by S. E. Smith
A chuckle sounded from behind them. Jazin’s head turned at the sound and he frowned. That was the second time in as many seconds that he had been taken by surprise. He shook his head in disgust. Ever since his capture he had been having trouble keeping his thoughts on the task at hand.
Correction, he thought as he breathed in the heady scent of his mate. Ever since I met a certain alien female I’ve had problems keeping my mind on the matters at hand.
“Your sister is doing well,” Ajaska said with a grin. “I am not so sure how well my son is doing though.”
“What do you mean?” Star asked surprised. “Are Jo and Manota fighting?”
“No, they are not fighting,” Ajaska replied as he came to stand next to them and stare down at the planet far below. “It would appear your parents are not the only travelers returning with your sister and my son.”
“Oh. My. God!” River squealed from the door as she came rushing into the room. “Star, Walter, Nema, Ricki, and the whole circus are coming!”
River danced over to Star with a huge grin on her face. Torak came in shortly behind her with a pained expression on his. Star’s mouth dropped open before it snapped shut and she squealed in return, locking hands with River and dancing around in a circle.
“Do you think this is some type of ritual?” Jazin asked his father and brother as the two women squealed, giggled, and talked in broken sentences that only they appeared to understand.
“I am not sure our planet is ready for this,” Torak growled out in a low tone. “Do you remember the vids we watched? What if those clowns get loose? You saw the damage they could do.”
Ajaska chuckled. He had no idea what would happen to his world when this ‘circus’ arrived but he would bet everything he had that life was about to get even more interesting than it had been. He glanced at the resignation on the faces of his oldest and youngest sons’ faces. Vivid emotions flickered across each one. For a brief moment, Ajaska thought about what it would be like to have a mate like the two females who were talking in rapid, breathless sentences as they shared stories. Their faces glowed with an internal beauty and energy making them appear almost ethereal. He could easily understand what his ancestors must have thought when they first saw the unusual beauty and strength of the alien females from long ago.
“Father?” Jazin asked again with a bemused frown on his face as touching his father’s arm to draw his attention back to the present.
Ajaska jerked out of his reverie. “Yes?”
“The shuttle is ready. Gril and Madas will be joining us as well,” Jazin said carefully.
“Of course,” Ajaska said, clearing his throat as he glanced briefly at River and Star who were still talking as they trailed Torak out of the conference room before he followed as well.
Jazin didn’t say anything. He had seen the look of envy in his father’s eyes. He had never thought about the fact that his father might be lonely. It had been so long ago that his mother had passed to the next world that he could barely remember her at times. She had been given to his father in a bid to heal a rift between his clan and the clan of a distant cousin. He knew his father had never loved his mother but he had been good to her. He knew that from conversations with his father’s man, Je’zi, who now served Torak and River. His father had poured everything he had into protecting his people. The war had taken a lot out of his father and he still bore the mark of it on his face.
Jazin trailed slowly behind the others deep in thought. His life had changed so much since his capture the first time. His eyes moved over the slim figure of his mate as she chatted with River. He almost grimaced at how fast his body reacted to that simple gaze. His cock swelled with memory of their lovemaking.
Gods, everything about her heats my blood, he thought fiercely.
He knew one thing, the Grand Ruler better be a man of his word because if he tried to harm one hair on his mate or River he would kill the male without a second thought. He was tired of those who thought they could harm him, his mate, or his family. It was time to end this once and for all.
*.*.*
Ristéard stood at the edge of the landing platform watching as the Kassisan shuttle slowed for landing. He was an imposing sight. At close to seven feet of pure muscle, he carried an air of barely suppressed violence in his stance. His light blue skin was swirled with darker blue tattoos that he wore proudly. He had earned each in either battle or competition against those who thought to take his title. Those who were stupid enough to dare either one died a slow, painful death. He did not show mercy to anyone, be they male or female. There had been three females who thought to take his place, one in battle, two by deceit. He had killed them as slowly as he had killed the numerous males who had tried. If they wished to cause him harm, he felt they deserved the same punishment.
His people knew he could be a brutal, heartless warrior but they also knew he was a fair ruler who gave to them. His research showed Lord Ajaska Ja Kel Coradon, Leader of Kassis, was the same. After he was informed that Ja Kel Coradon wanted to meet with him, he had ordered Commander Rue to return. He had wanted to know everything she knew about the Leader of Kassis…. everything. He could tell by the increase in her breathing and the flush to her skin that she was withholding information from him at first. His softly hissed command warned her not to hold anything back if she valued not only her position but her life. She told him of the night she and two other officers had spent with the leader almost forty years before when they had just completed training and were partying on a distant Spaceport. She relayed what she remembered in specific detail. Her insight to that night gave him an idea of the type of male he would be facing. It had also left him highly aroused which was a constant state for a Elpidios male. After he had dismissed her, he had called for one of the women he kept for his pleasure. As he bent her over his desk, taking his time with her, his mind focused on the information he had. His release came swiftly, taking the edge off but never satisfying him. He pushed the disappointment to the back of him mind. He had more important things to deal with than the constant hunger that ate at him. After the female clean him, he dismissed her back to the rooms where the females he kept for his private use lived without another thought.
