Garden of Serenity (8 page)

“You need what only Bren can give you.” Ishawny’s satiny torso slid along Jahara’s back. “You just need to ask and he will take you where your body wants to go.”

“Anything to help me finish this. I want …” Jahara couldn’t say the words.

“Brenimyn?”

Yes.
“I need him.” Jahara nearly screamed the words as the pressure built between her thighs.

He pushed into her then, slowly and with exquisite leisure, allowing her body time to adjust to his girth. His body was firm and yet yielding inside her. It stretched and filled her in a way no neuro stimulator ever had. He canted his hips, pressing deeper with each gentle stroke. There was only a quick push of pain and nothing but the incredible heat of his body filling her and the intense enjoyment it brought. The sensation was new and wonderful.

“It feels nice, doesn’t it?” Ishawny murmured. “Brenimyn is a skilled breeder.”

Actually, the feeling was incredible, but Jahara couldn’t say it out loud. It would make what she was feeling all too real. As a healer, she knew these sensations were logical and natural, but her normally ordered thoughts couldn’t figure out why that would be. Not when her body was trembling with each stroke of her flesh. Brenimyn seemed to be not only in her, but around her. Sensations of him reached to the far corners of her brain, comforting her with his presence.

She rocked back on her knees, reveling in the power of Brenimyn’s thrusts. She heard him groan out her name. His hands gripped her hips, pulling her impossibly tighter to his soft belly until he was sheathed completely by her. Her moans of pleasure lifted and wove into the quiet strains of the violin until the whole room seemed to echo with the harmony of their copulation.

The thrill of the ride reached a crescendo. She pushed back on him, filling her body again. Her orgasm stole over her and through her and she fell down on her elbows, burying her delirious screams of bliss in the satin cover. Her name ripped from his lips as he found his own release, sending her over the edge once again.

Spent and weak from her efforts, Jahara collapsed on the bed and Brenimyn fell comfortably heavy on her back. He pushed the hair out of her face, whispering soothing, nonsensical sounds. The deep timbre of his voice floated through her and Jahara waited for the wash of emptiness that always followed her climaxes. She steeled herself against the disappointment that would replace the bliss.

When it didn’t come, she had to wonder if sex without emotional expectations would always be this satisfying.

Chapter Six

“Today I’d like you to do the breeder physicals.” Gabriella stared straight ahead as she spoke, her heels clipping along the tile floor. She detested this wing of the hospital only slightly more than the petite woman scurrying beside her. No doubt the eldest daughter of the Chief Administrator was here to undermine her authority as director, she was sure of it. There was no other reason a woman of her advanced age, with such a prestigious pedigree would be sent to the Garden of Serenity.

“I realize how difficult it is to adjust to life in the Garden,” Gabriella said. “It was unfair of me to ask you to work alone in the clinic yesterday.” She tipped her head, raising an eyebrow, forcing her lips to curve. She knew hatred pulsed in her eyes, but she didn’t care what this woman thought of her. “You must’ve been just worn-out.” Her insincere inquiry didn’t require a response and they both knew it.

Pushing open the door to the breeder’s clinic, Gabriella watched Jahara recoil from the overwhelming stench. The pungent odor of urine and sweat hung in the waiting room like a fog. Unlike the rest of the hospital, this wing was depressingly dark. No holograms brightened the drab walls of steel gray. No plants sat cheerily filling the shadowed corners. The luminous ceiling was the only source of light in the dim room and even that barely penetrated the murky gloom. Gabriella insisted it remain that way. The naked men slumped in the metal chairs lining the walls and running down the center of the room deserved nothing more. They were repugnant creatures.

“Dr. Bresilee, such a surprise.” Standing quickly, the receptionist sitting at the dented metal desk across the room bumped his knee in his haste to greet them. “It is truly an honor to have you here in the well-check.” He limped toward them, his insignificant penis bouncing with the motion.

Jahara’s throat worked to swallow what Gabriella hoped was disgust. The man standing before them had no testicles. Perhaps the healer had never seen a eunuch. Gabriella hoped that was the case.

Her smile was genuine when she turned back to Jahara. “Collin, this is Dr. Khateri. She’s new to the Garden of Serenity. She’ll be conducting the well-checks on the breeders today. I have given Savanah the day off. Please be sure Dr. Khateri has everything she requires.”

