Laura Jo Phillips (6 page)

“What about a Candy Bride from Bride House?” he asked.  Bride House was a secluded compound where women who wished to mate with Jasani males, but didn’t want to contract with a male-set sight unseen, could stay for a limited period of time and meet with several male-sets before making a choice.  If, after six months, the Candidate Bride, called Candy Bride for short, was still unmated, she was asked to leave Bride House to make room for another. 

“There is a very long waiting list,” Ban said doubtfully.  “It could be a year or more before we could even begin to meet women there.”

“Docking is complete Lord Protector,” announced the space-tech standing at the docking control station.  “Stand by to board the
Cosmic Glory
.”

“Let us complete this discussion later,” Faron said.  Ban and Dav both nodded, and Faron turned to face the docking door, setting aside all thoughts of mates for the time being.

Captain Certus Graey tapped the vox in his ear to disconnect and swore furiously.  He had hoped to get the
Cosmic Glory
out of Jasani space before anyone had time to order him back.  He’d thought he was being so clever with his excuses and delaying tactics.  Now he realized all he’d done was focus even more suspicion on himself.  What had happened to his legendary luck? he wondered.  It seemed to have deserted him these past few days.

First, the idiots who had boarded him had taken two women instead of the agreed upon limit of one per trip.  Then he discovered that one of the women was the best friend of the bloody Arima to the bloody Princes of Jasan!  Oh my, oh my and to make matters worse, according to the call he had received a few minutes earlier, that very same woman had been rescued during pick-up at the Jasani spaceport.  By the bloody Bearen brothers no less!  As if all of that weren’t bad enough, he was now docked at the bloody Jasani skyport and the stars-damned royal bloody Prime Guardians were due to board his bloody ship in moments to investigate the same bloody woman’s bloody disappearance!

Certus paced from one end of his cramped quarters to the other and back again, thinking feverishly.  He knew that the Jasani were shape-shifters, and he had no doubt that the Lobos were going to want to inspect the woman’s compartment personally.  Even though there was nowhere near enough room for them to shift into their loboenca forms, they would still be able to scent everyone who had been in there, which meant they were going to get a nose full of a scent that would probably cost him both his rank, and his ship.  If that happened, he was going to lose the stacks and piles of money he made by allowing an occasional female passenger to be spirited mysteriously off the ship.  And he needed that money.  How else was he going to be able to support his gambling habit?  Certainly not with the piddling amount he got paid by Cosmic Star Lines.

A short beep alerted him to an incoming vid, and he knew before he reached for the switch what it would be.  Sure enough, the thin, balding image of his First Mate filled the vid screen.

“The Jasani Prime Guardians are boarding now sir,” he said.

“On my way,” Certus replied.  He flipped the vid off and turned to study his appearance in the small mirror on the back of his door.  He was an aging, balding, slightly overweight human male and he knew it.  He also knew that he looked a little fumbling, a little eccentric and a little weak, all apparent traits that he had carefully cultivated over the years.  That so many people missed the obvious fact that he was a Captain of a class A-3 Interstellar Passenger Liner and therefore, by definition, competent, sharp and capable, always tickled him.  People always saw what they wanted to see. 

He saw the signs of nervousness and panic on his round, pale face and he knew that there was no way to hide them.  Besides, he wouldn’t be able to hide his scent and he knew that would give him away to the Lobos immediately.

He was going to have to admit to being nervous.  But what was he going to tell them he was nervous about?  He opened the door to his quarters and stepped into the narrow hall, pulling the door shut securely before heading for the bridge.  As he walked a plan blossomed in his mind.  He turned it over a couple of times, recognized that it wasn’t perfect, but it was better than nothing.  He unbuttoned his shirt and deliberately buttoned it back up incorrectly.  He considered untying the laces on one of his shoes, but decided that would be over doing it.  Instead he ran one hand through his thinning hair, mussing it carefully.  That should do it, he thought.  Feeling more confident, he picked up his pace and hurried to greet his visitors.

