by Octavia Kore
“Zar, that is not what you think it is.”
“Sure it is, and he is just as mean as you said he was!”
The beast sprang free of his bondmate’s grasp. It lunged at Oshen, catching his face with its claws as it growled. When he thought things couldn’t get any worse, another fluffy body latched onto the first as a loud yowl filled the space, both creatures toppling to the ground as Oshen was left staring in shock. Hades had the cub pinned to the ground and was hissing angrily. Hades must have been following them the entire time. Oshen leaned down, scooping the dirty beast into his arms just as Zar caught the cub by the scruff of its neck.
“This,” Oshen muttered, “is Hades.”
“Oh.” Zar looked disappointed for a moment before he looked again at the beast in his arms. “She would love this one as well, no?”
“We cannot gift our mate a braxing tigeara.”
Zar frowned, cuddling the hissing beast to his chest. “I found him all on his own. A female will never abandon her cub, which most likely means he is orphaned.” When Oshen merely blinked at him, Zar sighed. “You are right. I will simply leave him here to die. Alone.”
For the love of the goddess…
“It’s not going to stay small forever.”
“I am aware of this. I have hunted these woods since I was a youngling.”
Oshen sighed in frustration. “Do you want to die? If you bring that home, it will grow up and eat you.”
“It loves me.” The cub swatted at Zar’s face as he leaned in to kiss its head. “With time, it will love me.”
“It already wants to eat you!” Oshen grumbled as the beast gummed his arm again.
“It will be fine.”
How had he managed to mate the two most soft-hearted beings in the universe? “Just keep it away from our mate.”
“I will keep it in the spare room and train it every day.” Zar’s grin seemed to stretch from ear to ear.
How they managed to make it back into the dome and all the way to their home without anyone stopping to ask what the brax they were doing with the animals was nothing short of a miracle.
Instead of trying to slip in through the front door, Oshen led Zar through the back garden into the side door. When the other male shut the door behind them, Hades panicked, sinking his tiny fangs into Oshen’s arm and fleeing down the hall.
“Wonderful. Now the hunt begins again,” Zar muttered.
“No, it does not,” Oshen said calmly. “First, we need to get this thing put away.” He stared at the tigeara in Zar’s arms.
Zar narrowed his eyes. “Its name is not ‘thing.’”
“Oh? Then what is it?”
“Mister Fluffy Paws.”
Oshen couldn’t stop his groan. Amanda had been writing little books for their pups, stories about a cat named Mister Fluffy Paws who goes on crazy adventures. She had started reading the first of them to his youngest siblings nearly every night and he had caught Zar sitting among them, completely enthralled.
Oshen stared into his bondmate’s face. “Mister? Do you even know if it is a male?”
“No.” He looked away before trying to flip the thing in his arms as he examined its underbelly. “I have never been this close to one. Is it male or female?”
It didn’t seem to have any features that would give them a clue as to which gender it was. “Mouni, how do you tell a male tigeara from a female tigeara?”
“The males have two bright stripes of color down their bellies, while females do not have these stripes.”
Oshen looked at the belly as the tigeara wiggled around in an attempt to get free. He didn’t see any stripes. “I think this is female, Zar.”
Gulzar nodded his head with conviction. “Right. So… Miss Fluffy Paws.”
“Go put Miss Fluffy Paws away, and I will look for Hades.”
A few ure later, when Oshen still hadn’t found Hades, he considered conceding defeat. Even using his beast’s heightened sense of smell hadn’t helped.
“Oshen?”
He froze in place as Amanda called out to him. Not yet!
“You’re home!” she exclaimed as she rounded the corner but stopped in her tracks when she saw his face. “What the hell happened to you?”
“Food is finished!” Daya yelled, saving him temporarily from having to answer.
Oshen grabbed Amanda’s hand, pulling her down the stairs and into the gathering room where they took their meals.
