Merchandise Page 8

  Brale’s eyebrows shot up, and then his eyes darkened. “He—”

  “We’re a little short on time here. Can you two help me find the secret passage?” Dyos asked grumpily, patting down the walls.

  J finally noticed her surroundings. Dim light from wide-spaced torches illuminated a narrow corridor with bare and musty walls. How far underground were they? She plucked a torch from its sconce and began walking along the walls.

  “What does this secret passage look like?” Brale asked.

  “How should I know?” Dyos replied tartly. “Shit. I hear footsteps. They’re close.”

  Straining her ears, J heard the thump of boots combined with voices. J desperately threw herself at the task, patting the walls and feeling for something out of place. She let out a satisfied triumphant squeal when the texture of rough concrete under her fingers gave way to wood.

  “Over here!” she called, bringing her torch closer to see an iron bolt door. “The doors look like it hasn’t been used in ages either.”

  Brale and Dyos hurried over. “Please step aside, little one. We’ll have this door open in seconds.” Brale flashed her a grin as she stood to one side and watched the end of the corridor for any sign of Farr.

  They took one iron ring each and tugged savagely several times, but the doors wouldn’t budge.

  “Dyos, stop embarrassing us in front of J,” Brale said, panting, all the muscles of his back and arms straining. “Pull harder.”

  “Perhaps instead of using your mouth you should exert more effort.” Dyos grunted, then spotted J standing to the side, wearing an amused expression on her face. “You are finding this funny, aren’t you?”

  J crossed her arms across her breasts. “I just realized how badly I missed you two. Even your bantering.”

  She didn’t expect Dyos’s face to crumble, especially since he smoothly took charge of the situation after the botched ceremony.

  “You don’t know how badly we missed you, J,” Dyos said softly. J wanted to comfort him, to wrap her arms around him and tell him he no longer had to be strong for all of them. Harsh shouts broke J from her reverie.

  Brale cursed under his breath. “Hold on a damn second. Dyos, you still have Farr’s gun.”

  J apprehensively glanced at the approaching horde of warriors led by a furious Farr, then back at Dyos who pointed the gun at the door. The gun roared, tearing a hole the size of a fist into the door. Brale took her by her shoulders, and they stood at a distance while Dyos blasted more holes.

  “You will not escape us! Surrender!” Farr shouted.

  “Brale, some help,” Dyos said. The two men shoved their shoulders against the door. J’s hope soared as the door creaked open.

  “Sorry in advance,” Brale told J.

  “What—”

  The breath rushed out of J as Brale unceremoniously tossed her over his shoulder once again. J cursed softly under her breath. Didn’t Brale toss her like this long ago, when Farr fired on the ship they’d stolen?

  “Where did you learn that word, little one?” Dyos asked, clearly sounding shocked. They sprinted down a flight of stairs. Only the torch Dyos had filched lit their way, but Brale and he descended into the darkness without hesitation.

  “From Brale,” J said proudly. “Besides, I don’t appreciate being carried around like some sack of flour.”

  Brale laughed heartily. “Oh J, I can teach you to curse in a hundred different languages.”

  “You will not do such a thing,” Dyos chided. The stairs ended, and J heard the splash of feet. The dank and moldy smell told J they had arrived at the sewers.

  J craned her head and didn’t see any warriors. “No one’s following us yet.”

  “Farr wouldn’t muck about in the sewers. He’ll think it’s beneath him,” Dyos commented.

  Brale chuckled. “So, care to tell us where this leads?”

  “Somewhere in the slums if I remembered correctly.” J’s head spun. Dyos led them to a complicated maze of channels, before finally stopping at an open waterway. A metal ladder led to an opening above ground. Brale placed her down, while Dyos climbed up to check.

  “You’re not out of breath at all?” J asked.

  “Of course not,” Brale scoffed. “You hardly weigh a thing. Hasn’t been Farr been feeding you anything?”

  “Clear, come on up,” Dyos called from above.

  “Here, let me give you a boost,” Brale offered. J let him lift her so she could reach the ladder. Feeling his hand teasingly patting her ass affectionately again, she scowled.

  “Brale,” she chided, but he only laughed.

