by H. E. Trent
He could do a lot worse than having a man like Headron for a mate. In fact, Esteben wasn’t entirely certain that he could do any better, but he was so confused. He was supposed to aim higher.
Is Headron really so low?
Esteben needed a reality check, and fast.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Erin, what are you doing?” Erin heard Court whisper in the dark.
“Shh.” Erin pulled her pillow over her head. She didn’t want to talk to Court. She wanted to sleep, not have a therapy session.
Court lifted the edge of the pillow and said, “Don’t tell me to shh. You need to tell me stuff.”
“What kind of stuff? You’ve already accused me of having vicious PMS and for being an unreasonable witch, so what’s next?”
“I think you are being an unreasonable witch, but that’s not entirely your fault.”
Sighing, Erin rolled onto her back and stuffed the pillow under her head. “You’re not gonna let me sleep, huh?”
“Nah. You’re a cranky asshole.”
“You said so yourself—PMS. I’d love if I could just have a fucking period already and get it out of the way.”
“Sorry,” Brenna muttered from the other side of the bed. “We’re probably syncing cycles or something. I’ve got another few days to go.”
“It’s not just you,” Court said to Brenna. “It’s Headron.”
“What the hell does Headron have to do with my PMS?” Erin asked.
“Don’t get mad, but I talked to the boys about this.”
Erin sat up in a hurry. “You talked to Murk and Trig about my fucking PMS?”
“Shh,” Court said and pointed down to sleeping Kerry as if Erin had forgotten just that quickly that the little wild thing was there. The kid flailed in her sleep, and all Erin could do was endure the bruises.
“See, I got knocked up the first time before I could witness a Jekhan mating cycle,” Court said.
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“I’m trying to explain this, but I’m not doing a good job. Headron’s been off-kilter this week—distracted and spacey enough that I mentioned his behavior to Murki.”
Brenna sat up and put on her glasses. “What are you getting at?”
“Murk said it was hormones. Ronnie-boy’s are synching with Erin’s.”
Erin groaned and put the pillow back over her face, not that she thought that would stop Court from talking.
“Further, according to my dudes, when a woman has been around her mates long enough, she becomes receptive to their pheromones, and at the end of her cycle, she starts getting really pissy because her hormones are crashing all over the place. Usually, though, those pheromones don’t occur unless you have a pair of males and their hormones are playing off each other.”
Erin was glad Court couldn’t see the cringe on her face. “Interesting.”
“Yeah, I’d say so.”
Erin felt the bed shift, probably Court rolling onto her side to stare at her sister even harder.
“You know, you can tell me stuff,” Court said.
“Not sure what you want to hear.”
“The farm isn’t so big that you can keep secrets for long. Maybe you should come out with it and tell me who you’ve been screwing.”
“Way to put a fine point on things, Court.”
“I’m your sister. I’m not gonna beat around the bush.”
“Heh. I wish I’d had a sister instead of that punk I got,” Brenna said in a wistful voice.
Erin snorted under the pillow. Brenna was at the farm and not in Buinet with her father and brother because her brother was the reason she’d ended up arrested and imprisoned for pulling data from the police databases. Her father had been a Grade A fucktwat, too. The bureaucrat thought making Brenna an example for others not to follow was a better political move than to try to get her out of jail for a crime she hadn’t actually committed.
“Come on,” Court urged. “You best tell big sister what’s happening in case shit hits the fan.”
“Why would shit hit the fan?” Brenna asked.
“Because if she’s bumping uglies with two Jekhan guys who don’t know about each other, there could be bloodshed. Mates and children are amongst the few things Jekhan males get angry over.”
“I’m not bumping uglies with two guys,” Erin groused, and lifted the pillow. “Actually, I’m not bumping uglies with anyone.”
“Sure,” Court said. “Right now. I’m sure that after the rain passes, Headron will be back in your bed.”
“Okay, so our hormones are playing together. So what? Don’t assume I’ve had sex with him.”
Brenna scoffed. “Anyone who’s looked at him would have. I’d tell you that if you didn’t want him, I’d toss my name into the hat, but he’s obviously infatuated.”
“Okay, I’ll be honest. I told him that we couldn’t go any further until he figured out who his man was going to be. I didn’t think he would actually go out and look for anyone, but he did. And…maybe I got some side-dick while he was on his little mission.”
“From?” Court said.
“Maybe…I had sex with Esteben.”
“Oh. Shit.”
Erin sighed. “Yeah. I fucked up royally there.”
“And you liked it.”
“Now that is none of your business.”
“So, you liked it, then. And now those two are in close proximity. Do they know that...well, you know.”
“Does Headron know Esteben has plowed me?” Erin scoffed. “Yeah, because Esteben ran his mouth in that charming bastard way of his.”
Brenna sat up quick. “And Headron hasn’t tried to kill him?”
“Maybe he has. I’ve tried to put a lot of space between me and the two of them. I honestly don’t want to see the look of judgment on Headron’s face about what I did with Esteben, and I’m so fucking pissed at Esteben for having ratted me out the way he did.”
“Uh…” Brenna said.
“What?” Erin snapped.
