by Lynn Tyler
Thantos looked relieved to have gotten his news out of the way. “Orders, Your Majesty?”
D’Arik was struggling to keep his composure. “Not right now. Let me discuss it with Varin before we decide on anything.”
He signed off with the ambassador and cradled his head in his hands. A myriad of feelings tumbled through him. Anger, confusion, and sorrow all battled for supremacy.
The anger quickly won out. He could understand how she would have felt the need to protect her fellow women when she’d first set the evacuation plan in place. But that was as far as he understanding went.
She knew. She knew how dire their situation was, and she still refused to do anything about it.
In an instant, he went from angry to enraged. He let his mental shields down completely and sent a wave of fury toward Jacy. He knew the feeling would be staggering, especially since he’d been so careful to shield her from the brunt of his emotions in the past. It didn’t matter to him right now. Let her know just how angry he was.
The only guilt he felt was that, by letting his shields drop fully, poor Varin would also feel the extent of his rage. Varin was equipped to deal with it, though, so he brushed the guilt aside.
The noise in the bedroom stopped except for one long, keening cry. A wave of vicious triumph shot through him. The door slid open, and Varin rushed out, looking vexed and faintly sick to his stomach. “D’Arik, shield yourself.”
D’Arik slammed his hands down on his desk, a fresh rush of fury welling through him. “Tell me, Consort. Do you know what she’s done?”
It was the confused look on Varin’s face that convinced D’Arik that Varin had no idea what he was talking about. The man couldn’t fake confusion to save his life. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you need to put your shields back up. You’re hurting Jacy.”
That took a little bit of wind out of his sails. He raised his mental defenses again but didn’t try to mask his anger. “Jacy.”
She staggered out of the bedroom, looking like she’d been in a war. Her nose was bleeding slightly, and he instantly regretted the power behind his emotions and what they could do to someone who was not used to what would happen if their mate’s shields went down. It still didn’t change what she’d done and what she still refused to do.
“What the hell, D’Arik?” she said, wiping at her nose.
“Do you have anything you want to tell us, mate? Anything at all? Do you feel a burning need to confess anything?”
Gods, she was good looking at him like he was crazy. “What are you talking about?”
Of course. Why would she admit to setting them up for failure now? As far as she was concerned, she’d gotten away with it.
Varin was excellent at reading him and stepped in front of Jacy, shielding her as best he could from D’Arik’s anger. She pushed around him and faced D’Arik head-on. “Explain.”
“Thantos and Kerek are on Earth. They heard an interesting message from the women’s rebellion.”
Jacy blanched, and the first strands of panic threaded through their bond. She didn’t say anything. She simply waited for D’Arik to continue.
“It seems the rebellion has revealed its cofounder and major funder. Imagine their surprise when the rebellion leader, Kim, mentioned you.”
Varin gasped and stepped away from her, staring at her in horror. “Jacy? Is this true?”
Jacy was as pale as a ghost but tilted her chin up at them imperiously. “Was I supposed to just let our people be sold off like animals? Yes, I funded the movement and helped plan the evacuations routes. It was too late for me, but I could help thousands of others.”
He’d already suspected as much. Any other time, in any other situation, he would have been impressed with her determination to protect her people. It was the mark of a good leader. But right now, when it came down to the survival of his own people, he couldn’t afford to hold any of his punches. “And now, Jacy? After you know just how bad our situation is, how close to complete extinction the Helan people really are, you refuse to help us?”
“My hands are tied,” she replied. “You refuse to tell the truth. I won’t lie to my people.”
“We are dying,” he roared. “I know Sathon told you his theory that our population will die out before the end of my life. You expect me to sit idly while we are snuffed out?”
She backed away, heading toward the door. The hell if she was going to flee from him. “And you can’t expect me to encourage my people to become broodmares.”
He lunged for her just as she darted through the door and down the hall. “Damn it all to fucking hell.”
Somehow Varin had ended up beside him. “D’Arik, calm yourself.”
D’Arik slumped. “I wasn’t going to hurt her. I just didn’t want her to leave.”
Varin wrapped his arms around D’Arik’s waist and tugged him close. “I know, liro, I know. She knows, too. Just…your anger isn’t helping.”
Varin’s hard, strong body and the comfort it offered called to him. He couldn’t deny the need to be close, and he laid his head down on his broad shoulder. “Gods, Varin. What are we going to do?”
A strong hand had stroked down his hair, petting and soothing. “Well, we’re going to let Jacy have some time to think about her stance on things, and we are going to rethink our approach to the registry.”
D’Arik let the tears come, let them fall silently down his cheeks. He cried for his people and for Jacy. “I can’t feel her anymore. I broke our bond.”
Varin pulled back from him and kissed the moisture from his face tenderly. “We’ll fix your bond, my love. We’ll find a way to fix everything.”
My love? He was Varin’s love? D’Arik had always known that they’d had a particularly strong bond, but ever since forcing Varin to mate with him, he had been unsure if the proud man could ever actually love him. Varin had certainly never said the words before. Not that D’Arik had ever said the words either.
