The Iriduan’s Mate by Susan Trombley

Nine

The memory of Molly’s touch warmed Shulgi’s skin as he rushed back to the dreg while attempting to keep to a pace that didn’t look like he was fleeing the under-tier docks like a coward. Even though a part of him did feel cowardly for not taking what they both obviously wanted.

He avoided the cargo elevator directly to the dreg, choosing instead to take one of the public column elevators, though they were packed full regardless of what time it was. The crush of sentient life, all of them potentially dangerous, helped to distract him from an arousal that would be all too obvious to the Iriduan security guards and would raise many questions he wasn’t prepared to answer.

The dreg was intended for unmated males. Occasionally, unwillingly mated males could go there to die of deprivation in some comfort, but the presence of mated Iriduans was generally heavily discouraged since their loyalties were always in question. Shulgi understood the caution well. It was almost always a mated male who betrayed the unmated males at the request of his queen. Ma’Nah generally snuck their patients in as deprived males on the brink of death, which sadly, most of them were.

If the Iriduan guards of the dreg were to see that he was aroused, they would either think he was using stimulants outside of an approved facility—in which case, he wouldn’t be allowed back into the dreg until he proved he was unmated, and that could be an uncomfortable experience—or they would assume he was mated and served the whims of some female—in which case, they’d kill him.

It would be his preference to let all the Iriduan males in the dreg know that there was a cure for imprinting, but not all the males—especially the criminals in the dreg—had the best interests of the Iriduan people in mind. They wouldn’t all welcome that news with relief and happiness. He also wished he could set up his clinic somewhere that would be more easily accessible for afflicted males, but any clinic run by legal citizens of the empire was a risk, because the empire itself didn’t necessarily wish to free its citizens completely of the affliction—not when it was so useful to their power and control over the population. They would only free those who were in power, allowing only the elites to breathe free and easy and never fear being fully under the influence of another.

Establishing a clinic in Syndicate space not overseen by the empire ran the risk of exposing the existence of the cure to the enemies of the Iriduans, who would be highly motivated to destroy it, since the Iriduan species would grow stronger without that affliction hanging over them.

Thus, he was forced to a place like Za’Kluth, living within a dreg that was hostile towards mated males unless they were in the state of deprivation that made it clear they hadn’t been in contact with their female for a while.

Up until now, that hadn’t been a problem, but Molly had an effect on him that he’d never experienced before while not imprinted. Even his arousal around Ninhursag had come with a tinge of resentment, though his mind had been almost completely enslaved by her in the end, taking an enormous effort for him to betray her the way he had.

The crowd of non-Iriduan bodies packed the elevator and he was grateful for the filtering properties of his breather mask since it made him unable to smell the stench of their many differing and often clashing pheromones. He wasn’t the only one who chose to cover his face to avoid that suffocating smell, but fortunately, there were no Iriduans about until he neared his own tier, as most of the citizens of the dreg avoided the lower tiers, choosing to instead conduct their business up the column, rather than downwards.

Most of the passengers on the elevator stood as still as possible, all of them aware that such a small space was no place for unanticipated aggression caused by limbs or bodies bumping in ways that inspired ire. Again, he noted that the criminal citizens of Za’Kluth were often better behaved and more polite than those found in Syndicate space. Perhaps because there was nothing to stop a fight from devolving into a full-on slaughter until it started to affect the bottom line of the city bosses and they sent in their own armies.

Still, the prospect of danger kept him focused on his surroundings, allowing him to push aside his arousal until the evidence of it was no longer obvious. The fact that he wanted more than anything to remain on the elevator and select the under-tier to return to Molly when the other occupants cleared off it made it difficult for him to continue to his tier.

He couldn’t afford to let his mind linger over the memory of her touching his bare skin, because he’d end up right back in the unfortunate condition that forced him to take the long way back to the dreg. Instead, he pushed aside his desire for her and concentrated on the terms of their contract—and the mystery of Sha Zaska.

The gang boss had a fearsome, terrible, and monstrous reputation, even for Za’Kluth. There was no atrocity he wasn’t accused of committing, and there had been plenty of evidence to show that those accusations weren’t idle rumors. Shulgi had no doubt that the cli ku ships had been acquired in a less than acceptable manner, though he also believed Molly when she said they were now legally registered to Sha Zaska and wouldn’t cause any issues for Ma’Nah. After all, one thing Sha Zaska hadn’t been accused of was being stupid. He wouldn’t make the offer of their use if he couldn’t guarantee it would benefit both him and Ma’Nah.

