by Ivy Barrett
“But, sir—”
“I said go.” He looked at Kryit, silencing his objections with a scathing look. Like Ram, Galzar thought they would accomplish more if it were just the two of them. “I’ll contact the ship when I’m ready to return.”
“I’ll be retrieving your corpse,” Kryit sneered, but left, one of Ram’s guards on his heels.
“Give us the room,” Ram said, and the other guard departed as well. “Now it’s just us. Tell me why you’re really here.”
“I’m here to end this fucking war,” Galzar insisted. “Your magister is right, that wasn’t my original mission, but I honestly believe it should have been.”
Ram pressed back into his chair, hands resting on his abdomen, fingers entwined. “Explain your change of heart.”
Galzar paused, debating what to say. He’d always been a shoot first and ask questions later sort of soldier. Compromise ran counter to his basic personality. “I command a group of fighters known as the dogs of war.”
Ram arched his brows but waited for more information.
“Because of my aggressive tendencies, I’d been assigned to one of the settlements on Earth. They called it a promotion, but everyone knew Savator didn’t want me endangering one of the complex alliances he has been building for the past few years.”
“You’re back on a ship, so why did Savator change his mind?”
“Because you double-crossed him and kidnapped a human envoy.”
Ram chuckled. “I see. So you and your war dogs were supposed to kick my ass?”
“That was Savator’s intention when he gave me command of the Elizian.” Galzar took a quick gulp of his nearly forgotten drink as he tried to summarize the rest. “Then, we found out about your sacred vows.”
“My sacred vows?” Ram sat up straight and rested his forearms on the table. “Which of our beliefs turned a military confrontation into a diplomatic negotiation?”
“The change of direction wasn’t that abrupt. It was more like an evolution. But the catalyst was when we learned that every Yashonty death must be avenged. The Skarilians already tried to wipe us out of existence. We didn’t want you to—”
“Every Yashonty murder must be avenged,” Ram corrected. “The concept is a lot more nuanced than you’re making it sound. In fact, murder is even too broad a term. For a blood sacrifice to be required by our deities, the victim must be completely innocent, and their death must be the result of unprovoked violence. Unfortunately, every victim of the Skarilians qualified. Before the massacre, vengeance pacts were rare on Yashontara.”
Galzar stilled. Kezma, the informant, hadn’t indicated any sort of stipulation. She’d simply said every Yashonty who died had to be avenged with the blood of their enemy. Galzar suddenly understood her strategy. The sneaky Tavorian bitch didn’t want her lover endangered by this mission. She clearly didn’t care how much more dangerous she made it for him and his dogs. She just wanted her lover safe. “Then someone involved in a crime that ended up dead would not require avenging?”
“Of course not. We are strong believers that actions have consequences. Criminals, like soldiers, know the risks inherent in their job.”
“If you attacked us and we fought back, we would not be risking—”
Ram grinned. “Are you switching back to your original mission?”
Galzar shook his head, frustrated but yet oddly grateful for Kezma’s manipulation. “If our information had been a little more accurate, we’d be blasting the hells out of each other right now.”
“It seemed pretty damn accurate to me. You flew right to my location. You had to have had specific coordinates, not to mention a way of scanning through our shields. Where did you get the information and this new technology?”
“From the lover of an ex-slave.”
Ram’s eyes narrowed as he sorted through the possibilities.
The door slid open, and both males looked over to see who’d arrived. Celeste Mortenson walked into the room. Galzar had seen images of her, so he knew what she looked like, but he’d never seen her like this. Her golden hair had been swept to the crown of her head then allowed to hang in loose waves down the back of her head. She wasn’t wearing cosmetics, but her face appeared flushed, lips full and rosy. Her gold-flecked green gaze went to Ram first, then shifted to Galzar and held. Her steps faltered, and for one endless moment, the rest of the room faded away. There was only her and him.
