Their Rebel Mate [Helan Universe 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (14 page)

Thantos went willingly, striving to remain calm, and buried his head in Kerek’s chest. “Why have we bonded so quickly?” he asked.

Thick fingers stroked through his hair, pausing to pull on the ends of his war braids a little. “It’s not that quick, really. Consort Varin bonded with Queen Jacy within a week remember? High King D’Arik bonded with her not long after.”

The reminder did reassure Thantos a little, and he pulled away from Kerek slightly so that he could kiss his mate’s cheek. “We’ve only been around Kim for a few days though.”

“It’ll work out.” Even Kerek’s voice was unsure, though, and it brought his nerves right back to life.

Kim walked into the room, shaking her hands out. “Why do I feel so nervous?”

Remorse swept through Thantos, and he took a deep breath, willing himself back to his usual calm. “I’m sorry,
lira
. It’s my fault. We need to go up to the royal quarters. Are you ready?”

She blinked at them. “I’m invited?”

Kerek smiled at Thantos in approval, and Thantos could feel Kerek’s pride in the fact that he was able to control his emotions once again. “Of course you’re invited,” Kerek said, his low voice rich and soothing. “This concerns you, too.”

She blinked again, and Thantos could clearly feel her bemusement. “You didn’t think you would be welcome in a discussion when it involves you?” he said, anger starting to leak into his calm. “You still think that we want to treat our women like brainless cattle, to lead wherever we want?”

Kerek starting pushing calming waves at him, and he did his best to accept the comfort his mate offered, but he could feel the underlying disappointment Kerek had for Kim’s lack of understanding. “We had hoped that you had learned that it’s not our wish to subjugate our female mates. That women are an important part in our society, a part that has been missing for some time.”

Thantos stepped away from Kerek and gestured to the door. “King Jaron and Consort R’oan are waiting for us. Let’s get this over with and see if the bond is breakable.”

He could feel Kim’s shock over his words, but he really didn’t want to be mated to someone who was so set against it. It wasn’t fair to him, it wasn’t fair to Kerek, and it certainly wasn’t fair to Kim.

He grabbed Kerek’s hand for moral support and tugged him toward the door. “Let’s get this over with.”

Decorum and training wouldn’t let him exit first though, and he waited until Kim had walked out in front of them.

His fingers itched to stroke over the small of her back, but he resisted, clenching his hand into a tight fist. It was the pheromones, he admonished himself.

Being closed in the tiny lift with his two lovers nearly drove Thantos out of his mind, and he had to force himself not to turn into the shelter of Kerek’s arms. Instead, he stood ramrod straight, his chin tilted at a defiant angle, his war braids swinging with every small movement of his body.

A warm hand settled on his shoulder, and Kerek began whispering in his ear. “You’re doing well,
talan
.”

Kim glanced at them curiously, but Thantos was in no mood to explain why it was so important that he put on such a strong front. The reason would probably come out in the next hour or so, but he wanted to put it off as long as possible.

Of course, the third shift was just getting off when the three of them got off the lift. Trying to act like there was nothing wrong was as stressful for Thantos as the idea of facing an entire squadron of Jedan soldiers on his own. But he forced a smile to his face and greeted the crew as they passed them in the hall.

Finally they made it to the quarters Jaron and R’oan had been assigned to, and Kerek pressed his thumb to the pad. They waited only a few seconds before the door slid open, and R’oan greeted them from the desk. “Come in,” he said, waving his hand around the room. “Jaron is just getting dressed, and Sathon will be on the screen in a few minutes. He’s suggested that we bring Dr. Tabar in, but I wanted to talk to you before I did that.”

Normally, Kerek would have taken the reins and made the decision for them, but he didn’t say a word. “
It’s up to you, talan
,” Kerek said in his head.

Kim must have felt his anxiety, because despite everything that had just gone down, she crowded up against him and weaved her fingers with his.

He tried to stop himself from drawing any comfort from her support because it would make it all that much harder if Kim eventually made the decision to leave. But her presence did seem to make things a little easier, if not a little more complicated. Thantos nodded. “Thanks for waiting, Consort, but if Sathon thinks that Tabar needs to be here, then he should be.”

“Come now, Thantos. We’ve known each other for years. You usually call me R’oan. Let’s not stand on tradition, at least not when in private.” He pressed the comm and began to speak with the ship’s doctor.

