Dangerously Mine

by A. M. Griffin

  “Anything.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t need the favor now, just promise you will grant it when I call you.”

  “Sa’Mya, I’m on the council, it can’t be anything illegal,” he said, warning her. He didn’t like the idea of promising a favor without knowing what he was promising for.

  “No.” She shook her head again. “You have nothing to worry about on that end. I will need a favor and I want to be able to count on a friend.” Something in her eyes compelled him to help her.

  “You will be able to count on me.”

  Sa’Mya smiled. “Thank you.” Then, as if it was an afterthought. “I will make sure that our previous arrangement is modified.”

  Taio had assumed that since there would not be a ceremony, their contract would be voided.

  “I will still make sure that you have use of my transport vessels. Mind you, you won’t be part-owner anymore and I want a percentage of the profits made when this little world of yours becomes a thriving attraction,” Sa’Mya said.

  “Thank you.” He bowed his head. This was more than generous of her, especially since she wasn’t obligated to him anymore.

  “Anything for a friend.” She bowed hers in return.

  Taio had the feeling she was endearing herself to him for when she called in her “favor”. He would worry about that later.

  Leaving her, he returned to his personal quarters to pack his bag. He needed to go to Holis, praying that he wasn’t too late.

  “Ship! Get me Taraj Hazouto from Holis on the—”

  He stopped mid-sentence. Ship was gone. He stopped what he was doing and ran to his office. He couldn’t dial the code for Taraj Hazouto quick enough. He let out an extended breath as her face came into view.

  “Greetings, Taraj.” He bowed his head to the diplomat.

  “Greetings, King Taio. What an honor it is for you to call upon me.”

  “The honor is all mine.” He smiled. “I would appreciate it very much if you could let me speak with Eva.”

  “Eva?” she asked. “Why would Eva be here?”

  “I assumed she was there with Alexion. Is she not?”

  “I’m afraid not. We last spoke with her five rotations ago. She was going to Zolaris. She had news her friend, Allysan, was being held there,” Taraj explained.

  Taio blanched at the news. She was trekking around the galaxy with only Ship to take care of her.

  “I don’t understand, I thought she was with Alexion?”

  “Why would she be with Alexion?”

  “They shared a mutual attraction. I assumed when she left here she went running to him.” Panic crept across his heart. Where was she? She was a human female, she didn’t know anything about the dangers the universe held.

  “You misunderstood, King Taio. Alexion does find her to be quite appealing, exotic even. But Eva did not share his feelings.”

  “But I saw them together a lot. There was more to their relationship than you are letting on.”

  “They had a friendship. Once Eva told us about her people, we felt compelled to help. Alexion came up with the idea of us setting up safe planets for the other humans. Alexion was planning it and I was using my contacts as a dignitary to find suitable sites. It was no more than a working relationship, I assure you. My brother cannot keep any secrets from me.”

  “I can’t believe I let her leave on her own.” He leaned back in his chair. “She could be in so much danger.” He ran a hand through his tangled hair.

  “Don’t worry, Ship is taking good care of her. He would never leave her side. Not even for a minute. Especially since she is starting to show.”

  “Show what?”

  “Her pregnancy, of course. Ship is extremely protective of her. She told me Ship has insisted this was going to be her last attempt to find Allysan before the baby is born.”

  Taio’s mind froze. Pregnant? Baby?

  Taraj’s eyes widened in response. “King Taio, you did not know that she was pregnant?”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Eva sat slumped at the bar. This was the seventh dead end she had run into in the past six months. And not to mention her ankles were swelling. She looked at them in disgust and curled her lip. It was bad enough that she had been dumped, but dumped and fat? That was just plain wrong.

  She was on an Interplanetary System Transport Vessel headed to nowhere. Well, it was going somewhere, but she was drifting. She couldn’t find Ally, the few friends she made on Sonis were gone and, of course, no Taio. The only thing that kept her hopes somewhat up was the chance of finding Ally and reclaiming a little bit of the normalcy she lost. Now, with her belly growing bigger by the day and no Ally, she would need to go somewhere quiet to lick her wounds.

