Entranced Read online

  They had a sexually charged camaraderie that had blossomed into something deeper over the last month. She wasn’t ready to name the warm feeling that bloomed in her when she saw him, but by the end of her pregnancy, she would force herself into honesty. Love was a funny thing—it rested inside her comfortably until she tried to examine it and then slipped out of sight.

  With a bounce in her step and a swing to her hips, she entered the bedroom and opened the hidden panel to expose the office inside the wall.

  Settling into the chair, she typed in the code for her personal correspondence. The message that Tiern mentioned popped up on the screen, so Lora followed directions to make the exceptionally long-distance call to the Haldis Imperium.

  While Lora waited, she wandered around the room, tending to the floral arrangements that she had created out of the plants she was developing in the greenhouse.

  When the beep sounded, she scampered back to the console and took her seat. “Call for Empress Amanda of the Haldis Imperium.”

  “Call accepted. Connecting.” The screen was still black an instant before it sprang to life and a very elegant but approachable-looking woman in an elaborate kimono and corset was looking back at her.

  “Hello, Empress.”

  “Hello, Lora Gainer. You cannot know how happy I am that you are alive and well.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Empress.”

  “Please, call me Amy.”

  “Amy then.”

  “I have gotten a report that you have been bought by a member of the Seth-Ari and are being used as a brood mare.”

  That was certainly going directly to the heart of it. “That is very direct. And it is also true. But at this time, I am a willing partner in the breeding aspect. I am due in two months.”

  Amy’s eyes widened. “Two months? You have only been there for five weeks!”

  “They are a clone race. Accelerated growth and an extended lifespan. Pretty sweet deal if you think about it.”

  “I am on my fourth right now and I can tell you that I would kill for a shorter pregnancy.” Amy grimaced and Lora laughed.

  “If the child is whole and healthy, I will let you know. At this point, if the child is unable to reach maturity, I am off the hook.” Her heart hurt saying it that baldly, but time was of the essence in long-distance calls across space. She placed her hand over the baby and sighed, tears forming in her eyes.

  “I hope for your sake that the child is beautiful and strong. Good luck and expect a package to be delivered in a few weeks. By the way, I love your outfit.”

  Lora laughed, “What there is of it. In the domes, there is no fluctuation in temperature so dressing like this is comfortable. Mind you, so is going naked.”

  “Palden would kill me if I sprinted around naked. In that outfit, I may be able to leave the bedroom, but I doubt it.” She chuckled. It was a nice noise, friendly. “I intend to check in on you regularly. You can start receiving our newsletter, The Terran Times. I try and keep tabs on as many of the Terrans as I can. It has been nice talking to you.”

  It was like talking to a big sister. A big sister that was helping to run an empire, but was trying to split her focus to help those like her.

  “I will keep you informed on the pregnancy. It was nice speaking with you as well. Communication ended.”

  Amy nodded and waved. “Communication ended.”

  A wave of light spilled through Lora’s heart. One of her own kind was in communication range. It was a surprise she had not expected. A flutter low in her belly was the next surprise. “What the heck?”

  “Are you in distress, Mistress?” Hami appeared in the room and gave her a worried look.

  Distressed, no, stunned, yes. “I think…I think the baby just moved.”

  “Are you certain?” The bot approached with a scanner and knelt in front of the bemused Lora. “You are correct. It is moving. Tiern should be made aware of this.”

  Lora stood and grinned evilly. “You are correct. Let’s go tell him.”

  “He is in conference with the rest of his hand. They are not to be disturbed.”

  “That is too bad. I am not stopping my joy in this movement until he returns to us. Either come with me or leave me to the Seth-Ari in the halls.”

  It was a bluff, but evidently that exceeded Hami’s programming. The bot nodded and walked with her to the door.

  The halls were no longer empty. Shocked Seth-Ari scrambled for the open doorways as she approached them. They bore a striking resemblance to Terran lions in their facial features. The teeth were pronounced, protruding slightly, but their eyes ranged from the deepest black to the lightest silver over their flattened feline noses. The claws were the most frightening aspect of an unaltered Seth-Ari. They extended over four inches beyond the fingertip and seemed designed to cut rock or gut someone.

  She tried to set them at ease with a small smile that did not show teeth. It worked for some of the skittish males around her, but most simply hid.

  “This way, Mistress. They are inside the second chamber on the left.” Hami steered her to the indicated doorway and opened it, ushering Lora inside.

  Six males froze in mid-conversation and slowly turned toward her. It was a little unnerving to have five identical faces looking at her with one face that was obviously their progenitor.

  “Hello, all. I have just come to give Tiern some good news.”

  The progenitor leaned back in his chair and smiled, it was not a pleasant smile. “If you can find him, sweetling, you can tell him.”

  Lora shrugged and wandered around the room once, watching the faces carefully. She had spotted Tiern the instant she had come through the door, but for some reason, she didn’t want them to know that. The second time around the room, she placed her hand on Tiern’s shoulder, much to his visible relief.

  “Hello, Tiern. Something wonderful happened today.” Knowing that the whole room could hear every word, she paced herself.

