by Renee Rose
A rustle from the nearby bushes caused her to look up, and she dropped the screwdriver in her hand. A wizened Pra’kirian face peered through the hedge at her. The nosy neighbor. Her heart rate increased, and she opened her mouth to speak, but her communication pad buzzed with a call. For the first time, it didn’t show the photo of Jakk or Gav’n. Instead, it said Endermere Academy. She connected and looked back toward the bushes. The woman had disappeared.
“Hello?”
Apparently that wasn’t the correct way to answer a call on Pra’kir, because the woman on the other end leaned her face into the screen, peering at her. “I’m trying to reach Mira Loquist, nanny to Darley Dacker.”
“That’s me, yes.”
The woman scrunched up her nose. “We need you down at the school. Darley’s been suspended for the day for fighting. We couldn’t reach either of her uncles.”
Mira set the powerboard down. “I’ll be right there.”
Damn. Her heart ached for Darley. The poor kid was so unhappy, acting out in every way she knew how. Yeah, she was a royal pain in the ass, but she was just a kid. A heartbroken kid.
She tossed the equipment back into boxes and stored them in the shed. Her little project would have to wait until later. She climbed into the shuttle and set the destination for the school.
When she arrived, thankfully, the students were in their classes, so the gawking was limited to the few people in the halls and at the front desk. The receptionist sent her into the director’s office, where Darley slumped in a chair with red eyes and nose, arms across her chest, sniffling.
The director was an elderly female with curly white hair and long nails, painted black to match her suit. “Have a seat.” She pointed at the chair across from her. “Darley was caught fighting with a boy in the play yard at noon. We do not tolerate fighting in any form. Because there was also the issue of her deliberate attempts to miss school by producing a false rash, I am considering permanently expelling her.”
Mira chewed the inside of her lip. Without knowing anything about Pra’kirian schools, she wasn’t sure of the best way to handle this.
She drew a breath. “Director, what counseling or help has the school provided to aid Darley and her sisters in dealing more effectively with the grief over their mother’s death?”
The director blinked.
“You do remember their mother was killed mere weeks ago?”
“Well, of course I do,” she snapped.
“Have you lost a parent, Director?”
The woman flushed. “I’ve lost both my parents. Of course, it was not as a child, but—”
“And how long did you grieve for them?”
The director paled, eyes misting. She swallowed. “For years.”
Mira nodded soberly. “Can you imagine how hard it would be as a child? To lose both parents and suddenly have new caregivers, including one of the aliens indirectly responsible for your mother’s death?”
Darley snuffled, obviously trying to hold back a sob, but Mira didn’t turn.
The director, however, gave Darley a long, searching look. The severe lines of her face softened. She touched the tips of her fingers together. “The academy does not provide psychological assistance, but I can connect you with an agency that might be able to help.”
She picked up her communication pad and wrote something. A moment later, Mira’s pad beeped.
“You are right, I had not fully considered Darley’s situation when I suggested expulsion. The academy will issue a warning. Any further disturbances will result in expulsion.” She gave Darley a sharp look. “Understood?”
Darley bobbed her head up and down.
“Thank you, Director.” Mira stood and walked to the door, waiting for Darley to exit first. “I’ll bring her back tomorrow?”
The director nodded.
Darley wiped her cheeks as they walked to the shuttle, snuffling intermittently. An awkward silence hung between them.
Fuck it. Before Darley got into the shuttle, Mira pulled her into a rough embrace.
Darley froze, not moving, possibly not even breathing.
Mira released her as suddenly as she’d hugged her and walked around to her side of the shuttle. They rode home with Darley leaning her head against the window, staring out, tears dripping down her cheeks.
Poor baby. Mira wished there was something she could do or say to ease her pain. She let her stay in her room all afternoon, and even left her alone while she went back to pick up the younger two. Jakk and Gav’n arrived late that evening, and she and the girls were already sitting at the table eating dinner.
Jakk joined them first, the lines of his face tight and stern. “What happened at the academy today? My secretary said they called, and she gave them your contact code.”
Gav’n pulled up a chair and sat as well.
“Darley had a little problem today, but everything is fine. We worked it out.”
Darley lifted her cheek where it had been resting in her palm as she stirred her food listlessly.
“What trouble, exactly?” Gav’n asked. Jakk and Gav’n’s gazes were sharp and they both appeared ready to bring the hammer down, hard.
She didn’t want that. She shrugged, keeping her demeanor completely casual. “Don’t worry about it. I handled it. Isn’t that my job?” She smiled sweetly and tacked on the forgotten, “Master?”
Darley’s mouth opened in shock, and Mira shot her a warning glance.
Suspicion glinted in Jakk’s gaze as he considered both of them. He glanced at Gav’n, who shrugged.
“Are you certain this isn’t something we need to know?” The clear warning in his tone that had her swallowing, but she held her ground.
“I’m sure. Everything has been handled.”
Jakk nodded slowly. “Okay. Thank you for taking care of whatever...issue arose.”
