Slave Gold 2: Cardinal Warriors (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Becca Van

  Chapter Ten

  “Our bound is awake.” Jubilation and relief surged through Riek as Annie opened her eyes and blinked. There were times over the last few days that he had worried they would never see her beautiful eyes or see her gorgeous smile again.

  “Thank the stars,” Shar shouted in his head.

  “Is she…okay?” Baro asked.

  “She hasn’t spoken yet.”

  “She will be fine.” Mott’s burst of happiness along with his own almost sent Riek to his knees.

  “Hurry,” Riek said. “She will want to see all of us.”

  “We’re on our way.” Shar broke the connection.

  Riek thought back over those lonely, hard days as he and his…brothers had taken turns watching over their mate.

  He and his kin had been becoming more aggressive with each day that passed. They were sects, hours as Annie said, away from landing on Cardinal, and still their bonded slept. Must had been by to examine her every moon descent and also to give her the nutrition injections so she wouldn’t lose body mass or dehydrate, but Riek was fearful she would never open her eyes again.

  She looked so small, pale, and fragile, and he was worried sick. His stomach was a huge mass of knots, and sometimes he was worried he would purge. But the pain in his heart superseded his gastric turmoil. The dark empty abyss was getting bigger each rotation, and he wasn’t sure how long he could keep his crug at bay.

  It felt like his insides had been shredded apart. Fur constantly erupted from his skin, as well as his claws from the tips of his fingers.

  The only consolation to any of this was that he and his kin, brothers, he reminded himself, as Annie would say, had found the comms they had been looking for. They should have realized that Council Elder Rotec would do something so nefarious. That fuggar had always been a coldhearted bastard, always watching, listening, and arguing with them.

  Rotec and a couple of the other Elders had gone into an uproar when he and his brothers decided to go into space and search the galaxies for their bonded. The only succor to leaving their home was knowing their second in command, warrior Preek, and his male kin would keep things running.

  Riek wondered if Council Elders Botoc and Focto were in alliance with Rotec. He wouldn’t be surprised. In fact, nothing those Elders did would surprise him anymore. They had always been narrow minded fuggars.

  It would be laughable to see them play out their plans. They had more strength and stamina than the Sytax, but they would be putting all citizens on Cardinal in jeopardy if they let the Sytax land on their home world. As far as he knew, there was no way a warrior could merge their minds with those green reptiles.

  If only Annie would awake. Maybe she could show or tell them how to control those slimy, stinky aliens.

  Riek must have been ruminating for much longer than he realized, because he felt the change in speed and the smoothness of their travel became rougher. They were entering Cardinal’s atmosphere. It would be sects before they were disembarking.

  He didn’t want to have to carry Annie from their battleship, especially in front of the Council Elders. They would consider her weak and an unworthy mate for the supreme rulers. Not that he really gave a shit what they thought. He and his brothers knew how strong and courageous their mate was, and that was all that mattered.

  He, Shar, Mott, and Baro had taken turns watching over Annie. Today was his turn, and as much as he loved making sure she was still breathing, he hated seeing her so helpless. What really frustrated him was the way he felt so useless. There was nothing any of them could do except wait for her to wake. He and his kin had spent hours holding her hands, touching her, and talking to her, not sure if she could hear them, but willing to try anything, hoping she would come back to them.

  Riek cocked his head when he heard a sound coming from Shar’s sleep chamber. His heart leapt in his chest, and his throat constricted. Is something wrong with our bonded? He rushed into the chamber and froze when he saw her moving. Her arms lifted above her head, and her legs stretched out. When she turned her head toward him and her eyes blinked open as she yawned, relieved elation filled his heart.

  Riek hurried to the bed, sat down next to Annie, and clasped one of her hands in his. He could feel her again and the deep loneliness began to leave, as did the pain and emptiness in his heart.

  “How are you feeling, cosmose?”

  “What does that mean?” She blinked up at him.

