by Tia LaBeau
Cleo stands up. “The hell she will.”
Freda stands up. “It’s up to me, right?”
The room is still. Xerxes hands the baby to his mother. Is it because he is prepared to fight me? He grabs Cleo’s hand, but he says nothing. Instead, he’s trying to calm her down with his eyes.
Cleo sits back down. Freda sits back down too. Bingo waddles in and takes his usual spot in the corner of the cooking hearth.
Yulu serves the food to us. I hardly touch my plate. Cleo hardly touches her food, but Xerxes and Freda devour theirs. Xerxes’s parents seem to be enjoying the food as well. There are a lot of oohs and ahs at the table to break up the silence shared between the rest of us.
Cleo excuses herself so that she can change the baby. I consider finding her to discuss Freda, but then it occurs to me that Freda is an adult by human standards. She can make such decisions for herself. She will have to work things out with her sister on her own terms. I will not intervene in their sisterly relationship. And if Freda wants to be with me, then she will stay with me.
I only want her if her fondness for me drives her to want to remain by my side. I’m aware of the possibility that she only stays with me to drive her sister crazy or to try to establish some sort of independence.
I am also aware of the dangers of her staying with me. Maybe it might be more prudent for her to return to Teros with her sister to marry the Edener she was promised to. Perhaps then she will be cared for in every way and be safe. My life is dangerous, and I have a lot of work to do, including my own adjustment to life in Protos.
I smile at Freda. Despite all this, I still find her irresistibly beautiful. I hope to get her alone, at least for one last night together if it that is all there is to have.
I eat in silence. I’ll need my energy for whatever comes next.
25
Freda
Cleo is being such a darned pain in the arse, right now, grr, but this food is delicious. I wonder if Bastian knows how to prepare all this stuff. I could eat like this for the rest of my life. There’s some kind of spicy meat here that is also sweet to the taste, and it has the most wonderful smoke flavor.
There is also a pudding that’s made out of something. What I don’t know. I forgot what Yulu said it was made out of. Yulu is a wonderful cook.
She’s an older woman. She’s red of course as Haveners are. She has short black hair. She wears a long red tunic which seems to blend in almost completely with her red skin. She has large green eyes.
I wonder if Yulu would be willing to teach me how to make this stuff. I watch Bastian and think about what Cleo said, wondering what’s next.
I thought maybe Bastian would press Cleo more in regards to me staying here, but instead, he looks defeated. I want to go over to him and sit on his face. I mean his lap.
I want to sit on his lap and wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him. I want to reassure him that I care for him. But I’d also have to explain the complexity of this situation which is what is giving me pause when it comes to deciding whether I am going to remain here or not.
Cleo’s always saying I jump the gun, so I’m trying to be a more reflective person. In contrast to me, Bastian is so controlled and structured. He has a purpose, and what do I have but an angry sister and a megalomaniac who wants to murder me? Oh, I also have an open contract with an Edener politician.
I take a deep breath and take another stab at my pudding stuff. I suppose I could drown my sorrows in alien food.
“Are you okay?” Bastian asks me.
I guess I look spacey making up fake food brands inside of my head. I have a lot to think about. I get up from the table, thank Yulu and Bastian for the food, and excuse myself.
I go searching for Cleo. I find her in the room Bastian set aside for her, Xerxes, and the baby. It’s a nice room, decorated with gilded furniture. The wall linens are nice too.
It feels good in here too. He must have gone through a lot of trouble to get a welcoming climater in here. And would you believe, Cleo’s sound asleep with the baby? Knocked out cold with her tit in the baby’s mouth.
The baby suckles. I can see her little cheeks working in phantom time. Her eyes are closed. I don’t even think she’s conscious. Her mouth moves according to the reflex.
I leave them alone and make my way through the long decadent halls back to the cooking hearth. Xerxes asks me about Cleo and the baby. I tell him that they are asleep. Bastian is gone, off showing Xerxes’s parents to their room, according to Xerxes.
