by Ivy Barrett
“Only to a Ventori male.”
That was right. Their sense of smell rivaled a bloodhound’s. “Then we can tell Sintar we were reinforcing our roles,” she said with a guilty smile.
He reached over and squeezed her leg. “He won’t be upset. In my place, he would have done exactly the same thing. We won’t always fuck you together. Stop feeling guilty about it.”
“But you will… fuck me together?”
He looked at her, one brow arched. “Would you like that?”
“I’ve never done anything like that, so I have no idea.”
His chuckle was wicked and filled with promise. “We’ll be more than happy to indulge your curiosity.”
“Have you ever…”
“Have I ever fucked a woman at the same time as my brother? Technically, we’ve already done so with you.”
“Not in the way I meant.”
“Yes, we’ve fucked a female the way you mean and we both enjoy it very much. Hopefully, you will too.”
It had been so intense, so tight, when Tarlon fucked her ass. “Are you sure you’ll both fit?” They both loved to finger her ass while they fucked her from behind, so she was gradually losing her fear of anal pleasures.
“The female body is a wondrous thing, my love.” He grinned at her. “We’ll fit just fine.”
That ended their extremely graphic conversation and filled her imagination with all sorts of new images.
“Try and cool down, if you can. If you smell this aroused when we walk into the clinic, Narrn might interpret it as an invitation—and then I’d have to kill him.”
“And then the chancellor would be pissed. You mentioned something about Savator wanting to question Narrn.” She used the reminder to draw her mind away from all the erotic possibilities twisting through her imagination.
“True enough. Fasten your straps, love. We’re almost there.”
They put down in the shuttle lot behind the induction center. Tarlon secured the ship, then released his safety restraints. He stood and slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out a stack of… Nikki wasn’t sure what they were. Each transparent sheet was about an inch square and a black dot was centered on each sheet.
“What are those?”
“Combots.” Apparently her curious expression didn’t change because he added, “Transceiver and tracker nanites combined into one tiny spy. Did you forget the primary reason for this little charade?”
“Sorry. I’m still sex-addled.”
He grinned at her and licked his lips. “I love it when you’re ‘sex-addled,’ but one of these needs to go on Narrn’s human helper. It would be highly suspicious if I touch her, and it requires three seconds of pressure to activate the bot.” He passed her two of the miniature devices. “Think you can come up with a reason to lay a hand on her? Hopefully, you’ll only need one try.”
“Can’t I just shake her hand?”
He thought for a moment then nodded. “Make sure you squeeze it for at least three seconds.”
That seemed straightforward enough. “Won’t she notice the film?”
“It dissolves instantaneously when the combot powers up. And the combot itself will burrow into their flesh. It’s painless and leaves no trace that it was ever there.”
Of course it did. She turned the tiny sheet over and held it up to the light, amazed that something that looked this simple was really a sophisticated listening device and a tracker.
Tension twisted through Nikki’s gut as she climbed down from the shuttle. The induction center was nondescript, looking like any other smallish office building. But each step she took toward the door made her more uncomfortable.
“This place pulses with evil,” she whispered, her steps dragging.
Tarlon reached over and pinched her butt. She looked at him and tried to smile. “You’ll be fine,” he said firmly. “I’ll never leave your side.”
A human receptionist notified someone in the back of their arrival and then instructed them to have a seat. Tarlon placed his hand on her desktop for a moment, planting one of the combots, no doubt.
They were the only ones in the waiting area, so a nurse emerged almost immediately. “Please come this way.”
With his hand on the small of Nikki’s back, Tarlon followed the nurse. “Does Dr. Narrn understand that this is urgent?”
Nikki glanced at him in surprise. His tone snapped with authority and expectation, making him sound very much like his older brother.
“Of course, Mr. Orellian.” The middle-aged woman was obviously unaffected by his aggression. Did she have any idea what her employers were doing behind closed doors? It was unlikely that anyone was that oblivious. “The doctor will be with you shortly.”
