Matched and Mated

by Grace Goodwin

  Missions that I was now grateful for, because he knew how to use a gun—some big-ass weapon like a Howitzer—and he could also fly us off this ship. Apparently, he could fly just about everything in the entire Coalition Fleet.

  Brax was just one surprise after another.

  But one problem remained. Trist was mine, and I would never leave him. “Can you carry him?”

  Trist protested, but both Brax and I ignored him this time. “Of course,” Brax answered. I sighed in relief.

  “Good. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  I helped the remaining three children load up with small bowls full of flour as Brax hoisted Trist to his shoulders in a modified version of what I called a Fireman’s Carry.

  Trist was fading in and out, calling my name. I kept myself calm and focused on how much I loved him, how happy he made me. Good thoughts. Only good thoughts. It was my turn to protect him, even if it were to keep him calm through our collar connection.

  “Let’s go.” Brax turned to Var. “I’ll lead. Lady Treval behind me. Then the children. You guard our backs.”

  “Yes, sir.” Var didn’t even try to argue. That little warrior deserved some kind of freaking medal for this. And as Lady Treval, assuming we survived, I’d talk to Commander Zakar myself if I had to, and make sure he got one. The girls, too.

  14

  Trist, Battleship Zakar

  * * *

  I never imagined being slung over the shoulder of a Trion trying to save my ass in battle. I hurt everywhere, but at the same time, not one specific spot was more painful than another. The haste with which Brax moved to get me to the med unit jostled my destroyed body, knocked the air from my lungs. The pain wasn’t as bad as when I was first hit with the plasma bomb, but only because my skin had been burned off and no doubt the nerves were dead. Black dots filled my vision of the floor as well as Brax’s ass, both of which made me want to pass out. I felt blood trickle down my leg, warm against the chill of my skin. I was dying. I was a warrior. I was prepared for my demise.

  But not now. Not today. Things weren’t set in place. As primary mate, I hadn’t seen to Miranda’s protection. To give her the second she deserved. She required.

  I would die and she would be alone.

  I was the worst of mates because she was not protected. She would not be cherished. Instead, lost and alone. Every male would be a threat. Everything would be a threat. There would be a challenge for the right to claim her. Another Prillon would take what was mine…

  I heard voices, shouts. Commands. I saw feet and legs moving quickly, even from my upside-down position. I noticed the color of the walls, thought how they matched my family’s colors. I loved green.

  “I need a ReGen pod. Now!” It was Brax’s voice, but with a snap of command to it that made him sound almost Prillon.

  “Hurry, please. He’s been badly injured.” I recognized that soft voice, the one that lit up my life as bright as that fucking plasma bomb. Miranda. My mate. Even through my blurry haze of consciousness, I could feel her fear, her desperation. I wanted to ease her mind, but I couldn’t, not because I couldn’t move, but because I had not found a fucking second.

  I was nudged off of Brax’s shoulder and laid onto something soft. I groaned at the shift of muscle, the grind of bone on bone.

  “Bleeding from the peroneal artery,” Brax stated. “Tourniquet applied. Burns to forty percent of his body, specifically anterior chest and abdomen. Maximum pod time required.”

  “We should remove his clothes,” someone said.

  “Put him under, now. The burns have bits of fabric in them. If we try to heal him this way, we will only make things worse.” Brax’s voice was one of command and brooked no argument. I’d never heard that tone from him before. He sounded like… a commander. A warrior.

  I opened my eyes. Blinked until things came into focus. I lifted my arm to Brax, who was scanning my body with his eyes as if they were a wand and could heal me.

  An actual wand, in someone else’s hand, passed over my face. I felt no improvement, therefore, it must be only an injury scanner. I saw the curved lid of the ReGen pod move and one of the medical officers came at me with an injector I knew would knock me out. I lifted my hand to stay his course.

  “Wait,” I said, my voice almost a whisper. I repeated it, using almost all my energy to make it loud enough to be heard over the calm chatter.

