“I’ll let you know as soon as we’ve got him,” I say softly. “In the meantime, what can you tell me about how you were approached?”
Wilkes swallows nervously. “Tiron wasn’t home when I got off my shift. We have a little apartment in the southeast quadrant. Our neighbor said Tiron got dropped off as usual at the building. I freaked out when I couldn’t find him, and then this guy comes strolling up with Tiron in tow. I don’t think Tiron realized anything was wrong thankfully. He believed the guy’s story that he was a relative that Tiron didn’t know. But the guy made it clear that the price of Tiron’s safety was for me to sabotage the Fixer team. I didn’t know what else to do,” he mumbles. “The unraveler, it doesn’t do any permanent damage, and fortunately the guy didn’t know enough about hacking systems to question me.” Wilkes lets out a heavy sigh. “I kept thinking that if I could stall the guy a little longer then I could figure out a way to get my brother safely away from him, but the guy never leaves the house. He’s even kept Tiron home from school so that there’s never a moment when Tiron is out of his sight.” Wilkes stares up at me with watery eyes. “I’m so sorry, Commander. I know it’s not an excuse, but I didn’t know what else to do.”
I let out a sigh and straighten my shoulders when I address him. “From now until this is over, you don’t go anywhere or do anything without a guard. Your team will be notified that you’ve contracted an illness and are in isolation. There will be consequences for your actions. Do you understand?”
Wilkes nods resignedly. “As long as Tiron is safe, I’ll take whatever is coming to me. Thank you, Commander.”
I nod at him and step back into the hallway with Curran. “Your impression?” I ask quietly.
“That kid is scared shitless about his brother. It’s stupid that he didn’t try to notify anyone, but that’s always the first rule of threatening someone – tell them it will be worse if they try to get help.” Curran puts a hand to his ear and asks for a repeat of the last message. He nods at me. “They’ve got the brother and are on their way.”
I let out a relieved breath. “And the mysterious uncle?” I ask.
Curran frowns. “Injured during extraction. Also en route.”
I nod. “What do you think I should do with Wilkes?” I ask.
Curran sighs. “I don’t know. On the scale of things he could have done with his access, all Wilkes really did was slow the team down. I’m not sure that’s worth his career, but it’s also not nothing.”
“Yeah,” I say with a sigh. “I’ll have to consider options.”
Curran claps me on the shoulder. “I don’t envy you, but that’s why you’re the boss.”
I glance back at the room. “I want both Wilkes and the little brother wrapped up tight. No one talks to him and no one knows where they are without clearance from me”
“You got it,” Curran assures me.
Chapter Twenty: Davix
I am still puzzling over the ridiculous idea of breeding with humans as I step into the bathing chamber and turn on the water. After our surprise guests left yesterday, my brood brothers and I had a good, long laugh about their visit. The idea of breeding for pleasure is also baffling to me. Haleen females can become extremely aggressive during a heat. It is safest for all involved to complete breeding as quickly as possible.
Not that sexual pleasure is a completely foreign concept. While breeding is accomplished swiftly and efficiently among my species, males are taught from maturity how to expel their seed manually to ensure that optimal breeding can occur. It can be highly pleasurable and was something I engaged in regularly when I was still of breeding age. I frown as I realize it is something I have not done in many cycles, even before we were captured. I wonder idly if it would still be pleasurable.
As the water streams down my body, I retract my claws and run my fingers along the barely visible slit behind which my cock is hidden. The slight tightening in my abdomen is a familiar sensation, and I continue to stroke my slit as the feeling builds. Without the influence of a female’s scent, it can be difficult to coax my body to respond. After a moment, however, my slitparts slightly. I stroke a finger along the length of my cock through the narrow opening, hissing slightly at the pleasure that radiates out from the touch. As my shaft hardens, it pushes out from its protective sheath until I can wrap a hand around myself. I squeeze slightly, running my hand down the length of me beneath the warm water. I let out a sigh as my hand strokes harder and faster along my length. It is as pleasurable as I remembered. Before long, I am grunting in relief as my iridescent, milky seed streaks out to paint the walls and floor before mixing with water and disappearing down the drain. Contented, I finish washing myself and tuck my cock away in its protective sheath before exiting the bathing chamber.
Krish and Zann are watching one of the so-called sex ed videos that Wenschel suggested. I have watched one or two of them, though I am less interested than my brood brothers in learning about those aspects of human behavior. I am about to ask them to watch something else when the door chimes in notification of another visitor. Zann glances at me and I nod and move towards it. If it is Wenschel with more of her ridiculous ideas, I will send her away.
But it is not Wenschel. It is Corrina. I am surprised to see her, but I am more surprised by how pleased I am to see her. As her eyes meet mine, I feel the smallest tingle from my cock sheath. It is undoubtedly a side effect of expelling my seed so recently. Ignoring it, I simply stare at Corrina for a moment. Humans in general still seem strange to me, but there is something familiar and almost comforting about seeing her again. Her black and silver hair is tied up on the back of her head, and she gazes upat me. I realize that her eyes are slightly elongated compared to those of some of the other humans, and the dark brown color of them compliments her golden-brown skin.
“Davix,” she says in greeting, and I am further surprised when her hand moves to sign my name. I wonder briefly if Zann or Krish taught her that, but then she is asking if she can enter and the thought dissipates from my mind.
Corrina’s eyes widen slightly as she glances at the screen that Krish and Zann are watching, but her focus quickly returns to me. “I finally have the evidence from Lianov’s ship to present to the council. I came by to ask if you would like to be present when the information is shared.”
“Those who helped him will meet justice?” Zann asks, standing up and moving towards us.
“Not quite yet,” Corrina responds. “There will have to be additional hearings, but I expect that those responsible will be imprisoned until those hearings take place.” She pauses and glances at me then quickly looks away. “They should not be able to hurt anyone else,” she says softly. When I do not respond, she adds hurriedly, “You don’t have to be there, but I wanted to give you the choice.”
“It would be good to witness this,” Zann says, and I nod in agreement.
“Very well,” Corrina says. “I will have someone escort you to the hearing in the morning at 0800.”
She turns as if to leave, but Krish’s voice stops her. “You will be allowed to be friendly with us after this is over?” he asks.
There is an odd expression on her face for a moment, and then she smiles. “Yes, I think we could be friendly if you want.”
Krish grins at her, exposing his sharp incisors. “I would like to be friendly,” he says.
Corrina’s smile widens slightly and then she shakes her head slightly. “Right. See you in the morning then.” And then she is out the door.
