Our New World: Science Fiction Romance Read online

  “I won’t hurt you,” she said in an attempt to assure him. He did not look particularly comforted but smiled toothily, nonetheless. She took him by the arm gently, turning his wrist upward to make it easier to strike a vein before realizing his anatomy may not be quite the same as her own. The thought had her eyes trailing downward unbidden, and she internally rationalized that, other than a few extras, he looked every bit the same as a human male, perhaps even more exciting than an actual human.

  “I believe you,” Ka said abruptly, and her eyes shot upward to meet his. He quirked an almost knowing smile, and she resisted the desire to draw her hand back. She pressed a finger to the underside of his wrist where one might find a particularly veiny area on a human. She felt what seemed to be similar blood vessels under his skin and stuck the needle tip in carefully. He cringed again but said nothing as she drew his blood. The lead scientist was gathering scrapings from his scales, and the glimmering dust shone in the bag that contained it. In spite of the awe she felt, she knew she had to keep some semblance of professionalism. She drew back with the green-tinted blood and offered the sample to the lead scientist. He considered it for a moment before drawing his eyes away.

  “Dispose of it in the biohazard bin. We only need one daily sample, and the sample will degrade after so long.” The lead scientist hummed, gathering his own samples and moving to slip out of the room. Selina bit back a protest, staring after him. She clutched the syringe in her hand, squeaking as a rumble sounded directly at her side. Ka stared furiously after the lead scientist, tail flicking in obvious agitation. He looked as if he would leap forward, and, in spite of the fear hammering in her chest, Selina lay a hand on his firm bicep. He jerked his heard toward her, eyes narrowed in irritation. She bit back a gasp upon having that intense gaze on her and drew back her hand.

  “I’ll…see you tomorrow,” she offered carefully. Ka considered her for a long moment, his expression softening slightly.

  “I will be looking forward to it,” he said smoothly, though it was an obvious lie. His eyes never moved from hers, and even Selina found herself having to tear her eyes away as she turned her back to him and slipped toward the exit. She mused that it might have been a danger to turn her back on the creature, but, in spite of herself, she feared him less than when she had first laid eyes on him an hour ago. If anything, she could not deny the unnatural attraction she felt for the extraterrestrial man. Swallowing those thoughts, she stepped out of the containment cell and listened to the door swish shut behind her. Judging by the look of approval on her boss’s face, she had done an acceptable—if not good—job.

  “It seems you get along exceedingly well with the specimen. I feel you have proven yourself more than capable of gathering the samples on your own from this point forward. Good job.” The lead scientist smiled, slipping past Selina’s father and out of the room. Her father remained silent, staring toward her with narrowed eyes. Then, without a word, he turned his back on her and followed the other man.

  The next day found her following the increasingly familiar path to Ka’s containment chamber. She swallowed thickly, feeling a vague sense of unease as she walked. Her colleagues glanced toward her as she walked but exchanged no greetings with her. She supposed she would have to adjust to the lack of respect, at least until she could prove their instincts about her wrong.

  She exhaled a sigh, swiping her ID badge beneath the security scanner. The door to Ka’s containment slid open, and she spotted him almost immediately. He was as bare as he had been the previous day, but she supposed it only made sense—it wasn’t as if the lab would provide him with clothing. She approached him with some hesitation, and he glanced toward her, quirking his lips in an easy smile. That one tooth poked out, and shivers went down her spine as she approached him, seeming to almost forget the sample-gathering kit she grasped in her hand. He crossed his muscular arms over his chest, staring down at her and seeming to take no small amount of pleasure in the way he loomed over her. She fidgeted with the sample kit for a moment, cursing under her breath as she managed to rip the sterile syringe out of its wrapping.

  “You are attracted to me, are you not?” he inquired softly, and Selina’s eyes widened as she glanced toward him.

  “N-no! Of course not,” she insisted, her face shining a rather fetching shade of red. He tilted his head and reached out to grip her by the chin. She stiffened, meeting his gaze. His eyes shone intensely, and she internally cursed how obvious she must have been.

