Severed

  Stupid, right?

  “No!” The hissing, echoing voice of Tanta Loro drew us out of our little circle. “There musst be no one elsse!” she declared, pointing one long, many-jointed finger at Drace and Lucian. “Thisss female child isss bound to your fate—you will find no freedom without her.”

  “What are you saying?” Lucian demanded. “Is there still some way to sever the bond between Drace and myself if we keep Rylee with us?”

  Tanta Loro threw back her head again but this time she didn’t laugh. Instead her dark purple, jewel-like eyes rolled back in her head, revealing the milky whites. Her curving, ruby-red mouth pursed and her tentacle hair floated free and began to twist and braid itself around her pale face. Slowly, in a measured pace like someone reciting poetry, she began to speak.

  “One chance has been given and that was enough

  One chance, but you shall have two

  To sever your bond, your kinship to slough

  Listen well to what you must do

  First find the key of Tanterine Gray

  Lost and then found again soon

  Gain it and go to the Temple of Ganth

  By the light of the Quarreling moons

  Within find the treasure—also a blight

  The Claw that can sever your bond

  But beware when you use it, you do what is right

  Once severed, your love will be gone.”

  “God,” I whispered softly when she appeared to be done. “What is all that supposed to mean?”

  “It’s a prophesy,” Lucian murmured.

  “Just what we need—another fucking prophesy,” Drace growled.

  Tanta Loro’s eyes went back to their normal position and she let out a little gasp. Her long, spidery legs seemed to buckle under her and her tentacle hair went suddenly flat and limp.

  “That isss all I have to give you,” she whisper-hissed at us. “Go and do not return.”

  “But what does it mean?” I asked.

  Tanta Loro suddenly drew herself up to her full height—I swear she towered up nine feet tall—and glared down at us.

  “GO!”

  Her voice echoed through the seashell house, nearly deafening me with its power. Clearly, we weren’t getting anything else out of her.

  “Guys,” I said, dragging on both their arms. “Come on—let’s go!”

  Under the watchful glare of the two lobster-centaur guards, who had apparently come to see what all the shouting was about, we headed for the exit.

  But as we were leaving, I threw one last glance over my shoulder and saw that the crab-woman was looking at me—just at me—her deep purple eyes blazing.

  “Binder!” she hissed, swaying towards me. Her voice seemed to carry to my ears only because neither of the guys looked back at her. “Binder, beware the shadowsss and the thingsss that lurk in them! It is your death…your death.”

  I didn’t know what she meant and I didn’t want to know. I turned back around and ran.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lucian

  “First find the key of Tanterine Gray,” Drace muttered, pacing up and down the length of the food-prep area. “What in the Frozen Hells does that mean?”

  We were back aboard my ship—finally warm and dry though I still felt waterlogged. Visiting the Half-Folk who lived beneath the seas was always an undertaking. Drace and I were wearing our sleep trousers again and Rylee was dressed in her long white sleeping gown. We weren’t actually planning to go straight to bed—I think we all just wanted to be comfortable.

  And we were comfortable—physically, anyway. Mentally and emotionally, I was in a turmoil. The strange prophesy kept echoing in my head, making it hard to think past my misery.

  Drace was too upset to sense my inner turmoil but Rylee seemed to pick up on it at once. She offered to take on the cooking duties, as long as Drace and I didn’t complain about what she made. I had agreed absently and then sat myself down at the table with my head in my hands, trying to make up my mind what to do.

  “The key of Tanterine Gray,” Drace repeated again, still pacing. “For fuck’s sake—what is she talking about?”

  “Lucian knows, don’t you, hon?” Rylee asked softly. She came to the table and sat a plate in front of me and then put another down in front Drace’s place. “There—cheeseburgers. And remember, no complaining.”

  “He does? You do?” Ignoring the food, Drace came to the table and stared down at me, a frown on his strong features.

  I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Damn Rylee for guessing.

  “Yes,” I said heavily. “I know.”

