“I love you. Don’t fall off of the boat.”
“As you command, so shall it be, Lady Teagan.”
Papa took Neema from Simon and carried her out to the pavilion so that Simon could change for the fishing trip. Commander Quaid Bosh, my cousin’s Laconian first officer, remained. Bosh’s father, Consul Bosh, was one of two rulers in the Laconian Sector. Shortly after delivering Neema, as my hormones began to change, I experienced some rather unfortunate and aggressive desires that unbeknownst to me are normal for Parvac women. In a moment of uncontrolled weakness, I experienced intense desire for Bosh. The unfortunate incident had led to our arranged political marriage. Somehow, Bosh had convinced his father to negotiate a marriage contract with my father. I was not happy about it, but had agreed as a favor to my father, to prevent further Parvac and Laconian hostilities, and to give Yukihyo the clan rights Consul Bosh had offered to extend to my husbands through me. The intense desire I had felt had disappeared once I became pregnant for the second time. However, Bosh had not been so fortunate. I glanced at his eyes which had gone mostly black.
Yukihyo belonged to a race of Laconians whose empathic connections created emotional stability. The link he had formed with me had benefitted both of us. Bosh belonged to a different race of Laconians whose males could cause females’ endorphins to spike and then in the aftermath, form stabilizing mental bonds with them. While the females of Yukihyo’s race were considerably stronger empaths than the males, the males of Bosh’s race were far stronger than their females. Bosh put his arms around me and flooded my system with endorphins as he kissed me. Gasping, I swayed on my feet. “Thank you for accepting my marriage contract. I hope to express my gratitude repeatedly,” he said before he followed the others outside to the transports for the ride down the coast to the Jiri estate. Bosh was a shark.
Once I calmed down from Bosh’s kiss, I checked out of the window and saw Papa sitting under the shade with his granddaughter. Pierce was near them. I went to my room and showered. Lorca had promised to try and save my dress. Since Grandmother had hired Lorca as the nurse of the son I still carried, he often helped with Thunderdrop or with anything else I might need. Meanwhile, I found another dress in my closet that I liked. The white sundress had large green and yellow flowers on it. I braided my hair.
Now, Neema slept soundly in her crib in our bedroom, and I crept past so as not to wake her. Returning to the living room, I found Papa reading. Thunderdrop and Cass had gone out to hunt lizards. I sat in a chair beside Papa, closed my eyes, and listened to the waves as they rolled upon the shore.
Chapter Two
As I sat and drowsed, I thought back on my earlier experiences with Yukihyo and Nico. I knew they were trying to shock me out of the depression they thought still had me. However, what we had done in the ocean, while enjoyable, was very embarrassing. It also turned my thoughts toward Annette and Silvie. They were two of my friends from Malta in the Galaxic Expanse who lived and worked in a brothel catering to the miners there. I decided to call them.
“Teagan! It is so good to see you. Let me get the others,” Bianca said as she darted away.
Soon, I was saying hello to Annette, Kahra, Fran, Tera, Silvie, and Ms. Laura as Bianca followed them back into their living room.
“We want to see the baby,” Ms. Laura said.
I picked up my vid-screen and turned it away from me so they could see a bit of the house as I made my way to my room. Pierce sat close by Neema’s crib reading. I held the vid-screen over my sleeping baby girl with her dove grey hair. I heard quiet sounds of approval. I aimed the screen at Pierce who smiled and waved. Then, I returned to my chair in the living room.
“She’s beautiful, Teagan. She looks just like Yukihyo,” Silvie said.
“Thank you. She brings us a great deal of joy. How have you been?”
Kahra made a disgruntled sound. “A new house opened, and we haven’t been getting the business we used to get.”
“After all of these years, they forget us as soon as something new comes along,” Ms. Laura said sadly.
“Why don’t you leave?” I asked.
“And go where?” Annette asked.
“Come here. You’ll get better business. Your clients will be younger, stronger, and much better looking. I can prove it.” I walked out onto the veranda and turned my vid-screen down toward the private stretch of beach telescoping in on the men there. I heard interested mumbles from my friends.
“Leave our home on Malta and go to Parvac?” Ms. Laura asked.
