by Bianca D’Arc
“Wait here.” Bill left her sitting against the cave wall to one side of the entrance. She could still see the mouth of the tunnel, but not much else. Bill had scouted ahead far enough to reassure her that they were alone in the cylindrical cave.
He checked their backtrail, erasing the few signs of their passage while leaving an agreed-upon pile of rocks and twigs in a formation he’d discussed with Sam. The terrain was rocky. Jaci didn’t see how Bill could discern any sort of trail, but he apparently did.
“We need to move slowly from here on out,” Bill said as he rejoined her. “There could be animals or even people in here. With all the bare rock, prints are hard to come by and easy to mask, but it is a good sign that my markers were left undisturbed from the last time I was here.”
“I didn’t see any markers.”
Bill only smiled. She saw the gleam of his teeth in the darkness and it sent a chill down her spine. He took the pack from the stone floor at her feet and dressed in his loose shirt and coat, hiding his wings under layers of cloth.
“I’ll take point. You stay close behind me and hold the crystal.” He handed the pack to her, now much less bulky and somewhat lighter. Jaci swung it over her back in a comfortable position as Bill led the way at a slow pace through the tunnel, winding downward for several yards before branching left.
An hour later, it felt like they’d covered every inch of the tunnel complex, but Jaci feared they’d only scratched the surface. They were both tired and in need of rest, assured that at least their immediate area was free from danger and would be long enough for them to rest.
Bill had a light of Alvian design he must’ve scrounged from her ship or some patrol outpost. He lit the area, chasing the shadows away, and Jaci got her first really good look at the rough-hewn tunnels.
“A bit farther on, these tunnels become blocked by heavy steel doors. Inside there is the complex of which I spoke. We’ll rest for a few minutes and maybe eat something to regain a bit of energy, then tackle the first of the locked doorways.”
“They’re locked? Then how do you know…?”
“Who do you think locked them in the first place?” Again that mischievous grin shone in the dim light and this time Jaci could see the teasing sparkle in his eyes.
They ate some of the food from Jaci’s pack, then set out once more, this time using Bill’s light to lead the way. But when they rounded the corner before the last stretch of tunnel leading to the first door, Bill halted.
“There is light up ahead,” he whispered, cautioning Jaci to stay back. Light this deep in the caverns could only mean one thing.
Someone was there before them.
Jaci peeked around Bill’s broad back and saw the heavy steel door he’d mentioned was standing wide open and a dim light shone from within. If she strained her ears, Jaci could just hear the murmur of deep voices.
“Male voices, but not Alvian. Humans are inside.”
“Good call,” Bill confirmed. “Let me go take a look. You should be safe out here. I’ll leave the light for you. If you need to move, we can rendezvous back where we stopped to rest. If I don’t meet you there within an hour, make your way out and try to meet up with Sam. Can you do that?”
Swallowing her fear, Jaci nodded. Bill was as serious as she’d ever seen him. She clutched his arm before letting him go. “Be careful.”
The wait was interminable. It felt like hours had passed but it was really only minutes before Bill came back through the doorway, walking easily. Jaci took that to mean the threat had been either eliminated, or there was no threat to begin with. But the two males who followed behind Bill’s tall form had her running to meet them.
“Michael! David!”
She was thrilled beyond words to see both her men.
She jumped into Michael’s waiting arms. He covered her face in kisses as she clung to him.
“Thank God you’re safe.” Michael whispered his relief into her ear as he kissed her with a desperation she felt too.
David tugged her out of Mike’s embrace, bending her back over his arm and planting a kiss on her, the likes of which she had never known. He simply took her breath away. Moving back, he let her rise but held her close to his long, muscular frame. Michael stepped up close behind.
“We missed you, honey. We won’t ever let you be apart from us again.”
She felt tears in her eyes, and thought she finally understood what tears of happiness felt like. She had come home, indeed. Home to these two men’s strong arms. Anywhere they were, that was her home.
