The Parvac Emperor's Daughter (The Space Merchants Book 3) Page 5

  One of the two commanders of Ephor’s military base asked, “Princess Probus, how may I be of service?” I recognized him. He had shown up at the gym when the Militia and Parvac soldiers had needed to settle their differences.

  Nervously, I said, “Hello, sir. I have a problem that I hope you will help me with if it’s not too much trouble. I know you’re very busy, and this is a personal matter.”

  “Every soldier under my command and four warships are at your disposal, your highness.”

  Shocked, I said, “Well, it’s nothing like that.” I glanced down at my hands and then looked up again forcing myself to continue. “On my first trip to Ephors, I was terrified. Maybe you remember.” I blushed. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore. I called to ask if it would be okay for me to take that tour now.”

  He looked surprised. “Yes, of course. Emperor Probus informed me that he would be on a fishing trip this week. Do you wish to have your tour of the base when he returns?”

  “No, sir. I need to do this on my own. I don’t need any formality either. May I visit tomorrow?”

  “Yes, Princess. What time do you wish for me to pick you up?”

  “I don’t. I’ll meet you there after breakfast. Unless you have been ordered otherwise, could you not tell Papa and Nico about this? I need to do this for me without being coddled.”

  “I understand. You are welcome at any time.” He inclined his head to me, and I ended the call. I blushed when I realized that I had called him while wearing my gown from my bed.

  After an amazing dinner, I thanked Max. “I hope you remember how you made this. It’s my new favorite thing. Now, if you could learn to make spring rolls and egg drop soup, I would be the happiest woman on Ephors.” Max, the stocky retired soldier who my papa had hired as my chef, seemed gratified by the praise of his culinary skill.

  “This really was quite excellent,” Dr. Fotri agreed. Dr. Fotri and I had enjoyed a very quiet dinner together, and I hoped the palace physician had forgiven me for my behavior with the snowball.

  That night as I studied the different weapons feudal Parvac warriors had used in battle for the class I was taking, I read aloud to Neema using different voices to amuse her. As an added benefit, describing the uses of a double-headed axe in a high pitched squeaky voice made it less disturbing. Once Neema went to sleep, I went to sleep as well. Thunderdrop and Cass watched over me from above the little roof at the top of my headboard in their web.

  The next morning, I bathed and dressed determined to accomplish my mission. I braided my hair. I found a pair of soft warm pants with a non-constricting wide elastic waistband. To them, I added a white shirt, a long thick sweater, and the boots Yukihyo had made me. I laid the coat he had made me to match on my bed. I dressed Neema just as warmly. Then, downstairs I had pancakes with bananas for breakfast.

  “Ira, will you please pull my transport around for me? Pierce, will you put Neema’s seat and stroller in my transport?” They exchanged looks but did as I had asked.

  “Where are you off to?” Dr. Fotri asked. He had the same dark brown eyes and hair as Papa, and I knew my every action would end up in a report.

  Sighing in resignation, I said, “I’m going to try and overcome my fear of Parvac soldiers. I’m visiting the base. You can come with us if you want.”

  “I will go. However, if I think the stress is too much for you, we will leave.”

  “Okay.”

  We put on our coats before walking out to the transport. Pierce secured Neema into her seat. I took the bag with her toiletries from him. “Pierce, please help Lorca with Thunderdrop and Cass. We’ll be back in a little while.”

  “Yes, Princess.”

  Dr. Fotri moved toward the driver’s side. “Excuse me, sir. I intend to drive.” His eyebrows went up, but he held the door open for me and didn’t argue. We drove in silence except for Neema’s sounds of amusement at the tinkling of the rattle she shook. As I drove along the snowy forest lined road, I pushed my fears aside. These weren’t the soldiers who had abducted me on Naxa or hunted us down on Arachne for assisting Captain Espanoza during the battle above Malta. These soldiers had helped rescue Hiroshi and Simon, helped my friends relocate from Malta and then married them, stoically taken taunts so as not to upset me, and been nice to me when I had shopped. I took a deep breath. We weren’t stopped at the military base’s entrance. Instead, soldiers stood at attention and saluted as we drove past. The commanders and a few officers indicated where I should park. The commander to whom I had spoken opened my door for me. I thanked him and moved to take Neema from her seat. Dr. Fotri stayed near me. I held her upright with her head near my shoulder. She proceeded to take a firm grip on my braid and yanked it hard enough to move my head. Then, she let out a joyous yell and bounced in my arms while kicking her feet. We decided to leave her stroller in the transport.

