“Arr, think I could go for a walk in the palace gardens?”
His smile beamed as he came into the room.
“Of course, anything you want. I’ll go call Lis and we’ll both take you down.”
“Great.” She stood up to go change. “Meet you in a few minutes.” A walk would help clear her head and help her sleep better at night.
* * * *
“No one is answering! Where is she?” Tos growled at the screen.
Bex folded his arms, leaning against the wall. Seventy-nine hours and thirty-three minutes had passed since she’d been gone. Why did it feel much longer? Tos's grumpiness had grown worse in Daisy’s absence. The only thing making his mood better for a short while was to see her on screen.
Cir strode into the room, stopping, his frown deepening to see the screen still was trying to connect.
Everyone held their breath as it suddenly lit. “Yes?” A Demos male they didn’t know stood before them.
“Who the fuck are you and where is Daisy?”
“Oh, you’re the ones.” The bored expression of the Demos male made Bex want to punch him. Tos vibrated with almost uncontrolled anger.
“The human female is currently busy. Please call back at another time.” The screen went blank.
“Uh, what just happened?” Cir asked.
Tos was already pressing buttons to reconnect to Daisy’s quarters in the Qui-Palace in the third city, only to have the same male answer.
“This is Daisy's channel," said Tos. "What the fuck are you doing answering her comm link?”
“All incoming calls to any of the female’s quarters have been redirected for screening. As I already informed you, the female Daisy is currently occupied. She does not want to be disturbed by anyone.” The bastard put a large emphasis on the last word.
The screen went blank again and both Bex and Cir jumped as Tos slammed his fist through the screen.
Loz walked in at the same moment. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Those fucking pricks are blocking our calls to our sheraz!” Tos ground out, shaking out the pain from his now bloodied fist. Tos shoved back Cir when he tried to see his brother's injury.
“Easy, Tos…losing your temper will not help the situation. I’ll make a call to the High Councillors and see what is going on. Everyone, back on duty, now. The more we keep occupied and busy, the better for our state of mind.”
“The Jorval still proving stubborn?” Bex asked, watching as Tos took several deep breaths, bringing himself under control.
“They have gathered firepower of nearly every race we know. It’s not a fight I want to get into, as it will be long and drawn out if we do.”
“Brother, you have to think like a Jorval. All they care about is turning a profit. Greedy and selfish, they are, so we use it to our advantage. If you simply offer to buy the technology they use to traverse the distance, then we can destroy it.”
“But how are we to know we have it all and it won’t be used again?”
“Make sure they realise there is no profit in abducting human females, considering all we’ll do is raid them and make them poor.”
“You’re freakishly smart. You know that, don’t you?” Loz grinned at him.
Bex shrugged his shoulders. “Let me still-pic this moment… Big brother has finally figured it out. I live to make plans and strategize. All you have to do is implement them––and the sooner, the better.”
“I can still put you on your arse, little brother. Remember that,” Loz warned.
Bex grinned at him, giving him a shrug.
With a nod, Loz walked out, clearly in his mind going over Bex’s plan.
Still, the worry hung heavy on their minds. Someone was interfering, or rather trying to interfere, with their relationship. Tos could feel it in his gut.
They had to hold close to the hope that Daisy would remain steadfast and strong, and she would be there waiting for them when they returned. What else did they have to hope for?
Chapter Nine
A few coincidences she could brush off, but after a week it was getting utterly ridiculous. Every garden walk, one or two of the High Councillors would turn up. Smiling and oh, so polite, they’d ask her questions about Earth and its customs.
Gifts started arriving in the form of jewels and richly decorated clothing in her size, or little gadgets that apparently Demos women couldn’t live without. Try as she might to send them back, they refused. So she stuck them in the back of a closet where she wouldn’t have to look at them.
What really got her goat was there’d been no word from her men. When Daisy tried to call them on the comm, she got some other Demos guy claiming they were too busy in negotiations with the Jorval to see her.
They’d promised to keep in contact, and this lack of communication hurt and made her usually happy-go-lucky attitude spiral downward. Even her attendants noticed and they tried to soothe her, bringing her favourite foods and drinks. However, nothing would make Daisy happy until she heard from her men.
After the sixth attempt that week, she slumped down in her chair. A knock sounded at the door. Usually only her attendants knocked, so she didn’t pay much attention until all four of the High Councillors pushed open the doors to her palace room and strode in.
“Miss Daisy, you are far too lovely to be looking so sad.” Pot positioned himself in front of her chair, kneeling down and taking her hand.
She snatched it back.
“Not to sound rude, but what do you want?”
“To take you to lunch, of course,” But said with a bright smile.
“This time we won’t take no for an answer,” Myl added. “You’ve been keeping yourself locked away in this room and it is not good for your health.” His condescending tone, as if he was talking to a five-year-old, grated on her nerves.
“Don’t talk to me like that.” She glared at him. “You insult me and my intelligence by talking down to me.”
Myl shared a look with Pot and Lik. “I did warn you, brother,” Lik smirked.
“Daisy, come out with us. You’ve seen nothing of the city where you now live. At least let us show you some of the wonders of Galafrax.”
