by Неизвестный
“Are you really—” Her comcam beeped, interrupting her. She looked at it with annoyance. Bellian. She didn’t have time for him now, and anyway, she wasn’t really pleased with him at the moment.
The comcam beeped again. Kalien threw her a curious glance, coming over to stand beside her. “What’s up?”
“What?”
“Your boyfriend may be in trouble.”
Alana scowled at the tiny box. Considering that Kalien was next to her, that meant only Damian.
“He will manage.”
There was a pause from the other side, like Bellian was thinking about what to tell her.
“He probably will, but I am not so sure about others.”
Kalien mouthed the question at her.
“How do you mean, others? What others?”
“Alana. Do you really want to discuss this now?”
Hell. He had a point. She gritted her teeth.
“Fine. Tell me where you are. Then we are going to talk.”
* * * *
The big circular room was filled with Andraxi. Fuming, Alana threw a pissed-off glance at Bellian, who stood somewhat on one side, looking undoubtedly smug. She reined in the impulse to slap his face.
Damian headed straight for a cluster of soldiers. Alana latched on to his belt and followed him. Andraxi were a tall race, and she couldn’t see where Damian was.
Damian was on the floor, scowling at the Andraxi pinned beneath him. He didn’t appear to have done him any lasting damage, but judging by his expression, it didn’t seem like she could count on it staying that way. She cursed silently. The rest of the soldiers nervously watched. Some were armed, but no one had shot at Damian yet.
“I didn’t expect that,” Bellian commented, approaching her.
“You planned it.”
“Not precisely. It was bound to happen. I’m not surprised he managed to toss the other two opponents away, but he seems to be especially pissed at Rathiel.”
“Knowing Rathiel, I am not surprised.”
Rathiel was a bully, but a vicious fighter. Damian had honed in on the most dangerous opponent.
“I gather you didn’t know he can go berserk,” Alana said in a scathing tone.
Bellian shrugged. “There were…indications.”
Oh. She should have guessed it. Bellian was notoriously good at gathering information. She looked at the frozen tableau again. He wouldn’t mourn Rathiel, that much was obvious.
She tugged at Kalien. “Is he in a rage?” she whispered, pulling him away from the rest of the spectators. Some of them were more than trigger happy. She needed to diffuse the situation quickly.
“I think he is, but he has been worse.”
Not a comforting thought.
“What, precisely, does that mean?”
“The guy ain’t dead yet. That means he is in the mood to play.”
Why didn’t that make her feel better?
“He can’t kill him. We will be in trouble.”
Not very big trouble, but trouble nevertheless. Considering their current situation, she preferred not to owe anyone any favors.
“How big of trouble?” Kalien muttered. She pinched him.
“Ow. I get the point.”
“Any suggestions?”
“Look pretty and harmless, and beg.”
It would figure.
Kalien knelt, careful to stay in Damian’s line of sight. Alana hesitated before dropping into a similar position.
“Come on, Damian. It’s me,” Kalien coaxed, slowly getting closer to Damian. His emerald eyes glinted dangerously, but he obviously didn’t consider either of them a danger.
Kalien slid imperceptibly closer.
Damian’s hungry gaze fastened on him. Alana grinned. Okay. He knew who they were, all right.
Rathiel shifted. Damian growled at him, his fangs flashing. They were considerably longer than the ones Andraxi sported. She thought she heard someone take deep breath from the wall of soldiers behind her back.
That’s right, boys, there is a bigger monster in the room.
Said monster licked his lips, staring at her breasts. Alana inched closer, letting him take a good look.
She could almost touch him now. Kalien was in front of her and to her left.
And she was getting aroused.
“It’s only me,” she said, echoing Kalien.
He growled at her.
“What!” she protested indignantly.
The growling subsided. Kalien snickered.
She gave him a dirty look. “Sorry,” he said. “But I got to say, please. You are dominant as him. He doesn’t buy that meek act from you.”
Good to know. Kalien had rolled onto his side, still talking to Damian softly. Damian appeared to lose interest in the captured Andraxi. She slowly straightened, putting a hand on Kalien’s leg.
“That’s right. Come and play with us.”
He was definitely interested. He looked at them, then at his prey.
Ugh. He was obviously thinking about killing it before the fun and games.
“Damian, stop that right now!”
He glared at her then hissed, but he reluctantly let go of Rathiel. Exhaling a sigh of relief, Alana reached for him. Purring, Damian burrowed his nose in Kalien’s golden hair, letting his lover embrace him.
“That’s better,” Kalien whispered encouragingly. Damian twisted his head to stare at her as she carefully stood up. The look in his eyes was still feral.
“Can we take him back to our room now?”
“I think so,” Kalien whispered back. “Just don’t try to move.”
She wrapped one arm around Damian’s waist, helping Kalien get him back on his feet. Damian growled at onlookers.
“Watch it. We don’t want to set him off again.”
“Yes, whatever.”
Everyone scrambled to get out of their way.
Damian certainly appeared to have no objection to being sandwiched between the two of them. He was still purring when the doors closed behind them.
