Heart's Prisoner (Dark World Mates Book 1) Read online

  "Regardless, you needn't worry," Cole said, ignoring him. "The asset is contained in a state of the art cell enforced with titanium steel and thick electro-charged glass. Guards are stationed nearby and we have security lock-down measures just in case. Safety is always of great importance."

  "I'm not worried," said Lana. She forced a confident smile just to show Torrence he hadn't gotten to her (even if he had a little).

  Cole nodded. "As for the rest, in time you can be introduced. Understand we'd like you to get settled in first."

  Lana understood. Better to make sure she could handle it; that she didn't go running after only one encounter. She gazed over the other doors and noticed each had a number corresponding to their unit. Only the last door on the far right had no number, just a containment sign that read 'virus and disease lab personnel only'.

  Cole clapped his hands. "Good. With that, how about we introduce you to your new patient."

  ***

  Before they entered the room, Lana was given the proper protocols and procedures, this time more in-depth. The room was to stay low lit and would only brighten in an emergency. She was under no circumstances to give the asset information about its surroundings or anything about Lazris and its facilities, no matter how much it tried to push the subject or bribe its way into getting her to spill. She was warned heavily not to let it get too close despite her duties. To not let it learn too much about her. Clearly they didn't trust this Xerus and, though she could understand why, it also bothered her. The more she was told the more it seemed she was there not to study and learn and teach, but to interrogate.

  "This ISpad has all the complete information you need to know about the asset. Or at least what we've learned so far." Cole handed her the tablet and on its screen popped up an assortment of different apps and files. "The files on the subject are under Asset X. The Envision app will give you access to controls in the room. You can make the room brighter or darker, pause and start recordings, control the QS translator..."

  Lana, whose eyes had been drifting over the sleek little tablet in her hands, paused and looked up at Cole. "You use a QS translator?"

  "Have to currently. We have yet to completely learn its language by traditional means." Cole began to make his way to the door marked “Unit 3” and Lana followed. Her eyes fell on Torrence briefly enough to see his black gaze still watching her before she pulled her attention back to Cole. "You can thank our quantum computer engineer, Dr. Hoffmen, for even being able to use the program. He took the recordings of the subject's conversations then threw them into our most advanced computer installed with the translator. We used the video feed we had and the very few instances of the creature using body language and other means of communicating certain information. It wasn't a lot at first but, after a few more conversations, there was enough to give us something to work with. Took the translator a few weeks to finally work out some sort of language." Cole nodded back to Torrence and pointed to the door. Torrence hesitated only for a moment before he passed a code into the computer beside him and the door began to slide open. Guards near the walls moved closer in and placed hands on the guns at their sides.

  "Granted the translator still isn't perfect. Some things still get lost in translation," Cole continued.

  Lana watched the door slowly slide up into the wall, the sound of thick metal grazing over smooth stone filling her ears. When she looked back at the central lab she saw other employees stopping conversations or other menial tasks to take positions at nearby computers and monitors. A flashing yellow light signaled the opening of the door and a feminine voice snapped over an intercom.

  "Unit three opening, code white." A harsh ring followed until the door opened completely. As soon as it locked in place, guards stationed themselves on each side.

  "There's a few other things, Dr. Hart," Cole said, his eyes never leaving her, "Once the door closes behind you, it will automatically lock back in place. But you needn't worry, someone will always be monitoring. Once you are finished with your work just use your ISpad to communicate with us that you are ready to end the session. Either I or Officer Torrence will be watching from the monitors should anything happen." Cole stepped closer to her, his head falling near to hers. "I know you have been warned enough of the many disturbing things about this creature but there is something else about the asset not yet mentioned. Even without a clear means of communicating, it seems to have a way to...throw its voice. The creature may use this trick to toy with you."

  Lana frowned with confusion. "What do you mean?"

