by Hayes, Susan
“Very,” she retorted, deliberately flexing her inner walls around them both. Trevar slapped her ass again, harder this time, the tiny bite of pain only heightening her pleasure. The two of them began to move, finding a rhythm that kept her balanced on the edge of ecstasy as they fucked her in concert. Deke started moving the vibrator again and Trevar swore under his breath, his cock twitching and thickening as the vibrations travelled through her body to affect both her men. She surrendered her body to them and let go of everything but the pleasure coursing through her as they worked her body together, filling her body over and over again as the three of them became one.
Just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, Deke dialed the vibrator up to a higher setting and threw her into orbit, her entire body singing with need as she shattered into tiny pieces of shimmering bliss.
“Oh fuck, that’s too good,” Trevar growled, his fingers tightening on her hips as he drove himself in deep and came hard enough she could feel his cock throb and pulse inside her, Deke held back until she was nearly over her release, then he came, too, calling her name as he shuddered beneath her, holding her to him as though he would never let her go.
“Love you,” Deke’s whispered words brought her back from her dazed state. Trevar was still slumped over her back, his breath fanning across her skin, and Deke was stroking her hair away from her face.
“Love you, too. Both of you. And I vote we do that again very soon. Only…not until I get back enough energy to move.”
Trevar chuckled and pressed a kiss to her back. We’ve got all night.”
“Sounds good to me,” she purred, and she meant it. There was no other place in all the worlds that she would rather be. This was where she belonged. They were her bonded. Wherever they were, that’s where she would be. Forever.
Another thought flashed into her brain, one that made her burst out in peals of laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Deke demanded.
“I just realized I’ve got a new name. Sonja Storm-Wilde, or Wilde-Storm.”
“Sonja Wilde-Storm.” Trevar said, laughing so hard there were tears on his cheeks.
“You sure?” Deke asked.
“I’m sure. It’s perfect. Our chosen…a force of fucking nature.”
***
CHAPTER TWELVE
The closer they got to X2 Station, the more difficult it was to avoid thinking about what would happen when they got there. Deke lay awake every night, running scenarios and trying to plan for every contingency. He knew it was weighing on everyone, but they all kept silent. They’d worked out their best plan the day after claiming Sonja, and now there was nothing to do but wait and try to enjoy what time they had left.
It things went badly, it could be the only time they’d ever be together.
He shook his head to clear away the dark thoughts that were gathering like storm clouds at the edges of his mind. He had to calm himself so he could sync with the ship’s computer, but that wasn’t easy to do right now. Closing his eyes, Deke relaxed into his chair in the cockpit and went over the plan one more time.
They had received official orders to dock the Arca and immediately surrender themselves and their passenger to Alliance personnel upon arrival at X2. The instructions had come in with a priority code so high that the ship’s AI had overridden Deke’s previous settings and delivered it the second it had arrived. Not that it was a surprise. After what had gone down at Jikrat, they’d been expecting it and planned accordingly.
Once the Arca had finished her jump, he and Sonja would fly the shuttle out of the cargo bay and fall in behind the much larger freighter. Distortion from the ship’s engines should mask their presence long enough for them to get close to the station. Once they were in the heavier traffic that always surrounded the station, Deke would break away and make for the one of the smaller shuttle pads. If they were lucky, they’d slip in among the other shuttles and land before anyone figured out what they were up to.
With all eyes on the freighter, Deke and Sonja were going to make a run for the Krytos bar, the Black Hole. No one, not even the Alliance, would dare to breach an officially sanctioned Krytos sanctuary. It was part of their arrangement with each host station.
After they lost their home world to the Zyphir, the Krytos scattered across the stars. Some became mercenaries, other’s traders, but most made new homes for themselves on various planets, moons and space stations. They defended their territory fiercely, having vowed that they will never lose their homes again. To host a Krytos sanctuary is an honor, but within those walls the rules are sacrosanct. No violence. No one under Krytos protection could be removed from the sanctuary without their consent, and whatever differences any beings had with one another were to be left at the door…or else. Violators were dealt with swiftly, and they usually needed a long stay in a medical bay to recover once the Krytos were finished with them.
It was the safest place for Sonja until the dust settled.
He found a moment of calm and jacked into the ship’s computer, letting his awareness shift to the strange plane where he and the AI could coexist. Data flowed past him in rivers of light, weaving through the darkness to create a glowing tapestry of information that was forever changing. Deke had never been able to find a way to describe the datum planes to anyone else. He had learned to create elaborate holo-programs in an attempt to capture the experience, but it was incomplete. In a holo-program, the users were outside the projection, but in the datum plane, Deke was more than that. He was part of the program, a digital version of himself, and he wasn’t alone.
The computer’s AI was there with him, an electronic phantom. When Sonja had first come aboard, he had tampered with the computer, making it appear that she was valid passenger named Sonja Kitts. Now, he was going to tamper with it again, overriding the system so he could send a brief, untraceable message to T’karra, the Krytos who ran the sanctuary. He wanted her to be aware they were coming, and trouble was likely going to be only a few steps behind them.
