Materfamilias

by Wendie Nordgren

  “You suffered enough trauma from their tricks. They will not touch you again,” Nico said. He was on the other side of the children.

  I let it go. They had banded together on this, and from the terrifying stories I had heard as a child, told by Nathan Green, I could only imagine the terrors my husbands had experienced during their hunt.

  Into my mind, Izaac whispered, “They are gone and no longer concern you.” He slept somewhere close but in another room.

  My husbands and the Inquisitors spent the next day aboard the Hadrian with Eric and several high-ranking Galaxic Militia and Laconian Ambassadors being debriefed. The stealth vessel and mercenary starship which the mad ones had used to travel to Chione had been recovered and confiscated by the Laconian Government.

  Meanwhile, the Sidero and Galatea Clans worked to process the abundance of male ice bears our men had taken down. The ferocious beasts no longer prowled near our fortress. It would be quite some time before we ran out of meat, and the Lady Sidero had gotten all of the winter furs she had wanted.

  Eventually, the matter was put to rest, and we returned to the Empress. Eric escorted Tracy aboard and to the Imperial Deck. It was obvious that she had been crying. She seemed frail and sick. Terre, Violet, Sparrow, and I rushed to her.

  “Tracy, what’s wrong?” I asked.

  Violet placed her hand over Tracy’s stomach. “Is it the baby?”

  Tears streaked Tracy’s face. “No, it’s Jazon. He’s missing. Didn’t they tell you?” Hysteria made her voice high and reedy.

  “Missing? Since when? And, no! No one told us!” Horrified, I found Xavier’s eyes.

  Tracy said, “He vanished. We were staying with my family. Then, he was just gone.”

  We held Tracy on the couch while she cried. Izaac rested his hand on her shoulder and soothed her emotions. Into our thoughts, he said, “Remain calm. All will be well. He must have sensed danger and acted to draw it away from you and his son.”

  “Where is he? Can you sense him?” I asked frantically.

  Xavier said, “We will find him. Don’t worry about our brother. He can be a ruthless bastard when he wants to be.”

  Zared said, “We will find him, but to be effective, we need to be certain our ladies and children are safe. Will you trust us as you did on Chione?”

  Tracy cried out, “Just bring him home to me. I can’t lose him. I can’t.”

  It was all too clear to us what losing a bonded mate could do to one of us. Rovek kneeled at her feet. “I swear to do all that I can to return him to you.” He kissed her hand and left.

  Eli, Drex, and Quaid exchanged looks that chilled me. “Tell me. Tell me, now,” I ordered, but fear was more evident within my tone than Imperial command.

  “Tell all of us,” Terre demanded.

  Xavier said, “When their influence was gone, I realized they were hiding something. When the final mad one was taken down, it became evident to all of us. We have not yet found it, but something is out there, and we must discover what it is.”

  “After they have left with the confiscated vessels, we plan to continue to investigate. However, you ladies and the children will safely vacation on Sinope while we do so. You will be guarded,” Dario said.

  “No!” Terre, Tracy, Violet, Sparrow, and I said at once.

  “Then, it is settled,” Drex said dryly.

  “What do you sense?” I asked.

  Zared said, “We trained to fight from the moment we could walk. Then, we learned strategy. To gain an objective, sacrifices must sometimes be made.”

  Xavier stared into my eyes. “There are others, Teagan. They sent those three to Chione because they were expendable. If they had succeeded, they might have found salvation in you or not. Either way, they were lost. I know I thought of it often. I wondered if I would go mad and take an innocent or two with me.” His mismatched eyes settled briefly on Rozz, Jezzie, and Izaac. The younger brothers were more like sons to them all. “I decided that I’d rather die fighting, than raving like a lunatic, or else go by my own hand.”

  Zared said, “Whoever they are, they were raised as we were by Stanley Crispus. If they remain sane, we might be able to predict their actions.”

  Xavier said, “They are out there, and we must find them.”

  Memories of Dr. Crispus and his delusional madness returned to me. He had believed Isidora to be his dead wife. “Oh, stars.” A horrible thought occurred to me. “What if they want my daughters? I can’t risk them. I need to go home, immediately. I need to go home where they will be safe!”

