“No,” Amelia said before Hover could speak. “I think Hover is suggesting these two…” She indicated toward Coil and Tec. “Just need to go do the dirty?”

  “Oh great, I am either in pain while they go off, or I have to be a spectator,” Crimson muttered.

  Hover glanced down at his scanner. “I don’t think the two warriors doing the dirty will work on its own,” he said, echoing Amelia’s words. He looked up again to stare at Teclis, Coil, and Crimson. “I think the solution to your problem is that all of you must be touching or sharing bodily fluids as well as energy at the same time.”

  That didn’t bother Teclis in the slightest, and by the look on Coil’s face, he thought the same. But it was the droop of Crimson’s head and the lone tear that fell from her cheek that told a different story.

  “If we were to have or remain in a relationship, will we have to all share sex and energy like this together?” Coil asked.

  Hover sighed heavily. “I don’t think so. But as I said before, your trio is the first we have come upon. At the moment all I can say is it will be experimental for us all. But I do think that once this initial mating period is complete, properly, you will be able to continue as normal couples do.”

  Seeing Crimson so miserable, Teclis reached a hand out and cupped her face, holding it up so he could look deeply into her eyes. They sparkled with tears and sorrow.

  “I am sorry, me unum. If this causes you great distress, I’m sure Hover can come up with something that will help you if you do not wish for either Coil or I to be in your life.”

  Coil lay a hand on her shoulder. “I concur, little one. We would do anything for you. If it means staying away, then we will.”

  A small sob slipped from between Crimson’s lips, and her tears began to fall down her face. Teclis ran a thumb over her cheek, wiping away a tear.

  “What did I do to deserve you to two being so sweet to me?” she asked.

  Hover cleared his throat. “I haven’t finished yet.”

  All eyes turned to the medic.

  “There’s also something I have never seen before. I will need to consult some texts and maybe ask the other medics on our ships to see if our history has ever come across this before, but Crimson has an iungo growing on her both of her middle fingers and she isn’t fecund or had a youngling.”

  Suddenly, everyone but Hover, who was gazing down at his chrono screen, looked toward Crimson in surprise and watched her rub her thumbs over her middle digits.

  She was quiet for a moment before uttering, “Bloody hell.” She looked up and smirked with a teasing look in her eye, her mood instantly changing. “Does that mean I get to zap these guys when I’m pissed?”

  Amelia burst out laughing, and Crimson quickly followed suit. Teclis watched as his mate’s eyes danced with mirth, her shock and misery forgotten.

  “I suppose, but that wasn’t what I was indicating,” Hover said sourly as the two females kept laughing.

  “We know,” Amelia said when her chuckles subsided. “But hell, I’ve had one of these iungos since Faith was born and didn’t even think about zapping Trian. Now though…” She stared toward Trian and smirked.

  “Don’t even think about it, me unum. As you say, I can play hard ball too.”

  Amelia wiggled her eyebrows at her mate. “Suck it up, buttercup.”

  Trian shook his head as if dismayed, but by the way his lips were held tight and the tiny lift on either side, Teclis could see he was withholding a smile.

  The moment was gone as soon as Iryano’s voice came over the comm. “Captain, report to the bridge.”

  Instantly, Trian changed from mate to captain. “On my way.”

  He bent and kissed Amelia on the cheek before disappearing.

  “I still think it’s cool the way they disappear. Imagine what we could get up to if we could do that.” Amelia chuckled to Crimson.

  “We could visit anywhere on Earth we wished to go.” Crimson sighed. “I always wanted to travel.”

  “You have the chance to now. You may not be able to zap places with Teclis and Coil, but they do have access to pods.” Amelia grinned.

  “May I first remind you of your situation,” Hover interjected. “We do need to resolve your problem.”

  Teclis looked down to where they were all touching. “We won’t press you, Crimson. If Coil and I—”

  “No, it’s okay,” Crimson interrupted. She held her head up and inhaled deeply before releasing it. “Let’s go find a bed. Seeing you guys kiss was kinda hot. Maybe watching you get it on…” She blushed, leaving her sentence unfinished.

