Mer watched Hakan duck under the low bulkhead as they boarded the small ship. He’d finished storing all the luggage and was preparing to leave the Earth station. A doorway with metal panels slid shut behind him, making a hissing noise as it sealed. Crossing his arms, he looked around in almost childlike wonder. He pointed to a large white container mounted to the wall next to the door. “What’s that?”
Hakan sat down in the seat in front of a panel of controls and glanced up briefly. “It contains fire-dampening foam.” He nodded to the chair behind his. “You’ll be sitting there for takeoff and landing.” He pointed toward two other open doorways. “That’s the galley, and that leads to a small berth if you want to nap. That red button by your chair will open a porthole for viewing after we’re in space. It will automatically close during takeoffs and landings.”
Mer walked over to a closed door. It had a keypad mounted on the front. “What’s in here?”
“It’s a weapons locker. You have to have a security code to enter. We’re primarily a cargo ship, and the weapons are merely a precaution. We’re not making any stops between here and Khera, so it’s doubtful we’d have any need for them.” He turned back to the ship’s controls and then stopped and glanced back at Mer. “You need to stay in the designated walkway because there are steam vents in the ship that could harm you. Now I need you to strap in so we can take off.”
“Do you think Midnight will be okay?”
Hakan glanced down to where the cat’s carrier was strapped against the wall. “He should be fine. He won’t be happy with the turbulence taking off, but it shouldn’t hurt him.”
Mer sat down and buckled the heavy straps around his shoulders. I don’t think they made these ships with small men in mind. There was ample room for him to move around even after the locks fastened. He closed his eyes when he felt the deck plates vibrating. He could hear the engines humming and whining as they began to take off. The intercom broadcasted an automated warning just seconds before he felt a heavy weight settle on his chest. His head craned up as he was knocked back in his seat from the acceleration.
“You okay, little human?” Hakan asked.
“Just peachy keen.” Mer rubbed the back of his neck as he scanned the content on the monitors he could see. Before he could make sense of any of the readings, he jerked back as they accelerated out of the atmosphere, the blood rushing making his heart beat faster in his exhilaration. I’m finally on my way to meet my mates!
* * * *
“Come on, Mer. It’s time to wake up.”
Mer blinked a few times and focused on the man leaning over his chair.
“Come on, little human. We’re home. It’s time to meet your mates.”
Letting out an undignified squeak, Mer struggled with the buckles on his shoulder straps. He could hear Midnight growling in the cage at his feet. “Calm down, boy. As soon as I find a safe place I’ll let you out.”
“Let me help you.” Hakan pushed Mer’s hands away and deftly unfastened his harness. “Come on, Mer. It’s time for you to see your new home.”
Mer stood up and stretched, ignoring the creaks of his tired bones. They’d been traveling for two days, and he ached from head to toe. Leaning down, he picked up Midnight’s taxi and followed Hakan out of the shuttle. Thick underbrush with brambles and thickets carpeted the area with the occasional berry bush breaking up the monotony.
Hakan growled. “We’re going to have to walk to the house. I tried to send a message, but I can’t get the signal to go through.” He grabbed up Mer’s suitcase and Midnight. “Just follow close to me and stay on the path.”
Mer nodded and followed down the trail. Shifting patterns of light from the sun illuminated the broken branches of the trees, while small furry creatures leapt from branch to branch. The wind brought the scent of nearby water and the ripe smell of cedar. Smiling, he carefully traversed the uneven ground, briars scratching at the bottom of his jeans as they worked their way deeper into the forest. He could just make out the sound of water trickling and the smell of sweet flowers as they entered a clearing.
The sunlight felt warm on his face when they broke out of the trees, the gentle breeze ruffling his clothes and swishing through his hair. A loud squawk had him jumping and looking around in alarm. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, trickling down his face as he searched the shadows of the forest.
Hakan laughed. “Not to worry, little human. I won’t let anything happen to the alpha’s mate.”
Mer nodded and followed him farther into the woods. They passed a small stream, leaves and twigs floating in the swirling water. As he stopped to get a better look, a creature resembling a frog lifted briefly from the water, eyeing him curiously before dropping back down into the muck. Shuddering, he hurried to catch up with his guide.
