****
Fist pressed to her chest over her pounding heart, Thalia felt like she'd just run. Or maybe like she should have run. But Summer's arm, still hooked around hers, had anchored her in more than one way, and she was grateful, because the moment Lox's hand had touched hers, she'd felt like her body had been lit up from the inside. Every sexual switch had been flicked and all she'd wanted was for him to snatch her up and claim her right there, in front of her hosts.
Summer led her to the settee and slipped her hands down to hold Thalia's, fingers intertwined. Concern settled into her hostess's fair brows and dark eyes.
"Don't worry about Lox. He's … grumpy," Summer said softly. She glanced up at the front door. "I'm sorry. I really thought that would go better."
"Where is he?" Vall crossed his thick arms over his chest and leaned away from the side of the hearth.
"I'll go get him. The jerk." Summer sighed and stood, letting Thalia's hand go with a smile.
Glyn moved to the window beside the front door and made a wild beckoning motion. His shoulders sagged before Summer reached the door. "No, don't bother. He's mounted Frix. And now he's gone."
"I think I made a bad first impression," Thalia said as Summer joined her on the settee again. She hadn't meant to, but the desires had overcome her, overwhelmed her. She realized what she'd done, then: she'd been trying to push his buttons, trying to unleash whatever dominant nature the Alphan might possess. She'd wanted him to take her as much as she'd wanted to take him, to ride him, to claim him for her own. The desires warred with each other, but she knew she'd lost this round. She'd scared him off.
Vall grunted and let out a low sigh. "He's something of a coward."
"That's not fair," Glyn said as he crossed to sit in the heavy chair by the hearth. "By the same logic, you must think I'm a coward."
"You're not!" Vall shot him a hard look.
"I let our enemy go to save your life. Lox did nothing different—"
"They failed their mission because of that decision. That's the difference," Vall insisted. "And allowed one of our ships to be stolen, to fall into Xyran hands to be used against us later."
"Think what you like, but your heart knows the truth." Glyn clapped his hands against the rounded armrests of his chair and smiled over at Thalia and Summer. "Now! I've been smelling a delicious roast since we arrived. Is it ready yet?"
Summer laughed and shook her head. "We'll have to wait another two hours, at least."
Vall stepped away from the hearth entirely and fixed Summer with a heated look. He held out his hand to her. "There's much time to be made up, my love. Two hours would be a good start."
"But our guest." Summer bit at her bottom lip.
"I think a walk in your gardens would help me clear my head," Thalia said with an earnest smile. She didn't want to hinder her hosts from enjoying a much deserved reunion, but she didn't want to accidentally eavesdrop on them, either. Not when the back of her mind was still mired in thoughts of sex she wouldn't have. Sex she actually wanted to have.
She pushed herself up from the settee and excused herself, slipping outside before she made things more awkward with her presence.
There was no doubt in her mind she was intruding, no matter how gracious her hosts. Which meant the faster she found her men and claimed them, the sooner her new friends would be able to return to their lives.
In the distance, Lox rode on his kaballu, kicking up dust along the dirt road leading to the farm buildings surrounded by paddocks with what she knew couldn't be sheep. The scenery reminded her of a painting she'd seen as a child of a shepherd tending his flock.
She waited for a few minutes, then slipped quietly back into the house. Already her ears pricked up at the moans and grunts emanating from the master bedroom at the back of the house. Her hosts would definitely be occupied for some time, which meant she had time to take care of an errand and be back before they'd notice she'd been gone.
Lox had a bondmate, of course, and she had to meet him. Had to find out if he made her feel the same way. It was impulsive, probably crazy to trust her body, her hormones, but she'd made half her choice already. She wanted Lox. Or, at the very least, wanted to find out firsthand if he could give her what she needed.
Chapter Five
"I can't ever go back there again," Lox said after relating his story about their neighbor's human guest. He pressed his face into his hands, elbows on his knees, the mess of his long braid dangling into his lap.
"You're being dramatic. They're our friends, our brothers—"
"Were our brothers."
