Reaching into a sachet tied to her loin cloth wrap, she produced Sydney's lost pill bottle. Sydney's mouth fell agape as Jardia placed the medication in her palm.
"Unbelievable." Sydney stared her meds. "I was sure these were gone forever."
"I knew they were important to you, and I only want to please the spirit bird's offspring."
"A spirit bird's ... ?" Sydney chuckled softly at the misunderstanding. "Jardia that was no spirit bird that was…"
"Whatever she wants it to be it was!" Alea interrupted loudly, and then murmured to Sydney. "It's a crime to interfere with the beliefs of the Esotarian tribes."
Sydney blinked at Alea, her words sinking in. No sense in accumulating more charges against herself. "Never mind."
"It matters not," Jardia sighed. She presented the delta and nodded reverently, her eyes closing as she did so. "Kie astu jbant re adgo…may your heart and your soul always find peace and harmony, my sacred friend."
"Thank you," Sydney returned as she tightly fisted her medication bottle. "May the force be with you too."
Alea who couldn't help but snickered under her breath, and Sydney shrugged as she glanced at her. "I liked that old movie."
"I must go." Jardia smiled softly but it faded quickly, her expression turning somber. She turned and briskly jogged away.
Turning to Alea, Sydney laughed loudly. She then tipped her head back and shook it pretentiously. "I'm a goddess."
"The force be with you!" Alea returned the laugh. "One of my favorite movies too."
"It's a classic," Sydney returned.
"So what is that?" Alea indicated the bottle in Sydney's hand.
Sobering, Sydney stared down at her meds and pursed her lips considering how she might explain them. "It's a prescription I've been taking for a very long time," she finally said.
Alea slipped back into the taw, wading closer to get a better view. "Are you sick?"
Sick…hmm…how to answer that one? "Everybody seemed to think so, and convinced me that I was." Except the military, of course. Policy would've prevented her from even putting a single finger on the space station, not alone flying a star jet. With a little help, she'd been able to keep that under wraps. Sydney wasn't about to risk her military career or anyone else's going into the toilet now. There still might be a chance that she could end up going back, and wanted to have something to go back to.
"Alea," Sydney decided to change the subject. Bracing her hands on the rock ledge behind her, she pushed out of the taw to sit on the edge. "Do you really believe that Calem and Arjim will turn me in? They told me they loved me."
Alea's expression became sympathetic. She too pushed up on the pool's edge and sat next to Sydney. "I don't know. I would hope that their love and desire for you won't be displaced by their duty to the Allegiance."
"You think they'll be forced to obey orders." Sydney sighed. Her comment was more knowing statement than it was a question. Being military herself there was no one who understood duty as much as she did.
"This galactic war has caused collateral damage to hundreds of thousands." Alea answered. "They may have no choice with the Allegiance placing charges on you. Their hands may be tied, and I'm not even sure Tren or Rjant will have enough pull to get you out of this."
"Well then," Sydney's intentions turned toward self-preservation as she popped open her pill bottled and spilled a single tablet in her hand. "Let's try and keep me safe and alive. This will keep them from me, at least for awhile."
Sadness filled her. She gulped, swallowing the lump in her throat and then swallowed the bitter pill, grimacing as the dry tablet slowly scraped its way down. Calem and Arjim, as much as her heart ached for them would never be a true part of her life. It was a fact she needed to accept, make peace with, finally bring to a closure.
"So what are those for, Sydney?" Alea stared at her pensively.
Sydney didn't answer. Instead she stared into the bottle swirling the last pill around the bottom. "I only have one left."
"Alright, don't tell me." Alea held out her hand. "But at least let me keep this almighty, important medicine in a safe place for you since you seem to keep losing them."
Sydney replaced the cap, hesitated, and then relented, handing the bottle to her. At the same time she sighed. "It's a beta blocker for…" She revealed to Alea. "…for nightmares."
"Nightmares, really?" Alea stood without questioning her further. She then strolled over to the nearby hover cycle, her fetter charms jingling a pleasant chime around her ankles.
