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“This is the most ridiculous holiday that I have ever heard of,” Gewell remarked as he picked up a blaster and inspected it thoroughly before holstering it. “What kind of mating rituals and celebrations require defending oneself from being torn apart and eaten?”
“Well, from what I recall, in ancient Rome there was Lupercalia on the same date which was a festival with lore that focused on a wolf—a pack hunting predator on Earth,” a feminine voice observed, startling all three of them.
Varik’s eyes shot up and met those of his female. Stacey gave him a small smile, but it was strained, and, in her eyes, there was barely masked fear.
“I think it was mostly about purification and fertility, though and less about the romance of our Valentine’s Day.” She hugged herself and attempted another weak smile. “Mostly our holiday is just about candies, flowers, and romantic stuff that help lovers reconnect.”
Shelk gave her a disbelieving look. “The ancient festival makes more sense. Purification and encouraging life to return are things any Lorgor would understand, and we likewise have festivities with that focus as spring arrives. But the gift of food and loving gestures for one’s mate… you truly require a special festivity for this?”
“Humans are strange,” Jornesh agreed with a sigh as he and the remaining three officers arrived and grabbed their blasters. “If we followed such customs on Lorgoon, every day would be a Valentine’s Day and the festive calendar would be out of control.”
The other males chuckled in agreement as they one by one holstered their own blasters, not noticing the way his female flushed at their laughter. Though she shrugged as if unconcerned, her embarrassment was telling enough that Varik scowled at his offers with a subtle vibration of his vibinum, quelling their laughter. Zarg, the younger male of their group, at least had the sense to grimace apologetically before blanking his expression entirely in unison with the others as they all straightened at the approaching footsteps. Varik turned slowly, his brow raising as he met the sharp gaze of the gonsi. The other male’s lip curled hostilely before his gaze slipped to the side to meet Stacey’s eyes. Varik’s stomach twisted at the way she immediately dropped her gaze deferentially and he wondered what had happened to incur that level of submission. He did not believe humans were naturally of that disposition, especially when their small bodies were known to contain a considerable amount of chaos.
“What are you doing, Stacey?” the male rumbled, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
Varik watched his female shrug with a meekness that did not suit her. “Nothing, Athdar. I overheard them speaking about weapons and was curious what kind of protection we will have.”
The male grunted and, opening his arms, waved her forward. Varik struggled to repress his desire to attack the male as Stacey stepped within his embrace and allowed him to give her shoulders a comforting squeeze.
“You should know there is no reason to fear, Stacey,” the gonsi replied with a mock paternal note of concern. “Remember you are here with your mate. There is no safer place for you than by his side. Now come, let us go rejoin the other females,” he gently instructed, his hand lowering to flatten against her back, encouraging her to walk with him.
Varik gritted his teeth as his female was herded back toward the company of the others. He mentally touched her uplink to assure himself that she was okay and was relieved when her mind answered back softly in the affirmative.
“I’m okay. Athdar is just being his usual fussy self. But I just don’t feel comfortable with any of this. Don’t be mad, but it scares me to talk like this around them. I’m afraid I will slip up, ok?”
“I am not angry,” he assured her. “Be safe. Better to draw no attention or suspicion upon yourself, blossom. I will suffer but survive without your sweetness.”
Her giggled response prior to shutting down the uplink was gratifying.
Truthfully, he understood. Keeping one’s thoughts strictly to the private uplink rather than speaking them out loud was difficult and he was certain that his mate frequently slipped up when speaking with him while in a private space.
Jornesh snorted quietly at his side. “Did he really claim that she was safest with the prince—the same male who came up with the idea for this suicide holiday?”
“Clearly,” Varik spat, as he retrieved a blaster, no longer in the mood to entertain his crew’s light-hearted banter.
