Yes. That settles it.
Leaning down, she gently unwound Garswal’s arms from around her shoulders and gave his arm a firm pat. He was a good kid. She would watch out for him.
“Stay here, and stay low,” she whispered.
He nodded and ducked down behind the nearby pile of fallen rock. Azan nodded with approval before turning away to face the fray. Terri leaned heavily against a wall, her arm raised, the creepy symbiont flaring uselessly as she tried to work it beyond her available resources. The idea of tech that drew metals from blood so casually made her skin crawl, but she could not deny it was good defense for the human, so long as she did not exhaust herself.
Oh well. Azan to the rescue. She hoped no one got word of this.
Raising her blaster, she squinted at the males. Damned Argurma looked the same as far as she could tell. Where was the one with the damaged head whips… Ah, there he was. The other was her target. She pulled the trigger, the sound of the implant discharging a faint whistle. But he felt it when it implanted. The male jerked away from Veral, his body arching as he roared in agony.
That was the damned thing about the implants. They were designed to burrow deep into the body and attach to the bone. They could not be dug out. Even a medic would have a difficult time removing it without detonating it. A cold smile curled her lips as the male spun to her, his hand clutching his side. That had to hurt as it dug through all that tissue to attach to the spine. She was fairly certain that her aim had missed the vital organs.
A cold smile stretched wide across her face. “Now that I have your attention, I am afraid I cannot let you take my new… ah, friends. I have debts to repay, and it would be difficult for me to do that if I let you take them. That little sting you felt—ah, more than a sting I suppose—that was a grenade implant capsule. Oh, you have heard of them,” she said with a small laugh as the shock broke through the impassive expression that the male bore. His face immediately shut down once more as he glared at her.
“What do you want, female?” he snarled.
That was unpleasant of him, but from her recent experiences, Argurma did not have good manners anyway.
“Simple. Return them to their ship, and then me to mine. I will give you the docking codes to align with my ship. Once I am aboard and am certain that my friends are safe, I will comm you the deactivation code.”
“The council—”
“Not my problem. Consider this a small mercy. That male there is very protective of his female, and I fear what he might do to you or anyone you turn them over to if you are fortunate enough. Especially once that little human has recovered and that symbiont armor is operational again. None of you are going to enjoy that nasty little surprise. Take my word on that. If you even think of trying to kill me and take them anyway, I might remind you that without the code, the grenade will detonate in thirty-six galactic standard hours.”
“I don’t understand. If you had something like that all this time, why didn’t you use it before now?” Terri asked in disbelief as she sagged against her mate. Once he had noted that Azan had the situation well in hand, he had returned to his mate, gathering her once more into his arms.
Azan gave the female a sharp grin. “Pirate ships are notoriously difficult to gain control of, and murdering the captain on his own ship is risky for one who attempts it. This worked out well in my favor. He died here going after his treasure, and I barely escaped, but returned to the crew to see them through the trials to come. I will be a hero. A far better scenario. Perhaps not exactly what I imagined, but worth the expenditure of the capsule.”
Kaylar snarled and turned to glare at Veral. “I thought you said that this female posed no danger.”
“I did not specify that she would not be dangerous to you,” Veral said, his tone flat. “If you had not betrayed me, we would have returned her to her ship without incident.”
“Very well. Seems no other options are available. The council will not be happy,” Kaylar growled. To Azan’s surprise his face suddenly relaxed, a smile tugging the hard line of his lips. “As your pirate friend says, however, not my problem. I will inform them of the situation and return to my previous assignment. Let us return to the surface of the ship. The disembarkation platform is waiting there. It is a dinix-class platform. It will fit us all easily with room to spare.”
With a pleased smile, Azan returned her blaster to its holster. No more walking through jungles and hot bogs… She could not have planned it better!
28
Now that the matter between Kaylar and Veral seemed to be settled, and to her surprise and amusement neither male seemed to hold a grudge at all over the matter, Terri was able to relax and observe the interior of an Argurma warship. It wasn’t as large as the salvager, but it was extremely comfortable. She settled at a table, practically groaning with relief at having an actual place to sit for the first time in days. All the tension and worry that had plagued her eased out of her, leaving only a bone-wearying exhaustion.
Azan flopped in the chair beside her and sighed, her eyes also on the males seated opposite them, pouring over holograms of star charts as the ship navigated toward where the salvager awaited. She had returned from one of the cabins where she had taken Garswal, after filling him with foods from Kaylar’s replicator, so that he could sleep. The female rubbed her face and sighed mournfully.
