Unity

by Kim Knox

  Alena licked at his lips, and her smile turned wild and wicked. “Try,” she said.

  Vadim swore, and his mouth covered hers. His hands gripped her hips as he thrust harder, burying himself and grinding the base of his cock against her aching clitoris.

  Sacha took up his rhythm, and Alena moaned at the sudden deep push of both men at the same time. Again. And again.

  Orgasm tightened her belly, building until she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, as she twisted against them, wanting, writhing, desperate for release from the ache that gripped her. Again and again, filling her, pushing so deep, hard, fast, that she lost herself in the slide of her skin, their mixing scents, the thrust after thrust of incredible, hot—

  White light burst over her mind in a burning rush of liquid fire. She thought she cried out, but nothing was certain in the vortex of joy convulsing her. Somewhere the painpleasure of Sacha biting hard on her shoulder as his release took him coalesced with Vadim’s final thrust, the jolt against her clitoris shooting another molten wave over her soul.

  “I need you both…” Her words, aloud or in her mind, erupted from her, and she sank into oblivion.

  Chapter Nine

  Alena awoke with hot sunlight and the slow glide of an even hotter mouth down her shoulder. Another mouth teased her nipple to hardness. Too many delicious fingers mixed and played over her clitoris, slipped lower to stretch into her in a pale reminder of the previous night’s play. The wet sound of sucking and sliding and the soft murmur of male satisfaction curled fresh need in her belly.

  She kept her breathing slow and her eyes closed, letting them explore where they pleased. Alena needed this. Yes, the geneticists had been right with their need to dilute Vadim’s Talar half … her new form was unstable.

  “She needs both of us.” Sacha murmured the words against her spine, his lips planting insane little kisses as he edged up to her waist.

  Vadim’s mouth and fingers stilled. Alena fought to keep the pretence of being asleep. They needed to sort this out amongst themselves.

  “Vadim…?” Sacha rested his chin on her hip. “It’s obvious from last night that her new form is still in flux. Hell, she’s changed us. I can feel it even though all this was supposed to be simply ceremonial. Alena and I haven’t been together for more than a year. We’re friends, and we were both more than happy with that. But this…” His hand massaged her buttock in slow, easy circles until his thumb dipped between her cheeks.

  Sensation almost had her moaning. Damn, he was so good at that. “Everything inside me is saying bury my dick in her. Right now.”

  Vadim growled, the vibration pebbling her nipple, hardening it against his lips. But his reply surprised her. “I know.”

  “And we’re all right with that? It’s all I need.” She felt his cheeky smile as his mouth slid over her buttock. His curling tongue followed the path of his thumb, and heat shot through to her core. “Her friendship and her very, very lickable arse.”

  “Alena is mine. You’ll never come between us.”

  Her heart thudded at his words, at the possessive tone that had her wet and aching.

  “Isn’t that right, Alena?”

  “You knew…” Words failed her. Sacha had spread her cheeks, and his hot tongue lapped over her puckered hole. Her clitoris throbbed, and trembling shook her. “You … you have both, Sacha.”

  “Too kind,” came the muffled reply.

  She met Vadim’s hot gaze and felt the tug of possession that bound them together.

  “He’ll never come between us. It’s … impossible.”

  Vadim’s finger flicked against her clitoris, and she groaned, pushing against Sacha’s clever tongue. She ran her fingers through the flight-captain’s hair, and his mouth suckled her breast before chasing a path over it to tease her collarbone, throat, and finally to tug at her lower lip. “Whatever we’ve become, we’re one,” he murmured. “Now, Sacha needs to fuck you, then we have to go and sort out that Talar fleet. Agreed?”

  Sacha’s dipping tongue had her body aching for him, her hips pushing back with each lick and thrust. She was more than happy to agree to Vadim’s offer. “And … and you?”

  His silver eyes held her, heat darkening them. “Where do you want me?”

  “On your back.”

  “As you wish, Majesty.”

  Alena would have grinned, but Sacha’s enthusiastic tongue had her gasping. Vadim rolled onto his back, and Alena shifted over him, earning a loud grumble and a slapped cheek from her friend. She bent between the flight-captain’s knees and propped her hands on either side of his hips. She wiggled her arse at Sacha. “Better?”