  Once her hand reached the opening of the sewer, Dyos caught her and easily lifted her out. J stumbled slightly, landing on her ass. Brushing the dirt from her clothes while she stood, J had a witty remark prepared, but instantly her thoughts scattered when she caught sight of the Hadarian sky. It didn’t matter that they’d emerged, stinking and grime-covered, in the middle of a dirt road lined with ramshackle houses.

  Above J, a net of silver stars remained evenly scattered across a sweeping vista of inky blackness. Nearby, Planet Hadar’s twin moons shone like a beacon.

  “Wow,” she murmured, her back hitting a solid wall of muscle. Dyos. She sank against him, gratefully, while he held her steady.

  “This is nothing. Wait until we bring you to other worlds, J. On Cerath, the night sky is the color of, what do you call that sweet light Terran treat?” Brale frowned, thinking. “Ah, yes, cotton candy. Pink and purple.”

  “I’ve never had or seen cotton candy,” J admitted.

  “Come on, let’s not linger here,” Dyos suggested, clearly surprised when J whirled and held out a threatening finger at him.

  “I can walk,” she said. “I had enough of being carried around.”

  “All right then,” Dyos agreed amiably.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Are you sure it’s safe here?” J asked, peering through the dirty windows of the abandoned little hovel Dyos had procured for the evening.

  Dyos didn’t answer her for a few minutes. He simply watched.

  J stood on tiptoe, squinting at the glass, wearing only Brale’s rags. Dyos caught glimpses of her smooth honey-colored skin peeking from the cloth. Left unbound, her long silky hair fell behind her like a waterfall. She looked like a mythical sprite, unreal and untouchable.

  Sensing his silence, she turned. The illusion broke. The old ache inside him began to subside when he remembered J was within Brale’s and his grasp now. No cages and no glass walls separated the three of them.

  “Come here, Dyos,” she murmured, expression soft. “I know being back on Hadarian soil is hard for you.”

  Dyos approached her, wondering if she saw far more than Brale and he gave her credit for.

  No longer hesitating, Dyos removed the distance between them, palming the tempting planes of her skin with his callused fingers. She sighed, leaning against him as he cradled her back, her desire palpable. Dyos ground himself against her and pressed his growing erection against her belly. J had to know how much Brale and he wanted her. No. Needed her.

  He traced the slender curve her back repetitively, obsessively and possessively. Dyos knew his touches lacked refinement. He gripped her like a starving man would. Weeks stuck in a stinking cell unable to touch his two mates had practically driven him to the verge of insanity.

  Unable to help himself, Dyos buried his face into her sweet neck. Every lick he administered against his now vibrant mating mark made her mewl.

  Fuck. She tasted unbelievably sweet and good. Dyos sucked hard on the tender skin, and the little gasp she made sent a tingle right down to his thickening member. J didn’t seem to care he’d pressed her roughly against the wall. The sounds she made told Dyos she rather enjoyed a little bit of rough handling alongside soft administrations.

  Such a little beautiful and fragile thing, but one with an unbreakable will of iron.

  Remembering how she snatched Farr’s pistol and poin
ted it fearlessly at her head without fully understanding why, made Dyos smile.

  “Even when my mind played memory tricks on me, I kept remembering these hands and these lips. Only I couldn’t remember Brale and your faces,” she confessed a little sadly.

  Dyos kissed his way upwards, to the column of her throat and to the little dimple on the side of her mouth, teasing her deliberately.

  “Should I help you remember?” Dyos asked.

  “Stop teasing me and kiss me already.”

  Dyos consumed her mouth, taking his time to nibble and lick her lower lip. She opened her mouth to let his prodding tongue in, sucking tenderly on it. J’s impatient hands did little to curb his frayed control, slipping under his rags to touch him. Her touch felt maddening, like a drug he continually needed. They tore at each other’s clothes savagely, until the heat of their bodies could finally mingle.

  Dyos easily lifted her by her waist, and she wrapped her legs around him. She firmly secured her arms around her neck as he held her legs.

  “So hard already?” J asked, her eyes light and teasing. She freed one hand, curled her fingers around his erect prick and began to fist him. Dyos groaned when J pressed his tip against the tempting pink folds of her opening.

  “You little minx. Aren’t Breeders supposed to be demure and innocent?” Dyos teased.

  J snorted. “If you like that sort of woman.”

