The Spider Queen (The Space Merchants Book 5)

by Wendie Nordgren

  Drex replied, “Yes, I have made my wife my main concern since the first moment I saw her with my own eyes.”

  “Oh, Drex. How could you study for a spa day? I feared you might arrest your attendant,” I said as I laughed.

  Thoughtfully, Drex said, “I was unprepared for the frivolous pampering.” My blush deepened as Dario focused his attention solely on Drex. “However, I have made a point of studying your intimate reactions to the amorous attentions of your consorts and have spent many hours contemplating how to glean from you such responses on my own. Based upon your earlier frantic abandon, I believe I was successful.”

  Water went down the wrong pipe, and I choked. Drex patted my back. Once I could breathe again, I noted the aghast shock on Dario’s face that had turned him pale. Xavier had turned to petrified wood in my mind. Water sloshed to the table’s surface as I put my glass down.

  “Studied my intimate reactions to my husbands how?” I asked.

  Perplexed, Drex said, “Through observations.”

  “Such as?” I asked.

  Drex seemed perturbed. He seemed to struggle with the wisdom of explaining. My heart pounded furiously. Dario looked like the terrified frog Nico and I had surprised on our walk through the Palace gardens.

  “Drex, darling, have you been spying on me in my bedroom again?” I forced my hands to clasp each other on the table before me and not Drex’s neck.

  “How else could I have any hope of pleasing you? However, my lovemaking was original, was it not?”

  Clumsily, Dario stood, “Excuse me,” he said as he quickly moved toward the restrooms.

  I took several deep breaths. “Kaoti has been on maternity leave. He is usually quite thorough in his removal of spying devices.”

  “I have gone over all of your living spaces personally. Mine are the only ones present. Have no fear for your privacy.”

  I forced myself to breathe. “Drex, I do not want any of my intimacy recorded or viewed by anyone, ever.”

  Showing the first true signs of worry, Drex said, “I couldn’t risk displeasing you. I feared I would never have the chance to physically express to you my feelings. That you barely tolerate me is clear. It is your excellent breeding and infinite compassion that allows you to do so. I knew that if ever you granted me my deepest desire that I must please you.” Panic entered Drex’s eyes. He paled. “Once more, I have erred. I swore never again to hurt you with my insensitivity.” Drex began to rise from the table.

  I buried my face in my hands and laughed. I turned my head to look at Drex. “Sit down.” He sat. “Drex, for someone who plans out every single detail, you sure do tend to overlook the obvious.”

  “It was wrong of me to study your reactions to your husband’s intimate movements,” he said with a look that screamed severe indigestion.

  “Yes, it was an invasion of my privacy.”

  “My insensitivity makes me excel at my profession. However, it has repeatedly crippled my attempts to form friendships and now a relationship. Please, accept my sincere apologies.”

  “I will if you promise to stop spying on me.”

  A pained expression covered his face. “Then, how will I know you are safe?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  His facial expression said he didn’t believe it.

  “You don’t think I’m safe in my bedroom with Yukihyo and Nico to either side of me?”

  “I do. However, it calms my mind to watch you. What if I remove my devices from your bedrooms and bathrooms?”

  “Did you just use plurals?” Drex paled at my question. “Which ones, Drex?”

  “All of them.”

  “All of them?” I asked.

  “Yes, your home on Arachne was the only one that I was unable to access.”

  The waiter hovered nearby unsure of what to do. I waived him over. “Drex, I have an inquisitor who keeps an ever-vigilant eye on me. It seems that he has been remiss in his duties.”

  “It pains me to say that he has not. He confronted me. However, as your husband, I have the right to guard over you.”

  “Spying on me isn’t guarding.”

  “I am unable to separate my calling from who I am. Beck understands that. The traits which make me less than endearing to you are the very ones that placed me into the investigative branch as a boy.”

  My lunch was placed in front of me. “Do we have to wait on Dario?” I glanced around and found him pretending to enjoy the view.

  “I’ll get him,” Drex stood and went to get Dario.

  When they returned to the table, both of them seemed surprised that we were still eating. “Princess Probus, I’m astonished at your control,” Dario said as he shot Drex a glance.