Jaron chose that moment to come bouncing in, pausing to slap Kerek on the back, shoot Kim a quick smile, and give Thantos a hard hug before plopping down on R’oan’s lap. Thantos grinned and relaxed completely as his friend went about his day as if there was absolutely nothing out of place. Jaron grabbed R’oan’s glass and took a sip.

“So, I was kinda thinking that we should probably have D’Arik, Varin, and Jacy on the vidscreen, too,” Jaron said idly.

Which meant, of course, that he’d already called his brother and made the arrangements.

Kerek shook his head and grinned, and Thantos had to smile. Normally, Kerek would have bitten the head off anyone who’d dared to do something like that without Kerek’s express permission, but everyone knew that Jaron tended to act before he thought things through. “Why?” he asked instead.

Jaron shrugged and took another swallow of R’oan’s drink. “You didn’t hear it from me because D’Arik will kill me, but I’m pretty sure that —”

R’oan’s hand settled over his mate’s mouth. “Not for you to talk about,
liro
. Now, Dr. Tabar will be here in about five minutes, Sathon will be joining us on the vidscreen in about forty seconds, and apparently D’Arik, Varin, and Jacy will be also be joining us on the vidscreen. So, I should set up the big screen on the wall, yes?”

R’oan ordered the ship’s computer to slide the panel down to reveal a huge vidscreen as the door chimed and the vidscreen beeped simultaneously. “Come,” Kerek hollered at the door at the same time as Jaron answered the hail.

“I hope you’re not coming,” a voice said from the vidscreen. “I don’t want to be scarred for life.”

“Hey,” Jaron replied. “I can assure you, R’oan is beautiful when he comes. Absolutely stunning.”

Thantos rolled his eyes and sat down on one of the chairs by the desk, letting his head fall back against Kerek’s rigid abdomen as his mate came to stand behind him.

“Um, perhaps I should come back another time?” Dr. Tabar’s voice was confused.

“No, no,” R’oan said as he covered Jaron’s mouth with his palm again. “Dr. Tabar, if you will direct your attention to the large screen for a moment, I would like to introduce you to my brother-in-law, High King D’Arik, his mate, Queen Jacy, and their consort, Varin. Also on the screen is Dr. Sathon.”

Thantos closed his eyes and let Kerek soothe him for a while as voices flowed around him.

By the time he opened his eyes again, everyone was seated, and Jaron and D’Arik had ceased their dirty talk. Thantos smiled up at the screen. “Greetings, your majesties. How are you feeling, Queen Jacy?”

The queen scrunched up her nose, but her eyes sparkled. “Morning sickness is a myth. It’s all-day sickness. But other than that, I’m fine, thanks. Now, if I could convince D’Arik and Varin that I’m pregnant, not crippled, they might actually let me walk somewhere.”

The small talk went on for a few minutes, with D’Arik and R’oan getting in quite a few jokes before Varin finally called things to order. “Jaron, what was so urgent that you felt the need to drag us from our beds?”

D’Arik nodded and grinned. “Yeah. I had my dick—” Jacy smacked his arm, and the high king shut up, still grinning like a fool. It was good to see D’Arik so happy and relaxed. It was a complete change from the grim, stressed man he’d been a few short months ago. Being in a permanent ménage relationship seemed to be agreeing with him.

Varin sighed and rolled his eyes, even as Thantos saw his hand creeping up the high king’s thigh. Jacy snuggled close, seeming to be happy to be between her two men. “Again, what’s wrong?”

Thantos reached out and snagged Kim’s hand, bringing her into the vidscreen’s view so that she was clearly visible to the people on the screen. Jacy’s eyes widened, and she leaned forward. “Kim?”

“Hi, Jacy.” Kim waved and offered a bright smile, but Thantos could clearly feel the apprehension coming off her in waves.

“Um, what are you doing there?”

Kerek quickly explained their deal. The queen’s eyebrows seemed to climb higher and higher until they actually disappeared behind her bangs. “You agreed to this, Kim?” she asked incredulously.

Kim straightened her shoulders. “I did.”

Jacy looked at her thoughtfully for a minute. “You were always fair. This sounds like a good thing. That way, you can deliver a truly educated opinion to the women on Earth.”