  “What was that, Lora?”

  “Well, I got in touch with my Representative…”

  “And?”

  “And the baby moved.”

  Her grin was contagious. His smile broke free in an instant. “Really?”

  “Really.” Tired of waiting, she held his hand over her belly and pressed to the spot where she had felt the flutter earlier. It only took a few seconds before a light went on behind his eyes.

  “I felt it! It’s alive.” The last was said on a low reverent breath.

  The room was completely silent until the progenitor spoke. “Well done, Tiern. You not only picked the female that was scheduled to go into heat first, but you have been successful with impregnation.”

  “I hate to burst your bubble, but my species goes into heat every twenty-eight days.”

  The shocked murmurs that went around the table made Lora lean back, but Tiern caught her and pulled her into his lap.

  “Lora, this is our progenitor, Toth. He is most eager for our success. This is the rest of my hand, Daka, Eto, Siro and Ahkon. They are currently waiting for their females to reach oestrus.”

  “Pleased to meet you all.” She nodded her head as well as she was able, given Tiern’s tight hold on her.

  “I suppose that you are pleased to be the mother of a new species?” Toth was leaning back in his chair, idly running his fingers through the waist-length locks of his hair.

  “It was not something that I had ever planned, but I have no objection to it.”

  “You don’t object to carrying the spawn of clones?”

  She scowled at that. “Well, I am only carrying the spawn of one clone. I don’t do multiples.”

  He howled with laughter. There was no other word for it. Toth threw back his head and roared his amusement. When he stilled, he looked at Tiern. “I like this one. She doesn’t cry and beg for freedom.”

  Tiern took the credit for her. “Thank you, Toth. When I saw her in the market, I saw her spirit first.”

  One of the brothers, Daka, she
thought, asked, “Why did you not fight him when he took you the first time?”

  She cocked her head and thought back to that first coupling. “First, he showed me that there was nothing to fear when he touched my mind. Second, when his feline form came to me, it did not even scratch me. Third, when his body was over mine, he purred. I find that a very soothing sound. There was no reason to fight him.”

  The purr that she mentioned was starting underneath her.

  He seemed astonished. “That is it? You make it sound so simple.”

  “I am a simple woman. However, if your female has been raised as a slave, there are steps you can take to make it easier for her to adapt to you.” She looked up to Tiern, asking for permission to tell the men about her theory. They had talked about it many times, the thought of women dying under claws and fangs chilling them both.

  Toth demanded the answer, “How?”

  Her belly fluttered again and she smiled for a moment. “Introduce yourselves as their masters. If they have been raised as slaves, this will calm them. If not, they will fight you. It is imperative that you find out everything you can about the woman before you try and mount her.” The last sentence was said with a blush, but Lora pressed on.

  “The sneakiest way to get to know them is to introduce yourself and then to touch their minds from nearby while they sleep. You can get them used to your mental touch and then the physical will come more easily. Shift in front of them. Let them know both of your primary forms. When it comes to mating for breeding, comfort is found by familiarity. Jumping on the woman while she is sleeping is not the way to go. Many races are scent sensitive, make sure that your body chemistry is pleasing to the project female. Research any specific mating practices that your woman may need to ovulate.”

  Toth looked at her with intent interest. “How do you know all this?”

  “Bio Tactics was my speciality. Researching and investigating the practices of Alliance races has been my field of interest.”

  “So now you study the Seth-Ari?” He seemed perturbed.

  “No. Just Tiern.” She gave him a cheeky grin and snuggled into her mate’s embrace, wrapping her arms around his silver torso as far as they would go.

  “If you wish to know the history of the Seth-Ari, you will come to me. The hand of breeders created from my body know only what they have been told.”

  She expected the males around her to be offended, but they were not. She took umbrage on their behalf. “If they are intelligent, then they can learn. To keep a sentient being deliberately ignorant is an affront to your society.”

  Tiern stroked her hair, trying to sooth her, “It’s alright, Lora. We have access to our histories. We just have not had time to learn them.”

  Surprise was now cast on Toth’s features. “You have really bonded to him, haven’t you? It’s amazing.”

  “Why?”

  “A large quantity of people here did not believe that a pregnancy was possible, let alone a bonding. You have proved them all wrong. For that, I thank you. Now, Tiern, I wish for permission to visit your mate for the purpose of racial discussions.” The look on Toth’s face was now one of deep curiosity.

  Lora looked up at Tiern to see a scowl and tightness around his eyes. He was not pleased.

  “I am sure that Toth can restrain the visits to when you are able to join us. It would not be proper otherwise.”

  Toth inclined his leonine head. “It will be as you wish, lady. Only when your mate is with us.”

  Tiern’s voice was still not happy, but he agreed, “You may come to our chambers for the purposes of intellectual discussion. It is your grandchild growing within her, after all.”

  That stopped Toth in the act of grinning. “Grandchild?”

  “Indeed. As my progenitor, you are in the position of being my DNA donor. I am half of the child’s contribution as is Lora. That makes you the grandfather by Terran standards.”

  “I had not thought of it that way. Frankly, I had not thought of it at all.”

