“You don’t know them.” My whisper turned into a growl.
“Will you ask?” she seethed. “You say I do not know them. Prove me wrong.”
I was surprised by the anger coming off her, and our eyes locked. We stood almost nose to nose, and I could feel her hot breath tickle against the stubble on my chin.
“Fine. I will ask. Now get out.”
She nodded and then turned to walk away. She was angry, I was angry, but my rage flared once more, and my jaw tightened.
“Wait,” I growled.
“Yes?” She turned around a few steps from my door, and I could feel her anger melt away.
“Get your shit out of my closet and bathroom,” I said.
“Adam?” Her emotions swirled to panic, and her face actually looked upset.
“This is my room. Not yours. Get your shit out.”
“No.” Her face flattened again, and I could feel her start to control her emotions.
“No? Are you submitted to me?”
“You are my husband,” she said. “I sleep with you. Or you can order me to kill myself, and you can fight the Draugr with your friends.”
I hadn’t expected this response from her, and I took a long breath while I figured out what to say next.
“I have apologized many times. I will apologize once more. I am sorry for what I did to you. I was selfish, but you were given to me by Odin, and I took his gift. I know what you feel for me. Tell your women to find their own place to sleep tonight, or tell me to end my life.”
“Mada--”
“No,” she growled. “I love you and will serve you. Tonight, we consummate our union. I am the Prime Valkyrie, not the lowest bitch in your harem. You may have them if you wish, but I will be first in your heart.”
I could feel her fear as she spoke. It was mixed with anger and pride. It was also mixed with passion and love for me.
“You have already proved yourself to me,” I said what I guessed she was thinking. “I will call you my wife. I don’t want you to die.”
“Then we will have dinner together tonight, and then our bodies will join on our bed.” She turned around and pushed the keypad on the door.
“Wait,” I said, but she pretended that she didn’t hear me, and walked out into the hallway. The door slid closed a few moments after she exited, and the air left my lungs in a long stream of angst.
I peeled off my suit and walked into the bathroom. Moments later I was in the shower, and the hot water helped my tense muscles relax.
But my mind wouldn’t relax.
I didn’t like ultimatums, and that was exactly what Madalena had given me. My options were to make love to her tonight or to order her death. I didn’t want the beautiful woman to die, so it left me with option one.
Or was there another way out of this?
Did I even want another way out of this? I knew I desired her. I knew I loved her. I knew I wanted to make love to her, but the thought made me feel like a piece of shit because I also had those feelings for Eve and Zea. The animal parts of my brain and body wanted the Prime Valkyrie, and the desire was only strengthened by the bond we now shared.
But I didn’t want to hurt Zea and Eve.
I turned off the water and hit the dryers. Once they were finished, I brushed my teeth and threw on another flight suit before heading to the bridge.
“That is not the way to build a relationship with me,” I heard Eve say as soon as I stepped past the map. Both the vampire and Prime Valkyrie were standing between the officer and pilot seats. Nikki, Zea, and Mikhael looked on from their seats at the front of the bridge, but I hadn’t passed anyone else on the way here.
“What’s going on?” I asked, and the five sets of eyes turned to me.
“Eve and I are having a discussion,” Madalena said.
“Uhhh. Sounds like you are making ultimatums.” Zea said as she shook her head.
“Eve seems to think I need to ask her for permission to bed my husband,” Madalena said.
“No,” the vampire said as she shook her head. “We asked you for more time to get to know you. Zea and I already have a relationship with Adam.”
“I understand this, but now Adam and I will be consummating our relationship, and you both need to find somewhere else to sleep.” Madalena crossed her arms over her breasts and shook her head slightly at Eve.
The air between them felt as if it was about to ignite.
“Let’s take this somewhere private,” I said as I forced myself to stand between the two beautiful women.
“This is private enough,” Madalena said.
“Uhhh, no. Sorry,” Zea said. “I don’t know Nikki and Mikhael that well.”
“Mikhael and Nikki, leave.” Madalena didn’t even turn to look at them, but the two jumped to their feet and left the bridge as if their asses were on fire.
“Thanks, I guess,” Zea said once they had left, but Madalena and Eve were both trying to bore holes into each other through me.
“Do you have something to say, Madalena?” Eve asked calmly.
“You’ve already invaded my mind. You know what I want.”
“We share Adam’s room, his bed, and his heart. I will acknowledge you are his wife, but will you honor us by respecting our relationship and giving us more time to know you?”
“I believe you know what my answer will be,” Madalena said. The two women were leaning out around me so that they could face each other.
“I am still asking. I do not believe in taking something from someone else.”
“Exactly,” Madalena said. “Adam is mine, and I have been fair in my attempts to get along with you and Zea.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Zea said as she waved her hands. “Can we just slow this down a bit? I feel like you both are gonna start fighting for real, and I don’t think the ship can handle that war.”
“Zea is right,” I said. “Madalena, you made an ultimatum to me, but these are my women, and I care about their feelings.”
“You do not care about mine?” she asked.
“I have a solution,” Eve said, and we turned to face her.
