by Lexi Ander
"What? Wait!"
"You disobeyed my orders. You are under arrest for insubordination and the attempted assassination of an imperial prince."
Zeus's head pounded like a war-drum. He did not want to move a muscle, but self-preservation would not let him roll over and show his belly to his enemies. Cracking an eye open, he looked around the cell, very white and sterile. No wonder his head hurt.
He tried to roll over, but his arms would not cooperate, strapped to his chest as they were. They had him trussed up good and tight, but at least he was not dead—yet. That had to be a plus. He worried about Hadon, his bodyguard. There had not been any blood in the engine room, trace or otherwise. If there had been, he would have detected it.
Zeus maneuvered into a sitting position, his back wedged into the corner facing the doorway. His head swam and he felt a little nauseous, but he had suffered worse. He wore some kind of jacket that held his arms crossed in front of him. The bindings seemed to be in the back. Maybe with some time he would be able to get loose of the contraption, except he did not know how much time he had before they came to interrogate him.
The door swished open, and Zeus tensed. Standing in the doorway, but not entering, was a Gaziniti female. Working at the station had taught him many things about people from other worlds. He enjoyed the diversity in shapes and forms and cultures. Gazinitis were of one of the smaller races and the universe's ultimate pacifist. They would allow themselves to be killed before harming another, unless it was in the defense of a child. A little over one meter tall, with thick brown fur, and big chocolate-colored eyes, she had the appearance of a feline, but Gazinitis were more closely related to primates. The thicker, longer fur around her head resembled a lion's mane and strangely, gave her a fragile, friendly look.
"My name is Mayra. I am the ship's medic. If you will allow me, I would like to take a look at your head wound."
They sent a pacifist to tend to him. He was not going to be tortured—yet. Behind her stood a Shia'Marr, two meters tall with leathery, hairless, pale green skin. His electric-blue, bony plated ridge was highly polished. Sharp golden eyes stared at him, small spindly arms clasped together over pristine red robes. The Shia'Marr were rumored to be the oldest, longest-lived species in the galaxies. No one knew how old they were because the Shia'Marr quit counting after three hundred years. They were also known to be the least sexual beings, going a hundred years or more before they felt the urge to mate.
"This is Abechan," Mayra said. "He would like to observe. He will not touch you."
"Is there any possibility that you are going let to me out of here?" Zeus thought he knew the answer, but it did not hurt to ask.
Mayra smiled softly at him. "I only handle medical care. The captain will be by later to talk to you about your stay."
Zeus had a vision of being sucked into space out of the airlock and gave a bitter laugh.
The insanely large Chi-Lin psionic entered behind Mayra and Abechan. He scowled at Zeus. "Prince Zeus, you do not need to fear us or our captain." Zeus had not said anything aloud, but the large man-cat seemed to be able to read him. "I know you overheard Amlyn. She acted against the captain's orders."
"Do not lie to me," Zeus snarled. "Once I outlived my usefulness, your captain would have gotten rid of me. His behavior with me was all a ruse. He hates humans. My brother read his body language, and I refused to believe him. Look where I am. Deny that he hates the Terrens. Tell me he would not rather kill a human than deal with them?"
"But you are not human," Mayra said. "You are Mar'Sani."
Zeus searched her face and saw no mocking in her unwavering gaze. He considered himself Mar'Sani, as did a large portion of the Noble Houses, but there were those who looked at him and saw a soft-skinned human.
"On the space station," he said, "everyone saw a Terren. Why would any of you be any different? Dargon is not. All he sees is a human pet to a Mar'Sani prince. Not good enough for a committed relationship with a man of stature, but a sexual plaything, a person to use for recreation and amusement."
A growl came from the door. Fantastic. Dargon stood there glaring at Zeus.
"I am sorry, we are all full here. You will have to come back and beat on me later. You would not want to upset the Gaziniti." Zeus gave a tight smile, just short of baring his teeth. There was nothing like poking at the top predator in the room.