  Brax whipped his head around to stare down at me.

  “Shut-up and do what you’re told, Trist. We need to get those clothes off you. The pod is going to close. You will heal.”

  I shook my head, then winced. “Not yet.”

  He leaned down, gave me his penetrating dark gaze. The look of not only a doctor, but of a warrior in his own right. “Yes, now, or you will die and Miranda will be upset. That is not acceptable, Prillon.”

  If I could have chuckled, I would have. Here we were, back to arguing as we had upon his arrival.

  “Here.” I reached up with my other hand and tugged at the black collar wrapped about my wrist. I’d put it there to keep with me until I found a worthy second. Only then would I remove it. I hadn’t thought it would be Brax. Hadn’t expected him to be worthy of the honor.

  But he was. He’d proven himself during the attack. Protected our mate. Saved my life, carried me from the battle and taken down the remaining Hive soldiers as we made our way to the shuttle that brought us back to the Zakar. He’d protected me, our mate, and the children who had been entrusted to our care. He was a worthy male.

  It was I who was weak. Dying. It was I who’d avoided providing for the safety of a second for my mate because of my assumptions about Brax.

  He was a good doctor. A good warrior. He would be a good mate. Better than me since I’d failed Miranda in the most important thing of all—seeing to her happiness without me.

  “Stop moving,” Brax snapped. “You can be a bossy ass after you are healed.”

  “No. Now.” My breathing was ragged as if I’d been fighting the Hive, not lying about. “This collar. It is for you, my second.”

  His eyes flared wide.

  “Where is Miranda?” I breathed.

  At those words, her head appeared above me alongside Brax. Ah, she was so beautiful, even with a smudge of smoke or dirt on her cheek, her hair long and tangled. She smiled at me, but it didn’t reach her eyes as it usually did. I felt her anguish.

  “Do not fear, Miranda,” Brax said, as if he was wearing the collar now, as if he could sense exactly what she was thinking and feeling. “He will be fine if he’d let me lower the lid and let the pod do its work.”

  I ignored him and kept my eyes on hers. “I’m sorry, mate.”

  She gave me a watery smile. She leaned down close, so close I could smell her. Bright and like the flowers back on Prillon Prime. “There is nothing to be sorry about,” she murmured. “You must heal now.”

  I tried to shake my head, but it hurt too much. “Not yet. Brax is your second. I will not allow healing until he is collared. Until I know you are protected.”

  Her mouth fell open, her eyes widened like the outer rings of this sector’s third planet. “You want—”

  “He is worthy,” I growled, cutting her off. “He is honorable. If something happens to me—”

  “Something already has,” Brax reminded, glanced away briefly as someone showed him a scan readout. He nodded, then looked back at me. “It is time.”

  “Yes, it is. Put the collar on. You are Miranda’s mate as much as me. I will not allow the ReGen to begin until I know she is safe with you.”

  Brax stood to his full height, looked to Miranda. He kissed her forehead, then silently—and carefully—took the collar from my wrist.

  Raising it to his neck, he closed it in place. All at once, I felt him as well. His emotions, his drive to save me. His protectiveness of not only Miranda, but me as well.

  Miranda gasped, for his added sensations was intense.

  Brax nodded once, gravel
y. “You have my word; I will protect our mate with my life.”

  I sensed his truth and I was satisfied. I sighed, gave over to the tug of unconsciousness, to the extent of my wounds. “Good.”

  “Heal, mate, or I will kill you myself,” Miranda said, leaning down and gently cupping my cheek. Her words were full of threat, but her smile softened their meaning.

  “With Brax around, we shall all remain safe,” I replied.

  Her fingertips slid gently over my cheek, then she stepped back and the medical officer stepped forward again. The pain killers flooded my system, offering welcome relief. I kept my gaze locked on my female until the lid was lowered. I looked at the two of them through the clear glass, my family, and felt their connection through the collars until the world went completely black.

