“What!” Klaej’s roar was loud in the little space.
She cringed.
“My apologies, but no mate of ours will ever think she is anything to be thrown out and discarded.”
She might have been a little taken back by the sentiment, misplaced as it was, but she was still angling for a way to persuade him to return her mind to her body.
“It’s always a place the enemy will not think to look. A trick. Find the most disgusting place you can find to hide when you’re in danger. The enemy will more likely pass on by than step foot where you’re hiding.”
Setzan’s steady fingers moved to her scalp where he rubbed in shampoo. His fingertips made firm little circles as he washed. Then, Klaej turned so that warm water cascaded over her hair to rinse out the suds. Not so much as a bubble went anywhere near her eyes.
“That is very clever, but how would a delicate female such as yourself know about something like that?” Setzan whispered in her ear. She didn’t bother even opening her eyes this time.
Between the warm water and massage, her body was quickly seeking the rest she so badly needed—and it wasn’t because Rujali had ordered it.
“I’m a soldier,” she murmured. “I’m trained to know things like that.”
“A soldier?”
“Yes. Someone trained and hired by a country to fight in wars for the safety of its people.”
There was a slight pause, and then Klaej said, “Like a warrior?”
“If that means someone who lays their life down in service, then yes. I suppose so.”
Setzan worked over her body, cleaning every finger, limb, and extremity. He treated her body with quick efficiency. Gone was any lingering sense of sexual touch.
She didn’t know whether to be disappointed or thankful.
God, she was so sick of her head. Maybe a rest was what she needed.
After a moment, he asked, “And your Earth lets females lay down their lives to fight wars?”
The water turned off and she was surrounded in a soft, fluffy material. Both of the brothers gently dried her.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t they?”
“But females are precious. Without females, there is no life.”
She was amazed that Setzan actually sounded affronted by the idea. “Life is precious whether you’re a man or a woman. It doesn’t matter what gender you are.”
Klaej pressed a soft kiss to her temple. “But you are female and now we look after you. You will never need to fight again.”
Her body was heavy. Lethargic. Against all logic and common sense, she felt safe enough to shut down. She didn’t know if she even spoke the words, but she definitely knew she thought it.
“But what if I want to?”
Chapter Eight
Rujali
Rujali studied the activity of the spaceport from the bridge of their jet. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it just seemed… off.
On the surface, it was normal enough. Species came and went, but he’d caught one too many lingering glances in the direction of their jet for it not to be coincidental. He checked the shields, which held firm. The faint blue shimmer over the viewscreen confirmed his visual. Their shields were nearly indestructible. Nothing would be able to get in or out of their jet while it was active.
This port had a reputation for underhanded happenings. Now that they had such precious cargo, he was taking no chances, even if it was overkill. The sooner they departed the planet and returned to their home world, the better.
However, they still needed to retrieve the Ozar Crystal for their future. Even though they had miraculously found their mate, there would be no children for them or anyone until the tower shone its glow and energy returned to the land.
Setzan climbed into the seat next to him.
Rujali turned to his brother. “How is our mate?”
“Bathed and clean. She is resting with Klaej in your quarters.”
Rujali’s brow rose. “My quarters?”
“You have the biggest bed, and I’m sleeping nowhere else but with Riley from now on. So get used to it, brother. You’ll never have your bed to yourself again,” Setzan said.
A faint smile curved Rujali’s lips. He hadn’t felt himself smile in a long time. “I never want my bed to myself. I can’t believe it will be filled for the rest of our days.”
Setzan paused, and then said, “She told us something disturbing while we attended to her. In her world, they send their females to war. She is a fighting female. A soldier, she called herself.”
Rujali sucked in a sharp breath. “Why in all the gods’ names would their males do that?”
“She said that both male and female lives are equal,” Setzan said.
“I cannot believe she came from such a primitive society,” Rujali said.
“There are many species who treat their females worse than refuse. You’ve seen it for yourself. There are many out there now who treat their females as nothing more than slaves.” Setzan gestured to the various species outside.
Rujali picked out three who not only enslaved their females, but sold them to other species as though they were worthless.
“May those males be cursed for eternity. Riley will learn her place at our side. Coming from such a barbaric species, she will grow to love her new life.” Protective instincts rose within him. The possessiveness that coursed through him were the stirrings of the mate-sync, he knew, but even if Riley was not their mate, he would do anything and everything he could to keep her safe, simply because she was female, and that was what honorable males did.
Setzan paused again. “What if she doesn’t? She is an unknown species and she gave us quite a fight. She is not without skills. If she is what she said she is, and I have no doubt to her truth, then how are we to know she will love the life we are taking her to? Our females do, but they are gentle and not interested in fighting. Fighting is what Riley knows. The transition could be quite difficult for her.”
The concept was foreign, but Setzan was right. Apart from the fact she was their mate, there was little else they knew about her, other than the fact that his blood heated and his cock hardened with the mere thought of her. Rujali adjusted his position in his seat to alleviate the seam of his leathers inhibiting his erection.
