by Ivy Barrett
Surely he didn’t mean—
“Nothing sexual,” he assured her, then smiled. “Though I love your dirty mind.”
Why did her mind immediately go to all things dark and twisted whenever she looked at Azra? She thought of all sorts of things when she looked at Oseth and Urrya. She imagined sharing meals and spending time together, laughter and security. She’d even pictured the future they could build together and the children she might give them. With Azra, she wanted to strip and display her body, or offer her bottom for punishment. Maybe she really was as twisted as Azra.
Forcing away the disturbing thought, she asked, “What sorts of ‘psychic services’ do you offer?” She was careful to sound interested rather than judgmental or unnerved. If she ever hoped to get beyond this awkwardness, she needed honest, accurate information.
“Whatever the situation requires. I heal, find lost objects and occasionally people, I restore emotional balance to those victimized by traumatic events, and if emotional health is unattainable any other way, I... As I said, I do whatever is necessary.”
Leaving it alone was the wisest course, but she wanted to know more about her enigmatic suitor. She needed to understand him, or there was no hope for their claim. “What did you almost say? How do you help those who are unable to heal any other way?”
He looked off into the distance, jaw set, eyes cold.
She sighed, thinking she’d lost the battle before it began.
“Tell her about Melisa. As our mate, she has a right to know.” There was no provocation in Urrya’s tone, for a change. He simply stated a fact as he saw it.
Azra’s features tensed even more as he dragged his gaze toward her. “I became romantically involved with a human female during my time on Earth.”
He’d been on Earth? She hadn’t realized the banishment had been so recent. The Ventori had only been in Earth space little over a year. “Was it serious?” She regretted the question as soon as it passed her lips. Was this why he kept himself carefully barricaded behind a wall of disdain? If he was still pining away for this other woman, she’d have no choice but to refuse their claim. She was an all or nothing sort of person. Either all four of them gave their all to this relationship or she wasn’t interested.
“I was conflicted. She seemed interested in a long-term relationship with me, but had no interest in Urrya or Oseth.” He shrugged, but hurt flashed deep in his dark gaze. “I was attracted to her, but this pod is extremely important as well. I refused to settle for one or the other. I wanted it all.”
His admission gave her hope. Becoming the loving center of a pod of devoted males thrilled her beyond anything she’d imagined before the Ventori arrived. It was her compatibility with Urrya and Oseth that brought her into Azra’s life. If they could work through his emotional distance, he could have it all. “How did this romance get you banished?”
He refilled his wineglass before he began. Every move he made reflected his reluctance. “Like so many victims of the Skarilians, Melisa had lost everything. Her sister and a very close friend died right in front of her. I tried to help her work through the grief and anger. In fact, that’s how we met. But it quickly became apparent that only drastic measures would restore anything resembling peace to her life.”
Already she didn’t like the sound of this. “What sort of ‘drastic measures’?”
“As you’re aware, I am able to reshape certain mental impulses. I have the greatest control, and am most comfortable working through guided dreams. This technique was not sufficient with Melisa, so I offered a permanent solution to her misery.”
“Please tell me you’re not talking about assisted suicide. She was depressed and devastated, not terminally ill.”
He cleared his throat, but his stone-cold expression gave nothing away. “I find it insulting that you thought me capable of such an action. I’m a healer. All life is sacred to me.”
Urrya and Oseth had warned her that Azra was far more compassionate than his brooding persona indicated. The more she learned about him, the more she understood what they meant. “I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking.” After a tense pause, she asked, “How did you help Melisa?”
“I muted her memory, even erased certain scenes that were triggering her worst symptoms. I warned her that there could be significant side effects and that this was not a procedure I performed often. She insisted I proceed.” He sighed, took a gulp of wine, then finished in an rush. “I gathered energy for three days and meditated endlessly preparing for the procedure. I did everything in my power to protect her, but the human mind is incredibly delicate. It reacts in unpredictable ways and... As I feared, there were complications. She was changed by the procedure.”
