“Zared, I’ve missed you. Won’t you give me a hug? They won’t let me get up. I’ve been beeping.” Zared flowed across the carpet to me kneeling before me in one fluid motion. I wrapped my arms around his neck and sighed in relief when I felt the renewal of the bond between us. “Simply having you near has me feeling stronger already, Puppy Petter.”
Zared and I had first become acquainted when he and his brothers had abducted Neema and me at the behest of Arlo Dano who at the time was being manipulated by their father and creator, Dr. Crispus. I had been suffering from extreme motion sickness at the time. The motion sickness combined with the severe emotional distress and depression being torn away from Yukihyo had caused me resulted in Zared and me accidentally bonding with one another. The effect had cascaded since he already shared tight emotional and mental bonds with his hybrid brothers.
Dr. Crispus had combined the Laconian races of Eriopis and Enyo to create children in his lab where he and his wife had failed naturally. Children born of Eriopis and Enyo couples seldom survived. Any who did were considered unnatural because of the combined mental and emotional abilities they possessed and were shunned until they succumbed to madness. Dr. Crispus had delivered me while posing as a simple doctor on a mining colony, where for a time he had hidden from the authorities. Chance had placed my mother there during her captivity by Nathan Green, a despicable, abusive man who I had grown up believing to be my father. In truth, Nathan Green had belonged to an anti-Parvac military coalition and had abducted my mother to punish the Emperor, my grandfather. However, it was the Emperor’s son, my father and current Emperor Tavere Probus, my mother, Neema Valen, and me who had suffered.
Now, I sank into the connection between Zared and me. I gave him my fear of never seeing my son’s face, of leaving Neema as motherless as I had been, and of the pain those who loved me were sure to suffer. Zared’s hands soothed me with long strokes down my back. That was what had gotten him his nickname to begin with. I giggled, pulled back enough to kiss his cheek, and said, “I’m glad to see you haven’t changed, Puppy Petter.”
With feigned exasperation, Zared said, “Why must you refer to me in such an undignified manner?” I smiled and shrugged at him. Zared kissed my hands, rose, and moved to stand behind me.
Jazon, also known as Knife because of his vicious stabbing of Phillip at the time of the abduction, approached me next. With the exception of his solid black eyes, Jazon’s dark brown hair and average features would allow him to blend in with just about any crowd.
“Jazon, is there any chance of you doing me a favor?”
“There is no need for you to ask. Do not waste your energy fearing for their safety. I will alert them of any threats that I might sense.”
Jazon kept his hands firmly clasped behind his back. He knew I wasn’t ready to hug him after what he had done to Phillip. Also, he had ruined my bracelet. The slim gold bracelet had been the first gift that I had ever received, and it had been from Phillip. It had only been meant to house a tracking device, credit chip, and identification chip. While the bracelet hadn’t been of any real monetary value, it had meant a great deal to me. I gazed at my left wrist and rubbed it with my right hand. The stunning replacement that Jazon had fastened on my wrist along with all of my other jewelry except my wedding band had been removed.
Everyone knew better than to touch the wedding ring Yukihyo had given to me. He had had it made of one of the meteors that had frightened me during my first experience with a meteor storm while in route to Malta. It was entwined by a strong, thin metal that grew at an infinitesimal rate. I cherished my ring and everything between Yukihyo and me that it symbolized. However, on my wrist now, all I saw were fading bruises from countless needles and tubes.
“Jazon,” I whispered. “Please take care of Quaid if….”
“Shut up,” Jazon said. Angrily, he turned and left.
Papa got the terrifying look on his face that I seldom saw, and I feared for Jazon.
“Please, forgive my brother, Emperor Probus. The Princess’ illness terrifies Jazon. Should the day come when she leaves the existence we all share, Jazon has vowed to take the journey with her. Her loss would be too much to bear,” Xavier explained.
The tightness in my throat loosened with Zared’s touch of my shoulder. “Well, tell him if he does that, he’s a stupid asshole,” I said.
“Teagan, if our daughter learns to say that word, the two of us will have an issue,” Yukihyo admonished from where he played blocks on the floor with Neema.
