Torkel's Chosen (4 page)

Chapter 5

Faye stayed
exactly where Torkel left her as the men gathered around her. They stared as if
they’d never seen a woman before. Most of them were blond and blue eyed though
there were a few like Arak and Torkel who had shades of brown hair. If she
didn’t know better, Faye would have assumed they were humans.

Jaron pointed to a
long sectional that curved on the ends. The odd furniture had a high back and
was low to the floor. “You should rest.”

The statement was
more a command that usually she would have protested against but Faye
gratefully sat on the edge. The man with the scar, Kyele, took the seat across
from her.

“Tell us of
Earth,” he demanded. “You’re our first human.”

Faye leaned far
back in her seat and tucked her feet to the side. “Most of you look human to
me.”

Arak grimaced.
“Why would you leave your home to claim men who look the same?”

“What?” She
glanced around at their avid stares.

More of the group prowled
closer and a few joined her on the sofa. It reminded her of being surrounded by
predators.

One of the red
uniformed-clad men eyed her from head to toe before explaining Arak’s remark. “I’m
Geile, Gregir is my brother. Women who are in the SP are looking for the
exotic. Something different from what they have at home.”

Heads nodded in
agreement.

Faye hadn’t
thought of that. “Well. I guess I’m okay with exotic but I applied to the
program because of the shortage of men on my planet.”

“Why is there a
shortage?” Gregir challenged from behind her and leaned over the back of the
sofa invading her personal space.

Faye cringed and
shoved her hands between her legs to still the shaking. “After an epidemic
virus struck mainly the men of my race, women outnumbered men ten to one and in
some cases twenty to one. It’s been years since a woman’s had the opportunity
to choose a partner freely. Most accept the sex without commitment that men are
demanding.”

Geile winced. “A
disgrace.”

His brother Gregir
agreed.

“Do other Earth
women look like you?” Kyele asked. She couldn’t help but take note of his
pretty green eyes.

Faye thought about
his question. “Well they have the same body parts if that’s what you mean.”

Jaron snorted. “We
know that. There have been Earth women who came through the presentation but we
haven’t seen any in person. Do they come in different colors and shapes like
the rumors claim?” He swiveled his hands in the air and Faye laughed out loud.
Men were the same everywhere.

“Earth women,
depending on their country of origin, come in varying skin tones. Hair and eyes
are interchangeable.”

They looked amazed
by this. Even Kyele straightened. His scar stretched across his face when he
frowned, turning otherwise attractive features into scary. Faye massaged her
throat and wondered how much longer Torkel would be. Not that the men’s
presence frightened her but she wasn’t sure what was expected of her.

“Would you like
something to drink?” Jaron asked peering over the sofa.

Her parched throat
craved something wet. “Yes, please.”

He hurried to the
task and handed her an odd shaped mug with a pink frothy liquid. Faye hummed
after the first sip. Delicious with a sweet taste. She relaxed back against the
sofa and jumped in feet first. These were friends of Torkel. She wanted them to
like her. “Tell me about yourselves.”

As they each took
turns speaking, she finished her drink and asked for another. She wasn’t
concerned at all when the room tilted slightly.

***

As soon as he
entered his quarters, Torkel kicked out at the interior wall of his living
space with his foot. The material gave and cracks webbed out from the caved in
center. His actions did nothing to relieve him. He raked his hands through his
hair and stormed into his bedchamber. Of all the luck. The first and only time
a female chose him and another challenged the call.

To think others
viewed him as unfit and unworthy for a Chosen. He’d seen the expressions on the
faces of the crowd. Disappointment and anger. For what? Because a beautiful
woman wanted him. Him, Torkel the unwanted.

If not for the
fairness of the Commission he could have been disqualified by Axan’s words.
Instead, the news would be all over the city about today’s events at the arena.
Torkel yanked open his dresser and pulled out pants and a shirt. He almost
ripped the
loitte
from his hips but remembered the pleasure on his
maman’s face when he wore it.

 She’d personally
selected the black leather and lovingly sewn on the side clasps. Each hook was
made of
siil
and was costly to purchase. That she lined his
loitte
with the expensive metal showed her love for her son. Torkel couldn’t destroy
the garment.

