“Are we at Fourth Quadrant already?” Marco asked, his chest rumbling under Anna’s cheek as he spoke.
“Soon enough,” Kojo answered curtly. “Vadim told me to get you.”
And from the sound of his terseness, it appeared to Anna that Kojo was spending too much time with Vadim.
“I’m on my way,” Marco answered, but he didn’t let go of Anna.
Kojo stayed a moment longer in the doorway, sending a narrowed eye glare at Marco, before heading back to the bridge.
Marco kissed the top of her head. “Time to go, my beauty. Duty calls.” He gently eased out from under her and retrieved his uniform from the floor as she watched from the berth.
His muscles were just as well-defined as her other two mates. Though Marco’s legs looked more developed. His thighs rippled as he bent one leg then the other to stick his feet in his trousers.
Once he was dressed, he stood with his hands on his hips and looked down at her. A slow smile slid across his face. “I don’t know how I earned a mate as worthy as you, but I’ll thank the stars every day of my life.”
Before she could reply, he spun on his heel and left the captain’s quarters, taking her breath with him.
Chapter Eight
Anna stood between Kojo and Marco as Vadim unlocked the door to his pod. She wiped her sweaty palms on the trousers of her well-worn uniform.
Stars, she’d give just about anything to get into some clean clothes, but all her things were back in First Quadrant. She wondered how soon she could get to this sector’s general goods store for some new supplies to cover her until she got back to her personal pod.
Vadim stepped through the open doorway and gestured to her to come in. “Welcome to your new pod.”
Anna’s stomach clenched. The way he said those words made it sound like she was here permanently. Weren’t they going to return her to her place in First Quadrant? That was where her research was, her home.
She glanced around at the bare spaces on the shelves and vacant walls in the main room. It looked so impersonal, like no one actually lived here. Where were Vadim’s things? Pictures and mementoes from his life? This was such an empty space.
Loneliness hollowed her gut, even though she was surrounded by her three mates—three men who were willing to die for her—but it wasn’t the same as having her best friend nearby and everything that was familiar to her.
She looked at Vadim. “Have you heard anything about Doctor Bella?”
Vadim pulled his datapad from his hip pocket and checked for a message. “Doctor Bella has arrived in the Fourth Quadrant.”
Anna turned and practically ran for the door, but Vadim’s hand shot out and grabbed her forearm.
“You may visit her tomorrow,” he instructed. “We must finish the second step of our mating.”
She freed her arm from his grip and stuck her hands on her hips, glaring at him. “You mean, I can’t see my best friend and make sure she’s all right until all four of us have sex together?”
“Exactly,” Vadim responded coolly.
“What if she’s h-hurt?” Anna choked out the last word, afraid of losing the only woman she’d ever felt close to.
“The report does not indicate that she was sent to the infirmary. She is not injured,” Vadim answered.
Marco slipped an arm around Anna’s waist, and she leaned into his hold. “You can see her tomorrow, Anna,” he reassured her.
“She’s safe here in Fourth Quadrant.” Kojo stepped closer to Anna’s other side. “Just like you.” He kissed the top of her head.
Warmth flowed through her chest, filling some of the hollow space in her. She really wasn’t as alone as she’d thought. Marco and Kojo had bonded with her, and she with them.
She glanced over at Vadim. Now, he would take more time to thaw.
“Ready to see the rest?” he asked.
She nodded, and he led them through to the next room in the pod where a desk faced two chairs.
“You have an office in your pod?” she asked. She’d never heard of having such a luxury of space.
Vadim nodded. “Much of my communications is highly confidential. This ensures privacy.”
He walked to the next room, which Anna knew would be the bedroom, and her anxiety increased as she thought about what still needed to be done to complete their mating. Though honestly, the anxiety was now mixed with an equal part of anticipation. She couldn’t imagine to what heights of pleasure the three men together would take her.
