by Lucy Kelly
“Great! Then let’s get going. Like I told my sister, I’m really tired.”
“After we take you to your car, we are also going to follow you home, and make sure your domicile is safe,” said Jorne.
“Then we are going to make sure you remain safe,” said Tonne.
She gave them both a startled deer-in-the-headlights look. “Um…how, exactly, do you plan on doing that?” she asked.
“By staying very close. Until we are certain all the miscreants are captured, we will be nearby,” said Jorne.
“I’m a very understanding boss. Give ‘em a laptop and they can work anywhere. They take up a lot of space, but they are housebroken. I promise,” said Jack.
Too tired to argue, Aimeé got into the backseat and curled up in the corner, sinking into the luxurious leather seats. Jorne got in next to her with Tonne sitting in the passenger seat. Normally, the two of them argued over the human ‘shotgun’ position, but now Tonne was jealous of his brother sitting so near their woman. They would need to tell her soon. Unless a safe place could be found nearby, they would have to take her to the space station for the joining flight. They were barely out of the parking lot, when the day’s events caught up with Aimeé, and she was fast asleep. Jorne pulled her away from the door and into his arms…where she belonged.
Chapter Eleven
HeVan…
Grace woke slowly. The first thing she noticed was that she wasn’t in her own bed. The second thing was that she was alone. Where were her Ankida? Jalen! She sat up in the bed, took a look around, and groaned. She was in medical. She hurt all over, and Jalen was in the bed next to her, still sleeping. Everything that happened came flooding back to her.
She was no longer surprised at the aches she felt throughout her body. She was amazed she wasn’t injured more seriously. Addie’s daughters must have stepped in. She was awed at their abilities. The last thing she remembered was everything around her exploding and a lot of pain. Obviously, she’d completed the teleportation, she’d been worried about blacking out before they made it.
Her next thought was—she had to make sure nothing like it ever happened again. First, there would be no more nookie on the transport. Any new transport had better have shields or some other, super advanced, space technology thingy, which made them invincible. Because there was no way she wanted to experience something like that ever again!
A low groan from the neighboring bed turned her attention to Jalen. She gingerly climbed down from the med-bed, and took the two steps over to Jalen. She was happy to feel the cold floor under her feet. A few more bruises and aches were making themselves known in her body.
Taking a hold of Jalen’s hand, she watched as he woke. She loved all of her Ankida. Each of them was special in different ways. That’s why she’d gone back for Jalen; she couldn’t face losing any of them. They were all three part of her.
Leaning over, she kissed his full lips, and was pleased when he raised his head to follow, as she pulled away again.
“I always love waking to your kisses. You pulled off a miracle, didn’t you? I was sure I was going to die,” he whispered to her.
Grace pulled herself up so they could hold each other close.
“You take care of me, and I take care of you; that’s how this works. God, Jalen!” she cried.
He held her close while she broke down. She was his miracle, so strong and yet she needed him. From the various pains he was feeling, they had not escaped without being hurt. Looking around, his thoughts were confirmed when he saw they were in medical. It must be late or someone would have come in to check on them.
Grace was calming and he ran his hand over her head and down her back as far as he could reach. He took the moment, not getting many opportunities to have Grace all to himself. He loved his brothers and making love to her together was incredibly special. Yet having her all to himself, from time to time, was also wonderful. He had all her attention and she had all of his.
“I love you, Grace. You, our children, and my brothers, are my world. I’m just a little angry with you for risking your life by coming back for me. At the same time, I’m so grateful not to have lost you.”
She raised her head at the word angry and looked into his pale blue eyes as he spoke. Just like a man, to think it was okay to risk his life, and not okay for her to risk hers. At least he recognized the fact she had saved them. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing Jett’s and Justyn’s reactions. Especially Justyn…he felt things so deeply and she’d been in his arms when she went back for Jalen.
“I love you too. Right now, though, I need to see our girls. I need to see Jett and Justyn, and make sure they’re okay. How do we get released? Can we just leave?” she asked.
Understanding, he gave her a quick kiss. He could tell their vitals were being tracked. So somewhere, someone knew they were awake, and Grace had left her med-bed and gotten into his. He appreciated the fact they were being given this time together without interruption. He also knew it wouldn’t last; a medical would want to come in and scan them. When he heard footsteps approaching, he knew their time alone was at an end. What surprised him, instead of a medical, Kylan Azazyel entered the room.
“It’s good to see you are both awake. I have a lot to tell you,” said Kylan.
He went on to explain about the babies and Addie healing them initially. Addie had to come back to heal them two more times because their injuries were so severe. How both of them would have died, if not for Cara and Dilys. The babies slept for almost ten hours, which worried Grace and Jalen both.
“Are they okay?” Grace said.
“They were scanned right away. Neither of them was hurt at all. They just depleted themselves. We think they understood they had to hold on as long as they did or we would have lost you. They didn’t try to heal you again, they let Addie and the medicals take over from there. Even now, you aren’t fully healed. But you are both out of danger. You can finish healing without help,” he said.
“Is Addie okay?” was Grace’s next question, upset with herself.
