Almost Human (Genetically Altered Humans Book 5) Page 4

  “How can she not? I almost got Beast killed.”

  Robyn smiled. “Actually, you didn’t. It’d take a lot more than that to get him six feet under. Trust me.” She leaned back in her chair. “If there’s anything that you need, Amanda and I are here for you. That hasn’t changed.”

  “Well,” Heather gulped. This was hard to do; she’d never before asked anyone for help. And she didn’t quite trust anyone fully. But quite frankly, she was out of options. “I was wondering if I could have some information.”

  “What kind?”

  “I don’t know a whole lot about…Xeno Sapiens. I mean, are we compatible? Are there differences I should be aware of?” Heather could feel how warm her face was as her mouth stumbled over the words.

  Robyn leaned back in her chair. “Xeno Sapiens will all have different traits from each other since all were created using different species of alien DNA. That being said, it would be why Jett and Brax look completely different from Lily, or Sunny, or Beast. Normally, humans are not compatible as far as reproduction is concerned. It’s a rare fluke that I was able to conceive, one which requires too much explaining to give you the full story. So if you’re worried about getting pregnant, don’t be. If you’re worried about the actual act itself, well, that’s difficult also.” Robyn cleared her throat. “Body parts may work differently with Xeno Sapiens, but it’s not something that should frighten us. We adapt.”

  Heather’s eyes widened in concern. “How different?”

  “It’s not bad, really!” Robyn held her hands out. “I’m making a mess of things. I just mean…take Lily for instance. Jason had no idea when he was alone with her that her siren ability would reach out and tempt him into making love to her. It made him cringe with guilt the next day, but he had no idea he was incapable of resisting. I’m not naming names, but there is a person in the city who locked to his partner after the act. They literally can’t move from each other for ten or fifteen minutes. His penis opens and attaches to her to expel as much seed as possible, which is common for his species. We’ve explained that humans are not capable of this and they should inform their partners of what they may experience before the act. Which, of course, led to the conversation of, how we needed to decide what to explain to them? Since we don’t know what’s normal or abnormal for us or them.” She laughed. “So I’ve had this conversation many times before. And my best advice is to let nature take its course. Don’t be alarmed when things seem strange. It’s just getting to know and understand our differences.”

  “But I can’t get pregnant?”

  “No. Genetically, we’re simply not compatible. I had something done to my DNA that changed me, and I was able to conceive. The only way the Xeno Sapiens could procreate is if they had a male and female created in their own species. But the only two that were created from the same species were Brax and Jett. However, they were both males. And while they don’t understand human ways, they are very protective. They’re also emotionally fragile, though they’ve trusted you enough to let you in. Just give it time, and see if you can develop feelings for them also.”

  “If I can’t?” Her voice was mocking. “Would it violate my probation and I’ll be put to death?”

  “No.” Robyn’s voice was sharp. “There’s a…reason why things worked out the way they did. Trust me; it’s better this way. But you are safe with those two, Heather. I would trust my own child to them.”

  * * * * *

  “Breathe deep,” Dr. Amanda instructed, her cold stethoscope on Jett’s back making him uncomfortable.

  “I feel fine. How much longer?” He was impatient to get back to Heather before Robyn finished with her.

  “I told you Robyn is keeping her distracted. I’ll have you done before she is. Now quit talking and relax. You’re making your heart race a mile a minute.”

  “I don’t feel any different than before…the accident.”

  “Hmm.”

  Perhaps accident was the wrong word. Weeks ago, when he and Brax had discovered Heather was under surveillance, they flew into a rage and used a power they rarely had need for. Camouflage. They snuck from the confines of the city to rescue their mate.

  Not that she knew she was theirs. Not that she knew she was in danger. They tracked the hovel where she lived—unaware the place was under surveillance by the human police. Unable to keep themselves under camouflage for so long, they mistakenly thought they were safe indoors as they searched her apartment for clues. When the police busted in, Brax began fighting, unable to use his camo ability.

