by Lacey Thorn
“You’ve saved a lot of people,” I murmured, remembering all I’d read about them.
“Not enough,” he muttered. “Not nearly enough.”
“I’m sorry, Tor.”
I saw such anguish on his face. It broke my heart. This was something that hadn’t been in any of the reports. They’d been the cold hard facts, painting a picture of two reckless Enforcers who acted more like machines than men. I suddenly realized there was so much more to them.
He waved off my apology. “You did your job. The same way Webb and I do every day.” He bent and grabbed his and Webb’s uniforms from the floor, holding them loosely in front of him when he looked at me again. “Take the bed, Mandy. We’ll leave you alone tonight.” He turned and put his palm on the door Webb had closed behind him. He tossed clothing inside then turned toward the door that led to the main corridor of the ship. “She gets the bed. We’ll sleep elsewhere tonight.”
Web stepped out, his uniform clutched in one big fist at his side. He took two steps toward me, pausing at the side of the bed. He glanced down at me, and for a moment, I got the impression he wanted to reach out and touch me. I almost lifted toward him, seeking that touch, which made absolutely no sense and fortunately didn’t last. He moved away, the door shutting behind him, and I was too exhausted to see if I was locked in.
My first plan for the morning would be to determine their ship’s dialogue code, so I could contact the Liege Commander. I wasn’t so sure I could remain with Webb and Tor. We’d been together mere hours, and I’d bounced through surprise, anger, annoyance, resolve, lust, shock, hurt, and even a touch of mortification. Exhaustion didn’t begin to cover my current state of mind. I was the intellectual one, not the emotional one. Never the emotional one. What the hell was happening to me?
The lights automatically dimmed then faded out. I assumed they were on a timer the same as they were in my room, the one I’d been headed to when Webb and Tor had taken me. I curled down into the bed, wrapping myself in the sheet and closing my eyes. The scents of Tor and Webb surrounded me, reminding me whose bed I was in, naked. My mind rolled with Webb’s words. It was sure to be a long night.
* * * *
I woke with a start, sitting up in bed, covers clutched to my chest. My heart galloped, and I had no idea why. Some nightmare must have haunted my sleep, but any remnants of it had already faded. I automatically turned to grab my handheld, blinking a few times when it wasn’t where I’d expected. Then again, nothing was. Even me.
Reality clicked into place, and I remembered the evening before. I had no idea what time it was or how far from my former home I was now. Worse, I had no idea where Webb and Tor were or what to expect next. More seduction? Or blame? One, I craved. The other, I deserved.
I slipped out of bed and looked around. My bag lay by the door, but I saw a shirt thrown over a chair beside the bed. I picked it up and held it to my nose. Tor. It smelled of him, and I pulled it over my head. It fell to my knees, covering me but not providing the warmth I craved.
I wanted nothing more than to have Emma or Soph close by to talk with. I was no less of a mess now than I’d been when I’d fallen into exhausted slumber.
I’d left my tablet out in the seating area by the main entrance to the shuttle. A glance around told me they hadn’t come back in with it, so I planned to slip out and back before either of them was aware I’d left this room. Hopefully, I wouldn’t set off any alarms I wasn’t aware of. Shuttles weren’t my forte, so I had no idea what protocols were in place here.
I didn’t remember what Webb had said about locking me in until I reached the door. Fortunately, he’d either bluffed or changed his mind. At my touch, it slid open soundlessly. I peeked around the doorframe and found the hallway clear. I crept out on tiptoe, pausing before passing each doorway, ears attuned for any sound.
I made it all the way to the entrance without incident, but my luck failed on the way back. Webb’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“What the hell are you doing?”
My breath seized in my lungs, and I was close to passing out when Tor answered and I realized Webb wasn’t speaking to me.
“I’m tired. We left Mandy in our bed alone hours ago. I’m going to bed.”
“I’m not sleeping in the fucking training room when we have a perfectly good bed.” Webb’s displeasure was loud and clear through the door they were behind. I guessed it was the training room he wasn’t keen on staying in.
“Then maybe you should have kept your fucking mouth shut,” Tor thundered. “Then we could have been in there with her, probably fucking for the third time.”
I heard Webb snort. “I don’t think she could handle us that many times. It was easy to see she’s not that experienced. Plus, when the head of my cock nudged her opening… I’d swear she was a virgin.”
“Inexperienced, I’ll give you,” Tor said. “But I doubt she’s a virgin. Besides, it’s a moot point now, isn’t it? Not like you didn’t blow any chance we had with her.”
“By stating the truth? So be it. If she can’t handle a few Enforcers calling her out on her analysis for this program, what’s she going to do when we reach our destination and she meets more of us who were denied based on her words?”
I opened my mouth then slammed it shut before I spoke and outed my presence in the hallway. I thought they were taking me to see the Liege Commander. Where exactly was I headed? And how many of these Enforcers would I see?
“Just don’t spew that shit around her. We’ve got a bit of a journey. Plenty of time for you to make amends with her.”
