Tangled Shadows (7 page)

Without thinking, Nikolai kissed her palm. “I’m unable to link with you. Your mind is covered by an impenetrable field.”

Brooke raised the chair into a more upright position, but didn’t pull her hand away.

“What does this mean? Did the Ferals do it to me?” Her fingers trembled. Nikolai was quick to reassure her. “No,
milaya
, no, this feels nothing like a Feral. If I didn’t know humans can’t build shields like this, I’d say you made it yourself.”

“You know there are reasons why she could have developed such a shield,” Galen said, his voice subdued.

Brooke’s gaze flew to him. “Why?”

Galen sighed. “Humans who have suffered trauma at a young age tend to block far more heavily than other kids.” He smiled for a second, but it never reached his eyes.

“Or a Naema entered your family tree some generations ago.” Brooke looked at them as if they’d declared they’d give up sex and retire on Monktoon. “Naemas don’t fuck outside their race, and they definitely don’t impregnate humans.”

Nikolai snorted. “What am I, chopped liver?”

Brooke frowned at him. “But you’re the exception. Are you telling me your families were particularly happy with your relationship?”

Galen extended his seat closer to her chair. “No, our families aren’t happy, but this is a relatively new development. Over the last few decades, my people have pulled back more and more from other species. They’ve begun to think of themselves as better, purer than everybody else.”

“Yeah, thanks to your esteemed leader,” Nikolai said through clenched teeth. He loathed Arch-Senator Gabriel.

Galen waved off his grumblings. It was a discussion they’d had before, and most likely would have again.

43

“Before this turn in thinking, Naemas lived in harmony with other peoples. Matings occurred rarely outside the species, but it did happen.” Galen nodded at Brooke. “And it is possible one of your ancestors comes from such a union.” Brooke appeared to process the information, but didn’t reply.

Nikolai jiggled his right knee. By Jade, why couldn’t she get past their beginnings?

Through their mindlink, Nikolai knew Galen didn’t think Brooke had Naema ancestors.

Her shield was too different.

Which left a traumatic event. They needed to know what she’d been through. It was the only way he could find a weakness in her shield.

Nikolai’s knee froze for a second, before it picked up its pace again.
Could it have to
do with her connection to us?
he asked Galen.

His partner paused.
We had no problems talking mind-to-mind after our first night
together.

Yeah, but neither of us is human. Do you know of any human bound to a Vampire and a
Naema? Maybe it’s for her protection.

We can’t tell her yet,
Galen barked.
We’ll talk about it later.

He put his hand on Nikolai’s wiggling knee and the hand resting on it. Then he leaned toward Brooke, touching her shoulder. “Whatever this is, we will sort it out.” As soon as Nikolai clasped his lover’s fingers, electric shocks sparked, shooting through all three of them and their minds connected.

Nikolai felt the familiar warmth of Galen’s mind, but also Brooke’s shock and fear when she realized they had linked. For a second he thought he saw a deep-seated need to belong, but the link broke too quickly to be certain.

Brooke tried to pull back, but Nikolai held on to her hand and Galen moved with her, keeping contact to her shoulder. “Hang on, Brooke, don’t move,” Galen said. “We might be on to something here.”

Brooke stilled, her body rigid. “What happened?”

Nikolai studied the closed circle they’d made by accident. He’d only realized the nagging ache and need to be close to Brooke had disappeared after touching her. He looked at Galen, who nodded in agreement. They were both hot as hell, but the pain was gone.

“What’s going on?” Brooke asked again, her voice growing louder.

Nikolai saw her nipples harden. His sensitive nose picked up her thickening scent.

Galen cleared his throat, but his voice was husky when he spoke. “Our minds linked.”

“How?” Brooke attempted to let go, but they wouldn’t allow it.

“After our night together, we’ve established a link. By touching as we’re doing now, all three of us, the connection is activated.”

“You were in my head.”

44

“For a second your shields dropped and allowed us in,” Galen said.

“Let’s try something. We all let go and then touch again. By re-establishing the link I may be able to identify the barrier,” Nikolai said.

Galen nodded and they released each other. After a brief moment, Nikolai clasped Galen’s hand and offered his free one to Brooke.

She hesitated. “The same rules still apply. No going anywhere you aren’t welcome.”

Nikolai nodded his agreement, continuing to hold out his hand. This time around it had to be her choice all the way.

Brooke swallowed. She took his hand and the one Galen offered. Sparks flew again.

Nikolai groaned as a shock shot through his hard cock.

They waited, but no mindlink.

Brooke released their hands and hugged her arms around her knees. “It didn’t work.” She felt torn. For a moment she thought there would be a way out, a way to undo the taint the Ferals left behind, but now it appeared only a fluke.

