The Theron Residency (Brides of Theron Book 4) (4 page)

After Laura had been situated among them within a circle, Tina turned up the radio to keep her parents from coming in. The music blared from the speakers of the stereo tuned to the current favorite local rock station. Anna placed a soda bottle in the middle of the circle and Tina sat down beside her. Laura sat there quietly to keep from drawing attention to herself praying and hoping that the bottle would not land on her.

She wished that she would continue to remain invisible. When Jeff reached for the bottle and give it a spin, she watched in horror as the bottle started to slow down. Her heart thumped in her chest for each second the bottle made its way around. Time seemed to slow down as she watched it make revolution after revolution until it finally came to rest with the cap pointed directly at her. She could hear only her pulse in her ears as the sound of the music fell away with the pure terror of the moment settling over her. Her cousin warned her, so she knew that she would have to follow through with whatever happened in the basement that night, her personal feelings aside.

The room became suddenly quiet as all eyes were on her. She heard a few of the girls snicker around her, probably because they were jealous that it was not them that the bottle had selected. Maybe, it was because they were just like her cousin, clueless.

Laura’s palms were sweaty and she was so nervous. Her heart was pounding so loudly that she was sure that the rest of them could hear it beating. She had never kissed a boy before. It started easy enough just a touch of the lips. But when he tried to stick his tongue into her mouth, her reaction to this kiss began yet another wave of teasing from her peers that she had to endure until she would leave Camden for good. From that point on, she stopped caring what others thought about her. She virtually blocked herself off from them everyone emotionally and physically. Her only comfort was that she would be in college next year, far away from all of them. Odds were that they would all be stuck in this small town for the rest of their lives.

“Ceran, I really appreciate how you are so patient with me. All of this relationship stuff is new to me. I feel the flutter of my heart and butterflies in my belly every time I look at you. Just the idea of saying that to you is making me really uncomfortable right now. I guess I just haven’t ever had much luck with guys. I always tend to say the wrong thing. Sometimes, I get all tongue-tied and embarrass myself in the process, or I find that I can’t say anything at all. You are the only man I have ever been able to speak to like this,” she clasped her hands together on her book and looked down at them. No matter what she did to try to escape those taunting voices in her head, they would resurface from time to time to torment her. Would it ever end? Could she ever escape the cruel taunts of her past? “On my planet the kids were really mean to me. You see, I was not the typical kid and I went to college really young. I was essentially jail bait until medical school. By then I was too busy studying to even think about dating anyone. I guess that is one sure way to graduate at the top of the class early. I was even awarded a residency in a very competitive program at 22 years old.”

“How could anyone treat you so badly?” Ceran said as he moved next to her on the sofa taking her hands in his. “I could not imagine a more kind and gentle creature than you.”

“People tend to throw stones at things they don’t understand.” She put the book on the lampstand and moved to sit beside him on the couch. “Well, that is how my dad would say it when I had a rough day at school, which was almost every day until I left for college. Even though, I would keep my mouth shut, everyone including the teachers knew that I was smarter than them. I would get these looks after they graded my test papers as if they didn’t get why God made me so smart. Sometimes I think that maybe they were afraid of me. When they would start to attack, I would withdraw. When I did, they would feed on my reactions and tease me harder.”

“Even if I could go back and do it all again, I don’t think I would have done anything differently. If I did, I might not have found you. Somehow, I always knew that there was a purpose for me bigger than I could ever imagine. I had just never realized that it wasn’t on earth.” She looked into his eyes and said, “If there is one thing that I am sure of, it’s that I’m supposed to be here…with you.” She could hear the tremble in her voice as she said those last two words.

She knew if she acknowledged her feelings out loud and in the open, the status of their relationship would change. They wouldn’t be terrible changes, of course. It would be crossing over into unknown territory. She knew full well how sex worked, even had the experience of delivering a baby or two, but that did not mean that she wasn’t scared of “IT.” She did not know how all those different sensations of pain and pleasure and God only knew what else would affect her? That right there was the biggest mystery. How she would change after the deed was done was probably the one that she was most terrified of.

