by Susan Hayes
“I…really?” She sounded so surprised, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Yes, really. Didn’t you know that?”
“No,” she said and shifted in his arms, leaning back so that she could look at him. “I thought you owned me, and I got to own nothing.”
“You thought wrong,” Nikolai chimed in.
“What do you think about the three of us going in together and you can ask the staff anything you want about what your rights are as our chosen.”
“That sounds good.”
She smiled then, and Colin thought his heart might burst. She was so damned beautiful, and she was all theirs. He loved the way her new tattoo looked. The shimmering lines only enhanced her natural beauty. It was hard to believe that she was truly theirs now, and there wasn’t a force in the galaxy that could take her away from them. His fingers skimmed over the lines and she froze, her green eyes widening.
“Sorry. I needed to touch it. To know it’s real.”
“Oh, it’s real all right,” she said, her eyes glowing with mild irritation. “I scrubbed at it for nearly ten minutes straight in the shower this morning. It’s definitely not coming off.”
“Griz is right. You are a minx.”
“I’m right about a lot of things. You just have a hard time admitting it,” Nikolai said.
“Anyone ever tell you that you two bicker like a couple of old biddies?”
“What the hell is a biddy?” Colin asked as he reluctantly released her and stepped back.
“You know, I’m not really sure. It’s something Sam says.”
Colin felt a coil of jealousy wrap around his chest and squeeze. “Who’s Sam?”
“My foster father. Sam Dixon.”
Fuck.
Nikolai shot Colin an uneasy look and then groaned aloud. “You didn’t mention his last name when we were talking about him earlier. Your foster father is Samuel Dixon?”
“He hates it when people call him Samuel, but yeah, that’s him.” Her eyes glittered with amusement and Colin was almost relieved to see she knew what they were going to say next. Almost, because this little tidbit was most certainly going to come back and bite them in the ass, sooner than later.
“You were raised by this region’s biggest trouble maker and anti-Alliance dissident?” Colin already knew what her answer would be, but he needed to be sure.
She nodded in affirmation.
“Well that explains where you got your skewed opinions of the Alliance and what it means to be chosen,” Nikolai commented, looking a little queasy at the news.
“Think what family get-togethers are going to be like now, Griz. Your family vs. Sam Dixon, we could sell tickets!” Colin couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed the universe was going to make them pay for claiming Alayna against her will. The only good news was that Sam Dixon had never been actually charged with anything. They’d been given his file when they’d been sent to take over this base, and Colin knew that it was all conjecture and hearsay. Which was a blessing really, because he was very certain that Alayna would take a dim view of them arresting her foster father the first time he came to visit.
Alayna laughed softly and gently pushed both men out of her way before pouring a cup of coffee. “I did warn you two that you could do better than me before you stuck this mark on my face.”
Colin tweaked the tail of her braid. “Yes, you did. You’re still wrong about that. Come on, let’s eat and then I’ll take you into town. We’ve got a lot to do today.”
***
CHAPTER ELEVEN
They were already heading into town when Colin cleared his throat nervously and looked over at her from his spot behind the wheel. “I know I didn’t mention this before, but there’s one more stop I’d like to make today. If you’re up for it.”
Alayna had long since learned that anything brought up at the last minute was invariably going to be something unpleasant. “What do you need me to do?”
“Come with me to the base so we can get your DNA on record. It won’t take very long. And if you’re willing, we could do your med-scan at the same time.”
“What med-scan?” she demanded. The last time she’d been anywhere near an Alliance medical center as a patient, she’d been undergoing fertility testing. In all the years since, she’d never voluntarily gone near one again, not unless she needed to steal something. The very thought of going back had her gut twisting itself into knots.
“It’s routine. You lie down on a scanner bed, they do a head-to-toe viewing, and we’d be out of there in less than twenty minutes. Griz and I have them done every year, just to make sure everything’s still where it’s supposed to be.”