“I can’t believe we went through all that hell and came away with so little,” she muttered. “All that gold… The finest metals I’ve ever seen. And the giant gems! No, instead I’m walking away with that stinky old robe covered in decomposition powder. You can keep that.”
“I am certain that our client may purchase it. If not, I can find a buyer who will appreciate a rare item of antiquity,” Veral interjected. “It may be the only thing that will even partially reimburse us for the expenses of this salvage.”
Terri blinked and sat up, a smile flooding her face as excitement sent a burst of energy through her.
“That’s not the only thing that will reimburse us,” she said with a small laugh.
Everyone fell silent and watched as she grinned smugly and began unsealing the storage pouches on her armor. Each time her fingers slipped inside a pouch, she pulled at the ornate jewelry, gold chains, pouches of round gold coins that apparently were used before the credits system, and so many gems. Azan’s gasp was the only sound that filled the room as everyone stared at the growing pile. It was a good thing that the storage pouches held a lot without it being noticeable, because even bursting full, none of the pirates had noticed any prominent bulges in her armor from her collection.
Finally, she sat the last gem on the table, a blood red stone nearly the size of her hand, and sighed happily. “I do think that this should take care of it.”
“You found all of this without going inside the treasury?” Azan asked in disbelief.
“Yes, seems like the prince enjoyed surrounding himself with wealth in a very real sense,” Terri replied.
Azan whistled between her teeth as Veral handed Terri a bag. She methodically began to swipe the treasure from the table into the sack. She would find a better place to store it once they returned to their ship. She left aside an ornate necklace set with glittering gems for Azan. It only seemed fair, though it pricked at her to part with something that would supply them for an even longer period. She shook it off and scraped the rest inside.
Turning to the pirate, she pushed the necklace toward her over the table. “It’s only fair that you take something after everything down there. You kept me safe and helped us escape the planet.”
Azan fingered it, a small smile on her lips. “I should say that I could not take this, but I have been a pirate too long and am greedy by nature. So I accept.” She swept the necklace easily over her neck, her smile widening as she sat back in her chair. “A satisfactory exchange.”
“Do I get nothing?” Kaylar asked crossly.
Terri scowled. “You got coordinates and still tried to double-c
The male shook his head, an approving look lighting his eyes as he glanced toward Veral. “I see why you have kept her as your mate. She is stronger than she appears.”
Veral’s eyes met hers, his lips curving with affection. “She is everything.”
Epilogue
It took them little effort to capture the pirates who’d been left on their ship. Since he had taken good care of Krono despite his attempts to chew and claw his way through the door, Veral decided to be merciful, with little urging from Terri. The Blaithari, a younger male among the crew, had no problem swearing loyalty to Azan. Kaylar had long since left with both pirates, leaving Veral and Terri to make preparations to leave the planet far behind them.
She wasn’t sorry to see the planet shrinking in the distance as their ship left the stratosphere. She couldn’t help the edge of worry as they drew up parallel to the pirate ship, but as promised, the pirate ship remained inactive, Kaylar’s ship still attached to it. She wondered how much success Azan was having with the crew.
She smiled with a sudden bubble of mirth. Azan could be quite persuasive when she wanted to be.
The viewscreen flickered with the coordinates as Veral input them through his link. As soon as they locked, the ship turned away from the planet, the engines firing into primary drive.
Terri returned her attention to placing the last of the jewels in the storage case that Veral brought out for her. Krono’s heavy head rested on her feet as she worked.
She frowned as she scraped the bottom of the empty bag. Something was missing. What happened to the blood red jewel? She began to pat her storage compartments in her armor. Maybe she had placed it in there by mistake.
A chime sounded through the ship, startling her from her task.
“Incoming transmission from the pirate ship… Lady’s Glory,” he added, a quizzical note to his voice.
Terri chuckled. “See? I told you that ships have names. It sure didn’t take Azan long to place her own brand on it.”
“So it seems,” Veral replied as he put the message through.
Azan’s grinning face filled the viewscreen a moment later.
“I see that you are well on your way. You will be pleased to note that I have successfully taken captainship of Lady’s Glory and your Kaylar is disembarking. I wanted to thank you again and wish you safe journeys.”
“What of Garswal?”
