Arobi's Queen: A Mate Index Romance (The Mate Index Book 11)

by S. J. Sanders

  With a muffled chuckle, Hayley struggled with the large cloth. Folding it in half, she laid it over her lap and was still nearly engulfed in the thing. Tanji scowled at it. That didn’t seem right according to what they had seen in the vids. But he was distracted when Hayley took a deep sniff of the stew and a puzzled look crossed her face.

  “Did you say this was stew?”

  Exeri nodded his head. “It is. I am not certain of many of the ingredients the recipe called for, and I tried to figure out some close approximations to our own. I hope you find the flavor pleasing.”

  If Tanji had not been watching the male, he would have missed the flicker of on Bilax’s face. He cocked his head, curious, eyeing the male as their female took her first taste. She immediately choked and began coughing, snatching his attention back to her. Exeri leaned forward, blocking him as he handed a glass of water to the female, which she gratefully drank in large gulps.

  At last, she set the glass down and looked up at the male askance. “That… uh, stew was very interesting, but tell me, was that loaded with cinnamon?”

  Bilax looked away, his ears drooping in embarrassment. “I do not know what cinnamon is, but then I do not know what pepper is either. I tried to look up more exact information on pepper, and its processing sounded similar to what is done with a berry that is harvested locally. I guess it was an inaccurate assumption. My apologies,” he muttered, lowering his head.

  Silence descended over them, each member of their pack pushing their bowl away. A snort sounded amid a sudden burst of giggles, which dissolved into helpless laughter. They watched her in surprise until she finally got herself under control and wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes.

  “I’m sorry. It’s not nice to laugh,” she said around another gurgle of laughter, “but I do think that is the first time I’ve ever had something that tasted like that in stew. I think maybe I should help you go through what you have so we can figure out what’s similar to Earth foods if you want to try again. Otherwise, I don’t mind having whatever you have.”

  The glum expression lifted from Bilax’s face as he smiled down gratefully at their queen. She was certainly full of surprises. He was going to lose his heart to their sweet-natured female. And now that stew was off the menu…

  Tanji pushed himself up from the table with a wild grin. “I will throw some meat over the spit! We will have something flame-kissed and ready to tear into within the hour!”

  Chapter 18

  The cinnamon incident aside, Hayley discovered that Bilax was a passionate cook. Though often taciturn, and boasting a bevy of scars rivaled only by Exeri, the glow of his red eyes seemed to get brighter with interest as they pulled out every fruit, vegetable, and spice and set them on the table in an orderly fashion, grouping together the spicy, the savory, the bitter, and the sweet. A set of labels sat piled on the table beside them so they could also label the spices in accordance with certain Earth flavors in addition to their regular ones.

  She was happy to help after days of trying to keep herself amused exploring the house and watching vids while the males worked, whether it was tied to the comm speaking to their employers or flying out to speak to those who had sighted the creature. Although they checked in on her and would often spend time with her, she looked forward to the evenings when the entire pack was together. They ate together, played cards, and even taught her a few games that they knew.

  They were never shy to touch her, either. An affectionate stroke of a hand or tail… though more than once a teasing touch meant something more. Especially when it was Tanji’s hands on her. She always waited with bated breath to see if it would turn into something more, but it never did. She was about ready to go out of her mind with frustration when Bilax suggested that she help him. She seized the distraction with both hands.

  The kitchen was pretty much laid out like any other kitchen. A small replicator sat on one counter that provided her with her regular coffee, though she was also coming to enjoy drinking intimbar in the mornings with the pack, which turned out to be their local equivalent of coffee. Outside of the replicator, there were the familiar sights of bowls, plates, cups, and utensils for measuring and eating. She would be able to work in the kitchen easily enough, but for now she watched Bilax work as she fiddled with the large, long-stemmed, deep purple flower.

