Sheala by Judy Mays

before him, the stranger shut the door and quickly jumped into the driver’s side. In a few minutes, he had disappeared in the steady stream of traffic.

    * * * * *
As Marljas grinned and laid down the winning hand in the card game he was playing with Brianna, Char and Ban, the door to the study burst open. Jami and her sister stomped into the room and dropped their packages on the floor. “Is Sheala here? It’s not very funny of her to leave us waiting for her downtown.”
    Marljas froze. Sheala was missing? Where was she?
    “A package from one of the infant shops was delivered about an hour ago, but we haven’t seen her,”
    Sheala’s mother answered from across the room where she sat with Jenneta. “It’s not like Shea to just leave you. I know she’s got a playful streak, but she never purposefully causes undue worry. When did you last see her?”
    “It has been over three hours, Alalakan dem al’ Xdana,” Feni answered from where she stood by the door.
    Xdana turned to her mother-in-law. “Where do you think she could be?”
    Jenneta shook her head. “I don’t know. She said she was going shopping with Jami and Vani.”
    Marljas glanced around the room. Worried looks had appeared on everyone’s face, except Ban’s. The promise of death for someone swam in his eyes.
    Marljas blinked and Ban looked as he always had—only just worried.
    Marljas blinked again. He must have been seeing things.
    Pushing his chair away from the table, Ban sauntered towards the Aradab woman in the doorway. “You all know what Sheala’s like. She gets interested in something and loses track of time.”
    Marljas stared at Ban. His voice was calm and reassuring but something about the way he held his body…
    Trepidation began to roll in Marljas’ stomach.
    “Are people kidnapped on your planet?” Brianna interjected in a worried tone.
    Marljas jerked his attention away from Ban and concentrated on Brianna. Kidnapped? Who would kidnap Sheala? Why?
    Char said only one word. “Bakom.”
    Xdana’s scream drew everyone’s attention from the vicious snarl that erupted from Marljas’ throat as he tore the arm from his chair.

    * * * * *
Eliana stared as her boss led her into the laboratory which was filled with various pieces of equipment resting on both the floor and tables scattered about the room. Until this day, she had been unaware that this place existed. Very quickly, she noticed the eight large cages against the back wall. Only two of them were occupied, one with an unconscious Drakian woman, the other with a Gattan female obviously in thrall to the drug mithrin. Both women were nude.
    Bakom stopped before the Gattan woman’s cage. “Interesting specimen,” he said as he unfastened Eliana’s shirt and absentmindedly stroked her bare breast.
    Eliana hid her grimace.
    “We’ve discovered that the Gattan can become addicted to mithrin,” he continued. “Once addicted, they are subject to very painful withdrawal symptoms if the drug is not administered on a regular basis.
    According to her chart, she received her last injection two hours ago. From ongoing observations, we’ve learned that she’ll be sexually insatiable for two more hours. Then, as the drug begins to wear off, she will regain control of her body. For approximately two hours, she will be as sane and levelheaded as you and I. Then her body will begin to demand the drug until she is mindless with pain. Only another injection will relieve her.”
    Biting the inside of her cheek, Eliana nodded. She’d become very adept at hiding her disgust. “Very thorough, Doctor. You must let me see the notes.”
    Bakom’s breathing became harsher and his tail began to jerk as he watched the Gattan’s writhing body.
    “She’s quite safe now, my dear. She craves sexual satisfaction and is very receptive to anyone who cares to mount her. Odam has enjoyed her body quite often. Of course, we had to remove her claws. They made her too dangerous.” He cupped