“No, we wanted to share a meal with you while wearing clothes.” There was a wicked note in Aeron’s voice.
Remembering how she’d let them eat off her body last night, Brianna’s face flamed at his words even as her pussy dampened. “I—” She was cut off by the sound of an unfamiliar female voice.
“Aeron, Hauk!” A tall, incredibly beautiful Luminet female with dark hair and a fitted shift that left nothing to the imagination was waving at the men from across the street.
As she strode toward them, Brianna could clearly see that the woman wasn’t wearing anything underneath her pale pink shift. Her nipples and other parts were perfectly on display. When Hauk and Aeron both smiled in recognition and stood, it was like a punch to Brianna’s senses.
First the woman hugged Aeron, then Hauk, rubbing her breasts up against each man far longer than necessary. And she was so tall and lithe; the woman looked perfect next to both men. Like she belonged there. Gritting her teeth, Brianna shoved her silly jealousy back down. Of course these men had friends—though from her enthusiastic greeting it was clear this beautiful female wanted to be more than just friends. Ugh. The thought bothered her.
Brianna’s annoyance grew as the men stood there talking and didn’t introduce Brianna. Before the tall female left she made it very clear she wanted to have the brothers over for dinner this week and eating was not on the menu. Worse, Aeron said yes. Well, he vaguely committed, but still.
After the woman left, both men sat back down, perfectly at ease as they picked up their menus. “What do you suggest, Brianna?” Hauk asked. “Aeron said you practically live here during the week.”
The rational part of Brianna’s brain told her to play it cool and keep her mouth shut, but she couldn’t. She would never be hard-wired for that. “Who was that woman and why didn’t you introduce me?” Instead of ignoring her like she meant so little to them.
Though it was subtle, there was a slight change in their posture. Hauk cleared his throat, but Aeron answered. “That was Ipsa…Namari’s sister, and she can be temperamental.” He shot a quick look at his brother. “We didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or for her to try to embarrass you. She can be like that.”
“That’s why we rushed her out of here,” Hauk added.
Brianna snorted. “So you think I should be okay with you dismissing my presence in front of your deceased mate’s family? How would you feel if some hot guy approached me and asked me to have dinner at his place in front of you two and I just ignored you? Didn’t even have the decency to introduce you?”
“It’s not like that,” Hauk murmured, his voice soothing as he reached out a hand to take hers.
She ignored his hand and picked up her menu. While she wanted nothing more than to just head across the street and return to work, she didn’t because she knew it could cause a scene.
“Sweetheart, we’re sorry. We’re not ashamed of you. We’re proud of you.” Aeron tried to reach for her other hand but she ignored him too. She didn’t want either of them touching her.
Making it worse, they both looked so damn clueless, as if they couldn’t understand why she was upset.
“Brianna…we really are proud of you. You’re beautiful and smart and I want everyone to know you’re ours but Ipsa can be cruel. We just…” Hauk spread his hands out in a helpless gesture.
Hurt burned through her as if she’d actually been scorched, but she shoved it away. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Even if she knew she should talk, her throat was too tight to get many words out. How could they say they wanted to mate with her, then treat her with such disrespect in front of others?
An uneasy silence followed, but thankfully neither man tried to argue with her. She didn’t think the brothers had intentionally wanted to hurt her, but it still cut deep. Right now she wasn’t sure how to handle her feelings, and she didn’t want to lash out and say something she’d regret. She bit her tongue and tried to ignore the lump in her throat even though their date was already ruined.
* * *
Brianna shut down her holographic screen and stood, feeling a lot better than she had a few hours ago. Somehow she’d managed to close her mind off about relationship stuff and focus purely on her work. She was so grateful to be living on a peaceful planet where she could do work that she actually enjoyed—instead of just trying to survive day to day. That reminder had allowed her to focus.
