Her eyes darted between Setzan, Rujali, and then back to Klaej. They were filled with a terrified alarm that tore through him like a lash. Their mate must never fear them. She would learn that she would feel nothing but pleasure from them, and she should learn now. She couldn’t move. She was safe, but her expression told him she didn’t know this.
“Kiss her again, Klaej. Calm her some more,” Rujali said.
Stabilizing the hand on her head, he placed his lips against hers once again. She clamped them shut, making an outraged sound in her mouth, dragging a breath in through her nose. She would learn to accept the gentleness they gave, but she was a different species. They would need patience, just like gentling a wild standon.
She tried moving her head to the side, but he firmed his long fingers so that she was still. Rujali made a shushing sound, his lips near her ear, and Setzan rubbed her thigh, a low comforting purring emanating from his chest. She was surrounded by her mates, as was her rightful place to be.
He slid his tongue along the seam of her mouth, exploring. Tasting. He used his lips to massage hers, caressing and teasing. Slowly, the stiffness went from her body, the tension draining from her limbs until she was supple and pliant in his arms.
He gently nipped her lips, letting her learn the feel of him, letting her taste him as much as he tasted her. This was what she needed, a slow introduction to her mates. Her body, her instincts would tell her what to do.
She made a small sound, one so quiet he barely heard it, but then her lips softened and parted. He didn’t waste a second. He swept his tongue into her mouth and groaned. This was more than he could ever have anticipated. She was a drug and he was already hooked.
His heart rate spiked when she made another little noise and kissed him back, her lips as soft as the most luxurious silks of their Homeland. Her lips caressed his, tentatively at first, and then firmed as she melted against him.
Her tongue danced with his, tasting him back. Their kiss grew deeper, more urgent. His cock hardened in his leathers almost painfully. He pressed his hips into her belly, letting her know how much he desired her.
Setzan’s purr grew louder, vibrating around them. Rujali ran his fingers through her hair and down her shoulders, his own rumble joining his brothers.
Her mouth fell away from his. He drew back, his eyes opening, though he hadn’t realized he’d even closed them. She was a dead weight in his hands. Her breathing was even, her heart a steady thump against his chest.
“You kissed her unconscious,” Setzan said.
“I didn’t mean to.” A cool slither of worry worked its way through the haze brought on by her kiss. “Do you think…” He swallowed. “I didn’t hurt her, did I?”
Rujali brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “No, brother, but she is injured and was scared. You calmed her. I think the stress of her situation has taken its toll.”
“At least you calmed yourself,” Setzan said. “Your skin is all lovely and green. Not a trace of red of to be seen.”
Klaej couldn’t thump his brother as he normally would because of his precious bundle. Instead, he growled.
“Enough fooling around. Let’s go,” Rujali said.
Setzan jumped over the edge and waited with his arms out. Klaej handed their mate over, careful not to hurt her. Once she was secured in his brother’s arms, he leapt off the stinking pile of rubbish.
Rujali’s face screwed up with distaste. “Why was she in this refuse container?”
A growl rose in Klaej’s check. “When I find out who put her there, their days will be numbered.”
Rujali placed a hand on Klaej’s shoulder. “And we will be there to help you do the job. Now, we’ve found her. Let’s get her back to the jet. She needs medical attention. There is no more time to waste.”
Back inside, Rujali brushed passed the Norvegicus, followed by Setzan carefully holding their mate in his arms. Klaej stopped by the creature. Its beady eyes dropped to the ground, darting about but never landing anywhere. It had seen the whole thing. That wasn’t good.
Klaej tugged its whiskers so that it had no choice but to look into his face. “You need to forget what you just saw. If you say one word to anyone, I will come with my brothers and you will lose more than a mere loose bladder. Do I make myself clear?”
The creature’s pink tongue darted out of his mouth and along its narrow lower lip.
Klaej suppressed a shudder. He shook its head by its whiskers. The creature squawked.
Klaej brought his head closer and paused until the beady eyes locked on his. “Do. You. Understand?”
It worried its claws together, “Yes, yes. Of course. Not a word. Or you will come find me. I swear this will go no further. I’ve already forgotten, yes, I have.”
Klaej paused long enough for the Norvegicus to start to tremble. He didn’t trust the creature at all, but maybe the fear of whatever gods it prayed to would work to keep it silent. Not satisfied, but wanting to join his brothers for the sake of his mate, he turned his back and stalked back through the domicile.
He resisted the urge to look back at the creature, trying to ignore the slither of unease that worked its way into the pit of his stomach. The sooner they got off this godsforsaken rock, the better as far as he was concerned.
Chapter Five
Riley
Riley rose through layers of unconsciousness quickly, as she’d been trained to do. Coming to consciousness fast might mean the difference between life and death in a battle. That was something her commanding officer had drilled into her time after time. As was being able to quickly assess a situation under sub-optimal conditions. The last thing she remembered…
But no, that had to be a dream. She couldn’t have been kissing a massive red, horned man with skin like velvet and lips that could sear flesh. As she hovered behind closed lids, she sorted through her memory. It was one of the men from the place with those reptile creatures. She’d seen three of them, all built like Mack trucks with muscles on muscles coming at her. They’d tracked her in the street. She’d run, found shelter.
