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

by S. J. Sanders

  A happy laugh bubbled out of her. Her pack! Her males! Her skirt flapped around her knees as she ran toward them. However, she came to a painful stop when a large body stepped out of nowhere right into her path. The collision made her yelp in pain as she went down to the ground. The hulking male in question turned around to stare down at her, his sandstone-colored skin bulging, thick with muscle. The crest of horns on his head made identifying his species easy enough. Terils were one of the prominent species of the Union, and most people on Earth knew them.

  What in the world was a Teril doing here, of all places? They were noted for having estates on their binary planets. She squinted up at him as he grimaced apologetically down at her.

  “My apologies, little human. I did not see you there,” he rumbled as he stooped over to pick her up effortlessly and set her back on her feet.

  A low, threatening growl sounded. “Step away from our queen!”

  The large male’s brows went up as he swung around, his face splitting into a huge smile. “Ah, my Arobi friends! I should have known that if anyone else were crazy enough to come to this backwater planet, it would be you!”

  Exeri tugged her away from the Teril, who only watched without any sign of offense as the alpha tucked her behind him. Only then did Exeri relax and grin at the imposing giant of a male.

  “Grish, I would have thought you would have returned to your family on Telif Prime. I had heard no news of you for revolutions.”

  The Teril wrinkled his nose and waved a large hand in an unmistakable gesture of disgust. “Bah! Life on Telif Prime was not for us. Nothing to do. What interest do we have in politics and our mother’s schemes to secure a powerful mating alliance for our family since our other siblings did not mate well? We are decorated warriors and therefore would get a good match if we wanted it. We hated every minute of it,” he growled with a deep chuckle. “We had to leave, especially with the way everyone fussed over Borth like he is an invalid when he is still very much a strong warrior, despite the injuries he sustained.” He shook his massive head solemnly before a smile once more pulled at his face.

  “Let me store the supplies I have picked up in my flyer—surprisingly, this market was the nearest one with what we needed, despite being on the other side of the continent—and we can meet for a meal at Egorwulth Tavern.”

  Exeri nodded as the other male departed, carrying a giant crate that Hayley hadn’t even seen when she ran into him. No wonder he hadn’t seen her. It was almost as big as he was! She stared after him in shock until Exeri turned her so that she faced him. His red eyes searched her face.

  “Are you certain you wish to remain with us? We will not keep you if this is not the life you want. Your freedom means much to you.”

  Hayley smiled up at him, running a hand across his cheek, feeling the silky slide of the tiny scales. “And I just realized that’s exactly what I found. With you guys. I mean, I really need to get out of the house more, but you let me taste a life free of fear. It’s the best sort of freedom. Free to be myself, to be loved for who I am by those who I can always trust to have my back.”

  “Always,” he growled in agreement, yet he couldn’t hide the vulnerability in his eyes.

  “I didn’t mean to leave you,” she whispered. “It was an accident. I was having trouble processing what all of this meant in our uncertain life together—having access to your money and all—and it was a lot for me. Too much, I think. But I didn’t mean to ditch you. I thought you might find me, but then the crowd…”

  Bilax snarled at that, startling her. For the first time she noticed that he had a fresh cut across his chest and that the entire pack looked trodden. “That crowd was why we lost you so easily. Too many scents to follow when you got pulled away from us. We tried to track you, but every trail led to others that you must have brushed up against. Then the Uxoli, scum of Antari prime,” he spat, “would not allow us to get past to find you. Drunken fools!”

  “That was all the commotion that I heard? I thought a brawl had broken out somewhere.”

  Tanji grinned at her as he scooped her up in his arms. “Not a brawl, just four very angry Arobi who could not find their mate.” He sobered in an instant. “We love you. I do not care that your human stories say that it’s too quick, but we do. You are a part of us.”

