by Robyn Bachar
“But we’re safe now. We haven’t had you at all since we got here,” Sabine said.
Bryn chuckled. “A’gra, you two will have me for a lifetime. It’s my job to make sure that life is long and safe.”
“We are in no danger here,” Jace argued.
“That’s my call, not yours.” Bryn sat on the edge of the bed and removed her boots. “But, seeing as I’m naked now, I suppose I could be convinced to stay for an hour.”
Sabine grinned. “Stay forever.”
“Greedy. The second son has been a bad influence on you.”
Bryn stretched across the bed, and Sabine and Jace descended upon her in a flurry of stroking, teasing hands and hungry, questing mouths. She closed her eyes and surrendered to her mates. Though she wasn’t affected by the pleasure-enhancing aspects of the phase as they were, Bryn certainly had no complaints in the sensation department, consumed by aching heat as they touched her.
Jace murmured to them in Cy’reni—my darlings, my mates, mine. With a sultry smile, Bryn drew Jace’s face up to hers and kissed him. She tapped the mate marks at his throat. “Mine. This says Property of Brynnaren Viera, and don’t you forget it.”
He grinned, flipped her onto her stomach and thrust into her sex from behind. Jace growled, and Bryn gasped—she was hot and wet, ready for him, but he was still a lot to take at that angle. Gripping her hips, Jace drove into her, frenzied with lust. Bryn cried out and shuddered with pleasure from a quick, hot climax, and then propped herself up on her elbows.
“A’mhain, let me taste you,” she said to Sabine.
Sabine spread her thighs and positioned herself before Bryn, who lowered her mouth to her mate’s sex. There was something addictive about Sabine’s taste, and the sweet sound of her moans and sighs. Bryn licked and sucked, stroked and teased her mate through one orgasm after another, while Jace continued to pound Bryn’s sex from behind. The phase had gifted him with an abundance of stamina and confidence—a far cry from the anxious virgin she had dueled with in the Talon II’s armory.
Bryn moaned his name as a second, stronger orgasm built, filling her until she thought she would burst. Jace pulled her against him, holding her tight as he bit her. She screamed as ecstasy flooded her, her breath ragged as Jace drank her blood and filled her sex with his seed.
Sabine sighed and smiled up at them. “I love watching you together.”
“Well, it’s your turn now, a’gra,” Bryn replied. “I think you should make him beg.”
Bryn and Sabine were beautiful—and they were beautiful together, mesmerizing to watch. A perfect balance of strength and softness, and they were both his. Two mates—it seemed decadent, particularly after so much time spent alone. Jace closed his eyes, a naked female to either side of him, and almost purred with satisfaction.
Bryn propped herself up on one arm. “Are you going to answer my question now?”
“Which question?” he asked.
“Explain the problem between you and Lieutenant Loren.”
Jace waved a dismissive hand. It hardly seemed important now. “He is—or was—a member of House Nightfall. Our houses have never gotten along, and Mordackai and I never saw eye to eye while serving together on the Talon.”
“But there’s more to it than that,” Sabine added softly. She propped herself up and studied him, and he resisted the urge to squirm under their combined regard.
“Yes, there is.” He stroked Sabine’s hair and caressed her cheek. “He hasn’t forgiven me for attempting to steal Talena away from him.”
“You competed with him for the right to be her mate?” Bryn asked.
Jace grimaced. “Not as such. Captain Hawke forbade me from challenging Mordackai for her, but I had already caught Talena’s scent. She was in phase. The effect was stronger than usual, though even an average phase is hardly mild. I couldn’t stay away. I suppose you could say that I attempted to seduce her, but the captain interrupted us before I could be successful. After that, she stayed in Captain Hawke’s quarters, and I abandoned my suit.”
Bryn shook her head. “You really don’t know how to take no for an answer, do you, Morningstar?”
I also believe in the word no, which you seem to have a problem understanding.
