To distract himself from impending tears, Ness leaned in and kissed a soft trail down to Julian's navel while he peeled the leather down past hard-muscled thighs. He took his time kissing the set of crosshatched scars near Julian's left knee, then helped him step out. The clothes had only hinted. Fully revealed, Julian seemed more deadly, with nothing to hide his sleek grace.
"Breathtaking," Ness whispered between kisses along Julian's forearm.
Yes, the shape of Julian's cock was different from his, as he'd expected. It nestled in its forest of black curls, eager and beautiful.
"Could I touch your wings?" Julian's smile was brighter now, though his hands hovered above Ness's shoulders.
"Yes. They're…yes. Stroke with the pinions, please, never against." Ness shivered under Julian's sure touch, though it had nothing to do with being chilled. "May I touch you, too?"
"Please," Julian whispered, spreading his feet apart.
Ness ran his hand down from Julian's hip into that nest of curls. When his fingers brushed over the tip of Julian's cock, a soft sound of approval accompanied the twitch, and Julian hung his head, panting, as Ness let his fingers glide back and forth. Julian surged forward to claim a fierce, demanding kiss before they broke apart, both panting now. A tortured whimper came from the bunk.
Julian's chuckle wheezed a bit. "We better get on with it before our Shax expires."
Denying Shax was fun to a certain point, especially because Shax craved it sometimes, but making himself impatient as well didn't appeal to Ness. He fed the bottom leather strap between Julian's legs where it met at the back with a leather loop and buckle arrangement on the straps circling Julian's waist.
Our Shax. Was there still…? Yes, just a hint, a buried ember of anger in Ness's jealous fallen soul, but his now-demon heart was finding it easier to expand his possessiveness. Why strive against a rival when one could claim him instead? Of course, it wasn't that simple. For a true demon it might have been, but despite everything he thought he'd felt, Ness had grown fond of Julian.
Heaven help me.
"A notch tighter, please," Julian requested, and after Ness had complied, he wriggled his hips in a discerning way, then added, "One more."
"It's not too—"
"No." Julian climbed onto the bed behind Shax with another wriggle, his eyes shining. "It's perfect."
Ness halted in his turn for a long, hungry stare. The black leather tight against Julian's skin, the beautiful blue of his cock the perfect shade for his complexion. "You should wear that color more often. It's beautiful on you." And I usually only see you in black.
"Thank you." Julian's voice was soft, his smile somehow younger than it had been a moment before. "Lube?"
While Shax didn't need it, Ness usually insisted. He reached into the little drawer under the bunk and tossed Julian the tube, who snatched it from the air quick as a cat batting down a wasp. While Julian prepared, Ness could turn his attention to his poor Shax, whose thighs quivered in forcibly banked anticipation.
"My love, my beautiful demon." Ness placed his knees on either side of Shax's head while he stroked the base of his horns. With a heartfelt moan, Shax leaned into Ness's hand, rubbing his face against the palm like a cat. "Such a good prince today. Would you like your reward now?"
With full knowledge of how his body affected his lovers, Shax dropped his shoulders and spread his knees, pushing his ass into a supremely inviting position for Julian, who drew in a slow breath as if otherwise he might faint, and lifted his head to gaze up at Ness. Shax's black eyes pleaded with such hungry sincerity it took Ness's breath away. He patted the buttons of his fly, a signal Shax understood quite well, relief shining in his eyes as he reached up to undo Ness's pants.
Apparently done with waiting, Julian spread lube over the lovely blue head of his cock, holding Ness's gaze with a roguish little smile. Ness couldn't look away, licking dry lips as Julian positioned himself and pushed in slowly. The moan that rose from Shax was pure chocolate-wrapped sin as he thrust back and tried to wriggle closer against the tight grip Julian had on his hips.
They're so beautiful together. As he knew they would be—strength and grace, Julian's focused passion meeting Shax's wanton need stroke for stroke. And there's no reason why Shax can't have us both…
Ness stilled, his hand tightening on Shax's hair as his spinning thoughts found a resting spot. Shax didn't need to choose. Ness didn't need to choose. Julian didn't need to choose. So absurdly simple, and yet he'd struggled against it for months, trying to be a contrary salmon swimming upstream.