Darley took a sudden interest in her food, shoveling it in her mouth.
Gav’n watched them both thoughtfully but didn’t speak.
Maybe, though she knew she’d done little to earn their trust, they’d actually let this go.
~.~
“Mira, we need to talk.” Gav’n tugged Mira’s jumper over her head and groaned. The no underclothing rule made stripping her a quick and delicious activity. One that nearly made him forget what he wanted to say to her.
He would never grow tired of studying her responsive, willing little body. If only they could bring her mind around to the same place.
Mira must have caught the flare of lust in his expression, because the corners of her mouth turned up and she sank to her knees to work the fastener on his pants.
He caught her arms and pulled her back up. “No, you can’t talk with my dick stuffed in your mouth, as enticing as that scenario may be.”
Jakk produced several silk ties from the closet, and Gav’n backed her up to the bed and tossed her into the center of it. The two brothers worked quickly to secure her wrists and ankles to the bedposts, spread wide.
He pulled out an implement he’d made for her. It was more for pleasure than pain, although it would produce a light surface burn. It consisted of a dozen lengths of soft rope, bundled at one end with a loop for a handle.
She writhed against the bonds, her green-blue eyes wary as he approached.
He climbed up on the bed and stood over her to trail the ends of the rope between her legs. She jerked and shivered. The scent of her arousal hit him like a powerful aphrodisiac. With a flick of his wrist, he brought the flogger sharply against her pussy.
She shrieked, eyes flying wide, the trembling extending down her legs now. Fortunately, the room was fairly soundproof.
“What have you been researching on Jakk’s computer, love?” Another smack.
Jakk sat near her head and wound a length of thread around one of her nipples.
She struggled against her bonds, but he knew it was more out of fear than real pain. The vulnerability of her position and the part of her anatomy he’d chosen
to punish, along with the mystery of Jakk’s attentions, gave her no choice but to recognize their dominance over her.
“Did you think we wouldn’t notice?” Jakk asked, tugging on the end of the thread and drawing her pinched nipple up toward the ceiling.
She cried out, panic flickering over her face.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” He delivered a harder smack to her pussy.
She shook her head rapidly. “No. No, Master.”
He softened immediately, dropping to his knees between her thighs, soothing the burn away with his thumb over her slit. “If you want to know something, why don’t you ask us?”
Her expression shuttered, and it hit him harder than he would’ve thought possible. She didn’t trust them. She may trust them with her body, but she kept secrets, maybe still had plans to escape.
Jakk moved to her other side and wound a thread around the free nipple, imprisoning it, too, in his simple torture device. “Do you want to see your file?” he asked gently.
She stilled, a latent tension running through her body. Moistening her lips, she nodded. “Does it have...information on my shipmates?”
“Ah,” he said, rewarding her communication with a generous thrust of his thumb inside her channel, working her clit with his palm at the same time. “You’re trying to find them. Is that it?”
She lifted her head as far as she could with her arms tied back. Her eyes were wide and desperate, and she hadn’t breathed.
“Pashika,” he said with soft regret. “We’ve talked about this already. You’re not allowed to see them.”
“Please.” Her head fell back on the bed, eyes tear bright. “They’re my friends. I need to know they’re okay.”
Jakk shook his head. “Their placements weren’t made public.”
“You would know, though. Or could find out. You’re a judge.”
Jakk hesitated. “You’re right. I probably could find out.” He sighed. “Binnix, my Chief of Civil Police, took one of them, but I don’t know which. And the general magistrate, himself, took the one who was badly injured.”
“Brinley?”
“I don’t know.” Jakk tugged the thread of the second nipple, and she winced. He cupped and kneaded both breasts. “I am willing to make inquiries in the future. I’m willing to try to arrange a meeting, or get-together. But not yet. If I tried now, the request would be denied, perhaps forever. Give it a year or two, until each of you is settled in and your masters can vouch for your assimilation to Pra’kir.”
She rolled her eyes and blinked back tears. “A year or two? How would you feel if I separated you from Gav’n for a year or two?”
He pursed his lips. “I would hate it, but if you did it to save my life, I would understand.”
“Save my life?”
“The Council wanted you dead. This solution of fostering you out was presented by the general magistrate as a means of saving your lives. So we must stay within the guidelines they gave us—guidelines assuring the public is also safe from any perceived danger from you. Mira, we’re asking you to trust us. Just like we gave you our trust to handle the problem with Darley on your own.” Jakk stroked her cheek.
She sank into the bed a bit at that.
“We want your happiness. Can you believe that?” Gav’n slowly moved his thumb in and out of her again. Jakk leaned over and claimed her mouth, brushing his lips lightly across hers then licking into them.
She let out a soft moan and submitted, letting them pleasure her with their mouths, tongues, and hands until she came with a hoarse scream.
Chapter Ten
Mira stared at the amplifier pieces without seeing them. It was almost functional—a fuse had blown out, but it had worked for a moment. She couldn’t focus on it, today, though.
