Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime, she and Amelia’s laughter abated.

  “I’m in dire straits right now, huh?” Crimson asked her newfound friend.

  Amelia touched her arm and shook her head. “No, honey, you’re not in the same situation as you were with Luke.”

  Crimson followed Amelia’s stare when she turned toward the male who was wearing human clothes, the one who was closer to them than the other. The man was huge. He was wearing a black pair of smart trousers with a white shirt that hid most of what looked to be a fine piece of artwork underneath them. He had shoulder-length blond hair, his nose was slightly crooked, his chin square and strong. He was handsome. Eye candy.

  Comparing him to the rest of the Gracian males standing around, she discovered they were all tall, muscled, and would certainly wet a few panties at a Chippendales show. But she didn’t feel drawn to the other men whereas she did the blond and the male behind him.

  “Crimson, this is Coil. Coil, this is Crimson,” Amelia said.

  Then Amelia raised a hand and urged another warrior forward. He was dressed in the same tight, black, form-fitting uniform the rest of the alien men wore. He had intense, almost orange-colored eyes, his hair short but still long enough to tug on if needed. Her mouth watered just thinking about what was underneath that uniform, before she shook her head. Nope! Not going there.

  “And that is Teclis, but he also goes by Tec,” Amelia said, pointing to the man. “These are the warriors who saved you.”

  “And the ones who think I’m theirs?” Crimson asked, curling her lip up. The thought of belonging to any male again made her feel sick. Luke had mentioned many times throughout their relationship that she was his and no one else’s. If he couldn’t have her, then no one else would either. He’d kill her or him before that happened.

  “No,” Teclis said sharply and stepped beside Coil. “We are yours, Crimson, and only if you wish it to be.”

  He sounded sincere. But then she’d fallen for Luke’s lies for so long, she wondered if she could any longer tell a lie from the truth. It saddened her even more to think she had believed Luke’s words over and over.

  Amelia tapped her arm gently. “Believe him, Crimson, even just this once. These warriors know my mate will have their balls if any one of them hurt you.”

  Crimson didn’t miss the horrified looks Teclis and Coil shared before glancing back at her. Crimson shook her head, panic rising in her chest. She couldn’t deal with this right now. It was all getting to be too much. Her memories before waking were sketchy, then she’d woken to find herself on some alien ship, surrounded by huge, hulking warriors, and now two of them were staring at her like she was an ice cream. Like they wanted to lick her all over until she screamed until she had no voice. She clenched her legs together at the sudden ache her clit caused.

  “You might have your work cut out for you. This time, however, the ball will be in your court,” Amelia said.

  “I can’t deal with this right now.” Crimson shook her head once more. She could feel tears, not from laughter this time but pain, tiredness, and hurt growing like fire embers behind her eyes. “Please?” she asked, not exactly sure what she was pleading for.

  “Perhaps a nap, then something to eat before anything is decided,” Amelia suggested.

  Crimson nodded, not really caring at that point.

  “It would be advisable to be laying down before I administer the sedative, Crimson,” Hover said.

  Crimson nodded and walked wearily toward the bed. Jumping up, she climbed up and laid down. Hover stepped forward and pressed a small device on the side of her neck.

  “Wait.” Teclis stepped forward, his hand out as if to stop the doctor. “Please,” he begged in a softer tone. Hover pulled the device away from her skin. “I would ask before you sleep, if you would allow both Coil and I to be with you. Not only can we help replenish your energy levels, but we can also protect you while you are unaware.”

  “Protect me? From what, the bogie man? Pffft.” Crimson snorted. “He already did his job and won.” Her heart skipped a beat as a memory emerged of Luke’s snarling face an inch away from hers as he hit her on the boat.

  “I don’t know who this bogie man is,” Teclis said in a completely honest tone. “But if he were to return, we will be at your side to make sure he doesn’t hurt you. I vow this.”

