The Sands of Argurumal (Argurma Salvager Book 3)

by S. J. Sanders

  “It was a true pleasure and honor to see what our species has to look forward to.” Her lips twisted into a grim smile. “Change can be unpleasant, but I think I understand.” She straightened; her proud bearing pronounced as she inclined her head to them. “Evacuation signal is now broadcasting.” Her eyes shifted, becoming more distant as she linked to what had to be numerous other channels. “Monushava mother-line, all ships have system-wide clearance for departure. Leave immediately. Initiating countdown to release of media files Harahna from the compound in twenty minutes. To all mother-kin now facing an unknown life in space—Our line shall not perish. We will be reunited again. Be well, everyone.”

  The comm station’s viewscreen blacked out for a moment before another signal lit it up with a scrawl of confusing symbols. With a flick of his fingers, Veral accepted the coded channel.

  Azan grinned at them.

  “Coming in hot! Prepare for imminent evacuation. Arrival time… well, just hold onto your asses because we will be there quick.”

  The transmission cut off, but Terri grinned, cuddling Harahna close. Time to go home. Leaning her cheek into her mate’s chest, she walked with him at a leisurely stroll, their family behind them as they exited the compound, their supplies and one particularly nasty trophy carried by the Larth and Dreth. The whine of the ship as it careened through the canyon blasted her ears, but she laughed aloud.

  The ramp extended, and the hatch door slid open, allowing the Blaithari to pop her head out. Two of her six arms waved as she beckoned them inside.

  “We need to move,” she shouted. “Planetary defenses are starting to come online!”

  Terri swallowed back a laugh as Veral scooped her up in his arms and raced toward the ramp. Harahna giggled into her tunic, her little fists clutching the material tightly. The pound of feet on the ramp was loud as their family ascended and made their way to their flight harnesses. The scrape of claws from the dorashnals was louder as they followed them in and dug their sharp claws into the well-padded flooring of the flight deck designed for that purpose. The skinny female that had belonged to Malraha clung to Krono’s side as they settled in.

  Although the male tolerated her presence, Veral had been uncertain about keeping her since Krono would never bond with a female that was not bonded with Veral’s mate. Terri was stubborn enough to try to win her over, however, and the renamed female Taka was now a part of the family whether the dorashnal liked it or not.

  Terri was never averse to their family growing. She grinned at the sound of Navesha giggling as Gargoluk carried her by. Not just merely chuffing, Navesha giggled like Harahna did as Gargoluk grumbled about how retirement wasn’t working out for him as he secured first his mate and then himself. Larth chuffed in amusement at their banter as he tightened his harness around his impressive mass, while Dreth and Tarik took their places beside him, neither of them looking too happy to seated next to the male.

  Terri hadn’t been able to figure out what set the males on edge about Larth. She personally found him very likable.

  Veral smirked as he slid past them and strode to the two captains’ chairs. Plopping Terri in one, he secured her harness and gave Harahna’s symbiont a gentle tap causing it to instantly form its safety harness around Terri’s body, keeping their daughter snugly in place. A smile of satisfaction crossed her face as he settled in the chair beside her that Azan hastily evacuated and began initiating the flight sequences.

  Azan secured herself next to Wendy and winked at Terri as she threw one arm around the exasperated human, who punched at her bicep. A laugh burst from Terri as The Wanderer lifted off from the canyon floor, zipping at a dizzying speed beyond the stratosphere of Argurumal. There, they drifted for a moment as Veral began to initiate the hyperspeed drive, and all around them Terri saw starships bearing the Monushava emblem. Veral paused and watched them, something sad flickering on his face as they winked out one by one.

  A warning light blinked on as the AI voice filled the flight deck.

  “Planetary defenses initiating fire in ten, nine, eight, seven…”

  The light of the stars around them dragged, pressure increasing in the room until, like a rubber band, everything snapped forward and the built tension released as The Wanderer hurled through space.

  Gazing up at her mate, Terri smiled.

  “Are we onto our next adventure?”

  He raised a brow and chuffed down at her.

  “I think a revolution of peace… a vacation, as you say.”

  “Perfect,” Terri murmured. “I love you, anastha.

  “And I you,” Veral purred. “Forever.”

