by L P Peace
Danielle couldn’t help the warmth that burst in her chest or the smile that touched her lips. Sophia was several years younger than Danielle, who was thirty-four, but even though Danielle had long lost trust in people, she’d gravitated towards Sophia immediately. Sophia had a way about her. If she stayed in Earth’s military, she’d be a captain in no time. She deserved it too.
Even Rebekah hadn’t earned her trust lightly.
With that thought, the warmth retreated.
‘How are you doing?’ Sidha asked, his voice kind. Danielle felt fear and anger rise in response.
‘So you and Kentor then, how did that happen?’ Danielle looked at him. She saw uncertainty flash in his eyes, then clear. Sidha smiled.
‘My parents found out I was seeing a male. It’s a shameful thing where I’m from. They sent me to the mountains to live with my uncle and “set me straight”.’
Danielle laughed.
‘What?’ Sidha frowned.
‘Erm, straight. On Earth, straight is a name for people who pursue relationships with people of the opposite sex.’
Sidha took a moment before a grin stretched his face. ‘That is funny. We don’t use that term at all.’
‘So they sent you to live with your uncle?’
‘They thought it would send me out of harm’s way.’ Sidha huffed a bitter laugh. ‘Being like me is illegal where I’m from,’ Sidha looked at Danielle.
‘We had laws like that a long time ago,’ she whispered. ‘But not for centuries.’
‘My uncle got me a job in an office of a factory. I hated it. But I liked the computer. I set things up so that I could escape if the opportunity presented itself. Then these tovan showed up.’ Sidha gestured towards the orange and brown spotted one. He was observing them, but when their eyes connected he looked down at his terminal.
‘Tovan?’
‘Vrokkers,’ Sidha said. ‘Most civilisations seem to have an equivalent, at least that’s what I’ve learned in my studies. Not the Temerin, though. They don’t have a word for vrokking because to them, there is no such thing.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Danielle said, unsure she wanted to.
‘To the Temerin, there’s no such thing as vrokking, only making love. Sometimes slow and gentle, sometimes passionate, sometimes hard.’
Danielle’s eyes moved to Bedvir, who was still watching surreptitiously from the engine. His gaze had heated. She tore hers away, her stomach twisting.
‘Anyway, I met Kentor on the landing pad. I wanted him immediately. We were basically eye-tovan each other the entire time. We got a few metri alone, and he offered to take me offplanet before I even had the opportunity to seduce it out of him.’
Danielle laughed. It was hard not to, around Sidha. He made everything a joke, even as you could see the sincere emotion behind his words.
‘It’s good to hear that,’ Sidha said, a smile of genuine pleasure on his face.
Danielle scrubbed her hands down her face. ‘Yeah. It’s been a while since I had a reason to laugh,’ she admitted. She hadn’t laughed, hadn’t cracked a smile since Endurance had been taken.
How could she when she was locked in a cage for two weeks waiting to be sold?
Since then, she’d just been trying to cope with everything. With the kidnapping. With the cruelty she witnessed. With watching her crew be sold while she failed them time after time.
It had been left up to Farah Bennet, the head of security, to bring the crew together. But then they took her as well.
Even then, Danielle was too caught up in the trauma of her past to step up. Sitting in that cage, she’d felt as helpless as she had as a child when he came. It had haunted her since in nightmares and even in her waking hours. Danielle knew she’d fallen into a depression, but she didn’t know how to get out.
She wanted to be back in Australia. Something she never thought she’d say to herself. She wanted to feel the sun on her face. Go to Double Bay Beach in Sidney or sit out in the Royal Botanic Garden. Feel the air on her skin and avoid her grandparents like the plague they were. Even if she could just get to Tessa and go to the beach there. Hang around with some of the humans living there. She’d feel better.
‘Lost in thought?’
Danielle looked at Sidha, considering. He really was a handsome alien. He had deep-set eyes, high cheekbones, his skin ranged from dark yellow to orange, his eyes were golden, and he had long blond hair.
‘Yeah.’ Danielle nodded.
