by Jayne Ripley
He looked Darkon in the eye, not ready to admit he had been wrong. He had been weak, and because he’d turned on Darkon and acted like such an ass to Jennifer, he had forced her to drive them both away. Which shattered his heart like breaking glass.
“Why are you here?” He glanced at Darkon’s spear. “Are you looking to fight? I am always eager for some combat.”
“I brought the spear along in case you had forgotten how to talk like a civilized person.”
“I’ve never been civilized,” Nahkar spat. “For me, it’s a dirty word.” He waved a hand angrily around him. “This is civilization. I’m surprised you think it’s worthy of praise.”
Darkon looked impressed. “That’s a good point, my friend.”
Some of Nahkar’s anger lessened, hearing Darkon call him friend. He hated that he liked it…but he did. He wasn’t used to someone saying he was right either. Usually people thought him big and dumb. One of the things he loved about Jennifer was that she never treated him that way.
Except maybe when he was acting like an ass and deserved it.
Darkon sighed and walked over to set his spear against one of the weapon racks. “I don’t want to fight with you.”
“I don’t want you to lose to me either.”
“That isn’t exactly the same thing as what I said.”
Nahkar grunted. “Close enough.”
“I have a plan,” Darkon continued, surprising him with the abrupt shift in the conversation.
“What do you mean?” He tried to keep any excitement or hope out of his voice. He didn’t want to give Darkon any reason to gloat, even though he was at a loss for how to get them out of this seemingly hopeless situation.
“Come with me. There’s a place I know where we can talk. I’ll explain everything.”
He hesitated. “Why should I listen to you now?”
“I have a way to save her. And you’re my friend.”
Again, Darkon’s simple words hit him hard. He might have kept his identity as a royal snob a secret, but his words held the sound of truth right now.
He sheathed his sword. “Let’s go then.” He was eager—no, desperate to hear Darkon’s plan if it meant he could keep Jennifer safe. There was nothing more that mattered to him in the universe. That wasn’t simply the mara vrhon talking. Not anymore.
That was the truth from his heart.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jennifer
She ached.
Her whole body ached. Her soul ached. Her eyes were raw from crying. She felt like she’d been put through a meat grinder after a three-day tequila bender.
The palace rooms felt more like a prison than ever without Darkon and Nahkar here with her.
She missed her two friends. Why couldn’t they get along? Was it just crazy to hope that two males could ever share one female between them? Was there simply too much bravado and chest-thumping for that? Why did God have to make men so…so stupid and frustrating and so damn good to kiss? As secrets of the universe went, it was damn annoying.
Right now, she spent most of her time drifting through the rooms, thinking about the time she’d shared with Nahkar and Darkon. She tried watching the suite’s holo-screens, but nothing seemed to hold her attention. It all seemed stupid and frivolous.
One upside of losing her two males: she wasn’t thinking about home anymore. She was thinking of them instead. Worrying about them. Hoping they were safe. Cursing them for being such stubborn idiots.
She didn’t know what was going to happen now. That terrified her. She had tasted such happiness for a brief time, and now she was in danger of losing it all. Darkon and Nahkar were going to have to fight each other in that horrible arena. They were going to make her watch. Her heart was going to break, no matter what the outcome.
For the hundredth time, she paced around the suite, looking at the fancy things, staring out the windows, so high above the city. Looking at the stars and the huge planet the station orbited. Her mind felt blank and exhausted.
She was in her room when she heard the suite’s main doors chime gently and slide open. Her heart leaped into her throat. She hurried down the hallway, practically running. Her blood was rushing through her veins, her pulse pounding in her temples. Was that Darkon or Nahkar? Had they come back, unable to stay away from her? She’d sent them away, but oh God, did she ever long for their comforting arms right now.
It wasn’t Darkon or Nahkar. It was both of them. They stood side by side, just inside the great room. Both of them smiled when they saw her. She had to close her eyes to keep herself from bawling. Those smiles…so warm. So happy. So perfect. The tension, distrust, and anger between them had evaporated. She felt its absence. It was simply gone.
For that, she was so very grateful.
Despite all these feelings and emotions rushing through her like a flash flood, she kept herself across the room from them. She wanted to run to them so badly it hurt, but she needed to hear them say they had forgiven each other. That they had put their arguments behind them. She wanted to know that both of them were hers again.
Darkon’s charming smile made his eyes flash with love. When he looked at her like that, she could feel his desire, but more than that, she could tell how much he cared for her, how happy she made him. That made her heart swell with joy. To love and be loved. What greater joy was there in the universe?
“You are even more beautiful than I remember,” Darkon said, sweeping into a courtly bow.
Nahkar eyed him. “For once, you’re right. Although it hasn’t even been a full day since we last saw her.” Nahkar turned his golden eyes back to her. When she looked at him, she could sense his fierce care for her, a love that would drive him to superhuman lengths to keep her safe, to make her happy. He wanted nothing more than that. She wanted to give him everything because of it. “My little human,” he said with surprising tenderness. “I have missed you deeply.”
