Skylar's Guardians (8 page)

“You are not touching me with that nasty needle again,” Skylar yelled.

“Shhh, use your inside voice, please,” Tralec winced. “Did I use that expression correctly?”

“Yeah,” Skylar moped, wishing that she had never downloaded her favorite books that were now becoming the source of her discomfort. If Tralec did not have them to refer to, then she would be calling the shots and directing him more in her favor.

“Until we can find a syringe that permits the injection that is more human appropriate, I have little choice. What do you wish to do?” Tralec asked patiently.

“Neither.”

“Your only other option is to suffer with the pain. Think about it and advise me of your decision when I return.”

Skylar flipped over on the air shelf and buried her face in her arms. The initial injection of Cyphlon had cleared her of the pain associated with the newly regenerated broken arm and progressed with healing damaged internal organs and her concussion. Tralec repeatedly told her that the superficial injuries to her muscles and contusion would take a little longer to resolve. She longed for sleep, but the pain inhibited her from resting for more than an hour or two at a time. The idea of using the sleeping gas was heavenly, but she suspected that Tralec was right in that she needed to be cleansed of the toxins that she had obtained out of stupidity. There was no mistaking the expression of disapproval when she admitted her old habit to him. Her heart stirred. She did not want him to disapprove of her! But why?

Pheromones. It had to be those damn alien pheromones! But how could they make her desire more than his body and want his acceptance and approval as well? This entire miraculous experience was quite the dream come true, but she wanted the miracle to occur according to her terms. Not theirs. She was so confused.

“Tralec?” she called softly. He did not answer. Skylar frowned, knowing that his hearing was ultra-sensitive and that he was just outside the partition. “Daddy?” she tried.

“Yes, honey?” Tralec responded immediately.

Skylar sighed. He was determined to teach her to refer to him with the affectionate term of endearment. “Can I have some hot tea?”

“You may have some warm milk. The manuals say that is better for you.”

“I don’t like milk.”

“That does not concern me. I will be back in a moment. Troy? Did you complete entering the items into the system?” Skylar listened to the two conversing in the other room.

“Yes. How is our girl?” Troy asked.

“She is very, very stubborn. She refuses to allow me to detoxify her system. She stated she had recently indulged in non-medical drug use for recreation,” Tralec said, preparing a container of milk after referring to the manual on the procedure. “Do you think we should get her a bottle for her liquids? The manual…”

“Wait a moment. Since when do you permit her to have a choice?” Troy interrupted.

Tralec shrugged. “She is sentient. She deserves the chance to learn to make good decisions.”

“The manuals indicate that these littles, as they are referred, are not often given choices. I do not understand why you are being so permissive,” Troy added.

“Whose side are you on anyway, asshole?” Skylar mumbled under her breath from the other room. Despite the pounding of her head, she had strained to hear their conversation and did not like the direction it was taking.

“Did you say something, darling?” Troy asked, sticking his head in the room.

“No,” Skylar growled, silently damning him for his hearing.

“Good, because I was concerned you referred to me as an asshole. You already got swatted once today for using that term to describe Tralec,” he reminded her.

Skylar clamped her mouth shut, knowing she was busted again. “I wouldn’t do that. It isn’t polite.”

“Nor would you dare lie to us, either. I am certain Papa informed you of our society’s prohibition against fibbing. There now, that’s our good girl,” Tralec said calmly, handing her the beverage. “I warmed it for you and added honey and butter. The manual stated that would help you sleep.”

“Put some rum in it and I’ll sleep even better,” Skylar grumbled.

Tralec ignored her. “We like it when you behave respectfully. Have you decided what you wanted to do about the detoxification process?”

“No, sir,” Skylar forced out.

“I will give you until the setting of Solaris to decide. That is in approximately one of your hours. At that time, I will choose for you.”

“Why? This has nothing to do with you.”

“Because I… we… don’t want you to have to suffer any more than you already have. We want you to have the opportunity to be healthy and happy. You deserve it, baby.”

“How do you know? I mean,” Skylar picked her words carefully, “you don’t really know me. I could be as evil as Paul was.”

