by Lynnea Lee
He buried his face into the sheets, inhaling their lovemaking. They were good together. But not good enough, apparently, because try as he might, he never formed a mating bond with her. He wanted to, though. He really did. He loved Angie.
Holden had even gone to the medic to see if there were anything wrong with him, but the medic assured him that he was in perfect health. Mating bonds couldn’t be forced. He would give anything to trigger a bond for Angie. He had considered lying to her and telling her she was his mate. But his love for her demanded he be truthful. It wouldn’t be right to lie to her.
Holden ripped the sheets off his bed and took them to the decontaminator. He knew he was just making it harder on himself, but he took one last sniff before stuffing it in, and closed the door. Then he jumped into the cleansing unit, washing himself clean. Throwing a clean uniform on, Holden left for the security office.
Today was an important day for the colony. They had been receiving threats from the Dominion, and today was the day that Reka 5 planned on fighting back.
Holden snuck into the meeting and sat down at the back. Ryek, the colony director, Holden’s boss and best friend, eyed him from the front of the room, but made no comment. He continued speaking to the group.
“They have demanded I surrender the colony. I refused to give up my people.” The guards in the room grunted their agreement. “And my people are willing to fight to the end.”
“Yeah!” a few voices agreed.
Ryek was right. Most citizens of Reka 5 would fight if given a chance. All the humans living in the colonies were escaped slaves, and many of the Talleans here refuse to live under Dominion rule.
“But the Dominion is sending an army to force my hand. I don’t believe it is an idle threat. We need to train every able body to fight, and we need to start today. I have ordered weapons to arm every citizen. And now, it is your job to teach our citizens to fight. I have recruited our retired guards to help.” Ryek gestured to the side where a few older Tallean males sat. “We do not have much in the coffer left to hire mercenaries, but we have a few teams willing to come to our aid. Reka 5 is not the small, defenseless colony we once were. We will fight for our freedom!”
It took a moment for the reactions to die down. Then Ryek posted a list splitting all the colonists into groups and listing the sentry that would train them. Each sentry would teach and lead a team of colonists. They would be prepared to fight by the time the Dominion arrived.
Holden reviewed his list. Angie. Angie was on his list. His first reaction was relief that she was not in another male’s group. He didn’t want another male to train her to fight. But he thought of this morning and how she had snuck out to avoid talking to him, and his mood dropped. This was going to be difficult; Angie would make it impossible for him to train his group. She always distracted him.
Ryek dismissed his guards, and Holden waited for everyone to leave. He approached his long-time friend.
“Ryek. I need to ask you for a favor.”
“What do you need?”
“I can’t have Angie in my group.”
Ryek looked at him, confusion on his face.
“I thought you two got along. You two still see each other often, and you teamed up at the recent amberberry harvest.”
They had. What Ryek didn’t mention was that the two of them had returned to the colony just two days into the harvest after they’d chosen to fuck on a patch of soft leafy plants. They had both reacted badly to the irritants in the plant’s sap and broken out in hives. Since he was on the bottom, Holden’s backside had taken days to calm down.
“We did. But it’s complicated. At least that’s how Angie describes us: complicated. I don’t think I can concentrate on teaching my group if she’s there. That female hogs all my attention when she’s around, and she doesn’t even do it on purpose. She’s always been trouble.”
“I know you won’t want another male teaching her. You never react well when you see her with other males.”
Ryek had a point. “I know, but she can’t be in my group. It’s hard enough staying away from her.”
Ryek chuckled and placed a hand on Holden’s shoulder, giving him a friendly squeeze. “My friend, I don’t believe you’ve been staying away from her at all. She must be the reason you walked in late to today’s meeting.”
“Yes,” Holden admitted. He wasn’t proud of it.
Ryek pulled a seat over for Holden before sitting down himself. Holden, who’d started out as one of his most trusted guards, had over the years become his closest friend as well. And Ryek knew for a fact that Angie and Holden were still intimate; he knew very well. He had been waiting for his friend to step away completely before making his move on the outspoken little human female. Ryek was not one to poach.
However, it had been years, and Ryek was still waiting. Something kept pulling Holden and Angie back together. If he didn’t know better, he would say it was a mate bond. Now, Ryek doubted the day he waited for would ever come, yet he still couldn’t shake his interest in Angie, or find interest in any other female.
Tallean culture was very free sexually, and it was common for those who were unmated to sleep around. Ryek knew that Angie often went on dates with other males. And despite Holden pretending to be okay with it, it was clear that he was not. Ryek had not liked it, either. If Angie was to be with anyone other than Holden, it should be Ryek himself.
Ryek’d had to distract his friend, and himself, by going on dragus hunts together. Every time Angie went on a date, some poor unsuspecting dragus died horrible deaths.
Ryek did not want to add to his friend’s distress. Angie might not be Holden’s mate, but Holden was possessive of her and loved her as if she were.
“I can’t have Angie in my group,” Holden repeated. “She would distract me. I wouldn’t be able to instruct effectively.”
“You want me to put her in with another sentry? He would train her and get close to her.” But Ryek already knew the answer. Holden would never allow that. That was why Ryek had put Angie in Holden’s group to begin with. Besides, Ryek didn’t want her training with any other male either.
