3013: Targeted (13 page)

Every Krytos present launched themselves at Mek, taking him down before he’d taken more than a single step. The pack had spoken. If they had doubts about her leadership, they could have allowed the attack to continue, forcing T’karra to meet Mek’s challenge herself. They hadn’t, and their support was the only comfort she could find in this tragic mess. Her uncle was guilty and would have to answer for his crimes, and she had no doubt that when this ordeal was over, Mek’s life would be forfeited. There could be no other outcome, not after what he’d done.

Hawke had never had to fight so hard to stay out of a fight in his life. From the second Mek had turned around with that knife in his hand, every instinct Hawke had was screaming for him to step in and protect what was his…even if she would have kicked his ass for it. Now that it was over, he was glad he’d held back. T’karra was every inch a leader, and her pack had rallied to her defense without hesitation. It was a demonstration of loyalty and unity he felt honored to have witnessed.

As T’karra’s pack dragged her uncle to his feet, Hawke felt a pang of satisfaction at noting that the older Krytos was now looking a great deal more battered than he had a few minutes ago. Mek’s packmates had clearly not approved of his opinions or his actions. It wasn’t as satisfying as having inflicted the bruises himself, but it was better than nothing.

“What do we do with him, T’karra?” the largest of the males present asked, one hand clamped firmly on Mek’s shoulder.

“For now, he’s going into Alliance custody.”

Several growls of displeasure met her statement, and she held up a hand, commanding silence. “I need answers, and so does the Alliance. When we have the information we need, then I have the commanders’ word he will be returned to us for a Krytos trial.”

Mek spat a gob of bloodied spittle at T’karra’s feet. “You’re no Krytos. You’re nothing more than an Alliance lapdog, now.”

T’karra’s fingers curled into a fist at her side, and when she spoke her voice carried an ominous rumble that betrayed how close she was to shifting forms. “Take him outside and give him over to the Alliance elites who are waiting to take him into custody. Quickly, before I forget my duty and kill him here and now.”

They dragged him away, and it was only then that Hawke saw a familiar face watching from the back corner of the kitchen. Jenza, the only shy Krytos he’d ever met, was staring at T’karra with grief etched into every line of her pretty face.

“My father did this? He—how? Why?” Her voice was raw and broken, but there were no tears in her eyes, only a haunting pain that Hawke knew he’d never forget.

“I don’t know, Jenza, but I swear to you, I will find out. We all need answers, and your father is the only one who can provide them.” T’karra opened her arms, and the smaller Krytos ran straight into them, hugging her cousin hard.

“I’m sorry he tried to hurt you. I’m so sorry. We didn’t know.”

“I know. None of us did. It doesn’t make any sense. I’m sorry you had to see this, little cousin.”

Jenza straightened and stepped back, and Hawke was amazed at the strength that gleamed in her black eyes. At that moment, she could have been T’karra’s twin. “I’m not. I came in to pick up an order and heard what he said, and I saw what he was going to do.”

“You better go and tell your family what’s going on before word gets back to them from someone else. News like this…it’s going to be easier to hear it from you.”

Jenza nodded. “You’re right. Bad news travels fast, and it’s going to break my mother’s heart when I tell her.”

“When I have answers, I promise that you’ll have them, too.”

Once Jenza was gone, T’karra blew out a slow breath. Her shoulders drooped, and she turned toward them, hands outstretched. Hawke was at her side the next second, taking her hand and using it to draw her into his arms. Brandt moved in behind her, and they held her between them, offering her their silent support. He wanted to offer her more, but for now, this would have to do. He was still trying to work through everything they’d learned, and the shitstorm that had been unleashed the moment Mek had walked up to their table. The son of a bitch had tried to kill T’karra.

If the Krytos didn’t take Mek’s life for what he’d done, Hawke would do it himself.

***

CHAPTER TWELVE

T’karra was tempted to put another dent in the wall of the commanders’ office. Interrogating Mek had proved to be an exercise in futility. After hours of trying to get him to talk, all he’d done was continue to spew the same vitriolic, bitter accusations they ’d heard back in the kitchen. Eventually he’d been stricken by another of the crippling headaches that had been plaguing him of late, and they’d been forced to stop the interrogation to call for a med-tech. Frustrated and tired, the three of them left Mek to be treated and returned to Ops to regroup.

“Now what?” T’karra asked as she paced the office floor, barely missing Hawke, who had started pacing in the other direction.

“For starters, the two of you need to stop doing that. You’re making me fucking dizzy. Is synchronized pacing a Krytos thing?” Brandt bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “Is there any point in going at him again? Or do we need to take some time off to rest and start in again in the morning?”

Part of her wanted to go back to the brig so she could scream and lash out until Mek explained to her why he’d done it. Why he’d betrayed everything he cared about, his family and his home, forsaking his honor forever. It didn’t make any sense. Her head hurt, her heart ached, and her stomach churned with bitter bile. Tomorrow, she would have to tell Danor who had arranged the attempt on his life, and she knew he would be as stunned as she was. Then she would have to tell Verak and contact their fathers. She hoped to have more answers for them by then, but it was starting to look like Mek’s mind was too twisted by hatred to ever give them a straight answer.