  “Yes, had I not been surprised by Drex’s control earlier, I might not have been so quick to overlook his… quirks.”

  It was Dario’s turn to choke.

  When we returned to the Palace, Dario lowered the shuttle to the front lawn. We entered through the main doors. In the front sitting room, I saw Momma sitting with her feet up with a blanket over her legs. She was entertaining a group of ladies. I recognized several of them including Aunt Seyla, Mrs. Tereas, Lady Braga, Lady Avitus, and a few others from the garden party I had attended.

  “Teagan, there you are. Did you and Drex enjoy the surprise I planned for you? Come, let me see your hair.” I went to Momma and kissed her cheek. “It’s lovely darling. And good, you do seem more relaxed.” I blushed at her. “Join us,” she said.

  I curtsied to the ladies as best I could in pants. “Momma, I want to go check on the children.”

  “That’s fine, darling. Bring them back with you. Drex, you will help Teagan with my grandchildren, won’t you?”

  Drex bowed so low to Momma that I feared his head might bounce off of the stone flooring.

  In my wing, I heard, “Mommy!” as Neema ran to me.

  “Hello, Neema. I’ve missed you. Have you been good?”

  Neema gave me a sweet smile and a kiss. She was full of adorable sweetness and spunk.

  “Mommy,” Niklos said as he made it over to where I sat on the carpet.

  “Hello, I missed you, too.” Niklos was getting big, heavy, and more loveable every day. He was observant and sweet. “Where’s Peter?”

  “I show you,” Neema said as she walked off in the direction of the room we had converted into a nursery.

  The first thing I noticed was Thunderdrop. He was perched on top of Niklos’ bed trying to get pink baby socks off of his back claws. Neema smiled sweetly. The next thing I noticed was Fitz. He was sound asleep in the rocking chair with Peter asleep on his chest. The love I had momentarily feared his uncle had destroyed bloomed back to sudden life like a desert flower during a sprinkling of rain. With Niklos on my hip, I freed Thunderdrop of Neema’s socks. He blinked gratefully at me. I transferred Niklos to Drex’s arms, bent, and kissed Fitz awake. It took him a minute to remember where he was.

  “I love you, Fitz. You look handsome with a baby in your arms.”

  “If I didn’t have this baby in my arms, I would show you how much I enjoy being awakened by your kisses.”

  “You can show me later. Right now, Momma wants to show off her grandchildren to her friends.”

  Thunderdrop scurried off to Lorca. Fitz and Drex carried the boys while Neema and I held hands.

  “Ma!” Neema yelled as she ran to Yukihyo’s mother and gave her kisses.

  Niklos held his hands out to Momma and cuddled contentedly with her. Fitz sat between his aunts, Claire and Alexa, with Peter.

  “Where is Papa?”

  Momma said, “Oh, I sent him out fishing with his friends. They will be back soon. You are just like your father. You get all wound up about something and can’t relax.”

  I wondered about what Papa was wound up.

  Mrs. Tereas drew in a frightened breath, and her white eyes became streaked with worried shades of grey and blue. I put myself between Momma, Niklos, and the rage rumbling into the Palace.
Drex put himself in front of me and moved forward, but the Palace guards along with my Omnes Videntes, stood at attention and did nothing. My fear vanished when I saw Yukihyo, but before I could ask my mother-in-law what had frightened her, Yukihyo grabbed Drex by his uniform and threw him toward the main doors.

  The ladies present all gasped and began to asked what was happening. For a moment, I was too stunned to move. However, panic soon had me running after them. I watched as Yukihyo picked Drex up by his jacket and rammed his back into the wall. Drex brought his leg up to Yukihyo’s shoulder and kicked him away with his other foot. Yukihyo charged Drex, and together they flew through the main doors and rolled from the entrance. Then, they began to fight in earnest. Yukihyo and Drex fought like frenzied, starving ice bears. Terrified, I wanted it to stop.

  “Yukihyo!” I ran to him, but a pair of strong arms caught me around the waist and carried me back inside of the Palace. “Put me down! Yukihyo!” I kicked and fought the man holding me.

  He put me down, and I tried to run. “Teagan, you are never to get between two enraged males,” Fitz said calmly. He grabbed me again and put me down beside Momma. She looped our arms together.

