Silently, I debated telling Farowyn not to worry. I had plenty of males available for all sorts of skin touching and to have fun flying his ship, but I thought about how it would sound. Instead, I offered him a small smile.
He scooted closer. “Even when we are parted, my thoughts dwell on you.”
Farowyn caressed my cheek with his knuckles before claiming my mouth with his. Farowyn’s tongue began a wild dance with mine. He placed a hand to my back and held me close to his chest. With his other hand, he lifted my skirt and cut through the side of my undies with one of his claws. My shocked intake of breath was lost upon his delving tongue. In a swift motion, I was straddling his lap. Then, the finger that wasn’t a finger began seeking admittance, tickling my entrance. As it lengthened and swelled, I grew wet. Farowyn continued to expand until he filled me with aching hardness. He had grown so large that I felt stretched around him. Then, the vibrations began. He was so long and thick that I was unable to so much as wiggle. My fingers sank into his shoulders as waves of pleasure shattered my control.
“Oh, yes! Yes!” I panted and pressed my forehead to his neck. The vibrations continued, and this time the pleasure built from deep within me. “Farowyn! Oh, Farowyn!”
His long, hard, thick shaft vibrated within me. I clung to him, gasping with a pleasure so intense that I wanted to escape it, but he filled me to the point that I could do nothing other than hold his shoulders and come, over and over again. I was helpless and limp against him when he found his release.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
I couldn’t answer, see straight, or stop trembling. Farowyn covered me with my skirt, fastened his pants, and carried me to my bed. An hour later, I was still feeling aftershocks. Yukihyo and Zared were nowhere to be found. Eli ran me a bath.
“Where is everyone?” I asked him as he helped me into the tub.
“Your rendezvous with Farowyn sent the hybrids into a state of lust. I almost feel sorry for Tracy and Sparrow. The others who are bonded to you felt much the same. Hence, Phillip went off to toss up his wife’s skirts. Those who are bonded to you but who will not be having their needs met are engaging in strenuous cardiovascular activities.”
“Oh.”
“Teagan, what is it like being with Farowyn? The Eloneave do not appear to be very well endowed.”
I blushed at Eli. He sat on the edge of the tub and watched me. “Incredible.”
“I guarded your privacy while you were with him and sent the other guards away. Farowyn didn’t even move.”
I scowled and splashed him. “Oh, yes, he did, but it was internally.”
“Explain.” He waited. My Inquisitor wanted answers.
Leaning back, I met Eli’s dark-brown eyes. Drops of my bathwater glistened in his black hair. With a sigh, I said, “Imagine something filling and expanding within something else until there is no more room to be filled, and then vibrating within it until it shakes apart.”
Eli raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you saying he grows until he is the perfect fit?”
“Oh, stars yes,” I nodded.
Eli looked concerned. “Is he better than me?”
I held my lips between my teeth and moved my hands through my bubble bath.
Eli asked, “Yukihyo?”
Tilting my head to the side, I thought. With Yukihyo, he made love to my soul as much as my body.
“Quaid and Zared together?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t think it would be possible for anyone to outperform that combination. What? They are telepaths and can control my pleasure endorphins.”
Dryly, Eli said, “I’ll have refreshments prepared.” He splashed me back and left my bathroom.
With a smile on my lips, I ducked my head underwater and scrubbed my scalp.
Chapter Twenty-One
The trip to Daphoene would take a few days, and I was beginning to have my doubts about going. I knew it was important to meet Dario’s family, but my last memorable trip to Daphoene had involved being stalked by Pax Cyprian. If Drex hadn’t knocked the man loopy, none of it would have happened to begin with.
“Maybe, we shouldn’t go. Everything is perfect, and I don’t want to take any risks.” I caught myself biting a nail.
Yukihyo stepped over a doll, a transport, and the destroyed remnants of a tower of blocks like a giant. He smiled at me with his beautiful mouth, and soothed me through our empathic bond. “There is no risk. Furthermore, this is a social trip for you and Dario and a business trip for Ponidi Propulsions. I plan to meet with ship builders. For you, meeting with House Galerius is your duty and may even end up being enjoyable.”
