by Susan Hayes
“Good answer. You and your brother might be exactly what Laesa needs in her life,” Sophie said with an approving grin.
“I sincerely hope so. I’m starting to suspect that she is what’s missing in ours.”
The human female’s eyes went wide with surprise at his statement. “What—”
The rest of her query went unspoken as Laesa joined them. “Good evening, Sophie. Have you been making Sabar’s acquaintance while I was getting ready?”
“I was, and now I’m going to make myself scarce. You look gorgeous, Laesa. Have fun, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” With that, Sophie waved to them both and vanished back into her restaurant.
Laesa hadn’t been gone long, but she’d managed to transform herself while she was out of his sight. The shape-concealing apron she’d been wearing all day was gone, revealing the sapphire-blue wrap dress she’d had on beneath. The soft fabric clung to her curves, showing off a figure that had been hidden until this moment.
Holy fuck, she was stunning.
“I wasn’t certain what would be appropriate to wear to dinner since I didn’t know where we were going. Will this suffice?” she asked, skimming her hand over the dress.
“You look perfect. As for where we’re going, Rhen and I have arranged for a special meal to be prepared and served onboard our ship.”
Laesa’s heart skipped a beat. “Dinner is on the Auranox? Just the three of us?”
Sabar nodded. “You, me, and Rhen. We gave the rest of the staff and crew the night off.”
“You have staff?” she asked.
“We do. A flight crew as well as a few others. Jonah is a talented chef who travels with us. Ashar acts as our personal assistant. He’s the most organized and patient being I’ve ever met. Eventually, you’ll meet them all, but we wanted to keep you to ourselves for a while longer.”
“And dinner is on the ship. You really do want me all to yourselves.” The idea of being alone with the two of them had her body aching with need. She wanted to be with them. To talk, and laugh, and be in their company. Every night she’d thought about the time she’d spent with each of them with happiness and anticipation of seeing them again.
Now, she yearned for more than their companionship. She trusted them. Desired them. She suspected that if she went with them tonight, she could have everything she wanted. Her people were sexual by their very nature. She’d denied that part of herself because she needed to feel in control of her life. Before she’d been taken, she’d enjoyed the company of males, feeding when she needed to without hesitation.
Her time as a slave had made her wary, but she didn’t feel that way with Rhen and Sabar. When Sabar had told her that whatever happened, it would be her choice, she’d finally felt ready to take the next step.
“We do want you. We wanted the three of us to be able to be alone with no interruptions. We’re possessive males, blossom. When we see something we like, we go after it, and once we have it, we don’t let go.” Sabar winked at her and then took her hand in his.
She glanced down at their joined hands. “That would explain how the two of you have done so well for yourselves. Does this mean you aren’t going to be letting go of my hand?”
“Not until I have to. I assume you’ll need both hands to eat, though, so I planned on releasing you once we get onboard.”
She laughed. “Very well. Take me to your ship, Sabar, and on the way you can tell me what it’s like to live on a starship.”
He started walking toward the docking ring. “It’s amazing most of the time, though it can feel a little cramped when we’ve been together too long. Living onboard also means we have room and privacy to shift when we need to. Plus, we already have everything we could want set up onboard, including a holo-room. You’ll see what I mean when we get there.”
“If I had a holo-room of my own, I’d never leave. I’d spend my days exploring programs of every world I could find, and painting what I saw.”
“You’re welcome to use ours, you know. But you’d have to leave it sometimes. That’s where we go to shift. For some strange reason, the other races tend to get agitated if they see an eight-hundred-pound carnivore with big teeth and claws running loose. Not to mention the fact the Alliance gets their uniforms in a twist if we shift while on one of their stations.”
Laesa struggled to imagine the male walking with her transformed into the creature he’d described. “Eight-hundred pounds? I didn’t realize your other form was so big!”
“When you’re ready, we’ll show you that part of ourselves, but there’s no rush. We’re still getting to know each other,” Sabar said.
He led her to the far side of X21, to one of the station’s docking bays, then to where their ship was berthed. As they approached, the door to their berth slid open and Rhen stepped out to greet them. He was dressed in a similar fashion to Sabar, only his leathers were pure black instead of brown.
“Hello again, Laesa. I’m glad you’re here.” Rhen bowed slightly as he greeted her.
“Hello and good eve to you, Rhen. I am pleased to be here.”
Rhen took her free hand in his and started to draw her inside, only to stop when she laughed.
“Is there something wrong?” he asked.
She glanced at the hand he was holding and then to the one Sabar still had hold of. “Your brother mentioned to me on the way here that once you two have hold of something you want, you don’t tend to let go. I’m starting to see what he meant.”
Rhen’s mouth quirked up into a lopsided grin that made him look far less serious than his usual demeanor. “Guilty as charged. I can’t wait to hear what other tidbits my brother shared. If he told you anything about me, please assume it was all lies. I’m the good twin.”
“Like hell you’re the good one. Don’t you listen to him, blossom. He’s delusional.”
