Arobi's Queen: A Mate Index Romance (The Mate Index Book 11)

by S. J. Sanders

  The alpha’s steady gaze met his and he tipped his head toward the stew. “How is the last meal coming?”

  “It is nearly ready,” Bilax reported with a satisfied smile.

  A ghost of a smile appeared on Exeri’s face as he nodded. “Good work. I will go wake Hayley. I am sure she will appreciate your efforts better than some,” he said with a meaningful look to Tanji.

  The male had the grace to look offended. “I appreciate Bilax’s cooking. It has yet to make me sick, unlike my own attempts. In fact, it is often quite good, even if it looks questionable,” he added with a grimace toward the pot.

  “It is stew… This is how it is supposed to look,” Bilax bit out.

  “Tanji, perhaps you would do better if you had another chore with which to occupy yourself?” Exeri broke in, his voice rough with a note of warning.

  With a grin and a shake of his head, Tanji leaped away. “I think I’ll go find something to amuse myself until we are ready to eat since everyone seems to be in a prickly mood with our queen in the house.”

  “You do that,” Exeri said as he stepped back to give Tanji space to slip by.

  The male disappeared into another part of their dwelling while the alpha came up to hover over Bilax’s shoulder. Bilax glanced back curiously at him. Exeri didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared down into the stew, deep in thought. When he finally spoke, his voice was low. If Bilax had not spent so many revolutions in the alpha’s pack, he would have missed the tension in the other male’s voice.

  “Good job,” he murmured. “We must do everything we can to make her feel welcome and comfortable here so that she knows without any doubt that this is her home and we are her pack—her family.”

  Shooting him a curious look, Bilax reached up to grab several bowls from the storage unit. “Certainly this would be a given? You do not need to tell me or any of the rest of us that this is the time that we woo our queen.” He chuckled.

  Exeri relaxed and nodded. “This is true. I just wanted to impress upon you just how important it is. Tanji is…”

  “…reckless, short-sighted?” Bilax quipped in amusement.

  The alpha smirked. “I was going to say enthusiastic.”

  “Ah. Yes, I suppose that is a good descriptor too,” Bilax begrudgingly granted.

  “He may require directing,” Exeri said diplomatically.

  “In other words, you want to make sure that we guide him in how to woo her so that he does not do something so offensive that she leaves?”

  “In a manner of speaking.”

  Simah sighed and turned in his chair. “I would honestly rather do extra chore duties. Tanji is hard to reel in, especially when he gets excited over something that he feels is a good idea. Or do I need to remind you of the trouble he caused on Agraadax before we left when he propositioned a mated female to run away with our pack?”

  “In his defense, the female had been crying about her ‘unfeeling mate’ for a quarter of an hour,” Bilax reminded his pack brother. Simah snorted in reply.

  “He did not hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity though, did he? He did not consult with us if we were even interested in mating with the female, nor did he even have the tact to make sure her mate was not within the same dining facility. He just saw her tears, decided that he wanted a mate at that moment, that she would do, and then made his move.”

  It had been worse that the “unfeeling mate” had been a warrior of standing from the tribal village who not only doted on and provided well for his female, but that the human was well known for stirring trouble on the occasions that he didn’t give in to her demands. Regardless of Tanji’s good intentions, the skirmish had been the main part that hastened their retirement from the Intergalactic Fleet.

  Not that Bilax cared about that. Their goal accomplished, their hasty extraction had been welcome, in his opinion.

  Still, Simah had a point. Tanji did not always think about his actions and words before carrying them out. There were bound to be misunderstandings with their queen, and there was a good chance that most would be from the male behaving like a pup. Unlike the rest of the pack, Tanji had belonged to a private kennel where he had been favored, but had been sold when his master died. When he joined the pack, he had been frightened and quick to snap at all of them. It had taken time to win his confidence, and with it had come his loyalty to the pack. It was only after their liberation that they got a view of the happy, mischievous male he had been before joining their pack. None of the pack had wanted to take that away from him, so they had become accustomed to it instead. Bilax could only hope that she would be more amused by the antics than upset by them.

