by Rachel Clark
“Anyway, I told her I’d help her in the kitchen. Ruth says she’ll teach Abby how to cook, even if it kills her.” He smiled and laughed softly, and G’baena felt tears gather behind her eyes. Del seemed so happy, and she couldn’t think of anyone who deserved it more.
“What happened with Keytark?”
He shrugged, and G’baena wondered if the casualness was real or feigned. His overall mood suggested that, whatever happened, he wasn’t overly concerned, but she still wanted Del’s version of events. She knew from Tee-ani’s reports that things went smoothly, and now she wanted to know how Del felt about it.
“Not much,” he said, as he leaned against the doorframe and crossed his ankles. “I pulled the tooth, it started flashing like there was a light in it or something, and then a few moments later, Keytark asked me if Ben and Trey were real slavers. I said yes, and then the tooth sort of melted. Tee-ani put it in a vacuum seal in case Devlin wanted to have a look at it later.”
He shrugged again. “Anyway, Abby sure knows how to mess things up when she tries, so I think having me in the middle might stop Ruth and Abby from killing each other in the kitchen.” He grinned as he said it, so she was fairly certain he wasn’t talking literally. “And besides, you totally need a shower. I don’t think I’ve smelled something that bad in, like, forever.” Laughing harder, he left the room before she could swat him one.
* * * *
Kam stayed so long hovering over Flynn and the girls, explaining every gadget, communication device, and control, that they’d finally grown tired of him and kicked him out. Flynn had smiled knowingly, and he wondered just how much the woman understood about his relationship with Devlin and G’baena. He suspected Flynn knew a whole lot more about life than even G’baena gave her credit for.
He ran into a couple of friends on the way back to G’baena’s quarters, but both gave him a wide clearance and promised to speak to him after he’d bathed. He didn’t even want to think about how badly the cramped quarters they’d lived in for twelve days smelled. Judging by the crew’s reaction, he guessed it was pretty awful.
He rounded a corner and almost walked straight into Devlin heading in the opposite direction. Devlin smiled and reached out a hand to steady them both.
“I just have to speak to the captain, and then I’ll meet you at G’baena’s quarters.” Devlin touched his finger to the dark circles under his own eyes. “I’m looking forward to three days’ solid sleep with you and G’baena in my arms.” He leaned over and kissed Kam softly. “I’ll meet you in the shower,” he promised as he walked away.
Kam was a little surprised to find G’baena alone.
“Where is Del?”
“Apparently, young Abby is in need of his company, and she smells much nicer.”
Kam smiled, relieved to hear that Del had taken G’baena’s absence well. “Shower?” he asked, as he held out his hand.
“Absolutely,” she said, grasping his fingers. “Something tells me we could really use one.”
* * * *
“What happened with G’tarvey? How did he get through your scrutiny, G’ntriel?”
He didn’t really want to yell at the woman, but fear and relief and exhaustion were all combining to make him feel just a little bit nuts.
“He didn’t,” Jordan said quietly. “G’ntriel suspected that G’tarvey might choose the path he took, but it wasn’t really in his personality to do something so bold.”
“So what tipped him from timid person to megalomaniac?”
“Ah, that’d be me.” A soft laugh sounded behind him, and he turned in time to see Sarah shrug. “He demanded my obedience, I broke his nose. It was a whole big thing,” she waved away dismissively, “but I didn’t start it.”
Jordan snagged Sarah’s hand and pulled her into his embrace.
“What my wife is trying to say is that G’tarvey had difficulty adapting to life on board and decided to blaze his own trail. We gave him the opportunity to prove us wrong, but the moment he was left alone with the raiders, he stole one and took off.”
“Unfortunately for our G’trobian friend, he chose the one with lots of tiny little parts missing,” G’ntriel said with a wide smile and a song in her voice. “Guess you’ll be needing these back.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a collection of small pieces, all critical parts from the attacking and defensive weaponry on board the raiders.
“Hell, no.” He laughed tiredly. “You can put it back together yourself. I’m going to shower and then sleep for the next three days. Where is G’tarvey now?”
