by Vivian Arend
“So, the sharysa won’t set bombs if there’s two of them?” Davis asked.
“Not usually. If there were a second beast, it would help the first to escape. Only that means there would be two sharysa loose on the ship, or the planet.”
Davis shifted, rolling Melina to the mattress between them. She sucked in a big breath and then snuggled up tight again. Trev watched the tender expression on Davis’ face with something close to awe. She really did hold their hearts.
“You want to plant a beast on the Eagle? Two questions. Where are you going to get another sharysa, because I doubt you’ll convince Melina to give up either of the ones you brought onboard, and how the hell are you going to get it over there?” Davis leaned on an elbow, staring closely at him now.
“The spare sharysa? That is the least of our troubles. Did I mention they’re considered little more than vermin on the planet? They breed like crazy. Getting it aboard—that part you’re not going to like.”
Davis’ expression tightened. “You’re not thinking of letting her go over and deliver it, are you? There are no guarantees we’ll be able to get her back if the bastard gets his hands on her again.”
“I know it’s a risk, but any of the rest of us they’ll shoot on sight. Melina at least has a chance.”
Davis jerked upright and slid off the bed. Melina whimpered and reached for him in her sleep. Trev sighed and cradled her against his body, hushing her until she settled again.
“What’s the second thing that’s got you so worried?”
Trev looked up at Davis as he loomed over the bed, his face dark with anger. “If there are two sharysa anywhere, there will soon be energy crystals. A galaxy-wide infestation, which is a definite possibility, means eventually there would be no need to buy crystals. The entire consortium of providers, including Melina’s family, will go bankrupt.”
———
Melina woke with the most enticing warmth pressing against her, and the sounds of heavy breathing in her ears. One hand rested on Davis’ muscular chest, her fingers twisting into the coarse hair even as she shook awake her sleep-dazed mind. He panted softly, his eyes closed and core muscles clenched tight. Something nudged her hip and she pulled back the sheets to discover Trev nestled between Davis’ legs, engulfing the rigid length of Davis’ cock in his mouth again and again. Spit and pre-come glistened in the dim light of the room, Trev’s cheeks hollowing as he forcibly sucked the head of Davis’ erection on each long upward stroke. She whimpered at the sight, her body instantly wet and ready, and she slipped her hand down to brush a finger against her suddenly throbbing clit.
“Good morning. Oh hell, Trev. Yeah, suck harder.” Davis dropped his head back on the pillow and let out a long, slow hiss before turning to wink at her. “Come here, sweetheart, and give me a kiss.” She leaned over him, pressing her hand on his chest and planting a chaste kiss on his lips before pulling away. He growled at her. “That’s not a kiss.”
Melina shook her head. “I’m not kissing you until I get cleaned up.” She sat and turned on the mattress. Davis attacked from behind, pulling her body over his as she squealed and wiggled. Trev sat and grasped her legs, twisting her until she knelt over Davis, her breasts smashed into his chest. Trev lowered himself on top of her, sandwiching her between their bodies, his cock nestled in the seam of her ass.
She was trapped.
“I said I wanted a kiss.” And Davis took it, driving his tongue into her mouth while Trev nipped at her neck, working his way down her back until he nibbled and licked her butt cheeks. Davis held her captive, lifting his hands to keep her head in place as his mouth ravished her. His cock, still wet from Trev’s mouth, smeared moisture on her belly. The arousal she constantly felt in their presence peaked. Trickles of sensation built in her belly to spread its flickers to the very tips of her extremities. When Trev clasped her hips and licked from clit to ass, she cried into Davis’ mouth, wiggling her hips with the need for more pressure and stimulation.
Davis swore and Melina pushed herself partially upright to glance down. Trev’s soft hair rubbed her crotch as he buried his head between her legs. Slurping noises rose and she giggled.
“Damn it, woman, you think it’s funny he’s sucking my balls—arghh. Trev, enough.”