  “Do not worry too much about Tanji,” Exeri said, clearly of a similar mind. “A little extra effort from us is all that is required to smooth things out. In the end, I believe that he will be good for our little queen.”

  Simah glanced up from his datapad curiously. “How do you mean?”

  The alpha shrugged. “You have heard as much as I of her history. There has not been much that was pleasant for her. Tanji may be a bit much at times, but his cheerfulness will be certain to lighten her heart. He will draw her out to play more successfully than the rest of us, who have been conditioned to fight.”

  That observation fell on them with great weight and they winced. It was entirely accurate. Although they could be playful, none of them had Tanji’s carefree spirit. It had been beaten out them when they were still pups by masters who preferred to see them fight over the meanest scraps to prove their value. Few but the earliest of Bilax’s memories held any happiness in them. Like most pups, he had been torn from his dam and litter the moment he was weaned to begin his training.

  Would he even know how to be gentle and playful with their queen? An Arobi queen would not have cared, having grown up in similar—if considerably better—conditions. But a human queen… What did he know of making a human mate happy?

  “We will learn,” Exeri said, answering the question that was so obviously on the forefront of all their minds. “We were designed to fight, but we are more than our training. We will woo our female and learn how to be both her protectors and… gentler males.”

  Bilax was pretty certain he saw the alpha wince as he spoke the last words. Of all of them, it would be the most challenging for Exeri, who showed his affection largely by his stalwart, disciplined defense of his pack.

  Not that it was going to be much easier for Bilax. But that was probably part of the attraction of cooking: he could show his fondness by feeding everyone without having to deal with messier shows of affection. Speaking of which… He turned to look at the spices in front of him. There was only one ingredient missing still from the stew: the ground pepper. He read the description and puzzled over it. A cooked and dried unripe fruit of the Piper nigrum ground for flavoring.

  He frowned and rubbed his neck as he looked upon what he had. That sounded like simak spice. It was procured similarly. He picked up the bottle of red dust and shrugged. Adding what he assumed was the correct measurement—the intergalactic conversions were notoriously off—he sat back and looked at the stew quizzically. The scent had changed with the addition of something savory to include an odd spiced-sweetness. His ears drooped as he eyed the concoction. Was it supposed to smell like that? He growled, wishing he had the chance to sample human foods before taking on a queen.

  Leaning forward, he took a small spoon gathered up some of the gravy and lapped it up. The conflict of flavors made his tongue curl up in disgust. How could humans enjoy such fare? Holding back his disgust, he gave the stew one final whisk, misgivings bubbling to life within him.

  Glancing at Exeri, he huffed. “I believe it is done.”

  “I will fetch our queen then,” the alpha said with a pleased smile.

  Bilax only hoped he continued to look as pleased when he tasted the stew.

  Chapter 17

  “Tanji is… reckless? shortsighted? Enthusiastic.”

  The word
s followed Tanji as he loped down the hall to where their queen rested. Hadn’t he proved himself enough on the trip from the space station? Simah was the one who let the female walk all over him. Sure, Tanji enjoyed playing and teasing, but he knew well when it was time to stop joking and start fighting. He knew when to bend with their queen and when to be firm… and he demonstrated his ability to keep her safe when the Vazith threatened her. Would Simah have been capable of doing the same?

  He smirked, his tail lashing behind him as he picked up his pace. Simah hated to fight and would have waited to act until it was too late. It was the same weakness that Tanji used against him when sparring. The male was reluctant to strike unless he was provoked into defending himself. The only time he seemed to act quickly was when it came to the hunt. The male could never best him and yet talked as if there was a problem with him!

  Tanji let out a snort of bitter laughter. He was the better male, and they both knew it.

