Deceit: BBW Alien Lottery Romance (Chosen by the Karal Book 1) by Harmony Raines Page B

were grounded in the present.
    “Marin.” A man stepped forward; he was dressed in the same uniform as the guards outside, with only a splash of red across his chest.
    “Hier Commander,” Marin answered, bowing his head.
    “You have brought the female. Why?” He looked at Elissa as if she was a common whore. As, perhaps, she was to them. But she knew she was more.
    “She has shared much of her home world traditions with me. And we have travelled to the place where the children are born. It is old, built for females who were frightened of us. I have come to ask if Elissa may remain with me.”
    “It is not our tradition.” Another man, dressed in plain clothes but with the air of a king came forward; this, Elissa knew, was their Hier Ruler.
    “It is not our tradition to help the planets we farm,” Marin pointed out. Elissa winced at this word, something that did not go unnoticed, although no colours burst forth across the skin of any of the men. Even Marin had his emotions under control when he continued, “But you have chosen to become more than your father and do things differently.”
    “What gain is there? Allowing a female to stay with you? Especially one so dangerous.” The Hierarchy looked at her, his hands twitching at his sides. He longed to touch her, to read her emotions through her skin.
    “Elissa has admitted everything. She has given these to me. They were planted in her luggage.” He showed the Hier Commander the wash bag. “They can be assembled to make a bomb.”
    The Hier Ruler looked down at her hands. “The skin, it is new? It is part of us.”
    “Yes. She burned them and I had the decon' repair them.”
    The Hier Ruler held out his hands. “Show me.”
    Scared, Elissa looked at Marin for support, he simply nodded. She had no choice but to put her hands into this imposing stranger’s. As she did, he clamped his fingers around her hands, cruelly; she tried to pull back, but she was held firm.
    His hands flashed colours, they spread through her skin, hurting at first, she was glad the new skin didn’t cover her whole body because it felt as though her skin was no longer her own. She wanted to claw it from her body and strip it from her flesh. A sob escaped her. She hated how powerless she felt in his hands.
    And then he released her. “For now, you can stay. When the others come, I may change my mind. I am not convinced that having hundreds and thousands of women running around is the best thing for our planet. But enjoy your time together for now. Marin, you are to learn all you can about this race.”
    “One more thing,” Elissa asked. The Hier Ruler turned to look at her with disdain. She didn’t wait for him to answer, she just plowed on. “I think it might be valuable to your research if I helped in the lab here.”
    “You are a woman,” the Hier Ruler hissed.
    “An educated woman. I specialise in the environment. Please, let me help you to save my people.”
    “This is why women live in the breeding house,” he said forcefully.
    Elissa cursed herself for not knowing when to quit. She should have taken the crumb of hope he had given her instead of holding out for the whole loaf. At her side, Marin moved towards her. She knew she was going to get him into trouble. Or worse, lose him and never see him again. If she had been in this situation yesterday, she wouldn’t have cared. Now, he was the most important thing in her life. Him and the child she carried. A child whose future she wanted to be a part of.
    “I apologise,” she said, and turned to leave. Marin stood still, reaching his hand out to hers, making her stand still.
    “Wait,” he said quietly. The touch of his skin on her hands telling her they needed to be respectful.
    Elissa turned back to stand by Marin’s side, their fingers entwined. He sent soothing emotions to her, trying to keep her calm, although she could sense his own unease. Elissa tried to tell him she was sorry, his fingers tightened around hers,