Chapter 2
Lila dodged her inamorato’s intense stare as she walked into the door of his apartment. It was large and open, the walls stark white, the furniture a rich black. She’d always thought this place was too masculine for her taste. She knew what conversation was coming and dreaded it. She looked up to see her 6’9 inamorato towering over another figure. One word described Jodge: Huge. He had blonde hair that was typically fused into a point; his black wings covered his back like a cape. He was distracted for a moment, so she set her purse down on the table glancing in the hallway mirror. She prodded her pins loose, fiery red hair came spilling down her shoulders. It was long, down to her waist, curling at the end. She sensed someone behind her and turned.
“Hi, beautiful.” He warmly pulled her into his embrace. He was solid against her back, his breath warming her cheek.
“Hi,” she whispered, looking up into his face. He had a strong jaw, a rounded nose, pointy ears, and blue eyes. Her heart quickened as he bent close to her ear and whispered, “I got a new human.”
Lila turned her head, breaking the muscular Citizen’s embrace. She caught movement where Jodge had just been standing a moment before. A pretty human girl stood with a blank expression on her face. She was lean, her blonde hair curling around her shoulders; her face was perfect. Lila’s heart squeezed. Jodge meant to hurt her. She’d damaged his pride, and now he was aiming for her heart.
“She’s been assisting me all day.” He stroked the back of Lila's black, leathery wings. A shudder ran through her as her eyes darted up to his face, fury rising in her chest.
“This won’t change anything, Jodge,” she said coolly, taking a step back from him. Jodge gave a brilliant smile, trying to charm his way back into her heart.
“I’ve been training her, trying to find out what she’s capable of.”
Lila’s mouth twitched into a hard line as she watched Jodge pull the human close to him, his dark blue skin touching the pale girl's arm. The girl was clearly frightened, shaking like a leaf.
“She has to give me what I want, Lila. You, on the other hand.” He flung the girl away as if a ragdoll. The human uttered a sharp cry as she hit the wall and slumped to the floor. Lila felt a stab of pity. Poor thing, she did nothing wrong. She pushed Jodge's meaty hands away. He wasn’t getting anything from her. Not tonight.
Jodge lifted his hands to her face and held her chin softly.
“I’m just trying to understand. Why won't you just say yes and be my mate?” His fingers trailed her skin. Lila couldn’t help but melt just slightly at his touch.
“I'm not ready for that yet. Besides, being my inamorato is close to being my mate,” she whispered, her wings fluttering out around her like black silk.
“When will you be ready?” Jodge gave a nervous laugh.
The girl Citizen shifted her weight pulling her face out of his hands.
"It’s complicated."
"That's because we've never—" His voice cut off as he turned his head away from her in frustration. She grabbed his webbed hands and looked into his blue eyes.
"I don't agree with what you're doing." She leaned up against the counter in defiance. Jodge studied her face for a moment.
"The humans?"
"Yes." She walked around to the table and sat down. He laughed, his dark bat-like wings unfolding slightly then refolding against his back. He ran his webbed fingers over his face in exasperation. Jodge walked over to the girl lying on the floor, staring down at her.
"She's nothing. Just a game I like to play." He reached out for Lila and kissed her lips fiercely. Lila was not convinced.
"It's wrong, Jodge. It's breaking the laws."
"Since when have you followed the laws, Lila?" Jodge laughed. The girl closed her eyes.
"That's beside the point."
“I'll take the human back. She wasn’t worth it anyways. Besides, Halfsies are disastrous creatures.”
The comment helped a little. Halfsies were immediately destroyed before birth or just shortly after. Citizens and humans should never mix. She looked at the human and put her hand on the girl's light hair. She was young. Maybe fifteen?
“Wake up, human.” Lila gently shook the girl. The girl’s lip trembled as she stood to her feet. She was dressed in a pale blue pala; her blonde hair was ruffled but otherwise still perfect. "Get me some coffee.”