‘Missing home?’
‘Nah, I fucking hate the place.’ Danielle's reaction was so instinctual; it was out before it could conflict with her earlier musings. ‘I mean, I don’t. I love Australia, the country I come from. I just hate the area I’d be going back to.’
Danielle would have to go back to Sidney, near her grandparent. The only other place she could go was Alice Springs, where she’d been raised before her parents died. But that place held too many memories of him.
Which sucked because she’d loved growing up there. Before everything.
‘What’s it like, oztrayla?’
Danielle grinned at the mispronunciation. ‘You can call it Aus. We do.’
There was a look of relief on Sidha’s face before it turned into confusion. ‘Oz?’
‘Aus, Aussie.’ Danielle shrugged. ‘We like our abbreviations in Aus.’
The confused look on Sidha’s face descended towards madness. Danielle laughed. ‘It’s hot. Really hot. Alice Springs, where I spent a lot of my childhood, is one of the hottest places in the world.’
‘So not much growing there?’
‘More than you think,’ Danielle said, thinking about red dust and green bushes growing by the side of the road. ‘The drive into Alice Springs in particular. It’s wild and untameable. It’s free.’ Danielle ducked her head, feeling stupid. But it’s how she felt and always had. Most of Earth was overdeveloped now, but the northern territories were still mostly wild. It had to be. Life was hard, and fitting in millions of people would just make it harder. They could build the buildings, even make people live in them, but it could never thrive. Even the worst tenement space stations orbiting Earth were better off. That meant the outback was left mostly untouched.
‘You have family there?’
‘Not anymore.’ Her mother’s family were from Sidney, her father’s from Alice Springs, but they’d been parents and two sons. Her father's parents were dead before she was born, and her uncle… she shut down that train of thought before it could begin.
‘I’m the same with my family,’ Sidha said, leaning back against the wall. ‘I wasn’t even before they found out about my preferences.’ Sidha laughed. ‘If they knew the full truth of that, they’d probably all die on the spot.’ Sidha grinned at her and winked. ‘That’s why I’m so glad I found these guys. They’ve never treated me like I’m wrong or bad. The Temerin accept people for who they are, not what they think other people should be.’
Danielle found herself moving a little closer. She glanced at the Temerin, who seemed lost in some display.
‘What are they like?’
‘Temerin, or the crew here?’
Danielle thought for a moment. ‘Both,’ she answered finally.
‘The crew,’ Sidha laughed. ‘Are the easiest to explain. Bedvir,’ Sidha pointed at the brown and orange-spotted one, ‘is quiet but thoughtful. Haddis is the youngest, and he’s got the hottest head, wanting to run around and get everything done. Kentor and Haddis are brothers. Kentor is…’ There were several seconds of silence while Sidha’s face relaxed into a smile that seemed to reflect everything Sidha loved about Kentor all at once. ‘Kentor is the biggest. He’s the ship's muscle, and you think he’s going to be dumb and violent, but he’s a big softie. He just takes the protection of the crew seriously.’ Sidha’s eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked at Danielle.
‘What about the purp… the captain?’
Sidha’s eyes lit up with amusement. ‘The purple one. Is that how you remembe
r everybody?’
Danielle felt her face flame up and bit her lip. ‘Maybe,’ she admitted.
Sidha chuckled. ‘Aerdan. He’s the captain. He takes himself very seriously.’
‘Why do they all have different markings?’ Danielle whispered, hoping the orange… Bedvir, hoping Bedvir wouldn’t hear her.
‘Depends on what mita they come from.’
‘What’s a mita?’
‘Like…’ Sidha sighed. ‘Like a large extended group of family.’
‘Like a clan, or tribe.’
Sidha turned his head, obviously listening to his translation device define the terms for him. ‘Like a clan,’ he agreed after a few moments had passed.
Danielle thought about the clans of Scotland and Ireland and mentally moved things into place. She needed a clear definition of rules and compartments for people, so she knew how to deal with them.
‘You should come to dinner,’ Sidha said.
