The Alien Pirates' Treasure (Star Pirates Book 1)

by Charity Wells

  “Anything you like my mate,” he replies and his indulgent smile widens. “But first we must feed you.”

  “This is quite a spread Ca’lek,” she says as she sits down and eyeballs everything he set up.

  A smirk breaks out across my face as I eye the table filled with various delicacies and treats from our homeworld. Mixed in are a few things I’ve never seen before.

  “I agree. This is quite a lot, and just who you think is going to eat it all?” I ask, chuckling as Ca’lek scowls over Polly’s head at me.

  “You guys will just have to eat with me,” she comments, patting the seats on either side of herself.

  Since my primary has decided to try to one up me, I snatch a handful of delu and take a seat next to Polly. “Try this,” I say, holding a succulent pod to her lips.

  Smirking like she knows what I’m doing, she opens her mouth and lets me slip it between her lips. Chewing slowly, she murmurs a happy sound.

  “Oh my heavens, this is amazing,” she groans.

  Ca’lek growls in jealousy under his breath. But I continue to feed her the best selections while he struggles with his indecision. It’s amusing to watch my primary flounder as he tries to find the one thing she’ll like best. Finally he picks a slice of kirni and taps her shoulder. She turns to him, then sputters when he shoves the meat at her.

  “Eat this!” he insists.

  “Slow down,” she chides, trying to fend off his attempt to impress her. “I can’t eat that fast, babe.”

  “I am not a babe,” he growls affronted.

  “Humans use babe and baby as terms of affection sweetie,” Polly explains, smoothing his ruffled fur again. She takes the bite from him and makes a big deal of enjoying it.

  “I don’t care what you call me, as long as you try this.” I sneak a bite of sweet rua to her.

  She chews the dessert slowly then replies with a sly grin, “Is that a challenge?”

  “Perhaps I should rephrase that,” I say, taking in her expression. My mate has already proven to be somewhat devious, considering the trick she pulled on me earlier that led to our spontaneous and practically public mating.

  Ca’lek gives me a wry look, and I bare my teeth at him. He snorts, ignoring the threat. Polly sighs at our posturing and snaps her fingers for attention.

  “Pregnant lady wants more food,” she states, pointing at us both and gesturing to the table. “And what do I have to do around here to get a drink?” she demands with a haughty toss of her head.

  We both stutter into silence at the sudden change of her demeanor. Several seconds pass while she watches our shocked faces, then barks out a laugh of delight.

  “Don’t be so serious! I’m just playing, but I really could use something to wash all this food down please.”

  I jump off my seat and rush to get her something to drink. “Anything in particular?”

  “Some juice would be nice. Otherwise, I might start biting people.”

  I raise an eyebrow at her silliness, daring her to bite me. When she realizes what I’m trying to do she flashes me a smile and shakes her head. Damn. I was really looking forward to having her mouth again so soon.

  Ca’lek and I settle into a pattern of feeding her and ourselves while we slip into a comfortable conversation about how the cabin will be expanded, rearranged, and decorated to suit all three of us.

  Chapter 11

  Polly

  Hot water sluices down my body as I shower as a small sigh of pleasure passes through my lips. If only they had a bathtub. Honestly, I’d probably do anything for one right now. I want to soak my achy muscles so bad it’s not even funny. Today was a good day, but it was long. This shower is not quite soothing enough.

  I pour some shampoo into my hands and lather my hair. The scent reminds me of lavender mixed with traces of sandalwood. This little bottle was tucked deep in a trunk down in the cargo hold and I wasted no time in snatching it up for myself. Hopefully there are more to be found in the other boxes, but I was too tired to keep looking at the time. I inhale the soothing smells, and relax even more as I finish washing my hair, then move onto my tender body.

  Between all the hormones and pheromones caused by my pregnancy, the three of us have been in a constant state of arousal. Not that I’m complaining, but sitting down for lunch and having a good chat gave us a chance to connect on a deeper level. Giving my body a nice, badly needed break was a bonus as well.

