I had never before been so relieved to see a squadron of Parvac soldiers and scientists. They swarmed the small island. Kaoti, my team, and I were poked and prodded by doctors until they were satisfied with our health. Then, my husbands flew me in a shuttle to Dario’s house where I soaked in a bubble bath and scrubbed my scalp. Yukihyo and Zared helped me from the tub and dried me off. Then, they proceeded to get me wet all over again in a completely different manner.
The next few days consisted of extravagant pampering, frequent and energetic lovemaking, and exhausted meals in bed. My husbands gave me such persistent and extensive erotic attention that I fled my bedroom and sought sanctuary with Terre, Tracy, Violet, and Sparrow.
“Look at you. I’m surprised you can walk,” Sparrow said dryly.
They all giggled at me.
“Violet, I’m surprised to see you up and about. I assumed you’d have your brave husband trapped in bed.” I shifted my weight in my chair. I was tender from manly attention.
“Kaoti has been rewarded for his bravery.” She gave me a waggle of her eyebrows. He had also been awarded Daphoene’s Medal of Honor for saving me and my team.
My children were too busy playing and having fun to do more than give me a few messy kisses before running off for their next activities. Peter had entered the splash stage. All he wanted was to play in the pool. He took to water as though he had been born a fish. Terre and I stood a few feet from each other, and Peter swam from me to her and back again. Once we tired him out, he ate, slept, and woke up eager to swim some more. Fitz was delighted by him, and Farowyn was exceedingly proud of his nephew. He made several video recordings of him for his grandfather, King Rorgowyn.
Dario had taken us all on a fascinating excursion to view a volcanic eruption. The red and black flowing lava as it had spread across the rocky ground had been awe inspiring in its deadly beauty. He had also taken us to a war museum since I now had a greater appreciation of archaic warfare. We all enjoyed our field trips.
We spent a lot of time relaxing at Dario’s home. My ladies and I were fond of the pool. Near it, Yukihyo and Nico started doing pushups and sit-ups while shirtless to tease me, but I didn’t fall for it. Between them, Zared, Fitz, Eli, Drex, Dario, and Farowyn, I was ready to take the Lady Victoria Dacia’s advice and put them on schedules. Knowing my thoughts, my Laconian hybrid warriors smirked and laughed with the exception of Zared, who seemed contrite.
My ladies and I had returned from a tea party at the Galerius Estate when we walked in on Eli and Rovek having an argument. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing, dearest one,” Drex said.
“There you go again. That is exactly what I mean. How is she supposed to learn to be self-sufficient when she is constantly coddled?” Rovek asked.
“She did quite well in the survival challenge,” Eli said. “Go find a volcano to explore from the inside.”
Rovek scoffed. “Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out? I know the two of you were behind the technical difficulties I experienced during her team’s evaluation. I assume you brought her treats and pampered her instead of allowing her to prove her capabilities.”
I became worried.
Noticing, Eli said, “Don’t worry. You and your team passed. Rovek can make all of the false accusations he wants, but he can’t prove anything.”
Rovek said, “Don’t give me that smug, superior act. We’ve known each other all of our lives. You forgot about one thing. I found the fish.”
My cheeks turned red. With everything that had happened, we had forgotten to pretend to catch the fish that Fitz and Nico had put on our hooks.
“I’m certain the cadets would have no problems passing a survival challenge. They are after all young men. Therefore, I decided to pass the team rather than making them suffer. They had no choice unless they were to go against the orders of their superiors. Angering a Praetor would severely impede their future careers.”
“I didn’t ask for any kind of special treatment,” I said.
“No, I’m sure you didn’t. Also, had your bodyguard not been there, the consequences would have been disastrous. My apologies, Princess. I did not mean for our discussion to cause you any distress.” Rovek bowed and kissed my fingers.
I snatched my hand back. “What the hell is this all about?” I waved my hand at him. Rovek acting like the polite gentleman was too out of character for me to believe. “When do you ever call me princess?”
“You are what you are.” Rovek clasped his hands behind his back.
Drex grew pale.
Tracy got angry. “Wait just a minute. Are you saying that a princess can’t complete a survival challenge without being coddled?”
