Trained for Their Use

by Ivy Barrett

  Quickly finding the speed and angle that worked best, Loax moved her hips forward and back. She closed her eyes, wishing she could see the actual joining. As if to grant her silent wish, energy surged into her mind. Emotions inundated her being, raging desire and the overwhelming need to possess, to claim. She also felt tenderness and loyalty, so she wasn’t frightened by the darker emotions.

  As her mind adjusted to the deluge, an image formed within the storm. She saw Rentar’s lean hips, her round ass, and Loax’s strong legs. Rentar’s shaft appeared gradually as Loax drew her body forward. Then the image shifted and she saw herself from Loax’s perspective. Her head was thrown back, but he could still see her face, eyes closed, lips slightly parted as she gasped and moaned.

  She opened her eyes and looked at Loax. “Can you feel it too?”

  We’re joined, truly joined, as only mates can be. He responded in her mind, making the connection more apparent.

  She instinctively found the link and pushed her thoughts into his mind. Will we only be able to do this when we fuck?

  Rentar replied, answering her next question. She wasn’t sure if the brothers could hear what she said to the other. Each time we take you together, it strengthens the link. It will eventually become permanent and we’ll have to shield our thoughts when we don’t want to share them.

  Permanent? Did she want to bind herself to these two for the rest of her life? It seemed like nothing lasted forever anymore. Could she really believe in something so fantastical?

  The evidence was all around her. It literally flowed through her. How could she deny something every sense she possessed validated. Her mates loved her, and they would love her forever.

  Loax slipped his hand between their bodies and found her clit with his fingertip. She gasped, inner muscles clenching as she dragged her gaze back to his handsome face. Pay attention.

  They thrust inward at the same time, ensuring her obedience. She cried out, nearly overwhelmed by the ruthless fullness. Sorry. I’m here now.

  They filled her and filled her, with strong, steady strokes. She felt her eyes drifting shut as wave after wave of scalding desire washed over her.

  Look at me, Loax commanded. Let us feel your pleasure.

  She stared deep into his gleaming eyes and opened her mind, surrendering body, mind, and spirit. They filled her trembling body and flowed through her mind, melding in a way she’d never experienced before.

  Rentar was fighting hard not to come and his urgency sent her arousal soaring. It was empowering to feel how desperately he needed her. No one had ever cared for her this deeply before. They weren’t just words. He would literally die to protect her. Either of them would.

  Loax lightly pinched her clit, shocking her back into the moment.

  “Sorry,” she gasped, then shuddered, nearly losing control.

  They thrust faster, lifting her with each demanding stroke. She arched her back, breasts bouncing as they raced toward the finish line. Rentar came with a shout, his cock twitching inside her ass. His seed jetted and her body greedily absorbed the intoxicant. Amanda lost control as Rentar’s essence hit her bloodstream. She cried out sharply, her inner muscles rippling around the two cocks buried deep inside her. Loax came half a second later, shuddering violently as he released his seed.

  She collapsed across Loax’s chest, unable to move, barely able to think. Their pleasure arced back and forth across the soul bond, tingling through her with each pass. But as soon as their passions cooled, the connection dissipated. Even stuffed full of cock, she felt alone.

  “How many times do we need to do this before it stays active?”

  Rentar carefully pulled out and Loax moved her to his side before he spoke. “Is that what you want? We both felt your hesitation, your fear.”

  Wet with their cum and tender from their claiming, she was insulted by the question. “Was hesitation all you felt? Of course I’m freaked out by the idea. I’ve known you two less than a week.”

  “It’s more than that,” Rentar said, clearly siding with his brother. “You still don’t trust us.”

  “I trust you. I don’t trust me. Nothing in my life works out the way I want it to. I nearly died because of my own father! How can I expect this to work the way you two say it will?”

  Loax pulled her into his arms and Rentar quickly moved to her other side. “You’re right,” Loax said firmly. “We’re expecting too much. We’ll take this one step at a time. Do you still intend to enact the thirty-day clause?”

  “No.” She kissed his mouth briefly, then turned around and kissed Rentar. “This is exactly where I want to be.”

  Loax accepted her decision with a warm smile. “As long as you want to stay with us, the rest can be worked out.” He kissed her, then released her mouth so Rentar could kiss her as well.

  Breathless and slightly sleepy, she cringed when Loax said, “Now let’s talk about the attack. We cannot help you unless you’re honest with us. Are you still afraid?”

  She sighed. Their joining had been so perfect. She didn’t want to complicate it with emotions she couldn’t control. “I am, but I don’t want to be. I’m trying really hard not to be.”

  “We promised to protect you, and we failed.” Loax rolled to his side, propping his head up on his hand. “We deserve your skepticism.”

  “I went to the bathroom. There was no way you could have known Tormenta had gotten to one of your friends.”

  “Hyette is not our friend,” Rentar stressed. “Any Ventori that would agree to harm a female is weak and dishonorable.”

  “What will make you feel safe again?” The shrewd confidence in Loax’s expression told her he already knew the answer.

  “That was the third time that bastard has tried to kill me.” She rubbed her throat even though it didn’t hurt anymore. “I don’t think prison will stop him from trying again.”