Faron heard the elevator rise to the bridge level before the doors slid open to reveal the aging, portly Captain.  He was surprised at the man’s scatterbrained and inept appearance.  That did not fit with what he knew to be the requirements for captaincy of a major trans-galactic passenger liner such as the
Cosmic Glory
.  In addition, the man’s appearance and his scent both indicated that he was very tense and nervous. 

The Captain looked directly at Faron and hurried straight toward him, reaching out with his right hand as he approached.  Unlike some Jasani, Faron had no problem with the human handshaking ritual and reached out with his own right hand easily. 

“Captain Graey?” Faron asked politely as he shook hands, noting that the Captain’s palms were hot and damp. 

“Yes yes,” Captain Graey replied quickly.  “I’m sorry, excuse my manners, I’m just so relieved you are here.  This whole incident is so upsetting to me, yes so upsetting.”

Dav and Ban stood half a pace behind Faron, Dav on the right, Ban on the left, as always.  Faron’s sharp ears caught the nearly silent grunt from Dav that indicated he was skeptical of the Captain.  Faron gave his head a tiny shake and Dav subsided. 

There was something not quite right about the Captain.  His scent and his actions did not entirely match.  He both looked and smelled nervous, yes.  But he also smelled afraid.  Very afraid.  Faron would wait to see how this played out.

“I am Faron Lobo,” Faron said, continuing the introductions.  “This is my brother Davon, and my other brother Banon.”

 “Good to meet you, good to meet you all,” Captain Graey said.  “I don’t want to be pushy but could you possibly take a look at the young woman’s compartment now?” he asked, surprising all three of the Lobos.  “I don’t wish to be rude, but I just don’t understand it, no not at all.”  Captain Graey paused and pulled a small square of fabric from one pocket and mopped at his brow.  He shoved the fabric back into its pocket and looked at Faron hopefully.

“Certainly,” Faron replied.  “And perhaps on our way you can tell us what you know.”

“Yes yes, glad to, anything at all, I’m glad to help,” the man said nervously as he turned and headed back toward the elevator.  “Of course, I don’t know much, not really, not much at all,” he said as the three Lobos crowded into the small elevator with him.  “I didn’t even know we had missing passengers until we docked at the skyport.”

“Did you say
passengers
?” Faron demanded sharply.  “As in more than one?”

 “Yes, didn’t you know?  Oh my, I thought you knew,” Captain Graey said, shaking his head.  “Yes yes, two young women just missing, missing from the liner, nowhere to be found and how?  How did that happen in deep space?  It isn’t as though they could just take a walk and make a wrong turn you know, it’s a liner for star’s sake, where did they go?  I don’t know and I’ve interviewed every crew member on board and nobody knows, nobody saw, oh my my, two missing women.”  Captain Graey reached for the cloth in his pocket and mopped his forehead again.  He shoved it back into his pocket just as the doors opened and they all stepped out of the elevator and into a narrow hallway. 

“We’ll want whatever information you have on the other missing woman,” Faron said.  “We’d also like to take a look at her compartment as well.”

“Yes yes, of course,” Captain Graey replied. 

Faron followed Captain Graey down the hall, watching as the man paused twice to consult a small scrap of paper that he pulled from his pocket. 

“Captain Graey, we are curious as to why you evaded our requests that you return to the skyport,” Faron asked, keeping his tone casual and his eyes sharp on the Captain’s back.

Captain Graey stiffened before turning quickly to face the Lobos, his face red.  “Stupid bloody First Mate, incompetent bloody Comm. Officer, idiotic bloody relief pilot,” he ranted as he swung his head back and forth, running his fingers through his thinning hair until the short, gray strands stood on end  The man was obviously agitated beyond sense.  “Nearly lost me my bloody job, bloody ship, damn fools,” he continued before starting over, repeating essentially the same mantra until Faron interrupted him. 

“Excuse me Captain, the lady’s compartment?” 

