Jordan had the distinct feeling of falling, although she knew she hadn’t moved. “W-what?”
“The world was beginning to go downhill,” Gretchen whispered. “Fighting was rampant everywhere, and the police were unable to stop the gangs from taking over. That was when talk began about building this camp, to safeguard the innocent people.”
Her mother fell silent, and Jordan watched the emotions flitter over her face.
“I remember that it was hot and I had left a window open. He must have come in that way. One minute I was asleep, the next a body was on top of me.”
Jordan felt sick to her stomach. She wanted to reach out and hug her mother tightly but was afraid of disturbing the story. This was a poison that needed to be lanced.
“He was drunk, and he told me he loved me,” she continued. “I guess he thought I was someone else. After … he passed out in my bed. I called the police, and he was arrested. But he never apologized, and a month later I knew I was pregnant.”
“You didn’t abort me,” Jordan said, stunned at the story.
Her mother grabbed her and hugged her tightly. “I never held it against you, Jordan. You are my darling girl. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Momma. I’m just at a loss for words. I don’t know what to think.”
“You don’t have to think about anything. The past is the past. You’re here now, and no man will ever hurt you like one hurt me.”
Her childhood now made sense. Her mother taking the drastic measure to turn her into a boy, cutting off her hair and making sure she was never viewed as a girl. Her mother had even encouraged her to learn self-defense. “Momma, the two men who took me didn’t hurt me, even when I gave them every excuse in the book to raise a hand. Believe it or not, the Xyran is a good person.”
Her word hammered into her heart, giving her a clarity she’d been missing. Yes, they’d been good to her, and she’d just walked away. Now that her journey through space was at an end, she realized that she missed them. Desperately. It hurt to think she wouldn’t ever see them again.
She had to admit to herself that she’d fallen for both of them. So why had she left? What was the real reason?
The truth slammed into her brain and left her reeling.
Because she’d been scared. Scared of loving two men. Scared of loving an alien. Scared of leaving everything she knew behind. And damned if that didn’t make her furious at herself because she’d been living her whole life in spite of the fear she harbored every day. Hiding her true identity, fearing that if she were found out something bad would happen, had kept her in a constant state of awareness. She had never surrendered to her fear, and yet, when confronted with a happily-ever-after, she’d run like a chicken.
And now it was too late to change her mind. Not only had she left Laith and David behind, she’d walked out on them at the most important mission of their lives. She didn’t even know if they won. Yes, they had abducted her, but she’d seen it deep in Laith’s black eyes that he wasn’t a monster. He’d accused her of being selfish, and when the going got tough she’d bolted.
“Well,” her mother said, forcing a smile through the tears. “You’re back home now. Since people know the truth now, we’ll take extra precautions to make sure you won’t be hurt—”
“Momma,” Jordan said, interrupting. “I love you, but you’re wrong. Not all men hurt women, and you need to apologize to Mr. Meier. I think he likes you, and you’re just cruel if you let him think you blame him for what happened to you in your past.”
Tears leaked out of her mother’s eyes, and she broke down in sobs. Jordan wondered if this was the first time her mother had ever cried over what had happened.
“I’m scared,” her mother admitted.
“I know,” Jordan said as she patted her mother on the back. “But we can’t let fear hold us prisoner. Life is too short.”
No truer words had ever been spoken, and she couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for herself that it had taken losing David and Laith to figure that out.
Chapter Sixteen
Although there was a full moon, clouds kept obstructing the bright light pouring down. David and Laith eased between cabins, every once in a while Laith scented the air to see if they could follow Jordan’s path. The stench of the camp, however, prevented him from catching her smell, and Laith wondered how she could stand to live here.
Although they’d only been separated from her for only a short time, it seemed like a lifetime since he’d last held her, and he sensed David was just as impatient as he was to claim their mate. This time, he would make sure she said yes.
“This way,” Laith said.
“How do you know? All I smell is excrement and body odor, both of which are making me sick.”
Laith waved his hand. “Trust me. She’s this way.”
He led them to a square cabin that looked like all the others. When he looked in the window, he immediately saw Jordan sleeping with an older woman who resembled her. Her mother, he surmised.
