Freedom's Fall (13 page)

“I’m sorry, Finn, I can’t afford to lose a captain.” Jax
raised a hand to halt the angry retort that was on Finn’s lips. “However, I’ll
let Behr take a run at it. Kaelum, Tarkan, Rye and Rowan can fly as backup.”

Finn nodded, understanding the necessity but not liking the
fact that his denmate would be flying without him. Dev felt the same. But as
captains they had sworn an oath always to put the den first. The only exemption
was if and when an Enforcer was mated. Unless Finn could convince Mackenzie to
sign a mating contract in the next day or so—which seemed unlikely—his hands
were tied. The fact that Jax was willing to allow five of his Enforcers on this
mission, including his own denmate, was a true testament to his abilities as a
leader and his commitment to keeping their women safe.

“Have them meet with me first thing in the morning.” Jax
stood, signaling the end of the meeting. “Keep on top of your flights, make
sure the women stay close, and have your dragons keep in regular contact.” He
turned to glare at Finn. “And tell Malyk and Reyer that if they can’t control
their dragons, I’ll have Tengale do it for them. I don’t have the time or the
patience for in-fighting, especially now. They have until tomorrow to get it
done, or I’m letting Tengale off his leash.”

Ari was out the door before Jax had finished speaking, and
Nash and Dev almost stumbled over each other in their hurry to leave. No
Enforcer in his right mind wanted to be in the room when “Tengale” and “discipline”
were mentioned in the same sentence.

Dev arrived home to find Tansy reclining on the couch and a
very lazy Rye sprawled facedown on top of her. Oskaal sat on the back of the
couch, his gold-and-bronze tail draped around Tansy’s head to trail over her
shoulder. And Dev’s generous-hearted mate was stroking both indolent males at
the same time.

For a moment Dev felt shut out and, while he knew that was
ridiculous, the short, sharp pain couldn’t be denied. So he joked around it,
propping his hands on his hips. “You two males are shameless affection whores.”

Rye rolled his head just enough to squint at Dev with one
eye. “I can’t speak for Oskaal, but I have no issue with that description.” He
held out his hand. “Come over here and tell us about your meeting.”

Dev shrugged. “No need. You look too comfortable to disturb.”

Rye wiggled his fingers. “You’re not disturbing us, you’re
adding to us.”

Then Tansy reached out as well and a different kind of pain
shot through Dev—the happy, impossible kind that went straight to his heart.

“The three of us are a family now,” she said. “That means we’ll
always have room for one another.”

Dev was moving before he knew it. Gripping their hands, he
dropped to his knees and slid one arm under Tansy and laid the other across Rye’s
bare shoulders. Nuzzling his face into Tansy’s neck, Dev let out a deep sigh of
contentment.

Tansy pulled out the tie that held his hair back and
threaded her fingers through it. Rye placed a hot hand on his back, and just
like that all was right with Dev’s world. In that moment it seemed the most
natural thing in the world to turn his head and seek Rye’s lips with his own.
But when Dev brushed his mouth against Rye’s, his denmate froze in shock and
Dev knew he’d made a terrible mistake.

Tansy was in heaven. Which, considering the roller coaster from
hell her day had been, was nothing short of a miracle. While Dev had attended
his meeting, Rye had snuggled with her on the couch, kissing, touching, teasing
and demanding nothing from her but her company. She’d been relaxed almost to
the point of nodding off when Dev had come back, and as he joined them on the
couch the part of her that missed him sighed in happiness.

When Dev made a move to kiss Rye, Tansy’s body went on
instant alert. Watching them together that morning had been one of the most
erotic experiences of her life, and she’d discovered the only thing she liked
more than them touching her was them touching each other.

Their heads drew closer, the barest rub of lips to lips, and
she felt Rye melt against her in preparation for Dev’s kiss. And then it
stopped.

Dev yanked himself back, his eyes wild. “Fuck.”

Rye lifted himself up enough to take his weight on his
forearms, and he didn’t move his lower body where he had her pinned to the
couch. His attention was all on Dev.

“That’s the second time you’ve nearly kissed me.” Rye’s
voice was soft, conversational.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Dev’s voice, in contrast, was full of
anguish.

“Should you be sorry?”

“Yes, of course. You know it’s not right for two males to
have sexual feelings for each other.”

“It isn’t? Why not?” Tansy asked, because it seemed
perfectly reasonable to her. And in the case of her men, it was something to
crave.

Rye leaned down and kissed her sternum. “I’ll answer all
your questions in a moment, honey, but right now I need to deal with Dev.”

Tansy nodded, sealed her lips and made like a part of the
furniture. Dev was in the middle of an internal panic attack and, despite Rye’s
relaxed exterior, she sensed that a great deal was riding on this conversation.
She wasn’t sure what was going on, but the issue was clearly between her men.
The fact that they hadn’t tried to exclude her meant a great deal.

Rye returned his focus to Dev. “You didn’t seem to have any
trouble kissing me when the three of us were together this morning.”

“I know.” Dev flushed. “Let’s just put that down to the heat
of the moment.”

“Are you sorry you kissed me?”