The nurse left the door ajar as she departed and Tarlon began to pace. The exam room was small and the adjustable table took up most of the space, so his anxious movements were especially obvious. Was he manufacturing the excess energy or just not suppressing it for a change? She didn’t feel quite so agitated, but then she’d come more times than Tarlon.
After a perfunctory knock, Narrn eased the door open and walked into the exam room. His human shadow was hot on his heels, as usual. He held a tablet computer in one hand, but held out his other toward Tarlon. Most Ventori didn’t shake hands. It was obvious Narrn spent most of his time surrounded by humans. Tarlon shook the doctor’s hand, easily squeezing it for the three seconds needed to implant the combot. One down, one to go.
Nikki shifted her gaze to the human doctor. Nunez. One of the other captives said her name was Roberta Nunez. She was an average height and weight, with dark hair and cold dark eyes. She didn’t seem particularly threatening, yet somehow she was involved with a Mexican drug lord and a Ventori minister. So who the hell was she really? One thing was immediately clear. She had no intention of shaking hands with either of them.
“You reported some unusual symptoms,” Narrn began, looking from his tablet computer to Tarlon. He glanced at Nikki, then whipped his gaze back to Tarlon.
“Symptoms?” Tarlon scoffed. “I’m in rut. What the fuck did you do to her?”
Narrn looked at his partner, then quickly entered several commands into his computer. “According to my records, you are not part of the pod that contracted Ms. Romano. May I ask how you ended up with her?”
“Not that it’s any of your business,” Tarlon sneered, “but my brother is on the high command. Being kidnapped by a crazed drug lord brought her to Sintar’s attention and he decided to keep her. Situations like this are one of the perks of being in a pod with a minister.”
“I see.” Narrn’s smile was tight and artificial. His tone held a hint of disdain. “How long has ridonous been active?”
“It started about ten seconds after I kissed her for the first time. How in Creation did a human send me into rut?”
“This phenomenon is a recent development and Ms. Romano isn’t the only human to trigger the reaction. I’m hard at work to figure out the cause, I assure you.”
“Why hasn’t it been reported to the high command? Sintar asked Chancellor Savator if he knew anything about it, but Bronsen insisted that he did not.”
It was the first time she’d heard Tarlon refer to the chancellor by his first name, but Narrn didn’t know that. Sintar was good friends with the chancellor, but he still referred to him by his title or last name.
Narrn wasn’t as impressed by the namedropping anyway. Rather than commenting on the familiarity, he asked, “Is your brother in ridonous too?”
“He is, so what are you going to do about it?”
Narrn had the temerity to laugh. “There is nothing I can do about this. Only the young lady can assist you now.”
“That’s not good enough,” Tarlon snapped. “What caused this reaction? I’ve fucked other humans. What is different about her?”
“That’s what we’re attempting to find out.” He grew less believable with every passing minute. But they weren’t here to interrogate him. In fa
ct, Narrn wasn’t even their target. Tarlon was after the rebel minister.
“My best advice is to ride it out.”
“Ride it out on top of her.” The human doctor finally spoke and it gave Nikki the opening for which she’d been waiting.
She flew across the room and grabbed the bitch by the throat, sneering right into her face. “You think this is funny? I can barely walk after everything they did to me!” One, two, three. Nikki shoved her back with a snarl and let go of her throat. “Nothing about this is funny.”
“I apologize.” The bitch rubbed her throat though Nikki had barely exerted any pressure. “My comment was inappropriate.”
“Damn right it was,” Nikki persisted, continuing to glare. It had felt so good to threaten that bitch, Nikki had to fight to keep from strangling her for real.
“Roberta, why don’t you wait in our office?” Narrn suggested. “I’ll be with you shortly.” Judging from the bulge in his pants, he’d be buried inside her shortly.
