Tangled Shadows

Hot Jade, somebody broke the mold after creating those two.

Brooke Deverell slouched in her chair and admired the man candy who walked into the bar. Her hormones sat up and danced, telling her it had been far too long since she’d had anything other than solar-powered toys between her legs.

The bar had seen better days, but that was the norm for a remote outpost like Teren.

Smoke and the scent of cheap meat cooking hung in the air like a wet blanket. A handful of customers sat scattered throughout the dimly lit, one-room building, the majority of them pilots and mercenaries taking a quick break for refueling. One youngster, judging by the way he threw his credits around to entice enthusiasm out of the bored street courtesans, had just gotten paid.

Three men sat around a table close to the entrance, opposite from Brooke, dressed in flight suits scarred by experiences and battles, carrying their weapons in the open.

One of the mercenaries called out, “Galen.”

The taller of the man candy raised his hand in a wave. He leaned back, gently kissed his partner on the lips and said, “Give me a minute, Nikolai,” before striding over to the other pilot. His smooth voice carried easily above the low hum of talk. He navigated the uneven splintered floors with a sleek grace that made Brooke drool just the tiniest bit.

Their kiss caused her to sigh with disappointment, but she could still appreciate.

She studied him from under her lashes, while pulling her comp off the heavy belt that separated the tight synth-shirt and pants to check her messages. She needed a job.

If her M-box stayed empty, she’d be in trouble soon. Word of The Debacle during her last job had travelled.

Galen looked good enough to eat, or at least nibble on every part of his body. She stood taller than most men, but would have to lean back a little to meet his eyes. He was blond, but if Brooke were a fanciful woman, she’d describe his hair as gold. Long and thick, it was tied at his nape with a leather thong, the kind of mane she itched to run her fingers through.

Brooke tilted her head for a better view.

His body was a masterpiece. She’d studied some Earth art, including the ancient classics. If he’d been around during the Roman Empire, she bet they would’ve made more than one sculpture to immortalize him.

There wasn’t an ounce of fat on his body, his skintight clothing clung to his muscles with every move. Her tongue wet her lower lip as she admired the visible bulge between his legs.

6

Unwrapping his body would be like Christmas and her birthday on the same day.

She dragged her eyes away to actually check her inbox. Kayla had sent a note to call as soon as she could. Brooke connected to her old friend while watching Galen lean down to talk to the mercenary who’d called him over. She had to bite back a groan as his shirt gaped with the move.

“Brooke?” Kayla’s face appeared on the small screen.

“Hey, Kayla.” Brooked swallowed and rotated a little on her chair to move the distraction out of her immediate sight.

“Any change?” her friend asked.

“Nope, I’m still missing three days of my life with not even a glimmer of memory.” Her friend’s expression became sympathetic. “You getting a lot of calls?”

“Of course I am. I had one hundred and forty-nine settlers on board the
Nebokka
and I’m the only survivor. The families want answers and I don’t have any.”

“Where are you?”

“Teren.”

Her screen wasn’t big enough for Kayla to see a lot of her surroundings, but one glimpse of the crumbling gray-brown mud walls and the cheap tin roof must have been enough. “Let me guess, at the local watering hole.”

“It’s still the best place to pick up work.” Brooke sighed and spun back to observe the bar. And the yummy diversion. “The loss of the
Nebokka
is killing me on all fronts. I can’t give any of the families the answers they deserve and nobody wants anything to do with me. It’s as if my years of experience as a captain and pilot don’t matter. My ship exploded and I can’t remember why or how I survived.” Galen stood and shook his head at the men, refusing their offer of a drink.

“I can help with the why. Your furillium fusion capacitor blew.” Brooke lifted the comp and stared at her friend. Kayla was the best tech in the galaxy, but she had to be wrong. “No way. The
Nebokka
had a million safety protocols to keep that from happening.”

Kayla shrugged. “I’m only the messenger.”

“Talk about unlucky.” Brooke turned away from the screen and rubbed the side of her face, the spot where the headache had taken up residence the moment she woke in her shuttle surrounded by the debris of her beloved ship three weeks ago. Nothing the doctors did or gave her had an impact. The pain simmered down to a low throb only to spring back to life once she’d thought it had finally eased, making her feel as if somebody jabbed spikes into her brain.

Galen had finished his conversation. Her eyes followed him as he returned to Nikolai.

“Brooke?”

Kayla brought her back to the present. “Sorry. Running through options.” 7

Her friend shook her head. “I hate to break it to you but those options,” she drew quotation marks in the air with her fingers, “are rather limited. For what it’s worth, whatever paragon of manhood has you so distracted? Break your rules and have a night of fun. You could use it. I’ll let you know if we dig up anything else.”

“Thanks, Kay.” Brooke ignored the other woman’s knowing gaze and signed out.

She might want to break her rules, but that didn’t mean that the men were ready to play. Glad she’d opted for a table in a shadowed corner, putting her back to the wall, she enjoyed her view. Galen curled around his partner’s back and rested his chin on Nikolai’s shoulder. The other man leaned into him.

Brooke met Galen’s gaze. His eyes were a deep blue that reminded her of the beautiful skies over Botannia. His face was as handsome as the rest of his body, the features proportioned perfectly, including high cheekbones, a strong chin and full lips, inviting her to caress every part using the sensitive tips of her fingers.

Even in this dark and dingy bar in this backwater outpost where everybody kept to themselves, those two raised a few eyebrows. Especially female ones.