Crouched and creeping up behind Dargon was the murderous bitch who had chased him all over the ship. Disobeying Captain's order, his ass. Zeus eased up on the balls of his feet. There were too many people in the room for him to be able to move well. They fooled him by sending the supposed pacifist in first. They were just yanking on his nob. They planned to allow the Catalani to slice him to pieces with his own knife.
Zeus released a growling hiss, never taking his eyes off the Catalani behind Dargon.
"Zeus," Dargon snapped. "What are you … ?"
The Catalani rolled between Dargon's legs and launched herself at Zeus. Timing his jump, his legs wrapped around her head, and he rolled in the air. They fell to the floor, his thighs tightened like a vice around her throat. He braced himself for the blows. It did not matter what they did to him, he would not release her until she died.
"Zeus! Let Amlyn go!" Hands pried at his legs. He was sorry that Mayra had to witness the brutality.
"Zeus, she is not going to hurt you anymore." Dargon appeared in his line of sight. "You need to loosen your legs."
"You agree with her, sent her to kill me." Zeus grunted. Something was wrong. He felt himself weakening. His legs began to unclasp, and he clamped them harder in panic. A hot stab of pain stole his breath away.
Dargon seemed worried. "Please, Zeus, she cut your thigh, and we cannot treat the wound until you release her."
Gods, he wanted to believe Dargon. The thought that Dargon wanted him dead had hurt more than Zeus wanted to admit. There was no plausible reason for this attachment he felt toward the Dar Massaga.
"Please," Dargon begged softly.
The Chi-Lin leaned over him. "You have imprinted on him. You have to try," he urged.
Zeus had no idea what they were talking about. Dargon stroked his hair and then purred. That broad chest thrummed and something in Zeus responded, loosened, and strained toward Dargon.
When Zeus relaxed, the Catalani was pulled away from him. Panic shot through Zeus, and he began to struggle. He was too tired and weak and trussed up, to be able to protect himself.
"He is panicking," the Chi-Lin said.
"I can see that," Dargon snapped. "Do something about it."
"I cannot. He is blocking me."
Dargon grabbed Zeus's face between his warm palms, green gaze catching Zeus's. "You have to slow your heart beat down. You are bleeding too much. Calm down," Dargon cooed.
It was the cooing that gave Zeus pause. Dargon's chest started rumbling again, and for some reason the vibration calmed him enough he became aware of the medic working furiously on his leg. He could smell blood, his blood, and finally realized no one was attempting to kill him.
"Slow down my heart?" Zeus frowned when he heard his words slur.
"Yes, please stay calm. Mayra will fix your leg, and then we are going to have a long talk."
"Sure," Zeus answered as his eyes drifted closed. He needed to slow his heart down enough to give the medic time to fix him. Slowly, he hummed the Mar'Sani hymn of balance that was taught to his people. The first song sung by Poseidon himself. The soft notes left his lips, and his heart's beat slowed to an intermittent but steady thump as his spirit was gathered to float on the Waters of Poseidon in the protective arms of his sister, Shaneva.
"What just happened? Is he dying?"
Dargon watched as Zeus's eyelids closed, a small tune escaped his lips, and his body went limp in Dargon's hands. Alpha's scrambling panic only added to his own. His instincts demanded he morph into his true form to protect his charge. Amlyn coughed over in the corner while they waited for one of the Ursids
to come and take her back to the brig. As much as he wanted to jettison her into space, her fate lay in the hands of the Imperial United Galactic Defense; she would be court-martialed for her infractions.
"The Mar'Sani," Abechan said, "are a reptilian race rumored to be able to place themselves into stasis when under duress. I thought it was simply speculation."
"He is an adopted human. He is not like them," Dargon said. How could a human do something that was biologically impossible for the species?
"That is where you are wrong, Captain," Abechan replied haughtily. "He was raised as one of them, and he identifies himself as Mar'Sani."
"You have got to be kidding," Dargon snapped. "He is a human!"