“Daya! Dele and Tashal aren’t sharing!” Kherelan, his youngest brother, ran into the room, a pout set firmly on his little face.
“Share what, my pup?” Daya turned to look where he was pointing as the girls walked through the doorway.
Dele, his sister who was only six solars, carried a disgruntled-looking Hades covered in bows and ribbons. Amanda stared as her cat was hauled in by the two younger females, who looked incredibly proud of their newest playmate. All of the Venium in the room jumped up, grabbing the smaller children and hiding them behind their bodies.
“Drop that!”
“Where in the world did you find that?”
“What are you thinking?”
The voices all meshed together in the chaos as everyone shouted.
“Brax! Put it down!” Lief jumped to the front, claws extended and fangs bared. His fingers brushed the holster on his side as he crouched, looking ready to pounce.
Amanda stepped forward quickly, putting herself between her cat and the family. “He’s just my pet! He isn’t dangerous!”
“You have a tigeara as a pet?” Dolass, his brother who was only fourteen solars, gave a toothy smile. “That is so awesome!”
“His name is Hades, and he is not a tigeara. He is an animal from Amanda’s homeworld called a cat, pup. They are companions.” Oshen laid a hand on his father’s shoulder. “I am sorry I haven’t had a chance to introduce him. He ran as soon as I got home.”
“It’s not dangerous?” Calder asked as he eyed the cat his daughters were fawning over.
“No, the worst he will do is protect you from your visitors.” Oshen laughed. Maybe he shouldn’t tell them what Gulzar brought home just yet.
His father nodded. “No scales lost, Oshen.” He gestured to Amanda, who was trying not to laugh at Hades’ predicament. “If it makes your mate happy.”
So maybe it wouldn’t take much to talk them into not tossing Zar’s pet back up on the mainland. The younger children ducked out from behind the adults, begging to have a turn petting the ferocious beast. They cooed and fawned over him as he rolled onto his back on the floor.
Epilogue
Amanda
A couple months later…
“Are you sure this will work?” she asked, worrying her lip between her teeth.
“The healer says you will be okay.” Oshen ran a hand down her back.
“The healer can go suck a dick.” Pregnancy was not making her feel very nice.
Zar’s dark, velvety laugh tickled over her skin, sparking along her nerves like electricity from an eel. Just enough shock to get her attention, but not enough to hurt. She hummed, running her hand down his chest as she licked her lips. They had spoken with the healer about the miliseeds, had run all of the tests, and even though they had been told it was perfectly safe, she still felt doubt tug at her.
“It is our mating ceremony. If we weren’t sure, we wouldn’t risk it.” Oshen smiled down at her, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger.
“Okay…” Amanda held her hand out for the seed. “Hand it over.”
The seed looked odd, but she hadn’t ever seen one that was so perfectly star-shaped before. With a shrug of her shoulders, she popped it in her mouth and swallowed the pill-sized seed with a grimace.
Oshen reached a hand forward and touched the wall beside the door like she had seen him do at home. There was a daunting number of buttons, and she felt like she would never remember which one controlled what. He pressed a large red one and the door in front of them opened with
a soft woosh.
Why is it always the red buttons?
With a deep breath, she stepped into the airlock chamber with her mates, watching as Oshen closed the entrance that led back into the dome. There was a slight hiss and a click before a light over the outer door lit up green.
“Ready?” he asked.
“As I’ll ever be,” she muttered.
Zar’s hand slipped into hers as it shook and he let out a gentle purr. “You will be just fine.”
Oshen pressed another button and water began to fill the room. Anxiety curled deep in her stomach as it rose to her calves and then her waist. It made it to her chin before her heart began to pound hard enough that she could feel her pulse in her neck.
She was going to die. Not really, but it felt like it.
Despite the beauty as the outer door opened, Amanda held her breath, worried about whether the miliseed would actually allow her to breathe underwater. It was her mate’s gentle touches and reassuring looks that made her breathe in deeply. Okay, maybe it was also her burning lungs.
