Read Online G'baena's Pirates by Rachel Clark - Free Book Online Page B

questions swirling in his head.
    “The leader ordered the attack despite several of us pointing out that even though this is a merchant ship—well, we thought it was a merchant ship—it was still a very big ship. We are quite low on supplies, and he probably thought we wouldn’t get another opportunity.”
    “How low?” Ben asked. Kam shook his head. This conversation wasn’t really going at all like he expected.
    “Low? As in supplies?” Kam asked. Ben nodded. “Down to a few days’ worth, I suppose.”
    “How many men in your…er…community? Are they all displaced sons?”
    “Only nine,” Kam answered truthfully, still confused by the emotions he felt emanating from Ben and Trey. Tactically speaking, it didn’t hurt for them to know that the other ship was not a threat, but he couldn’t quite understand Ben and Trey’s distress. “And, yes, we are all displaced from G’trobia.”
    “Can you contact the other ship?”
    “Why?” Kam asked as suspicion snaked up his spine. He may have been sensing concern coming from these two, but it didn’t mean he would lead his associates into a trap. He still had no idea what Ben and Trey, or whoever ran this damn ship, had in mind for them. They’d joked earlier about no longer tossing prisoners out the air lock, but it didn’t mean they wouldn’t make an exception.
    “Because we could use your skills on this ship. We’ve been managing with an almost skeleton staff in engineering and maintenance. We also have a few places in tactical and away missions.”
    Kam really had no idea what to say. He hadn’t been expecting a job offer. He laughed a little as the ridiculousness of his life since losing Ky hit him full-on. He’d gone from a highly respected concubine trainer to a failed raider being offered sanctuary on the strangest pirate ship he’d ever heard of, one that just happened to contain the crown princes to the throne of G’trobia.
    Trey smiled kindly. “We can give you time to consider the situation, but I would recommend that you make a decision quickly. If the others of your group are as desperate as you say, they may try something even more reckless than attacking this ship.”
    Ben and Trey turned back to the door, but Trey stopped and said over his shoulder, “G’baena would like to speak to you. I’ll send her to you shortly.”
    Kam nodded, uncertain how to react. G’baena was their intended. Since she seemed to be living on the ship, he assumed that they’d claimed her, so his casualness was a little perplexing. G’trobian protocol meant that a G’trobian female was escorted and protected by her mates, so why had the young Pendarian come to her defense instead of Ben and Trey?
    “Ah, perfect timing,” Ben said as a human woman stepped into the holding cell. “Tee, this is Kam. He and his brother were friends to our family.”
    “Nice to meet you,” the woman said as she opened a black case and removed what seemed to be several medical instruments. “Looks like Del landed quite a few good hits.” She stepped toward him, but he leaned back and looked over her shoulder at Ben and Trey.
    Both men wore amused expressions.
    “Tee-ani is the ship’s doctor.”
    “A female doctor?” he asked before he thought how much that might annoy the woman who was about to fix his injuries.
    “Yes. I’m a human, a female, and a doctor. I am also an ex-slave and mated to these two big lugs. Now, should I fix your injuries, or would you rather suffer in peace?”
    “Apologies, Tee-ani, it was not my intention to offend. I am only just learning of the world beyond G’trobia.” He licked his split lip again before he remembered how much that hurt, but was distracted from the pain when the rest of what the purple-haired doctor had said finally sunk into his brain. “You are mated to the crown princes?”
    “Yup,” she said as she lifted a medical instrument toward him.
    “So that makes you the future queen of G’trobia?” She hesitated