Second Chance

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Second Chance ISBN # 1-4199-0776-X ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Second Chance Copyright© 2006 Rebecca Airies Edited by Nicholas Conrad. Cover art by Syneca. Electronic book Publication: October 2006 This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 443103502. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

Content Advisory: S – ENSUOUS E – ROTIC X - TREME Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (Erotic), and X (X-treme). The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. This story has been rated E–rotic. S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination. E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. E-rated titles might contain material that some readers find objectionable—in other words, almost anything goes, sexually. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry in terms of both sexual language and descriptiveness in these works of literature. X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Stories designated with the letter X tend to contain difficult or controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

SECOND CHANCE Rebecca Airies

Rebecca Airies

Chapter One Shadows gathered in the dim light of the deserted tan-walled hallway. Nervousness coiled within her belly as she paced down the quiet passage, her footsteps echoing in the corridor. Stopping before a large door, she took a deep breath to calm her rioting nerves. Placing her palm against the wooden surface, she opened the door and stepped into the room. Her eyes fell on the lavish green silken coverings on the bed on top of which a dark-haired, dark-skinned god lounged nude. His body was large, muscled, gleaming in the softly flickering light. The breadth of his hairless chest and the darker stripe of skin on either side of his collarbone drew her eyes and whetted her appetite. Deep, velvety brown eyes surveyed her with lecherous intent. Her eyes ran over the thick, muscled thighs and the long, dark cock which rose from between them. He had more than enough to satisfy a hungry woman. He raised his arm and held out his hand to her. Oh yes…

***** A steady, throbbing ache in her shoulders pulled Laci Trion from the dream about that gorgeous man. Just the memory of that body made her want to drool and brought a pool of warmth to her sex. What she wouldn’t do to get her hands on a man like that. She might not even have to remember to play nice with someone built like that. Now, that would be nice. Often, worry about hurting her partner with her strength held most of her attention during sex. She blinked, her eyes gritty and slow to focus, and then stared in confusion at the cold, gray tile on the floor. She could tell it was the floor, because she could see a small puddle of saliva in front of her bare suntanned thighs and knees. Without having to look, she knew that her arms were secured. She could feel something cold and metallic at her wrists and elbows holding them out at a ninety degree angle from her body. Secured in a kneeling position, she strained to gain as much information as possible before she moved. Her toes didn’t touch a wall. She didn’t know if she was in the middle of a room or just held away from the wall. She desperately tested her sense of hearing. She could hear the light sound of breathing, more than one person. Inhaling, she found that the scents in the room had blended, making it impossible to distinguish how many people were in the room. The only thing she knew for certain was that they were all male. I’m in trouble this time, Laci acknowledged, fear and adrenaline racing through her. She couldn’t remember how she could possibly have landed in this situation. Her last memories were rather innocuous.

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She’d checked into a dive of an inn after landing the shuttle on Viaga, a haven for criminals of all types as the government refused to take a stand on anything. She had climbed the stairs, entered the room and that was it. After eating in the room, she’d fallen into a deep sleep. Laci grimaced as she lifted her head. Her neck ached, informing her that she’d been in this position for some time. She saw four blurry, black columns. Confused, she blinked and the columns came into focus. She stared at four muscled legs encased in tight black pants and shiny black boots. She tilted her head farther back and wished she hadn’t. She gawked at the two angry men standing a few paces away from her. The twin of the dark sex god from her dream glowered at her, and the fuming redhead beside him seemed oddly familiar as well. The two men drew an immediate reaction from her. Her lust flared, instantaneous, intense and in blatant disregard of the hazards of this situation. The man with deep brown skin appeared to be just as hard-bodied and luscious as he had been in her dream. His hair was long, silky and black as a moonless night. A scar on one cheek stretched from his hairline almost to his nose. The rugged, fierce lines of his face were accentuated by a slightly crooked nose and a square jaw. The harsh glint in those brown eyes made her blink. The savage warrior within him waited to pass judgment and she knew her life rested on his decision. Short and spiky, the red crown did nothing to soften the second man’s looks. Because of that haircut, she could see the pointed tips of his ears and knew he wasn’t human. The gold in his slanted eyes glittered as he stared down at her. Light, goldbrown skin highlighted the high cheekbones and smooth lines of the redhead’s face. The fact that his face just missed beautiful couldn’t hide the forcefulness, the dominance within him. This man was a predator. They were both very tall, the redhead a little more so than his companion. Both well-built, they leaned against the wall, almost seeming relaxed. The breadth of their chests and the muscled arms was defined rather than hidden by the blue shirts of the uniforms they wore. Laci felt a trickle of warm, slick moisture on her inner thigh as her eyes lowered to the bulges between those muscular thighs. From the outline of the ridges visible against that black cloth, they were long and thick. “Why were you sent after us?” Red’s cold, smooth baritone rolled over her. Confusion swirled within Laci’s mind. They might seem familiar, but she’d never seen them. She didn’t know them. They were not her prey on this particular hunt. That she would remember. Laci had no idea who they were or why they were so angry with her. “I wasn’t sent after you.” “That’s true enough. I don’t think that she even knew that we’d be here. The only thing on the reading is confusion and anger, Jatohn,” a voice observed from behind her, surprising her.

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She stiffened and turned her head in a fruitless attempt to see the man who was behind her. She’d become so focused on those two men that she hadn’t noticed the others in the gray room. The air was chill on her nude body and she felt distinctly exposed and vulnerable. She didn’t like the feeling. It reminded her too much of a past she wished she could forget. This whole situation reminded her too much of her time in captivity. “Who are you after?” The second man’s glossy black hair rippled as he crossed his arms and crossed his right foot over his left. Laci looked at the dark-haired man apprehensively. With a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, his brown eyes ran over her exposed body. His voice was rumbling and deep and seemed to flow right into her, tugging at her. Strangely, he looked relaxed, almost happy, since she’d answered that first question. A shiver of unease at the sudden good humor exhibited by both men rippled down her spine. Laci felt compelled to answer the question. She fought that push. She didn’t know who these men were or why they were asking these questions. They could be one of those who wanted to hurt her and those like her. As she resisted, a burning pain burst to life in her abdomen. Laci grimaced as the pain increased in strength with each passing moment, tearing into her with fangs and claws. “Tell us who you hunt and the pain will go away.” The dark eyes of Black Hair gave no indication that he cared if she answered and stopped the pain. “A woman…” The pain became unbearable and she could no longer keep her silence. There was no softness or mercy in those golden eyes or the chiseled face as her eyes clashed with those of the redhead. The bastards knew that she wasn’t after them, yet they insisted on continuing this torture. “Who?” Red’s predatory golden eyes watched her face, as if he was reading the emotions as they crossed her face. Laci looked into those eyes. Confusion swirled inside of her. His features were more refined, but they were every bit as implacable, unrelenting as those of the man beside him. Despite her unease over his mercurial switch of moods and his unknown motives, she found this man just as appealing as the dark-haired man at his side. They both inspired a heat, an intense need that she couldn’t ever remember feeling before. Laci couldn’t defy the need to answer the question when the pain came back full force. It felt as if she was being ripped apart from within in very slow increments. “Vanya Steryan.” “Why would you be hunting her?” Red tapped his hand against his thigh. “I’m to return her for trial before the Tribunal on Gesed 3 for her crimes on multiple planets in four galaxies.” Laci wished she could move her arms. The muscles in her stomach were still twitching, her breathing shallow and uneven as the pain faded. “Truth,” the voice behind her said again.

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“Very good.” Red gave her an approving nod. “Just a few more formalities and then we can get better acquainted. Give us your name.” She suspected the nod was meant to encourage her to be more forthcoming. She wished they’d just get to the point. And by Panicea’s three moons, what did he mean they would “get better acquainted”? With clipped precision, she replied, “Laci.” As the interrogation had progressed, she’d discovered what they had known all along. These men had been created in the labs, just as she had. When she concentrated, she could feel the hum of the signal which was emitted by all of the lab’s creations and she knew that there were more than three men in this room. Laci grimaced. It spoke of just how high her emotions were at that moment that it had taken her so long to notice it. Considering how long she’d been after Vanya, the feel of even a Third Generation signal—the same signal her nano-cytes emitted—should have been a sharp continuous drone through her mind and body. The difference of a First Gen signal from her own should have made it even more obvious. “Laci what?” Black Hair prompted with a raised eyebrow. “Trion.” She could see no way out of it. The pain would return if she didn’t answer them. She was in no hurry to test her endurance again. “You’ll shortly be released from the restraints. Do not come at us like a spitting traik.” Black Hair’s brown eyes narrowed as he pointed a finger at her. Red paced to within an arm’s length of Laci. His eyes heated as they ran over her pale breasts and the red nipples. Before her eyes, his cock lengthened, pressing against the fly of his black pants. “As to the eminent Vanya Steryan, you’ll have to wait. She’s done some damage and we have to convince her to tell us how to fix it.” Laci digested that last bit of news. “Would it be possible for you to get me some clothing?” Considering what she knew of Vanya Steryan, Laci was almost certain that she knew what kind of trouble Vanya had caused. She was a scientist who created programs to attack those who had escaped the labs. The woman was vicious, especially when she felt cornered, but her downfall was her predictability. Like many associated with the labs, she showed a blind inability to see that their creations were not unfeeling lab animals. “I like the view.” Black Hair openly stared at her, a definite leer on his face. “You’re beautiful, but if you insist on walking around the ship, you do need some clothing.” Just what are they playing at? First, they interrogated me, then threatened me and now they’re flirting with me? Laci eased her arms down with careful deliberation as the restraint loosened, but couldn’t stop the groan which slipped from her lips as her muscles protested the movement. Rubbing at her right arm she wondered how long she’d been in that torture device. She glanced around the room. There was only a small table behind the T-shaped device that had held her arms away from her body and kept her in a kneeling position. Although the room wasn’t

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very large, at least six other men gathered in the confined space. Apparently, interrogations were a spectator sport among these men. They’d admitted they had brought her aboard a spaceship. Judging from the space in even this small room and the absence of vibration from the engines, this was probably a large ship, probably a Battle-class ship such as the Taurog or the Monical models. This was bad. Darion looked over at Alek. Alek’s golden eyes were shot with sparks of lust and determination. Darion could well understand. She was here, in front of them. They’d been looking for her and she surfaced in the last place they expected to find her. He lowered his eyes to the darker stripe of brown skin on either side of her collarbone. She was full-figured, just as he remembered. Her body was toned, but padded in all the right places. His eyes traced over her full breasts, down her stomach to the flare of her hips. Appreciative of the bounty before him, he took in the lush curve of buttocks, naturally hairless mound and rounded thighs. He swept his eyes back up to her face. Her hair was curly and glossy black with burnished streaks, falling only to mid-back—much shorter than it had once been. Her wide, green eyes flashed with emotion—at this moment, anger. She had a short nose, generous deep pink lips and rounded cheeks. His body throbbed with the need to touch her. His hands itched to glide over her silky, lightly golden skin. Alek had to be rejoicing at the proof of his error. His worries had been unfounded, all of them. He’d been predicting that their woman would be much as they remembered her. Already, she had proven that wrong. The scent of the desire simmering within her swirled in the air around them. The differences in her would be obvious even to cynical Alek. The anger radiated from her and Darion could read the other emotions on her face and in her eyes. He enjoyed the treat of being able to watch her emotions rise. Never before had he been able to do that with her. He was certain now. This time would be different. This time they wouldn’t lose her. The interview had been necessary, but he’d wanted to tear her loose from the bindings the moment the first sign of pain had crossed her face. He hated to see her in pain, but they had had to be certain that she wasn’t an agent for their enemies. With her history, the precaution was merely prudent. Darion knew she was still angry. He could read it on her face just as easily as he could the confusion and the desire. Satira—no, Laci—had much to learn about them. The first lesson was that they wouldn’t be manipulated. She would play by their rules. Without a doubt, these weren’t Second Gen men. These men had to be of the First Generation of creations. They were known to gather in large groups. The Second Generation men shunned associations with other Arceins—Artificially Created Beings— of the same sex. 8

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The First Generation had disappeared over fifty years ago from the lab where they had been held. That had been before Laci had been created. She doubted that they’d aged a day in the intervening time. The alien species which made up most of their DNA was long-lived and then there were the nano-cytes. These were nano-bots that flowed in their bloodstream, repairing damage and preventing aging from the inside out. Now that she could really focus, the difference between the feel of Third Gen nanocytes and these men’s nano-cytes leaped out at her. Their nano-cytes pulsed at a faster, lower tone. Her skin tingled and she could feel the thrum of their nano-cytes—a pulsing tug in her chest and stomach. She’d been tracking Vanya for nearly forty days and her isolation probably increased her sensitivity. A standard white robe was brought to Laci. She put it on without question and then scowled in annoyance. The robe hung a little below her mons unbelted. If she belted it, she’d bare half her ass and expose most of her pussy. She gritted her teeth and struggled to keep her breathing deep and slow, trying for serenity as she buttoned the three buttons meant to hold the robe together. “What has Vanya done to you?” Laci glanced up at them, considering her options. She didn’t want to spend too much time here. She needed to put some distance between herself and these two men. Her reactions to them worried her. They were too intense. As well, there were other scientists and bureaucrats on the watch list that she could be tracking. “If it’ll get me away from here quickly—with Vanya Steryan—I’ll help you.” Red’s golden eyes narrowed in suspicion at her knowledge of the situation. “How do you know that she has done something to us?” Laci resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the redhead, but raised a brow. “You said that she had done some damage. It wouldn’t be the first or second time that she’s attacked an Arcein. Do you two have names? Other than Jatohn, which I presume is a title and will not call you.” “We both bear the title of Jatohn,” Black Hair clarified with a toothy smile. Laci turned her head to the raven-haired man. That broad smile would have appeared goofy if it wasn’t for the hunter’s intensity in the dark brown eyes. She didn’t fail to notice that neither of them had given her an answer. They were typical stubborn, arrogant men. “Fine. I’m sure that you have everything under control, but I can tell you that Vanya won’t give you any answers. She doesn’t have them. She creates mayhem and destruction with her devices and programs. Everything is meant to destroy, to decimate. She never goes to the trouble to create a way to stop the destruction.” “What did she do to your group?” Black Hair tilted his head, curiosity clearly evident. “She managed to infect one of us with a replicating program designed to kill us all. It used the nano-cytes’ cooperative communication to spread within the body. Once infected, the nano-cytes attacked the host.” She swung her gaze from the black-haired man to the redhead. She was still very confused by the attraction she felt for these two men, the instantaneous lust. Why were they so familiar? Why had she dreamed of them?

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“You weren’t infected?” Red stared intently into her eyes, then tensed. “That program sounds very much like the one that’s attacking some of our men.” “I became infected after a way to beat the program had been found. We were lucky. We’d already been working on that very infection in several Second Gen men. We knew what we were up against.” Laci’s mouth kicked up at one corner. The answer had been so elementary that it should have been obvious from the first. “How did you beat it?” Red leaned toward her. “Oh, no, I’m not that easy to trick.” She could almost smell the urgency pulsing through him. He wanted that answer badly. Amusement and triumph flashed in her eyes as she smiled at the two glaring and frowning men. “I want an assurance that you’ll allow me to leave with Vanya Steryan and I want to know your names. I’m not one of your men. I will not call you by a title when I don’t know what it means.” “Alek Teyan and Darion Malan.” Red’s tone was clipped and his gestures sharp with irritation as he pointed first to himself and then to the man at his side. Darion added, “As to our title, ‘Jatohn’ in Norik doesn’t translate very well into Orisan or any other common language. It is ‘Captain’, but it also means leader of a clan and more.” “And Vanya…” she pushed in a sweet tone. Laci saw Darion’s eyes narrow. The black-haired man didn’t like her demand. “As soon as your help has proven useful, you and Vanya will be taken back to Viaga.” Darion’s reluctance to give in to her demands was visible. She wondered at that reluctance. Was it simple annoyance over having their authority challenged? She knew they wanted her. She could see it, smell it. They were exuding pheromones which kicked her arousal to a higher level. “It’s easy enough. All you have to do is reprogram a few nano-cytes with the new program and they’ll spread it as they encounter others.” Laci shrugged to loosen her still-stiff muscles. “What do you program the nano-cytes to do?” Alek seemed to be the critic of the two. So far, he’d questioned almost everything she had said, if not verbally, then with those golden eyes. “You program them to attack a signal that the ‘infected’ nano-cytes emit. They will treat the changed nano-cytes as a virus, a hostile organism. Whenever they find one, they will destroy the infected nano-cyte without the exchange needed for the ‘virus’ to spread.” “How are we supposed to know what signal to target?” Alek raised a brow. “Take me to the lab you are using and I’ll help.” “You could tell us here,” Darion countered. The suspicion was obvious in his tone of voice and the look in his eyes. “It will be show, not tell. The program is complex, but it’s within my nano-cytes and can be transferred to one of yours in code form as First Gen nano-cytes would 10

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swarm and reprogram mine before any transfer could take place. The aggressive nanobots running through you are definitely not compatible with mine,” Laci sighed and strived for patience. Oh yeah, they have so much in common with the paranoid, ultrasuspicious Second Gen men. “Why didn’t you say so before?” Darion firmly grabbed her arm and began pulling her out of the room and down the hallway. Laci fumed at being dragged after him like a strayed pet. She was barefoot and naked underneath the short robe and she had to almost jog to keep up with him. “You said that the two types of nano-cytes are not compatible. Could your nanocytes ever accept ours?” Alek followed them, enjoying the view afforded by his position behind them. “And did you know that you have a sweetly curved ass that just begs to be touched?” Laci cast a scathing look over her shoulder. She was shocked at the naked hunger on his face. His big hands flexed at his sides. She could easily envision him gripping the globes of her buttocks, stroking them, pulling her against his body. And strangely, she wanted it too. In spite of the uncertainty of the situation, her hands itched to run over his skin. It unnerved her even more. Laci forced herself to focus on their question. “One group would overwhelm the other, replacing it. There is currently no middle ground. With time, a hybrid might be possible.” Laci shrugged. Dealing with the creations of Vanya Steryan and others like her took precedence over bridging the gap between the three distinct groups of Arceins. That particular problem would have to wait until peace had been won. They tugged Laci into a gray-walled laboratory. Four harried-looking men labored at various stations in the very advanced, well-equipped lab. Laci stared with envy at the machines they were using. One of the technicians glanced over his shoulder and then stood, coming to meet the two men. “Jatohn, is there something that you need? We haven’t found a way to stop it yet.” The lab tech who greeted them had very short black hair and curious brown eyes. “But we have,” Darion informed him with relish. “This is Laci Trion. Steryan attacked them before she attacked us. Her nano-cytes carry a program to defeat the infected forces.” The lab tech’s sharp eyes scrutinized Laci. “You’re sure this will work?” His words were laced with doubt. “I’ll need to check the infected nano-cytes to be sure that this is the same thing that attacked my people. If it is the same, you can transfer the program as it is.” Laci gave the tech a frown in return. They had a lab full of advanced equipment and they needed help? If she’d had this equipment, finding the solution would have been simple. “And if it’s not?” the tech asked in a snide tone. “If it’s not, the changes you’ll have to make will probably be minor. Steryan is predictable and lazy. She wouldn’t have changed it much.” Laci wished she had access

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to half the equipment in this lab in her lab at home. She would be able to learn so much more about the nano-cytes if she had this kind of machinery. “What will you need?” The lab tech’s hesitation to give her full access to the equipment was obvious. He kept his unwavering gaze on her. “I’ll need some of the infected nano-cytes, a sensitive frequency detector and a reader device.” She was tempted to stop right then, to refuse to help them, but she wanted to get Vanya Steryan back to Gesed 3 before the scientist slipped away again. That woman was slippery and Laci was eager to see her pay for some of her crimes. The way everyone here looked at her stirred her anger. They were always visually assessing her. It was as if they expected something from her. She didn’t like feeling as if she was being judged. They didn’t know her. She’d never met any of these men before now, yet every gaze seemed to judge her and find her wanting. The equipment was brought to her and Laci began to work. The signal emitted by the infected nano-cytes hadn’t changed and the program was unchanged. There wouldn’t have to be any change to the extermination program. As soon as she got this done and they had their proof that it worked, she would leave. “It’s the same. I presume that you have a data transfer unit for the nano-cytes.” Laci shifted impatiently. If they wanted this done, they would need to be a little more cooperative. The answer came in a series of nods from the technicians. “I’ll need a syringe to get your sample.” Laci rolled her eyes when none of the men moved. After she drew her own blood, the task flew toward completion. She helped them isolate the right section of the programming and watched as they studied it line by line to ensure that she wasn’t carrying a program that would harm them. Luckily the program was relatively simple. When the techs were certain that the program was safe, the two Jatohn decided to leave the lab. “They have what they need. You’ll come with us while we wait.” Alek stepped up to her side. Well, that was a lovely invitation.

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Chapter Two Alek took her arm and pulled her from the lab. Darion followed so close behind that she could feel his body heat against her back at nearly every step. The ride up in a lift was tense. For some odd reason, Laci expected them to hold her, touch her while the lift carried them to the chosen floor. She actually ached for their strong arms to encircle her. That realization set off a barrage of internal alarms. Her heart slammed into her chest wall and panic swirled through her. If it had been possible, she’d have turned around and run in the opposite direction from them. She needed some time to think about what all of this meant. Most of all, she wanted to know why this attraction had flared. They might look like the men in her dreams, but she knew she wasn’t the same woman she was in those dreams. After leading her down yet another sterile gray corridor, they urged Laci into a room. A huge bed with a solid black spread dominated the large room. Two sliding doors faced each other on opposite walls. One was probably the bathroom, another, the automated closet. A black chair and a black couch had been placed to one side of the room. Overall, the effect was very stark and masculine against the pale gray of the walls and carpeting. Darion went to the couch and took a seat at one end. Alek began to guide her toward the couch. Still suspicious of their intent, she planted her feet and leaned back, refusing to go one step further. She wasn’t going to let them make this situation any more complicated than it already was. Alek merely smiled and tugged her after him. Her strength was no match for his and she stumbled forward. He hauled her down between them as he sat on the black fabric cushion, holding her down when she tried to bolt. Laci took some deep, calming breaths. It was obvious that she was not going to get off the couch unless they let her off it. She tugged the hem of the robe down, trying to cover a little more thigh, and shifted with nervous agitation. This was worse than waking up naked and restrained. The situation then had been tense, but they had been focused on learning what her purpose was. Now, their focus was on her. She was faced with two men, not one, and both of them seemed hungry. She appeared to be the main course they craved. “This isn’t a good idea.” Laci looked first at the tilted eyes and high cheekbones of Alek Teyan’s refined profile and then at the square jaw and velvety brown eyes of Darion Malan’s more rugged countenance. She wanted them both with an intensity and depth that frightened her. She didn’t know them or anything about them, yet her body

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reacted as if it had already known their touch—and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Her heart continued to pound. “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to make love with someone who you didn’t have to fear hurting in your passion? Or always be in control when you loved them?” Alek allowed his eyes to savor her full curves. His hand rose and traced over her cheeks, her short nose, before grazing her lips with the tip of one finger. Laci caught his lustful gaze with her defiant one. “From what I’ve heard from others, it’s pretty good, but I want more than just sex from a man. I’d want to know the man, feel something more than an urge that I could satisfy with sex toys. I want to be able to trust him with my life as well as my body.” “Well, then, come. Let us show you,” Alek invited with a wicked grin. “I lost my taste for casual sex before we escaped the labs. I refuse to use my body as a weapon in that way. I have choices now and I choose not to indulge in meaningless sex.” “Come closer to me and tell me that you do not know me.” Darion tugged at her hand, eager to answer the challenge shooting from her green eyes. His full lips curved into a knowing smile as he caught the scent of her arousal. Laci couldn’t help wondering if he knew what that rumbling whisper did to her, if he could tell that her pussy clenched and flooded with hot, honeyed desire when his voice fell to that pitch, even as she allowed herself to be tugged toward him. As much as she tried to resist, her body ached to know if he could do as much or more with his hands and lips. “I don’t know what you think this will do.” “Remember me.” He pulled her against him and pressed her head to his chest. The soft, deep blue material of the cloth caressed her cheek and she listened to the muffled, steady drum of his heart against her ear. She lay stiff and unyielding against him for a few moments, but then her muscles began to relax of their own accord, lured by the warmth and lack of pressure. She drew in his scent. The haunting familiarity of the essence called to her. That fragrance was heady and powerful, a reminder of a time before her memory began. Deep in her mind, a vague sensory memory swirled… Deep forest. And the comfort of strong arms on a cold night. “Come to me, little one. Remember me,” Alek said, gently lifting her away from Darion’s chest and turning her into his body. Puzzled, yet pulled by the need to learn the truth, Laci drew his scent into her as her head rested against the blue material over his hard chest. Primal knowledge flooded her senses. Hazy memories and lost instinct floated to her. The scent of rain teased her and warm darkness surrounded her. She was safe with her mates. Oh, no, Laci thought. No, definitely not them. Not two of them. Shaking her head, she drew away from Alek’s chest. He held her arms ensuring that she did not go far. Shock exploded within her even as she tried to deny the significance of her discovery.

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“That means nothing,” Laci protested in a trembling voice, trying to regain lost ground in her resistance. She couldn’t let it matter. This was not that time, the time in her dreams. She wasn’t that woman. “It means everything. Let us show you.” Darion ran his hands over her arms. “Relax, Laci. We won’t hurt you. We would never hurt you.” Alek turned her body and pressed her back against the soft cushions of the couch. With a gentle touch on her chin, Darion turned her face to his and his lips brushed over hers, light as a soft breeze. Laci couldn’t resist the sensation, the heat. She wanted to taste him, even if it was only this once. Her mouth opened for him, tempted. His tongue lapped over her lips, tasting them. His scent—musk and a hint of the sharp fragrance of trees—surrounded her, teasing her, tempting her. Her tongue flicked out, teasing, stroking over his before retreating into her own mouth. Darion’s lips firmed on hers as his tongue drove into her mouth. His tongue stroked over hers, inciting a response as if he needed to know she wanted him just as much as he did her. Laci brushed her tongue against his. He tasted of crisp, cold mornings and verdant forests. That tang stirred a craving for more and more as it filled her senses. She could kiss him for hours. Her hand laced into his silky, long black hair as her tongue followed his into the recesses of his mouth. She resisted when he tried to draw away from her, her fingers clenching in his dark hair, trying to bring him back to her. She needed those lips and that tongue. She hadn’t had enough of him yet. A rich masculine laugh rumbled against her lips. His teeth nipped at her plump lower lip as he pried her hands from his hair and turned her to the left. A frustrated growl rolled from her lips. Alek’s lips closed over hers, catching the end of that sound. His tongue swept into her mouth, filling her with the taste and scent of long, rainy nights and mountainous retreats. Equally as addictive and delightful as Darion’s kiss, she reveled in that delicious essence, drawing it into her mouth. His tongue glided over hers, tangling and teasing. Laci didn’t even try to fight the urge to respond. She was lost in his taste and the sensations of his caress. Her tongue tangled with his and her hands slid over his chest. Laci felt them repositioning her, felt the slight disorientation, but she didn’t want to stop them. Within a moment, she lay across Alek’s lap, her lips still locked with his. Warm, calloused hands pushed her robe apart. She arched her back, thrusting her breasts up as the soft fabric brushed over her engorged, sensitive nipples. Tingles of pleasure radiated from the swollen mounds. The sudden feel of hot breath across the crest of one of her breasts caused the nipple to pucker and harden and anticipation to rocket through her. She wanted that mouth on her breast. A slightly rough tongue laved over that peak once, twice, before the tingling flesh was sucked into a warm, wet mouth. Her back arched and she gasped into Alek’s mouth as Darion’s teeth teased the sensitive nipple, scraping and tugging on the hard peak.

