Viken Command: Interstellar Brides® Program: Book 18

by Goodwin, Grace

  If Helion hadn’t ordered us to maintain cover, to remain silent, to use Whitney to the mission’s gain, we would not be in this predicament. We would be in bed with her, claiming her. No, she would have already been claimed. She would not doubt our love and devotion. We’d be constantly pleasing her. Making her the happiest of females on the planet. In the entire fucking universe.

  No. No. It wasn’t all Helion’s fault. It was ours as well. We could have defied him, told Whitney the truth of our endeavors at Trixon. Knowing her, based upon the short time we’d spent together, it was clear to me now that she would have understood. “Perhaps we should have told her the truth, but her safety was our top priority, and the less she knew, the safer she was.”

  “We understand your reasoning, Captain.” King Drogan tilted his head to the side. “It will be up to you to convince Whitney.”

  I noticed at once that he did not refer to her as my mate, but by her given name, and that drove home exactly how permanent Whitney’s decision would be regarding her future.

  Surely, she would understand that we’d been keeping her safe. Except she had not always been safe, because we hadn’t trusted her with the truth. I should have known, as my matched mate, we were perfect for each other, and that meant she would be a confidante. Trustworthy.

  Instead, our lies had led her into the arms of the enemy, and nearly caused her to be taken by smugglers from the criminal Cerberus legion of Rogue 5. The thought made my blood run cold with dread and shame.

  “Who are these new males? They may be her mates through the testing, but they were not the first match chosen,” Oran said. He angled his head toward me. “Alarr is Whitney’s priority match. The perfect match. She is ours, even if they attempt to convince her otherwise.”

  “It is not about who came first,” King Drogan reminded.

  All I could think of with those words was that Whitney must always come first. We’d fucked that up royally.

  “The choice is hers. This is about Whitney’s future. Her happiness. You three do not understand the depths of what you have done to hurt her,” King Lev added.

  “We lied to her. We used her as a front for our undercover mission,” Teig explained, although the kings already knew that.

  “You did more than that, I’m afraid.” King Drogan said before nodding to King Lev. “Show them.”

  Show us what? The kings were more than familiar with the gun smuggling that had been happening and with our mission to end it. Viken was their planet. Even Doctor Helion would not run a months’ long operation on a peaceful civilian planet without communicating with the three kings. Especially, as those three kings had all grown up immediately following the Sector Wars. Separated at birth, they’d survived. Thrived. Each growing powerful in his own right and ruling his sector before Queen Leah arrived to unite them—and unite our planet. They were neither foolish nor rash, and their current tone filled me with dread and made my skin chill.

  King Tor walked toward the transport tech. “Leave us, please.”

  The male bowed and left without saying a word. King Tor worked the room’s control board as if he’d been a tech himself at one time. After a moment, he tipped his chin toward the comm screen on the wall, which had filled with images.

  “What did Whitney tell you about her life on Earth?” he asked, turning his head to look to the three of us.

  “Not much,” I admitted. “We were… busy.”

  We were newly mated Vikens, three males to one female. I didn’t need to define busy for him.

  “Then watch these comms from Earth. Learn about Whitney’s personal history. Face the truth.”

  One after the other, we stood, mesmerized, by the primitive feed from Earth. Males and females spoke to the screen, footage of males in restraints, of Whitney and her family in odd Earth clothing. Their names had been written on the display. Short descriptions ran across the bottom of the screen, repeating the narrator’s words.

  Another, then another, appeared to have been broadcast over the course of two years’ time. Slowly, I began to understand what I was seeing. Whitney’s father and brother had cheated innocent people out of their hard-earned money. Earth currency was different than that of Viken, but I understood the concept. They were swindlers. Thieves.

  Whitney had been questioned because most of the victims had been associated with her. Her father and brother had used her, and her connections at some type of learning institution, to lure people of wealth into his scheme.

  Her own father and brother had lied to her. Used her to perpetuate a crime. Forced her to endure public humiliation and shame.

  It did not matter that she had been found innocent. An entire country was angry at her, and at her family, for what they’d done. Many of the broadcasters hated her simply because of her blood relation to two amoral human males who had lied to her and used her, two males she loved and trusted. Males who were supposed to love and protect her.

  “By the gods, we were fools,” Oran said when King Tor ended the comm screen connection.

  “Her father? Her brother? And they did it all right under her nose,” Teig added.

  Their gazes turned to me.

  “We did that to her,” I said, hating myself even more. “We were following orders, but we still lied to our mate. We were tricking her all the while she was innocent and clueless.”

  “Worse than that,” Oran added. “We used her, like her father did.”

  “That’s right,” King Drogan said. “She came to you in good faith, determined to start a new life, to allow herself to love you.”

  I was going to be sick.

  “We asked Leah to speak with her, to try to explain.” King Lev cleared his throat. “But Whitney refuses to see reason. She is hurting, in large part due to all that busy work you were doing.”

  I let my head drop. I stared at the sleek metal floor. “Fuck.”

  “Exactly,” King Tor said.

