by Susan Hayes
“While you and Tyr were busy prepping him for tonight’s meeting, I started looking into that jerk, Tadeus. Turns out, he’s new to his position. Only got promoted a week before you arrived. Care to hazard a guess as to what caused the vacancy?”
“Someone died.”
“Aaron Snow was the victim of what Corp-Sec thought was a mugging gone wrong. His body was found in one of the roughest sectors, stripped of everything of value. Comm-unit, scrip, jewelry, even his clothes. The scene was made to look as if he was pushed and struck his head. With what’s been going on, they’re taking another look at the evidence.”
“And how do you know any of this?”
“Like I said, I was doing some digging.”
“Into the Corp-Sec database?”
She gave him a mischievous smile. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. Now we know that at least one other corporate type has been killed lately. Information is key to everything. Eventually, we’ll have enough to know what’s going on.”
“What’s going on is that someone tried to kill you. Do you think it’s a good idea for you to be involved?”
She lifted one shoulder and flicked her fingers in a dismissive gesture. “I’m already involved. They can only kill me once.”
He grabbed her and spun her into his arms, hauling her up hard against him. “They are not going to kill you, mahaya. Not while I live.”
She had to tip her head far back to meet his gaze. “I don’t want anyone to die trying to protect me. Not you, not Tyr. Not anyone. My life isn’t worth more than yours.”
“It is to me.”
“It shouldn’t be. I’m a cyber-jockey with a long list of enemies and a spectacular record for making bad choices. Just because I smell like sex and candy to you doesn’t mean I’m a good person.”
“You don’t smell like sex and candy to me. You smell like every dream I’ve ever had. Every hope, every secret wish. You’re the missing piece of my life, Phae, and I’m not letting anything happen to you.” The words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to think about what he was saying, and in the silence that followed his confession, he started wishing a rogue comet would smash into the ship and save him from what he expected was coming. Laughter. Dismissal. Rejection.
Instead, she threw her arms around his neck and laughed. “I don’t know if it’s a translator thing, or the effects of the sharhal, or what, but that is the sexiest, most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“It was the truth.” Too dazed to say anything else, he leaned down to kiss her.
“I know. That’s what made it so sexy.” She whispered the words against his lips, igniting a fire so fierce it made the mating fever feel like a cool breeze in comparison.
He leaned down further, cupping her ass in his hands and lifting her without breaking their kiss. She moaned and twined herself around him, her shorter legs wrapped around his hips, pressing herself against his cock with an eager wiggle.
“Bed?” she asked as he started walking.
“Something better.” He set off for the main lounge as an idea took shape in his mind.
“Better than bed? Are we going to take a bath together?”
“Tempting, but not now. Maybe later.”
He sent a series of instructions to the ship, and by the time the lounge door opened, everything was ready. The lights were off, allowing the stars outside to appear that much brighter. The windows were in privacy mode, ensuring no one could see inside, and the various furniture had been reconfigured by the ship’s servo-droids into a single sleeping platform in the center of the room. Perfect.
“Your furniture is huddling together in fear. Should I be worried?”
“I had the ship rearrange things in here.”
“So, no sentient chairs. I’m not sure if I’m relieved or disappointed. Wait, how the fraxx did the ship move the furniture?”
“The droids moved the furniture.” He lifted her higher and nuzzled her neck. “Is this really what you want to talk about right now?”
Her laughter flowed over him like a ray of warm sunlight. “No, it’s not.”
“Me either.” He raised his head and looked into her eyes. “Do you trust me?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
It wasn’t the perfect answer, but he’d take it. “Then I want to try something. If you want me to stop at any time, you just tell me.”
Her green eyes narrowed, but she nodded. “This doesn’t sound as sexy as I was hoping for.”
“Oh, I think it will be.” He set her down and started stripping her out of her clothes. She’d changed into a less formal outfit, but she’d chosen another Vardarian style-garment. He liked seeing her dressed this way, an exotic blend of the familiar and the new.
They left a trail of clothing from the door to the middle of the room. Once he had her naked he sat on the edge of the makeshift bed and drew her down so that she was straddling his thighs. “As much as I wish Tyr hadn’t been foolish and gone without us, I’m pleased to finally have you to myself, mahaya.”
She flushed with pleasure. “Same here. It’s been so hectic we really haven’t had time to be on our own. And I know some of that’s my fault. If I hadn’t been keeping so much distance between us…”
“This didn’t go the way any of us thought it would.” He speared his fingers into her curls and tugged her head back and to the side, baring her throat. He brushed his lips over her soft skin, pausing when he reached the spot where her neck and shoulder met. “Someday, when you are ready, I will bite you right here and claim you forever.”
“How exactly does that all work?” Her question ended with a soft gasp as he ran the tips of his fangs over the spot.
“Your pheromones triggered the sharhal,” he explained, continuing to taste and tease her with his mouth. His hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs stroking the hard nubs of her nipples as he spoke.
“I know that, but the biting thing. How will I scar if I have medi-bots?”
