by Laurie Roma
“No, don’t apologize,” Serra hurried to say. “I’m so happy to know I’m having a daughter. I can’t wait to tell Jax and Sully.”
Alexis and Skylar glanced at one another before both of them burst into hysterical laughter. Serra shot them a disgruntled look, while Katra simply watched them all in confusion.
“Sorry, it’s just…I’m just imagining Jax and Archer dealing with a little girl. Holy nova, they are going to lose their minds!” Skylar laughed so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes.
Serra slowly grinned. “It’s going to be an adjustment for them, that’s for sure. Jax and Sully were so happy when we found out I’m pregnant. They’ve been so incredibly sweet to me, but they’ve already started to give me orders, which is why I made Sully go escort the Dragon Warriors today. Jax was a little harder to get rid of, but he can’t stand being around us when we get together. He thinks we like to plot against him.”
“That’s because we do,” Alexis said with a snicker as she gripped Serra’s hands in hers. “I know I’ll be traveling a lot, but my mates promised to return to Earth whenever I wish. We will be able to raise our children together. My twin boys will be able to look after your little girl.”
When they glanced over at Skylar, she raised both hands into the air as if someone was holding a blaster on her. “Oh, no. Not me. Don’t even. Maybe someday, but I don’t want to be popping out kids anytime soon. I’m still learning how to deal with my bonded.”
“You have plenty of time.” Alexis’ smile faded. “Honestly, I’m worried about being a mother. I mean, I already love my boys more than I ever thought possible, but I didn’t grow up with an example, so I don’t know what I’m really supposed to do.”
“My mother is a traitorous bitch, so I don’t exactly have a good example either.” Serra shrugged. “Sorry, I guess I still have a little residual anger going on about that. Still, I think we’ll be okay. I know I can count on Jax’s mother, Donna, to help me with whatever I need, and so can you.”
“She was good to us when we were young,” Skylar agreed. She and Alexis had never really had homes during their younger years. Instead, they had grown up amongst their peers in the Academy when they’d become elites. Even back then, Donna Spartan-Rollins had reached out to those who didn’t have loving parents and had tried to make things easier for them.
Still, their childhoods seemed better than what Serra had grown up with. Serra’s mother was a narcissistic traitor who was now serving a life term on the penal colony of Mars. She had used her daughter for her own gain for years, even going so far as to have her tainted with the xili drug to keep Serra compliant and making credits.
On the other hand, Skylar had just recently gotten her own memories of her mother back after years of blocking out her past. Her mother had been a human slave her father had protected on Tartarus when she’d chosen to remain on the planet after being freed. But her mother had died when Skylar was twelve, so even though she now remembered her, Kelcie Richards was just a faded memory.
Shaking off those dark memories, Skylar turned to address Katra. “I’ve heard you’re close to your mother.”
Katra was unsure what to say to the three females who had just shared their unhappy pasts. Alexis solved the problem for her when she said, “Kym Tesera is one of the most amazing females I’ve ever met. She is beautiful, powerful, and yet so kind and gentle. I loved spending time with her when we visited Arcadia.”
“My mother is very special,” Katra agreed softly. “She has always been my greatest ally.”
“You mean against your brothers?” Serra asked.
Katra nodded. “Aye, my brothers, but also my fathers, who are also very protective. They did not want me to come here, but my mother knew it was my destiny to leave, so I left with her blessing.”
“Okay, that seems like a good segue.” Alexis blew out a breath. “Tell us what’s going on, Katra.”
Katra’s eyes narrowed as she frowned at her new sister. She didn’t like getting cornered, and suddenly, she had a sneaking suspicion that this little meeting with the other females had been planned as an interrogation. “You have to be a little more specific.”
“You know what I mean. You’ve been different since we’ve gotten here. I barely see you since you keep sneaking off. Is something bothering you? Do you regret coming here?”
“Alexis, I find Earth fascinating. Nay, I do not regret coming on this trip.”
