by Lynn Tyler
The wave of arousal and desire that crashed through him told Varin that D’Arik felt the same way.
She turned her furious gaze to them and glared. “Oh, get your minds out of the gutter, both of you. Do you really think you’re getting any right now?”
The only thing her statement accomplished was to push their arousal even higher. It seemed that both he and D’Arik liked the idea of taming their suddenly shrewish mate. Hmm. Perhaps they could tie her to their bed and tease her mercilessly until she was begging them for release.
He filed that thought away and tried to think of something else. They had a serious situation on their hands, and he needed to give it his complete attention.
Besides, he didn’t relish the idea of sitting through the rest of this damn meeting with his dick about to snap off. Would it be totally against protocol if the royal consort adjusted himself a little to the left?
D’Arik burst into laughter, earning a curious look from the rest of the crew. “Yes, Consort, it would be completely against protocol.”
Smart-ass. He was mated to a couple of smart-asses. And he loved it. It made him feel all dominant, and the memory of the way D’Arik always submitted so sweetly to him made his cock even harder. Varin had a feeling that Jacy would fight him the entire time before finally giving in and taking what he offered.
Crap. He rubbed his hands over his face and attempted to focus on the meeting at hand. “Why won’t you endorse the registry, Majesty?”
“You can’t expect me to endorse a total lie, Consort, and you can’t blame them for feeling like they’ve been sold off to the highest bidder. Have you considered asking if there are women willing to become surrogates for your children?”
The doctor, Sathon, who had been quiet up until then, cut in. “No, Majesty, surrogacy won’t work. Helans require a mate bond before conception is possible. To break the mate bond is tantamount to torture. Stronger bonds, those bonds rooted in genuine love, are impossible to break.”
Jacy frowned and rubbed at her arms. She had been so sure that surrogacy was the answer, and she was stymied by what to do next. There was no way she would participate in deceiving other women into mating with two men. She happened to like it—love it, if she was honest with herself. But she knew not every woman would appreciate the surprise.
She felt her lips twitching when Kerek and Thantos continued talking about the rebellion. It seemed she’d chosen right when she’d contacted the most outspoken registry dissident she could find. Kim seemed to be doing a bang-up job of keeping the rebellion going. Hopefully, Kim had enough funds to hold the women over until a more suitable solution to the Helan problem could be found.
Varin and D’Arik were frowning at her, and she slammed up her mental shields. The last thing she needed was for her mates to find out she not only supported the rebellion, which they already knew, but had been a major contributor. They would be livid.
The men in the room continued to stare at her, and she glared at them in her most royal expression. “No. I won’t lie to them.”
The sigh that echoed around the room came from all directions. This time, she couldn’t smother the small smile. It was really the first time that she’d refused anything since she’d gotten on the starship one month ago. She could feel Varin’s thrill at the challenge and D’Arik’s arousal, but she wouldn’t let it sway her.
Varin shook his head and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, it seems to have worked out rather well for us.”
They were about to find out why her father often threatened to have her lips sewn together. Screw Varin, D’Arik, and their protocol. “That’s because I like being fucked by two men. Not all women want that, Varin, and it’s not fair to deceive them into thinking they’re signing up for something different. And you can take your ‘Your Majesties’ and shove them. My name is Jacy, and as my mate, that’s what you should call me.”
She spun on her heel and made her way out the door. “Now, Dr. Sathon, I do believe it’s time for our daily appointment to scan my belly for little baby aliens.” She snapped her fingers and pointed down the hall.
The sound of footsteps hurried after her, following her all the way to the sick bay. “Your Majesty?”
She blew out an exasperated sigh that ruffled her bangs, and she hoisted herself up onto the exam table. “Just get to it, Doctor.”
The doctor lowered the scanner over her belly and looked up at the screen situated over her head. He was silent as he went about his exam, taking her blood pressure and extracting blood samples. The man was nearly always silent. He looked so lonely. Where was his mate?
