by Ivy Barrett
Tarlon was right. He was being paranoid. But Nikki wasn’t just any female. She could one day be their mate.
He lifted her off his mouth for just a moment, not nearly done with her. “Suck my brother’s cock. I want to watch him fill your mouth while I fill your pussy.”
“With your tongue, right?” she asked in alarm. Her breasts jiggled as she shifted her head so she could look at him. “Just your tongue.”
“Or maybe my fingers.” He pushed two of his digits deep into her core, glorying in the softness and heat.
“Ok.” Then she closed her eyes and willingly rode his hand.
He shuttled in and out while he waited for her to obey his other order. Tarlon unfastened his uniform pants and freed his cock. Hearing the distinct hiss of a parting seam, she licked her lips and opened her eyes. Then she bent slightly so she could slide Tarlon into her mouth.
Sintar watched the thick column of flesh disappear between her lips and groaned. Excitement swelled inside him, feeding his voyeuristic appetite. He loved to watch and Tarlon loved to show off. As with every element of their lives, their needs complemented each other.
Keeping his gaze on the erotic sight of her soft lips wrapped around his brother, Sintar flicked her clit with the tip of his tongue while he vigorously fucked her with his fingers. She came again almost immediately. They would definitely have to work on her control. Besides she shouldn’t be coming without permission.
There were so many rules she needed to learn and so many punishments she’d endure. Just the thought of all they had to teach her made him ache all over.
Tarlon was going at her in earnest now, fucking her face with a similar desperation. She tilted her head back and took him deep into her mouth, already submitting whether she realized it or not. Tarlon was right. She wouldn’t stay defiant for long.
At the last minute, Tarlon jerked out of her mouth and came on her breasts. Sintar wasn’t sure he would have been able to stop. If Tarlon came in her mouth then Sintar would have to come inside her as well. The bonding must remain balanced, but she wasn’t ready for more.
Sintar brought her to one last release then lifted her off his face. He sat up and whipped her juices off his chin. Then he licked his fingers, not willing to squander a drop of her soothing cum.
She pulled her legs up to her chest, looking rather stunned. “What made you so… aggressive?”
“You did, silly girl,” Tarlon teased as he straightened his uniform. “You’re genetically compatible with us. Nature wants to make damn sure we procreate, so our bodies go into a sexual frenzy whenever we encounter a female capable of bearing our young.”
“I didn’t realize it would be this intense,” Sintar admitted, still feeling slightly high. “If I harmed you in anyway, I apologize.”
She seemed surprised by the comment, but just nodded.
Was this all it took to tame his hellcat? He’d make sure to lick her pussy whenever she turned feisty.
“I must be affected too,” she said quietly a few minutes later. “I don’t usually come every ten seconds like that. And my orgasms are never that intense.”
Tarlon grinned. “Maybe Sintar is just really good at it.”
She glanced at him then away. “Well, there’s that too.”
Had she just paid him a compliment? A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he resisted the urge. Couldn’t let her know how easily she could get to him. “I’m glad you enjoyed our attention, but from now on your pleasure belongs to us.”
“I despise cheaters,” she said firmly, her gaze suddenly fierce. “You don’t have to worry about that with me.”
“Glad to hear it but that’s not what I meant. Because your body belongs to us, you may only come when we give you permission.”
Her jaw dropped then snapped shut. “Seriously?”
She sounded dubious, so he stressed, “I’m very serious about this. Don’t put it to the test. It is a punishable offense.”
“Approaching destination. Please reactivate safety restraints,” the ship warned in Ventori.
Sintar got to his feet, then helped her stand. Her legs were still a little wobbly, so he stayed at her side. “My cock will fill you soon, hellcat. You might as well accept it.”
“What about Tarlon?” Her innocent expression contradicted the provocation in her tone.
“He will have you second.”
“Sintar is older,” Tarlon reinforced. “It’s his right to fuck your pussy first.”
“What about my rights?” she cried. “Doesn’t your potential mate have rights?”
