by Regine Abel
The disarmed Guldan went to grab the Tuurean male’s sword. As soon as he held it, vicious spikes protruded from the pommel, severing his hand above the wrist. It hit the ground with a meaty thud and the clanking of metal. The Guldan collapsed with a shrill shriek, holding his bleeding stump to his chest. His screams were silenced by the Tuurean female’s blaster. My remaining opponent stared in horror at his crippled acolyte. Taking advantage, I slammed the pommel of my sword against the back of his head.
The battle ended. Amalia freed the Tuurean male from the net. She watched him release his celesium sword from the shredded remains of the Guldan’s severed hand. Her eyes dropped warily to her own hand still holding the Tuurean female’s sword. Defense mechanisms based on bio-signature were common knowledge though few equipped their weapons with the expensive technology.
“Why didn’t it harm me?” Amalia whispered.
“You’re Veredian,” the Tuurean male said, before picking up the blasters that had fired the nets.
Khel and Ghan dragged a Guldan survivor to join the three at our feet. All our other would-be assassins, seventeen in total, were dead. Khel went straight to Amalia, who was fussing over my wound. He examined her to make sure she was unharmed.
“Thank you,” I said to the Tuurean female with a respectful bow. “Without your shield and assistance, we would have been overwhelmed.”
“Councilor,” she said in her hollow, metallic voice with a slight bow.
“Yes, thank you for protecting our mate,” Khel echoed, holding Amalia firmly against him.
“Always. The Admiral sends his regards.”
“Please extend him ours in return,” Khel said. “And assure him of our friendship and continued alliance.”
Masterful!
The cameras closed in on us the minute the battle ended. No doubt, they also captured most of the combat. The two Tuureans publicly declared themselves Amalia’s protectors. They implied a friendship between Khel and their Admiral, the most feared male in the known space. Khel didn’t even realize the political power of his polite response. I’d been wondering how to reveal that alliance without exposing the Veredian refugees. This couldn’t have played out better. I only hoped the cameras hadn’t captured Amalia’s ability in disabling the nets…
Amalia offered the Tuurean female her sword back.
“Keep it, little sister. And continue making good use of it,” the female said in her chilling monotone.
CHAPTER 32
Khel
Amalia, Lhor and I settled into our mating. We finally crushed any lingering awkwardness a week ago, more than a month after the day of our Confirmation. The past seven weeks had challenged me to my limit. Despite their support and understanding, I couldn’t help but seethe whenever Amalia and Lhor touched each other. When he invaded our bed, I wanted to strangle him. Another male shouldn’t touch my mate and live.
And that was the crux.
Lhor was my Gem, yet I thought of him as another male instead of as another facet of myself. It was Bhek who made me realize that I had never truly recognized him as my Geminate. I had loved Lhor as a brother with whom I shared a special bond, and as a celebrity who revels in the worship of a devoted fan. It terrified me that I might never overcome that. But worse, it shamed me that I had failed my Gem who had embraced me unconditionally.
Since Lhor’s mating with Amalia, he had dropped the walls between us. His emotions became my constant companions and filled a hole within my soul I never realized existed. For the first time, I felt whole, at peace. Growing up, I was prone to fits of anger. Often, Lhor’s presence was all that kept me from losing it. Over the years, military discipline taught me to rein in my temper – most of the time. But the last few weeks convinced me that my swiftness to anger had been caused by the hollowness deep within, the sense of incompleteness.
After these two months of psychic symbiosis, I finally knew what it was to be a Gem, to be one on the spiritual level with another. Lhor had lived with my emotions his entire life, making me an integral part of him. By blocking himself from me all these years, he had also blocked my ability to embrace him as he had me. I couldn’t even blame him because he did so to protect me. The signs had been there – I had chosen to ignore them. But no more; at last, we were one. And as the bond deepened, my jealousy and insecurities faded.
For the twelve days following the Ceremony, Amalia was insatiable. I was actually relieved to have Lhor’s help in sating her needs. I learned on the thirteenth day that the little fiend had stopped drinking her Rehmannia tea, as Lhor found out when she jumped him in his office. She told him then that she didn’t need it since she had two mates. But when her season ended, she confessed. The tea dampened her sexual drive and she wanted to start a family now, so she skipped it altogether.