But the next room wasn’t the bedroom. Filling nearly every centimeter of floor space were exercise machines. Her gaze flicked from the machines to Vadim and back again. Now she knew how he achieved such physical perfection.
Kojo released an appreciative whistle. “I could really come to love living here.”
Marco lifted a dumbbell from a rack and did a few biceps curls. “Oh, yeah. This isn’t going to be a hardship at all.”
Anna nearly rolled her eyes. They were won over by a personal gym? Though, she had to admit, she’d never heard of a personal pod with so many rooms. She was impressed herself by that alone.
Vadim stepped across the threshold into the next room, which had to be the bedroom.
When Anna entered, her jaw dropped at the sight before her. Not only was it the largest of all the rooms, it had a huge bed facing a floor-to-ceiling external window with a view of the planet’s horizon. Currently, the rocky soil and a distant cliff were lit by the glow of Profortuna’s moon.
Anna’s head swam with vertigo as she gazed out at the planet, but she couldn’t stop herself from walking towards the window. Hesitantly, she reached a hand up to touch the plastiglass. She glanced down at her feet and realized the floor of the pod was at ground level. It was almost like standing directly on the planet’s surface.
She’d never taken a planet walk. Just the idea of squeezing into a spacesuit had always triggered her claustrophobia.
Standing here with her palm to the glass was the closest she’d ever come to experiencing the planet at ground level, and it was exhilarating to let her gaze glide over the rocks at her feet, then farther out to the cliff. The light of the moon highlighted different colored layers in the shorn off rock face.
Kojo and Marco joined her at the window.
“Blast,” Marco swore softly.
“That’s a hellitude of a view,” Kojo added.
“If you are done admiring the planet, there is one more room,” Vadim interrupted the moment of awe.
Anna reluctantly turned her back to the window and faced Vadim. “The bathing room?” she guessed.
“Yes, through here.” Vadim motioned to a door on the far wall.
Anna went first across the threshold this time. “Holy shiitake.”
The room was nearly as large as the bedroom, in order to accommodate the huge bathing tub in the far corner. Plus, there was a small interior room to the right that Anna presumed contained the commode. Next to it was a long shower stall with three sprayers lined in a row on the ceiling, and along the left wall, an extended counter contained four sinks.
“Holy shiitake,” she repeated, unable to form any other words to express her stunned disbelief.
“Whoa,” Kojo exclaimed when he entered the room behind her. “I’ve never seen a bathing room outfitted for a mated foursome.”
“This is a General’s pod,” Vadim explained. “His mates are expected to remain with him.”
Marco walked to the center of the room with his hands on his hips and turned a slow circle with a huge grin on his face. “Oh, blast, yes. This won’t be a hardship at all.”
Vadim nodded. “I am pleased it meets with your approval.”
Anna couldn’t tell if that was sarcasm in Vadim’s voice or just stiff politeness.
“Let us engage in our evening meal.” Vadim started for the door, tapping on his datapad. “Then we will commence the mating.”
Kojo, Marco and Anna followed Vadim through the other rooms to the main entry
room where they took a seat on the wall benches, following Vadim’s example.
“I thought we were going for our evening meal.” Anna searched the faces of the men for an explanation of why they were just sitting here.
“It is being brought to us,” Vadim explained.
And as if on cue, a knock sounded from the outer hallway.
“Open,” Vadim commanded the voice-activated door. “Enter,” he directed the young woman pushing a rolling cart covered in a white cloth.
“Good evening, General Vadim.” The blonde woman bowed her head in respect to the man.
Anna stared, momentarily at a loss of words. Blonde—here was another blonde. They were so rare in First Quadrant, and here were two—Vadim and this woman. Bella was extremely unique in First Quadrant with her red hair and grey eyes. Were these recessive traits more common in Fourth Quadrant? What about other genetic traits that were obsolete in First Quadrant, like left-handedness?
