The Alpha King Copyright © 2013 by Vicktor Alexander E-book ISBN: 9781614957300 9781614957300 First E-book Publication: April 2013 Cover design by Reese Dante Editor: Monti Shalosky All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Silver Publishing Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. This book book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from fr om your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden.
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The entire Passion's Hero Series is dedicated to Thorny Roe, who told me that I had a new career, inspired me to keep writing and more importantly gave me hope again. This is for you and Jazz, may your love continue to inspire us all. Thank you to all of my Vicksters, Tweeplings and Tumblings and those who follow me on Blogger who encouraged me to write a M/M romance book and to the Goodreads M/M Romance Group who helped me when I was still floundering in this genre. In Memory of Justin Thomison, you were my best friend since freshman year of high school. You never stopped believing in me and you have always been my biggest fan. The world is a lot more boring without you and your large, but superbly talented talented energy and personality personality around. I will continue to spread information and continue the fight to end AIDS and find the cure to the horrible disease that took you from me, my friend. I will never forget you. Je t'aime mon amour.
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"Please, we beg you. You have to save us!" the former President of the United States of America pleaded with the leaders of the Galaxy Peace Allegiance. He visibly trembled, his image blurring a little on the monitor. Torqran, the Commander of the planet Strawxig, glanced at the screen with look of apathy. The other members of the GPA as well as a few advisors, elders, and planetary leaders watched the human scream for help from the other planets. The humans had been amazingly arrogant up until the very last possible moment, certain they could save themselves, heal their planet, and do it all without any help from those they termed 'aliens'. However, when all of their efforts proved fruitless and the whole of the planet only contained 300 remaining individuals all from different countries, speaking different languages, having different religions and ethnicities, the leaders finally knew they had to ask for help. "We cannot survive if you don't save us. We need your help. Please help us. Please!" the former president shouted. Torqran, a snake shifter, pressed the switch to stop the vid stream with the pad of his scaly-skinned finger.
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With a sigh, and a brief flick of his forked tongue against his bottom lip, he shifted his finger and tongue back into their male form and turned his chair to face the rest of the leaders and those who had the ambition to become such. "And as you know, we helped those filthy creatures over two centuries ago. The only way to completely eradicate them was to help and breed them with our species in order to phase out the human species. Those ignorant bastards didn't follow the protocol, however, and instead of the humans dying out, we have four new breeds of humanoids. While they're little better than those squalid Earthlings our ancestors helped centuries ago, they are a vast improvement over the sniveling, arrogant, selfdestructive assholes they once were." Everyone nodded in agreement and understanding. The humanoids were not a universally liked breed, but they were much better than their predecessors. Perhaps because they had procreated with the established races of the GPA planets. Whatever the reason, the former race from Earth no longer existed, having been replaced with the humanoids that now existed. Torqran glanced up when his second-in-command walked into the back of the room. Lorthander inclined his head, letting Torqran know everything was ready and in place. He gave the merest hint of a nod in acknowledgment 2
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to his secret lover and his wife's brother. Turning, Torqran smiled at the rest of the room. "As you all know the real reason we are here is because of one specific breed of humanoid." He met Lorthander's gaze and signaled him to begin. Torqran continued speaking, watching the larger man, a warrior of Strawxig, pass out folders to everyone in attendance. "In this packet is the information we have received about a particular breed of humanoid. The Vermithians. Our scientists have been studying the offspring of Vermithian parents and they have a genetic anamoly that puts them beyond their expected gifts of being able to talk with nature and animals, beyond that of being able to heal others. There is a new strand of Vermithians whose blood is infinitely more corrupted with that of their ancestors. While we know their bodies adapt to that of their mates in order for them to all get pregnant and have children, we didn't have the evidence years ago that we have now." "What the hell are you trying to say Torqran?" A voice spoke up from the back of the room, the tone low and laced with anger and annoyance. Torqran knew who spoke, knew what planet the man came from… knew he didn't want to piss the guy off, because the man would be crazy enough to try and kill 3
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Torqran—right here, in front of everyone. "I'm saying the Vermithians have the ability to save the human gene. And more than that, a family exists." Torqran grit his teeth against something he hated to admit. "One so powerful and so special we haven't been able to get close to them. But we do know this particular family has the ability and the power to create a pure human race… regardless of with whom they mate." Torqran waited for the gasps and cries of shock, outrage, and dismay to die down before he continued. "Our best chance is to completely kill off this family of Vermithians and then find every documented and even undocumented Vermithian and kill them, too," he advised. Heads nodded in complete agreement and he got ready to hand out assignments and lay out the details. Without a sound—with no noticeable movement at all—the man from the back of the room appeared to stand in front of Torqran, covered head to toe in all black. Torqran tried not to gasp when he took in the man's large frame and hard, cold, emotionless eyes. Standing his ground, Torqran tilted his head and tried to seem much more confident and laid back. "What is the name of this family you want to dispose of?" the large, scary leader asked in a low voice, his tone menacing, though everyone could hear his 4
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question. All occupants in the room froze, no one breathed, no one spoke as they all awaited Torqran's response. With a cold, calculating smile Torqran replied with seven words, two sentences that would dramatically change the universe, the GPA and history, forever, "The Versuthions. We must kill the Versuthions." A gasp came from the other leader, Algonoquin, the Alpha King of the planet Tumaro. Torqran chuckled darkly. He ignored the speculative looks from the other members of the room. Everyone knew the story of the connection between the Versuthion family and the Roughshires, the current ruling family of Tumaro. A prophecy had foretold of the Versuthions bringing about the pure human race after one of the descendants mated with the Roughshires, but Torqran's position as leader of the GPA and the unease and prejudice that most had for Vermithians protected him in his current campaign against them. Only Algonoquin's arrogant belief he could protect the Versuthions stopped him from killing Torqran where he stood, and he while grateful for it, he also flicked his gaze towards Lorthander, sighing in relief when he saw the other man brandish the vapier in his hand. Algonoquin's time would come, Torqran would see to it, but not before he made Algonoquin feel helpless while Torqran took out the entire Versuthion 5
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family.
