Prime Target

by Monette Michaels

  Royce looked at Joen and something unspoken was communicated between the two men, then he spoke out loud, “Order me whatever beer is on tap.”

  “Will do.” Joen moved her and Lia out of the way as His Majesty was hauled out of the dining area by Royce and two resort security guards who’d appeared along with the resort manager. The Umbraxi ruler’s retinue hurriedly followed behind, giving her party a wide berth.

  “Royce was correct. You did damn good, Susa.” Lia hugged her. The doctor’s sympathy wrapped around Susa’s emotions like a thick, warm blanket, blunting the effect of the violent confrontation. “Nadia would’ve been proud.”

  Yeah, she’d handled the situation, but without her friends’ arrival, she most likely would’ve ended up on the terrace floor with shaking limbs and in a puddle of tears—easy prey for His Majesty’s minions to take her away. She needed to toughen up if she were to survive in the wider expanse of the galaxy.

  “Thanks.” Susa felt for her chair and dropped into it. She wiped more unwanted tears from her face with her fingers and sniffled. She noticed her hand was bloody. “I think I broke his nose.” She dipped her napkin into her water glass, wiped away the evidence, and then wadded it into a ball.

  “Yeah, you did.” Lia grinned. “And his testicles are probably lodged somewhere in his lower intestines.”

  Sitting beside Lia, Joen snorted and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  Susa giggled and realized she was close to crying again. “I need another glass of wine.”

  “Definitely.” Lia patted Susa’s hand. “So, what happened? We could see your shocked expression before you hit him. What did he say?”

  “He wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Susa said. Lia swore under her breath. “He basically called me a karote, offered me money to be his whore.”

  “You are not a karote.” Joen picked up the soiled napkin and signaled the waiter. “The apayebo knows nothing about our culture or he’d never have said such.”

  “I know that, Joen,” Susa replied. “But as Bria explained before I left Cejuru Prime, there will be men who equate my former position in Prime society to being a prostitute.”

  Susa just hadn’t expected to meet such a man on her first day away from home. “As for his royal bak-ness, he’s a garden variety predator and women are his prey.” She finished off the wine in her glass and added, “I’d already turned the apayebo down once today. Twice, if you count him sending his aide to bring me to his table.”

  “When was the first time?” growled Joen as he turned to look in the direction Royce and the others had taken.

  “This morning on my walk. He asked me to go sailing and for a private picnic in a secluded cove.” Susa smiled at the waiter who brought her a clean napkin and refilled her wine glass. “Thank you for getting security so quickly.”

  The waiter bowed. “Nagli Goldai has a bad reputation. He has been warned many times about how he approaches women on the resort.”

  “Is he staying here?” Susa asked, a lump lodging in her throat at the thought.

  “No.” At the waiter’s reply, she breathed more easily. “Umbraxi has an embassy on Tooh 2. Goldai has a residence in the hills overlooking the resort. Several of the galactic rim worlds held a conference this morning at the hotel, but since the meeting is over, Goldai has no further business here. The resort manager will make that clear. Now, may I take drink orders for the rest of the table? Your drinks and meals will be on the house as an apology for the insult.”

  Joen and Lia ordered drinks for themselves and Royce’s beer. The waiter bowed and left.

  “Talk, Susa. Where did the first confrontation take place?” Joen asked.

  “I was exploring the resort. This Goldai was alone and approached me. His overture was slimy, if you know what I mean.” Lia nodded and Joen grumbled. “I refused … politely. He didn’t like it. The resort security office was close by, and I headed for it. He walked off without saying anything else. I really didn’t think much about the encounter since he was the tenth man to approach me by that time.”

  “Ten?” Lia squeaked, then patted her gemat’s shoulder as he muttered some of the vilest Prime curses Susa had ever heard. “Calm down, Joen. You can’t kill him—or any of them. Wulf wouldn’t like any diplomatic repercussions.”

  Susa’s suspicions that Joen and the others had been sent to watch over her were now confirmed.

  “Joen, you aren’t to kill anyone on my behalf,” said Susa. “And yes, Lia, ten by the time Goldai approached me.”

  Lia gripped her man’s shoulder, keeping him in his seat.