  We’d wronged Whitney in so many ways. Used her mind, her body… and her heart against her. We’d lied. Deceived. Used. Yes, we’d been following orders, but that did not lessen Whitney’s pain. We should have trusted her, as she had trusted us. From the first day, the first moment. Trusted the match. She would not be matched to me if she were anything less than honorable. Courageous. Worthy in every way to be mine.

  I took a deep breath, let it out. “I would allow you shoot us all now for our stupidity, but we must at least apologize to her first.”

  I glanced to Oran and Teig, who nodded in agreement.

  “Shooting you would be the easy way out,” King Tor said. “You are honorable Vikens. I’ve known you for years, all three of you. You are also newly mated, which means you’ve been thinking not with your brains, but with your cocks. Your hearts.”

  “That’s right,” King Drogan added. “You were protecting her from the danger of your mission. We understand, as would any male in the Coalition. But you were not mated to a Coalition fighter. Your mate was Whitney, and she does not see events that way. Hers is the only viewpoint that should be important to you now.”

  King Tor agreed. “Your mate is all that matters. How she feels. How she thinks. How she loves.”

  I couldn’t have agreed more. That was why we were trying to see her. “Take us to her.”

  “We cannot. A Viken female scorned is a she-devil. An Earth woman scorned?” King Tor said, shaking his head slowly. “You may wish we shot you dead right now.”

  “Perhaps Leah’s Earth god will help them,” King Lev grumbled, and I wasn’t sure if the words were spoken in jest or in earnest.

  I knew they were right. We’d gone on many missions, for the Coalition and for the I.C. We’d trained, we’d practiced. We’d fought. Survived. Those trials had meant nothing compared to this.

  We were in for a fight with Whitney. A fight for our match, for our future. For love.

  This was one battle we would not lose, for the only heart that was worth protecting was Whitney’s. We’d see it whole, w
hether that included us or not.

  I looked at each king in turn, making my intention clear. “Take us to our mate.”

  Again King Tor shook his head in denial but it was King Drogan who spoke. “She will be informed of your arrival but she is currently in the garden with her new mates.”

  “What?” Oran walked toward the door, but a line of royal guards filled the space. We would stay here, or we would have to fight our way out.

  That option was suicide, and would not get Whitney back.

  King Lev stepped up to stand by his brothers and the three males were formidable when shoulder to shoulder. “You will not leave this room. She must choose to come to you.”

  11

  Whitney

  The gardens around the palace were lovely. The food was delicious, of what I ate of it. The three mates who sat with me were handsome and attentive. Leah had been the chaperone, the one to make conversation and ask questions. Without her, I’d have sat there like a lump.

  When she rose to leave, Kayson, Geros and Mal stood and bowed to their queen, I grabbed her hand.

  “Where are you going?” I asked desperately, as if these guys were here to kill me, not make me blissfully happy.

  “My kings need me,” she replied. Her shrewd gaze flicked to the guys. “You don’t.”

  Before I could tell her that I did, I really, really did, she turned and fled.

  Damn her!

  Why was I petrified to be left alone with three sexy alien hotties? Why did I want her to stay here and hold my hand forever and ever? I was not the brave, fierce woman I’d been when I sat in the testing chair with Warden Egara back on Earth. I’d been daring that day. Fearless. Determined to put my past behind me and start over.

  Now? Now, I was being an idiot.

  A lovesick idiot.

  Kayson, Geros and Mal took their seats once again. I couldn’t look at them. Not because I was truly afraid, as if they’d harm me physically. I was afraid to get to know them, to like them. To want them. Because I didn’t want them. I wanted someone else—three someone elses—and I had no doubt that desire was written all over my face. More like neon lights blinking on a damn billboard.

  “You love them, don’t you?” Kayson asked. “Your three previous mates.”

  Oh shit, maybe the sign was brighter even than a billboard.

  I looked up into his eyes, saw they were kind. Thoughtful. Worried.

  I burst into tears. Gentle hands lifted me, settled me on a lap. Arms wrapped around me, pressing my head against a warm, comforting chest. I felt the steady beat of a heart, the calm rise and fall of breathing. The clean scent of strong male.

  And that’s all. I accepted his comfort, but I did not melt into his embrace. I did not inhale his scent as if it were the very oxygen I needed to survive another moment. He felt like a friend, nothing more. But right now, I needed a friend, one who wasn’t happily mated to three hot alien kings. One who was as lonely and miserable as I was. Someone who understood—maybe a little—what I was going through.

  They said things to me, three different voices speaking, but I didn’t know what they uttered. It was the tone, the soft cadence, that lulled me. I wasn’t afraid. I was comforted. Sheltered. Protected, although the danger I faced originated from within, from my own heart.

  Finally, the tears lessened, then stopped. I eventually cried myself out, although I had no idea how long it had taken.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, wiping my face.

  Geros held out a glass of water, and I took a sip, thanking him as the cool drink soothed my scratchy throat.

  “I am impressed by you, Whitney from Earth,” Kayson said. I looked up, realized it was his lap I was upon. God, he was so attractive, so… perfect. For someone else.