Of course now that she was getting ready to head to Hauk and Aeron’s house she was feeling edgy again. Mid-day meal had been awkward for all of them and she hated that. She knew there would be an adjustment period, but no matter what she wanted this to work. Despite their clueless attitudes earlier both men cared deeply for her. And she wouldn’t let her own insecurities get in the way. So what if she’d never been in a real relationship? She wasn’t walking away from Aeron or Hauk.
She simply couldn’t. While the sex was amazing, she’d already been in love with Aeron before agreeing to try this whole mating thing. Now that she’d gotten to know Hauk…the man had stolen her heart too. Both men were pig-headed and domineering but they always listened to what she had to say. They were giving, clearly good fathers and incredibly protective of those they considered theirs.
After packing up her hand-held computer so she could get some work done at home tonight, she headed for the nearest transport platform. The office had nearly emptied out and because of her attack her boss had already locked everything down early just to be safe. So everyone in the building was an employee and no one outside of the company had access to the current transport platform codes. Something Brianna appreciated.
As she reached the transport station right outside her office, the receptionist Leilani flashed onto the platform. The woman was human like Brianna and the same height, but she was leaner and always seemed to be full of energy.
“Hey! Glad I caught you. I tried to reach you on your communicator but couldn’t get through. A man named Aeron left a message asking you to pick up dessert from the Venesian place across the street before heading home.”
“He did?” Brianna pulled her communicator out of her bag and saw the battery was dead. Probably why he hadn’t called himself. She’d been so determined to get work done she hadn’t realized it had been off either. But he could have called her office…
“Yeah…I gotta take this before I get out of here.” Leilani tapped her ear, motioning to her headset as she stepped out of the way and began talking at a rapid fire pace to someone on the other end.
Brianna was surprised Aeron didn’t want her coming straight home as he’d pretty much ordered her to do this morning, but since the restaurant was just across the street she figured that was why. Instead of typing in the code for the restaurant, she walked there, but only after making sure the street was crowded enough—just in case her attacker was lurking in the shadows. The past few days had been quiet thankfully. Her house had been under surveillance and there had been no unusual activity there or at her job so she was hopeful it was a random attack and the perpetrator would be caught soon.
She wasn’t sure what Aeron was up to, but maybe he had fun plans for the dessert. He’d certainly enjoyed eating off her yesterday. So had Hauk. She couldn’t fight the blush creeping up her neck as she waited for her order. Since Leilani’s message had been brief she ordered her favorite; triple layer suklaada cake. She’d never had it before arriving on Lumineta but it was sweet, divine and made her mouth water just thinking about it. And the thought of licking it off of Aeron’s washboard abs or Hauk’s… She shifted in her seat, her face heating even more as one of the servers brought her a box with a pretty black and white bow on it.
After paying she tried to use the transport platform but discovered it was down for maintenance. Just great. Sighing, she scanned the street and outside patio before exiting the front door. She would just use the one at work. She’d taken two steps when a tall woman blocked her path. The elegant lines of her face were twisted into an angry mask.
Brianna tensed, especially considering what Hauk and Aeron had said about her. Definitely not who Brianna wanted to see right now. Before she could blink, however, she noticed the wicked looking dagger in the other woman’s hand.
“Scream and I’ll gut you right here, whore,” the woman rasped out in a quiet, furious voice. The rage in her dark eyes nearly floored Brianna.
Oh, shit. Blood chilled Brianna’s veins as her fingers lost their grip on the dessert box. What the hell was she going to do now?
Chapter 10
Aeron pressed the buzzer to Brianna’s building and Hauk slammed his fist against the glass door. It rattled under the extreme pressure so Aeron grabbed Hauk’s arm and pulled him back. “Calm down. Breaking the door where she works will only make Brianna angry.”
“I don’t care. I’d rather her be angry than…” Hauk trailed off, glancing away.
