Stevr (The Mating Games Book 5) Read online

  Once Stevr sent the report to Razar, he headed back to the command deck. There he made some notes for whoever was in charge for the coming night shift. They were to bring nothing aboard, run hourly scans on the ship, cargo, surrounding space, and wake him if anything seemed off. Security was also to set up and monitor as many cameras in the cargo hold and other rarely accessed areas as they could. If they had paid one saboteur, who was to say they didn’t have a backup?

  Setting those safeguards and a few others in place made him feel better. Razar would have the now deceased saboteur investigated with the hope of tracing his involvement through the money or anyone that knew anything that was associated with the guy. Someone somewhere knew something they only had to find them. Stevr finished out his shift grateful for the quiet he had once considered boring. It was his hope that they would lay low until he had his trip completed. No, he didn’t think that would be the case but it didn’t hurt to hope.

  Finishing his shift it was a relief when the night passed without any alarms going off. Stevr felt more rested in the morning than he had been the day before. When he started his shift he was happy that no unusual activity was reported. In the back of his mind he knew something was coming and he feared that it would be on the way back when they had an opportunity to turn one of the crew or sneak something onboard. The next few days passed with no cause for concern and they were about halfway through the trip.

  He still worried every time they passed near a planet, another ship, or even a piece of floating space trash. Since he was on guard, his crew was also nervous and watchful. Not just the command crew but the nervousness had wormed its way down until everyone on the ship was jumpy. The difference was his command crew knew why they should be worried the others just sensed something was wrong. In an attempt to appease the whole crew, he had a special meal cooked for everyone.

  They didn’t generally encourage feasting for the crew because overindulging of any kind could impair senses and decision making but he’d made an exception for one meal. All the crew, even the Mazlans seemed to enjoy it although his inner circle didn’t indulge as the others did. Stevr kept a close eye on things and they made it through with only a few mishaps and a couple of the human crewmembers getting sick. It did seem to have the intended result of relaxing the crew and ending the jumpiness.

  It finally came time that arrival on the space station was imminent. When he took his place on the command deck in the morning, the space station would be in sight then or soon after. Before his shift ended he would video chat with the ambassador who was in charge of the program that provided the mates and collected the payment. He was a greedy and cold male. The females he traded were held in the highest contempt by that man and others like him yet he was eager to collect what he called fees.

  That alone was reason enough to dislike the weasel, as Lista called him. According to Lista the male had traded his own daughter to the program because he was embarrassed that he had daughters and no sons. Stevr would be thrilled with whatever child the gods granted him. That a male could throw away such a perfect gift made no sense to him or any Mazlans. Secretly he wished males like that wouldn’t be gifted with any children at all. They didn’t deserve them but it seemed males like that benefitted when they should be deprived.

  He made the call sitting at his desk with just a little time left of his shift. This made the Earth time around ten in the morning which was the time Ambassador Crumph preferred to be called. “Ambassador Crumph’s office. May I help you?”

  “Yes, Marley. I have an appointment to speak to the Ambassador at this time.” Stevr smiled brightly. He liked Marley who was the ambassador’s long suffering personal assistant. She was young, sweet and very unhappy to have to work with that man.

  “Stevr! It’s nice to hear from you. I’ll put you right through since he’s expecting you.”

  She did just that. “Stevr? Is that you?” Crumph hesitated and looked surprised to see him. “You’re on time I take it?” He asked recovering from his shock. That was a man they needed to look into.

  “Yes, Ambassador. We will arrive in the afternoon.” Stevr lied knowing they would arrive this time in the morning or earlier. It wouldn’t slow anything down since all the females were already on the space station and had been told to be packed to leave as early as eight in the morning.

  Stevr was hoping for an advantage if they didn’t expect them until later. An organized professional would be prepared at any time but many of the humans in politics weren’t organized or professional. “We look forward to seeing you. All is ready with your brides.” Crumph said with an oily smile. Dealing with this human politician made his skin crawl and made him feel dirty.

  “Thank you. I look forward to our arrival tomorrow.” Stevr said honestly.

  “As do I. We will be waiting for you.” Crumph replied and Stevr knew it was a threat hid behind diplomacy. This male was involved somehow even if he’d only passed on information in exchange for a bribe. It would give them another link to follow in the hopes of getting to the person who had begun this.

  The line went dead as Crumph’s ugly face stayed frozen on the screen. Sick of looking at it Stevr turned the screen off than back on. He sent Razar another report with the suggestion of digging into Crumph. Sure they had looked into him before when he’d been put in charge of the bride program but they hadn’t dug deep. There had been no need at the time but things had changed. This time they would even hire someone to bug his office and follow him indefinitely. They had too few potential clues not to pull out all the stops in order to get to the bottom of things.

