by Bethany Aan
They all made their way back to the team’s quarters, where Erik and Rom took their other mate and the children on a very quick tour, showing them the bathing facilities and the balcony, explaining the plants in the little garden, then the family settled in the living area, watching as Erik and Trey scanned Bev’s ankle. While they were doing that, Salaiya found the chiller and brought a cold compress to lay on the younger woman’s injury. Bev stared up at her in shock.
“You’re beautiful,” she breathed as Salaiya knelt to hold the compress while Erik wound the ankle to brace it. The other woman smiled shyly.
“So are you. Our men would not choose an ugly woman, I don’t think.”
“Our… You must hate me.” Bev’s lip quivered and she bit it, hoping to still the tears that threatened again. The men moved aside so that Salaiya could sit beside Bev on the couch.
“Why would I hate you?” Salaiya asked quietly, taking Bev’s hand and squeezing in encouragement. “You are lovely, obviously sweet and compassionate, and if you had the courage to mate with these warriors, you are also very smart, quick-witted, and strong. Why should I hate someone so like myself?”
Bev couldn’t help the watery chuckle that escaped her, but then sobbed once more before she could stop herself.
“You should hate me because your men took me as their mate.”
“My men are now our men, and they did not take you… you chose them.” She waited for Bev to raise her eyes to her once more, then sighed. “I should thank you, for making them happy while I could not be here.”
“But now… I should leave?” Bev asked quietly, finally getting to the root of her tears. Salaiya’s eyes went wide in shock.
“Why in the world would you wish to leave?” she asked, scowling at the men, who looked just as confused as she felt. “What have you three done?”
“Nothing!” Bev assured her. “But you’re their first wife… I’m sure you want them back.”
“Of course. Once mated, always mated,” Salaiya said, still not understanding. “But why would you have to leave?”
Bev looked up at Trey, her eyes heartbreakingly bewildered, and he belatedly recalled the differences in their cultures. Cursing himself for a fool, he sat down across from her.
“Bevy,” he said quietly, “You do not have to leave.”
“But… I don’t understand!”
“We both stay,” Salaiya said, shrugging. She squeezed Beverly’s hand once more, then smiled and rose, removing the cloak she’d worn to leave the ship. “If one of you will show me where everything is, I will start dinner, since my sister is injured.”
“Sister?” Bev echoed, watching as the children hopped up to join their mother in the kitchen area. Rom followed, quickly showing his long-lost mate where everything was, then staying to explain the strange foods and seasonings that the men had learned to use. Bev turned back to Trey and Erik. “Sister?”
“That is what we call each other, once a family is merged,” Trey said, shrugging. “It is not common for two women to share a team, but it happens occasionally. If you are willing, you and Salaiya will both remain mated to us. You will share household duties, and when the babe comes, there will be help with the little one. Just as there will be three fathers for our baby, it will now also have two mothers. And a brother and sister!”
“A baby?” Salaiya’s eyes lit up and she hurried back to Bev’s side, looking at her belly. “You are carrying?”
Bev nodded hesitantly, wondering how the other woman would react. To her amazement, Salaiya threw her arms around Bev and hugged her tightly.
“Our family is not only reunited,” the darker woman exclaimed happily, “But we will grow, as well! Oh, what a happy day! Maya, Kai, come here! Your other-mother will give you a brother or sister soon!”
The children scurried over to Bev as Rom took over the cooking, shaking his head and grinning. Bev let the kids cuddle up next to her, stunned at how easily they accepted her as an addition to their family, how uninhibited they were, touching her abdomen, feeling for the life of their little sibling, and chattering excitedly about what they would teach their brother or sister first, who would love it more, and what they wanted to teach Bev, if she didn’t already know.
It was all very overwhelming. She took it all in as long as she could, then threw a lost look at Trey for help. He took the hint, as did Salaiya, who shooed the kids back toward the kitchen to help Rom finish dinner, while Trey carried Bev into their bedroom and tucked her in for a short nap.
