by Susan Hayes
“Whatever you wish, mahaya.” Tyran leaned in and kissed her cheek before rising to his feet again.
“Did I miss something?” Archer asked.
“Phaedra is our mate, Colonel Archer.”
The big man groaned. “She’s your what? How? No, wait. Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know. I’ve got enough to deal with as it is.” He looked around the room. “Everyone stay safe, watch your backs, and try to stay out of trouble.”
“Yes, sir!” most of them answered in unison, and he left quickly, muttering under his breath as he went.
“We’ll take you to the Santar now?” Braxon asked, his hand still on her shoulder.
“As soon as I pack. Come on, You can even escort me to my room and make sure no one leaps out of the shadows at me.” She got to her feet and they took up position on either side of her, each of them taking one of her hands in theirs.
“That’s so sweet. I remember when Kit and Luke were that attentive,” Zura said with a grin.
“You should remember it quite well. It was only this morning.” Luke bent to kiss his wife’s brow before walking them to the door. “You take the night off, Phae. We’ll keep working on things here. If we find anything, we’ll send word right away.”
“We’ll see to it that she rests.” Tyran glanced down at her with a tender smile. “And I will rest better knowing you are nearby and safe from threat.”
The three of them left the others and headed toward her room upstairs. She didn’t know what the rest of the night would bring, but if she was going to be in close proximity to Tyran and Braxon, then sleep didn’t seem very likely. Not with the way they made her feel.
Chapter Seven
Braxon stayed on high alert until the door of their ship sealed behind him. Once they were safely locked inside, he finally allowed himself to breathe a little easier. Now the three of them could finally talk. Not that talk was at the top of the list of things he wanted to do with Phaedra. She had kissed Tyran, and he was more than eager to taste her for himself.
“Which room is mine? And, uh, how far away is it from where you two sleep?” Phaedra asked.
“Your quarters are down the corridor from ours. This way.” Tyran pointed down the hallway toward the front of the ship.
“How far down the corridor from you?”
“Not far,” Tyran said. “We can be at your door in seconds.”
Her lips thinned. “Is there somewhere else I can sleep? Maybe the crew quarters?”
Braxon set down the bag full of her things he was carrying and turned to face her. “Why do you wish to be away from us?”
“Because I do.” She pulled away from him, tugging free from both their hands. Even as she moved, though, the air thickened with her pheromones. Why was she denying this? Denying them?
His control slipped a notch and he moved with her, recapturing her hand in his. “That’s not an answer. You push us away, but I know that’s not what you want. I can smell your desire for us.”
“Braxon, we’re not supposed to push,” Tyr reminded him as he set a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“I am not pushing. I am asking a question.”
“You’re pushing,” she said, standing her ground and looking him square in the eye. “But since you’ve already figured out the problem, I’ll answer you. I want some distance between us because otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep. Being near the two of you is distracting, and tonight it’s gotten much more intense. I can barely keep a thought in my head, and my skin feels like it’s too tight, and every time one of you touches me, I don’t want to ever let go. That’s why I want some distance.”
“It’s the same for us. Every hour that passes, it gets harder to resist the sharhal.” He tugged on her hand and she took a step toward him.
“Cyn said it might be something like that.” She tossed her hair back and stepped even closer. “How do we make it stop?”
“We can’t.” Tyr moved in beside them, not stopping until he was brushing shoulders with Braxon. “Once we find our mate, the only way to ease the need is to be with each other.”
“And if we don’t?” Phaedra looked between them, her eyes full of doubt.
“We can’t know what will happen to you, but for us... It could drive us mad.” Braxon hadn’t wanted to tell her this way, but they were past the time for delicate explanations.
“So this feeling. It’s going to get worse? And you’ve been feeling like this since we met?”
They both nodded.
“Then why was mine bearable until tonight?”
“Qarf!” Tyran cursed.
“What?”
“It must have been when I kissed you.” Tyran reached up to touch his lip.
“And that’s what set me off?”
“No, mahaya. Not the kiss. My blood. My lip was still bleeding.”
Braxon frowned. “You should have been more careful.”
“I know. I was focused on her and I forgot.”
“What the hell are you two talking about?” Phaedra demanded.
“When you kissed him, you came in contact with his blood. It wasn’t enough to bind you to him, but it was enough to increase your response. Amplify? I think that’s the word.”
“And there’s no stopping it?” Phaedra asked again.
“I’m sorry, but no.” Braxon wrapped his arms around her. “There is no going back from this. Not for any of us.”
“If I – I mean, if we – if we do this. How far does it have to go? Can we be together but not do anything, uh, permanent? I’m not ready for that.”
Braxon looked down at the female he craved with every cell of his being and tried to imagine what this was like for her. “If you are not ready, then we will not initiate the bond. I give you my word, I will wait.”
Tyr went still, then sighed. “It will not be easy, but I also promise not to initiate the bond until you are ready.”
She took a deep breath, then nodded. “Then I don’t need a room of my own. Take me to one of yours. I’m tired of ignoring this pig.”
