Page 6 of Indentured Companion
“…sorry? What does that mean?” I shuffled to a more comfortable position against the headboard, fussing my hand at my sore neck where he bit me.
“It means I am a member of the Korvis Hive hierarchy, and it is my duty to represent my people to the Theskian empire.” His diamond pupils dart to my hand at my neck, so I quickly lower both my hands to rest on my lap.
“I had you pegged as a politician.” I chuckled, again trying to lighten the mood.
“Politician?” He inclines his head and his purple headdress flutters with the movement.
“Terrans, humans from Earth, are governed by a a group of people in each country called politicians. They make up that country’s government. They make the laws and deal with legal matters. Usually each government has a president who leads them. The President of each country sits on the Terran council. They make the laws that all of Earth has to follow, and deals with any issues between different countries.” I begin trying to bridge our understanding gap. “The Terran council is lead by the Earth First minister. He or she represents my entire race on the Theskian council.” I take a pause and nod to him. “So when you say you are the Korvis Dynast, which of those roles is similar to yours?” I needed a point of reference here. The Dynast raises his head and nods, showing he has understood me.
“I am like the First minister of your people.” Holy crap! No wonder I had to sign the non-disclosure. His chest puffs out with pride and he nods at me. “Your explanation of how your people are governed was useful, thank you. Allow me to return the favour.” I tense and watch as he gets up and lowers to sitrightbeside me. “You have also told me that you know nothing about my culture, so allow me to educate you. We will be together every day for a year, so I think it’s important that we understand each other.” He bowed his head and I forced a smile to my face. He’s being very polite, but I can’t stop looking at his veil over his mouth and remembering it smeared with my blood after he bit me yesterday. “My people are the Korvis. We are ruled by Queens. Our hierarchy is a Matriarchy.” I incline my head, genuinely interested about a species most Theskians know nothing about, outside of horror films of course. “Most Korvians are male. Oh,Iam male.” He added in as if I couldn’t tell. Then again, having a low voice was really all I based that deduction on, which was foolish of me now I think about it. Other than lilac eyes and white skin surrounding them, I couldn’t see anything about him. Turns out I guessed right, at least. Man, that would have been embarrassing if the Dynast had turned out to be a female, or without gender, and I’d wrongly assumed he was a dude. Some species were mono-gendered, after all. “Our Queens each rule a Hive, like your presidents do, and they have advisors, like your politicians, that make up a government.”
I am really appreciating the parallels he’s drawing. I don’t think I would have followed if he didn’t keep referring back my explanation. He wasn’t exactly speaking slowly for me to keep up. “The Hive collective has a throne for each Queen and they rule over all of Korvian kind. Like your Terran council.” He gestured with his gloved hands and made a strange purring noise. I was about to look for where the cat was that snuck into my room, when I realised it was coming from the Dynast. I have no idea if that’s a good or a bad thing, but space Dracula here was purringwhilsttalking. “I have been appointed the great honour of representing the Hive council as their appointed Dynast. I have been given this vital role as a reward for my work in getting travel and trade rights for the Korvis in Theskian space.”
“Oh that was you?” I engage him politely. It was odd, really, because I know he’s no less hazardous for my health as he wasbeforehe started chatting away to me. All the same, I feel myself starting to relax as he natters away. “I read about that in the news.”
“You did? Was it widely published?” He leans towards me and his lilac eyes almost seem to sparkle. I nod, which he seems very pleased with, and his purring becomes more like a buzzing noise. “Good.Good.”The Dynast fist bumps the air to one side with victory. “A great achievement for my people. You see, a long time ago, the Korvis were prominent members of the galaxy. Many of us behaved then as we do now. But…there were certain Hives, I am not proud to admit, that rather…abusedtheir feeding companions.” The buzzing noise stopped and he sighed. He seemed really sad all of a sudden, butmyheart was starting to rattle with nerves. What did abusing a feeding companion look like? Man, I hope I never find out first hand. “They treated their companions very badly, and as a consequence the Theskian empire waged war on the Korvis. They expelled us back to our originator sector of space and ‘liberated’ every sentient race from our control.”
I’m not going to lie? But that sounds like the right move to me… “Only, they did so with extreme prejudice.AllKorvis were labelled as monsters and we were all left to starve. Had our scientists not been fortunate in creating Synth-Red, a blood alternative, shortly before the mass expulsion, it would have been genocide.” I nearly wet myself when he placed gloved hand over mine on my lap. How I didn’t scream for help I’ll never know. “But many of the Korvis, even back then, treasured and cared for our feeding companions. We owe our very lives to them. You and I will live in true symbiosis. We use the wordcompanionnot by chance, Miss Stone. You and I will know each other very well and spend more time together, than with anyone else.” Oh…the space vampire wants to be my friend? Erm…kinda creepy… “I have been given this honour as the Dynast to the Korvian collective, to represent my people and to carry out a crucial mission.”
“Which is?” I had to ask. He’s built up this entire speech towards this moment, I can tell.
