by Celia Kyle
Sevith slipped an arm around her shoulders and she melted into him, still peering intently at her siblings’ rueful little faces. A wave of calm and warmth entered her mind—a gift from her two Drokten. And suddenly all the pieces fell into place and she realized Noah and Bea’s disappearance was intentional. On their part.
“Wait a second. You two weren’t kidnapped. Were you? You…you ran away?” she gasped as an epic wave of outrage rushed through her veins. “Somebody please tell me what the hell is going on here?”
Hiren straightened his shoulders. “Sevith will provide the details.”
Sevith gave him a glare that promised retribution.
She threw up her hands. “I don’t care who tells me as long as I get a damn good explanation.”
“Jenna. Jenna?” A photographer shouted from behind a vehicle. “Look over here. Kiss both the Drokten for us!”
Oh wow. Was this her future? Posing for pictures wherever she went? Like some sort of…celebrity? These people were going to be sorely disappointed. She wasn’t exactly celebrity material.
“Commander, hold her hand again!”
A growl rumbled in Sevith’s throat. He obviously wasn’t on board with this either.
“Come on,” Hiren suggested, nodding to the children. “We should all go inside so we can have some privacy from the human information network.”
“Good idea.”
Bea and Noah appeared absolutely petrified. This was a situation so far out of their league, and Jenna could tell they already deeply regretted their mistakes.
The police flooded out of the apartment building right then, their expressions grim and serious as they walked over. The paparazzi continued to take pictures. And Jenna’s stomach sank. She had no more spoons left to deal with any of this.
Sevith let go of her and stepped back. “I will speak with your local peacekeepers,” he growled as he strode away. “Go inside. Wait for me in your quarters.”
“Thank you,” Jenna yelled after him, grateful to not have to deal with law enforcement anymore. Sevith, the commander of the entire Drokten fleet, would do a much better job than she ever could at all of that.
Then Hiren grabbed her hand, and she grabbed Noah’s hand and the four of them left the photographers’ shouting voices behind as they entered the building and walked to the elevator. The metal doors shut behind them and finally, they were inside the small space, alone.
Jenna rounded on the kids. “What has gotten into you two?” she ranted. “Do you even know how worried I was? How scared? I had no idea where you were, if you were hurt or… worse!”
“I’m sorry, Jenna,” Noah murmured.
“We messed up,” Beatrice admitted. “It’s my fault. The whole thing was my idea.”
“It was? But…Why? How?”
“Hiren h-h-helped us.”
“How did you even end up in the same location for Hiren to help you? Where did you go?”
“I found them in the lobby at Drokten Main,” Hiren cut in. “They were at the front desk, apparently looking for you.”
Jenna frowned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “What?” she mumbled. “Why?”
“I heard what you t-t-told Jade,” Bea rambled, pausing every other word to sniffle and wipe at her eyes. “I thought something b-b-bad was going to happen and that awful man you told Jade about was going to come take us away. I went to find Sevith and Hiren so they could help us—”
Jenna’s shoulders slumped. “You heard us?” Oh hell. This was going to get tricky.
“Yes.”
“Heard what? What did she overhear?” Hiren asked.
She lifted her chin and met her Bahn’s troubled blue gaze. He looked so handsome with his official-looking chest plate and that thick blue hair. His muscled arms were bare, as if he didn’t even care that it was chilly outside. It was so good to have the two of them back in her vicinity, to have the comfort of their connection. She could literally feel Hiren’s concern wrapping around her like a warm blanket. He and Sevith truly wanted nothing more than to help and make sure she was safe.
Could she tell her boyfriends—her two fiancés—about the blackmailing? She’d assumed she couldn’t because it was too risky. Espinosa had said if she tried to tell anyone about this, they’d find out and take the kids instantly away. She was so used to protecting Noah and Bea on her own. She’d been doing that for the last two years, and it was the entire focus of her life. Could she bring these Drokten into her circle of trust? Could these two put her siblings first, just like she did?