“I’m not taking anything. Not even a fucking vitamin. No vaccines, no pills, nothing. Agreed?”
Colin nodded. “Agreed. Only the scan today. But one day, when you’re ready, you’ll need to go in to get your birth control deactivated.”
Alayna’s heart started slamming against her ribs and her throat closed over until she could barely breathe. She wasn’t ready for that. Stars, she had never planned to have children. What kind of fucked up mother would she be? She could teach her kids how to pick a lock or scale the side of a building, sure. But what good would that do them if they were raised to be good little Alliance citizens? What joy she’d found in the day evaporated like smoke as reality forced itself back into her awareness.
“Alayna? What’s the matter? You look positively green.” Colin cursed under his breath and pulled over to the shoulder of the road. The moment they were stopped he unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped out, jogging around to her side of the large vehicle. He yanked open her door and reached across to release her belt before looking at her, his gray eyes dark with worry.
“Sorry,” she croaked, her throat felt as dry as the sand that blew through the heart of the badlands. It was embarrassing as hell to be reacting this way, but she couldn’t seem to help it.
“I’m the one who should be sorry. Nikolai told me what you said about feeling like a broodmare this morning. I shouldn’t have brought it up at all. I just…they’re going to assume you want it done, so you’re going to have to tell them to leave it active for now. Damn it. I really am sorry, princess. If you give me a moment I’ll pry my boot out of my mouth.” He shot her a wry smile, and Alayna nodded, acknowledging his words as she fought down her emotions.
Being emotional made her vulnerable. It had been one of the first lessons she’d learned from her foster father. Emotions weakened your mind, filling it with distractions. Distractions made you vulnerable. Vulnerable got you killed. She repeated the words over and over until she was calm and her feelings were buried deep. It only took a few seconds, but in that time Colin had taken her hand and was holding it gently between his.
“I’m okay now,” she told him and pulled her hand away.
“I’m really sorry.” He took her hand back, holding it tighter this time.
“It’s okay.” She looked past him, scanning the jagged rise of hills that acted as a natural border to the town. Last night’s storm had settled the dust, and the air was so clean she could see for miles. Deep in the badlands the ochre earth was already hot enough it was throwing up a shimmering heat wave, but close by everything was crystal clear. She could see lines of poplar trees, planted to act as a windbreak, protecting the farms that were beginning to on the outskirts of town. From their vantage point part way up one of the hills, she could see new roads crisscrossing the area, and there were new buildings going up in several sectors. She hadn’t really noticed until now, but Fort Saken was being tamed, one piece at a time.
Colin’s fingers moved in small circles across her palm, soothing her. “I won’t lie to you, Alayna. I want a family one day, but not until you’re ready. Would you mind if I asked what it is that freaks you out about the whole thing? Is it just too soon? Or is there something else?
She turned her attention back to him and wondered at the gentle expression on his face as he waited for her answe
r.
“It’s all of it. I barely know you yet. This time yesterday my life was my own, and now that’s gone. Not to mention I have no clue what to do with kids. There aren’t many out there.” She waved toward the shimmering sands of the wastelands. “I never had a mother. I never even had a friend my own age until I was nearly an adult. You were born in the badlands, don’t you remember how it is?
“I was born there, yes, but then my mother was claimed and everything changed. We moved to the city, I ended up with two fathers and seven younger siblings. I knew how to change a diaper before I learned how to ride a cycle.”
“Seven? There’s seven more of you out there? How did your mother cope?”
“It seems to agree with her. I’ve got another sibling due in a few months. My fathers are a little shell-shocked about it, but she’s thrilled.”
“Seven.” Alayna knew she was repeating herself, but the idea of being happy about having so many children just didn’t seem right to her. “And she’s really happy about having another one?”
“When they come to meet you, you can ask her yourself. I contacted them this morning and let them know we’d found you. They can’t wait to visit. Mom was born and raised in the badlands, like you were. She got pregnant before she’d ever been tested…I was a hell of shock. My bio father was long gone by then, and she raised me out there for the first few years. Then Dorn and Chris found us. They claimed her, adopted me, and all three of them are embarrassingly happy with each other.”