Aeron knew why his brother was worried because he was too. He’d just received a call from Ipsa’s father that she had what his people called space sickness. She’d been on mission after mission even before Namari had died and had apparently started to lose touch with reality. They’d been told she had a tendency to fly into rages and could become uncontrollable over any perceived slight. Aeron didn’t remember seeing her except for the year after her sister’s funeral. She’d been travelling constantly since then. She wrote, but that was about it.
Seeing her earlier had stunned him for multiple reasons. Ipsa looked so much like Namari that he’d expected to feel that familiar ache he used to experience around her because of her similar appearance. But this time he’d felt nothing except protective of Brianna. He didn’t know Ipsa well but she’d been very different from her sister. Loud, opinionated and uncaring of others’ feelings. Without even saying a word to Hauk earlier, he’d known his brother had wanted to protect Brianna from the other woman too.
Unfortunately they’d fucked things up and hurt Brianna. Something he hated. Putting sadness in her eyes tore him up inside.
Aeron looked around, scanning the street and Venesian restaurant across from them. Stark relief punched into him as he watched Brianna exiting the other building. She was carrying a big white box and looked a little flushed. Why was she there? Why hadn’t she gone straight home like they’d ordered? And why wasn’t she answering her communicator? He’d tried calling her but hadn’t been able to get through. He took a step forward when Ipsa’s long, lean form appeared from around the side of the building. She moved so quickly it stunned him.
“Shit,” Hauk muttered as Aeron tensed.
Aeron wanted to rush right over there, but Hauk pulled him off the main walkway to Brianna’s building and into the shadows where they were guarded by lush trees. “What the hell are you doing?” he snarled.
“Just wait.” Hauk’s voice was barely above a whisper.
Tense, Aeron didn’t want to wait for anything. He wanted to rush over there and drag Brianna into his arms. Especially if Ipsa had been the one behind the attack. Her father had seemed to think her mentally unstable and determined to mate now that she’d returned to Lumineta for a while. It was impossible to see if the woman had any weapons with her back to them, but her entire body was tense as she faced off with Brianna.
“If we rush over there, she might harm Brianna. We can’t let her see us.” Hauk’s voice was steady and Aeron was glad his brother was being the voice of reason.
Right now Aeron wasn’t thinking like a trained warrior, like a hunter. He was feeling irrational and protective.
Staying immobile he watched as Brianna tried to walk around the other woman, then froze. Eyes wide, she dropped the box she was carrying then allowed Ipsa to take her arm and draw her into the shadows and around the corner of the small restaurant.
Hauk let out a savage curse and they both moved into action, racing across the street. Aeron made a motion with his hand that he would take the east side and follow their trail. Hauk nodded and jumped over the small fenced area of the outdoor patio. There were a few Luminet women there, eating and laughing—and none of them realized a woman had just been taken because they hadn’t been paying attention.
Aeron heard someone gasp as Hauk barreled through the small crowd, knocking over a chair in his rush, but he tuned it out as he flattened himself against the exterior wall. Peering around the corner, he saw Brianna struggling against the much stronger Ipsa. Unable to contain his rage, he silently crept around the corner, moving up on them and ready to take the other woman out.
“Let me go!” Brianna tried to yank her arm away again.
As he came within yards of them a gratta darted out from behind one of the compost bins. The small, tailless four-legged animal let out a hiss when it saw Aeron and faded back into the shadows of the alley.
But it was too late.
Ipsa whirled, her grip brutal on Brianna’s upper arm. Ipsa’s eyes appeared near-black in the darkness of the alley. Moonlight was their main source of illumination but he could see the wild look in the woman’s gaze. It hadn’t been there earlier or maybe he just hadn’t been paying attention because all his focus had been on Brianna.
Aeron held up his hands to show he had no weapons—not that it mattered and the other woman had to know it. If he got close enough, his hands would be enough to disable her. “What’s going on, Ipsa? What are you doing?”
“Getting rid of your problem for you,” she spat.
“Problem?”
“This…human!”
Aeron risked a quick glance at Brianna and instead of fear, he saw rage in her expression. It soothed him a fraction but until she was completely safe and away from Ipsa, his heartbeat would never return to normal.