I am the demon of ridiculousness.
His thoughts skittered off when Shax pulled him free of his pants, laving Ness's cock with greedy licks as if he'd been starved without it.
Ness leaned over him, stroking his horns, and whispered, "Would you like to suck it?"
"Please?"
"You've earned it—" Ness might have said more, but he had to break off on a strangled gasp when Shax lunged for him, taking him down to the balls in one swallow. One hand buried tight in Shax's hair, the other on his shoulder, Ness gave up thinking entirely in favor of riding that luscious, talented mouth with his attention divided between the breathtaking sights of Julian fucking Shax and Shax taking all of Ness's cock.
The harder Julian rode him, the louder Shax moaned, the vibrations driving straight down to Ness's balls and making his eyes cross. Head down over Shax's back, Julian was huffing, driven in deep and rolling his hips against Shax's butt. Helpless between them, Shax was in his own private paradise, full and used as his most cherished fantasies dictated, something Ness knew, since he'd heard them all in vivid, hopeful detail.
With a hard squirm, Shax cried out around his mouthful, shuddering and bucking back and forth as he shot cum all over the blankets scrunched beneath him. Almost there himself, Ness reached across and seized Julian's chin in his fingers, forcing his head up and claiming his mouth in a searing, tonsil-expedition kiss. When Julian bit Ness's lip, it flung Ness over the edge as well, thrusting hard into Shax's still eager mouth, making him swallow every drop.
Julian broke their kiss and dropped his head to Ness's forearm, soft cries of pleasure muffled against Ness's skin as he shuddered and writhed through orgasm. They clung together, shaking and panting in time to the chirp-thud of the Copernicus drive while Shax still licked at Ness's over-sensitized glans.
"That's enough, love… oof. That's too much."
Ness pushed Shax off gently, and his demon prince collapsed atop the now-wet blanket, with Julian sprawled on his back until he caught his breath. Once he withdrew and got up to unbuckle and toss the blue cock over the side of the bunk, Ness worked the blanket free before it and Shax dried together in a spackled mess. That went over the side, too.
A little prodding and nudging gained Ness the center of the bunk, with Shax nestled up on one side and Julian curled against the other, each claiming a shoulder as a pillow. It wasn't the most comfortable position with his folded wings pinned beneath, but Ness was content for a short rest this way, sandwiched between red-gold hair on his right and black on his left.
He had intended only a few minutes of snuggling, but he must had drifted off, since he woke with a start at a nearby thump followed by a distinct demon prince Ow.
Shax's voice drifted up from the floor, muffled and disgruntled. "We're going to need a bigger bunk."
Chapter Nine
Shax found it hard to shake the euphoria, and that could be dangerous. But Julian had come to them, and Ness had opened his heart and his arms and taken him in. It was the best of all possible outcomes, even if there wasn't quite room in the bunk for all three of them. Well, not until Ness had taken the inside and turned on his side so he could hold them under his wing to prevent another tumble.
Still. Beside him in the pilot's chair, Ver was counting down to emergence from C-space. He needed his wits—all of them, not just a few pleasure-soaked brain cells—as he took them back into possible danger. Between the pil
ot and copilot's chairs, Fluffy flexed her claws to hold onto the nubby protrusions of the deck plates for extra hold during decel. Mac had made an ingenuous harness for her that folded into a new floor compartment when not in use, so much better than the jump seat for her shape and size.
Three Arms needed their people, yes, and a demon prince did not break promises. Twist them, bend them, make them into loophole pretzels, but he did not break them. That wasn't the whole of it, though. Federico Duomo had spent years running his slimy eyes over Shax as if he were for sale, had nailed Shax's hand to the table once for the fun of it, and worst of all, had killed his brother, who had been a fairly reliable fence.
Without good buyers, what did a thief of pretties have, after all? Just a pile of pretties that wouldn't buy fuel, supplies, repairs, or even a decent dinner jacket with matching boots.
Getting Three Arms back home would be another small stab at Federico, even if he didn't know it, to go with the loss of his cutter and crew. Shax couldn't help a little grin over that.