Danielle turned to him, shock turning her stomach, her heart hammering in her breast.
‘They really aren’t that bad, Danielle. They’re not bad. They’re good people.’
Danielle let out a sigh. She knew that in her heart.
When the big green guy had taken her back on the station during the explosions, when it felt like everything was fire, they’d been the first people she thought of. She knew they’d come for her. She thought it was because they had a plan for her, but she’d seen them go out of their way to help others as they took her back to their ship. So she knew they were good people. But then they’d breached her trust when they’d ignored all hails from the Tessans while they jumped to FTL. They’d ignored her repeated requests to go with the Tessans and to meet up with them so she could transfer to them.
She couldn’t—and wouldn’t—ignore the fact that they had saved her when no one else had. For the first time, someone had saved her. Someone had come for her specifically. Someone had chosen her amidst all the people that needed help that day and not just because she happened to be there. They had no idea what it meant to her; even Danielle couldn’t define it to herself.
Danielle looked up at Sidha and nodded. ‘I’ll come,’ she promised.
* * *
Danielle was coming to the evening meal!
Aerdan’s whole body buzzed with anticipation of seeing the dazzling Danielle again. Her dark brown eyes. Her cream-coloured human skin. Her brown hair was far too short, but it’d grow with time, especially when Aerdan was looking after her hair. He unsheathed his claws, imagining running them through her hair, combing it every night before he made dizzying love to her.
Dizzying for her, not him… well, maybe for him too.
He was looking forward to seeing her again.
There wasn’t a female as beautiful as his Danielle.
Now he just needed Bedvir and Haddis to back off!
Aerdan looked through his wardrobe. He wanted to put across an air of cheeky yet carefree power. As though he was the strongest, the most powerful of the Temerin, but he didn’t really need to act like it. It was effortless, really, boosted chiefly by a sense of loyalty from his fellow Temerin.
Thank vrok there hadn’t been a temit called recently. He’d hate to disillusion her of his prowess and influence before she gave in to his whimsical charms.
And they were going to be whimsical!
Choosing an animal hide pair of pants in dark purple to complement the rarest of mita markings, Aerdan picked out a white shirt made from Amaran silk. It was the most expensive piece of clothing he wore, and he usually only pulled it out when they were trying to run a con on some rich fools that needed to be parted from some of their wealth. For their own good, of course.
He put on a pair of boots and walked over to the mirror. Amaran shirts didn’t have ties. They fell open and exposed the muscled purplish-grey skin of his chest. The tapered ends of some of his slashed markings fell into view as he moved. He grinned at the effect.
Aerdan had quickly had a shower when he learned Danielle was going to join them, so his long purple hair fell down to his hips and brushed against the firm, rounded globes of his ass. For a moment, Aerdan considered braiding his hair but then dismissed the thought. Temerin didn’t braid their hair when they were around their females. Going down with loose hair would send a clear message to Bedvir and Haddis that Danielle was his.
Instead, he brushed through his hair with his claws until it was silky and shone violet under the lights bringing out his eyes, which were the same colour.
Aerdan studied himself in the mirror. He was a good-looking male. He’d been the most popular male among the females of his mita even before he became Vadice.
Now he would turn all of his charms towards winning the delicate Danielle, and with her as his mate, he could see a new generation of Mita Madar born.
The grin faded from Aerdan’s eyes. He looked into them, memories of his people the last time he’d seen them flashing through his eyes. Music had played. People sang and danced. There were warm fires, summer breezes, the sounds of lovemaking coming from the trees. His mita was alive and thriving and loving.
Then the Bentari came.
Pushing all of these dark thoughts aside, Aerdan finished up combing his hair, pulling some over one shoulder to show it off to its greatest effect.
Time to claim the dreamy Danielle.
Aerdan strutted to the mess. When he walked in, his grin faded. Bedvir and Haddis were both wearing their hair down.
Kentor turned to Aerdan and chuckled, nudging Sidha, who looked at Aerdan and smirked. There was annoyance in his face as well, and after smirking, he groaned and scraped his hands over his face.