After the ruckus in the meeting room—not a ruckus exactly, but it had still been loud—the sick bay seemed too quiet. “So, Doc, where’s your mate?”
The man’s face seemed to go gray under the harsh lights. Apparently, that was the wrong line of conversation. He literally looked like he was the one who needed a doctor.
She was casting around for something else to say when the doctor spoke. “My mate was killed a few years ago, in a border skirmish.”
Jacy was shocked to her very core. “Helan is at war?”
He was still staring at the screen, but his eyes were unfocused and suspiciously glazed. He cleared his throat twice before answering. “Not the planet, no. But there are a few races on nearby planets that are rather hostile. Our space borders are well guarded and are rarely threatened, but there is the occasional battle. Hema was a medic on one ship that was attacked and boarded before backup could get to them. The entire crew was slaughtered.”
Oh, the poor man. It was clear that the doctor had loved his mate deeply. “I’m sorry for your loss, doctor.”
He offered her a tremulous smile. “I know from experience how painful it is to break a mate bond. I knew the second I lost him. The pain was excruciating, but the knowledge that I had to live without Hema was worse than any physical pain. Would you mind turning onto your side and just raising your arms over your head, Your Majesty?”
She raised her arms obediently. “Please, Doctor, call me Jacy. I’m not real keen on the whole title thing.”
The doctor’s smile was a little brighter this time. “Only if you’ll call me Sathon.”
“You got it, Sathon.” It seemed she had met a kindred spirit in her stance on protocol. Maybe he had a similar view on the approaches used with Earth.
Sathon raised the scanner and helped her sit up. He looked at her, shaking his head softly. Not pregnant. Again. She hated having to go back to her quarters and tell her men that there was still no fruit from their labors, so to speak.
She sighed and straightened her dress. “Walk with me, Sathon? I don’t really feel like seeing the disappointment on D’Arik’s face when I tell him I’m still not expecting.”
The doctor nodded and led her out of sick bay. “Shall we try the mess hall? It should be fairly quiet right now.”
It sounded good to her. They walked in companionable silence and entered the mess a few minutes later after a harrowing ride through the transportation tube. She still got a little queasy on tube rides, damn things. Unfortunately, they were the only practical way to move from deck to deck.
Sathon stopped at the bar. “I’ll have a glass of miri, and Her Majesty will have some peson.”
“Peson?” she asked, pressing her hand to her stomach. She really wasn’t in the mood to try something unfamiliar on an upset stomach.
“It will settle your stomach.”
Well, the good doctor hadn’t steered her wrong so far. They chose a table by the window. The view was spectacular. She stared at the velvety-black horizon studded by brilliant white stars. Somewhere out there, another ship was hurtling toward them, bearing her new brother-in-law. Once he arrived, their starship would leave Earth’s orbit and return to Helan. Would she ever return to Earth?
She pushed her melancholy thoughts aside and focused on the man sitting across from her. “What’s your o
pinion on the statistics?”
Sathon answered immediately, needing no clarification about what statistics she was referring to. They were probably the only widely talked about statistics right now. “I think the situation is far graver than what the experts on Helan are letting on. I’m convinced that if this program with human females doesn’t succeed, I will witness the inevitable extinction of my species.”
Her stomach dropped. “It’s that bad? Really? D’Arik has told me two or three generations. Have you spoken to him about your theory?”
“Yes. But the stress is too much for him. Remember, an entire world is counting on him to save them. I wouldn’t blame him if he chose to believe the more optimistic reports from home.”
She sipped at her drink, relieved when the nauseous feeling in her gut eased almost instantly. Sathon had certainly given her more to think about. Something about to doctor’s quiet words and somber expression convinced her that he was right. Suddenly she could better understand D’Arik’s reasoning behind trying to force human females into mating with them.
There had to be a better way, though.
Unfortunately, if D’Arik refused to tell the truth about the type of relationship that was expected of them, Jacy would do nothing to endorse their plan.