  “Ow, Neema.”

  “Princess, we are deeply honored by your visit,” the commander said.

  “It was kind of you to allow it on such short notice.”

  “You are always welcome, Princess.”

  I recognized two of the officers. Silvie had married one and Annette the other. I smiled and said hello to them. They had been to my house for lunch. After an hour of touring the base, I was proud of myself for not having a panic attack.

  “I am curious about something.”

  “I would be happy to explain any aspect of our operations to you, your highness,” the commander assured me.

  Shifting Neema to my other side, I said, “Well, all of the weapons and technology you’ve shown me are intriguing, but personally, I’m curious as to how all of these uniforms stay so clean. What do the cleaning units look like?”

  They took us to the largest laundry room I had ever seen. Five soldiers wearing unadorned black shirts and pants loaded the contents of individual bags of soiled laundry into large cleaning units. The soldiers came to attention when we entered. Approaching one of the soldiers, I asked him how many bags he cleaned a day. He told me that during their five hour shifts, they each cleaned a hundred loads. There were shifts around the clock in the laundry room. I complimented him on how clean and well-organized everything was. Seeing the terrifying Parvac soldiers engaged in such a mundane activity in which I was well versed, made me feel better.

  The commanders invited Dr. Fotri and me to lunch. That made me nervous. Noticing, the commander said, “Princess, if you have grown tired, we understand.”

  “No, that’s not it. It’s just that the last time I entered a base cafeteria, Nico junior didn’t like it. Dr. Fotri, will you hold Neema just in case?”

  “I finally get a turn?” he asked. Neema had him wrapped around her tiny finger in seconds.

  The commander gave me his arm. “Sir, if I squeeze your arm, I’m about to be sick.” He grinned at me. We walked inside to a private dining area. To be safe, I ordered mashed potatoes and fizzy water. Luckily, I survived without incident. After lunch, we were escorted to my transport, and I drove us home.

  Pierce met us in front of the house. After opening my door, he took Neema inside and up for her nap. Dr. Fotri and I celebrated with coffee and cake.

  “I did it. Thank you for coming with me.”

  With an incline of his head in my direction, Dr. Fotri said, “You did very well today.”

  Upstairs in my room, I began to change. Once I had freed myself of the pants, I rubbed at the skin of my stomach. I had thought the pants would be comfortable. I was wrong. Comfort was the gown I slipped into. I completed my reading for the day. Then, I slept. Abbie woke me a few hours later.

  “I hope you don’t mind. I invited us over for dinner.” I hugged her.

  “I’m very happy to see you.” Abbie sat in bed with me, and I told her about my accomplishment.

  “I’m proud of you. I know that took a great deal of effort. I remember how terrified you were on our first trip here.” Abbie’s arms were around me, and I rested my head on her shoulder.

  �
��I’ve decided not to be afraid of Parvac soldiers anymore. I’m tired of being afraid. I’ve been afraid all of my life. First, I was afraid of my father, the imposter Nathan Green. I’ve been afraid of being abandoned and losing the people I love which is probably Nathan Green’s fault. He murdered my mother, but told me she left because she couldn’t stand me and didn’t love or want me. Also, I’m tired of feeling like I need permission for everything I do and being controlled. I have to find myself. Right now, it’s like I’m a spiderling adrift on an air current.”

  “Maybe you should concentrate on things that give you control.”

  “I need to figure out what those are.”

  Abbie had brought Orson and Eli Beck with her. Together with Dr. Fotri, we had a nice dinner. After they left, I swam in my pool and went to bed. The next morning as I dressed, I looked at all of the white in my closet. “I don’t like wearing all white all of the time.” I found Pierce and Neema. “We are going shopping.”

