by Abby Blake
“We’re only a couple of weeks away from being finished on this planet,” Bryce said.
“And we can take care of ourselves,” Lachlan assured him.
Leroy grinned. “In that case, I wish you well. Any chance of a lift into town?”
Chapter Nine
Bryce wandered through the corridors, the pessimist in him wondering how many minutes before liftoff that they were likely to encounter trouble. Three days to go. Two and a half if they packed up the station in record time
The proximity alarm began to clang, and he was almost glad to hear the annoying sound. He hated the waiting. If trouble was coming their way, he always preferred to face it head on. He met Lachlan at the cameras just as the small pod landed inside the base. After a few moments of zero movement, the door finally opened, and a woman staggered out. She moved slowly like she was in terrible pain. Her face was covered, but her clothes were soaked in blood. Bryce glanced at his brother and recognized the same instinctive need to help and protect that he felt in his own heart. But caution held him back this time.
Despite the woman’s outward appearance, there wasn’t really any evidence of actual injury, and there was another occupant in the pod who hadn’t yet shown themselves. As much as it pained him, Bryce knew they needed to determine the real situation before they reacted to what they saw. Fortunately, Lachlan seemed to agree because he, too, stayed where he was.
“Are the cameras recording?” Lachlan asked.
“Yes,” Bryce replied. “I’ve kept them on around the clock and just delete the uneventful video files once a week. Something tells me this one’s going to be a keeper.”
Lachlan nodded his agreement as they watched the woman stagger closer. She dropped to her knees and then lowered herself to the ground. But again, something was off. It didn’t look like the collapse of a severely injured woman. It looked more like a performance by a second grader in a school play.
Their suspicions were confirmed a few minutes later when the woman lifted her head and looked back at the flying pod. Clearly, lying on the ground pretending to be injured for more than ten minutes was not in the plan. Faced with uncertain rescue, the woman became agitated, moving more freely than she had on her way out of the pod. Eventually, she lifted to her feet and hurried back the way she’d come.
A loud noise stopped her in her tracks. This time she did crumple like an injured person.
“Stay here,” Bryce said as he pulled his hand gun and keyed the exit code for the door. Lachlan was a good soldier, and he’d realize that they needed to keep the front door secured. He heard Lachlan’s calm voice as he called for Ryan and Ty’s assistance. Then the door slammed closed behind him and all his focus went to rescuing the woman bleeding to death on their front lawn.
The man fired a couple of wild shots before slamming the pod closed and taking off. Bryce was tempted to fire fruitlessly at the retreating craft but realized he needed to concentrate his energy on the woman.
Worried that the pod would return, or more would come, Bryce lifted the woman in his arms and ran back to the front door. Lachlan opened it immediately, and Ryan and Ty were right there with the medical equipment.
“Hell,” Ryan said as Bryce laid the woman on the tiled floor and moved out of their way.
“It’s not all hers,” Lachlan said as he again monitored the cameras. That became evident as Ryan and Ty stripped the woman’s clothing from her and located the single bullet wound high on her chest. Bryce grabbed the soiled clothes and stuffed them into a bag with a vacuum seal. His brain had clicked into cop mode, and he gathered as much evidence from the scene as he could without disturbing his brothers’ attempts to save the woman’s life.
“I’ve called for police and ambulance,” John said as he came into the small foyer area. But Ryan and Ty were already using the resuscitation equipment without success.
“That’s Zedahla’s sister,” Bryce said as he watched helplessly as her life drained away.
Despite their frantic efforts Zedahla’s sister was pronounced dead by the medical team when they arrived.
* * * *
Lachlan checked the video file over and over. He’d already made several offline backups and sent duplicates via subspace communications to Leroy’s boss and several other contacts he and Bryce had in the police force. It was essential that they make certain that multiple copies existed. Zedahla’s sister’s husband had reported seeing his wife murdered by Lachlan Davidson. The police officer was the same one Lachlan had dealt with when he’d rescued Zedahla, so he was willing to listen to Bryce and Lachlan’s account. The video fortunately confirmed that Zedahla’s sister was not killed by Lachlan. It very clearly showed her husband shooting her in cold blood as she hurried back to the pod.
Lachlan sent a copy of the video to Brock as well with explicit instructions to store it offline and to make sure Mikayla never saw it. The last thing she needed was to learn of Zedahla’s sister’s death by watching a video transmission of her murder.
“Okay, that’s it for now. We’ve recorded your testimonies and have copies of your surveillance footage, so this should be enough for a conviction. When are you leaving the planet?”
“Three days. Less if we can swing it.”
“I would suggest sooner rather than later,” the officer said. “It’s clear that they are desperate to get Zedahla back.”
Lachlan glanced at his brothers. All seven of them seemed to be in agreement.
“We’ll go within the hour,” he told the officer.
“Good,” the man said as he shook Lachlan’s hand. He handed him a business card. “That’s my direct subspace line. Contact me every couple of weeks. I’m hoping I won’t need you to get a conviction, but I don’t want to risk this guy walking.”
