by Reagan Woods
He stumbled weakly back, taking her with him in a tangle of arms and legs. Reaching out, he caught Lyon’s hand and dragged him down to the sleep surface, too. In a few moments, when his respiration was under control, he would watch his first mate lay claim to their female.
Gasping for breath, Nora pushed up atop him. He groaned as she began to pull off his swollen cock.
“Not yet,” he cautioned. “It swells very, very large when I come like that. You will hurt yourself if you disengage too quickly.”
“Um.” She wiped a trickle of sweat from her brow and then frowned, looking from him to Lyon and back again. “How does that work between the two of you?”
“Ah,” Lyon was the first to understand her meaning. “We release differently with each other than with you. The presence of female pheromones in your lubrication trigger a change in us, in our physiology that brings about the swelling upon ejaculation.”
“Wait. Does that mean you’ve never been with a female before?” She asked, swiveling her head back to Zocan.
“You are my first,” he agreed, happy to tell her that and happier still that it was her.
“Oh, mierda.” Her face fell comically. “I was so looking forward to watching you two get it on.”
Zocan laughed. “I can still make love with both of my mates. I simply have to be cautious.”
Slowly, she eased back. Watching her work him out of her, seeing the slick gleam of their juices mixed on his flesh gave him a deep feeling of satisfaction.
Lyon eyed his shaft with equal parts envy and lust as he stroked his own. Zocan knew exactly how he must feel.
Zocan lay on his side and Nora snuggled in close to him, laying on her back. She spread her legs and held out an inviting hand to Lyon. “Next time, we’re going to play all sorts of naughty games before we advance to this part, but I don’t think you can stand up to that today.”
Normally, Lyon wasn’t one to pass up a dare, but he rolled between Nora’s parted legs without a word to deny her claim. Lyon’s big hand cupped her face tenderly and he placed a sweet kiss against her lips.
“Nora, I love you,” he rasped. “I will protect you and honor you always. You and Zocan are everything to me.”
“I love you, too, Lyon,” she answered sweetly. “Now, fuck me already.”
A look of utter concentration on his face, Lyon lined his thick cock up with Nora’s slick opening and pushed slowly, slowly, slowly inside.
She moaned. “Oh, that’s nice, Lyon. You’re so thick and hard.”
“You can’t talk like that, Nora,” he grunted, a pained expression on his face. “I need to last long enough to make you feel good.”
Lyon’s thrusts shuttled in and out at a steady, rhythmic clip. The change in Lyon’s body was obvious to Zocan as he watched the two most important people in his word become one. Lyon’s skin flushed a deep red beneath the gold. The blood in his veins carried Nora’s essence, her biological signature, into Lyon’s chemical receptors.
Academically, he’d known of the physiological process that tied Lyaran males to their mate, and moments ago he’d experienced it for himself. But it was beautiful to see the change taking place in Lyon. Seeing his many-pointed pupils dilate as he claimed their female was almost as arousing and fulfilling as mating her himself had been.
Zocan had the pleasure of watching his mates hit the point of ecstasy within seconds of one another. The scent of sex hung heavy in the air and his cock thickened against his leg even as Lyon collapsed, giving some of his body weight to Zocan so he didn’t crush their dainty mate.
He wished Nora had taken his advice to rest up earlier. At this rate, there was no sign she would ever get to sleep again.
Chapter 58
Nora slipped out of the sonishower and over to the little pile of clothes Zocan had dropped in his haste to join her the previous evening. She smothered a chuckle at the memory as she pawed through the pants, skirts, dresses and tunics he’d obviously procured for her.
Lyon lay, buck naked, face down on the mattress, his arm dangling over the side as he snored heroically. Zocan was on his back with the quilt wrapped around him like a burrito. A rush of tenderness hit her. She really was lucky to have found them – or been found by them. They made her feel whole for the first time in…well, maybe ever.
