Their Rebel Mate [Helan Universe 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (9 page)

God, she was thankful that she’d gotten the translator injected right away, because it seemed that both Thantos and Kerek were so turned on, they had lost the ability to speak English. Besides, the dirty words sounded so much better in Helan than they would have in English.

“Up you go,
lira
,” Kerek said an instant before his big hands closed around her waist and he hoisted her up onto the obscenely high bed.

She scooted over to the middle of the mattress, where Thantos was watching her with heavy eyes.

She paused, unsure as to what to do next.

Kerek bounded up on the bed and settled between Thantos’s spread legs. As if he could read her uncertainty, or maybe he really could if he was right about them starting to bond as mates, Kerek took control. “Straddle his mouth, facing me. That way you can watch when he comes undone.”

Oh, man. Watching a man spurt all over his stomach was one of her greatest turn-ons.

Kim did as she was told, wriggling around until she was able to lower her hips and place her pussy directly in line with his lips, though she kept most of her weight on her thighs, reluctant to smother her soon-to-be lover.

Thantos held her firmly but gently and began spreading damp kisses across the insides of her thighs. “Relax,
lira
. Kerek and I will take care of everything.”

Why did they both keep calling her
lira
? The translator in her brain told her it meant “dear one,” but they hadn’t really known each other long enough for endearments.

All thoughts fled her mind when Kerek pushed Thantos’s legs farther apart and pulled the plug out to the sound of Thantos’s moans. The vibrations of his voice buzzing his lips against the very edge of her pussy folds caused her to nearly sob with frustration.

So fucking hot. The whole thing was so sexy, she could hardly wrap her mind around what was happening.

It got even better when Kerek pressed a button on the wall right next to the bed, and a spout slid out from behind an almost-invisible panel. He cupped his palm and held it underneath the spout, and a clear stream of liquid flowed into his hand.

Automatic lube dispenser. Handy.

Kerek must have lubed up the plug pretty liberally, because he simply greased up his cock and sank balls deep into Thantos. With anyone else, she would have been worried that Kerek had moved too fast, but she knew that the bigger man would never, ever, hurt his mate.

“I can’t wait,” Thantos said on a gasp. A warm mouth latched on to her clit and sucked gently.

Immediately, her body went from on fire to an inferno. If she didn’t get some kind of release, she was pretty sure her brain would explode.

The three of them strained together, fighting for their orgasms, but none came. Things got hotter, wetter, and more intense until she was dizzy from need.

Kerek pounded into Thantos relentlessly, and she could feel the amazing sensation in her own ass. God, it seemed that she could feel Thantos’s pleasure as well as her own.

When Kerek closed his hand over Thantos’s cock and stroked almost roughly, she felt it in her clit, and that, combined with the steady flick of Thantos’s tongue, was threatening to drive her crazy, but nothing the three of them did drove them over that edge they were working toward.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. The pleasure was so intense, it was painful. “Why isn’t this working?” she wailed.

Thantos pulled away from her pussy. “I think maybe you need to connect with Kerek in some way.”

Of course. Thantos had started to bond with her, not Kerek. This was bad news.

Kerek growled wordlessly and reached out with one hand, catching her behind the neck. He dragged her forward, and she had to brace her hands on Thantos’s rigid abdomen to steady herself.

Kerek sealed their mouths together, thrusting his tongue into her mouth at the exact same time as Thantos thrusting his stiffened tongue into her pussy.

The contact worked like magic, and she screamed, convulsing as the orgasm they’d been fighting for finally ripped through her.

Kerek roared, and Thantos cried out at the exact same time, and the pleasure intensified and rebounded back onto her. It seemed to bounce between the three of them in an unending loop until her lungs burned for oxygen and her vision started to fade.

Just when she was on the edge of passing out, things started to ease, and she was suddenly able to draw in a full breath. She collapsed forward, her head landing on Thantos’s thigh, managing to keep her hair from falling into any of the creamy streaks painting Thantos’s belly and chest. Her breasts weren’t quite so lucky, and the slickness under them only served to remind her of what they’d done.

