Mission: Planet Biter (Veslor Mates Book 4) Read online

  Another scan would happen at that point, and if it still showed something—which was the worst nightmare situation—they’d be placed on beds in sealed tanks for more testing while quarantined. She never wanted to find out what happened to the people who ended up in those tanks.

  “Vera Wade? You need to let my arm go. I must remove this suit.”

  “It’s just Vera,” she whispered, concentrating at his face. She was seeing spots again. It took a lot for her to release his arm. He couldn’t back away from her; the room they were in was too small. It was designed for a single person, not one human and a big, tall alien in a suit. He reached up and gripped his helmet, gave it a twist, and lifted it off.

  His hair was cut short, a shock of black that appeared thick. Those pointed ears were really something. He turned a little, placing the helmet on a high shelf. Then he faced her again, reaching for the suit connectors on his upper body.

  “You need to remove everything,” he urged.

  “Right.” Her clothes were wet now. She wasn’t cold though. The room had to be heated. That was a nice upgrade from the last decontamination shower she’d used. It had been freezing. She refused to look away from him as she began to tug off her wet pajama top.

  The alien kept his gaze locked with hers, not staring at her breasts as she pulled the thin, soaked material off her skin, then fingered her pants. They were sagging badly from being wet, the bottoms to the set only having thin elastic at the waist.

  He opened the suit, revealing a tight black top. He dropped the upper half of his suit and reached for his waist, pulling up the shirt. He had a broad chest, muscled arms, and dark skin. He also had thin fur. It was so fine, she wasn’t sure if it was even real. It could be her imagination.

  She swallowed as she tried to bend a little, still staring at him, to remove her pants.

  She swayed, and suddenly his hands were on her upper arms, steadying her. She closed her eyes and panic hit. Was she back in the security room? It was possible she was only dreaming that she’d been saved.

  She threw herself against him, hugging his waist. Firm skin that felt hot plastered against her as she clung to him.

  “Real,” she muttered. “He’s real.”

  The big alien she held sighed again. “Yes, Vera. I am real. We need to finish this. Please release me.”

  She clung to him tighter, pressing her face to his chest. His dark skin felt a little velvety on her cheek. She rubbed against it.

  “Female,” he rasped. “You need medical attention. The doctors are waiting for us to finish in here to treat you. You wish to be well, correct?” He released her arms and used his big hand to stroke her bare back. “I’m here. Real. You’re not food. I won’t leave you. I gave my word, remember?”

  “Yes.”

  “Release me.”

  She didn’t want to but managed to unlock her arms from around his waist. He gripped her upper arms again, forcing her to take a few steps back. She peered up at his face as he released her.

  “Keep looking at me if it helps.” He turned a little, bent, and struggled to remove the lower half of his suit and the boots attached to it. He wore black tight shorts for underwear. He was a big guy. Tall. Wide. Big boned. Not human. And he didn’t disappear.

  He glanced at her, reached for the waist of his shorts, then hesitated. “You are safe. Remember that, Vera. There are other humans watching us on a monitor. You’re not alone in here with me. I must remove everything. I am not initiating copulation with you.”

  “Kay,” she got out. “Just hurry. My vision is going wonky again.” The spots were becoming worse and he was turning blurry.

  He bent farther, yanking off the shorts. That was when her vision went out totally and everything turned black.

  She yelped and stumbled toward him, blindly reaching out. She touched his hot body and grabbed hold of him around his middle. He pulled her against him. It felt like she was at his side.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m blind,” she whispered. “Don’t let me go.”

  He snarled. “She’s worsening,” he called out. “Start the next procedure.”

  “We need her to put space between your bodies,” a female voice called out.

  Her alien, as she was starting to think of him, growled low. “Understood. Vera, trust me. Just know I’m here and I’m real.”

  He suddenly pulled her away from his side and spun her.

  She panicked, screamed, but he gripped her wrists from behind, pulling them away from her sides.

  “Do it,” he demanded loudly.