  Crimson sighed. She was past caring right then. Her heart ached, her eyes burned with tiredness, and her head hurt from everything she’d just learned. Amelia had said these men wouldn’t hurt her. But she’d gone through so much in such a short time, her mind and body didn’t really care if they beat the shit out of her. Well, kinda…

  Crimson shrugged and turned her face away from the group. “Whatever.”

  “Is that a yes, Amelia?” Teclis asked.

  Amelia must have nodded because Teclis uttered “thank you”.

  Crimson felt Hover place the device back at her neck and heard a small whoosh before her eyes grew heavy and the world dropped pleasingly away.

  * * * *

  The smell of bacon tickled Crimson’s nose. She inhaled deeply and moaned at the aroma of eggs and maybe the scent of sausages. Opening her eyes, she found herself looking at a full, steaming plate of an English breakfast sitting on a tray near her bed. She also noticed she was now in a small, private room of her own like before when she’d woken up.

  “Hello there, sleepyhead. When we felt you stir more often in your sleep, we asked the chef to produce a meal fit for someone waking.”

  Crimson sat up and stared between Teclis, Coil, and the meal. Her rumbling stomach won out against anything else that stirred in her loins. Damn, they were both handsome.

  She allowed Teclis a small smile when he picked up the tray and slid it onto her lap.

  “Thank you. It smells great,” she said, picking up a fork. She pricked a piece of the awesome smelling bacon and placed it in her mouth. She groaned as the salty meat swam over her taste buds. “Oh God.” She moaned. “This is so damn good.”

  She carried on eating, humming and groaning over the morsels of food. It felt like she hadn’t eaten a decent meal in ages. Luke had been a meat lover, but he never allowed Crimson to eat anything that might put a pound or two on her hips. She hadn’t had any type of greasy food in what felt like years. Come to think of it…it had been years. Sadness swamped her as she looked back on her life.

  Nope. Do not go there, Crimson Sweet. Enjoy this while you can.

  With her stomach finally full, Crimson sat back, closed her eyes, and smiled. She could feel the two warriors staring at her as if waiting for something.

  “Perhaps we should inform Hover she is awake,” she heard Coil say.

  “Perhaps,” she said a little harshly, “you should ask me before you decide anything.”

  Crimson opened her eyes to see Coil glance between her and Teclis. Reading the two men’s body languages and comparing them, she summed up Teclis was the more dominant one of the pair.

  “Would you mind if we were to contact Hover, Crimson?” Coil asked gently.

  She suddenly felt guilty; she’d just treated Coil as Luke had done to her. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so snappy. I suppose I’ve been looked over for so long, I want to be asked shit. I want to be able to decide things and not have them settled for me.”

  Coil opened his mouth then frowned before asking, “Why would you want to be asked about shit? Isn’t that a—”

  “I don’t want to be asked about it. Geez!” Crimson sighed. Were these aliens for real? Amelia had warned that these Gracians would sometimes take things literally. “Amelia said that you’ve spent a few months on an island on Earth. Have you not come across such sayings?”

  “You have so many idioms, and different ways of saying something, it would be hard to learn them all, but we are trying,” Teclis said, collecting the tray.

  He walked over to one of the counters in the small room, opened up what looked to be a microwave embedded in the wall, then placed the tray inside it and closed the door. He turned and did something that seemed totally human. He leaned his hip against the counter edge in a relaxing manner and crossed his muscled arms over his chest, looking at her. So far, each time she’d seen him he stood straight, soldier-like.

  His biceps bulged in the uniform he wore. She ran her gaze up and down his body, taking in every bulge and muscle in that tight, black uniform, imagining just what was underneath it. Moisture pooled between her legs. She could feel her nipples harden in the braless gown she was wearing. Heat seemed to sear every part of her skin when she finally raised her eyes to his.

  “You seem rather flushed, Crimson. Perhaps you would like us to contact Hover?” Coil asked.