Sparrow’s voice reached us. “There won’t be anything to do onboard other than your favorite activity.”
Xavier said, “I have gathered together several books, games, and arts and crafts. You can also work on your prototype in a shielded lab.”
“I wanted to go mountain climbing.”
Xavier said, “We have plenty of time for that. Anyway, the mountain goats are in heat. Now isn’t a good time to climb.”
Sparrow snorted. “You stay in heat.”
Yukihyo met my eyes and grinned.
Unlike Sparrow, Tracy and Terre were excited to visit Daphoene. Between the two of them, they had most of our free time planned. Sparrow wouldn’t be bored once we arrived. I had been insistent about having one day of extravagant shopping.
When we boarded the Empress, my ladies and I discovered that the males in our lives had made their own preparations for the trip. A room beside the nursery had been cleared of furniture and transformed into a playroom. Another room had been remodeled to resemble a small salon complete with massage tables. Kaoti led Violet to a chair, helped her get comfortable, and then placed Poppy in a walker beside her. I put Peter in the starship walker that his brother and sister had outgrown. I noticed that someone had found our wooden baby swing and had set it up in the sitting room.
“Chirp! Chirp!” Thunderdrop spotted a color shape in the new playroom and ran for it. Neema and Niklos ran after him.
“Here, Sparrow. Sit and relax,” Xavier said. After she sat in a chair, he covered her with a blanket, and put a basket full of books beside her.
Terre and I sat on a couch. A grinning Phillip covered us with a blanket and offered us yarn and knitting needles. Not really caring what they were up to, I shrugged and picked a skein of pink, purple, and blue yarn along with a set of thick needles of Arachnean wood. Tracy sat and contentedly studied Daphoene’s marine life on her vid-screen.
Dario, Eli, Drex, and Farowyn had each given me hugs and kisses before boarding their ships. Momma and her ladies had been insistent that our arrival to the planet be a grand display. Traveling with me were Yukihyo, Nico, Fitz, and Zared. That in and of itself had the tension easing from me. Four husbands were a much more manageable amount. Although, Quaid had alluded to the possibility of us seeing each other soon in one of our conversations. Having nine husbands was overwhelming me, and they knew it. However, even with only one husband a piece, my ladies had been feeling just as overwhelmed. Violet was tired due to her pregnancy. Once we were in orbit, our husbands left us to our own amusements.
“They must have realized they were wearing us out,” Tracy mused.
“Thank goodness,” Terre mumbled.
“Is that the reason for the spoiling, or do you think Terre’s mother scolded them?” Sparrow asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t care. I’m just going to enjoy it while it lasts. Each of you only has one. I’m dealing with nine. What the stars was I thinking?”
Sparrow said, “I can bet I know with what you were thinking. However, Quaid is away with Daddy on the Hadrian, and we don’t see them often enough.”
Agreeing with her, I finished casting on.
With my husbands keeping themselves busy, the children and I had the next morning to ourselves. Our day involved them sneaking into my bed and cuddling with me until we fell back asleep. Waking up with Neema on on
e side, Niklos on the other, and Peter glued to my chest had me waking up in baby heaven. After breakfast, Violet and I took Thunderdrop and the children for a walk around each deck. Holding onto Poppy’s stroller stabilized poor Violet.
“Feeling better?” I asked her.
“Yes, I’m just tired. I thought this journey would be too much for me, but it is turning out to be just what I needed.” She gave me a small smile.
“I think we all needed a break.”
“Chitter.”
“No, of course, you don’t. You are a very strong and fierce spider. You are as formidable as Yukihyo.” I nodded sagely at him.
“Drop is good,” Niklos said.
“Very good,” Neema said as she threw her doll up in the air for Thunderdrop to catch.
