The Ozar Triad Page 16

  She cleared her throat, turning her attention back to the planet. “I think I’d prefer that as well.”

  As though on cue, there was a beep and Setzan activated the comm. Although this craft was under the ownership of the scaled ones, it was close to their own technology. The viewscreen flickered and the face of one of the first contact staff was broadcast.

  “Name. Serial number. Intention.” When the young boy’s gaze lifted to them, his expression faltered and a look of terror crossed his face. As it should. “Y-Your Highnesses,” he stuttered. “Welcome back.” He frantically clicked several buttons on his console. “Please be welcomed back after your long journey. We are so pleased to see you again.” His attention grazed over them all, and then faltered on Riley. “Who is she?”

  Klaej and Setzan framed both himself and Riley.

  “This is Riley, a human from Earth, and she is our mate,” Klaej declared in his deep, booming voice. He crossed his arms, as though daring the poor young staffer to deny him. Of course, the young man wouldn’t, but Rujali couldn’t fault Klaej’s possessiveness.

  The staffer’s mouth fell open and his entire face went slack. “I… um…”

  “Langan. What’s the issue here?” Laktoa, Chief Head of Security, appeared behind Langan and bent slightly to see into the viewscreen on the console. “You’re back!” His gaze settled on Riley. His mouth fell open and his eyes bulged. He took a few moments to gather himself, struggling to find words. “And who is this?”

  Riley stiffened beneath Rujali’s arms.

  He forgave Laktoa his lack of manners, given he’d forgotten formal protocol, speaking to them as the friends they were, instead of the Royal line.

  “This is our mate, Laktoa, and she is extremely uncomfortable with all of this attention,” Setzan said.

  Laktoa bolted into action. “We will guide you in. I will have senior staff on the ready upon your arrival and will have cleared the area. Is there anything else you wish for, Your Highnesses?”

  Rujali was grateful for Laktoa’s professionalism. They would have to be ready to experience the surprise of his entire Homeland. “I will need Sakena to attend our mate. She is injured and requires immediate medical assistance.”

  She hadn’t said anything, but the gashes and various bruises and abrasions on her body had to be hurting. Plus, he wanted her treated for possible dehydration and undernourishment. It had been a long time since they’d eaten and there had been a lot of activity since.

  Sakena was their Head Healer to the Royal Line. He hoped that she would have a positive impact with Riley and help her to relax.

  “As we will need your personal presence as well, Laktoa. Bring ten of your most trusted guards,” Klaej said.

  Laktoa’s eyes hardened. It was an unusual request, but again he retained his professionalism and simply nodded. He knew he would be told everything once they landed, but Rujali was taking no risks before the crystal was properly returned to the tower—which was the first thing he was going to do after he’d ensured Riley’s comfort.

  “As you wish. We will guide you in to your personal landing pad. Laktoa out.” The screen went black and then the view of the planet returned. The craft jolted a little as the guiding beam locked on their craft and Rujali could finally relax. Laktoa would bring them planet-side without an issue.

  Riley tapped his arm. “This Sakena person. He...”

  “She is our most senior Healer. She will take good care of you, mate,” Setzan said. He settled in a chair and held his arms out to Riley. Rujali happily transported her to his brother’s waiting lap.

  Riley looked between them. “She won’t use that device on me. Will she?”

  Rujali chuckled. She was concerned that rendering a person incapacitated was a normal part of their healing process. He guessed she might think that way, given their treatment, or mistreatment, of the device, but it was only used in the most extreme of cases, which she had been.

  He brushed a strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He liked the unusual style of her hair. It showed she was tough, which she was.

  “No. She won’t do anything like that. She is very experienced and very gentle. Don’t worry. She is one of our best and regularly treats Klaej with all of his injuries on the training field with his clumsiness,” Rujali said.

  “What about the time you broke your arm when I simply pushed you on your ass?” Klaej said.

  “Or that time you cracked your head open when I merely touched you with my sword,” Setzan said.