  “My people can sense the emotions of those around us. Your pheromones are only sealing my certainty,” he murmured, tilting his head and slowly quirking a brow. She inhaled shakily, and his hand fell away from her face. He seemed somewhat pleased by her submissive behavior, and she tried to fight the whirlwind of feelings in her gut as she took him by the wrist. She slipped the syringe into his vein once more, and he all but jolted away from her. His face twisted in a grimace of pain, and she immediately began to spew apologies.

  “Sorry. I’m sorry,” she muttered, taking his silence as cue to continue. She began to draw the blood, and he rumbled unhappily, clenching his fist. “I’m so sorry. It’ll be over quickly, I promise,” she started, taken aback by the sudden ferocity in his gaze.

  “Your entire people will be sorry, soon,” he managed through gritted teeth. “That, I can promise,” he added as an afterthought. She stared at him for a long moment, unsure of what to say.

  “W-what do you mean?” she stammered out. Ka exhaled shakily, seemingly relieved as she removed the needle.

  “My people are a peaceful species. But I am certain they intend to retrieve me from this containment, and, if we are unable to escape peacefully, death for many will certainly follow,” he rumbled, rubbing the spot from which she had gathered his blood. She stared at him through wide eyes, and he met her gaze, continuing to speak softly. “Our home planet was destroyed over time by its own toxic ecosystem. All that remains of what we called home are the few samples my brothers carried to compare to the life on this planet. The climate on your planet is not dissimilar to that of our home planet. We had simply hoped to settle peacefully here and coexist among your people,” he murmured.

  She hesitated, considering her next words carefully before speaking. “I—I’m sorry, but I’m just doing a job. My job. My job to please my father,” she offered, feeling entirely useless. He chuckled darkly, offering his shoulder so that she could gather scrapings from his scales.

  “It is all the same to me. I will be freed by my brothers or die trying. You will be well served to avoid the confrontation if you are able,” he said sharply. She felt inexplicably wounded by his tone, though she realized there was little sense in what she was feeling. Geomex was holding him captive, and she was only perpetuating the wrongdoing in the situation. He seemed to sense her unease and reached out to grab her by the wrist. She bit back a gasp as he drew her hand to his cheek, pressing against it with a soft purr. “Do know, Selina, that I mean you no harm. I will do my best to ensure no harm befalls you,” he murmured. She relaxed in his grip, though her heart felt as if it were slamming against her ribcage. She knew the words were an empty promise—even if his people were to return, the government would send forces to detain them, as well. He would probably be wishing her dead, and a small part of her mused that she would not blame him.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured, pressing her open palm to his cheek. He pressed into the touch, eyes half-lidded as he considered her.

  “I know,” he said simply. She savored the moment for as long as she was able before drawing her hand away, beginning to scrape his shoulder for scale samples. His tail flicked back and forth behind him, tracing an almost hypnotizing path in the air. It seemed much about this man-creature was hypnotic. She only wished there was more she could do to help him.

  She gathered the scrapings from his shoulder in a small bag, sealed it, and placed it in a larger bag along with the blood sample. It looked as if there were more Ka wanted to say, but, as s
he lingered, the silence only seemed to drag on further and further.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said carefully, and he nodded silently in response, turning his back to her and slipping toward the back of the containment area. She watched in awe as he shifted into his dragon form, his body cracking and contorting as it grew. She felt certain she would never grow used to the male’s more draconic form. He circled the floor, much like a canine would, before curling up on the ground and laying his head on his front talons. She stared at the magnificent beast for a moment longer before slipping out of the containment cell. Her boss seemed to be waiting for her, writing notes on a clipboard. He cut his eyes toward her, extending his hand and gesturing wordlessly for the samples. She handed them over with little fuss, and the lead scientist turned away, slipping through the long winding hallway, likely to the lab where the samples would be tested.

