Transformation, M J Marlow [thriller books to read .TXT] 📗

the door, shaking in reaction to their newsand their threats. She was carrying Daren’s child. She tried to reach out to him, but the room around her acted like an immense damper. She pulled her legs to her chestand wrapped her arms around them as she laid her head downand grieved for her brother. She dozed offand found herself lying in a fetal position when the doors opened again. “We’ve arrived, Princess,” Sarit smiled as she yanked Zen up to her feet. “Your new cage awaits.” “You are a hateful woman, Sarit Jen,” Zen snapped as she tried to pull free. Sarit tightened her hold on Zen’s arm. “You’re hurting me!” “I’ll do much worse if you don’t behave, little princess,” Sarit promised. “Because of you, Zoran is dead!” “He was forcing himself on his own daughter, Sarit,” Omri said as he joined them. “In the eyes of the Goddess, that was an abomination. His fate was sealed the moment he made that plan.” He looked at Zenand saw how pale she was. “Get the Princess to her roomsand have the servant prepare a meal for her, Sarit,” he ordered as he laid hand on Zen’s abdomen. “We must take excellent care of the little mother. She is carrying Zoran’s replacement.” “NO!” Zen screamed as she shoved him away from her. She called for Darenand found his mind distantand searching in return. She was not going to let them turn Daren’s child into another Zoran! She ran for the gateand was brought down quickly. She was dragged to her feet, kickingand struggling, as Omri caught up. He slapped her across the faceand she glared at him. “This is my child, Omri Snow! I will not let you turn him into a monster!” “We shall have to put the little one on a course of sedation, Sarit,” Omri said as heand the woman walked away, leaving the guards to bring Zen inside. “Just enough to keep her docile, but not enough to hurt the child.” “I know the exact drug,” Sarit smiledand glanced over her shoulder to watch Zen being bound. “It may make her groggy…” She frowned as Zen sent the guards tumblingand ran. “What is wrong with you, men? She’s only a child!” She found what she was looking forand fired the explodingmist over the girl. The querin settled over Zen’s bodyand she was frozen in place. “Now get her to her rooms before she hurts herself.” “You are an exceptional woman, Sarit Jen,” Omri smiled as he saw the woman react. “How is it that you never found a man to dominate?” “Far too busy with my work,” Sarit replied. She looked up at Omri. “That does not mean that I am above a little bed play nowand then.” “Once you settle the princess,” Omri smiled; “why don’t you join me in my quarters for a discussion on the careand feeding of our royal charge, Sarit.” He laid the back of his hand against her cheek,and his eyes were warm. “Among other things.” Zen felt the querin dissipating a few hours laterand looked around the rooms she had been given. Nothing fancy, she realized. All was for function. Her captors were past treating her with true deference,and that frightened her. She saw the meal that had been set out for herand she wanted to send it flying. But her son, Daren’s son, insisted;and she sat down at the tableand ate slowly. Sarit would be drugging her, Zen knew; but she could detect nothing in this first meal she had been given. She had just finished eating, when the door to the room opened. “Since I can not bed you, Princess,” Reo said as he yanked her to her feetand bound her wrists with the querin cord, “I will use you as a research assistant.” Zen was pulled out of the room,and she found herself wondering why the man was so anxious. He had found something in the Archives that disturbed him, she noted. He turned on herand shoved her against the wall, his eyes coldand hard. “You will stay out of my mind, Princess!” he snarled as he pressed her back, bruising her body. “Is that understood?” “You don’t like knowing someone can see your thoughts,” Zen laughed at him. “What harm can I do now, lord Reo?” she asked as he released her. She held up her bound wrists. “You hold me captive.” She fell to her knees as pain lanced through her. “Something’s wrong!” She knewand it terrified her. “Make it stop!” As Reo watched in horrified fascination, the back of her gown rippedand something pushed out of her back. He carried her to the Infirmaryand put her in surgical harness. The Medic, Miri, applied a local anesthetic to the areaand remained nearby to wipe the blood away as the growth continued. Zen shivered in horrorand pain as she saw what was going on in the mirror behind her. As what were quickly becoming apparent were wings continued to grow, Omriand Sarit entered the infirmary. Sarit smiled as she examined them. “It is obvious that our little princess was indiscreet,” she laughed as she raised Zen’s eyes to hers. “Your cousin forced you while you were his ‘guest,’ didn’t he?” She saw the men’s confusion. “She is being transformed into a Nydare,” she continued as she stroked Zen’s abdomen, “as her child develops. By the time it is born, she will be changed.” “So the child within her is not Zoran’s,” Omri frowned. He looked at Zen coldly. “You will destroy her, Sarit. Herand her monstrous offspring.” “How short-sighted of you, Omri,” Reo shook his head in disagreement. He cupped Zen’s chin in his hand. “We can hold them both as hostage. Use her to draw the Nydare to us.And then,” he continued as he saw the anger in her eyes, “we will use the samples we took from her father