I sit down across from Xerxes. He’s eating seconds. He’s a big guy. He needs lots of sustenance. “So, what do you think of Bastian?”
“The Pirate King?” Xerxes asks. “I’m impressed. He stood up to the Governor. He’s got this place locked down like a fortress for our safety, and I can tell that he is obsessed with you.”
“How can you tell that? Oh no, he’s not obsessed with me. He only likes to boss me around.”
Xerxes nods. I can tell that he’s thinking things. There’s a look Xerxes gives when he’s thinking hard about something, but that same look says don’t ask me what I’m thinking because I’m not going to tell you. So, I go against my usual default, and I don’t ask him.
“Good night, Freda,” Xerxes says after he finishes his food stuffs. “If you need me, you know where to find me.”
“What do you think I should do, Xerxes? Do you think I should stay here with the pirate, or should I go back to Moon Company Moon and marry the Edener?”
He rubs his head. “I believe that’s a decision only you can make,” he says. “It has to be you.” Xerxes walks out of the cooking hearth, taking all my hope for an unbiased opinion with him.
I get up to help Yulu clean, but she shoos me away. The stare Yulu gives me when I insist on helping her is enough to make my blood turn cold. I feel Bastian’s arms around my waist and his mouth at my neck. I know it’s him because I’m used to the way he feels and feels me. Both feels are great.
“Shall we turn in for the night?” he asks.
“There’s still so much to figure out.”
“Your sister is asleep?”
“She is out like a light.”
“Come,” Bastian says, taking my hand. He leads me to his chamber. It’s a familiar place, and it’s a place I don’t want to leave because it’s so sexy and comforting. I know I will have to leave it permanently. The question is how soon.
Bastian wraps his arms around my neck and peers into my eyes as if he is trying to see inside my soul. I give him a peck at first. Then I go full out tonsil hockey because I don’t want to think.
“I have an outdoor bath. Would you like to see it?” Bastian asks me.
“What?”
“An outdoor bath. It’s very nice. It’s in a cavern of sorts, tucked away so that no one will see us in it.”
“Okay,” I say, taking his hand. He has a private exit from his chambers which leads to the outside courtyard. He leads me away from the palace exit.
Tucked back behind a garden and a greenhouse is this cavern he’s been talking about. I hear laughter coming from the cavern. Bastian creeps forward. “I wonder who is there?” he asks.
“Let me see,” I say.
I creep in front of him and go inside. My mouth falls open. There are at least three male Havener pirates and six Havener women in this bath, and they are going at it. I run off giggling like the immature person that I am.
Bastian follows. “Well, guess no outdoor bath for us,” Bastian says.
“Guess not. I wouldn’t go in that bath now if you paid me. Too much gold in there if you know what I mean. Gold in the mouth, gold in the bath, gold in the hair.”
Bastian pulls me inside of his chamber. He undresses leaving nothing on but his grin. He extends his hands to me, and I take them.
“Wait,” I say. “Let me be like you.” I strip down to nothing.
We’re two butt-naked unknowns. I jump onto Bastian, and he struggles to keep his balance. He low
ers us down to the floor. I consider asking him how much sex he has had in this chamber, but I decide that I don’t want to know. I want to imagine that I’m the only one he has ever had here in this room and that I’m the only one he will ever have.
I mount him. He grabs my boobs and squeezes. I lean over and kiss him. His mouth is warm and sweet. I love his lips.
He pushes inside of me right away. I’m so wet for him. It feels like it has been forever since the last time we were together this way even though it hasn’t been too long at all.
I move up and down on him slowly, savoring the feeling of fullness he gives me. He slides his hands over my nipples, and it sends a tingling sensation through me. I bite my lip. I can’t help it.
I lower myself over him close enough for me to kiss him. Bastian runs his hands through my hair, pulls my head back slightly, and bites into my neck. I cry out.
I’m so surprised by the stinging, tickling feeling. He works his tongue on my neck, then slides it slowly up towards my ear until his tongue is inside my ear hole.
