Celestial Beauty

by Angela Castle

  “I will be training more once we get back on Galafrax,” Kue stated aloud, more for himself than Raz, who snorted in his ear.

  “I told Zeb he’d been growing soft since our retirement.”

  “Brother, I wasn’t the only one struggling to close the stealth suit. We have more of a reason to stay in the best shape of our lives. How will we protect our Celeste if we grow too rounded and have little breath to pleasure her?” He attached another device and moved to the next location.

  “You may have a point. The only one I want to stay soft and rounded is our Celeste. Unlike you, I’m in great shape.”

  It was Kue’s turn to snort at his brother. “I wager I can finish this and board the head ship before you can.”

  “What’s your stake?”

  “Next to pleasure Celeste.”

  “Hardly a challenge, but you’re on.”

  Motivated, they both moved faster in anticipation of a fight and a fuck. Once they snuck on board the head war ship, it would be close quarters, hand-to-hand combat. Bloodying a few Jorval faces and taking revenge on the ones who dared attempt to take their sheraz was a sweet prospect indeed. It had been too long since they’d fought anything other than training simulators.

  Time was critical. The sooner they got the job done, the sooner they could rescue their Celestial beauty, then rub it in Raz’s face when he lost the bet.

  ****

  Celeste shifted on the floor, sitting between her men. Her shoulders ached, being weighed down by all that equipment strapped to her.

  Gah, I’m an idiot. Her natural reactions had been to protect her downed men. Blowing up her men’s ship had made her temporarily forget she was a major part of their plan. Pull yourself together, focus.

  A gamma fourteen was a Demos version of the Trojan horse story from Earth. Her being the horse, smuggling in the contraband. Her men had been spot on. The Jorval had been so focused on subduing her men they hadn’t bothered checking her.

  Wiping the tears from her eyes she fished under the black clothes to retrieve one of the medical devices strapped to her outer thigh. Kue had told her to use it if any of them were injured or unconscious. She followed his simple instructions and placed it over Zeb’s chest, pressing the grey button. It lit up and bleeped several times, vibrating in her hand.

  Zeb groaned, and his eyes fluttered open. She held her breath as his glazed eyes cleared and focused on her hovering above him. They said it was a pain worse than any, losing one of their bond brothers. He reached up cupping her face, but she couldn’t see any sign of pain or anguish, only concern as he gazed at her.

  “Are you all right, beautiful?”

  She choked back a sob. He was asking about her when his brothers had just been blown to bits. Tears blurred her vision and rolled down her cheeks. “Th-they blew up your ship. Raz and Kue, they are dead.”

  He sat up and cupped her face in his hands. “Hey now, everything is fine. I would have immediately felt it if they had been killed. I gave it a ninety eight percent chance they would destroy our salvager.”

  It took a moment for Zeb’s words to sink in. “You knew?”

  “I wouldn’t be much of a strategist if I didn’t factor in many different scenarios based on the situations. I didn’t want to tell you as you would worry. We have enough to deal with as it is.”

  He wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb. “Kue and Raz will be here soon enough. Until then let’s wake up Loc.”

  She nodded and sat back as he removed the device from his chest and placed it on Loc’s. It hummed as it had on Zeb’s, before Loc’s eyes opened. He bolted upright.

  “Celeste!”

  His panicked yell made her giggle. His normally neat hair askew, he turned to stare at her in confusion. His golden eyes blinked, and suddenly he was back with it. “Did they hurt you, beauty?”

  She shifted, moving into Loc’s welcoming embrace. “No, sweetie, I’m fine. I was more worried about you. I didn’t get knocked out by the Jorval. You two did.”

  Loc groaned rubbing his forehead slightly. “I fucking hate pulse stunners.” He lifted his head to glare at Zeb. “And the high and mighty commander knew they’d try to pull this kind of deception.”

  Celeste twisted in Loc’s arms, her eyebrow lifted, as she added the statement, “Yeah, I figured he would.”

  Zeb shrugged his large muscled shoulders, returning Loc’s glare. “Shake it off, soldier.” Zeb climbed to his feet stretching out some of his kinks. “We’ve got only moments before they realize we’re awake. We’ve a crew to subdue and a ship to take.”

