Mated (The Sandaki Book 1)

by Gwendolyn Cease

  “If it would hurt you, we wouldn’t do it.” Rakin approached and took her hand. “You have been hurt enough. We can scan you to see if it’s even possible. If so, then you will have access to the same things we do.”

  “Let me think about it.”

  “Of course.” Rakin kissed her as Dev nibbled at her neck.

  “No,” Laira said, forcing herself away from them. “You’re doing it again. Stop. I have to go see the girls.” She put her feet into the boots, and they immediately molded to her feet. They were the most comfortable pair of shoes she’d ever owned.

  Rakin placed the copper signifier of his office on her shoulder then wrapped it around her hips and tied it. “Now you are ready to go out.”

  She kissed both of them and exited the room before she was convinced to stay. Zarak was waiting for her outside the door and bowed when she stepped up to him. “Hey, dude, how’s it going?”

  “Umm, fine Taja.”

  They walked through the corridors and Laira wondered what Zarak’s job was. The man had to have something better to do than walk with her. She glanced over at him, but decided to wait and talk to Rakin and Dev first. Maybe the two of them wanted him with her. If so, she didn’t think she needed it. She doubted anyone on the ship would hurt her—not with Rakin and Dev both as her mates.

  Her friends surrounded her as soon as she burst into the room. Damn, she missed them and vowed to spend as much time as possible with them.

  “Are you well?” Isha asked, leading her over to sit down.

  “I’m fine.”

  “We worried when the warrior ran at us,” Chal said.

  Garja nodded. “We ran like you said and all ended up here. You never came.”

  Laira shook her head. “You’re not going to believe it. The guy who ran at us is named Dev and he is co-ruler with Rakin. He’s also my mate. I have no idea. I don’t get it, but there it is.”

  “So you have sex with both of them?” Isha asked, clearly fascinated.

  “Yes,” Laira said, feeling herself color. “Now that I have, I feel good. I mean, wait, okay yeah it felt way good, but now I feel more like myself and in control. Before, my emotions were all over the place, and I just couldn’t get a handle. Now, I feel really grounded and solid. Does that make sense?”

  “Yes,” Garja said, “the three of you are parts of one another. So now that you are together, you are whole.”

  “Exactly! Oh, and I have news. I spoke to Rakin and Dev, and the Sandaki are willing to take people home. Haldise is apparently going to take care of interviewing everyone to see where they’re from.”

  “That is good news,” Isha said. “I know some of the women have mentioned wanting to see their families.”

  “What if you can’t go?” Chal asked.

  “Then you’ll stay with me,” Laira said. “You’re my family. We’ve been through too much shit together.”

  “That is the truth,” Garja said.

  “What will we do?” Chal asked.

  “I guess we’ll all figure it out when we get there.” Laira shrugged. “I mean we didn’t know jack when we were on the other ship, and we survived. At least, this time, we don’t have to worry about an auction. We’ll just take things one day at a time.”

  “You are the Taja,” Garja teased. “So everyone should do what you say.”

  “Oh yeah,” Laira said, waving her hand around. “I have so much power. Hey, I’m like queen so you three can be my ladies-in-waiting. We’ll lounge around, sew, drink tea, and probably die of boredom.”

  Isha nodded. “I do not even understand half of what you said, and it sounded dull.”

  They four of them began shooting ideas back and forth about what they could do to entertain themselves. They finally settled on opening some kind of club where the Sandaki could come to dance. Though Laira had to tell them the only music the Sandaki had were war songs.

  “Then they will be desperate for something else,” Chal said.

  “I don’t know,” Laira returned. “I played a song for Dev and Rakin, and they were totally underwhelmed to say the least.”

  “Perhaps they are just not appreciative of good music,” Garja said. “Other Sandaki might be excited for our venture.”

  After plotting out their possible business, which became wilder and wilder with each new idea, Laira figured she’d better head back. She missed her men and wanted to find out what they’d been up to without her. As she was saying good-bye to the girls, Zarak came over and knelt before her.

  “Taja, the Taj have asked me to bring you to a meeting.”

