by Lili Zander
And maybe a small part of me had also been afraid that Mar’vi would hate me. That she’d respond with words of anger and reproach and blame me for what happened. A sentiment that I would understand only too well, because I blamed myself.
But Felicity hadn’t blamed me, and neither had Xanthox. They’d both seen what my guilt had prevented me from seeing. I was captured before I could go to my daughter. It was horrible, and I will regret it for the rest of my life, but the situation had been outside my control.
“Here.” Thrax’s voice startles me from my thoughts. He smiles widely as he hands me the communicator. “Works like a charm. Everyone’s going to be clamoring to use it, but I thought you should go first.”
“Use what?” Arax’s voice cuts into the conversation. He looks at what I’m holding, and his eyes widen. “Is that a communicator? Are you crazy? The entire Navy is patrolling the planet, looking for Raiht’vi, and you’re going to use tech?”
Bast. He’s right. If the signal is traced back to us, I’m putting everyone at risk. I can’t do that. I can’t risk the lives of everyone in this camp just to say goodbye to my daughter.
“Firstborn, if I may have a word?” Dariux says. He draws Arax out of earshot. The two men appear to have an urgent conversation, and then Dariux comes back. “One message,” he says. “The moment you send it, we turn off the comm. You can’t check for replies. Okay?”
I stare at the man. “Thank you, Dariux.”
He waves away my gratitude. “I didn’t do it for you,” he says. “I just hated to see my ThoughtVault wrecked for nothing.”
Felicity gives him a dry look. “Of course you did,” she says.
His lips turn up in a small smile. “Send your daughter the message, Luddux.”
24
Felicity
PRESENT…
Bolox and Narix are still in the Lake Ang camp, so after Lud sends the message, we fly back there for what might be our last time.
“It feels bittersweet, doesn’t it?” I ask. “To know that this could be our last night here.” I look around the house that Xan and Lud built for me, the sunny bedroom, the perfectly designed kitchen, the ladder to the roof. “I’m going to miss this place.”
Lud’s been kind of quiet all evening. Arax has banned the use of the comm for a good reason, but I can guess how hard it must be for my mate. He’s never going to know if his daughter got his message. He’s never going to know if she was cured.
I still haven’t told them I’m pregnant. I’m not sure what Lud’s reaction is going to be, or even Xan’s. We’ve kept secrets from each other, and it nearly caused our relationship to fail.
We’re slowly recovering. Slowly moving past the misunderstandings, past the secrets, past the hurts to come out somewhere stronger. Better than before.
But are they ready to hear that they’re going to be parents?
We prepare a meal together. Just as we’re about to start eating, Xan frowns. “I’ve been wondering about something,” he says slowly. “If you really believed that we were going to go away from here without you, what made you give us a second chance?”
Because I found out I was pregnant. And I had to try to make things right. For our baby.
I take a deep breath. No more lies. If our wounds are ever going to heal, I need to be honest with them. And if they’re not thrilled about the baby, then we’ll deal with it together.
“I learned something,” I reply, wiping my palms on my pants. I swallow hard. “I’m going to have a baby. Our baby.”
Their faces go blank. “You’re with youngling?” Xan’s voice sounds strangled.
I nod, unable to speak. Are they happy or is the news too much of a shock? Too much to absorb, given everything that’s going on in our lives?
“How long have you known?” Xan asks.
“Um, for a while now.” This isn’t the reaction I hoped for. “I realized right before we left to find Dariux.” I take a deep, nervous breath. “Are you mad at me?”
“Mad?” Lud finally speaks. “Why would we be mad? This is the happiest day of my life.”
He lifts his head up. His eyes are swimming with tears. Putting his arms around me, he pulls me into an embrace. “A second chance,” he whispers into my ear. “Felicity, my love. Right now, I’m the happiest man in the world.”
