Jazon did something that he had sworn he would never do. For the remainder of the short jaunt to Epopeus, he became a coward. He forcefully shielded himself from her thoughts. To Tracy, he was a filthy experiment. For all he knew, she might prefer Strass, a pathetic excuse for a male, to him. She might be angry with him for destroying her chances.
“Jazon, make it up to her,” Agata said.
“What?” he asked, torn from his miserable thoughts.
“Give her a surprise, something to make her feel special,” Vasco suggested.
“Diamonds, the bigger and clearer the better,” Agata said.
“No, lab equipment,” Jazon said as inspiration struck. “We’ll put her to work on her father’s theories. I’ll get her to collect specimens on Epopeus. That will make her happy.”
“Medical is small, but there should be enough room,” Vasco said.
“Yes,” Jazon agreed. He returned his attention to Duran Jarreau. “This bastard is off with the wife, sifting through her memories of her husband’s work under the guise of a honeymoon. However, soon he will realize that Daddy’s little girl is the one with all of the answers. Then, he’s gonna come for her.”
“Good. Then, we will pull the answers to our questions from him,” Vasco said.
Tracy had been left alone on the habitation deck, and she feared she knew why. After the mind-blowing pleasure and kiss that Jazon had given her, he had vanished afterwards, just as Strass tended to do. She was ashamed to admit it to herself, but she must be a terrible kisser. Tracy was mortified. At least now she knew without a doubt that her decision to focus on science was the best one for her. She didn’t have what it took to keep a Laconian male interested.
At dinner, she listened to their plans for Epopeus. Jazon didn’t make eye contact with her. She couldn’t blame him. All she had done was insult him, attack him with her fists, and treat him with contempt. Even after her reprehensible behavior, he had defended her to Strass. Now, Jazon must think of her as rude, cruel, and a sexual bore. She hadn’t felt so humiliated since the night she had snuck off with Strass and given him her virginity. He had become agitated with her attempts to move with him and had finally yelled at her to be still. She would never forget her tears from the pain and embarrassment of her first time. Jazon’s kiss and subsequent rejection had brought all of those memories back.
Jazon went to his quarters, keeping his mind firmly shielded from Tracy, and meditated for a few hours before he was able to go to sleep. Unfortunately, he couldn’t block his empathic bond to her, and her embarrassment and revulsion were clear. He had no idea how to apologize for kissing her.
After docking on Epopeus, Agata and Vasco implemented their plan to plant spyware at the nanite company. Jazon was nervous to approach Tracy. However, he hardened himself to her possible reactions. Jazon had become accustomed to being treated with contempt and scorn. Tracy was no different. Living on Parvac where he and his brothers had earned acceptance had given him hope. He needed to kill that hope and put it away from him for good.
“Are you ready, Lady Tracy?” he asked.
“Yes, what do you want me to do?”
“Today, I am supposed to appear the merchant. The Eloneave are jungle dwellers and have few comforts. If you see something they might find useful, point it out.”
“Alright.”
Jazon placed protective eyewear on her palm and provided her with a jar of sun cream. The brilliance of the two suns of Epopeus could pose serious hazards to the unwary.
They spent the early morning hours buying sturdy pots, pans, and cooking utensils. Tracy pushed her protective glasses back up her nose.
“What are the Eloneave like?” she asked.
Jazon said, “They are desperate to create a new civilization for themselves. For many years, they survived in life ships and feared they would die in space. Their children had never felt a planet beneath their feet. That is something I had not thought of. I should know better. Children like toys. The Eloneave did not waste their resources on such things.”
“There,” Tracy said as she pointed out a toy store on the other side of the market.
Thinking of Peter, Jazon bought a crate of rattles. Then, he purchased just as many dolls and toy transports. “The large land transport is full. It’s time to return to the ship. Then, I have one more trip in mind.”
Tracy was silent during the drive to the land port. While in the toy store, she had caught Jazon looking with naked longing at a couple with their small family. He had quickly hidden it. She had also taken note of the distrust and sometimes hostility with which other Laconians treated Jazon. She felt absolutely wretched for how she had treated him. The more she was around him, the more she realized that his tough persona and acerbic comments were his armor against rejection. Tracy had spent her life being loved and adored by her family. She had enjoyed the respect with which her father had been treated within the academic community. How different it must have been for Jazon.