As they walked into another clearing, Mer spotted a house unlike anything he’d ever seen before. It looked like a tree house, only a lot more sophisticated, carefully camouflaged among the green flora. The walls were made from trees growing closely together. He frowned, listening carefully. The sounds of babies crying echoed out over the glade.
“Delsin!” Hakan smiled at Mer and set Midnight’s carrier on the ground. “Come meet your mate.”
Mer’s breath caught when a man walked out onto the front porch. He had to be nearly seven feet tall, with shoulder-length silver-and-gray hair that resembled a lion’s mane. God, he’s hot. He motioned them forward and then stepped back into the house.
Mer winced, closing his eyes and squeezing them shut for a moment. Was he disappointed in how I look?
Hakan picked up Midnight and patted Mer on the back. “Come on, little human. Let’s get you inside.”
Mer frowned and gave a slow nod. He followed Hakan into the house, his heart sinking at his future mate’s reception. Just inside the door he stopped and looked around. Furnishings were sparse with only a few tables and a couple of couches. This is weird. I thought it would look more, I don’t know, alien. It looks like a house you might see in some of the sections of America. It was a pretty sterile environment with no pictures or personal items lying around. He looked toward the hall when the baby’s crying intensified. That sounds like more than one baby. Before he could ask Hakan about the crying, a loud voice boomed from an open door.
“Hakan, get in here.”
Grimacing, Hakan glanced at Mer. “Just make yourself comfortable. I’ll be back in a minute.”
* * * *
Delsin stood looking out the window. He’d been impatient for Hakan and the stranger to get into the house. The man looked like he could be his mate’s brother, but where was his mate? If Hakan has messed this up, I will skin him alive and stake his carcass out for the ants.
“You bellowed, oh great one?” Hakan walked in and dropped into the chair in front of Delsin’s desk. “Is everything okay? Did Knoton get back safely?”
Delsin ignored his questions. “Where is my mate and why did you bring that boy?”
Hakan’s brows drew together as he glanced toward the door, and then gave a slight shake of his head. “That’s the mate you sent for.”
Delsin ground his teeth together. “No, it’s not. I sent you for Meredith Carter.”
“Are you blind? That is Meredith Carter. But he prefers to be called Mer.”
Delsin scoffed. “Meredith is not a man’s name.”
Hakan rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. “I was a little curious about that myself, so before I left Earth I sent a message to that Meekers fellow at Galactic. He assured me that Meredith can be feminine or male.” He stood up and pulled out Meredith’s picture and slammed it down on Delsin’s desk. “I matched up this picture with that man and brought back what you asked for. Goddess, it even says right under the picture he’s male.”
“It does not.” Delsin grabbed up the photo and studied it closely. Near the bottom, right next to the tear, were the letters ale. He’d torn off the M when he’d stolen the picture from Andon’s book. God
dess, it’s my own damn fault. He glanced at Hakan and growled. “Didn’t you think it odd that I sent for a man when I wanted a mate?”
“No, not really. I’ve had several friends that settled happily with male mates. They didn’t want to father cubs, so they didn’t care what others thought.”
“Well, I’m not one of them and neither is Etu. We wanted a woman who could take care of the cubs, and keep our den in order. Hell, we want cubs of our own someday. You’ll just have to take him back and get someone else.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Delsin.”
“Why not?”
“The paperwork they had me sign gives Meredith a ninety-day trial period or we have to pay a huge penalty.”
“I don’t care about the money. I need a female to take charge of the cubs. They’re proving to be more than any of us can handle. Just get the ship ready, and I’ll send a communiqué to Galactic Nuptials explaining about the mistake.”
“Uh, Delsin. Why is it so quiet?”
“What!” The babies had gone completely quiet. Swallowing his fear, Delsin raced down the hall and stopped in the doorway of the nursery, not believing his eyes. Three of the cubs were happily playing and crawling around the floor with Knoton while the other two were sleeping quietly on the bed with Meredith cuddling them. The human male was small with a creamy complexion. His dark-brown hair fell in waves past his shoulders, framing his bright cerulean eyes. Delsin stiffened when his beast woke inside, stretching his length, scenting the small human. His mouth dropped open when his lion whispered, Mine!
