Collateral Trade (9 page)

Most of the young women were holding hands with a friend and crying quietly. A few were sobbing hysterically, and three cowered in Security restraints for trying to escape into the ship. “Security C,” Sandy ordered calmly.

Young women watched in silence as the attempting escapees screamed and fought being dragged across the deck to a room at the side. Soon, the uncontrollably sobbing girls joined them. From another side room, nine women took their place on deck. It was obvious by their shocked expressions that they heard the arrangement.

Sandy pointed to the locked room. “Does anyone else wish to join the expendables?”

“God, Sharell, we don’t even know what they look like.” Judy shivered. “What if they’re all slimy or have claws and scales?”

Sharell’s eyes locked onto Officer Metzer’s. The cold challenge in the guard’s eyes was obvious, and Sandy glanced at the Security room and shuttlebay doors, daring Sharell. “That bitch isn’t kidding,” Sharell whispered incredulously. “She’s really going to get rid of the women who screw up her plans.”

At the sound of the shuttlebay doors sliding open, Sharell began to shake. A large transport ship waited on the other side, with a side portal yawning open. As a last futile measure of defiance, Sharell lifted her chin and her green eyes blazed into Officer Metzer’s glare. Her voice was not as calm, and she quivered, “Judy, please stay with me.”

“No problem.” Judy grabbed Sharell’s hand.

Everything inside Sharell made her want to bolt, but they dragged each other forward, past the podium. Sharell gripped Judy’s wrist and stared up at the guard. “I’d rather go to them than sell out to your ugly ass.”

Sandy responded with a chilling smile. “Ah, Sharell. But you haven’t seen them, yet.”

“What does she mean?” Judy cried.

The shuttlecraft was one big room and controlled by remote from the Cathisis, so the women still had no idea what the aliens looked like. They spent the short drifting ride to the alien craft, imagining frightening monsters from movies. The shuttle docked with a gentle settling glide inside a huge bay. Dozens of smaller crafts were parked beside it. The side door opened, and no one moved.

Sharell squelched a crazy notion to steal one of the nearby spaceships. She had no idea how to get out of the situation, and her spinning thoughts continued to scramble through impossible solutions.

A deep voice called from across the bay. “Welcome to the Cathisis. Come out so we can see you.” There was a touch of humor in the voice.

Sharell’s knees threatened to buckle, and she tried to convince herself it would be all right.
“I guess we can’t stay hidden in here forever, and I sure as hell don’t want some alien dragging me out of here,” Sharell whispered. She knew her face was as ghost-white as Judy’s and the false bravado was not fooling her friend.

Sharell looked around at all the mysterious machinery and lights searching for the podium. The bay alone was five times the size of the one on the Manerea. It took a moment to locate the owner of the voice, standing overhead on a platform. Beside him were lined a long row of men that circled halfway around the bay. At least they looked like regular men, though a bit on the pro-wrestling circuit side of the size scale and not into haircuts. It was still a minor relief from what she had imagined.

They wore black tunics with different colored embroidery on the left shoulder. Tight black pants outlined muscular legs, and they wore shiny black boots. Their hair was long and either blonde or dark. The dark haired ones looked seriously scary.

“I guess it’s better than expendable,” Sharell whispered nervously. “We’ll get a room together until we decide which one we want to check out. I think we had better stick to the blondes.” With this many men, they should be able to prolong the dating stage for at least a month while she tried to orchestrate a plan.

Sharell thought of the romantic meeting scenes in her novels, where the man swept the woman off her feet with flowers and long dinners discussing common interests. In real life, Sharell thought those sorts of frills were ridiculous. A few margaritas and maybe a slow dance warmed her up just fine. Looking up at these giants, she had a feeling things were going to be very different.

Chaya and Tian watched with the others, waiting for the women to walk out of the craft. At last, they moved forward to the center of the bay. After seniority of Officers, there was a lottery for the selection and the order in which twins could select. It was far preferable to the irritating chase for the Casiquas.

Danilo was pleased with the beautiful creatures, and thankful Officer Metzer had been truthful. These women exhibited none of her harsh attributes, and his eyes scanned and absorbed their fear. “Choose wisely, sons.” He noticed both of them staring in one area, and he glanced along the platform finding all of the twins looking in different spaces. He turned to the dark father standing next to him, and noted the same puzzled questioning look on his face. “A mating call, Jifa? With a primitive species?”
His light brother had told him the scrolls had suggested such a thing, but Danilo had discarded the possibility.

“We have chosen, Father,” Chaya whispered.
Tian, is she not the most beautiful creature? Look how her eyes reflect the green of the Actana Sea.

Tian was studying every visible inch of the creature, though it was not much the way the primitives had her cloaked.
The hair does not grow in a rope, Chaya. There is a securing device on the end, and her long dark tresses can be unbound.
Tian could imagine the feel of the silken strands running through his fingers. He could see himself leading his mate to the communal baths, and watching Sian’s jealousy while he washed and combed his mate’s beautiful long hair. Actana women’s hair stopped growing when it reached their shoulders and the Casiquas were bald.