  “Well, what is it then and how can we get it?” he demanded. “And why the fuck didn’t you speak up earlier?”

  “I didn’t want to!” I shouted back. “Because—” I broke off, shaking my head.

  “Because of what, Lucian? You can tell us.” Rylee put a hand on my shoulder and her other hand on Drace’s arm. I felt a current of calm run through me—was that coming from Rylee? Was she even now binding me closer to my temporary bond-mate—to the very male I was trying to get away from?

  A Binder—she’s a Binder! You should pull away!

  And yet even if she was a Binder, as Tanta Loro had said, I couldn’t make myself want to shake her hand off. Couldn’t ask her to stop—her touch and through her, the touch of my bond-mate, felt too good. Which was damn scary.

  “The key of Tanterine Gray refers to an artifact found at one of the sites of our earliest prehistory,” I said in a low voice, not looking at either of them. “It’s not really a key—it’s a kind of triangular stone made of Tanterine—a rare mineral that’s considered very valuable in some circles.”

  “And you know this how exactly?” Drace demanded, frowning.

  “Because…” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Because it was sold at auction in my home city of Y’brith not too long ago and bought for a large sum by a private buyer.”

  “That’s great!” Rylee exclaimed. “Who bought it? Do you know?”

  “I do,” I said heavily. “It was bought by an off-worlder who makes his home in Y’brith—a Cantor male who goes by the name of Lord Mandrex. He’s extremely wealthy and notoriously eccentric.”

  “That’s the first piece of the puzzle solved then!” Rylee looked excited. “We can just go back to your home town and ask to meet with this Lord Mandrex and see if we can buy or borrow the key from him.” She frowned at me. “Why do you still look so upset, Lucian?”

  Drace answered for me. “Because going back to Y’brith caries a risk of someone seeing us and finding out we’re bonded.” His voice turned bitter. “Because Lucian here doesn’t want to face his fucking upper-crust parents and admit to our bond. Do you?” he threw at me.

  “Would you want to admit it to your family?” I snarled, glaring at him. “You don’t know my parents—my fathers are the chiefs of our clan and my mother is the social leader of the city. If it gets out that I bonded with another Alpha—especially one from our clan’s greatest rival—it will ruin them.”

  “Why does it have to get out?” Rylee asked, frowning at both of us. “Honestly, you two are such drama-queens. Why can’t we just sneak quietly into the city and make a private appointment with this Lord Mandrex guy?”

  “Actually, we can,” I said slowly. “It would mean landing the ship outside the city limits and going through the desert but a stealthy approach could be made.” I frowned. “It would be dangerous, though. The desert around Y’brith isn’t called The Sands of Death for no reason.”

  “The Sands of Death?” Rylee sounded nervous. “That doesn’t sound so good, Lucian.”

  “I think we should do it,” Drace said, surprising me. “We can sim some protective clothing and go in at night. It’ll be fine.”

  I looked at him gratefully. “Thank you—it’s good of you to understand.”

  “’Course I fucking understand,” he said roughly. “I didn’t mean to ride you so hard about your parents—it’s just…we
come from different backgrounds.”

  “We do,” I acknowledged heavily. “Very different.”

  “Well, I’m glad you two understand everything but I don’t.” Rylee was still frowning at both of us. “Look, I don’t get why what your parents think should be such a huge deal. I mean, I know family is important but both of you are grown-ass men. You need to stand on your own two feet and tell momma and daddy to mind their own business.”

  “You don’t get it, Rylee.” Drace frowned. “It isn’t just family—this is Clan protocol we’re breaking, being bonded together. In some clans being bonded to a male of a rival clan can get you killed. And an Alpha being bonded to another Alpha is almost as bad.”

  “It won’t get you killed in the Fang Clan,” I said grimly. “Just shunned and socially ruined. That’s all. Not to mention if my parents—my mother especially—found out I was bonded to another Alpha it would…” I blew out a breath.

  “It would break her heart.” Drace sounded a little more sympathetic now and I thought I felt less anger coming from his end of our bond.