With a sigh, Kalien deposited his burden onto the cream-colored sheets on the big bed. Alana frowned at it. It was big enough for all three of them…courtesy of her cousin, she didn’t doubt.
“What was that?” Kalien demanded.
She rubbed her suddenly aching head. “I would say my cousin instigated it. He didn’t have to work hard at it since Andraxi would certainly try to see how good you were in a fight. But Bellian’s interference made it more dangerous, which was probably why Damian went berserk. Three Andraxi hunters that mean business are too much for him to handle in his normal state, however good he is.”
Kalien sat at the bed.
“You mean Bellian knew Damian could go in rage?”
Alana smiled without humor. “Most likely. Three Andraxi are somewhat of an overkill.”
Kalien muttered an expletive. Damian rolled over and climbed into his lap. Kalien absently shifted out of his reach.
“But why?”
She grimaced. “Recent business may have brought us to their attention, but I suspect it was more for Bellian. He knows me very well. He also wants me to get a position in the Andraxi diplomatic corps.”
“What does that have to do with us?”
“My chances are better with a good choice of partner.”
“You have been partnered before.”
“Not with someone like you or Damian. You two are…very impressive.”
Kalien frowned. “If your cousin had plans to partner you with someone else, he’d better think again. Neither I nor Damian is giving you up. You belong to us.”
Damian purred louder at the sound of his name. He knocked Kalien down on the bed, throwing a hungry glance at Alana. Her body heated.
Ah. That was one piece of business she had to attend to before she killed her cousin. She started to strip. Kalien’s eyes widened.
“Uh, Alana, what are you doing?”
She dumped her belt on the floor then continued to shim
my out of her clothes the rest of the way.
“How much do you know about berserker races and how they go in battle?”
“Not a lot.”
“Trust me on this score. We need to take care of Damian first.”
Kalien looked dubiously at his partner.
“He seems fine.”
She snorted.
“He is licking your palm.”
Not quite right. Damian moved on, sucking one finger. A faint flush started to show on Kalien’s cheeks.
“Alana?”
Completely naked, she climbed on the bed next to him and started to unzip his shirt. Kalien’s gaze slid to her breasts. Kalien hastily cleared his throat. Alana grinned at him.
“He got into battle rage. Remember what I said about that? We stopped him from killing, so the next thing he is going to want…”
Damian wasn’t really forthcoming about details, and neither of them wanted to distress him asking details, but Alana did remember a few facts about berserkers.
Hence the lack of clothes. She tossed Kalien’s shirt away. Damian made an appreciative noise.
“He doesn’t look that way,” Kalien said reluctantly, looking down at Damian, who looked half asleep now, snuggling closer to both of them.
Alana huffed.
“Yeah, well don’t turn your back to him.”
Damian didn’t resist being pulled away. His long body uncoiled, revealing the fact that he was very much aroused. His thigh bumped her.
She looked at Kalien over Damian’s body and cocked one eyebrow at him.
“You or me this time?”
“Remember the first time?”
“Yes. But…”
“Fine. We will do it that way, only now you and I are going to reverse positions.”
Alana considered it. “That should work.”
Kalien shifted, positioning himself between Damian’s spread legs. Alana crawled to his head, leaning down to hold his arms. She maneuvered herself so she could watch what Kalien was doing.
Kalien didn’t waste any time, his blond head coming to rest on Damian’s groin. He started to suck, bobbing gently up and down. A twinge of desire wrapped around her spine and tightened, making her breathe harder.
Kalien’s head lifted, his lips leaving the plump cock.
“Is he purring?”
“Yep. Keep going.”
Obviously, Damian enjoyed this. His tongue peeked out to wet his lips. The faint purring noise emanating from his chest intensified as his hips lifted. He growled.
Kalien backed off. He was using one hand to hold Damian’s cock. The other one was resting on his hip, pressing him down and allowing Kalien to control the depth of penetration. Obviously, Damian was unhappy about it.
His emerald gaze shifted on her. The next second, he pulled himself out of her grip and reached for her. Alana yelped. She resisted, but he easily lifted and deposited her the way he wanted, her knees on either side of his head. His hands pressed her thighs.
Warm breath teased her wet folds. She hissed when his tongue lapped up her sensitive skin. A shudder went through her body. She moaned. His grip tightened. She felt him circle her clit, then his lips closed around it. He started sucking.
Her lungs constricted. Dazed, she wondered whether he was mirroring what Kalien was doing to him. The thought served only to spike her pleasure. Her nipples hardened in helpless want. She whimpered.
Kalien looked up, his lips swollen and wet, his gaze heated.
“That’s nice.”
“It’s not.”
“Come on, you watched me sucking him. Why shouldn’t I reciprocate?”
Alana panted.
“Same reason I got to hold him this time. He could bite.”
“So? He has done that before.”
Alana shook her head. For some reason it was hard to think.
“Not while still in battle rage. Who knows what kind of poison he could inject in you.”
Kalien looked intrigued.
“I mean it!”
“And you?”
“I am Andraxi. It won’t be so bad with me. Fuck!” Her eyes rolled back in her head.
“What?”
