She bowed at the waist, her black uniform and red arm band clearly marking her as a member of the same sector as her brother. But there was no doubt they were related. I would have recognized that no-nonsense, ice-blue gaze anywhere. “Lady Bella. I am Thalia. Your new sister.”
My new sister. When I chose to be matched, I expected a mate. I’d gotten three. I never imagined they’d have family, that, by extension, I would have a sister or brother, nieces or nephews. In-laws. It seemed weird, but I was pleased. I wasn’t alone.
I stepped back. “Please, come in.” I carried the tray of food to the small side table in the living area as the door slid closed behind her. “I have plenty of food, if you’re hungry.”
She shook her head and remained standing near the door. “Welcome to Viken, sister. I am very happy that my brother has found a mate, even if he is foolish enough to share you with the others.”
That was odd, but then, I didn’t know everything about this planet. Hell, I knew almost nothing. “Why do they do that? Three men and one woman? Doesn’t that mess up the ratios for the rest of you?” I hadn’t meant it to sound cold, but Thalia’s shoulders stiffened.
“The three kings began a new tradition, one warrior from each sector and a shared mate. The idea was to unify the sectors over time, create a new generation of warriors who looked at Viken as one united planet.”
Children of fathers from the three sectors. They would be…sector-less and could unify the planet. My mind was doing the math, and it didn’t add up. “But, by that logic, aren’t there two women on Viken who can’t find a mate for every Interstellar Bride?”
“No. Every year Viken sends an equal number of women and men to serve the Coalition, either as brides or warriors for the Fleet. Not all planets send this many brides. Three of four Viken warriors return. None of the brides return, as they are matched and settle elsewhere. As a result, there are fewer women here for them to choose as mates once they return from the war.”
“Oh.” That was sad. They fought in the war, suffered, killed, and when they returned there were no women to choose as mates?
“That is why, centuries ago, the leaders of Prillon Prime insisted on creation of the Interstellar Brides Program. Initially, it was meant to unify planets, create bonds where none existed.”
“Political alliances,” I muttered. Suddenly, the whole thing made a lot more sense. It was like the royals of Europe in the past, rather than go to war with a country, they just married off their children, forged new treaties, made babies that both countries considered royal heirs. That was how centuries of war between Scotland and England finally came to an end.
“Yes. The Prime believed the Coalition would be more cohesive, more likely to survive as a united front to battle the Hive threat if warriors took brides from other worlds.”
I studied her. Her long hair was pulled back into an intricate braid that pressed tightly to her head and made her look somewhat severe. The weapon strapped to her side didn’t lessen the effect. She watched me with a mix of curiosity and disapproval in her eyes.
“So, you’re happy your brother has a mate, but you disapprove of him following the new custom? One woman with three mates.”
She shrugged. “I mean no offense, Bella. While you are only the third bride from Earth, our new queen is from your world. She is very beautiful, with dark red hair and a very feminine form. Many of the warriors have had their heads turned by her beauty, and now desire a bride from Earth.”
Ahhh. Realization was dawning. “And the warrior you desire?”
Her fair skin flushed instantly and she turned away to stare out at the icy tundra still visible along the far wall. “I have no desire other than to serve.”
Liar. But I wasn’t a bitch, so I let her have her secrets. Knowing each other for five minutes wasn’t long enough for her to bare her soul. Looked like me and the sister-in-law weren’t going to be besties anytime soon. I could live with that. Civil was good enough for now. “Okay. Well, I have a desire.”
She turned back to face me, a question in her eyes.
“I want some clothes. Underwear. Something I can wear in public where my mates won’t rip other warriors’ heads off. My nipples are poking out, for god’s sake. And then I want to go to Liam’s hearing. I’m not sitting in this room like a pet while they decide his fate.”
Her next words surprised me. So did the determination in her eyes. “Agreed.”
