Freedom's Fall

by DJ Michaels

  Rye stroked his hand over hair. “That’s because you’re thinking about it from an individual’s standpoint. If you step back and think about our community, our survival, male-to-male relationships pose a real threat.”

  Dev pulled the coffee table closer and sat on it so he could face her, his dark-purple hair falling long and silky over his torso as he leaned forward. “Our ancestors came here to escape Brightstar’s control. When it became clear they couldn’t eradicate us by military means, Brightstar’s scientists came up with a virus that was supposed to make our women sterile.”

  Tansy sat up, shocked by the disclosure. Then she realized she shouldn’t be surprised at all, because she was living proof of what lengths the company would go to in order to get things done. “Go on,” she urged Dev.

  “The virus mutated, and while the birth rate declined significantly, the children who were born were always male. Then the virus spread from Ivasta to Ostalan. Within a generation, anyone who wanted a child had to import a woman from off-world. Contracts were designed to encourage women to come at least long enough to give birth, or to sign consecutive contracts with different mates, thus keeping the gene pool healthy.”

  Tansy nodded. “And males in loving, monogamous relationships would threaten the survival of your people.”

  “If the number grew too great, yes.” Dev shoved at his hair and looked around for the tie that normally held it back. A tie he wouldn’t find unless he searched under the couch where Tansy had hidden it because she loved his hair loose. She gave him an innocent smile and he continued his explanation.

  “There were also those who thought same-sex relationships would change who we are as a nation—our culture, our values. At that time, women were considered important for who they were as people and for what they contributed to our society. There were concerns that if males could get everything they needed from each other, women would be reduced to little more than baby-makers, valued for nothing but their wombs.”

  “They didn’t quite get it right, though, did they?” Tansy asked. “From what the other girls have told me about their stay in Sapphire township, woman are treated with courtesy, but they’re not respected for their strength or intelligence.” She’d heard plenty of stories from Chelsea and Sorcha about how the landholders and councilors had all but patted them on the hand and told them not to worry their pretty heads about anything.

  Rye wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed. “That is true. The males in town are now suffering for their stupidity, because the smartest and most beautiful women are safe and happy in our den.”

  Oh yeah, Rye’s adorable factor was going through the roof. Scooting back so she could lay her head on his chest, she caught Dev’s eye. “So are you in? Are the three of us going to be lovers in every sense of the term?”

  “Yes.”

  Rye rolled to his feet, dragging her with him. “Good. Let’s celebrate.”

  “Soon.” Dev stood but took Rye by the hand to hold him in place. “Ari’s bringing a proctor up here so we can sign the mating contract, and our friends have invited themselves for a celebratory dinner.”

  “Bastards.” Rye threw his arm around Tansy and dragged her close as he leaned in to Dev. “Can’t we put them off?”

  “Nope. The contract has to be signed today.”

  Rye went still for a moment, then he gently eased Tansy away so she could stand on her own two feet. “Let’s get ready for them, then.”

  Tansy heard the change in his tone, felt the alteration in the lines of his body as her Enforcer went from playful to serious in two seconds flat.

  “What’s going on?” Tansy’s voice was sharp and she put her hands on her hips just in case her boys didn’t understand that she meant business. Dev opened his mouth but she stepped into his space before he could utter a lie, her nose level with his chest. “No bullshit, Dev. This partnership doesn’t just exist in the bedroom. If you want me to sign that contract, then you’d better start treating me as a woman with a degree of intelligence. Right now.”

  He gave her a stiff nod, and while she could tell he didn’t like it, he gave in to her demands. “We have indications that the Brightstar army is mobilizing. Combine that with the stormwatchers predicting a lull in our weather, and a raid on Ivasta seems inevitable. Jax thinks that raid will be directed at Sapphire.”

  Tansy was about to ask why, but before she opened her mouth her brain supplied the answer. “Payback. You stole a shuttle-load of women and then you infiltrated Allsgate to get Sorcha, Mac, Sarah, Kate and me out.” If Brightstar ruled with the ruthlessness of the past, they wouldn’t allow the Enforcers’ actions to go unanswered.

