Precious Starlight (Quads of Galafrax Book 3) (2 page)

* * * *

“Holy ice plains, we’ve got them!”

Bex burst into the room, his gaze skimming over the interior of the healing bay to land on the women lying on the beds. His excitement rose. “Three! We get to choose, right?”

“Bex.”

He heard the warning growl of his older brother Cir, but Bex simply ignored him, moving in closer to inspect the beauties laid out.

The first one had light golden hair with tanned skin. He cocked his head at the way her bones seemed to protrude way through her skin. Odd how gaunt she appeared, even with full, ripe chest mounds. Bex's nose wrinkled and he shook his head. She seemed far too much like a Demos female for his liking.

Another had dark hair with darker brown skin. He liked the gleam of her long curly brown hair, but she was also small, narrow-waisted with smaller chest mounds.

His gaze fell on the last one, and his heart rate sped up. Oh yeah … He drank in her lush, full figure, pale skin and white hair, like the snow-caps of the ice plains: utterly mesmerizing. Lush, full chest mounds and equally full hips, thighs, and shapely legs. Bex sighed, drinking her in. She was perfect.

His gaze darted back to her face, her lips full and pale pink, and he licked his own in anticipation of how sweet they would taste when he kissed her.

“Whoa up there, little brother.” Cir gripped his shoulder, shoving him back.

He glared at his third-eldest brother, the healer and, well, pretty much the softie of the family. Healers were always weak-hearted.

“I want her.” Bex’s whole body throbbed to feel her under him, his rod lengthening to almost overwhelming, painful hardness.

Oh yes, she’s our one
.

Cir glanced over his shoulder at the pale-haired human female. No doubt his brother wasn’t unaffected by her radiant beauty. He heaved a heavy sigh.

“No one’s having anyone. They're still recovering from their ordeal. The Jorval have not treated them with proper care. They are malnourished, suffering from exhaustion and shock.”

“But we can have her, can’t we, after she’s recovered?” Bex stared at his brother expectantly, giving his best 'I’m-the-youngest-so-spoil-me' look.

“No, Bex––we can’t have her.”

Damn fire demons
. Bex winced at his older brother’s barked-out order, clear as the windows on the temple Qui.

He turned to face Commander Loz, the oldest and most annoying. Bex straightened, giving his brother the due respect of his rank.

“Commander, I assumed because we rescued them we could—”

“The human females are under our protection and have the same rights as Demos females. You will respect them in every manner. Do I make myself clear?”

“Very. I never meant any disrespect, brother. But after––well, Ruby––I thought maybe given the chance, we could persuade a human female to be ours. And this one is most beautiful.”

Bex moved a fraction to his left to allow his brother to gaze down on the sleeping human female while blocking the others from view.

Having three older quad brothers, Bex had learned early on how to manipulate a situation to his, and their, best advantage.

“You carried her in here, so what did she feel like in your arms? She looks so soft. Her skin: smooth, was it?” Bex moved to stand beside Loz. All three of them gazed down on her.

Loz drew in a shuddering breath before stiffening and shaking his head. Bex felt his hold slipping.

“I’m under orders. Leave now, Bex. I won’t put up with any of your games. When they are recovered, they will be free to choose who they want.”

“I do care, brother, for their health, their well-being. I’ll even take a shift as guard with Tos.”

Loz’s black eyebrow quirked, but Cir snorted. “What he wants is to get into her pants.”

“You have no point, Cir. She has no pants to get into.”

Loz’s lips quirked up. “Very well, prove yourself a capable guard, even if it’s menial duties.”

“What? You don’t think me capable of being a serious guard?” Bex knew he should feel offended, but shrugged it off.

“I think he is extremely capable of guarding from others, something he wants,” Cir put in, turning back to check all the monitors over the sleeping females. “You have to admit, this one will be much desired. She is unique.”

Loz let out a frustrated sigh and Bex hid his grin, knowing his brother was relenting.

“Very well. Guard them––all three. You’ll take shifts with Roy and Bra, Hep and Non. We’re limiting their contact with crew. There’s been too much grumbling in the ruling over soldiers taking the human females as their
sheraz
before they even reach Galafrax. Once we’ve rescued the other human females, I am determined to deliver most of them unmated to Galafrax.”

In his mind, Bex rubbed his hands with utter glee. ‘
Most of them’
didn’t mean he couldn’t try to persuade her, this one little moonbeam, and his brothers they could have their own
sheraz
.

Bex saluted. Loz just rolled his eyes, turned on his heel and marched out the door.

Cir glanced over his shoulder at him. “You’re a sneak, Bex.”

Bex shrugged, allowing his grin freedom. “Yeah, but you know this time it’ll be worth it, considering the prize at stake.”

“You know, just this once,” Cir held up his middle finger, a small smile on his lips, “you may be right.”

Bex stared down at the peacefully sleeping female. “So, do you know her name?”

Chapter Two

Daisy licked her dry lips, groaning as she rolled over, and grabbed the lovely scented pillow, trying to snuggle deeper under the warm blankets. On her days off from the bakery, she liked to sleep late and hang about in her flat, wearing her fuzzy slippers. Also, she loved reading spicy erotic romance on her Kindle while sipping hot chocolate.

Yeah, so she had no life, and had given up on dating. With her short plump figure, nearly every man glanced over her white hair at the taller, more attractive women. Hell, one of her dates had even called her a pale freak. To which she’d tossed a drink in his face and taken her fat arse home.

Mmmm, hot chocolate
. Was it her day off? She couldn’t remember past the nightmares of being kidnapped by aliens and then rescued by big, sexy, human-like aliens with toffee apple red skin.
Mmmm, toffee apples.
Damn, she was hungry.