Holden’s face clouded over as expected. “Do you have a group you are training? Maybe you can add her to yours. I don’t mind if you get close to her.”
Ryek did not have a group to train; he had to organize the weapons delivery and the hiring of mercenaries. The idea of training Angie and having an excuse to get close to her was very tempting.
“I can do that.” What had possessed him to say that? Ryek really shouldn’t spend time alone with Angie unless he intended to make good his plan to make her his. “And If I get close to her? I value our friendship.” That was the truth.
Ryek had known Holden for over a decade. Holden had come to the colony after running with a group of small-time pirates for a short while. He’d been young when he joined the pirate crew. But after a brief stint, he’d realize that he was unable to put aside his morals to make his credits. Holden came to Reka 5 looking for a simple, honest security job and had been here since.
They had gotten along right away, and Ryek now couldn’t imagine leading Reka 5 without Holden’s support. Together, they’d fought against the wild beasts that attacked their colony and worked together to eliminate troublemakers who threatened the peace from within. Even though Ryek had the title of colony director, they both did much of the work together.
When Angie had first arrived on Reka 5, Ryek had wanted her the moment their eyes met. But he had been slow on the uptake, and Holden had claimed her first. That hadn’t stopped Ryek’s craving for her though.
Ryek needed to be honest with his friend. “If I get close to her, I will do more than train her. You know I’ve always found Angie irresistible. I only stay away from her because of our friendship.”
But unlike when Ryek had mentioned other males getting close to Angie, Holden was not angry. His face turned serious, though, and he was quiet for
a moment before he spoke again.
“It is strange. But that idea does not upset me. Maybe because I know you are a good male.” He shrugged. “I do not understand why, but knowing she is with you gives me calm. I know she would be safe.”
Ryek understood the feeling. Angie being with Holden did not upset him either. But when Angie went on dates with other males, Ryek fumed, and she wasn’t even his. He had even warned some of his sentries off Angie, claiming that he was doing so for his friend. But, the truth was, Ryek had been jealous himself.
Holden looked him in the eyes. “I know you’ve had feelings for her since we were together years ago. For some reason, it never bothered me, not even when I could scent Angie’s arousal around you.
“Angie and I are both adventurous in bed, and we had a few threesomes with other males. It was fun, but they didn’t feel right. And I would get jealous if I saw her with anyone without me, even just to talk. But I never felt this when she was around you.”
Ryek remembered when the couple had brought in other males into their sexual forays. He had seethed that someone else was spending time with them. But the pair had never invited the same male back, so when Holden had invited Ryek into their bedroom, Ryek had turned it down. He knew that once would never be enough, and Angie would be on his mind forever.
He didn’t want that to ruin the friendship he had with Holden. Ryek was okay with sharing; he’d grown up with it. But he wasn’t sure his friend felt the same, especially if it was for the long haul.
Holden continued speaking. “It’s been years, Ryek. And I’m still not over her. Something keeps bringing us back together, and each time, it kills me a little inside because I can’t give her what she wants. She wants a mate.
“So if you want her? Go for her. If she couples up with another male, I will have difficulty not killing the poor bastard. But I don’t get that murderous rage when I think about you and Angie together. If you end up being her mate, then at least I know that she is happy. Maybe I was supposed to keep her safe until she found you.”
The serious but defeated look in Holden’s eyes told Ryek all he needed to know.
“Then I’ll train Angie. I do not have a team to teach since I have a lot to get ready, but I’ll find time to make sure she is safe.”
“Thank you.” Holden left to start on his duties, leaving Ryek alone with his thoughts.
Holden had not suggested they try to spend time with Angie together. But Ryek would mention it tonight. Ryek was familiar with triads whose mating bonds only manifested when they were together: very familiar. His own parents had formed a triad. But perhaps Holden had not considered this option.
Ryek and Holden shared not only the type of close friendship that would trigger a triad mating, but they also lived on a colony threatened often by danger. Add the fact that Ryek himself came from a triad union, and all the pieces of the puzzle were there. It would be the perfect solution. Holden and Ryek would both get to keep Angie, and Angie would finally have her mate, or mates.
Ryek rubbed his hands together and grinned. He couldn’t wait to see the look on little Angie’s face.
Chapter 3
“Did you hear? There’s no work after lunch today. Everyone is to report for our first day of training. I can’t believe the Dominion plans to attack us.”
Angie took a big swig of her nuri leaf tea. It was supposed to be good for hangovers, but she’d been chugging it since she got into work this morning, and it was already lunchtime. Her headache was still there.
Unlike her friend Ulia, Angie could believe the Dominion would attack. Why wouldn’t they? With so many of Reka 5’s residents being escaped slaves like herself, the Dominion probably held a grudge.
“I saw the notice, but I couldn’t find my name on the list. I don’t know where I’m supposed to go.” Most of the colonists in this area were split between Holden and the other two guards that often patrolled the new colonist area. She had checked all three names and didn’t find herself in any of the groups. She searched for her name and id number, but nothing came up. “Whose group are you in, Ulia?’
