Chapter 34 Callie
thirty-four
Callie
Aga was terrified of a three foot tall talking fox.
We’d eaten breakfast together, which seemed to be the start of a truce between Rathal and Aga because neither tried to set the other on fire with their eyes the whole time we were eating.
Som’ae had come into the dining room to join us at the last minute and Aga had stuffed the last of his food in his mouth and beat feet out of there like his ass was on fire.
Rathal and Som’ae had a good long laugh about it once he was out of ear shot.
Which I was grateful for because it ensured that the truce had continued through some eight hours of preparation that had so much information exchanging hands I don’t know how anyone kept track of it all, but somehow Som’ae acted like it was just another Tuesday.
I’d asked her finally, when we were entering into the main ship hangar where Erral Station’s only Cutter was docked, how she managed the entire station with what seemed like little or no help from anyone. She’d shrugged her narrow shoulders and wiggled her four tails at me.
“I have 63 children, Callie. This station? Much easier to deal with than that mess.”
I’d stared at her flabbergasted, but then Rathal had leaned over and whispered that the Voxias had litters of up to twenty at a time.
Compared to that, running the station was probably pretty easy.
It was also why Aga seemed to avoid looking the little female in the eyes and all but jumped when she spoke to him.
I’d teased him finally and the grumpy green croc had looked at me wide eyed and whispered, “Have you ever seen what Voxias can do to a person’s life if they are crossed?
We are talking total destruction! Financial ruin!
They can place a black mark on you so that no merchant will do business with you.
The whole damn galaxy seems to shun whoever falls afoul of them.
You wouldn’t even be able to buy a cup of your foul coffee.
I’d rather take my chances with ten thousand Patty’s in a small room suped up on caffeine and rage than deal with Som’ae’s disapproval. ”
Wow.
Som’ae had winked at me from all the way across the hangar when I’d looked in her direction.
Those damn radar ears of hers could hear a cricket fart, I swear.
It was loud as hell in the hangar with people shouting and machinery running back and forth loading crates, weapons, ammo, and rations onto the Cutter and the larger shuttles and she’d still heard him.
Finally, a raspy voice spoke over the PA.
“All hands to stations. Departure in ten minutes. All hands to stations. Departure in ten minutes.”
Most of the crew had already boarded the hulking patchwork of space garbage they called a warship, but this was the final call for any stragglers or loading crew to get their ass where they needed to be and that included us.
Rathal’s hand touched my lower back to guide me over to the Cutter’s main ramp where Aga was already waiting. The big green idiot threw one final disgusted look at Rathal before turning on his heel and stomping into the depths of the ship.
I eyed Rathal sidelong. “Feeling petty today, are we?”
He’d worn a sheer pink crop top with a pink boa sewn into the neck and pants with pink and purple stripes with a wide orange scarf tied around his waist. There was a curved knife with an ornate gold handle tucked into the front of the scarf.
He was decked out with all his jewelry and had even added a few more knives to really up the ante.
Rathal fluffed his pink feathers. “I don’t know what you mean. This is my normal attire.”
I bit my lip and shook my head. Yes, it was something he frequently would wear, but I’d seen what he wore when he was on a mission. Usually something tactical. This was purely to piss Aga off.
“Why? Do you not like it? Is it not to your taste?” he asked, stopping once we reached the top of the ramp and struck a pose, knowing damn well that it made his muscular thighs and tight ass stand out in his striped pirate pants and drew my eye to his cut adonis belt.
Rathal was sexy in whatever he wore, but I was becoming partial to his outlandish clothing. Especially when it exposed his killer abs like this little number did.
“Oh no, baby. I love it. Don’t change a thing,” I told him, running my palm up his ridged stomach and under his shirt to flick my fingers over his pierced nipple.
Rathal’s eyes narrowed and he brought a hand up to stop my machinations. “Careful, wife. I am not above a quickie before a war.”
I tiptoed to bite at the underside of his jaw. “Who said I wasn’t, husband?”
Rathal’s other hand was just snaking its way into my flight suit when Aga’s voice bellowed from the bulkhead door.
“Would you two quit grabassing and get in here!”
Rathal sighed and removed his hand from my suit, pulling the zipper back up with a quick, irritated jerk. “I don’t think he likes me, my prize. Whatever shall I do? How will I go on?”