Bea had trusted them so much she’d run straight to them for help. Her sister’s first thought when danger struck was to go to Hiren.
“It’s about Secretary Wells,” Jenna whispered to Hiren. “I’ll tell you more in a little bit. Let’s wait for Sevith to return and then—”
“We’re sorry!” Noah suddenly cried.
Jenna looked down at him. “Oh, honey, I know you’re sorry, but… but sometimes that’s not enough.”
“We were just scared,” Bea mumbled, staring at the floor.
Jenna softened a little and tugged her siblings, hugging them close. They rested their heads against her stomach and chest as she embraced them, kissing the tops of their heads. She pushed back and peered into their sweet, pale little faces. A rush of pure love and maternal worry washed over her again, but at least they were home. She could speak to them, touch them, and know they were safe in her custody. She reminded herself to take note of the little things, even under such extreme stress. It could have been so much worse.
The elevator opened and they all walked back to the apartment, which was quiet now, considering all the police had left.
“Jenna, let me explain. I-I-wanted to…”
“Now isn’t the time to talk about this,” Jenna said, cutting off her sister. “I’m going to talk to Sevith and Hiren…about everything. In private. Just the three of us.”
Bea smiled. “Okay.”
“Hey, don’t think for a second that you’re off the hook. I know you had the best of intentions, but you still gave me a heart attack. The school was inconvenienced, and the police had to come out here. Sevith even came down from orbit in the Avash to try and find you two.”
Which, come to think of it, was super sweet of him. She’d called, completely freaking out, and he’d dropped everything to be there. And so had Hiren.
Jenna stood her ground, attempting to be a stern parent. “As matter of fact, you’re both grounded. Go to your rooms and think about what you did.”
“But…”
“And no screens either.”
They both gasped. She supposed that was harsh, but Noah and Bea needed to learn a lesson.
She put her hand out. “Give them to me.” Her brother and sister both hung their heads and went to their rooms, collected the tablets the school had provided for them and gave them to her.
“How long are we grounded for?” Bea asked.
“Until dinner, and then we’ll renegotiate. It all depends on how you behave in there. And how good your apologies are later to the people you scared and inconvenienced.”
They both groaned and went to their respective bedrooms and quietly shut their doors.
Hiren met her gaze and gave her a sexy wink. “You’re hot when you’re in charge.”
She barked out a laugh.
All the fear and stress of her day melted away like snow on a warm palm.
Then Sevith returned. Tall, imposing and in charge. The three of them stood in the kitchen, silently staring at each other. And that bit of light-heartedness—that ray of sunshine that had entered her mind a moment ago—flew away to be replaced with the dark knowledge that she needed to tell these men the truth about why Bea had run away, but she didn’t know how.
What if after they found out the truth, they hated her and her entire species?
Was she going to lose them?
And suddenly the thought of losing these two sounded like the worst damnation ever. Sh
e needed them. Needed both of them.
The stress and uncertainty hit her hard and Jenna couldn’t control the ugly cry that escaped her lips. She buried her face in her hands, trying to cover her loud sobs.
Nineteen
Sevith scooped his weeping Oso into his arms and carried her to her bedroom. Hiren followed, kicked the door closed behind them, and locked it.
Jenna’s tiny personal quarters housed a neatly made bed pushed into a corner and one piece of drawered furniture. There wasn’t much. But her luscious scent was everywhere. This was where his Oso spent each night. Soon, she would be sleeping in their family bed. On his ship.
“She needs us,” Hiren pointed out.
Sevith nodded and gently placed his distraught female in the center of the bed. Hiren lay down beside her, his body pressed against hers. Sevith began to lower onto her other side.
“Wait, you two are going to break the bed,” she sniffed. “You’re too big.”
“It will hold us all,” Sevith responded. At least he hoped it would. The bed squeaked ominously as he placed his additional weight at her side, but it held. His boots hung off the end and he barely fit, but luckily this sleep platform was pushed into a corner, which helped fence them in. “Our bed in our family quarters on the Avash has already been retrofitted to accommodate the three of us with room to spare,” he noted. “We’ll be much more comfortable when we move there.”
