EnforcersCraving (13 page)

Chelsea woke up sandwiched between her husbands. Their hard
bodies gave off waves of slumberous heat, their hands and arms draped
possessively over her and each other. A bubble of happy contentment fizzed up
inside her and she let it float her along, smug with self-satisfaction.

She’d spent a week at Addestet House worrying about what to
do, whether or not to trust Tarkan and his offer. Sneaking down to the lake to
find him had been a calculated risk and she could have lost everything. He
could have reneged on his bargain, he could have dragged her into the jungle
and raped her, he could have fed her to his dragon. There were any number of
ways that meeting could have gone wrong and it only really succeeded through a
combination of good instincts and good fortune.

And when it came to the crunch, when Tarkan gave her his
ultimatum she really hadn’t had enough information to make an informed
decision. She’d trusted on luck and tried to be brave for Tansy’s sake. Again,
that could have gone horribly wrong.

In the preceding weeks Chelsea had been stolen from her home,
dumped on an alien world with not even the clothes on her back and no friends
to help her out. The fact that she had fallen so squarely on her feet made her
want to prostrate herself to any god who would listen.

Gemarra was her home now. Not because she couldn’t go back
to Earth, but because of the two men lying with her in the bed. When she’d
decided pay Tarkan’s price, she’d hoped for nothing more than to grow to care
about them and for them to make good on their promise to search for Tansy. But
sometime during yesterday and last night the part of her heart she was guarding
had been stolen away.

It was too soon, it was crazy but there was no denying she
loved Ari and Tarkan and she knew they loved her as well. And her men loved
each other which tickled her no end. Staid, boring, loans manager Chelsea
McMullin was in a threesome—and two of those three were aliens. She snickered,
shoving her head under the pillow so she wouldn’t wake the boys.

“What’s so funny, love?” Tarkan’s voice was husky and rough
from sleep.

“In my old job I was considered very conservative and
professional,” she whispered. “I just realized that waking up in bed with not
one but two alien husbands is about as far away from conservative as I could
get.”

“Do you mind?” He pressed closer, sliding his hand down her
stomach to cup her pussy.

“No, I love it.” She paused for a moment, wondering if it
was too soon for deep confessions. To hell with it. “I love you and Ari.”

He trailed a string of kisses over her shoulder. “I love you
too.”

She grinned like a maniac. Not too soon at all, it seemed.

Ari’s eyes opened, the deep purple clear and wide awake. “Why
don’t you let us show you how much we love you?”

Flipping onto her back she threw her arms over her head. “What
a marvelous idea.”

They came up for air to eat a breakfast so late it was
really lunch. When Chelsea stumbled into the living areas she was delighted to
find four brand-new, complete-from-head-to-toe outfits waiting for her. The
dragons had once again put their network to use and one of the women from the den
had gone into town to buy the clothes for her. She bounced over to the bags and
started rummaging the moment she entered the room and she hadn’t quite finished
when her men ordered her to the table to eat. She wasn’t a fashionista by any
stretch but she didn’t want to wear the same dress day after day.

Right now the boys wore nothing but loose pants and she was
immodestly clothed in her chemise. She’d caught both of them looking at her
with hot interest during their meal and as they scraped their plates clean
their eyes promised her another trip to the bedroom. She was about to ask for
clemency when they both jerked to their feet and held absolutely still. Tarkan
flicked his eyes to her. “The dragons are talking to us.”

She nodded in response but he’d already turned his gaze
inward, rejoining the silent conversation. Chelsea got up from the table and
began to clear away as quietly as she could. There were two dumbwaiters in the
utilitarian kitchen area, one for incoming food, the other for outgoing dishes
and she made several trips before she slid the last piece of cutlery inside and
closed the door. She pulled a lever to signal the load was ready and left it in
the hands of the service staff.

Ari and Tarkan were still locked in discussion with their
dragons, so Chelsea gathered her new clothes and went into Ari’s room to
straighten up and find some room in his wardrobe.

