Page 7 of Forced to Mate by the Mad Scientist (Kindred Tales Spicy Shorts #3)

7

SYLVIE

Sylvie looked up at the face that went with the hand…and felt all the blood drain from her cheeks. She knew this man—she’d seen him before. In fact, Commander Sylvan had given her and several other scientists a briefing specifically to warn against him.

He was tall and gaunt—“as thin as a scarecrow,” her grandmother would have said. The thin, sandy-blonde hair on his head and the long white lab coat which fit badly on his scrawny frame added to the strange illusion. As for his eyes…well, Sylvie couldn’t see them. He was wearing a pair of thick black goggles that hid them from view.

It was Dr. Remold Barbarous, “The Mad Geneticist” as they called him—the most wanted man on three planetary systems, notorious for his “crimes against Nature.”

“Come, come my dear—don’t tell me you’re shy,” Barbarous said, giving her a cold, thin-lipped smile. “Not after you snuck into my little compound in order to steal my genetically modified blossoms.”

“Thief! Doc-tor…she is…a thief!”

The moss-man had finally caught up with her. He stood over Sylvie, pointing at her with one long, stick-like finger accusingly.

“Yes, yes, Mandrow, I know it,” Dr. Barbarous said mildly. “Don’t point like that—it’s abominably rude.” He smiled at Sylvie again. “You can take the man out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the man, I’m afraid. You’ll have to excuse Mandrow—he’s only two generations removed from a Geglin tree and it’s quite difficult to teach manners to those with foliage for brains.”

“You…you’re Dr. Barbarous!” Sylvie said stupidly, still staring up at him. “You’re supposed to be on the other continent!”

“Indeed, that was the story I spread before moving here to start my little colony,” he agreed, nodding. “I’m happy to hear that it’s working. Now, do allow me to help you up, my dear. I hate to leave a guest groveling on the ground.”

Reaching down, he grabbed Sylvie by the arm and hauled her to her feet. Despite his gangling appearance, his grip was unnervingly strong and once she was standing he didn’t let go.

“And who might you be? I think introductions are in order—you already know my name. I should very much like to know yours,” Dr. Barbarous said.

Sylvie took a deep breath and raised her chin.

“I’m Dr. Sylvia Cooper,” she said coolly. “I’m here to gather some specimens of the tangeline vines and their flowers. I’ve heard they can play a part in nerve regeneration and even reverse spinal damage.”

If she was hoping that the mention of her academic credentials and her research might level the playing field, she was disappointed.

“Ah, a fellow scientist—and such a pretty one too,” Dr. Barbarous remarked, looking down at her with his, cold smile. “Well, aren’t I lucky that you decided to drop in on me today?”

“I didn’t mean to,” Sylvie said quickly. “Didn’t mean to, uh, disturb your compound,” she added, nodding at the clearing.

“Oh please, you’re not disturbing me in the least!” he protested politely. “Quite the opposite, in fact. I was just thinking that I would have to leave Gim’bab Orious and make an arduous quest to find a specimen for the next part of my experiment. And then you deliver yourself right to my door—you’ve saved me a trip!”

“What? What experiment?” Sylvie pulled against his grip on her arm uneasily. “Let me go! I have no interest in being part of any of your sick research!”

Dr. Barbarous shook his head and made a tsking sound.

“Ah, I see my reputation precedes me. A great shame that you’ve already been prejudiced against my work, for it is, indeed, nothing less than groundbreaking.”

“It’s illegal!” Sylvie exclaimed. “I’ve heard that you tampered with humanoid DNA and added animal and even plant genes!”

“Indeed I have! So you can see with my treetures like Mandow. That’s what I call them—it’s a portmanteau of ‘tree’ and ‘creature’ don’t you know,” he said, gesturing to the moss-man, who was now just standing there, staring at Sylvie stupidly. “They’re admittedly not very smart, but they’re excellent guardians of the compound. In fact, I do believe they’ve found another intruder. Pushplant, Chopclip, do come forward,” he called.

Two more moss-men shambled forward and to Sylvie’s horror, she saw that they were dragging Kross between them. Each had long, branch-like fingers wrapped around his muscular arms and one of them also had a thick brown vine wrapped around his throat, half strangling him.

Kross was fighting every step of the way but it was clear he was well and truly caught. As she watched the brown vine around his throat tightened, cutting off his air.

“Let me…go!” he choked in a hoarse voice. “Fucking…trees!”

“Yes, they are part tree, as I was telling this lovely young lady before you came. May I assume the two of you are together?” Dr. Barbarous spoke with elaborate civility at odds with the brutal actions of his tree-men.

“Not…telling you…anything…fucker!” Kross rasped.

“I see. Well, maybe my man Chopclip can change your mind.” Dr. Barbarous nodded at one of the tree-men holding Kross and suddenly the thick brown vine around the big Kindred’s neck began to tighten.

Sylvie’s heart leaped into her throat as her Protector’s eyes fluttered and he sank to his knees. If they didn’t stop they would kill him! Kross might be a jerk, but he didn’t deserve to die!

“Don’t hurt him—please!” she begged Dr. Barbarous. “He’s my Protector—he’s only here because of me!”

“Well, well…all right. Chopclip, ease up a bit, won’t you?” The tall scientist smiled at her. “Maybe you would care to tell me why the two of you are here?”

“I told you already—to gather blossoms from the tangeline vine,” Sylvie said quickly. “They’re for my research in spinal regeneration. Please—we didn’t mean any harm! If you’ll just let us go, we’ll be on our way and never tell anyone you’re here.”

Dr. Barbarous shook his head regretfully.

“Oh, I think not, my dear. I believe several planets have placed quite substantial rewards on my head—I can’t imagine you passing them up. Also, I need both of you for my breeding program. I’ve been running low on pure humanoid DNA so it’s actually quite fortuitous that you came here.”

“Breeding program?” Sylvie felt cold all over. “You’re not serious—you can’t be!”

“Oh, but I am.” He clapped his hands. “Mandrow, take her to the woman’s cabin,” he instructed the moss-man who had seen her and sounded the alarm in the first place. “And Chopclip, Pushplant—I expect the two of you to lock him in the new specimen room. I’ll begin my work on him immediately,” he added, nodding at Kross.

“What? No! No!” Sylvie cried. But it was too late. The moss-man had already wound his long fingers around her arm and was dragging her