They headed towards the loading bay. Although Penny had brightened considerably at Armon’s declaration of service, Hel wasn’t sure how she felt about it. What’s more, she didn’t have time to dwell upon it. “Penny, I want you and Alexis to greet the women as soon as they enter our ship. Get them out of the loading bay on our side and sick the personal assistants on them.”
Alexis met them coming in the other direction. “That sounds like fun. I hear there are over a hundred of them.”
Hel quipped, “You hear a damned lot about what goes on aboard this ship. Are you sure you aren’t hard-wired into it?”
Flipping back her hair, Alexis revealed a tiny com device attached to her ear. “My Drale is a bit of a prodigy when it comes to electronics.”
“You’re making me covet. It’s one of the original sins, so that’s not nice.”
Laughing, Alexis murmured, “I’ll ask him to make you one.” Turning more serious, she cautioned, “Be careful around that damned Commander. I don’t trust him any further than I can throw him.”
“I won’t turn my back on him for a second.”
“I can’t believe Earth Gov just let him go.”
“I’m beginning to believe they’re incapable of ever doing right by someone.”
Stepping into the loading bay with Armon, she heard them attaching their ship to the docking ring. When the door slid open, Connor stepped through with another man.
“I thought you were bringing backup?”
Bringing up one finger, she pointed up. Armon dropped from the ceiling, landing on his claws with a growl.
The man with Connor took a staggering step backwards. “What the fuck do you call that?”
Swiveling her head to look at Armon, she tried to imagine what it would be like to see him drop down in all his flaming glory. He was large and little scary, but she honestly didn’t think he merited the reaction the other man exhibited.
“Calm down. He’s a sentinel.”
“Do you have the stones?”
Kneeling beside the box her drones had left behind, Hel lifted one of the hand-sized stones and tossed it to him. Catching it in one hand, he smiled. “These are the ones. I can feel the effect when I hold it.”
“I’m glad to see there are some alien things you approve of, Commander.”
Shooting her a dirty look, Connor shouted, “Send the scruffs through.”
Skinny, alarmed women were shoved through the docking ring in small groups. His sidekick slapped every woman on the back as she walked past sending them stumbling forward, counting them off.
“He’s going to need to stop hitting them, or I’m renegotiating the trade by ten percent.”
“Cut it out, Baxter.” Turning to Hel, he jeered, “Still trying to save the ‘verse one person at a time, Watson?”
“That’s the job we both signed up for. I don’t know what in the hell you’re doing, though.”
“Making my way using whatever tools are at my disposal.”
Baxter shouted, “That’s all one hundred and thirty of them.”
“There were a hundred and thirty-three. Our deal was for all of them.”
“The other three are in bad condition.”
“Then you had better get them here before they die. I might pay for damaged merchandise but I won’t pay for dead ones.”
Raising his voice he shouted, “Bring in the other three.” Glancing up at Hel he murmured, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, girl.”
Several of his crew brought in three women who were beaten and barely conscious.
Hel shouted into her com device. “Get healers down here immediately. We have three women down.”
They must have been waiting just outside the bay because they rushed in with floating transport boards and immediately began loading the women up as the others looked on in horror.
“It’s pretty stupid to damage your own merchandise.”
“They were inciting the women to riot. I made an example of them.”
“I can’t believe I was even feeling guilty about killing you. Shows I’m nothing like you, I suppose.”
A malevolent grin split his face. “The thought of you trying to kill me makes me want to laugh.”
Bringing her hand to her chest, she stepped back. “You misunderstand. I won’t be killing you. We have people for that now.”
Quicker than anyone could see a huge claw whizzed through the air. At first Hel though Armon had missed, then Connor’s head slowly tilted back, rolling from his shoulders in a gruesome display. As the body fell into a bloody heap, Hel turned to look at Armon.
“See how I did not pounce on him and rip his throat out? This is me being civilized.”
Armon’s growly voice made her want to pat him on the head and say “good doggie”, but since her initial reaction was bizarrely out of sync with the situation, she simply nodded her approval.
“Sorry, but I’m amending my offer. We’ll be leaving with the women and my payment. I’m leaving the beacon, so the Galactic Council security team should be by to pick you up soon.”
“You heartless bitch–”
“Don’t start. I might decide to just clean house while I’m here. None of you have really pissed me off, so I’m letting you walk back onto your ship. I’d get moving, ‘cause the Maruvians don’t tolerate women being abused.”
The crew members made a run for it and she could hear their docking ring being disengaged. Turning to the women and children, she tried to think about what to say to alleviate their concerns.
Penny came bouncing into the room. Skidding to a stop in front of the bloody body of Commander Connor, she stilled.
“He can no longer harm you, my little queen. You are avenged.”
Turning to look at Armon as he spoke, she took a deep breath and flung herself at him. “Do you think my bad dreams will go away now?”
Wraping her in his arms, the growly creature replied tenaciously, “If they do not I will make them.”
