Nico’s loud laughter filled the house. I picked up Neema and walked from the sunroom to the sitting room. Even Kaoti had a smile on his face.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“I’ll show you,” Nico said. He took Neema from me and handed her to Kaoti. “You can drive.”
We went through the office to the garage which stretched the length of the house. I slid into the blue driver’s seat of my transport and waited for Nico to get inside.
“Where are we going?”
“Just drive us from the property,” Nico said. He was grinning from ear-to-ear.
After ten minutes of driving along the long forest road that led to our homes, I understood why.
“What the hell?”
I pulled over and parked on the side of the road. Two transports of indeterminant color had been shrouded in spider silk. The spiders watched their immobilized prey from the trees. The sticky mess made the transports appear to be white, and lines of silk dangled down to them from the trees. Broken lines fluttered in the breeze. Whoever it was they had trapped couldn’t open the doors or even bust out through a window. The sticky silk would hold the broken windows together.
“Why would they do such a thing? They have plenty of toys. What a mess.”
“They are protecting you from strangers,” Nico said.
He started laughing again when his vid-screen beeped. After answering it, he wiped at his eyes and handed it to me. An angry Dario Galerius peered back at me.
“Princess Probus, how do we free ourselves from this web?”
With a straight face, I said, “I apologize, Dario. I wasn’t expecting you. Please, be patient. I will have you free soon.” I gave him my sweetest smile. Then, I called Simon. “Hey, send some web collectors out to the main road, please.”
“Why?” Simon asked.
I showed him. “Parvac Vice Admiral learns to call first is what I’m hoping the headline will read.” Next, I called Papa.
“What has my darling in such a good mood?”
“Oh, Papa. It’s wonderful. Please, share the news with the Palace.”
“What is it?”
“Dario Galerius has come all of this way to visit unexpectedly.” I turned the vid-screen to show him. Nico was leaning against my transport laughing. Then, I got as close to the mess as I could without getting stuck. “Dario, I called for help. Are you alright?”
A muffled, “Yes, Princess Probus. However, I am rather surprised by the sheer number of somewhat large spiders along with the rapidity of their attack.”
“We were freaking swarmed by the monstrous-sized insects. It was like a black and grey cloud of death descending on us from out of nowhere. I’m gonna have nightmares.”
“Luca Braga, is that you?” I asked.
“Yes, I was worried about you. It’s been a month since I’ve seen you.”
“I’m safe here.”
“I can see that.”
“I need you all to remain perfectly still and quiet. My spiders surround you. You can’t shoot through their webs. Talking and movement makes them think they need to inject you with more of their venom. They see your transport as giant prey.”
“Oh, shit. Oh, shit,” Luca said.
I was still recording them. The spiders were several feet away blinking down at our spectacle from among the branches. I caught one spider hauling a ball through the trees much as Thunderdrop had done with me in the jungle while saving me from Pax. Now, Papa was laughing.
“It serves them right. They should have called first.”
I handed the vid-screen to Nico so he and Papa could laugh together. Simon arrived with men on rollers who began collecting the silk. Soon, we could see the men through the windows. I crossed my arms over my chest and shook my head at them.
“Thank you, Simon,” I said as I hugged him.
“Anytime.”
Luca, Dario, and the guards with them looked cautiously up at the trees. Luca made an obscene gesture at Nico who continued to record them while he laughed. Dario moved to open his door.
“No!” I said with my palms out to stop him. “You’ll be eaten. I forgot to feed them this morning. Just follow us.”
Nico laughed harder and got in the transport. I drove to the side of the house and parked in the garage. Simon had sent men over to clean the two transports. When Dario and Luca got out and saw spiders playing with drums and color shapes in the yard, they realized that I had been teasing them. I raised my hands.
“If you had intentions of hurting the families, you would be dead already. They can sense your intentions.”
“Oh, shit! Oh, shit!” Nico said as he mocked Luca.