“Our newest—and most spectacular—failure as a slave trader currently resides in one of the holding cells,” Sarah said triumphantly.
“We’ll figure out what to do with him later,” Jordan assured Devlin. “Go get some rest. We’ll let you know if anything important happens, but until then, consider yourself on leave.”
“Enjoy your honeymoon,” G’ntriel said as he walked passed her.
Honeymoon? Well, it was, in a way. He planned to claim both G’baena and Kam, but he wanted it to be special, something they would all remember fondly. He desperately needed sleep, but he’d talk to the captain soon about claiming his mates in the human tradition as well.
The debriefing had taken longer than he’d hoped, and he found Kam and G’baena asleep in each other’s arms. They both looked as exhausted as Devlin felt, so he headed straight for the shower and tried to stay upright long enough to get clean. When he was done, he slid under the covers, pulled Kam’s back tight against his front, and rested his hand on G’baena’s belly. Both snuggled closer a moment before sleep claimed him.
Chapter Sixteen
Kam lifted the weight rhythmically, working the upper arm, stomach, and pectoral muscles. He was pushing himself hard, but couldn’t help it. No matter how many times Devlin reassured him, he still felt like he wasn’t pulling his weight.
At least when he’d been with the other displaced sons, there had been a need for his weapons skills, but Jordan had worked hard to separate the ship’s pirate activities from the innocents now living on board. They still appropriated medicines and other wealth from corrupt governments, but they accomplished it by stealth and infiltration rather than brute force.
It wasn’t quite as economical, but it did mean the women and children living on board this vessel weren’t placed in the line of fire unnecessarily.
Kam had spent the last three weeks training and honing his skills, hoping that Jordan would send him on one of the missions. So far, the captain hadn’t given him the chance, but Kam continued training and worked out and honed his weapons skills and tried to stay out of everyone’s way.
He glanced down at the plain silver band on his finger. Devlin had claimed him and G’baena in both the G’trobian tradition and the human wedding ceremony officiated by the ship's captain. He loved and was loved in return, so he should be happier than ever, but he just couldn’t shake the melancholy.
So he worked out and, for the most part, avoided contact with everyone else.
“Kam?” Her voice was so sweet, and she sounded so worried for him that he wanted to grab a hold of her and never let go. “Do you want to talk about Ky?”
Grief he hadn’t even known he was carrying squeezed his chest hard. Tears rolled down his face at the mention of his brother, and G’baena rushed into his arms. He held her close, rocking them both, taking comfort from her unassuming presence.
Goddess, he missed his brother with every breath.
She held him as he cried, never once turning away or trying to stop him, and he loved her all the more for her understanding. He hadn’t had the chance to grieve until now, and these weeks of inactivity had hit him harder than he’d realized.
“Well, well, well, what a touching scene.”
G’tarvey stood in the doorway, a strange looking weapon pointed at them both. Kam hurriedly pushed G’baena behind him.
“And might I say, quite fortuitous for me. I thought I was go
ing to have to leave without making a profit, but now I might even get a big reward from Keytark for returning his rarest slave.” He stepped closer, sneering as Kam shifted to keep himself between G’baena and the gun.
“Go start that transport pod, little slave, or your lover boy here is going to discover just how good of an engineer I really am.” He waved the strange looking weapon at them both, growling impatiently for G’baena to do as she was told.
“Go fuck yourself, asshole,” his spitfire of a wife yelled, as she tried to look around him. Kam held her against his back, determined to protect her from all threats—including her own temper. Goddess, had she been taking lessons from Sarah?
G’tarvey stepped even closer, his face twisted in anger as he yelled all the horrible things he would do to G’baena once he got her alone. Kam felt her anger and her determination grow as G’tarvey spewed the words, spit bubbles foaming his lips as he slipped into madness.
His head practically wobbled on his shoulders, his eyes wild as he leveled the weapon at Kam’s chest. G’tarvey’s hand shook, and Kam realized the man had no plan. He was as likely to shoot Kam as he was to leave him alive.