Images of Alleria, that precious little Veredian girl, flooded my mind. I couldn’t wait for us to have our own. They would have to invent a new word to describe how spoiled rotten she would be. Amalia had no idea what she was in for. She would kick our asses if she knew Lhor and I were betting on who would sire our first child. The odds were in my favor since I’d had a few days head start during her season. Only time would tell, assuming our seed even took root. But Goddess, it wouldn’t be for lack of trying. It would be a few more days before we found out.
Amalia and I often talked about Lhor feeling like an intruder. She argued he would continue to feel so until he got my unequivocal blessing to have sex with her. Giving him the right wasn’t the same as being fine with it. Although I could handle knowing they were having sex in my absence, I hadn’t been ready to witness it without freaking out. Not anymore. Nearly two months after his mating with Amalia, I ambushed Lhor when he entered our bedroom.
Amalia and I were lazing on the couch in the seating area. She was snuggling against me, sitting on my lap, when Lhor walked in. Despite his neutral expression, I felt his guilt at intruding on what he considered to be my private time with Amalia.
“There you are, at last,” I said, interrupting his thoughts of making a hasty retreat.
“I didn’t realize you were waiting for me,” Lhor said, closing the door.
His emotions were torn between confusion, suspicion, curiosity and unease. I was enjoying messing with Lhor by letting him feel that I was plotting something that would freak him out.
“We definitely were,” I said with an evil grin. Amalia giggled while Lhor’s eyes flicked warily between us. “Why don’t you go give your mate a proper greeting, Amalia?”
My eyes never left Lhor’s stunned face as Amalia gracefully unfolded herself from my lap before strutting over to him. She looked good enough to eat with her beautiful copper skin barely covered by a thigh length, sheer white nightgown. Lhor cast a cautious glance my way as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her chest against his.
“Hey love,” Amalia whispered before kissing him.
His kiss was hesitant at first. Sensing no aggression from me, he relaxed and wrapped his arms around her. I feared my jealousy would flare as their kiss deepened, but it was the heat of blossoming arousal that settled in my stomach.
Not mine, his. No… ours.
Fuck, this was confusing not knowing whose emotions I was feeling. Watching Lhor touch Amalia intimately no longer made me jealous. Since their mating, Amalia had slowly escalated the frequency at which she touched him in my presence to help me get over my insecurities. I couldn’t have done this if her other partner wasn’t Lhor. I would go feral on any other male, even Ghan whom I cared about greatly. But now that Lhor no longer blocked his ability, I truly felt like we were an extension of each other.
Lhor ended the kiss and ran his thumb over her lips. She pretended to bite it and he swiftly pulled his hand away.
“Undress her,” I said. “Slowly.”
Lhor’s head snapped towards me, bug-eyed. I held his stare, leaving my emotions wide open to him. For a moment, he seemed about to keel over from shock. Then he hit me with a strange
mix of relief, happiness, gratitude and anticipation before turning a lusty gaze towards Amalia. My Gem had an exhibitionist streak, probably a reaction to having been a ghost to our society his entire life. I could feel his excitement. In truth, I had been curious about what making love to Amalia would be like, felt through Lhor and enhanced by his emotions. My own excitement rose at the prospect.
Lhor leaned forward to kiss her, his hands cupping her face. In a slow sensuous caress, his palms slid down her neck to rest on her breasts. After giving them a gentle squeeze, his thumbs circled her nipples. I wanted those nipples in my mouth, but it wasn’t about me. Lhor shifted slightly, forcing Amalia to turn as well, so I had a profile view of them, making sure I missed none of their actions. His lips followed the same path his palms had, while his hands slipped down her waist and around her back to wrap around her bum. Amalia combed her fingers through his hair and a light moan escaped her slender throat.