In a placating tone that only made her angrier, Rovek said, “It is an undeniable truth that delicate females such as yourselves were not created to struggle for survival in inhospitable environments. Beautiful ladies should be treasured and should be provided with everything they want, need, or desire. The Princess needs to prove herself. Therefore, males such as myself must facilitate her wishes.”
“So, without male assistance, females are incapable of accomplishing anything much less surviving a nature challenge?” Tracy asked.
Rovek gave her a sympathetic smile. “There are many worthwhile accomplishments for females. I find your research on Sea Stars to be fascinating, Lady Tracy.”
Drex watched Rovek like a distant accident in slow motion that he had no power to stop. He turned to Eli. “I believe I finally understand the way I sounded that day.”
“Horrifying, isn’t it?” Eli asked.
Drex said quietly, “He should stop talking.”
“I think you’re wrong, and we’ll prove it just like we proved to Drex that we could complete the Academy training mission,” Tracy said angrily.
“Yeah,” Sparrow said. She was angrier than Tracy.
Terre sighed unhappily. “Unfortunately, I must agree. It is intolerable for you to consider females to be less capable than males. While we may not have the same physical attributes, our minds are more than capable of compensating for what our musculature lacks.”
“Set up your survival challenge. We will handle it together and won’t allow our husbands or anyone else to interfere,” Tracy said.
Drex and Eli weren’t the only ones staring at Rovek as though he was an idiot. All of our husbands were. Yukihyo had his arms crossed over his muscular chest and was glaring at him. A match in the ring was in their future. Jazon smiled at Rovek. He was pleased that the man had pissed Tracy off. I could tell when Rovek realized how thoroughly he had screwed up. He was quicker to come to the realization than Drex had been.
In resignation, Rovek said, “As you wish, Lady Tracy.” He bowed to us and went off to make arrangements.
The last thing I wanted to do was to participate in another survival challenge, but I didn’t really see any way out of it. Tracy and Sparrow were furious, and I owed them for backing me up with Drex when they had served as my crew. Still, with just us girls, who would put bait on my hook for me? I decided it would be Tracy. She had no qualms with dissecting sea critters. Nodding to myself, I caught Zared’s grin as he watched me. Answering the crook of his finger, I went to him and allowed myself to be led away off to bed.
After a night of manly attention, I enjoyed a leisurely soak in the tub. Then, I had Ulf braid my hair. We all had a lovely family breakfast together. Afterwards, my ladies and I were sitting under the shade of the patio, enjoying the breeze and discussing a guided sight-seeing trip through the jungle. The tour promised to be educational for children with an on-site petting zoo, but also full of beautiful exotic flora and breathtaking scenery for the adults to enjoy.
“Oh, look. They have a flower arranging class where you get to pick your own flowers,” I said.
“That looks like fun,” Terre said over my shoulder. “Sign us up for that, too.”
“Ladies, if you would be so kind as to give me your attention,” Rovek said.
We turned our eyes to look at him. Eli, Drex, Fitz, Phillip, and Jazon looked at him like they wanted to rip him apart.
Their glares didn’t bother Rovek. “By all means, if you wish to book the excursion, do so. You have nothing to prove to me. I realize that I was in complete error with my baseless assumptions. I humbly beg for your forgiveness.”
“I’m not buying it. You’re just saying that. You don’t believe we can handle roughing it,” Sparrow said.
“Have you formulated the means by which we can prove our worth?” Terre asked.
“My lady, your worth isn’t calculable. Each of you is priceless,” Rovek said with sincerity.
“Aw, that was sweet,” I said. “See? He realizes he was wrong. Let’s sign up so we get into that flower arranging class.”
Rovek inclined his head to me.
“Teagan, stop sucking up,” Tracy scolded.
Violet gave me a sympathetic pat.
“Yeah, I’m not buying it,” Sparrow said.
Xavier narrowed his eyes at Rovek. If he were to lose his temper and pummel my teacher, we wouldn’t have to go on another survival challenge. Xavier read my mind and shook his head at me. Telepathically, he said, “Tracy is deeply offended by what Rovek said, but my wife is playing along because she wants to have an outdoor activity with her friends. She loves being outside.”
