CHAPTER 73

 

TARA

 

The day that we’re provided with fuel, food, and cash thanks to Tac bartering the use of this ship’s cargo space, is the day I breathe again.

Then the nerves start.  The ’what if’s keep me from sleeping.

So the night before we’re set to touch down on Earth, three humans and all their respective aliens show up, docking at our door and providing a welcome distraction.

“Hi,” the woman named Angie greets.  “We’re here to help take your mind off the jitters.”

 

***

 

“So hey.  How did you get him to let you go before you had the spray?” Angie asks, and her alien, Arokh, has an arm banded around her middle, and he looks just as disturbed at the question as he looks curious for the answer to it.

I send a grateful smile Dohrein’s way.  He’s the hob that’s been helping all the Rakhii that have bonded to humans.  He got right on creating a formula for Brax that makes it so he doesn’t get sick when we can’t be skin-to-skin.  It also makes him more ‘manageable.’  These are my words.

Dohrein’s were: “Here, take this.  I’m most curious to see if his urge to rend your other mate is suppressed.”

Not ‘I’m positive this will work’ or… actually, that’s the only answer I wanted.

“Was it sex?”

This question comes from Gracie, whose first words to me when she arrived were, “Hey, Pongo!  We’re here to help you get your puppies back.”

To answer her question now, I leave it at a nod.  Or, I try to.

“Called it.”  She puts her hand out.  “Pay up.”

Angie reaches into a foil bag, and pulls out a strange, taffy-looking substance.  She places it in Gracie’s hand, and in turn, Gracie pops it into her mouth and wiggles in eyes-squeezed-shut bliss.

Tac, who is off to my side, leans forward.  “I believe you need to try this substance, Tara.”

I’m turning my head to look at him, when out of the corner of my eye I see everyone in the group focus on him.

He’s gone green-spotted.

“You can relax,” I assure everyone.  “These are non-harmful spots.”

Something is pressed into my hand.

Angie just gave me one of the taffies.  If they thought Tac’s spots were interesting before, he goes nearly full emerald at my moans of enjoyment.  It’s crunchy-toffee on the outside, taffy-soft on the inside.  “What is this?”

“Watch!” Angie says excitedly.  Arokh obligingly holds out a large hand, and Angie whips out a sweetener bottle, squeezing it like she’s going to drizzle it on him.

Instead, Arokh blows fire on the stream, and hot candies fall onto his palm.

“THAT is so COOL!”  I exclaim, and I’m really happy that Brax can be here to enjoy seeing this.

You know, and take notes.  We’re so making these for the girls.

We’re not the only ones taking notes.  One of Beth’s guys—the guys who shot me (and made it so I can speak, and therefore get my girls back so I’m not holding a grudge per se, but I’m not going to forget it anytime soon, either)—chews on a piece thoughtfully, and looking impressed, and very interested in Arokh’s answer when he asks, “How do you feel about making these on a commercial scale?”

Arokh gives me his handful and I trot over to Brax, who insists that I hand-feed them to him.  He takes the opportunity to convey naughty things using only eye contact until he’s got me feeling like the whole bay is getting too warm.  “Behave yourself!” I whisper and start to back away from him, when he snaps his fingers at me.

I plant my hands on my hips.  “Look, Your Highness, you can’t make me come on command!  You know this, don’t you?”

He smirks, but he crooks his finger at me, and just like he knew I would, I do go to him.  Our kiss is longer and a lot hotter than I was expecting or prepared for, but he also lets me go—reluctant but not fighting it—when I peck him one last time and pull away.  “You’re doing so good!”  I tell him, and he rolls his eyes even as he turns sunlight yellow at my praise.

He’s keeping himself chained (these are also thanks to Dohrein), but we’ve been able to transfer him to the cargo area where there’s another sturdy loop made just for this purpose (It’s a little scary how many places in this ship have built-in spots to chain a man down) so that he can join everyone.  It didn’t take long for the formula to take effect, and now he’s not roaring, not bellowing—he’s not even dragging me to the closest object he can bend me over.

Not that I’m complaining about those times.  Not at alll.

But I’m really glad he can be a normal person again.

Eeeeeeerrrrrp!  Person?

A normal alien again.

But… he is a person to me.  The alien part is only that: a part of what makes up Brax.  Same for Tac’Mot.  They are people to me now.  Scales and chirps and all.

“So you had the sex to keep him mellow,” Gracie says, still curious about this aspect, apparently.  “Which I didn’t think was possible.  Rakhii are kinda nuts.  Did you have time to do anything else?  And what about your Mate Number One here?”  Her eyes appraise Tac, particularly his torso and legs.  “Funky Monkey or Cowgirl?”

I blush.

She crows, and oddly, it’s not unlike one of Tac’s noises, which he takes note of, all of his spots disappearing. “Both!”

I eye her.  “Yes.  Both.  It hasn’t exactly been a huge sacrifice: my thighs have been insta-toned with all the bounc—” I swallow, horrified that I started to overshare with virtual strangers.  “Sorry.  I get a chance to talk, and go full TMI.”

“Oh please.  Don’t worry,” Angie assures.  “This is nothing.  Gracie here will climb on her guy and demonstrate, geez.”

“No shame,” Gracie agrees.  “And it’s cool, Tara, trust me, I’m curious.”  She grins playfully.

“That’s nice,” I say with wide eyes and I hook a thumb towards Brax.  “At least a third of us would have a problem with that.”

“Make that half for certain,” Tac adds quietly, his feet thumping just a little.

“Halves, thirds.  Thank fuck I'm not collecting a harem.  I'm rotten at fractions,” Gracie comments.  “I just don't get how they work.”

Dohrein’s voice is wry.  “Cancel remedial math lessons: Noted.”

She bursts out laughing.

Angie leans over to look around Dohrein and ask her, “Aren’t you science-y?  Science uses math with letters.  How did you pass classes?”

Gracie sobers.  “It was a damn miracle, I can tell you that.  I would have just blown the teacher—”

Dohrein chokes on his piece of taffy.

“But she was a mean old bird and never would’ve gone for it, so I was all by my pretty little lonesome with fractions.”  Then she cuts a sly look at Dohrein.  “My Anatomy 101 class though, now that guy—”

Tac and I jump back as Dohrein’s wings snap around her, making both of them disappear into a private cocoon.

Angie faces me and Tac.  “Don’t mind them.  They don’t take long when she gets him worked up like this.”