Trev lifted his head and grinned at the two of them. “Good morning. What are you waiting for? Fuck her already.” His lips glistened with moisture and Melina twisted around to capture a taste. The flavor of Davis’ seed lingered on Trev’s tongue and she hummed with pleasure.
“Face Trev and put me inside, sweetheart,” Davis ordered, turning and positioning her to his command. She was wet and ready, but her breasts ached for a touch, needing to be fondled and petted. She squatted over him, Trev holding Davis’ cock upright, his head eye level with their hips as if he didn’t want to miss a single second. Heat poured off them, the scent of sex and passion filing the air. Melina reached down and added her hand to Trev’s, rubbing Davis’ cock back and forth through her wet folds to coat the flared head. He was huge and hot, and she dropped her hips a little at a time to work him into her body. Trev leaned forward to lick her clit, lick Davis’ cock, adding moisture where they joined to ease the way as she impaled herself on Davis’ shaft.
Trev’s rasping touch along her labia, stroking the seam between her and Davis, was the most erotic sensation. Davis slipped his hands along her torso to cup her breasts from behind, teasing and pulling her nipples, firmer and more aggressively as she began to ride up and down the steel length of his erection. Impossibly thick, he stretched her and triggered nerves deep within that made her gasp.
Trev balanced on one knee, holding his pre-come-smeared cock in his hand. He rubbed the bright purple head against her clit and slid the heated length between where she and Davis joined.
She took his lips in a smoldering kiss before grabbing him by the ears and forcing his head to her breasts. Davis still fondled her, but now he offered one side and then the other for Trev to suckle. Trev nipped, hard, as Davis drove upward, and a wave rushed over her, carrying her away from everything but the satisfaction found with her lovers. Davis pounded in, his cock flaring high and hard. Trev dropped back to lap again and again at her now-aching clit until she screamed and broke apart, the release too hard and pure to control. Davis’ semen scalded her, soaked her core, making his final thrusts slick and wild. Trev reached with his tongue to clean them, be a part of them.
Melina felt her body sway, the effort of holding herself upright too much to maintain. Davis captured her, pulling her back to lay on top of him, his cock slipping from her depths.
Trev rose over her and his gaze burned a hole in her heart, his unasked question showing in his eyes.
“Take me,” she ordered, pulling him down. He plunged into her body in one motion, sealing her to Davis.
There was something so right about lying between them, sweaty, blood pounding through her core as on every thrust Trev skewered her back onto Davis. She twisted her head to kiss Davis as best she could, Trev leaning in to add his tongue.
Touch after touch, all the aching loneliness of the past year disappeared as they loved her, needed her. Consumed and used her until there was nothing left but what they made as a whole.
A trio, united into one.
Trev cried out, his seed joined Davis’ inside and she moaned in approval. Pinned between her lovers, she realized how much more alive she was in the past twenty-four hours than in the full twelve months previous.
Chapter Six
Davis knew he wore a foolish grin as he scooped more breakfast onto his plate, Trev’s expression echoing his own. Opposite them at the table, Melina grew redder by the minute.
“If you don’t stop soon, I’m going to hit you both,” she warned quietly.
Trev raised his brows a few times. “Hmm, you haven’t played Dominatrix with us for a long time, baby. You making promises?”
Davis snorted into his coffee. For the next ten minutes Melina and Trev na
ttered back and forth like an old married couple and satisfaction bubbled in his soul as he listened. Damn, it was wonderful to have them together again. He watched the lights dancing in Melina’s eyes as she argued and teased, admired the way Trev backed off at the right moments and accompanied his wordplay with a generous dose of sexual innuendo. Trev glanced at him, dragging his heated gaze over Davis’ torso to let him know he was a part of the group. Wanted. Needed. Davis’ body reacted as usual to the thought of being with them and he had to reach under the table to adjust himself. Now if they could just deal with this situation quickly, they could get the hell out of this system and move on with their lives.
He hit the alert button to call everyone to the meeting and waited until all but Conn joined the table.
