by Sarah Marsh
“Twelve hours?” Ark’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “What exactly are you arriving in?”
Luca’s smile was smug. “There was a Barillian Star Cruiser in the docking bay. It would have been a shame for it just to sit there going to waste on a quarantined planet.”
Arkenon whistled in appreciation, so this funky ship must have been a pretty big deal. Boys and their toys and all that.
“Really? They only made about a thousand of those. I can’t wait to see it.” Ark looked intrigued. “I’ll start the paperwork to give you salvage rights on this mission, as well.”
“Truly?” Baelion seemed shocked. Mari could only guess that it wasn’t the normal procedure.
“We can’t ever repay the debt of you bringing one of ours back to us safely.” Arkenon nodded at both men and put his arm around Sally. “It’s the least of what you deserve.”
It touched Marisol that Arkenon considered her as much one of his people as Sally did, and she wondered if that wasn’t the only thing her aloofness had kept her from realizing since she’d woken up on her new planet.
“We’re so glad you’re safe, Mari. I mean—I don’t even want to think about what could have happened to you if it weren’t for Luca and Baelion.” Sally seemed to be tearing up, as well. It was out of character for her stoic friend to be so emotional.
“I know,” she said quietly, “but I’ll be home soon, Sal, and then I don’t plan on leaving Sirus for a good long while.”
One of the Guild Master’s guards came into view on the screen and quietly whispered something in Sally’s ear. It couldn’t have been good news, because her soft smile quickly turned into a scowl of irritation.
“Hurry home, but give us a heads-up when you’re a few hours away.” Sally’s tone was all business once again, and Mari knew something else was going on. “We have a bit of a shit storm happening with the Dolovians that we need to deal with.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Once they were safely away from Draxis and on their way back to Sirus, Luca finally undid his safety harness and swung around to Mari. She looked exhausted.
“Bae, why don’t you get our mate settled in and solar shower clean—there’s no telling what was in that water on the surface. Then you should both go get some rest. I’ll take the first shift on the bridge and run a full decontamination scan.”
“Uhh, what do you mean in the water?” Mari’s eyes went wide. “Like there could be parasites or something in me right now?”
“It’s nothing to worry yourself over, Mari.” Baelion gave the other man, who was grinning, a dirty look before undoing her seat belt and scooping her up into his arms. “Luca is just teasing. But you do look tired. Let’s go find the captain’s quarters. I’ll bet they’re huge.”
Luca winked at Marisol as she turned to look at him over Bae’s shoulder, and he chuckled when she stuck her tongue out at him in return, then gave him a cheeky smile.
Gods, he loved her.
He sat back down at the console and went through the ship’s systems, admiring the craftsmanship. He was looking forward to seeing what this little vessel was capable of. It was top of the line and way too expensive for the Coalition Council to ever give to the likes of him and his partner—they had an unfortunate reputation for breaking things in the line of duty.
Luca tried not to think about what the pending situation would be once they arrived back on Sirus, but if that Dolovian bastard thought he was going to get his hands back on Marisol, then he’d best be prepared to lose his limbs. These dragons weren’t going to share. He didn’t care if the male was on the Coalition Council—he could find another damned female.
* * * *
Oh, sweet, sweet baby Jesus. This feels too good.
Marisol moaned as she sank into the luxurious bedding. The soft, silky sheets felt incredible against her naked skin. She couldn’t get that toga off fast enough once Baelion set her down in the huge suite and went to find the solar shower. She would have set it on fire if she could. It only took seconds to clean all three of them—she insisted that Tigger get deloused, as well, since he was insistent on climbing inside her clothes all of the time.
“Should I be jealous of the bed with the noises you’re making right now?” Baelion laughed as he tried to figure out the clothing replicator that the previous captain had in his rooms.
“Nah, but you could come over here and lie down with me.” She winked at him as she burrowed deeper. Tigger was doing the same thing to the pillow next to her head before he curled up and yawned.
“I guess we won’t need clothes until we wake up anyway,” he agreed, climbing in beside her and pulling her in to rest against his side. “Goddess, you weren’t kidding. This feels amazing after sleeping on the ground.”
“Right?” she murmured as his warmth sank into her and she recognized how tired she really was. “I never realized how awesome pillows are until right now.”
Baelion set the computer to wake him up in four hours and turned the lights low. Within minutes she was fast asleep, safe and warm, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Mari was truthfully looking forward to tomorrow.
It turned out that she’d needed more sleep than she’d thought. When Marisol woke and stretched under the silky sheets, a thickly muscled arm pulled her closer, and she rolled over. She was surprised to see Luca’s dark hair spread out against the crisp white pillows instead of Bae’s blond locks.
“Good morning, my mate,” he grumbled low before giving her a sweet kiss and nuzzling in at her neck. “How are you feeling? You’ve been sleeping for over ten hours.”
“What? Oh man, well, that explains why I’m starving.” She looked around, wondering where Tigger was.
“If you’re looking for your cub, he followed Bae onto the bridge.” Luca released her and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His broad muscled back was irresistible.
