Celestial Beauty

by Angela Castle

  Zeb laughed. “Insulting a Demos, not a wise move, Commander Reedip. I suggest five thousand credits. The female alone is worth that and more.”

  “One thousand, no higher.”

  “Four thousand and we conveniently forget about the human female bodies down on the planet. The information will be completely erased from our data banks.”

  “Give us a moment to discuss this offer with my fellow commanders.” The screen went blank.

  Zeb swiftly turned. “I’m sorry I had to do that, Celeste, but you understand it wasn’t real. I would never sell you or betray your trust.”

  She pulled from Loc’s arms. “I understand. You’re a military strategist, so it’s okay. Do what you need to do to take those arseholes down. You know I’m tougher than I look and will do anything to help you, all of you. Even if I am the prize bait you dangle, I trust you all to keep me safe.”

  “I love you, Celeste,” Loc on her right said. Stunned, she just stood there, not knowing how to respond.

  “So do I, lovely. I’ve loved you from the moment you knocked out Zeb and kicked my rod.” Raz grinned, standing up from his spot and walking towards her, taking her hands into his.

  “Her hot, wet mouth tipped me over.” Kue ginned. “I love you, too, sweetness.”

  Zeb shook his head. “We don’t have time for this now. But I have to add in with my brothers. We all love you, so there’s no way we’re letting you go now.”

  Celeste opened her mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out. She loved them, but couldn’t force the words out. Zeb stepped in, as if sensing her need to be rescued.

  “You don’t have to say anything right now. We have to focus on our situation. Brothers, we’re executing the plan from gamma fourteen. Loc, take the helm, and Celeste, I know you’re strong, but I need to know if you can handle this, being our bait and facing the Jorvals.”

  “I am. I know you won’t let anything happen to me. I’m fully on board with whatever you need to do.” She straightened, feeling her courage rising. Heck, with these four men at her back, who wouldn’t feel like they could take on any world and win?

  “I wouldn’t do this to you unless I had no choice. What I need is for you to be our helpless and angry female. We’re going to let them take you. But not without being prepared. Kue, go suit her up and explain.”

  Kue swapped with Loc, grabbing her hand, and he wasted no time in pulling her after him. She jogged with Kue and Raz as they marched down the corridor, turning this way and that. She lost her bearings until a door slid open and she was ushered in to a completely blank room. Raz punched a code by the door release and suddenly the walls slid open. She blinked against the bright glowing lights and all the snazzy looking alien command equipment.

  “Wow.” She breathed, her heart rate pushing even higher. Kue started grabbing body armour, weapons, knives and attaching them to various parts of his body.

  “Right, lovely.” Raz pulled out some long straps, dotted with what looked like black bubble wrap, and he held them up with a grin. “Let me explain what gamma fourteen is.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Due to Celeste’s smaller, rounder size, Raz and Kue had to do quick modifications to the straps and pouches now hidden under her clothing. Raz wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and take the worry from her big blue eyes. So brave to be going along with their plan, she was going to make a fantastic mother, as soon as their seed took hold in her body. What worried him more than their current mission was her surprised and almost panicked reaction when they’d all confessed their deeper affections.

  Raz and Kue were both fitted out in some special stealth space suits they’d kept from past missions. Perks of once being the best at what you did, some toys you got to keep. Now they waited for Zeb and Loc to join them.

  “Hey.”

  She glanced up at him.

  “It’s going to be all right. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

  She drew in a deep breath. “I know, but who’s going to stop anything from happening to any of the four of you?”

  Utterly precious, worth more than a thousand Demos females on Galafrax, she cared about them. She didn’t have to say anything. Her actions and the worry in her eyes said more than words could. He thought over what he could tell her to ease her fear.

  “For a few million Galafraxian years, our genetics have determined that every Demos male is born in sets of four. But our brotherly bond goes beyond genetics. It is something stronger that can’t be broken. Because of it we need to look out for each other, protect each other. If we lose even one brother, it is a pain worse than death. Because of our bond and our need to care for each other it makes our species one of the most formidable fighting races in the Hellious Galaxy.”