  Once the report was sent to Razar, he was done for the day. Tonight he went to the private dining room for the command crew. In here there was alcohol and good company. The alcohol didn’t affect him but he liked the burn when it went down and the strong flavor. Tellar was usually his choice of companion to play a game of cards or reminisce about when they grew up, but he was still in the submersion tank. The good doctor had put him in a coma because he couldn’t stay still and that was probably for the best. It was quiet in here without Tellar or one of his other males. They were probably resting hoping to be up to no good on the space station.

  It was something he had considered doing himself until he’d found out he would be in the hunt this upcoming cycle. That was when he decided since he’d waited this long to experience that side of life, he would wait for his mate. With her the discovery of love and sensual delights would mean the most. They would share it together. The decision felt right so he would stick with it. Besides, under the current circumstances he would feel better if they unloaded the weed, loaded the brides, and got the hell out of Dodge. That was another old Earth saying Lista liked.

  Stevr knew his males would be disappointed but they would live to complain about it this way. If they ran loose on the station they might not survive it. Whatever happened would be blamed on them and swept under the carpet. He downed another large glass of what Lista called rotgut whiskey then slammed the glass on the table. All the needed decisions were now made and he would retire to his room. There was a warmth in his belly from the whiskey that gave him comfort.

  Moving down the hall he saw that all the off duty males seem to have turned in. He sighed thinking about how disappointed and pissed off they’d all be. That was part of the unfortunate responsibility of being in command. All of them would deal with the disappointment in their own way some of them by blaming him. This would be the case especially with the human crew members who had no idea what was going on. They would think him harsh and unfair depriving them of their fun just to rush back home.

  Once he made it to his room he prepared for bed turning in with all the worries of the day roaring through his brain. Stevr knew others of his kind had this problem and humans had it even worse. They’d given is a name, insomnia. If he’d been on Oison he’d have turned to his demon form and run for miles until he was drained of even the energy to think. There was only one other way he could thin
k of to take some of the excess energy away that might tire him enough to sleep.

  Trying to focus his thoughts on what his future mate might look like he could only come up with a shadowy female form. Pulling back the blankets, he uncovered his naked body. His hand moved down to his sack which he cupped and squeezed gently a few times before he moved up to his now rock hard shaft. He began to stroke it all the way to the base and back to the tip a few times before his strokes got faster and shorter. Stroking from about halfway to the end, his speed got faster until his hand was a blur. The friction increased as he thought of nothing but how good his mate’s hand would feel. It only took a few minutes before he stiffened, groaned, and squirted ropes of warm white fluid all over his belly. He wiped his cum off with a nearby shirt then rolled over and went to sleep.

  Chapter 2

  Space Station I

  Geena looked around the small cramped hotel room she’d been given. The other women or females as the Mazlans preferred to call them were all in similar rooms as they awaited their future. That she was one of the future brides or mates was amazing because she wasn’t the type that would normally go into a program like this. There’d been no choice for some of them because they’d been selected without any say in the matter.

  The government had sweetened their deal giving them each something to soften the blow. Monique had been given extra money to leave that would help the family she’d left behind. Izzy had been allowed to bring her girl child with her but she didn’t realize and wouldn’t know until she entered the ship that Mazlans allowed children so she’d not really been given anything at all. Earth’s government was smart that way. They were also devious, underhanded, and corrupt. Those who left might end up being the lucky ones. Time would tell, that and their arrival on the planet, Oison.

  The place they were all stuck at now was not a place she would have chosen to be had she any choice in the matter. The space station was there to promote trade with other planets without letting them near Earth itself. Yes, the males of the planet were snobs and possibly racists. They had developed the attitude that they were superior not only to their own females, but to everyone and everything that existed anywhere. Geena figured they would have a rude awakening especially since females were fleeing the planet at rates that should have alarmed them.

  It wasn’t just the bride program which barely made a dent in the unbalanced male/female ratio, it was the females that moved to space stations, many were spread out across the galaxy, preferring to live alone to the terrible treatment they received at the hands of their males. Many also were finding places on other planets among aliens. These females weren’t returning to a place that treated them so poorly. It seemed to Geena that her fellow females had finally had enough and she could read the writing on the wall. The fact that the Mazlans needed their biggest ship to pick up the five thousand females that Earth had approved for the program and that more than twenty thousand had applied willing to take their chances among aliens spoke volumes.

  All the bureaucrats saw was the money they were lining their pockets with but Geena saw the change that was in the air. Eventually the ratio would even out. Many of the females afflicted by the mutation were leaving, but the mutation also seemed to be breeding out of the population. The males of the planet were on borrowed time and when the tide turned, it would be harsh. The males would learn something about their past behavior in an unpleasant way.

  Geena wondered if she’d be there to see it since right now she was about to head to Oison and she honestly had no idea what the future would bring. The ship might arrive at any time. All they’d been told was to be ready today to load up at a moment’s notice. All her items were packed, most of it was in storage since they were allowed to bring what would fit in the trunks the Mazlans had provided based on the requests made by the soon to be mates.