* * * *
Mer watched Hakan scurry away when Delsin called and sighed. I wonder where my other mate is. Maybe he’ll be more impressed with me than this asshole. The sound of babies crying vibrated along his spinal cord and not in a good way. The sounds seemed to be coming from a room at the end of the hall. Slowly he crept toward the door. The crying was sounding more and more like distress and not just hunger or anger.
Pausing at the closed door, he pressed his ear against the wood and listened, jerking back when an earsplitting scream came from within. Throwing open the door, he rushed inside and stopped. There were three toddlers crawling on the floor and two babies lying on the bed surrounded by pillows while a very large man bounced the mattress up and down. Mer took a deep breath and gagged. “Phew! Somebody, or maybe everybody, needs their diaper changed.” He quickly shut the door when one small tyke crawled swiftly toward freedom.
“I recognize you from your picture. You’re the alpha’s mate.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Who are you?”
“I’m Knoton. Do you know anything about babies?”
Mer sighed. “Enough to get by, I guess.”
“Please help me. I can’t get them to be silent.”
Mer snorted and glanced around. He spotted a stack of diapers on a table next to an open door. He investigated and found a bathroom with a generous supply of towels and washrags. Working quickly, he dampened several with warm water, grabbed a stack of towels and headed back to the battlefield. He deposited everything on the bed and bent closer for a better look. There was a squalling mess of royally pissed-off infant beneath the heavy blankets. Slowly he peeled the cover back, and the tiniest baby he’d ever seen opened her bright blue eyes. Mer felt his heart begin to melt. She was dressed entirely in pink, from the bow in her wispy brown hair to the soles of her miniature shoes. “What’s your name, little angel?” She began to make whimpering sounds.
“That’s Keme,” said Knoton. He laid his hand over the other baby. “This big boy is Yuma.”
Keme began rooting toward Mer’s hand. “When was the last time you had your diaper changed, princess?” He hauled her out of her pillow cocoon and felt the soggy heaviness. The baby felt warm to the touch. “Man, you’re barbecuing these kids. They don’t need this much cover. The baby had quieted when Mer picked her up, though her expression could only be described as disgruntled.
A small tyke with curly blond hair tugged on Mer’s jeans. He laid the baby down and then bent and lifted the child and placed him on the bed. “What can I do for you?”
“Potty!” His soulful blue eyes tugged at Mer’s heart.
“Come on, Taima. I’ll take you.” Knoton stood and held out his hand. The small boy nodded, scrambling down from the bed using Mer as a climbing frame. He quickly toddled off, holding Knoton’s hand.
Mer jumped when a sticky little hand grabbed onto his arm. He looked down at the small boy leaning against his leg. “And who is this little charmer?”
Knoton stuck his head out of the bathroom. “That’s Nodin, and the little blonde trying to open the door is Jacy.”
Mer returned his attention to Keme and picked her up. Her little face was scrunched into a howling fury, red with tear streaks. The soft down of corn-silk-brown on top of her head was matted down from her tantrum. He laid her down on top of the blanket. “Ewww, Keme. How can such a small baby make such a big stink?” Pulling up her dress, he got his first view of her cloth diaper. “Man, you’d think people with the smarts to travel to other solar systems would have disposable diapers.” Carefully, he untied the strings at her waste and pulled the sodden mass down. “Oh, man.” He wrinkled his nose and looked away. “Girl, you did a major doody.”
He removed the diaper, rolled it up, and proceeded to clean her bottom thoroughly with one of the damp washrags. Once she was clean he put on a clean diaper, carefully tying the straps at her hips. “You’re such a good girl, aren’t you?” he cooed.
“Here.” Knoton placed an empty bucket beside the bed. “You can just put the soiled diapers here, and we’ll get them washed later.”
