Lanie put her arm around Dee when the woman tensed. It was a meager comfort. Even Lanie’s courage was flagging, and she felt her bottom lip tremble before she bit down on it.
“…with one condition.”
Paul, Daniel, and John cast murderous glances at the aliens, Horny in particular. “Let me guess…” Paul sneered.
Horny made a slashing motion with his hand, cutting off Paul’s sarcastic words. “We want an opportunity to prove ourselves. A chance at lifebonding.” His horned face was shadowed with longing, like the faces of every other male around them. “The Trialliance never allowed Peacekeepers long-term bonds—our children, if short liaisons produced them, were handed over to us immediately after they were weaned. Our stock never stayed on the planet. Mothers, half-siblings, and other relations are still treasured, but our lovers offered nothing but fleeting comfort. Real lifebonding was reserved for citizens. Now, if we’re able to prove ourselves to you, we want more.”
Paul scratched at his neck before looking back at Lanie. “I’ve got the wrong bits and pieces to be heading this conversation.”
Lanie rolled her eyes. “Classy, Paul.”
Dee nudged Lanie. “Go on,” she muttered. “You’re the smartest of the bunch. Figure this out.”
Lanie flushed. If being snarky and having a vagina made her ‘the smartest’, they were all screwed. Maybe literally. “Um. Okay.”
“Is our condition agreeable?” Horny asked.
Lanie shook her head. “You just laid out a huge—huge—request. Not only are the women from Paradise Colony all traumatized, we know nothing about your kind except what we learned while enslaved. There are different species mixed into the bunch, but we lump you all together as ‘aliens’. Before we even mention lifebonding again, gather up reps from the different species and tell us what we’d expect if we did agree.”
Horny cocked his head. “Species? You mean the breeds?” he asked. He pointed at his own horns, then at a scaly fellow, then at Mr. Muscles, who was standing at the front of the crowd.
Lanie nodded. “Yeah…I’m seeing some major differences.”
He shrugged. “We’re all the same species, since Peacekeeper genes are dominant. We’re also all male, though we don’t know why—the best guess is that the harshness of space has altered our reproductive organs. The Trialliance scientists were never able to cure us of this side effect.” He frowned and cleared his throat, obviously struggling with the heavy topic. “It is a hard life, and space is a harsh environment. We’re pale, from generation upon generation without the sun. We also have a hard time planetside—the modified gravity, oxygen, and pressure of space flight is essential to long-term health. We were marooned and left to die slowly…several of our oldest, and youngest, have already succumbed.”
Lanie sat down on the steps and heard the rustle of clothes as her crewmates behind her did the same. Like a wave, the alien spectators all plopped down, too. The strange conversation took on a new, less formal vibe. “We’d like to know more, please. In return, we’ll tell you about our people, our culture,” she promised.
“Give me an example,” Horny said. “What do you want to know?”
Lanie sighed and ran her fingers through her long hair. “Okay, fair enough. I’ll start with relationships, since that seems to be what you’re most interested in.” At Horny’s nod, she cleared her throat. A flush overtook her cheeks and she looked down at her hands as she talked. “There are many variations of relationships with humans. On average—and this is just a generalization—one man and one woman end up together, raising anywhere from one to five children. A lot of times, the relationship starts when a male courts a female…he’ll do thoughtful, sweet things for her. Prove his interest, so to speak, by actions and words.” She looked at Paul and winked. “There are other ways, though.”
Paul snorted. “If these guys haven’t figured that out, I’d be shocked.”
Most of the aliens leaned forward, as if intent on learning a secret. Even Horny appeared intrigued. “Tell us,” he said. “We want to learn.”
“Uh…speaking of bits and pieces,” Lanie joked weakly, hoping Paul would take the hint and help her out. She so did not want to talk specifics.
Paul grinned. “Yeah, see what I mean? Totally weird to explain something you can’t experience.” He turned to the aliens. “Some humans are gay.” Nothing akin to recognition flashed on the pirates’ faces. Apparently the trade language had no equivalent. “No shit…they haven’t figured it out,” Paul muttered. “Whelp, that’s just sad. And exciting. I wonder if I’ll get to pop that cherry?”