His Oso cried harder.
Hiren frowned. She needs to be held tighter.
They immediately worked at holding their Oso in her time of need. She cried and cried, her tears never-ending. Hiren kissed the top of her head and kept his legs entwined with Jenna’s. Meanwhile, Sevith wrapped his powerful body around hers in a protective, soothing embrace. He tried to transmit positive emotions over their barely formed link, banishing the fears and worry knotted in her gut.
“This is so embarrassing,” she finally sniffed. “I don’t know why I’m crying so much. Can you please hand me some tissue?”
Sevith leaned back and pulled from a box this “tissue” that humans liked to use to wipe their tears and handed some to his female. Of course, he and Hiren both knew why she was so distraught. His Oso wanted to tell them the truth about whatever the aide had told her. That piece of human excrement had convinced their female that she had to lie to them for…reasons. And being forced to lie to her mates was literally hurting her.
There was no need for her to carry this burden alone, but they couldn’t fully help her eliminate this danger until she told them the truth of the situation. They needed details in order to begin working in earnest on securing her safety.
We need to show her again that she can trust us with her problems, Hiren remarked. If she tells us, we can fix whatever is happening and more effectively protect her and her siblings.
She requires more of a bonding touch, Sevith replied. This will remind her where her heart and mind belong. Remind her of why we need to complete our bond.
Yes.
Finally, their Oso’s tears stopped and she lay quietly in their arms.
Perfect.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “Thank you for staying with me and letting me cry this out.”
She was so beautifully exotic. Her colorless skin and those bright blue eyes, lighter than any he’d yet seen on his own planet. Drokten normally had dark blue, almost black eyes. But Jenna’s were as clear as the morning sky.
She turned and tucked her head against Hiren’s chest. His Bahn began rubbing his hands over her shoulders and arms. Jenna let out a sigh of contentment.
Sevith spent time with his claw splayed on her hip and her soft stomach, concentrating on the bare skin between the hem of her shirt and the top of her pants. Every touch against her skin was like a current sparking just beneath the surface, fighting to break through. A quiet thunderstorm crackled in Sevith’s veins, lightning shooting straight to his cock.
I smell her arousal, Hiren noted.
Jenna leaned back and lifted her chin. Hiren bent to capture her lips. Sevith enjoyed watching his Bahn kiss their Oso. Sevith had claimed her on the bridge, running on instincts and lust when he’d grabbed her and kissed her. He’d also had no idea how this “kissing” actually worked until he’d placed his lips on hers that first time in her kitchen. It had all happened in a flash. But still, these moments were important to a Drokten, and not to be forgotten.
The first time a male met his Azi or Bahn.
The first sighting of their Oso.
That first kiss.
The first touch.
The first claiming.
Their first born.
Hiren’s large hands cupped their Oso’s face, his thumbs tracing the bow curve of her upper lip before slipping down to toy with her full, pouty bottom lip. Hiren also tenderly kissed her cheeks, the tip of her nose, and her forehead.
“We want you to feel good,” his Bahn whispered in her ear.
“Yes,” she breathed. “Please.”
Jenna was the centerpiece, the hinge upon which they both bent and curved. It was time. Time to touch her—together. Sevith felt as if he moved in perfectly imperfect tandem with Hiren—his Bahn kissing her face while his own hands hungrily explored her body. Sevith lifted her shirt and traced the curve of her spine, his claws gently scraping the individual vertebrae, making her shiver and tremble.
“Give in to your feelings,” Hiren added and then kissed the side of her neck. “You are our destiny and we are yours.”
“You are everything we want,” Sevith growled. “All that we need.” His hands wandered down and cupped a breast through the thin fabric of her shirt, teasing her hardened nipples with his rough, claw-tipped fingers. She arched her back, pushing instinctively into his touch.