“Trey,” she said quietly, stopping him when he would have left. He turned and sank down beside her, stroking her hair and touching her just as he had this morning, before their world changed.
“Nothing changes,” he said softly, firmly. “I love you, Bevy. I love Salaiya, as well, and the children. Gods, I’ve missed those two! But you only leave us if it is your choice. If you wish to stay, then we are a family.”
“How will it work?” she asked shyly. He chuckled and shrugged.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, kissing her. “That’s part of the adventure. We will make our own way, though, and there is no need for jealousy, or for you to feel as though you are secondary.”
“But you married her first.”
“And you fell in love with me first.” Trey’s eyebrow went up as he pointed that out, urging her to understand. “But you now love Rom and Erik every bit as much as me, correct?” Before she could answer, he shook his head. “That’s not a fair example. There is no way you could love them as much as you love me. I am, after all, so much better than they are.”
She gave a startled laugh and swatted his hand. He grinned down at her.
“You see what I am saying, my love? Just as you love three of us, we love two of you. It is the same. And you will love Salaiya and the children, once you get to know them. How could you not? They are just as wonderful as you are.”
He kissed her tenderly, tucked her in a bit more securely, and urged her to take a nap. Bev watched him leave, thinking about it all for a long time, but finally the shocks of the day caught up with her and she managed to take a short nap until dinner.
A party was planned for the following night, but this day was reserved for the reunions and catching up on news of immediate family. Those whose families were not on board the Adelphae sought out the company of the nearest relatives who were, and Arianna was touched by how eagerly they were accepted into the intimate gatherings and lavished with love.
Listening in on some of those reunions, she realized just how important extended family was to these people… far more than her own society back home, or at least her experience with it. Yes, her family had been large, but it had been mainly her aunts, uncles, and cousins. These families welcomed second, third, and fourth cousins as though they were long-lost children. And then she remembered that, in a sense, they were. Hunter’s description of their world had included the idea that the entire clan raised children, so it was possible that an aunt or uncle could be closer to a child than their own parents, depending on circumstances. That seemed to be exactly what was happening.
“Hunter,” Aleah said, smiling as she settled onto the couch beside her son. “I have been very patient, but I must now ask: where are Siae and Kale? Were they unable to join you for the landing?”
Hunter sighed and took her drink from her, then took her face between his hands and held her gaze. His strong arms caught her when she cried out a grief-stricken denial and collapsed against him at the mental image of the memorial stone just over the mountain. Arianna caught that image, felt the woman’s anguish, and started to leave the family to their privacy. But Jace’s hand shot out and stopped her, his fingers twining with hers. Geoff received the image, too. He wept, as well, taking Aleah from Hunter and grieving with her.
Hunter haltingly told them what had happened to his brothers. Aleah listened but sat in stony silence for several moments more. Then as if it was a ritual, Hunter filled glasses for everyone and each of them to
ok turns telling stories of their memories of the lost family members. He did not tell his parents about the theory that he and Arianna had come up with in his ship, that Siae and Kale could be prisoners somewhere. No need getting his mother hopeful unless they had a chance of rescuing his brothers.
Hours passed as they remembered and wept, laughed and said good-bye to their beloved sons and brothers. By the time the last story had been told, Arianna was openly weeping. Siae and Kale sounded like such wonderful men. She thought about what might have been if they had lived, what the family dynamic would be like now, and got a shiver up her spine. What if there had been three or four to Jace and Hunter’s team? Or even five, including Sean? Would she have been so eager to embrace their way of life, then? Would Siae and Kale have wanted her, or would Hunter and Jace’s attraction to her have caused a rift between brothers? She was lost in thought as the family caught up, talking about places and people now long gone, catching up on news of those still alive.
A knock on the door brought a smile to Aleah’s face, and she got up to answer it, confounding both brothers. When she murmured to the person on the other side, Hunter’s face lit up. He was across the room before the door was fully open, dragging the man on the other side into the apartment and hugging the breath out of him.