"With all that noise you're making," Sydney commented snidely. "Your mates won't have much trouble finding us at all."
Alea glanced down at her ankles. "It's a very sacred and ancient mating tradition. Females for centuries have had the instinctive urge to run from their Sh'em and this is used to not only mark them as mated but to keep track of them."
Sydney lifted a brow. "Isn't that a little barbaric?"
Alea grinned. "It can actually be quite entertaining." Turning, she placed the pills in the storage compartment and slid the cover closed. "You'd be surprised at how much control you can really have over your mates with these things."
A forlorn expression crossed Sydney's face. Barbaric or not she suddenly had a longing to wear a pair.
"I'm sorry, Sydney." Alea sighed. "I wish there was something I could do about your mates. This should be a time to celebrate."
Sydney didn't want to talk about it. Instead her attention went to the cycle. "Maybe I should just hang onto my meds myself."
"I promise I'll protect that last pill with my life."
Was Alea serious? It was just a stupid pill. Sydney dropped her head in despair. Whatever. It was only one more pill and after that, well maybe Alea could help her find a way home or maybe she could convince Jardia to hide her again. None of this mattered much if she was going to spend the rest of her days without her heart mates, without fetter charms of her own. Especially now that she knew that her men were real. But they intended on turning her over, when what they should be doing is protecting her. They didn't deserve her. She didn't want them, not anymore.
"You are as lovely as ever, She'mana," an unseen voice said, his voice low and sensual.
"Tren…" Alea gasped.
Sydney looked up to see Alea's posture stiffening. Her breathing accelerated emphasizing her rounded breasts with every rise and fall. Sydney groaned knowing the jig was up. A man stood before Alea, wearing nothing but a lecherous smile and a stiff cock that jutted forward. She tried not to stare, really she did, but Sydney couldn't deny he was pretty magnificent to look at.
A second man emerged from the trees behind Alea, and Sydney's attention snapped toward him. Just as the first man, he was completely naked, completely, stiffly aroused. Sydney forced her attention from his crotch her gaze darting upward to his face. Blonde wavy hair blew gently in the breeze framing features that were undeniably pleasing. Fiery passion blazed in eyes that were steadfast on Alea. He reminded Sydney of a cat by the manner of his stride, confident yet relaxed as he sauntered closer to his She'mana.
"Hello, my sexy Rjant." A soft smile graced Alea's lips as he approached.
His arm swept around her waist, his fingers splaying over her belly, pausing only briefly before skimming lower to graze through her pubic curls.
"What do you here, our love?" he said to her.
Alea exhaled slowly at his touch, her eyes closing as she turned her head to press her cheek to his shoulder. "Just evening the playing field my handsome Sh'em, just evening the playing field."
The male that stood in front of Alea turned his head to deliberately look at Sydney. If the one holding Alea was Rjant, this one was likely Tren of course. He scrutinized her briefly, his eyes on her naked body causing her to shift uncomfortably. Sydney crossed her arms over her chest to hide her breasts, and drew up her legs. She lowered her eyes. It was one thing to peruse their naked bodies when their attention was elsewhere, but being the object of the perusing
had her feeling awkward and shy.
"Do not think to escape Earth woman," he said and Sydney looked up. He pointed a warning finger at her, glaring at her sternly. "You will be caught."
Intimidation flickered in his gaze and though Sydney knew she was in a very vulnerable and helpless state, she'd be damned if she was going to let him know that. Sydney's nostrils flared. She pressed her lips into a defiant frown--cocky bastard--and challenged him--in his own language. "Ianc uohar ey?" Why would I listen to you?
His brow lifted and he smirked. "Would you prefer I pick you up and carry you to your fate?"
Feeling slightly more brave and a lot more brazen, Sydney gave his muscled, nude body the once over. Not bad. Not as good as Calem and Arjim but still not bad--at least in her eyes. She snorted before replying. "Good luck with that one, bad boy" Why the daft snappers am I taunting him? And yet she continued unable to pin her lips shut. "What makes you think you'll have any success with that?"
