Page 76 of Taken to Kor

The woman meets my gaze and I can tell she’s overwhelmed because her right leg starts shaking. Looking at her, I almost feel sorry for her. She has no warriors’ marks on her whatsoever. She must not have fought any battles at all before they strapped her into that tank.

I take my kit from the female and coddle Melianora close to my chest. Rhork steps up behind us and the human female looks at us…and keeps looking at us. As her stare finally focuses, I can see the thoughts in her mind turning and then solidifying into a single realization.

We are not the same species.

We look nothing alike.

We are a family.

The best, most kick ass family.

“I’m Anushka,” she finally says and the corner of her mouth jerks, surprising me completely. Hope…crushed. Because then she shakes her head and blinks rapidly. “I must be dreaming.”

I groan, “Svera! Miari! I did my best.”

They laugh and corral around the female called Anushka while I turn back to face my mate. The Niahhorru pirates gather around us, holding my other kits. I kiss each baby on the forehead and then Tevbarannos, too, but only because he asks for it.

We make our way further back towards the trees while Svera and Miari do more talking with the human and she does more gawking at the aliens and their kits.

“How is it going?” Rhork asks, sparing a glance at the human females some time later as they prepare to open a second tank.

I shake my head and sigh, “Who knows. I don’t think that first chick is a born pirate, though. Way too easily overwhelmed.”

Rhork laughs against the top of my head just as Ferannu, in his arms, starts to squeal. I swap babies with him and then Tevbarannos comes and takes Melianora and then babies are swapped all around until I’m not sure who’s got a hold of who. But I don’t care. I know that each of these males would die for one of my kits if they had to. Because that’s what family does for each other.

“Have you heard from Herannathon?” I ask Rhork.

He shakes his head as he strokes my hair while I breastfeed the little one right there on the beach. Gently, he guides me underneath the shade of one of the trees where it’s cool. Pirates come by and hand me babies periodically and periodically, I hear a scream as another tank is opened on the sandy shore. By the time the sun sets, there are a dozen new human females awake and three male tanks open, too. One of the human males is even conversing what appears to be amicably with Meghanora and the two other Niahhorru females who joined this merry expedition.

I try not to be irritated by the sight of her. It’s easy though, holding Rhork’s kits and when I look up into his face and see him staring at me, as if we’re the only two fools on this beach.

Bonfires spring up right there on the sands and soon Niahhorru laughter and jibes are being punctuated by the unnatural sound of languages being translated from Human and Voraxian. Dang. Even the pirates and the prim and proper Voraxians seem to be getting along. That’s not to say no fights break out. Of course, there are a couple. I’m pretty sure my boys start them all.

I lean my head on Rhork’s shoulder and sigh as he kisses my forehead. Then my cheek, then my nose. I tilt my lips up to his and let him kiss me once more. I close my eyes and in the background, I hear the roar of the ocean.

“I’m ready,” I whisper.

“Ready for what?”

“To be a pirate again.”

He laughs against my lips and I shudder with desire. Knowing that my body needs to heal for another thirty solars is pure torture. Rhork pulls away first and kisses my temple, then takes the baby in my lap from me and gently cradles Gigimorannu in his lap while she softly coos herself to sleep. My babies sleep hard. Makes sense, since they’re so exhausting.

“You’re ready to leave already?” He asks.

I nod. “I’m a pirate. I belong in the skies, pillaging and marauding. Besides, I remember you promising me that I’d get to shoot something as soon as I was feeling better. I’m feeling better, Rhorky bear.”

“Good. Because I had a few ideas to pay back the Egama who joined Pogar in his mutiny. I believe it will need to be a family affair.”

I stare up into his silver eyes as he stares down into mine. Gigimorannu, who’d been softly sleeping a moment before, starts screaming like a banshee between us. Over that sound, I manage to be heard as I shout a single word up at my mate, the male I love most in all the cosmos.

And all I say is, “Interesting.”