by Lili Zander
Belfox has been spending too much time around the bitter, poisonous Herrix, and it has changed him. He was always proud, too concerned with blood status, a relic from a world that no longer wanted us, but now, he’s crossed over into malice.
A chance to talk to Mar’vi, to try and make amends for sixty-five years of absence.
The rest of his words sink in. For the moment, all I want is your silence. “What else do you want?”
He gives me a piercing look. “Do I have your word that you’ll keep quiet about this?”
“I have no secrets from Xanthox or Felicity.”
“Xanthox you can tell,” he concedes. “But not the human. If she tells one of the others, who tells one of their mates… No. It’s too risky.”
I don’t like the idea of keeping secrets from her, but I nod reluctantly. “Fine.”
“I want your help finding the other boxes.”
“Of course.”
He rolls his eyes. “The boxes will be scattered all over the desert to the east,” he says. “You won’t be able to walk. You’ll need to fly.”
And in order to do that, Felicity, Xanthox, and I must complete the mating bond.
“You have a mate of your own,” I reply, thinking of the red-haired human that giggles a lot. “Why don’t you woo her?”
“A human?” His expression is disgusted. “I am a Highborn of Zoraht. No matter what the beast inside me insists, I’m not going to rut with her. I will not defile myself.”
For Caeron’s sake. Some of these Highborn are so rigid that they can’t see a miracle if it’s right in front of their faces. We’re Draekons, exiled for the rest of our lives to a prison planet. We’ve been sent to a bitter and hostile world, a world in which there are no women so that there’s no chance we can pass our defective genes on to a future generation. Belfox is clinging onto a past of glory, clinging to the rules of an Empire that has thoroughly rejected him.
A human mate is the best thing that could ever happen to him, and he’s too inflexible, too prejudiced to see it. What a fool.
But this isn’t my problem, and if this is indeed the way he thinks, the human woman would be better off without him. “Fine,” I say again. “When I complete the mating bond, I will help you in your quest.” I take a deep breath. “When can I use the communicator?”
His lips thin into a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “When you’ve completed the mating bond, of course,” he says. “Until then, you’re useless to me.”
PRESENT…
Felicity, Xanthox, and I have eaten so many meals, sitting out here on the roof, under the starry sky. Until that last week, we’d known nothing but happiness here.
I really hope we can recapture that lost magic once again.
I’ve made so many mistakes. I allied with the wrong people. I attacked the Firstborn, and I am grateful beyond measure that he has forgiven me for it. Arax is clearly the leader of his camp, and I don’t want Felicity to be affected in any way by my foolishness.
I bring the cooked detsena, seasoned with the herbs from Felicity’s pouch up to the roof. Xanthox follows with a plate of cooked greens and some pickled vegetables.
Felicity is standing in the middle of the roof, with a cup of tea in her hands, staring at the stars. “Do you think there are going to be more ships?” she asks, her voice quiet.
I can’t lie to her; I’ve done enough of that. “Probably. The Head of the Council of Scientists is searching for his daughter, and the High Emperor is looking for his betrothed. These are powerful men, not used to their will being thwarted.”
If one of those ships has a working communicator, then I can at least get a message to Mar’vi. One final message to try to explain the inexplicable. To tell her how sorry I am about the way things turned out.
She sighs. “So what do we do? Wait to die?”
We were sent here to die. For sixty-five years, we existed without hope. Then the human women crashed here, and my world changed. I found Felicity.
“There’s always hope,” Xanthox tells her softly. “There’s always a way forward, little one, and we’ll find it. After all, Dariux might have already found Raiht’vi. Thrax will eventually succeed in assembling the Cloakship. And when that’s done, maybe Raiht’vi will leave the prison planet of her own free will. Once she’s back in the homeworld, our lives will return to normal.”
“Whatever normal means here,” she replies. She reaches forward for a piece of the crabmeat. “God, this is good. I missed this.”
She’s right. Our lives haven’t been normal for a very long time, so much so that I don’t even know what the word means.