  Loc sighed heavily. “They blew ours up, didn’t they?”

  Zeb nodded, and Loc cursed. “All the work we put in—”

  “Worth it.” Zeb’s glare at his brother turned almost murderous.

  “Yeah.” Loc’s arms tightened on her waist, his nose buried in her hair as he breathed her in. “More than worth it.” She would have been an idiot not to realise they were talking about her. She wisely kept her mouth closed, even if her heart was bursting with love for her men. She now understood that fixing a broken ship was only half their mission. They were also helping to mend a broken Celeste. Everything they’d done and continued to do since meeting her was for her.

  When she tried to clamber off Loc’s lap, he tugged her back. She gasped as he climbed to his feet with her still cradled in his arms, before setting her down.

  “Show off,” muttered Zeb, closing in on her. “Arms up, beautiful.”

  She happily obeyed, letting them strip off her outer layers.

  “Any other plans you have that you didn’t bother to inform me of, or are you going to continue being an overly protective male?” She met Zeb’s golden gaze.

  “No, I believe not. We just need to take over this ship and set course to Galafraxian space as soon as Demosly possible.”

  Loc found the layer of gadgets and weapons, removing them with more ease than they had attaching them to her, making sure she could move with ease. Raz had told her the substance hindered internal scanners from picking up on weapons signatures.

  “You make it sound like a walk in the park,” she said, watching Loc place his share of pilfered devices in his pockets, and push something small into his ear. He glanced up and winked.

  “Don’t know what a park is, but right now I need you to listen and obey.” She nodded, giving Zeb her full attention. “Once Loc disables the cell forcefield, alarms will sound. We’ll be moving fast. When I tell you to duck or move, then move, and try to stay between Loc and me, understood?”

  “Yes, commander.” She saluted for good measure making Zeb smile. He nodded his approval before turning to Loc.

  “Right, here we go.” Loc aimed one of the gadgets at the forcefield of their cell. It made a bright blue sparks shot out before fizzling out with a Bzzzz-pop!

  A loud woop, woop siren sounded, and she winced as her eardrums ached at the harsh tone.

  Zeb took her hand helping her over the lip of the cell and tugged her along after him to the end of the brig corridor. He released her hand, and Loc grabbed her shoulders pulling her out of the way as Zeb charged the first few Jorval soldiers who raced into the cell. They never had time to draw their weapons, Zeb struck so fast with some fancy kind of martial art, like a beautiful dance. Only his dance resulted in all four Jorvals lying unconscious on the ground, within a few heartbeats.

  Wow. They weren’t exaggerating when they said Zeb was the best at hand to hand combat. Zeb and Loc moved, removing all weapons and moving the Jorval bodies into the nearest cell. “We need to make it through the ship to engineering. It’s easier to take control of the ships functions from there,” said Loc. Zeb opened the brig doors. “Raz and Kue will be heading for the bridge.”

  She perked up at Loc’s mention of Raz and Kue. “They’re on board already?”

  “I can hear them on this.” Loc tapped his earpiece. “They seem to be arguing over who won their bet.”

  She rolled her eye
s and let out a relived breath. “I don’t even want to know what the bet was about.” Knowing Raz, it would be something explicit concerning her.

  Loc chuckled. “You’ll know soon enough. Ready to run?”

  “Of course, let’s go!” She grinned at Loc before following after Zeb. The safest place on this ship was right next to their men. No way was she not going to keep up or let them down.

  ****

  A short time later, Celeste panted, her skin flushed and her body burning with need, as Loc pulled off her for the third time. He glanced down and winked, before taking her hand and tugging her along. She wasn’t just hot from the running, ducking and dodging the plasma blasts being shot at them. The Jorvals fought like the cowards they were—at a distance, always trying to block or shoot or lob something at them, rather than fight face to face. Any brave enough to attempt to fight Zeb or Loc were quickly rendered unconscious.

  The heat of her arousal came from the fact they kept using their hot, sweaty bodies as shields, pressing themselves against her, sandwiched between either Loc or Zeb and the bulkhead. It was so totally wrong to be turned on from watching her men flex and fight, but she couldn’t help her body’s reactions. Yeah, they were badass, and she loved it.