His lips curved into a joyous smile, Xan insists on carrying me back to the bedroom. “I can walk, you know,” I tease as he carries me across the threshold. “I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”
“You are so precious to us, little one. We cannot care for you enough.” He places me on the bed and kneels, removing my shoes. He and Luddux both undress me like I’m a doll. One kisses my forehead, the other my belly. “You should rest,” they murmur.
“Later,” I tug them closer. “I need my mates.”
They strip so fast they almost tear their clothes, but when they come back to me, they’re nothing but gentle. Lud works between my legs, lapping at my pussy until I cry out. Xan lies beside me and gently strokes my face, my breasts. He puts a protective hand on my belly and kisses me deeply.
I pant my climax into his mouth, but it’s not enough. “More,” I gasp. “I want more.”
“We will give it to you.” Lud nuzzles the inside of my thigh, his stubbled jaw scraping my sensitive skin, making my insides clench. “We will always give you what you need.”
“My turn.” Xan rises from my side, and the two of them switch places. I grasp Lud’s cock as Xan starts to lick.
“Little one,” Lud breathes. He reaches down and traces my lips with his fingers, then they stray lower, to brush against my nipples, and then still lower to rest against my belly.
Little sighs escape me as Xan’s tongue explores me, swiping lazily up and down my slit. I shiver with pleasure and concentrate hard on jacking Lud’s cock. My mates are obviously reluctant to take me in my current state, but I won’t be satisfied until they’re both inside me. Viola said that Harper was having plenty of sex, and given that Vulrux is a healer, that’s not happening if he has any reason to believe it’s not safe. I’d be damned if I’m going to go without. I’ll just have to make them as hungry for it as I am.
Craning my neck, I lap at the tip of Luddux’s thick rod, moaning at the taste of his precum. He kneels closer so I can suckle the head, and I swirl my tongue around him as Xan does the same between my legs.
My insides tighten, and my muscles clench. My mates know exactly how to please me. I can’t resist Xan’s clever mouth and skillful tongue. My climax crests gently, soft waves of pleasure washing over me.
I pull my mouth off Lud’s cock and meet his bright blue eyes. “Truth or dare,” I tell him.
He arches a brow. “Dare.”
I come to all fours. “I dare you to make love to me.”
“Felicity…”
“I want you inside me. Please...” I lay my hand on his cheek when he hesitates. “Harper is pregnant too, and she’s doing it. You know Vulrux would never risk it if it wasn’t perfectly safe. It’ll be fine.”
Desire wars with caution. “If this is what you truly want—”
“I do.”
“Then we cannot deny you.” He lies down on his back, his cock jutting out, hard and ready. Before I straddle him, I reach for Xan.
“You too. I need both of you.”
He hesitates only a moment. “All right, beautiful.”
I crawl up over Lud, marveling at the size and beauty of his body, all muscles, bronze skin, and gloriously hard cock. Mine, all mine. Lowering my hips over his cock, I guide him inside. I’m so wet that he slides right in.
Lud echoes my sigh as I sink all the way down. “Ahh, little one,” he grinds out. “So good.”
My inner muscles ripple as I adjust to his size. I arch my body and toss my hair back, looking over my shoulder at Xan. “You too.”
He kneels behind me, fingers finding my cleft, slickening my hole to take him.
“Not yet. I have a dare for yo
u.”
“Oh?”
“Ride him,” Xan orders. “I want to see you move.”
Bracing myself on my arms, I grind down on Lud, biting my lip against crying out as his massive rod hits a pleasure spot deep inside me. With each drag, the pressure builds and builds until I’m begging. Xan keeps his fingers at my backside, fucking my ass in time to my rocking rhythm.
“That’s it, Felicity. Take him hard.”
I rock my body, canting my ass up and down, giving both men a show.
With a wicked grin, Lud snaps his hips up, thrusting deep into me. My whole body shudders as I come apart. My arms give out, but Lud is there, holding me tight, grounding me, his lips caressing my face.
“So beautiful,” he whispers. “I will never get used to the sight of you falling apart for me.”
Xan still has his fingers in my ass. He keeps probing, stretching and stimulating me until my pussy clenches at the naughty sensation.