  A wide smile spread across his face. He needed to hold her body against his. He shoved the cover back and pulled her onto his lap and hugged her tight. Her fresh female scent wrapped around him and eased the savage beast inside. His crug’s rumble of contentment bubbled up from his chest until he was purring with contented happiness.

  “Cosmose means heart of my heart.”

  “Oh, that’s so sweet.” Annie rested her cheek on his shoulder and then rubbed it against him. The rumble deepened. “Are you purring?”

  “I am so happy to have you awake and in my arms. We have all been so worried about you.”

  “You have?” Annie frowned.

  “You would not awaken, Annie.”

  “What?”

  The outer door swished open, and his brothers hurried into the chamber.

  “Annie!” Shar, Baro, and Mott yelled simultaneously.

  She jumped and then turned to look at his brothers. “What?”

  “You have been asleep for six moon risings,” Shar said.

  Annie’s mouth dropped open, and then she frowned. “Oh. Were those green things real?”

  “Yes, they were, baby,” Riek answered.

  “Wow. I thought I must have dreamt them up.”

  “I’m afraid you didn’t, cosmose.” Shar plucked Annie from Riek’s arms and held her close.

  “Why am I naked?” Annie asked.

  “It was easier for Healer Must to scan you and treat you, but don’t worry, he didn’t see your body. Plus, one of us took you into the cleansing unit every rising,” Shar explained.

  “Why did I sleep so long? And why don’t I feel weak?”

  “Healer Must gave you a nutri-boost every rising to make sure you didn’t lose body mass or fluids,” Baro said as he pressed against Annie.

  “Wow, you guys could make a shitload of money on Earth with all your technology.”

  “Money?” Mott asked.

  “The stuff you use to buy things.” Annie smiled at Mott.

  “Credits.” Mott smiled back and stroked a finger down her cheek.

  “As much as I like being held and cuddled by you all, I’m getting chilly and am so hungry I could eat a whole cow. Do you think I could get dressed and something to eat?”

  Shar nodded and carried Annie over to the bed before he gently seated her on the side. “I will have nourishment waiting for you.”

  “Okay. I’m going to shower first. Um…cleanse.” Annie stood and walked into the cleansing room.

  Riek clapped Baro on the back and chuckled. “It is good to have our mate back with us.”

  “That it is,” Baro replied. “We will have to tell her everything we have found out about Council Elder Rotec. She will need to be on guard.”

  “We will have two guard units assigned to her at all times,” Shar said as they all converged to the greeting room.

  “Our seconds are a good choice,” Mott suggested.

  “They are, but we are going to need to have them at our back. I have a feeling we will not be safe if they were turned,” Shar said.

  “You are right, brother,” Riek chuckled. He was getting used to Annie’s words and liked them a whole lot better than their own. There was more depth to her expressions. In fact, all of his brothers had picked up sayings from Annie and used them constantly. At first, it had been to feel closer to her whilst she slept, but it seemed they all liked her terminologies.

  The round disc was full of nourishment by the time Annie entered. Riek jumped from his plank, clasped her hand, and guided her to the table.<
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  “You guys have no idea how weird it is to see a floating table and chairs that look like that.” Annie sat on the plank next to him and sighed as it molded around them, conforming to each of their bodies. “These things are so comfortable, it’s like sitting on a cushion of air.”

  “What do you want to eat, dearling?” Baro asked.

  “Everything.”

  A growling sound came from near Annie and all of them jumped to their feet, their claws and fangs out.

  Annie giggled and covered her mouth, and then she was laughing so hard Riek was worried she might hurt herself. He glanced at his brothers and saw the same perplexed expression on their faces.

  “You…guys…” Annie burst out between laughs and panting breaths. “Are…hysterical.”

  “I think that would be you, mate.” Mott frowned. “Why are you laughing at us?”

