Sergey: Love Me Harder by Serena Simpson Page B

walked off. Everyone followed, except Sergey.
    “We never say the name of the planet we were created on. We were conditioned to resort to a specific type of behavior once we say the planet’s name. We believe this was to make sure we never left. Each of us has gone through a rigorous deconditioning process, but we won’t risk ourselves or our brothers by doing something that makes no sense. I can show you our galaxy if you need to see it.”
    “I want to understand more about you. What exactly does it mean to bite me? Why were you created? How did you come here? You want me to commit to you, but I know so little.”
    Sergey sat, indicating the seat next to him. “We were created to fight a war. The people of our planet used to be warriors. They fought anything that moved, including each other. Over a millennia or more, they conquered every planet around them and moved into a peaceful time. They became heavily interested in the sciences and gradually gave up their warring ways. Over those years they became more interested in what they could accomplished with their minds. Slowly their bodies began to diminish until finally the race of warriors became a race of thinkers. Eventually, the other planets wanted the inventions they had come up with and began to attack. They were unable to successfully protect themselves for long. After trying many methods of self-defense, they came up with the idea to create us. They failed many times before they developed the right formula. I stand before you because they were unable to defend themselves.”
    Lorali reached out and touched him, feeling his emotions rolling through her.
    “I talked to your other side. The other you.”
    “Why do you not call him an animal?”
    “Because he isn’t. He’s sentient. Sorry, but that surprised me. I don’t know what I expected. I could see him looking at me through your eyes and I realized I was so human. It was hard for me to believe that something not like me could be something other than an animal.” Her confession was whispered with a hint of shame.
    “Thank you. We thank you. My brothers and I come from the same female. I believe all created come from one female. It is the male donor that changes. Each group of six was given a specific group of male donors. This allows our talents to be similar without being a carbon copy of each other.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “Nicolas feels that the male donors DNA was sliced and then other male DNA was added to it. Each time it was done, the DNA that was added may have been slightly different or in different concentrations. So the corresponding created came out different each time.”
    “How could the officials, the people in charge, let this happen?”
    “How could the military you gave years to, let you become a product of an experiment?”
    People looked the other way, she acknowledged. It was easier to pretend they didn’t see what was happening. To see meant to acknowledge. To acknowledge meant to make a decision to either do something or walk away.
    “Tell me about the bite.”
    “When I bite you, we’ll become one. DNA will be exchanged that will allow you to connect with me mentally. If you allow Aran to exchange DNA with you, then you’ll be able to connect with the rest of the family mentally.”
    “Why Aran, not you?”
    “It is how we’re programmed. Some sequences were programmed into our DNA. One of them was birth order. On our planet, many things are related to birth order. I was the second born, which makes me the second in command. If I were to die, Niko would move up and take my place.”
    “How does that work now that you’re on a different planet?”
    “It doesn’t. The things we have no control over, like when we meet our mates, doesn’t seem to care what order we were born in. Other internal functions are still in working order. Aran is in charge and we follow him, unless he no longer has our best interest at heart. That won’t change. I have a feeling