  “No one will harm you or your children, born or unborn. Is that clear?” Eli asked. He had gone cold and deadly.

  “Eli, my babies…. I can’t….” I shook my head at him.

  “Teagan, I would destroy this entire sector to keep you safe. Pick something massive, anything you like, and I’ll demonstrate,” Nico said. He winked at me, trying to calm me or make me smile.

  But, Zared and Izaac had already worked to replace my fear with peacefulness before Yukihyo and Quaid could do it.

  “If we don’t go after them now, it might take years for us to track them down. I don’t have time for you to return to Parvac. You’ve got the fastest ship around and the most powerful team of telepaths at your disposal. We need to go after them while the trail is hot. Are you with me?” Eric asked.

  I looked to Yukihyo, Nico, Quaid, Fitz, Zared, Drex, Eli, Dario, and Clark. “You and my husbands have my blessing to coordinate your efforts. However, I am going to remain on my ship, with my feet up, and under constant guard.”

  Addressing Eric, Eli said, “Inquisitor Gordian will be eager to assist.”

  Dario said, “Let’s adjourn this meeting and reconvene on the Command Deck.”

  The men filed into the lift, leaving my ladies, the children, Kaoti, Pierce, Lorca, Phillip, Thunderdrop, the puppies, and me alone on the Imperial Deck. I wasn’t sure what they were thinking, so I asked. “Do you think I’m a coward?”

  “No,” Sparrow said. “I want to go home to Parvac. It is safe there. Those hybrid soldiers frightened me. They weren’t sane. They were violent, vicious, and able to use our thoughts and emotions against us. They were somehow worse than AI soldiers.”

  Kaoti said, “They were worse because they enjoyed their cruelty. Although they had superior cognitive abilities, they were deranged. Torture is for obtaining information or getting retribution, not enjoyment.”

  Violet said, “We need to get our minds off of this topic. I know what will distract us. Come sit by me.” She patted the cushion beside her. “Rovek gave you all of these gifts along with a heartfelt apology, and you have yet to open any of them.” His vow to Tracy had been quite gallant, and I was certain that with all of them working together Jazon would soon be returned to us. “Kaoti, would you be a love?”

  I sat where she wanted while Poppy sang, “Daddy love, love, love, love.”

  Neema laughed and pulled out her paint book.

  Kaoti placed wrapped gifts on each of our knees. Pulling the white ribbon free, I lifted the lid and discovered a box of clay dicks. “That asshole,” I muttered.

  The cadets had decorated his yard with our sculptures, and Rovek had returned them all to me. We all had a good laugh about it.

  “At least your instructor has a sense of humor,” Tracy said. “Mine does not. I need to keep my mind off of Jazon, or I’ll go mad with worry. I need to stay busy. While we were on Aurilius, I compiled many scans of aquatic organisms and decided upon a research topic, a comparative study of the evolution of the cartilaginous species of Aurilius and Parvac. Therefore, I hope you will excuse me. Dr. Savelli is setting aside an area in his lab for me where I can work quietly.” Her eyes tracked Niklos and Poppy as they ran laughing after Milk and Flake, who had started yipping their heads off.

  Thunderdrop chittered angrily at them from his tree sculpture.

  “What? It’s not quiet enough in here for you?” I asked.

  She picked up a blue a
nd white striped clay cock and shook it at me, making us all laugh. Taking her satchel, she entered the lift.

  Our males were calming all of our thoughts and doing their best to prevent our worry, so we stopped fighting against them and accepted their help. After we had gotten a few guards to take the boxes to the cargo bay, Terre, Sparrow, Violet, and I feasted on ice bear while watching a movie. I wasn’t even going to think about what the males in my life were doing. They wouldn’t rest until they had found Jazon and eliminated the perceived threats to us. Instead of worrying, I would be lazy and pregnant. My mind was made up.

  After giving Tracy some time to herself in the Infirmary with her project, the four of us went to get her, brought her back with us, and made her sit with her feet up and a platter of food on her lap.

  Terre said, “We love you. You aren’t alone.”

  “We are sisters, Tracy. Our husbands are fiercer and more loyal than a pack of wolves. They will find him and bring him home.” I hugged her, willing her to take my words to heart and believe them.