To her surprise, she had no difficulties. Her eyes went wide when something moved on her neck. What the hell? Amanda reached up to touch her skin and nearly choked when she felt three horizontal slits. She had gills. Her marine biologist heart was singing with the endless possibilities this presented her with.
Her worries were soon swept away by the gentle caresses of her mates. The way they were unafraid to touch each other, to show one another affection, brought her so much happiness. Amanda looked pointedly at Zar, glad that their bond had grown stronger over the months of them being aware of what it was and how to use it. Ky’s knowledge had helped tremendously.
I want to watch you with each other, she concentrated as hard as she could, hoping he could read her.
Her only answer was Zar sweeping Oshen up into his arms, into a spin that made the water shimmer and blur around them. His mouth descended on Oshen’s, licking his lower lip until he opened for him before delving inside. They kissed each other like each stroke was a breath of fresh air, like nothing mattered but the next touch of their tongues.
She watched as Zar’s hand trailed down between them, teasing their mate’s slit, growling as Oshen’s cock extruded into his palm. Her cunt pulsed with need as Zar ran his hand over Oshen’s length, pumping him as if it were his own cock. On Earth, this might be looked down upon, but here with her, this was everything she craved.
Amanda pushed her way over to her mates, smiling as Oshen wrapped his tail around her waist and pulled her close. She reached her hand down to where Zar was partially extruding himself and began to gently tease his tip until he fully pushed through. They would forever be her males, and she would never discourage them from loving each other as well. It was the most beautiful and exotic thing she had ever witnessed, and she couldn’t wait to see more.
Even as heavily pregnant as she was, Amanda raced toward the daunting but familiar ship. They had gotten the call this morning, and she hadn’t even been able to brush her hair before she was off to the landing pad. Jun was here. After months of not being able to get in touch with her, Jun was finally here. That she had shown up on a Grutex ship instead of a Venium one didn’t surprise her at all.
The port was in complete chaos when they finally reached it. People were yelling at one another, toting plasma shooters—which Oshen said was a very rare occurrence—and there was a huge Grutex ship sitting directly in the middle of the landing pad.
A weight she hadn’t realized she had been carrying around was lifted from her chest as she realized what this meant. Where there was Jun, there was a very enchanted Brin. Oshen wouldn’t have to worry anymore. He looked better than the last time she had seen him. Better, but very angry. The male was standing toe-to-toe with a beautiful Venium female who also looked like a warrior, both snarling and yelling hotly.
“Brin’s dam,” Oshen whispered.
Brin’s blue fushori was pulsing, and his tail whipped behind him as he spoke. What the hell was going on here? The moment her feisty best friend met her eyes, she began tearing a path through the crowd toward her.
“Amanda! Hey, Fishboy! Someone who will fucking listen!” Amanda’s heart soared at the sound of Jun’s voice. “Fishboy! I need your help…” She stopped in her tracks as her eyes met Zar’s. “The rumors are true then? Venium have teamed up with the Grutex?”
Brin snickered behind her, his tail wrapping around her calf. “She called you Fishboy.”
“No, they haven’t. This is my mate, Zar.” Amanda grinned, happy to see them.
“Shut up, Glowworm,” she mumbled at Brin as she looked over her shoulder before her gaze settled back on him. “Oshen, something is wrong.”
Oshen automatically stood at attention. “Tell me what is going on.”
Jun narrowed her eyes, suspicion clearly setting in. “Well, here’s the short version: we were kidnapped. We escaped. Now we’re here, and your people have detained some of our people.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she tapped her foot on the ground impatiently. “And you’re going to help me get them back.”
“You were missing?” Oshen asked.
Why hadn’t they been told? Evafyn, who had met them there, looked away guiltily.
“You knew, didn’t you, Fyn?” Oshen accused.
“We did not want to worry Amanda and risk her losing the pups,” she replied.
