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  I finished washing, hit the air dryer button, and then brushed my teeth. Madalena’s personal possessions were still set next to the other sink, and I wondered if Eve, Zea, and the Vaish woman had talked through things yet. I also wondered if Eve and Madalena had felt my emotions during my dream.

  Guess I would find out soon.

  I walked back into my room naked and then walked to my closet. Madalena’s clothes were still hanging on the opposite side of the small room, but I also saw a bunch of smaller space suits and a few pairs of Zea’s outfits hanging. There was a clear space of division between the three sets of clothes, and I realized my mouth was hanging open. Were Zea and Eve okay with Madalena? I imagined that if they weren’t the Prime Valkyrie’s clothes would have been removed.

  I put on my flight suit, and then moved back into my room. I didn’t see my pistols or revolver on the chair where I normally tossed them, so I guessed someone had placed them back in the armory. I thought about double checking my room again, but I realized I was stalling, and I walked out into the hallway that led to the elevator and bridge.

  There was no one in the bridge by the map and gunner’s stations, but I found Nikki, Mikhael, and Josefinna sitting in the three pilot seats up front. They stood at attention when they saw me, and I gave them a nod.

  “Greetings, my lord,” they said in unison.

  “Hey guys,” I replied. “Where is everyone?”

  “The Prime Valkyrie gave us leave while we were in hyperdrive,” Mikhael answered.

  “How long until we are out?” I asked.

  “Another forty-five minutes,” Nikki said.

  “Huh, I’ve been asleep for that long?” I did the math in my head and figured I had to of been asleep for at least thirty hours.

  “Yes, my lord,” Mikhael answered.

  “I’m surprised no one tried to wake me.”

  “Eve told us not to, my lord,” Mikhael said.

  “Look, guys, you can call me Adam or Captain. You don’t need to use ‘my lord.’ It just makes me feel like an asshole.”

  “Okay, Adam,” Mikhael said, and I wondered if the man was warming up to me.

  “Do you know where Eve, or Zea, or Paula, or Kasta is?” I asked.

  “The twin women are in the hold working with the thrall- I mean Hegeia, Uma, and Waiola.” Mikhael replied.

  “The Prime Valkyrie, Zea, and Eve are in the galley,” Josefinna said, and I felt a bit of nervousness flow from the three of them. It was a faint sensation, and I realized I already knew where Madalena was; I could feel her in the ship.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked them.

  “Nothing, Captain,” Josefinna said, but I guessed what the problem was as soon as the words left her mouth.

  “You all don’t need to worry about Eve,” I said. “She isn’t like the Draugr. She’s kind, honest, and respects others.

  “Yes, Captain,” Josefinna said with a nod, but I knew I hadn’t quite reassured her. It was a bit odd to know that these Vaish warriors were afraid of Eve, but the woman was incredibly powerful, and she could read minds, so it made sense.

  “I’ll go talk to them,” I said, and the three Nordar warriors nodded at me before they returned to their pilot seats.

  I walked to the elevator and took it to the second floor. Then I made my way to the galley. I found the three women sitting at the main dining room table, and they smiled at me when I walked in.

  “Hey,” I said as I grinned at the three women. They sat in the far corner of the table, and there was a bottle of wine opened along with three glasses, so I guessed they must have worked out their differences.

  But when I saw the expressions on their faces, I knew that my guess was wrong.

  “Hey, Kitty Boy,” Zea said as the three women stood to greet me, “we were just talking.” Zea turned to Eve.

  “Yes,” Eve frowned a bit and gestured for me to sit at the table.

  “I will get you a glass, my lord,” Madalena said as she stepped toward the cabinet on the far side of the kitchen.

  “No, I can grab--” Zea started to say, but Madalena was already in the kitchen, and she pulled a glass and another bottle of wine from the storage cabinets.

  “I can make an educated guess about the topic of your conversation,” I said as I took the glass from Madalena. The Prime Valkyrie was wearing her tight black uniform, and my two lovers were wearing Persephone’s gray and black flight suits. I realized that my heart was hammering in my chest, and I sat down while Madalena poured me a glass of wine.

  “Are you hungry, my lord? I will make you breakfast,” Madalena said after she finished pouring me wine.

