by J. J. Lore
Edem rose up from the warm water and leaned over them, his aching staff bobbing directly at her sex as if determined to pull him into her welcoming sheath. Mal tore himself away from Corrine for a moment and met his gaze¸ a slight smile curving his lips until Edem pressed another kiss there. His bondmate murmured against his lips and reached out to stroke Edem’s member.
“She’s delicious,” Mal whispered. “You have yet to achieve release. Would you like me to…”
His bondmate increased the pressure and tempo of his strokes, and Edem relaxed into the familiar caress. His culls swelled and then contracted against his body as his arousal mounted. Corrine, who had been limp against Mal’s body, quivered and opened her eyes, her gaze flying downward to see what his bondmate was giving him. She’d watched them before with wide eyes and parted lips, both excitement and shock clear on her soft features, and now she’d be able to watch him spill his seed in Mal’s palm. He hoped that display of trust and intimacy would further relax her into their aim for more strenuous copulation in the future.
He couldn’t restrain his low moans, but went silent when she reached out one chapped little hand to Mal’s wrist. His bondmate stopped stroking and made an inquiring sound. Heat rose between them, his skin fairly steamed with it.
“You don’t have to do that. I can…” She met his gaze, her grey eyes shadowed with something mysterious Edem longed to discover. Mal released his hold on Edem’s staff and whispered in her ear about what he liked, what areas were most stimulating all while he guided her fingers and palm, but soon Corrine shook her head. “Don’t you want to be inside me?”
Edem swallowed hard, so close to release it was difficult to speak. Mal glanced his way, a question in his eyes. They’d discussed this, wanting to wait for penetration until she was desperate for it, the better to satisfy her, but it seemed yet again she was a step ahead. “Are you certain? I do not wish—”
“Can you get me pregnant?”
Edem blinked, befuddled. Luckily Mal, who had the clearer head at the moment, spoke up. “We’ve only ever heard of human women quickening with an Alphan child after they’ve bonded.”
Corrine gave a quick nod and licked her lips. “Then I’m sure I want you inside. If Mal doesn’t mind.” She glanced over her shoulder at his bondmate, who merely nodded, still supporting her on his lap. She made as if to move off his body, but he caught her up, guiding her legs further apart. Edem couldn’t stop himself from staring at the lush folds between her legs and the dimple of her entrance. She was shiny with fresh fluids, and his staff pulsed with the need to plunge deep within her body. Shuffling closer, he grasped his corona with shaking fingers and leaned his hips her way. Mal adjusted her position as she shivered. He was so close to her now, the tip of his cock sliding in her juices against her hot and silky flesh. He wanted to prolong the play, draw it out and make her giddy with it, but the throb of his tesak and the ancient need to press inside saw him instead seeking the little indentation he needed. He slid in only a few centimeters before finding some resistance. She was still nervous and drawn too tight for an easy penetration.
Sucking in a steadying breath he paused when his body urged him forward. “Mal, touch her. She’s—”
Without hesitation his bondmate gently stroked her quonum, his fingertips delving into her folds before finally circling the most sensitive bud of her somo. He could hear the wet, slick sound of the movement even over his ragged breathing. Just recalling how that tight nub had pulsed against his tongue when she’d climaxed was almost enough to send him over and spill his seed, but he gritted his teeth against his budding tesak and maintained control for the moment. Corrine moaned and arched back against Mal’s body, her trembling thighs spreading even wider. Her eyes flew open as he slid in further, her channel incredibly tight. He tried to reassure her but realized too late he was speaking Alphan, his human languages deserting him at this exquisite moment.
Mal kept caressing her somo, his knuckles bumping Edem’s groin, and whispered something in her ear. She nodded once and reached out for Edem’s hips, her hands pressing against his hot skin and urging him to thrust. He did as gently as he could, but primal necessity to have her lent a roughness to his movement he wished he could take back. Corrine cried out, and he wondered for a moment if he’d hurt her, a most horrible outcome, but a dreamy smile curved her parted lips and she squeezed his hips even tighter as he was finally sheathed within her hot and wet channel.