“We’ve got two issues. There’s a beast running loose on the War Eagle with the potential to set off bombs if it gets upset, and the Derrian rebels are readying to send off more packages to get their message across. I’ve got a few ideas for solutions already, but I’d like to hear if you have any improvements you can suggest.”
Melina spoke quickly, her face flushed. “We need to deal with the Eagle first, Davis. Their lives are at stake.”
Davis cursed silently. He should have known she wouldn’t hesitate to demand action and he wasn’t ready.
The rest of the crew shuffled awkwardly at the table, unwilling to speak and upset Melina. “I know your grandfather is aboard, but frankly…” Jayne stopped, her worried expression clear as she looked at Davis for guidance.
Davis sighed. “Melina, the Nottingham started as a secret arm of the Space Institute Corp. We were supposed to run the undercover jobs no one else needed to know about. I got called up as first mate a couple of months after I left you and Trev.” She watched attentively as he leaned back in his chair. “After only two missions I knew I couldn’t do it. The SIC weren’t picking military targets or dangerous rebels, they were sending us into situations detrimental to the SIC leadership, mainly their financial status. I didn’t want to fight for dirty causes and neither did the rest of the crew once I shared my discovery.”
“So, you mutinied.” Melina nodded. “That makes far more sense than the official version given over the news waves. I take it the original captain didn’t feel the way you did?”
Tucker snorted. “The bastard liked what we were doing too much. It was a pleasure to kick his ass off the ship.”
Davis shrugged. “We gave him a couple of choices and he decided he’d prefer to go back to the SIC in one piece. But the bottom line is the admiral hates our guts and feels personally responsible to track the Nottingham down and make an example of us all. The only person on this ship who could potentially get a sharysa aboard the Eagle without being keelhauled is you.”
Melina sat upright, all the color draining from her face.
“I don’t think it’s the right plan,” Trev said, reaching for her hand. “I thought so at first, but I don’t want to risk you. We need to figure out a different drop method. Maybe we can place a shipload of sharysa in a convenient spot so the Eagle feels obligated to pick them up, I don’t know. You don’t have to—”
She cut in quickly. “I’ll do it. We’ll have to make it look like I’ve just escaped from the planet though, or he’ll know something is up. With the extreme solar radiation Derryn’s sun gives off, the War Eagle’s sensors aren’t able to do a system-wide search. As long as you stay in oppositional orbit, you’ll be fine.”
Silence hung over the room. Fuck, he hated it came down to this. “Are you certain?”
Melina nodded. “I just need a sharysa.”
Davis stood up. “You’ll need three. Here’s my idea for dealing with the rebels and helping you escape from the Eagle. Trev pointed out to me one way to stop the Derrians temporarily is to shut down their ability to get off planet. Their rebellion began when a new mining base was brought into orbit. Over the past years, the Derrians have gained the ability to use raw crystals to travel to the station, using its ships to get out of the star system.
“Conn is checking the navigational charts and communication frequencies. It’s possible the massive solar flares that destroyed their technology can be triggered to happen again. If we seed the sun in the correct location, we’ll knock out the communications and power temporarily on the Eagle, the mining station and the planet all at the same time.”
“They’d have backup life-support system on both the ship and the station, but how will this help Melina escape? And won’t the solar flares disrupt our systems as well?” Sal asked.
Davis rose from his chair. “Melina will take three sharysa with her. Two of them will be Jem and Piata who are mated and have shown us they can turn crystals. When the systems shut down, Melina will make her way back to the shuttle and get the sharysa to reenergize the crystals. Then she’ll stick-handle the vessel back to us. Once the sharysa are back onboard, we reactive our own engines and get out. As soon as we leave the system, we’ll send a message to the SIC to let them know the War Eagle needs backup. Help should arrive within twenty-four hours.”
Davis glanced around the room. “Any troubles you see with the plan, anything I’ve missed?”
“Do you want me to build a trigger for the flares?” Jayne asked.
He nodded. “Conn will give you the frequency information, but simply focusing enough magnetic ions in the right spot should set her off. Derryn’s sun is pretty volatile.”