The memory of Talena’s words twisted his stomach with guilt. “We’ve already established that I have a problem with authority. According to Cy’ren law, I should have been allowed to challenge Dack for her. I wasn’t. After having been exposed to her scent, I couldn’t simply walk away. Mordackai resents me for that.”
“But now you’re expecting other males to respect your claim to Sabine and not challenge you for her. You can’t have it both ways,” Bryn pointed out.
“Perhaps not,” he reluctantly replied. “But as my shathlinn, I expect you to thrash anyone who tries to take Sabine from us.”
“Damn right,” Bryn said.
“Did you want me because you couldn’t have her?” Sabine asked.
Jace shook his head. “No. You do have the same eyes, and I have a weakness for females with golden eyes, but this situation is different.”
Sabine quirked a pale brow. “Why do you like girls with golden eyes?”
“My first love had yellow eyes,” he explained.
“Oh? Why didn’t you take her as your mate?” she asked.
“We were both eleven years old at the time. I’m fairly certain it would have been frowned upon. She did kiss me once, though.”
Sabine giggled and snuggled close to him, but Bryn shook her head. “Adorable as that is, it doesn’t help that Loren hates you. The Sunsingers think you’re in here abusing Sabine.”
“I would never hurt her,” he said, outraged by the idea.
“I appreciate that,” Sabine murmured against his chest.
“We both do,” Bryn said. “But they won’t believe that until they can all see for themselves. Which won’t happen until she’s out of phase.” She rose from the bed and began picking up the scattered pieces of her armor. “I’ll make sure they don’t kick the door in to castrate you in the meantime.”
“Wait.” Jace sat up and caught her hand. “Stay with us.”
“Can’t. I’m not convinced this location is secure,” she argued. “You have one female to please. Don’t be greedy.”
“Please stay,” he said. For some reason, the thought of Bryn leaving made his pulse race with panic. Jace swallowed hard, assuming that his reaction was related to the earlier attack. She saved his life—his and Sabine’s—defending her mates without hesitation. No one had ever fought for him like that, not even his own family. “There is more I should tell you. I spoke with Wylarric.”
“Oh?” Bryn quirked a brow.
“He wants me to relinquish my rights to the estate in exchange for leaving us alone. I’m willing to do that. He’s having an agreement drawn up. Would you… It’s something that will affect all of us. What do you think?”
Bryn perched on the edge of the bed. “Well don’t sign anything until we get a look at it too. He’s slippery. He’d probably throw some extra things in just to be a prick.”
Jace snorted. “True.”
“You’re certain you want to do that?” Sabine asked.
“I am, if it means we are all safe,” he replied. “But it will likely mean we’ll have less money to live on, and we’ll need somewhere else to live.”
“That’s fine. I’m sure the Sunsingers would jump at the chance to have Sabine near them,” Bryn said, and then grinned a wicked smile. “Besides, we obviously want you for your lovely cock, not your money. Though I guess I’ll have to come up with a new nickname for you instead of Second Son, like Lieutenant Commander Sexypants, or something like that.”
Jace laughed as a knot of tension eased in his chest. “Only if you come back to bed.”
“Fine. You get ten minutes.”
<
br /> This time she relaxed against him, and Sabine spooned against her, keeping Bryn between herself and Jace. Bryn gasped as her back arched. Jace’s brow rose, and he glanced down to find Sabine’s wandering hands occupied with pleasing her mate.
“Twenty minutes,” Sabine ordered.
Chapter Sixteen
“You know you don’t have to do this,” Bryn said. She winced at the wires trailing from the back of Malcolm’s head. The whole idea of being plugged directly into a computer network made her shudder, and the base of her scalp itched in sympathy.
“I hate leaving a search unfinished.” Malcolm pushed his spectacles up on his nose as he settled into the chair. “We’ve done a few test runs, and Lord Degalen did very well for a virgin.”
The lord coughed loudly as though choking from his position at the handler’s station, and Malcolm winced. “For an inexperienced handler. It’s slang,” Malcolm explained. “I’m sure Lord Degalen—I’ll stop now before I say something worse.”