  Crimson broke eye contact with Teclis and turned to look at Coil. She blew out a breath. “Nope, I’m fine. I have a request though.”

  Coil’s eyebrows rose when he smiled. He suddenly looked boyishly cute. “Anything.”

  “How about showing me around this ship. I’m here, so I suppose I might as well learn about my surroundings.”

  She wanted to see everything with her own two eyes and truly believe she was on a ship in space—even though she’d seen it earlier through one of the ship’s windows—and it wasn’t some concocted story she’d dreamed up. Earlier, Amelia had apologized and told her she’d be unable to return to her old life—not that she wanted to—but if she still wanted to live on Earth, she could do so on the island the Gracians had claimed for their own so they could train to be more like human beings.

  Amelia had also informed Crimson about sparks—mates—and that Crimson was the first to have two of the alien objects grow at the nape of her neck that the Gracian men used to send their females energy. Something called an iungo. Amelia had also shared a few other titbits, one being when the males sent their energy during sex, it was like drinking a triple expresso, leaving you feeling like a horndog and jumping the male again. Another was getting the male to leave a small blast on your clit. She said it would give you an orgasm you’d never forget. Crimson wondered what one of those would be like being she only ever remembered having one with Luke at the very beginning of their relationship, and even then, it hadn’t blown her mind.

  “But be warned,” Crimson said, pointing a finger toward the two warriors. “Just because I want to look around this ship does not mean I want to jump into bed with you, or that I accept you in my life. Understand?”

  Good Lord, woman. Where are you getting all this sass from? She’d never dream of talking to Luke this way. Perhaps, for the first time in her life, she did feel safe, even if these men were the height of mountains.

  “I understand, no promises.” Coil nodded.

  Teclis, however, was slower to agree, but after a minute’s pause, he too nodded and stood straight and walked toward her.

  Crimson pushed back the blanket that had been covering her and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. She glanced down at the floor with a wince, remembering the drop from before. Shit, so high!

  “Would you like some help?” Teclis asked.

  Crimson growled low in her throat. She didn’t want to admit she needed a little aid to get down, but she still didn’t feel quite herself. “Yes, please,” she conceded.

  Teclis placed his hands on her waist and lifted her off the bed. He lowered her slowly until her feet touched the floor and withdrew a short distance from her. His hands had felt strong and so good on her. She was a little annoyed at herself for liking his hands on her, but she shook off the feeling and walked toward the archway. The door opened with a small whoosh, and she walked through it.

  “Ahh,” Hover said, swiveling around in his chair to face her. “So good to see you aware again, Crimson.”

  “Yeah, well, I can’t go through life trying to look through my eyelids, huh?” She smiled at the doctor. “These kind gentlemen are going to show me around your ship.”

  “How are you feeling?” Hover stood and grabbed one of his devices and walked a few steps toward her.

  “Okay for now. I feel better after resting, although I feel weak,” she replied, looking up at the doc.

  “That may be due to the fact we refrained your mates from passing their energy to you being it would enhance your mating heat even more.”

  Crimson just nodded. She would put up with feeling the way she did because she really wasn’t happy about having one man, let alone two, who wanted her. Especially when she needed the answer to what had happened to her rather than the sex with two very hunky and hot men.

  Hover walked over to her, withdrew a small device from his pocket, and started running it over her, a few inches from her skin. He eventually stopped scanning her and read the info on his device. “Would you allow me to aid your mating heat with a small sedative? From what the other human females have said, it can get quite intense. And I’m afraid with you having two mates, it might be worse for you.”

  And there it was again—two mates. Two men. The two huge, gorgeous males that were standing silently behind her. Crimson scrunched up her eyes and chastised herself again. Nope, no men. Again, her body betrayed her thoughts. A flush of heat washed through her, leaving her nipples rock-hard and her clit thrumming enough that if she were to touch it…

  “Yes, please,” she replied.

  Hover plucked another device out of his pocket and placed it on the side of her neck. Crimson heard a small whoosh, but she didn’t feel anything.