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Laci gave a startled mewl when fingers plucked at the nipple atop the neglected globe. She tensed and squirmed at the pleasure streaking through her. She needed more. Her desire coiled into a hard knot low in her belly and sparked a pulsing ache in her now engorged clit. Never had passion flared so hot and high so fast. The lips at her breast firmed and the tormenting tongue flicked over the tip just before a maddening, drawing suction began. She arched her back again, pressing her breast against that teasing mouth, begging for him to suck harder, to take more into his mouth. The pulling rhythm, combined with the sharp, pinching tugs at her other nipple, enflamed her into a moaning, writhing creature seeking only satisfaction. A warm hand caressed her stomach. The tip of a slightly rough finger circled her navel with a light, rasping touch before dipping into the slight indention. A tingling dart of electric pleasure shot straight to her pussy, tightening the aching need coiling within her. That teasing digit drifted down to the smooth, pink lips of her pussy, lightly brushing over the wet lips. Her legs opened in eager invitation at that grazing touch. His fingers parted the slick lips and stroked over the hood of her clit with the lightest of touches. With deliberate tormenting intent, those digits moved in circular caresses that just barely grazed that sensitive hood. He had to know that she needed more. She was burning with the need they had created. A pleading moan escaped her lips as her hips bucked against the hand, demanding more than that teasing touch. Darion smiled against the full mound of her breast as he felt the hot cream of her desire against his fingers and heard her eager moans and sighs. “You’re so passionate, Laci. Do you know what it does to a man when a woman responds with such enthusiasm?” His thumb stroked over her plump clit as his fingers slipped into the heated sheath of her pussy. Laci moaned. Her need had risen fast and hard. His fingers were thick, long. She felt so tight, the muscles clenching around his fingers as they slid in and out of the spasming clasp of her cunt. She ached for more than the feel of his fingers pushing deep into her. She pulsed with the need for the thick length of a hard cock driving deep into her. She could feel the thick essence of her desire pooling and seeping onto her thighs. Alek lifted his lips from Laci’s and feathered kisses down her throat to the short stripe of dark skin at her collarbone. He brushed his lips across it and a shiver rolled through her body. “I can smell your desire. I want to taste it. I need to slide my cock into you and feel the fire caused by our touch, the tight grip of your cunt.” Laci arched yet again, hungry for any of the things he’d mentioned. She just wished that they wouldn’t talk so much. “Please…” Darion placed a final kiss on the upper slope of her breast before he slid to the side and lifted one her legs and put it behind him. Laci saw his eyes travel up her thighs to her pussy and lock there. His tongue ran over his lips. Alek slipped out from beneath Laci, leaving her sprawled on the couch, and knelt beside her. His hand swept his hand over her stomach and up to the full weight of her

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breasts. Cupping the mound closest to him, he lowered his mouth to the hardened crest of her nipple. Laci’s eyes flared wide as a hot current slammed through her. She reached for him, her fingers threading into the short red hair at the back of his head. It tickled her palm as she pulled him closer. As he began a drawing suction, arcs of heat pulsed and sizzled, tightening the coiling need even more. She arched her back moaning as his tongue lashed at her nipple. “Don’t tease,” she gasped as his mouth left her breast and he palmed the weight of the neglected breast. “No teasing, be’rai.” Darion’s deep voice drew her eyes to where he knelt between her legs. He bent and feathered kisses across her stomach. “We want to learn your tastes, your smells. Most importantly, we want to learn what makes you scream with pleasure.” Laci blinked at him. The meaning of his words didn’t quite penetrate. Her eyes were locked with his and the heat in those brown eyes seared her. And that didn’t even touch what his rumbling voice did to her. With each word, she felt tremors curling through her and a pulsing ache in her pussy. Anticipation curled through her as his mouth traveled lower. Alek’s hand circled her wrist and drew her hand away from his head. He drew her fingers down his body to the soft cloth covering his cock. She cupped his shaft, rubbing until his hips began to thrust encouragingly against her hand. Darion lowered his head and delivered a fleeting kiss to the top of her mound. A spate of liquid slid from her as she watched and waited eagerly for him to move lower. Her focus narrowed as his tongue swept across her folds, lapping at the slick juices coating the plump lips. Electric pulses followed the path of his tongue and the brush of his warm breath. Laci couldn’t keep still. Her hips twisted and arched, pressing closer to him. His fingers parted her folds and she held her breath as his mouth lowered to her excited flesh. His tongue flicked over her hard clit, swirling and lashing the hood. Her hips rose in demand for more just a moment before his lips settled over the sensitive flesh and began sucking. A sharp cry slipped from her lips as the lancing sensation ricocheted through her body, intensifying with every drawing pull. Her left hand slipped down and tangled in Darion’s hair. His tongue slid lower and lapped at the juices flowing from her pussy. His tongue pushed into her tight channel, stroking the inner walls. Laci drew in harsh quick breaths as she strained toward the climax just out of reach. A demanding tone suddenly rang from a point near the door. The unexpected noise startled Laci from the haze of pleasure, but left her body throbbing, sensitive and ready. Darion’s irritated growl vibrated against her pussy just before he lifted his head. With a jerk, she tore from their light grasp, scrambling back enough to sit up straight. Embarrassment churned within her. For all her determination to keep things 17

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simple, one taste of them and she had given in to the desire to know their touch. She awkwardly clasped the gaping sides of the robe together with her hands and stared at the floor after one glance at the two men, Darion beside her and Alek still kneeling in front of her. They both looked furious and tense. “Enter.” Alek’s rich voice was laced with frustration and anger. One look at him and Laci could see that the only thing he was regretting was the brevity of her time in their arms. Her anxiety was churning in her belly. She fought the knowledge she’d found in their arms. Deep within her, the belief was beginning to solidify. She belonged with them. The pleasure she found in their arms wasn’t something that she could deny, but it was also true that she hardly knew anything about them. For all their certainty, their statements about remembering her, she certainly didn’t know them. A man wearing a blue shirt and black pants—obviously the uniform of this group— stepped into the room and after one glance at Laci and the furious expressions worn by the two Jatohn, snapped to attention and looked straight ahead. “Tech Ansten sent me to get you. He said there’s something that you should see at the med-bay, Jatohn.” Laci almost wanted to scream at the man to let Tech Ansten wait. The temptation was hard to resist, but showing them that she’d fulfilled her part of the bargain would get her away from here. She’d provided the program to cure their men. Hopefully with distance, her sanity would return. “You may go,” Darion stated, his voice containing far more gravel than usual because of the strain of unsatisfied desire. “Stand up. You go with us.” Alek took Laci’s hand and pulled her to her feet before she could comply of her own accord. Laci wasn’t willing to continue walking those hallways in that outfit. It was utterly ridiculous. They had to have some clothing other than this robe better suited to a child than an adult woman. She propped her hand on her hip and looked up into their eyes. “Is there any way that I could get some real clothing? With this thing, I might as well be naked.” “There are no female clothes on this ship. It’s an oversight that we’ll have to correct.” Darion shrugged. His eyes were filled with carnal passion. They ran over her from head to toe in a long, deliberate sweep and then he licked his lips. “I like being able to see your legs and the lush curve of your butt. You’re a sexy woman. There is no reason to cover such lovely flesh.” “I could wear pants. I’m sure you have some that would fit me. There are many men on this ship. You must have a supply of uniforms.” Did they think she paraded like this in front of everybody? “If that isn’t feasible, I had on clothing when you took me from that inn. It might have been a night shirt and shorts, but it covered more than this.” “You, in pants.” Alek frowned. “Pants are for men. I want to be able to touch your skin. I can still hardly believe you’re here and the warmth and softness of your skin

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reassures me that this isn’t a dream.” His voice thickened and his eyes turned molten gold. She couldn’t doubt the sincerity of his words, even if she didn’t understand his sentiment. “No, you will wear what is appropriate and pants are not. Unfortunately, the clothing that you wore when we brought you here was destroyed when we took it off you.” Laci found herself being hustled through more unmarked, gray hallways, down in a lift and through another series of hallways. They entered the med-bay, a room done in grays and stark white. All of the beds in the front part of med-bay were occupied, but the men on them seemed alert and aware. She looked around the room with distaste as they waited for the tech to come over to them. Didn’t these men believe in color? All this unrelenting light gray was enough to put someone to sleep. Tech Ansten approached them. “Jatohn, it’s working. The men who were just showing signs of infection began to show an almost immediate improvement. We’ll inoculate everyone to ensure that no one else is infected.” The tech continued talking, giving a detailed explanation of how quickly the effects could be noticed in some of the milder cases. Laci frowned as she noticed that Darion had walked over to speak with a man in a white coat. Alek held her by the wrist to ensure that she didn’t wander as he continued talking with the tech. Laci twisted her wrist in Alek’s loose grasp and considered kicking him. It wasn’t as if she had any hope of getting off the ship without their cooperation. She watched Darion. He spent a few moments talking with the medic and then returned to listen to the tech. Darion stood right beside her, almost facing her. Laci thought nothing of it when Alek’s hand moved from her wrist to her waist. They had both seemed inclined to touch her whenever they wanted. She felt a sudden jab in her left shoulder and then blackness engulfed her.

***** Laci woke in her starkly impersonal brown room back at the inn on Viaga. I should have known better than to think that I could trust those men. Laci’s already dark mood turned black as she noticed the absence of Vanya Steryan. Cautious of possible side effects from the stunning, Laci levered herself into a sitting position and let her thoughts turn to what she would do to those men if she ever saw them again. I hope I’m armed the next time that I meet them. If I am, they’ll see what it’s like to wake up imprisoned somewhere—preferably somewhere cold, wet, dark and deep enough to keep them there for awhile. “Ah, you’re awake and feeling wrathful.” The vid-screen in front of her bed activated, showing Darion and Alek seated in chairs in some kind of conference room. “We kept our word, although you might think differently. We never said that we would 19

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give you Steryan, just that you would have to wait and that you would both be going to Viaga.” Alek’s tone was smug. Laci glared at the screen. “You son of a Tendaran whore, you’d better hope that we never meet again. I expected better, that even if you didn’t say those specific words, you would honor the spirit of the deal.” The truth was that she hadn’t caught the vagueness in the wording. She cursed that small lapse. “We’ll take whatever advantage we can get. You know that, Laci.” Darion leaned back in the chair and a confident smile crossed his lips. “We will meet again. Steryan is going before the Tribunal. The only change in your plan, it won’t be you who escorts her.” “Stay away from me. I won’t warn you again. I gave you a chance and you played games.” Laci felt like throwing something through the vid-screen. She’d never been angrier than she was now. She couldn’t decide if she was more annoyed with them or herself. “I could never trust you now.” “We’ll give you a little time to calm down and see reason.” Alek leaned forward fixing her with an intense stare. The words carried indulgence as if he was giving a gift to an unreasonable person. A moment later, the screen went blank as the transmission ended.

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Chapter Three Laci kept very busy in the three months following her encounter with Alek and Darion. It was the only way to keep her thoughts from focusing on those two men to the exclusion of all else. Only after she’d made certain she hadn’t been followed did she go to the compound-like complex on Beria where she lived with nearly a hundred other Third Gen women. They’d all escaped from the same lab. After repeated scans to ensure that she hadn’t been tagged with some kind of tracker, she’d gone to work. She brought in three other criminals associated with the labs and had been doing some research into the old labs. The new search had been prompted by what she hadn’t found in the previous searches. For the creation of both Gen Two and Gen Three, there were meticulous records, thousands of hours of recorded footage and audio files on each subject. For Gen One, there was a partial list of the subjects and that was it. That sparse list didn’t follow the scientists’ nature of documenting and recording. There was no way this deviation could be a coincidence. That had prompted her to dig deeper into Gen One. She’d discovered that the labs had been moved just prior to the escape of the Gen One men. There was no record of the previous location, but she refused to give up the search. She knew that there would be some trail leading to it. Laci idly rubbed at her temples and squinted at the vid-screen in front of her. She blinked at the fuzzy images and sighed, then stood and began pacing the computer room. She’d been sifting through financial and government records during the weeks following her abduction. In spite of all of her work, she was no closer to finding any answers. Her head throbbed and her eyes burned from hours spent staring at various computer screens. She paced to the end of the long, narrow room and glanced at three large boxes of disks. Three companies on two planets had been behind the experiments that resulted in the creation of the hybrids. Those boxes held every known piece of information about the experiments. Even financial information from the First Gen experiments was hard to find. The experiments had started with Vari-Co and Mari-Tec, companies based on Maridon. There was no information on the original reasons for the creation of the hybrids. It hadn’t taken long for the Maridon government to decide that these created beings would make perfect soldiers. That was when the scientists from Bio-mec on Larisk had been enlisted. Both planets had backed the experiments fully until about eight years ago. 21

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The door to the computer room swished open and Teira Saron strolled into the room. The tall, blonde woman smiled as she walked over to look at the screen. “I knew you’d still be at it. Do you want some help?” “Yes, this is all starting to look like the same thing.” Laci walked back over to her seat. She slid into the seat and propped her elbow on the table. She idly played with a strand of her hair as she read through old memos and reports. Most of the information pertained to routine business matters and wasn’t useful. “Hey, at least it’s organized.” Teira flashed a smile as she turned on one of the computers. “How far have you gotten in your search?” “I’m still on the Maridon documents. The next disk is M-368.” Laci reached for the tumbler of juice she’d placed to the right of her keyboard. She took a long drink, savoring the cold liquid. The reason that the information was so organized and readily available was very simple. The Maridon and Lariskan governments had withdrawn support when the Second and Third Gen experiments had been discovered. Condemnation of their actions had been swift and vicious. The governments’ withdrawal hadn’t saved them from censure and penalties set by the Intergalactic Council and later the Tribunal. Both governments had cooperated fully and provided anything asked of them. Even at the beginning, most of the research had been done off-planet, in isolated sectors. It was very possible that records had been missed or deliberately misplaced. “What do you hope to find?” Teira asked as she began reading through the material. “I want to know where they found the genetic material for the First Gen. Why didn’t they make females as well as males in those first experiments?” Laci resisted the urge to put her head down on her arms and take a nap. She focused on the records in front of her. Laci read the next memo. It was from one of the scientists advising the development of some kind of fail-safe protocol written into the programming. Both the company and the government had considered it a paranoid request. Also, they didn’t want to chance losing their investment because of a malfunctioning program. While Maridon and Larisk no longer supported the experiments, the three companies and scientists still continued to strive toward their goals. Two distinct factions had formed. The companies and most of the scientists wanted to regain control of control of the “subjects”. Then there were the radical scientists and their supporters who believed all the Arceins should be destroyed and actively sought ways to accomplish their goal. Laci feared these people the most. She’d seen the damage they could do. “You know, even at the first, they weren’t stupid. Although a lot of the experiments could be directly linked to them, they hid the worst under the names of shell companies,” Teira observed. 22

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“I know.” Laci closed her eyes and rubbed at her neck. Some of those companies still existed. They were based on worlds that gave hybrids, clones and any nonhuman very few rights. “I’m looking for records of shipments or strange purchases we didn’t note earlier.” It would take a month of searching before she discovered one location beyond all of the well-traveled space routes which wasn’t a documented, legitimate holding. In the intervening time, Laci didn’t sleep very well. The dreams were becoming more frequent and some nights she stayed awake rather than risk falling into one of the disturbing visions. They raised far too many questions. As she would be traveling to the planet known as X-R321, she couldn’t avoid the dreams this night.

***** Laci stared at the sparkling gray stone walls. The surface appeared rough, grainy. She looked down and noticed that her hair fell past her hips. She wore a flowing, bright green dress. Heated thoughts swirled through Laci’s mind. She was lusty, hungry, awaiting their return. The door opened and Alek and Darion strode into the room. “Ah, Satira, are you ready for us?” Alek stepped behind her, his arm curling around her waist. His hips flexed and he rubbed his cock against her buttocks. Darion stepped in front of her and pressed his hard body against her. She was caged between two large, warm male bodies and she couldn’t think of anywhere she would rather be. The arousal rolled through her body. She wanted them. She could feel the hot liquid warmth of her desire on her thighs. “Aleksin, I am always ready. Feel,” she offered, pulling his hand forward as she gathered her skirt. She pushed his hand against her mound. “Very creamy and hot,” Alek said approvingly. “Offer me your breasts, be’rai,” Darion ordered. Somehow the knowledge was already within her—Be’rai meant sweet. The dream Laci pushed the cloth off her arms, baring herself to the waist. She lifted one of her breasts in her palm and turned slightly to Darion. “Taste me, please, Rionis.” Darion’s lips enclosed the tip and— Laci jerked awake, frustrated and nervous. Her breasts were swollen and aching for the feel of that warm mouth. A knot of sexual tension curled low in her belly. Her thighs were slathered with her hot juices. There was something more to these dreams. Everything about those dreams was so real, so clear. Nervous but in need of sleep, Laci closed her eyes again. She moved a plate on the long, polished wooden table. Through the thin, filmy curtains separating the dining room from the common room, she saw Aleksin stalk toward the large entry doors. He seemed tense, strained. A smile tilted her lips and she started after him. 23

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One of the large doors leading to the front court slammed just as she parted the sheer curtains. She glided over the smooth stone tile floor, ignoring the crooked tapestry hanging on the sparkling wall. She had better things to do than berate the staff. She pushed open the dark, heavy door and started down the steps, intent on following him. She spotted the flame-red crown of Aleksin’s hair a moment before he disappeared into the trees. Determined not to miss this opportunity, she set off after him. A calloused hand slipped around her wrist, drawing her to a stop. She looked over her shoulder and found Rionis shaking his head at her. He was always interfering. “You’re not causing trouble for him today, Satira.” Rionis tugged her back toward the house, a severe frown etching his lips. “Let him go.” “Is he troubled?” Satira smiled with anticipation. “You know that Aleksin’s life has not been easy.” He urged her up the stairs to the twostory rock house. “Show some sympathy for someone other than yourself.” “I know he was born in the South, but came here while he was still young.” Satira dismissed this with a shrug. It didn’t matter much to her what his troubles were. “His mother and father were murdered by his father’s second-in-command. Alek was able to get his younger brother and sister to safety, but he feels guilty that he couldn’t help his parents.” Rionis scowled at her. “If you use that to try to hurt him, I’ll make sure you can’t sit for a week.” “What does that have to do with him going into the forest?” Satira raised a brow. “This is the day it happened. He either goes off alone or goes to a tavern, drinks and then clears the establishment with a fight.” Rionis gave her a hard look. Laci came awake slowly. That dream had been a real memory. She could tell the difference now. In the previous dream, she had felt disconnected. She wasn’t involved in that one at all—it was the other woman, the one who had been with Alek and Darion before. Her thoughts had belonged to that woman, as did all her awareness. Laci could only watch. The sexual dreams, she thought, could be attributed to her time on the couch with those two. Those feelings were her own. The dreams of fear, hunger and a very small room frightened her, shook her. There was also a dream of disjointed flashes, as if she was running through a dark tunnel lit by a strobe light. Then there was a jerking, disorienting shift and then she was falling, followed by intense, horrible pain. She couldn’t explain any of those dreams. The feelings they brought about were just as real, but they definitely weren’t hers and that scared her. Laci could find no answers or easy explanations about those. And then there were the ones that specifically linked her to the other woman. She was beginning to hate that woman. Malicious and hateful, that Satira seemed to have no redeeming qualities. She seemed to live only to cause trouble. Every memorydream brought fresh glimpses of her lies, trickery and spite. With as much as she’d learned about this woman who looked exactly like her, she had learned more about the two men. She didn’t want to feel sympathy for them, to

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admire their loyalty to each other, but she did. Each dream seemed to draw her closer to them.

***** Because of the distance to the planet X-R321, Laci was accompanied by Teira Saron, who was sharing the piloting duties. The stellar cruiser made the journey easy and comfortable. Upon arriving, they located the lab on the southern continent. Dense forest surrounded the old lab so they set the shuttle down in a clearing about five terons from it and hiked for half a day to get to the deserted structure. Laci had dressed for the rough conditions. She wore sturdy boots, thick gray cloth pants and a long-sleeved gray shirt. A stunner as well as a knife hung at her waist. The pack she carried contained equipment, food, clothing and bedding for her stay here. She was grateful for her choices in clothing. The forest abounded with brambles and thorny trees as well as hidden roots to trip the unwary. The thick fabric saved her from scratches and scrapes on her arms and legs as they had to forge through the sometimes unavoidable barb-loaded bushes. After years of neglect, the lab still had power, although the keypad for entry had been destroyed. Teira bypassed the keypad while Laci looked around the building and surrounding area. That inspection revealed that at least part of the power was supplied by a functioning hydroelectric system at the river. She was relieved to find such a reliable power supply. They wouldn’t have to cart the backup generator from the shuttle through that dense forest in order to have basic power in the lab. The doors to the small gray building swished open as Laci rounded the corner. She stepped forward to enter the lab a step behind Teira. She was unsurprised to find a small room and a staircase leading down. It was a typical setup. The shell looked innocent enough to fool most people, but beneath the surface evil, corruption and pain flourished. The search of the underground complex began with the first level, a filing section. Papers were scattered about, some stuffed with haphazard haste into transport boxes, others in precarious stacks on the desks. There was a stack of disks on one desk, and more in a box on the other side of the desk. With a sigh, Laci began sorting through the chaos.

***** After two days of searching, Laci knew one thing for certain—Generation One hadn’t been created. Contrary to public belief, the scientists hadn’t mixed alien DNA with human DNA. Generation One, or the Norik as they called themselves now, had been captured as they were.

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Idly swinging her leg as she rested on the edge of the gray metal table, she continued reading the report. The subsequent experiments had been an attempt to gain control. The scientists hadn’t captured only men. There had been women and children among those first captives. Over the next few days, Laci and Teira pieced together some of what had happened here. The new information raised more questions than it answered in most cases. As the search progressed, the two women separated to get more done. Laci sat on a desk, looking at the reports of what the men and women had been capable of doing before the scientists began their alterations. She idly tapped her fingers on her right thigh as she read through the papers. The strength and speed listed in those documents were astounding. The end of her thick dark braid fell forward as she reached for another paper. What were the scientists trying to do? Why had they even begun the experiments? “Have you found anything interesting in your search?” The deep rumbling voice coming from the doorway sent her heart slamming against her chest walls. Laci’s gaze swung up in horrified surprise. Darion had spoken, but Alek stood on the other side of the doorway. The two men were dressed in their standard uniform of blue and black. They were propped against the walls at either side of the door as if they had been watching her for a while. Laci slid off the table. How did they get into the building without my noticing their arrival? Hell, how did they even get here? She should have sensed them before they’d entered the building, but she hadn’t even felt a tingle. The distinctiveness of their signal in the air should have been like a shout in a quiet room. She pulled her stunner from its holster and raised it in front of her. Neither man showed any concern about the weapon in her hand. The two of them looked every bit as formidable as they had the first time she had seen them—and just as delicious. She couldn’t deny that she wanted them. Her hands itched to touch them, to know the heat, the texture of their skin, but she wasn’t the woman they knew. She wouldn’t let them confuse her with that woman—Satira. “I’ve learned more than I ever expected to, Rionis,” Laci snarled. Alek’s mouth fell open. She had clearly surprised him. “You remember. We hadn’t expected you to make the connection, especially this soon.” “Do you expect me to be flattered to be the stand-in for a woman who died over fifty years ago?” Laci glared at them and gripped the stunner firmly. Her finger itched to pull the trigger. They would have to realize that the past was gone. “You are that woman.” Darion’s brown eyes narrowed as he straightened. “You are as much our mate as she was. We won’t let you deny it. You may be different in many ways from the woman who was our mate before, but nothing can change the truth of the match.” “Genetically, we may be identical, but more than genetics plays a role in life. I’m not Satira. Your wife or whatever she was died. I am Laci. My life is far different from hers.

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She loved you. I don’t even like you.” Laci glowered at them, waiting for a move, ready to pull the trigger. A dark-haired man rolled into the doorway between Alek and Darion. His laser rifle snapped up, aimed with menacing intent at Laci. She did not move or flinch. “Chanal, stand down,” Alek barked. “It’s on stun, Jatohn. She is not loyal, yet.” The man didn’t lower his weapon or even look up at Alek. “She might shoot.” “Better listen to him, Aleksin.” A sneer curled Laci’s lips. At least one of them was taking her seriously. She squared her shoulders and felt the loose fabric of her comfortable green shirt move over her skin. “He has seemed to grasp more than you have. I will not take up that woman’s life.” “Don’t you think we mourned her loss? Do you really think that we could confuse you?” Darion cast a frustrated scowl at her. “You deliberately miss the point. The differences between the two of you are apparent to even the most obtuse. Satira didn’t love us. She knew our ways, but that didn’t allow us to form a solid bond. Satira had her own goals and desires. She wasn’t as naïve as you are.” “Satira would know when to give up,” Alek added, a frown crossing his face as he saw her eyes dart to the side. “She was a woman of our time. You’re unlike Satira, but then, we wouldn’t want you to be like her. We’re not the same men as we were before, either.” Laci edged along the table. “You don’t understand, do you? I won’t be a part of your life because of some biological imperative. I live as I choose. I don’t have to be with you just because you say we’re mates.” Her free hand fished under the counter for the concealed button that she had found. A door popped open just a little less than a body length down the wall. She had a way to go that wasn’t blocked by large male bodies. Now, she just had to reach it. “Sa—” Alek began. “Finish that and I will shoot you. And you aren’t confusing her with me—ha!” Laci scoffed and waved the gun threateningly. “You have her face, her body. Up until three months ago, all we knew of you was the number given to you by the scientists. We thought of you by her name until we learned yours.” Alek shrugged and then gave her a cajoling smile. “It might take a little time to get used to your name.” “You don’t even think of me as Laci. You used my name two, maybe three times on your ship and you haven’t used it since.” Laci shifted, easing a step closer to that open passage. If she could just get there, she’d have a good chance of escaping. “You are not going anywhere, Laci,” Alek grated. Laci dove for the open door, rolled through it and pushed it shut. She heard muffled, unintelligible words, but the tone conveyed their meaning. She scrambled to her feet. “Oh, yes, I am.”

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Laci took the small flashlight off her belt and ran down the narrow corridor, shoving the door at the end open. She ran down the catwalk to the ladder and sped down the rungs. The space was enormous, but there were only two doors. It wouldn’t be long until Darion and Alek came after her. They would find that button with ease. She had to be out of sight before they reached the catwalk. They would not let her slip away from them with such ease twice in the same day. Laci raced for a door on the side of the giant room. She burst into an access corridor which led to the central stairway. She thrust the door open and dashed into the stairwell, barreling down the stairs at a dangerous speed. She knew the upper levels had men on them. She hoped that they had not reached the lower levels yet. The door on the landing Laci was approaching opened. A man wearing a blue shirt and black pants pointed his stunner at her with calm, expressionless menace. Laci lost her footing and slid down four stairs on her rump as she tried to reverse her momentum. She came to a halt near the bottom of the stairs. She stared at the man, hating that she had been caught. “Stay as you are. If you move, I’ll stun you. The Jatohn are coming for you.” The soldier’s tone was irritatingly calm. Laci lay against the stairs, panting, and valiantly resisted the urge to rub her buttocks. She didn’t have much choice about complying with his order. If she tried a lunge in any direction, she would get stunned. And even if she managed to get past him, she would be caught in short order. If there was a man here, there would be men on the other levels. “Thank you for stopping her.” It was Darion’s voice. Laci tilted her head back and could see the tips of his boots on the stair above her and, far above that, his face. He was staring down at her and he was furious. His scowl was ferocious. “Raise your hands, Laci,” Alek ordered from beside her. Laci jumped. How did he get there without me catching sight of him? It’s not like he’s a small man. One glance at him was enough to confirm that his anger equaled Darion’s. Gone was the broad smile. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were thinned by a scowl. Laci frowned. She had a right to make her own choices, damn it. Laci held up her hands. Narrow metal cuffs tethered by a short chain encircled her wrists. The silver metal was cold and solid against her skin. Alek’s large hands lifted her to her feet beside him. Her weapons were quickly and efficiently stripped from her and dropped on the stairwell. “I think you’ve spent enough time here. We have all of the information from this lab in a database on the ship. You can look at it some time if you want.” Darion continued to glower down at her. “It is time to leave. This place does not have a good effect on my mood.”