“Sean!” Jace breathed, standing, his hands shaking. Ri shot a look at Aleah, who was smiling widely at her three sons. The three men embraced, tears unabashedly streaming down their cheeks as they basked in the joy of being together once more. When the reunion was complete, Hunter officially introduced their older brother to Ri, watching the two of them closely. Sean smiled at her, bent low over her hand, and then cocked his head at her belly. She couldn’t help it. She smacked him on the shoulder.
“Get out of there!” she laughed. “We haven’t scanned yet. And by the way… is everyone in this family a damned Reader except Jace?” she asked. They all nodded, Jace grinning hugely. Hunter chuckled and tugged Arianna down into his lap as the others sat back down.
“Where have you been?” Jace asked Sean curiously. “We have been here for hours.”
“Well, someone,” Sean threw a smiling glance toward their dad, “Went and left the ship unsecured. I had to close things down behind him, make sure everyone was off, and shut down the systems. I didn’t want to take any chances of the Solvari following us.”
“Besides,” Geoff put in, “He was making sure that all available foods were removed to your stores. We’ve been running on reduced power for more than a year now. Our supplies are frighteningly low, and the hydroponics pod was damaged several months ago in an asteroid belt. We’ve been on reduced rations ever since.”
“Is that why my mother is so skinny?” Hunter growled. Sean nodded, looking sideways at the woman. She swatted his arm.
“I’m fine! And now that I’m with all my boys again, you will fatten me back up, won’t you, Hunter?”
“I can start right now,” Arianna volunteered shyly, the Southern woman coming out in her. She might not know exactly where her place was in all of this, but someone needed to be fed, and that was something she could definitely handle! And she welcomed the chance to do something useful. “I made some sticky buns last night. I think there are some left. Unless Jace raided the kitchen in the middle of the night. Again.”
Aleah laughed, rising to join her new daughter in the kitchen. When she saw the buns, her mouth watered. Arianna felt her approval and smiled shyly up at her.
“We found a very sweet plant not too far from here that doubles as a fiber plant. Two uses, one crop. It’s great!” Ri grinned at the memory.
Aleah looked at her thoughtfully for a moment.
“You’re a very clever girl, aren’t you?” she asked quietly. Arianna mentally shrugged, then nodded. Aleah smiled at her. “Good! You’ll need to be, to keep up with those three!”
“Three?” Arianna choked on the word, causing Hunter to leap up and whack her on the back. She glared up at him as she caught her breath, then realized that her new mom-in-law had been teasing her. She narrowed her gaze at the woman’s back, then slowly grinned. It had been so long since she’d been teased by a mother figure, she’d forgotten what it felt like.
Hunter took the platter of buns from her and handed them out to his family as Ri began pulling ingredients out for a lavish dinner. Her in-laws hadn’t eaten well in quite awhile, it sounded like. While they talked with her mates, she would take care of that.
When Hunter took his parents out onto the balcony, Sean and Jace joined her in the kitchen. Jace jumped in to help with the preparations and Sean stood close by, taking mental notes of where everything was kept. Arianna felt it when his thoughts continually wandered to her belly, then to her breasts, then to her face, and felt his growing attraction for her. Finally, she slammed her knife down and confronted him.
“Do not, for one moment, think that because your brothers mated with me, you’re a part of the package,” she warned him. “Just because we get along mentally, don’t think that seals the deal.”
He blinked at her in surprise, then grinned over her head at Jace. He was handsome, almost beautiful when he wasn’t smiling. When he grinned like that, it did something amazing to the butterflies in her belly. Dammit! Was she doomed to be sexually attracted to all of Aleah’s sons? What the hell was she supposed to do now?
“She’s feisty!” he said approvingly.
“You have no idea,” Jace chuckled, watching the exchange and knowing Ri wouldn’t like it one bit that Sean was talking above her. Literally.