Kam pushed G’baena toward the transport pods as he lunged forward, taking G’tarvey by surprise. “Go,” he yelled, hoping G’baena would understand. Kam slammed his fist into the man’s jaw at the same time a loud sound rang out and a sudden stinging heat skimmed his temple.
His vision blurred as blood trickled into his eyes, giving everything a green haze, but he kept hitting G’tarvey as they went down. The man screeched, the sound deafening, and then attacked from below, clawing and scratching and trying to hit Kam with the strange weapon. Kam scrambled to keep up, the man’s madness giving him unnatural strength.
Kam finally managed to pin both of G’tarvey’s hands to the deck plate, but the man continued to kick out, bucking wildly. Kam had no choice but to press down harder, letting his full weight press against G’tarvey’s chest, restricting the man’s ability to breath.
Eventually, G’tarvey’s movements slowed and finally stilled. Kam lifted slightly, letting the man breathe shallowly, unwilling to kill someone who was so obviously ill. Kam had heard of a degenerative genetic disorder that caused severe mental breakdown and eventual madness. He’d never seen someone in the advanced stages, but he suspected that was what he was dealing with here.
The door between the hall and the cargo bay exploded open with a loud boom, and Devlin and several of their shipmates entered with their weapons drawn. Devlin took one look at the man on the ground before stepping over him and pulling Kam roughly into his embrace.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Kam said, wiping blood out of his eyes with the back of his hand.
“Bae should be inside the transport pod,” Devlin said with a smile. Kam was embarrassed to say that he’d lost sight of her while he’d been fighting G’tarvey, so he was very relieved to hear that she’d done what he’d hoped—called for help and stayed hidden.
Devlin hugged him close as he pulled him toward the small transport pod. G’baena opened the door and flew into Kam’s arms.
“You’re hurt,” she said immediately. “I’ll tell Tee-ani we’re on our way.”
“No need,” he said, shaking his head. “I mean, yes, contact Tee-ani and tell her that I think G’tarvey may be suffering the later stages of Pjardlee Syndrome.” Her eyes widened at his words, but she nodded, turned to the console, and spoke briefly to Tee-ani. Then she moved back to him, medic kit in hand. He held up his own hands to forestall her. “It’s nothing. Really, just a scratch.” She didn’t look convinced, and Devlin’s arm tightened around his waist. “Really, it’s stopped bleeding already.”
“At least let me clean it up,” she said in exasperation, as she stepped back into the pod. Devlin propelled him into the small craft, pushed him into the pilot’s seat, and left the pod briefly to speak to the others as they dealt with G’tarvey. He was back before G’baena had finished cleaning Kam up. Thankfully, Kam’s injury really had stopped bleeding.
“Damn,” Devlin growled, as he looked at the damaged skin. “He used a projectile weapon. A couple inches lower and this would’ve killed you.” Devlin turned and hit the door mechanism.
“Home now,” he growled, “both of you.” He leaned over the pilot’s seat and punched the communications button. “Jordan, G’tarvey used a projectile weapon. I’m grounding all transport ships until I can find the damn bullet.”
“Do you want me to send some of the men back to help you look?”
“No,” Devlin snarled. “I’ll find it, but I have something I need to do first.”
Jordan sounded suspiciously jovial when he told Devlin to take as long as he needed. Devlin turned back to Kam and G’baena with a scowl on his face, but the look softened when he saw their expressions. G’baena seemed as startled by Devlin’s behavior as Kam felt.
“God, I could’ve lost you both,” Devlin said, almost as if he was talking to himself. G’baena moved into his arms, Kam right behind her. Devlin wrapped his arms around them both.
They stayed that way, just holding each other for a long time. Kam could feel the fine tremors rippling through Devlin’s strong frame and felt truly humbled that he was so important to this man.
“I love you,” Kam said as he lifted his face to kiss Devlin softly. After a breathless moment, Devlin’s lips crushed against his, his tongue demanding entry, his mouth laying claim.