  Amelia leaned in and whispered loud enough for them to hear. “What a way to sort out a dilemma though, huh?”

  Amelia stood straight when Trian’s voice came over the comm. “Amelia, I could use your assistance with a problem. Would you report to the bridge?”

  Teclis frowned when Amelia didn’t answer her mate. He was about to say something when Trian uttered a word with a growl attached.

  “Please.”

  Amelia pressed the button on her bracelet. “On my way.” She turned to their small group and smiled. “I’m so going to pay for that later. But it will be worth it.”

  “You shouldn’t wind your spark up like that, Amelia,” Hover admonished. “He is the captain.”

  “Yes, but he’s also my mate.” She wiggled her eyebrows. Hover opened his mouth to say something, but Amelia just shook her head and walked toward the door which opened. She left the room with one last comment. “Just wait until you find your mate, Hover.”

  “I am unsure I wish to find one,” Hover uttered. “You may go, warriors, but please report back to me tomorrow morning.” He turned with a scowl and walked into his office.

  Crimson squeaked when Teclis scooped her up into his arms.

  “I can walk, you know,” she said, annoyed.

  “Yes, but this way we keep contact and you suffer no pain.”

  “But what about Coil?” she said, raising her head and looking over toward him.

  “Don’t worry about me, me unum.” Coil winked.

  Teclis leaned in close to Crimson’s ear and whispered, “He has his hand on my back.”

  “Oh!”

  Just as they reached their cabin door Trian’s voice came over Teclis’s comm.

  “Warrior, please report to the bridge with both of your sparks.”

  Teclis gritted his teeth and had to shove all his feelings of disappointment and frustration down deep inside of him so he didn’t tell his captain to shove his order. He suddenly understood the human saying ‘for crying out loud.’ Because that’s what he wanted to do! He was about to take both of his sparks to bed. Not to just slide his cock inside of Crimson, but Coil too, or vice versa, and the captain chose this moment to ask to see them? He hoped it was important!

  “Yes, sir. May I ask why?” Teclis replied after pressing his comm button.

  “I’m afraid we have a situation on the island. A male claiming to be Luke Sweet is demanding he be allowed to search the island for his missing wife. Amelia has stated that although a single male suddenly going absent wouldn’t be missed too greatly, his family has some money and they might cause some future problems such as Earth security wanting to look around the island. We cannot take that risk so early on in our males’ training. My spark has suggested Crimson may be able to help.”

  Teclis gazed down at Crimson who was looking back at him in confusion. “On our way, sir, but may I speak candidly?”

  “Go ahead, but if you are about to demand that Crimson be kept safe, don’t worry. As you and every single Gracian male knows, no male should ever lay his hand on a female in anger or even to make them feel powerful.”

  “Thank you, sir. Teclis out.”

  With a heavy sigh, Teclis slid Crimson down his body until her feet were firmly on the floor. He gazed down at his little spark.

  “That was Trian. He has asked us all to join him on the bridge. I’m sorry, Crimson, but it would seem Luke has turned up at the island. Amelia has suggested we will require your input as to what to do.”

  Chapter 10

  “Luke’s on the island?” Crimson gasped. “But how? Why? I mean, I could be dead… Fish food…”

  Teclis grasped Crimson’s face gently as Coil stepped up behind her and placed his chest against her back, aiding in some comfort.

  “You don’t have to see him, me unum. The captain only needs some advice. From the brief info Trian has just passed on, Amelia says Luke’s family has some money, and because of that, it might cause our warriors who inhabit the island some grief if he were to go missing.”

  “Missing? And he’s looking for me?” Crimson suddenly snorted a laugh. “And to think all those years of him claiming that if I went missing no one would care. And yet, he’s looking for me? Why when I was just his punching bag? He probably just wants to make sure I’m dead and not hiding on that island of yours.”