  “Certainly not. We like you just the way you are.”

  Unexpected tears filled the corners of J’s eyes. The sudden vulnerability there tugged at his heart. Dyos leaned his head to kiss her tears away. “I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

  J touched his cheek. “I’m not sad. I’m happy. You know why?”

  “Why?”

  “I can be anything and anyone my masters want me to be. Farr and Gael wanted the stereotypical Breeder package. They demanded my absolute obedience. You don’t know how much those words meant to me.” Her expression grew sober. “I guess it’s one of the reasons why on the stone table, I decided I didn’t want Farr to take my maidenhead.”

  Dyos couldn’t keep the surprise off his face.

  Dimly, Dyos heard the sound of the door opening, but he didn’t need to be alarmed. Dyos knew by the sound of his clunky footsteps and the crude off-key song he hummed under his breath it was Brale. Dyos blew out a breath. He was glad for Brale’s timely arrival. If Brale hadn’t arrive so soon, he’d certainly take J, and Brale would be wounded they didn’t take her together for the first time.

  “My, my. What have I walked into?”

  Sensing Brale’s slightly hurt tone, Dyos gently placed J back on her feet. “We hadn’t gotten far. You came back just in time.”

  “Indeed?” Brale asked eagerly, closing the door behind him.

  He placed down the heavy bundle in his arms, revealing fabrics and what looked like two axes used for chopping firewood. Another small bag contained what Dyos recognized as the typical storage bag most Hadarian families used to store dried meat.

  “I got us some food, clothes, even borrowed us some weapons,” Brale said proudly.

  “Nicked them you mean. Good job all the same though,” Dyos replied.

  “I’m sure the kind folks around these parts won’t mind helping out some fugitives,” Brale pointed out. He began laying out a worn, but comfy, large, thick cloak on the dusty ground.

  “What’s the cloak for? We shouldn’t be wasting clothes to lie on,” J said, coming by Brale side to peer curiously at his loot.

  Dyos noticed the way Brale’s gaze immediately fastened on her. Brale didn’t possess any of Dyos’s shyness. He simply banded his arm around J’s naked waist, drew her to him, and kissed her deeply before answering.

  “Well, this isn’t exactly our ideal choice of location for our first mating. Unless you want to wait?” Brale asked her seriously.

  Dyos made a sound of protest under his breath, but like Brale, he’d respect J’s decision. They’d all been through far too much to rush things.

  J shook her head adamantly, making both men laugh. “I don’t want to wait. Don’t you two think you’ve made me wait long enough?”

  “We’ve all waited too long,” Dyos agreed.

  Brale thumbed J’s nipples, and they instantly hardened at his touch. Seeing Brale with J made Dyos aware of his throbbing cock. He joined them, molding himself against J’s back. Brale closed his mouth over J’s left nipple. Securing one hand over J’s waist, Dyos freed his other to touch J between her legs.

  “So wet already, sweet?” Dyos murmured against her neck, liking the sound of her shudder.

  He began rubbing circles around her clit, his hand occasionally brushing Brale’s warm skin. Capturing J’s lips with his own, Dyos closed his eyes. How long had he dreamed of this moment, when Brale and he finally took J together? So good. No. Reality proved to be much better than all of his fantasies.

  “We want to hear you come before we take you, love,” Brale murmured, switching to J’s other nipple while Dyos deepened his kiss.

  Seeing Brale kneel in front of J, Dyos stopped his administrations. Parting from J’s lips, he had to smile at Brale when Brale took his wet fingers and licked them dry.

  J’s cheeks delightfully colored at the gesture. Before she could say anything, Brale put his mouth to work on her pussy.

  “Relax, J. Enjoy the pleasure we’re giving you,” Dyos said, reaching out to pinch the hardened pebbles of her nipples. He took his own advice, enjoying the little trembles and shudders of her soft body as she came.

  “You taste damn fine, J,” Brale said standing.

  “Good girl,” Dyos said, stroking her back. They took turns kissing her both on the mouth. Brale let out a sound when J curled her fingers over his prick.

  “Now it’s time I take care of your needs.” Without warning, she dropped to her knees. The sight of her mouth enveloping Brale’s member made Dyos groan, but she only reached out for his own and began pumping, her talented fingers moving up and down.

