Striker

by Lexi Ander

  The vibrations seemed to stop. At the top right hand corner, the metal began to change colors, from gray to a bright white-yellow. He took another step back as molten steel rolled like teardrops, slowly drooling down the door until it cooled enough to solidify again.

  He glanced around the small room, lips pressed into a determined line. He needed a weapon.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The smell woke Zeus. The scent spoke of something burning and for a moment he feared the ship to be on fire. He rolled over, rubbing his eyes, and groaned at the spike of pain in his thigh.

  "Shhh, if you move too much, the sutures will tear." Zeus opened his eyes to see Athena leaning over him. "The wand did not work. It would not close your wounds, so Mayra had to use needle and thread on all of you."

  Rumbling hisses drew his attention across the room to where four Monticore surrounded the door to the lavatory. A scorch line followed the edge of the door frame. Their exclamation of triumph shocked Zeus into understanding what they did. He shot into action as they lifted the metal door from the frame.

  "No!" His bellow filled the room. He ignored the searing pain in his leg as he launched himself up out of the sleeping platform to grasp the overhead frame of the mezzanine. Using his arms, he swung like a jungle chimpanzee across the room, over the heads of the Honor Guard. His hissing vocalization of imminent danger caused the Monticore to pause in their work and drop to their knees.

  He fell in a crouch between the Monticore and the lavatory, his scream as much one of rage, as of pain. "I will show no mercy to any who harm my Udens Mahte'lan!" He gave each guard a challenging glare until every one of them dropped their gaze to the floor.

  Warlord Sohm'lan stood in the doorway that led to the corridor. "Prince Zeus, no one would dare to raise a hand to your pregnant mate. They … we did not know. Forgive us for this trespass. He has not been harmed. You have averted the danger to your family." Sohm'lan’s even soothing tone and the way he held his hands in a gesture of peace did help to calm Zeus somewhat. But not a lot.

  The Honor Guard crawled backward, away from Zeus and those he guarded. Mar'Sani males protected their pregnant females to the point of death. The threat of danger turned them vicious and uncompromising. By custom, they gathered their family and sequestered them until the youngling was born. Breeding couples were honored among the Mar'Sani, the community helping to secure the nest, bringing them food and other amenities.

  Zeus would not have the luxury of sequestering his mates. They were in space, far away from hearth and home. They would not return to Atlainticia in a reasonable time frame. Neither one of them could afford to drop their responsibilities to nest. They would have to adapt as best they could.

  Dargon's large hands stroked his bare back. Leaning into the caresses, Zeus stepped backwards until he bumped into Dargon's legs. He could not help the spitting hisses, but being in contact with Dargon made him feel better, if only marginally.

  "We are unharmed," Dargon soothed, wrapping his arms around Zeus’s chest and lifting him from his crouching position. "You, on the other hand, are not. Why have you not been healed?"

  Mayra answered even as she leaned over Azaes. "Whatever happened, these three cannot be healed with technology. I have had to stitch the wounds closed as my people did in the old days. As long as their bodies heal normally, they will be fine. They will simply recover more slowly than they are accustomed to."

  Nesting instincts prodded Zeus unmercifully at the sight, and scent, of all the people. There should only be Dargon's and Alpha's scent in their room, which would become his nest by necessity. Seeing Azaes and Mestor side by side on Dargon's sleeping platform, Zeus wrinkled his nose at the thought of all the trouble he would have removing his brothers' scent from his bedding. Plus, to cleanse the room properly, he would need to scour it once everyone left.

  Ignoring the warlord and the guards, he turned to examine Dargon and Alpha. Large, intense, and green, Dargon’s cat-like eyes stared down at him. Zeus ran his palms over Dargon's light golden fuzz, searching for cuts or bruising. The thick, metallic copper braid fell over one shoulder, the tip brushing the wide waistband of Dargon's hyde skirt. Zeus wrapped his fingers of one hand around the thick column of hair, while the other hand brushed the smooth sides of Dargon's scalp, following the single line of hair over a teardrop-shaped ear adorned with a line of dainty hoops, chains, and colorful studs.

  He then trailed his fingertips along the edge of Alpha's dark green form. He thought the pink veins were thicker in appearance. The green of the Alpha's skin, usually so dark that the color he appeared almost black, now seemed lighter.

