by Missy Lyons
His hands held her shoulders and kept her steady as she watched the thing approach. As it got closer she made out more and more details of the creature, and it was indeed a dragon. Its midnight-blue scales glistened in the bright sunlight. The lithe neck struck out in front of it as its mighty wings beat the air, and there was a rider who sat atop the mighty creature. The other two were less beautiful and not quite as big, but the silver dragons were just as much a surprise to her.
This utterly confused to her. She expected to see Star Wars and the people using hovercrafts and land cruisers, but the moment she stepped onto the planet, it was more like stepping back in time.
Ryder’s eyes twinkled in amusement. “You look shocked.”
“I am. You travel in spaceships and are way more advanced than my people on Earth, and yet your father rides a dragon. Like in fairy tales.” She shook her head in disbelief as the giant, blue dragon landed. The wind swept her red hair from her face, and she held up her hand to protect her face from the sand that flew upward. Saber held her close to him, or she might have thought about running back in the safety of the ship.
Once on the ground, the mighty beast pulled his wings close to his body and knelt on the ground for his rider to clamber down. The two silver dragons did the same for their riders.
She felt the dragon blow hot air in a snort, and the blast hit her in the face. This wasn’t a figment of her imagination but a real living thing. Standing before her was a dragon and the man that rode him.
Saber shrugged. “There is a radioactive field that surrounds my planet and tends to interact badly with complicated machines. Complex technology doesn’t work very well on the planet, which is why we tend to rely on the creatures who are native to the planet for transportation and why E.V.E. must be in her cyborg form to be on the surface.”
“So there aren’t any cars,” Lily continued.
“No,” Saber answered.
“You made fun of my car when you don’t have any cars. You use dragons instead.” She was still dumbfounded.
“Just royalty, the rest of the people have to use other means to get around.”
“Oh.” Lily was speechless, and there wasn’t much time to digest how that news would affect her. Did they expect her to get on that thing? The lead man was fast approaching them. He was tall, but as human as he looked, the dark-blue skin gave him away. He was a native of Cimera, and his long, dark hair was tied in a leather strap crisscrossing over his hair tightly. He wore leather armor reminiscent of a medieval knight. A woman in a long, crimson dress followed him down, and two other men got off the other dragons.
Ryder’s face went white. “Uh-oh. Looks like Mom had to come out for this one.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense.” Lily was still trying to wrap her head around the lack of technology on the planet and the dragon creatures.
“What don’t you understand?” Saber asked.
“How do you get into space if you can’t use technology? Don’t you have rocket ships to blast you up there?”
“We have a space port that works on the defense of the planet. If we need to leave the atmosphere, someone on the port beams us up there,” Ryder explained simply.
“So you could have landed there and beamed us down here?”
“Well, yeah if you wanted to spend an extra day doing paperwork,” Saber admitted sheepishly.
“You crash landed a pod to get out of some paperwork?” Lily was flabbergasted.
“We got to bring you home sooner. It was worth it,” Ryder admitted, not looking guilty in the slightest.
She had a hard time being mad at either of them when they smiled like that, but she didn’t want them to think they could do stuff like this to her for the rest of her life with them. If she was going to marry them, she didn’t want to be in too many more crashes like the last one. She thought they might have died when the pod first hit the ground. The moments before the spaceship exploded and she feared she would lose one or both of them were the scariest moments of her life.
She punched Ryder in the arm. He rubbed it as if it really hurt, and she felt guilty for a moment. “Ow. What was that for?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Lily said stubbornly.
“Knowing my sons the way I do, they probably deserved it.” The matronly woman smiled at Lily. Her hair was twisted and braided at the top of her head and rested in a crown of leaves
“They sure did. I can’t believe they made me go through a crash landing I didn’t have to.” Lily folded her arms tightly over her chest.
“You must be their chosen lifemate.” The older woman looked her over thoughtfully tapping a folded fan on her lips. “Excuse me for staring. You are nothing like I thought you would be.”
“I’m Lily Madison, just a crazy Earth girl lucky enough to have fallen in love and follow her lovers across the galaxy.” Lily blushed. She really had no idea what they had or had not told their mother or even how she was expected to address her. Their mom was a queen on this planet. Lily loved both her sons, but she had learned very little about the custom of their people. She held out her hand for the mother to shake and said nervously, “It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”
The queen smiled graciously and held her arms open as she swept up Lily and kissed both her cheeks. “My name is Reigna, but you should call me Mother from here on out. I always wanted a daughter, and now my sons have finally brought me one.”
She looked back over her shoulder to see Saber and Ryder looked as happy as she felt. Her new mother left her embrace to give a similar kiss to each of her sons in turn. It was an act of acceptance, and Lily felt warmly welcomed.
“Any word on Girvan?” Ryder asked thoughtfully.
