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Chapter Eight
“Enari Velu, pack your bags. You are due on the warship Rewal within the hour.” A priest of Miiven was standing and staring at Enari as she completed her stretching routine before her workout.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Warlord Drion is required near the Klio nebula. As you are a bonded pair and are not breeding, he requests that you accompany him.”
She smiled. “Of course. Give me three minutes.”
He rolled his eyes and waited outside her quarters as she grabbed her more comfortable clothing and stuffed it into a duffel that had been provided for this very contingency. Three pairs of flat shoes later and she was back in the hall with a bright smile. “Lead the way, Brother.”
He blinked in surprise. “This way, Lady.”
They walked together through the women’s quarters and she had to ask. “Why did they send you?”
“To fetch you, Lady Velu.” He looked at her as if she was dim.
She gave him a small smile. “No, I meant a Brother of the Miiven. Why did they send you and not a crewmember from the warship?”
“Ah, I am not directly involved in this altercation and as I have no interest in anyone, male or female, I am safe to walk through the women’s quarters on any ship or any planet.”
“You never feel arousal?”
“No. We disconnect the connections in the brain that trigger the mating urge. Any brother who cannot maintain his calm is brought to Asku and offered a position as a lay brother. He can still meditate and focus his mind toward peace, harmony and the stars, but he can also apply for a bond mate of his own. Many of them become ships’ counsellors.”
That was more information than she needed. “Oh. Well, thank you for waiting for me.”
“I am surprised by your no-nonsense approach to packing. The Fennar women in the main areas of the stronghold are slightly less organized.”
“Back on my world, I was a seamstress. I have a fairly good idea of what I need for any possible event.” Enari walked a little taller next to the huge male. Pride was not a bad thing and with her huge necklace as well as the two bangles she had been given, it was obvious that she was a bonded woman on a mission. The honour of the Velu family was at stake as well as that of the Fennar women, so she kept her head high as they passed through streets, alleys and finally entered the launch area for the shuttle craft.
The brother came with her into the shuttle and they took off, Enari sitting up and watching Asku fall away beneath her.
“The warship is ahead.”
She looked through the forward screen and caught her breath. Every Fennar child had been taught what the invaders’ warships looked like, but this was not the threatening bulk she had been taught to fear. Graceful lines, gun ports, a mixture of metals that cause a dark rainbow effect on the hull, the Rewal was a piece of art.
The brother opened the com and announced. “This is shuttle craft nine with Lady Velu on board. Requesting docking and notification to the Warlord.”
“This is flight control of the Rewal. Docking bay one and Warlord Drion is waiting.”
It didn’t take long for the shuttle to settle in the belly of the warship, but the moment that the atmosphere in the hangar was stable, Drion appeared in front of their tiny ship.
The brother opened the door for her and Drion raised his hands to lift her down from the transport.
“Welcome to the Rewal, Lady Velu.”
She didn’t have a chance to respond, his kiss stole her breath and her ability to concentrate.
When he leaned back with her still in his arms, a grin was on his lips. “I have been hoping to get you to the Rewal and while I detest the circumstance, I delight in the opportunity to show you the stars.”
“I give her into your custody now, Warlord.” The brother moved past them and shook his head at their romantic clinch.
Enari grinned up at him. “I guess that settles it. I am yours.”
He laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist to lead her through the halls. “And I am yours. No great mystery there.”
He took her on a short tour, all of the important systems and any area that she might need while they were on board.
“How long will it take to get to the Klio nebula?” They were in the mess hall and she was nibbling at some vegetables.
“A week or more. We are attending a situation similar to that faced by Khari and Fennar. The Huartha are an agrarian species, all they do is farm and store the results of their harvests. The Gerranic are their system neighbours and they have undergone a drought. The Huartha have offered their surplus, but the Gerranic want it all. I simply hope that we arrive in time. Even with the engines on full, it will still take close to eight days.”
Something in Enari prompted her to ask, “What if we don’t get there in time?”
His face went from friendly to stony, “Then we avenge the dead and make sure that the Gerranic suffer for the pain they caused.”
Grimly, Enari nodded. That suited her personality to a tee. Help if she could and avenge if she couldn’t. She was a better match for the Warlord than she ever could have imagined.
The Gerranic ships came to full and awkward stops when the Asku armada put themselves between them and Huartha.
The Gerranic tried negotiations, begging and finally threats.
Enari watched from one side of the bridge while Drion spoke to the other ship commanders.
“Our instruments have confirmed that the drought was legitimate. However, you had plenty of stores to keep you. We estimate five years of stockpiled food and grains in the military centres.”
The general facing him changed colour several times before returning to his normal yellow. “Those stores are for emergencies only.”
“Feeding your people isn’t an emergency?” Drion’s voice was dry.
“Those are supplies for the military.”
