by Bethany Aan
“Do not ever threaten me,” Hunter said softly. “And do not ever try to hurt me. You will not survive a second attempt.”
“Arianna deserves to be-“
“What?” Hunter thundered, using his size to intimidate her. “She deserves to be injured while trying to save the lot of you? To be attacked in the med center while sleeping, when she is sorely hurt and unable to defend herself? And now, to be attacked using another person, who also got hurt? Why did she deserve such dishonorable treatment?”
“Because you should be mine!” Amy screamed angrily. Hunter laughed at that, as did the other warriors.
“I would never choose someone like you,” Hunter sneered at her, curling his lip at the thought. “Your mental energy makes my skin crawl.” That simply, he dismissed her.
“Now, we have to do something with you,” he grunted. “We have no jail, having needed none until now. There is another way we can ensure that you learn some manners. I am taking into account that while you are considered a fully grown woman on your own world, you are incredibly young and immature by our standards. We have a rehabilitation program that is often effective. Rian and his team,” and Hunter indicated the men of which he spoke, “Are trained and highly qualified to perform this… remediation. You have this one chance to become a reasonable, adjusted member of the colony. If you do not accept Protocol, you will be put to death. I will not waste resources or manpower restraining you indefinitely. We do not do that in our society.”
“What is this program?” Amy asked, not really worried, more confused.
“I will let Rian and his team explain that to you.” He stared at her, hard. “I want you to know, going into this, that you have chosen this course by your actions. This is the only option left to you before execution. Do you understand?”
“I demand an appeal!” Amy said, tossing her hair haughtily. Hunter Read her, quickly discerning what she was asking for, getting an idea of how their justice system worked. Inefficient and wasteful, he decided. He shook his head, smiling coldly down at her.
“There is no appeal process,” he informed her. “In our society, Readers are judge, jury, and sentencer. You have already been judged guilty by two Readers, one being of your own race. Under normal circumstances, you would have been put to death immediately after your first attempt on Arianna’s life. You gave up the opportunity to act correctly, and any other rights you might have had, today when you injured and used as a weapon the only person that might have championed your cause.” He nodded toward Alicia, who was shooting daggers from her eyes at her former friend.
“Rian,” he said, turning to address his man. “Please take this… girl… and take her in hand. Do what you must, but keep her out of trouble.”
“Full Protocol?” Rian asked, his eyebrows going up. Hunter hesitated a moment, then nodded.
“If you have to. I do not wish to have to kill a human, so take whatever measures you deem necessary. But above all else, keep her away from the Commander. No contact whatsoever.”
“Aye, sir!” Rian said, his eyes showing his excitement at his mission. Hunter sensed that Rian’s team was also anticipating the coming training. As one, the four warriors moved forward and surrounded Amy’s small body. Rian looked down at her for a long moment, then grinned rather wickedly.
“You’re lovely,” he told her softly. “I hope that you remain so.”
Hunter nearly snorted at the threat, knowing full well that Rian would not harm a hair on the girl’s head. But she didn’t know that. Fear would be one of Rian’s most valuable tools to start her training. He and his men escorted the girl out of the hall then, laughing at her cries for a lawyer, for another chance, for anything but whatever was coming. Hunter winced at her mental noise then blocked her out. His men had her in hand now. He trusted Rian’s team to do what needed to be done.
The warriors that remained in the hall were watching Hunter, no judgment in their regard. He scrubbed a hand over his face, weary of having to deal with such a situation. Never had Protocol been directed for someone so young, much less from another world, but he honestly did not know what else to do about the girl, other than to take her permanently from their small society. His head started to ache with the weight of his decision.
“Sir?” Rom said softly, stepping into his view. “Do you need anything else?”
“No,” Hunter sighed, shaking his head. “You are all released. I apologize for taking you away from your evening entertainments.”
“Will Ri be okay?” Bev asked, clutching Rom’s arm. Hunter smiled gently at the concerned young woman he was quickly growing fond of. She was going to make a fine cousin, if Trey’s team ever got around to asking to formally court her.
“I’m sure she will be, though her leg will probably take longer to heal now. I don’t know.” He cocked his head to the side as he watched her. “Would you like to accompany me to the med unit, to find out?”
“Yes, sir!” Bev said eagerly. Hunter looked around, found the pile of sewing materials that Arianna had been working on, and scooped them up. It was a small, subdued group that made their way to the med center.
“Hey, Hunter, my sexy warrior! Doctor Jacie-Wacie here says I don’t have to stay here tonight,” Ri greeted him as soon as Hunter reached the med center.
She talked slowly, as though trying to focus on her words. Jace bit back a snort at her little nick-name for him. Hunter fought a smile of his own. Ri’s eyes were bright with the pain-killer, and vulnerable from the events of the evening. Hunter sensed that she was still worried about their talk last night, and a bit insecure about her position with them, still. His heart melted even more. She was so tired of being a burden, didn’t want to put them out. He admired that, even as it frustrated him.
When was she going to realize that he wanted to be put out by her? He wanted her to be his burden, their burden. She swallowed miserably, following his train of thought.