Crap, the smell of the rubbish hadn’t been a deterrent, judging by the predicament she’d found herself in—surrounded by three men, one kissing her so thoroughly, she’d succumbed and kissed him back as though it was the most natural thing in the world. She hadn’t been able to deny the urge for some strange reason.
That didn’t happen to her
Ever.
She was a kiss ’em quick and fuck ’em even quicker kind of gal. No lingering, not ever. Not when her job put her life at risk on a regular basis like it did. Once her physical need was sated, she moved on.
She’d never been kissed quite like that. It was as though he’d kissed her for her pleasure. He’d put effort into it after all three of them had surrounded her. Three men. Six hands. All on her. If she hadn’t been semiconscious at the time, her underwear could have melted right off and she wouldn’t have complained.
Who wouldn’t have responded to that? A girl would have to be made of wood, and the last time she looked, she was flesh and bone.
At the thought of flesh and bone, she realized she lay on a soft bed. Definitely not in the garbage bin then. It didn’t smell either. The air wasn’t exactly fresh, but filtered. Much better than the dumpster mixed in with the hot, arid air.
Her arm and shoulder didn’t hurt so much, and a soothing warmth washed over the injury. She had to be medicated, but she didn’t feel lightheaded or woozy like she usually did from painkillers. The docs liked to keep those hurt badly enough sedated to save them from the worst of the pain.
She cracked open her lids. She was surrounded by silver walls. The lighting wasn’t bright, saving her a wince at least. The number of times she’d come awake under a bright surgical light when she’d been injured in the line of duty, she knew what to expect.
A panel was fitted to the wall and flashed with strobing lights. Various machines surrounded her, all medical looking. She couldn’t identity what t
hey could be used for, though. Beside her hung a mechanical arm in which a sharp needle was pointed in her direction. It moved towards her.
Her eyes flew open. She tumbled off the bed. Her knees gave out beneath her and she stumbled against a wall, sliding away from the wicked-looking instrument. The room was small. No windows. No doors. There were rectangular shapes curt into the smooth surface of the walls with no discernible function. She had no idea where she could be and she was trapped.
She also realized she was naked. Her skin broke out in goosebumps in the cool air. She belatedly realized the wounds at her shoulder were closed, however the punctures were still deep red. Still, how had she healed so fast? She trembled as adrenaline pulsed through her system, urging her to run, but she had nowhere to go.
Part of the wall moved, and she stood transfixed as the metal seemed to dissolve, then horror reared through her when large figures appeared where the metal once was. The air caught in her lungs. It was the three men who had been tracking her, and, judging by the way they stared at her, she was in deep shit.
She held her hand out. It shook, much to her disgust. She was too well-trained to have a shaking hand, so she opted for pointing at them.
“Stay right where you are,” she said, voice steady.
To her amazement, they stopped, but the intense way they looked at her told her it probably wasn’t going to be for long. The slightly larger one with thick dreads that ran halfway down his back spoke to her in a deep, growling language.
“I have no idea what the fuck you just said, but let’s just hope you didn’t ask for sex,” She said, but even in her confused state, she thought that sex with him might be an agreeable enough suggestion. For god’s sake, brain. Keep it in your pants.
Her gaze dropped to his package, and then shifted over all their packages that filled out the front of their leathers. Her eyes lingered until her brain started working again. Confused at her reaction, she forced her attention back to their faces. The one with the fine raven-black hair and close-cropped beard smirked. He hadn’t missed where she’d looked. Asshat.
Dreads stepped towards her, palms raised in a universal gesture of “I’m not going to hurt you.” Last time she’d fallen for that, she’d received twenty stitches on her thigh when she’d come too close to the hidden knife the teen wielded.
She snatched an object on a close-by tray, waving it in front of her. The long object was cool to the touch and felt like plastic, but the material glowed with a blue light like nothing else she’d ever seen.
Dreads growled again, making the mistake of coming closer to her. Too close for her comfort.
“Not happening, bud.” She lashed out, catching the end of the object on his arm. There was a beep and a flash of blue.
He growled as his arm hung limp at his side. He moved back, but not far enough for her liking.
“That’s interesting,” she said. She waved it at all of them in an attempt to keep them away. “There’s more where that came from, so just stay back like good boys or you’ll end up like your friend here.”
Dreads pinned her with a look from beneath lowered brows. Her insides quivered, and not just in an I’m-in-deep-shit kind of way, which she chose to ignore. He uttered a snarl and the two other behemoths stalked towards her. She tried to swallow, but it was hard with a mouth that suddenly went as dry as the Sahara. Panic fluttered like a living thing in her chest.
First lesson being a captive: don’t go down without a fight. Her body responded automatically. She bent her knees and held the device towards them, calculating her options.
Kisser was the closest. So be it. She waited until he was close enough and lunged at him. He leaned back just as quickly, and she thrust the end of the device harmlessly through the air.
“You’re quick for such a Neanderthal.”
