by Bethany Aan
“Report!” he bellowed down into the open area. At the same time, a frantic knock sounded on the door to their quarters. Jace, giving Arianna an apologetic pat on the butt, scooted out from under her and answered the knock. Trey followed Hunter, Erik followed Jace, and Rom stood beside the women, waiting for orders.
Arianna was torn, wanting to know what was happening with both of them. She couldn’t hear the response from the courtyard, but Jace opened the door wide to the two warriors who had come.
“The Commander?” one of the warriors asked, Jace nodded toward the balcony, where Hunter was striding through the doorway. The man stood at attention as Hunter repeated the order to report.
“Sir, ship incoming.”
“Identified?” Hunter asked, tugging on a tunic and strapping his leather bands around his body.
“Yes, sir.”
Hunter and the other men froze, waiting.
“Who?” Hunter asked quietly, though he knew that they were expecting Sean’s ship. The warrior grinned and nodded, his eyes shining with emotion.
“Sir, it’s the Adelphae.”
Hunter and Jace’s jaws dropped. Trey offered up what sounded like a prayer of thanks, and Erik made a sound much like a sob. Bev stood and took his hand as Arianna moved to Hunter’s side.
“The Adelphae?” she asked softly. “Why is that significant?”
“Lady,” the warrior bowed his head to her, his throat working on emotion. “It is the transport for the families from our territory.”
“Who… the ... captain? Who is the captain of the Adelphae?” Jace asked, his voice thick.
“Your father.”
Not Sean, then? She was confused. But… Jace’s father? How wonderful! The men had told her fantastic stories of the man who was Hunter’s uncle, but had raised them all as his own when his brothers were lost in battle, leaving only Geoff mated to their mother. Arianna went to Jace as tears slipped from his eyes and freely moved down his cheeks. He held her tightly, emotion wracking his big body, at the news that his father was not only alive, but was almost here. She sent Hunter a look, but he was staring at the warrior.
“And the first mate?” he asked softly. The man chuckled and nodded. The fierce joy that swept through Hunter almost doubled Arianna over. She found herself sandwiched between her men, squashed, as they embraced. She had a feeling that they were hugging each other, rather than her. Ri managed to wedge her way out from between them to look at the warrior who’d delivered the news.
“Who is the first mate?” she asked, bewildered.
The man winked at her and said simply, “Their mother.”
Arianna’s eyes widened, but before she could fully embrace her joy for her mates, she saw the lived-in messiness of their quarters after an evening with friends, and panic struck. She began fluttering about, picking things up, straightening items that didn’t need to be straightened, and fussing with her hair in the mirror every time she passed one. Bev was laughing at her indulgently. Hunter and Jace watched her like she had gone crazy.
“What is the matter with you?” Jace asked, hurrying over to grab her hands and force her to stop her dithering. Arianna chattered something inane at him. He threw a helpless look at Bev. The blond just chuckled and shrugged.
“She’s about to meet her mother-in-law,” Bev reminded them.
Arianna made a strangled noise as the men rolled their eyes at her and took turns assuring her that their mother was going to love her, and that she wouldn’t care what Arianna looked like or how clean the quarters were. Ri didn’t buy it, not for one second, but she gave in when the men pleaded with her to be at their side when the ship landed and they saw their parents again for the first time in years. The look in their eyes was so amazingly young…
How could she say no to that?
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The Adelphae was almost as banged up and dilapidated as the men’s transport sitting just over the mountain. Hunter had ordered only a small group to meet the ship, but because it was from their geographical area, and most of the warriors were related, at least distantly, there was no way any of them would be left behind. Even the enclave of engineers and salvage experts had come at a run over the summit when they’d heard the news.
The ship settled into the grass in the harvested field just past the compound. Though the day before had been hot, this day had greeted them with a chill in the air. Ri had been warned that autumn came on quickly, and winter was even more abrupt. Fortunately, it was cool enough for dress clothes.
