by Morgan Hawke
“I said no.” Sobehk shook his head then turned to glare at him. “If you push this, I will return to my original quarters.”
Khan’s brow lifted and a very nasty smile curled his lip. “Sobehk, this is my ship, and my crew. You go nowhere that I do not approve of.”
Sobehk jerked back. “What?”
Khan’s eyes narrowed, but his smile remained. “I prefer to have your voluntary admission, but I have no difficulty waiting for your body to make that decision for you. And don’t think I won’t make you kneel for it.”
Sobehk glared, but his chin began to lift. “You wouldn’t ...”
Khan’s brows rose and his smile broadened to show teeth. “I told you before, the only constant is change. The Academy was a long time ago.” He sighed and his smile disappeared. “I need you. I need you with me, Sobehk.”
Sobehk dropped his gaze to the table. “Please, don’t force this on me.”
Khan picked up the small blue cup. “I’d rather not, but I am ... tired of being alone. Of having no one I can ... trust.”
“Trust.” Sobehk groaned. “That was a foul shot.”
Khan snorted. “You’ve always been a pain in my ass, but you have never been untrustworthy.” He sipped.
Sobehk rolled his eyes. “You had to have at least one ...?”
“No.” Khan set the cup on the table very carefully. “This ... occupation is not conducive to anything but ambition.”
Sobehk looked up and smiled just a little. “And greed?”
Khan groaned. “Go ahead and say it.”
Sobehk assumed a completely innocent expression. “Say what?”
Khan glared at him.
Sobehk’s smile broadened. “Well, if it will make you feel better.”
Khan rolled his eyes.
Sobehk set his chin on his hand and smiled, just a little sadly. “I told you so.”
“Ah ...” Khan snarled. “I hate it when you’re right.”
“Oh, come on!” Sobehk snorted. “You hate it when anyone is right -- but you.”
Khan stared hard at Sobehk, his mouth tight. “Sobehk, I need my Dhe’syah .”
Sobehk turned his head sharply, as though he’d been slapped. “Khan, please ...”
Khan glared at him and spoke through clenched teeth. “I have waited long enough. We have both waited long enough!”
“Don’t!” Sobehk turned completely away, presenting his shoulder. “Khan, I’m asking you ... please don’t push this, at least not now.”
Khan sighed. “Very well. Not now.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Supper arrived, was laid out, and eaten by Sobehk and Khan with only a few sparse comments that passed right over Fallon’s head. Stretched out on her side with her head in Khan’s lap, she was in a haze of physical contentment. Her mind was completely still and she drifted on the very edge of sleep.
The supper dishes were gathered and removed.
Khan gently pushed her up and rose, lifting her onto her feet. His hands remained firm around her forearms. “I have to get her in the shower and the robe off while she’s still intoxicated.”
“You fed her for quite a while.” Sobehk rose as well. “Do you need help?”
Khan’s head came up. “Are you strong enough to?”
Sobehk smiled. “I start exercise therapy first thing tomorrow. Keeping her upright in the shower shouldn’t be too taxing.”
Khan flashed a smile. “Then perhaps you should get undressed?”
Fallon stood perfectly still, perfectly calm. The scents of Sobehk and Khan curled around her. She smiled and went where she was led, barely noticing the deeper shadows of the facility or cool tile under her bare feet.
Water hissed on with loud force and steam curled.
Hands pushed her under the water. The sudden heat spilling down her head and shoulders jarred her away from her calm place. The thin silk robe she wore soaked up the warm water and slid against her skin. Her body began nagging her to notice something. She pushed to step away from the water.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Sobehk’s hands curled around her upper arms to hold her firmly under the water. “It’s not wearing off, is it?”
Khan swept his hands down the silk soaking against her back. “It shouldn’t be.” His fingers plucked at the neck of her robe. “Hold her.”
“I have her.”
The robe began to peel away. Stinging along her back began to penetrate her fog.
“It’s coming free.”
She made a small sound of distress and pressed her nose into Sobehk’s chest to breathe in his comforting scent.
“Khan?”
“She’s just reacting to the water’s heat. I’m monitoring her through the collar.” He pulled the robe free. “Ah, only some of them seeped. Hold her while I wash her.”