****
Talon Versuthion whispered to his pet flower. The stalk swayed and the petals bobbed in reply, and then Talon smiled up at his parents when they rushed into his room. He loved talking to the flowers and plants his parents had put up all around. His younger brothers had pet animals, most of which had to be kept outside, but Talon's flowers were with him. He loved the fact that when he woke up every morning they were right there, waiting to talk to him. It made him feel special and loved. Well, more so than he already felt. His parents were pretty awesome. His father, Taltrentuvaro, knelt down and put his hands on either side of Talon's face and Talon smiled again. His father didn't return the gesture and Talon tilted his head to the side. Why didn't his father seem happy? Known for always being happy and laughing, his father looked almost… broken. He looked away as his mother rushed around the room, the distant sound of crying and sniffling, beeps and slamming noises indicating she opened his drawers and toy chests for some reason. Looking back up, Talon found his father's eyes were filled with tears. Talon lifted his own hands and put them 6
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on his father's cheeks to wipe away the drops. He had never seen his father cry and it scared him like never known before. "Papa? What's wrong?" he asked. Taltrentuvaro shook his head and then turned to kiss the palms of Talon's hands. "Nothing, my son. Your mother and I are merely going out for a drive. We're going to send you over to Mrs Lorankia's house for a while." Talon gasped and backed away. He hated Mrs Lorankia! They all did, especially his two younger brothers. Trenton said she smelled like the replicas of the ancient humans they saw in the museum, whereas Tuvarion thought her just as stupid as the ancient humans. Talon just thought her mean. She spent a lot of time telling the three Versuthion boys they were abominations and their parents were going to get what they deserved one day. Mrs Lorankia wasn't Vermithian like they were. Being Edifician, Mrs Lorankia should have been more at home in her own skin, especially in a galaxy that looked down on Vermithians. But she always acted like the sky would fall on top of her, even though she also looked down her nose on anyone who didn't have Edifician blood running through their veins. Most people of her race believed in equality, they were known for it, and his parents told him her point of view didn't make her better, just different. 7
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Talon didn't too much like different right then. "No, Papa! No! We hate Mrs Lorankia! Please don't make us go! What if she tries to eat Tuvarion again? She says he's way too pretty to be a boy," Talon pleaded, distantly aware of the looks of grief and horror passing between his parents. It confused him. Didn't his parents know how Mrs Lorankia felt? "Well, no worries there, my son, Trenton and Tuvarion aren't going to stay with her. Only you. They have already left… to go visit some friends and that's where your mother and I are going right now, to pick them up," his father reassured him. Talon didn't miss the looks passing between his mom and dad. If he didn't know better, he'd think his parents weren't being honest. But they never lied. If Talon had asked, his father would have confessed his younger brothers had been kidnapped for a ransom amount. Only Talon's fascination and obsession with his pet flower had rescued him from the unknown fate his brothers currently suffered. His father would have told Talon that he and his mother were heading out to go and save their children but that they didn't have a good feeling and because of that they were choosing to hide what might be their only surviving son with their dreaded neighbor. But Talon didn't question his father. 8
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Instead he nodded, because as long as Tuvarion didn't have to go and deal with Mrs Lorankia and listen to her say mean things that made him cry, Talon guessed it would be okay if he went alone. His father kissed his forehead and then his mother came over and clutched him fiercely to her chest. She hugged him so tightly he flushed hot and the air left his lungs. She had never embraced him so hard and instead of filling him with love and a feeling of security, it scared him. Not because his parents weren't affectionate. Vermithians, in fact, were very affectionate people. They were known for being overly sexual and loving, oftentimes being arrested for breaking public indecency laws. Talon's parents, however, weren't this overly demonstrative. They were only going to go and pick up his brothers, right? Why were they acting as if they would never see him again? Filled with a gripping fear that he just couldn't shake, Talon grabbed hold of his mother and sobbed. "Please, please. Take me with you. I'll help with the boys. I promise I'll be good," he pleaded. "No, son, no. You must stay with Mrs Lorankia. We couldn't bear to lose—" Taltrentuvaro began and then his words cut off abruptly. He sighed and started again, clutching his son by the shoulders, "You must stay here. We will return for you 9
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with your brothers, but you must. Stay. Here." Talon hated being left behind. He didn't like having to go to Mrs Lorankia's all by himself, but he wouldn't want Tuvarion there. His baby brother was too fragile and sensitive to deal with Mrs Lorankia. Tuvarion felt and sensed the emotions of everyone around him and had the power to change those emotions. Trenton always laughed when Talon tried to tell him their baby brother had this power, but what did Trenton know? At six years of age, Talon was practically a man already, while Trenton at four and little Tuvarion at two were still just children. Neither of them old enough to know anything about life or people yet. Not like Talon. He had pointed out they could talk to the heavens, animals, and plants even at their young age. With that thought in mind, Talon squared his shoulders and nodded at his father once again. Before being rushed out of the room, he grabbed his pet flower and held it tightly against his chest. He would need his precious little friend, he didn't know why, he just knew he would. His parents hurried him over to a reluctant Mrs Lorankia's care and then with a final hug and kiss, they left to go and pick up his brothers from wherever they were. They would return soon but he couldn't seem to shake the bad feeling that had taken up residence residence in his stomach. stomach. He waited and waited for their reappearance. So did 10
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Mrs Lorankia. When the miserable old woman turned to him days later and accused his parents of deserting him on her doorstep, Talon lashed out verbally. He never saw Mrs Lorankia's hand reach out to slap him and when he fell he had no time to stop his head from connecting with the edge of the glass pot that held his pet flower and he had no control over the memories that left his mind. Of his brothers, of what occurred moments before leaving his parents' home, or even the the faces of his parents. parents. They seeped out like the blood from the wound on his head. When the Interplanetary Children Defense Services came and took him away from Mrs Lorankia, he left the only home he'd ever known. He didn't see his parents again, and he learned he had brothers no one could find, brothers he couldn't remember and would forget existed. He'd been abandoned and from that moment, Talon decided he'd never give someone else the chance to leave him behind again.
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Farbu 18, 2456
Talon Versuthion, affectionately called "Tal" by his adopted sister, Josepire "Josie" Laungford, had not set out to become a history maker. In fact, he had been questioned many times about his plans for the future, and surprised many people by adopting an almost glazed look in his golden eyes and letting stuttering words emanate from his mouth. Tal just wanted to live in the moment. He didn't have a life's goal. And living didn't have to be exciting or filled with parties and drinking, or sleeping around with as many men, women, or species as he could. For Tal, living equaled just that… living. Although he did enjoy parties and drinking Vamprincian Flow, the most potent drink around, and of course, the endless parade of men that flowed in and out of his apartment, he didn't crave either. They were things to do and to experience to pass the time in between the endless deliveries from his shuttle to other planets, things to take his mind off of the loss of his parents thirteen years ago and the huge chunk of his memory he just couldn't recall. Tal only wanted to wake up every morning and
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breathe and move, eat, shower, sleep, sleep, and occasionally read a book or watch a vid. His family didn't understand. At nineteen passings they expected him to be experiencing the galaxy, exploring the different planets, excited about the prospect of having a family and settling down. They definitely thought he should at least have a serious boyfriend. They didn't understand Tal didn't care. He didn't want a serious relationship. He didn't care about finding love or even settling down with a career. He only cared about living… living alone. Wendiford and Markaela Sothsberg adopted him and Josie, since Markaela couldn't give his father children. They decided the death of his birth parents caused him to be so apathetic about his own future. Because they never got a future of their own, Tal never considered having one either. In essence, he waited to die and be reunited with his parents in the Great Beyond. Tal simply smiled and nodded, indulging their need to explain his behavior. His lack of a personal drive had nothing to do with the untimely death of the two people who had by some twist of fate created him. Their deaths had left him at the mercy of the ICDS, and that led him to being adopted by two upstanding leaders of the Edifician Branch of the Galaxy Peace Allegiance. But none of those 14