  Jett was able to. Invisible to the naked eye, he slaughtered all those that dared to touch his brother.

  Until a single shot blasted him in the chest.

  The officer had shot him accidentally since no one could see him. It was a lucky shot, because during camouflage, their natural scales which hardened into armor dissipated. He went down, losing the ability to hide.

  He woke back in medbay where the humans had returned him and Brax. But there were laws that they violated. Somehow, Renegade managed to twist the story and told the humans that it was Heather who was the criminal, had been holding the Xeno Sapiens hostage. Hence, it was Heather, their mate, who had taken the fall without even knowing it.

  Jett and Brax had been so sick over the guilt, they’d slunk away and slipped into hibernation—a healing cocoon.

  “Looks like the regenerative cocoon even took away the outer scar,” Amanda said. “You’re exactly right. It’s like you were never shot.”

  “Then why am I even here?”

  “So we can see the effectiveness of your cocoon, silly. You would want to know if something different was happening inside you, right? Especially if it impacts Heather?”

  Alarm hit his gut.

  “Is there something wrong that could affect her?”

  Amanda leaned back in her chair. “You have it bad.”

  “Have what bad?”

  “You don’t care if something dreadful is happening to you…but you care if it impacts Heather?”

  “Of course. I—I…”

  “Love her,” Dr. Amanda said softly.

  “I do,” he admitted. “I’m sure Brax feels the same. The same depth of feelings, I mean. I do not like that we didn’t tell her exactly what she was imprisoned for—and how we had to keep her imprisoned or the humans would want her in their own jail system. That the whole thing was a lie and she did nothing wrong because it was I who fucked up and attacked human police.”

  “Telling her will accomplish nothing but misery and heartache. We caused this with the outside world, and we will fix it. She’s safe here with us. Eventually she’ll realize that no one treats her as a prisoner. She’ll realize how happy she can be. But if you tell her, she may think that you love her out of a misplaced sense of guilt.”

  “I do not want her to think that way.”

  “Trust me she will. She’ll never believe your love is real.”

  A small beep came from her watch. “There’s Robyn. Her time with Heather is finishing. You can go collect your mate.”

  “She still doesn’t know she is,” Jett said.

  “But the rest of us do.” She smiled.

  The most tremendous feeling filled his empty chest. Love. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for Heather. He knew it was the same for Brax. This they agreed on.

  Now they just had to convince the delicate human female that she loved them and wanted to spend the rest of her life with them.

  Once she was safely ensconced in their lives, they could come clean about why she was a convicted criminal. A felon.

  He walked briskly down the hall, shrugging into his shirt. From Robyn’s window, he caught her eye just as Heather stood and looked his way.

  “Jett,” Robyn called out. “Here’s my favorite Xeno twin.”

  “I believe you told Brax he was your favorite twin last time.”

  Robyn laughed. “He probably was then. You are today, though. Heather and I are all done here.”
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  He reached for Heather’s hand, warmed when she clasped his back. “Hi,” he said.

  She smiled shyly. “Hi, back.”

  “Ready to go get you some clothing and food?”

  “Very.”

  “Bye, Robyn,” he said, his eyes still on the delectable beauty of his mate.

  He was barely aware of her response as he led his precious female to the door.

  Chapter Four

  The clothing store was smaller than she expected. She squeezed Jett’s hand, wondering how in the world they stored clothing for the entire city in the space the size of a closet.

  He grinned. The smiles were coming easier and easier with him, and he seemed more like his twin than ever. “I know what you’re thinking. You’ll see how it works when we get inside.”

  A Xeno Sapien woman worked the front desk.

  “Hello. I’m Winnie.” The woman had milky white skin, and pale white hair. Her eyes were barely blue, covered with a filmy substance. Her clothing was a gauzy beige sheath dress. She sat perfectly still as if she was a statue.

  “Winnie, this is Heather.”

  “Hello, Heather.” Her voice was soft.

  “We need clothes for her. She has nothing.”