He could sense her with every molecule of his body. Her warm breath seemed to waft across his lips, and he could feel her soft curves pressed against him. She was easily the most beautiful female he’d ever seen, and that was without considering her perfect body, which was clearly displayed beneath her sheer green dress. She licked her lips, and Galzar’s heart thudded wildly. The faintest smile lifted the corners of her mouth and awareness pulsed between them, hot and electric.
“Come here, pet,” Ram called, his tone gruff and impatient.
She dragged her gaze away from Galzar and started toward the other male. The dress floated around her as she walked, drawing Galzar’s attention to her pert little breasts and lushly curved hips. He wanted to grasp those hips firmly as he drove his cock deep into her warm, wet pussy. His cock bucked against his pants, more than ready to make the fantasy real.
She turned to face Ram and Galzar got his first good look at the back of her. Vivid red marks striped her round ass cheeks, visible even through the dress. He glared at Ram but knew damn well he’d have done the same if his female had disobeyed a direct order. And his fertile imagination happily created the scene. She bent over a spanking bench, naked and restrained, cunt, ass, and breasts on display. He swung a paddle, reddening her ivory cheeks with firm, stinging smacks. She would cry out and beg him to stop, but the scent of her arousal would grow stronger with each hard spank.
As Galzar sat, coveting Ram’s ‘pet,’ her scent reached Galzar’s eager nose. He inhaled deeply, unwilling to let the amazing smell slip away. His senses hummed and his cock grew so hard he moaned, wanting her, needing her with obsessive intensity. But Ram’s scent was there too, corrupting hers and mocking Galzar. Possessive lust eclipsed his mind, propelling him out of his chair and halfway across the table.
Mine! This was his mate, his eternal partner, and she reeked of another man’s seed!
Fury burst through his desire, and with a feral roar, Galzar threw the table out of his way.
Ram jumped to his feet, kicking his chair aside and shoving Celeste behind him. “I’ve already claimed her, you Ventori cur,” he snarled. “Celeste is mine!”
Galzar heard words, but his mind had only one thought, one all-consuming need. Take her. Claim her. Make her mine. A red haze dropped over his vision, and he lunged for his enemy.
Chapter Four
Celeste screamed as the two males attacked each other right in front of her. Her heart was beating frantically, and her pussy ached worse than ever. Her head spun, and she staggered back, confused and afraid.
Washing her face and dressing had done little to equalize her instincts or emotions. She might appear more civilized, but she felt even wilder. She was a fertile female in the grip of reproductive heat. The more seed her body absorbed, the more she craved it. And apparently, it wasn’t just Ram she craved. This Ventori, this complete stranger, had triggered the same feral hunger the moment her gaze locked with his.
The punishing thud of flesh hitting flesh sounded over and over, making her feel savage and out of control. She wasn’t sure what would smother this fire or if she even wanted it extinguished. Something deep inside her wanted to be consumed by the flames.
The Ventori’s fist smashed into Ram’s nose, and the metallic scent of blood cut through the musk that was driving her crazy. She grinned, loving the brutality, exhilarated by the knowledge that she had caused this frenzy.
The Ventori was bigger, but Ram was faster, and both were equally pissed. Ram lunged for the Ventori, and they both went over, colliding with one of the tables on thei
r way to the deck. The Ventori’s hip hit a chair, launching it like a rocket until it slammed into the wall with a resounding crash.
She laughed, running her hands over her body, needing the fight to end so they could fuck. Her nipples were pebble hard, and she was wet and ready for either of their hard cocks. No, both of them! That’s what she wanted, both of them inside her, filling her with their hot seed!
Guards rushed into the room but seemed confused about what to do. One lightly touched her arm and motioned her back. She didn’t want to leave her mates, but she was coherent enough to know the fight had to stop or they might kill each other. Her males were locked in a wrestling hold, lurching wildly from side to side.
“Stop them,” she urged. The sooner they stopped fighting, the sooner their focus would shift back to claiming her.