She’d certainly seen examples of the superior height of the population of Fourth Quadrant as they’d passed several people on the way to Vadim’s pod. What about their fertility rates? Were they the same as First Quadrant? She was sure she would have noticed a variance in data between the quadrants, but what subtle differences was she missing by not having visited this part of the planet or the other three quadrants, for that matter?
“Specialist Crystal, let me introduce you to my mate.” Vadim’s words interrupted Anna’s train of thoughts. “Doctor Anna, this is Specialist Crystal. She is our secret weapon against monotony.”
Anna stood and raised her hand in greeting. “Pleased to meet you.”
“As I am, you, Doctor Anna,” the tall, blue-eyed woman responded.
Kojo cleared his throat.
“And these are Anna’s other two mates,” Vadim continued. “Lieutenant Generals Kojo and Marco.”
The other men stood and greeted the Specialist.
“So, what monotony are you fighting against?” Marco asked.
The blonde woman whipped the white cloth off the cart and revealed several platters of colorful foods of sorts that Anna had never seen before. “The monotony of taste, sir.”
“Specialist Crystal works in our mess hall,” Vadim said. “Though works is hardly the right word for what she does with food.” He was practically effusive with his compliment, and Anna felt a burning of jealousy in her chest that took her by surprise.
Why was it suddenly so important to her that he regard her with the same high esteem?
The answer was because she felt possessive of him, which was such an ugly emotion. One human should never possess another. She should be as detached from him as he was from her.
“If there is anything else you need, General, please let me know,” Specialist Crystal offered.
“Thank you, Specialist. This should be it for the evening.”
The Specialist bowed and left the pod. The door slid closed after her.
Marco plucked a purple globe off a woody stem and popped it in his mouth. As he chewed, he closed his eyes and moaned softly.
“What is it?” Kojo asked.
“Wet and sweet.” Marco opened his eyes and looked at Anna. “Just like someone I know.”
With her cheeks flushing, Anna felt the beginnings of her need rising. She reached for one of the small globes. “But what are these?” She studied it for a moment before putting it in her mouth. The thin outer skin broke under the force of her teeth and released a sweet juice on her tongue. She quickly grabbed another to repeat the delicious sensation.
Kojo chuckled and reached for one. “I better get in here if I hope to try one of these mystery foods.”
“They are called grapes,” Vadim supplied the name. “We also use them to make a fermented beverage.” He reached to the bottom shelf of the cart and withdrew a tall, thin bottle and a plastic bowl that was wider at the top than the bottom. He poured some dark red liquid into the bowl and handed it to Anna. “To our mating.”
She took the bowl between her hands and took a tentative sip. The liquid delivered a pleasant burn down her throat into her stomach. She took a larger sip, and her brain seemed to grow fuzzy. “That’s strange.” She took another deeper drink, and the room tilted to the left. “How odd.” She lifted the bowl to take an even bigger swallow, but Vadim’s hand stopped the bowl from reaching her lips.
With a rusty sounding chuckle, he said, “That’s enough for you for now. You have no tolerance yet.” He took the bowl from her and gave it to Marco. “To your mating.”
Marco took a long swill and smacked his lips when he lowered the bowl. “That’s quite nice.”
Vadim took the bowl from him and handed it to Kojo. “To your mating,” he repeated.
Kojo gave the bowl a sniff before drinking. When he’d finished, he handed the bowl to Vadim and said, “To your mating.”
A look of appreciation shone in Vadim’s blue eyes as Kojo completed the circle, and Vadim took a sip from the bowl. “Let us eat,” he said as he set the bowl on the cart.
Anna sampled the new foods along with her three men. She’d never seen such variety. In First Quadrant they only supported the growth of green leaves for each evening meal and enough small animals to provide meat once a moon cycle. Here, Vadim was introducing them to fruits and other vegetables that Anna had thought were lost to Profortuna.
“How did these survive in Fourth Quadrant for so long?” she asked as she popped another small round fruit Vadim called a blueberry into her mouth. “And why don’t we have them in the other quadrants?”
