Upgraded to defend her world, Haru-vel is unsurprised to find herself fighting alongside the Kek. She’s shocked when she’s handed to them... permanently.

When they faced an incoming invading force, the Myvik turned to the Kek—mercenaries who travelled the stars and fought your enemy... for a price. The arrival date was ten days after the invaders were due to arrive, so they needed to buy themselves time.

Thirty years earlier, the Myvik had hired the Kek, and the defenders had left something behind. Children.

Haru-vel was named for the father she had never met, and her mother was the planet’s greatest biologist, and she made sure that her daughter was trained and ready to defend her world, along with nineteen others who were treated to a genetic cocktail of unknown origin, except it wasn’t. Her mother knew very well where the material had come from. It had been left after a memorable night thirty years earlier.

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Unknown Origins

Copyright © 2022 Viola Grace

ISBN: 978-1-4874-3609-4

Cover art by Angela Waters

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Unknown Origins

Paying the Warband

By

Viola Grace

Chapter One

Haru-vel and her boss General Renfor met with the council.

“The Vanuthic are coming and will not be deterred. Are there any options for extracting personnel from the surface?” Haru asked.

The prefect ran her hand through her hair. “They aren’t coming. They are here. They are just staging and waiting for the rest of their invasion fleet. We can’t leave. We have to defend, and we don’t have a surface-to-air defence set up.”

The general ran his hand through his hair. “What about calling the warband?”

The prefect looked to Haru-vel. “No. That isn’t a good idea at this stage. I am sure that our scientists have something to help. Doctor Jenok?”

Haru-vel looked at her mother, and she cleared her throat. “We have gone through the archives and found a substance of unknown origin that has the potential to create some of the defence warriors that we need. We have twenty doses of transformative serum and very specific criteria.”

The prefect frowned. “What will the result of the injection be?”

“We don’t know. There are forty-two candidates for the injection registered, so we just need to take on the volunteers from those in the best physical condition and conscript the rest.”

Haru-vel raised her hand. “I volunteer.”

Her mother looked sad. “I knew you would. Fine. We have nineteen doses. We need to mix genders because the results aren’t predictable.”

The general stared at Haru-vel. “You are volunteering for a civilian project?”

“I am volunteering for a planetary project. We don’t have time to mess around. We have maybe a few weeks, likely a few days. Dr. Jenok, where do I report?”

“My lab, right after this meeting. The sooner you start, the sooner we can rule out side-effects for those who follow.”

Peacekeeper Commander Haru-vel looked at her mother as they waited. Her mother looked nervous, and they both understood what was about to happen. Anyone with the same genetic stamp was going to be asked to volunteer. Where half of her genes came from her mother wouldn’t say, but since the others were all the same age, it had to trace back to the last time the warband had been summoned. Her mom was intelligent, graceful, and stoic. No matter how many times she was asked, she never divulged the name of Haru-vel’s father.

The prefect tapped the table. “Doctor, are you sure you don’t know the origin of that material?”

“It wasn’t labelled, but it does have binding agents and enough energy in it to boost those with the correct genetic signature.”

“Like your daughter.”

She inclined her head. “Just so.”

“Right. There are forty-two of them?”

“There are.”

“Gather them and choose your best twe—nineteen.” The prefect rapped her gavel. “Council concluded. We will meet again in the morning. Jenok, we want daily updates.”

“Of course, Prefect.”

Haru-vel got to her feet, and the general grabbed her arm. “Don’t you fucking dare. It’s suicide.”

“She wouldn’t have raised me as an experiment. She’s not like that.”

“Really? She’s the coldest bitch on the continent. What is she like?”

Haru clapped him on the arm. “She’s a helluva dancer.”

She went to follow her mom to the lab, and her long legs caught up with her. “So, we are going to use it?”

“Yeah, this is the time. The warband is weeks away, and if we don’t want them coming to rescue an empty world, we need to do this.”

“I know. I will help you, and I will guide the others through this.”

Her mother grinned. “You think you will be able?”

“Of course. A little adrenaline and a few more inches won’t knock me down. I might scream and curse, but I am going to go through with this.” She sighed. “Start the recruiting the moment I get the injection. Do the girls first.”

“Thank you, Haru-vel. I will.”

Ten minutes after they reached the lab, she had been scanned, recorded, and then injection administered.

The first two hours were fine, and then, she felt the pain of growing six inches overnight. She told her mother, and supplements were added as her growth continued. The second day, muscles increased, and she stopped looking so terrifying. The third day, her curves returned over the increased muscle and bone. A bodysuit was designed for her, and the other nineteen were under way. Girls first.

The ladies had immediately improved cognition, physical strength, and stamina. Yer-ai was busy making weapons that suited each of the ladies.

The guys were getting mad. Unfocused and raging, they needed to be controlled, but the only ones close to their size were the ladies, and they were still too small to manage brute force against brutes. The men also started sniffing them. Frequently. They did better when the ladies weren’t around.

When she was with finished her change, she went to Yer-ai and leaned on the workbench. “Having fun?”

“This is a fucking blast. My fingers are clumsy, but my brain is going crazy with ideas and designs. I can’t keep up.”

“What kind of designs?”

“Everybody needs something else. For the guys, it is easy. They want hammers and big guns. The armed forces are taking care of the guns, and the hammers are on their way. The guys are going to try and bring the ships down; the ladies are going to need to go in and wipe them out. I have watched your workouts, so I am covering you with energy blades. Brax-el will get scatter guns; Yah-dith will get a broadsword and dagger. I am going to be restocking with drop drones and using them as my weapons with a control halo.”

“What about Yel-nata and the others?”

Yer-ai grinned. “Grenade launcher.”

Haru-vel snorted. “Did your mother ever tell you who your father was?”

“Nope. She gave a general description and laughed. The naming pattern is a big clue. All forty-two of us have the hyphens. It was like the moms all got together and discussed it.” She paused. “You speaking to the council today?”

“Yup. In my new fancy clothing. Thanks for that.”

“No problem. It gives you a striking silhouette, and no one will doubt that you are a lady.”

“At least we got scaled up. I would hate it if just one part of us grew. The cleavage is a bit much.” Haru-vel looked down. “I mean, I am keeping all my passes in there, but it is a bit much.”

“I am keeping tools in mine.” She chuckled and kept working.

They laughed, and Haru-vel left for her meeting with the council. They wanted to see what her mother had been up to.

The gasps were audible when her mother called her in. She stood in the centre of the arch in front of the curved table. On a screen above her, her training and exercise recordings were being played.

When they were over, the prefect asked her, “What do you think you will do when this is over?”

“If I survive, I might take up construction or private security or make ceilings look really low.” She crossed her arms.

“You doubt you will survive?”

Haru-vel pinched the bridge of her nose. “Each day I wake up and leave home, I could die crossing the street or catch a virus or just be on the wrong side of a fist in a bar brawl. I would rather die holding back an invasion and saving one other citizen than cowering in an office or just giving up. Giving up isn’t in my DNA. Mom checked. Twice.”

The folks gathered chuckled.

“Has there been any word from the warband?” she asked the prefect.

“They will be here in fourteen days. The invasion looks to begin within forty-eight hours.”

“So, we just have to hold them off for fourteen days. I know the tech and med teams are getting healing pods in our size, so I hope they are quick. We aren’t really used to these bodies, and they move differently. The first few days are going to be rough until we get the hang of it. Even with training, none of us have actually done this before.”

The general asked, “What colour are your battle suits?”

“Black. That way, when we bleed, it won’t show.”

The prefect looked a little pale. This was the crux of the matter. They were not being allowed to run, and extinction was all they faced. Holding out until the actual fighters arrived was all they could do.

She bowed and left the room by doing backflips until she reached the door.

That bit of whimsy might be the last she had. She was going to get it in.

In two days, she was going to war.

Haru-vel sprinted to the crash site and started to slash through the outpouring of warriors. She leaped, landed, and hacked her way through with blades that cut through anything. Another ship had been brought down nearby, and another of her team was working on it. By the timed explosions, it was one of the ladies with grenades.

Ten days of fighting for her life and the lives of her people, she was getting tired.

The light dimmed as the sun was obscured. Her new eyesight kicked in, and she ran toward one of the high-ranking invaders, stuck both blades in, and swung around to kick the man behind him. She felt the cracking in her blades and cursed. She tapped her com twice and got a click in return.

The crimson bodies were pressing in tight, and she kept hacking and slashing until her blades gave way. She pulled her daggers and saw one attacker coming head-on and one on either side. She was fucked.

She braced for incoming pain, and instead, two huge warhammers slammed down on either side of her. She drove one blade into the eyes of the incoming attacker and whirled to see what had saved her.

“Whoa. They did not describe you accurately.” She looked up and up at the warband warrior. Golden-green skin, tusks, a thick black braid, pointed ears. He was wearing a sleeveless bodysuit, and his arms were banded with gold. He had a strange circle on his belt and grinned at her.

He took the circle, opened it, and clipped it around her neck. “You are a wild, pretty thing, and now, you are mine.”

She opened her mouth to curse him out, but he grinned as she was covered in glowing light.

She staggered as the light faded and hands caught her. She blinked and looked up at the grinning huge men who carefully took her by the arms. “Wow. She is definitely not Myvik spec. Get her to medical for a full workup.”

“Wait. What’s going on? Why am I up here? I was in the middle of a fight.”

One of the men holding her said, “Our fight now, sweet. You are part of our five percent. And what a lovely percentage you are.”

She blinked. She had been told they would take five percent. Last time it had been minerals and the power crystals that made Myvik so desirable.

“I thought you took minerals and power crystals.”

He chuckled. “That was the first warband. We are the Lyrik Warband. We have different requirements.”

“What do you need?”

He chuckled. “Mates, and the Myvik women are compatible. There weren’t any children born to the Kek, but we are willing to put in the extra effort.”

She blinked as she realized that they didn’t know. Myvik women were stimulated ovulators. They didn’t go into season; they simply got pregnant three days after good sex.

At least forty-two women got pregnant the last night the warband was on Myvik, and the visiting army had no clue.

She was escorted without option to the medical bay. She thought of it as escorted because the men were precise and didn’t pinch or grip her arm uncomfortably. It was as if they had practice.

“Do you abduct women often?” She kept herself calm.

“Not often, no, but we need a new generation. Our warriors can collect up to a thousand women, and our mothership can house them. You will be scanned, analyzed, and it will be determined whether the male who captured you is best suited for you.”

“What if he isn’t?”

“Matching suitors will be found, and the original suitor will have the opportunity to fight them.”

“Great. Who the hell found me?”

They looked at her collar and paused. “Right, you are fine.”

She didn’t know whose name was on her collar, but he had just called dibs.

* * * *

The warband ship got into position above the planet, their fighter ships dispatching to clear the skies around Myvik.

Commander Nyik-Yosh looked at the vids and checked the satellite feeds. Small battles were going on all over the planet, but the larger ones had figures in black hacking away at the invading forces.

The heady curves of a woman wielding energy blades caught his attention, but then, he noticed the ship pouring out wave after wave of enemy.

“Get me to the surface.” He put his clubs in either hand and checked to make sure he had the collar he planned to use on that woman. “I am about to claim the first of our five percent. Drop me behind her. It looks like an excellent view.”

“Yes, Commander.”

The cascade formed around him, and he flexed his fingers on his clubs. This was going to be fun. A fight and a mate in less than a minute.

He landed on the surface in the shadow of the ship. He took the half dozen steps to guard her back and crushed the two charging her, blinding her from the sides. She stabbed the third in the eye and whirled to stare up at him.

She was a tall lass, with dark purple hair, and eyes so pale they were nearly white with black rings around the iris.

She spoke. He clicked the collar around her throat and called a cascade to take her to the mothership. His pretty little pet had caused surges in all his systems. He looked forward to finishing this skirmish and getting back to greet her properly.

He started to crush the enemy and grinned. He had had twelve chances to take a mate, but this little fighter would be his.

Chapter Two

“They are religious icons, and I don’t want to part with them.” Haru-vel smiled at the medics calmly.

The scans had identified the weapons she kept in her suit tucked under each breast.

The medics paused and then said, “Which deity?”

“The god of war. If other women dressed like me are snagged, they are also carrying icons. God of intelligence, speed, and even projectiles. Those you might want to verify.”

The medic looked at her wryly. “Really?” His tusks were banded.

She looked at him and crossed her arms. “Prove me wrong.”

“You seem very calm. Normally, the young ladies are weeping or cursing.”

“This is not the first time that the Myvik have had to call the warband.”

He started making notes. “Really? When was the last time?”

“Thirty years ago.”

He paused. “How old did you say you were?”

“Twenty-nine years old.”

He dropped his tablet. “Grunting hells. Don’t tell me that you...”

“Forty-one others mixed genders. Average height of a Myvik female is about here.” She put her hand under her breasts, and he blinked.

“That is what our records stated. We thought you were immigrants who were helping.”

“You have been watching?”

“You will have to talk to the commanders to get details, but we always watch the worlds we arrive at.”

Blood was drawn, and machines started whirring.

The medic asked, “Do you know the last warband that came through?”

“Not personally, but they were the Kek.”

He snorted. “We are all Kek. We are the Lyrik. So, we will have to get information from your government about who answered or contact other bands to see if they have visited. Oh, the commander will be disappointed if we find your genetic parent.”

“Why?”

“That makes you a Kek, and that means he can’t just haul you to his quarters and keep you there until you quicken.”

She blinked. “That is the plan?”

“That is standard practice. However, if we can confirm your origins, it changes everything.”

He beckoned to another set of men and said, “Take her to the groomers. I am running some tests, so make sure she isn’t interfered with on the way.”

“Is she that delicate?”

The medic chuckled. “No, she’s armed and was just plucked out mid-battle. I don’t think she’s averse to defending herself.”

Haru-vel grinned.

“Oh, miss, what is your name?”

“Commander Haru-vel.”

The words electrified him. “Vel?”

“Yeah, all of those with my DNA were given the hyphenation.”

“That is going to make it much easier.” He went to a terminal and paused. “That is both unexpected and makes complete sense.”

“What?” She tried to look over his shoulder but just saw data with a name that started with Vel. “Who is that?”

The medic nodded to the men, and they carefully grabbed her. That was it. She flipped the first into the med bed and chopped the other across his throat. The medic got a kick to the knee and shoved to the side while she took over the terminal and absorbed the information. She entered in the hyphenations of her friends, and more mature Kek were shown on the screen. She cross-referenced them and found the masculine parent of seventeen of the team before she was hauled away.

The medic looked at her and at the terminal. “How did you do that? You don’t read Kek.”

“Must have been luck. There are two more that I didn’t have a chance to match, and the males on the surface are in medical. They all charged in with no control. They need help. They were taken out in the first two days.”

The medic paused. “You said the males were injured. What about the females?”

“Three are in medical stasis. The rest of us are on duty.” She grimaced. “Were on duty.”

“Can you find the last two names?” He nodded to the terminal, and the irritated guards let her go.

She went to the terminal and found them. All the names were there. There was no reason to hide. They needed help.