“So, hey, I was thinking about … what we talked about earlier. Me and the dorm and stuff. I just… I thought that you guys would want your privacy back. I’m not so needy that you have to entertain me every hour of the day, you know.”
“But why would we not wish to?” Jace asked, truly confused. She blinked up at him. “We are courting you,” he pointed out. “How can we do that if we spend all of our free time apart?”
She had no reasonable answer for that. It made perfect sense to her. Of course, she was rather loopy at the moment. And she wanted more than anything to be with them.
“Then… you want me with you, not with them?” she asked hesitantly. Hunter rolled his eyes in obvious exasperation.
“She may come home?” he asked his brother. Jace nodded, relief in his expression.
“I was worried she might need surgery, but the break was at the same place, so I just meshed it. She’ll be fine, as long as she stays off of it. This time, completely off of it.”
“We can ensure that if she’s at our place,” Hunter grinned. Jace nodded.
“Ri, you okay?” Bev asked softly, holding her friend’s hand. Arianna grinned lopsidedly up at Bev.
“Peachy keen, jelly bean!” Ri chortled. “You’re so sweet, Bevy. Thanks for taking care of me.”
“Any time,” Bev said, chuckling. “Go get some rest. I’ll come by tomorrow and let you know what was decided. I don’t think you’re in the right frame of mind to hear it tonight.”
“I think you’re absotutellly right,” Ri said decisively, then frowned and tried to say the word properly. Several times. By the time she got it right, they were all laughing at her efforts. She grinned drunkenly up at them.
“Let’s get you to bed, little warrior,” Hunter said tenderly. He shoved her things at Jace and scooped her into his arms, careful of her newly re-injured leg.
“Where’re we goin’?” Ri asked, her voice echoing as Hunter took her out of the med center.
“Home, little love,” he said, chuckling. “We’re going home, put you to bed.”
Thank the gods.
Bev, who had seen enough to know that Ri would be fine, grinned as Hunter bore her friend off to his quarters. Then she whirled to face Rom. She had heard what Jace said to Arianna about spending more free time with her, and she was determined that her men would do no less than their leaders, by golly!
She had Rom take her to the command center, supposedly to retrieve Arianna’s electronic book, since it appeared that she would be holed up at Hunter’s place again, getting over this newest injury. But really, the computer room was just an educated guess where she would find Trey. Rom regretfully broke off from her at a hail from a friend, but Bev continued into the command center on her own.
Quietly entering the darkened room, she crept up on Trey’s chair. He was intent on the screen in front of him, his shoulders tense with whatever he was reading. Beside him, Erik, his other team member, was peering at the very Nook she had come to get. She stopped, wondering what they were up to, then decided to just surprise them.
When she whirled Trey’s chair around, a huge grin on her face, Erik and Trey started violently, staring almost guiltily at her. What in the world? Her eyes widened in curiosity.
“What are you guys up to?” she asked, trying to see Trey’s screen. He moved to block her view. Trying to distract her, Trey took her hand tugged her down onto his lap.
“What a nice surprise, sweet Bev,” he said, leaning down to kiss her gently.
“That’s not going to work,” she laughingly told him, trying to crane her neck to see his screen as she playfully dodged his kisses. “What were you reading so intently when I came in?”
His face flushed and his eyes slid from hers. Even more curious now, Bev grinned. “Come on,” she said softly, “You can tell me. I won’t judge.”
“Why would you judge my reading material?” he asked, confused. She wrinkled her nose on a grin.
“Because I saw some of the books Ri has on that thing. She has a few that are considered ‘naughty’ in our culture. Yay for her, but most people get embarrassed if they’re caught reading that sort of thing. So… spill it! What were you reading?’’
“It was… just a sweet love story,” he stammered, then quickly whirled to try to get rid of the screen holding the story he’d transferred from Arianna’s Nook. Bev, feeling rather mischievous now, hopped up and blocked his access to the keyboard, grinning at him.
“No, no, no!” she said gleefully. “I caught you! I want to know!”
“It was nothing, I tell you,” he grumbled, wrapping his arms around her and shoving his wheeled chair from the desk as he pulled her into his lap. She settled on his thighs with a giggle, then looked up at him, offering her lips willingly for a kiss. He grinned and tried once again to use the dizzying kiss to distract her from her goal. Instead, she used her tongue to devastating effect, her hand creeping down his chest and resting on the hard ridge at her hip.
He was the one who was befuddled. So much so that he was slow to react when Bev tore herself away, grinned wickedly at him, hopped from his lap, and lunged for the computer. He gave a shout as he tried to get up and chase her, then flopped back down in the chair when she reached her goal, read a few lines, and her mouth dropped open in shock. She turned wide eyes his way, and he wished to all that was sacred that he could read emotions like Hunter. He would love to know what she was thinking, right at that exact moment. She went very still, reading a bit further. A little gasp escaped her and her breathing hitched in rate.
She cut her eyes to Erik, then back to Trey. Her face heated but her eyes took on a gleam of speculation that had Trey’s heartbeat picking up. She turned back to the screen and read some more. Trey slowly stood, silently moving to stand behind her. He and Erik looked at each other, waiting, wary.
