Galactic Treasure (Quads of Galafrax) (13 page)

A rhythmic pounding sounded through the ship, as Zay burst into the room. Bir stepped aside before Zay ran smack into him. His eyes were wide when they settled on her, but they soon narrowed in anger.

He took two steps toward her, handing the bag over to Niz.

“Niz, hurry it up, we’re right on the edge of Piclar space. Tev’s already signalled there are ships on their way to intercept.”

“Focus on me, beauty.” He worked quickly, flipping open the bag and pulling something from it. “I think I know what he would have given you. This is a counter agent.” He pressed a silver cylinder tube to her neck, which hissed as it injected under her skin. Putting it back he pulled a different one from the bag. This time after the hiss, the pain through her body began to fade. She sighed in utter relief.

“Oh god, thank you.”

“We’re here now, Ruby.” He bundled her into his arms and rose onto his feet in one smooth move. “No one will ever harm you again. I swear on my own life.”

Drowsiness settled over her, she felt limp, weightless and blessedly pain
-free.

“No, don’t wants thats,” she slurred, not really sure what she was saying. “Loves you alls, no giving up lives. S’okay?”

As she drifted off, she could have sworn she heard Niz telling her he loved her. What a lovely dream it was.

* * * *

“It was a close call. Any longer and the Piclar War Scuttlers would have been all over our tails.” Tev studied the flight panel in front of him.

They had shot to light speed as soon as their ship’s door had closed and they’d disengaged the clamping and airlock system to the shuttle.

Niz was now tending to Ruby's wounds in their small med bay. It was obvious the damage to her back had been done by a laser whip. So much for being the Ambassador's treasured pet.

Bir gripped the command chair tightly, fighting the urge to go down and see how she was doing. On first entering the ship, the sight of her lying there, her beautiful face twisted in pain and her back bloodied, had almost shredded every ounce of his self control. He wanted to murder the Piclars with his bare hands, but he also knew the one responsible was not on the transport ship.

Bir now plotted revenge on fish face. Fish face, he snorted, her insult was too kind. He’d turn the bastard into space dust, after he got through gutting him.

“I know what you’re thinking, Bir, we all are. I want to take the fucking laser whip and shove it live up the Piclar’s—”

The com buzzed.

“I can feel the tension from even down here. Ruby will be fine. I’ve treated her back and thankfully, her skin is more easily reparable than our own. There will be no scars. I’ve put her into a sleep. She needs to have a long rest for her body to properly heal.”

Bir heard Tev’s sigh of relief, mirroring his own.

“Good, from now on, she’s never to be alone. Understood?”

“She should have never been left alone in the first place.” There was no mistaking the dark anger behind Niz’s tone, even through the com.

“I know, and I will take responsibility for that, no more mistakes.”

Niz was silent, but they could feel their brother’s anger. His hurt ran deep in more ways than one. Bir hoped their precious Ruby would bring lightness back into Niz’s dark world.

“So, where to now? We don’t have another job scheduled for the next few hop cycles.”

“Our job is to care for our
sheraz
now, set coordinates to
Dankuara
.”

“The trader’s planet?”

“Where else would you suggest we buy her everything she needs and wants?”

“But I have to point out that it is run by Jorvals.”

“I know, but she deserves the best. Don’t you agree?”

Tev shook his head. “I doubt you can buy her affection, brother.”

True, the guilt for not being there for her ate at him, a deep ice rock in his gut. “I know, Tev. I just want her to be comfortable with us. Then we’ll take her home, to make our mating official.”

Tev studied him for a long moment, before turning, his nimble fingers working the panel. Bir could feel the tilt in the ship as it changed direction.

He walked around the bridge checking all the instruments. “Go spend time with her. I’ll take point here for a few hours.”

Tev nodded and rose to his feet. “Don’t place all the blame on your own shoulders.
If anyone’s to blame it is the damn Piclar. Putting the burden on yourself won’t do you or her any good.”

Bir just nodded, watching his brother walk out the door. The fact was he was to blame for not acting when they had the chance. He prayed to the fire gods the female he loved more than his own life would one day forgive him.

Chapter Eleven

A warm blanket of comfort wrapped about her, Ruby sighed in contentment, as she rose to the surface of awareness. The feel of a hot breath on her neck and a tightening arm around her middle pulled her more out of sleepy land. She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly only to stare at a plain grey wall. She frowned, before glancing down to see the red muscular arm banded around her.

Memories of being whipped, the pain and suffering tore to the forefront of her mind. She was blissfully free from pain, and instead she felt something comforting and warm pressed against her back.

Hazily she remembered they had come for her, but not much after that.

“Easy, beautiful, I know you're awake.” A deep, raw, masculine voice she easily identified.

Niz. With a yawn she shuffled around to face him and cleared her throat.

Un-wedging her hand, she slid it up over the black tank top the brothers always seemed to wear. Unable to help herself she touched his face, tracing her fingertips along his scar. “Hello, handsome.”

His smile lit her world. “Only you would say that.”

“Only you would call me beautiful.” She stared back into his molten gold depths.

“I only speak what is true.”

She felt her lips twitch up at the corners. “Same, you are handsome, sexy and you saved me from fish face.”

His smile fell, replaced with a deep scowl. She didn’t like that one bit.

“I prefer a smile, you know.
Thank you for saving me.”

“No, we should have been there before the Piclar harmed you. I am so sorry, Ruby. We’ll do anything to make it up to you.”