A fond look came over the pirate. “Ah, him. There is hope for that small male, and I find I cannot bear to part with him, so he will remain at my side. I will care for him and teach him to be a better male than his sire and most of the males on this ship. Do not worry for him.”
“I am relieved to hear it. Safe journeys to you as well,” Terri returned. “Try not to get into too much trouble.”
“Only if the price is right and the moment opportune,” Azan returned with a chuckle. “But only after the ship has had some overhauls. Which reminds me, thank you for your contribution to the efforts.”
“Contribution…?” Terri asked, a frown of confusion wrinkling her brow. Veral chuffed with laughter, but she didn’t get it.
Azan tossed a large, brilliant red gemstone in her hand. “I am afraid I could not let you leave with it—not when the ship requires considerable work.”
Terri’s mouth dropped open. She hadn’t even seen the pirate take it. “Wait one damn minute…”
“Sorry, sweet little human. I do like you, but I am still a pirate, after all. Farewell!” Azan gave her a small salute as the screen blipped off.
In the viewscreen, she watched as the pirate ship’s engines flared to life, the ship retreating as Kaylar’s ship moved in a different direction, on his own way to Earth.
Terri shook her head, her shock fading into amusement. Sitting back in her chair, she locked the chest and shrugged. “I guess I should have expected that. Maybe I am still a naïve, weak human.”
“Indeed, you should have expected nothing less,” her mate replied, his eyes shining at her with warmth. Slowly, he got up from his chair and walked over, stopping in front of her. Leaning down, he plucked the box from her lap and set it aside as he drew her to her feet in front of him. “But you are anything but weak. You have shown great strength and an ability to protect yourself, especially now armed with a symbiont that will ensure your protection. Even without it, I should have known that you would be able to face anything that the cosmos sets before you. I admire and adore you. I was wrongly overprotective.”
“You see that, finally, do you?” she asked with a small smile, her body leaning into his. “For the record, I actually like that you’re protective and territorial. Just do it with me at your side rather than hidden away like I’m too fragile to trust to be with you.”
“I shall. We are united in this together, for the rest of our span of life.”
“Nothing sounds better to me. And what of your people? We got rid of Kaylar easily enough. What if they send someone we can’t handle?”
Veral’s expression hardened. “The council would be unwise to send anyone else, but if they do, then we will take the fight to them. Until that happens, however, we will continue to just live.”
“That doesn’t sound highly logical,” she teased.
“Perhaps not, but I have discovered that life with a human is not always logical… and yet it is surprisingly full and rewarding. This is a life I never could have imagined, but one I will never let go.” His breath feathered against her skin, and as the final words left him, he lifted her into his arms and carried her from the bridge.
Life wasn’t like one of the storybooks, but as he carried her to their room, Terri decided she was looking forward to her own sort of happily ever after.
Other Works by S.J. Sanders
The Mate Index
First Contact
The VaDorok
Hearts of Indesh (Valentine Novella)
The Edoka’s Destiny
The Vori’s Mate
Eliza’s Miracle (Novella)
A Kiss on Kaidava
The Vori’s Secret
A Mate for Oigr (Halloween Novella)
Heart of the Agraak
A Gift for Medif
The Arobi’s Queen
Teril’s Fire (coming soon)
Monsterly Yours
The Orc Wife
The Troll Bride
The Accidental Werewolf’s Mate
Love Blooms for the Pixie Queen (coming soon)
The Unicorn’s Mare (coming Dec 2020)
Sci-Fi Fairytales
Red: A Dystopian World Alien Romance
The Sirein: (coming soon)
Ragoru Beginnings Romance
White: Emala’s Story
Huntress
Dark Spirits
Havoc of Souls
The Mirror (also part of Mischief Matchmakers)
Forest of Spirits
Desert of the Vanished (coming soon)
Shadowed Dreams Erotica
The Lantern
Serpent of the Abyss
The Mintars
Librarian and the Beast
The Atlavans
The Darvel Exploratory Systems
Classified Planet: Turongal
Argurma Salvager
Broken Earth
Pirate’s Gold
About the Author
S.J. Sanders is a writer of Science Fiction and Fantasy Romance. With a love of all things alien and monster she is fascinated with concepts of far off worlds, as well as the lore and legends of various cultures. When not writing, she loves reading, sculpting, painting and travel (especially to exotic destinations). Although born and raised in Alaska, she currently as a resident of Florida with her family, her maine coon, Bella, and pet bearded dragon, Lex.
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