  “You smashed the end of your sword on my helmet to test how strong it was after you jumped from a three-story height. You both ganged up on me with a fighting staff and metal shield.” He remembered both of those injures as vast injustices to his fighting integrity. He had been brought down with thoroughly underhanded tactics, which was just like his brothers to do.

  A beautiful sound cut through his ire. Riley chuckled, her face alight with pleasure, and his heart skipped a beat.

  “Looks like I’m going to have to train you with some more skills if you’re so bad.” Her smile was brighter than the sunniest day in the peak of the hot season.

  A smile curved his mouth. “Yes, mate. You can teach me any skills you have, because you are one of the best warriors I have had the honor of fighting with.”

  “You mean that, don’t you?”

  “From the bottom of my heart,” Rujali said.

  “And he doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean. Besides, I also want to say you can train with me any time as well,” Setzan said.

  “I would be proud to have you as a training partner. You will help me beat my brothers,” Klaej said.

  Her sharp gaze studied their faces. She must have seen what she’d been looking for, because she gave a decisive nod and settled against Setzan’s chest.

  “Well, then. Challenge on, I say. Right after I get some sleep.” She stifled a yawn. “And something to eat. I have to admit, I’m a bit bushed at the moment.”

  “I don’t know what a tree has to be with being tired, but we intend to look after your every need, Riley. If you need to eat, we will feed you. If you need to sleep, you will rest. If you need to fight, we will arm you. Have no fear,” Rujali said.

  She nodded, her eyelids growing heavy despite the excitement of coming home. “You know, I don’t have fear. Not with you. Never again.”

  His chest nearly burst with pride as their mate finally succumbed to well-needed sleep. She had finally accepted them.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Riley

  “You know, when I asked you what you did for a job on your world and you said you worked for the government?” Riley said as she wrapped an arm around Rujali’s waist.

  She had asked them after they’d landed and had come face to face with an entourage of people, dressed in colorful, if not a little flamboyant, uniforms standing at attention waiting to serve a long, steady stream of orders that her men issued with authority.

  Riley stood with Rujali by an open floor-to-ceiling window as a gentle, warm breeze drifted in, tugging at her loose robes around her legs. She rested her head on his shoulder.

  “You never asked for details,” Rujali said.

  “How would it even cross my mind that not only are you royalty, but you are reigning kings?” She looked up at him, her eyes wide and brows raised.

  “I thought the way people bowed and scraped to us could have been a giveaway,” Rujali said.

  She scoffed. “They do no such thing.”

  Not so much bowed and scraped, as went about doing what they were asked in a super-excited and efficient way. It seemed the flurry of activity was underlined by a commotion on their return. It went beyond returning countrymen. It seemed as though everyone on a personal level was ecstatic to have them all home.

  After she’d eaten and drunk her fill, she’d been cleared by Sakena after the fastest healing session she’d ever experienced—walking out of a doctor’s office three hours later w
ithout a bruise or scratch on her. She was then collected by the Royal carer staff and taken to the most luxurious bathing room she could imagine, where she indulged in a long, warm bath scented with an exotic floral scent that almost made her fall asleep.

  She was washed of all dried blood, her hair cleaned of all oil and dirt, her skin massaged with fine oil until she was a pile of noodle-flesh, and then wrapped in silk so soft she had to check she actually wore clothing. It was there that she’d seen what all the fuss was about. Her eyes truly did glow! She didn’t know how it happened, or why, but somehow the crystal had bonded with her. The crystal glowed gold, and now so did she. The best thing about it was that she matched the glow of her mates’ eyes.

  Mates! She could hardly believe it. Had barely had time to contemplate it and now she was in this ginormous bedchamber with Rujali.

  Cleaned and dressed, he stood with his hands clasped behind her back, his torso covered with a black silk shirt which was tucked into skintight, midnight black leathers. His kick-ass boots were replaced by sleek shining black leather boots that covered his calves, decorated with a line of silver buckles. The way he stood, exuding simple power, gave her no doubt he was indeed the ruling king of his home world.

