Chapter 1
Iwoke up with a gasp, my body drenched in sweat, and I looked around trying to get my bearings. As soon as I did, I wished to return to sleep. Thane had put me in what resembled a metal room with no visible entry point anywhere. Only smooth, metal-looking walls.
My heart raced, and glancing down at myself, I found myself sitting in nothing but my bra and underwear. Cold fury rushed over me. That bastard stripped me.
Everything had been a lie. The closeness I’d been feeling with them wasn’t real. They manufactured it to gain my trust. All so I could become their little test subject.
Impregnating humans. It was almost hard to fathom. From what I had seen, they carried little respect for humans. Why in the world would they want them to carry their babies?
I thought about what Corran had said, about the issues with their Vepar women struggling to fall pregnant. Despite that, I couldn’t believe that the Vepar would lower themselves to such depths as to have humans be their incubators.
A sense of hopelessness rushed over me. I had imagined at various points in my life what it would be like to be a mother. Having a family similar to the one I had grown up with. A loving husband who adored my child and I.
Instead, I was facing motherhood as a surrogate for an alien species.
It was a disappointment to say the least.
The hours dragged, and I needed to pee. And a glass of water would be nice.
Maybe they had given up their plan to make me their baby incubator. Maybe they were now just gonna starve me to death in punishment for discovering their secret. I was sure it would have been easy if they just kept me their little sex toy until they were ready to perform the experiment. I ruined everything for them.
I looked around the tiny room once more for anything I could use as a weapon for when they finally came to visit. But it was useless as there was nothing. The guys were too smart for that. I tried to remember how long a human could go without water. Was it three days? Or was it longer than that? I couldn't remember. I hadn't really had to think about something like that in my life.
I wouldn't admit to myself that I’d been falling in love. I wouldn't admit to myself that I had imagined a future with them. I wouldn't admit anything to myself.
The hours continued to tick by. Sickness stirred in my stomach, an ache that I was all too aware wasn't due to being dehydrated or needing to pee. I recognized the pain… my body craved for the exchange of blood with me. It seemed melodramatic. But in that moment I wanted to die rather depend on them for the rest of my life. They’d told me so many lies, what if the whole blood exchange was a lie too? And like a fool I’d gone along with it. I guessed some girls just never learned.
A scraping noise sounded from the wall in front of me, and a barrier seemed to dissolve before my eyes. Thane came into form and he strutted inside.
I seethed, hating my treacherous body in that moment. Heck, he looked delicious. A part of me craved him, desired him to want me. Stupid, stupid girl, I mumbled to myself.
"What was that, pet?" Thane asked cockily, leaning against the wall that had once again regained its shape.
Stubbornly, I said nothing. Instead I stared off at a spot just to his right, so I wouldn't be forced to look at him. His eyes called to me, made me want him, but I had to remember who he was… who he’d been this whole time I let my defenses down.
A Vepar.
The outsiders.
And I was their captive.
"You know we didn't want to do this," Thane murmured as he walked towards me and crouched down so we were at eye level. I kept my gaze averted.
"Are you starting to feel sick? Starting to need anything? Do you need to pee, a drink?" he asked insidiously.
My body trembled as I sat there. I couldn't believe he was mocking me.
"You should have just trusted us," he said before standing and walking back to the wall. He waved his hand and to my surprise a toilet slid out, complete with a toilet paper roll. I sighed in relief, even as I tried to keep my face blank. He looked back at me.
"No thank you?" he mocked.
My hands curled, and how I’d love to punch him in the face. Thank you. Thank him for the mess I was in? I may not have been happy before I met them. I may have been a scared girl that let her friends walk all over her. But at least I had been free.
He looked at me for another long pause before sighing. The door once again dissolved in front of him and he walked out. I wondered where we were. There had been nothing but a grey hallway when the door opened, giving me no clue where we were. It was obvious that I had just seen a small taste of all the technology that the Vepar had.
As soon as the door closed behind him, I was up, practically running to the bathroom to pee. I emptied my full bladder hastily. After finishing, I stood a little bit too quickly and the room tilted under me. I leaned against the wall for a second before returning to the floor. I leaned my back against the wall, groaning softly as my sickness heightened. All of a sudden, a glass of water slid out from a compartment that opened in the wall. I salivated, suddenly parched, my mouth dry. I could drink about five glasses of water.
But I wasn't sure if I could trust it. What if they were drugging me? Drugs that either put me in a deep sleep, or got me ready for the procedure? I picked up the water glass and sniffed it. It smelled like water. Bile rose up inside of me, and I decided that in this case I just needed to take the risk. I gulped down the water, not caring that I was pretty sure that I was supposed to sip the water slow since I hadn't had it for a while.