  “Arrrgh,” Zea moaned as she rolled her eyes. “Cut it out with the bullshit, Madalena.”

  “It is not bullshit, Zea,” the Vaish woman crossed her arms over her chest, and her cold eyes narrowed at the hacker.

  “Uhh, yeah, it is. We’ve been going around in fucking circles for like two days. Adam isn’t your lord. Just stop.”

  “Let us hold our discussion for a few moments,” Eve said as she raised her hand to silence Madalena’s next words. “We were not there for him when he awoke, and now we are arguing over making him a meal.”

  “I’m not--” Zea started to say, but Eve raised an eyebrow, and the blonde woman closed her mouth with a snap.

  “All three of us love Adam, and he loves us. There is a solution to this, but first, Adam should eat.”

  “I’m fine,” I said. “I want to work this out with the three of you.”

  “Wait,” Zea said as she raised her hand. “Eve, you keep saying that Adam loves Madalena, but I don’t believe you. Here he is.” The blonde woman turned to me and then gestured with both of her hands to the Prime Valkyrie. “Do you really love her?”

  “He doesn’t have a choice,” Eve said. “I told you their bond is--”

  “I don’t fucking believe that!” Zea shouted as she slapped her hand down on the table. “Adam, tell me this isn’t true.”

  The three women turned to me.

  Do not lie to her. It will hurt her worse later. I have been trying to help her come to terms with this, but Madalena is not very helpful.

  “Hey!” Zea hissed as she looked to Eve. “I can tell when you two are talking to each other. Stop it. Let him tell me.”

  “Zea,” I said. “I love you, and Eve.” This wasn’t the conversation I wanted to have right when I woke up, and I took a small sip of wine in an attempt to loosen the tightness in my throat.

  “Yeah,” Zea said as she shook her head. “I know that. So what about her?”

  “I haven’t figured it out yet,” I admitted as I turned to Madalena. The brunette met my eyes, and I could feel her love pour from her body and wrap around me.

  I turned back to Zea quickly.

  “So… uhhh two women isn’t enough for you?” the hacker asked as she crossed her arms. “Fuck it, we should just ask Paula and Kasta to jump into bed with us too. How about Juliette? We are going to Queen’s Hat and I know she wants to fuck you. And those three Swedish meatballs? What are their names? Hega, Uma, and Wailee or something? They are pretty, and when they talk about you, they all get this dreamy look in their eyes, especially the blonde one. Ugh.”

  “Zea, this is not Adam’s fault,” Eve said.

  “Yeah, it’s her fault,” Zea said as she pointed across the table at Madalena.

  “I have apologized,” Madalena said. “I did not know Adam was--”

  “You did not ask,” Eve interrupted her.

  “I do not need to ask. I am the Prime Valkyrie. I wanted your man, and now he is mine.” Madalena’s words were sudden, and both Zea and Eve’s eyes opened wide.

  “Hey, I can’t help but feel that the three of you were having a civil discussion before I walked in here.” I stood from the table and stepped between the dark-haired women.

  “We were, but now we are not,” Madalena said. “I will make you breakfast, Adam. These two can leave, or they can stay and obse
rve how a wife takes care of her husband.”

  “You haughty bitch,” Zea growled. “You aren’t married to him--”

  “Wait,” Eve held up her hand, and the blonde woman closed her mouth. “We have gone around in circles while Adam has been sleeping and not reached a resolution.”

  “There isn’t a resolution which doesn’t involve her leaving. Her and her fucking crew.” Zea’s jaw tensed after she finished speaking, and her blue eyes bore twin lasers into Madalena.

  “Do you want that?” Eve asked. “We are on the same side, and Madalena rules a kingdom with thousands of starships in their navy.”

  “She’s not doing a lot of kingdom ruling while she cooks Adam breakfast,” Zea sighed. “I just can’t believe you are fine with this, Eve.”

  “I am not,” the vampire said as she turned toward the Prime Valkyrie. “Especially since I can read Madalena’s thoughts.”

  “You do not need to use your magic on me, Eve. I have been honest with you.”