Ah, so Niz’s scowl was one of guilt and self-pity.

“You’ll do anything?”

“Yes, I swear, we will do anything for you.”

“In that case, there are two things I want.”

She sat up and glanced down her body. She felt a bit gritty.

“Name it.” Niz was also glancing over her body in a heated, hungry way.

“First, I want a hot bath; second, any damn guilt about not getting to me sooner, I want you to banish from your mind. I don’t blame you, and you will not blame yourself. Is that clear?”

“You don’t blame us, but what he did to you…”

“Niz, where am I now?”

He turned around, sitting up before swinging his long legs off the tall bed, and stood up.

“You're on our ship.”

Ruby scrambled to the edge of the bed. “Am I safe?
Can fish face ever get to me again?”

“Yes, you are safe. We would kill him if he ever comes near you again.”

“Good. And am I still a slave?”

“Oh, Ruby, beauty, no.” He dropped to his knees, covering her small hands with his larger red ones. “Never a slave to us, we want you for our
sheraz
. The heart that beats for us and us alone. We would rather cut off our hands and tear out our hearts before we let anyone, even ourselves, harm you.”

She cocked her head at the last part of his comment.
Something else was eating at him, something she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Why would he say even ourselves? Was there something he wasn’t telling her?

She drew in a slow breath and smiled lovingly at him.
She glanced down where his hands gripped hers tightly.

“Niz, I want to be yours, but not if any of you are going to be on a guilt trip over something you had no idea would happen. I’m here, I’m safe and we’re together.
Isn’t that all that matters?”

His nod was slow.
He released her hands and tried to pull back. But she quickly grabbed a hold of his hand to stop his retreat, reaching out again to cup the scarred side of his face.

“Are you not forgetting something? Are you not the only brother yet to make love to me?”

Her touch turned into a caress down his throat, and he swallowed visibly. Arousal spiked through her body, like a wildfire out of control. Her breasts responding, making them ache, and her pussy wet, clenching with need.

Only around her men was she ever like this.
Having now learnt just what a sexual creature she was, she accepted it and now craved their touch.

“Ruby, beauty, I want you, I do, but it may not be a good idea without my brothers, I fear I will hurt you. I would rather die before that happens.”

Confusion swamped her. “I don’t understand. You can’t be any worse than your brothers. They’ve taken me hard and rough, and I’ve loved every minute of it. I don’t believe you would hurt me.”

Her heart leapt at the pain and anger in his eyes. “Did they hurt you?”

She snorted. “No, Niz.”

He sighed. “I just need different things, ever since… ever since I lost my brother
s… I have needed something else, I have dark impulses.”

She had her work cut out for her with her men.
She loved them dearly, but they came with scars, inside and out.

She didn’t understand, but needed too. Dark impulses, just what did that mean?

“Niz, I truly believe you would never hurt me. I think we need to talk about this some more. Can we do this while I have a bath? Oh, do you have baths on your ship?”

Niz’s smile lightened her heart. “The Fire Bird used to be a troop transport, the commander's quarters, which Bir took for himself, has everything. If it’s a bath you want, then a bath you shall get.”

He rose to his feet, leaned over her and scooped her up into his arms. Ruby sighed in contentment, not caring in the slightest if she lost the use of her legs from them carrying her everywhere. It made her feel safe, dainty and most of all, cared for.

Ruby's grin widened. “Well, we can’t let Bir have all the fun now.”

“At your command, my
sheraz
.” She giggled as he carried her out.

* * * *

“Oh that is heavenly.” She sighed as the heat of the water soothed her aching muscles. Niz’s strong firm hands rubbed her shoulders, pure bliss.

“Are you going to talk to me about this ‘darkness’ you mentioned? I need to know what you mean by it. If you want me to be your
sheraz
, then just like with your brothers, there should be no secrets from your wife.”

“Wife?”

“Human word for legally bonded mates, only on Earth we usually get only one husband.”

“Hus-bond, strange words.”

“Nuh, uh, no changing the subject. Please, Niz, talk to me, tell me what happened.”

The water sloshed over the side as she turned in the tub.
Tipping her head back to meet his gaze, she pleaded with her eyes.

He lifted his hand and stroked the side of her face. She closed her eyes, nuzzling into his touch.

He drew in a deep breath, letting it out on a gusty sigh. She knew he’d given in.

“I was always the youngest, and being so meant I had few responsibilities and usually had the most fun as the youngest of my quad brothers. As all young quads do, we went into the army. Four years of training before they deemed us ready to go into battle. Demos soldiers, when not protecting our own interests, can be employed by other races as peace keepers or brought in to swiftly end other conflicts, in the interest of universal peace.”

He drew in a breath and sat down on the edge of the tub, a distant look in his eyes.

“Cocky, young and after serving with my brothers in several campaigns, I used to think we were pretty much invincible. I always played the joker.
It’s not uncommon for youngest brothers to group together and play the fool, seek their own pleasures.”

His tone turned bitter. “We were assigned as ground troops to the battle of
Chanalloinan Prime
. The war had already been going on longer than expected, with more casualties than estimated. So they called us in to put an end to the fighting.

“My brothers and I were four of an eight man squadron that was on the first wave of attack. The enemy had plasma loppers. Small devices that you shoot into the middle of troops, when they explode, it strips any living organism of life. The aerial ships were supposed to take out the front line of the enemy that were shooting loppers, so the ground troops could come in and engage in hand to hand combat and bring the enemy down.