  “Oh okay.” She shrugged. “Lead on.”

  They left the bay, and Zarak escorted her through parts of the ship she’d never seen before. One day, she’d have to ask her men how big the vessel was. From the Silarin ship, the Sandaki’s had looked ginormous. That really didn’t tell her much though.

  Zarak bowed as a door opened in front of her. “We are here.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled at him.

  She entered a room filled with people she didn’t know. Okay, she knew Dev and Rakin, and recognized Kavich, other than that, everyone else was an unknown. She moved over to the empty seat next to Dev. He squeezed her hand, and she felt a bit better. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but knew this meeting wouldn’t be as fun as her time with her friends. All the men in the room looked angry. Awesome.

  Kavich, Rakin’s Second, began explaining what the Silarin and Nahlas wanted as well as how they’d discovered the Silarin ship had technology similar to what had make the Sandaki. To say the men in the room were pissed was putting it mildly. They were furious, which accounted for the yelling and fist pounding. Dev and Rakin sat quietly, watching and listening.

  “We should destroy the Silarin,” a man declared loudly. He’d proclaimed this quite often, and every time he said it, the room erupted. It took everything in her not to roll her eyes. Great, fine, destroy, where was the plan? How were they going to do it? And whom were they doing it to? It was all well and good to say destroy the Silarin, but Laira wanted to know if every Silarin was involved, or was it just a small group?

  “As for the Nahlas, what they want is immaterial,” the destroy-the-Silarin guy said. “It would be a way to get rid of the slaves. We don’t need them in our system. We should either give them to the Nahlas or destroy them.”

  “Excuse me,” Laira said, raising her voice. “You’re talking about living people.” She had promised herself she would be quiet and listen, but it was impossible with the talking ass. “They’re not dishes or glasses that you just get rid of if they’re inconvenient. And they’re not trash to be tossed out. They're people who the Silarin wronged. They were kidnapped and were going to be forced into slavery.”

  The man flicked his cold gaze to her. “They are not Sandaki. They mean nothing.”

  “Maybe to you they mean nothing, and that’s unfortunate,” Laira said, “but they’re people with thoughts and feelings, and they deserve to be treated with respect. Something they haven’t had since the Silarin kidnapped them. They’re also my friends, so I’d prefer you not refer to them as slaves. They’re not now nor have they ever been.”

  “Woman, I do not know who you are, but your voice means nothing, here. You are not Sandaki, so have no place in this group. Go back with the slaves, and when we decide what becomes of you, we will let you know.”

  Kavich winced. “Belleck, you don’t know—”

  “I don’t need you to tell me anything, Kavich,” the man cut in.

  Laira had gritted her teeth at his emphasis on the word slaves, and she didn’t like how he treated Kavich. She didn’t know who the dick was, but fuck him and the horse he rode in on. “Gosh, I’m sorry we weren’t introduced. I’m Laira the Taja Katan of the Sandaki. These two gentlemen here”—she motioned to Rakin and Dev—“are my mates. They invited me here, so I imagine that makes me Sandaki and part of this group. I have no idea who you are, but you’re rude and presumptuous and need ma
nners.”

  The man named Belleck blinked, looking stunned. “That is not possible.”

  “You were told,” Dev said softly. Laira shivered at his tone, thankful he wasn’t speaking to her.

  “I knew a slave was Rakin’s mate,” the man sputtered, making it sound insulting all around. Or perhaps that’s the way Laira heard it. However he meant it, Dev exploded out of his chair apparently taking it as an insult, too.

  “You will never refer to Rakin by his given name, only as Taj and nothing more,” Dev roared as his claws slid out. “And you will never talk about our mate as a slave again.”

  Belleck slid from his chair and knelt on the floor. “Please forgive me, Taj. I did not mean disrespect.”

  Yes you did, Laira thought, you figured you could get away with it. Asshole. She watched him as he groveled and spoke to her mate, and it hit her. This man had a thing for Dev. Damn, it sucked when you liked someone who couldn’t or wouldn’t like you. She began to feel a bit sorry for Belleck, and reached out and tentatively placed a hand on Dev’s leg. Laira didn’t want bloodshed to occur because some guy had a crush on her mate. And she didn’t want Dev to feel regret if he ended up gutting the idiot. She didn’t touch him so others could see, just to let him know she was there with him.

