Trust shone in her dark brown eyes. “You are my home, Xandros,” she whispered. “You always were."
Gently he kissed her cheeks. “Then come home."
He sensed her surrender, her wholehearted submission to him. His mouth covered hers, and he breathed in her sweetness. Their tongues dueled, and her hands crept around his neck to hold him close. His mark burned, the moment tinged with lust.
When it changed, he didn't know. Somehow, the kiss deepened, strengthened, and she sagged against him. His hands thrust in her short dark hair and yanked her head back to get closer, deeper.
A firm but gentle hand gripped several strands of his hair and tugged. Reluctantly, he softened the kiss, slowly backed away, reveling in the almost drowsy expression on Carina's face.
Princess Sera tugged again, pulling him back and moving in on his marked mate. Where Xandros left off, Sera picked it up. She threaded her fingers through Carina's short hair, yanking her head back. Then, the princess pressed her lips to Carina's, and a soft, muffled moan echoed from both women.
Watching the two women was almost more than Xandros could stand, but he didn't have time to enjoy it. Leo's hand gripped the back of his neck. “On your knees."
Xandros dropped down, his gaze still on the princess and Carina. Princess Sera had lowered Carina to the floor. Carina squirmed beneath the other woman's touch as the princess's mouth traveled down her body.
On his knees, facing Shaun, Xandros couldn't tear his gaze from Princess Sera and Carina. The woman licked Carina's pussy like it was the sweetest cream, and Xandros groaned out loud. Carina opened her eyes and stared at him.
He wanted to be down there. He wanted to make her come. Stars, he wanted her to come. Something must have shown in his face because Carina gasped and arched toward Princess Sera's wicked tongue. Every single cell of his body longed for her, focused on her. Carina heaved upward, and a small scream escaped. The princess hummed, a sexy sound of approval that sent Xandros into growling hunger.
"Pay attention, pirate,” Leo whispered in his ear. “My mate is going to fuck your mate with that dildo while I fuck you in the ass and brand you as mine."
Xandros shuddered. He remembered Shaun's words back when all this started. Leo was unique. All those times a TIF agent tried to break him, Xandros had maintained his sense of dominance, his sense of self. The times he'd been beaten, captured, in danger, he'd maintained his core dom.
But something about Leo triggered a more receptive part of Xandros. It was as if an alpha wolf met the alpha. Every pack had one leader. Leo was that leader.
"But Shaun belongs to me too, Xandros Jasper. And while I fuck you, I want you to fuck him,” Leo said and pressed down on Xandros's neck.
Shaun's hazel eyes were glazed over, almost feverish. His cock was erect and so hard it pulled away from his belly. Xandros stared at him and wondered if the man would resent it when he stuck his dick deep inside his ass.
He didn't have time to worry about that. Leo bent him over Shaun and pressed two fingers inside Xandros's tight hole. He hissed, the sensation burning around the rim. “Have you ever been fucked like this, Xandros?” Leo asked him.
"Yes,” Xandros admitted through gritted teeth. “You know I have.” This wasn't going to be easy.
Leo's whisper tickled Xandros's ear. “I guarantee, pirate, that you've never been fucked the way I'm going to fuck you."
Leo reached around and gripped Xandros's cock. The man had two fingers shoved inside his ass and his other hand wrapped around Xandros's dick. Lube slicked over his hard flesh. This was really going to happen. Leo's cock pressed against Xandros's butt cheek, and he shuddered. Visions of the Teran Five guards floated into his head. But this was so different. Leo's touch was firm but sensual, arousing Xandros rather than demanding.
As he stroked Xandros, Leo whispered in his ear. “Watch your mate. Watch Shaun. What you feel is real. It's the most important thing in the universe."
Xandros stared at Carina as the princess drove her to another climax, the ripples of it evident in every line of her face. He licked his lips and let the sensations wash over him. His mark was on fire, the heat radiating all over his body. Sweat gathered on his upper lip, and he tasted the musky flavor with his tongue.
Leo was right. All his life he'd cut himself off, disconnected from those around him. He'd been the consummate observer, always the perfect dom, but never satisfied. Now he was fully engaged, about to be buried inside Shaun, fucked by Leo, and spurred on by the two women to his right.