He gestured with his hand, and quietly, they snuck into the cabin to spray the incapacitating agent in each face, except for Jordan and her mother. When they were sure the other humans wouldn’t wake, they woke up their mate.
Jordan’s eyes blinked open, and when she saw them, she squealed and launched herself into their arms.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” she said softly, hugging them tightly. “I was wondering how I was going to find you in that vastness of space.”
“We never meant to keep you from your mother, Jordan,” Laith said.
“I was scared,” she admitted. “After all my preaching, I surrendered to the fear, and I’m so sorry.”
“Shh,” David said, putting his finger on her lips. “No more recriminations, otherwise Laith and I will be down on our knees begging your forgiveness.”
“We want you to come with us,” David said. “Not as our prisoner, but as our equal.”
“We’re going to work with my father, Jordan,” Laith added. “The underground railroad. We would like for you to help us, but I do have to warn you it will probably be dangerous.”
She snorted. “I laugh in the face of danger.”
“Yes,” David said dryly. “We know.”
She took their hands and turned. “Mother, this is David Ballack and Laith. My men.”
The door to the cabin suddenly opened, and Heinrick Meier stepped inside, brandishing a club. His gaze took in the knocked out people before settling on Gretchen and Jordan.
“Are you both all right?”
“We’re fine, Heinrick,” her mother said. “Jordan was just introducing me to her beaux.”
“What happened to the others?”
“It will wear off,” Laith assured him. “David and I had to talk to Jordan, to convince her to become our mate.”
Jordan shook her head. “I can’t leave my mother here.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Gretchen said. “I can take care of myself.”
Mr. Meier stepped forward. “I will take care of her.”
Gretchen stared at him in surprise.
“Actually, there are places on Earth that are habitable,” Laith said as he looked at Jordan’s mother. “Safer places than this camp. Jordan told us, and we began investigating. We’d like to take you somewhere and set you up with enough wealth to sustain you.”
Gretchen stared at her daughter, and then her gaze shifted over to look at Mr. Meier. “I think I’d like that.”
“And I think I’ll stay with you,” Mr. Meier murmured.
Jordan’s heart melted. Her mother would be fine. She looked at her men and knew that, although the future would be slightly unpredictable, there wasn’t any other place she wanted to be.
Epilogue
They had stayed on Earth long enough to witness her mother’s marriage to Mr. Meier, and now they needed to leave. Their new lives as freedom fighters were waiting.
Currently the ship was on autopilot, h
eading for the planet Xyran, as Jordan faced her two men.
“Xyrans mate by sharing blood.” Laith took hold of her hand, wrist side up. “This mixes our scents as a mark of ownership. David and I are already blood-kin. I take you, Jordan Kuper of Earth, to be my mate.”
His fangs slid along one side of her wrist. Her heart pounded as she waited for the pain, and when he bit her, she couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her lips. She knew what had been coming, and once she felt his tongue soothing the mark, she figured her imagination had been worse than his bite. Literally.
Then he held his wrist up to her, and Jordan knew this was part of the ceremony. He used one of his fangs to cause a small cut in his skin, and she drank, quickly, before she could think about it too much. Then it was done, and she was glad she didn’t need to take more than a few drops.
She turned to David, and he smiled at her.
“I, David Ballack, take you, Jordan Kuper,” David said softly. “To be my constant friend, my faithful partner, and my love from this day forward.”
“And I take both of you, David Ballack and Laith, as my mates,” she replied. “Husbands, as us humans say.”
Laith bent his head and crashed his lips against hers. He kissed her deeply, slipping his forked tongue into her mouth while he traced the contours of her face with his fingers.
When he raised his head, she immediately turned toward David, meshing her fingers in his hair as she met his kiss with equal ferocity. The ache inside intensified, grew, spreading throughout her whole body. Her hips gyrated against his.
Laith’s fingers pulled at her tunic, all finesse gone. She helped him as much as possible without breaking apart her kiss to David, anxious to feel his hands on her breasts. As he found her nipples, tweaking them, she began to pull apart David’s shirt. His chest was smooth to the touch, muscular, and she delighted in the wicked sensation of being sandwiched between her two strong Xyrans.