Azra lapsed into regretful silence, so Urrya filled in a few of the details. “Azra was a member of the Protectorate at the time, so he asked permission before he performed the procedure. The High Command refused to approve something so experimental. Their attitude about everything he does was ambivalent at best.”
“So you defied a direct order,” she said softly, her gaze returning to Azra. “That’s why the chancellor banished you.”
“If Melisa had been restored to mental health without any side effects, Savator and his preening ministers would have celebrated my triumph. Instead I became a convenient scapegoat for the upheaval that followed.”
“What upheaval?”
He drained his wineglass and reached for the decanter. Urrya deftly slid it out of reach. Azra lapsed into silence, his expression tense and hostile.
“Melisa was a minor celebrity,” Urrya told her. “The tragedy was picked up by the media. ‘Alien witch doctor lobotomizes starlet’ was one of many headlines that circulated after the story broke.”
“Oh, my God, you’re talking about Melisa Drake.” The pain in Azra’s gaze kept her from saying more. Nothing about Melisa’s celebrity had been minor. She first drew public attention as a centerfold, but quickly leveraged the attention into a film career. A series of racy thrillers prominently featuring her naked body earned her a legion of obsessed fans. Then the Skarilians obliterated anything resembling entertainment. Life became survival, and animosity toward aliens became the public’s new obsession. The Protectorate was a necessary evil, but most humans wanted nothing to do with anyone who wasn’t born on Earth. That’s why the outcry had been so loud when Melisa’s mind was shattered by a mysterious alien.
“The news stories were exaggerated,” Oseth stressed. “I saw Melisa several times after the procedure and she was far from ‘lobotomized.’ There are tons of anti-psychotic drugs that leave people much less functional than Melisa.”
“She seemed calm, almost serene, but her intellect—which wasn’t that impressive to begin with—remained intact,” Urrya added.
Erin loved that they defended each other. Kyla was the only person in her life that ever stood up for her. “I’m so sorry you were ridiculed for trying to help her. It sounds like you did everything you knew how to do.”
“And she still ended up dead,” Azra muttered, looking dejected.
The media firestorm had been the final straw for the struggling actress. She’d washed down several handfuls of pills with half a bottle of whisky, ending her tumultuous life. And the press blamed it all on her alien lover. “It wasn’t your fault, Azra. You were trying to help her. No one can fault you for that.”
“Maybe you can make him believe it. Gods know we’ve tried,” Oseth muttered.
“Enough about the past,” Azra insisted. “I am only interested in the future.” When neither of his podmates argued, he asked Erin, “What are your principle hesitations about accepting our claim?”
“For one thing, you keep insisting I’m a slave. If I attempt to leave here, will you stop me?”
“Now or at the end of our courtship?”
“It shouldn’t matter. Why would you want someone who doesn’t want you?”
His gaze narrowed, eyes gleaming behind his thick lashes. “Do you want to le
ave?”
She didn’t, but she needed to know that she wasn’t a prisoner anymore.
“Your hesitation says it all. You want what I give you, so why should I pretend to be something I’m not?”
They lapsed into tense silence as Erin struggled with her emotions. She knew Azra was right. Everything he’d done only added to her enjoyment. It was liberating to let go and simply revel in the intensity, to know that he would never give her more than she could handle. But to enjoy that freedom, she must accept that he would also push her boundaries, allowing them to reach heights she’d never achieve alone. She could even admit that pain stimulated her libido and eventually added to her pleasure. Still, thinking of herself as a slave... she just couldn’t make herself accept that.
“I might agree to be your mate, but I’ll never be your slave.”
Azra started to say something, but Urrya cut him off. “Did you feed today? Is that why you’re so irritable?”
She looked at Azra’s plate. It was obvious he’d eaten very little. Or was Urrya referring to something else? Or had the bizarre question been meant to keep Azra from saying whatever he’d been about to say? All she knew was the tension in the room had just quadrupled.
