“Thank God.” Chloe leaned into Dorian’s embrace and I was struck by an odd lump in my throat. Those two were so natural with one another. So trusting. There was something there I couldn’t explain or completely believe was real, but I wanted it for myself. The whole mates thing—connecting on the deepest of levels…everywhere—wasn’t something I fully understood. But I ached for the connection Chloe and Dorian shared. And I imagined the bond was even more intense when their other mate was with them.
I wanted that. I wanted that with Angh. My Atlan. My beast. The idea of him holding any other woman that way made my body scream in denial. Made me want to go all beast mode myself.
But if he got transferred to the I.C., they would send him all over the galaxy. The Hive deployments of this new weapon were increasing steadily, more and more battlegroups struggling to hold the front lines in this crazy war.
I wanted him. He wanted me. I knew that. The mating cuffs he’d placed on my chest had been a pretty damn clear invitation. But neither one of us was free to fall in love. He was, but he needed his mate to live on The Colony with him and I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t fall in love with a Colony warlord. The Vice Admiral was fairly…flexible, but I doubted that flexible.
We were fighting a bigger battle than the one with our hearts. I had foolishly believed that the Coalition needed me. They did. But the truth was that the Coalition needed both of us. They needed Angh, but had somehow overlooked him and his abilities. Left him to live out a bland, less-useful existence on The Colony. Billions of lives depended on those like us to listen to the Hive and help find a way to win this war. And if that meant we couldn’t be together, so be it. I’d walked away from him because of my job with the I.C. The depressing truth was that I’d never had him to begin with.
We both had a job to do. If he’d still have me, we’d just have to steal our pleasure where we could. Find moments to be together and kiss one another goodbye. Every single mission was dangerous. There was no guarantee either one of us would come back alive. Yet I longed for him, for whatever touches, kisses and hugs I could get.
“Mommy!” The high-pitched squeal was so out of place on the huge battleship that I jumped. A toddler with her mother’s green eyes and dark black hair was running full speed at Chloe, her arms wide open and joy on her little face. She looked like she wasn’t yet two, her chubby cheeks more baby than young girl, and her adorable little legs pumping as fast as they could, which wasn’t fast at all. And quite clumsy. I worried she would trip and fall before she got close.
Chloe’s entire demeanor changed at the voice, the fierce warrior replaced by a doting mother in an instant. She picked up the little girl and hugged her tightly, covering her daughter’s soft cheeks with dozens of kisses as the girl chanted, “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.”
All work in the shuttle bay stopped as war-hardened warriors turned to watch the spectacle. Dorian snuggled in close and picked up the girl’s tiny hand to place kisses on her palm. “What about your papa, Dara? I need kisses, too.”
The little one laughed and held out her arms to Dorian, who pulled her from her mother’s embrace and smothered his daughter with kisses and tickles until she was squealing once again. Chloe’s smile was indulgent, her stance relaxed as Captain Seth Mills, her human mate, walked forward and pulled her into his arms for a scorching hot kiss.
Whoa. Dominant, alpha male testosterone made my whole body go on simmer as I watched her melt into his arms.
She might be the ranking officer of the trio, but it was more than clear that she happily submitted to her mates in the bedroom. And the golden collars around all three of their necks? It wasn’t exactly a wedding ring, but it was a blatant and obvious claiming. These three were mates, a family. They were never alone. Never lonely. Never lost.
Chloe pulled away, her breathing noticeably faster than it had been before the kiss. “Where’s the baby?”
Seth smiled down at her. “Don’t worry, tiger-mama. He’s taking a nap in the nursery. But this one—” He nodded his chin in their daughter’s direction. “—was with Commander Karter, monitoring the mission comms. When she heard that your shuttle was back, she was done being patient.”
“I told you I don’t want her in there,” Chloe chided. “She understands what they are saying, Seth.”
“I love Mander, Mommy.”
Chloe was glowing, her love for that little girl lighting up her face. “I know you do, baby. Commander Karter loves you too, but that’s a place for grow-ups. Not little girls.”
