Materfamilias

by Wendie Nordgren

  Momma’s laughter tinkled like sunshine on diamonds. “Oh, my sweet. If his pheromones attracted you, it is a natural pairing, a biological attraction.”

  Victoria sighed. “Hopefully, Terre will have such good fortune.”

  Aunt Seyla asked, “Have you sampled him, yet?”

  The ladies laughed.

  Sitting up, I asked, “Why do I feel so nervous about Clark?”

  Aunt Seyla asked, “Can you be more specific?”

  I bit my nail. “I don’t know. Does he really like me? Do I really like him? I don’t know. Yukihyo and I have a deep spiritual connection. We are a part of each other. He even accepts the polyandrous side of my nature. Nico is this huge, powerful general who Papa picked for me. It was complicated, but I’ve grown to love him. With Quaid, it was an intense sexual attraction. Well, it still is. Then, it was an arranged marriage. Fitz won me because he’s just so adorable. Zared was this deep, mental and emotional bond that was confusing at first because of the bonds with his brothers. My Luca….” I couldn’t talk about him.

  Momma put her arm around me and soothed my emotions.

  “Drex started off as a ruse to find you but grew into something more. Then, there’s Dario. He’s an amazing friend. He’s sexy and smart. Farowyn was there for me when we thought we were going to die. Eli was one of my most trusted friends even before I fell in love with him. Shouldn’t I be satisfied? How did I find Clark to be irresistible? Why did he offer himself to me when I have plenty of husbands? I’m good. I’m content. How did this happen?”

  “A part of you wasn’t content. A part of you needs him, and he needs you. Now, remember, my sweet. You don’t have to accept every male who offers himself to you. You can say no.”

  They laughed. Momma picked up the embroidery she had set aside when I had entered.

  Victoria looked at me and then winked at Momma. She said of me, “They are so cute at that age.”

  I didn’t make a face until my back was turned, and I was walking away. Hearing sounds coming from the pool room, I entered. Phillip and Fitz were swimming laps. Terre was drowsing with her arms hanging over a pool float. Neema, Niklos, and Peter were swimming like little fish in the shallow end. Yukihyo and Nico sat in the water on one side, and Zared and Dario sat on the other, watching them carefully. Eli and Drex were playing some game in the deep end, diving down to retrieve something. Leaving my clothing on a chair, I walked down the steps and into the water. I laughed as Peter changed course and swam straight to me.

  “Aw, there. Now, your arms are in my favorite place, around my neck. Give Mommy kisses.” After I got my kisses, I felt more centered.

  “Hey!” Neema said as she splashed water at Dario to get his attention. He had stopped paying attention to her to watch me.

  Trying to hide his smile, he said, “Yes, Neema?”

  “Pay tension to me! Neema asked you to play fish.”

  I laughed at both of them.

  Dario said, “My apologies. Your mommy is so very pretty that she distracts me.”

  Neema scrutinized me. “Yeah. Mommy pretty. She’s a big princess. I’m a little princess. Right, Daddy?”

  With a serious expression on his face, Yukihyo nodded.

  Nico said, “Dario, didn’t we bring home some surprises for little princes and a princess?”

  “I believe we did,” he said.

  As if they had rehearsed, Pierce and Lorca entered carrying three toddler floats that had toy water blasters attached to their rings.

  “Whoa!” Niklos exclaimed as he climbed into his with his naked little butt.

  I giggled at him. After each of my babies was safe and secure, Lorca activated safety shielding to keep them with us in the shallow end, and we let them go. Peter laughed and laughed as he squirted my face with water.

  “Oh! You got me!”

  He moved onto Yukihyo.

  As the dinner hour approached, I knew my husbands were up to something. I had changed into one of the pretty dresses which Fitz had bought me. It was a light-purple and had frills. I had gotten Ulf, one of the stylists who Momma had hired, to do my hair. Unfortunately, my thoughts kept returning to the Academy. No one had said a word about it or sent me any messages.

  “Princess, may I file that for you?” Ulf asked of the nail I was biting.

  I gave him my hand and bit my bottom lip until Ulf raised an eyebrow at me and handed me some lip balm.

