Alien Pets, Trisha McNary [free novel 24 .txt] 📗

human class, and some of the humans joined the Verdante class.

When Antaska ran past M. Hoyvil’s class, she noticed only adolescent male Verdantes in the class. They strained to lift heavy weights, climbed up and down rope ladders that hung from the ceiling, and also ran around the gym or jumped in place. Antaska recognized some of these male Verdantes from the dining hall and from classes. She realized that all of their human companions were in her gym class.

Is this some strange form of gender bias? she wondered.

With sore legs and heaving breath, Antaska’s class finished running and returned to its usual spot in the back of the gym. Their instructors stood looking at them with grim faces. Then Eegor spoke.

“I saw you looking with envy at the other class when you should have been focusing on your exercise. Maybe you were thinking, ‘Why can’t I be in that other class that looks so fun?’ The answer is that you are the chosen ones, and they are not. Yes, it is true, puny weak examples of humanity that you are. Don’t envy them. You’ll be traveling into deep space, and they won’t. They’ll be getting off the space ship on the Verdante home planet—not even going as far as the space station.

“Because they’ll spend the rest of their lives in a protected and safe environment, their needs won’t be the same as yours. You’ll travel into unknown parts of the universe, and you must be strong and prepared for the unexpected. Your Verdantes have entrusted us with the responsibility of preparing you. We’ll change you from the weak, powerless creatures you are now into strong fighting machines. Be grateful and rejoice that you will have the benefit of our training.”

Eegor stopped talking and stood glaring at the class. His contempt for the Earth humans in the class was clear. Then Antaska heard him mutter in a lower voice.

“You weaklings get to explore deep space, while superior humans like me and Tilde only go back and forth between Earth, the Verdante home planet, and the space station.”

Tilde spoke to the class next.

“You must learn that in battle, there’s no room for emotions, there’s no room for distraction. These are weaknesses your enemy will exploit. Because you’re beginners, I’ll give you this one warning. But the next time we see you distracted by emotion or not paying attention for any other reason, you’ll be attacked. Now get back to work. You have no time to waste. Attach your ankle weights, and begin your leg lifts.”

Antaska did as instructed. Over half an hour passed, and neither of the trainers had paid her any particular attention, but that was about to change. She tried to focus on lifting her left leg as high as possible behind her while keeping the rest of her body straight. But she noticed in her peripheral vision that the large, pale Eegor was working his way in her direction.

An uncomfortable mix of anticipation and dread made Antaska’s pulse race, and she switched legs just when he reached her side.

“You must not bend your hips when you lift your leg, or you won’t fully activate your leg muscle,” Eegor told her.

He turned around to display the bulging muscles on the back of his own thighs, running a hand slowly down one for emphasis. Then he stepped close to Antaska. He pressed one hand against her hip and the other against the back of her leg while she continued to lift it. Bending his head down, Eegor spoke with a deep, slow drawl into her ear.

“There, do you see how it is done? The muscles on the back of the leg are the most neglected in the human body. I can see that yours have been very neglected. Would you like me to help you change that? I can meet you outside of class for a personal session,” Eegor offered.

Antaska experienced an overpowering rush of desire and was about to agree, but she looked over and saw the dagger-like eyes of Tilde. She decided that she needed more information about his relationship with Tilde before accepting his offer.

“What kind of session are you talking about?” Antaska asked, “and would it be a problem for your partner?”

Eegor shook his head irritably before answering.

“My partner…yes…this does not concern her. I’m a professional trainer, and it’s not her business if I offer private classes to certain special students like yourself.”

He finished his explanation with a sensual pout of his lips and lowered eyelids.

That short answer roughly pulled away the veil of Antaska’s illusions about Eegor. It revealed the truth not only about his relationship with Tilde but also about his interest in Antaska. He wanted to mess around with Antaska, but he wasn’t going to leave Tilde. Still, Antaska was reluctant to let go of her fantasies.

“I’ll think about it and let you know,” she answered noncommittally.

Eegor was only slightly disappointed by this response. He was sure Antaska would soon fall for his irresistible charms, as they all did. Her initial resistance would only make her eventual surrender that much sweeter. Eegor had also noticed Tilde’s angry glances. His thoughts churned back to their relationship and its problems.

Well, good. Tilde needs to know how this feels, he thought. How it feels for me every day to have my life mate being ogled by other males, and then to have her ogling them back! Just because she’s taller than the Earth humans. Just because our skin looks greenish in certain lights, and she’s incredibly beautiful, she gets the attention of the male Verdantes. But she should know they would never take her for a mate, as an equal. They’re just playing with her. She should think about how her flirting with them makes me feel. But she doesn’t care. Unless I make her care.

