The Alien Pirates' Treasure (Star Pirates Book 1)

by Charity Wells

  I pull away, gripping my stomach again from another cramp. Ca’lek gives me a questioning glance. “It’s the food, I swear!”

  “What’s the food?” Va’naar asks, cocking his head.

  “She’s having cramps.”

  “Mild ones, but I’m certain it’s just from the food. Ha’dir said I still have a few weeks left. There’s nothing to worry about. I’m going to freshen up in the ladies room and I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll go with you,” they say in unison.

  I giggle and roll my eyes. “If you guys come with me I’ll be doing far more than just freshening up! Go mingle, I’ll be right back.”

  “Alright,” they both grumble.

  I laugh. It’s like they think everything will fall apart just because I need to use the ladies room for a few minutes.

  As I walk past them and out of the reception room, I make my way up the spiral staircase until I reach the second floor and the quiet guest room where I dressed this morning after their parents separated us to prepare for the ceremony. I might take a nap here later if the party goes on too much longer.

  I avoid the mirrors since I’m pretty sure I look like death, and head into the bathroom. A quick pee, some dress and hair fluffing, with a bit of water splashed on my pale skin, and I feel a little more prepared to face the horde of guests once more. It seems everyone wanted to meet the males who defied tradition and fought for their right to choose the mate they loved.

  There was change coming to Mephida and it seemed like I was at the center of it. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but as long as I have my mates, I can do anything. Finished, I step out of the cleansing unit and bump straight into a hard mass.

  “Oh! Sorry,” I exclaim, stepping back.

  Standing in the doorway is a female Mephidaean with cream colored fur and honey brown stripes. She’s beautiful with silky soft fur shining in the light. Her mane hangs long down her back and her tail is twice as thick as Ca’lek’s. She eyes me with disgusted fascination that makes me nervous. Saying nothing, she leans in and smells me before drawing back with an angry sniff. She isn’t nearly as nicely dressed as the other guests who came for the ceremony.

  “Can I help you?” I ask nervously. I try to edge around her, but she moves with me, blocking my way.

  “You didn’t look well, so I thought I’d check in on you and make sure you were okay, especially since you are so heavy with pups.” Her eyes grow wide as she stares at my belly, her mouth twitching at the corners.

  I take a step back and nervously fake a smile. Who is this female? Something tickles the back of my mind, I feel like I’ve seen her before, but I don’t recall where.

  “Oh, yeah, umm...I had some cramping and just wanted to freshen up and have a quiet moment. Thanks for checking in on me though. I’m alright now.”

  “Oh, that is good to hear. We wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you or the young.”

  Her words catch me off guard. Why would she think anything bad would happen to me or my babies? My stomach coils into knots and I’m beginning to regret sending my mates off to mingle with their extended families.

  “Well, thanks again. My mates are waiting for me downstairs,” I say, sidestepping her to leave the room.

  A hand clamps painfully around my wrist and I’m pulled away from the stairs. She drags me swiftly in the opposite direction, but I plant my feet and pull back. I hear a small ripping sound when my foot tangles with my skirt and tears the fabric.

  “What the hell?” I say and spin round, turning to face the angry looking female.

  “You stole my mates,” she hisses, baring her needle sharp teeth. “Because of you, my family is in disgrace. You ruined all my plans!”

  “Sa’rin? You...you were part of it weren’t you?” I accuse. “You aren’t innocent of it at all.”

  “Ha! It was all my idea. You think I’ll let you get away with everything you’ve done? Everything you’ve taken? My sires were fools, but I will make you pay for taking what is mine!” she says vehemently, yanking me off balance and pulling me towards the rear stairs.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you,” I growl, trying to pull away.

  Sa’rin snarls and pulls a compact laser pistol from her waist band, flicks the safety off and jabs it into my side. “You will stroll out the door with me, like a good friend, or I will kill the little bastards in your belly and leave you to bleed to death right here,” she threatens, shoving the muzzle into my belly.

  “Okay, okay, I’ll come. Just don’t hurt my pups, please,” I say hurriedly, my heart seizing at the danger this crazed female poses.