At the land port, he drove into the ship and got out. Tracy hopped down from her seat and closed her door.
“What’s next?” she asked.
“It’s just an idea. With Epopeus’ oceans, it is the perfect place for you to collect samples. I had hoped you might attempt to understand your father’s breakthrough. You could use the equipment in medical. Anything you discover could help us find new leads in the case.”
The disgust he had felt from her all day was replaced with excitement. “Yes, I could do that!”
Jazon nodded at her. “Very good. Which beach would you prefer?”
Thoughtfully, she said, “Wait. First, we need to get a tank for the samples.”
“Let’s go,” he said as he got into a different transport.
Tracy directed him to the university. Near it was a store that sold specimen tanks and specialized research equipment. Tracy blushed at him as he paid the six thousand credits for her supplies. Next, Jazon drove for an hour to the beach where Tracy assured him she could find sea stars. Jazon drove them down a sandy road that was shaded by flowering jungle trees. It was a nice change feeling excitement from Tracy. The ride was somewhat bumpy, but he was able to drive them onto the beach. The bright suns reflected off of the hood of the transport, making him more appreciative of his protective eyewear.
Tracy had started removing her shoes and rolling up her pants, so he did the same. Jazon glanced over at her smile but quickly gazed out of her window as if he had been looking at the waves as they rolled upon the shore.
“I love that sound,” Tracy said as she closed her eyes against the bright suns and listened to the waves roar across the sand.
Jazon went to the back and attached an anti-grav unit to the plasti tank she had purchased. Their toes sank into the hot sand. Tracy ran across it to the wet sand and laughed as water lapped over her toes. The wind whipped her black hair around, and she tried to make it stay behind her ears.
“Wait. What was that? You were just smiling! I saw it with my own two eyes,” Tracy said.
Jazon shrugged.
Embarrassed that her attempt at being playful had failed, Tracy pointed. “Up ahead, under the shade of that outcropping is a depression where ocean water collects. That’s where my father took me.” She had to speak up to be heard over the waves and wind.
Jazon followed after her with the tank.
Tracy waded into the water. It felt cool and refreshing against her hot skin. Large rocks and colonies of coral created a warm habitat for a thriving community of colorful fish. It looked like a large circular pool had formed out of rock that had been smoothed by time and waves. Sand covered its bottom. It was deeper nearer the ocean where fresh seawater entered the pool through a narrow chasm in the rock. Large predators wouldn’t be able to enter.
She was chest deep in the water and walking toward several sea stars that clung to a rock just below the surface. They were the same bright red color as the flowers that grew abundantly in the jungle trees. Something slithering out of the coral caught Jazon’s eye.
“Tracy!” Jazon jumped into the water, grabbed Tracy, put her up onto his shoulder, and drew his knife.
The yellow sea snake carried a painful venom in its bite that could be fatal to such a tiny female. He put her onto the sand and climbed out after her. Tracy stared up at the dripping wet male above her. His shirt clung to him along with a dusting of white sand. He turned from her before she could ask him to give her another chance at kissing. Jazon watched as the sea snake squeezed between the fissure in the rock and swam out into the open ocean. He turned back to Tracy. She was soaking wet, laying on the sand, with her head resting on a black pillow of her hair. Jazon’s cock became stone. He was so painfully hard that he thought his cock would break off. Not wanting to humiliate himself anymore with Tracy, he turned his back and slid into the pool.
“It should be safe now,” he said. Jazon held his hand up to Tracy. Taking it, she climbed back down and forced her disappointment away.
She peered down through the water at a couple of sea stars. “These two specimens look good. Will you please fill the tank? I’ll just put them in it along with their rock.”
After they had accomplished their goal and had loaded the sea stars into the transport, they sat on the beach to dry.
“Jazon, thank you. That was very brave. We are miles away from a medical unit. A bite from that sea snake would have been agonizing.”
Gruffly, Jazon said, “It is my duty to protect you.” He had taken his shirt off to dry. He shook it out before putting it back on. “We should go before your skin burns.”