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reasons had anything to do with the fact he only wanted to live and everything to do with boredom. Bored. Utterly and unbelievably bored. Of the small, two-bedroom apartment he shared with his older sister Josie in the city of Grulion on the planet of Edifice. Bored of his job as a delivery boy for the GPA, and of having to always be so careful when it came to having sex with a man. He'd even grown tired of having sex with men, and for Tal that definitely said something. Coming out about being gay and telling his parents hadn't been all that hard for Tal. At the age of fourteen, he'd simply told them over breakfast. They'd looked at him, then at his sister, then at each other, and said they understood, still loved him anyway, but they needed to talk to him later. He hadn't really questioned their response to his declaration. While their planet, Edifice, like Volantic, Doral, Tumaro, and Zeelith, had a lot more tolerance for and was accepting of homosexual relationships than other planets, like Strawxig, Prinktakium, and Bolauntiq, his parents had kept a vital piece of information from Tal. A life-changing piece of information. In their defense, they thought he'd known his heritage, his bloodline at least, and at most his destiny, but it hadn't taken them long before they realized Tal had lost much of his memory. He knew his name and that his parents were dead. 15
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So when he walked into the family room of his parents' home that morning for breakfast, their faces indicated they were about to tell him something big and he'd completely called it. The information his adopted parents shared rocked him to his core and forever changed his outlook on his future. He found out about his birth parents and what they looked like; though the details on them had been sparse, stopping right after Tal's birth. He learned his medical history, his species, and most of all about his species' secrets. In short, Tal discovered his Vermithian heritage. Vermithians had secret abilities, all were able to communicate with nature, the heavens, and animals, and all had the ability to heal and conceive… all of them, male and female alike. The Vermithians were one of three forms of humanoid species that were descended from ancient humans, born when a few surviving humans had offered themselves up to both the gods and to the inhabitants of other planets when Earth had been on the verge of complete destruction. Journals had been found and passed down from the first Vermithian, and Joshua Roughshire, a Tumaron royal, made them public centuries before, detailing the fact that the humans had ignored the cries of their planet. The cries and voice of a planet were to be cherished and listened to 16
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intently, at least the rest of the galaxies saw it as important. The humans' apathetic attitude towards their planet caused them to be looked down upon and disparaged at every turn. The fact Earth had turned on the humans surprised no one in the least. Tal had heard countless stories about the 'common' human who had mated with both a Tumaron and a Volauntician becoming the first known Vermithian, a man able to give birth, able to talk to the heavens and plants, able to heal people, and how he survived the destruction of Earth, even though his Tumaron mate didn't. From the old to the young, the humans had been slowly dying off and the GPA had to step in to do something. They were saved and three different breeds of humanoids were created as part of the terms of their agreement. The remaining three hundred humans were taken from Earth and then separated and spread out among five different planets. On two of those five planets all of the humans died in childbirth or after breathing in the air of the planet's atmosphere. On the other three, they thrived and the humanoids were birthed from the unions that took place there, something the GPA had not planned on or intended. The Vermithians were the biggest shock of all, in no small part because of the Versuthions. Namely, Traven Versuthion, the first Vermithian in existence and his mates, 17
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Joshua Roughshire and Paris Luklinn. Traven's relationship with Joshua and his mating with Paris had sparked the prophecy that had driven fear in the heart of the GPA and even some of the other humanoid breeds. Tal grew up learning the history of the three races, starting with what he thought of as his, Edifician. The Edificians, humanoids whose skin color seemed to vary and change with age. were born with skin so pale they were almost translucent, but when they died, their skin was blacker than the darkest of nights. The Edificians were the strongest breed of humanoids around, all of them born to be warriors or soldiers of some kind. They were also the most tolerant. It could be because their skin color changing as they aged prevented them from truly hating the physical differences in others. The planet of Edifice had a reputation for being the strongest and most accepting in the GPA. Talon had grown up there and never left, even after the death of his birth parents. While his adopted sister, Josie, was Edifician, Tal had always known he couldn't be the same type as his sister and their father. His mother had explained that some Edificians had a rare gene that slowed the varying of the shade of their skin. Tal had assumed she meant herself. She had a golden-tinged hue whereas Wendiford carried a deep, dark bronze color and only a year separated them. Tal had always assumed that perhaps 18
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he carried the deformed Edifician gene because he couldn't be Vermithian or or Nam. He might have heard a small voice in the back of his mind telling him he could be Vermithian but Tal held firm to the idea he belonged to the Edifician race. He didn't care to find out otherwise. The Nams were based on the planet Namprince and known for being pacifists and seemed to bring peace with them no matter where they were. Nams were all extremely tall humanoids. They were often referred to as gentle giants. Wherever they walked, rested, slept or placed their hands, gold glitter dust remained behind. They were very intimidating to look at, their bodies large and their voices extremely deep, even the women. Talking to them could be an experience. But after getting to know them, however, most people left with a strengthened belief in the basic goodness of all species. Tal had slept with a Nam before and while he had walked away from the experience feeling as if the entire galaxy was full of rainbows, sunshine, and happiness, he'd had to scrub his body for weeks before he'd finally rid himself of all of the gold glitter. Being Nam never crossed his mind as a possibility. His short stature belied the possibility. Not to mention he didn't leave gold behind when he touched something. And Tal would never be known for keeping the peace, more for 19
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stirring up trouble most of the time. Vermithians were the last breed of humanoids created by the evolution of the human race that took place after the destruction of Earth in 2408. While many were spread out throughout the galaxy, they were mainly found on the planet Volantic. Vermithians were also known for being extraordinarily beautiful. Tal having been told he's beautiful most of his life, still never suspected he was of Vermithian heritage, largely due to the fact an opportunity had never arisen for him to heal someone. His parents didn't have any pets and lived in the city, and he'd always communed with nature and the heavens alongside his foster mother. It never truly occurred to him he had the special abilities to heal. Wendiford and Markaela shared one last key piece of information with Tal. Aside from being able to conceive, no matter what gender, Vermithians could only get pregnant by or impregnate the mates fate had chosen for them. In short, Tal discovered everything he'd thought about himself had been a lie. And he could remember the horrible conversation like it happened yesterday.
****
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Five Years before before the Crash Sephirscism 29, 2451 Tal stared at his adopted parents in shock, his mind unable to wrap around the idea he could get pregnant. Josie had gone upstairs to watch a vid of her favorite movie Lover Against Lover , a popular gay film. Tal would never understand why his sister had become so obsessed with and in love with movies about gay men, but since she supported him the most and had been the only one who had known about his sexuality up until that point, he couldn't begrudge her of her obsession. He shook his head. "But that's impossible! I'm a guy!" he blustered, his eyes darting from his mother to his father. He turned and looked around for a camera crew to come out and tell him everything he'd learned had been a big joke, just one big mistake. But no one came out and Tal began to accept his parents just might be telling him the truth. "B-but how?" he wailed, realizing he whined, but thinking the occasion called for it. He thought he'd show his parents how adult he could be when he came out to them and for the most part he had achieved his goal, but he even his online friend 'Mail S'
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from Tumaro would agree his new situation warranted some whining and sulking. "You're Vermithian, honey. For your people, being born a man is merely a formality, not a fact," Markaela stated, her voice soft, sweet, and oddly soothing to everyone that she met. Tal instantly began to calm down. Realizing Markaela used her 'nature communing voice' he jerked out of the peaceful trance he'd found himself in and sat up in his chair quickly, ignoring the sighs of his parents. "What does that mean?" Tal asked, the words wrenched from his throat. "If you weren't gay then it would mean nothing. You would marry a woman and your genetic DNA would alter the very first time you mated with her so you would be able to impregnate her. Since you are, in fact, gay, then your DNA will alter to allow you to become pregnant when you mate with your husband," Wendiford explained. Tal looked at his father in confusion, shaking his head. "Tal, Son, you will, in essence, grow a womb the moment you mate with someone else for the first time." Tal stiffened and an icy heat flowed over his body. Flashes of two people, two older, beautiful people, a man and a woman, passed through his head, the two of them 22
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laughing and talking with two men, both of them equally as beautiful as the first couple, and one of the men had been pregnant. Tal could see them as if looking through a fog. And with that picture he heard the sound of children laughing. Blinking his eyes rapidly when the pictures dissipated, he saw his parents still gazing at him awaiting his response. Tal blinked, whether from the memory or the information they'd just given him he didn't know. Firmly aware of the fact they were warning him of something that would be life-altering. "Wait… mate? What do you mean? You mean like have sex with?" Tal questioned, remembering the last thing his adopted father said. "Not
really."
Markaela
sighed.