  Sacha growled, the sound so like Vadim that she blinked. The change had definitely not stopped only with her… All thought scattered as he gripped her buttocks and positioned his heavy cock against her hole. The blunt head pushed, and Alena arched her spine.

  “So much better,” Sacha murmured. “Home, sweet home.” Slick, his cock slid centimetre by delicious centimetre into her body. His balls brushed cool against her arse, his thighs hot against hers, and instinct had her pushing back. Sacha thrust, and with a gasp, Alena took the flight-captain’s thick cock into her mouth.

  Vadim cried out, and his hand fisted in her hair. Her tongue teased the sensitive head, the taste of him and of her mixing, swirling through her senses. She took more of him as Sacha’s fingers played with her clitoris, the rhythm of his thrusts finding a mirror in the movement of the flight-captain’s cock in and out of her mouth.

  Heat coiled in her belly, the approaching fire of orgasm flickering, growing. Vadim lifted his hips to meet her mouth, sinking deeper as Alena panted, the insane need for both men coursing through her altered blood.

  The slap of Sacha’s balls against her arse as he pounded into her, the grip of his hands on her hips, and his low moans, swirled through her senses as she took Vadim into her mouth, sucking, licking. Luscious need flared over her skin. She could almost, almost—

  She exploded in a violent burst of heat and joy, Sacha’s groaning release bringing Vadim’s with it. She swallowed, taking his seed deep into her throat. Alena licked away the final drops and let out a slow sigh. Easing forward, she rested her head on his stomach as Sacha slipped free of her body in a slow slide.

  Vadim ran a shaking hand over her shoulder. “I could get used to this.”

  Alena gave a tired laugh. “Careful, Sacha may find you lickable too.”

  He snorted. “We’ve agreed boundaries, haven’t we, Sacha Ivanovich?”

  Sacha had fallen into a heap beside them on the rumpled bed. “Yes.” He ran a hand through his tangled hair. “I keep my hands, mouth, and dick to myself. And in return, you promise not to shoot me in the face and bury me in an unmarked grave in the outer wastes.”

  “Almost word for word, well done.”

  Alena watched a smirk cut across her friend’s mouth. “Well, I am the clever one.”

  More tired laughter escaped her, and she inched farther up Vadim’s smooth-muscled body until she’d crawled into his arms. He held her, his hand stroking over her spine in soothing patterns, and she let out a sigh. She didn’t question what it was about Vadim that drew her to him. The flight-captain made her feel safe … and she hadn’t experienced that in too long a time. “We need to move,” she said, pressing her face into the warmth of Vadim’s throat. He smelled of spice and sex, and her tongue tip tasted him. He shivered.

  “We need to move … now.”

  None of them did. The rays of the sun slanting hot over the bed, the scents of warmed skin and incredible sex holding them in their lazy thrall.

  “Why aren’t I sore?” Sacha stared down at his cock, stroking over it with slow fingers. “By rights, we should be red raw.”

  Alena bit back a smile. “Always so cultured, Sacha.”

  He lifted a black eyebrow. “Well?”

  “The truth? You’re probably not quite human now. Well, less human than you were before as a Volkov.” Alen
a smirked at him. “I still require your services, after all.”

  “I am only too happy, Majesty.”

  The title reminded her of her duty. “Time to deal with the Talar.” Reluctantly, she pulled free of Vadim’s warm hold and stood. “Let’s go fill the war room with the fresh scent of great sex.”

  Sacha wiped a hand over his mouth, smothering his laughter. “Whatever they thought they were getting…”

  Alena grinned at him. “I know. Poor General Mishenka.”

  * * * *

  “Majesty.”

  A bow rolled out over the war room, starting with the sleep-starved generals and flowing back through their staff and technicians. The room flared with life, all screens gleaming. It pulsed through Alena’s veins, moving with her every breath. Her city, restored and strong. She willed her face into a calm mask. “Thank you. Please connect me with the commander of the Talar fleet.”

  Mishenka looked up and blinked. “Majesty?”