He moves it in and out of my ear like he works his dick in and out of me. He sits up and begins to rock me on his dick, back and forth, in and out he goes. My boobs bounce up and down. How could he say that these were small? Okay, they are small, but so what. They get the job done. I rub them anyway, to show him that he feels so good and that I’m proud of my little ta-tas.
“You are so tight,” Bastian murmurs. “Squeeze me tighter.”
So I do. I mean I’m pretty up to snuff on the Kegels. Okay, not really, but I squeeze anyway, and I squeeze some more as tight as I can. Bastian’s head rolls back.
I lean over him and run my hand down his strong jaw line. Then I grab his neck, but not too tight. I’m not that kind of chick.
I use his neck for leverage to work on Bastian. He doesn’t seem to mind. I squeeze my hand tight for only a minute to play with him. His eyes widen, but his dick gets harder.
I let go of his neck and lean back far enough that my legs are slightly up and spread. He reaches his hand down and plays with my clit. I’m so wet. I don’t want this ever to end.
Bastian grabs me tighter and lifts me up more. He’s pounding into me now. I feel so much pressure against the sweetest spots in my body.
I slide off of Bastian and grab his dick. I rub his dick against my clit, back and forth. My clit swells up, and I jiggle the tip of dick against the pointiest part of my clit.
My legs begin to shake beyond my control. I pull back and lean over him to suck his big red dick. I run my tongue from his balls all the way up to the tip of his dick and circle and around it. I flick my tongue first here, then there. Bastian groans.
His hands are in my hair, and he’s moving with my mouth. He reaches and flicks my nipple with his fingertips. Then he moves down so that he can rub my pussy.
It feels so wonderful sucking him and having him rub my clit at the same time. He tastes good to me too. I slurp up and down his shaft and run my hands up his chiseled stomach until I reach his rock-hard chest. I pinch one of his nipples as payback. He jerks. I giggle.
“Lie on your stomach,” Bastian tells me. So, I do. I’m so wet now. I wonder what he’s going to do. He climbs atop me, spreads my legs open and enters me from behind. His mouth is right at my ear. “You feel so good,” he whispers.
“So do you,” I say.
He thrusts into me until both of our legs are flexed, and I can hear the slap of his body against mine every time he pounds into my wet pussy. I can’t take it anymore.
I lose control, and I cum. My body shakes and shivers as Bastian works his big hard dick in and out of my sopping wetness.
Bastian’s dick is getting so big and so hard that it’s starting to be almost more pressure than I can stand. He jerks in and out of me and lets out a loud groan. His soft mouth falls on my neck. He kisses me on my neck and whispers in my ear, “Don’t leave me.”
I’m spent. Too spent to give an answer.
26
Freda
I fall asleep and wake up to quiet. No sounds, nothing, and Bastian is gone. Where is he? I rise to see where he might have gone, but first I need to put some clothes on.
Bastian must have had my bags brought in from that store by someone later on in the day. I rummage through and pull out a pair of gray leggings and a gray tunic and slip on the new green squishy boots.
There’s zippers across the toe and the heel which allow me to make instant squishy boot sandals. The person who invented the convertible squishy boot is my favorite person after the person that invented the ballet slipper.
I peek out the window and see that the two suns hang in the sky. They’re menacing—those two suns, so poised to destroy the worlds of so many people.
I stalk out of Bastian’s chamber. I find Cleo. She’s standing in the hall. She’s patting Bingo on the head.
“Hey, that’s my boyfriend,” I say.
“I was just about to come and get you,” Cleo says.
“Come get me? Why? I’m not going anywhere.”
“What do you mean you’re not going anywhere?” Cleo stops petting Bingo and stands in akimbo.
“I’m staying here,” I say
“You can’t stay here!” Cleo yells.
Bingo covers his ears. I see Bastian walking towards us. His expression is grim. He’s dressed in all red.
“Bastian, I was just telling Cleo that I’m not going with her. I’m staying here with you.”
Bastian lowers his eyes. “I’m afraid your sister is right. You must go with her, Freda, now.”
“What! You just begged me to stay.”
