The Spider Queen (The Space Merchants Book 5)

by Wendie Nordgren

  “Well, I guess he does look like a fairy. Doesn’t he? The Eloneave seem to fly through the jungle.”

  Neema laughed at me, pointed to her book, and said, “Baby.”

  “You know what? You’re right. In fact, I think Peter is a lovely name for our new baby. What do you think?” Neema clapped and crawled off of my lap to play. “What do you think?” I asked Nico, Fitz, Zared, and Yukihyo. All of us had been pensive and quiet.

  “I think it suits him,” Fitz said.

  “Our daughter made Pierce find all of her books. Then, she looked through them until she found the picture she wanted. Our one-and-a-half-year-old just conducted research. Are you getting this?” Yukihyo asked sounding flustered.

  “Well, we do read the same picture books to her over and over again,” I said with a shrug. “Gosh, I was mentally comparing them to squirrels and Megachiroptera, but actually they do look more like fairies or elves, and they make things.” I frowned in thought. “Yukihyo, did you find the form?” I asked sadly.

  “Teagan, I think you should give it some time. Quaid didn’t mean what he said. He fears for Eric, for what he believes will be a war, and for your involvement in it all. His anger will subside, and he will regret his words.”

  “No, he won’t. He has made it clear to me that the Militia means more to him than I do.” I stacked Neema’s books. “No matter how much I love Quaid or how much he means to me, he is a grown man and can take care of himself. He can replace me easily. I can’t give up Peter. I can’t do it. My heart and mind would know no peace if I were to try. I couldn’t do it anymore than I could leave Niklos, Neema, or Thunderdrop. Quaid should know that I wouldn’t do something of this magnitude on a whim. You heard him. Could he ever love Peter? Could he love him as he loves Neema and Niklos? From his words, I fear he would view Peter at best as a pet and not as a sentient individual, not as our child.”

  Neema walked to me, put her arms around my neck, and kissed me.

  “I love you, princess,” I said.

  Neema yawned in response. Nico picked her up and carried her off to brush her teeth.

  “Just give me the document. It would be best to get it over with. There’s no sense prolonging the pain. Divorcing me will make Quaid’s job easier.”

  Yukihyo passed me the vid-screen. An official form requesting divorce had my name and Quaid’s name listed. A sorrowful sob tore from my throat. I loved Quaid. I loved it when his thoughts touched mine, when his eyes lightened around the edges, and when his body joined with mine. I never wanted to let him go, but I pressed my palm to the screen and sent the form to Quaid. Then, I excused myself to my room. I cried for most of the night, and not even Zared could ease my grief. I cried until sleep took me.

  Peter was nothing like Neema or Niklos. He had accepted that I was his mother. Sensing I was near, he made no sound but called to me empathically when he was hungry or wet. Each time when Peter awoke during the night, Yukihyo and Nico slept through it. The next time Peter woke me, it was morning, and I was in bed alone. I changed his tiny diaper, nursed him, wrapped him in a blanket, and carried him into the sitting room where a large meeting was being conducted.

  “Good morning, tiny cousin,” Kane said as he walked over to hug me. Concern filled his eyes. I knew sadness filled my own. “Is this the new baby? May I hold him?”

  “Okay. Just be extremely careful.”

  “I will.”

  I placed the baby in his arms. “We named him Peter.”

  Kane gazed at the baby in concern. “Teagan, he’s so small. How much does he weigh?”

  “Only three pounds.”

  “Is it safe to be holding him?” Kane asked.

  I nodded and sat beside him. Chef brought me a cup of coffee. “Thank you,” I told him. He began refilling cups.

  “Teagan, Inquisitors Beck and Licinius captured Nyronyn and turned him over to the King of the Eloneave for his crimes against his own people, and his attempt to incite his people to fight a war they had no chance of winning.”

  I drank my coffee. “I will have to thank them. That was a huge undertaking and will do much to prove to the Eloneave that they can trust the Empire.”

  “Hey, look at that,” Kane said. Peter was holding Kane’s pinky. “The Eloneave trust us, Teagan. We turned over King Rorgowyn’s treacherous son to him and not to the Militia, you have protected his son’s emergency shelter for their crash survivors, and adopted one of their children to raise as your own. The Eloneave love you. They don’t want to fight. They want to feel a planet under their feet, any planet.”