“Yes, that awful man was picked up along with his crew, and they are awaiting a new trial for their crimes on the prison planet,” the queen answered.
“Now that the business side of things is settled, we can’t let word spread about a single, young female available on the planet.” The man that she rode with stood next to the queen, and his facial features seemed a little gruffer and less friendly. It was hard to tell when he smiled or if he smiled at all. Lily tried not to be intimidated.
“When do you plan to have the bonding ceremony?”
“As soon the priest lets us,” Ryder replied.
The man nodded his approval.
“Good. Then you boys can work on getting me grandchildren.” The queen nodded her approval.
Saber wrapped his arms around Lily as Ryder gently rubbed her stomach. She felt a flutter under his strong, warm fingers. “She’s already with child.”
“And you didn’t bond with her?”
“Mom, we need to do that in the temple.”
“I swear I taught them better than that.” Reigna looked irritated.
“It’s okay. I was afraid at first, but Ryder and Saber love me. I don’t think my life would be nearly as happy or full if I lived a hundred years on my home planet.” Lily tried to justify their actions. She knew she hadn’t been ready for the kind of deep commitment she wanted now in those early days.
“And do you love us?” Saber kissed her neck and nibbled her ear softly. His words were just soft enough for her to hear.
“No doubt about it. I love you with all my heart,” she said happily. She was ready to spend the rest of her life with them, regardless of what she had to give up. She could only be happy if it meant spending her life with them.
“Just as we love you, princess.” Saber’s smile grew as he looked at her.
“Does that include you, too, Ryder?”
“My heart would not be happy without you, Lily. If loving you means protecting you and needing you just to breathe then yes. I love you more than life itself,” Ryder replied.
Epilogue
Matched and Mated
Lily turned to admire her dress in the mirrors in her room. The lacey, baby-blue material was sheer in some places and covered others, but the soft cloth nearly matched her n
ew skin tone, which was slowly deepening into a baby blue from the sunlight she was exposed to on her daily rides.
She didn’t have a dragon of her own, but Saber and Ryder let her ride with them, and it was a daily adventure she grew to love. The freedom of flying without the restraints of airplane walls was exhilarating and more fun than she had ever experienced.
The bonding dress had been custom made for her body, and she looked good. It complemented her curves without making her appear too pregnant. She thought it would be a while before she had to really worry about that, but she seemed to be getting rather large sooner than expected.
Reigna, the current queen, stood behind her with tears in her eyes. Reigna arranged a wisp of hair back into Lily’s braided hair and took a step back to admire her handiwork. She had spent hours with a handmaid painting body art on her hands and feet with paint she assured Lily would wash off. It was all part of the ceremony. “You look beautiful.”
Lily had never been primped and pampered so much in her short life. Her makeup was done with precision and care, and the painted lines on her body were interwoven like lace and encrusted with natural gemstones. She had to spend hours in her undergarments while strangers primped and pampered her. She hoped her lovers appreciated all she had to go through for them, but since it was only one day, she understood it was special and she would never have to go through anything like this again. Still, she looked forward to having the ceremony over and getting on with a normal life.
“Thank you.” Lily blushed under the admiring gaze of Reigna.
“Today I gain a daughter.” Reigna looked sincerely happy when she stared into Lily’s eyes.
“I am very happy to know you have welcomed me so warmly into your family.” Lily didn’t want to go into details, but this was her greatest wish since she no longer had a family of her own. Now, since she had fallen in love with her aliens, she also had an instant family that loved her.
“Come. We shouldn’t keep the boys waiting any longer than we have to. It’s been a struggle to keep them out all day.” Both Saber and Ryder had tried to infiltrate the den of women several times to see Lily, but her mother had sternly refused.
Reigna folded her arm under Lily’s and led her from the chambers.
Lily’s slippered feet made no sound as she padded across the stone tiles. Saber and Ryder were waiting for her next to a stone pillar. Their eyes lit up with love and softened when they saw her approach them. Their six brothers stood next to them, but she had eyes only for her mates.
All of the brothers were twins, which made Lily wonder if she was also carrying twins like the Queen did. It could explain why Lily’s belly had gotten so big in the first three months of her pregnancy. She didn’t expect to be showing until she was five or six months along.
“You look ravishing,” Saber whispered in her ear as he took her free arm and Ryder replaced his mother’s spot at her other arm.
“Don’t tell her that. She may get ideas.” Lyden, the youngest brother, snuck in a kiss on her cheek before Saber or Ryder could react, but he did get a dark warning look from Saber.
“I certainly hope so. I can’t wait to be ravished after the ceremony.” Ryder winked, and the hungry look he gave Lily was enough to melt her insides.
“You aren’t supposed to be looking at her at all like that, Lyden.” Saber warned his brother. “She’s our mate to ravish.”