"Put your legs on Xandros's shoulders,” Leo ordered Shaun.
Open and vulnerable, Shaun seemed uncertain, nervous. Xandros bent over him, his hands on either side of Shaun's head. He bent down and brushed the other man's lips with his. “I've been wanting to do this since I saw you."
Something relaxed in Shaun, and he held Xandros's gaze. “Why? To prove you're in charge?"
"No,” Xandros answered. “Because you have been the first person I've felt...kinship to in a long time."
Shaun blinked. He hadn't known. Xandros gripped the man's cock in his hand and stroked him roughly. “No one else would understand why I would want to come home. You do."
With a sigh, Shaun nodded. “I do understand.” He arched his back, and Xandros and increased the speed of his stroke. “Fuck me, damn it,” Shaun said in a deep voice.
Xandros glanced back at Leo who nodded. Slowly, gently, he slid inside Shaun, the channel like a fist around his dick. “Stars! I don't know if I can be gentle."
"Don't be,” Shaun said, his voice gritty. “I don't need gentle. I need—I need—"
With a growl, Xandros withdrew and plunged deeper inside Shaun's ass. He kept his hand on Shaun's cock and felt the way it hardened. Leo put his hands on Xandros's hips. “My turn,” he murmured.
Xandros had thought he was ready, but Leo speared him, and pain ripped along his nerves. “Shit!"
In response, Xandros pounded Shaun. Leo controlled the thrusts, going fast and hard, driving Xandros into Shaun's anus with no mercy.
Leo grabbed a handful of Xandros's hair. “Watch her. Watch Carina."
Xandros stared and almost lost it. Carina was splayed wide, and Princess Sera had pinned her with the strap-on. He could see the sheen of her cum on the dildo when Princess Sera withdrew it from Carina's pussy. Buried deep inside Shaun, Xandros began to match Sera's rhythm, thrusting in time with her thrusts inside Carina.
Carina flung one hand out, the mark on her arm bright and glowing, and touched Shaun's restrained fist. Shaun's fingers curled around hers, and Xandros pressed his hand over their clasped hands. Connected, he felt every twitch, every convulsion as Carina exploded, her back arched, her mark a fiery light.
"Again, Sera,” Leo demanded. “Make her come again."
Carina's head thrashed back and forth. “No more."
"Yes,” Leo said. “All those years you've served their pleasure. Now we serve yours."
Sera quickened the pace, and Xandros felt Carina's fist clench. He stared down at Shaun. Their gazes clashed, and Xandros bent closer, deepening his penetration. When their lips collided, Carina's keening wail and the smell of her arousal sent Xandros's head spinning.
His dick tight in the fist of Shaun's ass, and his own ass full of Leo's cock, Xandros couldn't control his responses anymore. He tore his mouth from Shaun's and tossed his head back. Leo grabbed his hair and twisted his head around. When Leo's mouth claimed his, Xandros thrust inside Shaun faster, harder.
Leo broke their kiss and stared at him. “Come for me, Xandros. Come inside Shaun while your mate is coming for my princess."
He was barely finished speaking, and Xandros lost it. He exploded, setting off Shaun's orgasm that shot cum all over both of them. Then Leo gripped his hips and thrust one last time inside Xandros, his hot release sending heat throughout Xandros's body.
Leo's dragon mark flared as Xandros heard Princess Sera wail her own orgasm. The fire burned Xandros's skin, the smell so
mething muskier and sweeter than the smell of burned flesh. Motherfucker, it hurt. The burning went deeper than a brand. It wound through his nerves, his heart, his soul.
He was owned.
It seemed like an eternity when Leo stepped away and wrapped his arms around Xandros. Tears came from nowhere. The brand fucking burned. It ravaged him, like all the beatings, all the loneliness, all the injustice was erased by cleansing fire. He gasped for air, unable to comprehend what it all meant.
When he finally glanced up, Shaun still lay on the floor in front of him. The dragon brand, slightly faded before their encounter, now seemed fresh and new. It was as if Leo had branded both of them.
