Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“I love this more forceful side of you, darling,” Vardox drawled. Then two of his tentacles grabbed both of Starblade’s arms and pinned them to the bed. “But you know that I like to be in charge—and you like that too.”
Starblade couldn’t deny it. In fact, his dick was throbbing even harder now.
With four tentacles holding down his appendages and one finally stroking his shaft, Starblade lost all rational thought the moment Vardox started thrusting in and out of him with his thick cock.
“That’s right, my dear. Let go and don’t fight it.”
Starblade couldn’t even if he wanted to. Now that the last barrier protecting his heart was gone, he had no resistance to give, let alone any will to do so.
Seeming to sense his total submission, Vardox’s eyes flashed red with passion. “Yessss,” he hissed, his forked tongue flicking out between his teeth.
Then, mid-thrust, he leaned down and kissed Starblade.
But this kiss was different from the times when they were fucking in the past.
Vardox pulled back and gazed into Starblade’s eyes. “You look confused.”
Flustered, Starblade stuttered out, “Th-this all f-feels different. It’s… strange.”
And intoxicating.
Vardox’s answering grin was sinfully sexy. “That’s because we’re not just fucking, we’re making love right now, darling. Do keep up.”
—The Tentacular Tales of Captain Starblade, Ch. 171
Kai
“Ta-da!” River says theatrically as he shows me our outfits for tonight.
The final costume ball of the convention is Heroes and Villains. As River tells me, “It fits perfectly with Starblade and Vardox!”
“Nirblob made them for us as a gift. Aren’t they great?” River says, studying the two outfits on hangers.
“Uh… sure,” I agree hesitantly.
Somehow, my life has become a costume party extravaganza ever since I met River. Between the myriad onesies, my proposal outfit, the Elvis costume, and our costumes here, I’m beginning to experience nostalgic longing for my boring office suits.
River grabs the outfit that’s basically a more elegant and sophisticated upgrade of my Han Solo number.
“Naturally, I’m Captain Starblade. I may not have his full-on himbo vibes, but I think I can do him justice.
” He grins at me. “Besides, the man with the tentacles is a no-brainer choice for Lord Vardox any day.”
I study what is now evidently my outfit. Tight black pants are accompanied by a black silk shirt that only buttons up to mid-torso, leaving my chest on full display. All of this is then topped off with an elaborate red satin cloak that looks like it will go down past my knees.
“I’ll wear the costume, but please tell me we aren’t LARPing.”
I should probably draw the line somewhere, right? Who knows where River might take things if I don’t…
River laughs. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t do that to you, boo.” He winks. “Not yet anyway. I’ve gotta slowly ease you into it.”
I cross my arms. “No, thank you.”
He grins. “We’ll see.”
Galactic gods, I have a feeling my fate is already sealed.
I am not an actor, and LARPing sounds a bit ridiculous to me. No doubt, I’ll make a fool of myself. But I’ll make a fool of myself any day if it makes River happy.
The things I’ll do for love aren’t quite what I imagined before meeting River. On every level, he’s flipped the script on me—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We get dressed and River appoints himself my hair and makeup artist for the evening.
“Babe, you can totally rock a sexy Vardox vibe. We just need to accentuate some of your finest assets.”
I sit quietly as he works on me, and I rather enjoy having him style my hair. His touch grounds me like no other, and I lean into it like a cat seeking attention.
“Now, for the pièce de résistance, I’m going to apply black eyeliner.”
“Why?”
He stares at me like I’m a few solar panels short of a spaceship. “Because you look superhot with it. Duh.”
I preen a little at that. “Well, if you insist.”
River smirks. “I do. You’re going to be the sexiest Vardox out there!”
He applies the eyeliner with steady hands, and once he’s done, he steps away so I can see myself in the mirror.
“Am I good or am I good?” he crows.
There’s no doubt about it. My husband is multitalented. Even I’m impressed with how good I look.
“You’ve got that mysterious brooding vibe down, babe. The eyeliner just takes it up a notch.” He sighs dreamily. “Gorgeous. You’re giving David Tennant in Fright Night realness. So damn sexy.”
