The Alien Pirates' Treasure (Star Pirates Book 1)

by Charity Wells

  “That’s for taking my mate!” I snap, punching him again with my other fist. “And that’s for trying to blow us up!”

  He shakes his head, uttering snarls as he steps back while he tries to regain his composure. Blood pours from his mouth. I must’ve knocked a few teeth out, but I don’t stop there. Blocking a retaliatory strike, I rake my claws down his face, causing him to release a pitiful scream.

  His knee comes up in an aggressive jerk and hits me right in the groin. Gasping for breath, I fall to my knees. Vren’s unholy balls this hurts.

  “That’s for abandoning my cousin!” he blares loudly in my face, raising his fist. Then, he punches me in the face which slams me into the ground.

  “Ca’lek!” Va’naar and Kuma both shout.

  Va’naar comes careening over the wall with Kuma, and he smashes into the male, knocking him away. It took them long enough, but it distracts Sa’rin’s partner for me to finally recognize him. His name is Ek’nor. I remember Sa’rin’s cousin was disgraced many seasons ago when he attacked three females, attempting to force them to be his mates. It was all over the news broadcasts. Sa’rin’s family supposedly disowned him.

  The coward tries to scramble away, but I pounce once more, driving him back into the ground. He rolls, throwing me off. Kuma rushes in with his laser pistol and aims it at Ek’nor’s face.

  “No!” I growl, snapping my head towards Kuma. “He’s ours.”

  “Damn right he is,” Va’naar says in a feral voice, holding his knife out ready to attack. He nods discreetly at me while our crew stand back, ready to intervene should they need to, but it won’t come to that. This will be over quick. “Where’s Polly? Where is she?”

  Ek’nor pulls his own knife and waves it threateningly. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he eyes both me and Va’naar, then lunges for my secondary, obviously thinking he can take on the smaller male. Va’naar pivots with the scarred bastard, seizing his arm and yanking him off balance.

  “He can’t fight for shit,” Va’naar comments, laughing fiercely while he spins with Ek’nor’s momentum and wraps an arm around his neck, then jabs his knee into the male’s back.

  Ek’nor yelps as he falls to the ground, prying at Va’naar’s arm for breath.

  “Time’s up. Our payment is here,” Ek’nor says with a wheezy, spiteful laugh, looking past me.

  An engine roars overhead and lands on the opposite side of another warehouse. It must be the Viktoids.

  “Where is my mate?” I demand, slamming my fist against his face once again, breaking his jaw. While the sound is disgustingly satisfying to my ears, the pain is too much for the pitiful bag of shit. He faints and becomes limp. Va’naar releases him with a disgusted snort, letting his head thud into the ground.

  “What now?” Va’naar asks, shaking blood from his hands.

  “We keep going,” I reply, surprised at how calm I sound. I was a mess inside, but somehow, I was the calm one. “Kuma, secure him, then follow us. The ship landed on the other side of those warehouses. We have to find Polly before the Viktoid’s get their claws on her.”

  “Aye,” Kuma replies shortly, pulling a set of restraints from one of his many hidden pockets.

  Va’naar and I move on, exiting the warehouse only to groan at the sight of more buildings clustered along the edges of the dead zone.

  Messa appears in the doorway of the furthest one out, waving frantically. So that’s where she went. As we sprint towards her, she signals for us to be quiet and waves us to follow.

  Messa leads everyone through a maze of junked vehicles and stacks of crates, while we silently make our way to the middle of the warehouse. My eyes hone in on Duresh, who waits in the shadows up ahead. His eyes are dark, glaring with anger, pointing across a cleared area where a small office lies.

  “I can smell her,” Va’naar whispers so quietly my ears strain to pick up the sound. He snarls when Sa’rin appears in the doorway with a laser pistol pointed inside.

  I jab him with an elbow, which causes him to calm his shit. We wait in silence. Who knows what other tricks she has up her sleeve. She is a cheat and a liar.

  Every so often, she glances at the open loading door at the other end of the building, her tailing lashing side to side fitfully, betraying her agitation.

  Chapter 21

  Polly

  “Please, just let me go. You don’t have to do this,” I plead with Sar’in, my words muffled by the gag jammed between my teeth.