Laith kissed the back of her neck and rubbed his cheek against the sensitive skin, causing her to gasp. They all quickly undressed, and once they were naked, Laith’s hands slid around her. His hands cupped her breasts, filling his palms with the heaviness of their weight. He teased the nipples, and she thrust her chest out, wanting more, moaning as she broke the kiss to let her head fall back onto his shoulder.
David’s hand traveled down, and his finger slid between her folds. He found the little bundle of nerves hidden within its hood and rubbed it while he pressed his fingers inward. One finger bent, rubbing along the back wall of her pussy while he continued to play with her clit. Her orgasm abruptly crashed over, liquid pleasure surging through her veins.
“Now, Laith,” David said.
Laith lifted her and laid her on the bed. Then he spread her legs wide and kissed her inner thighs, working his way up until he latched onto her pussy. Her body arched in pleasure as the dual movement at the tip of his tongue swept into her channel, licking up and down. He found her clit and rubbed it gently with circles, and just when she thought it couldn’t feel any better, he withdrew his mouth.
“Now it’s time to celebrate our bonding,” Laith told her.
He lay next to her and rolled her over onto his body. His skin was glowing a deep amethyst color, a beautiful flush of his arousal. David’s finger was at her back entrance, and his thumb mimicked Laith’s pumping fingers inside her pussy, prepping for penetration. Just the thought made her come unglued. Before she even realized what was happening, her body exploded into a thousand pieces, shattering her strength. Stars bloomed behind her eyes as Laith lifted her up. He widened her legs until she straddled his waist. She opened her eyes and locked gazes with his as he slowly lowered her onto his cock.
He filled her completely, and he held her still for a few minutes to allow her to adjust to his girth. A moment later, she took the tentative initiative and rocked her hips. He gasped and surged upward, impaling her onto his shaft.
Behind her, one of David’s fingers eased into her rosette, eliciting a moan. Slowly another finger went in, widening her, and the burning thrust took her breath away. He started manipulating her body, adjusting her. He pushed her forward until she lay on Laith, her breasts flattened by his chest. David moved into position behind her, and his hands gripped her hips. As he slowly teased her rosette with the tip of his cock, Laith reached between them to rub her clit. The burning returned, and Jordan held her breath, waiting for the bite of pain to give way to pleasure. Laith pulled out of her a little to give David more room, and pleasure and pain mingled together. A second later David’s cock popped through the tight ring to slide in.
She felt full, almost stuffed, and at first she didn’t find it all that comfortable. But Laith rotated his hips, hitting her sweet spot. Jordan gasped. “Oh my God, please, move. Both of you.”
Laith’s hips began to buck, and it took a moment for David to find a rhythm that worked. She bounced between them, her hands resting on Laith’s shoulders and her breasts pressed against his chest. Sweat rolled off their bodies, breaths mingled together. No words were spoken, and they didn’t need them.
They moved in tandem, as one went in the other pulled out, learning how to work together quickly. They all were panting, moaning, and Jordan knew they were spiraling together. Suddenly she reached the plateau, and her body flung off a precipice. Lights literally lit up behind her eyes as she cried out in abandonment.
She felt David swell in her ass, and just as he found his release, he bit her shoulder. She didn’t know if it was hard enough to break the skin, but the pain only heightened her pleasure. Laith followed him. His cock exploded in her pussy, and his fangs sank into her other shoulder. The sharp bite of pain mixed with the exquisite pleasure, and it caused her body to ignite in one more climax. Bliss poured through her, and she was vaguely aware when they retracted their fangs and pulled from her body,
Right before she succumbed to sleep, Laith and David held up their fingers to her. She opened one eye and saw drops of red at the tips.
“Open, Jordan,” Laith commanded. “This will cement our bond.”
She did as he said, too tired to ask any questions. They wiped their fingers on her tongue, and she swallowed reflexively, the taste of metal filling her mouth.
“Ew,” she said with a grimace. “Will I have to drink your blood every single time? I’m not a vampire.”
“I do not know what that is.”
“An old Earth legend of creatures who live off blood,” David explained.
“No, we do not need to be vampires,” Laith clarified.
She smiled.
David nuzzled her neck. “You’re ours now. Wife.”
She yawned and snuggled into their arms. Yes. Wife. She quite liked the sound of that.
The End
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Other Books by Beth D. Carter:
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