by Lili Zander
Before I can move, she slides to the floor. “What—” I start and then I realize her intent. Her hands busy themselves at the tie of my pants, and then she’s released my cock and is taking me into her hands. Into her mouth.
Ohhh… “Bryce,” I groan, gritting my teeth. Her lips mold around the head of my cock and slide down, taking me further into the blissful heat of her mouth. Stars explode behind my eyes.
“Mmmm.” She comes up for air, and tongues the tip of my cock. “Tastes yummy.”
She licks around my shaft. My hands hover in the air above her head. I want to touch her, but if she wishes to explore my cock with little kisses and licks, who am I to stop her? Just the sight is enough to make me lose control. I dig my fingers into the couch, willing myself to hold out as long as possible.
Thankfully, Bryce stops what she’s doing. “Open your pants,” she orders Hurux.
Her left hand grips my cock as her right reaches for Hurux. “Yes,” she murmurs, moving her hands up and down, stroking us both. Hurux sucks in a breath. A smile curves on her face. She takes him into her mouth, and he groans, raw and ragged.
Turning her triumphant face toward me, she works my cock faster, her hand tightening and stroking down with perfect pressure. Every muscle in my body clenches. I fight the oncoming explosion, but the little grin on her mischievous face as her tongue darts out and laps at my aching tip arouses me to the point of pain. Curses ring in my mind.
“You’re going to come on my breasts,” she tells me. I love how she takes charge. Half-naked and on her knees, she controls us.
I cannot resist her. I give in, exploding with a shouted groan.
The image of her on her knees, lips wet and shiny from sucking my cock, her breasts, lush and beautiful and painted with my seed, will forever be burned into my mind.
I will never have enough of her. I set out to claim her, but she already owns my soul.
19
Bryce
It takes me a while to figure out where I am when I wake up, and then memories of last night come flooding back.
I’m half-bracing myself for Cax and Hurux to be gone, but both men are still in bed, fast asleep. I don’t wake them. Instead, I ogle shamelessly. Can you blame me? The view is pretty damn good.
Hurux opens his eyes. “Like what you see?”
Caught. I refuse to be embarrassed. “I don’t have any complaints.”
He chuckles. Our voices must wake Cax, because he sits up. “Hey,” I murmur, my smile fading as yesterday’s events come rushing back. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m going to get the person who did this, Bryce.” He rubs his hands over his eyes, but his voice is determined. “Silu was my friend. I will avenge her death.” He laces my fingers in his. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, you did,” he replies. “I couldn’t think last night. I was numb. You were there for me.”
I feel myself blushing.
“What are you going to do?” Hurux asks before I can get too self-conscious.
Cax’s expression turns grim. “Silu and I had been trying to figure out who dropped the shields,” he says. “She found something yesterday, but she wouldn’t discuss it over a comm. By the time I could reach the Control Center, someone had already shot her.” He swallows. “She died in my arms.”
Wordlessly, I put my arm around Cax’s shoulder. I can relate to how he feels. Liam died a year ago, and I still feel the emptiness. The wound is still raw.
Hurux’s mind is on more practical matters. “Your comm was hacked,” he says with a frown. “Someone was listening to that conversation. Someone who had to act to prevent her from telling you what she found.”
“Senator Ulle,” Cax replies grimly. “I’m convinced she’s the traitor.”
Sofia mentioned Senator Ulle yesterday, and she hadn’t been complimentary. “She’s a fucking bitch,” she’d snapped, and my mouth had fallen open in shock. Mild-mannered Sofia never swears. “She didn’t care that Harper and Vulrux and Felicity and Dennox already had a kid. Even worse, she was prepared to force Felicity and Viola to have an abortion.”
I’m quite prepared to believe Ulle is the enemy. “But you couldn’t find anything implicating her, could you?”
“Everything had been wiped,” he confirms. “As much as I want to arrest Ulle, I cannot do so without proof.”
“Is it easy to hack your comms?” Hurux asks.