“Then what is it?” Alexis’ eyes clouded with worry. “Please, tell me. Your brothers can sense something is wrong. I’ve made them leave you alone, but I’m worried about you, too.”
“It’s my father, isn’t it?” Skylar asked softly. “He’s your mate.”
Katra’s breath caught as her gaze swung to the other woman to see Skylar watching her with a mixture of understanding and sympathy. Normally, the pity would have angered her, but she found herself feeling ashamed instead. She didn’t want the females to know she had a mate that did not want her, despite her affection for the others. It made her uncomfortable and unsure of what to say.
“With my abilities, I’m able to see strong surges of energy,” Skylar explained. “When your brothers came to Earth and met Alexis, I saw the way their energy reached out to her. It’s the same with you around my father.”
Alexis scooted to the edge of her seat. “Is Sky right? Is Jaden your mate? Katra, that’s wonderful!”
Sheer panic surged. “You cannot tell my brothers. Alexis, you must promise me.”
Alexis’ happiness dimmed at the sharp command. “Katra, I know how sacred mates are. Dragon Warriors can go centuries looking for their true mates without ever finding them. Xavier, Galan, Thorn and Brydan will be happy that you’ve found yours.”
“They will not. They believe I am too young to mate.”
“Honey, you could be five hundred years old and they would still believe you were too young,” Alexis said gently. “You’re their little sister. They’re always going to worry about you. Is that why you didn’t tell me, because you were worried that I would tell your brothers before you spoke to them about it? Since my conversion, I’ve learned how to control my thoughts better so they can’t hear everything I’m thinking.”
Katra forced herself to ignore the guilt that was caused by the hurt in Alexis’ voice. “I was not ready to tell anyone. I am still…trying to figure out what to do about the situation.”
Serra frowned. “What’s there to figure out? He’s your mate.”
Katra’s alarm at her secret being discovered changed to sorrow, the heavy weight of it making her shoulders slump. “Aye, Jaden is my mate…but he does not wish to be.”
Alexis’ glowing violet eyes flared bright with temper. “He denied you?”
“He does not know,” Katra admitted, causing the other females to gasp. She felt her own anger ignite at their looks of censure. “Nothing about this has been easy for me. Do you think I expected to find my mate here? And not just any mate…one that is of a different species that wants nothing to do with me.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Skylar countered. “It’s not just your energy I can see reaching out to him. His was reaching back. I’ve never seen such a strong reaction from my father before. It’s obvious he has feelings for you. You need to tell him. This isn’t something you can keep from him.”
“Yeah, like that’s going to go over well.” Serra let out a snort of derision. “I understand why Katra hasn’t told Lord Tor that he’s her mate. I’m sure he’s going to love hearing that he is destined to be the mate of a female who is more powerful than he is, not to mention from an entirely different species. He hasn’t exactly been an advocate of anything non-Tarin. He didn’t even like us visiting his palace until he discovered you were his long-lost daughter, Sky. He still doesn’t want any Alliance interference or personnel on his land.”
“He’s gotten better about that,” Skylar argued.
Serra’s look said she didn’t agree. “You mean,
he’s stopped threatening to kill any elite sighted on his land? Yeah, that’s better.”
“He did agree to come here for my claiming ceremony. That was something.”
“I’ll give you that,” Serra conceded, but she looked thoughtful as she turned her assessment to Katra’s situation. “I’ve noticed you and Jaden together over the last few days, Katra. I agree with Skylar that Jaden does feel something for you, but I’ve also seen the way he avoids you. Tarin consorts are chosen, not fated on Tartarus. And most of the time, it is the men that are the ones choosing. I can’t see Jaden being pleased that his mate has already been determined, or if he even understands what that means. It’s going to bruise his ego big time. And bruising a guy’s ego is like kicking them in the nuts, no matter what species they are.”
Alexis slapped her hand against her own forehead as she groaned. “How the hell did I miss all this?”
“You are in baby mode, so are my brothers.” Katra sighed deeply. “It is the only way they have not discovered my secret yet.”
