3013: Targeted (17 page)

“Sorry.”

Brandt turned his attention back to T’karra, who looked at him with soft eyes and lips twitching with barely repressed laughter.

“Where was I?”

“You were saying that I dented your wall and stole your heart, or something like that.”

He looked into her beautiful face and bared his soul to her with his next words. “Yes, you did. And I’m never going to ask for it back. I love you, T’karra of the Ryvern pack. My heart is yours, for as long as you want it.”

T’karra opened her mouth to speak, but Brandt shook his head and then looked over at Hawke.

“Don’t answer just yet, baby. I’ve got a few things to say, too.” Even kneeling, Hawke was nearly nose-to-nose with her, and he looked deep into her eyes as he squeezed her hand in his and spoke. “On the trip here, I told Brandt I was tired of being a nomad, bouncing from one assignment to another. I thought I wanted to go back to Earth and settle down with a chosen of our own. Then I met you, and I didn’t want any of those things anymore. What I want—what we want—is a lifetime with you. Mate with us, T’karra. I can’t promise it’ll be perfect. I can promise you this, though. I love you. I’ve never said those words to any other woman, and I can’t imagine I ever will.”

She’d never cried with happiness in her life, but she had to blink away her tears to be able to see her males clearly. They were both watching her, waiting for her answer. They’d taken up her challenge and offered her the one thing she’d spent her entire life stating she didn’t want, mates.
Human
mates for star’s sake. Somewhere out there, her ancestors were laughing. T’karra had tried to think about this logically, but there was nothing logical about her feelings for the two commanders. Her species weren’t known for their patience or subtlety. When they wanted something, they took it, and she couldn’t deny she wanted Brandt and Hawke. More than that, she wanted a life with them.

“Yes,” she said, and both men grinned. Before they could say anything, she added, “But I think you’re both insane. How is this even going to work? You’re Alliance, and I can’t leave the sanctuary for long. We’re not the same species, and stars…you don’t even know how old I am.”

“Did you just say yes and then try to backtrack?” Hawke asked, his voice a low rumble.

“I do believe she did. That’s not going to work, you know. You said yes, and we’re holding you to it.” Brandt stood, keeping her hand tucked into his.

“Damn straight we are. You’re ours now,
mate
.” Hawke rose to his feet, drawing her up with him. They headed for the tent the second she was on her feet, and a tingle of anticipation flowed through at the thought of what would happen next. Her body had been in a constant state of arousal since they’d sat down to eat. She was nearly buzzing with need, her heart was full, and there was only one thing left to say before they consummated their new status.

They reached the tent, brushing aside the gauzy veil to reveal an intimate bower. There was no floor, so the grass and flowers formed a fragrant carpet at their feet. A circular bed took up most of the space. It was piled high with assorted pillows and soft blankets in varying shades of red, and as they stepped inside, several pillar candles on wrought iron stands ignited, filling the space with flickering light. The only other piece of furniture was a wooden washbasin and a pitcher of what she assumed was water.

She withdrew her hands from theirs and turned to face her lovers. “I’m forty-three years old, and until I met the two of you, I never expected—no, I never
wanted
to be mated. I thought I’d have to give up too much of who I was, of what I wanted out of life. Then you two came along and proved me wrong.”

She walked slowly backward as she spoke, moving closer to the bed every few words. “I love both of you. That doesn’t mean this is going to be easy. I’m not even sure if it’s smart, but I don’t care about easy or smart anymore. You’re mine, ’leets. And after tonight, I will kill any female who touches you.”

“Fuck, I love it when you get all growly.” Hawke was already tearing at his clothes, and she laughed as his quarterstaff fell out of its sheath to land amongst the flowers.

“You’re abusing your custom-made weapon,” she pointed out.

“Don’t care. I’ll order another one. Hell, I’ll order two. You want yours done in red or black?”

“Weapons talk, now? Is this how it’s going to be?” Brandt muttered. Efficient as always, he had already managed to strip off his shirt and was working on his pants. T’karra took a moment to admire his physique, her hands itching with the urge to stroke over the hard lines of his bare chest.

“Surprise me, Hawke.”

Hawke shot her a sizzling look. “Baby, I plan on doing that for the rest of our lives. Now, get out of those clothes and into bed. We’ve got plans for you.”

She straightened to her full height and tossed her long braids back over her shoulders. With deliberate slowness, T’karra removed her top and let it fall to the ground, then placed her hands on the rise of her breasts. Both men stopped what they were doing to stare in rapt silence as she stroked her hands down her body, playing with her breasts briefly before moving lower, to the fastening of her skirt.