  She wanted Ally, she wanted her friend back, but there was another reason that was more pressing. Ship gave her news that Ally had been sold and re-sold to as many as three different brothels throughout the galaxy. She needed to find her friend. Now.

  This last lead on Ally had seemed as though it was finally going to be the one. But it turned out to be a bust. Ally had been sold yet again, this time to a private broker who would no doubt turn around and sell her again. Ship could track her, but it would take awhile for Ally to hit the grid again.

  Eva thought highly of her fighting skills, but even she knew she wouldn’t be able to launch a one-woman rescue mission this late in her pregnancy. Eva sighed as she thought about the delay. There was no way around it. She would need to resume the search after her son was born.

  Ship had made her visit a medical healer on the first planet they visited after leaving Sonis. Although she didn’t appreciate the entity making her do anything, she had relented. The medical healer told her she was carrying a son and so far he was healthy. The baby she carried was her first priority, finding Ally was her second.

  On every planet she had been to, she inquired about ideal places to live and raise children. She had a few requirements in mind. The temperature had to be mild and sunny yearlong. The days had to match Earth’s standard days as much as possible. She looked for a place where she and the baby would be safe living alone, and of course, it had to be in a different solar system than Sonis.

  Somewhere far away.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a male walking toward her. His blue-tinted lips sported a malicious grin. His translucent gray skin color, pointy ears and long, blond hair identified his species, Uurosolian. Since she was on her own, learning about different species was a requirement. The information she gathered on Uurosolians was that their race was known to be aggressive toward their females and very dangerous.

  Shit. She kept her eyes on him while she let her hand slide to her blaster.

  Crap. Crap. Crap. Transport rules, no weapons onboard. Her blaster was checked with her bag, she wouldn’t be able to have it until they reached their final destination.

  The transport lurched forward just slightly, enough to cause the Uurosolian’s steps to falter and her side to bang against the countertop. She looked around to see if anything visible was going on. Nothing. She quickly dismissed the disruption. It was probably an air pocket or authorities scanning the vessel. They did this in hopes of catching fugitives or unapproved cargo.

  Eva didn’t linger on it, the transport would continue on its way once the scan was complete. She had bigger worries.

  “Hello there.” The Uurosolian slid into the chair next to hers, smiling viciously with a mouth full of pointy teeth.

  “Hello yourself.” She smiled back. “My name is Eva.” She extended her hand to him. The last thing she needed was to hurt this guy’s feelings and be entangled in some kind of physical altercation. Kill him with kindness. Kindness and lies.

  His confident smile turned somewhat wary. Not the easy prey he suspected she was, Eva thought.

  Hand still extended, she looked at his hand, then back at hers.

  With a confused look on his face, the Uurosolian took her hand in his and Eva shook v
igorously up and down.

  “Eva,” she said again. “And your name would be?”

  “Losix.” He nervously looked around the room as if she were setting him up.

  She was sitting alone, looking depressed and beat down. She was sure he hoped to build her spirits up with sugar-coated words that would lead to an easy lay. She didn’t appear to be the same person he spotted a few moments ago.

  She kept a smile on her face and shook his hand vigorously. “Losix. That’s a real strong name. I like strong names. You’re from Uurose, right? I’ve heard of your people.”

  She stopped shaking his hand but held it tight in her grip. She stroked it with her free hand and leaned closer to him. “Even saw a few since I’ve been traveling the galaxy.”

  “Umm… I mistook you for an old acquaintance. I’m sorry to impose on you,” he replied quickly.

  He was trying to free his hand from her grasp when a bloodcurdling war cry erupted behind her.

  Eva jumped from her seat and instinctively got behind Losix, shielding herself from whatever was about to happen.