When Bev turned back to them, her face was the color of a sunset, when red, pink, and purple mixed to form an amazing color all its own. Trey shifted to stand in front of her and Erik moved closer to her side, both of them carefully watching the pretty little lady they had decided would suit them very nicely.
She looked up at them both, obviously excited but also more than a little scared. She cleared her throat.
“That sort of story is… well, that’s a genre of book we call ‘erotica’. It’s not something everyone reads… it’s kind of a fetish thing, really…”
Trey crowded closer to her, loving the way her breath hitched and her pupils dilated at his nearness. “Explain this… erotica. And are you telling me that your people do not normally have more than one sex partner?”
“Well, no, not usually. Not all at one time, at least,” she stammered, breathless from his proximity and Erik’s, especially after reading that scene.
Trey took one last step, his chest brushing against hers. She was backed up to the long computer desk. She squeaked in surprise when he lifted her so that her butt settled onto the desk. He wrapped his arms around her and situated himself between her legs. She continued babbling, unsure of what else to do, staring up at him. “Our- our main religions forbid marriage between anyone but one man and one woman. Some of the other religions are okay with a man having more than one wife, but very few have one wife with more than one husband. It’s just not something we do. Generally.”
She gulped. Why had she added that caveat at the end? Her mouth was running away from her brain!
“On our world, what is written in the book I was reading is simply a sweet love story.”
She gaped up at him, then at Erik, who nodded. Trey leaned closer, his nose almost touching hers. His eyes burned into hers and she realized that something life-changing was about to happen.
“We tend to marry in groups, little Bevy,” Erik told her, stroking her hair, then her back, as Trey tipped her chin up and nuzzled her neck. “It is the way of things. One woman may have as many husbands as she wishes, though normally, we mate in military ‘teams’.”
“Like… like you, Trey, and Rom?” she squeaked as Trey took her earlobe between his lips and sucked gently on it. Her breath shuddered out on a sigh and her legs spasmed against his thighs.
“Yes, just like that,” Trey whispered, his breath hot in her ear and heavy with promise. She shivered delicately, unable to hide the reaction.
“Trey, Rom, and I are cousins,” Erik said, taking up her hand and delicately exploring her flesh with his fingertip, sending goose bumps up her arm. The two-fold attack devastated her. “We formed a team many years ago because we were cousins, but also because we all agreed on the sort of woman we would wish to wed, when the time comes.”
“What… sort... is that?” Bev managed to gasp out, her head falling back helplessly as Trey explored her neck and collarbone.
“Can you not guess?” Erik asked huskily in her ear. She moaned, then blinked as both men backed away and looked down at her expectantly.
“Me?” she asked on a gasp. They grinned wolfishly and nodded. She colored to the roots of her blonde hair and down her chest, the color disappearing under her new gown.
“But… I’m just…”
“You,” Trey said softly, flicking a kiss to her nose, “Are an amazing woman. Beautiful, a nice, soft armful, responsive, and most importantly, intelligent and curious. All features that we adore in our women. We lost our first love, our family, in the war. We thought we would never find another to take hold of our hearts. We could have looked our world over, far and wide, for one such as you, sweet Beverly, and not have found all of our desires in one small package.””
“We had to become stranded on this planet, and have you crash here, to heal our souls and give us hope once more.” Erik’s words were simple but profound. Bev felt tears welling in her eyes.
�
��What about Rom?” she asked hesitantly. “He’s not here to agree with you…”
“Yes, he is,” his voice sounded from behind the others. Bev gasped as Rom waggled his eyebrows at her over Trey’s shoulder and grinned devilishly. “And he agrees, as well. What are we talking about? I hope it’s what it looks like!”
“If you will have us, Bev,” Trey said quietly, backing up enough to allow her head to clear just a bit and for Rom to join their intimate circle. “We would like to court you, to see if we will suit as a family unit. Then, if you decide to accept us, we would spend the rest of our days making you the happiest woman on Ishira.”
She stared at him, at all three of them, and nodded very slowly. The idea was… incredible, but she realized that it made sense and that it was, strangely, what she wanted. She genuinely liked and cared for all three, had been teased and flirted with by each. To be honest, she had worried about choosing one of them and hurting the others.
But if their society allowed for this kind of thing, then she could have what she wanted and not hurt any of them.
She remembered Ri’s words from the second day, when the older woman had urged her to live a little, to remember that she was no longer on Earth and bound by the societal laws there. She smiled shyly up at them all, nodding more firmly now, her decision made. The men let out similar sighs of relief and each smiled at her as though she’d just given them the sun.
“But I… I need to get used to the idea of… three of you. I mean… how do we court? All at once, one at a time? I just don’t know…”
“We will figure it out as we go,” Erik assured her quietly, squeezing her hand and smiling gently at her.
“For now,” Rom said, pushing through his cousins to plant a sweet kiss on her lips. “I brought dinner. Why do we not just work, as we have been? Once our shift is over, the four of us can retire to our quarters and start the process of getting to know one another.”
Bev left with all three of them that evening, happier than she’d been in a very long time. Arianna had advised her to live a little.