He kneaded the perfect cheeks, pressing his pelvis against hers. Blood rushed to my groin. Through him, I could feel her against me. Amalia gently raked her nails down his back. Lhor shuddered, but it was a fiery blaze that ran down my own. I had forgotten how much he craved touch and how sensitive he was to it. Rediscovering Amalia’s touch through him was going to be most pleasurable.
Lhor sucked on one of her erect nipples through the sheer fabric of her nightgown. Pursuing his journey downwards, he kissed and nipped at her stomach, his hand slipping under the short gown to caress the back of her legs. He knelt in front of her, lips brushing her inner thighs. Like me, her scent aroused him and he inhaled deeply. He rubbed his face against her crotch, while his fingers hooked in the waistband of her thong.
“No,” I said. “Remove her gown first.”
With a slight nod, Lhor caressed his way up her sides, lifting her gown in the process. Both his mouth and tongue blazed a trail on the naked flesh thus revealed. I shifted in my seat, feeling myself hardening. He stopped his ascent at her perky breast, sucking an exposed mocha nipple into his mouth. However, his hands didn’t stop lifting her gown and she raised her arms to let him pull it off her. Lips still latched onto her breast, Lhor pulled her into a tight embrace. I could feel the burning desire surging within him and it fueled mine. Had they been alone, I bet he would have already tossed her on the bed, and unleashed his passion.
Not yet, little cousin…
Lhor’s fingers ventured down her back to her thong. He glanced at me, seeking approval. I reveled in the sense of power and nodded my assent.
Hmmm… I could get used to this.
A bolt of lustful anticipation surged through Lhor and echoed straight to my cock. He knelt again pulling her thong down. They were barely halfway down her thighs when Lhor hungrily buried his face between her legs. Amalia threw her head back with a moan, her hands fisting his hair. I could almost taste her as Lhor’s tongue licked her. He lowered the thong to her ankles. She lifted one foot out and when she proceeded to do the same with the other, Lhor held her leg up, opening her to his exploration.
I felt myself throb in the confines of my breeches – my only garment.
“Stop.” He hadn’t earned that treat yet.
Although I could feel his frustration at having his feast interrupted, Lhor complied. Their pleasure was mine to guide, control or allow. That had not been the plan. Initially, I only intended to get things in motions, play a bit of a voyeur to sate Lhor’s exhibitionist streak and see where it would take us – whether or not I joined in the action. However, running the show was shaping up to be way more fun.
I extended my hand towards Amalia. “Falihna.”
Shaking slightly, she came towards me, her eyes feverish with desire. I pulled her onto my lap, facing Lhor. “Strip for your mate, Lhor.”
A jolt of excitement coursed through him as he slowly rose to his feet. Eyes locked with Amalia, he began to shed his clothes. I spread her legs on each side of mine.
“Put your feet up on the cushion,” I whispered in her ear. Once she did, I said to her, “Now don’t move, don’t touch, just feel and admire your mate.”
She was fully exposed to Lhor’s greedy eyes. My fingers circled around her slick folds and she shuddered against me. I nuzzled her nape, my arm wrapping around her to fondle one of her breasts. Amalia leaned her head back against my shoulder, her eyes never leaving Lhor who was shedding his shirt. I dipped two fingers inside her, my thumb teasing her little nub. Her hands fisted on the couch in her effort to resist the temptation to touch. She was dripping wet and the scent of her musk made my mouth water. Yet, it was Lhor who licked his lips, staring at her.
I accelerated the movement of my fingers while Lhor removed his pants, picking up the pace as well. Amalia gasped my name, her breathing becoming labored. My tongue licked the length of the darkening spots of her markings. She cried out with pleasure. Lhor gritted his teeth while removing his breeches, fighting the urge to launch himself at the provocative sight of Amalia displayed before him. I could feel Amalia’s inner walls begin to clench spasmodically around my fingers, precursors to her impending release. That wouldn’t do.
I pulled my fingers out of her and slowly licked them.
“Noooo!” she whimpered, disbelieving.
“You don’t get to come just yet, my love,” I said, nipping at her earlobe. “In fact, neither of you get to come until I say so.”
“But…”
“No buts, Amalia,” I said with a stern voice. “You don’t come until I tell you, understood?”
