Chapter Fourteen
Saige
The hours never passed more slowly. She washed and dressed with care, readying herself for her lovers. Fantasizing all the while about how once she and Aura were free, the twins would master her body together until she screamed in ecstasy.
The door slammed open. She whirled around, smiling. The smile died away when she saw Lady Zey accompanied by a dull gray Remulian roughly five feet tall and five feet around. A pair of unblinking yellow eyes peered out of a crease in the flabby ball of flesh atop his shoulders.
“Here she is!” Zey sounded positively giddy. “Our own little Earther. Hot and tight, ready to welcome that magnificent cock of yours. You won’t find another human consort anywhere in this sector of the galaxy.”
Saige shook her head from side to side, uncomprehending. “No. No. I’m supposed to go to the Sola Sea tonight. Keir and Khaun requested me.”
If anything, Zey looked even happier. “Please excuse me, my lord. I need to have a word with your consort.” She gave him a coy look. “I want to make sure she is aware of all your special desires. Fix yourself a drink. On the house.
Zey waited until the Remulian was browsing in the liquor cabinet with his back to them. Then she got within an inch of Saige’s face and lowered her voice to a malevolent whisper.
“I know what you expected. I saw the note they smuggled to you. If my androids weren’t devoid of emotion, I’d say they are fiercely loyal to me. I allowed Number Seven to deliver the note. Frankly, I rather enjoyed thinking about you spending the day preparing for a vacation with those two lovestruck Tharans you wrap around your little finger. Don’t worry. They’ll get part of their request honored. Aura is with them. I’ve sent an eager little slut from Nemis DP in your place. She’ll do anything they want in exchange for a rotation cycle on a warm sandy beach. They won’t be unhappy with the switch.”
The Dome mistress drew herself to her full height. “It’s time you learned your place, human,” she hissed. “I’m in charge. Not the customers, and certainly not you. You won’t be seeing the Tharan twins. Ever again. You’re going to spread your legs for this Remulian. Suck his cock if you can find it in that disgusting gray mound of flesh. Then he’s going to fuck you. If you’re really lucky, he’ll lick you all over first.”
Her voice rose on that last comment. The Remulian heard, as Zey planned. He met Saige’s eyes in the mirrored surface inside the cabinet. She saw another crease open in the folds of flesh below his eyes, and a long grayish-green tongue snaked out. She shuddered with revulsion.
Her shoulders slumped. She should have known all along.
Grow up. Dreams don’t come true for people like you. Even your own parents didn’t want you. That’s why they dumped you on me. You’re a bad bad girl. Now see what you’ve done! Look how hard you made my cock get. You deserve to be punished. The litany played over and over in her head. The words Doud spoke every time she cursed him and swore she’d get away some day while he stripped her naked and then whipped her.
You’re not a helpless girl anymore.
Khaun’s calm assessment of her from the other night popped into her mind, drowning out the abusive tirade playing in her head. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. He was right. She wasn’t a helpless girl. She was a woman in love – and she was a soldier.
Saige forced herself to banish all emotion and call upon on her military training. If the twins knew what was happening, they’d come to get her. But after reading the note, Lady Zey was already suspicious. She probably had her squad of androids on high alert, prepared for any trouble that might arise when the Tharans found out Saige wouldn’t be joining them.
Keir and Khaun had no idea their note had been discovered. If they came to get her, they’d have to fight their way through the guards. She had no doubt they’d risk their lives to try and save her. But in doing so, they’d destroy any chance of rescuing Aura. All three of them could be killed. The twins’ only hope for freeing their sister was to leave with her from the cabin on the Sola Sea as soon as the Luna made contact with them.
But she knew they’d never abandon her. They were Tharan warriors, trained from birth to protect their females, especially their chosen mate.
Suddenly, she understood what it meant to love. What her father must have felt when he rushed to his stricken wife’s side, knowing at any moment he, too, could be bitten by the deadly creature that attacked her. She loved Keir and Khaun enough to put their safety, their lives, before her own.
Saige knew what she had to do. She opened her mind to the Bond, sent out a terse message. Keir. Khaun. I’m not coming with you. You’ve set me free to enjoy sex again, and I thank you for that, but now that I’ve had a few days to think about it, I realize it was only the sex I loved. I don’t want to become your mate, live out my life in a strange world, stuck with the two of you until I die. I want more than you can give. I want to do all the things that turn me on, wicked things I’ve never admitted to you. I’m going to enjoy going to the casino and getting fucked night after night, each time by someone new. Finding out all the ways a male can make me come. I don’t love you. Take Aura and go.
She nearly collapsed in tears as she sent out the last few words. But she pulled herself together, forced her lips into a smile, and reached out a hand to the Remulian. “I am Saige, your consort for the evening. It is my honor to serve you, my lord.”
“Serve me? Oh, you will,” he grunted.