“There are twenty-two others. Half-Myvik and half-Kek, but six inches smaller than me. I don’t know all of their names, but our government can get you in touch with the ones who are single. It is honestly most of them. The locals don’t feel comfortable with us in intimate situations.”

He stared at her and nodded. “I don’t think you will have that problem here. How did you gain the extra height?”

“Ah, we had some genetic material left from your last visit, and our scientists drew out the necessary DNA to give us a fighting chance.”

“How did you have Kek material?”

She grimaced. “To quote my mother, they didn’t pull out, and then they did. Apparently, you guys are really messy.”

His cheeks coloured as he realized what she was referring to, and then, he started laughing.

She was led away from medical and down the hall by two disgruntled guards. She didn’t apologize. She wasn’t here of her own free will.

The grey halls gave way to a soft gold, and alien warriors in dark purple barred the door. “This is as far as you go, guys. We will take her now.”

“Good. Watch out. She’s dangerous.”

Haru-vel stared up at them with big wide eyes. The men looked at her and tutted. “A wide-eyed kit like this? She’s sweet.”

The Kek snorted, and the guards opened the door to the women’s quarters, locking her inside. Whatever a grooming was, it was about to happen.

One of the large beings that didn’t look male or female put his hand on her back. “Come on, kit. Let’s get you taken care of, and then, you can relax until the owner of the collar returns from the surface.”

She went along, and then, the words she didn’t want to hear were spoken.

“You need to disrobe and step into the machine. It is automated and will take care of you from head to toe, but don’t struggle. We will have clothing waiting for when you are finished.”

“I need my religious icons.”

They gave her a surprised expression. “Of course.”

She smiled and peeled out of her suit, grabbing the genetically locked knives and setting them aside. She unbuckled her bandolier of short blades in the same compression. Her belt and thigh bands came off, and when that was done, she opened her suit and stepped out of it.

They gasped and said, “Who has hurt you?”

“With my team, we have been fighting for the lives of eighty million citizens. I have been standing between the incoming assholes and citizens.”

“Did the medical team see this?”

“Probably not. The suit is resistant to scanning.”

A purple hand delicately examined her left arm. “This has been broken.”

“Yes. The healing isn’t complete. There isn’t time for it.”

“There is now. The Kek do not send their women into battle.”

“Why not?”

The guard laughed. “They don’t have any. Lyrik clan only breeds males.”

“Ah. How unfortunate.” She walked to the machine, and the guard unpinned her hair and settled it inside the machine.

“Let it work on you as best as it can. When you are ready, I will have your clothing. You are a difficult fit, but I think I have something.”

“If not, it is back in my suit. It has reinforcement that is assisting me.”

“We will do better. I will have a medical unit brought in for you.”

“Good. If the others of my kind are brought in, they will need it as well. It has been a rough couple of weeks.”

“All right, kit. Just relax and let the machine do its work.”

They closed the machine, smiled kindly, and left her alone while mechanical hands touched her, removed hair, and rubbed everything gently. She fell asleep.

The warmth invading her limbs made her smile. But then, it stopped, and the unit opened to let her out.

She sighed and stretched, then rose from the medical unit and got up.

Her nails were polished, her skin gleamed, and the bruises were gone. Even the ache from her left arm was gone.

“The Kek machines are hardier than the ones the Myvik use. They couldn’t increase your bone density sufficiently to heal it, but the ones on this vessel have no trouble.”

She nodded. “You mentioned clothing?”

“Stand here. I will put it on for you. It can be a bit tricky until you understand how it sits.”

She nodded and stepped onto the dais.

She heard the grooming machine whirring and looked at the guard. “Another one of mine?”

They grinned. “This one curses a lot and looks at all things mechanical like they are for her own personal use.”

“Glad to know Yer-ai made it.”

They swiftly put her skirt on, had her slip into soft slippers, and then they held up the top, and she could see why there was a knack to it. It was more of a wrap than a top, and bits of fabric fluttered from the neck.

“Jewellery will be provided by your partner if he chooses to provide you with some. While they are in battle, you will be here. It is the most secure part of the ship.”

She blinked. “Okay, well, that is interesting. What if I want to fight?”

They snorted and then realized she was serious. “That is something you will have to discuss with your partner.”

She asked, “Am I as dressed as I am getting?”

“You are.”

“Can I have those icons?”

They snorted and retrieved them, handing them to her. “I recognize a knife hilt when I see one.”

“But it isn’t sharp, so it is a protective icon. We are at war, after all.”

They snorted and watched her tuck the handles under her breasts. The weight and size held them snugly. She could access them by shrugging her shoulder or lifting her arm.

She smiled and said, “I am dressed. Now what?”

They showed her a panel on the side of the wall, and when it opened, she saw a sort of elegant barracks. Beds were separated by partial walls, and the pretty silks and embroidery on the walls made her snicker.

“This isn’t suitable.”

“It is what is available for females. The Kek are very protective of them.”

“Uh-huh. I am going to be there when Yer-ai comes out of the groomer. And if you don’t open it fast enough when she’s done, she’s going to start taking it apart.”

Their eyes went wide, and they rushed back to check on the groomer.

It had fallen silent, and Haru called out, “Yer, do not take that thing apart.”

There was a surprised cry from inside, and she was released from the groomer, the same lack of hair below the neckline and silky shining locks in dark blue waving down her back. The collar was new. The marks on it spelled Kael-Nok.

Haru grinned. “I am guessing we were supposed to capitalize the last half of our names.”

Yer-ai put her hand on her neck. “You can read Kek?”

“Yeah. Pretty sure you can, too.”

Yer-ai stared at the collar. “Nope.”

Haru-vel blinked. “Well, hell. That’s weird.”

“Maybe my donor didn’t have the same focus as yours did.” Yer-ai grinned.

“Hopefully, they weren’t the same guy.”

The guard looked scandalized. “They would never use that many women so carelessly.”

Haru snorted then smirked. “There are another forty folks who share our birth month that would disagree with you. I didn’t know that the Kek took the old-fashioned means of seeding worlds, but we are living proof.”

The guard was stunned. They shook their heads and helped Yer-ai into the healing unit.

Haru watched the readout and nodded. “You got hit in the head a few times. Must be because it’s a big target.”

The machine whirred into action, and Haru was silent. She turned when she heard the door open, and a mud-spattered team member with a clean collar staggered in. It could have been one of three based on hair colour. “Strip and climb in the groomer. It will take care of the dirt and blood. After that, you will be dropped into the healing unit. Then you get to dress like a pretty but slutty princess.”

Laughter told her who she was talking to. “You just disappeared, Commander.”

“Yeah, well, now I feel pretty, Yel-nata. Get in the groomer.”

Muddy, sodden clothing hit the floor, and the woman stalked to the grooming unit while Haru talked her through it.

When Yel was in the groomer, Haru looked at the amused guard. “Sorry. Did you want to do that?”

“No, no. I am just surprised that you are so accommodating.”

“They are my people. I take care of my people.”

They grinned.

“Oh, I have to know, are you male or female? My pronouns need to settle.”

They laughed. “Designated male but incompatible with your species. There are barbs and multiple appendages involved.”

“Ouch. Right. Not compatible. Thanks.”

“Why imagine that we were designated female?”

“The caretaking.”

Understanding lit the three yellow eyes.

Yer-ai came out of the medical unit with a stretch and grinned. “Now time for the slutty princess gear?”

“Yup. Don’t forget to include any of your religious icons.” Haru picked up the micro tool kits.

“How could I forget them? Can’t fight a battle without them with me.”

She was dressed in dark red, and she tucked her tools away.

The wristbands made crimson wings when she lifted her arms. “I feel pretty.” She grimaced.

Haru laughed, and Yel-nata came out of the groomer looking clean and only slightly bruised.

She went into the medical unit, and two more of their group came into the chamber. When the seven on active duty were all together, she nodded. “Right. Unless they want to raid the medical centre, this is the end of our group. Anyone else they bring in will be pure Myvik.”

The guard frowned. “Your species isn’t all this size?”

“No. We are about twelve inches taller than the average height of a Myvik female.”

He stared. “Oh. Well, that’s a relief. There are only so many outfits in your size.”

“Don’t worry. I am pretty sure that they will be after the standard-issue Myvik when they have a chance.” She grinned. “They are easier to dress. Less fabric.”

Yer-ai laughed, and Yel-nata snickered. The others giggled.

Haru asked, “How long since I was grabbed?”

The guard checked his wrist and said, “Eight hours. Your enemy is on the run, so now, the negotiations will begin.”

Haru smiled. “Thank you. You have been very helpful.”

He looked around. “I will arrange for food to be brought to you.”

“Whatever you think ladies would like to eat... double it.”

He looked around and nodded. “Back in a few minutes.”

He left, and they immediately huddled in their pretty silks.

Haru told them what she was thinking. They agreed and sprang into action. Time was a factor, so they created a living chain and headed into the air returns. She led them to the shuttle bay, and they got into one of the spacecraft.

Veri-bil worked out the code to drop the shuttle, and they were on their way, falling toward home.

Chapter Three

“Where’s the gravity?”

Haru didn’t know who shouted it, but she echoed the sentiment.

Yer shouted. “I can’t find it. We are just lucky this is heading in the right direction. We want down, right?”

Haru laughed. “Please. We are heading for Mekkadet mines.”

Yer muttered, “Great. I think I failed geography. Help!”

Haru was pulling herself toward the front of the shuttle when she slammed to the floor.

“Found the gravity!”

Haru grunted and gathered her skirts up, settling in the co-pilot’s seat. “Give me controls.”

“Controls to you.” Yer sounded relieved.

Haru took over and headed to the one place on Myvik where the transporters wouldn’t work.

* * * *

Nyik-Yosh stood in front of the council and watched Erm-Lack negotiate for their reward. After the formalities, Nyik-Yosh asked, “How many half-bloods are there?”

Erm-Lack looked at him, and understanding dawned. “We will take them all.”

A woman with dark purple hair grimaced at them. “Like fuck you are.”

Nyik-Yosh looked at her and recognized the pigment. “Yes, we will. If we get the halflings, we will leave the rest of the population alone. We will take a ton of power crystals and consider it a good day’s exercise.”

The prefect and council blinked. “Really?”

“Yes. All of your half-Kek citizens and the crystals, consider it a fair transaction.” Erm-Lack stated it.

“There are twelve. Ten are males.” The purple-haired woman in the medical garb stated.

Nyik-Yosh smiled. “After conferring with other war leaders, we have captured seven females with the characteristics we are referring to. Your math is off, madam.”

The prefect cleared her throat. “Dr. Jenok. Please. It is for the good of the rest of the citizens.”

The doctor scowled. “Fine. Forty-two. There are forty-two halflings. My daughter is one of them.”

“May I ask if you know the name of her father?”

She grimaced. “Rasnon-Vel. He was a battle commander, and it was the day before they left.”

Nyik-Yosh stared. “General Vel? Fuck me. Damn it!”

His plans for all those curves had just come to a crashing halt. Her father would skin him and put his tusks on display in the war room if he made a move without her making the choice.

He got a ping on his com, and he spoke. “What is it, Lnir?”

“The ladies that were brought in today?”

“Yeah.”

There was a deep breath. “They are gone, a shuttle is missing, they are unaccounted for.”

“Use the cascade, and get them back.”

“The signal cut off just as we locked on.”

The doctor was grinning.

Nyik-Yosh grunted. “Doctor, do you know where your daughter is?”

“Precisely? No. Though I have a good idea.”

The prefect snarled. “Jenok! The deal is struck. Hand her over. She volunteered to die. She can continue her life as a sex pet.”

Jenok looked furious. “They saved millions!”

“And they will save thousands if we hand them over to the Kek.”

Jenok grimaced. “Take me as well. I am an excellent physician, and I know the altered half-breeds better than anyone on this planet.”

Nyik-Yosh looked at her. “Fine. I might need to use you as a distraction.”

She snorted. “Whatever. I am not leaving my little girl.”

“Right. Where are they?”

“The crystal mine. I can show you the way.”

“Jenok! You can’t go!” The prefect was shocked.

“Just watch me.” She looked up at him. “Ratify the agreement and get your men together. Out in the open, she is going to be a lot harder to confine.”

She glanced at the prefect. “Issue an order of surrender to the defending troops. Broadcast it everywhere with security overrides.”

“Why?”

“Because they are not going to surrender without authorization, and they are in a zone where a physical altercation would be a problem.” Jenok glared at prefect. “Just fucking do it, Jennelle. Tell Mom why I left.”

She looked up at Nyik-Yosh again. “I will be in the hall.”

The council was murmuring. Erm-Lack nodded. “This is the agreement.”

The prefect verified and authorized the payment. “We will arrange the crystal shipment for you and gather the others.”

The council signed, and the declaration of surrender was broadcast.

Nyik-Yosh grinned. It may only be for a few hours, but he could reclaim his prize again. He had never captured the same woman twice. Today was an interesting day.

* * * *

Haru brought the ship down and muttered, “One problem. I don’t know how to land this thing.”

Yer snorted. “This is just turning into a helluva day. Ladies! Start praying to whatever deity is referred to in your icons.”

Haru brought them down, slowed the ship, and aimed for a hilltop. The glide was marred by thudding, but they stopped.

She shut all propulsion down.

Yer pushed a button, and the ship rose slightly. “Heh. Found the landing gear.”

Haru laughed and looked over the ladies. They were dirty, smudged, and bruised in harem outfits, but they were alive and free.

Yer-ai saw something on the com, and she played the message. Haru listened and cursed, “Oh, for fucks’ sake!”

Veri-bil asked, “Did they just order us to surrender.”

Haru was just growling.

Another ship flew overhead, and she slumped down. “We need to figure out how to get out so that we can formally surrender.”

The ladies called out in protest.

“The prefect is ordering our surrender. We and all other half-breeds have been ordered into the custody of the Kek.”

They slumped in acceptance. They had always had a problem fitting in, and now, they were being thrown as far away as the prefect could reach.

They got out of the shuttle, walked to an open space across from the Myvik vessel that had just landed, and Haru knelt with her hands behind her head as the Kek approached.

To Haru’s surprise, her mother was with them.

The male who had collared her came forward. “I must say that the image of you on your knees is even more enthralling than I first anticipated. I will be dreaming of this for decades.” He hooked a finger in her collar and lifted her to her feet. “So, Haru-Vel, do you surrender?”

“Yes. As ordered.”

His head was lowered near her neck, and he snuffled slightly before he inhaled deeply. “If all oxygen smelled like you, I would be drunk with it.”

Her mother was behind him. “What do you think you are doing to my daughter? I know what the order is from your command. You have to bring them up unscathed, and what the hell is she wearing?”

Haru smiled. “Hi, Mom. You honestly fucked one of these?”

“Yes, dear, for half a day. Then he left.”

The man who had her hooked pulled her in for a kiss.

She didn’t think he could kiss with those tusks protruding upward, but he proved her wrong.

Her mother muttered, “Watch out for the kiss. His saliva is—”

The Kek kissed her, and his tongue flicked and slid along hers.

