Damir
Firuza tricked me. I stormed past her and the guards to my guest chambers and she never tried to stop me or to explain herself. Firuza knew her actions were unforgivable. A son. She had a son. Pandora had already been mated. I growled and punched the walls of my guest chambers. She was already mated. Sickening thoughts about it swirled around my mind. I settled naked into the dirt, but I couldn’t sleep. The cool damp earth helped my scales in their recovery from the hunt, but I couldn’t shut my eyes and even when I slowed my metabolism for sleep, my mind wandered to the creature.
Firuza had been right, the creature was sentient. What was Uraz’s play here? Did he think I was so foolish as to never realize. I guess I wouldn’t have realized without Firuza. She’d certainly found her clever way of assuring I’d do her bidding.
Taurean mating instincts are too primal for logic or reason to override. We do not let our mates out of our dominions. If one’s mate is captured, you fight to the death over her. Our instincts leave us little choice in the matter.
After what happened, I’d have to take the creature, even if now in the aftermath of our tryst, I was ashamed. A man of Uraz’s status might have multiple mates, but for a trader, one mate was enough, and once I’d have her… I had to possess her.
Mine. The creature is mine. The thoughts thudded a tattoo against my skull. I eased myself out of the dirt quickly. I couldn’t get Pandora out of my mind. Firuza’s trick would have bigger consequences than she realized.
Once in a while when I managed to push thoughts of Pandora out of my mind, I would muse about Firuza and her trickery. There was no one more fearful of me than the alien, with her soft pink flesh, her long black hair and her grey eyes, such a peculiar color… She had no horns, no translucent skin, none of the simple pleasures of Taurean females. Yet, she aroused me like none other. She’d instigated our mating, whether or not she realized it. Firuza set us up for that and now there would be consequences.
My mind wandered like that for another hour or so until I was hungry again. I dressed again and stalked down the halls back to the dining room. The creature lay asleep in the glass cage and the guards returned to their posts, none the wiser over what had happened. My chest tightened when the alien female emitted a sudden snore. She had a son. I’d mated a claimed female.
In the kitchen I filled a gourd with scorpion flesh and scooped out every clump with my tongue until I was sated. I smelled Ozoda around the corner and I polished off my late night feed. She was veiled and surprised to see me.
“Damir. What are you doing creeping around at this hour?”
“Eating.”
I tried to walk past her and Ozoda pressed her hand to my chest, stopping me. I recoiled from her touch and a plume of steam puffed from my nostrils.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, “Damir, I must ask you something.”
“What?”
“I know you have mated to Firuza.”
At least that’s what they all believed. I folded my arms and nodded. Let them believe what they had to. I couldn’t exactly confess to my tryst with the alien.
“She will be a suitable wife,” I offered politely.
Ozoda scoffed, “You don’t believe that, do you?”
Before waiting for me to answer, she continued, “If I were you Damir, I would be careful. I know Taurean men underestimate us, but Firuza is like my father. She will do anything to get what she wants. She’s a trickster. I know most traders are fools, but it would be wise to have your wits about you.”
“Are we trading insults, Lady Ozoda?”
“Not at all, Damir. I’m warning you because I’ve fallen victim to my sister’s trickery myself. I do not wish the same fate to befall anyone else. She is ruthless.”
“And what about you? Slithering about in the middle of the night speaking ill of your family? What does that make you?”
Ozoda’s eyes gleamed and for a moment, I caught sight of them beneath her veil.
“I play the game of politics better than you, certainly. You have court with my father yet you focus on the short term — trade. If you were a smart man, you could be a commander, something more.”
“Not all of us have an interest in politics.”
“Yes, I suppose your only concern is women,” Ozoda scoffed, “Why you mated with Firuza then is beyond me. I mean… how did she… Never mind.”
“What do you mean?” I pressed.
“She cannot arouse a man’s attraction. Yet you brought it out of her. Maybe I am the one who has underestimated you. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Unless you’re just as much of a trickster as she is.”