  “Oh, my,” Lady Braga said.

  Yukihyo and Drex had ripped into each other again. Drex had let his uniform jacket fall to the grassy lawn where they circled each other on the other side of the drive. Alexa cleared her throat. I looked at her and then all of them. The old bats were turned on.

  “Aren’t you going to help me stop them?”

  “No, darling. It wouldn’t be appropriate,” Momma said.

  “Jazon, make them stop!”

  “Teagan, Drex has it coming. Since Drex is legally your husband, Xavier and I were unable to interfere earlier. Yukihyo is his equal. His treatment of you is not to be tolerated.”

  “What treatment?” Momma asked.

  “Aww, Teagan, you lucky girl,” Claire said as Yukihyo and Drex grappled, trying to throw each other to the ground.

  Their shirts were torn, bloody, and hanging from them. When Yukihyo tossed his shirt aside, so did Drex.

  “Teagan, did Drex force you?” Momma asked, horrified as Drex turned his back to us to keep Yukihyo in front of him.

  “Um, no.”

  “Then, explain his back!” Dario said in a shocked tone.

  I looked at him to see if he was joking. A slow smile lifted the corners of Fitz’s mouth. I turned red.

  “You must have really enjoyed yourself,” Fitz said loudly as he smacked my butt.

  “Fitz Jiri, hush your mouth!” I warned.

  “Oh, I see. Yukihyo is jealous,” Momma said.

  “No, he is enraged. Even I cannot calm my son. He considers what Drex did as forced,” Mrs. Tereas said.

  “Well, it wasn’t,” I said.

  “He got you drunk and took advantage of you. You remain weak with the loss of General Braga. Drex exploited your fragile state,” Jazon proclaimed.

  “Drex didn’t get her drunk. I got both of them drunk. That was all my idea. They both needed to relax and get to know each other,” Momma said.

  Jazon paled. He, Xavier, Rozz, and Izaac finally broke up the fight just as Yukihyo and Drex appeared ready to kill each other.

  “First, you took her from the Palace, and now you take of her body,” Yukihyo ground out with rage.

  “She was willing,” Drex said furiously.

  “No female can be considered willing while impaired,” Yukihyo retorted.

  Drex broke free of Xavier and Izaac and plowed into Yukihyo. They rolled across the Palace lawn while pummeling each other. My feelings of helpless frustration were useless.

  “Enough!” I ordered.

  No one listened. When Fitz refused to release me, I overwhelmed him with pleasure until he went to his knees and dropped his hold of me. I ran for Yukihyo and Drex, determined to end their fight. Jazon saw me and ran at me like a speeding transport. I dropped and rolled away from him which forced him to slow down and pivot. Izaac wasn’t as easy to escape. However, as soon as I rolled pleasure through the arms with which he trapped me, he relaxed into a seated position on the grass. While he struggled to shake off the effects of my pheromones, I ran to Yukihyo and Drex, who were frightening me. Both men saw me at the same time. They had their hands around each other’s throats.

  Furious, I said, “The two of you had better release each other at once!”

  “He has dishonored you,” Yukihyo said angrily.

  “Yukihyo, if you must blame someone, blame me. Everything has been so heavy with Luca and the baby.” My voice broke. “I just wanted to let it all go for a little while. I wanted to be free of my pain, worries, and fear before they crushed me. Drex didn’t force me. He is loyal to me.”

  “Teagan,” Zared said from behind me. I turned. I was ready to crumble. I had been the one to selfishly use Drex for my own needs. Zared wore a black T-shirt that was drenched in sweat and a pair of black shorts. Phillip walked to catch up. Zared patted his lap. I went to him and sat, resting my head on his shoulder. “Once Phillip has stopped all of the bleeding, you can join us in the pool,” he said. Zared turned his hover chair and sped us across the lawn.

  The overly excited ladies followed Momma back into the sitting room. Pierce and Lorca were close and watchful of the children. Neema sat on her Ma’s lap where she chattered on at an incessant rate. Niklos was busy telling Aunt Seyla what each of his toys was called.

  “Block,” he told her as he put it in her hand.

  Momma sat and held her arms out for Peter. He had recently discovered an interest in rattles.