“—an aphrodisiac.”

Heat started at her mouth and moved through her, rippling in waves down her body. Her nipples tingled, her belly flipped, and her sex contracted and relaxed at the same time.

“You taste like forever.” He murmured it above her lips.

“You taste sneaky. It does explain a bit.”

He leaned back. “You aren’t senseless.”

“Aw, you say the sweetest things. Thank you for noticing.”

The other males were as confused as he was. The ladies were clearheaded and aroused but not insensible.

He blinked. “It didn’t work.”

“Oh, it fucking did, but if you are looking for me to be moaning and rolling against you... I rarely moan in public and never in front of my mother.” She put a hand on his chest, and his heart was thudding rapidly.

He glanced over and snorted. “Is your mother contagious?”

“No, but she is their doctor as well, so it stands to reason that they might not want to ride the thigh of the Kek in front of them while she’s watching.”

He swallowed slowly. “What would it take to make that happen, pretty?”

She leaned up and whispered, “Privacy.”

He released her collar and lifted her with one arm, flipping her over his shoulder. Her mother snorted but preceded them to the shuttle.

Haru caught her weapons as the angle stopped her grip on them. She heard one of the other ladies yell, “Damnit!” and knew that the others hadn’t been so lucky.

The cry of “Grenade!” got them moving, and the Kek took three strides and hunkered down, pulling their females in front of them.

The blast wave lifted them slightly and then thudded down. The grenades were specific to the invaders, so damage would be minor, but it was sweet that the guys were trying to protect them.

She looked to her mom, but she was beyond the blast’s reach. A thumb came up, and her mother grinned. “Right. Let’s get in the shuttle. Ladies, hang onto your—”

Haru finished. “Religious icons.”

Her mother laughed, and the Kek slowly got to their feet.

Haru muttered, “If you throw me over your shoulder again, I will find every nerve cluster I can reach and bring you to your knees.”

Her male grunted. “I don’t doubt it. One of your ladies has grenades?”

“Sure. She can’t wear earrings into battle, after all.”

He sighed. “You are very cavalier about this.”

“Of course, I am. We have nothing to lose. We have already lost it all.”

She looked at him, and he blinked in surprise.

“We will have to find you something else to treasure.”

“I don’t treasure anything. Treasure is fleeting. Experience is all that matters.”

He grinned. “Lovely words from a half-dressed woman. What happened to your clothing?”

“Air system in the mothership. Just wide enough, but not kind to fabric.”

“Fucking hell,” he muttered as they got into the shuttle.

He moved to the front of the shuttle and powered up the systems. “What did you do to this poor thing?”

She shrugged and tried to ease out of his lap, but he wrapped an arm around her hips. “You are staying where I can see you.”

There was a repetitive bang from the back of the shuttle. He moved his hands over it. “Close the shuttle, power up the atmosphere, set it for a return to the mothership, and...”

The shuttle hummed to life and lifted off.

“That’s it? Wow. It was a lot harder to get down here than to get back to the ship.”

“Oh, we aren’t getting back to the ship in this shuttle.” He grinned.

The shuttle soared away from the crystal mines, and she heard him mutter into his heavy wristband, “Cascade all living beings on this vessel, beginning with the one not wearing a tracking collar.”

“Fifteen to cascade?”

“Correct.”

“Beginning cascade. See you soon, Commander.”

Her Kek looked at her with a slow smile. “We will be the last ones off. I believe you wanted privacy for a certain action?”

She blinked. “You want to start that now?”

He kissed her and pulled her up to kneel on him. His hand went between her thighs, and the thick fingers rubbed her slick flesh. He growled. “You feel like heaven and sin all in one.”

“Myvik don’t believe in sin. Actions to benefit or injure. That is all.”

He kissed her again, and his fingers slipped inside her. “You are widening beautifully.”

His thumb stroked the tiny hood near the top of her folds. She gasped and clenched around his fingers. The world turned gold, and he pulled his fingers out. “Damnit!”

He held her and stood up. They reappeared on the same platform that she had appeared on earlier.

“Commander!”

She and her male looked at him. “What?” They looked at each other and grinned.

“Uh, High Commander Nyik-Yosh, there is a call from General Vel.”

Jenok chuckled. “He made general. Good for him.”

Haru’s male nodded. “To the main conference room. All scanners and displays up. Doctor, Commander. Come with me. Dyanu, have the medic who first analyzed Haru-Vel meet us in the conference room.”

He started to stride through their group, but she muttered, “Easier to walk with you if I am on my feet.”

He grinned. “Just pretend you are.”

Her mother snorted and followed them.

He carried her through the ship, pausing to slide an arm under her knees for a more balanced lift.

“How big is this place?”

“It is a travelling city fifteen kilometres long. Our world was destroyed by invading armies. Our women as well. We needed an army to defend those who were left and used the last of our treasury funds to create the first of the great ships, then we hired ourselves out to travellers as body guards, then moved on to private armies, and we found mates in other species, but we only bred males. We bred true, but we haven’t had females of our own kind for eighty years. Until you.” He chuckled. “I still can’t believe what the medics found.”

Her mother snorted. “Found, my ass. Haru-vel just as much as told them who to look at for parentage and listed all of the alters.”

“Alters?”

“Those of us who got an extra boost of DNA and RNA and shot up a few inches and got stronger, faster, and better warriors. We held off those bastards for days with only twenty of us.” She snorted. “Then you guys finally show up, and it is like we never existed.”

Her mother said, “Aw, Haru baby. They just didn’t know what they were seeing. The volunteers were kept secret, and the prefect put it about that you were aliens.”

“That explains a lot, Mom.” She adjusted the torn fabric to cover her breasts.

The male she was being carried by sighed. “I had hoped to have some time with you before he was notified.”

She reached up and stroked his neck. “Why would that be?”

He huffed and entered a door that opened into an enormous room. There was a crystal array in the centre of the space, and as they approached, a figure was projected.

Jenok muttered, “You might want to put her on her feet for this.”

He sighed, and Haru moved to stand next to her mother. She hugged her mom, and they looked at the figure staring at them with awe in his expression. “Jenok? Is that you?”

Jenok smiled. “It’s me. I hear you are a general now.”

He nodded, and his expression softened. “Moving through the ranks was my only option when I refused to try taking anyone as a breeder.”

Jenok scowled. “That was stupid. You have excellent genes. A child of yours could only be a benefit.”

He smirked. “So I am beginning to learn. I am guessing that you found that out first hand?”

Jenok chuckled. “General Rasnon-Vel, this is your daughter, Commander Haru-vel.” She looked at her daughter. “Haru, this is the male that fathered you.”

Haru inclined her head. “Greetings, General.”

He looked at her, and his hands clenched before speaking to Commander Nyik-Yosh. “What is she wearing?”

“Presentation clothing, General.” He was wincing.

“Why is it torn and stained?”

“She and her group escaped the mothership via the air ducts, stole a shuttle, and returned to Myvik. They were ordered to surrender to us, and we have just returned to the mothership.”

“How may in her group?”

“There were seven women in total with the secondary adaptations brought to the ship.”

He nodded. “Somehow, I feel appalled and proud at the same time.”

Jenok growled. “Then I suggest you actually greet your daughter Rasnon, or you will not have the opportunity again. Our baby girl does not like to be slighted.”

Haru met the projection’s gaze. “Pardon. I am very pleased to greet you, Haru-Vel. My ship is on its way to you, and then, I can give you a proper hug.”

Her eyes went wide. “A hug?”

Jenok muttered, “Oh, he’s a hugger.” She then smiled. “When can we expect you?”

“Thirty-six hours. The other fathers are on their way. Some may be closer, and others will take longer. We will have a reuniting feast and then discuss all of the possibilities for courtship for the females. I am guessing they are all nearly thirty?”

Haru frowned. “Yeah, we are all twenty-nine, born within the same four-week span. There were others, but they didn’t manifest any of the characteristics that the more obvious among us exhibited. How many troops got their rocks off when they were on Myvik?”

He frowned. “I do not care for your tone.”

“The Kek seeded nearly one hundred women from my world. Forty-two children were obviously not Myvik, and the others are genetically not Myvik, so they can’t get married or have families. None of the women have been able to bear again, so I do not care for your carelessness.” She growled at him.

He blinked and leaned back, glancing at Jenok. “You raised that?”

“I controlled it from time to time. She has a streak of social outrage that is hard to curb.”

“Did other children bully her?” The general frowned in concern.

Jenok laughed so hard she clutched her sides. When she finished wheezing, she said, “She had the strength of a fully grown Myvik male at the age of ten. No one bullies Haru-vel.”

Haru knew she was glaring at the man who had fathered her. She gasped when he said, “Commander Yosh, please take care of my daughter. She isn’t bristling and growling at you, so I believe she has affection for you, but do not take her maidenhead.”

Haru belted out a laugh. “Does he have a time machine?”

The commander chuckled. “In that case, you don’t need to worry. Her lack of virginity is safe with me.”

Haru snickered, then she realized the implication and looked sidelong at Commander Nyik-Yosh. “Wait a minute.”

He grinned. “She is definitely safe with me. Perhaps not from me but with me.”

The general nodded. “Right. Start negotiations for anyone with Kek genes and all of the breeders who volunteered thirty years ago. If they are willing to come, bring them on board and treat them as refugees. When I arrive, we will see what is to be done.”

“I will have the medical team do full workups, General.”

“Well, until I can touch you again, Jenok, farewell, and don’t create too much trouble.”

“You created the trouble. I just raised her.” Jenok inclined her head.

“Never met another woman even close to you. See you soon.”

Haru looked at her mother, and a bright blush on her cheeks shocked Haru to her shoes. The massive green-gold male blew her a kiss, and the transmission ended.

Jenok looked at her daughter. “What? It was a very fun day, night, and morning. The cleanup was extensive, but the actual sex was exceedingly memorable.”

“And you gathered the... uh... remaining material and put it up for storage.”

“I also asked some of the other ladies, and we ended up with enough to do the boost on the team. These guys are like geysers.” Jenok chuckled.

“The copious fluid is necessary to have a chance at impregnating different races. I don’t know why they didn’t stay when they knew you were in heat.” He scowled.

Haru and Jenok looked at each other and laughed.

Haru grinned. “Myvik don’t go into heat. They are responsive ovulators. The better you do, the more likely a Myvik woman will be pregnant. One of the ladies had twins.” She chuckled. “Everybody still talks about that particular Kek with wistful memory.”

He frowned. “Wait. So, the better your lover, the more chance there is for you to breed?”

Haru laughed. “No idea. Those of us who were altered are starting to go into heat, the males into rut, but no one has acted on their impulses yet. My mother drilled self-control into us.”

He stepped up to her and leaned in to press his nose against her neck. He grunted. “You still smell hot.”

She held still as she breathed him in. “You, too.”

Jenok muttered, “And that’s how it starts.”

“I have to go to medical for my after-battle checkup. I will get the quartermaster to assign quarters for the Myvik and the altered.” He spoke as he brushed his lips against her neck.

She reached up and threaded her fingers through his hair, closing her eyes at the snuffling and tiny licks he gave her.

Heat was starting to radiate in her breasts and between her thighs.

“Commander Nyik-Yosh, you might want to give those orders and get somewhere private. My daughter is starting to give off musk, and I don’t think you are going to be able to speak coherently for much longer.”

Haru heard her mother and pulled him back by her grip on his hair. “Give the order and find privacy, or you get to test my close-range combat skills.”

He grunted, and when she shook her hand, he growled. “Fine. I get it.”

“Not yet, but get everyone comfortable, and you will.”

He nodded and lifted his arm, speaking to the quartermaster and explaining what was needed for the new personnel. The shock came when the ladies were not being confined to the women’s quarters.

She laughed as the quartermaster tried to make sure but was told it was absolute.

Jenok said, “How do I find my way out of here?”

The commander grunted. “Come with me.”

They headed for the doorway, and he grunted and picked Haru up again. “If I can’t have you, I will at least touch you.”

“My legs work really well.”

“I will determine that when they wrap around me,” he muttered.

She laughed, and her mother sighed. “Didn’t see that one coming. Mind you, I was face down for a good portion of time, so...”

Chapter Four

The team was sitting in a conversational room and chatting while under guard by the men whose names were on the collars.

Nyik-Yosh looked at the men. “The ladies are being moved to their own quarters, their other team members are in medical, and my mate’s mother is being assigned quarters. All mothers of this team and any other mixed Kek citizens are being invited to the ship with their children.”

One of the women whistled. “Wow. You really were not expecting girls.”

Another one grinned. “Did Commander Vel injure her leg or something?”

Haru shrugged. “I think he’s stretching his arms or something. That, or I am under some weird confinement, but... I saw my father.”

That got their attention, and they leaned forward in their shredded ladylike outfits.

“What was he like?”

She grinned. “He still has a thing for Dr. Jenok. Big and burly with black bands incised on his tusks.”

They looked at Nyik-Yosh. Yer-ai asked, “What do the bands mean?”

“He found his mate and lost her. It also means he is unmated with no children.”

“Sorry, Haru-vel, you don’t exist.” Yer-ai chortled.

“I suspected something when my clothes started evaporating.” She put her hand to her chin and tapped it.

The quartermaster rushed in and looked at the ladies, then the commander holding the commander. “Commander Yosh. You were quick.”

“Yes, I am aware. These ladies need quarters, close to each other and in a hallway that can be secured to keep out crewmen.”

“Yes, Commander. Seven quarters?”

“Twenty in total. This one has been given into my keeping by her parents. But her mother will need a room of her own.”

Haru narrowed her eyes at her mother, and Jenok grinned. “What? You two look cute together, and I can only imagine the tall, bossy grandbabies you would make.”

The Kek who were watching over the ladies frowned. “Commander Yosh, why do you get your female when we do not?”

“First, they are half-breed Kek; second, her mother is in favour of the alliance; third, her father ordered me to watch over her with only one caveat, which is a non-issue as she is not a maiden.”

“Wow. Tell the whole place.”

Yer-ai laughed. “We all went to school together, Haru. We all know.”

Haru snickered.

He looked to the quartermaster. “Get them quarters, meal cards, and clothing. Have someone show them around the vessel, and if any of the fathers wish to speak to them and they wish to speak as well, make it happen. Medical has the records, and the general has indicated that most of the fathers are on the way. The ones who still live.”

The girls looked at each other.

He continued. “Those whose fathers have passed on will have a male relative of his line so that they may learn about that person.”

The ladies nodded. It had been thirty years. It was expected that some of the males would be dead.

Haru started checking out her nails and had to admit that the groomer had put a helluva epoxy on them. All that scrambling around and no damage. Just dirty.

She looked to Yer-ai. “How filthy am I on a scale of one to ten?”

“Twelve.”

She grinned. “It feels like a twelve.”

The male holding her turned to the quartermaster and said, “Have you got this? They are rather rambunctious. You might want to bring the guards from the female quarters.”

The quartermaster blinked when the ladies got up and started to examine him from head to toe. The males who had initially captured them stepped in to pry them away from their target.