“Chirp!” He attached lines of silk to the doll’s arms and made it walk before our strollers along the corridor. The children screamed with laughter at his antics, and several crewmen did shocked double-takes at seeing what appeared to be a tiny baby walking along unassisted. Violet and I laughed along with them.
We passed Cedrenus, Ross, Binder, and Izaac who were on their way to the gym. Thunderdrop’s antics didn’t surprise them. I hoped that Inquisitor Rovek wouldn’t see me. I had been participating in our studies, but I wasn’t in the mood for sparring or jogging. Izaac winked at me and telepathically promised to redirect Rovek’s thoughts away from me. I blew him a kiss.
After lunch, instead of exercising, Terre and I tried out the massage capabilities of Ulf and Choji. We learned that aside from being talented masseurs, they were both flirts.
By the time Daphoene came into view, the five of us had read all of the novels that Xavier had bought for Sparrow, had knitted all of the yarn, and were in need of new amusements. Hours before we were supposed to dock, Choji and Ulf got to work on our hair. While waiting for them to be done, we watched the newsfeeds from Daphoene and chuckled to ourselves. The Empress was shown approaching the planet, flanked by Eli and Drex’s warships, with Dario in front of her, and Farowyn behind us. We had traveled slowly enough for the Eloneave to keep pace. We were putting on a display for the citizens of Daphoene. Dario had coordinated our arrival for optimal effect.
“I’m arriving in my own ship, and the ones surrounding us belong to my husbands. How badass does this look?” I asked while admiring the sight on the vid-screen.
“Mommy!” Neema scolded.
I blushed. Yukihyo and Neema had a deal. Anytime a bad word slipped from my lips and she tattled, she got a new toy. She ran to him. Moments later, Yukihyo poked his head into the salon to smirk at me. He, Fitz, and Phillip were dressed in new suits. Nico and Zared wore their dress uniforms.
Fitz said, “By accepting Dario, you strengthened House Probus along with all of the Houses with which it has affiliations, including mine.”
I said, “That was kind of the point. Dario and I are friends. I trust him and find him attractive.” I shrugged. Dario and I would have the more traditional type of Parvac marriage of which Victoria had been lecturing us.
“Shall we?” Fitz asked as he offered me his arm.
Thunderdrop climbed to my shoulder, and we all made our way down to our transports. Eli slid into the seat across from me. Rather than a uniform, he wore a black suit that did everything to accentuate his strong shoulders and dangerous good looks. Too often, my Inquisitor worked to disguise himself to blend in, hiding his attractiveness so he wouldn’t draw notice. His lips lifted in a subtle smile causing me to raise my eyes from them and to the intelligent set of eyes above them that studied me. Leaning back in my seat, I studied Eli in return. He was mine. I didn’t have any reason to be ashamed of ogling him.
“Eli, are you trying to seduce me with your choice of formal wear?”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “I thought you should know how it feels.”
I laughed at him. “What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying that you should be seduced, and often. Everything you wear, I want to remove slowly. You are like a gift I receive each day, and time slows to an excruciating pace as I eagerly await the moment when I can tear the wrappings and bows from you. During the course of this day, this night, tomorrow, the next day, and the next for however long it takes before I touch you again, know that all I think of is your bare skin beneath my palms.”
Eli’s intensity heated my core, forcing my body to breathe faster in a futile attempt to cool itself. However, I knew of only one thing that would douse my flames, and it was the slick tongue that he had used to seduce me with his words. Eli knew me well. He knew what made my heart pound, and that sweet heartfelt words were my weakness. Through the bonds we shared, Yukihyo, Nico, and Zared shifted uncomfortably in their seats. My passion and need had ignited their own.
“Thanks, Eli. Now, we can all be horny as hell for the duration of this party,” Nico grumbled.
Eli smirked at him. “Deal with it. I spent the last two and a half years painfully aroused. True torture is unrequited love, and bliss is having your love returned.”
Eli did love me, and I loved him. I asked, “So, when do you plan to display me before your family?”
“You have taught me something about myself, Teagan. I am selfish and don’t want to share you with them. I’d rather take those wasted hours and keep you for myself.”