“Yes. Well, no.” Dev pinched the bridge of his nose. “I
should be.”

“But you’re not.”

Dev spread his hands in a gesture of such confused
helplessness that Tansy felt sorry for him. “How can I be when being close to
you was so perfect? And how can I not be when I know those feelings are wrong?”

Rye lifted himself off Tansy and she moved into a sitting
position on the couch. Rye kneeled on the floor at her feet, at right angles to
Dev, and wrapped an arm across her thigh. The males touched knee to knee and
Tansy noticed that neither of them moved to create distance.

“The three of us together
was
perfect, and touching
you was part of that,” Rye said to Dev. “Kissing you, feeling your hands on me,
being free to pleasure you any way I wanted was something good and wonderful. I
feel the same when I’m with Tansy. When I can love both of you together, my
pleasure is doubled.”

Dev shook his head. “Being pleasurable doesn’t make it
right.”

“I think it does, but not in the way you mean.” Rye reached
out and rested his hand on Dev’s thigh. “I had an interesting conversation with
Tarkan a couple of days ago. Since he and Ari found their mate, their
relationship has evolved to the point where they’re physically and emotionally
intimate. The same goes for Kae and Jax.”

“I knew Jax and Kae were lovers before they mated with
Sorcha, so that’s not a stretch.” Dev’s brow wrinkled. “But I can’t imagine Ari
and Tarkan fucking each other.”

“They do. According to Tarkan, they became lovers almost as
soon as they took Chelsea to their bed.” Rye gave Tansy’s thigh a reassuring
squeeze, but he kept his attention on Dev. “Tarkan and I think the mate acts as
a catalyst, forming a link that joins all three together. Once that link is
formed, sex becomes a natural extension of the love we already have for each
other.”

Dev nodded, deep in thought. “It makes sense. We’re already
bound to each other through our relationships with our dragons. The additional
mate bond would only strengthen those ties.”

“I think there’s another reason,” Rye said. “Two territorial
and protective males sharing one woman is a recipe for jealousy, insecurity and
misunderstanding. But two lovers sharing a mate puts everyone on an even
footing. This way we all love each other and want what’s best for our family. We
protect and care for each other because we have equal ownership. I think in
this situation you and I becoming lovers is more natural and normal than trying
to keep our distance. It’s also safer for us and for Tansy if we’re moving
forward in a complete, triangular relationship.”

Dev looked at her with those arctic-blue eyes. “Tansy?”

“Yes, I’m all for it.” Apart from the hotness factor, which
was significant, everything Rye had said made perfect sense to her. And her men
had already touched and loved each other in front of her. If she was going to
freak out over it, she would already have done so.

Dev was still thinking when Rye reached out, hooked a hand
around the back of Dev’s head and pulled him in for a kiss. It was soft,
giving, and—Tansy was delighted to see—very mutual. After a moment, Dev pushed
forward, forcing Rye back until he was wedged against the couch, kissing the
daylights out of him. Before Tansy knew it, she was dragged to the floor and
pulled into a messy, not-all-that-successful three-way kiss. There were teeth,
tongues, lips and air, and when Rye started laughing they ended up collapsed on
the floor together, gasping for breath and playing grab-ass.

Both moons were low and full in the sky when Tansy and her
men finally climbed to their feet. Dev walked around the room, dropping light
crystals into the moss-filled bowls that reacted to fill the den with warm,
clear light. Rye flopped down onto the couch and dragged Tansy into his arms.
She snuggled in tight and asked her long-delayed question.

“Why is it frowned upon for two men to be together? I would
have thought that with such a shortage of women, same-sex relationships would
make perfect sense.”

Rye stroked his hand over hair. “That’s because you’re
thinking about it from an individual’s standpoint. If you step back and think
about our community, our survival, male-to-male relationships pose a real
threat.”

Dev pulled the coffee table closer and sat on it so he could
face her, his dark-purple hair falling long and silky over his torso as he
leaned forward. “Our ancestors came here to escape Brightstar’s control. When
it became clear they couldn’t eradicate us by military means, Brightstar’s
scientists came up with a virus that was supposed to make our women sterile.”

Tansy sat up, shocked by the disclosure. Then she realized
she shouldn’t be surprised at all, because she was living proof of what lengths
the company would go to in order to get things done. “Go on,” she urged Dev.

“The virus mutated, and while the birth rate declined
significantly, the children who were born were always male. Then the virus
spread from Ivasta to Ostalan. Within a generation, anyone who wanted a child
had to import a woman from off-world. Contracts were designed to encourage
women to come at least long enough to give birth, or to sign consecutive
contracts with different mates, thus keeping the gene pool healthy.”

Tansy nodded. “And males in loving, monogamous relationships
would threaten the survival of your people.”

“If the number grew too great, yes.” Dev shoved at his hair
and looked around for the tie that normally held it back. A tie he wouldn’t
find unless he searched under the couch where Tansy had hidden it because she
loved his hair loose. She gave him an innocent smile and he continued his
explanation.