“So? Conscript your entire population. They will be fed and clothed until the drought ends in six months. Attacking Huartha is no longer an option.”
“You can’t stay on alert forever.” The General swallowed as he realized that he may have made a mistake.
“That is true, but as we speak, I have troops grounding all of your vessels on Gerranic and the moment that we finish this conversation, the attack ships left facing us will be damaged until they can do nothing but limp home. We will try and avoid unnecessary bloodshed, but the Gerranic fleet will not be able to attack anything when we are finished. Run if you want to, General. Here we come.”
Enari watched from her vantage point as the Gerranic fleet was punctured, wounded and sent limping home with minimal bloodshed.
She walked to the command chair and stood with one hand on Drion’s shoulder. He relaxed and lifted his hand to press her hand with his own grip. It was a thanks for the support she was giving him and she knew without words that his appreciation was sincere.
When the Gerranic were sent retreating back to their world, they turned their attention to Huartha. This was not the first wave of attacks and there was damage to be repaired where those gentle people had been slaughtered by their neighbours.
Enari knew that it would be a while before they returned to Asku and she didn’t mind one bit.
Wrapped in his arms in the stateroom that was theirs, she sighed and asked a question that had been burning in her mind. “Why is it that if I am breeding, I cannot travel with you, but until then I am free to do so?”
He smiled and toyed with her hair, one of his favourite practices whenever they were alone. “The Asku use the term bond mates for a very specific reason. If I die in battle and you are not pregnant, you will die with me. If you have a child within, you will survive but need specialized care to assist in your continued health. The bond between mother and child takes precedence over that of husband and wife.”
She smiled at the logic. “I thought something else was involved. I checked the widows’ roster and there are very few surviving widows in bond
ed couples. Apparently, it is difficult to get pregnant by an Asku.”
“It is a blessing when children appear and a lot of fun trying to get them here, wouldn’t you agree?” His hands were stroking carefully between her thighs, parting her before he slid two fingers into her.
“I think that we need all the practice for the actual conception that we can get.” She parted her thighs for him and welcomed his thrusting fingers, soon to be replaced by the thrust of his cock.
As he slid into her from behind, she gasped and shivered as he pushed rhythmically into her until the friction on the front of her channel sent her gasps and moans into a sharp shriek.
The walls of the stateroom echoed with their cries of pleasure. Duty was attended to, so it was time to bond and then rest in the arms of the one that they could trust above all.
* * * *
Nishka looked at the reports and bit her lip. Doron came to peek over her shoulder and sighed.
“You only had the one reservation, dearest.”
“I know, but there is no regulation that says I cannot manipulate my sons into the right place at the right time.”
“If this backfires, don’t come running to me. You will deserve what you get.”
Nishka kissed him and then turned back to her research. “There is no way this can backfire. Dirko simply needs to take his considerable charms to Leffuo. Nature should do the rest.”
Her bond mate scoffed. “Leffuo? They pride themselves on losing their virginity the moment they are adults. How will he find a mate there?”
She leaned back and smiled. “There is an Asku daughter there and she has been studying law abroad. She is on her way to Leffuo to take on a position as clan mediator.”
“A daughter of the Asku? A rare woman indeed.”
Nishka tented her fingers and smiled. “A perfect mate for Dirko.”
She smiled brilliantly at her husband, the light in her eyes coming out through the tissues of her body as she shared her true appearance with her bond mate.
Doron stripped and came toward her, aroused as he always was by seeing her body garbed in light and power. “You grow more beautiful each day, my Radiance.”
“And you more handsome. I wish all of our children this luck and with my luck, I will make sure that they get it.” She pressed her lips to his and welcomed his hands removing her gown but leaving the jewels in place. She had earned every one of them and he loved seeing the hard stones and metal against her skin.
He chuckled as her dress struck the floor. “I have no doubt that you will make it come to pass. After all, you managed to put yourself in my path and that has worked out rather well.”
“A strange talent for a stranger age. I wish I knew more about my people.”
He laughed. “As do I. Imagine what the Asku could do with a few dozen of you.”
She stroked her hand down his chest. “You will have to be content with one.”
As he lowered his face to hers, he whispered, “I always have been and always will be. My Radiance.”
“My Overlord.”
The sighs and moans were heartfelt for all that they were not new but well-honed and practiced.
The guards outside the Overlord’s quarters smiled and wished for half the love between them and their future bond mates that was present in that chamber. Any more might be overwhelming.
About the Author
Zenina Masters was born in Canada and lives in Canada. She has a regular job and does nothing particularly exciting with her life. She enjoys fishing, silence and the ability to pick and choose friends she can trust. Life is too short to watch your back all the time.
Her writing life is a teeny bit of escapism, she would probably chicken out if confronted by three naked men and looks forward to one day finding out.