Hearts of Ishira (Hearts of Ishira Saga) (86 page)

But she was forced to remain still, her limbs lax as her body drifted in the gel.

The bodies of her captors were ripped from the vessel, their terror touching her though she could not see their faces. A few used their insect-like limbs to grasp pipes or other equipment, holding on for dear life. Electric bolts splintered through the huge compartment, sparking along the tops of various stasis units. Stormy felt the short-lived confusion and horror as some of those units released their captives, spewing the girls out into the maelstrom that was the main stasis chamber.

All Stormy could do was watch as more friends were ripped away from her, sucked from the whirling wreckage to land gods only knew where. In what seemed like eternity but was really less than a minute, the ship slammed into something. The impact was hard enough to jolt Stormy, even in the gel.

More units were dislodged or damaged. More girls expelled onto the mangled floor of the ship. Some screamed as the lightning-heated metal beneath them burned their flesh. Too weak from their long captivity in the stasis gel, the girls couldn’t lift themselves. And the creatures who had held them were no help. The moment the ship stopped moving, those who were still alive had rushed from the craft, their alien thoughts jumbled and frantic.

One by one, the wounded girls either died or managed to crawl out of the ship. One by one, the lights on some of the stasis tubes blinked from the blue of normal conditions to the orange that Stormy knew meant the woman inside was dead.

Within her mind, she heard the thoughts of the dying, the weak cries of the injured, the terrified prayers of those who had survived and were searching for shelter, as far away from the ship as they could get.

And Stormy knew when even those girls were outnumbered by the carnivorous creatures somewhere out there, creatures who had never tasted human blood but were eager to try.

Her tears flowed until she was dry, when she realized that she was alone with her own thoughts once more.

And her memories.

Because of all the women who’d been taken from Earth so many years ago, she was the only one who’d been allowed to retain consciousness the whole time. While her body might have been put into stasis on a regular schedule, her mind was alert and aware any time she wasn’t sleeping or drugged for a procedure.

As the seasons changed before her eyes, Stormy waited. And watched. And learned from the minds of the sentient creatures who visited the strange craft.

She was trapped in the stasis chamber, but she was by no means helpless.

If or when she found a way out of the tube, she’d be ready. She would not meet the same fate as her friends.

She would learn, she would pay attention, and just as she had on Earth, Stormy would not only survive, but thrive.

Chapter One

Ishira Colony

10.7 AC - .5 THIA

-Years Ishira, AC (after colonization)

-Five Months, THIA (Thorsani/Human Integration and Adaptation)

Arianna Hunter-Jace woke to the very pleasant sensation of being made love to, with one of her mates nibbling on her thigh and the other nibbling on her lips to make sure she was awake her for the fun. Murmuring approval at their methods, she sighed sleepily, rolled onto her back, and stretched. Muscles lengthened and pulled, aches and bruises reminded her that she was still recovering from an attempt on her life. But that was secondary to the palpable intensity of her mates, waiting patiently for her to finish stretching so they could devour her.

“Good morning, little warrior,” Hunter said, rising to one elbow to look down at her. She gave him a sweet smile and wrapped her arms around his neck as he lowered his head to kiss her. Only a thin, soft sheet covered her. It was slowly pulled down her body, the incredibly luxuriant material sliding over her breasts, her belly, and her thighs, as her other mate, Jace, bared her to the pre-dawn light for his delectation.

“Open for me, love,” he urged from his place by her hips, his voice husky with desire. She sensed the need in him, the hunger that he reveled in when he had her in his arms. He loved the taste of her, loved the noises she made, her responsiveness to his caresses. And she loved that he loved it.

Ri willingly allowed her legs to fall open, then sucked in a breath around Hunter’s tongue as Jace’s mouth began worshiping her in the way he most enjoyed. Her body bowed away from the mattress when Jace tongued her clit and tortured it with tiny bites, but Hunter was there to steady her, his big hand on her swollen belly, sliding up to her breast.