He had no idea what her last words meant, but his query died unspoken as she gripped his shoulders and pulled him down to her level. She rose on her toes until her lips touched his, and the second they connected, he knew he’d never let her go again. She’d given herself to him. Him, the one no one thought was good enough.
“Mine,” he whispered the word in Vardarian, but she seemed to understand, because she laughed softly and shook her head.
“Not yet,” she reminded him.
“But soon.” He switched to her language then kissed her again before she could answer. She laughed again, and he slipped his tongue into her mouth, too caught up in the need to taste and touch to speak again. Her scent wrapped around him, filling his veins with fire and fogging his mind with lust.
Her tongue tangled with his and he hauled her in closer. When that wasn’t enough, he shifted his hands to her ass and lifted her into his arms, walking her backward until she was pressed against the wall.
“They were wrong. We didn’t need chocolate.” Tyr was laughing as he joined them. He stroked Phaedra’s hair back from her face, involving himself without interfering.
“Oh, you might still need that. After all, you two have a serious amount of wooing to do, yet.”
Braxon raised his head to ask, “What is wooing?”
“It’s an old-fashioned word for getting to know a woman and finding ways to make her feel special.”
“You are very special, Phaedra Kari.” He kissed her again, then looked at Tyran. “Your quarters?”
“I think that would be best.” Tyr stepped back and went to retrieve Phaedra’s belongings, leaving Braxon holding their mate.
“You are safe with us. You know this, yes?” he asked as he lifted her higher in his arms, cradling her to his chest.
“I’m not afraid of you or Tyr.”
“Then why have you pushed us away since that first night?”
“Because I don�
�t know anything about living like this. A permanent home. A permanent relationship. I haven’t had a home since I was seventeen, and I have never done the relationship thing.”
“Neither have we. This is new to all of us.”
“Never?” Some of the worry faded from her eyes at his confession.
“Never.” He carried her carefully down the corridor, heading for Tyr’s rooms.
Tyr fell in beside them. “How could we, when we knew we were destined to find our mate someday? Any female we were with would also be fated for another. To seek pleasure is one thing, but with our species, there will only ever be one mating. You are the one we have waited for.”
Phaedra blushed until her skin was almost the same color as her hair. “I think you’re getting the hang of this wooing thing.”
If all it took to have Phaedra agree to be their mate was to tell her the truth about how they felt, then they wouldn’t need the chocolate and liquor after all.
Phaedra was almost vibrating with anticipation. Sex was something she understood. Hell, she was pretty damned good at it, too. If they could be together, clear their heads, and get to know each other for a while, then maybe they could figure out how to be a trio. Her upbringing didn’t exactly provide an understanding of how normal relationships worked, but then again, she was with two males who weren’t even the same species as her. This wasn’t exactly a normal situation.
Tyran opened a door and she got her first look at his private quarters. Holy Fraxx. Luxurious didn’t begin to describe what she was looking at. Everything was designed to give the occupants a sense of peace and tranquility. From the soft pewter tone of the walls to what had to be a hologram of a stone fountain that burbled softly in one corner, it was a little slice of paradise tucked inside a high-tech cruiser. The outer wall held several viewports, and there was a sitting area with comfortable looking chairs arranged by a floor to ceiling window that looked out over the docking area.
“You travel in comfort,” she commented as Tyr lead the way to another doorway. This one was covered only by a sheer silvery fabric that hung in gossamer strips.
“There are perks to being a prince, or his anrik,” Braxon said.
“Or his mahaya?”
Both men stopped and stared at her.
“That’s the first time you have used that word to describe yourself.” Tyran said, grinning broadly.
“I’m trying to wrap my head around all this.” She gestured to herself, then the two of them.
“We know, jeza.” Braxon set her down with care, then leaned down to kiss her again. She loved the way their beards felt against her skin. The erotic friction made her pulse race. She reached up and buried her hands in the thick mane of Braxon’s hair, using it to pull him closer.
Tyran came up behind her, sandwiching her between their bodies. He swept her hair back from her neck on one side and nuzzled the soft skin below her ear. “I’ve been dreaming of this since the moment I first caught your scent.”
She moaned her answer into Braxon’s hot mouth as a wave of fire engulfed her. Braxon’s lips moved over hers in a possessive claiming as Tyr’s mouth branded her skin with a series of open-mouthed kisses. Both of them pressed in on her, grinding the hard lengths of their cocks against her body until the heat between them ignited like a match tossed in rocket fuel.
Their hands were everywhere, stroking, touching, sliding under her t-shirt to reach bare skin. One of them cupped her breast, pausing when his hand touched her bra. “More layers?” Braxon grumbled.
“It’s called a bra, and I need it to keep the girls where they look best.”
“It’s in my way,” Braxon retorted as he moved his hand over the garment. “How do I remove it?”
“The clasp is in the—“ There was a snap, and her bra came apart in the front. “You did not just break my bra, did you?”
“Your garments are restrictive. Perhaps you would enjoy wearing Vardarian clothes. They are less… cumbersome.”
Tyr lifted his head from her neck. “We can discuss her attire later.”