“We have been using Synth-Red for over a century now. Most living Korvians have never been off the Hive, for without a feeding companion, the risk of being without sustenance is too high. What if something happened to our transport ships? Or what if we ran out of Synth-Red?” I imagine something like the Korvis horror films would happen. They’d go nuts and chow down on the nearest neck. “My people are surviving, but we won’t do so for much longer. Our population is in decline. We can’t keep up with the demand for Synth-Red to sustain our current numbers, as well as other factors limiting our birth rate. The Queens are already having to adhere to population control in their own hives.” He rubbed the back of my knuckles and I saw great sadness in his lilac eyes. “Weneedfeeding companions once more. Our survival depends on it. We now have the right of trade, so we can make arrangements such as the one you and I have made, but so few have agreed to form a symbiotic companionship…No.” He nodded firmly and patted the back of my hand. “I must become a member of the Theskian council. The Korvis must be admitted as full members, and the empire must be re-educated on my people. We are not monsters, Miss Stone.”
I flinched when he leaned suddenly into my personal space and looked me right in my eyes. “I can tell from how tense you are and how fast your heart is beating that you don’t yet believe otherwise.” Oh shit. I swallow thickly and subconsciously I press myself against the headboard to get as far from the Korvis as I can. If he was trying to convince me he wasn’t a monster? He probably shouldn’t be talking about my heart beat. How can he tell how fast it’s beating anyway? “But don’t worry.” He spoke softly, creeping me the hell out. “I am going to take excellent care of you Miss Stone. You will be the first to see what a companionship with a Korvian is like,reallylike, and through you we will educate others.” He finally leaned back and that happy buzzing noise resumed in his chest. “I am looking forward to getting to know you Miss Stone. You are a fierce survivor and determined to succeed in your goals. Your interview yesterday told me that. You are exactly the kind of person I can both respect and work with.”
“And feed off?” Damn my rebellious mouth.
“Ah, yes.” He chuckled and nodded. “Speaking of which, you are slightly malnourished. I could tell from your blood.” He stood, his purple robe billowing around him. He folded his arms over his chest and nodded to her. “I’m not surewhyyou’ve been rationing yourself, but I assume it has to do with your father’s debts? The reason you gave me for entering into indentured service? I will rectify that Miss Stone. Please make use of your bathroom and join me in the dining room. There, you will have a hearty meal. We need to build up your stamina so I can feed off you three times a day. For now, I am supplementing with Synth-Red.”
Just like that, my new master sauntered out of my bedroom and left me to pick my jaw up off the damn floor. Wellexcuse mefor not being in peak performance for you to drain me of my blood as per your dietary needs? In my head I’m going to call him Dracula, and I donotlike that he thinks I’m key to his plan to ‘re-educating the empire’ on the Korvians. I just want to serve my contract, survive it, earn my payout at the end, and get me and Cassie’s lives back on track. I signed up to be fed on, not to be used for a political take over move. Shit.
Chapter 8
She has potential
Vrajan
I smooth my hands down my purple chiffon gown and check myself in the mirror facing the dining room table. My headdress is perfectly in place, but I tug and fuss with it anyway. I’ve forgone my crown, as we are not out in public. I am the Dynast, and when I am off my private cruiser, I wear my crown to indicate my station. I wear Royal green in public, of course. On my own ship, my own home, I often wear softer colours.
I have had very little interaction with other races, in person at least, but Valerie Stone looks me right in my eyes. Normally, I’ve found that everyone avoids my eyeline all together. I wonder if it’s my diamond shaped pupils? It isn’t the colour of my irises, as plenty of other races have eye colours like mine, but I don’t know of any with pupils like mine. Or, perhaps, it’s because I’m a Korvis. I am not a fool. I know that most of the Theskian races believe that my people are heinous monsters that would eat their offspring and cackle about it. In the first 24 hours of entering Theskian-controlled space, I was subjected to their prejudice. Both online in their popular streaming of my people as monsters, but also in person.
The receptionist at the customs desk to enter the Vega 4 base literally did a double take and screeched at my presence. Before I had uttered a single word, she pressed her panic button under the desk and fled. Sacron security officers arrived, weapons raised, and threatened me. I had to return to my cruiser and await further confirmation that I was both allowed to enter the Theskian starbase, and that my official papers had to be on my person at all times. Apparently, I have to present them before even saying hello to avoid amisunderstandinglike that again…
I walk around the dinner table, making sure that everything is perfect. One dinner place is set for Valerie. A silver plate with a range of eating utensils that came in a set with the crockery. A jug of water with ice cubes floating in the top is placed beside an empty glass, and a vase of Jalap Scokes to feminise the table. My Queen says females like flowers. I stroke my fingertips along the waxy blue petal, and then along the matching blue table cloth to ensure there are no creases. Everything looks perfect, so I walk out of the dining room to the adjoining kitchen area. I hope Valerie likes the facilities. With my mission in mind, my Queen made sure to have a vessel purchased that was originally made for a luxury diplomat of another race. It therefore has all the correct amenities for a species that ingests solid food and excretes waste as most Theskian races do. All we had to do then, was adapt the bedroom meant for me, and install a cool room for my Synth-Red stores. It was easier to adapt a Theskian vessel to a Korvis, than a Korvis ship to a Theskian. Or a Terran, in Valerie’s case.