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Chapter Four Laci was escorted back up the stairs and out of the lab. Darion and Alek stalked beside her in stony silence, harsh angry lines carved in their faces. She expected to have a long walk to their landing site, but there was no hike to a clearing. A shuttle hovered just above the side of the building, over the treetops. Alek’s fingers circled her wrist when she merely stood there and stared. Without a word, he urged her over to the ladder on the side of the building. The climb up onto the roof proved awkward with her chained hands—the chain on the cuffs proved too short for her to reach from one rung to the next. After several near falls, she learned to grasp the lower rung near the right hand side with her left hand while she slid her right hand up the outer vertical bar as far as the chain would reach. Gripping the outer bar, she could then reach for the next rung with her left hand. Even then she almost fell off the ladder when she was about halfway up. Only Darion’s solid bulk as he climbed the ladder almost right on top of her saved her from a nasty tumble. After stumbling to her feet, fear welled in her, forming a hard knot in her gut, as she looked at the shuttle. Once she boarded that craft she doubted that she would have a chance to get away from them. Only full knowledge of the futility of an immediate escape attempt kept her from trying a dive off the building. With a large, glowering escort on either side of her, she walked up a ramp to the shuttle hovering near the building. After buckling her into a third row seat, Darion and Alek took the seats on either side of hers. Laci looked from one captor to the other. She felt her conflicting emotions growing as the silence stretched—something in her wanted to soothe them, but another part of her wanted them to stay just as angry as she was. Their posture was stiff at first, but after a few moments their hands moved to her legs. Alek’s hand settled on her right thigh and Darion’s on her left. Alek’s hand moved up and down over her thigh, but suddenly stopped and tightened. A rumbling growl rolled from his throat. “I still don’t like you wearing pants. I want to feel the warmth of your skin, to be able to run my hand up to your smooth pussy and slide my fingers inside you.” Laci blushed as those heated words seemed to ring in the confines of the shuttle. She looked down at his large hand as it slid over the smooth fabric and then swung her gaze up to his face. He was still frowning down at her, but this frown was different. This frown was more frustrated than angry. “They offend me.” Alek cast a hard glare at the gray cloth encasing her legs. “I didn’t dress to please you.” Laci stared straight ahead at the back of the seat in front of her, trying to ignore the warmth of those hands and just how high they were 29

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roaming. “Maybe you didn’t, but undressing you will please us.” Darion’s hot breath rolled over her ear as he leaned close to her, his hand sliding down to her knee. “Those pants will never be wearable again when we’re done.” “Do you know how relieved we are to find you? You are finally back where you belong and this time, you won’t be bargaining your way out of our arms.” Alek’s golden eyes burned as they locked with hers. Laci swallowed, biting back a moan at the images that sprang to mind. She wondered if there was something wrong with her. Her want was already clawing at her and their touch had not been meant to seduce or entice. Their words hadn’t been sweet. She shouldn’t burn with desire at the mere rumble of their voices. Not for these men who had bound her in cuffs and given her no choice about following them. Her mind whirled in turmoil. All too conscious of the other men in the shuttle, she balked at giving in to her desire. The confusion in her mind could not overrule her feelings. She wanted them, but did not want to want them. She longed to be free of this complicated situation, but she felt compelled to be with them. “I can smell your need,” Alek whispered, leaning close, his hand sliding up to cup her pussy through the cloth, one of his fingers sliding between the lips. “Fighting it is useless, Laci.” Alek growled his approval when he found the crotch of her pants damp. He stroked her through the fabric, a smile on his face as her legs splayed wider. She bit her lip and pressed back against the seat, locking a whimper of desire in her throat. “Give me your lips,” Darion urged as he leaned close and brushed his lips across her cheek. Laci closed her eyes, accepting defeat for now. That deep resonant voice alone sent ripples of want through her entire body. Couple that with his scent and those eyes and the desire already ripping through her, and she didn’t have a chance of denying him or the equally devastating man on her other side, either. She turned to Darion and brushed her lips across his. His tongue glided over her lips, tasting them, before it thrust between her parted lips. His crisp taste swamped her senses. She stroked her tongue along his, hungry for more. She tried to raise her hands to touch him, but they were pressed to her body by a male arm. She shifted, moaning against Darion’s lips in protest at the restriction. “No, be’rai, it’s not your turn to touch,” Alek growled. Darion slipped his hand under her green shirt and up over her abdomen. His fingers unfastened her bra, freeing the lush mounds. His hand brushed over her nipple and her back arched, thrusting the hard, pebbled peak against his palm. He smiled, loved her eager response and the evidence of her desire. “I could spend hours just feasting on your breasts, savoring your taste, the feel of those tight peaks thrusting into my mouth, and playing with the lush full globes.” Laci felt a tug at her neck and then the cloth was pushed aside and Darion began to 30

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knead the aching flesh before rolling and tugging at her nipple between his fingers. She turned her upper body into his touch. She stiffened, crying out under his mouth as he pinched and tormented her nipple. The sharp sensations excited her, heightening her need. She sank into Darion’s kiss, her last rational thought fading beneath the fiery onslaught. “You want our touch, don’t you, Laci?” Alek pinched her clit between his fingers, tugging at the hard little nub, letting the fabric of her pants add another layer of sensation to the caress. Her hips rolled against his hand. Darion’s lips left hers to nibble and nuzzle the sensitive column of her throat. Laci glanced down and saw that her shirt had been ripped open. The loose fabric had been pushed apart. Her breasts were exposed—the nipples were hard, red and puckered. She couldn’t believe that he had to ask. A few more of those devastating touches and she would come. “Yes, I want you,” Laci moaned and twisted, brushing her breast against Darion’s hand, which didn’t move from its position just above her nipple. “Give me more, please.” She licked her lips in invitation. “Soon, Laci.” Alek’s eyes traveled over the rosy tint desire had cast over her face and breasts. “We have arrived on the Chimau. Just so you don’t get any ideas about an easy escape, the Chimau is a Taurog battle-class ship.” Laci groaned as their hands and lips left her. With the absence of new sensation, she felt the cool air on her hot skin and the contrast caused her desire to grow even more. Laci felt a blush rise from her neck and explode over her cheeks. Alek drew her to her feet, curving his arm around her waist. Attempting to keep a shred of modesty, Laci tried to draw her torn shirt over her breasts, but strong hands stopped her as two deep growls announced the men’s annoyance. Tugging the material out of her hands, they pulled the shirt wide. They pulled the bottom ends behind her and tucked them into her pants. “You have beautiful breasts. We want to see them.” Darion’s hard stare dared her to argue. “But everyone else…” “They will envy us this lush feast.” Alek ran his eyes over the reddened nipples and licked his lips. “I want to taste those nipples, to feel them harden beneath my lips and tug at them with my teeth. The others have seen breasts before. We will want to touch you at times. It’s completely normal for a woman to be seen with a man at her breasts.” “Maybe it’s normal among the Norik,” Laci grumbled, frustrated and angry as they marched her out of the shuttle without giving her any more time to argue. “As you are Norik, it’s normal for you as well.” Alek gave her a pointed look which she ignored. “You have absolutely no fear of us, do you?” “Genetically I am, but I can’t do anything about my genetics.” Laci glared at Alek. “And, no, I don’t fear you.”

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A stinging swat landed on her right butt cheek. It didn’t actually hurt, but it got her attention. Surprised, she realized that that tingling blow also caused a flood of moisture to rush to her pussy. That flare of sensation had intensified the pleasure coursing through her. She shifted as she felt the hot moisture on her inner thighs. “That’s enough.” Darion’s hand tightened in warning on her arm. His deep, bass voice was stern and uncompromising. His hand released her and moved out of sight. It brushed over the rounded flesh of her ass once more in a clear warning. Laci swallowed, watching the two men with wary green eyes. She had never encountered anyone like them. They were arrogant, supremely confident and exuded a masculine menace that seemed to incite a feminine defiance in her that she hadn’t known she had. Even if she had ever found someone similar, it would have been just one man. Dealing with two of them offered a set of trials she’d never known existed. As they left the shuttle, a young lab tech came forward from a group of men standing near another shuttle. “Everything is ready, Jatohn.” “We’ll be there in a few moments.” A predatory, very satisfied smile flashed across Alek’s face as he released the cuffs at Laci’s wrists. “What are you talking about?” Laci edged back a step. That was as far as she could go. Alek still had a hand on her arm. “Laci, you know that you can’t remain as you are. You must change. You must be as we are, so that if you’re ever in need we can easily aid you.” Darion’s voice was calm and reasonable, and his hand settled on her lower back. “You son of a whore,” Laci growled. She narrowed her eyes and tried to find a weakness to attack. “Let me go. You just want to be able to know where I am at all times.” She struggled, but to her disgust, found she couldn’t break even the light grip Alek had on her arm. “You are determined to be wild, aren’t you?” Darion shook his head. “You know I admire your fiery passion, but we will only tolerate so much. If you would calm down, you’d see that this is the only way. You are here to stay.” His hand securely gripped her other arm. Laci writhed and twisted, kicking, but they held her in an unbreakable hold. “I have the equipment set up in med-bay,” the tech announced.

***** They hauled her to med-bay, pulling and towing her when she became especially resistant. Laci fought them every step of the way, lunging, twisting and pulling. She tried to bite them, but every time her mouth neared one man’s flesh, a tug from the opposite side pulled her away from her goal. There was no return from what they wanted to do. Her nano-cytes identified her as Third Gen and tied her to the other Third Gen women. If the First Gen nano-cytes were injected into her bloodstream, they would replace the ones she carried now. The First Gen nano-cytes were very aggressive which was why the scientists had altered the 32

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nano-cytes in their later experiments. Injected with those, she wouldn’t be able to return to her home among her friends. The signal of the nano-cytes would serve as a beacon to any First Gen male close enough to feel it. She would never risk her friends’ safety in that way. “Laci, you know we aren’t going to hurt you.” Darion held on to her struggling form. “I didn’t think you would react this strongly. Settle down.” The two men pulled her through the door to med-bay when it swished open at a touch on the pad beside the door. For a moment, she stood in the doorway as they tugged at her arms. Her heels dug into the carpeting, but she stumbled forward when they pulled her off-balance. “You’re going to cut me off from my friends, from everything I know if you put those in me.” She was almost hysterical by now. “We’re going to make you one of us,” Alek growled. “It would happen anyway, Laci. At least by changing you now, we can be assured that we’ll be able to treat you if you get seriously hurt.” “How can you be certain that there would be blood-to-blood contact?” Laci swung her fist at Alek when Darion’s grip relaxed, but the blow never landed. Alek dodged and Darion recaptured her wrist. “I would be very careful. I won’t get hurt.” “It’s part of the Norik marriage ceremony.” Darion raised his free hand to her shoulder. The touch was almost soothing for a moment, but then his grip tightened. “This has to be done even if you don’t want it. I want our medics to be able to easily help you if something happens to you. Right now, they couldn’t do much if you were hurt. Most importantly, we need you to be a part of us, with us in all possible ways.” He and Darion guided her to the exam table. “When you finally settle down and accept that you belong with us, we will have the ceremony.” “What if that day doesn’t come?” Laci’s voice was strained. She lunged away from them, but they tugged her back and urged her to sit on the table. “It will.” Darion’s confidence was obvious. “Time will change how you feel. Do you think you’ll resist us forever? You underestimate our determination and the attraction you feel toward us. We’ll make you happy.” That confidence grated on her nerves. They thought they knew what was best. Well, they didn’t know her. When would they see she wasn’t the woman they once knew? The tech waited beside the table with a tray of syringes laid out on a small cart. He swabbed both her arms with a sterile wipe. Picking up a syringe, he injected the clear fluid into her arm. After the first injection, Laci slumped in defeat. She sat motionless and, with dull eyes, watched the tech. He picked up a second syringe and injected it into her other arm. “Bring her to med-bay sometime tomorrow for the last of the injections. She shouldn’t feel any pain or even mild discomfort from the transition from Third Gen to First Gen nano-cytes. If she does, bring her back to med-bay.” The tech began gathering his supplies and tidying them away as Darion and Alek pulled her to her feet. 33

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Darion and Alek guided her to the lift. Laci glared at them, anger bubbling within her. They had said they wanted to make her happy, but her wants obviously counted for nothing. The fiery desire that had raged through her earlier was now raw, fear-fed fury. She didn’t want them. She may have their nano-cytes within her now, but she didn’t have to be with them. She wouldn’t let them just lead her to their lair after what they had just done. “I don’t want you.” Laci tried to whip her hand out of Darion’s loose grip as she stared at him with icy disdain. “I hate you for what you’ve done.” Alek laughed at her dramatics. “I know you’re angry, but there is too much passion in you for the cold, distant attitude to last too long.” That was it. That laugh broke her tenuous control. Laci lunged at him, catching him by surprise. He fell back against the gray metal wall and his hands grasped her hips. She swung her fist at his chin. He dodged his upper body to the side and her fist sailed by with a bit of space to spare. Darion grabbed her arms and pulled them down to her sides. “We will never have to wonder what you’re thinking. It’s there for all to see,” Alek laughed as he brushed his lips across her forehead. “Even if it wasn’t, we would only have to wait a few moments and you would tell us.” Laci couldn’t continue her struggles. She was pressed between two large, hard bodies and could barely move, let alone continue the fight. Now, they moved to reignite the flame of desire that had burned before they’d taken her to med-bay. Their hands roved over her, leaving trails of heat everywhere they touched. “You’re angry, true, but as for your supposed hatred, I don’t believe that.” Darion’s hot breath brushed across her ear. “You don’t like what we have done, but you will adjust and survive.” “Stop telling me what I will do.” Laci pushed fruitlessly against Alek’s chest, trying to create some space to move, but her writhing and twisting only succeeded in causing her shirt to slip off her shoulders. The soft green material bunched between them at her lower back. “I’m not your meek little Satira. You may have made it impossible for me to go home, but that doesn’t mean I have to stay with you.” Laci felt her body being lifted between theirs as they came away from the wall. Strong hands urged her legs high until they were hooked around Alek’s waist. Her pussy was pressed against the hard ridge of Alek’s cock. She was held like that for a long moment. “Your mouth will undoubtedly land you in trouble, Laci.” Alek’s golden eyes were molten with hot emotion, but the fiery anger swirling in those liquid depths was controlled. “You’re not leaving us. The only way you leave this ship is with one of us. When we’re on any planet, you won’t be away from us. We won’t give you a chance to run.” “Tell me you don’t want us, little liar,” Darion challenged as his hips pushed against her buttocks, his hard length riding the cleft between the two soft globes. His

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hands cupped her breasts, his thumb and forefinger tugging at her nipples while his palms squeezed and caressed. His firm touch changed slowly to a sensual caress. “I can smell your heat, Laci. I can see the growing fever in your eyes.” Alek lapped at her lips. His tongue teased the stubbornly closed crease. His hard cock brushed her swollen pussy as he rocked against her. Laci wrenched her head to the side. She resisted giving in to her rising desire. “My body doesn’t know what bastards you are. You could have given me a choice. You were part of the scientists’ experiments just as I was, even if you weren’t made.” “We won’t lose you, Laci.” Darion smoothed his hands up her ribs and slipped between Alek and Laci to cup the full mounds of her breasts. He was careful to keep her arms pinned at her sides. “The choice was made when you told us that the two types of nano-cytes weren’t compatible.” “There could have been a hybrid. It is possible. It would just take time. You could have given…” Laci sighed. She was trying to keep her anger alive enough to cool the fires that the two men ignited, but it wasn’t working. “Shh…” Alek placed a kiss on her lips. “No more ‘could haves’. Our nano-cytes are already in your body. The battle has been won. Give me your lips.” Laci didn’t move toward him, but she couldn’t resist opening her mouth when his lips brushed hers. His tongue flicked out and swirled over her parted lips. His lips moved over hers in coaxing repetition until she reciprocated. She lapped at his lips, brushing her tongue over his before retreating. His tongue slipped between her lips and she savored that unique taste, so male, so very Alek. She relaxed in their embrace. She didn’t notice when the pressure at her arms relaxed or when Darion backed away. Her tongue glided along Alek’s, stroking and teasing. Her arms circled his neck. The mound of her cunt brushed against his hard cock as she rocked against him. Each brush pulled the fiery knot within her a little tighter. Soft whimpers escaped her lips as Alek’s hands cupped her buttocks, pulling her tight against him.

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Chapter Five Alek and Darion moved through the corridors without a word. Laci’s fiery temper accompanied her hot passion and they wanted to keep that passion inflamed. They would deal with her temper later. Alek was relieved when they reached their quarters without further incident. Here, they would be free to inflame her without restriction. He urged her legs down, setting her feet on the floor. His hands went to the fastening of her pants, tugging them open and pushing them and her sheer green panties over her hips. Darion stepped forward and snaked his hand around Laci’s waist, cupping the mound of her sex as he pulled her back against him. “There’s nothing sexier than the smooth skin of your bare cunt. I want to lick you until all you can do is moan and come.” His fingers slipped over the slick skin of her labia. He parted the plump folds, dipped two fingers into her creamy, hot slit before bringing them up to pluck the hardened nub of her clit. “You’re so responsive that you nearly burn me with your heat.” His breath fanned over her ear. The sexy noises that escaped her lips and her ready reaction made him ache. After a few strokes, she was writhing against him, arching her back and riding Darion’s hand. Her hips bucked in demand for more when he teasingly withdrew his touch. Alek pulled off her boots and pushed her pants off her legs as Darion fucked her with his fingers. He worked the thin band off the end of her hair and freed those gorgeous curls. Laci was more than ready, he saw. She was panting—small, hot moans escaped her even as she bit her lip. Alek moved away from her only long enough to grab a bottle of lube from the drawer in the base of the bed. Tossing the capped bottle onto the bed, he stripped off his clothes with little regard to the material. His cock was painfully hard, aching to thrust into her body. His hand slipped down her body and replaced Darion’s as Darion stepped back. “I’m going to die if I don’t come soon,” Laci groaned. Alek’s fingers slipped inside her pussy and she barely muffled her scream as a spasm of pure pleasure rolled over her body his fingers swirling inside her. Her head dropped to his chest as her body quivered with need. “Don’t torture me, please. Fuck me.” She licked his chest, her teeth nipping. She was a creature of pure need now. Alek withdrew his fingers from her slit and slipped back, circling the rosette of her anus. His cream-slicked fingers glided over the flesh of her puckered back entrance and pressed for admission.

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Laci’s nails sank into his back and she moaned as his fingers pressed forward, entering the tight channel of her ass. He knew exactly what she’d be feeling right now. A dark mixture of pleasure tinged with a bite of pain rocketed through her as his fingers sank in to the knuckle. Her teeth caught her lower lip as the hot knot within her tightened. In a slow, smooth stroke, he withdrew his fingers and again stroked back into her. The tightness, the slight sting of stretching muscles would serve to enhance every feeling within her. A ragged moan slipped from her as his fingers scissored inside her. She wanted more. Her hips rolled, pressing back into those stroking digits. With every moan, every arch of her hips, she showed that she craved that tight sting as her back entrance stretched around his fingers. “I think she likes this,” Alek offered. Relief was flowing through him—she was so different now. So different from before. “Listen to her and look at how she moves to take as much as she can.” Darion smiled as he saw that it was true. “If she likes that, she’s going to love what comes next.” He stroked a generous amount of lubricant along his cock. Alek withdrew his fingers, lifting Laci and urging her legs around his hips as he guided his cock into the hot, tight grip of her pussy. She took all of him, her cunt stretching around him. She felt like a hot, slick glove around his cock. The urge to plunge hard and deep was almost overwhelming, but he pushed into her slowly, holding on to his control. When he was as deep as he could go, Alek shifted his grip to the cheeks of her ass, spreading them. “Oh, yes, that’s a pretty sight.” Darion’s fingers skimmed over the tight, pink pucker of her rear entrance, which glistened with her cream. He coating his fingers with more lube and prepared her further. Moving closer, he pressed the head of his cock to her anus. Darion entered her slowly and carefully. Alek was watching Laci’s face. He would tell Darion if he caught the faintest sign of true pain. They would stop if she needed them to do so, but he prayed that she found only enjoyment in this. Laci’s pussy clenched around him as Darion pushed passed him in that tight channel. Alek groaned as her heated flesh rippled over him. Laci moaned a broken plea, squirming between them, gasping, panting. “Do you want this, Laci?” Alek looked into Laci’s unfocused green eyes. His fingers plucked at a reddened nipple and she gasped, her head falling back to Darion’s chest. “How do you want it?” “Yes,” Laci whimpered. “You’re making me insane…going so slow.” Her squirming caused Darion’s cock to forge farther into her. “Both of you, like this, now, please…” She was desperate, her body tight with the force of the pleasure beating through it. “I’ve never been so aroused in my entire life.” “We’ll give you what you want, Laci.” Alek felt his cock harden even more inside her. The urge to fill her pussy with his seed pounded within him. He wanted to seal the

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claiming, to bind her to them as they hadn’t been able to do before. “We want it, too. We’ve always wanted it.” “It’s tight, Alek.” Darion’s voice was strained as he drove into her tight ass in a slow, controlled thrust. “It feels so good to finally hold her, pure paradise. Laci, the way your tight pussy holds me almost sent me straight into climax. This doesn’t hurt you, be’rai?” He had to make sure. “So…good…” Laci moaned. Her hips pushed back against his, demanding movement. When Darion’s length was fully buried inside her, they began to move with her. Laci clutched at Alek’s shoulders, her head tilted back against Darion’s chest. Alek could feel her body tightening and saw need building in her eyes. He watched her climb closer to her peak. Each stroke took her higher, closer to what she craved. And then she was there. Her cries were inarticulate as she came, her entire body arching and shaking with the force of the rush. Alek’s control was broken by the clenching, milking contractions of her pussy around his cock. He’d known he wouldn’t last long when he had felt her wet sheath surround his shaft. His balls were drawn up tight against his body. He drove into her as her cries rang out and she writhed against him. He plunged deep and came, his seed spurting in a hot flood, his muscles quivering as spots of light flashed before his eyes. Darion thrust deep and hard as the muscles of her ass spasmed around him. Her muscles gripped, pulling as he surged into her. He groaned and his lips roamed over her neck as his hips drove his cock hard and deep. He came with a near roar, his seed spurting deep into her. He held her tight as his body stiffened and quaked against hers. Darion was the first to withdraw from her. The clutch of her muscles as he slowly eased from her drew a harsh groan from him. Then Alek slowly pulled from her heated slit and scooped her into his arms. This wouldn’t be the last time they loved her tonight, but she would need a little time to adjust to this new development. Darion moved ahead of them and started the shower. When Alek and Laci reached the shower, he was waiting in the large, gray cubicle, his body already slick from the warm spray. They washed her from head to toe, in spite of the small protests she voiced and the interference of her hands as she tried to intercept theirs. Eventually she relaxed, allowing their hands to soothe and cleanse her. Alek smiled. She hadn’t given up the fight. She was merely biding her time. The battle would come. She was much too feisty to give in to them this easily. The fact that she’d been unable to deny her own longing for them or ignore their seductive skills would anger her and she wouldn’t forget what they had done. “You’re such a surprising little treasure, Laci.” Alek urged her from the shower into the warm stream of air outside of it. “And you’re still a bastard.” Laci took a step away from him. Now that her mind was clear of the blinding passion, the anger resurfaced in full intensity.

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“Such language toward the men who brought you such pleasure.” Darion shook his head as he reached out and wrapped his hand around her arm. “Your anger is understandable, but we won’t allow you to use it as a weapon to hold us at a distance. You’re our mate and we won’t allow you to try to deny it.” Laci glared at him. “You’re so arrogant and you obviously think I’m an idiot and easily led. I’ll admit that you seduced me, that I couldn’t resist you. But it changes nothing. So you’re good at sex. I’m sure you’ve had enough practice at it to know every trick, every move. There are other people in the galaxies who could probably do the same.” “Not to you.” A triumphant laugh rolled from Alek’s lips. This time, there would be no mistakes. She would belong only to them. “You don’t know anything of what you are, Laci.” “What are you crowing about?” Laci hissed, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “You are a Norik female. When a Norik female has sex with her mate—or mates in your case—for the first time, her body tunes to their sperm, their chemistry. Your body will respond only to our touch. You’ll feel repelled—even sickened—if another man touches you.” Alek’s saw Laci’s fists clench. “During the first twenty-four hours, your body will be receptive, and after that the seal is set.” Darion pressed his again-hard cock against her hips. “That’s why you’ll be a well-loved woman tonight and into tomorrow. You will be filled with our seed. Your body knows what will happen. It’s already heating, your desire rising in preparation.” Laci swallowed. The scent of her arousal rose around them as if to confirm part of their tale. She looked from Darion on her left to Alek on her right. “What other surprises do you have waiting for me?” “There are other things we’ll reveal in time, but the only other thing we have to tell you now is that your friend was also brought aboard. She has been made comfortable. Her mate isn’t on this ship.” Alek stepped forward as he bent and nuzzled her neck. “We will take this discussion to the bed where we can talk in comfort.”

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Chapter Six Laci opened her eyes and knew she was alone in the bed. She was thankful for whatever situation had called the two men away. They were insatiable and she needed some time to think. She could vaguely recall eating at some point during the night. Over and over again, all through the night and into the next day, they’d awakened her and every time they touched her, her body was instantly ready. She could hardly believe that just two days had passed since they’d brought her aboard the ship. Wet warmth had flowed from her pussy, a coiling desire had tightened within her and her clit had become hard, aching. Her breasts had swollen, her nipples hardened and became more sensitive than she had ever before noticed. She couldn’t even claim that Alek and Darion had seduced her every time. There had been times during the night when the desire became so intense that she had attacked one of them in order to alleviate it. Laci abruptly cut off that line of thinking. Her body was responding to her thoughts with hardened nipples and a rush of creamy fluid from her slit. She stretched her legs and body, expecting some soreness after the sexual marathon, but found only a little tenderness in the muscles of her groin. She grimaced at the stickiness of her thighs and decided that showering again was first on her list of priorities. Laci took her time in the shower, letting the warm water soothe her. When she stepped from the shower, her body was still a little sensitive. Her breasts were still swollen, the tips hard, tight points. Warm air rushed up over her, drying her and making her curly hair even more wild than normal. She walked out into the room, intent on finding some clothing before those two men returned. She came to an abrupt stop when she noticed Alek and Darion lounging on the black couch. Their eyes ran over her with possessive heat. She took a cautious step forward. They had to be tired, she assured herself. Surely they hadn’t slept. “I need some clothing. I can’t just go around naked.” Laci bit her lip. She was surprised at the sound of her voice. She couldn’t remember ever hearing that soft, husky tone before today. Darion smiled, his brown eyes traveling over her body with heated intent. “It’s true that if you remained like that you’d be a very big distraction. It would be hard to get any work done at all.” “Unless we were working on her,” Alek offered with a grin. Laci could clearly see the ridge of his erection already pressed against the tight cloth of his pants. “You’re lovely, your body glowing, fresh from your shower. Just the sight of you makes me itch to feel your soft skin, to feel the heat as you come alive under our touch.”

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Alek stood and went to one of the doors along the opposite wall. It slid open at his touch on a small pad. He pulled out a shimmering, jewel-blue confection. He walked over to her and handed her the slinky, short garment. Laci stood there, waiting for a moment, expecting more than just the dress. They were men, but they knew about the essentials of clothing. With a dress this short, some form of undergarment was a must and a woman of her breast size didn’t just go around without some kind of support. “Aren’t you going to put it on?” Darion raised his brow as she stood there holding the dress. “You did ask for it.” “Where is the rest of it? I need underwear,” Laci informed them, realizing as she spoke that the oversight was deliberate. “I know it’s been a long time for you, but there are just certain times that a woman needs underwear.” “You won’t need them for a while,” Alek stated. “And I like knowing that you will be open to our touch, ready for us.” Laci barely restrained a frustrated growl as she glared at the two smiling men. She had lingerie that was made of more material than this. She slipped into the dress. Two straps brought the silky material up over her breasts, fastening at the back of her neck. It bared her arms and back. Fitted at the waist, the material flowed over her hips and the skirt was so short that she did not dare bend at the waist. “What about shoes?” Laci demanded. “If I venture out of this room, those hardsoled boots you men wear will crush my toes before you even feel them.” She suspected that they were deliberately baiting her, enjoying watching her temper rise. “We have shoes for you and you get to wear them.” Darion gave her a wide smile. “It is time for the last injections and for you to be examined by our physician.” She watched as Darion went to the table and returned with a package. Taking the lid off it, he handed her a pair of black, open-toed high heels. Laci prayed for patience as she took them. She could envision what the complete ensemble would look like. She was certain that she could be mistaken for a prostitute—a cheap one at that. She didn’t think she would ever get used to wearing such revealing clothing. “Can’t I just have my boots back?” Laci knew the answer, but she had to ask. They would decide everything for her if she let them. “No, they were destroyed when we took care of your pants.” Darion seemed delighted and much too cheerful as he imparted that information. “You must prove that you can be trusted before we give you more choices in your attire.” Alek bemusedly watched the angry color rise in her cheeks. She wanted to strangle them both. “I’ll probably be stuck wearing these things for a while then.” Laci slipped into the delicate-looking spiked heels. She buckled the straps and then stood. She flipped her hair back over her shoulders, put her hands on her hips and glared at the two grinning oafs. “I hope you’re happy. I look like a whore.”