“Mother Night, her back ...” Sobehk’s arms tightened on her arms.
Fallon lifted her head to look at Sobehk’s face. His mouth was tight and his gaze fixed past her shoulder. He was staring at her back.
“Sobehk, keep your voice down. If you alarm her she will wake.”
“Khan, what did you do?” His voice was hoarse.
Hands slid gently down her back. “What I did to you.” Soapy foam slid down her hips and thighs.
“Khan, she’s half my size!”
“You were a lot smaller back then, as I recall.”
Sobehk lifted his head and glared past her. “Not this small!”
“Sobehk, she likes pain. She came almost as soon as I entered her, and then twice more.”
“Blood and Chaos ...”
“Actually, no. I didn’t cut her.” His hands left her back. “Turn her around, so I can wash the front.”
Sobehk turned her and stepped back to lean against the shower wall, holding her away from his body. “Fuck ...”
Khan cupped her chin and stared into her eyes. “She’s still under.”
“I don’t believe she endured this.”
“She never asked me to stop.” Khan smiled. “When I tagged her ears in the traditional manner, she barely flinched.”
Fallon focused on Khan’s smile. He was pleased. Her lips lifted in echo.
Sobehk took a deep breath. “It looks like it’s healing.”
“She’s healing very quickly.” Khan swept his hands down her shoulders and over her breasts. “By the time we get to Port Destiny, there won’t be a trace of it.” He knelt and soaped her thighs.
“Thank the Mother.”
Khan looked up and his hands slid up to cup her crotch.
Fallon took a deep breath and parted her thighs for him.
He smiled and his fingers explored her gently, washing away the traces of his possession. “Actually I was hoping to keep some trace of it.”
“What? Why?”
Khan stared past Fallon’s shoulder. “As clear warning that she is not merely decorative.” He stood. “I don’t want some young idiot getting ideas.”
Sobehk chuckled. “She’ll kick his ass for him.”
Khan’s head lowered and his gaze hardened. “I’m deadly serious. No one touches her but you and me.”
“Are you going to let her wear a blade?”
Khan’s smile turned malicious. “Absolutely.”
“Good.”
Khan looked down at Fallon. “I need to bathe. Do you?”
“No, I’m good.” Sobehk turned Fallon to face him and lifted her chin to look in her eyes. “She is quite deep under.”
Khan stepped away. “Impression deepens blood intoxication.”
Fallon turned from Sobehk to watch Khan step under the water. His blue tattoo blazed under the shower lights. She turned and leaned her shoulder and side against Sobehk’s warmth, riveted by the sight of water beading and then spilling down Khan’s muscular body. He was so beautiful...
Khan stiffened.
Sobehk’s arm slid around her waist. “What?”
Khan’s head dropped under the spray;
he shook the water from his face. “I picked up something from her collar.”
“What?”
“It’s ... nothing.” Khan reached for the soap.
“Khan, you are a lousy liar.”
Khan scrubbed at his skin. “I’ll have you know, I am a very good liar.”
Sobehk snorted. “You have never, ever been able to lie to me.”
Khan lifted his head and a smile curved his mouth. “There’s a reason for that.”
Sobehk sighed. “Not that again ...”
“You brought it up, not I.” Khan turned to face him and slowly smeared soap across his muscular chest. His black nipple rings and the matching posts in his cocks gleamed under the light. Lather snaked down the ridges of his belly and dripped down his thighs.
Sobehk swallowed hard. “Tell me what you picked up from her.”
Khan stopped looked away and continued to rub soap across his skin. “She thinks I’m ...” He winced. “... beautiful.”
Sobehk swallowed again. “You are.”
Khan choked. “What?” He lifted his chin and his mouth twisted into a sour smile. “I know what I look like. I’m scarred all to Chaos.”
Sobehk looped his arms around Fallon’s shoulders, then set his chin on her head. “It’s part of your charm.”
Khan looked over at Sobehk, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. “Charm?” He laughed then shook his head. “Mother Night, and you called me a lousy liar?”
Sobehk growled very low. “I don’t lie, Khan. I don’t need to.”