  I really liked having the opportunity it gave me to learn more about my mates. Ca’lek is actually the youngest of five pups in his family and the only male. Who knew my grumpy, growly Alpha was raised in a family of girls? Va’naar delighted in telling me that Ca’lek’s dam has a holovid of him wearing a dress and sleeping in his sisters’ toy baby cradle with his littermates when he was an infant. Apparently his older sisters had wanted three new sisters instead of two sisters and a brother. I can still hear Ca’lek’s angry growl when he replied that at least he didn’t go through a mud eating phase as a toddler. Apparently, Va’naar spent a week in a medcenter bed after eating enough mud to make himself horrendously ill. What a goofhead!

  As for Va’naar, he was a rare single birth right in the middle of two older brothers and three younger sisters. Both of his brothers are Alpha personalities and happily bonded in triads of their own choosing. His sisters are still young enough to be teasing the available bachelor pool and drive the single males wild. It was so much fun listening to their stories and seeing them as individuals, rather than just crawling all over them in a sex crazed, pheromonic haze.

  After lunch, we spent a good chunk of time turning the captain’s quarters into our new family den. The wall between Ca’lek and Va’naar’s cabins was removed to expand the space and the males rearranged the furniture to suit our needs. Then they brought up all the boxes I had marked as things I wanted to decorate with.

  I was only allowed to pick up the lightweight things, but my mates moved, hung, draped, and arranged everything else until I was happy. I don’t know how long I’ll be on this ship for, but having a space to call home, albeit temporarily, makes me feel a little less lost in the universe. That took up most of the day, and the results were quite satisfying, but now I’m tired and sore. And it’s not just from the crazy amount of sex we’re having either.

  Heavens, I had really hated the idea of thinking that we were just together because of some pregnancy pheromones, but I now realize that just isn’t true. Especially not now. Sure, something biological played a part in it, but it’s as Ha’dir had said. My mates and I already had a connection before the hormones tossed us into a lust-filled frenzy. I know I was drawn to them on the first day and—remembering Ca’lek and Va’naar’s response to Kuma touching me—they were attracted to me as well.

  Besides, I can’t deny how happy Ca’lek and Va’naar make me. Or how happy they are when we’re all together. And it’s not just that we get along so well. It’s like the saying ‘I feel like I’ve known them my entire life,’ but it’s true. Sparks fly like a thundering nebula. Anyone who’s close enough can see our chemistry come to life. There’s no denying the deep bond growing between the three of us. It’s not just the desire and sex, there’s a real connection we share.

  Still, now that we’re on our way to Mephida, I can’t help but worry. I’ll be meeting the families soon. And then there’s the spiteful jilted ex to deal with. They made such a big deal about their mating contract to Sa’rin, they even mentioned that she came from a powerful family.

  What kind of problems will she cause? Will she rip the five of us apart in her anger, or will she forgive the meddling of the universe and let us off the hook. It’s not like Ca’lek, Va’naar and I went out of our way to hurt her. Fate is what it is.

  No matter how I try to ignore it, my anxiety has been rapidly increasing ever since we left Rissa V. I’ve been doing everything possible to distract myself, but the deep rooted fear that something bad will happen when we arrive on Mephida continues to grow. I mentio
ned my worries just the other day, and they did their best to reassure me, yet I find no comfort at their words until I know with a hundred percent certainty that everything will be alright.

  I just wish those negative feelings would go away!

  Knock. Knock.

  “You don’t have to knock,” I call out, knowing it’s my mates at the door.

  “We figured you wanted some space since the door was closed. Everything alright?”

  Someone pushes the door to the side and pops their head in. I spin around. Make that two someones.

  “Everything’s fine,” I say, mustering a smile.

  “Our card game is starting soon, will you be joining us?” Va’naar asks, looking hopeful, while Ca’lek eyes my naked body and licks his lips with enthusiasm.

  “Not tonight. I’m tired and want to rest, but you two can go on ahead.”

  Ca’lek reaches in for me, and I cup some water into my hands then flick it at him, laughing. “Go on you two, let a woman bathe.”

  Grumbling, my mates leave and I finish showering. Before long I slip into my big, new comfortable bed and close my eyes.