  Susa’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “I think walking alone on the resort isn’t a good idea.”

  “No, it’s not,” Joen snapped out. “If you wish to walk, walk with either me or Royce.” He turned to his gemate. “And, lubha, you are not to walk alone, either. There are far too many men on this resort who can’t be trusted around any woman. Now, please finish, Susa. What happened before we arrived in the dining room? You said something about an aide approaching you?”

  Susa rubbed her suddenly aching forehead. Joen’s anger beat on her empathic sense. “After I sat down at our table, Goldai sent over one of his underlings, a Lieutenant Garr. The poor man shook in his shoes when I turned down the invitation.” She pleated and unpleated her cloth napkin. “Then Goldai came over, and, well, you know the rest.”

  “You told us what he said, but he must’ve done something for you to hit him,” Lia said. “We couldn’t see everything. What made you go all Nadia-like on him?”

  The memory of Goldai’s words and actions left a bad taste in her mouth, so she took another sip of wine. Her hand trembled.

  “Susa.” Lia clasped Susa’s free hand between both of hers, warming it. “What did the bastard do? Because, while I haven’t known you very long, I’m fairly certain you wouldn’t have hit him if his only attack had been verbal.”

  “He grabbed my breast,” Susa whispered as shame mixed with something akin to despair settled in her stomach. Would this be what her new life was like? Forever defending misconceptions about her previous life?

  “He grabbed your…” Lia left the rest unsaid. “The fucking asshole. I hope his balls swell to the size of melons, get gangrenous, and have to be removed without anesthetic.”

  Susa snicker-snorted, then covered her mouth with the napkin stifling the sound of her amusement. Lia began to laugh also.

  Though his aura reflected his anger, Joen fought a smile. “I must second my lovely, dainty, and so genteel gemate’s words, however unlikely such an outcome could occur.”

  Wiping her eyes, this time wet with tears of mirth, Susa thanked the One for good friends. She’d make sure to send Wulf and Mel a thank-you for arranging Lia and the men to be there. And she’d send a message to Nadia thanking her for all the torturous hours of self-defense training.

  While Susa might still have fears and concerns about what her future life might be like—and how people would perceive and treat her—she was already a different, much stronger Susa than the one who’d been a sex surrogate for fifteen standard years. The old Susa would never have defended herself.

  She liked the new Susa much better.

  Shoving the whole unfortunate incident out of her mind, she picked up the menu. “So, you’ve been here before, which seafood dish should I order? I’m starved.”

  Movement to her right drew her attention. For a second, she startled, worried that Goldai or one of his minions had come back. She breathed a sigh of relief as Royce approached.

  “That was some righteous ass-kicking, Susa,” Royce said with a smile. “His Royal Assclown will not be having sexual relations for quite a while.” He sat in the chair next to her, then murmured, “Way to go, wildcat.”

  Royce’s words, the pride in his voice, smoothed the few rough edges remaining on her nerves and allowed her to relax and enjoy the rest of her first full day of vacation.

  Chapter 2

  Next day, pool
side

  “We—well, mostly you—are being ogled.”

  Susa turned to look at Lia, who reclined on a chaise next to Susa’s. “Yes, I noticed, and you’re getting your fair share of leers. I say, as long as they merely look, we should ignore them. Right? That’s what Mel and Bria suggested.”

  “Right. Just curious, what did Nadia say about the excessively aggressive ones?” Lia peered over the top of her sunshades, her silver-gray eyes sparkling. “Though I can guess after your demonstration yesterday.”

  Susa shoved the memory of yesterday’s few moments of terror into a dark corner of her mind and built a mental wall around it. It was over, and she’d handled it. “Yeah, the base of the palm to the nose was her number one suggestion since it hurts and the recipient will instinctively cover their face and give me a chance to run. The other options depended on where the man is in relation to my body.”

  “What else? Knowing Nadia as well as I do”—Lia and Nadia served on the same starship and were both Terran women who had enough Prime DNA in their genetics to mark as gemates with their Prime males—“I bet those weren’t her only suggestions.” Lia smirked.