to impregnate her with Zoran’s child.” “We don’t have that kind of time, Reo,” Omri protested. “You aren’t paying attention then,” Sarit spoke up. “The child will be born when she is completely transformed, lord Omri,” she reminded the angry man. “Look!” Omri turned his eyes back to Zenand saw the wings had doubled in size. The tips were now to her waist;and they were still growing. At the rate they were growing, they would be complete in another couple of hours. He smiled in satisfaction. The delay would only be until morning, if that. He turned to his companions. “We shall have to arrange a cage for her,” he said as he met Zen’s eyes. “I must admit; she makes a very pretty bird.” The trio left the laboratory as Zen continued to writhe in pain. She could not believe this was happening to her. How could she not have realized that mating with Daren would transfer his form to her? Had he known this would happen? She could not believe he would deliberately forget to mention this little side effect to her. Would it have made a difference to her decision, Zen wondered as she watched the wings continuing to grow? She looked down at her now gently swollen abdomenand knew the answer. It would not have changed her mind. New pains struck her as her breasts began to acheand swell. “Your new quarters are ready for you, Princess,” Reo smiled as he came in a few hours later. His eyes widened as he saw how very pregnant she was. “Your child is very eager to be born,” he noted as he ran his hand over her breastsand milk beaded out of the nipples. “I would say another couple of hours at the most.” Heand the technician got her out of the harnessand supported her as her knees buckled. Pain struck herand she was whimpering as it cascaded through her. They kept her movingand arrived at a garden. In the corner, bars of gold set off a section around a rocky hilland a pool fed by a waterfall. There was a cave in the back for privacy. Zen tried to break free, but another labor pain hitand she fell to her knees, sobbing. Omri unlocked the cage doorand Reo shoved her inside. “Pretty cage for our pretty bird,” he smiled as he saw her backing away. “We shall have to see what we can do about teaching her to sing, Omri.” “Let’s just get this done,” Omri frowned. Zen moved away from them, instinct telling her she needed to be somewhere private. She entered the caveand saw the thick padding in one corner. She sank down on it as another series of pain struck her, curling up in a balland sobbing. Zen knew she was being watched, but that was something she could not deal with at the moment. She was lost to the agony as the final pains arrived an hour later. She struggled to her kneesand rocked backand forth, sobbing. Her arms moved around her body as her child dropped onto the padding. Zen guided her son to her breastand sank back as far into the shadows as she could, using her hair as a curtain around him. He was perfect, she smiled as she took in his golden hairand copper eyes. She ran a finger down along his back where the wing buds waited to become full-fledged wings. “Pretty chick, Princess,” Sarit’s voice sounded nearby. Zen lifted her head to see the woman’s hated face on a screen near the opening. “I’m looking forward to turning him into a lab animal.” “I will kill you first, Sarit,” Zen shot back, her anger tinged with weariness. She pulled her son closerand the infant whimpered as his mouth slipped off of her. She moved him back, pleasure surging through her as he nursed. “You will not touch my son!” “You belong to us now, Princess,” Sarit laughed at her. “You have no voice in what happens to you or your chick.” She watched the infant. “Your pretty boy will remain with you only as long as it takes for me to duplicate your milk.” Zen rose to her feet as she heard them coming. She saw the guardsand did what she could to keep her son safe. But she was too weak. She was allowed to hold him as she was taken out of the cage to the laboratory. One of the technicians took her son from herand Zen went ballistic. She shoved the guards asideand grabbed her child, backing into the corner with eyes blazing. Sarit came towards her with a familiar weapon. Zen could tell she meant to use it. “Be a good little pet,” she said as she raised the querinmister, “and let the tech take your son for a brief exam. He’ll be returned to you, Princess,” Sarit said as Zen shook her head, refusing, “once we make certain he is healthy.” She smiled as the clamp shot out of the wall behind Zenand fastened around her throat. “Calm down, little bird,” Sarit laughed as Zen tried to pull the thing off of her. “You’re all right.” “Don’t hurt my son, Sarit,” Zen begged as her child was taken out of her armsand carried away. “Please…” She felt the prick of an injection stickand weariness surged through her. “Please…” Sarit watched as Zen collapsed, smiling. She had the blood sample takenand put it in the machine. There was nothing there that could affect the pregnancy they meant to inflict on her, Sarit saw. So she ignored Omri’s ordersand left Zen as she was. She had the princess strapped down on a tableand began the hormone injections to prepare her to carry Zoran’s child. While she worked, Reo carried Zen’s child out to the courtyard where Daren was waiting. “Your son, prince Daren,” he said as he handed the infant over. “Its mother did not survive the delivery.” Daren knew that was a lie. He could feel Zen’s mind inside the complex. But he needed to get his son