Page 4 of Bred By Zyros (The Solar Breeding Agency #2)

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Melody

My eyes slide to Zyros, the air in the room heavy with tension.

His colorful scales stand out against the cold metal as he shifts.

His severe, regal face only makes him look more out of place, like a god visiting its subjects, reluctantly .

He’s beautiful, by far one of the most attractive species I’ve been matched with, and the grumpiest. That usually comes after the breeding, when we’re in the awkward incubator period.

Just two strangers who have seen each other’s private parts occupying the same space.

As if to compound my thoughts, he finally speaks, his voice like lethal velvet. “Am I to your liking, human?”

My lips part, a deep flush blooming on my cheeks before I avert my eyes—although it’s far too late to pretend I wasn’t gawking. My mind blanks. Suddenly, I’ve never spoken to another being before. I don’t even know words , can’t form a single syllable in my mind. “Uh—”

Uh?

His brow furrows deeper. “Are you defective?”

I rear back at that. “Not the last time I checked.”

“Perhaps check again.” He grumps, and now I’m glaring too. “If there are any human things you need to take care of, you can do so on my ship.”

My eyes brighten at that, anger forgotten. “We won’t be using the portals?”

He doesn’t answer my obvious question, simply gestures with his head for me to follow as he slips from the room.

My lips score my inner cheek as I watch his tail upset chairs as it drags out behind him.

He’s halfway down the hall before the end is in sight, and for the life of me, I cannot explain why I reach down, letting his tail run across my palm.

My lips part on a silent gasp as electricity spreads across the flesh there, running the length of my arm like pins and needles.

His muscles underneath my palm tense like I’ve struck him.

I jerk my hand back, my heart pounding as I follow the tip out into the hall, sure I’d been caught.

He says nothing, and neither do I. It’s important to maintain boundaries in this line of work.

That means no touching unless for mating reasons—different rooms, different beds.

Usually, all these things are discussed beforehand, but Zyros…

I know nothing about the situation I’m walking into.

Only that I need to get pregnant and given his planet’s class, I’m most certainly not supposed to do that with him.

He finds his way through the halls expertly, slipping through them with ease as I jog to catch up with the upper half of the giant male.

I only just reach it when we finally break into the outer rim of Vortara.

His head lowers as we flood into the bright neon lights, his face hidden behind his long hair.

“Lady Melody!”

I swivel toward the voice. My bag hung over my shoulder as Vorthak jogs toward us from his storefront, his bulky frame making other beings around him grumble and clear the way. The Vorlithans are a kind, mild-mannered people, but they are intimidating as all heck to look at.

“Hey!” I smile.

A subtle hiss sounds behind me as I meet the older man halfway, his rock mineral structure hardened into the most beautiful shades of amethyst, his cheekbones standing out like daggers.

I’ve known him since I was a toddler, and in all my life, I’ve never seen him age.

Not a day. We lived around them for a time when I was young, Vorthak’s family in particular, for my father’s research.

Their planet is dying; the Intergalactic Alliance had at one point considered it worth saving.

They no longer see it that way. My heart pinches at that.

“You never come by the station without visiting me,” he chastises.

Vivid purple eyes land on the looming figure behind me, my heart racing in my chest as the males size one another up.

It’s a good thing the Vorlithan people are known for their peaceful dispositions.

They possess a terrifying ability to manipulate minerals at will.

They could collapse this station into a husk of nothing if there were enough of them to simply see it through.

The lattice like light that is etched into his rocky flesh pulses as the male behind me shifts.

“I know, I’m sorry. I was running behind this time! Vorthak, this is my new pairing for the breeding program, he’s from—” My words are cut off as a harsh claw-tipped hand snatches my waist, tugging me against his chest.

My head snaps up toward Zyros, his deadly form tense where my back meets his chest as he rises higher on his tail. A chill runs the length of my spine, making me shiver. “We do not have time for small talk, human Melody.”

Oh shit, yeah. Oh god, I’d almost admitted to an intergalactic crime in the middle of Vortara.

Vorthak takes an uneasy step closer. “Are you alright?” I can tell it's no minor feat to ignore the male behind me. The murmuring increases around us, the way the crowd parts little by little, giving us a wider berth.

“Oh yes, I’m fine, but we really need to get going.” I smooth my hands over my dress where the fabric had bunched as I was grabbed, his claws digging into the material just enough to prod my flushed skin underneath.

“Here…” Vorthak offers. My eyes widen as he lifts his palm, a crystalline structure forming there.

A thick lump grows in my throat as he snaps it off, offering it to me.

Another remarkable thing about the Vorlithan people is their unique seismic language they call "Echo-Tongue." They can form and break off pieces of themselves, their very being, to transmit emotions, memories, and even complex ideas across the galaxies. And it goes both ways, like a holo pager that has no limitations. It’s why the Intergalactic Alliance had been so keen to help them, before my father’s research showed that only the beings could produce the tech, meaning their planet was more trouble than it was worth to keep around.

I accept it with shaky hands, knowing what he’s giving me.

A link, a safety net, should I need one.

Which also means he likely assumes how primitive the being behind me is.

We need to go before the others do too, before someone decides to ask questions.

I peel myself from Zyros’ grip, throwing my arms around the older male, always so pleasantly surprised at how comfortable they are, not at all as pokey as you’d think.

He lets out a deep, thundering chuckle, leaning down to meet my height to return the hug.

“Be safe. I’ll contact your father, should you need it. ”

“Thank you,” I whisper back, pressing a kiss to his cheek, not under any true illusion that Zyros can’t hear us.

My discarded bag is ripped from the floor with a hiss. “Come.” The surly male orders.

I offer the Vorlithan male a bright smile and wink before I’m off, struggling to keep up with Zyros. A little gasp leaves my throat as his tail hooks around my back, dragging me to his side before unceremoniously releasing me, nearly making me lose my balance.

“I’ve always wanted to travel on a ship before!” I squeal, righting myself.

He only regards me with a scowl, like if he can only glare hard enough, I’ll be quiet. Tough chance, I’ve never been quiet a day in my life.

I only smile back at him, not letting some huge sexy snake with an unfortunate disposition poop on my party. With each step further away from my dad’s stomping grounds, my breath comes a little easier. My thoughts are a little less overwhelming.

It doesn’t take us long to get to the docking port, despite my best efforts.

Not because I’m intentionally stalling, but because I’ve never been to this side of the space station before, and there’s a lot to look at, which has resulted in me wandering away, only to be snagged by his tail and returned to his side like a wayward child.

The sixth time I’m dumped beside him, I don’t catch myself, my knees knocking into the ground.

My curls bounce as I get back to my feet, pointing a finger at his toned chest. “Stop that.”

He growls as he crowds me, towering over me like a predator ready to strike. “And if I don’t, female?”

My lips part for a moment, my body reacting to his rainstorm scent in the form of a watering mouth and clenching center.

Perhaps his kind possesses pheromones. Maybe I can look them up before we depart.

The Oozarians didn’t go through even half the usual information they normally do, eager to have us both gone. “I’ll make sure I’m a terrible lay.”

His brow furrows. “ Lay ?”

“Yes, bad lay.” I slap my hands down at my sides like a prone stick, lifting my chin defiantly. “I’ll go full board mode.”

“Is that not how you typically lay ?”

It’s my turn to frown now as I relax my posture. “No, lay as in coupling .”

He rears back at that, finally giving my lungs much needed air that wasn’t heady with him. “This is not about pleasure, female .”

I huff, “Of course not, but while in Rome, you know?”

He only glares deeper.

“It’s a human saying.”

He simply turns away, back to wait for his ship to be brought around by the AI.