Their Rebel Mate [Helan Universe 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (12 page)

How long could one be expected to stare at stars? They were beautiful, certainly, but they didn’t do much. Kerek did say she could leave the room, and at least the observation deck would allow her to look at the Earth some more.

Decision made, she grabbed her cup of what was probably the Helan equivalent of coffee and left. It took her some time, but she finally found her way back to the observation deck after only getting lost three times. Luckily, the general wariness the occupants of the ship had for her didn’t seem to extend far past a few awkward conversations. The men she’d run across were happy enough to help get her back on track. One was even kind enough to walk her directly to the observation deck.

Cradling the cup in her hands, she sat down on the long bench and stared out at the view of Earth. They weren’t up far enough that she could see the entire planet, but the curving horizon stretching out below her was truly awe inspiring.

She must have sat there for hours, staring out at the planet she called home. While staring at the stars had only captured her interest for a few minutes, the Earth held her concentration like nothing else. Slowly, the moon appeared, rising until it looked like it was suspended in the Earth’s horizon.

Nothing she had seen while on board prepared her for the sight. She was holding her breath, totally dazzled by the sheer beauty and raw power of the sight that she didn’t even notice that someone had sat down next to her until they spoke. “It’s called a moonrise. Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

Kim jerked back to reality and turned to the woman who was sitting beside her. “I’ll say. Do you ever get used to it?”

The woman laughed and shook her head. “I’ve only been on board for six weeks, but I’ve never gotten tired of it. I’m going to miss the view when the ship leaves for Helan, but it’ll be worth it.”

Kim covered her stare with a sip from her cup as she looked the young woman over. Unlike the almost hostile looks she’d gotten yesterday, this woman’s expression was open and happy. “Do you know who I am?” she blurted out.

Smooth. Now the woman would probably run screaming.

“Yes,” she answered with a smile. “You’re Kim McManus. I saw you on television a few times when I was on Earth.”

Well, color her shocked. Kim would have bet that the woman had never heard of her before.

The woman giggled and held out her hand. “Not the response you were expecting?”

Kim shook her hand and grinned back. “No, not at all. I figured I’d get the cold shoulder from most people on board.”

The woman shrugged and looked back out the window toward the Earth. “You’re only doing what you think is right. How can anyone fault you for that? Besides, you’re here now to educate yourself on Helan culture, right? Even if you still think that Earth’s agreement with Helan is wrong, at least you will have made an educated decision. I’m Becky, by the way.”

“Kim,” she replied with a smile. “But you already know that. Can I ask you a question?”

Becky nodded. “Sure.”

“If you’re going to miss Earth, why did you choose to sign the registry? Why did you put yourself in the position to be chosen as a mate? Was it out of a sense of obligation because of what the Helans are providing for us?”

Becky laughed and pushed her long hair over her shoulder. “I said I would miss the view, not Earth. I have family and people I love on Earth,” she added quickly, “but no, I’m not here out of some misguided sense of gratitude. I signed the registry after the Helans made the announcement that they would provide medical and agricultural technology and provide defense against other species regardless of how many females signed it.”

That still didn’t answer Kim’s question. “But why?”

Becky sighed and stood up, walking over to the window to touch the glass. “There wasn’t really much of a struggle for me to decide, actually. I like the idea of traveling to a new world, of seeing space up close and personal. Can you imagine the things I’m going to see, to learn? Add two men whose entire purpose in life is to make me happy and give me as many children as I want into it? Seemed like a no-brainer to me.”

When she put it like that, it really did seem like a no-brainer. But still, the whole thing seemed to smack of women being traded away for the things that the Helans could give the governments of Earth.

Becky turned away from the window and smiled again. “There are a bunch of us who meet for lunch in the mess hall. Did you want to join us?”

Kim grinned, absurdly pleased to be invited. She wanted to tell herself that she was just happy to have the opportunity to question the motives of the other women on board, but the truth was, she was happy to have made a new friend. “That would be great, thanks.”