Khan folded his arms across his chest and dropped his chin. “Prove it.”
“Prove it?” Sobehk’s head lifted. “How?”
Khan’s mouth tightened. “Kiss me.”
“I did, yesterday.”
Khan snorted. “That was not a kiss to prove you think I am anything beyond a bastard.”
Sobehk chuckled. “Well, you are.”
Khan rolled his eyes and stepped under the water. “There, you’ve proved my point.”
Sobehk released an exasperated breath. “Khan, my hands are full. I can’t kiss you if you’re way over there. You have to come over here.”
Khan froze. He turned slowly, his eyes wide, his cheeks flushed. His gaze dropped to Fallon, then lifted back to Sobehk.
Sobehk chuckled. “Well? I’m waiting.”
Khan moved toward them in that dangerous glide of his.
Fallon sighed softly. He was freaking gorgeous in motion.
Khan stopped briefly, his gaze flickering to Fallon.
Sobehk snorted. “What’s she thinking now?”
Khan released a breath and a smile flickered across his mouth. “She likes the way I move.”
“I do, too.” Sobehk snorted. “Now quit delaying, and get your gorgeous ass over here so I can kiss you.”
Khan moved in a sudden rush and framed Sobehk’s shoulders with his hands pressed against the wall.
“Let’s not flatten Isabeau while we’re doing this.” Sobehk took a deep breath. “And I’m supposed to kiss you, remember?”
Khan snorted, then rolled away to the side. He leaned back against the wall on Sobehk’s immediate right and smiled. “Good point.”
Sobehk turned to face Khan, curling his arm around Fallon and pressing her against his left side. He smiled. “Which point was that?”
Fallon wrapped her arm around his waist and looked up.
Khan grinned. “Both, of course.”
Sobehk leaned toward Khan, his smile warm and his blue gaze gaining in heat. “Can you control yourself?” He stood half a head taller, and he was far broader than Khan.
Khan actually had to lift his chin to look at Sobehk. His smile slid away, and his copper eyes widened. “Control myself?” His voice was a touch breathless.
Sobehk turned to face him and set his right arm on the wall above Khan’s head. “Remember, I’m kissing you.”
Fallon looked up and watched both men. Their cheeks flushed, their lips blushing.
Sobehk smiled and lowered his mouth. “Don’t forget.”
Their lips touched.
Khan’s eyes widened, and he pressed back against the wall.
Sobehk smiled, then pressed his mouth firmly against Khan’s. His throat moved. A small groan escaped, and his eyes closed. His head tilted to gain a closer fit.
Khan’s eyes closed, and his chin lifted higher. His throat moved as well. A groan came from deep in his chest.
Sobehk’s kiss gained in aggression, and he pressed closer. Khan matched him until they kissed with blatant hunger. But they didn’t quite touch.
Fallon blinked, feeling a trace of something echoing in the back of her mind. It was coming from Khan. It gained in strength until the feelings transferred with force. Hideous need, deep hurt ... love.
Unable to endure it, she tightened her arm around Sobehk and slipped her arm around Khan’s waist, embracing them both. She rubbed her cheek against Khan’s side, blinking past the tears to watch.
Khan tried to pull away, but Sobehk pursued him, pressing closer. Sobehk’s stance squared until he had Khan trapped hip to chest, tight against the wall. His hips shifted. A growl rumbled.
Khan moved sharply, shoving Sobehk back with one arm.
Both men were violently erect.
Sobehk caught Khan’s hand on his shoulder. His gaze was hard, hot, and determined. His knuckles whitened.
Khan sucked in a breath and licked his lips. “Sobehk ... I really don’t think you’re ready for sex while standing.” Khan smiled, but his mouth was tight. “I do, however, possess a rather large bed just outside.”
Sobehk blinked as though awakening from a dream. He released Khan’s hand. “I guess I got carried away.”
Khan’s smiled widened and he shook his hand. “I wasn’t complaining.” He glanced down at Fallon. “But I think we distressed our rehkyt.”
“Huh?” Sobehk looked down at Fallon, huddled against Khan’s side. “Mother Night ... tears?”