“I’m not a technician,” Cax replies. “I couldn’t do it. But a qualified techmage should have no trouble. They’re just standard comms. They’re not meant to be secure.”
“Like police radio scanners back home. In every single movie, the bad guys seem to be able to hack into them.”
Hurux gives me an amused look. “Shooting aliens, hacking into communications… your planet seems very predisposed to lawlessness, aida.”
Aida. I’ve heard the Draekons use that term of endearment before. Our translators don’t translate the word because there’s no good English equivalent. Ryanna, who is learning Zor, tells me that precious is the closest equivalent.
Am I precious to them? We fooled around last night. We might not have had penetrative sex, but in my opinion, oral is sex. It counts just as much.
They transformed when they saw me. They’re my mates. It’s not something they’ve been particularly happy about so far. Did last night make a difference?
Now’s not the time to ask. Cax’s best friend just died. Somebody is threatening his city, and that person has just graduated to murder. This is not the time for me to whine about my feelings. Put it on hold, Bryce. There will be time enough to discuss where we stand once things settle down.
Fingers crossed, things will settle down, not get worse. Though, of course, the situation hasn’t improved. There’s a traitor among Cax’s people, one willing to kill to achieve their goals. The Zorahn still want us back. The High Emperor is still looking for Raiht’vi. The entire might of a powerful alien civilization is stacked against us.
It should feel hopeless. I should be resigned to heading back to Earth. Except now, I have allies. With Cax and Hurux on Team-Let-The-Humans-Decide-Their-Own-Fate, we have a fighting chance.
The guys are still discussing the situation. I drag my attention back to them. “Why would a techmage work with Ulle to destroy my city?” Cax is asking. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Hurux shrugs. “I’ve seen a lot of people do bad things, and it’s rarely for a grand reason. Grand causes don’t motivate people; petty grievances do, and people hold grudges for all kinds of stupid reasons. Maybe you didn’t promote someone, and he or she feels aggrieved enough about it to commit treason. Maybe you rebuked them. Or Silu did. Don’t try to understand people’s motives.” He strokes my thigh as he speaks, small circles that are making my skin tingle. I don’t think he realizes he’s doing it, but I’m getting keyed up nonetheless.
I push his hand away, and he flashes me a sidelong grin. The jerk. He totally knows the effect he’s having on me.
Note to self: Don’t get mad. Get even.
Unlike me, Hurux doesn’t seem to have any problem focusing on two different things at the same time. “When do the humans get to Ashara?” he asks Cax.
In the tumult of yesterday, I’ve almost forgotten that the others are on their way here. “Tomorrow,” Cax replies. “At least, that’s the plan. I haven’t checked my comm this morning.”
“And my soldiers? The ones that are laying siege? What happens to them?”
Cax doesn’t flinch away from the conversation. “I gave my team orders to capture, not kill. But I can’t guarantee that no one will die.”
Hurux is silent for a long time. “It’s going to take me some time to get used to this,” he says, his voice barely audible. “I’m going against everything I’ve believed my entire life.” He takes a deep breath. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
Poor Hurux. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be in his pla
ce. If I were asked to fight against my friends, I couldn’t do it. None of this is easy.
Something strikes me. “If someone’s sabotaging your shields, will they be safe?” I blurt out. “Won’t they be safer where they are?”
Cax and Hurux both shake their heads. Cax answers my question. “While Lenox would love to retrieve the women, they’re not the High Empire’s focus. Raiht’vi is.”
“Because she’s betrothed to Lenox?”
“There’s more to it than that.”
“Like what?” I ask curiously. Hey, I’m nosy, and Cax is in a rare information-sharing mood. I’m going to take advantage.
He opens his mouth to answer and then seems to think better of it. “Never mind. It isn’t important right now.”
Hurux catches some nuance I don’t. “What is it?” he asks. “Whatever it is, I can cope. You don’t have to coddle me.”