“Neither of us believes that.”

“You are idiots, then. You…” Her eyes darkened as she felt the surge of rebellion rise again.

“Think before you say anything else, Skylar. I am learning to interpret your expressions and predict your reactions,” Troy warned, wagging a finger in her face. “Behave.”

A solid minute ticked by. “Yes, sir,” Skylar pouted, her lower lip sticking out prettily.

“Make her stop that, Tralec,” Troy said, rolling his eyes. “She is too adorable to stay angry with.”

“Daddy? Milk isn’t any good without cookies. Could I have a couple, please?” Skylar said sweetly, blinking up at Tralec.

“I’ll find them. Sit with her and don’t let our little girl out of your sight,” Troy said to Tralec while wagging a warning finger at Skylar again.

“What did I do?” Skylar asked innocently.

Tralec shook his head. “I don’t know, but I trust Troy’s instincts. If he thinks you are plotting something, I tend to believe him. Why are you so resistant to allowing us to take care of you? I don’t understand your reluctance.”

“It’s not that I don’t like the idea of being taken care of,” Skylar admitted, tracing invisible patterns on the edge of the bunk with her finger as she sipped the milk. “I just don’t like being told that I have to do something. I mean, you are sort of giving me a choice about how I want you to fix me, but not that I will be fixed. It makes me feel powerless, and it scares me.”

“I have been offering you choices, haven’t I?”

“Some, but you are not giving me any choice on what is important. You know, about whether or not I want to stay with you.”

“Tell me, Skylar,” Tralec leaned back to look at her, “if you found an injured animal on the road, would you just patch it up as best as you can and then put it back in the wilderness?”

“No, of course not. But an animal…”

“Has better instincts to survive in the wild than a human does. You have no natural, physical defenses to protect you from the elements, to help you hunt and prepare food, or to care for your needs. Putting a weak animal back into its habitat before it has regained full strength is sentencing it to death. You would not do that with an animal, so why would you expect us to do that with you?”

“I’m not an animal.”

“No. You have even less of a chance to survive. If you had a choice about joining us, what would it be?”

“I don’t know. You guys are right about me not having anything here to hold on to. But at the same time, once you take me away, I will never have the chance to just come back. It’s so permanent.”

“What if we promise to take you back here should you be unhappy with us?”

“How do I know you are telling me the truth? How do I know you really come from a perfectly behaved world and not from a planet that breeds humans as pets?”

“You don’t know,” Tralec answered thoughtfully. “You only know what we claim is our way of life, and that includes truthfulness in all matters. You do understand that it would be irresponsible of us to abandon you to this world. There is something that triggers our need to protect you, and neither of us is able to resist that need.”

“Why me? Of all the billions of people on Earth, why did you pick me? I’m nothing. A waste of human flesh,” Skylar said, reaching for his hand.

Tralec engulfed her tiny palm in his and studied her fingers. “There is nothing wasted with you, Skylar. I wish I could explain why we must care for you. Perhaps it is because you are the first human we have ever had contact with, and you were injured. We saved your life and held you to our bodies. Our people are very social. So much that to be alone means we die. When we share a heartbeat with someone compatible, the rhythms match one another. Your heartbeat blends perfectly with ours.”

“Are you telling me that you need another person to keep your heart working? Like a living pacemaker?”

“I am not familiar with that term.”

“It’s a medical device that is inserted into a heart to regulate its rhythm. Some people need them to live.”

“That sounds similar, only ours is chemical.”

“The pheromones? You both smell so good to me.” Skylar’s interest was piqued.

“Exactly. You are an intelligent little human. Don’t you want to learn more? To explore a world that no one else knows?”

“The only reason I finished high school was because I promised my grandfather that I would. I’m not smart enough…”

“Skylar,” Tralec lifted her hand to his lips, “you are capable of doing anything you desire. You must allow Troy and me the opportunity to show you that life with us will be a good one.”

“You want to treat me like a child. You threaten to… to spank me!”

“Yes, and it is what you have desired since the day you purchased your first manual. You just have not accepted that need yet. We will give you what you desire, baby.”