“There were also those who thought same-sex relationships
would change who we are as a nation—our culture, our values. At that time,
women were considered important for who they were as people and for what they
contributed to our society. There were concerns that if males could get
everything they needed from each other, women would be reduced to little more
than baby-makers, valued for nothing but their wombs.”

“They didn’t quite get it right, though, did they?” Tansy
asked. “From what the other girls have told me about their stay in Sapphire
township, woman are treated with courtesy, but they’re not respected for their
strength or intelligence.” She’d heard plenty of stories from Chelsea and Sorcha
about how the landholders and councilors had all but patted them on the hand
and told them not to worry their pretty heads about anything.

Rye wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed. “That is
true. The males in town are now suffering for their stupidity, because the
smartest and most beautiful women are safe and happy in our den.”

Oh yeah, Rye’s adorable factor was going through the roof.
Scooting back so she could lay her head on his chest, she caught Dev’s eye. “So
are you in? Are the three of us going to be lovers in every sense of the term?”

“Yes.”

Rye rolled to his feet, dragging her with him. “Good. Let’s
celebrate.”

“Soon.” Dev stood but took Rye by the hand to hold him in
place. “Ari’s bringing a proctor up here so we can sign the mating contract,
and our friends have invited themselves for a celebratory dinner.”

“Bastards.” Rye threw his arm around Tansy and dragged her
close as he leaned in to Dev. “Can’t we put them off?”

“Nope. The contract has to be signed today.”

Rye went still for a moment, then he gently eased Tansy away
so she could stand on her own two feet. “Let’s get ready for them, then.”

Tansy heard the change in his tone, felt the alteration in
the lines of his body as her Enforcer went from playful to serious in two
seconds flat.

“What’s going on?” Tansy’s voice was sharp and she put her
hands on her hips just in case her boys didn’t understand that she meant
business. Dev opened his mouth but she stepped into his space before he could
utter a lie, her nose level with his chest. “No bullshit, Dev. This partnership
doesn’t just exist in the bedroom. If you want me to sign that contract, then
you’d better start treating me as a woman with a degree of intelligence. Right
now.”

He gave her a stiff nod, and while she could tell he didn’t
like it, he gave in to her demands. “We have indications that the Brightstar
army is mobilizing. Combine that with the stormwatchers predicting a lull in
our weather, and a raid on Ivasta seems inevitable. Jax thinks that raid will
be directed at Sapphire.”

Tansy was about to ask why, but before she opened her mouth
her brain supplied the answer. “Payback. You stole a shuttle-load of women and
then you infiltrated Allsgate to get Sorcha, Mac, Sarah, Kate and me out.” If
Brightstar ruled with the ruthlessness of the past, they wouldn’t allow the
Enforcers’ actions to go unanswered.

She collapsed back onto the couch and her men followed her
lead. “If there is a raid, I assume you’ll have to scramble.”

“Yes.” Dev covered her hand with his, the warm roughness of
his palm stroking her soul as well as her skin. “When the alarm sounds, find
somewhere safe and wait. Hopefully you’ll be here in our den, but if you’re not,
tuck yourself into a corner well out of the way. When we mobilize for a raid,
the whole den falls into organized chaos. Enforcers and dragons move at
reckless speeds, and because the noncombatants of the den know to stay out of
the way, the Enforcers aren’t that careful when they race to their dragons.”

Rye stroked his hand down her mussed-up ponytail. “When the
den is clear and all the flights have taken off, come back here and wait for
us. Or if you like, you might want to coordinate with the other women and
choose a place to wait together.”

Tansy nodded. Group waiting sounded much better than sitting
alone eating her heart out with worry. “I’ll find somewhere safe, but if you
two come back to me with so much as a scratch, there’ll be hell to pay.”

Dev leaned forward and gave her a hot kiss full of promise. “I
swear we will come back to you with all our vital parts intact.”

Which wasn’t what she’d demanded of him but it would have to
do for now.

Rye stood, hauling her to her feet, and this time he didn’t
slow down as he headed for the bedroom.

“Hey,” she protested, “I thought we had to postpone.”

“We do.” He shot her a hot look over his shoulder. “But if
we’re going to have half the den in here to witness our contract, you have to
change out of those clothes.”

Tansy looked down at her silk tunic and trousers. “What’s
wrong with my outfit?”

“It’s sexy.”

She turned to look to Dev for help, having no idea what Rye
was on about. Dev stepped in close behind her, his unbound hair sliding over
her shoulder and breast. “Sexy is for us. Corset, dress and bustle is for
everyone else.”

Tansy screwed up her nose. “It’s my wedding. I should be
allowed to wear what I want.”

Rye grinned at her. “If it makes you feel any better, you
can pick the dress.”

She mock-glared at him, but really she was so happy in that
moment she would have worn a sack if they’d asked her.

* * * * *

Willersby Lockmehdyhn sat in the sub-cellar of his country
estate, surrounded by technology that only worked when the skies were clear,
and waited for Edrick to come online. The ion storms that plagued their
continent made any technology unreliable. Few people used it, and even fewer
bothered to monitor the seldom-used airwaves. Despite those facts, Willersby
not only had a fully functional comcenter, he had it encrypted with every layer
of defense Brightstar had at its disposal.