Tracy could have gone without the reminder. The Eriopis females of Epopeus were mostly tan and blonde. Like most males, Jazon must have found the women on the planet to be very attractive. Tracy was all too aware of her pale skin and slim build. They rode back to the ship in silence. Night had fallen by the time they got back. While she showered, the men set up her lab. Then, they disappeared to the bridge to listen in at the nanite company.
That night, Tracy had difficulty sleeping. Dreams of Jazon, looking down at her through dark glasses with his solid black eyes, brown hair dripping with ocean water, and his shirt clinging to him tormented her. He had jumped into the water between her and a venomous sea snake. It was the bravest thing she had ever seen, but he acted like it was nothing. The unrelenting ache stayed with her through breakfast. She noticed Jazon scowling at her clothing. The sun and ocean water had unevenly bleached her shirt and pants. It embarrassed her further.
“I’m taking Lady Tracy to grab a few things. When we return, we can depart to investigate the facility on Leucon,” Jazon said.
“Yes, sir,” Captain Agata said.
“Come with me,” Jazon said as he stood and motioned her over to the lift.
Once they were in the transport and driving toward the nearest shops, Tracy asked, “Why did Captain Agata call you sir?”
Jazon parked in front of a covered market. “Because this is my mission,” he said before getting out and opening her door.
“It sounded like you outrank him the way he said it.”
“I do.”
His answer had her feeling even more ashamed of the way she had treated him. After almost an hour of shopping, Tracy had the clothing and toiletries she needed. Jazon tried not to watch her. Tracy’s emotions had become a part of him, and it was painful. He feared he had empathically bonded to a female who couldn’t stand the sight of him. Even when his shirt had been off at the beach, all he had sensed from her was embarrassment and shame. He had foolishly hoped she would soften towards him, but now he feared her prejudices ran too deep. Jazon’s gaze whipped to the dressing room where she had been changing. She was no longer there. Finding her mind, he looked through her eyes at her location and ran.
“Let me go!” Tracy yelled as she tried to squirm free of the hands holding her arms.
“Lady Tracy, calm down. Lord Radford sent us to rescue you on behalf of Master Strass,” one of the men said. Lord Radford was Strass’ father.
“I don’t need to be rescued! I broke it off with Strass. I’m going to attend the university!”
“Then, you may tell him that in person,” he said.
Tracy struggled to free herself from the two hired guards. Once they had docked, the guards had hunted Tracy down and dragged her from the clothing store’s back exit.
“You can’t force me to go with you! I’m an adult!” Tracy yelled.
The guards were angry that she fought them and that they were unable to subdue her mind.
“Lord Jarreau disagrees. He moves that your bereavement has made you irrational,” the man said as he and the other guard forced her into a transport.
Jazon waited until Tracy was safely within the transport before striking. “My lady says that she does not wish to go with you,” he said.
Tracy tried to open the door but was locked inside. Lord Radford only hired the most formidable guards, and there were two of them. They would beat Jazon to death in the alley, and it would be her fault.
“Jazon, run!” she yelled at him through the closed window.
One of the guards pulled a blaster. “Go on about your business, merchant. You are out of your depth. The young lady belongs to the son of a very powerful man.”
“Too bad he couldn’t afford guards with brains,” Jazon said.
“Excuse me?” one of the guards asked.
“You two boys are out here all alone with me. There are no witnesses. Give me the woman, and no one has to get hurt.”
“The suns must have gone to your head. Get out of our way,” one of the men said as he reached down to open the driver’s side door.
Like the strike of a snake, Jazon banged the guard’s head against the transport twice before shooting at the other guard while using the unconscious man as a shield. The guard charged at Jazon with his fist swinging. Jazon moved out of the way as the man’s fist hit her window, smeared it with blood, and rocked the transport with the force of his blow. Tracy watched in shock as Jazon quickly rendered the man senseless with one punch. Then, he reached down and placed his hands to either side of the man’s face. After several moments, he released him. Then, he punched him once more. When he opened the door for her, he offered her his arm.
“Let’s complete your transaction and return to the ship. Now, we can assume that Radford and Jarreau are working together.”
Tracy was too stunned to speak. In the clothing store, Jazon acted like nothing had happened. Then, back on the ship, he carried her things to his room.
“I’ll share my storage space with you. Please, excuse me.” He bowed to her and left.