She was happy to see she wasn’t the only one struck stupid by what had just happened. Kerek was still on his knees, but he was swaying slightly, his mouth soft and his eyes half-closed.

Only Thantos seemed to be able to move, and he was kissing the side of her knee.

She rolled off Thantos with a huge effort and wondered if she would be able to make it back to the bed in the living room before she fell asleep. The question was quickly answered for her. “No,” Thantos said. “You’re staying with us.”

How did he know what she was thinking?

Thantos patted her ankle. “We’ve bonded,
lira
. Your thoughts are loud in my head. You might ask Consort R’oan or King Jaron to help you learn how to shield your thoughts if you so wish.”

She looked up at Kerek. The sad, lost expression on his face nearly broke her heart. He didn’t say anything. He merely slid out from between Thantos’s legs and lifted her up. He placed her in Thantos’s waiting arms and left the room, returning with a warm, damp cloth.

Kerek wiped the cloth over Thantos’s abdomen and chest, cleaning away any stray seed, before dipping between the male’s thighs and cleaning him gently.

She sighed and started to pull out of Thantos’s embrace. The fluid smeared on her breasts was drying and was starting to itch. As tired as she was, and suddenly she was exhausted, she didn’t relish the idea of waking up with dried cum all over her.

Instead, Kerek gently pushed her back down and carefully wiped down her chest. The small gesture warmed her through, and she snuggled back down into Thantos’s embrace, strangely content to stay where she was.

Kerek disappeared again, presumably to get rid of the washcloth, before joining them in bed. He eased himself onto the mattress as Thantos flipped over to his side. A large hand insinuated itself between her back and Thantos’s front, and she looked over her shoulder to see Kerek spooned against Thantos.

A feeling of contentment seeped through her, relaxing her even more even as the stray thought that it was probably Thantos’s emotions leaking through to her entered her mind.

Whatever. She’d figure things out when she woke up. The exhaustion was too much to ignore. She slid under the warm embrace of sleep even as Kerek’s sigh told her the man would be awake for a lot longer.

Kerek cuddled Thantos closer, acutely aware of the warmth at the back of his hand. He’d never really considered how it would feel to have a third in their bed. He’d assumed that both he and Thantos would have bonded with a female. But he could safely say that he had not bonded with Kim. He also knew with as much certainty that Thantos had fully bonded with her. He could feel that bond, secure and steady, stretching out from Thantos and disappearing into thin air, which just reinforced the fact that he’d not bonded with the woman.

Thantos and Kim slept on, unaware of Kerek’s distress. The more he stewed about it, the more upset he became. He couldn’t even escape into sleep since he’d slept for a solid four hours when they’d first boarded the ship.

Deciding there wasn’t much point in just lying in the bed like a lump, Kerek eased away from Thantos, who whimpered in his sleep and turned his head in Kerek’s direction. “Shh,
talan
. I can’t sleep, so I’m just going to get up and work for a little while. I’m not leaving.” He was absurdly pleased that Thantos still found his leaving distressing.

Thantos’s eyes blinked open. “I can come with you,” he offered on a yawn.

Kerek smiled and stroked Thantos’s shoulder. “No need. I’m just going to check any incoming communications, and I need to contact Helan. Go back to sleep,
talan
.”

Thantos nodded and yawned again, his eyes already starting to drift closed. “Come get me if you need me.”

Bending down, Kerek brushed his lips over Thantos’s forehead. “I will.”

“Love you,” Thantos mumbled before turning back around and burying his face in Kim’s blonde hair.

Kerek couldn’t resist the urge to touch his mate and ran his fingers through Thantos’s long hair. “Love you, too.”

He left the bedroom and grabbed a glass of
miri
before settling down at his desk right under the bank of windows. He took a swallow of the bitter Helan liquor and shuddered. Earth wine was so much better.

The silence settled around him, and Kerek had never felt so lost before. He booted up his vidscreen and pulled up the ship’s database, searching for any reported instance of the situation he and Thantos found themselves in. The search was fruitless, though.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. It seemed as if he really did have a reason to call Helan after all.