  Tiern was pleased that he had surprised his parent. “The others of my hand will be uncles. Each responsible for the survival and protection of my offspring.”

  Ahkon scowled. “Why?”

  “Because we are family. We bear the same DNA and therefore, the survival of the child will be the survival of our line.”

  That convinced the surly Seth-Ari. The rest were all looking at Lora’s belly with a dawning understanding.

  Tiern whispered to Lora, “I think they have enough to think on for now. Let’s go back to our quarters.”

  “Good idea,” She whispered it back and they left the five men mulling over the consequences of tiny people who were dependent on the adults around them as well as the research they would need to do on their prospective mates.

  Hami was still outside the conference room and quietly padded back to their rooms with them.

  Lora nodded and smiled at a few of the Seth-Ari who were still in the halls and three out of four nodded back. It would take her some time, but she would crack this insular race entirely made of men. It was her new project.

  As the door to their quarters closed behind them, Hami went to her charging station while Tiern took Lora’s hand and pulled her to the bed.

  She gasped in surprise when he tumbled her to the bed and hissed at her, “What the hell were you thinking?”

  Chapter Seven

  Tiern pinned her down, his hands pressing hers to either side of her head.

  She was so surprised all she could say was, “What?”

  “Why did you go through a kilometre of halls filled with males who don’t care if you live or die while they fuck you?”

  “What?”

  “There have been petitions to have you passed around the barracks if you failed to bear offspring.”

  She didn’t want to say what again, but that last thought scared the hell out of her.

  “Ah, I see that you finally understand. It is dangerous here, Lora! I want you and our child alive and safe. Even if I have to stay here around the clock.” Tiern sighed and pressed his forehead against hers. “I care for you very much. I want you safe.”

  Tears pricked Lora’s eyes. It wasn’t a declaration of love, but it was as close as Tiern could get for now. “I care for you, too, but I was so excited about the baby moving and curious about your meeting. I will not interfere again unless requested.”

  “That is all I can ask.” He nuzzled her neck in affection and soon they were play growling with each other and rolling from one end of the bed to the other. Eventually, they ended up naked in a tangle of sweaty limbs and satisfied smiles, but when he curled her against him to sleep, he kept one hand carefully on her belly to catch every tiny flutter of their little creation.

  * * * *

  Two months later.

  “Why are all of you looking at me as if I could blow at any moment, Dell?” She was at the limit of her patience. Every unattached Seth-Ari stared at her as if she was an alien contagion and practically ran out of her way. Her belly had hidden her feet two weeks earlier and she was thanking her lucky stars that she didn’t have to go for the full nine months.

  “Because, based on my latest scans…you could.”

  “That’s comforting.”

  Hami reached out to help Lora sit up straight. She had been invaluable during the last few months. Lora could lay the health of her skin solely at the bot’s feet.

  “Tiern has told me that you are having some trouble with your feet swelling.”

  “Yup. The change in vascular arrangements makes for some funny water-retention properties.”

  “Well, your blood pressure is fine, so I will say that we can just take a wait-and-see attitude for the actual labour. If you are pregnant for another three days, we will induce.”

  Three days. Just three more days and her little one would be in her arms and she would fit back into Tiern’s embrace. Her bulk had made sex rather awkward and he had settled for shifting to lion and licking her
to orgasm. It was nice, but not the same as having the heat of him driving into her.

  “Fine. Hami, if you could help me, we will be on our way through the halls and back to our rooms.” Her bot and companion simply picked her up and carried her through the halls. It was faster and highlighted her enormous belly to the few Seth-Ari who were still haunting the halls with the thought of her in their beds.

  Three of the other women were pregnant now, the fourth needed to see a child to ovulate. Ahkon was being a very doting uncle in anticipation of his female finally going in to heat. He checked on Lora daily.

  Lora and Tiern had agreed that if all went well with the delivery, Ahkon could bring his woman to visit them and meet the baby. Nature should kick in immediately after.

  Tiern met them in the hall, sighed and took Lora from Hami. “The hand would like to speak with you.”

  “Really? More questions about why women occasionally like to wear clothing?” Lora waggled her eyebrows at him, but it took almost all of her energy. She was in a state of perpetual exhaustion, which followed three days of psychotic rearrangement of their apartments.

  She became a little confused when they continued to their rooms and upon opening the door, Lora began to cry. All of the hand and Toth were there, each carrying a gift wrapped by a careful hand. It was a baby shower!

  Apparently, the sight of her bawling like an infant distressed them, the gifts were thrown aside and each of the men with Tiern’s face came forward to sooth her. Toth had begun to shift his form into a more standard conformation, the nails were shorter, the feline features less pronounced but still strong. She had learned that the claws were used in the mining process to withdraw the gems and minerals from the rocks with minimal destruction. The reality that the claws were designed to cut rock had shaken her, but eventually, she had relaxed and taken it as just part of the Seth-Ari.

  Tiern carried her through the crowd and propped her up on the bed. He tried to calm the men, but they hadn’t seen a hormonal Terran before and it was freaking them out.