on Earth.
I have learned.
“Can you understand me?” the female implores quietly.
There is a sheen in her eyes, a blush to her cheeks. I
unwillingly inhale her arousal with every breath. My
appendage tightens, and I realize resisting it weakens me. I
will have to stomach the food that is brought to me the next
time it is offered to regain some strength.
When she catches me looking at her, she lowers into a
crouch and makes her body smaller.
“You do understand me ” She says the words with awed
curiosity, her eyes flicking to my middle once more. “I’ve
never seen an alien like you. I didn’t know something like
you existed.”
I close my eyes and shut out her voice.
I hear her shift closer as she tries to get my attention,
and as I continue to ignore her, the louder and more frantic
she becomes.
Sometime on the third shift, she tears off her robe and
begs me to fuck her while trying to climb on top of me. I
push her away with my tail and, realizing that I do not care
about her misery, she crumples into a sobbing ball, passing
out soon after.
She did not last long.
Two armed males retrieve her unconscious form and carry
her away. Relief settles in—I will
finally have some time alone—but Ursula
walks in with another woman, wearing the same shiny black
robe as the
one before.
 SEVEN
SEEKING CLOSURE

V IVIA N

A LONE ONCE AGAIN IN one of the Yulen Medical storage

rooms, I meticulously clean the glassware that had once
stored samples of Syasku’s blood.
It’s been a month since I last saw him, and by now I
thought the whole mess would be behind me. I would
forget what happened, and life would go back to some
semblance of normal where I could focus on my research.
There would be a couple of days to settle my emotions and
process all that had happened, but that would be it. I’d be
fine.
Except life is anything but normal, and I’m
not fine. I don’t know what I am.
Glancing to my left, I stare at the medical machine and
the podule with the bed inside—the very same machine
Syasku was attached to. My dry hands pause cleaning the
glassware, and setting it down, I lean against the lab
bench.
I’ve purified and reset the machine, hoping the ritual
would officially close that chapter of my life and then I
cleaned it again. And again.
No matter how many times I’ve wiped rubbing alcohol
over the bed he lay upon, I can’t fully remove his scent or
the memories of him on it.
His smell clings to it, a wet, musky, fresh earth I can’t
eradicate it no matter how hard I try, and to my frustration,
I also can’t get enough of it. I return every night, hoping his
musk will be gone, and taking with it my strange obsession.
Only to be flooded with relief to discover that his scent still
lingers.
 No matter how hard I want to, I’m not ready to close that
chapter of my life.
Walking over to the podule, my eyes flutter closed, and I
lean forward to rest my head on the plastic cushion
covering the bed. A moment passes before my nostrils adjust
to the smell of acetone, finding his scent among it. When I
get a whiff, I bend forward and relax my upper body against
the bed, exhaling with relief.
Settling in, I’m lulled further by the white noise—the
incessant beeping of the machines and wooshes of the air
vents around me. When a yawn escapes and exhaustion
creeps in, I climb onto the bed and curl onto my side. A
pleasant warmth spreads through me, vanquishing the chill
in the air. I reach down and slide my hands into my pants,
brushing my fingers over my clit. Closing my eyes with
pleasure, my fingers pick up speed. Sweet sensation builds
between my legs and I moan, picturing Syasku, picturing his
cock.
Syasku’s capture was the most exciting thing that has
happened to me, and now I don’t know how to go back to
monotony and dull subservience.
Pulling my hand out from my pants, I press my legs
together and roll over to stare at the ceiling. Waiting for the
swollen, tingly sensation to fade, I take a few minutes to
indulge in it. I don’t know what I’m going to do when it’s
gone for good. Saddening from the prospect, I rise off the
cushion with a curse and return to the job at hand.
Chemicals, cleaning bots, and elbow grease won’t
remove Syasku’s earthy musk. Only time will, and that’s the
last thing I want to give.
Because of him. The word resonates in my mind as I
stare at the imprint of my body on the cushion, replaying the
last few minutes I saw him once again in my head—the way
his cock sprang free, how he gazed at me like I was a meal
to be devoured, and worse yet, the brief pang of jealousy
when I asked him if he had a family or a mate
Shaking my thoughts away with another curse, I stomp
back to the lab bench and toss my rag into the sink. I’m
being ridiculous. Syasku isn’t even human, and even if
circumstances were different, why in the world would he
ever consider me as someone he’d want around? My
research and my work with Ursula is all I know. I can’t
even offer him a good conversation—I don’t know how. I’ve
never been allowed to be social.
Coming here every night has been a testament to my
willpower, an acknowledgment of my obsession, and the
delusion of denying there’s an obsession at all. Coming here
has given me something to cling to that’s different from
everything I know.
I haven’t seen Syasku since Ursula dropped me from the
team. I’ve waited for her to request me and one of my
machines again, but she
hasn’t. In fact, I’ve barely seen her, except in passing. I
should be thankful that she’s too busy to notice me, but it
only spurs my curiosity further.
I was getting through to him. I was connecting with him,
possibly even getting him to trust me. I was making
progress.
Why drop me? I caught her in the hallway one day and
found the courage to ask, and all she said was that she had
no need for my medical tech and that my time would be
better used in the hospital bay and doing what I do best.
Was it because I disobeyed?
I’ve mulled over the idea that she has another Yulen
working for her, but that doesn’t make any sense. The
majority of my extended family lives on other colony ships
or works in other sectors of The Dreadnaut. I’m the only one of
us who is an expert on the machines themselves—the coding,
the hard and software—whereas those who have the same
DNA as me here have pursued other aspects of medicine.
Yulen is a corporate dynasty, and family doesn’t actually
mean family. We’re essentially strangers, at most coworkers.
We share DNA, and that’s all. When I initially tried seeking
them out, Father made it clear I was a Volp first, a Yulen
second. The disinterest of my donor mother made that even
clearer. And bringing in another of the Yulen DNA line has
its own set of problems If another joined the project, there
would at least be rumors and sightings of them being here.
I have not heard or seen anything.
No. I haven’t been
replaced. I’ve just been
dismissed.
So now when everyone is asleep and my shift is over, I
head here or to my office to read through the newest
compilation of data collected from the naga to sate my
curiosity. I might have been dismissed, but nobody thought
to remove my access to the datasets uploaded each day.
Reading through the new data tells me that there’s still
research being done on Syasku. It doesn’t tell me that he’s
still alive, only that the research on him continues. Other
than that, the data doesn’t say much that I don’t already
know.
Glancing at the podule bed again, I stop my feet from
walking back over to it and lying down. The tingling between
my legs hasn’t lessened, and annoyed, I turn away. Sniffing
the plastic, hoping for another whiff, isn’t going to help me
move on.
Still I can’t help wondering what’s happening to him
and if he’s alive or not. I hope he’s still alive. I’ve become
obsessed. Whether it’s because of the fever or my anger
over being dismissed, I don’t know, but it’s been a month
and I’m still looking into random rooms, hoping Syasku
might be in one of them.
 Either way, staying here and cleaning glass that’s
already been cleaned isn’t going to help anybody.
I leave the storage room, bypassing the security doors to
the medical research sector with a simple scan. Along the
dimly lit corridors that signify the night shift are toxic
waste cans, barren benches, and the occasional chair
pushed up against the wall. It’s quiet this late in the ship’s
cycle and eerie.
The Dreadnaut’s Medical Research Unit hasn’t been
refurbished in nearly sixty years. This is pretty recent
compared to other parts of the ship that haven’t been
restored in centuries like The Dreadnaut’s infamous rust pit—a
six-floor drop through jagged detritus that descends straight
to the ship’s heart. People go there to commit suicide.
There’s always talk amongst the staff about it.
Hearing voices up ahead, I approach an open alcove
where there are tables and chairs. Several researchers are
sitting among them, quietly talking to one another.
Normally I would move right along and keep going,
unwilling to brave social interaction, but tonight I don’t
want to go home just to toss and turn in bed, wishing I
never left the storage room to begin with.
Sitting down at one of the tables, I open my bag and
pretend to work, hoping someone might start gossiping.
Looking at the few people around me, I know every one of
their names—even some of their families. They know me
too, or at least they think they do. It’s hard to cavort when
I’m one of Supreme Commander Volp’s children.
My eyes lock with Dr. Folik Holmes, one of the research
sector’s neuroscientists and a friend of Ursula’s. Being
young, and new to his position, Folik’s been making power
moves to become head neuroscientist. He smiles at me when
our eyes catch. I blink in surprise and smile back. He rises
from his seat and sits down in the empty one next to me.
My stomach drops. Maybe I should’ve kept walking.
“You’re up late,” he says awkwardly, looking around at
the others to make sure this wasn’t some kind of setup and
that I’m here by chance.
Why else would he join me? It’s risky to get close to me.
It gets you noticed.
Then again I think Folik wants to be noticed. If he’s
trying to get closer to Ursula, going through me, her boss’s
daughter, isn’t the worst move he could make. It just won’t
amount to much.
“So are you,” I respond, settling into my seat with
weariness, unable to stop myself from glancing around to
see if I’m being set up.
Both of us are suspicious of the other. If I were normal,
someone like Folik would be a catch to contract with, but
that’s not what this is about. Folik would never risk his
career by being with me, and I would never indulge him if
he suggested it.
 He’s a former coworker of my mother’s.
He crosses his arms on the table after swiping back his
hair over his shoulder and leans forward. “I hear you’ve seen
the alien.”
My spine straightens. “I have.”
“What was it like? Is it as dangerous as everyone
thinks it is?” I lick my lips. “I would think so.”
“You don’t know? I thought you worked directly with Dr.
Ursula.” “I do. Well, I did.” Should I have told him that?
He squints, his narrowed eyes trailing over my face. “Not
anymore?”
I shake my head, hating his scrutiny. “Not right now. I’m
needed in the hospital with the influx of
wounded soldiers coming back from Earth,” I lie. He
doesn’t need to know I’ve been dismissed from her team.
He sits back. “Sad. I was hoping you may be able to
sneak me in to see it.”
“It’s not an it. It’s a he.”
“Interesting. The aliens do have genders.”
Feeling awkward, I look away and at anything other
than him. “Why?” I blurt out, unable to help myself,
wondering if he’s spoken to others about Syasku and what
he might know if he knows anything at all.
“Well, because the way you’re talking, it means he’s
still alive.” I stare at him.
Folik shrugs. “Information about it—him—is hard to come by.”
“It’s supposed to be classified. No one should be talking
about it,” I remind him, my feet shifting nervously under me.
“It could get them in trouble.”
Folik gives me a smile like I’m being cute. “I heard the
alien has been killed though.”
I keep my eyes from widening as my surprise comes
streaking back. “He’s alive,” I croak. I know he is—I check
his data every single night. Right?
He has to be alive twisting my fingers together, now
more than ever, I want to return to my office and read
through the latest data logs again.
“I’m hoping that’s the case. I’ve put in a request to the
head of the department to study him.”
“Oh.” Behind him, I see the people at the other tables
sneak glances at us. As I grow increasingly uncomfortable
with the conversation, I begin to doubt if I actually know
Syasku’s alive. Maybe the data was collected from old
samples.
“Maybe we could help each other out.”
My gaze cuts back to Folik. “What do you mean?” My brow
furrows.
 “It’s a shame what happened to Laura. She was a hard
worker and good at her job.” Folik crosses his arms.
My lips pinch at the sound of my mother’s name. But he
has my attention despite the uneasy feeling growing in my
stomach. Where he’s going with this, I have no idea. He
wouldn’t bait me if he just wanted to study Syasku.
When he realizes he has me, he continues, “Laura’s office
was next to mine. She had gotten quite involved with the
officer of one of Earth’s first ground missions, Officer
Celeste, I believe. Laura was her doctor while she was in
quarantine. When Laura fled, Celeste left with her. The
question is why? Why did a distinguished doctor and a
decorated officer flee?”
I frown, taking in what he’s telling me. I had the
impression my mother left alone.
“I thought, if you want, I could take you to her office. If
anyone is going to unencrypt her notes, I figured it would be
you, another Yulen.” It’s no secret I’m Laura’s daughter,
especially amongst the medical community. Seeing the same
people in your sector day in and day out
your entire life, stuff like that gets out.
“Why do you think I care about her notes?” I ask.
“You’re working on decrypting Yulen tech. I’d assumed
that would make you care.”
I pause. My mother’s old office is on the same floor as
Ursula’s, just on the opposite side. All the senior medical
staff have offices near one another. I haven’t been up there
in years, not since I was brought in to be her assistant.
Ursula rarely uses it, preferring to remain on the
laboratory floors and in her other office there, but I bet her
data is still accessible there.
If I could get inside, maybe I could figure out what’s
going on. If I can confirm Syasku’s alive, that he’s okay I
can finally get some form of closure. Maybe my guilt would
fade.
“I ”
It would be risky. I’m not a hacker. And if he is alive,
he’s not going to be okay. The last thing I saw was Ursula
binding his erection to keep it from retreating into his tail.
But if he’s alive and I could locate him, I could help him. It
might be a longshot, but it would at least get rid of my
doubt.
Trying not to rub my hands down my face. I’m obsessed
if I’m debating risking being punished for more
information. Factual information. It’s either that or
returning to the Yulen storages every night and checking
the daily data logs while hoping for another whiff of his
scent.
Folik shrugs. “Think about it.”
 “What do you want in return?” I eye him suspiciously.
A smile grows on his face. “A good word about me to
Ursula and your father. Being the first to map the alien’s
brain well That would be something. That would make me
famous.”
I sit forward and clasp my trembling hands together,
ignoring the pounding in my chest, and the prickles of
excitement spreading across my skin.
“Deal, but we have to go now.”
Folik’s smile morphs into a grin and he rises to his feet,
the chair scraping the floor behind him. Standing with him,
I follow him as he makes his way back the way I came
without a second’s thought.
I’m just going to snoop, I tell myself. I’m not risking my life in
any
way. I’ll be fine.
 EIGHT
CHAINS

V IVIA N

FOLIK TAKES me to the one place I haven’t visited in years, a

place I haven’t even tried to enter because I have no excuse
for being there without an invitation. Not only that but
skulking the corridors of where my mother once worked
would put a target on my back now that she’s gone and
deemed a traitor. If Father finds out, he’ll assume I’m a
traitor too.
Besides housing offices of the higher-level medical staff,
this is also where soldiers went to be quarantined after
their missions and to be debriefed by those same staff
members. Syasku was briefly brought here after his arrival.
For all I know, he could have been returned to one of those
rooms.
Folik swipes his finger, and the door opens. He looks
inside to check that the corridor is clear before turning to
me. “There’s no one on the other side. You’re good for now.”
I nod stiffly and walk through the door he holds
open for me. When he doesn’t follow, I face him.
“You’re not coming?”
“I’m not interested in risking my job. That would be
pretty stupid of me.”
“Right.” Just like I’m doing right now. I shift nervously
and glance over my shoulder and down the unfamiliar
corridor lined with windows and doors.
“Follow the hallway and take the first right. Halfway
down you’ll come across my office, and Laura’s shortly after.
You’ll have to break in
 if you want to get inside. It shouldn’t be too hard since it
was torn into and ransacked after she left. As far as I know,
no one’s been back since.” I twitch to run straight to
Ursula’s office. “Thank you,” I tell him, not caring one bit
about my mother’s old office and what might be hidden
inside. I should care, knowing anything that could help
me crack Yulen’s DNA code is invaluable, but I hardly think my
mother has
anything like that just lying around.
His lips twitch. “Remember to put in a good word with
Ursula and your father.”
My word won’t matter, but he doesn’t know that. “I’ll
remember.”
“If you get caught, this never happened.” He points his
finger back and forth between us and steps back to release
the door. When he’s gone, I turn back around. It’s quiet,
the hallway empty except for the framed prints up on the
walls.
Trying not to make a sound, I start down the hall,
bypassing the first right to Folik’s and Mother’s offices
except to briefly pause and peer down that way. Stamping
out my curiosity, I move on and take a left at the next
intersection, my gaze flicking across the names taped to
the doors beyond. Some are new, but most are faded and
peeling, and the names printed on them are difficult to read.
I check them as I walk by, keeping my ears open for any
sound that someone might be coming.
When I come across Ursula’s name at the end, I do a
double take, making sure my eyes aren’t lying to me.
Dr. Lynn Ursula.
There’s only one.
That was
easy.
Here, like the rest of the doors, a digital code or keycard
is needed to open it. My nerves crash back into me now
that I’m standing before her door, wiping away any
remaining courage. I waver, afraid Ursula will appear, and
I’ll get in trouble for nothing.
Slowly approaching the keypad, I study the buttons on
it, hoping there would be some tell for which are used
most, and instead find them clean and intact. When that
doesn’t work, I try the handle, hoping I’ll get lucky. Stepping
back to look around for something to use to break in, I notice
that the office next to Ursula’s is Shelly’s, Ursula’s
executive secretary. I try to open Shelly’s door next, and it
sticks.
Berating myself for not thinking this through better, I
pause between the rooms, waiting for an epiphany.
I’m not going to get into either office, and if I start
punching buttons, I’m going to trigger an alarm.
But I’m here, and even if I can’t get into the offices, I
should still investigate. Leaving empty-handed would be
disappointing.
 Suddenly the doors to my left open, and Shelly steps out.
“Wait here,” she says to someone in her office. “Let me
make sure the way is clear before I take you down.”
I dash the way I came and duck around the corner.
Flattening against the wall, I hide within the shallow alcove
of another door. Shelly walks past my corner and continues
down the hallway in the opposite direction. Creeping from
my spot, I peek around the corner as she swipes her keycard
at another door and enters the room beyond.
When she’s gone, I slump.
I suck in a breath. For weeks I’ve tried forgetting about
Syasku. Nothing has worked. This isn’t going to work
either. Closing my eyes, my hands clench.
I hear another noise and my eyes pop open. Shelly
emerges again, and I’m forced back into my hiding spot.
Still oblivious to my presence, she returns to the door she
originally emerged from and pulls out her keycard. She
opens the door and says something to the person within.
“All clear, let’s go. He’s waiting for you.”
Fleeing back to my alcove, I hold my breath as Shelly
walks by again, this time with a woman wearing nothing
except a silky black robe. She looks around nervously, and I
push deeper into the shadows.
“Are you sure he won’t hurt me?”
“He hasn’t hurt any of the women brought to him. You
don’t have to get close unless you want to, he can’t reach
you if you don’t.”
He?
Syasku?
Leaning forward to watch them, I stumble and trip,
catching myself with my palms on the floor.
Shelly jumps back and faces me, her hand flying to her
chest. The woman following her takes a step back.
Standing, my pulse wild as a flush rushes over my flesh, I
meet their eyes, my lips opening and closing with no words
leaving them.
Shelly’s brows furrow when she sees it’s me. “Vivian?”
Swallowing thickly, I look around for an escape route.
There’s nothing that could help me, not even an excuse. I’m
in trouble. I’m going to be punished. I’ll be put back into
solitary with nothing except medical textbooks to keep me
preoccupied—possibly for months on end with no closure or
comfort, only my guilt and regret to keep me company.
Shelly walks toward me, the keycard pinched between
her fingers. “What are you doing here? You’re not supposed
to be here.”
My eyes zero in on the card. Unable to look away, I
know that whatever I do now doesn’t matter, I’ve been
caught. But maybe I could still get some closure
 I dash toward her, and to her surprise, I snatch the card
out of her hand. She jerks and loses her footing, stumbling
to the side and against the wall. Nearly as old as Ursula but
far less fit, Shelly huffs, her wrinkled face blanching with
shock.
“I’m sorry,” I say, backing toward the woman with the
silk robe. “I just need to know,” I whisper.
With the card gripped hard in my hand, I face the other
woman. Confusion contorts her face, but she doesn’t stop
me as I head to the door and keycard my way through.
Knowing my time is severely limited, I shut the door in
her face and turn around.
I’m in a stairwell.
Running my hands over my face and hair, I try to get my
nerves under control. Of course, he’s not in here that would
be too easy.
Why there’s a stairwell here, I have no idea. Most floors in
this sector are connected by elevators. I approach to see how
far down the stairs go. Winding in a circle, there are four
floors between me and the bottom.
Clasping the keycard tighter in my hand, I descend.
There are no doors between me and the bottom floor,
leaving my options limited. I either take this to the end or
go back—and I’m not going to do that, not now that I’ve
already been caught. When I reach the door at the end of
the staircase, I try Shelly’s card and it opens for me. I
breathe a sigh of relief.
Expecting a back entrance to some morgue or long-
forgotten storage room, I’m surprised to discover an entire
corridor much like the one I left Shelly and the other
woman in. But unlike the first, this one hasn’t been
renovated in a very long time.
Open grates pit the floor, the walls are discolored, the
metal rusted through, and the stickers left behind faded
long ago. Electrical cords hang from the ceiling with
pipework crisscrossing through them.
There’s one door to my right, while on the other side,
there’s an abandoned conference room behind a shattered
window that’s littered with rotting crates and large metal
canisters. I step into the hallway for a closer look. A giant
floor-to-ceiling glass view pane just beyond the first door to
my right catches my attention. It’s the same type of pane
used in interrogation rooms so onlookers could watch without
being seen by those on the other side.
Shifting my eyes over it and the door directly beside me,
I realize it’s only the left side of the hallway that hasn’t
been renovated. The glass view pane and door to my right
appear much newer, flawless without cracks, streaks,
handprints, or rust. The farther down the hallway I look, the
more I’m certain that the entirety of the right wall has been
reconstructed. And recently.
 I creep closer to see what’s on the other side of the
pane. I’m expecting Ursula’s hiding a secret laboratory down
here.
I stop dead in my tracks, my throat tightening around a
gasp.
At the back of a barren large square room is Syasku.
Chains hang from his biceps that attach to the wall behind
him. The collar that was put on him the last time I saw him
is still around his neck, also connected to the wall by a
chain. There are large bands around the middle and lower
part of his tail, linked to the wall as well.
I don’t want to believe it’s him, but it is. I step closer to
the glass, my heart hammering like thunder in my chest.
His head hangs forward, and the hair that’s fallen
forward hides his face. His arms rest loosely against the
wall above his head, held up by chains. His tail is loosely
coiled under him. He’s settled in the center of the wall and
appears to be unconscious or sleeping.
He looks unhurt. If I hadn’t seen his flayed skin myself, I
would’ve never believed it had happened at all. It’s only
been a month. His scales have all regrown. Taking another
step closer, my lips part as I trail my eyes back over him.
He’s dirty. He seems leaner too, the muscles of his chest
and stomach strained despite his tail partially holding him
up, and I wonder when it was the last time he was given
food and water.
He lifts his head.
I stiffen as his gaze shifts across the floor and upward,
landing on
me.
His eyes trap me where I stand, and my heart beats
faster. Every
dark thought, every erotic fantasy of his body pressing
against mine
comes tumbling back into my head. He would be possessive.
He would be rough. Then he would be tender, gentle, and
sweet.
He wouldn’t know how to kiss, but then again, neither
do I. Heat spreads through me, and my skin warms.
Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he pulls his arms down
from the wall and rests his fists below his pelvic region. My
eyes drop to where his cock would be if it were out.
My chest tightens, fear returning to my heart, waking up
my senses.
I shouldn’t have come here; I made a mistake.
I’d hoped to find him but would’ve been happy just
knowing he was okay. Seeing him again, dirty and chained
up like an animal, is only going to make my punishment
worse when I’m locked up for months inside a room, not
unlike his. Only smaller, darker. Palms dampening with
sweat as a blush burns my cheeks, I take a step away from
the window.
“Vivian Volp, shame on you for scaring my
secretary.” I swivel at Ursula’s voice. “I—”
 I falter. Her expression is mischievous as she walks past
me and stands in front of the pane.
“What have you done to him?” I whisper, following her
gaze into the room and to Syasku in the middle.
I swallow. His eyes are still on me.
At half height, threatening by his mere size up against
the wall, his upper body rigid, his tail loosely coiled under
him, he’s intimidating. He makes me feel small. More so
because his entire focus is on me like he knows it’s me and
why I’m here.
He shouldn’t be able to see me, except he does. Despite
being on the other side of the room and behind glass, he
exudes danger, and I can feel his eyes boring into me. Is he
mad at me?
“Nothing except trying to give him what he wants. He’s
stubborn, our alien.”
Our alien?
“Interesting,” Ursula muses, looking over her shoulder and
then back at Syasku. “He’s looking at you.”
I shiver, staring straight into his eyes. “Can he see us?”
“He shouldn’t be able to, but I’m certain
he sees something. He probably
hears us too. I think he’s been waiting for you.”
I meet Ursula’s gaze in the glass, and as a coil of dread
constricts around my heart, a satisfied smile forms on her
lips.
 NINE
A CHANGE OF HEART

S Y A SKU

SHE IS BACK . The taps of her shoes are

unmistakable. It is not another one of
Ursula’s females—it is her.
I grind my teeth, tense with anticipation. Coiling my tail
as my gaze strays to the door, my frustration grows. It has
been hours since the telltale clips of her shoes sounded
outside the glass and woke me. The longer I am forced to
wait, the more suspicions arise as to why she is here now
after all this time. Could Ursula be tricking me? I intend to
find out.
Vivian did not come alone. As easily as I could hear her
steps through the glass, I could hear Ursula’s voice better.
Hissing, I spit venom and slide my eyes away from the
door and back to the glass.
I do not care if this is a trick. If she is using Vivian to get
to me, I need to prepare for it. I know I want her and I
suspect what I will have to do to get Ursula to give her to
me. I may be weak, but I have not lost my senses.
Watching the glass, I can discern the barest outlines of
those behind it. Since the females’ arrival, several others
have joined them, and if I listen closely I can hear their
muddled voices. The male, Pierce, is among them.
Another joins, one with a lower, deeper voice I recognize
from the few times he has been present. The others defer
to this male, even
Ursula, and I can only assume he is their alpha. Or
someone close to them.
Their conversation grows heated, fast. My ears prick
when Vivian speaks, and my jaw tenses, unable to hear her
or anyone clearly. The metal piping crisscrossing the ceiling
above me muffles them with wind.
The longer they argue, the more restless I become.
Yanking my chains to their end, I reach the middle of the
room and no farther. I have tested them before, and I will
test them again now, not caring that they are watching me.
Let them watch.
Let them study me. Let them take my blood, sweat, and
venom. As long as I get Vivian, I will be amenable. It is
almost pitiful how easily Ursula will break me. If she offers
Vivian, I will give her my voice, I will speak. A growl tears
from my throat.
The arguing outside stops.
My chains jerk and pull into the wall, drawing me back
and pinning my body to it. I do not fight it, yet every muscle
in my body goes taut with anticipation. Hands fisted with
my claws digging holes into my palms, blood rushes
through my veins. I lick the roof of my mouth, sliding my
tongue over my teeth and the sharp points of my fangs.
I hear Vivian’s footsteps approach the mirror and the
alpha at her side. If we were on Earth, I would fight him
and rip his spine out, and take the female of my choosing as
a reward. Afterward, I would take over.
I sense her eyes on me, scanning me from
tailtip to brow. Does she like what she sees? Is
she afraid?
She may be small and frail and would have a hard time
surviving in my world, but then I remember
We are not in my world. We are in hers.
I search for her gaze, to meet it one last time, so I might
warn her what her future holds if she comes in here. If she
has that choice.
Me.
Only
me.
 TEN
FACES AND FACTS

S Y A SKU

THE DOOR OPENS and Ursula walks in, followed by Pierce. My

gaze shifts over them as they stop at the center of the room.
Ursula’s eyes crinkle, no doubt believing she has won.
That she has gained everything she wanted and our game
ends with her as the victor.
I smile back at her.
Her brow furrows, but it is gone soon after. “Vivian is who
you truly want, isn’t she?” She points behind her at the glass
mirror.
“Yessss,” I hiss, done with the games. There are more
important things to do.
“So now you’re willing to speak. Why am I not
surprised?” She preens with blatant smugness if not a little
irritation. “If you had spoken up and said this a month ago,
much could have been avoided. I suspected you would only
have Vivian, but those suspicions aren’t enough to blindly
offer up an asset.”
When I do not respond, she braves a few steps closer,
shifts her mask aside, and inhales. Her eyes narrow with
intensity and she shifts the mask back in place. “I will say,
it has been hard not to explore your effects further. I think I
was getting somewhere. Many have come to like your
pheromones. They are ” She hums. “Let’s just say,
powerful. Not one woman could deny that power. It seems
we can all be weakened by our baser needs, even me.”
 Repulsion curls my stomach. I would sooner maim my
stem than take her as a mate.
“No matter, you have made your preference known.
Vivian is who you want. Your celibacy has been
entertaining despite being in a ” she waves her hand at me,
“ rut. You would have cracked eventually with or without
her, I’m sure of it, though it’s nice that the wait is over and
I finally have collateral on you.”
I have never had an adversary like her. Time and again I
underestimated her tenacity, assuming my chance at ending
her life was soon to be within my reach and I would only
have to bear her for a little longer. Yet she is still here, and
I am still bound, waiting for her to bargain with me.
My gaze cuts to Vivian on the other side of the glass. I
stiffen, discovering she is no longer there. Listening for her
footsteps, I do not hear them. She left, and I was not aware.
How is that possible?
“Bring her to me,” I growl, snapping at Ursula.
“She is coming, and just so you know, you would have
been better off having chosen one of the others. Vivian
makes things more complicated than they really should be.”
She studies me for a moment longer before turning to
Pierce and saying something to him. Without either of them
sparing me another glance, they walk out of the room. The
soldier standing guard on the other side shuts the door
behind them.
Alone again, I yank at my restraints. The clang of my
chains is the only result. It echoes throughout the room like
mockery.
When they become silent, I lean against the wall and go
back to waiting.
I smell her first, my nose sharper than my ears, and her
scent reminds me of home.
When she said the word mate, my stem expanded and my
knot exploded with seed. If I had not been restrained, I
would have lunged at her, yanked her under me, and
claimed her on the spot. I would have done a lot more
afterward depending on her reaction.
Breathing her in, her scent is like lily pads in bloom, like
the midday heat on my scales as I bask, swimming leisurely
in the water around my nest. She is there beside me, naked,
wet, and holding onto me. Her soft brown skin drips
deliciously with sweat, a feast for me to anticipate after the
day’s hunt is done.
Salivating, I hear her voice next, and it snaps me out of
my fantasy. “Please, please don’t do this. Please. ”
The door opens, and Pierce reappears, dragging Vivian
in behind him.
 Straightening from the wall, I hiss, my lips twisting into a
scowl. But other than a glance, Pierce ignores me.
My eyes go straight to her face. For the first time, there
is no mask hiding half of it from me. Her expression is wild
with disbelief, wrought with fear, and she’s pulling at the
hand gripped around her wrist.
“Please don’t do this!” she begs when Pierce comes to an
abrupt stop. Without saying a word, he thrusts her away. I
rise to go to her, but she is outside my reach. Losing her
balance, she falls to her knees. Immediately she is back
on her feet and spinning for the door, but
Pierce catches her.
I growl, pulling against my restraints.
“You came here, you made your choice.” He pulls her back
into the room. “Now serve your purpose.”
Vivian’s eyes streak to me but she quickly looks away.
“Pierce, he’ll kill me.”
He grabs her shoulders when she tries turning, brutally
jerking her around so she remains facing the wall.
I pull harder at my chains, a threatening hiss tearing out
my throat. “You should have thought about that before.
If you can’t do what
you’re told, things could go worse for you. I shouldn’t have
to tell you this. Volp wanted you off Ursula’s team for a
reason.”
“Give her to me,” I bite out, low with warning.
They both look at me and Pierce’s jaw ticks. Releasing
Vivian, he pushes her toward me.
She cries out and digs her heels into the floor, spins
around, and rushes for the door again. Pierce shuts it in
her face without looking back. Her begging escalates as
she pounds it with her fists, causing hollow thuds to echo in
the room. Tasting her fear in the air, my excitement at her
arrival cools as a need to possess and protect her takes its
place.
She is
here. She
is mine.
Nothing else matters. Even thoughts of vengeance drift away.
Pushing her body against the door, her pleas morph into
a tense silence when she realizes he’s not coming back. With
her back facing me, she lowers her head and rests her
brow, crying softly. Her shoulders heave as she wipes her
face.
I watch everything she does.
My gaze runs over her hunched frame as her scent
thickens in the
air
. “Please,” she whispers. “Please come back.”
“They do not resssspond to begging.” It sounds more
threatening
than intended.
 She freezes at my words. Going entirely silent, she
stiffens and leans closer to the door. For a time, she doesn’t
move.
Likesome of the other females, Vivian is not here
willingly. She is here because I want her. For whatever
reason she was behind the mirror, it wasn’t because she
wanted to be on the other side of it.
Something uncomfortable rushes through me, making my
jaw clench, and my scales pull tightly. It is not a sensation I
have felt before. It is worse than disappointment, it is
Guilt. Guilt mixed with excitement.
Wanting to soothe her with a hiss, I tighten my throat
before I accidentally frighten her further.
She bends her knees to her chest.
Quietly I slip back and settle against the wall.
Her breath steadies, and after a few more minutes the
small trembles rocking her body stop. I say and do nothing,
afraid she will fear me more for it.
My throat tightens as she looks over her shoulder at me,
her soft brown eyes skittering over my entire form.
Her petite nose is pointed, giving her features a delicate
look. Her lips are full, pouty, pink, and appear softer than
her hair. Her face is smooth and rounded. Thick wet lashes
frame her teary soft brown eyes. Her dark brown hair is tied
back.
There is a small white scar on her
chin. She opens her mouth, and my
breath stifles.
I could have pretended she was not on the other side of
the glass. I could have settled on one of the other females
and saved her from this fate. I did neither. I never
considered another option.
Her lips close. No words leave her
mouth. Settling in, I wait.
 ELEVEN
FATE

V IVIA N

I TRY to ignore the trembling in my bones and the

uncomfortable prickle across my skin, having tucked myself
into the opposite corner of the room with my thighs tightly
clamped together and my tongue pressed to the roof of my
mouth.
Ursula said it herself—she hoped I would turn up and
come searching for Syasku. She’s been looking for a reason
to reinvolve me with Father’s blessing.
The bitch.
I curl deeper into myself.
Syasku stopped cooperating after I was removed from
the team. I thought I had been removed because of Ursula,
but it was Father who demanded it.
She told me she wanted to continue using me, except
Father said no after witnessing what happened during the
interview. He supposedly argued that there are over a
million women on The Dreadnaut, and the naga could be given
someone else, someone less useful, less attached to him. They
thought Syasku would bond easily with another; that was the
hope. Father believed Syasku’s speaking to me and releasing
his genitalia was circumstantial. I was the only woman he’s
been in contact with at length besides Ursula, and out of
the two of us, I was the fertile one.
But Father forgot Syasku isn’t a human, he’s an alien.
His interest in me might not be circumstantial at all.
 I could’ve satiated my arousal with someone, and I
didn’t. I didn’t even want to.
So for the past month, Ursula brought Syasku women
with the idea they could either use one to manipulate him
or use sex itself to coerce him into speech. Try as they
might, neither worked.
He didn’t respond or interact with any of them.
A heaviness saturates my chest, and my legs clench
tighter, confused by the jealousy I feel over Syasku showing
another attention. It doesn’t come close to Father’s betrayal
or the betrayal of my boss and people I have known since I
was a child. I begged them to let me interview him again
instead of being locked up in here. I’m sure I could get
more out of him. Ursula refused me and Father deferred to
her. He never defers to anyone.
That was almost as shocking as discovering Syasku in the
first place. My father is impatient, Commander Pierce is too.
Everyone is. Why? I know there’s a war going on and millions
have already died, but that’s happening across the universe,
not here. They act like the war is right outside the ship and
the Ketts are upon us. It doesn’t make sense. Father has
people on Earth searching and retrieving old artifacts, that
much I know. The soldiers who have returned haven’t kept
everything classified. I understand the importance of
encountering a species like the naga and that Father
doesn’t play by the rules, but I can’t help feeling like
there is a larger ploy I’m not privy to.
I wipe furiously at my face before I can cry again. I’m not
one of my father’s favorites, nor have I ever tried or
thought I could be; he has enough legitimate children to
keep his attention. But I’d thought I meant more than this to
him, more than a pawn he could use whenever it suited him
even if he must use me in my ignorance. Numbness spreads
through me at the thought.
I have to survive this.
My life might not be great, but Pierce is right, I am
lucky. I have always known I was lucky despite my
circumstances. I could’ve been born to parents who
couldn’t afford the rations to keep me alive. I could’ve
been a military baby—war fodder, everyone calls them. I could
be in the Dregs, begging for food, hunting roaches, and
selling my body. I could be one of the women Ursula
convinced to come here, so desperate to make their lives
better that they would put that very life in
an aggressive alien’s hands.
Peeling my eyes open, I peer at my reflection in the view
pane. My cheeks are ruddy, and my eyes are red and
bloodshot.
Be strong.
Feel these emotions and move on. That’s what I’ve always done,
and what I need to do now.
 “They do not resssspond to begging. ”
He did speak to me though.
Pushing aside the few curls that have fallen off my
cheek, I shift slightly to peer at him in the mirror behind
me. His gaze finds mine in the glass, and I quickly look
away.
His chains have been loosened, yet he hasn’t come any
closer. Other than settling into a lounging position against
the wall, he hasn’t moved toward me at all. All he does is
watch me, staring for hours on end. Every time I try to get
a glimpse of him without his notice, he notices. It’s
annoying. His hearing, sight, and sense of smell are all
stronger than mine. I don’t think there’s much I can hide
from him, at least not for long.
For hours it’s been like this, me sneaking a glance and
him seeing it. It has almost become a game between us,
and it’s one I wish I didn’t need to play.
I shift into a sitting position, resting my back on the
glass, and face him fully. Unable to hold in a yawn, I flinch
away from the bright lights above, wishing for darkness and
privacy.
Avoiding his gaze, I peer around the room.
Syasku isn’t the only one watching me. There could be
over a hundred cameras on me hidden within the walls.
Although there’s probably no more than two or three. When
I can’t find where the cameras are hidden, I inhale out my
frustration and look at Syasku.
We stare at each other. For how long, it could be hours or
days.
I take in his coloring, patterning, body, facial features
There isn’t a part of him I haven’t seen before. I’ve even
sketched him. I’ve had ample time to get my fill of his
unique characteristics while he was unconscious. He’s
corded in muscle, from his biceps to the end of his tail.
He’s long, and if it weren’t for the large band around his
lower half, he could easily reach me with his tail from across
the room. Fortunately, the band keeps it partially hooked.
Hugging my knees, I know there’s not much I can hide
from him. Not anymore. I’m glad I chose one of my more
conservative uniforms yesterday. The added layers offer a
shield against his eyes, easing how exposed he makes me
feel.
Because I am exposed.
He smells so good. Closing my eyes, I shiver. The air is
thick with earthy musk, almost good enough to distract me
from the worst of my thoughts. There are no purifying air
vents, and if I weren’t so determined to stay away from
him, I would be struggling not to surrender to the way his
scent makes me feel. But the longer I watch
him and he watches me, the calmer and more collected I
become, and as I do, he seems to relax as well.
He didn’t ask to be here anymore
than I did. Opening my eyes, I go
back to watching him.
Time passes in silence. He doesn’t move. Every time I open
my mouth to say something, it shuts again, the words lost
before they can ever reach my tongue.
What can I say?
Sorry?
Please don’t kill me?
I’ve thought about nothing else, only you. I’m ashamed.
I don’t know why but your hissing comforts me. What’s happening
to me?
What did you do to me?!
I’m sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry.
I’m afraid to say any of this out loud. They’re words my
father might hear and use against me.
Tiredness creeps in and my eyes hood. Syasku’s form
fades. It’s been hours since Pierce dragged me in here, and
that was hours after I’d been caught. I’ve been awake for
almost two days at this point, and I don’t know how much
longer I’ll be able to keep from falling asleep. My adrenaline
has run out.
Lying down on my side, I blink the sleep haze from my
eyes and watch Syasku until I can’t any longer, praying
he’s not just waiting for his chance, and this is all a part of
some plan. Because if it is
I’m becoming too tired to care.
As my eyes hood once more, a soft hiss fills my ears and
drags me the rest of the way under.
 TWELVE
RELIEF FROM ACCEPTANCE

V IVIA N

I a shuddering breath as my toes curl.

TAKE
Aching and hungry, it’s taken all of my pride and dignity
to keep my hands from roaming between my legs. I woke
up a while ago, feeling an enormous emptiness inside me
that has only worsened.
Swallowing, running my tongue along my dry lips, I’m
thirsty too, and there’s no place to relieve my bladder.
Becoming more miserable by the second, I flex my tight
shoulder muscles and massage my neck. As I work the kinks
out from sleeping on a metal floor, I look around the room
again, deciding what to do as I avoid Syasku’s gaze. I can’t
remain in the corner forever; I need to move and take care
of things.
Finally gathering the courage to glance his way, I
discover his position has changed. He’s more toward the
center of the wall and closer to me. Whether or not he’s
been even closer than that since returning to the wall, I’m
not certain. I’m not sure I want to know. As much as I hate
being ignorant while asleep, it’s also nice.
Forcing my gaze away, I scrutinize the room’s four
sharp corners and then the door, still having no idea where
the cameras are. The ones around the ship tend to be small
flat rectangular black screens within the walls. There’s
nothing like that in here, and the ceiling, where there are a
few small grates, vents, and pipes crossing it, is just as
camera-free as the walls.
 This room, like the right side of the hallway outside,
appears brand new. Someone very recently updated this
section of the ship, and before now I never knew this place
existed, wedged between the medical and military sector,
even if it was no longer in use.
I stand, core clenching hard and wobbling a little on my
feet from lightheadedness. Syasku stiffens as I brace my
hand against the glass and promptly drop it when I realize
someone might be on the other side. I hate that I can’t tell.
I walk along the mirror wall and to the door, keeping
one eye on Syasku the whole time, waiting for him to
pounce. His tail moves, coiling in and around his lower half,
making his abdomen muscles flex. My lips part as I stop
pretending and face him instead. He rises as my gaze skits
over him and the chains rattle all around him. Feeling small
in comparison, I take a step back toward the door.
When my back hits it, I glower at him in
warning. His head tilts down, his gaze
narrowing in response.
My toes curl. Spinning away before he catches me flush, I
bang on the door. “I need to use the bathroom!”
I pray someone is merciful enough to respond. I saw a
guard outside the door when Pierce dragged me in. After a
minute of silence, I debate calling out again, my
predicament mortifying me more with every second I face
the inevitable. I don’t want to wet my pants, and I don’t
want to pull them down in front of Syasku and the cameras.
I bang on the door again only to continue being ignored.
I pivot and scan the floor around Syasku, noticing
several dried smears. Flicking my eyes over his body, I
determine he keeps his side of the room as clean as he
possibly can. I take that as a good sign that we won’t be left
to rot in an increasingly dirty space.
Fisting my hands, I curse.
This is happening. There’s no escaping it.
My cheeks flame in response. I’m going to pee in front of
him.
Shuffling to the corner where I slept, I tug off my jacket
and hold it to my front, glancing at him to see if he’s still
watching. He’s settled back into a comfortable position
against the wall and his eyes haven’t moved from me.
“The other women,” I croak, the first words I’ve
managed to say to him in here, “they relieved themselves in
here?”
I don’t know what kind of answer I’m hoping for, or if
he’ll answer at all. While I wait, I toe off my white work
shoes and nudge them away. Momentarily flexing the
arches of my feet, I forget that I’m being watched.
“Some go in the corner, others in their shoessss. Most do
both.” He runs one long clawed finger under his chin.
 My eyes snap up and widen. “Thank you,” I say, swiftly
turning around.
I’m not the first woman he’s seen urinate.
Past the point of embarrassment and far into bodily
necessity, I face the metal wall next to my corner and cover
as much as I can with my uniform jacket. Rather than risk
someone behind the mirror getting a view of my privates, I
release my jacket on Syasku’s side, awkwardly shimmying
out of my pants and underwear with my free hand.
Sacrificing a shoe is worth not leaving a puddle on the
floor. Crouching and grabbing one of them, I stuff it
between my legs. When I’m done, the defiled shoe is
discarded against the wall, my dignity gone. Shrugging my
jacket back on, I peek over at Syasku, who hasn’t moved
except to put his hand down.
“You watched,” I half-accuse.
He cocks his head, and his eyes sweep over me. Flushing
with heat, my lips flatten and I walk to the other corner and
sit down.
We resume our staring. That is until I begin to pace for
fear I won’t be able to resist sliding my hand down my
pants. Hunger gnaws at my belly, thankfully distracting me
for a time. But I tire soon for the same reason, and when
dehydration rears its head and a headache thrums behind
my eyes, I retreat to the corner to conserve my strength.
Lying on my side, my eyes drift closed, and I nap.
When I wake, I jerk upright, scared Syasku might have
moved. He’s exactly where he was before my nap.
My stomach rumbles loudly enough for him to hear. His
gaze drops to my middle.
I lift my chin. “They’re not going to feed us, are they?”
His eyes return to my face, and he regards me with the
interest of a starving predator. I squirm and clamp my thighs
tighter.
“They will not feed you.”
Surprised, I frown. I didn’t expect him to answer. “But
they will you?”
“Yessss.”
“Why?”
“To weaken you. To make you susceptible.”
Not sure what to do with that information, I bring my
knees to my chest and hug them tightly to me. I already
want to press against him and breathe him in. Who knows
what I’ll do if I get any weaker?
Anger hits me, and I lean my brow on my knees and
wrench my eyes closed. A scream tears from my throat, and
rising to my feet, I beat the door with my fists and scream
louder. Panting with exertion when I’m done, I sit back
down, feeling a little better.
 Syasku has risen onto his tail, his expression
bewildered. Realizing he’s moved closer during my
tantrum, I turn away without giving him an explanation.
No one comes, and as the hours bleed together, my naps
become longer and longer. If I’m not offered sustenance
soon, my body is going to shut down.
Father won’t let me die like this.
But as my time passes, I’m not so sure anymore.
When it all becomes too much. If I still had the energy to
cry or scream, I would do both. Wading deeper into the
numbness spreading through me, my gaze shifts over
Syasku. I’m vaguely aware his chains are taut behind him.
He’s moved as close as he can get to me, and as I take in
his expression I frown. He looks concerned? Angry? I can’t
place it.
He also almost seems
Patient.
He’s patient. He can be patient. It feels so human, the ability to
wait for me to crumble, knowing my time is soon coming to
an end. It’s almost laughable how easily predictable this all
is for him. Still, my curiosity tweaks, and it makes me
wonder what else he is or can be.
Can he be merciful?
“I ” Don’t want to die. My lips part, wanting to tell him.
Yet the words refuse to come. I don’t want his sympathy or
his pity.
I wish I didn’t want anything from him.
As I stare, my heart beat increases, speeding up until it’s
thundering. Every breath I take, he’s in it, haunting me
inside and out. It’s not fair. He shouldn’t be allowed to have
this effect on me. I didn’t do anything to deserve this.
Frowning down at myself, I’ve always done everything
my father wished of me.
Slowly Syasku’s hand unravels, reaching out toward me
like he’s offering it.
Confused, I slowly sit upright.
His loosely outstretched fingers, half-relaxed, tunnel vision
my blurry eyes. His short claws glint in the bright light,
catching my gaze against the dark gray of his skin. I
breathe in and my body shudders, flooded with his musk.
I stare at his hand and what it means. What I think it
means. Glancing at his face, determination has taken
over his expression.
There’s no pity, no sympathy, only his silent request for me
to take it. He’s waiting for me to come to him. He wants me
to approach while my mind is still clear enough to make a
sound decision.
 My fingers twitch and I swallow. Part of me wants to
give in and take it and give him what he desires. Me.
Whatever me entails. But I know if I do, there’s no going
back.
Remaining where I am, I wait for him to say something,
to tell me outright what he wants me to do.
Instead, his lips part and his hiss fills the space between
us, embracing me so sweetly it hurts. It vibrates my flesh,
coaxing my body with a response. My veins pulsate, and
warmth spreads through me. I give into it, letting the
sensations take away my misery.
After a few minutes, I stand on wobbly legs until I’m as
composed and balanced as I can be. It takes a lot more time
than it should.
Staring ahead at Syasku, his hand remains stretched
toward me, patiently waiting
I lick my lips and take a small step forward.
That was easier than I thought it would be.
Closing my eyes, I inhale and debate the stupidity of this
decision one final time.
Straightening, I walk over to him and accept his hand.
He pulls me into him and I moan, allowing him to move
me. Pushing my nose against him, I inhale again. Shivering
and leaning into his warmth, his earthy musk, he leads me
to his side of the room. Pulling me down on him while still
facing him, I lie within the coil of his tail. With my cheek
resting on his chest, my eyes hood, soothed by the sound of
his wildly thumping heartbeat.
My eyelids drift the rest of the way closed.
He’ll never be able to hurt me more than I already am.
 THIRTEEN
ATTACHMENT AND BETRAYAL

S Y A SKU

SHE CAME TO ME.

