G'baena's Pirates [Sequel to Tee-ani's Pirates] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Rachel Clark

  “Ben, Trey,” Devlin said as he stepped back to let them in. They both seemed to size up Devlin for a moment before turning their attention to her. She was really glad she’d wriggled off the bed and walked into the main area because she could feel the brothers’ aggression towards Devlin. Maybe they’d spent too much time with humans, because they seemed determined to protect her from romantic advances. Goddess, with Devlin willing to protect her from Ben and Trey and Ben and Trey willing to protect her from Devlin, things could get ugly fast.

  “What do you want?” she said, a little more harshly than she intended. She’d never been given a choice before on whom she could fraternize with, and she wasn’t going to let any of these males take away her newly won freedom.

  “G’baena, we need you to come to the planet with us and talk to the Kings.” Ben looked very uncomfortable, and it finally dawned on her what Devlin had probably already figured out. They wanted her to confront her abductors for what they’d done to her.

  “No, I can’t,” she said frantically as the ripple effect of her actions unwound in her imagination.

  “G’baena,” Devlin said in a deep, comforting voice. “We will protect you, you have my word on that, but you need to do this. The women on your planet need you to do this. If your abductors had a contact on the planet, those people need to be caught and punished.”

  She shook her head, her expression just a little desperate.

  “G’baena, you need to confront your fathers,” Trey said.

  “What do her fathers have to do with this?” Devlin asked, sounding confused. He turned to G’baena. “What did they do?”

  She hesitated, hoping Ben and Trey would tell him the awful truth, but they both watched her, waiting for her to answer. She swallowed hard and then said the words in a rush. “They sold me to the slavers.”

  He rocked back on his heels a moment, almost like he’d been struck. She could feel his compassion and concern as he stepped closer and placed his hand on her arm. “G’baena, I’m so sorry. Your fathers should’ve been men you could trust, but if they sold you to slavers, they need to be held accountable.”

  “But they’ll kill them,” she said as she shivered in agitation. “They’ll execute them as an example. Won’t they, Ben?” She felt shock roll through Devlin at Ben’s solemn nod.

  “It’s the only way, G’baena,” Trey said sincerely. “If the Kings don’t act swiftly to bring justice upon those who deal with slave traders, things could quickly spiral out of control.”

  She could sense Devlin’s mixed emotions over what would likely happen in this situation. If she was interpreting him correctly, he wasn’t happy about the possible death sentence but seemed willing to support her regardless.

  “G’baena,” Devlin said quietly as he held his arms open for her. She flew into his embrace, tears flowing freely as she made a decision she hoped she could live with.

  “What will happen to my mother?” she asked Ben and Trey.

  “As long as she was not involved in your sale to slavers, we will make sure she is provided for. Your sisters, too.”

  G’baena hadn’t thought about her younger sisters in such a long time. It hurt so much to imagine what they were living through. Her fathers were ambitious, brutal, selfish men, not unlike the slavers working for Keytark, and a part of her feared that her sisters had been sold to slavers as well.

  “We can offer them sanctuary on the ship,” Devlin said confidently. “You need to do this, honey, not only for all G’trobian females but for yourself and your sisters, too.”

  Taking a deep breath, G’baena stepped out of Devlin’s arms and faced the two men she’d once been promised to and trained to obey. She wasn’t doing this for them, wasn’t doing it to please anyone. She was doing it because it had to be done and because she had a chance to protect women who’d never known a different life. “My mother and sisters were not involved. I’m certain of it. Just tell me what needs to be done.”

  Trey smiled softly as he stepped forward to touch her cheek. “You are an amazing woman, G’baena, and I’m very proud to know you.” His soft words started the tears flowing again. The last time she’d been praised like that was so long in the past that it almost felt like a lifetime ago. Ben glanced toward Devlin and stepped forward to take Trey’s place.

  “Anything we can do for you, you just need to ask.” And then he leaned forward and whispered into her ear, “He’s a good man. You’ve chosen well.”