  “What are your favorite colors?”

  “Umm. Green. Blue.”

  “What color is your hair? Your eyes? Your skin?”

  Heather blinked, looking at Jett in confusion.

  “Winnie can’t see with her eyes,” he said.

  Winnie laughed. “I guess we should have explained. I can see you…but not your image. I’m not sure how to describe it since my kind has never had eyesight. I only have these physical eyes because my human DNA demanded it.”

  “Oh. I have…red hair.”

  “Your skin?”

  “Definitely not pale pink. More of a pale yellowish color, I guess.” She shrugged.

  “She’s beautiful,” Jett said. “Tawny.”

  “Blues and greens being your favorite color explain your feminine intuition as to what would look good on you. Come this way, please.”

  Winnie didn’t stumble about, hold out her hands, or use a cane. If she hadn’t mentioned not having eyesight, Heather would never have known.

  Winnie gathered a few things and held them up to Heather as if she could see. “This would be beautiful.” A long, pale blue sundress.

  “As would this.”

  Dark green leggings with a yellow-green top.

  Winnie continued to roam the store, holding outfits against her. “A lot of the males like the gray khaki. Will you?”

  “Not especially,” Heather said.

  “You can also do black or white. Red for special events, but it depends on the shade.”

  “I’ve worn orange for the last month. I don’t want anything close to it, so I’ll skip the red.”

  “Very well. But we’ll use it for negligees. They’re not meant to be worn long anyway.” She grabbed a couple of filmy, see-through short wisps of nothing and tossed them at Jett, who smiled broadly.

  Heather was sure her face shone as red as the fabric.

  “Would you like to try these on? Those that fit, we will special order.”

  “Oh. That’s why the storefront is so small for the city.” She glared at Jett, who laughed.

  “He let you assume it was an actual store?” Winnie grinned. “You know you can always do the same to him for dinner. Prepare a taste of what you will actually have to cook.”

  “Very good idea.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jett laughed, contrite. “Winnie, we will need a couple of emergency outfits that you have on hand. Heather has nothing but a pair of sweats and a couple shirts that are mine and Brax’s. One pair of flip flops.”

  “Prison issued in orange.” Heather reminded him with a grimace.

  “What size are you?”

  “Seven.”

  “Okay, I’ll get the shoes ordered. Try on what you have there, and I’ll see which outfits are emergencies in stock.”

  By the time Heather was finished trying on clothes, Winnie had placed an order for the keeper pile and had packaged up the available stock. She had a new pair of flip flops in black, a pair of sandals, and some beige canvas flats. There were a few pairs of panties and some bras and cute ensembles of matching shirts and leggings.

  “The rest of the order will be delivered to your den in a week’s time,” Winnie said.

  “Thanks, Winnie.” With a wave, Jett grabbed the bag.

  “Thanks, Winnie,” Heather echoed. “It was nice to meet you.”

  Winnie smiled, her blind eyes glazed over as she suddenly froze in time.

  Heather looked at Jett, alarmed. He shrugged. “She does that when she’s not needed. She zones out—escapes her body or something.”

  “Oh.” Heather wasn’t sure what to say to that.

  “Let’s grab our groceries and head home?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “But you won’t cook tonight. Brax already said he’d bring our food from the mess hall tonight.”

  “He’s coming over?”

  “No.” Jett was back to being short when it came to the subject of his brother. “He will leave it for us like he did the breakfast.”

  Heather held her sigh, but she was disappointed. She felt like they had come so far today—and it was all snatched away by her mention of his brother.

  She insisted on carrying the bag of clothing since he was carrying the heavier box. As they walked through the woods, she could hear the buzzing of a tool—either a drill, or saw. A sander. She knew it was Brax out somewhere, working. She knew Jett knew it was him, but other than gazing longingly into the distance, he said nothing.

  She had to figure out what it was they expected to accomplish with her so they could get back to being a team together. She hated coming between them.