“I won’t tell your brothers, but I think you should. Besides, you’re going to have to tell them when Jaden goes back to Tartarus and you—” Alexis’ voice broke off when she saw the guilt flash across Katra’s face. “You were just planning to leave, weren’t you? Katra, how could you do that? Your brothers would go crazy if you left without telling them!”
Temper bubbling to the surface, Katra snarled. The harsh, scary sound made Skylar and Serra jump, but Alexis just met her glare with her own. “What other choice do I have? If my brothers knew I plan to go with Jaden, they would stop me, or at least try to, and then we would fight. I already face enough opposition from my mate, and will have to figure out some way to join their entourage back to Tartarus before he can protest. That stupid, stubborn male! This would not be happening if he was a Dragon Warrior!”
“But he’s not.” Alexis’ anger changed to sympathy. “The pull of mates is strong. If he’s meant to be yours, he must feel the same way about you as you do for him. I was human, but I still felt drawn to my mates when I met them.”
“Jaden is no human. He resists what he feels, I can sense it,” Katra countered.
“You should just seduce him. Once you have sex, he won’t fight the mating—”
Skylar groaned. “Stars, Serra. Can we not talk about my father and sex, please? I have enough reasons for therapy as it is.”
“What? I’ve found that men are more reasonable after you lay them right. Haven’t you?”
“Sex does seem to mellow them out,” Alexis agreed. “At least it seems to work with my mates.”
Katra frowned. “Those are my brothers you are talking about.”
Skylar shot her a look. “See what I mean? Therapy. Hours and hours of therapy.”
“When you have men that are as stubborn as ours, we need every advantage we can get.” Serra shrugged again. “Sex is a good one. It certainly helped Dom’s disposition since you’ve been bonded. I’m sure the same will happen once Katra mates Jaden.”
“You’re right, but I still don’t want to talk about my dad and sex.”
Something in her tone put Katra on alert. “Do you have an issue with me being your father’s mate?”
“No,” Skylar held up a hand. “Look, I know you’re only a few years older than me, so it’s strange knowing that you’re essentially going to be my step-mother—”
Katra shook her head solemnly. “Nay, never that. I would hope that we would remain friends, though.”
“Okay, that’s easier to handle, but this is still a little weird for me since I’ve just reconnected with Jaden after all these years. But I’ve learned about Dragon Warriors from Alexis, and I know that nothing is more important to you than your mates. I’ve been worried about him with the war going on back on Tartarus, and it makes me feel better knowing he’ll have you with him.”
“It will be my honor and privilege to keep him safe.”
Skylar smiled. “Thank you for that. I love how formal you guys are. Somehow it just seems fitting that you’re my father’s mate, considering he’s a lord and all that.” Her smile wavered a bit. “Will you convert him like Alexis was when your brothers mated her?”
Katra hesitated for a moment. She would not lie to the daughter of her mate. “I have a need to be with him completely, and would want to convert him, but I do not know how he would feel about it. At this point, he can barely stand being in the same room with me.”
“Maybe that’s part of the problem,” Serra mused. “Besides the issue of you being from a different race, he may not want to pursue anything with you because he doesn’t know much about Dragon Warriors except that you travel the universe and explore other worlds.”
Despite all the obstacles in Katra’s path, it felt good to talk about her problems. She’d felt so alone the last few days that it gave her comfort to share her worries with her friends now. “I know Jaden’s life is on Tartarus. I would never ask him to leave his home. His people are too important to him. I would be willing to stay on his planet with him until the day comes that he would be willing to leave. When I convert Jaden, his lifespan will be far longer than any other Tarin. There will be time to travel and do anything we want in the future.”
Skylar let out a shaky breath. “Shit, I forgot about that part. My life and Dom’s are tied to Arik’s. A D’Aire’s life is a lot longer than a human’s, but it’s still jolting to think of my father outliving us all.”
“It’s stupid to worry about that now,” Serra said, ignoring Skylar’s glare. “Think about this rationally. You have hundreds of years together, while us humans still have to deal with a regular life expectancy. Time is relative, and you shouldn’t worry about something you can’t change.”