  “If she can withstand the mating heat, she should be fine for about two hilns, otherwise bring her back straight away,” Hover ordered the two men, both of whom nodded.

  A sudden wave of nausea and dizziness had Crimson reaching for the chair Hover had just vacated. She could feel the blood rushing to her feet and knew her face was paling. Two large hands appeared on her waist, followed by Teclis—who smelled wonderful—appearing in front of her. She inhaled deeply, taking in the manly scent before brushing his hands from her body.

  “I’m okay,” she said sharply, denying herself the full-blown, sexy visions that suddenly overwhelmed her. Having the man’s hands on her had the blood rushing back up to her face. What would they feel like caressing her skin? Oh, come on. You have a dirty mind.

  “Are you sure?” Teclis asked, worry filling his voice.

  “It was probably the sedative kicking in. She will be fine, warriors, just keep an eye on her,” Hover said.

  Crimson inhaled deeply and assessed how she was feeling. She felt tired and a little weak and soo horny, but otherwise, she felt okay.

  “I’m good. Let’s go,” she said, holding her head up and sticking her chin out. “If this is to be my new home, then I would like to see it, please.”

  Chapter 6

  Teclis marveled at the expressions on the small human’s heart-shaped face with every new thing she saw. He’d never been around a youngling, but he could imagine that when they discovered something new the look on their face would be the same as the one on Crimson’s face. The delight and awe was extremely contagious. He even began seeing the Gemorph through her eyes.

  But as time passed, he began to get worried. He could see the bouts of mating heat were getting stronger. She tried to hide it, but it was easy to see she was finding it harder to deal with. Her face would go from pale to extremely pale, and the dark patches under her eyes were getting darker. But then her beautiful features would get flushed red and each one of her muscles tensed.

  Crimson was beginning to stop with each bout, her fists would clench, she would cross her legs, and she’d pant until the heat faded. Judging by the looks Coil was giving Teclis, Coil was also becoming concerned.

  Finally, Teclis had seen enough of her struggles. “Crimson, please allow us to return you to the medical bay. We can get you something to eat, and then with Hover’s help you can get some rest.”

  “I—” Crimson suddenly halted before her body buckled under what Teclis assumed to be another wave of heat. She dropped to her knees before he or Coil could catch her.

  Coil reached her first. He scooped her up into his arms and ran down the corridor toward the medical bay. Teclis followed without a word.

  “Shit! Do something, will you? This sucks!” Crimson cried out as they walked through the medical bay doors.

  Hover was there in a moment with his scanner as Coil laid her on the nearest bed. “Your hormone levels are quite high, Crimson. I can offer you a higher dose of sedative, but I’m afraid it might not work.”

  “Do you mean I won’t sleep or it won’t stop me feeling like a fucking female dog in heat wanting every Tom, Dick, and Harry to hump her?”

  Hover looked stumped about how to reply.

  Teclis growled low in his throat. He had no idea who these men were, but no one would be humping Crimson except him and Coil…if she allowed them to. The few hilns they’d spent with their spark had been both wonderful and torturous. Not being able to do more than a simple touch here and there had been the worst.

  Crimson’s scent lingered in his nostrils. The flowery aroma of her hair he’d caught when standing behind her in the elevator. The brief, accidental touches of her skin. His cock was hard enough to pound holes in the ship’s exterior, and from the way Coil kept adjusting himself, his lover could probably do the same.

  “Can’t you give me anything to stop this…” Crimson halted what she was saying and curled up into a ball on the bed. Her small hands fisted at her sides, her cheeks flushed a rather hot pink, and she began panting.

  “I don’t think you’re going to like what I say next,” Hover said to Crimson, concern in his voice. “But I really suggest you allow your mates to appease your mating heat.”

  “You mean I have to sleep with them, right? Is there no other way?”

  Teclis didn’t like the sound of her distress. “Can I offer a compromise?” he asked.