by Ivy Barrett
The venom in Lorna’s voice surprised Celeste. They both had reason to hate the Melmon female. “I didn’t realize you knew Callita.”
“I know of her. Her mate controlled the mining colony where Belton was held prisoner and brutalized for three years. The Melmon are collaborators. They aren’t any better than the Skarilians.”
Celeste nodded. Ram had told her about Callita’s former mate. And now she was involved with the Tavorian male who had forced genetic mutation on Celeste and her mates. At the very least, Callita had appalling taste in males.
Clearly thinking along the same lines, Lorna asked, “Has Ram decided what to do with Pryar and Stagin? And what about Vikrin? I know he was necessary today, but what happens once the battle is over?”
“Vikrin weaseled his way out of an execution, but the other gatekeepers are furious with him. He’ll go back in some sort of collar that disables his abilities. He has been stripped of his political power as well. For someone like Vikrin, that’s probably worse than death.”
“And Pryar and Stagin? I know the females will probably get off because they provided information, but what’s going to happen to their lovers?”
“I’m pretty sure Stagin was already executed, and Pryar knows his days are numbered. He’ll use the transformation coding to drag it out for as long as possible, but Dr. Noj has been studying what Pryar did to me. Once Dr. Noj replicates the process successfully, that will be the end of Pryar.”
The battle dragged on for hours. The Ventori and Yashonty ships flew around the larger ships firing endless pulses of energy at the Skarilians. There was obvious damage to the carriers, but nothing seemed to incapacitate them.
“Belton’s got one more trick up his sleeve,” Lorna told Celeste. “If it works, it should happen any time now.”
“What trick? Why was all of this kept secret?” Or more specifically, why had Belton told Lorna about it but Ram hadn’t told Celeste?
“Don’t look so devastated. Belton thought of these possibilities moments before we got on the shuttle. Ram didn’t know about them the last time you were together.”
Relieved, Celeste tried to relax the tension in her shoulders. She was giving herself a headache. “So what’s the final trick?”
“The Melmon bitch told Belton that the auto-destruct works on the carriers too, but it requires additional authorization. She said they change the codes regularly and each ship uses a different set of codes. The Skarilians are paranoid about their secrets falling into enemy hands, but they’re too stupid to adequately secure them. Any alphanumeric code can be hacked. It just takes time.”
“What secrets? Savator told Ram that Skarilian technology is all stolen from other races.”
“Most of it is, but they have one unique system.” Lorna looked at her meaningfully.
“Their power source.” The one that allowed them to ‘harvest’ the pain and misery of others. Celeste shivered. They really were vile beasts.
They both watched the display intently. Celeste could picture Savator and his team frantically trying to hack the codes. Four ships meant four different codes. Would the ships be able to hold out that long?
Knowing what they were trying to do, and seeing that they wouldn’t win this battle unless the codes worked, made it excruciating to watch. Celeste looked away, but her aching heart kept dragging her gaze back to the display. Ram was out there, and so was Galzar. They were fighting for their lives and the fate of countless worlds.
And she had never felt so helpless.
Suddenly one of the motherships exploded. Ecstatic cheers echoed in the ballroom, but Celeste couldn’t move. She could barely breathe.
The second carrier exploded, and Celeste let out a cautious cheer. When the third ship blew up, she shouted for joy. And the fourth brought her to tears. The sisters turned to each other at exactly the same time, both sobbing helplessly.
“They did it,” Celeste said when she was finally able to speak.
Lorna laughed. “I’m going to tell your mates that you sounded surprised.”
“I’m in shock,” Celeste objected. “You can’t hold that against me.”
Lorna laughed again and gave her another hug. “They did it. Our mates saved the universe.”
It was another three hours before they were able to celebrate in the arms of their mates. The males returned in groups and Celeste’s heartbeat raced each time the ballroom’s doors flew open. There had been no specific communication from the Tavorian dimension. No one could deny that the Skarilians had been dealt a devastating blow, but so many ships blew up during the battle. It had been impossible to tell how many belonged to the enemy and how many were alliance fighters.
Celeste watched the entrance hope and anxiety warring within her mind. Everyone had worked so hard and risked so much. Galzar and Ram had to return, they just had to. She glanced at Lorna and tensed. Lorna had to be just as torn. Hoping to offer comfort as well as needing it, she reached over and took her sister’s hand. Their gazes locked and Lorna squeezed Celeste’s hand.
“They’ll come back to us,” Celeste said, trying to convince herself as much as Lorna. “They’ll all come back.”
Lorna wrapped her arm around Celeste’s shoulders and gave her a maternal hug. “Is your link to your mates still active?”
“Yes, but I can’t sense—”
“Then they’re still alive. If either had died, you would have sensed the separation. They’re fine. All four of them are fine.”
Celeste nodded and exhaled. Her mates were still alive. They could work through injuries, or anything else, as long as they had each other. Gradually hope and excitement overtook her fear. The alliance had accomplished the impossible today. The males deserved a celebration.