  When the males returned to the sitting room, we were informed, not asked, about a change of plans. The children, my ladies, and I would be paying a visit to Epopeus. We would be staying at the Bosh Estate under the watchful eyes of my father-in-law, Inquisitor Gordian and his crew, and Izaac. With us safely on Epopeus, they would be better able to concentrate on their mission. I didn’t argue, because the news was a relief to me.

  That night, I slept in Quaid’s arms with my fingers spread out over his chest. Trying to be playful and not worried, I said, “I truly enjoy the feel of your masculine chest hair.”

  “Your pups can’t offer you that comfort. Do they have ten hairs between them?”

  “Lord Bosh, are you jealous?”

  “Yes, I am. I want you all to myself.”

  “You have me all to yourself right now.” I nibbled at his neck.

  Quaid moved his hand along my leg and up my thigh. It was all of the invitation I needed to straddle him. Lowering myself onto his length, I slowly moved up and down, balancing with my hands on his chest. We spent the entire night making love, and he kept thoughts of war, Luca, Jazon, and hybrid soldiers from tormenting my mind.

  We docked on Epopeus, loaded into the large, luxurious transport, and drove to the Bosh compound. It was exactly as I remembered it. The neatly arranged houses had been built to withstand storms and the jungle. The twenty buildings rested above the ground on pilings, were surrounded by wide, covered porches, and were connected to each other with covered walkways. It was a traditional living arrangement for the extended families of the inhabitants of the planet. Here, families remained together for generations and tended to need room to expand. In the center of the first row of houses was the one which served as the living room where everyone could gather. The building behind it contained the dining room and kitchen. Behind it was the house devoted to storage and laundry. The last three of the six houses at the center of the compound belonged to Quaid and were seldom used.

  In the first row and to either side of the great family room were the private office of Consul Bosh and his private living quarters. Behind his office and in two tidy rows were the six houses belonging to his eldest son Quintin, his wives, and children. The six houses in the same arrangement on the other side of the compound belonged to Consul Bosh’s wives and the children. Everyone was always together, but they had their own space.

  We were welcomed and made to feel right at home in Quaid’s houses. His younger brother Quincy was away at a university, but his sisters, Jin-an, Erykah, Jamila, and Eri decided the moment we arrived that they would be babysitting the children under the supervision of Pierce and Lorca. The cousins took immediately to each other. Quinn, the son of Quaid’s older brother Quintin, and Niklos became fast friends. Quintin’s daughters with his wives, Tilda, Margrete, and Edwina, played sweetly with the younger girls. In fact, Talia, Merette, Ellery, and Milena introduced Neema and Poppy to gymnastics. The girls became obsessed with tumbling. It made us dizzy to watch them. I feared Peter would never be allowed to leave. Quaid’s mothers, Elspeth and Julia, never put him down. Meanwhile, Flake and Milk ran around after all of the children, and Thunderdrop decided to hunt under the houses which he had enjoyed doing on our previous visit.

  My husbands had been certain to stock the Bosh’s cold storage units before leaving in my ship and following after the Hadrian. Izaac, along with my telepathic in-laws, didn’t let worried thoughts trouble any of us.

  After a few days of relaxing, visiting the family, and enjoying the beach behind their property, Quinn, my father-in-law, who looked like an older version of Quaid, took Sparrow, Terre, Tracy, Violet, and me to visit Bosh Technologies. Cormac, Izaac, Kaoti, Clark, and our team made up our personal guards. However, Consul Bosh had Eriopis guards under his own employment, and Quaid had personally debriefed them on the threat posed to us by the hybrid soldiers.

  The boys suspiciously watched Kaoti out of the corners of their eyes. He had been doing all sorts of dreadful things to them. He had even gotten Thunderdrop to help. Violet had scolded Kaoti for that situation. Kaoti had drugged Clark, Cedrenus, Binder, and Ross. He had put the antidotes into the pockets of Stayton, Levi, and Tyler. Then, he had convinced Thunderdrop, with very little effort, to secure the three guys high up in trees deep within the jungle. While poisoned, Clark, Cedrenus, Binder, and Ross had to find the guys, rescue them, and inject themselves with the antidotes. However, there were only three injectors. The slowest ensign would pay for it with crippling abdominal pains which would last for several hours.

