“Oh, isn’t that interesting. How was it?” Imma asked, turning to Patty.
He looked at Patty to see what she would say, his heartbeat picking up. He needn't have been nervous about her answer. He knew he’d pleased her.
Her eyelids dropped nearly closed, licking her smiling lips as she glanced at him, confirming what he already knew. “Amazing,wonderful, mind blowing. All the words. I can’t wait to do it again,” she purred the last words at him, biting her lip. He was once again glad of the long tunics of the Rijitera because his cock was trying to rip out of his clothes.
“Though, I think Patty has found Rema a bit of a tight fit. Do you happen to remember that lubricant we used when we first mated? The one with the relaxant in it?” Dhenea asked her mate, winking at Rema as she did.
Imma crossed her primary arms, her fingers tapping her forearms as her lower ones came to rest on her hips. “I remember, though I’m not sure if the manufacturer is still in business. I’m sure we can task one of our doctors to make something similar.” She smiled at Patty, her sharp teeth shining. “It helps relax muscles, and acts as a sort of numbing agent, though not enough where you lose sensation, as that is how you ignore warning pains and get tears, but it will make things easier until you adjust to his size.”
Patty blew out a breath in relief. “That sounds—”
The roaring buzz of multiple engines was the only warning that came before the blast ripped through the ceiling, raining glass down over them, the screams from the party attendees loud in the sudden death of the music. He had just enough time to call forth his armor, and cover Patty before they were hit with the debris.
The warbling pops of plasma fire and the burn of ozone followed rapidly by more screaming had him on his feet and moving, Patty clasped tightly in his arms.
He risked a short flight to one of the massive tables of food and upended it, shoving Patty down behind the metal to shield her.
“What the fuck is happening?” she yelled to be heard over the deafening cacophony of weapons firing in an enclosed space.
He braced his shoulder against the metal table and peeked over the edge. Soldiers were dropping in from the broken ceiling,a large dropship hovering over the jagged hole. Soldiers who bore the six circled emblem of the Unity on their chests.
He ducked back down to look at Patty, pleased beyond belief that she’d armored up. “I think the Unity is here to give an answer to Imma’s threat of blackmail.”
“Fuck! Alright. What do we do?”
He looked around. Imma and Dhenea were nowhere in sight, and none of the guests here had weapons of any kind. The Unity soldiers were firing at random, killing anything that moved. Several Neldre tried to fly out, just to be shot down immediately. Others hid behind hedges and trees, or flat out tried to run away through the glass. The screams of the wounded rose around them, mixing with the smoke to create a confusing mess.
The garden provided plenty of cover, but did little to slow them down as they swept through each section. A six unit was headed their way and he had no weapon to stop them.
But they were in a garden.
He looked back at Patty and felt his smile turn cruel. “Why don’t you show them what happens when they attack a plant monster in a garden, wife.”
Her cackle was heard even over all the plasma-fire and the roar of shuttle engines.
And then his glorious Little Goddess called the roots to her. The ground rumbled in silent warning as the dirt writhed. He looked over the table to see vines creeped across the stone walkways and over the hedges to speed at the unit that was boxing them in.
He couldn’t hear them screaming over all the other noise, but his mind's eye filled in where his ears failed, imagining the scream of agony as the first vine impaled them, just for their wailing to be cut off as roots burst from the ground, cutting through their legs to hook into the bones and drag them under the dirt, silenced forever.
When he crouched again, Patty was grinning that bloodthirsty smile that he loved so much.
“Why are you two sitting around smiling at each other while our people die?” Imma’s voice barked. He jerked around to find the Queen in full battle armor, the ridged black metal contrasting sharply with her four blood red wings. Her black hair was in intricate war braids, her face painted with black sigils that covered her forehead.
She threw a gray plasma rifle at him. He snatched it out of the air and shouldered it.
Dhenea stepped from behind Imma’s wings, her lovely blue dress replaced by the same blocky black armor as her mate, and handed Patty another rifle. She’d sheared her head on one side, the gold hair on the other tightly braided against her skull in a single thick line. The shaved half of her skull had the same war sigils as those on Imma’s forehead
“They're swarming on Imyathume, as well. We are being invaded,” Dhenea said, grimly.
“Holy shit, you two look badass,” Patty yelled to be heard over the gunfire, her smile feral.
Another hard blast had them all ducking.
“Let’s get the civilians out of here. We can regroup later,” Imma ordered, bringing the butt of her rifle to her shoulder as her helmet flowed over her head, the sharp jagged spires that stabbed skyward resembling her red glass crown.
He jerked his head at her, his own helmet clicking into place, and followed as Imma started towards the larger cluster of soldiers, who’d herded the remaining party guests onto the dance floor to surround them, plasma rifles pointed at the huddling masses.
Movement caught his eye, just outside the wall. Nera’s savage grin was visible for a flash of moment before disappearing behind a stone outcropping on the far side of the garden.