But my heart aches for a sense of companionship, of belonging, of family. I thought I had it with Felicity and Xanthox.
I’ve ruined everything, not just for myself, but for Xanthox too. It was my desire to talk to Mar’vi that started me down a path that has led us to this moment.
It takes all the courage I possess to cling to hope. Felicity agreed to one week. She’s not smiling yet, but she’s here with us, talking and eating.
It’s far more than I deserve. It’s a start.
9
Felicity
PRESENT…
I lie awake in the dark, my mates fast asleep on either side of me, and my mind wanders all over the place, bouncing like a ping-pong ball on steroids.
I’ve always wanted to be loved. I don’t need to visit a therapist to know that it stems from my father’s abandonment. Aunt Priscilla and Uncle Fred might have taken me in, but they did it out of a sense of duty, and then, as I grew older and became useful in the restaurant, they kept me around because I was cheap labor.
Chloe only cared about herself. I could never earn her love. I’d learned after the Calder Reese incident, to be careful about attracting her attention. The best I could hope from her was indifference.
And what’s the best I can hope for from Lud and Xan?
The mating bond is real. There’s no hiding that. Luddux and Xanthox turned into dragons when they saw me. They were able to transform freely after we did it for the first time.
So that’s something. Most people would be content with that. It’s my fault that I want more. It’s because of my insecurities that I want them to be head-over-heels in love with me. It’s my past that has made me so needy.
But they’re here now, and they’re trying to restore things to the way they were. I want that too.
All I have to do is forget one truth.
They were going to escape on the ship that Belfox and Herrix built, leaving me behind.
I’m falling, hurtling toward the ground. Then I jerk out of that dream and ease into a much nicer one.
Xan’s chest rises and falls in sleep. Slowly, I stretch out my hand and lay it on his warm skin. There’s never any doubt, he says to me. I choose you.
Behind me, Lud mumbles something and rolls into my back. His arm comes around my waist, and he cups my breast, his touch sure, as if he knows exactly how to please me.
I whimper in pleasure and grind against him. More…
Need rises in me. My body feels hot and heavy. I trace Xan’s chest, running my fingers over the contour of his muscles, rubbing my thumb over his nipple rings. He’s so big and powerful, every inch of him toned to perfection.
He likes that. His eyes half-open, and he smiles at me. “Felicity,” he whispers. It warms me, the way he says my name. His voice is tender and loving. He cups my cheek, and I curl into him, craving his touch, craving him with almost painful desire. “Sweet one.”
“Xan,” I breathe. My touch grows bolder and my hand drifts slowly lower, and he inhales sharply in response. I reach the taut valley between his hip bones and his abs clench. His reaction sends a thrill through me.
“So small.” He captures my hand and splays his fingers, pressing his palm to mine.
“Yet strong,” Lud murmurs behind me, nuzzling my shoulder.
I’m flying in my dream, my body pressed between my two mate
s, sleepy and warm and content. I smile when they whisper sweet compliments, but I’m greedy too. I want more than their words. I let my hand slide lower, lower, until my palm rests between Xan’s hips and the tips of my fingers brush the gentle rise of his cock.
He gasps at my touch, and I pause, waiting for him to say something. Moments pass. “Are you done?” he finally asks, his voice strangled.
That’s a strange thing for him to say. Why would I want to stop touching him? “Do you want me to be done?”
“No. Touch me, Felicity. I am yours.”
That’s all the encouragement I need. I grasp his firm flesh, light fingers circling his cock and stroking down. His hips jerk upward, and I smile in my sleep.
“Mine,” I murmur. “All mine.”
I swipe my thumb across the tip of his cock, gathering his thick precum and spreading it across my fingers so they can easily glide up and down his length. I jack his thick rod slowly, marveling at the silky hardness, at how large he is.
“Felicity,” he breathes.