Moxtel and Belton arrived a short time later. Lorna let out a happy cry as she sprinted across the ballroom. Her mates caught her together as she threw herself into their arms. Celeste’s heart warmed to see her sister so happy, but her gaze drifted back to the doorway.
When the doors flew open a few minutes later, it was Celeste’s turn to cry out. Galzar entered first, smiling from ear to ear. She rushed forward, so ready to be back in his arms. He pulled her snugly against his chest and spun her around as their mouths fused in a lingering kiss. She greedily absorbed his taste, needing the strength of his big body and the heat of his breath, needing him, all of him!
She wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened, not caring that her feet were six inches off the floor. I love you so much. She pushed the thought into his mind, unwilling to separate their mouths.
I love you too, mate. He finally eased back, still smiling. “Were you afraid for us?” he teased, lightly nipping her jaw.
“I’ve never been so terrified in my life,” she whispered, vision blurred by happy tears. Her heart thudded against his chest and her entire body flushed with joy and relief.
“Sounds like our mate doesn’t trust us,” Ram chided. “Guess we’ll have to deal with that when we get her home.”
“Indeed,” Galzar agreed with a wicked smile.
Galzar set her down and she threw herself into Ram’s arms, kissing him just as deeply. One of his hands fisted the back of her hair and he immediately took control of the kiss. She melted against him, softening her mouth, welcoming him with willing submission. Her mate, her master had returned victorious. Life had never been sweeter.
“I knew you’d succeed,” she tried to convince him when he finally came up for air. “I just didn’t see how. You were outnumbered, outgunned, out-everything-ed.”
Ram chuckled. “Things did seem a bit uncertain for a while there, but our plan was solid and everyone did what needed to be done.”
“I’m still in shock.” She smiled, staring deep into his eyes. “You were amazing.”
Ram brushed her hair back from her face and filled her mind with tenderness. “We’ve never had so much to lose before. No one threatens our mate—no one!”
She kissed him again lettin
g her emotions flow freely. Then she turned and looked at Galzar, smiling brightly. “You were both amazing. I’m so damn proud to be your mate.”
He returned her smile and his affection spilled into her mind along with smoldering desire. “Let’s go home so we can celebrate properly.”
Her nipples tingled and her pussy warmed. “You’ll get no argument from me.”
The sisters said goodbye so they could focus on the returning heroes. Lorna, Belton, and Moxtel shuttled back to the Dantexit. Celeste, Galzar, and Ram simply walked across the street and returned to their apartment.
“What happens now?” Celeste asked once they were alone in their living room.
“You get naked and we fuck you senseless.” Galzar reached for the front of her uniform, but she twisted away.
“I won’t be able to concentrate on us until I know where everything stands.”
Ram came up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Savator stayed behind to ensure that no one involved in the raids was left alive. If I’d stayed, I would have been tempted to raze the entire planet, so I agreed to leave it to him.”
She hesitated over her next question. So much had been accomplished, but she needed to know that it was finally over. “Does this fulfill the vow to your fallen?”
Ram lightly bit the side of her neck, making her shiver. “Our fallen have been avenged. The dead can move on, and so can I—as soon as you give me a son or daughter.”
As if on cue, Galzar went back to unfastening her uniform top. “I hope she gives us a son.”
“She can give us a son and then a daughter,” Ram decided. “I want several of each.”
Celeste fought back a smile. Clearly, her window of opportunity to help the other females was about to slam shut. “And the captives on your ships?” Already her voice sounded breathless and she found it hard not to squirm.
“You want to talk about this now?” Ram pressed his hard cock against her back. “I have something else on my mind.”
Need unfurled inside her, making her groan. “You promised we’d talk about the slaves once the battle was won.” She kicked off her shoes while Galzar unfastened her pants.
Ram cupped both her breasts, squeezing firmly. “I intend to free the slaves, and you know it. And I already promised to rescue Brianne, in case that was your next question.”
She turned around and smiled up at him, love overflowing her heart. “Thank you, mate. You know how much family means to me, and I know how much it means to you and Galzar.”
“Does that mean you’ll finally focus on starting ours?” Galzar tugged her top down along her arms then tossed it aside.
“Yes, Sir.” She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. “I’ll think of nothing else for the rest of the night.”
“Glad to hear it.” He pinched her butt hard enough to make her yelp.
“We still need to punish her for doubting us,” Ram reminded sternly, but the wicked gleam in his gaze assured her he wasn’t angry.
“Yes, Master,” she said softly as she wiggled out of her pants.
As soon as she was naked, Galzar swept her up in his arms and headed for the stairs.
Ram was half a step behind.
The End
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Additional Books in the Ventori Masters Series
Trained for Their Use
On Earth, Amanda Powell is as good as dead. With her father in way too deep with a ruthless cartel, it is only a matter of time until his enemies come after her. If she wants to stay alive, she has only one choice. She must get off the planet by any means necessary, no matter the price.