They were silent for a moment. She could hear the small noises in the room, the rustling of the leaves that hung in the branches of the house just outside the open balcony doors, the friction of her clothes as she fidgeted. They seemed to be waiting for the next words between them to be spoken. Her damp hair was moving slightly in the cool breeze that was coming from outside and was tickling the skin on her shoulders. She noticed the natural golden highlights of his short dirty blond hair accented by the soft glow of the lamp on the table beside him. Slowly her gaze moved from his hair to his blue eyes. They were such a rich color of royal blue, like dark sapphires. His nose was long and thin balancing out his oval face. His ears perfect with attached lobes. His soft, moist rose-tinted lips were full and inviting.

It was if it was all happening in slow motion. His gaze was hypnotic. She found herself leaning toward him just like attracted magnets until the moment their lips touched. It was as if someone turned on the heat. She closed her eyes and felt him place his palm gently on her jaw, his thumb softly grazing her cheek. The air got thick and dense, almost too hard to breathe in. She opened her mouth, maybe at first to take a breath, but he took full advantage. He slowly inserted his tongue into her mouth and something innate in her responded. To her surprise, she let him in and caressed his tongue with her own. It was like every nerve in her body had been over stimulated and silenced. Even if she was on fire, she doubted that she would feel the licks of the flame on her skin. He kissed her until she was breathless.

Touching his lips to hers once more, she felt herself go limp in his arms as he finished the kiss. To her surprise, he rose from the sofa and dropped to one knee in front of her. She looked at him curiously as he reached into his pocket fumbling for something inside. He pulled out a golden ring with several large diamonds and held it out for her to see. His voice was sure and steady, “Laura, I never want to know what my life would be like without you. Will you marry me?”

She looked at him and said, “Yes, Ceran I will marry you.” She offered him her left hand and he slipped the ring on her finger as the tears started to fall. The ring had fit her perfectly.

“Is everything alright? I had no intention of making you upset.” His hand found her jaw and she laughed nervously as he wiped away the tears.

“You didn’t make me upset. I just wasn’t expecting you to do that. Was it Grace?” She asked.

“Well, maybe a little bit. She did offer the rings and some small details. I just wanted to do this right,” He pulled the other rings out of his pocket and showed them to her. “I just thought that maybe following a tradition that you were familiar with would make it easier for you. So I asked Grace to tell me what couples did when they fell in love on Earth. I love you, Laura.”

There were no words. For once in her life, everything went silent. There was only him and her in this room as she felt herself gravitate to him once more. When she finished kissing him, she closed her eyes and committed every feeling and every detail of the kisses they shared tonight to her memory. Before this night, she always had associated a kiss as a terrible event that took place in her Cousin Tina’s basement. Now, she could officially file away that memory in some dark cubby in her mind, replacing it with what she experienced tonight with her fiancée. She rested her forehead against his and took a deep breath as she opened her eyes and looked into his. “As much as I am enjoying this, we can’t do this tonight. I really need to get to bed. I’ve got a long day ahead of me tomorrow.”

“But, I don’t want to stop,” Ceran whispered honestly as he looked her in the eyes. She could feel the warmth of his breath against her cheek as he ran his fingers through her long straight golden blond hair. She couldn’t help but notice he was disappointed they wouldn’t move this into the bedroom tonight. She was a virgin and so was he. She would not commit herself to proceed any further until she was ready to. She wasn’t ready, not tonight.

“Ceran, we have to stop. I’m not prepared to go any further than this. I probably will be soon, but we can’t do this tonight.” She closed her eyes. She shook her head, her temple against his, and thought about whether she should change her mind. She could feel her body calling for him deep inside. She knew that the time was nearing to let herself go. It wouldn’t be long before she would not be able to hold back her feelings for him any longer. It would be a long day tomorrow with her clinical rounds and Lars. She looked into his eyes and saw the longing for her. She swallowed hard and said, “We will have plenty of time. A lifetime together, right?”

He smiled and nodded, “A lifetime if you will have me. I want you to know that I’d wait forever for you.” He kissed her palm and said, “I guess we should go to bed then.”

“Yeah, we should. Good night Ceran.”

“Good night, Laura.”

She kissed him on the forehead letting her lips linger a bit longer than was necessary, stood up and made her way up to her room and closing the door behind her. With her back pressed against the smooth polished wood of the door, she slid down to the floor and took a deep breath. Her body was telling her that she was wrong, traitorous even. It was telling her that she should go find Ceran and let him take her to his bed. If she weren’t so afraid, she would have gotten up off the floor and went to him. She spoke to nobody, in particular, “I am going to have to talk to Emma or Grace.” She would find out from something other than a book what to expect when making love to a man.