She followed Becky to the lift, grateful that the other woman seemed to know exactly where she was going. The trip to the mess hall was far shorter than her own convoluted route to the observation deck. Hopefully it wouldn’t take her long to get her bearings. Then again, she probably wasn’t going to be on board long enough for it to matter.

For some reason, the thought of leaving the ship was a depressing one.

There was already a group of women in the mess hall, all crowded around a woman with black hair, who was grinning from ear to ear, her hand fluttering over her stomach. She must be the pregnant one, Kim thought.

“Hi, guys,” Becky said as they joined the group. “What’s going on?”

“I’m pregnant,” the black-haired woman said, practically glowing with happiness.

“Oh, Cathy, I’m so happy for you. How did you tell Siri and Palis?” Becky squealed, giving the woman, Cathy apparently, a huge hug.

Cathy giggled and pulled away. “I waited until after dinner yesterday and gave them each a pair of baby booties. They were a little confused at first but figured it out pretty fast. Then they rushed me to sick bay as if I hadn’t just been there that afternoon. Once Dr. Tabar assured them that everything was fine, they took me back and…well…we did what we usually do at night.”

The women giggled, catching her meaning. “So, they’re happy then?”

Cathy nodded. “Of course, they’re a little over protective right now. I mean, they both took time off today and haven’t let me out of their sight. Heck, it was hard enough to convince them that I was perfectly capable of walking. But, yes, they’re thrilled.”

Kim scanned the room. If they hadn’t let her out of their sight, they were probably here in the mess hall somewhere.

Ah, there they were, off in the far corner. They were sitting together, shoulders touching and hands linked, smiling indulgently at their mate, obviously giving her some space to be with her friends. One of those men was the Chief of Communications for the ship, and his day off was the reason Kerek had stayed on board.

The women stopped giggling and were starting to stare at her. “Becky, why did you bring her here?”

Kim cleared her throat. She wasn’t used to this kind of reception. Usually women cheered when she got up to speak. Although, that might have something to do with the fact that she was usually speaking with women who supported her cause. “Congratulations, Cathy,” she said instead.

Cathy looked at her steadily. “Thank you. I’m very happy with Siri and Palis and can’t wait to see my new home.”

Kim felt as if she’d been put firmly into her place.

“Now, now,” Becky interjected. “Kim is here to learn, not to judge. Let’s cut her some slack.”

“You believe her?” one woman asked incredulously. “She pretty much compared us to brainwashed bimbos just a few months ago.”

Kim cringed. She had made an accusation like that back before the changes in the original deal had been made. “I apologize if I offended anyone.”

They waited for her excuse, but she didn’t have any so she didn’t even bother to try and defend herself.

Becky cleared her throat. “Why don’t we clear the air here. Kim, what exactly are you doing here?”

“I was invited here by Ambassador Thantos and Chief Kerek. I promised to stop trying to talk women out of signing the registry if I believe that the Helans really are making a concerted effort to tell us the truth about their situation and the way they treat females.”

Cathy’s expression lost a little bit of the suspicion. “Have you had a chance to find what you’re looking for?”

“Well, I’ve only been here for a little over a day actually, but I’m starting to see how happy you all are.”

That seemed to put the women at ease a little, and they began to chatter again about baby names, labor and delivery techniques, and Helan politics.

Kim relaxed a little and listened intently to the conversations flowing around her.

By the time the mess hall began filling up with people, Kim’s cheeks hurt from smiling. She’d found the women on board to be intelligent, funny, adventurous, and utterly in love with their Helan men. Once the women had realized that she wasn’t going to try and talk them into going back to Earth, they’d relaxed and talked freely around her. She’d learned more about Helan politics in the few hours she’d spent here than the entire six months the Helans had been in contact with humans.

Of course, as soon as the Helan males began trickling in, the women drifted off to be with their mates, and she was left alone at a small table for three.

She was staring around at all the triads and even couples, surprised at the sheer amount of affection the people shared.