“Please don’t say orgy,” Zea whispered under her breath, but I thought I was the only one who could hear her with my sensitive ears. Then again, Eve could read her mind.
“In your culture, men and women can have multiple spouses. Correct?” The black-haired woman raised an eyebrow.
“Yes,” Madalena said.
“Ahhh, your father has many wives. I see that now,” Eve’s mouth turned up into a slight grin. “How do the wives act toward each other?”
“There is respect,” Madalena admitted, and I could feel her frustration.
“More respect than what you have shown us?” Eve asked.
“I have shown both of you respect,” Madalena said.
“You believe that you have, but you have not. Zea and I are not lesser women than you. Of course, we do not have your combat abilities or military experience, but we love Adam as much as you do. That is where you are not honoring us.”
“Hmmm.” The brunette woman’s face was impassive, but I could feel her think through Eve’s words.
“You think we are less than you, but you think all women are less than you, so I understand. If we were wives, would your opinion change?”
“You would need to be Nordar for the submission process,” Madalena said.
“Uhh, does that mean we have to hang from--”
“No,” Madalena interrupted Zea. “I will give you our easiest rite to complete.”
“Oh, that’s nice of you,” Zea said, but then she narrowed her eyes at Eve. “Hold up, does this mean we have to marry Adam?”
“Yes,” Eve said, and then she turned to Madalena. “If that would make our relationship easier. Can you explain how multiple spouses work in your culture?”
“In this case, we would share duties caring for him. He will pick one or many of us each night for lovemaking.” Madalena said the words calmly, but I could tell
she wasn’t entirely happy discussing the topic.
“So, I don’t want to put a damper on this, but the conversation just got heavier than I thought it would.” Zea shook her head.
“You both don’t need to marry me,” I said. “There has to be another way.”
“Yeah,” Zea agreed. “Look, I uhh, love Adam, but the ‘M’ word makes my stomach do flip-flops.”
“You do not love him if you are not willing to commit your life and soul to him. That is why I do not respect you. I have committed myself to Adam, and you both hesitate.” Madalena’s words were sharp, and Zea’s eyes opened wide.
“I did not fucking say that I wasn’t committing--”
“Will you go to the ends of the galaxy for him?” Madalena asked with a raised eyebrow. “He would do it for you. I feel his emotions. I know he loves both of you. Yet you cannot complete his soul as I can. You will not make the sacrifices I am willing to make for him. That is why--”
“Stop,” Eve said, and Madalena’s mouth froze open as if the vampire had used her powers.
Madalena felt as if she was about to explode, and I stepped in front of Eve to come between them.
“I do not answer to--”
“I understand,” Eve said with a sigh. “You and Adam should be together tonight.”
“What?” Zea, Madalena, and I said at once as we turned to the vampire.
“You cannot feel our emotions,” Eve said with a shrug. “You are not used to it, so you cannot tell how much we love him. I assure you that we both do. Adam came to me in my time of need much like he came to you. I was a prisoner, and my life consisted of daily genetic experiments. I prayed for someone to rescue me, much like you prayed to Odin. Madalena, you and I are the same. As is Zea, she sees Adam as her protector and anchor. She’s devoted her life to him and our cause. The three of us do not need to fight.”
Madalena stared at Eve, and I could actually see a bit of disbelief on her normally emotionless face.
“No, we do not need to fight,” the warrior woman said after a few seconds. “There will be enough fighting in the next few months.”
“Then we will fight the SAVO, and we might meet our end.” Eve smiled.
“Hey,” Zea said, and we turned to her. “I’m not okay with this.”
“It will be fine,” Eve reassured her.
“What the fuck? For real? You are going to say that to me, Eve? Didn’t you hear what I said in the restaurant? This is what I thought would happen.”
“No, Zea,” Eve said. “This is not you being forced out of the relationship.”
“It sure fucking feels like it!” Zea spat and then pointed at Madalena. “You just agreed without even asking me.”
“This is the best way for us to progress forward,” Eve said.
“See, you are always saying shit like that. I know you can read minds and have the whole Zen thing going on, but I didn’t want this. I don’t want her with Adam. You might be fine with this, but my heart isn’t fine with it.” Zea got up from her chair and shook her head before she took a step away from us.
“Wait, Zea,” I said.
“No!” she shouted at me as she wiped her face. “I fucked this up. I should have never fallen for you. I should have never tried to take you from Eve. This is fucking karma for me. Now Ice Queen is taking you from me, and Eve’s fine with it. She doesn’t feel jealousy, but the thought of you and her together tonight, while I am alone, makes me want to scream.”
“You won’t be alone,” Eve said as she reached out to touch the blonde woman’s arm. “You weren’t alone on the Magate Order ship. Do you recall?”
“Ohhh, uhhh, yeah.” Zea’s face turned red, and she looked at me.
“He knows how we feel about each other,” Eve said. “He will not be upset that we made love while we were away from him.”
“Ohh, gawd.” I didn’t think Zea could turn a brighter shade of red than she was already, but she did, and her blue eyes turned to me.