She watched him breathlessly as he plumped her flesh in his hand. He stared at her nipple as it gathered and tightened in anticipation of his loving. Ri gasped and wiggled as Jace adjusted himself so that he was lying between her legs, his face buried between them, his tongue, teeth, and fingers doing things that made her want to fly out of her skin. A soft, shuddering cry escaped her as Jace penetrated her with his fingers at the same moment Hunter took her nipple between his teeth.

Ri shivered a gasp, her head arching back into the pillow with Hunter’s delicate bite. Jace’s tongue licked a path down her slit, lodging in her center and diving in to taste her there. He slid his hands down and under her thighs, gripping her rounded bottom and lifting her hips from the bed, giving him better access.

“You are so very sweet in the morning,” Hunter murmured around her nipple, his tongue snaking out to taste the taut, small bud, lapping at it then blowing on it, letting the crisp morning air chill her skin. “So warm and soft from sleep.”

“So good,” Jace agreed, rising up and positioning himself to take her. “I can’t wait. Ri….”

Hunter nodded to his brother, then sheathed his teeth and bit Ri’s nipple with a roughness that she wouldn’t have been able to tolerate at first. She was so very sensitive. At the same moment, Jace slid easily into her warm, slick depths, seating himself fully within her for a breathless minute. She throbbed around his cock, her core eagerly latching onto him, desperate for the pleasure he brought.

They all paused, allowing Jace and Arianna to enjoy the moment of possession before Hunter groaned and went back to ravishing her nipple with his mouth as his hand slipped down to torture her clit. Jace began withdrawing and thrusting in the tempo that he knew would drive Ri out of her mind, his hands still holding her up for the right angle of attack.

When her body arched in helpless reaction, Hunter’s other arm slipped beneath it, bowing her back and effectively raising her breasts higher for his enjoyment. He switched his attention to her other nipple while his fingers danced on her clit, pulling and twisting, tickling and teasing. Using their mental connection, he played her like a master pianist, his fingers pulling every nuance of sensation from her body. Her breathing increased, as did the intensity of her gasps and cries. Jace picked up his pace, taking his cues from her sweet noises.

Feeling the tightening of her body that signaled imminent release, Jace held her hips between his big hands and thrust harder, deeper, drawing low moans, pleas for completion from her throat. Hunter, sensing she was close to her peak, suckled on her nipple, hard, dragging a shivering, gasping cry from her.

“Come, little one,” Jace said through gritted teeth, hunching his body over hers and taking her mouth as his hips ground against her body.

Hunter slid from between them, giving them this precious moment to themselves. Jace fell above her, his hands on either side of her shoulders, his mouth attacking her full breasts. She wrapped her arms around his head, her legs around his waist, and clutched him to her as she plummeted over that peak. Her body shook and shivered with her climax, her hips jerking against Jace, her body nearly bent in half with the power of her orgasm. His body tightened at the feeling of her spasms, and he thrust one last time, falling to her and kissing her ravenously as he came inside her. Her core clenched around him with muscular contractions that milked him almost to the point of pain. He threw back his head and cried out at the exquisite sensations roiling through him, gritting his teeth against the onslaught.

Ri’s body was still shuddering when Jace slid from her, panting, and fell to her side. He slid up enough to kiss her as Hunter immediately took his place between her thighs and, hitching them up around his ribs, lifted her butt in his big hands and thrust powerfully into her slick depths. She was still trembling from her first completion, but with Hunter’s penetration, energy speared through them both, rushing outward from their joined bodies and shimmering with each thrust, building with their passion. Hunter held onto her, pumping into her body with the strength and determination of the warrior that he was… his mind, heart, and soul attuned to her every need.

Jace, knowing what was to come, backed reluctantly away for just a moment.

