by Jorja Kish
Braydok raised Mackenzie’s hand that he held and rubbed his cheek against it. Her scent wrapped around his senses as he sighed blissfully.
“The ship where I found you was a Horde Mother ship, a Breeding ship. It’s there that the captured females undergo an examination, and those who are fit face lifelong servitude to the Horde as Breeders. They are genetically altered to carry multiple offspring for the Horde and breed for several decades.”
Mackenzie gasped. Bile rose from her throat as she gagged at the atrocity.
The image of her daughter’s tears had Mackenzie urgently clutching at Braydok and Keene’s hands.
“My daughter Shayane, she was with me when the Infected overran our town. Do you know if she was taken by the Horde? Or…or…” She was unable to finish her sentence.
Braydok swiftly kissed her forehead and murmured against her soft skin, “I don’t know, but we saved many women from the Horde ship, as well as other groups, who are still locating survivors on Terra. I promise to find your daughter.”
The helplessness in his eyes tore at Mackenzie. She saw the despair in their depths, knowing, as he did, about the chances for her daughter being one of the survivors onboard the Solace Dawn. She had never felt such a devastating pain, but a rising wave of altruism graced her heart and soul.
Her daughter lived.
“These creatures changed me, didn’t they?”
Keene nodded solemnly.
“Am I a Breeder, then?” she whispered, horror laced in her tone.
“No, your final conversion didn’t technically happen,” Braydok replied.
“I sense a ‘but’ there. What is it?” Mackenzie worriedly pulled her hands from their warm grasps and hugged her arms around her body.
“They didn’t convert you, but your Terran genetics triggered something unexpected. You went into a Heat Cycle closely linked to a full conversion. However, when I scanned you earlier, your genome was dominantly Terran, with a few added side effects and improvements,” Keene explained.
Mackenzie frowned, leaned away from the two men and searched their faces.
“What kind of side effects?”
She bristled when Braydok and Keene shared a wary look at each other. It annoyed her like nothing else, which lead her to sharply jab a finger into Braydok’s’ broad chest.
“Ouch.” He winced. “What was that for?”
“Tell me what the side effects are,” Mackenzie repeated, glaring at the frowning man.
Braydok sighed and motioned to Keene with a curt incline of his head.
His lover’s lithe body slid off the bed and hurried over to what appeared to be a wooden tableau.
Keene grabbed a flat device that looked like a tablet and swiftly walked back. He crawled on the bed and sat crossed-legged next to her before tapping the tablet, and a reflective surface shimmered into view.
“Here, take a look,” he said, and handed her the mirror.
Mackenzie tentatively reached for the device and hesitated before taking it. Did she really want to know the side effects?
Bracing her nerves, she inhaled deeply and peered into the reflective surface.
Her face stared back at her, noting her full lips, slight cleft chin, high cheekbones and blue eyes.
She gasped and dropped the tablet.
Her breath caught in her chest. Mackenzie struggled to slow her heart down. She turned to Keene and Braydok, staring into their unusual and alien eyes.
Mackenzie shuddered and picked up the fallen tablet.
There, staring back at her, were the same-shaped eyes that she recognised, but the colour was all wrong.
She blinked her dark lashes, watching her eyes glow a bright fuchsia pink.
Chapter 19
The creamy curtains gently swayed from the warm current of air that surrounded the room. Braydok stood by the bed and watched with a broken heart as Keene fold his lean body closer to the softly hiccupping woman. She curled into Keene’s body and wrapped her slim arms around him, snuggling closer. A soft, relieved sigh fell from her lips and settled her into a deeper sleep.
Braydok cocked his head when his sharp senses caught the hushed swish of the outer entry opening and closing. A grim slash to his lips set his face into a stony expression. Quietly, in a predator’s gait, he left their bedchamber and slipped into the adjoining library sitting room.
“Where did you go?” he asked, watching Setti pour a generous amount of amber liquid in a crystal tumbler.
Setti peer over his shoulder and gave Braydok a piercing stare before turning away and taking a swallow of the burning liquid. His eyes were slightly unfocused, as if seeing something other than the room his was in with his lover and bond mate. He took another sip before turning and leaning against the sturdy credenza while he studied his lover’s hard features.