  “Thank you,” she managed to choke out. As the two men left the room, Devlin pulled her into his arms once more.

  “I’m sorry you had to make such an impossible decision, but I promise to be there for you no matter what.”

  “Will you come with me to see the G’trobian Kings?”

  “Of course,” he said reassuringly as he ran a soothing hand up and down her spine. “I’ll always be here for you.”

  * * * *

  Always was a very long time, but somehow it didn’t seem long enough. He felt completely humbled by G’baena’s courage. He couldn’t imagine having to make a more difficult decision than the one she faced, but he believed she'd made the right choice. If her fathers were responsible for her being sold into slavery, then they needed to be punished. He wasn’t completely happy about the death penalty, but he would support her planet’s laws. Humans had given up on capital punishment several centuries ago, but Devlin had been a pirate long enough to realize there were situations that simply called for a swift, decisive end to a problem.

  He lifted G’baena into his arms, cradling her against his chest for a moment longer than necessary before lowering her onto the bed. She wriggled over to give him room, and then he stretched out beside her and arranged them both so that he held her back against his chest.

  “Sleep now,” he whispered. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  She nodded slowly, and he realized just how exhausted the woman was. Her life had changed so rapidly over the past week, it was no wonder she was worn out. He held her as his mind buzzed with the necessary preparations. He needed to talk to Ben and Trey about G’trobian royal protocol. He’d promised G’baena he would be there, but the last thing anyone needed was for him to say something or do something wrong and accidentally upset the Kings.

  He held her as she slept, his cock ignoring his admonitions to stand down. She felt so good in his arms, smelled so sweet, he almost wished that they’d come straight back to her cabin and made love all night.

  But thoughts like that brought him full circle. She wasn’t a virgin, but she kind of was. Would sex hurt her the way it did for a human woman the first time? He would need to check before things went too far. Devlin never wanted to hurt the woman in his arms, even accidentally. He’d talk to Tee-ani about birth control and compatibility problems before making love with G’baena.

  God, he really had fallen into a non-orientable wormhole. Since when had he been this big of a planner?

  * * * *

  Devlin crawled onto the bed beside G’baena. It had become a bit of a habit lately. Several nights in the past couple weeks he’d held G’baena in his arms while they both slept.

  Trying to run the ship on a skeleton staff was beginning to take its toll. He felt absolutely exhausted. Not only were his engineering and maintenance staff starting to make mistakes, but so was he, and everything was beginning to take twice as long as it should. If they didn’t get some replacement crew soon, the ship just might fall apart around them.

  Devlin pulled G’baena closer as she woke slightly. “Shhh, baby, it’s just me.”

  “Dev, what time is it?”

  “Late, go back to sleep.” She opened her eyes sleepily, looked over her shoulder, and frowned at him.

  “What if I don’t want to go back to sleep?” she said. He could only see the side of her face, but he was pretty sure she was pouting. She wriggled her delectable ass against his cock, and he went from exhausted to very, very interested in almost a heartbeat. She moaned as h
is erection pressed between the soft cheeks of her bottom.

  “G’baena,” he somehow managed to say on a groan, “we haven’t spoken to Tee-ani yet.” It practically killed him to voice his concerns again, but he was determined to protect her any way necessary. He’d even surprised himself by how content he felt just holding her.

  “Well, maybe we could—” She hesitated, and he could practically feel her blushing. “We could maybe do something else.”

  His cock definitely liked that idea.

  She rolled in his arms and pressed her lips against his, taking what she wanted, writhing against him in wanton need. Devlin couldn’t help but pull her hips closer and grind his already rock-hard erection against her soft flesh.

  “All crew to battle stations,” Trey’s calm voice boomed through the intercom. Well, so much for sexy plans—life on a pirate ship sure had a way of messing them up.

  G’baena stopped instantly, every muscle in her body tense and ready.

  “Dev?” she asked worriedly.