"Tal,
I
am
Vermithian as well, and our people are created, hard-wired if you will, by the fates, the heavens, to recognize, to submit, to love, and be bonded to one or two other people for the rest of our lives. We can have sex with however many people, whatever species that we want with no adverse effect, but something happens to our DNA when we experience the release of our mate's orgasmic fluids in our bodies. Our hearts pound in our chests, our bodies fill with warmth, but we don't even have to wait for that moment to know that we have found our mate or mates. 23
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The minute we hear their voice our bodies are instantly drawn to them, everything about them calls to us." Markaela took Tal's hand within her own, her bright brown eyes wide. "However, after we are mated, that very first time, our bodies shift and adjust to accommodate itself to our partner so that we can continue our genetic line and heritage. The good thing is that we only carry for six months and can become pregnant again a year and a half after having delivered." Tal looked at his adopted mother and nodded, finally understanding. Although… "Why didn't you and Dad ever have any children of your own then?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow when he noticed his parents' shared look of trepidation. "Because Dad isn't my korlisdian and he's unable to father my children. My mate died when we were both eighteen, before we ever had a chance to bond officially," Markaela stated, her voice choking on a sob. She turned into Wendiford's arms and he pulled her close, holding her while she sobbed harshly. Tal felt horrible. He made his mother cry, which hadn't been his intention, but what should he have thought? He and Josie had always known they were adopted. Tal had been adopted at the age of six, according to the documents on the table, a mere three months after being orphaned. They had 24
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taken Josie in, at the age of nine, the year before him. Tal glanced briefly down at the open folder and noticed it stated his parents had been chosen especially for him by the leader of another planet. Why would the leader of another planet care about him? And who the hell was Alpha King Agnistion? Tal turned back to his parents when he heard his mother sniffle, reminding himself to ask about his unknown guardian angel later. "Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry." Tal wrapped his arms around her after his parents separated and she turned back to him. "It's okay, honey, it was during the Destruction of 2410. He'd enlisted to fight for the GPA and had barely taken off in their shuttle to go to the training camps when a shock ray missile collided with it." Markaela inhaled deeply, exhaling on a shaky breath. "I felt it when he died. It felt like my heart, my mind, and my soul were being ripped in half. It was horrible. It could have been much worse had we completed the mating fully and had I been carrying his child. A piece of me would have died with him and I would have felt disjointed, incomplete for the rest of my life. And to be honest, I did for a time, but…" She looked up at Wendiford and smiled. "I met your father three years later and it was love at first sight. He was the first true humanoid that I could tolerate outside of other 25
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Vermithians. We met in GPA Academy and Leadership University. We were married four months after meeting." Tal smiled slightly when his parents kissed each other softly, his own worries easing momentarily in the face of their obvious affection for each other. Even at the age of fourteen, Tal knew his parents had something special and something he wanted. They weren't true mates, yet seemed to still be made for each other in some way. Could it be possible that being with his true mate would be even better than being with someone that he just fell in love with? When their gazes returned to his face, however, the reality of his situation came crashing back down on his head and his heartbeat sped up and his hands became clammy with sweat. He had a mate out there. Some man created just for him and they would get together and he would get Tal pregnant… pregnant. And what if fate didn't know he was gay and his mate ended up being female? What the hell would he do with a girl? "So, how am I supposed to know who my mate is, exactly? And what if they're a female?" he questioned hesitantly, his voice wobbling and at a higher pitch than normal in the face of his fear and uncertainty. "I sincerely doubt fate would have you be gay and then bond you with a female, Son." His father pointed out 26
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with an indulgent smile. Tal blushed, but it had been a genuine question. He grinned when his father leaned over his mother to reassuringly pat his knee. He shrugged when his mother chuckled softly. "You'll be able to tell as soon as you're around them. Their smell, their presence, their voice, all of it will feel like a blanket being wrapped around you, making you feel warm, safe, and protected. Also, you'll be able to tell when you touch for the first time." Markaela smiled softly. Tal could tell that she was remembering her korlisdian and he looked over at his father to see if he reacted. Seeing nothing but love shining in his father's eyes, Tal's heart clenched even as he sighed in relief. His parents loved each other fiercely and a part of him wanted that himself… a very small part. His mother took in a deep breath and Tal refocused his attention attention on her. "After that it will be nearly impossible for you two or you three to be apart from each other, without feeling as if you are going to climb the walls and destroy everything around you. It's pretty hard not to know who your mate is. And you will find yourself not caring about where you are or who is around you because all you'll want to do is to make love to them or have them make love to you," she pointed out. 27
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Wendiford gasped and Markaela merely lifted a shoulder. "Don't you think he's a little young to be thinking about making love, darling?" Wendiford asked, giving Tal a small smile. Markaela laughed in delight and patted her husband's cheek with the open palm of her right hand. "Oh, stop being a prude Mr Edifice. You know we Vermithians talk about sex frequently. It's like talking about the weather. I know you've never been comfortable with it but Talon is Vermithian and he's going to talk like this himself. Besides, he needs to know; he could meet his korlisdian at any time and he's going to want to know why it seems as if he needs to always be with that person, why he seems to crave them, and why it seems as if they aren't making love, or touching, or talking, or even in the same room together in some way, he'll feel the need to hunt his mate down. If we don't tell him, someone else will, like Josie, or maybe he'll ask one of his friends, or go and look up the details. He could get the wrong information. He might even ask his friend from that chatroom, what's his name?" Markaela snapped her fingers. "Mail S! He might ask him, and what will that Tumaron boy be able to tell him about being Vermithian and finding his mate?" Markaela looked back over to Tal and smiled 28
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lovingly. "Talon, honey, meeting your mate is the most amazing thing in the world." Tal nodded and smiled, but he determined he'd never find his mate. He loved his family, but nothing lasted forever. People died, and people left. They especially left him, so it would do no good for him to have a mate he wouldn't want to live without, knowing one day that mate would do the same and leave him behind. He also had that whole men getting pregnant thing. He couldn't wrap his mind around it and utterly refused to do so. It might work for some other people, but at the age of fourteen, the thought of carrying a child scared the everloving shit out of him and he would not consider the possibility. From that day onward, Tal refused to get emotionally
entangled
with
anyone.
He
might
be
Vermithian, but he didn't have to let fate decide his destiny.
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It might be years later, but Tal still shuddered at the thought of carrying a child so he required every boyfriend, every meaningless fuck, every one-night stand or bathroom hookup to wear a condom… even if a mutual jerkoff or blowjob might be the only thing they did. He'd gotten a reputation for being overly protective and safe when it came to sex, even though most of the STDs from centuries past
were completely eradicated. People still
used
contraceptives to prevent pregnancy and while Tal hadn't met anyone he felt inexplicably drawn to, he wouldn't be taking any chances. Of course, Josie, being a nosey older sister, refused to let his behavior go without remarking on it. His online friend, 'Mail S' did the same, the two oftentimes ganging up on Tal over the years telling him to stop being so fearful. But he ignored them. He had his reasons and they didn't understand. He should have known Josie wouldn't give up so easily. The day they loaded their shuttle for their most recent expedition and delivery, she decided to speak to him about the direction his life had taken. "You know what? I think you never look for
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anything serious and are so cautious about the whole condom thing because you're actually afraid of any type of committed emotion," Josie stated when she stored her case, filled with clothing, toiletries, electronic books and music in her private cabin before turning to face him. Her thick black hair swung back behind her shoulders, the tight curls never losing their spring. "What the hell are you blathering on about?" Tal murmured and sauntered away, putting an exaggerated swing in his hips, smiling when Josie giggled. He didn't need much room to slide past her in the narrow hallway, his height and weight almost matching Josie's small but curvy frame. He walked towards his own quarters on the rather luxurious shuttle and put away his travel items. He loved traveling with his sister, he really did, but she'd become horribly focused on him finding his mate and having a bunch of 'little Tals' running around. Josie more than likely tried to live vicariously through him. It had been a year since she'd broken up with her last boyfriend, a disgusting blue bird shifter named Oponkian, from the planet of Bolauntiq. Josie had met Oponkian when she'd gone with Tal to make a delivery of Vamprician Flow to the planet's kingdom. Tal had never regretted a delivery so much before. Josie followed him to the shuttle's flight deck and 31
