Off to the side, I can sense Nagán’s frustration. He’s certainly of the opinion that cows are beneath us, and as such shouldn’t be coddled like this. But it’s only because he’s never had one of his own. He doesn’t know the feeling of actually caring for one of these Earthlings as a part of the family.

Truthfully, it would be far easier to keep them in the field, using machines to harvest their milk. But to me, there’s nothing more intimate than taking it by the mouth, drinking straight from the source. I long to cup my cock, to squeeze it as I find relief, but this pretty little heifer needs my entire concentration.

After rolling his eyes in disgust, Nagán leaves the room, giving this cow and me some privacy. As if she can feel his hostility, the moment he leaves, she sags against the gurney. Taking the opportunity, I plunge the needle into her arm, crooning nonsensical sounds as she tries to thrash about.

This cow certainly needs to be handled with care, and I’m more than willing to take on that task. Leaning forward, I breathe in her scent, committing it to memory. Despite the acrid stench of fear wafting from her, there’s an undercurrent of sweetness, something that’s been absent with my other cows.

Her eyes are wild as I loom above her, and I can’t help the feral smile crossing my lips. She will find herself in this position far more often than not. My cock twitches as I imagine the moment she begs me to drink from her.

Though sweet, I can sense a strong backbone in her, one which will need to be broken. Those cows are always the best. Hopefully, she won’t ask to leave like the others. My heart pounds in my chest as her eyes drift closed and her body settles.

Every cycle I get my hopes up, thinking I’ll find my forever pet. But each time, they want to go back to Earth. Granted, I could be like the other Ranchers and just force them to stay, but for some reason, I want my cow to actually want me.

I’ll force a lot of things onto their unwilling bodies, but love and affection I want to receive freely. It’s something some Ranchers, like Nagán, don’t understand. They can’t fathom giving their cows something of a free will. Shaking my head, I put the syringe on a prep table and examine my new property.

Drifting my hand lower, I slide my fingers through the thatch of curls guarding her entrance. This will be the first of many changes she’ll have to endure. Unable to help myself, I slip a finger along her lower lips, groaning as I feel her wetness.

Even under duress, her body wants mine. Bringing my fingers up to my lips, I lap at them, tasting her sweetness. If she’s that tasty, I can only imagine what her milk will taste like.

“I assume she’s docile now?” Nagán’s voice interrupts my fantasy, bringing me back to the present.

“She’s ready.”

He nods, pushing past me as he hunches down to stare at the side of her head. A mass of black curls conceals the incision, but we both know exactly where the translator is implanted. Lifting her hair, we both study the faint mark.

Nothing appears to be wrong. Frowning, I reach into my suit and pull out a small, thin scanner. As I drift the tube over the implant, I watch as it lights up, showing that it’s active. Then what could be interfering?

My gaze drifts about the place, looking over her personal belongings laying in the cubical nearby. Something bright and shiny twinkles up from her clothing, drawing my attention.

“What’s all this?”

Nagán doesn’t look. “Hmm? What’s all what?”

I reach over and pluck at the metallic bits, my brow furrowing as what appears to be a ruffly snake slithers out. It’s not alive, thank goodness, but it’s something I’ve never seen before.

“This? What the hell is this thing?”

This time, he finally looks over. “Oh. It was on her when she was collected. Since it wasn’t a living being, they let it stay. We’re not sure of its purpose. It could be decorative. Could be a medical device. We’re just not sure. We were hoping she could tell us, but until the translator starts working, it’s a moot point.”

Taking my scanner, I run it over, detecting nothing unusual. However, the closer it gets to her head, her face scrunches up as if in pain. I glance up at the screen, noting the rise in her pulse. Whatever it is, it’s causing her distress.

As I take it away, everything seems to calm down. “Hmmm. I wonder.”

Despite the agony etched on her face, I bring the strange object closer to her head, monitoring the output. If my theory is correct, whatever is in this thing is causing interference in the implant, rendering it useless. The closer I get, the more the readout wanes, confirming it.

“Destroy this. It’s causing all the problems. We don’t need it to wreak havoc on our ship.”

“Please,” Nagán sneers. “As if a bit of frilly metal can do anything to a massive ship like ours.”

With a sigh, I drag the lifeless object over to a medical container and stuff it in. “You keep underestimating humans. It will be your downfall one day.”

With a snort, he takes his own scanner out and frowns as he inspects the implant. “And your constant affection and need to coddle them will be yours. Unfortunately though, you seem to be right. Now that the object is quarantined, the signal is much stronger. We won’t know for sure until she’s fully awake.”

With a sigh, he glances up at me, his harsh expression tempering as he watches my movements. I can almost feel the pity pouring off of him.

“I’m fine. You don’t need to look at me like one of your patients,” I growl, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

“Patient? No. As my brother? I’ll always worry about you. Your obsession with humans is unnatural. The only reason I don’t say much more is because the amount of milk you produce is astronomical. Our ranch thrives because of you.”

“I can’t say it’s all because of how I treat them. Though, I do believe the happier the cows are, the more milk they produce. Unfortunately, I can’t tell how accurate that is. It could be I’m just good at picking stock.”

“Your ability is nearly uncanny then,” he murmurs, pulling out a computer screen. “Granted, none of the cows wanted to stay as your personal pet, but the few humans who want nothing more than an escape seem to be doing well in the milking barns.”

Pushing the morose thoughts out of my head, I give him a half smile. “It also doesn’t hurt that we share a collective, pooling our resources to maximize the cows we have. That’s really the reason we thrive. The Ranchers choosing to go at it alone seem to struggle the most.”

We sit there for a moment in tense silence, neither of us really knowing what else to say. Even though we’re family, my brother and I are as different as can be. We’ve never seen eye to eye, even when talking about the business.

All I can do is wait for my little cow to wake up. Unfortunately, that means my brother will soon be preparing her to become my heifer. Normally, I have no clue which Medical Rancher oversees this part of things, and it’s not a problem. However, the very idea of him touching her, priming her to eventually take my cock, grates on my nerves.

I shouldn’t care. She should simply be a source of milk and pleasure, and nothing more. However, for the first time since laying eyes on a cow, I want her solely for my own. As if he can sense the nature of my thoughts, Nagán slips on a pair of gloves.

His wolfish smile sends a frisson of anger down my spine, and I clench my fingers to keep from hitting him. Just like a younger brother tormenting the elder, he makes a great show of adjusting the straps around her hips, thighs, and legs. He spreads her open and straps her down again, leaving her immobile, yet vulnerable to his examination.

“You know she has to be looked at and prepped, right?”

An aggravated sigh heaves past my lips. “I know. It’s the same with every cow.”