With great care,
he removed it and placed it on his bed. Torkel managed to get dressed without
doing more damage as rage filled him. His thoughts turned to his Chosen. Faye
Reid might want another after the presentation ceremony. He’d allowed a male to
injure her when his role declared him her protector. Indecision had caused him
to hesitate when he should have responded immediately to her cry for help.

She was almost a
foot shorter than him, her body proportioned in slopes and valleys. Thankfully,
her figure wasn’t thin like the Enotians or he’d worry about breaking her the
first time they sex shared. Her tanned skin and dark coloring brought to mind
an exotic treasure. A woman like that could have any man she wanted.

Torkel wondered if
she regretted her choice despite her words in the elevator. He’d tried to steel
himself against her for worry she might in fact change her mind.

The Commission
gave Chosen an entire day in the company of the man they selected. If unhappy, Faye
could request a severance of their union. He ran a hand down his weary face. Torkel
would prefer to have been a loner for the rest of his life than suffer a
severance from a Chosen.

His communicator
buzzed as he was leaving his room. Torkel hesitated but had an idea who was
calling and he could not ignore it.

He flicked the
flashing blue light on the device, keeping it to audio only. “Torkel.”

“Son, Merlyn
called me. Do you need papan and I to come over?”

That was the last
thing he needed. “Not this evening, maman.”

“I’m so happy for
you. I knew this was your year. Didn’t I tell you?”

Torkel grinned in
spite of his annoyance as she babbled. It was hard to remain unaffected with
the woman who raised him. “Yes, maman.”

“And she’s from
Earth! I bet you’ll have beautiful babies and she’ll love you so much. You know
my friend says she knows someone who knows someone with a woman from Earth and
their loyalty is worth mentioning.”

If he let her go
on she’d talk all night. “I only have a minute. I’m waiting for a doctor to see
to her injuries.”

“Injuries!” she
yelled.

Torkel winced. “Be
calm, maman. There is minor bruising on her arms.”

“From that
targot
,
Axan. I heard all about it. No one can talk of anything else.”

Torkel’s mother
had never used profanity to his knowledge and the one she spoke was pretty
rough. “I’m sorry you had to hear from others. I would have called later.”

“I know, Torkel.
How soon can we meet our new daughter?”

He wasn’t sure
Faye would want to stay with him. Torkel refused to get his maman upset by
telling her this. “I’ll see how Faye feels later.”

“Faye,” she
breathed. “How pretty.”

Torkel chuckled.
“I’m leaving now less she think I abandoned her to the guys.”

“Oh, do make sure
they’re gentlemen to her.”

“Yes, maman.”

“Bye.”

He ended the call
and hurried back to the recreation room where his Jutak unit waited. When he
arrived, Faye sat on a sofa one arm extended while the doctor kneeled on the
floor and used his neutralizer scanner. His men had gathered around to listen
as she talked.

“Then the jerk
implied Torkel cheated. The Commission people wanted to go over it again, Axan
lost his mind and grabbed me.”

Jaron leaned
against the back of the sofa. “She ran toward our unit leader and made it clear
he was her Chosen.”

His men cheered.
This in turn caused Faye to duck her head. Torkel approached and Gregir and
Geile let him through. Torkel sat next to his Chosen while the doctor finished.

“I’m done, Torkel.
The bruises are healed but the arm may be sore another day or two.” Dr. Maku
declared.

“All better.” Faye
shoved her arm under his nose and something wet splashed his pants. Torkel
caught the cup she’d almost dropped and sniffed the contents.
Soku
.

Faye climbed
across the space separating them and sat cross ways on his lap. “I’m so glad I
chose you.”

“I’m glad you
chose me as well.” Were her eyes brighter?

“Your friends were
very nice to me,” she declared then clutched his shoulders when she swayed.

Torkel frowned.
She hadn’t appeared this uncoordinated at the arena. “Faye, are you alright?”