A tiny thread of pure panic wove itself into her thoughts. “You don’t want eight kids, do you?”
“I want as many, or as few, as we get, but not until you’re ready. When the time comes, my mom will be happy to talk to you about it. Stars save us, she’ll likely volunteer to move in and help out. My sisters, too.”
“I never wanted this, not any of it.”
“I know. But you’re never going to hear me apologize for claiming you. Not when you look so beautiful with our mark on your face. Maybe you’ll understand once Griz and I are bearing your mark too.”
“My mark?” she asked. The confused expression that contorted her face filled Colin with an
overpowering need to comfort her, any way he could.
“Your initials, and ours, worked into a large tattoo that both of us will wear. When it’s done, it will cover the left side of our torso, neck, shoulder and chest. Then the world will know we belong to you.”
“I didn’t know about that. When do you two get yours?” A bit of light returned to her eyes and her lips softened into a faint smile.
Better. He didn’t like it when she was upset. Her happiness was important to him. It didn’t make sense, but Colin already knew that making Alayna happy was going to be one of his new goals in life. Their first night together had ended with her tears, and he’d be damned if he was going to ever end another night that way.
“Griz and I have a preliminary design, but now we’ll need to finalize it. And of course, you get to have a say too. Once it’s ready, we’ll have a formal ceremony to mark the occasion. This works both ways, Alayna. You’re mine, but I’m yours too, and soon we’ll wear your marks as proof of that.”
She tipped her chin up defiantly. “I’m not really yours. You claimed me, but I haven’t given myself to you.”
Fuck, no. She was his! “Bullshit. I’ve tasted your mouth, buried my cock in your body and heard you moan my name in pleasure. You wear my mark, and you are my chosen. You can say whatever you like, Alayna Grekov-Nielson, but I know the truth. You are mine, and you will be until the day you die. When you choose to accept that truth is up to you.” He released her hand to wrap his fingers around the thick braid of her hair, tugging her head down until she was close enough for his mouth to claim hers.
When she kissed him back, he nearly roared in triumph. She may not have said it, but this time she hadn’t fought him on it. “Mine,” he growled the word against her lips, his free hand gripping her hip to haul her across the seat and into his arms.
“Pushy bastard,” she snarled back, but her arms went around his neck, holding him as tightly as he was holding her.
“Your pushy bastard,” he reminded her. Fuck, it was hard to think of anything right now but his nearly painful need to be inside her. Her soft body was pressed against his, and the ridge of his erection was rubbing along the seam of her pants, right over her pussy.
“Yours, mine, whatever. Just shut up and fuck me.”
“Here? Now?” He wanted to. Fuck, he was dying to have her, but he needed her to be sure.
She threw back her head and laughed. “Yes here. And damn right, now. You started this, ‘leet. Now finish it.” That was all he needed to hear.
“Then get those pants off, princess. Fast.”
Alayna wondered why it was that every time she spent more than five minutes in the company of her bonded, she ended up horny and naked. She’d never been ruled by her hormones before, but there was something about Nik and Colin that made her lose her mind…and her clothes. She toed off her boots and managed to wriggle partially out of her pants before Colin stepped in and took over. He skinned her pants down over her legs, tugging them over one of her feet before stepping back between her legs. He slid two fingers into her sopping pussy and groaned.
“You’re so wet already. Damn it, baby, you’re killing me here.” He moved his hand, easing his fingers into her channel and pressing the pad of his thumb down on her throbbing clit. Jagged bolts of lightning raced through her and Alayna didn’t even try to stifle her needy moans. It didn’t matter that it had only been a few hours since she’d been with Nik. She wanted Colin.