She pouted and tapped her ears. “I hear you. I like to hear you.”
Chloe sighed and shook her head, staring up at Dorian for help. “You approve of this? She’s not even two yet.”
“This is war, love,” he replied gently. “She’s safe and protected with the Commander. With everyone on the ship. If it gets too intense, he’ll protect her. But we can’t lie to her either. This is our life, the life we chose. We can’t change things now.”
“I know. I just wish we could end this damn war!” She was fuming again and I felt like I was riding the emotional rollercoaster with her just watching. Listening to them.
“No bad words, Mommy. You get spanking now.” Dara was practically squirming with delight at the idea.
“Yes, she does.” Seth’s voice was full of heat, and my pussy clenched with need as I saw Chloe meet his gaze and lick her lips in challenge.
God help me, things were going to be hot as hell in their quarters after the kids’ bedtime.
That made me want Angh even more. God, did I miss that damn Atlan.
Seth broke eye contact and looked at his daughter again. “When Dara heard you were here, she squirmed off Karter’s lap and starting running.” His smile was all proud papa. “Didn’t you, baby?”
“Dada can’t catch me.” Dara said, making Dorian laugh.
“That’s because your dada is slow, but your papa is fast,” Dorian added.
“Chase me!” She wriggled in her father’s hold. That fast, her greetings were over and she wanted to play. Dorian chuckled but set his daughter on her feet and granted her wish, chasing her—but never catching her—as she ran and played and squealed through the shuttle bay. Half a dozen grinning warriors watched out for her, moving boxes with sharp corners and anything she might trip over before she even got close. She was obviously well loved and very well protected by everyone on the ship. A pang of envy worked its way through my chest until it ached.
I’d given up on the idea of a family, of a real home, when I joined the I.C. But here was Chloe Phan, an active duty commander who’d been sent back to Earth in shame just a few years ago, volunteered to be an Interstellar Bride so she could return to space and now living a life I could only dream about.
How the hell had she pulled that off? Was this kind of match solely for those matched through the Brides Program?
“Shall we, Captain?” The feminine voice came from behind me. I’d all but forgotten that Vice Admiral Niobe was standing there, most likely not missing how I was practically ogling the mated trio and their daughter. “You have a battle sim to run in just a few hours. If we head to transport now, we can still make it back to Zioria so you aren’t late.”
I blinked, got my feet moving. “Yes. Of course.” The Vice Admiral was not a fan of tardiness or excuses.
I was not going to stand here and moon over Chloe and her perfect family. Two hot warrior mates, still making a difference in the war, a beautiful daughter and a baby boy I’d yet to meet sleeping peacefully in a nursery somewhere on the ship.
They were the reason we had to take down the Hive space-mines. Them, and a thousand families like them on the battlegroups, and millions—billions—of families on the Coalition worlds.
As I followed the Vice Admiral back to transport, I swallowed over a lump of cold, hard facts. The Coalition needed Angh a lot more than I did. Families like Chloe’s would be saved by his efforts. Efforts that had nothing to do with me. My heart was screaming for a
ll or nothing, and it sure hurt like a bitch to realize I might get him here and there for a quickie, but that wouldn’t be enough.
I truly would have to let him go.
Chapter Six
Kira, Classroom 731-D, Coalition Academy, Zioria
“—and so the need to have two teams infiltrate from opposite flanks simultaneously can limit casualties, confuse the Hive and allow for a remote transport point to be set up on the far side.”
I pointed to a vid display that took up the wall of the classroom, the graphics that were shown moved to match my words. The combination of audio and visual learning was backed up with afternoon practical scenarios on the tactical training outdoor simulator. That would take place after lunch.
While I’d missed the first lecture this morning and another instructor had filled in for me, my team was ready to test their knowledge. It wasn’t the same as the off-site training, not as intense or terrifying as the deep cave battle sims we ran on The Colony, but these worked. Got their feet wet. Many of the cadets would fail this afternoon, but they’d be able to work with their teammates and run the simulations over and over again in their free time until their teams successfully survived the simulated op.