  "The QS translator not only translates the sounds into words that we can understand, it also tries to mimic the pitch and tone of voice. The subject can change its tone and pitch to sound completely different than its own. Think like a natural ability at ventriloquism or mimicry. It may be unnerving at first." Cole placed a warm, heavy hand on Lana's shoulder. " But I trust you'll be able to handle it. If at any time you need to talk with one of us, don't hesitate." Cole lifted his hand and stepped away. "We will be recording so we will hear everything. You'll have fifteen minutes inside just to get acquainted. Good Luck, Doctor." He placed his hands in the pockets of his lab coat and walked back toward the central lab.

  Lana nodded and gave him a brief smile before turning toward the door. She paused to breathe before stepping inside.

  Beyond was a short hallway drenched in deep red light. As soon as she stepped inside, the door behind her began to close. She nearly stopped and looked back but caught herself, forcing her gait to slow to a calming pace.

  'Don't let them see you hesitate, Lana, or they'll see your fear.' she thought. Because despite her best efforts she was afraid. Or at least uncomfortably anxious. Funny how she hadn't really paid attention to her body's response until now. Her racing heart, her skin turning hot, her shaking limbs; she had ignored them before, keeping her composure cool in front of the others. But now that she was alone and heading into what looked like the den of a dragon, her composure was slipping.

  The end of the hallway met with a simple sliding door which opened as she approached, giving her a view into an even darker red room.

  Lana did hesitate this time, but only for a moment. She had been waiting for a chance like this for so long she wasn't going to let her fear ruin it for her now. With her tablet clutched tight in one hand, she walked into the room.

  The first thing she noticed oddly was the smell. It smelled like someone had just brewed a fresh pot of coffee. Lana frowned looking around the room but saw no steaming pot or cup anywhere. The only things she saw were a single chair and table in the center of the darkened room, seated perfectly in front of a huge glass window that stretched from floor to ceiling (though the ceiling was rather low) and was as wide as two armored cars. The glass, she noted, looked as if it had some sort of milky film covering it and she realized it was a screen meant to hide the contents within...or keep the contents from seeing out.

  Lana slowly brought herself up beside the chair and stared at the screen. Beyond the milky cover, there was only a bright red. She shivered thinking it reminded her of a pool of blood.

  Her eyes flitted to the side where two monitors hung next to the window. One monitor showed a video feed which was black currently. The other showed...

  Lana's brow furrowed and she crept closer to observe until she realized it was vitals. Some program was monitoring the subject's heart-rate and energy level. The pulse didn't change, never going above 40 bpm.

  "Interesting scent." Came a voice filling the room.

  Lana jumped but quickly recovered. She looked down at her tablet and saw the QS translator blinking on; when she tapped on it, the program brought up a window that showed two separate wavelengths pulsing slightly. The voice had been deep, like a man's. The translator was working to mimic the tone and pitch like Cole had said.

  "Different," came the voice again. "What new little toy have they brought me to play with this time?"

  Lana tapped back to the home screen of her
ISpad and found the controls for the room. As she searched for the options that would lift the screen from the window, a large shadow passed by. Lana glanced up in time to see the silhouette of the subject glide by and then disappear. She had to quickly sit down before her knees gave out.

  He was huge. With long limbs and a slender mid-frame. She could make that out enough. His tail slithered and weaved behind him as long as the window was wide. Horns along his head twisted upward from the top and down the back of his neck. The sensation Lana felt seeing his shape pass the screen was akin to the time she had seen a massive great white shark swim past her cage as a tween back when her father had taken her cage diving off the pacific.

  Lana sat motionless, trying to gauge exactly what she just saw. If his shadow could produce such a reaction from her then she feared what his true form might do. Jacob had warned her.

  No, she needed to focus. Whatever he looked like, she must remember what she was here for and to keep her mind calm; to approach the situation as a professional scientist and doctor should. Leave personal feelings aside.

  Lana cleared her throat. "Hello, Xerus. I am Dr. Hart."