  Instantly, Dev calmed and took his seat. “I think it would be best if you excused yourself from this assembly.”

  Belleck opened his mouth but wisely chose to say nothing. He bowed and left the room. Laira knew he was pissed. Hey, guess what? Dev was even more pissed, and he trumped everyone with his anger.

  “I think we should pay the Nahlas a visit,” another man spoke up, breaking the strained silence. “I cannot imagine the other governors would have allowed one of their own to contact us if they had known.”

  “That is a good idea, Dahlem,” Rakin said. “If we show up in force, I’m quite sure they will never communicate with us again.”

  “What about the Silarin?” Kavich asked.

  “Are all the Silarin involved with this deal?” Laira asked. “Or was it just one ship of people? Destroying everyone because of something a few people did really doesn’t make us any better than them.”

  Dev nodded. “You are right, talla. We need more information before we can proceed with anything against the Silarin.”

  “Also, wouldn’t it be smarter to put in a call to the worlds where our guests are from? I mean they have a big reason to want the Silarin gone, too. These people kidnapped their citizens and were trying to sell them. Who knows how many times it’s happened.”

  “We could gain allies against the Silarin,” Dahlem put in. “If other worlds joined us, it would give the Silarin no place to hide.”

  “Exactly,” Kavich said. “Who would want to shelter a group with so many worlds against them?”

  “Haldise will speak with our guests,” Rakin said. “Once we know where they are from, we will contact the home worlds.”

  “I can take on that responsibility, Taj,” Dahlem said.

  “I will coordinate with our spies to gather information on the Silarin,” Kavich said. “As soon as I find anything, I will let you know.”

  After a few more moments, Rakin dismissed everyone. Once they had cleared out, it left just Laira, Dev and Rakin alone in the large room. The two men looked weary. She edged over until she could slide into Dev’s lap and take Rakin’s hand in hers. Dev put one of his arms around her and wrapped the other around Rakin. The three sat like this for a long moment and Laira was loath to break the silence. It was just so nice to sit and be with them.

  “Ask us your questions,” Rakin said, giving her hand a squeeze. “We know you have them?”

  “Is that Belleck guy always an asshole?”

  Chapter Ten

  Dev and Rakin burst out laughing, and Laira figured she’d done her job for the day. It was a legitimate question, but more than anything, she wanted to lighten the mood.

  “Belleck is Dev’s Second,” Rakin explained.

  “That explains things,” Laira said, nodding.

  “What are you talking about?” Dev asked.

  “Okay, I don’t mean to sound all middle school, but the guy totally likes you. I mean likes you—likes you. I imagine he was hoping if Rakin was out of the picture with a mate he’d have you all to himself.”

  Dev shook his head. “That is not possible.”

  “Why? You’re hot.” Laira leaned back to look him over.

  “No, I’m quite comfortable.”

  She snickered. “No, on my planet when you say someone is hot, it means they’re really handsome. And you, mate, are hot.”

  Rakin nodded. “I agree. You are hot.”

  Dev shook his head, clearly embarrassed. “You two must say that since you are my mates.”

  “Whatever,” Laira said, “I just call it like I see it. And that guy Belleck wants you. Not that he can have you, since you belong to us. He still wants you.”

  “I have said this in the past,” Rakin said. “He has always positioned himself to be with you.”

  “This does not make sense,” Dev said. “He is my Second, and that is it. Rakin has always been my Kalkan Arkadasi. There was never another, never would be another.”

  “When you like someone, you’re always hopeful,” Laira said. “I guess he figured that since Rakin has a mate now, you’d be free. Unfortunately, we’re greedy and we’re not letting you go.” She quickly kissed Dev. He leaned in to claim her lips again and deepen the kiss. Yep, the man was such a fast learner, which meant she was an incredibly lucky girl.

  “Let us go back to our cabin, so we’ll be more comfortable,” Rakin said as he stood.