  “I. Will. Rip. You. To. Shreds. Uurosolian.” Each word dripped with hate. “Do you dare touch my mate?”

  Eva slowly recognized the voice behind the madness. Taio?

  “I apologize. I was just telling the female that I mistook her for an old acquaintance. I meant no harm.” As he spoke, Losix reached behind his back, trying to grab a hold of her. Eva held the back of his shirt tight in her fist.

  “Why does she hide behind you?”

  “I am trying to free myself from her. I have been trying to free myself ever since we greeted.”

  Eva unclenched her fist, and with nervous energy, began to smooth out the wrinkles of his shirt.

  “You let her stroke you!” Taio’s voice bellowed across the room. Eva could feel his boots stomping closer to her direction.

  Oh crap.

  Losix jumped up and stepped out of the way, exposing her to Taio’s fury. She gave the Uurosolian an annoyed look. He shrugged and made his way to the exit.

  Her knees weakened at the sight of him. He seemed taller than she remembered, bigger and a whole lot meaner. He was in need of a shave, and when he stopped in front of her, she smelled the stench coming from his body and clothes and decided he needed a bath too.

  “I am not your mate. You made that quite clear,” she said calmly, surprising even herself.

  “You are my mate. You carry my child.” His voice was loud, staking his claim.

  So he had found out about the baby.

  “For your information, that does not make us mates! Where I’m from, we call that a baby mama!” She fumbled for her chair. Her knees were definitely getting weak now. “I’m not your slave anymore.”

  She slid into her chair. “You gave me my freedom. I have witnesses.”

  Taio stepped closer to her, cradling her face in his hands.

  “You are not my slave. You never were, but you are mine. You always will be. This is mine.” He rubbed his hand across her distended belly.

  She hung her head low, tears ran down her cheeks. “No, Taio. I’m not yours. I can’t watch you and Princess Sa’Mya together and stay with you. Not even for the baby. You can’t make me do it.”

  Taio gathered her off the stool, cradling her in his thick arms. “I would never ask you to do something so foolish. You will be my mate.”

  Eva looked at him through tear-soaked eyes.

  “How can I be your mate?”

  “I love you and you carry my child.”

  “You love me?”

  “Yes, and if you do not come back with me, Kiehle will drag this entire transport back to Sonis and keep it there until you change your mind.”

  “You put a hold on the transport?” She finally looked around. Everyone watched her and Taio with stunned looks on their faces. But aside from that, the transport guards were all being held in headlocks by Taio’s crew.

  “I need you back. I came prepared for a fight. I had to first convince Ship to let me board to speak with you. Eva, I want you by my side. Just you, my little one. My queen.”

  “Taio, I don’t know if I can trust you again. What you did…it hurt.”

  “Eva, please. I would do anything to have you back with me, where you belong.”

  “We’ll be mated?”

  “Yes. We will sign the bonding contract as soon as we return to Sonis.”

  Eva put up her hand. “I want to be able to continue to train with the guards.”

  “Eva, that is not a queen’s place.” She turned her back. “But one item that we can add to the contract.”

  She wasn’t giving in that easy. She turned back around. “I want a say in our son’s upbringing.”

  “Son?” He fumbled for the chair. Her insides instantly melted. He would love their child with all his heart.

  “Yes, I’m carrying your son and I want equal say in his upbringing.”

  “This is unheard of.” He shook his head. “This is a father’s responsibility.”

  Eva’s lips twitched. She knew she would lose that battle. She hoped for it. “Okay. If I can’t have equal say in the raising of our son, then I want an enlightenment ceremony.”

  “That is out of the question.”

  She held up her finger. “We are negotiating. If I can’t have equal say in the upbringing of our son, I should at least have an enlightenment ceremony.”

  He sat back and crossed his arms. “I’ll think about it.”

  Eva sat back as well. “When you come to a conclusion, let me know. I’ll have Ship inform you which planet the baby and I settle down on.”