  He knew he was a worthwhile male. His master could have gotten any amount of money if he had put Tanji in a stud pack, but instead he gave him, barely weaned, to his sickly daughter as a playmate who had taken one look at his light mane and begged for him. She had been his mistress, and she was his tightly guarded secret.

  He had shared her room with her, playing with her and keeping her company, providing comfort on days when she was in too much pain to leave her bed. At her insistence, they initiated each other into the delights of the flesh, and he had held her against his heart as often as she allowed. In matters of the heart, despite it being forbidden between their species, he had considered her his mate. He had loved Amika until the very day that she didn’t wake. Then he had grieved for her, his grief so profound that it only doubled when the master sold him to a male who kept stud packs.

  Tanji had fought the entire way. He refused to breed after knowing what it was to join with one whom he loved. Even though he was not an alpha, his genetic material would have added to the young, and in fact would have been necessary to the survival of any offspring bred. His refusal to participate had earned him punishments upon punishments before he was finally separated from the stud pack and sold. He never imagined that he would truly have a queen, and now that he had one once more, nothing would separate him from her side.

  Let the others scorn him… oh, laughter-loving Tanji who is always teasing and bumbling. He did not care what words they pinned on him. All that mattered was their queen. He would give all of himself, all his laughter and joy, to make his female smile and hope that she might embrace him. A crooked grin appeared on his mouth as he neared her door. The gruff males could wait for them in the kitchen, but he would wake her sweetly.

  Quietly opening the door, he pushed his head in and glanced around the dark room. In the time since they left her to rest, the sun had dipped behind the mountains, and only the faintest of light over their rim illuminated the room. It was just enough light for him to easily see their mate sprawled on the bed.

  Only half covered by a blanket, one leg was flung out as the top of her breast peeked over the edge of the low-cut collar of her shirt. His gaze caught in fascination on the way her parted lips pouted ever so slightly in her sleep. He longed to touch her at that moment more than he desired anything. He did not even realize that he approached her bed until his legs hit the side. Tanji let out a hiss of surprised pain, and Hayley’s brow wrinkled for a moment in her sleep before her dark eyes opened. The slumber retreated quickly as she yelped a startled sound, which had him backpedaling into a small table beside the bed that he failed to notice until it was too late. Both he and the furniture went down with a crash. His head swam, and he was not aware of the fact that Hayley had leaped out of the bed to race over to his side until he felt her small hands wrap around his arm as she attempted to assist him to his feet.

  “Tanji, what the fuck were you thinking?” she demanded as she tucked herself into his side until he was stable once more.

  He winced and rubbed his head as he glanced down at the small female. “This did not quite work out the way that I had imagined,” he confessed with a rueful chuckle. “I thought I would wake you gently and then escort you to the kitchen for the evening meal, not embarrass myself.”

  She stared at him for a long moment and pressed her lips together, but not before he caught the upward twitch of her mouth.

  “Gently wake me, huh? If that’s what you call nearly scaring five years off my life by hovering directly over me as I wake up… then sure, we’ll go with that.” She snickered.

  Tanji winced. He had not quite thought of it in that light. As much as he longed to be there as she woke up, the tender awakening of one’s mate was going to have to be left for now until they actually lay together, and she was accustomed to his presence beside her. He felt a hard, eager shift in his sheath at the thought of her in his bed but firmly ignored it.

  Not yet. He had patience.

  Pushing up from the bed, Hayley stretched and looked toward the window and froze. Her mouth dropped open and she turned away from him, walking toward it. He glanced to see what had caught her attention and smiled, following close behind. In the darkened sky, against the backdrop of the forest, a hundred green lights glowed and bobbed against the shadowy silhouettes of the trees, brightened momentarily by the presence of the fluttering insects.

  “Are all of those glowing butterflies?” she whispered.