She tugged her knees tighter against her chest, her heart racing. Every way she looked she only saw closed doors with no way out, no way to prove her innocence, to regain her memories.

“Brooke.” Nikolai cupped her nape. “Breathe,
milaya
, breathe. We’ll figure something out. Breathe.”

The heat of his hand and his voice sank inside her, unclenching her frozen lungs.

She took a couple of deep, slow breaths. She’d never had a panic attack before, but right now she deserved one. “How are you going to figure out anything? I have impenetrable shields and neither of you has any clue on how to re-establish the link.” Nikolai stroked his thumb up and down her racing pulse. Before she could stop herself she leaned into the caress. As much as she hated to admit it, his touch helped to fight down the panic.

“Brooke, there is another way for us to reconnect,” Galen said quietly.

She looked at him and knew right off she wouldn’t like whatever he had to say.

“We know touch led to the first mindlink. I believe sex will help you to relax your shields enough to allow us to enter your mind.”

Brooke gaped at him. “Well, let’s get right on it. I’ll just spread my legs and you can go ahead.”

Galen flinched and Nikolai’s grip on her nape tightened.

Brooke couldn’t stand it, pushed his hand off her and scrambled to her feet to pace the confines of the cabin. She saw a certain logic to Galen’s belief. The idea scared her to death, because part of her wanted to jump up and down with excitement at the opportunity to spend time with them, to experience their lovemaking again.

45

But if she gave in to this part of her, she risked being hurt.
Or it may open a door you
had already thought shut in your face
, the little voice said. She leaned her forehead against a porthole. Jade, could she let them close again?

Could she not? There was more at risk than only her heart. People depended on her.

“Brooke, the choice is yours, but I promise it is not just a cheap way to get you in bed. Nikolai and I can’t imagine anything as exciting and fulfilling as making passionate love to you. We want you. It is not just a means to an end.” Brooke turned and studied them.

She couldn’t see another way to clear the Feral taint out of her head and get her memories back. They gave her the most amazing night of her life. They touched something deep inside her, opened up a fragile part of herself in search of belonging and love, a part she hadn’t been aware of.

And then they broke it. Crushed it with their lies and carelessness, left her feeling as empty as the space the
Mercy
traveled through.

The risk was huge. They could break her again. But it was the only way to clear her mind and release her memories, the only way to find and save potential survivors.

And the only way to fulfill this insane demand inside her to spend as much time as possible with these two men.

Yes, they had lied to her. Yes, they were Paranormals. But there was more. Walking away now would bury any chance for the
more
to develop.

She walked over to them and offered each a hand. Her decision grew solid when they didn’t hesitate for a moment and clasped her fingers, but at the same time waited for her next step.

This was her decision and she wanted it.

Whatever consequences she would have to deal with later, she would cope.

46

Nikolai lifted her hand to his lips and suckled on one of her fingers. Brooke felt as if she’d been caught on the edge of a black hole. Each gentle suck lit a fire in her lower body. Galen nipped at a finger of her other hand and soothed the ache with his tongue, sending little shocks through her.

The nagging ache in her chest she’d felt all day, the need to touch both men, faded.

She wanted to repeat the pleasure of the first night, wanted to drown in passion.

Nikolai bit her thumb, the pain shooting through her frame like an electric pulse.

She couldn’t help but moan. The reclining chairs didn’t look up to the task, so Brooke led them to her cabin, to her bed.

It would be difficult, but she could keep her emotions separate from her body. She could protect her heart.

She would deal with the consequences once they arrived. Now she needed. She was in control. “Fuck me,” she demanded hoarsely.

Both men stopped in their tracks. Then Galen pulled her head around and plunged them into a kiss that made her deaf, dumb and blind to everything around her. Their tongues dueled, for what she did not know, his taste raising every nerve ending she had.

Nikolai worked his way up her arm, kissing and nipping the responsive flesh on the inside of her elbow. As heavenly as that felt, Brooke wanted him somewhere else.

She tore her lips from Galen’s, who immediately moved to her sensitive neck.

“Nipples,” she whispered. “Suck my nipples.”

Her demand narrowed the focus of both men. Instead of scaring her, their single-mindedness drove her higher. Nikolai gave her one sharp bite in the bend of her arm and moved his hands to her chest, tearing open her suit.

The conditioned air of the cabin hit her nipples first. Brooke couldn’t suppress her moan. She wanted touch, not a breeze. Nikolai laved her breast with his tongue, always keeping a distance to her nipple, leaving the aching tip unattended.

Brooke didn’t know where the demand came from. She’d rarely voiced her needs in bed, but some cold, hard shell inside her had begun to melt. “For Jade’s sake, suck my nipples.”

She thought she’d heard low laughter, but then Nikolai picked her up and deposited her on the bed, sucking on one of her nipples, pressing the hard tip against the roof of his mouth and using his teeth to nip at her breast. Brooke screamed as the orgasm tore through her.