As my eyes rove over her form tucked against my chest,
my nerves bristle, uncertain what to do now that she is
here.
Despite the walls around us, danger is everywhere, and I
question my ability to keep her now that I have her. One
zap from Ursula’s device and she could be taken away.
She came to me
What I expected after she had been alone with me long
enough, I did not know. I only knew I needed her to come
to me. Yet when she remained beyond my reach longer than
the others, her strength visibly waning, my paranoia grew.
Pressing her form closer to me, I gently run my hand
over her hair. It is as soft as it appears, and her wayward
curls catch my fingers, curling around them. Wanting more,
I search for her hair tie and slowly tug it out. A flowery
scent washes over me as her hair releases, and my scales
rise with an onslaught of euphoria.
Oh yessss.
My head falls back, and my mouth opens as I revel in it.
It is unlike anything I have ever come across, dizzying my
thoughts. I second guess everything, wondering if I even
care if she is like Ursula. As long as she is here, under my
hands and within my coil, I am not sure if it matters.
I will have her.
 Groaning, I bury my face into her hair, letting the
flowers flood my nose and overpower me. She mumbles
when I shift her closer, wrapping my body around hers and
giving her a gentle squeeze. She has been asleep for a long
time, and when I move her around, she is light and limp in
my arms. When she rouses, it is not for long. A sudden
burst of fear returns, and I ease her with a soothing hiss.
Right now it is better if she is asleep. She is growing
weaker, smaller. Her skin is hot and clammy under my
hands. She needs food and water. She needs
meat. She is hungry, dehydrated,
feverish, and aroused. I squeeze her again, swallowing
a frustrated hiss, incensed that I can do nothing.
I can only hold her.
Pushing her hair away so I can see her face, I check her
for signs of illness, leaning partially over her. Wincing, the
movement puts pressure on my heavy appendage. I hesitate
before inspecting her face.
With her so open to me, I caress her parted lips with my
finger, teasing them with my claw. Their heart shape and
pointed tips have me tracing their outline and testing their
cushioning. Everything about her is soft. Too soft.
A pitiful moan escapes her lips, and I lift my claw away.
A rumble sounds from her stomach, and pressing my hand
to it, I am frightened by how much of her middle my hand
covers. I am neither small nor large like some of the other
nagas. Zaku, the King Cobra, is larger than me and has a
human bride. If he can make it work, any naga smaller than
him can.
Gently setting her on the floor behind me, and careful
not to get her caught up in my chains, I pull my tail under
me and rise to face the door. I rest my tailtip over her
lower legs, ensuring that if she moves, I will know it.
“Urssssula,” I hiss, unable to keep the disdain from my
voice, certain she will hear me. I do not want her to come, but
my female needs food. “Tell me what you want.”
The doors open a short time later, and Ursula walks in.
Staying outside my reach, she is dressed in the same
clothes she always is, her features cold and sharp. In her
hand is the small black device I have come to know well.
My muscles tense, waiting for her to shock me.
“You surprise me, Syasku.” She says my name like there is
familiarity between us.
I scowl.
Unfettered, she continues, glancing briefly at Vivian
behind me, “She came to you, I see, and you haven’t hurt
her.”
 I will not let her goad me. I have not hurt her yet, but it
does not mean I will not make a mistake. “She needs water
and food.”
“She does.” Ursula pauses, waiting
for me. “Tell me what you want for
it,” I growl. She smiles.
Rage ripples through me. She does not even carry a
weapon. Why has no one killed her and usurped her
position? It is easy to see she is powerful. There are often
larger males around her, most carrying weapons
themselves, and they still defer to her.
“It is nice to hear you ask and rather surprising how
easy it is to understand you. I was not expecting any sort of
eloquence. Another mystery for another day, I suppose.”
She places her hands behind her and paces. “I want you to
work for me. Despite how many soldiers you have hurt or
killed since being here, it has become apparent how
important you are.”
Vivian stirs.
“You are part-human. Do you know that, naga? You are
one of us even if there is more inside you than just that.
Unfortunately, you’re the only one of your kind we’ve
managed to keep ongoing contact with.” She stops pacing
and faces me. “Understanding your existence is essential for
us,” she says as she waves her hand outward like she is
indicating the ship. “Unfortunately, our Supreme
Commander has no idea how amazing you truly are ” Ursula
trails off briefly. “He wants his questions answered. He
wants to know where weapons and technology are. He’s
worried about losing power and the backing of his people
Alas, what he wants must come first.” She looks at Vivian.
“Consider her a gift.”
Her gaze shifts to me, back to being cold and assessing.
If she is expecting me to respond so easily, she will have
to try harder. “She will die without nourishment.”
“Her fate is in your hands. Will you work with us, Syasku?”
My lips pull back to reveal my fangs. I detest the sound
of my name from her mouth.
Vivian moans and I look at her shuddering form. Will I
submit to Ursula? For her? I will not risk calling Ursula’s
bluff. Vivian might be closer to her than the other females
she has brought me, but I know how ruthless Ursula is. She
will let Vivian die where she lies, and she will not let me go
so easily.
I have survived on my own for so long; I scarcely
remember the other cottonmouths, or what it is like to have
others depend on me. Even Asera, the broken male naga
who lives within my territory, has not needed me in many
seasons. I have no allegiance to anyone, only myself, and I
expect no allegiance in return. It would be unsafe to
assume otherwise.
 Vivian curls her legs into her chest.
Though I have learned something these last few days I
am more important to Ursula than I thought, and if I am
careful, I will have the ability to negotiate.
I face Ursula. “I will work with
you.” “Very good.”
“You will give her what she needs to remain with me.
Her needs must be met.”
Ursula nods. “Of course.”
“If she is taken from me, I will kill you.”
“As long as you cooperate, she will be taken
care of.” My nostrils flare, and I nod.
It saddens me to think how little my female’s fate
matters, or the fates of the human women that have been
brought to me. If I were a baser naga male, I might have
used and killed them all the moment they stepped within
reach.
“We will start now.”
And before I can say anything more, the barbs in my
collar stab into my neck. Electricity shoots through me and,
tensing, I lose my ability to move. Crashing to the floor with
a thump, with my chains rattling all around me, I am
dragged back down into the dark.
 FOURTEEN
CREATURE COMFORTS

V IVIA N

A HAND SHAKESme and shakes me again when I refuse to rouse.

“No.” That’s all I can say before my dry mouth and
splitting headache remind me I’m dying and that the only
good thing about my life right now is Syasku’s soft hissing.
I’m aware that I’m alive, but only because I feel him all
along my body. He’s warm and his scales slip across my
skin like silk, and I want to be as close to him as possible.
He hasn’t hurt me. Yet. That’s good enough for me to die on
him.
I’m shaken again.
Throwing my arm out in annoyance, I realize Syasku isn’t
beside me. I can’t hear his hissing or feel the vibration of it
across my skin. I’m cold and everything is white behind my
crusty eyelids.
“You must eat and drink.” A familiar voice pierces through
the murk of my thoughts.
“Muffin?” My throat cracks on his name as I peel my eyes
open. He’s the last person I expect to see. His stretched,
wizened features fill my vision despite the blur seeping in
around the edges. I rub my eyes and attempt to sit upright.
He puts his arm around me to help. “Careful now.”
As my dizziness wanes, I find that I’m still in Syasku’s
cell, and Muffin and I are alone. Frowning, I croak, “Where
is he?”
Muffin places a gelatin water pod against my lips.
“Drink first.
Questions after.”
 I open my mouth and accept the pod without argument,
still trying to figure out what’s happening. I don’t know how
long I’ve been out, and I take a moment to test my body for
anything that hurts more than usual. Based on how weak I
am, I couldn’t have been sleeping for very long.
“Where’s Syasku?” I ask again as Muffin puts another pod
to my lips. “He’s in another room.”
“Why?” My gaze shoots to the door as I swallow down
the second pod. There are three doors in the room on the
other side. One to the hallway Ursula found me in, one to
this room, and another to which I have no idea.
Muffin shrugs as he hands me a granola bar. I tear into
it while he checks my pulse and takes my temperature.
“You’re running a fever. I know it might be hard, but try to
rest, and eat and drink as much as you can.” He nudges a
duffle bag toward me. “And maybe go back to the other side
of the room where it’s safe?”
“I don’t understand ” I peer into the bag to discover
more granola bars and a case of water pods. I stare at it,
trying to discern what it means. “She’s not letting me out?
Where’s Ursula?”
The lines around his eyes crinkle. “No. You’re
staying here.” “Why?”
I’d probably know why if I could think straight
But why?
I haven’t had a chance to talk to Syasku beyond a couple
of words.
Muffin leans back. “Ursula didn’t tell me why. All she
said was to come in here and check you over, help you eat
and drink, and bring you supplies. I didn’t even know you
were here until now.”
Shoulders sagging, I rub my face. “So they’re not just
going to let me die.”
“It would seem not.”
“I guess I should be thankful for that.” Even if I don’t
know what that means, because Syasku could have easily
killed me, I'm grateful.
I feel like I should be dead. He told me I wouldn’t be fed.
Had accepting his hand changed that? It would make sense
if that were what Ursula wanted. Tensing my limbs once
more, I’m not hurt beyond some radiating aches and a few
bruises.
Feeling more hopeful than I have in days, I grab a few
more pods and greedily suck them down. Muffin waits for
me to finish.
“If I tried to leave, would you stop me?”
He cringes and straightens. “You’re too weak right now
to get past me.”
“So that’s a yes,” I whisper, pulling the duffle even closer,
afraid he’ll take it back. I don’t think Muffin has anything
against me, but I don’t
know him well enough to bet my only bag of supplies on it.
“If they want you in here, there isn’t much I can do to
help other than what I’m doing right now. I know that’s not
what you want to hear.”
“Ursula trusts you.”
He stands, and I remain seated on the floor, wishing I
had the strength to rise.
“I am sorry, Vivian. I don’t like what is happening to
you, but you of all people should know how little I can do
about it.”
My shoulders slump and I release a breath, deciding it
isn’t worth the effort to try convincing him, not when I’m
having enough difficulty keeping my stomach from
upending. “I understand. Thank you for the food and
water.”
He shuffles, looking even guiltier. “There should also be
a blanket, and—” He indicates a small bucket sticking out
of the top of the duffle with a biohazard symbol printed on
the side. “It’s for your waste. If I am to be in charge of your
needs, I’ll switch it out the next time I’m allowed to
return.” He pauses and looks down at me like he’s waiting
for me to say something.
“I really am sorry,” he whispers. “I’ll try to bring more
for you next time.” He turns for the door and walks to it. At
his knock, the guard on the other side lets him out. When
he’s gone I’m left listening to the heavy locking mechanism
alone.
Afterward, there’s only silence.
I sit for a long time gaining my bearings, wondering if I
should take Muffin’s advice and retreat to the other side.
Because remarkably I am alive and completely unharmed
and, right now, utterly alone. Syasku wouldn’t be able to
stop me, and I could take the supplies with me.
Reaching into the bag, I run my hand over the blanket
and pull out another ration and pod.
He could’ve easily hurt me and he didn’t. I thought it
was a real possibility. Instead, I remember his hand
wrapping around mine and pulling me into him. I woke
briefly with his face burrowed into my hair. I try to
understand what it means, growing nervous
where my thoughts lead. Searching around for my hair tie,
it’s nowhere on the
floor around me.
Weighing my options, I pull my legs under me and face
the door, wondering how much longer I have until he’s
returned. While I wait, I shift through the duffle bag’s
contents to see what else there might be. Besides what
Muffin inventoried, there are no surprises, not even
underwear or a change of clothes. There’s no medicine or
basic amenities. There’s no note.
 Taking out the blanket, I wrap it around my shoulders.
Why would there be a note?
An hour goes by, and Syasku hasn’t been returned.
I get up and move the bag and the waste bucket to the
opposite wall. I drop my defiled shoe in the bucket after I
take care of my needs. Afterward, under the cover of the
blanket, I remove my dirty underwear and dispose of that
too.
Bored, I head back to Syasku’s side of the room, hoping
for a clue that might help me understand him better.
One of his chains hangs from a small hole in the upper
wall. The other holes where the chains would be are shut. I
reach up and tug on the loose one but am met by
resistance. It takes both hands and my entire body weight
to pull it further out.
When I release it, the chain retracts into the wall.
Turning my attention to the floor, I notice a couple of dark
drops. Touching one, my finger comes away with a flake of
blood. My stomach drops as I wipe it on my pants.
It’s not my blood.
Which means it’s his. He’d been hurt again and right
next to me. I hadn’t heard a thing; I never woke. Guilt
closes my throat, and I wrap the blanket tighter.
Besides a few silver strands of his hair, which I collect,
there is nothing else to tell me more about him.
I wander back to the other side of the room and sit down.
When the doors open, I jerk upright, blinking the sleep
from my eyes and jumping to my feet. Syasku is led to the
chains on the wall. His gaze meets mine, and I frown at the
cage around his head. It’s massive and spiked on the inside.
Commander Pierce follows behind the soldiers leading
Syasku with their rods.
They relink the chains to Syasku’s bands, and the sound
of clanging metal sounds the space. Once he’s secured, the
soldiers remove his cage and step away.
“You’re dismissed,” Pierce orders. They file out of the
room, never once looking my way.
“Commander Pierce.” I step toward the man who is
often at my father’s side. A man I’ve known since I was a
child, someone who once intimidated me into silence
whenever he was near. He doesn’t frighten me anymore.
“Not now, Vivian.” He dismisses me and he strides up to
Syasku. As he does, Syasku’s face wrenches, his lips pull
back, and his body starts shaking uncontrollably.
Realizing Pierce is hurting him, I rush
forward. “Fucker,” Pierce curses, ramping
up the electricity.
 “Stop!” I grab his arm. “You’re hurting him!”
He throws me off him, and I stumble away. Pivoting, I
seize his arm again. “Stop!” Pierce doesn’t throw me off
this time. Instead, his scowl deepens as he looks at me.
Syasku’s convulsions come to an abrupt end, and his
body slumps into his restraints. The reek of burnt flesh and
static floods my nose, making me want to gag.
Pierce tugs his arm out of my grasp and returns his
attention to Syasku’s smoking form. “That’s for the deaths
of my men.” Without acknowledging me further, he storms
away and out of the room, the door slamming closed in his
wake.
I take Pierce’s place in front of Syasku, sickened by his
treatment. He hangs by his bands with his chin tucked
against his chest, his hair covering his face. Tendrils of
smoke drift off him where his flesh burned.
“Syasku?” I whisper, uncertain if he’s conscious.
I reach to brush his hair aside but pause before my
fingers touch it, curling them into a fist. I have no idea
what to do. If he wakes, he might attack first and ask
questions later.
Straightening, I tug the blanket off my shoulders and
gently toss it over his. When he doesn’t lash out, I step
closer and adjust it until he’s covered. Afterward, I retreat
and grab the duffle.
Returning to him, I sit down on the floor in front of him
and wait for him to wake.
 FIFTEEN
TOGETHER IN THIS

S Y A SKU

THE HUSHED SOUND OF A SHHHH, shhhh wakes me. Flexing, I

discover my body hurts worse than usual.
Something touches my lips, and my eyes snap open.
Vivian’s face appears, and she is pressing a small orb of
water to my mouth.
Seeing me, she flinches and pulls her hand back, a gleam
of wariness veiling her eyes. I lick my cracked lips, sloughing
the dead skin off.
I snap forward, yanking my chains from the wall, and
take the water orb from her.
She freezes and her eyes go as wide as she watches me
place the orb in my mouth. It bursts between my teeth and
the water wets my tongue and throat, bringing me back to
my senses. She takes a step back as I test my limbs, shifting
away from the wall.
With my gaze glued to her, I wonder why she is giving
me water, or why she is within my reach.
Then I remember the male, Pierce electrocuting me.
Hissing, I look down at my body and the burns seared
across it. I coil my tail under me and rattle the chains. With
them loose, I touch my blackened scales with the tips of my
claws.
All the while Vivian watches me quietly, not even
chancing a breath but also not fleeing, both rigid and ready
to bolt. I keep my movements steady and precise,
increasingly focused upon her rather than on myself.
It occurs to me that she is trying to see if she can trust
me.
 I swallow thickly, for once, glad I am in pain. It is
keeping me from snatching her against me before she
changes her mind.
My eyes drop to the orb in her hand.
“When was the last time you had something to drink
before now?” she asks.
Her voice is soft and slow, and my eyes move back to
her lips. Drink? If she is trying to put something in my
mouth, I would rather it be her.
“I was given water,” I finally rasp, pointing to the inside
of my arm where I’ve been stabbed and had the liquid forced
upon me.
She looks at it, understanding dawning in her eyes. “Yes,
through an IV, but what about water you drink? With your
mouth ”
My eyes narrow. “Before now? You should know that answer.”
Her face scrunches with guilt but she reaches out her
hand. “Take this. Please. You need more.”
With the pod in her open palm, I flick my gaze between
her and it, waiting for the trick, almost wishing there were
one so I have an excuse to touch her.
She pulls her hand back. “If you don’t want it ”
I hiss and take the pod. Squishy like the one I snatched
with my mouth, and slightly wet, I find the texture strange.
Keeping my gaze on her, I swallow it like the last.
She eyes me curiously, openly.
With her jacket missing, her underclothes form nicely to
her figure. Her wild hair falls beautifully around her
shoulders, teasing me to capture several curls and brush
my fingers through them, realizing the flowery scent is
fainter now. As my nostrils flare, the scent of burnt scales
floods them instead, and a disgusted hiss tears from my
throat.
Vivian jerks away.
I shoot my hand forward and grab her by the nape.
She gasps, straining against me as I pull her close, and
her hands rise to grip my wrists. I hold firm, gentling my
clasp.
When her face is before mine, her lips part. I search her
face, trying to understand what has changed and why she
is no longer afraid of me.
“Why?” I growl.
“I figured you had to be thirsty,” she breathes, her voice
a nervous hush.
“Why?” I demand again, knowing thirst has nothing to do
with it.
She leans harder against my hand, trying to put
distance between us. “The water? It—it’s an apology and a
thank you.”
I consider her words. If she is thanking me, she does not
hate me. It is either that or she does not know it is my
fault that she remains
locked up.
I let her go. “I believe you.”
She staggers under her feet and bounces back a few
steps. “You could have killed me, or worse. You didn’t.” She
rubs the back of her neck. “I could have done more to help
you. I didn’t, and I’m sorry about that.”
My hands bunch at my sides. “You have done
enough.” She thinks this is her fault when it
is mine.
“Have I? All of this is is You’re speaking now ”
“I do not want your apology or your thanks, female. We
both know you have nothing to be thankful for.”
Her mouth shuts, and she straightens.
“But you’re talking now? If you had earlier—” She waves
her arm, indignation slipping into her voice. “This could have
been avoided.”
“I do not give lightly. I was taken from my home and
from ” I trail off, uncertain if I want to tell her about the
other female. A female I had originally thought was mine.
“From?”
I scan her slowly, wondering how much I should tell her.
Even if she is trustworthy, what words are worth saying
when Ursula can hear them? “I was taken at the end of a
fruitful hunt. Why would I give anything to someone who
only takessss?”
“Because you could have avoided being tortured. Ursula
might not have hurt you ” Her face falls.
I scoff. “I do not care if I am hurt. I have been hurt many
times.”
She licks her lips, clearly unconvinced and still nervous.
“But you’re speaking now? You were gone for hours, and
when you were gone I was delivered supplies. What
changed? I’m ” Her face falls further, her voice dropping
into an agonized whisper. “If I’ve made things worse for you
It was not my intention.”
“It is because of you.” I move away from the wall. “Ursula
has gifted you to me. That is what has changed. To keep
you alive and with me, I will work with her.”
Her lips purse then flatten, then purse again, her face a
riot of fleeting emotions. “So they plan to use me against you.
Does that mean if you don’t cooperate, I’m to be punished?”
I growl, having not considered that. “They
will not.” “How can you be so sure?”
“I will not give them a reason to.”
“And when the day comes when they no longer need
you? What happens to me then?”
I study her as she studies me, understanding her fear. “I
do not expect to live long enough to see that day, and I plan
to keep you safe
until then.”
Something slips from my shoulders and drops to the floor.
A bundle of cloth gathers on the floor, and cinching it with
my tailtip, I bring it to my hands. Confused, and smelling
Vivian all over it, I bunch up the cloth and bury my face.
Ripples of pleasure streak through me, dulling my pain.
Trembling with fresh desire, I jerk my head up before it
worsens.
Mere feet away, she stares wide-eyed at me. Something
flicks across her face, but it is gone too soon for me to read.
“Why do you want me? Me? And none of the others?
Why not a female of your own species?” Her voice is barely
audible. “I need to know.”
I tilt my head to the side and shift the lower half of my
tail to circle her feet. “There are no naga females. You were
there when I woke, and I liked what I saw, and you were
afraid It occurred to me that it was not me you were afraid
of.”
She is silent again, thinking about my words. “So you do
want a me,” she corrects, looking down at my tail and
shifting on her feet. “What exactly do you want with me?
Shouldn’t you have bargained for your freedom?”
I snort. “They have no intention of freeing me.”
She glances at my tail again. “So I’m in here to keep you
company?” Anger enters her voice, realizing she did not bring
this on herself. “I could’ve died.”
“You did not die,” I snap. “It will not come to that.”
“If Ursula wants me dead, then I am dead. If you want
me dead, I’m dead. I have no power whatsoever. I’m just a
pawn, like always! Except before you, I could have had
some semblance of a life, a goal of my own. You’re speaking
now, say the words—am I to just keep you company, or am I
here for something else? I’m owed that much at least!”
“Owe?” I hiss, bristling. “You think I owe you? I have been
chained
and tortured with no hope of returning to
my land.” “Just say the words.”
“You demand too much, female. You are upset.”
“Of course I fucking am!” She swivels on her feet and
storms to the other side of the room. I lunge for her to keep
her within reach but am evaded.
I hiss as she lowers to the floor and sits down, turning
away to avoid looking at me. She covers her face with her
hands and then clenches them into fists, pressing them into
her eyes.
I do not like it. “Get
up.” “No.”
I growl when she stays put.
 Snatching up the bag of supplies she left behind, I shake
it. “You have not eaten or have had any water and you are
weak.”
“I did earlier.” She drops her hands. “Are you going to
make me come back to you for food?”
I should. It would be the easiest way to get her to come
close to me again. Frustrated, I toss the bag to her side.
She looks at it with shock. Furious she thinks so little of
me, my teeth grit. “I am not like your fellow humans. I have
made a deal, as selfish as it was, for you. I have no
intention of denying you what you need to live. I am far, far
too selfish for that.”
She pulls the bag toward her until it’s up against her
side. “I’m not like them either, just so we’re both clear.”
Silence falls between us, and I retreat to my wall across
from her. Taking the blanket back into my hands, I press it
to my nose and breathe her in, not caring if she sees.
If I tell her the real reason I want her, she will never
come near me again.
Though I think she already knows.
 SIXTEEN
PROVE ME WRONG

S Y A SKU

SOME OF MY STRENGTH RETURNS, and as Vivian and I toss the

bag back and forth, I drink my fill of the water, craving the
liquid in every way possible.
On Earth, my nest was surrounded by water. I swam
daily and caught most of my food within the reeds. I
enjoyed my time on and off the land, and since my capture,
swimming is what I miss the most.
When I crush one of the pods over my face, enjoying the
splash of liquid across my cheeks and the trickling down
my chest and back, Vivian’s expression is a mixture of
curiosity and confusion.
I toss the bag back to her. Surprising me, she takes off
her jacket and pops a water pod over her face.
Hunger fills me as the water cascades over her cheeks
and catches in her hair and clothes. With no pain to distract
me, my desire intensifies. As I battle the muscles that keep
it closed, my prick engorges and pushes hard against my
slit. Seed expands my knot, worsening my torment, and I
regret indulging with the water.
Groaning, I close my eyes, and when I reopen them she is
watching
me.
Her mouth is open and her cheeks are red. She’s staring
at where
my prick bulges from my tail as her breath quickens. Looking
away, she
shifts and clamps her legs together, but not before her
arousal reaches me across the room. Thicker than it has ever
been, my appendage jerks.
Intoxicated with need, a hiss rumbles from my chest.
 She adjusts her position again, glancing at me, then
away to the door, just to glance right back.
“I want you to be my mate,” I rasp, telling her what she
thinks I owe her. “Is that what you needed to hear?” I ask
when she remains silent.
Her eyes shift to my face. “Yes.”
“I can smell you, female,” I murmur, “even from over here.”
Her discomfort is evident, and her cheeks flush red before
she covers them with her hands. “I don’t want to know
that.”
I lift one of mine and offer it to her again. “I will not hurt
you. If I wanted to, I would have already done so.” I wait,
frozen in place as she decides, her uneasy shuffling and
apprehension apparent.
It has been hours.
I want her back in my arms. There is only so much I can
learn about her from across a room.
“This isn’t ” She stares at my hand, going silent
once more. “I did not want to tell you,” I admit.
“Because you think I’m too weak to handle the
truth?” “You are weak.”
Her lips flatten and her nostrils flare. “Well, you’re
unlikeable.” Tilting my head, I agree with that. “It is the
truth.” I flick my finger.
“Now tell me what you wissssh to say.”
She sighs and runs a hand through her hair, her gaze
briefly straying to my middle where my slit is again.
“I We can’t,” her voice lowers to a whisper. “I wasn’t a
good choice. You should have picked one of the others.” To
my surprise, longing fills her eyes. My lips pull back slightly,
baring my fangs.
She is not afraid to show me that she wants me
Her eyes flick to my middle then back to my face, her
cheeks reddening further, her nervous squirming
worsening. “We’re being watched.” She groans at the end of
her words like she is in disbelief for entertaining the idea.
But I scent the sharp sweetness of her slick and know
she is at least considering it. I grit my teeth, holding in a
raspy hiss. My gaze roves over her, checking that she is
regaining her strength.
She stares at me waiting for me to respond, and it is
then I notice a desperation in her expression that was not
there before.
I stiffen, narrowing my
eyes. She wants me to
convince her.
Stretching my hand out toward her again, I goad her to
take it and brave me a second time. Will she do it?
“What did you and Ursula talk about?” she whispers, her
gaze flicking between me and my hand.
 “You,” I admit, my voice lowering. “I told her if you are
taken from me, I will kill her.”
With her eyes fixated on mine, hers begin shimmering,
gleaming with unshed tears. There is a loneliness in them I
have not seen before.
She needs me as much as I want her.
Something within me softens. My female should never have
a reason to cry.
She slowly stands and takes a step
forward. Like the last time, I cease to
breathe.
Each of Vivian’s steps lingers like an eternity. With each
step, I fear she will come to her senses. Yet without
pausing, she walks into range once more. But before she
can take my hand, I lunge and grab her, pulling her to me.
She stiffens but does not fight me, and crossing my
chains over her back, I pick her up. I take her back to my
wall where I can wind my limbs around her.
Her hands grasp my arms, and her body shudders,
bringing on a sudden desperation of my own.
“I will prove to you I am a good mate.” I run my hands
all over her, trying to touch her everywhere while at the
same time ensuring she is real, finding she is warm and
pliable, and so very precious. I pull over the blanket and
slide it over her shoulders, hiding her away from prying eyes.
“You don’t even know me,” she says, her voice softer than
a whisper. “And yet you are in my arms, female. Do you
know me?”
“I think I know your character I hope I do. But you said
so yourself, I’m weak.”
I sigh, except it comes out more like another growl. “It is
simple. I want you and will have more of your kindness. You
are the only one I want to nest with. There is no other
reason. Should there be? I am selfish, as you now know,
and you smell sweet and need protection. I have waited a
lifetime to protect you.” Could I be more plain?
She eases into me and rests her head on my chest.
Alternating between stroking and clutching her, I revel in
the moment.
I am selfish.
There is no guilt festering inside me when I bury my
face in her hair.
“I will be your mate,” she breathes over my chest.
My scales rise. Hearing words I never thought I would
hear ends up being a dream and a nightmare at the same
time. Tucking Vivian closer, I look around at the room,
considering how long we have and if it will be enough.
It will never be enough.
 Feeling eyes on me, I stiffen and peer around the room
once more.
Pausing my petting, my hands settle on her back as I
search the view pane for onlookers, discerning a faint form
behind it. I glare at it, letting them know I am aware that
they are there. A hiss surges from my throat.
Vivian pushes against me. Raising the blanket, I take in
her expectant expression with an agonized grunt. She
squirms, confusion entering her eyes.
I shake my head in warning, flicking my eyes above and
in the direction of the view pane, and stiffening herself, her
brows furrow.
Refusing to allow another to distract me from this
moment, I loosen my throat and soften my hissing, coaxing
Vivian to relax back into my arms. Fighting it at first, she
eases against me, soon settling her cheek on my chest.
Her breathing deepens.
She does not want anyone to watch, and neither do I.
Settling back, and adjusting her against me under the
blanket, I rest with her until we are alone once more.
We will have our moment then.
 SEVENTEEN
HOURS, DAYS, AND WEEKS

V IVIA N

I WAKE in Syasku’s embrace, drowning in his smell, so

physically frustrated, and with my hand already between my
legs, that I’m left wondering how I’d fallen asleep. Feverish
and sweaty, I’m a mess. A frustrated mess. I’m embarrassed of
myself.
Feeling everywhere our bodies touch, and how warm he
is around me, it’s hard to focus on anything else. His skin is
smooth like silk, while the muscles beneath are firm.
My fingers ache to touch him, to caress his chest and
explore. I’ve been thinking of him nonstop for months. It’s
torture.
I’m tired and sad, and all I want is for this terrible,
unending, tormenting ache between my legs to go away. It’s
hard to admit that I’m affected by him at all. Harder yet that
I’ve wanted to be around him, near him long before his
pheromones made the situation worse.
I drag my hand from between my legs, praying Syasku
never realizes it was there to begin with. There might be a
blanket shielding me from the eyes of others, but I have to
remember I’m still being watched all the same.
Am I really going to be his mate?
I trust him, and that’s more than I can say about anyone
else in my life. So why not take what he’s offering and let
him try to protect me? I’ve never been protected by anyone
before. It’ll be a nice change, even if it’s an illusion.
 Slowly opening my eyes, and lifting the blanket just
enough to take a breath of fresh air, the first thing I see is
Syasku in the view pane across from me. My breath stifles.
I’m this alien male’s mate.
He’s watching me watch him. My stomach twists, and I
shift to face him directly.
“Hi,” I whisper.
Our eyes meet and my lips part, his eyes hungrier and
darker than they were earlier when I agreed to be his.
Pinning me where I am like he knows where my hand was
beneath the blanket, I pretend that’s not the reason for his
sudden intensity. Unsure what to do, I study him back. He
has the eyes of a starving animal. They would’ve terrified me
if I came upon him not knowing who he was.
He doesn’t frighten me as much anymore.
When something hard presses against the side of my
leg, I squirm, excited and nervous.
Everything about him is large and overwhelming, his
hands, his muscles, his attention. For an indefinite amount
of time, I do nothing except stare at him, caught in his
smoky gray eyes. Old eyes. Deep eyes. Piercing eyes. Eyes
that have seen a lot more than I ever will.
Right now, I’m the only thing they’re focused on.
He wants me. So why hasn’t he forced the issue? I know
he can smell my arousal. If he’s waiting for my explicit
consent, I don’t think I dare to give it. I’d rather he takes it.
And I'll decide as it happens.
He’s the one who chose me to be his companion. But if
he thinks he’ll hurt me, he most likely will. And if that’s
what is stopping him, I know I’ve made the right decision.
When he remains silent, I reposition the blanket over our
heads until it is taut enough that I have a clear view of him.
Settling back upon him, his tail slightly undulates, pressing
against my sex.
Clamping my jaw, I hold in a moan.
He’s not being fair. Even if he’s not goading me in some
way, it’s hard holding onto the little courage I have.
He’s not going to let me flee to the other side of the room.
“Would you really kill Ursula if I was taken from you?” I
blurt when I can’t take his silence anymore.
Ever since he told me that’s what he said to her, I
haven’t been able to get it out of my mind.
His head tilts as his eyes trail up and down my body.
“Yessss, though I plan on killing her either way. I will kill
for you if that is what you are really asking.”
Will? Like he’s already expecting he’ll have to? “I ” Was
that what I was asking? An unexpected feeling of
gratefulness comes over me and
my face flushes.
“Syasku,” I whisper, letting his name fade on my tongue.
I stiffen, unsure what to do. I’m not going to be able to fall
asleep as easily again, and I know he’ll never let me out of
his reach. I’ve given myself to him.
Chewing on my lip, I avert my eyes, trying to find a
good excuse anyway because if I don’t
I’m going to lose my mind.
His eyes narrow and his entire body seems to go taut.
The tension grows. It feels like my body could burst into
flames at any moment.
“Syasku,” I whimper,
wishing he would do something,
anything, other than watch me
obsessively.
His head tilts like my torment amuses
him. Then he looks downand my
eyes follow.
I’m perched partially over where his lower slit begins
and right before it bulges from his tail. Slowly, it parts, and
as it does, so do my lips. Springing out, his cock nudges
me, forcing into the small space between us, already fully
erect. Grasping Syasku’s arms, I shift slightly away, nervous
about having his cock pressed tightly against me while also
wanting a better view of it.
My nails dig into his skin, overcome with a heady wave
of his musk. As large as I remember, heat pulsates from his
cock, making it even more stifling under the blanket. Long
and tapering toward him, the thick mass at its center is
rounder and more evenly spread out along his girth. It
appears swollen but without the redness; instead sleek,
shifting in its tones of gray.
I swallow.
I’ve never had sex. I’ve never even kissed another on the
lips. I’ve never been held so intimately before, and yet I’m
excited despite my worry that my judgment is clouded.
Nothing about this is right, and if this is what Ursula is
ultimately hoping for, I can’t help feeling manipulated. And
worst of all, I don’t think I care if I’m being manipulated.
Not anymore.
I release a long, shaky breath.
Pulling my eyes off his cock, I look up at him. “Do you
want to have sex with me?” I ask him outright. He’s been
manipulated as much as I’ve been.
“Sex?” he growls, and I realize his body is even stiffer
than before, straining all around me. “No, female, I want to
nest with you.”
“Nesting is when two nagas go somewhere safe for a
while to mate, correct?”
“Until the female is bred.”
 I lick my lips. “And if there’s no chance of offspring?
What happens then?”
Never once, in all of history, has a human been able to
procreate with another species. Yet his words make my legs
clamp against his tail. Trying to hold his eyes and keep my
courage, I wait for his answer.
“If the female does not quicken with a litter, I do
not know ” “You don’t?”
His hands and fingers strain into me where he has them
placed on my back. “I have never nested before.”
“We’re both virgins.”
He doesn’t respond to my declaration.
I reach up and cup his face. His jaw clenches under my
palms, and it dawns on me that maybe, like me, he’s never
been touched in any way that was comforting or
pleasurable. That he’s just as clueless about all of this as I
am.
“I have never been with another before either,”
I say. Silence falls between us as his heated
gaze trails over me. Quietly I roll my hips
forward toward his cock.
I don’t know who I am anymore.
But I’ve gotten his attention. A gruff hiss fills my ears.
Emboldened, I move closer to the base of his length,
rocking my clit a little harder against him. He doesn’t stop
me as I shuffle even closer to increase the pressure. He’s
letting me do what I want, and I can’t remember the last
time that has ever happened.
Pleasure blooms between my legs, and my thoughts
swirl with sensation. Spreading my thighs wider, I gently
undulate to keep them coming, afraid that if I stop, the
ache of arousal will be worse than before.
He slides one of his hands to my leg, while the fingers of
his other curl harder into my back. His claws dig and catch
the fabric of my shirt. Afraid of what I might find there if I
glance at his face, I lift my hand and wrap it around the
middle of his cock.
Hard and velvety under my palm, a shaky breath escapes
my throat. On either side of me, his tail winds up like walls,
caging me within the limbs of his body. His hand slides
down to join the other on my
thighs. With a little bit of pressure, he spreads them further.
I slide my hand up his length, and seed gushes from his
tip. My gentle undulation stops as I inhale a fresh wave of
his pheromones. The smell makes my head spin. My mouth
parts as I seek more of it, emptiness clawing my insides,
and bending forward, my lips part and my tongue dabs out
to lick the seed off his tip.
He jerks, groaning hoarsely, and both his hands come up
to grip my head. “Female.” He says it like a curse, while his
chains rattle and clang.
 I flick my tongue, and he hisses sharply.
Clutching his base, I suck him into my mouth, frenzied
for more of his taste. His fingers slip into my hair, while his
hands hold my head in place. I swallow around him like I’m
the animal who’s starving. Growing faint from the heat, I pop
off him with a gasp, only to immediately take his tip back in
my mouth and suck.
His deep groans fill the otherwise breathy silence.
Whatever reservations I had, vanish.
My sex quivers, fluttering with every small release of his
seed, licking it into my mouth and swallowing. In a daze, I
try shifting my hips back against him but limited by the
angle, I have to grind into his tail instead. His claws streak
across my scalp and I shiver, the sensation prickling my
skin.
“Suck me,” he growls, the demand evident in his voice.
Moving my mouth lower over him, I do what he wants of
me, gently to start, quickly increasing the pressure until my
cheeks hollow out around him.
He inhales.
The smoothness of his girth vanishes as his knot
expands, going rigid against my lips. A deep groan tears
out of him and he nudges the tip of his cock deeper into my
throat. Seed pools into my mouth and I swallow it down
before I choke.
With his seed, some of the strain in his body also releases.
I pull off him and sit upright with a moan and before I
can see his face, I take the edge of the blanket and tug it
off him. I lose sight of him briefly as I wipe his seed from
my cheeks, chin, and hands. When I’m done, I look down at
the mess I’ve made. Heat flushes my entire face.
I just
Throbbing, his tip glistens with seed and saliva. With the
blanket gripped, I move to wipe it clean when the sound of
his voice steals my attention.
“Female,” he warns. “Someone is coming.”
It takes me a moment to realize what that means.
Like a zap from an electrical prod, I jump off him as he
straightens, adjusting his cock back into his tail. Grabbing
the blanket off my head, I let it drop as I scurry to stand
beside him, nearly tripping on one of his chains. His tail
wraps around my middle, catching me before I fall.
Clasping his arm, I envy his ability to remain calm. I
turn away, hoping I’ll be able to ignore the distressing
pressure of my arousal long enough to get through whatever
is about to happen.
The sound of the door’s locking mechanism twists my
stomach with nausea.
 Ursula strides into the room with several soldiers
at her heel. They pause in the center of the room
facing us.
“Glad to see that you two have come to an
arrangement,” Ursula hums, wearing the same slicked-
back hairstyle and crisply pressed uniform she always
wears. “It makes things easier, doesn’t it?”
Neither Syasku nor I, respond.
“It’s time for you to come with us,” she says, focusing
her attention on him. The soldiers ready their weapons.
“You can make this easy, Syasku, or we can do it the hard
way. The choice is yours.”
Tense and aggressively posed beside me, I grip his wrist
before he can react. “Don’t give them a reason to hurt you.”
He looks down at me, his face a mask of rage.
I flinch and face Ursula. “Where are you taking him?”
“Asking questions as if you have a right to know the
answer to them, Vivian? He’s to be questioned. And as long
as he cooperates, he will be unharmed,” she continues. “But
that’s entirely up to him.”
Wishing there was something I could do, I know if I try
anything, it would only make Syasku’s situation worse.
Syasku tugs his arm from my grip. “I will be back. I will
not resist.” My shoulders sag with relief.
His chains are pulled into the wall until he’s pinned to it.
One of the soldiers walks over to him with a syringe in his
hand. Positioning the needle, the soldier injects him with
something.
Syasku’s eyes stray to me as his head
slowly drops. Afterward, he’s released
from his chains.
Ursula studies me as I watch Syasku being taken away.
Having nothing to say to her, and wishing only to be alone,
I turn away. Grabbing the blanket off the floor, I pick a spot
by Syasku’s chains to sit down and wait.
Glancing up to see if Ursula is still there, I spy Muffin,
holding two large bags, walking past her and into the room.
He heads directly for me.
Stomach churning, my nausea suddenly worsening, I lean
over and vomit.
 EIGHTEEN
MOTIVATIONS

S Y A SKU

RESTRAINED AND MUZZLED, I look at the room around me.

Ursula settles in the seat across from me. Between us is a
metal table. Gone are the medical machines, the flashing
lights, and their incessant beeping; gone are the scalpels
and masked humans draining me of fluids. They have all
been replaced by a barren soundproof room with a few
pieces of bolted-down furniture.
Once I am deemed restrained and awake enough to
proceed, Ursula’s armed humans retreat, leaving me alone
with her and Pierce. He walks behind me and releases the
muzzle, striking the electricity one more time, momentarily
blacking out my vision. By the time it is over, my mouth is
filled with blood and my head is free. The smell of my
burned flesh coats the insides of my nostrils.
I spit out the blood. Returning to Ursula’s side, Pierce
stops next to a table with a rolled-up cloth on it. Scowling,
he glares at me. “I’ve recently received word that an entire
regimen of my men has been slaughtered by your kind.
They were good men, following orders, who were butchered
at their camp. One of the surviving scouts found this
wrapped around a branch.” He unfolds the cloth, revealing a
spine.
A small spine. A human spine.
Tilting my head, I arch a brow, drawing my eyes from it
and back to him. “I do not control what the others do.”
“Why would they leave this
out?” “It is a warning.”
 “A warning of what? Future hostile relations
against us?” “If your men are dead, there is a
reasssson.”
Pierce throws the cloth back over the spine. “This is an
act of war.” He levels with me, leaning forward. “What’s the
warning? Take a guess.”
I bare my fangs and my eyes narrow. “We are territorial. ”
“Over thirty of my men died. They died on land
belonging to humans.” He points to the covered spine. “This
is more than a territorial dispute.”
“You think the land belongs to you?” I scoff. “Until
recently there were no humans. If you want to claim the
land, you will need to fight for it. No naga will leave their
territory willingly. Not for another naga, let alone a
human.”
Pierce glares at me, his slick white hair and whiskery
mustache pronouncing the fury written across his face.
Except I notice something else as his eyes squint He is
sizing me up, judging my lethality in a way he has not
before. He is wondering how dangerous I truly am—or
could be.
“You mean to tell me one naga butchered thirty well-
armed soldiers because we happened to be on his land?”
“It is posssssible.”
“If it were your territory, would you have done the same?”
Until now, I have been asked many things, often in
different ways. The first time Ursula brought me here, the
topics ranged from the way my body works to culture,
language, and my origins. But this is the first time I have
been told anything about what is currently happening back
home.
More humans have landed and now those humans are
dead, killed by my kind. Several come to mind as to who
might have done it.
I took part in Zaku’s hunt. I did not capture one of the
females traded, yet am aware that the King Cobra caught
at least one of them. Other than that I have been within my
wetlands, where I had returned empty-handed to lick my
wounds.
I consider his question and answer him as I would have
before I was captured and tortured. “I would not kill
humans passing through my territory if that was all they
were doing.” I spit more blood—and a little venom.
“Then why are my men dead?”
“Some are more aggressive than others.” My mind races
with the news. A part of me is thrilled, desperate to have my
own vengeance, but the other “Were there femalessss
stationed among them?”
“There was one, and she is missing. We know you want
our women, naga, but one fucking woman can’t be worth
thirty lives!”
 If the female were Vivian, I would risk my life against thirty
males. “I would disagree,” I growl.
Pierce opens his mouth to say more when Ursula lifts
her hand to stop him. “We know you put a great deal of
worth on females, naga and human alike, because yours are
gone. What Pierce is trying to say is that war between us
will happen if these acts of aggression continue, do you
understand?”
I slide my tongue over my fangs. “Yessss.”
“How can we avoid further death for both our species?
Besides territory or mate procurement, are there any other
reasons your kind would attack us?”
“We will defend
ourselves.”
“Obviously.”
“The spine left behind is a warning.” My hands clench.
“If you found it wrapped around a branch, then it is meant
as a deterrent to stop others from entering a territory. It is
a trophy that is not kept, but shared with whoever may
come across it.”
“So then why is one of my ships missing!?” Pierce shouts.
Pausing, I peer around the sparse room finding how
little a place like this has to offer. “I do not know.”
“I don’t think you’re telling us everything.”
“We do not have shipssss,” I hiss, frustrated. “We have
no use for them besides shelter and parts.”
“Let’s change the subject.” Ursula sits
forward. “We are hunting down a woman
who stole something of great value and was spotted near
where you were captured. If we find out someone has
helped her escape It would not be good for them. Whose
territories are near yours?” I had caught a female
briefly, only to lose her. The Boomslang sought to steal
her from me, and it was during that fight that I was
taken. Could that be the female she refers to?
Azsote would never let her leave Earth. He, like many
others, is desperate for a bride. To share such information
and put him in danger, leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
And then there is Asera, who resides within my territory.
“There are some who roam who do not have a territory of
their own.”
“That doesn’t answer the question,” Pierce snaps, anger
brimming his words.
“We are secretive, even with each other.”
He points the electrical rod at me. “I have intel that it
was a group of nagas who attacked my men, not one. Last
session you told Dr. Ursula your kind has little to do with
one another. That clans, as you call them, no longer exist.
From my reports, what you’re telling us are
lies. Clans do exist and nagas do work together. How are
we to believe anything you say?”
My nostrils flare as my gaze flicks between Ursula and
Pierce. “I have not lied. The female you are searching for
does she have short yellow hair?”
“Why?” Pierce demands.
My fingers twitch, eager to claw his face off. “I saw a
female with hair like that before my capture.”
There is a pause as Pierce and Ursula share a look.
“We’ve combed the forest near there and found nothing
except an abandoned treehouse.” Pierce looks back at me.
“What happened after you saw this woman with yellow
hair?”
“I was attacked by another of my species and
she ran.” “Is that all? Which direction?”
“The treessss,” I hiss, angry again about the events of
that day and what was taken from me. “Perhaps you would
have caught her instead of me if your males had been more
aware.”
Pierce strides over and throws his fist into my face. My
head snaps back and then he hits me again. Blood gushes
from my nose and into my already bloody mouth.
Recovering, I snap at him.
“That’s enough, Pierce! I need him to be conscious. We
have a lot planned for today’s session.”
He backs off, cupping his fist in his hand, looking down
at me like stopping is the last thing he wants to do. “I have
some business to take care of anyway,” he scowls. “But I’ll
be back.”
Ursula waves him off. “Go.”
He grabs the folded cloth with the spine and storms out of
the room.
I lick the blood off my lips.
Unfazed by the violence, Ursula calmly reads over the
screen in her hand. “Now that that’s over. You are getting
along with Vivian, I see,” she states without looking up.
“When you are returned to her, you should tell her about
the woman you saw. She’ll find it interesting.”
Ursula gives me a cold smile.
The mention of Vivian stirs my prick, recalling the
shocking pleasure of her tongue licking it, and me unable to
do anything for fear I would hurt her.
She put her mouth on me.
There.
My bound tail tries to coil. I have never felt pleasure like
that, have never even held another before her. It is worth
the pain. It is worth thirty lives. More.
“Why?” I ask.
Ursula’s smile grows colder.
 “What happened under the blanket today?”
A low warning hiss escapes me. I do not want to talk to
her about Vivian. I do not want to talk to anyone about her.
“Did she touch you, or you her? Your pheromones are
potent. Some of the women you denied have asked to be put
back into the room with you.”
I stare her down. “It would be pointlesssss. I do not want
another.”
She stands, and walking around the table, stops at my
side. “Release your cock.”
I snap forward, hoping to frighten her. “I will speak. If
you want more from me, you will have to take it by force or
offer me something in return.”
“Ah, negotiation and bargaining, Syasku. I am fine with
force.” She pulls out a pair of gloves from her pocket and
tugs them on.
A dark, rumbling hiss grows in my chest. My tail flexes,
wanting to strike out.
She reaches for my slit, and I jerk forward as far as my
restraints allow me.
She does not flinch, placing her hand on my tail. Her
lack of fear is infuriating. But I should not be surprised.
She has me restrained— collared. Why would she fear me?
“Do you know your seed can’t be frozen or stored, at
least not for long? No method can keep it viable longer
than a couple of hours at most unless it has a living host to
bond to. A failsafe created by previous scientists of Genesis-8,
no doubt.”
Genesis-8 again. The more she brings it up, the more it
intrigues me. She referred to it during the last session, but
at that point I was unaware of its existence. She has made it
clear she could care less about what the others want from
me—Genesis-8 may be all that matters to her.
“It’s quite annoying and is making it hard to
work with.” She digs her fingers into my slit,
prying it apart.
I cringe, gritting my teeth, despising her hands on me
there, and the way her fingers push at my slit. I hiss, baring
my fangs at her, craving to kill her where she stands.
There is a loud noise and my attention diverts. I discover
my left arm has partially broken free, and the metal
armrest I am bound to is bent at an angle.
Ursula pauses her prying, eyes my loosened arm, and takes
a step back. “Hmm.”
“I will kill you.” I will see her blood pooled and her bones
broken.
A flash of annoyance crosses her face. “Fine, let’s
negotiate. I don’t have time to put you under. What do you
want?”
 “If you touch me again, I will make your death painful
and slow,” I warn. “Killing you is what I want.”
“Very well. Have it your way.”
She strides away and ducks outside, returning with another
electrical prod. Moving my partially free arm, I try yanking
the armrest the rest of the way from the chair. She watches
my free limb as she gets behind me and presses the end of
the rod to my neck.
I brace for the shock but it does not come.
Producing a glass vial from her pocket, she holds it out
for me to see. Pulling the rod from my neck, she shoves the
table away. Climbing over my tail, she moves in front of me.
Ignoring my growl, she thrusts her hand into my slit.
Enraged, I am unable to stop my throbbing erection from
emerging, and she takes it in her gloved hand.
The tip is still shiny from Vivian’s mouth.
For a moment I picture her hand instead of Ursula’s as
she clamps my knot. Placing the vial at my tip, she catches
the seed that involuntarily releases. Having what she needs,
she walks away and seals the vial.
Venom trickling from my fangs, fury encapsulates my
vision. I continue yanking at the armrest as she examines
the viscous liquid in the glass, holding it up to the light.
She uncorks it, shifts her mask to the side, tips the vial
back, and swallows my seed. Closing her eyes, she
shudders and puts the empty vial into her pocket.
Confusion joins my fury, and I momentarily stop fighting
my restraints.
Straightening, she turns and levels her eyes on me.
“Let’s keep this between ourselves, why don’t we? We’ll
find out soon whether or not I’m wrong.” She takes a sip of
water from a bottle, then picks up the rectangular device
she was reading earlier like nothing happened. “Now, have
you ever seen or encountered weapons like these?” She
shows me a picture and I barely see it, my thoughts too
scattered and filled with death and disgust.
She smiles when all I can do is stare.
Except this time it’s not a cold smile—it reaches her eyes.
 NINETEEN
SURVIVE OR DIE

V IVIA N

M UFFIN AWKWARDLY RUBS my back and holds my hair as I

heave the contents of my stomach all over the floor. “Put
your head between your legs. It will help with the nausea.”
Sweat drips from my brow and into my eyes as I gag
relentlessly, watching the cleaning bot roam around my feet
to remove my vomit.
“Good. Take a seat when you’re done.”
When my stomach stops churning, I wipe my mouth with
the back of my hand and drop to my ass on the floor, too
exhausted to argue.
He hands me water. “Drink this and uncover your arm.”
I sweep back my hair and take the water from him,
taking a moment to study his face. “Why?”
He crouches beside me and opens a small medical bag.
“I’m going to administer some drugs that will help you feel
better and hopefully return some of your strength.”
I eye him and his bag suspiciously. “Do I have a choice?”
“You do.” Muffin pauses, pushing up his glasses and
looking me over. His brow wrinkles slightly. “But you would
be stupid not to.” He takes out several kits with needles and
prepares the first one.
“What drugs are you giving me?”
“I have a booster laced with vitamin D, a fever reducer
with painkiller, and fertility control. I can give you
benzodiazepine too if you would like.”
 I stare at him lamely, swallowing the rank taste in my
mouth. “I’m on fertility control.”
He can’t seem to look at me when he speaks next. “I
checked your charts, and it’s been six weeks since your last
shot. You should take more just in case.”
“I don’t think I need help in that department. I’m not
having sex.” Now it’s me who blushes and averts my gaze,
hoping he lets the subject drop.
Muffin coughs again, setting his needles in a line on a
plastic pad between us. “Yes, well. You might change your
mind.”
We fall into silence as he prepares the final needle. I
can’t believe my life has come to this. Several weeks ago, I
never would have thought I’d have this conversation with
Muffin, let alone any conversation beyond work-related
stuff. Noticing the smear of dried seed on my wrist, I cover it
with my other hand.
Nowadays everyone has an interest in my sex life. Most
of all, me. “You don’t have to accept the shots, but I would
at least recommend
the booster.”
“I’m not ill.”
“It’s a precaution. Remember the soldiers that were hurt
that first day? They were ill for a day or so after the attack,
but all made a recovery. As far as I’m aware, if you get sick,
you’re sick with the same thing. You’ve been exposed
enough. Do you want the shots?”
I’d forgotten about those soldiers.
“I hope so.” Closing my eyes and reopening them, weary
and tired, I look at the needles and see my entire life
reduced to drugs. “I’ll take everything except the fertility
control.”
He shuffles to my side as I drop the blanket from my
shoulders. I barely register the pokes, and he’s already
placing a small bandage over the tiny wounds by the time I
realize he’s done.
“Have you gotten your cycle yet?”
“Not yet.” I close my eyes in bliss when the painkiller
hits. “If this is about fertility control, I don’t need it. The
likelihood of getting pregnant is astronomically low. Well,
it’s impossible. Our prezygotic and postzygotic barriers are
there to keep species isolated.” As my body goes numb and
my head lightens, it also clears, helping my thoughts stabilize.
For the first time since I was put in here, they’re not
clouded by lust.
“That’s not what I mean.” He shakes his head. “If you
haven’t, you’re due soon if the stress of your situation hasn’t
affected it. I’ll bring you supplies next time in case.”
“I Thank you.”
“Syasku is his name, right? The
naga?” My brows wrinkle. “Yes.”
 “He doesn’t have your best interest at heart. If Ursula
gives you a way to get out, I would take it. There are plenty
of desperate women on this ship who’d take your place.”
My heart drops. “Why do you say
that?” “He’s an alien, Vivian. He’s
not human.”
“I don’t trust her,” I whisper. “I trust Syasku more than I
trust Ursula.”
“You shouldn’t trust anyone, even me. We know very little
about Syasku’s species, culture, society, and origins. And what
is known, or what we think we know, is impossible to verify
without further resources. At least with Ursula, you know
what you’re in for.”
“Resources
?” “More
nagas.”
I open my mouth to say something more, but he stands
and offers me his hand. “Come with me. You need a shower.
You look terrible.”
“You’re letting me out of here?” I ask, surprised, eyeing
his hand suspiciously.
“Just to the bathroom, unless you would rather stay
here. I have fresh clothes already waiting for you.”
I clasp his hand. “No, please, I’d love nothing more than to
peel this outfit off and burn it.”
His lips twitch into a smile.
Later, when I’m locked back in the room, bathed and
dressed in the new clothes he brought, Muffin’s words ring
through my head.
Unfolding one of the new blankets, I wrap it tightly
around me and wonder if he’s lying. I don’t believe Syasku
would hurt me. And if I choose to stop trusting him now,
what am I left with? Less than what I had before, and there
was nothing before.
As I settle in to wait, the lights above
me flicker. It happens so fast I second
guess it.
The ship’s lights have never flickered before.
Frowning, I stare at them and wait for it to happen
again, but when they don’t I start to second guess
everything.
 TWENTY
A DELICATE TRUST

V IVIA N

S YASKU IS RETURNED to the cell several hours later.