“I need you,” Devlin whispered breathlessly against his mouth. “Both of you,” he said as he grabbed G’baena’s hand and hustled them out of the cargo bay.
* * * *
The trip back to their quarters took far longer than it should have, the passion and need explosive as they kissed and hugged and damn near made love in the corridor. Heat flooded G’baena as both of her men held her tight, her feet barely touching the ground as they rushed the final few meters to their rooms.
When the door finally slid closed behind them, Devlin lifted her into his embrace, pressed her against the wall, and feasted on her mouth like a starving man. Over and over, his tongue plunged into her mouth, taking, claiming, demanding.
She whimpered her need as his denim-clad cock pressed against the juncture of her thighs, the sensation sharp, almost unbearable. He tore his mouth from hers, breathing hard, twisting his upper body to Kam, his groin still pressed tight against her. She watched her men kiss frantically, the awkward position pushing her harder against the wall, the small pain overwhelmed by her arousal.
“I could’ve lost both of you,” Devlin said again, his anguish, his fear filling the room. He dropped his head to G’baena’s shoulder, his lips kissing the mark he’d left there when he’d claimed her. She shivered as his agony swept through her, too.
G’baena felt Kam’s hand touch her face, realizing that the ragged emotions weren’t only from Devlin. Kam’s terror rippled through him as the reality of what could have happened sunk into his mind.
Devlin held her steady as he stepped away. Kam quickly filled the space, his mouth seeking hers, his touch rough, his hands shaking. “I love you, little one,” he whispered as he ground his cock against her, the motion magnified by Devlin pressed against his back.
Goddess, she was practically on the verge of orgasm and they were all still fully clothed.
“Clothes,” she whimpered, uncertain that they’d heard her. A moment later, Kam pulled her toward him, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his hips. He took the half dozen steps to the bed and then lowered her carefully to the mattress.
She lay on the bed watching as both of her men slowly stripped each other of clothing. She tried to wriggle out of her own clothes, but a stern look from Devlin stopped her, so she lay there panting, her arousal ratcheting ever higher as Devlin and Kam touched and caressed each other.
She moaned at the beautiful sight. Both of their cocks stood proud, pre-cum glistening at the tips. She wanted desperately to sit up and
take them into her mouth, but she’d barely moved when they broke apart and Kam glared at her. He still wore a slight smile, but she suspected she might be about to get that lecture she’d been half expecting.
“We need to speak about what you said in the cargo bay.”
Devlin looked surprised, and he turned to Kam, an eyebrow raised in question.
“Seems our girl has quite a temper,” Kam said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Instead of staying behind me when G’tarvey threatened her, she managed to yell abuse over my shoulder.”
“Really?” Devlin asked. He didn’t look as upset as she thought he would. His strongest emotion still seemed to be a mixture of fear and relief, but she could sense something else in him, as well. “What did you yell, baby girl?”
She swallowed hard, wondering what to say. Kam already knew what she’d said, so even if she didn’t tell Devlin, Kam surely would.
“I…” She had to swallow before she could continue. “I told him to go fuck himself.” She dropped her gaze downward, uncertain what she wanted them to say. She’d yelled at G’tarvey in a moment of pure temper, and it seemed now she would need to explain her actions to her mates.
Devlin laughed. Her eyes flew to his face, surprised to find a broad smile. He seemed almost proud of her. Kam, however, was a different story. He looked even more displeased now that Devlin was laughing.
Devlin hugged Kam to him. “Sorry, Kam,” Devlin said, still smiling, “but that is the price we pay for giving them choices. It would be so much easier if women just knew when to shut up and let their men protect them.”
“Hey.” G’baena frowned, scrambling off the bed to confront Devlin’s attitude. She’d never heard him speak in such chauvinistic tones. “You are the one who told me I was free to make my own choices.” She poked him in the chest to punctuate her anger. “You are the one who told me I could learn from the women on this ship.” She could feel her temper rising as he smiled and laughed just a little harder. “And you are the one who taught me how to defend myself.”
