by Lili Zander
I lift my chin up and give him a defiant look. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I snarl. “Do you think you’re going to get away with this?”
“Why that’s exactly what I think, human.” He gives me a chilling smile. “Who’s going to rescue you? Dariux is holding the Firstborn hostage, so he’s not even going to notice that his skimmer is missing. My kinsman, Liorax, will be too busy playing the hero to pay much mind either.”
I don’t bother to reply. Think, Liv. How far away were the hills? I try and remember what Zunix had said. A day’s journey, maybe a day and a half. That’s too long.
But Zunix and Liorax aren’t fools. There are six dragons in camp. They’ll ask for help. They won’t try to search for me on foot. They’ll be on dragonback.
“What do you want?”
“Ah, now we get to the interesting part.” He rubs his hands together, and a prickle of unease runs down my spine. “See, the ship that Belfox is busy assembling only holds four people. Luddux was going to be my pilot, but he got quite uncooperative when he realized he couldn’t bring his mate along.” He rolls his eyes. “Stupid fool. A chance to get off the prison planet and he bleats about some human woman.”
He’s not making any sense. “What does Luddux have to do with me?”
Herrix is in a chatty mood. “Why, isn’t it obvious? I need a fully transformed Draekon to pilot the ship, Olivia Buckner. That’s my only hope against the asteroid belt.” He raises an eyebrow. “Did I ever tell you I used to fly ships on Pleno? All that’s stopping me is the lack of a mating bond, and,” he smiles again, “here you are. Like I said. You’re just the person we’re looking for.”
Belfox appears in the cave opening. “Herrix,” he growls. “We talked about this. I won’t take the woman against her will.”
Bonus points for Liorax and Zunix. They’ve pegged the men perfectly. Herrix is an amoral wannabe rapist, while Belfox still appears to have some integrity.
Then again, all the Draekons want to get off this world pretty badly. What’s one teeny-tiny rape going to matter against that? I’m not holding out hope for Belfox’s honor. Not for long.
But will it be long enough to give Zunix and Liorax a chance to find me?
The two men start to argue. I listen intently, trying to figure out what they’re saying, and look around for a rock at the same time. There’s one, almost within reach. Are they distracted enough by their conversation that I can grab it?
A flutter of movement in the corner of my eye distracts me. My heartbeat speeds up as Herrix, moving faster than I’d think possible, grabs me and yanks me to my feet, holding me against his chest and pressing a knife to my throat. “Show yourself,” he snarls. “Or I kill her.”
Liorax and Zunix saunter out. “Don’t be ridiculous, Herrix,” Zunix says calmly. “How stupid do you think I am? You need Olivia alive to pilot the ship through the asteroid belt.”
Liorax, with a grim expression on his face, pulls out his bow and lines up an arrow. “Let her go,” he says.
“Put down your bow, or I’ll slit her throat,” Herrix warns.
“If she is harmed, you will die,” Liorax retorts. His knuckles are white as he grips the bow tightly, but his hands are steady.
We’re at a stalemate.
Herrix realizes that too. “I’ll make you a deal,” he says, a thread of desperation in his voice. “You transformed when you saw her too. You take her. Complete the bond.” He gives the two Draekons a persuasive look. “There’s room for four on the Cloakship.”
Damn it. That’s one way out of the impasse.
Except, the thought of Liorax and Zunix leaving sends a stab of pain through me, sharp and hot and jagged.
Love is about making the hard choices, Liv.
“You should take the deal,” I call out, the knife edge of Herrix’s blade at my throat. “Think about it. I’d be alive, and you’d be free to leave the prison planet.”
“No,” Liorax says at once. His eyes bore into me. “What did I tell you, little human? Leaving is meaningless if you’re not there with us. I won’t trade one form of exile for another.”
I swallow hard. They’re choosing me. They’re voluntarily opting to stay on the prison planet because of me.
If we all get out of this alive, I’m going to jump them so hard.
“We won’t pilot your ship. We won’t stand by and watch you take Olivia,” Zunix says to Herrix. “There’s only one way out.”