The conversations she heard around her surprised her even more. Though there was plenty of excited talk of the baby-to-be, conversations tended to revolve around political reform on Helan to give the women a more equal voice in government, despite their lower numbers. Of particular interest was the voting process. Interestingly, the males seemed to think each female’s vote should carry more weight, while the women felt that a single vote should count for just that, a single vote.

A throat cleared to her left. “Do you mind if I sit down?”

Dr. Tabar stood over her, a plate in one hand, glass in the other.

“Of course,” she said.

The doctor sat down and arranged his plate and glass precisely. “Chief Kerek asked me to let you know that he’s in a meeting with King Jaron and Consort R’oan and will not be available for at least an hour.”

“Thank you for letting me know.”

He nodded and began eating his meal with small, precise bites. “Have you had a good day?”

“It’s been informative, that’s for sure. You know, I’m a little surprised by how the women are treated here.”

Dr. Talan swallowed and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “How so?”

She searched for a response that wouldn’t be offensive but really couldn’t come up with the right words. “Well, I sort of thought that women would be treated like idiots. You know, given how aggressive the males are, I thought that maybe women wouldn’t have quite as much say as they seem to.”

The doctor covered his mouth while he chuckled. “I can see how you would think that, given your own world’s history, but women in Helan society have always been respected. Historically, some of our best scientists, artists, and even war strategists have been females. In fact, it was a woman who first discovered how our ancestors’ breeding patterns were actually killing us off.”

She was about to respond to the doctor when a shock of awareness ran through body. Instinctively, she knew that Thantos had returned. She hadn’t realized how empty she’d been feeling until his presence filled that hole.

The urge to run to Thantos and wrap herself around him and never let go was so strong, she just about jumped up from the table. But she hadn’t even made a decision on what she was going to tell the people back on Earth about what she’d discovered up here. She shouldn’t act like a mate until she knew for sure what was happening, so she ignored the urge and kept talking. “So, Dr. Tabar. When are you and your mate going to go search for your female match?”

The doctor smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Please, call me Tabar. And I don’t have a mate. I guess I haven’t met the right man yet. As for a female mate, well, I’m so busy with all the new women on board that I don’t really have the time to look for a female mate.”

“That’s wise,” she said, nodding. Tabar did seem a little lonely. He was a tad formal and came across as scary smart. He probably had a hard time relating to people.

Soft, reverent fingers ghosted down her spine and tickled the very top of her ass, right where her crease started. She shivered, whipping around to see who would be touching her so intimately in such a public place but found no one.

A shaft of pleasure hit her so strong it would have brought her to her knees if she hadn’t been sitting down. “Ms. McManus,” Tabar said quietly, “I don’t want to presume anything, but you are displaying the symptoms of a mate who has been away from her males too long. I wasn’t aware you had already bonded with Ambassador Thantos and Chief Kerek, but you should go to them. The symptoms will only get worse the longer you ignore them.”

She struggled to her feet, gripping the table for balance when another shudder worked its way down her body. “Call me Kim,” she said.

“Thank you, Kim. Now go before things get too far out of hand. And it’s probably best if you stop by the sick bay in the morning for a checkup.”

She didn’t even bother to ask why she needed a physical. She simply nodded and walked away without a backward glance, careful to keep her chin high and her knees firm. It wasn’t easy. Shards of anticipation were stabbing her so sharply she had to stop twice before she finally made it back to her quarters.

God, how was she going to get in the damn door? She’d seen Kerek press his thumb to the black pad next to the door. Hoping against all hope that the thing was programmed for her, she pressed her thumb against the middle of the pad and prayed to all that was holy that it worked.

Luckily the door slid open, and she practically tumbled in. She stumbled to the bedroom and stopped in her tracks. Her heart picked up at the sight that greeted her.

Thantos was pressed against the wall, both hands over his head. Kerek had Thantos’s thick wrists trapped in his large hand. They were both naked and kissing frantically. And it was exactly what she wanted to see.