Sevith gently pulled at the hem of her shirt and she dutifully lifted her arms so he could remove the piece of clothing. She shivered in the cool air, but Sevith quickly warmed her by trailing his lips along her neck and across her collarbone. She wore some sort of contraption that covered and cupped her teats in light blue fabric. Sevith considered shredding it but then decided to allow it. He moved his lips down to her tight nipples, gently biting through the thin layer of material.
She dug her fingers into his hair, keeping his mouth right where she wanted.
Now two pairs of blue hands and blue lips explored her body, moving at a cautious pace. But then, enough was enough, Sevith wanted more. They both wanted more, and so did Jenna.
Sevith lifted his head. “Your turn,” he reminded his Bahn.
Hiren nodded in agreement and then slid to the end of the bed, lifting her legs. Jenna bit her lip, watching silently as Hiren yanked her pants to her ankles and tossed them over the side of the bed.
“What is this?” Hiren asked.
Another scrap of blue fabric covered her mound. Sevith’s nostrils flared. What was this strange barrier to their mate’s core?
“My panties? It’s just—”
A growl rumbled in Hiren’s chest.
“Remove it,” Sevith ordered.
Hiren reached out a claw and instantly shredded the fabric, leaving her bare to their hungry gaze.
“Hey,” Jenna gasped. “That was my favorite pair of underwear…”
“We will purchase more later,” Sevith responded with a husky voice. Her mound was covered with a dusting of soft, springy colorless, curls, similar to the hair on her head. It was the most erotic sight of his life.
Hiren grabbed her meaty thighs, pried them apart and settled between her legs, his blue-darkness a stark contrast to her colorless skin. “I’m tasting what’s mine,” he proclaimed.
Pride glowed in Sevith’s chest at his Bahn’s newfound possessive instincts.
“Please,” Jenna gasped, splaying her legs.
Hiren leaned in to drag a deep, luxurious inhale of her scent. A low growl rumbled in his throat. Their Oso lifted her hips, straining to meet Hiren’s claws as they massaged and squeezed her thick thighs. H
e curled one hand over her damp mound, a single claw-tipped finger emerging to stroke her slit. She moaned and rocked against his hand, urging him to give her more.
And then Hiren delicately used his fingers to spread her lips apart, visually exploring their Oso to his heart’s content. “You’re beautiful,” he told her.
Jenna whimpered with need.
Hiren bent down and lapped at her slit. Jenna immediately bucked her hips and moaned, clapping a hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t be too loud and attract the attention of her siblings. That was only made more difficult once Hiren’s tongue lathed up and down her wet folds, lingering over her clit, toying with it and making her squirm and moan under their combined touch.
Raw, bare emotions raced between the three of them like a circuit, sparking their senses and bringing them even more in-tune with one another’s needs. Sevith’s hands tweaked and teased her nipples while he bent to suck at her neck, leaving purplish, blooming marks on her skin.
Her hands curled into fists as she edged toward a climax, her breaths rising and falling faster and faster as she neared release. She was pushing her pussy against Hiren’s face, her feet now digging into his back.
Sevith’s cock was hard as a sword and leaking, ready to breed, but he could not. He had to wait.
Her thighs tensed. She was so close to release.
“You want to be our mate? You want us to breed you?” Sevith asked, his lips against the shell of her ear. “You want us both claiming you at once?”
“Oh,” she choked. “Yes.” And then it hit her hard, her body bucking in the throes of her orgasm.
Sevith cupped her cheek and kissed her deeply, devouring her as wave after wave of pleasure rode her body.
Hiren groaned and eagerly lapped up every last drop of her sweet juices as she trembled from aftershocks.
The door rattled, and a small voice yelled from the other side, “Jenna? Jenna! I’m hungry. What’s for lunch?”
“Oh shoot,” Jenna whispered. “Give me a few minutes, Noah,” she yelled out. “I’ll be out soon, and I’ll make you something.”