  “Yes,” I said simply. “It would.”

  “I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t really get it before now.” Rylee gave me a hug, looping one arm around my neck and drawing me close for comfort. Then she motioned for Drace. “You too—come here.”

  Drace knelt on her other side and she put an arm around him too, drawing him close. We both put our arms around her and for a moment I allowed myself to press my face to the soft, yielding firmness of her right breast as Drace pressed against the left. She still smelled like the saltiness of the sea but underneath was her own slightly floral, deeply feminine scent which made my shaft ache despite my anxiety and doubt.

  Once again a current of peace flowed between us—a current of caring and need and desire that made me want to take Rylee to bed and share her with my bond-mate all night long.

  I sighed and pressed closer to her, breathing in her scent and Drace’s too. The arm I had around her waist found Drace’s and, without asking, I gripped his hand. I felt him hesitate and then he squeezed back. Immediately, the current intensified, bringing an almost euphoric warmth and pleasure.

  Three as One, I thought. One that is Three. The perfect number.

  Gods, it felt good to have her between us! To feel the comfort and understanding coming from my mates—both my mates. Because Rylee was embroiled in my bond with Drace too. By trying to break our psy-bond and somehow binding us more tightly, she had also become a temporary bond-mate. I understood that now as I hadn’t before we’d gone to see Tanta Loro.

  We were all in this together.

  It was a good feeling, our three-way hug—so good I never wanted it to end. Just at that moment I felt that I didn’t care about any of the consequences as long as we could just all be together.

  A dangerous embrace.

  Don’t forget why this has to end—why you can’t be together, whispered a warning voice in the back of my head.

  I forced myself to sit upright, pulling away from my bond-partners.

  “It’s all right,” I said and cleared my throat. “It will be all right—we’ll simply have to be very, very careful to avoid my parents and anyone I know while we’re in Y’brith.”

  “It’s not your fault this happened to us,” Drace offered. “I’d tell your parents so if you thought it would help. If they somehow found out, I mean.”

  For a moment I saw my bond-mate as my mother would see him—crude, loud, uneducated—or at least, not educated to her standards—the last male in the galaxy I ought to be bonded to. She wouldn’t see Drace’s bravery or generosity or the way he pleasured and protected our chosen female so selflessly. She would only see that he was the wrong class, the wrong clan, the wrong one for her only son. The ruin of her social status which she had worked so carefully to protect at all costs.

  Come to think of it, she probably wouldn’t much like Riley either. Males who mated off-worlder females were looked down on in the Fang Clan. It was supposed to be a last resort—something only a desperate male who had exhausted all other options would do.

  But of course, I couldn’t tell my bond-partners that. It would hurt them and though I once hadn’t given a damn for Drace’s feelings, I found I was unable to wound him now. My mind kept returning to the way he had healed my thumb—the way he had stood together with me to face Tanta Loro not once but twice. He was a good male, even if my mother and my fathers wouldn’t think so. Even if being bonded to him and Rylee was a terrible shame on my family, I couldn’t hurt or abandon them.

  Not yet, anyway.

  “It’s all right,” I said to Drace. “I thank you for your offer but I think it would be better if we kept the matter from my parents entirely. We have to get into the city without being seen.”

  “Agreed.” He nodded. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do—but tomorrow, all right? It’s late and going to visit the Wave Dwellers is fucking exhausting. I’m not up for a tramp through the desert on top of it.”

  “I’m all worn out too,” Rylee admitted. “How about if we eat and go to bed?”

  Her words seemed to resonate in the room and for some reason I found myself sharing a look with Drace.

  “Do you want to sleep between us again, baby?” he asked softly. “Since Lucian hasn’t had a chance to get the skizix problem taken care of yet?”

  “Oh, um…” Rylee nibbled her lush lower lip—a distractingly erotic gesture although I don’t think she knew it. “Will you…” She cleared her throat. “Will you need to…to build a, uh, dream-shield again?”