Tracy stood there in complete turmoil. A few minutes later, she felt the ship lift off from the planet’s surface. It took her a while to regain her composure.
The men had gone to unload the large land transport and refused to allow her to help, so she busied herself in the medical bay and tried to make sense of her father’s notes. She kept hearing his voice in her mind telling her that nature always found a way to heal itself. One of the sea stars began eating a mussel. Staring at one of her father’s scribbled pictures, she began to think it looked more like an embryo than a sea star’s stomach.
“Oh.”
She could just make out the word “plasmin” which had been scribbled and was barely legible. She didn’t think anyone but she or her father could have made the word out. After researching the word, her father’s notes on sea star regeneration-associated protease began to make more sense to her, but it was beyond more than her very basic understanding. To a knowledgeable scientist, her father’s findings would be of interest, especially to one specializing in cloning.
Tracy stared sadly at the sea stars in their tank. He had found a link between sea star regeneration and the quick cell differentiation of humanoid embryos. She imagined that whatever exactly it was would mean clones that could be grown faster.
“Time for dinner,” Lieutenant Vasco said. “Is something wrong?”
Tracy looked up at the rather average-looking, brown-haired, brown-eyed man. “I think I successfully transcribed my father’s notes.”
“That is excellent. What did you find?”
Tracy told him along with Captain Agata and Jazon, who had joined them in the medical bay.
“With whom would your father have shared his discovery?” Captain Agata asked.
“He would have told the professor in charge of his department who may have shared the information with a wealthy academy donor, Lord Radford.”
“That boy’s father and the man who hired men to take you?” Jazon asked.
Tracy nodded. “Excuse me.” She got up and went to Jazon’s room to be alone. Had Strass only been with her because his father had told him to go out with her? She had never mattered to him. She felt so stupid. She washed her face and joined the others for dinner.
That night, like those previously, thoughts of Jazon kept her awake. She sat up on the couch and buried her face in her hands. Tired of her guilt and shame, she decided to make an effort to make things right between them. Getting up, she went to his door and signaled for entry. Jazon answered the door in an odd pair of knee-length pajama bottoms. She forced her eyes up from the line of dark hair trailing downward and up to his eyes.
“Can we talk?”
“Yes, Lady Tracy,” Jazon said.
Tracy blushed at his formality. He offered her a chair, but she stood and paced. “I need to ask your forgiveness. I’ve behaved terribly toward you, and my shame and embarrassment consume me. You have already saved me twice now, and all I’ve done is call you names and berate you. Every time you call me ‘lady,’ I cringe because I’ve not been a lady to you. I’ve been a beast. You are honorable and brave. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive my ignorance. That you are a hybrid was terrifying to learn, but more frightening was the knowledge that I was ignorant and callous to think of you as I did. I was wrong about you, and I am deeply sorry.”
Tracy now looked at her toes peeking out at her from beneath the pantlegs of her pajamas. Bare man feet came closer. She focused on the short brown hairs on his toes. Jazon lifted her chin. He looked confused.
“Your feelings of embarrassment, shame, and disgust I thought were directed at me.”
Tracy shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Jazon. If my father were alive to meet you and had the chance to get to know you, the kind of person you are, and what you stand for, I think his opinion of hybrids would have changed.”
Jazon’s mind and emotions were chaotic.
“I assumed you knew my thoughts, but considered me to be beneath contempt for my behavior,” Tracy said.
“I have shielded my mind from yours to protect myself. What I said to you in front of Strass, I meant. However, I know that there is no hope for one such as me to earn a place in your heart. You could never desire me, but all I can do is ache for you.”
Tracy could feel his naked, aching longing as it battered against her soul. She could see it in the black depths of his eyes. He had always been on the outside, shunned. She wouldn’t do that to him. His gaze slid from her down to the carpet between their feet. To him, that bit of carpeted space between them felt like parsecs.
“Jazon, why would you think that I wouldn’t want you? Aside from the noble characteristics which you have displayed, you are very attractive.”
“I’m a strong empath, Tracy. I shield my thoughts from you and yours from mine, but I can’t free myself from your emotions. Just this morning at breakfast, you felt disdain for me.”