The commander sighed. “See?”

He turned and stalked off to an area of the ship where there were doors with insignia. When he walked up to one that she recognized as his name, she squinted. “Why does it say Lyrik Commander?”

“Because that is my title.”

He walked into the room and straight to what was a cleansing chamber of some sort. “Clothing off, and I will show you how to work a sonic shower.”

She snorted and said, “It is going to take a minute. This is clipped on in a billion places.”

“May I?”

She looked at him. “Sure. But no funny stuff.”

He looked at her in astonishment and then grinned. “You are a little crazy.”

“I am.” She stood still while he moved swiftly, and the fabric fluttered to the floor. “I was too big to be a kid and not quite an adult, so I was in between and telling everybody what to do... and they did it.”

“Shoes.”

She kicked off the slippers. “What am I supposed to wear when I run around the ship again?”

“You can pick something off the supply list. Step in and press your hands to the wall, feet apart. It will go over any parts that are especially grubby.”

“So flattering.” She chortled and read the directions on the controls, and she triggered the cleaning pulse and yelped when the pulse tidied up the liquid mess she had begun to seep every time he snuffled against her neck. That would not have been on her top ten sexiest sounds, but that and his groan were now right up there.

When the unit hummed its completion, she stood straight, and he clicked his tongue. “I think I will check to make sure that the machine did its work properly.”

“Nyik, you are just going to get me back into the same situation but with cleaner nails.”

He grinned. “You said my name.”

“I did.” She faced him and looked him over. “You might benefit from a cleanup yourself. I mean, if I am all squeaky clean, I would hate for you to get me all grimy.”

Nyik chuckled. “Good point. Where do you stand on getting really sweaty.”

“All in favour. I love a good workout.”

She stepped back as he ran his finger over the figure-hugging vest, opening it and exposing his tremendously wide and tempting chest, unbuckled his belt, and then he kicked off his boots and removed the lower half of his suit.

She had no idea how her mother had dealt with General Vel and that. Haru stared at his erection as he got into the shower.

“You know, my eyes are up here.”

“Shut up. I am trying to see if it talks.”

He snorted. “Thankfully, it doesn’t.”

“Does it do tricks?” She leaned against the wall next to the shower with her arms crossed.

He laughed in the shower as it completed its work, and he cupped her neck. “You can let me know.”

She blinked, and he kissed her. She parted her lips and let the heat wash through her again. She shivered and pressed her hands to his chest. He was warm and hard and very, very alive.

She lunged at him and pressed him against the wall, sliding one thigh against his hip. His cock was a hot presence against her sex, and she rocked her hips against him, and he grunted and pulled his head back. “Too fast, pet.”

“Says you.” She growled and nipped at his neck.

“I am beginning to see why you don’t have a current sexual partner. They are in hiding.” He chuckled.

His words were like a splash of cold water. She reached back, grabbed the collar and snapped it open.

“Right. Forgot. Here. Give it to someone else.”

She backed up and turned around to leave. He grabbed her arm, and she used everything she had and flipped him.

He got to his feet and gave a command to lock the door.

She looked at him with a sneer. “You think it can keep me in? You don’t pay attention.”

“I am sorry. I just wasn’t expecting such enthusiasm.”

“Yeah. I get that. Trust me. That was very fucking clear.”

She looked around and saw a chest at the foot of the bed. That would do.

“Don’t lift that. It’s heavy.” He frowned.

She gave him an incredulous look and lifted the chest and then walked toward the door. It was heavy, but she could lift it if she was upset, and she was very upset.

She slammed the chest into the door, and alarms flared.

Nyik gripped her arms and said, “Enough. Put it down. What I said was ridiculous, but you are hurt. Very hurt.”

“Will you let me leave without me having to beat you nearly to death?”

He paused. “Yes. But, I would like one more kiss.”

She looked at him and sighed. “I haven’t had a lover in a decade. I hurt him, and I can’t injure you, so I was excited. And yes, my last lover was hiding after he got out of the medical centre. He never let me apologize.”

Nyik’s face got very guilty. “I am very sorry.”

“No. I am sorry for not waiting for you to make all the moves. I get that it is what you are taught to expect, and that’s fine. I was more than you were expecting. I hear that a lot.”

She looked at the door. “Now, open it.”

“One more kiss and I will get you something to wear.”

She nodded. “Fine.”

She stood still as he cupped her jaw, and the kiss pressed against her lips. Her body still heated, but her soul didn’t.

He tried to stir the fire again, but she waited until he lifted his head. “Right. So, something to wear, and then, you can pick one of the Myvik blends. They should be here in a couple of days.”

He showed her a clothing unit in the corner. She stepped on it, it scanned her, and she was presented with options in her size. A bodysuit in subdued grey suited her mood, and she waited for it, put it on, and then walked to the door. “Can you open it, or do I have to beat my way through it?”

Nyik said softly, “I will open it and escort you to the area where your team is being housed.”

“Thanks. I am sure you will find your mate out there somewhere.”

He frowned, opened and then closed his mouth. He had gotten dressed while she was waiting for her suit.

He typed in an override, and the door opened but screamed as it did.

They walked out in silence, and he led her to the area that was now guarded by the purple guards from the women’s quarters.

She was so tired. “Is there a room available for me?”

The guards nodded, and she was led to a tiny room with a bed and a small sanitation unit. She saw the bed and crawled into the sheets and let her disappointment wash over her. For a few hours, she had had a mate. A potential partner had made her blood sing, and she had wrecked it like she always did. She was going to be alone. It was probably safer for everyone involved. It was certainly safer for the men.

* * * *

Nyik-Yosh replayed that moment in his head over and over, and he wished he could turn back time. She was right. She needed to find someone better suited, and he needed to deal with that. Everything about her excited him, but now, there was no way to persuade her that it was true.

Any move he made would be interpreted as pity.

He growled and stalked toward the lift to the bridge.

“Commander... where is Haru? You didn’t tire her out already, did you?” Jenok was with a group of the ladies and their Kek suitors.

“She has been given quarters and is resting... alone.” He remained polite to the tiny woman.

Jenok looked at him, and he looked back. She grabbed his arm and hauled him to the side where she could speak to him. “Did she injure you?”

He reared back. “No, but I joked that she might and that her lovers were hiding, and she shut down and snapped off my collar.”

Jenok looked at him. “You said...”

The hand that turned his head sharply to the side had a lot of force behind it.

“Where is she now? Has she eaten since the battlefield?”

He scowled. “I have not fed her, nor has anyone else.”

“Oh, fuck. On top of that, she’s hangry.” Jenok asked, “Where did you put her?”

“The guards gave her quarters.”

“There wasn’t anything nice left. I am going to make her eat, but that is going to be difficult now.” Jenok looked at him. “Fuck off and rot.”

She stalked away from him, and the ladies saw her walking and followed her. He turned and went to the bridge. He needed the distraction of the mundane. He had almost had paradise, and he had lost it because he was thrown off-balance.

He wished that the invaders were still on Myvik. He would enjoy smashing a few skulls.

* * * *

Jenok had the guards open the door and saw her daughter on the covers, grey and shaking. “Fuck. I need to get her to medical right now. Can you help me carry her?”

The purple guard picked her up, and they moved at a fast pace to medical with the team around them.

Yer-ai asked, “What’s happening, doc?”

“She’s exhausted, hungry, and rejected. She’s pulling in. Knowing her, she probably exerted herself after he rejected her.”

Yer-ai was shocked. “Rejected? What the fuck? He was all over her.”

“Apparently, the moment she was all over him, he decided to joke about it, and she was reminded of Kromer.”

“Fuck.” Yer-ai understood the ramifications.

The other members of the team were just silent and concerned.

Hormonal collapse wasn’t common in the Myvik because they generally went through with unions once they agreed to them.

Jenok was grim when they headed to medical, and she hoped they had what she needed to save her daughter. Everything had just gone wrong.

* * * *

Nyik-Yosh was sitting at his desk and going through stocking reports when his second in command came in.

“Roth-Lin, what are you doing here? I thought you would be courting your mate.”

Roth-Lin shrugged. “She’s been in medical for the last two hours. One of their team members is not doing well.”

“They were in battle and then cascaded. It is likely that they will have adaptation issues.”

Roth-Lin shrugged. “You are probably right, Commander.”

Nyik-Yosh kept working, and an hour later, he casually checked to see which of the new females was in medical. There was no name, simply unbonded female—critical condition.

Ice ran down his spine. He got up and left his office, heading for medical at a run.

* * * *

Jenok looked through the supplements available and cursed. She had tried everything available, and Haru was still unconscious and shivering.

They had given her nutrients, warmed her with a thermal blanket, and she remained grey.

Jenok rubbed her forehead. The last time a version of this happened, there had been less of an issue. She hadn’t really been in love. Her stubborn, strong, and capable daughter was about to die of a broken heart, just like tragic Myvik folk heroes. Jenok wished it wasn’t literal for her people, but when you design a species and make mating straightforward, rejection is absolute and fatal. Someone who chronically gets rejected dies to remove their burden on society. It was brutal, but even Jenok’s research hadn’t managed to stop it.

“Where is she?” The commander’s voice was harsh. He was in the entryway to medical, but his growl reverberated through the space.

The team formed up between Haru and Nyik-Yosh.

“Out of my way. Where is she? What’s wrong with her?”

Jenok muttered, “Let him through.”

Yer-ai growled. “But he caused this.”

Yel-nata cocked her head. “I don’t think so. I think it started when we were ordered to surrender and hand ourselves over to the Kek. He was just the final rejection.”

Jenok blinked and cursed. “Right. Fucking hell. Doc Ural-Thed, do you have a stasis pod?”

“Certainly. I will need authorization to let you use it.” He looked over to Nyik-Yosh. “Commander, do I have authorization?”

The commander looked at Jenok, and he said, “What the hell is wrong with her?”

She explained about the constant rejection and how it simply had collapsed her emotional equilibrium, and it was taking her body along for the ride. “I have a daughter, she is a hero, and now she’s dying, and there is nothing that I can do.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Go back and don’t reject her.”

“I didn’t. I pulled back to gather my thoughts and used words to buy time. They were the wrong words. I know that now, but she went cold and stayed cold. Nothing I did could warm her.”

Jenok looked at him, and the desperation on his face as he stared at her daughter, grey and shaking, on the med bed.

“Did you tell her you want her?”

He scowled. “What?”

“Did you tell her that you wanted her? Did you whisper what you wanted to do to her in her ear? Did you touch her? Hold her? Anything?” Her voice was urgent to her own ears.

“I held her jaw.”

Jenok rubbed her face. “Unless you were planning on fucking her face, you weren’t getting any kind of point across. She would have taken the contact for pity.”

“What can I do?”

Jenok shrugged. “Nothing. It is up to Haru now, and as much as I want her to live for me... she won’t. She took the first alteration dose, and it was far too high, but she went through the pain and transformation so that she could tell the others what to expect and prove that it worked. For everyone else, we halved the dose. She was always the first to go and then tell others how to manage.” Jenok looked at him. “She was trying to let her team know that there wasn’t a reason to fight the Kek.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Just because the government threw them to you doesn’t mean that they were excited about the prospect. Haru was trying to be an example, and she remained passive while you hauled her around like a toy. The choice of the suit she’s wearing is telling. She’s hiding. She never hides. She was very proud of her body. This says she isn’t anymore.”

Yer-ai looked at him. “You might want to leave now or authorize stasis. If I have to build a unit from the equipment here, I will.”

He nodded. “I want to fix this.”

Haru’s body started to shudder and shake, and Jenok checked the monitor. “She’s seizing.”

She prepared an injector and jammed it into Haru’s neck.

The thrashing stopped, and she slowly relaxed and slumped. Jenok wiped her brow. “That’s seven.”

Nyik-Yosh frowned. “Seven?”

“Major seizures. If we don’t get her in stasis while we figure this out, she has about a day left.”

“You seem very calm about this.”

Jenok looked at him and put all of her pain into her expression. “Is this what you want? Fuck, you are bad at reading women who have the responsibilities of a world on their shoulders.”

He stepped back and nodded to the doctor. “Get the stasis chamber. Also, get me the medical archives. There is something that feels familiar about this.”

Jenok frowned while the medical crew moved into action. “How do your children become full Kek?”

“They get injections that pull out the Kek DNA, and it allows them to develop normally. The injection occurs at three years old.” He watched as the medical staff removed the bodysuit on Haru, and under the fabric was a mottling of grey and golden-green.

“Doctor, are you seeing this?” The commander asked the physician.

Ural-Thed stared and looked at the colouration. “I have to do some research.”

“Fine. Get her into the pod, and we will research it.”

Jenok watched as lines were run, and when she was ready, two men settled her daughter in the pod. Blood was replaced by the oxygenated fluid, and Haru finally relaxed.

Jenok looked to the team. “Don’t tell anyone about this. Just pretend that she’s fine and with the commander.”

She grabbed a chair and sat next to the chamber, and then, she let her tears fall.

Chapter Five

Nyik-Yosh brought up the medical archive and looked for skin mottling. There were a few conditions but not the one he was looking for. Then, he looked up rejected-mate symptoms in Kek women.

He got some information that was useful, and then, he checked on cross-genetic transformation in half-Kek toddlers.

He had been at this for ten hours, but he finally brought his findings to medical. The doctor was asleep at his station, and Jenok was asleep next to the pod. He walked up to the unit and pressed his hand on the small view window. “I am so sorry you are going through this, Haru-Vel.”

“She doesn’t blame you.” A light voice spoke from behind him.

He turned and saw a standard Myvik with Kek eyes and a solemn expression.

“She doesn’t blame anyone, but that was never her way. She knew she was different from the time she went to school, and she never blended in after that.”

The small woman pressed her hand against the pod and smiled sadly. “She so tired. She hurts so much.”

“Can you hear her?”

“Sure. My name is Crix-vah, by the way.”

He recoiled at the name Vah. “I did not know that there was a Vah on the mission.”

“He was in training. He was young. When my mother smiled shyly at him, he didn’t hesitate.”

“How do you know that?”

She looked at him and smiled. “He told me. I have been conversing with him since I was fourteen. Through me, he told Haru-vel that no living Kek would refuse or flinch from their mate, so by her logic, if you flinched, she wasn’t your mate. That was the last thing she was holding on to, and when it was snatched, she stopped fighting her body and let this take over.” Crix patted the pod. “She is worried that you are guilty for what happened. She says she understands that she wasn’t right. She’s never right.”

“She is right. She’s the only one that has ever been right. But, what do you do when you get everything you ever dreamed of and can’t believe your luck? In my case, make a joke and drive her away.”

“She was already half-dead and frantically trying to get some contact with you to keep her tethered. She is very sorry for the attack on you.” Crix smiled. “She isn’t subtle.”

“But she is strong. What did she want from me?”

“She has no idea, but having sex with you was life or death.”

“So, you are reading her thoughts?”

“Of course. I have been in her mind since we met.”

“You look Myvik.”