"Are our brothers." Korsik paused, but when Lox only growled in frustration, he licked his lips and continued. He hated that Lox's confidence in himself had been shaken as much as his own. Lox hadn't done anything wrong, not in his eyes, not in the eyes of many, but there were still those who called his honor into question. And those few managed to always overshadow the understanding provided by their friends. "You can't hide from everyone. If you become a hermit, you'll prove your bravery died on the battlefield. And we both know that isn't true. If it were, you wouldn't have visited Summer so many times, facing your jealousy. You wouldn't have taken up this new career or insisted I help you with your mad dvod obsession."
"We could have lived in the city, crammed into a townhouse, done menial odd jobs," Lox added, the tension easing out of the muscles in his neck. His eyes lifted to meet Korsik's. "We would've hated it."
Korsik grinned and reached across the gap between their chairs to place his hand on top of Lox's. Back then, Korsik had tried to insist he wouldn't like country living, that they'd go belly up and have to crawl back to the city, broke, embarrassed at yet another failure. He'd grumbled as much as Lox had about their new property needing so much initial work, but they'd both needed it. Despite not having any other feasible options, they'd fallen in love with the place. With the dvod. With the process of shearing, of carding the fiber, of learning spinning techniques, how to dye and weave.
"I can't explain the way she made me feel, just with a touch, a look," Lox said after a drawn out quiet moment, looking over at Korsik with pain in his eyes. "This isn't how I felt about Summer before she was claimed. It's too intense. Dangerous."
"She sounds like a problem, but that shouldn't keep us away from our friends." Korsik sighed, thinking of the stories he'd been told by his friends with human lovers. Almost all of them shared the same element of overwhelming attraction. A desire that couldn't be fought. But he and Lox, they weren't worthy, and Lox's infatuation with human women caused the man enough inner anguish without having one dangled in front of him, almost within reach. He gave Lox's hand a firm squeeze. "We'll go together to visit them until she's claimed. I'll keep you from acting out of line."
Lox bowed his head in a grateful nod, the expression on his angular face softer. He opened his mouth to speak again, but a firm knock at the door cut him off before he began and he shot to his feet. "If it's those blasted Purists…"
"Slam the door in their faces," Korsik offered as he retrieved his cup of juice from the table beside his chair. He sipped, watching Lox's shoulders heave as he braced himself before opening the door a fraction.
"Can I come in? Please?"
Korsik's heart sank at hearing the female voice from the other side of the door. Lox's body blocked his view of the woman, but there was no doubting it was Thalia. He set his cup down, pushed himself to his feet, and snatched his cane from its resting spot against the table. Moving as swiftly as he could, he sidled up to Lox and shot the beautiful woman a glare.
"Did Summer put you up to this?" Korsik demanded. Seeing Thalia was alone on their front step, there was no other conclusion he could draw. It was dangerous for her to be out wandering the countryside alone with Purists ready to deport her, but Summer was a meddler. She was sweet to those she cared about, but had a love of gossip and drama that knew no equal save for her friend Mina. He wouldn't put it past her to engineer some wild scheme with Th
alia at its heart.
"I came here to meet you," she said and eyed Korsik. Her gaze turned back to his bondmate. "And to see Lox again. On my own."
"You shouldn't be here," Lox mumbled, but his words sounded hollow. Tokens of resistance against his desire for the woman before them.
"Those Purists don't think I should be on your planet. I have a week to choose bondmates or—"
"We're not available," Korsik interjected, cutting off her little speech. He didn't want to hear it. She was standing there, taunting Lox, making Korsik feel as if he should get closer, smell her, taste her. He swallowed hard and gripped the head of his cane so hard his palm cramped.
"What? But … you don't have—"
"We aren't worthy to claim a human," Lox ground out, the words sounding as if he'd physically ripped them out of his chest.
"What if a human wants to claim you?" Thalia fisted her hands against her hips and glared back at them in turn. "I felt something, Lox. You were an asshole, but … at least do the honorable thing and get to know me? And if I imagined it, or if you don't feel anything for me, then I'll let Summer throw her party and meet all the other unclaimed Alphans she knows."