They strode in half an hour later and neither of them looked
happy.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Ari took her by the hand, led her to sit on the bed and then
rolled to his knees at her feet. “The proctor lodged our contract first thing
this morning.”

Her stomach gave a painful twist. “And?”

“A couple of councilmen found out and they’ve called a
hearing to decide the contract’s validity.”

She reached out for Tarkan and dragged him down to sit
beside her. “And is it valid?”

“Yes, love.” He put his arm around her waist and tucked her
close. “Our arrangement is unconventional but not illegal. We made sure of it.”

Okay, good. So there really wasn’t any need for her heart to
beat a five times its normal speed. “Are they calling us as witnesses?”

Ari winced and gave her hands a little squeeze. “They haven’t
even told us there’s a meeting. We had to find out through other means.”

“Dragons?”

“No.” He offered her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “We
have friends in town who keep their ears open for us. You wouldn’t believe how
much information a handful of nosy dragonets can collect.”

“Then what was all the dragon talk about?”

“They’re angry,” Tarkan explained. “The blacks are extremely
territorial. Ari and I belong to Benmonth and Annlyss and because we’ve claimed
you as our mate, you now belong to them too. As far as the blacks in this den
are concerned, the Council is trying steal something that rightly belongs to
Benmonth and Annlyss.”

“Oh. That could get messy.” And yet she was thrilled by the
idea of the dragons claiming her and it made her feel safe not just for herself
but for Ari and Tarkan too. Nobody would dare to try to take her away if the
dragons were on her side. “But that solves the problem, doesn’t it? Why don’t
we just sic Benmonth and Annlyss on them.”

Ari groaned. “That’s what we’ve been frantically trying to
avoid. All the dragons are angry and the Enforcers have been doing their best
to calm things down. If we let the blacks loose, there will be no negotiation
and it will create the kind of civil unrest that could start a war.”

Chelsea could see how a den of angry battle dragons could put
a crimp in their social balance. “All right. We’ll do it without the dragons. We’ll
go to town, crash their meeting and make them justify their bullshit right to
our faces.”

Ari leaned forward and gave her a hard, closed-mouth kiss. “We’ll
cover your flank.” He looked at Tarkan as both men got to their feet. “She’s
right. We need to fill the room with our friends from town and a handful of
senior Enforcers. If they’re going to try to nullify our contract, they can do
it in full view of the people with the will and authority to call them out.”

He gave Tarkan an equally hurried kiss and then hustled out
of the room. Tarkan watched him go, a slightly bemused look on his face. “I’ve
known that male my whole life and now I feel like I’ve never seen him before.”

Chelsea got to her feet, slid her arms around Tarkan and
snuggled close. “You probably haven’t. Not all of him. I think you and I are
now the only people in the world who see him for who he is.”

“Perhaps. It’s a lovely thought.”

Yes it was and it applied to all three of them.

Tarkan rubbed his hands up and down her back. “Do you need
me to help you dress, love?”

“Yes, please.” She half stepped out of his arms but paused
before she really let go. “Tarkan, can they do this? Can they take me away from
you?”

“No. They might try but I can guarantee they will not
succeed.” He drew her back into his arms, lifting her right hand to lay it over
his heart. “Do you know what the defining characteristic of an Enforcer is?”

“No.”

“His will to fight. The men and boys who want to serve and
protect, who want to defend their laws and their people are the ones who join
the town guard or the councilmen’s security teams. An Enforcer has those traits
too of course, but what gets him in the air, what calls to the dragon he partners
with is his will to fight. Every Enforcer loves the rush of battle, every
Enforcer is prepared to not only take up arms, but to fly out and meet the
threat head on.”

He lowered his head and kissed her sweet and slow. Chelsea
melted against him, not caring that her knees buckled and his arm around her
waist was the only thing keeping her upright.

“Ari and I are Enforcers, as were our fathers. The will to
fight is in our blood and I will kill anyone who tries to take you from us.”