  I scooted closer to Kane and rested my head on his shoulder. My eyes grew hot and with an aching voice, I said, “Quaid doesn’t understand about the baby. He doesn’t want me anymore.”

  Kane said, “As soon as it won’t cause a war, I’m kicking Quaid’s ass for making you cry.”

  I sat up and took a sip of coffee. “No, I love him. If you hurt him, you hurt me. I’ll never stop loving him.”

  “I know you’re hurting right now, and I’m sorry, but I need you to get yourself together. Queen Spectra will meet with you and Captain Espanoza today to discuss the Eloneave. She finds males to be too intimidating.”

  “I can’t meet with her. I can’t leave Peter. He needs me.”

  “Teagan, he will be fine for a few hours.” Kane looked around at the men gathered in the room. Captain Merick Carus, Vice Admiral Dario Galerius, and my husbands were present. “Would anyone watch this little boy for Teagan?”

  “I will,” Jazon said. I looked at him in surprise. “He’s such a sweet little….” Jazon turned red.

  “We are here to offer any assistance Jazon might need,” Pierce said.

  “I wouldn’t mind holding him,” Fitz said. “I haven’t gotten a turn yet.”

  “See, Peter has the ability with these tiny fists to defeat lethal soldiers. He’ll be fine without his mommy for a few hours,” Kane said. “The Eloneave, in their gratitude, have given Parvac three of their communication translators. Those devices put at us a great advantage. You will be able to converse at ease with Queen Spectra.”

  “So, it would just be the three of us?” I asked worriedly.

  “We will be near you with guards at all times, but yes. Now, go get dressed as if for a ball. We will wait.”

  I put my coffee down and went to shower. No one joined me in it. Lorca came to help me do my hair and to dress. He put my hair up in a curly bun. I wore a long, gauzy white dress with a full skirt and off the shoulder short sleeves. I slipped on a pair of silver sandals and wore the diamond necklace that Nico had given me for our wedding, the diamond ring Eric had given me, and the diamond bracelet from Uncle Kagan and Aunt Seyla. Thunderdrop climbed my dress up to my shoulder when I reentered the sitting room.

  “That’s better. Let’s go,” Kane said.

  Yukihyo kissed my cheek and squeezed my fingers. “I’ll give you a massage when you get back,” he promised. I nodded.

  Kane offered me his arm and escorted me down to his vessel.

  “You become more beautiful each time I see you,” Dario said.

  I adjusted my skirt so it would be safe from the men’s boots. “You are too kind. I just saw my reflection.” My eyes were puffy with dark circles from my misery over Quaid. I began thinking of his strong, hairy chest and the love and comfort so synonymous with his embrace. Now, I would never know such comfort again. I stared out the viewport, determined not to cry. “What do you want me to say in this meeting? How will we even communicate with her?”

  “Our communications officers and engineers have devised a rudimentary prototype which takes sensor readings on thermal fluctuations while a simultaneous program interprets color variations to interpret and translate meanings. The Talpa are silent. When you speak to her, the screen will change your words into colors and temperatures. When she speaks to you, you will need to listen to or read your screen,” Kane explained. “Teagan, I need to know her thoughts about the Eloneave. Is she amicable
to their colonization of uninhabited jungle regions? Does she want them gone? If so, will she give us the time we need to relocate them? The structural integrity of their ships is failing. They don’t have much time left. They would need to be transported. If she decides to welcome the Eloneave, if you could convince her to meet with me, it would make everything easier.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  When we landed, Kane and the officers marched me to a terraced building decorated with flowering, tropical potted plants in a riot of colors. Several Galaxic Militia officers stood at attention in full dress uniform under the shade provided by the second terrace. The sky was a purple shade almost like a beet that the sun tried vainly to lighten.

  Standing with the officers as if made of steel was Captain Quaid Bosh. He stared forward as though ignoring my existence. Pain crippled me, and I wanted to turn and run back to the vessel. He felt as though I had betrayed him. He didn’t know that I had unforgivably betrayed Peter. On my orders, his father was dead, just to prove a point. Now, I was all the three-pound baby had. Peter had unwittingly sacrificed enough. If sacrificing my love for Quaid was what I had to do for Peter, then so be it.