Brimstone hit hard decel, and no more time remained for self-indulgence. Shax brought up his boards as soon as he could move safely and checked scans.
"Field is clear so far." Shax frowned. "No enemy ships, but no octo-spacer colony, either."
"Told you it was a stupid fucking idea," Verin muttered as he slowed them further to take them safely into the asteroids. "They ran when the shooting started. Why the hell would they come back?"
"Three Arms indicated—I think—this is a regular location for the colony. They should—" Shax froze when something that did not feel like a hand tugged at his arm. Slowly, not at all sure what he would find, he turned his head. "Oh. Hello there."
Fully suited, Three Arms Circling stood between the chairs, partially standing on Fluffy, who was surprisingly tolerant of being used as a stepstool. Octopod arms waved frantically at the boards, while the one on Shax's arm still tugged on his sleeve.
"I don't know… Did you bring your tablet?"
"Papa, they need comm." Leopold spoke up from the door. "To contact the colony. Or at least try to."
"How did you two get up here so fast?" Shax glanced from one to the other and rubbed a hand over the side of his face. "Never mind. I really don't want to know. Three Arms is welcome to try, but I don't think our comm will work for them."
"They have adapters. And Max has offered to help. For the call signal."
Max popped up over Leopold's head, waving his millipede feet and singing, Thhhrrrreeeee Aaaaaarmmmsss.
"Um. Well. I see." Shax shook his head and edged his way out of his chair. "I don't really see at all, but be my guest."
Beyond perplexed, Shax ceded his chair to Three Arms, who flowed onto the seat with palm-sized apparatuses clutched in three of their arm tips. Leopold also used Fluffy, watching proceedings with benevolent curiosity, to reach the boards, peeping and pointing out the comm modules. Between them, they tried to fumble through connecting the…adapters, Leopold had called them.
Ms. Ivana, ever watchful, intervened. "That one would go better over here, young prince cutie," she crooned as she lit up a section of board. "Then that one needs a triprong. There's one in the drawer there, Captain Tight Buns. Thank you, hon."
Between them, Three Arms set up communications to their satisfaction, then with all the excitement of an opera singer at his debut, Max swarmed up onto the holoplate and began to sing a complex series of descending notes.
Pretty, in an eerie sort of way, but a belated thought struck Shax. "How does Max know the contact codes for the colony?"
"Little mite's been practicing," Corny drawled from the doorway, and if anyone else showed up, the pilot's pod would be crowded, indeed. "He'd sing a note and Three Arms here'd wave up or down and show him longer or shorter till he got it just right. Critter's got a heck of a memory for somebody with a brain the size of a flea's dinner."
Leopold shot him a reproachful glare.
"No offense meant. He's just small. You cain't deny it."
With a shrug, Leopold turned back to the boards, where Max was running through his call signal a fourth time. As he started the fifth, a chime of several notes, some harmonious and some discordant, answered him, and Max fell off the holo plate with a strange squeak that sounded a bit too much like whoaaa.
The image coalescing over the plate gleamed golden, then flashed a series of blues and greens as the colony ship resolved in place of Max. Three Arms waved every available appendage in obvious excitement, rocking back and forth in the copilot's chair while the colony flashed through what might have been a greeting. Quickly, as if afraid home would vanish again, Three Arms began drawing with one arm tip on the little screen they had attached to the comm. Draw-draw-draw. Flash-flash-flash. Draw-draw-draw. Flash-flash.
Finally, the image faded, leaving Three Arms trembling in the chair, drawing things at Leopold.
"The ship is coming," Leopold said as he stroked Fluffy's ears. "Three Arms thinks it will be soon. I don't know how soon."
"Well?" Ver blew a gout of steam into the already smoke-laden air above his head. "What're we doing, Prince On His Last Fucking Marble?"
Shax drummed his fingers on the back of the chair. "We hold here. As long as we can. If it comes to it and we have to run? So be it. But Three Arms' predicament is entirely due to our blundering into their territory. It's our responsibility to try."
"Could've found me a good chaos demon to run with," Verin muttered. "But no. I had to end up working for Captain Lawful Evil."