“Nothing, I just...I saw them heading separately to the bathing room before I came to bed. I remember worrying that one would try to drown the other because they’re always so hostile, but I was drowsy. I didn’t dwell on it too much.”
“Oh, hell.” Erin pushed off her covers and rolled off the bed.
“Where are you going?” Court whispered.
Erin shoved her feet into her slippers and draped a spare blanket around her shoulders. Normally, she wouldn’t have bothered wearing so many layers, but with the extra personnel in the house, she figured a bit of extra modesty was prudent. “I’m just going to make sure those two don’t really try to drown each other. I doubt they will with so many people around to hear the struggle, but I won’t be able to sleep until I know they’re in their respective beds.”
“Need some help?” Brenna’s grin was wide as a crescent moon.
“Nope. Go to bed.”
“Darn. I may be the only person in this house besides Kerry who hasn’t seen a Jekhan dick.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing.” Erin closed the door softly behind her and then damn near sprinted to the other end of the hall.
The main house was built in something of a long rectangle with all of the bedrooms clustered at one end on the backside, storage and utility areas in the middle, and the bathing room on the other end. The bathing room was far enough from the sleeping areas that no one would be bothered by the sounds of pumps or sloshing water.
She put her ear to the door, and when she didn’t hear any sounds of struggle, she pushed the panel in. It swung quietly on well-oiled hinges, and instantly the scent of treated water and soap tickled her nose.
The bathing room was always somewhat dim. The expansive space had but three high-mounted windows, and those were mostly for ventilation. Even during the day, visibility was low. Jekhans didn’t like bathing in bright light.
There was no struggle, and no talking, either. Her gaze settled on the figures
bathing at the far end of the pool. Rather, one was bathing. The other was assisting.
She knelt low in the shadows to watch, not wanting to divulge her presence just yet. During the movie, they’d chatted quietly in Jekhani, and she’d worried about what they were saying—worried they were being abusive to each other.
Apparently, that hadn’t been the case.
Esteben leaned back with his shoulders pressed to the ledge, and Headron sat on the deck behind him. He pulled a comb slowly through Esteben’s hair, carefully smoothing and detangling the wet locks.
Esteben’s eyes were closed, and the parts of his body Erin could see appeared to be relaxed. She couldn’t tell the state of all of him due to the depth of the water, but his shoulders were low and he lacked tension in his usually clenched jaw.
Headron set down the comb and bent again, whispering in Esteben’s ear—an action that yielded no immediate response.
He picked up a bar of soap, dipped it into the water, and swirled suds over Esteben’s shoulders and down his chest.
Esteben said something then, but Erin couldn’t make out the words. Jekhani.
She didn’t understand why she’d be angry at them using their native tongue at first, but the longer she watched them interact—or rather, Headron doing the interacting and Esteben allowing it—she realized that their choice of tongue was isolating. They were using something that belonged to them, and she was an outsider.
An intruder. A colonizer, trying to claim something that wasn’t hers, or to strip something away from them because she didn’t understand it and didn’t want them to have it because she couldn’t have it.
That’s the reason we’re in this mess in the first place.
Terrans didn’t belong on Jekh, but they were there. She couldn’t let herself get in the way of their rediscovery of their culture and birthright, no matter how badly she wanted to take part. That was why she’d had Headron on a wild goose chase. That was why she didn’t want to make Esteben her pet Dom.
She stood, and then padded back to the bedroom.
Court looked up when she returned, and Erin shook her head.
“They’re fine,” she said quietly. “Not trying to kill each other. Just talking.”
Don’t need me.
“Calmly?” Brenna asked.
“Yes, calmly.” Erin didn’t want to talk anymore, and fortunately, the ladies let the subject drop.
She draped the blanket over the back of Court’s rocking chair and dived under the covers.
Kerry stirred, picking up her head and pinning her aunt with a tired look.
“Go back to sleep, booger.”
Kerry stared a little longer before putting her head back down.
“Just like Owen,” Court whispered with a chuckle.
“What do you mean?” Brenna asked.
“He’s one of those people who does stuff in his sleep.”
Erin snorted softly. “Don’t hash your words, Court. He’s a sleepwalker. Recovered, mostly. I don’t think he gets up much as he used to, but sometimes I’ll catch him sitting upright and fondling some little piece of technology. His eyes’ll be shut, but his fingers’ll still be moving.”
“He gets that from Granddad,” Court said.
“Which grandfather?” Brenna asked. “The senior Owen or the grandfather who stands in his shadow?”
“Oh, there’s nothing quiet about Grandpa Frank,” Erin said. “He just tries to keep his nose clean and stays out of trouble the best he can. He and Grandpa Owen were good friends. He was really depressed Granddad was gone.”
“They used to play cards together every Thursday night,” Court said. “I think he kept the vigil going for Granddad longer than anyone, and he of all people would have had to have known Granddad wasn’t really dead.”
“It’d suck to lose a friend like that,” Brenna said. “I wouldn’t have had any idea what that would have felt like until after I’d met you, though.”
“Oh, you’re full of shit.”
“Seriously.” Brenna sat up again. “I didn’t have any friends on this planet, except my brother, and I don’t know what kind of friend I could call him after he ratted me out the way he did.”
