by Rachel Clark
“You want me to leave?” Zed asked as he tried to breathe against the feeling of his chest caving in. Fuck, it didn’t matter that he’d considered it himself, just the thought of the people he’d thought of as his family pod wanting him to leave was like a crushing physical blow.
“No,” Daku said in a horrified tone. “No, that’s not what I meant. I just wondered if you’d given any consideration to maybe going home…one day.”
“Dak,” Zed said on a nearly breathless voice, “please tell me what this is all about.”
He knew his plea wasn’t exactly befitting of his role as dria-coldar, but the fear gripping him was more than he could bear. Whatever Daku was trying to say, Zed just wanted him to spit it out while he still had enough self-control not to drop to his knees and beg Daku to keep him.
“I’m fucking this up,” Daku said as he moved closer to the pool. He took a deep breath as if he was shoring up his confidence. “I’m just trying to find out if one day you might find it in your hearts to love me.”
“Love you?” Zed repeated. Surely he hadn’t heard that correctly. Daku had four devoted podmates. He didn’t even need a dria-coldar to protect him and his family. Far from the stereotypes Zed had once believed in, this family pod was more than able to take care of each other.
Daku blushed but held his ground. “It’s okay if you don’t. We just…”
“Is Mrs. Lansdowne standing at her kitchen window?” Zed asked as giddy relief ran through him.
Daku seemed thrown by the change of subject but he glanced up and shook his head. “It’s her bingo morning.”
“Good,” Zed said as he lifted himself out of the pool and moved to stand in front of Daku, “because she might be a little shocked by this.” Daku shook his head in bewilderment until Zed reached for his hand and placed it against his hard cock. “I love you, Dak. I have for a very long time. Will your podmates be okay with that?”
“Actually our podmates are going to be very happy to hear that.” Daku tilted his head toward the four people watching them from behind the glass door. “There’s no rush. It takes time to figure out where everyone fits. We can take it just one day at a t—”
Zed lowered his head, cutting off the frantic words as he kissed the yala-coldar he loved for the very first time.
* * * *
“Holy hell, that’s hot,” Chris said as he watched the two men kissing beside the pool. His own cock had thickened just at the thought of Zed joining their pod, but watching his yala-coldar kiss the man who’d become important to them all in the past twelve months almost had him doubled over in pain.
Naith saw his reaction and leaned over to rub a hand over Chris’s hard cock. “I can help you with that,” he said with a grin, “but we should probably get those two inside first, before they draw the attention of the neighbors.”
“We’re on it,” Felicity said with a laugh as she and Ben headed out the door and moved toward the two men making out on the deck.
“They better move fast,” Naith said with a hearty laugh. “It’s been a long time for Zed. I have a feeling we’re all going to be exhausted before his claiming is over.”
“You think he’ll claim us today?” Chris asked just a little nervously. For the past twelve months he’d been both relieved not to have to deal with how he felt about one day maybe being a pregnant man and saddened that when they did decide to have a family that, genetically speaking, their alien lovers wouldn’t be involved. He’d also worried for Felicity. It was true that most human women had uncomplicated pregnancies, but even those weren’t particularly comfortable. The Jernodrian way—now that he understood exactly how it worked—seemed like a much better experience. And he’d meant what he’d said to Daku earlier. If Zed joined their family pod and made Chris a true dal-shera, then he’d happily carry the family’s podlings.
Chris laughed softly as Naith’s hand moved to caress over the taut muscles of his abdomen. “Don’t go getting any ideas,” he said as he placed his hand over Naith’s. “They’re only kissing. That just might be a sad good-bye.”
But even as he said the words he watched Daku and Zed stagger awkwardly to the house, guided by Felicity and Ben as the two very large men continued to kiss each other desperately.
“I’m suddenly glad we didn’t go out there,” Naith said with a loud chuckle. “With all six of us in the same place we might not have made it inside.”
Chris couldn’t help but share Naith’s mirth. For so long they’d all wondered—perhaps even secretly hoped—if Daku would learn to love another dria-coldar after loving Reyne for so long, but despite their growing affection for Zed they’d stayed quiet, instinctively knowing that Daku would need to be the one to decide if Zed joined their family.
To have him mention it this morning was a dream come true for them all, but to watch Zed and Daku kissing now was simply the hottest thing Chris had ever seen. Considering the amazing quality of their kinky sex lives, that was truly saying something.
He quickly moved to slide the glass door open wider so that the rest of his family could tumble inside without breaking something or jamming an elbow, and then with Naith’s help he guided them down the hallway and into the massive room that they’d designated as their bedroom.
* * * *
Daku kissed Zed with every ounce of emotion he possessed. He’d loved Reyne, always would, but Zed was there in his hearts and mind now, too. It was almost incredible that he would fall in love with two men so different—or that they could both love him back—but it was the love and acceptance he’d received from the rest of his podmates that had been truly humbling.