“Yeah. But the gold eyes are a giveaway. The guess is that the guys weren’t trying to link to our mothers. They just wanted the recreation. We were just a side effect.” She chuckled. “My father was very specific about that.”

“Is Mentalist Vah on the way?”

“He is on the same ship as General Vel.” She tilted her head. “They will be here in four hours.”

Nyik blinked. “What?”

“They learned of Haru’s condition from Jenok and took some dangerous shortcuts.” Crix looked at him. “If you would like to get some rest, I can stay in contact with her so she knows she isn’t alone.”

Nyik scowled. “Does she feel alone a lot?”

Crix chuckled. “Of course. She is exceptional even among the half-breeds. She went from school to the peacekeepers and spent her time in uniform breaking up fights and comforting citizens. She’s a mom to us. To the whole world, actually.” She shrugged. “Well, not anymore.”

“What is the government position?”

“That the blight of the Kek bloodline is gone. They thanked the altered for their service and wished them well in their future endeavours. Like it was their choice.” Crix grunted. “They are planning a memorial, so it is obvious that they don’t want them back. We just left under the request for us to join the Kek.”

He nodded and yawned.

“Go and sleep somewhere. I will share your findings with the good doctor.”

He looked around and dropped onto a medical bed. “I will be here if I am needed.”

“Good. I need you within fifty feet to get into your mind.”

He felt the prickle of her touch on his mind, and she whistled. “You were really trying. I think you were onto something.”

He heard her wake Ural-Thed, and they talked, and the doctor got more excited.

Nyik was delighted that they were excited by the information he had gleaned.

* * * *

He felt a scowling presence over him and dodged as a hand slammed down where his head used to be. “What did you do to my daughter?” The enraged bellow rang through medical.

“Back up, big fella. Before we go any further, we need your blood. There was a mix-up when she got boosted, and there is incompatible Kek DNA in her blood. We have the scrubber on while she is in stasis, but we need your blood to fix her.” Crix was on the general’s back with her hand to his forehead.

“Me?”

“Yes. She’s your daughter. She needs your blood to help her reset her system. We also need some bone marrow, but the blood will save her life right now.”

General Vel grunted. “Where do you need me?”

The doctor arranged a transfusion seat and hooked the general up, running the dark green line to the input in the stasis pod and hooking it up as the dark red started flowing out, and the green flowed in.

Nyik rubbed his face. “Will that work?”

The doctor nodded. “It should, at least to get her out of danger. From there, she needs a bone marrow match, and that is a bit more of a procedure.”

General Vel grunted. “I will donate what she needs.”

“General, it’s against protocol to allow you to participate in such a procedure.”

“Uh-huh. And these bars on my tusks say that I don’t have a mate or a child when I have both. Make the arrangements, and let’s get her back on her feet.”

“You will need a day or two to recover. Even with us pushing fluids, you are losing a lot by transfusing into Haru-vel.”

“Do it as quickly as possible.”

Jenok was standing nearby, and she reached out and put her hand on the general’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

With his free hand, he covered hers. Nyik felt a pang of jealousy that they had one night three decades earlier, and they still comforted each other. He had no idea how to even start with Haru, if she even let him close again.

General Vel asked, “How did you fuck it up, Yosh?”

“I said something that resonated with a painful memory, and she went from playful to cold.” Nyik swallowed. “And then it got worse.”

The blood began to emerge green, and the doctor smiled and stopped the transfusion. “Right. Now we need to wake her up and see how she feels.”

Jenok removed the transfusion cuff from the general, and she watched while the protocol was gone through and the pod finally opened.

Haru-Vel’s eyes slowly opened, and Nyik leaned toward her. Her smile was warm and welcoming until memory streamed in. “Oh, gods. I am sorry. I am so sorry. I won’t bother you again.”

He reached out and took her hand. “Please, bother me. I don’t think I can breathe if you don’t bother me.”

She lifted her chin. “Thank you for being polite, but no means no, and you said no.”

“I never said no.” He kissed her knuckles and turned to kiss her palm. He saw the bright crescents where she had dug her nails in. “Did you hurt yourself, sweet?”

“No. I don’t want to try touching you if you don’t want me doing it.” She glanced down and groaned. “And I look gross.”

“The mottling is fading, sweet. General Vel has offered the marrow transplant you need. Part of your condition is due to something that happened in your alteration. You are basically having an autoimmune response.”

“Oh.”

He lifted her out of the pod and held her. Her mother put a blanket over her, and Haru kept herself stiff.

The doctor walked in and disconnected the clips and tubes from her body. She didn’t even flinch.

“We have all the samples we need. We will confirm that the bone marrow is a match, and then, we will quickly and quietly do the donation.” Dr. Ural-Thed was serious, and he muttered, “We can get into a lot of trouble if the council catches on.”

Haru blinked. “Why? Is something wrong?”

“General Vel is the leader of our society, and he mediates between clans. To endanger him like this would not be looked at in a favourable manner.”

Haru muttered, “I don’t want anyone getting in trouble. I am sure I can get along the way I am.”

Jenok walked up to her and cupped her face. “Baby, if you don’t do this, you are dead.”

She looked to the general and asked, “How many women do the warband have that don’t and won’t take a mate?”

“None. We let them live on worlds or stations of their choosing.”

“Great. Fine. Fix me, and I will leave. Mom, don’t look like that. I’ll be fine. I usually am.” She smiled. “Anyone I meet won’t have the Myvik to compare me to.”

Nyik understood with a depressing understanding. If she had a lover, it was before she finished growing. Now, she was larger than the males of her species, close to the height of the altered ones from what he had seen. He must have glowed like a dream to her. She had certainly glowed to him.

“I watched vids of you fighting. There were broadcasts of it streaming through your satellites. I watched you take down a shuttle, rescue one of your team, and get fifty citizens to safety. You were spectacular.” He murmured it against her ear and felt her relax... for a moment. Then, she tensed up again.

“General Vel, how many females of the Kek are allowed into combat?”

“None. They are too precious to allow into combat.” He grunted. “We would never endanger a possibly pregnant female.”

She cocked her head. “What about me? I doubt I will find a mate, so it would give me something to do if I could join the warband.”

Nyik tensed. “You don’t know what you are asking. The trials...”

She turned her head toward him, and bright gold eyes glittered at him. “Tell me more about the trials.”

General Vel said, “No! She will not participate in the trials.”

She turned her head. “With all due respect, I would like to be allowed to try.”

Jenok patted her daughter’s arm. “Wait until the transplant is over.”

Vel growled. “If she wants to run the trial, I think my marrow has better things to do.”

Haru looked to Nyik. “Can you put me down?”

He carefully set her on her feet, but she didn’t waver. She wrapped the blanket around her, and she shrugged. “I will head back to my quarters. Let me know if you change your mind.”

Nyik watched her go, expecting one of the medics to stop her, but they all just stared and let her walk through, wearing a blanket.

General Vel chuckled. “I am in the VIP quarters, I guess?”

“Of course, General. May I go and catch your daughter before she causes a riot?”

Jenok looked at Nyik, and she shook her head. “She won’t. There is just something about her since she turned fourteen. No one dares come near her. Well... unless it’s a dare.”

Nyik groaned. “You have to be kidding.”

“She’s exceptional, but she stands out. She’s used to it, but she’s been hurt a lot over the years. It just boiled over when she finally wanted someone. She hasn’t had practice playing coy or holding back.”

General Vel grunted. “Can you, please, take custody of my daughter until we get this settled? And put a collar back on her. Why did you take it off?”

“When she felt rejected, she broke it.”

That got Vel’s attention. “She broke the collar?”

“Snapped it in half and handed it to me very politely.”

Jenok smiled. “That does sound like Haru.”

Nyik-Yosh nodded to General Vel. “She’s quick. I had better catch up.”

He walked through the halls and followed the stunned expressions of the crewmen who were looking toward the emergency quarters.

He saw her sway and enter a cubby-style room that would have been fine for a standard Myvik but wasn’t sized for her. He overrode the door, and his heart broke when she lifted her head from her hands, and her face was streaked with tears. The control she pulled over her features was done with long practice.

“This place is too small for you. I have the supply unit in my room, and you can get another boring bodysuit.” He extended his hand to her.

She paused. “No carrying.”

“Your feet are bare.”

“Feet can be washed, and I know how to use your shower.”

“Fine. No carrying.” He smiled and breathed a little easier when she slid her hand into his. She stood up, and she looked regal, even in the blanket.

He led her out of the tiny space and said, “Did you enjoy the space?”

“Not really, but at least when the seizures started, I wasn’t in danger of flopping around and hurting myself. There was nowhere to flop.”

“You were conscious?”

“Yeah. I can’t even pass out properly. I am sorry that my mom and friends read you the riot act. It isn’t your fault.” She smiled. “Glad that Crix-vah is onboard. I knew she would come.”

“You know some interesting people.”

“We were all schooled together. All of the half-Kek. Forty-two of us hit puberty hard. Some of us hit it harder than others. I fucking tackled it.”

He snorted. “I do not doubt that... at all.”

She smiled fleetingly as they got in the elevator and went up to his floor.

“What do you do for fun?” Nyik asked casually.

“Combat training, running, swordsmanship—”

Of course.

“—Luthanin dancing, Mertwin dancing, Keelo dancing.” She shrugged.

His brain filled with a crimson rush. “You dance?”

“Yeah. It was hard for me to adapt to the rapid growth, so Mom enrolled me in dance classes, and then, I just kept going. Any type of instruction I could get, I took. Gradually, I got control over my body.”

“You never lose it?”

“I have tried to... twice. The first one did it on a dare, and I hurt him accidentally, which is when it all came out.”

“When was the second?” He suspected he knew.

“It doesn’t matter. It was over before it started. Probably for the best.”

“Why?”

She snorted. “I wouldn’t want to injure you in my enthusiasm.”

“Ah, we would have enthusiasm?”

She flushed scarlet. “I... never mind.”

He smiled and moved closer to her as they approached his quarters. “No, I want to know more about the enthusiasm.”

Haru was silent.

* * * *

She swallowed and entered his quarters, heading to the machine and ordering a new bodysuit in black. Tears streaked her cheeks, and she moved past him quickly on her way to the shower. She got cleaned up and then tiptoed out of the bathroom, hoping that he had left to do whatever it was that he did when he wasn’t on an alien world smashing things.

Haru snuck back to the dispenser and looked for the suit. The display said it had been delivered.

“A black bodysuit? Really?” Nyik-Yosh was sitting there with the fabric in his hands.

“It reminds me of my uniform. I am always better in my uniform.”

“You’ve been crying.” He stood up and lifted her chin to make her face him.

“Yeah, you saw that.”

“This is recent.”

“Give me my suit.”

“Not until you tell me why you were crying.”

“You are going to laugh at me,” she whispered.

“I won’t laugh.”

“Have you ever seen something, and you want it so bad, but you know if you reach out for it, stuff could go horribly wrong?” She shivered, “And you also have no idea about how to go about getting it.”

She met his gaze, and his eyes were warm. “How about we don’t talk this time?”

She nodded, and he leaned in, and they kissed. She put all anticipation away and just held out for the return of the heat.

* * * *

Across the ship, Crix-vah was serving tea to her father, and she grinned. “Finally. She deserves someone to make her feel pretty, and he seems like the guy to do it.”

Her father shook his head. “I can’t believe that I made a daughter who is a communicator and a far seer.”

“Yeah, Mom was shocked as well.”

“Is she coming to the ship?” He quirked his brow curiously. The third eye tattoo crinkled.

“She... died a few years ago. Dr. Jenok and Haru took me in and kept me sane. Well, Haru’s version of sane. It’s a little more flexible than most.”

She chuckled and gently separated her mind from that of her friend for privacy. She really didn’t want to listen in.

“I am sorry. She was a lovely, shy woman.” He sighed and took the tea.

Crix nodded. “Yes, she was. She was always bemused by you and thought of you fondly.”

“I will be forever grateful to her for you. I had no idea we had daughters. We ran our scans, but nothing showed. None of them were in heat.”

“Of course not.” She laughed at him.

“I don’t understand, child. Why not?”

“Myvik’s don’t spawn the same way. You left your... contribution. If you did a good job, the ladies ovulated, and they got pregnant about the time your vessel left our system.”

“Fuck. Does the general know?”

Crix checked on the good doctor, who explained a great deal of things to the general. “He knows.” Her cheeks pinked.

Her father chuckled. “Ah. He’s with Jenok. He’s been talking about her since that night. It is nice that they have been reunited.”

“Yeah, I am not going to let my mind wander out there. They are very into each other.”

He laughed and toasted her with the teacup. “To the unexpected bounty of Myvik.”

“To Myvik.”

Chapter Six

There was more than heat. There was fire. She cupped his cheek and neck before wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing against him. The kiss went on and on, and the fire coursed through her system.

Haru rubbed her breasts against the material of his uniform. A soft whimper broke from her throat, and she paused. Nyik angled his head and deepened the kiss. The tusks didn’t get in the way at all.

He twisted and set her down on the bed, not breaking the enthralling kiss until he did.

She made a sad sound, and he chuckled, moving down her body, running his tongue across her neck and to her breasts.

Everything he did was new. It built tension in her when the broad swath of his tongue rasped over her nipples, lifting and dropping her breasts with each heavy lick.

Haru put her hands on his hair and shoulders, and she shifted restlessly with another needy whine coming from her throat.

He left her breasts and flicked his tongue into her navel. She gasped, and the muscles of her abdomen flexed.

She had heard of what he seemed to be wanting to do, but no one had ever done that before.

He parted her thighs and settled between them. His tongue licked slowly upward, parting her folds and flicking the small nub at the top. The first lick released the rush of fluid she hoped that he wouldn’t find. The second caused her to arch and moan, and then he eagerly feasted, licking and flicking, and she screamed in surprise as her body jerked and shuddered. He cupped her thighs in his hands and drank in every twitch.

When she finally relaxed, he lifted his head, chuckled, and two fingers slid into her, stretching her. His tongue resumed flicking her clit.

She whined as he slid in a third finger and flexed his digits, widening her. She circled her hips against his fingers, and his tongue continued to work her clit. She covered her mouth as her body clenched on his fingers and a surge of wetness slicked their movements.

He growled against her sex and waited until her body stopped fluttering around him.

He licked his fingers and backed away from her. He opened his uniform and stripped to the skin. The heavy club of his cock rose up and dipped. She bit her lip to keep from smiling. It did tricks.

He came down on top of her, and her eyes widened at the warm, solid feel of him. He groaned, rubbing his body along hers. His scent started to spiral outward, and she wanted to pull him tight against her but didn’t want to break the spell.

She sighed and kissed him, her hands in fists on his shoulders. They moved against each other, bodies stroking, and her fists started to shake on his shoulders.

He lifted his head and whispered, “I am surprised you aren’t touching me.”

“Don’t want you to stop.”

He chuckled. “I won’t stop.”

She wailed, “You will. I don’t know what I am supposed to do.”

He kissed her neck. “Not supposed to, but if it is that stressful...”

He leaned back and flipped her over onto her belly, coming down on her again.

“There. Now you don’t have to worry.”

