“We will need to purchase a building to use as a factory. I would prefer one near our warehouse. I have a few properties in mind. Would you care to see them?”
“I’d love to!” I got to see one of them before I had to return home to Niklos.
The next morning, I spent time with Neema on the lawn as she held onto my hands and took tiny little steps. She was so cute in her poufy pink dress and bare feet. When Neema tired of walking, we played ball with Thunderdrop while Niklos played with his feet. Shortly after getting them down for their naps, I entertained the idea of taking one myself. However, my thoughts focused with stunning clarity as I saw Parvac through a view screen as a ship prepared to land. I ran from my room to my sitting room.
“Watch the children,” I said to Lorca. “Have my transport brought about,” I told Otto.
Then, in more of a jog than a walk, I went to the front of the Palace, hopped into my transport, and sped for the land port. I saw the Hadrian lowering to the surface from about two miles away. I wasn’t the only person who was more intent on the massive warships that were docking than on my own driving. Kane’s warship was docking a few miles away. I slowed down and drove with more care since traffic was heavier near the land port. My easily recognizable transport was waved through until I was halted at a safe distance.
Once the ramp was lowered, I waited in a state of nervous agitation for permission to drive aboard. I was too excited to make any sense of the thoughts and feelings bombarding me. Finally, I was able to drive aboard. I left my transport with the nearest crewman and ran for the lift. Eric and his bridge crew were still powering down systems when the lift doors opened. Quaid strode forward with obsidian eyes, and laughing I ran to him. I jumped and wrapped my legs around his waist. I hugged his neck and kissed him all over his face.
“Cousin, your Imperial guard is annoyed that you sped here alone from the Palace and in bare feet no less,” Eric said.
Quaid walked to his quarters with me wrapped around him. Playfully, I pulled at his collar with my teeth. He laid me down on his bed, and I released him only long enough to unfasten his pants while he removed my undies.
An hour later as Quaid held me in his arms, I said, “Six months is a long time to be apart.”
“It was much too long.”
“Don’t worry, Lord Bosh. I intend to make up for all of the time we missed together.”
“Lady Bosh, I may need time to recover from your recent attentions.”
I laughed at him and went to use his shower. Quaid, now with visible sclera, joined me. “We have to get back to the Palace. Niklos gets cranky if I’m not there when he wakes.”
“I am eager to meet our new son.”
I kissed Quaid again and sent all of my feelings of love to him through our bond. “Maybe you could put in for that vacation time now? As I’m sure you’ve noticed, my hormones are a little out of control.”
“Lady Bosh, you are a master of understatement. What happened?”
Frowning and shaking my head, I said, “I attempted contraceptive use. I was an emotional wreck. After Phillip removed it, well, it’s worse than last time.”
Concerned, Quaid asked, “Don’t you want more children?”
“I just wanted a break. By the way, magnetic storms make my heart stop.” Quaid’s eyes turned black. “Nico and Papa have men working on something to protect me. I just hope it isn’t in the form of another monitor patch. Thank you for the gifts you sent me. I felt hideous after my surgeries.”
Quaid kissed each of my faded scars. “You are beautiful, but all that matters is having you in my arms. You know that. Don’t you?” Quaid asked as his mind caressed my own.
I ran my fingers all through his thick blonde chest hair. “I have missed you so much,” I said as need surged through me.
Unfortunately, Quaid was spent. Not being one to disappoint, he rolled pleasure through me until I was clinging helplessly to him while water cascaded over us.
Once we were dressed, Quaid laughed at my bare feet. “Have you given up on shoes altogether?”
“No, I sensed you near and got here as fast as I could.” My answer was rewarded with a passionate kiss. When we left Quaid’s quarters, Eric blushed at me. I kissed his cheek. “Eric, you had better hurry to the Valen’s house. Everyone is there. However, I have to get home, quick.”
The Hadrian’s Laconian crew members smiled and stumbled over themselves as we passed them to the transport bay. Standing at attention beside my transport were Xavier and Jazon. I ran to Xavier, threw my arms around his neck, and cried on him just a little. I kissed his cheek.