Now, he was focused solely on the pale skinned female that Commander Rue said was the first sign of the prophesy stating his bride, the female who would save his world, was coming. The shuttle landed and within moments the platform opened, allowing the passengers to disembark.
Ristéard’s eyebrow lifted when he saw the huge figure of a Tearnat male walk down the platform first and look around with a deep scowl on his face. He stared intently at Ristéard for a moment before he dipped his head in respect. Only when Ristéard responded in kind did he motion for the others. A slender, darker green Tearnat female walked down the platform with her head held high. Ristéard bit back a smile at the scowl the huge Tearnat gave the female who waved her hand at him as if brushing away an annoying speck. She stepped off the platform and turned to stand next to the male who immediately wrapped a huge arm around her waist, drawing her protectively against him.
The next one down the platform was a huge male that could only be Ajaska Ja Kel Coradon from Commander Rue’s description. He was almost as big as Ristéard, both in height and in strength from the look of it. He paused, looking over at Ristéard before he looked up the platform and nodded. Ristéard’s attention was truly caught at the protectiveness of the males for those who were still aboard the shuttle. He understood why the moment he saw the next two couples descending. His eyes were riveted to the two beautiful females descending the platform, surrounding by four males who searched the area intensely for any signs of a threat.
The females had golden, pale skin. Their coloring and size contrasted each other as if they had been painted with two different brushes by two different artists. One was taller, with dark hair hanging in a long braid down her slender back. When she glanced at him, he could see that her eyes were indeed the
color of their oceans. The dark, dark blue that pulled at the soul of the searcher. His eyes roamed her sleek form pausing on the slight swell of her abdomen. His eyes moved to the slightly taller male who glared back at him in warning.
Her mate, Ristéard thought. He would not be an easy adversary to beat.
Ristéard bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement of the male’s warning. He would give him the respect of knowing he would not harm another’s mate unless it was necessary. He held sacred the bond between mates and a female while she was breeding.
His eyes moved to the other female who fascinated him with her unusual coloring. Commander Rue did not mention a second pale-skinned female. She was so small he might have wondered if she was a child if it had not been for the way the other male had his hand on her. Her hair was a color he had never seen before except in the crystals that used to litter his world. The few crystals that were left had belonged to the ruling family and his father had turned them over to the scientists in the hopes they could discover the property hidden inside them. Only a handful remained. The others used up or destroyed in the experiments.
The color was so intense, he wanted to run his hands through the silky strands to see if it felt as soft as it looked. She turned and looked at him with eyes the lightest of blue. It reminded him of the color of the few infants still being born. An Elpidios infant was born a pale blue and slowly became darker as it matured. Ristéard tilted his head in confusion as he felt another ache deep inside that he had never experienced before, as if his body was craving something that was missing. The feeling disappeared almost as soon as it appeared. The female smiled brightly at him and waved her hand in greeting drawing a quick response from the male touching her. Her soft laughter echoed as she responded to whatever the male said. It was obvious she was not in the least intimidated by him. This confused Ristéard even more considering the female was so tiny compared to the male.
He approached the small group as the last six stepped from the platform. His small, elite guard following him at a discreet distance. He stopped in front of Ajaska, assessing him.
“Welcome to Elpidios,” Ristéard said. “I am Ristéard Roald.”
“I am Ajaska Ja Kel Coradon. This is Gril Tal Mod, Leader of the Tearnat and his mate, Madas,” Ajaska stated calmly. “The other two are members of our security team,” he continued without giving either man's name. “They will remain with the shuttle.”
Ristéard ignored the two men before bowing in respect to Gril and Madas. His eyes turned to the two females standing between the other two males. “And these are?” He asked.
“My oldest son, Torak, and his mate, River Knight,” Ajaska responded cautiously, not sure he liked the edge of curiosity in the Elpidios leader’s voice. “The other is my youngest son, Jazin, and his mate, Star Strauss.”
Ristéard took a startled step back when Star stepped forward unexpectedly and held her hand out. “Hi,” she said with a bright, infectious smile lighting up her face. “I’m Star. It's a pleasure to meet you.”
Ristéard’s lips twitched as he noticed the slightly daring look in her eyes, as if she was testing him to see if he would pass some secret test. When she raised an eyebrow in challenge, he found his own hand swallowing her smaller one. She squeezed it briefly before pulling back with a small giggle. The low growl coming from the male by her side and her rolled eyes in response drew an unexpected chuckle from him.
“Welcome, Lady Star,” Ristéard said with a deeper bow before he looked at her mate who took a step closer in warning. He paused before turning to address Ajaska with a calm he hadn’t felt in years. “Please follow me. We have much to discuss.”
Chapter 16
Ristéard escorted them to where several transports waited. He did not ride with any of them but instead sat upon was looked like a motorcycle without wheels. His elite guard rode similar types of vehicles. The transport they were escorted to was almost identical to those on Kassis.