Wow. That had been a lot easier than I’d thought it would be. She walked to the far wall and opened a drawer I hadn’t seen and pulled out a cream-colored set of clothing. Why hadn’t Evon just grabbed those for me instead of the dang nightgown dress? That was right, he liked to know I was bare. The fact I was turned on by the idea only empowered me to grab the other clothing. If I was going out in public, I didn’t want to risk the chance of wanting to climb him—or my other mates—like a wild monkey. “This is standard issue for civilians. Put it on.”
She handed me the pile. It was soft, like cashmere, and lined with the finest fur. I imagined it would be warm and extremely comfortable. But I was covered in sex and sweat and interstellar transport dust.
“Is there a bathtub around here? Or a shower?”
She pointed to a door in the far wall as she walked to the tray of food, grabbed a piece of the fruit and nibbled. She waved her hand. “Be quick, Bella of Earth. I don’t want to miss anything. And Evon might need me.”
I grabbed the new clothes and dashed to the bathroom, relieved to find a fairly self-explanatory setup. I’d feel like an idiot if I had to ask Thalia for help in working a bathtub. As the hot water washed away the last few hours, I had to wonder what kind of hell the beautiful Thalia had endured, why she was so jaded about me and my warriors, and which warrior here had broken her heart.
Chapter Seven
Rager
When Evon and I arrived at the civil services center for the judicial hearing, I had expected the usual panel of five leaders to preside. What I hadn’t expected was Evon’s father to be among the five, or his brother to be seated in the audience. Evon obviously hadn’t anticipated them either, for he stopped just inside the doorway and I bumped into his back. Then I saw the direction of his gaze and I stifled a curse.
While Evon was my closest of friends—along with Liam—he was ruled by rules, codes of conduct, honor. He was unbending. Evon’s family had served the planet for centuries, believed that nothing was more important than serving with honor. Always had. He was uptight, laser-focused and that made him a good leader. Exceptional, in fact, and that trait had brought all of us back from the front lines alive. It also made him a very dominant lover, which Bella quickly discovered.
But years of companionship, of trust between the three of us, had softened some of Evon’s very hard edges. It was possible I may have even seen a smile crack his lips when he was looking at Bella earlier. She was good for all of us, but especially him. If anyone could calm him, offer him a semblance of peace, it would be her.
But Evon’s father, Commander Tyrell? He was so damned uptight he shit Viken ore. His son—his other son, Dravon—was just as bad. He’d followed in his father’s footsteps in civil command and had stayed solely on Viken. Unlike Evon, who went into the Coalition Fleet and became one of the fighters serving on a Prillon battleship. We’d fought the fucking Hive while his father and brother had remained much closer to home. Evon and his sister, Thalia, had been off saving the universe while his bad-tempered father and brother remained to protect the home front.
They were all noble, their family history only proved Evon’s family was loyal to the core. They believed in Viken, served Viken, even commanded large sections of it. Having Evon serving as a high-ranking officer in the IQC only added to the Tyrell family’s influence on the planet.
Having Evon’s father, Commander Tyrell, seated on the panel meant Liam was fucked. There was no gray area for that man, for that family. I had no idea what they would accuse Liam of doing, but if there was a
shred of doubt, there would be no mercy in the commander’s decision. I clenched and unclenched my fists, my mind racing with possibilities.
The penalty for treason was death.
And there was no way they were taking Liam without a fight. He was innocent. I knew it for a fact, would stake my life on it.
I watched as Evon nodded to his father and brother in turn before taking a seat amongst the ten or so before the panel. A few members of the IQC community were present, perhaps because they were waiting for someone else to appear once Liam’s hearing was over.
Liam entered, two guards flanking him. Thankfully, they’d given him some damn clothes. Why they took him away stark naked, I had no idea. They positioned him to the side of the room, remaining standing as the charges were read. He wore the simple cream-colored clothing of a civilian. I had rarely seen him in anything but his brown uniform. The light color, the lack of a red armband, was strange to my eyes.