“Hot Jade, just from sucking your nipple?” Galen groaned.

47

Nikolai let go of her first nipple and moved on to the second. “Let’s see if we can do this again.”

Galen stiffened. He leaned over Brooke to grab Nikolai’s shoulder. “Hang on, Nikolai, we need to be sure this time.” He ignored Nikolai’s growl and looked at Brooke. “Are you okay?” he asked. “Is this what you want, or because you feel duty bound?”

Brooke struggled to focus on his face. He looked serious. His eyes held a darkness she hadn’t seen before, tension pouring off his body. He had seen and understood far more of how her mind worked than she had thought. She realized he wanted her to agree to this union out of need and not because her honor demanded it.

She lifted her head and kissed him on the lips. “I want this, I want you,” she said.

The need inside her would be fulfilled. She’d deal with reality when it came to bite her on the ass. They still held something back from her. But right now she wanted the pleasure only these two men could give her, the possibility of remembering what happened in those missing days.

And unlike before, this time she entered the relationship with her eyes wide open.

The heat that shot into his eyes nearly branded her.

Nikolai leaned forward with a growl and covered her other breast with his mouth.

Brooke tensed, unsure if she could survive another orgasm like the one before. “No, not again, it’s too much.” She moaned when Nikolai ignored her whispers and tortured her second nipple.

Galen moved onto the bed next to her shoulders, taking hold of her weakened hands, which pulled on Nikolai’s hair. “It’s never too much,” he whispered. “But if you need distraction, how about you suck on this?” He’d removed his clothes, and his large cock stood full and hard at attention, the blood-flushed tip throbbing to every beat of his heart.

Brooke moaned. Her mouth watered with the memory of their last encounter. And his delicious taste. Sucking his cock might give her some distance from Nikolai’s mouth, and his hand following the curve of her hip.

Galen gripped both her hands in one of his and used the other to guide his cock into her mouth. He groaned as soon as she drew her tongue along his length. His dark, rich taste shot through her. She suckled his head and laved the underside of his steel-hard length. His groans guided her, helping her to distinguish which caress he liked best.

All the while, Brooke attempted not to focus on Nikolai, who worked his way down her body. Each part of her he undressed and opened up to his hungry gaze, he kissed, nipped and licked, making her realize that the curve of her stomach was an extremely sensitive area.

When he’d opened her clothes as far as they would go, Nikolai raised his chin and found her eyes. “How important is this suit to you?” he asked, his voice dropping low.

48

Galen’s cock popped out of her mouth. She frowned at Nikolai. “Not mine, found it in the cabin.”

Nikolai growled and tore the suit off her. This expression of strength made her moan, her pussy growing wetter. He looked so sexy. With a chuckle she once again shrugged off the sleeves.

Good thing the computer could manufacture clothes. It appeared she’d need a few more.

Galen pulled her back to his cock and Nikolai dove between her now-uncovered legs. Her clit throbbed close to painfully, but Nikolai ignored the little button and concentrated on thrusting his tongue into her vagina.

Brooke groaned and tried to move her hips so he’d lick her clit, but Nikolai was having none of it. He held her down. When she thought she couldn’t stand it anymore, Nikolai brought his hand to her entrance and pushed two thick fingers inside her. Her channel clenched around the intruders.

Galen changed positions and now knelt above her, his face toward her bottom half.

His engorged cock hung above her face and she continued her work on it. Galen had let go of her hands, and she used them to massage and stroke the shaft to her heart’s content.

Galen joined Nikolai at her mons and began to stroke her clit with his tongue.

Brooke’s nails left marks on Galen’s legs, her whole body as tightly strung as a bow.

While Galen played her clit, Nikolai thrust his two fingers into her tight passage.

“Give me a taste of that,” Nikolai said. Brooke couldn’t see the two men, but her imagination provided plenty of pictures of them kissing. “By Jade, she tastes glorious,” Nikolai groaned.

“She does,” Galen said. “Care to join me?”

Nikolai chuckled. “Sure.” Brooke climbed higher and higher as they took turns, each lick and suckle driving her closer to the edge of the abyss. She only wished she could watch the two men, watch their tongues intertwining as they sucked her off.

Nikolai’s fingers didn’t stay idle for long. He plunged them into her sopping cunt and then moved them downward to her back entrance. Brooke went rigid and pulled away.

“Let me,” Nikolai whispered. “I’ll make sure you’ll like it.”

“No.” She jerked her legs up and away from them.

Galen tumbled next to her, his arms around her waist. “Shh, baby, sorry. No means no, and we respect that.”