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“No, you don’t.” Darion frowned, his back stiffening. He looked offended. All that was missing was his finger shaking in her face. “You look sexy, soft and enticing. The clothing has nothing to do with it. It’s just pretty wrapping. You’d look sexy in a shapeless dress that covered you from your neck to the tips of your pretty little toes.” “As to being happy, yes, we are.” Alek walked over to her and took her hand in his. “Happy is a vast understatement. Joy and bliss come closer to describing the state of our emotions at finding you. I woke countless times during the night wondering if this was yet another dream.” “You’re with us. We have been looking for you and then you just stumble upon us. I haven’t been so happy, so content, in a very long time.” Darion’s smile held an almost frightening intensity and sincerity as his eyes roamed over her face. “But you won’t believe such a proclamation, just yet.” “That reminds me.” Laci tugged at her hand that was engulfed by Alek’s. “How did you find me? It should have been impossible. That planet was so remote that it was known only by a number designation.” “Ah, little Laci,” Darion chuckled as he strode over to her. “You carried the means inside you.” His arm curled around her waist. “We ensured that we would be able to find you before we had taken you down to Viaga. We weren’t willing to chance waiting for another accidental meeting.” Laci wondered if he was lying. “What are you talking about? I checked myself for trackers at least four times. There were none on me. When I returned home, I was checked by others as well.” “We didn’t activate it until about six days before you came to X-R321. Until then, it wouldn’t have registered on any scanner. It emitted no signal, was totally inert.” Alek’s lips crooked into a lopsided grin. “We hoped to find you at your base. There are many men who search for their mates.” “You…” Laci’s body tensed, her fist clenched ready to swing at one of them. They had played with her like a big predator did with its prey. She had thought she was free, that the first capture had been a mistake, but they had just been waiting to spring their trap. This she could no longer deny. Darion’s arm tightened around her waist. “I’m willing to let you vent your anger, but I won’t go through another tirade like last night’s battle. Struggling and cursing us will do you no good. You know this. Now, if you walk beside us—peacefully—we will answer a few of the questions you have.” It was a tough choice. She wanted to yell at them and hit them, but she did have some questions. She weighed the importance of the questions against her anger. They were just stubborn enough to deny her the answers if she didn’t cooperate with them. With obvious reluctance, she relaxed. It was a matter of priorities. She’d ask her questions. She could yell and fight later. “Where did you put the tracker?” Laci narrowed her eyes. The choices were many and varied. Any wound left from its insertion would have been healed and the scar 42

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gone by the time she had returned home. “And why did you capture me the first time? I thought you must have picked me up in error, instead of someone else.” “Now, be’rai, telling you would make it too easy. I’m sure you’ll discover where we put it sooner or later.” Alek’s hand gently cupped the back of her head. Darion dropped a soft kiss on her forehead. “We meant to take you both times. When we picked you up the first time, we thought you might be working with our enemies. We had to make sure you weren’t before we let you wander free around our ship.” Well, that at least explained the way they’d treated her at first. She had to take the opportunities to learn what she could about the men when they came to her. Information about the Norik was sketchy with the exception of the information gained from commercial news organizations about their zealous protection of the trade that they had established and the many powerful ships they possessed. That told her nothing about how many of them there were, where they were going and just how difficult it would be for her to escape. “Just how many of you…Norik are there?” Laci chose her words carefully. Anger swirled within her. Most of it was directed toward herself. She should have guessed that they wouldn’t just let her go and had more extensive tests done. “How many women did they clone?” Alek smoothed his thumb down the elegant line of her spine in a soft caress. “You said that you would answer, not play word games.” Laci frowned in irritation. She wasn’t in the mood to have every question answered with a question. She was holding onto her temper by a thread. The urge to hit them was still strong. “Darion said that. Humor me. Tell me. How many Third Generation women are there?” “Over seventeen thousand, made in separate labs,” Laci rolled her eyes. With the confiscation of so many records, they knew exactly how many females had been created. “We have contact with some of them, can’t find others.” “There are just over eighteen thousand Norik. When you add in the five thousand men of the Second Gen, you will discover just how many lives the scientists toyed with.” Alek’s eyes darkened. “So many lives were destroyed by the scientists’ experiments. Nothing can mitigate the suffering and misery that has been caused over the years.” “The fact that there are more men than there are women—is that why some men share one woman? Is that why you’re both Jatohn” Alek angled his body toward hers and brushed his lips across her neck in a fleeting caress. “Amongst our people, there have always been more males born than females. So the numbers are part of it. Strength is another reason we join together. Two are stronger than one. In our culture, the men who are strongest lead.” “What did they do to you? You said they caused suffering and misery.”

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“You’ll have noticed there aren’t any children or older people among us.” Darion paused and waited for her nod. “There were plenty of them on Darsat.” “Wait. What’s Darsat?” Laci swallowed. “And what happened to the children?” “Darsat was our home planet. It’s where they found us. We weren’t space travelers then,” Alek explained. “The scientists from Vari-Co and Mari-Tec weren’t interested in our elders or the young children. They were of no value to them.” Darion closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “They could have just left them there. The elders would have seen to the children’s safety.” He shook his head. Laci noticed that his hand was clenched. Laci felt uneasy. She could see the pain in every taut muscle of his body. “What happened to them?” “We didn’t learn what they’d done until we’d escaped. The Tribunal doesn’t even know the full extent of their crimes,” Alek ground out between clenched teeth. “To them, we’re lab-created hybrids and we’ve decided that, for now, we’ll let them keep thinking that.” “Will you stop circling around it?” Laci demanded. “Tell me what happened.” “They killed them, Laci, and everyone else on that planet,” Alek whispered so softly that she almost had to strain to hear him. Laci’s stomach clenched. “Why…how did they kill them?” “Violently. They used their own weapons. And as to why, there are two reasons. One, they didn’t need the elders or children. Two, they didn’t want to leave anyone who could tell others what they’d done.” Darion swallowed hard. “But your people didn’t have space travel. At least, I never dreamed about anything that advanced—well, not in association with either of you.” Laci looked from one man to another. “No, we didn’t have any kind of space travel capabilities,” Alek confirmed and his arm curved around her. “We were a simple people.” “Their weapons didn’t even work efficiently. Many of our people survived the initial blasts, but the bomb destroyed everything. There was no food or shelter.” Darion stared straight ahead. “They used a bomb that’s usually used to totally remove any harmful vegetation from a planet they want to colonize. It wiped out all plant life and then starvation took everything that survived.” Alek’s tone was somber. “I’d want them dead.” Laci closed her eyes. Even imagining it sent a shaft of pain lancing through her. “Our people weren’t the only ones who died. There were other people on the planet—over a million people dead and their deaths weren’t easy.” Darion drew in a huge breath and she could see he was trying to regain control. “We didn’t only lose our freedom to them. We lost fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, sisters, brothers and, in some cases, daughters and sons.” Alek looked down at her. 44

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“After we escaped, our first priority was to get back to the ones who were left behind,” Darion’s continued. His eyes held such bleakness that Laci felt tears prickling the backs of her own eyes. “But the only things we found were skeletons and a vast barren ball of dust.” “I thought the experiments began in that lab on X-R321,” Laci said, trying to distract him from all of the death and destruction. She wanted to take away that hopeless look. “There’s no way they fit everyone in there.” “That’s where our group was housed. There were many other locations. We found them over the years. Most had been abandoned by the time we reached them.” Darion ran his hand over the edge of the fabric along her lower back. “Why did you take the name ‘Norik’?” “Norik was a powerful god in our religion. We needed something to identify us to others without alerting the scientists and those who paid for the experiments that their lab animals were working among them.” Darion’s hand slipped under the fabric of her dress and cupped the full globe of her right buttock. He smiled as the scent of her desire rose and her cheeks reddened. “There might be a few scientists and labs left that we haven’t found, but we’ve ensured that the agencies and the people behind them no longer have the power they once wielded.” “Can you tell me the original why?” Laci had always wondered about that—it was one thing that all of the financial records and scientist’s reports couldn’t tell her. “I know there were different reasons later, but I can’t understand or find anything about why they started this.” “They wanted to know why we didn’t age as fast as they do. They wanted to know what we did to heal so fast.” Alek shook his head. “The scientists only thought of the money they could make if they could unlock that secret. Over forty thousand people suffered and an entire planet was destroyed because of their greed.” “They didn’t like the fact that the answers they found couldn’t be applied to them.” Darion’s smile wasn’t reassuring. In fact, Laci had the distinct urge to step away from him. He looked dangerous, untamed. “And later, as you know, they decided we’d make perfect soldiers.”

***** Laci willingly accompanied them to med-bay. She didn’t feel like being dragged there. It was a waste of energy. Acceptance had come slowly, but she knew the facts better than most people did. Even if she could somehow manage to skip being injected with the last nano-cytes, it was already too late. There were too many of them coursing through her bloodstream for her to ever go back to being as she had been before. Even if there had just been a few of them inside her, they would gradually overcome her own nano-cytes. It would just take more time. The First Gen nano-cytes had been made to

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take over everything they encountered. With the exception of the various programs made to harm or incapacitate, there wasn’t much that could stop them. The next hour was torture. The last two injections of the nano-cytes were bearable as was the blood test. It was the comprehensive physical that followed that had her trying to escape the room. When the physician first touched her, she felt prickles wherever he touched and general unease. The more intimate the contact became, the more the symptoms increased. When he first began her vaginal exam, she almost hurled her lunch on the floor and the pain that rocketed through her rivaled that which she’d experienced during their interrogation over three months ago. When the physician showed a moment’s inattention, she threw herself off the table and dashed for the door. Alek grabbed her before she could escape into the hallway and took her back to the table without a word. The pain increased as the exam went on and despite the physician’s requests, she couldn’t hold still. She writhed on the table, trying desperately to escape his touch. She barely noticed when Darion and Alek came to stand beside the table to prevent further escape attempts. “Please, Darion!” She looked into his eyes as tears streamed from her own. His jaw was set, his dark skin taut over his cheekbones. “It hurts too much. Make him stop.” “This has to be done, Laci. I’m sorry.” Darion kept his tone steady, but he stepped forward and placed his hands on her hips, holding her still. She could see that the decision to continue wasn’t easy for him. “Jarvis, get it done. Don’t torture her by drawing this out any longer than necessary.” Alek’s hands stroked over her arm. Pain pulsed through her when the physician’s hands once again touched her. She felt her stomach tighten and heave threateningly. “It’s okay, Laci. It will be over soon.” He shot a hard look toward the physician. Laci focused on Alek’s face and the feel of Darion’s thumbs rubbing in circles at her waist. Pain still seared into her with each brush of the physician’s hands, but with their touch, she could almost rise above it. Their touch, their voices seemed to calm the panic within her and soothe some of the agony. “Just a little longer, Laci,” Darion whispered. His deep voice sounded hoarse and tight. A scraping sensation along the inner walls of her vagina sent another bolt of pain shooting through her. Laci arched her back and tried to scramble away from the pain, but Darion’s hands held her firmly in place. Alek’s right hand moved up to her face and stroked the hair back. His fingers smoothed over her temples and cheeks. Laci clenched her jaw, trying to stop the sobs escaping her throat. Every muscle in her body tensed and screamed with tearing sensation. She locked her eyes with Alek’s and prayed for this to finally end. At last, the physician stepped back and began cleaning his instruments. Laci lay on the table, exhausted, recovering from the pain and discomfort. The nausea faded almost as soon as his hands left her. She wished she could say the same about the pain. It 46

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seemed to echo through her body. She closed her eyes, wanting just a few moments of peace. Darion and Alek proceeded to talk with the physician about the exam. Damned men, they don’t know the meaning of the word tact or consideration, she thought. They had to have known it would be like that. Why didn’t they have a female medic? Her skin was still crawling from the physician’s touch. She’d also have liked to have a chance to talk with the medic alone. She was under no illusions that the man would keep any questions she asked to himself, but she had a feeling these questions were going to infuriate the two men opposite him. Since Laci knew they weren’t going anywhere and the conversation between them and the medic showed signs of coming to a close, she knew that she had to speak now. They would want to leave when they had all their questions answered. Laci cleared her throat. “Do your nano-cytes interfere with any type of birth control?” The medic frowned, his confusion apparent on his face. “Why would you think that?” Darion grasped her chin in his fingers and tilted her face up. His deep brown gaze was cold and hard as he stared down at her. “Your implant was removed at the same time that we put in the tracker. Do you want to explain why you thought you needed such a device if you didn’t indulge in casual sex?” “You had no need for that device in the first place.” Alek’s golden glower could have set something on fire. “I don’t understand what you’re so angry about. My life used to be my own, if you remember.” The implant had been a precaution, just in case she should come across one of her own kind. She wasn’t afraid of getting pregnant by a human male. The odds of that happening were beyond astronomical. The DNA just wasn’t compatible for easy crossbreeding. “When your mind and body are ready, you’ll conceive. Artificial methods such as that implant wouldn’t have prevented conception by our sperm were you ready and fertile. It will be over a month of standard days before you come into fertility.” Darion’s hands flexed at his side. Laci leaned away from him. He looked like he wanted to grab her. “You aren’t human. Stop thinking that your body will respond as theirs do,” Alek admonished, stroking her arm. Laci sighed and leaned into the soothing warmth of his touch. After the pain and panic, she desperately needed the acceptance and comfort he offered. He sighed, too, as if he needed the contact as much as she did. “I am not Satira. I don’t know anything about the Norik, the First Gen or whatever you want to call yourselves. All I know is what was in those damned reports confiscated from the labs. It said that their birth control worked. So we acquired some.” Laci’s hands clenched into fists. “Why?” Darion barked, clearly trying hard to hold on to his temper. “You said that you were tired of casual sex.” 47

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“We didn’t want to bring a child into this fight until we are more settled, safe. There are still groups out there who think that we hold secrets to eternal life or that we make perfect soldiers. We have to stay alert. They’ve tried to recapture some of us before.” Laci glared at them for a moment, then turned away and stared straight ahead, determined to ignore them. Darion was more relieved than angered by her impassioned speech. She was still throwing the past—and Satira—at them in order to distance herself from them, but he could live with that for a little longer. It was the way she spoke of children, wanting to see that their home was safe before a child was born that relieved him. She didn’t know it, but she was almost there. Soon she would acknowledge that she belonged with them. A Norik woman had to want to have a child. She had to picture herself holding her mate’s baby before it was even possible. Her attitude showed that she’d thought about children before and wasn’t repelled by the idea. Darion smiled as he caught Alek’s eyes. He knew that Alek had heard the desire in her voice when she’d spoken of children. He helped Laci off the table, tucking her hand in his. Laci kept insisting that she wasn’t Satira, that they were identical on a genetic level but different people. She could have stopped saying that last night. There was no way that they could mistake her for Satira. The differences were apparent in so many ways. They were almost overwhelmed by them. The biological tie came with no guarantee of happiness. It merely allowed for those bound by it to reproduce. It was up to those involved to work at the relationship and find happiness. This was one thing on which he and Alek were in perfect accord. They would work hard to make her happy, to satisfy her. Sexually, she was so open, so giving and she was so exciting that it made them almost insane with lust just watching her move. They would keep her safe and they would keep her with them. For a reason known only by the Gods, they’d been given another chance with their mate. They wouldn’t waste it.

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Chapter Seven Laci stretched with languid thoroughness, pushed the silky sheet off her and eased into a meditative position. She was bored. The only time Darion and Alek had allowed her out of their quarters in the past few days was when they took her somewhere. They had removed anything with any kind of interface capability from the room, as a precaution against her trying any tricks while they weren’t here with her. Laci was determined to escape. She waited and watched. An opportunity. All she needed was an opportunity and she would escape. She hadn’t tried anything yet because she didn’t have a plan, short term or long term, for after she’d escaped. She needed a plan of some kind or she would be recaptured within hours. Now that her nano-cytes were the same as theirs, just getting away from them would be no simple trick. Within a certain distance of other people who carried the nano-cytes, a location could be fixed with pinpoint accuracy. She would need to block the signals before she could have a chance of escaping. Somehow, she’d have to get her hands on the tools she needed to do that. They were so watchful that she’d had no chance to find anything. She was never allowed more than a few steps away from them outside of their rooms. Laci would need more freedom and she knew it would be a while before she could find a way to get what she needed. She wondered if she would even want to escape when she did get a chance to flee. Already, she felt a pull toward them. It wasn’t only the sex, although that was beyond even her wildest dreams. She liked talking to them and she wanted to be near them. What scared her was that the thought of leaving sent a dagger of pain and panic slicing through her. She didn’t want to believe that she was bound to them by more than sex. They were taking her to their home. She couldn’t get an exact location from them. Thus far, they had been good-humored about her repeated questions, but their answers were far from informative. She could only hope that wherever they took her was wellpopulated and advanced enough to allow her to escape. She prayed the Norik didn’t control the area. Her escape plans would amount to nothing if they controlled all means of leaving the planet. The best scenario would be a populated planet with regular shuttle services.

***** Laci walked beside the crewman assigned to shadow her on this small excursion. Alek and Darion had both been needed elsewhere—Alek on the bridge and Darion in the docking bay. She hadn’t been willing to spend even another hour in that room. 49

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She’d felt trapped and caged and itched to go somewhere, anywhere. It had taken her very serious threat to rewire the door before they’d agreed to let her leave the room. The light material of her black dress fluttered around her thighs as she walked down the hallway to the lift. Other than the shortness of the skirt, she actually liked this dress. The bodice had a built-in bra and actually covered most of her breasts, giving just a hint of their full weight. Of course, she still had to wear those impractical heels. She’d chosen to go to one of the rec rooms. Alek had told her that they had some practice androids for sparring and battle simulation. She had energy to burn and a good fight was just what she wanted. It would keep her skills sharp and hopefully sear away the sexual frustration that had ignited earlier this morning. For once, she couldn’t blame Darion and Alek. They hadn’t intended to arouse her. She doubted that they had even known she was awake. They’d rolled from bed, careful not to disturb her. Darion had walked around the bed and joined Alek as he paced toward the bathroom. As he’d neared the other man, Darion had reached out and slid his palm across Alek’s hip and buttocks. It had been such a relaxed move that she could tell they had long enjoyed each other’s touch. A shiver skittered down her spine and she felt the walls of her vagina clench. She’d had suspicions that they had been lovers at some time. The number of males on the ship and the absence of females or sex-droids had been a big clue in that direction. The thought of them together had aroused her, but not as much as the thought of watching them touch each other or, better yet, joining them as they loved each other. Seeing Darion touch Alek in such a sensual manner had sparked her desire. No longer was it merely a fantasy. As they stepped into the lift, her escort’s lips curved into a definite smirk. Laci ignored it. She knew that he probably smelled her arousal, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. All it took was the mere memory of Darion’s dark brown hand gliding across Alek’s golden-skinned buttocks and her desire flared. The lift stopped and Laci stepped out and walked beside her escort past the larger open rec-area to one of the private rooms. He opened the door and stepped inside, crossed the padded floor to the opposite wall and activated the droid. She entered the room and felt the slight give of the padded floor. She reached out and touched the wall. The walls were covered in the same padded material as the floor. “It won’t hurt you. You can attack it as much as you want. It will only defend,” the crewman informed her before he started for the door. Laci’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. Before she could find her voice, the door slid closed behind him. She fumed, frustrated. Glaring at the droid, she knew going after the man was useless. He wouldn’t have even thought to put it on defenseonly without orders. Most people forgot the command was even there. Her fingers clenched into tight fists. She didn’t want to attack the damned android. She wanted to fight. Even beginners weren’t given a droid that would only defend.

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Her hands fisted at her side. Hells, now she was angry and aroused. She’d never understood why the companies who made practice droids put in a defense-only function. It taught nothing and just felt wrong. It made her feel guilty to even think about hitting the droid, as if she was about to attack a pacifist. Laci squared her shoulders and attacked. The droid blocked most of her blows, but she slipped a few past its defenses. Circling, she focused on expending some energy and attacked. She intensified her assault on the droid. As it swept its hand down in a block, she caught its arm and spun, slamming the droid into wall. A flash of movement caught her eye and she spun. Alek stood just inside the doorway. He looked relaxed and happy. His spiky hair was still in perfect order. Whatever he’d been doing, it obviously hadn’t caused him any stress. His golden eyes prowled over her body lingering at her breasts and hips. He straightened and she saw his muscles flex beneath the tight material of his blue shirt. Just watching him was arousing. “You’re being a little rough with the droid, aren’t you?” A smile kicked up a corner of his mouth. “I wouldn’t have to be so rough if your man hadn’t set this thing on defense-only.” Laci glared at him. “We told him not to let you get hurt. We didn’t know just what you could do.” “I can take care of myself.” Alek chuckled arrogantly and turned his eyes to the droid, which simply stood there waiting for Laci’s next move. “I can see that. You’ve pulverized that droid. If it was capable of feeling pain, it would be experiencing some aches right now.” “If it was male and anatomically correct, it would really be in trouble.” She flashed him a sweet smile. “Ooh, that’s harsh.” He held out his hand in invitation. “No.” Laci crossed her arms over chest. “We’re going to talk and you’re staying over there. It’s easier to think when your hands aren’t all over me.” Her hand rose to her hip and she gave him her best “I mean it” look. “You really shouldn’t give orders you can’t enforce.” In spite of his words, he leaned back against the wall. “How did you come to marry Satira? Was it arranged?” Laci asked. From what she knew no sane man would have chosen Satira. That woman had had very few good points. “Now that’s a long story, especially since you know nothing of Darsati culture,” Alek murmured and pushed away from the wall. “Get your shoes.” “I told you that we’re going to talk.” Laci slammed her hands onto her hips and narrowed her eyes. “We are, but this is going to take some time. We might as well be comfortable while we talk. We’ll go to one of the dining halls and get something cold to drink.” 51

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Laci studied him intently, trying to decide if she could trust him. “You’re not going to distract me or otherwise drive me insane with lust, like you did last night?” She watched those golden eyes light with amusement and hot arousal. “I know you need to learn just how all of this came to be,” Alek explained. “I won’t touch you until all your questions are answered.” Laci slipped into her shoes and then left the practice room at his side. They strolled down the hallway in silence. Once inside the lift, Laci leaned against the opposite wall and thought. She wanted to know so many things that it was hard to decide what to ask first. After thinking about it for the entire descent, she made her choice. She’d stick with what she’d asked him about in the practice room. Maybe that would gain her the answers to a few other questions. The vast size and the high ceiling of the forward dining hall had awed Laci the first time she’d seen it. She’d known a Taurog battle-class ship was huge, but she hadn’t realized just how large it was. Even now, the sheer space in the room made her feel small. Tables were scattered throughout the room, and booths lined the walls. Alek led Laci across the soft gray-blue carpet to one of the slate blue booths along the cream colored walls. The table was draped in a long white tablecloth. “You stay here and I’ll go get us something to drink.” Alek smiled down at her and then strode toward the serving area. Laci allowed her eyes to skim over the dramatic artwork on the wall. All the pieces that she had seen were bold and eye-catching, dark colors and bright colors thrown together dramatically. She scanned the room for Alek. She caught sight of his red head as he wove his way around the tables scattered throughout the room. Alek carried a tray. As he neared, she saw that it held more than just mugs and a pitcher. He slid the tray onto the table. Laci lifted the large platter laden with savory appetizers while Alek placed the filled mugs on the table. She removed the large pitcher of some reddish drink. Arranging the various bowls and plates, she slid a bowl of spicy dip closer to Alek. Alek slipped into the booth, relaxing back against the soft back. Laci turned to face him, noting that they were still close, but not skin to skin. She could easily reach out and touch him if she wanted. The distance was just perfect for a conversation, as well as her keeping her sanity. Laci lifted her mug and sipped at the cool, spiced drink. She ran her eyes over his face, lingering on his lips. Shifting position as her thoughts turned carnal, she cleared her throat. “So tell me how you and Darion met and married Satira.” “Do you want to know about that or about how I met Darion?” Alek swirled a crusty triangular pastry in the dip. “Either…both.” Laci bit her lip. “Darion and I met while we were training. He was born in the southern regions and came to the East during his second term of training.”

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“Where did you meet him?” Laci asked. “I was training with Corat Marisin, one of our great warriors. Darion had earned the privilege as well and it was there that I first encountered him.” Alek’s smile grew reminiscent. “And you became…friends during your training?” Laci tilted her head as she absently put her mug on the table. “You worked side by side and got to know each other?” “Not quite, we met briefly but the Botisar—” Alek began. “Wait. What’s a Botisar?” “The Botisar is…um, a man with higher psychic abilities than normal Darsati.” Alek frowned as he sought the right words. “He can sense the energies within people and uses that ability to find those meant to be together.” “What energies?” Laci reached for a meat-filled pastry. “Psychic energy as well as body chemistry.” Alek’s mouth kicked up on one side. “As to how they do it, I asked once. The man told me a bunch of stuff about energy fields, colors and mental paths. He lost me when he said that energy fields have colors.” “So this Botisar introduced you to Darion,” Laci prompted. “It wasn’t a matter of choice.” Alek lifted his mug. “The Botisar told us of the link between us and from that day our training changed, intensified. There wasn’t any question that we’d have to find a way to work together. We couldn’t break the tie between us even if we’d wanted to.” “Was it common among your people to do that? And what did it mean other than that you two would be together for the rest of your life?” “It wasn’t that common, but it was a well-established practice. There was only honor in being chosen, no stigma. Darion and I are far from unique.” Alek swirled the tip of another triangle in the dip. “And the second question?” Laci raised her brows when he went no further in his explanation. “Pairs matched by the Botisar are trained to lead. The skill and drive of the two men are what determine just how high they’ll rise.” Alek took a large bite. “Are there any other pairs on this ship?” Laci leaned forward as she waited for his answer. “Three. Two of the pairs serve as commanders and the other pair oversees engineering.” Alek smiled at her. “Are you sure I can’t kiss you?” “No, you can’t.” Laci tried to frown at him, but she could feel her lips working into a smile. He was incorrigible. “Were these men paired by a Botisar as you were?” “Yes, but only the strongest and most experienced became Jatohn.” Alek lifted his mug and took a long drink. “Do all pairs have one additional mate?” Laci asked.

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“All the pairs that I know of have only one female mate that they share, yes.” “All right, now you can tell me how that oh-so-wise man paired you with a vicious witch like Satira,” Laci demanded. If the man knew so much, he had to know that that woman would have made anyone she was with miserable. Alek burst out laughing. “A little angry on our behalf, are you?” “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.” Darion strode over and slid into the seat on the other side of Laci. “What are you doing here?” “Laci has some questions and we came here to talk. It seems she has some problems concentrating when we touch her.” “What questions does she have?” Darion plucked a crunchy breadstick from the tray. “Well, I’ve covered how you and I met and now we’re on to how Satira came to be our mate.” Alek lifted his mug and took a long drink. “Get on with it and stop chatting,” Laci ordered. “Now that both of you are here, time is a factor.” “Are you implying that we would try to distract you?” Alek trailed a finger across her cheek. “No, no, Alek, you promised no touching.” Laci’s fingers grasped his wrist. “And I know you would distract me.” “She’s enjoying this power,” Darion laughed. “We first met Satira at one of the gatherings used to bring unbonded young people together.” Alek leaned back against the cushions and ran his eyes over her face. “Did you know what she was like then?” Laci asked. “We’d heard a few things about her, but even if we knew the full story it wouldn’t have mattered.” Darion shrugged. “The mating wasn’t about the happiness of the people matched together, although most of the people matched by the Botisars were very happy,” Alek explained when he caught the confused look she shot Darion. “A Darsati marriage was meant to strengthen the psychic and physical characteristics of any children the union produced.” Darion reached out and curled a strand of her hair around his finger. “I don’t see how you could have agreed to be with her. You had to know that the marriage would be a disaster.” Laci shook her head. She couldn’t understand how they could have knowingly walked into the hell of that marriage. “We knew that it could be bad, but it could also have been wonderful.” Alek smiled down at her. “We were determined to make the best of it.” “Satira wasn’t interested in making the best of it,” Laci argued. “She didn’t want to marry two men.” Darion closed his eyes for a moment. “She didn’t want to marry at all.”

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***** Laci walked down the hallway, so distracted she was almost unaware of where of where she was going. She could feel the warmth of Alek’s arm curved around her waist and knew he wouldn’t let her just wander into one of the walls. She turned the facts she’d learned over in her mind. They’d answered a lot of her questions, but there were a few that she still wanted answered. As they stepped out of the lift, she became aware of the two men at her side. They were both smiling. She could see the carnal anticipation building in them. Their bodies were taut, hard. She drew in a deep breath. Their scent had deepened. Only one question nagged at her. Why did they hide the extent of their relationship with each other from her? She had no idea what had made them so close, but when they were together the bond was obvious. When something had to be done, most of the time no words passed between them. They just acted. She’d seen it again and again from mundane tasks to the way they made love to her. Laci followed Alek into the room and watched as he pulled off his shirt. She savored the sight of his corded chest and arms and lowered her eyes to the rippling muscles of his tight abdomen. Did he have to be so gorgeous? A large hand landed lightly on her shoulder and Laci stopped. She looked back at Darion. His white teeth flashed against his deep brown skin as he smiled at her. His fingers moved to the clasp at her neck. She felt the material loosen and then it fell down to her waist. She felt the slight scrape of his fingernail as he traced a path down her spine to the clasp at the top of the skirt. He flicked the catch open and the black silky material fell in a pool at her feet. Laci stepped out of her shoes and turned, circling her arms around Darion’s waist. “You’re eager. Did you miss me?” “Tease. You know I ache for you.” Darion’s hand swept down to her buttocks and lifted her against him. He carried her to the bed, putting her on the silky green sheets. She looked up at him and watched as he stripped off his clothing. Alek sprawled onto the mattress and rolled toward her. His hand rested on her stomach. She never knew what came over her, but she lifted Alek’s hand and placed it on Darion’s thigh. Laci watched Darion’s mouth drop open in shock. She smiled and let Alek’s hand fall back across her stomach. “I’m not blind or naïve.” Laci stretched lazily as she waited for their reaction. Right now they just appeared stunned. “I know there is a bond between the two of you and you shared the same bed even before I arrived.” She smiled. “It didn’t take too many clues for me to be sure that you were lovers.” Alek hooked his arm around her and hauled her onto his chest. “You don’t sound offended or disgusted.”