“Good night, Ozoda. It isn’t proper for us to be speaking like this.”
“Especially since you’ve mated my sister,” Ozoda agreed, a twisted smirk crossing onto her face.
“Good night.”
In the morning, Firuza waited at my door with breakfast.
“You’d better not stay,” I grumbled.
“On the contrary. If father is to believe you’ve mated me, I must stay.”
“You knew what would happen yesterday, didn’t you?”
She shrugged.
“I might have guessed.”
“How am I going to get out of this? I mated an alien.”
“You wouldn’t be the first.”
“With her species? I would be.”
“What harm could come of it? I need a husband and you need to mate. The way I see it, this arrangement can work for all of us.”
I scowled. Firuza’s tune on our union had changed now that she knew it would get her off her father’s estate. Ozoda’s chilled warning to me the night before may have been worth heeding.
“You lied to me.”
“I misled you. And I couldn’t be sure it would happen anyway.”
“You’re lucky I don’t tell your father what you’ve done.”
“You wouldn’t do that.”
“Wouldn’t I?”
I pushed past her and stalked down the hallway. Firuza set down her tray and gathered her skirts, trailing behind me in the hall.
“Wait! Damir, wait!”
“Not now.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to put an end to this.”
Firuza grabbed my forearm, her claws sinking into the soft part of my flesh. I turned to face her with a raised brow.
“What are you going to say to my father?”
“Let go of my arm.”
“Please, Damir…”
I hissed, “Let go of me.”
Firuza released my forearm and pressed her back against the wall, crumpling to the ground slowly. The guards raced to her side. I marched toward her father’s offices, a glint in my eye. Firuza might have blindsided me with her little stunt but I’d do what she wanted and find a way to get my credits back too. I rapped on the door to Uraz’s office. He made me wait, even if he could smell me, as I could smell him.
Uraz pushed the door open once he was ready. He dressed in a black military tunic that fitted his form. A hint of a gut protruded forth. Uraz wore wealth well.
“What is it you want so early, Damir,” he huffed.
“I will take your offer. 95,000 credits for the two creatures.”
Uraz set down his glass of congealed wine.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“You will not even haggle me for them?”
“No. I won’t. But… I will also be taking your daughter.”
Uraz beamed.
“You and Firuza have mated, haven’t you.”
I cleared my throat to avoid lying and continued as if Uraz hadn’t said anything at all.
“I will take the three of them and be out of your scales today. I know you are a busy man.”
Uraz thumped me on the back.
“Very busy. But Damir, I will not forget this. You have always been a fair merchant and when the time comes, you will be rewarded.”
“Don’t tell me your plans for power are coming together so quickly?”
“Not quite yet my friend, but soon. And I always remember my friends.”
“Let’s finish the transaction,” I replied. I worried at first that Uraz might feel rushed, but his office was swamped with papers and I suspected he was more in a hurry than I.
He pulled out the device and I typed in the amount, pressing my thumb print to it. 95,000 credits transferred from my account to his. Uraz beamed, a thick plume of steam escaping his nostrils.
“I will have Oybik transport the creatures to your ship. I expect you will do the honor of taking my daughter with you.”
“Yes. She will need time to say goodbye.”
“Indeed. I’ll have her aboard by this afternoon.”
Uraz’s rested both his hands on my shoulder plates and he stared into my eyes before he uttered with sincerity, “The pleasure of business has made us closer.”
“The pleasure of business has made us closer,” I repeated, bending my horns in a low bow.
I took my leave of Uraz and waited around his estate until the afternoon. Ozoda avoided me, but I spoke with Sharif and Oybik, who had both grown fond of me due to the hunt. Firuza met me on the transportation pad. Her father teleported us to my ship where my two man crew awaited. Firuza dropped my arm once we were there.
“This is it then?” she replied, her gaze scanning my ship.
“Yes. Come with me…my mate.”
