looked at Ronan. “We have a probe to hunt.”
Bard opened his mouth to protest, but I raised my hand to stall the argument I knew was coming. “Get back to the Karter. I need you there. We’re going to have incoming crew, ships and defenses to coordinate. I have a feeling we’re going to have to stretch our resources over both sectors. Prime Nial won’t want to abandon this sector. It’s too close to populated planets. We’ll have to hold it. And we need to report this to the rest of the fleet commanders.”
“No. Not until we know what we’re dealing with.” Ronan ignored three of my men who came into the room, probably ready for new orders to fulfill. They pointed their weapons at him, an unknown. Ronan ignored them all and came to me, standing toe-to-toe. “Give me twelve hours. I’ll have that probe and we’ll have some answers.”
I stared into the eyes of the man I’d loved like a brother, whose death I had mourned more than all but my own father’s. And I hated him for knowingly putting lives in danger, knowing an attack was imminent, and sacrificing those warriors anyway. Hated that he’d disappeared, died, and then returned. Hated him for knowing too many secrets. For saying whatever he had to convince Commander Varsten to fly straight into a Hive trap.
Fuck.
“Get that probe. If all of these warriors died for nothing, Ronan, I’ll kill you myself.”
“If this was for nothing, we’re all dead anyway,” he countered, his voice grim.
The finality of his words sent ice-cold dread through my veins. I knew this man, knew how strong he’d always been. He was a brilliant battle strategist and as tough as they came. I’d never been afraid of dying, but he didn’t speak of death. He spoke of annihilation, and worse. Assimilation. Loss of self. Billions of lives on hundreds of worlds falling prey to the Hive menace we’d fought for centuries.
Until now, I’d never once feared we might not win this war. And fear was a sensation I did not want to feel again. “Get the fucking probe. Then we’ll talk.”
He nodded just as a buzzing sounded in the ship’s systems.
“Commander Karter, this is Battleship Karter. Please respond.”
“This is Karter,” I barked into my helmet.
“Sir, you need to get to the transport room as quickly as possible for an incoming transport.”
I looked at Bard, who shook his head. We were in agreement.
“I told you, no incoming transports. This ship is running on power reserves and is still in danger.” When the voice through the comms remained silent, I continued, “Explain. The Varsten has been attacked. The entire battlegroup has been compromised. The ship is not safe for non-essential personnel. Again, no one is to come here but warriors or medical crew, as ordered.”
“I understand, Commander, but the transport system is still operational. My apologies, I couldn’t stop them.”
Couldn’t stop who? “What are you talking about? Get to the point. I’m busy.”
“I tried to stop them, sir, but it was too late.”
“Too late?” As a commander I had learned to dread those words. “Too late to stop what?”
“Your bride, Commander. The Interstellar Brides Program on Earth pinged your location via the transport system and initiated transport to Battleship Varsten automatically. Your bride is mid-transport. I cannot reroute her without risking her life.”
“My what?” My mind refused to process his words. It simply was not possible.
“Your Interstellar Bride, Commander. Congratulations, sir. She will arrive in the next few minutes.”
4
Erica Roberts, Interstellar Brides Processing Center, Earth
It was like I was a sex goddess and they worshipped me.
This was like the Hallelujah chorus and a porno combined with lots and lots of wine. I was relaxed and sweaty, and there were multiple hands and mouths and cocks. A mouth was sucking on my nipple. A cock was buried deep in my pussy, filling me just shy of too much. I had a cock fucking my ass.
I realized the strange whimpering sound I heard was me.
“Easy, mate,” the deep voice said. “We’ll give you what you need.”
Oh good, because I needed to come. Really hard and right now. I’d never been this wound up, this… passion-filled. Aggressive. Desperate. Out of control.
Oh my god. No wonder sex had only been good before. I’d been missing out… on an extra man.
I couldn’t see him. Either of them. I didn’t care. It was a dream, I knew. A fabulous dream I never, ever wanted to wake up from. At least until they made me come. And they would.
“More. Harder.” Was that my voice all breathy and forceful?
When hands gripped my hips and a cock drove into me just as I’d requested, I cried out, the sound mixing with the slapping of flesh on flesh.
“When you come, mate,” the voice belonged to the mate behind me, the other one was too busy claiming my mouth, shutting me up, swallowing my cries of pleasure. “Your pussy will milk the cum from his cock. It will mark you as his and fill you up so there’s no chance you aren’t bred.” Another nip to my shoulder and I gasped. “You will wake in the morning with our baby growing in your belly.”
I—she—writhed. A baby?
Did I want that? This woman did. God did she, the dirty talk was getting me—her—closer and closer to the brink. And yet, it wasn’t me. This wasn’t me. The woman was someone else, these mates, they belonged to her. They weren’t mine, but I was feeling their desire, sharing their pleasure. Knowing how good it would be with my own mates. It was as if I’d taken over their sexy times. As if it were an interactive porno.
The hands on my hips tightened almost painfully as the pace of fucking intensified. My primary mate broke off the kiss to rumble in my ear. “Don’t worry, my balls are so full of cum for you. We’ll be at you all night if that’s what it takes. You want my baby, mate. The collars don’t lie. I’m going to fill you up with seed. You’re ours, mate. Come for us, take what you want, take it all.”
I did, the orgasm so intense I couldn’t scream, couldn’t move, my muscles tense. Taut. The cock pistoned inside me as I did milk it, trying to take it impossibly deeper, to keep it inside me as if it belonged there. I needed his seed, his claim, his baby.
I heard the growl of possessiveness as he came. I felt the heat of his cum as he filled me. It went on and on, as if his pleasure was as intense as mine.
Behind me, my second mate came as well, filling my ass full of his seed, too, marking me just as thoroughly as his counterpart.
I gasped, jerking as aftershocks ripped through me. I wanted more.