Prying her eyelids apart, she stared into the strange, dimly lit room. Red tones lined the walls, criss-crossed with sleek sliver lines.

Ooh-kay,
so she wasn’t in her bedroom. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, the silky sheet slipping down her naked torso. She glanced down at her pale naked flesh.
Ah crap, it wasn’t just a nightmare after all.

A sudden high-pitched scream to her right made her wince and turn her head to see Stacy sitting up, her white blonde hair half-sticking up, mussed in sleep.

Daisy blinked as two red men, taller than six feet, barrelled into the room, cooing at and trying to placate the freaked-out woman.

They were Demos, she recalled from the brief conversation she’d had with Commander Loz, who’d been suspiciously eager to carry her.

She gripped the sheet, tugging it around her body like a toga, before moving to the edge of the tall, wide bed and slipping down onto the floor. Slight vibrations hummed and she guessed they were on a spaceship of some sort.

“Miss Daisy, are you all right?”

Sneaky devil, she hadn’t noticed anyone move in to where she stood as she watched the commotion. Tilting her head to take in his height and appearance, she realised he was an identical version of that commander, Loz, but something different. There were no hard edges to his face, but softer features, filled with concern as he gazed down on her.

That’s right, these aliens came in sets of quads.

“Well, other than hunger and ringing ears, fine. So which one of the four are you?” she managed, just as Peta, now awake, joined in the screaming. “Don’t happen to have ear muffs, do you?”

He cocked his head, a smile on his handsome face. “I’m Cir, third, and a healer. You're safe here with us.”

Her gaze took in his black uniform. What was it with the no-sleeves thing? Admittedly, his shoulder muscles were emphasized in black over the sleek red skin.
Yum
. He didn’t disappoint in his wide shoulders, narrow hips and long, thick legs. For aliens, they were damn good-looking and built.

Yeah––as if she regularly met other sexy aliens, to compare them with.

Still, the clean-cut lines of his face, high symmetrical cheekbones and full lips in a cocky grin made him, on the hot scale, way over a perfect ten. His nose was long and angular, but it suited his face. Inky black hair curled around his handsome ears. His eyes, like molten gold, held a kindness, which made her want to trust him. She doubted there was a single ugly spot on the Demos man.

“Come this way, and we’ll leave, uh, those to the other medical staff.”

She got the distinct feeling he wanted to be around the screaming women about as much as she did, and followed after Cir.

They both heaved a sigh of relief when, in another room, the door slid shut to cut off the noise. She gathered up her sheet, holding the end over her arm, feeling a little under-dressed as his golden gaze swept over her no-doubt mussed appearance.

Daisy mentally shrugged. She didn’t care what she looked like. It wasn’t as if anyone like Mr Hot Alien would take an interest, in someone like her.

Ugh, did she want them to? No, she should focus on getting home, not finding an alien boyfriend, or four for that matter.

“You surprise me. I would have thought…” Cir still stared at her.

Daisy snorted. “What, that I’d scream hysterically like those two twits?”

He nodded, showing her to a seat next to a table set into the wall. “I don’t know what a
twit
is, but I get the sense you are not friends with your fellow human females.”

When she struggled getting onto the high seat of the chair, he moved, grabbing her around her waist and lifting her up.

God, she loved how strong he was and that he didn’t utter a single complaint about her weight. From the size of these Demos men, someone like her would seem smaller, lighter. She luxuriated in the feeling of being petite for once. Once home, she could go back to being frumpy, short, colourless Daisy.

“Well, there’s no love lost between us. We’re fellow captives, that’s it. Plus, I’m the oldest of five sisters. I learned early on in life, panicking about things never gets you anywhere. So no matter how bad things get, there’s always a way to work things through without, well, getting hysterical.”

He moved about and she watched with fascination as he produced food from a glowing box, set into the wall. He carried it over and set the large, loaded plate in front of her. Spices and hot scents wafted into her nose, making her stomach grumble.

She picked up and popped a fleshy bit of what looked like yellow bacon into her mouth, moaning in delight at the flavourful salty treat. It wasn’t quite bacon, nor quite beef.

Cir shifted, his gaze apparently fixated on her lips as she hungrily devoured more of the meal.

He shook his head and took a seat opposite. “It is a marvel to have five females in one family.”

“Uh, trust me, it’s not so wonderful when you have to share one bathroom with four younger siblings. They fight over clothes, make-up, boys.”

“With a history of producing females, you would more than likely have female off-spring also?”

Cir’s ‘matter of fact’ tone made Daisy splutter the drink she’d just swallowed, half-choking on it.
Female offspring? Oh, hell.

He quickly scrambled away, racing into the other room, returning just as lighting fast as she spluttered.

“Slow breaths, Miss Daisy.”

She sucked in several slow, even breaths, bringing herself under control. Cir ran his instrument over her.

“I’m okay,” she croaked, trying to shove Cir away, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Just don’t say things like that to me while I’m drinking.”

“Sorry,” he muttered. If not for his red skin, she would have thought he blushed. “I am unaccustomed to, uh, talking with human females.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it. I should be thanking you and your people for saving me from, well, being sold off like a piece of furniture.”

“We are sorry we could not act sooner. The least we can do is provide for your needs and see to your return of health. I’ll show you where to bathe and make sure you have clothing once you have finished your meal.”

He was a sweetie, and Daisy smiled. “So am I really stuck here? Is there any possibility of returning to Earth?”

Cir leaned forward, capturing her free hand, and heat blasted through her arm, making other body parts tingle and naughty juices flow where they shouldn’t.

Bad body, bad…

“I am so sorry, Miss Daisy––if there was a way to return you safely, we would. What the Jorval risked by bringing you through the black portals...”