“I want to talk to him again, but we should wait. Mek’s mate, Janell, informed me that when the headaches come, it can take him hours to recover, but after he rests, he is more himself, at least for a while. I am still angry they were hiding this from me. If I had known how bad things were…”

Brandt stopped her with a wave of his hand. “You said you tried to get him to seek help. I’m sure his family tried, too, and they knew more than you did. If they couldn’t make him see reason, what makes you think you could have? He’s out of his mind, T’karra. That’s not on you. None of this is.”

“He hates me, and I don’t know why. What changed? What did I do?” Her voice cracked on the last word, and T’karra fought to shore up the walls that were holding her emotions in check. She didn’t have the luxury of grieving yet. Anger she could use to keep herself focused, but grief was a waste of energy, a distraction.

Hawke took her hand and pulled her toward the door before she could do more than take a single breath. “That’s it, we’re taking you home. This was a clusterfuck of a night, and we’re all exhausted. You just said that Mek needs to rest before he’ll recover from the headache, and we’ll do better if we’ve all had a few hours of sleep.”

She hung back. “I’ve got to go over the reports again. I eliminated him from the list of suspects for a reason, but I don’t remember what it was, I have to check my notes.”

“Tomorrow. You can check tomorrow,” Brandt told her as he fell in just behind her, his hand landing between her shoulder blades as he helped Hawke move her out of the office.

“Are you two ganging up on me again? This is becoming a habit.”

Hawke chuckled. “It’s the only way to make you obey us, oh stubborn one.”

She bristled at that. “You two command this space station, but you don’t command me. I don’t salute, I will
never
call either of you sir, and I do not, ever, follow your orders. I may choose to agree with your suggestions, however.”

“Then consider this our way of strongly
suggesting
that the three of us go back to our quarters,” Brandt said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

“Since you’re suggesting we call it a night, then I’ll agree to it. But only because it’s a suggestion.” T’karra knew she was too tired to think straight, but she had no intention of letting her two men start thinking they were in charge. Nothing good would come of it.

They made the walk back to their quarters in relative silence, and T’karra noticed that despite their guards, her two commanders stayed alert, keeping her between them at all times. It wasn’t until they were all in the elevator her tired mind recalled that with Mek in custody, there was no reason she couldn’t return to her own quarters back at the sanctuary. She could go back to her own bed if she wished. It was time for another choice, one not made out of necessity, or because her life was threatened. If she wanted to be with them, she could, but she would have to be honest about why she was staying. Staying here tonight would be a very public declaration that the three of them were involved.

It didn’t take her long to make her decision.

When the elevator doors opened, she took their hands and led the way to
their
suite.

Hawke didn’t have a psychic bone in his body, but he didn’t have to read T’karra’s mind to know what she was thinking. He’d been waiting for the moment she realized she didn’t have to stay with them anymore. Would she decide to go back to her own quarters? He hoped not. Tonight had been difficult, and he didn’t want her to deal with it alone. If he had his way, they’d clean up, and the three of them would go to bed together, not necessarily for sex, but to make sure that T’karra knew they were there for her, offering her their support. When she took their hands and headed for their suite, his heart did a somersault in his chest. She’d made her decision.

Now they needed to show her she’d made the right one, for all of them.

Once inside, she led them upstairs without slowing down or looking at either of them. It wasn’t until they were standing outside her bedroom door that she turned and looked at them both. For once, she dropped her guard and let them see everything she was feeling. The expression on her face spoke more clearly than any words could have. Grief shadowed her eyes, and fatigue had stolen the color from her complexion. The sight of her, alone and vulnerable, tore a gaping wound in his heart.

“You’re not alone, T’karra,” Brandt told her.

Hawke nodded his agreement and moved to her side, taking one of her hands in his. “Whatever it is you need from us, you’ve got it.”

“I don’t want to be alone tonight,” was all she said, but her fingers tightened around Hawke’s as she said it. She turned and buried her face in his shoulder, and he gathered into his arms. Brandt opened her bedroom door and went inside, gesturing for Hawke to wait a moment before following. Hawke had no problem following that suggestion, he was in no rush to let go of their lover. It hadn’t been easy, watching her cope with everything and knowing he couldn’t hold her or kiss her pain away. She had a role to play, and so did they. It was going to take time to strike a balance between their duties and their desires.

“As your
tiktas
, we’re happy to see to it you never have to spend another night alone. Not unless you want to.”

He was rewarded with a muffled snicker. “We’ll see. Let’s take this one day at a time, shall we? It would be nice to spend some time with you two now that no one is trying to kill me or wreck my home.”

“You mean, go out on actual dates? Hang out without the need to view security footage or read through really boring reports? Stars, what would we talk about?”

She lifted her head and cracked a small smile, the first one he’d seen since her uncle had tried to poison her. “You could tell me about your day, and I could tell you about mine, then we could all curl up and watch a vid on the couch. That sounds about perfect.”