I led them through the office and into my sitting room. Fitz shook hands and smiled. The more I was around him, the more I realized that he had been groomed since birth to rule. It made me feel out-classed. Quaid stepped to my side and placed my hand on his arm.
“What brings you to Arachne?” Nico asked.
Dario said, “Emperor Probus granted me permission to serve as escort to the Empress now that the Princess and the Constantine have left Arachne. Did he not inform you?”
“He did not,” Nico replied as his annoyance reached me through our bond.
Dread seeped into my happy place. “How many ships are coming?” I asked angrily.
Surprised by my reaction, Dario said, “None. I went through the proper channels to enter Galaxic space.”
I felt Zared calming my nerves. “May I offer you something to drink?” I asked.
“Yes, thank you,” Luca said with a seductive grin.
“Luca, you must be thirsty after all of the screaming you did,” Nico said. I planned to reward Nico for that comment later. “You are a general. How can you let a few of Teagan’s pets frighten you? They were merely being playful,” Nico added.
“The kitchen is through here,” I said as Quaid and I walked through our dining room.
“Don’t you have servants?” Dario asked.
“No, we do things for ourselves and each other here. Our home life is my concept of what it’s like for normal families.” I showed them where to find the cups, glasses, and beverage dispenser.
I knew it was coming, but it didn’t make it any easier when Nico invited them to stay for dinner. Drex wasn’t any happier about our company. After dinner, I decided to set firm boundaries. I was done being pushed around by the Warrior Caste. I was an Imperial Princess.
“If your intentions were to come here to protect me, thank you. However, if you came with intentions of relentlessly perusing me, I want you to return to Parvac. You are not welcome to interject yourselves into my life. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Princess Probus,” Luca said.
Dario bowed to me in acknowledgement.
“On nights when we have family dinners here, one of my husbands will extend an invitation for you to join us.”
We were in my house, on my land, and I wasn’t going to be pushed around. I held my chin up. I caught sight of Jazon grinning at me.
The next day, I followed my usual schedule. I wasn’t able to hide my agitation, and everyone noticed. I kept expecting Luca to pounce. Also, I felt like Drex was studying me. As the days passed, I began to relax again.
Eventually, I grew tired of my braids. Quaid and I laid in bed. I rested my head on his thighs while he unbraided my hair. I loved being with Quaid, and I dreaded his eventual return to the Hadrian. I gazed past his feet and out through the window at the trees. Everything was peaceful and perfect. He had gotten all of the braids out and began a slow massage of my scalp. The children were napping. Quaid and I took advantage of our time together. Afterwards as we dried off from our shower, I slipped my arms around him before he could put on his shirt. Closing my eyes, I just held him.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too. What is it that you love more, my sexy jawline or my chest?”
I smacked his butt. “What? You’re reading my mind again? I thought you had all de
cided to give me my mental privacy.”
“How can I avoid such thoughts? You are constantly thinking about how sexy I am.”
I chuckled at him. “Fine. Your hairy chest pushes me over the edge. I can’t resist it. I see it and want to rub myself all over it. Satisfied?”
We heard a noise in the hall and turned in time to see Fitz as he was about to enter his room.
“Wait. What?” Fitz asked.
“What?” I asked.
“You don’t find male body hair offensive? Thalassan women abhor it.”
Quaid strutted off to grab a shirt. “Our wife isn’t from Thalassa. She likes men who are wild and untamed under their veneer of civility.”
“Is that true? I spend hours removing it,” Fitz said.
I shrugged. “It’s true.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m not going to tell you how you should groom yourself. I thought you did it because you liked it.”
“No, I only started doing it after I saw your picture. What else do you like?” Fitz asked with concern etched into his forehead. I smiled and reached for his hand. “Tell me.”
“I like your rough hands and how smart and couth you are. Also, I like your nice friendly personality but how you turn savage if I’m hurt.” I whispered in his ear what else I liked about him.
“Let me share it with you, Lady Jiri,” Fitz whispered as he drew me into his bedroom.