She was overwhelmed with joy to see them in the flesh. “Tell me I’m not dreaming.”
David swatted her ass playfully as Michael took her fully into his arms. “Does that feel real enough for you?” She giggled as they laughed and surrounded her with their warmth and love.
“How did you get here? I’m so happy to see you both!”
“Davin had a long talk with Justin and Mick last night after dinner,” Michael told her. “We left in a hurry to be here when you arrived. We figured you’d be a while yet, but Mick said to expect you sooner.” A raised eyebrow indicated he’d let the subject lie for now but it would probably be revisited at some point, she knew. “Davin dropped us here with a load of supplies to get us started. It seems the Oracle had a say in our move. Caleb sent a message to Mick just after you set out and he passed it on to Davin. Caleb had a strong vision, showing us setting up this place and creating a sanctuary of sorts for folks who need to lay low.”
“We only got here a little while ago,” David added. “We took a look at the power grid, but we’ll probably have to take it slow when we fire things up. There’s a lot of hardware in this mountain that we may not want to awaken just yet.”
“Why not?” Jaci walked between her men as they ushered her through the doorway into the interior of the complex. It wasn’t a cave, as she had expected. No, this was a high-tech installation of some kind, complete with painted walls and a myriad of symbols, hatches, conduits and doorways all leading to another doorway that stood open at the end of the large tunnel.
They walked through and the sight that met her eyes robbed her of speech. The cavern was enormous, with entire buildings inside. Rough-hewn stone columns supported a domed ceiling far above and roadways with vehicles still parked on them wove between the buildings. It was a small city inside. And it was eerily empty.
“What is this place?”
“Near as we can figure, this isn’t a mine, Jaci,” Michael said. “This is some kind of old NORAD site. NORAD was a protective military partnership between the two countries that made up this continent. There are still missiles in the silos and everything. And the computer equipment is top notch. All we need is power and Davin supplied us with plenty. He’s already arranged to send a replacement crystal to Mick, by the way. Some of the tunnels we saw in the short time we’ve been here had natural crystal formations in them. I think Dave and I can manage to mine a few power crystals locally in addition to what we brought with us.”
“So you plan to stay?” Jaci turned to them, her heart in her throat.
“Anywhere you are” David pulled her into his arms, “that’s where we want to be. Davin will cover for us. We’ve got it all worked out.”
Bill needed to rest after his long flight. He looked haggard and he was noticeably tired—something seldom seen among Alvians—especially soldiers.
“What’s wrong with your friend?” Michael raised one eyebrow suspiciously.
“He’s just tired.” Jaci didn’t know what to say. Bill’s secret was his to tell.
“And why is that?” David stepped right up to the Alvian warrior in challenge. “Look, we know there’s something different about you, Bill. Now we find you here days earlier than you should be. Jaci’s fine, but you’re looking awfully rundown. What’s up?”
Bill stared him down, a muscle ticking in his jaw, his flinty eyes tired but strong. “You have abilities beyond the realm of normal beings. Suffice to say t
hat I do as well.”
“If we’re going to stay here together, we need to start trusting one another.” Dave stood his ground. “I’m a mind healer. Mike’s a dreamwalker. There’s not much you can keep secret from him if he wants to find out. Don’t you think it’s better you tell us straight out than have Mike traipse through your dreams, looking at your memories?”
“I don’t respond well to threats.” Bill’s jaw firmed and Jaci moved to stand between the men.
“Stop this right now.” Jaci put one palm on each of their chests, pressing them apart but having little effect on the strong males. She gave up, instead taking David’s hand in hers to get his attention.
David’s gaze shifted to her. “How did you get here so fast, Jaci? What’s he hiding?”
She shut her eyes, unwilling to lie to her mates, but likewise unwilling to betray her friend. “It is Bill’s secret to tell. Not mine. But it cannot harm you. Believe me on that.”
“Let us decide that, Jaci.” Michael moved up next to David to stand with his cousin.
She turned to Bill, hoping he would settle this in a way that would let her be honest with her mates. She didn’t like to hold secrets from them.