In that time, after Muffin left, a stack of blankets had
been delivered along with enough water and rations to keep
me fed for weeks. Weeks.
And unless I’m now sharing the supplies with Syasku—if
he would even want or need them—I can almost relax
knowing there are weeks left ahead of me where I won’t be
starved again. Whether this all ends with me alive or dead,
I at least have some semblance of a timeframe now. I
chuckle under my breath, wondering if I’ve gone a little
crazy because I’m happy about that.
At least I won’t perish from hunger or thirst. I chuckle some more
when I realize I’m chuckling at all. No wonder it was so
easy for Father to control me—no matter what situation I’m
put in, I can always find something positive about it.
My absurd giddiness halts as Syasku is escorted into the
room by several armed soldiers, Commander Pierce and Dr.
Ursula not among them. The soldiers take him to the wall
and chain him to it. When they replace the embedded one
around his tail, I wince, watching his blood gush as the
sharp points sink into Syasku’s flesh.
After the soldiers leave, I slowly stand and walk toward
him, pausing a few feet away. “Syasku?”
Staring distantly, he doesn’t look at me.
I pause, wondering what happened. It’s unusual for him
not to meet my gaze. The last time we were alone together,
I was sucking on his
cock. Did something happen?
His scent envelopes me, fresh and heady, as the return
of arousal swirls my thoughts. My whole body tenses, heats,
and my lips part. The longer I stand there, the less sure I
feel about how to proceed. Shuffling from one foot to the
other, I cross my arms and glance around before returning
my attention to him.
“Are you okay?” I ask, regretting the words as soon as
they leave my mouth.
Of course, he’s not okay.
There’s swelling around his nose and dried blood under
it, on his chin, and a little on his chest.
When he remains silent, I grab one of the blankets and
some water and head back to him. I break open the water
pod over the edge of the blanket, and he finally meets my
gaze when I raise the wet cloth to his face.
His lips pull back. “I do not want water, female.”
Hearing his voice brings me more relief than I’d care to
admit. “You should want it, and I know you need it, but this
isn’t to drink. This is to wipe the blood off of you.” I don’t
ask him what happened. If something had, and it wasn’t
good, I don’t need him to relive it for my sake. “May I?” I
ask, lifting the wet cloth again.
He glances at it and back to me before narrowing his
eyes and nodding anyway. His tail circles and he yanks at
his chains, lowering to the floor to sit. I kneel at his side.
It’s a good sign.
He’s watching me now like he usually does. I gently
press the cloth to his cheek and notice his hands twitch and
his tail go rigid. Reading his body language, my stomach
churns. He’s been through a lot. We both have.
Silently I clean his face, loosening the dried blood under
his nose. With it dripping from his chin and onto his chest, I
slide my hand down to wipe off his shoulders and torso. He
denies me no part of him, and when the blood is gone from
his chest, I continue downward to clean the rest of him.
Taking my time, I polish his scales as I go.
His eyes close at some point and his breathing deepens,
turning into a soft hiss.
Crawling back to his upper half, I lean up on my knees
and tackle his hair. Soaking it in water, I scrub it as clean
as I can, pausing for a time to massage his scalp. Not
wanting to stop touching him, I end with his hands. Taking
his large ones in mine, I clean the dirt and blood out from
under his claws.
Not every touch has to hurt.
 His rigidity returns when I courageously wipe the dried
seed off around his slit. I expect his cock to release, but it
stays hidden away.
Maybe he’s second guessing this, us, me. Maybe I went
too far and he’s pulling away. A thousand more maybes run
through my head before my thoughts circle back to what
might have happened to him today.
By the time I’m done, having nothing left to wash, I’ve
dirtied two of our blankets and used up half of our water
supply. Leaning away to check him over, he meets my eyes
with languidly hooded ones.
“Sleep,” I whisper.
Syasku rests his head on the wall and slowly closes his
eyes. For a time, I watch him to make certain they don’t
reopen.
After a few minutes, I retrieve one of the dry blankets,
and place it over him, tucking the ends around his frame.
I’ve never seen him sleep.
I’ve only ever seen him awake or unconscious.
Settling back against the wall to his right, I eat a ration
and keep watch. His hair curls as it dries, and enticed by it,
I move to his side to brush out the strands with my fingers.
Growing tired as well, I take the final blanket, wrap it
around my shoulders, and lie down next to him.
I startle awake when his tail slides along my side. Rising
on my hands, I check to see if he’s trying to push me away.
Our eyes catch, and finding his heated and gleaming, I
shallowly swallow, unable to move and lie back down.
He watches me and I watch him, and we’re back to what
we did at the beginning.
His silence lingers and my doubts grow.
“They allowed you to leave,” he says, breaking the
stifling silence first.
Able to move again, I settle into a sitting position. “I—yes.
After you were taken away, I was escorted to a bathroom
and given a change of clothes.”
“You came back.”
“I didn’t have a choice. But I would have returned
even if I did.” A twinge of curiosity eclipses his gaze.
“Why?”
I opt for the truth, hoping it will keep him speaking.
“Because the one person who’s supposed to care about me
made it clear he doesn’t. If I’m out there, he would make
me do his bidding, which is to return here. In here it’s the
same, but I feel freer than I would out there. If that makes
any sense ”
“He?”
“My father.”
His brow cocks. “You are hiding then.”
 “I suppose I am.” Sighing, I look
away. “Why not kill him and take
your freedom?”
I snort. The idea is ludicrous. “Is that what you do down
on Earth? It’s not that easy here, in any sense of the word.
He’s powerful, and there’s not a place on this ship he
couldn’t go, except for the Dregs. No one would dare stop
him.”
“If he is powerful, why are you in here? He should have
the means to protect you.”
I frown. He doesn’t know my father runs the ship. That,
because of my father, he’s here at all. Part of me wants to
tell him while the other The other part is scared of how he
might react.
Nobody responds well when they hear my father’s name.
He could decide to hate me for something completely
out of my control. I’ll tell him, just not today. It doesn’t
change his or my fates. No one controls my father, least of
all me.
“He does protect me, if he wants to But I’m one of many
children and not even a legitimate one. Murder is also
deeply frowned upon in my society. Killing him would be a
death sentence for me as well. I would have to run to
survive, and I’d be pursued like—” I clear my throat, not
wanting to broach that subject.
“Like?”
“It’s nothing.”
He eyes me like he’s still waiting for me to
answer. I sigh. “Like my mother. Are you
happy?”
“No.”
The side of my lips twitch. “If I keep talking about my
father and murder, I’ll be tried for treason.” I glance
around the room, keen on changing the subject, never sure
who might be watching or listening. “What about your
father? Is he anything like mine?”
He huffs out a breath like he hates the question. “I do
not have a sire.”
“He’s dead? Gone?”
“I would not know. There were others around me, but
they were like me, confused like me. As far as I know, there
was no father or mother among them.”
“You don’t remember?”
“If they existed, I am not aware of them. Those first days
are a blur.” “I’m sorry.” I squint at him, wondering if
he’s lying and he doesn’t
want me to pry. “Anyway, yes, I was escorted out of here for a
time.”
His eyes narrow and he hisses. “Do not leave here again,
not without me.”
“I I might not have a choice.”
 “If your father will not protect you, you are safest with
me. I will protect you. In here, I can keep you safe.”
“Syasku, you’re in chains,” I point out. He looks at me
with annoyance, refusing to acknowledge the limitations of
being bound. “And you’re not always in here. I can take care
of myself,” I add. “My choices are my own here. At least I
need to believe that.”
When he doesn’t respond, I look away and rub my eyes.
He is right about one thing: I am hiding. And I’m fine with
hiding. I’d willingly hide forever if I could. Maybe my
mother had it right all along. Hiding is better than
oppression.
I don’t like how that makes me feel. It’s not like she ever
tried to help me, let alone try to know me.
Then again, why would she? I was a donated egg and
one of Minton Volp’s children; I had access to resources
other kids could only dream about. I never had to worry
about food or water, living conditions, or basic supplies. I
was given an education and a spot as an assistant to a
renowned doctor and researcher. My Yulen ancestry had a
lot to do with my existence, but it was my father that made
me privileged. How many kids could say the same?
I could run. I could go to the Dregs and hope they don’t
outright kill me.
They’re not loyal to Father down by the ship’s core. They
hate him down there. But if they found out who my father
is, they’re just as likely to kill me as they are to help me.
Worse, they could ransom me and send me right back into
his clutches.
Running to the Dregs always seemed like a step in the
wrong direction. It was never an option, and will never be an
option.
The only reason I’ve been able to survive up until now is
the promise of getting whatever I want once I break the
Yulen genetic code. Father told me that once the passcode
is erased, I could have my freedom.
“You smell different now.”
“That would be the soap.” I hope. “You smell
the same.” “I like it. Thissss soap.”
His gaze heats, and feeling increasingly warmer under it,
I press my thighs together and try not to squirm. We stare
at each other, my thoughts returning to the way his seed
tastes and how I want to taste it again.
Leaning up in a moment of courage, I press my lips to
his. He goes stiff and his mouth freezes. Pushing into him, I
try to deepen the kiss, shifting and threading my fingers
into his hair.
Wanting to soften his lips, I rub mine over them again
and again, getting used to the feeling. Not sure if I’m doing
something wrong, never having kissed anyone before, I pull
away to look at him.
 With a dumbstruck expression, he lifts his hand and runs
his fingers over his mouth.
“It’s called a kiss,” I whisper, worried I went too far.
Syasku’s arms band around me, and pulling me into him,
our bodies are pressed tightly together. “Again, female,” he
demands, his voice gruff with surprise. “Your lips. Give them
to me again.”
Blushing, I lean into him and press my mouth back to
his. With a sharp groan, he clutches me to his chest,
causing his chains to rattle. Dabbing my tongue between
his lips, I find him salty, almost metallic tasting. He goes
still once more.
Closing my eyes, I suck his lower lip between mine,
giving over to instinct. Nibbling it with my teeth, I’m sliding
my tongue across it when his forked one slips into my
mouth. I stiffen as he slides his tongue along mine. My flesh
prickles. Sensation burns my core, and I grab his shoulders
for more when I remember his fangs and jerk away.
His grip on me
tightens. “Your
fangs,” I gasp.
He leans back and reaches down to his slit. His cock
springs free and my eyes widen, sharpening on it. “You can
kiss me here if you prefer.” Seed trickles from his tip.
“There are no fangs on my prick.”
“I ” My mouth opens and closes. “No, there aren’t.” Arousal
ignites and my core quivers as his cock nudges hard against
my stomach. Wetness soaks my panties as I dig my nails into
his shoulders almost to the point of begging.
I’m pantingas my vision tunnelsand my body trembles.
My thoughts turn hazy. I imagine the delicious stretch
of his cock pushing into me, and the way I’ll shudder with
pleasure when I’m finally filled. My body goes taut as wicked
thoughts take over my mind, blighting out everything else. I
reach for him, forgetting all about blankets and hiding.
And just as I’m about to grab him, the lights go out,
consuming us both in darkness.
 TWENTY-ONE
DANGEROUS TRUTHS

V IVIA N

THE MOOD BREAKS with the cold shroud of nothingness. One

moment blinding, white lights surround us, illuminating
every detail, every expression, the next, complete and total
darkness.
Confused, I sit upright and lean back as Syasku’s hands
drop from me. His tail comes up to press me against him,
sliding across my back protectively.
The lights turn back on.
His hands are on his collar, his fingers digging between
it and his skin.
Blinking wildly as my eyes adjust, he looks up at the
ceiling with a furious hiss.
“What’s wrong?”
“The collar’s power weakened with the
darkness.” I drop my eyes to it. “It did?
You could feel that?”
He slides his fingers back under it, still eyeing the
lights like he’s hoping they’ll turn off again.
“They flickered yesterday,” I say. “I don’t know why. Did you
notice it too?” He wasn’t with me when it happened.
“Yessss.”
His tail loosens, and I shift away, eyeing his stiff cock,
his tense tail. He’s completely focused on the lights. I curl
my arms across my middle, self-conscious and unsure how to
proceed as he continues to wait for the lights to go out
again.
 My brow furrows, and peering up with him, I shuffle
farther away.
A few minutes later, Ursula arrives with her soldiers,
and with a threatening hiss on his part, she takes him away
at gunpoint. Still aroused and confused, I study the lights
long after they’re gone, wondering what caused the
temporary blackout.
Syasku’s still hasn’t been returned when Muffin visits,
bringing with him a spare change of clothes and more
blankets.
The lights flicker again.
We pause and look up, including the
soldier watching us from outside
the door.
My fingers twitch and curl into my palms. “What’s causing
that? A power surge?”
Muffin’s gaze drops. “I’ve heard it’s because one of the ship’s
nuclear reactors has been shut down, though I’m not entirely
certain.”
“What?” I frown. “Why?”
He rubs his chin with his finger. “I assume it’s because
people want your father to lift the lockdown. There’s been
unrest that the ports are still shut.”
“I I had no idea.”
Muffin nods. “Food and water have become increasingly
restrictive, and the lower castes are hurting the worse. As
for why? There’s been rumors that the lockdown is to keep
people from traveling to Earth. Either way, no one except
those cleared by the military are allowed to leave.”
“But Earth’s barely habitable.”
“Not according to some of the soldiers that have returned.”
My frown deepens as my mind reels. If Earth is habitable
and people want to return, why stop them? The planet
belongs to everyone, not just Father and the military.
Muffin lowers his voice and steps closer to me. “The
fighting around the core is getting worse, and it’s not just
there. People are questioning the lack of information that
command is providing. There have been uprisings in other
parts of the ship too.”
“I’ve been so out of touch ” I’d barely thought about
anything outside Syasku for weeks.
“It’s a bad situation.” He shrugs. “Everyone is looking for
a way off the ship these days.”
“Even if Earth is safe, there’s no colony. There’s no
infrastructure.” He heads for the door where the soldier
straightens at his approach.
“We all lost something when Earth fell, some lost a lot more.
It won’t be long now if the rumors are true.”
“Won’t be long for what?” I call after him.
 Muffin pauses and looks back at me. “Until people start
trying to reclaim what they’ve lost.” He smiles. “Don’t
worry, you’ll be safe here. I’ll return when I can.”
“What about you? Do you want to go to Earth?”
“I’ve been on this ship my whole life. I wouldn’t be able
to survive in a place without walls. I like what I know.”
He exits before I can ask anything more, and with
thoughts swirling through my head at the implications of
political unrest, I grab a ration and idly chew on it. I’d
been so caught up in my research and then Syasku’s
capture that I’d forgotten about the rest of the ship. I’ve
always been kept away from the strife, and so I never paid
much attention to it.
If I wasn’t studying or trying to figure out how to break
into Yulen software systems, I was here, working.
Picking up a blanket and unfolding it, I settle against the
wall and wait for Syasku. If Earth could be recolonized,
would I volunteer? Like Muffin, I’ve never been to a place
without walls.
It seems frightening.
I eat another ration and take a short nap, waking when
the door to the cell opens. Rubbing my eyes, I rise as several
soldiers enter, followed by Syasku, who is then followed by
more soldiers. Our eyes catch as they rebind him to his
chains. Once they’re gone, I go to him and kneel once his
chains are loosened, wiping the fresh blood off his tail,
relieved he’s unharmed anywhere else.
“Female,” he says softly, petting my hair away from my
face and running one clawed finger down my cheek. “What
is wrong? I can sense you are distressed.”
Can he? “I found out why the lights have been flickering.
There’s been fighting on the ship because of a lockdown
that’s been in effect. People want to leave, and some want to
return to Earth.”
“That upsets you?”
“No I I just didn’t realize it was actually possible. I
mean, I knew it was safe enough on Earth for the military to
send operatives but not safe enough for civilians.”
“I come from Earth—my home and nest are there. When we
are free, it is where I will take you. There are dangers, but
none that cannot be conquered.”
“We’ll never be free,” I murmur, then shake my head in
apology. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
He hisses but doesn’t argue with me. Instead, he changes
the subject to one I’m not prepared for. “Who is Urssssula to
you?”
I stiffen, shuffling slightly away only to have his tail slide
behind me. “She is—was—my boss. I I don’t know who she
is to me anymore. My enemy, perhaps. Did she say
something?”
 Syasku moves closer. “Your boss?”
“Someone you work for For
compensation.” “How does she
compensate you? Food, shelter—”
“She ” Doesn’t. Because she works for my father who
practically gave me to her. Realizing how close I am to
admitting who my father is and preferring to avoid it, I
begin to feel like I’m lying to him. “Can we talk about it
later?”
His tail shifts, nudging me closer to him. “If that is what
you want. You are nothing like her. That is why I ask. I
want to understand why you were with her when I arrived.
She is ”
“A sociopath,” I cut him
off. “—immoral.”
“It’s almost the same,” I whisper, easing into him when I
realize he’s cut off all my exits, my shoulders slumping with
a defeated sigh. “I don’t know how much of this you will
understand, but I’ll try to explain. Ursula is famous for her
work in biologics and pharmaceuticals. And, well, I’m known
for having a very specific DNA chain that allows me to
interact with certain medical technology.”
His eyes narrow as he considers me. “The Lurker
technology you are searching for?”
“No, that’s different, this is humanmade medical
technology created by Yulen. I was given to Ursula so she
could have access to that technology which is something
only I or another like me can give. Many could use Yulen
tech to further help themselves and others, but it’s useless
without a Yulen there to activate it. There are many of us—
we’re spread and bred across the colony ships, but there’s
still not enough, not nearly enough. And there are fewer still
who can repair and keep the technology running. Even after
nearly two millennia, Yulen medical tech still reigns supreme
over modern day medicine and robotics. That is why I am
with her, and why I ” I exhale. “Exist at all.”
He hisses. “What does that mean?”
“My father wants control of the tech, but, until me, no
one on this ship has had the necessary training to not only
use the technology but to also understand its coding and
robotics. The skills that someone would need to crack a
code that was put into effect hundreds of years ago.
Modern technology is very different from what we had in the
past. It’s like learning a dead language when all you have
are footnotes ” I press my face into the velvety scales
framing his chest, submitting to his embrace entirely as he
threads his fingers through my hair.
I inhale deeply, his scent filling me to the brink.
“You are right, I do not understand. Although this
cannot be why you are here. I do not believe you exist for
the sake of old tech. No one can choose what our existence
means except ourselves.”
 “What does your existence mean?” I inhale another deep
breath and shudder. “Ursula is after the answer to that
question.”
“My existence is not dissimilar to what you
believe foryourself, female.”
“It’s not what I believe, Syasku, it’s what I know.” When I
press my lips to his chest, his body vibrates with a soft hiss.
“How can you be so sure?” he asks rather than answering
me. “Because my mother is—was—a Yulen too ”
We fall into a short silence, and as his hands run up and
down my back, his soft, lulling hiss subduing me further, I
melt.
“Urssssula, during one of my interrogations, told me
why I exist, why my entire species exists. If what you say is
true, we are similar.”
I pull away. “She has?”
“Someone has discovered the Lurker technology, and it
cannot be used by humans. It can only be used by those who
created it.”
“She said that?”
“She has said a lot of things.”
My curiosity piques. First with the lights and what
Muffin has told me, and now this. I want to know what’s
discussed when Syasku’s taken away and why they’re so
desperate to learn from him. He’s not just another means
to an end.
I’ve been kept in the dark about a lot and ignorant of the
rest.
Syasku has no reason to lie to me, and I feel safe with
him. I don’t know what he would gain from misleading me.
He’s here unwillingly; he has no loyalty to anyone. My gaze
drops back to his chest. I want his loyalty and trust.
I’d do anything for it.
But if Father has discovered the very technology we
traveled across the galaxy for is useless in the hands of
humans
“What else has she said?”
Swallowing, I wait for him to tell me more, my skin
prickling with unease.
“My kind can use it.”
A moment passes, and then another as my brow furrows.
I sit back to face him, trailing my gaze over his features.
“You’re not a Lurker. You look nothing like a Lurker.”
As if the news means absolutely nothing to him, he slips
his hands from my back to clasp them around my waist.
“No, I am a naga. But there is more inside me than that.”
As our gazes hold, his grows sharp, almost suspicious,
like he’s waiting for me to do something with that
information. “Wait? What? You’re a half-breed. A hybrid of
some kind?” I stare at him, not entirely surprised even if the
connotations are frightening. Lurkers are second
only to the Ketts as a threat to humans, and only because
no one has seen or heard from one in nearly fifteen hundred
years.
“She calls it Genesissss-8.”
Growing exhausted and overly heated, I exhale. My
nerves surprisingly settle, leaving me only tired and aroused.
“Genesis-8 I guess we are just a means to an end You and I
both.” I chuckle softly. “We’re not so dissimilar after all.”
He releases my waist to comb the fallen strands of my
hair behind my ears. But any lingering comfort in his touch
flees with our nearness, with how we left things off. I’m
aware of every place our bodies touch. His scent may have
forced my arousal in the beginning, but I can’t say it’s the
only cause of it.
The more I dwell on him, the more I want him. The more
I want him, the more I dwell on him.
I’ve grown so used to the way he and his scent affect me
that I don’t know who I am anymore without it. It has made
me do stupid things. Things I like to believe I would have
never done if I didn’t feel this way. And yet, despite all the
reasons I should keep my distance, it has also been my
excuse for why I haven’t.
Panting now, my hips twitching forward to feel his bulge
against my body, I don’t realize what I’m doing until I’m
already doing it.
I jerk back. Grabbing a blanket and hooding the cloth
over my head, I curl my limbs in and bring my hands to my
face until the only part of me he’s able to see are my eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
He faces me, having already closed the distance I put
between us. “Sorry?”
His sharp and heated gaze, curious and concerned,
makes me feel worse. He wants an explanation.
“I want to be closer to you,” I whisper, twisting my
fingers together in the cloth. “I just don’t know ” Anything. “I
liked what was happening the other day before the lights
went out. I’m just ” Scared? Nervous?
Fucked up?
Tension radiates from him and my mouth closes. His
arms flex, his hands clench, and he curls his tail close. The
chains rattle around him, and his muscled, overwhelming
body fills my vision as he comes closer. He surrounds me,
caging me within the taut, scaled limbs of his lithe body.
My hands fly to his chest to keep from falling into him.
“Female,” he groans, his face above mine. “You do not
need to be scared or nervous. If this were my nest, you
would already be mine.”
His breath fans my cheek as his deep voice sends
delectable quivers straight to my sex.
 His tongue slips out to lick my lips, and I gasp as it
slides up my jaw and into my ear. Shuddering, I press my
legs together, afraid of who might be watching.
“Syasku,” I moan his name as his tongue slides down to
my neck. He grabs my hair and lifts it, leaning my head
back. I hitch, pushing against him. He rises to stare me
down, forcing me to look at him as he lowers his mouth to
mine.
“This isn’t your nest,” I remind him. “Is that what’s stopped
you from taking me?”
“Taking you?” he says against my lips. “I would take you
there if I could.”
“I meant taking me like
having sex with me?” He leans back, and
his eyes narrow.
“Why haven’t you tried to have sex with me?” I search his
face.
Something hard nudges into my stomach, and I don’t
have to look down to know what it is. “You were sick and
weak at first. And I did not entirely trust you.”
I wince, but before I can respond, he continues, pushing
his erection harder into me.
“Before you, I had only ever seen four living human
females. It has been many seasons since I last saw a female
of my kind.” He licks his lips, and it’s so erotic with his hair
falling into his face that I stare, dumbstruck with desire. “I
was so desperate for companionship that the first one I laid
eyes on, I claimed her as my mate, not caring about
anything other than that she was a female I could try to
breed with. I have learned since then that not all females
can be trusted or worthy of my attention. I would not make
the mistake of nesting with her without knowing her first.”
“There was another before me?” Pain and jealousy rear
their heads, constricting my chest. I don’t want there to be
another I didn’t enjoy the thought of human females being
brought here and paraded as potential mates for him, and I
like it even less that he had tried claiming one, even briefly,
back on Earth.
“Right before my capture. The ships were after her and
caught me instead. Urssssula called her a traitor.”
A traitor? I grow cold. “Ursula knew the woman you
claimed?”
No.
“It seemed like she did.”
“Did ” I push against his chest, “she have blonde hair?”
Tightening his grip, his eyes narrow down at my hands. “She
did.”
My arousal flees with horror.“My mother. You were
with my mother.” I gasp the words. Why else
would Ursula call the previous
female he claimed a traitor. My mother is the only traitor I
know who could be on Earth. “Were you with my mother?”
He releases my hair to seize my wrist, tugging me back
against him. “Your mother?”
“The blonde woman you were going to make your mate.
She’s my mother. She’s a traitor and she fled. I didn’t know
she went to Earth.” Syasku had tried claiming my mother.
A woman I loathe as much as I don’t.
“Your scent was familiar.”
Horrified, I try to tug my wrist out of his grip as
everything I’ve learned today comes crashing down on me.
“This is wrong. I need space. I need to think.”
“No,” he growls. “No more
space.” “You were with my
mother!” I shout.
“I have not been with any female other than you.” His
jaw ticks before his face shifts into a scowl. “We never made
it to my nest.”
I stare at him agape. “Would you have had sex with her
if you had?”
Noticing my rigidity, still trying to release myself from his
grasp, he hisses. “What came before doessss not matter.”
“It does matter!” I twist out of his hold and stumble
away. He snags my leg and tugs me back to him. “Stop that!
I can’t do this right now.”
Something in my tone works because he releases me,
and I scurry away to the other side of the room. I face him,
and his frustrated bewilderment at a safe distance where he
can’t reach me.
His hands open and close like he’s trying to control himself.
It makes sense now. He was only captured because he
was with her.
The only reason he’s here at all is because of her.
His face darkens, and the chains jangle as he advances
as close as he can get to me. “We are not done. Come back
to me.”
Part of me wants to, wants to forget everything he just
told me. But I can’t. I shake my head and turn away.
He hisses and something in me snaps. I face him. “My
father is the Supreme Commander of this ship and is the
reason you’re here at all.” I inhale a cold breath, already
missing his scent and the contact of his body and growing
angrier because of it. “Maybe we shouldn’t trust each other
after all.” I hate the sense of betrayal his revelation makes
me feel and eager for him to feel like I do.
But as I say it, there’s only regret.
I shut him out before I can see his response. Curling onto
my side on the hard floor, I close my eyes, and pray that
when I wake next, he won’t be there.
 TWENTY-TWO
MY ALLY OR ENEMY

S Y A SKU

MY PRICK THROBSat every glance she sends my way.

I do not know what I did wrong and am frustrated, and
as the warmth of her body fades, my frustration borders on
anger.
She is the daughter of the alpha, the male who allowed
my capture. He is the one Ursula speaks of when she
torments and steals from me. He is the one who is always in
the background, in the shadows, spoken of yet rarely seen.
My female’s sire is a male I very much intend to kill. A kill I
will relish and savor.
Her mother almost became my bride.
“Come here,” I order through clenched teeth the next
time Vivian looks my way. Yet she continues to ignore me,
pacing the room outside of my reach.
Her arousal, thicker than ever, trails wherever she goes.
Straining against my instincts, I hide my prick and keep it
out of sight so I do not upset her further. The last time it
fell out, she moaned, covered her face, and curled up in the
corner by the waste bucket, breathing it in. Her lips pursed
as her nose wrinkled around gags.
She is trying to fight my pheromones—me—choosing to
breathe in the scent of her waste rather than submitting to
it.
She is right. I should not trust her, not after her
omission. Not after everything.
 Yet all I can think of is her soft lips, the way her hair
curls tightly around my fingers, the warmth of her slight
body lying on mine, and her tongue on my shaft, her hands
around my knot, squeezing my seed loose. Thoughts of
those same hands washing my body, cleaning the dried
blood from my scales, plague me as I recall her large brown
eyes sneaking glimpses my way.
I should hate her, use her, manipulate her, and take my
vengeance against my captors. I could kill her, wrangle her
body, crush it in my tail, and throw it against the window as
a warning to those in charge. I should become the very thing
everyone expects me to be, an aggressive animal intent on
killing. Brooding on these thoughts, I ready my resolve.
And then she will glance at me again, and I lose those
thoughts in the soft brown of her eyes.
I realize I do not care who her sire is, though
I should. I want her. I will have no other.
Above all else, I need her to return to me.
“Come here,” I order her again, quaking with lust, and
burdened with too much seed.
She ignores me.
“You are mine,” I remind her, my voice unusually deep,
raspy with the fear she will never return to my side. “Come
to me.” If I get her back, I will not make the mistake of not
mating her again. I will drag her under me and claim her
for all to see. I will become the new alpha in her life.
Grinding my teeth, I have made many mistakes, and
foregoing taking her may be the one I regret most.
Vivian stops and bares her teeth at me and hisses. I hiss
in response. She goes back to pacing.
Between rage and frustration, I try thinking of a way to
lure her back to me when the lights flicker.
Vivian glances at the lights and then at me, and I release
another hiss. My hands fly to my collar, readying to tear it
off the next time the lights drop.
She shakes her head and goes back to pacing.
With my fingers digging under the tough leather to the
bands of metal beneath, it occurs to me it is not the collar I
need off, it is the band around my tail. With it off, I can
reach her—if I am fast enough, I can snatch her up.
Anything is better than the stiff, inescapable tension
between us knowing she is just beyond my reach. Anything.
Retreating to the wall and shifting my tail inward, I
watch for her next glance, intent on having her gaze on me.
“You have not had nourishment today,” I say, hoping for a
response.
 I test the band on my tail. The metal prongs are
embedded deeply, but if I can yank them out at the moment
the lights turn off, I may be able to remove it from my tail
without too much pain.
“I’m fine,” she snaps.
Slipping my fingers under the band where she cannot
see, I wait for the lights to flicker. “When we are free—”
“Stop saying that.”
“When we are free, we will find her. Your mother. I know
where she might be.” If Azsote was able to keep her, she
would be with him in his nest in the forest abutting the
wetlands.
The lights flicker again as I speak, and I miss my
chance. Vivian pauses and continues pacing. “I don’t
want to see her.”
I slip the fingers of my other hand under the band,
gripping it hard between both. “Why?”
“She is my mother only in name and DNA. There is no
relationship between us.”
I cock my brow. “And yet you are upset
with me.” “I’m trying to decide what I
am.”
“You are mine.”
She startles and looks at me, a blush forming over her
cheeks before she turns away.
My hands freeze as I wait for her to face me again. “You
belong next to me, where you are safest.”
“I think I’m plenty safe right where I am.”
I pull my fingers out from the band and raise it toward
her. “Come here.”
“So I can be safe?” She chuckles hard with disbelief. “Or
so you can have sex with me?”
“Both, female,” I warn. “Both.”
She presses her hands to her face. “I can’t get the
thought of you and and Laura out of my head.”
“Is that her
name?” “My
mother’s? Yes.”
“You look nothing like her.”
“I take after my father. All his children look like him. For
once, I can say thank god for that.”
“He has more offspring?”
“Twelve, last I checked. He probably has a lot more.”
When she does not come, I lower my hand and place it
back around my band. “You are not familiar with them?”
“No.”
I frown, trying to understand her and her relationship with
her sire. “At the beginning, when you would take my blood,
you reeked of fear,
but it did not seem it was me you were entirely
afraid of.” “Is that a question?”
“Do you fear your sire?”
She stops in the center of the room and looks at her feet.
“Everyone fears him. It would be stupid not to.”
“Why?”
“He can be controlling. He’s ruthless and doesn’t have
an ounce of mercy. He can do just about anything he likes
and no one would dare stop him.”
“I can be controlling.”
“It’s different. There is no one with more authority on
this entire ship. He can do whatever he pleases, including
isolating me in a room with nothing except medical and
mechanical engineering books to memorize, for months on
end, never seeing another living soul. Look at where I am—I
am nothing but a pawn to him. You only want to control
where I am in this room. It’s different. ”
“All the more reason to kill him.”
She looks at me, eyes wide, before streaking her gaze
around the room. “Don’t say that so loudly.”
“He will not kill me.”
“How can you be so
sure?”
“I can use the technology he seeks, and he will need me
alive for that.”
“And when he captures another of your kind? He won’t
need you so much then.”
I shrug, unconcerned. “Ursula will keep me alive.”
Her brows furrow. “She and you have something planned?
What else aren’t you telling me, Syasku?”
“I am keeping nothing from you,” I snap. “You only have
to ask.” She throws her hands into the air. “The last time
I interrogated you,
bad things happened to both of us. Forgive me if I’m not
gunning to do so again. I don’t ”
“Don’t?” I repeat when she fails to continue.
“Don’t want to retraumatize you.” She sighs and looks away.
“I am not traumatized,” I scoff. The lights flicker, and I
miss another opportunity. “Ursula is sick now, like you,
intentionally making herself that way by drinking my seed.”
Vivian’s mouth falls open as her eyes snap to mine then
down to my aching slit. “She what?”
“She believes it will make her stronger and extend her life.”
She takes a step toward me, then another, concern
crossing her eyes. “Has she touched you again? Grabbed
you?”
 Stiffening at her approach, I prepare to snatch her if she
gets too close. “She does not touch me,” I lower my voice,
trying to lure her nearer. “She has me fill vials.”
She stops just outside my reach, worry taking over her
expression. “Syasku—”
“Come here,” I growl, my frustration returning fiercer
than before. “Now.”
“I’m so, so sorry for everything that has—is happening to
you.”
“I am not. Only you and our freedom matter. Come to
me,” I rasp, desperate to bury my nose into her hair and
coil around her. “I know you are cold.” I release a lulling
hiss, the kind that puts her to sleep when she is resting
against my chest.
She hesitates, searching my face, indecision making her
body twitch. I inhale a fresh wave of her arousal and barely
hold back a groan, unable to keep my prick trapped any
longer. It springs free, dripping with seed. Rising to stare
her down, I goad her to take the risk and close the
distance.
The lights go out.
Losing sight of her, I grip the band around my tail as
tightly as possible, yanking the barbs out enough to pull it
down my tail. Blood coats my hands as I manage to shift it
half a foot before the lights turn back on.
She gasps just as a burst of electricity floods me. I drop
to the floor, seizing with sharp pain.
“What are you doing?!” My hands are grabbed and pulled
out from under the band.
Grunting, I flick the blood off my fingers with gritted teeth.
“What did you do?” she gasps again, her hands covered in
my blood.
Realizing she is within reach, I yank her to my chest and
wrap my limbs around her.
“Syasku, stop!” She leans away. “We need to staunch the
blood.”
“My wounds will close in time.” Smearing more of my
blood on her, I adjust my grip on her arms. She is such a
delicate thing compared to me, and I must be careful. “If I
had known blood would be enough to bait you, I would have
bled sooner.”
“Release me!”
My hands drop to cinch her waist as her form slides over
my appendage, and I bite back the need to throw her on the
floor and cover her with my body.
“Just because you can regenerate and endure pain doesn’t
mean you should go and act stupid. Do you know what
would have happened if you took the binding off—”
“You would be in my arms like you are now.”
 “The guards would come in here and beat you
unconscious. They would find another way to keep you
bound. A worse—”
I grab her hair, lean her head back, and cover her mouth
with mine, stopping her words. She freezes as I taste her
lips, invading her with my tongue and claiming it down to
her throat. Wrapping one of my arms around her back, I
lower us to the floor until she’s forced to straddle my tail
with her legs, all while nudging my prick hard against her.
Vivian’s hands fly up to press against my chest, and with
a little of my blood dripping into our kiss, her mouth opens
under mine.
A moan leaves her lips as her hands climb my chest to
clutch my shoulders.
“I have caught you, female,” I warn against her lips,
licking and sucking on her pouty lower one. “No amount of
blood spilled will change that.” The desperation of our kiss
fades into something softer as I close her in a cage of my
tail.
Her hands thread through my hair. “I wish ” She closes her
eyes. “I wish there were no consequences for our actions.”
Her voice lowers, saddening. “I wish we knew each other
under different circumstances.”
I cup her chin with my hand until she looks at me. “There
are worse fates.”
“Loneliness,” she whispers. “Unending
loneliness.” “Yessss.”
Her eyes glisten. “Can you forgive
me?” “There is nothing to forgive.”
“I could have refused, walked away. I could have sought
someone who could help, who could make it stop, yet I did
none of that. And now you’re hurt again.”
I run my nose along the side of hers, straining with
need. “She has shown me her weaknesses and there are
many of them. It is only a matter of time.”
“A matter of time?”
“Before the lights go out when I am in her presence.”
Vivian is silent for a moment before shuddering. “I don’t
want you to die.”
She pulls my hand from her chin and presses her face
against me. The sweet softness fuels my need to keep her
safe, and contained—and to destroy her sire. She is too
gentle for me. Yet she is with me all the same.
Sad, quiet, tender Vivian, a female I never would have
imagined mated to one such as I has become an all-
consuming presence in my thoughts. I will enjoy being her
alpha, her protector, and if it is the last action I take, I will
kill if it means keeping her.
 TWENTY-THREE
A GUIDE BELOW

S Y A SKU

HER EYES HOOD as she wets the second blanket and wipes us
both down, intent on cleaning our bodies. With her hands
grooming me, I rub my knot, enjoying her attention far too
much. Pleasure and longing take over my mind as I try to
imagine, as I have many times before, how and where I will
fit inside her.
Her opening is between her legs, judging from where
she had touched her body for pleasure and the enticing
scent that permeates from there. I would not expect it to be
anywhere else.
I pet her with my tail. “Grab the rest of the blankets and
bring them here.”
She hesitates but does what I ask, leaving my reach
momentarily to grab them. Using them all, I arrange the
blankets on the floor in the back corner, bundling the last
ones around the edges to make the nest as comfortable as
possible.
All the while Vivian watches me, standing in the ring of my
tail.
When the blankets are in place, I grab her hand and
guide her onto them until she is in the middle.
She looks around, her body flush and warm, trembling
with nervous energy.
“What is this?” she asks.
“Our nest.” My want for her thickens the saliva in my
mouth. “Take off your clothessss, female.” I crave to see her
naked, to mark my claim on her everywhere.
 Her head snaps up as her eyes flick to the view pane. “I
—I don’t know People could be watching.”
“I will cover you.” I groan, rubbing my knot harder in
anticipation of doing just that.
“I I well, I’ve never, umm, mated before. I’ve never had
sex— intercourse—whatever you call it.”
My nostrils flare, the need to be her first, and she mine,
straining my throat. “Neither have I.” Joining her within the
blankets, I run the back of my fingers along her collarbone
and up to her jaw. She stiffens under my caress. “I will not
force you, though I will try to convince you.”
She trembles and glances at the view pane again, her
nerves easy to see, easy to feel. Positioning myself to block
her view of the glass, I trap her against the wall. “No one is
out there.”
As she peers up at me, emotions streak through her
eyes. She looks like a wild thing, her hair tousled in curls
around her shoulders, her soft brown skin ruddy where my
hands have clutched. I swipe a curl from her face with my
claw.
“I long to see you naked. The glimpses I have had of you
are not enough. I want to see more and explore. I want to
touch you everywhere.”
Her breathing deepens, and her hands twist together.
“I’m nervous.” “So am I,” I tell her honestly, my voice
gruff. “I do not want to hurt
you and will need your guidance. Will you guide me?”
She licks her lips and parts them to say something but
ends up saying nothing. Petting her hair, I wait for her
words. Words she never offers me. Instead, she draws her
arms into her shirt and lifts it over her head.
Leaning back to watch, I let her go to see every new
part of her she reveals, devouring her beauty. Keeping her
eyes averted, she shimmies out of her pants and sets her
clothes aside. When she’s left in two scraps of white clothes
banded across her chest and between her legs, I see more
of her flesh than ever before.
Warm like the bark of the cedar trees high up on the
mountains, her scaleless skin begs to be caressed. The
mounds of her breasts swell against the cloth around her
chest, plump and eager to be freed. Though her white
clothes contrast her warm brown skin, my hands strain to
cup her breasts and be done with the clothing she wears.
I grip my knot harder, wanting to rub it all over her body
and feel her softness with it, where I am the most sensitive.
The cloth hiding her lower body draws my gaze and
deepens my hissing. Even from my vantage point, I
discover a wet spot forming at her crux, the cloth soaking
with her delicious scent.
 For me.
As I stare between her shut thighs, she tenses, shifting
nervously. “More,” I demand. I slide my tail inward so
she may have more
privacy from faraway eyes.
She is mine to look at and enjoy, not theirs. Ursula is no
longer her boss, for I have taken that spot of honor. I am
Vivian’s alpha, her mate. We have chosen each other. She
listens to me, and I her. There will never be another. I will
never accept another.
Shivering under my perusal, she slowly reaches behind her
back. The cloth covering her breasts droops, and as she
brings her arms forward, it falls away and down them. She
pushes the scrap aside with her foot.
My fingers twitch, desperate for a touch. Her nipples are
warmer and pinker than the rest of her.
I reach for them, and when my claws catch the light, I
freeze. “I will try not to hurt you when I touch you.”
She finally looks at me, and with her blush deepening, she
nods.
Taking that as acceptance, I cup her mounds with my
palms and gently press. Her nipples peek under my hands,
and sliding them lower, I test their tautness with my fingers.
She shivers and covers the back of my hands with hers but
doesn’t stop me from squeezing her breasts and enjoying her
softness. “Does touching you here give you pleasure?”
“Y-yes.”
Exploring her further, I slide my hands down her sides
and back up to her breasts. “How?”
“My nipples are where most of my nerves are. Touching me
there—” She hitches when I trap both her nipples with my
fingers and pinch.
The sounds she makes as I explore, makes my prick
leak. Marking her stomach with my seed, I push the head of
my stem into her belly where there is a small divot. I
spread my seed over her stomach with the head of my
shaft, liking how it glistens on her skin. Her hands release
mine to cling to my arms. Leaning into her as I slide back
and forth, I bury my face into her hair and gently pause to
thrust into her divot.
She inhales a sharp breath as her stomach tenses. “I need I
need—”
She drops to her knees and straddles my tail, capturing
my shaft with both her hands. Aiming my tip toward her
mouth, she latches onto it and sucks. Surprised by the ease
with which she mouths me, I rest my hands on the wall and
brace. Venom bursts from my fangs, and I swallow it back,
cautious not to move and hurt her.
“Is this how mating works for humans?” My fingers strain
as my claws dig into my palms. “You take my prick into your
mouth and drink my spill?”
 She answers by moaning around my tip. Her small hands
circle the base of my shaft and the edge of my slit, soon
running them up and down my length. Her suckling and
licking turns frantic. Seed spurts with each pull, and she
swallows it down, suckling for more. Walling her in with my
tail, I thrust my hips into her, trapping her between me and
my stem.
“Female,” I growl as she continues to suck hard, her
hands sliding everywhere, her fingers kneading my knot,
desperation edging her quick movements.
Like the first time she did this, she is acting starved. My
scales rise, excited by the notion.
Overcome with sensation, I grunt and grab her head,
gripping her hair, wanting her to take everything she
needs. As I jerk and twitch to release everything built up,
she swallows me deeper, her throat constricting around
me. Her lips taut around my shaft, I run my claws across
her scalp and hold still. When it becomes too much and I
am about to break, I clamp a hand around my knot and
squeeze it hard, forcefully releasing my seed down her
throat.
She gasps around me and gags lightly, swallowing all of
it. She pulls off and coughs, gasping again and I give her a
moment before I guide her head back to me, begging her to
take me back into her mouth.
Her eyes fly to mine and lashes my tip with her tongue.
Her hands grip tightly as I groan under the power of my
restraint.
Tearing my eyes off her
glistening ones, I fling myhead
back, lightheaded with bliss and spilling seed
inside her hot mouth once more.
She pulls off me with another gasp, my head drops back
to look down to make sure she is okay.
“It tastes like you smell.” She wipes a tear from her eye
with the back of her hand. I snatch her hand and bring it to
my lips, licking her tear off and making it mine. She has
agreed to be my mate, even her tears are precious.
Releasing her hand, I lick my lips and thread my fingers
through her hair. Her lips part in response, her breathing
labored, heat and arousal blooming the air. I inhale greedily
and feed my tip back between her pursed lips. “More.”
She watches me, stretching her mouth back around me,
and I immediately spurt the rest of my seed down her throat.
“Yessss,” I hiss, draining everything I have been saving up
into her.
Her mouth pops off me, swallowing, panting wildly. She
coughs and swallows some more, wiping the back of her hand
across her lips. Easing her back against my tail, I lean down,
crowding her face with mine, nowhere near done with her.
“You are tired?”
 Her chest rises and falls rapidly as she swipes away
more tears. “I just need a moment. That was a lot.”
Tugging her to my chest, I shift my tail, settle her on my
lap, and cover us with a blanket. “Then it is my time to
have a taste. Relax.” I gently pet her neck and shoulder.
When she nods, I open her legs where she straddles me,
then pinch the damp scrap covering between her legs.
Holding the band taut, I tear through it with my claws. Her
hands spring forth to cover herself, gasping at how swiftly
I removed the last of her clothing. Pressing her back onto
my tail, I yank her hands away and pry her legs farther
open, taking one of her ankles and lifting her foot for a
better view. Trembling, she is both stiff and languid, her
nerves and arousal at odds. “I will not have you fear me,” I
rasp, staring down at her small human body trapped
within the limbs of my large one. She could not escape if
she tried. She would have to climb through ropes of tail
and around my chains, and that is if I did not catch her
first. She is small, even for a human female, and it would
take too much effort. “I am
yours now, and I will do nothing that you do not want.”
“I can’t help it,” she whispers, lifting the blanket where it
droops. “Try,” I growl. “Show me where my stem enters
you. I want to see it
happen.”
A tuft of dark brown curls fills my vision. Dewy and wet,
her rosy pink skin is a dream, hollowing out my stomach
with hunger. Vivian squirms as she shifts a hand between
her legs and touches her slick opening. I slip my hand
between her thighs, pushing hers away as I feel her.
She quiets as my fingers travel over her, prying and
exploring her slick skin and around the small hole she
touched. Wetness soon coats my fingertips as her squirming
increases, my name gasping from her lips. She reacts,
opening her legs wider, giving my fingers more room to
explore. I circle her opening, spreading her arousal,
charmed by her softness, and wondering how it will feel
being inside of her, hoping I am small enough to fit.
I have always imagined a human female as my mate.
This softness about them is why—a precious home for one
like me.
When I push my finger inside to see if she stretches, her
hand clamps to my wrist, stopping me. “Your claws, bite them
off.”
She lets me go.
Nostrils flaring, I bring my hand to my mouth and seize
the first one with my teeth, discarding it, eager to satisfy
her needs. As I do, the arousal I caught under my claws
spreads over my tongue, hazing my thoughts with lust. I
lash my tongue over the roof of my mouth and
along my fangs, trying to restrain myself. I drop my fist
onto the floor, close my eyes, and turn my head.
“Are you okay?”
“I am—” I shudder, looking back her way.
She blinks with confusion. “I want to say but no, I don’t
know we can risk it.” She takes a deep breath and looks at
me once more. “Thank you for having more control than
me.”
“Do not thank me yet,” I warn. “Show me what to do.”
She swallows and slowly slides her hand between her
legs and pets herself. Quickly, hungrily, I bite the claws off
my other hand. Rapt with what she is doing, I watch,
exacting her movements to memory. As her fingers quicken,
my knot engorges.
I push her hand away again and take over. “Thissss
feels good?” Her hips twitch. “Yes.”
“Where else does it feel good? I will give you pleasure as
you have given it to me.”
“Everywhere down there is nice. I like what you did before ”
I move my hand, sliding my fingers over the soft skin of
her sex as gently as possible. She jerks when my fingers
touch a nub at the edge of where her curls begin.
“Especially there,” she gasps. “That’s where I touch
myself. Where most women touch themselves,” she amends.
“You touch yourself? More than just recently?” I tap her
nub with my thumb, watching her body jerk for me,
enjoying it a little too much. Curious, and excited by the
notion of her taking her own pleasure, I lick my lips,
studying her nub closely. “For mating pleasure?”
“Yes Like how you rub your cock for relief ” Little moans
escape her mouth as I play with her. Her whimpers and the
slight shifting of her hips tell me she approves. She likes it
when I play. “You have wanted to mate before?”
I do not know how I feel about the idea of her preparing
herself for mating. I did not think there might be another
I hate the idea.
“Just for pleasure.” She gasps again when I pet her nub
harder.
She cries out as I slide my fingers down and dip them
into her opening. “I can abide you seeking your own
pleasure, but someone other than me touching you? I will
kill them and wear their finger bones around my neck as a
trophy.” Her hips rise as I continue to pet and push my
fingers against her opening, unsure whether it is safe for me
to slide them into her even with my claws clipped.
“I don’t like the idea of you with anyone else either.”
Her hand clamps harder on my wrist, controlling the speed of
my movements.
 In the small tent of our blanket, facing the wall I am
chained to, I grab her head and lean it back, exposing her
neck and dipping my lips to it. I score my fangs along her
rapidly beating pulse, tasting it with my tongue. “Mate with
me. Guide me inside you, female. I do not want to wait any
longer.”
“Please ” she says so low I barely hear it.
Heart thundering and lightheaded with need, I feel as if
I do not claim her now, another male will appear and take
her. I will lose her if I am not inside her. Lapping her
racing pulse with my tongue, I lean forward to rest the
head of my prick between her thighs. Her wetness spreads
as I slide my knot up and down her sex.
Dark hisses vibrate from my throat and through me as I
slide over her faster. Her hands cup the back of my neck as
I take her other ankle in my grip and spread her legs wider.
They will need to be as wide as possible to seat my hips.
I shove my shaft against the entirety of her feminine
heat, and her body hitches, arching slightly, locked in place.
I lose my thoughts in the pleasure of her slick softness as
my stem and knot press harder against her.
Her whimpering builds each time my rigid knot slides
over her nub. Spilling seed on her stomach, I release her
ankle to spread my seed over it, marking her nub how I will
mark the rest of her.
She whines my name, and I lift to gaze upon her face as
I set my tip to rest at her opening. Sweat dampens her
brow as she looks at me, her eyes glistening with need.
For me.
My eyes close and my teeth grind. When I cut my tongue
on my fang, I drop my gaze back between her legs.
This is where my seed needs to be spilled. Not in her
mouth or her stomach. She needs it inside her—
Here.
She leans her hips up and presses
against me. My tip nudges into her.
She pushes a little more, and I sink deeper. I groan.
Rumbling hisses pour from my mouth as my tail strains and
flexes under and all around her. Excruciating pressure
floods my knot, reminding me of that first time it emerged
for her.
Staring at where we are barely joined, at where she
tries lifting her hips higher for more, my control breaks and
I shove into her. My fangs sink into my lip as her opening
stretches to accept me.
She cries out and grips me, digging her nails into my
arms, her face in my shoulder. Stretching her open even
more, sliding deeper, my knot
reaches her opening. I pause and press, pause and press
again. When breathless whimpers fill my ears, I shift upward
to check her expression.
Her furrowed brow lifts. “I’m okay.” She breathes, trembling
and stiff.
I lift her to my chest and shift my tail so she lies with her
back to the floor in the middle of my nest.
Her eyes widen as I wall her in with my tail. Spreading
her legs once more, I take hold of my shaft, pushing it back
into her. At first, she accepts me, and her whimpers fill my
ears, but once I push my knot forward, her muscles tighten
to fight me off.
I squeeze my knot with my hand and spill inside her,
loosening it up. Her lips part from the heat, and as more of
my seed floods her opening, I push my knot in.
This time her body accepts it, and with a cry, she shakes
wildly under me. Her muscles quiver around me, and I hiss,
overcome with sweet agony.
Holding still, I wait for her to say something, to beg me
to stop, that I am hurting her, but she does not, instead
surprising me and lowering her hand back to her nub. Her
fingers move it. She’s incredibly tense.
“Sweet female,” I groan, lowering and licking the sweat off
her brow. Sliding out, I shove forward and bury my knot
completely. She cries out, and the sound sends shivers up
my spine. I drop upon her, nuzzling her cheek, and sliding
my tongue into her ear. “It is done,” I grunt, grinding
against her, waiting for her breathy moan. strangling the
seed out of me.
Breathing heavily, she shakes. “Don’t move.
Please.” Leaning up to see her face, her eyes are
wrenched closed.
Forcing my raspy, needy hissing into a soothing one, I
relax my body. “Does it hurt?”
She licks her lips, her voice small. “A little.”
I frown, searching her pinched features. All I want to do
is move and swell her womb with my seed. I want to feel
her everywhere, clasping her to me as I stake my claim.
I know better. If I am too rough, I will hurt her. I need
her sated so she is eager to do this again. If I hurt her, she
will be harder to convince, even with my pheromones. But
like me, her willpower is stronger than her body’s desire.
Hissing, I am more than up for the challenge. Nesting is
the time to learn one’s mate, and I will learn her as much as
she will learn me.
I rise back over her, and our eyes catch. Hers are soft
despite the wrinkles across her brow. Lowering, I press my
mouth to hers, tasting salt on her lips. She does not kiss me
back, remaining tense.
Sliding my mouth to her cheek, I nuzzle her again. “How
doessss it feel now?”
 “Tight.” She gasps. “Heavy. It feels like a boulder is
inside me, weighing me down. I’m afraid to move.”
Gently lifting over her, I look down at where we are
connected. Her swollen hole is stretched around me, dewy
with seed and a spot of blood. Her legs are pinned open
with my tail, keeping her prone and trapped. She clenches,
and I grit my teeth, holding back a groan. When she
releases, I glide a hand over her chest, down her stomach,
and to her opening. As I massage the taut skin around my
shaft, her muscles constrict once again around me.
I flood her with more seed. It leaks out around my stem
and trying hard not to thrust, I massage my seed into her,
adding to her slick.
She whimpers my name, and petting her sweet flesh
with more urgency, I slip my fingers up to her nub only to
glide them back down to her opening.
“Let me ease you. Relax.”
For hours it seems, I pet her sex, working it with my
hands, kneading, massaging, caressing her everywhere,
remaining seated the whole time. She needs to get used to
me. She can’t do that if I am not inside her.
I clutch her soft backside, her thighs, and tickle her
sensitive nub, brushing her small curls away. With every
minute that passes, she relaxes a little more, even closing
her eyes and drifting, trusting that I will keep my word. My
knot continuously swells and releases seed inside of her as
she remains subdued, at the mercy of my body weighing
her down.
All the while I stare, taking her in, admiring her quick
breaths, her soft breasts, and the way she licks or bites her
lower lip depending on what I am doing to her. A single
thrust of my hips will have enough force to drive her body
out of my limbs. Our sizes do not match. Yet she is able to
take me anyway. She is trying.
My female is perfect.
Her fingers slip back over her nub and caress it. Three
circles and her lips part in a moan. The sound excites me,
and my tail coils tighter in response.
My eyes drop to where we are connected, saliva filling
my mouth, desperate to thrust now that she has found
pleasure, eager to finish claiming her.
She rubs harder and her sheath quivers, her moans
increasing in frequency. Her legs twitch under where my
tail restrains them and her hips jerk, her first movements
since seating my knot.
Her moans bleed into each other as her fingers increase
in speed. I drop upon her and breathe them in, grazing my
fangs over her mouth. Her eyes snap open and her chest
arches into mine.
 An anguished sound tears from her throat, her eyes
closing as her head drops back. Her core vices me,
squeezing my knot, and I tremble with exquisite pleasure.
It’s different from the other times, harder, more forceful.
“Vivian,” I rasp. “Are you okay?”
The pleasure and pressure is becoming too much
to bear. “Yes,” she gasps, easing back to the
floor.
“What wassss that?”
“An orgasm.” She does not open her eyes.
I take over, thumbing her nub hard and fast so it happens
again.
Her eyes open and her body jerks. She squeals, hitching
with every sharp inhale. Her fingers grip onto my tail, her
muscles soon convulsing, constricting, clamping. I growl and
thumb her faster.
She screams, her body seizing, her inner muscles
frantically embracing and releasing my knot. I pull her to
me and press my fangs into her shoulder. Seed explodes out
of me, and I lash her flesh with my tongue.
Her arms slip around my back as we pant with mutual
exertion.
Moving my mouth over her and up to her lips, I rub
them with my own.
After we come down, I lean up to look at her. “Are you
hurt?” Exhaustion bleeds across her features as her hooded
gaze meets mine.
“I ache, but it’s a good ache. I needed that.” She blinks up at
me. “I need a break.”
I nod, untrapping her legs. She brings them to her chest
and pushes me out of her. Groaning, she smiles and slowly
sits upright, reaching to the side to snatch a spare blanket
to wipe between her legs. With my tail moving to support
her back, she rests against it and exhales. “I’m exhausted.”
Reaching down to slide my hand over myself, I am
covered in her arousal and seed. It drips down my length.
Unlike her, I do not wipe it off, already wanting to push
back inside her and continue.
“Resssst,” I offer, watching as her eyes flutter closed. “I
will keep you safe.”
She yawns and turns over, snuggling into
my tail. Shifting closer, I tuck the blanket
around her.
I will do anything to keep her. I need to take her from
this place and bring her to Earth.
Peering around the cell as her breathing evens, I wait
for the lights to die.
 TWENTY-FOUR
NESTING