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Laci levered up so that she could look down at him. She could see the worry in his eyes. “I’m not. It’s sexy. I don’t want either of you to deny what you have or hide it just because I’m here. You two have something special. I don’t want to come between you.” Darion laughed as his chest pressed against her back. “You are between us and we like you there.” He ran his fingers across her ribs, drawing a giggle and a delicious wiggle from her. “I know that that’s not what you mean.” “We weren’t denying what we had. We just missed you. You’re part of us.” Alek’s mouth brushed across hers. Darion lifted himself off her. “Why don’t we let her watch since she thinks we’re so sexy?” They moved across the bed and Laci turned on her side. She propped her head on her hand and settled in for the show. Darion reclined on the far side of the bed on his side and Alek sprawled on his back beside him. Winking at her, Darion lowered his mouth to Alek’s, his mouth moving over the other man’s with firm intent. Alek’s hand curled into Darion’s hair as he returned the kiss. He nipped at Darion’s lips when he drew back and then pulled his dark-haired lover back for more. Laci saw Alek’s hand slide down Darion’s flat abdomen. He grasped Darion’s cock and stroked. Darion’s groan rolled through the room as Alek’s hand moved in slow smooth motions. She drew in a shaky breath and slid her free hand across her stomach. Slowly, she bent her left leg at the knee and slid her fingers down to the slick lips of her pussy. She could feel her pulse pounding as excitement flowed through her. They might have boasted about giving her a show, but she knew that once they’d touched each other, all of their attention had centered on each other. Darion tore his mouth from Alek’s. He grasped Alek’s wrist and removed it from his cock and then he trailed nipping kisses down Alek’s golden chest and abdomen. They weren’t even trying to arouse her, but she burned just from watching them. Darion licked the length of Alek’s cock as his hand came up to cup his balls. Laci swallowed heavily as Alek groaned and arched into Darion’s touch. She swirled her fingers in her slick juices and stroked her fingers over her clit. Her tongue slid across her lips as Darion took Alek’s cock into his mouth. She wanted to be over there with them—to kiss, to touch, to be touched, but she couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from them long enough to move. She moved her fingers lower, slipping two of them into her pussy. “Harder,” Alek ordered, his hand fisting in Darion’s long black hair. Alek’s hips arched, pumping his cock into Darion’s mouth. His hands urged a faster rhythm and let out frustrated growl when Darion kept his own pace. Alek thrust into his mouth, his large body shaking as his climax tore through him, his seed filling Darion’s mouth. Darion turned to look over at her and his eyes widened. He pushed on Alek’s thigh. “Alek, look.” 56

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“Ah fuck, that’s a pretty sight.” Alek’s eyes swept over her. Laci knew they were talking about her, but didn’t care. Orgasm hovered just out of her reach. She rolled onto her back and pinched and twisted at her nipples while she thrust her fingers into her pussy. When large dark fingers circled her wrist and pulled her hand away from her pussy, she moaned her frustration. She needed to come. “Please…” Laci looked up and found Darion kneeling between her legs. “Be’rai, I’m not going to leave you wanting,” Darion vowed. “I’m just as hungry as you are.” Laci reached for him. She trailed her fingers over the flat disks of his nipples. Trailing her fingers up to his shoulders, she laced her fingers into his hair and pulled him down for a hard kiss. She thrust her tongue into his mouth and was met with equal fervor. Darion soon took control of the kiss. Laci lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. He reached down and positioned his cock and then slowly pushed into her. Laci arched, desperate. Watching them had been one long visual tease and so exciting that she hadn’t been able to resist touching herself. She sighed as he filled her. This was what she needed—his thick shaft deep in her pussy. Darion smiled down at her as he rocked against her. He drew back just as slowly as he’d entered her. Her hips rose to meet him. With every stroke, his pelvis ground against hers, grazing her clit. The sensation built, tightening within her. She strained toward the awaiting pleasure, but his controlled thrusts kept her release just out of her reach. She sunk her nails into his shoulders, pulling at him. He grunted and jerked against her. His hips slammed against her pelvis. A shiver tore through her body as a burst of raw fire accompanied the pressure against her clit. “Darion… I need you,” Laci panted as she shivered, arching to take more of him. He pulled slowly out of her, seemingly intent on driving her insane with lust. Laci slid her hands down to his hips and grasped the taut muscles of his buttocks. She pulled him to her, using her nails as added impetus. She wanted only to satisfy the need blazing inside her. Darion’s breath hissed between his teeth as she tightened her legs around him. She could see the intensity in his eyes and the tight line of his mouth. This time, he wouldn’t be torturing her. He withdrew but then returned, stroking deep and hard inside of just as she wanted. His hips pounded against her, driving them both toward the release they craved. His lips slashed down over hers, his tongue tangling with hers. Laci screamed as she exploded. Shuddering sensation ripped through her in wave after wave of bliss. She shivered beneath him, unable to do more than hold onto him. Each thrust of his shaft into her seemed to trigger a mini-orgasm.

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Darion tensed over her, pushing his cock as deep into her pussy as he could go. He came, roaring her name as his seed pulsed into her. He collapsed onto her, his face buried against her neck as tremors washed over his body. Laci tried to get her ragged breathing under control. She stroked her hand over Darion’s back, waiting for him to surface from the pleasure. Soft kisses against her neck heralded his return to awareness. He lifted his head and dropped a kiss onto her chin. Laci threaded her fingers into Darion’s hair and looked from him to Alek, who lounged beside them, lightly stroking his cock. “How long have you two been together?” “A long time.” Alek smiled and ran his finger over her lips. “Before the imprisonment and experiments, including our training, we were together for a hundred fifty years.” “They kept us together for the most part during our time in the labs. That was almost twenty years.” Darion rolled off her and relaxed beside her. “And you’ve been free for over fifty years.” Laci’s lips twisted as she thought about what they must have gone through in all that time. “You two are much too old for me.” “Those years just give us the knowledge to handle anything you might try,” Alek laughed, tracing a pattern on her stomach. Laci caught his wandering hand with hers and frowned at him. Did you become so close because of your capture? Sometimes the way one of you anticipates what the other is going to do is scary.” “Well, our training as warriors was designed to instill a deep trust in the other part of our link. And then we were captured. We learned to rely on each other more in there than we had before. In a way, that solidified our link.” Alek dropped a kiss on her cheek. “We’d been lovers even during our training,” Darion confided as he kissed her other cheek. “After we escaped, learning that everything we knew had been destroyed united us even more. In a way, there was only revenge and Alek for me. Until we learned of you.” Laci couldn’t think of anything to say. She simply stared at him. Alek’s hand on her arm drew her attention. “We learned a lot from that time.” His wicked smile flashed. In that moment, she knew he was going to try to lighten the intensity of the moment. “Even Darion, as hardheaded as he can be, learned some things. After about fifteen years of persuasion, for instance, he learned that he doesn’t have to always be the top. Just don’t count on him letting you top him. I only finally convinced him by pinning him to the floor.” Darion growled and Laci giggled.

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Chapter Eight Laci had no idea where they were or how they had accomplished it, but the Norik had a large planet all to themselves. A shuttle took them down to the single spaceport on the planet. She had seen enough, heard enough on their walk through the complex of buildings to know that this was the home base of the Norik and if there were other people here, they had very little power. A mixture of anger and frustration raged through her. Her plans, which she’d refined over the last few days, were wasted, destroyed by this discovery. No matter how hard she tried or what method she used, she wouldn’t be able to leave this planet without those two large Norik at her side—or at least with their express permission. Their home wasn’t even near the space port. They had a small planetary hovershuttle and Darion piloted it as they left the port. The men’s home was isolated, surrounded by forest. It was the only dwelling that Laci could see in the immediate area. It was a large building—it seemed much too large for only two men. Perhaps there was another Norik or two who shared the building with them. Alek caught her staring at the large, pale gray, unadorned building as the shuttle swept around in a wide arc before landing. Architecturally, it was simple. It was rectangular and two-storied. “We’re on the Chimau so much, surrounded by others, that we like to have a little privacy when we are here.” Alek studied her green eyes. “I appreciate it more now that you’re with us. We don’t have to confine ourselves to a single room now. We have the house and the forest around it to fully enjoy your charms.” He reached up and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “Your eyes are so expressive.” “The only thing you confined to your quarters was the actual act.” Laci’s narroweyed disbelieving look had no effect. “Most of the time when you took me out of the room, I returned minus my top and very aroused. You thought nothing of one of you finger-fucking me with a small table shielding your actions while the other one played with my breasts.” “Yes, it was very frustrating to have to restrict ourselves.” Darion widened his stance. Laci watched his hand move to his belt and then she noticed his hard cock pressing against his black pants. “You have no idea how much we wanted to have you across that table you mentioned.” They had deliberately missed her point. The table had shielded only the visual details of what they had been doing. There had been no way Laci could hide her reactions. She had moaned and writhed, begging for release at times. The men at the tables around them had known what was happening. At first, she’d been embarrassed and excited by it at the same time. Later, it had become the norm, but 59

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no less exciting. She’d soon realized that the other men found nothing special about seeing a woman without her top or seeing a man nibbling at her breasts. The landing on the small pad near the house was smooth. They disembarked from the shuttle in companionable silence. Alek and Darion each carried large bags as they ushered her along the tree and bush-lined path toward the building. “Do you live here alone?” Laci eyed the surrounding forest. Conical, green-leaved sarlich trees towered above the shorter, round-topped, purple-leaved nachi trees. The sweet scent of the timasu drifted to her and she knew that there were vines somewhere in the area. “Of course,” Alek frowned. “Why would you think anyone else would live here?” “It’s a large building for just two people.” Laci gestured to the large edifice they approached. The base which housed the ninety women she had worked with was smaller than that house. “We have always liked to have space, freedom to move.” Darion shrugged. “I am sure that we will enjoy it more now that you are here with us.” The leer on his face implied very definite plans for how to enjoy this extra space. “I intend to make love with you in each of these rooms before we return to the Chimau.” They opened the door and the lights in the entrance came on at the same time. The furnishings were minimal. Darion and Alek led her through the wide entrance hallway. To the right, double doors gave entrance to a large room with cream-colored walls, a couch, two chairs and colorful rugs on the glossy gray floor. The door to the left was shut. She saw staircases on both sides of the corridor. The hall led to a formal dining room with a large, elegant dining table. The dark wood of the table gleamed with a fresh coat of polish and at least twenty chairs surrounded it. “You use this?” Laci asked. “Only on occasions when we have guests,” Alek revealed. His hand brushed across her back. “We use the smaller, more intimate dining room when there are no more than six here.” “You said no one else lived here. You cook for yourselves and clean this place?” Laci raised her eyebrows. That she hadn’t expected to hear. “When it is just us, yes,” Alek laughed at her incredulous expression. “You think that we want servants to cater to our every whim? As I said, we like our privacy. Having someone here to clean and cook for us would not allow us that. Do you not cook and clean for yourself?” “Well, yes,” Laci knew no other way. The Norik, however, had more resources— and they were men. She just couldn’t see Darion or Alek sweeping a floor. “It’s just that the Norik seem so much more established than my group is.” “We may be more established, but we have our priorities.” Darion’s firm voice held a teasing inflection. “Come see the bedroom. I want you again.”

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Although she fought it, Laci knew that she was going to dream of Satira’s life. She recognized the feel of the dream even as she slipped into it. Satira walked into a large, busy campsite. Many tan tents—all very advanced in design and material—surrounded a central work area. The faces of the people in that camp showed no surprise at her entrance. Satira smiled as she sidled up to one of the men in light green clothing. He was as tall as she was and his brown hair and pale face looked greasy. She pressed her body against his as her hand boldly stroked his cloth-covered erection. The man’s smile was cold, the look in his eyes calculating as he studied Satira. He lifted his hand and dangling from his fingers was a small packet, which he swung in front of her face. Satira dropped to her knees. Laci stirred, wanting to wake up, but once again fell into her dream. Satira lay under that man as he thrust into her. She was wild, her body writhing and twisting, crying out as she climaxed. Satira got to her feet as soon as he rolled off her. “I have to go. Rionis and Aleksin will return soon,” Satira whispered, her voice tremulous. “If all goes well, we won’t have to limit our time together soon, my Tira,” the man said, but the look in his eyes belied those promising words. There was a flash and a scene change, Laci struggled toward consciousness, but fell back into deep sleep. Satira sat in the small cell. Misery, regret and anger swirled within her mind as she recalled what she had done. Satira’s body was shaking. Pain was a constant companion now. Her lover had betrayed her. Although she appeared calm, Satira’s anger was boiling. She wouldn’t take his abandonment with a smile as she had taken the poison he’d fed her. She would make him pay for his treachery. When the guards came for her, Satira went with them. She was calm as they took her to a stark, white lab. Computers hummed on desks and machines whirred as they analyzed samples. Cuffs at her wrists restrained her and the guards held stunner-sticks to discourage any thoughts of attack. Satira could see the man who’d been her lover across the room and couldn’t believe her stupidity. This was the man whom she’d betrayed her people for. No, Satira corrected herself. It hadn’t been for him. It had been for those little white tablets he’d given her with such regularity, until he had all of her people and no longer needed her. “You can go,” The thin, narrow-eyed man told the guards with supreme confidence. “This little animal will behave.” The two guards gave the man a dubious look but left. “Come here,” The man ordered. Satira stalked closer to him. When she was a mere step a way from him, she sprang. The chain at her wrists served as a garrote as she landed behind him. She tightened the chain around his neck. His hands came up to the chain as she pulled. He couldn’t make a sound. Satira heard a crunch but continued to pull on the chain, even when he sagged to the floor. She stopped only when she was certain he was dead. Satira pulled the chain from under his head. She couldn’t change what she’d done, but she could see that her people were free of this torment. She took the man’s ID badge.

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She swiped the badge at one of the computers and entered a command. She moved to the wall and pushed on one of the small squares, then moved down the hallway at a fast run. The lights began to flash, and her sensitive eyes couldn’t adjust to the constantly changing levels of light. Blinded, she ran into the door and stumbled forward as it swung open. She hit the railing…

***** Laci sat up with a gasp. Her eyes sought the two men sleeping beside her. After the revelations of the dreams, she wondered how they could even stand to look at her. Satira had been the reason for their imprisonment. She looked to her left at Darion and then to her right at Alek. They both appeared to be sleeping soundly, which was surprising. Most of the time, they were both awakened by her thrashing during a nightmare. She almost wished that they were awake. She felt sick inside and didn’t know what to do. From the looks and manner of those on the ship, she’d known Satira hadn’t been trustworthy. She’d suspected that Satira had told a few lies. That, she could have overcome, gained their trust. She had never imagined anything like this. Careful not to wake them, Laci crawled down the middle of the large bed. She cautiously climbed over the blue and green blanket which was bunched at the bottom of the bed. She needed some time to think. Without a doubt, she would wake one or both of them if she stayed here. She wanted to be held, and if she stayed, she would give in to the urge to cuddle up against one of them.

***** Alek watched as Laci quietly left the room. He’d awakened when she had begun tossing and whimpering in the grip of her nightmares. He frowned. Where did she think she was going? She knew that there was no way that she could escape. He’d seen the acceptance in her eyes when they had landed on Mevaea. She wasn’t going to try to leave them. Alek stood and looked back over his shoulder to Darion. Darion merely raised his brows, pulled the pillows up and piled them against the high, wooden headboard. He lounged back against them, completely at ease. “I’ll come after you if you don’t return with her soon,” he offered from his relaxed position. “If I return alone, you know that she’s gone outside and not just a step or two.” Alek lifted his eyebrows at Darion’s apparent confidence. “Then you can get out of the nice warm bed and come help me.” Darion laughed softly and closed his eyes. They both knew she was still in the house. She’d only gone downstairs. Her movement had stopped in a room almost right below them. She had apparently wanted some time alone. Alek hoped she’d had enough, because anything that drove her from

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their bed was cause for concern. Alek didn’t bother with clothing. He went after her as he was, going down the stairs and into the hallway. He pressed the pad next to the door and stepped into the room. Laci was sitting on a black couch in the small study, her knees pulled up to her chest, her head laid on top of them. Alek stood helplessly and watched her curled in that position, her shoulders hunched, looking so lost and alone. He hated to see her in any kind of pain. She lifted her head and looked back over her shoulder. He could see the sheen of tears in her eyes and on her face. “How can you look at me like that?” Laci drew in a shaky breath and stared across the room at the dark surface of the large desk. She should have known they would wake up and miss her, but she wasn’t ready to face them. Everything was still raw and painful. Right now, she hated that woman and everything she had done. She could see no hatred or blame in Alek’s golden eyes. He only looked concerned. He was naked, his red hair mussed from sleep, and impossibly sexy. She knew her nose was red, her eyes puffy and reddened and wished she looked better for him. She definitely cared what Alek and Darion thought of her now. “Look at you how?” Alek strode forward to stand near the couch on one of the colorful rugs placed around the room. He reached out to brush his hand over her shoulder, but let it drop to his side when she flinched from his touch. “How can you look at me with anything other than loathing?” She hated what Satira had done and she hadn’t even been there. It made little difference to her that, in the end, the woman had sought to try to make everything right. Alek frowned, confused. “Why would we hate you?” “I have her face, her body. I’m not a relative. I am her—a clone of her. After what she did, how—” Alek grasped her shoulders and drew her to her feet. “You aren’t her. You’ve said it yourself. Genetically, you’re identical, but you couldn’t be more different from her if you tried.” “Alek,” she whispered. She wished she could believe him, but that woman was her. “Satira had her problems long before we met her. She was addicted to those drugs the scientists gave her. As we said, she was a woman of our time. The way she was raised was different from the generations that went before. Be’rai, don’t look like that. You’re not responsible for anything she did.” “She had a lover, even after you were bonded!” Laci blurted. She opened her mouth to go on with her list of Satira’s offenses, but his fingers settled across her lips in soft rebuke. How could the woman have done that when she had two men devoted to her? “We knew. His scent clung to her at times. We knew from the first time we met her that she didn’t want to marry two men. She hated that she was tied to us, couldn’t handle what that meant.” Alek sat down on the couch and pulled her onto his lap. He held her close.

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“She caused your people to be captured, helped arrange the whole thing!” Laci exploded, looking into his eyes. It felt so good to be held in his arms. She wanted to stay there until everything she’d learned faded from her mind, but wouldn’t take that easy route. “How can you look at me without seeing the woman who put you through so much pain? She was only sorry for what she had done, the misery she had caused at the very end.” “You’re not her.” Alek shook his head and heaved a sigh. “Yes, at first, I was cautious in my belief, but I can see that you’re not Satira. Just the fact that you feel remorse, pain about it, illustrates the differences. You’re nothing like her, Laci. I know you’re getting glimpses in your dreams, but you don’t have the whole story.” She pressed her head against his chest. “But she did it. She caused it.” “Satira wasn’t the only woman to fall into their trap. There were also some men who became addicted and did anything to gain more of that drug. She was only one small part of their scheme. They had others helping to further their plans.” He pulled her to him, holding her tightly against his chest. “Tell me how I’m different.” Laci’s voice was muffled against his shoulder. She held onto him, trying to believe what he said. “Satira wouldn’t have cared what we thought. Everything was about her happiness and securing more of that drug,” Alek explained, his hand roving over her back in a soothing caress. “The way you move, your expressions, the fact that you can’t lie, all are different from Satira. She was probably telling lies from her birth. We can read your face as if your feelings and some of your thoughts were flashed in written words.” “You can?” “Your emotions are real. Satira put up a pretty façade, because she liked the power we held and that she had through us, but little of it was true. We learned that on our wedding night.” Alek grimaced. The sound Laci made was full of doubt. “Let me show you how you’re different,” Alek insisted as he stood. “I’ll show you, be’rai. Let me show you what is real.” He drew her hand down to his cock. He was hard and ready. The feel of her body against his had stirred an undeniable reaction. Laci bit her lip, took a deep breath and nodded. He carried her a few short steps over to the rug. He put her down and then groaned. “I need something. Stay right here. I’ll be right back.” Alek left the room at a hurried pace. Laci frowned, but couldn’t deny the warmth stirring within her as just a few possibilities skittered through her head. What was he thinking to show her? From the look in his eyes, he wanted to make love, but that would prove nothing. She knew that the woman had liked sex. Satira had taken her pleasure when and where she wanted it. Alek was back before she could think of anything he’d be able to show her that would prove his point. He drew her onto her hands and knees and positioned her so

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she was facing away from him. She looked back over her shoulder and saw him stroking his long, hard cock. The sight of the dark, rounded head of his shaft made her mouth water. His shaft glistened with the lubricant he was applying. He smiled at her and leaned forward. His hand pressed against her back and Laci lowered her upper body to the soft rug without question. She trusted him. He always saw to her pleasure. Laci felt his fingers glide over her buttocks to the crease. Everything within her focus and desire seemed to explode at that light touch. His fingers slid along that crease to the puckered ring of her anus. He circled the rosette tormentingly, skimming her flesh. Tension coiled within her. More—she needed more. Teasingly, his slick fingers pressed on that puckered flesh, just entering before withdrawing. Laci arched back against his hand, demanding more. Why was he teasing her? With slow deliberation, he pushed his fingers all the way into the clinging, muscular sheath and just as slowly withdrew them. He repeated the movement over and over. Alek smiled as he gauged her response. He could smell her desire. Her breath was coming faster and every move she made pleaded for more. “I’m going to give you exactly what you need, love. You’re so hot, but you’ll be burning before I take you.” By the third stroke, Laci was pushing back against his hand, trying to take as much of his fingers as she could. She moaned at the desire swirling through her, so hot, so strong, that she knew she would come very soon. She needed that hard flood of pleasure. One of her hands moved beneath her body pinching and twisting a hardened nipple, trying to take that final leap into ecstasy. She was amazed at the heat, the spiraling flame burning within her. He’d only touched her with his fingers, the smooth glide over her butt and within her. His other hand stroked over her hip, up and down in time with each smooth slide of his fingers. He hadn’t touched her clit or slid his fingers into her slit, yet she could feel the hot cream flowing from her pussy onto her thighs. The touch of his fingers around and inside her anus had caused desire to spike fast and hard. She needed him there. She needed to be fucked there. “Do you like this, Laci?” Alek twisted his fingers as they entered her. The tight channel clenched around his fingers. “I can’t wait to feel these muscles squeezing my cock.” “Oh, yes,” Laci moaned, her body tensing as orgasm approached. Alek’s fingers stopped that insidious movement. “Let me see.” Three of his fingers of the hand at her hip slid into her sopping slit. She pressed back, driving his fingers deep into her slippery sheath. “So you do. This you could never fake. Satira hated it. You’re more our mate than she ever was.” He withdrew his fingers from both of her openings. Laci whimpered her distress and twisted to look at him. “Please, Alek,” she begged, thrusting her hips back. “I’ve never left you wanting when I had an opportunity to see to your needs,” Alek 65

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chuckled as he pressed the rounded head of his cock against her back hole. “You’re such a passionate woman and I can’t believe we found you, our true mate.” Laci was incapable of speech as he entered her, stretching the muscles as he slowly forged into her. Her hands clenched and she pushed back against him. Sharp sensation curled inside her. She loved that dark pleasure, the slight bite as her tissue expanded to accommodate him. Never had she imagined that she was so sensitive there. She could feel every bit of him as he moved in and out of her and she loved it. Alek kept a tight rein on his passion. He forged into her, each slow glide of his hips pushing his shaft as deep as he could go. Laci more than accepted those smooth thrusts. She pressed back into each stroke, wanting more. After three of those light, slow movements, the tight cord of control within Laci snapped. She shoved back against him as the pleasure exploded. The muscles of her pussy and rectum contracted as her orgasm washed over her. Her eyes clenched tightly as light burst in her head and shivering pleasure washed over her. She cried out his name as everything within her locked and then released in a great rush of ecstasy. At the first tremor of her climax, Alek had stopped moving. After the last shudder and milking spasm had stopped, he leaned over her, bracing one hand on the floor. “Do you know why I stopped, be’rai?” Alek asked. “I’d love to drive into you until I come, but I’m not going to—not yet.” Laci barely focused enough to shake her head. Speaking was out of the question. She could still feel electric pulses zipping through her. “I need to prove something to you. Never would Satira have found one anal orgasm, much less the two that you will give me, Laci. You not only like this—you love it. Don’t you?” Alek pushed his hips against the globes of her buttocks, sinking just the slightest bit deeper into her tight channel. Laci bit her lip as a tingling thrill ripped through her. She flung back her head and twisted her hips, savoring the throbbing pleasure. Sharp need cut through her, startling her with the intensity. A stinging smack landed on the curve of her hip. “Do you love it?” “Yes,” Laci moaned as the pulse of pleasure seemed to triple from the sting of that swat. She wanted, needed to feel that again. His hands settled on her hips. He withdrew until only the head of his cock remained in the tight channel of her ass. Slowly, he rocked forward. He varied the depths of his gliding thrusts. She knew he enjoyed her frustrated moans and twisting hips. She tried to shove back against him, to take more of him, but without success. He allowed her to twist her hips, but kept her where he wanted her. Her passions flared high. He leaned down and licked her right shoulder and her body shuddered beneath his. Alek seemed to be able to gauge the heat of her desire by the pace of her breathing and her heated moans. He didn’t let her rush to the hard, quick climax she craved. She twisted in his grip, moaning a soft cry of frustration. 66

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“To tell you the truth,” Alek said as evenly as he could, “the need to fuck a mate’s ass is a deeply ingrained need in the males of our kind, Laci. There’s no better way to show a woman that she is yours. There is no more basic show of trust for the woman, because, like this, you are even more vulnerable than when you are beneath me, your legs spread, taking me into that hot, slick cunt.” Laci could only moan as he continued to slide with torturous slowness in and out of her. His words, raunchy and raw, conjured pictures that she couldn’t forget, caused a flood of hot cream to practically coat her thighs. Those teasing strokes were driving her insane. She needed him harder, deeper. Alek leaned close and his words sounded as if they came from between gritted teeth. “You’re going to come again. You’re going to know that you’re very different from Satira.” His cock stroked deep. His hand tapped her thigh. The nails of his fingers scraped slowly across the skin of her thigh, drawing a shiver and whimper of need. Sensations built within her, driving her toward a hard release. “Harder, Alek,” Laci writhed against him. By the Gods, she was going to be consumed by this pleasure. “Please, I need you…harder.” “What do you want harder, Laci?” Alek asked. “This…” He ran his nails across her leg. “Or this?” His hand tapped her thigh. From the laughter in his voice, she knew he knew what she wanted and was just tormenting her. He’d seen her reaction to the first swat. “Your hand, Alek… Do it harder.” Laci breath’s came in shallow pants as her mind began to fracture. Although the demand fell from her lips, Laci knew that if he didn’t let her come soon, she would beg him for it. “I’ll give you what you need, Laci.” Alek’s voice was a little strained. “I want you, be’rai. Do you know how good this feels? So hot…tight.” His hand landed against her thigh with a whack. Laci felt the inner muscles of her pussy clench and the muscles around his wide shaft tighten. She shivered and moaned as he pulled back. She tried to push back to take him again, not wanting to lose him. Slowly, he sank into her. When his hips touched hers, a swat landed on her opposite thigh. Laci lost it. White light exploded before her eyes, the muscles in her stomach and thighs tingled and burned as she came, calling his name. Her anal muscles clutched at his advancing and retreating shaft as he thrust into her. She could feel the muscles in her vagina clenching, twitching as the hot, sharp pleasure hit her. Alek threw back his head as he worked his cock into the tight, milking muscles of her ass. She was still pushing back against him even as the last tremors of her climax faded. She had come two times and was ready for more. Alek pounded into her. His balls smacked loudly and wetly against her sopping labia on each thrust. He thrust hard against her twice, three times, and jerked as his seed spurted deep into her. He groaned as climax hit him, his body shook and his hips pushed into hers. 67

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Alek slowly withdrew from her. He shuddered as the tight ring of muscles at the entrance clenched around him as if to keep him within her.