Her throat was so tight that she had trouble speaking. She touched it, trying to force out the words. “I… What are you doing here?”
She didn’t know what else to say. She had so much to say to them, but those were the first words that popped out of her mouth.
“We’re here for you,” Darkon said simply.
“But…you’re fighting.”
“Not anymore,” Nahkar replied. “Darkon bought me one of those Anduros ales and told me—”
Darkon shot him a warning glance. Nahkar caught the meaning of the glance and smirked as if he’d simply been testing Darkon’s patience.
“—told me some interesting things. So we came here as soon as we could to get you. We will tell you everything as well over a mug of ale or glass liquor. Your choice.”
She was delighted to hear they had made up. Seeing them at each other’s throats had plain and simply broken her heart. “What interesting things?”
Darkon folded his arms. He leaned against the wall and looked around the room significantly as if trying to tell her something. “This isn’t the proper setting to discuss it.”
She thought she understood him. It was information he didn’t dare discuss here, so secret he didn’t want to risk someone listening in. It must be some really significant secret since Darkon had told them his true name and history here in the suite. But then again, his flimsy cover story had already been blown. Omgan Rarda had bought and sold the three of them, and whoever or whatever might be listening in and spying on them certainly knew that as well. But if this was a plan to escape the station and their slavery, she was behind it one thousand percent. No matter how dangerous it was, she understood they had no other choice. It was either get away from here together, or the three of them would be ripped apart forever.
Her heart was pounding fast. She hadn’t felt this excited since…well, since getting fucked by the two of them. Her neck grew hot, and she felt a blush threatening to turn her pink at the thought that someone from the palace might have spied on the three of them getting all hot and heavy. But then she lift
ed her chin and straightened her shoulders, pushing any embarrassment away. She didn’t regret a thing. If they were pervy spies invading their privacy, that was on them. She hoped the three of them had made anyone spying die of jealousy.
“That said,” Nahkar announced, “we are here to bring you with us into the city to a proper place where you can be served food and drink like a queen.”
She felt herself beaming. “Oooh. On a date?”
“It is the kind of courtship you deserve,” Darkon said formally. “As we said, we have many things to discuss.”
She glanced back and forth between them, eyeing them closely. She wanted to make sure the tension, the competition between them was gone. And it was. Mostly. The tension and hostility were gone anyway. She didn’t think the competition would ever completely disappear.
“This will change everything, my little mate,” Nahkar told her. His tender look melted her inside. He had such a big heart. She was so grateful he had chosen to open that heart to her. “You will love it.”
Darkon nodded in agreement. “The two of us had a long talk about many things. We’re from two very different worlds, but what binds us together is you. You are the bridge between us. You are the heart of all of us, Jennifer. Without you, we have nothing. We are nothing.”
“We were wrong to fight,” Nahkar said solemnly. “I…was wrong. My desire to protect you got in the way of my thinking. There will not be secrets between the three of us going forward. We will be of one heart.” He smiled, and although Nahkar was too rough and scarred and blunt-featured to be considered beautiful, that smile was one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen. “What I’m saying is that I love you, my mate.”
She sucked in a shocked, deliriously happy breath. Those words echoed in her brain like tolling bells. She loved the sound of them.
Not to be outdone, Darkon brought back that charming smile she so adored. “My friend here said it perfectly. I love you, Jennifer Smith. Na vaniya. My heart. You have made me remember who I truly am. For that, I can never repay you.”
Her heart soared. She couldn’t help it. She ran to them. She darted across the room and threw herself at them.
Nahkar caught her effortlessly. He swung her around as she squealed with happiness. But instead of claiming her lips, he held her near to Darkon. It was Darkon who kissed her first, leaning in and kissing her deeply, pouring every bit of his soul into the touch of their lips.
It was her favorite kiss.
Then he drew away to let Nahkar kiss her. She understood what had happened, and she was so proud of her Nahkar for deliberately putting himself second and letting Darkon kiss her first. That small gesture filled her with all the hope in the universe. It made her believe with all her heart that when they said they loved her, they truly loved her.
And she loved them.
Nahkar kissed her deeply. He kissed her long and well.
It was her favorite kiss.
When the kiss was over, she slowly opened her eyes. She looked at her warrior and her prince who had come to mean so very much to her.
“Whatever we’re going to do from here on out,” she said softly but fiercely, “we do it together. Nothing else matters. If we’re together, that is enough for me.”
“You hear that?” Nahkar said to Darkon with a grin. “Our little mate is full of wisdom.”
“One of the many things I love about her,” Darkon added.
She should be worried about what they still faced. She didn’t know what they meant to tell her, but she prayed it would be good news for once. Something in her heart told her it was. Instead of worried, she felt strangely at peace. Not just at peace, but happy. Deeply and truly happy. Her two males had made up with each other and made up with her. Judging by the hope in their eyes, they had a chance.
A chance to change things for the better.