“Do you agree with the registry?” she asked the doctor curiously.
He shook his head and took a swallow of miri. “A healthy mate bond needs to be based on mutual trust and respect. I fear that even if High King D’Arik’s registry works, and women are forced into mating with us, they will never bear children.”
That actually might explain why she had yet to get pregnant. It had only been a month since she’d been on board, of course, but D’Arik had been taking her multiple times a day. There was a lot of trust that still needed to be built up between her and her men.
“Of course,” the doctor continued, “we’ve never had to force females to mate with us in the past. And only the royal family has ever had to endure arranged matings.”
That shocked her. The love between D’Arik and Varin was evident, even if they never said the words out loud. “D’Arik and Varin were an arranged mating?”
“No, but they are the first royal couple in history to have free reign over whom they choose at their Choosing Ceremony. Even then, Varin wouldn’t have had much choice, although I don’t think he minded very much. They do seem well suited.”
It was quickly becoming plain to see that she had a lot to learn about both the science and culture of Helan and her two mates. “Could you point me to a library or something? I think it’s time I learned more about Helan.”
Sathon’s smile came easier this time. “I’ll do you one better. The warriors on this ship rarely need to see me. We were bred to have excellent immune systems, so the only time I’m really needed is in battle. I could teach you.”
Jacy smiled at her new friend. It looked like she was going back to school.
Chapter 15
D’Arik fiddled with the papers on his desk and glanced at the time. Again. For the fifth time in as many minutes.
Jacy was late.
Varin rubbed his shoulders. “Relax, liro. It’s not like she stowed away on the shuttle with Kerek and Thantos.”
“Oh, gods, I hadn’t even considered that. Would you contact them and have them check the shuttle, just to make sure?” He was joking but not really. They were well aware that Jacy had been spending lots of time with the doctor recently. Both Jacy and the doctor swore that he was teaching her about Helan history and current culture. But this was the fourth time this week that she’d been late for their evening meal, and D’Arik was becoming worried. What if she’d found more than a friend in the doctor?
“Oh, come on. She’s lonely. Sathon is lonely. It’s only natural that they struck up a friendship.” Varin pulled the trolley he’d had sent down from the mess hall over to the table and began laying out the salads. “It’s not like the doctor is really that busy, and Jacy needs someone to teach her about Helan. She is the queen, after all. We should be thanking Sathon.”
Thanking the man who was spending more time than he was with his mate? No chance in hell.
The door opened, and Jacy came breezing in. “Sorry I’m late. Sathon and I got caught up in a lesson on Helan’s early space flights. It’s fascinating. The similarities between our two civilizations are staggering.”
D’Arik forced a smile to his lips and stood to greet her. “Jacy. I’m very glad you could join us this evening.” He hadn’t meant the words to sound so sarcastic, but that’s exactly how they came out.
She looked at him as if he had grown another limb and offered her cheek up to Varin for a kiss. “What made you think I wouldn’t be here for dinner?”
“I thought, perhaps, that you preferred Doctor Sathon’s company to ours.” Talk about being a shit disturber. But he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Even Varin was looking at him funny.
Jacy allowed Varin to seat her, but D’Arik could feel the ire beginning to simmer in her. “Well, he’s certainly in a better mood than you are, that’s for sure. What crawled up your ass?”
Those were not the words D’Arik expected from her, and he nearly choked on his miri.
Varin didn’t even try to conceal his mirth. He was doubled over, clutching his stomach as he laughed so hard, tears ran down his face. “She has a point, D’Arik,” Varin said between peals of laughter. “You’re in a particularly bad mood this evening.”
D’Arik’s mouth moved up in a grudging smile. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I guess I’m just hungry.”
Jacy just looked at him for a few long seconds until she finally turned to her salad, muttering about the dangers of low blood sugar.