There was a challenge in her eyes, in her voice, even in her body language. Korsik felt Lox bristle beside him, standing up straight and rooted to the spot like a tree. No wonder Lox had been so irritable when he'd related his conversation with the woman. In spite of his better judgment, Korsik was intrigued. He wanted to know what lay underneath all that fire.
"Lox tells me you stowed away on Vall and Glyn's ship. Escaped Xyran slavers," Korsik said. He didn't know what else to say, how else to start a conversation that didn't involve the three of them butting heads like dvod in the rutting season.
Thalia nodded, a smile breaking the tension of the rounded features of her lovely face. "That wasn't the life I wanted."
"What makes you think this is?" Lox crossed his arms over his chest, muscles straining the thin sleeves of his shirt. "You don't know what it means to be a failure to your people."
"I couldn't stop that monster from killing my father and brother. If that isn't the definition of failing my people, I don't know what is!" Thalia's jaw set tightly, her arms crossed under her breasts in a mimic of Lox's pose.
Lox made a grumbling sound, but Korsik jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow before he could say anything more inflammatory. She was right—they didn't know her. And it seemed they might have more in common than whatever wild spark of attraction surged between Lox and Thalia.
"I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Korsik, Lox's bondmate." He frowned a little, feeling unsure of himself and a little guilty for having verbally jumped on a woman who was a guest to their homeworld, a guest to their friends. He was acting no better than the Purists he supposedly disagreed with. If Thalia thought the two of them, two has-beens, were worth something … who were they to argue with her? Maybe an alien perspective was what they needed. "You should come in."
****
The farmhouse was much smaller than Summer's, just one crescent-shaped story with a handsome little courtyard patio outside the sitting room and adjacent kitchen. A single fruit tree sprouted from the center of the courtyard, providing heavy shade to the wood benches beneath it. The sitting room itself was small and sparsely furnished, with only two upholstered chairs angled toward the simple brick fireplace, and a tall shelf containing books and curios.
Thalia wanted to see the rest, to tour the farm, to find out what these men did when they weren't carrying around chips on their shoulders.
She'd recognized Korsik as soon as she'd seen him: the Alphan with the stern expression and the cane from Glyn's image recorder. Lox had been in the image, too, but he looked so different with his incredibly long hair. He hadn't been scowling when they'd first met, either. Of course, now it seemed she'd managed to permanently etch that look into his face.
If he would give her a chance, a real chance, she knew she could undo that damage.
"I'll fetch snacks," Lox said in a grudging tone and stalked off to the kitchen.
Korsik closed the door, then turned to Thalia and took her hand. She felt the same electric chill she'd felt when Lox touched her, the racing spark that lit up her insides and shot throbbing heat between her thighs. Her head whipped to the side, dark eyes peering up into Korsik's golden gaze.
"Oh," he said, barely above a whisper, and licked his lips.
Thalia wondered if he could hear her heart beating wildly, could feel the thrum of her pulse in his hand. She hoped he could. Wanted him to stop searching her face and close the gap between them, embrace the charge in the air and kiss her until they both had to scramble for air. She gave his hand a squeeze, but was disappointed when he looked away.
"I think we should sit down," Korsik said and led her to the chairs.
Thalia sat in the chair Korsik indicated and folded her hands in her lap after smoothing the hem of her dress down over her knees. It was awkward to sit there, to look over at the open doorway of the kitchen, to watch Lox collect things onto a serving tray and act like nothing had happened. The lingering thoughts of touching, tasting one another, of exactly how the three of them could work their bodies together, wouldn't let her think of an uncharged topic. She'd meant to talk about herself, to learn about them, but all she wanted to do was strip down to nothing and demand they claim her.
She had a connection with these men. This time she hadn't imagined it! And Korsik's "oh" and his intense, hungry look … he'd felt it, too. There was no other explanation.