“Have I told you before how much I love your tattoos?” She traced the designs with her fingertips, noticing how many scars she could feel, as well. “They’re stunning.”
“I’m glad you like them, little one”—he turned to face her, his eyes beginning to simmer with lust—“but if you keep on touching me, then we will get distracted, and I need to feed you.”
Just the mention of food had her stomach growling loudly, and she reluctantly let her hands fall away from him. “You’re right, food first—distraction later,” she said with a wink before leaving the bed.
He laughed. “We’re less than two hours away from Sirus. Baelion will have already contacted the Guild Master and let them know. We may not have time for a proper distraction.”
She walked into the bathroom and ran the solar shower once more. As the warm beams of light ran from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet she sighed at the tingling feeling it left along her skin. A girl could really get used to not having to dry and style her hair. Just imagine all the time you could save?
“Did you guys figure out the clothes thingy?”
“Bae did. He just went with a basic style for you.” Luca handed her a soft bundle of cloth in a pretty sapphire-blue color. His own shirt was in a similar color, but the pants he wore were black and molded sinfully to his muscled legs.
Marisol was happy with the simple wrap dress Baelion had picked out for her, and the soft flat leather boots kept her legs nice and warm.
When Luca offered his arm to her, she took it with a smile, and they made their way to the mess area of the ship.
“What would you like to eat, Mari?” Luca asked once she was comfortably seated. He seemed to know his way around the food replicator, but she’d never seen one before. On the Dolovian ship, there was a fully staffed kitchen to make the food.
“I don’t know. Will it taste real coming out of that thing?” She looked warily at the hot cup of tea he placed down in front of her.
“This is the best food replicator on the market. You won’t even be able to notice the difference. Trust me.”
She was pleasantly surprised with her first taste, and before she knew it, she was looking at the bottom of the bowl, and Luca was giving her an amused look.
“What?” she asked, blushing. “I was hungry—besides, I’m eating for two now, remember?”
“I’m glad your appetite is intact. It means you and our child are healthy.” He finished the last of his meal, as well, then added with a wink, “Plus, we don’t want you to lose any of your beautiful curves.”
She laughed at him as he took the dishes and placed them in the recycler.
“Flatterer.” She took his hand as he offered it, and they left the mess hall to search out Baelion on the bridge.
“Never flattery, love, only the truth.” He brought her hand up to kiss the back of it before leading her down the hallway.
Chapter Thirty-Four
When they finally landed on Sirus and exited the ship, Baelion wasn’t surprised to see the small crowd of people waiting for them. Marisol was swarmed by four females, three of whom he didn’t recognize aside from the fact that two of the strangers were obviously human. The third, oddly enough, was a Tokka female. She could only be the Guild Matron’s personal bodyguard that all of the council was gossiping about.
“Mari, oh my God, we’re so glad to see you.” One smaller female with short, spiky pink hair squealed as she hugged Mari tightly, cooing over the gula cub in her arms before being pushed aside by the redhead.
“Devyn, stop hogging her.” The other woman pulled back to look at Mari and then narrowed her eyes. “Dang, girl, you actually look really good for someone who’s been through hell—what’s that all about? And who’s this little guy? He looks just like my Loki when he was a cub!”
Marisol blushed and looked quickly toward Luca and him before she just smiled and shrugged. Not one of the females missed a thing, as all of their gazes turned his and Luca’s way with curiosity.
“Luca, Baelion.” Luckily the Guild Master stepped forward, followed by three more males. “Welcome to Sirus. I’d like to introduce you to Pharaoh Khaman-Ra, Kai Dallen, and my brother Roan Quinn. They are mated to the redhead over there, Evangeline.”
“You look like your brother Grae, Luca.” Khaman offered his hand to them both in greeting. “We are very glad to meet you both. The work you’ve done for the council has been very impressive over the years.”
“It’s an honor, Councilman.” Bae bowed his head in respect toward the other men. He had heard of the Dhuaation representative and his three mates—the female was rather notorious for being a bit of a handful.
“Really, Mari.” He heard the Guild Matron’s voice. “You’re practically glowing. What’s up?”
“Well, it’s kind of complicated,” she answered quietly. “This is Tigger. He found us on the surface. He was an orphan and I just couldn’t leave him.”
“We have a complicated situation here, as well,” Sally said grimly. “The Dolovian Councilman Trikna that you contracted with, Mari. He’s here and demanding a council meeting immediately to push for the completion of your contract now that you’re back. They arrived only three hours ago.”
“The Dolovians are clearly not capable of protecting Marisol. She will not go with him,” Luca spat out, causing interested looks from pretty much everyone except Mari and Bae himself. Clearly, if she had planned to be discreet about their new relationship, she’d need a new plan.
“Oh, and do you speak for Marisol now?” Arkenon gently asked.
Luca nodded once. “Yes. Baelion and I are now responsible for her. Marisol has agreed to be our mate and she carries our child.”
* * * *
Mari just gaped at him as her friends squealed in excitement at the news and hugged her all over again.
“Shit, I knew something was up with you three!” Eve laughed and wiggled her eyebrows. “Nice work, Mari. They’re super hot. They’ve really got that bad-boy vibe down.”