His hips strain, pushing his cock into my grip. I savor the weight of him in my hand, his small gasps and sharp intakes of breath. Luddux still has his hand on my breast, and he strokes me gently, pinching my nipple between his thumb and forefinger, making me writhe against his body...
Xan’s hips are now thrusting in sharp rhythm. I tighten my grip and glide faster. I want him to hit the breaking point and spurt into my hand. I want to see him unravel. Just for me.
He climaxes in little gasps, and a fresh surge of desire runs through me at his pleasure. My pussy is hot and heavy, throbbing for them, but I ignore it, cuddling against my mate. “Thank you,” he exhales, kissing my forehead.
Lud kneels between my legs. He parts them slowly, his sapphire eyes flashing with heat. I moan with pleasure as he bends down and kisses lightly up one leg, hovering over my pussy just long enough to feel his hot breath, and then kissing down the other. He spends some time at my knee, licking and sucking the sensitive skin, taking his time making his way back up. By the time he reaches the crease of my hip and thigh, my pussy is weeping. I rock my hips toward him, inviting him to come closer.
Xan lifts my hair and presses a kiss to my neck. His fingers swirl lightly around my nipples. My breasts go heavy with desire, and I gasp with pleasure at his touch.
Finally, finally, Luddux touches his tongue just to the right of my clit. Lightning sparks and ebbs through me as his tongue swipes a long, leisurely path up my slit before pressing down on my clit, flicking at the sweet spot. My thighs jerk and he holds them down. His head is buried between my legs, tongue thrusting into my entrance and back up, and I’m lost in a haze of need. I ache everywhere.
My nipples are tight and aching against Xan’s hand. My head rolls back on his shoulder, and he shifts to cradle me close. “That’s it, beautiful,” he encourages. “Just breathe. Let us give you pleasure.”
Lud flicks at my clit, and my muscles start to clench. “Lu—” Before I can call his name, my climax blooms under his worshipping mouth. I dig my fingers into his silky dark curls, holding him at the right spot as pleasure sings through me, cresting in little golden waves that go on and on. I have to tug on his hair before he stops stimulating me. His hot mouth goes over every inch of me, claiming me until I’m ready to howl his name.
If this is a dream, I want it to go on forever.
Lud sits up and fists himself, his face fierce with concentration. A few minutes, and he cums with a groan. He wraps his arm around my waist, tugging me closer to him. I snuggle into him, pressing my face against Xan’s broad chest. “I love you,” I murmur.
They both go still.
My eyes flicker open to see Xan staring at me.
I wasn’t dreaming.
I said those words out loud.
To Xan and Lud, who were going to leave the prison planet without me.
“Felicity?” Xan’s voice is tentative.
I push at him and come to my feet, staggering a little in my haste to get out of the bed.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I stammer, pulling on a pair of pants. “All good. I just need to… um… go outside for a moment.”
“Let us come with you.”
“No,” I half-shout. I’m acting like a crazy woman. Xan and Luddux look stricken, confused, but their expressions are nothing next to the roiling in my chest.
I love you. What had possessed me to say that? It’s not enough that I’m vulnerable already, my emotions raw? I have to say the words that prove it?
How stupid can I be?
I hold up a hand. “I’m fine. I think I’ll take a walk. Everything’s good.” I don’t wait for them to agree, but head to the door. “I just need to be alone.”
10
Felicity
PRESENT…
Tears streaming down my cheeks, I start walking. I can’t do this. I keep telling myself that I can make this right. I keep telling myself that I have to. For our child.
I keep trying to put myself in their shoes. They’ve been stuck on a prison planet for sixty-five years. How would I react if I had a chance to escape?
But every time I confront the truth, my heart shatters all over again. I am in love with Xan and Lud, but they’re not in love with me. What they feel is primal, but it’s not what I yearn for. It’s not what I crave.
They were ready to leave me behind.
It’s not until I’m almost at its banks that I recognize where I am.
Lake Tuli.
Of course. Everything comes full circle somehow. It makes sense that I’d end up here when things are unraveling. After all, this is where it all started…
PAST…
“So where are you taking me?” I ask, ducking under the branch Lud holds for me.