And he kissed her again, even sweeter this time and it didn’t
seem at all incongruous that this man talked of battle and murder while holding
her so carefully in his arms.

In order to make it clear the Enforcers were attending the
meeting to talk not fight, it was decided they should wear their formal uniforms.
Like the others, Tarkan wore black pants, knee boots and a tailored frock-coat
in the traditional Enforcer gray trimmed in sapphire blue. The white shirt and
high collar annoyed him already and he felt naked with nothing more than a
knife sheathed in his boot.

On the other hand Chelsea looked beautiful. The full sleeves
and fitted bodice of her gown highlighted her curves and the long, ruffled
skirt seemed to hint at the treasures beneath rather than hiding them. Her hair
was coiled and pinned at the back of her head and as she walked into the living
room she smoothed her hands down the silky red fabric of her dress.

“Are you sure I look okay? I’m not sure this is the right
color for a formal hearing.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “There is a color for a Council
meeting?”

“You know what I mean.”

No, he didn’t have the slightest clue. “You look lovely, as
always.” He held out his hand. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes.”

She came to him and placed her small, soft hand in his,
falling in beside him as he walked her out of their quarters, down the hallway
and into the landing.

Benmonth and Annlyss were already waiting, both tacked in
double saddles. There had been some discussion between the dragons about who
would carry Chelsea, to the point where he and Ari had been forced to
intervene. The suggestion that they simply take turns had been pounced on with
typical dragon logic, so Chelsea was going to travel to town on Annlyss and
return on Benmonth.

Annlyss almost vibrated with pleasure when Tarkan assisted
Chelsea to sit behind Ari and helped her strap in. He stroked the dragon’s
storm-gray scales.
You seem happy
.

I am.
She replied.
The other blacks are quite
jealous that Benmonth and I have our own pet. I want them all to see her on my
back
.

Tarkan rolled his eyes.
Chelsea isn’t a pet. She’s a
person.

Yes, that’s what Ari says.
And he could hear in her
voice she didn’t think the observation was at all relevant.

Not one to fight a dragon in a losing battle, Tarkan ignored
Annlyss and turned his attention to a female who actually made sense to him,
mostly. “Your harness will keep you firmly on Annlyss’ back. She could fly
upside down and you won’t fall off.” Chelsea’s eyes popped and he laughed. “She’ll
fly straight and upright today, I promise.”

Ari reached behind him and grabbed her arms, guiding them
around his waist. “Just hold on to me, pretty girl, and you’ll be fine.”

Tarkan levered himself up and pressed his mouth to hers,
pleased with himself for keeping the kiss tongueless. “See you on the ground.”

He slid down Annlyss’ leg, jogged over to Benmonth and
climbed into the saddle. The doors rolled open and the moment she had enough
wing-room Annlyss launched herself into the sky. Then Benmonth moved forward and
carried Tarkan out into the endless blue.

The air on his face, the sun on his skin and heavy dragon
muscle pumping under his body had always been a magic combination for him. It
was the one thing above all others that made him feel alive. He looked over at
Chelsea and Ari, wrapped around each other and Tarkan mentally revised his
list. Riding dragon-back just got relegated to second position.

As soon as they were in the air Jax and Kaelum flew down and
took lead position while Dev and Rye tucked in behind Ari and Tarkan. They
wanted a show of solidarity, not force and with the Den Commander and two out
of the four Den Captains in attendance there would be no confusion about where den
loyalties lay. And six blacks were quite a statement in their own right.

It didn’t take long to get to the town limits and they made
for the landing on the roof of the council chambers. There were several
landings on strategic rooftops around the town and surrounding estates. Most
parks also had a clearing large enough to accommodate a pair of blacks.

Jax and Kaelum’s dragons dropped down to land while the
other four flew in a tight circle. As soon as their riders disembarked Tengale
and Jaysada took to the skies to make room for the next pair.