“Why not? You would have better scenery to paint.” I turned the screen toward the clear blue ocean and pink and orange sky. “We’re on Thalassa, but Parvac is gorgeous, too.”
“Where would we go?” Ms. Laura asked as she looked around their living room.
“You could all stay with me until you find a place, if you don’t mind sharing rooms.” Walking over to Papa where he continued to sit and read, I asked, “Can my friends move to the Empire? Is it okay?” I knew he had heard my entire conversation.
“You may have anything that makes you happy.”
“See. Papa says it’s okay. I would love to have you all here. You could visit the other planets in our system and see where you would be happiest. If you don’t like it in the Empire, you can always leave. Ambassador Stine runs the Galaxic Embassy. Silvie, think of how happy Phillip would be to see you. He’s been so lonely.”
“It’ll serve them right if we go,” Kahra said. Fran nodded.
“How would we get there? How would we pack all of our things?” Ms. Laura asked.
“You could buy new furniture here, and I’m sure the ship that picks you up will have crew members who will help you pack.”
“Let’s do it,” Silvie said.
Ms. Laura met her eyes and then nodded. “Alright. Why not?”
I gave them a big smile. “Awesome! Papa, is there any captain willing to do me a personal favor by going to Malta to pick my friends up and then bring them to the palace?”
“Yes, darling. Several.”
“Well, want a ride?”
They looked around at each other. “Yes, we’ll go,” Ms. Laura said.
“I’m so happy! I can’t wait to see you all. We can have our next tea party at the palace!”
Papa said, “A ship will depart from Ephors within the hour. I am linking Ms. Laura’s contact information to the captain. He will communicate to her his planned arrival. Now, I must speak of this with Ambassador Stine. We don’t want the Militia surprised by our ship’s visit.” He stood and moved to another room.
“Did you hear that? You’ll love the shopping. We’ll have so much fun!”
“Well, we had better start packing,” Silvie said.
“Please call me once you’re on your way or if you need anything,” I said.
“We will. Thank you, Teagan,” Fran said. We ended the transmission.
In a much happier mood, I wandered into the kitchen and did some baking. The smells drew Papa in to see what was happening. I made us cups of coffee. “Do you prefer cake or cookies?”
“I would like to try both.”
I placed a chocolate cake on the table in front of him. Then, I continued placing cookies on a platter. They ended up next to the cake. I had two cakes in the oven and two cooling. I sat beside him.
“I have made all of the arrangements for the transport of your friends from Malta to Parvac.”
Smiling, I hugged Papa. “Oh, thank you!” I grew thoughtful. “Um, Papa. You do realize what my friends do for a living, don’t you?”
He ate a cookie. Then, he said, “Teagan, you do realize that an entire ship of unmarried Parvac soldiers, many of whom have never touched a woman, are transporting seven prostitutes to Parvac. Since you enjoy gambling, I would be willing to bet each one of your friends has at least two husbands upon arrival. Furthermore, I believe they will choose to reside on Ephors where their husbands are stationed. Luckily, you have a home there. The ladies will have home
s of their own hours after boarding that ship.”
I held my sides and laughed. I laughed so hard that I cried. Papa joined me. The sides of Papa’s eyes crinkled when he laughed. Afterwards, I finished my coffee. “Poor, Phillip. He very much enjoys Silvie’s company.”
“If the soldiers on Ephors didn’t love you before, they will now. Also, I trust you will no longer be tempted to visit Malta.”
“Not really. If they are all on Ephors, I’d rather visit there. We could have our tea parties at my pretty white house.” Papa contacted the captain and told him that if his passengers preferred Ephors to Parvac, they were to be allowed to do as they pleased. Then, Papa helped me ice the other cakes.
When the boys returned from fishing, I greeted them with smiles and hugs. “What has my beautiful wife so happy?” Nico asked. I told him.
“The ladies are coming here?” Phillip asked in a shocked voice.
Papa chortled and gave his opinion. Eric had a good hearty laugh over virgin Parvac soldiers.
“No wonder they’re such vicious bastards in a fight,” he said as he laughed some more.