“She likes that,” Lud says with a grin. “She’s squeezing my cock.”
“You didn’t cum,” I realize, lifting myself up a little.
“Not yet.”
“Ready, Felicity?” Xan’s fingers leave me, and his cock probes my back hole.
So ready. I can’t get enough of them. “Please...”
“What’s that?” His lips curl into a grin.
He wants me to beg. At this moment, there’s nothing I’d rather do. “Please take me, Xan. I need you. Please fuck my ass.” I push back, sucking in a breath as the large head of his cock presses in.
“Breathe, beautiful,” Lud reminds me. Xan inches in slowly until I’m ready to beg him to go faster. Little shockwaves of pleasure pulse through me, making my insides clench. My whole world centers on the two cocks stretching me.
“Fuck me,” I chant over and over. “Fuck me please.”
“As you wish.” Xan lightly tugs on my hair as he starts to move. Sparks fly through me. My feet kick a little, and I shudder, overcome with the wild heat that fills my body.
“It feels so good,” I sigh.
Xan nips my shoulder. “And we’re just getting started.”
Somebody’s cocky. “Well, get on with it,” I tell him. I push my ass against Xan and gasp as he obliges, sliding in and out with firm strokes that send my body into orbit. When the two of them climax, pulsing deep inside my body, I shudder my own release and slump back into their arms, sated, satisfied, and content. Happy.
They take turns kissing and cleaning me. I snuggle in their arms, savoring this moment. “I never thought I’d be this lucky,” I whisper.
“Nor did I,” Lud murmurs. He kisses me and rests his hand on my belly. “A youngling,” he says, sounding awed.
Xan laces his fingers in mine. “You’ve given us the greatest gift we could ever hope for, Felicity,” he says.
I blink back the tears in my eyes. It’s been a hard road getting here, but this moment makes it all worthwhile. “Our child will have the best fathers he or she can ask for. Two of them. I’m so glad I found you.”
“As are we. It is a second chance.” Lud stretches out beside me. “One we will not take for granted.”
“It is destiny.”
25
Felicity
PRESENT…
The next few days are busy, but I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life. During the day, we’re busy with chores, but at night, Xan, Lud, and I make love.
I’m cleaning some fish in the dining area when Olivia approaches me, a stricken look on her face. “Bryce just came and yelled at me,” she says, sitting opposite me. “And I realized I’ve been the most thoughtless fool in the world.”
Even Olivia can’t dampen the glow of happiness that fills me. Everything’s okay with Lud, Xan, and me. No, things are better than okay. We went through fire, and we came out stronger for the experience.
“What are you talking about?”
She bites her lip. “I’m really, really sorry,” she begins. “I thought that you were unhappy with Luddux and Xanthox because they hadn’t told you they were working with Herrix and Belfox. I didn’t realize that you thought they were going to leave you behind.” She looks absolutely miserable. “When Belfox and Herrix grabbed me, they told me that the only reason they were using me was because Luddux refused to leave you behind. I was their Plan B. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you.”
I stare at her. Had we talked, she could have saved me so much heartache, so much pain.
But would it really have made things better?
I would have still wondered if Xan really loved me, because he’d never said the words.
Luddux would have still been shouldering the burden of what happened to his daughter alone. He would have still been broken up by his failure to save her. I would have still misunderstood.
No. As tempting as it is to blame this on Olivia, the truth is, Xan, Lud, and I needed to learn to communicate with each other. We needed to learn to overcome the hurts of our past and trust in the strength of our bond.
Three months ago, I would have looked at Olivia and seen Chloe. I would have looked at an honest mistake and seen malice.
But I’m in a good place now, and I want to let the past go. There are only fifty of us here, and Arax is right. We need to all work together. We need to be a proper team.
“That’s okay,” I tell Olivia. Viola’s right. When she’s not pretending to be a ditz, Olivia isn’t that bad after all. And she’s certainly not Chloe, who would have never, ever apologized for what she did. “We’re fine now. It all worked out.” I smile tentatively. “We’re a long way from home, and shit’s about to hit the fan. What do you say we start over?”