As the medical team removed the injured women, Raec stepped forward. “Welcome to Vraden’s Pride, my queens. It is our honor to rescue you from the pirates who stole you away from your home world. Rest assured my queen is wise and compassionate. She will see that you are well cared for and make it to your destination of choice safely.”
Vraden joined him. “My son is correct. Please know you will be well cared for aboard out ship. We are your humble servants. If you will permit us, we would like to see that you are cleaned, fed and rested.
One of the women spoke up. “You just killed a human. Why should we trust you?”
Hel approached Raec and Vraden, sliding her arm around Raec. “Allow me to address that issue. They didn’t kill anyone, I did. Connor tried to rape my little sister. Since Earth Gov didn’t see fit to punish him, I did. If you’ve got a problem with that, your quarrel is with me.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Helena Watson. I used to be an Earth Gov soldier, but now I am the person in charge of this vessel. Raec is my chosen mate, and Vraden is his father. I’m taking us to the Maruvian home world. If you do not wish to stay with us, Queen Carolyn will see that you are escorted safely to the world of your choice. Maruvians do not purchase brides like the other worlds. We only accept women who truly wish to join our family groups.”
“What’s a family group?”
Smiling, Hel responded sincerely, “Why don’t we get you all cleaned up and get some decent food in you and we’ll explain all about that.” She could see their anxiety levels coming down.
Chapter 15
~ Hel ~
Music Mix
The women took turns showering and changing into whatever could be found for them to wear, mostly gowns. Everyone squeezed into the dining area to eat.
“Wow, you have oranges!”
Penny stopped zooming Armon’s infant around in the air long enough to explain. “Not really. I’d been eating that stuff for weeks before I discovered they have a machine that genetica
lly re-sequences food. We had some food from Earth and the drones just started replicating it for us when we ran low.”
One of the women held up a perfectly round orange. “You mean this isn’t a real orange?”
“If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I consider it a duck.”
Turning back to her task, Penny held the child out with two hands under his belly and slowly moved him horizontally through the air. “Come on little guy, you can do it. Flap your wings.”
Raec sat down beside her with a tray of food and they began feeding each other.
Several women stared at them curiously. “Why do you two feed each other?”
“A lot of species have strange food-related customs. The Krylonians have colonized multiple worlds and insist upon feeding their women by hand. The Shardon clones eat with little pinchers and are all over the place when it comes to eating with a woman. Since they haven’t had women in a really long time, they’re developing rules for interacting with them. My guys are Maruvian. They’ve always had one queen per ship or per world. Naturally, they’d be happy to literally do every single thing for you, including feeding you. I like to take turns so that’s what Raec and I do when we dine together.”
“What did you mean by ‘family groups’?”
“When it comes to alien races, you have some choice. The Krylonians and Shardon clones mate one male to one female. Krylonian males get their women pregnant just like human males. Shardon clones, use the normal process to get pregnant but then remove the child early on in the process and incubate them until they are full term. They feel it is somehow healthier and the women can get pregnant more often. Maruvian males are a pretty mixed bag. I’m sure you’ve noticed some warriors have wings and some don’t. The ones without wings have dicks.”
Several gasps could be heard and the women all began whispering among themselves.
Penny stopped her flight training long enough to comment. “I did not know that.”
Feeling her face flush, Hel continued, “The males with no wings get you pregnant just like human men. The ones with wings normally carry the young in their bodies. Winged Maruvians are asexual, however they require the presence of pheromones to initiate parthenogenesis. Long story short, being exposed to high levels of female pheromones will trigger their reproductive system. The children are almost exact physical copies of the father, except they have unquestioningly differing personalities.”
“So since your guy has wings, that means you don’t have real sex.”
“My Raec was spawned from a long line of what the Maruvians call queen makers. They are specially bred to be breeders for their queens. They are the only insectoids to have both male equipment and wings. They can also have quite a few young at a time. Raec is currently carrying eighteen of my young.”
One of the women quipped, “How exciting. He doesn’t look pregnant.”
Raec stood, pulling aside his uniform indignantly. The sac imbedded in his side was now bulging slightly and had taken on a translucent quality. They could clearly see the small eggs all bunched together.
Running her fingers tenderly over his sack, she murmured, “Some women are really put off by an insect heritage, but I hardly notice it. To me, Raec is just the man I love.”
Beaming, he bent down to kiss her.
“How are you even going to take care of so many children?”
“The drones all work together. Raec’s brother has almost fifty children. They have certain men who do nothing but raise young. They would be what we think of as childcare workers.”
“This is all blowing my mind. What do you call the dog-like creatures?”
“Well, they’re not dogs, they’re people. They talk and make decisions for themselves, just like you and I. They’re actually sentinels. They attach themselves to a family and become their guards.”
“What a fantastic idea. I wish one would chose me.”
Smiling, Hel answered, “I wish that as well. So far none have approached me though.”
They stayed for a couple of hours answering questions and spending time with Penny. Alexis was conspicuously missing and Hel suspected she was with Drale. The quiet little drone liked to tinker with electronics. He’d even made Penny a strange little robot to play with.
