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  Supernova

  Book 3

  Mated to the Captain Series

  Christine Wright

  Copyright © 2016 by Christine Wright

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-1539185963

  ISBN-10:1539185966

  …

  DEDICATION

  For my grandfather,

  Your love of storytelling burns brightly in my memory. I will never forget sitting in your lap as you regaled us with your wild tales. Thank you for passing your gift on to me. I love and miss you.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I still have the best Beta crew any human author could want! Thank you for not tossing me out of an airlock for all the sudden changes I made and for all my whining over commas. Thank you Asoll Gode, Manuela Harris, Kathy Morris, Lisa Pagano Boyer, Gail Brown and Julie Banks.

  The Cranky Editor Award goes to Nic Edwards for putting up with midnight calls and finding a misplaced slug. You rock!

  Cover Art by the amazing Luke Ahearn.

  Special shout out to Simon-Arthur Patelli for my music inspiration and SJ Himes for wrestling the blurb and getting it to submit.

  For you,

  Yes, you. Thank you for reading!

  SPECIAL NOTES

  This story is part of an ongoing Science Fiction series. Del is human and Quinn is from a planet called Xolia (ZO-li-ah). They have had many crazy adventures aboard their ship, the Narada Marant. The series is fairly light in specialized terminology but I feel I should explain a few. Xolians are all male. They have two distinctions. Charons are the alpha males and the Elons are essentially omegas. They have two fathers and call them First Father for the Charon and Second Father for the Elon that birthed the children. It is best to read this series in order as listed below.

  Mated to the Captain Series:

  Light Years Away

  Gravitational Forces

  Supernova

  The Excerpts from Dr. Freelyn’s book are all a part of the experience. Don’t skip through and miss his unique take on male pregnancy and fetal development.

  This book contains scenes of explicit sexual contact between men, consensual discipline, dominance/submission and a few instances of strong language.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Excerpt:………………………………………………...

  The Xolian Guide on the Fetal Development of the Xolian-Human Hybrid - Sixth Month

  CHAPTER ONE………………………………………

  CHAPTER TWO……………………………………..27

  CHAPTER THREE…………………………………..43

  CHAPTER FOUR……………………………………55

  CHAPTER FIVE……………………………………..78

  Excerpt:……………………………………………….

  The Xolian Guide on the Fetal Development of the Xolian-Human Hybrid - Ninth Month

  CHAPTER SIX………………………………………96

  CHAPTER SEVEN…………………………………115

  CHAPTER EIGHT…………………………………131

  CHAPTER NINE…………………………………..153

  CHAPTER TEN……………………………………175

  CHAPTER ELEVEN………………………………194

  CHAPTER TWELVE………………………………211

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN……………………………234

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN…………………………..257

  EPILOGUE……………………………………...…274

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR………………………….287

  Excerpt:

  The Xolian Guide on the Fetal Development of the Xolian-Human Hybrid

  By Dr. Freelyn

  Ship’s Doctor , Narada Marant

  YOUR UNBORN CHILD AT THE SIXTH MONTH OF PREGNANCY

  Up until the middle of your human mate’s pregnancy your child has essentially been a growing blob with a tail. Most hybrids have glowing green eyes like the Xolian parent. The first scans of the fetus at around three months may actually frighten you as it won’t look human or Xolian. But your mate will coo over the scans so it is best that you don’t express doubts over your child’s cuteness factor.

  The fetus at the sixth month point in the year-long pregnancy is at least recognizable as a humanish thing. The head is too big, the limbs all too wobbly and it still has very little resemblance to either you or your mate. But it does have a kind of cuteness factor and it’s ok to laugh and smile over the scans finally. Soon, if desired, your physician can tell you the gender. Yes, most likely you will have a boy. Do keep in mind however that your mate can throw in some wonky human DNA and produce a female. They are relatively unknown on Xolia but perhaps you’ll be lucky and your mate has some experiences growing up around girls. If not, if you and your human partner have not had experiences with females then you are in for a wild ride. Hang on tight and hope for the best.