Hunter and his men were in what Arianna could only assume was full dress uniform, since they were actually wearing tunics… and matching ones, at that. They were incredible… resplendent, sharp, and ready for inspection. She was so very proud of them.
She was eternally grateful that she had insisted on the women making ‘dress’ clothes recently, in case they wanted to live a little and celebrate. Since they now had all their electronics back, they didn’t hesitate to take pictures to commemorate parties or gatherings or just the small intimate moments, so having a good outfit or two was appealing. Today it was paying off, as all the women were dressed just as nicely as their mates, and standing by their teams’’ sides, ready for introduction, should their ‘in-laws’ be among the refugees on this transport.
Ri was wearing the tunic she’d finished knitting only days before. It was made out of teal yarn, with Hunter and Jace’s special braids worked in cables. Jace’s braid encircled her wrists and upper arms, while Hunter’s more intricate design graced the V-neckline then combined to run down the center of the tunic. Around the bottom of the sweater, Jace’s braid was once more used as edging. She wore a long black skirt, and the band on her left arm had an extra design embroidered in purple and black around it. Nervous, Ri fidgeted a bit, continually straightening her hem, hoping that the sweater hug properly, worrying about whether her skirt was dragging in the dust or not. Hunter, sensing her anxiety, took hold of her hand and fed her the reassurance that his family was going to adore her. She sighed and allowed him to manipulate her mind, just enough so that she could relax a little.
There were tense moments of silence as the ship settled with frightening creaks, pops, and groans, then a hatch opened near where Hunter, Ri, Jace, and Trey were standing. Stairs flipped out with more creaks, pops, and shrieks of metal. Voices sounded within the entryway and Arianna stifled a chuckle as she felt Hunter steel himself to attention, instead of craning his neck to get his first glimpse of his family like he wanted.
“Permission to disembark,” a deep, gruff voice called from the darkness at the top of the stairs.
“Granted!” Hunter bellowed. When no one stepped forward, he growled low in his throat and called out, “If you don’t get your ass out here, old man, I’m going to come up and get my mother myself!”
“Hold your trousers, squirt!” the other man bellowed back, his head sticking out of the hatchway and meeting Hunter’s eyes. The man’s face softened then, his scowl melting into a brilliant smile. He was incredibly handsome and youthful, looking like Hunter’s older brother, perhaps, but certainly not Jace’s father. He ducked back in, calling out to someone inside.
“Aleah! Would you stop dithering and hurry out here? Your boys want to see you!”
“I’m coming. Good gods! You’d think they hadn’t seen me in years.” A tall, slender woman who looked barely old enough to be Arianna’s sister glided out onto the narrow platform at the top of the stairs. Her gaze flew over the assemblage, finally locking on Hunter and Jace. Her eyes went shiny as she flew down the stairs and into the arms of her sons.
The two men, losing all semblance of military precision, caught her and held on, tightening their grips on her before releasing her so that she could hug and inspect each one in turn. Her mate, Jace’s father, gave her a moment before moving to clasp his son in his arms, then did the same with Hunter. Arianna smiled, recalling that the children were raised with several ‘dads’, and that to Hunter, thi
s man was as much his father as his own biological father had been. Perhaps more so. She smiled widely, watching the tender scene. She felt the love, the incredible joy of reunion, the gladness and deep gratitude of finally being on solid ground again, in a place they would be able to call home.
Behind their little group, other people were quickly exiting the ship and being swept into the arms of family members. Hugs were thrown around liberally, and family members thought lost or dead were reunited with their clans. It was incredible. The amount of love and joy nearly overwhelmed her, and after a few minutes, it actually did.
Arianna felt her head swimming with it all, the world going dark at the corners of her vision, and her ears began getting that closed-up feeling where all she could hear was the whomp-whomp of her own pulse. She didn’t want to interrupt their reunion, but as she reached back blindly to try to find some support, her mind instinctively called out for Hunter. He and Jace were at her side in a heartbeat, Hunter holding her up with his strong arms, and Jace pulling out his scanner.