Gently, Leo touched Shaun's burn. Shaun gasped and shivered beneath Leo's fingers as he released the ropes. “You needed this. You were starting to doubt."
"I don't belong to anyone,” Shaun whispered.
Leo placed a hand on Shaun's chest. “You belong to me. To Xandros. To the princess.” He pressed his other hand against Shaun's ass, and he hissed in pain. “Until you mark your mate, you belong to us."
"You are mated. He is mated to Carina. I am—” Shaun stopped and started to try and get up. Xandros's heart ached for him. He didn't need Leo to tell him to restrain Shaun. He kept Shaun's feet pinned down.
Leo placed his arm around Shaun's shoulder. “You are mine, Shaun Fenway."
For a moment, Xandros believed Shaun would continue to fight it. But then, his face twisted in pain, in grief. “I am only half a man, Leo. All that I've believed in has been destroyed, killed by the Brotherhood."
Leo stroked his hair, and Princess Sera appeared at his side, her hands soothing him. Leo spoke softly, gently, “Whatever you are, whatever you become, you are ours. We love you."
Xandros's throat closed, and he rose to his feet. He felt awkward, unwanted. Even his mate seemed to be inside this warm circle. And he wasn't. He started to shuffle toward his clothes, intent on escape.
"Where do you think you're going?” Leo's sharp voice made him freeze.
Princess Sera and Carina appeared in front of him, blocking his escape. The princess pointed toward Leo.
He slunk in front of Leo and Shaun, feeling out of place and stupid. He hadn't felt like that since he'd been very young, and it pissed him off. He was no submissive to hide in corners. Leo hadn't broken him. He raised his head and met Leo's stare.
The weight of Leo's gaze was difficult to hold, but Xandros did it. Leo smiled. “I'm not finished."
He and Shaun rose. Leo stepped behind him and traced the brand on Xandros's ass. “You belong to me. I am your Master.” Leo placed his hands on Xandros's shoulders and turned him. His face was set in a determined expression. “You've proven yourself worthy, Xandros. Why were you running?"
"Because he wants to be loved,” Princess Sera answered. “Because you love Shaun. You love me. You love Carina. But who loves the pirate?"
Xandros's nostrils flared. Damn it. She was right. He felt exposed, more than just naked. Love wasn't something he'd ever needed before, but he wanted it. How could he ask Carina to love him when he'd marked her the way he had? How could he ask anyone to love him?
Suddenly, the room was too close, too small. He tried to jerk away from Leo, but Shaun held his arms, and Leo gripped his shoulders. “Carina?"
His mate stepped closer, and Leo let go of Xandros's shoulders. Carina tipped her head up to face him. “I love the pirate,” she said clearly.
His throat hurt, and he couldn't seem to form words. “Carina,” he croaked.
She flung her arms around him, and Shaun let go of Xandros's arms so he could wrap them around her. At her touch, the flood of words came out, and he told her everything. How he had longed for her in the dark, dank prison. How he loved her. How no woman had ever lived up to her and never could. How he would spend his whole life caring for her.
Her tears soaked into his skin, and every dark thought floated away. He loved her. He needed her. He didn't need Leo's mark to make him whole. He needed her. “I was a fool, Carina."
She leaned back and stroked his cheek. “Thank you."
"For what, machinka?"
"You took that brand. Let Leo...” Her lips trembled. “For me."
He kissed her gently. “I'd take on the universe for you,” he said.
"Good,” Leo said, his voice suspiciously hoarse. “You may have to."
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Chapter Thirteen
Hours had passed, and Carina still hadn't processed everything that had happened in that workout room. She glanced at Xandros's sleeping form. His dark hair was mussed from sleep, and his face was more relaxed than she'd ever seen it.
It all confused her. Though Leo had been directly behind Xandros, it was both her mate and Shaun who bore a dragon brand. And what Princess Sera had done to her still caused Carina's blood to zing. It wasn't just the sex or even the domination. Somehow, it had been connected to what Leo had done to Xandros. She couldn't explain it, even to herself, but she felt as branded as Xandros had been.
Leo and Sera had taken them in, more than family, bonded in a way Carina didn't understand. Perhaps it had to do with this messenger thing.
