Jaci's Experiment (3 page)

In her dream, Michael and David were in her room with her. They were in her bed and all three of them were naked. While Michael was the brawnier of the two, her desire flared at seeing that David was just as fit and had the same wide, strong shoulders. His deep blue eyes glittered down at her as his cousin’s warm brown gaze flowed over her body like a caress. She was in the middle of the suddenly expanded bed with Michael leaning on his elbow on one side and David on the other. Both cousins were about the same height but Michael’s bulk always made him seem somehow bigger, but not now.

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Now, with their clothes off, both men were equally devastating, equally masculine, and equally desirable.

Jaci felt her temperature spike with the undeniable heat of passion.

“Well, is it like you expected?” Mike wanted to know.

“Is what like I expected?”

“Having us both in bed with you.” David’s voice was accompanied by a sweep of his big hand down her arm. She was under a thin sheet but both of them were gloriously nude above it where she could look her fill.

“I hadn’t given it much thought until just recently.”

“We have.” Michael reached over and kissed her sweetly, one hand cupping her cheek. “Almost from the first moment we saw you, we dreamed of you in our arms, and in our beds. We’ve wanted to be with you for a very long time, Jaci.”

“Really?”

David captured her attention by pulling the sheet down and placing his warm palm over one of her breasts, cupping her and toying with the hardening peak. She hadn’t known her sensitive skin could enjoy such stimulation, but then she was learning a lot from these two men that she’d never even contemplated before.

“Really,” David said, just before his lips latched onto her breast, sucking with gentle but exciting pressure. Michael moved down and swirled his tongue around her other nipple before sucking it into his mouth, tugging with the same rhythm as his cousin.

She noted the expressions on their handsome faces, so tender they nearly stole her breath. She held them to her with trembling hands, sinking her fingers deep into their hair—Michael’s short and fuzzy, tickling her palm and David’s longer waves that teased her senses with luxurious silkiness. She’d never known such pleasure just from having a man?no, make that two men?lick her skin.

Michael ripped the sheet away from her body, his fingers roaming downward to the juncture of her thighs. David pulled at her leg, urging her to make room for their hands as both men laved at her sensitive breasts. She spread her legs and they moaned in near unison as they zeroed in on her most sensitive areas.

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David lifted her leg over his hip, attacking from underneath, using his long fingers to push deep into her channel, taking the wetness gathering there and moving it down just a bit to the pucker of her ass.

Michael’s skilled fingers played along her folds while his other hand shaped her breast, kneading as he began to nip at the peak in a way that excited her beyond all reason.

“Do you like that?” David raised his head to watch her reaction. “Do you like him biting you, nipping at your tasty skin?” Mutely she nodded, unable to speak beyond her incredible excitement. “Good.” His murmur of approval was followed by a satisfied smile as he moved down her body, lifting her leg over his shoulder as he left her field of vision. She didn’t know what to expect but when his wet tongue dove into her channel, she nearly screamed.

Michael lifted his head and looked down her long body to where his cousin was feasting on her, a smile of envy and mischievous delight on his beloved face. He rose up and kissed her hard and deep, both hands shaping her breasts as David paid homage to her lower regions.

“Dave eats pussy really well.” Michael let her up for a breath of air between kisses. “Don’t you think?”

He tugged hard on her nipple when she didn’t respond. “Don’t you?”

Jaci clutched his broad shoulders as David nipped her clit, bringing her closer and closer to a perilous edge. “He’s a master.”

Michael laughed and looked down her long body at his cousin. “You hear that, Dave? She called you Master.”

“About time.” David’s words rumbled against her excited skin as he growled in male satisfaction.

“I’ll tell you a secret.” Michael leaned down to blanket her upper body with his. “David likes eating pussy almost as much as he likes a woman’s ass. Do you think you can handle that? Do you think you can handle both of us inside you at the same time? Because that’s what’s coming.”

She gasped as David moved his talented tongue down to circle her anus. “I’ve never done that before.”

