Materfamilias

by Wendie Nordgren

  “Did you think you could keep her to yourselves, brothers? She was meant for all of us! Not you alone!”

  From Clarks’ arms, I could see that Yukihyo and Dario held one of the hybrids down. “Our Lady Wife is not some toy to be shared.”

  I strained to hear, but the words became faint as Clark jogged through the forest. However, insane laughter did reach our ears. It chilled my blood. Then, my blood froze when from all around us, hidden deep within the forest, ice bears roared, some close and some distant. I heard the pounding sound of running feet. Then, Fitz, Yukihyo, Dario, Nico, Izaac, and Zared joined us.

  “This way!” Yukihyo ordered as he took the lead.

  He guided us back to our clan home where our soldiers had regained consciousness and were mobilizing for war. Seeing us, Cormac lowered the shielding long enough for us to cross the barrier. Then, soldiers erected it once more.

  “Take her inside!” Nico ordered.

  I looked back the way we had come and screamed. An ice bear reared up on its hind legs and swiped at us with a massive clawed paw. It roared in pain when it connected with the shielding, and its fur sizzled. Clark’s footsteps never faltered as he ran with me to the fortress and up the steps.

  Inside, Phillip was waiting with his scanner. “Take her to her bed,” he ordered.

  My ladies, the children, Thunderdrop, the puppies and I were sequestered in the last hall of rooms and restroom under heavy guard. Only those with neural blockers were allowed to stay inside of the fortress with us. Phillip, Clark, Yukihyo, and males who were subject to telepathic manipulation were locked out. Kaoti, Rovek, and Cormac set up a surveillance and communications area in the family room. I stayed in bed with pillows behind my back, under my knees, and propping up my feet. The cramping I had experienced had terrified me even more than the hybrids had. I could hear Gary and Sparrow playing with the children in the hall. Pierce and Lorca had been banished outside with the others.

  The hybrids had taken over a few males in their attempts to force our defensive shielding to fall, but my Omnes Videntes acted quickly each time they did. When I wanted to know what was happening, all I had to do was close my eyes and ask. However, what I had last seen had frightened me. The rogue hybrids were controlling the surrounding ice bear population. The massive creatures prowled the perimeters of our shielding, hungry and ready to attack should it fall.

  Afraid and worried, I closed my eyes and ran my hands over my stomach. The fathers of my children were out there. What if the shields didn’t hold? A tap at my open door distracted me from my tears.

  “I came to check on you and your ladies. May I enter?” Cormac asked.

  “Yes, have you learned anything?”

  Coming to my side, he scanned me. He sent the data to Phillip. “Dr. Svenson reports that you and your daughters are fine, but he orders you to stay off of your feet with the exceptions of trips down to the end of the hall. You overdid it in the forest.” He put the scanner into his pocket and sat beside me. “Are you able to tell me what happened?”

  “You were there. You, Rovek, and Kaoti came. He looked and sounded like Luca….” I hid my face and cried as pain washed over me, leaving me aching and cold.

  Cormac put his arms around me, holding me while I cried. “It was a despicable trick, vile and dishonorable. They will make a mistake, and when they do, we will capture them.”

  “What if the shields don’t hold?”

  “They will. A certain princess is an excellent shot and destroyed the disruptor the hybrids used.”

  “What if they have another?”

  “We have fortified our defenses. General Cassian has taken over.”

  A soft tap sounded at my door. “Forgive my interruption. However, there are those of us who could benefit from some dinner,” Terre said.

  Cormac carried me to the dining room where I sat on a chair which had been brought in from another room with my feet up. A fur covered me. Soldiers were cooking for us. Cormac held Peter. Kaoti and Terre watched Neema and Poppy, and Gary entertained Niklos. I did my best to hide my fears, but Gary seemed to know what I was thinking.

  “They were only stories, Princess. They are greatly exaggerated stories meant to frighten wayward children into staying in their beds at night.”

  “What are?” Sparrow asked as she cut a piece of steak and brought her fork up to her mouth.

  Gary said, “The stories of Eriopis and Enyo hybrids.”