***** Laci turned her head and found Darion leaning against the cream-colored wall. He stalked across the room, desire glittering in his eyes. His penis jutted out, erect, engorged. “Do you know how beautiful, hot and sexy you are when you’re lost in passion? I want to see it again. I want to cause it. Laci, I want to watch those green eyes cloud and feel your body shudder against me.” He knelt beside Laci as Alek moved away from her. Alek didn’t go far. He lounged on the black couch and his eyes were locked on her and Darion. Darion gently urged Laci onto her back. His hand brushed her hair away from her face. “If you were Satira, you would spend the rest of the night crying even after a gentle loving.” Darion’s hand glided over her body, resting for a moment on her stomach. “What do you want, Laci?” He left the choice up to her, but he knew what she would choose. It was there in her eyes and in the smell of desire that perfumed the room. Laci smiled, captured his hand and urged it down her body. There was no contest. She was no fainting maiden. Lusty, needy wanton came far closer to describing what she was. She pushed his fingers into the sensitive folds of her labia. She moaned and arched her hips as his fingers brushed her clit. “More,” Laci demanded as her hand laced into his soft black hair and pulled him down to her lips for a savage, short melding. A hint of movement drew her eyes to Alek’s reclining golden-skinned figure. He had one foot propped up on the couch and his hand was wrapped around his cock, stroking slowly. Darion’s smile was pleased, predatory, a feral white slash against his dark skin. “Oh, yes, you shall have more, but we can’t be wasteful.” His lips left hers as he drew away. He moved down her body, lapping at both her breasts and pressing a kiss onto her stomach. He lifted her thighs, urging them wide. “You’re covered with cream and I am hungry.” He lapped at her thigh, licking and nibbling at the golden flesh. He made a teasing foray to the swollen folds of her sex, his tongue flicking at her clit before his mouth moved to the other cream-slicked thigh. “You taste so good. I want to thrust deep into you, but I want you to come for me before I take you.” Laci wriggled as he nipped sharply at her thigh, sucking, licking and nibbling. Every stroke of that slightly rough tongue, every nip built the tension within her body by slow increments. Her clit throbbed, begged for attention from the mouth so very close to it. She didn’t know how long she could last. Bolts of hot need seared her with his every touch. His mouth left her thigh with a last lingering, lapping stroke. He placed a kiss on the smooth skin of her labia before he parted her with his fingers. His tongue flicked

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over her clit, a teasing, stabbing motion that fed the fire raging within her. Her breasts were tight, aching, swollen. She needed his hands on them, his lips. Her heartbeat was echoed in the pounding, pulsing throb within her swollen clit. Darion raked his lips tormentingly across that hard hood as he moved lower to the thick liquid spilling from her tight slit. His tongue ran around the rim of her pussy, gathering the liquid that coated her aroused flesh. Laci’s hands slid upward to her breasts, plucking and squeezing. She could feel the fine tremors shaking her body. All she needed was a little more and the tight ball of desire would explode. A small cry escaped from her as his tongue stabbed into her. At that broken sound Darion raised his head, his tongue still lightly flaying her clit. His flicking, lapping tongue stopped and a growl rumbled from his throat. “You’re being bad, be’rai,” Darion admonished as a frown creased his brow. Her fingers pinched and plucked at her nipples. “Did I say that you could touch yourself?” He drew her hands away from her breasts and down to her sides. He pressed her palms to the floor. His eyes locked with hers in stern warning. “Darion, please, I need…” Laci tugged at her hands. She wouldn’t survive a lengthy teasing session. She needed to come. “No, you move these hands again and I’ll see that you have no choice but to obey me. I’ll give your breasts my attention when I finish drinking your sweet cum.” Darion’s dark eyes bored into hers until he was satisfied that she would obey his command. Finally, he returned his attentions to the dark pink flesh between her thighs. His tongue laved the glistening flesh around her slit. It stabbed inside her, drawing her warm creamy essence into his mouth. As he pressed against her with each hungry lick, his nose brushed against her clit. Her hips rolled, pushing her slit against hips lips, begging for more. “I love the taste of you, sweet with just a little salty tang.” Darion lifted his head and licked his lips before returning to his work. Laci’s hands balled into tight fists. Her hips rose with each lap of his talented tongue. His hot breath, the wet slurp as he drew the heated liquid into his mouth tightened the tension within her body. He ate at her as if he were starving. Her thighs gripped tightly around his head. He laughed and the vibrations sent daggers of fire through her as he pried her thighs apart. His lips and tongue drifted higher. He drew the swollen hood of her clit between his lips. He suckled at the hard nub as he thrust two fingers into the hot, slick channel of her pussy. Laci screamed and shattered. Hot bliss shot through her, starting from her pussy and shooting up her spine and out through her limbs. She shook as his fingers continued to move in slow strokes within her. Each movement caused riotous sensations as her vaginal muscles clenched and released around those large digits. Darion rose from his position between her thighs. He pulled his fingers from her 69

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clinging sheath and brought his cream-coated fingers to his mouth. With deliberate intent, he licked them clean. Laci’s body tensed and her need exploded. She nearly lunged at him. Everything within her screamed, Me! Me! Do that to me! Darion slid his hard, muscled body up over hers. His lips closed over the crest of her breast. His teeth scraped over the hard tip in a tantalizing mock threat. Her body bucked beneath him, urging him to give her more. Laci watched him. His dark brown skin contrasted sharply with her light golden skin. He was engrossed in exciting her. His mouth moved over her breast as if gaining sustenance with each lick or touch. She felt his fingers slip back into her heated cunt. She arched beneath him, pushing into the fingers thrusting within her. He sucked at the nipple stabbing into his mouth. Her hands wove into the gleaming black hair, pulling him tighter to her, trying to increase that sharp pulling tug. His mouth lifted and moved to the hard, aching tip of her other breast. He released her breast with a smacking pop. His fingers slid from the luscious, slick channel. He pressed his cock against her, the head rubbing between those slick folds. She was so ready, so wet for him. He rubbed against her clit, just to torment her a little longer. She bucked demandingly against him. Why did he insist on driving her to the limits of her sanity? “Please, Darion,” Her voice was breathy as her body undulated against him and her lips brushed over the dark streaks at his shoulder. Darion moved a bit lower, the rounded head now resting against the slick slit. “This is where you want me?” “Yes,” Laci hissed, her hips rising to take that thick cock, but he withdrew in counter. “Do you want it gentle?” He slid into her with a smooth stroke. “Or do you want it hard and rough?” He withdrew and then drove deep in a single powerful thrust. “Give me everything, Darion. I want it now.” Laci lifted her head and nipped at his lip. “Wrap those legs around me and hold on tight.” Laci wrapped her legs around his hips, hooking them at the ankles. She gave him a good squeeze with her thighs, knowing she could not hurt him. He was strong, her match in every way. Darion grinned down at her, almost as if he knew what she was thinking. He pulled back and thrust against her. Laci felt her body slide on the carpet from the force of his body slamming into hers. Her arms circled his shoulders. His mouth came down on hers as he continued to forge strongly into her welcoming body. His lips mashed against hers, their teeth clinking together, their tongues mating as they sought to devour each other. Laci’s hips rose to meet each forceful surge. This hard pounding rhythm was what she needed. One of his hands found its way between them and

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plucked at the hard, reddened tip of her breast. A broken sound of pure pleasure burst from Laci’s lips. She was looking into his eyes when her orgasm hit her. She tensed, her body shaking beneath him. Her inner muscles clenched around his cock as bliss rolled through her body. He thrust into her clenching, milking sheath. He lowered his head to her shoulder, nipping at her. A moment later, he threw back his head, a shout torn from him as he came in hot spurts. He ground against her, staying as deep as he could until the last of the shuddering pleasure quieted within his body. Laci held him tightly against her. Her body was so relaxed, so satiated. She couldn’t think of any other time in her life that she had felt this good. She was tired, but felt such a general sense of wellbeing, a peace. After that dream, that should have been an impossible task, but they’d somehow given her what she needed most. “Now you know that you’re nothing like Satira.” Darion’s muffled voice rose from her neck as he nuzzled her contentedly. “It’s time to clean you and ourselves, little one. You’ve been rolling around the rugs, encouraging us to do exhausting things,” Alek teased softly. He walked over and knelt beside her. “Now you lie there contented and happy while we’re wrung dry.” “Why don’t I believe you?” Laci chuckled. They needed little encouragement and she reveled in that fact. They never seemed to get enough. Each time their eyes found her, hungry fire burned in their depths. “Oh, yes, you’re insatiable, both of you.” She felt cheerful, even a little giddy. Darion faked a groan as he pulled himself from her and came to his knees beside her. As he stood, he drew her up in front of him. Her hands immediately began a teasing foray across his chest. He captured them and raised them to his lips and dropped a kiss in the center of each palm. He tucked her under the curve of his shoulder and urged her from the room. Alek had left before them and Laci had no doubt that he was on his way upstairs to start the shower. They always took such good care of her.

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Chapter Nine Laci sat at the window, staring out at the view. Trees surrounded the house. All she saw was the green and purple of the front row of tall trees. She was preoccupied and she knew it showed. She needed information. The question running through her mind again and again was driving her insane. She could come up with no answer. That left only one option. She had to go to Darion and Alek and hope they’d give her an answer. Since the night of her dream and their reassurance, they had been very tight-lipped about their life with Satira. She could only guess that it brought some very painful memories back to them. She knew that if she ever found out they were making love to another woman that she would be hard-pressed not to hurt someone, starting with Darion and Alek then moving on to the woman. She had no problem with them touching, loving each other. That inspired delicious hunger, not jealousy. Her feelings for them had grown far past mere sexual enjoyment and were deeper than friendship. Right now she wasn’t ready to explore the depths of those emotions, but she was a little afraid that they’d developed into love. She needed to find out what Alek and Darion knew and that meant getting them to talk about their life with Satira. It had to have hurt their pride. From experience, she knew that sometimes pride was extremely slow to heal after it had been hurt and Satira had savaged theirs. Laci turned away from the window and looked at the two men. Dressed completely in black today, Alek sat in one of the chairs, his feet stretched out before him. He looked fierce and gorgeous. His hair was mussed, the spikes on top going in all directions because he had been running his hand through it. Darion lounged back on the couch and wore a white shirt and black, indecently tight pants that revealed the outline of his cock. The man was just too tempting with that dark skin, long, dark hair and those sexy eyes. They both looked delicious. Just looking at them was enough to excite her.

***** Darion glanced at Laci. They were trying to give her time to come to terms with what troubled her. He glanced down at the black mass of machinery and tubing in front of him. He’d taken the intake pump apart twice already. Each time he’d put it back together without changing out any parts. The pump was in perfect working order, but he’d needed to keep busy. He didn’t want to pressure her. Alek had the same problem. He was pretending interest in something on the viewscreen in front of him. “I want to know how she did it. I know why. She was a drug-crazy lying witch, 72

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dissatisfied with her life, but the how is driving me insane. I know you two now. You were no more likely to let her out of your sight than you did me.” Her determined stare switched from Alek to Darion and then back as she spoke. “Why do you need to know how she did it?” Darion frowned. He’d known that her sharp mind was turning the situation over, reviewing all the information she had gathered, but he himself hadn’t been able to guess what troubled her. What would be the use of delving into Satira’s behavior all over again? It was over. “I know well enough that the time limit thing, that after that first night with you no other man can touch me intimately, is true. I almost lost my meal on that examining table and that combination of cold chills, pain and stinging prickles is not something I want to go through again soon. No woman would let a man touch her if his touch induced that reaction.” She paused and then tilted her head. “Have I mentioned that you need a female medic?” “Yes, you’ve told us,” Alek affirmed with a sigh. “As to how she did it, we don’t know exactly how that was accomplished.” “You’re right. We didn’t let her leave us for two full days after the ritual. We knew something of her behavior even then.” Darion’s gaze focused beyond Laci as he thought of Satira. She had done her best to cause a rift between him and Alek at first. When that had failed, she’d tried to destroy them both. “How did she do it?” Laci stressed each word. “Stop stalling.” “We don’t know when she did it, but somehow she managed it. Maybe she slipped away from those her father had watching her and went to him right before the ritual.” Darion could remember his fury when he’d realized that they’d been unsuccessful. There had been nothing they could do, bonding was for life. “We’d hoped to keep her from her lover in that way, but we failed.” “She failed you, Darion. She was your mate. She knew that she was tied to you. She could have tried to make it work, instead of losing herself in that drug.” Laci frowned. “You’re taking too much on yourselves. Satira made her own choices throughout the entire ordeal. I can feel very little sympathy for the woman. She chose to take those pills just as she chose to take a lover.” “You acknowledge that you’re tied to us?” Darion’s sensuous lips curved into a wide grin. That was progress. He longed for more. He longed for her love, but he knew that she was a little scared by what was between them and fought against it. It would come, but he was anxious for its arrival. “Don’t become too arrogant.” Laci gave them a quelling stare. “One little admission and your arrogance explodes. I can’t figure out what I feel toward you right now. The mix of the past and all the emotions from now are confusing everything. I’m nowhere near ready to even begin talking about that ceremony you want. I’m merely bowing to the obvious. If it wasn’t clear that something was there when my body went wild at your touch, it became so by the time your medic examined me.” They were totally unfazed. They both looked ridiculously pleased.

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“You’ll become ready.” Alek’s confident words only irritated her. An angry flush rushed up her cheeks. He smiled, enjoying the display. “The fact that your emotions run so high give credence to my beliefs. It’s only a matter of time. You are beginning to care for us.” “You’re hard men to actively hate. You see to my smallest of needs, my wants seem to come first with you and even when my emotions are everywhere, you don’t yell back. Add to that the fact that you keep me satisfied with as much sex as I can handle and that the sex is beyond great. What do I have to complain about?” Laci joked with a wide smile as she paced away from the window and flopped down on the couch. She immediately became the recipient of almost identical scowls for her attempt at humor. “All right,” Laci sobered. “Why are all the women Norik clones? I know what happened to Satira, but what about the others? And why do I have those dreams about her life?” “Our people have always been mildly psychic. You dream about Satira because you do have a link with her.” Darion reached out, ruffled her hair and whipped his hand away before she could swipe at it. “As to the other women, the scientists never planned on giving the nano-cytes to them. Those women that were infected through accident were killed by the scientists before the nano-cytes could spread through their entire body. Other women were killed in retaliation when we didn’t do exactly what they wanted.” Alek frowned and shut down the small computer. “It was only a few years later, after we were free, that we saw the first children. We knew then that the scientists were recreating what they had destroyed through the samples from their storage.” Memories of that awful time leaped into Darion’s mind. He had hated the helplessness of the situation, being unable to help those who trusted him. He could still remember the pain the scientists had inflicted. They had shown no remorse for their acts of cruelty. “How did you know where to find them?” Laci frowned. “After I escaped, I didn’t want anything to do with the labs, but was hunted. You had an identity the scientists and bureaucrats didn’t know about.” “We’d been keeping watch, waiting for an opportunity for revenge. We had no hope. Then we saw some females. Suddenly, there was light. We waited for you to grow. We knew that all of you had the nano-cytes and that you’d be safe. The fact that you had them relieved many of us,” Alek explained. “You were happy I couldn’t be an addict like Satira. Drugs hold little allure if most of them don’t work.” Laci looked over at Alek. “We haven’t always known where you were, but just knowing that you were out there kept driving our search and the need to make a safe home for you.” Alek watched her face. Fear and then hope streaked across her face. “While we can’t find all the small groups that want to use us or harm us, we can make certain that we are strong enough to defend what we have.”

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“The groups that we found are fairly untouchable.” Laci sighed and leaned her head back against the soft cushion of the couch. “Life will be different for you here. You don’t have to fear being found.” Darion moved closer to her and ran his hand up and down her arm. “All the Norik have been planning for the time when they would find their lost women. No unnecessary chances will be taken.” “Well, this is secure. Maybe it’ll be safe.” Laci’s eyes closed and she sighed. “Those groups, they are well-connected on the planets they chose as a base. The planets’ governments either ignore their actions or don’t recognize any complaints lodged against them, because the Arceins were supposedly created in labs combining alien and human DNA. They don’t recognize that we have any more rights than other lab test animals.” “Those groups are probably heavily funded by Vari-Co, Mari-Tec or Bio-Mech.” Darion explained, holding out his hand in invitation. “Eventually, they too will fall.”

***** With acceptance came peace. Laci stopped fighting her need to be with them. She no longer made plans to escape. Leaving them would be next to impossible because of the fact that she was never alone. The most important factor of her decision, though, was that she didn’t want to leave them. Within the last few days, she had learned that it would be like leaving a part of her soul behind. They’d become very important to her in an amazingly short period of time. As much as she accepted that she wanted to be with them, she never thought about the future. She never thought of going through the formal ceremony they had mentioned. Her thoughts on her feelings for them never went beyond what she felt at one particular moment. Living in the present had become a comfortable habit. Only mild curiosity bubbled through her when Darion and Alek gathered their things and packed one night. The next morning, still half asleep, Laci dressed in a short green backless dress. She staggered a little as she walked along the paved path toward the shuttle. The trees shaded the weak light of the predawn and created a dark cozy haven, luring her back toward slumber. Her eyelids felt weighted and refused to open to more than mere slits. Being roused from a sound sleep after far too little sleep the night before didn’t agree with her. Her mind was foggy. It was still dark and she wanted to be back in that warm, soft bed with them. The night had been long and pleasurable. She felt Alek’s arm come around her and let him guide her. Laci slept through most of the journey to the small city around the spaceport. By the time they landed, she was awake and fully alert. They were walking across the building to the bay with the spacebound shuttles. There they met up with two other Jatohn. “Alek, Rion, word has spread that you found your woman again.” The blond-

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haired man dressed in the blue and black of the Norik uniform greeted them jovially. Although he wasn’t quite as broad or obviously muscled as Alek and Darion, in no way could he be perceived as weak. “This is Laci. She came to us when she was hunting Vanya Steryan,” Alek gently pulled Laci forward between Darion and himself. “She’s very beautiful, Rion,” a man with reddish-blond hair stated. His eyes narrowed as he assessed her. He came to stand next to the blond. Laci knew that look. She’d seen it far too many times. He was trying to see if she was anything like Satira. She resisted the urge to squirm as well as an even stronger one to yell that she wasn’t that witch. Every time she met someone who’d known that woman, they watched her, judged her and expected her to be just like that bitch. “Laci is just as beautiful within. She’s bound only to us. She has made us very happy.” Darion smiled. His hand moved up and down her back, almost as if he sensed her unease. “Laci, meet Davik and Camin, the Jatohn of the Mocant.” He gestured first to the red-blond then to the blond. “Hello,” Laci greeted them tentatively. By the way they looked at her, she could tell they were trying to deem her worthy or unworthy. Satira was beginning to haunt her. “Hello,” Davik chuckled, a genuine smile crossing his face. “She certainly doesn’t act like her.” “She’s nothing like her.” Alek returned the smile. He kept his eyes on Laci. “She’s sensitive and has dreams of Satira’s life. They upset her. Laci cares about us already and she’s so damned hot that just keeping her satisfied is exhausting.” Laci felt a blush wash over her cheeks. Strongly tempted to elbow him in the ribs, she ducked her head to hide the rising red on her cheeks. Her hair fell forward hiding her rosy face from the two men at her side. She was standing right beside Alek. He knew that a remark like that would embarrass her, but he liked seeing her blush. At every possible opportunity, he provoked that tide of red. “She blushes,” Camin—the blond—observed, his voice filled with laughter. “Yes, she does and she can’t lie to save herself. Everything is right there for everyone to see,” Alek said cheerfully. “We never have to wonder what she’s feeling. We can tell by her expression and the look in her eyes and if we miss that, she’s likely to tell us.” Alek’s hand slipped low on her back. His hand slid beneath the material of her dress and one of his fingers followed the crease between her buttocks. His finger stroked lightly over her flesh, teasingly dipping lower and lower. Laci couldn’t control her increased breathing, the pounding of her heart. A strange mixture of anger and arousal pounded through her body. Her nipples tightened into hard nubs. That teasing touch was igniting an uncontrolled desire she knew they had no intention of satisfying anytime soon. This caused her anger to increase, which heightened her arousal in a vicious cycle. When his finger drew near to that puckered ring, she couldn’t help pushing her buttocks against that caressing hand. 76

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“Now, what could you two be doing to cause such a reaction? Your woman is aroused…very highly aroused. I can smell her heat from here,” Davik chuckled. Laci felt another hot tide of red wash up her neck to her face. She wanted to storm away, but Alek’s hand was down her dress. The material was thin, silky. If she left, it would probably stay. She’d gotten relatively accustomed to baring her breasts in public, but she balked at full nudity. “Jatohn, everything is loaded on the shuttle.” The man who walked toward them was clearly human and didn’t have the nano-cytes—the scientists had never been able to construct a nano-bot that didn’t kill a human host. He must have been a member of Davik and Camin’s crew, as he was wearing the Norik uniform and Laci didn’t recognize him. “Is there anything else? Perhaps the Jatohn of the Chimau would like me to take their lady to their ship.” Laci pressed closer to Darion’s side. She didn’t want to go anywhere with that man. She couldn’t explain why but she knew something was wrong. Something didn’t feel right. “Perhaps that would be best. We need to talk.” Darion gave Laci a one-armed hug. “You go to the Chimau. We will be up as soon as we finish.” He gave her a little urging prod toward the man. Laci felt hurt and anger rip through her. They didn’t trust her enough to allow her to sit through their meeting. She was also certain that they knew that she wasn’t going anywhere. They knew that she wanted to stay with them. Laci looked over her shoulder even as she stepped toward the man. She turned, lifted her chin and followed the man as he led the way to the spaceport. Damn, Darion thought as he saw the pain clearly on her face. If one tear fell he’d grab her and let her stay. Her tears had the power to send a knife ripping through him. They’d needed her honest reactions to help bait the trap, but he hadn’t thought of the pain she would feel. The measures they’d taken to keep her from discovering that something more than a coincidental meeting was going on had worked. They’d known that she wouldn’t be able to carry off a convincing act if she’d been told of why she had to go with the man. She had needed to be genuinely surprised by the order. From the look on her face, he knew what conclusion she had drawn. It wasn’t true. They would deal with her doubts and her hurt when they went to get her.

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Chapter Ten Laci buckled the seat belt as the door to the shuttle slid closed. She paid little attention to the man in the pilot’s seat. They’d sent her away from their discussion as if she were some loose-lipped dimwit. She couldn’t believe how hurt she was by their lack of trust. She had had such faith in them that she had expected her trust to be returned fully. Laci stared straight ahead as the craft rose and began its smooth ascent through the atmosphere. As she felt the transition from gravity to weightlessness, she heard a slight noise as the pilot shifted in his seat but disregarded it, lost in her own thoughts. A moment later, she felt something press against her side.

***** Laci came awake as two men carried her from the shuttle. She kept herself absolutely still, her eyes open to mere slits. She allowed them to carry all of her weight. She didn’t want to give them any advantage. The two men holding her by her arms were not Norik. They were humans. She could overpower the stupid, overconfident guards with ease. They didn’t seem aware of just what they were carting around in their arms. Their lack of respect for her would be their downfall. She listened as she was taken through a building. She tried to get a feel for exactly how many men occupied this base. As they carried her, she heard one other voice. On their path through the building, she saw only pale white, slightly dirty hallways until they reached a door which they opened with a palm-print scan. In the small room, a man sat at a desk. He paid almost no attention to the two who came in or their captive. With a single glance up from the monitor, he waved, signaling the two men to continue. Using another palm scan pad on the opposite side of the room, they carried her into the room beyond. She raged a she saw that the room housed a row of cells. She wasn’t going back into a cage. As soon as the door slid shut behind them, Laci acted. She turned her body slightly, sliding down the arm which the man on her right had hooked under her armpit. This lowered her hand into position. She reached between his legs, grabbed and twisted in a quick, fluid move. Almost simultaneously, her foot stomped onto the right foot of the man to her left as she turned, shoved him with her left hand and stripped the stun gun from his belt with her right. She fired. He crumpled to the floor without a sound. She turned and shot

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the other man writhing on the floor. Most of the cages were occupied, and all the prisoners were women. They now lined the bars, eager to be free. Laci ran her eyes over them. They were of the Third Gen, but there was something different about their signal. The scientists had done something to them. As with the doors within the facility, a touch pad allowed entry to each cell. “How many men are here?” She asked everyone as she lifted one of the men and awkwardly pressed his hand to the panel of the cell nearest to her to open the cage door. Her mind raced with possibilities and scenarios. From the careless way these guards had treated her, she would wager that these women weren’t experienced in any form of fighting, but she would take any help she got. “Including those two, there are eight. The other guards will be in their quarters. They’re off duty. Two will be sleeping, two maybe not. The other two are the scientists. One of the scientists will probably still be at the guard desk. He sits there when the guards have to come get us.” The blonde woman who spoke stepped out of the cell. She took the other man’s gun and pulled him into the cell. “Is the scientist armed?” Laci checked the charge on the stunner. It was full. “Is there an alarm at that desk?” “Not armed, no alarm.” The blonde slammed her hand into the ID panel and broke the scanning surface. The two of them freed the other seven women and then used the unconscious man to open the door to the outer room. Laci’s shot hit the man in the chest just as he spotted them and opened his mouth. Laci went to the desk and pushed the man out of the chair. The scientist had apparently been working because the network was active, an accepted user already logged in. The program was in the standard language and not too complicated. To access security and make changes required an accepted hand print ID. Once again, Laci used the unconscious guard’s hand. Laci then input her own hand print and that of the eight women behind her, erasing that of the guards and scientists. They now had control of the base. When Laci was certain the command had been accepted, she helped three of the women drag the guard and scientist into a cell. “What have they done to you?” Laci looked around at the group of women. There were blondes with pale, cream-colored skin and dark-skinned brunette beauties. She focused on the coming battle. She knew there was a chance the guards might escape the locked rooms. “They’ve altered our nano-cytes, made them more aggressive. The nano-cytes carry a program they intend to use to hurt others of our kind,” one of the dark-haired women replied. “As soon as we secure the scientist and the other guards, I’ll see what I can do. I’m very familiar with all of the programs the nano-cytes use and just what they can do.” Laci shook her head. The scientists were relentless. Would they never stop in their attacks? The scientist had been an easy enough proposition. It had taken only one shot to 79

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stun him. The guards had been more difficult. Although they’d been contained to their quarters, they had been able to pry it open just before the women arrived. Shots had been traded until finally the one conscious guard shielded behind a barricade of bedding had given himself up. The four guards and the scientist were now locked into cells and Laci went to the lab to see if she could find out what had been done. Laci rejoiced when she found copious notes and detailed accounts. She loved the tendency of scientists to document and then document again. Knowing what they had done, how they had accomplished it, made finding a solution to neutralize the program much easier. “They did make them aggressive, but fixing the problem will be easy enough.” Laci’s voice was calm and confident as she read the reports. “I would start, but I wouldn’t even get halfway finished. We’ll soon have company.” “Who?” asked Cheli, a brunette. “The rest of the universe knows them as the Norik. We called them the First Generation.” Laci was furious, but kept her voice even. “You were sent here? They let you be captured?” asked Cami, a petite blonde, with surprise. “I was bait. I didn’t realize it until almost halfway through the battle with the guards. They sent me in here without a word of warning. I’m still very angry with two of those men right now,” Laci growled. “How can you be certain that your solution will work?” Cami tilted her head, her expression doubting. “I’ve studied all three types of nano-cytes extensively. I know their strengths and weaknesses. When the males get here, don’t let any of them kiss you. That is a possible path of transfer with your nano-cytes.” Laci looked at each of them to ensure that they understood. “We won’t, but why would they want to?” Cami swept out a hand to indicate their limp hair and dull, standard clothing. “Some of you might have a mate among them, and they would be overcome with the desire to kiss you.” This, Laci knew well by now. “Make them understand that you can’t kiss them or have sexual contact yet because of what the scientists did. Although it will be relatively easy to stop the carriers in you, it would be harder if another person was infected.” Laci grimaced. “It could be done, but that is a battle that I don’t want to fight yet.” The eight women found seats in various spots around the room and asked her questions. The questions ranged from wanting to know about the way the nano-cytes worked to questions about the Norik men. Laci answered them all. The questions about the men tended to be general—what were they like and how did they treat her. Laci sat on a stool facing the door. The stun gun was clasped lightly in her hand and lay across her lap. She was prepared just in case the next people who came through that door weren’t Norik. Although she was aching for a fight with Darion and Alek, she 80

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wouldn’t conduct it with a stunner. The door slid open with an almost silent swish. Laci raised the gun, her finger on the trigger. Alek was the first man through the door. He grinned at her as he strode into the lab. Laci lowered the gun, but glared at him and then at Darion, who was but a few steps behind him. “Are you all right, Laci?” Alek strode toward her, eager to take her into his arms. “Never again will we even think about setting a trap in this way.” “You mean have I been infected by nano-cytes whose one purpose is to kill me slowly? No, I haven’t.” Laci shot them an accusing look. They were an arm’s length away from her, but she wouldn’t let herself get sidetracked by their touch. “Laci…” Darion began. “I’ll warn your men now. Until the nano-cytes within these women have been neutralized and fully replaced, those women can’t be kissed or touched in any intimate way.” Laci pointed a finger at them. “And don’t give me those questioning looks. It wasn’t an hour after I woke up chained to the wall that you had your hands on my breasts.” “The scientists have done something to them?” Alek’s gaze fell to the lush mounds beneath the soft fabric. “That’s one nasty program these scientists have built. If you have a tech who knows all three versions of the nano-cytes and their capabilities, he could work on the neutralization. If you don’t, I’ll have to do it.” They could have warned her that she was going to be put into this kind of situation. Reliving her worst nightmares wasn’t her favorite pastime. “I don’t think that we have anyone familiar with all three versions.” Darion frowned as he considered the problem. “Are you sure that you can do it?” “Who do you think made the program to beat Vanya Steryan’s creation?” Laci narrowed her eyes. Did they think she was some fluff-brained ornament? “I’m not a simple hunter. In my group, everyone had to be able to do many things.” “You were behind that program?” Darion asked, disbelief patent in his voice. “I thought I told you of it while I was showing you the program that you needed to use, at least implied it.” “If you did, we missed it.” Alek shrugged as he came to stand before her. Everything about her posture said, “Don’t touch me.” “You had better make sure the men all understand about no kissing. Those women merely carry the program. If anyone is infected by it, destroying the nano-cytes within them will be tough. It would make Vanya’s little creation look like a toy.” Laci pointed a threatening finger at him as she kept the gun in her other hand. “And don’t think about touching me. I’m furious with you two.” Darion chuckled. He stalked forward and plucked the gun out of her hands. “We’re properly scared of your wrath.”