“Stop thinking with your dick,” Dee hissed. “This is important.”
“Yeah, it is. I’ll be good and explain.” Paul heaved a sigh and then addressed their audience. “Lanie did a great job at the very basics of human relationships—our species repopulates when a male and female shack up together—but there are people who don’t live that way. Some relationships are just for sex.” A few alien men grumbled at that. “And some are, uh, lifebonded, with members of their own gender. A man with a man. A woman with a woman.”
The stunned expressions on the aliens’ faces were priceless.
Lanie snickered.
“A male…with a male? Sexually?” Horny asked. He didn’t sound disgusted, just curious and shocked. “How? Do humans have both organs, internal and external?”
A groan went through the gathered humans. Talk about an awkward conversation. Tab A, Slot B, and Slot C were not something they were all comfortable getting nitty-gritty about with alien strangers. Except Paul, of course, who looked delighted by the chance to explain. “It’s simple, really. Males have dicks. Females don’t. When a gay couple—two men in a relationship—have sex, they use their mouths, their hands, or their asses.”
Somewhere in the cavern, an alien choked.
Paul beamed. “Any questions?”
Lanie used both hands to scrub her face. “Anyway,” she said, her face still buried in her hands. She hated having The Sex Talk. On Paradise, private relations were kept private. Paradins weren’t prudes, just reserved about public displays of affection; her own sexual discoveries had been enlightening and decadent, but she’d never shared the details of what went on behind her bedroom door. “There are many types of relationships. Now we want to know about your lifebonds—specifically, how does that happen, what does it mean.”
It took Horny a couple of minutes to recover from the shock of Paul’s truth bomb. He stared at Drama Queen in fascination for several long minutes before shaking his head in bemusement. “We have several types of lifebonds…but nothing quite like your gay.”
Paul chuckled. “A human can be gay or act gay, but the relationship is still just a relationship. A long-term commitment is called marriage, and everything up to that is normally called dating.”
Horny nodded. “Thank you. Your species is…thought-provoking.” He ran a big palm up and down one of the big stalks on his head. It was a strangely erotic sight. “Our lifebonding is simple in comparison to your marriage. Each breed does it differently, but there are no true variations within a breed. I’m a descendant of Lu’O. All males in my breed have horns and fangs, byproducts of the predatory nature needed to survive on our homeworld…” He hesitated. “There are few females who survive the harsh conditions of Lu’O, especially without horns to defend themselves. It’s thought to be nature’s way of forcing a female to seek the protection of males. Once chosen, a brakka uses venom to mark their Charm—which is what we call a lifebonded female—and together they build a nest to shelter her and their young.”
Lanie knew her mouth was hanging open. She felt it. But there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. She’d obviously seen the horns, and hints of his fangs…but venom? And had he said males? Plural?
“What about work?” Dee asked. “Life outside of the, um, nest?”
Horny shrugged. “I’ve never seen a nest. All I know is the basics of my homeworld—I was given to
my father as soon as I was weaned, and only returned to the planet to visit my mother. Even Peacekeeper infants suffer the effects of gravity, oxygen, and pressure on a planet. My desire for lifebonding is instinctual, not based on experience.”
“You’ve obviously thought about it, though,” Lanie argued. “How would it work—would the, uh, Charm be wooed, only to end up locked away in your spaceship’s version of a nest?”
“A whole new meaning to ‘barefoot and pregnant’,” Paul muttered.
Horny gazed at her for a moment, seeming confused. “If she had the protection and care of her brakka, what else would she need?” The two aliens flanking Horny suddenly caught her attention—his brakka?—because they seemed to shift around the big alien, as if in orbit. It was obvious they had his back, protecting him while he led the weird cross-species chat. Both were undeniably attractive, as was Horny, but neither had ever spoken. Her initial assumption that Horny was an alpha-alpha seemed right. “Lanie? What else would a human woman want?” he asked.
Lanie wasn’t touching that question with a ten-foot pole. “I’m experiencing culture shock. Ask again later.”