Despite the horror that Zaska caused in even hardened criminals, Molly seemed less frightened by him than Shulgi would expect. Once she’d dropped the excessively servile demeanor, he began to suspect that perhaps she was even comfortable in her role as Zaska’s mouthpiece. Given the monstrous things Zaska no doubt did to the slaves he didn’t eat, that seemed odd to Shulgi. It was possible that Molly had simply acclimated to a life of misery, as some people managed to do, accepting their existence and making the most of it.

He didn’t believe that, though. She didn’t seem like the type to be content just existing at the very fringe of misery. She still had enough will to seek her own pleasure if her words could be believed. He wondered whether Zaska would approve of Molly’s plan to seduce Shulgi, and that made him wonder just how possessive Zaska was of his dyed flowers. Shulgi knew that the gang boss did occasionally reward clients with them, so the vile creature could not be as jealous of them as some males might be, but that didn’t mean he would share them idly, nor did it mean he’d ever allow them to act upon their own desires.

Molly could have been taking a risk by asking him to join her for a meal with the intent to seduce him. Or she could have been following through on what was Zaska’s plan all along, as Shulgi hadn’t yet agreed to the terms of the contract. Perhaps she would have asked him to seal the deal halfway through their intimate encounter, or maybe when he was on the verge of climaxing. He had no idea how these kinds of arrangements worked, but he knew that he didn’t want to do such a thing simply because her boss wanted his business.

The fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about her words, and her touch, made him question his own honor. No matter whether she wanted him or not, she wasn’t free to make her own choices. He would be wrong to take advantage of her.

At the same time, he believed that she meant it when she’d said she wanted to spend more time with him, and that she wanted to take pleasure in that time. She’d sounded so sincere, her gaze direct, not a single hint of her previous servile demeanor in her posture or tone.

Perhaps he was only trying to convince himself that it would be okay, just this one time, to turn his back on the values he’d tried to so hard to uphold since being cured of the affliction. The values he’d once believed were the very core of Iriduan society, until the harsh and terrible reality had been brutally exposed to him.

It would be wrong for him to ever give in to her seduction attempts, and he reminded himself how wrong as he passed through the extensive security checks to get back into the dreg, allowing his self-disgust to keep his arousal from returning at such an inconvenient time.

Though he knew Namerian and the others would expect an update about his meeting with Zaska’s mouthpiece and the contract that had been proposed, he made his way towards the combat arena after clearing security, instead of heading back to the warehouse sector.

In the entertainment sector, he paused when he reached a stimulant lounge, the façade blank and utilitarian—far different from the garish displays found on such buildings in other parts of Za’Kluth. The Iriduans of the dreg didn’t particularly appreciate the presence of the lounge and what it represented, but they also felt it was a necessity for some of their residents. It kept many unmated males calm, since aggression was often tied to sexual behavior, a fact which made the stimulants themselves dangerous in uncontrolled environments.

Because of their distaste for the presence of such a facility, it lacked any advertising on the front of the structure. Anyone who wanted to use the offered services knew exactly where they were going and what they would find inside.

Shulgi stood in front of the plain, sliding metal door, shifting his attention from it to the combat arena still a distance away. Then back to the lounge.

The door slid open, and an unfamiliar male walked out of the lounge, nodding briefly to Shulgi as he passed, dark circles under his eyes and his hair disarrayed. His robe was unkempt, and his wings shriveled from dehydration. Yet his body language seemed far more relaxed than many of the other males in the dreg.

Before the door slid shut again, Shulgi stepped over the threshold, causing it to open fully as he cast a glance over his shoulder at the retreating male. The stranger didn’t look back, continuing his way through the entertainment district without showing interest in any of the other offerings.

The inside of the stimulant lounge resembled an upscale leisure-class spa. He’d only ever seen one of those while in the middle of a mission since war-class were rarely afforded such luxuries. In fact, austerity was a requirement of his class, and sexual stimulant use was strictly forbidden unless it had a mission-specific purpose. Extra aggression in the war-class was encouraged, and combat training was the only acceptable way to work it out if it grew too disruptive.

The males that worked within the spa were aided by mechbots who no doubt did the heavy lifting, given the slender, almost sylph-like appearance of some of the spa workers. The sleek white mechs with black jointing were the most basic functional automatons used by the Iriduans. Inexpensive and therefore considered expendable if damaged, they could also be controlled remotely if their AI programming proved inadequate for a situation.

As he passed the mech guards standing just inside the door with only their heads moving around slowly as they scanned their surroundings, a slender male approached him with a broad smile.

“Welcome, my friend,” the blue-skinned male said, then he gestured with one arm, his wide sleeved robe sliding down his forearm to reveal an arm as slim as any female’s. “Have you come to partake in our services this fine evening?”