  Selina mused that she might have enjoyed the slightest show of appreciation for her work. She could only hope her boss would give a good report to her father. That was the true reason for what she was doing, after all. Her thoughts wandered to the dragon-man they held captive in the cell behind her, and a question as to whether she were doing the right thing entered her mind, unbidden. Ultimately, the moral areas of the situation were irrelevant. Her father was all she had. She would make him proud.

  She should have expected that the job would be extremely taxing. Ka aside, she had a plethora of samples she was supposed to gather from the other specimens held in the multitude of containment chambers. Selina felt proud of the efficiency with which she completed her work, but her colleagues seemed less than impressed. As she worked late into the day, she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder. Eyes wide, she wheeled around to face her potential assailant. She was met by the critical gaze of her boss, who glanced over her shoulder into the containment center she had just left. He grabbed the sample bag from her hand, tossing it into the waste containment bin.

  “W—what?” she started, confusion lining her features. He gestured vaguely toward the door she had just stepped out of, and his eyes were stern as he spoke.

  “The samples you’ve been collecting are unsatisfactory. I thought you were smart enough to complete this simple task, but it seems as if you need further training,” he bit out, and she shrank back, swallowing any protests she might have voiced. “Your father advised me to give you another chance, so we fully expect you to retrace the day’s steps and collect new samples from each of the specimens,” he said harshly. Selina’s heart sank as she realized her father had been informed of her failings, and, as if summoned by the thought, he marched through the halls toward her. Her boss seemed to smirk, glancing toward her with a snide expression before turning to meet her father halfway.

  “I’ll have a word with her,” Bart said simply, interrupting the lead scientist before he could get a word out. The other man seemed satisfied with that and continued down the halls away from the confrontation that was sure to take place. Bart considered his daughter carefully for a moment, and she hoped that he would feel some measure of sympathy or some consideration for the hard work she had put in. “Selina, when I got you this job, it was against the wishes of my peers. They were certain that you would be unable to handle the job. I assured them to the point of your gaining complete access to the most classified of assignments,” he started, and she smiled gratefully, moving to thank him. She was cut short before she could speak, however, and her father continued grimly, “You are proving their initial misgivings correct. If you are unable to even collect a simple batch of samples, how do you expect to move up the ranks? How do you expect to make your mark? I got you this job because I expected you to prove yourself. Instead, you continue to disappoint me at every turn. You really need to step up your game.” He said bleakly, and tears sprung to the younger woman’s eyes.

  “I—I’m sorry. I’ll work to improve my performance. You know I only want to make you proud, Daddy…” She trailed off, feeling a pang in her heart at the look of utter disdain in her father’s eyes.

  “I’m not your father when you are on the clock. You are to refer to me as Doctor Murphy. See that you do not disappoint me further, Ms. Murphy. There will be dire consequences if you dishonor my name and my company,” he bit out. A single tear streamed down Selina’s cheek, and he scoffed, turning away from her. “Pull yourself together and get back to work,” he said, stalking away from her. She watched him go, devastation blooming in her chest. She thought she had been doing well, but she couldn’t have realized how wrong she was. She quickly moved to wipe the moisture from her eyes and turned toward the end of the hall to double back toward the first containment chamber. It had been a long day and would be a much longer night. She should have clocked out hours ago, yet here she was. Here she would be for the remainder of the night.

  Swallowing her unhappiness, she slipped into the first containment chamber. The one-eyed octopus creature gave an unhappy, little shudder upon seeing her and thus began the process of repeating the entire day’s duties. The hours seemed to stretch on and on, each specimen appearing to be entirely unhappy with having their samples taken once more. Each expressed disdain in different ways, though few of the specimens were actually dangerous enough to present a threat. She felt bad for the creatures. It was obvious that the process of gathering the samples was painful for the specimens. She might have apologized to the creatures individually, but it was unlikely they would even understand her. It was even more unlikely that they would be sympathetic to her plight. She moved through the cells systematically, gathering her samples with increasing weariness as the night dragged on and on. The last cell she came to was that of the simian alien, the most dangerous of her specimens—aside from Ka, at least, though she feared the draconic man a lot less than this particular creature.