  ∞∞∞

  Va’naar

  “Ca’lek, Va’naar, we weren’t expecting you to drag yourselves out of your mate’s cunt for a while,” Kuma says in a cheerful tone when we enter the mess hall where he and Duresh have set up tonight’s game.

  I growl at his vulgarity, but it’s Duresh who reaches over and smacks the shit out of the back of his head. Kuma merely laughs and throws himself into his seat as Ha’dir puts our poshki deck in the shuffler.

  “Our mate is tired. We thought to give her some time to relax,” Ca’lek replies, ignoring the uncouth male. “Besides, Messa said she would treat her to a ‘girls’ night.’ Whatever that is.”

  “Girls’ night is where females get together and gossip about how wonderful their males are in an attempt to make the other females jealous,” Kuma explains.

  “Really?” Ca’lek asks as he leans in, interested.

  “That’s what Messa told me before she left,” Duresh says and shrugs, setting his drink on the table. “Sit down so we can deal.”

  “Then perhaps we should worry about what Polly says to Messa?” I say to Ca’lek who shakes his head.

  “Let them gossip. Messa knows we’re taken, so it doesn’t matter how jealous Polly makes her. She’s stuck with Duresh,” he comments. Duresh snorts under his breath.

  “You two sound like a couple of females,” he snickers. “Just sit or get out so we can play.”

  “Fine. It’s time we beat Kuma for his last win anyways,” Ca’lek says, stepping over the bench. I grab drinks for us both and sit next to him.

  The game begins and we’re soon immersed in a round of poshki. Poshki has so many possible combinations. It’s a good thing we use a speed deck. A tournament deck would have us playing for cycles. The cards start out rather poorly and we have to make a large number of trades before my hand looks even remotely usable. Finally, I have a good hand, but I’m missing my winning card. Someone has it, I just need to figure out who.

  “So,” Kuma starts, shuffling his hand while he eyes the discarded cards, then glances at Ca’lek. “How are you enjoying mated life?”

  “I like it very much,” my bonded answers, his eyes narrow in warning. “What are you really wanting to know?”

  Kuma laughs shamelessly, smirking at us both. “I heard human females are tighter than a traxian constrictor, but they can stretch to accommodate almost any male, sometimes multiple males. Is that true?”“I am not discussing my mate’s ability to accommodate,” Ca’lek says drily, reaching for his next cards as the machine deals.

  “Aww, that’s no fun. What about whatever she’d been telling Messa? I’ve never seen Duresh so happy in the mornings before. He won’t tell me what Polly taught her, will you?”

  “No,” I answer, grinning at Kuma’s pout. “You want to know how a human feels on your cock, find your own. Our mate and her abilities are none of your business.”

  “Oh, now I get it,” Kuma says, the corners of his lips turning up into a knowing grin.

  “Get what?” Duresh interrupts, eyeing the big Shirshen with suspicion.

  “They are afraid I will steal their female if I know too much about humans. If they are that worried about her loyalty, perhaps-ow!”

  Ha’dir smacks him this time, cutting off his next words.

  “Leave them be, you big, gold idiot,” he orders, shoving a plate of snacks in Kuma’s direction. “And stick something in that big mouth of yours before they break your jaw for being an ass.”

  Kuma laughs again, but it’s good natured and moments later he settles down to play again.

  ∞∞∞

  Polly

  Knock. Knock. Knock.

  “Polly, you in there?”

  I hear someone calling me through the door. The sound is muffled by the thick metal, but I know I’m fairly certain it’s Messa. She’s the only other person aboard this ship with a feminine voice except Va’naar when someone steps on his tail.

  I accidentally did that once when I crawled over his body to get out of bed. His tail hung over the edge and on the floor. As soon as my foot touched down on that fluffy thing, he woke from the dead of night screeching like a woman. Ca’lek flew out of bed at the commotion, attacking the perceived threat. All I wanted was to use the bathroom, not watch my mates duke it out half asleep before they realized nothing was wrong.

  Yet Va’naar’s in the mess hall along with Ca’lek and the other crew playing cards, leaving only Messa. She’s lucky I adore her.