Kerek began shifting restlessly, and Thantos reached up to stroke the inside of his mate’s wrist even as Dr. Tabar started speaking. “If it would not offend, I fail to see why I’m required for this conversation.”

“That’s a valid point, Doctor,” Thantos said, rising to his feet. “You’re here because Kerek and I have bonded with Kim quite a bit faster than we’d thought was actually possible.”

To his credit, Tabar did nothing more than blink. “It’s a little fast, of course, but there’s not much I can do medically.”

Kerek stepped forward. “What is said in this room stays in this room. Is that understood?”

Thantos glanced at the screen to see how D’Arik and Varin were taking being ordered around, but the two of them merely nodded their heads.

Kerek looked over at Sathon’s image. “Dr. Sathon, would you explain?”

Sathon steepled his fingers. “It’s quite complicated, actually. Thantos does not have the normal aggressive nature most Helan males have. Whereas most Helan men feel the need to assert their dominance, even with their mates, Thantos does not.”

Tabar tilted his head to one side and studied Thantos with fascination. “You’re a submissive? But how is that possible?”

Thantos could feel Kim’s indignation on his behalf and smiled. “Don’t worry,
lira
. There’s a reason for Dr. Tabar’s question.”

Sathon nodded. “Indeed. Helan have an enzyme that causes the males of our species to be particularly aggressive and dominant. Sort of like a mutated version of testosterone in humans. To answer your question, Dr. Tabar, Thantos is missing that enzyme.”

“Huh. I’ve never run across that before. That would explain Ambassador’s relatively small frame for a Helan.”

Kim looked at Kerek and Thantos for a minute, and he could feel the wheels turning in her brain. “Why is it such a secret?”

Sathon answered for him. “Our society is still evolving, Ms. McManus. Much like your society’s slow acceptance of gay or lesbian lifestyles, our society has valued dominance. So much so, in the not-so-distant past, any males suspected of being submissive would have suffered.”

Consort Varin nodded and pulled Jacy and D’Arik closer. “Maybe not physically, but they would have been ostracized and not allowed to breed. Unfortunately, there is still a segment of our population that feels this way. Should it come out that Ambassador Thantos does not feel the need to assert his dominance, there would be pressure for him to step down from his position. Or worse.”

Tabar was nodding now. “All right, but I’m still not sure why I’m needed.”

Once again, Sathon answered. “The nature of Thantos and Kerek’s bond is different than most. Thantos’s lack of the enzyme has caused Kerek to produce more, and the bond between them allows Thantos to absorb some of the enzyme. But this means that the bond between Thantos and Kerek is absolute and unbreakable.”

“What happens if it is broken?” Kim asked.

Sathon shook his head and frowned. “Normally, if our bond is broken, we’re in both physical and emotional agony. The physical pain eventually fades, but the emotional distress remains.”

Thantos’s heart went out to the pale doctor. The male knew exactly what he was talking about. Sathon had lost his mate years ago, and the poor man had never recovered.

Sathon continued, even as the lines around his eyes deepened. “I suspect, because of how Thantos’s body has come to rely on Kerek’s, that he would not survive if their bond was broken. The question is what would happen if their bond with Kim was broken?”

“Ah,” Tabar said. “If you will accompany me to the sick bay, I will take some samples before we retire for the night.”

There was nothing else to do but agree to the tests, and thankfully, Kim agreed as well. Tabar finally left to prepare the equipment in sick bay while Kerek finished up. “Thank you all. Thantos’s life, and now Kim’s, means more to me than anything else.”

D’Arik smiled at them. “Actually, I have something else to speak with you about. With the threat of the Jedans, I’ve decided to offer sanctuary on Helan to any human, female or male. Aside from our warships, the next three ships will be available for transport. That being said, we will need someone to continue your classes here on Helan for the humans who choose to come to Helan, and we think that you are the best person for the job.”

Kerek placed his hand on Thantos’s shoulder and squeezed. “Thantos has been working himself to the bone, Your Majesty.”

D’Arik smiled warmly. “Thantos would be in charge of the curriculum, of course, but there would be a number of others who would lead the classes.”

Thantos breathed a sigh of relief. The schedule had been getting to him, and the time spent away from Kerek had been draining. But the decision to go back to Helan was not as simple as it once would have been. Not when they had Kim to consider now.