She rose from the bed and covered her naked body with a robe the princess had given her. A computer console on the table leaped to life under her fingers. It looked like Leo had considered that Carina might need access to information about the prophecy.
Sindar's words were written in the usual mystical manner, and most of it didn't make much sense. Leo had thoughtfully provided a vid of the prophet.
Still, it was startling to see a four-armed, four-eyed Dormrelian warrior on the screen, his dark green scales gleaming. He didn't wear priest's robes or religious icons. The only decoration on the warrior was a heavy gold necklace with three concentric circles interlaced. It seemed that Sindar had allowed himself to be interviewed.
"Sindar, you have claimed to have a vision of the future. Can you tell me where this power comes from?" The Dormrelian interviewer was offscreen, but her voice was laced with skepticism.
Sindar's smile exuded tolerance. "My mother is directly descended from the Paquels. They were a family of great power."
"Clearly. So your visions come from your genetics?" Again, the almost mocking tone had no effect on Sindar.
He leaned forward and stared intently at the interviewer. "I don't know why I see the future. I only know that someday it will be very important." Suddenly, his four eyes swerved to look directly into the cam. "I see the comet pass. I see the three that loom in the future, that must save the universe from a black shadow." He flicked a glance at the interviewer. "Even the Dormrela won't escape this darkness. It will take power and faith to defeat it."
The interviewer lost all pretense of objectivity. "How typically cryptic. You have many followers, but you give them no specifics."
Sindar focused on the woman behind the cam. "The future doesn't unfold in straight lines. But I will be as specific as I can." His blue eyes were focused and shining. "The bond of mating, the connection between these people who save us all in the future, it goes beyond family. It's as close as one can be with another being. Only the Ardasians, with their psychic bonds, could be closer. These people hold back the darkness, but they don't do it through violence, though they have to fight." His hand reached out and touched the interviewer offscreen. "It's their bond, marked by a dragon, a bird, and a knife, that will hold against one of the most diabolical beings ever created."
The interviewer was silent for a moment, and then she asked him, "What makes this being so evil?"
Sindar leaned back, a somber, dangerous expression on his face. "This being doesn't just degrade the people under his power. He works to unravel civilization on all worlds. And he will come close to gaining the power to do it." Again, he faced the cam. "The true innovation of the future will not be technological but organic, evolutionary." He used his hand to show a flow, like water. "The ability of any being to transform
, to be a conduit for change, gives them tremendous power." When he smiled, Carina gasped. He was handsome, sexy. His gaze focused on the unseen interviewer. "Like a sexual submissive that bows to the will of her Master, yet holds the key to power in her hands, power is disguised by a perceived meekness."
"How will we know these beings who will save us?" The woman sounded less hostile but still doubtful.
"We won't even know we need rescuing," Sindar said with a grin. "But we will know them by their deeds. I name them, but the names are not uncommon. Many with the name Eyler, Tao, and Fenway will come and go." The smile dropped from his face, and he leaned forward, his stare fixed intently on the female interviewer. "Mark my words. The future is never set. I see a fulcrum, a point on which several possibilities rest. Only two possible outcomes remain. A universe where freedom reigns and a universe where only slavery exists." He shook his head. "The decisions made by the three players I've named are crucial."
"Sindar, why do you only see this future? This time?" the interviewer asked. "Why can't you see a solution to the problems we have now?"
Sindar's tender expression showed his feelings for the unseen woman. Damn! Carina thought. He loves her. She doubts the very purpose of his existence, but he loves her. Wow.
"Mya, our problems are not universe ending. Yes, we have difficulties—conflicts that we would all like to see resolved. But this is about the enslavement of billions of beings. I don't know why I was given this vision. I only know it was given to me. I can fight it. I can run away from it. But it will always be there."
"You could ignore it. Live a life that isn't about prophesying the future," the woman said, and Carina thought she sounded almost desperate.
Sindar shook his head. "I tried." His gaze was intense, burning. "Have you ever loved another being with an insatiable passion? A passion that was so frightening that you tried to run away from it, tried to ignore it?"
The interviewer didn't answer the question, but the silence was charged with feeling that Carina could sense even over the distance of time.
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