"Tell me, honestly, that you don't want to claim me," Thalia said, leveling her eyes at Korsik.
A metal utensil clattered to the wood floor in the kitchen.
"It's not a matter of what I … what we want—"
"It is. It has to be." Thalia reached across the arm of her chair to take Korsik's hand, but stopped herself halfway. She gripped the arm of her chair instead, leaning toward him without hiding her emotions. This pull, this desire had to mean something. For all of them. "I spent too many years pretending to want things I didn't. It's horrible. I don't wish that on anyone but my enemies."
"Why would you wish to tie yourself to disgraced men?" Lox asked from the entryway to the kitchen. The serving tray trembled in his grip.
"I felt something … a connection. With both of you." Thalia tried to keep the defensiveness out of her voice. It was difficult, but she had to try to keep the conversation civil. "Didn't you feel it?"
"I felt it," Korsik said, eyes locked on Lox. "You felt it. Don't lie to her."
"Then why fight it? Because you're farmers?" Thalia didn't understand. She knew the Alphans were a people of proud warriors. She could gather that Korsik's injury and their failed mission had ruined their military careers, but from what she'd learned about Alpha so far, she knew there was more to the pride of the Alphans than battle. They were artists, architects, engineers, politicians, chefs, farmers, families. She leaned back in her seat and tugged at the front of her sweater. "This fabric came from your farm. It's beautiful, something to be proud of. It took skill to make this, just like it takes skill to come out of a battle alive. There's no disgrace in living with the cards you've been dealt or making the most of what you have. You have this farm. You have each other."
Lox's throat bobbed, his scowl eased to something less angry and more confused. He crossed the room and set the tray across the armrests of both chairs.
Korsik looked from Lox to Thalia, then back again. No one spoke. No one moved to take any of the crackers or fruit pieces from the tray.
"We could…" Lox took Thalia's hand and pulled her to her feet. His brows jutted together, pained.
Thalia could tell he didn't know what to say, or couldn't find the right words. She stepped up to him, gave in to the magnetic drive to press her body against his, and pulled his hands to her hips. Her entire body flooded with heat at the feel of his solid torso, his arms around her, the hard length of his cock straining against
her. Clothing seemed unnecessary, but she wanted him to take the lead. Making him angry hadn't worked before. It was time to be direct. "We don't have to talk anymore."
****
Lox had fantasized about holding a woman in his arms for so long that he had no idea what to do next. By all accounts he'd heard and read, human women liked kisses on the lips and hugs, but he'd never thought to practice with Korsik. They held one another, sure, but he knew how firm to be with his bondmate. He knew what sorts of touches Korsik loved and which ones to avoid entirely. The fantasy women he'd imagined hadn't been real people, though. Even his crude thoughts about Summer had been a caricature of the woman he was too cowardly to make a true friend. Fantasy women loved everything he did with them, but Thalia…
His body hummed with the need to touch her, to smell her, to taste and tease. He wanted to hear her cry out in ecstasy, watch her beautiful face as he brought her pleasure. His arms tightened around the soft curves of her hips, hands drifting down to gently cup her shapely behind while he buried his face against her neck. The curls of her hair brushed against his forehead and the base of his horns, sending more intense sensations through his body.
She sighed and tilted her head when he pressed his lips to her smooth, warm skin. Encouraged, he licked, nipped, traced his hands up over her hips and the dip of her waist.
The leather of Korsik's chair protested as he stood and joined them, moving in behind Thalia to trap her between them. Their hands fumbled over one another as they caressed her. She turned her head to capture Korsik's lips in a kiss, and Lox gripped the edges of her dress, scrunching the silky fabric into his hands to lift it up. He was surprised his fingers didn't skim over any undergarments as he pushed her dress up over her soft thighs and the curve of her hips.
She hadn't been wearing anything beneath her dress when they'd argued, when she'd walked all the way to their home, even while she'd been sitting in his chair making him feel valuable with her brilliant words. The thought made his staff twitch within the too-tight confines of his pants.
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