Page 3 of Bred By Zyros (The Solar Breeding Agency #2)

two

Melody

“Talk to you later, Lonora! Wish me luck!” I wiggle my brows at her for extra effect, my white dress swishing as I dart down the narrow hall before her voice calls out to me again.

“Melody, hang on!”

I don’t hesitate, whipping back around to head back to her despite the metaphorical ticking of the clock needling at my pulse.

She needs a friend right now. I only wish I had more time to be one for her.

I remember how nervous I was the first time.

We meet around the corner, my heart jolting as we almost slam into one another.

Her pretty, slender brows are pitched together. “Why are you doing this?”

I just smile. “It seems like a really cool way to help people. It’ll be okay, I promise. This isn’t my first go. You might even get mated!”

Her pretty dark eyes are sheening with tears, her smile watery as we wave bye to each other again.

I get the feeling my words aren’t a comfort to her.

Truly, I get it. Most of the humans signing up for breeding programs don’t do it because it sounds fun .

I’m more of an outlier, the exception, not the rule.

I hope she gets out of it whatever she needs, that they’re kind, whoever they are that’s lucky enough to get paired with an absolute smoke show like her.

My lips purse as I try to shake away the odd feeling in my chest that comes with the thought. I’m not made of luscious curves and big breasts that jiggle enticingly. I’m not slender and willowy either. My body is basic, if not a little heavier set, stomach soft, skin stretched, and my chest—

Nope, stop right there.

You could be like those models from Old Earth and still look bizarre as all heck to whatever is about to rut you.

Those rules don’t apply to me anymore. There’s something comforting about that.

Perhaps it’s why I’ve never bothered with human males.

Somehow, that was more intimidating than being dicked down by something that looks only vaguely humanoid.

I think that says more about human men than me.

I steel myself, my breath coming in harsher as I run down the twisting halls.

My implant shows me the way with its finely lined bluish arrow, but I barely pay attention.

I’ve been here enough times to be familiar with the maze-like path.

Excitement bubbles in my gut, and I have to clamp down on my bottom lip to keep the squeal at bay as soon as I burst into the small main room that houses the agency.

It stands out in stark contrast to the sleek metal walls and streamlined design of the space station, even the crappier inner rim.

It’s almost intentionally clunky, mundane, like something from an Old Earth movie set.

“You’re late, Melody Arnold,” spits a wobbly underwater voice.

My head snaps up to Thlorinzae, the Oozarian woman sitting behind the desk, her plastic tube top making her spill out at odd angles.

I just nod. “I didn’t see your message until this morning.” Imagine my surprise, submitting another application to be a breeder last night and waking to a summons this morning. They’d sent me the holo page in less than an hour after I’d submitted.

“Your match has been waiting.” Her mate offers; I smile at him despite his surly tone. They’ve never treated me differently than this, so I assume slightly annoyed is the baseline and don’t take it personally. Also, I make them a lot of credits, so there’s that.

“What species is he?” I blurt out before sucking my lips into my mouth, my excitement again getting the best of me.

They both ignore me, only a small smirk from the Oozarian female, and I already know, despite the apparent time limit, she’s going to do her little dragging it out thing .

It’s like a kink for her at this point. “You’ve been placed with a species that resides on a class 3B planet.

It will be done via natural copulation, under a standard one-year contract.

No extra ceremony or traditions, such as but not limited to, bodily modifications, DNA modifications, physical enhancements, or adaptations. ”

“3B, huh? Are they quite primitive then? You said they were waiting; this usually takes far longer. Have they agreed to me?”

She lets out a long-suffering sigh. Apparently, I’m ruining her edging.

A blobby finger from behind her slams the holo pad to display my new partner.

My gasp nearly drowns out the sound of his name.

“Zyros was not picky about his breeder, only that he be supplied one quickly,” he offers, not hiding his annoyance with his female, his eyes cutting to her while he speaks.

“Like your last two matches, there’s a slight risk of being recognized as a mate, but it is very unlikely. ”

I nod absently, staring at the male on the hologram.

Zyros.

My hand itches to grab my holo pager and message Lenora. My poor lady parts wither underneath the soft material of my agency dress.

Thlorinzae speaks next, taking up her usual mantel. “Zyros is a Vrircik. He resides on his home planet of Nyssara, in the second quadrant. Although expect to spend some deal of time traveling with him to different ports as he is a…merchant of sorts.”

“Selling what?” I don’t take my eyes off the large male, his chiseled, sculpted chest and vibrant iridescent coloring making my pulse flutter.

His tail coils underneath him, the tip twitching in irritation.

Down his middle, the otherwise vivid emerald green of his shiny scales fades into a heavy teal that matches the shoulder-length strands of his hair, neat but left to hang into his face.

So much so, it almost softens the sharp angles of it, almost, but not quite.

His severe lipless mouth is turned into a scowl that looks soul deep.

His slitted eyes track everything, two of his four muscular arms crossed over his chest.

“Crystals, to my knowledge.”

“And my compensation?”

“It will be handled on our end this time, to make things quicker, along with added compensation for hazard, primitive allotment, and your digression .” That gets my attention. I’m not new to being a human breeder, nor am I new to working with The Solar Breeding Agency. This is a first .

She mimics a shrug, leaning closer to me as if to say something highly secretive, despite the volume of her watery voice never changing. “Nyssara is a protected planet. So technically speaking—”

“I shouldn’t be there.” I finish for her, my eyes darting to her mate, who is back to his usual muted self. Protected planet could mean a lot of things, endless reasons, all of them bad.

“It is a matter of red tape, as you humans say.”

I’ve never heard anyone say that, but if anyone knows humans, it’s the Oozarians.

I hesitate, watching the enormous male as he shifts, his lips curling up in a snarl, showing off crisp white fangs. My eyes narrow in on the deep, painful looking scratches that line his neck and chin.