Skylar shivered as his lips grazed the back of her hand. He clearly knew the power he held over her and was not afraid to use it. She found herself hoping that he would.

Chapter Five

Skylar gulped as she watched the room darken with the setting of the sun. The men were sitting at the table developing a ‘cheat sheet’ derived from the manuals they were reading and actively discussing different ways to address various scenarios. Tralec glanced up at the skylight, noticing the time.

“Solaris has set, Skylar. Have you made a decision?”

“Please, Tralec, just let it be,” she pleaded as he approached her with Troy on his heels.

“You are not to call me that any longer. Since you have not made the choice for yourself, I have made it for you. We will do the detoxification. Without sedation.”

“No!”

“Yes. Troy, take her out of the cubicle and hold her in place over your lap. I will need access to her expulsion port.”

“Leave my ass alone. I mean it! No!!” Skylar began to kick and slap as Troy picked her up.

“Your lack of cooperation is going to earn you a spanking. Are you really trying to bite me?” Troy asked as Skylar sunk her teeth into his arm. She blinked dumbly, releasing him quickly as he failed to even react. It was like biting into a solid brick! He tsked, pulling her garment up past her hips and exposing her pale, round bottom. He plopped her solidly over his knees.

Skylar cried out as his large palm landed with a loud splat across the entire span of her backend. She arched her back, yelling out again as he landed a flurry of swats in rapid fire, each landing in the same place because of the size of his hand.

“
Ow!
Holy fuck! Stop!! I’m innnnnnjured!”

“Your injuries are healed except for those bruises, so cease with the manipulation. I am not going to stop until I know you will behave yourself,” Troy scolded, the spanking causing her bottom to turn bright crimson. “And there will be extra for using foul language.”

“Daddy! Make him stop! I’ll be a good girl. I swear, I’ll be gooooood!”

“He will stop spanking you when he feels you have learned something, Skylar,” Tralec’s voice sounded sad but frustratingly unmovable.

“I’m learning! I’m learning! Oh God,” Skylar sobbed, scissoring her legs in a useless effort to avoid his heavy, flat hand.

“The manuals say that it is fine to cause some discoloration to this region if needed. I don’t want to do that, but I will,” Troy tilted her forward to catch the underside of the slender backside.

“I’m sorry, Papa. I am so very sorry,” Skylar bawled, gripping the material of his pants and clinging to it.

Troy sighed, briskly smacking her backside four more times before lowering his hand across the scorched flesh. “You are forgiven. She’s yours now, brother.”

“My poor Skylar,” Tralec tsked, gently applying lubricant to her tiny bottom hole. “All of this could have been avoided. Spread her for me.”

Troy reached with both hands and pried her cheeks apart to expose her tight opening to Tralec’s sight. Skylar continued to sob as the tip of the probe was pressed against the little opening and eased slowly inside her body. Her crying increased as Tralec spread her legs wide apart to allow him easier access to the controls on the device.

“Take deep breaths, Skylar. The machine will do all the work once it is seated. I am activating it now.”

Skylar gasped as she felt the widening of the device as it molded itself inside of her cavity and then expanded to the point of uncomfortable stretching. Skylar was held down firmly by Troy’s elbows on her back while the machine buzzed and vibrated just prior to initiating a pumping motion.

“I’m adding the chemical, baby,” Tralec said softly. “It might feel strange as the device forces it inside of you.”

“No more, Daddy,” Skylar wept as she felt the liquid being squirted into her. It burned slightly and caused her to cramp. “No more, please.”

“Am I hurting you? I am trying to proceed slowly,” Tralec said gently, squeezing the plunger and administering the medication in small doses.

“No, but I hate it! Please, Daddy…” Her voice was tiny.

“Tralec…”

“She is not being harmed. I have to add enough of this medication to flood her system and allow it to clean her out. It will cause some cramping and abdominal discomfort, but nothing more.”

“Papa, help me…” Skylar whimpered.

Troy patted her red bottom affectionately. “I am helping you by keeping you in place, baby. You will feel so much better after this is over and the gas can finally put you to sleep.”