  She had met some of the other females and they were a varied group. The Mazlans had some requirements in place such as age, intelligence, and overall health but Earth’s government had managed to slip in what it considered undesirables while still sticking to those requirements. Their judgement on what was undesirable seemed flawed to her way of thinking. Many of the females were highly educated or trained in leading fields like engineering or physics. How could anyone with skills in that area be undesirable?

  The females were also attractive as far as she was concerned. Not in that model of the runway fashion, but beautiful in unique and wonderful ways. She would fire whoever was making the selections. He was probably the son or nephew of someone powerful but he was causing Earth to lose some of its biggest resources fast.

  What did she care anyway? There were few people she cared about left on the planet which was one of the reasons she hadn’t put up a fight when she’d been selected. That and she’d been assured she could come back later if she chose to. It was a rare offer so she took it since she wasn’t taking any risks. An alarm sounded, it was time to assemble with the other females to prepare for loading. It was funny that she would be hit with a case of nerves this late in the game. Her stomach rolled giving her concerns that she would lose the contents. Maybe it was just the lousy food they and the occupants of the station were fed. They’d been assured that Mazlans treated their mates well. Geena hoped that was true and soon she would see it for herself.

  Picking up her carryon bag which contained a few essentials, she headed to the dock where they would all assemble. Suitcases had been picked up first thing this morning and taken to a loading zone to wait until the ship arrived. A rumor had spread that it would be this afternoon before they were picked up but that must have been incorrect. She joined the throng of females moving to the assigned area where she observed them loading already. It made sense since they were dealing with passengers in the thousands. The space station had been added to when the bride program began to accommodate the large number of temporary visitors that would assemble prior to leaving for good.

  Some of the Mazlans stood on the docks directing the flow of women. They were large males with one in particular standing out. Her heart went crazy when their eyes met for a brief moment causing a buzz like static electricity to run over her. He moved on scanning the crowd so he must not have felt the connection she had. The guy was gorgeous, muscular like an athlete, and confidence just oozed from him. Just her luck to develop a crush on one of them and not have any of the interest returned.

  The Mazlans kept the line moving making her wonder how they were getting so many women settled in so fast. By the time she was near the door Mr. Sexy had disappeared. She was curious about who he was and what his job was. Would she see him again or would he be holed away somewhere for the trip? Was he one of the prospective grooms/mates? Did it even matter since she had no control over her future right now? As she entered the ship she was directed to a hallway where the doors were open. A crewmember was giving them instructions. Pick a room and put your hand on the entry pad next to the door. It would store your hand print letting no one else in unless the captain overrode it in case of an emergency. The crewmember moved down the hall as rooms were claimed and doors closed.

  He explained that suitcases would be delivered once they were underway. Everything was streamlined to load their human cargo quickly and efficiently. It reminded her of cattle at an auction being herded where they needed to go. The difference was that they were being kept in luxury. Even she could find no fault with the room she found herself in. She dropped her bag on the chair that sat by the desk. They even provided some kind of view screen for entertainment. If she was right it worked both as a television and a computer.

  Stepping further into the room she appreciated the calming colors. Reaching out she touched the bedspread enjoying the silky feel. Neutral greys with a touch of blue made her feel at ease. Stepping to the bathroom it was small but also employed the color scheme and had a toilet, sink with a mirror above it, and a shower large enough for two. The Mazlan she had seen earlier came to mind making her blush. Yes, it was even big eno
ugh for the two of them to enjoy together. There was no harm in enjoying a little fantasy.

  Geena made her way back to the viewing screen turning it on. A schedule and rules for the passengers popped up on the screen. It had meal times, a layout of the ship areas that were open to them, and some basic rules like don’t go into restricted areas. It also informed the females that they would each be seeing a doctor for a physical. It was smart really because she wouldn’t trust Earth’s government not to send someone who was sterile or ill if they had to in order to hit the numbers they wanted. The politicians were corrupt and all males. They didn’t care about women that weren’t theirs. Hell, they didn’t care about the women that were theirs.

  At least a dozen of the potential brides were daughters of politicians that wanted the reminders of their failure to have sons out of sight and out of mind. Geena had no love for politicians with good reason. Throughout Earth’s history there were few who had ever put their people first. Corruption and greed ran rampant among the government both among those elected and those hired for jobs. Sadly, it was the people that continued to elect these selfish and self-serving hypocrites. Still scanning the information the Mazlans had provided for potential mates. She saw there would be a meeting shortly after takeoff. It would be a chance to ask questions and become familiar with the captain’s expectations on acceptable behavior for passengers.

  In her mind she translated it to a lecture about good and proper behavior for passengers so the Mazlans wouldn’t have any problems to deal with. In her experience no matter what precautions you took, there were problems. Hopefully, she wouldn’t find herself drawn into any of them. Geena decided to take a shower since the scent of the space station seemed to have soaked into her clothing. Maybe it was just in her nose but either way it was unpleasant. Earth made no effort to keep their space stations clean and welcoming even thought their trade depended on them.