Since it was the first day of this practical, I only expected a few to succeed. The cadets had learned that the first day meant—typically—failing, which was a lesson in itself. Battle never went as planned. I’d learned that the hard way, and been painfully reminded of that fact on Battleship Karter just a few hours ago.
The reason I’d been on that mission was to act as a signal boost for Commander Phan, to help take down another Hive mine network. And I’d failed. My cranial implant had not synched with Chloe’s. We’d both been flying blind out there in our space suits, praying for a breakthrough when all we could see before us was black space. We knew the mines were there. We just couldn’t find them.
And so I was tired. My eyes were dry, almost gritty feeling, as if I’d been in a desert instead of on a battleship. My body was weary, all but begging me to sleep. I’d gone to my quarters, showered and changed into my instructor’s uniform—my I.C. garb was a dirty, torn pile on the floor of my quarters. I’d looked at my bed, then the time, and skipped my bed for the second half of the morning curriculum.
The Vice Admiral was adamant that our missions not disturb the classroom schedule any more than necessary. And if that meant going to work feeling like I’d been run over by a tank…well, that was part of the job. No one could know just how many I.C. operatives were on Zioria. The Academy the perfect cover. As long as none of us messed it up.
People noticed I missed a class now and then—they’d have to be blind, and idiots, not to—but working for the I.C. required my disappearance at random times, top secret clearance and an ability to live a double life.
Right now, I was on perma-loan to Commander Phan’s squadron stationed on Battleship Karter. But that might be a thing of the past.
They’d want Warlord Anghar now. I hoped they would keep me in the loop, let me try to help because I really, really wanted an excuse to see him again, and I didn’t want to have to wait until the end of the next student quarter when we took the next graduation class there for battle sims.
That was months away. And judging by the obsessive nature of my thoughts, and the almost debilitating desire I had to curl into a ball next to him in bed and beg him to hold me as I slept, that was too long. Way too long.
I answered student questions and ignored the way my body ached, and it wasn’t just from the mission. That had been nothing. No, this ache was from the wild night with Angh. God, that had been…hot. Insane. Amazing. Melody had been right; I’d needed to get laid. And now that I’d had a hot Atlan and his beast, I was pretty much ruined for any other male. In. The. Universe.
He’d practically frazzled my brain cells with the orgasms. The guy was good. The sex, intense. He’d called me mate, put his Atlan cuffs on. He’d spouted almost-romance and I’d been too drugged up on endorphins and all the other chemicals released in my body from orgasm overload to process everything he was saying. No, not overload. That would mean what he’d done to me was enough. More than enough.
I could never come too much where that smoking hot Atlan was concerned. I wondered if he’d be around on my next trip to Battlegroup Karter. Maybe I could talk the Vice Admiral into some time off, and Angh into a repeat performance. Fun for both of us, two consenting adults having wild monkey sex. All. Night. Long.
My pussy clenched with heat at the very idea. I would check the training calendar as soon as class got out and make sure my name was on the instructor roster for the next Colony run as well. If I had to wait months, then I had to wait. But at least I had a guaranteed way to see him again. Normally, we instructors did our best to avoid traveling to The Colony, trading favors and committing everything up to and including bribery to avoid the three days of dark cave training. But now? If I knew that beast was waiting for me, I’d volunteer every damn time.
But that was crazy thinking. It had just been one night. One night to pull out my wild side, let my inhibitions drop to the floor beside my clothes and let a beast take control. It had been hot and crazy and totally wild. But it was just one night.
The Earth saying, ‘That guy was a beast in the bedroom,’ really was the truth. I’d just had to travel a galaxy away to prove it. I doubted any of my Earth friends would believe me, besides Melody. She’d been giving me looks all morning from her desk. I knew I’d have to spill all the steamy details after-hours. If I could stay awake that long. I needed a ReGen wand for my pussy…and my brain.