  My men, my men, mine, all mine!

  Zeb knew where to go, following a map in his mind, one he’d told her he’d memorized just before they embarked on this dangerous mission. The ceilings of the Jorval war ship were low, and her almost seven foot men were constantly ducking and dropping to their knees when firing back with deadly accuracy, unlike the Jorvals’ haphazard attempts to subdue them.

  Much like the trader ship, there were different coloured panels on the walls and gadgets that seemed to have been forced in, rather than customized to fit with the ship.

  Raz had been right. The Jorvals hadn’t stood a chance against her men. Her arousal felt utterly wrong in the midst of the chaos, but her mind kept wandering, dreaming about throwing either one or both of them on the floor and fucking them senseless. Having sex and belonging to a set of quads awakened a raging libido she never thought possible.

  “We’re almost there.” Loc stared down at her. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded eagerly, not trusting her voice. He smiled, offering his hand. Once placed in his hand he tugged her tightly against him, bending to whisper, “I can scent your arousal, beauty. Soon.” He promised, and she swallowed, hard. “Once the dust settles, we’ll take care of you.”

  He lifted her in his arms as he stepped over several unconscious or dead bodies of the Jorval soldiers.

  “Main engine room just ahead.” Zeb looked at them with a smile. Her face flushed almost to their own skin colour. If Loc could smell her then so could Zeb. She sighed and figured there was no point in fighting or denying the fact. She loved and wanted them.

  ****

  “I can’t carry all this shit,” Kue grumbled, aiming a glare at Raz, whose hands were still free, standing over another Jorval body. He shifted the stack of weapons he’d taken from them.

  “Just shove them somewhere,” Raz said absently, breathing a little hard. They’d just ploughed through at least thirty Jorvals. Raz favoured his right arm, after sustaining a minor plasma burn in a fire-fight after they’d broken through from the airlock.

  “We need to find a new business to get into. Junking isn’t paying us as much as it should, and we’re too fucking old for taking on missions like this.” Raz stepped over the body, peering around the corner, holding up a hand to signal it was clear.

  “Now is not the time to be thinking about this. We’ve got other shit to deal with.” Kue tossed the weapons into a nearby storage locker, slamming it shut.

  “Oh, you’re just sore because I won the bet.”

  “Only by a fucking hand.” Kue examined the bodies to see who was still alive, before dragging them into a separate locker.

  “Don’t you want to be able to provide properly for our Celeste?” Raz continued.

  Kue bit back his groan, sealing each locker shut with his code scrambler. “Can we please focus one thing at a time? Like getting to the bridge and helping the others take over this fucked up ship.”

  He hurried after Raz, who vanished around the corner. “I’m just saying we should give it some thought, after we get back to Galafrax, that is. I mean there will be a lot wealthier and younger quads who will want to court her.”

  “We’ve just spent a week getting to know our Celeste. Do you think she’s the kind of female who cares about wealth, or what we can materially give her?”

  Raz paused turning back as Kue glared at him. “No, of course not, but they don’t know that.”

  “Then we’ll just have to do everything in our power to let them know she is ours.”

  Raz’s smile again turned into one of mischievous intent. “Like making her swollen with our young. She could already be. Is it easy or hard to impregnate human females? No matter, I’m with her next so I’ll make sure it’s my seed which is most dominant inside her.”

  Kue continued to glare at Raz as he rambled on, wondering how this idiot could even be related to him.

  “If any seed would take root first it would be Zeb’s, you know that, right?”

  “Tell yourself that if it makes you happy, but I’m not going to stop trying.”

  Kue snorted. Yeah, neither was he. He’d read the same news links from home. It didn’t take all four brothers to impregnate a human female. “I’ve always wanted a daughter to spoil. With Celeste do you think we’ll get twin girls, too?”

  Not wanting to encourage Raz, Kue chose not to respond. Together they approached the bridge doors, both falling silent, focusing on the task of storming the bridge. Raz took up guard position as Kue started to work on the locks. Seriously a Demos child could pick this mishmash of different cheap or stolen tech.