Ceran had asked Zane not long after meeting Laura about sex. He knew that his occupation as a doctor meant that the conversation that occurred between them was sworn to secrecy. Zane gave him a rundown of facts offered in a sex education class he took in academy when he was a young man. However, this wasn’t the information Ceran was looking for. What he was wondering about specifically was how to bring your mate pleasure. It could not be as simple as the description that he gave about inserting this part into that one and moving it in and out. Zane assured him that he would know what to do and that his body would guide him in the process. He told Ceran that the act, of pleasuring each other, would be something that he Laura would learn together through practice and careful observation. Ceran should take note of what his partner did and didn’t like, where she liked to be touched. They would both have to listen to what they were asking from each other. He told Ceran, not to overanalyze it, but to relax and go with it. “Trust me. Your body will tell you what to do.”

He was optimistic. It looked like whatever he did tonight was working. He was dismantling the wall that separated them as individuals and rebuilding one to surround them both. It was going well. He could tell that she enjoyed being with him. Soon, he would have her and they would be bonded together forever. He would just pray to the Gods that he would not have to wait much longer. He really wanted her and parts of his body ached for her touch. Another reason for his haste was that she was not entirely safe from other warriors until they were bonded to each other. He couldn’t bear lose her now. He loved her way too much.

Ceran woke up to his alarm and stepped out of his room to knock on Laura’s door just like he did every morning. He went to go get dressed and make breakfast for the two of them after she yelled that she was up. Last night was torture. He felt like he was going through puberty again as he woke up with his sheets all wet with his seed. He couldn’t believe that he actually had to deal with wet dreams at this stage of his life. He focused on making them breakfast and toasting some bread. He had to take his mind off the vivid images from his dream last night. He pictured her in his arms crying out her pleasure, calling out his name over and over again, with a look in her eyes that said that she wanted more. He shifted his growing member in his pants and willed it to behave.

Distractedly, he turned toward the door as Laura entered the kitchen with her hair up in a bun of sorts, all pulled away from her face except for the thin layer of bangs that covered her forehead. She absentmindedly tucked a long, stray lock behind her ear as she walked in. Laura was tall and fit from running with him several nights a week. She was dressed in the hospital uniform that was very similar to the scrubs she wore at home. But, she said that these fit so much better, and the material was so much softer and comfortable. She had her transmitter clipped to the front pocket of her white coat that had her name embroidered in both the Theron script and those from earth on the upper left side just over her breast. She removed her transmitter from her pocket, pressed the button, and called in to check on Lars and Emma’s status. The hospital staff reported that Lars was still sleeping, but it looked like he would wake soon, and Emma was getting stronger by the minute. They ate breakfast, small talk filling in the silence.

One thing continued to puzzle Ceran as he set the plates out on the table. “Why would Lars want to come here? He has to be aware that the warriors on this planet would immediately put him to death. His arrival on Theron makes absolutely no sense,” Ceran said. “Did Zane say anything about it?”

“Zane didn’t say much really. I think that he wants to know the answer to the same question. I was only approached with the decision to put him in my care. With the opinion of the Theron warriors as a whole, Lars would never get the care he is entitled to and I am the only one of Zane’s staff who will be able to do it. Ceran, I accepted this order from Zane. I took an oath in medical school, the Hippocratic Oath. This oath maintains that I will do no harm to any of my patients. When I give them treatment, I will act both honorably and ethically no matter who they are or what they have done.” She was giving him a reassuring smile, and it seemed to have worked. Gods, she was beautiful.

“I still don’t get it. He has to be insane to come back to Theron after what he did. What are they planning to do with him today? Do you know?” He asked just before he took a bite of his bread.

“I guess they will question him today. They said that he was doing well when I called to check on him. I don’t know what part I will play in his questioning yet, but I know that I most likely will be present.”

“Would you find it terribly awkward if I came with you to work today? I promise to stay out of your way; I just want to be there in case you…or they may need me.” He would not look her directly in the eyes. He did not want her to see just how worried he was about her.

She looked over at him and smiled, “I would like that very much. It sure would beat trying to get in touch with you on the ship if something were to go wrong. And besides, I know that it would make you feel better to be near when and if it gets ugly.”