I sighed. There was no escape.
Rovek said, “Very well. Come with me.”
“Right now? Don’t we get to change?” I asked as I looked down at my long, flowing sundress. It had spaghetti straps and was white with a washed-out pattern of water colored flowers of pink and purple. I showed Rovek my white flip-flops.
“If you ladies wish to participate, you will either come with me immediately or forfeit.”
I thought, “Forfeit, forfeit,” really hard at my friends, but it didn’t work.
They got up, hugged Violet goodbye, and kissed their husbands. Frowning, I gave each of my husbands a quick peck and a sad frown. I cast a disappointed glance at the vid-screen and the sign-up page for the fun flower arranging class I wouldn’t be getting to take. Instead, I’d have dirty hair tomorrow and bugs for breakfast. Yukihyo chuckled at me and slapped me on the butt as I walked through the house and out to the front.
Rovek drove us to a marina and explained the rules along the way. If we could survive alone for five days without outside assistance, he would take back everything that he had said. He helped us each board a fancy speedboat. I went to the beverage dispenser and made myself a cup of coffee. Then, we were off. My friends held their chins up with stubborn determination. I made a second cup of coffee and guzzled it. Then, I went to use the small bathroom. I searched it and used the underskirt of my gown to hide a roll of waste paper, a bar of soap, and a few bottles of water from the main cabin. Tying my underskirt’s hem edges, I hoped I had done a good job of concealing the items. I had taken and hidden all that I had managed to find that could prove useful which wasn’t much.
After about an hour, Rovek finally slowed to a stop beside a large yacht that was anchored in the middle of the ocean. “Ladies, your challenge will occur here on this vessel. It is inoperative. Open communications have been disabled, and not even Sparrow will be able to make repairs. Should you desire rescue and an end to the challenge, you may contact me and only me with this.” He handed Tracy a small vid-screen. “Climb aboard.” He gestured toward the metal ladder attached to the side of the boat.
Tracy put the vid-screen in her bodice. Rovek’s eyes greedily followed the motion. Then, she knotted her skirt and carefully grabbed a hold of the ladder and climbed. Hiding behind Sparrow, I did a better job of tying my skirts and then followed. The metal ladder was hot under my palms. The sun was bright, and the waves were calm. Tossing my leg over the side, I let Tracy help me to the deck. Then, we helped Terre and Sparrow. The four of us watched as Rovek sped away.
I untied my skirts and showed them what we had.
“You stole stuff from the speedboat?” Terre asked.
“Well, yes. Go without waste paper for a few days and you’ll realize its importance.”
“Let’s take stock of our situation,” Tracy said.
We began looking around the yacht. Comfortable shaded seating was on the deck. In the main cabin, there were cases of bottled water, boxes of meal bars, and several baskets of fruits, and breads.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I said.
“What’s wrong?” Tracy asked.
“Nothing,” I said.
Sparrow said, “He did a job on it. There’s no way for me to restore power. We’re stuck out here until he or someone else comes for us.”
“The waste units and showers work,” Terre said. She was coming out of a cabin. “There are two bedrooms. Each one has its own bathroom. We’ll have to share.” She said it like it was a labor.
Terre and I took one room, and Tracy and Sparrow took the other. Each bathroom had a shower, sink, and waste unit. This wasn’t a survival challenge. It was glamping, glamorous camping.
“Oh, dear. It seems as though we will be forced to wear what we have on. He left us no changes of clothing,” Terre said.
“What do you care? You’ll probably run around naked,” Tracy said. “Anyway, that might not be a bad idea. It’s hot in here.”
“Do the windows open?” Sparrow asked.
Soon, we had a breeze flowing through the cabin.
“We have plenty of food and water. We have luxurious shelter and bathrooms. This shouldn’t be too much of a challenge,” I said.
“There’s no power. What are we going to do for five days?” Sparrow asked.
We searched the yacht some more. There weren’t any games, books, arts, or crafts in the cabin or staterooms. On the top deck, we did find life jackets and fishing gear. As night fell, we sat on the deck, told stories, talked about our husbands and the strange things they did, and discussed everything we wanted to get to do. It turned out that Tracy and Sparrow were also curious to visit Earth. Inwardly, I groaned. After a dinner of fruit and ration bars, the four of us decided to call it a night.