“I’ve missed you. Maybe my dreams will return to what I’ve come to believe as normal now that you’re home.” I released Xavier and turned to Jazon. We hadn’t been on the best of terms. However, I decided to give him and awkward hug and a peck on the cheek. “Thank you both for keeping them safe and bringing them back to me. It took some of the stress off. The first couple of months you were gone were difficult.”
“You seem recuperated and rather energetic,” Jazon said sarcastically.
I knew he was referring to what I had been doing with Quaid. I wondered if he knew what I had been doing with his brother. I smiled sweetly at him. “Shall we return to the Palace? Maybe they won’t be as annoyed with me when I return with my brave husband and Imperial guards. I’ll even let one of you drive.”
I sat in the back on Quaid’s lap and ran my fingers through his hair. “I’ve missed you so much,” I whispered.
“Not as much as I have missed you. Worries for you have plagued me.”
“Well, you only have to worry about magnetic storms and the Warrior Caste. They are trying to drive me crazy. All they seem to want to do is wage war amongst themselves.”
“You could get away from it all by serving as the Hadrian’s Imperial Escort to the Laconian Sector and reward me for my bravery on Epopeus.”
“I would love that. Do you think we could visit Sinope?” I asked as I moved my fingers up under his shirt and kissed his jaw. Need for Quaid consumed me. His lips, strong shoulders, and hands had all of my attention.
“Teagan, control yourself,” Jazon said angrily as he tried to shield my mind and emotions from the physical demands of my body.
I rested my face against Quaid’s hair as Jazon and Xavier struggled to balance me out.
“Gary’s erotic Parvac movies fail to capture the intensity and consuming instinct of Parvac females to mate,” Xavier said worriedly.
After Xavier had parked my transport in front of the Palace, Zared and Izaac didn’t even bother expressing their irritation with me over my sudden departure. Instead, they greeted their brothers and then took them out to my patio for a private debriefing. I frowned at them through the window. It was odd watching men converse without moving their lips.
Papa threw a lavish ball in celebration of the successful joint endeavor of the Galaxic Militia and Parvac Empire that had saved the Talpa from eminent extinction. I smiled, chatted, danced, and made my way through the throngs of uniformed officers, crewmen, and beautifully dressed women. However, the tidbits of whispered conversations among generals and admirals that I overheard worried me. I feared something unsettling had been discovered in the Talpa Sector. Instead of worrying over news that they had no intentions of sharing, I did my best to entertain my family and see that they enjoyed the event.
The next morning, I asked Papa if we could accompany the Militia ships to Galaxic and Laconian space.
“Of course, you may go on an adventure. I believe that some time spent on Arachne will do you much good. However, I must insist you wear this and never take it off.” Papa handed me a square box with a bracelet inside. He removed it from the box and pushed it all of the way up past my elbow to my upper arm where it fit snuggly. It was plain and plated in platinum. “It will attract and reroute the stronger magnetic waves away from your heart. Hopefully, no more waves of the intensity that disrupted your heart will occur. This is simpl
y a precaution to make your Papa feel better. It should even protect you should you climb into one of those inferior Galaxic fighters with their magnetized seats.”
“Oh! I had forgotten about those.” I began to worry over all of the new potential hazards I faced.
“Your Papa has not forgotten. Now, while I wish for my darling to have an enjoyable visit, I must insist that you keep one of your doctors with you at all times. Also, I do not want you to visit either Malta or Earth. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Papa.”
Yukihyo had used our time on Parvac to purchase a factory space, move our scientists into it, and buy enough tribrillion to keep them busy during our absence. Also, he left them a budget for equipment, materials, and salaries in case they wanted to hire a few employees. Yukihyo was leaving Zeth in charge.