Belfox lifts his head hopefully. He hadn’t wanted to rape me. I get the sense that he’s as trapped by this situation as I am. Well, not exactly. I do have a knife to my throat, after all. “What’s that?” he asks Zunix.
“You’re not going to get everything you want, and neither will we,” he says. “Let Olivia go, and we will let you fly your ship out of here. Take your chances with the asteroid belt. You are Draekon. The mutation lives within you. For all I know, you might succeed.”
“We’re not going to do that,” Herrix snaps, but his knife wavers slightly.
“That’s your only option, Herrix,” Zunix continues calmly. “We will trade Olivia’s life for your lives and your freedom. Choose wisely.”
“You might shoot us once we let her go,” Belfox says.
Liorax shakes his head. “You have my word as the Firstborn of Laris. If she is unharmed, you can leave here.”
The silence stretches out. Finally, Herrix breaks it. “Fine,” he snaps. “Take your pathetic, useless human.”
He pushes me toward them, and I stumble, but Liorax is there to catch me. He circles me in his arms and faces his kinsman. “You would have taken her by force,” he says coldly. “You are an affront to everything I believe in, Herrix. You stain the name of the House of Laris.”
Zunix grips his own bow. His eyes are wary, watchful. “Leave.”
The two men back into the cave. I hear the roar of engines, and then a long, red ship with a narrow body and sleek wings flies out. It hovers outside for a second, and then it streaks off into the sky. I watch it until it’s no longer visible. “Do you think they’ll get away?”
Liorax takes a deep breath. “I don’t care,” he replies. He pulls me against his chest and wraps his arms tightly around me. “What were you thinking?” he scolds, the sheer relief in his voice taking away the sting of his words. “When I saw Herrix with a knife to your throat, I was terrified, Olivia.”
“You could have got away.” They gave up their freedom for me.
“No.” Zunix places his fingers on my chin and tilts my face up. He brushes a soft kiss on my lips. “What kind of men would we be if we took our freedom at the cost of yours?”
“I love you, Olivia,” Liorax says. “I can’t imagine a life without you. Leaving was never an option.”
I cling to them for a few minutes. Finally, the other events of the day push back to the forefront. “What’s going on at camp? I snuck away at the start of Dariux’s speech.”
Zunix’s lips twist. “He has convinced everyone that Arax means to demand their deaths for daring to attack him. The entire camp believes that Dariux is negotiating with the Firstborn for their lives. In the meanwhile, Bolox and Narix are guarding the two Draekons, and this time, with orders not to let anyone in, no matter how perfect their breasts.” His eyes rake over the aforementioned body part, and I shiver at the arousal in his eyes.
“Rezzix is flying to the other Draekon camp,” Liorax adds. “He’s supposed to tell them that Arax is unharmed, and if they want to keep it that way, they surrender Raiht’vi.”
Fuck. What a mess. “Will they?”
Zunix shakes his head grimly. “Arax says no. I believe him.”
“This means war, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” Liorax admits reluctantly. “If we can’t find a way to head it off, Draekon will fight against Draekon.”
What does Dariux want that badly that he’s willing to risk this kind of death and destruction? I don’t understand what could possibly be that importa
nt. “So what now?” I ask them.
“We wait. It will take Rezzix a few hours to reach their camp, and it will take them longer to respond. Nothing will happen until tomorrow or the day after.”
It’s the calm before the storm. And if we have the rest of the day and the night to ourselves, I know exactly how I’m going to spend the time. “We should start walking back to camp,” I murmur. “And maybe we go back to your house and pick up where we left off this morning?”
Zunix meets my eyes. “Arax said that when he left his camp, only four Draekons had transformed. Which means that if we complete the bond, our numbers will be evenly matched. Six under Dariux’s control, six for Arax.”
My lips curl into a smile. They had a chance to leave the prison planet, and they stayed. For me. “Is that why you want to sleep with me?” I tease the two of them.
Liorax smothers a laugh. He places my hand over his erection. “What do you think?” he murmurs.
A hot shaft of desire pierces me. “If that’s your way of asking me to put out,” I whisper, “I’m totally on board.”