Arianna was weeping with the need to come again, begging incoherently for her mates to finish her. Hunter angled his hips perfectly, long months of making love to his woman having taught him just where she needed him most, how to attack her ‘g-spot’ for the most devastating effect. His eyes were feral and his face tight with need as he hungrily watched her breasts bounce with his thrusts. The difference between her soft, pale body and his muscular, hard form was intoxicating. She was breathtaking in her passion, and it made him feel like a god. His hard grin widened as he felt the quick spasms in her thighs, the uncontrollable shifting of her body against his, her desire to reach that precious pinnacle with him. Gods, he loved this woman! His eyes locked to her shifting breasts, as though mesmerized by their stiff tips and the tight little puckers that surrounded them.

Jace, calmed a bit from his bout with their mate, took charge of those plump beauties, leaning over to do his share of nipping, suckling, plucking and pulling. Hunter slid one hand up from beneath her, his thumb finding and pressing on her clit with exquisite precision.

Ri’s eyes popped open at the multiple assaults on her senses, her body thrashing beneath her lovers.

“Hunter,” she whimpered, pleading. “
Now!
”

“Fly, little warrior,” he murmured, dragging her body up against his in one powerful move as he sat back on his heels. She was completely surrounding him, her body fully open to his, her arms around his neck. Her head fell forward, resting on his shoulder, her mouth against the sensitive skin below his ear. He was seated as far inside her as he could go and they both pulsed in breathless splendor at the feeling. Using the peculiar rings of muscle that no human man possessed, he moved his cock deep inside of her as he held still. Contracting the ridges of muscle ringing his shaft, Hunter concentrated on dragging those hard bumps over her G-spot. Ri felt as though her body shimmered with each exquisite spasm, the tightness growing until ecstasy burst within her and she fell apart in his arms with a broken cry of joy, her head back.

Her powerful climax and surge of ecstatic energy fueling his, Hunter shouted his release, dragging her head down so that he could kiss the breath out of her as they came in unison. Their energies swelled and combined between them. As though existing in two bodies at once, Hunter felt her elation, the throbbing of every nerve ending in her body, the deep spasms that gripped his cock rhythmically as her hips shook and jerked. She could feel the same in him: the hardness of his body, the power that moved through him as he gave up his seed to her, the hot grip of her core around him, tautness of his arms as his hands curled over her shoulders from the back and he pressed her down on him. She marveled at the effort he expended not to crush her to him like he wanted to. Each felt their own sensations and the other’s, at the same moment. It was like nothing either had ever experienced until they’d met.

Ri shook and shivered, her arms sliding limply from around his neck, her face buried between his shoulder and neck, as they both came down from their peaks.

Knowing that Jace was behind her, Hunter opened his arms and allowed Ri to slide backwards. Jace caught her and eased her to the bed, brushing her long hair away from her face and fanning it over their pillows. Hunter, spent, collapsed beside her, his arm crossing just under her breasts, his hand resting on the other side of her belly.

As the three caught their collective breath, the men murmured softly to her, kissed her, and caressed her, reminding her of how much they loved and adored her. She panted, trembled, and fought to steady her breathing and heart rate as they soothed her. Gods, she loved her warriors!

“Good morning,” she whispered brightly, kissing them both in turn.

“Aye,” Jace said with feeling, his sexy smile tugging at her heart. “That it is!”

****

On the balcony, only yards away, Sean, eldest son of Aleah-Karl, scowled at the sunrise.

The colors that washed in spectacular streaks across the eastern sky were amazing, the sky itself a study in all the shades of purple one could imagine. Teal foliage, now turning various hues of blue, purple, black, and aqua with autumn’s abrupt arrival, swept across the hills surrounding Ishira Colony. Nothing to frown at in any of that. Had Sean not been so distracted, he would have sworn that this was paradise.

No, the reason for his scowl was currently giggling and sighing her way through her morning love-making session with her mates. His brothers. The team he’d been separated from more than a decade ago and only recently reunited with, thanks to the fierce mental connection he had with Arianna Hunter-Jace. He had been mentally searching for his people when she had found him.