He couldn’t wait for the final bond that would tie them all together. It would also bond them in such a way that they could communicate telepathically. Right now, he had to guess at what she wanted. He couldn’t wait for the final bonding ceremony that would tie them all together in heart, mind, and body.
“Yes, sir. We do know that you would kill for your mate, as would the rest of us.” Jarrod cleared his throat. “For the record, I don’t care what species my mate is as long as Darin and I can find her. This waiting is driving me mad.”
Benjin grunted. “I’d be happy to find any mate. At least you know who your triad mate is. I don’t even have that.”
“I feel for you, friend,” Jarrod said with a bow, then turned his attention back to Lorcan. “My official report is, yes, Kalb had a mate on board who died almost immediately after he did, and there are two more elitists they conferred with through communications links, but they were always in common areas. I have no idea who the other two are.” Jarrod lowered his gaze to stare at the floor. “I apologize for my failure, Captain.”
Lorcan stretched out, crossed his legs and leaned his head back with a sigh. “It’s not your failure, Jarrod. Kalb and his cohorts have covered their trails well. It’s just as I expected.”
“What do you think, Benjin? Do you have any ideas?” He straightened in his seat and gave the navigator a level stare. “Have you seen anyone acting suspicious lately?”
Benjin shook his head. “No, sir. I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary.” The man stared down at the console in front of him, his hands flying over the flat screen before him.
“Keep your eyes and your ears open, will you. There are at least two more elitists on board, and as long as they remain anonymous, our guests are in danger.” He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t understand why they can’t accept the fact that we need this influx of DNA. I also can’t figure out why they can’t see that a species that is only one chromosome from being one of us without the final bonding is a godsend.”
“It’s most likely because they can’t get past the fact that they think them animals. According to our scans, the apes on Earth are just as closely related to the humans there, but none of them would ever contemplate breeding with them.”
Lorcan spun around in his seat and scowled. “If anyone else on this ship had said that, Tarin, I would have killed them for an elitist spy.”
Tarin stood in the doorway, his arm around their mate on his left and leading the other two women. He looked down, glad to see that Tarin had designed shoes for them all. The last thing he wanted was a bunch of barefoot women running about stubbing their toes on things.
“Do I look worried?” Tarin asked with a grin, raising one dark brow as though challenging him to try to kick his ass.
Lorcan was sorely tempted to do just that, but he stayed in his seat. The women had already been subjected to enough violence since they brought them on board. He didn’t want to expose them to more.
Standing, he stretched then turned to his men. “Whoever the elitists are, we must keep the women safe.” Holding out his hand, he motioned Tarin closer. “Dana, my mate, this is Jarrod Bergen, he is connected to Darin, the doctor, the same way Tarin and I are connected, and the other man is Benjin.” He didn’t tell her of their duties. There was time enough for that later.
Dana’s cheeks turned pink. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
“It is an honor to meet you, lady.” Jarrod stood and bowed formally.
“Yes, lady,” Jarrod moved away from his console just long enough to bow. “It is an honor to meet you.” His gaze shifted to the other two women. “And your companions.”
“Oh!” Her color deepened as she turned to the other women. “This is Amelie and Fleur.”
Amelie stepped forward, her chin in the air. “I am Madame Amelie Babineau”—pausing, she waved toward her step-daughter—“and this is my daughter, Mademoiselle Fleur Babineau. We are ladies and we insist you treat us as such.”
Lorcan pressed his lips together, knowing if he laughed, it would only set the woman off on a longer tirade. He was certain whoever mated Amelie would never be bored.
“Maman Amelie, there is no need to be rude. These gentlemen have been all that is kind to us.”
The older woman turned to her stepdaughter with a frown. “Are you folle? These men have kidnapped us. Taken us from our homes. Now how will we get to the frontier where we will find large and handsome husbands?”
“No, I am not crazy, Maman Amelie. I think with a sound mind.” She pointed to her head. “These men search for wives. Perhaps we are here by the grace of God.”
That declaration gave Amelie pause. “They search for women to marry?” Narrowing her eyes, she glared at Jarrod then Benjin. “Do you search for women to marry or for the, how do you say…the painted ladies?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Benjin said with a slight bow in her direction. “We search for mates.” He paused to clear his throat. “We search for wives.”
“Bah!” Amelie threw her hands in the air. “What good are husbands when we are no longer at home? How can I visit that heifer, Yvette, and tell show her my new and handsome husband when she is so far away?” She paced the bridge, clearly agitated. “And what good is all of that beautiful money your father left us sitting in that bank in New York when we are here? Here we are peasants.”
“Perhaps your men will take you back to Earth one day, Amelie,” Dana said helpfully. “After all, my men said they wished to return to their farm.”
“Ranch,” Tarin interrupted. “We only farmed it because we didn’t want to leave animals there unattended while we returned home to prove that Earth has a viable mate population.”
“Whatever,” Dana waved her hand dismissively. “My point is, they intend to return.”