“Are you the one who attacked her the other night?” Aeron managed to keep his voice steady. Behind the women, he could see a trace of movement in the shadows, but he resisted looking anywhere but at Ipsa. He couldn’t let her know Hauk was there.
Her mouth pulled into a thin line, but her dagger wielding hand dropped a fraction as her stance loosened. “Of course. I had it planned perfectly too.”
“Why do you care about a human?”
“I don’t care about her. But you should not be mating with one. I heard rumors that you and Hauk wanted to take a new, human mate. It’s why I returned home. You have no need for this tiny thing now that I’m here.”
At Ipsa’s words, Brianna suddenly lashed out, her foot connecting with Ipsa’s shin in a brutal kick that took Aeron by surprise. Ipsa screamed, raised her dagger and Aeron saw red. He couldn’t have stopped himself if he’d wanted to. Uncaring if he was injured by her blade, he rushed at the crazed woman.
Instead of tackling her, his hands wrapped around air as his brother’s growl of rage filled the night. Hauk slammed against Ipsa, sending her and the dagger flying to the ground. The woman landed on her stomach, but before she could move, both Hauk and Aeron had her pinned.
Ipsa struggled beneath them, shouting obscenities about Brianna that only ignited Aeron’s anger. From the look on Hauk’s face he knew his brother felt the same.
“She should die,” Hauk growled.
“No.” Brianna’s shaky voice pulled Aeron back from the edge. He was close to snapping and doing something he knew he wouldn’t regret—but he didn’t want any more violence to touch Brianna’s life. With his knee digging into Ipsa’s back and one hand holding her down, he looked at Brianna.
“She hurt you.” There was no give in Hauk’s voice and Aeron knew if he gave the word, his brother would have no problem meting out Luminet justice, swift and violent.
Brianna took a step closer and only stopped when both he and Hauk growled. He wanted her out of this alley and back at home. Their home, where she’d be safe and loved.
Brianna sighed and was clearly ignoring the continuing cursing from Ipsa. “She needs mental help and…she’s Finn’s aunt. Whether you like it or not, I don’t want you to have to explain to your son
why you killed his mother’s sister. Even if she is a crazy bitch.”
A ghost of a smile played across Aeron’s lips at her last words, but his mood still didn’t lighten. Ending this problem and any possible future harm to Brianna would be so easy. Ipsa might be strong, but he could break her neck in a split second. Yet looking at her struggling now, even though he was angry, he still felt pity.
“Brianna’s right,” Hauk said quietly. “The peace officers will deal with her. She’ll never see the light of day again.”
Or she wouldn’t until deemed mentally fit. Even then, the peace officers might not let her live anyway. Theirs was a harsh, unforgiving justice system.
“Give me your communicator. Please.” Brianna held out a trembling hand and Aeron gave it to her, willing to do any damn thing his woman wanted. Even if it went against his nature, he couldn’t see fear or terror in her eyes because of him. And if they killed Ipsa here and now, he knew that’s what would happen.
“We officially claim her tonight,” Hauk said quietly as Brianna walked a few feet away to make the call.
Aeron swallowed hard. There wouldn’t be an official ceremony unless she wanted one. The only thing necessary was her verbal acceptance of them both and they would be mated. It was as simple as that. Then they could move her under their roof and into their beds permanently, where they wanted her to be.
* * *
Hauk was still shaking as he returned via the transport platform for the sixth time with another bundle of Brianna’s things. After talking to the peace officers, and dealing with bullshit paperwork, Aeron and Hauk had taken Brianna home. To their home.
Ipsa had confessed to asking a male friend to call Brianna’s office pretending to be Aeron—which explained why she’d gone across the street instead of coming straight home. He was still raging about Ipsa’s treachery, but was forcing himself not to think about it. Not when he knew she would be dealt with.
Claiming Her Warriors Page 7