  “Because I cried all over your uniform?” I felt my cheeks heat at how I’d behaved.

  He tipped my chin up so I couldn’t look away. “For giving your heart to your mates so quickly, so openly. Trust can only be given if someone possesses two traits, the courage to take a chance on knowing someone might hurt you, and the confidence to know you’re strong enough to survive if they do.”

  I snorted at that. I didn’t feel particularly courageous or strong at the moment. “I trusted my mates. I ignored my instincts and trusted all three of them. And look where that got me.”

  “Tell us what happened.” Geros gently took the drink from my hand. “Tell us everything.”

  My eyes widened, and I looked between the three of them. “You want to know about my relationship problems with other men?”

  “We want you to be happy,” Mal replied. “Tell us and allow us to assist you. We already know you are not ours. The testing may have matched you to Kayson, but your heart belongs to the others.”

  He was right, and I had to look away. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” Kayson said. “We long for a mate who possesses the same passion and devotion you exhibit. Perhaps, we will now request a female from Earth.”

  “I don’t understand. I rejected them and now belong to you. At least according to the Interstellar Brides Program.”

  Kayson slowly shook his head. “We want your heart, Whitney. The testing match may have forced us together, but unless your heart is free to love us, our match will not make you happy.”

  “I’m—”

  “Do not say the word again,” Geros added. “You have no reason to be sorry. Tell us what happened.”

  These three were good guys. Really good guys. They looked at me with earnestness, with a focus that told me I was the center of their world in this moment. And so, I told them. All of it. Not all of it, but I had a feeling they could fill in the blanks—the very naughty, sexy, hot, sweaty, make-me-beg-for-more blanks.

  “So, your mates work for the I.C.”

  I nodded at Geros’ statement. “That’s what Queen Leah told me after I transported here.”

  “I am impressed. You have only been on Viken a few days. Do you know what the I.C. is? What those who serve do for the Fleet?”

  I shrugged. “I think so. They’re like spies? Like the CIA on Earth.”

  “I do not know this CIA, but the I.C. is not so simple as that. Some serve to gather intelligence. Many are assigned dangerous missions in the field, penetrating enemy lines, rescuing hostages or dignitaries. They are placed in danger and are highly skilled, highly trusted. You do not request to serve in the I.C., those who serve are recruited because they are the best at what they do. Because they are deadly, dangerous and highly skilled. They take risks no others will take. They are sent into the most dangerous and deadly places. They protect the entire Fleet, as well as gather intelligence. If they are spies, they are warrior spies.”

  Light was beginning to dawn. “Holy shit. They’re like Spec Ops.”

  “I do not know this term. But that they all three are thus honored tells us much about your mates.”

  “They’re not my mates,” I reminded. “Not anymore.”

  Kayson shook his head. “You can lie to yourself if you prefer, but we know the truth as well as you do. Your mates are those who have your heart.”

  I realized I was sitting upon his lap still. I was in love with three other men, and I was in his arms chatting like I’d known him for years. God, what a weirdo I was! I climbed off his lap and paced before them, the lavish spread of food forgotten.

  “They lied to me,” I reminded them.

  “If they were on Earth and part of this… CIA you mention,” Mal began. “Would they need to lie to protect you?”

  I thought of the CIA, of the movies that depicted all their covert operations. I thought of the SEALs who went off to war and couldn’t tell their family where they’d gone, only that it was some country ending in -stan or that there was sand.

  “Probably.”

  “And why is that?” Mal asked.

  “Because they’re not allowed to and because if I knew, it might be dangerous for both them and for me.”

  The three males
remained silent but watched me closely as I thought aloud.

  “But they… they used me,” I repeated. “They had sex with me to keep me distracted. I even heard one of them say my presence had been useful to gain access to more places in the resort.” That was just embarrassing, so I looked away.

  “I am sure they were distracted, too,” Kayson said, and I looked to him. There was banked heat in his eyes, for which I was grateful. He made me feel pretty, made me feel… worthy. “You are incredibly beautiful, Whitney. I highly doubt they had sex with you out of duty. It would be impossible to touch you and not feel genuine desire.”

  Ego boost much?

  “Yes, having a mate like you, I would not be eager to participate in any mission, whether it was for the I.C. or not,” Geros added. “I would hate to be torn from your side, especially when we were newly matched.”

  Geros’s comment had me thinking. Could that be possible? Had my mates truly not wanted to leave me? Had they dreaded their work when they’d rather have remained with me?

  “But they never took me as a trio, at the same time. Leah… Queen Leah told me that was required for a true claiming.”

  Kayson nodded. “That is correct. Perhaps they didn’t claim you together because they hadn’t completed their mission. Perhaps taking you as one would require all three males to be distracted and vulnerable at the same time. Perhaps, dear Whitney, it simply was not safe to leave you unprotected while they claimed you.”

  “They left me alone the night I found the disk.”

  “And what happened that night? When you were alone and unprotected?”

  I’d found the disk, made some terrible assumptions and run straight into the jaws of the enemy. “I found the disk and tried to transport to Viken United.”