V IVIA N

S YASKU GIVES ME TIME, and because of that, I trust him now

completely. I ache and it’s uncomfortable, but I’m also
incredibly aroused, pacified by his scent, his petting, and his
caretaking. He could have kept going, but he didn’t. His
knot remains swollen despite how many times he’s released
seed. There’s so much, it continues to trickle out of me,
reminding me what we’ve done.
If that is how his kind climaxes, he climaxed a lot. An
emboldening satisfaction washes over me at the thought. It
helps with the ache between my legs.
As I rest, he continues touching me. And as I drift in the
sensations he brings forth, the more I want to try again.
I feel empty. Achy but empty. There was stinging when
he penetrated and pushed into me, but it had more to do
with his size than anything else. I was wet.
I still am.
Everywhere he touches me, my body heats, wanting
more. I moan, coaxing him on, easing into his possessive
hands. Hands that are big enough to span my stomach.
I use his curiosity to my advantage, praising and pleading
for more. Now that I’ve had several orgasms to take the
edge off, some of my confidence has receded. No one has
touched me like Syasku has; no one except my doctors has
seen me naked. I never thought anyone would,
and if they did it wouldn’t be until I was much older, and
after my father had passed away.
Despite the circumstances, there’s a fear deep inside that
I’m going to be greatly punished for allowing this to happen.
I can already feel Father’s disgust.
With my thoughts plunging, I focus on Syasku’s hands on
my body, remembering how powerful they are. How strong
he is. How secure I am with him right now. I’m certain that
if anyone neared, he would slaughter them on the spot.
Unable to deny being excited by the notion, my toes curl.
Moving lower, he pushes my legs back open. “Why do you
have hair down here?”
His question pulls me out of reverie enough to squint at
him. “To protect the area.”
He rumbles, his tone darkening. “From what?”
“It helps keep the area clean. Although most women
have it removed.”
He peers at me as he twists his finger around a curl, and
I try not to shove his hand away. “Why?”
I swallow. “They like having soft, bare skin down there.”
“I like your hair. It captures my seed.” He combs his
fingers through the hair above my clit.
If I weren’t already flushed red, I am now. “I I’m glad. I
don’t have any interest in removing it.”
“Good.” His fingers brush through it again.
My cheeks burn, and I nuzzle my face against his tail.
It’s hard to know how to react to his compliments. I’m not
used to compliments.
I’m not used to any of this.
His eyes drop from my face, and my shoulders relax. He
lowers his face and buries his nose into the hair at my crux,
making me squirm slightly.
“Can I ”
He doesn’t finish what he’s about to say, and I frown.
“Can you what?”
“Taste you here?” he grunts without looking back up.
My toes curl. My legs are open, and the middle of his tail
is resting over my stomach while the rest of it is looped
around me. He’s between my spread thighs tenting the
blanket with his shoulders, shielding my body completely
from the view pane.
I nod sharply.
I’ve been waiting for this.
I tense all over, as his breath fans my sex and he
breathes me in. His fingers rub my clit in slow circles as I
wrap my arms around his tail,
pushing my face against his velvety scales. His chains
weigh heavily across me but I don’t mind, finding the weight
oddly enticing.
He presses his mouth to my opening, and I buckle as his
tongue slides into me, going deep deeper. I clutch his tail
hard as pleasure explodes the first time his tongue swirls,
and I moan loudly, hips twitching in an abrupt orgasm.
With his finger circling my clit, I come again the next time
his tongue slips across my inner spot.
It’s not enough. I need more, so much more.
When he pauses, I glance at him, discovering him
watching me with narrowed eyes. “You find pleasure in
thissss.”
I nod again, having no words.
He lowers with a hiss and slides his tongue up and down,
then back inside me.
Relentless in their strumming, his fingers never stop.
I come again, and in the throes of clamping around
nothing, I jerk away when he glides his tongue to my
backside, but he moves back up before I can balk.
“I like the way your body moves.” He hums, his voice
darkening. “I like the way it shudders against me and
around my stem. It feels everything.”
I hide my face in my hands with an embarrassed moan.
He glides his long tongue back inside me, and I lose my
mind in pleasure. At some point, he stops toying with my clit
to spread me open with his hands to lap at my opening
excessively. Twitching involuntarily with every swipe of his
tongue, he lashes and groans. “Delicious female.”
In and out, and all over, his mouth never moves from
between my legs. Drenched in his saliva, I thrust my hips
against him, half-mad.
He gently bites my clit, and my hips pop into the air. He
catches them with his large, dark hands and forces them
back down. The blanket slips over me, and he pauses to
reposition it. The next time he lowers, I brace for his teeth.
His mouth opens wide as he grazes them over me. My
hips rise again. Shoving a finger inside me, he hooks it and
clamps his mouth back down.
Oh, goodness.
Even if I’d had sex before, nothing could have prepared
me for this. His teeth scrape over my inner thighs and work
their way up to my breasts.
He looks up at me with intense, hungry eyes, and I know
what he wants before he says anything.
“Ready?”
Reaching between my legs, I’m wet all over. “Yes.”
 He lifts and lines his cock to my opening, keeping me
pinned with his feverish gaze. I try to relax.
He works his knot inside with a frustrated grunt and
pushes until his tip is hard against my womb. Sweat beads
across my flesh as my body accommodates him.
His eyes are tightly closed now. A trickle of blood drips
from his mouth. My eyes skit over him, taking in his tense
muscles and his lingering restraint.
I wiggle my hips.
He groans, and his chin drops to his
chest. Empowered, I circle my hips
again.
“Stop.” He scowls down at me. “I will not have you in
pain.” “I’m the one moving. I’m okay.”
His lips curl back to reveal bloody teeth. “I am fighting
to remain still.”
“You don’t need to. It doesn’t ache as much anymore.”
“It will if my knot rips out of you and I thrust it back in,”
he warns, his voice lowering, making me shiver.
“I know you don’t want to hurt me.” I reach up and cup
his cheek, lifting his chin off his chest to look into his eyes.
“But I want you to thrust. We need to practice, we need to
move.”
I’ve never had someone worry about me the way he does.
My chest tightens, seeing the concern in his expression.
“It’s okay,” I whisper, hoping I can convince him.
Pushing his tail away, I sit upright, maneuvering until I’m
straddling him. He pulls the blanket over our heads.
Watching him, I rise on his cock and sink back down.
Shaking from the intensity, I dig my nails into his chest.
Hissing low and deep, his tongue slips from his mouth to
taste the air. Slowly I rise on him again, biting down on my
lip and giving into the burn of the stretch. Some of his seed
releases, warming me from the inside and helping me ease
down him.
Perched on his knot once more, I reach down and rub it
with my fingers, working myself over it. Leaning into him,
he supports my weight, clasping his hands around my hips.
He keeps me seated, not allowing me to rise too high.
When his knot is inside me, I exhale the pressure built
up in my chest, my body shuddering once more.
Grinding me down on him, his knot presses into my
sensitive spot and pleasure bursts behind my eyes. My
mouth parts in a gasp. Encouraged and wanting more of it, I
slowly rock forward, pushing his knot harder against it. As
I’m hit with another burst of pleasure, I quicken my
movements.
 His hands slide from my hips to grip my waist, his
clipped claws grazing my flesh. My eyes close and my head
drops back. Grinding down on him, I clamp around him and
then retreat to do it again, faster, learning what works for
me.
I forget all about his pleasure, selfishly working his cock
harder where I need it most.
My rocking speeds up, bliss wracking my core as his
knot stretches me everywhere, all at once. Greedy, I hold
onto his shoulders undulating faster. In a silent scream, I
open my eyes, surprised, skin prickling everywhere, my
mouth falling open.
“More,” I burst out, begging as the intense waves of
sensation continue, quickly replacing the ache of being
stretched.
I brace my hand on his chest and meet his next upward
thrust. “Yes!”
He helps me take him, his grunts filling my ears,
rumbled and animalistic. And when I feel my next orgasm
peak, he lifts me off him entirely and shoves it all back in. I
cry out from the loss, and then again from the glorious
return.
As I bounce my hips up and down, he spears up into me,
his chains jangling with each thrust. I grit my teeth against
the onslaught of his cock.
He bellows, grabbing me to him, thrusting faster, his tail
sliding over my back and around my butt. The blanket
clings to me as I clutch his shoulders. He comes, and once
it starts, he thrusts into me harder, pounding up into me.
Full and stuffed with so much of his seed, I jerk upward and
off him, letting it spill out.
The next thing I know, I’m shoved back beneath him,
trapped in his coiling, shifting tail, his cock thrusting in and
out.
“Female,” he growls somewhere above me. “Clamp me,” he
orders. “Now.”
With a cry, I constrict around him.
He forces his knot through it with a roar, stilling once
it’s done. Tension bleeds from his muscles as he comes
once more. Panting and sweaty, I ease my body, going
languid beneath him, focused on catching my breath.
His cock jerks heavily, and as my lungs fill with air, he
heaves off of me.
We stare at each other.
With blood trickling from his mouth, and my hair
plastered to my cheeks, we stare at one another.
My lips twitch into a smile, and seeing it, he leans down
and buries his face into my neck.
 TWENTY-FIVE
PARANOIA

V IVIA N

SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENS.

No one comes to take Syasku away.
Days go by, or what seems like days, and the only
visitors we have are Muffin and the guard who watches him
as he resupplies us. I don’t want to leave Syasku, even for a
shower, and if it weren’t for Muffin’s occasional visits I
wouldn’t know how much time is passing. Everything blurs
together, and the more I sleep, the harder it is to keep track
of it.
Except Ursula never shows, and after a while, Syasku
and I stop thinking about her altogether.
We eat, sleep, and have sex.
Syasku’s spreading my legs and pushing his cock inside
me more often than not, acting like his sanity depends on
it, like if he’s not inside me and wrapped around me, I’ll
vanish. I understand his paranoia, feeling it mirrored by my
own obsession. Lost in a haze of my own lust, I’ve stopped
wearing pants, instead using a blanket to keep me covered.
It’s easier.
I’m open.
Even our conversations have faded.
He rarely eats or drinks, saying he prefers to eat me,
lashing his tongue over my clit and driving it into me. He’s
hard, his knot is swollen. His instincts are telling him to
breed.
I’ll sit on top of him and try to relax as he relentlessly
thrusts up into me in sharp strokes, filling me to the brink
with his hot seed. When
I can’t endure anymore, he spreads me across his tail and
tucks a blanket over me, only to take my feet in his hands
and massage them.
The first time he slid his tongue between my toes, I fell
off him with a shriek. Since then, he has played with them
every chance he gets, saying he likes the way I squirm. I
don’t know what he means by that I’ve decided not to
question it.
He leaves me breathless.
There only seems to be one thing on his mind, and that’s
me.
He pins me down, traps me with his tail, spreads my
legs, and pushes inside me, murmuring words about nesting
into my ear.
His words make me shiver. They make me excited.
When I do sleep, it’s tucked in his arms. In his warmth, I
dream of a private place where the lights aren’t
excruciatingly bright, where there are no cameras, and we
aren’t specimens in someone’s project—someplace I can be
naked and not worry about being covered or being seen by
anyone other than him. I dream of having something soft to
lie on other than blankets spread over a hard metal floor.
I dream about sharing my life with Syasku, seeing his
home, and lying down in his nest for the first time.
All the while, the lights continue to flicker.
Some days are worse than others. It’s the only thing that
takes Syasku’s attention away from me as he tries to rip off
his collar or the band at his tail. It’s those moments I
remember there’s unrest on the ship, that the lockdown
must still be in effect. That the people want as much access
to Earth as The Dreadnaut’s military does.
When the light flickers, it’s a warning that nothing has
changed. Nothing outside has been resolved. But by the
time they return to normal, those thoughts drift away as I’m
drawn back into Syasku’s arms and he lulls me with a soft
hiss and a hard kiss.
The flickering worsens as more time goes by. The lights
are off for longer periods and the frequency at which it
happens increases. It’s impossible to ignore it. It’s growing
difficult to quell my curiosity and my paranoia. Syasku tells
me no one has come to the view pane since his last
interrogation and that we’re free to do as we please. He’ll
keep me covered, keep me protected.
He doesn’t understand.
Where is everyone? Even amid orgasms, I can’t help
wondering if we’re being watched at all.
When Muffin visits, I interrogate him with questions.
He says the lower castes are growing braver in their
demands, especially now that they have some higher caste
citizens on their side. People are losing money, couriers
have been driven into debt, and
businesses are failing, unable to ship or receive supplies.
Father has not lifted the travel ban despite the compounding
complaints of his citizens.
If what Muffin says is true, I think my father’s afraid of
losing control.
Right after Muffin leaves, the overhead lights darken as
they do to signify when the day shift ends and the night
begins.
They don’t return to normal, remaining dim, and
because of it the flickering stops entirely—for a time. It’s a
small reprieve from the headaches they were giving me, but
the questions continue in my head.
The longer no one comes for either of us, the more I
imagine they’re all dead. Father, Ursula, Pierce
Staring at the high ceiling, curled within the embrace of
Syasku’s tail and arms, his lulling hiss stops working and
sleep escapes me. He massages my neck, shoulders, and
feet as he tries to pull my attention away from the lights.
When that doesn’t work, he buries his face between my legs
and forces my attention away, probing me and tasting me
until my hips buckle and I come. I’ve gripped his hair so
hard that I’ve pulled it out. His distractions work until we’re
both too exhausted to continue.
It’s during one of these quiet moments, after shuffling
through our duffle, that dread sinks into the pit of my
stomach like a rock. We’re almost out of water and it’s been
days, maybe longer, since Muffin’s last visit. Since anyone
has visited.
“We need to get out of here,” I announce, looking over
my shoulder at Syasku. He’s so attractive, his muscles
rippling every time he moves, that I have to swallow the
saliva in my mouth before I continue. “Before it’s too late.”
He stirs and leans forward, swiping my hair behind my
ear with his fingers. “Yessss, we do,” he agrees, his gaze
lazily shifting over me.
Turning toward him, I look around the room one more
time. I still haven’t found the cameras, but with everything, I
doubt anyone has the time to watch the feed. Determined, I
face him and narrow my gaze. “It’s time we try to escape.”
“What brought this on?” he asks, his tongue tasting the
air as he searches my face curiously. “This sudden urgency?”
Holding the blanket over my bare chest, I lean to the
side and reach for my clothes. “The lights aren’t returning
to normal, and no one has come for days. What if they’re all
dead?” I can’t keep the twinge of fear out of my voice. “The
Dreadnaut’s hallways span hundreds of miles. There are
anywhere between three to four million residents on board,
give or take how many are living around the core. If there’s
a revolt and the bridge is commandeered, whoever takes
over could lock down the ship and bar every door, stop every
elevator from working, and trap
whoever is left inside in a compartmentalized jail until
starvation takes us all. I don’t want to be here if that
happens.”
“Muffin would have told you if something like that were
happening.” “You trust him now?” I quip, slipping on my
shirt.
“Trust? No,” he muses, crossing his arms over his chest.
“But you do. That is enough for me right now. You are
enough for me, little human.”
Buttoning my pants, I reach for the duffle bag and pour
out the last of the water and rations onto the floor.
“Anything could be happening to Muffin. Someone could be
bribing him, threatening him in some way to lie to us. That
someone being Ursula,” I mutter dryly. “I trust him enough
to keep us alive for now. I’ve worked with him for six years,
and we were practically strangers for that entire time. But
the things we saw together ” I swallow. “He may pity us
right now, but I do not for a second believe he’ll sacrifice
his life, let alone his job, for either of us. People don’t
sacrifice for others based on pity alone.” I unwrap several
rations, handing them to Syasku. “Eat these. All of them.”
He flinches away from the food and hisses. “They are
disgusting. You are better off eating them. I will survive far
longer without them.”
I sigh. “No. You need them more. We’ll need your strength
now more than ever.” I place the bar in his hand. “I can’t do
the things you do. I can’t bend metal or kill a man with my
teeth. The most I’ll be able to help with is our route
through the ship, and I don’t need a lot of strength for
that.”
His lips twist as he scowls down at his hand, but his fingers
wrap around the bar. “I am fine. Your worry for me is
misplaced.”
I snort in disbelief. “No, you’re not. You’ve been chained
to this wall for months. You barely ingest anything except
water. The long hours of sex are beginning to exhaust you,
and I can barely smell your pheromones now—you’re not
producing any more seed. I know you’ve noticed. If we’re
going to make an escape attempt, we need to prepare as
best we can. Which means we need you strong.”
He leans forward and rises over me, cocking a brow.
“Your care for me is endearing, little human. Nesting is
supposed to be physically exhausting. If we were not tired,
we would still be fucking.”
Hearing him use a human curse word, especially one
like that to describe what we’ve been doing nonstop for
weeks, sends a blush scorching to my cheeks. I avert my
eyes before I get trapped in his increasingly intense gaze.
“Syasku, listen to me.” I point to the lights that are now so
low they encapsulate him in shadows. “You see how dim
they are? I can barely make out the color of your eyes
now,” I whisper. “The power supplying The Dreadnaut has
been halved, if not more. Do you understand what that
means?”
He’s silent.
 “If the ship’s power supply goes entirely, this room will
become our tomb. Now eat!” Pivoting away, I start to pace.
He hisses, frustration bleeding into the sound. “For you,
female, I will stomach anything.” Only his tone is filled with
annoyance.
Scowling at me, he brings the ration to his mouth and in
two bites swallows it whole. He picks up another, the disgust
on his face growing.
When there is only one left, he hands it to me. “Now you.”
I can barely stomach the rations myself, and the thought
of taking a single bite makes my own stomach revolt, but I
take it from him anyway and tear off a small bite.
“What do you suggest we do?” he asks, sliding his tail
around me while I eat.
“We wait for Muffin’s return. We’ll only have one shot at
this.” Excitement rushes through me, realizing there is no
going back after this. I lower my voice. “When he comes in,
I’ll push him toward you. Grab him and use him as a shield
when the guard comes in. Try not to hurt him, please. The
guard will be entirely focused on you, and when he’s in the
room, I’ll run out, close the door, and search for the control
panel, or anything we can use to release you from the
chains.” I take a deep breath, amazed I’m daring to say this
aloud as desperation fuels another plan. “If not that, I’ll
leave with Muffin to shower and—”
“No. You will not put yourself in danger. I will continue to
work on the bands—” he grasps for his collar “—or I will tear
this to sssshreds. We leave together or not at all.”
I shake my head. “You’ll cripple yourself doing that. We
both saw what happened when you tried to tear off the
band on your lower tail. You’ll bleed out, leaving a trail for
anyone to follow. If we’re lucky, security will be at a
minimum with what is happening elsewhere ”
“I would rather be crippled than have you leave and risk
being harmed. I do not want you out of my reach outside
this room. We will come up with another way, one where
you remain with me. I will not allow you to wander off
searching for something you have no idea where it is. Not
without me protecting you.”
“Syasku—”
“No!” he snaps, his eyes narrowing on me. “If I have to
chain you to me, I will, Vivian. We will wait until Urssssula
comes for me next. I have grown a tolerance to
tranquilizers. I have been feigning their effect for some time
now.”
“And the electrical prods?” I argue, my voice rising. “Do
you feign your reactions to them?”
“I will bear them. Pain is pain, and I have experienced
enough of it to pretend that it is worse than it issss. You
said I have weakened, and
I agree with you, I have. But not as much as you think.
They believe I am easier to corral, and that is something we
need them to believe.”
“You are, though,” I whisper. “It’s not a matter of belief
when it’s true.”
His hands ball into fists, and I look away. As I do, he
closes the distance between us, towering back over me,
anger encompassing his actions. “We wait for Urssssula to
release me, and when she does, we make our move. Then
and only then.”
“One of the soldiers will sound the alarm immediately,
and if someone happens to be watching us on a camera,
they could sound the alarm too. Even so, it could be weeks
before Ursula comes for you. The ship’s security is
dismantled now, but it might not be that way later. Can we
afford to wait? Muffin visits far more often.”
“We are waiting already, remember?”
Turning away before he snatches me against him, I take
another bite of the ration and wince, chewing through the
sticky texture and old meaty flavor of it. My stomach bends
when I swallow. As I force it down, Syasku pushes his
fingers under his collar and tugs at it. He hisses when the
collar shocks him. Even at half voltage, it’s too much.
“Why now? You have been plain about our chances of
escape from the beginning, believing the notion impossible.
Why now?” He yanks his arm forward, pulling more of his
chain out of the wall.
“I’m scared,” I tell him the truth, working through
another awful bite. “I don’t know what to expect anymore
and ” All the strength in my voice flees. “That frightens me.”
I have always known what is expected of me—what my
future holds. Not knowing has every muscle in my body
clenched tight in a way even endless orgasms can’t fix.
He holds out his hand and beckons me to take it. “Come
here.” His voice is free of frustration as he says it. Huffing,
I walk into his arms and rest my head against his chest,
foregoing his hand entirely.
“We will figure out a way to be free of this place.” His
hands settle on my back while he wraps his tail around me.
“We need to wait for the right moment.”
I rub my face against him, seeking comfort in his velvety
scales slipping over my cheeks. “What if that moment comes
and we miss it?”
“I will make certain that does not happen.”
I frown, wishing and wanting to believe him so badly it
hurts. If we were on Earth, I’d believe him wholly, but here,
on The Dreadnaut “Tell me something nice, something to take
my mind off of all of this. I need a distraction.”
He lowers us to the floor and as I straddle him, he wraps
his tail behind my back, tucking me into him. “My nest is
surrounded by clear
water and high grasses.” He begins petting my arms. “In
every direction, it is all you can see. When the grass sways
in a breeze, the ripples they create along the water’s
surface are mesmerizing. The water sparkles in the sunlight,
reflecting the blue skies and golden light from above. The
beauty of it can be stunning, making dawn and twilight
dangerous if caught unaware. There are no rations there.
Instead, there are fish to keep our bellies full.”
My brows furrow. “Fish?”
“Delicious creatures that live within the water—”
“Water creatures?” My belly churns. “How do they survive
without air?”
“They do not need to breathe.” He runs his hands over
me as he releases a sweetly soothing hiss that vibrates my
skin. Comforted, I rest against him until my belly churns
again.
Suddenly nauseated, my flesh prickles, and my throat
clamps. I push off him and bend over the side of his tail,
puking up the ration. His arms wrap around me as I gag,
gasping for air, briefly losing the ability to breathe. My
stomach twists further.
“Are you okay?” He tries to make me face him, but I pull
away and climb off his tail, coughing until my eyes water
and snot drips from my nose. “Vivian?” I hear the fear in his
voice as he reaches for me again.
Wiping the back of my hand across my nose, I blink
away the tears only to gag when I catch sight of the
discarded ration wrappers. “I’m going—” I gasp, bending
over once more. I grip my knees and hold my breath. When
the nausea subsides, I hug my middle as my whole body
trembles, the prickles returning to my skin. Lowering to the
floor, I curl into a fetal position. Hovering beside me,
Syasku shields me with his body, placing a blanket over me.
He uses another to clean up my vomit. “Tell me what you
need. Do you need water?”
I shake my head. “The ration made me sick, that’s all.” I
groan. “Maybe it was expired. I’ll be fine soon.”
He pets my hair back. “Resssst then.”
“We need to come up with a plan,” I whisper.
“Soon,” he hums, pulling me back against him. “For now,
you must recover.”
Petting my hair back once more, he purrs as I stare at
the door, more afraid than ever. I’ve never felt ill after a
ration before. I’ve eaten many of them in my lifetime. Why
would one make me sick now?
Nausea is a sign of pregnancy.
I squeeze my eyes closed when my belly rolls again,
terrified by the thought.
 TWENTY-SIX
A LITTLE TOO LATE

S Y A SKU

THE DOORS open several days later, and Muffin walks in with
Ursula. I did not believe I could ever be happy seeing them,
but as Vivian’s health dwindles and her nausea keeps
returning, I am eager for the supplies they will have
brought with them. We have very little left after Vivian
begged me to eat the last of our rations.
Ursula stops outside my reach, soldiers striding in after
her to flank her sides. Muffin waits by the door. For a split
second, I play out Vivian’s suggestion of escape and realize
it is futile, more so now that she has fallen ill.
Her eagerness for sex has faded into a quiet exhaustion.
Her mind is now often elsewhere. I try coaxing her to tell
me what is wrong, but she always gives me the same
answer.
She is worried about what is happening outside our cell,
and our chances of escape. Physically she is fine, and her
stomach’s sickness is just nerves.
Yet I hear the hesitance in her voice each time she tells
me this. And I know she is lying. Something more is on her
mind, something she is afraid of sharing with me, and the
more I pry, the more she shies away. Her scent has
changed, stealing the last traces of her sweet arousal from
the air to replace it with something less heady and delicious.
It is an odd scent, but it is just as enticing and addicting
as the one before. When she sleeps, I find myself pressing my
face between her legs
to breathe it in. I want to lap it up and discover the source
of this change but hold back, knowing she is not well.
As I take in Ursula’s appearance, I notice she has
changed too. The roots of her hair have turned dark,
bleeding mildly into the silver-gray of her tightly pulled
back hair. She appears healthier, and her normally pale
complexion has taken on some color with a smudge of pink
across her cheeks.
“What do you want?” I growl at her as I pull Vivian into
my arms protectively. She moans, slowly awakening. The
blanket wrapped tighter around her shoulders, she tries to
straighten and stand, but I do not let her, unnerved by the
abrupt shudder of her body.
Ursula drags her gaze from Vivian to me, and it is then
that I realize she is showing interest in her.
When our eyes lock, I scowl.
She does not answer me, instead choosing to scold us. “It is
natural to try and come up with an escape plan, but to forget
that I have also planned for such measures is a lapse in
judgment from both of you. As you know, Syasku, having tried
multiple times yourself, escape is impossible.”
So she is listening to us.
Vivian has often mentioned cameras, but we have never
found any.
Until now, I was uncertain if they existed at all.
Vivian’s face reddens. “Is that why you’ve come now? To
remind us that we’re at your mercy?” She wipes her face
once more on her sleeve as I support her body. If my
female is determined to show Ursula strength, then I will
lend her what is left of mine.
Ursula waves Muffin forward. “No, that is not why I’m
here, Vivian.” Ursula sighs like that’s obvious. “I have come
to collect Syasku. I have a gift for him.”
Vivian frowns and looks at me, her confusion adding to
my own. “A gift?”
“Yes. A gift.”
“We’ve been here for weeks ” Vivian murmurs, the worry in
her voice evident. It’s then I notice how pale she has become.
“And now you say you have a gift?” She eyes Ursula warily,
her grip tightening on my arm. “What’s really happening?”
“He goes by the name Asera.”
I stiffen as my confusion morphs into something else.
Asera? Staring at Ursula, my gaze narrows, searching her
face for treachery. It has been a long time since I have
thought about the red-bellied naga who shares my territory,
and to hear his name now it makes no sense.
“Who is Asera?” Vivian asks.
 I hesitate, my hands fisting, because if what Ursula says
is true, and Asera is here “He is a naga, one I saved long
ago when he was no more than a child,” I tell Vivian,
keeping my eyes on Ursula. “He is here?”
If he is here I can only imagine the horrors he has faced.
My chest tightens. I care for the tailless naga and thought
he was safe in the wetlands. The waters are deep and the
grass is tall, and there are plenty of places to hide from
ships.
Ursula cocks her head at me. “He would like to see you,
Syasku. He’s waiting.”
I straighten, pulling Vivian against me. “I will not leave
Vivian.” “Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice.” Ursula
sighs again like she
knows she is in for a fight. “Vivian needs a medical
checkup, so why not catch up with your friend while she is
tended to?”
Vivian shifts against me, her attention on Ursula. “You can
check me over right here, right, Muffin?” She faces where he
stands by the door. “As you can see, I’m doing fine. I won’t
leave Syasku.”
“I know you’ve been sick.”
Ursula and Vivian’s eyes clash and Vivian’s cheeks flush
red. Something about the fear in Vivian’s eyes and Ursula’s
sharp gaze fills me with concern.
“And here I thought I was being kind, giving you two all
the time in the world to fuck.” Ursula keeps Vivian pinned
with an ice cold glare. “I could tell your father that you wish
him dead. I could also give him the footage of your exploits
here. Treason and embarrassment await you if you refuse to
cooperate.” Her eyes shift to me. “We have a deal,
remember? If you refuse, she goes. If you refuse, I will
punish Asera in your stead. Now, you can come willingly, or
we can make it painful. I hate wasting my time making
threats you should already know exist.”
My grip on Vivian tightens as her small amount of
strength wanes. She glances back at me, her expression
worried, and I cannot help the growl that tears from my
mouth, forced, once again, to go against my instincts.
Looking back at the two females, it is clear they know
something I do not. And that infuriates me.
Turning in my arms, Vivian leans up to place her mouth
by my ear. “Go. I’ll be alright. I know this place and these
people better than you do, and above anything—” her voice
lowers further “—we need to get you out of these chains.”
Facing her, I cup her cheeks. “I will not be separated
from you. Not for Asera, not for anything. We are in the
middle of nesting, and if they touch you, I will kill them. I
will kill all of them.”
 “Is that a promise?” She lets loose a small laugh but it does
not reach her eyes.
She continues before I can respond, her voice barely above
a whisper. “I need you to stay alive, more than anything,
even more than being here with you. I don’t want to see
you hurt again. If we don’t do as she says, she will hurt you,
and I won’t be able to bear it.”
“And I cannot bear you being outside of my protection,
even if it means I die. What are you not telling me?” I grit,
knowing something was amiss all along. “What changed your
mind?”
She averts her eyes and pulls her arm out of my grip to
wipe at her face. “Syasku, please. Nothing is wrong I’m just
feeling sick, that’s all. Muffin will check me over, give me
some medicine, and I’ll be fine.”
She is very clearly lying to me.
I clasp her shoulders with my hands, my fingers digging
into her skin. “No.”
Vivian’s brows furrow. “Yes.”
“Enough of this,” Ursula barks. “Tase him!”
Vivian twists, horror widening her eyes. She throws out
her arms to shield me as I try to yank her back. “No!”
The soldiers move forward.
“Stop! Please, you don’t need to hurt him! We’ll do as you
say—just don’t hurt him!”
Ursula raises her hand, and the soldiers stop. “Then get
on with it.
You have thirty seconds or he gets tased.”
A furious hiss leaves my mouth, and Vivian yanks on my
arm, forcing me to face her. “Do what she says,” she begs, her
voice sharp with fear. “We knew this was going to happen.
Please!” She leans up and presses her mouth to mine,
mouthing her pleas on my lips. “I need you to be strong,
remember? Be strong.”
Slowly I release her and she quickly steps away. “This isn’t
about me, remember? It’s about you. I’ll be okay. You’re the
one they care about, not me. I’ll be here when you return.”
Why do I not believe her? What am I missing?
Muffin leaves the door and walks toward Vivian, pointedly
refusing to look at me. I bare my fangs.
Feeling helpless and furious, I turn my attention to Ursula.
She shakes her head. “She will be fine, I assure you. The
only threat against her in all of this was you.” Then she
calls out to the males between us. “Tranquilize him and
bring in the gurney. Double the normal dosage, we know
he’s growing tolerant of them. I don’t trust him to come
with us willingly.”
Vivian cries out and tries to rush in front of me, but
Muffin catches her arm and drags her back. “Stop! He’ll
come willingly!”
 The last thing I see is my reflection in the mirror as they
drop me to the floor, electricity seizing me from the inside
out. My teeth grit and I roar, bringing my hands to my face.
Needles are shot into every part of me, flooding me with
their poison. Vivian’s scent fades as my sizzling hide
consumes it, and all I can think of is her words as painful
darkness closes in.
I have become weak.
I never should have listened, never should have
let her go. And now it is too late.
 TWENTY-SEVEN
OLD FRIENDS AND THOUGHTS OF ESCAPE

S Y A SKU

I ROUSE, once again finding my body bound to a chair from

the neck down. The darkness drifts away from the edges of
my vision as I wake, blinking out the dryness of my eyes.
Everything burns.
My fingers twitch but can do no more. Blinking some
more, I do not know how long I have been out. Slowly my
gaze sharpens, and awareness returns as forms appear
around me. My fingers jerk further, telling me that
whatever drugs the humans have filled me with are
wearing off and I will be able to move soon. Grazing my
tongue over my fangs, I look around as my eyes finish
adjusting to the dim light.
“Good. You’re finally waking up,” Pierce’s thundering
voice fills my ears.
My eyes land on Asera, who is in a similar chair across a
metal table from me. I am momentarily surprised to see
him, having forgotten all about him, my focus having been
entirely on Vivian before I was tranquilized.
Pierce stands beside and behind him, while Ursula is
nowhere to be seen. In the corner, by the door, is a single
armed soldier.
My attention shifts back to Asera as he eyes me, and
much like me, there are bands around his arms with hooks
for chains, but unlike me, he is not bound to his seat and he
wears no collar. And with half of his tail missing, he does
not have a band there either. He is free.
Free. The word is bitter in my thoughts. My attention
briefly shifts back to the soldier by the door, knowing
Vivian is somewhere on the
other side, waiting for me to be returned to her.
Be strong.
An angry hiss threatens to leave my throat, feeling the
tightness of my collar more than usual. My arms jerk
against their restraints as I try to grab it and tear it off.
There is a projection of a landscape on the table between
Asera and I where lakes, mountains, forests, and plains can
be viewed from above. It is a map of home.
My gaze drifts back up to Asera, who appears entirely too
calm. “You have been caught,” I croak, finding my throat as
dry as sand. “How?”
He is slow for a naga, not having the full use of a tail,
and his coloring stands out, but he would not put himself in
a position that he could not wiggle out of. He knows his
weakness and accounts for it with cunning and
forethought. Even I did not need to teach him this, knowing
full well what his broken body meant in terms of his survival.
Across from me now, he is an adult male naga and has
been for many seasons. But I can still see the child he once
was, the frightened small creature I had saved.
I do not like that he is here.
He shifts and looks at Pierce as if for confirmation to
speak. When the male waves his hand, Asera faces me
again.
My nostrils flare.
He narrows his eyes, knowing full well I do not approve
of his submission to the human male.
“After you vanished,” he says, his voice thick, “I learned
of your capture from the Boomslang. He invaded your nest,
searching for you, instead finding me. I did not believe him
when he said a ship had captured you. But then more and
more ships appeared, flying over the wetlands, closing in
more each day. I sought the Boomslang in his territory, but
by the time I got there, it had been claimed by humans and
he was nowhere to be found. I could not deny the
possibility any longer. You once saved me, and as the ships
encroached our territory, I decided it was time to repay my
debt or die trying. If you had been captured, I would have
them take me as well.”
“You let them take you?” I growl.
He does not blink. “I let them take me.”
“So that is why you are unbound. They trust you,” I
accuse. “No. I am unbound for other reasonssss,
Syasku.”
I hiss, my lips twisting into a disgusted scowl. If he had
stayed put, I would be with Vivian right now. “And what are
those? Do not tell me you are working with them?”
Pierce taps his fingers on the table, momentarily
stealing my attention. “Asera here is willing to do what you
have so often refused,
snake,” he curses the word. “Had you not attacked and
killed my men upon your arrival, your circumstances here
could have been different. You have fought us every chance
that has been given, and for that, you needed to be put in
your place like the mockery you are.”
“You attacked first,” I spit out, reminding him of his error.
Pierce’s jaw ticks. “Whether you accept it or not doesn’t
matter. You still killed my men, and because of that, under
Sovereign Law, we are allowed to defend ourselves. That
you are a new species, one they are only now hearing about
is the only reason you still live. Sovereign’s Laws protect
you as well.”
Asera’s eyes flick to Pierce. “We care nothing for your
laws,” he snaps. “Threatening death is not part of our
bargain. He is to be released, and I will take his place.”
I move to speak but pause, confused. “My place?” I look
between Asera and Pierce with narrowed eyes.
Pierce cracks his neck. “Asera has offered to be a
delegate for your kind when the Sovereign’s officials arrive.
He has already proven his loyalty by directing us toward
the technology we seek. We are recovering those relics as
we speak. He is a willing participant in Dr. Ursula’s
research. And for his allegiance and expertise, you get your
freedom.”
I hear Pierce’s words and yet they seem so far off. No
longer fighting my bonds, I glance between them. My gaze
settles on Asera as I try to understand why he would
sacrifice his freedom for mine. “Why?” I ask.
The red-bellied naga places his clawed hands on the table
as he leans forward. “I owe you my life. If you had not saved
me from that fallen tree, I would have died. With half of my
body missing, I can do more here than I ever could on
Earth.” His blood red eyes drop to his hands. “I have been
in hiding for as long as I can remember. I have never met
another of our kind besides you because of my impairment.
When the Boomslang appeared, I knew he would win if we
fought—any naga with a tail would. It has made me realize
how little I have to offer and how long I would be able to
survive without you.”
I do not like hearing Asera’s words. “You were a child,” I
say. “I do not seek repayment.” I encouraged his hiding for
his safety. For the youngling he once was, saving him
despite knowing nothing about him or his clan. He was
young and wounded, so I took him to my territory to
recover.
He never left.
Asera appeared shortly after my sisters left with the
other females, afraid they would die like their mother in
litter birth. “When the humans have what they want, what
then, Asera? You said so yourself, the Boomslang’s forest
has been taken. Do you think he gave it up
willingly? These humans will take more than a forest if that
is what suits them.”
“The land is ours,” Pierce interjects. “We have only
reclaimed what was once taken from us—”
The lights flicker, and Pierce’s words fade as everyone
looks up. A tense silence fills the room as Pierce waits and
watches them. After a minute, his mouth flattens and his
eyes drop.
“See? He admits it,” I growl, jerking forward at Asera.
He turns his face away. “It has already been decided.
You will be returned to Earth.”
If they return me to Earth, I will never see Vivian again.
I can’t let that happen. “Do you know what they have done
to me? What you are bargaining for? Who you think you can
trust?” My jaw clenches remembering the pain. “They have
stripped my skin and scales off. They have starved me,
beaten me, electrocuted, and bound me. They have
paralyzed and drugged me, stolen my blood, my strength,
and even my seed! You should have never left the wetlands.
Do you think you will be treated differently because you came
here by choice?”
Asera’s eyes close.
“What about Vivian?” I turn my attention to Pierce with
a growl. “She was given to me. I will not leave without her.
She will come with me. I have kept my end of the bargain.”
Pierce sits back, glancing at the lights again, and as he
does, I do too, frowning.
Vivian feared what the lights were doing, and now it
seems so does Pierce. Tension radiates up my spine,
recalling her words about the ship becoming a tomb. A male
like Pierce would not find something as simple as failing
lights to be unnerving if they were not.
“Syasku, let me do thissss—” Asera’s plea pulls my
attention away from Pierce.
Pierce interjects and the wariness he was exhibiting
moments ago is gone. “Her father will never let her go with
you. You were well aware that she could be taken from you
at any time. That time happens to be now.”
“My bargain was with Ursula, not with you.” I grip the
armrests with my hands, squeezing them. “Where is she?”
“You care about Ursula when I am offering you your
freedom? Don’t you want your gift?” Pierce cocks his brow,
scoffing as his gaze shifts to Asera then back to me. “I
would think you would be happy with the circumstances
being offered here.”
Happy? I do not even know what that feels like. “Vivian is
mine.” Rage simmers in my veins. “You would be better off
killing me then trying to release me without her.”
 Pierce settles his back against the wall with a look of
disdainful amusement on his face. I want nothing more
than to claw it off and feed it to him. “All the more reason
she should stay here. You have taken my men’s lives, it is
only fair I take something from you.”
“You were willing to let her be used by me. Killed by me.
Ravaged,” I remind him, swiping my tongue across my fangs
once more. “You do not care about her. Why not let me keep
her?”
He could be done with us both. If he released both of us,
I would take back my vow to kill him.
For now.
“Ursula is not finished with her. You, on the other hand,
have nothing left that Asera here can’t give us.” Pierce
straightens away from the wall. “Finish saying what you
need to say to each other. You will be on a ship to Earth
before the end of the shift.” He turns to the soldier by the
door but pauses. “Be thankful, Syasku, that this decision
isn’t up to me, because if it were you would already be
dead.”
Asera hisses out a growl, clearly displeased at Pierce’s
words. Unfazed, he strides to the door and takes the device
the soldier standing there hands him, raising it to his ear.
He speaks into it, giving someone orders, only partially
paying attention to us.
“I did not know you found a mate here,” Asera says, his
eyes still staring at his hands.
I look back at him, testing my restraints once more.
“Would that have changed anything?” I bite out.
He meets my eyes. “I Does it matter anymore?”
As much as it pains me to see him here, my anger
continues to simmer. “What have they offered you to stay
here with them? To help them, these people, who take and
only give back when it suits them? Did they torture you like
they have me, break you? Flood your veins with drugs? Did
they offer you a female too?”
He winces, and I have my answer. I inhale deeply,
searching for an unfamiliar feminine scent on him. Of all the
scents that could be wafting off of him, it is only Ursula’s I
smell. “Have you mated?” My voice lowers to a whisper.
His hands fist, and the muscles along his arms flex.
“Yessss.” He breathes the word like it is heaven.
I inhale again, confirming the only female smell coming
from him is Ursula’s. Disgust surges through me at the
thought, and my stomach shrivels. Sickened, I eye his
countenance sharply, finding him cowed.
Mating Vivian made me feel empowered, unbeatable. Not
cowed.
Sighing deeply, I feel sorry for him. “Then you should
know I would rather remain here or die than to be
separated from her. We are nesting, and she is out of my
sight, out of my reach. They will have to
drug me and scorch my bones with their weapons before I
willingly leave without her. I will not abandon my female.”
She has told me a little of what life has been like for her, her
research, her oppression.
“Syasku—”
“We will fight,” I suggest, growling at him. “The winner
stayssss.”
Asera’s gaze meets mine and his nostrils flare. “You know
you would win. I will not fight you.”
“Coward,” I hiss. “You have always been a coward.”
His face pales at my words. “I was not told about her,
but it does not make a difference—I will not fight a losing
battle. I will not risk my mate any more than you would
yourssss.”
“Then you have failed what you have come here to do. I
will not go willingly,” I threaten.
His chest expands and he releases an angry hiss. “What
would you have me do?”
I eye his free hands, and the rest of his unbound body.
The bands around his arms mean nothing if they are not
used. Pierce continues talking into the device in his hand,
and except for the soldier, who watches us, they both
remain on the other side of the room and by the door.
I look at Asera. “Release me.”
He shifts uncomfortably as he glances at Pierce and
the soldier. “It is too risky.”
“His life will make us even,” I lower my voice, nodding at
Pierce. “I will have vengeance for what has been done to me.
His spine will do.”
“Ursula will not forgive me—”
“Ursula? Your deranged female? Mine is sick and waiting
for me to return to her!”
Asera jerks forward, baring dripping fangs. I match his
ferocity, blood racing through my veins, making my heart
thunder. I can taste death in the air, feel it at my fingertips.
We stare at each other, and all I can do is scowl, trapped
while he is free. The circumstances of how we met, coming
back full circle. “I freed you once. Now it is your time to
free me. If you do not do this, you will have to live with the
burden of my death after trying so hard to prevent it.” I
cannot help being cruel. He is a naga and cruelty is second
nature to us.
He closes his eyes, and the tension in his muscles grows
as veins bulge from his arms. Every moment he takes to
decide is a moment I lose. A hiss of impatience releases from
my throat.
His eyes snap open. “Be fasssst, Syasku, faster
than them.” The armrests I have been squeezing
are released. “I will.”
 He lunges across the table and tears at the bond on my
right hand, then my left, freeing them in seconds.
Yanking my arms free of the chair, I shoot across the
room just as the soldier’s mouth parts open in warning.
Reaching Pierce just as he turns to look, I pin him to the
wall, sinking my teeth into his neck and tearing it out.
Blood sprays across the room, splashing my face as my
head falls back in bliss. Clamping my teeth down on his
torn-out trachea, it shatters in my mouth.
Turning on the soldier, I spit the gristle into his face and
smile.
 TWENTY-EIGHT
EMPTY CHAINS

S Y A SKU

I FLING Pierce’s body across the room.