That morning, after returning from dropping the girls at the academy, she’d researched the home address for the general magistrate. Unbelievably, Jakk had it programmed right into her communication device, which used to be his.
All she had to do was remove her collar and get in the shuttle and she could visit Brinley. The general magistrate was probably at work. Maybe she’d be home alone, like Mira. The idea of seeing another human—a friend—had her buzzing like an addict about to get a fix. So, yes, that meant she couldn’t stop thinking about it, her mind looping on a single track.
She packed the amplifier parts and found the pair of bolt cutters she’d set aside after her first exploration of the shed. With the jaws open, she worked the lower blade under the collar at her neck.
The blade was too thick, though. Ouch. The tip of it cut the underside of her chin. Her throat spasmed, and suddenly the collar felt too tight, as if strangling her breath. She had to get the fucker off, now. With a snap of the jaws, she dug into the fragile skin at her throat again, slicing it open, but the collar also fell off.
Relief coursed through her. Chucking the bolt cutters, she jogged upstairs to the house to grab a washcloth for her cuts then back down to the shuttle. She had three-and-a-half hours before she needed to pick up the girls. She didn’t know how far away the general magistrate lived, but hopefully it would be enough time.
She climbed into the bullet shuttle and programmed the general magistrate’s address into the dash, which took a considerable amount of time, since she had to hunt and peck the characters she didn’t recognize. Eventually, it seemed to work.
She drew a deep breath, fighting back the guilt.
No, she needed this. She didn’t deserve to be held prisoner in Jakk and Gav’n’s home. And if she played her cards right, they’d never know. Yes, she’d have to explain the severed collar. She would just say she felt like she was going to choke, which was true, and it had to come off. They’d punish her, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Not like if they found out she’d gone to visit Brinley.
That would be bad.
She jumped the tracks onto the speedway and let the controls take over. Scenery flashed by as the shuttle drove toward the coast.
After about a half hour, she merged onto a speedway out of Endermere. She gasped once more at the incredible view she’d seen on her drive from prison. Turquoise water sparkled below. The shuttle zoomed along a set of coastal tracks hugging the edge of the cliffs.
But instead of feeling exhilarated as she sped along, her anxiety grew. A sense of dread expanded until it filled her, welling up to her throat. She ought to feel free. Joyful. Ecstatic to be her own master for a change, on her way to see a friend and fellow human. Why, then, did a foreboding sense of dread fill her gut? She’d felt more free that night at the beach, with her keepers.
Her masters.
Her lovers.
Shit.
Gav’n and Jakk would be furious and disappointed if they knew what she was doing. Coming here today was a violation of the trust they’d shown in sharing Brinley’s location with her. The trust they’d given her to act as a parent to Darley.
Yes, that trust was still unsteady. But they’d asked her to believe in them. They’d promised to have her happiness and well-being at heart—to try to arrange a visit when timing was better. Did she believe they knew best? They certainly had about the grocery store visit. How had going rogue gone for her that time?
Fuck.
She didn’t want them to lose faith in her. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, trying to make up her mind. Judging by the map program on the screen, she was almost there. But a lot of things could go wrong when she arrived. The general magistrate might be home. Or he might have some kind of staff or guards. And despite the fact she’d been thinking about finding her friends since the moment she left prison, it felt all wrong.
Clicking off the auto-programming, she spun into a turnabout track and punched up the program for home.
~.~
Gav’n watched the tracker belonging to the family shuttle move along a map on his communication pad along the coast out of Endermere.
Meanwhile, the tracker in Mira’s collar sat p
erfectly still at their home.
So, she had either removed the collar and was making a run for it, or their shuttle had been stolen.
Damn.
He was in the middle of an important police call—someone had broken in and stolen all the account cards from a bank during the night. Jakk was in court and couldn’t be reached. He didn’t want to send one of his men to investigate Mira and risk the Council finding out he and Jakk couldn’t control her.
He shoved the communicator back into his pocket. He’d have to find her as soon as he could get away from this crime scene. He prayed she stayed with the shuttle or he’d have no way of finding her.
Where could she be going? Running away? Or was this just another one of her impulsive excursions, like flower picking or the grocery store visit? He sure as hell hoped it was the latter, but something in the way she’d wept and argued the night before made him think—
Yes.
That was it. She’d gone in search of her friend—what was her name? Brinley? He’d been to a party at the general magistrate’s once. It was down the speedway she’d taken.
His relief at realizing her destination was short-lived, though. If the general magistrate caught her there, they stood a very good chance of having her taken away from them.
Damn.
He yanked his pad out again to study the tracker. Spinning it, he checked and rechecked her direction. She’d turned around since the last time he looked. What did that mean? Had she planned a secret meet-up with her friend? Had they passed some kind of information or materials? The detective in him dragged out every suspicion under their sun, each one making the stone in the pit of his gut grow heavier.
He shoved away the thoughts and marched through the crime scene, barking orders. The sooner they wrapped up their clue-gathering and packed to leave, the sooner he could find Mira and figure out what in the hell was going on.