24
Olivia:
Zunix rips off my shirt the moment I walk into his living room. Once it’s off, I attack him with just as much fervor, our bodies colliding in raw need. I rake my fingernails down his bronzed chest, gripping his tattooed biceps as his lips meet mine. He pauses a moment, catching my forearm with a little noise of worry. My wrists are red and sore from where I was tied up.
“You’re hurt.”
“No.” I shake my head, desperate to get back to jumping his Draekon bones. I’ve waited months for this. “I’m fine.”
“Let me see.” Liorax takes my other wrist, frowning at the chafe marks.
“Seriously, guys, it doesn’t hurt.” I shuck off my pants, and though the guys follow my movements with hungry eyes, I can see they’re ready to halt proceedings in order to care for my teeny tiny rope burn.
Time to bring out the big guns. Or, in my case, the big girls.
“Please,” I say breathlessly, tossing my hair back. I prowl toward both of them and shamelessly press my breasts against them. “If you’re not inside me in the next few minutes, I’m going to explode—”
With a growl, Liorax lifts me in the air. I wrap my legs around his waist and cling to him. Zunix tugs my hair. “Teasing us, Olivia? Do you think that we’re so easily distracted by your magnificent breasts?”
“They are breathtaking,” Liorax murmurs in agreement. “But we’re onto you, Olivia.” His lips twitch. “We should teach you a lesson.” His large hand finds one ass cheek and squeezes, hard.
“Yes, yes, yes,” I pant, my hips rocking against him. I’m so ready. “Take me, punish me, just don’t stop.”
Liorax heads for the couch, and Zunix shakes his head. “Not here.” He leads the way up the stairs to a higher level in the treehouse. Curtains part in the doorway, revealing a dimly lit room beyond. It’s dark and quiet, with a large platform and a thick pallet covered in cool, white blankets. Trust Zunix to have a proper bed on the prison planet.
The big Draekon sets me down and turns me to him. “Draekons mate for life,” he says. He’d warned me once, and I’d hesitated, but not anymore. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do with the rest of my life, but I know—without a shadow of a doubt—that there’s no one I’d rather spend it with than these two men. “Olivia, will you become ours? Will you be our mate?”
Hell yeah. “Yes. Please.” I push Zunix onto the bed. He goes down willingly, and I straddle him.” Let’s do it now.”
His eyes heat. He drags my hips forward so his cock is nestled between the slick folds of my pussy. I grind against him while I squeeze my breasts and pinch my nipples. “So impatient, Olivia,” he chides.
“Can you blame me?”
A hand at my back tips me forward. “First a matter of your punishment,” Liorax says, and gives my ass a smack. Heat coils in my belly at the firm stroke, and I push my ass into Liorax’s hand, wordlessly asking for another.
“What am I being punished for?” I turn my head and meet Liorax’s gaze. “I’m not protesting, mind you. Just curious.”
“Running heedlessly into danger,” he says. His voice turns serious. “I cannot stand the thought of losing you, little human.”
I wriggle my bottom at the long-haired Draekon. I’m too stubborn to admit it, but yeah, following Herrix and Belfox hadn’t been my smartest move. “I’m not going to change who I am.”
“We’re not asking you to.” Zunix gives me a steady look. “We’re stronger together, Olivia. Take us along.”
I swallow hard, emotion forming a tight lump in my throat. “I can do that.”
Liorax massages my ass and mock-spanks it again. “Hey,” I say indignantly, leaning forward so that my breasts dangle over Zunix’s face. “What’s that one for?”
He chuckles. “Because your ass is perfect,” he admits. “Should I stop?”
I’m about to reply when Zunix distracts me. Craning his neck, he nuzzles my girls and nips at my swollen tips. I inhale sharply as he closes his mouth over my nipple, sucking it into his mouth. He wraps his arms around me, locking me close as he worships my breasts.
Behind me, Liorax spreads oil into the cleft of my bottom. His finger circles my puckered hole, sending little flutters of arousal through me. When he delves inside, the sensation is so naughty, I moan.
Liorax takes his time stretching me, adding fingers until he decides I’m ready. Zunix is content to kiss me, claiming my lips, sucking on my neck, and always circling back to my breasts. I grind against his cock, but he resists my attempts to straddle it, shaking his head in amusement at my impatience.