  We visited each shop that sold maternity clothes. I bought things in bright cheerful colors with shoes to match. Then, we went to the art exhibit, and I bought the painting of the mother bird protecting her nest for my bedroom. When we returned home, I changed into a dark blue long-sleeved dress and soft matching shoes. I wore my opal necklace from Yukihyo. Then, I sat in my living room and completed my history class. I browsed through the course offerings. I selected an introductory zoology course. By the time Abbie and Orson showed up for dinner, I was feeling quite pleased with myself. Later that evening when Neema had gone to sleep, to my delight I discovered the class began with Parvacian rodents. Thunderdrop and Cass blinked at the pictures of the different types as though they were menu items. Then, they chirped at one another.

  After breakfast and a swim with Neema, I dressed in a vibrant pink floor length V-necked dress and my pink and blue diamond necklace from Yukihyo. I wore my hair up in a ponytail. Dr. Fotri played with Neema and said silly things to her and made faces to make her laugh. Thunderdrop and Cass were trying to knock over their toy punching bag. Chaos descended. Two transports full of ice fishermen and one woman returned.

  “Lady wife, you look beautiful and cheerful,” Yukihyo said as he pulled me against his chest and kissed me.

  “Thank you. I enjoyed spending some quiet time with Neema and Dr. Fotri. How was your trip?”

  If it hadn’t been for his big grin, his clear milky white eyes could have answered for him. He couldn’t give me a verbal answer because once Neema sensed his presence, she began screaming for him. He laughed and took her from a disappointed Dr. Fotri. Once she had him and had been kissed and snuggled, she became content. “Do I need to scream and cry to get another kiss?” Yukihyo kissed me too. Neema gave a gleeful yell and kicked her feet.

  Cass jumped to Simon’s chest and chirped at him. “So, Teagan spoiled you and let you sleep on her bed while I was gone?”

  I shrugged. Nico kissed me, and Papa gave me a hug.

  Even though they had enjoyed the visit, Hiroshi and Simon were eager to return to Arachne. Since Violet wanted to return home as well, Papa granted Kaoti permission to travel with them and to assist Hiroshi on the bridge with weapons, Yukihyo’s job. Simon had learned to perform Phillip’s bridge duties. Deeply, I regretted not being able to go with them. The captain who had provided passage for the ladies from Malta volunteered to serve as an escort for Tora. First, however, we were returning to Parvac. Yukihyo had filled our warehouse for Hiroshi and had provided an accounting of the credits we had invested in the cargo. I was confident Hiroshi would double it. I had begged Hiroshi to bring me food from the Sun Palace upon his return. He grinned and grunted at me.

  A few days later, once I was back in my wing at the palace, Otto helped me put my new colorful wardrobe away. Papa hadn’t criticized my departure from white. Today, I wore a deep purple dress and black leather jacket with matching black flats. Parvac wasn’t as cold as Ephors had been, but it was still winter. Eliot’s black pearls were around my neck, and the matching ring was on my finger. Papa did raise an eyebrow at my attire. I winked at him. Papa had people to see and business to conduct.

  “Lady wife, I promised mother that I would visit once we returned. May I bring Neema with me?”

  “Yes, she should be okay for a few hours.” Yukihyo allowed Pierce to go along with them.

  Nico pulled me onto his lap in my sitting room. He had been proud of me for facing my fears and for completing my second class. Eric and Phillip had gone to the Hadrian. Nico guarded me jealously from Quaid who had remained behind. I snuggled my face between Nico’s neck and chin. He was warm and strong. Nico rested his hand over junior. Quaid’s frustration amused Nico.

  “General Cassian, might I have some time alone with our wife?”

  “Darling, do you wish to spend time with Commander Bosh?” I shrugged. Nico lifted me from his lap to sit beside him. Then, he kissed my forehead, gave Quaid a look of warning, and walked from my wing.

  Quaid began to pace. “You’re making me dizzy. Come sit down by me.” Less than a second passed before he had accepted my invitation to sit to my left. I didn’t love Bosh. I had and still did find him to be very attractive. Wanting him had made me ashamed of myself. Over the last few weeks, I had become less wary of him. I pulled my feet and knees up and leaned against him. I pulled his right arm over me. Thunderdrop rolled his ball down the hall.

  “The Hadrian will depart soon. It may be weeks before I see you again.” Quaid’s left arm was around me now, too.

