by Susan Hayes
“We’re going to take this slow, little one,” Kit told her between kisses.
“Not too slow, I hope.”
Both men chuckled, but it was Kit who spoke first. “I think we all want this too much to move that slowly.”
He arched his hips, pushing himself another half inch inside her, then withdrawing again. His slow, shallow thrusts were too light to do anything but tease, and soon she was rocking over him, trying to take more than he was giving her. Behind her, Luke continued his slow exploration, working a finger into her tight rosebud, penetrating her with the same slow rhythm as Kit. When he added another finger, Zura tensed, then relaxed again as the faint burn faded away, leaving only pleasure behind.
“Okay?” Luke murmured, bending over her to press a trail of kisses across her back.
“Don’t stop,” she said, pushing back against his hand for the first time.
“You ready for more, gorgeous?”
Zura didn’t hesitate. “I’m ready.”
Kit stroked her cheek, bringing her focus back to him. “I love you.”
His next kiss was tender, slow, and sensual, capturing her senses and filling her with liquid heat. Luke withdrew his fingers from her body, but before she could adjust to that loss, she felt a new, thicker pressure as he moved in tight behind her.
She exhaled and pushed back, allowing him to enter her. There was a brief sting of pain, and then she was caught up in a maelstrom of pleasure so intense she forgot to breathe until her lungs were burning. She gasped, drawing in a deep lungful of air and then releasing it again in a rush as Luke pushed deeper inside her. Neither man moved a muscle, giving her time to adjust. When she was ready, she took the initiative, rocking back, then forth between them as another soft purr rose from her throat.
“Oh yeah, just like that,” Luke groaned, moving with her now.
“Ours, now,” Kit said as he joined their dance.
The three of them moved as one, and soon, Zura couldn’t tell where she ended and they began. Hands stroked, lips touched, bodies blended together so completely that she was certain even their hearts beat as one. Pleasure built on pleasure until she was trembling on the brink of orgasm, the sounds her lovers were making telling her that they weren’t far behind. At the moment her release hit, she cried out and came. Overwhelmed by everything she was feeling, her world faded to gray, and she let herself drift, knowing her men would keep her safe.
Kit held Zura gently as her eyes fluttered closed, and she slumped against his chest. The subtle scent of her perfume grew stronger, and he slowly realized that she had marked them both with her scent. They weren’t simply engaged anymore. Her Pheran side had claimed them as her vardo, her life mates.
He came harder than he had ever done before, the power of his orgasm tearing a groan from his lips as he emptied himself inside her. Luke’s low groan heralded his release a few seconds later, and then the three of them went still as their minds slowly returned.
Luke’s gaze met Kit’s, and he saw the same adoration and awe on his brother’s face that Kit felt in his heart. They had found the one they were meant to be with and made her their own. Their lives would never be the same again. She was theirs to love, cherish, and protect forever, and he knew they would both give up their lives for her.
She stirred between them as Luke withdrew. She drew in a slow, shuddering breath, and her eyes flew open. “Did I—“
“It would appear your Pheran side wasn’t interested in waiting for an official ceremony,” Kit confirmed, smiling as her skin darkened in her version of a blush.
“We’re yours now,” Luke added. He knelt on the bed beside them and leaned in to nuzzle her hair.
“For once, I’m in agreement with my blue half,” she said, laughing and happy.
“How are you feeling?” Kit asked
“I’m fine. What parts of me I can still feel don’t hurt at all.” She grinned and kissed his cheek before glancing over at Luke and blowing him a kiss from her fingers.
“Good. In that case, my vote is we finish making the bed and then put it to good use for the next few hours.”
She glanced around and nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Did you take all the bedding to make this thing?”
“We left a bed for your brother. He’s going to need a place to sleep on the way home,” Luke said.
Zura nodded slowly. “Thank you. I hope that’s all he needs to recover from this nightmare.”
“I checked the medical supplies before we left. We’ve got everything we need to take care any minor injuries once he’s safely on board, and I have no doubt our friends will want to check him over before we head home. We’re going to get him back, gorgeous. I promise.”
There were tears in her eyes as she nodded again. “I know. I’m glad you’re both here…my vardo,” she spoke the Pheran word for life mate for the first time.
Kit cupped her cheek in his hand and tried to find the words to tell her what was in his heart. “There is nowhere else in the universe we’d rather be. We spent years dreaming of the day we’d have a place to call home and someone special to share it with. Now you’re in our lives, and there is nothing we wouldn’t do for you.”
“I love you both so much,” she said softly. “Thank you.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Zura sat in the cockpit of the Sun Sprite and tried to keep her mind focused on the task at hand. She was only minutes away from docking, and she couldn’t afford to let herself get distracted. This close to the end of the trip, it wasn’t easy to think about anything but getting Royan back.
They’d gone over the plan countless times during the past few hours. Not that it was much of a plan. Vin’s message had made it clear that she was to come alone, which meant that Luke and Kit would have to stay out of sight on the Sun Sprite. They still weren’t happy about it, but they had grudgingly agreed once she made it clear that their appearance could put her brother’s life at risk. She was going in armed, and they had made some modifications to her comm device so that it would broadcast both audio and visual signals back to the ship.