Bill’s gaze showed his reluctance, but he gave in with a sigh. “I will bring no strife between mates,” Bill grit out through clenched teeth. “Even now I can hear the Hum as she touches you.”
Jaci lifted her hand from David’s arm. “I’m sorry if it makes you uncomfortable.”
Bill’s head tilted to the side as if he were considering his words. “Not uncomfortable. Jealous, perhaps. Maybe even hopeful. If there are mates for you, perhaps in time, I will find one of my own.”
Unspoken was the fear that if Bill didn’t find a resonance mate to temper his emotions, he might well end in insanity like their ancient ancestors. Jaci nodded, acknowledging what they both knew. Bill turned his attention back to the cousins.
“I can fly.”
Silence greeted his bold statement.
“No shit?” Michael finally asked. “Like levitation?”
“No.” Bill shook his head. “I have wings.”
The cousins just stared.
“It’s true.” Jaci tried to ease the awkward moment. “We flew here in stages. That’s why he’s so tired. He carried me over the treetops. It was amazing.”
“Amazing,” David echoed her words.
“Is this an Alvian thing? Or is this something special?” Mike’s tone was more curious than upset.
“I was an experiment.” Bill sighed, visibly weary. “Pure Alvians never had wings. It is something the geneticists wanted to try.”
“And you were the guinea pig. You have my sympathy.” David’s dark eyes spoke of compassion and understanding.
“Mine too,” Mike added. “But my envy as well. It must be pretty cool to be able to soar with the birds. Thank you for bringing Jaci here, to safety.”
Bill’s expression lightened. “You’re welcome. She is a special person and seeing the feelings between you three gives me hope for my own future, but I need to rest now. The trip was not easy.” He moved away and the cousins stepped back to let him pass.
One of the buildings contained suites of bedrooms. Bill took one after being certain the heavy steel doors that led outside the tunnel complex were shut and locked securely. He would sleep off the long flight, she knew, as she wished him a good night.
The cousins had other plans. Selecting one of the more sumptuously decorated chambers far enough from Bill that they wouldn’t disturb his sleep, they locked themselves in. David secured the door while Michael led her to a plush couch in the outer room of the suite.
“Where are we?” Jaci looked around at the colorful fabrics and lush interior of the room.
“We saw this place when we did our run-through of the facility.” Michael poured some water for her from the supplies they’d already stored in the room. “Dave thinks it was the base commander’s suite and I tend to agree. It’s the largest and nicest of the rooms we saw, but we can find out more tomorrow when we investigate further. Right now, we have other things to do that are much more important.” His smile made promises that she longed for him to fulfill.
“Such as?”
“Well” David tugged off his shirt, holding her gaze, “we’ve never really made love to you, Jaci. Unless you have any objections, that’s about to change.”
Jaci stepped right up to him, boldly running her hands down his chest as she’d only been able to do in dreams. “No objections at all. Not a one.”
“Good.” Michael crowded in behind her, sandwiching her between two hot male bodies.
“Shards! This feels even better than the dream.”
“Dreams are good,” Michael said, kissing her shoulder as he undressed her from behind. “But reality is so much better. You taste even better than I remember, Jaci. We’ve waited so long to be with you.”
She reached behind to cup his head, turning so she could kiss him with the yearning she felt. These men ignited her fires more quickly than anything or anyone ever had. In dreams, they were potent, but in the real world, they were…more. More vibrant, more alive, more cunning, more desirable. More everything. And she wanted them as she wanted no others.
The Hum increased as they touched, drowning her senses in that most beautiful, perfect tone. She knew the Hum was beyond human hearing and for a moment she wished they could hear the perfection of their union, but they could feel it. Every moment they touched, every second they loved, all three of them could feel the way they fit together flawlessly. The rightness of them—together.