"Why have I chosen to surround myself with imbeciles?" Abechan sighed in exasperation. "Am I the only one who has noticed he does not have a translator scar? Madux's psionics are useless with him. My magic cannot touch him. That male is not wholly human. It is a wonder we have not been caught and killed before now. The level of incompetence is sometimes astounding. His hair, the way he moves, his ability with languages, and especially his eyes, should have signaled to you what he is and is not." Abechan snorted with disgust before lifting his robes and striding out of the room.
Mayra finished sealing the puncture in Zeus's thigh and gave him an injection of reparation nanites. "He lost a lot of blood. I need to run a sample through an identifier if we are to treat him again."
Dargon nodded numbly. "Do it. Madux, make sure Amlyn is returned to the holding cells. I want to know how she escaped, and while you are at it, make sure she is secured with the four-link magnetic cuffs. I am finished playing nice. If she gets out again, I will jettison her without the court martial. Who in the hell put a winding jacket on the prince?" Dargon ripped the material off of Zeus.
"Touch him so I can make sure nothing was missed in Mayra's evaluation," Alpha demanded. "I told you to kill her when she kicked him in the head. She deliberately disobeyed your orders. If he is permanently harmed, I will demand retribution!"
Dargon listened to Alpha rant. He had had other things to attend to and had come as soon as he could. They both were upset Zeus had gone from acceptance and easy banter to wariness and fear. Now Abechan brought Dargon's assumptions into question. He knew better than to presume anything without proof.
He tenderly ran his hands over Zeus while Alpha conducted an internal examination. They projected calm into Zeus, hoping he would come out of his self-induced stasis. They both needed to talk to him to clear up the misconceptions and try to set things right with Zeus.
"What are you going to do, Dargon?" Madux closely watched the way Dargon's hands caressed Zeus. "You have imprinted on him. I did not think it could happen outside your species. What will happen to you if he does not accept you?"
Dargon's lips pursed into a thin line. "I will worry about it when—if—it happens. Amlyn has not done me any favors." Dargon glanced back down into Zeus's unconscious form. "I just hope he will listen once he wakes."
"It may not matter. Prince Azaes will kill you on sight after witnessing Zeus's treatment on the bridge," Madux mumbled.
Dargon did not reply. He would deal with the Mar'Sani prince later. His first concern now was Zeus and keeping him safe and secure. He did not know how much longer he could keep from morphing into his true form.
Tenderly, he lifted Zeus and carried him out of the room. He turned the bridge over to the pilot, Gaex. It would be two standard days before they reached the first drop point. Otho worked to install the panels Zeus had ordered. Dargon would not be needed on the bridge for at least a day.
The muted colors of the corridors passed by unnoticed. The trip to his quarters was automatic. The captain's rooms were the nicest on board the ship but unusual. He had had the ceiling heightened to the next deck level and a walkway installed along the perimeter of the wall, marking the midpoint to the new ceiling. Potted plants from his home world were added to give a wild feel to the apartment. Dar Massagas thrived in thick jungles, and as lions they spent a great amount of time in the upper reaches of the trees. The vine covered walkway was a pale imitation of the comforts of home, but it served its purpose when Dargon needed to be himself.
Dargon tucked Zeus into his bed before the last of his control seeped away. He barely had time to put a verbal lock on the doors and tear off his uniform before he was overcome, and the change morphed his body into the form of his birth.
*~*~*
Zeus floated on the Waters of Poseidon. The night sky bedecked with the bright constellations of home, the silver stars twinkling on a blanket of midnight blue. The twin moons were both full and glowing, a rare occasion that the Mar'Sani celebrated by turning out all the lights and dancing under the night sky. Many younglings were conceived under such a sign.
Shaneva floated with him, humming a childhood nursery rhyme, holding his hand in a loose grip. He missed his home and family. He had been so close to returning before he had been kidnapped.
"It feels so real here," he murmured. The warm, salty water lapped at his nude body.
"Because it is real," his sister replied with a small, melodious laugh.
His heart leapt. "Can I go home from here?"
"No, little brother. If you left me and the waters, your spirit would be lost and unable to return to your body." Shaneva floated on her back, gently paddling her feet in the water, and pulled him along. "You will need to return to your body soon."