With his steel-gray eyes that saw so much and his lopsided grin that made her melt just a little bit every time she saw it. Stars, she needed him inside her with an intensity that should frighten her, but she refused to think about that right now. Instead, she reached for him, running her hands under his shirt to span his broad chest. She could feel his heart pounding against his ribs, and it amazed her that she could affect him so much. No one had ever made her feel the way these two did, like she was their every desire come to life.
She brushed her fingertips over the pebbled nubs of his nipples and Colin groaned, inspiring her to do it again. When he retaliated by flicking his thumb across her clitoris, she knew she’d found a chink in his armor. She pinched both nipples at the same time, rolling them between her fingers and she watched as a flush of color stained his cheeks right up to his ears. His long fingers worked in and out of her body, scissoring wider at the apex of each thrust. Her head fell back, eyes closing as the tension started to build deep inside her, pleasure building on pleasure.
“You have the hottest little pussy, so sweet and wet for me. And so fucking tight. I love being inside you, feeling you squeeze my cock when you come. Going to be inside you again very soon.” Colin’s words were making her wild, pouring fuel on the fires of her desire until she was half out of her mind. When he curved his fingers up and stroked the inner wall of her channel it was all she needed to set her off. She ground herself down on his hand, shuddering as her inner walls pulsed in time to the strumming of his thumb.
When his fingers left her body she shuddered again, already missing his touch. The sound of a zipper filled the air and she lifted her head, opening her eyes in time to see him shoving pants and boxers down far enough to expose his cock. There had to be something in the enhancements they gave the elites, because both her men were far bigger than what she’d always been told was average. Seeing where her gaze had landed, Colin chuckled and fisted his cock in one hand. “You want this?”
“Yes.” She reached out, brushing her fingertips over the already slick tip. His cock twitched under her hand and Colin’s breath hissed over his teeth, but he didn’t move toward her.
“Tell me what you want, princess. I want to hear you say it.”
She had never had a lover who wanted her to talk. Hell, most of the time it was all over before there was time
to say more than a few ooh’s and ah’s. “I want you.”
“Not good enough. You said it before, say it again. Tell me what you want from me.”
She flashed him a wicked grin and moved to the edge of the seat, parting her thighs so he could see her bare pussy. “I want a space ship, breakfast in bed tomorrow, and for you to fuck me.”
“Brat. How does two out of three sound?” Colin finally moved between her thighs, pressing the thick crown of his into her folds several times, teasing them both and making her squirm with impatience. Holding himself just at her entrance, he drew her legs around his hips and kissed her before slowly easing himself into her body.
“Yessss,” she hissed, tightening her legs around him. “More. I want more.”
He gave it to her, burying himself to the hilt. Hands went to his shoulders, holding onto him as his tongue swept into her mouth to tangle with hers.
“You’re so damned sexy. I can’t believe you’re ours,” he murmured into her mouth as his hips began to slowly rock back and forth. Every stroke felt better than the last, and she started to pulse her inner walls around his cock with each thrust. The tighter she gripped him, the more he groaned and the faster he moved. The heat between them built until it eclipsed the sun overhead, and a trace of salt flavored every kiss. Colin’s hands slid under her shirt and upward to toy with her breasts, kneading and teasing until her nipples were tight and tender. Every touch of his fingers sent shimmering pulses straight to her clitoris. He played her body like a maestro, drawing out her pleasure until her fingers were shaking and her blood felt like it was boiling in her veins.
“Colin, please. I need…”
“I know what you need. Let me give it to you. Come for me, Alayna. Come around my cock right now.” He tweaked both nipples, sending another jolt through her as he leaned back, changing the angle of his thrusts so that his cock slid over her clit. The added stimulation sent her senses into overdrive, and she surrendered to the oncoming storm with a wild cry. He kept going, prolonging her orgasm until he finally let himself go, gripping her tight to his body as jet after jet of hot semen filled her. Even after he was spent, he didn’t let her go. He held her close until both of their hearts were quiet and their breathing had returned to close to normal.