  The fetus will be active and respond to sounds and movement by wiggling and convulsing. If a twin, they may snuggle close and cuddle with each other. The unborn child may suck its thumb. It will turn its head towards a familiar voice. Most of the time these movements will be soft, comforting flutters. The hard, nasty kicks to the bladder are coming soon enough though so do enjoy the gentle ripples you feel right now. Your mate will shake you awake and make sure you feel them so don’t worry about missing them.

  FIRST FATHERS

  First fathers, even though Xolian, have the same fears and concerns about the safety of the unborn child as the human Second Fathers do. Missions can still be safe and so can space travel even at the sixth month point. Do not allow for any rimming of black holes for the rest of the pregnancy however because your mate cannot tolerate spinning and wild bucking. The safest bet is to plan is to set a safety perimeter all around your mate. This can be achieved by bribing friends and crewmembers into shadowing your mate at all times. He will be annoyed once he is on to your plan but his, and the baby’s safety overrides his need for privacy and freedom.

  NOTHING EVER GOES ACCORDING TO YOUR PLANS

  In the first five months of pregnancy, Del seemed to blossom. He practically glowed with good health and humor. Quinn, quite pleased with himself over having impregnated his mate after only one knotting, bragged about how well his little human was fairing in pregnancy. In other words he was tempting fate. Not something Xolians take lightly. I tried to get the idiot to do a Na cleansing ceremony but Quinn wouldn’t listen. In the sixth month of pregnancy, Del changed. Dramatically. If Quinn thought it was difficult to control the little human before, he was in for a big surprise.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Del (Human, six months pregnant):

  One more step. That’s all there was between me and the gigantic slumbering creature that could blast me into cinders or shred me into bloody pieces. That last step was the hardest to take. In the span of a second I lifted my foot, listened for movement and reached forward with the heavy gage needle. We just needed a small skin scraping, hardly nothing at all when you thought about. Scratch a dragon, sure. Most importantly, don’t get killed.

  The last step, that’s when my comlink beeped softly for attention and the dragon slowly roused. I couldn’t move, my focus was on the dark purple hide as it stretched in front of me. It was now or never. I willed my mate, Quinn, to hold off on the communication just a few more moments. Apparently we were not quite on the same wavelength I thought we were. He tried again to raise my attention just as I scraped a corner of a broken scale off and bottled it. The long, thin neck and head of the beast whipped around, its ten eyes focusing on me. A deep rumble from its red spotted chest made my limbs go numb.

  “Easy,
boy,” I said. What was I thinking? Was I hoping to calm the damn beast? It was thirty meters long, mostly tail and neck. Six legs supported it just above the ground and its feet ended in wicked claws digging into the cave floor for secure purchase. I knew the damn dragon could breath fire too. The only thing in my favor - no wings for flight. This was no pet I was talking to but I found myself whispering, “I just needed one tiny scale, okay? See, you’ll hardly miss it.”

  It tilted its head to the side when my comlink chimed a third time. I slapped the device on my sleeve and hissed, “Not a good time to talk.”

  Quinn’s voice came through loud and clear, reverberating throughout the tight quarters, “What did you say to upset the Riders of Q’ Desh? They are insisting we remove you at once.”

  I didn’t answer him. The dragon blinked at me and a long forked tongue tasted the air. With a snort, it exhaled loudly, growling again.

  “Let me rephrase that, Del. What did you do?”

  “Oh, nothing,” I replied. Starting to back away, I was not happy to see the giant lizard following me closely. “I have the DNA sample you require.”

  “I thought the Riders denied our request,” my mate stated.

  “Yeah, they did,” I managed to say without adding in a frightened scream when the Q’ Deshian Dragon lunged forward snarling. “Hey, Quinn, could you come get me now?”

  “Of course, Del. Where are you?”