  “If you want to keep the skizix out of the sleeping chamber, yes,” Drace admitted. “Why—did it bother you the way we built it last night?”

  “I…I’m not sure it bothered me enough.” Rylee sounded like she was slightly ashamed of herself for admitting it. “I mean, it was kind of, um, kinky. I know it seems normal to you guys but where I come from a girl with two guys at the same time is, well…” She trailed off, looking at both of us uncertainly.

  “It’s just a fantasy,” I murmured, reassuring her. “Anything we do within our minds in order to build the dream-shield is just a phantom—an illusion. It’s not as though it’s really happening.”

  Although the Gods knew I wished it was. I wanted badly to share her with Drace, although I knew it was wrong.

  “Well…” Rylee put her hands behind her back and entwined her fingers—a nervous gesture that pressed her full, creamy breasts out against the thin material of her night dress and put her tight berry-dark nipples on display. I had to bite back a groan as my shaft hardened.

  Through the link I shared with Drace, I could feel my bond-mate’s lust as well. But not just lust—he wanted to be careful with Rylee, to treat her gently and pleasure her well, just as I did. Our chosen female was a lady—we would treat her as such, if only she would let us.

  “Baby…” he murmured caressingly, reaching out to stroke one large hand down her arm. “Come to bed with us. Just let Lucian and me hold you between us.”

  Rylee shivered and leaned into his touch, then she looked at me—an unspoken invitation. I put a hand on her arm as well, feeling her warm, silky skin under my palm, wanting her so badly I could barely breathe. Wanting to share her, the way it should be.

  “All right,” she whispered. “As long as we don’t go too far and it all stays in our heads.”

  “Agreed,” I said and Drace nodded.

  Leaving the food forgotten on the table, the three of us headed for the sleeping chamber.

  * * * * *

  Rylee

  I couldn’t believe I’d agreed to this—agreed to let them do the whole dream-sex thing with me again.

  That’s all it is—just a dream—a fantasy, I told myself. We won’t really be doing anything but just lying in bed together. Hell, we won’t even take off our clothes! Besides, we have to do this in order to form the dream-shield.

  But did we really? Weren’t the guys just as able to
form a shield with pretty mind images like the Van Gogh sky and the field of star-flowers as much as sexy images like the two of them sucking my nipples at the same time?

  Just the thought of that—the memory of it—made me feel hot and cold all over. At that moment, I knew I wanted them—both of them—and that scared me.

  It’ll be all right, I tried to tell myself as Drace lifted me and put me down in the middle of the huge bed. He got in beside me, on the left side and Lucian got on my right in a pattern that was already beginning to feel extremely familiar.

  They both rolled up on their elbows to face me and Lucian frowned.

  “You’re frightened, ma 'frela—I can smell the scent of fear on your skin.”

  “She’s scared we’ll go too far,” Drace rumbled. Reaching out, he traced a gentle line down my cheek with one finger. “It’s all right, baby—we’ll be careful.”

  “And we will not touch you in reality—only in our minds,” Lucian promised.

  “Right,” I said breathlessly. “Because touching in reality would, uh, violate our contract.”

  “Exactly. And we wouldn’t want to do that,” Drace murmured. “Come on, let’s get comfortable.”

  “Lights dim,” Lucian said and immediately the room went dark, lit only by the glow of the moving rainbow-lightning bugs in their glass tank across from the bed.

  “Close your eyes—both of you,” Drace ordered us, his deep voice slightly hoarse. “Lucian, help me. Let’s set the shield in place.”

  I took a deep breath and we all closed our eyes.

  This time there was no Starry Night or field of flowers—this time there was just the three of us in the bed.

  Naked.

  “Drace!” I gasped, looking down at myself. “Where did my gown go?”

  And for that matter, where had their trousers gone?

  The big blue alien gave me a lazy grin.

  “Just thought we’d all be more comfortable this way. Don’t worry—you’re actually still dressed and so are we. Take a look and see for yourself.”