Raines, Elizabeth - Marooned [Wicked Missions 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (12 page)

“Because of
you
, Tinsa,” Matt interrupted. “You saved them. We all just…helped a little.”

She couldn’t stop the tears at his kind words and the tender tone of his voice. The shame of crying in public would pass. Perhaps oracles were allowed to weep… Her heart was so heavy, so full of love for her two mates, once they left, she would be crying for a long time to come.

When Matt and Drake got on that ship and flew away with Hannah and Linc, her heart would fracture into a million pieces, never to be whole again. But she’d already made up her mind. Her mates deserved to go back to their lives, and she would remain with her family on Fraiqua. Once she’d licked her wounds and cried until she could cry no longer, perhaps she would join Hannah, searching the universe for justice.

Betinsa stroked Matt’s cheek with her fingertips and then looked to Drake, feeling as if she was going to die simply saying the words. “It is time for you both to return to Earth.”

“For
all
of us to return,” Matt added, putting his hand over hers and pressing her palm to his face.

“No,
saramie
. I won’t be going with you.”

“Betinsa…” Drake drawled out her name, his voice close to a growl.

“Please,
lamanna
. Just listen. I… I’ve decided to remain here on Fraiqua.” She tried not to look at the piercing frowns that suddenly appeared on their handsome faces. Her hand dropped back to her side. “I…can’t…” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “I can’t go back with you.”

“I don’t understand,” Drake said, his gaze searching hers.

“I know that what we shared on Katenya was…wonderful,” she continued. “But I also know you’re not Fraiquan. You have jobs to return to—jobs that make you the great men that you are.”

“Why does that mean you can’t go back with us?” Matt asked. He grasped her shoulder, his fingers digging into the muscles.

“I can’t explain so that you will understand. You’ll simply have to take my word for this. I need to spend time with my family now…”
So that I may properly mourn the loss of the two mates I love with all my heart and soul
.

“I think I know what’s going on here,” Hannah said as she strode over to the group, Linc waddling quickly behind her.

“Please, Hannah.
Please
stay out of this.” Couldn’t her friend see that this was for the best? Betinsa couldn’t work side by side with Matt, knowing she could never be to him what he was to her—one of her lifemates. And should she see Drake again and again and remember all they’d shared…?

No!
A clean break was for the best. “Hannah,” Betinsa said, her voice growing hard, “you must stay out of this now.”

“C’mon, Betinsa… You need to tell them how you—”

“Silence!” Betinsa shouted. “I will
not
discuss this…personal matter any longer. I’ll stay here at my home. Matt and Drake will return to Earth, their home.”

Hannah narrowed her eyes, clearly wanting to argue.

“No more, Hannah. Please no more.” Placing her palms against Matt’s chest, Betinsa pushed up on tiptoe to press a kiss to his lips. When he tried to take her into his arms, she backed up. Then she moved to Drake, kissed him once, and then turned to walk away. Trying to hold her composure, she passed the senators and the shaman. Although they appeared to be a bit confused, they turned to follow her inside the dome of the landing facility. As soon as she was out of the sight of her mates, she would run home and let her mother hold her, needing comfort and fearing she would surely die before this day ended.

“You think it’s that easy?” Matt shouted as she reached the door. “You think it’s
that fucking easy?
”

One foot in front of the other
.
You can do this. Just put one foot in front of the other.
She tried to keep moving.

“Stop!” Drake shouted. “Betinsa! I said
stop!
”

Conditioned by a mother who would never let her mates order her about in such a fashion, Betinsa whirled around. “How dare you speak to me that way!”

She’d never seen Drake so angry. He’d always seemed to value self-control, keeping a calm exterior and maintaining an even keel. Now, his cheeks were ruddy and his hands were clenched at his sides. He was breathing so hard, his nostrils flared with each exhale. “How dare
you
walk away from us like this! We’re
your mates!
”

“We won’t let you do this!” Matt added, appearing every bit as enraged. She’d only seen him lose control once when he’d whirled to punch a hole in a wall when she’d known he wanted to put that same fist through the suspect’s face. Right now, his body language was just as taut as that day. “You don’t get to make all the choices here! You don’t get to just…walk away!”

Hannah was grinning like a simpleton while Lincoln openly chuckled at the dressing-down she’d just received. The amused stares of the senators and the smile of the shaman bristled her nerves even more. In fast strides, Betinsa returned to Matt and Drake, stopping when she was directly in front of them. “You don’t speak to me like that! Either of you! I’m the
female!
”

“And we’re your
mates!
” Matt replied, fisting his hands against his hips and leaning over her as if to emphasize his superior height.

“Mates,
lamanna,
” Drake said, folding his arms over his chest
.
“Not boyfriends, not lovers, not some toys you get to decide when to play with.
Mates
. When you claimed us, you should have realized we’d never let you go.”

Matt reached out, taking her hands in his. “We’re not letting you walk away from us.”

Could they mean it? Did they really know what it meant when she claimed them as her mates?

No. No, they didn’t comprehend, so she would have to embarrass herself further, throw her shredded heart on the floor for all to see, simply to make them understand. “You don’t realize what you’re saying. I can’t be a part of your lives. Matt, you’re an agent of the Earth Bureau of Investigation. Drake, you’re an ambassador. How can I take that away from both of you?”

