The Lonely Orphan (The Lost Planet 5)

“The rekk is that?”

“A truth-teller. The guards used to use them on us when they needed to interrogate us.” The truth-teller is a small box of insubstantial weight with sensors that attach to his temples. I’ve been subjected to them once and it’s an experience I’d never like to repeat. But to find my sister, to save her, I’m willing to do anything.

Even commit atrocities I’d nearly died to save the others from.

“And you think you can use that on me?”

I nod.

His lips turn into a feral grin. “You can try.”

He can’t escape, not with his hands shackled to the wall, but that doesn’t alleviate the nerves skittering in my stomach. Monster is an accurate description. His features are too harsh, too animalistic to be natural. We learned on Earth II any survivors here on what used to be Earth would have suffered the effects of radiation—to what extent the experts were never certain.

Now I know.

Their genetic makeup has mutated until they look nothing like humans. I remember how strong he was when he held me in his grasp. I’d never met a man on Earth II with strength so profound. Everything about him seems designed to be overwhelming, intimidating. From the pitch-black eyes to the towering height.

He says Aria is…mated to one of them. I don’t see how that’s possible.

The Aria I knew would have run screaming.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” I warn as I draw closer to the bed.

He says nothing.

My heart beats double time as I begin to unwrap the cords with the sensors I’ll need to attach to his temples. It should be because of how terrifying he looks, but it’s not. It’s because all I can think about is how he felt against me.

Being alone with him doesn’t seem like such a smart plan anymore.

“Rekk, you look just like your sister. It’s a shame,” he says, those black eyes on me.

“What do you mean?” I ask absentmindedly.

“That I have to hurt you.”

Then there’s a knife at my throat and Hadrian is in front of me, somehow free from his shackles.

4

Hadrian

I’m not really going to hurt her. But she’s compromising our mission and I need to get back. Home. I’ve barely been here for a solar and I’m already itching to escape. I thought it was torture watching Breccan care for the one I wish were mine, but in reality, it’s better than nothing.

Here is nothing.

Until she walks in, reminding me of Aria.

It’s maddening.

I just want to collect the alien and get back to where I belong.

The magknife is pressed to her pale skin and her blue eyes are wide. The anger she’s worn thus far is replaced by fear.

Rekk.

I really am a monster.

When she flits out her tongue to lick at her bottom lip in a nervous way, my cock jolts without warning. I disgust myself. Fury rises up inside me, chasing away the heat licking at my cock. I grip a handful of her hair, tugging until she’s forced to crane her nog to look up at me.

“Are you really going to hurt me?” she asks, her nostrils flaring.

I skim my gaze along her nose to her full, pink lips, and then look over her pale throat. Sometimes, Aria wears dark bruises from Breccan’s mouth. I imagine it hurts the fragile aliens, but I think they like it, otherwise she wouldn’t wear them proudly and often. And if we’re being honest, I wouldn’t mind darkening up Lyric’s throat that way. I wonder if she tastes sweet…

“If I have to,” I growl, darting my eyes back to hers.

“I just want answers and my sister.” Her voice is soft and so unlike the powerful woman who captured me, held me captive, and who was threatening me not long ago. “I have this.”

She pushes some sort of device into my stomach.

“What is it?”

“A truth-teller.”

Some truths are better kept hidden.

“Why do you need it?” I demand, paranoia creeping in.

“To make sure you’re who you say you are. So we can come to a compromise.” She lets out a sharp breath. “Just put down the knife and I’ll administer the test. We’ll go from there.”

“No, feral one,” I grit out. “If you want to administer the test, you can do it from my lap where I can make sure you don’t have ulterior motives.”

Her eyes flash with irritation. My cock jolts again. This is madness. With a growl, I grab her rump through her suit and sit down on the bed, hauling her with me. One of her hands flies to my shoulder to brace herself as she is forced to spread her thighs to sit on me. The position is intimate, but it’s the only one that doesn’t leave the other at an advantage. She’s stiff at first but then relaxes as she looks down at the device. While she fiddles with it, I drag the tip of the magknife along the column of her throat, marveling at the way it leaves a pink, irritated trail on her skin.