Entering their quarters, Raec made a little frustrated sound. “Human women annoy me with their questions. I thought they would all be like you and your sisters.”
Taking off her clothing, Hel asked, “How are we so different?”
“You were quick and observant. You didn’t cringe every time we spoke our own language.”
“We weren’t scruffs. These women are among the most poorly cared for on our world. They were easily captured and exploited by Connor and his group of misfits. The sounds of your language is like screaming to our ears. They are probably afraid you will turn on them.”
“That would never happen, as you well know queens rule among our kind.”
“Well, you father is following Queen Carolyn’s idea of developing small family units. Most of the drones aboard this vessel have joined one.”
“I hope you are not suggesting we do the same.”
Laughing, she climbed into her large bath. “Certainly not, I’m having a hard time enough keeping up with one queen maker. I have no desire to add more males to our family.”
“You see us as a family unit?”
Somehow he was naked and stepping into the bath with her.
Biting her bottom lip, she kneeled and kissed the bulge holding her young. “You better believe I do. You’re all I’ll ever need or want.”
Looking down at her, he slid his hand down to remove his swelling member. Stroking himself with his large hand always made her hot for him.
“You never did choose a name for this new mating ritual. We’ve got a lot of women on board, so you better be quick about it before someone beats you to it.”
“Something about having you on your knees before me stokes my need.”
“Perhaps because it drives home how much I worship you.” Leaning forward, she licked him from root to tip. His hand fisted in her hair as she sucked him into her mouth. Feeling the large man trembling in her mouth made her clit throb with need.
Suddenly, his wings unfurled behind him, and she knew his need to dominate was about to surge.
Going soft in his hands, she allowed him to rock back and forth into her mouth. Using her tongue to drive him mad, she ran her nails gently down his firm buttocks, encouraging him to take the pleasure he wanted from her. It was a pleasure she was all too eager to give the man who had claimed her heart.
When she felt him cresting, he pulled out. His wings lifted her into position for his mouth to return the favor. Dropping to one knee he buried his face between her legs. His pose was familiar. Then it hit her, it was the same one the drones used when they first approached her. It must be their way of offering themselves to a woman. Instantly, another piece of their culture fell into place for her. She just prayed she’d remember after the string of mind-numbing orgasms Raec was intent on dishing out this evening.
Chapter 16
~ Hel ~
Music Mix
Standing face to face with the Maruvian queen, Hel was flanked by Raec and Vraden. Penny and Armon stood off to the left and Alexis and Drale off to the right. Arac had been too frightened of the possibility of calling up another queen to even put in an appearance.
Queen Carolyn’s king, Igor was at her side with an armload of young. It seemed the couple spawned almost continuously. The queen looked like a Maruvian dream come true. Her long slinky gown fluttered around her ankles as she walked. A jeweled headband sat upon her head, making her look more regal than the queens of ancient Earth. Her hair was braided in a complicated arrangement around her head and studded with little jewels. She was definitely the queen her males were looking for.
“We welcome our Maruvian brothers and their queens. Let us join together in creating a safe sanctuary where our kind c
an thrive and live in peace with their queens.”
Standing in front of her throne, she held her arms open wide at her sides.
“You and your drones have done our people proud in rescuing the Dratex trading vessel and rescuing the human queens from the clutches of evil space faring pirates. The Galactic Council of Worlds is offering us a seat at the high council table in recognition of how quickly we have adapted to their rules. It is a great honor, for it means Maruvians will now take their place beside other member nations in determining the future of trade in our region.”
Hel suppressed the urge to smile at the woman, wondering if she always used such over the top terms like (evil space faring pirates) and such.
“Let our skies be filled with the thunderous flapping of the wings of our joined forces, and let those warriors destined to walk grace the ground of the first sovereign Maruvian world with their glorious footsteps. Let your ship join in the protection of our world. Let two queens join as one, to rule and protect what matter most to our people.”
Shaking her head, Hel stepped forward. Waving her hand at the opulent surroundings, she explained. “You seem very good at ruling. Looks like it’s in your blood and you’ve taken to it like a fish to water. I’m not so much queen material myself. Being a former Earth Gov soldier, I can probably be useful in leading your drones in battle. I’m surprised to find I have an aptitude for that.”
Stepping back, Queen Carolyn tilted her head slightly. “You do not wish to co-rule?”
“Not really. I’m worn out and tired from our exploits. I’d rather take a time out until my young are born and contribute in other ways.”
“But you have a queen maker at your side. I am told that will solidify you into the position of leadership.”
“How about we try this little thing I’ve been experimenting with? It’s called ‘Tell them what to do instead of letting them tell us.’ I know bloodlines are important to the Maruvians but, the way I see it, your young will need mates and queen makers are the only ones who make actual queens. It makes more sense for me and everyone mated to one of Vraden’s sons to leave the ruling to you and concentrate on making queens for your sons to mate.”
Queen Maker's Bride (Alien SciFi Romance) (Celestial Mates Book 6) Page 10