I smacked his chest. “Stop that,” I laughed, pulling him along behind me as I made my way across the busy hangar bay of the Cutter and up a set of stairs to where Aga waited on the landing just before the airlock doors with his arms crossed.
The croc shook his head at me, his scowl deepening. “You used to be the sane one, Callie. What happened?”
Rathal chose that moment to pull me into his body, his head coming to rest on top of mine. “She had that stick removed and replaced with good dick. It changes a female.”
I thought I was going to have to tackle Aga to the ground but he stopped himself at the last second, sheathed his sword back into the scabbard on his back and stalked through the bulkhead and down the corridor, finally disappearing around a corner.
I rolled my eyes up to where his nose protruded over my forehead. “The saying is technically ‘stick up the ass’ and you aren’t getting that monster you call a cock anywhere near my ass.”
Rathal’s put out sigh was full of dramatics. “Ass. Pussy. The results were the same. You’re welcome.”
“I don’t think you can reasonably be called responsible for all the changes in me.
My girls have a fair bit of credit for that.
Not to mention the whole abduction by aliens thing,” I told him as we followed in Aga’s steaming wake down several corridors.
The crew was marching back and forth past us chattering excitedly about the coming war.
Erral had all but emptied for this, only those with small children and the elderly staying behind.
All automated security systems had been put on full alert.
The station had become a fortress in little under a day.
It was a testament to how organized Som’ae kept the seemingly slapped together chaos of Erral to have been able pull this off with little to no notice.
Rathal snagged my attention by gripping the back of my neck and giving me a little shake as we walked.
“Must you be so technical, wife? I’m trying to flirt here,” Rathal sighed. “It's the martyrs folly to love a practical person. Woe is me,” he deadpanned, one hand splaying over his chest while he put the back of his other hand to his forehead.
We entered a lift and I tiptoed to kiss at the corner of his mouth. “I think you’ll survive.”
Rathal leaned down, pointing at his mouth. “Maybe, but kiss me again just to be sure.”
Someone made a disgusted sound and got off the lift before the doors closed and I startled. I hadn’t even noticed someone was in here with us.
“Snob,” Rathal called after the male who’d exited before tapping his lips again. “About that kiss? Callie?” Rathal edged, nudging me.
Rolling my eyes, but smiling I did as he asked, kissing him with the intention of it just being a quick thing, but Rathal had other ideas. His arms gathered me close while he deepened the kiss. I shrugged, smiling into his mouth, and threw my arms around his neck.
The lift hissed open and an irritated scoff broke us apart. Rathal looked over my head, growling. “Oh, fuck off. When and how I kiss my wife is none of your concern.”
I unwound myself from Rathal so I could turn and see that it was of course, Aga, burning a hole through Rathal’s forehead with his glare.
“Cut him some slack, Rathal. He’s just mad he had to come all the way out here just to find I’d slept with the enemy.
I’d be pretty mad too. Plus, I’m sure the main reason he’s so pissed is because he had to leave Sam behind.
I am sorry, Aga. I didn’t plan this. But I chose Rathal.
I married him. He’s mine. Deal with it.”
Aga stared at me for a long moment that grew kind of awkward with the whole bridge crew watching us, including Som’ae. Finally, the grumpy male sighed and dropped his arms to his sides with a shake of his head.
“There is no need to apologize, Callie. I know this wasn’t your fault.
I place the blame fully on that—” he looked like he was searching for a word that was appropriate to use in front of a matriarch, “—pirate’s feet” He shot a withering glare at Rathal.
Aga’s glares were extra effective because his orange eyes always appeared to be glowing, even if it was just the brilliant color and not any actual luminescence.
His gaze softened when it found me again.
“I will be less—” He made tiny circling motions with his hand, searching for the right word.
“Assholey?” I supplied, helpfully.
Aga inclined his head, a smile twitching at his lips. “—assholey to your chosen mate. Though, I still don’t like you,” he finished, narrowing his eyes at Rathal.
My husband gave Aga a bored look. “I shall endeavor to survive without your good esteem.”
Aga snorted, finally smiling fully for the first time since he showed up here. “I’m sure you will.”
“If we are all done with the family squabbling I do believe we have a war to fight,” Som’ae’s dry voice cracked through the air.
All three of us jumped, turning to give her identical guilty looks. “Sorry,” we said at the same time.