Ignition: Alien Ménage Romance (Phoenix Rising Book 2)
Page 9
She wanted to cry. She wanted to hold her men in her arms and have them hold her, and to make the pain and the worry go away, at least for a few moments. The image of the three of them lying together on their bed made a flash of heat course through her body, sexual arousal that took her by surprise. It was powerful, but excruciatingly inappropriate for the time and place. ‘What the hell am I thinking?’ she asked herself.
She had asked herself the same question the first day she’d met Theyn and Beno. On that occasion, she had been knocked out by Beno’s weapon. The stun setting, they told her, had activated the mating urge in her system, something that still made no sense to her even as she was gripped by the undeniability of the feeling. She ran her palms over her thighs, drying them on her jeans. She had been stunned again today. The Ylian blood in her veins was pushing her to mate, apparently as a result of the bolt she’d taken from Nima.
She was annoyed and a little frantic at the thought that even though Nima was elsewhere, she still controlled Sera with her stupid stun blaster. She controlled Sera’s body, her baby, her men, her mind...her entire life had become a toy that Nima could play with like a giant cat. She was determined that she would not live her life as a giant mouse.
Theyn glanced at her, turning his head just enough to look out the corner of his brilliant, shining blue eyes. She knew he saw the redness in her face and that he knew it for what it was. He slowly turned his face toward Beno, who stopped pacing and looked back. They were having a telepathic conference, reserved for just the two of them, and Sera knew she was the subject. Beno walked to Theyn’s side and stood only inches away from him, their gazes locked. It was the sexiest thing she’d seen in ages, and they made her mouth water.
Elina came back into the room. “The team is finished, so we can return them to their apartment. Stand guard on the doors and keep them inside.”
One of the women asked, “Should one of us secure exterior door as well?”
“No. I already have a squad guarding the patio. Just keep the main corridor entry sealed until I come for them.”
Beno shifted his gaze and his stance, pulling away from his bond mate. Elina turned to go while the two female soldiers and Itan herded them out of the empty apartment and back to their home. Theyn was the last one through the door, and Itan gently but firmly pushed him farther into the room. The lock clicked, and a humming noise sounded as another lock of alien manufacture activated and sealed the entrance. They were alone, and they were prisoners.
*
As soon as they were left alone, Beno and Theyn began to search the apartment to determine what their captors had chosen to take. Their data pads were missing, as were their disruptor gloves and the weapons that Beno had hidden in the bedroom. Behind one of the ceiling tiles, Theyn found an infrared camera trained on the couch. Together the two Ylians searched the rest of the ceiling, locating at least six more electronic eyes. The memory cards had been taken from all of the cameras, which now stood empty and inert.
‘They’ve had us under surveillance,’ Beno told them, his anger and shame burning. ‘I should have looked before.’
Sera could barely think straight. She sat on the couch, her hands gripping the seat as she fought to hold on to the last of her self-control.
“Stun,” she said softly, knowing that it would explain everything.
Her mates were already well aware of what was amiss. They turned to her, abandoning their search. Beno stripped his shirt off while Theyn took her hand, pulling her onto her feet. “Stun,” the Imperial Ylian nodded, and then he pulled her into his embrace.
Their kiss was tinged with desperation and despair. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, squeezing until she thought her arms would break. Beno pressed against her from behind, his arms around her and Theyn, pulling them closer to him. She was sandwiched between them, her slender form dwarfed by the men she loved. She felt protected, and it nearly made her weep.
‘Kira’s out there,’ she thought to them. ‘Should we - this is wrong…’
‘We can’t go to her now,’ Theyn counseled, as reasonable as ever. ‘In this moment, the best we can do is to comfort one another.’ He kissed her deeply, his tongue sliding past her lips to do battle with hers. She welcomed the intrusion and moaned in the back of her throat. ‘Do you really want to stop?’