Considering her options, she reluctantly put aside a butter soft dress of thick red material. A skirt might be comfortable (and set the scene for so many interesting encounters), but she wanted to get out and explore the ship, maybe find Corey and strong-arm her into answering a few questions.
Dresses and femininity would have to wait for another day. Aboard the Nom’magata, ladders and steps called for practicality. She settled on a skintight pair of pants in an off-white color and donned a matching tunic top.
There was no way to leave Lyon and Zocan a note, so she had to trust they would come find her when they woke. It wasn’t like she would run off and find trouble. Where could she go?
After pulling on her old, black boots that had yet to be properly fixed from the homing device fiasco, Nora tiptoed to the door and out onto the metal catwalk that ringed the hold. If a little pang hit her at leaving without waking them first, she ignored it. It was time to stop cowering and waiting for permission to do every little thing.
Nets hung between the far railing and the next level of the catwalk. She assumed those were used to store dry goods that couldn’t handle the lack of compression in the underhold.
It was dark. Lights along the circling path were few and far between. Despite the lack, she was able to find her way to the flight deck easily enough. All she had to do was keep moving up.
She hadn’t gotten a good look at the space yesterday, but now she realized the flight deck was a type of buildout like she might have seen in an abandoned warehouse on Earth. It was like a platform built into the ship where the top and the front met. Two metal walls with an open doorway for the ladder landing separated the flight deck from the open hold.
“I wondered when you’d surface,” Corey’s low voice carried easily in the quiet.
Nora took a few more steps into the room and looked around. Unlike the rest of the ship, the lights from the many screens provided ample lighting.
“Where’s Kiev?” Nora wondered. The big blue monster was hard to miss.
Corey made a dismissive gesture. “He’s around. I’m competent to stand watch alone.” She rolled her shoulder almost defensively.
“Uh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply you weren’t,” Nora apologized.
A hand on her hip, Corey sauntered closer to peer at Nora. “Someone got laid.” She smirked.
Nora felt the blush heat her cheeks. Head high she nodded. “It was a good night.”
Corey smiled and it transformed her whole face from drawn and pensive to stunningly pretty. “I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Thank you,” Nora replied with an answering smile. “I never dreamed I would fall in love with two hot alien guys, but here I am. And I wouldn’t trade it.”
“Love, huh? Well, that’s a sweet notion.” Corey nodded, her long, glossy brown ringlets bouncing over her shoulders as she strolled toward one of the consoles. The sun-kissed lengths of Corey’s hair gave Nora a serious pang of hair-envy.
“Come, sit.” Corey patted a stool that snugged in there invitingly. “Tell me everything. How did you end up with Lyon and Zocan?”
At length, Nora told Corey about Earth and Jorkan and waking up aboard the priests’ ship. The other woman listened with appropriate sympathy and murmurs of consolation. One thing she didn’t express was surprise at what Nora had been through. “Did you leave anyone on Earth?”
“Acquaintances mostly,” Nora answered, surprised that the talk of Earth didn’t spark that pang of longing she’d come to expect whenever she thought of the past, of Earth. Instead, she felt removed and insulated from the brash, innocent young girl she’d been. The grief for her parents was still there, but the bitter anger at havi
ng been ripped from her home was muted. “My close family and friends were either dead or sent to other CGA work camps.”
“I had heard that Earth was destroyed,” Corey said conversationally. “Then, I found out that was a lie to kill the hope of those of us that remained alive in VENTIX space.” She sounded bitter about the last part. Her wide, green eyes flashed with heat.
“Last I checked, it was still there,” Nora replied, hoping she wouldn’t hurt this woman she was hoping to befriend by speaking the truth. “But it isn’t in good shape. There aren’t many of us left.”
“There are more Earthers than you realize.” Corey’s mouth trembled, her hand going to her still-flat belly to rub protective circles. “Or there will be.”
“What do you mean by that?” Nora asked with a frown. “How could there be more Earthers with such a low birth rate and so few people left?”