Tracy thought back to that time. “No, I was thinking how frumpy in my ruined clothes I must have seemed to you.” Still, he didn’t look up at her eyes. “Jazon, I’ve laid awake at night longing for you.”
He shook his head. “Tracy, I forgive you for every cross word you’ve ever said to me. It’s alright. I’d be happy to start over and be friends. However, a beautiful young lady from a good family, such as yourself, could never want me. I’m just a hybrid. I wasn’t born. I was made. We were outcasts in this sector, illegal creations. My brothers and I have become citizens of the Parvac Empire. We have rights, now. It’s our home.”
Tracy had listened to his words, but there were some she just couldn’t believe. Incredulously, with her heart pounding, she said, “You think I don’t want you?”
The ache between her legs was hard and unbearable. She pushed her pajama bottoms and underwear down and then stood on top of them. Then, brazenly, she took his left hand in her right. Tracy pulled his hand between them and pressed his fingers to her wet, aching center.
“Look me in the eyes and tell me I don’t want you,” she said breathlessly.
Jazon was shocked from his own personal torment. Against his fingertips, he could feel her soft, wet folds. He looked up into Tracy’s eyes and caressed her with his fingers. She shuddered. Jazon dropped all of the telepathic walls he had erected between them and was bombarded by her truths.
“I wanted to take you in sand on the beach. I’ve wanted you each night.”
He took his fingers from her to lift her shirt from her. His cock threatened to tear itself free of his pajamas. He pushed them down his hips. Her eyes widened as she looked at his girth. Jazon was many times bigger than Strass. She thought maybe she should apologize to Jazon before they were intimate. Strass had only ever criticized her lovemaking efforts. Her eyes roamed over Jazon. She had never seen a man completely unclothed. Jazon’s lips touched hers, and her thoughts fled.
Never before had a woman wanted him. Tracy wanted him desperately. She had come to admire and respect him. He struggled not to bury himself within her. He would teach her to crave his touch. He had to make certain that no one would ever be able to please her to the extent that he could. Jazon lifted Tracy gently and laid her on his bed.
“You are so beautiful. I have longed to touch you, if only just your hand. Instead, I will caress you with my lips.”
Tracy shivered and tingled from his touch. “Oh! Jazon!” She clutched at his hair.
He lifted his mouth from where he suckled at her tender breast. Jazon grinned at her. “If you think that’s something, wait a moment.”
He held her gaze with his as he puckered his lips and blew air on her nipple. Then, he blew a trail of air down to her center. Tracy resisted as he pushed her thighs apart. A deep blush brightened her cheeks. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she shattered when he licked her. Tracy struggled to remain quiet with the force of her releases. The sheets were knotted in her hands. When she feared she couldn’t survive anymore, Jazon inched his way up her body. He placed his tip at her entrance, and as her folds clamped around his head, instinctually he telepathically bound her mind to his, and then he bound their souls as he surged forward. Several things seemed to happen at once. Jazon felt her hymen give way. Through his shock, he concealed the pain of it from her. Then, on that first thrust, he came hard. With the force of his release, surprise coursed through him. Tracy had lain with Strass, but the boy hadn’t had enough to take her virginity. Tracy was his. He would never let her go. Jazon felt humiliated as tears began to fall from his eyes.
“Jazon?”
“I’m sorry. My control faltered.” He pulled himself from her and laid on his back. He had mentally bound her to himself without her verbal consent.
Boneless, she straddled him and kissed away the dampness on his cheeks. He had bound them to each other. Without marriage negotiations or a contract, he had bound them together to satisfy a primal need. Jazon loved her. He couldn’t bear to be parted from her. She knew these things were true, because his thoughts had merged with her own. Empathically, she could feel the reason for his tears. No female had ever desired him as she did, had never seen him as her rescuer and hero. Tracy only saw him as the man he had become. “I love you, Jazon Ponidi. I won’t ever let you go, either.”
Now, his female was offering him comfort. “Tracy, I love you with all that I am or ever will be.” She nestled her head contentedly under his chin. “I vow to be the man you deserve me to be. I will make you proud to be my wife, if you will accept me.” Jazon held Tracy close and waited for an answer. Then, he turned carefully onto his side and pulled the blankets up over them both. He would have to wait until she awoke to ask her.