  There was no response. Lana pursed her lips and glanced back down at her ISpad. She could see the QS translator working to translate her voice for the alien to understand on his end, so he could clearly hear her. "Forgive me, I am trying to pull up the screen so that I can better see you but it seems I am having trouble with finding the...ah, here we are." Lana tapped through to the windows controls and slid her finger upward. In response, the milky film along the window began to slowly fade. When she peered up again she had to stifle a gasp. Swallowing it down was painful. Immediately her body went cold as she stared into the cell.

  Xerus stood in the center of the room and all Lana could think was what Jacob and Torrence had told her was true.

  He was evil-looking.

  Lana had seen her share of horror films and sci-fi art depicting the horrifying creatures man's imagination could conjure. To these artists, Xerus may well be a true masterpiece.

  Xerus cocked his head slightly as he watched her through the glass. His tail, which had been motionless only a second before, began to lazily sway behind him. A tail, Lana noticed, covered with purplish-red spikes all the way down to the sharp dagger-shaped tip. Those very spikes started small then grew in size as they reached further up his backside, all along his spine and to the nape of his neck where they merged with long twisted horns that formed the base of his skull. It reminded her almost of a mohawk only instead of hair there were solid, deadly points with two main horns that grew on each side of it. Long and curved like an african impala's antlers.

  The room beyond was colored red. But Lana could tell even then that Xerus' skin was the same color only a shade darker. It was not soft skin like a person's but rather more like a lizard's. Scales that started smooth underneath but turned increasingly rougher to the outer parts of his arms and torso. Her eyes drank him in until they rose to finally look on his face. She flinched when she saw his eyes cutting into her. They were red, bright red, like hellfire. And around the iris was black.

  Lana looked away and cleared her throat again. She didn't want to seem rude by staring at him and nothing else. Her hand shook slightly as she tapped on her ISpad to bring up her work files and the program she'd use for her notes. She was silently grateful to have noticed they let him keep on a pair of what looked to be armored leggings to cover himself so that he wasn't housed like a complete animal.

  "I'm here to...communicate with you," Lana said carefully. "To hopefully–"

  "I know why you're here."

  Lana looked up. Xerus still leered down at her. He turned his body slightly but didn't move a step. "They'll keep sending your kind until they think they can reach some agreement with me."

  Lana found herself focusing on his mouth as he spoke. A mouth that was wider than a human's. She caught a glimpse of shiny black teeth as sharp and long as the rest of him. When his mouth moved she could see him speaking his own language but obviously couldn't hear it. The QS translator spoke over him.

  He began to slowly walk alongside the window, his movements smooth and agile like a cat's. "Or when you've learned all you need to. Then I can be cut up so you can take a look at my insides."

  Lana frowned. "No, actually that isn't true." She paused. "Well, the learning part, yes, but we aren't here to dissect you."

  Xerus stopped and turned toward her. "Is that what they told you?"

  "I was given this job solely to help you."

  A strange clicking and growling noise escaped him, catching Lana off guard.

  "To help me..."

  Before Lana could speak, Xerus stepped closer to the window, closer to where she sat. "That's what the others said too. I tried to understand that meaning; really put effort into trying to decipher exactly why I was in need of it from the likes of your kind. Unless by which you mean to free me?"

  Lana licked her lips and swallowed but said nothing.

  Xerus bared his teeth. His hand rose to the window and, with one long, clawed finger, he tapped on the glass. "I didn't think so."

  "I'm here to learn more about you, but also to help teach you about the human race and our society," Lana said.

  Xerus seemed to sneer. Letting his hand fall, he turned away.

  Lana nearly leaped from her seat but she remained cool. "You have to understand. We just want your cooperation."

  Xerus kept his back to her, his tail flicking like an agitated cat's. "You are a female of your species."

  Lana shifted in her seat, realizing it wasn't a question. "Yes."