  She swiped her badge, slipping into the containment cell with a growing sense of dread. The gorilla-like creature was watching her through its beady eyes, and a sense of unease swept over her as she stepped toward it. She fumbled with her sample collection kit for a moment, drawing out her syringe and receiving an unhappy shriek in response. The alien creature thumped its mighty chest, an obvious intimidation tactic. It was working, though Selina was unable to show as much, simply taking another step toward the ape-like beast. It roared in her face, and she was swift to collect the sample, backing away from the alien toward the door of the containment chamber. The hairy beast’s face was twisted in pain, and it gripped the area from which she had drawn its blood. As she slipped out of the containment chamber, it charged toward the door. She quickly tried to sweep her badge beneath the cell door to slam it shut but only managed to drop her identification card in the process. She cursed under her breath and screamed in fear as the most fearsome of the alien specimens burst free from the containment cell. She tried to bolt away, to set off the alarm indicating that there had been an escape. Before she could make it far, the ape-like creature grabbed a handful of her hair in its large and meaty fist. She was jerked back, off her feet. The creature held her up in front of itself, eyes tracing up and down her form before a hellish shriek spilled past its lips and it slammed her to the ground. She screamed again, desperately calling for help as she struggled to get away from her assailant. It continued to shriek and grunt, and she was growing increasingly certain that help was not going to come.

  She struggled to rise to her feet, turning to face her attacker once more. “Come on. Back into your cell,” she offered shakily, trying to reason with the beast. She bit back a relieved sigh as it glanced toward the containment cell as if considering her words. However, if it had given any consideration to her proposition, it abruptly dismissed the idea. The beast rushed toward her once more, hatred gleaming in its fearsome eyes. She stumbled away from the creature, screaming at the top of her lungs. Her feet slipped out from under her, and she hit the ground hard, the back of her head harshly thumping against the metallic floor. Her vision began to go hazy, and she could make out the form of
the alien beast looming dangerously. Her mouth fell open in a strangled cry, and, as her vision began to swim, the sensation of an intense heat washed over her face. Then, the world around her faded into darkness.

  When she awoke, she was overwhelmed by the pains that shot through her entire body. Alarms rang out all around her, the sound making her ears ring from the sheer volume. She blinked her eyes open, and she was greeted by the sight of Ka looming over her. She bit back a gasp, struggling to sit up. The draconic man aided her, guiding her into a seated position before drawing his hands away. She realized with a start that she was in Ka’s containment cell, noting that the doors had been blown clear from their frames. The hairy monster that had assaulted her lay smoldering in the hall, and it was then that she realized that Ka had been the one to save her. She turned her gaze toward him, swallowing back her embarrassment at the fire she felt alight within her. If there were any question to her attraction to him before then, it had dissipated as she took in the nude form of her hero. She opened her mouth to thank him, but, before she could speak, his lips were pressed firmly against her own. She swallowed a gasp, passion engulfing her body as she raised her arms to wrap them around his neck. Her lips parted, tongue flicking out against his lips, and his mouth fell slightly agape, tongue meeting her own. Shudders wracked Selina’s body, and she tangled a hand in his dark hair. He purred against her, and the embarrassment she felt in the face of her own arousal soon melted away.

  The moment came to an abrupt halt as the security troops burst into the room, leveling their weapons toward Ka. Selina rose swiftly to her feet, sputtering at the sight of the men.

  “Don’t hurt him!” she cried out, but they ignored her cries, rushing toward the draconic man and jolting him with electric shocks from their Tasers. He hit his knees, body jerking as a result of the shocks, and the troops began to beat him with the blunt ends of their weapons. Selina screamed, and something seemed to snap inside Ka. He leapt to his feet, grabbing the end of one of the weapons and turning it on its owner. He bashed the man’s face and swung the Taser-tipped weapon out against his attackers. He wielded the weapon with an unnatural grace, especially considering he had likely never faced anything like it before. The men screamed, doubling their efforts to take him out. Ka met Selina’s gaze, and she realized with increasing fear that he would shift into his dragon form and destroy all of his attackers.