The girl let out a small whimper, glanced at Jodge, and walked toward the kitchen. Jodge looked pleased with himself. He reached for Lila, and she came into his arms again.
Lila stepped outside to drink in the cool night air, letting her mind play with an ancient memory from her past. Jodge wanted a direct answer that she couldn’t give him. Why don’t I want to be his mate? Her fingers traced the wood grain back and forth as she stared out over the lit up city below.
Tannel. The name arose from within her thoughts. She’d tried to bury that memory a long time ago. She’d been just a kid. Lila closed her eyes letting the wind kiss her eyelashes. Her mother had always taught her to respect humans, to treat them gently. Her father was the extreme opposite. Lila’s mom had purchased a young male human and had given him to Lila as a playmate. Pain reared its ugly head at the memory of the human whom she’d grown to love.
***
Lila went down to Human Co early the next morning. She had no idea why, maybe just to get away from Jodge. She felt like she couldn't think straight when he was near her. She glanced at the new humans, bored. They were all the same. Same scared expression, same faces, all the same. She sighed, annoyed that she’d come down here.
Suddenly, one of them moved. Struggled. He had been on his side while most humans were free to move around. His hands were tied behind him, his body iced, lying on the ground. But this one was putting up a fight. She noticed the handlers holding tranque guns in their webbed hands. Her eyes drew back to his form. He had toned muscles and thick black hair.
Unruly. That was the first word that came to her mind. She liked him. He glanced up at her, his eyes full of pain. His body shivered.
“That one,” Lila commanded. A Citizen with yellow, wiry hair glanced at her surprised.
“He is untrained, ma’am. We've had to ice him three times now.”
Lila frowned noting the marks on the male human’s body. He'd been punished severely by the looks of it.
“Get him for me, now.” Her voice held authority that none dared disobey. Within a moment Lila had bought herself a new human. It was about time a human had a backbone.
***
Lend was tied up and thrown into the back of a speedcar. He shook, his body still reacting to being iced. He could hear the Citizen start up the engine, and heat kicked out the back vent. In a few moments his muscles started to spasm as they unthawed.
“That should get you moving again.” He heard her say cheerily from the front. It was painful. The cold and hot combined made his body burn. He moaned softly not wanting the Citizen to hear it. She turned slightly in her seat.
“What a moron my brother is. Doesn’t he know you’re not supposed to ice a human body more than once?” She made a disgusted noise as she reached a long arm back behind her and turned all of the vents onto him. Warm air blasted him. He let out an audible groan and she winced.
“Just try to relax. Icing takes a while to recover from.” She turned back around, leaning back against her seat as the automatic car carried them through the streets of downtown. It was silent, but for the sound of the vents letting out whooshes of air.
Lend let his mind drift. Who is she? Fear made his body break out into cold sweats. His arms finally felt unthawed. He moved slightly. Still painful. His legs were still held together like someone had wrapped them in tight, cold ropes. Anger boiled inside his chest like a hot cauldron.
What am I going to do? he thought.
Lend sat up slightly as the car turned sharply through the streets. He looked over at the Citizen woman. She looked wealthy, her body was adorned with expensive jewelry
, her fiery red hair held glittering diamonds. Why did she buy me? The car came to a quick stop. His shoulder hit the seat and he groaned. He slumped back down. Lend heard the doors swoosh open. The female Citizen grabbed him from the back and hauled him out. He winced.
“Walk, human.”
Lend’s legs felt wobbly as she placed him on his feet. He walked cautiously every step caused burning pain to race up and down his calves. It was like walking on coals. Not that he’d ever walked on coals. He looked up at the alien and found her staring at him. His expression darkened.
***
Lila found this human fascinating. She could almost read the thoughts that played through his dark eyes. He wanted her throat. She felt a thrill. She knew he could never hurt her. She was, after all, the superior race. The human took tentative steps forward. Lila could tell that he was in pain from being iced. She’d never bought a human who’d been iced before—they usually were trouble. This one wanted a fight. She gripped his arm and looked up at his face.