She swallowed hard, her eyes smoldering, then nodded.
“Good girl. Now, your mate looks extremely… tense. Why don’t you be a good girl and take care of him?” She nodded again, this time with enthusiasm, and rose to her feet. “Get on the bed, on all fours, facing him.”
I didn’t need to say any more for her to understand what was expected. She got in position, her palms resting on the edge of the bed. Looking at Lhor, I gestured with my head for him to go to Amalia. His smile was almost scary in its fierceness as he prowled towards her. Goosebumps erupted all over Amalia as she watched him approach and stand mere inches in front of her face. Her delicate fingers fluttered along his thighs, over his chiseled abs and up to his chest. Leaning forwards, she inhaled his scent before kissing his hipbone. She rubbed her face on his stomach and all around his groin but never touched his swollen cock, which drifted upward towards his belly.
The exquisite torture he felt was also mine to bear. I didn’t feel her skin against mine while she touched Lhor; only a ghostly sensation of it. However, I felt a hundred percent of the sensations her actions stirred within him. I watched with lustful anticipation as she finally wrapped her plump lips around his stiff length, wondering how it would feel by proxy.
Lhor’s hiss of rapture mingled with my own gasp of pleasure. It was like molten lava had pooled in my groin, then swirled and whirled around my shaft, sending sparks of lightning through every nerve ending of my body.
Is that how Lhor felt every time I made love to Amalia before their mating?
I silenced the guilt that wanted to resurface at having denied Lhor for so long because of my stupid possessiveness and insecurities. Lhor’s head fell back as he exhaled a shuddering breath, giving himself over to Amalia’s expert mouth. My cock was throbbing with need, straining against my breeches.
Amalia turned slightly to look at me, a wicked glimmer in her eyes. She bobbed over Lhor with great ardor, stroking the base of his cock with one hand. Her ministration slightly faltered so she could give me a triumphant smile, seeing how she was affecting me through Lhor. We were both about to lose control and she knew it. The little minx was getting even because I had denied her orgasm. Two could play that game.
Rising to my feet, a predatory smile on my face, I discarded my breeches and walked over to the bed. I climbed in and knelt behind Amalia. Unable to resist the call of her beautiful skin, I ran my palms over the rounded curve of her bum in slow circular motion. They pursued their
caress up her back, along her spine before swerving around her front to fondle silken breasts. Lhor sifted his fingers through Amalia’s hair. He moved them to the side, exposing the markings between her shoulder blades and at the base of her neck. I leaned forward and slowly ran my tongue along the darker markings, tasting the salty sweetness of her tanned skin. Her strangled moan was music to my ears.
Straightening up, I slipped my hand between her legs and rubbed her little nub a few times, hinting at what was coming. She was soaking wet, warm and tight as I entered her. Lhor cried out when he felt her around me, stroking me with her inner walls. I could relate. My own brain nearly exploded at our combined pleasure. The plan had been for our little play to last a while, but never in a million years could I have imagined the intensity of these sensations.
I increased the pace, wanting to feel her slick folds caress my cock a few more times before pulling out of her. As much as I ached to come inside her, this time, it needed to be Lhor. He needed to know that I truly accepted that we were one and that she was ours, equally. I made her lie on her back, her legs dangling over the edge of the bed. The fiery bliss that coursed through me when Lhor took her was even more exquisite than when she had been sucking him.
Kneeling in front of her face, I supported her head with one hand as she pulled my stiff length into her mouth. It took all my willpower not to lose control and shove myself brutally down her throat. Lhor was taking her at a vigorous pace. He was on the edge and I was right there with him. We wouldn’t last much longer.
“Come for your mates, Amalia,” I said, my voice gravelly.
As if reading my mind, Lhor’s thumb started rubbing her clitoris while he continued rocking in and out of her. He changed his angle until her rapturous shout confirmed he’d found his target. The vibrations of her cry against my shaft tore a tortured groan out of me as I fought the urge to come. I caressed her breasts and pinched her nipples while Lhor accelerated the movement of his finger on her little nub.