  Kue quickly clued in, eagerly adding in his piece. “I’ve saved his ugly arse too many times to count, and he mine. In sets of four we are strong, but you have to know, because of you, the dynamic has changed. Because of you we have grown stronger. Because our four is now five, you are a part of our bond just as it was meant to be, what every set of Demos quads needs and craves, their unit to be complete.”

  “I complete you?” Celeste shook her head. “I never wanted to complete someone. All I ever wanted was to be accepted by someone, completely.”

  Raz tipped her chin up so he could see the colours of her beautiful blue eyes. “Lovely, you don’t have just someone who accepts you, you have four of us. So never fear, we’ll never leave or abandon you. No matter your past or our future we accept and love you.”

  She tipped her head slightly, regarding them both. A stray soft brown hair escaped its bindings, and without thinking Raz reached out, gently lifting the silky strand placing it back behind her ear.

  “How do you do that?”

  Raz glanced at Kue. “Do what, beauty?”

  “Know just what to say to me to make me feel…” She shook her head. “Alive, valued, needed.”

  “It’s not hard when it’s the truth. You are valued, and we need you.” Raz got in before Kue, who shot him an annoyed look.

  Her gaze lowered, and she seemed to be struggling with herself. When her eyes lifted again she opened her mouth. “I—I’ve never known love, never been wanted or needed until now, but I think … I feel…”

  Heavy, fast paced footfalls made them all turn towards the sound. Celeste pressed her lips together, staring at Zeb and Loc as they approached. Raz was annoyed at the interruption, when she was on the verge of confessing something. On the other hand he knew their time was up now that Zeb and Loc had joined them.

  “Everyone ready and know what to do?” Zeb eyed them one by one.

  “We’re retired, not dead.” Raz couldn’t help needling Zeb, trying to make light of what they were about to do.

  In short, the Jorvals threatened not only them but their new family, and he met his brothers’ gazes and understood. The Jorvals would pay.

  “Celeste, we’re going to board the Jorval ship. Try to keep up the pretence of being a frightened human for us.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t need to pretend. I’m scared out of my mind, but more of losing you than anything happening to me.”

  “Thank you, beautiful.” Zeb leaned down, and she lifted her head to accept his kiss, smiling up at him, before taking the others’ tokens of affection and reassurance.

  “Reedip’s ship is docking. Raz and Kue have explained your part?”

  “They did. I’m ready.”

  They all glanced at each other, saying what words couldn’t. Things don’t always go to plan so to be ready for anything and everything. Their main mission was to protect their sheraz, even if it meant the cost of their own lives.

  With a nod they split up, Raz and Kue moving through the corridors of their ship to the airlock on the other side. The soft thump indicated the Jorval warship had docked. Time had run out.

  ****

  Her men had changed from tender and caring to hard and formidable. All
Celeste wanted to do was hold either Zeb’s or Loc’s hand, bringing her some comfort, but now wasn’t the time to have them pampering to any of her insecurities. Game face. They had one, and she needed to buck up and do what needed to be done.

  She let the hatred for these Jorvals seep into her whole being. She didn’t doubt what her men had told her were true, that she, and the other women on the ship she was abducted on, weren’t the first human women abducted and treated like salvaged cargo. How many had died because of the Jorvals? How many were still out there in the galaxy, who hadn’t been rescued by Demos from Galafrax?

  They stepped into the airlock, and doors clicked and whined before hissing out gases around them. The doors rolled open, and light flooded the area. She sucked in a deep breath, stealing a glance up at Zeb’s stony poker face.

  They are mine, as much as I am theirs. I will do my best to protect them as they are me.

  Zeb grabbed her arm, and she tried not to wince as he tugged her forward. All the world’s a stage, and we are merely players. She let the phrase circle around in her head as she stepped over the door lip and into the Jorval ship.

  The commander waited with five Jorval soldiers, weapons aimed high at them.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Zeb growled. “We come in good faith, and have no weapons on us. We are simple salvagers and you dare to point weapons at us!”