“Like Cara and Dilys, she healed until her own collapse each time. She’s okay, we scanned her after each session, and she wasn’t damaged at all. Her power has grown more than any other Nam-Nin. I don’t want you to worry; it’s not why I’m here.”
“What’s wrong? Is someone hurt because of what I did?” Grace asked. “I never meant to hurt anyone. I just couldn’t bear to let Jalen die. Tell me, what’s wrong?” she wanted to know.
“Justyn has claimed Mok-Tar justice,” he said boldly.
Unlike Addie, Grace had studied all the laws and the history of Nephilim law. She knew what Justyn was doing and didn’t know how to react. She expected something, but not this.
“I thought the Mok-Tar was outlawed,” she said. Now she had a new worry.
“No, it just went out of favor when we became more civilized as a people. It became part of our past. I wasn’t there when you came back. I was at the House of Purgat, meeting with your grandmother. My perception is the sight of your bodies so burned and broken affected him so sharply, he felt this was his only recourse,” Kylan explained.
“He wants to send a message,” said Jalen, understanding right away. Grace looked back at him. “He wants it known throughout HeVan that if anyone comes after you, he will go after them and kill them in a very public way. Not only will they be dead, but their family and associates will also be marked. It’s brutal and bloody and it will work.”
Grace didn’t know how she felt about all this. On the one hand, as a police officer, she didn’t condone such tactics. On the other hand, she wasn’t on Earth. She had children to worry about, and they couldn’t be allowed to be in danger—ever. Finally, her female self was completely turned on that he would do this for her and their daughters. She wouldn’t ever tell them, though. She might tell Addie, who would understand.
“Where is he? I need to see him. Does he know we’re healed?” she asked.
“That is th
e main reason I came. He and two investigators from the House of Assama went back to Celestia to start the Mok-Tar journey. You’ve been unconscious for nearly a week. Much has happened…” he started to explain.
“Okay, I want to hear it all. First, I want to be released from here to go see my daughters. Who’s been taking care of them? And if Addie’s been taking time to heal us, who’s been taking care of her daughters?”
She had many questions and she needed to get out of medical so they could be answered. It was time to put her life back on track, with her in the driver’s seat.
It took another hour to be released and then they were headed back to their own quarters in the palace. By that time, Jett had arrived to help by bringing them both clothes and shoes. Grace held on to Jett for several minutes, just feeling his body against hers. She still didn’t feel complete, though, because Justyn wasn’t there.
It was a slow walk, since both Grace and Jalen were still sore. Though all their organs and tissues were healed, they were still fresh and tender. Jett tried to convince them to wait until morning to see their daughters, but Grace felt she had to touch them and watch them sleep for a bit. A side effect of her healing—plus the fact she’d been away from her girls for four days, meant her milk had dried up. Her daughters were six weeks old, and she would miss the connection she had with them when they nursed from her breast. As much as she wanted to jump back into her investigation, she needed to reconnect with her babies.
Though Jett said they were sleeping, when she crept up to the crib they shared, they were all three wide awake and looking at her. Grace was smiling through her tears as she picked up and cuddled each one in turn. That didn’t mean the other two waited in the crib. Jalen also needed to reconnect, so when Grace picked up Jordan, he picked up Rebeccah and Jett picked up Harriett. After five or ten minutes, they would switch babies until each had time with all three of them.
Grace didn’t let them go until all three had been fed, changed, and fallen back to sleep. Even then, she was reluctant. She’d almost lost this and it wasn’t going to happen again. She held her anger down deep, kissed their soft cheeks, and breathed in their sweet baby smell. After they left the nursery and were far enough down the corridor, nearly to their private quarters, she spoke.
“This can’t happen again. I lost my parents. I was older, but I had years with them. As great as my grandparents were, it’s not the same." She strode into the room and then turned to face her Ankida. After taking a few deep breaths, she continued to speak, "Our daughters are not going to grow up without all their parents being there for them. I’m also not willing to give up our role as arbiters. We are needed, so you have to come up with a way to make sure we are safe. I don’t care if we have to travel in a tank, though that probably sends the wrong message,” she shook her head and waved her arms. “Anyway, you know what I mean. So go out and invent Wonder Woman’s invisible jet or a Nephilim stealth fighter, whatever. If you can’t, we won’t be traveling together in the future. I can’t…I can’t…” she broke down and started crying again.
Jett picked her up when her legs went weak. She was sobbing now. Jalen and Jett’s eyes met over her head. They both understood this was about more than the current situation. Jett carried her to the bed, and lay down with her in his arms. Jalen removed her shoes and with Jett's help they removed her clothes, then removed their own, before repositioning themselves in bed on either side of her.
All at once, Grace’s tears turned to need. She’d almost died, she needed to reaffirm she was alive. She felt Jett in front of her, with Jalen behind her and she wanted desperately to make love with them.
“I feel so empty. I need you to fill me,” she told them. Both the men could easily read the stark emotion in her eyes.
“Jalen, give her what she needs,” said Jett.