  “You’d win that bet.” Susa ticked off the other methods on her fingers. “I can knee him in the balls, which conveniently worked to my advantage yesterday. Ram my elbow into his stomach. Or, my not-so-favorite-one, gouge his eyes with my nails. Nadia suggested I do all of the defensive moves, if I could, to ensure the aggressor was out of action. Iolyn’s gemate is extremely blood-thirsty.”

  “I know. It’s her Hunnish ancestry.” Lia laughed. “My suggestion? In this setting? If the assholes come too close, scream as loudly as you can for security and run like hell. I’m fairly certain both Royce and Joen laid down the law to resort security after yesterday’s incident.”

  “They told me as much, and I appreciate their efforts on my behalf.” Since leaving Cejuru Prime, Susa had quickly realized she was shy and timorous where new people and experiences were concerned. Having Lia by her side would go a long way in making her sojourn at the resort more enjoyable … and being seen with Royce and Joen yesterday and earlier today had already worked to ward off the less aggressive males.

  However, the men currently staring at her and Lia seemed to be made of sterner stuff. A few she recognized as some of Goldai’s followers; their emotional auras read as watchful. The males scraping her nerves until they were screaming were a group of pseudo-reptilians. One pseudo-reptilian race, the Antareans, was the Prime’s greatest enemy. These men weren’t Antareans, their visages had more humanoid features, but their presence still caused a revulsion that made her sick to her stomach. The emotions aimed her way were violent and … greedy.

  Forcing the pseudo-reptilians’ vile emotions out of her mind, Susa took a sip of her fruity drink and brought up something she’d been meaning to say ever since the restaurant confrontation with Goldai.

  “Lia, although I appreciate the back-up, I definitely don’t want Royce or Joen to endanger their careers by confronting galactic dignitaries on my behalf. Goldai looked”—Susa searched for the right words and finally settled on—“like a nasty, small-minded man, the kind who would try to get revenge.”

  “Let him try. The security feed and Goldai’s past bad acts supported your actions, Susa,” Lia gently remonstrated. “That effing bastard had no right to touch you, to call you a whore, or to demand you come to his home and service him. Royce said the resort’s security tape clearly showed Goldai grabbing your breast. Several other patrons saw and overheard his actions and reported them to security. Goldai deserved everything you did to him.”

  “He knew I was an unmarked Prime female.” Susa swallowed past the lump of anger, frustration, and, yes, fear, lodged in her throat. “With the Prime joining the Alliance, more and more people in the galaxy will have heard that women like myself usually became sex surrogates. Let’s face it, I’m going to get a lot of ugly propositions. I’ll just have to grow a thicker skin.” And learn to defend myself better.

  “Oh, Susa.” Lia had tears in her eyes.

  Susa didn’t want her friend’s pity, so she waved a hand. “Forget about the apayebo. I’m not going to let men like Goldai spoil my chance to explore the galaxy outside of the Cejuru system.” She sent Lia a wide smile. “I’m just so glad you, Joen, and Royce were able to be at the resort while I’m here.”

  Lia reached over and patted Susa’s arm. “We’re thrilled to be here. I needed a break. Plus, it’ll be fun having a woman to do the touristy trips, go shopping, and have spa treatments with.” The petite, vivacious brunette made a comical face. “Joen would’ve moaned and groaned if he’d had to follow me around while I did all those things. And I sure didn’t want to do all the sporting things he’s going to do with Royce. So consider yourself a godsend.”

  Rough laughter floated across the pool.

  Susa cast a sideways glance at the small group of leering, laughing men—the pseudo-reptilians—not Goldai’s followers. The laughter was followed by a wave of even more lustful feelings that scraped across Susa’s empathic sense like the edge of a serrated knife.

  She shuddered. Their carnal hunger tasted and smelled foul and bitter. After taking another drink to clear the nasty taste from her mouth, she turned to Lia. “When did the men say they were getting back? I’m getting a bit hungry.”

  Joen and Royce had gone deep-sea fishing while Susa and Lia had spent the morning at the spa then had lunch by the pool. They were now working on their tans while waiting for the men to return so they could clean up and go out to dinner once the sun set.