Azra glared at Urrya. “I am fully rested and well-fed. Thanks for your belated concern.”
Urrya set his fork down and rested his hands on the table. “It’s obvious you fucked her. When did you explain?” When Azra just continued to glare, Urrya’s expression darkened. “You better not have fed without her permission. That was part of our deal.”
“What deal?” she asked, displeasure making her voice sharp. “And what sort of feeding are you talking about?”
Urrya’s angry gaze remained locked on Azra. “Are you going to tell her or shall I?”
Azra shoved his chair back so forcefully it toppled, landing with a cringe-worthy thud. “You have done nothing but provoke me since her recovery. Do you want me out of this pod? Is that what this is about? She’s more likely to accept your claim if I’m not involved?”
Regret stabbed through her. She’d been thinking the exact thing not that long ago. So why did it make her feel so damn guilty? If he really was a self-serving jerk, she would have been relieved if he left the pod. His determination to help Melisa was proof that Azra could feel compassion, maybe even love.
Hurt and confusion rolled across Urrya’s features, deflating his indignation. “Why would you ask me that? You are more of a brother to us than my own flesh and blood.”
Bracing both hands on the table, Azra continued to glare. “I would never harm her, nor have I entered her mind. She awakened me before I was ready, so I allowed her energy to soothe me and complete my recuperation.” He finally looked at her, but his expression was unreadable. “You were not harmed by what I did. Do you object to supplying a need you helped create?”
Before she could decide one way or the other, Urrya was off again. “If she was not aware, she was not willing! You are in violation of our agreement.”
“What agreement?” she yelled. Why was he avoiding the question?
“Name the penalty,” Azra snapped. “You’re the fucking pod leader. Name my punishment or shut the hell up!”
Urrya waited a moment for his temper to cool, before he spoke again. “Why didn’t you ask her before you fed from her? She would have allowed it and we both know it.”
“I still don’t understand what that means,” Erin reminded them. She looked at Azra and asked, “How did you ‘feed’ from me?”
“Tavorians are no longer nourished by food.” His voice was as tight as his expression. Clearly, he resented being forced to explain. “We are still able to digest food, but we must absorb or exchange energy to survive.”
“Strong emotions create the most concentrated streams of energy,” Urrya added. “He drew energy from you each time you came. If it’s done right—and he’s damn good at it—the exchange increases the pleasure, which in turn creates more energy. It’s the primary reason we started sharing females. The circular nature of his need makes the pleasure more intense for everyone involved.”
“You’d arouse her while Azra... fed from her pleasure?”
“It was generally more interactive than that, but you get the idea,” Azra agreed.
Her orgasms had certainly been unusually strong, but that had been true ever since her arrival on Tavor. “I wouldn’t have objected, but Urrya’s right. You should have told me.”
Azra’s dark gaze began to smolder and the faintest hint of a smile tilted the corners of his mouth. “I wasn’t in the mood to ask permission for anything.”
He’d been aggressive and utterly commanding. It definitely would have seemed odd if he suddenly stopped and asked permission. “Well, you have my permission now. If you need energy, and I won’t be harmed when you take it, feel free to feed from me.” Why in the world had she made such an offer? This was like offering her blood to a vampire. Azra was dangerous and unpredictable.
And he drew her like a moth to flame.
He stalked over to where she sat and lightly fisted the back of her hair. “Are you finished eating?”
Licking her lips, she nodded.
His fingers tightened until her scalp stung. “You know better than that.”
“Yes, Master. I’m finished.” The title still annoyed her, but it wasn’t worth another argument. Besides, he’d given her a glimpse beyond his emotional coldness. She was less intimidated by him now.
He slid her chair back from the table. “Open your dress and part your legs. Show us our pussy.”
The other two stood and moved closer to her end of the table.