“You get to decide when.” She didn’t immediately object, so Sintar said, “We’re almost there. You need to strap in.”
“I need something to wear.” She held out her arms, indicating her nude body. “I don’t think my dress is salvageable.”
“Well, it’s all we have right now. It will have to do.” He helped her back into the drab, shapeless garment and Tarlon handed her his belt. She quickly overlapped the ruined halves and fastened them in place with the belt. But as soon as she sat down the sides parted, revealing her legs and a teasing glimpse of her pussy.
“Perfect,” she muttered and did her best to hold the sides together.
They landed in a shuttle lot behind what had once been a school and climbed down from the shuttle. The sprawling brick building was one of the few to survive the Skarilian bombing of Glenwood Springs. The Colorado River was visible in the distance and the area was surrounded by rugged mountain peaks. The faint scent of pine drifted on the air, reminding him of Ventor before the devastation. He sighed, his momentary excitement fading away. All his planet smelled like now was scorched dirt and death.
Loax and Rentar Drey, along with their lovely mate Amanda, were waiting for them just outside the door.
“It’s great to see you again, Minister Orellian,” Rentar greeted with a smile.
“It’s Governor Orellian now,” Loax reminded, looking much less enthused than his younger brother.
Sintar couldn’t blame him. Sintar was more or less replacing Loax. “Just Sintar is fine. I don’t intend to stand on formality here.”
“Glad to hear it.” Loax brightened up a bit. “Everything is pretty casual right now and it seems to be working well.”
“This is our mate, Amanda,” Rentar introduced, his gaze shifting to Nikki.
“And this is our potential mate, Nichole,” Tarlon echoed.
“I prefer Nikki,” she corrected, but she was looking at Amanda, not the Drey brothers. “Have you been here long?”
“We were one of the first pods to arrive, but the camp has only been open for a few weeks. Still, it’s so much better than being cooped up on one of their ships. I think you’ll like it.”
“Is Jessica around?” Nikki asked. She was standing at an odd angle with both hands pressed to her legs. Were the Drey brothers making her nervous, or was she worried that someone would notice her ruined dress and guess what had happened on the shuttle?
“I’m sure we can find her,” Amanda was saying. She looked at her mates and then at him. “Is it all right if we go find Jessica?”
Sintar nodded, then on impulse added, “Find her something else to wear. That garment was damaged earlier.”
Nikki’s cheeks turned bright red, but she said nothing as she turned and followed Amanda into the building. Had he made the situation worse rather than better? Females were so complicated.
“Would you like a guided tour, or would you prefer to look around on your own?” Rentar asked.
“I’ll make my assessment over the next few days,” Sintar told him. “Have accommodations been arranged?” He dreaded the answer, knew whatever they’d arranged would fall short of his usual standards.
“There are three houses nearby,” Loax explained. “You’re welcome to any of them. All three have been inspected for structural integrity and cleaned. If you don’t like the furnishings, feel free to ‘shop’ in the surrounding properties.”
“Correct.” Loax’s expression was still rather tense. “I’ll show you what’s available.”
Sintar turned to his brother. “Why don’t you choose the house? I have no preference as long as the bed is big enough for all three of us. Or let Nikki choose. She’ll spend more time there than either of us.”
“And what are you going to do?” Tarlon wanted to know.
“Begin my assessment. I’d rather get right to work.”
Tarlon rolled his eyes. “As usual. You do realize I’ll have her to myself until you manage to pull yourself away from pressing business.”
Sintar moved closer and lowered his voice to a menacing growl. “Play all you like, but do not fuck her until I return.”
“Then you better not take too long. You’re not the only one in rut.”
“Understood.”
* * *
Jessica cried out happily and ran across the large, industrial kitchen to hug Nikki. Nikki laughed, not expecting such a warm reception. There were three other women in the kitchen, but they continued working after one curious glance.
“Welcome to Camp Accord.” Jessica stepped back and looked her over. “Good lord, where did you get that dress? Was it a punishment?”