Chapter Nineteen
We boarded the Empress, and temporarily my excitement and happiness distracted me from my husbands. It also lessened the ache in my heart from watching Grandmother and Gram say their goodbyes. Soon, our ship vaulted up into the stars to join the Princess, the Hadrian, and the Constantine. Our ships were on course for Ephors where we would dock only long enough to refuel.
Since the contents of our other warehouse had been loaded into our cargo hold, Yukihyo began paying most of his spare attention to his vid-screen. We would need to transfer our cargo to Tora to make room for the tribrillion. Yukihyo wasn’t making any advance deals for the tribrillion. If word got out that we wanted it, the prices would go up, or someone else would beat us to it. Yukihyo had learned everywhere and from everyone he could buy it.
Throughout the day, Zared tried to hide his agitation from me, but eventually he admitted that he and the others had been using their combined abilities to redirect my thoughts from those of intimacy. Apparently, I had made them all desperate for a brothel visit. Unfortunately for them, Ms. Laura and the ladies had left the business. I snickered at Jazon every time he came near me. I enjoyed irritating him much to Phillip’s delight.
We were hours from docking on Ephor’s when we received a frantic call from Adini. “I can’t sense her! She was supposed to be on a camping trip!”
“Who?” Yukihyo asked his sister.
“Galina! Lonon is conducting a search but hasn’t found her. Oh, Ruyo. I don’t know what to do.” Adini was sobbing.
Yukihyo became still and tense with concentration. Then, his eyes took on ugly sparks of red, orange, and grey. He was furious. Adini and I both became still. Yukihyo didn’t get this angry very often. “I sense her,” he growled out. “Faintly. Await my call,” he said as he ended the call and stormed off.
I rushed after him. Zared followed me. Yukihyo jabbed the control panel in the lift taking us down to Deck Five. He and Zared began stalking through the crates. Zared held up his hand and motioned to Yukihyo. I grabbed Yukihyo by the wrist and shook my head at him. He was too angry to deal with his niece.
“Learn from Uncle Kagan’s mistake with me,” I whispered. Yukihyo allowed me to take the lead and opened the large crate that was supposed to be full of the paintings Dario had bought for me. Instead, terrified eyes streaked with red looked up at us. “Galina, your mother is very worried about you. First, we will call her. Then, you will explain.”
“Yes, Aunt Teagan.”
I held my hand out for her stolen neural dampener. Galina removed it and placed it on my palm. I gave it to Zared. Galina crawled from her nest. She had planned out her escape. She had a small portable waste unit in the corner, a sleeping bag, a backpack that she was using as a pillow, and a container of protein bars. Her water supply was running low. Galina took one look at Yukihyo’s face and started to cry. I did my best to comfort her on our way up in the lift.
Yukihyo called Adini who now had her husband with her. Once Adini stopped crying tears of joy that her daughter had been found safe, the yelling and screaming in Laconian began. I had no idea what Adini and Yukihyo were saying, so I took Galina to the dining table and had the chef make her something to eat. Pierce put her clothing through the cleaning unit. After she had eaten, I held her hand on the way back to the vid-screen.
“Galina, your mother and I will consider everything that has happened and speak to you about it later. Your Uncle Yukihyo and Aunt Teagan have our permission to treat you as their own. I suggest unfaltering obedience,” Lonon said. The screen went black.
“Let’s find you a room,” I said. Minutes later, Galina stretched out on her bed. “That must have been an uncomfortable trip.”
“Yes, I had to be quiet, too.”
“Well, while you are onboard the Empress, this will be your room. It is right across the deck from mine.”
Galina sat up. “Aunt Teagan, I’m sorry. I just have to meet my other grandmother. I want to know what my father was like. I want to know where I’m from.”
I sat down beside her on the bed. “I understand completely.”
“Yes, you didn’t even know who your mom was. That must have been really hard. I’ve always had mom, my aunts, and my grandmother. I don’t look like the other kids. Dad says I’m beautiful and shouldn’t worry about it, but I can sense how the other kids feel about me. Some of them think I’m weird.” Galina looked down at her feet.