  “Be silent, or I may decide to remove that tongue of yours too,” Sar’in hisses. She storms over and slaps me across the cheek. Dismissively, she returns to her post at the door.

  I wince, squeezing my eyes shut as fresh pain rolls over me. Never in my life have I experienced such agony. The lump on the back of my skull throbs and aches in ways I didn’t think was even possible. I try not to move while I wait for the sting on my cheek to fade. I’ve already learned that the slightest movement makes me dizzy and if there weren’t enough, the annoying little cramps that were plaguing me earlier are getting worse. In fact, I'm certain they aren’t cramps at all, but steadily worsening contractions. This isn’t how I envisioned bringing my babies into this world.

  Weapon’s fire goes off again outside, causing tears to leak out in the corner of my eyes. It doesn’t matter how horrible my body feels right now, it’s nothing compared to the guilt eating me away inside. I’m not stupid enough to expect my mates to walk away from that explosion unharmed and I blame myself. If Sa’rin hadn’t noticed my kiritas when it fell out of my neckline and tossed it out the window on our way here, maybe Ca’lek and Va’naar wouldn’t have thought I was gone. If I still had it, maybe they would have come straight to us without Sa’rin knowing they were so close. Heaven knows they are smart enough and perfectly capable of sneaking up on the bitch and her minion, but I just couldn’t keep my reckless mouth shut.

  Ca’lek’s rage-filled roar and sorrowful howls nearly tore my heart in half and I recklessly screamed for my mates. If they got hurt because of me...I don’t know how I could ever live with myself.

  “Quit crying, pathetic human,” Sa’rin scoffs, checking the comm impatiently. She’s waiting for the Viktoids to show up so she can make a trade with them. She would get all the credits she could ever desire and all she has to do is hand me over to them. The only reason they find me valuable is because of the precious lives growing inside me. It’s downright sick.

  She paces a few steps in front of me, stirring up the dust of this old, filthy office. We wouldn’t even be in here had Sa’rin had not spotted my kiritas, but once she did, it was obvious she felt she had no other choice but to dig in and fight back. She had her partner drag me in here, practically by my hair, and then ordered him to kill anyone who came searching for my kiritas.

  Please be okay. Please, just be okay.

  This was a really bad place to be. Sa’rin essentially trapped us in a box. One end of the warehouse is packed with an impenetrable wall of crap, the other opened into what Sa’rin had called the empty quarter. It was the only way to get in or out that I could see. And we were tucked into an office that formed a box in a box. There was nothing in the office either, no chairs, no desk. Nothing to sit on or hide behind. I was propped against the filthy wall on the nasty floor.

  “We got incoming—” Her accomplice begins to say on the other end of the comm, before it turns to dead static.

  “Useless, good for nothing...” Sar’in curses. Turning, she aims her weapon at me. “It doesn’t matter if your mates arrive before the Viktoids, I’ll kill you myself if I have to. I’d much rather see you dragged off to be consumed, but as long as you die, it doesn’t matter.”

  I snort, turning my head to look away from the female who almost tricked my good-hearted mates into bonding with her. Sa’rin’s crazy giggle echoes around the room while her tail flicks. The crazy Mephidaean is probably dreaming up ways of how the Viktoids will kill me. Whatever. As long as her insane thoughts keep her distracted
and prevent her from noticing my increasing distress I’m okay with that. I know I won’t be able to hide my labor for much longer, but perhaps I won’t have to. I just need my mate to get here before the Viktoids do.

  Another contraction rolls through, causing me to seize.

  “What the hell is wrong. You—” Sa’rin begins to say, but she’s cut off by chittering coming from the entryway.

  The eerie sound makes me break out in a cold sweat, especially when Sa’rin bares her fangs in an evil smile at the three tall Viktoid drones heading inside the warehouse. My palms sweat. I break out in a fit of uneven breathing. I moan, shaking my head. Sa’rin turns to face me, uncaring as I plead for my life.

  “It’s too late for begging, human. Your former owners are here.”

  A crazed giggle erupts from Sa’rin at the thought, and her tail flicked sharply.