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sat in her chair next to his. "I'm talking about you, Tally. You and your fear of your mate, whomever he is, and your fear of having children of your own." With a final wave to their parents through the forward viewing window, she helped him prepare for liftoff. "Josie, where the hell are these children supposed to come from if my mate is a man and I get pregnant? I sure as hell won't be shooting them out of my ass, my mouth, or any other small hole on me," Tal growled his usual, rather silly defense, hoping she would be put off while he focused on inputting their destination's coordinates into the shuttle's computer navigational system. "Mom already told you when it was time for you to give birth a line would appear on your stomach and open so the doctor would be able to deliver the baby. That's not an excuse anymore," Josie pointed out. Tal shot her a glare and turned his head back to focus on flying. He set the coordinates for Strawxig and turned his mind to the delivery they were making to Leader Torqran of the GPA. He had no idea why he had specifically been asked for, but he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. He'd to make enough money with this one delivery to get his own place so he wouldn't have to keep sharing an apartment with his sister. Hell, he'd be making enough money to move to the affluent planet of 32
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Printakium, even if the planet had been overrun with vampires. He'd gotten to the point where he'd rather live in an area surrounded by rich, undead snobs than to listen to his family drone on and on about his lack of goals, ambitions, dreams, and how he needed to look for his mate. His family had hit on his last nerve and he was on the verge of a freakout. Or a major mental breakdown. Whichever happened first. "Doesn't matter anyway, with all the men and women I've met and been with, none of them were my mate. Not one. So, I'm thinking my mate died before I had a chance to meet them, and since I have no desire to settle down and have a bunch of little Tals running around, I figure it's all for the best," Tal stated emphatically. "Bullshit," Josie scoffed, raising her eyebrow when he shot her an incredulous look. "You want all of that, the husband, the kids, you want to have someone to cook for and take care of. You're wired that way. When we played as kids, you always wanted to be the mom or the wife or the nurse." Tal flipped her off and Josie laughed. "Face it, Tal, the only reason you say you're so opposed to the idea is because you don't have it right now and you don't think you'll ever have it, but if you were faced with the reality of your mate and a lifetime of love, 33
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happiness, and children, you'd jump at the chance." Tal swallowed deeply and closed his eyes at the brief flash of a life with his mate and their children before he mentally shook the image away—an image of a large muscled man with black hair and blue eyes fading from his mind. He'd been dreaming about the man every, single night for the past three years, and found it a bit unnerving. "Not even a little," Tal lied, smoothing his hands over his thick, long brown hair, making sure he wasn't sitting on it, and turned his mind back to the task at hand. They talked about all manner of things as they flew farther away from their home planet and closer to their destination. Tal laughed when Josie described the Doralian she'd met online and slept with. Josie had a soft spot for large men—they shared that turn-on—and she couldn't get much larger than a bear shifter. Everything on target as they flew towards Strawxig to deliver their goods and engage in a little exchanging for their family, Tal figured they'd never had such an easy delivery before. The notion got cut short, when without warning, a massive space storm arose and he and Josie found themselves thrown 25,000 light-years off course and came out of warp headed to a totally different planet. "What the hell?" Josie yelled, clutching at the arms of her chair, her hair flying around her face, her eyes wide. 34
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Tal would have laughed at how frightened she looked had he not been trying to keep the shuttle in line, and had he not been scared shitless himself. "I don't know! That storm came out of nowhere; we've been rerouted to Tumaro by the shipboard computer." Tal felt both frustration and a little fear as the shuttle sputtered and whirled around, his systems shutting down one by one. His hands moved frantically over the board, Josie's fingers moving in rhythm with his as the two of them did the best they could to keep from crashing. "Isn't that where all of those fucking dog shapeshifters live?" Josie asked, anxiety creeping into her voice. "Not all of them, but yes, it's like the wolf shifter planet and they don't have a democracy like we do, they have a monarchy," Tal explained before angrily pounding his systems board when the shuttle's brakes cut off. "Shit, we're going to have a crash landing… a hard crash landing," he warned when they passed through the atmosphere of the planet Tumaro. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fucking shit balls!" He swore loud and long when the shuttle's shields crashed completely. Tal lifted his hands to his head momentarily and grabbed his hair before thumping the useless brakes again in the hopes they would reboot. What the fuck? How had 35
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this happened? Things had been going so well. How had it gotten this bad? He returned his hands back to the shuttle's control board trying to bring the systems back up. He yelled out to his sister. "Josie, I hope you weren't being an idiotic bitch and unhooked your safety belt, because when we crash, crash, anything not strapped down down is going to go sailing through the front viewing window and Mom and Dad would kill me if you died!" he shouted over the sounds of the shuttle hurtling through the air towards the ground. "Well let's hope that when we land the shapeshifters will be in human form and not puppy form or whatever they are," Josie joked, "so they can use their hands, and not their paws, to help us." Tal and laughed at her attempt at humor. Josie joked when she got scared, but he'd never been so thankful for her absurdity at that moment. He reached out a hand and clutched hers tightly, only then noticing her unbuckled safety belt. "Josie, your bel—" Tal's words were abruptly cut off as the shuttle crashed violently to the ground and the shuttle ripped apart as they bounced, rolled, and spun to a halt. His head snapped forward and back, his body shook with the ship and his hands flew forward towards the front of the shuttle 36
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as his life flashed before his eyes. He thought about his parents and the day he'd come out to them. He turned to check
on
Josie,
noticing
her
empty
seat
just
as
unconsciousness claimed him.
****
The horrific shuttle crash didn't change history. But people remarked upon, debated, and mentioned the damage to the small shuttle for decades after the fateful event. Not even the cargo the shuttle carried, over sixteen zillion malui worth of gems and natural stones altered the course of destiny. The two passengers who flew in the shuttle weren't found among the gems, stones, money, clothing, and the broken and shattered remains of the space vessel. Instead they were found several feet away from the broken vessel, among the foliage, inside the walls of the Tumaron palace and their identities were remarked upon for centuries after the One called them home. A stranger—a humanoid, not a Tumaron werewolf shape shifter—lay injured, brutally so, in a location far from his original course. That one man changed the history of Planet Tumaro. He so completely altered an entire planet, her people, and their ruler. Though Tumaro had not been his original destination, fate had brought him almost 50,000 37
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light years away from of his original destination of Strawxig. The crash would have killed a lesser being, and maybe he would have accepted the option over fate stepping in and taking over. His destiny awaited him on the planet of Tumaro and the big payoff he'd expected from his delivery to Strawxig… would have led straight to his death. The man found didn't happen to be just any humanoid, either, but a Vermithian. One with a price on his head and a prophecy to fulfill.
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Alpha King Blazell Roughshire waved goodbye to his cousins, Anglania and Freud Lang, and breathed a sigh of relief. He hated it when Anglania and Freud came to visit. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about them always smelled… off. Anglania hoped he would eventually give up on his quest to find his mate and if she knew how close he'd come to giving in to her not quite so subtle hints and attempts at flattery—in her journey to becoming the Alpha Queen—she'd be relentless. Blaze counted himself lucky she didn't know. Walking into his sitting room, he closed the door after sending away the guards who had stepped inside with him. He needed some time alone. He didn't want to wear the constricting mantle of Alpha King at that moment. With a sigh, he pulled off his crown and robe and placed both items on the coffee table in the middle of the room. Walking over to the electronic bar, he pressed the button for a glass of Vamprincian Flow. Once it had been poured, he picked up the glass and took a deep gulp of the intoxicating liquid. Smacking his lips, he savored the aftertaste on his tongue and massaged the back of his neck. Walking back over to the large sofa facing the vid screen,
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he sat down heavily upon the cushions and put his feet up on the coffee table, the glass of Vamprincian Flow hanging from the grasp of his right hand. He lifted his right foot and pushed off the black boot on his left foot before repeating the action with his left foot and right boot. He grunted when the boots hit the ground. He groaned and leaned his head back, closing his eyes as he inhaled deeply. Bone tired. He really needed a vacation. Having been in the role of Alpha King for over ten years, he'd grown tired of the bickering of his people, tired of the women who threw themselves at him—whether they were mated or not—and tired most of all of having to hide the fact that he preferred the company of the male Tumarons to the females. With another groan he sat up and leaned forward, reaching for the remote that lay on the edge of the table and pushed the gold button in the center to turn on the screen and play the vid he'd watched every day since his parents had both passed away. His heart clenched in pain when his father's face appeared on the screen. His father had been a man larger than life. One of the strongest Tumarons in history, he'd ruled the planet and his kingdom with dignity, respect, strength, and justice. He'd instilled that same sense of duty and leadership in both of his sons. Blazell snorted when he thought of his brother, Buckington. He didn't know what 40
