by Judy Mays
“A female with unaltered genes will always have a single-sexed child no matter who or what the father was. Children born to two hermaphrodites can be male, female, or hermaphroditic.”
Brianna’s eyebrows rose. “Two hermaphrodites could have a single-sexed child?”
Meri angled her head to and grinned at Brianna. “Yes, and it drives their geneticists crazy. The scientists on my planet feel that nature is reasserting herself. The Drakians are the only known human race to have three sexes. Among animals, if there is a third sex to any species, it’s always neuter. The Drakians meddled with natural biology. Every year, more single-sexed babies are born to them, and many which are still hermaphroditic display more female or male characteristics than their parents.”
“What do they do with them?”
“They raise them, of course. Except for a small group of purists, Drakians are the most tolerant of all the human races. Most don’t even understand the concept of racial intolerance. They view every human being as a potential sexual partner.”
“What about Kahn’s sister? I mean, she was just a child.”
“Drakians love children. Even if Char’s family hadn’t stepped in, the Academy would never have allowed Bakom to experiment on her. He probably intended to keep her hidden away until she came of age. That’s why he’s such an evil man. Up until now, he’s been content to wait to bring his plans to fruition.”
Brianna leaned back against the wall, closed her eyes, and swallowed. She’d been enjoying her time with Meri, but the reminders of Bakom’s evilness brought his plans for her back to the forefront of her mind. She hadn’t realized how long she’d been quiet until Meri was sitting next to her, rubbing her hands vigorously.
“What is it? Should I call for Lorilana?”
Shaking her head, Brianna pulled her hands from Meri’s. “I’m all right,” she lied. “I guess I’m still a little tired.”
Lips puckered, Meri stared levelly at her. “Posh!’ she finally snorted. “You’re worrying about Bakom and his plans for you.”
Brianna turned her face away.
Meri tsked, rose, and walked out of the room. In a few minutes, she returned with a glass full of an amber-colored liquid. “Here, drink this.”
Brianna took the glass and sniffed its contents. “What is it?”
“Don’t smell it! Just drink it!”
Brianna took a sip. A delicately sweet flavor caressed her tongue. “Hmmm! This is good.” She followed the sip with a swallow, then another and another until the wine was gone. She had just set the glass on the nightstand next to the bed when she felt a rush of warmth centered in her stomach rapidly spread throughout the rest of her body. Shivers raced up and down her back. “What is that?” she gasped. It feels like a mini orgasm!
Meri chuckled lightly. “Medirian argoth brandy.”
“You could make a fortune selling this!” Brianna was glad she was sitting down because her legs probably wouldn’t have held her.
“Brianna, my friend, we already do. Now, I know just what you need. We have to get you out of these rooms.”
“But it’s not safe. If Bakom spotted me, he could demand that I be given to him!”
Meri snorted. “As if he can issue commands to a Medirian princess. Besides, you have diplomatic immunity, remember? Anyway, we’re only going just down the corridor to my quarters. With Kahn outside, Bakom isn’t going to come anywhere near here. You need something to wear tonight. After all, you are dining with a princess. I’ll just send a message to Control so Char doesn’t tear the ship apart when he comes back and finds you gone.”
Meri tapped a message into the console next to the viewing screen. When she finished, she grabbed Brianna’s hand and pulled her from the bed. “Come on,” she said with a mischievous grin. “I put it on a thirty second delay. We want to be out of here before he gets the message and decides not to let you out of his quarters.”
Brianna didn’t hesitate. She had not been looking forward to being alone with the intriguing alien captain. If he decided to kiss her again, she didn’t think she’d have the willpower to stop him—or herself.
Meri palmed the outer door open and Kahn turned to face them. “Brianna is my friend, Kahn. I want you to protect her as you would me. Bakom wants her.”
His eyes widened and then narrowed. He nodded once and sketched a bow.
Hauling Brianna along behind her, Meri hurried up the corridor. They hadn’t gone very far when she stopped at another door.