Liam stood tall, his shoulders squared and his eyes blazed with defiance. There was no mistaking the warrior’s stance, despite the clothing they’d forced him to wear as a punishment. What kind of game were they playing? Was he not still a member of the Royal Guard?
The female Viken on the far left of the panel stood. She wore a brown uniform as a representative from Sector 1. “Liam Chyron of Sector 1,” she began. She lifted her dark eyes from the tablet in her hand, looked at my friend with serious intent. “The charges that have brought you before this panel are: Conspiracy, smuggling of illegal goods, stealing royal property, stealing Coalition property, illegal weapons transport, unauthorized use of mobile transport pads, treason against the crowned kings of Viken, and murder.”
She read the charges like they were nothing more than a shopping list, but when she lifted her gaze to his, her look alone was enough to strike a lesser man down. “These are very serious charges, sir. How would you address the charges against you?”
While I didn’t hear the door slide open behind me, I knew Bella had entered the room. I sensed her. A moment later her sweet scent reached me and Evon stiffened next to me. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and my cock lengthened and hardened beneath my uniform pants. I stood, then turned. Evon followed. Someone behind us cleared their throat.
“What is the meaning of this disruption?”
I ignored the voice and took Bella’s hand, met her dark eyes, which sparked with irritation. Perhaps she was annoyed with her mates for leaving her behind. But she was not the only one irritated. She should not be here. But my mate was innocent in this. I aimed my anger at Evon’s sister, Thalia, who accompanied her. While Bella had only been on the planet for a few hours, Thalia should know better than to interrupt a military judicial hearing.
“My apologies, Commander,” Liam said. I saw him out of the corner of my eye and his fists were clenched at his sides. Yeah, he was pissed, too. “This is Bella, of Earth, my mate, and she has come to witness the proceedings.”
What else could he say? He wasn’t in a position to argue, only pacify.
“I was not aware you took a mate.” I glanced up, saw that it was Evon’s father who spoke. He looked at her, his eyes narrowed. “Is this true, Bella? Is Liam Chyron your mate?”
On the spot, Bella looked him in eye and lifted her chin. She refused both Evon’s and my touch, choosing to hold her hands loosely before her as she addressed the commander. “Yes. I arrived several hours ago. I am an Interstellar Bride, sent form Earth. I have been matched to Liam, Rager, and Evon.”
Evon’s brother spun about in his chair and he stared at Bella. I pulled her to a chair and we sat, Evon on her other side.
Bella kept her head up and looked quite like the queen. Not in coloring, for she didn’t have the bright red hair, but certainly in mannerisms. Bella wasn’t going to cower before this panel, nor her new father and brother-in-law. They were formidable; that was why they held such lofty roles.
“Yet I assume she is not yet claimed,” Evon’s brother clarified.
I watched as Evon’s jaw clenched and I wondered if his back molars might crack. While he was not removed from his family as Liam was from his, they had strong beliefs. They stood for a unified Viken with as powerful a conviction as Liam’s believed in the VSS. But his family was not open and friendly, easygoing and loving as mine was. My childhood in Sector 3 was idyllic without any of the pressure put upon my friends.
The fact that Dravon stated that Bella had yet to be officially claimed proved it. Yes, she was our mate, but until we’d claimed her—all three of us fucking and filling her at the same time—the bond could be broken. She could be sent to another. It was a sharp twist of a ruthless blade, pointing out this fact, this weakness and vulnerability to his own brother.
The fucker. I was the damn pacifist among the three of us, but right now, I hated Evon’s brother. He was an asshole that needed to be knocked down a few pegs.
Even Bella, who knew nothing about our ways, picked up on the wording, the interplay between siblings. Her back was ramrod straight and her eyes were narrowed. I put a hand on her thigh, felt it tense, but she quickly relaxed.
It was then I realized she wasn’t wearing that filmy white gown she transported in, instead warm clothing that covered her body modestly. Thank fuck Thalia had helped her. No doubt she would have come to this hearing in just a wrap Evon had draped over her. Would our Bella have arrived with her lush breasts and hard nipples obvious for everyone to see? I might be the calm one of our new family, but I would have had her over my shoulder and out of the room before she put her ass in a chair.