  Hand signals for the countdown.

  Three, Kue’s heart pounded.

  Two, his weapons were at the ready.

  One, the doors slid open, and they charged inside.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Celeste’s eyes slid to Zeb’s, who stood stock still staring at her, in anticipation of her reaction. Loc had let her borrow his earpiece to talk to Raz and Kue, but before she could say anything she’d heard their rather candid conversation. She drew in a slow breath letting her stunned surprise fade before removing the earpiece, and gathering her wits.

  Mixed emotions swirled inside her as she contemplated just how to take this news. From Zeb’s frown, so did he. They all knew there was a chance they could get her pregnant. I am a fool. She’d been so self-absorbed—she hadn’t to stop to think about pregnancy. It’s what usually happens when you have unprotected sex, idiot.

  “So, I could already be pregnant, could I? Why didn’t you tell me that was a possibility? You told me don’t lie.”

  “And I haven’t.”

  Loc paused in what he was doing to glancing between them.

  She folded her arms to glare at him. “An omission is just a different form of lie, Zeb.”

  He took a step closer, towering over her. But she refused to cower. She wasn’t afraid.

  “You’ll also recall I said this was no passing fancy, we want you as our sheraz, our wife. Having young is simply a natural part of our relationship. If it is something you fear then I am sorry.”

  She stepped up to him and poked him in his muscular chest. “I don’t fear having children. What I don’t like is being left out and lied to. I had enough of that back on Earth. I need you, all of you, to talk to me and tell me what’s going on. Got it, big guy?”

  His lips lifted in a grin. “Got it, beauty.” He suddenly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, his mouth crashing down on hers in a hard demanding kiss. Her head spun with the heat and masculine taste of Zeb as he took and plundered her mouth. Already hot and needy from before, she melted against him. Just like that, he was able to turn her body into a molten heap of need. He lifted her head, an
d her eyes drifted open. She was breathless and craving more. The smug bastard knew the effect he had on her, but she didn’t care either.

  “Any young we are blessed to have with you will be brave and beautiful, just like their mother.”

  If she’d been wearing panties they would have melted. Raz’s verbal diarrhoea aside, she half wanted to demand they throw her down right here and now to make sure she was knocked up. Dreams of strong strapping sons like their fathers or self-assured beautiful daughters with golden eyes filled her head. “Can we try again now?”

  Zeb’s joyful laughter filled the humming engine room. “Soon, beautiful, soon.” He kissed her again. “Let’s gain full control of this situation first.”

  “Yes, sorry.” Her face heated. He kissed her briefly.

  “No, beautiful, never be sorry.”

  For the first time in her life she wasn’t.

  ****

  Reedip laughed as he faced Raz and Kue. “You may be able to take over this ship, but don’t forget there are two others out there, and all have their weapons pointed at us. At my command they will fire.”

  Raz glanced at Kue, and they both smiled maliciously. “They do have an impressive array of weaponry on all ships. Or rather did.” He wiggled the detonator between his fingers, flashing it in front of Reedip’s eyes before hitting the control’s big red button.

  Kaboom!

  Reedip almost tripping over his robe, to stare at the screen, his big ears turning a shade of purple as he watched the explosions take out the weapons and main propulsion systems on each of the ships. None of course were fatal. Unless you were idiot enough to be in those systems at the time.

  “I have one more button.” Raz turned his detonator to show the blue button. “This one destroys the ships entirely. They have…” He turned to look at Kue. Kue moved to shove the communications Jorval out of the way and opened a broad comm, so all the ships would hear the transmission. “All ships now have fifty-nine seconds to evacuate the ships or be blown up with it. I wonder which holds more value to a Jorval, their life or their death. Time starts now!” Raz hit the button, almost feeling the mad panic emanating from the damaged Jorval war ships. Within twelve seconds pods started shooting out from the ships, no doubt fighting and scrambling over to get out before it blew. At forty seconds there were no pods left. Too bad if any were left on board. The countdown ended, and the last charge they’d placed right next to the plasma couplings, which fed straight to the main engine core, blew. It caused a full explosive chain reaction through each ship. Shards and shrapnel flew out at them from all directions.