“Her blood pressure dropped, sharply,” Jace said, instantly in doctor mode. Ri could barely hear him over the pounding of her blood in her ears. Their mother, Aleah, pushed beside her son, taking in Arianna’s pale face, her dazed look, and then smiled gently.
“I believe the young woman will be fine. It’s just all a little overwhelming, isn’t it, dear?” Arianna managed a weak nod, but felt Hunter shift some of his energy to her. The pounding receded and sound came back to her slowly. She found herself sitting down. Hunter had plopped right onto the grass and dragged her into his lap, holding her until the dizziness passed.
“And who are you?” Aleah asked, sitting down beside her son, taking Ri’s hand in hers. Her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. “A Reader? No wonder you are standing with my boys.”
“Mom,” Hunter groaned. “She’s not… well, she is, but…”
“And pregnant! Oh my! How wonderful! And who might the father…” the look on Aleah’s face was almost comical as she looked up at Hunter, shocked. “I’m going to be a grandmother?”
“We would have liked to have told you later, in private,” Jace hurried to say. His father was guffawing behind him, slapping him on the back.
“So, who’s the lucky dad?” he asked, grinning down at his sons. Arianna buried her face in Hunter’s chest, for the moment forgetting that this was their way, and there was no shame in it for them.
“We don’t know yet,” Jace said. “We… didn’t want to run the tests quite yet. It was more fun anticipating.”
“Well, I know what that’s like,” Geoff said, still chuckling. “Doesn’t matter, though, in the end. They’re all everyone’s kids, when all’s said and done. Right, love?”
“Oh, shush, old man!” Aleah breathed, looking to Ri for permission before leaning forward to lay her palm on the younger woman’s belly. She got a soft look in her eyes, then they widened and she shot a look at each of her boys. “I think... well, I don’t want to spoil the surprise. But I know who the father is!”
“Mom!” Jace said, nearly whining when his mother withheld the information. Hunter narrowed his eyes on her, but she gave him a sweet smile and Arianna felt her blocking his attempts at Reading her mind.
“Hunter! That’s rude!” the woman laughed. “I taught you better than that!”
“You did. That’s why I’m worried that I can’t get past your wall. You taught me all the tricks.”
“Not all,” Aleah said, rolling her eyes as Geoff helped her to her feet. “I won’t teach the rest to you until you have children who are Readers. Then you need to know. But not until then! I have to be able to keep ahead of you.”
She waited for Jace to help Arianna to her feet, for Hunter to get to his, then allowed them to formally introduce her.
“Mother, father,” Jace said quietly, solemnly. “We would like to present to you our mate, Arianna.”
Aleah clapped her hands in delight, then wrapped her arms around Arianna and held her close. After a moment, she drew back, studying the smaller woman’s face. Ri allowed her to probe her mind as well, though Aleah did so very gently and without prying into areas that Arianna kept blocked. “And to such a sweet, wise young woman, at that.”
“Aye,” Hunter said proudly, looping his arm around Ri’s shoulder. “That she is.”
“So, my dear daughter,” Aleah said, narrowing her gaze on her new daughter-in-law. “What species are you, exactly, and how did you come to be here, on this world, and in the care of my boys?”
“Well, that’s kind of a long story,” Arianna said a little hesitantly. Aleah gently pulled her from Hunter’s grasp and wrapped her arm around Ri’s expanding waist as they all headed back to the compound.
Not too far away, Bev watched as Trey and his cousins craned their necks, looking for someone they knew, a family member, anything. But people streamed by them, headed for other teams, other warriors, or just to get out of the way. She had almost given up hope when Rom’s eyes widened in shock, then in wonder, then went wet with emotion. Behind her, she heard a small voice shout, “Papa!”
Her body went cold as she turned.