  “Yes, you have. That is why you are still alive.” Eve’s eyes seemed to glow a bit, and I felt anger roll off Madalena.

  “You are still alive because Adam has told me he loves you, and I obey my husband.”

  “That’s enough,” I said as I put my hands on Madalena and Eve’s shoulders. The tension was in the room was denser than sand, and it hadn’t seemed to be that way before I walked in. My presence definitely caused the women to begin bickering.

  “I’m going to make myself breakfast, you three are going to go cool off somewhere else on the ship. Separately.”

  “They can leave,” Madalena said. “I will prepare you a meal.”

  “Uhh, he just sa--”

  “No, Madalena,” I interrupted Zea’s snarky response. “I’ll eat alone. We’ll be out of hyperdrive in about half an hour. I want you all to meet me back on the bridge when we start warpdrive.”

  “Let us go speak with Kasta and Paula,” Eve said to Zea.

  “Yeah, whatever,” the hacker said. She shot Madalena a frown and then gave me a half smile. Then she walked with Eve to the kitchen exit. They stopped a few feet from the doorway and then turned to face Madalena. The Prime Valkyrie crossed her arms and then looked to me. I could sense her conflicting emotions. It was jealousy, sadness, anger, and love in a tight knot.

  “Look, Madalena, you have to go.” The tone of my voice was firm but no more than it needed to be.

  “My place is by your side. If you do not want me, order me dead, it would be easier.” She walked away from me without saying another word.

  Zea and Eve stepped aside so the Prime Valkyrie could exit.

  “Did she just say what I thought she said?” Zea asked.

  “Yes,” Eve replied. “Let us leave Adam alone for a bit.”

  “The bitch is gone. We should just stay. I’ll fucking cook him some food.”

  “No,” I said. “That’s fine, Zea. I told her to leave because you were leaving.”

  “We will figure out how to get past this with Madalena, Adam,” Eve said. “She is a good person at the core. Just selfish.”

  “And arrogant,” Zea said.

  “And she’s my wife,” I said. “I won’t let her talk about either of you that way, so don’t talk about her like that.”

  “Uhh, she’s not your wife, Kitty Boy, she forced herself on you.”

  “But now we are married, forced or not,” I said with a sigh. “Look. Let’s just get to Queen’s Hat. I need some time to think about all this, and you three obviously need more time to talk to each other. I don’t intend to sleep with Madalena, but we can help each other. The woman is loyal to me, and she has a navy behind her. If we want to live through this battle with the SAVO, we are going to need her help.”

  “You are right,” Eve said, and then she turned to Zea. “Shall we?”

  “Ugh. Fine.” The blonde hacker took the vampire’s hand, and they each gave me a small wave before they walked from the galley.

  I went to the fridge, grabbed a cut of steak, and threw it in a pan with some butter, salt, and pepper. I liked my meat as rare as possible, so I only let each side sizzle for a few seconds before setting it on a plate.

  “Adam, we are preparing to exit hyperdrive,” Nikki said over my transponder as soon as I started to cut into my meal.

  “How long will we be in warpdrive before we reach Queen’s Hat?” I asked as I shoveled a large cut of steak into my mouth. It was just a bit warm in the middle, and my stomach roared with angst when my taste buds fired.

  “Sixteen minutes,” she replied.

  “Alright,” I said after I took a long drink of water. “Engage warpdrive as soon as we are out of hyper. Call the crew to the bridge. I’ll be there as soon as I finish eating.”

  “Understood,” she said, and then the transponder beeped to let me know she had cut communications.

  “Eye yahhhhh,” a voice whispered behind me. Her voice sounded concerned, and I spun around with surprise. Persephone wasn’t there of course, and I wondered if her words had been a warning.

  Did she not want me to go to Queen’s Hat?

  Chapter 2

  “Adam,” Calisto greeted me with a salute as soon as I walked onto the bridge. Lux, Milda, Josefinna, and Mikhael were sitting at the gunner stations, and they all stood to salute me.

  “At ease.” I paused and surveyed the bridge.

  They returned my nod and sat back in their chairs. I made my way to the front of the bridge and saw the rest of the bridge crew. Nikki was in the pilot’s seat where Zea normally sat, Zea was sitting to her right where Eve usually sat, and Paula was in her customary position left of Nikki. Madalena sat on the officer’s chairs left of center, Eve sat right of center, and Kasta sat right of Eve.