  15

  Trist, Private Quarters, Two days later

  * * *

  I felt them before I saw them. My family. And gods help me, that now included the Trion doctor, Brax. He was not what I expected, the Trion male. More warrior than healer. Fiercely and completely in love with my mate before I knew of her existence.

  But I felt their bond, even now, their emotions coming through my collar in a soothing familiarity that I knew my mate needed with me injured. Her pain and terror had been breaking me more than the agony of the plasma burns that covered nearly half of my body. And yet, once I’d accepted Brax, added his mental strength to our family bond, she’d calmed. His iron will and mental walls had wrapped around her and she’d calmed.

  Even now, as I paused on the threshold of my own quarters, I could feel them both. His complete attention was on caring for her and making sure she was safe. Calm. And my mate? My female? The greatest gift the gods had ever blessed me with?

  She was worried, the emotion an underlying simmer. But she was content. Not panicking. She felt… safe.

  Brax was, indeed, a worthy second. Not only had he saved my life during the Hive attack, but he watched over our mate now, while I was unable, and made sure she was cared for. Loved. Protected.

  I had chosen well. And despite the fact that Brax’s foolish choices had driven Miranda from his arms, I could not help but be grateful for the strange twist of fate that had led them both to me.

  The door to my private quarters slid open silently and I stepped inside to find Brax sitting on the sofa with Miranda curled up in his lap, asleep. Her face was pressed to his neck and she clung to him, even in sleep. She wore a soft gown in a style I’d never seen before, and assumed was from Trion. It was lovely, every shimmering inch of the material clung to her curves. She looked more dream than reality and my cock grew hard. I didn’t want to wait to claim her officially. Make her mine. I didn’t want any uncertainty, and now that I had decided upon Brax as a second, I only needed Miranda’s consent to claim her forever. I had no doubts. I knew Brax—who had already followed her halfway across the galaxy—had none as well.

  He lifted his head and indicated that I should be quiet. “She’s only been asleep a few hours. She was worried about you,” he whispered.

  “I know. I could feel her.” And I could, even while unconscious in the ReGen pod, I had dreamed of her and known she was near.

  Making my way to the cleansing room, I removed the medical garments they’d placed me in when I woke and stepped into the shower tube. The uniform I’d worn had been removed and disposed of and I did not miss the smell of burned flesh. Of battle.

  Of Miranda’s fear.

  I did not linger, but washed away the last of the attack even as I wondered if Miranda would want both my collar and Trion adornments. The memory of her wearing the green gems had me wrapping my hand around my hard cock with a groan. Gods, she was beautiful. I didn’t care what she wore. In fact, I preferred her naked. But it would be her choice, and I would honor Brax’s traditions if that was what my female desired.

  Anything for her. Anything to make sure she knew exactly how much I loved her. Needed her. I’d never needed another living creature. Not man nor beast. But now, I needed her. Not simply her presence, her joy in life. Her light. Her laughter and happiness. I needed to feel the contentment making her warm and sleepy and satisfied.

  I was weary of this war, of killing. Of watching my friends and fellow warriors die. I needed a reason to keep fighting. And that reason was curled up in my second’s lap, trusting him to protect her while I healed. Trusting me to return to her.

  That trust was humbling, and I would not take it for granted.

  I turned off the cleansing jets and dried quickly, returning to the main room where Brax and Miranda remained exactly as I had left them. I stood naked, eager to feel her in both body and mind.

  But I was hungry now. Not for food, for her. It was time to claim her.

  Brax looked me over and the grin on his face nearly made me chuckle. “Eager, are we?”

  “And you are not?” I asked. “You are my second, Brax. If you accept the honor, and vow to protect both Miranda and any children we may have with your life.”

  His look turned from amused to serious. “Are you sure? I will not allow you to change your mind, Trist, simply because you were half dead when you gave me this collar. She’s mine. Any child, yours or mine, I will love and protect. They will be part of her and I will fight to the death to keep her.”

  “I’m counting on it.”