I press a hand to my stomach, the sensation of nervous Xiqals fluttering their tiny wings in my gut is a testament to my mood. I navigate the polished dark wood and titanium kitchen to collect the plates of food I have prepared for Valerie. Basic things I felt I could prepare. A bowl of fruit from Earth. Sandwiches were simple. It was more like stacking flat ingredients together, than cooking. I hope it’s palatable for her. Ham was common on the suggested ingredient list, so I made ham sandwiches. I place the bowl and plate on the table on either side of her silver plate, and lower to sit in the chair opposite her place setting.
This must go well. I have been docked with the Vega 4 Theskian starbase for 4 months, trying to find a suitable feeding companion. At first I put out an advert to advertise the role, like one would a job opportunity. No one applied. Then I reached out to the Theskian council for support. The only reply I received was a reminder of the agreement for freedom of travel, trade, and work. They were notobligatedto supply me any assistance to secure myself a feeding companion, though if I did so legally, they would allow the registration. This brought me to the Indentured Servitude Centre. Even then, the 5 potential feeding companions they matched me with were disasters. The first, a Sacron, thought I was going to attach him with an IV, and outright refused when he realised the feed had to be carried out naturally. Korvis are symbiotic, and our secretions help the recovery process. To administer our secretions, we have to actually bite our feeding companion. The second was simply impossible. A human female, like Valerie, but unlike Valerie, she started making a whole host of demands. My Queen has approved a certain amount of funds to secure a feeding companion and cover the fees required by the Indentured Services centre, and this human’s demands were outlandish. The second potential match opened up our first ever conversation by saying ‘If you expect me to let you put youranythingon me, I’m going to need 3 figures per bite in my bank account buddy.’ She was obnoxious, and I turned her down. Feeding companions arecompanions,and I couldn’t stand her presence after only 5 minutes. I couldn’t have her company for a whole year. The third potential feeding companion fainted at the sight of me. A Prelka, from the look of her two heads. One continued to scream even after the other one had passed out. The fourth seemed promising, as he was very willing, but he wasn’t healthy enough to become my feeding companion. The human male had yellow teeth, overgrown nails, matted grey hair, and I could see his skeleton through his skin. I told the Indentured Servitude handler that this man required medical attention and wouldn’t survive a single feeding. He wept, desperate not to return to the streets. If I could have taken him, I would have, but I would have been his executioner if I had. Valerie is a little bit malnourished due to rationing, but not in any way she may have noticed. Easily rectified with a balanced diet.
I interlock my gloved fingers together on my lap and wait for my feeding companion, smiling behind my veil. Yes, she has potential. She’s not easily scared. She made her case for being professional about this arrangement well. She would do well in politics, I think, with nerves of steel and a passion to achieve her goal like that. When she hopped up onto the table and offered her neck to me without hesitation? I knew she was the one. I smile wider, recalling how she clung to me during the feeding. She gripped me tightly, but didn’t push me away. She didn’t scream. She signed her contract even after the feed, and holding her as she slept in my arms was wonderful.
It is a privilege to have a feeding companion. It has been a century since my people have been in the position to have one, so I will cherish this opportunity as the gift it truly is. It is my duty as the Dynast to ensure that one day, my people can thrive and have feeding companions once more. To have that divine experience Valerie gave me yesterday. Biting her was beyond compare to anything I’ve ever experienced. Sinking my fangs into her neck wasn’t especially anything to shout about, but from the first warm wet hit of her blood on my tongue, I thought for sure I had moaned from the intensity of it. I tasted her warm sweet taste not just on my tongue, but throughout my very being. She warmed my veins and my bones hummed with pleasure. Feeding isn’t just about putting fuel into a body, like it seems to be for the Theskian races. It’s an intimate act of sharing your life with another. Being trusted with the vulnerability of your partner, and sharing your bodies.
I swallow thickly, my phyrodox glands in my neck secreting in anticipation of my next feed. I lick at my fangs and lips and resist the urge to groan as I think about her blood. I especially can’t afford for Valerie to walk into the dining room and find me drooling and licking my chops hungrily.
I am not so foolish as to forget how tensely she sat as I moved to sit beside her earlier as she awoke in her new bed. How fast her heart thundered in her chest or how her round Terran pupils dilated to take in as much light and information as possible about the monster looking right at her. It was sobering, seeing her react to me like she is the prey and I am a predator. She does not understand how sacred our relationship is. She is not just food to me. She is my feedingcompanion, and I will show her that I am the last person she need ever fear again. She will not regret becoming mine, even if it’s only for a year. Who knows? Perhaps we’ll get along so well, she’ll want to renew her contract with me? That would be convenient, and it would go a long way to show other Theskian races that there is nothing to fear about becoming the feeding companion of a Korvis. That is my end goal, after all. Not just to secure my own feeding companion long term, but to liberate my people in the same way.
I stop musing over how I’ll win her over and do my duty as the Dynast, when Valerie peers in through the doorway to look at me. She’s not looking anywhere near as pale as she once did, and I try not to notice the bruising at her neck.