  He was going to be mad but there was nothing I could do about that now. I pocketed the bottle with my sample and continued a slow retreat. I told him, “In the Dragon’s enclosure.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Hurry up, Quinn, help!” I screeched as the enormous beast roared.

  ----------

  The terrain was a rough, rock-strewn, ankle breaking chaos and I ran as fast as any pregnant man could run in such a dire situation. Sliding and scrambling, sending smaller stones cascading down the hill in front of me I darted around a few boulders just as the blast of fire struck all around me. Miraculously, none of it scorched me. I looked around for my mate who had said he would be prepared for anything. There was no evidence of the space runner coming to my aid. I shouted into my comlink, “Any day, guys! Seriously! I don’t want to be Q’ Deshian Dragon food, okay?”

  “We’re almost in range!” I heard Jory sharply call back to me through the device. “To be fair, those riders did warn you to stay out of the Dragon’s enclosure!”

  “Quinn said we needed DNA samples! I got it! Now come save me!” I commanded the young Navigator.

  Jory’s twin brother, Rue, threw in his opinion with a snarky grumble, “The Captain didn’t mean get it from the actual dragon, Sir! You were supposed to get it from the Riders.”

  Their voices were only a marginal relief to my ears. I was still in considerable danger. Their physical presence would be nice. Behind me the Dragon inhaled deeply and paused, never a good sign. I dodged just in time and continued my downward descent towards the relative safety of the distant fence. The fire charred the rocks where I had just been moments before.

  “I did ask,” I replied. “Their answer was no. Figured if it was that important, the Captain wouldn’t mind if I found a more… uh, crap… that was close! If I found a more creative solution!”

  I heard Quinn sigh rather loudly just before he interrupted, “The Captain can speak for himself! Thank you! Are we within range yet? That thing is closing in on my mate!”

  “Well the Captain had better move his damn ass before his mate is roasted!” I screamed. The air around me was heating up. Again I found myself grateful that the thing couldn’t fly.

  “100 meters, 80, 60…” Kasen counted down. I swore I heard the scaly beast right behind me doing his own counting. The smell of burnt dirt and plants filled my nostrils and I coughed.

  “Guys!” I begged desperately. “Now, now. Now!”

  Time seemed to slow as it always did when something tremendously life threatening occurred. The Dragon was behind me, closing the distance quickly. I could smell death on its breath and my skin tingled with anticipation of a giant mouth filled with daggers closing in over my head. There were shouts from the Riders somewhere trying to draw its attention away from its fleeing meal. I felt hot from the planet’s sun and yet suddenly very cold, frightened. I had made a huge miscalculation and my mate, my friends, would not be able to rescue me this time. I didn’t have time to ponder long. Death, disguised as a disgusting, leathery beast with bad breath was upon me, its belly a hot red as it prepared the next volley. I froze as fear overrode my body’s controls.

  Seconds before I felt the skin blister from my bones the space runner flew low over my head firing at the dragon with stun lasers. Slowly collapsing to my knees I watched as the scaly, slobbery creature snorted in surprise and then collapsed. The impact of its body shook the ground, sending up a dust cloud around me.

  “Thank you,” I said aloud but not into my comlink. No need to thank the crew for nearly letting me die a fiery, painful death. I said to them instead, “A bit close there, wasn’t it? I thought you said you were ready for anything.”

  Quinn replied, “Anything political, Del. I wouldn’t have sent you on a dangerous mission in your condition. I wasn’t expecting to have to rescue you from a flesh eating, fire breathing lizard!”

  In the background I caught Jory’s remark, “Oh, we did expect it, Captain. That’s why we loaded the stun weapon on the space runner. Our First Officer always finds a way to make the simplest missions into dangerous ones.”

  I waited beside the slumbering beast for the space runner to land. As soon as the door opened Quinn jumped down not even waiting for the ramp to extend fully. Mysteriously he looked pissed with me. I held out the vial with the skin scraping safely inside and frowned when he didn’t take it.