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David growled, driving her higher. “I think he likes that.” Michael chuckled. “Come to think of it, I like the idea too. I like that we’ll be the first men to have your ass and your pussy at the same time. The only men. After us, you’ll never have another.”

His arms grew tight around her as David redoubled his efforts. She was so close!

“I don’t want other men. Only you. You and David!” She practically screamed then as she came. The cousins held her, never letting up as she spasmed in their strong arms. They held her tight as she came down from the highest precipice she’d ever climbed. She remembered their soft kisses on her body as she fell into a deep sleep and didn’t dream again until morning.

***

Jaci hurried through her morning duties and made her way to the cells, intent on completing the list of tasks that would bring her to the cousins’ cell once more. Ruth, too, was someone she wanted to speak with. Before long, she was facing the other woman in her cell, having just shut down the monitor.

“You were right and I want to thank you for helping me yesterday. I had a long talk with David and Michael and they were wonderful to me. Thank you, Ruth.”

Ruth moved forward, cradling her baby in her arms as she smiled softly. “I’m glad.” She nodded with her chin toward the monitor. “I hope you don’t mind, but they told me about the monitor last night.”

“You’re telepathic too, aren’t you?” It was something the woman had never admitted to, but Jaci suspected it strongly now that she was getting to know and understand these people better.

Ruth blushed and dropped her eyes. “A little. I need to be in close proximity for it to work. A few yards are about my limit, but I can communicate with a few people in the cells around me who also have the gift.”

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“Amazing,” Jaci shook her head, experiencing true wonder at the Breeds’ abilities. “I’m glad you’ve been able to talk to someone besides your baby. I never liked the idea of these cells, but the Maras are in charge and they designed this place.”

Ruth reached out to touch her arm gently. “I never blamed you for this prison. Don’t fret. I know you don’t have much power among your people.”

“I’m a Jaci and only ranked 192nd. You’re right. I have no real power. My purpose until now has been to serve. Jacis are bred to work in the labs. We have orderly, scientific minds, but we rarely rise to the level of skill and innovation necessary to be top scientists. We are mostly lab techs, though a few of my relations have the crystal gift.”

“What’s that?”

“Each child is tested at age thirteen for the crystal gift. If they prove any level of the skill they are moved into the engineering program. As you may have realized, our technology is all based on crystals, but it’s the power of the crystallographer’s mind that tunes the crystal and allows us to harness its energy.” She went about her tasks in the cell so she’d be ready to move on when she switched the monitor back on.

“The Maras would not want you to know, but the crystal gift is leaving our people. Each generation breeds fewer and fewer crystallographers. Our greatest at present is a throwback and under normal circumstances, he would not be permitted to breed, but he’s found a mate. It was a huge scandal, but he claimed a resonance mate from among your people. She has proven to have an amazing level of crystal skill herself. Together, they are unstoppable, and I personally think their success is what has made the High Council consent to this experiment to bring back some of my people’s emotion.”

“Without the crystal gift, you can’t power your cities.” Ruth caught on quickly.

“And without emotion, the crystal gift is leaving our people.”

Ruth shook her head in wonder. “I would never have thought of that, but we’ve all been speculating.”

Jaci had to grin. “I guess the telepathic grapevine is quite active down here.”

“You can say that again.” Ruth laughed outright. “We don’t have much else to occupy us down here, except Dave and Mike make an effort to find entertaining and 31

educational things on their viewer and share them as often as they can with the rest of us who can hear.

We’ve been learning a lot about your people since you installed it in their cell.”

“And speculating a great deal, I imagine.” Jaci found herself astounded by their ingenuity. “I’d be willing to help you decipher anything that might be confusing. Just ask.”

Ruth’s smile lit her whole face. “That’s great! Thanks.”

She found herself in the cousins’ cell shortly thereafter, a smile full of apprehension on her face as she faced them.

“It’s off,” she said as calmly as she could.

She didn’t want to appear weak, but she really needed a hug. The emotions were flooding her again and each cell she visited made her want to break down and cry. But she had to be strong. She couldn’t show the changes that were happening to her.