By the time Liorax is done, I’m mindless with need. “Now,” I beg.
“You want this?” Zunix drags his cock against my folds, nudging at my entrance. Finally.
I’m pretty sure it’s perfectly obvious that I want them. I’m crazy about them. Why are they driving me insane like this?
Umm, Liv? You might want to tell them.
I reach behind me to lace my fingers in Liorax’s. “I love you both,” I whisper. “I thought I could play the two of you against Herrix and Belfox. I didn’t expect to fall in love.”
“Why did you?”
I brush a kiss against Zunix’s lips. There are a thousand reasons I fell in love with them. Because they see me. Not just the boobs. I’m a person to them. Because Liorax trusted me when he wagered that I would beat Herrix. Because Zunix trusted me when he told me about the Firstborn. “If I tell you why,” I murmur, “we’d be here all night.” I move my fingers from Liorax’s hand to his cock, closing my hand around the base of his hard shaft and squeezing gently. “Take me.” I narrow my eyes in warning. “Unless you want me to go shake my girls at someone else…”
My words trail off in a hiss as Zunix slams his cock into me. “Never,” he growls possessively. “You belong to us, Olivia. And we belong to you.”
“Our mate.” Liorax taps two fingers against my sensitive back hole, and then his cock replaces his fingers. “Breathe out, little human,” he tells me and eases in when I do.
Oh wow. Oh fuck. They start to move, and I really can’t think or speak. Two cocks slide inside me, rubbing just the right way. My nipples are tight with need, my orgasm coiled and ready to go.
“Ready?” Liorax asks. Zunix is already moving, stroking deep. It feels so good, I can hardly take it, but I don’t want it to stop. I want more.
“Yes,” I gasp, and Liorax starts to move, slowly at first, and then faster as I get used to his girth. It’s amazing and overwhelming, and I don’t have words to describe it. Our bodies grow slick with sweat, and I ride one orgasm after another, sobbing as wave after wave of pleasure washes over me.
“Olivia,” Zunix groans, his body stiffening and his face contorting with desire as he climaxes. Behind me, Liorax growls in my ear as he finds his release.
Sandwiched between two hard, pumping bodies, I feel like
I’m flying. No wonder Paige had only lasted three weeks. I completely understand.
Then their bodies go rigid. The transformation. They set me carefully on the bed before striding toward a curtained wall. Light floods in as they throw open the curtains and step naked onto the porch.
Wrapping a sheet around my body, I follow on shaky legs as Zunix and Liorax leap from the treehouse. I step onto the balcony just in time to see their bodies twist and contort in the air, bronzed backs widening and arms stretching as their skin turns to scales.
Dragons. The mating bond is complete.
Zunix turns a green gold, while Liorax’s scales are a deep midnight blue. I grip the railing, my heart beating faster as my two mates throw back their heads and roar into the air.
Six against six. If war comes, we’re evenly matched now, yet that thought doesn’t give me any pleasure. There’s got to be a way to avoid bloodshed.
25
Liorax:
The next afternoon, three huge shadows fill the sky. Dragons. One of them is Rezzix—his shimmering orange dragon is instantly recognizable—but the other two are strangers.
They touch down in the clearing and shimmer back to men, and the moment Dariux looks at them, his face goes red with anger. “I asked for the scientist,” he snarls at Rezzix. “What have you brought instead?”
One of the men is familiar to me. His face tugs at my memory, and I nudge Zunix. “Who is he?”
“That,” Zunix says, looking intrigued, “is Zorux und Saarex ab Rykiel. I wonder what he’s doing here.”
The two men draw themselves to their full heights. “You want hostages, Midborn?” Zorux bites off, his voice clipped and commanding. “We’re here to offer ourselves up. Send Arax and Nyx home. Thrax and I will take their place.”
“I’m not interested in the Lord of a minor holding in the Northern Wilds,” Dariux retorts angrily. “If you wish to negotiate for the Firstborn, you need to offer something of value.” He looks around and sees everyone staring at him, some with frowns on their faces. “Let us discuss this privately.”