Advancing on the soldier, I back him against the door.
With small strips of Pierce’s flesh sloshing down his face, I
grab the soldier’s head between my hands and twist.
Snapping noises fill my ears as I continue twisting until his
head is facing the wrong direction. I throw his convulsing
body to the floor. It smacks the ground with a thud and
ceases to move.
I inhale, sucking the bloody air into my lungs, satisfaction
filling me to the brim. Shuddering with pleasure from such a
long-awaited kill, my gaze finds Asera. It is almost as good
as being inside Vivian, her sheath milking my knot with
desperation. Almost.
“Join me,” I offer Asera, who remains at the table, his
fists curled before him. He watches my violence with a
blank expression. “Join me and I will spare Urssssula. We
will be free of this place together.”
“No.”
I lick the blood off my fingers as I move to Pierce’s corpse
and look down at him. More blood gushes from his neck to
spill across the floor. “Why?”
“Because you will not survive what you are setting out to
do. You will not get far, Syasku. I have seen more of this
ship than you have. It is a maze of metal and nothing like
home. It is dark and bleak and sad.”
 I pay him no mind. Snatching the little black device that
controls my collar from Pierce’s front pocket, I crush it, my
satisfaction exhilarating and delicious. Next I steal Pierce’s
door card and break the human’s weapons, leaving them in
a pile atop of their bodies, save for a knife.
“You are a coward,” I announce, pushing the knife’s blade
under the band around the lower part of my tail. Sawing in
hard cleaves, not caring that the blade stabs into my flesh,
I work through the leather until I reach the embedded barb
ring. With the metal exposed, I slip my fingers around it and
yank with both hands.
I grunt with pain as the barbs slip out from my skin. I
pull harder until I hear a snap. The metal ring rents in two.
After sawing the rest off I am finally free of the horrid
restraint. It leaves behind nearly three hand spans of white
flesh and shriveled scales dotted by a ring of bleeding
wounds where the barbs were.
“I am choosing to keep my promise,” Asera hisses,
remaining at the table as I work.
Panting in an elated breath, and with my tail free at last,
I coil it under me, working muscles that have remained
fixed for far too long. “You will die here. That is what awaits
you if you stay.”
Next, I slide the knife under my collar and start sawing
anew. But the leather is too thick and my knife is unable to
cut it off. Tossing the knife, I leave the collar in place.
“Yessss, I may, but I would have died on Earth just as
easily. Here, I am feared and mated. Two things I thought
impossible.”
I look at him, understanding dawning on me. “So be it,
Asera. I wish you well for as long as you live.”
He turns his face away, and having nothing left to say, I
head for the door.
“Take the soldier’s gun,” Asera calls
after me. I pause and look back. “I
destroyed it.”
“They will not know that. If you come across more
humans, aim the weapon at them. It will make them stop
long enough to give you an opening.”
I consider his advice, finding it sound. Returning to the
corpses, I grab the broken gun. “Thank you, old friend.”
“Goodbye, older friend.”
When I am done, I return to the door and pull it open.
The locking mechanism lifts automatically, and I peer
outside. The corridor is empty and the lights are low,
casting the hallway in shadows. Pricking my ears for any
telltale sounds, all I hear is the airflow from the vents
above.
I smell everyone. Ursula, Pierce, Asera, even Vivian, and
the male who supplies us, Muffin, as well as a few of
the guards. They
intermingle as I head left and to the hallway’s end where
my cell is located. The door between me and the room does
not open as easily as the last.
Lifting Pierce’s card to the door’s panel, I hear a click.
Pushing it open, I meet the eyes of the soldier on the other
side. I push the door the rest of the way open and shoot
forward. His body drops, broken and crushed beneath mine
before his next breath.
With Pierce’s card still in my grip, and his blood trickling
down my cheeks, I swipe the card to the door to my cell.
Adrenaline coursing feverishly through my veins, I rush in
when the locking mechanism sounds, eager to see Vivian
and make our escape.
“Female—” my voice drops, discovering the room is empty.
No blankets, no bag, no food, and no Vivian. Just a large
square space with three metal sides and a wall of reflective
glass.
Our nest is gone.
Grabbing the edge of the door, I slam it into the wall,
releasing some of my bloodlust as I try to understand why
Vivian and our supplies are gone.
Gone.
Be strong.
My face wrenches.
I knew something was wrong the moment I realized
Ursula was more interested in her than me. Slamming the
door once more, I turn to the dead soldier on the floor
outside, realizing I may have killed the only human who
might know where Vivian was taken.
Pressure fills my head, venom my fangs. Rage grows in
my chest, expanding it. I lash out again, swinging my tail
outward, crushing the soldier’s body into a pulp until there
is nothing left except a pool of blood. Calming slightly, I
return to the corridor where I scented Vivian amongst the
others. She is near.
We are on a ship, after all. I just have to find her.
The doors on the other end of the corridor open and two
soldiers appear. They pause at the sight of me, and using
their surprise to my advantage, I spring down the hall
straight for them. One yells as they both raise their
weapons. Bullets ring as they hit the walls, some pelting me
as I close the distance. I tackle the first to the ground,
while wrapping my tail around the other.
The other screams as I squeeze him until his body
snaps. “Where is sssshe?” I yell into the soldier’s
face beneath me.
White skin and wide, terror-stricken eyes meet mine.
“Who? Don’t— don’t kill me—”
“Where is
Vivian?” “I
don’t know—”
 I break his neck and slide off of him. Loosening my
fingers, I crack my knuckles, ready for the next. It does not
matter to me who these soldiers are. To me, they are all
Pierce, and need to die.
I hear the door open again. Another appears, but when
he sees me he stumbles back out of the room. Chasing after
him, I grab his nape, pull him back into the corridor, twist
him, and pin him to the wall. “Where is Vivian?” I roar.
He shouts for help, and annoyed, I slam my fist into his
skull before he can shout again.
I hear more soldiers arrive just as a wailing, piercing
sound rings in my ears. Around me the dim lights turn red.
The soldiers raise their weapons as I lift Pierce’s broken
one, using their hesitancy to clear the distance, barreling
into them. Two of them fly back through the door they just
emerged from.
“Where is Vivian?” I shout, my voice scaling with the
rage that has been festering within me. Pain erupts in my
shoulder, and I snap around, seeing more humans turn a
corner on the stairs on the other side.
I throw the third soldier at him and shut the door,
bracing against it as the opening mechanism clicks in their
attempt to enter. Bodies, blood, and flashing red lights
surround me. Eyeing the numerous doors up and down the
corridor, I have no idea which one to go for.
The pounding worsens on the door.
A chime sounds, catching my attention. It’s coming from
at the end of the hallway where I killed the previous
soldiers. Two metal doors slide open and disappear into the
walls on either side, revealing a single male whose eyes
widen, taking in the dead bodies on the floor.
He looks up and our eyes catch.
“Syasku,” Muffin chokes out. “You’re free.” He shuffles
back and into the wall.
Still holding the door behind me closed, I turn and slam
Pierce’s gun into the panel. Sparks fly as the glass shatters,
and I drop the gun, having no more use for it.
Knowing time is limited, I lunge down the corridor and
descend upon Muffin. “Where is sssshe?” I snarl, backing
him into the corner of the small square room.
He swallows, the ball of his throat moving up and down,
the red lights shifting over his frightened features. He
raises both hands in a sign of mercy. “She—she was taken to
her father.”
Her father
The alpha.
I snap at him. “Take me to her,” I order, clamping my
hand around his neck and holding him in place.
 “I—I can’t.”
“You will,” I warn, leaning into his face and breathing over
it.
The door with the broken panel bursts open and forced
to release Muffin, I turn back around. Soldiers rush into the
hallway, this time carrying shields. “Surrender or die!” one
of them shouts as they get into position and move toward me
as one.
Muffin drops out of sight, hiding from the soldier’s view.
Peering around at the small space, there is no other way
out except the way I came in.
“Surrender with your hands up!” another shouts.
With no clear escape, I haul Muffin in front of me.
Circling my hand back around his neck, I press against the
wall, using his body as a shield. Under my palm, Muffin
shakes.
“I can take you to her,” he says so low I barely hear him.
“Don’t shoot!” he yells to the soldiers as they continue to
approach.
“You know where she issss?” I hiss down at Muffin.
He nods. “I-I-I can help you. Just don’t kill me. I don’t
like what’s happening here anymore than you do.”
“Help me?” I curl my hand harder around his neck.
“How?” “You’ll have to trust me.”
I sink the tips of my shortened claws into his weathered
skin. “Release him!” someone shouts.
Muffin coughs, frozen except for his shaking. “If you want
to see her again, you’ll have to do what I say.”
“You will take me to her?” I rasp. Smelling Vivian on
him, I realize he was with her not that long ago. Scales
bristling, my claws press deeper.
“I’ll try.” He wheezes his next breath then lifts a hand to
indicate another panel beside the door. “Use your tail and
press the buttons next to the door. The right one will close
it.”
There are dozens of buttons, all of which are numbered
or labeled.
None are familiar.
Swiping them all at once, there is a short pause as they
flash with color. The room rattles and the doors start
sliding closed. One of the soldiers dashes forward to stop it,
throwing his body in the way, stopping the doors. Two
more rush us after. I push Muffin aside as I swipe my tail at
them, knocking all three back. They topple, and the doors
begin sliding closed again.
Just as it shuts, I spy Ursula behind the soldiers,
standing beside Asera. She lifts her hand and points a black
device toward me.
My hands reach for my collar, but it is too late.
Electricity surges through me, sending me to the
ground, igniting every fiber of my body with intense,
excruciating pain. Burning flesh fills
my nose as sizzling sounds flood my ears. Muffin’s face is the
last thing I see before I feel my eyes igniting and everything
goes black.
 TWENTY-NINE
SCANNING, SCANNING, SCANNING…

V IVIA N

URSULA DOESN’T LEAVE with Syasku; instead, she remains

behind with Muffin and one of the soldiers. Unsteady on my
feet, I wait for her to tell me what she wants so I can be
alone again. I need some time to think. Walking up to me,
she scans me over, and even gives me a sniff. I flinch from
the blatant distaste etched across her expression. I cross my
arms over my chest, uncomfortable with her perusal.
Does she know? My stomach flips, threatening to upend
from the thought.
I never breathed a word about it to Syasku. If I am
pregnant, I’m the only one who should know unless she’s
been watching me closely enough to see the signs. Signs
I’ve been trying hard to hide.
“Not only have you been sick, you’re also a mess.” She taps
her chin as her eyes travel my body.
I grimace, peering down at my wrinkled white slacks
and shirt. Stains mark the cloth, as well as Syasku’s dried
seed. “I know.” I’m okay with it.
She reaches up and takes a strand of my hair between
her fingers, now eyeing the blanket I have drawn over my
shoulders, the edges clutched tight in my hands. “Muffin
says you haven’t been leaving to take a shower. Why?”
“I didn’t want to leave Syasku,” I answer honestly,
suspecting she’s heard everything Syasku and I have spoken
about anyway.
“Or is it that he doesn’t want you to leave him?” She lifts a
brow.
 “He worries about me, and given the circumstances, he
should,” I quip.
She circles me, and it’s then I realize she’s not wearing a
mask. “He’s possessive. I know. It’s in his nature.”
“You do?” I turn to watch her.
If I am pregnant I don’t want her to know. But I don’t
have a choice in the end, knowing I’m at her mercy. And if I
am she was always going to find out eventually. Part of me
just wants to confess now and get it over with, while
another another wants to run.
“I have dealt with something similar recently. They are
interesting, these nagas.” She puts her finger under my
chin and lifts it, studying me. “You might be dirty, but you
appear healthy overall. He hasn’t hurt you. Muffin, come
take her vitals.” She drops her hand and steps to the side as
Muffin joins us. He takes my wrist and begins to check my
temperature and then my heart rate.
Hearing blood racing in my ears, my palms dampen with
sweat.
“Her blood pressure and heart rate are unusually high,”
he announces when he’s done.
Taking back my arm, I cross both over my chest again,
hiding within the blanket. “I’m fine.”
Ursula walks away and examines Syasku’s and my
abandoned pile of dirty blankets. She shifts through them
with her boot, appearing to be searching for something. “You
vomited recently. Several times. Why?”
“One of the rations had gone bad. That’s all.”
“Interesting.” Giving the pile a final glance, she strides for
the door.
My shoulders sag and some of the pressure lifts. She’s
going to let me be.
Ursula pauses at the threshold and I stiffen. “Come,
Vivian, we can’t have you being sick. Muffin, you too.”
Muffin and I share a look before he follows after her. My
feet don’t move and I stay planted where I am. The last
thing I want to do is leave with her, especially since I do feel
sick, and I believe she suspects I might be pregnant.
Because I’m suspecting the same thing.
I peer around the room a final time. The view pane, the
muted lights above, Syasku’s empty chains. The floor is
covered in blankets on our side and there are wrappers in a
pile by my waste bucket by the pane. As terrible as it is, the
room has become my home.
“Vivian, come!” Ursula snaps.
I jerk, and seeing one of the soldiers start heading
toward me, I rush out of the room, bypassing him out the
door. The blanket skirts around my feet as I keep it clutched
around me. “I don’t have shoes on.”
Ursula waves me off.
 Having no choice, I follow her, shifting closer to Muffin as
we walk. She leads us down the same corridor Muffin takes
me to when I shower.
There are no numbers or signs on the walls. Still, I take
everything in with desperate memorization. Stopping briefly
at the end of the hall, Ursula pulls out a keycard. A set of
doors open to reveal an elevator waiting for us on the other
side.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask as she waves me
forward to enter first.
“To medical to make sure you’re not
sick.” “I told you I’m not sick
anymore.”
Ursula levels a cold look at me, and I know she’s done
talking to me. Not wanting to risk angering her, I watch the
elevator doors close.
I’m not a fighter, soldier, or a warrior. I’ve never been in
a physical altercation with anyone in my life, but as the
elevator hums beneath me, my mind focuses on the guard’s
gun positioned at his belt. It would be so easy to reach out,
grab it, aim it at Ursula’s head, and demand mine and
Syasku’s freedom—if I knew how to use a gun.
But as one minute turns into several and the elevator
doesn’t stop, I start to panic. We should’ve arrived at the
medical bay by now.
The numbers on the panel switch colors, indicating a sector
change.
Glancing at the others, no one looks concerned. Only
Muffin seems to be uncomfortable, tapping his foot on the
floor.
Drawing my attention back to it, the sector lights on the
elevator’s panel switch again, going from green to yellow to
purple. Purple: the color for the bridge, flight deck, and
upper caste housing units. I stare, heart pounding, waiting
for the color to switch once more, but it doesn’t. Instead, the
elevator stops.
As the doors open, the soldier moves behind me.
“Where are we going?” I whisper again, a sinking feeling
growing in the pit of my stomach.
No one answers.
We enter an open atrium filled to the brim with trees and
sculptures on pedestals. The people nearby are all dressed
nicely, laughing and talking. Hallways break off from the
atrium to lead to other parts of the ship. Across from us, a
large elevator awaits, surrounded by guards. Knowing what
the elevator is, I hesitate.
It leads to a place I thought I would
never go. Father’s quarters.
People stare at us as we pass through. Barefoot and
huddled under my blanket, I don’t look like someone who
belongs here. Far from it. I’m the only dirty thing in the
entire room, every inch of me marked by Syasku in some
way. I can smell him on my skin, my clothes, and even the
blanket.
 The guards let us through to the elevator. The atrium
disappears beneath us as we ascend. When the elevator
stops, we step out into another much smaller atrium with
two other elevators on either side. Across from us is a pair
of gold-rimmed double doors. The soldier trailing me
remains behind as Ursula scans her card and leads us
through the doors.
My father’s home is exactly as I imagined: lavish,
excessive, and rich. Across a room of marble floor and plush
furniture is the largest outlook to space I have ever seen.
Awed by the moon and stars, I falter, briefly forgetting
what’s happening and the other beautiful things in the room
around me.
Muffin gently clasps my elbow. “Come, Vivian.”
He leads me down a hallway directly to our right. Ursula
is already waiting for us at the end where she stands at the
open threshold to another room. Letting us through, I look
around to find myself in a hospital room, much like the ones
in the medical bay. State-of-the-art medical machinery lines
the room from wall to wall. None of it Yulen. In the middle of
the space, a nurse is waiting for us. She takes in my state
of disarray with a purse of her lips.
“Are you ready?” she asks, reaching her hand
out to me. I stare at her.
“She’s ready,” Ursula snaps. “Get her in the machine.”
“Wait what?” The nurse takes my other arm. “What are
you doing?” She and Muffin lead me to a podule ultrasound
machine that’s up against the back wall. Terrified of what
Ursula might find with a scan, I tear my arm free from the
nurse. Muffin lets me go. “You can’t do this. I’m not getting
in that machine.”
The blanket falls off me as I bolt for the door.
The nurse grabs me, stopping me in my tracks. Hauling
me back, she pushes me toward the machine where Muffin
retakes hold of my other arm. “It’ll be okay, Vivian,” he says,
trying to placate me.
I dig my feet into the ground but it makes no difference.
“I don’t want to do this! Take me back to Syasku.” I
struggle harder as I’m tugged closer to the machine. “I
won’t do this!”
“If you don’t, they’ll force you,” Muffin huffs, barely
keeping his hold on me. “You know this. Do it for Syasku’s
sake, if not yours.” I yank my arms out of his and the
nurse’s grip and twist around, bolting for the door again.
Ursula is standing in front of it.
Throwing me a look of annoyance, she pulls a needle out
of her lab coat’s front pocket.
“No!”
 The nurse retakes my arm as Ursula glides forward and
stabs me in the neck, injecting me with whatever she’d put
in it. Pushing her away, I tear the needle out just as my
veins start to burn. The room begins to spin and, feeling
faint, Muffin catches me before I fall. My strength
diminishes as my head fills with fog, and I sag into his arms.
“No,” I breathe the word, but the fight leaves me when a
sweet numbness takes hold.
I’m hauled onto a bed and strapped down. Not caring
what is happening, the panic within me now entirely gone, I
look around, barely able to lift my head, let alone my arms.
The nurse cleans my arm with a cloth and injects me with
contrast material. I smile as I watch her.
I see Father enter the room out of the corner of my eye.
Not even glancing my way, he heads straight for Ursula.
“Father?” I chirp, my voice breathy and sharp.
Muffin moves to stand in front of me, blocking my view.
I blink at him and his blurry face. “I want to see my
father,” I whisper. “Can you move?”
“You’ll see him soon.” He rests his hand gently on my
brow, worry clouding his eyes. “You’ll be okay, I promise. I
promise,” he says again like it’s now up to him to keep me
safe. He takes my hand with his free one and squeezes it.
Confused by his actions, my brow wrinkles.
Over the next couple of minutes, I fade in and out, losing
focus on my surroundings. Eventually a bright white light
blots my vision, and I’m forced to shut my eyes.
“Everybody except Ursula leaves!” Father
orders. My body jerks in reaction.
Reopening my eyes, Muffin’s still in front of me. His
hand squeezes mine once more.
I search his face as my world swirls, but it remains
blurry and out of focus. All I know is that I don’t want him
to leave. I want him to stay. At the same time it becomes
harder to think a coherent thought. Feeling heavy yet
weightless, I try to stop the spinning in my head before it
makes me fall.
He releases my hand and I try to hold on. “Don’t go.
Please don’t go.” But his fingers slip from mine.
He walks out of the room without looking back. Watching
him leave, I remember I’m supposed to be afraid. Just as the
door shuts, my shirt is pulled up and something cold and wet
is rubbed over my stomach. I feel a hard pressure there,
sliding around.
“She’s pregnant, sir,” Ursula says, her tone grave.
Shifting my eyes from the door to the ceiling, the
spinning worsens. Pregnant.
I’m pregnant.
 I was right.
Syasku will be happy.
“That’s impossible. Could she have had intercourse prior?”
my father asks.
“No. We checkedand Muffin verified. She is untried in
such matters.”
“The childit looks
—” “Like one of
them.” “So it’s
true ”
“It seems so. Based on what we could retrieve from
Laura’s computer and the intel we’ve received from our
troops on Earth, as well as the rumors of what’s happened
to the women that have been traded, humans and nagas can
procreate.”
“This is unprecedented.” I can hear the scowl in Father’s
voice. “Their females die in labor. We can’t let that happen.”
“Naga females, not human females. And if something goes
wrong, we have the technology to abort the fetus whereas
they did not.”
Listening to them speak, even if it seems far away,
keeps me from falling unconscious. I focus on their voices
with every ounce of my willpower.
Father huffs. “Can you tell the gender?”
“Not yet, at least not until it has a chance to develop
further. Based on the size it is now, she is three months
along.”
“Three months? She hasn’t been with the naga
that long.” “Perhaps nagas gestate faster?”
There’s a short silence.
“How is this possible, Ursula?” Anger simmers Father’s words
and I’m glad they are not aimed at me. Even so, they make
me nervous. “Is this why you insisted the naga have a
woman with him? To breed? You were supposed to study
him, see how he ticks, find out his weaknesses, and get
answers from him, not fucking breed him! This is a military
colony ship, not a goddamn zoo!”
“Sir, you knew there was a possibility—”
“Possibility? The Sovereign has already launched several
ships, sending their best adjudicators. How are we
supposed to hide the evidence of an alien-human hybrid,
one born from my daughter?” His voice rises into a shout.
“What have you done?”
“What we’ve done, sir,” Ursula snaps. “This child, your
grandchild, will have Genesis-8 flowing through their veins.
Untapped power, at your disposal, for the taking. It’s
already working on me from the short amount of time I
have been with Asera. I’ve tried to contract the virus in less
messy ways, but it becomes unstable—”
 “Your obsession with these aliens is not the answer to the
Sovereign’s problem, let alone mine. We need something
useful now, not something potentially viable, through
breeding no less. We’re fighting a losing war! The Sovereign
doesn’t give a shit about fringe science.”
“Sir—”
“Shutup before I have you stripped and
thrown tothe core’s roaches.”
“If I may, sir—”
“You may not!”
“—Genesis-8 and your grandchild are exactly what you
need to solve your problems with Sovereign. They sent you
here in a desperate hope that there may be something on
Earth from the time before its fall to save us, and we’ve
found that! You’ve found that.”
“How in the hells do you think a virus helps us?” he bites
out.
“It helps us become stronger, more intelligent, and
durable, removing many of our natural weaknesses. It
allows us to heal and regenerate at the same rate as a
Lurker. If you want to win a war against a powerful enemy,
you have to circumvent our biggest obstacle—our inability
to defeat them.”
As I listen to them, I begin to think they’ve forgotten I’m
here. “How, Ursula, do you think we do that with this?”
Father waves his
hand over me.
“Genesis-8 gives us the opportunity to breed Lurker DNA into
us.” “Fucking babies. I hate babies. And the nagas, what of
them?” “They’re how we do it.”
“I’m not convinced of that.”
“My time with Asera has already produced positive results,
but there is still a significant amount of data still missing. I
need more time. Sir.”
“Of course there is,” he drawls. “Of course you do. Too
bad you don’t get any more time because I don’t have time
to give. Every day the roaches infesting the ship’s core grow
more demanding, taking larger risks. They need to be dealt
with before the adjudicators arrive because if they get what
they want, it will be chaos, and we’ll lose all control. I’ll
lose control. We don’t need another war on our hands. Get
this mess cleaned up and erase all the evidence of it—”
There’s a loud beeping sound that cuts him off. It’s all I
hear until it grows distant like everything else. Afterward
there’s a brief silence.
Father curses about an emergency after I hear a click.
“There’s been a breach in your new lab space, Ursula.” His
arm shoots over me and Ursula’s choking fills my ears. “Fix it!
Fix it now or suffer the consequences.”
A breach?
The air in my lungs stifles.
 Could it be Syasku? Has he been returned to the cell?
Uncertainty plagues me as worry returns to the pit of my
stomach, and all I know is that I need to get back to him,
now more than ever before he gets himself killed. But when
I try to move or speak, no words leave my mouth. Both
Ursula and Father are nowhere to be seen, and as I’m lifted
and carried to a bed by the nurse, I realize I’m not being
taken back to the cell or Syasku.
Settled gently on a cushioned mattress, I try speaking
once more, hoping I can get the nurse’s attention. “Wait,” I
call after her, my voice too weak to hear as she walks out of
the room. She closes the door behind her, leaving me
alone. Trying to shuffle off the bed and stand, I collapse
onto the floor as a lock clicks in place.
Easing onto the floor, I rest my cheek on the rug and
close my eyes, allowing my tears to fall. Syasku’s in trouble
because of me, and there is nothing I can do—again. I can
barely speak or lift my hand. I told him that he needed to
be strong, when in truth it’s me who needs strength.
Strength that’s all mine and no one else’s.
Sliding my hand down and under my stomach, I make a
vow to my baby. My baby.
I close my eyes.
Whatever happens, I’ll die before letting anyone harm you.
I’ll kill anyone who tries.
 THIRTY
A FRAIL TRUCE, A FRAILER TRUTH

S Y A SKU

“ARE you sure he’s not going to

kill us?” “No.”
“Then why take the risk? Just put him out of his misery.”
A male sighs. “We need him, and right now he needs us. He
won’t hurt us if we prove to him that we’re here to help, and to
do that, we have to help him. I promised I would ” His voice
fades. “And I want to try.”
There are two males nearby. I struggle to tell if there
are more. Remaining conscious is agonizing. I am unable to
see. I can only feel.
Water trickles over my face as the reek of burnt flesh and
smoke clog my nostrils, and that is if I can clearly breathe
in at all. My lips open, sticky with blood, charred flesh, and
peeling skin. I lift my hands slowly to my neck where fire
sears my skin, making it hard to swallow.
There’s a shuffling beside me. “Try not to move, you’ll
only make it worse for yourself. With the injuries you’ve
sustained, it’s a miracle you’re alive.”
I pause. It is Muffin’s voice next to me. As I try to open
my eyes, the pain intensifies, and I choke out a groan. I try
again anyway, and it is worse than before. Angry I did not
take the warning, I slide my tongue across the back of my
teeth, relieved to find some power over my body.
“I cannot ssssee,” I barely manage to say, my hiss a garbled
rasp. “What’s he saying?” The other male asks.
Muffin shifts closer. “Can you try speaking again, Syasku?”
he asks.
 Swallowing, I groan around the tight rawness of my
throat. “My eyessss ”
Muffin stepsaway. “He’s saying something
about his eyes,” he announces to the other
male. His voice is next to my ear when he speaks again.
“You’re blind. Your retinas are burned. They bled for a long
time.”
Going silent, it takes me some time to wrap my mind
around what he said.
“Right now, you need to focus on not moving, if you plan
on ever seeing Vivian again.”
Vivian.
I jerk.
“Shit,” the other male curses. “Can’t we give him
something for the pain?”
Muffin shifts over me, ignoring the other. “Syasku,
you’re safe here as long as you’re willing to listen. Kyle and
I are here to help.”
Help? “Vivian,” I croak.
“She’s fine and if you can manage to rein yourself in
until you’ve recovered, you may just see her again. Can you
do that?”
I try scowling, but it turns into a grimace.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he mumbles, drawing back. “I’m
going to pour more water into your mouth now, try to swallow
as much as you can.”
Piece by piece, memories come back to me. Vivian’s
worry about the lights, her anxiety and our talk of escape.
Her getting sick.
I recall being tranquilized and taken from her. Waking to
Asera and Pierce in front of me. My lips twitch as I
remember the taste of Pierce’s blood as my
teeth shred his throat. Discovering
Vivian gone after escaping back to our cell, then the
soldiers, flashing red lights, and Muffin’s reappearance.
Ursula.
A breath releases.
And the pain.
A scream wants to follow my weak inhale, but it remains
lodged in my throat as something wet is placed on my
scorched lips. Water trickles into my mouth until it gathers
in the back and threatens to choke me. I manage a shallow
swallow yet the water gives me no relief. Wincing
internally, I have never felt so close to death.
“Good. Drink as much as you can and you’ll be fine.” Muffin
dribbles more water on my lips.
“I’ve seen these nagas recover from worse. Zhallaix had his
guts hanging out of him and he survived.”
Whoever is with Muffin acts like he knows my kind.
More water is poured into my mouth, and I work it down.
 “Syasku,” Muffin says my name. “You have to trust me,
okay? We’re not here to hurt you. I gave you my word, I
promised to take you to Vivian. We are on your side.”
If I could speak I would tell him to save his breath, but
then there’s a pinch on my arm and my world fades into
darkness.
The next time I wake, my pain has dulled enough to
allow me some movement but my blindness remains.
Listening to what is around me, unsure if I am alone, I am
laid out on something soft with my tail coiled to my left
side, hanging off the side. Curling my fingers into stiff cloth,
there are blankets beneath me, another on top of me. The
smell of my burnt hide lingers in my nostrils, but as I focus
on the smells in the space around me, I get a hint of urine,
rust, and rot. With pain no longer overpowering my senses,
I reach my fingers out, feeling what I can.
The bed I am on is too small. The walls of the room seem
close. If I listen, I can hear movement outside the space I
am in.
Unable to do much more, my thoughts turn to
Vivian. I need to find her.
I need to move.
After I hear a lock click, a door opens at the end of the
bed and to my left. I turn my face toward it, hissing out in
warning. The sound comes out as a groan.
Muffin has had ample time to kill me. He did not. But
that doesn’t mean he will not change his mind. Closing my
lips, I decide to go along with whatever it is he wants until I
am strong enough to make my own decisions. I need him to
take me to Vivian.
“Vivian?” I say, desperate for information.
Sensing it is he who has opened the door, I hear Muffin
approach. “You’re finally awake. Vivian’s okay. She was the
last time I saw her.”
The last time?
I realize I have no idea how much time has passed.
Settled at my side, Muffin shuffles. “I’ve brought more
water. If you’re up for it, I suggest you drink it.”
“How long?”
He is silent for a moment. “How long have you been
here? Almost three weeks. Twenty-one ship cycles.”
My teeth grind. I have lost too much time. Anything
could have happened to Vivian in that amount of time.
“Part your lips,” Muffin coaxes. “I’m going to give you
water now.” My mouth opens of its own accord as he
places a cup on them.
As I work the water down, my body gradually numbs and
I fall back asleep.
 Over a series of wakings and long stretches of slumber,
this pattern continues. I rouse, ask about Vivian, and am
told nothing new. I am given water and sometimes food.
Then I drift to the sweet embrace of darkness where my
inability to do anything besides existing fades away.
I wake stronger each time.
On the sixth or seventh time—I have lost count—I
manage to open my eyelids, blinking the gritty glaze out of
them. The space around me is murky as I look around.
The room I am in is bigger than I thought, and I was
right about being on a bed. There is an open door to my left
that leads to what appears to be a much smaller room
shrouded in darkness. There is another door along the wall
I face that is closed. It is the door Muffin always emerges
from and must be the way to leave the room.
There are piles on the ground next to my tail and
shapeless furniture along the rest of the walls. The only
source of light comes from the front corner of the room and
it is dimmed. If there are vents, they do not work.
I do not need the full use of my senses to know the room
is disgusting, the smell of rot emanating from the walls.
Rust, sweat, and human waste envelops me, mixing with
the reek wafting from my wounds. Noticing a familiar tube
sticking out of my upper arm, I follow it to where it is
attached, coming upon what I believe to be a bag.
Groaning with the effort, I reach over and rip the tube out.
Dropping back onto the bed, a sharp hiss wheezes through
my teeth as my pain returns. For a time I lie there, taking it
all in.
Wherever I am, it is not a nice place, and I hope that
wherever Vivian is, she is someplace better. My hands curl,
and I close my eyes.
When I rouse sometime later, the tube is back in my
arm, and I leave it alone. I blink, but my sight remains
hazy. Lifting my head, I inspect my body for the first time.
Bubbly black patches have formed across my chest, swollen
with pus. The flesh and scales that remain have shriveled. I
tug the blanket off to see more, cringing when the material
sticks to me.
My tail looks as bad as my chest.
I drop back once more as another painful groan wheezes
out of my seared throat. Touching my neck, I discover my
collar is gone. My throat tightens as I cup my neck with
both hands, feeling it for the first time since my capture.
Scanning the rest of me, I confirm all of the bands have
been removed from my body. There is nothing to restrain
me anymore, only my wounds.
The door opens, and a male human I have not seen before
walks in.
I hiss, baring my fangs as he approaches.
 He freezes. “Whoa. You’re awake. I was certain the drugs
would keep you under for a while longer.”
“Where am I?” I grit, my body tense, ready to strike him
if he is not with Muffin. “Where is Muffin?”
He shifts on his feet, and even though his face is cast in
shadows, I see his smile. “Syasku, isn’t it? Nice to meet you,
I’m Kyle—”
I growl.
“You’re in one of the unsecured housing sectors outside
the core.
Muffin will be here
shortly.” “Vivian?” I
ask.
Kyle’s shoulders drop. “She’s on the other side of the
ship, up by the bridge.”
The door reopens, and Muffin appears. Closing it behind
him, Muffin heads to my side, as the one named Kyle moves
out of the way for him.
Muffin scans my body.
“Take me to Vivian,” I warn, pushing my elbows under me.
He rubs his mouth, his gaze shifting to my face. “I can’t
yet. You’re far from recovered. Your eyes—”
I scowl and slide my tail over the floor toward him.
“You’ll never get to her in your state, even if you knew
where she was. She’s out of your reach right now anyway,
both of our reaches.”
“Out of my reach?” I growl, frustrated by the lack of
action. “The bridge is out of reach?”
Muffin briefly looks behind him at the other male. “I told
you.” He turns back to me. “She is with her father and
being held in his quarters. You’ll need special access codes
to reach her. Access codes I don’t have.”
My jaw clenches, recalling the metal walls and the
impenetrable security of my cell and how fruitlessly I
searched for any weaknesses to exploit.
“Should we tell him?” Kyle says to Muffin.
Sliding my eyes to the other male, my nostrils flare when
Muffin’s form visibly tenses and he doesn’t respond.
“Tell me what?”
Muffin rubs his brow. “If you try leaving this room right
now, you destroy any chance you have of reaching her,” he
warns. “Volp’s soldiers are searching for you everywhere,
and you won’t be able to take them on in your state.”
“Why should I believe you?” He is one of Ursula’s.
“Because it took a miracle to get you out of that
elevator. I had to haul your smoking ass into a storage
closet and pray no one came along to release the security
hold on the doors. You would be dead right now without me
—without us.” He indicates Kyle. “Killing Pierce made you a
lot of enemies, including Vivian’s father. He wants you
dead. He’s promised a promotion to whoever kills you.”
“Why not take the promotion yourself?” I hiss, trying to
understand why he did not leave me to die. “I could not have
stopped you.”
He sighs. “I thought about leaving while I was choking
on smoke. But ” He looks away like he’s remembering
something important. “What’s happened to Vivian hasn’t sat
well with me. I promised that if there was ever an
opportunity to save her, I would.”
I nod toward the other male. “And him?”
Muffin shifts to look at Kyle as the younger male steps
forward and over my tail. “Not that long ago, I was a
soldier myself. Then some things happened that ended up
getting me jailed, tortured, and questioned With the help of
several of my comrades, I escaped to the Dregs for asylum.
Those same comrades told me of your capture and
imprisonment in the medical sector. I started investigating
because I wasn’t sure ” He shakes his head. “I wasn’t sure
if you were one of the nagas I befriended. When I
discovered you were under Dr. Ursula’s authority, I began
searching for a way to rescue you. That’s how I met
Muffin.”
He kneels, resting his elbows on his knees. “He told me
about Vivian, and it was then I realized the situation was
worse than I imagined.”
As he continues to speak, it appears to me that he seems
to know Vivian. Trying to focus on his face, the details of
his features elude me, but as I search, I sense something
familiar about him.
“Give me your hand,” I order.
He cocks his head and holds out his hand.
Gripping it, I pull it to my nose and inhale. Catching a
clear whiff of his scent, it reminds me of the blonde female in
the forest and Vivian.
He is of Vivian’s blood.
Looking between the two men with my vision too blurry
to read their expressions, I try finding a reason not to trust
them.
“We get something out of this as well,”
Muffin adds. My attention shifts to him.
“What?”
“As you might be aware, Volp has put the entire ship into
lockdown. He initiated it shortly after Dr. Laura Yulen,
Vivian’s mother—and Kyle’s aunt—fled with a high-ranking
officer, which was shortly before your arrival. Since then,
The Dreadnaut’s ports have been closed to all except the
military. Everyone has lost access to their ships. The people
are upset. They think Volp is hiding something. There have
been rumors that Earth is habitable, that it’s safe to return.
With that knowledge, and an unprecedented lockdown,
they’re angry, and many of them were already angry to begin
with. You’ve noticed the lights, haven’t you? They flicker and
dim?”
 “Yessss,” I hiss. “I had hoped they would die.”
“That’s exactly what the people ruling the Dregs are
threatening to do if Volp doesn’t lift the lockdown.”
His words remind me of the last conversation Vivian and
I had before she fell ill and we were separated. The lights
frightened her. They made her anxious. “Vivian mentioned
something about this.”
Kyle nods. “The lights are powered by three reactors at
the center of the ship. Those reactors enable the ship’s
engines and systems to run indefinitely. All systems. Why
this is a problem for Vivian’s father is because long ago, it
made sense to have a ship’s mechanical and engineering
staff, as well as their families, live close to the core, in case
something happened ”
Muffin reaches into his pocket and uncorks a canister,
handing it to me. “Long ago,” he adds. “Not anymore.”
“What does this have to do with Vivian?” I snap. Lifting
the canister to my lips, I pour water into my mouth.
“Those people, during the dark ages after Earth’s
collapse, took over the core. Since then, leadership has
never been able to take it back, and The Dreadnaut has turned
into a caste system, with those in the highest castes living
in the ship’s outer rings while the rest are sent to the ship’s
interior. They are considered the lowest caste if they’re
casted at all. They’re allotted less water, less food, and the
worst jobs, torn between two ruling groups. They can’t
leave either, unable to afford passage somewhere else. The
only way to get out is to work up the caste system, which is
nearly impossible. They’re stuck, pretty much left to die.”
“Get on with it,” I warn, caring little about the ship’s
dynamics.
Muffin takes back the canister. “The Dregs leaders and
the ship’s commanding staff have a symbiotic relationship.
They need each other. Without the commanding staff, the
ship can’t fly, stay safe from outside forces, or resupply.
Without the Dregs’ leaders, there is no one to keep the ship
running. Without one, the ship fails, and everyone on board
suffers. These power dynamics keep the ship functional.”
“And Vivian?” I bite out again, unable to keep the
frustration bleeding into my tone. I need my female safe. I
need her back under my protection. Getting to her is all that
matters, all I care about.
Smelling her scent subtly coming off of Kyle is not
helping. It hurts worse than my wounds.
He takes over. “With rumors of Earth being safe, many of
the citizens on board want to leave, and not just those
suffering within the Dregs. This has to do with her because
it impacts everyone. If we can convince those in charge of
the reactors to turn them off, there will be nothing to stop
the people from getting to the ports and their ships, except
for the
soldiers who choose to get in their way. The ship will turn
to chaos and you’ll have your chance to find Vivian.”
“How would I do that?” I ask, wondering if I can trust
them. “Convince them to shut down an entire ship?”
“We’ll have to enter the Dregs and show them that the
rumors they’ve heard are true,” Muffin interjects. “No one
can do that better than you.” His eyes pin me. “I didn’t
spend my entire career as a medical researcher just to break
the Hippocratic oath and the Sovereign’s laws because of
Ursula’s whims. Show yourself to the people down there, and
no one will stop you from going after Vivian and taking
your revenge, least of all me.”
“You, Syasku, are the catalyst we need,” Kyle adds. “Not
to mention, the soldiers lack a leader with Pierce dead.
There isn’t a better time.”
“Then take me there now!” I coil my tail closer to the
bed, fighting to rise from the bed.
Kyle blocks me. “Not until you’ve recovered and regained
your sight. We’ll need you at your best. For now—” he grabs
my shoulder and pushes me down onto the bed “—you need
to stay put.”
Shoving his arm away, I reach for his throat but before I
can grab it, my body grows heavy and my mind light.
Dropping back, I see Muffin inject something into my IV.
A furious hiss builds, and as I try to rise once more,
slumber swallows me whole.
 THIRTY-ONE
AT LONG LAST

V IVIA N

I WAVE my hand back and forth over the water, watching it

ripple across the surface of the bathtub. Above me the lights
are dim, sometimes flickering. They have been like this
every day for the past month, and sometimes, when the
flickering worsens and the dimming of the lights doesn’t
seem to stop them, the power around me switches to a
localized generator, and a loud rumbling sound fills the
rooms. It scares me every time.
When the water stills, I wave my hand again and count
how many ripples I make before the lights flicker. When the
lights remain steady, a sense of indifference overcomes me
with a streak of bleak rebellion, knowing people are dying
of dehydration elsewhere on the ship. It reminds me I’m not
alone in my misery. I’m not the only one who hates my
father.
It’s been a month since I left the cell and
entered another. A month since I last saw
Syasku.
Father told me Syasku is dead. He had been the one who
set off the breach. He tried to escape and took out a half
dozen soldiers in his attempt. The only way the soldiers
were able to stop him was by triggering his collar. The
amount of electricity unleashed ultimately killed him.
He was searching for me.
He died, and I wasn’t even there. I was drugged out of
my mind, passed out, reeling from the news I was
pregnant. At first, I didn’t
believe he’d died; then I was shown footage of him
massacring soldiers outside the very same elevator that
brought me here.
I still don’t know if I fully believe it.
Part of me wants to believe he’s alive and is still being
kept by Ursula, but I have no proof besides the footage.
Footage I’ve watched a thousand times hoping for a clue,
but it ends when the elevator door closes with Syasku’s
body smoking on the floor, Muffin against the wall beside
him, splattered with blood. After that, the video cuts out.
I demanded to speak to Muffin, but I’ve been told he’s gone
as well.
The ripples fade across the now-cold water, and I try to
find the willpower to rise from the tub.
The bathroom is the only place I’m allowed to be alone,
and even then, I’m never alone for very long. Nurse Lena
knocks on the door every ten minutes to make sure I haven’t
tried killing myself, and when she’s not around, I’ve been
cuffed with a bracelet that sounds an alarm if anything
happens to me.
I’ve been relegated to a small portion of my father’s
home. I’m only allowed in the large main foyer and the
guest wing. Every other hallway and door is closed off.
Sometimes I’m in Father’s medical room, but only with
Nurse Lena present. My meals are delivered personally by
her.
“I’m fine,” I manage to say loud enough when I hear her
approach the other side of the door.
There’s a short pause. “Will you be out soon? We need to
do another scan before the shift is over.”
“Soon,” I murmur, waving my hand across the water once
more. There’s another pause. “I’ll check back in a couple of
minutes then.” She walks away.
He’s alive. He has to be. Father and Ursula wouldn’t kill
him if he was useful, would they? If he’s the source of this
Genesis-8, Ursula would need him to continue studying it.
Right?
But she has another naga to study now or so I think.
Asera, Syasku’s friend. Syasku’s gift. I frown.
If he’s still alive, he might be far more manageable than
Syasku was. Sighing, I study my pruney fingers. Nurse Lena
will haul me out by force if it means keeping out of trouble,
and seeing how much Father trusts her, she’s willing to do
just about anything to stay on his good
side.
Standing is an enormous effort. My belly has grown so
large so quickly. Every day, I’m heavier than the last. I dry
off and tug on a pair of loose sweatpants and a basic black
shirt before slipping my feet into socks. After brushing and
tying back my hair, I leave the bathroom and head down the
hall toward the medical room Ursula brought me to
on the first day. The door is open and Nurse Lena is
already there waiting for me.
I haven’t seen or heard from Ursula since Father kicked her
out—and told her to clean up her “mess.”
I sit on the bench and hand Lena a small cup with my
urine in it. She checks my blood pressure and asks me the
same questions she does every day. How I’m feeling, is there
movement yet, so on and so forth Afterward, she performs an
ultrasound, checking on the baby’s growth.
Their limbs have formed, and lately, they’ve been
growing. They have a tail, and so far their gender has been
hard to figure out.
After my check up, Lena escorts me back to my bedroom
and wishes me goodnight.
Staring blankly at the sparse room I’ve been given and
the pile of Yulen research materials that Father had
delivered to me to work on, I know I’m running out of time.
With or without Syasku.
But it’s been a month with no opportunity presenting
itself for me to risk an escape.
I could overpower Nurse Lena, but then I’d be
confronted with the door, which needs a security code, and
then an elevator for which another different code will be
needed. If I make it that far, I’d have to reach one of The
Dreadnaut’s ports and find a ship willing to give me passage
for free, all of which is impossible because the entire ship
has been on lockdown for months. And continues to remain
in lockdown.
I’ve searched Father’s home for anything that could help
me. Unfortunately, except for some extremely heavy antique
furniture and valuable artwork, there hasn’t been much to
make a weapon out of. Even the alcoholic bar in the foyer
has turned up useless, the glassware plastic. The few
bottles on display are glass but they’re out of reach, locked
behind a glass. They’re the only items I could use as a
weapon.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I look out the porthole on
the wall across from me, my gaze landing amongst the stars.
It’s spectacular.
Father lives well, better than anyone else on the ship. I’d
assumed his current wife and children lived with him too,
but even they reside elsewhere. Father likes his privacy.
I’d give up mine again just to be with Syasku one more
time.
The lights flicker again. I haul my body off the bed and
leave the room, wandering down the empty guest hall and
into the foyer, hoping the lights are less distracting
somewhere else.
Feeling a strange sensation in my stomach, I freeze. When
it happens again, I lift my shirt, seeing something push out
from my belly. Placing my hand over the movement, my
breath stifles. My baby’s moving. Awed and shaky, I rest my
head in my hands. If things continue as they are,
I’ll be going into labor sometime in the next couple of
months, maybe sooner. I take a deep breath and then
another.
I’m scared. I’d be scared if I were carrying a human
fetus. Carrying an alien hybrid fetus is terrifying.
I hear noise coming from the back of the foyer.
Dropping my hand, I quiet my steps as I move to peek
around the hallway corner.
Father is at the bar, pouring a drink. The glass to the
liquor bottles is opened beside him.
I watch as he knocks one drink back and pours another.
He fumbles with the bottle he’s pulled out, spilling some of
the liquor onto the counter. My brows furrow. I’ve never
seen him drink or be out of sorts before; he puts a lot of
importance on appearance. Whether he’s stressed because
of what’s happening on the ship, of my circumstances, or
the Sovereign’s looming visit, I have no idea. For the most
part, he avoids having anything to do with me and has
made it clear that the only reason I am here is because he
doesn’t want anyone else to know about my pregnancy.
I can’t tell if it’s because he’s ashamed or wants to hold
his cards close.
Straightening my spine, I step out of the hallway and
walk over to him. “Father.”
He knocks back his drink. “I’m not in the mood to talk
unless you’ve finally figured out how to override Yulen
systems,” he responds after he’s cleared the contents of his
glass, without so much as looking at me.
Stopping beside the open glass of liquor bottles, I place
my palms on the bar. “I haven’t.” I probably never will, I
know that now. Teams of people much smarter than me
have tried and couldn’t do it. Why would I?
He sighs and his gaze shifts to me. “Then what do you
want?”
“I want to see his body. I want to know what’s going on
with the lights.”
He scowls. “The lights are not your problem, don’t bring
them up again. And I told you it’s not possible.”
“You never told me why.”
“Because it’s been destroyed! Did I really have to
say that?” I don’t even flinch at the frustration in
his voice.
Instead, I stare at him, his anger brimming. His anger
has been aimed at me many times before, along with his
irritation, boredom, and indifference. At one time, I would
have done anything to avoid his wrath, his frustration, or
the ease with which he could punish me without actually
punishing me at all. In the back of my mind, I always knew
I would never be able to accomplish what he had me for.
 I think he always knew that too. I was just another one
of his illegitimate kids borne from women who were heirs to
vast fortunes or companies. I’m just another asset, useful
until it’s not.
Yulen machines can keep someone alive a lot longer than
any other. The AI within them knows how to keep a human
body going, even on the brink of death. It’s why they’re so
valuable and why there are so few of them left.
I suspect he wants to live forever.
As he seethes at me, the baby shifts in my belly. It gives
me the courage to seethe back, kick and scream, and
demand all the answers to the questions I never asked,
keeping my mouth shut because
It doesn’t matter anymore. I place my hand on my belly
and let the baby’s wiggling calm me down.
They’re all I have left of Syasku. And I love them dearly,
like their father. The brief time we spent together should
have been traumatizing, far from being the best thing that’s
ever happened to me. And it was the best thing that’s ever
happened to me. Somewhere back in that cell, I gained
courage. I received love. I created life.
There’s no love here. I thought I loved my father. Now
I’m not sure if I ever have.
“Go back to your room, Vivian, before I make you,” he
threatens, reaching for another bottle.
I wish I had known I loved Syasku when we were
together. I wish I’d told him. Syasku is worth loving, like
our baby. He deserves all of my love and so much more.
My father deserves nothing.
All I see now is the ghost of a man who once stood
proud, decorated in medals, leading a ship full of millions
of people, and worshiped by all. A leader. A man who once
could have had anything he desired because no one would
dare stand against him for fear of gaining his ire.
As a child, I used to think he was a hero.
He’s small now, gaunt from stress with thick black rings
under his eyes. His once luscious black hair is graying, and
thinning. He has wrinkles where smooth skin used to be not
that long ago. He reeks of alcohol and smoke. There’s
weariness in his eyes when there used to be ambition.
Whatever he’s going through, it’s affecting him.
There is not a single attribute he shares with Syasku,
which only makes me love and grieve Syasku more.
Father was going to be humanity’s salvation, the hero we
needed to take down the Ketts by returning to the war with
weapons and resources to destroy them.
Like me with my research, he’s going to fail.
 “Are you done staring at me?” he growls, waving his
hand at me, eager for me to leave.
He doesn’t deserve my company, but he does deserve one
last thing from me.
“Thank you,” I say, shifting back a step.
His eyes flash with confusion. Then it’s gone, replaced
with a cold indifference as he returns his attention to the
glass gripped in his hand. “For what?” he asks so offhandedly
that I know he doesn’t actually care.
If it weren’t for him, I would have never met Syasku. I
touch the scar on my chin.
But he deserves something else from Syasku and all the
people he’s ever hurt, and all the people he’ll hurt in the
future.
I reach out and snatch the closest liquor bottle from the
shelf. He doesn’t even realize as he takes another sip from
his glass. Bracing, clutching it with both hands and with all
the force I can muster, I smash it against the back of his
head.
His head jerks and the glass falls from his hand,
breaking on the counter.
Raising the bottle, I hit him again. This time it smashes.
“Folik asked me to put in a good word.”
He staggers and pivots in my direction. When I raise the
bottle a third time, he knocks my arm away, and with a look
of blind rage, backhands me. “You stupid bitch.”
I fall back, pain exploding across my face. Covering my
cheek with my hand, I manage to remain upright. “That’s for
Syasku.”
He wipes at the blood trickling down the back of his
neck. He looks at his hand and balls it into a fist before
looking over at me. “I’ll kill you for this.”
He lunges, and I jerk away, pivoting on my feet. I run to
my room. Hearing his heavy boots stomping after me, I
slam the door and grab a chair, positioning it under the
handle. It won’t keep him out for long.
Feeling better than I have in weeks, consequences be
damned, I twist from the door and face the room, adrenaline
coursing through my veins. I grab the box with all my Yulen
research and haul it into my arms. Lugging it to the tub, I
dump everything in and turn on the water. As my bedroom
door rattles and Father’s shouts fill my ears, I shut the
bathroom door and watch as the papers, the books, the
tech, and my notes are destroyed, wishing it would destroy
my father too.
 THIRTY-TWO
DREGS AND DISGUST