  On the chance Clark did decide to move into the Palace, a room near Drex’s, in the wing where my Military Advisory Committee had rooms reserved for their private use, had been made available for him. I had already checked it.

  Terre was watching me from where she stood beside the sink. “You are like a young girl on her first date.”

  “Am I really? Why am I so nervous? I’m married. I have children. I’m pregnant with twins. What is this?”

  “You like him and want him to like you. He is simply a young male for whom you have developed feelings. He isn’t a powerful, older, worldly male, and he isn’t as safe and stable as you are used to.”

  I cocked my head at her. “My husbands are feral, untamed warriors.”

  She laughed. “They are regimented, hardworking, and stable. They knew who they were before they met you. You are still becoming who you are meant to be, as is Clark. It is the way I see it, anyway.”

  “Do you think he’ll be happy? Do you think he’ll fit in?”

  Terre smiled. “Time will tell.” She held out her hand to me.

  In my sitting room, Fitz, Dario, Zared, and Yukihyo appeared to be on their best behavior. A vid-screen held the attention of Drex and Eli. Of course, they were spying on Clark.

  Drex said, “Emperor Probus is walking him here. Those two have spent a great deal of time together today.”

  Nico looked over at their screen. “He looks calm. If I had been him at that age, I might have shit myself.” He leaned back and turned the page of a book for Niklos.

  “How do I look?” I asked. I rubbed my hands together to dry them.

  Fitz said, “You are the most beautiful woman who I have ever seen. Why do you ask?”

  “What?”

  “He’s playing with you. Stop worrying, Cupcake.” Phillip patted his lap for Terre. She smiled and went to him.

  Then, Rozz and Izaac opened the doors to my wing, and Izaac glared at one of the males who was entering. Zared cleared his throat and shook his head at his brother.

  Papa walked toward me and said, “Darling, Ensign Flavian and I have been getting acquainted. He’s a bright young man. I hope I didn’t keep him too long.”

  “No, Papa. It’s fine.” Before I could ask him about having me reinstated at the Academy, he winked at Clark and quickly left.

  Clark held a fancy bouquet of white roses, but he didn’t have a bag with him. It saddened me that he had chosen to reside in the dorms, but I kept a smile on my face and accepted the flowers.

  “Well, hello, Gravy. Did you get settled into your room, or do you need some manly assistance?” Phillip asked. Terre swatted his arm. “What? Goddess, we’ve got to help him unpack.”

  “Phillip Svenson, you know very well for what you are being scolded.”

  Phillip grinned lecherously at her. “I’m a bad boy.” He flashed her a sexy smile.

  Unemotionally, Clark said, “The Emperor showed me to my room. Thank you.”

  My heart sped up, and the disappointment left me. “You’re staying? Really? That’s wonderful!”

  Phillip stood with Terre in his arms. “Come on, Goddess. We’re going out on a date.”

  “Are we?” she asked skeptically.

  Phillip nodded.

  Rozz and Izaac opened the doors. I knew they were listening to every thought in the room. Otto took the flowers for me. I worried that Izaac was jealous and hurt. In the past, I had been adamant about not wanting anymore husbands. I hadn’t even thought things through with Clark. I had simply craved, needed, and taken.

  “Teagan,” Y
ukihyo said. Looking up at him, I realized that I was wringing my hands together. To Clark, he said, “Teagan could use some time away from the Palace. Why don’t you take her out?”

  “Out?” I asked. “What does that mean?” I frowned as I looked out of a window and toward the gardens.

  “Chitter chitter chirp.” Thunderdrop climbed to my shoulder.

  “Her mind has been troubled with thoughts of war, the children, and the Academy. She needs a break,” Fitz said.

  “Yes, the sooner we leave for Chione, the better,” Yukihyo said.

  Clark asked me, “Would you like to go out?”

  I felt excited, but afraid to get my hopes up. “Just us? Can we do that? What about my guards?”

  Zared said, “Don’t worry. We will keep you safe while giving you your privacy.”

  Clark offered me his arm. As we left my sitting room, I looked back at my family. Dario waggled his fingers at me and grinned. “Really? Are we really just leaving, like normal people?”