  My attraction to Quaid Bosh had caused me to feel a great deal of shame and anger. Now, through our father’s negotiations and arrangements, we were married. I realized that I didn’t have to feel ashamed of wanting him now. I ran my fingers along his and made a decision.

  “Come with me to my bedroom.”

  I felt his arms and side become tense. Quaid stood, picked me up, and carried me to my room. He closed the doors with his foot and placed me on my feet by the bed. I pulled his shirt over his head and ran my fingers through the blonde hair covering his chest. I kissed the jaw and neck that had first filled me with desire for him. While I had been touching him, he had worked to remove my clothing. Quaid pulled back the covers, picked me up, and placed me under them. Then, he joined me. His lips found mine. I slid my hand down his body and closed my hand around him. Quaid groaned and throbbed against my palm. As his tongue found mine, he sent pleasure spiraling through me. A gasp escaped me. Holding himself carefully away from me, he nudged my thighs apart with his knee. He sent waves of pleasure through me with each touch of his tongue. He found me with his fingers, and I moaned. I ran my foot along his calf and up. Then, I wrapped my legs around him. He entered me slowly sending pleasure through me until I screamed with it. Gripping him with my thighs, I moved against him. Each time he drove forward, I climaxed. I caught his eyes with mine and sent him all of my feelings of lust and desire.

  “Teagan!” Quaid shouted my name with his release and stared into my eyes in shock. “What did you just do to me?”

  I smiled and bit him on the jaw. “The same thing you just did to me.”

  In surprise, he said, “You did. Women can’t do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “Pull pleasure through a male.”

  I gave him a slow smile and thought back to how much I had wanted him on the beach when I had seen him without his shirt. Quaid’s eyes closed as he surged forward and shuddered a second time. He opened his eyes and met mine. I sent my feeling to him of the moment with him buried inside of me with his hairy blonde chest damp from exertion, and his corded arms bulging as he held himself off of my stomach. He shuddered again. He slipped from me and laid boneless beside me. I ran my fingers through his hair and kissed his bottom lip. I moved my hands over his chest and felt his pounding heart under my palm.

  “Please, no more. Let me rest.”

  “Oh, Quaid. Now, you sound like Yukihyo. So, how many times did I give you pleasure with my thoughts husband?” I
ran my hand down his inner thigh and the soft crinkling hairs there.

  “Three times. Women can’t do that.”

  “Parvac women must be able to. I wonder how close I need to be to you for it to work. You could be standing on the bridge.” I moved my hands away from him and pulled the covers over me. “I could exit the lift and think about having you inside of me.” Quaid shuddered again. I straddled him.

  “Look at me.” He opened his heavy lids. I could see triangles of white in the inner and outer corners of his eyes. “Your eyes do change. It’s getting late. We should get cleaned up. Neema will be home soon. Join me?”

  I felt victorious. I was not Quaid’s sexual puppet. I could pull his strings just as hard as he pulled mine. I could be a shark, too. I wanted to see if it would work on Yukihyo or if I could even reproduce the effect. Quaid looked at his eyes in my bathroom mirror and seemed shocked to have a white visible sclera. “Aren’t you going to wash my back, Quaid?” He followed.

  We were in my sitting room enjoying coffee when Eric and Phillip returned. Quaid had been quiet and subdued. Eric said, “Quaid, are you alright? You act like you got hit with a tranc-dart.”

  “I’ve never been better, sir.”

  Eric turned to me. I gave him a sweet little shark grin of my own. “Teagan, not that it’s any of my business, but is everything okay here?”

  “Everything is perfect. Isn’t it, Quaid?”

  “Yes!” Quaid grinned at me. I smiled and sipped my coffee. Phillip and Eric exchanged looks. An agitated Yukihyo strode in with a wailing princess. He gave her to me, and I promptly put her to my breast. Pierce appeared only a bit less frazzled.

  “Give me a square for her nose.” Yukihyo put one in my hand.

  “She screamed all the way here from mother’s house. Nothing we did soothed her.”

  “Poor Neema. Did you get hungry? Did daddy learn his lesson not to run off without mommy? Silly daddy.”

  Yukihyo observed Quaid. “Are you alright?”

  Quaid grinned at him and said, “Yes, sir.”

  “Let’s get you to the infirmary,” Phillip said. I laughed as he and Eric took Quaid away.