She did have trouble saying no to that. Her curiosity spiked and her funny bone was again tickled by having the brothers' names Myl, Pot, Lik, and But to make fun of.
Still, she had an issue to address. “I can’t get through to my quads. Do you know anything about that?”
“Sorry, Daisy, but no. They are busy quads and on an important mission to keep all human females safe. You can try and contact them again when we get back.” She didn’t trust Pot’s smile.
“So, come see the city?” But pushed Pot aside and held out his hand like a hopeful child wanting a candy treat.
“I can’t say no to that. I do want to learn more, but this is not a date and we are not courting.”
The Councillors nodded solemnly.
“I hope, if nothing else, Daisy, we can be friends.” Lik smiled.
“All right, so when do we leave?”
All four Demos men beamed happily as she got to her feet, helped by But.
“If you’re ready, now?”
“Sure, I’ll put some shoes on and we’ll go.”
“Trust us to show you a wonderful time.”
Pot’s smile was wide, yet she saw calculation in his golden eyes. For now she shook it off. She had to try to make the best of things until her men returned.
The sooner, the better.
* * * *
The painful squeeze in Bex’s chest made him stagger, near collapsing, on the seat in his brightly lit office. Pain poured through his every cell. It couldn’t be, no, no, no…
Cir, who’d been working by his side, glanced up in concern. “Bex? What is the matter? You’ve turned a pale shade of pink.”
“A current news report from the Third city of Galafrax,” Bex managed.
Scowling, Cir leaned over Bex’s station, his eyes flicking throug
“Oh, by the Fire Gods! There has to be some mistake. She would never willingly do this to us.”
“Tos was right all along: they wanted her, and they now have her.” His voice sounded strangled even to his own ears.
“We can’t show this to Tos.” Cir shook his head, the pain swirling in his eyes. Bex still struggled to believe she would betray them.
“He’s going to find out sooner or later. These reports are public knowledge.” He pushed back to his feet. “We need to talk to her. I want to hear it from her own lips she’s accepted those pompous pricks over us.”
Cir clamped his hand on Bex's shoulder. “I’ll call a family meeting. We need to find out why we haven’t been able to talk to her for all this time.”
Bex took a deep breath, trying to quell the pain of possibly losing Daisy. Something was wrong here. The four of them needed to stand together and find out what by the Ice Plains was going on.
* * * *
Arr burst into her room without knocking. Daisy, dressed in her fuzzy slippers and robe, with a hot cup of Purrt in her hand, jumped in fright. The liquid sloshed, spilling down her front.
“Oh, Daisy! You’ve got to see this.” In one smooth move, he’d grabbed a cloth to dab at her spill while dropping a Galafrax information pad into her lap. She swore the Demos man was half-octopus, sometimes.
Frowning, she picked up the pad and squinted. “Just what am I looking at?” She scrolled down to see images of her with the High Councillors from yesterday’s outing where they’d shown her the city. Pot had his arm around her shoulder while pointing out an old landmark. However, the wording was all in the Galafraxian language.
“I can’t read this yet, Arr.” She shoved his hand from her chest when it crept too high.
He flopped down next to her on the sofa and took it from her hands. “It says, 'The High Councillors of Third City are proud to announce their coming bonding with the human female Daisy Putter, who yesterday agreed to become their sheraz. After the bonding of the High Lords in City Prime, there are high hopes their mating will produce many fine female offspring.'”
Shock hit her like a sledgehammer, knocking the breath from her lungs and making her hands shake. Arr relieved her of her cup before she could spill any more.
It took a moment for the shock to morph into sharp anger.
“I did not agree to be their sheraz. They know fucking well I’m spoken for! Why, those dirty, underhanded sneaks…”
Daisy jumped to her feet, her ample chest heaving in rage.
“I didn’t think you had, which is why I got here as soon as I could this morning. I’ve heard you talk about your quads. I know how much you love them.” Arr sat back against the sofa, sniffing at her remaining Purrt.
Love. The word brought Daisy to a halt as she realised she’d never actually told them she loved them.
She sat back down next to Arr and reclaimed her drink, finishing it in one swallow.
“I’m a twit.”
“Why?” Arr took her now empty cup.
“I never told them I did love them. What if they read this and…” Oh, god. Her heart fell, and she cradled her head in her hands.
“In the time we’ve known you, Daisy, you’ve shown remarkable strength. Are you really going to give in so easily? The question is, how are you going to respond to this claim?”
“How am I going to respond?” A plan formulated in her mind. “I’m going to give those prick Councillors a piece of my mind, then kick them in the balls so they’ll never be able to breed with anyone!”
Arr winced. “May I suggest you get dressed first? I doubt many will take you seriously in your robe and fuzzy slippers.”
Her lips curved up into a sheepish grin, glancing at Arr. “Good idea.” She hurried to get dressed.
A short time later, Arr, joined by his brother, Lis, led her to the main High Councillors' office. They waited just outside as she went forward. The doors were ten feet of golden metal and elaborately carved with different images of life on Galafrax, all in sets of four.