It glided open silently, and she pulled her new friend inside.
* * * * *
Char leaned back in his chair, contemplating all that he’d heard. He hadn’t planned on listening to their conversation, but when Meri opened a direct channel for him to record Brianna’s declaration of ambassadorial status, he’d kept the channel open. Meri had been fully aware of this, for she could have severed the link any time she wanted. Her decision to take Brianna to her quarters had been her signal to him that any further conversation would be private. As it was, he was very thankful for the close ties his family had with the Hardan royal family. Meri’s conversation with Brianna had relaxed her and she’d talked freely. He was beginning to understand her.
Chapter Five
“There really isn’t much difference between these quarters and Char’s,” Meri said as she walked across the room. “The basic proportions are the same, but I redecorated.”
The door slid open and what could only be a relative of Kahn’s walked out. Somewhat shorter and less massive in bulk, she was obviously female. Her brow ridges were less pronounced and a topknot of black hair flowed down her back.
“This is Beti, Kahn’s cousin. Beti, this is Brianna. Bakom wants her.”
A fierce look entered Beti’s black eyes. She nodded once and said, “Celene is no longer content with her sugar tit. It’s good that you have returned.”
Meri chuckled and headed for another room. “Just like her father, concerned with instant gratification. Come along, Brianna, and meet the joy of my heart.”
Obviously the equivalent of the room where Brianna had been staying, this one was furnished for a child. Meri bent and lifted a fussing baby from its crib. Her cries stopped when Meri opened the loose tunic she wore and presented her breast. Soon contented sucking noises filled the room.
Sitting herself in a comfortable chair, Meri looked up at Brianna. “This is my daughter, Celene. Isn’t she absolutely adorable?”
Brianna moved closer, curious to see what a half Drakian, half Medirian baby would look like. It was warm in the room, so the baby wasn’t wearing much more than a diaper. “She’s not green!”
Meri grinned ruefully. “And she has a tail. She’ll cause quite a stir on Mediria when she’s older. An ivory-colored Hardan princess with a tail! Grandmother will have fits.”
Brianna sank into the room’s other chair and continued to watch the baby nurse. “She has gills.”
“Thank goodness for that, but I would have loved her no matter what. So will my parents.”
“Haven’t they seen her yet?”
“No. She was born right before we left Drakan so she’s just over seven months now. Ademis’ parents wanted me to stay with them, but I refused. Char was kind enough to invite us along, and I was glad to accept. This was only supposed to be a two-month voyage, but Char’s little side trip has drastically changed things. I’m very thankful that I came along. Ademis would have missed so much, and I would have gone crazy without him.”
“Did I hear someone talking about me?” said a voice from the doorway.
“Adem!” Meri exclaimed joyfully as she jumped up and bounced across the room and into her husband’s arms. The baby squalled once but quieted immediately when she found her mother’s other nipple.
Brianna watched her new friend’s reunion with her husband wistfully. What kind of life will I have now, married to an alien?
Meri shrugged herself out of her husband’s arms, took his hand, and led him to where Br
ianna sat. “Adem, this is Brianna. Brianna, my husband Ademis.”
Brianna stared at him. She had thought that Chardadon was tall, but this man was at least another two or three inches taller. He was also broader and more muscular, though he was certainly not the equal of Kahn.
Ademis grinned at her perusal and bowed. “So you’re the woman who is tying Char’s thoughts into knots,” he said as he put his arm around his wife’s shoulders.
Brianna felt her cheeks flush. Both Meri and her husband grinned wider.
“How do you do that?” Meri asked. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I can just tell I’m going to love your planets,” Brianna grumbled as she got to her feet. “Isn’t there a race anywhere else in the universe that blushes?”
“I’m afraid not, fair lady,” Ademis said as he took his daughter from his wife’s arms and lifted her high in the air.
She screamed with delight.