“I happen to think you’re both good. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here,” Laesa declared. It was the truth, too. In her heart, she knew they would never hurt her. She’d spent hours in their company now, and in all that time she’d read enough of their energies to know that they were good, honorable males.
“You have no idea how happy I am you’re here. Come inside, Laesa. Let us show you our home.”
Rhen had been prepared for his body’s reaction to Laesa’s scent, but it still affected him like a punch to the gut. To know that she was here in their home at last had him instantly hard and aching. He’d taken her hand because the need to touch her had been overwhelming, and holding her hand was a safer move than giving in to his need to have her in his arms so he could kiss her until they were both breathless.
She let him guide her inside, and her mouth formed a perfect “o” of surprise as she got her first look at their ship. The Auranox had once been a freighter. From the outside, it still looked like one, but the interior had been completely redesigned. They’d replaced the standard layout with more spacious rooms, wider corridors, and a carefully crafted balance of technology and elegance. The cargo bays were now living quarters and offices, allowing for far more living space than was usual. It allowed them to travel and do business in comfort anywhere in the cosmos.
“This is not what I expected when I heard you lived aboard a ship. This is luxurious compared to the transports I traveled on to get here.”
Sabar chuckled. “You haven’t seen the good parts yet. Later on, we’ll take you on a tour. You ready for dinner?”
“I am. In fact, I’m quite hungry. I was so busy today, I forgot to stop and eat lunch.”
“You should have said something. Come on, dinner is this way,” Sabar said, squeezing her hand and drawing her down the main corridor until he reached the holo-room. He tapped the activation code into the console and within seconds the door slid open, revealing the first of the surprises they’d organized for Laesa.
She stepped into the room and gasped. “Is this—is this Helix?”
Laesa hadn’t spent much time in holo-rooms, but she knew that
was what she was standing in. There was no other way to explain how she’d suddenly found herself surrounded by warm air and lush vegetation. The three of them stood on a hilltop with an unfamiliar sky overhead. She was tempted to kick off her shoes to walk across the small meadow of thick, blue-green grass and wildflowers laid out like a fragrant carpet beneath her feet. Beyond the hilltop, they were surrounded by heavy jungle that spread out in all directions as far as she could see. When she breathed in, the scent of sun-warmed soil blended with the lighter notes of flowers and green, growing things.
It was beautiful.
Rhen nodded. “This is Helix. At least, it’s as close to it as we can get without going home. When you mentioned you’d like to see our home world one day, I knew it would be the perfect setting for dinner.”
The breeze shifted, bringing with it the tantalizing scent of food. Off to the side was a wooden table laden with a number of covered dishes and set with three place settings.
“It is the most beautiful setting for a meal I’ve ever seen.”
Sabar released her hand at last. He walked over to the table and pulled out a chair for her. “The setting is nice, but I’ve only got eyes for you, blossom.”
“For once, I agree with my brother. You’re far more beautiful than the view.” Rhen escorted her to the table, pressing a kiss to the palm of her hand before letting go of her.
Laesa sat down and looked at the feast before her, then at the two males taking their seats on either side of her. They’d done this all for her. The thought that they cared enough to set all this up made her even more certain of her plans. This was what she wanted. They were what she wanted. Rhen and Sabar were handsome and charming, but more than that, they treated her like she mattered. They looked at her like she was a treasure to be cherished instead of a tool to be used and cast aside.
She’d found the ones she wanted to be with. It was time to take the next step in reclaiming her life, and let the scars of her past finally finish healing.
CHAPTER FOUR
Sabar ate without tasting anything that passed his lips. The wine could have been water for all the effect it had on him. Laesa had all his attention. He watched, fascinated as she slowly bloomed over the course of the meal. They’d been right to have dinner here, away from everyone and free from interruptions. She was at ease this way, and by the time they finished their meal, she was laughing and aglow with enjoyment.
She was also utterly breathtaking.
“Computer, initiate sunset program.”
Rhen’s command signaled the next phase of the evening had started, and Sabar pushed back from the table. He turned to watch as a large, single-seat swing materialized on the far side of the clearing. The swing was a replica of the one that sat in their parents’ backyard on Helix, right down to the red and yellow stripes on the thick, comfortable cushions that covered the wooden frame. It was positioned to face the setting sun as it dropped below the soft, rolling hills that marked the distant horizon.
“Join us, Laesa? We can watch the sunset in comfort, and shortly after that, the moons will rise. I have to admit that this is one of the things I miss when we’re in space. No suns or moons to watch as they rise and set.”
Laesa nodded and stood. “I would love to sit and watch the sunset with the two of you. I never even thought about such things until I had left Tartarus behind. I miss the little things that come from being on a planet. Things like sunsets, and thunderstorms, and the sound of the wind blowing through the trees outside my window.”
“Like I said, blossom. You can come here and use this room anytime you like.” Sabar rose a split-second before his brother and took Laesa’s hand. He led her to the swing, helping her to get seated while Rhen held it steady.
“If there’s anything you desire, anything at all, you only have to ask,” Rhen added as he joined them.