  I looked away from him, not wanting to frighten the children. They were true. All of the stories were true. Gary hadn’t heard the insane laughter or seen the madness in the eyes of the forgotten sons of Dr. Crispus.

  “Zared said they had no knowledge these males existed,” Kaoti said.

  “Where are our ships? What are they doing to help? We have our stealth ships and fighters. Shouldn’t we leave and go elsewhere?” I asked.

  Kaoti said, “It is safer to remain here in a defensible location. If we leave, they can pick us off or take hostages. All we have to do is wait them out. Their control will slip as they tire. It must be difficult to control all of those ice bears.”

  We had finished our dinner. Gary said, “You ladies should take the children to the bathing chamber and have a soak.”

  Violet held a hand against her lower back. “I could use one.”

  I took Peter. Neema, Poppy, Niklos, and the puppies ran ahead. Thunderdrop crawled along the walls. Inquisitors opened the heavy doors for us.

  “Do you think it hurt?” Terre whispered.

  “What?”

  “Having neural blockers implanted within their skulls.”

  I shuddered at the thought.

  Milk and Flake enjoyed the bathing pool as much as the children did. After paddling around with their little paws, they got out, shook themselves, and laid beside the fire to dry. Thunderdrop stayed up in a corner far away from possible splashes.

  Soon, stories had been read, teeth had been brushed, and my children fell asleep beside me in the massive bed. It was then that Kaoti and Rovek affixed neural blockers to the temples of my ladies and me as a precaution against us being used against our wills. Before mine was activated, Zared and Izaac assured me it was for the best and to remain inside where it was safe. However, fear and worry kept me awake. I sat up in fright when a shadow crossed my doorway. Since my ladies were as frightened as I was, we had left our doors open for comfort.

  “It’s me. I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Cormac said quietly. “However, you appear rather terrified.”

  “Have you heard anything?” I whispered.

  “Izaac was able to reach Jazon’s mind. Captain Alaric now knows all that we know, and the Hadrian will search for the Empress.”

  “What about us?”

  “Teagan, we are safest here.”

  “Then, why am I so frightened?”

  Easing himself down beside me, he put an arm around me. Needing comfort, I rested my head on his shoulder. For a brief moment, I wished we were all safe at home on Parvac.

  “I think Rovek plans to give your group high marks.”

  “What? Why?” The sudden change of topic threw me off.

  “From what we have discovered of the shield disruptor the hybrids used, we were able to deduce that it and the probe were created by the same individual. Since the others of your group patrol outside, you could assist them by working on your group’s report tomorrow. It would be fair for you to assume responsibility for an academic task while they participate physically.” Cormac droned on about the most effective way to write a report until boredom put me to sleep.

  When I woke up, I was hungry. In my sleep, I had thrown my left leg over Cormac. My knee was wedged up against his balls, my hand was fisted in his T-shirt, and I had drooled all over him. Closing my mouth, I wiped it on my gown and tried to move, but first I had to carefully remove my hair from Peter’s fist. The children were sound asleep. I crawled over Cormac and the tent in his pants. He watched me with patient hunger, like I wa
s a batch of cookies that still had a few minutes to go in the oven.

  I whispered, “Watch my babies. I have to pee.”

  Inquisitors stood guard at the doors. I hurried by them and into the restroom. Thunderdrop chased after me. “Thank you for what you did. If you hadn’t hissed and warned me, I would have gone to him.”

  “Chirp,” he said softly.

  The evil hybrid’s trick had hurt me. It had been the cruelest thing he could have done. Thunderdrop knew and wanted revenge. However, he trusted Yukihyo, Nico, Zared, Dario, Fitz, and Clark to take it for us both. Returning to the bedroom, I found Cormac quietly speaking with Rovek. “Is there any news?”

  Giving me his arm, Cormac led me back to bed and propped up the pillows behind me. An officer entered and gave me a cup of coffee. After I had thanked him, he bowed to me and left.

  “There is nothing to report. We are to remain inside,” Rovek stated.

  “Mommy, where’s Daddy?” Neema asked sleepily.