  “I don’t know what I feel exactly,” she admitted, unable to ignore the sting of hurt on their face, “but if it’s not love yet, then it will be soon. I can’t imagine any kind of life without you in it. I’m not sure if that’s love, but you guys are really what I want.”

  “Sounds like it may be love to me,” Simah put in with a small smile. “Because we feel the same way. You are the heart of our pack. We would be lost with you.”

  “I knew that you love us, but could not convince these idiots of it,” Bilax grumbled.

  Laughing, she threw her arms around him. “Of that I have no doubt! You’re right. I do love you. All of you!”

  Exeri stared at her for a long moment, his face relaxing as he nodded. “You are our queen. You chose to walk with us. You are ours. We claim you and shall keep you. We offer our protection to you and our pups for the remainder of our lives. We are pack.”

  “Yes,” Hayley whispered, a warmth springing in her heart. “I choose to walk with you, and to be claimed by you, even as I claim you in turn. I accept your protection and offer you my love. We are pack.”

  Elation filled his face, and all the males crowded closer to her once again, murmuring their words of adoration. Hayley hugged each of them, whispering more words of love until they finally pulled away.

  Swiping her face with the back of her hand, she grinned at them. “Now let’s get to that tavern, because honestly, right now I’m dying for something to eat.”

  Exeri steered her back to the stalls. “First, we get you what you require. A comm unit, a datapad, and some new clothes to start. Anything you need. We will do this on our way back through the market to the tavern.”

  “Food can wait,” Bilax agreed, though he delivered the proclamation with a pained wince.

  Chapter 26

  Several shopping bags sat piled in one corner behind Bilax, between the wall and his chair, as the male smiled in clear anticipation at the feast before them. Food crowded the table when Grish came into the tavern. Simah glanced up at the male and smiled, making space at the table for him. Though it had been many revolutions since their pack had served with the Teril brothers Grish and Borth, they held them in the highest of esteem. They were not only courageous fighters, but honorable males. Simah had been proud to belong to the same unit.

  “Ah, thank you, Simah,” Grish said as he sank into the chair. “It has been a long day. Our port-city near our farm is much smaller, and it was a long flight here, but well worth it. I found many supplies I needed that I do not need to order offworld for… and now, the added bonus of reuniting with old friends. And their female,” he added with a wide smile. “It is good to see that you have used your allotted placement for ordering your mate as a retired officer. Borth and I submitted our application and are awaiting approval so that we may search for our own mate. It will be strange to have such a tiny mate, and others may judge us for not taking a Teril mate, but my brother and I agreed. I understand that Commander Vish is retiring soon and will be doing the same. It is an exciting time for us.”

  Simah shook his head in disbelief. “My apologies, did you say allotted placement?”

  The male’s smile slipped. “You did not know of it… then how did you… ahh, tell me that you didn’t purchase a male’s spot,” he said with a disapproving frown. “I have heard that there are unscrupulous males doing such things, and it does not sit well with me.”

  “We were not aware,” Exeri admitted. “We had few options as we understood them for getting a mate, and acted as we saw necessary to find a queen for our pack. We would not trade our Hayley for any other female.”

  Simah nodded eagerly, happy to see the pleased blush rise up
in their queen’s cheeks.

  “Bah, I do not blame you. Whoever did your release documentation should have explained how the mate allotment worked. That they did not is very suspicious. In your place, I may have done the same, given how difficult it is for your species. It is just a shame, because I know that some male took you for all of your savings to acquire her. But I am delighted to meet your queen.” He turned to Hayley and struck his chest with his first. “I am Grish. It is my utmost pleasure to meet the mate of my fellow warriors.”

  Simah watched her carefully. She had paled when the Teril had spoken of how expensive her price must have been in their dealing with the Edoka, and she hadn’t missed the way that Bilax muttered “pretty close to all of our savings” in reply to the male’s statement. He didn’t want her worrying about credits. It was done. At the moment, he was more worried that the much larger male might intimidate or scare her. She stared at him silently, but at his introduction, she smiled and nodded in greeting.

