Beth's Stable

by Amanda Milo

  “Narra, you better take a step back or I’m going to give less than a tevek that my brother’s being pursued by alien law enforcement. Can already tell you I’m going to care nothing at all that we’re standing in a busy alien street when I rut you senseless against a storefront window.”

  I step back, but I whisper, “We’ll save the window fantasy for later.”

  Qolt grabs me around the waist, throws his arm around my neck, and hauls me up for a breath-stealing kiss. “We teveking will.”

  “They collect fantasies for their bedpod?” I hear Prow ask.

  “I was just questioning this,” Oquilion returns. “I’m so happy to have Beth; she is my fantasy.”

  “Same here,” Prow agrees. “I can’t think of anything I’d like her to do or be that she isn’t already.”

  Tiernan clears his throat. “Whatever you say, Koundy.”

  Prow groans. “For the last time, I swear—it wasn’t me!”

  Qolt’s eyes flash down at me mischievously before he turns me loose, and goes after Ekan.

  CHAPTER 65—EPILOGUE 3—EKAN

  EKAN

  Five Na’riths stand smack in the middle of a jewelry store, eyes feasting on case after case of precious jewelry—and no one is alarmed.

  I glance down the line of us, and see we’re all grinning. The wicked curve of my mouth reveals my sharper-than-human teeth—and another look proves all of us are showing fang—but just as Beth had hoped, humans simply assume we’ve permitted a cosmetic upgrade on our dental work. Absolutely no one has shouted out that we’re aliens invading their planet for their coffee and cocoa beans, pets, and a couple of human children.

  Perhaps it’s our rakishly good-looking, eartip-covering hats. Perhaps it’s our otherworldly stunning toothsomeness. Or perhaps it’s the stacks of human cash we each hold in our fists.

  But the saleswomen are fawning. “All of you gentlemen are getting married?” one asks in disbelief.

  “That’s right,” Oquilion murmurs politely, peering into a case. “May I see this one?”

  The woman looks positively giddy as she shoves through her cowenches to help Oquilion in his ring quest. “If you don’t find what you like though, we have a shipment coming in tonight. We’ll have everything tagged and set out tomorrow.”

  Qolt’s shoulder connects with mine.

  I grunt, eyes pulling away from the scene Oquilion’s search is causing.

  Qolt jerks his chin down to the case in front of us. “White-gold band with all the sparkle and the big ruby in it.”

  I nod. “I’m looking at the gold one with the ruby stone.” I frown. “Where is my sparkle? There are no diamonds with the gold one?”

  Qolt’s hand wraps around the back of my neck and shoves me closer to the case—careful to cause no injury to me though, so he’s safe enough from my luck. “Right in front of you.”

  Both my hands slap against the clean glass. “Ooooh, shiny!”

  Before me, set on a sedate bed of black velvet, sits a ring to rival every other. The ruby is not large, but it’s so multifaceted that it’s sure to throw flash whenever it sees light. The diamonds crowding it give it real glitter—and I have to have it. “This is the one!”

  A saleswench appears in front of us, her reflection momentarily overlaying our respective ring choices. “Have you two decided what you’d each like?”

  “Assuredly,” I say at the same time Qolt rumbles a shockingly polite, “Yes, ma’am.”

  Beth’s been working on him, I see.

  The saleswench smiles at us, her teeth blindingly white. “You two make a beautiful couple.”

  We stare at her, blinking.

  “This machaii is my brother,” Qolt says slowly, dropping his hand from my neck like I might have a contagious case of itch mites. “I don’t care how lucky he is. I wouldn’t marry his ass if he was the last Na’rith in the universe.”

  The saleswench cycles through a couple different expressions before her face settles into lines of confusion.

  I smack Qolt with the flat of my arm against his arm. “Watch your words, jackleg.”

  The side of my head is heating up like a laser beam’s eating through it, so I know Tiernan’s glowering at us. “Well done, sack muncher,” I sigh to Qolt. “We’re about to get an earful, and I want to hold my Beth-ring.”

  Qolt leans forward, into the saleswench’s space and around me so he can send Tiernan a scathing gesture in silent return. “So do I,” he says.

  Clearly uncomfortable, our saleswench glances between us before she selects a round key from a chain on her neck, crouches, and fits it to the latch at the back of the case.

  “I could pick that in my sleep,” Qolt says under his breath.