  She stood there spellbound, until he sensed her, and turning, held his hand out to her. She went without hesitation to stand by his side. “It’s beautiful.”

  Neat, clean city streets stretched before her. The buildings were made from a creamy colored brick and were one to three stories high. The streets were made of some kind of brownish-golden material, on which a steady stream of vehicles travelled, and people walked on a raised walkway. It was so like a city back home, yet not.

  “Welcome to Eytol, the capital of the Ozar Homeland,” Rujali said, bending to place a lingering soft kiss on her lips.

  It took her a moment to gather her thoughts. “Is it always so… glowy?”

  He smiled. If she thought he was handsome before, he was devastating now. “We’ve replaced the crystal back into its rightful place in the Ozar Tower. You can see it here.” He pointed to a distant hill, where a lighthouse-style building radiated a resonating silvery-golden glow.

  Waves of golden color washed over the land. The Tower itself also seemed to glow, the bricks infused with an overlay of light that made the edges look fuzzy. People sat on the lawn and strolled through the beautiful gardens that framed the tower. She stared at it, breathless for a long moment, basking in the beauty of the scene.

  “Has it always looked that way?”

  “It’s brighter, as though the crystal itself is happy to have returned. Everyone now has new hope,” he said. “Thanks to you, Riley.”

  She scoffed. “I did nothing but get abducted. Not so good when you’re meant to be an experienced soldier.”

  Rujali frowned. He turned so that they stood chest to chest. “We will find out why that was done to you.”

  “It wasn’t just done to me. There were others, back in that amphitheater place I woke up in. A hundred. Maybe more. All women.” Her fingers crushed his shirt. “There were no men. I mean, I was in the middle of a battle and that type of thing doesn’t really register at the time, but now, thinking back… they were all girls. What the hell?”

  Rujali took her hand in his. “We’ll find out what it is these scaled ones are up to. We’ve never seen their species before. I have Anjev working on a translation device so that we can interrogate the prisoner.”

  “I hope he talks. What if there’s more women out here? They won’t know what the hell happened to them. What if those Reptiles still have some of them? And why would they even be taken? It doesn’t make any sense,” she said. “If that thing doesn’t talk, I’ll have a go at him.”

  Rujali chuckled, despite her dark thoughts. “And that’s the bloodthirsty mate I love, but now, on to more pleasurable things.” He gripped her chin between his thumb and finger., tilting her head up, “Now that the crystal has been returned to the tower, we can now begin the mate-sync.”

  She should be scared—wary, in the least—but a thrill of excitement raced through her at the prospect. She had an idea of what would happen. Her men—mates—all three of them entering her. At the same time. And then a total fusion of spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical would happen. She was hazy on the science behind it, but she suspected it went beyond that and somehow it was all tied to these crystals and the planet and the people. Her mind spun when she tried to find the logic, but then decided it transcended that.

  The other thing that occurred to her was that she couldn’t wait. She was in love with Rujali, Setzan, and Klaej. There was no life without them in it. Even though it hadn’t exactly been her choice, it was the best thing that could have happened to her. Now she had a full life of love to look forward to, other than a sure death in some battle in the ass end of the world somewhere, with no one to mourn her loss or even miss her. Yes, this was a vast improvement. Somehow, she doubted life would be that empty ever again.

  And these guys weren’t just anyone. They were kings, for Heaven’s sake.

  She looked up at him. “Does this mean I’ll be some sort of a princess, or something like that?”

  That devastating smile return. “You are much more than that.”

  “I like the sound of that.” She cupped her palm behind his neck and edged him down.

  His lips settled against hers. His silken tongue sank into her mouth without hesitation. She met it, stroke for stroke. His muscled arms wrapped around her and crushed her to him. His erection was cushioned by her belly, the hard rigid length of him spiraling her excitement.