“Okay, it is settled then. I will be your shadow today,” he said as he cleared the table of dishes and placed them in the sink. The sun was shining through the window and he could feel the warmth of the light as it glistened on his face. She came up behind him with more dishes and they washed them together and put them away. As they headed out the door, Ceran handed Laura the ignition key for the hovercraft. You could start the hovercraft with a press of a button, but you needed the key inside the slot to make it move. He looked at her and said, “You want to drive?”

“Really, don’t I need a license to drive one of these?” Laura asked.

“We don’t have licenses. I was actually thinking that we were going to have to get you one soon. Now that you are working in the hospital, you’ll likely be called to duty from time to time and I might not be able to take you. The way I see it, you should learn how to drive. There is no time like the present.”



She pushed the button and the glass dome opened up and the craft started to hum. They got in and Laura slid into the driver’s seat. She held the ignition key in her hand looking aptly to Ceran for instruction. “So, I put this… key in here?” she asked a big smile on her face placing the key where she observed Ceran would do many times in the recent past.

“Yes. You don’t have to worry you know. These things can fly themselves. The only problem you might have is plugging in the destination coordinates. Do you see this symbol?” he pointed, “I have programmed it for you. If you push this button, it will take you to the hospital. I also plugged in the market and the base and we can add more destinations as we go.” She looked at the many buttons on the console with alarm, “Don’t worry, we will go over it again later.” He gave her a bright white smile and said, “What are you waiting for?” Ceran was shaking his head and chuckling with laughter at her hesitation. Laura put the key in the ignition and the car bounded up. The hovercraft sounded like a kitten purring softly as it lifted up slightly past the natural repellant magnetic force of the craft. This force was what kept it from resting directly on the ground. She looked at him expectantly waiting for further instructions. “Go ahead and press the button that I just showed you.”

She pressed the green button and the dome came down over them. Several of the other lights started blinking and a course was charted and displayed on a central monitor. The hovercraft shot straight up in the air at a speed that made her stomach lurch. The feeling was similar to those occasions as a child when her father would drive fast over a hill or bridge. Just as the tires left the pavement, she would feel the elation as her body floated in space for just a tiny fraction of a second. Her stomach would explode with butterflies, and then drop when she dropped down on the bouncy seats as the tires made contact with the pavement.

She couldn’t help from squealing in excitement as she officially was driving for the first time in her life. She never needed to own a car on earth because she could walk or ride her bike if the weather were pleasant. If it wasn’t, San Francisco offered a variety of public transportation options. The streetcars in the city were her favorite means of transport and she fondly remembered the dinging of the bell as the streetcar audibly bumped and clicked along the track.

The sound of Ceran’s hovercraft in motion was similar to the noise of the car in the Jetson’s cartoon as it dropped everyone off to their designated stops. She instantly remembered the theme song and started to hum it as she drove along. There wasn’t much to driving and she could not imagine why it seemed like such a big deal in the first place. The craft controlled the altitude and brought you in the correct direction automatically scanning for any obstacles, obstructions, and other vehicles that would blink on the monitor in different shades of color. There was a manual steering shaft that popped out of the console in the event that you would need to take control of the craft in an emergency. Ceran assured her that the use of the manual controls was rare. When they were in the vicinity of the hospital, the hovercraft found several parking spots for her to land in. Prompted by Ceran, she selected one by touching the screen and it parked itself within the marked-off area. She looked to Ceran with her hand on the ignition key waiting for him to give her the instructions on turning it off. “Now, just press the red button and pull the key out,” Ceran looked at her proudly as she followed his instructions to the letter. “You did really well. See, I told you there was nothing to it.”

Laura was giddy with excitement as she exited the craft. However, once she realized what was soon to come, the elation of another personal first would not last long. She threaded her fingers through Ceran’s and gave them a squeeze as they made their way to the secured ward of the hospital. It was time to get to work and see what information they might glean from Lars. She was a bit scared at the prospect of dealing with this evil warrior if it was asked of her. She saw what this madman had done to Grace and Avery on the ship. She should be relatively safe in the room with him. He was being held to the frame of the bed with the restraints they had put on his wrists and ankles. Not to mention, with his leg healing from the break, he would be too weak to stand on his own. She would keep her distance none the less when dealing with him.

