Celestial Mates Complete Series Box Set (Books 1-5) (Alien SciFi Romance)

by C. J. Scarlett

  The other two men didn’t respond, so he quickly explained, “I agree that the mimics should be closely monitored for several years, until we can be certain of their loyalty. Would you agree to allow us to maintain them under close supervision on the Shardon home world for a period of ten consecutive years? If they don’t cause trouble in that amount of time, I doubt they will. Meanwhile, it will give us time to study their novel qualities and work on incorporating it into our genetic material.”

  Koal flipped the large fin on the top of his head in agreement. “I wish my daughter returned to me unharmed.”

  “That goes without saying. You should be proud that she could rally the older females to her cause so easily. Strength and intelligence go hand in hand with that child.”

  “I’ll attempt to remember that, when she’s returned to us.”

  Korban smirked. “I agree that our females may have saved us from making a drastic mistake this day.”

  “I’ll make for the Shardon home world,” Shar Jalon stated politely.

  “I’ll send you another of our speeders to get you there. If you don’t mind, I’d like to send an escort to bring my little one back.”

  “By all means, you’re even welcome to make the trip yourself.”

  “Thank you for the generous offer. Though I have longed to see your home world, I feel our new family would best be served by a slight cooling-off period of a few days. My Elaine will be furious to hear her daughter has struck off on her own and with her older sister’s assistance.”

  “If you change your mind, know you’re welcome.”

  Lar followed him from the conference room. “Sir, I have bad news.”

  “Was their speeder attacked?”

  “Nothing like that, at the speed they’re traveling, nothing could catch them.”

  “What is it you wish me to know?”

  “Your female has forsaken you. My Madison wouldn’t tell me much of what they discussed, but she planned to ask Koal to assign her to work on one of his freighters.”

  Rubbing the throbbing pain in his temple, Shar Jalon tried to figure out what went wrong. “I was attempting to pleasure her. We talked about Maiko then she shoved me away. Since leaving my quarters, she has been reluctant to talk to me. Do you suppose I accidentally injured her?”

  “Why would you speak of another woman when you were pleasuring your female? I’m given to understand this is taboo among their people.”

  Rubbing even harder at his aching head, Shar Jalon murmured, “This I didn’t know.”

  “The first words out of your mouth when you approach her should be to apologize profusely for that infraction. Miss Keiko was very taken with you. I’d hate to see you separated over something as foolish as a former lover.”

  Shaking his head vehemently, Shar stated, “I have never touched Maiko.”

  “You might want to point that out as well.”

  “I mentioned to Keiko that I wished to lure Maiko from her prince. She didn’t seem to like that very much.”

  “For a smart clone, you can be quite foolish at times.” Grabbing him by the shoulder, his friend gave him a little shake. “Think about how that must have sounded. She may think that because you cannot be with Maiko, you settled for her because of the obvious resemblance.”

  Feeling nausea churning in his gut, Shar tried to keep control of his emotions. “I don’t even think of Keiko as someone who resembles Maiko. Maiko is young, immature, and carefree. My Keiko is a proper age mate for me emotionally. She’s many times more beautiful to me than Maiko could ever be, for she has known loneliness and hardship the same as me. We understand each other. Maiko would have never risked her life to save the new clones. Do you know my female uses the word we to refer to clones, like she considers herself Shardon? My Keiko is precious. I wouldn’t trade her for a thousand Maikos. She belongs with our people.”

  “Very poetic. Tell her exactly that. Now go, before she forgets about you entirely.”

  Shar Jalon turned, but his friend grabbed him again. “I almost forgot. You know that we have been working continuously to separate the AI from our ship’s computer system.”

  “Have you finally been successful?”

  Lar looked at him for a long hard moment before responding. “No. I don’t know if Keiko somehow uploaded it to the speeder or if the AI jumped systems itself, but it’s gone.”

  Growling his disappointment, Shar stalked to the loading bay. There was something strange about that AI. He didn’t know exactly what it was, but he certainly would find out.

  Chapter 16

  ~ Keiko ~

  Keiko’s Music Mix Sixteen

  Moving from stasis unit to stasis unit, Keiko tiptoed around Christopher and Emily. There were lying on the floor playing with Charlie. Who would have thought one huge beetle could provide endless opportunities for fun and conversation? The two of them seemed to be having the time of their lives, which suited Keiko just fine since it freed her up to monitor the stasis units and the ship’s systems.

  She’d programed the whole voyage into the speeder’s auto-nav system, and so far, it worked out well for them. She sat down in the pilot’s seat at the front console and tried to raise the Shardon home world again on the com. The speeder didn’t have the same range as a freighter, so they hadn’t been able to announce their arrival as of yet. Her heart leapt into her throat when they replied.

  The image of a small semicircle of clones wearing long robes came into view. “We received your message. Can you hear us, Princess Keiko?”

  “Yes. We can hear you. Please forgive us for not contacting you sooner.” Slowing down, she tried to catch her breath. “We are on a mission of mercy. We have sixteen…”

  “Yes. We’re fully aware of your daring heroics. I have sent two Shardon fighters to escort you and our newly cloned brothers to their new home.”