“I’m very sorry, Mr. Orellian, but the only treatment for ridonous is to indulge the urges it creates. We really are doing everything possible to figure out why this is happening.”
Apparently satisfied with the outcome, Tarlon muttered, “This was a waste of time.” He snapped his finger at Nikki and motioned to the door. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Eight
Sintar looked around the small auditorium/cafeteria anxiously. The demonstration was about to begin and Tarlon had yet to arrive with Nikki. Tarlon’s message indicated that their trip to El Paso had transpired smoothly and their objectives had been met. So where the hells were they?
Nikki’s musical laughter drew his attention to the doors leading to the hallway. Tarlon and Nikki came strolling in, hand in hand like lovesick teens. Damn, she looked happy. Clearly they’d enjoyed themselves on the shuttle ride back, likely on the ride there too if he knew his brother. Sintar snorted and shook his head. He would have been just as bad. Neither of them could keep their hands off their mate.
“The mission was successful?” he asked as they reached his side.
“Very. We were able to plant combots on Narrn, the human doctor, and the receptionist’s desk. It’s just a matter of time before one of them contacts the minister, and then we’ll know who the traitor is.”
He nodded. Savator would be pleased, and relieved. The chancellor’s focus on the minister was understandable, but Sintar was worried that the compatibility issue was slipping through the cracks. They needed to find out if Narrn had simply discovered the connection between Rh factor and genetic compatibility or if he’d manipulated the captives’ DNA. However, they couldn’t delve deeper into the genetic mystery until Savator squelched the budding rebellion. One crisis at a time.
“What’s this about?” Nikki asked, motioning toward the other defenders and their females gathered in small groups throughout the room.
“Wintua pod requested a gathering,” he told her. “Their female requires public punishment.”
Nikki’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “That’s a real thing? I thought Jessica was joking.”
Her reaction surprised him. “Why would your friend joke about something like that?”
“I just didn’t think… We’re going to stand here and watch one of the pods discipline their female?” She shook her head and looked at the door. “I don’t want to see this. I’ll meet you at home.”
He caught her upper arm and hardened his expression. “You will stay, and you will watch. It is disrespectful to turn away.”
Drey and Fortar pods entered a few minutes later, their females walked behind them deep in conversation with each other.
“Can I go stand with them?” Nikki asked, clearly upset by his insistence that she stay.
Seeing no harm in allowing the compromise, Sintar nodded.
She immediately crossed the room and joined her friends. They greeted her with bright smiles and friendly expressions. Nikki motioned toward the stage and asked an urgent question. Jessica placed her hand on Nikki’s arm and responded firmly. Nikki seemed surprised by her answer. Had Jessica defended the practice rather than agreeing with Nikki that it was wrong?
“Are you sure that was wise?” Tarlon asked.
“If we keep restating the rules, we sound like tyrants. She needed to hear our expectations from someone she trusts.”
Tarlon shook his head. “She needs to trust us.”
Sintar watched the females for a moment longer. “She’s getting there. Don’t be discouraged if the progress is slow.”
“I’m not discouraged and I don’t consider her progress slow,” Tarlon objected. “We’ve only been with her for a few days, yet she already submits beautifully.”
“True.” Sintar inhaled deeply. Her scent was all over his brother. “How many times did you fuck her?”
“I only came inside her twice. The rest was just foreplay.”
Tarlon loved foreplay. Sintar had watched him bring females to release after release, then curl up and fall asleep with his cock still hard. He usually fucked her vigorously in the morning, but his brother was almost masochistic with his control. Sintar could be equally stubborn, but he preferred to do so with his cock deep inside a willing partner.
Shifting his gaze back to their mate, Sintar felt a fresh surge of need rush through his system. He’d need to fuck her before Tarlon could join them. Until they anchored the soul bond, they had to keep the exchanges even.
She smiled, drawing his attention to her lovely mouth. Oh, yes. He would feel those lips around his cock before this night was through.