  “Where is Yukihyo?” I asked the two males.

  “Hunting,” Cormac stated.

  “The men have prepared pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausages,” Rovek said.

  “Hey, Nik. Wake up. We gots pancakes,” Neema said as she shook her brother.

  Kaoti walked in with Poppy in his arms. He asked, “Who needs to potty?”

  “Me,” Niklos said.

  Neema crawled from bed after him.

  “What’s so funny?” Kaoti asked an Inquisitor.

  The male said, “You are one of the most feared assassins in the Empire and are taking our future Emperor to go potty.”

  Staring at me, Kaoti asked, “See what you’ve done to me, Princess?”

  I shrugged and sipped my coffee. “What can I say? We love our Koty.”

  Days passed. The children became restless, asking where their daddies were, wanting Pierce and Lorca, and begging to play outside. They weren’t the only ones who were worried. Sparrow, Terre, and I were desperate for news. Violet calmly reassured us, but she had Kaoti with her inside of the fortress. Sparrow had the comfort of her father, but like me, she had no knowledge of those aboard the Empress. Aside from playing with the children and seeing to their needs, I completed the report for my group and several of my assignments. The Inquisitors and Lieutenant Gary Adair had stopped sharing with us any news of the outside. It was making us frantic.

  Sparrow caught me alone in the hall and motioned for me to follow her into her bedroom. Without a word, she showed me a grainy image on a vid-screen from outside. She had hacked her way into someone’s monitoring system. Phillip, Clark, Cedrenus, Binder, Ross, Stayton, and Levi were hunkered down behind a shield in front of the main doors. A few guards were patrolling the outer shielding. The others were all gone, but hungry ice bears continued to prowl along the edges of our view.

  “I’m not leaving them out there,” I whispered.

  “How do we get the guards to leave the doors? They never leave their posts. When one takes a break, another takes his place.”

  “Also, what if this is a trap? The hybrids want us to open the doors. I can’t risk our children. They are mad.” Turning from her, I stared at the wall.

  “What are you not telling me?” Sparrow asked quietly.

  “They keep reaching for me, even with the neural blocker. Their minds are like oil and nightmares. They want me to bind them to myself and heal their minds, but I can’t. It doesn’t work that way.”

  Coming closer, she tossed the vid-screen onto her bed. “What would happen if you did?”

  Meeting her eyes, I said, “Their madness would spread to each of us who are bound, you, me, Xavier, Yukihyo, Zared, Phillip, and even Peter. If I am bound to one of them, it will destroy us all.”

  Her expression changed. “Does the Ponidi Clan know this?”

  I nodded. “They feel it, too. They are blocking themselves from me, trying to protect me from the telepathic assaults they are under. Sparrow, I don’t know what to do to help.”

  From the doorway, Kaoti said, “In this situation, anything you try to do to help will only make it worse. Follow orders like an ensign, and don’t give them like a princess. Trust us to deal with the threat. This is what we have trained to do. The Laconian Government and Galaxic Militia are sending reinforcements.”

  “Why haven’t we caught them? Why are they still running around out there terrorizing us?”

  Watching me with the eyes of a tame predator, Kaoti said, “They planted the probe to spy on you. In doing so, they almost started a war. It was their intention to do so. It would have been a simple thing for them to have hidden their movements in the midst of such a grand distraction. They would have taken you, and the Bosh family would have been blamed. Now, we all know who, why, and how, but we don’t know where. Eli and Quaid may be close to the answer as to where the hybrids keep their base of operations.”

  Sparrow asked, “What will be done with them once they are caught?”

  “When the mind of a Laconian hybrid experiment deteriorates into madness, only one thing can be done.” Kaoti silently walked away.

  Tears began to fill Sparrow’s eyes.

  “Hey, it won’t happen to our hybrids. I’ve got them safely bound to me. I promise, and I won’t do anything stupid, like opening the doors and trying to help.”

  “Xavier is safe?” she asked in a tiny voice.