I cleared my throat. “Any more questions?” I asked, trying to keep my mind on the topic, not how big an Atlan’s cock was in beast mode.
Gah! Focus.
The room reminded me of a typical college classroom on Earth. Movie theater style, with each row being tiered up so the vid wall—okay, not part of an Earth college classroom—could be seen from their desks. Windows overlooking the outdoor simulation area were along one side, and the Academy hallway on the other, but the windows were tinted dark for the lecture. No one could see in or out.
The theater seating also reminded me of the fighting pit on The Colony, although that had been in a semi-circle, almost gladiator style. I remembered the movie about the gladiator, the one with the hot movie star…Australian, maybe? I’d thought he’d been gorgeous, all ripped muscles and male intensity. But Angh had him beat. He was bigger, badder and the testosterone that Atlan oozed had ruined my panties.
Even now, hours later, my nipples got hard just thinking about him. And as for wet panties, mine were still ruined. Every time I thought about Angh, which was about every other minute, my panties got another dose of lust. If it weren’t for the birth control shot I took, I’d be in a panic right now, not just under-slept and over-sexed.
A cadet from Viken called out. “Instructor Dahl, how will those who set up the transport area be able to go ahead?”
I walked to the right side of the vid wall, pressed a button on the remote I held. The simulation started at the beginning and I began to explain how the transport group would be coming in behind the two teams to capture the enemy base and set up a transport zone. That would be a mine team, and the job in a real battle was both risky and dangerous. I paused the display at the spot I was looking for to answer his question, walked so I could point right at a specific spot.
“There. We’ll take high ground. That’s the vantage point we need to take out their rear guard and—”
A huge bang startled everyone. I stopped talking, heads swiveled to the classroom door.
Another loud banging sounded from the closed door, as if someone wasn’t just knocking, but pounding. I didn’t have a weapon, neither did any of the cadets. Weapons were for the outdoor training simulator or the other building where classes on that topic were held. The building alarm was silent. The comms unit on my wrist had no alerts—and I’d had them come through in the past for random emergenc
y drills—and they had woken me from a sound sleep. This was something else.
I walked toward the door, watched the knob rattle. I held up my hand as some cadets stood, ready to do…something. We didn’t even know what the threat was yet.
I pressed the button on the remote, the windows going transparent, the room brightening. If there was a threat, I wanted to be able to see it.
The door opened—this wasn’t a sliding door like on a spacecraft, but a door just like they had on Earth. With the sound of rending metal, the door was ripped from the hinges. I didn’t even get a chance to step close because in stormed Angh, holding the door in his hand. He still gripped the knob, the metal bent, the hinges shredded as if made of tin foil.
I sucked in a breath as his gaze roved over the room for a brief second then landed on me. He was breathing hard, as if he’d been in a fighting pit. I recognized he was partially transformed into beast mode, huge, but not enormous. His hair was wild, his uniform pristine. The cuffs glinted. Not just the ones about his wrists, but the ones he’d laid on my bare chest the other night, the ones he’d wanted for me. They hung from his belt like bells, clanging together in my ears. The slight tinkling music was, for me, loud as cannon fire.
He said nothing, but he didn’t have to. He was here for me.
Holy shit.
My lady parts perked up at his presence, although I was too tired to go another round. Knowing how Angh liked to fuck, I needed more than a nap. I needed to eat my Wheaties first.
He was more attractive than I remembered. Bigger. More powerful. More intense. My heart rate kicked up, my palms were damp. Other places were damp as well. My body knew him and wanted him. I wanted to jump into his arms and have him spin us about so I was pressed against the wall again. Crazy thoughts for a crazy situation.
I vaguely noticed a man following him, but when he slapped his hand on Angh’s shoulder, I couldn’t miss him. He was human. Dark skinned, dark hair, dark uniform. Everything on him was dark. Like a six-foot tall chocolate mocha.
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