Evan had helped me achieve a similar look as part of my marriage proposal dance number for River, and I remember how much he appreciated it then. Clearly, he’s been thinking about how to re-enact it. Hmm. I may need to ask Evan to teach me how to do it myself so I can surprise River on my own…
Convention goers decked out in their finest costumes swarm the ballroom—Captain Starblades and Lord Vardoxes of all sizes, shapes, and genders circulate around us. River spends a full minute just staring open-mouthed at it all. Then he turns to me, tears in his eyes.
“This is really happening, right?”
I wrap an arm around his shoulders and kiss his cheek. “It is. Everyone here loves your stories and wants to pay tribute to their favorite characters.”
River leans into me. “This must be what Lady Gaga feels like when she gets up on stage and sees her adoring fans. But these are my little monsters. Talk about a rush.”
As is often the case, I don’t fully understand what he’s talking about, but I just go along with it. “Do I need to worry that all this fame will go to your head?”
He laughs, a bright and joyous sound. “Nah. I mean, I share the stories for free, after all, so despite the fame, it’s not like I’m going to be amassing a ridiculous fortune anytime soon.”
“Hmm,” I muse. “Perhaps you should consider charging for your work. I think there are plenty who’d pay for it.”
“I thought about it when I found out how popular my series was among extraterrestrials, but I figured they wouldn’t have Earth money to pay…
” He trails off and then his eyes widen.
“But wait! If you help me create that account for saving Intergalactic Standard Currency, they could pay me there, couldn’t they? ”
My lips curve up in a smile. “Absolutely.”
River’s expression brightens. “If nothing else, maybe my stories can help us set up a college fund for our kids. Paying for three is going to be no easy feat.”
The look he’s giving me is so earnest and hopeful.
Dark matter and dammit, there’s no one who can melt both my hearts on a daily basis like River Sullivan.
My ridiculous shirt proves quite useful as I can easily let out two of my tentacles to pull River into a full embrace. “Already planning for their futures, my love?”
“Of course. It’s our parental responsibility, and no time is too soon when it comes to financial preparation.”
I chuckle and nuzzle his cheek. “I appreciate the sentiment, but if our children decide to go to an intergalactic university, they won’t need to pay anything.
Education is free across most of the universe.
And if they decide to study on Earth, I’m sorry to break it to you, but our Intergalactic Standard Currency won’t be super helpful. ”
“Aw, nuts,” River grumbles.
“Don’t worry. Our kids will be well supported not only by us but also by our extended family.”
“Grandparents and uncles for the win! It’s nice to have what feels like a small army of helpers, especially since all the grandparents have longer life expectancies than my dad’s parents did.” His expression turns sad. “Benji and I lost them too soon after… everything.”
I push down the simmering anger that always bubbles to the surface when River talks about his childhood struggles after his parents faked their deaths and went into hiding.
While I know that Benji wasn’t the most conventional or responsible adult parent to River in their place, I’ve grown to have immense respect and appreciation for him.
Despite some of his shortcomings, he got it right where it counted most, and raised one of the bravest, boldest, and most loving people I’ve ever known.
For that, he will always have my deep and profound gratitude.
I’m also in complete support of River’s efforts to help my younger brother Mal—who’s head over tentacles for Benji—win the man’s heart.
I focus back on River and clear my throat.
“We’ll be able to rely on them more than some people can when it comes to family support.
Iyarans fundamentally believe that human concept of it takes a village to raise a child.
Extended family members and friends who agree to be involved in the process are always eager to follow through on any commitments they make.
Iyarans don’t make a half-hearted effort when it comes to children.
They are increasingly rare among our people, so those who want and are able to have children cherish them deeply, as do their families. ”
River pats my abdomen gently. “It’s still majorly surreal that we’re going to have kids at all, let alone triplets. But believe me, I’m already thinking and planning.”
I’ve already seen it myself. River’s taken to poring over books my mom has given him on Iyaran culture and how to raise Iyaran children.
He’s planning out how we can repurpose a room in our house to be a nursery and working through gender-neutral decorating schemes with Evan’s help.
We’ve also started talking about more practical day-to-day things like time off and work schedules after gestation is complete, daycare as the kids get older, and other basic routines.
Even though we have a few years yet before we need to make concrete decisions about a lot of things, River’s not wasting any time.