  "Alpha, what is wrong?" Dargon's hands wrapped around Zeus’s wrist, halting his inspection of Alpha.

  "What you see is a natural change. My coloring will lighten to be almost white by the time I give birth."

  Zeus glanced up to Dargon for reassurance.

  "You will be able to see a small bump form right about here." Dargon's fingertip touched a place at the base of his throat. The pink veins created a circular pattern around a small swelling in Alpha's skin. "The kit will grow to the size of a nut before he or she is born."

  Zeus wanted to touch Alpha, his fingers hovering at the edge of Alpha's body.

  "Go ahead. You will not harm us." The laughter and happiness in Alpha’s voice reassured Zeus more than his words.

  Gently, he ran the tips of his fingers over the tiny swell and a burst of pride shot through him. Zeus gazed up at Dargon and grinned. All three of them created that tiny life.

  "You did not say you would be a father." Azaes' voice hinted at being incensed, as well as humored.

  Zeus turned back to the room, his grin growing at the sight of the twins awake and sitting up. "We would have made the announcement over breakfast, but you two decided to sleep in." He needed to keep the moment light, otherwise he would snap at his brother for no other reason than spreading his scent on Dargon's sleeping platform.

  Azaes swung his legs over the edge of the bed and placed his feet on the floor.

  Mestor stared at Zeus, a teasing light in his eyes. "Oh, Meme will be over the moon. A new youngling in the palace." He nudged Azaes. "You and Ariafella will be able to marry without the immediate prompting to produce young. Lucky male."

  Dargon chuffed, blowing a puff of air that flipped Zeus’s hair. He swallowed nervously. Meme would be ecstatic over the birth of a royal youngling. He could imagine her dragging him along to choose fabrics for redecorating the nursery.

  Azaes' chuckle sounded devilish. "Your eyes are huge. I wish to be there when you tell her."

  Zeus narrowed his eyes at his brother. He had a feeling there was something more to the statement than what Azaes said.

  "Food first." Mestor stood and then hissed, grabbing his shoulder. "That bastard had spikes in his tentacles."

  Zeus cautiously watched several of the guards moved to assist Mestor. "Just to confirm, Your Highness, your injuries did not occur on the ship?" one of them asked.

  "No. We were pulled into the Waters of Poseidon." Azaes accepted Mestor's arm and rose from the sleeping platform, his gaze landing on Zeus. "I would like to know more about the altercation. I am starving. Zeus, you and Dargon will join us."

  Zeus agreed, consenting to meet them in the stateroom aboard the Gorgon. Hiding his possessive, protective instincts behind a calm façade, he ushered everyone out of his room before he burst. So many scents in the one place that should only smell like him, Dargon, and Alpha. He quickly pulled off all the bedding and tossed it into the laundry chute. He was grateful Dargon said nothing about his agitation and allowed himself to be pushed into the sonic shower.

  Zeus dressed in his uniform before Dargon stepped out of the lavatory. He put the finishing touches on his side locks. Dargon insisted he change a couple of the stones woven into his hair to indicate his status: Marked, Trine, and a father-to-be. He enjoyed the possessive gleam in Dargon's gaze when he reviewed the changes.

  Now, h
e leaned against the wall and watched his lover step into a long, heavy skirt with slits along the sides to mid-thigh. He barely kept the leer off of his face when Dargon bent over to buckle up the knee-high boots. He wondered if sometime in the future, Dargon would leave the boots on when they made love.

  "Oh, I am sure we can persuade him." Zeus’s arousal spiked at the sound of Alpha's warm chuckle.

  Dargon's head popped up. "Persuade me of what?"

  Zeus pushed off the wall. If he did not get them out of the cabin quickly, he would drag Dargon and Alpha back to the sleeping platform and endeavor to saturate the room with their scents. It would take an entire day to cover the intrusive reminders that others had entered his nest.

  "We will tell you later." Zeus opened the cabin door. "You need to eat."

  Dargon shrugged on a red tunic. "I will hold you to that. I am starving." He stopped next to Zeus and ran his finger lightly over Zeus’s bruised throat. "If you are not up to answering your brothers' questions, we could eat here."