  “Say we skip sleep—we can circle back to this shop and pick it tonight when they’ve filled their cases with their new shipment of lovelies,” I murmur in an equally low tone.

  “Deal,” Qolt agrees.

  “NO,” Tiernan growls so low that only our ears seem to register what he says.

  “He’s just lamenting that Beth’ll frown on the job,” I scoff to Qolt before I grin at the female in front of us as she selects the two rings Qolt and I have our sights set for. “That’s the one, thank you.” I hold out my hand to take my ring.

  “Free ring sizing is included if you buy it,” she offers. “Just have your partner come into the shop; we’ll be happy to size them and fix it.” Her smile is so open. Unsuspecting.

  Nebulas; cleaning out this shop will be so easy, it should probably be illegal.

  “Bet they won’t be happy if we hit this place after dark,” Qolt mutters, freakishly able to speak without even moving his lips. “May want to delay the plan.”

  “Nah,” I mutter back. “Gold rings are easy to resize. We can do it ourselves with the laser welder.”

  “Oh,” he says thoughtfully. “That’s right.”

  Oquilion strolls up to us, a small white box in his hand. “Whatever you two are planning, count me in. I haven’t had a chance to enjoy this planet yet.”

  Qolt bobs his head, agreeing, and I ask, “What’d you settle on?”

  Oquilion opens his ringbox with flourish, showing off a bold silver band with an eye-catching turquoise stone.

  Tiernan arrives next to him, but his eyes are narrowed on Qolt and I with suspicion.

  Qolt eyes Tiernan’s cupped hands. “You afraid it’s going to get snatched before you can give it to her? Let’s see it.”

  Treating it as if it might indeed jump off its velvet throne and roll away, Tiernan carefully opens his hands and pops open a plain colored leather-ish type box. Inside it sits a green-gold ring that’s fashioned into a leafy golden twig or vine or somesuch that will wrap around Beth’s finger, and do it beautifully. In the center of it, there’s what looks to be a chunk of brilliant moonstone.

  We all look to Prow. “What do you have there?” I ask him.

  He holds his rose-gold ring up pinched between his big thumb and ugly fingers. “Check this frequency!” he gushes.

  I peer at it in confusion. “That doesn’t look like gold or silver.”

  Prow draws his ring closer to himself, as if protecting it from my lackluster reception. “It’s not. It’s a human-metal. Supposed to be strong.”

  “But will it last a lifetime like gold?” I persist—mainly to pester him.

  As usual, Prow remains unruffled. He shrugs his shoulders the Beth-way. “Way I figure it, it’s like a relationship. It’ll wear, but if the worst happens and it breaks, with enough hard work and time, it can always be repaired. If I get the band replaced with a gold one, then we’ll come back even stronger than we started. I see no reason not to marry my Beth with this ring.”

  At that, we all stare at Prow, speechless.

  Oquilion recovers first. “Thank tevek Beth didn’t hear your speech. She’d never let me steal you away from her tonight.”

  Prow’s brow flattens. “Try it, jackleg.”

  Heh. I was wrong. He
can be ruffled.

  “What’s stuck to it?” Qolt asks, peering closer. “Looks like… food.”

  Prow’s jubilance returns. “That’s part of the ring. It’s a likeness of a popular human baked good called a cookie,” he confirms proudly. “Sniff it!”

  Qolt jerks back. “I’m not smelling your ring.”

  “Just try it,” Prow encourages.

  Oquilion groans, marches around Tiernan, and snatches Prow’s fingers, dragging his hand up to his nose.

  He pulls back, and laughs. “Oh, Beth’s going to love that.”

  We all shove in to sniff Prow’s ring.

  “The ladies said the smell will fade, but they’re sending me off with a complimentary bottle of cookie essense to reapply as Beth needs,” Prow says proudly, waving a small apothecary bottle.

  Oquilion’s torso tilts as he leans around Prow and calls to the saleswenches, “Can I purchase a bottle of cookie essence?” He barely pauses when he quirks a brow and adds, “It can be applied anywhere on a ring—or a body, right?”

  “I found the recipe!” An excited voice calls, and from behind Prow steps the saleswench who was helping him. She holds up her pocket tablet to show him something on the small screen. “If she likes cookies, she’ll love these. They are the best.”

  “Hmm,” says Prow, peering at it. “I’ll need the ingredients to bake these.”

  “Or,” the woman offers, “You can pick them up at the bakery next door. They have everything!”

  Prow returns her smile, his eyes beginning to dance dangerously. “Is that so? Right next door.”