Shuddering out a pent up breath, he carefully rocked his hips back and forth, drawing out the incredible sensation of her most feminine grip holding and stroking his staff. Harsh breathing, the slick sounds of their joining, and the splash of water around them were the only sounds as he stared at her being held by his bondmate as he took her. Mal’s golden skin was a stark contrast to her paleness. She was flushed pink, pliant, and murmuring under her breath as he increased his speed and the force of his thrusts. Within a few seconds his peripheral vision blurred while his skin tingled hot and cold. His climax caught him unawares, and he shouted as pleasure thudded through him, tightening his muscles as his shaft pulsed deep within her. Just as the pleasure filled him, a painful rent tore the roof of his mouth as his tesak budded. He clutched at Mal’s arm and Corrine’s hip to keep to his feet as the unexpected transformation made him dizzy even as his staff emptied the last of him.
Straining for breath, he leaned his head down against Mal’s shoulder as he stroked in and out a few more blissful times, then pressed tight to her, not wanting to leave her body just yet. Their hands stroked his back and shoulders, and he sighed, replete and grateful for the connection to them both. He ran his tongue along the sharp edges of his tesak and willed them away.
****
Mal was grateful no more time or energy would be devoted to the pretense that Corrine occupied a different cabin and was of similar status to the other humans on board. Within an hour of their first coupling, he’d had the steward bring her few cases into the royal suite and had instructed the young officer to convert the adjoining rooms into a dressing area for them. She was now deeply asleep in their bed, exhausted from their copulation and the stress of travel, so he was ready to address another bit of subterfuge Edem had perpetuated. To be fair, Mal had also held back from his bondmate, but when he’d seen Edem’s fangs descend as he’d cried out his climax earlier, he knew he had to confront the issue. Now was the time, before Corrine was with them and curious.
His bondmate lounged in a chair, attired in a sleeping robe as he idly turned the pages of an ancient Earth folio of maps. They would retreat to bed soon, but before they joined their soft little human, he needed to learn what Edem was thinking. He already knew what they were both feeling, and it was dangerous. First official matters, then on to the personal.
“You father has sent a message.”
“Only one? I’m shocked.”
Mal paused, uncomfortable with the tension that filled his bondmate whenever the subject of the king emerged. “He’s not pleased you’re bringing humans back with you.”
Edem squinted at the map like he was planning a long journey into a remote wilderness. “He’s not pleased by much of anything, especially if I am involved. But it matters not. They are on board and will be landing when we do. It’s not as if he’d hold the ship in orbit and refuse them sanctuary.”
Mal had listened to the message as was his duty. The king’s notoriously prickly temper might have him sending the ship back immediately and not even allowing the Alphas to disembark, his son included. The mood among the people concerning the “human problem” was too hard to judge. The official policy of keeping their distance from their kindred and impoverished humanoids was becoming much more complicated. Mal had a feeling that if his fellow Alphans truly understood the catastrophe awaiting Earth in a few generations, they would be much more welcoming.
“He could refuse to receive them, could in fact confine them to their rooms for the duration of their stay for legitimate security reaso
ns.”
Edem sighed and closed his eyes, clearly irritated his impetuous decision was creating more wide-reaching problems. Mal considered Corrine and the prospect of several days in her company and thought it worth a dose of royal displeasure. Hi prince finally spoke. “I will talk with him and make some sort of accommodation. I’m sure we can find some way to host these guests properly and not antagonize any of the traditionalists. An out of the way wing of the palace, an informal reception rather than a state dinner, that sort of thing.”
Mal decided to leave it at that since he’d already come to the same conclusion and had drafted a reply with that aim. It waited for Edem’s approval and would then be sent off to the palace to, he hoped, an affirmative reception. On to the next problem.
“When were you planning on telling me?”
“Telling you what?”
