Chapter Eleven

MAIA FELT A WAVE of relief as soon as the door to the captain's quarters closed behind them. Even though it was technically her prison, she felt safer inside the barracks than out among the soldiers.

"Here, give me your wrists," Taylor said once they were alone. Maia offered them, staring down at Taylor's hands as she undid the cuffs. The human’s hands were less elegant than she had expected, calloused and scarred in a few places with uneven white marks, and of course there was no webbing. A question rose in her mind before she could stifle it. How would those hands feel on her skin?

"Are you okay?" Taylor asked, and Maia forced herself to look up into the human’s face. She was a little surprised that Taylor seemed able to read her emotions. Based on her experience with the humans so far, most of them thought that ikthians were little more than animals. Even a few of Taylor’s comments had been hurtful.

"I am all right," Maia murmured dismissively. She didn’t like the involuntary reaction her body had to Taylor’s presence. The more time she spent around Taylor, the more confused she felt. She should have been worrying about being a prisoner of war, about the Dominion's attempts to find and kill her, but instead, she found herself wondering what Taylor thought of her. It was disconcerting to say the least.

Apparently taking Maia at her word, Taylor shrugged and headed for the washroom, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Not sure what else to do, Maia sat on the couch, trying to process the uncomfortable realization that Taylor's departure had lowered her mood, even though she had only gone into the next room.

She’s your only company. Of course you have grown attached. The lone thought flickered through her mind, though Maia knew she was just trying to rationalize away her feelings. That was something her colleagues had always criticized her for. There had to be a rationalization for everything.

"And why shouldn’t there be?" she had always replied. "This galaxy has yet to prove that things simply ‘happen’. There is always an order to be distilled from the chaos." The basis of Maia’s research had been on this slightly paranoid belief, and in the end, she had been right. Even now in Taylor's company, she could only find more evidence mounting to support her argument. It didn’t take a geneticist to observe the similarities between their species, but it had taken Maia’s research to prove it meant something.

However, her interest in Taylor extended beyond scientific curiosity. The way her blood rushed every time the human touched her was a clear indication. Maia wondered for a moment if this was her own doing. Perhaps if she had taken the time to gain more romantic and sexual experience instead of burying herself in her work, she would have been able to handle this situation better.

Ikthians almost never had sex with aliens, despite what the rumors on Earth apparently claimed. Some of the protectorate nations were more accepting of the practice than others, but it was considered foolish and demeaning to pursue romantic endeavors with other species. Her people firmly believed that they were the pinnacle of evolved life, predestined to surpass all other races, and the theory dissolved quickly if ikthians started mating and raising families with other species, even if they were of equal intelligence and capability, as Maia’s research had indicated.

The humans were quickly proving themselves to her. Taylor, at least, was perfectly capable of the same wide range of emotions that her species felt, and showed a level of intelligence equal to most ikthians. She also had a certain surety and bluntness to her that Maia found somewhat annoying, and, she had to admit, attractive in an irritating sort of way.

The sound of the door opening gave Maia a few moments of warning before Taylor's return, but it wasn’t enough time to try and will away the hot blush staining her cheeks. It didn’t help that Taylor had decided to emerge wearing less clothes than she had left with. Her uniform was gone, stripped away to reveal a plain white compression shirt and a loose pair of undergarments that cut off at mid-thigh. There was a strip of olive skin between them, positioned at exactly the right height to highlight Taylor's navel and the line that bisected her abdominal muscles.

"I’m going to work on some things," Taylor said, walking right past Maia. She watched the human move, aware of how the water droplets rolled over the curve of her muscular arms. Taylor slumped into a desk chair and pulled herself up to the wooden tabletop. Maia was surprised to find that she enjoyed watching Taylor's hands activate the graphic interface. For some reason, the deft movements of her fingers were a point of interest. Maia shook her head and stood up, deciding to follow Taylor’s example and head for the shower. Her skin was feeling dry anyway.

"I will be in the washroom," she said. Taylor barely nodded as she kept working. As far as guarding her went, the human was fairly lax in her duties, but she had probably assessed Maia to be low risk. Maia had already considered searching for a weapon in the apartment, but aside from Taylor’s gun, which she always kept close, there was nothing for her to use. The apartment had been combed over quite thoroughly before she had arrived.