“I am pleased to meet you, Collin.” Jahara reached out her hand. “Please call me Jahara.”

Collin’s brows pinched, his gaze darting from Jahara’s hand to Gabriella forced smile, then quickly about the room. Jahara’s polite gesture clearly confused him. Bowing again, he kept his hands clasped tightly at his navel, his bony knuckles white with nerves. “Dr. Khateri, cherished of humans, gifted breeder of offspring, I shall be honored to provide for you today. Please call on me with any request.”

“That will do.” Gabriella dismissed him with a bored wave of her hand. “I will show her how to do the first breeder, be sure to keep the cubicles full. I know the schedule is busy today.”

“As you request, most honorable Dr. Bresilee. The first men are already in their places.” He shuffled back behind the desk.

Gabriella choked down her revulsion. She only needed to get through one physical, surely she could do that. Her first years at the Garden flashed back to her in snippets of satisfying memories. Men were such weak and stupid creatures. She held on to that thought as she led Jahara through the arched doorway. The sterile room they entered was depressingly cramped. Stretchers, separated by thin white curtains that had aged to a sickly yellow, lined the wall across from them. The space was as offensive as the Neanderthals occupying it.

“Here we are.” Gabriella didn’t try to disguise the revulsion in her voice. She had nothing to hide from this woman. “Be sure to wear gloves. Boxes of them are in all the cubicles.” Gabriella pulled plastic sheathing over her hands. “Well-checks require very little healing power. The gloves are designed to protect you from these … anim … breeders.” Gabriella coughed. The biting male odor clogged her throat and made her gag. “The gloves are thin and once you become accustomed to them, they will be no hindrance.”

Jahara’s cheerful expression disintegrated. Perhaps the healer loathed men as well. That thought brightened Gabriella’s dour mood. Oh, this would be the perfect place for the woman who had been sent by her Dame to spy on them. She knew from the beginning, Jahara wasn’t here to bear offspring. Gabriella was nobody’s fool. Well fine, if the government wanted to see firsthand how she ran things, she wouldn’t make it easy on Jahara. She’d simply keep the healer with the male breeders where she would do the least amount of damage. It was her ability to spot minor nuisances before they became problems that had gotten Gabriella to the position she now held. And Jahara certainly had the potential of becoming a major pain in the ass.

“Now then, start at their heads, making sure they have nothing in their hair, check the clarity of their eyes then their mouths.” The man sitting naked on the gurney opened his mouth for Gabriella without being asked. Well, at least he was well trained. She preferred them that way. “Check the color of their gums and the health of their teeth.” The man stuck his tongue out. “Be sure their tongues are clear of any disease.” Bresilee waved her thumb over the disgusting muscle. Not as silken and delicate as a woman’s. Such a waste. “Work your way down the throat, over the chest, checking the lungs and all the vital organs.” Gabriella’s hand fluttered an inch over the man’s skin. This man didn’t deserve more than a moment of her time.

“Skip the genitals.” The words fell out of her mouth without inflection. “Check the legs then the health of their feet.” The man stood.

“Last check the genitalia for any disease.” Her hand waved over his groin. Revulsion crawled up her back and she had to fight the shiver of disgust rolling over her muscles. Men were such ugly things, body parts hanging about in plain sight. Not soft and supple like a woman, their sexuality hidden from view for one to explore and discover. “If all looks well, send him out and move on. It’s really quite simple.”

Gabriella shucked off the gloves, dropping them in the waste near the steel basin by the door. She knew her face didn’t disguise the loathing welling up from her as she vigorously scrubbed the chemical wash over her skin. She hated it in here and hoped Jahara found it just as objectionable.

The man bowed as he left. Another walked in to take his place on the end of the exam table. Neither spoke.

“See? There’s nothing to it,” Gabriella said. “The men are required to do this once a month. You’ll find they know the routine. If you find anything unusual, send them through the red door immediately for quarantine.” She pointed to the far end of the room. “Nothing heroic here, Jahara. This is just the first step. Any man in the breeding stock found with problems or disease must be culled immediately. There’s another team of healers in the other wing who will do the curing. Don’t take your time to heal even the most minor ailments.” The lies tumbled out of her mouth without a hint of deception. “Your job is simply to make sure they are fit to copulate.”