  “See you there tonight,” Oquilion coughs into his hand.

  Prow nods and thanks the woman. “I’ll get her everything they have. I promise.”

  Tiernan sweeps past all of us, keeping his voice low enough human ears won’t pick up much of his words. “I have a mate, an infant, and a puppy waiting for me tonight. You jacklegs have fun.”

  The four of us stall behind him, and I think I voice everyone’s epiphany. “Are our priorities changing?”

  Prow licks his teeth. “I guess they’re bound to.”

  Oquilion looks between us. “But… after we empty the jewelry coffers and the confectionary?”

  Qolt snorts. “Tevek yeah!”

  ***

  The next rising, we present Beth with all sorts of Earthen foods to polish her sweet tooth, and besides her five rings, we’ve gifted her with anklets, bracelets, and a tiara fit for a queen from a gem-wealthy planet.

  She’s wearing a leather and lace skirt, and a tasselled blouse that keeps drawing my eye. That keeps drawing all of our eyes. She’s nearly spilling out of it.

  Beth holds up her beringed hand, admiring her many jewels. “I feel like a boho princess,” she sighs proudly.

  “Sounds like a good thing,” Oquilion murmurs, eyes squinted as he considers her human term.

  “It is,” she confirms for him with a bright grin.

  “Ready?” I ask her.

  She looks to all of us. “I love you guys. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Her eyes land on Prow, who shifts Annalise deeper into the crook of his arm. “And to her too.” She gives us a shining smile. “I’m so happy to marry you. Each and every one of you.”

  Our wedding ceremony isn’t a traditional human one—besides the four additional grooms to the single that a human would normally take—because rather than perform the wedding ceremony in a building, we’re marrying Beth in the galley where she learned to steal (iiwykia), and where we’ve laughed, loved (at least two of us have had her on the table), and lived with her—and where we intend to keep loving, and laughing, and living with her for a lifetime to come.

  (I haven’t yet had her on the table. We need to remedy this at once!)

  We exchange vows; mine with the addition that I won’t try to sell her in the future.

  Which I acted as if it was a grand concession on my part even though I have no interest in selling Beth ever again. Oquilion calls Beth his treasure; but I’d sell treasure in a heartbeat. Beth is my mate, the other half of my lucky heart, and I wouldn’t part with her now for anything.

  One by one, Prow, Qolt, Oquilion and Tiernan take her in their arms to whisper additional sweet promises into her ear, and when it’s my turn, I move to do exactly the same.

  Beth’s hand on my chest makes me pause. “Ekan. Is that a bag of…”

  I hold it up. “It is!” I cry, excited to show it off. “I went to the mane shearing shop after I escaped the authorities, and they sold me this bag of human hairs! Counterfeit Gryfala mane clippings will sell for a fortune!”

  “This is great,” Prow says next to me.

  “Isn’t it?” I crow.

  On my other side, Oquilion’s eyeing Beth’s expression as she stares at my bag of hairs. He sends me an insufferably large smirk. “Yeah. Now it’ll only be the four of us who have to fight for Beth tonight. Well done, jackleg!”

  THE END ♥

  Feels Like I’ve Been Locked in a Room with Five SpacePirates...

  ...And I’m not saying that’s a bad way to spend your time.

  ;D

  *♥THANK YOU FOR READING BETH’S STABLE!!!♥*

  I desperately wanted to share with you a cargo bay full of in-manuscript movie quotes, because I felt they would enrich your Beth’s Stable experience. Alas, for legal reasons, that’s a no-go.

  It’s my great desire that you still enjoy the story! I cannot tell you how grateful I am to share Beth’s book with you. You’ve been asking after her and her pirates for some time now, much to my delight. I LOVE YOU FOR ENCOURAGING ME! Every time I come across a review asking for a specific character’s story, I get giddy, and I’ve really wanted to bring you this adventure.

  I hope you had fun! ♥ If you get the chance to leave a review for Beth’s stable, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. (I’m really curious to read the reviews for this one, because I have reason to believe there might be a crowd-favorite Na’rith from the stable—best of luck to you if you are mounting a siege to take him as your own ;D!)