“Wow, Mari.” Devyn’s eyes were wide as she took in the two huge dragon shifters and then looked back to Mari. “Are—are you sure about this?”
She appreciated Devyn’s concern, and she smiled back.
“I am.” She looked back over to her new mates and hated to see the shadow of worry briefly across both of their faces, as if they were waiting for her rejection or denial of their claim in front of her friends and family. She never wanted to see that look on their faces again. “I’m pretty thrilled about the entire situation, actually. I couldn’t have asked for better mates.”
She was rewarded when they both smiled and moved closer to put their arms around her.
“Well, that settles that, then.” Sally beamed at them. “We can tell Trikna to go beat feet and take his contract with him.”
“Please tell me you plan to be more diplomatic than that, my love.” Arkenon rolled his eyes toward his wife. “He is a member of the council, after all.”
“When have you ever known me to not be diplomatic?” she asked with a frown, causing snickers from every single woman present, even the quiet former assassin who hadn’t said a word since they’d arrived. Looks like spending all her time with the Earth women had indeed been rubbing off on Kali.
“Why don’t you let me take a look at the contract you signed with the councilman?” Eve’s handsome Dhuaation mate interrupted before Sally lost her temper. “I’m certain I will be able to help you. I believe we’ll only be able to stall for a few hours before the meeting, however.”
“Thank you, Kham,” Sally replied, looking directly at her husband. “That’s very helpful.”
“Guild Matron?” Baelion stepped up. “Can we get Marisol looked at by a doctor before anything? We’d just like to make certain she’s all right. There were a few close calls on the surface.”
“Of course!” Sally grabbed Mari’s arm and pulled her forward toward the main buildings. “What an idiot I am. Are you okay, Mari?”
“I think I’m fine,” she answered, handing Tigger over to Eve when she put her hands out to grab the wiggling creature. “Can someone look after him while we do all this?”
“For sure.” Eve cuddled him close. “He can hang out with Loki in our suite. I bet they’ll get along like a house on fire.”
Mari could have sworn she heard one of Eve’s mates muttering about how they hoped there would be something left of the suite when they got back, but Eve just raised one eyebrow and all three of them just smiled at her.
They arrived at the main offices in the Guild building, and Sally stopped in front of the elevators.
“Okay, we don’t have that much time.” She took control of the situation, reminding Mari once again how good she was at her job. “Ark, why don’t you take the boys and show Kham the contract while we take Mari up to see the doctor?”
“We’ll stay with Marisol,” Luca immediately answered. He looked a bit panicked at the thought of letting her out of his or Baelion’s sight for even a moment.
“Luca, I assure you, she’ll be quite safe,” Sally answered. “Kali will accompany us.”
“I will guard her and your offspring with my life.” Kalista looked at him with a seriousness that had made more than one person run away from the former assassin, but whatever Luca saw there must have satisfied him, because he nodded before placing a sweet kiss on Mari’s mouth. Baelion did the same before the men parted ways and the rest of them got on the elevator.
“So…” Eve began as soon as the doors closed. “We let you out unsupervised for the first time and you end up knocked up? You sassy wench, Mari!”
You could always count on Evangeline to cut the tension in any situation. As they all erupted into giggles, Marisol finally took a deep breath. She was so glad to be home.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Marisol was relieved that she’d gotten the all clear from the doctor. He’d said that she was remarkably healthy consid
ering what she’d gone through the last few days. That her pregnancy was matching up with that of a regular dragon shifter, and he couldn’t find any residual toxins from her run-in with those damned flying monkey things.
“I wish I could have seen one of those, Mari,” Devyn gushed when she’d told them what happened. “It sounds like some of those species would be fascinating to study.”
“Trust me, Dev, you don’t want to go to Draxis.” She looked at her friend, wondering how much trouble her curious brain was going to get her into once she finally finished school and went off-planet to her first job. That was going to be entertaining.
“Of course.” Devyn shook her head with sympathy. “It must have been awful for you.”
“Oh yeah,” Sally said sarcastically, waggling her eyebrows, causing Eve to break into laughter. “By the looks of those two yummy shifters, it must have been doubly awful for you.”
“Well…” She couldn’t help but laugh along. “I’ll admit, it wasn’t all awful—if you know what I mean.”
“Oh, we do, sweetie.” Eve threw her arm around her as they left the doc’s office to track down their men. “Trust me, we do.”
Devyn trailed after them and gave Kali a confused look. “Do we know what she means?” Mari heard her whisper to Kali, who was keeping a close eye on them.
“I do not.” Kali just shrugged. “But that does not surprise me.”
They made it to Arkenon and Sally’s office several minutes later, and Sally’s secretary was frantic with worry.
“Guild Matron, the meeting is in half an hour!” The slight blue-skinned woman twisted her hands in worry.
“It’s all right, Greta, thank you.” Sally gave her a smile and walked in to where the six men were sitting around a large conference table. “So, fellas, are we all set to get this done?”
“Kham found what we needed.” Ark offered his wife his chair. “Let him give you the rundown.”