  She hadn’t noticed my increasing distress yet, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hide my labor from her much longer.

  A chitter of sound came from the entry that made my skin break out in a cold sweat. Sa’rin smiled evilly, baring her fangs as three Viktoid drones walk into the warehouse.

  “Ah, your owners are here,” she coos in a singsong voice. “Gentlebeings, I’m so glad you could make it. If you’ll simply make the transfer, I suggest you take your product and leave quickly. There are other parties interested in retrieving her.”

  A particularly hard contraction hits and I gasp involuntarily. My dress soaks completely through as my water breaks, forming a puddle under my butt. The sound draws the attention of Sa’rin and the Viktoids, who hungrily glare at me. One of the Viktoids pulls out a scanner and points it at me, while Sa’rin cackles. At the scanner’s beep, all three Viktoids chitter to each other once again.

  “The breeder is producing,” the Viktoid with the scanner announces. “We must move her immediately or the product may lose viability.”

  “Not until you make the transfer!” Sa’rin demands with a shrill scream. “You promised me credits for her, I want them now!”

  The other two side-step and ignore her as they reach for me. “No!” I scream, crawling into the far corner as another contraction wracks my body. The combination of that and my head-shattering headache has me doubling over, grasping my lower belly as it clenches with pain.

  Just when I think I can’t take any more of this, a loud roar fills the air. Seconds later, a window shatters and one of the Viktoids explodes from the neck up, spraying gore everywhere as he collapses to the ground. I desperately try to wipe the blood and guts from my arms and chest, trying not to heave.

  It’s hard. Oh heavens, it’s really hard.

  The Viktoid furthest away from me drops his scanner, then grabs a laser pistol from his harness. As he turns to face his attackers, his arm disappears at the elbow. The dismembered limb falls to the ground nearby, twitching grossly while green ichor drips from the wound. He screeches in rage and agony, grasping the bloody nub with his other hand. The Viktoid snatches a second blaster from his belt and begins shooting rapidly at the heaps of junk in the middle of the warehouse, causing debris to come crashing down. Sa’rin and the other Viktoid use the distraction to scramble for the exit in an attempt to escape.

  I grab a random pipe and struggle to get to my feet, planning to whack the last Viktoid across his head, but I can’t get up. My body refuses to move through the pain and fear of being in labor during this fight for my life.

  The insectoid bastard glances at me, then scowls and rushes out into the open, firing wildly into the warehouse. Ca’lek dives into the office, firing his pulse rifle at the fleeing Viktoid from just inside the door.

  “Ca’lek,” I gasp when another contraction hits me.

  “Are you hurt?” he asks, shifting to fire again while not looking at me.

  “No,” I groan, panting through the pain. “But I really need you, Ca’lek.”

  “I’ve got you,” he says over his shoulder, still not really paying attention. His eyes shift from shadow to shadow, watching for hidden enemies while the sound of laser fire recedes. The others have given chase, trying to run down the escaping Viktoids and Sa’rin.

  “CA’LEK!” I finally yell, unable to bear the birthing of our children alone.

  “What?!” he says sharply, actually turning to look at me this time.

  “I’m in labor!” I have crouched on my knees, with one arm wrapped around my belly as I curl into the pain.

  He practically falls on his ass, the fight outside forgotten in his shock. “What?”

  “The babies are coming.”

  “Now?”

  The poor sweet bastard. His hope filled tone tells me he’s praying I’m wrong. Everything hurts so much I just want to cry.

  “Yes, now,” I state, sucking in a deep breath and slowly exhalieg.

  “Now, now?”

  “Yes, now!” I yell, crying out as pain rips across my stomach. There’s pressure, so much pressure, and it hurts like hell.

  “Va’naar!” he bellows, abandoning the door to come to my aid. “What do I do?”

  “Get this dress off me,” I beg, rocking on my hands and knees while I struggle to breathe.

  There’s a loud rip and the layers of fabric fall to the sides of my body. I adjust myself and Ca’lek helps me pull my arms out of the bodice and sleeves. With my dress finally off, the cold air finally bites into my damp skin. The only thing that’s left are my soaking wet panties, but Ca’lek strips me out of those as well, leaving me completely exposed. I honestly don’t care who walks in on us now. I’m that far gone.