“Go with your sister, Freda. You will be safer with her. Now, if you’d excuse me, I have some matters to attend to.”
Bastian turns away from me. I run after him and grab him by the arm. He won’t stop moving. He’s practically dragging me along. I know I’m embarrassing myself, but I don’t care.
“How could you? You practically begged me to stay here with you.”
“Look, Freda,” Bastian says pushing my hand away. “I don’t have time for these childish games. He walks off leaving me dumbfounded. Bingo runs to me and hugs my leg.
“I care for you, Freda Chou,” Bingo says. “You are the nicest.”
I pet Bingo on the head. “You’re the nicest too, Bingo,” I say. I watch as Bingo scurries off to follow Bastian.
Cleo comes up behind me. “What did you say to him!” I yell at her. I hear an explosion. I try to run to the palace entrance. “Bastian!” I scream.
Cleo grabs me around the waist and pulls me towards her so hard that I fall on top of her. “You don’t go running towards the sound, you idiot,” she says.
“Bastian could be hurt,” I say. “And Bingo. What about Bingo?
I scramble back up and whirl around to smack Cleo. “Leave me alone. I can take care of myself,” I say when she catches my arm.
She’s stunned that I’ve taken a swing at her and so am I. I don’t know what else to do, so I stomp off towards the courtyard. Pirates are rushing through the door. One is carrying Bastian. He’s knocked out cold. Another follows behind them carrying Bingo. They blew Bingo apart. His limbs are barely attached to the trunk of his body. His eyes are open. He’s not breathing.
“Oh my universe,” I say. I run after the Pirates and catch up to the pirate carrying Bastian. I hover over Bastian. He’s covered with dirt and black stuff. He’s bleeding. “What happened?” I ask.
“The Governor happened,” the pirate says.
I’m too distraught to remember this pirate’s name. There are so many pirates around this place, and I’ve hardly spent more than a few ticks with any of them. That makes it hard to keep track of them. Besides, my memory sucks anyway.
I have my hands on Bastian’s face. I want to make sure that he’s alive. He mumbles something and turns his head.
“I have to hide him. He’s the Pirate King. It’s the code,” the pirate carrying him says.
Cle
o hurdles forward pushing through the ruckus. She’s got her gun out now, pointing it. “Where the fuck is he? I hope he came himself,” she says. She stomps towards the door.
I assume she’s talking about the Governor. I follow her. I have no gun, no kind of weapon at all.
There’s a ship I’ve never seen before hovering very low over the courtyard when we get outside. The hatch door is open, and there’s a man standing there in the opening. I recognize him to be none other than the Governor himself, Hiternum Furmi.
Cleo shoots as soon as she sees him. It’s like she’s a sniper. Hiternum Furmi goes down, falls right off the ship. His face smacks right into the red Havener dirt.
The pirates pick the Governor up off of the ground and bring him into the palace. They take him somewhere, where I don’t know. There’s so much commotion throughout the palace, and all I can think about is getting back to Bastian.
“Where’s Bastian?” I scream. The thought that he’s not going to make it is tearing me apart.
I find one of his crew, “Take me to him,” I say. “Now!”
Xerxes is now in the mix. He’s got his weapons too. He’s ready to back Cleo up as if she needs it.
“Those fuckers ran,” Cleo says from the palace opening. What does he pay them? Not enough obviously.”
A pirate taps me on the shoulder. “Come on,” he says. “They say he’s asking for you. I follow the pirate to Bastian’s chambers. I don’t see him.
“Where is he?” I ask, suddenly afraid.
The pirate walks over to the wall and opens up a door I didn’t notice before. I figure it must be some a secret compartment. The pirate instructs me to step inside.
I go in. Bastian is bleeding from his ears. A small Havener is hovering over him. I didn’t even know this little one was here in the palace. He’s holding a mediscanner over his head.
The small Havener slaps the scanner and shakes it. “I don’t believe it. It’s not working.”
“What do you mean it’s not working?” I ask.
“I can’t know how bad it is without a scanner.”