  “Good, we wouldn’t want to ruin the fun yet, would we?” Sa’rin says, her arrogant sneer widening. She growls under her breath and pulls me down the stairs and out into the gardens behind the building. The party is in the reception room and the back gardens, so I can’t see my mates and there are very few guests back here at all. Sa’rin walks briskly down the path, dragging me along. The pace is almost too fast for me and I stumble, drawing attention from a nearby worker.

  “Everything okay, Miss?” he asks as we pass.

  I open my mouth to speak, but Sa’rin’s grip around my wrist tightens so much the bones crack and I release a tiny pained gasp, leaving me unable to respond. She’s hidden the blaster for now, but I know it won’t take much provocation for her to pull it out and use it.

  “Everything’s fine, she’s just having some cramps, so we’re getting a little fresh air,” Sa’rin replies in a casual manner.

  “Oh, okay then. Feel better Miss.”

  Sa’rin’s painful grip on my wrist stays until we’re out of sight of the gardener. She finally eases up on me, but the pistol reappears and digs into my skin again.

  “If you so much as consider calling for help again, I’ll kill you and whatever rescuer comes to your aid,” she warns.

  “You won’t get away with this,” I reply. Another hard cramp rolls across my belly and I gasp, pressing a hand against it.

  “Pathetic human. I already have,” Sa’rin scoffs under her breath and walks faster.

  Rounding a corner, I see a small transport not too far ahead. The side door opens and a big, scarred Mephidaean male steps out. He looks rough and mean. Chills trickle down my spine. If I get in the vehicle, my mates won’t be able to find me. To stall for time, I dig my heels into the path.

  “Where are you taking me?” I demand.

  She turns to wave the pistol at me. “Why, I’m just returning some product to its rightful owners,” she says sweetly, as a malicious grin forms on her muzzle.

  My mind flashes back to my awakening on the Viktoid ship.

  We must determine the viability of the product.

  “Oh my God,” I whisper in horror. She’s giving me back to those monsters. I’d rather die. At least that’s better than an eternity of being used to breed more children for them to feed off of until I outlive my usefulness and become dinner myself.

  Sa’rin must have seen the determination on my face. Her hand tightens once more and she raises the weapon to threaten me again. “You either die here or you die with them, but you still die.”

  “Then kill me, because I won’t go willingly,” I reply, tensing my muscles for a fight.

  Sa’rin’s eyes flicking past me. “I would love to, but that won’t be necessary.”

  A rock clatters on the path behind me and my head explodes with pain. The big male must have snuck up behind me.

  My vision blurs and everything goes dark. I barely feel the arms that catch me as I collapse, then, I feel nothing at all.

  ∞∞∞

  Ca’lek

  “She should have been back by now,” Va’naar whispers quietly in my ear.

  I, on the other hand, smile pleasantly at my elderly Aunt Je’mia, a lonely older female who can yabber anyone’s ears off. But I agree with my secondary, Polly should have been back by now. One of us should go see if she’s alright.

  “Oooo
h, I am just so happy to see you two finally bonded with a nice female,” Je’mia says proudly, pinching my cheeks like a pup. She laces her bony elbow around my arm and drags me along with her. “When your sire was your age, he went on and on about the first time he laid eyes on your dam. Next thing we knew they were mated with pups on the way. Have you seen your cousins yet? Come, let us go see them. They are very excited to speak with you about your prestigious job as a ship’s captain.”

  Aunt Te’mia keeps switching topics so fast that my head is spinning.

  I groan inwardly. Then an idea pops into my mind and I smile.

  “You know, Va’naar is a captain too,” I lie, trying to escape her tenacious grip.

  “Oh really?” she says, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she turns his way.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Va’naar quietly whispers.

  “Oh yes, he’s one of the best around. You should ask him how he destroyed a Viktoid ship during our rescue of Polly. It’s a very daring and romantic story.”

  Va’naar’s eyes plead with me. I switch Te’mia’s hands to his arm, then mouth out that I’m going to grab Polly.