She couldn’t stop her fingers from protecting her nose. The close contact with the male had her stomach churning. Rushing toward the door, Gabriella spoke over her shoulder. “I think you will find this much less demanding than the clinic, don’t you agree?”

Jahara nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but Gabriella didn’t want stay for a lengthy discussion. She opened the door and waved her hand toward the front of the room. “If you have any questions the receptionist will no doubt have the answers.” She didn’t really care if the healer understood how the well-checks worked. It was a foolish rule to keep the men under her thumb anyway.

“Yes, but—”

Bresilee waved her off. “Ask the eunuch.” Gabriella turned on her heel. Her feet couldn’t carry her away from the well-check—and that damn spy—fast enough.

The pneumatic door hissed shut.

What the hell was that?
Jahara turned and stared at the room filled with naked men, their eyes cast down to the floor. Even Collin was busying himself on the video screen and wouldn’t meet her quizzical expression.

Making her way back to the cubicles, she greeted men as she passed. None of them acknowledged her with more than a cursory nod and mumbled spiel of honor. She had no idea how to handle any of this. Merenith spent more time working with sick animals than Gabriella had given to the breeder. Jahara had never seen such a blatant display of condemnation. The medical director hadn’t even tried to hide her loathing.

She grabbed a pair of gloves and walked to the end of the line of cubicles. She paused. There would be no way for her to feel sickness if her palms were covered. Even the thinnest sheathing would hinder her healing abilities. Gabriella’s insistence about the gloves had stemmed from her repulsion, not cleanliness. These men deserved her full abilities. There would be no gloves for her.

“Good morning, my name is Jahara,” she said to the Ennessy breeder sitting rigid on the cot, his bulky hands fidgeting in his lap, his eyes cast down at the floor. She bent to look at his face, her voice gentle when she spoke. “What’s your name?”

He averted his eyes from her inquisitive stare, his alabaster skin flushing. “Honorable woman, cherished of all humans, gifted woman and breeder of offspring, I am here for a well-check. If it would please you to conduct the exam, I will make room for another breeder.”

She wasn’t sure if it was fear or shame that trembled in his words. Either way, it just pissed her off. These men acted as if they didn’t deserve her time or healing energy.

“No, it would not please me to conduct an exam …”

Enough was enough. She wouldn’t survive an hour like this, let alone a day, or even a week if these males wouldn’t even talk to her.

Jahara stomped back to the archway and stood between the reception area and the cubicles. “Listen up, breeders.” Everyone, including Collin, stared at their shuffling feet. “Look at me, damn it!” The sound of her booted heel hitting the floor bounced off the walls along with her frustration.

She stood with her hands on her hips until all their attention had shifted from the floor to her. “Let’s get one thing straight here. This is
my
well-check today. You
will
show me respect. You will do this by addressing me by name, which is
Jahara
, not this most-honored-cherished line of crap you keep spouting. You will look me in the eye …” She paused when Collin stood.

“Honorable Dr. Khateri, it’s not customary—”

She put her hand in the air to stop him. “Dr. Bresilee explained what’s customary, Collin. There are no cameras. No one is watching us here.” Jahara motioned with her arm. “Things are going to change. At least while I’m the healer in charge.” She stared at Collin until he nodded and sat back down.

“As I was saying, I expect you to look me in the eye and use my name for goodness’ sake. You will answer the questions I ask of you. And if you don’t want my breakfast to make an appearance on this floor someone will open that door and get something to move the air in here. There isn’t one of you who is unclean. They must spray that awful smell during the night.” A chuckle rippled through the room. “Collin, please get me something stronger than tea from the dining common. I’m going to need all the energy I can muster for you stubborn men.” Another nervous flutter of laughter bounced off the walls.

“Yes, honorable Dr—”

She glared at him.

“Jahara.”

The men continued to be stiff and formal, unwilling to tell her of their ailments. But she took her time with the well-checks, finding and repairing a hernia, an ulcer and a minor burn that barely took any of her healing powers. She refused to send such trivial ailments to another. What would they think of her if she didn’t heal even these insignificant problems? The breeders’ angst both frustrated and confused her.