True to his word, instructions had been sent to the Sun Sprite shortly after she’d requested permission to dock. The meeting would happen shortly after landing, the location was confirmed at the Blast Zone. She had used the encrypted channel to update Dash and Mack, and they had responded immediately, confirming they were ready and waiting. If anything went wrong, they would move in, and she knew her vardo would be at her side the second they thought she was in danger.
Not that she believed Vin would try anything. She knew him too well. He would play things cool and reasonable because he believed he had the upper hand. As long as she let him believe he was in charge, things should go smoothly enough.
She guided the Sun Sprite into her assigned berth, wincing slightly as the ship made final contact with less than her usual finesse. If her father were alive, he would have mocked her for a week for making such a hard landing. Of course, if he were still alive, she wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. Her hand smacked down on the edge of the console as she gave vent to her frustration. Damn it, Dad. Why didn’t you tell me what you were up to?
“I’ve never seen anyone spank a ship for a rough landing before,” Luke drawled from the cockpit door.
“One more comment on my piloting skills and I’ll spank you, big guy,” she shot back as she unfastened her harness and pushed herself out of her chair.
“Fraxx, I love it when you get all riled and threaten violence. It’s sexy as hell.”
“You’re insane. Most people run the other way when I get riled.”
He grinned at her. “Their loss. Besides, you didn’t pick a couple of wimpy, normal humans to fall for; you went for a pair of cyborgs. We don’t run away from danger. We run toward it.”
“Well, that explains how you ended up with me. Lately, I seem to be a danger magnet. My life was never dull, but it never used to be this bad. You sure you’re not going to lose interest aga
in once things get back to normal?” She was half-joking, but Luke didn’t laugh. Instead, he hauled her up against his hard body and then spun her around until her back met the wall.
“I’m never going to lose interest in you. I love you, Zura. There will never be another woman who makes me feel the way you do. If you even think something is off at this meeting, you cut and run, do you hear me? If it comes down to a choice between your life or your brother’s, you save yourself. If Royan is any kind of brother, that’s the choice he’d want you to make.”
“You don’t know my brother at all. You can’t know what he’d want,” she argued. Not that she disagreed with him, but this wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have right now.
“I know what I’d want if it were my sister. There is no way I’d want to live if it was at the cost of her life.”
“It’s my fault he’s involved. If I had met with Vin when he wanted me to…”
“It’s not your fault. This is all on Vin, and he’s going to pay for it in blood. If you had gone to meet him, he would have taken your ship and done fraxx knows what to you. You didn’t know about the ring yet. You had nothing to give him.” Luke crushed her to him and kissed her hard. “You meet with him, tell him what he wants to hear, and come back to us as fast as you can.”
“I will.”
“You better. If not, we’re coming after you,” Kit said, joining them despite the crowded conditions.
She hadn’t even heard him approach, but now he was pressed in tight behind her, his hand on her shoulder, his thumb gently stroking her neck. “I promise I’m not going to take any chances. My best chance of getting Royan back is to follow the plan we made. Don’t worry, guys, you’re not going to lose me.”
“Damn right we’re not,” Luke said, his voice a low rumble.
“As much as I love it when you two get all protective and mushy, I really need to get going. We’re on the clock, remember?” She leaned into Kit and closed her eyes, enjoying one last moment of closeness. Despite all her assurances, she knew there was a chance this would be the last time they were together. The thought made her heart ache.
It wouldn’t be fair to finally have everything she dreamed of, only to have it end before it had really begun. Of course, she also knew that life was rarely fair. All she could do was be grateful for what time they had been given and hope like hell they all made it out of this mess in one piece.
“You sure you don’t want us to come with you?” Kit asked again.
“Of course I want you to, but you can’t. Vin’s cocky, but unfortunately for us, he’s also a distrustful bastard. He’ll have someone watching the ship to see if I’m alone. You two need to stay out of sight and protect the Sun Sprite if anyone tries to mess with her while I’m gone.” She turned to look at Kit. “Take good care of her. She’s important to me.”
“And you’re important to us. Try to come back in the same condition you left,” Luke said before kissing her temple and letting her go. Kit held her for a moment longer, but then he moved back, and she knew it was time to go.
“I’ll be back soon. Then we’ll go get my brother and end this nightmare. I love you both.” She squeezed past Kit, pulled up the hood on her cloak, and didn’t look back. They had already said everything that mattered.
Kit took a seat in the cockpit and activated the link to Zura’s comm device. He followed her progress, and the moment she was off the ship, he locked the doors and activated the Sun Sprite’s security system. Protecting the ship was the least he could do for her, she was the one who was walking into a dangerous situation without him. He hated that he wasn’t with her right now. He wasn’t used to sitting on the sidelines when someone he cared about was in danger.
“Screw this, I’m going after her.” He was halfway out of the chair when Luke’s hand clapped down on his shoulder.
“No, you’re not. Trust me, I hate this as much as you do, but we need to stay out of sight. This is the easy part, remember? She meets the asshole who took Royan, they arrange for an exchange, and she comes straight back here. We’re her ace in the hole.”