  Warm, wet spray rained down on them. She closed her eyes and whimpered. He was holding her wrists tight though. He did adjust his grip, probably to expose all of her skin. Then the spray stopped. Air blew fast and hot. A hum sounded. She opened her eyes but her vision hadn’t returned. She couldn’t see anything, but the feel of firm hands on her arms kept her from screaming again.

  “I’m here,” he assured her. “Right here with you.”

  “Don’t leave me!”

  “I won’t.”

  “The scans are clear,” the strange female voice called. “Dress.”

  Vera was spun, suddenly lifted and pressed against a warm body. “Open the door now,” her alien demanded. “She needs help. Forget the clothing.”

  There was a buzz and something made a creaking noise, probably the door opening. Then he was moving, cradling her against him. Vera wiggled a little, getting her hands around his neck, and clung to him. She burrowed her face against him, rubbing her cheek on that damp velvety texture stretched over solid, hot skin. The heat felt real, too.

  “Over here,” a woman ordered. “Lay her down.”

  “She won’t release me,” her alien warned. “She will not take it well if I let her go.”

  “Just climb on it with her then.” The woman sounded closer. “Our scanners are able to differentiate you from her. What’s her name?”

  “Vera Wade,” he answered for her.

  “I’m opening her file now.” The woman paused. “Vera Ann Wade. Twenty-seven. Born on Mars Colony. Civilian worker as a drone pilot and mechanic. No known illnesses and her last annual exam happened three months ago. She got an all clear. That’s good.”

  The big alien holding her moved, she slipped in his arms before he adjusted to get a better grip on her. She was too weak to fight as he manipulated her until she lay on her side, facing his taller, bulkier body.

  “Stop gawking,” the woman snapped to someone. “Get him something to cover his groin.” Then that voice drew closer. “Vera, I’m Doctor Cynthia Kane. You’re onboard Defcon Red. Can you tell me what your symptoms are?”

  She buried her face against her alien’s chest, shaking, and tried to speak. Nothing came out.

  The alien she clung to spoke for her. “She seems to be having vision problems, is seeing things that aren’t there, and has a difficult time distinguishing between reality and fantasy. She’s also constantly trembling.”

  “I’m reading the medical files that are being uploaded from the surface.” Dr. Kane suddenly cursed. “Fucking Brilon.”

  Something touched Vera’s thigh, and she screamed.

  The large arm around her middle tightened and the alien pulled her closer. “You are safe. It was just another human covering my rod.”

  “Your what?” she whispered.

  “His dick,” another female voice stated, startling her. “Mr. Roth here just carried you straight from the decontamination chamber without waiting to get dressed.”

  “Roth?” She was confused.

  “Me,” her alien grunted. “That’s my name. Remember?”

  “No.” She didn’t.

  “So, it looks like Brilon is responsible.”

  “Who?” That was Roth, her alien, and he sounded as mad as Dr. Kane.

  “It’s a pharmaceutical company that puts out shit products,” said a male voice. “You wouldn’t know this since you’re Veslor, but five years ago, they s
omehow got a pain medication approved. Turned out it was highly addictive and caused internal bleeding with extended use. A few thousand people died before they realized the cause. What we’re detecting inside this patient is one of their drugs that didn’t get approved for use. How in the hell did she gain access to a banned drug?” The male voice sounded closer. “Miss Wade, who was the person who sold this drug to you?”

  “She didn’t buy it,” her alien answered. “All the humans down on the surface were dosed with this drug. They were attempting to investigate how they were exposed. My grouping and the other human tactical teams are down there searching for the source. Their doctor left notes, stating it was an act of terrorism. Can you help this female?”

  “I’m going to flush out her system and pray it works,” Dr. Kane stated, somewhere behind Vera. “All we know is who made the drug and that it failed trials. Those incompetent idiots at Brilon keep horrible records. They didn’t even share the original purpose of this drug. The scans aren’t showing any organ failure so far or internal bleeding. Just keep her still while we sedate her, Mr. Roth.”