  “I’ll be right back to greet everyone, but in the meantime Va’naar here will be more than happy to answer any of your questions,” I assure my great-aunt when she turns a curious eye at me. She nods, then continues to drag Va’naar off in search of my cousins.

  I chuckle, then make my way to the stairs in search of my mate and far away from my aunt. I love her of course, but if Va’naar wasn’t there to be my scapegoat, I’d be stuck with her all evening. Perhaps I’ll rescue him, perhaps not. Guess we’ll see how long it takes for Polly to ask about him. If I can keep her distracted long enough, we might have most of the evening alone, I hope. A naughty grin widens on my face.

  While I trot up the stairs, I imagine the possibility of obtaining a quick session of lovemaking from my beautiful mate. It would be so easy to bend her over the edge on a table or the back of a chair, flip her skirts out of the way, and sink into the wet heat between her creamy thighs. I wouldn’t even muss her hair at all. That is, if she’s feeling better now. If she’s still feeling unwell, I’ll behave and walk her back down to reception to sit and talk to guests. Or we could snuggle on the bed and nap for a while.

  My cock is hard and aching by the time I let myself into her room. The main room is empty, so she must still be in the lavatory. I grin like an idiot and push the door open, then walk in. My smile falls. This room is also empty.

  What’s going on? She would have come to find one of us if she had come back down the stairs again. Where is she?

  A worried shiver skitters over me. Turning back to the room, I scan it critically. There’s nothing out of place, nothing to make me think there’s a problem, but I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong.

  Maybe I missed her on my way up? Maybe she went down the other stairs?

  I need to find her.

  Slowly following the path Polly should have taken to return to us, I spy a shred of blue on the floor not far from the stairs. It’s a piece of the flimsy underskirt from Polly’s navizili. I must have missed it in my rush to see my mate. The sight of the torn fabric causes my anxiety to increase. She moves so slowly because of the pups that I find it hard to believe she ripped her skirt without help.

  I bend down to pick it up, then turn it over in my hand, freezing as a strange scent in the air disturbs me. It isn’t Polly, but it is familiar. Concentrating, I close my eyes and breath deeper, trying to pull it in. It hits me like a sledgehammer.

  “Sa’rin,” I snarl, turning around. Every strand in my mane standing on end. “VA’NAAR!” I roar, lunging towards the stairs.

  Va’naar bolts across the floor, meeting me halfway up the steps. Downstairs, the party has gone silent. Everyone’s eyes are now on us.

  “What is it?” Va’naar asks, his eyes glazed with worry.

  I shove the fabric in his face. “She’s gone!”

  His face forms the darkest scowl I have ever seen on my carefree secondary. I can see the rage burning beneath the surface as he inhales Sa’rin’s filthy scent.

  “I’ll kill the bitch if she’s hurt Polly,” he snarls, turning towards the back stairs. “I’ll track, you follow.”

  We follow the scent through the halls and out into the sunlit day. Va’naar tracks them all the way to the alley out back, then curses when the trail goes cold. “They got in a transport. I smell a male too. Unfamiliar though. He smells off. He must be dirty or sick or something,” Va’naar says anxiously.

  “He would have to be, to take our mate and think we would let him live,” I snarl, turning to face the crowd standing behind us. “Who was in charge of security?”

  “Ca’lek! What’s going on?” my sires demand, pushing through the murmuring bystanders. My dam and Va’naar’s parents are right on their heels.

  “Polly has been abducted by Sa’rin and an unknown male,” I angrily snap, pacing along the edge of the garden while trying to clear my thoughts.

  Mother Da’leah gasps and buries her muzzle in her primary’s fur. My own dam stands close to my sires, her eyes brimming with tears. It makes me think of Polly and how scared she must be right now. I know she’s a strong female, but this can’t be easy on her, not when she’s been through one abduction already.

  “How did this happen? Who was responsible for checking in the guests?” one of my sires says, turning to interrogate the crowd.

  No one speaks up.