For the next few days, we enjoyed the beach, waves, and fresh salty air. For the first time in my life, I had a nice tan. I had done my best to avoid Commander Quaid Bosh which was easy since I had Simon to keep Neema and me company whenever Yukihyo, Nico, or Papa were not with me. Hiroshi, Yukihyo, and Phillip spent some time purchasing cargo to sell in the Galaxic Expanse. However, Phillip seemed to prefer the activities of Kane, Eric, and Gary who enjoyed roaming the beaches and enjoying the scenery.
Ms. Laura called me a week later from inside the sitting area on the ambassadorial deck of a Parvac warship. “Teagan, it isn’t at all what we expected. The soldiers wouldn’t let us lift a finger. The Captain himself picked us up and drove us to his ship. They are loading everything for us right now, even our transport!”
“Yes, I recently discovered the soldiers from Ephors to be gentlemen. When I went shopping on Ephors, I didn’t hold a shopping bag for a minute before one of them offered to take it to my transport. Where is everyone?”
“They are in their rooms getting to know the locals,” Ms. Laura said with a wink.
Papa underestimated. Annette assured me there wasn’t a virgin left on the ship by the time they docked on Ephors. He had been correct about the ladies leaving the business. Ms. Laura, who was either in her late fifties or early sixties, had gotten herself three husbands by the end of the week.
Kane sat chuckling with Papa, Eli, and Orson. “What’s so funny?”
Papa said, “Each Captain in the fleet has begged to run any errands you wish. Doing your bidding is rumored to be pleasurable.”
I rolled my eyes. “When can we go check on them? I want to be sure they are happy.”
“We can leave whenever you like,” Papa said.
Chapter Three
Less than a week later, we received an extravagant welcome when we docked on Ephors. Ms. Laura and all of the ladies were there waiting for us at the land port. I rushed over and hugged each of them. I may have hugged Annette a little longer. They all appeared happier than I had ever seen them. Phillip walked over to Silvie.
“Am I still allowed to give my girl a hug?” Silvie embraced Phillip and kissed him passionately.
Smiling seductively, she said, “I can make an honest man out of you whenever you’re ready, Phillip.” He grinned at her.
Kaoti looked tense standing beside Violet. He worried for no reason. The ladies would never tell or even so much as acknowledge that they knew him unless he were to approach them. My friends and I made plans to meet at the bakery the next day and then do some shopping.
“Aw, my beautiful home,” I said when I walked inside the mansion Papa had given me. Abbie, my mother-in-law, had helped me decorate it with touches of yellow and orange on our last visit. I had selected the color scheme to please Yukihyo.
“This is spectacular, Teagan,” Simon complimented.
“Indeed,” Hiroshi said.
“You both understand that any home of mine is your home, too. Right? However, Papa should get to pick his room first, since he bought the house.”
Papa winked at me. “Which rooms have you and Yukihyo taken,” he asked Nico.
“We share Teagan’s room.”
Papa smiled, chuckled quietly to himself, and went upstairs. Abbie was staying with Viceroy Orson Marcos in a house he owned on Ephors. Eli planned to stay with them. I had eight rooms available. However, with Papa, Hiroshi, Simon, Bosh, Eric, Phillip, Dr. Fotri, Pierce, Lorca, and Kaoti and Violet staying with me, I needed a larger mansion.
“May I help in any way, Princess?” Ira, my domestic assistant on Ephors, asked.
“That depends. Can you create more rooms? I don’t think we have enough.”
“Yes, there is an empty apartment in the servants’ house.”
“There’s another house?”
“Yes, out the storage room door, a path leads to it. Our apartments are on the second floor above the infirmary.”
“Infirmary?” Phillip asked. Dr. Fotri also perked up.
Papa had returned and said, “It’s a little gift I had put together for you, my boy. You do an excellent job caring for Teagan and my grandchildren. I hope you like it. I had it equipped with the most advanced medical equipment available.” Excitedly, Phillip and Dr. Fotri followed Ira.
Later, Ira ordered a second bed to be placed in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Pierce and Lorca had offered to share one of the rooms. Phillip wanted to stay in the apartment above his fancy office and infirmary. When he came to Hiroshi, Simon, and me full of excitement for us to see his infirmary, we fell for it. He and Dr. Fotri really just wanted specimens on which to try out all of the new gadgets.