In desperation, she offers herself to a pair of Ventori mercenaries in return for safe passage on their ship. For two years, she will be the property of these stern, handsome aliens, and during that time they will have the right to do with her as they please. They will take her hard and often, in the most shameful of ways, and any protest will earn her a painful, humiliating spanking.
But as they set about training Amanda for their use, the two battle-hardened warriors find that their beautiful human slave appeals to them in a way they did not expect, and some deep, primal part of them demands that they claim her as their mate. When the intensity of their need for her grows beyond their control, will Amanda’s presence prove catastrophic for everyone involved?
Buy on Amazon
Claimed for Their Use
Held captive by a brutal drug cartel and facing an uncertain fate, the last thing Jessica Saint Claud expects is to be rescued by two huge, fiercely handsome alien warriors, but the real shock comes when the two Ventori commanders make it clear that she now belongs to them. They will use their beautiful little human as thoroughly as they please, and she will submit or be punished.
To Jessica’s surprise, her body responds powerfully to their bold dominance, and it quickly becomes clear that she is an ideal match for them both. As their primal need for her grows stronger, her new owners cannot resist taking her over and over in the most shameful of ways, wringing more pleasure from her naked, quivering body than she would have thought possible.
But when Jessica’s impetuous behavior leads the Ventori High Council to demand a demonstration of her suitability as a mate, she soon finds herself blushing crimson as she is stripped bare, soundly spanked, and then claimed publicly by both of her masters at once.
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Tamed for Their Use
Though she is grateful to the Ventori who rescued her from a notorious drug cartel, Nichole Romano is none too pleased at being held in their custody and tested for her compatibility as a mate. Her patience runs out when two huge, handsome warriors carry her off against her will, but despite her fury she is quickly stripped bare and her defiance merely earns her a sound spanking.
Sintar and his brother Tarlon promptly set about training their new mate, but to properly tame the headstrong little human they will need to both punish her sternly and thoroughly for any disobedience and claim her beautiful body hard and often in the most shameful of ways.
Nichole’s shock at being treated in such a manner is accompanied by intense, helpless arousal which leaves her confused and humiliated yet begging desperately for her mates to take her even harder. But can their mastery of her body break down the walls she has built around her heart?
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Chosen for Their Use
When Kyla Harms’ plan to help her friend escape from the protective custody of the Ventori goes badly awry, she is saved by the intervention of LeAuntiez, the companion, advisor, and bodyguard of Chancellor Bronsen. Upon arriving at the home of the two powerful, stunningly handsome aliens, Kyla quickly discovers that their dwelling is not the only thing they share.
Bron and LeAuntiez have chosen Kyla as their mate, and she soon learns that when she behaves badly they will not hesitate to strip her bare and punish her quivering bottom both inside and out. She is overwhelmed by shameful, desperate need long before the first stroke of the belt lands, and by the time her correction is complete she is begging to be claimed hard and thoroughly.
As her beautiful body is used and enjoyed in every way possible, sometimes by one of her mates and sometimes by both of them at the same time, Kyla cannot deny her intense arousal at being so completely and utterly mastered. But when the scheming of a determined band of enemies puts a
ll of their lives at grave risk, will Bron and LeAuntiez be able to protect their little human?
Buy on Amazon
Mastered for Their Use
Erin Dorati didn’t ask for help from the Ventori, and just because they freed her from the human thugs who were holding her captive doesn’t mean she’s going to put up with being kept in custody by her supposed rescuers. She’s certainly not going to just lie there and take it while three of them evaluate her suitability as a mate, but when she nearly perishes in the wastelands during a failed attempt at escape, it is one of the infuriatingly sexy aliens who saves her life.
Urrya, Oseth, and Azra intend to share a female, but when the battle-hardened warriors inform Erin that they have chosen her, she does her best to pretend to hate the idea. Their visits to her dreams tell another story, however, and they quickly set about mastering both her body and her mind, teaching her how pleasurable it can be to surrender herself completely to her mates.
Their bold dominance arouses Erin deeply, and despite her efforts to deny it, her need for them merely increases each time she is stripped bare for a painful, embarrassing correction of her behavior. Her bond with her mates grows stronger as she is claimed ever more thoroughly, sometimes by all three of them at once. But when the alien scourge who nearly wiped out the human race attacks Erin’s new home, will she lose everyone she cares about a second time?
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Kept for Their Use
Jasmine Aldrich has spent years perfecting the art of enticing and manipulating men, but now two stern, sexy aliens have decided to claim her for themselves and she is totally unprepared for what is in store for her. These huge, handsome brutes aren’t just going to strip Jasmine bare and teach her what happens to a naughty little human who teases her mates. They’re going to punish, use, and enjoy her beautiful body as thoroughly, as shamefully, and as often as they please.
Kellan and Zilrath come from different worlds, but they plan to share Jasmine all the same, and she will soon learn the hard way that any attempt to play one of them off against the other will end with her cheeks blushing crimson and her bottom burning hot and sore both inside and out.