  Read on for Book Trivia, Cures for a Book Hangover, and a heartfelt Thank You tribute page(s)♥. Great Nebulas, you guys are AWESOME!!!! =D

  What’s coming on the next few pages may have gone a little overboard, but I had a blast putting it together. If you don’t get all the way through the extras, know right here, right now: I so appreciate you picking up Beth’s Stable. I hope you laughed, fell a little (or a lot!) in love, and had a good time hanging out with me,

  Amanda ♥

  www.AmandaMilo.com

  Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2DlAKR7

  Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/325214527918396/

  The Thanks Page!!♥

  I have many wonderful souls to thank for the multi-years’ journey.

  Right off, I know I’m missing people. I’m going to wake up at 2 A.M., gasping like Kronk over his spinach puffs, and I’m going to kick myself. But here goes.

  RIB-CRACKING RAKHII HUGS to DeAnn Holt Gurley! Lori Sophia Ann; I have to call you out for a special hug too!! You want hob hugs, Rakhii, or both? <*approving bouncy eyebrows*> ;D Jenn Freeman: same. Name your hug preference; I’ll see what I can do. And Victoria Kubasta, YOU TOO, and Sharon Marshall! I won’t ask you to put down your book to receive hugs—these guys are well trained and know to reach around the Kindle. Ditto for Lori Baker Swenson!! And Serena Akeroyd, HUGS FOR YOU TOO!! And Georgia Milionis-Peets: thank you. Tammy Simmons, you are wonderful beyond measure. (And a special thank you for championing Pasutha ♥.) Andrea Bergman, you are a treasure in every way… in other words: BEWARE NA’RITHS, they’d steal you for sure! Deborah Marble, I must warn you that you’d best watch out too. When nearly a half-dozen hot guys silkily accost you to take a ride with them in their spaceship, in real life, you should probably say no (but heck yeah, in a story, safely within the realms of fantasy, why YES, TAKE THAT RIDE =D) Alyssa Higley Fogg, I think of you when I se
e sunflowers. THANK YOU for being a ray of sunshine <3

  Lyda Eagle, you have keen sight, a sharp mind, and a serious set of skills. (A Taken movie quote could go right here... if only I could include quotes. Even better in this instance would be a Liam Neeson GIF. I’ll meet you on Facebook!)

  Ronika Williams, you tackle a rough draft with nimble fingers, and you ask *the perfect* questions. (I want to quote Batty Koda, one Batty-lover to another, but laws, so I can’t. But know that some beloved Robin Williams classics belong *here*.)

  ED, for smoothing out plot lumps and helping to detail a mud pie into a bas-relief. And for laughs and lines! Merci beaucoup. Best, best, best luck on Z! WITH ST. MICHEL COOKIES. Always with cookies.

  Serena Buffaloe, I love you!!!!! SO MUCH SAME To Yui Phitchaya Monsintorn, Megan Chandler, Marissa, Christie Howell, Twilla Love-Thiam, Lee Allen, Janete S. Lawson, Katie P, Androulla, Courtney Green, Sarah Spiegel, Becly, Romy Villegas, Sammie Jarrell, Katje, Shana Smith, Katie Spence, Melissa Taylor, Christina Miles, Julie Desormeaux, Karen O’Connor, April Harding, Sue Mitchell, Becky Snaith, Marlena O, Michaela Osei, Becky Matthews-Pease (you are SO cool!), Katie S, Kitty Smart, Trena Hoskins, Jennifer Ballam, Heather North, Melody Brown Steeger, Candice Cartwright, Tracy Madden-Nichols, JoAnna Mercer, Dana Chapman Wood, Tina Entzian, Yashika Bailey, Tatiana Joyce, Tammy Cavin, Della Bankert, Melody Diaz, Tiffany Trumm Jorgenson, Lisa MarieTree (Thank You for hilarious memes!), Hattie True (yes, fellow members of #AccidentProneAnonymousGroup meets in the ER, you’ll be in great company! =D), Susan Graham, Erica Watts, Rachel Selby, Kathryn Schilling, Sue Handshoe Bec, Hope Janes, Kylie Romney, Dawn Poole (you look fierce in your riot sweater, especially when you accessorize with, oh, let’s call it The Pitchfork of Motivation! ♥ XD), Joyce Sebo, Christy Gardner, Katherine Rose Spence, Ann Barrington, Katherine Burger Eftink, Andie Luton, Laura Davis, Sarah Nuckols, Susan Hudson, Allison Barnes, Susan Deahl, Emily McKay, Heather Bennett, Cindy Sherwood, and Chloe Gross (thank you for sharing your fabulous artwork—and fun factoids on the Gouldian Finch!=D).