Dinner was a relatively quiet affair, punctuated only by a few snorts of laughter from Varin. Finally, D’Arik decided try and make amends. “Did you have a good lesson, Jacy?”
“It was fine, thank you.” Jacy blotted her mouth on her napkin and took a sip of wine.
She obviously wasn’t going to make things easy for him. “What are you and the doctor going to be discussing tomorrow?”
“The Helan male’s tendency to act like a jealous caveman.”
D’Arik wasn’t exactly sure what a caveman was, but he had a sneaking suspicion they closely resembled Helan’s primitive males.
Varin snorted again and tapped D’Arik’s knee. “Would it kill you to apologize?”
He wasn’t very good at apologies. In fact, he usually made things worse when he tried to apologize, and he’d found that it was often safer to just keep his mouth shut and let the shit storm he’d gotten himself into blow over. Eager to stay out of even more trouble, D’Arik shrugged his shoulder and shoved a bite of the bitter salad greens in his mouth.
Jacy shook her head and pushed away from the table. D’Arik hastily reached for her emotions through their bond and relaxed slightly. She wasn’t angry with him but she was determined to let him know that he couldn’t be an ass with her either. Her thoughts were a little fuzzy, shielded from him, unlike Varin’s, which were crystal clear when D’Arik made the effort to fully connect with him, but her intent was clear. He wasn’t getting any until he apologized. And she was about to demonstrate that.
Varin’s huge grin told D’Arik that he knew exactly what was about to happen and he approved wholeheartedly. At least he had the grace to remain seated until Jacy crooked her finger at him. “Varin? I need your…assistance…in the bedroom. Would you mind very much?”
The chair nearly hit the wall when Varin jumped up. “Anything you need.” He rushed around the table and scooped her up, throwing her over his shoulder and nearly running into the bedroom.
He was wondering just how much time he should give them before joining them and grovelling for Jacy’s forgiveness, when his vidscreen beeped.
Should he ignore it? He’d never ignored a summons before. He thought about it for a mere thirty seconds and then rose from the table and crossed over to the desk. Somethi
ng could be seriously wrong, and it was his responsibility to take care of such things.
He plopped down in his desk chair with very little grace. His parents, all three of them, would have winced at his lack of decorum, but he really didn’t have the energy to care right about it now. Besides, it wasn’t like there was anyone around to see him. The sounds of giggling, playful growling, and the occasional delighted shriek from the bedroom assured him that neither of his mates would be emerging any time soon.
He activated the screen and sat back, surprised to see Thantos’s face. He’d sent them down to Earth to look for a mate. Normally, the royal family, meaning his brothers, would have taken the first choice of mates, but everyone had agreed that the grim situation deemed it necessary that the men on this ship search for appropriate mates while they were still in orbit.
The men had been on the planet for less than twenty-four hours, though. While they were supposed to check in with bridge on an hourly basis, it was odd that Thantos would be contacting him specifically. “Ambassador, is there a problem?”
Thantos looked decidedly uncomfortable. The normally calm and collected man was damn near fidgeting in his seat. “Not exactly, Your Majesty.”
Gods, D’Arik was sick of people walking on eggshells around him. “Then why exactly am I speaking to you when I should be attempting to conceive the heir to the throne.” There. Talk about blunt. But it worked. The ambassador blushed and began to speak rapidly, as if he had to push the words out before he chickened out.
“There was a broadcast from the rebellion this afternoon. It shed some light on who was funding them.
Oh, fuck. D’Arik was actually afraid of what Thantos was about to say. If his mate, the little hellcat she was, had anything to do with it, he wasn’t sure what he would do.
His worst fear was confirmed. “It seems that Queen Jacy was not only a major funder, but founded the rebellion alongside their current leader, Kim. Apparently, Queen Jacy contacted her just after we made the offer and transferred her entire life savings, which was significant, into Kim’s name. Together, the two of them planned the evacuation routes and the secret safe houses. They are treating her as a martyr, Majesty.”