  Zared said, “Don’t cry, Teagan. Drex is a difficult male to tolerate. Yukihyo may need to punch him several more times before he can stand to be around him.”

  “He isn’t jealous, is he?”

  “No, he just can’t resist the urge to kick him in the face. I am jealous.”

  “Why? You know I love you. I don’t know why I did what I did with Drex. It wasn’t love that I made to him.”

  Zared had brought us to the pool. “Strip and get in, female.”

  I got up from his lap and tossed my things onto a chair. Then, I waded into the pool. “I’ve never been in here without a swim dress.” I turned to Zared.

  He stood on his own, removed his sweaty workout clothes, and got into the pool with me. “No, I used compulsion so you would obey me.” I raised an eyebrow at him and frowned. “It is an acceptable practice in Laconian marriages. It is just as acceptable as it is for a male to enjoy his wives or for a Parvac female to enjoy her husbands.”

  Zared silenced my concerns with his lips. His approach had caused a ripple of water to break against my chest. I moved my palms over the wet skin of his arms and appreciated how much larger his muscles had become during physical therapy. He spiraled pleasure through me wherever his fingers trailed across my wet skin. He had moved us through the water, and I felt him lift my leg up and around his back. Zared’s lips were on my neck as he entered me and drove all of my thoughts away with the rhythmic thrusting of his hips.

  Zared had just found his own release when I heard Momma say, “Oh, there you are, Teagan!” Zared and I froze. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve made some plans for you for tomorrow. Those husbands of yours need some time to sort out their differences privately without upsetting you in the process. I must compliment you, darling. Fitz and your guards can’t control you, can they?” Momma walked closer. She was using a cane, and Captain Aegisthus stood right behind her.

  “Momma, I wanted to spend the day with Zared and Yukihyo.”

  “Oh, Teagan, they will just have you feeling guilty about enjoying Drex’s attributes. He’s so romantic. All of the ladies envy you. He’s so dangerous and cunning.”

  Staring into Zared’s eyes, telepathically, I asked, “Do you think one of the ladies would take Drex off of my hands?”

  Zared grinned and kissed my neck.

  “The dashing Admiral Dario Galerius will come for you in the
morning. He’s taking you flying. Recently, I discovered that you have your pilot’s license. That is quite the accomplishment for a young lady. I’m so very proud of you, darling. See you at dinner.” With that, she left.

  “How do I get her out of my private life?”

  “She is making up for lost time. Neema wants to be certain that you have the strongest powerbase possible.”

  “How?”

  “To outsiders, it seems that Parvac women are pampered playthings coveted by powerful men. However, Parvac women seem to be the ones pulling all of the political strings. Females in the highest sociological castes select their husbands with the same care with which you might make a selection in a stones game. Your Aunt Seyla selected Kagan Valen, one of the Empire’s most powerful men. Nico’s mother, Abbie, chose Viceroy Orson Marcos, the ruler of Coronis. Through him, she can better protect her grandson with the might of Viceroy Marco’s troops and fleets. Your father selected General Nico Cassian for you, one of the most powerful men of Apellan. Fitz Jiri will one day rule Thalassa. As a world leader, you will have the support of his troops and fleets, not just a few thousand men, but a planet of them. With Dario Galerius, you would also take Daphoene. You already control Parvac.”

  “Oh, shit,” I said. “Why? What’s the point?”

  Zared had grown hard again. I moaned as he pushed into me. Against my neck, he said, “Parvac females control males with their pheromones. Drex, Fitz, and the others have no choice but to pant after you. Your power, wealth, and beauty make you even more irresistible to them. Neema wants a powerful male from each planet under your control to assure your safety and power, and that of her grandchildren. Through Lord Bosh, you have considerable power in the Laconian Sector.”

  Zared’s movements within me made small waves lap against the side of the pool. I clung to his long hair that was now wet up to his scalp. He rolled pleasure through me as he found his own release. Someone loudly cleared his throat. It was Drex. He, Yukihyo, Fitz, Nico, and my Military Advisory Committee were entering the pool room wearing towels around their hips and nothing else. I groaned as Zared slid from me.

  “Let me guess. Momma insisted you come to the pool and make nice with one another.”