Gigi (11 page)

“Briq!” They came together, his tail wrapping around her waist, caressing the brand. She’d asked him about it earlier, but he’d distracted her.

* * * *

Hours later, they walked into med bay with sappy grins plastered on their faces. Briq didn’t care if everyone knew what they’d been doing. It’d been beautiful just as every other time they’d made love as she called it. Xy gave him a knowing look he chose to ignore. He was too frackking happy to care.

When the Glaxians had threatened to override their locks, Briq had finally decided to come out. If someone could, he was sure it would be them. Frackking, meddlesome bunch.

“Greetings, Bah—”

“Briq, this is my mate, Gigi, from Earth” He cut the Glaxian off with an impatient wave of his hand. Briq didn’t like longwinded greetings and hated protocols.

I’m called Ju’nii. This is my assistant, Ha’an. If you’d stand before the scanner we can begin.”

“No, I can wait. According to Mor’u, T’zaal repaired her heart. I want to make sure he did. He also fitted her with a combination translator bio-tracker. I want it removed.”

“There’s no need for us to wait. We can scan both of you at the same time. Based on our preliminary readings, the next rage could permanently mutate you.” The Glaxians could be very persistent when they put their minds to it. This time it wouldn’t work, because Briq’s protective instincts took over.

“I understand the risks, but I want her examined first.”

“Briq, I feel fine. Please allow them to scan you.”

Briq knew the thought of him mutating completely scared her. She feared losing him forever. He opened his mind, letting her feel his love.

“Mor’u, I need to know you’re no longer in danger. If you are, then the Glaxians can heal you. Can you do this for us?”

“Very well, I’ll go first, but then it’s your turn and I don’t want to hear any excuses. Promise?”

“I give you my word.” He kissed her, then turned to the Glaxians and handed them the data pad containing all of Gigi’s readings. “You may proceed, but I warn you, harm her in any way and I’ll kill you.”

“We’ll take good care of her. All the information regarding humans is in our databanks thanks to Ounna and Onno’e. Glaxian ships sync with each other every week, but it’s good to have a baseline to compare. Lady Gigi, please come stand before the holo-scan.” Ju’nii waved toward it.

“Don’t be scared, Mor’u. It’ll not harm you.” He tried to sound reassuring while tamping down his fears. What if T’zaal had lied? A couple minutes later the holo-scan bleeped. The Glaxians looked at them with their usual stoic faces.

“Well, did he fix her?” he asked impatiently

“Yes, but she still needs time to recover.” Ju’nii answered in the usual Glaxian monotone voice.

“Can you remove the bio-tracker?” Getting straight answers from them was like getting credits out of a Protectorate repository.

“Yes, we’ll remove and replace it with one of our own.”

“I’m forever indebted to you. We’ll be on our way to the badlands as soon as the procedure is completed.”

“I’m afraid we can’t allow you to take her.”

“Excuse me?” Who the frackk gave them the right to talk him like that? “Look, I’m grateful for your help, but not even you can keep me away from my mate.”

“You can’t take her to the badlands. She’s going to need our help if you want her to survive.”

“You said she was healed. You gave me your word you’d remove the tracker.”

“And we will, but the badlands is no place for her.”

“Why the frackk not?”

“Because she’s pregnant, Lord Bah-Troy,” Ju’nii replied stoically.

Chapter Nine

Conspiracy

Gigi’s mood fluctuated between boundless joy, abject fear or anger. Briq’s rage was child’s play compared to her outbursts. They’d met up with the
Fy’kul
because Briq wanted the Glaxians to examine her heart. He didn’t trust T’zaal’s claim of healing her.

Her first reaction after learning about Amada had been jealousy, then surprise. Another woman from Earth had been taken by the Kreeh-nosh. Apparently, the girl was mated to the most powerful warrior in Pendo’rah. The shuttle they now traveled in was payment for her safe return.

Meeting the Glaxians was interesting, to say the least. You’d never catch any of them without their handheld scanners. After a brief introduction, they were taken to their med bay. Briq refused to go first, and led her to one of the holo scanners. He wanted her bio-tracker gone, fearing the Kreeh-nosh could track her again.