"We are Tertani men, and that is enough said." He smiled smugly and then started toward her.
"Tren ... "
At the sound of Alea's voice Tren froze mid-pace. Lust beamed in his eyes and his cocky smile faded. He turned his attention to his She'mana. His cock twitched several times, and Sydney studied his reaction to Alea with much curiosity. Alea was right. Oh to have such power over a man…or two.
Sydney's chest tightened, her thoughts straying to her own Tertani men. Could they possibly be just as enamored with her? She'd seen…felt the evidence of their arousal, knew the hunt was supposed to sexually excite them. Sydney's nipples hardened and her clit began to throb. Despite the hurt and anger she felt over their motives she was completely unable to dampen the fact that she still wanted, no that she needed to mate with them. In fact dampening was exactly what was happening between her thighs just thinking about them.
"How did you find us, Tren?" Alea asked.
At first Tren said nothing. Instead his eyes were riveted to where Rjant's fingers sensually massaged between Alea's legs. His chest heaved as if he was struggling to remain in control despite his cock jutting proudly forth and twitching. Finally remembering she'd asked him a question, he spoke. "You failed to deactivate the cycle's tracking unit."
That tidbit of information distracted Alea from her sexual indulgence. She blinked questioningly at Tren. "No I didn't."
There was no response from Tren other than to angle his head as if to say oh really, which prompted Alea to break from Rjant's grasp. With questioning eyes still fixed on Tren, she strolled to the hover cycle and then turned her head away from him, bending to check the dashboard readings, studying them, fiddling with the settings. Straightening she pressed a palm to her sternum and frowned. "I could swear…I'm sure…" She then sighed, her head dropping as if in shame. "I'm an idiot."
Tren returned his attention to Sydney. "By order of the Allegiance I place you under…"
"Oh Tren…" Alea crooned.
"Oh god, Alea!" Now Sydney was really blushing. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The woman was bent in half, her ass in the air, exposing her backside and her spread pussy to Tren's eyes. "They're trained soldiers, Alea. Do you think that will help?"
Apparently it helped. Tren groaned and paced quickly toward his woman. At the same time Alea lifted her head, sought Rjant's eager cock and began fondling him. Behind Alea Tren's body tensed as he apparently struggled to resist her, his rogue cock betraying his obligatory intentions. "You should not have come, our love."
"Oh, I have yet to cum my sexy warriors." Alea wiggled her ass at him and then glanced toward Sydney emphatically mouthing the word run. "Fuck me. I'm wet and so horny for you my mates."
With his chest heaving, his harsh breaths audible, Tren took two more steps forward putting him within reach of her. He stroked the globe of her bottom, and groaned once more before slipping his finger into her vagina.
"Uyo!" Alea cried, and abruptly she was squashed between them, their mouths, their hands, their bodies beginning a frenzied sexual dance against Alea's flesh that had her hissing in pleasure. She smiled at Sydney. "My Sh'em forget that breeding becomes a compelling urge for the Prowlers linked for the Triconjugal Hunt. Little else will overpower it."
"She has us there, brethren," Rjant rasped out before seizing her throat with his mouth.
"Ah-h-h, my handsome Sh'em take me."
Tren didn't hesitate. He jerked Alea's hips toward him and began pumping with frenzied thrusts inside of her. Under different circumstances Sydney might be tempted to watch the steamy scene, but right now she knew it was her chance to flee. Rising to her feet she sprinted into the woods as fast as her bare feet would move, her mind reeling in fascination from the erotic sight of those two exotic hunks pawing Alea's body. Would she ever get the chance to feel that from Calem and Arjim in the flesh, to experience an orgasm with her own two men? It may be that they were using the Triconjugal Hunt for deceptive reasons, but Sydney's mind was locked on only one thing right now.
Sex…
She was insanely hot and wet and ready, and whatever their motives were with the Triconjugal Hunt, Sydney suddenly couldn't care less. She knew they were just as horny as she was. She'd felt their passion when they linked with her, felt their heated bodies and seeking hands all over her skin, felt their hardened cocks, and snap damn they were hard, poking and prodding at her. Come hell's fire or flood waters--and at the moment Sydney was as much on fire as she was flooding between the thighs--she was going to use every trick Alea showed her to mate with them!"