“They?” Amelie frowned. “They are both your husbands?” Her eye grew round. “You have the ménage a trois? How positively delicious!” Amelie clapped her hands. “Yvette would be so jealous. She can only find one old man who will not touch her, and I could have two.” She paused, looking at Jarrod and Benjin. “Two young and handsome men who would accompany me to tell her what a cow she is.”
She smiled for a moment then sighed. “It is a nice dream, is it not? But even I could not be so cruel to Yvette. It is not really her fault that her old and fat husband has made her such a salope.”
“Maman Amelie, such language!” Fleur gasped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth as though doing so would somehow erase the words her stepmother had said.
“What?” Amelie turned to her stepdaughter with a shrug. “It is not wrong to speak the truth. Yvette is no longer the nice girl I grew up with. She has become old and bitter.” Amelie sniffed, a tear streaking down her face. “That horrible man has ruined my sister.”
Fleur wrapped her arms around her and rubbed her back. “All will be well, Maman, you will see. We will find men amongst these people, and we shall return to our home.”
Lorcan couldn’t believe what he saw. Things couldn’t be going better. What were the odds of finding three such forward-thinking females on such an antiquated, backward planet?
He believed the correct term was astronomical.
Chapter Fifteen
Dana watched her two men as they moved around the large cabin that they shared. Each of them worked with such economy of movement, she couldn’t help but watch.
It was difficult to get used to seeing them walking around with their chests exposed and their feet bare. They removed their jumpsuits almost immediately after entering their spacious living quarters and donned black pants that looked soft, but stretched at the waist. Whatever they were, they looked comfortable in them.
Tarin moved through the cabin, adding things for her to use, such as sweet-smelling soap and other toiletry items. She watched him deposit a brush on the large chest of drawers against the wall. His muscles rippled as he moved, and she just couldn’t tire of watching him.
Turning, he caught her watching and winked. He made his chest muscles dance up and down a few times before turning back to complete his self-appointed task.
She felt her face heat. She found that she loved watching them, but didn’t want them to know she did so. What was it about these two men that had her watching every move they made? She felt like the town drunk who couldn’t seem to get enough liquor, only she couldn’t seem to get enough of these two men.
Even the last two nights spent in the bonding chamber taking first one then the other into her body didn’t detract from the need she felt. Her thoughts always kept coming back to them.
Whatever it was, it was wanton. As much as she enjoyed what they did every night, her mind still rebelled during the day. It was probably a good thing something took over her mind at night. Otherwise, she may never have agreed to be with them together and now…now her thoughts turned to things that were even more unacceptable.
Now she wondered about the things Carla Sims had told her about—depraved things that a lady should never know about. Things like taking two men inside her body at the same time.
Oh, she had done that already with one in her pussy or ass and one in her mouth. Carla told her about three brothers who paid for her services all at once and required her to take all three of them at the same time.
Why did it seem so wrong, but intriguing? Why did she crave to feel her two men inside her at the same time? What would it feel like and would they think less of her if she suggested it?
Dana bit her lip and watched the two work together as though they could communicate without words. They did that often, making her wonder if they could. What would they say if she told them she wanted to make love with them in that way just once before they reached their planet?
What if this was her last chance? What if there were more people on their planet like the monster Kalb who didn’t want them to mate with the humans on their world?
Perhaps it was best if she just voiced her concerns to her mates. They may not mind taking her at the same time, and after the last few nights of making love, she wanted to know if having them both inside her at the same time would feel as good as she hoped.
According to everything they told her, they would return to Taos early tomorrow morning. She wanted to feel both of her mates inside her just once before she died. Since something told her that his people planned to kill her and the other two women, they were out of time. Tonight was the only night she had to do everything she wanted to. She only hoped she would have the courage to ask for it.
“There you go.” Lorcan came up behind her and kissed her neck. “You have everything you could possibly want right here in this room.”
Tilting her head back, Dana smiled. “I had that as soon as you two walked into the room.” Her stomach did that little flip it always did when they both gave her attention.
Tarin sat down beside her, his hand resting on her leg. It still felt strange to allow such familiarity, and the material of the jumpsuit she constantly wore was thin. It almost felt as though she wore nothing.
Warmth seeped through the thin material as they both slid their fingers up her torso to brush her nipples with their thumbs. Dana inhaled sharply. Every time their thumbs brushed the sensitive nubs, a current ran from the tips of her breasts to her womb, causing her muscles to clench.
“There is something we must tell you before the final bonding, my love.” Lorcan whispered the words in her ear. Heat filled her body, causing gooseflesh to cover her skin.
“What?” The question came out breathless, almost like a sigh.
“We haven’t been totally truthful with you, Dana.”
Uh-oh. This must be serious. They rarely used her name. They usually used some form of endearment. “About what?”
Dana’s throat began to burn. Were they going to tell her that they planned to cast her aside because she was too wanton? Tears filled her eyes at the thought that they could just throw her love away so easily.