“Too bad we have to wait.” Lily sighed as if it was painful to wait to get her two lovers back in bed, but in truth she looked forward to the actual bonding ceremony with her mates. This is something they had all been looking forward to.
“If you ever get tired of these two, you have a line of men who would be willing and waiting at your door,” Lyden whispered huskily.
“Yeah, uh-huh. That’s never going to happen unless you want a line of dead men in her bed.” Ryder gripped her arm tighter, and he shoved her past his baby brother.
“You’ll have to find yourself a mate, Lyden. Just like your brothers went out and found me.” Lily tried to make light of the joke. She knew they were probably serious but more likely desperate to find love as well. With a shortage of fertile females on the planet, it didn’t give the young men a whole lot of options whether they came from wealthy, titled families or not.
Lyden groaned. He had admitted he was jealous before now, but he looked as if he was in real agony watching their love-struck pairing. “Please tell me you have a sister back on Earth.”
“Yes, but she doesn’t believe in aliens. She is also hundreds of thousands of light-years away.” Lily laughed.
Lyden gave her a very cocky grin that said he wasn’t past trying, no matter the distance. “There’s hope for me yet.”
“Get your own female, Lyden.” Saber didn’t seem at all happy with the attention his brother paid to his mate. He pulled Lily along beside him until they were within the temple walls and left all the friends and family members outside the sacred rooms. The doors closed, and the deafening silence surrounded them. Lamplight lit the cavernous rooms, and a massive stone altar was in the center of the largest room. In front of it were three blue circles, all interconnected. A priest clad in white robes stood before the stone altar.
Lily had never been here before, and she couldn’t stop examining the elaborate details of the chambers. She felt ancient power surround her.
The walls were carved with intricate care detailing mating and pairing of people. Many of the women were in quite kinky positions and wrapped around several men at one time. She had a hard time peeling her eyes from the naughty carvings.
“It’s been years since we have had a bonding ceremony.” The priest’s wrinkled face smiled at her, and his eyes twinkled merrily. The silver in his hair matched his eyes. His blue skin was not as deep as her mates’ skin, but he still had a faint blue tint like everyone else on the planet. Lily guessed it meant he did not go outside much. His teeth were even and bright white, not telling his true age. “I hope your union is blessed with love and many babies in your home.”
“We’re already working on the last part, priest,” Ryder said in a hushed tone.
The priest gave him a scalding look and ordered them directly, “Step forward into the circles.”
They obeyed, and Lily remained between them both.
“Please join hands,” the priest commanded.
Her future husbands placed their palms up. She placed her hands over each of theirs. It seemed good enough for the priest, and he continued, “We are here to bring together a happy union between three lifemates. Brothers, please repeat after me. I trust in you as you trust in me, the keeper of my heart. I promise to love you as the great mother Cimera loves her own and spend my days finding new ways to love you. You are my sun, my moon, my stars, and give meaning to my life. There is no life worth living if you can’t be in it. I promise to protect you and our children. I bind myself to you for the rest of my days, Lily Madison.”
Lily felt an icy wave travel her body. Chills she didn’t expect. Ice thawed and a wave of happiness filled her. She felt complete in a way she never had before this moment. It wasn’t marriage. This was so much more. It was a promise of a lifetime.
The priest looked to her. “Now it’s your turn, Miss Lily. Repeat after me. I give myself to you freely. I bind myself to you, Ryder and Saber Rhoma.”
Lily repeated the words, and as she did the most amazing thing happened. A blue light came to surround the three of them. The tingling began at their hands and worked like an aura surrounding them, binding them together in a way she never thought possible.
She gasped when she realized she could feel their heartbeats. When she opened her mind, she not only felt their hands in hers but heard their thoughts reach her.
Saber didn’t open his mouth, but she heard the words clear as day, “You have my heart and my soul, Lily.”
“I will love you for the rest of my days, and no other woman will come close to what we have,” Ryder echoed just as clearly.
“The bonding ceremony is now complete,” the priest said in satisfaction as the blue light dimmed around them, but they didn’t drop their hands. “It is done.”
She had never felt so complete in all her days on Earth. Lily knew this was her home and she belonged with a certainty she had not felt before. “I love you both.”
“Mine,” Saber growled as he pulled her against him.
“Mine,” Ryder repeated, deep and throaty. His body pressed against her backside and sandwiched her between them.
“Yours,” she whispered happily as they pressed her together in a warrior sandwich, hugging her close to them both. It was a promise she knew she would have no trouble keeping.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Missy Lyons lives in Middle Tennessee with her family, two dogs, and a cat who thinks it is a dog. She is an obsessive Star Wars geek and loves all things dragons, aliens, and did she forget to mention hot men were at the top of the list?
She is probably the most obsessed with the last item on the list. Hot men are featured in every one of her romance books.
Readers can find out more about her books from her website, www.missylyons.com.
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