  The big body against hers tensed. “Is that safe? My medic didn’t believe so. Something about bad vitals.”

  “We can’t treat her with her clinging to you like a spider monkey. It will be fine.” Dr. Kane sounded irritated.

  Vera panicked again. They were going to knock her out. “Don’t leave me!” She tried to burrow closer her alien, her nails digging into the skin of his arm.

  He held her tighter. “I won’t leave you. I’ll be right here. You have my word, Vera.”

  Something jabbed her in the butt. Vera screamed. Then she passed out.

  Roth growled as the female became lax against him. The four medical personnel were watching the monitors. He turned his head, staring at the sleeping female. Vera breathed slow and deep.

  He carefully removed her hands from his body, ignoring the fresh tiny scratches she’d put on his chest and arm. He rolled off the bed, keeping the thin sheet in place that a female medical worker had draped over his middle, to cover his rod.

  Dr. Kane turned, openly appraising his body. “You can go now, Mr. Roth. Thank you for your assistance. Our patient is currently stable.”

  He shook his head. “I gave my word to stay with this female. I’m not leaving Vera. What does flushing her mean?”

  The doctor moved closer. She was tall for a human but still had to look up at him. “We’re going to push fluids through her body to try to remove the drug. I’m still studying some of the files that are being uploaded from the surface. Their Dr. Hazel tried the drugs we’d normally use to counteract others. They failed. Two of them actually seemed to make the symptoms worse. Since Dr. Hazel had an excellent work record, I’ll trust her notes.” The doctor glanced at his chest. “I never realized how muscular Veslors are.”

  He ignored her compliment and turned his head, watching Vera. She still slept but her breathing seemed slower than it should be. One of the females in the room had covered her with a sheet, hiding most of her nude body. That same female rolled Vera onto her back and began opening drawers under the medical bed and placing sealed packets on the edge.

  “Mr. Roth, you should leave. One of the nurses will give you a set of scrubs to wear in the next room. You can’t walk through the ship back to your cabin with just that sheet. Although a lot of women would appreciate the sight you make. You’re not married, are you?”

  He scowled at the doctor. “I will not leave. I promised Vera that I would stay. Veslors keep their word. I would appreciate something to wear.”

  “You’re not medical personnel. This isn’t where you belong.”

  He bit back a snarl. The doctor wasn’t listening to him. “I refuse to leave that female until she feels safe.”

  “She doesn’t feel anything right now.” Dr. Kane waved at one of the monitors. “She’s stable. The mild sedative we used isn’t having an adverse effect. We’ll keep her asleep until we’re able to clear her system of the drug. Then we’ll reevaluate her condition.”

  Roth glanced down, adjusted the sheet, and wrapped it around his waist, tucking it to prevent it from falling if he let go. Then he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not leaving the female. I gave my word. I will contact Commander Bills if you attempt to forcibly remove me. I believe he will agree to let me stay. He knows how important it is for us to keep our promises. My human team leader said I was to stay with her.”

  Dr. Kane studied his body again, taking her time. “Okay. Have a seat.”

  “I would like clothing.”

  She spun away, sighing. “Someone find him the largest damn set of scrubs we have and bring them in here.”

  A human male rushed out of the room, returning with folded clothing in his hands a few minutes later. He approached Roth with a wary expression. “Here you go, man.”

  “Thank you.” Roth accepted the clothing.

  “You can use the next exam room to dress in. It’s empty,” the male stated.

  Roth shook his head. “I won’t leave Vera.” He removed the sheet and put on the pants and shirt. He didn’t bother to glance at the humans watching him. They might have odd customs about nudity but Veslors didn’t.

  The thin shirt and pants were ill fitting, too tight, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Roth pulled a chair from against the wall closer to the bed, watching Vera sleep. The other humans seemed hyper aware of his presence but he ignored them. His only focus was on the female he’d made a promise to.