Tarkan leaned back in the saddle as Benmonth arced downward.
The dragon’s claws barely touched ground before Tarkan started unbuckling and
unsnapping his harness. Slithering to the ground he turned to help Chelsea but
Jax already had her on the ground and Ari was only a beat behind. Benmonth and
Annlyss lifted off and the last pair, Fellescend and Zenbaylan, descended to
offload Dev and Rye.

The Enforcers moved into formation with Chelsea tucked
safely at their center and made their way into the most official, most heavily
guarded building in Sapphire.

They entered the building unchallenged and as they traveled
down the stairs floor by floor, Tarkan realized something was very wrong. They
should have encountered several of the town guard by now and as they approached
the second floor the Enforcers went on high alert. As they neared the council chambers,
a low hum of angry voices became audible and Tarkan palmed his knife as they
rounded the final corner.

The chamber doors were closed and there were at least fifty
people milling in the corridor demanding entry. Members of the town guard crowded
around the periphery and six members of Tollanare Ghananstall’s personal
security team were braced shoulder-to-shoulder across the doorway.

Jax didn’t slow his pace so Tarkan moved closer to Chelsea
and put his arm around her waist just as Ari moved in to do the same.
Sheltering her between them they tucked in behind Jax and Kaelum, allowing the
authority of the Den Commander to part the crowd.

“Stand aside.” Jaxmyre’s voice rang out and everyone within
hearing distance jumped to his bidding, including the members of the guard. People
moved back, ebbing like a tide under the weight of Jax’s authority. The fact
that he was one of the most physically imposing members of the den didn’t hurt
his cause either.

Then only six remained and they all wore the Ghananstall
colors of brown and gold. Jax halted and loomed. “Stand aside.”

“No one is to be admitted to the chamber,” one of the
security men said.

“The Council doesn’t have the authority to ban me from any
building in which official business is being conducted.”

Tarkan didn’t know if that was true, but it certain sounded
impressive. But not to the Ghananstall’s man. “The Council can do what it
wants.”

“Incorrect. As Den Commander I have the authority to
participate in any official Council meeting. If that right is denied I am
permitted, by law, to take whatever actions I deem appropriate.” Jax cast a
look over his shoulder and then turned back to Ghananstall’s last line of defense.
“There are six of us and six of you. And if I ask it of them, every man and
woman here not in uniform will come to my assistance.” Jax straightened up and
stepped back. “So you need to choose between following an illegal order and
eating through a straw for the rest of your life.”

Tarkan tried not to snicker, he really did, but the look on
the security guard’s face when he realized Jax was serious was hilarious.

There was a whispered order, a bit of shuffling and as the
security team moved aside the huge double doors creaked open. Jax stormed
through as if the chamber was a part of his own personal fiefdom and the
Enforcers were right on his heels. They marched to the front of the chamber and
the townsfolk spilled in behind them, hurrying to find a seat so they didn’t
miss anything. The council chamber could seat almost one hundred people but if
word of this meeting spread like it should, it wouldn’t be long before there
would only be room to stand.

As soon as they’d entered the room the councilmen rose to
their feet but their indignant outrage had to wait until the noise of the
excited crowd died down. Eventually Medalyn Consbaregh’s dignity couldn’t stand
it anymore and he began yelling over the noise. “What do you people think you’re
doing? Get out. This is a special order session and it is closed to the public.”

Nobody paid him any attention and it was a little while
before everyone was seated and quiet. The Enforcers had claimed seats in the
front row and Tarkan pulled Chelsea down to sit tight between him and Ari. She
linked her fingers with theirs and bought their hands to her lap, pressing the
back of his hand to Ari’s.

Then Dev stood up and as he moved to the small open area in
front of the councilors’ table, Tarkan lowered his head to whisper in Chelsea’s
ear. “Be prepared to be impressed, love. Dev could argue a dragon out of its
scales.”

He just hoped Dev could argue the Council into decency.