Mer dropped the rolled up fabric into the bucket and wiped his hands on a towel. “Thanks, man. You might want to get some bottles ready for these two and think about feeding the terrible trio over there.” Taima, Jacy and Nodin were at the door trying to stretch up and reach the doorknob. Taima and Jacy had dark midnight-blue eyes while Nodin’s were lighter, brighter, almost the color of bluebonnets. “By the time you get them some food, I’ll have them all cleaned up with clean clothes.” Mer snickered when Knoton ran to do as he asked.
He made quick work of changing Yuma and then deposited the sponge that had been his diaper into the bucket. Several minutes later all five babies had clean diapers and were becoming restless. Keme’s wriggles and grunts turned into full rage. She and Yuma wept together as they waited for their lunch.
“Here we go.” Knoton came in carrying two baby bottles and several bowls of what looked like gruel. He passed the bottles to Mer and then sat down on the floor with the bowls. The three small toddlers quickly gathered around him.
Mer tested the bottle on the inside of his arm to make sure it wasn’t too warm. He turned Yuma onto his side and propped the bottle up on a pillow. The boy took the nipple with no prompting. Mer cradled Keme in his arm and placed the nipple against her small pink lips. She took it into her mouth with a latching gusto. He slumped back against the headboard and cradled her against his chest. She was still half crying, but he suspected she’d worn herself out because it wasn’t the ear-splitting screams anymore. She gummed the nipple halfheartedly, still whimpering and fussing a bit. He could feel her muscles relaxing as she hungrily sucked. Mer cradled a hand around her protectively when her little fingers curled around his thumb.
“Taima!” Knoton picked Taima up and sat him down, wiping the gruel off his foot with a towel. “You’re supposed to eat it, not squish it between your toes.”
Mer chuckled and raised Keme to his shoulder to pat firmly on her back. The little princess let out a belch that rivaled the guys that frequented the bar next door to the coffee shop. Her mouth went slack as she studied Mer’s face, and she gave him a genuine, honest-to-God smile complete with milk dribbling from between her toothless gums. “Look at you! You’re the smartest baby in the whole world. Just look at that smile.” Slowly her eyes began to close as she headed toward milk stupor. Car
efully, he laid her down in the valley between the pillows.
“You’re really good with the cubs.” Knoton grabbed Jacy and stuck another spoonful of lunch between her open lips.
Mer turned to Yuma and smiled. He wasn’t asleep. His blue eyes were open and seemed focused on Mer. He picked the chubby boy up and draped him over his corded forearm, rubbing up and down his back in a firm motion. After he burped, he continued the massage until he was limp and happy, his little palm resting against his cheek.
“I hope you’re planning on staying with us. They haven’t been this quiet since we left Linnaeus.”
“Where are their mothers?” Before Knoton could answer, the door flew open. Delsin stood in the open doorway, his mouth open and a dazed look in his eyes. “You’re Delsin. I recognize you from your picture.
* * * *
Delsin felt his cock harden as his beast urged him to move closer to the little man. He cleared his throat. “What did you do?” He cringed inwardly when he heard the gruff, accusing sound of his voice.
Mer frowned. “Excuse me?”
“What did you do to the cubs?”
“I, um…I’m sorry. I just couldn’t stand to see them all crying if I could do something to help.”
Delsin shook his head. “No! I want to know what you did to make them stop crying.”
“Oh!” Mer laughed. “It was easy peasy. They just felt insecure and had dirty butts.” He glanced around the room. “I didn’t see any clothes so I just made do with the diapers. They should be warm enough without anything else. This room is like a furnace.” He shrugged. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t supposed to leave the front room, but it seemed more important to get them settled. It’s not healthy for babies to cry for long periods. Where are their mothers?”
Delsin sighed heavily, blinking back the moisture in his eyes. “Our whole pride was slaughtered by a formidable enemy. We’re all that’s left of the Chaarta pride. My brother, our former alpha, sent the cubs away with me so I could hide them from our enemies. They’re my responsibility now.” He breathed in deeply and took a step toward the little man. His scent was enticing, and it was even more potent since Meredith was aroused.
Meredith's Pride [Galactic Nuptials 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove) Page 3