“Come here, sweetheart.” Michael’s tone was gentle as he tugged her into his arms.

She felt at peace for the first time since leaving her dreams of these two men. She snuggled into Michael’s embrace, unsurprised when David moved up behind them, placing his soothing hands on her head and neck, massaging away her tension with his magic touch.

“How’s that? Better?” David asked at her ear, making her shiver.

She heard a sound come from her throat that she’d never made before. It was a hum of pleasure and it alerted her to another sound, a low pulsing hum that had started sometime after Michael had opened his generous arms to her.

She stood back from them with wide eyes, breaking contact and the hum stopped.

Could it be?

“Blood of the Founders!” Her whispered exclamation caught their attention.

“What’s wrong?” David’s voice was a little sharper as she looked at him.

“I don’t know. Maybe nothing, but…” She moved forward, her hand outstretched to touch his cheek, gently, with great uncertainty.

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And there was the Hum. She knew what it was now, with dreadful certainty. Her heart was both elated and troubled.

She let him go and turned to Michael, repeating her action. As she touched him, the Hum returned. But how could this be? Her thoughts whirled. They only had about five minutes left for her to tell them what she suspected, but it was much too complicated.

She firmed her shoulders and turned to face them both, touched by the concern on their faces. She’d just have to do the best she could.

“I don’t understand this, but have you ever heard the term ‘resonance mate’? It is part of my culture’s distant past. There might be something in the ancient texts they’ve given you access to that could help you learn more, because there’s no way I can tell you much in the time we have remaining before I have to turn the monitor back on.”

Her eyes grew wild and the men moved closer, seeking to calm her. They touched her, David first, taking her into his arms, then Michael surrounding her from behind and the Hum returned, pulsing through her entire being, making her feel warm and comforted in a way she had never before experienced.

“Take it easy, sweetheart. Whatever has you troubled, you can tell us in your own good time.” David was so kind, his words gentle as he kissed her cheeks and eyes with a softness that nearly broke her heart.

“You can’t hear it, can you?”

“Hear what?” Michael asked from behind, stroking her waist and hips with his hands as his mouth burrowed under the hair at her nape, placing soft kisses on her heated skin.

“The Hum. When I touch you?both of you?we Hum. It’s the first of the tests for resonance mates.

There’s supposed to be only one perfect match for each person, but I Hum with both of you. I never noticed it before.”

David pulled back to look down at her. “This sound serious.”

“It is.”

She gasped as he leaned in and kissed her once, very thoroughly before releasing her. She was spun around and Michael took an equally devastating kiss from her lips before she could form a coherent thought. He released her abruptly and set her away from them.

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“God, but I’ve been dreaming of that all day. But we’re running out of time.”

She was glad someone was keeping their wits about them. She moved back toward the monitor.

“Look it up on the viewer if you can. There’s too much for me to explain now, but please, I hope you don’t mind. I never expected that I would ever Hum with anyone. It’s not something that happens to my people anymore.”

“Not since they bred emotion out of them, right?” David’s voice was knowing.

She was amazed. “You’re right! And now that I’m changing, this has changed too. Amazing.” She shook her head in wonder. “I’ll have to test this further.”

Michael drew her attention back to him by taking her around the waist and dropping a small kiss on her brow. She’d never felt so cherished.

“Just don’t go around kissing all the boys. I think Dave and I would have something to say about that.”

He smiled and she laughed, but it made her warm to think that these two handsome men would care what she did and with whom. But then, she’d been their only link to the outside world for months now.

Perhaps they cared for her in some odd fashion. She’d heard that prisoners sometimes fell in love with their jailors.

Her face fell at the thought as she left Michael’s embrace. She wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions in front of these men. They knew her too well.

“What you’re saying doesn’t make sense. I know I’m the only woman from the outside that you have contact with. I can’t trust that if things were different you would still feel the same.”

“Stockholm Syndrome, you mean?” David asked, coming forward, looking intrigued. “I’m aware of the implications in our situation but I don’t think either Mike or I would fall victim to such feelings. I know for a fact we both want to rip the legs off the bastard who hunted us down and captured us like dogs.” His expression turned violent. “I heard his men calling him Prime. A prime asshole, I figure.”