S Y A SKU

M UFFIN AND KYLE keep me sedated until the worst of my

wounds have healed and they could be certain my sight has
returned, their drugs more effective against my
regenerating body. If I had been awake, I would have killed
them. After keeping me in a garbage pit of a room for two
months, moldering in soiled blankets, it is the least they
deserve.
It is also why they kept me asleep.
With the lights dim and the pain gone, I wake properly,
having weakened further during my time unconscious,
dreaming fitfully of Vivian and what might be happening to
her. Thoughts of her and my inability to do something for
her have plagued me.
Awake now, I no longer have to wait.
Led from the room by Kyle shortly after the night shift
begins, I have a blanket over my shoulders that reaches the
floor. While I keep as much of my tail under me as possible,
Muffin wheels a cart covered in trash behind me to hide the
rest of it.
Everything around me is dark, barely illuminated by the
few lights that work, and those that do flicker endlessly.
The way forward is clear enough, despite the piles of
garbage collecting up the walls. Straining with disgust and
adrenaline, I am relieved to finally leave. They could not
keep me contained another day if they tried. The smell here
has been suffocating, even plaguing my dreams.
 Kyle told me before exiting the room that Volp’s soldiers
have been searching for me nonstop. The only reason I
have not been found is because of my proximity to the core.
No soldier is willing to come down this far without a
battalion to back them up.
It was his room I had been in. An abandoned unit he
found after fleeing imprisonment.
Volp has kept my presence aboard the ship mostly a secret
—if Muffin and Kyle’s plan works, that will soon change.
I am only willing to join them because I know Asera is
right: I will never reach Vivian, let alone escape with her
with the maze that lies before me. My tracking skills do not
work here, not with so much metal and so many smells.
Clenching my hands, I focus on Vivian. If we are not
united by the end of this, it is because I am dead.
We travel in silence, tense and alert.
We pass by several humans lounging against a wall, and I
can’t help peering at them and the amount of dirt covering
them.
I thought the room was foul. It does not compare to the
wet, greasy things my tail slides through. My throat
tightens, sickened as things stick to me.
The few humans we come upon are as much a part of
the trash as anything else is, blending in among the rotting
muck. Pale and frail, and covered in rags, some of them
look at me with glazed eyes and long faces. Males, females,
and even a small child whom I resist coiling my tail around
and taking with me.
“We need to keep moving,” Muffin scolds.
Frowning down at the small human, I turn away before
continuing. Is this how humans live? Satisfied with being
among decay and rot?
They need trees, water, and the light of the sun. They need
grass, flowers, and animals. No wonder they are desperate
to leave. Anyone would be.
We reach a set of broken doors that take us to a
stairwell, and Muffin leaves the cart behind. Following
Kyle, we descend, only stopping when someone approaches.
Kyle hands over items he pulls from his pockets, and then we
keep going. The farther down we get, the more people there
are, and the more of them carrying weapons.
They watch us with suspicion as we pass. And with my
tail having lost some of its coverage, they eye the winding
limb with confusion. Muffin steps closer, braving tripping
over it.
But no one stops us once Kyle pays them off.
Eventually, we reach the end of the stairs, coming upon a
metal gate that is lined with barbed wire and mounted
guns. Several males stand
before it holding weapons, either letting people through or
denying them. Kyle has us wait until we get to the front of
the line.
One of the armed males moves forward. “What’s dis?
Are you in costume?” he asks, his gaze going straight to my
tail. “This isn’t a place for entertain. Fuck off.” The male is
big, his bulging arms exposed and marked with dark
designs.
I bite back a hiss.
“We’re here to speak to your leaders—” Kyle starts.
The male ignores him and approaches me. When he tries
circling, I turn with him, baring my fangs. Several of his
comrades follow suit. “Look at his guy,” the first one calls
to the others, chuckling like my appearance is funny to him.
“And I thought I’d seen everything.”
Muffin is stiff at my side.
Kyle tries to get the guards’ attention back. “Look, we
don’t mean any harm—”
One of them kicks the side of my tail.
Pivoting, I grab the male by the neck and lift him off the
ground. The rest break away, their voices and
threats filling my ears.
Ignoring them, I squeeze the neck of the one I have caught,
scowling at him. The blanket falls from my shoulders.
“Don’t shoot!” Kyle yells. “Syasku, let him
go!” “What the fuck is that thing?”
“Let him go, motherfucker!” one of the males shouts to my
left.
Kyle and Muffin close in, drawing their weapons. “Don’t
shoot, we don’t mean trouble! We’re here to speak to your
leaders. We have important information relating to Volp!”
Kyle continues shouting, “Fucking hell, Syasku, release him
before we’re gunned down!”
I dig my claws into the male’s skin, feeling his blood well
under them.
All around me, the shouting intensifies. I watch the
male’s face turn white as he tears at my hand, his struggles
weakening.
“Shoot it! Shoot them all before they kill us!” Weapons click,
aiming.
Peeling my fingers off one by one, I release his neck. He
lands on the floor with a thud, clutching his throat and
choking out coughs. He may be large for a human, but he is
still no match for me.
I lower to the floor and meet his gaze. “Challenge me
again and your life is mine,” I warn.
“What the fuck—”
The shouting only worsens. Looking up at the others, I
slowly rise, coiling my tail to strike at the next one who
nears.
“Everybody stop!” a voice booms out.
The males freeze, going silent. They remain tense, ready
to fire despite pulling back.
 I hiss at them, baring my
fangs. “Enough!”
Growling, I face the gate where the commanding voice
comes from. A woman is standing in the middle, wearing a
snug black leather uniform, flanked by two others who are
dressed similarly to her, their guns pointing straight at my
head.
She scans me over, her face blank. Her eyes shift to Kyle
and Muffin. “Lower your weapons or die here,” she orders
them.
Muffin lowers his gun first, then Kyle.
Everyone watching her, the female walks past Kyle and
right up to me, her two guards hanging back. I scowl down
at her.
“So it is true,” she says, coming to a stop in front of me,
her eyes trailing over my tail. “You do exist.”
I straighten, knowing an alpha when I see one.
Extraordinarily tall, her skin darker than all the rest, she is
unlike any human I have seen.
“My name’s Omari.” She cocks her brow at me then
turns on her heel. “Follow me,” she calls over her shoulder,
and without looking back vanishes through the gate’s
entrance, her guards turning to follow.
The pathway clears, and with Kyle taking the first step,
Muffin and I trail behind, entering the inner core together.
 THIRTY-THREE
BACK TO THE BEGINNING

V IVIA N

“I KNOW you’re under a lot of stress, but you need to take it

easy,” Nurse Lena says, throwing her gloves in the waste
bin after checking my vitals for the final time today. “The
baby looks close to being full term. Labor can start any
time now, and with the other injuries you’ve sustained I
recommend ” She looks at the ugly bruises still in the
process of healing around my eyes. Her frown deepens.
“Recommend what?” I finish
for her. “Bed rest.”
I nod indifferently, but it seems to be enough for her.
When she’s done cleaning up, Lena leads me out of the
medical room and locks it behind her.
She walks me to my room and checks that my wrist has
the bracelet on it, another frown forming on her face when
I can’t manage to meet her eyes. “I know it’s not much, and
I can’t be entirely certain, but I think the baby is a boy,”
she tells me.
I blink and look at her.
She’s clearly waiting for me to react or say something. I
don’t.
Lena gives me a sad smile. “Shout if you need me. If you
need anything, Vivian. I mean it.” She’s gotten clingy since
the altercation. Although we haven’t spoken about what
happened, she knows the beating was from Father. He’s
the only other person here. Despite her increased care and
attention, I refuse to trust her or befriend her. For all I
know, anything I say will end up back to him.
 I want her to think Father broke me, that his beating
killed me inside. Her sympathy has made her lax because
she doesn’t expect that I’ll try anything that would elicit his
attention. Her sympathy has given me a little more freedom,
and it’s that freedom I’m depending upon when I try to
escape tonight.
I mutter goodnight and close the door in her face.
Listening to her walk away, I confirm she doesn’t lock my
door.
My shoulders sag with relief and a small smile lifts my
lips at the same time. Rubbing my stomach, I knew it was a
boy. I had a feeling, one I can’t describe, an innate hunch.
Syasku gave me a little boy. I’m already hoping he takes
after him.
My smile fades, knowing I can’t wait any longer.
After I hit my father, he found me standing over the tub
destroying my life’s work. I don’t remember much after
that, just something about destroying the abomination
inside me. I woke the next day in the medical room with a
splitting headache, stitches on my brow, and my hands
cuffed.
For weeks afterward I was cuffed and constrained to my
room, isolation returning like an old friend to embrace me
in silence. I bided my time. I was in more pain than before,
but I didn’t mind. What’s a little more pain when my body
already radiated with it?
I just had to wait until Lena trusted or pitied me enough
to remove my handcuffs. To stop locking my room at night.
Heading to the bathroom, I pull out the plastic shard I
broke off my tablet from where it’s hidden behind the toilet.
With the shard in my grip, I pace, waiting for the night shift
to deepen. Leaving my room several hours later, I look
around and tiptoe out, foregoing my shoes.
Everything is dark. Not a single light has been left on.
Shaking, I make my way to the front door, hoping the
shard is good enough to break the lock.
“What are you doing?”
I jump, spinning around to face Nurse Lena. She turns
on a light and looks me over, the confused wrinkles on her
brow flatten out. She sighs.
“It’s not what it looks like,” I glower, slipping the shard
into my sleeve.
She walks over to me. “I just knew you were going to try
this.” She shakes her head like I disappointed her. “Even if
you got through the door, you won’t make it past the
elevator. You need a code. And why would you try, Vivian?”
Her face falls. “You’ll only get yourself hurt again.”
My back stiffens. “I have to try.”
 The worry returns to her face. “You’re scared, I get it,
but this is the best place for you to be. You’re safe with me
and—”
“And my baby? Is my baby going to be safe? He said he’s
going to kill it.”
She flinches, horror momentarily clouding her eyes. “The
Sovereign will be here soon and will know what to do. We
just have to be patient and wait for their arrival.”
I take a step toward her. “You don’t really believe that,
do you?” “Your father—”
“My father is a pathetic liar who only cares about himself.”
“The Sovereign will never let anything happen to the baby,
especially one as unique as yours.”
“You assume my father is going to tell them about it.”
“He has to,” she tries to assure me. “It’s against the law
to lie to the Sovereign’s adjudicators. It’s punishable by death.”
“Only a handful of people know that I’m pregnant. Unless
someone tells them, they will never know.” I watch her,
implying she could tell them. “They won’t have access to his
home,” I whisper. “They won’t even know I ”
I pause as an idea forms.
A very risky idea, but one that just might work. If I’m
fast—if I’m lucky.
“Vivian?” Nurse Lena looks at me when I go silent.
Slowly, putting my hand to my brow, I wince. “I think
I’m getting sick.” I heave, and as I do, a strange cramping
tightens my lower stomach. Frowning for real, I try to
ignore it and chalk it up to convenient timing.
Her demeanor changes. “I’ll take you back to
medical.” Swaying on my feet, I topple to the
ground.
“Vivian!” Nurse Lena drops to her knees and throws her
arm around me. “Are you okay?”
I close my eyes and turn away. “I feel faint.”
“Shit,” Lena starts to curse. “We need to get you up!”
She grabs my arm and tries to haul me off the ground.
Pretending I’m too weak, I moan about back and stomach
pain. She releases me. “Don’t move! I’ll be right back.” She
rushes for the medical room.
I stagger to my feet and run to Nurse Lena’s room,
which is several rooms down from mine.
Thankfully the door is cracked open, and when I reach it
I push my way in. Quickly looking around, I spot her tablet
on a desk and grab it. Beside it is her keycard. Shoving the
card into my pocket, I log into the tablet’s guest mode and
access The Dreadnaut’s interpersonal digital mailing system.
 With trembling fingers, I type out a short message. My
finger hovers over the send button. Closing my eyes, I say a
little prayer and press the button.
Sneaking the tablet under my shirt, I head back to my
room and shut myself in the bathroom.
And wait.
I’m taking a huge risk.
This could backfire magnificently.
But it’s far less risky than taking on the elevator door
with a plastic shard.
Several minutes later, I hear Nurse Lena call outside my
room. “Vivian?”
“I’m in the bathroom,” I respond just as I hear the ping of
an incoming message on the tablet. “I need a moment!”
Hands shaking, I open the message and scan it over, my
body frozen with nerves.
There, in bold type, is the six-digit security code for the
elevator. A giddy laugh bursts from my mouth. It worked.
With trembles coursing through me again, I hide the tablet
behind the toilet and open the door. A look of relief floods
Nurse Lena’s face. Behind her and in the hallway is a
gurney.
“Are you okay?” she asks, scanning my face.
“Just a bit of nausea. I need your help with the sink.” I
wipe my hand across the back of my mouth, pretending I
puked. “I didn’t make it to the toilet,” I lie.
She passes me and enters the bathroom, and once her
back is turned, I shut the door, closing her inside. She calls
after me as I rush to the gurney and roll it so it’s facing the
bathroom door. When she opens it, I thrust it into her with
all of my strength.
She goes flying back and into the tub. She doesn’t get
back up. “Lena?” I call softly, not intending to hurt her,
only stopping her
long enough to leave. “Lena?” I say her name again when
she doesn’t answer. Glancing at the empty hallway, my
stomach squeezes again, and I grit my teeth, holding in a
groan.
The squeezing fades.
Entering the bathroom, I push the gurney aside and
check Lena’s pulse. When it flutters under my finger, a
relieved sigh escapes my mouth. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. She’s
always been good to me. She tried.
At least this way she can say I attacked her. She won’t be
implicated. Leaving her side, I pull out her keycard and
rush to the front door.
It opens immediately, and I stumble into the open foyer
entryway where three separate elevators await me.
 Knowing the central one will take me down to the
atrium, I head to the one on the right and type in the code.
Several grueling minutes later, the elevator arrives and
the doors slide open. I dash inside, slam my hand against
the panel, and hit the security lock, not caring where it
takes me, as long as it takes me away.
When it moves, I drop into the corner and curl over my
cramping stomach, trying not to cry. Pressing my back
against the wall, I hug my knees, wishing Syasku were here
and I weren’t alone. With my blood rushing, I try calming
down with several deep breaths.
Pulling out the shard from my sleeve, I cut off the
bracelet and then wrench it between my hands until it’s
crushed.
As some of my panic settles, I peek up at the elevator
buttons and deliberate. I’ve never been to more than half of
the sectors on The Dreadnaut and all three ports are still in
lockdown. Not that it matters, I can’t pilot a ship, and I
don’t have money to pay for a seat on one. I have nothing
on me I can barter with. My skills in medical technology
and machinery are useless. I can’t go to the Dregs because
as soon as someone recognizes me, I’ll most likely be
tortured for information and then ransomed or killed.
There’s no one I trust.
But there’s one person who might help me who will at
least tell me whether or not Syasku is alive. They’re the
same person who sent me the elevator code.
I stand and return to the panel, changing the destination.
Afterward I pace and wait.
When the door slides open a few minutes later, my eyes
widen upon Ursula who is already waiting for me on the
other side. With her arms crossed in a haughty manner, she
startles upon seeing my stomach before slowly meeting my
eyes.
Staring at each other, I leave the elevator and walk
toward her, hearing the doors slide closed behind me.
“I was actually headed to your father’s quarters. I was
surprised to receive your message, even more so now that you
managed to escape,” she says, her cold voice washing over
me. “He’ll look for you here.”
“Are you going to turn me in?” I
ask. “That depends.”
“Is Syasku alive?” I blurt
out. “He might be.”
I begin to frown but hesitate, stiffening instead, hiding
my pain when my stomach starts cramping again. “You don’t
know?” I bite out.
She circles me. “No, my dear. He escaped, just like you have
now.” Shoulders sagging, I let out a sob, relieved.
 “Don’t get your hopes up, Vivian. Just because he
escaped into the ship doesn’t mean he’s alive. As for you.”
She stops in front of me and wiggles her fingers. “You look
like you’re ready to pop.”
I cross my arms over my stomach. She has no idea. “Will
you help me? Will you help my baby?”
Her comm device rings, making me jerk in surprise.
Sucking in a breath, I wait for her to pick up.
Seconds slow as my blood rushes with the urge to either
continue fleeing or to fight. Ursula cocks her head, and I
wonder if imploring her for help was a mistake. I’ve known
her longer than anyone except my father, and even though
she is loyal to him, I know she’s more interested in her
research. She’ll want access to me, even if it goes against
his orders.
And, I hope, she’s far less likely to outright murder my
baby upon its arrival.
The comm device stops ringing.
“You’re asking me to take a huge risk,” she mutters, her
eyes briefly distancing like she’s weighing those risks.
“I think he’s going to kill the baby, so if it ensures my
baby lives, I will do whatever you want,” I whisper, unable
to keep the hope from my voice. “I’ll take those risks.”
Her comm device starts ringing
again. “Please,” I beg.
She pulls out her comm device and shuts it off. I could
faint from the stress from waiting for her decision.
She tucks the device back into her pocket. “Very well.
But you won’t be able to stay here. Follow me and be quick
about it.” She turns and starts down the hallway at a brisk
pace, and I chase after her, trying not to look around,
knowing this was the last place Syasku was before he
vanished. We leave the medical sector through a back exit
and enter the main housing sector that the majority of the
medical community has been assigned to. My unit would be
two floors up from this one.
A burst of pain strikes my stomach, and I stumble.
Gritting my teeth, I keep walking.
“Faster,” she orders.
She leads me down an empty hallway until we get to a
door on the other end. Opening it, she ushers me inside.
I stop dead in my tracks.
On the other side is a large red and black naga with the
majority of his tail missing.
“Keep an eye on her,” Ursula says to him as I remain frozen
where I stand. “I have some things to take care of. I’ll be back
shortly.” She shuts the door just as I turn around. It clicks
closed, and I try the handle.
 It doesn’t open.
Pivoting, I face the naga and press my back to the door.
Alone together, and stuck once more, we stare at each
other, neither of us willing to make the first move.
 THIRTY-FOUR
A SPINE FOR THE TAKING

S Y A SKU

LED to an enormous room surrounded on all sides by

ascending benches, the female, Omari, and several others
sit on a raised platform at the back. Surrounding us on
those benches are more humans than I have ever seen.
Countless in their numbers, their eyes bore holes into me.
Their voices hum with conversation coming from every
direction, awe, disbelief, curiosity, and fear bleeding from
their words. Scanning them, many hold weapons—guns,
bats, blades, and metal rods.
Vivian is not among them. Frustrated, my jaw ticks, clenched
tightly.
Muffin and Kyle stand at my side, displaying courage I
know is fake, hearing their pulses race like thunder in my
ears.
“So you’re from Earth,” Omari announces, and the
conversations around me stop. Rising from her seat, she
carries with her a metal staff in her right hand, the tip
jagged, cut into a sharp point at the end.
“Can you speak, alien?” she
asks. “I can.”
The voices rise as Omari turns back to address two
males sitting behind her. They speak briefly. Facing us once
more, and walking to the edge of the platform, the people
hush.
“What is your name?” she asks me, ignoring Kyle and
Muffin. “Syasku,” I hiss. “I am told you, or someone here,
can help me.” The
word tastes bitter in my mouth.
“We will get to that. First, me and my colleagues want to
know how you ended up here—”
 “I am from Earth,” I speak over her. “If you won’t help me,
then say so.” I level Omari with my gaze.
Kyle turns to me. “I forgot to mention this, but you
should show them some respect.”
Her lips twitch with a smile. “You’re not very patient, are
you?” “No.”
Her brow arches. “If I can’t question you, how will we
know if we can trust you?”
“Because I want the same thing you
want.” “And what is that? Pray tell.”
“To escape this ship with my female and take her back
to Earth.” All around, hushed voices arise.
Omari looks up in surprise, and she glances behind her at
the seated males. Stamping her rod against the metal floor,
she turns her attention to the crowd. “Quiet!” she shouts,
the banging of her rod, echoing across the room.
Keeping my focus on Omari, I speak louder. “I was
captured and brought here against my will, taken from my
land, only to be bound, tortured, and studied like an
animal,” I spit the words like acid in my throat. “Since then,
my mate, a female of your kind has been taken from me. I
am owed your help,” I growl as the watching humans go
quiet.
“A female of my kind? A human, you mean? It’s odd for
an alien to take a mate outside their species. Why do you
think we, who had nothing to do with your capture, should
pay for the crimes of those who did? When they have
already taken so much?” she quips back, her eyes
narrowing. “You are not the only one who’s been harmed by
those above.”
Kyle steps forward. “Because Volp will not lift the
lockdown. You can keep him rooted, keep him from moving
the ship, but he’s not going to budge and give into your
demands. He’s where he wants to be, and has no need or
interest to fly the ship elsewhere.”
Omari faces him. “And how would you know
that?” “Because, until recently, I was one of
his soldiers.”
Omari scowls, hatred brimming her dark eyes at Kyle’s
omission. “If what you say is true, the ship can’t be with
partial power indefinitely. He can’t keep us locked down
forever. All we need to do is wait it out.” “How has that been
working for you so far?” Kyle waves his arm. “Without food
coming in, without medicine?” Some of the people shout in
response. “What do you think it’ll be like down here in
another six months? A year? Two? How long are you willing
to wait in the dark?
Because from where I’m standing, it could be a lot longer
than a couple of years.”
“We will not concede!” someone from the crowd yells.
 Kyle turns toward the voice. “You are not forcing his hand
any more than he is forcing yours! Nothing will change—
but taking down two reactors will cripple him enough to
give in.”
“Disabling a second cripples everyone, not just Volp,”
Omari argues. “What you’re asking is mass suicide. Where
would we go if the second reactor fails to be reignited? Even
if we destabilize the systems and take over the ship, we
could end up in a giant coffin, no better than where we are
now.”
“No better? There are thousands of ships waiting to take
you to Earth.”
“You say that as if you know Earth is habitable.”
“Of course I know it’s habitable. Do you not see the
fucking alien that’s in front of you? Not to mention I’ve
fucking been there.”
Omari sneers at him. “Soldier,” she says the word like
it’s a curse. “Talking like that, you won’t leave this place
alive. And even if what you say is true, I would still need to
get my people safely to the ports. It would be a battle even
if we take Volp by surprise.”
Moving toward the platform where she stands, I have
realized something I failed to earlier. “You need my help
more than I need yourssss,” I hiss.
She bursts out in laughter, facing me. “You think we
need your help? We don’t even know what you and your
soldier boy—” she spits the word “—say is true. For all I
know you could be some lab-created robot cooked up with
preprogrammed AI to scare us into killing ourselves.”
“Give me a knife,” I demand, “and I will prove to you I am
real.”
Omari pulls her rod close and crosses her arms. “What
do you plan to do? Cut yourself open and bleed for us?”
I cock my head.
She’s quiet as she considers me, and her lips lift into a
smirk. “I’m curious. Someone get him a blade. Quick, before
I change my mind.”
There is commotion as the humans convene amongst
themselves while someone decides what type of blade they
want to give me. Muffin, remaining quiet at left, shoots me a
look while Kyle shakes with anger. All I can think of is
Vivian, and getting to her. I will do whatever it takes to do
that. A cut from a knife is nothing to what I am willing to
sacrifice.
A blade is produced by one of the males behind Omari.
She waves him forward after testing the weapon against her
own palm.
Muffin walks to the platform and takes the blade offered,
returning to hand it to me. “Don’t be stupid. They will kill
us if you try something.”
 He steps back, and I test the blade in my grip. Holding
out my arm for Omari to see, I press the blade hard and
slice my forearm open. Blood gushes from the wound,
pooling over to dribble on the floor. Compared to what I
have sustained, the slice is small in comparison.
I raise the blade and drop it, showing Omari my empty
hands.
Slitting my eyes in warning, I pull back my lips, showing
her my fangs, letting my venom drip. “Do you need another
slice, or are we done?”
She and the male who produced the blade shift close and
talk.
Over waiting, I hiss, putting all my anger into it. “I bleed,
like you. I have no reason to lie. I live in the wetlands, a
span of land and water that is covered in high grass,
teaming with wildlife. In the distance there are mountains
that rise into the sky and forests that go as far as the eye
can see. There are lakes, human ruins that have been
untouched, and rain—where water falls from the sky. It is a
far better place than thissss,” I hiss again with disgust. “If it
is food you seek, there is fruit, fish, and meat. There is
more water than any of you can drink in a lifetime.
Whether you lend me your help or not, I will fight my way to
my mate and make it back there, but if it is fear stopping
you from taking action, you will die long before you ever see
a sunrise.”
“Pretty words for someone who claims to be an alien,
someone who doesn’t have to consider the lives of
thousands of people. Shutting off a second reactor is as
dangerous as taking the fight straight to Volp. Even if Earth
is habitable, and we have a place to go, we still need to get
to the ports.”
“You have weaponssss.” I glower, glancing around at the
humans. “You are ready for a fight.”
“We are ready to defend ourselves. Fighting must be
avoided.”
“You want to avoid a fight?” Kyle bursts out with
laughter. “Were you born yesterday, or did you forget we’re
at war?” His laughter dies, and he swallows when he sees
everyone staring at him.
“You will turn off a second reactor,” I say, staring down
Omari and the male at her side. “And in doing so, I will give
you what you need to get your people safely to your
shipssss.”
“How?”
Muffin sighs and shakes his head.
I straighten. “While you power down the reactor, I will
advance first and distract the soldiers. They are searching
for me. Volp wants me dead. While the soldiers deal with
me, you lead your people to the ships. That, female, is why
you need me more than I need you.”
Another hush descends as Omari and those with her
consider me once more.
 After a moment, she takes a step forward. “Why do they
want you dead, alien?”
“I tore the throat out of their commander,” I growl. “And I
plan to do the same to Volp.”
Chaos breaks out around me.
 THIRTY-FIVE
WE MEET AGAIN

V IVIA N

THE CRAMPING in my lower stomach returns, worsening with

each one, and trying to remain calm while also pretending
nothing is wrong, I walk to the nearest chair, never once
taking my eyes off the naga.
Asera watches me from where he’s posed at the
threshold of a doorway at the back of the apartment. There
is nothing between us—all of the furniture has been pushed
against the walls, leaving the middle of the room entirely
open.
The cramps fade, and I exhale. When the naga remains
unmoving, I close my eyes and pray.
I’m not in labor. I’m not having contractions.
I’m not in labor.
I. Am. Not. In. Labor.
As if my night couldn’t get worse, fleeing my father’s
home just to end up in another with a strange naga, I’m
still clueless as to whether or not Syasku’s alive. What could
go wrong now?
Labor. If I had a sense of humor, I’d laugh. Sinking
deeper into the chair, I focus on relaxing, but the smell in
the room is making it hard. Sharp and musty, it smells like a
cross between sweat and cinnamon.
“You are Ssssyasku’s mate.”
I open my eyes to face Asera. I should be scared of him,
but I’m not. Right now I’m almost relieved that I’m not
alone. “Do you know if he’s alive?”
 He slips forward and further into the
open space but keeps his distance. It’s then I
notice the bands around his arms.
“No,” he says, his voice gentle.
I close my eyes as another contraction comes on.
Not now, baby. Mommy is a little busy.
“You are with litter,” he murmurs, his tone awed with
surprise. “His litter ”
I look at him and take in his nearly reverent expression.
“Yes. A litter of one, thank god. Do you know when Ursula
will return? Or where she went?”
“No.”
Our conversation stifles, and I look around at the
apartment, noticing for the first time all the blankets and
pillows strewn everywhere. Stacks of them fill the corners.
On a table by the kitchen is a bunch of empty vials and
various glassware and My brows furrow
Pornographic magazines.
As I sit upright for a better look, I see a naked woman
with large breasts on the cover, her hands cupping them.
Even with the lights as dim as they are, her breasts are
large enough to glow.
I look back at Asera, my lips parting. “Are you and
Ursula ” I remember Ursula mentioning him when I was
drugged, but I never thought she’d mate him.
His eyes narrow at the shock and disgust on my face.
“Mates. Yessss, and if you were any other, I would have
killed you for entering our nest, even if it was my mate who
brought you in,” he warns. “In here, I am alpha. That is our
agreement.”
My mouth snaps close, and I turn away. It’s sex I smell,
sex and Asera’s pheromones, which are not entirely
dissimilar to Syasku’s. The only difference is that Syasku’s
scent isn’t sharp with spice. His pheromones are more
subtle, woodsier. Grief hits me with the recollection, and my
throat constricts.
It’s been months since I last smelled Syasku. Smelling
Asera now, brings back my craving, and reminds me of how
much I miss Syasku. His soothing hisses, his idle pets. I
need both now more than ever.
“I am sorry I do not know Syasku’s
fate.” “Why did he do it? Why did he try
to escape?”
Asera winces. “They were going to take him back to
Earth. He demanded vengeance before that happened. I
believe he tried to find you. I tried to convince him it was a
poor idea. He did not listen.”
He sounds sad.
“And I wasn’t there ” Tears try to fall, and I quickly bat
them away. Maybe having Asera here is a good thing after all.
It’s nice to know someone else grieves for Syasku. Looking
around the room once more
and at Asera’s and Ursula’s nest, I can’t help being jealous.
My relationship with Syasku was confined to a cell while
the woman who forced our exploitation has privacy and
comfort.
“She’s not a good human,” I whisper. “She’s using you.”
“As long as it is me she usessss and not another, I am
content.”
I shake my head and let the conversation drop. Debating
giving birth in a naga nest like this or out in the open, I
don’t know which is more preferable. I eye the door and
calculate my chances of getting through it, evading Asera,
and finding a safer place to go into labor. Searching my
thoughts, I still can’t come up with a single place better
than here.
There’s a small chance Ursula won’t tell my father. And
now that Asera knows I’m pregnant, he might protect me
against him if that happens. If I’m lucky, he’ll kill him.
Pain blasts through me, and this time I’m unable to hide
it. My body goes taut as my teeth clash and I bend forward.
“Are you in pain?” Asera hisses, slipping to my
side. “I’m fine,” I grit.
“Tell me how I can help?” Uncertainty bleeds into his voice.
I open my mouth to speak when a humming sound
emanates from the walls. As my contraction fades, I sit
upright as Asera and I look around at them. “What is that?”
Asera doesn’t answer me. The sound builds and the
walls begin to shudder. As the noise grows, heightening like
we’re being pulled into a vacuum, I stand. Anxiety fills me
as the hollowing sound encompasses everything, even Asera’s
hisses, and threatens consumption.
“What’s happening?” I shout, covering my ears, fearing
I’m about to implode when everything goes dark.
The rumbling only worsens, and I hear Asera call out to me.
I open my mouth to answer when the sound morphs into
a buzzing, only to go silent directly after. The lights flicker
on and then turn off for good.
Frozen in place, I blink against the darkness. The silent
void is far worse than the noise.
The Dreadnaut’s power supply has been shut off.
My breaths shorten as I wait for the lights to turn on,
hoping I’m wrong. A chill fills the room with every second
that passes.
Asera’s hand snakes around my arm. “Are you okay?”
I jump, biting back a scream. With my eyes wide, I yank
my arm from his grip and shuffle across the room to the
light switch by the door. I hear Asera following me. My
hands hit the wall, and I search for the switch, pressing it
when I find it and pressing it a dozen more times when the
lights fail to come back on.
 “What is wrong?” he asks from directly behind me. “I
hear your heart pounding. Is the darkness bad?”
“I don’t know. I think the ship’s lost power,” I whisper,
hoping I’m wrong, and testing the light switch again. “It’s
never lost power before. Every colony ship has three
nuclear reactors to prevent it.” I swallow, my mind racing
with possibilities. “There’s been unrest lately. The people that
live around the reactors want the ports reopened and travel
reinstated. But it’s not just them, everyone does.”
His voice darkens, and I sense him shift closer. “Are we in
danger?” “I don’t know. If the power doesn’t come back on
soon ” I can barely
fathom the consequences if that happens. “I know very little
about how a ship of this scale functions.”
He goes silent.
As the silence around us deafens, I wait for my eyes to
adjust to the small battery-powered objects that give off light
throughout the room.
“Urssssula gave me a device to contact
her if something should happen while
she is away. Do not worry, I will use it and call her.”
I hear Asera leave my side and head back into the
apartment. A moment later his voice returns but farther
away.
“Urssssula—” he says from somewhere in the darkness.
“Are you safe?”
He goes quiet.
Trembling, I slide my hand down the wall and grab the
door handle. Opening it a crack, I peek outside. Along the
corridor walls is a strip of glowing tape illuminating the
hallways just enough to see the floor. Opening the door
further, I duck my head out. On either side of me are
people doing the same.
“Ursula says—” I jump again at Asera’s rumbling voice
behind me and shut the door. “—we should stay here. She
will contact me when she finds out more.”
I press my back to the door. “Did she mention if the
power is off where she is?”
“No.”
“Where is she?”
“I do not know. I did not ask.” A deep hiss tears out from
him. “If she—we—are in danger, I must go to her.”
The heavy, hollowing sound returns, weaker than the last
time, and the floors shake as I hold my breath and Asera
grips my arm. Outside in the hallway, I hear someone shout,
and then the rumbling fades.
With sweat beading my brow, I pull my arm out of
Asera’s grip and reopen the door. There are more people in
the hallway. Some of them have started to gather. “We need
to get to the nearest port,” I whisper to Asera. “And we need
to get there now.”
 “I will not leave my mate—”
“Ursula won’t make it back to us if the people panic,” I
snap. “And they will panic if the power doesn’t return.”
He rises over me to take a look out the hallway.
“If it doesn’t,” I continue, “the ship dies, and eventually
everyone left within dies too.”
He pulls away. “Then I must go to my mate.”
I turn on him. “Call her again, tell her we’re headed to
Port Deck B and to meet us there.” I gasp when my stomach
squeezes painfully. Port Deck B is farther from us than Port
Deck A, but that’s the military’s private port and going
there would be too dangerous. Asera may be under
Ursula’s control, but the military might not know that, and
if Father is already aware of my escape
He hisses at me, and it’s full of anger. But he does what
I say and calls Ursula.
The floors start shaking
again. “She is not
answering.”
I yank open the door. “We’ll try her again on the way. Let’s
go!”
Someone carrying a young child knocks into me as they
rush by. On either side people have begun arguing, having
no idea what’s going on.
“Wait. We stick together,” Asera snaps, grabbing my arm
for a third time. “You lead the way and I will keep the path
clear.” He slides into the hallway, his head barely reaching
my chest with his shortened tail sliding under him.
Heading right, I push through the few people between
us and the closest exit from the sector. Some have the
same idea as me, beelining right and making their way to
the nearest foyer. I follow them with Asera at my side.
As we pass more people who have gathered, I catch
snippets of information.
The security locks on the doors have been disabled. The
elevators aren’t working. No one seems to know what’s
going on. When the floors start shaking again, those same
people duck back into their homes or join the group rushing
down the hallway to the nearest stairwell.
I barely notice the next contraction.
When we reach the sector’s foyer, there are only a
couple of people between us and the stairwell.
No one notices Asera, and if they do, they’re too confused
to react.
Once we’re through, we descend the steps, and with each
step I take my entire body throbs even more. The pressure
of my belly makes it twice as hard to move. Asera takes the
lead, pulling me after him as we head down flights of stairs,
keeping a brisk pace. When I stumble during my next
contraction, he catches me.
 “Are you sure you are
okay?” I nod. “I’ll be
fine.”
They’re coming on faster.
There’s a flash of light from somewhere above us. We
startle and look up, freezing in place. When there’s another
flash, a loud noise explodes from above, and people start
screaming.
I grab Asera’s hand. “Let’s go!”
Smoke quickly fills the stairwell, making it even harder
to see. A family with two children rushes down the stairs
next to us, heading straight for the door at the bottom.
I follow them through it and into the next corridor,
where throngs of people have already begun gathering.
Some of their voices are heightened as several men argue.
Asera clears a path through them. We continue following
the family, who are headed in the same direction as us.
A group of soldiers runs past us. Several more emerge
at the end of the corridor, blocking the doors to the atrium
I know is on the other side. They start shouting at a group
of people trying to pass through, pushing them back. Their
arguing escalates as we close in.
The announcement system turns on, and I hear
Father’s voice. Everyone goes quiet.
“Denizens of The Dreadnaut, this is your Supreme
Commander
speaking. Please return to your homes in an orderly fashion as we work
on turning the systems back on. The ship is in lockdown and the ports
are closed. Any who refuse to return home will be subject to arrest. Your
Commander, Volp.”
Those around us look at each other in question, and I
turn to Asera. “He’s lying.”
The soldiers start barking orders at the gathered group
ahead. The ground starts shaking, and as I pull Asera aside,
another group of armed soldiers appears from behind.
“Turn back, citizen!” one of them shouts as he squints at
Asera in confusion. “No one ” his voice falters, “ is allowed
past this point.”
Asera hisses, and I squeeze his hand. “There’s too
many,” I gasp, counting twelve of them. The soldier
addressing us turns to join the others blocking our path.
“Let us through! You can’t keep us from
our ships!” Behind us, someone shoots a
gun.
The soldiers break formation as screaming rises around us.
They push through the civilians, heading toward the noise,
retrieving their own weapons from their belts. With them
distracted, we flee down the corridor past them.
 The few that have remained behind are quickly
overpowered and pushed out of the way. The doors to the
atrium bursts open and people run through. More gunfire
follows. Asera pulls me close.
We enter the wide-open commercial space that borders
the port, discovering there are more people on the other
side, fleeing in different directions. Some for the port, some
toward other entry points, while others pillage the stores.
Darkness and flashing lights confuse the situation further,
making it hard to see who’s a civilian and who’s one of
Father’s soldiers.
On the other end, toward the port’s security checkpoint,
what looks like dozens of soldiers block the way. Another
mass of people gathers in front of them, their angry shouts
adding to the frenzy.
Gunfire rings in my ears as Asera continues to shield me.
“We are too exposed,” he growls, dragging me behind a
pillar to our right. Stumbling after him, something gushes
between my legs, drenching my inner thighs and pants.
“Where do we go?” he yells, his eyes searching the
chaos, flicking around quickly, looking for Ursula.
I reach down and touch the wet spot between my legs.
More water escapes, and the spot expands, plastering my
pants to my thighs.
“What is wrong?” Asera growls again, his gaze snapping back
to me.
Lifting my hand, I look at my glistening fingers. My face
wrenches as the most painful contraction hits and I buckle
to the floor.
“Female?” he asks, throwing his arm around me.
I take in a shaky breath. “I’m ” I gasp out, finding it hard
to speak through the agony, “I’m I’m about to have the
baby.” I sag into Asera’s arms.
 THIRTY-SIX
RETRIBUTION’S JOY

S Y A SKU

THE PEOPLE of the Dregs froth with excitement and fear at

the news of Pierce’s death. Despite the months that have
passed since I killed him, the death was never released,
and according to Kyle, his replacement has not been
named.
“The sooner they realize what’s best for them, the less
time we’ll have to wait,” Kyle mutters, pacing back and forth
in front of me.
It has been hours since our meeting, and with infrequent
updates from Omari, I am forced to wait for their decision.
I do not want to
wait. I have made
that clear.
I will act on my own whether or not they decide to turn
off the ship’s second power source. If they do not want to
use this opportunity and help me, it will not be offered
again.
I run through the map in my head. There are fifty
sectors. There are three main paths that traverse the
majority of the ship, and they are operated by a combination
of bullet trains and elevators. There are some elevators
reserved for direct travel that are used in emergencies or
by powerful officials. That does not even include the
hundreds of corridors and passageways that could also be
taken through the sectors. In short, there are hundreds of
ways to reach Vivian, and a thousand more where I could
easily get lost.
Vivian is above me. As long as I keep ascending, I will find
her.
 Omari walks over to me, entering the large berth
everyone gives the three of us. Her richly dark skin and
statuesque form are easy to spot, as no other human looks
remotely like her.
She eyes the high grimy metal walls where large
sections have been cut out to enlarge the space further.
My gaze narrows upon her. “How much longer?”
Her gaze drops to mine. “The engineers have accessed
the chamber.
The second reactor can be shut down safely
and—” “Yes or no?”
She trails off what she was about to say and frowns at
me. “Yes,” she snaps.
“Then you better move fasssst,” I warn.
“Hold on a damn minute. It’s best if we wait until the
middle of the night shift.”
“She’s right.”
“How long?” I snap.
Kyle sighs. “An hour, two if you want less people in the
hallways.” “What I was going to say is that the reactors
are thousands of years
old. Although it only takes seconds to shut one off, there is
a chance something goes wrong and the ship explodes.”
I frown.
“Are the chances high?”
“No. But I thought you should know.”
I flick my gaze across the throngs of people and their
disheveled appearances, wondering how many of them will
fight their way above— if any. Shifting my eyes to Omari,
she is watching me with a cross of curiosity and wariness.
“You have two hourssss,” I say and tilt my head at her
people. “After that, I will wait no longer. If you really want to
leave this place, you should do so while you still have a
chance.”
Without further warning, I push past her and through the
gathered humans who soon part to allow me to leave. I am
eager to leave this foul-smelling place behind.
“Wait!”
Kyle and Muffin give chase.
The humans thin out as I near the exit of the room, some
already taking their chances and traveling to higher
sectors, following behind me. Moving with those who are
already leaving, I backtrack to the stairwell and enter the
unsecured sector above, heading straight for the one after
that.
“Syasku, stop!” Kyle shouts.
I have been away from Vivian too long, and as long as I am
alive, I will never stop trying to find her. A ship, even one as
massive as this
one, will not stop me. I will claw through the walls if I must.
But Kyle and Muffin were right, removing those obstacles
will make my passage much easier. I am not proficient with
technology.
I will know soon whether or not Omari shuts down the
second reactor.
Passing a group of armed humans in dirty, threadbare
clothes, they stare at me, gripping their weapons tighter.
Coming to a stop past them, I come face to face with a long,
wide corridor with a large metal blockade halfway down it.
On the other side are soldiers standing guard, letting some
through while denying others. Large doors line the walls,
most of which are roped off. Beyond the blockade some of
those doors slide open and people either leave or enter them.
The first security checkpoint Kyle warned me about.
These checkpoints are stationed throughout the ship to stop
people accessing areas they are not allowed to be in.
Eyeing the long hall and the humans guarding the other
side, there is no way to through without being seen by
them.
I hear a heaving breath directly behind me and I glance
back. “Fuck,” Kyle pants excessively, gripping his chest
with a hand. “You
could have slowed down. We lost Muffin somewhere back
there.” He points with his thumb over his shoulder.
My nostrils flare. “I do not need either of you
anymore.” “Yes. You do. I know the ship better
than you.”
I twist around and snap at him. “I have had enough of
you humans and your backwards ways to last me several
lifetimes.”
“I get that. I do. But there’s something I have to tell you.
Remember when I said I’m doing this to help my cousin and
my aunt?” He huffs another breath, continuing like I am not
about to murder him. “I should’ve been the one on that ship
with Celeste, not Laura. We were supposed to help Celeste
escape with information about you, Earth— Genesis-8—”
My eyes narrow at his mention of Genesis.
“—and bring it to The Sovereign, except we were caught
—” He gulps another breath. “I failed. I fucking failed. I can’t
fail again, okay? Let me come with you.”
I pull back with an annoyed hiss. “I will not sssstop you
from following, but I will not slow down either.”
Kyle smirks. “That wasn’t so hard was it?”
He looks past me and at the checkpoint. “They’ll see us
long before we reach the end. Do you have any suggestions
because this would be a great time to wait and see—”
The ground beneath us trembles.
 His brow furrows as he looks down at his feet and my
eyes follow. The humans go quiet when the walls join the
floor and begin to shake, the sound of vibrating metal
filling my ears. A thundering roar takes over making some
of those around me stagger and shout.
A strange sensation hits me from nowhere. An
overwhelming pressure pulling me inward into myself.
“It’s happening,” Kyle whispers.
Another second passes and everything goes dark.
A light clicks on beside me, revealing Kyle adjusting a
device attached to his shoulder.
Heart racing, realizing now is the time, I
turn toward the checkpoint, and rush for it. The
ship’s noise worsens as I increase my speed, eclipsing the
pulling sensation in my chest. Hearing Kyle behind me, the
soldiers on the other side of the checkpoint notice me a
moment too late, too distracted by the abrupt darkness and
rumbling of the walls. I jump over the line and barrel into
them, crushing two into the floor, landing on top of them.
Swiping my claws across the throat of the
one beneath me, I lean over and tear the other’s throat out.
Hearing several shouts, the people around me scramble away.
Gunfire goes off as I rise and dash to the end, heading
for the open doors there, taking advantage of the
confusion. A stairwell and empty train tracks meet my
gaze. By the time I enter the next large room, my eyes have
adjusted to the darkness. Streaks of light from people’s
devices flick across the walls around me.
Searching for the quickest way to ascend, I turn in time
to see Kyle shoulder through the few humans still scrambling
behind me.
“This stairwell goes up twelve flights!” he yells. “Skip the
tracks!”
I face the open stairs to my right where a group of
confused humans have scattered.
“Stop right there!” a soldier beside the tracks hollers, the
light on his firearm slashing in my eyes.
Turning toward the shout, I lunge for him as he takes
aim. He staggers back a step and fires his weapon. The
bullet hits my arm and reaching him, I take his head
between my hands and twist. The two soldiers behind him
back away, their lights streaking across my face and tail.
“What the fuck is that?” one of them gasps.
He reaches for his weapon, and swiping my tail outward,
he topples, taking the other soldier with him.
“Damn, you’re fast,” Kyle mutters as he runs to the first
soldier, snatching the gun from his hand and shoving it into
his belt.
“I am efficient.”
Heading for the stairs, the screaming and gunfire worsens
behind us.
 Kyle and I climb, dodging people and plowing through
soldiers. Each landing of the stairwell is more crowded than
the last, more chaotic. Despite the ruckus I leave in my
wake, I do not pause, hearing far more than just Kyle
chasing me now.
Between the confusion and those who are using this
opportunity to escape, the few soldiers I come upon above
just stop and stare when their flashlights hit me, their faces
nearly as panicked as the people they are trying to calm
down.
Passing through the second security point with ease,
some of the tension in my shoulders ease.
The groups of people lessen the higher I climb, ignorant
of what’s happening in the darkness around them. Those
that brave the halls are quickly cajoled into turning around.
Unless their lights land on me, I am not seen.
As I reach the third checkpoint, a fresh line of armed
males await me, stopping the few people gathered from
ascending any higher.
Seeing no easy way through, these soldiers have already
worked through their confusion. Searching for the best
route through, static fills my ears and a voice pierces
through the chaos.
“Denizens of The Dreadnaut, this is your Supreme
Commander,
speaking. Please return to your homes in an orderly fashion as we work
on turning the systems back on. The ship remains in lockdown and the
ports will not be opened at this time. Any who choose to impede the
ship’s command in this process will be subject to arrest. Return to your
homes and wait patiently for the next announcement. Your Commander,
Volp.”
The humans in front of me go quiet, trying to catch their
leader’s words. Some begin eyeing me warily, noticing me
stalking behind them.
Knowing what will happen when they start screaming, I
push through them to the check point’s entryway.
“You heard our Supreme Commander!” a soldier shouts.
“Go back to your homes and wait there or be arrested—” His
voice falters when his eyes land on me. “What the—”
His mouth opens to shout for his comrades as I reach
him. Gripping his suit, I toss him into the people behind me.
Screams follow as I shove through the rest of the armed
humans, forcing them back and through the gate. Making a
path through, those who have chosen to follow me, dash
through while others flee in the opposite direction.
Someone fires another shot, and they scatter in every
direction.
When more shots are fired, I throw my body forward,
swinging my tail against those behind me climbing over it.
I hear someone yell, “There’s a monster!”
Beams of lights follow my path.
 Making it to the other side, I pick up speed, not stopping
again until I reach the top. The stairwell ends at another
checkpoint and behind it, an enormous atrium where the
darkness partially recedes.
The soldiers here already have their weapons aimed,
expecting me. “Stop or we’ll fire,” one of them says.
The few humans who are
following come to an abrupt stop at my back. “You can go
no further. You’re under arrest.”
I hiss at them but none of them move. Limited in my
choices, I can either return to the floor below and find
another way through or fight through the soldiers. Heavy
breathing and chatter from those behind me steal my
attention as I decide.
Three of the soldiers step out of formation and head for
me. Baring my fangs at them, they hesitate.
I am going to have to kill them. I refuse to turn back.
Sliding my tail through the humans, I coil inward,
preparing to strike at the soldiers. Every hesitant step they
take closer makes me more frustrated and impatient than
the last. Shifting slightly forward, one of the soldiers still in
formation fires a shot.
Pain bursts through my arm, and with a sneer, I lunge.
Killing the first three is easy, knocking them down with
my tail before I am even upon them, their shouts adding to
the next shot that’s fired.
A human behind me bellows with pain and I crush the
soldiers beneath me, slamming my tail down on them.
Gunfire rings my ears as I head for the rest.
Bullets riddle my chest as I reach the first, picking him
up and using his body to shield me. Someone starts
shooting at them and the rest scatter for coverage.
Fighting me, the male in my grip thrashes as I charge
through the gate and to the other side, the chaos following
me soon after.
Quickly looking around, I dive for the left wall, dodging
more gunfire. I drop the soldier in my arms and he
scrambles away. Watching him flee with a sharp whiff of his
urine hitting my nostrils, I growl.
A large human male, the same one who kicked my tail,
comes running through the gate, charging into the center
of the atrium, a weapon in both of his hands.
Slipping into the shadows as he takes the attention off of
me, I search the wide-open space.
The atrium opens up to six different pathways which are
along the left and right walls. Here, the architecture is
much nicer than the floors below and the smell of sweat
and waste gives way to fresher air. Fake plants and display
cases line the central pathway. Clearing out the reek from
my nose, I am still unable to catch Vivian’s scent.
 She is not here.
She must be higher. A hiss of anger tears from me.
Daunted and annoyed, I had not realized how enormous
the humans’ ship was until now. I could not imagine
anything larger than the forest and lands around my nest.
On the far side, there is a grand staircase. It is the only
place where I can continue to ascend. I cannot see what
awaits me at the top, only seeing the room come to an end.
But between me and on those stairs are more soldiers.
Hearing a noise, I turn to see the large male with two
weapons charge for them. More shouting and gunfire
following close behind. Everywhere else, humans and
misplaced soldiers continue to scramble, adding to the
already confused state of the ship.
The sound of heavy footfalls heading straight for me
steals my attention and I see Kyle heading my way from,
leaving the now overrun checkpoint behind. Smoke plumes
into the atrium from the other side.
Kyle stops beside me, dropping to his hands and knees,
gasping wildly. “And I—” he gasps again “—thought I was in
shape.”
“Which way?” I growl, searching the massive space again.
The smoke quickly flooding into it, now hiding the checkpoint
behind us.
“Straight,” he wheezes, “until the end.”
Vivian’s father’s voice arises once more, coming from every
direction.
“Denizens of The Dreadnaut, this is your Supreme Commander
speaking. We are under attack. A dangerous alien lifeform has infiltrated
the ship. I repeat, we are under attack. Please return to your homes in
an orderly fashion and await further instruction. ”
Kyle curses.
I hiss at Volp’s words and using that anger to spur me
forward, I slice down the atrium and along the wall,
through the fake plants, watching as more and more
soldiers appear on the grand staircase at the end.
Lowering to the floor at the last second, the soldiers
spot me, and several bullets whizz past my ears.
More ping the floor and I roll away, dodging the majority
of them. With pain radiating through me, I pivot at the last
moment, missing a bullet aimed for my head.
 THIRTY-SEVEN
THE LAST BARRICADE

S Y A SKU

“S YASKU , DUCK !” Kyle yells.