He brushed her hair from the back of her neck and continued kissing and rubbing against her. She flexed her fingers and crushed the bedding in her hands. She squirmed under him until his cock was between her thighs, and then, she moaned like an animal in heat. Which she guessed she was.

He pulled her up with an arm around her waist and nipped and licked at her neck and shoulders.

He cupped and roughed her breasts up with his fingers. He was making happy sounds as he stroked her and his cock started to press into her.

She felt a surge of slick that came from her, and it followed with one from him. He lodged in, and she grunted. He rocked forward, and she groaned. She felt him smile against her neck, and she bit her lip the next time she wanted to make a sound.

He slowly slid home in a dozen thrusts, and she gasped silently while her body grappled with the feeling of being stuffed and pierced.

“You okay?” His rumble was in her ear.

She nodded.

“Not speaking to me?”

“I’m fine.”

“Haru, why do I smell blood?”

“I’m fine.”

He turned her head with a gentle hand, and she met his gaze as he stared at her bloody lip. “What happened there?”

“You laugh at sound, so no sound. I can’t stand laughter right now.”

Her body gleamed with sweat, and he probably did too. He leaned over and gently kissed her lip before stroking it with his tongue.

He withdrew slightly and thrust into her. She inhaled, and her eyes fluttered shut. He did it again, and she inhaled and exhaled softly.

He pulled her up and braced her hands on the wall as he started to plunge and retreat with intense focus, but he kept kissing her as she got closer and closer to release. The tension was driving her nuts. She wanted more, she wanted it faster, but she didn’t know how to ask for it.

She gripped at the wall, and he started rocking into her faster while he slid his hand down her belly, and he stroked her clit again. She tensed instantly, and he murmured, “Relax a little. This isn’t a race.”

“Can’t.” She could feel herself clamping down on him.

He moved his hand and kissed her softly. “Easy, easy.”

She tried to control her body, but she wanted nothing more than to face him and ask him to go faster, but insecurity swamped her.

He continued to kiss her, and the aphrodisiac in his saliva worked on her, loosening her grip around his cock. He withdrew and slid back in, keeping their kiss going.

She kept her focus on the kiss, and when she came, she inhaled sharply where she wanted to scream. The slow flexing and fluttering of her body around his was proof of her orgasm. He didn’t join her.

Nyik lifted his head and sighed. “I want you to have fun. It isn’t something to get through. Both partners are supposed to enjoy themselves. Don’t apologize. I knew what I was getting into.”

She looked at him with an apology in her eyes.

He withdrew and turned her over. “What do you like?”

“What?” She blinked and looked at the naked expanse of him. He was beautiful.

“When I touch you, what do you like?”

She swallowed. “I... Can I try and kill you? It’s easier.”

“No. You might succeed.” He smiled. “What makes you laugh?”

“Laugh?”

“Yes. Laugh. Does anyone ever tickle you?”

He reached out and trailed his fingers across her ribs, and she flinched and giggled.

He smiled. “Has it been a while?”

“Not since I was ten or so, then I started growing, and all hell broke loose.”

He smiled and ran his other hand down her other side, and she snickered. She laughed as he continued, and she curled around his hands. “Stop, stop!”

He smoothed his hands down her sides. She was panting and looking at him with a frown.

“This time, I want every moan and sigh. If I smile, it is because I am happy that I can get you to respond to me. I am not laughing at you; I am relieved that you feel pleasure.”

He leaned in, “Touch me anywhere you like. Squeeze carefully, but this time, I want you with me every step of the way.”

She looked at his features and slowly placed her hands on his shoulders, stroking down across the slabs of his chest, across the ridges of his abdomen, and she circled his navel before wrapping her fingers around his erection and stroking softly. It was slick, and she smiled when she realized only half of it was hers. She could barely get her hand around him. “So, this fits...”

“It does, and you fluttered so beautifully around me.”

She ran her thumb over the head that was starting to drip. “So, you get slick, too.”

He nodded. “When you think you are ready, put it in.”

“If I am wrong?”

“We will know immediately, and then, I will just try and coax you into readiness. Nothing happens until you are ready.”

She looked up at him while she stroked him. “You asked what I like?”

“Yes.”

“My neck. I like it when you lick and nibble at my neck. I need a hard draw on my nipples and not much else.”

He chuckled. “Really.”

“Try it and see.”

“Oh, and I like the noises you make... a lot.”

He grinned and leaned over her, moving her hair aside as he started to lick and kiss her neck. She threaded her fingers through his hair with her free hand.

He sucked, and she moaned, and he licked, and she inhaled. She was pleasantly heated when he moved down, and she whispered, “Press your fingers against me.”

He did it and circled lightly. He kissed and licked at her breast before doing a hard draw on her nipple, and she gushed against his hand.

He lifted his head. “Holy stars.”

She tugged gently at him and guided him into her. “I think that’s the sign you were waiting for.”

He eased into her and slid to the hilt with an expression of wonder in his eyes. “Haru, you are wonderful.”

She raised her knees and undulated against him. “I think watching you would be one of the things that I might also like.”

“Let’s find out.” He lowered himself down and started to move.

Her hands were restless, and she stroked him all over. She lifted her hips to meet him before she wrapped her legs around his hips and stroked her hands down the deep groove of his back. She carefully clawed her hands and drew patterns on his spine and up to his shoulders. He grunted and groaned.

She felt her orgasm coming as he continued to move, and she reached for her clit, but he caught her hand.

“What do you need?”

“Harder and faster, please.”

He chuckled, kissed her, and thudded into her in the way she needed. She started to arch and twist against him. He grunted and sweat coated them both by this point. Their bodies slipped and slid.

Each thrust got her closer, and when she dug her hands in his back and hung on, she screamed when she came apart, and he groaned as his cock let loose inside her. Heat and pressure filled her, and she mewled and sighed and squeaked as her hips squirmed to get away from him. Her mother’s references now made sense. It also explained the surplus of DNA available for analysis. Her mother was never one to waste an opportunity.

He murmured to her and kissed her softly. “Almost done.”

She twisted and muttered, “Remind me to wear wet-weather gear if I ever go down on you.”

He grinned. “Noted. I will have more clothing options in your size put into the supply machine.”

“Good, because right now, I have the bodysuit in several colours or a super skimpy outfit that makes the presentation clothing look voluminous in comparison.”

He chuckled. “That is a more playtime outfit.”

“Oh, do you wear it often? Or do you have a fetish for very tall women?”

He snorted and kissed her again. “I do now. That was just a program brought up because it matched your height, and it is in stock. The fabricators can have something more appropriate for you if you want to feel pretty.”

“Can Yer-ai or See-thoth make something for me?”

“They are seamstresses?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Sort of. Yer-ai designs combat suits and See-thoth’s mother is a designer, so is he.”

“A male?”

“Yup. He designed my peacekeeper uniform back home.”

He rocked into her and chuckled. “You are holding it all. That never happens.”

She leaned up for a kiss, and he met her halfway, taking her hands and stretching her arms above her head. “Good thing or bad thing?”

“Oh, a very good thing.” He shuddered.

She felt more pressure and flexed her torso against him. “When does that stop?”

“It should have stopped already.” He grinned. “You are keeping it going. My body very much wants to meld with yours.”

He reached between them and slicked a finger before stroking her clit with a firm pressure that she would never have been able to manage.

She gasped and panted, then arched up toward him as he kept his lips just above hers.

She tightened around him and moaned softly as her body clasped his. Haru relaxed, and he finally began to relax inside her.

He wrapped his arms around her and rolled to his back with her straddling him. His cock was hard but not fully swollen anymore.

“You are spectacular.” His hands gripped her hips and slid up to her waist.

She felt his hands inching up her torso, and when he cupped her breasts, she gritted her teeth.

“Sensitive.” He lifted her breasts, thumbed her nipples, and used his grip to ease her forward.

She wasn’t sure what was going on until he leaned up and started to suck. Her sex contracted around him hard.

His eyes gleamed hotly, and she blushed. She rocked her hips on him, and he swelled to the point of discomfort.

She arched her neck and braced her hands on his belly. She trembled as he switched from breast to breast, and she felt the wave swelling inside her. She heard the sounds she was making and didn’t care. The fast whimpers indicated how close she was, and then tension broke, and she contracted hard around him as she slumped forward. He released her breast and caught her, pulling her against his chest and stroking her back and buttocks.

Her body clenched and released him rhythmically, and she yelped as he spilled into her again.

“Now, where do you think my seed is going. Nothing has run out of you. Your body is taking it in. Just like the Kek females used to do.”

“Where’s it going?” She was limp. She wasn’t tired, but her body felt happily boneless. She never felt like that. She was always super tense.

“Into you. Your body is using it to line your womb and create a thick protein layer for any possible children. It will help shape a child who emerges as full Kek without needing any gene therapies.”

“Wait. The warband does that, too?” She tried to sit up.

He wrapped his arms around her tight. “Of course. General Vel must have mentioned it to your mother. She knew about the Myvik situation and planned accordingly.”

“But, they spilled the... uh... spill.”

“They were not Kek females. You are. You are still settling into it, but after your father’s marrow donation, you will be exactly the type of woman the Kek have been waiting for.”

“Super violent and physically scary?”

He caressed her cheek and stroked her back. “Perfect for defending herself and others.”

She lifted her head and blinked away tears. “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

Haru kissed him and flexed her hips against him.

Nyik rolled her under him again, and he started a slow thrust marked by slick and sticky sounds. He kissed her and murmured compliments to her, and she bloomed around him again and again.

Chapter Seven

Haru-vel woke from a nap. “Off to do whatever it is that you do?”

“While I would love to spend all day every day inside you, there has been a call that requires my attention. The new arrivals are not settling.”

She blinked. “Male or female?”

“The males. They need to go through the trial to see if they can understand how much training they need before they are considered full Kek.”

“Can I come with you?” She pushed herself upright and looked at him.

“Can you be showered and dressed in three minutes?”

She got up, stretched, and walked to the shower for a quick blast that took his scent and hers and blasted them to hell.

She got into her bodysuit and tied her hair in a loose knot. Haru put her hands on her hips. “How’s my time?”

He sighed. “Come on.”

She chuckled and walked toward the door. He grabbed her and pressed her to the wall, lifting her for a kiss.

He growled. “I don’t want to leave my quarters.”

She chuckled, “Well, I do, so let’s go. The air-processing system can clear out all the pheromones.”

“But you like my pheromones.”

“By this point, I think my eyeballs can taste them. I know you have tasted mine... repeatedly.”

He chuckled and rubbed his cheek along hers.

“Come on, Commander. Let’s go.” She patted his cheek. “We can play later.”

His grin was pure delight. “We can, can’t we.”

They headed out, and she walked next to him. She asked, “So, you are in charge of this vessel?”

“Yes.”

“Why aren’t you a captain then?”

“Because I like to go on landings and fight. You can’t do that if you are a captain. You are stuck negotiating.”

She chuckled. “Poor baby. Everyone else gets to have fun.”

“Hm. That suddenly makes me think that spending time on the mothership wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“What are the odds of me being able to go on a mission?”

“Slim to none. Our males have to pass the trial, and it is brutal.”

“Uh-huh.”

They got into the elevator, and the moment the doors closed, he pressed her against the wall and kissed her again as if he was an addict looking for a fix.

When the door slid open, her lips were swollen, and her skin was tingling under her suit.

“I am not going to be able to look at the elevators now without smirking,” she muttered as they made their way toward a group of Kek who were crowded near a wide doorway.

Nyik-Yosh whistled, and a path was made for them. There was a male wearing a deep scowl and a heavy scar across his features. “Lieutenant Vin-Mar, what is the problem?”

“These newcomers refuse to train without their commanding officer.” He snarled. “When I find out where that idiot is hiding, I will beat the bloody hell out of him.”

Haru frowned and stepped forward. “That would be me. Take your best shot.”

“Lieutenant, stand down.”

She looked at Nyik-Yosh. “Are you fucking kidding me? These are my men, and if they need me to train with, I will train with them.”

He frowned and growled. “Haru...”

“Commander Haru-vel, if you don’t mind. Commander.”

He looked at her, astonished. “You want to fight Vin-Mar?”

“No, but if he needs to make a point, he can make it with me.” She reached back and did a quick braid, tucking it down the back of her suit.

She looked at the astonished Kek. “So, what would you like? I believe you wanted to kick my ass, but if you have a different option to prove you are a better leader than I am, name it.”

He looked her up and down. “Deadlift.”

Her men started laughing. She shrugged. “Choose the weight, and let’s get this over with.”

He wasn’t getting the response he wanted, so he led the way to the weight racks.

“All you have to do is beat my weight, Commander.” He sneered.

He set the weight, and she nodded as he lined up. The room got quiet, and then, he lifted, his golden-green arms bulging with effort as he lifted and then raised it over his head before lowering it to the mat.

She nodded. “A very respectable weight, Lieutenant.”

Nyik-Yosh looked at her sternly. “Do not hurt yourself, Haru-Vel.”

She nodded and wiped the sweat off the bar before settling, crouching, and standing upright. She lifted the weight above her head. Held it. Slowly relaxing and lowering it back to the floor.

The lieutenant was shocked.

She stepped over the bar and walked up to her men. She smiled grimly. “Line up.”

They went from laughing to silent.

She glared at them. “You are Kek now. You will train to have control over your strength and body. You will train with respect to your instructor, and you will make sure that I don’t have to come down here again. Are we clear?”

They laughed, and Ten-eck smirked, “But they just got beaten by a girl.”

He didn’t see her fist coming, but he got to think about things from the ground. “You just got beaten by a girl, and you knew what I could do. Stop being a twit and understand your place. You can do great things, or you can be an ass. It’s your choice, but if I have to come here because of you, I will break your spine and see if the Kek can fix it. Understood?”

The men nodded and understood. They had seen her in action before.

“In that case, this is your instructor. Pay attention, or I will hear about it and come back here, and I don’t want to come back here.”

They formed up and nodded, “Yes, Commander!”

“Ten-eck?”

He got to his feet and nodded. “Yes, Commander.”

She looked back to Nyik-Yosh. “So, on a scale of one to ten, how much of a turnoff was that?”

He grinned and walked up to her, sliding her hair out of her suit, and he whispered in her ear, “I understand your fear over contact. On a scale of one to ten, it was a two because you tucked your hair in. Now, it would be a zero. I saw you at work before I landed, remember?”

She looked up at him and smiled. “Ah, right.”

He cupped his hand behind her head, and they kissed in full view of his men and hers.

Haru grinned when they parted. “Was that for your guys or mine?”

“It was just for me.” He stroked her cheek. “I missed you.”

“It’s been five minutes.”

He grinned. “But an exciting five minutes.”

She laughed.

“What is your biggest lift?”

She shrugged. “How much does one of those war shuttles weigh? I lifted one of those off an emergency hatch for a shelter.”

“Always working for the greater good.” He pressed his forehead against hers.

She kissed him quick. “Lieutenant, if they don’t heed you, send word to me, and I will do more than just punch them.”