She was beyond words now. She shook her head and ran her hands down his chest. She unbuckled his belt, then pulled it off and tossed it away. Beno’s hands were mimicking her actions, opening her jeans button and sliding the offending fabric aside. One of his hands ran softly over her lower abdomen, the touch warm and light. Theyn kissed her neck, his warm lips soft on the tender skin behind her ear lobe. He blew a soft breath onto her ear, and she shivered.
She worked Theyn’s trousers open and pushed them down around his hips, freeing him to her touch. He moaned softly as she took him in her hand. She could feel the heavy heat against her palm, the tip ever so slightly moist, and she rubbed her fingertip over the slit. He gasped, and she smiled.
‘Oh, do that again,’ Theyn begged in their minds. She complied, and he shuddered in delight. Beno bent to slide her jeans down her legs, letting them pool around her ankles and helping her to step out of them. He pressed his face into the cleft between her buttocks, his tongue dancing out and teasing her in ways he’d never done before. She gasped and clung to Theyn, surprised by the sensation and shivering at the unexpected heat and wetness of his lapping tongue.
Theyn finished removing his own clothing, his erection straining toward her, eager for her touch again. She reached behind herself to tangle her hands in Beno’s tightly curled hair, urging him to keep doing what he was doing. She felt the tip of his tongue tease past her opening, and the sensation nearly made her too weak-kneed to stand. Theyn caught her by the waist and held her up, his sex captured between them as he came in close to kiss her once again.
“Oh, God… I love you…. I love you both so much…” She moaned in their minds as well as aloud. Beno squeezed his hands on her hips and dove deeper.
Theyn wrapped his arms around her and pulled her off her feet. She went happily, wrapping her legs around his waist as he lifted her up then lowered her onto his cock. Behind her, his hands still on her hips, Beno stood, his own member pressing against the place where his tongue had just been. She shuddered as Theyn raised and lowered her along with his length, moving her as if she weighed nothing. Beno pressed a finger inside of her, teasing, stretching, then added a second. She squeezed around Theyn and around Beno’s finger, and she tilted her head back with a ragged sigh.
‘All right?’ Beno asked her.
‘Perfect. Do it. Please.’
He pressed against her, then inside. It was uncomfortable at first, but her body quickly adjusted, and she was left with only the mind-numbing satisfaction of being filled. She could feel the two of them deep inside her body, rubbing against each other but not touching, separated by her internal walls. There would be no merging tonight. She moaned and wrapped her arms around Theyn’s neck again, letting him bounce her up and down. She was utterly helpless, but she loved it. She loved turning over all control to these two, letting them move her as they would. They fell into a syncopated rhythm, Theyn pressing in as Beno pulled back, Beno thrusting as Theyn retreated. Her entire body tingled, and when Beno slid his hand in front of her to reach down and tease her sensitive nub, she shuddered and shouted in pure, mindless joy.
Beno released into her, and a moment after, Theyn burst, too. They both buried themselves in her as deeply as they could go, and she reveled in it, her own climax still rolling through her in spine-shattering waves. She had never felt any bliss so complete.
Beno pulled free of her with a kiss between her shoulder blades, and Theyn, still buried inside of her, carried her into the bedroom. He sat on the bed and lay back so that she was lying on top of him. She looked down into his face, his shining blue eyes lighting the darkness of the room. She knew that her eyes were
glowing just as much.
Beno lay down beside Theyn, curling onto his side to rest his hand on Sera’s arm. He lay against his bond mate and his green eyes closed as he drifted off to sleep. Sera rose up just enough to separate from Theyn, and he let her go with a smile. He helped her to lie between him and Beno, and with their arms around her waist and the scent of their sensual musk in the air, she fell asleep.
Chapter Eleven
In the morning, Elina came to their door, once again with Itan at her side.
“The ship is ready,” Elina announced. “The launch window is open. Let’s go.”