They sat on either side of her, Sabar draping a possessive arm around her shoulders, while Rhen took her hand and threaded their fingers together before setting their joined hands on his thigh. The sunset was painting the sky with colors so beautiful it made her artist’s soul sing but she couldn’t keep her attention on it. Not when she had Rhen and Sabar sitting so close. Hard, muscular thighs pressed against hers, and she could feel their body heat warming her skin.
“The other day, I asked Sabar a question. He told me to ask him again tonight. I think now would be the right time to ask it. We haven’t known each other very long, so why is my happiness important to the two of you?”
Sabar leaned in and brushed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Because there’s something very special about you. You bring out the best in us.”
Rhen chuckled. “Poetic, but not very clarifying for our female. Laesa, our species are strongly affected by scents. The moment we walked into your shop, your scent called to me. To both of us. That kind of attraction doesn’t happen very often. It made us want to spend time with you and get to know you better.
Laesa blinked several times as she tried to grasp what they were telling her. “You want me because I smell good?”
Sabar snorted with laughter. “Nice work, Rhen. I think you managed to confuse her even more. What we’re trying to say is that we care about you, Laesa. We’re attracted to you, yes. But now, it’s become something more than physical attraction. What we want it isn’t a fling. At least, that’s not what we’re hoping for. You’re beautiful, talented, and smart. I can see you being part of our lives for a long time to come.”
“Are you telling me that you would consider being my consorts? Both of you?” she asked, using the Tarin term for a permanent partner. Her emotions were spinning out of control, and she felt as if the only thing keeping her grounded was their touch.
Rhen nodded. “Eventually, yes. If you decide that’s what you want, too.”
“We want you, Laesa,” Sabar said.
“It’s my choice, though, right? I really should have read up on your species like I had planned. I’m going to have questions about all this.”
“Ask anything you like. To be honest, we’ve got a few questions of our own. Your world has been closed off for so long there isn’t a lot of information about your species, and most of what there is only refers to the males,” Sabar said.
She laughed a little. “I can imagine what one of your questions will be, so I might as well answer it. Yes, I feed the same way as the males of my species.”
“Holy stars above,” Rhen muttered.
“And if you had a companion—what you’d call a consort, then you only feed from them?” Sabar asked.
“If I were to be blessed with a consort of my own, then they would be the only one I ever fed from. Once we bonded, he…or they, would be all I ever needed.”
Sabar uttered a low rumble that sounded remarkably similar to the low purring noise Sophie’s pet feline, Snuggles, made when he was happy.
“I want to be that for you,” Sabar said, drawing her in close.
His lips claimed hers in a heated kiss that said more than words ever could. His mouth slanted across hers, his hand leaving her shoulder to cradle the back of her head as he took the kiss deeper. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, and she parted them, allowing him entrance. Rhen lifted her hand from his lap and raised it to his lips, nibbling on her fingers and sucking the tips into the heat of his mouth.
Need filled her, slickening her pussy and making her clit throb in time to her rapidly beating heart. It was difficult to think past the demands of her body, but she clung to the last frayed edges of her control. There was one more thing she needed to know before she let go. She pulled back from Sabar just enough to be able to speak.
“I was a slave once already. That life is behind me now, and I’ve been free for almost a year. Before we go any further, I have to know. If I’m with you two, will you let me have a life of my own? Will I still be free?” she asked.
Both men went still and quiet.
Rhen’s stomach twisted at the thought of what Laesa must ha
ve endured to even ask that question. He rose from the swing, then crouched on the ground at Laesa’s feet. The next words he spoke coming straight from his heart. “You have my word as a Helios warrior that as long as you are with us, no matter how that relationship is defined, you’ll never be treated as a slave. You’ll be an equal partner in all aspects of our lives.”
“You have my word as well. I already told you, blossom. The choice lies with you. It always will,” Sabar said.
“And we don’t have to rush this. We have time. All the time you need. We won’t claim you until we’re all sure this is what we want,” Rhen added.
“I hope it doesn’t take you too long to decide, though. I’m not a patient male. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to see my mark on your skin. I want the world to know you belong to us,” Sabar said.
Laesa smiled and nodded. “You did warn me you would be possessive. These marks you speak of, they would also make it clear that the two of you belong to me?”
“They would.”
“Then I will keep that in mind. I’ve seen the way other females watch the two of you. I don’t like it.”
Rhen rose up until he was eye-to-eye with his beautiful Tarin. As he leaned in to kiss her, he made another vow. “If you want me, Laesa, then I’m all yours. From now until my ancestors call me home.”
She was smiling as his lips touched hers.
He kissed her slowly, savoring every moment. She tasted of wine and the glazed fruit tart she’d eaten for dessert. Her lips were soft and warm against his, and when she moaned into his mouth, it was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.
“Will you stay with us tonight, blossom?” Sabar asked.
“Yes.”
That single syllable, uttered in barely more than a whisper, was enough to set Rhen’s world afire.
“Say that again,” Rhen said, staring into her dark eyes.
She laughed, a joyful sound that filled the clearing with its music. “Yes. Yes, I’ll stay with you both this eve. And you should know I have been injected with something that will prevent me from conceiving.”