Brandt groaned, the primal sound flowing over her like a physical caress. Her nipples hardened and her pussy grew slick as she teased them, lowering the skirt an inch at a time, drawing out the moment. While her people didn’t have a mating ceremony per se, this night would be special to all of them. She sure as hell intended to enjoy every second of it.

She eased the material down a little more, swaying her hips from side to side while two sets of eyes stayed locked on her every move. By the time her skirt finally slithered down her legs to pool at her feet, she felt like a goddess, worshiped and adored. T’karra reached out to her mates, and they were at her side in a heartbeat, taking her hands and leading her to the bed. The t
iktas
flowers formed a fragrant carpet beneath her feet, and the scent of their bruised petals perfumed the air. She crawled to the center of the bed and lay back, never taking her eyes off of her mates as they finished stripping away their clothes.

Hawke wanted to throw back his head and howl to the moons in triumph. She’d said yes. T’karra was going to be his mate.
Their
mate. Sexy, glorious, kick-ass, and all theirs. Whatever it took to stay with her, they’d do it. He and Brandt had already agreed.

He kicked away the last of his clothing and joined T’karra on the bed, pulling her into his arms and kissing her until there was no breath in his lungs. Brandt moved in on her other side, spooning up to her back and coaxing her legs apart so he could reach between her thighs to play with her pussy. Hawke knew the exact moment his partner started fucking their mate with his fingers because she shuddered and moaned into his mouth as her hips rocked in time to Brandt’s touch. After a night of food and foreplay, he knew that all three of them were primed and ready, but he wasn’t ready to move on yet. Not until he’d gotten to watch her come. It was his favorite sight in the world, and he wanted to see it every night from now on.

“Come for us, baby. I want to see it.”

She moaned again and Hawke pushed himself up onto one elbow to get a better view. T’karra was on her side, one foot on the bed, knee bent, her thighs parted. Brandt’s fingers worked in and out of her body as he toyed with her clit with his thumb. She was flushed and panting, her hips grinding against Brandt’s hand. Hawke’s balls tightened and his cock ached at the vision before him. She was fucking breathtaking. He covered one of her breasts with his hand, flicking his thumb back and forth across her nipple until it was diamond-hard, but he couldn’t stop watching her ride Brandt’s fingers.

She opened her eyes and smiled when she caught him watching them, and she reached over to wrap her fingers around his cock. The touch of her hand was almost enough to make him come on the spot, and when she began pumping the length of his dick he had to bite back a groan.

“You better hurry it up, Brandt. I can’t wait much longer over here.”

“She’s soaked already. So ready for us to fuck her. We’re going to make you ours, T’karra. You’re going to take us both, and we’re going to take such good care of you that you’ll never want to so much as look at another man. Not for the rest of your life.”

Hawke growled as the thought of her with anyone else made his blood burn. “You’re ours, T’karra. Only ours. No one touches you but us.”

Brandt moved his mouth to the side of her throat, biting down on the soft flesh where her neck and shoulder met, and T’karra came with a throaty cry. She shivered and bucked, and Hawke saw her fangs had lengthened so they pressed into her lower lip. She was ready now.

It was time to claim their mate.

***

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

T’karra was still recovering from the orgasm Brandt had just given her, but she wanted more. She needed the taste of their blood on her tongue while they took her, the three of them joined together in an act of claiming that would leave her bound to them for the rest of her life. Because they were human, her mates would never feel the same mating bond she did, but she knew that the bond was only part of what made a mating work. Love, laughter, and loyalty were equally important, and she trusted them to give her that in spades.

“Are you ready for us, starshine?” Brandt’s question made her laugh. She was more than ready.

“Stars, yes. I need you both.” She opened her eyes and found herself the focus of so much need and love that it made her heart sing. “I don’t want gentle, or sweet. Not this time.”

“We know. We’ll give you what you need. And when you take what you need, we don’t expect
you
to hold back, either. We’ll bare your marks with pride, T’karra.” Brandt told her, and Hawke nodded in agreement.

“You’re enhancements…you won’t scar.”

“We will. We came prepared.” Hawke winked at her and held up a small tube. “Med-tech says this should do the trick.”

“I will never figure out how you two managed to pull this all together in one afternoon.”

“We’re very good getting things done. And believe me, we were determined,” Brandt said.

“It also helps that we outrank everyone on the station,” Hawke added. He stretched out on his back in the middle of the bed and patted his chest. “Come here, mate. I need to be inside you now.”

She grinned as she moved over him, straddling his hard body so her cock was pressed to her folds. When he groaned at the contact, she rocked her hips lightly, sliding his length along her slick flesh until he grabbed her hips and stilled her movements.

“Brat. No teasing. I’m a man on the edge.”

She bared her fangs at him. “Then do something about it, mate.”