  Va’naar throws a fist at the nearest wall, growling like an untamed beast and fighting for his own calm. His other sire grips his shoulder, offering support. It is obvious Va’naar feels guilty for losing her scent. I can’t blame him for how he feels, but it’s not his fault. I’m the primary. I should have been more vigilant. My own hands ball into fists. My need to punch something grows, but I can’t lose my shit right now. Polly needs us.

  “The kirita!” my dam suddenly says, reminding me of the necklace we gave Polly. Each of us has one as part of the bonding ceremony, though it’s usually given during the first mating. “She’s already wearing the kirita. It’s not active yet, but you should still be able to track it.”

  Va’naar whips his head in her direction, looking hopeful. The necklaces would allow us to track each other to the ends of the universe. We just have to find the signal and activate it.

  “We’ll find out where the breach in our security came from,” Shau’van says, clearing the crowd behind us to give us room to breath.

  And with that, all of our sires spread throughout the property interrogating staff and guests alike in search of the truth. As the crowd dissipates, our crew pushes through to join us, working their way through the mass of people. Messa looks as distressed as my dam, while the others are as pissed as I am. Kuma in particular looks ready to commit murder.

  “Get Duresh,” Va’naar suggests, rubbing his temples. “He’s here somewhere. Maybe he can use our signals to pinpoint Polly.”

  “Already here, and I’m on it,” Duresh replies, pulling up his datalink. Scanning our kiritas, he sends out a signal burst and we wait for a few tense moments. Kuma takes off without a word, jogging around the side of the house.

  “This better work,” I comment, praying to whatever Gods I can that this works. It has to. I refuse to lose both my mate and our pups on our ceremony day.

  My mother wraps her arms around me, squeezing me tightly. “It will work and when we find your mate, you’re going back to the Council and we’re going to make that female pay.”

  “We won’t need the Council,” I growl fiercely. “Because Sa’rin will be dead.”

  “I do not approve of that particular plan young Var’esh, but under our own laws, you are well within your rights,” Eldest Nea’lah states, coming up behind us. “The female has proven herself to be a traitorous liar. She has made a fool of the Council and has now committed a grievous sin in taking your mate. However justice is served, this won’t go
unpunished.”

  Mother doesn’t reply, she just squeezes me harder while Va’naar growls in agreement.

  A sudden ping makes us all jump.

  “I’ve got her,” Duresh says as his fingers fly over the keys. “She’s headed east, and quickly.”

  “Where is Sa’rin taking her?” Messa asks, nuzzling against Duresh for comfort.

  “I don’t know,” Va’naar says, shaking his head. “There’s nothing out that way except…”

  “Except what?” I interrupt, feeling guilty that he knows more about the neighboring territory than I do.

  “The east side of the city is warehouses and the empty quarter,” he says, pulling up a map on his own data link. He syncs it with Duresh’s signal. A dot representing Polly pops up, blinking as it zips down streets and moves further away. My comm chimes and I answer without looking at it.

  “What?” I demand.

  “Oh, Ca’lek,” Sa’rin’s voice coos. “Is that any way to address your former betrothed? I thought we had something once.”

  “You thought wrong, you vile bitch!” I snap into the comm. “Where is my mate?”

  “She’s here, but you should really watch how you talk to me,” she purrs. “The human is unharmed, for now, but that could change in an instant.”

  “I’ll kill you if you hurt her,” I snarl.

  If she thinks for one damn second I won’t tear her limb from limb because she’s a female, she’s dead wrong.

  “Should you make threats right now?” She laughs, which pisses me off even more. “Her former owners want her alive, but they’ll still pay me a fortune for her body as well. Either way, I’ll be rich enough to disappear, and you will be denied your mate and her abhorrent spawn. All will be right in the world then.”

  “There won’t be a hole deep enough nor a distance far enough that I won’t find you and rip you to pieces with my bare hands!” I spit.

  “I warned you about making threats,” she says cheerfully. Polly’s cry of pain shatters my tenuous control.

  “I’ll kill you!” I roar.

  “Good luck with that.”