She saw Zane and Brylon approach her and Ceran. Zane walked up to Laura, “Good morning, are you ready to see Lars?” Brylon looked over to Ceran and then to her giving her a reassuring smile. They were giving her unspoken promises that if she needed any assistance while she was in the room, all she would have to do is look out the window. At her signal, they would be in the room to help her immediately.

She looked beyond them into the hallway, “Where is Zeb? Isn’t he coming?” She wouldn’t want to be around when and if Zeb met with the prisoner alone. Would they even let him in the room? She would have to wait and see how this drama would unfold.

Brylon said, “He is on his way now. For now, I am going to place this transmitter into your ear to give you the questions that we want the answers to.” Brylon fitted her with an ear piece as Zeb joined them in the hall, “Remember that we are out here if you need us. Are you ready?”

She nodded to the men and said, “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” She planted a lingering kiss on Ceran’s cheek, squeezed his hand just before she went to enter the room. Taking a deep breath, she punched in the code and the door buzzed and clicked unlocked. She put her hand on the door, swinging it open and walking in as the door shut behind her and the lock reengaged. She gave a quick glance in the direction of the mirror that concealed the three Theron warriors watching them before settling into her routine. “Good morning Lars, how are you feeling today?” she asked as she looked over the electronic chart reading over the notes left by the nurses’ station during the evening shift.

“Like shit! What do you think?” he glared at her with a look of disdain. “Are you one of those earth women?”

“You must not remember much from yesterday. I am Dr. Laura Mason. Yes, I was taken from the planet Earth. Look Lars, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Not one Theron doctor will see you because they all want you dead. I am the only person on this planet who is willing to help you. I saw to your care and set your leg myself yesterday. It wasn’t pretty and you should be glad you were asleep. Now, if there’s anything you want to say, the only person who will listen to you is me. What is it going to be?” she said in her sternest doctor voice that she reserved only for noncompliant patients. Making her way to the cabinet, she grabbed an amber vial of pain relieving medicine and pulled a large amount into the syringe. She could assume from the color of his aura erupting in waves concentrated just above the break in his leg that he was in an enormous amount of pain. Because he could hardly move or adjust his position to make himself more comfortable, being restrained to the bed was not helping his condition at all.

“You set my leg?” he asked with a grunt. A look of disbelief crossed his face as if he were questioning just how it was possible for this tiny little woman to set his broken leg. “How did you do it?”

How could she possibly explain this to someone like him? She shook her head to focus on her patient, not her conflicting feelings of hatred. “I sedated you heavily. Then laid down on your bed with your leg over my chest and put my foot in your crotch moving aside the parts that got in the way. I pulled your leg with all the strength I could muster. I will definitely say it wasn’t my finest hour, but once I heard the pop of the bone fitting itself back into place it was downhill from there. I had to do set it by myself so I had to figure out a way I could physically manage it. Once the bone was set, I injected some of that magic healing medicine you guys have on this planet into several areas of your upper thigh muscle. Let’s just say, I wasn’t too gentle about it. Dr. Zane said that the brace you are wearing will help to keep it immobilized for a day or two and that your leg should heal quickly once set.” Lars looked impressed.

“I need to see Commander Zeb immediately. I have important information for him. Can you arrange for him to come meet me?” He grimaced as he spoke.

The voice in her earpiece started to come to life and she repeated what they said to her verbatim. “I do not have the authority to call Commander Zeb. I would have to get permission to do that. In order to get approval, you will have to give me some information they would deem worthy of his time.” She looked at his facial expressions and if she cared even a tiny bit about what he was feeling she would have offered him some pain medicine at that moment, “Are you feeling pain? I can give you something for that if you wish when I am done speaking with you, of course.” She took the syringe out of her pocket eyed it playfully to let him know that she had something of value then put it back into her pocket with a cold stare in his direction.

“I could really use something for the pain. My leg is killing me,” he said as he watched her reach into her uniform coat pocket. This time she plucked the side of the syringe to remove the tiny air bubbles. Once they all accumulated at the top, she pressed down on the plunger and a bit of the excess medicine shot out. Skillfully recapping the needle she put it back into her pocket and tapped the fabric of her coat dramatically adding, “If you want this pain medicine you will cooperate with me.”