He had no doubt that the ship’s communications were being monitored now, so he had to make sure that no one else saw the message. He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but he was now breaking the rules and bending regulations almost as often as Trevar. The man had finally gotten to him, or maybe it was all because of Sonja.
Either way, the list of charges he was going to be facing if this went badly was getting longer by the damned day.
****
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Sonja asked Trevar again. They were in the observation lounge, Trevar pacing the length of the room while she sat on the edge of a chair and tried not to let worry overwhelm her.
“We’ve been over this. The only way you are going to have any chance of getting to the Black Hole is if I distract the men who are going to be waiting for us at X2.”
“And what good does sanctuary do me if you and Deke are arrested?” she asked. She hated this plan. More than that, she hated the idea that if things went badly, this might be the last time she saw them. Over the last few days she had spent hours trying to push the limits of her gift, but all she had gotten was a lingering headache and a sense that dark times were ahead.
“If your family has even half the pull I think they do, then I want you protected. We have to do it this way, kitten. I haven’t filed our claim on you because I didn’t want them to have time to react, so as far as the Alliance is concerned, you’re an unclaimed, fertile female who may be held against her will. There are questions that need to be answered, and until that’s dealt with, we want you somewhere your family can’t reach you. You’re ours, and no one is taking you away from us. Not now. Not ever.”
“I hate this plan.”
He scrubbed a hand through his hair, leaving it standing up in rumpled spikes. “I know. I don’t like leaving you either, but it has to be this way.” He crossed the room and dropped to his knees at her feet, taking her hands in his. “I love you. The universe did not bring the three of us together
only to tear us apart again after so little time. The three of us are going to have a lifetime together, and I will do anything to make sure that happens.”
The lump in her throat made her words come out in a hoarse whisper. “I love you, too. And I will do everything I can to make sure we have that lifetime. Even if that means I have to move to Mars.”
“My chosen is never setting foot on that fucking hellhole of a planet!”
“Then you better make sure you don’t end up getting sent there, because wherever you go, I go.”
Damn, he loved this woman. She was as stubborn and crazy as he was, and far braver then would have ever imagined. If he had known how much trouble and joy their little stowaway was going to be...he laughed as he rose up and captured her mouth in a kiss. If he had known…he wouldn’t have changed a thing.
It only took a gentle tug to bring her into his arms, and as he held her close he tried not to consider that this might be the last time he got to do this. He pushed the thought away, but that wasn’t enough to stop him from trying to commit this moment to memory. The way she smelled, the taste of her lips, the silken fall of her hair across his hands. Their bodies fit together like they’d been designed by a master craftsman, and he could have held onto her forever.
But they didn’t have forever.
His wrist unit chimed, and he activated it with a flick of a finger. “What is it?”
“It’s time.” Deke’s words filled Trevar’s veins with ice.
“We’ll meet you in the cargo bay,” he replied, then turned the unit off again. Sonja burrowed deeper into his embrace, and Trevar felt his heart twist at the thought of leaving her. He could feel her worry, and her love, and it was tearing him up inside.
“I still hate this plan,” she muttered.
“Yeah, me, too. But it’s the only one we’ve got.”
She lifted her head from his chest at last and gave him a tiny smile. “If this doesn’t work, I’m going to spend the rest of our lives pointing out that we should have gone with my plan to run away to Helios and hide out in the jungle.”
“You only think so because you’ve never seen the bugs on that planet. They’re huge. I’ll take my chances with the Alliance, thank you.”
They got to their feet in silence, and Sonja slipped her hand into his as they made their way to the cargo bay. There wasn’t anything more to be said. He had been tempted a hundred times to ask her what she’d seen when she tried to look into the future, but he never had. He wasn’t the kind of man who liked knowing the odds. Besides, she couldn’t see far enough ahead to know for certain how any of this would turn out.
Deke was waiting for them by the shuttle. He appeared calm on the outside, but Trevar could feel the emotions boiling beneath the surface. Sonja had done that for Deke, given him back the ability to care. She’d made them both better men in such a short time, Trevar wondered what they’d be like after a lifetime together.
He hoped like hell they got a chance to find out.
Sonja found herself tugged into Trevar’s arms for one last scorching kiss, his mouth slanting across hers in a declaration of ownership and passion that she felt all the way down to her toes. When he lifted his head, she saw all of his love shining in his steel-gray eyes. “I’ll see you soon. Keep your head down, your ass moving, and don’t let anything stop you from getting to T’karra.”
Trevar and Deke shared a look, and then Deke nodded. “Try not to piss everyone off before I get there, huh?”
“I make no promises. Take care of our chosen. Anything happens to either of you, I am going to take it out of your hide, kid.”
“I’d like to see you try, old man.”
Trevar took her hand and kissed her knuckles in an old fashioned gesture before handing her over to Deke. “Get going. We’re due to drop into normal space any minute.”
Sonja followed Deke inside the shuttle, only allowing herself a single look back as the doors closed behind them, but by then Trevar was gone.