  Our gazes locked and the bond we shared through the collars amplified what we were both feeling. Possessive. Protective. Aroused.

  Miranda must have sensed something was going on, for she stirred. Her eyes opened and she looked up at Brax before she realized I was in the room. “Hi.” Her smile was soft and accepting, full of trust. She loved him, the force of her emotion a shock to my system now that I could also feel Brax’s love for her.

  “Greetings, mate. Are you rested?” he asked, stroking a piece of hair away from her face with gentle hands.

  “How is Trist?”

  Brax burst out laughing and looked up at me. There was no resentment in his gaze, for he could feel her love as well as her worry for me.

  Miranda turned her head, took one look at my naked body and cried out, scrambling from Brax’s lap to leap into my arms. Her love for me hit me hard as I caught her. It was not the same as what she felt for Brax. For Brax, I felt her trust and desire, the feeling that she was pampered. He made her feel beautiful and desired.

  Her feelings for me were a tangle of need and as she held me with all the strength in her small, human arms, squeezing as tightly as she could, clinging to me as if she could not breathe without me, I was content.

  “Do you accept my claim, mate? Do you accept me as your primary male or do you wish to choose another.”

  “Shut-up, Trist. You’re mine.” She was crying and laughing at the same time, a skill I did not comprehend.

  “Then you accept my claim?” Normally, this would be done in a room of Prillon warriors, chosen to honor the female and vow to protect her should anything happen to her mates, to come when called upon by her mates. But Brax was Trion, and I knew from the possessive way he watched us both now that he would not desire to share her in the traditional Prillon custom.

  “Yes, Trist. I accept your claim.”

  Brax rose to his feet behind her and I noticed that he wore loose fitting clothing, which he quickly removed. When he was naked as well, he walked to one wall and opened a small storage compartment. He turned to me and Miranda, most likely sensing the sudden seriousness of his mood, released her hold enough to turn in my arms and face him.

  “I had something made, Trist, back on Trion. I had it transported to the ship while you were healing.” Brax walked forward and laid down a dark green fabric that was layered upon itself several times.

  He unwrapped the contents and I saw not clamps, but piercing rings. They were on display in the shape they would take on our mate’s body, one for each breast and one for her clit. There was a delicate gold chain hanging from the dark green gems attached to each ring, and within th
e links of that chain were small disks with alternating symbols. One was the symbol of House Treval, my house. The other I had never seen before, but I assumed the emblem belonged to Brax’s family on Trion. There were also golden bangles for her wrists, decorated with green gems, and an elaborate necklace that looked like the delicate spinnings of a spider’s web in gold and green. Two large rings were affixed at the top.

  “Trion adornments always cover the nipples, but that was not enough for me…or for our mate.” Brax looked pleased with himself. “Miranda is too beautiful not to cover completely. And I had them exchange half of the Trion seals with the symbol for the Treval family of Prillon Prime.”

  The adornments were beautiful and looked to be of the highest quality. Hand made, not produced from an S-Gen machine. The links were too delicate and imperfect.

  Miranda slipped from my arms and dropped to her knees to inspect the gift, but she did not touch them. Instead, she looked to me for permission. Approval. I could feel her desire for them, but her need to please me came first. If I said no, she would put them away with no regrets.

  That knowledge was humbling. “They are beautiful, mate. And they will look even more so upon your body.”

  Her smile brought me to my knees, and I slid down next to her and lifted the necklace from the soft fabric. “Lift your hair, Miranda. Let us adorn you.”

  Brax knelt on her opposite side and his anticipation fed mine. I could not wait to see our mate adorned in gold and green. The green matched the Treval family collars and would make our mate look like something out of legend. A goddess made flesh.

  With a grin I was beginning to enjoy too much, Brax slid one ring onto his finger and handed the other to me.

  “What does this do?” I asked.

  Miranda shivered, her lust a sudden inferno through the collars.

  Interesting.

  I looked at Brax and raised my brows.

  He laughed. “You’ll see.”