The soldiers continue firing, and I drop. Pain bursts
across my back and tail. Gritting my teeth, I retreat and
hide behind a display.
Kyle appears several displays down from me and to my
left. He dodges around the corner, fires off his weapon, and
ducks back behind one of the displays. Catching my gaze
through the smoky darkness, he waves for me to stay put as
he dodges between the rest, slowly heading my way.
His tenacity startles me.
When he makes it to me, his back hits the display and he
slides down into a crouch. “We need to get past them.” He
replaces a part of his weapon while indicating the staircase.
“The entrance to Port B is up there along with the pathway
to the upper caste housing sectors.” He rises and shoots off
his weapon towards it then ducks back down. “If we can hold
them off long enough, Omari and the others will eventually
catch up. They’ll provide enough of a distraction for us to get
through.”
I growl, clenching my fists trying to ignore the pain
spreading out from my bullet wounds. “I have waited long
enough!” But as I peer over the side, more and more of
Volp’s soldiers gather at the top of the stairs, further
barricading the way forward. “Is there no other route?”
“We disabled the other routes. We could try climbing the
elevator shafts.”
 I shake my head. “Then I will have to be fasssst.” I
spring from my hiding spot and head for the closest soldier,
grabbing him and using him as another shield. He
struggles until the first bullets hit, and his body jerks,
easing the tension in his limbs.
Now dead, I lift him higher.
I launch up the staircase and into the first line of
soldiers. They fall while others trip. When I throw the
corpse at the ones to my left, two soldiers tackle me from
my right, another at my front. I swing my tail and push
them away, knocking more of them over.
More enter the fray as I throw another off me and down
the stairs. Taking bullets to my back, I swing my tail,
scattering the next wave. Some fall and do not get back up.
One dives onto my tail, another on my back. I grab and
throw the second forward, sinking my claws into his
shoulders and dropping him on the soldier at my tail. A
blade sinks into my shoulder, and I spin, shaking off the
bodies to grab it and pull it out. Dropping the blade, I head
for the soldier who stabbed me. Lifting him over my head, I
throw him at those between me and the way forward. Blood
fills and groans fill my ears, and I lick my lips.
Bleeding profusely, I slip in my own blood.
Using another corpse as a shield, I barrel into the last
group shooting at me, crushing them under my weight.
The rest slowly back away. One drops his weapon and
raises his hands in submission.
Straightening to my full height, I bare my fangs and spew
venom. A soldier to my right bends over and vomits while
another flees into the passage where the soldiers have been
coming from.
He stops dead in his path, his body jerking several times
before dropping where it stands. Trying to see into the dark
passage beyond, I am only met with shadows.
Then Omari appears. Armed humans from the Dregs rush
around her on either side and into the atrium, shooting the
few soldiers left alive.
She shouts at her men to open the doors as she waltzes
toward me. Following behind her are her people, clutching
their belongings, their clan members, and their children.
They begin to file into the room en masse, ushered around
by those who are guarding their passage.
Omari’s males surround me, eyeing me with suspicion.
She stops before me just as Kyle appears at the top of
the steps, briefly eyeing the corpses around me. “You are an
effective killer, naga.” She waves her males away, and they
lower their weapons. “But can you open those doors for us
too?” She indicates the large ones shut tightly behind me.
 I growl and hiss, facing the doors, which are wide and
high enough to allow many through at once when open.
Approaching them, I search for a mechanism, finding
nothing except smooth steel. Without another recourse, I
dig my fingers into the small slit between them, and with
adrenaline and bloodlust empowering me, I force them open.
When there is enough space to fit my hand through the gap,
I grip each side and shove. The doors slide into the walls.
Smoke billows in my face as Omari’s males rush forward.
Darker and smaller than the previous space, I enter a
smokey deluge, with columns and an even larger checkpoint
than the last situated on the far side. People coming from
passages on my left and right flee toward it, intermingling
with Omari’s armed males. Besides them, the space is
mostly clear except for a few remaining soldiers yelling at
everyone to return to their homes.
Being quickly overtaken, they die where they stand,
picked off by the others around me.
Searching for my next ascent, I shove past the few
humans in my path and into the room, blinking rapidly to
clear the smoke from my eyes. Besides the atrium at my
back, and the two passages on either side, the only other
way forward is through the port, straight ahead.
Kyle’s wheezing form once again appears at my side.
“Right. We need to head to the right to access the upper
levels.” He throws his arm out to point at the passage next
to us where I can hear shouting from within.
Turning for it, I wipe the blood off my brow that is
dripping into my eyes, and take a moment to dig my fingers
into my shoulder to remove a bullet.
“Please, Asera—”
As I am about to leave, my ears prick.
“Ursssula will know what to do. She is smart. She will be here soon.”
My head snaps around to look behind me and at the
left wall.
Murky shadows and fleeing humans distort my view.
“Syasku?” Kyle says my name in question when I do not
move.
“By the time she gets here, if she gets here, it’ll be too late!”
Across the smaller atrium and in a dark alcove between
two pillars are Asera and
I blink, unsure if what I am seeing is due to blood loss.
Focusing on the second, smaller form, a cloud of familiar
curls appears.
Tensing, my throat closes as I coil my rent tail inward, and
a furious hiss builds in my chest.
It’s Vivian.
Kyle steps forward. “Is that another fucking naga?”
 I lunge for them, rushing through the smoke. Grabbing
the back of Asera’s head, I yank him off my female and
slam his body into the floor, smashing his face into it.
 THIRTY-EIGHT
A LITTLE BITE OF PAIN

V IVIA N

ASERA DISAPPEARS FROM MY SIDE, and I brace against the wall in

surprise. Hearing a thunk and an enraged roar, I flinch,
and shy away. Staggering forward and away from the
noise, I look over my shoulder and squint to see what
caused it.
“Asera?” I shout, worried he’s been hurt.
With a furious hiss, a large form appears within the
smoke, and a massive tail flies through the air. Startling at
the sight, I gape. Could it be?
“Syassssku,” Asera howls, his voice garbled, coming
from the same direction.
My lips part and a cry escapes me.
Tears brim my eyes, quickly joining the ones caused by
the smoke. Until my father’s last announcement, I thought
I’d never see him again. I wasn’t sure if he was dead. I
choke on my words, watching his form move in the hazy
darkness.
Nobody seemed to notice or care about Asera while we
were fleeing, so it had to be him father warned about. I
hoped it was him.
“Syasku,” I breathe out his name, wanting nothing more
than to push off the wall and run into his arms. To kiss him
until my lips bleed. To pound his chest with my fists for
making me grieve. But as he comes into focus, and I take a
step back, I see Asera’s smaller form being pulverized
under him.
 Syasku’s hands are clasped around his head, and he’s
smashing it against the floor. My lips part, seeing the blood
pool into a dark shadow. I jerk. “Syasku, stop,” I gasp, my
body tightening painfully, keeping my feet rooted in place.
“We don’t have time—” Another cry escapes me, and I drop to
my knees. Gasping, I twist to peer at the security station.
We’re so close to the port that we could still make it. I might
just make it before the baby comes. “Syasku! The baby!” I
shout, trying to get his
attention. “It’s coming!”
It works. His head pops up and he faces me. I hitch,
stunned by the way he looks, even in the darkness and the
wild lights beaming from people’s devices. Blood and dirt
cover every inch of his face. Animalistic eyes pin me,
drowning in rage.
The next moment he’s directly in front of me, trapping
me against the wall. I gasp as his tail pulls up either of my
sides, blocking any chance of escape.
“Female,” he breathes the word like he’s been fighting
to get to me for months. My chest tightens and I try to
relax as I take in his appearance.
He’s not the same naga I knew in the cell. He’s been
unleashed. He’s I lick my lips, unsure of the word.
Lifted off the ground and into his arms, I push away from
his chest, crying out as my stomach is pressed against him
and the next contraction takes hold.
His arms loosen. “Are you hurt?” His voice is filled with
confusion. “Female? Vivian?”
“I’m in the middle of having a baby!” I scream, suddenly
angry. “Your baby!” I throw out my arm and point to the
port’s entrance. “Get us out of here. Now! We don’t have—”
I’m cut off as his arms capture me against him once more
and I’m pulled into a cradle. A sob tears from my throat as
my body tenses painfully and I go rigid all over.
But he listens and we’re flying through the room at
breakneck speed, and as the air clears the closer we get to
the security checkpoint, I focus on keeping the baby from
ripping out of me. A few soldiers try to stop us, and Syasku
barrels through them without stopping. Pushing through the
remaining people trying to get through the checkpoint, I
hear an explosion behind us.
I wince, wondering if this is all happening because of
him. If Syasku is the cause of the ship’s blackout.
“Follow the people,” I choke out when he pauses at the
entrance to the quarantine zone. Bypassing the designated
rooms, he joins the growing flood of humans escaping into
the docking zone.
As we enter the port, lights banish the darkness,
blasting out from the few private ships that have already
begun to take off. Thousands of
them span out in front of us, and on either side, with grated
metal walkways between them.
Syasku slows and I lower from his embrace. On the main
terminal track right outside the quarantine station, I drop
to my knees and— damn it, I don’t have any more time—I
rip off my wet sweatpants and underwear. “Help me!”
Syasku’s tail coils around me, bleeding out from countless
wounds.
His tailtip tugs my underwear the rest of the way off.
“Tell me what to do,” he begs, his voice urgent, his eyes
streaking across my bloated form, alarm etched over his
bloody features.
Looking around, I point to the underside of the closest
spaceship. “There.” It’s all I have to say for him to hook his
arm around me and take me where I want to go. Leaving a
trail of amniotic fluid, I lose the rest of my water as I
stagger half-naked to a spot under the wing.
Getting on my hands and knees, I rock back and forth. I
scream when my next contraction hits. Overwhelming
pressure hits my pelvic region, and I inhale sharply and
strain, pushing for the first time. When the contraction ends
and I exhale, Syasku’s hands cup my cheeks. With his gaze
leveled with mine, he’s in front of me. Tears stream down
my cheeks at his anguished expression.
More and more people enter the port, running past us.
The floor beneath hums as a ship nearby powers on.
Staring into Syasku’s eyes, I try not to focus on it. I try
to focus on him and my body.
“I did not know,” he whispers, his voice raw with regret.
“How could you?” I press my brow to his bloody one.
“We were separated. We didn’t have a choice.”
“I should have never left that
cell.” “I shouldn’t have
either.”
His eyes skirt my face. “You are bruised.” Fury flashes over
his face. “Who hurt you?”
“It doesn’t matter, getting this baby out of me alive is
what matters.
It’s the only thing that matters.”
His fingers drift gently over my skin, circling my eyes.
Unable to help it, I lean into his caress. “I missed you.”
“I missssssed you too, sweet female.”
I release a shaky breath. My face wrenches at the next
contraction, and Syasku’s hands fall away as I push with all
my might. His tail slides around me and along my sides,
circling me once more.
Gasping, my body loosens as the contraction fades.
“Syasku,” Asera hisses, appearing to my left. Next to him
is Ursula.
Gasping again, I close my eyes.
Syasku snaps upright and scowls, shielding me.
 “Wait!” I beg. “Don’t hurt them.”
“I plan to kill them, not hurt them,” he growls.
“Kill me? I can help her, but you’re going to have to let
me through.” Ursula enters my line of sight, and I shift my
eyes to her. “She’s not having a normal baby. You need me
right now more than ever.”
“Any closer,” Syasku warns her, his voice dark and
menacing, “and lose your head.”
Asera shoots forward, shielding Ursula. Both nagas stare
each other down, tension radiating from their forms.
Asera’s face is swollen and red, his nose twisted at an odd
angle, and when he hisses, both of his fangs are missing.
I grit my teeth and look away. “Syasku, please. We need
her. I need her. I need—” A painful whimper leaves my
mouth as I lose my next breath and push. “LET HER
THROUGH!” I scream at my next inhale, angry all over
again, annoyed at the ruckus and pandemonium happening
all around me. “NOW!” Don’t they know I’m in labor?
I hear a hiss, and Syasku’s tail slips away from me. Ursula
ducks under the ship and positions herself behind me. “I don’t
have gloves. I’m going to check if the baby is in the right
position.”
Nodding weakly, I brace as she probes me with her
fingers then slips them back out. “Good,” she mumbles.
“You’re fully dilated. On your next contraction, I want you to
push with all you got.” She shifts her attention to Syasku.
“Help me get her upright. It’ll be easier if she’s in a
squatting position.” My body clamps as they help me up,
and Ursula moves to kneel in front of me, taking Syasku’s
spot. “Hold her from behind. She’ll need your support.”
He wraps his arms around me and I lean into him. Dirty
and wounded, his body trembles as he rests his chin on my
shoulder, and I feel his fear and anxiety. Soaking it up, it
does something strange
It alleviates my worries and makes me numb.
I’m ready for the next push when my body contracts,
and leaning into Syasku’s strong form, I press my heels into
the floor and scream.
Ursula urges. “More! Harder!”
Engine exhaust and gasoline flood my nose as I do as she
says and
puuuush .
“I said harder!”
My teeth grind, and my muscles
strain. “Keep going!”
My insides hurt so badly they feel like they’re tearing,
and when an excruciating burning sensation erupts between
my legs, I sob, the agony causing my legs to buckle.
I want to stop but I can’t.
 Ursula reaches under me. “Almost there!”
I release another sob in the hope it’ll be over soon,
straining with all my might. Inflamed with pain, the
pressure in my belly releases with a rush. There’s a woosh
and a soft squeal and some of the pressure in my belly
fades. Ursula grabs the baby and cradles them in her arms
at my final sob. Falling back into Syasku’s arms, the
pinching, stabbing tension between my legs eases into a
throbbing, godawful ache.
The baby’s first cry pierces the chamber.
“Holy fuck,” someone says, and I crack my eyes open to
see a vaguely familiar man holding a gun standing a short
distance from Asera.
“You did it,” Ursula murmurs, wiping the baby clean with
her shirt. “You’re almost done now, Vivian.”
Syasku’s grip hardens as I reach for the baby. Ursula
hands the mewling, wiggling form over to me as she dives
between my legs once more. “We’re going to need to get you
out of here and fast. You’re badly torn,” she says from
between my legs. “You’re going to need stitches.”
I barely have a moment to look at the scrunched, delicate
features of my baby and that curious little coiled tail
coming out of its behind before reality comes crashing back
down.
“I need a blade,” Ursula announces, eyeing the others
expectantly.
The male with the gun pulls a switchblade from his belt
and hands it to Ursula. Lowering to me once more, she cuts
the umbilical cord and tosses it aside.
My gaze briefly goes to the cord on the grated walkway
next to me. Tossed there like trash. Gunfire returns to my
ears, and everyone startles to search for its source. It
eclipses my baby’s soft cries.
Syasku holds me even tighter as my ears ring. The blasts
are coming from the quarantine stations. The reinforcements
have arrived.
“We need to move,” the stranger mutters, checking the
bullets in his magazine.
Holding the baby to my chest, I look around at the
hundreds of people surrounding me as even more filter in
and flee. Realizing most of them are heading in the same
direction, I turn to see a giant commercial freight ship down
the main track. Along other walkways, and up and down the
lines, other smaller spacecraft are being loaded and readied
by their crews.
The baby starts to cry in earnest, and Syasku tugs me up
and into his arms, pulling me completely off the floor. He’s
quiet, but his grip is firm.
“Follow me,” Ursula orders, wiping her hands on her
pants as she scrutinizes me and the baby after looking
around herself. “I have a place I can take you where you
will be safe and I can stitch you up.” Asera
slithers to her side, and when he presses his broken face
into her slicked-back hair, she shoos him away.
“We are going nowhere with you,” Syasku rumbles,
speaking at last. “Unless you want to risk Vivian getting
an infection and the health
of your newborn, I recommend that you do.” She eyes the
chaotic port with annoyance, her lips twisting further at the
people running toward the large ship at the end of the port.
Most of them appear poor, disheveled, dirty like us.
The man with the switchblade turns to Syasku who
continues to seethe at Ursula. “We should join Omari and
the others on the freighter. If we go now, there may still be
enough seats open.” He pulls off his jacket and hands it to
me, and with Syasku’s help, I tie it around my middle,
hiding my nudity. I hold back a pained groan as I’m then
tugged back into his arms, able to keep the baby safely
tucked against me.
“That freighter?” Ursula indicates the ship where the
people are fleeing. “It’ll never make it to one of the other
colony ships. If that ship even manages to fly beyond the
Dreadnaut’s barriers, you would be lucky if there’s anything
aboard that could help your situation.”
“We are not headed to another colony. We’re headed for
Earth,” the stranger says. “The freighter doesn’t have to go
far.” He glances behind him and at the quarantine stations
where most of the gunfire is coming from like he’s searching
for someone. “We need to make a decision now. Omari and
her men may hold off the militia for a time, but if Volp
releases the drones it’s every man and woman for
themselves. Either way, we need to decide now.”
Ursula glowers at him. “I agree. If we leave now, we
might not be spotted and could get to my laboratory without
being stopped. There you can all wash and we can come up
with a plan—”
“Over my dead body,” Syasku straightens, towering over
Ursula.
Feeling faint, I close my eyes. “The freighter. Let’s go to
the freighter,” I whisper. I may have gone to Ursula for
help, but I have no intention of staying with her longer than
necessary. I don’t trust her selfish ambition.
The baby makes a whimpering sound, and I clutch them
closer to my chest, desperate to snuggle them and rest.
“We’ll take our chances with the freighter.”
“You’re making a mistake.” Ursula’s eyes narrow on me.
“You and your baby need medical care immediately and that
freighter isn’t going to have a stocked medbay if it has a
medbay at all. And even if it does, there will be others who
are wounded and in need of help.” She looks at the blood
pooled on the ground from my labor. “You’ll catch an
infection in the state you’re—”
 “As Vivian said, we’ll take our chances,” the vaguely
familiar stranger snaps.
The stranger knows my name?
“Let’s go,” he says, cocking his thumb at the ship before
readying his gun and nodding at Syasku. “You take the lead,
and I’ll cover your back.”
“I can’t let you do this.” Ursula scowls her cold facade
cracking. “Syasku and Vivian are wanted, and leaving puts the
newborn’s life in danger.”
The male steps in front of her. “You, ma’am, do not have a
choice.” “I think I do. Asera, stop them,” she orders. “I just
have to keep you
here long enough for reinforcements to arrive.”
Syasku pauses just as we turn for the freighter. He
pivots back and releases a hiss the likes of which I have
never heard before. Rough, threatening, and deep, it’s the
sound a predator would make right before the attack. His
slitted eyes flick from Ursula to Asera. The smaller naga
doesn’t move.
“Syasku,” I whisper with urgency, needing more than
anything to take our child someplace safe. “Don’t let her
goad you. It’s not worth it.” “Kyle,” he snaps, ignoring me
and handing me and the baby over to
the other male.
The male, Kyle, pauses before putting away his gun and
taking me from Syasku’s arms.
“Asera, stop them!” Ursula demands louder when he
hesitates. “They can’t leave. We can’t let them leave.”
“Syasku please,” I beg, scared we might miss our one
chance to get off the Dreadnaut once and for all. I don’t
want to linger, I don’t want to fight. I just want to leave.
Syasku shifts towards Ursula, and Asera, tensing, slides
forward to stop him.
“Are you going to kill me now, naga?” Ursula threatens
him. “After I saved Vivian and your baby?”
Somewhere in the distance, deeper in the ship,
screaming and shouting erupts behind the port’s barricade.
Abruptly, people stop appearing through the side gates.
“Yessss, Ursusssula, I am.”
“Syasku,” Asera warns. He tilts his head forward and
bares his fangs. “Why are you hesitating?” Ursula shouts at
Asera. “Stop him! Attack
him!”
Syasku launches at Asera and takes him down, wrapping
his tail around the naga until he can no longer be seen.
Hearing a gut-curdling roar, Syasku squeezes the other
naga, his body thrashing back and forth wildly as Asera
tries to free himself. Blood oozing from his wounds,
Syasku digs his fingers into Asera’s mouth and grips his jaw,
yanking it out.
I turn away and press my face into my baby when Asera
starts garbling and screaming, and his bones snap.
“Fucking hell,” the stranger holding me breathes, taking
several steps away.
When Asera goes quiet, I open my eyes just in time to
see Syasku advance on Ursula, who’s fleeing towards the
quarantine zone, shouting for help from the few soldiers who
have appeared.
He lunges, taking her to the ground.
Her shriek cuts off as he easily lifts her over his head
and slams her body down. This happens again, and again
until everyone nearby freezes to watch, stunned by Syasku’s
vehemence and brutality. Even the few soldiers who have
arrived pause, lowering their weapons, their mouths open in
shock.
When Ursula’s body is nothing more than a flesh bag of
broken bones, Syasku yanks open her mouth and shoves his
hand down her throat. It bulges as his fist ruptures her
neck. Her body shakes like a ragdoll and his eyes sharpen
with intensity. Slowly pulling his hand back out, something
is gripped in his fingers.
Ursula’s body bends inward as he tears out her spine
through her mouth.
Releasing her and the appendage, they drop to the floor
and he lifts his head back and roars.
Wincing, the sound echoes.
When it’s over, he looks down at Ursula’s corpse.
Scowling down at her, he turns to look at me.
I shake my head, pleading. “Let’s go,” I mouth the
words to him. His lips close over his fangs, and heads
for me.
Those frozen watching him return to what they were
doing, and with the pulverizing now over, people start
screaming, soldiers readjust their weapons.
The barricade explodes behind Syasku, and shrapnel flies
through the air. The baby shrieks, bursting into tears as
Syasku speeds up and rushes us. Ringing fills my ears as
smoke floods the port.
With Ursula’s and Asera’s blood on his hands, he takes me
back from Kyle. His wet hands are warm where they grasp
me.
“Go!” the male screams at us as hundreds of soldiers
emerge from the wreckage.
Syasku tenses and launches forward in the direction of
the freighter. Civilians and ships pass us by as he rushes us
through at breakneck speed. Gunfire zips past us, and
people scream while others dodge for
cover as they try to get out of Syasku’s way. There are
more shouts behind us as the soldiers span out to retake
control of the port.
I pray, shielding my baby as much as I
can. “They’re coming! Hurry!” someone
yells.
Syasku pushes through a throng of people trying
desperately to enter the freighter’s open back hatch. Several
of the ship’s guards are shouting for people to either back
away or hurry on as they try closing the doors.
Syasku forces his way on, uncaring who he shoves aside.
I squeeze my eyes tight.
The last thing I hear as the hatch is closed is my father’s
voice.
“Denizens of The Dreadnaut, this is your Supreme Commander once
more. We are under attack by alien lifeforms from Earth. All civilians
who are found outside their units or are trying to flee will be prosecuted
for obstruction. If you have not already, return to your homes in an
orderly fashion and await further instruction. ”
 THIRTY-NINE
DIRTY, DAMAGED SHIP

V IVIA N

“F UCK IT, I’M DONE.” Someone heaves at our back. “I retire. I

can’t believe I fucking made it. Goddamn it, where was
Muffin? He better fucking be on board somewhere.”
Syasku turns, and the man, Kyle, drops his hands on his
knees. Bruised, battered, and with his shaggy brown hair
obscuring his face, he takes another couple of breaths before
peering up at us.
Syasku moves closer to the wall and Kyle joins us,
pulling out a bottle of water from the pack on his back. We
huddle together and pass the water around, catching our
breaths and looking around. People cluster the passage
ahead, and those closest watch us with horror and fear
crowding their expressions. Deeper in the freighter
somewhere, there’s shouting as someone tries to herd
people elsewhere in the ship. Behind us, and in front of the
closed hatch, are two large armed men, covered in tattoos.
One of them is shaking, his brow against the hatch, leaning
into it while the other watches Syasku with narrowed eyes,
clearly undecided whether he should do something about him
—us—or to leave us be.
It doesn’t matter who’s in charge when it comes to
Syasku. Whoever saw what happened outside will avoid him
and his wrath like the plague.
When the male notices the crying baby in my arms, his
suspicion morphs into a frown and then to wariness as he
notices all the blood, and the tail coming out from it.
 “Please,” I rasp at him, shaking wildly, my body so rigid,
I’m nervous I’ll remain stiff with stress forever. “We need
help.” I’m feeling faint, anxious, frightened, knowing
there’s only a single wall of metal between me and Father’s
soldiers. There’s blood on me, on my baby, all over Syasku,
and it’s growing cold, sticky, and increasingly disturbing.
“I’ll find Omari,” the guard says, coughing his words,
staring at my baby’s tail. Shaking his head, he disappears
into the people clogging the hallways ahead.
My gaze flicks back to the closed hatch, and a sadness
fills me, knowing not everyone made it on.
Syasku winds his tail around me, stealing my attention
away. Shuddering, I focus on our baby, momentarily
content just having a moment of peace with them. Mewling
and crying, their squishy red face scrunches as its little
fingers clutch my shirt. Adjusting them in my arms, I slide
my shirt up and push aside my bra, hoping they’ll latch.
“Here. For the baby.” Kyle pulls off his shirt and hands it
to me, leaving him bare from the waist up. “It’s dirty but at
least it’s not wet and covered in blood.”
Taking the shirt from him, I thank him softly.
I cushion it around the baby and reposition them at my
nipple.
My eyes go back to the hatch, wishing the freighter
would take off already.
As I stare at it and the baby fumbles with my nipple, a
sweet sound encompasses me to vibrate my flesh and
soothe my emotions. Syasku’s lulling hiss courses through
and over me, and the tears brimming my eyes finally fall.
The arm banded around me pulls me closer against him and I
look up, meeting his eyes.
Drenched in blood, he’s barely recognizable. Staring down
at me, his gaze slowly drifts to the baby whimpering against
my nipple.
“A male,” he says.
My brows furrow. “How can you tell?” When I glanced
earlier, the baby was smooth without a slit.
“By the way he smells.”
“You can smell him even with all that
blood?” “Yessss, and he smells
healthy.”
Shoulders sagging, and hearing him say that, my relief
hits hard and more tears trickle down my cheeks. “He’s
beautiful, isn’t he?” Wiping my face with the back of my
hand, I look down at our son.
“And he is ours,” he rasps. “Mine.”
I nod shakily and rest my head against him. Helping the
baby, I use my free hand to wiggle my nipple between his
lips. Latching for a moment, he suckles and when he pops
off, I do the same maneuver
again until he’s got the hang of it. For a few minutes, we
rest in silence, overcome by all that has happened.
I close my eyes and fear reopening them, terrified that
this might be a dream and I’ll wake back up in father’s
quarters, mindlessly drugged with Lena standing over me.
“You were something else out there,” Kyle says to Syasku,
forcing my eyes open.
Syasku grumbles in response.
“Who are you?” I ask him. “You look familiar.” I scan his
face, trying to recall where I know him from.
He sits and leans back with Syasku against the wall.
“I’m your cousin, Kyle. Your mom’s side.”
I frown. “I don’t have an aunt or uncle.”
But as I say it, I remember where I’ve seen him before—
with my mother.
Kyle shrugs. “You do. On The Liberty.” He closes his eyes
like he’s remembering it. “My father transferred when I was
eight, and I had just been accepted into The Dreadnaut’s
military academy. This was several years before you were
born.”
“I had no idea.” My eyes trail over him and the
equipment attached to his frame. None of it is of military
design. “You’re not in the medical field?”
“I hate medicine. So, no, I chose to become a soldier.”
“No one tried to stop you?” I ask, confused. I thought
every Yulen went into the family business.
“They could’ve tried but wouldn’t have gotten far.” He
laughs. “My father was transferring ships, and I wasn’t.
There was nothing he could do.”
“You’re not wearing a uniform though.”
He chuckles. “You noticed. Let’s just say I got
disenchanted, and now use my skills for hire.”
My brows furrow, continuing to question him, desperately
needing a distraction until the ship moves. “Who’s going to
hire you on Earth?” Why isn’t the ship moving?
“Everybody.” He chuckles again, his eyes remaining closed.
“Who wouldn’t want someone like me watching their back?”
I mull over his words, happy that at least he had a say in
his fate. “How do you and Syasku know each other?” I ask,
only half-paying
attention as I slide my finger along my baby’s tightly coiled
tail, and glance at the closed hatch.
The ship shudders hard, and I wince, grateful and
relieved, while also trying not to think about how I’m still
bleeding and how exposed I am; and how I can die here just
as easily as anywhere else.
 “Muffin.”
The shuddering worsens, and a humming fills the air,
trembling the walls. Everyone goes quiet as the freighter
stutters, and bouts of groaning metal sounds beneath us.
Please.
When the ship jerks forward, the humming grows. Slowly, it
moves.
Please go faster. Now that I’m here, I can taste freedom.
Shaking with the ship, I strain my neck and look at
Syasku, realizing how quiet he’s being. When his sharp
gray eyes meet mine, leaving the baby, I’m unable to stop
the rest of my tears from falling. I thought I would never
see him again, never feel his body against mine, or hear his
soothing hisses. I doubted his death but mourned him
anyway, knowing how little power I had to reunite with him.
Part of me still doesn’t fully believe he’s alive even as
I’m tucked in his coil with his arms banded around me.
Even bloody and immensely dirty, he’s the most
attractive male I have ever laid eyes on, the most
otherworldly, intriguing, and strange.
He’s viciously brutal and equally terrifying. And he’s
mine. He’s that way for me.
How we found each other at the last second, I have no
idea. I don’t know what I did to deserve that.
Because I wasn’t searching for him I couldn’t. I was
fleeing, looking for a place of safety for our unborn baby.
Whether that was somewhere on The Dreadnaut, or at the
port, I had no idea.
His gaze drifts from me and back to our son and then
deeper into the ship.
I turn to see what he’s looking at to discover Muffin and
the guard from earlier striding toward us. Kyle claps once
and rises, clasping Muffin’s shoulder.
“Follow us, and quickly. Omari has a place where you
can rest alone,” the guard says.
Lifting me with him, Syasku rises, but as the guard tries
to lead us away, his gaze remains locked with Muffin’s.
Muffin, who is incredibly tense, stiffens under his glare
and glances at me and the baby. “I was going to tell—”
Syasku hisses and, with a swipe of his tail, shoves Muffin
to the wall and pins him there.
“But you did not,” he growls, so low I’m not sure if I heard
it.
Muffins face blanches as he regains
balance, and Kyle tries to intervene.
“Syasku, don’t. It wasn’t his decision alone.”
Syasku turns on Kyle, the fury in his expression growing.
“You also knew?”
“Of course I did. He told me months ago.”
 I glance between them, confused.
“Look, we can hash this out later, but right now Vivian
and the baby need taking care of.” Muffin slowly pushes
Syasku’s tail off him and moves away from the wall. He
backs up toward the guard. “I’ll explain my reasoning
afterward. I heard you killed Ursula.”
Syasku’s nostrils flare.
“Yessss.” “Good.”
I press into Syasku’s side.
Syasku strains under me, but after a tense moment, he
eases and Kyle exhales. Muffin pivots and briskly walks
back down the hallway. After a moment, we follow him,
passing huddles of people sitting on the floors and along the
walls.
Muffin takes us to a storage room off of the freighter’s
cafeteria. With several large rotting crates in the room with
us, it’s barely big enough to fit the four of us. Kyle leaves to
search for supplies Muffin can use as Syasku lowers the
baby and me to the floor, glaring at Muffin the entire time.
If I had any more capacity for surprise, I’d wonder how
Muffin ended up here.
A voice on the freighter’s intercom system warns
everyone to brace for takeoff. It breaks another tense
moment as I shift Kyle’s jacket under me so I’m not sitting
bare on a dirty floor.
The ship rattles, and for the next several minutes, no
one moves or speaks. When it’s over and that same voice
tells us we’re clear of The Dreadnaut, a wild, jubilant cheer
explodes from the people, so loud and for so long it pierces
the walls and sweeps me up. For the first time since I can
remember, a tendril of hope blooms in my chest.
Everything is going to be okay.
And as Syasku takes our son and tucks him safely in his
arms, I lean back against his tail and open my legs. Muffin
crouches between my thighs, readying his tools.
Secure in this hope, I pass out when the first stab of his
needle begins stitching my tears closed.
 FORTY
PASSAGE TO FREEDOM

S Y A SKU

DESPITE THE OVERCROWDED SHIP, we are left alone.

In the dark, rusty room we are in, I have nothing to
complain about. I have Vivian and our son resting within my
tail’s coil, and other than brief interruptions, no one disturbs
us.
No one asks for anything or tries to take from us, and
with the door unlocked, we embrace our hard-won freedom
with rest.
All we have left to do is wait. Gritting my teeth, I am
tired of waiting.
Kyle has joined the flight crew to help them navigate to
my home on Earth. It remains as the only place on the planet
brimming with life— where the humans can survive without
the trappings of their technology. I have found out that the
majority of Earth is a wasteland, and only the forests and
mountains around my territory can sustain life. It makes
sense. I have seen the wastes myself and exploring it near
the wetlands,
have never found an end to it.
Still, whether I like the human’s invasion or not waits to
be seen. As long as my territory, my mate, and our child are
left alone, I do not care if the humans form a colony. The
vegetation continues to expand, and the forest, mountains,
and land surrounding it are large enough to accommodate
all.
If my home remains, the wetlands provide plenty of fish
to eat. That is, if it has not been taken over by humans like
Asera had warned
He had to have been wrong.
 I brush Vivian’s curls behind her ear, watching our baby
as he rests beside her in a small cradle I have made with
my tail. She sleeps, recovering from the ordeal of her labor,
and the aftercare, only rousing long enough to feed the
baby and herself.
During one of those few moments, we named our son.
Audrin. She says the name means grace, and it is grace
she needs.
I have not yet told her that we will land soon. In the two
days we have been on the freighter, I have shared little of
the news Kyle brings upon his few visits.
I want her to be healthy. I want her full of life.
She has been sick and in pain from her gestation, and it
upsets me that I was not there to do anything about it.
We barely escaped The Dreadnaut and, for a time afterward,
unbeknownst to her, were chased by battleships determined
to destroy the freighter rather than allow it entry into
Earth’s atmosphere. The battleships failed in their attempt
and have since returned to The Dreadnaut.
I do not want to burden my mate any more than she has
been. She lost a lot of blood birthing our child and has
faced too much already. Where I will eventually regenerate
from my wounds, she could still die from hers.
Ursula sought my fluids—my seed and then Asera’s—
because of something she called Genesis-8 within it. I’ve
told Vivian this, and hope it is true. Genesis-8 can make one
stronger, more durable, and potentially help heal one’s
wounds and extend one’s life.
It is in my pheromones, and it is the reason it affects
humans, but it is stronger in my blood and seed. Humans
can not drink blood without getting sick, leaving my seed as
the strongest source a human can indulge in.
The problem is I do not know if I can believe Ursula, and
when I debate releasing my prick and milking it for seed to
feed Vivian, my hand stills over my slit, uncomfortable with
the prospect of doing something so blatantly sexual in our
current state.
Not only that, but I have deteriorated from being captive
for so long, denied the nutrients I thrive upon on Earth. I
regret abstaining from the food given to me for so long. I
will need what strength I have in the days ahead, and with
the bullets that had punctured me dug out with my claws
and piled in the corner, my body still needs to recover from
my most recent wounds.
Forcing my appendage to harden so I can milk it for
seed will only weaken me further.
So I guard my mate and watch her carefully, even
allowing Muffin near her to do what is necessary to help
her through this. Considering
his omission of Vivian’s bred state while I withered away in
that disgusting room waiting for my sight to return, I will
not forgive him. I will not forgive Kyle either, despite my
growing fondness of him.
They did not believe I would delay if I knew she was
pregnant.
And despite my fury for not being told, they were right.
If I had known, nothing, not even blindness, would have
stopped me from going after her. I never would have
considered seeking the help of others, or even listening to
them.
And without them Vivian and I would not have had
passage back to Earth.
Releasing a tired hiss, I rest my head against the wall.
Vivian’s sire remains alive. It does not fare well with me,
failing on an oath I made. But there is nothing I can do
about it now. Volp remains on The Dreadnaut, and I will be on
Earth, far away, nesting with his daughter.
Inhaling, I resolve to prove to Vivian and our son that I
am worthy of them. I will spend the rest of my life trying to
convince them of this if I have to.
I make another oath, one far more important than those I
have made in the past.
I look down at my mate, and my throat constricts, still
afraid at how close I came to losing her. I vow my life for
hers. I vow my life for the babies we will create.
Volp will be dealt with, I am certain of it. There are
enough humans left aboard The Dreadnaut who despise him.
A knock on the door attracts my attention, and Kyle pops
his head
in.
“We will be landing shortly,” he whispers when he sees that
Vivian
and the baby are asleep. “I thought you would want to know.”
I run my fingers through my dirty hair, shifting it out of my
eyes. “We are prepared.”
He gives me a tight smile and ducks out, gently shutting
the door behind him. Shortly after, Vivian stretches, peers up
at me, and yawns.
I curl the end of my tail around her ankle. “Go back to
sleep,” I murmur, letting her know everything is fine.
“There is no reason to wake yet. You need to rest.”
She smiles.
A ruckus sounds outside the door coming from the cafeteria,
where a large majority of the humans have been ushered into
for the trip.
“Kyle was here before the baby woke,” I tell her before she
asks. “The ship will be landing soon.”
She pushes up on her arms and wipes the sleep from her
eyes, and knowing I cannot force her to sleep, I settle for
watching her. I love
watching her, trying to figure her out.
Everything about her appeals to me. We are so unalike,
it is hard to believe someone like her exists and is also
mine. She is good, or tries to be good despite whatever
circumstances she is thrown into. She is what I need, and
what I want my offspring to have.
Her sire abused her. He did not deserve her and the
goodness she is. Which is fine by me because I am more
than ready to keep her. I only wish I could have taken his
head first.
“I don’t know why, but I’m scared,” she says.
She is not the only one; the scent of human fear is thick
around me. “You have nothing to be frightened of.”
“All I’ve heard about Earth hasn’t been that great. I can’t
help it. The idea of bears and that they could attack at any
time from any direction is unsettling.” She whispers the
words like the bears themselves could hear her. “And
wolves, you said they travel in packs, right? They have
sharp teeth.” Her eyes glaze over with distance. “Birds.”
“Bears and wolves can be vicious, but unlike some of the
other creatures that we will encounter, bears mostly keep to
themselves, same with wolf packs, if they are not out
hunting. They will attack if they are hungry or to protect
one of their own.”
“You’re not making me feel better.” She shifts to sit
higher up and winces. Sliding my tail behind her, I offer her
leverage. When she is resettled, she licks her lips, worry
clouding her features. “Syasku ”
I slant my head when she does not continue. “What is the
matter?”
She exhales, closing and opening her eyes. “I don’t know
anything about surviving. I can’t even use a basic gun.” Her
eyes drop to her lap. “I can maybe reset a broken bone,
wrap a good bandage two things you’ll probably never
need I’ll be a burden, especially in the
state I’m in.”
I hiss. “You are not a burden. You did not need these
skills in your previous life. Any skillssss you need now, I will
teach you.”
She gives me a look of disbelief. “You say that now. But
you’re forgetting I don’t even have shoes anymore, and I’ve
heard that the ground is far from flat.”
My eyes drop to her feet positioned out in front of her.
Strange and small, they have always fascinated me. Her
small toes are cute. “I will carry you. Do not worry about
small things. If shoes are what you need, I will get you
shoessss, or I will make them.”
I will take them off the feet of another human
if I must. “What if a bear attacks while you’re
busy holding me?”
I growl. “I will kill it with my tail, strip its body of fur
and meat, and make a hide for you and our son for
warmth.”
 “You can do that?” Her lips part as her eyes flick over me
and the muscles of my arms.
Unable to help it, I smirk. “I will not have to, female. A
bear will never get close enough to attack you, and my nest
has more hides than you will ever need. But if you decide
you want another, another you will have.”
As the baby wakes up and she brings him to her nipple, I
watch as she caresses the back of her finger over his
chubby cheek. Every day Audrin grows bigger. While it
surprises Vivian, it seems natural to me.
When I think back to my youth, I do not remember
remaining small for long Then again, I do not remember
much about those first years.
Her eyes drop further, and I know she still
worries. “Maybe ” she looks up at the door,
“staying—”
“Vivian,” I pronounce her name as clear, and as human,
as I can. “I have made a promise that I will protect you. You
will not remain with the people here, nor will our son. I
have had enough of humanity, and if our son is like me, he
will be better suited around water.”
“I meant until I’m healed a little more and I have shoes.
We’re healed a little more,” she amends, looking back at me.
“I know we can’t stay with these people. Father will
eventually send someone after them— us. I might not mean
all that much to him, but he’s spiteful, and if he has a
chance to recapture me, he will try just because he can.”
The mention of her father returns my scowl. “Thissss is
what will happen,” I rasp, struggling to hold back the anger
I have that he remains alive. “We will leave as soon as we
land and make our way home. I will keep you and our child
safe and provide for your needs. Do not worry further on the
matter.” I shift upward and lean toward her. “Focus on our
baby and healing the wounds you have sustained. I will not
speak more on this. I am all you need.”
Her eyes gleam as she slowly nods.
I grasp her chin and trap her gaze, lowering until my
face is mere inches from hers. “We are free, and I will have
you naked and coiled up in the rings of my tail as I have
dreamed since our separation.” Sterner on my grip, my
voice darkens with lust. “When your body swells, I will be
there to witness it next time. You will trust me to care for
you and our young because there issss no other path for you
or me. Not anymore. Not while I live.” I glance at Audrin.
“Our family stays together and our family is not staying
here.”
She nods again, her eyes widening as a blush forms
across her cheeks. “Okay.”
I release her. “Good, female.” Her submissiveness calms
me. I will not have to worry about her listening if danger
arises. Taking in her beautiful features, I take my time
putting them to memory. I have missed
her greatly and I am ready to show her my world. “We
understand each other.”
I have caught Vivian, fought for her, earned her, bred
her, and now I will finally take her home.
And if any unmated naga male gets in our way, I will
destroy them.
 FORTY-ONE
EDEN’S GATE

S Y A SKU

AS THE SHIP LANDS, silence falls between us once more.