  “Hello ladies,” I said as Madalena and Nikki stood for me. The other women looked at them with surprise, but then Zea and Eve both rose, and the twins followed their example.

  “Greetings, my lord,” Madalena said quickly, and then my other friends greeted me.

  “I’ve been asleep for a while, what is the status of the women we saved from GUAAY - 23 - c, and Aurain - 15 - b?”

  “We have them four to a room,” Kasta said. “They are in good spirits. However, none of them actually wish to return to their homes.”

  “I can understand not wanting to go back to GUAAY - 23 - c, but is Aurain - 15 - b also a shit hole?” I asked as I sat in my chair between Madalena and Eve.

  “From their description, it is less of a shithole and more that they were destitute, and there was little chance of them having a good life, even if we did return them,” the android replied.

  “So we need to find homes for all of them?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Kasta replied. “I thought we could drop them off at Uraniel when we deliver food, or we could visit Jatal again, he might also need more food.”

  “Yeah, both good options, and we need to visit them both before we figure out where we are going next. We’ll ask Juliette about the shipment she promised to make to Uraniel. Depending on the size, we’ll go back to Jatal and give him another shipment of food. I imagine the work on the mine will be tough, but Jatal will treat them fair.”

  “Great minds think alike,” Kasta winked at me and then tapped on her head.

  “What else?” I asked them.

  “My lord,” Madalena said. “We should return to Nordar - 13 as soon as possible so you may complete your rite of passage and take your place as king of the Vaish clan.”

  “Oh, hooray,” Zea spat from her pilot’s seat next to Nikki. “Let’s hang the man we love from his neck for nine days. Aren’t you two newlyweds? I thought killing the husband was just metaphorical.”

  “Adam will survive,” Madalena said with a shrug. “I am surprised you have so little faith in him. I know he is sent by Odin, and will only become stronger at the end of the rite.”

  “I have plenty of faith in Adam,” Zea said as her eyes narrowed.

  “Nikki, how long unt
il we arrive at Queen’s Hat?” I asked to change the subject.

  “Seven minutes, Adam,” the blonde pilot replied.

  “Alright,” I said. “How are we on supplies?” I asked, and I realized that I didn’t know who was quartermaster.

  “Persephone is fine with weapons and ammunition,” Madalena said. “Our food supplies are down to ninety percent. Water is down to eighty-seven percent.”

  “How are we on rhodium? We’ll need to restock while we are on--”

  “My lord,” Madalena said. “The trip back to Nordar - 13 will be swift, and we can restock Persephone there.”

  “I haven’t decided where we are going, Madalena.”

  The woman’s cold eye stared at me, and I could feel her frustration.

  “Look, you said your admirals would handle your father. Or didn’t he escape? I need some time to plan my next steps, and warping back to Nordar - 13 is going to tie us up in your struggle.”

  “It is your struggle as well,” she said. “It will be your kingdom, as soon as you pass the rite.”

  “It’s like talking to a broken service drone,” Zea sighed from her seat, and I noticed Nikki’s eyes narrow at the blonde hacker.

  “How much rhodium do we have?” I asked Madalena.

  “Two kilograms,” the Vaish woman replied, and I heard my friends gasp.

  “I changed my mind, kind of, Madalena and her friends can hang out with us. Can I go get a spa treatment on Queen’s Hat?” Zea leaned over Nikki’s seat to look at Paula. “Do they have those?”

  “Yep,” Paula said with a grin. “I’m coming, too.”

  “We have hot baths and massages in my battle fortress,” Madalena said. “You all will be pampered once we return.” I could feel a bit of pride come from her.

  “Except Adam will not be,” Eve said, “and we have work to do.”

  “Right,” I agreed as I thought about how I was going to get these women to cooperate. “Nikki, time?”

  “Three minutes,” the pilot replied.

  “Inform all passengers to prepare for warpdrive exit.”

  “Yes, Adam,” Nikki said, and then she spoke the command into Persephone’s announcement system as I turned to the Prime Valkyrie.