Mama and the Alien Warrior (Treasured By The Alien #1) - Honey Phillips Page 0,3
“I don’t understand you.”
The leader and his assistant conferred, then the subordinate beckoned her forward. With a hesitant glance at Lucie, still wrapped in Cassie’s arms, she stepped out into the corridor.
The man pointed to his mouth and then his ear, repeating the gestures after pointing at her.
“I don’t understand. What do you want?”
He shook his head and made the movements again.
“You… want to give me something to make me understand?”
He nodded.
“Very well.” Her courage almost failed when he pulled out another syringe, but she looked at Lucie and was able to stand her ground.
Someone had to be able to communicate with these monsters.
The assistant approached, keeping his movement slow and deliberate, and swiped behind her ear with a cool fluid. She could only hope that sanitizing the area was a positive sign. His hand clamped down on her shoulder and before she could react, he inserted the needle. A bolt of fiery agony erupted in her head. Her mouth opened but no sound emerged, her system too shocked to scream. If it hadn’t been for the firm grip on her shoulder, she would have collapsed. Fortunately, the pain passed quickly, leaving her weak and shaking but she forced herself to straighten. As soon as he felt her move, the alien removed his hand.
“Do you understand me now?” the leader demanded.
“Yes. What are—?”
“It is not your place to ask questions. The product is not accepting nourishment. What needs to be done?”
“The product?” Her mouth dropped open. “Do you mean the babies?”
He waved an eerie six-fingered hand. “The name does not matter. Why are they not accepting nourishment?”
“I don’t know about the others, but the three you took from my house are still being fed by their mothers.”
“The breeders must feed them?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Their mothers must feed them.”
After another conference with his subordinate, too fast and quiet for her to follow, he nodded. “Very well. They may have access for the feeding period.” He turned to one of the men still working at the counter. “Transfer the incubators.”
A gap opened between the two rooms and three of the cribs floated through. The girls immediately went to their children, although Cassie paused long enough to pass Lucie over to Amber. The gap began to close, leaving two squalling infants and the silent alien child.
Abby pointed into the other room. “Wait a minute. What about the other babies?”
He made a gesture that was too minimal to be called a shrug. “Some product loss is inevitable.”
It took every ounce of self-control she had not to smack his arrogant face. Instead, she forced an even tone and prayed the girls would understand. “Why don’t you let me see if we can nourish the others as well?”
The leader considered, then inclined his head. “Very well.”
He gestured to one of this men, and the cribs containing the other two human children began to move.
Abby looked at the tiny, silent alien baby and her heart ached. “What about that one?”
The subordinate cast a nervous glance at the leader, then said quickly, “Human nourishment would not be appropriate for a Cire infant. The product is very weak.”
“A foolish investment—and the purchase will be coming from your share,” the leader said coldly to the other man. “It was not worth the additional outlay.”
Abby bit her lip. She looked at the tiny baby again and knew she had to at least try and save it. “Do you have a bottle?” When the subordinate looked puzzled, she added. “A small container with a nipple? For hand-feeding?”
“How primitive,” the leader said, already starting to turn away.
“If she—if the product lived, it would be valuable, Commander Khaen,” the other man said quickly. “It would be a simple matter to create this bottle.”
“Very well. You may make the attempt,” Khaen said, as if he were granting a great favor. Then he turned and walked away.
Wishing she had something to throw after him, she turned back to the other man. “You can make a bottle?”
“Yes.” He hurried over to the counter and began pulling out pieces of equipment. She noticed that the two other aliens working there sneered at him, mirroring the same contempt as the leader; however, he was back in a few minutes with a serviceable bottle filled with a rather disgusting grey fluid.
“It’s nutritionally complete,” he assured her when he saw her eyeing the liquid dubiously. He manipulated a touchscreen and the alien baby’s crib began to move into the girls’ room.