The Oozarians clock it. That for once…I’m about to say no.

“It is a chance to go somewhere no human has ever been.” She gestures nonchalantly, but she’s anything but that. “You get an opportunity to explore a planet and travel without restraint lobbied by the Alliance. You will not get another pairing like this, human Melody.”

My eyes widen on the screen as it changes from him to a vast jungle, flora and fauna shown in holo sides, vibrant colors every bit as dangerous as the male.

It’s then that I feel that tug , the bone-deep itch to move.

It’s what made me submit an application last night, despite telling myself the last one was the last one .

Despite knowing it was a lie. That feeling spurred every application before this one.

When it feels like I’ve sat still as a stone for days but only moments have passed, I bounce my leg to quell it, watching the no doubt illegally accessed slides flicker.

What I told Lenora was the truth, at least mostly.

I love helping people; I love babies. Love seeing them be handed over to happy, waiting caregivers, knowing there will always be a piece of me there with them.

All of that is important to me, but it’s more, too.

A bit selfish. I…I hate being still. I hate being inside and away, sitting behind a desk and working in a lab. It’s suffocating.

I chew my lip, thinking of Mom and Dad for the first time since our brief com call earlier.

Mom would freak because what I’m about to agree to breaks more laws than I care to count.

Dad would be disappointed but for only as long as it took for his only daughter to send data and samples back for his research.

It’s part of my compensation; we have little need for money, and with my other matches, I’m more than set for life.

It’s the adventure, the new and exciting, the danger that I want.

I’ve always had an excellent track record; I breed quickly and carry well, but primitive…

primitive is hard. Hell, I didn’t even think class 3B would be capable of travel like this, to even know where to ask.

Something's off about it, but still…I can feel the itch. Still, we all know I’m going to say yes. It didn’t take much. It rarely does.

My eyes refocus, leaving the blurred images on the projection just as it switches back to the male. Her mate leans forward, pushing the datapad toward me. “Place your thumb here and we’ll move on to the joint agreements.”

My teeth score my inner cheek. My excitement is bubbling in my chest as I press my thumb, sealing my end of the agreement.

I swear I’m floating on pure adrenaline.

I’ve never done anything…illegal before.

Having a father on the scientific board of the Intergalactic Alliance is a good reason to stay in line, especially for a human on the Intergalactic Alliance board.

It’s unheard of, the first of us to land a seat at an alien-run table.

It’s reckless. Stupid even.

I’m Melody, reasonable, agreeable Melody. I’ve only done one stupid thing in my entire life. That only makes me smile more.

I get to see things that aren’t the four walls of my pod apartment or the beakers of Dad’s lab or Mom's tired, red-rimmed eyes. I get to explore something even we can barely afford, and we live comfortably where so many don’t.

Everything that happens next occurs in record time, and suddenly we’re rushing toward the meeting rooms.

My thoughts go back to Lenora, sneaking my holo pager out to shoot off a message before the sound of the door to the meeting room sliding open drags my attention up, up, up, up to the towering male coiled in the stuffy room.

His thick, vibrant tail is eating up the space so much so that the slime species has to alter their shape to work around him.

“Zyros,” the Oozarian male I never got a name for starts, his arms opened wide in greeting. “I’d like to introduce you to Melody Arnold, your human breeder. Melody is highly experienced; she’s provided several healthy births so far, never any complications.”

My smile falters. I want to take a step in, but suddenly the fabric of my white dress is itchy, the neckline too low on my small chest where it had hugged Lenora’s so daringly.

It’s a stupid, silly thought, but…it’s his eyes, their slitted teal and cracked green coloring.

It’s the way they track over every pore of my flesh that glues my feet to my spot.

“Go!” Thlorinzae whisper shouts in my ear, making me all but stumble into the room as I rush to the space in front of him. Already, the smell of rain and musk makes my mouth water. Perhaps it will be worth the recovery days to bed down by—

My checks flush, my head snapping toward him as he makes a deep hissing sound that renders the room quiet, the Oozarians halting their normal speech. The massive length of him seems to bunch tighter with restraint.

The heck, Melody, say something!

“Hi!” I beam up at him, offering my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

His scowl never lessens, and he definitely doesn’t take my hand, but that’s fine.

You don’t have to be best friends to stick one thing in one hole.

Or a couple of things in a couple of holes, depending on how he’s made up down there.

I just give him a quick, friendly nod, lowering my hand before turning back to the Oozarians.

For once, they’re looking slightly…apprehensive.

They share a quick glance at one another before launching into their lines.

“Zyros Selkthys of Nyssara, do you accept and agree to the terms set forth in the agreement by your own will, free of duress or compulsion?”

“Yes,” he responds. The way he carries out the S on the end in a long, deep hiss makes goosebumps dot my flesh.

It is odd for a primitive planet to speak universally, but I suppose he could have a translator.

That would mean the Intergalactic Alliance has some foot in the game with his people, or at least his planet, which makes this a hundred times more terrible of a decision than it was moments ago.

Oh well, we’re in it now.

She turns her attention back to me, her too wide smile in its proper place.

I return it. When you’re a small human in a world run by apex predators and beings so smart they’ve transcended what we think of as consciousness, you kind of get used to smiling at things that could kill you.

“Melody Arnold of Aurellon Station, do you accept and agree to the terms set forth in the agreement by your own will, free of duress or compulsion?”

“Yes,” I chirp.

“Excellent! Now the two of you have access to this room for another twenty ontics before you must vacate. May fertility find you, and if anything should arise, you can contact us at any time. Thank you for choosing the Solar Breeding Agency.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Oozarian move quickly before, but they certainly are rushing now. From the room, from the shady legality of what we’ve just done. Leaving me with him .