“We should be with her.” Kit threw off his brother’s hand and rose to his feet.
Luke planted his feet on the deck and faced him, his arms crossed over his chest. “Don’t even think about it.”
Kit slammed a hand into the chair. “You’re really going to stop me? She claimed us as her vardo, Luke. She’s ours forever.”
“She is, and she can take care of herself. I have faith in her. If you go out there now, you’re going to put her and her brother in jeopardy. Sit your ass back down and be patient. Our time is coming.”
“I still hate this plan, but I’ll stay put for now and take it out on Vin later.” He met his brother’s eyes. “We’re in agreement that he’s not going to survive long enough to wind up in custody?”
“No chance of that. If you don’t kill him, I will.”
With a brief nod of assent, Kit eased himself back into the pilot’s chair and checked the monitor showing Zura’s progress. She was walking through a crowd, and he grinned a little as he heard her muttering under her breath as she tried to push through the throng. Luke was right, their girl could take care of herself.
* * * *
Zura made it to the entrance to the Blast Zone without spotting any of the Corp-Sec personnel she knew were tracking her movements. They were damned good at avoiding notice, and that made it easier for her to relax. They were out there, watching over her right now, and they were her best chance of getting Royan back and making sure Vin never bothered her again.
She crossed the threshold and left the noisy clamor of the crowd behind her. Inside, conversations were hushed, the music was low, and the soft lighting allowed for a few shadowy corners without casting the entire place in darkness. Thick carpets covered the floor, muffling her footsteps as she moved through the place, looking for Vin.
She recognized a few of her fellow pilots seated around the place, most of them enjoying a drink or a meal with their shipmates. There were a handful of them studiously avoiding her gaze, and she made a mental note of who they were and where they were sitting. It was clear to her that they knew why she was here, and she had to assume they wouldn’t be on her side if things went sideways.
Vin was waiting for her in the farthest corner, his back to the windows that lined the entire outer wall. Zura pretended not to see him at first. Instead, she made it appear she was distracted by the view outside while she took note of the exits and the location of anyone who might be one of Vin’s crew. There were a few potential candidates, but it was impossible to know for sure. The only one she recognized was Ganzer, and he was sitting beside Vin. Beyond the two of them was the breathtaking vista that allowed the owners of the Blast Zone to charge such exorbitant prices without anyone complaining…much.
The far end of the Drift was close enough to the asteroid belt that you could see it with the naked eye. It was a thin ribbon of ever-changing colors and shapes as the massive rocks performed their eons old dance in the light of the system’s slowly dying star.
Space vessels of every size and configuration came and went from view as they transferred cargo, ore, and personnel around the Drift and into the belt. It was a sight worth seeing, and one day, she would bring Kit and Luke here to see it with her.
Not today, though. Today she had business to attend to.
Satisfied that she had identified all the exits and potential problems in the immediate area, Zura let her gaze fall on Vin and made her way over to his table. He looked the same as ever. He wore his brown hair slicked back into a ponytail, and he flashed her a smile that reminded her of pictures she had seen of an extinct, predatory fish that had once swum in Earth’s oceans.
“You’re looking good, Zura. Made it with time to spare, too,” he said by way of a greeting.
“When have you ever known me to miss a deadline?” she shot back, her nerves putting more bite in the retort than she had intended. She needed t
o be calm and clear-headed, but it was hard to do when faced with the bastard who had abused her and then kidnapped her brother to force her into this meeting.
Vin laughed, though there wasn’t much humor in the sound. “You haven’t changed a bit. Have a seat and we can catch up.”
She chose to sit in the booth with them. Not that she wanted to be that close to him, but the chairs on the table side all left her with her back to the room, exposed. “We’re not here to catch up, Vin. You have my brother, and I’m here to make a deal to get him back. I don’t even know what it is you want, so how about we start with that. Why am I here, and what do you need from me?”
He clasped a hand to his chest. “You wound me, baby. There was a time when we were a whole lot more than friends.”
“That ship left orbit a long time ago. You know the reasons why I left; there’s no reason to rehash the past. I’d rather talk about the present.” She tapped her index finger against the tabletop. “Why the fraxx are we having this meeting at all?”
He frowned and for a moment his masked slipped, showing her the dark, dangerous man behind the smile. “It doesn’t have to be this way, Zura. I’ve got a good thing going these days. You could be part of it.”
She choked back a horrified laugh. “That’s never going to happen. Even if we set aside everything you did to me, you still kidnapped my brother and beat the hell out of him to make me meet with you. I’m here to get him back, and that’s all I’m here for.”
“The business with Royan is your fault. If you had come to meet with me when I asked nicely, none of this would have been necessary. You make me crazy, baby. You always have. You shouldn’t have left me like that. Then, when I finally found you again, you hide in a fraxxing fight club instead of meeting with me like I wanted. You’re the one that made all this happen.”
Zura ignored his comments. He always did that, making excuses and casting blame for his actions on others. She wanted to argue with him, to point out the holes in his logic, but there wasn’t any point. He would only get angry, and that was the last thing she needed. Her best chance was to stay quiet and let him think he was holding all the cards. This wasn’t about their past, it was about getting Royan back.