Maia stepped into the steam-filled room and breathed deeply, the moisture immediately soothing the aches in her body. Earth was far too dry for her liking, she had decided, but this room provided some relief when she needed it. She shut the door and stripped down, turning on the flow of water before stepping into the shower. At least humans had these devices, but more than anything, she wanted a proper body of water to go swimming in. She knew Earth had oceans, rivers, and lakes, but she doubted the humans would let her near one just because she felt a little homesick. For now, the water cascading over her body was more than enough to sate her.

Maia ran her hands over her parched skin, enjoying the steam as it caressed her arms and legs. She found herself remembering the way Taylor’s hands had looked. The sure, steady movements. The small scars. The large palms. Maia reached up to touch her own shoulder, remembering the way Taylor had gripped it with a reserved sort of strength while the camera recorded them.

It took Maia a moment to realize that her other hand had started to wander, tracing patterns over her stomach and drifting undeniably lower. She leaned back, bracing herself against the side of the shower and enjoying the cool, firm wall against her flesh. It was a strangely pleasant contrast to the warm droplets trailing down her limbs.

She debated with herself for a little while, letting her fingertips hover just below her navel. Why was she suddenly thrumming with energy? Why was her skin so exquisitely sensitive? They were not new feelings. Despite her inexperience, Maia was somewhat familiar with physical desire and how her body worked. But why was this happening now? She was a prisoner, and although she had escaped from the seekers and the Dominion, her life was still in danger.

Perhaps, Maia thought, I am mistaken. The hand that had hesitated on her lower abdomen began moving again, sliding downwards to cup between her legs. Her breath hitched when her fingers met wetness and welcoming heat. No, not mistaken. Before she could talk herself out of it, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, tracing her outer lips until they began blossoming apart. The steady, insistent throb that had started low in her stomach began spreading downward to meet her fingertips.

"What am I doing?" she murmured, so softly that she could barely hear herself over the hiss of the shower. But then Maia found the tight ridge just above her entrance and began circling, flicking over the sensitive tip. Suddenly, she didn’t care. Not about what was causing her strange spike in desire, or her current situation. At least for the moment, none of it mattered.

As her hand moved faster, she tried to conjure up a face from her memory, someone suitable to think about. One of her old schoolmates, although they had long since drifted apart. The particularly attractive professor she had studied with for two semesters, back before she had started working for the University. And, finally, someone completely imaginary, a face with dark eyes, a strong chin, and a shock of dark hair. Wait, hair? Maia was so startled by where her mind had wandered that she almost stopped the motion of her hand.

Her heart thumped crazily against the cage of her ribs, and her fingers slipped. No. This was wrong. Taylor was an alien, not to mention her guard. The human might have inadvertently saved her life, but she had still taken Maia captive.

It was just the stress of her situation, Maia decided. She closed her eyes again and allowed her fingers to press firmly against the swollen bundle of nerves. A shudder ran through her body, and she bit her lip. Yes, she needed this to take the edge off her stress. That was all. The human’s figure just happened to be a sexually pleasing one. Lust and proper emotional desire were two very different realities, and Maia trusted that her attraction to Taylor would remain safely within the realm of lust.

She groaned, giving in to temptation and slipping two fingers inside herself. Perhaps if the humans and ikthians had found peace instead, she would have come to Earth on a scientific study. They would have made Taylor her escort in between lectures, and sometime during her busy schedule…

Maia could picture it vividly. Taylor would pin her against the shower wall, hands gliding down from her shoulders to cup her breasts. She swallowed a moan as she rocked forward on her own fingers. Taylor would part her legs and slip two fingers inside her just like this, taking her with frenzied passion.

The thought alone, so utterly forbidden and impossible, was enough to bring her release crashing down on her sooner than she expected. Maia gasped as her inner walls fluttered around her fingers, and she rocked into the heel of her palm, desperately trying to relieve the pressure.

As her contractions faded, so did the pleasure. Her clouded mind returned to Earth, in this steamy shower, where she stood alone. She shook her head. "What is wrong with me?" she whispered. Maia had never fantasized so intensely about someone before, especially not an alien she knew next to nothing about. If she took the time to learn about Taylor, surely her stress-induced infatuation would vanish.

Maia removed her fingers and resumed washing. A friend of hers had once said that relationships ended when both parties realized neither would live up to the other’s expectations. The same would hold true for her infatuation with Taylor. She was Maia’s guard, and the largest obstacle between her and freedom. Taylor would never sympathize with her, and she would certainly never help her escape the base. That alone would put enough distance between them.

Maia shut off the water. She still felt tightness deep within her chest every time she breathed. She wanted to know more about Taylor, as disappointing as the outcome would inevitably be.