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“You sent me with that man without any warning of his very dangerous intentions. I could have been infected for all you know!” “We were right behind you all the way,” Alek assured her. “Because the tracker you implanted in me the first time I encountered you was still functioning, still there,” Laci seethed, angrier by the moment. “Yes,” Alek acknowledged without hesitation. He saw no reason to deny it. She was theirs. It was time she admitted it. “We weren’t going to chance losing you in any way.” “You were willing enough to use me as bait.” Laci fisted her hands and resisted the urge to swing at him. “You let me walk unprepared into enemy hands. You should know that I consider myself quarantined. I don’t know what was done to me while I was unconscious. I won’t risk your lives until I’m certain that I’m uninfected.” She gave him a falsely sweet smile. “We’ll find out. The shuttle has an onboard video system. You probably woke soon after it landed.” Darion strode toward the door. “That ploy won’t last long. As soon as you finish your work in the lab, we’re going to finish this little discussion.” “Come on, Laci. You need to get started on neutralizing those nano-cytes. These women have mates among the crew of the Chimau and the Mocant. The men will be eager to renew the acquaintance and a long delay won’t sit well.” Alek curved an arm around her waist as he led her toward the entrance. “After you’re finished, we’ll talk.” “Your actions spoke for you.” She tried to keep the distance between them with her voice and attitude. Actual physical distance was impossible.

***** Back on the ship, Laci was taken to the lab and allowed free run. All of the scientists’ notes had been brought aboard and Laci began her work. First, she made certain that the notes weren’t mere decoys by going line by line through the program they’d created. It was a long, tedious process. Fortunately, Laci had all the help she could need. The lab techs willingly assisted her. Upon confirmation, she set part of them to work on a program to prevent the infected nano-cytes from infecting a person with the First-Gen nano-cytes while the rest of them worked on neutralizing the threat in the carriers. After nearly seventy-eight straight hours of work, they had success. The infected carrier nano-cytes they used to test the efficacy of the program were all destroyed by the nano-cytes with the new programming and not one of them had been infected. Laci and her assistants ran the tests over and over to be certain. Each time, the results were the same—the carrier nano-cytes were destroyed without further spread of the harmful program. Finally, the women were brought in and the process of removing the infected nano-

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cytes was begun. They had decided that using the First Gen nano-cytes in a seek-anddestroy manner would be the easiest and safest way to prevent the program from spreading. Just in case there might be an unexpected transfer, there was already a program in place to act as a vaccine to the virus program. Laci was exhausted. She’d been certified healthy and uninfected. That had been Darion and Alek’s first priority. In between verifying and programming, she had caught naps, but she was still exhausted. The mental drain had taken its toll. She was heading for the door when it opened, revealing Alek and Darion. Both of them looked well rested and impeccably groomed. She wasn’t surprised at their timely appearance. In truth, she’d been expecting them a little earlier. She hadn’t forgotten Alek’s threatening promise of a talk after she had finished her work. She wasn’t in any shape to deal with them. In an ideal world, she would be rested and have her anger whipped into a frenzy before she confronted them. She was too tired to wallow in righteous anger at the moment. They probably knew it and planned to use that to their advantage. There was too much of the predator within them to resist taking advantage of the weakness. “Time to talk, Laci.” Darion’s smile was toothy and anticipatory. “I need to sleep, Darion.” She knew it was a futile protest. “After we’ve settled this argument you have started.” Alek’s voice was unsympathetic and smug as he took her arm and led her out into the hallway. They can be opportunistic bastards when they want something, Laci thought with a grimace. They weren’t going to budge and she knew that sleep would be postponed until they had made whatever point they thought that she had missed. The argument would be conducted now. Laci knew the odds were heavily weighted in their favor. She was too tired to be logical and rational, much less angry. She couldn’t even work up a decent frown. They practically towed her down the hallway to the lift. Even in the lift, Alek kept a firm grip on her arm. Laci glanced down at those strong, tanned fingers on her arm. She’d like to disappear, just long enough to get some rest. She sighed and rolled her eyes as the lift doors swished open. They tugged her down the hallway to the door to their room. They allowed her to enter their room first, following with smug male confidence. With a few long strides, both of them placed themselves between her and the bed. They weren’t going to chance letting her get into that bed and drift off to sleep before this was completed to their satisfaction. “Do you have to do this now?” Laci’s eyes rested with undisguised longing on the soft bed behind them. The green blanket on top of it looked like paradise. “I can’t argue my side.” The remark drew chuckles from both of them. “You told us your side already, be’rai. You believe that we sent you into danger without giving you any warning because we didn’t trust you. That’s totally untrue.” 83

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Alek shook his head over her conclusions. “The truth is we let you do this for just the opposite reason.” “But you didn’t trust me.” How could they say that they trusted her? Their actions proved them wrong. “You didn’t tell me because you’re convinced that I can’t lie.” “You can’t lie, Laci.” Darion gave her a hard look. He didn’t know if she had missed understanding the real trust they had in her on purpose or if she just was unable to see it. “You can’t even hide the smallest of feelings. You are—” “But—” Laci began to interrupt, but Darion plowed over the attempt. “You’re very easy to read. We did trust you though. We trusted you to be able to take care of yourself and the other women. We trusted you to be able to handle the situation until we got there. And we were right in that judgment. You had everything in hand when we arrived.” Darion smiled at her, waiting for her reaction. Would she believe them or would she stubbornly resist seeing the truth? Laci didn’t know if it was just her sleep-starved brain or if that actually made some sense. They’d trusted her to be able to fend for herself and the other women among armed enemies, but hadn’t told her of the plan because they were convinced that she was unable to lie convincingly. Laci felt both complimented and insulted. She’d never had trouble carrying off a lie before she had met those two men. “We had to find that lab and we knew that Mekil was a plant to find our weaknesses. We had to stop their plan and we knew they wouldn’t risk tangling with a male. They know what we can do.” Darion arched an arrogant eyebrow. “There aren’t many who will willingly grapple with a male Norik.” “How did you know they were there?” “We intercepted a message from Mekil that there were now females among us and that he’d try to secure one as a test subject. We knew then that their base was very close. We never lost the shuttle on our sensors as we followed. You weren’t in danger,” Alek explained. Laci sighed. “Can I go to sleep now?” For now, she’d accept their explanation. If she found something objectionable later, she’d take it up with them. “Are you still angry with us?” Darion didn’t budge from his blocking position. “I’m a little insulted. I can lie to a human, you know. I’ve never had any problem fooling them. It’s merely you that I seem to have that problem with.” Laci considered the problem. “I’m too tired to be angry right now. If I think of anything I don’t agree with I’ll tell you when I can actually form complete thoughts.” “They must have been blind humans.” Darion grinned and shook his head. “I can’t believe anyone would be unable to see the truth in your eyes. Tell us that you forgive us.” Laci looked longingly at the bed behind them. “You’re making it a requirement before I can go to sleep?” Alek nodded, although his eyes gleamed with humor. “You’re adorable when

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you’re desperate. My only regret is that it’s sleep you crave and not us.” “I forgive you for sending me with that man without even a word of warning.” Laci gave in with reluctance. If she weren’t so darn tired, she would have found a way to stretch that out, to torment them as much as they often did her. Those two could be very inventive when they wanted something. It would have been delicious. “Now, little Laci, go to sleep. After you’re rested, we will talk again,” Alek instructed, stepping out of the way and toward her. He urged her into the large, soft bed. Laci curled beneath the sheet and blanket and fell into a deep sleep.

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Chapter Eleven Laci was subsequently given a little more freedom. Alek and Darion allowed her to work in the labs. She suspected that was more to allow the other techs to learn what she knew so that she wouldn’t be the only one with extensive knowledge of all three types of nano-cytes. They didn’t want her to be tied to the lab when there was an emergency. Their possessiveness was no secret. Now she wanted them to admit that they could trust her enough to remove the tracker they’d used to find her. She still didn’t know where it was and the physician certainly wouldn’t tell her. Her determination burned through her. I’ll wrestle an answer out of them tonight, she decided as she walked back to their quarters. Laci opened the door and stepped into the room. She’d taken four steps before the sight in front of her even registered, but then it wasn’t the first time she’d walked in on them. She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes on the two men sprawled on the couch. Both naked and both utterly gorgeous, they were engrossed in each other’s touch. Darion’s large body almost completely hid Alek’s golden frame. Darion’s mouth moved leisurely over Alek’s and Alek’s hands cupped Darion’s magnificent butt. They hadn’t noticed when she’d come into the room, Laci noted with a wicked grin. Interrupting them was merely a bonus. She wanted answers and they weren’t going to distract her this time. “Oh, Alek, Darion,” Laci called sweetly. “Do you want some privacy?” Both men turned to look at her. They both smiled. Darion moved to the side, just enough for her to see his hand stroking over Alek’s cock. “We want company,” Alek growled. “Join us, Laci.” “Not just yet.” Laci shook her head and tapped her foot. “I have a question and this time, you two are going to give me my answers.” Alek groaned as Darion’s mouth moved along the side of his neck. “What do you want to know?” Alek’s hand fisted in Darion’s hair and pulled him up for a hard kiss. “Where did you put that damned tracker?” Laci gritted through clenched teeth. Watching them make love excited her. Slick moisture slipped onto her thighs and her clit throbbed with anticipation. “You know I’m not going to try to leave you.” Darion turned his head and his eyes ran over her body in a slow appraisal, taking in her light blue dress and heels. A slow smile spread across his face. Laci took a step back at the intent in that smile. He rolled off Alek and stood. At an almost lazy pace, he

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strolled over to her. Alek followed, circling behind her. A warm hand brushed across her bare shoulder and then retreated. “What are you doing?” Laci asked, turning as Alek’s hand slipped under her skirt. Just one glimpse of his face instilled caution. Hunger blazed in his eyes. He was planning something. “Helping you find the tracker,” Alek explained with a grin. “I think she needs to be naked.” Darion raised his brows. “Maybe seeing all that golden skin would remind us where we put the tracker.” Laci edged a step to the side. Gone were the two relaxed lovers she’d found on the couch. In their place, two maddening predators focused on their prey—her. “I’m serious. I want it gone.” Darion’s white grin flashed brightly. “First you have to find it. We’ll help.” He grasped the hem of her dress and lifted slowly. Alek’s fingers brushed across her back, releasing the catches at her lower back and neck. Darion pulled the dress over her head and tossed it to the side. “The shoes…” He swept Laci into his arms. Alek slipped the heels off her feet and threw them over his shoulder. “Now we get to find the tracker.” Darion carried her over to the bed and tossed her onto the soft mattress. He followed her down and his arms caged her before she could try to roll across the silky green sheets. Hunger and good humor burned in his brown eyes. “Did we put it in this shapely little foot?” Alek ran his fingers over the curving arch of her foot. “Mmm…” Darion nipped at the column of her neck. “I think it was higher.” Laci’s eyes rounded as Alek’s hands smoothed up her calves. Darion drew back, moving to the side as his mouth traveled lower. Laci shivered as she felt his breath fan over her breast. Damn, they’re settling in to play, she thought. She knew that she’d never be able to resist them if his mouth touched her breast. “I think I need to examine these.” Darion licked his lips. “Maybe we put the tracker here.” Laci flipped over and scrambled for the other side of the bed. She needed to think, to talk to them. Alek’s fingers closed around her ankle and began pulling her back to them. She clutched at the sheet, but only succeeded in pulling it with her. “This view has possibilities.” Alek’s hot breath was on her thigh. “Yes, it does.” Darion’s fingers danced up her ribs. “Where did we put that tracker?” Laci giggled as he tickled her relentlessly. She squirmed and wriggled to get away from those teasing digits. “Darion, please…”

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“We’re going to please you, be’rai.” Darion’s hands smoothed up her back, working at the taut muscles of her shoulders for a moment. “We’re going to help you find that tracker.” “No, you’re playing,” Laci accused. “Of course we are. You’re much too serious at times, Laci.” Darion lifted her and rolled onto his back. “You can play with us. Find my tracker.” Laci’s eyes widened as his words hit her. “Your tracker… You have one too?” He smiled and nodded. Tanned hands came around her and cupped her breasts. Alek’s warm chest pressed against her back. “I have one, too. Come see if you can find it.” Laci looked back and forth between them. She couldn’t resist accepting the challenge they threw at her. She’d play with them and beat them at their game. She turned her head and dropped a kiss on Alek’s cheek before turning her attention to the man beneath her. “I’m going to find Darion’s tracker first.” She felt Alek move back giving her room for the moment. With wicked intent, she surveyed the enticing territory before her. His dark brown chest gleamed in the light, muscles rippling just beneath his skin. He’d be begging before she finished with him. She leaned over him and ran her tongue over first the dark brown disk to the right and then the left. For a moment, she lowered her mouth over it, scraping her teeth across the tight, hardened nub. “I don’t think it’s there. Too obvious,” Laci shook her head as she slithered down his body. She licked and kissed her way to his abdomen. His cock pressed against her chest, hard and eager for anything she wanted to do. She smiled and nipped the taut skin just over his hipbone. He jerked against her. Laci kissed a path along his thighs and then back up to his erect penis. “If I wanted to hide something, I might hide it here. Who would think a man would implant something here if he didn’t have to?” She cupped his balls, rubbing her thumb over the silky flesh. Darion groaned loudly when she licked his shaft from base to tip, swirling her tongue around the dark head. She grinned and gave his balls a light squeeze, just to add to his torment. “Oh, yes, I think this has definite possibilities as the location of the tracker.” Laci took his shaft in her hand as she lowered her mouth. “I see a place that has possibilities, too.” Alek’s voice preceded the press of his hips against her buttocks. His cock slid between her spread thighs, pressing against the slick lips of her pussy. Darion’s fingers curved around the back of her head. “No teasing,” he growled. “Just suck.”

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“You’re impatient. Maybe this isn’t the right place after all.” Laci lapped at a bead of pre-cum. She loved how he tasted—the slightly salty taste of his cum and beneath it an essence that was uniquely Darion. Alek’s hand came around her waist and his fingers slipped between the plump, wet lips to stroke over her clit. “I’ve found the perfect place.” Laci’s eyes fluttered closed as he began an insidious pattern, rubbing, circling. She pushed into those talented fingers. Oh, that was good. “Give him what he wants, be’rai, and I’ll give you what you want,” Alek coaxed as his fingertips pressed around the rim of her channel, increasing the ache within her. “We’ll all get what we want.” Laci didn’t even consider refusing the command. The hungry ache pulsing within her demanded satisfaction. She also wanted to taste him, to bring him as much pleasure as he gave her. She lowered her lips to the dark head of Darion’s cock. Lapping at it, she stroked her hand along the hard length. As his hips arched up in silent plea, she lowered her mouth, taking the hooded crown into her mouth. Darion’s hands fisted in her hair. She raised her eyes and saw him looking down at her. His lips were sealed in a firm, tight line and his eyes burned into her. He wanted this just as much as she did. She stroked her tongue over the underside of his cock, suckling at just the head as she watched him. A rumbling groan tore from him and his eyes closed. Laci gasped as Alek’s cock surged into her. She’d been wet, aching for more. Her pussy stretched, accepted him. The shaft slid deep until she’d taken all of him. She pushed back against him, urging him to move. Alek leaned over her, drawing a shiver from her as he swept his tongue up her spine. “Suck him,” Alek whispered, his breath feathering through her hair. Laci lowered her head, taking more of Darion’s cock into her mouth. His cock touched the back of her mouth and she felt her throat tighten. She drew back until just the thick head remained in her mouth. “Laci…” Need burned in Darion’s voice. His hips rolled as she worked her mouth up and down his shaft. Suckling at him, she took him as deep as she could. She wanted to make him come, to give him pleasure. His hips pumped, demanding a faster rhythm, deeper penetration, and she obeyed. Her tongue flayed over him as she took him to the back of her throat. She sucked and laved the thick rod in her mouth. His fingers tightened in her hair. She savored his grated cries and terse instructions. He roared when he came. His seed flowed into her mouth and she swallowed each pulsing jet. She licked and lapped at his shaft, collecting each stray drop as she pulled back. “Our turn,” Alek purred as his hands fastened onto her hips.

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He pulled back and then slammed back into her. He was wild, savage and just what she needed. Desire clawed inside of her, tearing at her. She pushed back, accepting his thrusts, meeting them. Each stroke slid in deep and hard. “More,” Laci gulped in air as she shoved her hips back against his. Needs piled inside of her, demanding release, but couldn’t find the words. She reached for ecstasy. It was so close. Just one brush of his fingers across her throbbing clit and she’d shatter, but his hands remained at her hips. Alek’s shaft drove into her and the force of that thrust took her over the edge. The climax exploded through her, sending shock waves of pleasure all the way to her fingertips. It seemed to ricochet through her, igniting smaller, less intense orgasms as he continued to move within her. He surged into her and went rigid as he found release. His hot semen pumped into her. He leaned over her, trailing kisses across her shoulder and nuzzling the hair away from her neck. Alek slowly withdrew from her. Laci shivered as he pulled out of her sensitive channel. The pulling sensation caused shivers to ripple through her. She drew in a shaky breath. Darion’s hands wrapped around her arms and pulled her up to lie beside him. Alek crawled up and pressed against her side. Laci tried to focus her mind, to remember what had led to this. “Why would both of you have trackers?” Laci trailed her finger across Darion’s chest. “All Norik have them, Laci.” Alek nipped at her shoulder, drawing her eyes to his. “We know the scientists are out there and active in their schemes to recapture their creations. It would be foolish not to be prepared.” Darion’s lips brushed across her cheek. “It’s a safety measure.” Alek lifted Laci’s hand and kissed her palm. “We aren’t willing to risk even one Norik becoming a captive again.”

***** Laci stepped out of the lab and couldn’t contain her surprised expression at finding Cheli standing in the hallway. She’d seen the woman around the ship many times since the day of rescue. Cheli had a mate on the Chimau, a young man named Ranok. Laci was simply surprised at finding Cheli here alone. The men seemed determined to spend every spare moment with their women. “I asked Ranok and he said it would be all right for us to go to the Rec rooms. He arranged for us to have a training room, a private training room. I’d like for you to teach me how to do what you did to those guards. I don’t ever want to go back in a cage.” Cheli spoke with earnest intent. “I have nightmares of being captured again.”

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Laci nodded. “It was a nightmare of mine for a long time as well.” The room Ranok had reserved was a large, light gray padded room. There were practice bots standing against one wall. As soon as the door shut behind them, Laci turned and looked at Cheli, who asked, “So where do we start?” “I’ll teach you how to fall in a few moments and then some holds and hold breaks, but I wanted to ask some questions. Did any of you ever try to escape? Form a plan and then use it against your captors?” “We tried to escape a few times, but we never left the cellblock. They always stunned us. We stopped trying some time ago.” Cheli’s hands twisted together in agitation. “How did you learn to do what you did to the guards?” “You were intended to be a weapon when you were created. I was intended to be a soldier. They trained us to fight. The guards at the base I was held at would never have handled me with the lack of caution and respect that the guards at your facility did.” “How would they treat you differently?” “Those guards who came into direct contact with me would never have worn a weapon and they would have known to the second when I would wake from a sedative. They took no chances.” “Did you escape or were you freed?” “We escaped. Most of those who escaped with me are still together.” Laci smiled as she thought about her friends. Although she didn’t really like talking about her time as a prisoner, she knew that she’d been lucky in some ways. She’d been educated and she hadn’t been tortured. They had merely wanted a tool to use. “How many times did you try to escape before you succeeded?” Cheli tilted her head. “Probably thousands. The first time I tried to escape, I was probably only seven,” Laci revealed with a chuckle. “Over the years, I learned caution and patience. As much as I hate the thought of going back into one of those things, I would have held out for the perfect moment. If those guards hadn’t been so careless, I would have waited for an opportunity. It would have come. It always does. Now, let’s begin.”

***** Alek smiled as he watched Laci with some of the other women in the common room of one of the Rec areas. She sat in a chair at the large metal table, listening and laughing with them. She didn’t seem to realize what she was doing. They all looked up to her and she’d taken them all under her care. She saw to calming the fears they had that no amount of soothing by their mates had dented. They came to her with their troubles and worries and she offered what counsel she could. She didn’t seem to realize she had taken up a position of power. She was their advocate. When they came to her with a problem, she immediately began

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searching for a solution. The problem of physical examinations for the women who’d been mated, for instance, had been taken care of within two days of their arrival. Two of the women were training to become medics. Alek stepped forward, striding across the room. Laci turned and smiled at him, stepping into him as her arms wrapped around him and her face nestled against the blue shirt of his uniform. He ran his hands over her body and she practically purred. He reveled in her easy acceptance of his touch. Alek stepped back, his hands going to the front catch of the bodice of her sexy deep blue dress. It was a sleeved dress, but the front provided an enticing view. With a deep neckline and a front closure, it cupped over her breasts and left her golden tummy bare. He spread the material revealing her full breasts. He lifted one of the mounds in his hand, his thumb brushing over the mauve nipple in slow strokes. Laci closed her eyes, her head falling back as she relished the sensations, unaware of the attention focused on her. “Time to eat, love.” Alek’s lips brushed across the black hair at her temple. “Darion will join us in the forward dining hall.” “Umm, I am hungry.” Her sultry purr conveyed that food was not what she had in mind. Her body fitted to his, her curves pressed against his side. She wanted him. He could smell her arousal. Every time that they took her to the dining room, she tried to control it, to resist becoming lost in the pleasure, but her body was much too responsive for that. Alek saw the other women staring at them. He merely smiled as he led the way. He knew that it had taken Laci a little time to grow comfortable with their ways. The women only saw how easily she accepted his touch, how she enjoyed it now. They didn’t know about the times when she had sat between them, stubbornly clutching her bodice closed until she had become too excited to remember her shyness. They only saw her allow him to bare her breasts without a protest. Laci might not see herself as a leader, but the women followed her example. Seeing her this way would help to ease their transition. It might not be immediate, but they’d soon lose their shyness. Alek guided Laci from the room. Those women would be getting a peek at just how willingly Laci accepted their touch and her life here. If there had been a woman for Laci to observe, he and Darion wouldn’t have hesitated to use the example. They’d wanted her acceptance and there was very little they wouldn’t have done to gain it.

***** Laci knew something wasn’t quite right, but there was little time to think of it. It was only a short, intense lift ride and a brief walk before Alek led her into the dining room. The large room was scattered with tables and booths along the walls.

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All the tables were elegantly draped with long, white table cloths. The floor was light gray-blue and the booths and chairs were a deep, slate blue. Lights were kept low in the dining rooms. Soft shadows and cream walls gave an ambience of quiet, romantic solitude to all who dined. Alek urged her into one of the booths. The cushioned seat curved around the table providing a bit of privacy and maneuvering room. It was one of the men’s favorite locations. The table cloth and the booth hid an abundance of maneuvers that would be obvious at a normal table. They took full advantage of the extra cover. Darion arrived a moment later pushing a wheeled cart which held their food. Laci raised a brow even as she enjoyed the sight of the blue shirt stretched across the broad plane of his chest. They were definitely planning something. Usually, the three of them came to the dining hall, requested their food and snuggled in the booth while they waited. When Alek and Darion had everything ready and waiting, she knew they were scheming. They took no chances when they planned something. She wondered what the devious men wanted. Darion placed the food on the table, slashing a quick look toward Alek. Laci caught the glance Darion cast at Alek and Alek’s replying nod. She couldn’t quite interpret the actions, but she grew a little more wary as he placed two plates, utensils and three glasses on the table. Laci picked of the silver carafe of wine and poured the blue liquid into each of their glasses. She placed the carafe in the center of the table and sat back. Whatever their scheme, she knew that it had begun. “Do you mind telling me why there isn’t a plate for me?” Laci’s green eyes flicked from one man to the other, trying to find some hint in their faces. Excitement curled within her. “We’re going to feed you.” Darion watched the wariness flare in her eyes. “You know you crave our touch, the pleasure we give you. You’ll love it.” Laci was certain she’d enjoy it. She found only delight in their touch. They could excite her more with a simple look than some men had ever managed when they were touching her. They would drive her crazy with that pleasure, but she couldn’t resist taking the journey. Darion slid into the booth, taking his seat at her side. He scooped up some meat with gravy and held it temptingly in front of her, just close enough that she could smell the tantalizing aroma. Laci leaned forward, opening her mouth to take the food. Darion drew the food back with a laugh. “You know how we like you to be when we’re here.” Darion lifted the fork temptingly close. Laci’s eyes widened. She felt Alek’s large hand brush over her thigh, just the barest hint of a touch. Demanding, arrogant… Laci knew that she could not change their behavior. In truth, she wouldn’t want to do so in spite of the fact that they often

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angered and exasperated her greatly. Even at their most arrogant, she found them sexy. She wanted them just the way they were. With a sigh, she spread her legs, lifting them and hanging them over the muscular, cloth-clad thighs of the two men flanking her. Her skirt rode up, leaving her open for their touch. Darion smiled and slipped the bit of food between her lips. His right hand palmed her breast, the skilled fingers brushing over the full roundness. Laci concentrated on chewing and swallowing the food in her mouth in spite of the tendrils of electric delight sizzling through her. She had to focus. If she was going to walk out of here capable of a coherent thought, she had to maintain control. They were teasing wretches. They would take her to the heights while in the dining room, but they would never let her go over the edge. Always, they made her wait until they got back to their room. Alek brushed the edge of a fork over her lips. Laci knew she was losing focus, losing control. Her body heated as the memories of the many meals they had shared leapt into her mind. Just from the feel of Darion’s hand on her breast, she was on fire. Laci opened her mouth and greedily accepted the food. She had no idea what she was chewing. She wanted their touch more than she wanted food. Alek’s left hand settled on her thigh, brushed upward with slow thoroughness. The slight calluses on his hands sent tingles straight to her core. She knew that she was already wet. The muscles of her vagina were taut, eager to receive their touch. Darion and Alek fed her and themselves, all while making her insane with need from their light touches and kisses. Darion’s lips settled over hers, his teeth nibbling on her lips before his tongue stroked into her mouth. He could smell the sweet scent of her passion. It was as clear as the passion in her eyes. Laci brushed her tongue along his, enticing him. His fingers stroked along her jaw. Darion took one last lingering nip at her lips. Laci felt two fingers slip into her heated slit. She just managed to bite back the groan that rumbled at the back of her throat as those fingers twisted within her. Her back arched. She vaguely wondered if she would survive a life with them. Their teasing just might kill her. Alek’s lips closed around the peak of her right breast, his lips and teeth nibbling and plucking at the sensitive nipple. Laci’s head fell back to rest against the cushioned seat behind her. Her eyes fluttered closed as Alek began to draw on her nipple. The fingers within her moved slowly, maddeningly. Her fingers threaded into Alek’s hair as his lips worked at her nipple. A hungry whimper escaped her lips as Darion’s thumb brushed against her clit with each inward thrust of his fingers. She needed more. If they didn’t get her out of here soon, she just might attack them. “I need to be filled,” her whispered plea fell between them. She felt Alek smile against her breast.