  * * * * *

  She put away the food while Jett took her clothes and placed them in his closet. She hadn’t realized it, but he’d picked her up some toiletries, which he lined in the restroom next to his. She was thankful to see the soft green toothbrush, so tired of the standard orange she’d been issued.

  She never heard a knock on the outer door that signified the dinner drop off from Brax, although she’d hoped for a glimpse of him. But it did serve to drill home the fact that the brothers did communicate without her being able to hear. Otherwise, how would Jett have known to retrieve it?

  Tonight’s meal was Italian food, consisting of salad, French bread, and rich, meaty lasagna. There was even a bottle of wine. It was delicious, but she and Jett had morphed back into silence. He seemed to have something on his mind, and she wondered if he missed Brax. On her side, she pondered how to fit in.

  They cleaned up the dishes together and she asked him if they could take a walk after dinner. There was no vidcam units in their home, and while she didn’t miss TV, she wondered what they normally did when the days grew shorter and there wasn’t as much light out.

  The night was beautiful, and as the sun set and it grew dimmer, Jett reached for her hand. She held it gratefully—aware of how much she’d missed the simple contact from him. They had so much contact earlier in the day, but somehow when they returned home, a thin veil of tension took away the contact that they’d shared.

  Now, however, everything was back to normal as they strolled hand in hand. When they reached the den, he opened the door and allowed her to walk in first.

  She stood in the entry, waiting for her eyes to adjust. Jett hit the dimmer switch, lighting the living area in a soft glow. Then he lit the candle pillar in the center of the room and brought her to the sofa pillow.

  “Are you ready, Heather?” he asked softly.

  “Ready for what?”

  He took a deep breath. “I would like you to consider being my mate.”

  She had no idea what to say to him but couldn’t resist the desire to touch him. He looked so worried about what her answer might be. And she couldn’t ans
wer, not yet. Not without seeing or talking to Brax. But in this moment, Jett pulled at her heart.

  Without pondering another thought, she lifted her hand to stroke it over the scales of his chest.

  His lips stretched across his teeth, looking dangerous and deadly all at once. If anything, it ratcheted her desire even higher. She rubbed her hand down his chest, feeling the strength in his pectoral muscles, and then moved lower to his ridged abdominals. His scales were smooth and slick, but surprisingly warm and flexible. She’d expected them to be rough or hard, but they weren’t.

  He held perfectly still as if giving her permission to touch him. Her body responded by growing wetter at the small sense of power she had. He tugged on the button of his waistband and his tail thrashed, reminding her of Brax. She reached down and unfastened the button for him since he suddenly shook and she was afraid he’d tear it.

  Then his shaky hands reached up for the hem of her shirt, lifting it up over her hips, her belly, and higher to bare her breasts. His reptilian eyes stared, hunger flaring in his fascination with her bared nipples. She could feel them stiffen as he watched. His fascination with the pale globes of her breasts didn’t stop there. His tongue flicked out, so quickly she thought she might have missed it, to graze the skin on the side of one breast. She inhaled deeply, the movement filling her lungs and raising her breasts higher as if she unconsciously hungered for more than that tentative flick. As if she unconsciously arched to make herself more presentable.

  His large hands came up and squeezed her breasts gently. Her nipples ached with need so badly she couldn’t bear it. She grabbed his hand and rubbed it over the turgid peaks, moaning at the shot of heat that erupted in her sex at the contact. His nostrils flared slightly and he cupped a breast in each hand, using his thumbs to stroke and massage her rock-hard nipples. She closed her eyes, savoring the delicious feelings.

  She opened her eyes with a gasp when he used his thumb and forefinger to pinch lightly, tugging on the turgid points and driving her crazy with need. She whimpered and watched satisfaction rove over his face. She couldn’t stand the intense pleasure. She dropped her head back, moaning and wrapping her legs around his waist. His cock was hard, a concrete bulge against her heated core as she rubbed against him like a cat in heat. He held still, letting her rub her pussy on his cock, smearing herself on him.