“Good plan.” Bryn patted him on the shoulder. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
Bryn walked away, nodding once to Lord Degalen, whose attention was studiously focused on a series of data screens at the handler’s terminal, and she joined the rest of the small crowd assembled in the archive to watch the pair work. The lord seemed flustered, though she wasn’t sure if that was due to the task at hand or to the indexer’s comment. It was a lot of responsibility—Malcolm was putting his life in Lord Degalen’s hands. Then again, as the lord of House Sunsinger he was responsible for the safety of countless lives.
A low hum emanated from the wall of computer banks. Cy’ren systems had to be stronger than average because they needed to create a communications signal powerful enough to travel from their subterranean cities, up to the surface and out into space.
“Are you ready to begin, Malcolm?” Lord Degalen asked.
“Yes.”
He nodded. “Very well. I’m connecting you to the data stream.”
Malcolm jerked, and Bryn winced, but then he relaxed into his chair. Several screens around him blinked to life, and his slender hands moved in a blur across the keypads attached to his armrests. Lines of text zinged across the screens, too fast for Bryn to follow.
“Resuming search. This may take a while,” Malcolm said.
“We’ll wait,” Captain Hawke replied. She turned to the rest of the observers, and waved Bryn, Commander Soth and Lieutenant Loren to take a seat. Jace was otherwise occupied, of course. Andelynn continued to hover nearby, watching Malcolm and Lord Degalen with silent, anxious interest. Bryn wondered if the aleithir sensed anything strange from Malcolm while he was connected.
“How’s Sabine?” the captain asked, her voice low.
“Much better,” Bryn said. “The medic said her phase is progressing and should only last a few more days.” Relief soothed through her like a cool breeze at the word—progress. Soon Sabine would be back to normal, and they could move on with their new lives.
Commander Soth snorted. “Harrow must have more stamina than he looks.”
“He does. I’ve been quite impressed,” Bryn replied, earning a round of uncomfortable glances.
“I did not need to know that,” Captain Hawke muttered.
“How’s Ama?” Bryn asked. She’d heard a rumor that Ama had taken up with the commander aboard the Talon II. Poor bastard.
Soth winced. “Returned to her house. She’s a Stormbreaker. Explains the shriekyness.”
Bryn suppressed a smirk. Good riddance. Ama could make her own house miserable from now on. “Well, her clients paid for a screamer.”
“What did your clients pay for?” Soth asked.
“Commander, that is inappropriate,” Captain Hawke snapped.
“I don’t mind,” Bryn said. The captain blinked at her in surprise, and she shrugged. “I can’t change the past. I was a slave. I did what my master wanted, or I suffered the consequences. Judging by his marks, I assume Commander Soth is familiar with the life.”
“I am,” he said.
“Most Cy’ren are.” Except for the lords, Bryn added silently. Not a single slave mark among the high council. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with being a sex worker. What was wrong was that we were forced to do it against our wills. But, since you asked, my clients paid for multiple girls. Sabine and I usually worked together.”
“You should send Harrow a bill,” Soth suggested.
“Well he’ll be paying for our room, board and health and childcare, so in a way we are.”
“Commander,” Captain Hawke admonished.
“He’s just mad because I broke his nose,” Bryn said.
“She broke your nose?” Lieutenant Loren asked, his dark eyebrows shooting up to almost his hairline.
“I underestimated her. She sucker-punched me.”
“I have the location,” Malcolm announced, drawing their attention. “The testing facility is part of the Becklav colony, in the Ventralia system.”
“That’s in Alliance space.” Captain Hawke rose and stalked over to the indexer’s side, frowning at his data screens.
“Correct,” Malcolm said. “Becklav is a registered agro colony in Alliance space, but it is near U-territory. Their files claim that they are researching genetically enhanced grains that produce improved crop yield in semi-arid environments.”
“How could they be working for the Eppes?” she asked.
“A significant percentage of Lazarus testing data traces back to the Becklav colony. I’m attempting to access their planetary information systems now.”