She is not too tall, but look how rounded her breasts and hips are. Her legs will wrap fully around me while I plunge into her.
Chaya felt his protective gene kick into high gear at the thought of all the twins beside him viewing his new mate.

Several throaty growls rumbled along the platform. “The dark twins are emitting a bonding warning,” Danilo murmured.

“I think we need to have our light brothers evaluate the Casiquas when we return to Actana. If even half of what we suspect is true, there has not been more than initial training attempted with them.” Jifa knew this, because his own sons were attempting to bond with Ayana.

“Agreed. We will speed to Actana as soon as supplies are transferred to the Manerea. It might be in our best interests to keep the primitives appeased until this is sorted out,” Danilo suggested. He watched his sons’ chosen mate’s eyes searching the platform and stalling on Tian.

“Father, it feels more like she has chosen us,” Tian said. “She is confused, though.” His light reflective senses brushed her, and he turned towards his brother. “She is so very frightened, Chaya.”

An unaccustomed anxiety edged Chaya’s mind at his mate’s distress. “I feel this, too. We should go calm her.” They walked towards the stairs leading down to the floor.

Danilo watched the other twins break formation, ignoring the set selection process and wandering towards different women. There was no arguing or faltering, and all seemed to know exactly who they wanted.

Sharell watched the men walking towards them. They were a full head taller, and as muscular and bronzed as the men in her books. They approached in pairs, with always a blonde and dark haired man, and her breath caught when two men stopped in front of her.

Chaya’s cock pounded against his breeches, and his twin was too aroused to help quell his passion. “I am Chaya, and this is my light brother, Tian.”

Sharell felt her knees giving way and she panicked. She wanted to be alone and gather her nerves before being tossed into a speed dating introduction scene. Something must have been prearranged, because a look across the floor showed her that all the women had two men standing in front of them. At least everyone seemed to be getting a choice between a blonde or scary guy.

The blonde man spoke. “Calm yourself. We will not hurt you, Sharell.”

It was the man she studied on the platform, and she looked into his blue eyes. “I’m scared.” Shit, she hated to admit that, but the dark haired one was not merely undressing her with his eyes. He was ripping her clothes off with them. “How do you know my name?”

Tian smiled, and her insides melted. He pointed to her work shirt. “It is written on your tunic above your ship’s name.” He straightened and stated proudly, “I am a linguistic, and have not yet found a language or script I can’t decipher.” It was an admirable talent among the Actana, and Tian had been the one to break the communication beacon between the two ships.

Chaya’s fists were clenched as unfamiliar senses awakened, and he tried to calm himself. Tian’s thoughts had momentarily deserted him as he struggled with his own burgeoning responses to their mate. He needed to get her away from the eyes and threat of the other twins. His own focus was limited to Sharell, and he had not noticed no other men were staring at her. They were all consumed with the woman they had chosen.

“We will go to our quarters and fix you a calming elixir.” It was his first decision for his new family hierarchy, and Chaya reveled in the power and control dark twins were meant to experience.

Sharell gasped.
Oh, hell no
. Blondie maybe, but there was no way she was going anywhere with the other one. Sharell turned in panic. “Judy?” She reached for her hand and was intercepted by the dark haired man’s gentle but firm grip.

Chaya’s fingers sizzled around her wrist, shooting bursts down his chest and filling his balls. It was a powerful feeling he had never imagined. “You will see your friend later. She needs time to learn her twins’ needs.”

Sharell’s head swiveled from one man to the other. “
Twins?
” She panicked, and tried to pull her arm out of his grasp.

Tian felt her panic.
Chaya, she does not know.
He was angry his mate was not informed and that they unknowingly frightened her on their first meeting. Tian sifted through her emotions, trying to calm her. It was difficult making the psychic connection with her, but a pathway was beginning to form. They were not so different from Actana thought processes, just more chaotic and without structure.

We should have expected the deception to their women in order to save their own asses.
“Come with us, Sharell,” Chaya repeated, increasing his grip to initiate her acceptance of his protection. There was no way to retract their blunder, so he knew it was best to exert his dominance and let her calm with his control of the situation. Instead, she leaned back and tried to dig her heels into the deck.
A little help here, Tian?

She is terrified, Chaya. Our poor mate, her mind is falling into a tunnel.
Tian reached out for her other hand, holding it gently and stroking calmness despite his rising despair as he scrambled through his inadequacy.

All around the bay, chaos erupted with wailing screaming women. One hundred fifty pairs of second-set twins experienced the lustful rush of their bonding genes coming to life, urging dark twins to protect and light twins to soothe. Dark twins gripped mates’ wrists, light twins comforted with arms wrapped around shaking shoulders, and the primitive women had no idea what was happening.

Danilo observed from the platform above and turned towards Jifa. “Right.” Smiling, he rubbed his hands together briskly. “Well, back to the bridge.”

This was the warriors’ time to find their way through emotions they never expected to experience, and to begin to structure their family hierarchy. The dark fathers left to finish the arrangements for the Actana side of the trade.