  “Agreed.” Dev stood with Laira still in his arms, and the three of them left the conference room.

  “Put me down.” Laira wriggled around but Dev held firm.

  “No, mate, I like to hold you.”

  They entered their cabin, and Laira looked around. The place didn’t look the same. It was bigger and more open. The main room now had a large table with three comfortable chairs and a circular cushioned area. The bedroom looked twice as large, and the bed was close to ginormous. Across the room, there was also a window that took up nearly an entire wall.

  “Whoa, is this our place?” Laira wiggled down out of Dev’s arms and began to investigate.

  “It is, Dev and I decided to combine our quarters. It seemed only sensible since we’re together now.”

  “How? I mean it’s not like you had a construction crew come in?”

  “The ship reshapes itself to our needs. We just tell it what we want and it happens.”

  “So, it’s like mimetic?” Laira asked as she looked into the new larger bathroom.

  “That’s exactly what it is,” Dev said. “How do you know this?”

  “I read it in a romance novel once. Some people had a mimetic ship and I thought it was cool. So see, romance novels do teach you stuff.” She poked into other new areas, finding a large closet and a private seating area just for them.

  She touched a wall panel and it flashed blue light at her. She looked around to see what it had done, but nothing happened. She touched it again and again it flashed. “What does this do?” She asked as she touched it again.

  Rakin came over. “I do not understand.”

  “Should I rephrase the question? Every time I touch this panel it flashes, and that’s it. Is it supposed to just flash? I can’t imagine.” She touched it again.

  “It shouldn’t do anything at all,” Dev said. “The only people it should recognize are Sandaki, and yet it flashes when you touch it.”

  Laira shrugged. “Ah, one of those super-secret Sandaki things. Got it.”

  “No,” Dev said, “the reason it responds is because we are tied to the ship. It is not a secret anything.”

  “Oh,” Laira said, as it made sense, “then why is it flashing for me?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s head to medical and find out,” Rakin said.

&nb
sp; The three of them left their quarters and headed toward the nearest elevator. The things still made her wary since they moved in all different directions. She snuggled between her men and breathed their scent as the little shuttle shot them up, down, and all around. When the evil room finally stopped, Laira was never so glad to exit. She knew if she wanted to get anywhere she had to ride in it, but it certainly didn’t make it any easier.

  They entered a doorway to find a large, open space bright with lights. Rows of beds lined up against the walls with monitors above them. She smiled since once again it reminded her of Star Trek. A man wearing a dark blue kilt came out of what Laira assumed was an office and instantly dropped to his knee.

  “Taj, it is an honor.”

  “We want you to perform a full medical scan on the Taja,” Rakin said without preamble.

  “Are you ill, Taja?” the man asked, his voice filled with concern.

  “No,” Laira said, shaking her head, “I feel fine.”

  “The access points react to her touch,” Dev said. “We need to know why.”

  The man nodded. “Of course. Taja, please lie on this scanner.”

  He indicated the bed closest to them. She climbed up and stretched out as he began to touch buttons on the display above her head. Soon the monitor began to flash lights and hum quietly. The medical person bowed and stepped from the room.

  Laira once again found herself lying on a bed and staring up at the ceiling. She wasn’t sure what the deal was, but felt as if the Silarin had somehow fucked her up. She wished she'd had the chance to kick their asses. She bet their stolen machines had somehow screwed up her body. She was probably going to grow an extra arm or something. Damn, that would suck. Wonder where it would come from? Probably somewhere weird like the top of her head, which would totally ruin her new hair. Fuckers.

  Rakin walked over to her. “It is finished.”

  She sat up. “I don’t get it. What did lying there staring at the ceiling get me?”

  “The medical did a complete scan on you.”

  “That’s cool, way better than the doctor’s office on Earth. So, now what?”

  Dev approached, followed by the man who had greeted them. He bowed low to all of them. “Taj, Taja, somehow you have the supporting neural structure that all Sandaki are given at birth. In your case, though, it’s not activated. Your bones and musculature are also more in line with the Sandaki.”