  “Quit with the lovey shit. Let’s just focus on getting to my ship,” Azan huffed. “I have a crew of miscreants—lost boys, each of them—who will have no doubt gotten into trouble while we have been away.”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Wendy sighed. “Azan Petera, shut the fuck up. Let’s just enjoy the rest of our vacation.”

  Terri choked on a laugh but grabbed her mate’s nearest mandible and drew his head down. His lips claimed hers eagerly, the kiss deepening as his two tongues stroked along hers. She sighed into his mouth, happiness flooding through her.

  Every adventure should end with a kiss. Or so it seemed to her.

  Epilogue

  Azan had played it safe. It took them two months to get out to her ship. In the time since, they had dropped off Larth and Tarik, who surprisingly decided to travel together, at a nearby space station en route, and Dreth disembarked on a quiet little planet that was a little out of the way but not so far as to make Azan complain.

  As much as Terri enjoyed her friend, she couldn’t feel too sympathetic when she had chosen a rendezvous point that was so far off of any travel routes that it was the outer space version of “the middle of nowhere.” Or that was what Veral alleged. Navesha and Gargoluk stayed with them longest, until they eventually also went their own way, boarding a mercenary vessel commanded by Gargoluk’s brother to bounce around the universe before they decided where they wanted to settle down.

  Veral seemed to relax more as everyone left, but she had caught a fleeting look of unhappiness when Navesha left. They had gotten closer during their time in space, and she had even smacked his shoulder spine affectionally as she left. He would deny it until every star died in the sky, but she knew that as much as he loved his freedom, he was going to feel her absence and stay in communication with her. They had made their own private channel, and so now there was no chance of them being separated again.

  Despite her mate’s curmudgeonly behavior toward their guests, Terri and Harahna had been enjoying all the company. Harahna especially loved the numerous arms—especially if one counted Azan—that she could be passed off to. Even Navesha had begun to warm up to the baby and was a lot less afraid of holding her, actually seeming to enjoy it every now and then. Now everyone was leaving them, and Terri could understand Harahna’s bewilderment as their crew gradually shrunk.

  She missed her family.

  At least winning Taka’s loyalty and affection had lessened the wound a little. The female clung to Terri in ways that made her believe Malraha mistreated the animal, but she was gaining weight and confidence. Just the other day, Krono mounted her for the first time… which came as a rude interruption while Veral and Terri were making love, their whines blending in with Terri’s cries and Veral’s growls. She had been embarrassed, but her mate had merely chuffed and told her that was the natural way of dorashnal. Krono now had his mate because Taka had bonded to Terri.

  She still found it a little odd to suddenly have synchronized matings going on, but she was happy for Krono and tried to ignore it. It was just part of their family growing, even as it was shrinking.

  And now they were saying goodbye to the rest of their fellow escapees from Argurumal.

  The dark pirate vessel drifted with only minimal lights on. Its size made Terri think of a monster hidden in the depths of a sea. Even Wendy seemed to stare at it quietly, w
hereas just a short time ago she had appeared excited to return to their ship.

  Azan looked down at her as she gathered their supplies, her brows rising in question.

  “Ready, Wendy?”

  The female sighed and nodded her head.

  “Yes, let’s go.”

  “If you aren’t ready to leave, I’m sure we can circle about here for a few days,” Terri offered, ignoring her mate’s dark glower.

  Azan shook her head.

  “I got word form one of my contacts that humans have been spotted at a famous slave port. The male who runs it is an ex-pirate who styles himself as some sort of businessman now. He owns a space station called Neverland. It’s supposed to be a place unlike any other. A dream place of leisure…”

  “And where paying customers can have every fantasy fulfilled, including exclusive markets for pleasure slaves,” Wendy added. She shuddered, her expression turning bleak. “I thought it was possible that there might have been other women kidnapped. It would have been odd if Veral and my kidnappers were the only ones to have found what’s left of our species on Earth. Neverland is probably one place out of many with human captives, but we have to start somewhere.”

  Azan nodded; eyes narrowed thoughtfully as if trying to puzzle out the best way to take out their enemy.

  Veral growled from his station, claws digging into the armrest in a telling way as he vented his anger. Despite all their faults—and there were many—Argurma did not endorse slavery, and as far as she knew, her mate abhorred it more than any other.

  He slowly released the armrest and stood as he gave a formal nod to Azan.

  “I will repay your favor to us. In this venture against Neverland, if you require anything at all, comm me and I will assist you.” He paused. “It is my fervent hope that you do not require my aid, but your task is noble, and I will do all that I can.”