Nikolai’s hand stroked the inside of her thigh. “I’m sorry,
milaya
, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Brooke unclenched her muscles in increments. A small part had been excited, but her memories thrust that aside. “Not there,” she whispered. She felt as if she’d disappointed them.

49

Galen kissed her, the heat still simmering, but no longer burning out of control.

“You’re in charge.”

Nikolai kissed her upper thigh. Brooke tensed. “Are you ready to restart this flight through hyperspace?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice hoarse. She slowly uncurled and stretched into a more comfortable position, allowing Nikolai to return between her legs.

“Excellent, because I know Galen can’t wait to play with this pussy and I would like to be entertained by your amazing mouth.” He moved up her frame before Brooke had a chance to respond. Galen scrambled out of the way. Unlike his partner, Nikolai enjoyed the more direct approach.

He straddled her chest, keeping his weight on his knees, and pushed his cock in her face. For a second Brooke felt intimidated. Nikolai was more darkly tanned, and black hair covered his chest and loins. His cock was maybe an inch shorter than Galen’s, but decidedly fatter. Brooke didn’t think she’d be able to wrap her hand fully around him.

His balls hung heavy and thick below.

He didn’t give her a chance to think twice, and fed her his dick. He had a sharp, tangy taste that left her desperate for more. She flattened her tongue and caressed the tip of his cock.

Nikolai’s fingers tensed. He grabbed her hair and thrust his cock deeper into her mouth. Brooke gagged, making him retreat. He mumbled apologies, but pushed inside her mouth. “Breathe through the nose,
milaya
, keep breathing, and swallow.” Brooke tried to follow his instructions. Panic bloomed in her chest when she felt as if she couldn’t get enough air, but Nikolai withdrew a little. She swallowed the saliva accumulating in her mouth, making him throw back his head with pleasure.

“Come on,
milaya
, here we go again. You can do it.” Brooke wanted to give him the pleasure he was after, and attempted to focus on her breathing. This time he went more slowly, which helped. He also kept up a steady string of words, his deep voice caressing her even though she didn’t understand the meaning.

She swallowed and concentrated on getting air into her lungs. Gradually Nikolai pushed his cock to the back of her throat. She swallowed.

He groaned. “Jade, this is so fucking good.
Milaya
, do that again.” He leaned forward until his hands rested against a bump he’d instructed the wall to form, giving him needed stability. Their gazes met. The heat burning in his eyes flashed through Brooke. Her clit, tormented by Galen, became more sensitive and her arousal skyrocketed.

Nikolai began to thrust, always making sure she felt comfortable and could breathe.

Eventually his thrusts gained speed, but he remained attentive to her needs.

50

Brooke sucked and swallowed, trying different variations, watching his responses.

She enjoyed the power she had over this big male, the power he gave her. He might be in a position of authority, but she controlled his pleasure.

She turned into an accumulation of sensitive nerve endings, her clit throbbed and her nipples ached, but none of it was important. Nikolai’s silver eyes held her captive.

Gone was the dominant male who wanted to push her out of her comfort zone. In his stead she had a man who had relinquished control over his pleasure to her.

Nikolai grimaced. His eyes dropped shut as his head fell back. “Take it,
milaya
, take it all.” He bellowed when he exploded in her mouth. Brooke swallowed his semen, savoring the vulnerability he showed her.

She wanted this connection. She wanted to mean something to them.

Nikolai tumbled to the bed next to her. “Jade, that was breathtaking.”

“Yeah, quite a show,” Galen growled from between her legs. “Our turn now.” Brooke moaned when his dick rubbed through her wet heat. The feeling was amazing, but not quite enough to push her over the edge. “Take me,” Galen growled as he pushed the fat tip of his cock into her sensitive entrance. He was not as controlled as he’d been. He gave her a moment to adjust to his presence, and then continued to push inside her without stopping.

Brooke groaned, uncertain if she felt pleasure or pain. Galen pushed against her cervix, something she couldn’t decide if she enjoyed or not. Before she could make up her mind, Galen pulled nearly completely out and drove inside her with hard strokes.

He bumped the end of her channel in irregular intervals, driving Brooke that little bit higher on the blade’s edge between intense pleasure and pain.

Galen increased the pace. Brooke’s muscles clamped down on the thick invader, as if to make him slow down or stop. Galen moaned. Sweat dripped from his body. She locked her legs around his hips, digging her heels in his firm ass. Sensations shot up from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, hitting every sensitive point she had.

Brooke dug her nails into his muscular shoulders. “More, Galen, more,” she moaned.

Galen lowered himself from his hands to his elbows, his muscled chest rubbing against her nipples. So close, she was so close. “Galen,” she screamed.

He leaned forward and bit her on the neck. That final sensation drove her over the edge. She felt as if she’d exploded into a million pieces, as if she’d turned to stardust streaking across the sky.