He could feel their love and approval as they gathered around him and Zed, even helping him to drag off his clothes as he peeled away the wet boxer shorts Zed had worn into the pool. He immediately wrapped his fist around Zed’s seriously hard cock, a wave of sadness flowing through him for the man who’d been alone for so long.
“Hey,” Zed said quietly, apparently sensing Daku’s emotional response. “We’ll find a way to make everything work.”
“I know,” Daku said quickly, easily sensing the wholehearted approval from Naith and Ben. Hopefully soon he would have that same empathic-type link to Zed, Chris, and Felicity as well. “Please make love to me.”
Zed grinned, then lowered his lips back to Daku’s and kissed him more thoroughly than he’d ever imagined possible. His legs shook uncontrollably as he gasped for air. Hell, if it hadn’t been for Zed’s superior strength, Daku might have ended up on his knees. He inhaled in surprise when Zed lifted him off the floor and placed him in the middle of the huge bed. But it was what happened next that had him reassessing everything he’d ever known about making love.
Their mating was frantic, a desperate clash of body parts as they both gave in to the need that had been building for a long time. Their touching became harder, more forceful, Daku’s need to temper his own strength no longer a concern with someone larger and stronger than him.
Daku moaned as Zed used his superior weight to pin him facedown, his cock pressed hard against his ass, the natural lubricant from Zed’s cock already preparing the way as he slowly pushed deep inside Daku’s ass. Completely overpowered, his own cock jammed hard against the mattress, Daku moaned his pleasure and bucked his hips.
“Sorry, Dak,” Zed said breathlessly, “but this is one place I truly need to be in charge. Please give me this one thing.”
Daku nodded quickly, overwhelmed by the new sensation but more than happy to submit to this man in bed. “I love you,” he whispered, bending his arm awkwardly to caress the man on top of him. “Please fuck me.”
Zed laughed in that deep, throbbing tone that had always left Daku totally aroused. “Dak, I love you with all of my hearts.” He thrust in an out a couple of times, each more forceful than the last before whispering, “But you might want to brace yourself because things are about to get rough.”
And, fucking hell, the man hadn’t been kidding. He slammed into Da
ku again and again, the sensations more intense, more amazing, more incredible than anything he’d ever felt before. Daku held on, his hands clawing the sheets as Zed fucked him hard and fast and took everything Daku was more than willing to give.
Daku screamed as he came, the orgasm taking him by surprise as every one of his senses went into overload. Zed thrust three more times, pushed deep, and groaned out his own orgasm as he ground hard against his ass and pressed Daku deeper into the mattress. A moment later he collapsed on top of him, the solid heavy weight of the man pinning him down surprisingly appealing.
“You okay, baby?” Zed asked breathlessly as he apparently realized what he was doing. He started to lift away, but Daku reached back to hold him in place.
“Never better, Zed,” he mumbled between panted breaths. “I absolutely, seriously love you.”
* * * *
Zed chuckled at Daku’s enthusiastic words. “I absolutely, seriously love you, too,” he said happily, but as he lay there catching his breath he finally realized they had an audience. Lifting his head, he glanced around the room and made eye contact with the other four people who’d grown so dear to him. He quickly climbed to his feet, but he couldn’t help the surprised noise that escaped him when Daku rolled over to give him a delighted smile as a very naked, very aroused Naith moved into Zed’s embrace.
“Are you sure?” he asked in a voice thickened by emotion. A part of him still expected to wake up in his own bed, aching and sore as he listened to the sounds of happy lovemaking down the hallway.
“We’re sure,” Naith said as he cuddled closer. “Over the past year you’ve become so much more than just a protector to us. You’ve become an integral part of this family.”
Well it wasn’t exactly a declaration of love, but it was acceptance from Daku’s lovers. It was enough that Daku loved him and if he was the only one he got to share a physical relationship with, then he’d take it. But that thought was a little hard to hold onto when Naith wriggled in his arms and started to kiss his chest like he was desperate for a taste. Zed felt his confusion—and his cock—grow exponentially. He took Naith’s mouth in a hard kiss, the love he felt for this man as strong as the love he felt for Daku. He’d barely come up for air when Ben took Naith’s place and started to kiss him passionately, too.
“Dak?” he asked as Ben moved away and both Felicity and Chris took his place. As much as he wanted to go on kissing the people he’d grown to love, he didn’t want to make any assumptions. He wrapped his arms around the two humans, holding them to him as he tried to find a way to ask the question that was on his mind. Jernodrians were a sensual people, but that didn’t mean any of these five podmates wanted to be claimed by him. Hell, they were all very happy living a nontraditional Jernodrian lifestyle.
“It’s okay, Zed,” Daku said with a happy smile. “We’re yours if you want us.”