She put energy manacles on all three of them. She bound Beno first while Itan stood by with his weapon at the ready. Neither Sera nor Theyn resisted. Elina smirked at Sera, then led the way out into the corridor. The two female guards, the ones called Elin and Gora, fell into step with them, and Theyn, Beno and Sera were marched down the hallway with weapons trained on them every inch of the way. As they turned a corner, they nearly collided with Joely and Asa.
Joely’s brown eyes widened. “What the hell?”
“Step aside, human,” Elina sneered. “This doesn’t concern you.”
Asa set his jaw. “The hell it doesn't. These are my friends. Let them go.”
One of the guards laughed harshly. “You’re in no position to issue orders. Step aside. This is Ylian business.”
Itan spoke up quietly. “Let them come, too.” The Ylian women all looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. He explained, “More hostages to compel cooperation. And how much do you think the Taluans would give for full human meat? They can be bargaining chips.”
Theyn scowled. “You’re disgusting.”
“Human meat?” Asa echoed. “Now I know how my cattle feel.”
Elina considered for a moment, then nodded. “Bring them.”
Asa took Joely’s hand as the Ylian soldiers in their black jumpsuits prodded them with their rifles. Joely looked at Sera and gasped, her free hand flying up to cover her mouth. Asa looked to see what had taken her aback, and he started to stare at Sera, too.
“My eyes,” she said. “I know.”
One of the Ylian soldiers shoved Joely in the back to get her moving, and Asa took a menacing step toward the offender. She leveled her weapon at his chest and said, “Commander?”
Elina told Asa, “Calm yourself, or you will be stunned and carried out of here unconscious.”
Joely squeezed her boyfriend’s hand and said, “Don’t…”
Sera felt a hand push her between the shoulder blades, and she stumbled forward. Theyn helped to catch her despite being impeded by his manacles. Beno growled something in a language Sera didn’t know, and one that the translator on her ear couldn’t interpret. Elina looked startled for just a moment, then pointed her weapon at the dark-haired Martial Ylian. He demurred and stepped back into line.
Joely looked around. “Where’s Kira?”
Sera’s voice was hard as she ground out, “They took her.”
“What?”
“Kidnapped. They shot me and kidnapped her.”
“Oh my God…” Joely looked at Elina in fear. “What are you doing with us?”
The commander ignored her question and simply walked on.
“Where are you taking us?” Asa demanded.
“To Bruthes,” Theyn told him. “Now be quiet, please.”
They were taken to the airfield and force-marched into a large shuttle with reflective silver skin. Elina went to the controls as Itan, Elin and Gora secured their captives into place. The technology that made the seats conform to their bodies went an extra step and wrapped all the way around their waists and hips until they were virtually embedded, swallowed by the material. Asa let out a sound of surprise and discomfort as he was enveloped, and Gora laughed at him. The two soldiers took seats facing their prisoners, and Itan went to the copilot’s position.
Joely glared at him, and if looks could kill, he would have been nothing but a smear on the floor. Sera wondered why her friend was focusing all of her animosity on him, but she kept the question to herself.
‘Stay calm,’ Theyn coached his bond mates. ‘There is still a way out of this.’
Beno’s response was acid-toned and angry. ‘I hope you’re right, because I surely don’t see one.’
Sera could only think about Kira, wondering if she was afraid. She imagined her baby, cold and hungry, lying in a seat like this, nearly smothered by the encompassing upholstery, and the image made her eyes fill with tears. She dropped her head, trying to hide her distress from their captors. She could not hide her emotions from her bond mates, and through their link they sent her wordless waves of reassurance and love. She was grateful they were all together. She wouldn’t have been able to bear being left alone.
The shuttle hummed, the sound increasing in pitch and volume as Elina’s hands danced over the controls. Itan turned in his seat and sent a look toward the prisoners that looked almost regretful.
“What are you lookin’ at?” Asa demanded.
Itan turned back to his own console without answering.
Sera felt the shuttle lurch, and then they were flying. She looked at Asa. “You said you always wanted to be on a UFO.”