The disgusting creature turned to Lady Zey. “Get out. I’ve had enough of you and your endless pattering. I want what I paid for. But you’re wrong, Zey. I’m not going to lick her. She’s going to swallow every drop of my cum then she’s going to lick me all over for hours until I get hard again. And then I’m going to give her a proper Remulian fucking in every hole she has. Before it’s over, she’ll be screaming.” He gave Zey a shove toward the door. “See to it that we are not disturbed, no matter what you hear.”
Saige tried not to gag with revulsion as the Remulian waddled toward her. She lay down on the bed, pulled her skirt up to her waist, closed her eyes, and checked out, shutting her body down and sending her mind far away.
* * *
The scent. That’s what first pulled her back. Breathing in the heady mix of healthy male sweat mixed with that seductive gyron.
Gradually, she became aware of her other senses. The muted buzz of a photon blazar. The dull thunk as a body hit the ground. Thudding footsteps pounding along a dark corridor.
As she slowly reconnected mind and body, sensations poured over her. A dizzying rush of blood to her head, smacking against a broad hard surface with every rhythmic thud.
Running. Keir was running full tilt, with her draped over his shoulder. Though they were identical twins, she’d picked up one vital difference in the time she spent with them. Each brother’s gyron had a distinctive aroma. Keir’s was subtly seductive while Khaun’s had a raw edge to it. She couldn’t see him, but by the potent wave of gyron hitting her, she knew Khaun was blazing a trail ahead of his twin, picking off the guards as they appeared, by the sound of it.
“So, you’re finally back.”
Keir sounded pissed. He knew her well enough to read her body like a book, and though she hadn’t given any indication that she was awake and aware, he’d sensed her return to consciousness. His voice was steady, and she marveled at the strength he must have, able to bear her full weight at a dead run and not even be short of breath.
“What are you doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious? We’re saving your sweet little ass,” he shot back.
“But I sent you a message. Told you I didn’t want to go. Told you I don’t love you.”
“You little fool!” Keir’s harsh swat on her upturned bottom brought her crashing back to reality. “Did you really think we’d leave you?”
“Yes, we got your message. You did say you don’t love us. And you’ll pay dearly for that statement later,” Khaun chimed in. “You can’t lie to us anymore. We told you that after you experienced the Bond with us the first time. Besides, you’re terrible at it. Did you really think we’d believe you wanted to fuck slimeball aliens night after night when you could have the two hottest warriors in the galaxy battling over which one of us gets to lick your slit first?”
“Shut up and pay attention to your job,” Keir muttered. “We’ll have time for all that later. Right now, we’re about to encounter another Rapture Dome defense squad. I hear them up ahead.”
“Put me down and give me a weapon.” Saige began struggling, only to freeze in shock when Keir’s hand gave her backside another rough smack.
“Stop it, you bothersome little human! It’s hard enough to fire accurately at a dead run without having you ruin my aim with all your squirming.”
“Quit treating me like one of your helpless Tharan females. I’m a soldier, dammit! I’m trained to fight. Now put me down!”
“Hush, Saige.” Aura’s voice came from somewhere ahead. “Keir can’t risk putting you on your feet and having you dizzy or disoriented. You’d just get in our way. I’m covering his left flank. Khaun is on his right. And unlike my incompetent brother, I’m a crack shot, even on the run.”
Saige heard a loud hum, then another thunk. “Got him,” Aura announced. “That’s what comes of endlessly bugging two older brothers to take you along when they go hunting.”
“She’s right.”
Khaun’s voice held a hint of amusement and Saige marveled at how he could stay so levelheaded in the heat of battle. “I’d put our little sister up against any Tharan warrior when it comes to hitting a target.”
The rest of the conversation was cut off as they rounded a corner into a volley of fire by more android guards. Keir swiveled left, blocking Saige’s body with his own. She felt him stumble at the same time she caught the stench of sizzling flesh.
“You’ve been hit!”
Keir let out a muffled curse as Khaun responded. “He’s fine. I’ve taken worse hits when we practice maneuvers back home.” But Keir didn’t protest when Khaun transferred her to his own shoulder.
“Please, Khaun. Put me down.” She was begging, in tears. “Let me go before you get hurt, too. I’m okay. I can run. I can help fight.”
“We’re nearly there. Besides, if I put you down, I can’t use your body for cover.”
Saige had been in tight spots before, and she recognized the remark for what it was – a hardened soldier’s attempt to lighten the seriousness of their situation with grim battlefield humor. Though it went against every impulse in her, she wrapped her arms around his waist to take some of her weight off his upper body and tried to stay still.
He leaned around the corner, shielding her, and fired a blast.
“You got one,” Aura murmured. “As far as I can tell, there are only two more in this squad. Unfortunately, they’re between us and the entrance to the Sola Sea dome.”
“Keep covered and let me—”
“Let you do what?” she interrupted him. “You’ve got your hands full already.”