  An alarm began to loudly beep, and he rose to his feet. Dr. Kane rushed in with one of the males, reading the monitors. “Shit!”

  “What is wrong?” Roth hated feeling powerless. It would have been more beneficial if Vera had anchored her sanity to Maith. He was a medic and would know how to better help her.

  The doctor and male nurse quickly removed the two thin IVs they’d placed in Vera’s skin. The alarm still beeped loudly.

  “What is it?” he snarled, not liking being ignored.

  “Be quiet or leave. We’re trying to figure that out right now. Get clear, Brian.” Dr. Kane stepped away from her patient.

  The male nurse backed up and the scanner came on, lighting up the medical bed under Vera. Both medical personnel turned their heads, staring at a monitor to Roth’s left. He looked, too, but besides seeing an outline that had to be Vera’s body, he couldn’t understand the words flashing over it. They weren’t in Veslor and he didn’t read Earth language.

  “Goddamn it,” Dr. Kane muttered.

  “Her heart rate is dropping too low,” Brian stated.

  “No shit. I see that,” Dr. Kane snapped. “So much for keeping her sedated. Fucking Brilon and their crappy-ass drugs!”

  The scanner stopped. Roth didn’t need a medical device to tell him that Vera’s breathing continued to decrease, slowing even more. The human doctor rushed to a medical cabinet and yanked it open. Then she returned with a medicine injector, pressing it to Vera’s thigh.

  “Is she worsening?” Roth worried that Vera might not survive. “I don’t understand what is going on. The medic of our grouping had to remain on the surface. He’s the only one of us with medical knowledge.”

  Dr. Kane faced him. “I just had to hit her with some adrenaline. Her heart rate is coming back up. It seems sedating her isn’t an option. She should be waking at any second.”

  Roth moved closer to Vera and took her limp hand in his, leaned close to her face and prepared for her to open her eyes. He’d be the first thing she’d see if her vision wasn’t impaired. He would let her know he was there, either way.

  Chapter Four

  Vera jerked awake—or at least tried to. Everything was dark. She was either back in the storage locker or her eyesight was gone. No tight metal walls were pressed against her. She was laid out flat on something soft and there were low beeping noises.

  A scream rose in her throat. The alien who’d come to save her had been a hallucination, she was still locked inside
the security office.

  “I am here,” a familiar growly voice rasped, just as a big warm hand gently cupped her cheek and part of her head. “It is Roth. Do you hear me, Vera? You appear terrified. I’m real and you are safe.”

  She realized another warm hand tightly gripped hers. She clung to it, panting. Her alien was real, after all.

  “I’m here, Vera. You need to slow your breathing.”

  She blindly reached out with her free hand, found material and fisted it. “Roth? Is this you?”

  “Yes. I put on a shirt. You are holding on to it.”

  She felt hot tears sliding down the side of her face. “I can’t see anything.”

  “Can you please step out of the way?”

  That voice belonged to a woman, and it sounded irritated.

  “No.” Roth stroked Vera’s cheek with what she thought might be his thumb. “The female will panic if we break connection.”

  “I need to examine her, damn it,” the woman snapped. “Get out of my way, Mr. Roth. That’s an order. You’re interfering with her treatment.”

  “Don’t leave me!” Vera tried to sit up and turn into Roth’s chest.

  “Miss Wade, you need to calm down,” the woman sternly ordered. “I’m Doctor Cynthia Kane. Do you remember me?”

  Vera didn’t care who she was. Roth was real. She clutched him tighter and refused to let go. She wiggled closer until she pressed against that shirt, burying her face in it. Her alien had to adjust his hold and instead wrapped his hand around the back of her head, before sliding it down to her back. She wasn’t wearing anything, since he touched her bare skin. He stopped midway down.

  “Vera?” Roth sounded closer, his voice next to her right ear. “You need to allow this female medic to help you.”

  “I’m a doctor,” the woman ground out.

  “Apologies,” Roth sighed. “Can you lie flat for her, Vera? I will keep hold of your hand.”