  Clinging to Kane’s arm as I walked past the man I loved, I fought the need to reach out to him through our bond. While trying to do that, I failed to hold in the broken sob inside of my throat or the tears inside of my eyes.

  “Why did he of all people have to be here today?” Kane grumbled as he shot Quaid a furious look. Kane pulled a silk square from his pocket and handed it to me as he hastened our steps inside. Kane patted my hand.

  Talpa in colorful sarongs glided around the room with drinks and trays of food. I accepted a cup of some sort of hot spiced juice. The Talpa did not like cold food or drinks. Their strong tails moved sinuously behind them across the stone flooring as they walked, almost like the swishing of a dress’ train.

  Captain Espanoza stood beside Captain Mel. Each of them had drinks in hand from which they politely sipped. What came next amounted to two and a half hours of a private, polite argument between my hero, Captain Espanoza, and me. Queen Spectra had contemplated the colors and heat our words had provided her. Her scaled skin had fluctuated from blues and whites at the start of our meeting to yellows and oranges now, almost three hours later.

  Finally, Queen Spectra spoke. “The years were difficult when the meteor hid our sun. Many daughters hatched and few sons. Much room we have in our jungles for the tree dwellers. We do not like cold trees. Eloneave must abide by our laws, our rule. They must contribute.”

  I breathed a deep sigh of relief which translated into red and orange on her screen. “So, does that mean you will agree to meet with King Rorgowyn?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Queen Spectra said.

  “Will our representatives be allowed to attend the meeting?” Captain Espanoza asked.

  “No, I will meet with King Rorgowyn. Only Talpa and Eloneave will speak.”

  Eventually, we were saying our goodbyes and left the brightly colored room with its yellow walls behind. My back ached from sitting on the low, backless stool for so long.

  I scanned the officers in the main room looking for Kane, but my eyes were arrested by the dark-blue uniformed chest appearing inches in front of me. I didn’t want to look up at his black eyes or handsome face because it would make the pain I already felt exponentially worse.

  Quaid reached down taking my frozen hand in his. He pulled me from the room through an open arch and out to a courtyard. I focused on the small smooth-leafed succulents growing beside the stone path and not the fact that this would be the last time I would ever feel Quaid’s hand in my own. My sight blurred. When Quaid released my hand, I lifted my hands to hide my face. I didn’t want to listen to him tell me goodbye.

  I wasn’t expecting him to pick me up and stride away up a stone stairwell with me. As he went up higher, I managed to blink enough so that I could see. Desperately, I wanted to bury my face against his neck, beg him to forgive me, and to give tiny Peter a chance to win his heart. I feared for my premature adopted son’s survival. However, I kept my hands away from him. Quaid’s anger was too much for me. His rejection of our love was enough.

  Quaid stepped out onto a terraced balcony amid the tops of jungle trees and placed me on my feet. Misery tore a sob from me, and I resisted the pull of his hands on my face as he tried to make me look into his eyes that I loved so much.

  “Teagan, I deleted the document that you sent to me as soon as I opened it.”

  I took a breath through my mouth because I had made my nose all stuffy. I managed to look up at him but couldn’t speak.

  “Forgive me,” Quaid said.

  With a sob, I threw myself against his chest and held him with all of my strength. Quaid’s hands were in my hair, and then his fingers touched my scalp, making my bun fall. My recent memories, tortured guilt, doubts, and every random thought I had experienced since our last touch were now his. Taking a small step back, he bent bringing his lips down to mine. His memories of our moments together swirled with my own.

  Into my thoughts, Quaid said, “I will never free you from our marriage contract.”

  “I would never force you to stay. Seeing you unhappy is torture to me.”

  “Being with you can only be compared to bliss, Lady Bosh.”

  I felt Quaid’s fingers at my back. Then, my dress pooled at my feet. Quaid’s uniform joined it. His strong hands gripped my thighs, and I entwined my arms behind his head and jumped as he lifted me. My delicate folds spread apart as he pushed himself into me.