A blonde woman slipped out of the ship and ran straight for the forest. “Uh, Jun, someone is escaping.”
“Goddamn it! That infuriating woman! I don’t have time for this.”
“What is it?”
“She doesn’t trust us because my other mate is one of the Grutex scientists.” Jun shook her head.
“A what?!” Had she heard that right?
“No time to explain. He’s in trouble.”
“Don’t think you’re getting away without telling me, Junafer,” Amanda warned. “When this is cleared up I want the entire story.”
“I’ll get a search party together and join in myself,” Ky said before taking off toward the group of men.
Not only had Jun made a scene on the landing pad, she sent the members of the council into a full-blown panic when she burst through their doors. Even the Venium guards outside the building hadn’t tried to stop her. In all honesty, Amanda thought she’d seen Jun at her angriest already, but she was so very wrong.
Her friend’s murderous rage when Oshen told her that the council had refused to provide aid in the search for a very pregnant Amanda when she was stolen by a Grutex had been a truly terrifying sight to behold.
As luck would have it, the councilmembers were already gathered due to the newest alien arrivals, and their displeasure at being interrupted didn’t deter her in the least. She faced down the entire room, including the ornery head councilman, with a fervor that would rival even the fiercest Venium warrior. Meanwhile, Brin beamed with pride, watching her diatribe with adoring eyes.
The shouting faded in her ears as the room slowly began to spin.
“We didn’t warn Earth just to turn our backs on them now!” Jun screamed.
“Warn Earth? We did no such thing,” the councilman sneered.
“You didn’t, but I did,” Brin glared at the council. “They needed to know Galactic Law so I took over where Oshen left off.”
“You lied to us. There is a Sanctus female statue in the middle of Zar’s village. She is Una.” She could hear the distress in Oshen’s voice.
“That is a lie! They lie!” the councilman yelled.
“We have no reason to lie.” Zar growled.
She pressed a hand to her stomach as she felt her muscles tighten. This had been happening often over the last week or so. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm herself. The realization that this wasn’t merely braxton hicks hit her when a trail of warm water dripped down Amanda’s thighs. She grabbed Oshen’s shirt and let out a pained cry.
“I think the babies are coming.”
/> Gulzar
Gulzar looked down into the face of the little Venium female he held in his arms. This was his daughter. Her eyes opened, and the violet orbs that stared back at him tugged at his heart. The color matched his own.
Gulzar turned to the healer. “How?”
“Perhaps your bond with the pups before they were fully developed? It has been hypothesized before.”
A little cry drew his attention across the bed to the tiny male Oshen cradled in his arms. They were both hybrids, but their Venium side was far more dominant.
“They’re perfect…” Amanda whispered as she looked back and forth between them both.
“What are their names?” Jun, Amanda’s human friend, asked as she stroked his mate’s hair.
“This is Rydel.” She brushed their son’s soft head. “And this,” she smiled, turning toward their daughter, “is Zenah.”
Gulzar felt his heart constrict with emotion as he stared down at his little goddess. She had named their young after his parents.
“Thank you,” he whispered, but he knew he didn’t need to thank them. They loved Gulzar just as much as he loved them.
This next scene is a bonus epilogue/sneak peek into what we plan to write in the future. The book is complete without a cliffhanger without reading this scene. We hope you enjoyed our book. Continue on to learn more.
Bonus Epilogue
Xuvri
A soft touch along his chest plates pulled at his consciousness as the sound of a woman’s voice filled his ears. The voice sounded seductive and familiar. Another voice joined the first, only he understood this one.
“Is he dead?”
Xuvri opened all six of his eyes and looked up at the beautiful females who hovered over him. One was clearly human. Her blonde hair made his heart stop in his chest as he remembered the female he had lost. The other was her. He had finally found her. The hybrid female’s fushori lit as she placed her hand on his chest. He looked down at the two hands that touched him, surprised when he lit up red beneath each of their palms.