Regardless, the room was empty.
Beep!
It came from the door. It seemed to be a space doorbell. I went over to it, but there wasn’t a doorknob. Perhaps it was motion activated, for as soon as I was within three feet of it, it slid open.
A woman was there, smiling at me. Garbed in a similar uniform to the one Rav had worn the day before, while his shirt had been green, hers was a pale peach color. But she was not human. Her shoulder-length hair was pulled back in a braid, but that didn’t hide the dark orange color of the strands. She towered over me in the entryway, almost a foot taller than I. Her eyes, while kind, were a golden color I was getting used to, her skin a dark gold similar to Grigg’s. Her voice, however, sounded perfectly normal.
“You are the commander’s mate? Lady Zakar?”
Her voice was soft, kind, yet she had the erect posture of a soldier, of a woman who did not cow to anyone.
Gripping the sheet snugly, I flushed, for I could only imagine what she thought of me. I felt like I was doing the walk of shame, but had nowhere to go.
“Yes,” I replied. “I…um. I’m Amanda.”
When two soldiers entered the hallway, the woman glanced at them as I shifted back behind the doorway, then returned her attention to me.
“I’m Lady Myntar, but you can call me Mara. Your mates sent me. May I come in?”
Hearing the soldiers’ voices coming closer, I nodded and stepped back, not wanting them to see me like this, naked, used and wearing only a sheet.
She entered and the door slid closed behind her. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“As I said, your mates sent me as they could not be here when you woke.”
That was considerate of them.
“I’m in charge of family integration and socialization and have mates of my own. One of them, my Drake, works with Commander Zakar. You are a lucky woman to find such an exemplary mate and a highly respected second.” She leaned forward and spoke in a hushed tone. “But don’t let my own mates know I said that.”
I smiled then, for she was quite nice and I hadn’t realized I needed…someone. Someone who wasn’t planning on stripping me down and fucking me. At least right now. I needed reassurance that being on a Prillon ship was about more than just being mated to two warriors. While I had enjoyed what they did to me the night before and my body ached for them—their seed still trickled from my pussy—I was more than just a mate. If I had to sit inside this small room and stare at the walls for days on end, I’d go stark, raving mad.
“I’m here to help you with clothes and food, to start. And if you need anything else, just let me know. I will help you find work you’ll enjoy. Friends. Something to fill your days while your mates are busy. I think it must be quite different for you here than on Earth.”
I had no idea yet exactly how it was different, but I tugged at the sheet. “Anything will be better than this sheet. Thank you. But I’d love to shower first.”
She smiled then. “Of course.”
Mara spent the next hour showing me how to use the bathing units—there was both a shower and a bathtub, although she told me they were for pleasure and not strictly necessary. She showed me the S-Gen, where the green lights scanned my body and created new clothes for me to wear. The living space was completely unlike those on Earth as there was no kitchen, no closets and I followed her around almost blindly, with a curiosity only seen in small children. Several compartments were hidden in the walls and I anticipated finding and opening them all just like a treasure hunt. I felt like an excited child being hand held and I was thankful for it. I told her so.
“You’re welcome. I will take you to the cafeteria. After that, you should be set with everything. Oh!” She spun on her heel and faced me. “Your mating box. I understand it was not claimed in the medical unit.”
“Mating box?”
She waved her hand through the air. “It’s a box of supplies for new mates. We’ll just go and retrieve one from the commissary. Would you like to see some of the ship before we eat?”
The idea of seeing more than just Grigg’s quarters was appealing and I ignored the rumbling in my stomach. I was hungry, but I could wait. Not only would it slake my curiosity, but it would allow me to investigate and study the ship so I could report back to Earth.
“Yes, please.”
Dressed now in a midnight-blue uniform of dark pants and matching tunic, I finger combed my hair and left it down in a wild tangle around my shoulders and eagerly followed Mara out into the hallway. There wasn’t much to see, only a plain orange hallway. The walls changed from orange to green to blue as we progressed through the ship, Mara explaining as we went that orange or cream shades indicated we were in civilian or family areas, green was medical, blue engineering, red was command and battle stations. The ship was color-coded, as were the uniforms, with gray being general support staff, the color of the insignia on their chests indicating in which area of the ship they served. High-ranking officers, such as doctors and engineers wore uniforms that matched their ship’s section. Which explained Rav’s dark green uniform.
Warriors, like my Grigg, all wore an intriguing black and dark brown camo armor that Mara insisted was nearly indestructible, explaining, “The commander has tested it, often.”
I didn’t like the sound of that.
We passed several people who all nodded their heads deferentially. At first I thought it was how they said hello, but it appeared they were only doing it for me, not Mara.
“Why are they nodding to me? They don’t even know me.”
“They know you are the commander’s mate, our Lady Zakar. We have waited several years for your arrival.”
I frowned as we turned a corner. “How do they know it’s me?”
Mara pointed to my neck. “Your collar. Your clothing. Your alien appearance. The commander insisted you wear the Zakar family color. The color is different for each group of mates. See—” She pointed to her own neck. “My mate’s family line, the Myntar warrior clan, is represented by dark orange.”