  “Come now, commander. You are Demos, and we are not fools. We just want to insure you are not carrying any weapons.”

  Zeb released her arm and held out his. “Go ahead, search us. We are unarmed, and now you have insulted us with this.”

  “Apologies, Commander Zeb, we are just being careful of our own safety. Please step through the weapons scanner, so we can move on with the sealing and celebrating our mutual transaction.”

  Reedip’s black, greedy eyes turned towards her. She glared back at him. Zeb had ordered her to stay silent, and no matter what happened, she was to let Zeb or Loc do the talking.

  As much as she wanted to give the pompous, upstart Jorval a piece of her mind, she didn’t want to disappoint Zeb and remained silent by his side.

  “Where are your other brothers, Commander Zeb?”

  “Probably fucking the sex droid, on the bridge. This human wears out too easily.” He waved a dismissive hand at Celeste.

  “You don’t happen to have the latest upgraded sex droid, would you?” Loc stepped forward.

  Reedip’s eyes gleamed. No way in hell did she trust this creature. “Yes, we do. I’m sure we can work out a deal. This way first, then we can bargain.”

  Without a glance at her, Zeb and Loc, who feigned a bored look, followed after Reedip into the large tube tunnel.

  She wanted to yell at them not to do it, but she bit her lip and held her breath, as green lights shot out scanning over their red skin and black clothes. It beeped and then nothing. She let out a relieved breath. She’d gotten worked up over nothing.

  “I told you we only want to trade,” Zeb said, staring at the Reedip on the other side.

  “The thing is, Commander Zeb, we don’t really need to negotiate or trade with you when we already have what we want. Do it.”

  A second beam suddenly shot out. It was red, and Zeb and Loc twisted and convulsed in agony, before collapsing onto the floor. Celeste screamed in horror seeing her men hurt. Were they dead? Had the Jorval just killed them?

  Panic filled her, and without thought to her own safety she rushed forward, falling to her knees next to Loc as he had collapsed behind Zeb. Next to Loc, she grabbed Loc’s top and pulled, grunting under the strain of his weight as she rolled his body. A sob escaped her when his saw his chest rise and fall.

  “Did you really think we believed their indifference to a human female? They are Demos. They would have never willingly let you go.” Commander Reedip strode forward standing over them.

  Celeste, no longer able to keep silent, glared up at the Jorval Commander. “They are not dead? Why didn’t you just kill them?”

  “Because it will bring me more pleasure to see a pair of quads torn apart from the inside out.”

  She shook her head. “What do you mean? What are you going to do?” She clung to Loc’s top like a lifeline, staring up at the Jorval through tear blurred eyes.

  The commander ignored her. “Take them to the cells and disengage from that worthless piece of garbage.”

  Behind them door rolled shut, and uniformed Jorvals rushed forward.

  She fought and scratched as she was torn from her men by two guards. It took four Jorvals to drag each of her Demos men out of the area.

  You’re letting your emotions get the better of you. Is this what your quads would want? No, they’d want her to stay strong. She stilled her struggles, and started paying attention to her surroundings and where they were being dragged.

  After long corridors of white walls and an elevator ride, they were shoved into one large holding cell, facing a grey stained wall. They dumped Loc and Zeb beside each other and threw her against the wall. She grunted as pain shot up her arm.

  Reedip, who’d followed them, pressed a button and a shield went up, trapping them inside.

  “Isn’t this nice, the human female and two of her lovers.” Reedip’s purplish lips turned up in an evil grin, the colour matching his red and purple robes. In a display of wealth, the gems on his fingers and chains around his neck gleamed, even in the duller light of the brig area. He stood before their cell, staring down at her.

  “I’ve always wanted to see the effects of tearing apart a quad bond. I hear they go quite insane with grief. I wonder what they will do to you in their state of insanity.”

  The only way that could happen was if one of her men died. Reedip clicked his fingers, and a screen flickered to life, showing a distant view of her quads’ ship. The pit of her stomach dropped, and ice slid through her veins as she realized what they were about to do.