  She collapsed back onto the couch and her men followed her lead. “If there is a raid, I assume you’ll have to scramble.”

  “Yes.” Dev covered her hand with his, the warm roughness of his palm stroking her soul as well as her skin. “When the alarm sounds, find somewhere safe and wait. Hopefully you’ll be here in our den, but if you’re not, tuck yourself into a corner well out of the way. When we mobilize for a raid, the whole den falls into organized chaos. Enforcers and dragons move at reckless speeds, and because the noncombatants of the den know to stay out of the way, the Enforcers aren’t that careful when they race to their dragons.”

  Rye stroked his hand down her mussed-up ponytail. “When the den is clear and all the flights have taken off, come back here and wait for us. Or if you like, you might want to coordinate with the other women and choose a place to wait together.”

  Tansy nodded. Group waiting sounded much better than sitting alone eating her heart out with worry. “I’ll find somewhere safe, but if you two come back to me with so much as a scratch, there’ll be hell to pay.”

  Dev leaned forward and gave her a hot kiss full of promise. “I swear we will come back to you with all our vital parts intact.”

  Which wasn’t what she’d demanded of him but it would have to do for now.

  Rye stood, hauling her to her feet, and this time he didn’t slow down as he headed for the bedroom.

  “Hey,” she protested, “I thought we had to postpone.”

  “We do.” He shot her a hot look over his shoulder. “But if we’re going to have half the den in here to witness our contract, you have to change out of those clothes.”

  Tansy looked down at her silk tunic and trousers. “What’s wrong with my outfit?”

  “It’s sexy.”

  She turned to look to Dev for help, having no idea what Rye was on about. Dev stepped in close behind her, his unbound hair sliding over her shoulder and breast. “Sexy is for us. Corset, dress and bustle is for everyone else.”

  Tansy screwed up her nose. “It’s my wedding. I should be allowed to wear what I want.”

  Rye grinned at her. “If it makes you feel any better, you can pick the dress.”

  She mock-glared at him, but really she was so happy in that moment she would have worn a sack if they’d asked her.

  * * * * *

  Willersby Lockmehdyhn sat in the sub-cellar of his country estate, surrounded by technology that only worked when the skies were clear, and waited for Edrick to come online. The ion storms that plagued their continent made any technology unreliable. Few people used it, and even fewer bothered to monitor the seldom-used airwaves. Despite those facts, Willersby not only had a fully functional comcenter, he had it encrypted with every layer of defense Brightstar had at its disposal.

  The console chimed and Edrick’s image appeared, soldier-straight and authority oozing from every finely tuned muscle. Willersby’s appearance was opposite in almost every way. He was shorter than average, his hair had started to thin and his paunchy stomach was testament to his love of good food and his aversion to exercise. But it didn’t matter to him that he wasn’t physically strong, because the characteristics Willersby valued were all of the mind. And because of that, he had accrued as much power as Edrick, or any other member of their little cabal.

  He acknowledged t
he holo image. “Sergeant.”

  “Councilor.”

  “You have news?”

  Edrick didn’t bother asking if the line was secure, because the answer would only ever be yes. His image flickered slightly. “The stormwatchers’ forecast is holding true. Tomorrow and the day after should be storm-free days.”

  Willersby nodded. The Brightstar army could do a great deal of damage in a day if they could use their technology with impunity. “What’s the plan?”

  “I’ll stay with the main battle group and keep the Enforcers busy while my elite guard takes a transport to Addestet House. If you can make sure the women are in one place, we can teleport them all out at once.”

  That was easily managed, particularly when the earnest Tollanare Ghananstall had done most of the work already. “Part of the contingency in case of attack is to gather the women in the dining room so they are easier to defend. I’ll send you a schematic and mark the appropriate areas.”