  She had found the flower on her bedside table when she woke, just as she had been finding them every morning, but this time she brought it with her, curious as to who had left it. Bilax had merely grinned at her, but at her scowl he eventually broke down and told her that Exeri went out every morning to pluck a flower for her. The alpha wanted her to have something beautiful to celebrate the beauty that she had brought into their lives.

  She hadn’t known quite what to say to that. Thankfully, Bilax didn’t seem interested in a response and had gotten promptly to work. Within short order, there were all manner of unfamiliar ingredients set out in front of her. There was a ribbon-thin pink vegetable that tasted something like onions, a pulpy mash dug out of a fruit with a hard rind that tasted like garlic. She had also found flavors similar to oregano, basil, and rosemary. Salt, being a mineral, was at least one ingredient they shared, but sugar was entirely different. The sweetener Bilax had in his pantry was derived from the rind of a large melon that was dried and ground.

  She even found something similar to cocoa in scent and flavor, though it was a disturbing mustard yellow, which was a bit difficult to get around. The pull still too hard to resist, she insisted that Bilax take the powdered Ontang root and add to it. She was delighted that it made the perfect cup of hot cocoa with a slight mint flavor to it. As long as she didn’t look at it, she was good.

  Squeezing her eyes shut, Hayley enjoyed the rich, steamy drink while pretending not to notice that it looked like a steaming cup of liquid baby shit. Bilax, on the other hand, had no trouble savoring it as he drank it down. Obviously, he was never acquainted with the fecal matter of infants and could enjoy his blissful ignorance.

  Turning her attention to the last jar that they hadn’t yet investigated, she picked it up and shook it. Small magenta flakes that looked almost like tropical fish food tumbled around.

  “What’s this?”

  Bilax raised a brow and looked at the jar in her hand. “Embiram ash. It is a plant that is burnt and then ground up. Try a small amount if you like, but I warn you that it is potent.”

  Hayley sniffed and then tasted a dab of the spice. Her eyes watered and she grinned and handed the jar to the Arobi beside her. “Okay, now this is what pepper tastes like. Really strong pepper,” she amended after a moment of thought. “I would probably use half of what the recipe calls for.”

  He looked at it curiously. “Ah,” he said after a moment. “I believe that would make sense in the context of a savory meal, such as the stew I attempted. This is most helpful, thank you,” he murmured as he fixed a new label below the proper one.

  “Where did you learn to cook?” she asked.

  The corner of his mouth quirked as he set the embiram ash back in the cupboard and proceeded to return all the other ingredients back to their places in the pantry. His voice was low and even as he worked. “Most Arobi, in my experience, do not do much more than what you saw Tanji do last night. Meat seasoned with a few wild herbs and skewered over a fire is the basis of an Arobi’s diet. I had been forced to eat some horrible things during my time as a slave, and many other times I was left in the kennel to starve for days on end until my master deigned to feed me. Soon after we were freed, I went on an eating binge, much to Exeri’s dismay,” he added with a small grin.

  “Even though I knew that there would be plenty of opportunities for me to eat good food, I ate compulsively whenever I could. I could not control my instinctual terror that if I did not eat it while I had the opportunity I would lose it and go hungry. I ate so much a few times that I made myself sick, and my physical health was declining fast. Exeri worried for me, as did the rest of my pack.” />
  Leaning forward, Hayley stared, eager to hear more. “What did he do?”

  Bilax laughed, his eyes sparkling with humor. “He saw me trying to eat one of my favorite foods that I had brought home from a vendor at the port and knocked it out of my hands into the dirt. We had just erected our home here, and it was before we had saved enough for our personal flyer, so it would have been days before we returned. I was so angry that I leaped on him and dragged him to the ground despite my poorer health. I spent much of my adult life fighting in organized matches for my master, so I was not about to roll over and take it.”

  Hayley winced. She didn’t know Exeri well, but although he had been nothing but kind and patient with her, she understood that the Arobi pack worked within a strict hierarchy. Exeri was the alpha. He was the biggest and strongest—and he wouldn’t tolerate an attack from one of the other males.