“Then tomorrow, we’ll have to do that. Tonight, though, I vote we just go to bed,” Brandt said from somewhere inside her room.

“I second that idea,” Hawke said, brushing a kiss to T’karra’s cheek before releasing her. He didn’t want to let her go, but whatever happened tonight, it had to be her decision.

T’karra left the comfort of Hawke’s arms with reluctance. It felt good to be held and supported after the day she’d had. It was a new sensation, and one she could quickly come to appreciate. In fact, her two commanders had shown her a glimpse into a life she’d never envisioned for herself. It was too soon to be sure it was a life she wanted, but she wasn’t ready to dismiss the idea, either. Now that the threat was gone and life could return to normal, she was looking forward to exploring what they were building between the three of them.

She walked into her room and found herself pulled into Brandt’s arms for a gentle hug. He’d set the lighting low, and activated some kind of music program that was playing a soothing melody. There was a new scent in the air, and she smiled when she recognized it, lavender, an Earth plant well known for its calming effects on both their species. He’d turned down the covers of the oversized bed, and she could even hear the sound of water running in her bathing area. “You work quickly.”

He kissed her hair and then released her, turning her to face the bathroom and the siren’s call of a hot shower. “Get cleaned up and relaxed. When you’re ready, we’ll be here, waiting.”

“You know, I think I could get used to this,” she muttered as she headed toward the bathroom. She stripped off quickly and stepped under the flow, letting the heat soak into her bones and the water wash away the memories of today. Back in her bedroom, she could hear her two men speaking, their low, rumbling tones too faint to make out what was being said, but there was enough laughter threaded through the words to tell her that nothing was wrong.

She didn’t linger in the shower. Once she was refreshed, she shut off the water and toweled herself off. She reached for her clothes, but then decided there wasn’t any point in getting dressed again. Both men had seen her naked now, and despite feeling tired, she wasn’t planning on falling asleep yet. There were things she wanted to do first, and nothing on her agenda required clothing.

When she was ready, she re-entered the bedroom and found both her men waiting for her. They’d clearly changed while she was out of the room, their Alliance uniforms replaced by identical pairs of black track pants. Neither of them was wearing a shirt, and her heart rate picked up several beats per minute at the sight of their bare chests. Hawke was sitting at the edge of the bed, while Brandt was doing his best to fit his large frame into the cramped confines of the chair next to her desk. They both stood up as she entered, then their eyes widened and their mouths fell open as they registered her complete lack of clothing.

“Holy nova, are you trying to kill us?” Brandt asked, his voice oddly tight.

“Can’t think. No blood in brain. All gone south,” Hawke muttered a half second later.

She laughed. “I thought you said we were going to bed. I sleep naked.”

“Fuck. I knew it,” Hawke swore, still staring at her. His eyes glowed with more heat than the heart of a star.

“You naked is not likely to be conducive to any of us getting any sleep tonight, starshine. You sure you don’t want to put something on?”

She looked at Brandt and was bathed in the same heat that flowed from Hawke. She basked in it, enjoying these first few moments. It was the first time they would be together as a trio. The first time she had allowed herself to be vulnerable like this. One-on-one she could guard herself easily, both her body and her heart.

Standing before them, seeing how much they desired her, and knowing all they had done for her and her family today, T’karra knew she wasn’t going to be able to protect her heart any longer. After tonight, there would be no going back to the way things had been. She smiled at both of them before heading to bed. She slid between the sheets, claiming the center pillow before gesturing for them to join her.

Brandt’s cock was harder than it had ever been in his life, and his control was strained to the breaking point. He’d had a plan. Stay focused. Take care of T’karra. Don’t give in to the needs that had been tearing through him since they’d showered together. He’d intended to be noble, to do the right thing. As she walked away from them, naked and smiling, every good intention he’d harbored went up in smoke. If she wanted them, then he was more than happy to give her whatever she needed.

He had his pants off in seconds, matching Hawke nearly move for move as they stripped and then joined their lover on the bed, throwing back the covers as they did so. She rolled over to face him and he took her mouth in a kiss that was more brutal than he’d intended. The taste of her exploded on his tongue, dark and spicy. She kissed him back with equal fervor, her hands gripping his shoulders, nails biting into his flesh just enough to sting. His blood sang and his dick throbbed in time to his heartbeat, his entire body igniting like a plasma storm when she wrapped one long leg around his hips and ground their bodies together.

He tore his mouth from hers to utter a command. “Tell me what you need, T’karra.”

“I need you. I need Hawke. Make me forget everything but this.”

Hawke groaned in response, moving up behind her so she was pressed tight to Brandt’s body.

“Not good enough, starshine. I want you to tell us exactly what you want us to do to you.”

She opened her eyes and stared at him in confusion for a long moment, but neither man moved or spoke until she finally broke her silence. “You really wish to hear what I want?”

“Every wish. Every desire. Every fantasy. All you have to do is tell us what you crave, and we’ll make it happen,” he vowed.