Zeus paddled his feet to glide next to her. He missed swimming. "I do not want to go back."
"You must."
His heart was heavy in his chest. "Then why am I here? I do not understand how I am able to be here."
"You are here because you have been away too long and needed the stable Waters of Poseidon. It happens when Mar'Sani travel for long periods away from Atlainticia. This is where they come in their dreams. You needed time to think, to wash away the lies, and to find your resolve." Shaneva's eyes glowed golden, the elliptical pupils a sharp slash against the luminosity.
"What are the lies? I am on a ship that is taking me farther from home by people who hate my appearance. Am I deluding myself? Am I simply a human, pretending to be something and someone I am not? Why does it sting to think the Dar Massaga despises me and would rather see me dead? How can I care this much already?"
"Do you think you could come here in stasis if you were not Mar'Sani? Poseidon recognizes you and calls you son. Children who do not belong to Poseidon cannot swim in these waters."
Zeus's eyes pricked with relief. He had begun to doubt.
"Does the Dar Massaga wish to see you dead? Think about it. You know the truth of it. As for the other, you will have to figure it out on your own. Choose carefully with an open and clear mind, little brother. Do not allow your fear and doubts to choose for you."
His body was beginning to feel heavy. He had become aware that they were not the only ones floating in the calming waters. Dark silhouettes bobbed around them in pairs, too far away to make out details.
"Zeus!"
He smiled widely at the sound of that voice. Turning to look, two shapes were moving toward him. Mestor and Azaes slithered like missiles in the water toward him.
"It is not yet time for you to be reunited with them."
Zeus gazed at Shaneva. "I dreamed of you and these waters once, long ago. Was it real? Was he real?"
"You will see all of them soon, once your task is done." Shaneva pushed Zeus away so that he floated alone in the waters. "Open your eyes and wake, brother."
Zeus blinked and saw a bright green canopy of broad leaves above him. A wonderful scent tickled his nose, and before he knew what he was doing, he rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. The covers were warm against his nude body, cocooning him. A sense of safety enveloped him.
He smiled into the pillow, thinking about his sister and the calming Waters of Poseidon. He felt renewed, energized. The fear and confusion washed away, leaving him able to think rationally.
<
br /> It was then he knew Dargon did not want to kill him. The Catalani assassin did, and he was determined to find out why, but the important piece—Dargon meant him no harm. He put out too many mating pheromones to want to harm him. Fuck him, yes. Dargon was extremely jealous of Azaes, goading his brother to anger as if he wanted to challenge Azaes for mating rights.
Zeus's whole body flushed at the thought. It happened in some cultures when someone had too many suitors and the one being courted had not declared a choice. Dargon acted like Azaes was his competition.
He could see it plainly now. The way Dargon watched him, exuding pheromones whenever he was near. That much attention focused on him had frightened him. Dargon was direct and intense. Zeus had not allowed anyone to get close since Rathmar. He had been afraid of making the same mistake again.
The desire to be loved and to be able to openly and freely return that love was strong. He had not dared to hope someone would care for him or desire to create a family with him. He had allowed Rathmar's cruel words to affect him more than they should have.
To be honest, Zeus had wanted Dargon the moment he saw him in the maintenance bay. He had not known then that Dargon was the same person who had watched him at Azaes's and Mestor's reception. He would have asked more questions if he had. He did wonder if the vessel was a pirate ship. From what he had seen while attempting to leave the vessel, the new information led him to believe he had misread the situation.
A soft scratching sound above him made him roll over to search for the source. The height of the room comprised two deck levels. A walking platform, about one meter wide, followed along the walls at what should have been the natural ceiling for the level.
There were plants everywhere. He counted twelve different species. It was through the leaves of the florae that he discovered the vibrant green eyes looking back at him. He could make out the nose and mouth, the copper metallic ridge on the crest of the animal's head. Strangely, he was not frightened. The creature seemed familiar, though Zeus knew he had never seen anything like it.