Running it through a quick inspection, he holstered it and snatched up one of the plasma rifles as well. He would make sure his Stacey was safe despite the foolishness from the Calysii. Looping the rifle’s strap across his chest, he adjusted the weight of the weapon and his eyes lifted to meet the Kadesh’s amused gaze. Lerix grinned lazily at him before turning forward once more as he steered the vessel toward the island looming increasingly nearer.
Whatever awaited them at that island, Gaix had better hope that Stacey was not harmed in any way, or Varik would see to it personally that the Kadesh prince wasn’t the only royal entombed there, consequences be damned.
ChapterSeventeen
The island was the tropical paradise that the resort promised and hinted at but hadn’t quite delivered. The pink sand was even more vivid with an untouched pristineness with the numerous beach blossoms springing up in thick clusters among the few rocks that dotted the shores right up to the lush forest. The distant calls of alien avians cast a certain sort of magic over everything as Stacey climbed down from the small skiff that had taken them from the larger cruiser to the shore. Her feet sank into the thick sand, momentarily putting her off balance. She stumbled forward, a tiny gasp parting from her lips when suddenly she was steadied by a powerful arm wrapping firmly around her waist. Her eyes shot up to her captain’s electric blue gaze, her cheeks flooding with her blush as his held her gaze for a heartbeat. For that moment—that breath shared between them—she could imagine that they were alone together in a romantic destination. But reality intruded, as it always did, and Varik stepped away stiffly with a cool nod of his head.
“Be careful,” he growled, putting a little more bark in his voice for what she understood to be more for show than truly meaning it. “All of you,” he amended, his gaze sweeping over the other women standing awkwardly on the beach around her. “This island is not the pampered playground of the resort. There is no way to know what dangers there may be. It could rise up from anywhere all around us.”
An electric snap of alarm rushed through Stacey, and she glanced cautiously down at the sand around her feet, suddenly worried about what could possibly be burrowed beneath its glittering, cotton candy surface. She didn’t know what she expected to suddenly burst out from it and felt the tiniest bit foolish to be looking there instead of the at the water and tree lines like she belatedly noticed the Lorgor and Kadesh were, but she did feel a little better that the other women were likewise looking downward with concern. A loud scoffing laughter made several of them jump, their heads whipping toward their mate.
“Naturally, captain. Which is why you are here,” Gaix pointed out drolly. “Now have your crew unload the boat here starting with the furnishings. The sand and sun both are hotter than I like, and I don’t wish to be wait any longer than absolutely necessary.”
Stacey’s skin prickled uneasily, and she watched beneath her lashes as the Lorgor males, their heads turned deferentially toward the prince, inclined their heads respectfully even as they subtly flared the numerous frills that covered their heads. Her muscles instinctively tensed in reaction. She recognized that look from spending so much time covertly studying the captain, and there was something ominous about it in that particular setting. The vague puffing of their head frills was a very subtle sign of growing hostility that she had noted in Varik whenever she was manhandled by the prince. That they were all doing it in response to Gaix’s orders was a warning of a tempest brewing below the surface. Beneath their reserved masks, they were clearly insulted and angered.
She shifted her weight nervously on her feet. Was Gaix mad? She had no love for the prince and wanted to be rid of his company as soon as possible but treating his security detail like common servants in a potentially very dangerous setting didn’t sound particularly healthy for any of them. Could they truly afford for them to be so distracted? Suddenly the warm bubble of romance that she’d briefly felt in Varik’s arms withered entirely leaving her cold and alone—and more than a little afraid out there on the sand.
“Gaix, I could…” she began but was silenced by a hard look from the gonsi.
Right. She wasn’t to do anything that inferred that the prince’s decision wasn’t the best or that his protections weren’t the most capable. This was among their first instructions as new mates to prince Gaix of Caysta. Even offering to help would suggest that his orders were wrong or lacking in some way. She swallowed back her words and bowed her head as Gaix frowned over at her.
“Do not be silly,” he chided. “My mate is not made to work like a commoner.”