  “I’m not.” She paused to laugh again. “Not really.” Annie finally stopped laughing, but the smile on her face eased Riek’s frantically pounding heart, and his claws and fangs retracted.

  “That was my stomach growling, making its empty presence known, not some wild beast.”

  “I have never heard such before,” Shar said, looking at Annie.

  “Don’t your bodies let you know when you’re hungry?”

  “Yes, but they don’t make noises.”

  “So how do you know if you need to eat?”

  “They feel empty.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  “We have many things to tell you, Annie, and plans to make,” Shar said. “But first you will fill your angry stomach.”

  Annie giggled and nodded. Riek and Mott filled her plate with the things she liked, Tumut and Serap, and then they all filled their own plates. The silence was happy and comfortable as they eased their hunger. When they had all finished, Baro collected everything and placed it into the recycler.

  Annie picked up the lacca and took a sip before placing it back on the disc. “Okay, tell me what’s going on.”

  Riek, Mott, Shar, and Baro explained what they had found in regards to Council Elder Rotec, and the hypothesis that he was trying to gain ruling power plus many credits. By the time they were done, Annie was frowning and her face was pale.

  “So that asshole is trying to take over your planet for money and power?” Annie asked in a high-pitched voice.

  “That’s what we suspect and we still aren’t sure if two more Council Elders are involved.”

  “Fucking asshole.” Annie got to her feet and began pacing. “To think that you all could have been killed because of that prick. How many men do you have on this ship?”

  “We are running with skeleton staff and only have two hundred warriors on board,” Shar answered.

  “Two hundred men. That fucker was willing to sacrifice two hundred of your men for greed. I wish I could knock that greedy bastard out.”

  “Calm down, baby.” Riek got up and pulled Annie into his arms.

  “Were you calm when you found out?” Annie raised an eyebrow at him as she stared into his eyes.

  “No, but none of us have been calm while you were sleeping. Our crugs were driving us crazy with their aggression and we were concerned we would hurt some of our men,” Mott answered as he moved up behind their bonded.

  “I’m sorry.” Annie reached back, grasping onto Mott’s hip and pulling him closer.

  “You have nothing to be sorry for, dearling.” Baro moved to one side of Annie while Shar moved to the other.

  “Yeah, I get that I had no control over how long I slept for, but I’m sorry you guys were…hurt.”

  “We were never injured, cosmose,” Shar began. “But if you could try not to leave us again if you can help it, we would be grateful.”

  “I didn’t leave you.”

  “We were no longer connected to you with mind or spirit. We were angry and grieving even though you were in my bed and still breathing. The emptiness almost consumed us, my bonded.”

  “Note to self, don’t sleep for days on end again. Got it.”

  “You can joke about this?” Baro snapped.

  “I have to, Baro. If I think about what could have happened if I hadn’t been able to control those stinky green things, I would be tearing my hair out and screaming at the top of my lungs. What’s past is gone. We have so much to look forward to. We can’t change what’s happened. You’ll drive yourself insane if you don't let it go. Let’s just take one day at a time and enjoy each moment we have together.”

  “You are very wise, Annie.” Shar leaned down and kissed her on the top of the head.

  “I could use another drink. I think I’m still replenishing my fluids.” Annie slipped from between him and Mott, and after filling a goblet, she gulped the liquid down. “Why can’t I feel any vibration underfoot?”

  “We have landed on the docking station,” Baro answered.

  “Are we on your planet?”

  “We are just on the edge of the planet’s atmosphere. We will need to take a shuttle to land on our home world.”

  “Okay. What are we going to do about this traitor?”

  “We will continue to monitor his communications,” Baro said. “Although he has communicated off world with the Sytax, he is very wary and hasn’t said anything to incriminate himself. We will also record communications from the other two Council Elders.”

  “I wish I hadn’t ordered that slimy fucker to kill himself. I could have gotten information from him.” Annie sighed.

  “Council Elder Rotec is not going to be happy that we are back so soon and that we have found our bonded,” Shar said.