Amanda laughed. “It is remarkably ugly.”
Nikki shrugged, stubbornly holding the ripped material together over her legs. “It’s a minor rebellion. If they insist on choosing our clothes for us, then I’m going to look as dowdy as possible.”
“Well, you’ve got a serious case of sex hair too, so apparently the strategy failed.”
Jessica’s tone was light and playful, so Nikki didn’t take offense. Besides, it was true. She’d tried smoothing down her hair, but it was going to take more than her fingers to undo the damage. “Can you fix me before anyone else sees? I’m already humiliated enough.”
“Don’t be.” Jessica waved away her concern. “I arrived naked and was punished in front of everyone before I could say hello.”
“And wow, what a punishment.” Amanda fanned her face. “I couldn’t decide if I was mortified for you or jealous.”
And of course the vague description sent Nikki’s agile mind into a frenzy trying to fill in the blanks. What in the world had Fortar pod done to Jessica that made Amanda both mortified and jealous?
Rather than leaping right to what she really wanted to know, Nikki started with, “Why were you punished?”
“I ran my mouth to the high command and wouldn’t back down even after Chancellor Savator warned me to be respectful.”
Defiance and disrespect were Nikki’s stock and trade. Maybe she better find out what she was in for before she continued her rebellion. “Do you mind if I ask what they did? This all seems so strange to me.”
Jessica looked at Amanda. They exchanged knowing expressions then Jessica shook her head. “If you’re still embarrassed by a rip in your dress, you’re not ready to know.”
She was probably right, but it still annoyed Nikki to be left in the dark.
Jessica told one of the other kitchen workers that she’d be gone for a while. The woman smiled and waved her on, clearly unconcerned about her departure. Did they put Prozac in the scrambled eggs? Why was everyone so damn happy?
“Let’s go to my house,” Jessica proposed. “Rook brought me a batch of clothes yesterday. I haven’t even had time to sort through them.”
Amanda’s gaze swept over Nikki’s shape, clearly assessing her fashion needs. “She’s closer to my size than yours.” She scowled at Jessica then smiled. “We can’t all be built like rock stars.”
They exited through the same door they’d used a few minutes earlier. This area seemed almost untouched by the war that had cost millions of humans their lives, but Nikki had seen the devastation from the air. Just a few miles away the mountain sides were scorched and buildings laid to waste.
There hadn’t seemed to be any rhyme or reason to the Skarilian attacks. They obliterated one city while leaving the next untouched. But one thing had been certain. The human race would have ended if the Ventori hadn’t offered their assistance.
She looked up, soaking in the sunshine and admiring the cloudless sky. It was vividly blue, rather like the marbling in Tarlon’s dark eyes. She forced the thought aside, determined to think of something other than her suitors for a few minutes.
“So what’s with the chokers?” Nikki asked. Both women wore metallic bands circling their necks. They looked like a cross between a piece of jewelry and a pet collar. From the band hung a charm bearing an engraved symbol. Each symbol was unique and intricate. “Does the symbol mean something?”
“Mine means I belong to Drey pod,” Amanda told her proudly.
“And mine is for Fortar pod,” Jessica explained.
“But you’re their mate, not their pet. Why do they make you wear a collar?” This was as demeaning as calling someone ‘master.’
“They don’t ‘make’ me do anything,” Amanda insisted. “I proudly wear their symbol. And no, they don’t consider me a pet. Besides, the collar makes damn sure the other males are respectful to me. They know who they’ll answer to if they’re not.” When Nikki had no response, Amanda asked, “How long has Orellian pod been courting you?”
Nikki looked at Jessica, expecting her to react to the news. Jessica didn’t seem surprised. “You clearly knew about this already. It only happened this morning. How did you find out?”
Jessica cringed. “It sounds like I knew about it before you did.”