Firuza turned up her nose.
“Not yet. We need to discuss what happens next.”
“We need to discuss?”
“Yes. We do.”
She refused to move a step further.
“We have nothing left to discuss. I’m going to see the creature.”
“We have plenty to discuss.”
“No. We don’t. I’ll have Ammar take you to your room.”
“Damir!”
Ammar left the teleportation computer and took Firuza by the arm. She struggled and he tightened his grip.
“Unhand me! Let go of me! You are not family this is highly inappropriate!”
“Ammar, get her in her room and lock the door.”
I walked off and Ammar left with Firuza kicking and screaming down the other hallway. I’d deal with her later. Now that Uraz believed her to be my wife, I’d get a long way away from him before he found out what I’d done with his daughter.
I stalked down the halls with the other member of my crew, Coat’l.
“How’d it go, boss.”
“We’ll talk about it later.”
“You got the merch though?”
“Yes and no…”
His throat clicked as he replied, “Uraz pulled one of his usual tricks?”
“No. His daughter did.”
“Wait a minute… Did you…”
“We’re kidnapping Uraz’s daughter, yes.”
“Ul’Hud, do you really think this is a good idea?” Coat’l growled.
“No. It’s a bad idea. But we’ll discuss later. I want to see the merchandise.”
“Ammar did as you instructed and gave the creatures their own quarters.”
“Good. I’ll be on the bridge soon.”
“I’ll swing the ship around. Where are we headed next?”
“The Aries System. Put us somewhere near the nebula.”
Coat’l nodded and left me to the business of finding Pandora in her quarters. I smelled her before I knew which door Coat’l had placed her behind. A hot surge of rage surged through me as I realized that my men had likely seen her unclothed. I pressed my hand to the door.
“Pandora, are you in here?”
They’d left the gold pin in her hair so even if we weren’t on the ship, I could understand her.
“Yes. I am. Barney’s with me.”
“May I am come in.”
“Neither of us are clothed.”
“Let me bring you robes.”
I touched the panel to the left of the door and two sets of robes appeared. I couldn’t begin to imagine how large her son was. I hoped the robes would fit. The doors slid open. They’d been given beds like I’d requested, so at least mother and son both had sheets pulled up over their bodies and their room was similar to what you’d find amongst other mammalian aliens.
“Can he understand me?”
I didn’t know if their foreign language would be easy for my ship’s translator as we only had a humble trading vessel.
Pandora shook her head, “Sorry. He can’t. I’ll explain everything to him.”
I handed her the robes for him.
“Those are for him.”
Pandora rushed over to the other bed where her son cowered beneath covers. She spoke to him, and I could understand her words perfectly. Yet when her son spoke, the voice was high-pitched like a desert rat. Maybe he was screaming.
I stared at the tiny pink face and the crop of onyx colored hair that sat in a bowl shape on his head. Is was pin straight, with none of the curls or tangles you’d see on a normal head.
Whenever the child’s gaze wandered over to me, he squeaked and trembled and his mother soothed his head. My mate… I walked over to her and grabbed her arm.
“Put your robes on. And your veil.”
She turned to me sharply and shook my hand away, “Don’t grab me like that. You’re scaring him.”
“I didn’t mean to scare the child.”
She snatched the tunic from my hand and slipped into it, shedding the blanket once the black dress hugged her in.
“This is… restrictive,” she said, shimmying around in it.
“I got you a veil.”
I placed the black veil on her head but then she thrashed about like a moth, fluttering and agitated and stuck.
“Get that off me! I’m not going to wear it!”
I affixed it properly so her rage filled eyes could stare at me through the slits.
“It is better this way. You cannot be exposed around strange men.”
“I think I get to decide whether or not I’m exposed.”
She lifted her veil and tossed it to the side. A plume of steam escaped me.
“You must wear it. You are my mate and you must wear the veil.”
“Why? Because you say so?” She replied, folding her arms and cocking her hips.