Mr. Muscles stepped forward. “My breed is closer to human marriage.” He was looking right at Dee, who blushed under his stare. “We’re descendants of the Abbaleer. Our lifebonds are pairs—between male and female,” he clarified. “Abbaleer’s gravity forced us to develop larger bodies than the other breeds, but we lack fangs, venom, and scales. We don’t need them—not when we have bloodlust.”
“Bloodlust?” Dee whispered.
“Abbaleer are a protective, possessive species. That’s still true in the Peacekeeper descendant. Endanger a males’ loved one, particularly his Charm, and he undergoes a change.” He patted the furry, armor-like skin of his bare chest. So. Many. Muscles. Lanie licked her lips and forced herself to look away from the mancandy. “Once instinct kicks in, our armor thickens and darkens, our nails elongate into claws. We can protect our Charm and young with ease.”
“Not gonna lie,” Paul whispered loudly, “that’s sexy.”
“The Lu’O can be sexy, too,” Horny muttered, glowering. “We protect our Charms and young.” Horny’s two shadows both nodded, their horns gleaming.
Paul hid a smile. “M’kay, sugar. Don’t get your horns all twisted up.”
“This is a lot to take in,” Sarah said. Her crewmates, John and Daniel, were crowded close to her. If Lanie’s memory served up the right gossip, Sarah and Daniel had been sharing quarters on the main ship for over a week—there was no reason for the woman to feel overwhelmed. Unless…
“This would all be consensual, right? You’re asking for permission to woo a human woman into lifebonding—you wouldn’t force anyone?” Lanie clarified.
Horny and Muscles nodded.
A scaled fellow—Scaly, in line with her other mental monikers—stepped forward. “The Gkiven on my homeworld do not ask permission, but true Peacekeepers, like those of us who’ve been marooned, would seek permission before binding our mates.”
“In order to consider accepting your people for lifebonding, we need the facts. Tell us about the Gkiven,” Lanie invited.
“Though we have legs for when we’re on land, our tail allows us to swim easily in the waters of our planet—it’s where our people spend most of their time. Our lifebonding is simple—the kurki within our tails binds our mates to us until death.”
Horny sighed. “Don’t sweeten it with words, Linglot. Explain.”
Scaly—aka Linglot? What kind of name was Linglot?—nodded, though he looked irritated. A long, pale tail swirled around his feet. He pointed at a sharp barb near the end, resembling something she’d studied on an Earthen stingray. “Kurki, once injected into a female, is addicting. A Charm needs it every day, or she goes into fatal withdrawal… once done, the lifebonding cannot be undone except through death.”
Yikes.
“I really, really wish there was a bar on this planet,” Dee whispered.
“A gay bar,” Paul agreed, though his strained tone flattened the old joke.
“We need to talk over these…details,” Lanie told the aliens. “Is it okay for us to use the cave we slept in?”
Horny nodded and looked as if wanted to say more, but he kept his peace. Lanie sent up a silent thanks. She couldn’t take more just then. She turned and followed Sarah, Daniel, John, Dee, and Paul up the diamond steps.
She turned halfway up and saw every alien staring after the little group of humans. Like starving men on the cusp of a buffet, they appeared tense and longing. Lanie didn’t blame them, but she felt the pressure of their desire weigh on her.
Until she met Delloruin’s gaze. His eyes were on her, full of lust and defeat—he didn’t expect them, her, to agree. His brakka had their hands on his shoulder, as if commiserating. For some reason, that gave her courage. She winked at Horny, a smile tugging at her lips. She wasn’t sure about the whole mate-with-an-entire-brakka thing, but there were lots of single Paradins and a variety of aliens. There was a good chance this would garner approval in hivemind.
Whispers followed her up the last half of the stairs, but she didn’t turn around again. The mission came first, and it was time to decide whether they’d go all-in or not.
Chapter 5
The first half of the chat in hivemind went well. Lanie laid out all the facts, echoed by the voices of her crewmates. The Paradin survivors still on the ship seemed impressed by the peacekeepers’ request, as well as surprised and titillated by the variety of potential mates.