  He crossed his arms and glared at me. “Are you insane, Del? You are six months pregnant! You could have been killed!”

  “I wasn’t though,” I remarked. “You said this species is important to saving the New Earth Dragons and its DNA is vital. I got the required samples. Easy.”

  “You evaded angry riders, scaled a fortified fence, snuck up on a sleeping dragon and ran when it awoke. Easy?” Quinn asked.

  Feeling pleased with myself and frankly still pumped full of adrenaline I slapped my chest. “Yup, all the while pregnant, too! Let’s hear my mom top that pregnancy story!”

  “Get in the space runner, hero, before I decide to punish you right here and now,” Quinn growled a threat. He pointed to the craft in question behind him. Jory and Rue were watching from its doorway. Without even turning to look in their direction, Quinn added in a shout. “And Jory and Rue had better return to the controls before I spank them as well!”

  The twins scrambled out of sight. I wasn’t feeling so cowed by the bossy Charon standing in front of me. I told him calmly, “Quinn, I know my limitations. I’m fine. I’m tired but I feel great!”

  “You risked your life and the lives of our unborn children, Del. You promised me that you would be more careful on missions.”

  “I was, I swear,” I quipped. “The Riders were only shooting stun weapons at me and are piss poor shots. The fortified fence had wide enough gaps for a human to fit through and the dragon waking up? Well that was the only truly dangerous element I hadn’t taken into account. The damn thing was in a well-fed stupor and research shows dragons are hard to awaken after they eat.”

  “That’s true of the New Earth Dragons, Del; an entirely different species. Q’ Deshian Dragons never truly sleep.”

  “Oh,” I remarked. Obviously I hadn’t known that. I thought a dragon was a dragon. Well, live and learn. “No harm. The three of us are just fine.”

  “Look, my Na Ha’ Ri, I know you are brave. You’ve proven that time and again. I know you want to impress me. You have. But for my sanity, could you avoid the need to be rescued the rest of this pregnancy?” Quinn asked.

  “Yes, sounds fair. I really didn’t intend to risk the ba
bies, Quinn. Forgiven?” I asked, laying my hand on his arm. It helped diffuse him somewhat. The tension slid away from his shoulders and tight jawline.

  “Of course, Del.”

  “Not going to be punished then?” I asked. I knew the answer of course.

  “I didn’t say that,” Quinn answered with a grim smile.

  “Figured that would be the case, Quinn. I understand.”

  “I’m going to ensure you keep your promise next time…” Quinn continued darkly.

  I interrupted the lecture, “Quinn.”

  He didn’t seem to hear me. He added, “I’m not going to argue the point, Del. Get in the space runner.”

  “I’m not arguing. I broke my promise to you. I earned the punishment,” I remarked.

  He managed to look surprised. One eyebrow rose as he tilted his head at me. “Then why are you still standing there?”

  “I love you and I’m damned glad you saved me today.”

  Quinn smirked and reassured me, “I’m going to let the next creature roast your little human ass.”

  “Oh, I think maybe you are going to be the one roasting it,” I told him as we slowly made our way to the space runner door.

  Rue peeked out and stated hastily, “Uh, Sirs, nice to see the two of you getting along so sweetly… but uh, the Dragon… it’s waking up!”

  ----------

  My mother met us at the ramp of the space runner the moment we landed on the Narada Marant. Scenes of my life flashed in front of my eyes as she dashed forward like a hell storm and shook a finger at me. She was so angry that spit flew when she shouted, “Delbert Zane Foster, I’ve had it up to here with this nonsense!”

  “Mom,” I said. “Not in front of the crew.”

  “Yes, in front of the damn crew! I’m sure they are thinking the same thing! Enough is enough, young man!” She raged hotly.

  “But mom,” I tried again.

  She was having none of it. She stepped in even closer into my own personal space and eye-to-eye. “Can’t you see what this is doing to Quinn? Not Quinn as the Captain, but as your mate? What it is doing to all of us? Every. Single. Time?”