Despite the grumbling, he slowed the Brimstone and plotted orbit around one of the larger asteroids.
"I want someone on scan at all times. We're on alert from now until we leave here." Shax unhooked Fluffy from her harness so she could get up, which she did, with Leopold still on her back. "Corny, do you want first shift?"
The long, direct look Corny gave him said everything. "I'll stay with Ver for now, Cap, if it's all the same to you."
I'll stay with my love if we're going to die this time, that look had said.
"Of course." Shax patted his shoulder before striding out with Fluffy at his heels. Of course. Into his comm, he said, "Ness, where are you?"
There was a delay before he got an almost answer. "Ummm."
"It's all right, sweetheart. But I need you to get up and to get Julian up." Because I know you're all wrapped up together in my bunk. Lovely picture, that. "I need everyone armed. Just in case."
"Yes, Captain," Ness responded with crisp professionalism.
The ship still had no gun. They were as good as barrel fish for as long as they stayed. Yes, Ver would duck and dodge, and he was good, damn it, but it they came in force, he wouldn't be able to evade forever.
"I'm buying us armaments if we survive this," Shax said to the walls, knowing Ms. Ivana was listening. "Whatever it costs. We will have ordinance."
Ms. Ivana gave a haughty sniff. "Only if you make them pretty."
"You can have glitter-painted guns if you want them, sweetie. Whatever you please, as long as they're deadly."
"Oooh. You're such a good Captain."
Just let us survive and I'll give you rainbow guns and guns striped pink and purple and ones painted with red feathers. Anything if we get through this.
Five minutes couldn't have passed before Julian strode down the corridor to him, menacing in black leather and bristling with weapons, moving with his usual deadly grace, as if he'd never been dying in Ness's arms. "Sightings?"
Shax shook his head. "Nothing yet. I just have a feeling of inevitability here."
"More than a feeling. Fluffy's still trackable. By now they've realized they can't raise anyone on the cutter. They're coming." Julian gave him a look, one that meant I have good advice, but I know you won't take it. "You're holding here?"
"We're holding here."
"Fair. Running gets to the point where it's no fun."
Hoofbeats trip-tropped from the side corridor, Heckle careening around the corner with his a
rms full. "Captain! Ness said to bring you these."
"Ah, thank you, Mr. Numerous." Shax took his own brace of pistols from Heckle and buckled them on, the one on the left riding at his hip and the right strapped to his thigh. Not worth much in a ship-to-ship battle, but it made him feel better.
Julian put a hand on Heckle's shoulder before he could trot off again. "I want you with me if we need to repel boarders, Heck."
"Me?" Heckle squeaked.
"Who's the best shot on this crew?" Julian poked at Heckle's shoulder.
"Oh. Um. Me." Heckle's complexion darkened to brick-red in an imp blush, and his hand crept to the butt of his personal scarlet handgun at his hip. "But I'm not—"
"Trained?" Julian prompted gently. "Sweetie, I just need you next to me to shoot people as they board—if they board—not engage in espionage. In fact, I need to give everyone a spot for repelling of boarders. You—" Julian pointed at Shax. "You I want in the closest cross corridor in case anyone gets past us."
Shax let out a dry chuckle. "Because I'm not the best shot on this crew."
"Because you're devious and ruthless in a bad spot and won't let anyone slip past you."
"Ah."
Julian hurried off, muttering to himself. Eyes wide, Heckle watched him go before turning to Shax. "Is this it, highness?"
At any other moment, with any other person, Shax would have said something flippant and full of bravado. Looking into those big, trusting eyes, he just couldn't. "I hope not, Heck. I really do hope not. Best-case scenario, the colony ship comes for Three Arms and we run a bit more until Fluffy's, ah, discarded her tracker nanites."
"Okay." Heckle regarded him for a moment longer before he nodded and scampered off.
My rescue imp. My crew. When did this thing happen that they believe in me? Shax squared his shoulders, wishing he still owned a sword he could rattle. Everything would be fine because it had to be. "Because I say so."
"Cap, we've got something comin' through," Corny called out over ship's comm.
The Hunt for Red Fluffy Page 12