The captain shook her head. “That can’t be right.”
“It would explain why we’ve had such difficulty tracking them, if they’re located outside Syndicate space,” Lieutenant Loren said.
“Bioweapon research is illegal in the Alliance,” Hawke argued. Bryn resisted the urge to point out that most things that were legal in Syndicate space and U-territories were illegal in Alliance space, or extremely regulated.
“Which would be why it’s hidden,” Loren replied.
Malcolm frowned. “Becklav has gone dark. I’m not detecting any transmissions from the planet. Last transmission is dated six standard days ago. No recent ship traffic has been reported in the system.”
Bryn sighed. The Eppes must have pulled the project after the Talon II rescued Malcolm.
“Was the colony abandoned?” Captain Hawke asked.
“No…” He trailed off, his frown deepening. “There are no public records of transports being dispatched to the planet. No record of the colonists arriving on other worlds. Accessing encrypted transit records will take additional time. At the moment, it appears Becklav just dropped off the grid without explanation.”
“Can the Alliance investigate?” Loren asked.
Captain Hawke frowned. “They might. I’m not sure. If there hasn’t been a distress signal or a biohazard warning issued, they might not take the word of an indexer as evidence that there is trouble. We’ll send a transmit requesting a welfare check for the colony, but we’ll have to check it out ourselves. It’s a long haul from here.”
“Four point five galactic standard days, if you run the engines at 110 percent,” Malcolm said.
“Sam won’t like that. Anything else you can add?” she asked.
“I need more time to decrypt reports about the project. I’ve identified and downloaded related files to trace the source, but I haven’t been able to decrypt the content of the majority of them. I—” Malcolm was cut off as he yelped in pain, and his entire body spasmed.
Fear clutched at Bryn’s chest as she watched, helpless. “What’s going on?”
“Data surge.” Lord Degalen cursed and leapt into frantic action. “His vitals are spiking. I don’t recognize the encryption of the data’s source.”
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sp; Andee hurried to join Degalen. “Malcolm’s going into cardiac arrest,” she said. Her green eyes were wide, but her voice was even, cool under pressure.
Malcolm shook and flailed as though having a seizure. Bryn hurried to his side and took his hand as she called his name. His eyes had rolled back, and she pulled his glasses off.
“He’s not responding. Damn it,” the lord snapped. He yanked the cord free and cut Malcolm’s connection. Gasping, Malcolm blinked back to awareness as he struggled to breathe, and Lord Degalen knelt on his other side, across from Bryn. “Can you speak? Are you all right?”
“Fine now. It’s not your fault,” Malcolm wheezed.
“What happened?” Bryn asked. She returned his spectacles, and he perched them on the bridge of his nose.
“It was my master. He found me in the system, attacked me, locked me out of the Collective. He’s furious. I think he meant to kill me.”
Captain Hawke frowned. “What does that mean, he locked you out?”
“He removed my access to the Collective’s database. I can’t use their system now. It means I’m on my own.” Malcolm dragged a hand through his hair. “I figured he’d be angry. Didn’t think he’d kick me out. Might as well cut off my hands.”
“Perhaps if you contacted him and explained your situation? I could speak with him,” Lord Degalen offered.
“It might help. Thank you. My lord,” Malcolm added, and Degalen smiled.
“Commander Soth, I want the ship prepped and ready to fly in an hour,” the captain ordered.
“Aye, sir.”
“Captain, do you want me to alert Lieutenant Commander Harrow?” Bryn asked.
The woman paused, winced and cursed. “Yes. I hate to bring a civilian on a potential combat mission, but we don’t have time to wait. Tell Jace to gear up.”
“I don’t feel that’s a good idea,” Lord Degalen said.
“It’s not. Unfortunately it’s our best option,” she replied. “We can’t separate Jace and Sabine, and I can’t afford to leave my first officer behind on a mission like this. They’ll be out of it by the time we reach our destination. Don’t worry, Galen. We’ll keep Sabine safe.”