Guarding the Goddess Read online

  “What? He said all that?” Ty had stared at the little creature, wide-eyed.

  Asher nodded. “Not in so many words—Gruff tends to communicate more with emotions and images—though he has been known to speak as well. Lisa’s chewchie, Isabel, is more vocal than he is. But of course every chewchie has his or her own unique way of communicating. And you’ll need to get used to them because every citizen of Helios Beta has one.”

  “Really?” Ty raised his eyebrows in surprise. “They all have these little pets and talk to them all the time?”

  “Gruff! Gruff-gruff!” This time the fluffy creature sitting on Asher’s head sounded positively angry.

  “Gruff wants me to let you know he is not my pet,” Asher said dryly. “He’s my companion—just as Isabel is Lisa’s companion. He says please don’t insult him by calling him a pet again.”

  “Or what?” Ty demanded, frowning.

  “Well…” Asher shrugged. “He’s been known to bite.”

  “He’s never bitten me.” Lisa had come over at that point and settled on the couch beside Asher. Snuggling under her mate’s muscular arm, she smiled at Ty. “Don’t let Asher give you a bad idea of chewchies, Commander Ty’rial,” she said. “They’re really wonderful. “They feel our emotions and then magnify them and send them back to us. Also, they can relay images and messages and they’re wonderful companions when you feel lonely or blue.”

  “I’m sure they must be,” Ty said in his best diplomatic tone. “They seem…charming,” he added as Gruff and Isabel left their respective owners and went to sit on the back of the couch together. The two fluffy creatures hummed happily and began grooming each other with long pink and black tongues.

  Lisa shook her head and sighed at Ty’s wary expression.

  “There’s just no way to explain the significance of chewchies to someone who doesn’t have one of their own,” she said sadly. “I wish I could give you an dea of how much these little guys have changed our lives.”

  Asher nodded seriously in agreement.

  “The only change more significant would have to be our bonding,” he said, pulling Lisa tighter against him.

  Lisa squeaked in mock protest and then giggled, rubbing herself against Asher rather provocatively, Ty though with some surprise. Such overt displays of sexual desire were usually kept for the sleeping chamber. But then he noticed that the two chewchies were doing more than grooming each other—much more by the look of it.

  “A-hem.” He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Perhaps I should go.”

  “You might have to,” Asher rumbled apologetically.

  “Sorry about that.” Lisa giggled as she pressed even closer to her mate. “Once the chewchies get going, it’s kind of hard to say no.”

  “We can talk more later—before you go,” Asher told him, but it was clear his attention wasn’t on Ty at all. He was nuzzling beneath Lisa’s chin and Ty saw the sharp points of his fangs skating dangerously along the vulnerable flesh of her throat. Clearly he was preparing to bite his bride, which would give her an instant orgasm.

  If Ty wished to avoid seeing much more than he wanted to of his old friend’s new relationship, he needed to go now.

  “That’s fine,” he said, getting up hastily. “Um, is there anything else I ought to know about the Chorkay before I leave?”

  “Just that they all have blue skin and three eyes. Oh, and the women have three breasts and two vaginas,” Lisa volunteered and giggled. “Oh, Asher, don’t! Not yet, anyway…”

  “They what?” Ty had exclaimed. But then, seeing that their love-making was imminent, he waved his hand to negate the question. “Never mind. I’m sure I’ll find out for myself. Thank you.”

  And he had let himself out of their suite in a hurry, before he could see more than he’d already been subjected to.

  Five

  When he got out into the long curving metal hallway, Ty had shaken his head. The erotic love-play he’d witnessed at his old friend’s suite had bothered him. Not because he’d never seen its like before—erotic play in all its forms as well as the proper pleasuring of a female had been some of his earliest lessons at the slave station.

  No, what bothered him was the fact that Asher, who was usually so professional and subdued, had acted in such a fashion in front of him. His old friend had changed—and not for the better, in Ty’s opinion. It wasn’t just that he had a bride and seemed deliriously happy to have her, when he and Ty had always used to scoff at the idea of getting bonded. It was the fact that he now apparently had a telepathic pet, which spoke into his mind and influenced his actions in a way that couldn’t be good for future missions.

  This was a surprising and not-very-pleasing turn of events. Still, Ty felt he had learned some valuable lessons in the short time he spent with Asher and his new wife. First and foremost, he ought to be careful of the chewchies. Though it was clear he would need to be respectful, since they held such a high significance with the Chorkay, it would be better to avoid getting one himself.

  The second thing he’d learned was much more welcome. The fact that the Chorkay looked so different from what he considered the norm should help him keep professional distance between himself and the new Potentate he was going to serve.

  After all, there was no possible risk of him falling in love with a blue-skinned, three-eyed, three-breasted female with a bossy telepathic pet and two vaginas.

  Right?

  Except now, walking down the long hallway that led to the Grand Balcony with the Potentate in tow, Ty wasn’t quite so sure.

  For one thing, Ellina was quite pretty—beautiful even—despite or maybe because of the third eye which rested in the center of her forehead, slightly above the other two, more normally placed ones. They were all the same rich, vibrant blue as her skin and hair—a lovely color which stood out, even in the ocean of blue and bluish-green shades of all the Chorkay people.

  As for the three breasts and two vaginas, he hadn’t seen any evidence of those yet—not that he expected to, since she was always modestly dressed. And her chewchie—she called him Lor—seemed to be well behaved and quiet, unlike Asher’s chewchie, Gruff.

  It was the fact that he found her attractive and wanted to protect her, rather than simply wanting to do his job, that caused Ty to worry. The professional distance he had tried so hard to keep between himself and the little Chorkay female had somehow broken down the moment he saw her crying.

  Her tears had touched something in him—a part of his heart he had thought was inviolate—and Ty hadn’t been able to resist holding her and comforting her. She wasn’t like one of the haughty Yonnie Six Mistresses at all—which was what he’d been expecting. Oh, she wore a mask of royalty and pride when she was in public. But in private, she was lonely and vulnerable—a girl thrust into a difficult situation with no one she could trust.

  Ty thought of how she’d admitted to eating nothing but honey bars, which she knew were safe, for weeks to be certain she wasn’t poisoned. Poor little female! Despite himself, his heart ached for her. To feel so cornered—so alone—it was a terrible position she found herself in. The fact that she was supposed to lead her people and show only strength, yet she couldn’t even be sure of staying alive must be terrifying and frustrating in the extreme.

  Well, I’m here now—I’ll keep her safe, he told himself. But only because it’s my job. Not because I care for her in any way other than a professional one. And besides, I’ll be leaving as soon as I have her new Chorkay guard completely trained and vetted. So there’s no need to worry that I might form a permanent attachment when I’m only here on a temporary basis.

  Feeling a little better about his position here on Helios Beta, he led Ellina and the rest of the Kindred warriors who surrounded her down to the end of the long hallway, shouting, “Make way! Make way for the Potentate of Helios Beta—the Goddess in the Flesh. Make way!”

  Six

  The hallway terminated in a vast set of golden do