“Don’t be foolish.” Lila let a small surge of power go through her hand. He looked at it and pulled his arm away quickly. So, he’d felt the power before? She felt a stab of pity go through her chest. She led the way, keeping her eye on him as they made their way into her apartment. He looked lost. She didn’t blame him. She approached him as they came to the second floor.
“My name is Lila.”
The human listened, his eyes intent on her face. His gaze was like ice.
“Your purpose is to obey me. If you don’t, I want you to understand that I can have you destroyed.”
***
Lend observed his new master with an acid-like stare. She had chiseled features, high cheek bones, petite nose, and a slim body. Her skin was pale blue and red hair adorned her head. She had flashing green eyes and black leathery wings that were curled against her back. Lend walked down a long hallway, the lights dim. He hoped his fear didn't show on his face as the creature led him to a doorway.
"This is your room, human."
Lend looked down the other side of the hallway. A woman peeked her head out one of the doors. She stared at him for a moment then shut the door quickly when she spotted Lila. Lend turned toward the Citizen woman feeling empty and defeated. She turned and walked away as he opened his door and stepped inside his tomb. The room was as empty as his feelings. It was dimly lit with a single bed, a small lamp, and a dresser shoved against one corner. He walked over to the dresser and opened it up, feeling his muscles scream at him with pain. Inside were bland gray clothes.
He pulled one out. Is this a dress? He looked at it with disgust. He didn't know who these aliens thought they were, but he was not going to wear a stupid dress. He'd rather wear his human pants that the warehouse keeper had tried to strip off of him. He'd bitten him. He closed the drawer roughly and stared at the wall. A few moments later there was a soft knock on the door. He opened it and saw a young woman standing there. She smiled at him.
"Hi, I'm Gali."
"Lend."
"Welcome to our home."
"Thanks."
She nodded, turned, and walked away. Lend closed the door with a thud and leaned up against the back of it. I have to get out of here and find my family. Their faces flashed before him bringing a stinging pain to his chest. His fingers curled into a fist.
Chapter 3
Jodge walked into Lila's apartment holding a package in his arms. He set it down, searching for the red-haired beauty. She walked around the corner.
"Hey, beautiful." He leaned over and kissed her lips. She put her arms around him and kissed him back.
"What did you bring me?"
"Dinner." Jodge opened the package and popped it into the wall cooker. In moments, the smell of roast filled the room.
"I bought a new human."
"You did?" Jodge sat at the table, his giant frame filling the room.
"Where is she?”
"It's a man," Lila said with a mysterious smile. Jodge's eyes narrowed. Lila shrugged off his dark look. She set the dinner on the table and sat down.
"What made you want to buy another human?" Jodge said, his tone dripping with jealousy.
"I guess I was bored. I went down to Human Co to check out Morthane’s new supply. Nothing too interesting until I saw this one male who’d been iced.”
“Iced?” Jodge’s voice hardened.
“He seemed fine once I de-thawed him and gave him a pep talk.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I wanted a man to fix a few things around my place and to shop with me." Lila ran her slender, webbed fingers through her hair. Jodge grunted as he spooned food into his mouth.
"Where is he?”
"Down in the human apartment below."
"Can I see him?"
"Just a minute. I'll call him." Lila punched a button on the wall. "Human, come here."
A minute later, Lend appeared in a ragged pair of pants and a black shirt, his dark hair tangled around his face.
"What a mess," Jodge muttered.
"Tell me about it. I still have to have him tagged and cleaned up." The girl Citizen touched the human’s long hair.
"He looks different." Jodge’s eyes examined the human. Lila put her webbed hand over Jodge's.
"That's why I bought him; he's not afraid of us." She laughed lightly. Jodge stood, a sick smile twisting the corners of his mouth. "Leave him, Jodge. I like him like that." Lila waved her hand at her inamorato. Jodge stood in front of the male human standing a good six inches taller.