  I groan, trying to sit up. I glance at the wall and note I only just laid down a short while ago.

  “Polly?”

  “Just a moment,” I yell, my hand sliding down my face. Yawning, I toss the plush blanket aside, waddle off the bed and use the bathroom. A few moments later, I open the door to find Messa standing in the corridor with a trayful of drink bottles and treats.

  Well, this was not what I was expecting.

  “Lasav via?”

  What did she just say? I tap the back of my ear, where my subdural translator is located because clearly it’s malfunctioning. Everyone in the Alliance gets one as a child and I upgraded to a newer unit only two solars ago. It can’t possibly need maintenance already, they’re good for at least five solars before the software needs updated.

  “It means ladie’s night,” she exclaims enthusiastically. “The captain asked me to check on you since you decided to spend the evening alone and I figured I’d make use of Kuma’s excessive database of strange human customs.”

  “Huh...I don’t know why that didn’t translate,” I say, eyeing the tray in her hands a second time. “Ahh, sure. Come in, come in.”

  “It’s an old language from my homeworld. No one really uses it anymore hence why it probably didn’t translate. Sorry, it’s a hobby of mine.”

  “Yeah, I’m not that good at learning other languages,” I reply with a self deprecating chuckle and motion her inside, apologizing for the mess.

  Messa shrugs her shoulders, not seeming to mind too much. I guess living on a ship with several males does that to a woman.

  “Computer, lights to sixty-five percent please.”

  Messa’s head swivels around, her eyes squinting. “That horrid male. He told me he sold that chip upgrade!”

  It takes me a moment to realize she’s talking about the computer’s integrative speech function only found in the captain’s quarters. “Sold it? He needs to buy more so the whole ship runs like this.”

  “What do you mean buy, human? We’re pirates. We’ll just steal a few more the next time we raid a Kellian vessel.” Messa sets the tray on the table in front of the lounge and drops into the cushions.

  “Privateers if you ask Ca’lek and Va’naar,” I correct her with an ironic laugh as I sit down across from her and prop my feet up on a pillow. My ankles are so swollen lately and it’s about the only thing that
helps.

  She chuckles, eyeing the snacks with an impatient hunger. “Yeah, that too. You’re okay with that though, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess. You guys are the good kind of pirates, if that’s a thing,” I say, grinning. “I overheard the guys talking about how they didn’t get paid for that serum you went to all the trouble of stealing and delivering. None of you seem overly concerned about it either.”

  “Oh that, don’t worry, we got paid,” Messa says, snitching a treat to pop in her mouth. “The colony transferred credits to cover the cost of our fuel and our restocking, which was pretty much all Ca’lek wanted for the serum in the first place. Unlike other crews who might demand the entire reward, we aren’t in it for the credits. We make more than enough off the rest of the cargo we sell and we get a lot of contracts from the Galactic Alliance because we’re so good at successfully raiding those Viktoid bastards.”

  “It’s just such a shame that people like you have to attack the Viktoids to get the Vindi serum in the first place,” I reply with a huff. My stomach grumbles a faint complaint. Apparently it has decided to be hungry since I’m no longer trying to sleep. “It seems so dangerous and I hate to think that any of you could get hurt. The Viktoids are such a terrible race. You guys may be more like Robin Hood than pirates, and that’s okay, but you still have to go up against bad guys to do what you do. I just don’t know how I’d handle it if my mates were bad pirates.”

  “Yeah, the Viktoids keep to themselves, stealing from other ships and stations, while hoarding the serum. Without it many of the colonies who contract the illness die. We aren’t the only ship that goes after the Viktoids. And what’s Robin Hood?” Messa asks curiously.

  “It’s an ancient Earth story about a guy who stole from the rich to feed the poor. I don’t remember the whole thing, just enough to see the similarities between that story and the things this crew does. So what’d you bring for ladies night?”

  “Oh, a little of this, a little of that. You can already see the dirci,” Messa replies, pointing to the open bowl she’d been eating from. Then she winks. Reaching over, she pulls the lid off a decorative box, exposing an expensive selection of sweets from the tropical planet, Sorcu III. “There’s also cir, vesh, and tilu.”