A Yashonty with long white hair rushed past the guards and fired a pulse pistol, one blast for Ram, one for the Ventori. Both collapsed with a groan, but they were still breathing.
She tried to run to them, but the long-haired male blocked her path. “I need them,” she cried, trying to dart around him.
He lightly touched her shoulders and asked in a deep, authoritative tone, “Are you all right?”
She closed her eyes, blocking out the sight of her mates so she could think. “I’m unharmed, but something is wrong, really wrong with all three of us.” Her legs were shaking so badly she could barely stand, and her core echoed the frantic thudding of her heart.
The male guided her to a chair and helped her sit. She flinched when her well-spanked ass connected with the chair, but he didn’t ask what was wrong. Hopefully, he hadn’t noticed her reaction, though it was more likely he wasn’t surprised that one of the human females had a sore behind.
“I’m Belton Ruaz,” he paused as if to see if she’d react to the name.
Belton. Wasn’t that one of the males Ram mentioned when she asked about Lorna? She opened her eyes, using thoughts of her sister to help clear her lust-addled mind. “You’re one of my sister’s...”
“Mates,” he finished for her. “Yes, my cousin Moxtel and I claimed Lorna. What started the fight?”
“I did, but it’s not our fault. We need your medical facility.”
Guards moved the scattered furniture out of the way so both unconscious males could be loaded onto hover carts.
“They’ll be okay, won’t they?” Her heart started pounding whenever she looked at Ram or the Ventori, so she quickly dragged her gaze away. Staring at Mars until the scalding wave of lust subsided.
“They’ll be fine,” Belton assured her. “I just stunned them.”
She understood what was happening between Ram and her, but why had she reacted so strongly to the Ventori? The injection Vikrin gave her was supposed to make her compatible with Yashonty males. The room was filled with Yashonty males, yet Ram and the Ventori were the only ones that made her feel sexually ravenous.
“Can you take me to a doctor? I need to find out what’s wrong with me.”
Belton snapped the weapon back into the bracket on the side of his thigh and sat down beside her. Luckily, his body blocked her view of her mates. “Try to relax. Prime Medic Noj is on his way. He’s our very best.”
“Did they hurt each other?” Each of her anxious breaths drew more of their combined scents, blood, sweat, and hormones or pheromones, into her nose, making her pulse pound and her pussy clench. She was so wet her inner thighs were slick. That fact became inescapable as she pressed her legs together. Could everyone in the room smell how turned on she was? The possibility heated her face and dropped her gaze to her hands. “Vikrin did this,” she lamented, hating her helplessness. “He injected me with something that did this to me.”
A team of medics rushed into the dining room, led by a lean male with eyes more blue than purple. He went down on one knee in front of her and placed a medium-sized case on the deck within easy reach. In his other hand, he held a device about the size and shape of a cell phone. “This is a medical scanner. It will not harm you.” He began scanning as he said, “I’m Noj, by the way. Suppose I should have led with that.”
“She said Vikrin injected her with something,” Belton told the doctor.
Noj scowled, but continued to scan. “Ram told me about the unsanctioned test. I’ve been monitoring them both remotely.”
“Monitoring us how?” she cried. “And for what?”
The doctor ignored her outburst, remaining focused on his exam.
“This is concerning,” Noj muttered to no one in particular.
“What? Why am I feeling so... bad?” Horny. Sex-crazed. Absolutely desperate for a stranger’s cock. She didn’t even know the Ventori’s name, for God’s sake.
Noj glanced at her then back at the scanner’s screen, concern clearly written on his blue-black face. “Simply put, the transformation is working a little too well, actually a lot. How intense have your, um, urges become?”
“Extremely,” she stressed, hoping he wouldn’t ask for details.
He nodded and reached into the case at his side. “This might make you a little sleepy, but it should help.”
