The Alien Commander's Surrogate

Episode Twenty-Eight

Hillary

"Say that one more time?" I swallowed hard, staring at Lylta's violet tone face. "I must've heard you incorrectly."

"It's quite normal, Hillary, I promise you."

I laughed, the sound a tiny bit hysterical in the cool, metallic medical facilities. "Normal for Trenzian maybe, not for humans. And I, despite what is growing in my womb, am a human."

I pushed off of the table, my feet hitting the ground with a slap as I marched towards the doorway. "Where are you going? There are more things we need to discuss."

"Later," I said over my shoulder, pressing a hand against the communication bracelet that I'd been given. Lylta followed me to the door, still sprouting out random comments that I easily ignored as I moved down the ship's wide halls. The lights were low today, off the mid-day, but I didn't want to dwell on that now.

I wanted to get to Salex. And then murder her.

A red hot flush swept over my skin, making my fingers twitch as I stared down at the open message stream with Salex. It was empty, no conversations as of late. Not since the day he'd told me more about what the bond would be.

The same day I had begged, literally begged, him to bite me. I could still feel the lingering embarrassment of the comment. In the moment, it had been so normal to say, the words slipping out in the heat of the moment.

And fuck, the heat of the moment was right. It had been two days and both of those nights I'd gone to bed with my own hand slipping between my thighs, Salex's clothes surrounding me as I attempted to duplicate the release he had wrung from my body. Nothing compared, or even got close, but it took the edge off. I knew that things would escalate between us, it was hopeless to deny that pull that the bond-that-could-not-be brought about.

But damn-it I had no idea it would take it this far. This was too far, right? For the hundredth time since I woke up, I wished one of the other surrogates was awake. I needed to know that I wasn't alone in this. And while I knew that plenty of Trenzian's used surrogates, I was all alone here.

Tars threatened and I swiped at them as I leaned over my communication bracelet.

HILLARY: Where are you?

He answered immediately. The text scrolling across the screen.

SALEX: Are you alright?

HILLARY: Where are you?

SALEX: I'm down in engineering. Are you alright?

HILLARY: Stay there, I'm coming to kill you.

SALEX: So you're alright?

HILLARY: Will be as soon as I get my hands on you.

I cringed at my last line, but the text was already zooming through the communicators to Salex's com. Besides, I hadn't lied. I would feel much better after I strangled the enormous commander myself. Maybe then he'd understand I was done being left in the dark.

My mind whirled as I marched through the ship, reaching an intersection of hallways I wasn't as familiar with. Scrolling through the applications on my wrist, I found the ship interactive map and looked it over. Engineering, that was the second tunnel on my right. I took a deep breath in, trying to steady my temper as I marched off the direction the map had said.

I was sure that the engineering level was somewhere I shouldn't be. And if my presence there was an invention then that was his problem not mine. I would murder him anywhere in the ship at this point, I was that pissed.

As I moved out of the main living quarters of the ship and into amore industrial portion, my steps slowed slightly. There was a prickling awareness in the back of my mind about what was surrounding me. The unknown, so much known. We, as humans, had only just begun our adventures off world, and yet the Trenzian's had made it a lifestyle for generations of powerful warriors.

They were conquering races, superior to us in many, many ways. All but one, in the way that they simply did not produce the files necessary to stay alive. When I'd first heard of the surrogacy system I scoffed at those girls so desperate to get off the planet that they'd sleep-grow an alien baby in return for passage there.

But now, I was just like them.

Maybe worse, because apparently I hadn't even read into the contract enough to know exactly what I was signing up for. And that even while sleeping, we were still subjected to bits and pieces of our bodies being used for the benefit of a foreign race.

Tears pricked the back of my mind as I glanced down at my map again. I was far into the industrial portion of the ship now. The lights were dim, the air vents more economical and less soothing as I paused outside a doorway. The door against my hand was warm, unnaturally so and I jerked my palm back after reaching for the handle.

After staring down at my palm, examining it for any real damage, I decide that I'm just being a big wuss, and grab the handle once again, pressing hard against the old-fashioned level to the side.

"Open up, asshole," I muttered, gritting my teeth as it squeaked to life, slowly turning, "I have an alien to kill."

The door opened up suddenly, throwing me onto my knees just inside. I rolled a little, gasping at the sharp pain in my kneecap as I landed on a metal gated pathway. I stand slowly, groaning a little at the trickle of blood I can see through the new holes I just made in my pants.

"Great."

"You shouldn't be in there," a low voice says, and my heart threatens to come up my throat. I clamp a hand over my mouth, turning in place until I'm eye to eye with the big male I'd met with Ghantlan, the one who had challenged him after I'd begged him to take me to the fighting rings.

Slowly, as if with great care, the male straightened to his full height, now towering over me with a level of deadly calm that made my knees begin to shake. Why do I feel like he hates me so deeply? Had I done something wrong to him in another life? I swallowed hard, my fear making the sound louder than it should've been.

"Who are you?'

"Bayes, head engineer."

I took a long look at him, noting the missing uniform jacket, the marks of oil across one slashing cheekbone, stopping at the bulge of muscle that seemed to be exposed everywhere around the sleeveless white shirt he wore against his deep plum skin. I dragged my face back to his, not wanting him to think that i'' been staring. Even if that was exactly what I'd been doing.

"Nice to meet you, er, again," I raised my voice, "I'm looking for Salex."

"Salex?"

"Alpha Commander,"

His smile was slow, white fangs brilliant in the dim light of this room. "I know how Salex is."

"I need to see him."

He reached over, gripping a towel that was hanging over a rack of tools I'm just now noticing. "Why?"

I sputter, because how dare he have the balls to ask me these questions. But since I have zero interest in falling back on my usual, "I'm carrying his baby," I decide to tell him the truth. I'm not sure what it is about this guy, but I don't think he's interested in any of the bullshit.

"I'm here to kill him."

One dark brow, not unlike mine I notice, rises. He surveys me closely, the squishing sound of whatever machinery around us the only sound between us. Then finally, the tiniest corner of his mouth lifts in what I can almost call a smile.

"Come with me."

"What?"

"Come with me, I'll take you to him."

"Really?"

He grunted, pressing his hand against the hand-cranked door once more. "This I've got to see."

AUTHORS NOTE: 

UH oh.. someone's in trouble. 

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