All surviving humans carried the virus—a mutated version, anyway—that had killed so many of their people. Their options for relationships were limited to other survivors…or aliens. The peacekeepers had unknowingly offered something precious.
Something untested.
It all sounds good and well, Lanie told the collective, her mental voice strained with worry, but we’re talking about a lifelong commitment to creatures we’re barely acquainted with. Adopting a puppy without research into the breed is a bad idea…mating an alien without more research…?
A valid point, agreed many voices. The echoes were soothing to Lanie, assuring her that caution was balancing the raw hope.
Perhaps… Jane, the widowed mother of their only remaining child, hesitated. And then threw out an idea none of the rest had considered. A trial? A volunteer to seal the bargain? That way, not every woman is obligated should this alliance turn out to be an epic failure.
The compromise had merit, but Lanie wasn’t sold. Who would get thrown under the bus? Dee hadn’t seemed ready to ride that rollercoaster, and Sarah was involved with Daniel. Melissa was hurt and still in hiding. That left Lanie. She had never considered getting married to a human, nonetheless an alien! Pretending to be interested in lifebonding felt a lot like lying.
She wasn’t the only one to reach that same conclusion.
Lanie? Paul asked. You and that horned fellow seemed to like each other.
It was like every cautionary thought she’d lobbed at them had been forgotten. Liked Horny? Yeah, sure. He was better than the slavers…that was about as far as she’d gotten. Did she want to immediately lifebond with him and his brakka? Hell to the no.
As if sensing her impending answer, Brandon said the one thing that would make her hesitate. The mission comes first. We need someone to be brave—one woman taking this risk might save all our women if the compromise ends badly, if this isn’t something viable long-term. And, if you aren’t up for this, it’ll fall to one of the other women.
Even in hivemind, Lanie heard Dee gasp.
They haven’t given us a deadline, Lanie argued. They want a chance, not immediate results! Anxiety made her mental voice a bit shrill.
We need to secure their aid, and we need to know whether or not future lifebonds between our species are possible. This solution solves both problems. Brandon was echoed by many tinny, mental voices.
It burned, this “compromise”. It was more like emoti
onal blackmail. Lanie was being asked to give herself up to a stranger. In truth, it didn’t seem all that much different from slavery, except she was being guilted into it instead of forced. She understood the reasons, though. The thought of Dee, her freckled face stark and panicked, flashed across her mind. So many of their women were like that, traumatized by memories and fears that Lanie had learned to lock away.
Though she hadn’t been a leader on Paradise, she’d somehow side-stepped into that role as a survivor. Now, when they were all looking to her, she felt the pressure of that burden. And part of her hated them for it.
Life before the pirates had been easy. Simple. She’d been happy. Now she might never get the chance to be happy again. But selfishness aside, her happiness was a small price to pay if she could secure the alliance with the Peacekeepers. Billions of people were counting on her—whether they knew it or not.
Billions.
Her entire species.
And the other Paradins were right; securing the alliance through a single lifebond held minimal risk. One woman taking on the challenge was much easier to justify than throwing all their women at the problem…and it would pacify the aliens long enough to secure their help.
God help her.
Fine, she agreed. I’ll do it.
Thank you, hivemind whispered unanimously.
Being mentally dropped back into the cave, surrounded by her crewmates, gave her little time to grieve. Lanie wanted to cry. Hell, she wanted to throw an adult tantrum by getting drunk and pretending she was alone in the universe. But when Paul and Dee fell on her, hugging her for all they were worth, she choked back her tears.
“Thank you,” Dee wept. “I know I should have offered, but thank you!”
Lanie hugged the other woman. “You’re a survivor, Dee. Our best shot, a hard worker. I respect you, and hope you’ll find peace. Throwing you to the wolves didn’t seem the way to go about that.”
Paul snorted. “Toss me to Muscles and let me have a go at ‘peace’!”
Lanie and Dee groaned. Drama Queen was such a brat. He broke the ice, though. Sarah, Daniel, and John all crowded closer to thank her, to give her hugs. She soaked in the comfort, knowing she’d need it.
Lanie's Choice: Survivors of Paradise Book 1 Page 4