And then there were two…
The first part of the plan went off without a hitch. They timed their departure perfectly, slipping out the cargo bay doors within seconds of the Arca’s transition back to normal space. Deke piloted them into position behind the much larger freighter, keeping close enough that the station’s sensors would not be able to detect them. It wasn’t an easy maneuver, and the small cockpit was cloaked in silence as he focused on keeping them hidden. With nothing to see but the stern of the Arca, Sonja closed her eyes and tried to relax. There was no point in using her gift yet, they were still too far away from the events that mattered.
She sighed and Deke’s hand covered hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Stop trying to see what’s going to happen, sweetheart. I can tell you how it’s going to be. We’re going to make it to the bar, and T’karra is going to protect you while Trevar and I go see the station’s commander and explain to him what’s going on. He’s going to yell, and swear, and threaten to send our asses to Mars, but in the end, it’s all going to work out.”
She opened her eyes and looked over to find him smiling at her. “You can’t be certain of that.”
“Like hell I can’t. That’s the only outcome I’m going to accept. I don’t need to see my future to know that you’re part of it.” Deke’s fingers flicked out a dismissive gesture she had come to know so well.
“So, we’re going to make our own destiny?”
“Exactly. But if you get a sudden sense that maybe we should turn left instead of right, you let me know.”
She laughed at that. “Deal.”
They couldn’t risk open communication between the two ships, but Trevar did send a single ping to Deke’s wrist unit when it was time for him to break away. When it came, Deke let go of her hand and began putting some distance between the two ships. That’s when she finally got her first view of Alpha Station X2.
It was suspended in the darkness of space, a colossus of steel illuminated by a myriad of lights. The five docking arms radiated out from a saucer-shaped centerpiece, each of them occupied by at least a few ships. Most bore Alliance markings, but not all. Beneath the center hub was a secondary platform, and Sonja knew that was where they were headed. Even from this distance she could catch flickers of movement as shuttles came and went from the landing zone. Unlike the main docking area, where the larger ships were assigned docking space and watched over by flight traffic controllers, the shuttle pads were a free-for-all affair. With no one watching, they had a good chance of arriving undetected.
By the time they touched down, Sonja’s stomach was in knots and she was pretty sure the armrests of her chair had a few new, finger-sized dents.
“Is it always like that?” She asked, aware that her voice was a little shaky.
Deke shot her a sidelong look and his brows creased as he got a good look at her. “Shit, are you okay? You look a little green.”
“I’ll live, but for the record I am really starting to dislike shuttles. Every time I get in one I end up queasy and scared half to death.”
“Duly noted. We’ll have to teach you to fly them yourself, that way you’ll be too busy piloting to worry about anything else.” Deke shrugged out of his harness and Sonja did the same.
“When this is all over, I’ll be asking for those lessons. Right now though, we have somewhere we need to be, right?”
“Absolutely.” He offered her his hand again and she took it, falling in behind him as he headed for the airlock. As the doors opened, he turned and looked down at her, as serious as she’d ever seen him. “Whatever happens next, you get your ass to the bar and find T’karra. No stopping, not for any reason.”
“You’re as bossy as Trevar, did you know that?”
“You bet your ass I am. Now move.”
She didn’t get to see much of the station as they hurried through the corridors, but what she did observe was more familiar than anything she’d seen at Jikrat station. It felt more human somehow. There were p
eople everywhere, most of them dressed in the standard black and grey of Alliance uniforms, though there were members of the other allied races present as well. The corridor walls showed the station’s age. The non-descript beige paint was chipped, the walls themselves were dented and scratched in numerous places. The floor underfoot was plain metal, marked and scuffed by hundreds of pairs of feet and years of use.
The most nerve-wracking moment was when they had to step into an elevator. As the doors closed, Sonja wondered if there would be someone waiting for them when they opened again. They were so close now… Deke must have been thinking the same thing, because his fingers tightened around hers and he drew her closer to his side. Before she could test the timelines, they were slowing, and then the doors opened.
No one was waiting for them.
They stepped out onto the main floor of the station, and Sonja took a moment to gawk. The station might be old, but it was still impressive. The dome rose high overhead, and everywhere she looked there were banners and flags proclaiming the names of the ships and units that were stationed there.
“I’ll give you the grand tour later,” Deke said, hurrying her along.
He led her through the crowds with unerring focus, and it didn’t take her long to see where they were headed. Directly across from them a large sign was visible, vivid crimson lettering slashed across a stylized swirl of jet black. She’d always heard that the Krytos were not a subtle people. It seemed that in this case at least, that was a very accurate assessment.
There was a pair of very large men standing on either side of the door, both of them towering over the crowd. Thick arms were crossed over their chests, and they seemed to be scanning the crowd. “Are they looking for us?”
“I think so. Looks like T’karra got my message.”
When she got closer, she could see that the two men guarding the door weren’t human, but Krytos. At over seven feet tall and built on a scale that made Deke seem almost slender by comparison, they were more than a little intimidating, but not in the same way as the Tarin had been. They had dark hair to their shoulders, and both wore black pants paired with black tank-tops that left their well-muscled arms bare. One of the Krytos spotted them, and he smiled in greeting, revealing a flash of fang. Neither of them moved from the doorway, but the one who had smiled reached down and opened the door for them so they would not have to stop at the threshold.