  Grish beamed at her response before turning to raise a brow at Exeri. “Are you going to bring yourself any problems now that you have your mate with you?”

  The alpha hesitated and grimaced. “Truthfully, I do not know. We believe that the Itashvanda who heads security at the space station was suspicious, but we have not heard anything conclusive. I have my contacts keeping me updated.”

  “Good.” The male grunted as he leaned back in his chair, taking a deep drink from a tankard that was set in front of him. “Life is good, my friends. Good food and drink, and beautiful mates,” he said with a wink in Hayley’s direction.

  “Speaking of mates, tell us, do you still have that great monstrosity you call your pet, or are you planning on allowing Matida to share the bed with your new mate?” Tanji leaned forward to tease, his eyes alight with humor.

  Grish chuckled. “Of course we still have our Matida, and I’m certain that any female that is sent to us will come to love her too. She is very affectionate.”

  “Matida is their giant pet tantogal. You would call it a giant lizard. She is about half your size and possesses almost as many horns on her head as Grish has,” Simah leaned down to explain to their confused queen.

  Hayley choked on her drink and, after coughing for a moment, began to laugh. “That sounds terrifying.”

  “My friend Simah, I must correct you. She has grown since you saw her last. I would say that from snout to the tip of her tail, she’s almost as large as your fair mate,” Grish interrupted. “I suspect that by the time we have any young, she will be full-sized and can carry them about. You must visit sometime. Our farm is quite spacious.”

  Exeri looked over at Hayley. “Perhaps it would be nice for our queen to enjoy another setting,” he admitted. “We do not have many opportunities to take her around to explore as I suspect she would enjoy. Not with the Megaraisi Corporation refusing to send us any reinforcements for our current problem.”

  “Ehk, tell me you jest. You could not possibly work for that horrible Calystii company. Least scrupulous bunch of people I have yet to meet. I have known pirates who were kindlier and more considerate,” he said. “When we bought our farm, they tried to get us to join their farming cooperative. Said they would provide us all that we need, seed and equipment. In return, they wanted eighty percent of our crop. We told them what they could do with their offer. Borth and I have more than enough for our seed and equipment and everything else our farm needs. We will not be signing control of our crops over to them. We will sell on the free market.”

  “They hired us and relocated our pack to this planet with a stipend,” Exeri said. “Our pack keeps the wildlife from disturbing the mines and the large corporation-owned farms, and in turn we are compensated well for it. Unfortunately, a new problem has come up. There is a larger predator that we believe has come down from the mountains, unlike anything we have faced before. We asked for assistance, but they refused to give it—unless we give them something that they want.”

  “Of course,” Grish snarled. “And what do they want, your first-born offspring or your blood?”

  “Every pup born from us,” Exeri replied.

  Simah stared at him in horror, sickness settling into his belly. That was not possible. Exeri met his eyes, and Simah felt the illness replaced with gradual fury as the alpha continued to speak.

  “They will reward us and give us the help that we need only if we pledge our males into service for the first fifteen years of their adult lives, foregoing all opportunity to find a pack and mate. And all daughters upon reaching adulthood would be taken from our home and left in a facility to be matched with Arobi males and brought to our planet with the intent of establishing a population of Arobi under the direction of the corporation.”

  “The hell they will!” Hayley shouted at such volume that it rose over the growls of their pack and the tavern went silent as eyes turned her way.

  Simah immediately shifted forward in time with Bilax, seated at her other side, while Tanji left his seat to crouch beside her and wrap his arms around her while their small queen shook like a leaf caught in the wind. Together, they blocked off all view of her until the tavern returned to normal. Only then did they return to their seats. By that time, their queen’s trembling had slowed, and she met Exeri’s solemn gaze.

  “They will not, I swear this,” he said. “We will take care of the problem of the creature by our own efforts. I will never allow the corporation anywhere near our pups.”