I couldn’t take my eyes from his. Eli held me in a trance of longing and desire. He broke our eye contact to catch something Yukihyo tossed to him. Curious, I looked at it and saw a small bag of ice. Nico snickered. “What’s that for?” I asked.
“To cool his lust,” Yukihyo said sardonically.
“Chirp! Chirp!” Thunderdrop found us all to be amusing. My spider baby had been in an adorably playful mood. He placed his front legs against the transport window and looked out.
“Oh! What’s that, Daddy?” Neema asked. Her jade eyes had gone wide.
Sensing his sister’s excitement, Niklos strained to see. My jaw dropped. On the lawn of the primary seat of House Galerius, was a playground paradise. It put our children’s parties on Parvac to shame.
“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Neema fought her seat while Yukihyo tried to get her out.
Nico freed Niklos, and I took Peter. Dario came to my door and opened it, helping me out. Placing my hand on his arm, I dragged my eyes away from a merry-go-round whose seats were colorful birds in flight with a sculpted tree at its center.
“Princess Probus, may I introduce Praetor Galerius, my father, and the Lady Lillith, my mother?”
I curtsied deeply to Dario’s parents. They shared the same black hair and brown eyes as their son, and neither of them appeared to have any blood other than Parvacian running through their veins. Praetor Galerius’ eyes were deep with a wisdom I found to be intimidating, but his mother seemed sweet and almost innocent despite her years. After exchanging pleasantries and making the rounds of introductions, I soon learned why. The women of House Galerius had spent their lives sheltered and protected. They had never suffered, been hurt, beaten, or forced to fight for their survival.
While I didn’t think that any of the Galerius women could win a fight against a silk square, they had devoted themselves to the pursuit of knowledge. Even though I felt superior to them in the areas of self-defense, weaponry, and captaining a vessel, I felt grossly and intellectually inferior to them even though they made no attempts to elicit such feelings from me. The ladies of House Galerius were astounded that I could fly a fighter ship. None of them had ever bothered to learn to drive a transport. They didn’t need to learn. There was always someone available to assist them with anything they might need. In fact, security was so tight at the Galerius estate that Eli had given Kaoti the day off. He was enjoying the playground with Violet and Poppy.
When I snuck away to the bathroom, Terre followed. “Are you alright?”
Before I could answer her, Sparrow and Tracy squeezed into the room with us. Sparrow asked, “Is it just me, or do you all feel like cacti in a greenho
use full of orchids?”
I widened my eyes. “So, it’s not just me?”
Tracy said, “I feel more like a whale floundering in the desert. Mother always drilled manners and proper behavior into my brothers and me, but this is an entirely new level of refinement.”
I laughed at the image and felt sorry for the whale.
Terre said, “You should all be proud of your accomplishments. Being from other star systems, it may take some time before you become accustomed to our ways. I experienced some rather extreme cultural shock while on Scipio.”
With a straight face, I asked, “Was it in your vagina?”
“Teagan!” Terre’s cheeks turned red.
“Well, that is where you surrendered to Phillip’s manly attentions, right?”
She rolled her eyes at me. “I had set my mind to him previously. Those females….” Terre’s embarrassment turned to anger.
I asked, “Don’t you remember me warning you about how females throw themselves at him?”
Terre nodded. “Phillip and I have spoken of that sort of behavior at length. Females may throw themselves at him, but he will no longer be catching them.” Her strict tone sent us all into fits of laughter.
Eventually, we saw to our toiletries and returned to the party. Dario grinned at me from where he stood conversing with his father and one of his uncles. He put his drink down on a table and walked over to me. Vice Admiral Dario Galerius was undeniably sexy when he strutted across a room. I smiled at the twinkle in his eyes. My friends left me to join the company of their husbands. Dario moved in close and leaned down to whisper in my ear.
“Are you enjoying the party?” His breath tickled my neck making me smile as he moved his hand down my arm to take my fingers in his.
The Inquisitors (The Space Merchants Book 6) Page 29