Mal’s stomach twisted. They never kept secrets from each other, and Edem’s elaborately casual response annoyed him. This was not a superficial issue.
“Your tesak emerged when you penetrated Corrine.” At his blunt statement, Edem glanced up from the colorful brown, green, and blue sheet in front of him and met his gaze, surprise apparent in his expression.
“You saw that?”
“And felt it, too.”
His bondmate pushed the maps across the table and rose suddenly, the folds of his embroidered robe swirling as he began to pace. “I’m not sure what it means. Perhaps it was just an especially erotic moment. I had anticipated copulating with her a great deal and was over-excited. Or the novelty of having a human woman for the first time.”
“We can’t bond with her.” Mal issued the warning with as much finality as he was able even though saying the words angered him. Not for the first time he resented the strictures on his life and confinements of his desires since becoming kisero of the prince of Alpha. If they were merely Alphan warriors in a cohort, there would be no stopping complete fulfillment with Corrine and planning a future with her. A pang of sadness filled him as he contemplated the simple life they would never share, a modest home, babies to make, all free of protocol and state obligation.
“I know that. I know my father’s orders and the expectations of the people of Alpha very well. I’ve been ruled by them my whole life.” The bitter note in Edem’s voice brought Mal up short. His bondmate rebelled where he could and approached most official tasks with good, if sometimes subversive humor, but the reminder that Edem also struggled surprised him.
“Should we refrain from more sexual activities?” Mal’s staff hardened in mute protest at that proposal, but if it would help Edem rein in his emotions, perhaps it was necessary.
“Are you worried I’ll lose control and pierce her vein while in the midst of an orgasm?” His bondmate’s golden eyes flashed, whether with humor or irritation it was difficult to say. Mal clenched his jaw against the memory of his own urge to complete that very act.
“No more than I will.”
“So you wished to take her as well? Why didn’t you say something?”
“I might ask the same of you,” Mal shot back, uncomfortable with the accurate accusation. He could hardly press Edem for openness when he was hiding the same impulse. “Yes, I wished it. My tesak ached from almost the first moment I met her.”
Edem sighed and walked his way, stopping in front of him and pressing his hands to Mal’s chest. “What are we to do then? The urge to bond is ancient and stronger than any rule or tradition we might espouse. My family has held the throne for almost six centuries, but that does not give us dominion over fate.”
Mal stroked Edem’s arms, to calm them both. “We can control ourselves, as we did earlier. As long as we refrain from triad coitus, we won’t be able to bond.”
“Is that possible, to avoid such a primal thing?”
“It’s either place our faith in our strength of will, or send her back to her cabin and avoid her for the remainder of the trip.”
Edem’s eyes widened. “I don’t want to do that. I like her very much. I can resist it.”
Mal nodded, satisfied they’d reached an accord. “I can resist as well.”
“Resist what?” Corrine’s soft voice interrupted them, and they turned to find her standing in the archway leading to the darkened bedroom. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, her golden hair wildly disarranged over her shoulders. Regrettably, she was still wearing the borrowed under tunic she’d insisted on donning before tumbling under their furs earlier. Mal resolved to send another message to Alpha calling for the royal dresser to be waiting with a selection of proper attire for her in her suite at the palace.
Rather than explain the nature of bonding, which they weren’t going to undertake with her no matter the temptation, Mal instead walked to her and caught up her hand to offer reassurance. She had to feel disoriented from sleep and the events of the preceding hours. He felt her calluses and fought down the spike of anger that filled him whenever he considered her rough existence.
“Resist the urge to wake you and resume our play.” Edem smoothly explained as he approached her. As soon as he took up her other hand for a light kiss, a spark of energy sizzled through Mal, and Corrine’s sleepy eyes widened at the same moment. Edem’s feelings of excitement and frustration with his father mingled with his own but both were overlaid with a new impression, one of confusion and burgeoning affection. Corrine. With reluctance, Mal dropped her hand, breaking the contact that seemed to bind the three of them closer each time they indulged in it.