“And how did that happen?” Nikki wasn’t sure why she cared, but she found it annoying. Did everyone here know Sintar and Tarlon were courting her? Of course they did, because they’d all experienced Ventori courting for themselves.
“Dare is friends with one of the lab workers at Protectorate Headquarters, so he asked his friend to keep him informed of the most recent developments. Apparently this friend told Dare before the chancellor had a chance to tell you and Orellian pod. Please don’t get him in trouble. He didn’t mean any harm.”
With one final surge of frustration that her private life had become gossip fodder, Nikki took a deep breath and let it go. “So how long were each of you able to hold out against your suitors?”
“I was contracted to mine, so there was no reason to ‘hold out,’” Amanda said.
“But they introduced you as their mate, not their carnal companion,” Nikki reminded as they crossed an overgrown athletic field.
“I triggered a sort of sexual frenzy in my males,” Amanda explained. “That’s how they realized I was a potential mate.”
Nikki nodded then looked at Jessica. “And Rook rescued us, which led him to you. Did you put up a fight?”
“Not much of one,” Jessica admitted. “Rut doesn’t just affect the males. I couldn’t keep my hands off them. In fact, I still can’t. My life has been more adventurous than most, but these guys make me horny twenty-four/seven.”
Boy, could Nikki relate. She’d never considered herself a particularly sexual person. She didn’t dislike sex. It just wasn’t that important to her. But one hour with the Orellian brothers and she was… ready to be their submissive? That possibility brought her semi-dreamy thoughts to a grinding halt. That’s what Sintar wanted. There was no doubt about it. She couldn’t deny her attraction to him, but that sexual dynamic had always seemed demeaning to her.
Jessica wrapped her arm around Nikki’s shoulders and gave her an almost maternal squeeze. “We’ve both been there, Nikki. Ventori expectations are so different from human independence and individuality. It’s really hard to reconcile the two.”
“But none of this works until you stop trying to think of them in human terms,” Amanda added. “They’re not human. And we have chosen to join their world, not the other way around.”
“I chose to visit their world for one
year,” Nikki objected. “Bonding for life was not in my contract.”
“Was money the only reason you volunteered?” Challenge threaded through Amanda’s casual tone.
Nikki’s first instinct was to tell her to mind her own business. Instead, she held back her temper and thought about the question. “It was never about money for me. I needed a change, a way to check out from all that had happened so I could…I don’t know, relaunch my life once the year was over.”
“I think a lot of us felt that way,” Jessica said, her expression understanding.
Neither of them asked for details and Nikki was relieved. Thinking about the past was still depressing and painful. Talking about it generally brought her to tears, and she was beyond sick of crying. Nothing she said or did could bring back the dead or undo the devastation left behind by the Skarilians. Still, it all seemed so needless, so pointless.
“I’ll offer one warning, and please take it seriously.” Amanda’s serious expression reinforced her tone.
“All right.”
“When and if they ask about your past, don’t mention specific lovers. Ventori Defenders, especially when they’re in rut, are extremely possessive. Thinking of you with anyone else will drive them crazy.”
“She’s right, Nikki,” Jessica nodded, her expression suddenly as grim as Amanda’s. “Never mention another male to your potential mates. Like Amanda said, they go a little crazy.”
Nikki accepted the advice with a nod, but her imaginative mind scrambled to fill in the blanks. Would they punish her? Reject her? What exactly did ‘go a little crazy’ mean? Unable to puzzle through it, yet too embarrassed to ask, she shook away the troubling concept and focused on the task at hand.
Amanda’s house turned out to be a nice two-story on the same street as Jessica’s. It was easy to look at the undamaged homes and pretend that two-thirds of the planet wasn’t uninhabitable. They entered through the front door. Nikki glanced around at the coordinated furniture and well-organized living spaces. It all looked nice, but ordinary.
Until the two alien masters return from work and tell their human slave to get naked. The thought was unkind and Amanda was trying hard to make Nikki feel welcome. It wasn’t Amanda’s fault that Nikki found it all slightly hypocritical.