“And don’t talk as though I’m not here,” she bit out. “These two learned early on that it doesn’t work on me.”
“So what does?” Sean asked, reaching over to snatch a legume from the pile and pop it into his mouth. She glared up at him, keeping silent. He shrugged, grinning unrepentantly. “Obviously my brothers figured it out. I guess I can, too.”
Jace stiffened behind her, bristling, but before he could say a word, Hunter strode back into the suite, right up to his older brother, and shoved him up against the cabinets.
“Mine,” he snarled.
“And mine,” Jace added, standing protectively beside Arianna, curling an arm around her and drawing her close. Ri snuggled into his side, loving his strength and the fierce protectiveness he was broadcasting toward his brother, for her. Sean looked at his brothers, then at Ri, then threw back his head and laughed.
“Why don’t we just see what happens?” he said softly as Hunter let go of him. “I’ll challenge, if I have to, but I’d rather keep it friendly.”
Arianna stood there in disbelief and shock. This man had only known her, in person, for an hour, if that, and he already wished to challenge his brothers for the right to claim her? True, they had shared some intimate mental moments and she knew much more about him than she would have if he’d just strolled into the room with no notice, but still… He already wanted her as a mate? No questions asked?
She’d had it with these guys acting as though she was the moon and stars wrapped up with a pretty little rainbow, dammit! She was just a thirty-something woman in a strange situation. She wasn’t the freakin’ Madonna!
“I am not that special!” she practically yelled in frustration. A handful of beans sailed past Hunter and smacked Sean right in the face. He sputtered as Hunter stepped back and laughed. “I am just me, Arianna Hunter, and I am-“
“Hunter-Jace,” Jace said quietly. She paused and looked up at him in question. “You are Arianna Hunter-Jace. It denotes who you are mated to.”
She nodded, saving that thought for later. She went back to glaring at Sean.
“I am Arianna Hunter-Jace. And I will not be challenged for. I will not just be claimed. We’re not on your world, buddy,” she stomped over to Sean and thrust a finger into his chest, not intimidated at all by his height or build. After months of malnutrition, he wasn’t quite as impressive as Hunter and Jace, though he was just as handsome. Devastatingly so.
And he was a Reader. She’d forgotten that, so used to Hunter being the only other one around. Crap on a cracker! He’d read her thoughts.
“See?” Sean pounced, reaching up to grab her pointy little finger. “You think I’m just as handsome as them. Does that mean I might have a chance?”
“Argh!” Arianna threw up her hands and threw a fulminating glare at her mates, who were laughing and absolutely useless. She snatched up her knitting basket and stomped off into Hunter’s room, slamming the door behind her. Aleah and Geoff chuckled from the doorway to the balcony.
“Well, now, she has a temper,” Geoff remarked, nodding with fatherly approval. “Good thing. She’s gonna need it!”
Ri sat on the bed, her back aching and her ego bruised, though logically, she knew that it should be anything but. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. Her emotions had been running rampant lately, but there was no excuse for the show she’d just put on for Jace and Hunter’s family. Her mother-in-law must think she was a complete idiot and crazy, as well.
Groaning, Arianna flopped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. A kind, brilliant, handsome man that she had an instant attraction to, had offered to challenge for her, to join their family group. Instead of welcoming him and being polite, she had flared up at him. To add insult to injury, she had caused Hunter and Jace to fight with the brother they had thought dead for all these years. The family should be rejoicing, not dealing with her emotional issues.
“What the hell is wrong with me?” she whispered to herself.
Brooding, she lay there for awhile, trying to ignore the sounds and smells of dinner in the making. She was starving. She was always hungry lately, though that was to be expected. But she didn’t want to go back out there, didn’t want to face those strangers that were now part of her intimate life, and would be for as long as she lived. She had made a complete mess of everything. Her throat started closing up on tears of frustration, but before she could let them loose, the door opened and Aleah entered the room. She shut the door behind her, leaning against it for a moment as the two women assessed one another.