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his younger brother had going on, but he had been suspiciously absent for weeks on end, and he and Blaze's assistant, Percy, seemed to be more and more at odds with each other. Blazell had some suspicions about those two, about the true nature of their relationship, but he wouldn't butt in. Besides, Buck never never stayed in one area long enough enough for Blazell to talk to him. Shaking his head at his inability to do anything to help his brother and the behavior of said brother that was influenced by a certain unspoken of event. He wouldn't think about his inability to help his brother or stop the heartbreaking attack and brutal rape Buck had suffered a decade prior. The sight of his brother's injuries and the smell of his blood along with the various scents of different shifters comingling in Buck's system still haunted Blaze to this day. He'd done all he could to help Buck, to show he cared and deal with his sorrow, his part in his brother's harrowing experience, but to no avail. His guilt had become a heavy burden to carry especially when he added his own betrayal of his brother brother that had had led to the rape. rape. Shoving away thoughts of Buck and the past, Blaze blew out a frustrated breath and shook out his arms before once again looking at his father on the vid screen. His father had made the secret video for his heir—his son, Blazell—thirteen years before, and he had been solid as a 41
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rock as usual, his voice deep and authoritative, resonating with power. Blazell practically had the words and nuances memorized. He knew every gesture his father, Algonoquin Roughshire, made in the vid, but he still, for the life of him, could not understand what it all meant. "There are dark forces at work, my son, they seek to completely wipe out every existing humanoid, either by death or phasing out their DNA and overrunning it with the genetic makeup of other species. You must beware of the GPA leadership, Blazell, for there are many on that board who will seek your demise when I am gone. Above all, you must find your mate. It was foretold, my son, that the mates of both my sons would be special, but your mate will be the one to help change history. Do not stop looking for your mate, no matter who it turns out to be." "It is imperative you do your best to locate all three of the orphaned Versuthion boys. They are a special family, my son, and their continued existence is necessary for the continuation of the humanoids. Their futures are tightly interwoven with ours and the survival of our own people. By extension the entire galaxy is based on their ability to exist and stay alive. Find the Versuthions and bring them to Tumaro. One of the boys was adopted by a mixed race couple,
friends
of
mine,
Wendiford
and
Markaela
Sothsberg. When he is older, they are to send him your 42
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way. But the younger two were kidnapped as children. I looked frantically, everywhere that I had access to or wherever my intel gathered information, but couldn't find them. I'll leave you all the information I have on their last known whereabouts and possible locations, but I fear they may be a part of the undercover pleasure slave movement. In which case, they must be found sooner rather than later. I implore you, my son; you must find and help them, take them into your care. "I attended a GPA meeting two weeks ago and heard their plans for the Versuthions. I did not act in time and the three boys were split up. They must be reunited and they must be protected at all cost. If you are watching this, my son, then the burden must fall to you. You must do what I could not. Be ready, my son, for I fear you will have an intergalactic war on your hands when these three young men are finally found." The video ended and Blazell swallowed back the sob that threatened to break forth from his chest. Gods he missed his father. More now than ever before. He needed his father's wisdom and guidance, his support, but more than that he needed for his father to take over the throne so he could find his mate. Blazell closed his eyes and the same image appeared in his mind, as if he'd conjured it, The man had long, sun-streaked brown hair framing a delicate face, 43
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plump lips, a slim nose, and golden eyes. The man had to be Blazell's mate. He'd been dreaming about him for the last three years and over the past week the details had become sharper. He had had a feeling it wouldn't be long before before he found the guy, and he could only hope it happened soon because the Elders weren't going to hold off much longer on making him mate with someone… anyone… or rather, any woman. Blazell turned at the sound of a loud crash and leapt to his feet, rushing to grab his weapons and royal military garb moments before the door burst open and the room swarmed with seven of his Gamma guards. He quickly turned off the vid screen and made his way to Rico Suavez and Gregor Malvechio, his two most trusted guards. "What the hell was that?" he asked. "A shuttle crashed just inside the palace walls, Alpha King," Rico responded. Blazell nodded. "I want two guards to go check for survivors and see what the hell that ship was doing trying to land inside the palace walls," he commanded. He watched as the guards all looked around at each other, Rico and Gregor shooting each other a nervous glance, one that made the blood run cold in Blaze's veins. Gregor shuffled his feet hesitantly and Blazell had a feeling he already knew who had gone down to investigate. 44
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"Gregor, where the hell is my brother, Beta Prince Buckington?"
****
Buck approached the damaged vehicle slowly, his eyes looking for any possible attackers, his years of training with the GPA Peace Corps and Marines kicking in when he stepped closer, his phasers raised and ready to fire on anyone who made any sudden moves. Stopping after a few feet, he sniffed the air and then raised his hands to get the four guards who had come with him to stop. He smelled something vaguely… familiar. Almost as if he were smelling a sweeter version of his brother. "Beta Prince? Is the Alpha King out here?" One of the guards asked. Buck rolled his eyes at the guard's stupid question. "Don't you think you would know if the Alpha King was out here?" He shook his head at the guards' overenthusiastic words of comprehension and understanding. He opened his mouth to remind them to stop being so idiotic when the sound of a moan reached his ears. He froze and listened for the sound again. He'd have to rely on his sensitive wolf hearing as he couldn't rely on his sense of smell. Blaze had obviously walked in the area because he 45
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could smell, the Alpha, even if a more delicate, softer fragrance of Blaze. As if Blaze had been sitting out among the flowers, something Buck couldn't really see happening. Blaze didn't really strike Buck as a picking-flowers type, but Buck trusted his sense of smell. He smelled Blaze but lighter, tinged with a softer, almost different aroma, which could possibly be because of the crushed flowers underneath the ruined space shuttle. Still strange, for scents were as individual as fingerprints. Something niggled at the back of his mind, an ancient story his mother had told him when he'd been younger, but he pushed it away. He would try to recall it later. He had to focus at the moment. Especially since he also smelled blood and the distinct scent of a female Edifician. Since he couldn't see her, he could only presume she'd lost her life. He would send out the Elders to read the final rites and have her body returned to her family, though why an Edifician, and a female at that, would be all the way out on Tumaro alone baffled him. Shaking his head at the horrible loss of life, he turned to the left when he heard the groan again. His black hair swung behind him and momentarily blocked his view. He gestured to the guards and they flanked him when he approached the sound. When he finally found the source he gasped, along with the rest of the guard, at the sight of the 46
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gorgeous man who lay among the palace flowers, his body battered, bruised, and bloody. Buck could hear the stranger's heart beating, slowly, but he still clung to life. With no other thought but that the small man needed immediate medical attention, he lifted the gorgeous person into his arms and turned to head back into the palace. Neither he nor the guards noticed the slim, brown hand that lay covered by the debris of the shuttle, the palace flowers, and the branches from the beautiful Tundle tree.
****
Elder Mailon Saungfreid finished up his latest cyber mail message to his online pal 'Tal Vers' and sat back with a sigh. He loved his buddy TV. They'd been chatting for over six years and although they hadn't sent any images or holograms of themselves to each other, he knew TV was the best friend he'd ever had. It was just too bad they both sort of knew that they weren't mates. Fated best friends? Definitely. But fated life partners? Nah… not so much. They both loved to have a bigger, stronger man holding them down or to be holding down a larger man riding his thick hard cock. Mailon cleared his throat and discreetly adjusted himself under the table before turning his attention back to 47
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Elder Bryce Morgasein. He hated Elder Bryce. Mailon always had the distinct impression Elder Bryce's words were not really true, but no one listened to him when he tried to point it out. Mailon, the smallest of the elders, pretty much didn't exist to the guards. The only ones who really paid any attention to him were his parents, the king, his friends Percy, Buck, and TV. The other Elders noticed him, but only because they oftentimes needed a deciding vote. He wished he could go to Edifice, leave all of the Elder business behind, and go visit his friend. He'd much rather be with TV and listening as the other man rambled on about his sister 'Fire', and dreaming about their mates, or at least Mailon would be dreaming about his mate, TV would be mocking him for it. All of those things would be better than to be be sitting in the conferences where where he listened to Elder Bryce plot and scheme against the humanoids. The man also underhandedly tried to usurp Alpha King Blazell's authority. Mailon wanted Elder Bryce out of the picture, for good. He'd need a miracle to make it happen. Something or someone to fall out of the air and help Alpha King Blazell remove Elder Bryce, and to help make treachery within the Elder an issue never to return again. The Alpha King wanted to get rid of the problem Elder but there were laws and steps involved to prevent any Alpha King from 48
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removing an Elder just because they didn't like them. Mailon had to find cold, hard evidence that would stick and could not merely be considered hearsay. The Alpha King had informed him of exactly what he needed and expected and Mailon had the job to uncover it. He wouldn't fail his Alpha, his King, even if it became the last thing he did. The sound of two crashes, not far off, pulled Mailon's attention away from Bryce's treachery. Without thought, Mailon took off out of the room. He ignored the shouts and commands for him to come back to the meeting filled with stodgy Elders. The Alpha King would want to find out the truth immediately and, because of his position in the palace, both the known and unknown, and his true status in the wolf shifter hierarchy, Mailon would be the best one to do the investigating. He pulled off his clothes and quickly shifted into a small gray wolf, and then with a quick and almost silent howl, he allowed the other part of his change to flow over him and he became the image of a large gray wolf with a large black dot on his ass and took off towards the sounds of the crash.