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Their com-links went off almost simultaneously. Laci tried to concentrate on what was being said and their terse replies, but her mind was a little slow to clear from the haze of desire they had created. One thing was certain, something wasn’t right. “We have duty to see to, lovely one. Much as we would love to linger with you, we’ll have to find our usual after-dinner pleasure later.” Darion stood slowly. Her brain may have been fogged by their kisses and maddening touch, but she wasn’t an idiot or deaf. She had heard the words “remind you” in both of their conversations. They never needed reminding or started anything that they couldn’t finish. Then she remembered the plan she had suspected them of following. Her eyes narrowed and she looked around the room. Laci’s eyes fell on several of the women dining with the men who had claimed them. She saw the women’s expressions as well as the satisfied glow on the men’s faces and knew that this was no coincidence. It didn’t take many wits to decipher their plan. She had just been used as an object lesson. She turned fiery eyes to the two men. They probably wouldn’t even deny it. Her body was on fire, pulsing with desire they had ignited. Her anger hadn’t made a dent in it. The slight breeze from the air vents tormented her oversensitive body. She glared at them, growing more furious by the moment. They weren’t even going to give her satisfaction after using her, just so their men could make progress with their women. Darion helped her out of the seat. She waited until they were out in the hallway before she vented her anger. They walked nonchalantly beside her as if they had done nothing. She stomped hard on Darion’s foot and drove her elbow into Alek’s unprotected ribs. She leaped forward and spun to face them. “Next time, try asking for my help. I’m generally fairly reasonable,” Laci stormed before she stalked off—or tried to. Darion stopped her by simply grabbing the trailing black braid of her long hair. Laci took a step back and turned to face him. She grabbed her braid and tugged on it, but he wouldn’t release it. “I swear I’m going to cut that,” Laci muttered. “Better not, we like it.” Darion’s grin was unrepentant. “It’s my hair.” Laci narrowed her eyes. She would take a lot from them, but she wouldn’t let them dictate to her. “Say what you have to say.” “It will also be your ass.” Alek smiled. “You have a point about the way we handled this. We could have asked.” “Arrogant, presumptuous, self-important and blind,” Laci muttered beneath her breath. “You could try giving them a little time. They just got out of a horrible situation.” “Be’rai, relax. We’ll talk about this later. We have to attend to our duties.” Darion’s voice was pitched at a soothing rumble.

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Laci shot them both a glare. She was frustrated and more than ready to vent it on them. “Well, go to your duties. I think you’ve harassed me enough.” “Be’rai, your way with words has me wanting to give you a lesson in the proper respect owed to your mates.” Alek’s voice was low, but the laughter in his eyes and the smile on his face belied the words. “When my mates deserve respect, they get it. When they are undeserving of it, I certainly don’t give it,” Laci shot back. “Go to your duties. You’ve made me angry enough today.” “You could get to be a bossy little woman if we let you. Luckily, we know just how to handle you.” Darion’s voice was confident as he stepped forward. “We’ll deal with your burgeoning arrogance later.” As he passed her, his hand landed a stinging smack on her buttock. That contact caused the muscles in her pussy to clench, heightening her arousal. Laci found herself alone in the hallway. Her body was on fire, her clothing felt heavy and abrasive against her skin. She desperately needed some kind of release. They had deliberately taken her to the heights and known they wouldn’t be able to finish. By the Gods, they could have shown her a little mercy. She headed for the recreation area. She needed to work off some of this frustrated desire. She knew the two men who were her mates very well by now. She wouldn’t get the chance to satisfy the hunger which raged within her. They were fairly predictable. If she went back to their room to finish it herself, someone would come to the door, needing assistance or seeking something before she could find satisfaction. In spite of the anger she felt for their actions, Laci knew that she’d be back in their arms before the day was over. She couldn’t hold onto her anger when they touched her. She also knew that the way they acted, how they thought—it was all part of what drew her to them. If they were weak and biddable, if she could get them to do anything she wanted, she wouldn’t be half as interested in them. She accepted and loved them exactly as they were. In the practice area, Laci took great satisfaction in pounding on the android opponent. The exercise and focus helped burn away the desire that her mates had so expertly fanned into a burning blaze. The next time Alek made a remark about not leaving her wanting, she was going to be sure to use this. Like them, she’d take any advantage she could get.

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Chapter Twelve Laci had the uneasy feeling that two hunters were circling her, closing in for the kill. Alek and Darion were getting impatient. They weren’t going to wait for much longer, before applying a little pressure. She’d seen it in their eyes. The intensity, the hunger burned in their eyes. That was a look that she knew well enough. It didn’t take a mind reader to know what they wanted. They wanted that ceremony. Laci was uncertain. She didn’t know anything about it. She hadn’t asked when they’d first brought it up and now, it seemed too much like throwing raw meat in front of wild, starving animals. They’d take the subject and run. If she brought up the subject, the next thing she knew she would be in the middle of that ceremony. It wasn’t that she objected to the ceremony itself. More and more she was coming to crave that permanent connection, but she wanted more from them. She wanted a declaration. Pulling that declaration from them would be the trick. With both of them in the room, she didn’t have much chance of directing the conversation. Darion came into their quarters earlier than expected that night. Usually, he and Alek arrived at the same time. Now, this is too much of an opportunity to waste, Laci thought as she watched him take off his shoes. With a little persuasion… Laci smiled as she stood and walked over to Darion who looked a little tired, but very sexy in that form-fitting blue shirt that so deliciously outlined his arms and chest as well as the black pants that molded to his legs and buttocks. She couldn’t help but notice how that blue seemed to enhance the dark bronze skin and accentuate the ruggedness of his face. She licked her lips in anticipation. She laced her fingers into his soft black hair and pulled him down for a long, slow kiss. By the Gods, he tasted good. That crisp taste of his that reminded her of a brisk morning and the forest made her feel almost drunk. Her lips clung to his before she drew back. She ran her hands over his shoulders. “You’re tense,” Laci purred and forced her mind onto the matter at hand. “Is something wrong, Rion?” “Nothing is wrong, be’rai,” Darion assured her, his hands moving beneath the silky material of her green shirt to stroke over the warm skin beneath. Laci stepped back and grabbed one of the dark blue covers from the bed. She knew that if she was going to ask him any questions, she had to keep her mind clear. She had to keep him from touching or kissing her. “Come with me, Rion. I will give you a massage, loosen those tense muscles.” She carried the satiny spread to a wide, clear spot in front of the chair and couches. She spread it and stepped back. She turned and was startled to find Darion right behind

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her. “Lie down, Rion. I’ll be right back,” Laci urged him. Darion raised his brows as she walked to the bathroom with a very slinky sway of the hips beneath that short black skirt. Laci turned back at the door and saw feral anticipation on his face. She frowned, turning back to her task as he began stripping of his clothes, flinging them onto the couch. She wondered if Darion was working on a plan of his own or if he just wanted her. Laci came back to the bedroom with a bottle of lightly scented oil. She breathed in slowly, gathering her courage. Her plan, as quickly thrown together as it was, had solidified in her mind. She’d get him relaxed and sleepy and then hit him with her questions. If the answers were right, then the ceremony could occur without delay. If they were wrong, then there wouldn’t be a ceremony. Darion was sprawled on his stomach, nude and waiting. His dark hair was pulled to the left side of his neck. His left cheek was pillowed by his arms. His eyes locked upon her the moment she came into view. The intensity in those brown eyes caused her to pause as she approached him. “About time,” Darion lowered his lashes, veiling his eyes. “You promised me a massage. Get to it, woman.” That move, those thick lashes sweeping down over his eyes caused alarms to ring in Laci’s head. The man didn’t have a bit of shyness in his body. “Where’s Alek?” She bit her lip, nervously. “He was held up with some details in the engine room,” Darion said. “My muscles are still tense.” Laci chuckled, eyeing the expanse of taut, deep brown skin in front of her for a moment before moving to straddle him. She pushed away her worries and focused on him. He was a beautifully formed man, all sculpted muscle and hard planes. She poured oil into her hands and rubbed them together before smoothing them up his dark bronze back. Her strokes were long and firm. She moved to the muscles of his broad shoulders. On those tightly bunched muscles, her thumbs rubbed circles as she tried to ease the tension there. She kept moving her hands over his muscles working every bit of tension out of his back and arms. “That feels good, be’rai.” Darion’s voice was thick. He sounded slumberous. Laci smiled with glee and satisfaction, glad he couldn’t detect her plan. If he was relaxed almost to the point of sleep, it shouldn’t be too hard to ask her questions. She wouldn’t have to phrase them as carefully. “Rion,” Laci whispered softly, leaning close to his ear. Her mind whirled as she tried to phrase the question in a way that would elicit a clear answer, yet not alert him to the reason why she asked the question. She wanted no doubts about what he felt. “Do you want me?” “Always want you, be’rai.” His muscles bunched under her hands, then slowly

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relaxed. Laci frowned. Well, that hadn’t got the response she wanted. He was talking sexually. She wanted to know more than that his body desired her. That was obvious and had been from the first. “Do you need me?” “I couldn’t be without you, Laci. I love you.” Darion’s body tensed slightly under her hands. “My love for you came quickly. Almost from the day we found you I knew that you would own my heart.” “I know you love me, Rion. I know that Alek loves me too.” Laci sighed. What was she going to have to ask to get the answer she wanted? “I’m just not sure it will be enough.” Darion seemed to explode under her. Lifting his body with her still straddling him, he reached around, pulled her off him and deposited her under his body. Laci’s stunned surprise wore off within a breath. Scrambling backwards on her elbows, she tried to move away from his looming body. His hand grabbed her a moment later, halting her flight. She hadn’t gotten far. Darion was now leaning over her. Darion reached over and pulled the com-link from his pants. He pushed on the end of it. “Alek!” he bellowed into it, then angrily tossed it away. He turned his gaze back to her and those brown eyes were shot with gold. That wasn’t a good sign, Laci knew. She took a deep breath. Alek strode into the room only moments later, his expression thunderous. His long strides covered the distance quickly. He was just as angry as Darion. “Did you hear that, Alek?” Darion’s eyes never left Laci. “If you’re just being stubborn, I’m going to spank your ass.” “Yes, I heard.” Alek knelt at Laci’s side. “How do you know that we love you?” Laci tried to sit up, but Darion placed a hand flat on her chest and glowered at her. Even without him applying any pressure, she couldn’t move. She narrowed her eyes angrily. They could let her sit up and face them. They knew how vulnerable she would feel in this position and they were using it. “I’m not an idiot. Your actions, your words, the look on your faces, the way you care for me, all tell me that you love me. The actual words are nice to hear, but I knew without them.” Laci glared up at them. She felt like such a dunce. They’d planned this. All the while she’d been plotting and trying to pull answers from Darion, they had been waiting to close their trap. “If you know we love you and you love us, then what is it that you need?” Alek frowned at Laci. “What more can you need to know if you know of our love for you?” “I would never know the truth if I told you.” Laci shook her head. She wouldn’t take the chance that they would tell her what they thought she needed to know. Both of the men growled and their stares became even more intense. She could feel their anger almost like a tide washing over her. Darion leaned closer to her.

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“Laci.” He bared his teeth. “I’ll get the answers, even if I have to pull them from you.” “If you can’t tell us, then keep asking your questions, but you can be certain of one thing. We will be going through the Norik ceremony. Don’t doubt it.” Alek glared down into her eyes. Laci chewed nervously on her lips as she looked into Alek’s golden eyes and then turned to look into the deep brown of Darion’s. Determination glittered in both of their hard gazes. Darion was naked and Alek was still dressed in the Norik uniform of dark blue shirt and black pants, but they were both equally intimidating. “But…” Laci gulped as their scowls darkened and they simultaneously leaned toward her. They weren’t in the mood to negotiate. “All right…the questions. How long will you want me?” It wasn’t phrased as delicately as she’d thought to ask it, but she had never planned on being confronted by both of them. In fact, her plan hadn’t gotten much past, It’s just him and me, let’s do this. Laci actually saw the confusion, the startled astonishment move across their faces. Darion’s eyes narrowed and his brows lowered. Alek’s golden eyes seemed to glitter as sparks of silver mixed with the gold and color rose on his tanned cheeks. “You can’t mean what I think you mean.” Alek’s eyes fixed with angry intent on her face. His hands flexed, but he kept them pressed against his side as if he was restraining himself from grabbing her. “The other interpretation is just as bad.” An angry flush rose on Darion’s face. “In one version, she’s asking how long we’ll crave her luscious body. In the other, she’s asking when she can leave us.” His hand threaded into her black hair. “I’ll give you the answer right now. We’ll always want you and we’ll never let you go.” Alek’s normally smooth voice was roughened by his restrained anger. “Do you know that the thought of you even thinking about leaving us makes me want to prove where you belong?” “Do you care to explain the obscene question you just asked, Laci?” Darion invited in dangerously neutral tones. They were more than angry. Laci took a deep breath as she tried to scoot backward using her elbows and shoulder blades. It was a wasted effort. Alek grabbed her arm to ensure that she stayed as she was. “Explain.” Alek squeezed her arm in gentle demand. “Now.” Laci hadn’t thought that the question would infuriate them, but it had. She’d only wanted to know if they were tied to her as she was to them. She licked her dry lips. “I only wanted to know,” Laci sighed. Their faces darkened even more. “I know that I can’t touch another man, but you aren’t limited as I am. If you wanted, you could go to any woman.” “As long as you’re alive, you’ll find us utterly faithful and extremely attentive. We won’t stray.” Darion smiled as her reasoning finally became clear. He brushed the hair

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away from her face as his hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing across her smooth skin. “When you’re near, we don’t even notice other women in a sexual way.” “There was more to it than ‘you wanted to know’.” Alek tugged roughly at her green shirt. “Are there any other questions before you tell us the real reason you asked that one?” They had pretty much answered everything by now. She shook her head no, practicing silence. She wasn’t certain that she wanted to give them the real reason. It was embarrassing enough to admit it to herself, but she knew there was no way to deny them. They would get their answers. “You’ll tell us,” Darion vowed. Darion went to work on Laci’s clothing as Alek shed his. Laci struggled to keep her own clothing on her body and move away from him, but it was a losing battle. When he would pull, she tugged. When he finally tired of her hindering efforts, he ripped the clothing from her body, pulling the tattered remains of the green shirt and black skirt from her. Laci’s skin had a fine sheen of sweat from her efforts to resist her disrobing. As she looked up at the two men looming over her, she couldn’t help feeling more than a little nervous. The two men were smiling down at her and there wasn’t a bit of kindness or sympathy in those feral expressions. “Rion…” Laci’s eyes begged him to give her a little time. She knew that they wouldn’t stop until they had what they wanted. “No, be’rai, you’re going to tell us the reason that you needed to ask that question.” His dark eyes were hard and unrelenting. “We need to know the reason that keeps you from committing to us. Why did you need to know how long we would want you?” “They are my reasons. I don’t have to tell you.” Laci’s attempt at firm, positive assurance fell short when her voice wavered and her eyes skittered away from his. How could they be so intimidating when she knew they wouldn’t hurt her? “You’re adorable, little love, but you aren’t getting out of this confession,” Alek chuckled. “Your need for us will always be your weakest point. You will tell us. I think some gentle persuasion is called for. Don’t you think so, Darion?” “I agree.” Darion smiled. The anger over that question had seemed to have faded as soon as he had realized that she wasn’t thinking about leaving them. “I’ve wanted to get my hands on her since I walked into the room.” “Want to give up and tell us now?” Alek raised an imperious red eyebrow as he looked down at her. “You know that you can’t resist us.” “Want to pull it out of me?” With a smirk tilting her lips, Laci tossed her hair back over her shoulder. She knew that once they got their hands on her she wouldn’t be able to resist very long. Her body responded too eagerly to their touch. Even if she hadn’t been thinking about sex, a simple brush of one of their large calloused hands across her thigh and the

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tension within her began to tighten, the heat to build. “It will be my pleasure.” Darion saw the challenge that burned in her eyes. She was so beautiful, so enchanting. He ran his eyes down her body to the glistening lips between her thighs. “Your pussy is already hot and creamy just from giving me a massage.” Alek leaned over her, his calloused hand running from thigh to breast and back in a leisurely caress. “How about I get my mouth on her and she gets her mouth on you?” That sounds wonderful, Laci thought. She agreed with anything that would let her taste even one of them and also allow them to touch her. She needed them. Her clit throbbed with need and her pussy ached with emptiness. “That sounds like an excellent beginning.” Darion raised his brows. He hadn’t missed the flush of red rising over her cheeks or the interest in her eyes. “How do you want to do this?” “I’ll lie on the floor. She can kneel. You can stand.” Alek lay on the blanket Laci had placed on the floor and Darion urged Laci to straddle his face. She didn’t resist. The truth was she wanted them, in any way, at any time. She also knew she was fighting a losing battle, but she loved their techniques of persuasion. She’d resist a while longer just because she could. While she wasn’t thrilled about revealing the truth, she’d do it. Darion stood in front of her, his dark cock fully engorged. Laci licked her lips in anticipation. She craved that masculine taste and she knew he was eager for her mouth. His cock jerked in front of her. She lifted her hands, intent on stroking that dark, velvety flesh. “Alek, her hands.” Darion knew that just a few strokes from those warm, soft hands would steal his control. Alek reached up and grabbed her arms. He brought them down, lacing his fingers into hers. “Just your mouth, Laci.” He leaned up and stroked his tongue over the plump folds of her labia. A shiver of pleasure coursed through Laci. She closed her eyes and dipped her hips to get a firmer touch, but he pulled back, his tongue leaving the slick lips. She groaned in frustration. The bulbous head of Rion’s cock bumped her lips and Laci opened her mouth eagerly. Her tongue lapped and laved, circling the dark tip. She leaned forward to take it into her mouth, but Darion stepped back. “No, be’rai,” Darion chided in a teasing tone. “I’ll fuck your mouth. You just stay as you are and open wide.” As he looked down at her, his smile was wide and predatory. Darion stepped forward when she slicked her tongue over her lips and smacked them in invitation. The wide head of his cock bobbed before her. Her tongue flicked out laving the tip, gathering a bead of pre-cum. She loved how he tasted, slightly salty, musky and so

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delicious that he was almost addictive. Darion gazed down at her as his hand guided his cock to those sweet lips. Her mouth opened and took the head into the warm, wet cavern. His eyes closed and a groan exploded from his throat as her tongue flicked around the head. “Suck it, be’rai,” Darion ordered in a low growl. “Take it deep.” Laci sucked at his shaft accepting more of his thick rod as he rolled his hips forward. She sucked with obvious greed, enjoying his taste and his vocal reaction to her efforts. As he withdrew, her tongue swirled over him. On his next stroke, his cock slid deeper into her welcoming mouth. Alek stroked his tongue over the visible bud of her clit and Laci moaned around Darion’s wide shaft. Her hips bucked in demand. His tongue again flayed the sensitive bud. His tongue swirled over her flesh, gathering the honeyed liquid. He savored the distinctive flavor. If his cock weren’t aching to sink deep into her pussy, he could have feasted on her for hours. Clenching his teeth, his hands buried in her hair, Darion watched his dark cock stretch the bright red flesh of her lips. His excitement tripled at the erotic sight. “Release her hands, Alek. Give her something to do with them. Take her high, Alek. Make her desperate.” Alek chuckled against the warm, honeyed flesh of her cunt. “Play with your breasts, Laci. Show us what you like.” Laci groaned but lifted her hands, cupping her breasts and lifting them before running her palms up over the hard, pebbled nipples. She was already on fire for them. She squeezed and massaged the lush mounds. Her fingers moved to the rock-hard points and plucked and rolled the sensitive nubs, moaning at the pleasure. By the Gods, she wanted to be fucked. Alek lapped at her, from her creamy slit to the throbbing hood of her clit. His lips enclosed the swollen nub and he drew on it. Soft moans and the gentle rock of her hips told of her need just as clearly as the honeyed fluid seeping from her slit. His large, warm hands moved, one curving around her thigh while the other slid over the curve of her buttocks. His fingers found the crease between the two tight globes. The blunt tips of his fingers traveled down the silky skin until he found the puckered rosette of her anus. Her hips bucked hard against his face when his fingers began circling the tissue. Laci sucked on Darion’s cock, drawing his taste deep. Her tongue lapped lovingly over his length as he almost withdrew. She closed her eyes, a broken groan escaping her when Alek’s tongue stabbed into her and his fingers pressed against her tight back entrance. The sensation that shot through her set fire to every nerve ending in her body. Desperate for release, she moved her hips, riding that talented tongue. Pleasure built into a tight knot. Alek lapped at her taking her a bit higher and then drew back, leaving her balanced on the edge of ecstasy. Her groan of disappointment as his lips left that heated flesh vibrated around

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Darion’s cock. Darion clenched his teeth and pulled out of her hot mouth for a moment as he sought control. “Make him come, Laci. Swallow his seed.” Alek’s hands roamed over her. He wanted to end this game. The sight, the taste of her desire had him almost as desperate as she was. When his fingers teasingly circled her slit, she eagerly took the hard length of Darion’s shaft between her lips. His thrust drove him deep into her mouth. Eager to taste his cum, she sucked on him. Her thoughts centered on bringing him pleasure and gaining her own pleasure. Darion loved the sight, the feel, the sound of her taking him into her mouth. His cock was hard and aching and his balls were drawn tight to his body. By the Gods, he needed to come. He held her head still as he surged forward, deep into the wet depths. She made no secret of the fact that she wanted him. Her lust-filled eyes met his as she took him as deep as she could into that hot, wet cavern. She suckled eagerly, soft slurping sounds escaping her reddened lips as he surged in and out of her mouth. He stroked into her, his cock slid to the back of her throat and exploded. Laci swallowed, enjoying the salty taste of his seed on her tongue. She wanted more. Her tongue swirled around him gathering every last bit of his cum as he pulled free. Her pussy clenched and Laci wriggled, desperate to be filled. Darion kept one of his hands in her hair as he tilted her head back and locked his eyes with hers. “Do you want satisfaction, Laci? Do you want to come tonight?” “You wouldn’t leave me unsatisfied all night long,” Laci protested with false bravado. She hoped they wouldn’t torment her so, but they could be such teases sometimes. “It won’t take that long.” Darion grinned confidently. “You won’t deny us much longer. You’ll be begging long before six bells.” Alek’s lips settled on her clit and his finger skimmed the rim of her slit. Her hips bucked against him even before he suckled on her clit. She moaned, her hands clenching at her sides. Alek drew back before she could race to her peak. “Tell us why you had to know how long we’ll want you.” Darion brushed his fingers across her lips. Her lips closed over the probing digit, sucking at it until he pulled his hand away from her mouth. “I told you.” Laci licked her lips as she saw that Darion was hard and ready again. She squirmed, desperate with need. “An excuse,” Alek growled before he nipped her thigh. His finger pressed on the opening of her anus, not enough to enter but enough to tease her. A violent shudder of desire rolled over her body. By the Gods, that was unfair. Alek’s tongue lapped leisurely over her pussy as if there was all of the time in the world. She was panting, her eyes glazed when he drew away. “The answer.” Darion tipped her head back.

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Laci decided that she’d had enough. She cursed the weakness that demanded she surrender. She wanted to be filled now and if an answer would get her that, she’d supply it. “You’re mine.” She frowned at them, determination glittering in the green brilliance of her eyes. “And how does that relate to your question?” Alek asked. “I won’t share you with other women, not ever.” Laci’s green eyes narrowed at the thought. The thought of them touching another woman made her want to hit something—someone. They would be her first targets. “Ah,” Alek’s voice was rich with humor. “Your turn, Alek,” Darion released Laci’s hair. Alek’s hands fastened around her waist and he lunged up, lifting her. Laci found herself staring up at him, flat on her back on the blanket, her legs draped over his shoulders. “Such a difficult little love,” Alek smiled as he leaned over her. “If you’d asked if we would ever go to other women, we’d have told you the truth. We would never hurt you. You’re our one, the center of our lives.” Alek slid into her with a powerful surge. Her pussy accepted him, stretching around his advancing length. He withdrew and drove back into her, going deep. Laci welcomed the thrust of his cock, arching her hips to meet his. Her nails scored Alek’s arms as the heat flared higher. Her mouth fused with his in a lusty kiss. She needed, wanted… He surged hard against her. Laci’s body shook as climax rolled through her. Lights burst behind her eyelids and she held onto Alek, crying his name. “Alek…it feels so good.” Alek drove forward, the need to come a hard, wrenching need. Everything about her responses increased that need. The tight grip and release of her slick cunt around his cock, the hitch of her breath and the need that rose within her so quickly seemed to have been designed to incite and enflame. Alek lifted her hips as he thrust against her. A harsh roar was torn from him as he came. His seed poured into her in hot jets. When he was able, Alek removed her legs from his shoulders and pulled himself from the heated clasp of her pussy. Laci lay upon the blanket, a broad smile on her lips and her eyes closed content, replete. He picked her up and carried her to the bed. Gently, he placed her in the center and lay down beside her. Alek smiled. “You can be such a wild thing.” Darion was already sliding into bed on the other side, curving his arm around her waist. He nuzzled his lips against her neck, inhaling the scent of sex and woman. “Two days from now, we’ll have the ceremony.” Darion licked her earlobe. Laci raised her brows but said nothing. “Laci…” Alek’s normally smooth voice roughened in warning. 105

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Laci chuckled. “I didn’t think you required my agreement.” In a lightning move, Laci was flipped onto her stomach and two solid smacks landed on her buttocks. Her chuckle turned to a yelp. She lightly rubbed the stinging, reddened cheeks. “In two days, I’ll marry you in the Norik ceremony,” Laci agreed hastily. “I’m sure that this could be considered a form of coercion. So, tell me about this mysterious ceremony.”

***** Two Days Later Laci stood between Alek and Darion in front of most of the assembled crew in one of the dining rooms. She was dressed in a deep blue, silky dress. The plunging neckline showed her full breasts to great advantage. The skirt, a little longer than her other clothing, fell just a little past mid-thigh. Darion and Alek stood one on each side of her, facing her. They were dressed in the full Norik uniform—dark blue shirts with rank denoted on collar and shoulder, black pants and well-shined boots. Laci openly admired the broad chests displayed by those fitted shirts. Since they’d left their room earlier in the day, they hadn’t let her out of their sight. They each had a hand on her. Darion’s rested on her waist and Alek’s hand wandered around the curves of her butt. The Norik ceremony was relatively simple. It was in direct contrast to the ceremony that they’d known before their imprisonment. They wanted less pomp, more honesty. Her part of this ceremony was simple. All she had to do was stand there while Darion and Alek made their promises to her and then give back her one-line response when it was time. “We take you, Laci, in Marriage,” Darion and Alek intoned solemnly. “We promise to care for you, to provide for you. Your happiness will always be our highest priority. We will love you all of our days and protect you with our lives. “We pledge to you our faithfulness and our hearts. In times of trial and times of peace, you have our support and our trust. We will be at your side through anger and tears, joy and laughter; never will we leave you or turn from you. Will you become blood of our blood? Do you accept that which we give you and return the same to us?” Darion and Alek each drew a dagger from their belts. “I do accept you and give you everything I am.” Laci watched as they drew the knives across their palms. She took the dagger from Darion and cut a slash across one palm and then used Alek’s dagger on her other palm. While her life with them wouldn’t be simple, she trusted these men. Extending her hands to them, Darion placed his palm beneath hers and Alek enfolded her other hand in his large grip. Their blood mingled in the symbolic 106

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joining, uniting them by law and heart. She looked into their eyes with her own misty ones. She’d hardly ever outguess them and winning an argument was sure to be a rarity, but she loved them and the challenge they brought to her life.

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About the Author Rebecca Airies has always loved to read. Futuristic, the classics, mystery or horror, the genre doesn’t matter as long as the stories capture her interest and take her on an adventure. She soon discovered a love for writing and characters just waiting to tell their stories. Since that time, writing has become an obsession. Rebecca lives in the heart of Texas. She loves the outdoors, growing things, and working on crafts when she’s not lost in the worlds of her characters. Please feel free to write and tell her what you think; she’d love to hear from you. Rebecca welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Also by Rebecca Airies Primal Quest

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