  “He’s going to be pissed that you’re all still alive and kickin’.”

  “You are right, baby. He will be angry, but that could just be an advantage,” Riek said.

  “How so?”

  “He is going to become impatient and sloppy.” Baro clasped Annie’s hand. “He is going to make a mistake and we will be there to take him down.”

  “Yes, we will.” Annie smiled. “You’re all starting to sound like me.”

  “We like your words,” Mott said. “They have more…feeling.”

  “So, how do we go about getting hold of another of those stinky green things?” Annie asked.

  Chapter Eleven

  Annie was nervous as hell about living on a new planet, but if it meant being with her men, she was up for it. She wasn’t looking forward to the stick-in-the-mud Council Elders because she’d never been good at hiding her emotions.

  Right now she was scared out of her mind. They had just boarded a shuttle that was filled with at least fifty warriors plus her and her men. She’d never been fond of flying, although she’d only ever been in a plane once, but the battleship had traveled through space without her feeling any turbulence or bumps, except for when the green aliens had blown up the loading dock. She had a bad feeling that this was going to a bumpy ride and didn’t want to toss her cookies in front of so many strong, handsome men. Not that she had eyes for anyone else but her mates, but still she hated being watched if she was sick. In fact, she would rather be left alone to recover and hated anyone trying to pamper her.

  She was currently wedged between Shar and Baro. There was standing room only on the shuttle, and since they were all so tall, they were able to hold onto the straps along the edge of the wall and ceiling. Shar had an arm around her waist, and Baro was holding one of her hands. Annie tried to push her trepidation aside by taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly and was pleased when her rapidly pounding heart and panting breaths reduced a bit.

  She looked up and met Baro’s eyes when he squeezed her hand. “How long will it take…”

  Annie’s stomach launched into her throat, and if she had been able to take a breath, she would have been screaming at the top of her lungs. The shuttle just seemed to drop and then fall. Her legs were trembling, and she wasn’t sure if it was from the vibration of the shuttle as it traveled through the atmosphere or because she was shit scared.
Shar must have felt her shaking, because he tightened his arm around her waist and lifted her up against his body. She clung to his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist and hoped she didn’t pee her pants.

  All of a sudden, her stomach changed direction and dropped from her throat down to her toes. Her stomach roiled and acid burned her esophagus, and she quickly swallowed. The shuttle had stopped falling and slowed right down. The horrendous noise was no more, and all she could hear was her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. Then she realized they were no longer moving.

  “We have landed, Annie,” Shar said.

  “You could have warned me,” she practically yelled in his face. She heard laughter from the warriors close by but ignored them.

  “Would it have helped if I had?” Shar asked.

  “Probably not, but I could have tried to prepare myself.”

  “We would never put you in danger, dearling,” Baro said.

  “Tell that to my shaking legs, upset stomach, and pounding heart.”

  “How can this frighten you after you took on the Sytax?” Mott asked.

  “Shut up!”

  Annie dropped her legs but kept her arms looped around Shar’s neck as he lowered her feet to the floor. If she hadn’t locked her knees, she might just have landed on her ass.

  “We will escort you, baby,” Riek said when Annie finally removed her arms from Shar’s neck and turned around. Most of the warriors had exited the shuttle. There were only four left. Ryker and his brothers were to follow her everywhere. At first Annie had protested the need for a constant guard, but when her mates had been adamant, she had asked them if she could pick her own men. She hadn’t met Ryker’s brothers but figured they had to be as honorable as he was since they were all connected through blood, mind, and emotions. She would trust him with her life and already had. He’d put himself between her and one of those slimy things when one had crept up behind her on the ship.

  Ryker stepped forward and bowed to her men and then her, once more doing the chest thumping thing. “Nava. Nav Annie, these are my male kin, Deka, Akka, and Byka.”

  “Hi, guys. Nice to meet you.” Annie smiled at them.