“You’d better burp her, my love,” Meri said dryly, “or you’ll end up with her supper on your head again.”
Brianna smiled at the picture in her mind.
“I didn’t expect to see you back so soon, Meri,” Ademis teased, handing Celene back to her mother so that she could nurse more. “There are still a few hours left until dinner.”
“Men!” Meri snorted as she caught Brianna’s eyes and shook her head. “It will require at least that amount of time for Brianna and me to get ready. You don’t expect us to wear just anything, do you?”
Celene chose that time to stop nursing and reach for her father. He grinned and took her into his arms. Meri buttoned her tunic and grabbed Brianna’s hand. “I knew she wasn’t that hungry. She’s just not used to not having me around. Having you here will be good for her. Now I can visit you and let Celene get used to being without me. You stay out of our bedroom, Ademis. We’ll come out when we’re ready.”
“Married barely two years and already I’m being denied access to our bedchamber. I had friends who warned me this would happen when I married out of the true bloodline.”
Meri laughed. “And I’ll bet every one of them was female. Char’s sister-in-law was livid when Ademis married me,” she explained as they entered her bedroom where she stripped off her clothing and headed for the shower. “She’d already decided which of her full female friends would make the best wife for Ademis and wouldn’t listen when he said he wasn’t interested. She wasn’t completely convinced he wouldn’t terminate our marriage until Celene was born.”
“Why didn’t Chardadon’s sister-in-law want you to marry Ademis?”
“She thinks full-blooded Drakians shouldn’t taint their bloodlines with ‘alien’ genes,” Meri answered from the shower.
“She certainly won’t be thrilled with me, then,” Brianna mumbled mostly to herself. “I guess she’s more of a barbarian than Char.”
Meri walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. “You called Char a barbarian? I’d have loved to see his reaction. What did he do?”
Brianna began to blush and Meri began to laugh. “I think this marriage may work after all.”
Brianna groaned and flopped face down onto the bed. “Is there anyone on this ship who doesn’t know everything that’s happened to me since I got here?”
Meri grinned. “Of course, but those of us who will be closely involved with you have to know everything so we can help.”
“I feel like a biology experiment!”
Meri laughed again. “By the time I finish with you, Char will want very much to experiment.”
Brianna rolled over and stared morosely at the ceiling. “But what about what I want?”
Meri sat on the bed next to Brianna and began to brush her hair dry. “There’s nothing we would rather do than take you home, Brianna,” she said in a quiet voice. “Unfortunately, since Bakom knows you exist, Char would face legal ramifications you wouldn’t believe if he took you back. Besides, Bakom knows where your planet is. If you weren’t here, he’d just send one of the Academy ships back as soon as he could summon one. Do you really want him going back and kidnapping some unsuspecting person for his experiments?”
Brianna stared at the ceiling. “That’s where they’ve got me. How could I let anyone else go through this? And what if they kidnapped a child?” With a sigh, she sat up, took the brush, and began working the tangles out of Meri’s wet hair. “I know you’re all thinking not only of me but also of everyone on Earth. But marriage! I don’t even know this Chardadon! What kind of man is he?”
Meri turned and took Brianna’s hands in hers. “If you’re truly against this marriage, we won’t force you into it.”
Brianna withdrew her hands from Meri’s, rose from the bed, and walked across the room.
“I know this is the best way, but how much of a marriage will it be? What will be expected of me? How will his family react? Will they understand why he’s married me? Will they want to protect me from Bakom, too?”
Meri sighed as she watched Brianna. She could understand her fears. She herself had experienced some of them, and she’d known that Ademis wanted her for a wife. Brianna had no such assurances. Marriage would make protecting Brianna easier but would present numerous problems if either she or Char wanted to end it at a later date.
“Char would never willingly hurt you. I know you don’t know him very well, but I do,” she said as Brianna turned to face her.