She returns my smile. “I’d like that, Felicity.”
26
Xanthox
PRESENT…
Dariux has been rather melancholy lately. I never cared much for the man, but after everything I learned about him in the sea camp, and after everything he’s done to help Luddux save his daughter, I’ve prepared to admit I’ve been wrong about him. Turns out Felicity is much better at reading people—even Draekons—than I am.
Everyone is finally in one camp. There are forty-four of us. Nine-humans, twenty-one from my exile batch, and fourteen from the Firstborn’s batch. It’s crowded on top of the cliff. Everywhere I turn, there are people. It makes me yearn for the peace and quiet of our treehouse in the lake camp.
After the nearly non-stop flying of the last week, we have very little by way of chores today. “Enjoy your day off,” Nyx says to me cheerfully. “You’re going to be on patrol duty tomorrow.”
A day off is a rare treat. Even better, Felicity doesn’t have much to do either. “I just have to mash the kunnr so we can make wine,” she says cheerfully. “And then I’m done. You want to get out of here?”
“Luddux could use the distraction.”
She nods soberly. His mind keeps returning to his daughter. The uncertainty is eating away at him.
“And so could Dariux,” I add.
Felicity looks surprised. “Dariux? Why?”
“If I had to guess, it’s the loss of the ThoughtVault. For sixty-five years, Dariux had a quest, a purpose. And now, it’s over. He’s been a bit flat. Let’s see if he wants to go with us?”
Her lips twist into a teasing smile. “I thought you were jealous of Dariux,” she says.
“I told him that I’d rip him from limb to limb if he ever did something untoward.”
Her mouth falls open. “Seriously? I’m not sure whether to be irritated or flattered.”
I brush a kiss across her cheek. “You are my mate. The love of my life,” I tell her, a growl in my voice. “And yes, I’m possessive about you, little one.”
She stands up on tiptoe to kiss me back. When she pulls away, I’m seriously regretting suggesting that Dariux come with us. After the pain of the last few weeks, neither Luddux nor I can get enough of Felicity.
Nyx learns we’re going to fly to the meadows east of th
e Na’Lung range. “Oh good,” he says. “Dennox isn’t back from his patrol yet. Can you take Beirax supplies on your way?” He sighs in exasperation. “Exiling the scientist on the Dsar Cliffs seemed like a good idea,” he says. “But it turns out that if you put someone on the top of a cliff that can’t be scaled, you’ve got to fly them food and water every two or three days.”
“Sure,” Luddux says. “Where are the Dsar Cliffs?”
“South-east of here,” Nyx replies. “An hour’s flight. You can’t miss it. It’s the tallest peak in the range, and it’s almost flat on top.”
Dariux looks alert. “Almost flat?”
Nyx nods. “You can’t really see it from the air,” he says. “But when you get closer, you’ll notice what I’m talking about.”
Lud and I transform. Dariux settles between Lud’s scales, and Felicity clambers on my back. We’ve spent most of our waking hours in the air for the last three or four days, and Felicity is getting a lot more comfortable on dragon-back.
We take off. It’s a lovely day, warm and sunny, and I’m looking forward to exploring this part of the prison planet, so different from our camp. We fly over dense jungle. To the east, I can see the meadows that are our ultimate destination. To the southwest of me, a river snakes through the foliage. Dariux has mentioned that it eventually connects to the sea to the south of Lake Tuli.
For the past sixty-five years, we’ve been bound by the distance we could travel on foot. But things are different now. Enough of us can fly that we can travel through the air, faster than we’d ever thought possible.
Once Raiht’vi is found and the immediate threat dealt with, I want to explore the entire planet, not just this continent. I want to see what lies beyond the great desert to the north. What lies west of the sea. I wonder if Felicity wants to travel too. It’s not the inter-planetary travel that I was used to before I was exiled, but in many ways, exploring this uncharted world feels more exciting.