Untrained Fascination (7 page)

The Nool gave her a spray injection in the jaw and did something that sent a crack through her skull.

He frowned. “The blow to the head gave you a concussion and dislocated your jaw. I have reset it.”

She scowled and slowly said, “He just hit me once.”

“Did you lose consciousness?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, it was hard enough.”

Sorrok muttered, “If I had known, I would have ripped his throat out.”

The Nool got a headband and set it around her skull. Warming pulses ran through her head, and each pulse washed away a teeny bit of pain.

While the band was working, the medic cut away the sleeve of her shirt and worked on the skin that was hanging in flaps.

Sorrok growled low when he saw the damage. “If they don’t eject him, I will tear him apart.”

Her jaw was feeling better, as was her head. “What good would that do? You got there before he could stuff me in the vehicle. That is what I appreciate. Threatening death after the fact is just macho bullshit.” She gritted her teeth as her wounds were cleaned.

Even though he used numbing sprays, she could still feel the skin moving around on its own. It was unsettling.

Her hands clenched and relaxed restlessly, but she tried to hold still. Sorrok came to her side and held her hands while the Nool did his work.

“This is the easy part.”

She glared at him. “This is not the easy part. Getting out of bed was the easy part.”

He gave her a sad look from his golden eyes. “I am sorry that this happened to you.”

“I am not. The option would have been to go quietly. That isn’t really my style.”

The medic chuckled.

Sorrok stroked her hands with his thumbs. “Tell me what happened.”

“Well, I was waiting for you to show up and heard raised voices by the door. I opened it, saw the three Regiz on the other side of the Luthin and tried to slam the door. Two attacked the guards, and the third lunged for me. He hit the door, and I pushed back, shoving until I got the latch to catch. Then, I ran to my com unit and called for help right before he came through the door. He hit me, and I was able to focus when they got me to the street. I screamed, the Luthin attacked while invisible and you showed up.”

He chuckled. “Call them Hunters. To call them Luthin is like dividing you up by your racial grouping.”

“Fine. The Hunters on guard did a great job. They took on three of the bad guys, and that is why I am free right now.”

Sorrok nodded. “They did well, though they will be called to account for why they didn’t sound the alarm when the strangers arrived.”

She made a face. “They did fine.”

The medic moved to her left side and cut the sleeve open as well. These were just the punctures from the claws.

“Now, as to the matter of you. No matter the cause for this event, your time being out in the open is about to come to a halt.”

She stiffened, and the medic hissed, pinning her back in her seat. “You are joking. It wasn’t my fault.”

Sorrok shrugged. “It was and it wasn’t. A female in heat is always a temptation, and right now, you have the scent of desire around you.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “I am not ovulating right now.”

“No, but it is merely weeks away, and a male who wants a child needs a woman who is fertile. Your blood analysis confirms it, but your scent draws us in.”

“Why hasn’t this been an issue until now?”

He chuckled. “Because of your feline allergy. All but the Sthik have some type of hide that would trigger it. Now that it has miraculously passed, you are out where we can find you.”

She sat with her arms limp in her lap, letting the new skin seal as Sorrok was treated and his own cuts sealed.

There was barely a need to treat him; his wounds were already closing.

When they were done, she looked down and sighed. “This was one of my favourite shirts.”

He chuckled, “It looked both comfortable and flattering.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Well, it was. So, now I need to get a new shirt and then apply for a new place to live. It isn’t what I thought today would be like.”

“I would also like to confess to some disappointment, but you are not returning to the apartment.”

“I know. The door is broken.”

He snorted. “The only secure area for you is the Breeders’ lodgings. That way, the only escort you will need will be to and from your work.”

“And no friends, no casual days at the market?”

“The other Breeders will befriend you, just as they did at the mixer. As for the casual days, they will be a little more structured, but I am sure something can be managed.”

Lianne wanted to put her fist through the wall, but her arms weren’t up to it. Her head was nearly fine now that the headgear had done its work.

“If you would like to work off some of the aggression I can see on your features, we can head to the exercise facility. Combat is out of the question, but we can work on your form.”

She wrinkled her nose again. “Can we get me something to wear on the way there?”

He chuckled. “Everything you want to do revolves around shopping.”

“It is one of the only amusements I have. Well, that and my vid watching.”

The medic finished up, collecting the last of his equipment and removing the gear on her head and running a second set of scans.

Her concussion would need monitoring, but she was free to leave as long as she kept someone with her for the next twelve hours.

“I will do it.”

She gave Sorrok a dark look. “At this point, it will make it the longest first date in history.”

“Perhaps we can get through all of the awkward phases of it in one day.”

She carefully got to her feet. “Perhaps. Are you willing to try?”

“I am. Shall we leave the medic to his documentation of our ills?”

The medic looked up and smiled. “Please. There are a lot of blood samples to catalogue and process. I will contact you if anything comes up.”

Sorrok got to his feet as if he hadn’t just gotten the equivalent of nineteen stitches.

He helped her off the table, and they walked out of the med centre with her shirt in tatters and blood spattering his wrap tunic that outlined the narrow waist under his wide chest. He looked splendid, and she hadn’t even had a chance to mention it.

They got on his vehicle, and she wanted to sit behind him, but he moved her in front of him again.

They left her area of town and moved to the shopping sector favoured by Breeders, and as a result, the Rrassic.

He parked in a nearby lot and took her by the hand. “This way to a shop that might have designs you would like. You tend to err on the practical, so I was hoping this would suit you.”

She was curious and definitely eager to get out of her shredded and grimy shirt. She had hit the floor a few times during the altercation. Her back and hips were starting to make her adventures known.

The Nool who ran the shop was very attentive. She explained her needs; he nodded and returned a few minutes later with an armload of shirts, tunics and tights to replace what she was wearing.