She dropped her gaze at the blatant flattery, and Mal shot his bondmate an impatient look. She needed to trust their sincerity, not doubt it. “I’m awake now,” she whispered, and Mal’s staff hardened at the tiny invitation he thought he detected.
“You need more rest,” Mal said even as Edem kept kissing her fingers. Now was not the time for more sexual exploration. Corrine swayed, and he circled an arm around her waist, merely to help her balance and she glanced up at him with thanks. Looking into her grey eyes was like staring into forest pools, unfathomable and calm. “Or perhaps refreshment.”
She smiled quickly and nodded. “I am hungry. Where is the kitchen, or galley I suppose you call it? I can make something—”
Mal couldn’t hold back his chuckle. She truly had no idea who she was travelling with. “You are not responsible for cooking anything on board this ship. There are many here waiting for the opportunity to serve us.”
****
Corrine woke with a start. Some unfamiliar movement or sound from the ship had summoned her from a deep, drug-like sleep. She waited a moment to collect her thoughts as she lay in the soft, warm bed, running through the events of the past hours. She’d had an amazing culinary experience with the two men, enjoying unique foods and flavors she’d never be able to describe adequately. About half-way through she’d begun to yawn uncontrollably, and Mal had bundled her off to the bed again, muttering about the rigors of space travel and the stress for first-timers. She’d thought Edem would put up a protest since he’d been complimenting her and touching her hands throughout the meal, clearly desiring more physical contact, but he’d been in agreement that she should sleep. So she had, almost as soon as her body was horizontal.
Stretching experimentally, she listened and detected breathing other than her own, one person on each side of her. It had to be the Alphans. She was surprised they hadn’t awakened her, was surprised they hadn’t been more insistent on sex. She’d come on board half expecting them to have stripped her naked and fucking her as soon as the doors had closed, but instead they’d been courteous and almost sweet. She wasn’t sure if she was disappointed that she failed to provoke unrestrained lust, or complimented they were so respectful.
She shifted position, careful not to move too much and disturb the men. She had no idea what time it was, or how their days would run on the ship. Would she get jetlag? She remembered the term from childhood, when passenger planes were still occasionally in use, before the economy and climate had crashed to s
uch a degree no one voluntarily traveled any longer.
The man on her right moved, and with a strange awareness, she sensed it was Mal and knew he was awake, too.
“Are you well?” he whispered in the dark, and she crept his way, wanting to be closer to keep her voice down. Wanting to be closer to him in any case, his strength and warmth were becoming too attractive to resist.
“I am. Something just woke me.” She accidentally brushed up against his side and before she realized what was happening, he gathered her against his solid chest, one of his big arms sliding down her back as his fingers spread possessively over her ass.
“Likely an adjustment with the engines. We are approaching a shift zone in the stellar matrix, and the pilots will proceed with caution.” He stroked at her hair, his touch unerring in the dark. “You enjoyed the meal?”
“I did. Should we be talking? I don’t want to wake Edem.”
“He sleeps deeply and wakes slowly, ever since I’ve known him.”
Mal’s low voice rumbled along, and Corrine found herself resting her head on his chest as she draped and arm over his abdomen, absurdly comforted by his presence. “How long have you been together? Were you lovers from the first?”
She paused, unsure if she’d presumed too much, but Mal replied immediately.
“We met as teens, at a forest camp. I was sponsored by my village, and he, well, he was not, but that didn’t matter since we boys were living in tents and washing in cold mountain streams regardless of our station in life. We met as sparring partners, paired by an old master fighter who must have had an inkling. By the end of our first match, we knew we’d never leave each other’s side. We were each other’s first.”
Corrine sighed, sure it was the most romantic story she’d ever heard.
“And you, how is it that you haven’t paired with the right men?”
His gentle question almost made her laugh. Men, plural? She’d never even considered the concept until she’d met these Alphans. “It’s difficult to find one man to trust and love, let alone two. Things are difficult for everyone, and it’s simpler, safer, to rely on oneself.”