Sighing, I said, “Well, most kids are assholes. Some of them grow out of it. Some of them don’t.” Galina stared at me. “What?”
“Nothing, Aunt Teagan. Mom’s going to make me go home. Are you going to take me?”
“No, I have plans. I’m thinking I’ll just put you back into the crate and have you delivered from Ephors.” Galina’s jaw dropped. Then, she started laughing. “Oh, you sensed I was joking?”
“I’m glad you aren’t mad at me.”
“I understand all too well how you feel, but Galina, what you did to your mom and dad was really mean. Your mother is alive, and she loves you. She was terrified.”
Galina teared up. “You’re right. Is it okay if I call her?”
“I think that would be a good idea.”
Galina was twelve and had been raised on Parvac. She didn’t need me to show her how to use the vid-screen in her room. I realized that I was only about eight years older than my niece, but that she knew more about technology than I did. Sighing again, I gave a nod of my head to Lonon when he answered her call and left the room.
Yukihyo was in the sitting room. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes were streaked with orange and blue. Happy that he had calmed down so much, I skipped over to him and kissed his cheek.
“My niece lied to her mother, snuck into our warehouse, and stowed away on our ship. I have reprimanded our security team. From where did she steal a neural dampener?”
“What did she do with my paintings?”
“What are we going to do with her?” Yukihyo asked.
“Whatever Adini and Lonon tell us to do.”
From behind me, Zared cleared his throat. I turned, pressed my back to Yukihyo’s chest, and put his arms around my stomach and held them there. “Galina found the neural dampener during a run one morning after your capture by Licinius. They were used in abundance that day. She knew she would need it to hide from Lord Yukihyo’s notice.”
Yukihyo responded with a string of Laconian words. I knew they were bad and wanted to learn them.
Zared continued reading Galina’s thoughts and said, “She hid the paintings under the bed in the warehouse’s apartment.”
“How did she get to the warehouse?” Yukihyo asked.
“She read the emotions of a young lady for the older brother of a friend in return for transport,” Zared answered.
Yukihyo freed one of his hands from me and rubbed his forehead. “This behavior must be culled. She is not yet a teenager.”
I wondered how Adini and Lonon would handle this. What would Yukihyo and I do in their situation? Grabbing us each a box of sweets, I sat on the couch beside Violet to watch how it would all unfold. Unfortunately, I got a stomach ache from the sugary sweets
before the situation had been resolved. I excused myself and went to the infirmary. Then, my indigestion turned into full-blown nausea when I caught sight of Licinius.
Jazon appeared at my left elbow. I looked up at him and asked, “What’s he doing here?”
“You vowed to care for him until he is recovered. I personally oversaw his transfer to your ship, Princess,” Jazon answered.
“I wish I could throw something at you right now,” I angrily whispered.
“Well, from the video I saw of you and Licinius, you can’t even throw a punch,” Jazon said quietly.
“You brought him here on purpose just to piss me off. Didn’t you?”
Jazon’s black eyes glittered at me. “How else will you manage to cry over him and kiss his forehead?”
I narrowed my eyes at Jazon. Then, I put on my sweet face, turned, and walked over to Licinius. His eyes hadn’t left me since I had entered the medical bay. “Drex, how are you feeling?”
“I am much recovered, Princess Probus. In fact, I am well enough to part from your company. Ephors is lovely this time of year.”
I glanced over at Dr. Savelli who shook his head at me. Then, I felt incredibly guilty. Drex knew that I wanted to get rid of him. I was being mean. I sat on the edge of Drex’s bed. “Oh, can you raise either of your hands straight up into the air?” I asked.
Drex attempted it, but the effort left him pale and shaking. Four stab wounds could do that to a man.
“I think you are just trying to escape from me. You fear that if you recover enough I will make you go shopping with me.” I pouted.
“No, never! I will do anything you wish and do it joyfully,” Drex said with sincerity.
“While we refuel, I have to go and buy a few things for Galina, my niece. Do you need anything?”
Omnes Videntes (The Space Merchants Book 4) Page 32