  “Oh, God. I thought that I would have a big argument on my hands with your council of elders. I didn’t mean to drag you into the middle of a dispute, but I couldn’t let the princes kill our clones. They’re no danger to us, and they’re really nice, at least the one we’ve been talking to. Sorry, I’m babbling. It’s just such a relief to know you’ll take them in.”

  “You said yourself, they’re clones. Of course, we’d welcome them. You have our endless gratitude for rescuing them and spiriting them away to safety. No female has fought for the rights of a clone in over a thousand years. Your remarkable courage is humbling to see.”

  “Well, I’m not trying to be a hero…”

  “Shar Jalon tells us you’re unhappy with the way our society is ordered.”

  Searching their faces, she realized that somehow, they strayed off topic, and she had no idea what they were referring to. “Say what now?”

  “Our great general reports that you have initiated the human rituals of mating with him. He also reports you don’t wish us to continue the treaties by which we provide warriors and while our allies provide technology.”

  Leaning forward, she nodded. “I do want to lodge a forceful and strenuous objection to that practice, as it results in an unacceptable number of casualties for our people. I’ll be the first to admit to being ignorant about what other contributions our world can make, but each home world should supply the same number of properly trained warriors.”

  “You make a valid point. It has been requested that you address the council in person upon your arrival. We’d be pleased to hear what you have to say on the matter.”

  “It would be my pleasure.” Keiko felt some of her former angst evaporating. The council’s willingness to hear her out made her feel like perhaps she could make a meaningful contribution in this dimension. She really liked the Shardon and wasn’t at all sure that they were getting a fair shake by the other worlds. This might be a situation where speaking up a little went a long way.

  “Wow, that went really well. You’re a good talker.”

  Turning to Emily, she smiled fondly at the girl. “You don’t seem
ten.”

  “Scavenging for survival on Earth for two years made me grow up fast. Koal encourages me to be strong willed and do what I think is right.” Twirling her finger around in the air over her shoulder, she sighed. “Not that he’ll let any of this slide. I’ll probably be on lockdown till I’m thirty.”

  Christopher spoke from across the room, “Perhaps you could seek sanctuary among my people as well. It’s unfair for you to be jailed for helping me.”

  Emily laughed aloud, her wild red hair moving as she plopped down in the co-pilot’s chair. “It ain’t like that, Chris. Being on lockdown just means I won’t be able to leave our quarters without a bodyguard. I can still go to class, swim, hang out in the botany units, have friends over, and do all the things I’m used to doing. I just won’t be allowed any autonomy.”

  “Ah, your new father will want you supervised for your own good. That doesn’t sound so bad.”

  “For someone like me, it’s terrible. I like doing my own thing and getting into a little mischief every now and then.” Bending down, she picked up Charlie and held the beetle up to look in its strange little face. “We’ve had a lot of adventures together, haven’t we, girl?”

  Instead of answering, it attempted to reach her face with his front pinchers.

  “I almost forgot. Christopher, I brought you a going away gift.”

  The insectoid looked from one to the other of them, his green eyes curious and pleased. “Thank you, Miss Emily. This will be my very first gift.”

  Pulling a thin metal box out of her sleeve, she held it out in the palm of her hand. The top was a tightly woven grate. Christopher leaned over and looked down into the box. Glancing up at her, his antenna perked up. “You gift me with baby Charlies?”

  “Yep, I put about fifty of them in there. There’s enough for every single new clone to have one. They’re very rare. If you’re lucky enough to get a fertile female, they breed once a year and there are hundreds of eggs. You can sell the little ones; just make sure they go to good homes.”

  Clasping his hands around the small tin, he bowed his head. “Thank you, my queen. That was more than considerate of you. You prove every moment of every day that you’re nothing like our queens. For that, I thank the gods.”

  “Heck, it’s no big deal. I’m just trying to spread around the joy.” Turning to Keiko, she sing-songed, “Don’t forget to pick yourself out a pair, Keiko. They’re good company and they keep you grounded.”

  Keiko thought ruefully, she might snag one of the bugs. It was a little more than a house plant but less than the strange little marsupial-like creatures some of the Krylon kept as pets.

  Long-range images of the Shardon home world came into view. They clustered around the holographic imager to admire the sapphire blue oceans. The land masses were covered with lush foliage in various shades of blue, punctuated by brilliant bursts of color. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and Keiko found herself falling in the love almost immediately.

  Chapter 17

  ~ Shar Jalon ~

  Keiko’s Music Mix Seventeen

  Immediately upon landing, Shar Jalon made his way to the council of elders meeting room. They were adjudicating a complaint from a citizen of the Shardon home world regarding his decision to keep the brides he secured for the clones residing on Sylon. His rationale for that decision had been quite specific. Shar Jalon had argued that the females require human companionship and their needs could best be served in a burgeoning new settlement on Sylon with the other humans. Though it was a good argument, Shar had expected it to be contested. What he hadn’t expected was to find Keiko wearing the robes of council member, helping decide if his decision would be reversed.

  The whole situation left his head spinning. Stepping forward, he spoke, “Pardon the interruption, venerated councilmen and Princess Keiko.”