  "I knew you seemed different. Looked different. Smelled different." Xerus turned his head to the side to eye her. "I have yet to see a female of your kind. I thought the males looked weak. I could only assume they were the weaker sex." Xerus' eyes flickered down Lana's body. "Looks like I was wrong. You look even more fragile–breakable really."

  Lana went rigid in her seat. She noticed her hands clasped tight around her ISpad, sweat forming on her palms. She placed the ISpad flat on her lap and carefully wiped her hands on her pants. "You would be surprised," she said softly.

  "Would I?" Xerus turned back to face her. "Perhaps so. The last two who came here...were like whimpering shila with their tails between their legs. Though one developed a spine eventually. The other ran away. Fight or flight is a basic instinct all living things have knowledge of." Xerus moved closer towards her. "I wonder... which you'll choose."

  In a flash of movement Lana barely caught, Xerus whipped his tail around and hit the glass. He hit it with such violent force that a sharp crack echoed through the room and the window vibrated.

  Lana leaped from her seat, her ISpad falling from her lap to ground with a thunk. She inhaled sharply, heart jumping. She turned cold as she saw Xerus bare his teeth at her in a sort of cruel grin.

  She stared wide-eyed unable to move, her jaw clenched, fingers clamped at her sides.

  "Interesting. I've yet to see 'frozen in fear' as an instinctual reaction."

  Lana brushed a hand over her mouth so as to not give away her frown of displeasure. She bent down and retrieved her ISpad off the ground. 'He's just trying to scare you,' she told herself. 'And you are scared.' She carefully wiped at the ISpad's screen. 'But you don't have to show it.'

  When she faced back up, she forced herself to smile.

  "That was impressive," she said. "You must use that tail as a weapon. And judging by your looks, you must be quite the fighter. I don't think any here could stand a chance against you. In fact," Lana clutched the tablet to her, "I'm surprised they were able to get you here at all. It must have been some amazing feat."

  Xerus hissed sharply. "Don't think I don't understand human sarcasm, female, I've experienced plenty of it from your risshet soldiers."

  Lana's smile dropped and her face heated. "I'm sorry, that wasn't...I didn't mean to..."

  Xerus began to pace again, his face turned up in a
snarl. Lana cursed herself for her words. The last thing she needed was for him to be angry and start to hate her already. 'Great introduction this is turning out to be, Lana,' she thought.

  "You have no idea how I got here. You have no idea of anything," he snapped. When Lana peered over at his vitals she saw his heart rate go up but only slightly. Then quickly it began to lower back down.

  Xerus stopped his pacing and gazed back at her. He let out a short grunting hiss and Lana realized he was sort of chuckling.

  "So the females have back-bones. What a surprise," he said in a soft, higher-pitched voice. Xerus distanced himself from the window. "For now. We will see how long it takes before you go running. I'd say longer than the others...but not by much."

  Lana opened her mouth to respond when a soft beep from a speaker interrupted her, followed by a short click.

  "Time's up, Lana," came Cole's voice.

  Lana bit the inside of her cheek. She caught Xerus' eyes. "We will talk again soon."

  Xerus' pupils narrowed slightly and the slits that were his nostrils flared. Lana tapped on her tablet and the milky screen from before began to spread across the glass. Xerus glared at her and Lana held his stare, until the screen blocked him out entirely and all that was left was his shadow.

  Chapter Three

  Lana's composure had nearly slipped while inside the room with Xerus but as she came out from the tunnel and back into the central lab, she made to keep her cool. The soldiers stepped away from the door as it closed behind her. Cole seemed to observe her carefully as she walked back toward him.

  "How are you feeling?" he asked.

  "She looks a little pale," said Torrence.

  Lana gave him a sharp glance then turned to Cole, clearing her throat. "I'm fine."

  Cole placed a hand on her shoulder. "Quite the specimen, yes? Disturbing. But intriguing."

  Lana nodded. "I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised. I'd been warned. I should have prepared better..."