Shulgi had no idea why he’d entered this place. Then he acknowledged that was a lie and changed it to the truth in his mind. He’d gained control over the physical evidence of his arousal, but the skin of his arm still tingled with the memory of Molly’s seductive touch. He’d wanted more. It would have been so easy to abandon his morals and his promises to himself and simply give in to the desire to enjoy all she would offer him.

Now, all he could hope for was an inferior experience with a hologram or perhaps a modified mechbot. He was aware there were other options, but the slender spa employees weren’t the type to interest him. He also knew that, like Molly, they had a job to do. Though they were paid well to do it and could leave at any time if they wanted to, unlike her, it would still seem hollow to him.

“This is your first time,” the spa worker said in a low voice. His gaze took in Shulgi’s appearance. “You’re war-class—or used to be.” He shook his head, his expression shifting to one of pity that raised Shulgi’s hackles. “I’m assuming you didn’t accidentally stray into this lounge instead of the combat arena?”

Shulgi glared at the spa worker’s sudden smirk. Then he spun on one foot and headed back towards the entrance. The other male grabbed his arm and Shulgi easily shook off his hold.

“Wait!” the blue male said quickly, “I didn’t mean to offend you, friend. You’re welcome here!”

He rushed after Shulgi, jumping in front of him just before he passed through the sliding entrance door that opened at his approach. The spa worker’s wings spread behind him as if to block Shulgi’s view of his escape path.

“I can tell by your body language that you need to be here,” the other male said in a cajoling tone. “Don’t allow your discomfort to deny you pleasures you’ve never been allowed to experience before. You came to Za’Kluth to escape the empire. Don’t bring its restrictions with you!”

The worker placed a hand on Shulgi’s arm, right where Molly had touched him, reminding him of her fingers sliding over his bare skin beneath the sleeve, though thankfully, this male did not take such a liberty.

“We have many services here, my friend. As well as guaranteed anonymity.” As Shulgi tensed, the other male lowered his hand back to his side, his wings flicking behind him. “I can tell you would prefer a hologram or perhaps one of the modified life-like mechs.” He gestured to the guard mechs standing at the door. “I assure you they look far more convincing than what you see out here. You can make your selection once you enter the back rooms.”

Shulgi ground his teeth together, frustrated by his own indecisiveness. What he wanted to do right now was return to the under-tier and find Molly so he could take her up on her offer. Instead, he must settle for something nowhere near as satisfying, and perhaps more embarrassing than he’d expected, since he already felt uncomfortable. Or he could go without and hope his unwanted erection didn’t appear again at a random thought of the promise in Molly’s voice and touch.

Making his decision, Shulgi turned away from the door, facing the intake counter at the other end of the lobby with a heavy sigh.

“Excellent,” the blue male said as he left his post blocking the door and followed Shulgi’s slow and reluctant steps to the counter. “Just sign in with our automated concierge, and we’ll get you into a back room to make your selection. Then you’ll get your stimulant injection and….” The slender male chuckled, shrugging. “I suppose you’ll do whatever it is that pleases you at that point.”

Shulgi studied the other male closely for the first time since the spa worker had approached him. “Do you like working here?” He wondered how anyone could enjoy such a profession.

He could tell by his expression that the blue male was about to give him some canned answer scripted for a question he probably received a lot. He held up a hand to silence the other male as his mouth opened to respond. “I’m only curious. It won’t affect my patronage of this lounge. I just have many questions about your profession.”

The blue male closed his mouth and eyed Shulgi thoughtfully. “Your build probably wouldn’t do as well in an Iriduan lounge, to be blunt, my friend. Most of our clients are genuinely seeking female companionship and prefer spa workers who are close enough in appearance to pretend we are female. Although….”

His hesitation kept Shulgi from correcting his misunderstanding of Shulgi’s reasons for inquiring. “Although?”

The blue male leaned in closer to Shulgi. “There are… places outside the dreg where you might find employment. You won’t always need to be on stimulants, as some of their clients are only looking for the chance to dominate an Iriduan. It can be rough work, but you look like you’ve been through hard training and would be better conditioned to handle it. I’ve heard the pay is far more than anyone who works here at the spa receives.”

Shulgi could only assume he was referring to the specialty brothels, the kind that people only learned about after they’d gained some trust from those who knew about them. He hadn’t heard that there were Iriduans working in such places, but it didn’t ultimately surprise him. Iriduans were a popular fetish, and a popular target of resentment and hatred.

“I’m more interested in your personal feelings about the job. I’m not really looking for one myself. I just wanted to know if you actually enjoyed what you do?”