Bev’s heart dropped to her feet as the men moved forward, stepping away from her in that moment. Two children, about twelve years old, though she knew that looks were deceiving for these people, were running through the crowd. She watched, her heart shattering, as a lovely woman followed at a slightly slower pace. Her eyes were locked to Trey’s, tears running down her smooth, olive-tinted cheeks. When the woman reached him, Trey gave a shout of thanks and swept her into his arms, holding her high as she leaned down to kiss him with all the years of being apart. Before he was ready to release her, Rom had tugged her from his cousin’s arms and into his own. The woman laughed up into his face and then offered her lips for another long, sweet kiss. Then it was Erik’s turn. While he was kissing the breath from their mother, Trey scooped one child into his arms and Rom the other, and they took turns lavishing the kids with affection, kisses, hugs, and exclamations of how much they had grown.
Bev couldn’t move. Her entire body was tingling uncomfortably, and she felt as though she were going into shock.
Her men already had a mate, a wife. And children.
They had told her they had lost their family, back on Thorsan, but she had thought… they hadn’t mentioned children. She dashed tears from her cheeks as she watched the tender reunion. When she saw Trey turn the same look on the other woman that he’d given her just hours ago, she could take no more. Sobbing in a deep breath, she turned and quietly began picking her way through the throngs of people. She was moving blindly, tears obscuring her vision, so when her foot came down wrong in a hole, turning her ankle, she cried out in surprised pain, then simply sat down on the ground, buried her face in her up-drawn knees, and wept.
All of her dreams of a new life, with such wonderful men… gone. And the life she carried, what would happen? Would she have to find new mates? She didn’t want anyone else! But the other woman had them first. Who had preference? Then she thought about the love shining in the eyes of each of her men… for that other woman, for the children, and her heart sank.
She didn’t hear them calling her name for several minutes, but eventually, someone mentioned where she was, and Trey and the team moved in her direction. When he saw her sitting on the ground, saw the heartbreak in her eyes and the tears on her face, his smile disappeared. He stopped, looked down at the woman beside him, the kids, then back at Bev, and realized that something horrible was going through her mind. Bev mistook his sudden lack of a smile for the realization that she was now an unwelcome burden, and buried her face again.
“Stay here a moment, Salaiya,” he murmured, squeezing his mate’s shoulders. She looked at the woman on the ground, then at her men and, understanding, her eyes softened on the young woman. She nodded at Trey and she took hold of the children’s hands, drawing them close. She watched, smiling as the team moved to Bev’s side.
“It’s okay,” Bev was saying, shaking off their helping hands. “I’ll be fine. Go. She had you first. I understand. It’s fine. Really.”
“I might believe you if you weren’t sobbing your heart out,” Trey told her, wiping the tears from her cheeks and forcing her to look up at him. “Bevy, look at me!”
“Trey,” she wept, trying to get control of herself. “It’s okay. I’ll get over it. I mean, it’s not like I’ve known you that long, and you had no way of knowing that your family would be back. I just… just help me get my things together, and I’ll go to the dorm for tonight-“
He shut her up with a fiercely possessive kiss, shocking her to her toes. When he drew back, she was gazing at him with a stunned look, obviously confused. She slowly turned her eyes to Salaiya, who smiled gently at her, watching them. The other woman nodded in encouragement. The children offered smiles, as well.
“I don’t understand,” Bev said softly. “I want to… but I don’t.”
“I know, love,” Erik said, kneeling beside her and drawing the hem of her gown up enough to show the already bruised and swollen ankle she’d turned. He winced and probed the ankle, determined that it was likely just sprained, but announced that she would need to stay off of it. Rom nodded and helped her to stand, then retrieved her slippers when they slid from her feet into the grass as Trey scooped her up to carry her back to their quarters.
Thinking that this was the last time she’d know this feeling, Bev laid her cheek against his muscular chest, wanting to hear his heart beating against her once more. He surprised her by pressing a kiss to the top of her head. The sweet gesture brought on more tears.