  “It’s going to be all right,” he assured her. “Grab the blanket. I want you and Del locked in his room until I know what’s going on.”

  She nodded hurriedly, wrapped the blanket around her, and followed him as he dragged his clothes on and headed for door. He quickly checked the hallway. Del was already there, his first thoughts obviously for G’baena’s safety.

  Devlin hustled G’baena towards the young man. “Del, you and G’baena stay put. Lock the door. I’ll let you know what’s happening as soon as I can.” Del wrapped his arm around G’baena and pulled her into the room, grim determination in every movement. Devlin nodded his appreciation and then turned and ran toward engineering and his duty station.

  “Sit-rep,” he called to his second in charge as soon as he entered the room.

  “Dev,” the man said with obvious relief. He was a damn good engineer but had never been comfortable in a leadership role. “The ship is under attack by two small vessels of Pendarian origin. They don’t seem to have caused any damage yet, but they sure are trying.”

  “Ready the grapple. I doubt Jordan wants to be seen blowing up space vessels this close to G’trobia. Do we know why they’re attacking?”

  “No clue,” his second said with a shake of his head and then turned toward the area that housed the grappling hook. They only had one hook, so they’d only be able to grab one of the ships, but at least the occupants might be able to provide some explanation for their attack.

  “Devlin,” the captain’s voice said over his communicator. “Are you able to target the lead ship with the grapple?’

  “Yes, Captain.” He nodded to his second and then punched in the information the computer would need to identify the ship they wanted to grab. He’d probably only get one chance. Within a few moments, Devlin watched the targeting cameras as the grapple punched into the outer hull of one of the ships and pulled taut. He’d once seen a documentary on an ancient Earth sport called fishing. The grappling hook worked in a similar fashion. A small, maneuverable ship had a chance to escape if the pilot was good enough, but Devlin had been manning this particular equipment for a long time. No one was getting away today.

  He let the tether run a little and then reeled it back as the small ship turned toward them. Realizing the mistake, the pilot of the small craft tried to veer away, but the damage had already been done. The small ship lost speed in the frantic maneuver, and the tether slowed it even more. Devlin programmed the grapple to pull the ship into the cargo area.

  He watched the monitor with a smile on his face as the massive outer doors closed behind one of the ships that had attacked them.

  “Well done, Devlin.” The captain’s voice echoed through his communicator.

  “Thanks, Captain,” Devlin said confidently. “Our other attacker is making a hasty retreat, so I’ll meet you in the cargo bay, and we’ll have a little chat with our new friends.”

  “Acknowledged,” Jordan said, the slightest bit of humor leaking over the connection. The last time they’d reeled a tiny vessel into the cargo bay it had contained one fiery, outraged human woman with a kick-ass attitude and the skills to match. Devlin smiled as he remembered meeting Sarah that first time. She’d been so angry that G’ntriel had played her in their scam that she’d shot G’ntriel and Judge with a stun gun. But somehow, despite the wild temper that went with her flaming red hair, her arrival had changed everything for the better. He just hoped this new “guest” wouldn’t have quite the same impact. He liked his life just the way it was now.

  He grabbed his communicator and called Del and G’baena to let them know the situation, and then he hurried to the cargo bay.

  Chapter Five

  “Sit-rep,” Jordan called as he marched into the area. Ben and Trey were with him.

  “Life scanners suggest five G’trobian males on board. So far, they seem to be waiting for us to make the first move,” Devlin said casually. “We’ve disabled their external arsenal, but we can’t determine what personal weapons they may be carrying until we open it up.”

  “Ben, Trey, any idea who we might be dealing with?”

  “Are any of the occupants twin brothers?” Trey asked as he studied the markings on the hull.

  Devlin shook his head, very interested in why that would be of consequence.

  “My guess is that we are dealing with displaced sons.” Jordan must’ve looked as confused as Devlin felt because Ben stepped forward to explain.