“How is she?”
“She has a name, and it’s Mackenzie,” Braydok snapped, and crossed his arms over his uniformed chest.
A hard glint flickered in Setti’s eyes before he inclined his head and wearily sighed.
“I left to inform the captain that there could be a possibility that the other Terran females might have the same symptoms as Mackenzie. I knew the two of you would take care of Mackenzie’s needs while I was gone. Am I wrong?”
Braydok shook his head. “No, but you were gone for a long time, Setti. If you had stayed longer, you would have found out that our woman has a daughter. A daughter she wants found.”
He stepped closer and trailed his rough hand down his mate’s whiskered cheek. His purple-tinted eyes searched the pales eyes of his Alpha as his thumb lightly brushed over soft, plush lips that were at odds with such a brutally handsome face carved out of granite.
Setti gathered Braydok’s hand and cradled it in his own, kissing each knuckle tenderly. With his free hand, he placed the tumbler on the credenza, gathered his tall, muscular lover between his legs, and pressed his lips in a slow, lingering kiss. He pulled back and rubbed the tip of his nose against Braydok’s aquiline nose.
“Forgive me, my mate, I wanted to set things in motion for finding more of her people, and it looks like we’ll be widening the net further to include her daughter.”
The sable-haired man chuckled. “You’re forgiven.”
He gave Setti a quick kiss before pulling away from his lover’s hold, grabbing the amber liquid, and giving it a swig. He hissed from the burn and cringed.
“I don’t know how you can drink that crap. It tastes awful and can burn a hole in your gut.”
Setti shrugged a broad shoulder and curled a nasty grin. “It’s a man’s drink, Bray.”
The other man scoffed and rolled his eyes, muttering an exaggerated “Please.” He snorted and replaced the tumbler on the table top.
“Keene and I explained to Mackenzie what happened to her. We need to find her daughter, if there is any possibly way. Keene was right when he said that he never wanted to see her cry. It was awful. Mac understands that she has gone through some changes, like her new eye colour, faster reflexes, stronger muscles and few other things that we won’t know for sure until she undergoes a full medical.”
Setti quirked an ebony brow and grinned at Braydok. “‘Mac’?”
Braydok shared a quick grin and shrugged his shoulder. “She insisted. She said Mackenzie was such a mouthful and sooner or later people just cut her name short anyway. She’s an incredible female.”
“Good,” Setti acknowledged and drank the remains in the tumbler. He folded his arms across his chest and stared over Braydok’s shoulder with that particular expression on his granite features. The don’t-rile-the-beast Alpha look as Keene would flamboyantly describe it. He spared a glance at Braydok and motioned him to follow.
“Mackenzie will be fine with Keene for a while?” he inquired.
“She should be. She’s exhausted and we used a plug to keep her satisfied for a few more hours. Why?”
“Mackenzie wants her daughter found,” he simply stated and nud
ged Braydok to follow him from the library.
The two men slipped out of their secure domicile and entered the sparse corridor of the pod modules. They marched down the hall leading toward the main hub of the City, determination in their intense eyes.
* * * *
Mackenzie woke up with a silent scream in her throat, until she felt warm arms around her body and blinked back the fear that made her heart drum in her chest. She swiftly inhaled and caught the sweet scent she immediately recognised as Keene’s delicious aroma. Unable to help herself, she buried her nose in the man’s soft, smooth neck and inhaled. She gave a feminine sigh and rubbed her face against his silky hair.
Why do I feel so safe with him, with all of them? This reaction isn’t normal. Then again, nothing will ever be normal again, she mused.
She cuddled closer and let his scent and touch ease the fear that burned in her gut. Being with him, with them made her feel safe and that was something she desperately needed right now. Regardless of what they explained, she was still overwhelmed with her new situation.