Captain Graey froze and looked at Faron blankly for a moment before apparently coming to his senses.  “Certainly, certainly,” he said, fishing the scrap of paper out of his pocket once more and holding it up close to his face.  “Oh my oh my, two passengers missing, how?  How can that be?” the man mumbled as he headed back down the hall.  Faron shook his head and glanced over his shoulder at his brothers.  They shrugged.  It was hard to tell if the man was a liar, an actor, or both.  Faron thought perhaps both, but the scents coming from the man were so mixed it was impossible to tell.

Finally, after two wrong turns, Captain Graey stopped at a door and pressed several keys on the reader panel mounted on the wall.  The door slid open and Captain Graey stepped inside, all but wringing his hands with nervousness.  He realized that the Lobos had not followed him into the tiny, third-class passenger compartment and he turned to look at them curiously. 

The moment the door slid open a rush of air from the compartment hit Faron, Dav and Ban full in the face.  Air which, to the Lobo’s sensitive noses, smelled strongly of the compartment’s last occupant, Saige Taylor.  Lilacs, Faron thought.  Lilacs and rain.  Tainted with the sharp, unmistakable scent of fear.

That was his last completely coherent thought for several minutes, as that is the moment when his mating fangs burst from the top of his mouth, his cock instantly hardened, and every instinct he possessed began screaming at him to find and protect his Arima.  Faron clenched his fists tightly, fighting for control even as adrenaline flooded him, urging him to action.  He heard his brothers behind him, struggling with the more primitive side of their natures just as he was.  The sound of Captain Graey’s whiny voice reached him on some level, but he was simply unable to respond at the moment. 

“Are you unwell?” Captain Graey asked, reaching out, but not quite daring to touch the trembling Jasani male in front of him.

Faron looked up and Captain Graey stumbled back a step at the sight of the Jasani’s glowing eyes, his heart rate doubling as the other two Lobos opened their glowing eyes at the same moment.  Graey knew that glowing eyes on a Jasani was a bad thing, and here he was trapped in third class compartment with them standing between him and escape. 

A few very long and tense moments later, Faron stepped aside and gestured to Captain Graey, indicating that he should exit the compartment.  Captain Graey did so at once.  As soon as he was safely in the narrow hallway, the three Lobos entered the compartment and closed the door in his face.

Certus reached for his handkerchief again and wiped his face with it, wishing he could just leave, but knowing that he couldn’t.  He had to see this thing through to the end.

All three of the Lobo brothers stood staring at each other in silence for several moments, their emotions too intense to speak of at first.  Finally, Dav took a long, deep breath, and grinned ruefully.

“Perhaps we should retract that conversation we just had concerning the taking of a human mate,” he said. 

“Are you referring to the one in which you and Ban indicated that, against my wishes, you no longer wished to wait for our Arima?” Faron asked archly.

Ban laughed.  “Yes, oh wise, and mighty elder brother,” he said bowing low at the waist.  “We concede that you were, as always, correct.”

Faron grinned and held out his right hand.  Ban and Dav held theirs out as well and the three brothers clasped hands for a long moment as they grinned at each other.

“I do not know why we have been so blessed and so honored,” Faron said, “but I shall be forever thankful for it.”  Dav and Ban nodded in agreement, though Ban lightened the moment by grimacing as he tugged carefully at the front of his jeans. 

“I had forgotten about this particular inconvenience,” he said.  Faron chuckled.  “We may find it inconvenient at the moment, but something tells me that we will soon be grateful for it.”

“Let us finish this task so that we can return to Jasan and find our Arima,” Dav said.

“Yes,” Ban agreed.  “I have an intense need to find her and protect her right this moment.”

“We all do,” Faron said.  “It is too bad that we cannot vox down to the planet.  But, when we are finished here we will vid Jackson.  His assurance that our Arima is safe may be of aid to us.”

Faron looked around the small room, seeing it with new eyes.  Suddenly the abduction of Saige Taylor was a far more personal matter than it had been mere moments before.  He wished the compartment was large enough for him to shift into his lobenca.  As it wasn’t, they were forced to search the small space in their human forms.