  Teclis hated to hear her sound so defeated. “Come, little one,” he urged. “Let us go see the captain. But,” he added, not moving, “no one, not even the captain, will ask you to speak to this Luke, or even step off this ship if you do not want to.”

  Crimson nodded, but she dropped her gaze from his, looking down at her feet.

  Teclis slid a finger underneath her chin and pulled her head back up so her eyes were on him. “We…” He indicated to him and Coil with his other hand. “…won’t let Luke hurt you. His words are just that—words. We have seen the fire in your belly. If you can shout at our captain and Hover, who I am sure are much bigger than this Luke, then it is possible, with us behind you, if you wished, you can stand up to Luke. We would not allow him to take you or to harm you in any way. If we were to lose you now, our hearts would break.”

  “But you have each other. I’m just a spare part.” Crimson frowned.

  Coil gripped Crimson’s shoulder and turned her to face him. “Never say or think such a thing again. We are yours, my little spark. Our hearts are fully entwined in yours now. We may have once only had each other, but now you are the one who holds us all together. Our lives and our hearts are yours to do with as you please.”

  Nodding, Teclis smiled fondly down at her, and added, “I agree. We are, to use one of your idioms, yours forever and a day.”

  * * * *

  Crimson leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Coil’s waist, relishing in the warmth and comfort from his body. A few moments went past where no one moved. She tried to get her head around what Coil and Teclis had said: our lives and hearts are yours… Were they saying they loved her? But more to the fact, did she love them? There was only one answer to that question—yes.

  “What would you do if I wasn’t here anymore?” she asked, pulling away from Coil to look up at him.

  Coil glanced at Teclis, then he returned his gaze to her. “Truthfully?” Coil asked.

  “Yes,” Crimson answered, wondering what the pair of them were silently sharing. They had been together so long, they seemed to know what the other was thinking.

  “We would die,” Coil replied.

  “Die? But you have each other?”

  “Now that we have found you, we are bound in ways so deeply that the two of us aren’t enough anymore. We need you, me unum.”

  “We want you,” Teclis added. “We love you, Crimson.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” both of them answered together.

  Crimson’s breath stuck in her throat. Her warriors wanted her, loved her. She could see it in their eyes, hear their honesty. She knew she shouldn’t keep comparing her men to Luke, but in all the years she had spent with Luke, she had never heard the heartfelt words Teclis and Coil had just said. Nor had Luke ever treated her with the care and tenderness these men showered her with.

  As she stared up into their swirling eyes, Crimson felt safe and happy being sandwiched between the both of them. It helped her make the final decision to stay.

  She pulled away from Coil and fingered the gold band on her left hand. “Amelia said that you guys don’t have marriages up here, but you mate for life. But what if we grow to dislike each other? What if you don’t lov—”

  “Stop,” Teclis ordered. “There is a huge difference between humans and Gracians matings, Crimson. When our energy leaves us for the first time and enters our mate, a bond is created, one we treasure and nurture. We do everything we can to aid it. If by chance we upset one another, it is ingrained into our biology to fix the problem. We cannot rest until we do. There is no such thing as your human divorce, no leaving one another or anything like that.”

  Crimson snorted and looked up at Teclis. “Yeah, ’cause your women need your energy once you’re mated. So of course they aren’t going to leave you.”

  “No, it is because we don’t fall out of love. Coil and I could honestly promise you that until your dying days we will love you with everything inside of us.”

  “Even if I was to piss you off on a daily basis?” Crimson asked with a smirk when she remembered something from earlier that had an idea forming.

  Teclis looked a little wary, as if he knew what she was up to, but he answered. “Even if you were to—” He snapped back a couple of steps in shock and swore while shaking his hand. “Frinx! She shocked me!”

  Crimson giggled and raised her middle finger where Hover had said her new iungo was and blew on it like she’d seen cowboys do to a smoking gun.

  “Yep, I’m going to like this.” She smiled.