****
Tal opened his eyes and looked around, wincing at the harsh glare of the light above him. Turning his head 49
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slightly, he glanced around the room and realized he lay on a bed, a very soft bed, and the room décor and furnishings had been done in soft golds and greens. Tal instantly felt at ease, not only the colors but, inexplicably, also by the presence of someone in the room, which didn't make any sense because Josie knew not to enter his guest quarters when they were given rooms to sleep in. He sighed and closed his eyes to return to sleep. His brain clicked into gear. He been headed off course towards Tumaro and his shuttle had crashed. Josie had been with him… Josie! "J-J-Josie?" he croaked. Clearing his throat, he raised his voice and tried to sit up in bed, which he seemed incapable of doing. "Josie!" The doors to the room flew open and Tal found himself blinking up at the massive, hulking man who'd rushed inside. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" the gorgeous man asked. Tal's brain effectively shut down again and he let his gaze rove over the man's features. Tall, really tall, gorgeous, with long black hair, a pair of the lightest blue eyes ever. While his skin had a darker shade than Tal's, it still appeared paler than that of other Tumarons. Shaking himself out of his reverie, Tal answered, 50
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"J-Josie… my sister, where is she? She was with me on the shuttle. Where is she?" Reaching out, he grabbed onto the front of the man's gray shirt and held on as tight as he could, which in his weakened state wasn't all that tight. What if Josie hadn't survived? What if she had and tried looking for him? What if the Tumarons had found Josie and made her their slave? Were they about to do the same thing to him? What if he never saw his sister again? Tal looked around the room frantically and realized what he'd thought had been a bedroom, actually appeared to be a clinic. He began to panic, his breath coming faster when he imagined all of the horrible things that could have happened to Josie, while he'd been lying in a hospital bed, apparently being taken care of. The big man frowned when he sat down on the bed. Tal noticed and appreciated the look of concern on the other man's face but he had to find his sister. "There was no woman when we found you, beauty," the stranger said, his voice low and full of confusion. Tal's brain paused momentarily at the endearment. The man didn't know him and while Tal found him attractive, he felt too stunned to really appreciate it. Then the other man's words sank in. "What? No. No. No! No, you have to be wrong! She 51
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was sitting in the seat next to mine, she was there! You have to go find her! You have to go and find my sister! Josie! Josie!" Frantic, Tal sat up swiftly, swaying a bit and pushing away the hands hands of the mysterious mysterious man who seemed seemed determined to try to make him lay back down in the bed. "Let me go! I have to go and find my sister! Josie!" he screamed and got out of the bed and tried to race for the door, stumbling along the way. The solid wood swung open in front of him and he barreled into a very wide, very firm chest. "Whoa there, where are you running off to?" the man attached to the chest spoke. Tal flushed with warmth. He wanted to wrap his arms around the body before him. He wanted to wrap his legs around the bigger man's waist and never let go. Tal raised his eyes up, past the thick, muscled, tanned neck to the square jaw, dusted faintly with a dark, stubbled shadow, to the aquiline nose that spoke of an aristocratic heritage, and finally to a pair of the most gorgeous, dark blue eyes Tal had ever seen. The man's long, black hair that hung to just below his shoulders and his his large frame turned turned him into Tal's walking wet-dream come true. Tal quickly reconsidered the crazy notion when the man in question growled low in his chest and clutched Tal 52
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fiercely to his chest before burying his face in his neck. Tal squeaked in surprise but amazingly did not pull away. He felt safe in the man's arms, even though he didn't know his name, and he never wanted him to let go. Tal's world spun when the man in question quickly jerked him behind behind him, pressing pressing Tal against the door. He growled at the other man in the room, "Mine." His voice sounded low and forceful, growly and full of authority and power. He would not be one to be messed with. He ruled in the room at that moment and Tal kind of felt happy the guy seemed to be on his side, even if he didn't exactly know why. "Blaze? Are you saying that this… humanoid… is your mate?" the first man asked incredulously. The man named Blaze turned to look at Tal, his eyes softening rapidly, a slow smile coming to his fac. He inhaled deeply, breathing in Tal's scent, his eyes closing in rapture before he turned back to answer the question. "Yes Buck, he's mine… my mate." Tal's eyes widened, another squeak escaping at the word mate. His mother's words about how he would feel upon meeting the person destined for him came rushing back. He stepped away from the man called Blaze and backed into the door behind him, his eyes wide and his body quivering in fear. Blaze met his gaze, his eyebrows 53
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raised in question "Fucking shit balls," Tal breathed. "Hell no." He shook his head quite forcefully before he slipped back into unconsciousness.
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Hours later, Blaze looked down at the delicate features of the man lying next to him. He had never used the term 'beautiful' to describe a man before, but when it came to this man it seemed the only word that truly fit. He smiled when his mate sighed in his sleep and unconsciously moved closer to him, snuggling into the curve of his body. His mate. He'd been searching for years for the one created and destined by fate to belong to him, made just for him, and had begun to despair of ever meeting him. When his brother and Percy told him of the humanoid who had been rescued in the copse behind the castle, he'd only come to the palace's clinic to check on the man. He'd wanted to inquire of his home, his destination, his name, but instead he'd caught the marvelous scent of his mate. Blaze had never been so thankful for a shuttle crash before in his life. He carded his fingers through the man's thick, soft brown hair streaked with gold strands, and his inner wolf settled down into a ball, at peace to have found its mate and to know him to be safe. Right there. With him. Blaze had been shocked when his mate's body glowed with a bright red light that faded to a dim white shine then ebbed away, leaving the smaller man's body
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healed of his numerous injuries. He would have to talk to his other half about that soon, but not before he enjoyed the wonder of his body and bonded them forever. When the smaller man's eyes fluttered open, Blaze smiled softly. He wanted to treasure the man, cherish, protect, provide, care for, and love him, and he planned to do that exactly. No one could stop him, no one. With this man, his mate, he didn't have to be the big bad Alpha, he didn't have to be the king. He could just be Blaze. He longed for the opportunity to be himself and that counted as one of the very reasons the man would now be the most important person in the world to Blaze. He would give Blaze the freedom to be himself. The man would become the other half of Blaze and once they had fully mated, he would feel whole… complete. He grinned when his mate began to squirm around on the bed and realized from the frown that appeared on the man's face he wasn't used to sleeping in the bed with someone. "J-Josie? Are you in the bed with me? Are you trying to braid my hair again? Why are you in the bed with me? Get out," the man grumbled sleepily, pushing weakly at Blaze's chest. The knowledge his mate didn't usually have someone in bed with him filled Blaze with possessive joy. Blaze chuckled softly and grinned when the other 56
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man's eyes widened and truly focused on him. "Who is this Josie that you speak of?" he asked carefully, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice. "M-m-my sister…" his mate answered, swallowing nervously. Blaze struggled not to growl at the fear he could smell coming off his mate. Why would the man fear him? They were destined to be together. This man could be considered the safest man in the world with him and yet he almost quaked with fright? But perhaps he feared for his sister? In which case, he'd be justified and Blaze couldn't blame him. "And what is your name?" Blaze resisted the urge to stroke his fingers through the man's extremely long hair again, especially now that he'd fully awakened. "Talon Versuthion, but most people call me Tal. What's yours?" Tal asked. Blaze stopped breathing and his heartbeat locked up inside of his chest. Talon Versuthion? His mate? The oldest son of the Versuthions? The man his father implored him to find and protect and the man the fates had created for Blaze to protect and love were one and the same. What were the odds of that? Had Blaze fallen into some sappy romance novel? He looked down and realized his mate awaited his 57