“You may wish you don’t know this,” Cax replies heavily. “For decades, Brunox, Raiht’vi’s father, has been experimenting on the Draekons. Without the High Emperor’s knowledge, of course. The last time an exile ship landed here was sixty years ago. Brunox has a network of secret labs scattered across the High Empire. Every year, the exile ships get diverted there.” His lips twist into a humorless smile. “Raiht’vi knows the location of the labs.”
Whoa. What the hell is wrong with these people? As if exile for the rest of their lives wasn’t bad enough, they’ve now upgraded to experimenting on people like they’re lab animals? This shit is messed up.
Hurux looks rocked by the revelation. “He did what?”
“I’m sorry,” Cax says quietly. “I know you want to believe that the High Empire is a force for good. The truth is, the Empire has never seen the Draekons as a sentient race. They prefer to think of them as savage beasts, and those in power deliberately stoke these sentiments for their own purposes.”
“I was one of them,” Hurux whispers. “Caeron, I’m just as culpable as any of them.”
“No, you’re not,” I reply at once. “You went to see Raiht’vi yesterday. You had a gun, but you didn’t shoot Cax. You’re ready to listen. You’re ready to change your mind. That matters.”
My words don’t seem to convince him. Cax shakes his head slightly. “I need to figure out what to do next,” he says. “You used to be a spy. I could use your skills. Will you help me?”
Clever Cax. Hurux doesn’t need to dwell on the Empire’s sins right now. He needs something else to occupy him.
“I know what you’re doing,” Hurux says dryly. “Your plotting is transparent. But yes, of course I’ll help. I don’t like traitors.” His forehead furrows in thought. “If you think that your communications have been compromised, figure out how to use that to your advantage.”
An idea strikes me. “Set a trap for Ulle.”
“A trap?”
Hurux gives me an amused look. “You’d have made a decent spy,” he quips. “There’s something to that idea. Senator Ulle believes she’s got rid of any evidence linking her with the sabotage of the shields. But what if you manufactured some?”
Cax looks intrigued. “I like the way you two think. It makes me nervous, but I like it.” His smile fades. “As much as I want to linger here, I have to get up. Silu’s funeral is this morning.”
I liked Silu. She’d been nice to me. She’d made me see that there was a hidden side to Cax. Without her help, I wouldn’t be here, in bed with these two men. I would be sleeping in my own room, and I would have been lonely.
I wish there were some way for me to go to the funeral. To say goodbye. But it’s not in the cards. I’m human. I would stick out like a sore thumb.
“Will you come?” Cax asks me.
“I can’t, can I? I thought you were keeping me a secret. You said having a human mate would complicate things.”
“They will. But you’re roughly the same build as one of the Makpi. They’re robed from head to foot.”
“A disguise?”
“Only if you want to,” he says hastily. “You won’t be alone. Hurux will be with you, running interference. No one will talk to you. People tend to give the Makpi a wide berth.”
“Why?”
“They’re mildly telepathic. They can see glimmerings of the future. It makes people uneasy.”
I have a thousand questions about telepathic aliens, of course, but now is not the time. “I’d love to attend Silu’s funeral.”
“Thank you.”
He gets out of the bed just as an unpleasant thought strikes me. “Hang on. When the others get here, won’t your Senators be expecting nine women, not eight?”
Cax nods somberly. “I was going to talk to you about that. You should probably join your friends once they arrive in Ashara.”
He wants me to leave. I feel a reflexive stab of hurt, and then I push it back. Hiding our relationship temporarily is the right thing to do. Now isn’t the time to be selfish. Now’s the time to think of the greater good.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Okay. That makes sense.”
I must do a shitty job hiding my feelings, because Cax looks strained. “Aida,” he murmurs, cupping my cheek in his palm and kissing me gently. “I don’t want you to go. At all. I like having you here. I even like that orange blight you call a pet.”
A giggle bursts from my lips. “Admit it. You like Fluffy.” I get out of bed. “Don’t worry about me. You have plenty on your plate. I’ll be fine.” I raise my eyebrow at Hurux, who’s still sitting on the bed, staring into the distance. “You getting up?”