  “I promise.” Opening my arms, I did my best to comfort her. Trying to help in order to prove my own worth would be a mistake. Too much was at risk, and I wouldn’t make myself a liability. “What did Xavier mean when he told you to keep us safe and that you knew what to do?”

  “I’m good at blowing shit up. He told me to shoot if I had to and ask questions later. No one will hurt my family.”

  “What’s that, baby girl?” Gary asked from where he had been snooping.

  “Daddy, what if I never see him again?”

  Realizing that keeping quiet was making us even more frightened, we ended up around a dining table with Gary, Kaoti, and the Inquisitors who were guarding us. They shared with us what they knew. Fear and distress were taking their tolls on my ladies and me. Since my telepathic and empathic bonds to our clan were strongest, I would be allowed to reach out to them to satisfy our need to know that they were safe. However, it would be done under close supervision.

  Kaoti said, “Teagan, Izaac is the strongest of them. Unblock your mind to him. We will keep you under close observation.”

  “Alright.”

  I held still while Rovek removed the neural blocker from my temple. Finding Zared’s mind was easier for me. I was in the habit of it. Izaac had been in the habit of blocking himself from me for so long that it would take time for him to tear down the unconscious walls he had built between us. Zared welcomed me into his mind. To him, I felt like a cool breeze on a scorching hot day, and he wanted to bask in my consciousness.

  “Teagan, are you well?”

  “Yes, all of us are, but we’re afraid. Are you all unhurt?”

  He paused. “Physically, we are well.”

  “Tell me.”

  “They are sick and twisted. They think leaving mutilated animals for us to find will psychologically intimidate us. It only serves to strengthen our resolve. Our older brothers cannot be allowed to survive. They should have been put down long ago.”

  “Why weren’t they?”

  “We have asked that same question.”

  Out loud, I said, “They are safe.”

  Zared said, “We hunt,” and he was gone from my mind.

  We waited for what seemed like hours. The children were napping, and we had returned to the table hoping for news. Then, I covered my ears as furious, insane screams and curses assaulted my mind. They tore through my mind like paper. Then, abruptly the screams were cut off. Rovek stood beside me, pressing the neural blocker firmly to my temple as he reattached it.

  “Take her to her bed,” Cormac ordered.

  “No, I’m fine. They got one
of them.” Looking up at Rovek, I asked, “May I please have a cup of tea?”

  “Of course.” He gave a clipped nod to one of the guards who went to the kitchen for a kettle of water to heat.

  It took three long days for our men to hunt down the other two hybrids. It was after midnight. I met Yukihyo at the front doors, throwing myself into his arms and sharing with him a passionate kiss.

  “Where’s mine?” Nico asked.

  Each of my husbands got a kiss, but for me, none of the kisses were very pleasant.

  Fitz said, “Off to the bathing chamber, men. Otherwise, that might be the last kiss she ever gives any of us.”

  The children were asleep, but had their daddies gone into the bedroom, the smell would have awakened them.

  “It’s only been a week and a half outside hunting without bathing. How bad could we be?” Dario asked sarcastically. He scratched at his thickly stubbled face.

  “Can we take these off?” Sparrow asked of the neural blockers, even though I had hoped she meant the beards.

  “Please, do,” Zared said. “All of us miss the comfort of your minds.”

  Terre, Sparrow, Violet, and I sat in the dining room while Rovek removed the devices.

  “Woman, get in bed. You look exhausted,” Nico ordered.

  My ladies and I walked together to our rooms. Climbing into bed with Peter, Neema, and Niklos, I finally fell asleep without worry plaguing me as I did so.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Yukihyo’s arms were around me when I woke. Our door was closed, but a few nightlights showed me he was awake and staring at the ceiling. “Tell me what happened,” I whispered.

  “No.” I tried to sit up, but he tightened his hold on me. “We all swore an oath never to tell you what we saw or experienced with the mad ones.”

  “It was that bad?”

  Yukihyo didn’t answer.

  From the edge of the bed, Zared said, “The Empress and the Hadrian have docked. Soon, they will join us.”

  “So, that’s it? You aren’t going to tell me what happened in the woods?”