  “Are you ready to let us resolve this permanently?” Loax’s grim tone reflected the seriousness of the conversation. They were talking about assassination, coldblooded murder. No, they were talking about ending the life of a ruthless killer who was determined to murder her.

  “This human brags about all the lives he’s destroyed,” Rentar interjected. “None of us should feel guilty about ending his reign of terror.”

  “You’re right.” Amanda took a deep breath and added, “Asesino de Tormenta needs to die, and I’m ready to let you do it.”

  “Good.” Loax reached for her, but she pulled away.

  “But there’s one condition.”

  “Is it going to make me angry?”

  She smiled, then glanced at Rentar. He watched them intently, clearly curious about her intentions. She looked at Loax again as she explained, “Taking out Tormenta will free me from my past and allow me to focus on building a future with the two of you.” She paused, searching for just the right words. “We can’t successfully build a future together while you’re still… encumbered by your past.”

  He sighed, but only asked, “What do you want me to do?”

  “Once you remove the threat permanently, I want you to celebrate by cutting your hair.” He started to object, but she stopped him. “What happened on Ventor was not your fault, and I will not spend the rest of my life watching you punish yourself for it.”

  For a long, tense moment they just stared at each other. He wasn’t pleased by the ultimatum, but she was resolute. “I agree.”

  Rentar wrapped his arms around her and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “Thank you, love. I have been trying to convince him of that for years.”

  Loax took a deep breath, then released it and a darkness within him seemed to dissipate. “She’s right. It’s time. Our future together should not be tainted by the past, hers or ours.”

  “So do we wait for Minister Orellian’s permission?” Rentar wanted to know.

  Loax shrugged. “Hopefully, he’ll report back before the Fortar brothers provide us with Torment
a’s current location.”

  “And if he doesn’t?” Rentar persisted.

  “Then we kill the bastard. I promised I’d wait two days, and I have. With or without Orellian’s sanction, Tormenta dies.”

  * * *

  The following morning, Loax sent for a breakfast tray, not yet ready to face the other commanders. He, Rentar, and Amanda gathered around the table, but no one ate much. They were loading the dishes back onto the tray when Minister Orellian knocked on their door. Rentar let him in and ushered him to the sofa, then sat down at his side. Loax and Amanda joined them in the living room, sitting in chairs that faced the sofa.

  After the expected greetings were exchanged, the minister came right to the point. “You were right. One of the drug lord’s men bribed Hyette with a bar of gold. Hyette intended to desert and start a new life far away from all of this.”

  “He sold his honor for a bar of gold?” Loax sneered. “We are all frustrated by this life, but that’s inexcusable.”

  Orellian’s smile was sad and filled with regret. “Many would have done the same. We’re all tired of fighting when we have nothing for which to fight.” Orellian fell silent for a moment, clearly lost in thought. “My healer told me that Amanda is your mate.” He looked at her. “Are you aware of this?”

  “I am.” She squared her shoulders and sat a little straighter in her tall armchair. “They claimed me last night.”

  “Then you intend to stay even after your contract expires?” He sounded doubtful.

  “This has nothing to do with the attempt on her life,” Loax cut in.

  “Fair point.” Orellian inclined his head. “Hyette swears he doesn’t know the drug lord’s location. He didn’t even know his name, only that he was a human criminal with large amounts of money and a serious grudge against your father. Unfortunately, I believe him.”

  “Which leaves us where?” Loax grumbled.

  “I was greatly bothered by this development. If Amanda has accepted your claim, then she is one of us.” Curious to see where he was heading, Loax held his tongue. “This drug lord must not be allowed to try again.”

  “We’re in complete agreement,” Rentar said.

  “So I contacted Rook Fortar.” Orellian chuckled and looked at Loax. “Imagine my surprise when he was already working on the task I was about to assign them.”

  “We only asked for information,” Loax stressed. “Recon takes time and we saw no reason to wait. We would not have taken action without your permission.” It was a boldfaced lie, but the minister didn’t need to know that.

  “Well, you have it as of now. My only condition is discretion. There can be nothing that points back to the Ventori. Make it look like a rival drug lord or the U.S. Government. We cannot be involved in this sort of thing. Especially not now.”

  “Why ‘especially not now’?” Amanda asked, emphasizing his phrase with finger quotes.

  “Human leaders are trying hard to convince us to stay, to slowly integrate into their societies. They would very much like the technological benefits we bring to become permanent. The first step toward that long-term goal is to establish Ventori colonies and to see if human females would be willing to form family units with Ventori males.”

  “Do you intend to break up the pods?” Rentar sounded almost panicked.

  “Why?” He seemed insulted by the question. “Our pods are all that remains of Ventori social structure. It’s the only form of family we have left.”

  “But human females aren’t used to creating emotional connections with more than one male.” Amanda’s expression seemed curious rather than disapproving.

  Understanding unfurled within Orellian’s eyes and he began to relax. “It’s these sorts of culture conflicts that have kept us from agreeing to colonization long ago. Ventori expectations are so different from human. I’m not sure we can find a common ground.”