“You used to have them in other quadrants,” Vadim answered. “I don’t know why they weren’t sustained, but here in the Fourth Quadrant, our ancestors were fiercely independent pioneers. They chose the furthest location from the rest of the settlers on the planet. They prided themselves on their self-sufficiency.”
Kojo leaned back on his bench seat with his hand over his stomach. “I can’t eat another bite. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this full.”
Marco mimicked Kojo’s posture. “I should have stopped about ten ticks ago, but those strawberries with that cream are irresistible.”
“Does your cream come from goats?” Anna asked. She remembered from her history lessons that early First Quadrant settlers had used goats for milk and cheese. Things she’d never tasted until today.
Vadim shook his head. “We use the milk from our cows for the cream.”
“You have cows!?” Anna nearly shot to her feet. “How have you sustained cows? Can I see them? Please?”
That rusty chuckle rumbled from Vadim’s throat again, sending a delicious thrill through Anna’s lower region. “You are excited by large, lumbering beasts?”
“Oh! I have so much to study about life here in Fourth Quadrant. Why has it developed so differently than the other three? Is your fertility rate as low as theirs? Do you have the same unbalanced ratio of male to female births? And why are all the people I’ve seen here so far so freakishly tall? Is it from your diverse selection of foods? Does everyone here have access to this richness of var—?”
Vadim leaned over and kissed her, cutting off her questions. He swiped his tongue along the seam of her lips before delving in and claiming her. With an arm under her legs and his other behind her back, he lifted her into his lap as he continued to distract the scientist in her with his demanding kiss.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled her chest tighter to his, rubbing her breasts against his hard pecs.
He stood with her in his arms and carried her out of the main room. She was vaguely aware of Marco and Kojo following her and Vadim to the bedroom at the far end of all the pod’s extra rooms.
Vadim laid her on the mattress and stood upright, staring down at her. His eyes weren’t cold this time. Instead, they lit with an internal heat. “Strip,” he ordered, and her girl parts melted.
Sitting up, she quickly removed her uniform as all three men also undressed before her. Holy shiitake. They were
imposing as they stood shoulder to shoulder at the foot of the bed. Their growing erections pointed at her, and she unconsciously inched backwards on the mattress.
Vadim grabbed her left ankle and dragged her so she was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Tension and excitement twisted in her belly, making her heart beat faster and her breath come out unevenly.
Vadim cupped his hand behind her neck and plundered her mouth with another deep kiss. His dominance left her feeling boneless and wet with heat between her legs. He picked her up with an arm under her butt and rotated them, so he was on his back on the mattress with her sprawled over the top of him.
“Kojo, do you have the preparation?” Vadim asked.
“Yes, sir.” Kojo ran his hand down her spine, leaving goose bumps along the path. When he reached her butt, she tensed, knowing what was going to happen there, and not at all sure she was capable of withstanding it.
Kojo leaned over her back. “Relax, my Anna,” he whispered into her ear. “I will prepare you well.” His fingertips tickled her puckered entrance, and she moaned softly at the surprisingly good feeling.
Vadim cupped her face between his palms and pulled her attention to his mouth. He devoured her with his lips and tongue, making her blood flow hotter in her veins as Kojo slipped a lubricated finger in her butt.
“Oh, stars,” she murmured against Vadim’s lips. The intrusion was both scary and exhilarating. She couldn’t prevent her hips from rocking in rhythm with Kojo’s slowly repeated penetration and withdrawal. She barely registered the addition of his second finger as she lost herself on a new plane of pleasure.
Vadim reached between their bodies and pinched her clit.
“Oh, blast! Oh, yes,” she screamed as the pleasurable pain sent her shooting off into orgasm. Her breath locked in her chest as her muscles clenched, and the pleasure ripped through her body. She rode the wave higher than ever before, and regretted having to come back to her senses. If only her climax could last longer… Forever would be good.
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