“Yes.”
“You can’t make me.”
“This is not a debate, Pandora.”
“You’re right. It isn’t. It’s my body, my choice.”
She stomped on the veil. I grabbed her by the arm and thrust her up against the wall holding her firmly but not so tightly it would hurt.
“You must listen to me. Obey. Wear the veil or you will be stuck in this room. I cannot allow you around other males.”
She hissed, “I won’t wear it.”
Blood rushed into my head. My chest throbbed with rage and thick plumes of steam exiting my nostrils were hotter with anger.
“I don’t care how angry you are,” she hissed, “You will not control me.”
I let go of her arm. She shook it off as if I’d been squeezing hard, which I hadn’t. She glared at me.
“Suit yourself,” I replied coolly, “You will stay here until you learn to wear it.”
“Fine. I don’t care. Leave,” she called after me.
I walked through the door, heat pulsing in my chest. I thought Firuza was an insolent woman, but this female had to be the most stubborn I’d ever met. Couldn’t she see the danger in being around males unveiled? She’d seen what happened to the two of us once we were left alone together. She underestimated the power of Taurean males. Infuriating. My tail flicked with frustration as I returned to the bridge where the other two members of my crew awaited me. I couldn’t afford to show them I’d been unable to get a small mammalian female to bend to my will.
Ammar kicked back in the captain’s chair, his feet resting on my console. Coat’l paced in front of the console, blocking out the view screen that was a panacea of white points as we sailed past.
“The female tells us you’ve made a bum deal,” Coat’l grumbled, “That can’t be true sir, can it?”
“No. It isn’t true.”
“Then the creatures aren’t sentient.”
“They are,” I muttered, staring at my men and waiting for them to make the foolish choice to defy me.
Ammar stopped swinging in the chair and he planted his feet on the ground, his back straight and stiff.
“What do you mean?” He said slowly, anger bubbling beneath the surface.
Coat’l despite his pacing was more nervous than angry.
“Uraz made an attempt to trick me. He sold me sentient life forms under the pretense that I could mate them and sell the most exotic creatures in our sector at an astronomical price. He knows pet trade is forbidden for sentient life forms and he knows that I could never sell a true alien’s hand in marriage especially when she’s already been mated. He failed to mention that the creatures are related and no such sale could be made.”
“But the credits transfer went into his account!” Coat’l exclaimed finally.
“Yes. I made the transfer.”
Coat’l growled, steam filling the room, “What were you thinking, Damir? You let that vile buffoon get one over on you?”
Steam filled the room along with our hot tempers, only growing hotter. I longed for cool dirt and a few minutes rest.
“You men aren’t thinking clearly,” I replied with a smirk, “I brought back something even more valuable.”
I waited for the two imbeciles to puzzle it out. They looked from one to the other and then they shrugged.
“Come on, think. I mean Firuza. Uraz’s first daughter…We can sell a marriage contract to her.”
“Isn’t she your mate?”
“No. She isn’t.”
“But I thought — Coat’l started.
“It was a trick, you fool!” Ammar boomed.
He got up and thumped me on the back, pressing his skull to mine as he held my shoulder ridges.
“You brilliant, brilliant man!”
He pulled away and I enjoyed my victory. A smile even crept onto Coat’l’s face.
“A female like that, from her stock… why a man would pay 400,000 credits or more for a marriage contract!”
Steam exited his nostrils as he began to guffaw along with Ammar. I put one arm over Ammar’s back and gestured for Coat’l.
“Boys, we need to find a husband for Uraz’s little princess. But we can’t do it in our sector. We’ve got to go far… amongst the devils.”
“I think we’re ready for it,” Ammar hissed, a greedy look creeping up onto his face.
Coat’l edged his way out from under me and rushed to the console where he punched in our destination.
“Give me the co-ordinates then.”
“Contact Baneb,” I ordered, “It’s time I get in touch with the old brute again.”