The Tallean female with long limbs and equally long hair worked as a secretary at the new colonist office next door, while Angie worked the front desk at the housing office. They often ate lunch together in the garden courtyard that connected the two buildings. The courtyard was an oasis of tranquility, a perfect place to relax between shifts.
“I’m with Holden. He’s a good teacher. I thought you’d be in his group too, but I didn’t see your name on the list.” Then, Ulia’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Do you know who else is in his group? Jennifer.”
Angie grumbled. Jennifer had been trying to get into Holden’s bed since Angie was still dating him. She was fairly sure that Jennifer was only interested in him because he didn’t show interest in her. “Poor Holden. He’ll need to fight her off the whole time.”
“You’re pretending not to care.”
“Am not,” she lied. She finished the rest of her tea, her headache still unchanged.
“I can smell you, remember. You just spent the night with Holden yesterday. You must care. It’s been years, Angie, and you both refuse to leave each other alone. Why don’t the two of you just admit that you don’t want anyone else and form a partnership of convenience?”
“A partnership of convenience.” Those were the words that had finally pushed her away and convinced her to move out on her own. The term sounded so unromantic, so business-like, so bland. But if she stayed together as a couple with Holden, despite having no mating bond, that was what it would be. Angie wrinkled her nose, and Ulia burst out laughing.
“It’s not that bad! Lots of people stay together in partnerships. And some of them end up forming a belated mating bond in the future.”
“But it’s not guaranteed the bond will form. And I want a mate, a confirmed mate.” She also wanted Holden, but she left that part out.
Ulia smiled back at her sadly. “I know. I’m making it sound so easy, but I know it’s tough for you two.”
“Everyone tells us it’s an untriggered bond pulling us back together, but we’ve tried everything to trigger it.”
“Oh yes, I remember the details. But it was fun, right?”
Angie knew what Ulia referred to. They had even tried adding a third to their bed to trigger a triad mating, more than once. It had failed, too.
“I don’t think I believe it anymore. My mate is somewhere else out there.”
“If you truly believe that, then you need to look for him actively. He won’t find you with Holden hanging around like he still owns you. A good male doesn’t poach.”
“I know.” And she did, more than she could admit.
“Ooh!” Ulia peered towards the window looking into the housing office. “It’s Director Ryek. I think he’s looking for you.” She grinned at Angie, showing her fangs. “There’s the perfect candidate.”
“He’s Holden’s friend. It would be weird.” Though Angie’s body didn’t agree. It perked up the second she heard his name.
“Excuses!”
But their conversation was cut short as Ryek opened the side door leading to the garden courtyard. Damn, he was hot. Unlike Holden, who kept his hair in a low ponytail, Ryek tied his dark hair up in braids, with every thin braid gathered into a ponytail at the nape of his neck with a leather thong. His skin was tanned and showed off his exotic, light green eyes.
He was tall, well over six and a half feet by Earth measurements. While not as built as Holden, Ryek was still in perfect shape. Wide, muscular shoulders tapered to a slim waist and washboard abs. Tallean males often wore slim-fitting tank tops when the weather was warm, and Angie could make out the ridges of his abs through the fabric. Ryek spotted her and grinned, his fangs gleaming in the sunlight.
Angie imagined those fangs dragging down her neck and resisted the urge to fan herself. She squeezed her legs together, knowing that she must smell of arousa
l right now.
Ulia cleared her throat and smirked. “See, like I said, the perfect candidate. Your body agrees. There’s no denying it.”
Ryek was Holden’s closest friend and boss. Her reaction was not acceptable. Technically, Ryek was her boss, too. But that was no reason for Talleans to refrain from sharing sex. There were no rules baring workplace sex in Tallean culture. The biggest thing clam jamming her was his friendship with Holden.
Ryek was often busy; his job as the colony director took up most of his time. And when she used to live with Holden, the three of them had spent whatever downtime he had together. It had been impossible to hide her attraction to him from either of them. Neither of them had mentioned it, though she knew they could smell it on her.
But when she and Holden had invited him to join them in bed, Ryek had turned it down. Angie thought it was because he wasn’t interested in her.
But the sexy look he was giving her now told her otherwise. Breathe, girl!
She had always felt guilty for getting turned on by Ryek, and she could never control her body’s reaction. But she wasn’t with Holden anymore and haven’t been technically exclusive with him for almost two years, even though none other had tempted her. So maybe it was okay to gawk at Ryek, just a little.
“Director Ryek, how can we help you?” It was Ulia who spoke first, elbowing her since Angie seemed to have lost her words.
“Hello, Ulia.” He nodded to them. “Angie, I’m here to pick you up for your training.”
“My name wasn’t on the posted notice. I was wondering where I was supposed to go.”
“I should probably head to my training with Holden,” Ulia said. “He’ll need me there to stop Jennifer from assaulting him. Bye, Angie. Bye, Ryek. Have fun!” And she was gone, leaving Angie alone with the much too tempting director of the colony.
“Angie.” Ryek reached for her and pulled her in for a hug, pausing to scent her. Angie knew there were no secrets from him. His keen nose would detect all her weaknesses. “I haven’t seen you in a while. You look good. Are you ready to head to training?”