  Amanda smiled. “Most human females wouldn’t want anything to do with what you’re proposing. But there are some, like me, with an open mind. We’re willing to love more than one person. I think you should give it a go and see what happens.”

  Orellian smiled, clearly thrilled by her reaction. “Do you agree with the concept enough to try it for yourself?”

  She looked at Loax then Rentar. “Do you two know about this?”

  “I do,” Loax admitted. “Minister Orellian brought it up the other night.”

  “And what was your reaction?”

  Before Loax could reply, Orellian shot to his feet. “You don’t need to decide right now. Discuss it and let me know after you’ve taken care of that other thing.”

  Happy for the reprieve, Loax walked the minister to the door and thanked him for his assistance and support. When he returned to the living room, Rentar was standing, arms folded over his chest.

  “You discussed the possibility of joining a colony on Earth and you didn’t even mention it to me?”

  “I didn’t discuss it with anyone,” Loax objected. “Orellian mentioned the program and asked if we would we interested. That was as far as we got when I heard Amanda screaming in my head. I’d all but forgotten about it until he brought it up again.”

  “This would be a community of human women and their Ventori pods?”

  She sounded so hopeful it made Loax smile. “Clearly our mate likes the idea.”

  “Sorry.” She smiled. “That just sounds more appealing than being locked up on your ship for months at a time.”

  “We’ll still need to spend a great deal of time on our ship,” Loax cautioned.

  “Unless they reassign our command,” Rentar pointed out.

  “Why would they do that?” Loax shook his head. Rentar was just being difficult.

  “It would depend if we’re simply living in this colony or if we’re to play some formative role. This has never been attempted before.”

  Loax nodded. “You’re right. The possibilities are endless.”

  “As are the opportunities,” Amanda added with another sunny smile.

  Loax moved in front of her and placed his hands on her hips. “If this appeals to you, we will gather information.”

  “I appreciate it, but other information is more important right now. Why did you all immediately think of the Fortar brothers? Who are they?”

  “We call them procurers.” Rentar stood behind her, arm wrapped around her waist. “They’ve developed relationships with various humans that allow them to acquire almost anything.”

  “For the right price,” Loax stressed. “They’re glorified pirates, but they can be useful.”

  “How long did you give them to uncover Tormenta’s location?” Rentar looked at him expectantly over Amanda’s shoulder.

  “I didn’t give them a deadline. They’re extremely busy and what we need puts them in danger. We’re lucky they agreed to do this at all.”

  Rentar shrugged and bent to kiss Amanda’s neck. “Then whatever shall we do while we wait?”

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure we’ll think of something.” Loax untied the belt on Amanda’s bathrobe and slipped it off her shoulders.

  Chapter Ten

  They spent the next three days in their suite exploring their mutual passion. Each time they made love, especially when they took Amanda together, their soul bond intensified. By the fourth day, they were able to send and receive thoughts even when they weren’t fucking.

  Ridonous was finally winding down, so the males were able to think about something other than sex. However, their emotional bond was stronger than ever.

  They were waiting for the evening meal to arrive when Rook Fortar requested a comm with Loax. He activated the call in the living room, knowing Rentar and Amanda would want to hear what the older Fortar brother had to say.

  “Sorry this took so long. There were complications.” Rook barely glanced at Amanda and Rentar before he focused on Loax. “If you were hoping for the element of surprise, we sort of fucked that up for you.
”

  Loax tensed. What now? “Go on.”

  “We were attempting to verify that Asesino de Tormenta was in residence when we discovered something we weren’t able to ignore.”

  “Meaning?” Loax glared, his stern expression demanding answers.

  Clearly unaffected by Loax’s glower, Rook ran his hand through his hair, creating a riot of black spikes. “They had a truck loaded with females, and not just any females; carnal companions they’d snatched from one of our transport hubs. I don’t even want to think about what they intended to do with our females, but we couldn’t just fly off and leave them there.”

  “Did you rescue them?” Rentar asked.

  “Of course.” Rook sounded insulted by the question.

  Loax fired off his next question before Rentar had time to ask for details. “Was Tormenta there or not?”

  “He was.” Rook shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable. “But Storm Killer ran, like the coward he is, leaving most of his men behind to deal with us. We managed to hit the bastard’s car with a tracker dart, but that’s only helpful until he switches vehicles.” He raised his arm and entered several commands into the control band implanted in his forearm. Loax felt his own control band vibrate in response. “I got the impression you wanted to deal with this yourself, so that’s the tracker signal. As of right now, he’s still in the car with two of his guards.”

  Loax nodded, his mind rushing on ahead. “I appreciate your assistance.”

  “What did you do with the females?” Amanda wanted to know. Compassion and concern made her eyes soft and limpid.

  “We turned them over to the high command. As I said, they were carnal companions. If you want more specific information, you’ll have to ask Chancellor Savator.”

  “Understood. Again, you have our thanks.” Loax didn’t want to be rude, but he was anxious to begin their hunt. As Rook said, the situation could change at any moment.

  “Because of the complications, this information is free of charge.” Rook told him with an enigmatic smile.