Zed felt a shiver run through Chris at Daku’s soft reassurance. Maybe he was reading the man wrong but he and Felicity had continued to surprise him day after day. Just like Seth had described his brother’s family dynamic changing with human dal-sheras, Chris and Felicity had challenged everything Zed had thought he’d known about family. In some ways it had been painful to realize how wrong his assumptions had been, but it had also led him to a deeper understanding of the friendships that could build within a family pod. These people weren’t just lovers. They were also each other’s closest friends, a support network that made each of them an individual in their own right as well as a member of a family. Far from crushing their independence, the bond they shared gave them all strength to truly be themselves.
It had made watching them from the outside so much harder.
But none of that explained Chris’s reaction. It was possible he wouldn’t want the role of dal-shera in their family. He was a very capable man, able to protect his family as well as most dria-coldars Zed knew, despite not having the same skill set.
“Chris, is that okay with you?”
“Zed,” Chris said in that teasing tone that had become endearingly familiar, “don’t you find me pretty enough to have your babies?” He batted his eyelashes for emphasis, the huge smile on his face declaring he’d meant it exactly as it had sounded—as a joke.
“Well now that you mention it…” The bite wasn’t hard, but it did make him laugh. He threaded his fingers through Chris’s short hair and pulled him away from his poor abused pectoral muscle. But it was the glimpse of vulnerability that stilled his hearts. He’d long suspected that Chris hid most of his emotions by teasing those around him, but until that moment Zed hadn’t truly known it for sure. He took the man’s mouth in a slow, reassuring kiss, telling him without words how he truly felt. When he ended the kiss he leaned back to see the man’s face more clearly. “Chris, I’d be honored if you’d carry my babies.” He glanced around the family that was claiming him and whispered. “Our babies.”
The look he and Chris exchanged went a long way to healing the guilt Zed felt for the rift he’d caused between them that very first day. They’d long since learned to like each other, but it had been Zed’s assumptions that had given them the rough beginning.
“Perfect,” Felicity said as she lifted onto her tippy-toes and pressed a kiss to his throat. She’d been the shining light in his hearts right from the beginning. Perhaps it had been that she’d never met Reyne so hadn’t had the comparison to find him lacking, but she’d been Zed’s closest friend through the past twelve months, accepting him as he was, happily inviting him to share her day-to-day life. Her support had made all of the hard stuff bearable.
He reached for her, lifting her off the ground as he crushed her to him and kissed her the way he’d been dreaming for months. She responded wholeheartedly, lifting her legs to wrap around Zed’s hips the way he’d seen her do countless times with her husbands as they’d carried her to bed each night.
“We love you, Zed. Please say you’ll claim us.”
“Absolutely,” he said with all the emotion in his hearts. “Thank you all for giving me a chance.”
“Zed,” Daku said as he moved back to his side, “we’ve all loved you for a very long time. Our podmates were only waiting to make certain I was able to love someone who wasn’t Reyne.”
“I can’t replace him,” Zed blurted worriedly. He wasn’t his brother. They’d always been friends, but they’d never been much alike.
“We’re not asking you to,” Daku said with a watery smile. “Reyne will always be a part of this family pod. He’s irreplaceable.” He reached over and touched Zed’s face. “He was as unique as you are, Zed. We love you for you, not because we think you can take Reyne’s place.”
Heady relief once again swelled through his body, the sensation so physical that he closed his eyes as he tried to regain control of his emotions. He barely managed to choke back a sob as he felt every one of his family pod surround him.
“We all love you, Zed,” Naith said in a serious tone. “You, the man you are. We don’t need you to protect us, or lead us, or fulfill any of the stereotypes that are supposedly part of Jernodrian family life. We just want you to love us all back. Please say you’ll stay because you love us, not because you feel a duty to your late brother’s family.”
Zed pulled Naith closer, for the first time understanding how a group of individuals could make a family. Each of them needed to know they were loved both for themselves and as a part of a wider group. Finding what fit for all of them, just as Daku said, would take time, but Zed had no doubt they’d find a way.
He held his family close, just soaking up the feeling of belonging as dreams of the future he’d always wanted suddenly became his reality.
“I think it’s time you claimed us now,” Ben said as he reached up to press a kiss to his lips. “We’re yours, Zed.”
Chris laughed, his natural exuberance kicking in once more. “And you, Zed…you are definitely ours.”
And as Zed made love to each of his podmates, claiming them in the t
raditional way of a dria-coldar, binding them together physically in the same way that love held them together emotionally, he realized the most surprising thing of all.
Reyne would be happy for all of them.
THE END
RACHELCLARKEROTICROMANCE.BLOGSPOT.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel loves romance in all its forms. She writes science fiction contemporary, BDSM, and paranormal in MMF, MFM, MMMMMF and lots of other different pairings. Her one unbreakable rule is that every story must have a very happy ending.
For all titles by Rachel Clark, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/rachel-clark
For titles by Rachel Clark writing as
Bec Adams, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/bec-adams
Siren Publishing, Inc.
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