  “And our playmates?”

  Anger burned acrid and hot at the thought of Jaxmyre Randovar and his interfering cohorts. “The Enforcers are keeping the women close, but we have plans in place to recoup our losses. Your slave, it seems, is less enamored of the dragon riders. She returned to Addestet House some weeks ago.”

  Edrick raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps she misses my gentle attentions.”

  Willersby grunted but couldn’t hide the smile that tilted his lips. “Gentle attentions? Is that what you’re calling your whip these days?”

  “Among other things.” Edrick gave a negligent shrug. “Do you need any help recovering your runaway?”

  “No. I have everything in place. I was just waiting on the go order.”

  “All right. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Will do.”

  Edrick’s holo wavered and then the image disappeared, leaving Willersby alone in the dim, electronic hum. One more day, two at the most, and he would have his whore right back where she belonged. Just thinking about it made him hard. When he started imagining all the ways he would make her pay for her rebellion, he was forced to take himself in hand to relieve the ache. He promised himself this was the last time he’d perform that particular act—because the next time he came it would be down his whore’s throat.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Tansy’s men hadn’t quite finished “helping” her undress when her friends arrived. Chelsea led the charge, ejecting Dev and Rye from the bedroom and organizing the other women. Tansy was stripped, given time to have the fastest wash known to womanhood, and was back in the bedroom before her skin was dry.

  Dressed in nothing but a robe, she allowed Kate to torture her hair into an elegant upsweep that made Tansy’s neck look long and swanlike. Sorcha did her makeup with a range of pots, salves, jars and brushes that she’d sourced through the seemingly endless reach of her dragon, Tengale. Chelsea provided the flowers, courtesy of Benmonth and Annlyss. Sarah lent a hand when required, but for the most part she stayed out of the way and tried to hide the fact that she was worried about Mac.

  “Don’t worry,” Tansy said for the third time. “She’ll be here.”

  Sarah didn’t look convinced. “Of course she will. She wouldn’t miss it.”

  Except that Tansy thought she might. Mac had said goodbye to them all, but the only excuse she’d offered before moving back to Addestet House was that being in the den wasn’t helping her recovery. She hadn’t confided in any of the women, not even Sarah, with whom she’d been particularly close.

  “Well, she’ll either be here or she won’t,” said the ever-practical Sorcha. “But either way it’s time to get this show on the road.”

  Tansy had to agree. She was looking forward to this ceremony with an intensity that surprised her. She’d come to think of herself as belonging to Dev and Rye, and they to her, so a piece of paper shouldn’t have made any difference one way or the other. But it did. The formality of it, the legal and public declaration of their commitment to her, made her feel special and treasured in a way that went beyond what they already shared.

  Fifteen minutes later, Tansy was trussed up and ready to go. Her cream silk gown had an overlay of black lace, and the same wild flowers that made up her bouquet had been tucked into her hair. Her gown might not have been traditional, but Tansy couldn’t imagine feeling anymore bride-like.

  Her friends preceded her out of the bedroom, and in those few quiet moments Tansy thought about her family and how much they would have loved being at the ceremony, how happy they would be for her. She was about to embark on a new and significant chapter in her life, and the people whom she most wanted to share it with didn’t even know she was still alive.

  Taking a steadying breath, Tansy did her best to let it go. There was nothing she could do about her family—she had no way to contact them or get herself home—so all that remained was to move forward. And right now her future was waiting for her in the living room of her new home. Focusing on the here and now, Tansy picked up her bouquet and started walking.

  The living room was bursting at the seams. Every available surface was decorated with flowers, and with twelve Enforcers, five women—including the recently arrived Mac—and one slightly nervous proctor all vying for space, it felt like the living room had shrunk to half its size. All eyes turned in her direction, and for a moment she faltered, halting at the door in a bout of uncharacteristic uncertainty.