“The charges against me are severe. As I am innocent, I demand to know on what grounds you lay these claims at my feet,” Liam said, returning the conversation back to the situation at hand. His voice was calm, but as his friend I recognized his tenseness, that he was tightly coiled from this, from having Bella in the room. His stance was more Evon than Liam.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” the panel member from Sector 1 added. “Your family has caused enough trouble through the years, but even your father has not resorted to murder.”
She was wrong, but the knowledge Liam had shared with me in the past was not pertinent today. Liam’s father was a killer, a cold-blooded, calculating murderer who rationalized every evil act with his fanatical belief in separatist politics.
“Murder?” Liam asked, his voice loud. “I am no murderer. I served long years in the Coalition Fleet, defending this planet. I have sworn an oath to the three kings, am a member of the Royal Guard, and have taken a mate shared by three sectors to unify the planet. I am innocent of your claims.”
Bella took my hand, gripped it tight.
Murder?
“A technician in the transport center was killed by an ion blast to the heart. Doctors estimate his time of death to be five minutes prior to the transport of stolen goods.”
Liam shook his head. “I had nothing to do with this. Why am I here?”
“Your security codes were used to initiate the transport and bypass IQC security protocols.”
Shit. They’d kept the murder quiet, and the use of Liam’s codes was shocking. No one shared codes. They were implanted in special quantum crystals just under the skin of our wrists. There was no sharing, no faking the codes. They were assigned randomly and programmed by the Coalition’s computer system.
The look on Liam’s face was half anger, half stunned. He’d only killed Hive and they were the enemy. And using his security code? Short of cutting off his arm or dragging him to a control station, no one could use it. Hell, no one would even know what it was. Liam didn’t even know what it was, a randomized sequence of over two hundred letters, symbols and forms made up from pieces of all the languages in the Interstellar Coalition. It was impossible to break.
“That’s impossible,” Liam began. “Based on your statement, you have an exact time for this incident. When did this occur?”
“Twenty-two fifty-three,” another member of the panel said,
his head down as if reading the fact from his tablet.
That was last night. Fairly late. Bella hadn’t arrived yet. Hell, I hadn’t even been tested yet. Evon’s testing had been first, yesterday morning. Liam’s had been just after dinner, several hours before the incident in question.
I heard Evon swear under his breath. We must both be thinking the same thing. Liam was most likely alone in his own quarters then. We only received access to the Mated Family Quarters this morning after we were matched.
“Do you have an alibi for this time?” Commander Tyrell asked.
I swore I saw Liam blush. “I was alone in my quarters. I’d completed my testing for the Interstellar Brides Program at the medical station and returned to my quarters. Have any of you been tested for a match?” he asked the panel.
I knew Evon’s father was mated, obviously, but hadn’t been matched. All of the others shook their heads. Either they weren’t mated at all, or had found their mate without the assistance of the Brides Program.
“It is grueling and I spent time in the shower before I fell asleep,” Liam finished.
Grueling? It was a sex dream. An epic sex dream and I’d come like an overeager youth. Thankfully, I hadn’t come in my pants and it had been easy to laugh off my hard-on to the doctor who facilitated the test. That was just the way I was. Surely the doctor had seen it all before. I’d wanted to jerk off, to ease the pressure after the testing, but we’d been immediately matched. I could well imagine the sexual frustration. I was not surprised that Liam needed to find relief by taking himself in hand in the shower.
Was that why he blushed? He had no interest in telling the panel he was masturbating while someone was being murdered. It wouldn’t bode well for a guard of his standing to admit it, even though all of the males in the panel had surely taken themselves in hand before. Surely the female from Sector 1 got herself off a time or two.
“Your personal security code was used. That is strong enough evidence to require a formal trial,” the commander said.
Her Viken Mates (Interstellar Brides Book 11) Page 7