  “As you know, all G’trobian male births are identical twins, so our society revolves around the idea that they are two halves of one whole. All employment, business, marital, and societal issues require both brothers.”

  Devlin had a million questions for that. What happened if one brother was smarter than the other, or chose a different career path or different wife? What if one brother died? Ben nodded to him as Devlin made the connection.

  “Displaced sons are brothers who’ve lost their twin?” he asked.

  “Yes. Since our society needs both brothers to function correctly, if one twin dies, the other is considered to be dead as well.”

  “Shit, what a fucked-up planet.” Devlin winced when he heard the words but thankfully realized they hadn’t come out of his mouth. They were Jordan’s words. Although, considering Devlin was thinking the exact same thing and Ben and Trey were empaths, he probably wasn’t off the hook just yet. But Trey surprised them with his next words. “It is fucked up.”

  “It is actually one of the reasons we left G’trobia,” Ben filled in. “We knew that the G’trobian way of life had problems, but it was the only life we knew. From an outsider’s point of view, it probably looks even worse.”

  Jordan nodded. “So what’s the story with the displaced sons?”

  “There have been rumors for generations that many leave the planet to pursue life elsewhere, but since no one keeps track of the dead, it is difficult to prove.”

  “Considering we have a tin can full of brotherless G’trobians in front of us, I’m guessing the rumors might be true. Any ideas on how to pry our guests out of their little spaceship?” Jordan looked at Ben and Trey for a moment and shook his head with a soft laugh. “Of all the times for G’ntriel to be off the ship. Do either of you sense anything from the occupants?”

  “Actually,” Ben said with a slightly confused look on his face, “I think one of the G’trobian males is familiar but can’t quite place him.”

  “Maybe G’baena would have more luck,” Devlin said before he fully considered his words. He didn’t want G’baena anywhere near this situation, but he’d noticed over the past couple weeks that she was a much stronger empath than either Ben or Trey. Maybe not as powerful as G’ntriel, but she certainly had some serious skills.

  “Perhaps you are right,” Trey said sincerely. “It would seem that G’trobian females possess more powerful empathic skills than commonly acknowledged on our home world.”

  “Devlin,” Jordan said. “Please contact G’baena
and we’ll see if we can sort out this mess without anyone getting hurt.”

  Devlin nodded, his throat feeling tight. He wanted to protect G’baena, but not at the expense of her freedom, which meant, even though every instinct screamed at him to deny her this chance, he had to let her make the choice. Damn.

  * * * *

  G’baena paced the cramped space in Del’s cabin. For the most part, Del seemed unaffected by the commotion, but G’baena knew that the young man had developed the ability to pretty much hide any outward reaction under any circumstance. Even though Del seemed quite comfortable around her, it had taken Devlin’s influence before the younger man relaxed enough to let his guard down. But right now? Right now, Del seemed relaxed, and G’baena knew that to be the bluff. If any danger came to the door, she had no doubt that Del would lay down his life to protect her.

  Goddess, she hoped it never came to that. Del deserved a long, full, happy future. After everything he’d been through in his life so far, surely the goddess, or whatever deity Pendarians worshipped, would see fit to reward him.

  “Del.” Devlin’s voice came through the intercom, and Del moved quickly to the device on the wall. G’baena noticed the fine tremor in his fingers and felt even more wretched for the young man.

  “Yes, Devlin.” His voice sounded so sure, so very official.

  “I’m on route to your quarters. We have a situation that G’baena may be able to help with. I’ll meet you at your cabin, and we’ll head to the cargo bay together.”

  “Help with what? I don’t want her in danger.”

  There was a brief pause, and G’baena wondered what was running through Devlin’s mind. “She won’t be. Not with you and me protecting her.” His answer seemed to both relieve and concern Del, and G’baena felt a small surge of irritation that he hadn’t asked her if she actually minded helping. Not that she wouldn’t, but now that she was no longer a slave and free of the oppression of her fathers, it would’ve been nice to be asked.