  “All right. You can have an enlightenment ceremony. After our son is born.”

  Eva hauled back and punched him as hard as she could in his muscle-ripped stomach.

  “What was that for?”

  “That’s for upsetting me and putting me through hell.”

  “I’m sorry, little one.”

  “Queen,” she corrected.

  Eva buried her face in his stomach and held on tight. She would never let him go. Their son would grow up in a loving two-parent household. But most importantly, he would grow up in a family.

  Her family.

  Epilogue

  Eva sat cross-legged on a blanket that covered the sandy ground next to the training field. Her eyes fluttered closed as she tilted her head up toward the bright suns, welcoming the rays on the tattoo that circled around her right eye. Taio had explained that the heat generated from the suns’ rays would help to dry and heal the elaborate tattoos that she now possessed. Having undergone the enlightenment ceremony a couple of weeks beforehand, the two intricate designs of varitizars were healing nicely, although the skin underneath the tattoos itched something fierce. Later, when she found some time to herself, she planned to lie naked in the private royal gardens to expose the bottom part of the designs that covered her torso, chest and neck to the suns’ rays.

  A cry from the training field jolted her back to the present.

  “That’s the one I have my eye on,” Lo’Ren said. She was sitting next to Eva watching the guards train. “He just doesn’t know it yet.”

  Eva followed Lo’Ren’s line of vision to one of Taio’s new royal guards. “What about Ankon?”

  Lo’Ren snorted. “Who says I can’t have my eyes on both of them?”

  Eva laughed, making the child sleeping soundly next to her shift on the blanket. She hadn’t dared sit close enough to the field that she or her son, Josanis, could be injured. Even though the guards on the field would as soon cut off their arms than to cause harm to Josanis, she didn’t want to hear Taio’s mouth regarding all of the possible dangers that the training field held and all the many ways Josanis could be injured.

  At the thought of her and Taio’s two-year-old son, Eva reached over and rested a hand on his back, feeling his soft, rhythmic breathing. Eva didn’t worry at all about the suns’ rays damaging his skin as it had done hers years ago, the sun
-protective clothing he wore would prevent that from happening. She smoothed a lock of raven-black hair away from his forehead and curled it around his ear. Lying at his side was a much smaller version of a jango that Taio had specially made for his first-born son. The stubborn child carried it everywhere he went, insisting that it stay at his side, even in sleep.

  Josanis had been the first interspecies union, but he would not be the last. It was amazing to find out that humans could be the welcomed solution to the Drazlan and Sonis breeding problem. Taio had brought more human women of childbearing age to live and settle on both Sonis and Drazlan.

  Taio and his father had bought human females from slave traders and even paid the women handsomely to settle on Sonis and Drazlan. The women had all been happy enough to be granted freedom. But they gained much more, a place to call home, shelter and the possibility to find their own protectors and raise families. Eva was more than happy to be tasked with the job of making sure that all their needs had been met, that the women assimilated into their new culture with ease and that the people of Drazlan and Sonis also understood their new inhabitants.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when a purplish-haze obstructed her view of the training field. The first time she had seen the unfamiliar haze, she had thought her eyes had failed her. Why else could she see a disturbance that had the same look of purple-heat waves moving throughout the palace and not anyone else? When she had asked Taio and Lo’Ren about the visual disturbance, they had all denied that they could see anything. As it turned out, her human eyes could detect the entity while other species could not.

  “Hello, Ship,” she said. “This must be real important if you are out and about.”

  “Hi, Ship,” Lo’Ren said, taking her cue from Eva.

  Although Ship thrived and preferred to travel through electrical currents, it wasn’t necessary to do so. As long as he didn’t stay away from electrical currents for great lengths of time, he would survive. Now that she knew what to look for, Eva always caught him traveling inconspicuously throughout the palace.

  “Yes, it is very important. But if you do not appreciate that I am exposing myself to the elements, then I will go back inside the palace walls.”