  Zeus’s eyes fluttered closed at the touch. Tempting, but he had no choice other than to face his brothers and their questions. "Let us go."

  Zeus could tell by the press of Dargon's lips and the muscle tick under his right eye that Dargon wanted to argue about him being up and about while wounded. He was relieved Dargon refrained from commenting and that he shortened his stride to match Zeus’s limping one. By the time they exited the Oethra 7 and made the trek to the stateroom on the Gorgon, Zeus looked forward to taking a seat. Any seat, actually.

  The Oethra 7 would be docked on The Gorgon's flight deck until they reached Valespian space. There, Dargon would notify Galactic Crown Prince Malek that they had liberated the Fal'Amoric royal family, and tell him about the pursuit by the psi-trackers. It was Prince Malek who had sent Dargon on a mission to locate not only the missing Fal'Amoric race, but the Bespoken to Crown Prince Malek and Crown Prince Vipre. The three would assume the roles of the Galactic Emperors and renew the power the grid, keeping the V'Saar from consuming the rest of the galaxies. The Bespoken, whose birth name was Prometheus, had not been among the Fal'Amoric found on the human penal colony, but Zeus knew where to find knowledge of the lost prince's location. If the Bespoken could not be found, the crown princes might be tempted to claim Zeus in Prometheus's place.

  Canry's revelations worried Zeus more than he wanted to admit. If the V'Saar broke through the grid and waited for them in Valespian space, then Zeus may not have a choice. He would be taken and claimed in the Bespoken's stead to protect the galaxies. Only Canry’s suggestion of appealing to the Feteine for help gave Zeus hope that he could stay with Dargon and Alpha.

  In the stateroom, only a few seats at the table were not taken. Overwhelmed by an instinctual protective response to the crowd, Zeus paused for a moment to keep from backing out of the room. Everyone present had gained his respect and trust in the last few weeks, but there were still too many people.

  Seeing them standing at the door, Azaes gestured to the seats on his left.

  Zeus forced down his sensitivity and crossed the room to the head of the table, giving Dargon the chair between him and Azaes. They would need to devise some sort of plan soon, because he could not continue to fight his nature throughout Alpha's entire pregnancy. To do so would guarantee that there would be casualties.

  Taking a deep breath, he let it out as he glanced about the table. Athena, the leader of the Fal'Amorics, sat next to Altan. Sohm'lan and two lower-ranked warlords sat across from Zeus. Many of Dargon's flight crew sat around the table as well.

  As soon as he took his seat, the wait staff began to bring out plated meals specifically designed for each person there. Additional platters were placed in the center of the table before the staff left. Watching Dargon add more food to his plate, he tempered the overwhelming urger to serve Dargon as if he were a pregnant Mar'Sani female, still surprised by the strength of his desire. They had yet to discuss the customs of Dargon's culture. Not being a Mar'Sani by blood and birth, he had not expected to struggle with the overwhelming feelings of protectiveness and possessiveness typical of the Mar'Sani bulls. Then again, he had not expected to be a father, either. Did the fact that Fal'Amorics were blender species mean they shared the characteristics of all those species merged into their DNA? It would certainly explain why he hissed at a warlord who stared too long at Dargon.

  Azaes cleared his throat, smothering a grin as he passed a plate of seared meat to Zeus. "Do you have an official announcement for us?"

  Zeus straightened in his chair, acutely aware of every eye trained on him. "Dargon, Alpha, and I have made private vows and as soon as we return to Atlainticia, we will exchange pledges during a public binding. Alpha, and by extension Dargon, is my Udens Mahte'lan."

  "What does that mean? You used the word earlier." Zeus watched Dargon for cues to make sure he did not give Dargon too much meat or irritate him with overprotective care.

  Zeus blushed. "I did not … have another name for you and Alpha in Mar'Sani culture. Loosely translated, it means 'water mother'. All pregnant females are referred to as such. The Houses would be considered 'under Udens's care' when the family became sequestered."

  "We are not females." Dargon scowled.

  "Do not be a grouch. Zeus knows our gender. Mar'Sani only have two sexes and do not have a better term," Alpha admonished. Zeus was grateful that Alpha realized his problem was in not having another word.

  "What is on your forehead?" Mestor bit into a spicy stalk, the aroma quickly filling the room and causing Zeus’s nose to itch.