David kissed her, helping Michael divest her of her clothing as she pushed and tugged at their clothes. They were much more efficient than she and before long, she stood between them, naked. Their chests were bare, at least, rubbing along her heated skin. The coarse fabric of their pants teased her lower body, but she wanted those pants gone. She wanted to feel their skin against hers, and their arousal.
“Take it off,” she cried, struggling with the closure on David’s blue jeans.
He laughed, moving back slightly to take over the job. “Your wish is my command, sweetheart.”
Watching David, she reached behind to deliver the same message to Michael, but he was ahead of her. His fingers were already freeing his thick erection from the closure of his pants as they slid down his legs.
“I love the way your skin gets hot. You warm me, Jaci,” Michael whispered in her ear as he moved in close behind her once more, the pants no longer a barrier. His cock settled in the crevice of her ass as if made to fit there, warm against her skin and pulsing with life. “You warm all the cold places in my soul.”
David backed away to finish undressing, but he didn’t return. When she reached out to him, he shook his head. “Mike gets you first this time, baby. He sacrificed a lot to let me join in the dreams. He deserves to go first this time.”
“But I want you both. Together.”
David’s eyes flared at her bold statement, but he continued to shake his head. “This isn’t a dream and you aren’t ready for that kind of thing yet. We need to prepare you. And after all this time, I don’t think either of us can give you the time you’d need to accommodate us comfortably. We’ll save that for when we’re in less of a hurry, okay?” He kissed her lips sweetly, coming close for just a moment to touch her face and offer reassurance.
She needed his touch. Craved it like a drug. She needed them both, and they appeared to share her desperate cravings, touching her, stroking her skin, fanning the flames of her desire.
Michael moved her into another room and David followed close behind. This was a bedroom, complete with a large, sumptuous bed, though it was decorated in utilitarian colors. Still, the rich, dark greens and blues pleased her senses and as David dimmed the lights, Michael lay her on the wide bed, coming down over her body.
“You know my dreams, Jaci, and the feel of you beneath me beats each and every one of them.”
She ran her fingers through his short hair, loving the feel of his weight pressing her into the soft covers. “I agree. Oh, Michael! I’ve wanted this for so long.”
He licked at her lips, settling his mouth over hers with intent before delving inside, tantalizing her with skilful sweeps of his tongue over hers.
Her temperature went higher still as his hands swept over her body. She felt the bed dip and knew David was there, watching them, enjoying them.
Michael sat up, breaking the kiss. She watched him, noting the look that passed between the cousins. Undoubtedly they were speaking telepathically, hatching plots of some kind. In one way, she didn’t like being left out of their thoughts, but in another, she enjoyed the tantalizing uncertainty of what they would do next.
This was far different from dreams. In dreams, they all shared their thoughts. But if she needed any further proof that this was no dream, the cousins’ display of their human psychic powers brought it home like nothing else. This was real. They were here. With her. Finally!
David nodded at Michaelthe men had apparently reached some kind of agreementand then Michael turned his full attention back to her. He moved between her thighs, parting them with strong but gentle hands as he made room for himself. He sat back on his haunches, just looking at her, and his smile touched the deepest recesses of her heart.
“I haven’t had a woman in a long time. And I’ve never been with one I loved more than life.” His eyes met hers and held. She read deep emotion there, the kind that made her breath catch. “I can’t wait any longer to be inside you, Jaci. I know it’s too fast, but Dave will help us out. He’ll help you enjoy it and if I totally mess up, he’ll be there to make it up to you.” Michael grinned at her, winking, then shared the grin with his cousin. “And if Dave messes up, I’ll probably be ready by then to make it up to you.”
“Speak for yourself, cuz.” David moved closer on the bed, leaning up so that he was near her upper body while Michael ruled her lower half. “Are you ready for this, Jaci? Neither of us want to rush you, but you have to know, we’re desperate men.” The twinkle in his eye belied his words and she felt a rush of affection for them both. She knew they’d had little relief for far too long and she couldn’t deny them anything they wanted of her. She knew, deep in her heart, they loved her as much as she loved them—miracle that it was.