  “Beginning already?” Setzan stepped behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders, and stood so close to her that she was molded against him. He brushed a kiss on the side of her neck, and she shivered.

  “Merely waiting for you, brother,” Rujali said.

  “I came as fast as I could. Now that we’re back, everyone wants to stop and talk.” Setzan nibbled her neck. She bent her head to allow him better access.

  A deep growl skated across the room. “I could look at you all day like this.”

  A sigh escaped her mouth. “Klaej.”

  Now she felt complete. All of them here. As she watched, the crimson swirls on his skin melted away to emerald.

  “What kept you, brother?” Rujali asked as he brushed his palms up and down her arms.

  “Jaiya and our parents want to meet our mate. I had to put them off,” Klaej said.

  “I’m glad you did. They’ll get to meet her, but for now I want her all to ourselves.” Setzan started kissing the other side of her neck.

  “On that we agree,” Rujali said.

  “I think our mate is wearing far too much clothing.” Klaej dipped his fingers below the robe at her shoulders and pushed it off. The material whispered off her body and pooled at her feet. The very air seemed to pulse over her skin, as intimate a caress as their fingers. There was something highly erotic about standing naked, surrounded by fully dressed men.

  Their clothing seemed rough against her super-sensitive skin. They stroked her, featherlight touches that made her shiver, but she wanted for so much more. The anticipation of what was to come was intense. She pushed her backside into Setzan’s erection beneath his clothing, moaning out loud as his rigid heat seared between her cheeks.

  Setzan’s dark chuckle whispered in her ear. “Our mate is eager.”

  “Eager for our cocks.” Klaej groaned as she rubbed her palm over his shaft.

  She wasn’t the only one in pleasurable pain. She slid her hand to cup Rujali. Her knees nearly buckled as two cocks of the men she loved throbbed beneath her touch.

  “I think you’re all wearing too much,” she said.

  All three stepped back to divest themselves of their clothing. Her gaze was greedy as she feasted on their magnificent physiques. She had no doubt of their need for her. Their cocks strained upwards.

  Setzan fisted his erection, pumping slowly as he studie
d her. She straightened her shoulders, proud that he looked at her as though he was going to devour her. Rujali lifted her and deposited her on the enormous bed, big enough for four of them. She was pillowed by a soft mattress and silken sheets.

  Rujali positioned himself behind her, scooping her so that she lay against his chest. His hands circled her breasts before sliding down her body. He slipped one hand right into her slick cleft. His finger found her entrance and he impaled her. She bucked as raw sensation zapped through her.

  He parted her legs wide while pumping her with his finger. “See how wet our mate is, brothers?”

  “It looks like she’s ready for us already with both entrances.” Klaej knelt on the bed, placing his legs on either side of her waist to place his hips in front of her. Without teasing, he gripped the base of his cock and thrust in her mouth.

  She opened wide, eagerly accepting his cock. Pre-cum burst over her tongue as her senses were bombarded with the scent of a fresh forest. Rujali worked her pussy with his fingers while Klaej fucked her mouth.

  Klaej pumped into her, the tip of his cock butting the back of her throat. He suddenly pulled out. He moved back and grabbed her hips. Rujali’s fingers slid out of her to cup her breasts. Without preamble, Klaej lifted her hips to meet his shaft and speared her. She screamed as Rujali squeezed her nipples at the same time.

  An orgasm ripped through her and took her by surprise. Her muscles locked as Klaej grunted and pumped her with smooth, deep strokes. Setzan’s wet mouth replaced Rujali’s fingers.

  “Hmm, I can taste your essence. Delicious.” Setzan lapped at her coating Rujali had left around her nipple. She watched as the tip of his tongue circled the turgid peak before he devoured her breast and sucked it hard into his mouth. His hand slid beneath her, brushing over her back entrance.

  She bucked as dark sensations crashed through her. Already she felt another orgasm building, and her body tightened on the eve of another release.

  “I need more of a taste, brother,” Setzan said.