  Alena lifted an imperial eyebrow. “I’m being polite, Mishenka. You know I can do it myself with a single thought.”

  The general jerked a nod and waved at a technician. The central screen darkened, and then the command bridge of Admiral Trevelyan flashed across it. A short, dark man lounged back into his padded chair. His face was harsh, angled, but still he didn’t resemble his nephew, who stood at her right-hand side.

  Trevelyan's shrewd gaze skirted over Vadim and Sacha. “I accept your unconditional surrender.”

  Alena gave him a pleasant smile. “And who said the Talar didn’t have a sense of humour.”

  Trevelyan froze.

  “These aren’t your men.” She pointed to Vadim and Sacha. “I’m afraid your nephew disposed of them … and we completed the ritual.”

  The admiral’s mouth thinned.

  “So I will not be lowering the shield and letting you tramp through my city. I will also not be offering up my genetic heritage so that you, too, can have superior flesh-tech. Double the disappointment.” Her head tilted, and her smile brightened. “You must be crushed.”

  “We will besiege you. You cannot survive without supplies…”

  “Now, admiral, there’s no need to threaten me. Not when I can do this…” She lifted her hand, watching as the man’s gaze followed it. Alena snapped her fingers. The bridge on the Talar cruiser darkened, only a single shot of light illuminating Trevelyan. Shouts and the scrambling of staff echoed over the bridge. The admiral sat straight in his chair, his knuckles straining white against the rests. “Ah, the unholy magic of the Rodin empress. Time for you to witness it firsthand.”

  “What did you…? How…?”

  The smile slid from her face. “There has been death enough on both sides. Agree to a return of our territories, or I will do more than switch off your lights.”

  “I cannot…”

  A deep booming throbbed over the bridge. “Admiral.” A man burst up to the admiral’s chair. “The self-destruct, she’s activated it. Three minutes and counting down, sir.”

  Alena smiled. “Two minutes forty-five seconds now.”

  Admiral Trevelyan stared at her. “You can’t…”

  “Think again, admiral. I’m giving you more warning than you gave my mother and my sisters. Withdraw from my territories, or I destroy one ship after another.” The smile she turned on him edged into wickedness. “And you have no idea how far my influence can stretch.”

  “I would need time…”

  “An executive order in the field, I believe you call it. Withdraw them all.” She wagged her finger. “Tick, tock.”

  Vadim nudged her foot with his boot, and she knew he wanted to dig her in the ribs for her overacting. Tough. The bastards deserved to sweat. And they’d always painted the Rodin empress as a depraved psychopath. It was time for her to play that. “Well? Remember who I am. Believe that I will know that the order goes out to every battalion.”

  She smiled. “One minute and twenty-four seconds.”

  Trevelyan swore. “You will not hold me to ransom.”

  “Fine.” Her mouth thinned. “I warned you.”

  The bridge on the screen shook, the admiral grabbing at the arms of his chair to steady himself. “Report!”

  “Sir…” A shocked voice came from the darkness. “My screen is back. Our cruisers, the Saeth and the Vannora … they’re … they’re … gone.”

  “Twenty-seven seconds, admiral,” Alena said, her face a mask of stone. She was not bluffing. The Talar had killed too many of her people. She wanted them gone. Her gut tightened, and she knew that it wasn’t a decision she could’ve made—to destroy two of the smaller orbiting cruisers—before her final transformation. Vadim had given her the Talar's own ruthlessness. “Nineteen seconds…”

  “Executive order. Admiral Pedr Trevelyan. Withdraw all forces from Rodin space.”

  Alena smiled, and the boom of the self-destruct faded. “Wise choice, admiral.” She gave him a short wave as life flashed over the bridge, the hum of systems firing up. “Safe journey home.”

  Trevelyan glared at her before his gaze shifted to Vadim. “You dishonour your father, Vadim Caethes.” And he spat on the floor. “Your name will be struck from the Hall of War.”

  “For this retreat, so will yours, Uncle.” Alena glanced up at him, catching his pleasant smile. It seemed her sarcasm had rubbed off on him. “As my empress says, safe journey home.”