“Whatever. Fine. Tell him I said he already is one,” I scowled.
“If he again speaks to my darling in such a manner, I will flog him,” Emperor Probus stated.
I lowered my eyes to my hands and picked at the blanket. Nico and Yukihyo’s wariness proved to the others that Papa did not make idle threats.
“I will go with him,” Xavier said as he kneeled in front of me.
“But I want you to stay with me,” I said. The dreams he had shared with me brushed across my mind too quickly to be caught and remembered.
“If I matter to you, then show me mercy. If I were to lose you, my only hope of survival would be great distance. I have no desire to live a life without you, even if I might only have the love of a sister.” Xavier rested his forehead on my knees. I stroked his hair.
“I’ll be fine. Phillip is going to take good care of me, and I’ve even promised not to argue. So, be sure to bring a present home to me.”
Xavier raised his head and peered into my soul with his mismatched eyes. “No harm will come to them. I swear this on my life, Princess.” Xavier took my hand and brought it to his lips. He closed his eyes and held my hand until my heart began to ache that he was leaving. He whisked those feelings away from me like dandelion fluff. Xavier stood, bowed low to me, stared into Yukihyo’s eyes, and left.
Zeth and Izaac needed no convincing to come with me to Parvac. Having at least three of my hybrid brothers, who I had decided to call the Omnes Videntes, made me feel a little better. Also, secretly, I hoped that if Phillip couldn’t save me that Zared, Zeth, and Izaac would save Yukihyo and Nico. My babies shouldn’t be deprived of both mother and fathers.
Vawn, Xander, Zergio, Rozz, Zam, Traviz, and Jezzie, I knew. However, Walter, Tomaz, Wyatt, Vic, and Zack, I was meeting for the first time. In unison, they went down on their right knees and pledged themselves to me, Emperor Probus, and the Parvac Empire. Papa gave them a nod of approval. Then, Eli escorted them to the large land transport that would take them to Ephors’ main military base where they would be trained to serve as my private guards.
“They will keep us safe, Papa. I’m sure of it.” Neema crawled to my feet and clutched the skirt of my dress as she smiled up at me with a drool covered chin. “Does Mommy finally get some attention?”
Yukihyo crawled toward us while growling like a bear. Neema shrieked and yelled, “CoCo! CoCo!”
With a proud smile, Nico said, “I will save the princess from the fierce ice bear.” Then, he picked her up and blew fart noises on her tummy until she was shrieking with laughter.
“Mommy,” Neema said as she reached for me. Once I had her in my arms, Neema attempted to get her lunch on her own.
“Silly baby,” I said as I kissed her fingers. After she had had enough, Neema’s eyelids began to droop. “How about the two of us go see what kind of bed Gapa got us? Do you want to take a nap with Mommy?” I blotted at a drop of milk sliding from the corner of her little mouth. Yukihyo smiled and carefully lifted our baby from my arms. Nico helped me up. I noticed that Zared, Zeth, and Izaac had continued to stand behind the couch on which I had been sitting. “Oh, no. They are behaving like Kaoti used to act. This won’t do. Yukihyo, can you get them to relax?” I yawned.
“Lady wife, I will advise our clan members on how best to behave.”
Nico led me into a room that I failed to notice and pulled back the covers. I began to take off my shoes only to realize that I wore none. The sheets we
re cool, and the weight of the blanket was comforting. Yukihyo placed Neema on the bed beside me and pressed a button on the wall. A clear, plasti-glass enclosure rose up on the sides and end of the bed. I wouldn’t have to worry about Neema falling from bed. I rubbed her back until I fell asleep.
Some hours later when my eyes drifted open, I observed my surroundings. Neema slept soundly beside me with a puddle of drool under her mouth that darkened the sheet. I laughed softly to myself since she got that from me. Behind the bed from the ceiling halfway to the floor and spanning the room was a viewport. It was stunningly beautiful, and I was grateful to have seen it and thankful for the years of happiness I had enjoyed since joining Tora’s crew. Semi-circular bedside tables were attached to the headboard at each side of the large bed. To the left of the bed near the corner were two chairs with a small table between them. The chairs were black, but their wide round seats were the same vibrant purple as the pillows on the couch in the living area. The bed’s headboard and the tables were black. The walls were white just as I assumed they would be throughout the starship. A door was in the center of the wall near the chairs.