  “Entigs. They are a bioluminescent insect with large ornate wings. At night, they like to feed on the sap of the trees, which helps the trees along by carrying off the pollen they produce along their trunks nearest to the sap rivets.”

  “It’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen,” she said.

  “I can think of at least one sight better,” he returned.

  Glancing back at him, she cocked an eyebrow, her lips quirking in amusement at the obvious flattery, though it was the truth. In his eyes, she was the most beautiful being he had ever seen—because she was theirs. Undaunted, he lowered his ears and smiled down at her, projecting warmth and affection as he held out his hand toward her. Elation filled him as she took it, and he could not stop the smile on his face from widening with pleasure.

  Leading the way, he bent to tease his little female. “You are quite small. It is obvious a good meal will do you good. I hope you are fond of something called stew. Bilax has been working out a variant of the recipe using local goods. I do not have much hope for it myself, but he claims it is something many humans enjoy eating.”

  Soft, husky laughter drifted over him and he glanced down to find Hayley looking up at him with warm humor in her brown eyes.

  “You think I’m small, do you?” she asked, her lips quirking. “I’m considered curvy by humans. Surplus isn’t always admired unless it’s offset with tiny everything else.” She gestured to her generous breasts and hips and the softness of her belly and thighs.

  “You are most exquisite,” Tanji breathed, lust rushing through him.

  Even with his first love, while rousing the sweetest of memories in him, he didn’t recall experiencing such an uncontrollable surge of need. The claws of his opposite hand flexed as he dug them into the side of his leg for a moment before shaking his finger loose again. He needed to get a grip.

  “What are you doing in here, Tanji?” Exeri’s voice whipped over him like a splash of ice water on his nether regions. His cock within its swollen sheath immediately deflated. Exeri was definitely not happy.

  “Tanji was sweet enough to come collect me for dinner… uh, evening meal. I couldn’t imagine a more interesting way to wake up,” Hayley said, shooting him a small smile.

  Eyes locking on her, Tanji felt a swell of affection fill his chest. He was pretty sure that he was all puffed up from the way that Exeri was glowering at him, but he would do all the tasks and sparring routines that the alpha assigned for such a gift from their queen. The male’s eyes shifted between them, and then an odd thing happened—his mouth turned up at the corners and he nodded.
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  “That is good to know. Come then. Bilax is waiting anxiously for us to arrive for the meal.”

  He gestured with his hand but, as they passed, Hayley reached out and snagged his arm with her free hand, drawing him to her side. The alpha went rigid with surprise and Hayley stiffened as well. Tanji stepped forward in concern, ready to remove their female’s grip from the male’s arm should he show any sign of aggression. He knew that the male’s hair triggers over being grabbed unexpectedly were an ingrained reaction from his youth in the alpha kennels. Tanji did not relish the idea of attacking his alpha, but he knew that Exeri would expect him to do so—to do anything to protect their queen, should his instinct take over.

  To his surprise, however, he did not need to intervene. Exeri relaxed and his expression softened as he looked down upon their queen. Gently, he shifted her grip so that her arm was tucked lightly into his own like some of the old human courting gestures they had taken note of in Earth vids. Together, the three of them walked down the wide hallway and through the dwelling’s central room before finally arriving in the kitchen.

  A wide smile graced Bilax’s face the moment they entered the room with their queen, an uncommon sight to see on their former master’s prized fighter. He pulled a chair out at the head of the table—another thing they had picked up from old Earth vids—and waited as Hayley seated herself. Her eyebrows were arched in confusion as he scooted her chair toward the table before rushing away. Tanji held back a smile as he sat beside Simah while Exeri settled directly across from him. Normally, the alpha sat at the head of the table, but he seemed to have no issue at their queen being given the honor. In fact, his eyes almost seemed to glow with satisfaction.

  Bilax returned promptly with the bowl and, with a proud snap of his tail, set it gently in front of her. He threw a square cloth over her, and the male stepped back to observe the results of his efforts and preen.