“You sadly underestimate us, Betinsa,” Drake replied. “Loving you won’t make me lose my job.”

“You…love me?” Her voice had fallen to a breathless whisper.

“God, yes,” Drake replied. “How can you not know that?”

“I love you too, Tinsa,” Matt added. “Hell, I’ve loved you just about forever.”

Her mates loved her. She suddenly had the strength of ten warriors as her heart felt near to bursting. “You do understand that mating on Fraiqua is for life—three people who promise to be together through all the good and bad of life. You do know that, right?”

“For richer or poorer,” Matt said, grabbing her hand and pressing it to his chest. “In sickness and in health…”

Drake took her other hand and held it against his heart. “To love, honor, and cherish. Until death do us part.”

The shaman drew closer, speaking the words of the joining as her mates smiled.

They knew. They understood. And they still wanted her.

“I must hear the words, Oracle,” the shaman said, speaking English in clear deference to her mates.

The strength her mother had always said she had helped Betinsa keep her voice steady as she repeated the promise so many women had before her. “I take Matt Newton and Drake Keller as my lifemates. I ask them to do me the honor of spending their lives with me. Will you join with me?”

The shaman put his hand over the one she held against Matt’s chest. “And will you accept Betinsa as your mate?”

“Hell, yes,” Matt replied, his grin making her smile in response.

Repeating the gesture with the hand she pressed to Drake, the shaman nodded.

Drake’s smile was no less dazzling. “I do.”

“These lifemates,” the shaman said, raising his voice loud enough for all to hear, “are sacred. Nothing but death shall ever part them.” With a bow, he backed away before turning and walking back to the senators.

Hannah came forward, slapping first Drake and then Matt on the back hard enough to make both the men wince. “Told you so! Shit, Indigo… One of these days, maybe you’ll learn to listen to me!”

Lincoln offered his good wishes in his typical fashion. “’Bout fucking time.”

Betinsa didn’t mind. All she could think about was how wonderful it felt to know that her mates loved her and that they’d have the rest of their lives to spend together. Then she realized the one thing that was missing. She owed them the same honesty they’d given her. “I love you, Matt. I love you, too, Drake.”

“So… When we headin’ back to Earth?” Hannah asked.

“I’m not in a hurry to get back on a ship,” Matt said with a frown.

One of the senators came forward. Bowing to Betinsa, he said, “We have a celebration meal planned for you and your mates, Oracle. Then there is a suite prepared for the three of you. Tomorrow, there shall be a gathering of the people to thank you for saving the Charhocks. Will you please follow me?”

Betinsa looked to Drake and Matt, a quirked eyebrow asking if they would agree. It would be a lot to ask of them.

“I’m in,” Matt said.

“I would be honored,” Drake added.

“Then let’s celebrate!” Betinsa held tight to her mates’ hands as they followed the senator, Hannah and Linc following close behind.

Chapter 10

Betinsa dropped onto her back on the mattress and stared at the enormous skylight. She could see Katenya shining in the night sky, and she grinned, thinking how fate had smiled on her because of that wonderful moon.

Matt’s face was suddenly in front of hers as he blanketed her with his body, holding himself up on his elbows and staring into her eyes. “I thought that would never end.”

“Thank you for being so patient,” Betinsa said, smiling at her mate. “Joining celebrations can be a bit…lengthy.”

The mattress shifted, and Drake crawled toward her, dropping down on his side next to her and Matt and reclining like some Roman senator of ancient Earth. “You’ve obviously never been to any formal banquets after treaty negotiations. We’d still be there another three hours or more. Just wait until I start dragging you to formal functions with me as my wife.”

“You would do that?” she asked. “I assumed it might be best that you not announce our marriage.”

“Ah,
lamanna
…” His smile was so warm, so loving. “You know what happens when you assume…”

“People who assume are often mistaken,” she replied. “Correct?”

Matt laughed. “It’s an old Earth saying. If you break up the word into smaller words…”

It took a moment for Betinsa to understand. Then she frowned at Drake. “So I am an ass?”

“No, no. I was only teasing.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Tell me what
lamanna
means, Betinsa. It sounds so beautiful when you say it, and I love saying it to you. What does it mean?”

“It means…my heart.”

“And that’s what you are, Betinsa. You’re my heart.”

Tears burned her eyes. “As you are mine,
lamanna
.”

“And
saramie?
” Matt asked. “What does that mean?”

She almost sobbed her answer, feeling so much love for her mates, she wasn’t sure her heart wouldn’t simply burst. “My love. It means my love.”

“Then that’s what you are,
saramie
. You’re my love.”

“I love you, Matt. I love you, too, Drake.” Only one thing could make this magical night any more wonderful. “Make love to me. Now. Together.”

“Anything the little wife wants,” Matt said, backing away from her and practically ripping off the purple velvet robe he’d been given for the celebration. When she saw that all he wore under it was a pair of shorts, she had to laugh. The shorts quickly hit the floor as his erection stood from his body, strong and proud. “Okay. I’m ready! What are you two waiting for?”

Betinsa laughed again as she crawled off the bed, taking off her mother’s robe and laying it over one of the chairs in the enormous penthouse suite. She’d never stayed in anyplace half as opulent, but the beauty of her surroundings was lost on her at that moment. All she could think about was being naked with her mates, of the beauty each of them represented to her.