  Coil burst out laughing. “Oh, she got you there.” He chuckled even more.

  Teclis advanced on her. For a second Crimson held herself stiff and waited for the smack, but then Teclis smiled, and she remembered that these men had said they wouldn’t ever hurt her. She honestly believed it.

  Something one of her carers had said suddenly popped into her mind. Actions speak louder than words. Crimson only hoped that was true. She wanted so badly to trust her warriors, that their feelings for her would never change and that they’d never leave her. She wished for a moment that she could travel in time and see into the future to see if she was going to make the right decision.

  Teclis scooped her up, one hand underneath her butt and the other holding the back of her head, and kissed her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

  He pulled back and stared at her. His eyes swirled much faster, showing his emotions. With a toothy smile, he asked, “You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?”

  Crimson smiled back and nodded. “Being sassy is fun.” She giggled.

  Teclis shook his head in dismay, although the smile that was still on his face didn’t hide the fact he was amused.

  Crimson sighed. “I suppose we better go see your captain, huh?”

  Tec leaned forward again and lightly pecked her lips, leaving more of his manly, spicy taste behind. “We should, yes. But remember, we will keep you safe. Trian will not ask you to put yourself in danger.”

  Crimson nodded. Teclis slowly lowered her back to the floor and made sure she was stable before letting her go. She dropped her hands down onto his chest, allowing herself to feel his muscles underneath his uniform. She didn’t want to take her hands off him. Coil stood closer behind her and placed his hands on her waist.

  Crimson stared at the gold band on her left hand. It was supposed to be a symbol of love. She’d read somewhere that it was placed on that specific finger because the Romans had believed the vein in the digit ran to one’s heart. The vena amoris, or vein of love, they had called it. She had loved Luke at the beginning and for a while after, but there was nothing in her heart now. She wasn’t sure if he had ever loved her. He had beaten her so many times, raped her, and tortured her with his words that she didn’t see how he could have possibly loved her. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that if Luke knew she was alive, he’d either kill her or take steps to ensure she never escaped him again. She would never be free of him.

  Teclis held out his hand for her to grasp. Crimson took it willingly and held her other hand out toward Coil. He slid his hand into her and smiled down at her. Together, they walked through the Gemorph until they reached the bridge.

  The doors opened, revealing the huge room with machines on each wall. On a large screen that filled one wall was an image of a white ship floating near a dock that she partially recognized as Luke’s. A new ache appeared in her heart, one caused by seeing that image and the thought of Luke.

  Teclis gripped her hand a fraction, turning her attention to him. He gave her an infinitesimal nod and smiled reassuringly at her.

  “I can do this,” she said to herself. She inhaled deeply and raised her chin.

  “Hey there,” Amelia said, greeting Crimson. She stood from where she was sitting next to Trian. “I’m sorry to have to ask you here, but I was a little unsure about what to do with Luke. After our brief talk, and you saying he had money, I did a little research and discovered who his family is. They could potentially cause us some problems if we deny him access to the island.”

  “How long has he been there?” Teclis asked, guiding Crimson further onto the bridge to stand beside Trian and Amelia.

  Trian stood beside his spark, a hand on her shoulder. “He turned up about a hiln ago and dropped anchor by the dock. Our warriors are still in training, and they’re a little worried they might say or do something wrong that would raise suspicion. It’s a good thing we had a few of your females to aid us in holding him off. They met him on the jetty and asked why he was there. Luke demanded to know how many people were on the island and asked if they would help him walk around and see if they could spot you in the water. He said you’d fallen overboard nearby.”

  Amelia continued with the information update. “Sharan informed him that she and Jikel were staff and could not allow him on the island without permission, being their employers are incredibly private. They told Luke he should wait on his ship while they contacted their boss and that they would send a few staff out to look around in case his wife had drifted ashore. He agreed to this and returned to his ship. We left Jikel standing guard. To be honest, we fully expected Luke to sail about the isle, but he didn’t. He has remained docked and is still there now.”