Chapter Twenty-One
When Tora returned victoriously to Arachne having made deals to their satisfaction, Yukihyo returned to a wife who was in all ways stronger. He picked me up, twirled me around, and carried me off to our quarters on Tora.
“Seven weeks is too long without you. It was necessary to spend time with you alone here. When we get home, our daughter will demand my attention,” Yukihyo explained as he held me in his arms.
“Was I complaining?”
After two nights at home, Yukihyo was eager to travel to Carmanor. In the Empress, it only took us two days to arrive. We were still in orbit when the call from Governor Chorgh came.
“Do you want me to answer it?” Nico asked.
I frowned at my blonde giant. “No, he’s terrified of you. He likes Yukihyo. Will you please talk to him? I’m kind of busy.” I had just started feeding Niklos. I listened to Yukihyo and Governor Chorgh exchange pleasantries.
“I will be unavailable, but Teagan would love to. Thank you. Yes, she and her party will see you then,” I heard Yukihyo say. Then, he walked over and sat beside me. “Governor Chorgh remembered your desire to visit the ocean and will entertain you while I am busy.”
When we docked, Yukihyo took Izaac and Rozz with him along with a large land transport and some loose diamonds. Each of them was armed.
Sensing my apprehension, Quaid said, “Don’t worry. In the Laconian Sector, there isn’t a strong military presence. They know how to defend themselves.”
“From whom?” I asked.
“Chitter chitter,” Thunderdrop said as he showed me a mental picture of a bad monkey.
“Thieves,” Quaid answered.
Dario insisted on flying us to the location. I decided to leave all of the details to everyone who was so very eager to handle them. Violet wanted to stay on the ship and sleep, and Thunderdrop wanted to stay with her. I gave myself over to Lorca and Fitz, who kept scratching at his chest. They had very particular ideas about how I should present myself.
“Isn’t this a bit much? Aren’t we going to the beach?” I asked as I looked skeptically at the way Lorca had arranged my hair up in a braided bun.
“Governor Chorgh will be trying to impress you,” Quaid said from where he stood by watching.
“What do you think of this one?” Fitz asked Quaid as he held up a tiny white two piece of a flowery lace.
“Fitz, nobody wears those here. I need a swim dress.”
Quaid said, “It’s perfect.”
Eventually, we all boarded Dario’s shuttle. When the calm ocean came into view, I scanned the beach for the Chorgh family. However, rather than a few transports and beach umbrellas, I could see through the shuttle window that Governor Chorgh had a mansion by the ocean. Other than a few prickly looking decorative cacti and some potted flowers, the landscape was barren and white. The Governor had prepared for a party. Canopies dotted the beach, and uniformed servers stood ready. Apparently, he had gone to a great deal of expense on my behalf. I decided to be on my best behavior. Worry struck me.
“Nico, all of our people know that beach attire is required, right?”
Quaid laughed at my question.
“Yes, wife,” Nico replied.
I had refused to wear any jewelry to the beach other than my wedding ring, the diamond pendent I had made, and the armband Papa insisted I keep on at all times. Now, I was glad I had listened about everything else. Fitz had even planned how we would exit the shuttle. Eli, Xavier, Jazon, and Kaoti stood to either side of the shuttle door. My Imperial guards had dispersed and surrounded the property. I stepped from the shuttle on Quaid’s arm which put the Governor at ease.
“Princess Probus, it is a joy to have the pleasure of your company once more,” he said as he bowed over my hand and kissed my knuckles. I knew he could read my thoughts well enough to know how impressed I was.
“Governor Chorgh, I have looked forward to seeing you once again. Our last visit was so lovely.” Quaid and I were followed by Fitz who Quaid introduced. Then, Nico followed with Niklos in his arms. “You remember my husband, Nico Cassian, and this is our son Niklos.”
Nico handed Niklos to me so I could show him off. Nico tended to intimidate most people with his six-and-a-half feet in height. For someone leery of Parvacs, he was terrifying. His physical attributes when combined with his rank of General and the power he wielded made him a Laconian’s nightmare. We had hoped the baby would make him less terrifying. I gave Niklos back to him.