  "It is a symbol that will proclaim to others that I am part of an Alpha Trine. The dot also allows me to communicate with Alpha without physical contact."

  "He is our Marked. Very few Dar Massagas find someone who is compatible with them as well as their alpha." Dargon stopped Zeus from adding greens to his plate.

  "Is that the reason you kidnapped him?" Azaes pinned Dargon with a steely stare. The incident continued to be a point of contention between Dargon and the twins.

  Aggravated, Zeus hissed a warning at his brother. "Quit needling him. This is territory we have already covered."

  "I agree with Zeus." Zeus was silently thankful that Sohm'lan sidetracked the brewing argument. "Maybe you could explain what happened earlier? We do not return from the Waters of Poseidon injured."

  Between bites, Zeus told them what happened, leaving out the details about Canry. His parents should be told that news before anyone else. As he spoke, he met Mestor's and Azaes' gaze to ensure they were in agreement with him. Both nodded in unison when he skipped the information about the lost son of House Vondorian being found.

  "Why should we search out the Feteine?" asked Axis, the Oethra 7's GyrFalconi navigator, his plume of red-tipped, gray feathers raised in alarm. Large, black-ringed, yellow eyes were trained on Zeus, and a dark nail absently scratched at the edge of the wide, boney nose plate.

  Zeus carefully considered what information to divulge. "I was told that we could expect V'Saar in Valespian space. They crossed the grid in a weak spot near the Milky Way and have solicited the humans for help. At least one company has joined them, and they are waiting for us somewhere in Valespia's solar system."

  Zeus waited for everyone to absorb the information. Dargon's crew had been pursued across the galaxies for the Fal'Amoric royal family aboard the Oethra 7. It was believed the interest the humans, and now by extension the V'Saar, showed in the Fal'Amoric people had to do with the Bespoken. Prometheus was last seen by his sister, Athena, when their mother, who had been pregnant with Zeus, took Prometheus away. Since Zeus had been picked up in a disabled vessel in Mar'Sani space at barely two months old, he assumed they had not been together long before being separated.

  Now V'Saar lay in wait for them. The question became how many, and why were they going through all of this trouble to acquire the Bespoken? Why not just push through a weak point in the grid and begin conquering the galaxy?

  "Ar
e the humans their puppets now?" Mestor asked. "The V'Saar venom subverts control of those who have been stung."

  "Tell them the V'Saar enter a region with scouting parties. They would solicit the human's help to bring more of the hive over with false promises. If they are slipping through a weak spot in the grid, it will be a small one. The current Triumphant, the galactic royals, are old but still strong enough to hold the barrier. The V'Saar will attempt to bring down the grid." Disgust colored Alpha's words.

  Zeus relayed Alpha's information, disturbed that his knowledge of the V'Saar, and how to protect his family from them, was inadequate.

  "The grid cannot be taken down, and any who attack Valespia will be destroyed by the Triumphant's defenses," Azaes countered. "What would happen if the Bespoken became lost forever? How long before the current Triumphant is too weak to hold the grid? They have seven cycles before they have to turn over power to the crown princes. Is it possible for the galactic emperors to hold power longer?"

  Athena spoke up. "If Prometheus is not found, then they will require another of the same bloodline to take his place. The new Triumphant would not be able to rule as long as normal because the substitute for the Bespoken would not be as strong … not physical strength, but more like a strength of will, of mind. He is raised to practice certain principles with his guardian, to prepare him for the burden. Not only that, the crown princes and Prometheus were required to perform certain exercises together to help them to form bonds of friendship and trust beginning at an early age."

  "Then why were your people located and taken? Was there a reason for their imprisonment?" asked Azaes.

  All eyes turned toward Athena. She straightened in her chair, tilting her chin with a stubborn air. Zeus admired her fire. Not long ago he discovered Athena and Prometheus to be his biological siblings. Over the last weeks, he and Athena had struck a type of friendship. She seemed more composed than when he had first met her; she had trouble finding her feet after Dargon's crew rescued them. Zeus knew he had not helped when he pushed her and her claim of family away. She spent decades of her life longing to be reunited with him and Prometheus, to be a family unit once again. Although he sympathized with her, he had a family and a people.