“So you can get your dick wet in some pussy for a change?” Webb jeered, and I almost gasped aloud, slapping my hand over my mouth just in time.
“Like you’re not wishing you were still between her thighs,” Tor said. “And stop being so fucking vulgar. I know what you’re doing.”
“Whatever,” Webb muttered.
“You’re not alone anymore,” Tor said softly, his words barely carrying through the door. “You’ve got me, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Tor.”
“Come here.”
I heard their bodies meet and the soft pant of breath, followed by a slow moan. I felt more like a voyeur in that moment than I had before. Even worse, I longed to be on the other side with them. Part of me was furious over their blatant conversation about me and my virginity. Part of me was nervous over our true mission and what I was heading into. But another part of me was lonely, and more than anything, I wanted someone to give me the words Tor had just given to Webb.
Chapter Five
I spent the next few hours back in the sleeping quarters, using my handheld to hack into the mainframe of their shuttle. I needed to focus on intellectual things for a while and shut down my emotions, especially since the latter only left me feeling muddled and confused.
The first thing I did was add my handprint to the security of the ship and take theirs out of a few places, namely the sleeping quarters where I was holed up. From this point forward, the entire shuttle was open to me. With a little more digging, I was able to open up the communications channel straight from my handheld. By that time, it was early morning, and I knew Command would be up and in office. Thankfully, I was put through to Liege Commander Diamato immediately
“Officer Vectors, you have news for me?”
I paused for a moment. News for him? I wanted news for me.
“No, sir. I was hoping you could give me some information.”
His brow furrowed. “What exactly is it you think I know that hasn’t been shared with you, Officer?”
“You sent Enforcers Dayes and Xantor to pick me up, sir. I’ve been working round the clock on this code, and I’m close to breaking it. Then I’m scooped up,” literally, “and told you’ve demanded my presence. What’s going on, sir?”
The Liege Commander tilted his head to the side, his brows lifting.
“Sir?” I questioned again, though I wasn’t sure whether I want
ed to hear his next words or not. The look on his face made me uneasy.
“I didn’t send anyone to pick you up, Officer Vectors. I most certainly wouldn’t have sent Enforcers Dayes or Xantor to do so. They’re needed for more important missions. Where exactly are you?”
“On their shuttle. They…picked me up last evening. We left immediately. I was told we’re headed to meet you in the Fifth Quadrant.”
What the hell was going on? I saw Tor and Webb as barbarians, throwbacks to the millennia-old cavemen of lore, but I hadn’t seen them as liars. Ever. They had too much work ethic for that. Obviously, they were both upset with me over my analysis that had kept them out of the Alpha Enforcer Squad program. But would they really take things into their own hands without consent from the Liege Commander?
“Do you feel that you’re in any danger, Officer? Do I need to send a team after you?”
“What?” I shook my head. I might not like how they’d gone about getting me aboard their shuttle, but I’d take that up with Tor and Webb. If anyone was in danger at this point, it was them. “No, sir. I’m fine.”
He gave me a speculative look. “Are you sure, Officer Vectors?”
I nodded. My virtue might be at risk. My temper definitely was. But my safety? I was certain neither man would do anything to hurt me physically. Emotionally? That was different.
“I’m sure, sir.”
“I’m going to find out exactly where you’re headed, Officer, and I’ll be there to meet you. In the meantime, keep working on that code. I need answers.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I expect you to check in with me every morning.”
“Yes, sir.”
With my final acquiescence, he cut our connection. I sat for a long moment, rolling through everything in my mind. Tor and Webb had been very matter-of-fact about where they were taking me. To meet the Liege Commander in the Fifth. So why was the Commander unaware of that?
I dove back into the inner workings of the shuttle. Their programming was set to purge both incoming and outgoing messages every two hours. My guess was it had something to do with the sensitivity of their missions. Still, it made it hard to know who’d sent them the information to get me. I remembered Webb holding his handheld next to me, comparing a picture on his device to me. Perhaps, if I could get my hands on either his or Tor’s, I could find out more. I’d ask first, but I wouldn’t count on their cooperation.
I kept digging then hit the mother load when I discovered the archives they’d acquired. It was all about the Fifth Quadrant. Information I’d never seen before, such as the fact the planetary name was Earth. I’d only known it as a prison colony, not realizing it had once been home to our ancestors. It made me wonder how much of our history had been lost when we’d first come to the stars.
Webb and Tor had firsthand accounts of places they’d been in the Fifth. Journals and books they’d found. They’d been catalogued and scanned in, with copies sent to Command to be read through and archived. I wanted to find the originals to see how they’d been bound together. At least, I had access to the scans. Page after page, some crumbling or so worn I couldn’t make out the words. I had a few programs I could use to try to piece them together, but there would be no guarantees.
I must have lost myself in the reading and research. It was a book about something called the Pony Express that had existed back in times when there were still horses and people had used them for travel. I was absorbed in the adventure, the romance of it all, and just as irritated as the riders had been about the telegraph and the change it brought. It was enlightening to think of something so archaic being a force of change once upon a time. I was ready to dive into a search for more information on the telegraph and Morse code when beating on the door startled me.