“I want one of those,” Madas said with a mischievous grin as they slipped into the transport. “They look like fun.”
Gril snorted. “No.”
“Have you ever ridden one?” Madas asked her mate with a raised eyebrow.
Gril flushed a darker tan. “Yes,” he responded reluctantly. “But the answer is still no.”
Madas stared at Gril intently until he broke eye contact with a sigh of resignation. “You are breeding. You shouldn’t do anything dangerous,” he muttered defensively.
Star and River giggled as the huge Tearnat fought giving in to his mate. Star loved watching Madas with her mate. They reminded her so much of her own parents. Her dad was forever trying to coddle her mother and her mother was forever driving him nuts by doing the exact opposite.
“It wouldn’t be dangerous if you were on it with me,” Madas purred tenderly as she laid her head down on her larger mate’s chest.
Gril looked at the other men with a pained expression. “Do you see what she does to me? I lose all common sense when she wants something,” he growled out.
Ajaska laughed while Torak and Jazin looked at River and Star with a mutinous expression on their faces. “Well, it does look like fun. I’ve ridden motorcycles before. It can’t be that much different,” Star said with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Absolutely….,” Jazin started to say stubbornly before he noticed the teasing curve to his tiny mate’s lips. “Maybe if we ride together,” he grunted before he glared at Gril who was chuckling.
Twenty minutes later, they pulled into an underground area under the huge palace made of the same type of black stones from the fortress. Star shivered at the memory of it. Her eyes searched out Jazin. She let them roam over his smooth skin. He still bore the thin scar from where Progit cut him. Her eyes moved down to his bare arms. He was wearing the black leather vest, pants, and boots that she had come to recognize as being their military uniform. Ajaska and Torak were dressed the same. Her eyes lingered on the smooth skin of his shoulders and the small area of his chest that was visible. She remembered the torn flesh. If she looked close enough, she could still see a light spider web of scars where the skin healed together.
The scars were fading faster than the memories, she thought wondering if she would ever be able to forget what Tai Tek had done to him.
“What is it?” Jazin asked quietly in her ear. “What upsets you?”
“We still don’t know where Tai Tek could have gone,” Star said quietly. “How are we supposed to find him if he keeps disappearing? The guy scares me, Jazin. I don’t ever what him to hurt you again.”
“We will find him, my little warrior,” Jazin murmured in her ear as he pulled her close to him as the transport drew to a stop. “Dakar, Armet, and Jarmen are working on it. Those three can find anything. Dakar knows all of Tai Tek’s hiding places and Jar, well, let us just say he has talents few others possess,” he added as he let his hand slid behind her back to massage the curve of her hip.
“I hope so,” she answered softly as the door opened for them to get out. “I really, really hope so.”
The small group was escorted up a series of wide, polished steps. The walls of the palace were polished so smooth that the surface resembled a highly polish mirror. The only light came from what was reflecting down from the large windows. Star reached her hand out to touch the surface with her finger and gasped as threads of gold blossomed from where her fingers touched it. She touched it again and more threads of gold shimmered before fading.
“The stone contains a natural chemical,” Ristéard’s deep voice explained from the top of the staircase. “Run your hand along it.”
Star looked up at the huge blue man in awe before doing as he suggested. She ran her hand in a large wave along the wall. Hundreds of gold threads appeared, flowing outward to make brilliant designs before fading again.
“That is so awesome,” Star giggled as she did it again. “River, you have got to try this!”
River and Madas reached over
and ran their hands over the wall. “Okay, we’re happy. You guys can go talk the boring stuff. We’ll stay and play with the walls,” River said as she looked over her shoulder at Torak.
“This is better than when we saw all that phosphorescence when we were crossing over to Europe that time,” Star exclaimed excitedly.
Jazin, Torak and Gril each wrapped a beefy arm around their respective mates and tugged them away from the wall that had them so fascinated. They were never going to get anywhere if the giggles the females were emitting were anything to go by.
“Come, you can play with the walls another time,” Jazin said with a chuckle.
All three women groaned but followed the men as they ascended the stairs until they were even with Ristéard. They followed the huge ruler down several different corridors until they came to a set of huge, solid black doors with intricate cravings etched into it. The doors must have weighed a ton because it took two warriors on each side to open them. Even then, Star could see the men’s arm muscles straining to pull the doors open.
Ristéard escorted them into a lavishly decorated room. Huge tapestries depicting different events covered the mirrored black walls. Along one wall, a huge fireplace stood empty. Over the mantle of it was another tapestry. The figure of two men stood side by side. One slightly older than the other. In the picture, they each held a bloody sword and the area around them was littered with the remains of dead warriors. It wasn’t something Star would want hanging in her living room but since this wasn’t her house she wouldn’t say anything. Instead, she continued her observation of the room. Windows from floor to ceiling graced the west wall. Heavy curtains were pulled back with thick ropes of silver and gold. A large round table that could sit at least a dozen men sat near the center of the room. Two large, silver couches with twin matching chairs were arranged in front of the vacant fireplace. Six matching end tables made of the black stone sat on each end of the furniture.