Jett had not only almost lost his mate; he’d almost lost his brother too. Right now, he needed to watch them together—two people he loved—make love. He needed to watch the affirmation of love and proof of their joint recovery.
Briefly looking into his eyes, Jalen understood. He reached for Grace, coming over her in the bed. For a moment, he held himself there as the two of them stared at each other. Propping his weight on one forearm, Jalen let his fingers follow his eyes, as he searched Grace’s face for signs of pain. He relearned the contours of her cheeks, her lips, and jaw, while he gently traced her features.
Grace looked up into Jalen’s eyes. As he reached his fingers toward her face, she held perfectly still, allowing him total access. When he began to caress her, she could feel the love in his touch. Her Ankida didn’t put their love for her in words very often. As strong warriors, they felt admitting the emotion aloud would weaken them in some ephemeral way.
She knew Justyn was still coming to terms with the attack. For now, she had to put Justyn—even Jett, to some extent—from her mind. She gave Jalen the whole of her focus. As he looked at her, she also looked at him. Were the fine lines at the corners of his eyes deeper? Did she see a hint of gray at his temples?
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Grace, Jalen closed the distance between them for a kiss. The slightest brush of his lips on hers made her heart race and her blood heat. This…yes, this is what she needed. She craved the rejoining of their spirits, not just a physical rejoining.
Jalen deepened the kiss. Grace brought up her hands and allowed them some wandering of their own. She felt the strength of his arms and shoulders. Then she smoothed her hands down his back, to return up his spine, pulling him closer. She wanted full body contact, and he gave it to her.
Jalen also wanted the contact. The feel of her soft, unblemished skin, heating at his touch, soothed those few worries still lurking at the back of his mind. As a warrior and protector, he felt he’d failed. His guilt would subside only by proving to his inner beast that she’d completely recovered from her wounds, though it would never be forgotten. Like Justyn, he longed to challenge their attackers. That anger turned to passion and he fed the flames, touching Grace’s body with fast, searching fingers. He suddenly wanted to plunge into her depths and take her, beginning the age-old dance of lovers. Even though each time they came together, it was somehow new and different.
Grace felt his gentleness and, at the same time, his leashed strength. She needed him to let go, to lose control. Urging him on, she wrapped her long legs around him, opening herself. He tore his mouth away from hers to feast on her throat and clamp down on the sensitive tendon between neck and shoulder.
“Now! I want you inside me now,” she urged, even as she reached between them to guide him to her.
“Yes,” he said, rising up to increase his leverage and deepen his penetration. He wanted to touch her heart and soul, join them together so tightly they would never be torn apart again.
He didn’t realize he’d spoken his wish aloud until she answered him.
“Don’t you know—that’s why I went back? I can’t live without all of you—you’re all part of me.”
Her words unleashed his frenzy. He began thrusting faster and harder. Grace had to put her arms over her head and brace herself for the power of his possession.
Jett watched, sitting on the side of the bed. His own breathing grew ragged, his heart jumping, as they came together. While part of him wanted to join in, to touch Grace as his brother was touching her—another part, the larger part—needed to imprint this memory on his brain. His mate was whole. His brother was whole. He hadn’t lost either of them. The proof was right in front of him.
All of a sudden, he felt like laughing, so he did. A loud belly laugh got their attention. They slowed their lovemaking and looked at him. Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, he tried to explain the profound feeling he had.
“You’re both alive and fucking so hard—I’m surprised the bed hasn’t been knocked off its legs. I’m not going to lose you, either of you,” he explained, telling them and reaffirming it for himself.
Grace held o
ut a hand. “Come here,” she said, taking hold of his erect cock. Jalen had put her legs over his forearms to open her up to his thrusts. Now Grace pulled Jett close until she could take him deep in her mouth.
The three of them together went on to reaffirm their connection in the most basic way. Afterwards, they lay side by side. Their bodies were spent, slicked with perspiration, lungs heaving to bring in much needed air. All three reached out, one to the other, and clasped hands. The sex had ended, for now. The loving would endure…forever.
Chapter Twelve
Earth…
Becky lay slumped between her two Ankida. She didn’t say anything until she got her breath back. As happened often, in the time since she’d been captured and tortured during her last assignment for the CIA, she woke from a nightmare, screaming. Ishme and Nyal then proceeded to make love to her so she could have better memories, and be able to fall back asleep.
The bed dipped next to her hip when Nyal returned from the bathroom with a glass of cool water and a damp cloth. While Becky drank, he ran the cloth over her heated body, cooling and cleaning.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile, handing him the empty glass.
Ishme pulled her into his arms. “Do you feel better now? If you’re still too tense to sleep, I can give you a massage,” he said.
Putting her arm around his nape, she pulled him in for a kiss. “I’m feeling just fine. The two of you are very good to me. I’m sorry I’m such a crybaby.”
“You are not a crybaby. I would prefer you didn’t speak badly about the woman I love. You went through a traumatic experience. Experienced soldiers often have similar issues dealing with all they go through in war. You, as strong a woman as you are, had to face much more. The bad dreams don’t come as often as they once did. You are healing more and more each day,” he said in a soft voice.