He looked a little green around the grills. “I take it back.”
She could feel the little vessel’s speed intensifying, and through the forward screen, she could see the cloud layer beginning to thin, revealing the blinking stars beyond. She clamped her hands on the immobile seat, holding on even as the shuttle held on to her. She could not believe that she was actually launching into space. With another lurch and a sonic boom, the shuttle broke out of the Earth’s atmosphere and sped toward the sun.
“Jesus H. Christ,” Joely swore, squinting into the brilliant light. “Are they trying to kill us?”
Commander Elina adjusted settings on her console, and the forward window darkened, sparing them all from the heat and blinding light. The co-pilot, Itan, quietly read off numbers from a reading in front of him, and to Sera, it sounded like a countdown. She closed her eyes and wished for solid ground.
The gravity in the shuttle fluctuated. The little ship banked hard and began racing in a circle as if it was a weight on the end of a string. The engine whined, and then the feeling of spinning was replaced by the sensation of pure speed. Elina activated more controls, and the pitch of the engines changed once more. There was one more lurch, and then the ship felt as if it had fallen perfectly still.
“Are we dead?” Joely fretted.
Beno sighed in exasperation. “No. That was the slingshot effect. We’re heading into deep space now.”
“How deep?”
“Deep enough.”
The dark shielding fell away from the forward screen, revealing open space. The stars outside the forward viewscreen were a blurry kaleidoscope. She was reminded of the special effects she’d seen in a hundred different science fiction movies and television shows. Apparently, Hollywood had gotten one thing right.
Through their bond, Sera could feel the depth of frustration and self-directed anger that burned in Beno’s soul. He felt helpless, and because he was a soldier, he could not accept it. She could tell that he blamed himself for their current predicament. He felt emasculated and ashamed. She wished she knew what to say to ease his distress, but she could think of no words that fit the bill. Instead, she tried to send him her love, tried to open her heart to his so he could feel that she didn’t blame him. She didn’t know if she was successful or not.
The flight seemed to last forever. There was no conversation, and the tension in the shuttle was high. The forced immobility caused by the conforming seats was making her muscles ache, and she longed to stand up and stretch her legs. The stars continued streaking by outside, and every second that passed made her more concerned for her child. Sera wanted to weep, but she would be damned if she gave their captors the pleasure of seeing her fall apart.
After hours of travel, the stars became po
ints of light again and the shuttle’s speed slowed. In the forward viewscreen, a planet came into view, brown with isolated patches of green and blue, wreathed in gray clouds. It was huge and unfamiliar, and Sera felt a stab of hopelessness.
‘How are we supposed to find Kira with a whole planet to look through?’ she asked her mates, despairing.
“I thought this was supposed to be a garden paradise,” Asa commented. “Looks a little dusty to me.”
Gora glared at him. “It’s been under siege.”
Beno was leaning as far forward as his chair would allow, his eyes closed and his brows furrowed. She could feel him reaching out with his mind, extending his telepathy to its extremes, trying to find their daughter. For a moment, just a glimmering spark in time, the bond mates felt a tiny hint of an echoing search, but it vanished as quickly as it came. Beno sat back, out of breath.
‘Almost,’ Theyn told them encouragingly. ‘Maybe when we’re closer…’
The shuttle angled down toward the planet, descending through a cloud of flame as the atmosphere superheated the exterior of the tiny ship. They leveled out just above the cloud layer, and Elina steered toward the largest green space on the face of the planet.
“This is Bruthes,” Itan told them unnecessarily. “The colony is in this green zone.”
As they came closer, Sera saw a city of gleaming white, its spires extending high above a sparkling blue river that wound through a glade of verdant trees. There were meadows and flowers everywhere, and houses that looked like they’d been woven out of mist. A tall black wall stood around the greenery, separating the peaceful-looking forested land from the rocky desert outside.
“It looks like Itzela,” Joely commented.
Theyn nodded. “There’s Ylian architecture in both places.”