Her fingers shook as she obeyed. This was only the second time she’d been in the same room with all three of them, and last time Azra had been so weak he was fighting to stay conscious. The belt loosened and she parted the sides, baring her body without removing the dress. The males watched her intently, so she slowly moved her legs apart and rested her hands on the bare thighs. Her pulse accelerated and her nipples tingled as their gazes moved boldly across her naked flesh.
“What’s with the stimulators?” Oseth wanted to know. His neon green eyes grew so bright they practically glowed.
“If I’m not mistaken, she disobeyed a direct order from both of you.” Azra clasped his hands behind his back and offered her a cruel smile. “Didn’t they tell you to stay out of the castle?”
Her eyes widened owlishly. “I never told you that. How did you know?”
“Our minds are linked, my lovely slave. I know everything that goes on between you and your other mates. Now answer the question.”
Chapter Seven
Oseth watched Erin’s pink tongue slide across her lips and felt his already hard cock expand even more. He’d spent much of last night indulging his hunger for Erin and still he ached for more. Sex with her was so much more intense than with any of his other lovers. He couldn’t imagine ever being satisfied with anyone other than his mate. His mate, their mate. He was thrilled and humbled by the possibility that she might actually accept their claim.
“Answer the question,” Azra was saying.
Narrowing his gaze on his podmate, Oseth took a step forward, intending to back him off, but Urrya halted Oseth’s advance with a telepathic push. If she can’t accept Azra, the rest is moot. Let’s try this his way for a while.
How long is a while? I already sense her fear. Another connection Oseth had never experienced before. He felt his podmates’ emotions when they chose to share, but Oseth had only ever been truly empathic with Erin. More proof that she was meant to be theirs.
I sense it too, but she’s not afraid of Azra. I think she fears the way he makes her feel.
Like she can’t sit down for a week? Oseth scoffed softly. Yeah, I’d fear that too.
“They told me to stay in the mansion.” Her voice sounded unsteady and she kept her eyes pointed down. Still, Oseth felt surges of spirit and excitement. Urrya was right. She wasn’t frightened by
Azra or her impending discipline. “They said parts of the castle were unsafe. But I went directly to your room. A path I knew was okay.”
“If they told you to remain in the mansion, nowhere in the castle was ‘okay.’” Azra objected. “What happens when you disobey your masters?”
Her gaze narrowed at the word. Oseth started to tell her he didn’t need to be called Master, but Urrya held him off with another telepathic pulse.
Fisting his hands at his sides, Oseth watched Azra as he slowly circled Erin. She looked so damn beautiful. Oseth didn’t even want to blink. Her wild red hair was pulled back into a braid, leaving her sweet little breasts unobscured from his hungry gaze. Her waist was small, hips nicely rounded, and her legs were long and lean. She had her thighs open, feet spread wider than the chair legs. It was all he could do not to kneel in front of her and bury his tongue in her pussy.
She suddenly jerked and cried out, hands flying to her breasts. “That fucking hurt!”
“Apologize for the profanity or you’ll get another pulse,” Azra warned.
“Don’t shock the hell out of me and I won’t cuss,” she shot back angrily.
Urrya marched past Oseth and pulled Erin up out of the chair. He sat in her place, then urged her face down across his lap. Without a word, he pulled the dress off completely and swatted her bare behind several times. “You were told to apologize. Do so now.”
“I’m sorry I cussed, but that really hurt.” She still sounded angry, but her tone was more controlled.
“Oh, look at this, Oseth. She’s wearing an anal trainer.” He grasped the small handle protruding from her rear and slowly rotated the device. She groaned and wiggled. “Which setting is it on?”
“Three,” Azra told him.
“That’s not nearly enough if you intend to use her tonight.”
“I’m aware and she will be well prepared before I fuck her.”
Urrya nodded and squeezed one of her ass cheeks. “Open your legs so I can play with your pussy and tell me why Azra shocked you.” She slowly parted her legs and Urrya slid one of his hands between her thighs.