With that realization banging around in his head, D’Arik took a deep breath. It was far past time that he told Varin his real feelings. He gripped Varin’s wrists and leaned his forehead against Varin’s. “Varin, liro, I love you. So much it hurts.”
Varin’s breath bathed his lips, and when he spoke, their mouths brushed together. “I love you, too, D’Arik. I’m sorry I’ve never said it before. I don’t deserve you, but Gods, do I love you.”
They kissed softly, lingeringly. The touch was not meant to arouse or seduce, but their love, finally freely admitted, poured through them.
D’Arik lifted his mouth and stroked his thumbs over the underside of Varin’s wrists, feeling the reassuring thud of his mate’s pulse. “Varin, my love, you deserve the best of everything. You always have.”
Varin gave a breathy laugh and stroked his own thumbs over D’Arik’s cheekbones. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing that I got mated to the high king then, isn’t it?”
“I think I’m the lucky one.” D’Arik pulled away completely and stared at the door. “Unfortunately, we have to concentrate on the situation with the registry. You’ve been very quiet about the whole thing since we mated with Jacy.”
Varin sighed and wrapped D’Arik in his arms again. “I think we need to consider doing what Jacy says and just tell the humans the truth about our situation. I also wonder if we made the signing the registry a voluntary action on the women’s behalf would make it seem more palatable to more women.”
D’Arik echoed Varin’s sigh. “It’s probably the only choice left.”
He closed his eyes and let Varin’s presence take him away. He should be scared about making the registry voluntary. No, he should be terrified. But knowing that Varin loved him gave him a deep sense of peace. The only thing that would be even better would be if Jacy were here, too.
With a start, he realized how quickly and deeply he’d fallen for her. Her convictions, her humor, her bravery, and strength. How could he have missed it earlier?
“Don�
��t worry, D’Arik. Your bond can’t be broken completely or you would be in excruciating pain. We’ll fix it.”
Chapter 16
Jacy picked at her sleeve while she waited for Sathon to finish up the paperwork he was looking over. These dresses were driving her crazy. She really needed to talk to her mates about getting her some pants and T-shirts. Maybe they could even find a way to reproduce a pair of blue jeans?
Tears abruptly welled in her eyes and spilled over.
“Jacy?” Sathon’s gentle voice floated over her misery. “What’s the matter?”
“I had a fight with D’Arik over the registry. I…didn’t tell him that I pretty much founded the rebellion. And funded it.” Once the words started, it was impossible to stem the flow. “Now I can’t feel him, and I think I broke our bond, and what am I going to do, Sathon?”
She waited for her friend’s condemnation, but it never came. Instead, he was staring over her shoulder. “Our bond isn’t broken, lira, thank the gods. We just need to trust in each other. I know I’ve given you precious little reason to trust me, but I’d like to start now.”
D’Arik. He was here, and he was reaching out to her.
She spun around and threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his throat. He held her tightly, almost like he was afraid to let her go in case she left again, and he began muttering sweet nothings in her ear.
A second set of arms wrapped around her from behind, and she knew from the scent and the fact that D’Arik hadn’t ripped the man’s arms off, that Varin was here as well. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “But I can’t be involved with the purchase of my people.”
“I know, Jacy. I admire your determination to stick to your convictions. The fact that you care so much for your people is part of the reason I fell in love with you.”
“Really? You love me?”
Varin chuckled and squeezed her before letting her go. “Well, this is quite the day for confessions. By the way, Jacy, I love you as well.”
D’Arik shook his head, apparently disgusted with Varin’s delivery of such a momentous admission. “Varin!”
“I’m not good with romance, liro, or talking about my feelings. You know that. But the fact is we need to get everything out in the open. Jacy, I love you. I will protect you with my life and will do anything in my power to make you happy.
She cranked her head so that she could look Varin in the eye. His gaze sparkled with happiness and just a little uncertainty. Oh, her big, strong consort had put himself out on a limb for her and was probably shaking on the inside. She couldn’t have that. “I love you, too.” She kissed him lightly before turning back around.
“And I love you, too, D’Arik.” She brushed her lips against D’Arik’s.
Relief poured through her, and she knew it was not all hers. “I can feel you again.”
A throat cleared, and the three of them sprang apart. “You probably just buried the bond for a while until you both felt safe enough to let it flourish again.”
Sathon was smiling at them, although it was a little bittersweet. Jacy had a feeling he was thinking about his own lost mate. She wondered if he’d ever gotten to say good-bye to him.
D’Arik smiled back at the doctor and slipped an arm around her waist even as he reached for Varin’s hand. “Have you ever seen something like that, Doctor?”
Sathon blushed and wiggled his hand in a so-so gesture. “I’ve never seen it myself, but it’s a well-known phenomenon in the royal family, Your Majesty. Bonds are often suppressed in arranged matings. Even your own father and his consort had several occasions where they weren’t able to feel their bond. It was largely fixed when your mother entered their arrangement, but even then, there was once or twice where they worried their mate bond was damaged.”
D’Arik was already nodding. “Now that you mention it, Doctor, there did seem to be times when they only tolerated each other at best. I never thought anything of it.”
Sathon inclined his head in agreement. “They came to respect each other, but there was never the love between them that you three have.”