  “That doesn’t sound good,” she returned sympathetically.

  “No, it definitely was not,” Bilax agreed with a laugh. “I ended up a mass of bruises with one arm in a sling for several days from my arm being overextended.” At her worried look, his grin widened. “Do not look so worried. I deserved every bruise and torn ligament. In truth, for a fight between Arobi, it could have been a lot worse. Exeri could have easily broken the arm to get me to submit quicker and incur less overall damage upon us both. I have seen alphas regain order in ruthless ways…”

  His words fell off and he frowned as if he said too much. In truth, it was more than she’d ever heard at one time from the male. “My apologies,” he murmured as he picked up his pace in returning the last of the containers. “I do not wish you think our species is comprised of nothing but brutish males that know nothing but fighting and anger. It may be true to an extent, but that is not us.”

  Hayley’s eyes fell upon the heavy scars networking over his shoulders, chest, and back. Lifting one hand, she traced the seam of one particularly thick scar.

  “What happened here?”

  He didn’t even look at her. Instead, he squeezed his eyes shut. Biting her lip, she withdrew her hand, but he caged it beneath his opposite hand, rising up over his shoulder over the puckered skin.

  “Please, I enjoy your touch,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “The scar was from an arena battle. My master put me against a Nakvidi, a monstrous creature with four great horns on its brow, a long, bladed tail that whips through the air around it, and eight clawed legs with which it can scramble to impossible places around the arena. It gored me there with its horns, and again on my belly,” he traced an ugly scar that ran across his stomach, “when I went in for the kill.”

  “Wait, you were thrown in an arena to fight it… alone?” she gaped.

  Bilax shrugged. “The Agraak of the city domes loved the spectacle. More regular fare was to pit one Arobi against another, but every now and then they enjoyed throwing their strongest slaves against monsters for the crowd’s pleasure. Never a pack, though. Very little can defeat the strength of a pack,” he observed with a smirk.

  “That’s fucking barbaric,” she spat. “When they invaded Agraadax, the Union should have taken everyone who participated in those events, or even so much as watched them, and thrown them in a pit together with nothing but a sword and a promise that whoever is victor gets the luxury of a prison sentence.”

  Bilax chuckled and turned beneath her hand so that he was facing her. His red eyes glowed at her as he reached and ran the side of one claw gently down her jaw. “Such bloodlust,” he rumbled. “You may be human, but your spirit is very much Arobi. We have been granted our perfect queen.”

  A hot flush of pleasure stole over Hayley at the rumbled-out words as he tucked her against his chest and settled his jaw on top of her head. She leaned into the hot press of his body, enjoying the feel of it against hers and the weight of his arms around her. Clearing her throat, she snuck a glance up at him.

  “So, I need to know the rest of this story. What happened after Exeri handed you your ass?”

  A laugh startled out of him, he shook his head. “You humans and your odd colloquialisms. As it happens, after he ‘handed me my ass,’ he brought me inside, shoved me into the kitchen, and pulled up the kitchen comm. He told me that if I wanted to eat, I would make it with my own hands and benefit the entire pack in a constructive way rather than make myself sick and continue with my tendency toward food aggression. Learning to cook, to always know what food was on hand, and how to turn just about anything I have into a filling meal—it did a lot to decrease my anxiety. I fell in love with it, being able to enjoy wonderful food by my own efforts. To be able to create something for enjoyment, rather than destroying.” His mane fell forward, sliding against her cheek.

  They stood there together like that for several minutes. With obvious reluctance, he released her and shot an appraising look around his kitchen. She followed his gaze. Everything was neat and tidy.

  “I must start the afternoon meal. The pack may come rolling in here, ravenous.”

  “You guys always seem so busy. What do you do during the day?” she asked as she slipped over toward a large bowl of fruit on the counter.