  Azan grinned as she nudged the male on her way past.

  “Thanks, growly, but I think we have it from here. If we get into a tight spot, we will comm, rest assured.”

  Wendy snorted and followed Azan as she gave Terri a wink.

  “Code name can be Dark Crocodile,” she suggested with a playful gesture to Veral’s scales.

  Azan laughed and pulled the female into several of her arms as they continued to the docking bay where a shuttle from the pirate ship awaited them.

  Veral’s frown didn’t let up until he saw the shuttle depart the vicinity of their ship with his own two eyes. A smile curved his lips as the tension rolled off his body like drops of water sliding off his scales. Eyes brightening, he turned a heated gaze to Terri.

  “Now that they are gone, I have a gift to show you. And then we will mate while Harahna sleeps.”

  Terri chuckled as she leaned in and kissed her mate, nipping at his bottom lip.

  “Depends on how much I like the gift… and whether Krono and Taka wake her up in the middle of things,” she replied.

  Veral sighed deeply and muttered something uncomplimentary about the level of the noise of the dorashnal as he led her through their starship into a back display room where they kept mementos. The lights flicked on as they entered and Terri stared at the Argurma skull displayed in the center of the room, gold gilding the places where the skull took damage from their fight.

  Her mate’s head dropped, his lips caressing her neck, making Terri shiver against him.

  “Are you pleased, anastha?”

  “Oh, yes,” she whispered. “A true love gift from my mate: my enemy vanquished.”

  A low growl vibrated against her neck as he pulled her hips back so that her bottom rested against the bulge of his civix.

  “And that is how it will always be,” he hissed into her ear. “I will never tire of you, never cease loving you, and never will I balk from destroying any who try to harm you. You are mine, Terri.”

  “And thank fuck for that,” she whispered as she turned in his arms and embraced him.

  No matter where they went and what adventures they had, Terri knew that he would be the one constant. For the rest of their very long lives.

  Author’s Note

  Whew so we made it through Terri and Veral’s Trilogy. This was my first run doing a trilogy with the same characters and, honestly, I’ve been terrified of messing it up. I don’t tend to read running series involving the same characters, preferring books that change with each couple and the romance packaged with a neat bow in one book, so this was a unique challenge for me to come back to their story and let readers accompany them. First to see what life in space for a new human mated to an alien, and book 3 experiencing a homecoming.

  In many ways this sets up for the spin off series Argurma Chronicles which will start with Kaylar’s story but will include many of the characters you’ve seen in this trilogy. Dreth will have a book, as will Larth and Tarak.

  I am also planning on doing a novella for Azan and Wendy in the near future. So there is plenty more to come despite finishing up with this hero or heroine. I may revisit Terri and Veral from time to time with a short story of one of their adventures (I still want to tell about their first assignment together as escort guards for an alien princess heh) so these little bites will hopefully give readers fun trips with them continuing in the future.

  Although house Monushava is now in the stars, I hope to return to Argurumal in some future books. I had a lot of fun building the world there and loved the sand dragnars (I want one!) I sincerely hope you have enjoyed this journey with our duo and look forward to future books from the Argurma universe.

  SJ Sanders

  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

  Monsterly Yours

  The Orc Wife

  The Troll Bride

  The Accidental Werewolf’s Mate

  The Pixie’s Queen

  The Unicorn’s Mare (coming soon)

  Sci-Fi Fairytales

  Red: A Dystopian World Alien Romance

  Sirein

  Ragoru Beginnings Romance

  White: Emala’s Story

  Huntress

  Ragoru Romance

  A Mother’s Night Gift

  Dark Spirits

  Havoc of Souls

  Forest of Spirits

  Desert of the Vanished (coming soon)

  Dark Spirits Fairytales

  The Mirror (also part of Mischief Matchmakers)

  Matchsticks

  Shadowed Dreams Erotica

  The Lantern

  Serpent of the Abyss

  The Mintars

  Librarian and the Beast

  The Atlavans

  The Darvel Exploratory Systems

  Classified Planet: Turongal

  Serpents of the Abyss (coming soon)

  Mist World: Asylum of Graelf (currently an ongoing serial in reader group)

  Argurma Salvager

  Broken Earth

  Pirate’s Gold

  Sands of Argurumal (out now!)

  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.

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