However, the thought of sending her out to fight, simply because that was what she did on her planet, did not sit well with him. His mate would never have to fight again. She would know a life of pleasure at their hands. She would be coveted, protected, and loved. That was all there was to it.
“Brother, we need to get her to our Homeland where we know she will be safe. But we owe it to our countrymen to find the crystal so they can share the same joy. If we don’t return the crystal, no one will find their mates. Can you locate it?”
Setzan set the chip on the tracker he’d built into the control console of the bridge and adjusted the controls. It was a small, black, shiny screen that he’d coded to track the frequency of energy from the Ozar Crystal. Using the chip as the energy source, the tracker matched the energy frequency. It was fortunate that the crystal was entirely unique to that of anything else in the universe. The viewscreen changed from the spaceport to a schematic of the entire planet of Isildur. A light blipped.
Setzan focused the coordinates on the light and a topical view of the landscape formed above the tracker in a holographic display of three dimensional lines of bright light. “It’s coming from one of the cave systems just south of here.”
Rujali cursed. No one ventured far into the cave systems. No one knew what actually lived underground, and no one was willing to take the chance to find out. Beings that went in were never heard from again. Life was hard enough on this planet and many did not take up the challenge of cave exploration.
“It seems to be stationary,” Setzan said.
Rujali’s sixth sense pricked up. Like the spaceport they were in, there was something not quite right going on out there. Beings scurried back and forth, but ev
ery so often one would glance up at them, as though cataloguing information about their craft and who was aboard it before darting away. It also seemed to be much busier earlier on, while now only certain species wandered past. It seemed to be a staged, controlled surveillance. “We will need to be careful. It seems strange that we’ve chased the crystal from one end of the galaxy and back, yet the moment we find our mate, it remains stationary on a planet such as this.”
“It does sound strange, but at least it’s within our reach for the first time in ten years. Maybe we’re just overthinking things. Maybe this was where the species that stole it intended it to come, and finding our mate is just coincidence,” Setzan said.
“Bit too much of a coincidence,” Rujali murmured. Yet still, it was their first chance to retrieve their crystal. The whys and hows could be established after they had it. One thing he had promised himself was that the thief or thieves responsible would pay—dearly. “We will need to be very careful with our attack. We’ll have one chance and one chance only to get it back. At the same time, we will need to keep our mate safe.”
“We’ll do it. For the first time in a long time, I look forward to our future.” Setzan offered one of his quick smiles.
“Let’s talk to Klaej. Devise a plan. We’ll attack before dawn. But first, I want to check our mate and see that she is resting.” Rujali rose from the seat and paused. “Did you administer the Corrective?”
“I told Klaej do to it after she was asleep. Judging by her reaction to us, I thought it prudent if she rested without sustaining herself further injuries,” Setzan said.
Rujali nodded. “I didn’t like giving it to her to begin with. It’s not a nice feeling, not being in control of your body.”
“She was understandably frantic. We had to do something. She was certainly angry enough.” Setzan frowned. “Do you think that’s possible she’s never heard about us before? She was extremely confused. Frightened. It’s hard to believe she’s never seen a different species before.”
Rujali pressed his lips together. “My thoughts exactly. I’ve never seen another being remotely like her before either.”
“But there have been no new planet discoveries for centuries. Our universe has all been explored. All populated worlds are well known.” Setzan shifted, looking as uncomfortable as Rujali felt, voicing words that didn’t sound untrue. “But what if, somehow, her planet was never discovered before now? You remember your history lessons about primitive worlds. If her planet is archaic enough to send females to war, then it may be first contact for her.”
Rujali nodded. “I’ve also never seen those scaled ones before either. We will have to question her, and if it is true, assure her that we are nothing like them. She may have a lot to learn. Come, let us find our mate.”
Setzan grabbed Rujali’s shoulder as he went to exit the cabin. “What if this is all too much for her and she can’t cope and wants to go home?”
He hated the reality, but there was more at stake than the wants of their mate. More than even their wants and needs.
Rujali drew in a deep breath. “Then we will do everything in our power to make sure she never wants to return to her planet, because one thing is clear—she is never going home. Our future depends too much on it for her to ever go back to such a backward planet.”
He tried to ignore the hard knot that weighed down the pit of his stomach as he made his way to his quarters, but it didn’t move an inch. As he approached his quarters, the filaments retracted to allow him entry. Setzan followed as Klaej leaned over their mate and administering the Corrective. She was bundled in the covers up to her chin, her eyes closed and relaxed. Klaej had done a good job at making her comfortable.
“She is asleep?” Rujali spoke quietly so as not to disturb her.
Klaej nodded. “She fought it, but it didn’t take long once I settled her here. She was obviously exhausted, physically and mentally. How she got here, what she went through, was clearly overwhelming for her.”
“How is her shoulder wound?” Rujali asked, his brows drawing together.
“By the time she wakes, it will be almost healed,” Klaej said.
“She looks so peaceful.” Setzan stepped closer to the bed and brushed a strand of hair off her forehead. Even though she had no horns, she was the most beautiful female he’d even laid eyes on. Her lack of horns, as well as other differences in their species, only made her more exotic.