  Jax stepped forward and came to stand beside her, his shining white hair falling free to his shoulders. Prying one of her hands loose from her bouquet, he tucked it neatly against his bent elbow and guided her forward. “Come on, sweetheart,” he said, “there’s no backing out now.”

  His usually intimidating presence was actually kind of comforting when he put his mind to it, and Tansy felt the tension ease out of her. She looked up at him out of the corner of her eye. “There was never a question of me backing out.”

  Jax grinned down at her. “I’ve heard that about you. ‘Fiercely loyal’ is how Sorcha describes you.”

  Tansy grinned back. That was the most flattering thing Sorcha could have said about her.

  And then she was there, standing between her almost-husbands as Jax slid away and returned to his position with Kaelum and Sorcha. Dev and Rye had changed into their formal uniforms of dark-gray frock-coats trimmed in sapphire blue and had smoothed their hair back into neat ponytails. She snagged a hand each and the three of them turned to face the man who would officiate their wedding.

  The proctor cleared his throat and spoke in a voice full of confidence and authority. “The document I have here is a long-term mating contract. By signing this document, the three of you will bind yourselves together legally and morally for the rest of your lives. The contract outlines your rights, responsibilities and obligations as mates under the rules and regulations of Gemarran law.” He looked Tansy in the eye. “The Enforcers are well-versed in our laws and customs, but if you have any questions, my lady, you should ask them now.”

  “I have no questions. Thank you for asking.” Tansy trusted her men with everything in her and she didn’t believe they’d ask her to sign a document that wasn’t in her best interests.

  The proctor nodded and returned his attention to the three of them as a unit. “Den Captain Devonelle Sharmanchere, Enforcer Ryderich Myrinmahr, Lady Tansy Coleman, do you all three stand here of your own free will and volition?”

  “We do.”

  “Then come forward and sign the contracts.”

  The proctor supervised them one at a time, first Dev, then her, then Rye. The documents were witnessed and just like that it was done. As soon as the paperwork was lodged she’d be a married woman under Gemarran law.

  As they stepped away from the table, Chelsea began to chant, “Kiss the bride, kiss the bride,” and after a couple of repeats all the others joined in.

  Laughing, Tansy turned to her men. “It’s an Earth custom. Once the documentation is signed and a couple is officially husban
d and wife, they share their first kiss as a married pair in front of their friends and family.”

  Dev nodded sagely. “An excellent custom.” He gestured to Rye. “After you, my brother.”

  Rye needed no other encouragement. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he drew her up hard and tight against his body. Tansy was about explain to him that this kiss was the semi-chaste kind usually bestowed in a church but she didn’t get the chance. Rye cupped the back of her head, pressed his open mouth against hers and thrust his tongue inside with a greedy urgency that set her blood on fire.

  Her breasts swelled despite the pressure of being crushed to his chest, and she couldn’t help flexing her hips to rub up against his hardening cock. Squeezing her tighter, Rye devoured her mouth, his tongue stroking against hers in mindless devastation. He leaned over her, bending her backward until she could do nothing but clutch his shoulders and submit.

  She was dizzy and gasping for air by the time he finally set her on her feet. Licking his full, shiny lips, he gave her an evil smile. “Dev’s turn.” And with that he spun her around and she was once again lifted off her feet by a pair of strong arms.

  Dev’s kiss was less exuberant but no less intense. As he kissed her, he bent his knees, braced an arm under her ass, and lifted her against his upper body. His lips danced across hers, nipping and sucking as he grasped her behind the knee and pulled her leg to rest high on his hip. Tansy did the rest for him, wrapping her legs around his waist and locking her ankles at the small of his back. Obviously satisfied with her position, Dev deepened the kiss, stroking tongue against tongue, sealing his lips to hers with a heated passion that fired every nerve ending she had.

  When he finally released her it was to an enthusiastic round of applause, and as Tansy’s feet lowered to the floor she felt the flush of embarrassment burn hot and prickly on her skin.

  Dev stroked his fingers over her warm cheek. “Was that a good first kiss?”