Eegor looked over at Tilde and was pleased to see that she was still fuming. His over-the-top attention to a female student had once again made her insanely jealousy. In fact, Tilde’s response seemed much stronger than her usual reaction to the women he selected as the object of his attention on almost every trip. The intensity of Tilde’s angry stare sent a powerful thrill rippling through him.

Success! he thought.

With an innocent smile in Tilde’s direction, Eegor let go of Antaska’s leg and stepped away.

“Lucky for you, I’m here to help you on this voyage,” Eegor said to Antaska. “We’ll have many helpful times together,” he said clumsily, at a loss for further flirtatious words.

But Eegor knew that it didn’t really matter what he said. These women always dropped into his hands like the luscious ripe fruit that fell from the cranapple trees on the planet of his birth—the Verdante home planet. With a final flex of one and then the other of his massive pectorals, Eegor turned and walked away to join the fuming Tilde at the front of the class.

The second half of the class began, and Eegor knew Antaska would be in for trouble from Tilde. Luckily for her, the self-defense skills they were working on that day were methods to use to avoid attack. With Tilde striking and Eegor evading, the instructors demonstrated to the class how to duck and bob when punches or kicks were thrown at them.

Eegor was excited by Tilde’s aggressive efforts, but he was skilled at evading her blows. He could tell she was trying hard, and he smiled each time she missed, which seemed to increase her anger and decrease her accuracy.

Tilde burnt with rage fueled by Eegor’s most recent betrayal. She longed for the pleasing thud sound and the satisfying feeling of her hands or feet smacking into another body, particularly a body that deserved her retribution.

If I can’t hurt him, then I’ll have to hurt his latest little slut, she decided. Like usual. When will they learn not to mess with me? When will he stop insulting me like this. As if these females are better than me!

She growled, but no one seemed to notice.

After shocking the class with a particularly furious demonstration of the art of evasion, Tilde stood panting. Eegor, with a big smile on his face, instructed the class to practice bobbing and ducking movements. A few minutes later, Tilde recovered her breath, and she headed Antaska’s way. She looked back and saw Eegor watching, but she knew he wouldn’t interfere. He never did. Tilde stopped in front of Antaska.

Antaska continued to duck and bob, but she looked up into Tilde’s face. Tilde glared down at her from a foot above. She stood still and watched Antaska, not bothering to mask the growing anger from her expression. Then Tilde leaned in closer and noticed Antaska try to bob and duck faster and farther away.

Ha! That’s not going to work, Tilde thought.

With superhuman speed, Tilde shot out a large hand aimed toward Antaska’s stomach. But Antaska not only weaved but also dropped down toward the floor in an unexpected move they hadn’t taught the students yet.

The blow missed its intended target but still struck hard against Antaska’s right shoulder. It shoved her backward and knocked her all the way to the cushiony floor. The blow was hard but not as hard as the blow Tilde had landed the day before. Antaska managed pull herself up onto her knees. She held her opposite hand on her bruised shoulder.

Tilde stared down at her, only partly mollified by the hit. She considered striking again, but she noticed the sudden stillness around her. Looking about at the class, Tilde saw that everyone had stopped exercising. They were all staring at her and Antaska with shocked looks on their faces. Could that really be an expression of disrespectful scorn that she was seeing on the face of the red-haired human female on Antaska’s left? Tilde turned her angry attention in the woman’s direction.

“You! Move yourself to the other side of the class. I’m tired of looking at your face!”

The red-haired woman quickly picked up her equipment and drink tube and left.

“And the rest of you, if I ever see any of you stop again without my permission, each and every one of you will personally show me your skill at evading my blows.”

With the exception of Antaska, the class energetically resumed their practice. Tilde returned her attention to Antaska.

“As for you, worm, you’re obviously a very slow learner. I suggest you learn quickly, or you’ll suffer for it.”

Tilde turned her back on Antaska and left her kneeling on the floor. She felt a little better but not completely satisfied.

“Oh well, tomorrow is another day,” she thought, consoling herself with thoughts of future opportunities for revenge as she walked away.

When she joined Eegor at the front of the class, he smiled at her affectionately.

I know he cares about me, thought Tilde, and he doesn’t care about these other women, or he would stop me from beating them up. But why does he keep humiliating and betraying me? We’re two of a kind, but maybe there’s something wrong with him. Maybe he’s not the right guy for me?

Her thoughts turned to one or two of the young Verdante men who had been flirting with her that morning. She smiled at Eegor. He smiled back.

Besides Antaska, at least one other person in the gym wasn’t smiling. M. Hoyvil, despite the warnings from his own instructor, had been watching