“The Doranos that you spoke of, Jorkan? He arrived on Opu shortly before I… left. There was a group of females, um, I mean, women, brought in – that was how I found out Earth remained.” She paused, her face scrunching up with emotion. “Anyway, they had a few males of our kind as well. The things they were doing to those poor people.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Let’s just say you were lucky to escape Jorkan and to avoid being used in one of Hash-Han’s breeding programs.”
Nora reared back as realization washed over her. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth. “Oh God.” That could have been her. Maybe that was why Jorkan hadn’t followed through on his threats to rape her. Maybe he’d been saving her for something much worse.
Corey nodded. “Yes. I’m glad Zocan and Lyon found you when they did. It sounds like you narrowly escaped. Twice. There were others who were…not so lucky.”
“I don’t want to put my foot in it, but I have to ask: why didn’t Hash-Han use you for his breeding program?” Nora held her breath. She might have assumed too much, too fast with Corey. Still, she needed to know what she was potentially getting into if she, no, because she was going into VENTIX space with her mates.
Corey’s green eyes widened as her hand again touched protectively over her belly. “Darling, what makes you think he didn’t?”
Nora nearly choked on her own tongue. Coughing, she squeaked, “What? I thought Kiev was the father?”
“I am.” Kiev’s smooth baritone made Nora jump.
Corey merely shot him a strained smile as he strolled onto the flight deck. “You’re early. Did you decide you couldn’t trust me to be on my own for so long?”
Nora had to tamp down the urge to simultaneously pee herself and run away at the sight of the War Lord’s fanged smile.
“Fortunately, my trust in you is not on the docket today,” he replied with a snotty, nasty edge to his words. “I believe Nora’s mates are awake and will come looking for her shortly. According to Ssszit’s directions, we must part ways shortly if our separate missions are to be successful. It seemed expedient to meet here.”
Nora pushed to her feet, more agitated by their impending departure than she would have expected. “What? So soon? But why?”
Though her questions were directed to Kiev, it was Corey who answered, “Ssszit is a precognitive psychic. When he lays out a precise plan of action, we all follow it.”
“A what?” Nora asked, bewildered. “You mean, like, he sees the future?” She scoffed, “That’s impossible.”
“It’s the truth,” Kiev stated implacably, crossing all four of his arms across his massive chest.
Corey crossed to stand near him while remaining slightly out of his many-armed reach. “He’s right,” she told Nora. “And I sense that you have questions for me. Ask them quickly and I shall answer what I can. Don’t waste time.”
“This thing that woke up in my head –,” Nora began and stalled as she tried to formulate the right words.
“You mean the latent ability to shield?” Corey prompted.
Nora Nodded. “Yes. Will that put us – my mates and myself – in danger on Opu?”
“I’d like to comfort you and say no,” Corey answered, her clear green eyes sincere. “But that would be a lie. You’ll need to keep your shields up – but you will also need to learn passive defense. If you boot everyone from your head as you did me, you will eventually draw the wrong sort of attention.”
“How do I learn that if you’re leaving?” Nora turned her hands up in supplication. “Who will teach me?”
Kiev made a frustrated sound. “Envision a wall of bricks or stones like they used to have on your primitive planet. Imagine that wall is impervious to weather, quakes, or other assaults. That must be your mental shield. It must not, like an energy barrier, shock or repel by direct means. Your wall must simply stand. No matter what.”
Nora considered his words. She could do that. Probably. Maybe. “Wait. Have you been to Earth?” She frowned at Kiev. “It sounds like you’ve got some firsthand experience on my ‘primitive planet’.”
Corey’s whole body went stiff. “Oh, yes,” she replied with sticky sweetness. “War Lord Kiev has indeed been to Earth. He was part of the team that collected Lara and I.”
“Madre de Dios,” Nora muttered. She’d jumped into the muck with both feet. “I didn’t mean to start anything.” She held her hands up defensively and shook her head vigorously. “I’m so sorry.”
Corey brushed a hand over her shoulder and replied, “It’s an old argument between us. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Still.” Nora winced. “Sorry.”