He pressed an injector against her upper arm, and she felt a faint sting. It was nothing compared to the soreness in her bottom or the empty ache of her core. Her heart still pounded, and her ‘urges’ didn’t seem to let up. A motion caught her eye, and she leaned to the side just in time to see Ram and the Ventori being taken from the room on hover carts. The urgency spiked as their scent intensified. “I don’t think it’s working. I still feel really...” Her body went limp, and her eyes drifted shut, but her mind remained aware, sort of.
Someone picked her up and cradled her against his chest. Must be Belton. The doctor had his hands full of medical devices.
“Take her to the clinic, Belton. I’ll be there directly.” Noj sounded very far away.
The world rocked and swayed, or maybe it was just her swimming head. She groaned, afraid she was going to throw up all over her sister’s mate. “Slow. Down. I’m getting sick.”
His steps slowed immediately. “Can you open your eyes? That might help.”
She forced her eyes open and took several deep breaths. Belton’s scent reached her, clean and masculine, but it had no effect on her libido. This was so strange. Why did she only react to Ram and the Ventori? “Do you know his name?”
“Whose name?”
She looked up, but her head dropped back as if her neck were broken.
“Careful there.” Belton shifted her weight until her head rested against his shoulder again.
“The Ventori.” She held still but kept her eyes open, trying to minimize the wooziness. “Who is he, and why is he here?”
“His name is Galzar Ako. And we’re not sure why he’s here. He claims to want an alliance, but he commands a group of ruthless fighters known as the dogs of war.”
Galzar. The name suited him. It was strong and aggressive.
“Are you feeling any better?” he asked after a lengthy pause.
“It’s hard to say. I’m not feeling much of anything right now.”
He stepped into an elevator and activated it with a voice command. “Well, you seemed pretty miserable before. I suspect numbness is an improvement.”
Being with either of her mates would be an improvement. Being with both would be heaven.
“Almost there.” The door slid open, and he stepped out into another corridor. “You know, Ram’s out cold and will be for a while. Would you like me to sneak Lorna in to see you?”
“I’ll be your friend forever,” she said with a silly smile. It would be so good to see Lorna with her own eyes. Unless the cravings returned. Did she really want to try to chat with her sister while her body burned?
Belton sat her on a padded treatment table and activated the motorized rails. “Do you want a drink or something before I leave?”
She shook her head once, not wanting to exacerbate the whirling. “Not sure I’d keep it down.”
He left the movable partition open so she could see the rest of the room.
Noj and two of his medics were working on Galzar in a semi-enclosed space to her left. Her mind lingered over his name. Her mates’ names were Galzar and Ram. She licked her lips as heat and sensual hunger swelled through the drug-induced numbness.
Shaking away the sensations, she concentrated on breathing while she looked for Ram. He’d been transferred to a bed/table in a space identical to the one Galzar was in only on the opposite side of the clinic. A medic was running scans and adjusting all sorts of equipment.
Suddenly the doors to the clinic flew open, and more hover carts were rushed into the room. Noj moved into the doorway of Galzar’s room and shouted, “What the hells happened?”
“Chemical explosion in lab three,” someone told him. “There’s five more on their way.”
Noj turned toward the medics working on Galzar and said, “He’s fine. Let him come to on his own. Get started on the commander.” Noj quickly checked each victim from the lab explosion as they arrived, and then told the other medics to begin treating them. “I’ll assess the commander and then start with him.” He pointed to one of the thrashing workers, then rushed into Ram’s room.
Celeste watched the organized chaos with a slightly dazed fascination. It was like having tickets for the taping of a reality television show.
The drug seemed to be working well now. She was able to relax and think of something other than sex. Like what was taking Lorna so long? She really wanted to see her sister, to know beyond doubt that she was all right and hadn’t been coerced into mating with two of the Yashonty.
Then a low rumbling growl penetrated the cacophony. She felt it more than heard it, but it had to be audible because someone asked, “What was that?”
One of the medics motioned toward Galzar’s room. “The Ventori’s awake.”
“Should we—”
“He’s restrained,” another cut in. “Focus on your patient.”