  Hayley’s jaw tightened and she nodded, accepting him at his word.

  Grish sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin. “The Mintigi near our farm say they approve our plot because we do not use the big machines like the corporation does. They say it rouses the creatures that sleep within the earth. Not just the creatures nearby who are bothered, like the corporation likes to tell everyone. The vibrations carry to the greatest depths, disturbing even the greatest of the horrors that dwell within the mountains. We do not have many mountains near our farm except for one, but we are all for not disturbing any terrible beast.” He chuckled. “Based on what they say, all the heavy machines are like someone calling them in. It attracts them, works them into a feeding frenzy. It is not a matter that can be controlled. They will keep coming, and eventually the big ones will hit. It would be a simple problem to solve if they used smaller tech and hired more people to use them like we do on our farm… but you know how they are.”

  “Why were we never told of this?” Simah asked. “They have reported news to us, but never have they said there was such a cause. We have assumed that it was just the local wildlife being disturbed, not that it carried such a long-range effect.”

  “Probably because you are at the command of the very corporation doing these things. Without the monsters, you will no longer have purpose… unless you wish to farm. Though I imagine that you can always find some smaller monsters at certain times of the year to keep you a little busy with some seasonal work. In the larger scheme I suppose it could appear to work in your favor to do nothing,” the Teril observed. “But I suspect that they really do not care what happens to the colonies or mines. They collect their credits running information, but their villages go undisturbed. If we destroy ourselves, it is not their problem.”

  “We have to do something,” Bilax muttered angrily. “I would rather farm and have my queen and pups safe.”

  Simah nodded in agreement. He did not miss the approving look on Exeri’s face or the harsh agreement in Tanji’s expression. Their pack was together on this.

  “I agree,” Hayley said. “Whatever the future may bring, if we ignore this it’s just going to get worse. I don’t want to imagine what will happen if we can’t contain it… or if something bigger and badder is brought down next time.”

  Grish hummed thoughtfully. “If there is no change, they will keep coming, bigger and meaner too, as the vibration leads the larger species your way. I guarantee they have already been disturbed and probably making their way in this direction.
What you can be dealing with may be the first of the behemoths. But it will only be the first. Until you get the support of the people to send away the corporation and change the way they do things, you will never cease having this problem. If the Mintigi are correct, that is, but I have not known them to be wrong yet about their own land.”

  Simah traced a pattern on the table with one claw as everyone sank into silent contemplation. He spoke slowly as the thoughts came to him. “What if we took down the creature, but instead of turning it in for bounty, we present it to the people? Show them what the Megaraisi Corporation is luring near their homes. How long until there are more deaths again?” he asked.

  A soft chime sounded and Exeri looked down at his comm, his mouth pulled tight. “Too late. An entire farm with all its occupants has been obliterated in the wake of the creature. Seven deaths. Three adults and four offspring.”

  “You can count on the strength of my brother and me,” Grish offered. “My brother would agree. Besides, I think he is a little bored. A good fight will put him in a better mood. But I think this creature is going to take more than a couple of old warriors and a fearsome pack. We need to call in a few favors,” he said with a satisfied smile. He lifted a hand in emphasis. “A reunion, as it were.”

  A smile pulled on Exeri’s mouth, and Simah felt a similar elation run through him. Hayley glanced at them, confused, but he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “When we return to our dwelling, I will begin to send out comms to our unit.”

  Understanding dawned their queen’s face but Hayley frowned. “Would they answer and actually come?”

  Grish boomed out a loud laugh. “There would be no stopping them!”

  Chapter 27

  The return back home was quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Despite the silence, the males—all except Simah, who piloted—crowded close to Hayley, their bodies pressing against her, tails trailing along her legs and hands caressing her. Every touch reminded her that they were there with her even if their minds were occupied. These were not sexual but touches of comfort, for her as well as for themselves. She understood, and would have been lying if she said she wasn’t occupied by thoughts of what was coming.