I rolled onto my right side and smiled at the painting of Thalassa hanging on the wall. The painting was of the ocean at night with the moon enjoying her reflection in the water’s glassy surface. The frame was white. Next, a medium-sized vid-screen was in the center of the wall. A small semi-circular black table was beneath it with a matching chair of purple and black.
The door that led from the room was situated between semi-circular walls. I realized that they were rooms, and each had a door on the sides nearest the walls. I figured out which button to press to lower the plasti-glass enclosure on my side of the bed. I got up and raised the enclosure once more. I walked across the soft carpet of marbled black, white, and grey, and entered the semi-circular room closest to me. It was a bathroom. A sink and mirror were across from the door. To the left of the door was the waste unit which I needed. While I used it, I looked at the shower that took up the entire corner not used by the sink and mirror. Through the plasti-glass wall, I saw several shower heads similar to those in the shower at the beautiful house on Sinope that Yukihyo had rented for us.
Poking my head out of the bathroom to make sure that Neema continued to sleep, I slipped out of my dress and undies placing them in the basket under the sink. Stepping into the shower, I pressed the button to activate it. The water had already been set to the perfect temperature. I groaned as the pulsing sprays concentrated on my muscle areas that contained lactic acid and massaged the soreness away. I washed my hair with a shampoo that smelled of roses and jasmine. As I rinsed my hair, I discovered I was no longer alone. Yukihyo sat on the closed waste unit with towels on his lap. I turned off the shower and let Yukihyo help me to dry off. When I slid my hand down along the front of his pants, he stilled my hand.
Shocked and hurt, I asked, “What’s wrong?” I began to feel self-conscious about my figure.
“Teagan, I want you desperately. However, we have been warned that at this time, your heart is too fragile for such activity.”
I scowled. “Seriously? I could die, and I can’t even die satisfied and happy?” I had meant the comment to be humorous, but Yukihyo’s eyes filled with tears. “Hey, it’s okay. I was joking. Yukihyo?” He put his arms around me and held me. “You’re scaring me.”
“You, lady wife, are scaring me. Let us follow all of the orders of each doctor.”
“Alright.”
“A closet full of pretty new clothes awaits you. Nico and I have only a small portion of it.”
Yukihyo led me from the bathroom and into the room opposite it. Inside, it was the same size and shape as the bathroom. A curved bar full of dresses on hangers was along the right. The back wall had floor to ceiling drawers. To the left were stacked shoe cubbies. Yukihyo opened and closed drawers until he found undies for me. Then, he helped me balance so that I could put them on.
“What about this?” Yukihyo asked as he showed me a sleeveless V-necked dress with a flowing skirt.
Although it was white, it did have a soft pink lacy pattern that reminded me of some of the coral we had seen on Epopeus with Quaid and his sisters at the Ocean View Tunnel. That had been a perfect day. Yukihyo helped me put on the dress and brush and braid my hair. Then, we sat in the chairs by the bed and watched Neema sleep. In silence, we held hands. When she began to stir, Yukihyo lowered the clear protective railing and laid beside her so that she would see his smiling face as soon as her eyes opened. With my view of her blocked by her big muscular daddy, I noticed a set of black padded steps at the foot of the bed.
“That will make getting out of bed during the middle of the night easier,” I observed.
The three of us joined the others in the living room. Papa smiled at me and kissed my forehead.
“You look better already,” Papa said.
“The bed and shower are both amazing,” I said as Papa sat me in a chair, put my feet up, and covered me with a blanket. He and Nico had been speaking quietly with Phillip. Violet brought me a cup of tea. “Thank you. Aren’t you joining me?” I asked her.
“No, I have taken on the honor of serving as your Imperial attendant,” Violet answered.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I treat you like family and get a fancy title. Kaoti is thrilled about it. Go figure.”