“Since the moment we caught your scent, we’ve been changing. Part of that change is the constant desire we feel for you, but that’s not all of it.” He raised his head and curled back his upper lip to show his fangs. “When we claim you, we’ll inject a small amount of an enzyme into the bite. It will cause you an intense rush of pleasure and ensure that there is a binding mark.”
“What enzyme?” her voice soft and husky with desire.
“The one that started being produced the second we caught your scent.” He ran his tongue along her collarbone, savoring the sweet taste of her skin.
“So, when you two bit each other, was there this enzyme present then, too?”
“No. For us, the scarring was caused by an ointment applied after the ritual was complete. We are anrik, but not mates.” There were those at court who whispered that he and Tyr were more than anrik, that there was more than a simple blood bond between them. If there was, then neither he nor Tyr had ever acknowledged it.
“But some males are mahaya? Mated to each other as well as to a female?”
“Male mates are mahoyen. And yes, sometimes all three members of a trio are bound to each other. Sometimes they were born with those desires. Other times the desire comes only after we —I mean they— find their final mate and the sharhal takes hold. That kind of triple bond is rare, but intensely powerful.”
“I think I’ve got it, now.” She placed a hand on his bare chest and let it drift slowly downward. “Thank you for explaining.”
“If you keep touching me like that, we’re going to be done with explanations for awhile,” he warned her.
“I think we’ve already agreed there’s been enough talking for now.”
He kissed her hard as a jolt of raw lust tore through him. She moaned and opened her mouth to his, kissing him back with an urgency that matched his own. Tongues tangled, hands stroked, every breath shared, and every sound captured by the other’s mouth. He released her breast to stroke lower, until his hand brushed over the trim
set of curls that covered her pussy. His fingers slid between her slick folds, seeking her clit. Vardarian females were built slightly different, and he’d quickly learned that human biology was smaller, but far more sensitive.
She ground herself against his hand and groaned into his mouth as he found what he sought. He lightly pinched the delicate nub of nerves, then rolled it between his fingers. Soon she was trembling, her kisses wild and her breath coming in short gasps as he pushed her toward orgasm. He wanted her relaxed and pliant for the next part of his plan.
He worked a finger into her tight passage, then a second, using his thumb to continue working her clit as he fucked her with his fingers. She broke their kiss to utter a low, needy noise that made his cock twitch. As her orgasm struck she threw back her head and cried out, her inner walls pulsing around his fingers. With her head back, her throat was exposed, and his gaze fell on the spot where he had sworn to mark her one day. His fangs dropped, and lust fogged his thinking. It was an act of pure willpower not to bow his head and bite her right then and there. He hissed in frustration. He needed to know she would be with them forever.
She raised her head and lifted her hands to his cheeks, cradling his face. “Thank you for letting it be my choice.”
“I’m trying, mahaya.”
“Then I think you should be rewarded.” She raised herself higher and reached between them, wrapping her fingers around his cock. Within seconds their bodies were in position, and he gripped her hips as she slowly lowered herself onto his aching dick.
Instead of taking control, he stole a brief kiss and lay back. When she followed him down, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear. “This is the part where you trust me.”
He used his link to instruct the ship to slowly reduce the gravity in the lounge to zero and waited for her to notice the change. Once he pushed down with his feet and set them adrift, it didn’t take long at all.
“Braxon!” Phae froze as she felt the familiar stomach drop that always accompanied weightlessness.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured, squeezing her a little tighter.
“That won’t help either of us if the gravity comes back on.” She wriggled, but all she managed to do was to send them into a slow spin.
“If that happens, we’ll land on the furniture. He extended his wings, stabilizing their spin. “Well, I’ll land on the furniture. You’ll land on me. You’re safe, my jeza. I promise.”
She grunted. “It was still a dirty trick.” She managed to glance down and noticed that they were only a foot or two in the air. If she sat up, her feet would almost touch the furniture. That made her feel a little better.
“I would never let anything happen to you.” He rocked his hips, thrusting into her gently and reminding her what they had been doing only seconds before.
She made herself unwind one arm from around his neck and reached behind him to stroke the upper edge of one of his wings. “I’ve never seen them stretched out like this. Could you really carry me and take me flying?”
“Whenever you’re ready to try it.”
She stroked his wing again and he shuddered beneath her, his cock thickening in response to her touch. She squeezed her inner muscles, and he groaned her name. Feeling empowered, she gave his wing one last caress before easing herself out of his arms and slowly sitting up. The shift in positions pushed him deeper inside her. “So, how’s this going to work?”
“No idea. I’ve never done this before.” He grinned up at her. “We’ll have to figure it out together.”
“Rule number one, don’t let go.” She gave an experimental rock of her hips and once again he used his wings to compensate, keeping them more or less stationary.
“If I let go, we’ll move apart. That is the last thing I want right now. I like you right where you are.” His hands were already on her hips, but he increased his grip enough she felt even more secure. “Better?”