Lieutenant Vin-Mar inclined his head. “Thank you, Commander Haru-Vel. Are you General Vel’s daughter?”

“Yes.”

A ripple of understanding ran through the crowd. She paused. “Wait. Does General Vel have the same strength?”

Nyik laughed. “Yes. It is what got him to general though he hasn’t had offspring. He is stronger, faster, more intelligent, and more accurate than any other Kek.”

“Well, sonofoabitch. Someone could have told me.”

“You know now.”

She smiled slyly and ran her hand up his chest. “Does this mean I can run the trial?”

“Absolutely not, until you get a clean bill of health from the medics. You are still not one hundred percent.” He caressed her hair.

The lieutenant made a strangled noise.

“I think you have terrified some of my men.”

“Only some?”

“Oh, many are intrigued.” He pulled her in close. “They are wondering if the other ladies have any specialities and if they can get them away from those who have the claim on them.”

She chuckled. “That would be an interesting trick. From what I have seen, their attention has been bordering on predatory.”

“I can’t imagine something like that. They are wondering why the ladies haven’t surrendered to their charms.”

She snickered. “That would be me.”

He raised his brows. “What?”

“My teams don’t make a move I don’t authorize, including sex. That rule had to come into play when one of the ladies went into heat and tried to climb one of them.” She jerked her thumb at the guys that were now getting into training with the lieutenant.

“Will you authorize them now?”

She grinned. “Sure, but you might want to stand back a few feet. They are a little backed up.”

He grinned. “Let’s go find out.”

“Okay, but make sure that their guys are there. This is going to get ugly quick if they don’t have convenient outlets.”

He chuckled. “I will summon the males first before the females.”

“Good. Get cracking, Commander.”

She wrapped her arm around his and steered him toward the door. He spoke into the band on his wrist and got amused answers from six voices.

Dr. Jenok answered the next call and chuckled. “She’s gonna let them off-leash, huh? Does she remember she has three in waiting?”

“I also remember that those three don’t have guys yet. First, let’s get the six with partners out of the way.”

Her mother laughed. “So, you are already off the books?”

“Yes, Mom. And don’t think that I don’t hear General Vel laughing in the background.”

Her mother cackled. “See you in ten.”

Nyik lowered his arm, and he chuckled. “We need to get you a communicator.”

“So, ten minutes until you have an explosion inside the ship.”

“I doubt it will be that cataclysmic.”

She grinned. “If you say so.”

“I am wondering what to do with that ten minutes?”

“Grab a snack? I mean, I should be hungry, but I am not.”

He smiled slyly. “I wondered if that was the case.”

They got in the elevator and went to a recreational level.

“Okay, what are you not telling me?”

“It was said that the original Kek females could consume their spouses in lean times.”

“Consume. You mean...”

He chuckled. “If necessary. Yes. I spilled in you half a dozen times, but where did it go?”

She blinked. “Uh. Not a clue.”

“And that is why you aren’t hungry.”

She groaned. “That’s embarrassing. Well, you had better make sure you eat then if you are consuming for two.”

They walked toward a relaxed chamber with a vid screen. There were couches, and four of the males were already seated and waiting. Two more walked in just behind them, and they sat down to wait.

Nyik sat and pulled her onto his lap. She took up his lap, and she noted the envious gazes of the other Kek.

“Are you sure you are up to try your luck with one of the altered Kek ladies?” she asked them bluntly.

They all nodded, and one said, “We chose the ones that resonated with us. We are not balking now.”

She nodded. “Good.”

She turned to Nyik and kissed him. His hand moved from her thigh to her hip to her waist and then pressed her back until she was tight against him.

They kept their intense kissing up until she heard someone clearing their throat. She held her hand up and continued licking at his tongue and teeth.

“Haru!”

She sighed and leaned back. “Yes, Mom?”

“Get off your mate. The ladies are here.”

Haru chuckled at Nyik’s narrow-eyed expression. She stood up and looked at her team. “Ladies, you know how we were on lockdown while training and defending?”

Yer-ai nodded. “We do recall.”

“Well, we are in Kek custody. All rules are suspended. Feel free to jump the Kek of your choice as long as they consent.”

“Thanks, Commander.” The ladies grinned, turned, and the Kek were plastered to their seats by the weight of the Myvik women on top of them.

Jenok snorted. “Well, I am glad they are working that out. I thought they were going to blow.”

Haru asked, “Where’s General Vel?”

“I tired him out. He’s having a little nap right now, and I will join him as soon as I make sure you are sorted out.”

Nyik got up and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I have sorted her out several times, and she doesn’t tire. What were you feeding her?”

Jenok laughed. “A lot. Well, as the... holy shit, how did they get naked so fast?”

Haru looked up at Nyik smugly. “Told you.”

He walked her out, and her mother was laughing. Jenok wiped her eyes. “How long do you think the intensity will last?”

“Two days or so. It should simmer down by then.”

Nyik frowned. “We have not been together that long.”

Haru shrugged. “I have extensive self-control. Mom made sure of it. We didn’t want me hurting anyone. It would have blown the project.”

Jenok reached out to grip her wrist. “Sweetie, you don’t have to hold back anymore. The Kek can take a hit far better than the Myvik can.”

Nyik chuckled. “We really can. We are denser than most species. You may knock us down, but we get up.”

Haru shook her head. “I am not risking it.”

“So, why are we here and not on our way back to bed?” He nuzzled her temple.

“Because you are doing the walking. And you have work to do.”

“That is why I have a select team who can run their own areas around the ship. I just talk to the council. That’s my job. Right now, I have the council’s blessing to make sure that my mate is satisfied and exhausted.”

Haru looked at him. “Do you know how much stamina I have? It is ridiculous.”

“Would you care to match mine against yours?”

“Like... as a contest?” She ran her fingers across his palm. “What will I win?”

He snorted. “You are thinking you will win?”

Jenok muttered, “I am heading back to Rasnon. He wins, but he does most of the work.”

“Bye, Mom.”

Nyik lifted Haru and flipped her over his shoulder.

She blinked in surprise. “You sure you want to do this?”

He laughed, and they stalked into the elevator. “I have never been more sure of anything in my life.”

Jenok waved and headed off into the ship.

She was seen by several of the crewmen, who grinned. She shrugged. Public perception didn’t matter as long as Nyik wasn’t afraid of her. Current indications were that he found her strength a turn-on, and it was also an inherited trait. She idly wondered if their children would have it.

He stroked the back of her thighs. “What are you thinking about?”

“Inherited genetic traits.”

“I thought you were thinking about me.”

“Oh, I am.”

His hand tightened on her thigh as he understood what genes she was referring to.

She took in the flexing of his ass and thighs when he walked out of the elevator. It was a lovely sight.

He held her with a grip on her thighs, but his thumb was dangerously close to her sex. She made sure that they were close to his quarters, and then, she started squirming.

“What are you up to, Haru?”

“Trying to get that thumb where it can do some good.”

He barked a laugh, and his door opened while giving her a squeeze as he flipped her into his arms.

“You are a strong one, Haru-Vel.” He grinned. “The perfect person to leave in charge of the mothership while the men are down on worlds making war.”

“Playing war. The Kek are too efficient to be considered making war.” She snorted. “It is more like an exercise.”

He looked at her. “You think it’s just exercise?”

“I am not a full-blood Kek, and I found it easy to decapitate the enemy.”

“But you are a Vel descendant. War is in your blood.” He set her on the bed and kissed each of her palms.

“Is it?”

“It is. You might want to see if your father can offer you any combat practice.”

“Why?”

“Because he is the best the Kek have ever produced. He was the last child born to a Kek female.”

She stared. “What happened to the females?”

He sighed as he opened her suit. “The Kek stopped fathering them, and then, they slowly died out. After our world was destroyed, the ladies made up fifteen percent of the population, then ten, then five, and then they became so precious that they were guarded at all times, and each daughter was celebrated, but one day, there were no more daughters.”

“And then the Kek came to Myvik, the crystals sang their song, and girls returned.” She chuckled.

“Wait. It was the crystals? Like the same crystals we have a crate of?”

“Yeah. Mom looked into it when she realized half the pregnancies were split down gender lines. She hadn’t heard about female Kek before, so she did her research.” She smiled. “She’s good at research.”

He paused. “Did she do research on you?”

“Of course. I grew up beyond spec. She monitored my mineral and vitamin intake and the calcium lamination on my bones. My height. Weight. Intellect. Everything.”

He pulled her to sitting and peeled her out of her suit while she parted the top of his uniform. She unbuckled his belt and opened the closure of his trousers.

She lifted her hips as he pulled the suit off and away. He stripped himself and dove on top of her with a grin.

“What happened when you hit puberty?”

“So much data and combat training started along with dance lessons.” She wrapped her legs around him.

“I really want to see you dance.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I bet.”

“We have onboard gatherings. We play music. Wrestle. Dancing would be a nice addition.” His hand was between them, and his fingers were sliding into her.

She undulated against his hand, and he kissed her as she got hotter, and he fit another finger into her. She gasped and shivered and gasped, “As fun as your fingers are...”

He took the hint, withdrew his fingers, and started to press into her. She moaned low, and he kissed and bit at her neck. His tusks carefully scraped two bands across her neck, and she chuckled. “Making up for me destroying the claiming collar?”

He grunted and kept dragging his tusks across her throat.

Her own grunt when he thrust deep preceded his licking of the new marks. She suspected that his saliva was good for more than just revving her engine.

Fire sank into her neck and spread through her body as she moved against him. Her fingers locked in his hair as his mouth kept moving. When he had coated all of her neck in his saliva, he lifted his head, and their kiss accompanied his slow thrusts. She tasted her blood on his tongue, but she didn’t mind.

He stroked her clit, and she arched and screamed into his mouth while he started the long process of spilling into her.

She squeezed him, and the stretched feeling inside kept the flutters going in a slow wave. She was dreading it when he went back to work. She would exercise like crazy to keep from stalking him around the ship.

Chapter Eight

She grinned at the options she had for clothing now. See-thoth had been at work, and there were several new outfits as options for her where before they had been extremes.

She put on a version of Nyik’s uniform, sleeveless with a cropped top, leggings, and a floaty skirt in her standard black.

She didn’t have a communicator, but she shrugged and headed into the ship to see if she could find some of her people. She was pretty sure that folks would be able to find her if Nyik needed her. She had hacked her way into the computer and found that the training was in the trial room today for the guys. She may as well head down there and see if she could get some fight training in. The lieutenant might be willing to let her into class.

She headed back down to the exercise area, and a few of the Kek she passed looked at her with wide eyes. The silver black marks on her neck were obvious now. During their encounters, he had gotten a neat line around her neck completely and then licked it all until whatever he exuded had gotten under her skin.

She didn’t care about the mark. He had mentioned something about starting his own tattoos now. He had petted her belly when he had mentioned it. With that, she gathered that her marks were on the unusual end of things.

She walked into the exercise area and looked at the huge expanse of the confidence course. There was no one in the room, but that course called her. She removed the gauzy skirt around her hips, examined the start and finish of the course, then, with a big grin, she started the clock and jumped onto the course.

* * * *

Lieutenant Vin-Mar got an alert. “Looks like one of the Myvik-Kek is trying the trial. I thought they were all on studying duty today.”

General Vel got a look in his eyes. “Can you bring it up on the display?”

Vin-Mar nodded.

Nyik-Yosh grinned and watched the display projected, and then, he paled when he saw Haru-Vel skipping neatly through the trial with the grace of a floating petal.

She flipped, twisted, and used her hellish strength on the projections coming for her, making the course scream.

There was no way to get down there in time to stop it. He had to watch as she jumped and charged the last few metres.

His heart was in his throat as the surprise blades slashed at the spot where she had been standing. She flipped end over end and landed on the final platform. She hit the stop and looked at the clock. She smiled, nodded, and headed for the starting point.

“Vin-Mar, lock the course. She’s going to go around again.”

“Right.” He relaxed. “The course is locked.”

General Vel was giving a slow smile. “What was her time?”

“Two minutes one second.” Vin-Mar read the result.

General Vel chuckled. “That’s my little girl. Is that a mating band?”

Nyik-Yosh nodded. “I wanted one she couldn’t snap.”

General Vel clapped his hand on Nyik-Yosh’s shoulder. “It’s a very straight mark.”

Nyik remembered the slow surge of their bodies and his having to time the marking with that. “She cooperated.”

“I doubt that, but you did an excellent job.”

“Thank you. I am getting down there before she figures a way around the safeguards.”

Vin-Mar’s eyes got wide, and they left their conversation with the general, with him walking with them.

Nyik-Yosh put in for a communicator while they were on the way. Something small that would suit her wrist. He grimaced. Something that he could use to yell at her if she was doing something dangerous. He had the feeling that he was going to use it a lot.

They arrived at the trial grounds, and Haru was there, humming to herself and working on a by-pass for the activation of the course.

Nyik walked up behind her. “Please, stop rewiring my ship.”

She whirled, and her eyes were huge. “Oh, hi, sweetie. The activation wasn’t working again. Can I just use it once a day?”

He wrapped her in his arms. “Once was enough. Your score is recorded.”

“I can be faster.”

He chuckled. “You have already broken a course record.”

“Oh. Okay.” She squirmed against him and looked at Vin-Mar and General Vel. “I was not supposed to be here.”

“Not really, no. Vin-Mar locked the course so that you couldn’t take the trial again.”

“Wait. That was the trial? Seriously? The stuff Jenok designed for us was way worse.”

General Vel smiled slowly. “But she’s so sweet.”

Haru looked at him. “I can see her claw marks all over your neck and the edge of your arms, General Vel. She might be fun with you, but she isn’t sweet.”

He grinned and showed a lot of teeth. “She’s very sweet.”

Haru blinked and nodded. “Right. Uh, I guess I will head back to your quarters and wait for you.”

Nyik-Yosh blinked. “You are bored.”

“Of course, I am. I have spent every moment since I was ten running or fighting or solving crime. The last few days have been interesting, but it could be boring very quickly if I just have to wait for you to come back.”

“And you will be insane in a week.” He rubbed his head along hers.

“Yup. If I get together with the female members of my team, we will have the ship under our control within a matter of days.” She looked up at him and grinned. “You might not like that.”

“Well, since none of you know Kek history or tradition or social structures, it would be troublesome.”

She slid her hands up his chest. “Can I at least train the Myvik-Kek?”

“I will consider it.”

General Vel chuckled. “And I will authorize it. I may as well tell you, we have been asking the other clans to see if they will take on some of the Myvik.”

“Oh. So, the forty-two?”

Vel snorted. “And the hundred of DNA-proved Myvik-Kek.”

“Ah.”

“After they have been giving the boost treatment that we give to all new Kek.”

She smiled slowly. “I am just realizing that it means you started out as something else, Nyik-Yosh.”

He nodded. “Ravenska. Thick and purple. I was a short and chunky kid until the treatment. Then, I turned green and gold and got a little taller.”

She chuckled. “Just a little.”

“Your father is the last Kek to be born to a Kek female. He’s also the first to sire a daughter with his own skills and keen mind.”