He doesn’t appear to hear. His shoulders are stiff. His hands curl into fists, then straighten. Something’s obviously bothering him.
“Hurux?” I prompt hesitantly. “Are you okay?”
“My father was exiled when I was a child,” he says. “Yesterday, Raiht’vi told me something. She said my father is here. In Ashara.” He looks up. “I think I’m finally ready to meet him.”
20
Hurux
I’ve never been to an Adrashian funeral before.
The central square is crowded with people. Draekon, Adrashian, even Makpi, everyone’s turned out to honor Silu. Judging from the size of the crowd and their expressions of grief and shock, she was well-liked.
In the center, next to the fountain, which today is shooting red water into the air, is Silu’s body, laid out on a bier, looking much smaller than I remember. The Adrashian Lieutenant-Commander had a larger-than-life personality. In death, she seems diminished.
Bryce and I stand in the back to avoid attracting attention. Not that anyone’s looking at us; everyone’s focus is on the funeral bier.
An Adrashian woman steps forward. She’s older. Her face is lined, and her feathers have darkened to a deep red-brown color. Silu didn’t have family, Cax told us earlier. This can’t be a relative.
It’s not. Someone hands the woman a small bowl. She dips her fingers in the contents and anoints Silu’s forehead with the liquid.
Ah. She’s a priestess.
The woman touches Silu’s forehead. Then her hands, and then her feet. As she anoints the dead woman, she chants, her voice low and musical.
I can’t understand what she’s saying; I don’t speak Adrashian. But I don’t need to follow along to be moved. A lump rises in my throat as the Adrashians in the crowd begin to chant with her.
The priestess beckons to Cax. She says something to him, her voice as clear as a bell, and he nods solemnly.
“What did she say?” Bryce whispers to me.
I’m about to answer, but before I can, the priestess switches to Zor. “Silu asked for her funeral to be held in Ashara, her home of choice. Cax und Bartu ab Ashara, in her death-plan, Silu asked if you would set her soul free so it may return to the air from which it came?”
Cax’s voice is steady. “It would be my honor.”
I can’t see Bryce’s face underneath the deep cowl, but her body’s trembling next to mine. I move closer, aching to put my arm aroun
d my mate and comfort her.
The priestess lights a torch and hands it to Cax. The chants grow louder, accented by a throbbing drumbeat.
Bryce sniffs. “Bye, Silu,” she whispers, so soft that I can barely hear. “Rest in peace.”
Cax steps forward. He touches the torch on the bier, and it catches fire.
In less than a minute, it’s ablaze.
In less than ten minutes, there are only ashes left.
I’m not Cax; I don’t know Silu. I haven’t worked with her for twenty years, she’s not my friend. But the fire continues to burn in my heart.
Silu didn’t deserve to die. I loathe injustice. I will find the person responsible.
“Are you nervous?”
We’re back at Cax’s mountain retreat. I’ve been pacing up and down, too keyed up to sit down. I haven’t seen my father since I was six. Will I even recognize him? Will he want to talk to me, or will he see me as part of the Empire that imprisoned him? I am Zoraken, after all. I’ve been a loyal soldier of the High Empire for many years. Like I told Cax and Bryce this morning, I’m complicit.
“I’m terrified. What if he hates me?”
Her nose scrunches up. “Why would he hate you?”
“Because of who I am.” I take a deep breath. “Because I never went looking for him.”
The exiles are forbidden contact with their families and loved ones. I understand why. There are too many families that believe that the Draekons deserve their fate. If they told the High Empire about Ashara, the city would be a secret no longer.
Bryce puts her arm around me and hugs me close. “Hurux, you were a child when it happened. He’s going to be delighted to see you.”
I kiss her lips. She’s my mate, and I’ve wasted so much time fighting it. I know why she has to go to stay with the other humans when they get here, but though I know it’s the logical thing to do, I don’t want to let her go. “I hope so.”