If steam could rise from the top of her head, she was sure it would be there, as her anger simmered, ready to give those controlling pricks a verbal slam down they wouldn’t forget in a hurry. Head held high, she walked in through the first set of doors to be met by a smaller eight-foot set that were slightly ajar. Before she could push open the doors, she heard voices.
“Tonight, she’ll be ours completely. There is no way she can resist and no one will know the difference.”
She held her breath to listen. What the hell were they talking about?
“You obtained the drug then, Lik?”
“Everything is ready. One press to Daisy’s neck and she’ll be completely under our control. I’ve already tested it out, on the human Stacy. Of course, she was already willing to spread her legs for us anyway. She wanted us, but there is no way I’m touching that skinny human female. She is too much like our own.”
There were chuckles of agreement. Daisy’s heart pounded in her ears.
“By now, the news reports would have reached Commander Loz's ship and they will give up on having her as theirs. By then, it’ll be too late anyway.”
“It’s a perfect plan. Once we have her safely in our quarters, there’s no way she’ll be able to escape when the drug does wear off. No one will ever know she didn’t willingly agree to be ours. She’ll add to our status. With her, we can never be deposed.” She was sure it was Pot who talked.
“When are we scheduled to see the doctors to reverse our sterility?”
“Two hours. I can’t wait to sink my rod into Daisy, then watch her swell with our offspring.”
Daisy slapped her shaking hand over her mouth to stop her gasp of horror sounding out.
On equally shaky legs, she quickly headed back through the main doors. Arr and Lis flanked her.
“Daisy, you are so pale. What happened?” Arr’s eyes filled with worry.
“Just get me back to my quarters, please. I… I need your help.”
They nodded, quickly leading her back. She was grateful for their strength and to have their friendship, but now she was going to put it to the test. She needed to escape and quickly, but not before sending out a distress signal to her men. She hadn’t thought to use it till now, but there was no way she was going to sit idly by while some stupid pricks tried to drug, rape and trap her into a relationship she didn’t want.
She prayed by whatever gods looked out for people like her on a foreign planet, they answered. Right now, she needed all the help she could get.
Chapter Ten
Loz and Cir held Tos pinned to the floor. “It will do you no good to lose your head. Calm down,” growled Loz. Tos always had a temper problem, ever since early childhood. He got into many fights with other quad sets during their schooling and early military training.
Cir and Loz quickly tackled their brother to the ground after showing him the news report before he could tear Loz’s office apart. Tos’ eyes blazed with the same pain and anger they all felt.
“Don’t make me sedate you,” Cir warned.
“I will fucking kill them all!” Tos’s yell was muffled by Loz pressing his head down.
“I called this meeting to see what we can do, not have your temper rage out of control. Pull yourself together and see reason. Even I feel something wrong with this whole situation,” Cir said.
“We should have never sent her away from us!” Tos yelled.
Loz couldn’t disagree with that. “I know, brother.” He felt Tos calm and take one of his deep breaths to bring himself under control. He loosened his grip and pulled away. Cir followed, before helping Tos to his feet.
A flashing green light on Bex’s belt band caught Loz’s eye. “What’s that?”
Bex glanced down, his eyes widened. “Daisy! Brothers, I knew it, something is wrong ––she’s sent an emergency message.”
He bolted for the door, all three brothers quickly on his heels. Bex’s quarters were filled with gadgets he’d been fiddling with for years. He sat down at his computer, activating it with nimble fingers manipulating the controls until Daisy's worried face came on screen.
“Guys, I don’t have much time. If you’ve read any reports that I’m marrying those stuck-up prick councillors, I can tell you it’s wrong. They’ve been keeping us apart. But worse than that, I overheard them talking about drugging me and taking me by force to be their sheraz. But I’ve got help. My friends are going to get me out soon and hide me the best they can. I need you. I’ll activate the signal in a few hours so you can find me. Please come as quickly as you can.”
Someone in the background touched her shoulder. “Daisy, we have to hurry.”
She looked up and nodded before turning her pale face back to the screen.
“Loz, Tos, Cir and Bex, I love you guys. Please believe me, we’ve been set up and kept apart. I need to go now before we’re discovered.”
The screen went blank.
Loz’s mind started preparing for action, taking charge, as was his birthright. “Tos, prepare my commander's shuttle…Cir, notify your medical crew that we’re leaving. I’m going to hand command over to our seconds. Daisy needs us and we’re not going to let her down. Bex, keep a close eye to see when she activates the tracking signal.”
Tos ran for the door, Cir following at a slower pace. Bex grabbed Loz’s shoulder before he could leave. “Before we go, I think we should prepare.”
Loz studied him for a moment. “What do you mean?”
“If they are forcing human females to their will, then the proper authorities should be warned.”
“Bex, you have free rein to do whatever you need to, but be prepared to leave in the next fifteen minutes.”
Bex’s smile was one that Loz knew well. He was up to something. Loz placed absolute trust in his youngest brother, knowing they were all there for each other and for Daisy.
* * * *
It seemed like hours since she’d been stuffed in the cramped space of the hovering supply cart and Arr and Lis pushed her out of the Palace, without anyone stopping to question them. A few hold-your-breath moments did pass, as they were questioned by several Palace guards, but the boys had their IDs ready.
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