 After what seemed an eternity, the Glaxians turned around. Ju’nii told them her heart had been repaired, but she still needed medical attention. She was pregnant. The look on Briq’s face still confused her. He looked both surprised and fearful.

“Briq?”

“Yes, Mor’u.” There was a catch in his voice.

“Is she telling the truth? I’m having a baby?”

“It. They’re not defined by gender. Glaxians are neither male nor female. But yes, it’s telling the truth.”

“Lady Gigi, I assure you my scans are accurate.”

“Oh, Briq, we’re going to have a child. I’m so happy” She missed half of the conversation after her translator was removed. There’d been tension in the room, something she’d missed. Every time she broached the subject, he’d distract her with sex. It was that good…his tail was frisky.

Her days rushed by in a series of medical scans, mind-blowing sex, more scans and sleep. When she wasn’t in bed, she liked to stroll around both ships. The Glaxians and their ship fascinated her.

They were a race of highly evolved plants whose ship was bio-mechanical. She couldn’t help noticing how beautiful and ethereal they were. Their skin was translucent, varying in colors from pink, yellow and blue.

Two weeks after announcing her pregnancy, they dropped the big one. Briq and Xy came with her to med bay for her daily scans. Ju’nii ran them twice, telling them it wanted to be sure.

“Is there something wrong with the baby, Ju’nii?” She was afraid because Briq wasn’t human. What if the baby wasn’t developing right?

“No, Lady Gigi, everything is progressing along as it should…”

“And?” she asked impatiently when Ju’nii paused in midsentence. Talk about flair for the dramatics.

“We’ve confirmed you’re having what your people refer to as multiple pregnancy.”

“Are you…never mind, of course you’re sure.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Briq gave her a confused look.

“Briq, don’t you know what that means?” Gigi thought it was weird he didn’t know anything about babies. He sure knew how to make them.

“No, Mor’u, I’m afraid my knowledge of younglings is limited.”

“It means I’m carrying more than one baby.”

“Actually, you’re carrying two.” Ju’nii interjected matter-of-factly. The only sign of its excitement was the constant adjustments it made to the handheld scanner.

Briq’s loud roar left her ears ringing for hours. The next thing, she was lifted off the floor, his tail curled protectively around her belly. The depth of his feelings humbled her completely. Who needed undying declarations of love when you shared a soul?

* * * *

A couple days later, they received the distress signal. A Kreeh-nosh colony had attacked a Jog’nafan settlement. Many had been taken prisoners and others killed. The survivors had escaped and needed assistance. The Glaxians broke orbit and went to intercept the damaged ship.

Gigi came looking for Briq, sensing how angry he was about the course change. He didn’t want to endanger her or the babies. Who were these Jog’nafans? Why did he consider them so dangerous? He told her to stay away, even asking Rag’mar to seal their quarters. Under normal circumstances Gigi would’ve stayed put, but her pregnancy made her more aggressive.

Her sex drive was off the charts. She was always horny. Briq was already gone when she woke up, struggling to breathe. She had the overpowering urge to tear up the place until she realized it was Briq’s emotions. That’s how she found out the truth about his chemical addiction.

What she attributed to hormones was in fact the bond between them. His feelings were now hers and vice versa. When the Glaxians decided to help the Jog’nafans, Briq’s rage threatened to overtake him. He’d protected her as best he could by doubling the amount of inhibitor he usually took. Seeing him maglocked to the wall was so upsetting she screamed her head off.

* * * *

Briq tried to keep calm when the Jog’nafan came on board. Nothing worked against the surge of protectiveness he felt. Xy tried to help by engaging him in battle practice. They battled until they couldn’t stand on their feet.

Other times he avoided Mor’u, taking a shuttle to scout for danger. He tried to put distance between them, afraid the arousal she felt would overpower what little control he had. He couldn’t risk her or the babies by getting too rough. When nothing worked, he resorted to the inhibitor.

The Glaxians left him no choice but to help the survivors. He warned them to keep them on their ship. He didn’t want their kind near her. He’d returned from a scouting run to find a Jog’nafan male close to his quarters. His rage erupted like a living thing. He sliced the male open in one single plunge of a spike. The reality of what he’d done so close to their quarters was too much. He stumbled blindly into the
Fy’kul’s
med bay with Xy close behind.