Usually the more muscled a man, the slower they were. In this case, that wasn’t true.
Beard lunged at her, coming around the end of the narrow cot. She wasn’t going to be able to beat them in a fight. The only option she had was to run.
She catapulted over the cot, but Beard was faster than she anticipated. He caught her ankle. She belly-flopped onto the cot, lashing out with her other foot. It caught him square in the jaw. She noted a flash of surprise on his face before both she and the cot tumbled to the floor.
Her shoulder throbbed, stealing her breath for a moment, and she felt the fresh wash of warm blood seeping through the wounds. She tried to scramble to her feet, but a heavy weight landed on her. Her breath whooshed out… and stayed out. The damned man was using his weight to pin her down. Her lungs constricted further, burning with the need to breathe. Her vision faded at the edges. She was going to pass out if she didn’t get any oxygen.
She forced her body to relax, despite her heart trying to pummel its way out of her chest. His weight lifted, and while she was busy sucking in a deep breath of air, he turned her on her back. He dropped over her splayed form, although it was just enough to secure her, not to make it hard to breathe.
She looked up into the face of the man towering down at her. Even one-armed, Beard looked like a man she would think twice about fighting. She found her breath caught in her throat, but for an entirely different reason.
This close, Beard was absolutely gorgeous. His eyes were so dark—the pupils nearly indiscernible—set beneath brows that slanted ever so slightly beneath a faintly lined forehead. His lips were set in a firm line, yet were still pillowed enough for her to wonder what they’d feel like if he kissed her, like Kisser had done.
She was immobilized with the intensity of his stare when she realized she just lay there, like an offering. Her breath hitched and she punched him on his arm. He didn’t even notice and she knew how to hit.
“I’ll keep on punching the longer you keep on lying on me,” she said with a growl.
He barked out a short command, and Beard knelt next to her. He gripped her wrists and pinned her arms above her head with his one working hand. She struggled even more, realizing her breasts were right beneath Dread’s face. They could do anything to her and she wouldn’t stand a chance. She screeched as panic gripped her.
Kisser came the other side of her. He held the device that had rendered Dread’s arm lifeless. He pointed the end towards her. She couldn’t move to get away.
“You don’t have to do that, Kisser. I’ll behave.” Her voice caught as her breath hitched. She hated showing any weakness, but three men surrounding her naked butt was cause for her to thrash as though her life depended on it.
It most probably did.
She didn’t miss the look of concern that passed over Kisser’s face. However, he still lined up the end of the device with her neck. She thrashed her head from side to side. If she wasn’t still, he couldn’t inject her with whatever the fuck that was.
A large hand covered her forehead and then she couldn’t even move her head. Kisser murmured something that sounded like regret, and then pressed the cool end of the device to her neck. There was a beep and a flash of blue.
She closed her eyes, expecting… something, but she felt normal. Dreads hooked a cautious expression on her before slowly moving up and away. The air cooled on her skin as his body heat evaporated with the distance. Her skin broke out with goosebumps and to her horror, her nipples pebbled.
She wanted to move her arms to cover herself, but her limbs refused to work. She frowned, definitely sending the command from her brain to her arms. Nothing. She tried moving her legs, but her body remained unresponsive. It was strange. She retained total sensation of her body. There was no heaviness, no tingling, no residual lethargy of drugs, yet she couldn’t even move a damn toe. Then she realized she felt no pain. Her shoulder still bled, but at least the throbbing agony had vanished.
“What the fuck have you done to me?” At least she could still speak. And breathe. Her heart was still beating. She could still think—which didn’t do her much good the way her thoughts were turning at the moment.
“You think you can do that to me? I promise I’ll behave.” she said.
All three sets of eyes turned to her. This time, the panic she had set at bay lashed through her defenses and overpowered her. She started to hyperventilate.
She was naked, vulnerable, completely at their mercy and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do when Dreads reached for her.
Chapter Six
Rujali
“Easy, Rujali. You’re scaring her,” Setzan said when their mate whimpered as he reached for her.
“Scared she might be, but at least she can’t hurt herself anymore,” Rujali said. His heart pounded at the way in which she’d reacted, appalled that they’d caused her so much terror.
“She’s never seen our species before, but surely she should sense her mates,” Klaej said.
Rujali’s blood ran cold at the thought. When frightened, some species curled into a little compliant ball, while others lashed out to protect themselves.
“Gods, Rujali. Do you think she doesn’t recognize who we are to her?” Setzan asked.
Rujali gathered her in his arms, the whimper she made tearing his heart in half. She was so cold. Freezing. He held her close to his chest, trying to provide warmth from his own body.
“Right the table,” he said. “Now.”
Klaej set the medical table on its legs and Setzan gathered the sheet from the floor.
Rujali laid her gently on the bed. “Do you understand me, Little One?”
Her eyes widened and she spoke. Her soft voice didn’t hide the tremor underneath. Her heart fluttered in her chest as the pulse beat wildly at her throat. He couldn’t understand the words she said, but he knew the tone of someone begging.
The Ozar Triad Page 4