Holding Audrin tightly in the crook of my arm, and no
longer annoyed by the humans’ constant chatter, I make
another vow.
No more ships.
After this, I will never enter another, and if I must, I will
have Vivian make the same oath.
The sky is not for me. I belong on the ground and in the
water, where I can better control the fates of myself and
those around me.
In the final minutes of our descent, Muffin enters the
room and checks Vivian and the baby one last time. When
he cannot convince us to stay and join the recolonizing
effort, he gives Vivian a small package of medicine and,
with a warning hiss from me, wraps his arms around her
and begs for her forgiveness. He had never wanted to hurt
her. Vivian hugs him back, and seemingly satisfied by her
reaction, he steps away to wish us luck on the journey
ahead.
After he leaves, Vivian tries to hide her tears, and when
she looks at me, forgiveness now glistening in her eyes, I
realize she could not forgive him because she has not yet
forgiven herself. I cup her cheeks and shake my head,
telling her without words she should not worry so much.
I have no intention of forgiving her. I have nothing to
forgive her
for.
 If anything, I am the one who needs to be forgiven. I am
the one who wanted her badly enough to steal the only
freedom she had. I have been selfish when it comes to her,
and that changes now.
After that, we are quiet.
When the freighter hits ground, the permeating silence
breaks into nervous whispering in the cafeteria. It takes a
few minutes for the ship to stop rattling and for it to settle.
Omari’s people have left all they have known for a new
start—now what? I can sense their anxiety, excitement, and
fear.
I peer down at Vivian, who is quietly swaying our son
back to sleep. Leaning forward, I curl my arm around her
and pull her into me, burying my face into her soft hair.
Whatever happens to the humans, it is not our problem.
This is where our paths diverge and Vivian and I leave the
rest behind. She is the only human I care to protect—the
others will have to find nagas of their own.
It is time for me to prove to Vivian there not only is no
better mate than I. She may have seen me break Asera, but
I am eager for her to see me against a stronger opponent.
We wait in the storage room with the door cracked open
as Omari addresses her people and divides them into groups
based on their skills. As the humans file out, Vivian and I
gather our few supplies deciding it is time for us to leave as
well.
We find Kyle and Omari waiting for us.
“Syasku, Vivian,” Omari states in greeting as we approach.
“You have done us a great service in helping us escape.”
She waves at someone behind her, and a male carrying a
backpack full of supplies walks over to us. He warily hands
it to me.
“This is for you,” Omari says, patting the backpack.
“There isn’t much, but it’s the least I can do.” She cocks a
brow as her eyes slide to Vivian. “Unless I can convince you
two to stay.”
I shoulder the bag. “No.”
“We wish to leave—now,” Vivian adds. “Does the pack have
a pair of shoes?”
Omari hesitates and shakes her head. “Sorry, it
doesn’t.” Her expression falls momentarily. “I had to try.”
“Thank you for allowing us on your ship,” Vivian says to
her. “And for the extra clothes and blankets for the journey
here. I really appreciated those.”
“You are most welcome. If you’re not staying, I’d
recommend heading out before more ships arrive. Some
have followed us—and that may impede your travels.” She
steps away. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m needed elsewhere. Safe
journey to you.” She tilts her head.
 As she turns to leave, I call out. “Nagas will come,” I warn.
“They will be curious.”
She pauses, her face grave as she considers the
implications of that happening. “Thank you for the warning.”
After that, she disappears into the ship.
“Well, are you guys ready? Because I am,” Kyle quips,
shouldering a pack of his own.
I stare at him.
“You’re coming with us?” Vivian asks, pulling away from
me. “You’re not going to stay and help them?”
He chuckles like the answer to her questions are obvious.
“You know I have some friends out there I’d like to check up
on, and like medicine, I hate politics. I hate a lot of things
truthfully. You weren’t on the bridge these last two days.
Omari’s got an uphill battle ahead of her and I’m not
sticking around for that shitshow.”
“Laura?” Vivian asks, her voice low.
Kyle’s face falls, noticing the sadness in Vivian’s
response. “If she’s here, I’m intent on finding her. But I am
also on the lookout for my old squad leader as well. I want
to make sure she’s okay. Last time I saw her she was—” his
eyes drop to Vivian’s stomach and he swallows “—
pregnant.”
He visibly shudders like the idea unnerves
him. Vivian’s brow furrows, then her eyes widen
in surprise.
“You are not coming with ussss,” I hiss, before she
considers inviting him along.
She shoots me a look.
“Syasku ” “I will not have
another male—”
“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s my cousin. And he’s helped us
both. The least we can—”
“No.”
Kyle may have grown on me, but I have waited far too
long to be alone with Vivian—truly alone.
He lifts his hands. “Look, I understand, you’re a big bad
male naga and not the first one I’ve met who’s all worked
up over some woman, but I think you’re going to change
your mind once you take a gander outside and see where
we are.”
Vivian and I share a look.
Kyle waves us after him. “I’ll show you. Follow me.”
We leave the bleak confines of the freighter behind,
Vivian and the baby between Kyle and me. The hatch we
fled through days prior is already open and as we pass
through, the humans that are guarding it step back,
clearing our way forward.
 Sunlight blinds me as I suck in the first breath of clean
air I have had in months. Trembling from it, a soft breeze
blows in from the right and whips my blood-crusted hair.
My shoulders relax and the tightness in my chest eases.
Feeling the grass under my tail, I exhale with relief.
Home.
Looking over at Vivian, she is frozen at my side, gazing at
the world before her.
All around me, humans are frozen, awestruck.
The freighter landed in a meadow beside a lake. Behind
it, and in the distance, mountains pepper the horizon. There
are thick swathes of forest spanning the distance between
them and more mountains to either side. Lush and vast, I am
overcome as well.
The sun is bright, the sky blue, and there is not a single
cloud in sight.
My lips flatten as understanding hits. We have landed on
the outskirts, between the forest and the wastes.
And I have no idea where.
Peering down at Vivian, who is still frozen next to me, I
place a hand on her shoulder. Startling, she looks up, her
eyes wide.
“Let’s go—”
Wordlessly, she hands me Audrin and pivots away. She
finds a clear patch of grass, kneels in it, and sinks her hands
into the blades. Shifting her fingers through them, her
mouth breaks into a smile.
She tilts her head searching for something else
to explore. “It’s nice isn’t it?” Kyle hums next to
me.
Unable to look away from Vivian, I watch her like I
always do, fascinated.
Her skin prickles as she turns her face to the sky. A
tremble goes through her as she spreads her arms and
laughs. She glances back at me, joy gleaming in her warm
brown eyes.
Afterward, she heads straight for the lake in the distance.
Cracking my neck, and scanning the landscape for
danger, I follow her through the fields and to the bank. On
either side and down the shore are a few other humans who
have ended up here.
On her knees, Vivian plunges her hand into the water.
“Cold,” she whispers, yanking her hand out and looking at
it.
Moving to her side, I grab her wrist and bring her hand
to my mouth. Licking the water off of her, her eyes hood.
Kyle stomps to my side, and I let her go. “It’s incredible,
isn’t it? I never saw it like this. When my squad arrived, it
was at night, and we’d landed in the forest. It wasn’t until
much later I saw something other than trees.”
 Vivian stands, dries her hand on her pants, and joins us.
Reaching for Audrin, she takes him from me and cuddles into
him. “I’m ready.”
Without wasting another second, fearing another
surprise, I take off to our left.
Kyle chases after me and shows me a thin, rectangular
device. “Unless you know where we are, you’re going to
need my navigational expertise. Lucky for you, I know
exactly where we’ve landed.”
Exhaling, I stop and glare down at him.
He grins and continues walking. Vivian smiles and
shrugs before passing me as well.
Sighing, I head after them.
As we leave Omari’s people behind, the first ship of many
makes its landing next to hers.
No one dares to look back.
 FORTY-TWO
THE FIRST NIGHT

S Y A SKU

BY DAY’S end we make our first camp at the edge of the

forest, having followed the lake to the underground spring
it’s created from. During that time we take numerous
breaks to rest, clean ourselves, and to indulge our thirst.
As Kyle stokes a fire and stays to guard it and a sleeping
Audrin, Vivian walks away from the camp to pass through a
thick patch of trees and back towards the water. Following
her, it is the first time we have been alone all day. She
pauses at the shore and waits for me. Magnetized, I head
straight for her and press against her back. Sliding my
hands down her front, I help her strip off her clothes.
Earlier in the day, we bathed briefly, washing the
remaining blood and dirt from our bodies and taking our
time cleaning Audrin. We did not have time to enjoy it,
more focused on putting as much distance as possible
between us and the freighter.
Now naked in front of me, her brown skin awash in the
colors of twilight, we not only have some time, we also have
privacy.
“It’s so cold,” she gasps, stepping into the water. “Is it
always so cold?”
“Not all of it.” I slip in next to her, holding back a
pleasured moan as the water envelops my tail. Enticed by
the way her breasts look, her nipples harden as she hugs
her middle. Fuller, plumper, and heavier on her chest, they
have grown since I last saw them. “The wetlands are
warmer,” I murmur.
 She takes a hesitant step deeper. “Thank god. I’m
desperate to get in, but I don’t know if I can do it as often
as I’d like if it’s so chilly.”
I will keep you warm.
In the waning golden light, and with a bar of soap from
our supplies gripped in her fist, she begins scrubbing her
skin, refusing to brave facing me. If she did, I would trap
her against me and stop what she plans on doing.
Letting her have her time, I catch fish for our dinner,
devouring several before throwing the rest ashore. She takes
her time, washing until no trace of our ordeal remains to
mar her flesh, and as she steps deeper into the water to wet
her hair, I wind my tail around her and take the soap from
her hand.
Using my tail as support, she leans back to dunk her
hair, baring her naked chest right to my face.
Lust strikes hard, swelling my prick and expanding it
within my tail. Pressing against my slit, it bulges. Ignorant
of the effect she has on me, her eyes closed, and her fingers
tangled in her hair, working through it, I lean in, unable to
resist suckling one of her tight nipples into my mouth.
She gasps and jerks upright, her legs squirming for
purchase in the silt below. Drawing her nearer with my tail,
I groan around her nipple.
Suckling harder, her milk squirts out to coat my
mouth. “Syasku!” she squeaks, still squirming for a place
to brace her feet.
Cupping her other breast, I squeeze, uncaring of her
predicament, overcome by the sweet flavor of her milk.
Until she fed our son, I had no idea human females
produced milk for their young. Suckling more of it out of her,
my engorged erection springs free to shove against her
thigh.
Realizing I have no plan on stopping, she grips the back
of my head and holds on. Leaning further over her, I finish
off one breast and move to the other, drinking from both
until there is nothing left. Her milk sweet like the juice
from a fruit, I lap at her nipples, hoping for another drop,
squeezing both her breasts at the same time.
Audrin is a lucky male. His mother is delicious.
Trembling and breathy, she presses against me for
warmth, inciting my need to spread her legs and shove
inside her, to know she is here in my arms, and not far
away, quivering around my knot.
Once more I suckle her nipples, hoping for one final
swallow.
When a drip hits my tongue, seed bursts from my tip,
releasing into the water with a satisfied groan tearing from
my throat.
Licking both her nipples with appreciation, I slide my
tongue up along her neck to press my fangs to her frenetic
pulse. With it thundering beneath her skin, another groan
escapes. Her hands loosen
around my head and her arms circle me. Rubbing my lips
over her throat, I coil my tail around her body until there is
none left. “When you are healed, female,” I mumble over
her skin, “I will breed you thoroughly and often, if only to
keep your milk flowing.”
Her fingers dig into my back. “I take it you like it.”
I bend down to suckle another tit. “I do. I can see why
our son is always eager to feed.”
“Our son needs it to grow. His needs come first.” She laughs.
“Yessss, but he will not need your milk for long or while
he sleeps. If he is like me, he will crave raw meat soon
enough. He will need it to regenerate and grow strong.”
She is quiet for a moment as I run my tongue between
her breasts and up to the divot on her throat. “I don’t need
another baby to keep producing it ” Her breath hitches. “As
long as my body thinks it’s needed, it will continue to make
more.”
I lick back down to her nipples and am rewarded with a
fresh squirt of her milk on my tongue. “That issss good to
know.” My words come out raspy and full of thirst.
Sliding my face once more and pressing my mouth down
on hers, I slip my tongue inside, sharing her taste.
Her tongue slides along mine and with a moan, I lose
myself in the kiss. Pouty and forever soft, I nip and knead
her lower lip with my teeth. Twilight fades into darkness as
I feel her everywhere with my hands, and when her shivers
worsen from the cold, I carry her to the shore.
Entirely ready to push her to the ground and climb on
top of her, I instead help dry her body and redress her in
her clothes.
We pull apart when Audrin’s hungry cries reach us. I
watch as Vivian scurries off to camp before grabbing the fish
on the bank.
Kyle does not say anything while he cooks the fish, and
Vivian, suspicious about eating it, picks at one until she
gains enough courage to take her first bite. By her third
bite, her reservations about them vanish.
Travel remains slow over the next few days, the forest
thicker and harder to traverse than the one bordering the
wetlands. And between Vivian still on the mend and without
proper shoes, and the baby being delicate, careful
deliberation and time is spent on safe passage. We go
nowhere without scouting it first.
It is during one of these times that I am thankful for
Kyle’s presence.
All the while, we hear more ships descend, all heading in
the same direction we flee from.
 On the third day, and some time before noon, while we
stop to rest so Vivian and feed the baby, Kyle mentions
skirting around a facility that is ahead of us.
I pause to question him, when I realize where we are,
and what facility he is talking about.
Leaving Vivian and Audrin with him to see for myself, I
scout ahead until I reach its borders.
Stilling at the sight before me, it is then I discover that
everything I once knew has changed, and Asera was telling
the truth all along.
 FORTY-THREE
A CHANGE OF PLANS

V IVIA N

I READJUST the cloth bindings around my feet as Kyle and

Syasku argue. Tuning them out, I focus on keeping Audrin
calm, rocking and cooing at him.
Far plumper than he was several days ago, he’s growing
at an expeditious rate, continuing the pattern of his short
gestation. His tail has uncurled, and two tiny fangs have
punctured his gums. His scales have yet to appear. Still,
each day his coloring deepens. Taking after me, his skin has
a browner hue rather than that of Syasku’s shifting grays,
and though hair has yet to appear, I have a hunch Audrin
will take after me there as well.
Even with a naga as his father, Volp’s genes are winning
yet again. Either way, my love for him grows to the point
that the thought of losing him or him getting hurt makes me
nauseous.
I never saw myself as a mother, or raising a child as my
own. I had no idea what it would feel like being a mother,
never having had one myself.
I would die for my baby. I would give everything up for
him.
He makes me feel vulnerable like a piece of my soul has
been torn out and that torn out piece was him. It’s fragile
and precious. The need to protect and keep him safe eclipses
everything. Sometimes I find myself watching him while he
sleeps, adoring him more with every passing second.
 And Syasku was right about the milk Audrin has already
begun eyeing meat with the same intensity his father eyes
me. Recalling that intensity, my toes curl, and heat pools
between my legs.
His pheromones have returned.
Swallowing thickly, I glance at Syasku through the trees
ahead. I’d missed it when we were apart, and now that it
has returned, all I want to do is press against him and
breathe him in until every part of me is filled with it. I’d
bathe in it if I could.
His scent makes me feel good.
It won’t be much longer until I’m ready. With what I’ve
learned about Genesis-8, and while it’s not much, I do know
I’m healing quicker than I normally would. Any pain I had
from labor has given way to a dull, barely noticeable ache.
An ache that is morphing quickly into desire. There’s no
more blood to staunch. Even my stitches have fallen out.
Soon the only pain left I’ll have to contend with is the
trauma I’ve endured.
A ship flies overhead, pulling me from my thoughts, and
when it’s gone, I see Syasku heading toward me, his lithe,
powerful form making me salivate. I stand to meet him
when I notice the darkness in his eyes. As tension radiates
from him, worry churns my stomach.
He’s changed.
In the days we’ve been on Earth, he’s grown. His muscles
are bigger, his body bulkier, his senses stronger.
If I hadn’t wanted him before, I would now. Even if he
didn’t emit an intoxicating smell that makes my knees weak,
I would want him.
He’s all male—rugged, dangerous, and primal. His care
for me and our son is so dissimilar to how my father was
that it almost has me worshiping him on my knees. I can’t
believe he’s mine. I can’t believe he wants me. Me.
I lick my lips as I tell my libido to
calm down. “What’s wrong?” I ask,
eyeing his face.
He stops directly in front of me, and his tail shifts to coil
around my legs. “The humans your father leads, his soldiers
They have a large encampment ahead of us. We must go
around to avoid them.”
I nod, agreeing with him. “I think that’s a good idea.” I
try not to sound afraid.
He looks away, his jaw clenching.
Feeling his unease, I step into him. “Is there something
else?” His chest expands with a heavy breath.
“Syasku?” I urge. “What is it?”
“Asera said something to me I had chosen to ignore, and now
”
 “And now?” I repeat, needing him to continue or I might
scream. “Tell me. I can take it. What did he say?”
Whatever it is, I’ll meet it head on. Not much frightens me
anymore.
I’ll do just about anything to keep Audrin safe.
Syasku’s gaze shifts back to me. “He said soldiers have
taken the forest bordering my home, and that the naga who
once lived there was gone when he searched for him. He
only approached the humans after their ships closed in on
our territory.”
My heart stutters as I take in his words, and as I realize
their meaning, my heart pounds harder. “You only now
believe him?”
“The land is vast and my territory has never been
invaded—the wetlands deter predators and others of my
kind, but now that I have seen for myself what lies ahead,
the machines they have ”
“It would be unsafe to return,” I finish for him.
“Yessss. The soldiers have machines that fly, as well as
ships, vehicles, and weapons. Too many weapons. I do not
want you or our son anywhere near them.”
The baby coos, and I glance down where he lies on a
blanket, coiling and stretching out his little tail. But the
breath I take isn’t to inhale Syasku’s scent, it’s to relieve
the pressure in my chest. “So we make a new home and
claim a new territory. It can’t be that hard, right? There’s a
lot of land.”
“You do not understand what has been lost to ussss.
Weapons, hides, and everything I have gathered or made in
all my seasons. Shelter, food, water, and safety from all that
could hurt us.”
I cup his cheeks, and though I’m worried, I don’t let it
show. “We’ve been through worse. We’ll figure this out too.”
His expression hardens. “You should not have to figure out
anything.
This is on me.”
“What did Kyle say?” I glance behind him. “I heard you two
arguing.”
Syasku sighs. “He thinks we should join him in his search.”
I drop my hands and turn away, gathering the supplies
and placing them in our pack. Sweat dampens my palms as
I calm my nerves. Syasku’s tail unwinds from around me as
I kneel to take Audrin into my arms. “What do you think?” I
manage to ask once everything is packed and I’m ready to
continue on.
“It is your mother and his friends he seeks. This choice
should be yours and yours alone.”
“And if I leave it up to you?”
His nostrils flare as he drops his gaze to our son. “We
pick a direction, one opposite of those loyal to our enemies,
and leave everything and everyone behind.”
 “That sounds good. Let’s do that.” That sounds infinitely
better than meeting my mother.
If we found her and she rejected me and her grandson
I might just outright hit her like I hit Father. I might not
be able to stop myself from doing more.
Syasku grabs my arm as I turn away. “There is no place
we can go that we can outrun them. Even if we return to
the outskirtssss, we will never be as far as we want. We
would only be farther from the resources available where
growth is thick.”
Surprised, I look around. “You think we should stick
together then?” “I do not think we have a choice. As
much as I wish to deny what
is happening, I cannot undo it. More humans will come,
there are more every day, and we cannot avoid them all.
There were more humans on that freighter ship alone than
all the naga I have ever known.”
As he says this, I can hear the anger in his voice, the
frustration that we are and will remain on the run no
matter what choices we make, especially while Father
remains alive. Neither of us has a home anymore. All we
have is each other. All we can do is prepare for the worst
and pray that never comes to pass.
“Safety in numbers?” I ask, trying to understand.
“No, Vivian. There is safety in knowing where people
are. If something should happen and we are split apart
once more, I would want you to have a place you and
Audrin can flee to, and where I could find you. Right now, if
something should happen—” his slitted gaze flicks over the
trees and he sighs “—I cannot lose you again.”
This is as hard for him as it is for me.
“Without my territory, my nest, there are few safe places
I know of where I can take you. And none of these spots are
easily traversable by a human. That needs to change.”
“So you do want to find the others with Kyle.”
His eyes harden. “Yessss. If you are having me decide, then
yes.”
Staying with Kyle would mean I’d potentially see my
mother. I don’t know how I feel about that. Part of me
wishes she is here somewhere, while another another is
desperate to move on.
Audrin hisses, and we both look down at him in
surprise. My chest constricts. “His first hiss.”
Syasku leans forward and hisses softly with him. “But
not his lasssst.”
I can’t help smiling.
Without another word on the subject, Syasku and I share
one last look. Afterward we join Kyle through the trees and
continue on toward the mountains, skirting the facility, and
pretending nothing has changed.
Only our direction.
 FORTY-FOUR
PLATEAUED

V IVIA N

DAYS BECOME A GRUELING WEEK, and we encounter no one, doing

everything we can to avoid others as much as possible—
especially those of the human variety. The moment Syasku
comes upon another naga’s territory, and we discover it’s
not one of Kyle’s friends, especially that of a naga named
Krellix, we backtrack and give it a wide berth. And as we
discover more encampments of soldiers, we do the same,
praying we’re not spotted.
I don’t want to see more death. I’m still trying to get
Asera’s snapping bones out of my mind.
Kyle and Syasku continue taking turns scouting our path,
and as we cross a river and enter the mountains, Syasku
decides to take us to a plateau that overlooks the vast land
we’ve traveled.
This is where it all started, he tells us, here, on this
plateau. Where two females from the first mission were
surrendered to the nagas for a bit of technology.
Between Syasku and Kyle, I’ve learned a lot more of
what has happened here since The Dreadnaut’s arrival. The
failed first mission and the demise of the majority of the
people on it; the women on board being sacrificed to the
natives.
I’m also not the first woman impregnated by a naga.
Kyle’s squad leader had become pregnant by Zhallaix, a
naga who helped them time on his previous mission to
Earth, and what I had once dismissed as a silly rumor was
actually the truth. The news came as a
surprise to both Syasku and I, and since then, Kyle has
shared everything else he knows.
Knowing there are other women like me out here, has
me agreeing with Syasku about searching for the others.
Any knowledge those women could give me will be
invaluable when it comes to Audrin.
We make camp on the plateau that night, under the
twinkling stars. Like me, I know Syasku prefers being
alone. But discovering that
Kyle understands more about the current politics of his
species inspired something within him. I have never seen
Syasku more interested in conversing with someone other
than myself.
It took him weeks to even deign talking to me.
I didn’t know what I thought of Kyle at the beginning—
being a Yulen himself, one who worked for the military, and
who is also close to my mother—but the longer we travel
together, survive together, the more he grows on me.
He makes me wonder what my life would have been like
if I had not been isolated and under Father’s control. What it
would’ve been like if I had known I had a cousin I could
trust when I was at my worst.
I vow right then and there that I will never be
isolated again. If my mother is here, I will find her.
The next day we say farewell to the plateau and choose
a path that will take us deeper into the mountains.
Except the deeper we go, the worse the ground
becomes. Steeper, harder, and covered in rocks, my thin
cloth-bound shoes fall apart. Weary from travel and taking
care of Audrin, who now wants to hiss constantly and
refuses to stay quiet, all I want is to rest. I lag behind when
Syasku can’t carry me, and without streams at every turn to
drink from or wade into, I’m overcome with exhaustion.
Sweaty and dirty, the higher we travel the more light-
headed I become and the more my ears make a popping
sound. A headache forms behind my eyes, and following the
others aimlessly, I stub my toe on a rock, and stagger.
“I need a break,” I choke out, biting back a curse.
Syasku, who is ahead, comes slipping back to take Audrin
from my arms while Kyle comes from behind and hands me
his water canister. Dropping exactly where I stand, I cross
my legs and examine the bottom of my feet.
“I’ll find a place to make camp,” Kyle offers. “We’re going
to need to repair your shoes before we continue on. It’s only
going to get worse.”
I slump at his words, too tired to tell him that whatever
is left of my “shoes” has been ripped to shreds on the rocks
behind me.
When Kyle heads off, Syasku curls his tail around me.
I wipe my brow with the back of my hand. “Sorry,” I
whisper, annoyed with myself. “I’m just so dizzy. I don’t
know why.”
 “Do not apologize. The journey has been rough. We
should have stopped sooner.”
Too exhausted to argue, I lean against his tail and rest
my head on it. As Syasku pulls my feet into his lap, I fall
asleep soon after, trusting him to take care of everything
while I rest. Audrin’s playful hisses are the last thing I hear
before I drop blissfully unconscious.
That night, our camp receives a visitor.
I wake later on to the crackle of a dying fire and a
threatening hiss coming from the forest. Across the small
flames I see Kyle slowly reach for the gun at his side.
I sit upright and immediately go for Audrin.
Another hiss sounds as I reach for him, and hesitating, I
see a large shape appear between the trees. Holding my
breath, my eyes shift to Syasku who’s already posed to
attack at my right.
Frozen, reaching for Audrin, who thankfully remains
asleep, a tense silence eclipses the camp as the shape
moves through the trees. Eyes widening, realization hits that
we’ve been found by another naga.
I gently pull Audrin’s sleeping bundle into my arms.
No one moves after that, no one speaks. No hisses fill
the air. Even the bugs and night critters have gone
completely silent.
Shivering from the cold mountain breeze, I hold Audrin
tightly against me.
“You are not welcome here,” a deep voice resonates out
to us. The ominous tone of it prickles my skin worse than
the cold. “This land, this mountain, is mine.” The naga’s
words end on a growl.
“We are passing through,” Syasku responds, his voice
sliding through the night, nearly as deep, only adding to my
shivers. “Come no closer and I will not attack,” he warns.
“Who is that behind you?” the naga inquires, his form
lifting, trying to see past Syasku.
Syasku hisses. “No one that concernssss you, Cobra.”
Cobra?
“Humans,” the naga spits. “You have humans with
you.” “They are under my protection.”
“Then you should not have brought them into my
territory!” the other one roars.
In reaction, Syasku rises higher on his tail, baring his teeth.
“I did not know we had trespassed upon your home. Let us
leave and there will be no bloodshed.”
Audrin wakes and immediately hisses in warning like his
father. Syasku and the other naga stiffen.
After a moment, the Cobra slips forward. “Issss that a
youngling—”
 Clutching Audrin, I stand. “It’s my fault we’re here,” I
call out to him, hoping I take his attention off of Audrin and
Syasku. “I got lightheaded and tired and needed a break. If
you let us leave, we will not make the same mistake again. I
don’t want anyone else hurt on my account.”
The Cobra faces me and Syasku snaps his tail against
the ground, the threat clear. The Cobra pauses and looks at
him and it’s then I see the outline of a large cowl around
his head. But uncertain, my head tilts, drawing the Cobra’s
attention back to me.
“What brings you to my mountain, female?” he asks me,
his face and body remaining deep in the shadows. “Are you
from one of the shipssss?”
Before I can answer, Kyle steps forward and in front of me.
“We are, but that’s not why we’re here. We’re—I’m,” he
amends, “searching for someone, a couple of someones. Maybe
you could help us—”
The Cobra releases another threatening hiss, inciting
Audrin to hiss again as well.
I try gently shushing him.
“—or maybe you’re willing to barter supplies or trade
information?” Kyle continues unhindered, indicating a deal
with a wave of his hand.
I look at both Kyle and Syasku, finding both are ready to
attack at any moment. Afraid, I don’t know who has the
upper hand, them or the larger naga in the trees. Either
way, I’m not willing to bet on either side.
I need to defuse the situation.
Stepping away from Kyle and back into the Cobra’s line
of sight, I regain his attention.
“He’s my mate,” I start, my eyes softening on Syasku as
I look at him. “And we just had a baby. We are all searching
for something Kyle there—” I cock my chin “—is looking for
two females—human females who are mated to two of your
kind. Laura and Celeste, and Krellix and Zhallaix. We’re
hoping they might know somewhere safe where we can go.
We came on a ship, but we can’t go back. I can’t go back.
We barely escaped with our lives.”
The Cobra goes silent instead of responding. I try to meet
his gaze in the shadows but am unable to find it. Every
following second that passes is tenser than the last.
“Do you know any of them?” I ask, my voice barely above
a whisper. Slowly the tension in the Cobra’s posture eases,
and he slips into the moonlight. Massive and intimidating,
his thick tail drags behind him,
nearly twice as large and as round as Syasku’s.
Syasku straightens, thumping his tail once more in
warning for the Cobra to stay back.
 I thought Syasku was huge. The Cobra is another thing
altogether. Gigantic, and with a cowl that adds to his
height, he’s the biggest creature I’ve ever seen. Daunted, I
keep my eyes from dropping to his slit, far too curious
about the size of the cock hiding behind it. He looks at me,
his gaze sharp and discerning, before sliding his attention
to Audrin in my arms.
Then he looks away.
I sag like a weight’s been lifted off of me.
“I know those names,” he announces after his long
perusal. “I will share information with you under the
promise you leave at first light and bother me no more.”
Scowling at Syasku, he turns around and enters the trees.
“Follow and keep pace. I will not wait for anyone.”
Kyle holsters his gun and quickly gathers our supplies
while Syasku turns and grabs Audrin and me against him.
His arms band tightly, and when he squeezes me, I rest my
brow to his chest.
“Never do that again,” he breathes into
my hair. Nodding, I blink back tears as
he picks me up. Together, we follow the
Cobra into the darkness.
 FORTY-FIVE
THE LAST DESCENT

V IVIA N

WE’RE GONE JUST as the sun appears on the horizon with a

small bundle of supplies the Cobra has given us and a new
direction that takes us west and out of the mountains.
Last night after we left the plateau, the Cobra led us
deeper into the woods and up the mountain he found us on,
taking us to a clearing that was covered in bones. Recalling
it now, I shiver, having stepped on several. Leaving us
there, he entered a glass building built into the side of the
mountain wall, returning a few minutes later with the supply
bag and a pair of shoes for me.
Wiggling my toes, the shoes are a size too big, but I’m
incredibly grateful to have them.
The sun’s at our back as we make our descent into a
different forest, bordering a large lake below. If we follow
the lake’s shore west, it will take us to a river that will lead
us to our destination.
My mother, Celeste, and Zhallaix.
To my surprise, and Kyle’s excitement, the Cobra
confirmed they were here. And not only that, they were
reachable and not too far away. He would not assure our
safety. We will have to do that on our own. And he
would not tell us much, only divulging the
general location of where they are. The Cobra has a human
mate of his own— which does not come as a surprise to
Syasku—and has been wandering the forest at night to keep
intruders away. Excited, there was another woman nearby
who was also mated to a naga, I asked about her. He
refused to answer any of my questions, and I dropped the
subject quickly.
He scares me.
Even though the Cobra gazed at Audrin with gentleness,
all but ignoring Syasku’s overprotective antics, I know he
isn’t one to make an enemy of or disobey. He warned us if
we lingered, we risk being seen by other nagas. His
territory has been invaded by many in recent months.
It was why he was out at night to begin with, hoping to
catch them off guard and kill them.
Syasku took his warning seriously, clasping his hand
around my wrist and refusing to let it go.
Trudging through the forest, and putting as much
distance between us and the Cobra’s territory, we still
didn’t make it to the lake until that evening.
Once there, some of Syasku’s tense protectiveness
waned, and he let me out of his sight long enough to take
care of my needs.
After a few hours of rest where we eat fruit that we’ve
foraged throughout the day, we discuss the trail ahead.
Kyle offers to keep going, worried the Cobra might be
sending us into a trap.
I don’t think he is. If the Cobra wanted us dead, he
wouldn’t have gifted me shoes. Either way, Kyle’s been
anxious ever since learning those he’s searching for are,
indeed, nearby.
I, on the other hand, have only gotten more nervous.
Now that I know I am going to have to confront my mother,
it’s been all that’s on my mind.
Also, not sure how I feel about him leaving so close to
sundown, Kyle smiles at me and pulls out a pair of night
vision goggles from his pack. Placing them over his eyes, he
tells me not to worry.
He’s done this before.
Watching him vanish into the deepening shadow, I feel
another pair of eyes boring holes into me from behind.
Once Kyle is out of sight, Syasku comes up behind me
and takes my hand, leading me and Audrin away from camp
and to the lake’s shore. Upon arriving, I’m briefly struck
again by how the setting sun makes the water sparkle. I
never knew water could be so beautiful or that so much of
it could be collected in one place, that it could be so vast.
I strip off my clothes and take Audrin for a swim while
Syasku stands guard and watches from the shallows.
As stars appear, and the baby yawns, I bring him back to
shore and feed him. Audrin passes out on my breast,
adorably milk-drunk. Syasku takes him from me to bundle
him in a blanket and cushion him under a berry bush
nearby.
 Afterward, he leads me back into the water.
Wading a little ways out, I turn around to face him, to
see him once more before it’s completely dark and his body
is encased in shadows.
His tousled silver-gray hair falls past his shoulders as his
glinting eyes sparkle in the twilight, his muscled chest
rippling with abs down to a tail covered in soft silvery-gray
scales, the bulge at his slit heavily pronounced. The water
barely moves as he slides through it and disappears beneath
its surface.
When his tail is out of sight, he could be mistaken for a
human man at first glance—that is until his sharply
serpentine features are discerned.
Moving farther out to catch sight of him under the
water, he emerges a short distance in front of me.
His intentions are clear as he swims closer, and
practically salivating, I moan the moment I feel his tailtip
slip up and between my thighs. It forces them apart, and I
tremble with anticipation.
But he does not slide it across my sex. He waits until
he’s towering over me before he touches me further,
scraping his claw down my cheek. “Female,” he hums the
word, low and deep.
Parting my lips, I place my hands on his chest, prickles
forming all over my body.
He slides a wet tendril of my hair behind my ear. “How
are you feeling?”
His gruff voice moves through me, plaguing me with
awareness, and reminding me how easily he makes me
frustrated. Until a moment ago, I couldn’t even smell him.
Now his scent floods me, and I am hungrier than ever.
It’s been a certain type of hell these past two weeks not
being able to climb him because of wounds still healing. It’s
worse than having no privacy. I crave him like I crave air
and water.
I rub his chest with my palms, needing to feel his stiff
muscles under them. “I’m good. I want you.”
That’s all I need to say for him to pounce.
Lifted to him by his tail, he brings my breast to his
mouth and suckles hard, covering the other one with his
hand. I cry out and clutch his shoulders as he switches back
and forth between them, lashing them with his tongue,
taking my remaining milk as he kneads them with his
palms, rolling my aching nipples.
My head drops back as his tail spreads my legs apart,
and he penetrates me with the end of his tail. Shocked, I
hitch, bending my knees to clamp around him, wiggling my
hips. Digging my nails into his scales, his tailtip nudges me
open, pushing as far into me as it can go.
The pressure makes me buckle and gasp. I hitch again,
my hips jerking back and forth.
 Pinned on it, held up completely by his tail, I cry out
from the sudden stretch and fullness of it being inside me,
shaking and shuddering. I release a shaky breath as his
mouth continues sucking my nipples. Losing my grip on him,
I drop forward, writhing on his tail.
There’s no pain, only delicious sensation, every nerve
ending vibrating as his tailtip works me in rapid circles.
Wrenching my eyes closed, my climax hits quickly, and
feeling me constrict around him, he growls and circles his
tail harder, forcing me to clamp down on him even more to
stop him expanding me. My climax continues into another,
and then another, battling the muscles of his tail with my
sex.
Impaled and breathy, the larger part glides across my
backside and presses my body into his chest, prodding my
legs to wrap around his waist. He controls every one of my
movements, allowing me no purchase except him.
“I want your hand,” I gasp out. “Give me your hand.”
Shifting upward, he lifts his right hand, and I take it,
threading my fingers with his. “I love you.” He lowers to
suck my nipple back into his mouth and pauses. He raises
his head. With ruffled locks of hair on his face, he’s never
looked more wild, and untamed.
He glances at our joined hands and squeezes mine back.
“You were mine from the beginning, little female. I have
loved you every minute since.” He pulls his tailtip out of me
and gathers me to him. Taking me back to shore, he
positions me facing away from him and on the ground until I
am on my hands and knees.
He slides his tail under me as he moves behind me.
Lowering further to my elbows, and completely exposed to
his view knowing the shadows won’t hide much from him, I
submit to his will.
He presses his face, his fingers, to my sex and runs his
forked tongue over it. My back straightens and my butt lifts
with a moan.
Probing, caressing, and penetrating, his fingers cajole
my clit as his tongue settles at my opening. Still sensitive
from my last orgasm, I shove my hips back against him,
demanding another.
Moving his fingers lower, they push deep inside me as
his tongue circles, petting me inside and out. My hands grip
the grass.
He lashes me with his tongue, dipping his fingers in and
out like he can’t get enough like he needs to worship my sex
or perish. Whimpering uncontrollably, I try not to buckle.
“You birthed my son and thissss—” he groans and hisses
against my slick opening “—will birth me many more. Many,
many more.” He plunges his tongue inside me, and I jerk
forward, crying out, and right over the pinnacle. Clenching
around his tongue, he pushes his fingers back inside.
Dropping my brow to the ground, I gasp with pleasure.
 His tongue and fingers vanish and the pressure of his
cock takes their place.
I close my eyes and brace.
Syasku grabs the back of my neck with one hand and
drags the claws of his other down my back.
Crying out again, he pushes his cock into me, groaning
as he does. Falling over me, he thrusts his knot in and
starts plunging it in and out. I’m trapped beneath him,
surrounded by his tail, his body, his arms, and his hands,
and there is no softness anymore. He circles his hand under
my neck and slams into my backside, forcing my body flat to
the ground. My teeth grit, holding in my scream.
My backside jerks, and my front grinds the ground, with
each impale. He presses his face into my hair, and his hot
breaths fan over me as grunts and hisses along my scalp.
He makes me forget everything except him.
Ruthless in his rutting, I let him take what he needs. In
and out, his knot opens me, spilling hot seed deep within. It
leaks out to trickle down my thighs, making them slippery.
His thrusts quicken as his free hand pushes under me
and roams over my breasts. He tugs me against him and
keeps me there as his movements become clipped, racing to
the end.
His last thrust is brutally hard before he empties inside
me. Seed gushes out between us, warming my already
flushed skin.
When he’s done, he turns me slowly in his arms, slipping
out of me long enough to have me sit upright and straddle
him. Positioned on top of his cock, I settle against him and
catch my breath, heaving, enjoying the fullness of him
seated inside me.
It’s been months since we last rested like this, and
I’ve missed it. He combs my wet hair with his claws.
“Did I hurt you?”
I shake my head. I’ll be bruised tomorrow but I liked
feeling his strength used on me. I admire his strength. It’s
nice when it’s between my legs.
His chest rumbles, and his next hiss sends soothing
vibrations through me. “I have chosen well.”
“No, naga.” I can’t help but laugh. “I chose well.”
Looking down at our joined bodies, I purse my lips and
circle my hips. When he doesn’t stop me, I lift and slide
back down. Soon, I’m bouncing on him, taking my pleasure
the way I want it like he has his, working his stiff cock until
I see stars behind my eyelids.
We stay by the lake shore that evening and deep into the
night, only resting when Audrin wakes to be fed. The next
morning when I rouse from sleep, I hear splashing coming
from the lake. Finding I’m
alone, I rub the sleep from my eyes to peer towards the
source of the noise.
Syasku is in the water with Audrin,
helping him move his tail through it to teach him
how to swim.
Glancing at the sky, I realize I’ve slept in. The sun is at
its zenith above me.
Time is moving too fast.
And I’m definitely bruised. My nipples are raw and
there’s a bite mark on my thigh.
Still not wanting this moment to end with Syasku and
Audrin, I watch them quietly until Syasku notices me.
When his gaze lands on me and heats, I blush,
remembering last night and why my body aches so much
today.
By mid-afternoon, we pack our few supplies and leave.
Syasku easily finds the trail Kyle has left behind.
Following it, we soon reach the place where the lake
becomes a river.
As we travel along it, I begin to linger behind, expecting
we’ll be coming upon the others soon.
The trees thin and the overgrowth fades away, nearing
the outskirts once more. This time, on the south side.
With each step forward, my anxiety grows, returning from
wherever Syasku banished it to last night. My eyes flick
everywhere, searching, expecting my mother to appear at
any moment.
It’s almost evening before we come upon the first sign of
them.
The sign being a group of animal skulls roped together
and hanging from a branch.
Staring at them, my lips flatten.
Syasku quietly hands me Audrin as he creeps forward,
taking the lead. Heart hammering, my limbs twitch with
nerves.
Not in a million years, nor my wildest dreams, did I see
myself in this situation. Part of me wants to turn back and
flee while the other part is overly eager to put it behind me.
Nothing could have prepared me to confront my mother—
not Father, nor the ordeal he put me through, not the
escape, having Audrin, nothing.
I thought I could handle anything at this point, but as
one step leads into another, I’m not so sure anymore.
Just when I can’t take the anticipation any longer, the
most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on appears in
the tree branches ahead. Green scales glimmer in the
golden twilight, and longer and leaner than Syasku, another
naga appears.
Syasku halts.
The naga drops to the ground, and, to my surprise,
approaches Syasku, and clasps his shoulder.
 “You have returned,” he
says. “I have.”
The green one glances at me. “And you have returned
with a bride and child.”
Both nagas turn to look at me and my back straightens.
The green one smiles warmly. “Welcome home, Syasku
and Laura’s daughter. Everyone is waiting for you up
ahead. Zaku warned us you were coming.”
Some of my nerves stop twitching and I smile back.
Zaku warned them? How? I shake my head, deciding that’s
a question for another time.
Syasku clasps the other naga’s shoulder in return, and
as they look at one another once more, I realize everything
is going to be okay.
I have nothing to be afraid of. Not anymore. Not with
Syasku. I’m not sure I ever had anything to fear with Syasku
by my side.
“I will let the othersssss know you have arrived,” the
green naga says before grabbing a branch and disappearing
into the canopy.
Syasku returns to me and takes a slumbering Audrin
back into his arms. “Are you ready?” His eyes narrow as he
peers down at me.
Exhaling, my smile grows. “Yes, actually. I think I
am.” We move forward together as one.
Always as one.
Come what may.
V IVIA N

“YOU look so much like your father. You always have.”

Crossing my legs under me, I pass Laura a long fiber of
grass from the pile next to me. Taking several fibers for
myself, I follow her lead in weaving them together in a
basket. Around us the trees rustle, the scent of flowers is in
the air, and the grass is cushy and soft where we sit.
“I know. All of his children do.”
She continues to look at me, her eyes trailing over my
face for the hundredth time, like she’s not certain if I’m
really here or a figment of her imagination. I’ve been doing
the same to her.
Syasku and I arrived yesterday evening and were led
straight to the heart of the green naga’s territory, and—to my
surprise—a house built in the trees where not only Laura
awaited, but others as well, including Kyle and this squad
leader he’s been searching for.
He’d arrived that morning and had almost been killed by
the red naga, Vruksha, who was also amongst the group,
but he was saved at the last moment by Zhallaix, another
naga, who luckily recognized him. Afterward, he told them
about Syasku, Audrin, and me, explaining that we weren’t
far behind.
“Sometimes I wasn’t certain if you were mine, or if that
was a lie Minton used to try to control me.”
Struggling to start a braid, I shift my eyes back to her.
She winces and returns to threading her fiber. “I know
he was telling the truth, but with him you could never really
know.”
 My eyes drop to my hands and the dirt on them. “I
understand. I’ve had the same thought about you.” It still
hurts.
She nods slowly and returns to working on her basket.
Trying to connect after an awkward evening, all while
being welcomed and simultaneously unwelcomed, hasn’t been
easy. For either of us. Whereas Audrin and I were accepted
by the group that’s formed here, Syasku’s been a different
story. The only one who welcomed him has been the green
naga, Azsote.
My mother’s mate.
Seeing as Azsote looks like the youngest naga here, and
Laura the oldest female, their union took me aback. I wasn’t
truly expecting it. At all. Although I never knew my mother
growing up, I had seen her in passing and heard gossip
from others. She had never committed to a man, had never
stayed contracted to anyone long enough to have a family.
She’s been mostly on her own since her time with my father.
I’ve always had a hunch as to why, and until now, I never
thought I’d know the truth. It turns out she didn’t want a
child with him, and he stole her eggs, forcing it to happen
anyway. She was never a “donor.” Discovering this unsettles
me. I wish it surprised me more. But the pain of the past
doesn’t hurt any less for it, and I find a part of me is still
wishing she had tried. The only difference it makes is that
I’m
beginning to understand her better.
The only reason I exist is because of my father, and I
want him dead now more than ever.
I smile at Laura when I see her frown. “Then I
remembered you were short, and so was I. I didn’t get my
shortness from him, and neither did I get my Yulen DNA.”
“My parents never reassured you?” she asks.
“They did, but I don’t remember much about my time
with them.
They were rarely around.”
She looks off into the distance. “Were they at least kind to
you?” “They were.”
“I’m glad.”
I return to my braid. There’s no one around since
everyone seemed to think we needed time to talk. No one
asked me if that’s what I wanted right now, but it was
inevitable. Even Audrin is absent, taken by the other two
women to be fawned over and played with. There is another
baby here, Odessa, and she is quite intrigued by him.
So here I am, sitting with my mother learning to braid a
basket, at the edge of a river while perched on a small rise
where our males can guard us from a distance.
Glancing over my shoulder and toward the dense trees, I
search for Syasku, unable to find him. Same goes for
Azsote, and I wonder if
they’re having their own conversation out of our sight. I’m
jealous no one else has traumatic issues to resolve with their
family.
It’s like what the one woman, Celeste, said the night
before I should
feel lucky.
It’s Laura who should feel lucky, not me.
Either way, I’m not used to opening up—with anyone—and
trying to do so now, even if I had some time to prepare,
hasn’t been easy. I’ve experienced a gauntlet of emotions
when it comes to my mother, and they’re hard to address
when seeing her here, like this our circumstances now
entwined.
“Would you have done anything differently?” I ask when
things go quiet.
She’s silent for a moment. “I would have tried harder to
reach out to you and help you understand the predicaments
we faced. So you were aware I was trying to keep you safe,
rather than believing I wanted nothing to do with you.”
I sigh. “Maybe it was for the best that you never did. It
would’ve only made life harder for me.”
“I know,” she whispers.
Silence falls between us again, and for a time, we focus
on our baskets.
In the distance, I hear the faint hum of a ship, and we
glance at the mountains. A ship descends from the sky to
fly above them, heading north. Watching until it disappears
from view, I wonder if it’s headed for Omari’s group or if it
belongs to Father’s military.
“Syasku seems nice.”
I turn back to my mother.
“He is.” “Tell me about
him.”
“Well as you’re aware, he was captured, and that’s how
we met. He saved my life.” I lick my lips, thinking back on
it all. “He didn’t have to forgive me for my role in what
happened to him yet he did anyway, and I can’t help feeling
there’s a lot to apologize for. I don’t deserve him, and he’s
always assuring me I do. I love him. Sometimes I think ” I
trail off and shake my head. “Never mind.”
“Think what? Tell me.”
The sound of another ship descending fills my ears, and
I watch as the vessel heads in the same direction.
I swallow and turn away. “Sometimes I think he was
meant to be captured, just so he could save me. Like it was
meant to happen. It doesn’t make sense. I know that’s not
the case.”
“It makes sense to me.”
Lifting my eyes, we look at each other, and my chest
tightens. “He almost captured you,” I say.
 She smiles. “Almost. He scared the shit out of me. They
both did. If it weren’t for him and Azsote, I most definitely
would have been captured by your father’s soldiers and
taken back to The Dreadnaut. So when you say it seems like he
was meant to save you, I completely understand.
Coincidences like that well,” she tilts her head at me, “they
just don’t happen.”
I stare at her, pressure forming behind my eyes. “Fate?
Luck?” She shrugs. “Both?”
It’s my turn to smile. “I like the thought of
that.” “Me too.”
We fall into silence again and return our attention to the
weaving at hand. Fumbling with the braids, I end up
restarting mine several times before getting the hang of it.
As time passes, the tension between us eases. Mother was
never my enemy.
She was just as much a victim as I was.
And no one except her will ever understand what it was
like living under Father’s shadow.
“Vivian,” she says abruptly, and giving her my attention, I
lower my hands. “I’d like for you, Syasku, and Audrin to stay
—”
A third ship appears, roaring above us as it heads north
as well, and Mother’s words falter as we watch it until it
vanishes. “There’s a lot of ships today,” I murmur.
A frown forms on her face. “More than
usual.” “What do you think that
means?”
“Well If they’re all headed north, they’re likely headed
for the new colony you mentioned. They didn’t look like
battleships.”
Watching the sky, I swear I hear another coming.
“Maybe Father lifted the lockdown.”
Laura and I glance at each other and setting aside my
weaving, I stand. She joins me after a moment to look
around with me. As she does, two more ships appear.
And a third that descends in the sky behind us.
Hearing the shaking of branches, leaves, and bushes, I
pivot just in time to see Syasku and Azsote heading straight
for us.
“Get out of sight!” Azsote shouts, reaching Laura
moments before Syasku reaches me. Snatching us up, they
rush to the closest tree.
“What’s going on?” Laura asks, lowering from Azsote’s
embrace. He shakes his head, his brow deeply
furrowed.
“We do not know, only that a lot more are about to
arrive,” Syasku warns, keeping his hold on me firm.
“What about Audrin?” I ask, taking in his concerned
expression. “Maybe we should—”
 Just then, the ships appear. Not just one or two, but
hundreds, nearly countless in their numbers like stars
falling from the sky. The noise they make eclipses even the
beating of our hearts as they head straight for the forest,
their lack of formation adding to the abrupt chaos.
They’re not battleships, at least not most of them
I glance at the others; they’re all staring upward,
confusion and worry twisting their faces. As more approach,
appearing right above our heads, we scurry deeper into the
trees.
Vruksha rushes us from the right, seemingly coming out
of nowhere. “Thissss way, now!” he shouts, waving his
strange spear in the direction of the forest.
My gaze clashes with Syasku’s. “Audrin,” I whisper.
He grips me harder against him, and we chase after
Vruksha, as Azsote carries my mother into the trees. All
around us and in every direction, the sound of spaceships
chases us.
Seeing the others waiting for us at the entrance to an
underground bunker, I remove myself from Syasku’s hold
and snatch Audrin from Celeste’s waiting arms.
“Everyone get inside,” she yells, waving us in.
Syasku grabs my other arm, and turning toward him, I
follow his gaze between the trees to where the pale moon
contrasts the blue sky.
A bright white light flashes, followed by another and
another. Slowly, a red cloud forms around the
blasts.
Everyone watches as the cloud grows, creating a red
and orange smear that bleeds over the moon.
“The Dreadnaut,” I whisper, a shiver coursing up my spine.
Syasku’s grip on me tightens as he drags me down into
the hole in the ground.
It’s gone.
S Y A SKU

“WHAT DO you think this means for us?” Vivian asks, leaning
against my arm as the pictures move across the screen. I
have never seen anything like it.
Vruksha and his mate, Gemma, call it a movie. Besides
watching these movies, there is not much else to do besides
speak with the others, but like the others, we prefer being
left alone.
We have been below ground for days.
Ever since The Dreadnaut exploded. All that remains of it is
a faint red streak in the sky.
In the hours after, countless ships appeared, heading
straight for us. Not all of them arrived gently, and as more
ships crashed, causing explosions that echoed across the
land, it was decided we should remain below until things
settle. We all did.
Eventually, we will return to the surface to see what
awaits us. It is not something I want to dwell on for very
long. I am jaded towards humans despite knowing not all of
them are bad. There are good ones. Great ones even. My
female is wonderful.
“It means nothing,” I say. “Only that your sire may now
be dead, and if he is not, he will soon be back within my
reach.”
“I don’t want you to go after him. I ”
Petting her hair, my fingers pause when she goes quiet. “I?”
She sighs and the sound is heavy. “I think we should
stay here—at least, for now.”
 I had a feeling this might happen. The Dreadnaut’s explosion
hasn’t been easy for her.
She was quiet while the rest of us figured out what we
should do. She grieves its loss. She grieves for the innocent
people who may have died. So I understand if she is not
keen on saying anymore goodbyes right now.
We have been safer here than we have been anywhere
else in months. Here, we have connections? Friends? The
prospect of staying is appealing, especially with no other
option available. She would be safe. Audrin would be safe.
There will be others looking out for them. Kyle, for one.
And now that she is trying to mend things with her mother,
Laura too.
“I will not go after him,” I concede, still debating
whether or not staying put is a good idea. Breaking my oath
to kill Volp is easier than I thought it would be, knowing the
likelihood of ever encountering him again is slight.
Not only that, Vivian is tired. And so am I. She does not
want to run anymore. I can understand her reasoning for
wanting to settle down rather than move on.
I also have a suspicion she likes Vruskha’s underground
tunnels. Closed spaces seem to relax her. If I had to guess,
they remind her of her previous home.
Vivian huffs a long breath of air. “Thank you. I’m just
going to hope he never ends up here. Also, Audrin will have
a playmate. Odessa likes him.”
I nod. “She does. In time, I am certain he will like her as
well.” Odessa, the little female youngling belonging to
Zhallaix, adores Audrin and is always trying to play with
him. “We will remain for now. With what has happened, it
would be too risky to leave. Not until we know more.” Even
Kyle has chosen to stay.
Vivian’s eyes flutter closed and she exhales like she had
not just exhaled heavily a moment ago. “Thank you. Thank
you—thank you— thank you.”
Licking my teeth, my lips twitch into a smile. I do not tell
her that I am not being entirely selfless in my decision. If
we keep running, searching, hoping we come upon a better
place, a safer one, she will never get the rest she needs to
nest with me again.
I am eager to build a new one. Eager to see her in it.
Eager to mate her in a place of my creation, surrounded
entirely by me.
Petting her hair some more, she rests her cheek on my
chest.
I will make certain it is okay with the others, at least the
males. Azsote will accept us, I am certain, but Vruksha and
Zhallaix? They are two entirely different alphas and their
tension is easily felt when I am
around them. We do not know each other. Not yet. I will
have to show them that having a Cottonmouth around can
be useful, especially with what is ahead of us.
Humans.
Pulling Vivian closer, I rest my chin on her head and
entwine my tail with her legs.
She shifts to look up at me. “I
love you.” My brow furrows as
she smiles.
Staring down at her, the pleasure inside my heart grows.
“I love you too. It is nice hearing I am loved, female,” I tell
her with all honesty.
It is different, feeling loved, being loved.
Her eyes sparkle and leaning up, she kisses me. Grasping
her chin, I hold her in place as I graze my fangs over her
bottom lip, gently licking it afterward.
The light flickers above us.
Pausing, we both look up and when the light returns to
normal and stays that way, Vivian laughs nervously.
I tug on her hair to get her to look at me. “Are you
afraid?” Her eyes search mine. “No.”
“I am not chained anymore, Vivian,” I remind her,
cupping her cheek. My thumb trails down to her chin.
Feeling a slight groove there, I find a thin scar. “You will
always have my attention,” I rasp, my voice shortening, the
pressure returning to my chest where my heart beats wildly.
“Alwayssss.”
Her eyes soften, and reaching up to slide her hair
behind her ear, she smiles.
I tuck her back against me.
We have lost, my female and I, but we have gained so
much more. And, as it seems, we are not the only ones
having to start over. It can be done. Azsote is content and
he has lost his home, his treehouse nest. I have lost mine as
well, in the wetlands next to his.
I am looking forward to something new.
No one knows what lies ahead. And with a taste of
human blood in my mouth and a reason to fight for my
future, I am ready to stake my claim. I am ready to defend
what is mine with bloodshed.
I close my eyes, appreciating every moment I have.
Behind Vivian, the movie comes to an end. The screen
goes fuzzy and fades to black. Watching it fade, her
breathing evens out and I settle us back against the wall.
She is right, it is relaxing down here.
In the end, it does not matter where we end up or what
lies ahead of us.
We will meet it together.
Thank you for reading Cottonmouth, Naga Brides Book 6, the
end of Arc 2
If you liked the story or have a comment, please leave a
review!
If you adore cyborgs, aliens, anti-heroes, and adventure,
follow me on Facebook or through my blog online for
information on new releases and updates.
Join my newsletter for the same information but with the
addition of NSFW art >8)
Naomi Lucas
I do not want a bride. They are difficult to protect. Those
males who are mated have homes—clans.
I have neither.
My nest was destroyed. My territory was usurped, and
it is her people's fault.
Julia's. The female soldier hiding in Zaku's
territory. Unmated, she is stalked by danger
everywhere she goes.
She does not deserve a mate. Yet when she is forced to
choose one or have her choice taken away, she comes to me
to save her.
A naga who does not want her. Who cannot have her.
So we strike a deal. In doing so, we will both get
something we want.
She, and the danger that stalks her, out of
my life. And for her
Well, I promised to return her safely to her
people. But when the time comes to let
her go
I decide our deal is better
broken. And that she will be
MINE.
 Naga Brides
Viper
King Cobra
Blue Coral
Death Adder
Boomslang
Cottonmouth
Copperhead (Coming Soon)
C yborg Shifters
Wild Blood
Storm Surge
Shark Bite
Mutt
Ashes and
Metal
Chaos
Croc Ursa
Major Dark
Hysteria
Wings and Teeth
Cyber Pool Boy

A Monster’s Duet
A Gargoyle’s
Delight The
Scarecrow’s Queen

The Bestial Tribe

Minotaur:
Blooded
Minotaur:
Prayer
Stranded in the Stars
Last Call
Collector of
Souls Star
Navigator
Venys Needs Men
To Touch a
Dragon To Mate
a Dragon
 To Wake a
Dragon Naga (Haime
and Iskursu)

Valos of Sonhadra
Radiant

Standalones
Submitting to Cerberus