Her nose
scrunched. ‘I’m not sure what they gave me to drink but I might…” She pinched
her fingers together in front of his face. “I might be a little drunk.” Then
she smiled but unlike the smile she graced him with during the choosing, this
one was lopsided as if her mouth wasn’t fully engaged.

Her words pierced
the fog of his brain. Drunk? Soku wasn’t an alcoholic beverage; it was a
stimulant for tired warriors. “Who gave my Chosen Soku?”

Suddenly the men
in the room busied themselves and scattered. Only Arak hesitated. He was always
the easiest, because he felt guilty when he lied.

“Arak?”

His brown haired
team mate pointed out Jaron. “She expressed a desire to drink and Jaron thought
Soku would boost her energy.”

Jaron flushed and
shoved his hands in his uniform pocket.

“I like Soku,”
Faye murmured and nibbled on his chin.

Torkel leaned back
against the sofa but she followed the move and pressed kisses down his throat.

Her breasts flattened
against his chest and forced her bottom into closer contact with his groin. He
hardened instantly.

“Faye, perhaps we
should talk.” Would she want to stay with him? There were also things he needed
to tell her about his job. If she stayed his Chosen, Torkel wanted to know what
she needed to ensure her happiness. He didn’t know anyone with an Earth female
and wasn’t sure if they required special care.

She was smaller
than the females he was used to. He’d always selected much larger females since
Enotian women with their delicate beauty made it clear from the beginning they
found him wanting. Her frame was lush and her ample curves filled his palms as
he tried to still her flexing hips.

“I don’t want to
talk. You’re my husband now and we can have sex. Make babies.”

Torkel choked and
gripped her hips tighter. Some of his men chuckled outright.

Dr. Maku came back
over and sat on the sofa. “Hold her steady, Torkel.”

Had he damaged her
already? Torkel cupped Faye’s face. Her pupils dilated. “The doctor wants to
check you out further.”

She moaned and
thrust her hips on his lap. Torkel groaned and released her face to grab her
waist.

“I want to check
you
out further, Torkel.” She kissed him full on the mouth, her tongue working
along his as soon as his lips parted. She tasted like a gift from the gods. His
hands caressed her waist as they glided up her torso. He wished she didn’t have
on the thick dress of a Chosen. He desired to feel her skin under his hands.

The doctor cleared
his throat. “Only a moment Torkel and I believe the two of you can excuse
yourselves.”

Torkel froze and
broke the kiss. Faye’s eyes were closed, her lips wet from his mouth. Her
lashes fluttered and her brown eyes opened. “Torkel, I feel funny.”

He brushed the
hair back from her head. “Dr. Maku wants to check you out.”

Faye blinked and shifted
on his lap. She bumped his erection and Torkel flinched. His hands lifted her
to sit on the cushion between him and the doctor. Maku flashed a red beam into
her eyes. Torkel held her when she would have jumped away.

He sensed his men
closing in around them. The air vibrated with tension. What if the soku had a
negative effect?

“How do you feel,
Faye?” Maku asked.

“Horny.” She
pushed the doctor’s hand with the light away from her face and turned toward Torkel.
“Super horny.”

Torkel rubbed her
back, hoping to ease her ache. “I don’t know horny. Does it hurt?” If Axan had
done more than bruise her arms, he would kill the targot.

Faye reached out
and rubbed his groin in front of his men and the doctor. Torkel half leaped
from the sofa.

“Horny,” she repeated
crawling over him. “Aroused. Turned on.”

He understood
those phrases. She didn’t release her hold on his throbbing length. His hips
pumped up and he groaned as she stroked.

Dr. Maku stood up
quickly. “I believe we can conclude Soku acts as an aphrodisiac in human
females.”

Torkel froze.
“What?! What should I do?”

Dr. Maku had been the
medical professional assigned to his unit for a long time. He raised a blond
brow, a half grin playing about his mouth. “Torkel, if I have to tell you what
to do with your Chosen I’m going to call your parents and question why they
never spoke with you in your youth.”

Torkel’s cheeks
heated.

“Now I suggest you
take her to the privacy of your rooms and deal with the effects of the Soku.”

He began gathering
his tools and stuffed them in his leather case. That was it? What kind of
doctor just left a patient?