I hadn’t thought much about the days that Paula, Kasta, Eve, and Zea spent on the Magate Order ship. I had been grief stricken when I lost them, but as soon as they explained how quickly they dealt with the slavers, I figured they just spent the rest of their time trying to figure out a way back to me since I was spending all my time trying to find them.
Eve’s words told a bit of a different story, I was sure they worried about me, and wanted to go back, but Zea and Eve both did love each other, and the three of us had made love on my bed in all the different combinations we could. I wasn’t surprised by Eve saying that they had been together without me; I just hadn’t really thought about it.
“I know how you two feel,” I said to Zea. “I’m glad you both were able to comfort each other while I wasn’t around.”
“Ahhh, yeah,” Zea’s face wasn’t getting any less red. “Okay. I’m going to go now. I need some time to think about stuff.”
“May I come with you?” Eve asked, and my two lovers looked at each other for a few moments.
“Yeah, I’d like that,” the hacker answered, and I saw her slender shoulders relax a bit.
Eve took Zea’s hand in hers, smiled at me, and then they both walked away from the bridge. I turned to watch them go, and Zea glanced back when they reached the map station. The blonde woman saw me looking at her, and she gifted me with a shy smile before she turned back around.
I will tend to Zea tonight, my love. Enjoy your time with Madalena. She needs your love.
“Well?” Madalena’s question pulled my attention back, and I turned to face the Prime Valkyrie.
“Well?” I asked.
“We will leave once Juliette sends us the information. Then I will prepare your dinner.”
“Alright,” I said as her excitement pounded into me like ocean waves.
“And afterward?” she raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” I said as I tried to fight off the feeling her desire was having on my body.
“I want you to say it, Adam.” Her voice was a whisper, and a shiver of pleasure descended my spine.
“After dinner, I’ll make love to you.” Saying the words caused my body to heat, and I felt myself dive into her eyes.
I just hoped I’d be able to swim free.
Chapter 10
I awoke feeling surprisingly well rested.
Especially considering the physical exertion of last night.
I was lying on my side spooning Madalena. My face was pressed into the back of her neck and her brown hair wound around my shoulders. Her head rested on my left bicep and my right hand wrapped around her chest and cupped one of her firm breasts. The sheet had been thrown from the bed during our marathon of lovemaking, and I turned my eyes a bit so I could take in her long muscular body.
Memories of last night flooded into my brain, but I forced them from my mind so I could focus on pulling my fingers from the Prime Valkyrie’s chest. She didn’t stir when I removed her hair from my shoulders, but she let out a little sigh when I slid a pillow under her head so I could pull my left arm free.
I waited a few moments beside her and let my eyes roam over her naked body. She still wore the bandage on her shoulder, but she had told me that it wasn’t a serious injury, and it hadn’t seemed to affect her movement last night.
When I was satisfied she was still asleep, I lifted the sheet from the floor and covered her with it. Then I checked the clock, saw it was a little after seven in the morning, and decided that I should get started with my day.
The floor of my bathroom was cool, and it sent a shiver up my spine. The sensation almost made me want to lie back down beside Madalena’s warm body, but I figured the shower would quickly warm me, so I turned on the water and brushed my teeth.
My eyes focused on the Prime Valkyrie’s toiletries while I brushed, and the memories of yesterday attempted to flood my brain again. I let them come and then sighed when another shiver ascended my spine.
Madalena seemed to know the way to a man’s heart was thr
ough good cooking. She had made me another steak that she seared on the stovetop and then cooked in a salt and herb brine. The side course had been asparagus, mushrooms, and smoked fish which we chased with aquavit. During the meal, she explained to me that she enjoyed cooking, but saw little reason to indulge in the hobby before she submitted to me.
We’d talked more about our past and our hobbies, but the meal was somewhat tense because of our emotions. The Prime Valkyrie had demanded we consummate our marriage, and she’d given me an ultimatum. But it was apparent during our dinner that she was nervous about what would happen once we made it back to my room. She didn’t want to disappoint me after forcing the issue.
I shook my mind from the memory, rinsed my mouth out, and then stepped into the shower. I stood in the downpour for a few moments thinking about Madalena, but then movement out of the corner of my eye pulled me into the present.
“May I join you?” the Prime Valkyrie asked as she stepped into the bathroom.
“Sure.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I thought about when Eve, Zea, and I had first become lovers. I was going to have to spend time with both of them without Madalena, and the thought of juggling the three women’s affections caused me some trepidation.
Then again, there were worse problems to have. I was grateful that I had three wonderful women in love with me.
“I will wash you, Adam.” Madalena opened the door to my shower, but she only made it a few steps inside before my arms were around her narrow waist and our lips were devouring each other. Then her back was against the wall of my shower, her legs were wrapped around my hips, and her words were moans. Just like last night, our connection allowed me to feel her pleasure, and my moans quickly joined in chorus with her.
“You have a strong appetite,” she whispered in my ear after we both climaxed.
“As long as you can keep up with me.” I was still pushing her against the wall, but I didn’t really want to untangle our bodies.
“I will,” she whispered as our eyes met. We kissed again, and she unwrapped her legs from around my hips so she could stand. The movement caused me to slide out of her, and we both gasped from the sensation of our separation.
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