This seemed to disappoint the blue male and made Shulgi wonder if he was a recruiter for one of those specialty brothels. Then the spa worker stroked his chin thoughtfully after a quick glance around to make sure they were still in relative privacy, though some other males had stepped through the entrance door and were being greeted by other workers. They all kept a distance away from each other, so only the murmur of low volume voices could be overheard but not the words spoken.

“Why are you so curious?” the blue male said after a long moment of consideration.

Shulgi shrugged, uncertain if he should continue his line of questioning or just finish what he’d come here to do. “I guess I just want to know if someone could take pleasure in something they have to do as a job.”

The other male laughed loud enough that some of the other patrons glanced over. Shulgi felt their stares shift from the blue male to him, then back, and the spa worker apparently felt the looks too, returning them briefly before turning back to Shulgi.

“My ability to enjoy physical pleasure doesn’t disappear the moment I accept payment for my services.” The blue male grinned, slanting another glance towards one of the patrons that kept looking over at them as he went up to the counter to sign in.

“I came to Za’Kluth to escape my fate as a member of leisure-class,” the blue male said in a low voice, sounding more serious now. “I learned during my mate training that I was more intrigued by the male bodies of my fellow trainees than the images and holograms and models of female bodies we were made to practice on. I know that would likely have changed in some respects if I had imprinted on a queen, but I also knew I didn’t want it to.” He pointed to himself. “I like who I am, and here in the dreg, I can be exactly how I want to be, never fearing being enslaved to a female’s will, serving only her whims and not my own desires.” Then he held his arms out to his sides. “This is my version of freedom, my friend. I can’t believe I get paid to do this, but I’m not complaining.”

His words sounded sincere, but he was in a far different position than Molly, though they performed similar work. This male had a choice in the matter. Shulgi should not let that influence his thoughts on Molly’s offer and whether it would be right to accept it.

Still, he was looking for any excuse to convince himself it would be okay, because the thought of a hologram or life-like mech didn’t seem nearly as intriguing as feeling her hand stroking over his naked skin. Besides, he wasn’t entirely certain what the stimulants would do to him since he had no problem growing aroused already, and the workers would find it odd for him to reject the injection.

He’d been receiving potentially dangerous injections since his military training began, so he wasn’t overly concerned about that aspect. It was likely the sexual stimulant would make him more aggressively aroused to the point of engorgement, but if there was something to take that aggression and desire out on, he didn’t think it would be a real problem.

He glanced around, noting some of the other spa workers now greeting the other signed in patrons to lead them to the back rooms. “Do all of these workers feel the same way you do about their jobs?”

The blue male sighed, watching the other patron that had shown interest in him be led away by another slender blue spa worker. Then he met Shulgi’s eyes again, and Shulgi determined to give him a good tip, simply for satisfying his curiosity about a subject that had never even occurred to him before, much less concerned him.

“I can’t speak for my co-workers,” the worker answered with a tilt of his head. He regarded Shulgi thoughtfully. “I feel like you have a specific person in mind, don’t you?”

When Shulgi failed to respond, the other male smiled crookedly in an expression that seemed genuine and not practiced as some of his other expressions appeared to be. “You want me to tell you it’s okay to be with this other person, because they enjoy what they do.” His smile faded as he slowly shook his head. “Without knowing who it is, I couldn’t do that for you. However, I suppose the easiest way to find out is to simply ask.”

“Aren’t you trained to pretend you enjoy this?” Shulgi gestured to the surrounding lobby, then the back room.

The other male chuckled, his gaze scanning the lobby for other patrons. “Aren’t you war-class types trained in reading body language? You should be able to tell the difference. Most people can, even when we’re exceptionally good at acting. Some are fine with pretending; others want to know that we’re genuinely into what we do.” He shot a searching glance at Shulgi. “I can see you’re one of the latter.”

He leaned closer to Shulgi, placing one hand on Shulgi’s arm in a familiar way that Shulgi didn’t pull away from. “I suspect it is not someone in the dreg that has you so conflicted.” His gaze trailed down Shulgi’s body, pausing on his groin, which fortunately remained unaroused at the moment. “The use of stimulants outside a lounge or other monitored facility is genuinely dangerous,” he said in a low voice. “If you kill an alien female, it will bring negative attention to the dreg.” He met Shulgi’s eyes again. “Be careful, and—if you need a supplier—I know someone who can hook you up.”

Shulgi shook his head. “I don’t… I have that covered already.”

The worker nodded; his expression serious now, no longer searching the lobby for other clients as he fully focused on his conversation with Shulgi. “Listen, alien body language is not as clear as our own, but you can usually tell when they are into it, and most of them usually are with our species—especially compared to the kind of creatures they normally have to consort with. Just… don’t expose yourself,” he said, waving towards Shulgi’s mask. “The last thing you want to do is imprint on an alien female!”