“With pleasure.” Hawke pressed his hips down into the bed and used his grip on her hips to move her into position. “Mine,” the word fell from his lips as he surged upward, burying himself to the hilt in one hard thrust. Her inner walls gripped him tight, a fresh flood of her honey easing his passage.

“All yours,” she agreed, leaning forward to brush her mouth across his. He threaded a hand into her braids, wrapping them around his fingers as he kissed her back, mouth open, tongue sweeping past her lips to tangle with hers. Brandt’s warm hands stroked down her back, over her ass to the back of her thighs and then reversed and followed the same path back to their starting point. On his next pass let his fingers slide along the crease of her ass.

“And this is all mine. I can’t wait to get inside you. You’re going to be so tight it’s going to feel like heaven.”

She hummed in response and clenched her pussy around Hawke’s cock.

“Fuck, you do that again, T’karra, and all bets are off. If you want to be part of this, Brandt, quit talking and get on with it, she’s not playing fair.”

“Play nice, T’karra. I won’t rush this.” A stinging slap to her right ass cheek made her jump in surprise, and Hawke groaned as her entire body tightened around him.

“You’re not helping, man.”

“Not long now.” Brandt brushed a kiss over the spot he’d smacked a moment before, then she heard the
snick
of a cap being popped open. He didn’t warn her before applying the lubricant, and she shivered as the cool gel covered her overheated skin. He used a generous amount, working it deeper with every deft touch of his fingers, and every time he grazed the sensitive ring of skin, a thrill of dark pleasure chased through her.

When he finally penetrated her with a finger, she welcomed the faint burn of pain that accompanied it. She rocked back against his hand, moaning as Hawke’s cock stroked across new nerve endings. “More.”

He added another finger, working and stretching her in preparation for his cock. She forced herself to relax, losing herself in Hawke’s kisses as the pleasure mounted higher. Finally, Brandt’s hands moved away and she felt a new pressure. This was the moment she’d been waiting for. He took his time, easing past the tight ring of muscle and once he was inside he held still, giving her time to adjust. Too much time, she needed them to move, to give themselves to her. She growled deep in her throat, and Hawke’s bi-colored eyes widened as understanding dawned. He pulled back, giving Brandt the room he needed, and the two of them began a slow, easy dance with her as their focal point.

It was incredible.

They made love to her with every touch and motion, and she returned that love with each kiss and whisper. The pace quickened over time, and as she rode the edge the wave of her pleasure she knew the moment had come, She tore her lips from Hawke’s and sank her fangs into his shoulder, latching on as her mouth filled with his lifeblood. The taste of him filled her senses and sent her soaring to the heights of ecstasy, so high she barely heard his shouts as he came, emptying himself into her body with powerful thrusts that sent her spinning into her own release.

His blood was still on her lips when she released her hold on his flesh and twisted her head around to look at Brandt. He leaned forward, offering her his wrist and she bit down as he powered into her one last time. His blood poured into her mouth, mixing with Hawke’s and imprinting itself onto her senses. They were her mates now, bound by blood until the end of their lives. Her body shook as another orgasm hit her, and this time it was Brandt who called her name as he came.

It felt like an age before she remembered to release Brandt’s wrist, and even then she barely had the energy to lift her head. All three of them somehow ended up in a tired tangle of limbs in the middle of the bed, and she stayed there until her breathing was something close to normal and her limbs had stopped shaking.

It had been the most intense sexual experience of her life.

“Holy fucking nova. That was something else,” Hawke muttered from somewhere on her left.

“If mated sex is always like that, I’m very glad we didn’t wait any longer to ask you,” Brandt said from another part of the bed.

“I have no idea if it’s always like that. I think we’ll just have to keep having sex and see.” She opened her eyes slowly and rolled onto her back so she could stare up at the patterns of candlelight that played across the canvas ceiling.

“I like that idea. Sign me up.” Hawke made his way off the bed and went over to the washbasin, and she heard the sound of water being poured. After a few minutes, he returned to the bed, bringing a cloth and towel with him. Her mates took turns cleaning and drying her and then Brandt left for a moment, no doubt to clean up himself. Feeling spoiled, T’karra snuggled deeper into the blankets and waited for them both to rejoin her.

“I didn’t hurt either of you, did I? I wasn’t thinking clearly when I bit you.”

“That didn’t hurt, exactly. It made me come harder than a booster rocket, though.”

“Same here. And we’ve already put that ointment on it. We’re your marked mates, now.”

Now she knew they weren’t hurt, she was pleased by the prospect of them bearing her marks. “Show me.”

Hawke tipped his head to the side, revealing the spot where she’d broken the skin and left him with deep marks she was certain would never fade. Brandt’s wrist was the same way, and her primal side wanted to howl in approval. They were hers.