“You should know that some War Lords are psychic.” Corey ignored Nora’s apology and flipped a thumb Kiev’s way. “Other than this one, most of them are notoriously unpracticed in the art of using their gifts. In fact, in VENTIX space, almost everyone is psychic. It’s best to practice building that wall and keeping it up.”
“Got it.” Nora shot the duo a double thumbs-up. In truth, she didn’t have it, but she didn’t trust herself to press any harder. These two were like a living landmine.
“Looks like we’re late to the party,” Lyon observed as he and Zocan entered the flight deck.
Nora couldn’t help but feel relief at the sight of them. “Corey and Kiev were just telling me of the delights of Opu. Forced sex and psychic coercion are definitely on the menu there.”
“Sounds lovely,” Zocan deadpanned. “Let’s get to work on the logistics.”
Chapter 59
Nora’s pretty face was flushed with temper when he and Zocan stepped onto the bridge. Lyon believed he’d never seen her look sexier. Anger suited his sloe-eyed female.
The source of her anger seemed to be fear of the unknown. They would address that later. For now, he could offer a comforting squeeze.
Apparently, Zocan had the same idea. They crossed the floor as one to flank their small mate.
She accepted their presence as naturally as breathing. He felt her snake an arm around his and looked over to see her twine the fingers of her free hand with Zocan’s.
The panicked feeling he’d been fighting since they woke to find her gone eased its tight grip on his lungs. Things were as they should be.
“Kiev says they have to leave now,” Nora reported with a dark frown. “He says Ssszit is the authority on timing and theirs is now.”
Lyon knew she didn’t want to hear it, but he had to agree. “If that’s what Ssszit told him, then it is truth.”
“I don’t mean to be an asshole, but how are you just going to trust Kiev with the location of the colony?” Nora asked baldly.
Zocan gave a long-suffering sigh. Lyon snickered at her lack of tact. Nora had much to learn about the fine art of keeping her thoughts to herself in front of an audience. She couldn’t know that she’d homed in on Zocan’s greatest fear and punched him in that most vulnerable spot.
Neither Kiev nor Corey gave any overt sign of offense. Still, this trinepact might be governed by committee, but it couldn’t hold meetings in front of the universe. Nora had a lot to le
arn on that front. In the meantime, things would certainly be interesting.
Nora rolled her eyes. “I could pretend everything was fine and then ask you later, but they can both sense something of what I’m thinking. It seems best to just get it out of the way now.”
“You brought up the solution yourself. It is the logical one – one Ssszit would approve of. I know several of Kiev’s secrets and Corey has had our lives in her hands before,” Zocan laid it out succinctly.
There weren’t a lot of options. Ssszit had demanded their presence on Opu. Someone had to go to the colony and make sure that Natar and Z’cari had acted alone, that there weren’t opposing forces threatening the lives of Lyaran families.
War Lord Kiev was skilled at spying, at pirating and any number of things. He needed a place to take the pregnant female he had sworn to protect. If the colony was safe, it was an ideal hiding spot for the two. However, if the colony was unsafe, Lyon and Zocan would have information Kiev could use to take the colony rather easily. Lyon dearly hoped it didn’t come to that.
“I just couldn’t live with myself if something happened to your people -,” she began.
Lyon felt compelled to cut her off. “They’re your people, now, too,” he corrected gently.
She nodded eagerly. “Exactly. I would hate to be the person who influenced you to go against your better judgement.”
“The plan is in motion,” Zocan answered, his face softening. “We can only see it through.”
Zocan was nothing if not a committed leader. He would do whatever it took to keep the colony safe. With the threat of others out there who thought like Natar and Z’cari, the colony needed all the protectors it could get.
If War Lord Kiev’s female and child were there, he would stop at nothing to ensure their safety. Kiev had valuable resources at his disposal for just such a purpose. However, Nora didn’t know that. Because they hadn’t thought to tell her. Some of this was on them, he had to admit.