That evening, Ira added a leaf to the dining room table so it could seat all of us. I loved having a full table. A few hours after dinner, Mary called. “Teagan, thank you so much.” She dissolved into tears. Paul had his arm around her. On midnight of my eighteenth birthday, I had run away from everything to start my own life. I had gone as far as my credits would take me and had ended up in Union Port City. After a few nights sleeping on park benches, I had gotten busted by the enforcers. Rather than making things worse, they had helped me get a job as a reclamation worker and a place to live in a housing community. I had met Mary and Paul there. They had fallen in love, Paul had gotten accepted into the Galaxic Militia, and he had taken her with him.
Paul said, “A truck full of gifts from you just arrived. My friends are helping us put the furniture together.” He smiled adoringly at Mary as she placed two matching blue baby outfits over her huge belly. Now, she was laughing. “This was real sweet of you. She’s too happy to talk. She’s been kind of emotional. Her doctor says the boys could come any time now.”
“Will you call me and let me know that she’s okay, and the boys are healthy?”
“I will,” Paul said. Mary smiled and waved to me. She was wiping at her eyes when the call ended.
“Aw, I made her happy.”
“I would hope so. You bought her enough to fill a store,” Eric said. After discovering that I was his cousin, Eric had investigated me thoroughly. Upon discovering my friendship with Mary and Paul, he had Ensign Paul Lunders and his wife assigned under his command on the Hadrian. Currently, because of her condition, they were residing on a Galaxic Militia military base.
“Well, not too long ago, the three of us had nothing. Now, everything has changed. I have two mansions and a wing in the palace.”
“Don’t forget your pleasure barge and transports,” Yukihyo reminded me.
“Or your home on Apellan,” Nico said.
“And you have your own fighter ship,” Kane said with a wink. I had stolen the fighter from my abductors on Naxa. The Parvac soldiers had been eager for revenge against Yukihyo and me for the fate of their comrades, who had tried to kill us on Arachne for our assistance of Captain Espanoza at the battle above Malta. Kane had the fight
er ship refinished in white, with white interior, and the Imperial seals of Parvac prominently displayed, but he had the weapons removed.
“Yeah, husbands, after this baby is born, you’re not touching me for a year.”
“What?” Yukihyo said with a horrified expression on his handsome face.
Shocked, Nico asked, “Why?”
“I want to fly my fighter ship. If I’m pregnant, neither one of you will let me. Therefore, you’re both leaving me alone. I deserve to have some fun.”
“You don’t mean it,” Nico said.
I looked my blonde giant general in the eyes and said, “I do.”
“She does,” Yukihyo said. He ran his hand through his dove grey hair. His milky white eyes began to take on an orange and blue tint.
“Teagan, I trust your piloting skills. Should you carry my child, I would place no such restrictions on you. In fact, I should be happy to accompany you,” Bosh said.
Turning to him, I said, “Do you mean that?” I looked into the solid black eyes of Commander Quaid Bosh. His skin had become beautifully tanned on Thalassa, and his blonde hair seemed to have turned a lighter shade. His supportive words had me feeling guilty that I had been avoiding him.
“Yes, you are an intelligent capable woman.” He said it in a matter of fact way.
“Quaid, thank you. That’s so kind of you.” Before I could tear up, I hugged him. I felt his hands stroking my hair. It was nice to have someone who believed in me and who would give me some freedom. With my hands on his shoulders, I lifted up to kiss his cheek. When I turned to walk to the lift, I saw the venomous looks Yukihyo and Nico were shooting him. “Leave Quaid alone or the two of you can stop touching me now.” My remark made Yukihyo a bit angrier.
With a bite to his words, Kane said, “Teagan has been doing everything everyone else wants her to do. Shouldn’t she get a chance to be herself for a little while, or do you intend to crush her spirit further?” I bit my lip as I turned toward Kane. I went to my cousin and wrapped my arms around his chest. It felt really nice to have some support. I’d been feeling smothered and trapped lately.
The Parvac Emperor's Daughter (The Space Merchants Book 3) Page 2