  Kaoti had said it was an incentive. Violet had said that it was mean and that Kaoti could suffer with his crippling hard dick without any relief from his wife for as long as Ross, the slowest one of the challenge, had to suffer. I had thanked my twin daughters for serving as my excuse not to participate in what Kaoti considered to be useful Inquisitor training exercises.

  At Bosh Technologies, my friends and I selected expensive nanite patches for use after our pregnancies. My boobs and stomach would not remain stretched out and squishy for very long after my daughters were born. Quinn refused payment from us, even after I told him how many credits I had. He had winked at me and told me that he had more. I didn’t doubt it.

  Once we had returned home, Quinn asked, “Will you walk with me?”

  I hesitated, worried I was about to be admonished for my involvement with the hybrids or any number of things. However, refusing to be shamed for the family I loved, I accepted his invitation and his arm. He helped me into a roller and drove us down the jungle road at the back of the property and out to the beach. There, he parked. Leaving my shoes behind, I walked across the warm sand with my pink dress billowing behind me in the breeze. Guards kept a respectful distance.

  “You aren’t in any trouble, daughter. I was well aware that Quaid’s heart had been taken by an alien princess when I drew up his offer for you.” He chuckled at my expression. “What I wish to discuss is not a personal matter.” I waited for him to say more. “Dr. Stanley Crispus has the answers we seek buried deeply within his shattered mind. I want you to get them.”

  “Me? Why me?”

  His black eyes affixed on me as we walked. “His doctors haven’t been able to get him to speak for weeks. He has been in a fugue state and unresponsive to his surroundings. Seeing you might give him enough of a psychic shock to snap him out of it. His creations brought our peoples to the brink of a war which would have altered the courses of our civilizations. I believe, if we work together, we can eradicate the insidious manipulations of the hybrids once and for all.”

  Stopping, I looked up into his black eyes. “What do you want me to do?”

  He took my hand and placed it on his arm, continuing our leisurely walk. “He is being held here in a maximum-security setting, safe from all possibility of abduction, even from those as highly skilled as your Imperial Guards. I will arrange for you to visit him tomorrow. Try to get him to talk. If you c
an accomplish even that much, it will be considered progress. However, should you be able to get him to speak of his earliest surviving experiments, any leads will help in our joint investigations.”

  Nervously, I said, “I’ll do what I can.”

  “I was certain you would agree.”

  After a dozen or so steps, we turned to walk back to the roller.

  Once we had returned, I checked in on my children. They were sound asleep in the house that was closest to me. Pierce, Lorca, Violet, Kaoti, and Poppy were sharing it with them. Separating Neema and Poppy was too heart wrenching. I walked across the porches and walkway into Quaid’s house and straight into the bathroom. I filled the tub, stripped, and soaked. Through the open windows, I could hear Terre’s laughter as she and Phillip walked along the veranda outside. When it rained, which was often, you could still get in quite the walk by wandering about the porches that connected the twenty houses. I soaked until my fingers shriveled, and I was beginning to fall asleep. Draining the water, I dried off and put on a gown, but I started worrying. In my last memories of Dr. Crispus, I had been having a heart attack. The thought of seeing him filled me with terror.

  “I was here first. Back off,” a male said in a quiet but threatening tone.

  My pacing stopped in front of an open window. The breeze blew the curtains in and out of the room and gave me veiled glimpses of Clark and Izaac who had started shoving each other.

  “What is going on out here? Be quiet. The children are sleeping,” I angrily whispered.

  Telepathically, Izaac said to us both, “I sensed your distress and came to comfort you.”

  Clark moved to stand in front of him. They were about to fight. From the shadows, the black uniform of an Inquisitor broke free and took shape, startling me. Cormac said quietly, “If you two boys are determined to fight, do so somewhere else. Princess Teagan is suffering enough distress without the two of you adding to her concerns.” Gliding closer with the ease of an assassin, he said, “I am here. Tell me what troubles you.”

  Izaac’s face turned red with fury.