“I hate it when you’re all reasonable,” Skylar muttered.
Serra chuckled. “I hear that a lot. What we need to focus on right now is how to get Katra back to Tartarus with Jaden, without anyone interfering. I wish Reva hadn’t been called back to New Vega to guard her mother. She would have made a good companion to travel to Tartarus with you. It doesn’t matter, though. We’ll figure this out.”
Katra blinked. “We?”
“Of course,” Alexis said as she raised one eyebrow. “Did you really think we wouldn’t help you with this?”
“She didn’t,” Skylar said, noting the look of surprise on Katra’s face.
“Just thinking about all those poor women forced into slavery on Tartarus makes me so angry.” Alexis sighed. “I wish I could go with you, Katra, but my mates would never agree.”
Katra snorted out a laugh. That was the understatement of the millennium. Her brothers, Thorn and Brydan would never let Alexis go anywhere they deemed dangerous. Not with her being so close to giving birth to their babes.
“I’d offer to go, but Sully would freak out, and Jax’s head might explode if I even mentioned it. Plus, I’m not much of a fighter.”
Skylar snickered at Serra. “You couldn’t even handle taking down a gorax.”
Katra looked at them. “What is a gorax?”
“It’s a small, furry animal on Tartarus, similar to a rabbit here on Earth. They are a little bigger than the Earth version, but hardly dangerous.”
“So you say. Those things are creepy and they have fangs. Anything with fangs definitely cannot be classified as not being dangerous.” Serra paused for a moment. “But I could probably take down a gorax or two. Yeah, I would definitely fight one of those fuckers for you.”
Katra absently ran her tongue over her own fangs as the others laughed. In her experience, anything with fangs would be willing to use them, but dealing with the local wildlife on Tartarus didn’t worry her. When it came to survival of the fittest, she would always come out on top. Still, she made a mental note to do a thorough study of Jaden’s planet before she got there.
“It’s going to be a few months before Dom, Arik and I can get some more time away from our duties here in the Capital,” Skylar told them. “
We’ve made plans for another trip to Tartarus when we can manage it.”
“I will be fine on my own,” Katra assured them. She didn’t say she would also need the time alone with Jaden to solidify their mating bond, but she figured the other females would understand. “Hopefully, the next time you visit, all will be well at your father’s home.”
“Lord Jaden Tor is a strong man and a great leader, but he’s been alone for a long time. I think he needs a good woman by his side to shake things up a bit. I’d be worried about you going to Tartarus with the war going on there, but I know you. I have feeling we should save our concern for the Tarins instead.” Alexis’ grin was fierce. “You’re going to seriously fuck some shit up there.”
“Oh, yeah,” Skylar said, her voice filled with wicked glee. “Men might think they’re in control of things, but it’s about time they learn that it’s really us women who run the worlds.”
***
CHAPTER THREE
Katra silently walked into the large conference room in the visitor’s center the next morning and ignored the surprised glances cast her way. She hadn’t exactly been officially invited to the meeting, but she had a vested interest in the outcome and needed to be there.
Last night had done her worlds of good. Being able to talk to her friends about what was bothering her had lifted the weight of uncertainty off her shoulders, and allowed her to prepare for today more confidently.
Earlier, she’d shifted into her dragon form and had gone flying with Galan, enjoying the freedom of soaring over the vast landscapes below. The time with her brother had relaxed her. It shamed her a little that she’d been willing to run away from her brothers without telling them where she was going. She knew better, and she needed to learn how to stand up to them. If she couldn’t do that, how could she make Jaden take her seriously as a mate? He deserved a powerful female at his side, not a youngling that worried about being scolded by her family.
With that in mind, she straightened her shoulders. She could feel Jaden’s dark gaze on her, but she refused to glance over to where he and his two warriors stood in a group on the other side of the table with Serra, Archer, Skylar, Dominic and Arik. Instead, she smiled at Officer Cal Ryans and shook her head at his offer for refreshments, then her attention turned to Skylar as the other female rushed over to join her.