  “Va’naar!” Ca’lek yells again, his voice shaking with worry.

  Quick footsteps approach. Someone enters the room.

  “Va’naar and Kuma took off after Sa’rin and the Vitkoids. Oh my Vren,” Messa exclaims at the sight of me. Her eyes are wide and filled with concern. “What in the hells did they do to her?”

  “The pups are coming, I don’t know what to do!” Ca’lek says in a panic. He’s rubbing my back as gently as he can to calm me, but his quaking hands betray his anxiety.

  “Well, first off, don’t panic,” Messa chides and pulls out her comm. “Duresh is standing guard outside. I’ll get Ha’dir on the comm.”

  “Finally! You’ve had me worried sick. Do you have an update? Where’s Polly?” Ha’dir answers immediately. It’s clear from his worried tone that he’s been sitting by the comm, waiting for news.

  “We found Polly, but she’s in labour. What do we do?”

  There’s a moment of silence and I swear I could hear the older Mephidaean swearing beneath his breath over the comm.

  “How far apart are the contractions?”

  “They’re not!” I squeal when a really bad one hits. “They’re back to back now.”

  “Vren! Are...are you feeling any pressure in your groin?”

  “God yes!”

  “You need to push with the next contraction. Getting on your hands and knees will make it easier for the pups to move down through the birth canal.”

  “Already there Doc,” I reply, groaning as the next contraction starts. “Get ready to catch, Ca’lek!”

  “What? Catch? Catch what?!” he says, voice tight with fear.

  I glance back. I swear if my poor mate were human, he would have lost all the color in his face. “The baby, Ca’lek. You have to catch the baby.”

  “Yes, as the head emerges, you need to support it and turn the baby gently so its shoulders pass through easily,” Ha’dir confirms, instructing Ca’lek on the next step.

  Messa kneels down next to me and helps by bracing me from the side. I lean into her with a barely muffled shriek while I bear down on the contraction.

  “I see a head!” Ca’lek says.

  The pain is so bad, I almost don’t feel his fingers against my legs as he places his hands under the baby’s head.

  My breaths are short and ragged now. Messa supports half my weight as the next contraction starts. I scream, not r
ecognizing myself or the sound of my own voice anymore. With a harsh grunt of agony, I bear down again and the pressure eases with a pop when the first baby slides out into Ca’lek’s hands.

  “It’s the male pup,” he announces in breathless wonder over the baby’s shrill cries.

  “It sounds like his airway is clear enough. Wrap him up if you can, you need to keep them warm until the medics get there. I’ve alerted them to your location and I’ll meet you at the med center,” Ha’dir instructs.

  Ca’lek tugs at the skirt fabric, ripping a piece free to wrap around my little boy while we wait for baby number two.

  “Eww, you mammals are so gross,” Messa announces, staring at my wet, bloody newborn.

  I laugh at her words, but it turns into a sharp inhale when more pain rolls through. Ignoring it, I spare a glance at my son in Ca’lek’s arms, but he has him so bundled up that all I can see is a tiny green snout all screwed up in indignant anger.

  Grunting, my body seizes again. The second one is coming.

  “Get ready,” I announce through short breaths. “She’s not waiting.” More pressure settles into my groin and I know it’s time. Pushing with the contraction, I scream in pain as my daughter works her way into the world. “Here she comes!”

  ∞∞∞

  Ca’lek

  I can see the top of my second pup’s head when Va’naar races into the room. He gasps in shock at the sight of our mate naked and in labor. Urgently waving him over, I yank him down into my position and show him where to put his hands. It’s only fair that he gets to deliver one of our pups.

  “What do I do?” he asks, his voice trembling with nerves.

  Polly utters a strangled laugh and starts to push once more.

  “Don’t panic and catch,” I tell him, patting his shoulder. My male pup has quieted a little for the moment, but I can see from the way he chews his little fist that he will be squawling for milk soon.

  Polly screams again. Moments later our second pup slides out into Va’naar’s hands in a rush of sticky, bloody fluid. She’s quieter than her sibling though and that worries me.