  “By the gods, you’re a damn fine treasure,” Brale grunted.

  “Our treasure,” Dyos agreed, meeting Brale’s gaze. When Dyos decided he was on the verge of coming, he gently touched J’s hand. “It’s time.”

  She gracefully pulled her mouth away from Brale, who breathed hard, his control at its limits. “How do you want me?”

  “We want to take you at the same time. You think you can accommodate both of us?” Brale asked.

  “Is that supposed to be a challenge?” J asked.

  Dyos let out a breath of relief, and positioned himself on the makeshift sheets Brale prepared on the ground. He smiled seductively at J, watching her eager gaze sweep from his face to his steel-hard cock.

  “Isn’t Dyos something to look at?” Brale murmured. “Go on, mount him.”

  Dyos’s cheeks heated at Brale’s comment, but all thoughts of embarrassment fled when J straddled him. She began lowering herself on him, sheathing him inch-by-inch until she was buried to the hilt. J let out a sound of pain, but it was momentary.

  “How are you doing, J?” Brale asked with concern.

  “It’s going to feel so good soon,” Dyos told her, stroking her cheek.

  Her lips quirked to a smile. “I know.”

  J moved slowly, her movement hypnotic, hands on his chest, eyes fastened on his.

  “Beautiful,” Dyos murmured.

  She became slick and ready for him, the muscles of her pussy quivering and accommodating him with ease. J moaned, rocking herself, and every moment made Dyos groan and grunt in pleasure.

  “The sight of the two of you is enough to push me over the edge,” Brale remarked, positioning himself behind J. “Slow and easy does it, sweetheart. We two are going to take some getting used to.”

  “I’m ready.” J breathed, eyes wild with excitement. Dyos reached out, touching her, still unable to believe she was real and theirs. J gripped his hand, the kiss she placed there feathery and light. Her expression grew sober. “I
trust you both.”

  She let Brale position her, and Dyos loved watching her expression while Brale lubricated himself and her opening with a bottle of oil he’d pilfered from somewhere, and began inching his way inside.

  “She’s so tight, Dyos,” Brale grunted, driving himself deep. J cried out, a mixture of pain and pleasure. He experimentally moved in and out of her, until she became used to him. “Ready?”

  Dyos similarly gripped her hips. Just as Brale withdrew, he lowered J’s pussy back over his waiting prick. They took turns, lifting J and pulling her back down, finally finding a rhythm that suited all three of them. Under the dim and flickering single light bulb, sweat shone on Brale’s and J’s bodies as their flesh collided, separated and met again in beautiful unison.

  Dyos’s senses reeled. The room melted away as the pressure gathering inside him began to climb, a storm waiting to erupt and sweep the three of them away.

  “Fuck, I’m close,” interrupted Brale. Several lingering strokes in J was enough for both of them to cry out. Watching Brale’s face explode to bliss while he emptied himself inside her nearly pushed Dyos over the edge.

  Dyos cupped J’s face. “Are you close, J?”

  At her nod, he continued, “Come all over my cock, sweet.”

  Brale released her, and Dyos caught her and sheathed her inside him. The impact had been enough for J to let out a cry. Her cunt walls trembled, squeezing and milking him, flinging them both to oblivion. Sensation drowned him, clouded his mind in bliss.

  J clutched at him, her face rippling beautifully in ecstasy. Dyos had been hardly aware of Brale, kneeling beside him, his heated mouth descending unexpectedly on his.

  “That was … wow. I don’t think I have any words,” J said, her shining eyes infectious.

  “Ready to go for another round?” Brale asked.

  “You two are going to be the death of me,” Dyos said, not bothering to hide his grin.

  The worst of their ordeal was now over, he was certain of it. The three of them had been bent and twisted, tried and tested, only to be re-forged into something stronger and unbreakable.

  He remembered J, barefoot, dressed in rags, emerging from the sewer entrance. She had stared, with equal parts bewilderment and wonder, at the night sky. It felt ages since a slave, a stolen piece merchandise, eager to please and fulfill her function, had emerged from a pod. Freedom had changed J. She lapped at the fountain of life hungrily like there was no tomorrow, making her infinitely and wonderfully more, and Brale and Dyos loved her for it. An undeniably perfect fit to Brale and him.