  Lia followed Susa’s gaze over to where the pseudo-reptilians sat; their slitted gazes fixated on the two women. “Ignore the rude assholes, Susa. And I also could use a snack to tide me over until dinner.” She patted her still-flat stomach and then caressed the marking that demonstrated she was a gemate to a Prime warrior. “This baby is making me really hungry. I’m eating all the time. I’m going to get as fat as a pig and waddle by the time I deliver this child.”

  Susa leaned over and looked Lia in the eye. “You’re beautiful and will always be such. Joen worships the ground you walk on—when he allows you to walk, that is.”

  Lia snickered. “He’d wrap me in foam and never let me do a thing, if I allowed it.”

  Susa laughed. “I know. It’s fun to watch you and the Caradoc women, battle-mates all, go toe-to-toe with your Prime warrior-gemats.” The occurrence of battle-mates in the Prime’s recent past was rare, but was finding a resurgence with the influx of new bloodlines. “It’s not only fun, but joyous. You and the other Terran and Volusian women mating with Prime males have given my people hope for a strong future. I’m honored to know you and count you as my friend.”

  “Mel told me we’re all sister-kin, and we need to stick together so our men—and your man when you find him—will not walk all over us.” Lia winked and rose from her chaise. “Let’s get a table closer to the pool bar. I see a security guard over there. Why don’t we buy him a snack and a drink? I’m fairly sure he was told to keep an eye on us.”

  Susa turned and spotted one of the guards who’d responded to the incident yesterday and waved at him. Grinning, he inclined his head. “Yes, let’s ask him to join us.”

  She and Lia rose and gathered their things, then walked toward the bar high-tops. The pseudo-reptilians’ lustful feelings followed them every step of the way. They didn’t pursue, but also didn’t leave the pool area.

  For now, she and her sister-kin were safe. But who knew what tomorrow would bring?

  Later that day, at a seaside bar

  The friendly waitress had just served Susa and the others a pre-dinner drink. The bar’s outdoor patio overlooked the Tooh 2 ocean. If the seafood was as good as the wine list, Susa could understand why the bar was so crowded; most of the diners seemed to be local, though.

  “How did you originally discover this place?” Susa put the menu down. She’d decided to go with the fresh fish of the day spec
ial which had been described as a grilled white meaty fish with local roasted vegetables and a white wine sauce. “It’s rather off the beaten path. I’d never have ventured down to this part of the waterfront by myself.”

  The area surrounding the restaurant featured mostly warehouses and businesses having to do with the fishing industry and was probably bustling during the day. After sundown, the place was deserted but for the patrons of this restaurant-bar and another small dive bar a few doors down.

  “This is one of the places Alliance military personnel discovered. Its existence spread by word-of-mouth,” said Joen.

  The Galactic Alliance had a huge military presence in the Mu Arae solar system with installations on Tooh 4 and Tooh 10. So, it made sense the resort planet of Tooh 2 would be a place off-duty military personnel would go for R&R.

  Lia added, “The reason we like to come here is because the chef-owner is always amenable to serving any fish a customer catches. This evening’s fresh fish special is the grilled Bahia which Royce caught. The owner was thrilled since the fish cost him nothing and is large enough to feed dozens of customers.”

  Susa turned to Royce and lifted her glass of the locally bottled crisp, white wine. “To our valiant fisherman. I look forward to eating the results of your labor.”

  Joen and Lia joined in the toast, and Royce grinned as he bowed his head in acknowledgment. “Thank you all. The fish fought a good battle, but Alliance might always prevails.”

  “Here, here,” Joen said.

  Royce placed his arm along the back of Susa’s chair, the warmth of his skin barely touching her exposed shoulders, and took a sip of his Valerian whiskey neat. “Susa, for your first time traveling away from Cejuru Prime, your instincts are good. This isn’t an area a woman alone should investigate, day or night. Just keep to the more crowded tourist areas and you should be fine.”

  A compliment and an alpha-male order all in the same breath. Susa mentally chuckled. Royce was very much like Joen and the Caradoc males—handsome, intelligent, considerate, and overprotective. The captain was proving to be a pleasant companion. He also didn’t seem to perceive her as a sex object he had to claim.