I woke up hugging Terre’s arm. She was trying to yank herself free. She started laughing and couldn’t stop.
“Sorry. I cuddle.” I yawned.
“And, you drool! I’m going to shower.”
I smirked at her. Then, I left our room, grabbed a bottle of water, and went up to the deck. I closed my eyes and inhaled as the strong breeze tugged at the hair that had come free of my braid. The sky was full of pink and purple shades. Tracy joined me. She plopped down on a lounger and drank some water while frowning at a ration bar.
“Having the same thing for breakfast and dinner is not very appetizing,” she complained.
“It’s a good thing Inquisitor Rovek is so sweet on you. My team and I each got a ration bar and bottle of water a day. He tied the boys up, smeared a flesh-eating enzyme on their clothing, and made me swim from the boat to the island to save them. They were naked until I shared my clothes with them. We had to sleep on the ground under a lean-to the boys made.”
Tracy scrunched up her face. “I don’t care for the sound of any of that. This is a very nice boat.”
Something in the water caught my attention. “Oh, look! Dolphins!”
Tracy came to the rail to look. “Those aren’t dolphins.”
“What are they?”
“Sharks. It’s a herd of them. They may be eating before swimming to deeper water. It appears as though a storm is coming. Sharks can sense a change in barometric pressure and will head down deep where it is safer for them. Come away from the railing.”
“Can they jump up here?” I asked with wide eyes.
“I’m more worried about you slipping overboard. Come on.” She sat down and patted the seat beside her.
When Terre and Sparrow joined us, Tracy warned them about the sharks and the weather. I went down to our room to shower. Tracy had been correct. By lunchtime, a driving rain forced us from the deck and below. With the windows closed against the downpour, it was stuffy. We sat in darkness listening to the wind and rain. Then, the waves began to toss the boat. The four of us shared a meager meal and called it a night. I placed a pillow between us, so I wouldn’t drool on Terre in my sleep. It worked, but the tossing of the ship kept me from entering a sound sleep.
As morning edged closer, bile rose in my throat. I sat up and ran for the bathroom, falling to my knees in front of the waste unit. I threw up over and over. My retching woke Terre and had an ill effect on her. I could hear her being sick in the sink which made my own nausea even worse. I was sick over and over until only dry heaves wracked me. I pressed the button on the waste unit and turned on the shower. Making a cup of my hands, I rinsed out my mouth. I could hear Terre rinsing out the sink. The boat continued to lift and drop. Then, it would bounce from side to side.
Together, we left our room and sat with bottles of water and wet cloths over our eyes. Terre was moaning pathetically. When Sparrow and Tracy woke up, they didn’t offer to nurse us back to health because they were just as sick as we were.
“Could it be food poisoning?” Terre asked.
“From meal bars, fruit, rolls, and water? It’s doubtful,” Tracy said.
“We’re all seasick. Once the storm passes, we’ll be fine,” I promised.
I was a filthy rotten liar. The storm passed, and the ocean calmed. Still, we thought we were going to die. The four of us had returned to the deck. It was cooler once the rain had slowed to a steady downpour, and the waves had calmed. We had brought our pillows and blankets with us. Currently, the four of us were puking over the side of the boat. After I felt empty, I rinsed my mouth with bottled water and spit over the side. I felt sorry for the sharks for being forced to swim in what we had been doing. I helped Sparrow over to her lounger and covered her up.
“It’s the flu. It has to be the flu,” Tracy said. She was on her knees with her forehead pressed to the deck.
After I got her situated, I went to the bridge with the small vid-screen Rovek had given her and secured the door. I called him. He looked surprised to see me. “You win. You’re right. We’re wrong. Males are stronger. Blah, blah, blah. Bring Phillip. We’re all dying from the worst case of the flu ever. He may want to quarantine us. I don’t want the babies getting sick.”
“You’re ill?”
I saw him making another call. “We are all vilely ill. We thought it was food poisoning or the storm, but it’s got to be the flu. Just hurry. We really need help.” I hung up on him and made it to the deck in time to be sick again.