Fierce pleasure speared her insides. With a gasp, she fell back, Damian’s grip slacking. She leaned back on the headboard, still shaking. She felt lightheaded.
“He bit me,” she exclaimed, feeling something hot invade her bloodstream.
“Bad?”
“Not...really.”
She shuddered.
Damian growled warningly, pushing his leaking organ into Kalien’s palm. Kalien’s mouth engulfed him again. The purr came back. Watching them, Alana moaned. Her fingers snuck up between her legs. The tiny puncture wounds were tender and more sensitive than before. She gritted her teeth. A wave of carnal longing hit her with a surprising force. She pressed her palm harder.
Damian’s back arched, his fists gripping the sheets. A fine sheen of sweat covered his skin. Alana stared.
She had seen him and Kalien before, but Damian never was quite like this. Now he was more focused on his pleasure, more wanton, his body shifting hungrily. He watched Kalien through half-lidded eyes, his breaths coming out in short gasps. His head fell back on the bed, muscles twitching and shuddering with the force of his release. Her own body spasmed, her hunger climbing up one level.
Kalien pulled back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Wide-eyed, he stared at Damian.
“He even tastes different.”
“Probably meant to get you ready for more of the same.”
Her voice sounded breathless, even to her own ears.
“Oh, yeah. And what are you doing?” Kalien purred, suddenly looming over her. Desperate and wanting, she gripped his shoulders.
“I can’t get off! He got me all fired up, but now I can’t…” she wailed in frustration.
“Really? Let me see.” Kalien pushed her back, parting her legs and letting his fingers sink into her over-sensitized pussy. She whimpered. It was not nearly enough.
“Oh. You are...” His blue gaze focused on her. His hands went to his waist, fumbling with his belt. She writhed under him, the need eating at her.
“Kalien! I need it!”
He thrust in her, making her wonderfully full. She groaned. He let go of her wrists, cupping her breast. Alana bucked. He felt so good.
“Harder! Please, Kalien!”
He obeyed, riding her faster.
“Yess...”
She was still sensitive from Damian’s bite. Kalien’s cock brushing against her clit and the tiny puncture wounds was driving her crazy. She thrashed.
Kalien drove into her.
She screamed.
Damian had turned on his side and was watching them intently. Still pumping into her, Kalien reached for him, grabbing a handful of rich, deep red hair. Damian yelped, his lips parting when Kalien’s mouth crashed on his. Watching them, Alana arched off the bed, Damian’s red hair spilling over her breasts while the two men kissed each other. She gasped. Kalien’s body stiffened, but he refused to let go of Damian, devouring his lips while finishing inside Alana.
Chapter 9
“Don’t even think you are going to escape this time.”
Alana tracked her prey to the captain’s ready room on the bridge. She had no problems getting to it, having glared down whoever had the misfortune to get in her way.
Bellian, the bastard, didn’t even wince.
“You know,” he said, eyeing her thoughtfully, “I thought sex was supposed to help one’s disposition.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. She pulled a chair opposite him and dropped into it.
“Details, Bellian.”
She was deliciously sated, completely relaxed, and energized enough to kick the asses of a whole squadron of Andraxi hunters. She wondered when the aftereffects of whatever Damian shared with her were going to wear off.
“It would appear,” Bellian leaned back into his own chair, “that your cargo w
as addressed to a diplomat from Celestra’s government.”
“So the cargo is legal.”
“It appears to be. It’s just that your friend has taken double payment. He spilled the beans about the three of you and sent another message by another courier, this one intended for someone else.”
“And he wanted it to look like he did his job. That’s why he’s hiring a serious team to bring the message down.”
Bellian inclined his head. “No matter how good you are, you would have folded down. It was never planned for you to reach Celestra.”
Alana’s brain was working furiously. She gave him a cold stare. “But we are going to land there.”
He grinned maliciously, his fangs flashing. “Oh, yes, you are. Separately from us, of course.”
“Then what?”
“Then we are going to wait and see who is going to take the bait.”
“One last contingency. If we do show up, they are going to try and take whoever that message was intended for.”
“Yes. You are going to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Lucky us,” Alana muttered.
He snorted. “Don’t make me laugh, cousin. You are going to enjoy this.”
Quite possibly.
* * * *
Once they were within Celestra’s system, Bellian’s ship, Artemis, had dumped them close to the planet, taking care not to be observed doing it. The Red Star was fixed by then. It was in as good of a state as it was when it started its journey, but looking and pretending to be considerably worse. Celestra didn’t have a planet-bound spaceport, being mostly an agrarian planet. There was a rundown station in its orbit, and they limped into it, trying to draw as much attention as possible.
“People are avoiding us,” Kalien commented, leaning back onto the wall next to the communications bough where Damian had disappeared to contact their client. Alana accepted the bottle of water he passed her. She eyed people walking the hallway in front of them. Some of them appeared busy, some were not. All of them gave them a wide berth. Across from them, a wide window offered a backdrop of the blackness of space dotted with stars. This side of the station was turned away from the planet. A couple of smaller ships were sitting on the landing deck. This wasn’t a busy situation, although that looked to change. She took a sip of water and sighed in appreciation. Not recycled water, but imported from the planet.