“Lake Tuli,” Xan says.
“Another lake?” I pause to study the path before me, a faint groove between the grass. The purple grass. Plants on this alien planet make me think of a child’s coloring book. Hey, wouldn’t it be great if we made the trees pink?
“This way.” Xan brushes against my back as he passes me, and my skin breaks out into goosebumps. He’s at least seven feet tall. Short dirty-blond hair with a face that makes me swear he’s related to Brad Pitt. A tan and extremely fit younger brother. “Most of the camp prefers to stay near Lake Ang.” His lips curl into a slow, sexy smile. “There’ll be no one near Lake Tuli.”
A shiver of desire runs through me. We’ve fooled around a few times, and it’s left me hungry for more. I thought I didn’t want to rush into something, but it’s been almost a month, and I’m ready.
We round a bend and come out to a ledge overlooking the sparkling water. The grass might be purple, but I love the crystalline quality of the lakes and streams on this Prison Planet. I’m in our own paradise, complete with hunky bodyguards… who turn into dragons.
Speaking of hunky bodyguards… Xan strips off his shirt, and, like it does every single time I see their bare chests, my mouth grows dry.
Bow chicka wow wow. Hello, eight-pack abs.
Okay, maybe this isn’t like a child’s coloring book at all. More like Men’s Health meets Playgirl. Or Magic Mike, set on an alien planet.
It’s a good thing there’s a lake because I sure as hell need to cool off.
The Draekons transform for the first time when they see their mates. Redheaded Olivia attracted two pairs—four total males fighting over her. She thinks it’s great, which is just more proof all her brains are in her bra.
Of course, the way Olivia flirts, she’d gladly take two more. If she even jiggles her oversized jugs in Lud and Xan’s direction, I’m going to bitch slap her. They’re mine.
I’m sitting on the beach after our swim, watching the water sparkle in the sun. We need to head back before the detsena, but I’m not too worried. Lud and Xan are always good with the details. They’ll never let anything happen to me.
There’ll be no one near Lake Tuli.
&
nbsp; I really hope I’m reading the signs right. Xan and Lud have been wooing me since we first met. Lots of gifts, flirtatious glances, sexy banter, and more. Now, they’ve brought me to this gorgeous lake, and we’re all alone. We have all the privacy we need.
And I’m ready to take the next step. Bow chicka wow wow.
“So, when can you guys turn into dragons again?” I ask, trying to keep my voice casual.
I know the answer—they’ll have to complete the mating bond first. Last week, Paige went all the way with her two guys, and now they can shift at will. I’m just trying to find a way to tell them I’m ready.
Xan’s eyes rake boldly over me. “That’s entirely up to you, Felicity.” His gaze drops from my eyes to my shoulders to my breasts, and my nipples harden under my thin blouse.
My breathing quickens. “Yeah?” I try to keep my voice calm. “How so?” I raise a flirty brow.
Xan rises from the lake and strides towards me. Rivulets stream down his perfect body. HIs bronze skin shimmers in the afternoon light. The Draekons swim naked, and their anatomy is perfectly proportional to their big size.
My mouth waters, and my insides clench.
I think he’s going to touch me, but to my disappointment, he settles down next to me. “Felicity,” he murmurs. “I have something for you.” He rummages in the pile of clothes and holds a delicate chain with a hanging pendant toward me.
I grew up getting castoffs and hand-me-downs from Chloe. I’m not going to lie—Xan spoils me rotten, and I love it. I’ll never, ever get tired of his gifts.
He hands it to me, and I hold it up, watching it glitter in the light. There are two stones in the setting, one green, and one deep blue. It’s so pretty.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathe.
“It’s only syn-made,” he replies. “If I were back in Alvi, I’d drape you with starstones and tauzin gems to match your eyes.”
I don’t know what any of those things are. I’m still staring at my present. “I don’t care,” I reply. “I love it. Help me put it on?”