Phaedra laughed and let go of Braxon so she could free herself of her shirt and the remains of her bra before they tore anything else. Tyran helped, lifting her shirt over her head and then tossing it away.
The moment the shirt was gone both men growled low in their throats. It was a possessive, primal sound that made her breath catch in her throat. Hands landed on her hips, spinning her to face Tyran. His mouth dropped to hers and sparks of desire danced across her skin as he kissed her. His eyes nearly glowed with desire as he stared into hers.
She stroked her hands over his shoulders, feeling the subtle lines of his scales as she explored his body. His skin was a brilliant silver that shimmered in the light. “I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but your coloring, the silver and gold, is amazing.”
Braxon nuzzled her ear. “I like your coloring. So delicate and soft.”
He let his hands trace down her spine, stopping when he reached the waist of her pants. “Will you let us see all of you, now?”
“I want to see the two of you, too. Especially your wings.”
“I will tell you a secret,” Tyr murmured between heated kisses.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“The spot where our wings meet our backs is sensitive to touch. Especially the touch of our mate.”
Armed with that bit of information, Phaedra immediately slid her hands over Tyr’s flanks to his back. Her fingers touched the edge of one furled wing and was surprised at how soft it felt. “May I?’
Tyr shook his shoulders, and his wings opened partway. While she was focused on him, Braxon helped her out of her pants, his big hands stroking down her bare legs as he stripped her.
All her attention was on Tyran. She leaned into his chest as her hands moved up his back. When she reached the place where his wing emerged, Tyr shivered and groaned as her fingers caressed the soft skin between his wings. His kisses grew hungrier and more demanding with every second that passed. Braxon moved away for a moment, and when his body pressed to hers it was skin-to-skin contact.
“Where?” Braxon asked in a voice gone husky with need.
“Chair,” Tyr replied.
“Not the bed?” she asked.
Tyr lifted his head so he could look into her eyes. “Safer for you in the chair. You do not wish to be bound, yet. Keeping our fangs away from you will make it easier not to give in to our instincts.”
“Then chair it is.” She appreciated the efforts they were making to accommodate her wish for more time. It was inevitable that she’d end up bound to them, but that didn’t make it easy to accept.
She looked around the room for the first time. It was done in the same subtle color scheme as the main room, but this space felt more masculine. The furniture was sleek, with only a single color and no patterns. The bed was massive, and the ceiling above it was higher than anywhere else. A subtly shifting array of colors was projected onto the ceiling, probably to help the occupants to sleep. Later tonight, she’d be asleep there. The idea didn’t make her want to run away, which was a first. She wasn’t much for sleepovers. She was more of a ‘stay for the fun, then cut and run’ kind of lover, but this was different.
“Which chair? The one by the window?” she asked.
“If you’re thinking about the view right now, we’re not doing this right,” Tyr said, then shifted to the left and pointed to a settee-style lounge chair. “That one.”
She saw the potential immediately. “Okay.”
They walked over together, neither male taking their hands off her body. They craved contact with her. And, she noticed as Braxon’s hand brushed over Tyr’s, they didn’t mind connection with each other, either. Every touch amplified her desires, and by the time they made it to chair she was almost quaking with need.
She knelt on the lounge and let herself sink into the decadently soft cushion that molded itself to her shape. As she started to settle herself on the upward curv
e of the chair, Braxon stepped in front of her and coaxed her forward until her breasts hung over the curve. She expected to be uncomfortable, but the cushions supported her perfectly. Then she looked up and forgot about everything but the man standing in front of her.
He was beautiful. Hard muscle and broad planes, all gleaming gold. He was staring down at her with rapt fascination, and the wonder in his eyes made her feel like a goddess. She let her gaze drift downward until she could finally see his cock. The golden shade of his skin was darker there, and the thick crown was shaped a little differently than human males, but she breathed a small sigh of relief that there was nothing unexpected about their anatomy.
“You were worried?” Braxon asked, stroking a hand through her hair.
“Maybe a little.”
“Don’t be. We would never hurt you.” He spoke the words like a vow, then looked up and spoke a few words in his own language.
She took advantage of his distraction to wrap her finger around his cock, giving it a gentle stroke.
Braxon froze, every muscle in his body standing out in sharp relief, and she quickly let go. “Did I hurt you?”
He exhaled in a rush, then chuckled. “We have had this conversation before, and my answer is the same.”
She reached for him again. “Glad to hear it.”
He was so distracted by her touch that he almost missed catching the object Tyran tossed him.
“What’s that?”
“Something I think you’ll enjoy,” Braxon answered, tipping the bottle over and catching the liquid contents in his hands. A new scent perfumed the air. It reminded her of oranges, but there was a trace of spiciness to it, too.
Tyran settled in behind her, his weight making the cushions shift a bit. “This is uli oil. It’s a liquid that enhances feelings.”
“Feelings, like emotions?”
“No, physical. Skin.” Braxon held out his now gleaming hand. “May I show you?”
“Yes.”
He ran the tip of one finger around one taut nipple, then caught the hard nub between his thumb and forefinger and rolled it. The oily liquid tingled where it touched her, adding to her arousal.