I could hear Tracy crying softly to herself, but I was too sick to help her. Every time the boat moved, I could taste the bile rising in my throat. Terre couldn’t take being on her lounger and instead had curled up on her side on the deck. When Sparrow crawled to the railing, I joined her. Then, my mind calmed, and I was cocooned in stillness and quiet. Collapsing into it, I slept.
When I regained consciousness, I was in my bed at Dario’s house with Yukihyo and Nico to either side of me. Yukihyo jumped off the bed and out of the way as I darted to the much nicer waste unit. I felt his hands holding my hair while I was sick again and again. Nico passed me a cup of cold water with which to rinse out my mouth. Then, Yukihyo carried me back to bed. Zared put a cold wet cloth on my head.
“Am I dying? Are we all dying?” I heard someone enter the room.
“You’re not dying, Cupcake.” Phillip took the cloth away from my eyes and smiled at me. He looked a little too happy in my opinion.
“What about my friends? Oh, stars, Phillip. I really am dying. Give me an injection. Anything. Just make it stop.”
“You, Terre, Tracy, and Sparrow are all perfectly healthy. There’s nothing to worry about.” He smiled happily at me.
“Phillip, go fuck yourself.”
He laughed at me and activated his scanner. “If you’ll look at the screen, I can show you the cause of your intestinal distress.”
An image appeared. Everything in my mind stilled. It was a scan of my uterus, and it wasn’t empty. “Phillip, is that a baby? Am I pregnant?” I touched the image and stared at it until it blurred. I wiped at my eyes.
“Indeed, you are, Cupcake. Congratulations. Rest. Relax. I’ll be back to check on you in a little while.” Phillip kissed my forehead and left me alone with eight grinning males.
I couldn’t keep my hands away from my stomach. I was pregnant. I had been so afraid that after losing Luca’s baby I wouldn’t be able to have another child. All of those deep fears came pouring out of me as I cried. Yukihyo held me to his chest.
“Is she alright? Is she in pain?” Dario asked in a panic.
“She’s happy,” Zared assured him. “I’ll run you a bath. You’ll feel better clean and in something more comfortable.”
Drex said, “Teagan, I brought you a cup of coffee.”
The smell of it hit me the wrong way. Yukihyo’s arms opened quickly as I darted from the bed. Dario got in my way, and dizziness as I tried to move around him made me collapse. Dario caught me before I could hit the floor which was good for me but bad for him when I threw up all over his crotch.
“I’m so sorry.” Tears streamed down my face.
“It’s alright, Teagan. Can you take her?” Dario asked.
Eli took me and helped me out of my clothing and into the tub. He ran a wash cloth over my face while Nico washed my hair.
Yukihyo said, “Take that away. She’ll only be able to handle sips of fizzy water for a few days.”
“I’m terribly sorry about this,” Drex said in a mortified tone. He returned with freezing cold fizzy water that I sipped from a straw.
Nico and Eli dried me off, and Fitz dressed me in a gown and put me back to bed. Zared towel dried and braided my hair. Then, Farowyn wrapped me in the safety of his arms and held me while I returned to sleep. All of my husbands still hovered in the room when I woke up again. Farowyn helped me sit up but kept me enclosed within the safety of his arms. Drex appeared with more freezing cold fizzy water which I thirstily sucked down. He rushed away to get me more.
“Do you think you could handle a few bites of anything?” Yukihyo asked.
No sooner had the thought of plain toasted bread entered my mind than Zared strode from the room to get it. I laid my head on Farowyn’s chest and closed my eyes.
The next day, I was feeling a little stronger and managed to keep down oatmeal and dry toast. I had gotten hugs and kisses from my babies along with a few minutes of their attention, but they were eager to go and play. They had lots of new cousins with whom to play, and there was no end to the amusements offered at the Galerius Estate. I had plenty of time to rest, recuperate, and think. My thoughts dwelled on my last pregnancy. I had to be careful and not engage in any type of stressful or strenuous activities.
“How are you feeling, Cupcake?” Phillip’s blue eyes twinkled at me.
“Better, but scared.”
Concerned, he asked, “Why are you scared?” He sat beside me on the bed and held my hand.