  “Quaid,” I said through kisses I placed along his neck.

  I felt a wall at my back and then intense pleasure as Quaid began spiraling it through me. He made my endorphin levels soar with each thrust of his hips, while pushing himself deeper and deeper. My thighs shook, and I clutched at his shoulders as my pleasure rolled me under like a storm induced wave. White lights exploded behind my eyes leaving me light-headed and giddy while Quaid surged forward and emptied himself within me. Carefully, he pulled himself free of me and lowered me to my shaky legs. After a passionate kiss, he returned my dress to me and helped me fasten it.

  I watched him as he pulled on his pants. Going to him, I pressed my face to his chest and held him. Rubbing my forehead back and forth against him, I said, “I love you. I never meant to hurt or anger you.”

  “Teagan, you were doing what you thought and felt was right.” Quaid’s arms surrounded me.

  “You were, too. Can you come back to my ship with me? Please?”

  Sadly, Quaid said, “I am responsible for the Hadrian and her crew. I must return to her.”

  “You can return to your ship if you must, so long as you promise to reside in my heart.”

  Quaid’s eyes met mine. “That, Lady Bosh, is where I have been and continue to stay.”

  “Huh hum,” someone said loudly and from a few feet away, making me jump. Turning in Quaid’s arms, I saw Kane. “There you are, tiny cousin. I see you and your husband have reconciled? Might that mean you will place your head upon your pillow to dream rather than to weep?”

  I bent down for Quaid’s shirt and jacket. Kane and Quaid were having a staring contest. “Well, put these on and walk me to my ship, unless you are ready to go at it again,” I said naughtily.

  Quaid grinned at me like a starving shark. While he reached up into his shirt sleeves, I ran my fingers through his chest hair before he covered it. Kane dusted off Quaid’s captain’s hat and passed it to him.

  “Thank you,” Quaid said. Then, he put it on, scooped me up into his arms, and carried me all of the way to Kane’s vessel. Once inside, Quaid fastened me into my harness, kissed me so passionately that I saw stars, saluted me, and said, “Lady Bosh, I will call you this evening,” before walking away.

  I returned to the Empress with a happy blush to my cheeks and a tingling in my lower juncture.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I spent the remainder of the day snugglin
g with my three babies. Kane was so pleased with what I had accomplished that he rewarded me by stealing Nico from me. I shook my head at my cousin in annoyance. Kane, Nico, and Dario were working out arrangements with the Talpa, Eloneave, and three representatives of the Galaxic Militia.

  After an early dinner with Yukihyo, Fitz, and Zared, Yukihyo gave me the massage he had promised me, and I went to bed. Lack of sleep, emotional distress, the meeting with Queen Spectra and Captain Espanoza, along with my reconciliation with Quaid had left me exhausted. When Peter woke me, I nursed and cared for him before immediately falling back to sleep.

  Negotiations between the Talpa and Eloneave continued for several days. Eventually, Queen Spectra granted the Eloneave permission to settle the Northwestern hemisphere on the other side of a mountainous ridge. The areas’ dense jungles made it undesirable to the sun worshipping Talpa, who were not capable of homeostasis, self-regulation of body temperature.

  In return, the Eloneave would serve terms in the military, assist the Talpa ship builders, and help make improvements to their technology.

  I was very proud of Kane, but I was also bored.

  It was decided that two Parvac and Militia ships at a time would dock on Talpa for routine maintenance checks to the hulls. The Empress and the Hadrian were in the first round. Quaid extended an invitation to us to visit. During our daily calls, he had become less hostile to my decision to adopt Peter. Pierce and Lorca were joining Yukihyo, Fitz, Zared and me on our visit. I was nervous as I fidgeted with Peter’s baby blanket. Quaid had never met him.

  Once Yukihyo had driven us up the Hadrian’s ramp and parked, he got out and greeted Quaid, who had been waiting for us.

  “Chirp chirp,” Thunderdrop said to make me feel better.

  Pierce and Lorca were busy getting Neema and Niklos out of their seats. Meanwhile, I tried to find the inner strength I needed to get out and get the introduction over with.