D’Arik smiled again. “Thanks, Sathon. We’ll be careful to nurture our bonds.”
Jacy giggled when Varin rolled his eyes, and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. “Come on, liro, we’ll stop the mushy stuff.”
She sobered when she caught a glance of Earth through the window. How were they going to resolve the issue of the registry?
D’Arik nuzzled her temple. “Varin and I had a good talk about the registry, Jacy. We are going to do as you suggested and come clean with the fact that any woman who is chosen to mate has a good chance of ending up in a ménage relationship. We’re also going to make the registry voluntary.”
There was no mention of her condoning the registry or anything, and she knew that they would never ask her again. It would be up to her to make that decision.
She had sworn to herself she would condone it if they decided to tell the truth. Now it was time to put her words into actions. “You do that, and I will endorse the registry. I’ll even encourage those women who want an adventure to sign it. Deal?” She stuck out her hand for D’Arik to shake.
His big hand enveloped hers, and he raised her hand to kiss her knuckles instead of shaking it. “Deal.”
“I think we can find a better way to seal this deal, hmm?” Varin began pressing moist kisses to the side of her neck, pausing to nibble at that spot behind her ear that made her shiver.
“Do you think you could possibly wait until you get to your quarters and leave me in peace?” Once again, the smile on Sathon’s face was sad. When she went to hug him, Sathon shook his head. “Go on. Enjoy your mates. I’ll be fine.”
Jacy really didn’t know what else to do, so she mouthed a thank-you at him and let her men lead her out.
By the time they got to the transportation tube, she was panting with impatience. Only the thought of getting in the damn capsule-like elevator and zooming at top speed through the tube to their floor was enough to put a damper on her desire.
A warm hand cupped the back of her neck. “I had no idea you feared the tube so much.” Varin’s warm breath tickled her ear, and she moved closer.
“I’m not really scared of it,” she explained. “They always make me a little queasy. I think I need something to distract me while I’m in them.”
“Oh, love, I’m sure we can figure out a way to keep you distracted.” D’Arik began nibbling on her ear. “What would distract you the most, lira?”
Oh, the possibilities. “Seeing the two of you together.”
Varin thought he would swallow his tongue at her whispered words. It seemed their little spitfire was a voyeur. Aside from the time she’d watched them from the bathroom door, she’d never let on that she found the idea of him and D’Arik together arousing. And more surprisingly, judging by how high his arousal shot, he was apparently quite the exhibitionist. D’Arik, too, if the bulge in his pants was indication.
“Your wish is our command, my queen,” Varin said as the door to the transportation tube slid open.
He ushered her into the lift, followed her in, and tugged D’Arik in after him. “We can’t get too involved,” Varin murmured as he unzipped D’Arik’s leathers and extracted the man’s hard, beautiful cock. “Someone might walk in at any second.”
Jacy wedged herself against the wall, positioned so that she had a clear view of what the two of them were doing. He could feel her hot gaze traveling over their bodies and pausing where his palm cupped their mate’s shaft. “So let them see,” she challenged. “Let them see what love between two males and their female looks like.”
D’Arik’s cock jerked in Varin’s hand, and Varin gave it a loving squeeze. It pulsed, the tip already wet in anticipation. “Tell us what you want us to do, lira,” D’Arik commanded in a husky voice.
Varin looked over at Jacy, their love, their queen, and his heart started pounding. Her pink tongue slid over her lips, and her ey
es glittered, pupils dilated wide with her arousal. “Take out your cock and rub it against D’Arik’s. I want to see them slide together, getting wet and needy.”
D’Arik moaned and pushed his face into Varin’s shoulder. Varin knew the feeling. The breathy command their woman gave, her naughty words, was probably the most arousing thing he’d ever heard.
Far be it from him to deny Jacy anything she wanted.
He struggled with his pants until he had them halfway down his thighs. His hard length pressed urgently against the crease where D’Arik’s hip and groin met, and he couldn’t help himself from rubbing into that enticing hollow. Their scents filled the air and had him harder than a brick. Leather and lime, cinnamon and musk, wild flowers and rain all mixed together in one heady mating scent. There would be no question that they were well and truly mated now.
D’Arik shifted around until their dicks rubbed against each other. All three of them groaned at the contact, and Varin thanked the gods that their mate bond ensured that Jacy felt all the pleasure that he and D’Arik felt.
Her hand pushed between them, surrounding both their bulbous heads in one fist.
That small contact shattered something in Varin, and his whole body seized. Varin’s entire body became focused on their single point of contact, and he exploded. Creamy, slick seed coated Jacy’s hand, D’Arik’s shaft, and his own cock.
The primitive part of him howled with triumph at seeing his mark on his mates.
Jacy let go and licked at her fingers. Varin’s cock, which hadn’t deflated yet, jerked again, still eager to be in one of his mates.
The door opened on their floor. Jacy, being the only one still decently dressed, poked her head out and glanced around. “No one’s coming. Except Varin.” She took off, running for their quarters.
Delight rushed through him. She made him want to play. He hitched up his leathers, holding them around his hips with one hand, and darted out of the transportation tube after her.