“Don’t make the bomb too powerful, okay, Jayne?” Trev winked at her. “Going supernova is not how I want to check out.”
Tucker frowned. “Davis, I see one problem. You said Melina takes three sharysa onboard with her. We only have two.”
Trev coughed. “Trust me. The sharysa are working on that one for us even now.”
A loud roar rose from the hallway followed by more sneezing. “Trev! You ass. What…did you…bring these…beasts…onboard…for?” Conn stormed into the room, sneezing explosively between every few words. Over his shoulder he carried a blanket pulled into a sack.
It wiggled violently.
He dumped it unceremoniously on the table and the flaps of fabric fell back to reveal a squirming horde of sharysa, each one the size of a man’s hand.
“Holy hell, you weren’t kidding about them being prolific breeders, were you, Trev?” Davis admired the mass of beasts from a distance while Melina and Jayne immediately each picked one up and began oohing and ahhing. “Don’t get too attached, ladies. These are weapons of mass destruction. We haven’t told you the last part of the plan yet.”
He explained the potential outcome of the sharysa spreading across the galaxy and the room fell silent except for Conn’s continued sneezing. No one spoke over the sounds of the purrs and squeals of the sharysa kits, now crawling into people’s laps and exploring every inch of the room.
“Well. That makes a bit of change coming.” Jayne pulled a long face and then shrugged. “I don’t see it’s a bad thing, everyone having free energy crystals. In fact there are a few planets I can recommend for us to visit right off that could use a renewable energy source. It would improve their living conditions a whole lot.”
“So, you don’t think I’ve precipitated Armageddon?” Trev asked.
Conn sneezed then cursed. “You’re not godlike enough.”
Sal pointed at Conn. “I want to see you in my room. I’ll give you a dose of your usual allergy medication to clear this up. Sounds like you’d better get used to having the furry beasts around.”
Conn nodded then stepped over to show a monitor to Jayne. While they examined the data, Sal shuffled closer to Melina to stroke the sharysa resting in her arms.
“They are rather adorable.” She glanced at Trev. “Are we going to have to exterminate them by the cartload? Because I’m not looking forward to it.”
Trev reassured her. “They seem to stop reproducing at the maximum population the local food supply will allow to flourish. There were a lot of sharysa on the planet, but never too ma
ny. I assume it will be the same thing here. There are records on the Institute files if you want to confirm for us.”
Sal nodded. “I think I will. Later.” She eyed Conn and nudged Melina in the side. “After I enjoy the results of giving him his medication.” Melina looked puzzled and Sal laughed. “The side effects of the medication are quite amusing. They make him very affectionate.”
“Conn?” Melina gasped.
“Oh yeah. He’s a rough codger, but you should see the size of the man’s rocket blaster.” She held up both hands to create a circle of massive size and Melina gulped. “He’s got amazing stamina as well. I can arrange for you to observe sometime. I remember once—”
“Melina, can I speak to you please?” Davis called out. That was enough of that conversation, as far as he was concerned. Melina nodded politely to Sal and rejoined them, the sharysa snuggled in her arms fast asleep and purring.
“Yes?”
Trev and Davis exchanged glances before he gestured toward Sal, who now led Conn, still sneezing, from the room. “Just thought you needed rescuing from our resident sex expert. If you want to talk about impressive girths, you can check us again. Thoroughly.”
“Jealous?”
Davis pulled her into his lap and nuzzled her neck. “Never. Now we have a couple days to kill before you fly away. Got any ideas of how we should spend the time?”
“I vote for the Dominatrix. She did promise.” Trev knelt beside them, his eyes dark with rising interest.
Davis laughed. Maybe it would all work out fine.
———
A day later Melina wandered into the crew’s common room to find Sal surrounded by monitors, medical scanners and a swarm of sharysa. The doctor smiled at her and cleared a space close by, patting its surface to indicate Melina should join her.
“I’ve been digging through the Institute files from when they had a base on Derryn. The records dated from before they quit transmitting show previous generations of sharysa have different DNA than the ones you brought onboard.”