The Breeding Experiment - Laurann Dohner Page 0,20
see what my sister looks like, then he’ll put out an arrest alert. That means we’ll be taken into custody the moment we return! I’ll probably go to straight to the mines, but Becky would be sent to a brothel. She’s too pretty.”
“The fleet male won’t have you returned. He will know I’ll rip off his limbs if he does anything to you.”
Her eyes remained wide as she stared at him, appearing uncertain.
There was a slight hiss, and he spun, his claws extending as the wall opened. Two Elth entered, their weapons trained on him. They parted ways, and a third appeared, carrying a bucket. He set it down with a tentacle and the three withdrew, the wall sealing behind them once again.
“What is that?”
“Probably food.”
“In a bucket?”
Gnaw could sympathize with her unpleased tone. He walked over to peer inside. The sight made him curl his upper lip in disgust. “It’s some form of plant and water combined into a thick mixture. It’s green.”
He heard a thump and turned, finding that Darla had slid off the bed and dropped to the floor on her bare feet. She approached, stared into the bucket, and then crouched, sniffing. “Oh boy. That doesn’t smell or look good at all. I can’t even guess what that is, and it’s my job to grow edible plants.” She turned her head. “Do you have any idea?”
He shook his head. “But we need to keep up our strength.” He lowered to the floor, the bucket between them, and dipped in one extended claw, getting a tiny bit on the end of it. He lifted it to his nose, sniffed, but didn’t pick up anything that alarmed him. It didn’t have an appealing smell, though. He opened his mouth and ran the coated claw across his tongue. It was tasteless.
“I think it’s planet surface covering.”
She hesitated, then dipped one of her fingers in, repeating what he’d done. She made a cute face by scrunching her nose. It put wrinkles above her eyes too. “It’s some type of grass. Now I know what you meant by surface covering. Do they think we’re grazing animals?”
He shrugged. “They would be aware of our biology and needs. They are scientists, of sorts. Eat.”
She hesitated. “They didn’t even give us spoons.”
He dug a few of his claws into the green paste-like substance and brought them to his mouth. “Use your fingers.”
“I hope we’re found soon,” she whispered.
He nodded, wondering why his grouping hadn’t arrived yet. He closed his eyes, focusing on his implant. The link was there—and hope surged because it felt stronger.
He hid a smile and opened his eyes, finding Darla watching him.
“Not much longer.”
He identified similar hope on her delicate features. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Like hours? Days?”
“I’m not certain.” He turned his head to peer at the cameras.
“Oh. Right.” Her voice rose. “This stuff is so gross.”
He took another bite. “I’ve eaten worse.”
“Like what?”
“My grouping and I were caught in a bad storm once on a planet. The only cover to be found was inside a cave. We were without supplies. The winds were throwing rocks the size of our heads and uplifting trees. We were stranded until it stopped. All there was to eat were brown bugs. They were bitter and caused my eyes to water.”
She made that cute face again. “Okay, that’s much grosser.”
“They were high in protein, though. Maith said they were safe to eat.”
“Maith?”
He nodded. “He’s part of my grouping, and our medic. He always carries his scanner. He was able to determine the bugs were safe for us to eat.”
“Tell me about your grouping.” She ate more.
He figured she was trying to distract herself from the food. “There are four of us. Roth is our leader. He’s the most dominant, yet calm to keep us at peace. Drak is next. He’s direct and smart, which is important, to help Roth make good decisions for us. He mated recently. Her name is Abby.”
“Are they the ones who had the baby that was on the news?”
He shook his head. “They met on Defcon Red. Drak and Abby want to have young but are waiting until our assignment is over on that ship. Maith is the most caring, and that is why he became our medic. He’s also skilled with a knife. Also good for a medic.”
She sat on the floor. “What can you tell me about yourself?”
“I am grateful for my grouping. I was shunned before I met them. They didn’t have to