“I’m honored, but confused. Why would anyone here be waiting for me?”
Mara stopped walking and turned to face me. “The commander’s mate has great power and influence. In regards to civilian matters, your orders are to be followed by all on board, warriors and civilians alike. None but the commander himself may order you around, and all on board would die to protect you. You are like a princess now, or a queen. Our queen.”
What the fuck? I couldn’t keep the shock, or the nerves from my voice. “Why? What am I supposed to do? Why would a warrior follow my orders? Am I supposed to go into battle?”
“Oh, no, dear.” She patted me on the sleeve, then dropped her hand. “No. Although, if you really wanted to, and could convince your mates to allow it, you could. No. I will help you find a job that suits you. As the highest-ranking Lady of the ship before your arrival, I have been in charge of the civilian side of life in space. The warriors are busy fighting and expect the non-combat personnel to handle the rest.”
Holy shit. “Like what?”
“Adoptions, matings, maintenance, socialization, community, schooling—”
I held up my hand, interrupting, “So, they fight and we take care of everything else?”
“Exactly.” She grinned. “And I would love to have your help, if you are interested.”
“But, how do you know I won’t make a horrible mess of things? I don’t know anything about your ships, or your way of life. I didn’t even know a space ship existed outside of movies until recently.”
Mara’s smile was fill of confidence, and I couldn’t stop the warm glow her words elicited. “You are his match. Perfect for him, which means you must also be perfect for us. The protocols would not have mated our commander to a woman who could not handle him, or responsibilities of her own.”
Stunned, I felt my mouth open and close, which made her laugh.
“My mate is Captain Myntar, the third-highest ranking officer
in Battle Group Zakar. And since neither the commander nor Captain Trist was mated, I’ve been running things around here by myself. And between you and me, I could really use some help.”
Excitement tingled up my spine at the prospect of having something meaningful to do. I should have been excited at the opportunities I would have to gather information in my new role, but, if I were honest with myself, it felt good to be productive. I loved the idea of contributing to something, building something, rather than destroying it.
“How long have you been a mate?” I asked.
“Five years. We have a son.” Her face lit up. “Would you like to see him?”
“Oh, um…sure.”
“Good, because I took him to his school—he’s only three, so it’s more for play—but I always like to peek at him and see him having fun.”
We turned a few more corners, the wall color changing again to a soft, sandy brown. Zara stopped in front of a door long enough for it to slide open, then I followed her in. We were in an entry area, an odd blue-skinned woman sat behind a desk. Her hair was as black as her eyes, but her features were stunning, cover-model gorgeous.
“Lady Myntar,” the woman said.
“Hi, Nealy. This is Lady Zakar—”
The woman stood, nodded her head. “The commander’s mate. Welcome.”
I smiled at the young woman. “Thank you. And you can call me Amanda.”
Mara was practically glowing. “I just wanted to take a peek at Lan. I won’t disturb.”
Nealy nodded and we approached one of the windows that offered a view into the adjacent rooms. There were various-aged children playing in each, adults with them and playing too, some helping with coloring or rolling a ball.
“There.” Mara pointed to a little boy with the same golden coloring and rust-colored hair as his mother. He was busy stacking blocks with a little girl with flaxen hair, similar to my Rav’s. The scene was straight out of any preschool back home.
“He’s adorable.”
Mara beamed, clearly enthralled by her child. “Yes. He is so strong. Already so protective. He punched another little one yesterday for pulling on little Aleandra’s hair. His fathers were so proud.”
Okay, so they encouraged fighting.
No, they encourage their little boys to protect the little girls. I couldn’t say I disapproved.
We watched for a few minutes, enjoying the simple joy on their faces, their innocent delight in such basic things. I realized these children were just like little boys and girls on Earth. They were no different. One stole a toy from another, one had fallen asleep on a blanket with a book. Another sat in one of the teacher’s laps, tears on his cheeks. She was waving a small glowing wand over a scraped knee.
I pointed. “What’s that?”
“The ReGen wand?”
“The thing in the teacher’s hand.”
“Yes. It’s a healing wand.”
Within seconds, the boy’s knee was completely healed, no sign of the scrape remained. His tears stopped and he was smiling.
“I’ve never seen one before,” I commented.
“We should go before Lan sees me.”
We left the little school and took to the corridors again.
“You’ll find a ReGen wand in all of the community areas. In the work areas as well. They heal minor injuries, but if you’re truly hurt, you can go to the medical stations, that’s where they have the ReGen pods.”
“It heals things quickly, too, like that boy’s knee?”
“Yes. They’re actually called Regeneration Submersion Units, put we call them pods.”
Wow. I had visions of a coffin-style pod, straight out of a sci-fi movie. Lie down in the pod, wait a few minutes, completely healed? Earth could really use something like that.
And the ReGen wand? It was portable, easy, quick. It could change the face of medicine on Earth, but we didn’t know about it. I had to remember to look for the one Mara had said would be in a community area. If all else failed, I would have to swallow the bitter distaste rising in my throat and steal the ReGen wand in the preschool. Surely, they would replace it immediately. They had to have thousands of the things.