  The oldest member of the council leaned forward. “Shar Jalon, now that a female sits on the council, we’re called council members. The Shardon home world is changing. Do try to keep up.”

  Casting his eyes aside, he replied, “I feel that running to catch up is all I have been doing as of late.”

  “We’ll take a break. If you ask nicely, I’m certain one of the council members will be happy to bring you up to date.” The older man barely cut his eyes towards Keiko.

  Shar Jalon approached her as she came down from her hovering desk. Reaching out, he took her hand to assist her. “Will you speak with me privately?”

  “Of course. Come with me. I have a private office nearby.”

  Refusing to let go of her hand, he murmured, “Thank you.”

  She seemed to be in a much better mood than when he’d last seen her.

  “The Shardon home world is absolutely gorgeous. You weren’t joking when you said everything was different shades of blue. I really love it here.”

  “I have always thought it was the most beautiful planet I’ve ever visited. It pleases me greatly that you can appreciate its stark beauty.”

  Pulling him into a spacious room with a view of the city, she shut the door behind them. They sat at a small sitting area and he watched as she adjusted her robe. “I know you won’t be happy with my argument to have the brides equally distributed among all the Shardon. I simply can’t support your decision to hoard them all on Sylon.”

  “I don’t care where the brides end up. I only care about where my bride ends up.”

  Standing, she smoothed down her robe. “That’s got nothing to do with me.”

  “It has everything to do with you. You’re my intended, and since you haven’t officially broken with me, you’re still mine.”

  “What do I need to do to make the separation official?”

  “I’ll not be parted from you.”

  “Well now, that’s going to prove difficult. You have a world to run and I’ve accepted a position on the council of elders here on the Shardon home world. I don’t imagine we’ll be seeing much of each other.”

  “Your language is primitive. You only have one word for love. When I said I loved Maiko, I meant that I love her like Lar and Madison, not like I love you.”

  “You said you wanted to lure her from her prince.”

  “I was very confused. I wanted her desperately, but I knew deep down inside she wasn’t my one. My body could feel it the one time we kissed. It felt like kissing a child.”

  Sitting back down, she waited for him to continue.

  “Maiko is a nothing like you. If you think I’m interested in you because of the resemblance, know that nothing could be further from the truth. Maiko is frivolous and innocent.”

  Taking her hands in his, Shar continued, “I’m sorry if this hurts your feelings but I must speak the truth. You’re damaged from your long years of solitude from males and failed battle with the insectoids of your timeline. Yet, you’re also smart, cunning, and courageous. Your strength of character draws me to you. It pleases me that you answer to no man and I like that you’re nothing like her. You and I are alike in all the ways that matter and I cannot imagine living my life without you at my side.

  “If you think Maiko ever said we when referring to the Shardon, you’re sadly mistaken. You alone accepted my people into your heart. I believe it’s why the council coerced you into taking a seat. They’re old, wise, and can clearly see your heart is with the Shardon.” Glancing away, he added, “I find it amusing when others say the two of you look exactly alike. To my eyes, you look nothing like Maiko. Your hair is longer, your eyes are wiser, and inner beauty shines blindingly bright, especially when you’re passionate about something, such as the rights of clones.”

  Looking into her eyes, he wondered if she was overwhelmed by his words. “Forgive me for cramming all the thoughts and feeling I have been holding back into one conversation. I worry that if I don’t speak the words now, you may not give me audience again.”

  Instead of responding, she scrambled over the short bulky table between then and climbed into his lap. Her eyes shimmered with t
ears but her expression was adoring. Something loosened in his chest, enabling him to breathe easy again. Lifting her chin with two fingers, he looked into her eyes. “You’re perfect for me, my Keiko. Tell me of your heart.”

  Leaning forward, her lips ghosted across his before she spoke. “I want you, here with me. I finally found the place I belong and the man I want at my side. Don’t make me give either of them up.”

  “Will you not miss spending time with the other humans you have met.”

  “Women will come seeking to make this world their home, and I’ll make new friends. I prefer to be far from Earth. Seeing the faces of the women I know in my timeline here, feels like meeting a ghost. In any event, I have been chosen to host any humans who visit our world. My primary concern is you. I don’t want to end up in some long-distance relationship where we see each other a couple times a year.”

  Running his hand down the side of her face, he tucked an errant strand of hair behind her delicate ear. “Don’t worry. The council has been requesting I return to our home world for a very long time. They wish me to relieve the general who sees to the interplanetary defenses in this sector.”

  Her expression turned hopeful. “Overseeing the safety of the Shardon home world must be the priority, don’t you think?”

  “You’re my first priority. It pleases me that I can be with you and return to my world to perform a job I’m well suited for. I continued my mission, only to find females to revive our dying species.”

  “That turned out well. There has been talk of cloning women in addition to the human brides.”

  “I’ll leave that to the wisdom of the elders… and you.”

  She responded to the playful tone of his voice, by giving him another kiss. A chime sounded, and she slid back off his lap. “Sorry, I’m expected in council for another four hours or so. You should unpack and see that Miss Emily gets off safely.”

  “Will you dine with me tonight?”

  “Of course. Are you going to cook?”