  “It isn’t something you have been allowed to do.”

  “No. Once, on Amphictyon after Phillip had taught me to drive, he let me take his transport out all by myself. I drove and drove. I felt so proud of myself. I haven’t been able to do anything like that in quite some time.” Amphictyon had been a planet of firsts for me. It was where I had first felt a sense of empowerment, where I had met my Papa and Grandmother, where I had become a widow, and where we had found Momma.

  Thunderdrop’s claws moved along my back and to my shoulder.

  “I was feeling proud of my accomplishments at the Academy. Now, it’s gone.”

  Clark said, “We can do that.”

  “What?”

  “Let’s go for a drive. We don’t need a plan. We’ll just go. You can randomly pick our direction.”

  I laughed. “Oh, that sounds like fun.”

  He gave me his arm, and we walked out to the garage. Clark opened the door of a non-descript black transport for me. After he got inside, he asked, “Which way?”

  I shrugged. “I haven’t done much exploring around here. You grew up here, though. Right? Where did you like to go?”

  Making a decision, he pulled out of the parking garage and drove away from the Palace. I was impressed by how easily he lost the reporters who always seemed prepared to follow me.

  “How did you do that?”

  “My dad taught me. It’s like sleight of hand but with the transport. Wait for a distraction and use it to hide what you’re doing. The street sweeping bot couldn’t have been there at a better time.”

  Clark drove away from the Palace, land port, the Academy, and university. We ended up in one of the Warrior Caste’s residential areas just as the pink and orange sky was beginning to fade to black. Pulling up to the window of a little take out restaurant, he placed a large order. Then, we were off. He drove us to the other side of the mountain behind the Palace and to a park. He drove us along a road, hidden by towering trees, and up a winding drive, past picnic sites and camping areas. Then, he parked in a secluded spot where we could see the mountain looming up on one side and nothing but stars on the other.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Chirp!”

  Clark got out, opened the trunk, and pulled out an emergency thermal blanket. Coming to my door, he asked, “Would my lady care to have a picnic?”

  I felt a rush of excitement. Once my door opened, Thunderdrop jumped down. The three of us straightened out the shiny silver blanket. Clark and I arranged the food and drinks in the center of it. “That day when I was kicking your ass, did you ever imagine the two of us ending up here?” I asked.

  “No.” He gave me a lopsided grin and didn’t bother arguing.

  After placing some meat on a lid for Thunderdrop, I attacked my bowl of noodles and vegetables. “Did you always want to be an Inquisitor?”

  “Every male of House Flavian has been one. It’s a tradition and who we are. What about you?”

  I placed my biodegradable fork inside of my empty bowl. “When I turned eighteen, I wanted to join the Galaxic Militia more than anything. I’ll admit. It was mostly to escape my father.” I shook my head. “I wanted to get away from Nathan Green.” I shrugged. “I wasn’t accepted. I was bitter about that. I wanted to go into space more than anything. I love it up there. I love flying.”

  “So, why not enter the fleet?”

  I smirked at him. “They do not permit females. It’s too dangerous to risk us. Remember? I wonder if Cormac thought by letting me in that I’d accept him.” I plucked at the skirt of my dress. It was probably the only reason he had supported my participation.

  “I’m not certain that I truly believe you have accepted me. Why would you want me? Father is correct. You have married some of the most powerful males in the Empire.”

  “Those males are now part of your family. Anyway, Momma said it was something like natural selection between the two of us. My senses are heightened right now, and I found you to be irresistible. I guess that’s what worries me. I ensnared you with my pheromones. You didn’t stand a chance. You know what? That’s what got me in trouble with Rovek that day when I got sent to the ring. I had used my pheromones on him.” I lifted my shoulder and let it fall while plucking at the ruffles on my dress’s skirt. “What if you don’t like me once it wears off? What if you regret….”

  My words were cut off by Clark’s lips. Twining his fingers in my hair, he supported my back with his other hand and lowered me to the blanket. “Are you seducing me with your pheromones right now?” he asked in a husky voice.

  “No,” I whispered.

  “I don’t regret anything. I want.” His lips found mine again. “I want to see you. I want to touch you.”