Unable to help her gaze from travelling down his supple, smooth body, Mackenzie stroked the tawny spots she didn’t notice earlier. They were softer than the rest of his skin, almost furry and smooth. If she didn’t know any better, it felt like a thin layer of soft, downy fur. Her fingers glided down Keene’s skin, enjoying the sensation and marvelling at his unique colouring. He was like his namesake, a Tigard, beautiful and exotic.
Her skin flushed a rosy pink from her fanciful thought, which lead to last night’s sexcapades. At least she thought it was last night. How would she know what was night or day anymore, being on a starship? Mentally shrugging, Mackenzie didn’t want to think about that right now. Instead, she wanted to continue to enjoy looking at her lover.
“I don’t know who you are, and I should be terrified of you being nonhuman, but I’m not. You feel right, Keene. All of you feel right to me, and maybe I should be scared about that. I just know that the three of you will take care of me and I need that, for now,” she said with wonder and determination.
The heat from last night that had her body eager to be mounted was back. She didn’t remember the details from the past few hours, only the heat, the ache and the insurmountable pleasure that drowned her in ecstasy. It was as frightening as it was magical. She swallowed and felt her body flush from growing lust, something she was oh-so-familiar with now.
Mackenzie glanced around the room, thankful for the dim light that she had earlier insisted they keep on. Darkness scared her now, but she was too embarrassed to tell them that, so she made up the excuse that she didn’t know the room well enough, just in case she needed to take a pee break. Her cheeks pinked from the rather awkward explanation she had to give to the expectant men.
Never in a million years would she have thought of having a talk about why she had to use the commode so much. Her cheeks blushed further, making her unwind an arm and furiously fan her face.
“Is something wrong, Mackenzie?” Keene’s soft, sleepy voice mumbled.
“Oh, um, no. I’m just a bit hot,” she quickly answered, blushing, wondering why it was so easy to talk to Keene naked, and eager to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him on top of her. She wanted to feel his hard cock spear her slick folds that even now were swelling and thickening with arousal and need.
She should have been horrified with her treacherous body’s reaction to the three men, but she wasn’t.
Mackenzie rose on her elbow, the sheet exposing a cherry tipped nipple that beaded from the cool air and the anticipation of Keene’s mouth on the hard nub. It didn’t bother her that, clearly, he wasn’t human. Especially since he stroked her body, doing wonderful things with his mouth that made her ache for his tongue to sweep across her intimate hotspots.
Even her shocking encounter with Setti and Braydok fuelled her acceptance of her new reality. What she felt had to be right. Something in her, deep, deep inside, knew the impossible was possible. The Universe was vast, and why should she settle for her old conventions when there was more for her in the arms of three men?
It was easy, because she wasn’t the type of woman to sleep with three men at the same time. Heat flushed her cheeks, knowing the lies she had just told herself. Despite her embarrassment and worry, she wanted to be with them. Maybe she always wanted to be with more than one man at a time. Truth.
Mackenzie watched as a slow, sensuous smile crept over Keene’s full lips. Her heart drummed a bit harder. She trembled from the urge to nip at his lips that begged for kisses as his bright blue eyes opened to spear her with a wanton lust.
“Really, so you’re feeling a bit hot, huh?” He raised himself on an elbow and leaned closer, gently nipping her shoulder.
Mackenzie gasped as her heart stuttered in her chest.
“I should feel embarrassed even horrified with what I did, what I asked you and Braydok to do to me, but I’m not. This is so insane, but I can’t help myself to taste you again, to have you deep inside of me, stretching and gliding in my wet heat.” She trembled from her confession and from his one touch.
There was no doubt that she craved more and now was melting into a lust-filled inferno. Her pussy cramped and twitched, flooding her tender folds with the musky juices of her arousal. She sighed and tangled her fingers into Keene’s soft tresses. She shivered from the way his eyes darkened into a darker hue that pooled with desire.
“I should be so jealous of your hair. It’s so silky, the perfect thickness and the colour of warm sunshine on a perfect summer’s day.” She brought a section to her nose and inhaled the sweet scent that made her pussy throb even harder.
“Why do I crave you so much, Keene? Why do I need all three of you with such voracity that it scares me and inflames me at the same time?” she confessed passionately.