“Is it something I did? Did I shame you in some way?” Was that her voice sounding so high-pitched and needy?
“No, love,” Lorcan said just before pressing his lips to her temple.
“You could never shame us, my beauty.” Tarin followed suit on her other side and her apprehension subsided.
“Then what have I done?”
“Nothing.” Lorcan shook his head. “We have committed an unforgivable sin, Dana. We have taken advantage of you, of your ignorance of our kind.”
Tears slid down her cheeks at his words. This was it. This was where they would tell her that she was nothing more than their whore. Shame filled her at the thought that she had enjoyed their encounters so much she had been ready to ask them to take her at the same time. At least their confession stopped her from making a fool out of herself in that particular instance.
“I–I understand.”
“I doubt that very much, Dana.” Lorcan sighed. “And it’s not what you think.”
“That’s an understatement,” Tarin said with a low growl.
They both stood and stared down at her, their expressions flat. If it wasn’t what she thought, how was she supposed to guess while they stared down at her with those blank expressions?
Forced to come to her own conclusion, Dana stood and scowled at the two men she had inexplicably fallen in love with. “Really? It’s not what I think?” She paced away from them. “How do you know what I think?” She shook her head, determined to let them have it. How could they take advantage of her? How dare they?
“Here, let me guess. You kidnapped me from my world for only God knows what and decided to while away the time with me. Why not?” She threw her hands in the air. “After all, I’m just an ignorant human from some backward planet. Now that you’ve gotten me to surrender to you, the chase is over and you’re bored. It’s time to move on to a new woman, a new conquest.”
She had heard of men like that. Her father had warned her, but their story of wanting her for their wife swayed her into bartering away the only thing she had left that she’d managed to keep her uncle from selling.
Tears streamed down her face. She sat back down and held her face in her hands, ashamed at the thought that she had sold herself more cheaply than her uncle ever could have.
“That’s not it, my love.” Tarin’s voice sounded pained, and she looked up through her tears to try and judge his sincerity.
“Then what is it?”
Lorcan raked his fingers through his hair. “We are the same kind of monsters you named Kalb.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Kalb was a monster in every sense of the word. He had no conscience, and he turned into a hideous beast right before my eyes.” She shook her head. “You two are nothing like him.”
“That is where you are mistaken, my mate.” Tarin moved away from the couch where she sat and turned into a wolf before her eyes.
Dana sat speechless, her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at the beast who was once her beloved Tarin. How could he be a wolf like that beast, Kalb?
Still, something inside her had known this all along but had refused to face it. How could she be angry at them for lying to her when she had been lying to herself all of this time?
Slowly, Dana shook her head, her thoughts unable to process what she saw standing before her very eyes. “How…how can you do this?”
Her mind wanted to bolt, but her body betrayed it. Her body knew these men and knew they weren’t the monsters they claimed to be. Her very flesh knew these men would never harm her physically. Her heart should have known they would never hurt her at all. Deep down, she knew they loved her. Her heart should have reminded her of that.
“We are what our people call wolven. The best way I can think to explain it is to say that we’re half human, half wolf. Our species is near extinction. Having searched the universe for a world such as yours, we considered ourselves lucky to have found you.”
“Near extinction?” Dana watched as Tarin change
into his human form again, complete with clothing. Holding her hands in her lap, Dana twisted her fingers together as she awaited their explanation.
“Yes, love. Without you and people like you, we will eventually cease to exist.”
“Remember we told you that mates were rare.” Reaching out, he trailed a finger down her cheek.
“I remember.” She remembered getting a letter from Matthew Harker about it being difficult to find a woman to share his life with, but she had assumed it was because Matthew lived on the frontier, not because there were two of them and they were some sort of strange beasts in disguise.
“Then you can see why we thought we must hide what we are from you. On your world, people like us are called monsters.”
“Wasn’t Kalb a monster?”
“Yes, he was,” Tarin said with a nod.
“Then why would I think you or anyone like you was any different?”
Lorcan sighed and knelt in front of her. “Is it fair to judge us by what a fanatic did? Would it be fair for us to think that all humans on your world are like your uncle? Are you a greedy person who would sell a beautiful woman to another man to be his sexual slave?”
“Of course not! I don’t know how you could even think that of me.” Dana fisted her hands in her lap. She wanted to jump up and slap his face for even making such a suggestion but caught herself in time. She understood what he meant by that.
By judging them the same as Kalb, just because they were all wolven, she had done the same to them. Just as all humans weren’t bad, all of the wolven weren’t bad either.
“Then this means you still wish me to be your mate?” That was the question, wasn’t it? When they approached her to tell her their truth, she had feared they meant to tell her they no longer wanted her.
“Yes, if you’ll have us,” the two men said in unison then smiled at each other.
Turning to face her, Tarin joined Lorcan on his knees. Will you commit to the final bonding with us?”
Mail-Order Bride [Taos Wolven Mates] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 9