  Thunderdrop climbed a tree, assuring me he would guard our privacy.

  I pushed Clark’s jacket from his thickly muscled arms. His shirt followed. Even though he was the youngest of my husbands, and would probably continue to fill out, he had some impressive muscles. I ran my palms over the dips and swells. Lifting up onto his knees, he struggled with my dress. I moved to my knees to help him. Cool air chilled my skin as he lifted the fabric from me.

  “For so long, I’ve appreciated your beauty from afar, but I never imagined touching you.”

  Unfastening my bra, I let it fall. By the starlight, I could see how desperately he wanted to touch me. “Clark, I’m your wife.” I laid back against the blanket.

  Slowly, as if he expected to be told to stop at any moment, he lifted his hand to my left breast, stroking it with his fingers. Then, more adventurously, he cupped my breasts in his hands and became fascinated by my hardening nipples. Hesitantly, he lowered his lips and kissed my breasts.

  “Oh, Clark,” I whispered and threaded my fingers through his short hair.

  My encouragement emboldened him. He took my nipple into his mouth. I moaned, feeling achy and wet. He ran his hands over my body and covered my stomach with one palm. “Lives grow within you,” he said reverently.

  I covered his hand with mine and realized I still wore my undies, pulling them off. Then, I encouraged him to move his hand lower. His attention became more firmly fixated than it had been on my breasts. Gently, he stroked my wet folds with his finger. He circled my nub, and I spread my legs wider. Reassured, he continued.

  “Clark, please.” His gentle and inexperienced touches were driving me mad.

  Slowly, he pushed his finger between my folds and pulled it out, enraptured by its disappearance and reappearance. He sank his finger into me again and again, watching in fascination. Pleasure built within me to the point of pain, and I cried out with my release. A frightened bird cried out and rustled the branches of a tree in its haste to find a quieter place to rest for the night. Clark pushed his pants down his hips and pulled his legs from them, tossing them aside. He positioned himself between my legs. Then, he spread my legs farther apart and watched as his thick cock slowly disappeared within me. Then, withdrawing to his cock’s hood, he slow
ly pushed himself back in. I watched with him.

  Then, his eyes met mine. “You’re so beautiful. Stars, I love you, Teagan.” His eyes returned to our joined bodies.

  I watched as his hard, wet shaft slid in and out of me. The erotic image made my inner walls tighten and release around him. Then, my eyes squeezed shut as I came yet again.

  Still, Clark watched as he moved in and out of me, occasionally looking at my eyes and breasts. Panting, I clutched at the blanket as the wild sensation built up yet again. His scent, like pine, salt, and warmth filled my senses, capturing and enthralling me. This time, he felt it, too. He lowered his chest to mine. His thrusts quickened and became erratic. Then, uncontrolled, he surged forward and emptied himself. Instinctively, he held himself from my stomach with the strength of his arms. Pulling his thick shaft from within me, he laid beside me and put his arm under my head.

  Turning into him for warmth, I slid my leg over his and moved my foot along his inner leg. I smiled. He did have hairy legs and a patch of hair on his lower abs. He tugged the edge of the blanket over me as I started to doze off. “Teagan, I want to get you home. It’s too cold for you to sleep here. Let’s get you dressed.”

  Yawning, I pulled on my clothes. Once the three of us were in the transport, Clark covered me with the blanket. He seemed different. “Are you alright?” I asked.

  He gave me his lopsided grin and started driving us back to the Palace. “Teagan, I’ve never before experienced such complete contentment and pleasure. Nothing could be more right.”

  I dozed off during the drive and woke when he parked.

  “Chirp?”

  “Yes, I’ll carry her.”

  “I can walk,” I mumbled.

  “Yes, and I can carry you.” Quickly folding the blanket, he put it away and then lifted me from the seat. After closing the door with his foot, he carried me through the quiet Palace halls to my wing.

  I hid my eyes from the lights against his neck. When I opened them once more, I saw Fitz pulling back the blankets. Nico removed my shoes. He said, “Go change for bed and come back. If you aren’t with her when she wakes, her feelings will be hurt.”

  I yawned.