She realized suddenly that these men hadn’t gone quietly into imprisonment if they’d sent their best troops after them.

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“Grady Prime,” she said softly, nodding to herself.

“Yeah, that was the bastard’s name. Grady,” Michael growled, his eyes going cold with hatred. “You know him?”

She felt uncomfortable. She could hardly tell these two that she’d serviced him just days before. She somehow understood just the idea of it would make these men violent. But she couldn’
t lie either. They
would know. They could read her too easily, with their lifetimes of experience with the emotions she was only just starting to feel.

“I know him, thought we do not interact often. He’s an elite, a Prime. He outranks me to a very considerable degree, even if he is of soldier stock. In the normal course of things, a Jaci would rank slightly higher than any soldier, but not a Prime, and especially not Grady Prime. He is the best of the best.”

Michael snorted. “Well, at least there’s that. It took their best man to take us down. We’d been on the move for years, but this Grady bastard had us on the
run
. Until he came along, the patrols were easy to outmaneuver, but this guy was downright spooky. He always seemed one step ahead of us.”

“That’s because I was.”

The cold male voice sounded from the archway, startling all three of them. And there he was. Grady Prime, in the flesh.

“Holy shit,” Michael cursed softly, moving in front of Jaci as if to protect her from the soldier.

Dave was more direct as he faced the other man. “You have some nerve showing your face here, scumsucker.”

Grady just watched them with mild curiosity. “I’ve come for the girl.”

David stepped in front of Grady, blocking his path across the room to her.

“You’ll have to go through us to get her and I see you’ve left your goon squad at home this time. I’ve been waiting two years to get a piece of you, so just try to take her. Make my day.”

She’d never heard David sound more lethal and the look in his eyes truly scared her. There was only one way out of this situation. She had to bluff them all, but she didn’t 35

know if she had it in her. Still, she had to try. She didn’t want any of them getting hurt over her.

She took a deep breath, schooled her features and stepped out from behind Michael. He tried to grasp her arm, but she evaded him.

“What do you require, Grady Prime?”

“Mara 12 has ordered that you accompany my team on a short mission. There is some technical data that must be gathered and you were chosen to do it.”

She carefully hid her relief. “I am almost finished with the maintenance of this cell and can be with you momentarily.” Without waiting for acknowledgment, she turned back to Michael, gave him a look that begged him to stand down and moved to switch on the monitor.

She tried her best not to look at either of the cousins as she finished her duties and walked straight to Grady Prime. The soldier had not eased his vigilance with the two Breeds, but stood ready should they offer him trouble. She had to respect all three men for standing their ground, but not giving in to their baser emotions.

She’d almost gained the door when David shot out his hand, catching her arm in a light grip. He held her by the wrist, his skin against hers and the air filled with the low, throbbing Hum she’d only just recognized.

“Will you be all right with him?” His concerned expression demanded an answer.

She nodded, trying to convey all that she was feeling without giving herself away to the soldier who watched with great interest. “Grady Prime is our greatest warrior. There is no shame in having been captured by him.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“What is that noise?” Grady was looking at them strangely, thankfully distracted by the noise that only he and Jaci could hear with their more sensitive Alvian ears.

She tried to look innocent while tugging her wrist free of David’s light hold. The Hum stopped and Grady eyed them suspiciously.

“I don’t hear anything.” Michael stepped up to face the soldier, belligerence in every line of his hard muscled body.

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“You wouldn’t,” Grady said quietly, his voice calm and not at all mocking. “I doubt human ears would pick up something this low frequency.” He shook his head. “But it’s gone now. Must have been some equipment somewhere that’s just switched off.”

Jaci tried not to show her relief, nodding calmly. “Must have been.” She stepped forward to stand next to Grady. Ever the soldier, he hadn’t let down his guard for a moment with the men in the room. “I am ready to depart with you, Prime. Will the journey be long?”