“Now,” Darkon said, his eyes flashing wickedly. “Let’s go find a place to eat and talk. I’m sick of palace food.” He leaned in and nuzzled behind her ear, making her moan as her body instantly reacted to his touch. “After that, the two of us are going to fuck you out of your mind.”
God, she could not wait.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Nahkar
Quasarask Station Docking Area
Two days later…
Nahkar felt the same tension and battle-readiness he experienced before an arena battle. Word had finally come from Darkon’s friend. Tonight, they were going to take the chance of their lives.
Tonight, they were going to escape.
The three of them stood at the maintenance entrance to docking bay forty-eight. This was where Masyra, Darkon’s friend, had directed them. They had one metal container on hover-lifts that had the few things they had smuggled out of their barracks rooms and the suite. A little food. Some water. Nahkar’s sword. Clothing. Darkon’s spear was too long to take with them. He didn’t seem all that upset about losing the weapon or leaving his mask behind. He only grinned and said getting Jennifer to safety was more important. Besides, he could always use a blaster like everyone else.
Nahkar thought blasters were for barbarians.
“Are you both ready?” Darkon asked in a low voice while they waited in the empty maintenance corridor.
Jennifer nodded once. “Ready.”
Nahkar felt a surge of pride in his Terran mate. She was so brave. That meant more than his bravery because she was so tiny. She scored extra points for her size to bravery ratio.
“I am ready for anything,” Nahkar assured them. “My strength will not fail either of you.”
Darkon grinned at him. “That’s part of what I’m counting on. Follow my lead. Masyra has this all planned out. She’ll be our invisible guide.”
Nahkar nodded once. Part of him was still uneasy about putting so much trust in Darkon, friend or not. He didn’t like being indebted to others.
But when he’d grumbled about it, Jennifer had given him one of those looks that had shut him up fast. He gave a chastised grin, just remembering it. She’d told him to stop being such a macho jerk—whatever that meant—and pounding his chest like a bronze gorilla. She’d told him that he needed them both, just like Jennifer needed Nahkar and Darkon. They were a da’katal. A ménage. That meant counting on each other. Trusting each other.
She had a point, his fiery little mate. It showed he still occasionally slipped up. But he was learning to trust. That wasn’t easy for an Ikestran who had grown up in a desperate slum. But she wasn’t giving up on him. Her faith inspired him to change.
That was only one of the hundreds of reasons why he loved her. He might need her thanks to the mara vrhon, but he also simply loved her, heart and soul. She was small and delicate but oh so brave and kind. She was better than him. That went without saying, but she also pushed him to be a better person. She didn’t play favorites between him and Darkon. She was who she was, as simple as that. Just thinking about her was a guaranteed way to put a smile on his face.
But even though he was choosing to trust Darkon with his life—and far more importantly, with Jennifer’s life—he still wasn’t happy about not being in charge of their escape.
It didn’t help that they were going to sneak out like thieves. He wasn’t a fool. His thinking brain knew they had no hope of fighting their way out of here, even if in his heart, he was tempted to do exactly that. His sword might be huge and razor-sharp, but it wasn’t going to do him much good against guards armed with energy weapons or against security robots. Even so, he still wanted to bash and slash his way out of here in a blaze of glory.
He struggled to keep those feelings in check as they stood there, wearing stolen maintenance uniforms and waiting for the docking bay maintenance door to unlock. When Masyra had the space traffic control subroutines maxed out, she was going to open all the interior bay doors on the station in a forced glitch. The software control error would help ensure she wouldn’t be arrested and sent to an asteroid prison mine for helping them escape. If a sof
tware glitch accidentally unlocked all interior docking bay doors, who could blame three slaves for taking advantage of the security breakdown, stealing a ship, and escaping the station?
He had to admit, the plan was better than anything he could’ve come up with. His plans usually involved wrecking things. And then breaking them. Followed by flexing muscles.
But even if this plan was brilliant, the waiting was still killing him.
He wasn’t very patient at the best of times.
Jennifer snuggled up beside him and gave him a hug. She looked up at him with those mesmerizing blue eyes. “I know you want to kick down that door and charge in there yelling and swinging your sword right now. Thanks for letting Darkon and Masyra take the lead on this. It means a lot to me.”
His mate understood him so well. She could see this was difficult for him, and she wanted him to know how much she appreciated it. He couldn’t help himself from wrapping his arms around her and giving her a deep kiss. He didn’t want to waste time with words when a kiss would tell her how much he cherished every part of her.
“Maintenance workers don’t usually kiss each other on duty,” Darkon said out of the side of his mouth, still trying to play his role.
It was a fair point. Reluctantly, he ended the kiss. But not without tracing his fingers along the soft, tempting skin of her jawline.
“I’d do anything for you, little mate,” he told her fondly. “Even wear these silly, tight clothes that cover up my scars.”
She laughed. “They are a little tight on you.” She looked him up and down with a hunger in her eyes that made him want to pin her against the wall and capture those full lips of hers again, running his hands all along her delightful body. “But it’s a good kind of tight.”