Her bright eyes watched as Keene wiggled between her legs, opening her up for his weight, pressing his lean, hard body into her wet, hot juncture. Her nipples perked like hard-tipped diamonds, waiting to brush against a hard, smooth surface. She stared at his glowing eyes.
“I saw you in a vision just like this, beneath me and panting my name. I sent Braydok to get you, Mackenzie. You are ours. By whatever grace that fills the Universe, we found you. That is why you crave us, and not because of the Horde’s tampering.”
Peace settled in Mackenzie’s chest. It was crazy, but she trusted the new feeling. So much had changed in such a little time that she still felt overwhelmed, waiting to wake up. Part of her wanted to end the dream, but another deeper, baser part of her clung to the moment. She felt safe with her men.
Mackenzie leaned and nuzzled Keene’s ear before she tenderly nipped the lobe with a playful tug. She seductively whispered in the shell-like curve, her need.
“Make love to me, Keene. Take me the only way you know how.”
The cock between her legs instantly hardened. She gasped at the heavy weight and glanced down with a raised eyebrow.
“Really?” she grinned.
“Really.” Keene smirked and eased the thick plug from her pussy. Rolling his hips to rub the steel length against her swollen pussy lips that hugged his shaft, he dropped the plug at the side of the bed, already forgotten in his need for their woman.
Mackenzie moaned and lifted her legs higher until she wrapped them around his lean hips.
“Oh, yeah, it feels so nice,” she moaned.
Keene chuckled and placed a soft kiss just below her right breast. His soft hair tickled the tip of her nipple, causing a swift intake of breath.
Oh, yeah, that feels so good, too.
His lips nibbled the curve of her breast, shooting lusty currents through her body. She squirmed and marvelled at just how sensitive her breasts felt. Normally, she felt little need to have them touched for pleasure, but now, just Keene brushing his hair against her and the soft licks had her craving his mouth.
Oh yeah, mouth meet nipple, nipple meet mouth, now go have some fun!
She gig
gled at the thought, but gasped when she felt the first nudge of Keene’s slick, wide head of his cock at her slit. She bucked her hips and tightened her legs, urging him into her greedy, hungry body.
The hard muscle hovered, pressing its tip, then retreating. The smooth head battered at her core was a slow, dreadful teasing that made her burn for him more. She trembled and begged with desperation, “Please Keene, take me.”
She groaned low, deep and almost feral when he slipped in his entire length in one glide. Mackenzie thrashed her head and curled her body tighter to his whippet-lean length. He pumped inside her slowly, gently, even gracefully. She cried out from the deliciously slow torture and felt the first waves of her orgasm build.
Keene kept his pace steady, even as his balls tightened and slipped close to his body. Mackenzie’s tight, wet heat was something indescribable. She was the first and will be the last woman who would ever feel his cock in her wet throbbing pussy. It was the sensation of her moist inner muscles cradling his length, guiding him deeper, that blew his mind and made his body burn for her.
Panting softly, Keene lowered to his elbows and captured Mackenzie’s mouth in a searing kiss. His tongue lashed at hers, making him moan from her taste and the womanly sweetness that was all Mackenzie. Her pussy shuddered and clamped on his cock hard from her sudden orgasm, causing starbursts to scatter across his vision. He arched his back when his orgasm blindsided him, and spewed a thick dose of his seed into her welcoming heat.
He pumped into her, shuddering and gasping his pleasure, as he emptied his balls into her womb. Groaning, wincing from the last hot spurt of his seed, Keene collapsed on her sweat-sheened body as the tip of his dick thickened and embedded itself deep inside her snug tunnel.
“We are so going to be doing more of this, Sheeala, and for the record, Sheeala means ‘beloved heart,’” Keene murmured huskily, snuggling his body closer to her smooth, soft limbs.
Mackenzie collapsed, dazed from her intense orgasm. She rode the exhilarating wave of ecstasy as her inner muscles milked every drop that Keene gave her. The combined scent of their passion and release was heady and beautiful. She sighed and kept her legs securely around his trim hips, snuggling closer to the bliss that flooded her entire body.