“Lord Bah-Troy, is there something wrong with Lady Gigi?” Ju’nii asked, approaching them with concern.

“Don’t call me that. My name is Briq.” He growled, barely aware of Xy handing him the inhibitor. The restrains came next. Xy knew without them Briq would attack. Ju’nii activated the scanners, protesting against them, stating they weren’t necessary.

Briq allowed it to take a sample of the inhibitor to run a detailed analysis. His skin felt like molten lava. The inhibitor barely contained his rage. The Glaxians stopped Xy from giving him another dose, claiming it’d do more harm.

“We have the preliminary results. Your body is flooded by the hormone that causes a defense response. Did something happen to provoke your current state?”

“Mate in danger…” He gasped, pain lacing through his body. “Must not allow Jog’nafan close…he was too close…she’s mine!”

“Briq what did you do?” Ju’nii asked.

“Kill…Jog’nafan, must die…too close to mate,” he ranted “I took her…she’s mine.”

Briq told them how he came back from the scout mission eager to see his mate. He’d felt her pain and confusion. He hated deceit of any kind. His mate deserved to know the truth. Coming clean about his addiction was the right thing to do. He owed her that and much more.

Every nerve ending had tingled. He’d sensed the threat of looming danger. A male Jog’nafan had sniffed the air near his quarters. He’d tried to stay calm by breathing deeply. He hadn’t wanted to alarm Mor’u. He’d felt her slumbering behind the doors.

“You must leave this ship at once. You’re not authorized to be on board.”

“I don’t take orders from you, mutant freak.” The male Jog’nafan had snorted derisively.

“This is my ship. I’m ordering you to leave now.”

“I smell a female. Her scent is very rich. I’ve never scented her kind before. Is she for sale?”

“She’s not your concern. Leave now.”

The Jog’nafan had ignored his warnings and had headed for the door. The rage had been instant. It hadn’t had its usual slow build up. He’d just sliced him up, forgetting his mate rested on the other side of the door. After recovering enough sense, he’d called Xy for help.

After disposing of the body, Xy had brought him to med bay. Talking about it triggered his rage anew. The Glaxians refused to give him more of the inhibitor, fearing it’d do more harm. He knew Mor’u was close by. Briq didn’t want her to see him like this. Too late to warn them, he heard her horrified scream.

“What the hell are you doing to him? Let him go right now,” she demanded and rushed to his side.

“Mor’u, you shouldn’t be here. Xy, please take her back to our quarters.”

“If you touch me, so help me god, I’ll cut your head off.”

Briq was so proud when she took a protective stance in front of him, her arms wide open. He was humbled by her selfless love and vowed to beat this addiction with everything he had.

“It’s not what you think. They’re trying to help me. You need to return to our quarters. I’ll explain later.”

“Do you actually think I’m going to leave you like this? I can feel your agony to the very core of my soul. Putting distance between us doesn’t ease the pain.”

“I think you should tell your mate everything, my friend. She’s stronger than you think.”

Briq turned his gaze from Gigi to Xy and back. His friend was right. She had the right to know all about him. He closed his eyes he and told her the truth, even who he really was. From his days as a warrior to his capture and torture at the hands of T’zaal. He told her everything and felt a heavy weight lift off his soul.

She wrapped her arms around him as she sang softly. Her hands were a warm balm on his skin. A soft rumble escaped his lips as gentle fingers traced the brand around his waist. Briq knew what the markings were. Their mating didn’t follow Pendo’rahn tradition, but the goddess had still branded them. Even with his altered DNA, even if the brand was in an unusual place, the symbols were those of his family.

“These readings are incredible,” the Glaxian exclaimed.

“What are you talking about, Ju’nii?” Briq slurred as he relaxed under Gigi’s gentle caress.

“According to the bio-scan, Gigi’s presence has a calming effect on your rage.”

“I suspected as much, but didn’t dare hope.” He recounted how her voice had resonated inside him. Every time he heard it, a feeling of peace spread over him. He hadn’t thought about it at the time. Getting her away had been more important.

Looking back, he remembered other creatures’ similar reactions. Some had even fallen asleep. When he’d fought T’zaal after her recapture, he’d lost all restraint. The rage had been so intense it’d triggered another mutation. He would’ve been lost. Her voice had brought him back.