"Have you broken him yet, Lila?"
"Like I said, I just bought him," she said in exasperation. Jodge ran his hand over Lend's chest.
"Solid." The male Citizen’s eyes narrowed. "Human, let me look at you.”
"Why do you want to examine him?" Lila said in annoyance. Jodge shrugged.
"Just curious."
Lila stood as well and walked over to Lend.
"Take off your clothes, human."
***
Lend stared in shock at the two Citizens. Strip? He looked at each of their faces.
"Do you understand me?" The female Citizen crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently.
Lend nodded coldly and began to undress. His shirt came off revealing his chest.
"You didn't have him examined before buying him, Lila?"
"No, I just bought him as is. He looked healthy enough."
The big blue Citizen ran his cold hands over Lend's upper torso and across his back. Lend tensed, feeling uncomfortable.
"Okay, now those disgusting things." Jodge pointed to his pants. Lend exchanged looks with his mistress, his eyes intense.
"I don't think he wants to do that."
"Who cares? Take off your clothes, human," Jodge demanded with a snarl. Lend slowly undressed feeling heat rise to his face. He stood before the two Citizens feeling shame wash over him. He was a dog.
God, please help me, he prayed. Lend closed his eyes as the big Citizen finished examining him, then threw his clothes back at him.
"Go get a pala on, human. He looks good, Lila, but maybe you should give him a reminder who’s boss."
"Like I said, he's not been broken. You can go."
Lend walked away burning with shame. No creature should touch me like that. He cringed in disgust. He glanced down at his body, fear wriggling up his torso. The girl alien hadn't seen it, but that giant had left a burn where the sun don’t shine. He winced. The pain was still fresh; he let out a little moan resting his forehead against the wall.
God, please rescue me. He did want kids one day. He should stay away from that Citizen.
***
A buzz resounded through Lend’s room, startling him from his sleep.
"Male human, come here," a voice came through the speaker. He stretched, forcing his stiff muscles into motion. He headed toward the upstairs apartment where his mistress lived, feeling annoyed at being roused. He walked through the door to see the red-haired alien sitting on a sofa.
&nbs
p; "Did my inamorato hurt you?" she asked. He stared at her with a blank expression. His eyes briefly glanced down to the burn that was still smarting.
"No," he said in a low voice. She looked him over with a critical eye.
"Fine then, there are some things I need you to do." She got off the sofa and pointed across the room. “Fix that, wallscreen, human.”
Lend stood staring at the blank wall. What am I supposed to do? What the heck is a wallscreen? He warily touched the object and frowned. A little help, he thought. A spark flew from the wall and landed in front of his feet.
“Oh, crap,” Lend muttered. He stomped it out as soft footsteps resounded behind him. He turned and saw Gali staring at him, a washcloth in her hand.
"You're clueless aren't you?" A little smile tipped the side of her mouth. He nodded. She set the cloth down and tapped the wall several times.
"Just keep tapping. It will reset itself and if any more sparks fly just stomp them out. It should be fine after that."
He gave her a smile of relief. "Thanks."
“No problem.” She picked up her cloth and walked away. Lend kept tapping and putting out the fires until the wall suddenly turned blue and pictures started flashing like a crazed dream. The colorful wall pictures came to a sudden stop; a blue Citizen flickered into view.
"Impressive, and here I thought you would be like all the other stupid, wild humans who come fresh from the warehouse." The blue girl walked toward him her wings tucked behind her. She paused and stared at him openly. "You're not afraid of me are you?" She touched the wallscreen with the tips of her webbed fingers and leaned on one hip. Lend wasn't sure how to answer that question. Of course he was afraid, but part of him was just aching to kill.
"Should I be?”
“Are all humans in the wild this bold?” She flicked a piece of her fiery red hair away from her shoulders.
“No, just me.” He crossed his arms over his chest.