Lachlan was relieved that the officer didn’t ask for contact details. The fewer people who knew where Zedahla was, the safer she would be. As the police and coroner’s vehicles left the research base, Lachlan felt his gut tighten with anxiety.
“Okay, let’s get off this rock.”
His brothers scattered as they went to ready the ship for departure.
* * * *
“They’re coming home early?” Mikayla asked, sounding very much like a child the night before Christmas. Brock just wished their reason for returning early wasn’t quite so horrible.
“Yes, baby girl. They should be here in less than three weeks.” Before she could get really excited, Brock cut her off with a question. “Have you spoken to Zedahla today?”
Mikayla’s expression faltered as she read the truth on his face. “What happened?” she asked urgently.
“Zedahla’s sister died. Her husband murdered her.”
“How d–do we know this? Wh–where did it happen?” Her voice cracked as she tried to ask another question.
Mikayla was obviously concerned about how Zedahla would take the news, so Brock pulled her onto his lap and held her close as he explained the circumstances of Zedahla’s sister’s death. Tears filled his own eyes as Mikayla cried for a woman she’d never met.
Breaking the news to Zedahla was even harder. Despite their different beliefs, it was obvious that Zedahla had been concerned for her sister’s welfare. Clearly, those concerns had been justified.
Brock closed the communications screen, leaving his parents to comfort the distraught young woman, and went to fill Ashton in on the latest development. Fortunately, between the seven of them, Brock’s bothers had managed to gather enough scans that the rest of the contract could be completed on their way back to Earth.
It was a relief to have them on their way home.
Hours later, Mikayla slipped into bed beside him. What started as a reassuring kiss quickly exploded into a heated coupling and within minutes they were both panting hard, trying to recover from the unexpected intensity.
“I love you,” Mikayla said as she settled into his arms and held him tight.
“I love you, too, baby girl.”
“Br
ock,” she said quietly as they lay there in the dark, “you know how Bryce is working on a new identity for Zedahla.”
“Yes,” he said, wondering where she was going with this.
“Do you think maybe your parents could sort of adopt her?”
“Adopt?” he said, feeling thoroughly confused. The girl was seventeen, nearly eighteen. Adoption was not necessary.
“What I mean is…Well, your mothers always wanted a girl. Could we perhaps create a younger sister for you guys? It would make it much easier to protect her if she was one of the family.”
“Very true,” Brock agreed as details spiraled through his head with dizzying speed. His parents already acted like Zedahla was one of the family. Was there any harm in making it official? “I’ll speak to Bryce first thing in the morning.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. She was quiet for so long that he thought she’d gone to sleep, but then she wriggled and sat up to look at him. “My family sure has grown over the last few years.”
Epilogue
She woke between John and Peter. Ever since they’d made it back to Earth, her men had been even more attentive than usual. Maybe it was the fact that they finally felt safe enough to relax. There weren’t any unexpected dangers here. No strange laws against women, no cute little bunnies with massive teeth and a tendency to eat their young, or snakes that looked like spit bubbles. No furry little critters to affect their libido, or fanatical religions too strong for local law enforcement to deal with. Just the usual problems and dangers one would face on a planet with eleven billion people.
“Good morning, princess,” John said as he pulled her closer and nuzzled her neck sleepily. “Did you sleep well?”
“Very well,” she said truthfully. Maybe it was the fresh air on Earth or the easing of tension in her men, but she’d slept better in the past few weeks than she had in years. Unlike on the station where each brother had his own room and Mikayla bounced from bed to bed, here they’d set up a room entirely for her. It could simply be that she truly felt like she belonged.
Strange how that never seemed to have affected her until it had changed.
With Peter still sleeping behind her, Mikayla climbed over John and headed into the bathroom. By the time she had the shower turned on, John was stepping in with her. Still half asleep, she happily let him wash her down.
Soapy hands ran across her suddenly peaked nipples, waking her more thoroughly than a strong cup of coffee. She moaned as John’s clever fingers plucked at the taut nubs and sent tendrils of heat curling low in her belly. He stood behind her, his hard cock rubbing against the crease of her ass as he worked the soap lower, cleansing her belly, her hips, her now throbbing pussy.
She gasped as his fingers found her clit, and he turned her into the spray of water to rinse the bubbles away. “I love you,” he murmured into her ear a moment before he tilted her forward, placed her hands against the cool tiles, and slid his hard cock into her pussy. He fucked her leisurely, gliding in and out of her slick flesh as the water sluiced between them.
His hands roamed over her skin, and he pressed soft, sucking kisses against her neck and spine. Peter stepped into the shower, and John pulled out, turned her around, and pressed her against his brother. He thrust back into her harder, faster, deeper. His need growing as he fucked her while Peter held her tight.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Peter said as he pressed nibbling little kisses against her shoulders, neck, and jaw. She moaned in response, her pussy throbbing as John pounded into her again and again and again. Peter’s fingers found her clit, pressing, rubbing, teasing the swollen nub until she writhed against them both. Tension gripped her, every muscle pulling tight, every nerve ending alive with sensation. She screamed as her orgasm burst free and pounded through her. She closed her eyes, moaning as John’s cock pulsed inside her.