Apparently, her shoes were fine.

Sorrok was supervising, and he mentioned, “She also needs appropriate exercise gear.”

“Like, our kind of appropriate?”

“Correct. If she is going to learn Rrassic combat moves, she should be dressed appropriately.”

The Nool gave her a surprised look. “Very well. I will be right back. A few of the Breeders wanted to try, but they couldn’t get an instructor, so I have the clothing in stock.”

Lianne picked through the offerings and found a few she would like to try on. “Can I try these?”

“Certainly. The change area is just over there.”

She took the pile of clothing over to the change room, and she winced when she saw the dark colouration of her contact with the floor. By the end of the day, she was going to look like a peacock had been mashed into her.

Lianne was in love with the first shirt she put on. It wrapped her torso with a striking blue fabric that was gorgeously soft and had open sleeves that hung from the shoulder with an open lower seam.

She was taking the shirt. The others were pretty and she enjoyed them as well, but the one she had on was the one she wanted to take home.

The tights were nice, snug and a heavier fabric than the ones she had on.

She ran through the selections and wore the new tunic and tights with her old clothing rolled into a bundle.

The shop keep smiled and took her selections from her and looked at what she was wearing. “Good choice. It is very flattering and will not affect the wound treatments on your arms.”

Lianne looked over at where Sorrok was leaning against the counter, and she grimaced. “Squealer.”

Sorrok laughed, and the expression transformed his predatory features into something that she found hypnotic.

She shook her head and blinked, turning back to the Nool. “Right. Well, this will do for today, please.”

He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

He packaged her shredded clothing into a bundle and handed them to Sorrok.

“Wait, why are you taking the shreddies?” She frowned.

“They are proof of the assault and injury to you. That will increase their sentencing.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Your medical records are already being sent to the judiciary.”

“Did you do that while I was changing?”

“No, as a Breeder, everything you do is sent back to the overlord and run through his office the moment that it happens. The information is key to your health and wellbeing.”

She wrinkled her nose. “That sounds a little stalkery.”

He shrugged. “I am a Hunter. Stalking is what I do.”

She snorted. “That isn’t creepy at all.”

The Nool said, “Where can I send the rest of the clothing?”

Lianne paused. “That is a good question. Currently, my apartment is missing a door.”

Sorrok shook his head. “Send them to the Breeder administration office with the name Lianne Whelling.”

She extended her wrist over the pay plate.

The Nool put his hand under hers and kept her from swiping. “Clothing is free for Breeders.”

Lianne blinked. “What?”

“All of your clothing is covered by the Rrassic government, as is your room and board.”

Lianne nodded slowly. “Right. So, I will be a kept woman.”

Sorrok gave her a cautious look. “You will still have your work.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I suppose. I guess I am going to have to take up an expensive hobby.”

Sorrok looked relieved, and the Nool handed him a separate parcel. “Here you are. It is adjustable, so it should fit.”

Sorrok nodded and took the parcel.

“What is that?”

“I will show you at the gym. If you are going to learn to fight like a Rrassic, you should dress like one.”

Sorrok took her hand and led her out of the shop, while Lianne was wondering what the hell was in that parcel.

Her stomach was rumbling. Sorrok stowed the parcels in his bike before turning to her.

“So, what would you like to eat?”

She made a face. “Whatever is close. I missed breakfast.”

He laughed. “Right. Apologies for the actions this morning.”

“I am not blaming. You don’t need to apologise. I am still hungry. At work, I would be on my break already with one meal behind me.”

“Understood. Come with me.”

It was nice that he said it like she had a choice. His grip on her hand wasn’t giving her an option.

The difference in their sizes was definitely sinking in. His hand was twice the size of hers. The soft pads of his fingers each concealed a claw, but there was no sign of them while he held her, unlike the Regiz. They had dug into her from the beginning. Getting away from them would have caused her to bleed, but she had been bleeding from their punctures anyway. They didn’t take any care with her.

He led her to a shop and pulled the door open. It was a cute diner scaled for the Rrassic. All the booths were wide and the stools were tall.

He led her to a booth, and he nodded to the server as he took his seat.

Lianne gave him a bland look. “So, the Regiz who came after me was that guy from the mixer last night, right?”

“Yes. Apparently, he wanted to circumvent the system.”

“What?”

“He was trying to take you and haul you through a portal. There have been six women removed the same way. All were unregistered Breeders. They were exposed and undefended.”

The server came over, placed water in front of them and slid a pot of tea and two cups onto the table.

Sorrok spoke quietly in Rrassic, and the server smiled and nodded.

“What did you just do?”

He smiled. “I ordered something suitable for brunch. It is a bowl of noodles with meat and vegetables.”

She was willing to try it. Lianne reached into her neckline and pulled out a small slip of paper. “I have some questions to ask.”

His face grew wary, but he nodded slowly. “Ask away.”

Lianne gave him a serious look, and she asked, “Why humans?”

He smiled. “Because we are similar. It was an obvious choice.”

“How did you find us?”

“The Saya. They can see more than minds. They found you.”

She drummed her fingers. “How long were you watching us?”

“You were seen eight months ago by your measure, and we were watching and assessing the folk taken, for the last three weeks.”

She nodded and looked down at her page. “What were you looking for?”

He smiled slowly. “I can’t tell you that, but each of the humans taken had a specific purpose.”

“Including the Breeders.”

“Yes. That feeds into the similarities I mentioned. It is thought that we are compatible species, and so, if children can be brought into the world, we will have what we need to move forward.”

She frowned. “What comes next?”

“That isn’t something that I can tell you.”

“Why not?”

“It is not something you are classified to know.” He shrugged.

She drummed her fingers on the table. “Where did the different types of Rrassic come from?”