  Bilax shrugged. “We keep a steady routine unless something specific calls our attention, as you have seen with the latest problem we have been trying to track down. We all patrol our territory early in the morning to make sure that there are no signs of predators or people breaching it. I come in to start the morning meal while Simah and Tanji do a bit of cleaning. Exeri tends to like to sharpen and inspect weapons at that time. After the morning meal, we see to any daily business that needs attending. Today, however, the pack decided to scout where most of the attacks have occurred and thoroughly investigate the last mine where the creature was seen. Since you were helping me with the kitchen, I elected to stay here with you today. They will either return at midday for a meal, or they will be tracking the creature, in which case I will store the food in the cooling unit until they return.”

  “Isn’t that a bit dangerous to do without all four of you together?” she asked, pinching her lips together. “You know no one has to stay with me, right? I can watch myself,” she added with a small smile. She didn’t want the guys to feel like they had to babysit her, especially not when they might need their full fighting force.

  The male gave her a puzzled look. “Why would one of us not want to stay with you? You are the heart of our pack. We would not be able to get anything done if one of us was not here to protect you. This is routine for us, dealing with these creatures. The pack will be fine. You have been an enormous help this morning.”

  Hayley plucked a shiny purple fruit from the bowl and sighed. “All right. I just don’t want you guys to feel like someone has to stick around and keep me company. I can find… something to do.”

  Fiddling with the fruit, she looked around the spotless house at a loss. What exactly would she do here? She’d been going out of her mind with boredom. Not even watching vids was keeping her attention. The guys didn’t seem to need her. She felt like she was more in the way than anything else. Yet they were always happy that she was there, even if she didn’t feel particularly useful. From now on, she would get up earlier and help with the housework. At least she would feel like she was pitching in that way. With that decided, she lifted the fruit to her mouth and paused before pulling it back to look at it suspiciously.

  “This is going to be sweet, right?”

  Bilax chuckled as he pulled down a large bowl. “Yes, the fruits kept in the bowl are all sweet. Enjoy yourself.”

  Biting into the fruit, she closed her eyes and moaned as flavor crystals literally burst on her tongue like she had thrown Pop Rocks into her mouth. It was sweet and tart, the pulp of the fruit fizzling on her tongue. A low, raspy growl made her eyes open only to find that the sound came from Bilax. He was pressed close against the counter, his breath coming out in raspy pants as he watched her. Hayley knew what it was like to be caught in the gaze of a predator. Yet, instead o
f fear, she felt a thrill fill her. Slowly, she snaked her tongue out to catch a dribble of juice that ran down the back of her wrist.

  The male shuddered and turned away, his muscles tensing with phenomenal control until finally he let out a slow breath and walked to the pantry to pull out ingredients. A smile stretched across Hayley’s face as she noted that he was not as unaffected as he was trying to be at that moment—his swollen sheath stood sharply away from his body.

  Reclining back against the counter, she continued to eat her fruit as she watched Bilax cook, his cock straining to burst free and his muscles twitching and tightening beautifully the entire time beneath the shiny black scales. She had never enjoyed cooking so much.

  Chapter 19

  The males did not come back for the midday meal, nor did they return in the early evening. As the hours dragged by, Hayley found herself at the front window, watching for any sign of the flyer returning. She had only known them for a week, and the first day they went back to work she found herself missing them after just a handful of hours.

  Although Bilax sometimes disappeared to check the perimeter of the house or the comm system, he was a comforting presence. Lunch was quiet without the rest of the pack, but he had not been concerned so neither had she. He had said that it was normal for the males to skip the midday meal, so the meal passed peacefully in their absence. Companionably, they cleaned up their mess and stored the leftovers for the other males before moving on to find things to entertain themselves.

  At first, she assumed that he would always be underfoot, watching over her like some stationed guard since he was the only male in the house. Instead, Hayley found herself with the freedom she normally had. She was quite appreciative, in fact, when he left her with Simah’s datapad to read books from Earth, which she was able to download through an uplink to the comm system, or play games in between roaming back and forth from the front window.