Loax stepped onto the small stage and drew everyone’s attention. He’d agreed to be Sintar’s lieutenant governor, and seemed genuinely pleased with the position. “We’ll keep this to the point. I know we all have lessons of our own to teach.” The defenders chuckled and the women fidgeted, several instinctively sinking to their knees.
Nikki crossed her arms over her chest, her expression almost mutinous.
Loax left the stage as Wintua pod climbed on. There were four defenders and their female. The female looked vaguely familiar. Hadn’t he seen her at Protectorate Headquarters? He looked at Nikki and her reaction confirmed his suspicion. She was speaking to Jessica in an urgent whisper, clearly more upset than before. Nikki definitely knew this woman. She must be one of the strippers, which meant she wasn’t a carnal companion. She was genetically compatible with Wintua pod. This was courting at its most brutal. Interesting.
Oreal, the pod leader drew their female to the middle of the small platform. She was dressed in a simple robe with no shoes on her feet. “This is April, our mate.”
“Your potential mate,” someone near the back of the room called out.
It was a stark reminder to each courting pod—he and Tarlon included—that they needed to tread carefully. There was a long line of compatible pods waiting to take their place.
“Not for long,” Dentar responded. He was the most aggressive of the four cousins and many thought he would make a better pod leader than Oreal. Apparently, the rest of the pod disagreed.
Oreal motioned to April and she loosened the belt on her robe. “Take it off,” Oreal ordered impatiently, clearly displeased with her.
She shrugged out of the robe and let it fall to the stage. She was naked beneath. Sintar looked at her objectively, but couldn’t help comparing her to Nikki. Where Nikki was softly curved and womanly, April had slim hips and overly large breasts, doubtlessly enhanced by foolish implants.
“Why are you being punished?” Oreal asked.
“You made me angry and I tried to convince Dentar to challenge you for the right to lead the pod.”
Holy gods! No wonder she was being subjected to public discipline. He glanced at Nikki. She stood tense and silent between Jessica and Amanda, obediently watching the stage. Good girl, he thought, pleased by her actions.
“And were you spanked for a similar infraction only last night?” Dentar seemed ju
st as frustrated as Oreal.
“I was.” The corners of her mouth twitched as if she were fighting back a smile.
Oreal twisted one of her nipples hard enough to make her cry out. “Are you proud of your misbehavior?”
“No, Sir! I’m sorry, Sir.”
That was more like it.
“Do you deserve this punishment?”
“Yes, Sir. I tried to manipulate the pod, turning one against another. My actions were shameful.”
“And futile,” Oreal stressed. “Any attempt to play us against each other will bring punishment. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sir. It will never happen again.”
Without further explanation, Dentar lifted her to the padded table that had been arranged perpendicular to the audience. “Open your legs.”
She obeyed, her lips pressed together.
“You will not be bound because you must submit to this willingly. Open your mouth and your eyes. You must offer us your emotions as well as your body.”
“I am yours, Sir. I belong to Wintua pod.” Despite the conviction in her words, her voice trembled.
Each male held a flogger in one hand and a cock-shaped implement in the other. Sex toys, the humans like to call them, or dildos. That word was so ridiculous that he refused to use it even in his mind. What had Wintua pod dreamed up for such a disobedient mate? Dragging his gaze away from the stage, he looked at Nikki. She had her hand pressed against her throat and her eyes were wide, almost unblinking. As if sensing his gaze, she turned her head and looked at him. He nodded, but she turned her face back toward the stage without any visible reaction.
Oreal swung his flogger first, the strands fanned out across her mound and she yelped. Dentar shoved his fake cock into her pussy, but after a short pause he pulled it right back out again. The four males moved in a circle around her taking turns flogging her vulnerable body and stuffing her full of cock-shaped toys. One went in her mouth while her breasts were lashed from both sides. She cried out, then screamed as the sensations intensified.