?
Chapter Sixteen
Calem crossed one arm over the other as he leaned back against the trunk of a tree. He snickered. Our commanders aren't as resilient to their woman's charms as they believed.
I'm not sure they believed they were, Arjim mentally returned. Which is why they ordered her to stay home.
Did they really believe she would concede to that?
I don't know. Calem shifted uncomfortably as the escalating arousal of Rjant and Tren filled both his and Arjim's head. His own member was rock hard, his balls tight and ready to spew. But do they truthfully believe we could resist the charms of our own woman when they could not resist their own?
Calem rubbed his balls before wrapping his fingers around the stiffened shaft and squeezing hard. "Hellfires I need relief."
"She is our woman, brethren." Arjim remarked aloud. He looked down at his own throbbing member. "Divinity sent to us. We have a right to take her to mate."
Our woman is an exquisite creature. Calem panted as he stroked himself. I just don't understand why we are having so much trouble linking with her.
I'm as baffled by that as you are, but I have no doubt that she is truly our woman. Arjim smiled gently as he thought about Sydney's beautifully intense brown eyes and her silky dark hair that curled upward just at her shoulders. He ached to thread his fingers through that mane, clench his fingers around her locks and kiss her hard. Thoughts of his tongue exploring her lips, her mouth, her neck, her breasts…
Ka, brethren! Calem's protest roared through Arjim's brain. Enough! My cock is about to blow!
Arjim closed his eyes, pushing away the lusty thoughts flooding Calem's mind and reluctantly surrendered to rational thinking. If we mate with her in the flesh we lose all certain hope of ever convincing the Allegiance of her innocence.
I've been considering that, brethren. If the time is favorable with our link to her we may prove she is our mate, but it won't necessarily exonerate her from the violation of security charges she faces. We may lose her anyway.
Then we should stay amongst the tribes of Esotar, where the Allegiance cannot touch her! Arjim growled, the feral sound roaring through Calem's head.
Even the Trigon clans are unreceptive to outsiders. Calem released his cock denying his need to release. They may forbid us from dwelling amid the tribes. Even now they reluctantly allow us to partake in the mating rituals. Ultimately they will want us to vacate Esotar.
Calem nodded. Arjim was right. In addition the Sh'em ot Alea and the Sh'em ot Bligh, they'd been in communion with two Esotarian Trigons, four males of the ancient tribes. He and Arjim already knew they were welcomed amongst them. "My life is naught without our She'mana."
"As is mine, brethren," Arjim agreed. He pressed a palm to his aching sternum. Calem did the same, the unrelenting love and passion they had for Sydney gripped their hearts with a severity that even duty couldn't wash away. "We have waited too many dawnings for her and now we must protect her."
Your Tina is on the run, Bjead's voice slipped into their minds.
Arjim licked his lips, adrenaline and the mating lust quickened in his blood, feeding off of the same urges coursing through Calem's mind and that of the Prowlers. Their pupils dilated, their bodies stirred at the vision of her running, her sleek, long legs spreading wide in her stride. Where is she?
Is your She'mana with her? Calem asked mentally.
No, Bjead silently answered. But Bligh is attempting to track her. Larimon and I are Prowling after our woman now.
And the Commanders?
Larimon mentally answered this time. Their She'mana is still keeping them otherwise, he snorted. Occupied.
Calem locked gazes with Arjim, It is impossible for any Trigon male to resist the urges when in the Prowling state. Our Commanders are shortsighted to believe otherwise.
Both their chests heaved as excitement filled them, feeding off their own primal need and the intense arousal of their chosen Prowlers rushing through them. Their sexual prowess intensified as the hunger for the hunt intensified.
The Commanders had overestimated both ours and their own willpower. Arjim transmitted. Yet they expect us to be even stronger of will than they are able?
Dominance Fury Page 17