Compared to his partner, Nikolai stood a little shorter, but still tall enough to make her feel feminine. Where Galen was sleek, he carried more bulk. Again, no fat, but his biceps and abs appeared hard enough to give a meteorite a run for its credits. Usually bulk wasn’t her first choice, but he had no trouble shooting her already humming libido into overdrive.

Under the dim spotlights scattered throughout the bar, his black mane shimmered blue.

What is it with these two guys and their hair?

Most space travelers preferred a short cut because it was easier to care for on lengthy trips. She wore her brown locks tied in tiny braids reaching all the way to her butt. As much as she hated sitting still for seven or more hours, the style meant she could keep her long hair and not worry about saving water during her showers. Water was precious in space and the recycler could only clean it so many times before the need for fresh liquid became urgent.

Galen winked at her. He turned to Nikolai and said something. Nikolai threw back his head and laughed.

He flashed fangs.

Jade, he’s a Vampire.

No wonder everything in her stood at attention. Vampires had a reputation for sexual magnetism all across the universe.

She looked at the smiling Galen. Nope, no sign of fangs, but he radiated power.

Brooke mentally shrugged. It was a power she couldn’t place, but her contact with Paranormals had been limited.

Nikolai’s smile softened. He kissed his partner. For a second Brooke thought she could touch their deep connection, it was as if a ribbon of blue-green light tied them 8

together. Brooke rubbed her aching heart and tried to shake off the yearning for a similar connection.

Both men exuded so much masculinity and sexuality, for a second she’d forgotten they were together.

Definitely a crime against women everywhere.

Galen met her eyes again.

Brooke didn’t play coy, but held his gaze. Her heart pounded as if it tried to jump out of her chest, and her nipples turned hard. The latter she couldn’t exactly hide under her tight synth-shirt. The material fit beautifully under flight suits, but it didn’t leave much to the imagination.

Galen nudged Nikolai, who followed his friend’s gaze. The men’s smiles showed…appreciation? Brooke was a little puzzled why two male lovers enjoyed turning her on, but she was having too much fun flirting across the gloomy bar.

Nikolai slowly wrapped his right arm around Galen and caressed the other man’s chest with his fingers. Tension invaded Galen’s body and the bulge between his legs grew.

Brooke rested her head in her palm and enjoyed the show. Both men had focused their attention on her. She couldn’t see the Vampire’s face clearly as he stood slightly behind the other man, but Galen’s features appeared to be lit by an internal light.

His dark-blue eyes were half-lidded and every touch by his partner increased the tension in his body.

Brooke’s breathing grew deeper and she had to bite back a whimper.

Nikolai stepped beside Galen and moved his hand to his partner’s nape. Galen’s eyes dropped shut and he leaned into the touch. The Vampire’s smile turned possessive and a tad self-satisfied as he stroked his lover.

Brooke’s smile died. They’d been fun to watch, but his mine-and-you-can’t-touch look rubbed her the wrong way. It was as if he wanted to show her what she would be missing out on.

She returned her comp back to her belt. Kayla’s news had been disconcerting to say the least. Chances that all safety protocols malfunctioned at the same time were slim to none. It appeared somebody had tampered with the
Nebokka
, something she’d thought impossible.

Her need to remember took on an extra layer of urgency. She couldn’t be sure she was the only survivor anymore. Who would be dumb enough to sabotage a ship and not give himself a way to get off?

Brooke rubbed her churning stomach. It looked more and more as if one of her own had betrayed her. But she still couldn’t come up with one reason they would have kept her alive.

* * * * *

9

She reminds me of an Amazon
, Galen Kinvin thought when he caught sight of Brooke Deverell. They’d had pictures of her, but none had showed her vitality or the spine-tingling energy she exuded.

The way she leaned back in her chair showed her long body to its best advantage.

Her butt-long, chocolate-brown hair had been tied into thin braids and he had to restrain his hands from reaching out. He could discern the skeletory cyborg implants, but she had more than enough curves to make exploring her body a pleasure feast for the senses.

His blood pumped faster, most of it going south. Nikolai stood so close, he felt bathed in his lover’s heat, which didn’t help keep his arousal contained.

Pity she’s involved in this, otherwise we could’ve combined our work with some fun,
Nikolai said to Galen through their mindlink. Despite having been together for decades, the intimacy of Nikolai’s voice in his head caused a little shiver of pleasure.

You never know. She may be telling the truth
, Galen replied.
Either way, it would depend
on how open she is to the idea.

The way her eyes are eating us up, I’d say she’d be receptive
, Nikolai said as he stepped closer.

Galen leaned into his partner’s body.
Look at her nipples, our presence alone had them
respond. I’ll wager they are highly sensitive
. His cock was hard as granite and Nikolai’s dick rubbed against his ass.

Then Nikolai froze.
Can you get in her head?

Galen tried to gently enter Brooke’s consciousness, but came up against a wall. It was as if she had an iridium shield where most humans had no protection.

What the fuck happened?
Nikolai asked.
Humans don’t have these kinds of shields.

Galen paused. This made their plan more difficult, but they’d adjust. The way she appeared to respond to their presence? They could use that to their advantage. Finding answers was too important to have scruples.

He rubbed his cheek against Nikolai’s.
If humans are abused over any length of time,
they can develop shields. Or maybe she has psychic abilities. Makes no difference, we’ll adapt.

Let’s give her some more time to admire us,
Nikolai said.

Galen smiled. “And to let our combined power sink deeper under her skin.” Nikolai shrugged and winked.

Galen shook his head. “You get the drinks. I’ll get the table.” His lover liked to draw out the hunt as well as the sex, to keep the prey off balance. It was Galen’s job to make sure he didn’t go too far.