The uncertainty and misery on Brianna’s face tugged at Meri’s heart. “None of us knows why Char suggested marriage,” she began slowly, “but I have my own theories. Char’s been piloting his family’s starships since he was eighteen. He’s never shown an interest in family life, but has certainly had his share of affairs with women from every human planet. None lasted more than a few months. The last few years, he has seemed less than satisfied with his life. He’s even gone so far as to meet some of the women his sister-in-law has chosen as suitable marriage partners.”
Brianna sighed. “I bet she’ll really love me.”
Meri smiled. “Don’t worry about Crystas. We’ll deal with her when the time comes. Anyway, as I was saying, after Miklan brought you on board and Char was forced to rescue you from Bakom, there have been subtle changes in his behavior. You’ve sparked his interest. Both Adem and Lorilana agree on that. You’re different. Drakians have always been drawn to the exotic. We Medirians fascinate them because of our long hair. All Drakians have brown hair, in various hues, that barely reaches much past their shoulders.”
Brianna pushed a lock of hair back over her shoulder. “I’ll definitely stand out in a crowd then.”
Meri nodded her head affirmatively. “Exactly! Your coloring is more exotic than any except the Gattan, and they stick to themselves. The fact that you saved two members of his crew, however, demands action from Char. Any respectable Drakian would show his protective instincts and sense of responsibility towards you.”
“Yeah, but marriage isn’t based on protectiveness and a sense of responsibility.”
Meri stared at Brianna and decided to be blunt. “Those aren’t the only reasons Char wants to marry you. He wants you in his bed.”
Brianna’s blush rose to the roots of her hair.
“And, if I’m correct,” Meri continued, “that’s just where you’d like to be.”
Brianna blushed even more. The prospect of making love to Char was becoming more and more intriguing as the hours went by.
Growing up in a royal court made reading people’s expressions a necessity, and Meri was very good at it. She hugged Brianna and then held her at arm’s length. “Would making love to Char be taboo on your planet?”
“To some people, maybe, because he’s an alien, but not to many others.”
“Are you virginal? Haven’t you ever been with a man before?”
Brianna’s scathing look answered that question.
“Well then, what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that I think I’d like it too much!” Brianna practica
lly shouted as she shook off Meri’s hands and strode across the room to stare unseeing at a painting.
Meri gazed thoughtfully at her new friend. “I don’t understand.”
Brianna turned back to Meri. “Neither do I,” she admitted with a sigh. “I feel so overwhelmed.”
“Do you want to go through with this marriage?”
Meri watched the play of emotions race across Brianna’s face and let out the breath she hadn’t realized that she’d been holding when Brianna nodded and said, “It’s the most logical thing to do for the good of everyone else on Earth.”
“You had expected marriage to be based on more than logic?”
Brianna nodded again and returned to sit on the edge of the bed with her elbows propped on her knees and her chin cupped in her hands. “On Earth, people get married because they’re in love.”
Meri laughed brightly. Sauntering back across the room, she once again took up her brush and began to work on her hair.
“Brianna, you’re a delight. You’ll have Char completely wrapped around your fingers in a matter of days.”
Laying the brush on a dresser, Meri unwrapped the towel and shrugged into a comfortable robe. “You’re more afraid of yourself than you are of Char. That’s something that can be overcome.”
“Humph.”
Meri walk over to the wall and pushed a button. A door slid back and revealed a surprisingly spacious closet. “Come here and help me pick out a dress for you. You want to look beautiful for your own wedding, don’t you?”
“Wedding! What wedding?”
“Whose marriage have we been discussing for the last fifteen minutes?”
“But I thought…”
“You thought you’d have more time to get used to the idea. I wish that were true, but the sooner you’re married, the harder it will be for Bakom to fight it.”
“But who…?”
“Lorilana will perform the ceremony.”
“Don’t we need a priest or something?”
“On Mediria we have priests, as you must have on your planet since you’ve mentioned them, but on Drakan anyone designated as an elder can perform marriages. Lorilana has presided at hundreds.”