I accompanied Mara to a large cafeteria-style dining area, which was mostly empty. She showed me how to order food from the S-Gen unit, told me I could also order food in my room, but that eating alone was frowned upon in Prillon society and the warriors and their mates would take it as a slight if I did not join them in the common areas, especially me, their commander’s mate. Their Lady Zakar.
Great. Now I had princess duty complete with politics and public appearances? That was more than I’d bargained on. A lot more.
The food was strange, crisp noodles that tasted like a mixture of orange peel and peaches. A strange purple fruit that was shaped like an apple, but tasted like tart cherries, like the ones my grandmother used to use baking pies.
I did my best, I truly did, but my distaste must have shown on my face. Mara laughed at me. “You know, you can ask the commander to request our programmers include some dishes from Earth.”
“I can?” Thank God. I could survive on this stuff, but it wasn’t going to win any blue ribbons at a county fair. It would certainly help my waistline.
“Yes. Give him a list. Once he’s signed off on it, we’ll submit the list to the programming teams on Prillon Prime. They’ll request the dishes from Earth, analyze the content and program them into the S-gen unit for you.”
“Thank you! That would be wonderful.” I wanted to hug her, I truly did.
“We must go now.”
I nodded. She’d spent nearly the entire day showing me around the ship, introducing me to everyone we met. I was fine smiling and nodding and generally doing my best to be a people person, but even I had my limits, and they’d all been tested the last two days. I was ready for some peace and quiet. I needed time to think, to figure out what I was going to do.
I followed her out of the cafeteria, down a series of corridors until we arrived at an odd counter. Mara walked up to it, the woman behind it reminded me of a pharmacist at a drug store or even a ticket seller at a movie theater. I wasn’t sure exactly what the woman’s role might be.
“One ATB, please.” Mara requested.
The Prillon woman glanced at me briefly, nodded, then went into a small room behind her to retrieve one. She handed it to Mara, who handed it to me.
“What is this? What’s an ATB?” I took the box, about the size of a small shoebox, and tucked it under my arm.
“ATB stands for Anal Training Box. That’s not the official name, that’s just what we ladies like to call it.”
Chapter Ten
Amanda
“What?” She did not just say what I thought she said.
Mara took off down the hallway, clearly expecting me to follow. “I must go to work, so I will return you to your family quarters. Doctor Zakar assured me one of them would return to you soon. I do not want them to be worried if they have already returned.”
Neither had, in fact, come back. Alone, I opened the box, curious as to what was in it.
ATB. Anal—seriously?
Within was more than a dozen oddly shaped tools with bulbous ends, strange twisting middles, and open-ended tools that looked more like wrenches, or something that might be used to fix a car. Shaking my head, I ran my fingertip over the long, bumpy length of one extremely odd, silvery item that appeared to be glowing.
I had no idea what any of them were used for, and none appeared to be anything used for the…um…anal area. I had to assume at least one of them would be something Robert might want, like the ReGen wand. The agency sought technology and here was an entire box full. No matter what its use, I was sure the agency’s scientists could reverse engineer something useful from it. And the healing tool. I had to get my hands on one of those things, and figure out a way to transport it back home.
I rummaged around and found one item that looked unusual. Pulling it out, I fiddled with i
t, wondering what it was. It was a bar about six inches long with two circles at each end. Made of lightweight metal, it was fairly basic, looked like a double ended socket wrench. Weird.
Holding the strange item, I wandered through our quarters, fiddling with the ends, trying to figure out what, exactly, it might be used for. I was near the couch when I heard the door slide open, and Grigg call for me.
“Amanda. Have you returned?”
Panicked at being caught with the oddity, I bent quickly to hide it under the dark blue couch cushion.
“Mate!”
Just his deep voice had my heart thumping, my pussy aching. I spun about to look at him where he stood a few steps behind me, hands on his hips. I’d been caught with my hand under the cushions and my ass in the air. I knew my face flushed, and the heat in my face worsened as he raised one dark brow.
“I’m sorry to have left you alone. You look as if Mara has taken care of you.”
He closed the distance between us and whispered, “I love the way the dark blue Zakar color clings to your round ass. Although I believe I like you even better in just a sheet.”
I heated at his honeyed words, at the eagerness of his tone. Just hearing his voice, having him in the same room was arousing.
“What are you hiding?” he asked, nodding toward the couch.
I had no choice but to pull the object from beneath the thick cushion and hold it up.
“I don’t know, actually,” I replied, honestly. While hiding it might appear to be odd, I didn’t have to lie about anything else. Standing, I pointed to the box. “We retrieved a mating box, but I haven’t figured out how the items are used.”
Grigg put his fingers on the edge of the box and slid it across the table, peered inside. “Yes, I am familiar with the box. But tell me, mate, why were you hiding that one item specifically?”
“I… I—” I used to be able to fake my way out of any situation. From Australia to Arizona, I could make things up on the fly. But now… “I don’t know.”
Grigg offered a noncommittal grunt in reply. “You are aware, mate, that the collars we share also allows us to recognize emotions. For example, you should have sensed that I was highly aroused when I came in. My need for you would most likely intensify any arousal you had of your own.”
Mastered by Her Mates (Interstellar Bride Book 0) Page 10