“Go to Daddy, sweet prince,” I said. Fitz’s plan had seemed to help a little. “Please, allow me to introduce my husband, Zared Ponidi.”
Governor Chorgh was torn between feelings of ease that I had a third Laconian husband and revulsion that Zared was a hybrid. However, when compared to Nico who had destroyed a moon with very little effort, ease won out. They shook hands. We were shown to the house where his wives and children waited. Pierce and Lorca took over Neema, Niklos, and Galina. Supervised activities had been planned for the children.
It seemed like the beach had been cleared for five miles in each direction. My guards were pleased with the security. Quaid quietly introduced Vice Admiral Galerius, General Braga, and Inquisitor Licinius while I spoke with the Ladies Chorgh. I walked over to the men in an attempt to break the tension.
“I’m overwhelmed at how beautiful everything is. You didn’t need to go to so much trouble for me. I would have been happy with an umbrella, blanket, and bottle of water.”
“You deserve far better than that, Princess Probus,” the Governor said.
When everyone changed into swimwear before going down to the beach, I shot Fitz and Quaid an annoyed look. The other ladies were wearing chaste swim dresses that reached mid-thigh.
“I told you this would be unfashionable. Now, what am I supposed to do?”
Fitz said, “Hold your chin up. You are lovely. Enjoy the calm waters.” He scratched at his chest.
“Poor Fitz. I’ll rub some lotion on your tummy tonight.” I hugged him and then scratched at his chest with my fingertips.
People stared at me as I walked with my husbands and guards to the water. I was glad I had been exercising every morning for the past several weeks.
“They think I’m scandalous. Don’t they, Jazon?”
“I think provocative might be a better description,” he replied.
Governor Chorgh failed to retain eye contact with me. At least the scar was just a thin white line between my breasts. “You should have seen it before the nanites got to work. It was horrible,” I said.
“Pardon me?” Governor Chorgh asked.
“My scar.”
“What scar?”
“This one. What were you looking at then?”
“You are quite stunning. Is this the fashion in the Empire?”
Nico grinned at him. “No, Teagan insisted on being respectful. Our women don’t wear clothing at the beach.”
Quaid chuckled. Fitz picked me up and carried me into the water while the men discussed ladies’ fashions.
“This water is so buoyant. It is so odd that there are no fish,” Fitz observed.
“I know! I don’t have to worry about anything coming at me.”
I watched as Dario, Luca, Drex, and Zared joined us. Phillip was standing under a canopy flirting with one of the servers.
“That was fast. He already caught one. Phillip catches females like I catch fish,” Fitz observed.
I nodded. “You men could find wives easily in this sector, maybe even a couple a piece. Go have fun,” I suggested to my unwanted suitors.
“I want only you,” Dario answered.
Fitz dipped us down into the water to our chins and then let me go. I laughed when I floated up without even trying. The day progressed without mishap.
“That went well,” Quaid said.
“Indeed, it did,” Phillip agreed.
Yukihyo returned and our cargo crew unloaded and stored the tribrillion he had purchased. Violet woke up long enough to eat and then went back to bed. A feeling of dread began to cloud my happiness.
“What’s wrong?” Phillip asked.
“Do you have to ask?”
Yukihyo said, “We aren’t going to Aurilius. Next, we travel to Trambelus Space Station. The Empress should have us there in three days. From there, we will go to Chione. I will call the Sidero Clan to have our home made ready. Then, Galina and I will call the Lady Galatea.”
Docking at the Space Station was exciting. Yukihyo insisted that the children remain on our ship. Furthermore, he and Quaid didn’t want Violet or me boarding the station either. That was enough to set Kaoti firmly against Violet leaving the ship. I tried scowling, begging, and crying, but nothing worked. Violet gave up as soon as Kaoti gave her ice cream and started rubbing her feet. She shrugged at me.
Omnes Videntes (The Space Merchants Book 4) Page 35