  “Fire at will.” He waved at the screen, standing back to allow her a clear view of the screen.

  She jumped at the first few bright red lights streaked out towards the ship.

  Boom! Celeste’s eyes widened in horror as the ship hit and blew apart into billions of pieces scattering a blue light that sent a shockwave throughout into space.

  Kue, Raz! Oh God, oh God no! Sobs broke free of her throat, and she threw herself over Loc, holding on to Zeb.

  No, no, no, this can’t be happening! They promised everything was going to be all right. They’d sworn they would protect her and each other.

  She jumped up. “You murdering bastard, you’ll pay for this!” She bounced off the shield and tripped over Zeb’s feet, landing on her arse.

  Commander Reedip laughed. “Such loyalty, but it won’t matter once you’re sold off.”

  Celeste closed her eyes feeling as if a part of her soul was ripped from her, losing Raz and Kue, remembering what had they told her about quads who lost even one of their brothers. It was something worse than death to them.

  “Eh, it will be no fun until they wake up. Set a course for home. This’ll be a nice prize to deliver to our Grand Master. It’ll be worth a grand profit indeed.”

  Commander Reedip pivoted on his thick black heeled boots and strode out of the brig followed by all his lackeys. Celeste broke down into sobs of utter grief on Loc’s chest. Between what was left of her men, was the only place she could draw any comfort, and there was no way she could give up on what was now left of her new family. If quads went mad with the loss of a brother, then she would be the one to help guide them out of it. She would do whatever it took. The way she figured it, there were two main goals. One was to get revenge on the Jorval for callously murdering the men she loved, and two, to try to stop Zeb and Loc from going mad. One thing Celeste was good at doing was surviving, and now she had to do it for what was left of her new family.

  It was her turn to be strong for them. She would never give up on them and never surrender.

  Chapter Thirteen


  Kue’s magnetic locks engaged, pinning him to the second Jorval war cruiser. He watched in disgust as their ship blew apart in an impressive blue and orange flash of light. Charred fragmented remains sailed past him. He took a deep breath of his compact manufactured air. He hated the taste, but these specialised suits only provided him basic requirements, and it was better than no air at all.

  “I’ve never been so happy to see that piece of junk gone, yet rather annoyed I wasn’t the one who got to fire the phase lasers.” Raz’s voice sounded in his ear.

  “Zeb gave it a ninety-eight percent chance they would do it,” Kue muttered, busy locating the spots on the ship he needed to get to.

  “Celeste is not going to be happy we didn’t let her in on the possibility that this could happen,” Raz said.

  “Loc will be even more annoyed after all the work we’ve put into it over the past several day cycles,” Kue noted.

  “At least he got to experience the paradise between her soft thighs before this mess. I can’t wait to have my turn again.”

  Kue ignored Raz’s first comment, even if he agreed. “Celeste will forgive us, but the time invested in helping and courting our sheraz was more than worth it.”

  “I can’t argue with simple logic. It does sound good doesn’t it? Belonging to her.” Kue didn’t fail to note happy dreamy tone of Raz’s voice.

  Yes, they were all addicted to their little soft, sweet female. Damn Fire Demons, now I’m getting off track. Kue sighed, pulling a charge out and attaching it to the side of the war cruiser. “Stop space dreaming. We need to get this done and perform a brilliant rescue, before they decide it’s time to leave the area.”

  “You’re getting slow in your advanced age,” Raz goaded. “I’ve already outlined the main weapons tube, heading for outer thrusters.”

  “That’s because your target was closer than mine.” Kue pulled himself along the ship like a Tivarian serpent. Each of them carried a large bag of explosive charges, larger than normal gravity would have allowed, as the weight of the special undetectable explosive was extreme even for a Demos. Each of their charges needed to be placed in strategic spots, in order to cause a chain reaction when triggered. Kue felt the creak in his bones and strain on his body. It had been a while since they’d needed to climb into their space stealth suits. It cut uncomfortably around his middle too much, not to mention every time he thought of Celeste he grew hard.