“What the fuck, Mandriella?” Webb’s voice carried through the door.
“What’s the matter?” That was Tor.
“Seems our little guest has hacked into the mainframe and locked us out of our sleeping quarters,” Webb roared loud enough I caught every syllable.
Tor’s laughter surprised me. “She is an intelligence officer who’s known for her code-breaking skills. Wise move pissing her off.”
“Open the fucking door,” Webb yelled.
“Yeah, that should work,” Tor said with a snort.
I hopped out of bed and scampered to the door. I wanted to see them and had every intention of going over what I’d found out this morning from Liege Commander Diamato. And I would have already if I hadn’t lost myself in research mode. I still wore nothing but Tor’s shirt, and I wasn’t sure it was in my best interest to open the door. It hadn’t taken much for them to seduce me the night before, and I wore almost as little this time.
Answers, I reminded myself. Right now I needed answers, to multiple questions.
I used my palm to slide the door open then stepped back as two large bodies immediately moved in. Two large, mostly naked bodies. They wore nothing but tight black trunks that covered them from their lower abs to the very tops of their thighs and did little but cup and showcase the masculine sex that lay between.
“Making yourself at home, I see,” Webb said, his gaze raking over me from head to toe.
I lifted a hand, a little self conscious.
“Looks better on you than it ever does on me,” Tor commented, one finger tugging at the sleeve of my shirt.
“Debatable,” Webb countered, and the heated look they shared singed me and made me wish I could be a part of it.
“Now, undo whatever shit you did to my shuttle,” Webb ordered.
“No.”
Tor lifted a brow at my response but said nothing, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest, completely blocking the door.
“You’ll do it now, Mandriella,” Webb continued.
“No, I won’t, and I told you to call me Mandy.”
“Yes, you will. Mandy is a girl’s name. Mandriella is a woman’s.” He stepped into me, giving me no quarter as I tried to back away, only stopping when the backs of my thighs hit the bed. “And you are all woman.” He brushed a finger down my cheek.
“I—”
“Shh.” He moved the finger over my lip. “I’m…sorry.”
I could tell by the way he said it that it wasn’t a word he was familiar with uttering.
“You were right,” I admitted.
He nodded. “I am. But as Tor pointed out, you were doing your job. The same way Tor and I do. It’s not your fault you made a bad judgment call.”
Tor coughed, but I got the impression he was trying to hide a laugh. Yeah, apologies weren’t Webb’s thing.
“Look,” I began. “We need to talk.”
Webb shook his head. “No, that’s what got us in trouble to begin with.” He gripped my waist and lifted me. I automatically clutched for his shoulders and wrapped my legs around his waist. He tumbled us both to the bed, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tor uncross his arms and move forward.
“Webb?” he questioned.
“No words,” Webb ordered. “For a little bit. Just a little bit. I want us to get lost in feeling.” He brushed those fingers over my skin, his thumb grazing my nipple where it poked against the front of Tor’s shirt. “Let me make you feel good, Mandriella. Let us. Let us make you come.”
Tor stood at the side of the bed now, watching my face avidly as if it held the key to everything he wanted to know. And maybe, it did at the moment. His certainly told me something. Hunger and sexual need was reflected in the ruddiness of his cheeks, in the thick staff that now filled his trunks. But there was more. A need I was afraid to delve into was reflected in his gaze, a desire for something more than what he already had.
I wanted to fulfill that need for him, and I was selfish enough to admit I wanted the woman paired with these two to be me. I knew it would never happen. I was intelligence, not an Enforcer. If Webb and Tor were allowed into the program, they’d be paired with a female Enforcer.
The mere thought
made me want to howl. Something visceral came alive inside me, and I wanted to mark them as mine. Score their skin with my nails, bathe them in my essence as a warning to keep all others away. Stupid. Unreasonable. And it would do absolutely nothing to avoid the inevitable outcome. Webb, Tor and I would never have a future. We could have right now, though.
Following Webb’s order of no words, I reached for him instead, pulling his mouth to mine and gladly surrendering control.
Chapter Six
My hands wrapped around Webb’s neck as he sucked my tongue into his mouth. He skimmed his fingers up my sides and only lifted my palms away when he broke our kiss. Tor’s shirt was pulled over my head and tossed aside. Tor leaned in and grasped my wrists, keeping them above my head, my back arched so my breasts were lifted toward Webb.
His mouth skimmed over my throat, his hands touching every inch of my flesh he could as he moved lower, until his firm lips wrapped around my nipple. My moan of pleasure was swallowed by Tor as he bent over me, his nose brushing my chin as we kissed.
Webb shifted lower until his breath caressed the folds of my sex. I remembered the last time he was there and how good he’d made me feel. My cream coated my folds as lust rode me hard. I knew what his tongue felt like, the plunge of his fingers, and I craved them as if they were my drug of choice.