She barely had a moment to recover before Peter turned her around, pressed her against John, and thrust into her pussy. Her internal muscles still fluttered with excitement, and Peter groaned as her body caressed him.
But he slowed things down, lifting and sliding her along his hard length as if they had all the time in the world. It reminded her of the first time they’d made love, of that moment that she realized she loved them all, and the way Peter had pushed her into realizing they loved her back.
Tears filled her eyes as she comprehended just how amazing her men were. They’d not only accepted that she could love them all equally, they’d done everything they could to reassure her that life with her was enough—even if they never had children together.
Peter slowed his movements even more to kiss the tears from her eyes. He didn’t press for an explanation, just held her close and rocked into and out of her body in gentle rhythm.
She closed her eyes and relaxed into her lovers’ care. But then the tension wound tighter, and Peter’s tempo increased. He held her legs wide, John holding her upright as Peter thrust into her body over and over and over.
Fingers found her clit, rubbed it gently, as Peter fucked her faster.
Mikayla tensed, her muscles quivering as her orgasm neared. She panted, holding back, waiting for Peter, but then John whispered “come.” She moaned, the sound echoing off the tiles, wrapping around them as Peter thrust hard and deep one last time. He came with a groan, his arms pulling her tight against him as she pressed her lips to his.
Panting hard from their exhaustion, they eventually managed to get cleaned up and drag themselves from the shower. Mikayla was tempted to crawl back into bed, but the smell of breakfast cooking had her stomach grumbling loudly.
John laughed and pulled her into his arms. “We could send Peter to bring us breakfast in bed.” Peter laughed and made a counteroffer, but in the end, the three of them headed downstairs together.
Zedahla—now known as Emily Davidson—appeared on the communicator screen as she spoke to Lachlan, excitedly telling him about the school courses she was currently studying. Zedahla had been pleased by Mikayla’s suggestion and more than happy to have eight protective older brothers trying to tell her what to do. Thanks to Mikayla’s influence, getting their younger sister to listen was not always an easy task, but for the most part, she was a very sensible young woman.
They hadn’t heard any news of the investigation into her cousin’s murder, but they knew Leroy was still working undercover. They all worried for the police officer, and even though she’d been frightened of him at the time, Zedahla knew he was a good man. As if she felt the need to make up for what Leroy risked and all that her sister and cousin had lost, Zedahla studied hard in an effort to catch up to others her own age. At the moment, she was taking high school courses via satellite so that she would be ready to join her peers at the local school next year. She’d also made sure that her new identity was solid. She even knew the family history almost better than the men who’d lived it.
Mikayla sat quietly as the conversation flowed around her for a while. Plans, small and large, were discussed and rehashed and argued over. It was quite a big change from what they’d been doing on other planets, but they were all ready for a new challenge. They’d chosen a home that had once been a bed and breakfast on a working farm, and from there, the idea for a simple farming life had grown. Even if modern conveniences made it far easier than the backbreaking work it once was, people still needed to eat, and the Davidson family was more than happy to provide.
The table was even noisier these days and Mikayla watched quietly as her family went about the business of living. There was only one thing missing, and it was the one thing she’d been too frightened to try and give them.
“What are the medical facilities like in town?” Mikayla blurted out the question a little too loudly. All sound stopped as they turned to her, confusion and concern on all their faces. Lachlan raised an eyebrow at her out-of-the-blue question.
“Actually,” Ryan piped in, “there’s an excellent hospital and some highly qualified doctors not far from here.”
> “So the medical facilities are good?” Mikayla asked as she made eye contact with each of her men. They nodded, and Mikayla smiled as she imagined her husbands’ reactions to her next words. “Because I have an idea,” she said, swallowing nervously. She tried to still the butterflies beating in her stomach with a deep breath and continued. “Considering that our new home has good medical facilities, I was wondering if…” Holy cow, this was a lot harder than she’d thought it would be.
Lachlan was smiling at her discomfort, obviously reading the body language she was struggling to control. She stuck her tongue out at him, giggled at her childish behavior, and then threw the idea out there.
“I’d like to try again for a baby. What do you think?”
End of Book 5: Hot Inspiration
To be continued in
Book 6: Mikayla’s Family
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abby Blake prefers to read or write romance over just about everything else—except maybe chocolate. Most days she can be found hurrying to do what needs to be done so that she can curl up with her laptop and her latest bunch of heroes.
Also by Abby Blake
Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 1:
Mikayla’s Men
Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 2:
Sweet Captivation
Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 3:
Wild Fascination
Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 4:
Keen Inclination
Ménage Everlasting: Fire
Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 1: Lost
Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 2: Runner
Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 3: Hidden
Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 4: Stolen
Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 5: Soldier