I took a few deep breaths before confiding in him my darkest fear. “I lost Luca’s baby. What if….”
Phillip kissed my hand. “Cupcake, I can assure you that this little nugget is snuggly in there, all burrowed in, and not going anywhere.”
His professional opinion helped to alleviate some of my fears.
“I’m thinking I should drop out of the Academy. I want to prove I can do it, and I want Neema to have opportunities, but I can’t risk this baby for a future she may not even want.”
Eli and Drex watched me in concern from where they sat across the room with their vid-screens.
Phillip became thoughtful. “I have an idea. The coursework would give you something to do. It’s the physical stress you need to avoid.” He pulled out his vid-screen and began tapping away at it. “There.”
“What did you do?”
“I wrote you a doctor’s excuse and forwarded it to Dr. Savelli, Praetor Galerius’ Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Fotri, and your Papa. If we can’t get you out of the physical training components of the program, we can appeal.”
“Thank you, Phillip. Where is Terre? Are they still sick?” I was kind of hurt that she, Tracy, and Sparrow hadn’t checked on me. Violet had been in and brought me a book to read before running off to keep Poppy and Kaoti quiet.
Phillip grinned. “I need to go check on them.”
“Is it the flu?”
“Nope.”
“Well, what’s wrong? I thought we all had the flu or food poisoning.”
Phillip laughed. “Nothing is wrong. You’re all perfect. Terre is perfect! I’m going to be a father! Xavier is going to be a father. Jazon is going to be a father. Your nine husbands are going to be fathers, again. Kaoti’s going to be a father, again. We’re all having babies! Now, I need to go check on our other mothers to be.”
“What?” I sat up. “Phillip!” Happy tears leaked out of my eyes.
“Yep. All of you are solidly knocked up. You should see Jazon. He’s a nervous wreck. It’s great.”
Yukihyo and Zared came in with trays and grinned at me. Zared said, “Every wife in this house is with child. It is a joyous time.”
My eyes locked onto Zared’s. “Whose child do I carry? Can you sense it?”
Zared laughed.
Yukihyo said, “We have decided that it will be more amusing if you do not know whose child you carry. Lady Wife, you will have to wait.” He grinned at me. “It will be something to look forward to discovering.”
“Know this. All of us love you, and the child you carry. He or she has the love of nine devoted fathers,” Zared said.
“Chirp!” Thunderdrop said from where he sat perched on my stomach.
Phillip kissed my forehead. “Okay. I’ve got rounds to make and more mothers on whom to check. I’ll be back.” He left.
Yukihyo, Nico, Fitz, Zared, Drex, Eli, Dario, or Farowyn could have fathered my child. It would be weeks before scans would tell me anything. “Did you know I was pregnant before I went with Rovek?”
“No,” Yukihyo and Zared answered at the same time.
“We would have warned you had we known, Lady Wife,” Yukihyo assured me.
I relaxed against the pillows. “Why am I experiencing the sickness so early?” No one answered my question. I began wondering how far along each of us was.
Eli said, “Teagan, we must warn you of something else.” Dread filled me, but before I could ask, Eli continued. “The Empress and the Lady Dacia know and are on their way here from Parvac.”
I asked, “Is that a bad thing?”
Zared said, “Not in my opinion. Neema will watch your every move and won’t allow you to lift a finger. You won’t argue with her as you do with us. To do so would devastate her. She is desperate to demonstrate her love for you.”
“Oh.”
I wondered if letting Momma fuss over me for a few months would help to mend her heart over the time that had been stolen from us. Zared and Yukihyo stood before me with trays of food and waited for me to indicate which light meal I would prefer. I chose the crackers and fizzy water over the potatoes and milk. Then, I gave up on insisting that I was capable of nibbling on crackers without assistance. Dario held one to my lips as if he were terrified it might hurt me. Drex stood nervously by with fizzy water. Farowyn was hounding Eli to share with him all resources concerning Parvac gestation, and Fitz had moved the blankets aside to rub my feet. Zared and Yukihyo exchanged mischievous smiles. I narrowed my eyes at the two of them, sure that they knew far more than they were saying.
The End