He put through the request and shuffled some papers around, trying his best to keep busy. Finally his hail was accepted. “Dr. Sathon here.”

“Sorry for calling so late, Sathon.”

The high king’s personal physician smiled. “It’s no trouble, Kerek. I don’t sleep much these days.”

Sathon’s tone was matter-of-fact, but Kerek could read the underlying sadness. Sathon’s mate, Hema, had been killed a number of years ago, and Sathon had never fully recovered.

Kerek could only guess at what the man might be going through as the mere idea of something happening to Thantos was enough to make his blood run cold. There was no way he’d survive his mate’s death.

Literally.

Sathon and the royal family were the only ones who knew just how deep his and Thantos’s bond was. He quickly explained the situation to Sathos, who sat there, stunned. “And you say that you’ve not bonded with her at all?” he asked finally.

“There’s absolutely nothing between me and Kim, and yet Thantos has fully bonded with her. Have you ever heard of this before?”

The doctor shook his head. “I’ll look into it, but if you’ve already searched the database, I doubt I’ll find anything different.”

Kerek had figured as much. “Any theories?”

Sathon steepled his fingers and rested his chin on his outstretched thumbs. “I suspect it has to do with his submissive streak. Perhaps he is more susceptible to her pheromones. Is she dominant?”

Was she dominant? That was a good question. He thought back to everything he’d observed about her, both from her televised appearances on Earth and her time here on the ship. “I wouldn’t say she is particularly dominant, although she probably has no problem demanding for what she wants. I would be more apt to call her persuasive. Extremely persuasive.”

“How do you know she’s so persuasive?” Sathon sat back and raised his brow, clearly waiting for an answer.

Kerek sighed. Hema had been his best friend, and he and Sathon had gotten along like a house on fire since the day Hema had chosen his mate. That meant that Sathon knew him too well.

The silence was starting to get to him, but Sathon didn’t make a move to break it. Finally, Kerek sucked in a breath and opened his mouth. “She is the leader of the female rebellion on Earth. Kim McManus.”

A look of shock crossed the doctor’s face before he began laughing. “Leave it to the two of you to bond with the face of the rebellion,” he said between peals of laughter.

Kerek bit back his irritation at his friend. “That’s the problem, Sath. I haven’t bonded with her.”

Sathon’s mirth faded, and he winced into the vidscreen. “Right. Sorry. Look, I really can’t make any conclusions until I’ve seen all three of you. When are you scheduled to return to Helan?”

Crap, this mess just got bigger and bigger. “Thantos and I are scheduled to return to Helan upon the arrival of the next wave of ships. Kim…may not return with us.”

His friend looked stricken. “Thantos might not survive the separation. Perhaps you should talk to the doctor on board? It’s Tabar, right?”

Kerek frowned. “I’d rather not reveal Thantos’s submissiveness to anyone else. They might not be as understanding as you and the royals. We’ll just muddle through for now, but I’ll keep you updated.”

A wash of homesickness pummeled him as he chatted with his friend, and he took the time to catch up with news from home for a few minutes. “How is our queen these days? I’ve made the happy announcement to the citizens of Earth, but I haven’t really heard about how High King D’Arik and Consort Varin took the news.”

Sathon smiled again, this time with genuine affection. “She is progressing nicely, although she is experiencing some morning sickness. Every time she throws up, she swears she’s never going to let either of them touch her again.”

It was talk like that that made Kerek thankful he wasn’t born a female. He would never make it through an entire nine months if he had to throw up every day. He could barely make it through a shuttle ride. “So, are we only expecting the one heir from them then?”

Sathon snorted. “Are you kidding? Once she’s finished throwing up for the day, they can’t keep their hands off each other. I suspect I’ll have a hard time convincing them that an eight-week recovery period after the birth is a medical absolute.”

Kerek finally had a genuine laugh for the first time that day. “Well, High King D’Arik must be thrilled. I know he was looking forward to being home in time for Nalan’s Choosing Ceremony. And speaking of that, who did King Nalan choose?”

The doctor blanched and drew in a quick breath. “The Choosing Ceremony has been put off indefinitely.”