Without another word, Aura reached behind her and tucked her weapon into the waistband of her gown. Then she ripped open the front of her dress and darted out into the corridor waving both hands in the air, screaming. “Thank the gods I found you! You’ve got to help me! They’ve gone mad. They’re storming through the Rapture Dome, trying to kill us all.”
Confused, the androids held their fire. Aura never faltered. Without missing a beat, she reached for her blazar, drew it, and blasted first one and then the other, all the while running straight at them, shrieking at the top of her lungs.
Both guards crumpled to the floor before they realized what was happening. Aura stopped to check on one, delivered another blast, then stepped over his body. “Come on! Reinforcements won’t be far behind.”
“Little sister, you’re going to get spanked so hard when Dagon and Dru hear about this,” Khaun warned.
“I certainly hope so!” She shot him a saucy grin. “It worked, didn’t it? Besides, I couldn’t wait around all night for you to come up with a plan.”
* * *
Aura’s scream of joy when she caught sight of Dagon and Dru echoed through the Luna. Saige had never met them, but it was easy to guess who the huge warriors were by the tears in their eyes as they rushed to the transport dock and swept their mate into a crushing embrace between them.
Dagon let go of her long enough to wrap his arms around Keir and Khaun. “We cannot thank you enough for bringing her back to us.” His voice broke. Dropping to one knee, he laid a fist across his chest and bowed his head. “My brother and I are forever in your debt,” he declared.
“No need to grovel at our feet,” Khaun retorted. “We haven’t been appointed Supreme Rulers – yet.”
Aura ignored his sarcastic retort. “My darlings, I hate to let go of you for even a moment, but can one of you help Keir to the medical bay? He’s been injured.”
Saige hated to admit it, but now that she was back on her feet, she did feel dizzy and disoriented as Aura had predicted. She casually draped one arm around Keir’s waist, as much to support herself as him. “Stay with your mates, Aura. Khaun and I can take him. It’s been a while, but I think I can still find my way to the medical bay.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my mind,” Keir declared. “Don’t forget, I’ve spent almost as much time on the Luna as you did, little human. I know where the medical bay is.”
“No need to snap at her, Brother. She’s just trying to be helpful.” Khaun turned to Saige. “He always got cranky when he got a little didou, even when we were kids.”
“Didou, my ass,” Keir snarled. “This one will leave a full-fledged battle scar. It’s one I’ll wear with pride as a mark of my bravery in battle – and by the way, it’s one more than you have, brother.”
“That’s because I’m the smart twin,” Khaun shot back. “I didn’t offer my body to those androids for target practice.”
“I’ve never heard them arguing like this,” Saige said to Aura. “Were they always this combative growing up?”
Aura pulled herself away from a lingering kiss from Dru long enough to respond. “Worse, if you can imagine it. I was constantly stepping in to keep them from beating each other’s heads in.”
“You were a troublesome wench from the day you were born, always butting in where you didn’t belong, instead of trusting males to handle their own business. By the way, that reminds me…” Khaun’s eyes twinkled as he turned to Aura’s mates. “Wait until you hear about how she foolishly put herself in harm’s way down there. She deserves a good spanking for that. If you don’t give it to her, I swear Keir and I will.”
Saige saw Dagon’s eyes flash as he looked down at Aura. “You put yourself in harm’s way?”
Aura frowned at Khaun. “I did what had to be done to save us, just like you and Keir taught me to do.”
“But I thought—” Saige jumped into the conversation, then stopped, appalled at what she’d almost blurted out.
“I know. You thought females in our world were all spineless and subservient. Probably because of the nonsense my brothers have been filling your head with.” Aura shot Khaun a dark look. “We choose to be submissive when we’re with our mates out of love and respect for them, but that doesn’t mean we’re helpless. Tharon is a dangerous place, with a vast array of deadly creatures. I told you that. One of the ways our males protect us is to teach us how to protect ourselves when they’re not around.”
Aura wrapped her arms around Dagon’s neck. “The androids had our escape route blocked, my love. Keir had just been injured, and Khaun was protecting Saige. I saw an opportunity and took it. My brother can hardly blame me for how well I learned the lessons he himself taught me.” She flashed Dagon a naughty grin. “But if you feel a spanking is in order when we retire to our quarters, my lord, I bow to your will.”
Dagon swept Aura into his arms and growled something in her ear Saige couldn’t make out. Aura giggled, reaching back to clasp hands with Dru as her mates bore her away.
“We won’t be seeing them for a long while,” Keir remarked.
“Now that little sister has been safely delivered into the arms of her loving mates, our own mate is in need of a good spanking, brother, for that lie she told. Let’s get you to the medical bay to get patched up so we can do our sworn duty as Tharan males.”
Khaun stepped to Keir’s other side and wrapped an arm around his waist also, taking most of his twin’s weight. As he did, he delivered a firm swat to Saige’s backside.