Vin-Mar was looking at the display of her run. “Commander Haru-Vel? How did you do this?”

“I told you. My mother crafted difficult confidence courses to get us as in touch with our bodies as fast as possible. This was simple, and it was all built for someone taller than I am, so I barely had to duck.” She looked at Vin-Mar. “Ask Yer-ai for help in making it adaptive to the individual.”

“Ai?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Shit. Your world got the best of us.”

General Vel smirked. “We weren’t the best until after we left Myvik. That one night was the springboard for everything that came later. All of our triumphs came out of the changes that we underwent after Myvik.”

Nyik frowned. “I should not be surprised, but... changes?”

“Yes. We all got better. Smarter, faster, more intuitive. Jenok surmises that it is the effect of the crystals, and their entire population has been around the vibrations, and they gave it to us. The Myvik resonance with the Kek is something that I want to study... in detail.” General Vel grinned.

Haru asked, “Oh, wow. Where is Jenok right now?”

Vel snorted. “She is telling the medical staff how to administer the inoculations so that there is minimal stress on the new Kek.”

Haru leaned her head against Nyik’s chest, and he felt his heartbeat accelerate.

General Vel’s wrist chirped, and he looked at Haru. “Daughter, it’s time for the transplant.”

Nyik looked down at his mate, and she peeked up at him. She grinned. “See you later?”

“I am coming with you, Haru. I am going to be there when you come out of sedation.”

She laughed a bright sound. “If you think I am being sedated, you haven’t met my mother.”

Nyik looked at the general, who grinned. “Come on, Commander Yosh. It’s time for some clandestine surgery.”

* * * *

Jenok was efficient at extracting the marrow, verifying what she needed and then turning to implant the marrow into Haru.

Haru was lying in bed, feeling horrid after the treatment to kill off her own marrow. She felt grey when the injection came along, with her mother precise and accurate in her injection of General Vel’s marrow. Sedation would have been nice, but her body didn’t respond to it, so her mother just made sure everything was lined up before she started.

She gripped the metal railing of the med bed and felt the metal crumple under her grip.

She panted and waited until everything was sealed, and her mother patted her thigh. It was her way of apologizing for the pain.

Nyik-Yosh stroked her hair. “We are going to find a way to sedate you when you need it.”

She was panting, sweaty, and nauseous. She snorted. “Maybe. I am just glad that there were nanites available to kill my bone marrow so that I didn’t have to worry about radiation.”

Jenok muttered, “Only the best for my baby.”

“Thanks, Mom.” She lay still on the bed, and Nyik was kissing her forehead and the back of her hand.

The Kek specialist said, “Now, a few days to propagate the new marrow, and she will be back to normal.”

Nyik paused. “No one said she wouldn’t be able to come back to our quarters.”

“Uh, Commander, she has little to no immune system right now. We will take care of her.”

Haru looked at him. “Aw, they are taking your toy away.”

He scowled. “That isn’t how I think of you.”

“Right. They are taking your big toy away.”

He bit her hand softly. “You are my terrifying treasure.”

She cupped his cheek. “I am a tired treasure.”

Jenok agreed from behind her. “She often gets tired after a painful session. We will watch over her.”

Nyik muttered, “There will be no more painful sessions.”

“Well, childbirth isn’t a walk in the park, but she can block herself from bearing if she wishes.”

“She can?”

“Gift of the Myvik. If we get pregnant, it is because that is what we want.” Jenok chuckled. “After a night with Rasnon, I knew his child was what I wanted. And I got my pretty princess.”

Haru snorted and let sleep take her.

After three days of sleeping and waking, eating and resting, she was finally able to get up and out of bed. Jenok kept giggling, and Haru wasn’t sure why until she saw a mirror, and she groaned. “Kek pigment? Really?”

Jenok sighed. “You look just like your dad.”

“Yeah, that’s gonna make me feel sexy.” She stretched and looked at the new com cuff that had been brought to her and laced in by careful fingers.

“Um, Commander Nyik-Yosh.” She just had to state the name, and the connection was made.

“Yes, Commander Haru-Vel?” She could hear the capitalization in his voice.

“I am leaving medical now, so where am I supposed to go?”

“Remain there for a moment, and I will come and get you.”

She looked around and down at the new outfit her mother had brought to her. Four panels made up the skirt, and the top was a shimmering gold halter that laced in the back.

“You look lovely, Haru.”

Haru looked at her. “So, am I getting a new brother or sister?”

Jenok grinned. “One of those, yes.”

Haru went over and hugged her mother. “Congratulations.”

“What about you?”

Haru frowned. “I didn’t give it much thought. I think I might be on a Kek schedule, and they don’t have many kids.”

“We can run a scan right now.”

Haru blinked. “No. I don’t want that.”

Jenok looked at her in surprise. “Why not?”

“The medical procedure was intense, and I don’t think that my body was able to catch in that moment.” She bit her lip nervously. “It had other things to do.”

“Oh, baby. It isn’t like he’s going anywhere. I am sure that he will be only too delighted to help you with that project.”

Her mother was so tiny in comparison to her. It was funny to think that she had come out of her.

She hugged her mother again and set her at arm’s length. “I should be more careful.”

“It’s fine, sweetie. You are always very careful with me.”

“I don’t feel myself. I don’t want to risk anything, especially my new sibling.”

“Don’t feel yourself?” Her mother frowned. “How so?”

“Weak. Sleepy. Heartburn.”

Jenok’s eyes widened. “Ah, right. Well, go with Nyik and get some sleep.”

“Right.” She found the chair that her visitors had used and sat down. She felt so off-balance.

Nyik came in, and he frowned. “Are you all right? Do you need a physician?”

“No. I am fine. Just a little fatigued.” She smiled. “I just want a bed that isn’t supervised.”

“Oh, I intend on watching you very closely.” He bent and lifted her. “Back where you belong now.”

“In your quarters?”

“In my arms.”

“Oh.” She blushed and looked down. “Yeah, I am not up to much. Still recovering.”

“I will do all the work.”

“Oh, it’s work now?” She smiled weakly.

She leaned her head on his shoulder as he took them back to his quarters.

“Don’t you have ship things to do?”

“No. They are all done.” He smiled. “I like your new skin.”

“Same skin, new pigment.”

He kissed her forehead. “Lovely pigment. It suits you.”

She smiled.

“I would like to see all of it.”

“You have.”

“I need to refresh my memory.”

Haru kept her mouth shut while they headed home.

He set her on the edge of the bed, knelt, and pressed his face between her breasts. He gave her a muffled, “I missed you.”

“I was gone for four days.”

“It felt like forever.”

She snorted and tipped his head back. “Dramatic much?”

He laughed. “Perhaps a little. I did miss you.”

“You visited me frequently.”

“I missed curling up around you. Where did you get this outfit?”

“I am guessing that Yer-ai and See-thoth hacked the manufacturing unit.” She smiled. “My mom brought it to me.”

“It’s very pretty. How does it come off?”

Haru held the tie at her waist and twisted to show him her back. “The tie at the bottom. One tug, and it’s loose.”

He took the tie in his fingers. “I will be the judge of that.”

He slid his hands under her skirt and found the scrap of underwear that was appropriate for the outfit.

He tutted. “Really?”

“What? It came with the outfit.”

He hooked his thumbs in it and dragged it down her thighs, flicking her shoes off on the way.

He brought the silky scrap to his nose, and his eyes fluttered closed. “You still smell like you, only richer.”

She shivered. “I haven’t checked my scent. I have been distracted.”

“Allow me to check more thoroughly.”

He flipped her skirt up, and his head disappeared. She felt the approach of his head, the scrape of his ears, and then the heat of his breath against her sex. His nose bumped her clit, and his tongue dragged along her folds, opening her.

She exhaled with a huff and arched against him. He chuckled against her, and it reverberated through her. His hand reached up and untied her skirt, slithering it away as he licked at her with a frenzied hunger.

Haru gripped his head, rocking against him until she moaned and twisted, pulling him up and kissing him while he pulled the strand that loosened her top. When it was peeled away, he broke the kiss and latched down onto her breast. Haru’s concentration dissolved into a storm of heat.

He drove her to the edge and kept her there until he worked into her and met her gaze as he thrust in to the base. “Oh, Haru, I have missed you.”

She arched up, and he held her with an arm under her lower back, and he slowly made love to her with intense focus in his eyes. When she came, he was behind her by half a second.

He dropped down on both elbows and kissed her as he slowly spilled into her over and over again. “So, you want to train your Myvik?”

“I do.”

“Nope. You are going to start training Kek. You will begin with the adolescents and see if you can show them how to move like you do.”

She grinned and rocked her hips against his. “Really?”

“For combat readiness. Yer-Ai and Crix-Vah have been showing us more video clips of you in action. You are exceedingly impressive.” He nibbled at her ear.

Haru sighed. “It’s nice to be appreciated.”

“I believe I would like to appreciate you again.”

She rolled her hips and held him close. “It really is nice to be appreciated.”

He chuckled, and they began a mutual admiration that lasted hours.

Chapter Nine

Haru-Vel sat with Nyik-Yosh, and they watched the performers who had just executed some war dances while drums pounded. They cheered the performers, and the men took their bows.

The master of ceremonies grinned and said, “Since we have so many new arrivals, it is only fair that the Myvik send out some of theirs for our entertainment. They can choose.”

Haru froze until the unmistakable chant of, “Vel, Vel, Vel, Vel.” Rang out.

She looked at Nyik. “Did you put them up to this?”

“No, but I am very interested to see what you will do.”

She got up, and there was a roar from her people.

Haru got to the centre of the space, and she said, “Anyone who doesn’t want me to be out here alone is welcome to join me.”

Four of her team members came out, and she grinned. Rev-thall headed to the drums, and he started a heavy beat.

Haru shrugged. “Here we go.”

As one, the five of them started to move.

* * * *

On the screen behind them, Nyik watched footage flare to life. The image of Haru getting the initial injection that activated her Kek genes more fully was striking. She had some kind of a bite guard in place, and the montage of her growing over days was astonishing.

She held the hands of those team members who thrashed after their injections, soothing them.

The next images were training, and after that, it was all the Myvik-Kek in action from the view of some of their drones.

While the flesh-and-blood Haru danced slowly with a slide of hip and shoulder, the projected Haru and her team climbed a ridge and then launched themselves through the air to land on the invading shuttles. Some used grenades, some used tech, and Haru used her swords.

He had seen some clips but had not seen just how fearless she was. She launched herself out, flipped out over empty air, and landed lightly on the wing of the attack craft. She then sliced off the wing and fell down to another to treat them the same way.

The vid changed to Haru pushing a battered landing craft on her own before others of her team joined her, when it moved faster. She opened a hatch, and Myvik citizens poured out.

The team got the people to safety, and she gave a weary smile to her team, then they ran off to the next disaster.

Haru danced, but the Kek were watching the exploits of the team as twenty of them defended their world for ten days.

Nyik watched as Haru twisted and swirled with her team members, and he felt pride in his mate and the loyalty and skills that bloomed in others where she walked. He also felt lust because her moves were definitely an enticement to him.

The brutal and graceful images were displayed until the song wound to a triumphant end. The Kek roared to their feet in appreciation, but Nyik was focused on the sweaty siren grinning at him.

He walked over to her and kissed her, bending her back until she clung to him.

He lifted his head, and her eyes were shining. “Be nice. Pregnant ladies aren’t supposed to bend that way. Well, I don’t think so.”

He paused. “Are you referring to your mother?”

She grimaced. “Um, no. I snuck into medical today and then had Yer-ai wipe my file so my mom can’t peek. She’s nosey.”

“So, you are carrying?”

“Carrying, transporting, incubating... yeah.”

“My child?” He felt delight and awe washing through him.

“If someone else tried to get to me, I am pretty sure they would notice you in the way. That big green ass would be off-putting for most suitors.” She gripped his butt.

He laughed and lifted her, spinning her around before holding her tight against him for another possessive kiss.

He smiled down at his mate, and she caressed his cheek. “So, when do I start kicking Kek butt?”

He paused, “I suppose you could start the day after tomorrow, but no running the trial. You have already beaten a few records, including your father’s.”

“And I think this little lady will beat mine.”

He beamed, his heart full. “A little girl?”

“According to the genetic scans. My genes, your genes, and a solid start. This little one is either going to kick butt or dissect it.”

“As long as you train it, I think it will be both.” He stroked her cheek.

She kissed him, and there was laughter and applause around them. When he lifted his head, he asked, “Any other of the Myvik-Kek pregnant?”

To his astonishment, six of the other members of Haru’s team lifted their hands.

She beamed at him. “The little one will have plenty of friends to grow up with, just as I did.”

He looked at her and sighed. “I guess the Lyrik warband needs to register as a colony ship.”

“Do we still get to fight?”

Nyik laughed. “Of course. I can teach you the Kek style of wrestling if you like.”

She stroked his chest and nodded. “I think I would like that.”

“We need to get some oil from the commissary.” He grinned.

“I have never been one to back down from a challenge.” She stroked her hand down his chest and toward his belt. “You get the oil; I will start stretching.”

He growled and started to follow her out of the giant amphitheatre. A mate and a child. Myvik was the gift that kept on giving.

* * * *

Ten years later.

Haru walked through the market with an eye to getting some new fabric for See-thoth. He needed the soft silks, and Yer needed armour-plate and heavy-manufactured leathers. She was designing a new body armour for the children about to enter training.

She was examining fabric when a hand grabbed her and spun her around.

“You are one of those Kek bitches we have heard about.”

Haru grinned at the scarred-up raider. “You are not polite. I suggest you leave.”

“Why? The patrol is gone. There is no one to help you.” The third male chuckled.

Haru’s companions were approaching, but she chuckled. “So, what is it you want?”

“We want to know what’s so special about you.” The second sneered.

“Excellent. Lesson one.” She grabbed the first raider and smashed him into the second, then lifted the third and launched him to the end of the market.

She looked around. “Huh. I guess it is just the one lesson.”

Jenok and her daughter and granddaughter emerged from the crowd. “Really, Haru?”

Haru grinned. “They wanted to know. Now they know.”

Jenok sighed. “Are you done shopping?”

“No, I haven’t finished picking something out for Jenli. Jen, did you want to help pick out your body armour?”

Her daughter grinned. “Yes, please, Mum.”

“How about me, big sis?”

“Your mom isn’t letting you join the training yet. You will go through medical training first, and then, I will take you for your armour. It wouldn’t do to get you suited up now, and then, you would need new armour in a few months.”

Rasi sighed. “Fine. But can we get some shaved ice on our way home?”

“Of course, sis.” Haru grinned. She and Jenli walked into the fabric display, and Jenok took her daughter to grab some medical equipment.

Haru glanced back at the shattered remains of the raiders. Well, if they survived, they might have learned what made her special. It was simply being Kek.

Author’s Note

Paying the Warband might be a series, but it might not. I have kind of left it open to see if I ever want to return.

Hah. Space orcs.

Thanks for reading,

Viola Grace

About the Author

Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.

An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it. She always goes for the cheap laugh.