“Well, if it means the two of you will stay with us at the Palace, I’m fine with it. I want you with me.” Izaac and Zeth were playing stones, but kept casting periodic glances my way. “What?” I asked them. Izaac shook his head not wishing to answer. Violet met my eyes and glanced at my heart. My pretty dress didn’t hide the gel patch and monitoring device. “Oh, goodness. My patch doesn’t match my dress. Maybe it comes in different colors.”
Violet grinned at me. A bag had managed to make it down to the carpet beside me, a familiar little bag. “Nico, will you please hand that to me?” My blonde giant did as I asked. “This is actually for you.”
“I know.”
“How could you know?” I asked as I pulled a small box from the bag.
Nico said, “You were never out of my sight on Arachne.”
“I would have sensed you had you been close.”
“Not with Izaac shielding me, you wouldn’t,” Nico said quietly. My face began to burn. “Why are you blushing?”
“I’m embarrassed. I thought you and Yukihyo had both run off to do whatever and weren’t worried about me at all.”
Nico knelt down, placed his large hands to either side of my face, and kissed me. “That’s what you had to think. Blame your Uncle Kagan. We were following his orders.”
I shrugged. “It’s all over now. Nico, I’m sorry that I doubted you. Please, forgive me.”
“Teagan, I would forgive you anything.”
I glanced down at the box and opened it. “Your finger has been neglected far too long,” I said as I slid the wedding band onto Nico’s finger.
Nico gave me a naughty look to let me know he’d rather have a finger inside of me. I blushed a brighter shade of pink.
Phillip said to Nico, “Don’t get any ideas. I can give you something to eliminate any impulses if necessary.”
“That won’t be required,” Nico said as he kissed me again and stood to his towering height.
Chapter Three
Less than a week later, I was settled back into the Palace on Parvac. Yukihyo busied himself with unloading and storing in our warehouse all of the merchandise we had purchased while in the Laconian Sector. At the moment, I was with Papa in his office. He had pulled a chair over next to his so that I could listen to an update from Vice Admiral Valen.
“Kane, how is the mission progressing?” Papa asked.
“Each warship currently fabricates a long-range sensor array. I will leave a trail of them at intervals to function as relays so that we can continue to communicate. The farther we travel from the Empire, the longer the delays will be between reports,�
� Kane answered.
“That is to be expected. Keep us apprised. Can you patch us through to the Hadrian?”
“Yes, Emperor Probus.”
I smiled as Captain Eric Alaric’s pale blue eyes and black hair filled the screen, and he bestowed a gorgeous smile on me in return.
“Emperor Probus, Princess Teagan, how may I be of service?” Eric asked.
“Carry on. This is a social call, nothing more. My daughter, for whatever reason, is cheered whenever she sees your face.”
Eric winked at me. “Of course, she is.”
“Eric, is Quaid alright?” I asked.
Eric pressed a link on one of his screens. “Commander Bosh, report to the bridge.”
Papa and Eric discussed the communications arrays for a few moments until Quaid appeared. Then, Quaid’s blonde hair, solid black eyes, tanned skin, and crisp dark blue Galaxic Militia uniform came into view.
“My Lord Bosh, it seems like forever since I have seen your face. I miss you terribly.”
The edges of Quaid’s black eyes began to lighten considerably. “Lady Bosh, seeing your face and hearing your voice gives me considerable relief. There appears to be more color in your cheeks.”
I smirked. “I haven’t left the Palace. Nico decided to insist that the uncertainty of this alien race was enough to initiate a clause in our marriage contract. It isn’t, but I’m playing along. I think he wants me to be annoyed with him.” I rolled my eyes.
Papa chuckled. “He planned to get you angry enough to rouse your fighting spirit.”
“All he’s doing is irritating Grandmother and Uncle Kagan. Quaid, he won’t even allow me to go to the Valen Estate. It’s minutes from here.” I shook my head.
“I will deal with Nico when I return,” Quaid said.
My eyes widened. “I don’t want you arguing.”
Quaid inclined his head to me. “I mean to take him fishing.”
I shook my head at him. “Well, aren’t you adorable.” I noticed the wedding band on Quaid’s finger, and my heart filled with joy. “I love you. Please, be careful.”
Omnes Videntes (The Space Merchants Book 4) Page 3