“Okay,” Erin said. “Now you’ve got friends and a hell of a lot more trouble.”
“I’m happy, at least.”
“Are you really?”
Brenna scooted under the covers once more, and put her glasses on the nightstand at her right. “Yeah. I am. Maybe I’m weird, but in all the time I’ve been living on Jekh, I never really felt like I was part of a family before now.”
“Yes, darling,” Court said with a chuckle. “You’re weird.”
“I was living with my father and brother in Buinet, but that may as well have been living with strangers for the way things turned out. I never really got to be myself when I was there. Actually, I’m still trying to figure out who that person is.”
“If you’d had a chance to move back to Earth, would you have?” Erin asked.
“Oh, yeah. I miss my mom. I miss beaches and barbecue, too.”
“Can’t do anything about the beaches,” Court said. “The closest one to here is over that mountain range. That’s a little more than a day trip.”
“We can do something about the barbecue, though,” Erin said. “All we need is a fire pit and a pig.”
“That sounds divine. I’m drowning in my own drool over here,” Brenna said.
Court chuckled. “After the rains stop and the ground dries a little, we’ll see what we can do.”
Erin furrowed her brow and sat up, something Brenna had said weeks ago sticking in her mind.
“What?” Court asked.
“Brenna said her parents got divorced and that her father took the kids off-planet without clearing it with the courts.”
“Yeah,” Brenna said. “That was actually very common during the initial settlement period. Potential hires here got higher priority if they brought older children with them.”
“That hiring preference isn’t specifically published anywhere, is it?”
“No, but everyone who’d lived here for a while figured out the preference quickly enough. I remember when my brother and I arrived here, all the men around seemed to be divorcees. We thought that was weird, but in time, I started putting two and two together.”
“Meaning?”
“Come on, Erin,” Court said sleepily. “I know you’re a hormonal powder keg right now and probably have a Swiss cheese brain, but don’t be dense.”
Erin shimmied a middle finger out from under the covers and showed it to her sister. “My train of thought was jumping from Point A to Point B, when quite obviously, yours has already moved ahead to the station at Point C. I was just going to say that it was interesting that divorce would prompt a major move, because Reg Devin is a divorce kid, too, right?”
“Ugh,” Court said. “Don’t mention Satan’s name in this house. I’m gonna have to burn sage again to erase the taint.”
“Sorry. But what were you going to say—what’s Point C?”
“The corporate busybodies who were coordinating settlement here wanted to get folks pairing off and making babies as soon as possible,” Court said, “but they also needed some stock in reserve, so of course they’d want to bring in folks like Brenna’s dad who had kids who were approaching their teens. They’d be ready to start pairing off within a decade whereas newborns—”
“Right,” Erin said. “You’d need twenty-five years for a newborn to be ready to have kids.”
“Yep. Same reason they recruited all those single moms to get matched up with farmers.”
“But what difference would it have made if Brenna’s father or people like him were single?”
Court gave Erin’s head a condescending pat. “It’s easier to grab yourself a native broodmare if you don’t already have a wife.”
“Exactly,” Brenna said. “It took me years to figure out that was what was happening, and I think that was o
ne of the reasons the settlement agency didn’t aggressively recruit female residents except for the farmlands. They wanted to integrate the women who were already here into their households, but then they realized how difficult to arouse Jekhan women are.”
Cringing, Erin rubbed her sternum and willed away the heartburn brewing beneath. “Rape or nothing.”
“Yes. I didn’t apply that logic to my childhood housekeeper until much later than I care to admit. She stuck around for a while, because where the hell else was she going to go? And I think that, in time, she did come to care for my brother and me, but I think she probably would have left sooner if she could have.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. When I was tossed into jail, I felt like I deserved being there just to make up in some small way for what she’d gone through. Worse, she was the only person who’d tried to see me before you broke me out. That was so risky of her.”
“Brenna, is she okay?”
Brenna smiled weakly and shrugged one shoulder. “She ran with the horde down into the barrens. She was from there, and was familiar with the place. I pulled a message off the farm COM from her a few weeks ago. I was stunned she thought of me and that she wanted to even try to get a message out. I let her know that I was safe and not to worry about me.”
“She’ll worry anyway,” Court said. “That’s what mothers or people who act like mothers do. Maybe she got thrust into the situation without consent, but I think she understood that you didn’t ask to be there, either. I imagine you were kind to her.”
“Tried to be.”
“You trying probably made a difference to her because nobody else was,” Erin said. She settled lower under the covers and closed her eyes. “People like your father need to be wiped off the planet. All those riots are going to end up meaning nothing. They’ll be just a lot of wasted energy and no one will remember fifty years from now. The history will be slanted. Folks’ll just ask why the Jekhans let this shit happen.”
“What are you gonna do?” Court asked. “Pick up a sniper gun and start assassinating bags of dicks from afar?”
“No, I’m not going to do that, but I can’t just sit around doing nothing. We didn’t do that in the neighborhood when we were kids and saw other kids getting picked on. Even when few people ever came to our defense, we didn’t look away when someone else needed help. We even helped those kids who’d hurt us before.”