“Yep.” She took hold of his wrists and started to move, slowly at first, but as pleasure replaced her worries and fears, she started rocking faster. They had to work together, her pushing up, him bringing her back down. She stopped staring down and looked out at the field of stars, and it was almost as if they were drifting among them. It was beautiful. As was the man stretched out beneath her. His skin glowed in the starlight, and he was staring up at her with fire in his pale green eyes.
He twitched his wings and they drifted higher, but she was beyond caring about heights or fears for the moment. All she wanted was him. His cock filled her with each thrust, the thick length hitting every sensitive spot she had. She curled her legs beneath him, adding more leverage and letting her take even more control.
“Yes, my beautiful little jeza. Just like that.” He groaned and arched beneath her, increasing the tempo of their lovemaking until both of them were panting and flushed.
He shifted his hips, changing the angle between them so that his cock brushed against her clit as she rode him. It only took a few strokes to send her spinning into an orgasm so intense it took her breath away. Adrift in a haze of pleasure, she simply clung to him as he continued to fuck her until he came, too.
Afterward, she reached for his shoulders and drew herself close again. He cradled her in his arms, brushing kisses onto her hair and forehead as they drifted together. It was the most peaceful, intimate experience of her life and she never wanted it to end. At this moment, everything was perfect, but once reality intruded again…
“What is it?” Braxon asked, stroking her back gently. “You tensed up.”
“I was wishing that we could stay like this.”
“We can’t, but we can do it again any time you wish.”
“But will we? Right now, we’re busy with the negotiations. Soon, we’ll be busy organizing the new colony. Tyr isn’t even here right now, and when he is, he rarely listens to me. How are we going to find time for quiet moments like this?”
Braxon sighed. “We’ll find a way.”
“But he doesn’t always listen to you, either.” She hesitated a heartbeat before asking, “It’s rare for you to stand up to him, isn’t it?”
“He’s next in line for the throne of the empire. I might be his anrik, but back home, especially at court, I was never his equal. Not in public, anyway.”
“You’re not at court anymore,” she reminded him.
He withdrew from her body and drew her upward so that they were eye to eye. “What are you saying?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure what I’m trying to say. I just know that he treats us both like we’re not as important as he is. Like we’re somehow less. I feel like he only listens to us when he wants to. Hell, he was supposed to talk to me tonight about my hopes for the colony, but he forgot his promise and went off to meet with Tadeus instead.”
“You are important to him. He listens to you more than he listens to anyone else in the cosmos.”
“If that’s true, then he needs to listen more. To me, and to you. I’m used being the one making the decisions. I can’t just hand over control of my life to someone else. That’s not who I am. And if I’m being honest, I don’t think that’s who you are, either. If this colony happens, it’s a fresh start for all of us. Some things need to change.”
He was quiet for a moment. “This is about what happened today. The palm prints.” It wasn’t a question.
“That’s a big part of it, yeah. I’ve explained this before. I’ve spent my life uncovering other people’s secrets and making sure the galaxy knew what they were doing. I’ve made enemies. A lot of them. The only way I stay ahead of them is by making sure that none of them know where I am. I don’t do scans, or voice prints, or let anyone have access to my DNA. I’ve already initiated a program that should track down and delete my biometric data from Astek’s database, but it’s Tyr’s fault they had it at all.”
“He didn’t know.”
“And he didn’t ask, either.”
“When he gets back, we’ll talk to him. Explain.�
� He kissed her gently and a moment later they were drifting downward.
“No more floating?” she asked. She’d stopped being afraid and actually enjoyed herself enough she hoped they could do it again.
He cracked a small, rueful smile. “Our moment is over, for now. If we’re going to make Tyran listen, it would help if I knew everything you want to tell him.”
That sounded like a good idea, but part of her was still sorry when the gravity returned to normal. They nestled together on the makeshift bed, and she waited for the feeling of heaviness to fade before she started talking. “Can I ask you some questions about the colony?”
“Anything you wish to know.”
“When it’s all set up, will it only be trios that live there, or do some of your people stay as couples?”
“Trios are the norm for my homeworld, but not everywhere in the empire lives, or loves, that way. Trios have been a tradition on Vardaria for centuries, and I doubt it will ever change. Why? Do you think that will be a problem during negotiations?”
“I doubt it. There will be some who will be judgemental, but they care about money and power. Offer them enough, they’ll be fine. I was wondering because there’s another group looking for a home, but I don’t know how they’d feel about trios. They’re…different.”
“Tyr mentioned you had friends who might want to join us.”
“Tyr assumed I was talking about friends he’d already met. It’s more complicated than he knows.”
He snuggled her close. “I’m here, jeza. Tell me, and together we can speak with Tyr.”
She told Braxon all of it. About River, the cyborgs still in cryo-sleep, and what she’d seen while she was at Reamus station. When she was done, Braxon was quiet for so long she thought he was going tell her to forget it, that she was asking too much.
Finally, he nodded. “What kind of a fresh start would it be if we didn’t include everyone who needed it? We’ll find a way to include the cyborgs.”
“Thank you!” She hugged him, feeling like she had finally made progress. “Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you and Tyr to River. She feels like everyone has forgotten about her, and her group. This will make her so happy.”