  Trevelyan sliced his finger over his throat, and one of his bridge crew cut the connection. The screen blackened, and Alena let out a slow breath. Silence lay heavy on the war room. Mishenka gaped at her. General Zhilkin grinned, pride shining in his face.

  Wariness ebbed from every other man and woman in the circular room.

  “How did you do that?” Mishenka demanded.

  “You gave me Talar genes, General. Part of your little scheme, one you decided to keep from me?” She narrowed her eyes, pleased to find the old man paling. He wouldn’t underestimate her again. “Their ships use a rudimentary version of our own flesh-tech.”

  She waggled her fingers. “Mix it with a little Dubov magic … and they’ve all gone away.” She straightened. “Now organise the relief, Mishenka. The Talar are scurrying off our planets like frightened children.”

  “Majesty.” He saluted, and something shone in his pale eyes. It looked like approval.

  He agreed with her. Not that she cared what he thought. She needed his expertise. After that, Mishenka would find himself living out his years to retirement on a heat-blasted hole of a planet. “You may rely on me.”

  “Thank you, General.” She rubbed her hands together. “Now, I need my breakfast.”

  “The breakfast room is already set and waiting for you, Majesty,” Zhilkin said.

  “Excellent.” Alena turned, Sacha behind her, Vadim at her side, his weapon still drawn. Sentries opened the doors, and the guards fell in around them. The march to the imperial apartments moved quickly, and before she realised it, Vadim closed the door on the small, private room.

  Alena sank into a thick-padded couch and stared out over the curve of the wide window. She ran her hand over her tangled hair. Her city gleamed in the early morning sun, towers and the curves of smaller buildings catching the golden light. The shield still sparkled above it all. Her city was safe. She glanced up as Sacha offered her a tall glass of tea.

  “Nicely done, Alena,” he murmured, sitting next to her. He stretched out his legs and curved his back against the cushions. “Thank you. You saved us.”

  “I did.” She sipped at her tea, the hot, bitter liquid easing down her throat. “They planned to use me against my own city. More fool them.”

  She shifted back, letting her gaze follow the gilded and painted panels covering the walls. Brought from their distant home world, its name lost even to the extensive Dubov archive, their beauty pulled her back to sharing each morning with her sisters. Of fighting Vana for the largest dollop of marmalade, both giggling as they weathered Antonina’s hard glare for
being childish, and all the while watching Eva with her cool and perfect manners. Eva had been the heir, the perfect copy of their mother. Alena had known she was the ultimate spare. Now she wasn’t certain what she was.

  But that part of her life was over, gone forever. Alena let out a slow sigh. Only memory remained. Time would ease the ache of loss, she had to believe that. She sipped at her tea, her gaze finding Vadim as he examined the covered food, tasting small portions. And she wanted to believe that he would help. He had declared his allegiance before his uncle and the Talar fleet, and that knowledge warmed her insides. The time had come for their talk. “Sacha. I’m sure you need to catch up with your department.”

  His brows drew together, but understanding flickered in his blue eyes. He pushed himself to his feet. Tipping out a bread box, he piled food into it. “I’m sure you’ll shout when I’m needed.” He smirked, and her flesh tightened unexpectedly. Her renewed interest in her friend still had her feeling … odd. His smirk deepened, and the memories of him had Alena crossing her legs. “Thought so.” Sacha gave the flight-captain a sloppy salute. “Yes, I will stay with my detachment of guards, Vadim.”

  Sacha disappeared out of the door and closed it softly.

  Chapter Ten

  Vadim lifted a silver lid and picked through the contents of the fruit bowl. He stopped and leaned back against the sideboard. “You made the right call. They needed the demonstration that you’re strong.”

  Alena could pretend she didn’t know what he was talking about … but that would dishonour her position and what she’d done. “I know.” Her chin lifted, and she met his gaze. “I’d never taken a life before. Now I’ve taken scores.”

  His focus dropped, and he fixed on the table in front of him. Alena felt the sudden tension in him. He’d commanded a base. No doubt, he’d made similar decisions in his career. Vadim’s voice was soft when he finally spoke. “You won’t forget. Never. But you will learn to forgive yourself.”