“Let her rest. We need to make plans, and then we will rest with her. Tomorrow will be a big day for all of us,” Rujali said.
He reluctantly exited his quarters, his brothers trailing behind him. He knew they didn’t want to leave her, either. It went against every instinct in his body. Under normal circumstances, when a Trio found their mate, they didn’t leave each other’s side for a good fortnight. At least.
But the current circumstances were different. Their mate was different. Conditions weren’t optimal for them to do that. Rujali would just have to fight his instincts, make sure his brothers also did, and then he would have the space and time to persuade their mate that her place was at their sides.
* * *
Riley
It was stifling hot. In fact, Riley seemed to be surrounded by heat from her forehead to her feet. She turned to find coolness, but met another firm wall of heat.
She opened her eyes to see a landscape of hard muscle covered by silken skin. She traced a swirl of black ink with her eyes, transfixed by the intricate details. Although the markings were dark, they weren’t solid thick lines at all, but were made from a series of small, crystalline designs and patterns. Her gaze tracked the beautiful swirls and shapes that wandered over the expanse of skin until she fell into twin dark-liquid pools that stared with the utmost intensity down at her.
Rujali.
His eyes were exquisite, as was the rest of his face, brimming with power and something almost hungry.
She couldn’t help the urge that overtook her when she cupped his cheek and ran the pad of her thumb across his dark stubble. A corner of her mind registered that she could move again, but the urge to touch him was more overwhelming. She needed to run her fingers over that expanse of skin. Explore.
His long fingers encircled her wrist. She gasped. Maybe he didn’t want her stroking him.
“Sorry,” she murmured.
When she went to take her hand away, he kept her wrist in his hold.
“There is nothing to apologize for,” he said. “You may touch me whenever and however you desire. You are our mate. It is your right and I will accept whatever you will give us with joy in my heart.”
A frown pulled her brow. They’d called her their mate many times now, and she didn’t think it was the same as when she called her friend. “Mate?”
“Our destined. Our future.”
Oh, shit. “No, I’m not.” Panic seized her chest and a flush washed over her skin. She tried to tug her hand free, but Rujali held her tightly. She jerked backwards to feel another source of heat and wall of muscle stirring behind her. She glanced over her shoulder.
Setzan looked down at her, his hair ruffled from sleep, a dozy look in his eyes. Her breath caught as a delicate shudder worked through her. That fresh awake look was sexy as sin.
“Our mate does not believe us.” Rujali moved onto his elbow and the two giants peered down at her like she was breakfast after a week-long fast.
Setzan’s sensual mouth transformed into an easy grin. “I can think of a few things, nice things, that will not only persuade her, but leave her with no doubt where she belongs.”
Riley opened her mouth, her mind spinning. “I… I have to get home.”
“Luckily you don’t have to go far at all. Home is here. With us,” Rujali said.
“But you don’t understand.” Her heart pummeled in her chest. These three massive, sexy men—aliens, with horns!—didn’t seem to listen to a word she said. She had no idea what they were talking about, but her body heated and ached with the steamy lo
oks they shared with her.
She couldn’t say it was altogether unpleasant. Or unwanted. A part of her, a deep-down part she long ago refused to acknowledge, the part that had withered and died sometime in her childhood, the part that craved affection that didn’t demand anything in return, flickered awake.
“It’s you who doesn’t understand, Little One, but you will. It is our intention to show you just how very much you are wanted,” Rujali said.
“But… but why?”
“You should question our intentions, just not when it comes to you,” Setzan said. “You are our mate, the most precious being in the universe to us. It is our way. It is a thing our species instantly knows. Tell me you don’t feel it too. A connection. A need to be with us. A knowing that we are connected on a soul level, brought to life by the gods before we were even born.”
Her frown deepened. She did feel something. But how could she? She didn’t know anything about them. They were aliens, for fuck’s sake.
Maybe that was the issue. They were aliens. A far corner of her mind still reeled that she was face to face with such different beings, but she couldn’t become stuck there. If she allowed herself to sink into the shock, she didn’t know if she would ever get out again.
Yet, there was a pull in her chest she couldn’t name, a burning need to touch them, to receive them in return. To welcome them into her arms. Into her body. Her heart seemed to shift and open, creating a space that waited to be filled.
But that couldn’t be right.
It wasn’t right. This was all so confusing. She didn’t know what she thought, and she didn’t seem to have the brain function for it right now.
“You’re talking in riddles,” she said. “I don’t understand this. I don’t understand any of it.”
“We will help you understand.” Setzan lifted his gaze to Rujali. “We need to help her sort out her feelings. We need to show her what she feels.” His fingertips grazed along her waist and sent a fission of goosebumps skating across her skin.
Rujali hovered over her, his warm breath teasing her face as he pressed her wrists above her head with the gentlest of touches. “I agree. It is our greatest wish to show you how much we want you. Will you let us?”
The Ozar Triad Page 7