Khan frowned slightly. “This time I don’t have a clue.”
Sobehk looked over at Khan. “It had to be something she heard from you.”
Khan snorted and dodged Sobehk’s gaze. “I assure you, I couldn’t hold a damned thought in my head during that.”
“Yeah?” Sobehk grinned. “Then I did it right.”
Khan raised his brow. “I was impressed.” He slapped the wall, and the water stopped. “Shall we continue this outside?” The water collector hummed to life.
Sobehk’s cheeks flushed hot pink.
Fallon walked between them as they left the shower. They discovered the slender gray-robed medic waiting.
Sobehk groaned. “Now? You have to medicate me right now, A’syrsehn’dhyt? ”
The young man smiled. “I’m afraid so, A’syr Sobehk.”
Khan groaned dramatically. “Well, there go my plans for the afternoon.” He dropped his head and sighed. “But since you are here, could you see to something for me after you’ve seen to A’syr Sobehk?”
The sehn’dhyt bowed briefly. “Of course, ‘Syr Khan.” He stepped toward Sobehk and pointedly kept his gaze well above Sobehk’s waist, ignoring his rather impressive erections. “Your arm, A’syr?”
Sobehk smiled bitterly and held out his arm. “Of course, A’syrsehn’dhyt .”
The medic applied two hydraulic syringes to the heavy blue vein in the bend of Sobehk’s arm.
Sobehk’s erections faded. He groaned. “Damn ...”
The sehn’dhyt turned to Khan. “‘Syr?”
Khan caught Fallon by the shoulders. “I need a salve for this, A’syr.” He turned her around so he could see her back.
The medic gasped softly. “Right away, ‘Syr!” He fled out the door.
Sobehk frowned after him. “Well, that certainly killed the mood.” He teetered on his feet, and his eyes widened.
Khan caught his arm. “To bed and to sleep with you.” He turned him toward the bed.
Sobehk groaned and walk
ed, guided by Khan’s grip. “I think I have about ten more minutes of ‘awake’ left.”
Fallon followed a few steps behind.
Khan helped him to the bed and shoved the curtains back with a snort. “If you’re lucky.”
Sobehk fell back among the pillows and abruptly yawned.
Khan climbed in to pull the covers up and over him. “I don’t think you are going to be lucky.”
Sobehk’s lids drooped. “Apparently not.” His breathing deepened, and his eyes fluttered closed.
Khan rolled his eyes and climbed back out of the bed. “Oh, joy, I actually get to do some work today.”
The sehn’dhyt came back through the door in a rush of rustling silk.
Fallon turned to see him heading for Khan at the bed. She frowned and took a single step toward him.
The medic’s gaze darted to Fallon. His eyes widened and he froze in mid-step.
Fallon stopped, her gaze locked on him. He didn’t move, so she didn’t move either.
The sehn’dhyt swallowed. “‘Syr?” His voice was soft, but a little high.
Khan turned toward the medic. “Yes?”
The medic did not approach Khan; he simply held out his hand. His gaze remained locked on Fallon.
Khan walked over and collected the squeeze-tube he held out. He examined the tube. “Ah ... This is perfect. My thanks, A’syrsehn’dhyt .”
The medic bowed, slowly. “Yes, ‘Syr . Anything else, ‘Syr? ”
Khan focused on the sehn’dhyt , and then followed the medic’s wide gaze to Fallon. He smiled briefly. “Thank you, that will be all, A’syr .”
The sehn’dhyt bowed again and fled in a sedate hurry.
Khan shook his head and sighed. “Half their size and the terror of the staff.” He collected one of the sitting pillows by the round table and walked toward the bed. He tossed the pillow down on the left side of the bed’s rim, then leaned over to tug one of the black sheets free.
Sobehk grumbled but remained asleep.
Khan smiled briefly then knelt to spread the sheet out over the pillow and the floor. “Isabeau, come.”
Fallon moved to Khan’s side. She impulsively pressed her lips to the side of his throat.
Khan jumped, smiled, then caught her hand and guided her onto the sheet, turning her to face the bed. “Down. Lie down.”
Fallon knelt and spread out on the sheet, her head resting on the pillow.