‘I wish the three of you would consider what this competition is doing to Danielle.’
Aerdan frowned, not understanding. Competition for a mate had always been the Temerin way. Males competed for their potential mates, as did females. It had been a way of life back on Temir. It was something Aerdan hadn’t even thought of in the time since their exodus. The fact was, no female had tempted him the way Danielle did, even back in the rotes before the Bentari.
Danielle was special.
Kentor had cooked. He stood, going back to add final touches as everyone took their seats and waited for Danielle to join them.
Aerdan looked at Bedvir. His long grey-streaked orange hair hung down his back. He looked up at Aerdan; his face was older, his eyes determined. The two of them assessed one another. Bedvir was wearing a cured animal hide top. It was his best top and showed off the muscles of his arms. Aerdan scowled. He should have worn a top that showed off his muscles. His muscles were better than Bedvir’s muscles. He thought about taking a knife to the sleeves of his shirt, then remembered it was Amaran silk, and there was no way he was doing that.
Turning, Aerdan took in Haddis.
He’d taken his hair out of the braid. The Kar Mita only grew hair down the centre of their heads. He wore it loose, spilling down one side of his head and all cast down over the same shoulder. It spilled into his lap, rich and crimson. His red irises regarded Aerdan, a cocky grin on his face.
‘So we’re all claiming her then.’
Aerdan felt fire burn in his veins. ‘She is mine!’ he said it low and in a growl, to show how serious he was, but also because he was afraid Danielle would hear him and not join them for evening meal.
Haddis simply grinned wider.
‘Gotha Simartha,’ Sidha said, a curse in his own language for which there was no translation. He stood up, his eyes rolling. ‘Danielle is very frightened. It wouldn’t kill the three of you to act like civilised people for a few hacri so that she can get to know you.’
With that, he walked out of the room. Presumably to fetch the delicious, delectable Danielle.
Aerdan smiled, then scowled when he realised Bedvir and Haddis were also smiling.
A few metri passed while Kentor loaded the table. He was grumbling the whole way through.
‘What’s wrong with you?�
� Haddis snapped.
‘The three of you, acting like uncut korosh. Have the three of you still tethered, or are you grown males?’
Aerdan’s scowl turned into a growl.
‘Then act like it.’
A few more metri passed, and Kentor was seated by the time Sidha arrived, escorting Danielle. She was wearing the clothes she’d been wearing in the IGC central chamber that rote. They’d been washed, but there were still splatters of the Myardahl’s blood on her uniform.
He’d have to buy her a whole new wardrobe. He’d have to move some clothes out of his, which was difficult as it was packed full.
Aerdan sat back in his seat, letting his eyes move across Danielle’s delectable form. She was stunning.
Her hair barely fell to her shoulders. Her skin was like the moon on Temir, creamy and pale. Her dark eyes moved nervously across the room before landing on him. Aerdan felt his whole being reorient on her. He smiled and tried to give an air of casual welcome.
‘Please take a seat,’ he said, pointing to the seat next to him.
‘I have a seat for you here,’ Haddis said, pushing out the seat to his left.
‘Actually, I think Danielle should join Kentor and me at the head of the table,’ Sidha said, gently guiding Danielle to the head of the table where Aerdan usually sat. He felt his smile drop. How had he allowed this to happen? Turning, he realised Kentor and Sidha had arranged things in such a way so that they felt like an impenetrable wall between him and his usual seat. He’d been so distracted he hadn’t noticed until just now.
Sidha sat Danielle down, helping her into her seat and under the table. He felt a spark of ugly jealousy in his stomach but quashed it. It was his own fault he hadn’t thought to arrange things better. Arrange things so it was him helping Danielle into her seat. Him sitting next to her. Him making her feel more at ease.
But it still irked him that they’d arranged this to separate him from the female who would be his mate.
Danielle seemed uneasy. She’d walked into the room, her wide eyes taking everything in and stopped, only moving with Sidha’s encouragement. Now, she swallowed almost convulsively as she looked around the room.