Chapter Fifteen
Saige
Keir’s wound was cleaned then sealed with a laser wand. He refused to take any medication, scoffing that such a small injury didn’t warrant it.
The medic on duty was one of his fellow Tharans. “Yes, I know. You warriors thrive on pain,” he replied drily.
Khaun jumped to his twin’s defense. “Now, Artan, just because you’ve gotten too old to fight, and you’ve been relegated to support staff by Commanders Jax and Jynn, there’s no need to make nasty comments.”
“Too old?” Artan roared. “I can still put you on the ground in three parsecs!”
“Yes, you can,” Keir assured him, patting the medic on his withered arm. “We all know your reputation. Forgive my brother’s rude remark. He acts like the offspring of a jambora sometimes.”
“Well, get him out of here before I cause him enough pain to need medication,” Artan snapped.
“You shouldn’t have been so hard on the old man,” Saige commented as she accompanied them down the corridor toward the quarters the twins had been assigned on the Luna.
Khaun laughed. “He enjoys it. Artan was one of the finest before he was gravely wounded in battle. His fellow warriors saved his life, but they couldn’t save his arm. Our cybernetic technology wasn’t as well advanced then as it is now. But he’s still a Tharan warrior at heart, wired for combat as we all are. Coming out on top in verbal sparring keeps him sharp and gives him a way to satisfy that need.”
Saige glanced at him in surprise. She had no idea Khaun was capable of so much empathy.
He grinned. “Surprised? Turns out we’re not just unfeeling barbarians who love to bash heads in when we’re not busy fucking whatever comes along.”
Damn! She’d forgotten he could tune into her thoughts. “I never thought…”
“Relax,” Keir said. “My brother is simply letting off a little steam now that we’re out of danger.”
“Oooh! Now we’re showing sensitivity,” Khaun mocked. “If we keep this up, we’ll both be relegated to training the wee warriors.”
Saige laughed. She hadn’t seen this lighter side to them before.
They stopped at a familiar door. “These are your quarters? But this is my old room.”
“We requested it when we were chosen for the rescue mission,” Khaun explained. “Your quarters held your essence, and we wanted to get to know everything we could about you ahead of time. A successful hunter anticipates the actions of his prey.”
“So, that’s what I was? Your prey?” Saige’s voice rose.
“Once again, my brother shows his true heritage.” Keir shot his twin a withering glance. “Sometimes, I swear he sprang from the loins of a jambora. Forgive his poor choice of words. It was important for us to absorb as much of your essence as we could, Saige. You’ve had military training. You know split-second decisions must be made on a mission. Decisions that can mean life or death. The better members of a team get to know each other, the better they can work together. We did not have the opportunity to train with you ahead of time, so we used whatever resources we had. Is it not that way in your world?”
“Unfortunately our military skills do not include learning how to absorb the essence of our comrades...” Her words died off when Keir opened the door to her former quarters. “Oh sweet Goddess! What did you do?”
The stark room had been totally transformed. Gone were the dull beige walls, the government-issued furniture. Soft tapestries covered nearly every wall, swirling abstract shapes in warm shades of honey and cinnabar and cream. Softly glowing amber crystals studded the ceiling, replacing the utilitarian lighting and transforming the space into a welcome retreat. Her beloved childhood books, the only personal possessions she’d brought along on the Luna, had been given a place of honor on a small wooden table in a corner of the room. The twins had flanked them with a pair of bronze braziers heaped with chunks of another glowing substance that gave off a subtle, sensuous fragrance.
Along one wall, an enormous bed floated about three feet off the ground, piled with soft furs and pillows in a wide array of colors that reminded her of the spice markets on Namindia. Rich textures that made her long to run her hands over them all.
“We moved a few of our own things in to remind us of home,” Keir said. “Do you like it?”
She twirled around, taking it all in. “I love it! It’s a feast for the senses, like something out of the Arabian Nights.”
“Good. Because if we have our way, the three of us will be spending a lot of time here.”
Khaun’s eyes narrowed, and he gave her a dark look that sent shivers of anticipation down her spine. “Now – we have some unfinished business to attend to. Take off that ridiculous long dress and bend over the bed. You’ve got a good spanking coming for lying to us.”
Saige took a deep breath. She knew the next few minutes would decide her destiny. She could submit to the mastery of her Tharan rescuers, commit to being their mate. It would require major changes on her part. Saige had been alone for years, and she knew she couldn’t have things her own way anymore if she let two dominant males into her life. Their time in the Rapture Dome had been an illusion. Even with them, she’d been playacting the part of a pleasure slave. In the real world, she’d have to learn how to compromise, show real empathy and understanding, adjust to an alien culture. Harder work than anything she’d ever done in her life.
Or she could thank them for all they’d done and take up her rightful place on the Luna as an officer of the Interstellar Federation. Return to Earth. To an apartment on the 374th floor as stark and uninviting as her quarters on the Luna had been. To a life of loneliness made even more striking by the taste of a relationship richer and more fulfilling than any she’d ever read about in a fairy tale.
Her warrior twins stood with their arms folded, waiting. Fierce and magnificent. She met Khaun’s eyes then Keir’s. Saw the life in them. Saw humor and tenderness, along with the smoldering passion ready to erupt and sweep her away.
Saige was no fool. She kept her gaze locked on theirs as she slid the dress over her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. “Yes, my lords.”