“I love you, T’karra. I’m sorry we can’t give you a mark to match the ones you gave us,” Hawke said, pressing a light kiss to her cheek.

Brandt kissed her other cheek. “I love you, too, mate. I know you don’t want a claiming mark, but we’ll come up with some way to make sure everyone knows you’re ours.”

“I love you both. I don’t need a mark to know where my heart lies.” She settled down between them with a contented sigh.

No matter what the future brought, she wouldn’t have to face it alone. And stars help the fool who tried to come between them now. No one, not even her brother, would walk away unscathed if they didn’t accept her decision.

* * * *

T’karra stood back and watched as Danor ranted and paced the length of her office.

“Mated! When the fuck did this happen? Yesterday you were telling Mek you didn’t need mates, now you have two?”

“Yesterday, we hadn’t asked her to mate with us, yet. Last night we did. Want to see the scar? It’s healing nicely,” Hawke said with droll humor.

“No, I don’t want to see the fucking scar. Why are they even here, T’karra? This is a family matter.”

She growled back at him. “Yes, it is. Brandt and Hawke are my mates, which makes them part of
my
family. If you’d like to continue being part of it, then this ends, now. No more snarling, no more rants. If you don’t like my choices, then that’s fine, but keep your opinions to yourself.”

“They can’t protect you.”

“Would you like to test that theory?” Brandt asked in an icy tone that surprised her. He was usually the calm one, but the man who stepped into the gap between her and Danor was ready to do battle. Hands clenched into fists, he moved into Danor’s space without hesitation. Her brother’s eyes widened a smidgeon at Brandt’s display, but instead of backing down, he snarled.

“Are you trying to die?”

“No, asshole. He’s trying to make a point,” Hawke growled. There was a metallic hiss, and Hawke’s quarterstaff made an appearance, coming to rest a bare inch in front of Danor’s throat.

T’karra’s pulse quickened at the display her mates were putting on. It was sexy as hell, and later she would show them how much she appreciated their support. For now, though, she’d rather they not wreck her office proving their point. “See, Danor? They’re more than capable of defending me if the situation calls for it. Now, will you stop being an asshole and welcome them to the family?”

Brandt wasn’t going to stand down until Danor did. He’d had enough of the big Krytos’ attitude, and it was going to stop, one way or another. He expected a parting shot, or even a punch to the head, but the last thing Brandt expected was for Danor to grin and reach out to thump him on the shoulder hard enough to make him sway in place.

“Sorry, sister mine, but I needed to be sure these two were good enough for you. Welcome to the family, commanders.”

“Uh, thanks?” Brandt said, still amazed by Danor’s mercurial change in attitude.

“Call us by our first names, will you? It’s not like you guys are fond of titles at the best of times. Every time you call me commander, I’m going to think you’re insulting me,” Hawke said as he withdrew his quarterstaff and made it retract back to a simple titanium cylinder.

“I
was
insulting you. But that was before, Hawke.” Danor turned and clasped Hawke’s hand. “Welcome to the family.”

“You’re an asshole,” T’karra informed her brother.

“Hey, this was not all my idea. Verak said I needed to make sure these two stepped up.”

“Then you’re both assholes. And since when did you take advice from our baby brother?”

Danor shrugged, and Brandt relaxed as he watched the siblings banter back and forth. “I was on pain meds at the time.”

“Pull that shit again, and you’ll need more painkillers. Are we clear?”

Danor looked over at them and grinned. “You two are crazy, you know that, right? You could have had a sweet human woman. Instead, you picked my sister.”

“We’re not crazy, we’re in love. T’karra is everything we’ve ever wanted, and more.” Brandt held out his hand and she took it, moving to his side and resting her head on his shoulder.

“She’s perfect,” Hawke agreed, moving to her other side and wrapping an arm around her waist.

“This is getting nauseating. You’re happy, she’s happy, you’ll do right by here or I’ll kick your asses out an airlock. I think we’re done here.”

“Not quite,” T’karra announced.

“What did I miss?”

“The announcement. In a few minutes, we’re going to go out onto the floor, together, and tell everyone I’m mated to the commanders. And once this investigation is over and everything is back to normal, I expect to have one hell of a party to celebrate. I’m putting you in charge of organizing it.”

Danor sighed. “You do remember what happened the last time we had a party to celebrate a bonding?”

“Yes, I do. That’s why I’m putting my head of security in charge of this one.”

Brandt could see the pain in Danor’s eyes as he realized the daunting task she’d just set for him. It served the bastard right for doubting them.

When it came to T’karra, there was nothing they wouldn’t do for her.