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response. Shaking out of his inner musings, determined now, more than ever to protect the Versuthions and to find the younger two brothers, he focused back on his mate's face. "My name is Blazell Roughshire, but everyone calls me Blaze… or rather, my close friends, my inner circle, call me Blaze," Blaze explained, his voice hesitant when he struggled to explain his identity. "What do the people call you who are not your close friends or a part of your inner circle? Like me, what shall I call you?" Tal's gaze focused directly on Blaze's. Blaze found he admired the smaller man's direct stare. "Others call me King Blazell or King Roughshire or if they're really feeling brave King Blaze, but you…" Tal's eyes widened when he realized a king stood before him. Blaze held back a chuckle. "You may call me Blaze. Baby. Sweetheart. Honey. Love. Darling. Sweetie. Or mate. Any of those would suffice." Blaze smiled. Tal's eyes narrowed. "Mate? Who said I was your mate? How do you know?" His voice had gone tight with emotion and confusion. Blaze felt pretty sure Tal knew they were fated to be together, but he would indulge his mate and answer the question. "One such as I always knows his mate," Blaze 58
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explained, his head tilting slightly to the side. He sniffed the air, detecting fear, resignation, and… yes… arousal, on his mate's skin. "As do you. You know I am your mate, do you not, Talon?" "What the fuck? How the hell do you know what I know? I know no such thing!" Tal protested loudly, pushing against Blaze's chest when he sat up quickly and noticed his completely nude state. "Where the hell are my clothes?" he yelled, pulling the bedcovers up to his chin. Blaze laughed heartily not deterred at all by his mate's little freak out. "Your clothes were destroyed in the crash, my love, and I took the liberty of removing the hospital gown you wore when I brought you here to our bedroom," he he stated. "Our bedroom?" Tal questioned, a small quiver of fear and suspicion in his voice. "Yes, love, our bedroom. Where we will sleep and make love, more so the latter than the former." Tal shook his head, bewildered. "But you don't even know me and I certainly don't know you!" he argued. "My soul knows yours, my heart embraces yours. My life and I were made for you as yours was made for me. I know you in the deepest parts of me, even though my mind may not." Blaze placed his hands on either side of 59
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Tal's face, his thumbs delicately caressing his cheeks, "We were made for each other."
****
Tal blinked in confusion and the large wolf shifter smiled softly. "I understand this may be a little… new and unexpected for you, but I assure you, after we are mated you will become much more at ease with our bonding." "We can never ever be bonded!" Tal declared furiously, leaping out of bed, ignoring his state of undress and marching towards the bedroom door. He'd spent most of the last five years trying to not find his mate, only to discover him because of a stupid accident. He had to get out of there. He had to get away from Alpha King Blazell Roughshire and find his sister so they could get the hell off of this planet full of arrogant wolf shifters. A stupid shifter, who would try and mate with him even when he would end up leaving Tal in the end, just like his parents had left him. Tal wanted to get back home to Edifice. He also desperately wanted to throw himself into the man's arms and ask him to protect him, to hold him… to fuck him and then never let him go. Tal ignored the pull he felt to turn around and return to his… no, no, he refused to even think of the man as his mate. Dammit! He 60
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growled internally. Exasperation flowed off Blaze in waves when the other man rose from the bed and quickly snatched Tal up into his massively huge, sculpted arms. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" he growled low in his throat. "Don't you dare growl at me!" Tal huffed. "I'm getting out of here and going to find my sister! She may not be important to you, but she is damned important to me! She's the only person I have on this godsforsaken planet and I have to go and find her right now! She could be dead or really hurt." His voice caught on a sob. "Or she could be looking for me. I have to go and find her." Tal smacked Blaze on the shoulder.
****
Blaze blinked in fascination. No one had ever dared to strike him or speak to him as his mate did at that very moment. Even his parents had ceased to discipline him once he'd shifted for the first time and his wolf had outsized his father's. His mate seemed to not be afraid and the idea made Blaze happy. Talon would be his equal in all things, and it seemed as if his man would also prove fearless as well. 61
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"Did you just hit me?" Blaze asked. Amazement and amusement vied for dominance. His mind locked on the fact Tal had struck him more than the reasoning behind it. "Yes! I'm not afraid of you, you know. I'm not one of your puppy servants and you will not growl at me!" Tal exclaimed, his voice trembling. Blaze sniffed the air and growled at the acrid scent of his mate's unease. He wasn't sure if his sister's still missing status caused the trepidation, or if Tal feared Blaze. He didn't think he frightened Tal though. Perhaps the whole mate thing bothered Tal. Blaze decided to not comment on the scent and to respond only to what Tal had said. "We're wolves, not dogs. And I am glad you aren't afraid of me, love, but you can't ever hit me in front of my, our, people. It's the height of disrespect and would be seen as a challenge for the position of Alpha King," Blaze explained. He tried not to think of the ramifications of anyone in the pack ever seeing Tal strike him. The kingdom would be in an uproar. The more stringent Elders, namely Elder Bryce and his cronies, would demand Blaze fight his own mate for the throne. For the first time ever in his life Blaze felt genuine fear about his mating. He had to make sure Tal understood. His mate meant no disrespect, hadn't meant for 62
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the slap to his arm to be anything but a way of making Blaze stop growling. But Tal couldn't do it in front of anyone else. Blaze opened his mouth to hammer the knowledge into Tal but got cut off when the other man spoke first. "There's no one here except us, Blaze, and as long as you don't growl at me in public, I won't hit you in public," Tal rationalized. rationalized. "I mean mean you determine my actions in that area. You don't get to snarl at me like I'm your servant or something. I mean, I'm your ma—your guest for the time being and you should really treat me as such." Blaze smiled at Tal's slip of the tongue. How delightful. One moment the gorgeous man yelled and attempted to run off on a fool's mission and the next he reprimanded his Alpha mate. He didn't fear Blaze, which as his mate, he shouldn't. Unable to control his wolf, which desperately wanted to claim their mate, any longer Blaze lowered his nose to Tal's neck, sniffing and rubbing his face in the crease and shoulder; spreading his scent all over the smaller man, nuzzling him. He grinned wolfishly when Tal squirmed to get away then frantically clutched Blaze closer. Blaze's wolf howled within when Tal's hands began moving rapidly over the back of his head and shoulders. He wanted to growl when Tal pushed him away and 63
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shook his head. "We have to find my sister," he stated firmly. Blaze nodded. He understood the importance of family and would never try to keep his mate away from his sister. Blaze couldn't be so unfeeling and callous, but his wolf desperately needed to mark and claim their mate. He'd send out word later for everyone to up their quest to find Tal's sister in order to make up for their… brief delay. "We will find her. I promise," Blaze reassured and lowered his lips again. Tal's protests grew weaker and weaker when Blaze trailed his fingers along the skin of the younger man's back and over the curve of his ass. Blaze licked a line from Tal's shoulder to his chin before he took his mate's lips with his own. The kiss started off gentle, a seductive meeting, but it didn't take long before the smell and taste of Tal caused Blaze's wolf to burst free. He ripped his shirt off over his head. Tal's hands worked at the black pants Blaze wore, attempting to shove them down. Blaze pulled Tal flush against his body and claimed Tal's lips again, stepping quickly out of the lowered pants and kicking them to the side. He never once broke the embrace. The kiss then became hard, hungry, and demanding, full of lips, tongues, and teeth. Tal whimpered and moaned, his erect cock sliding over Blaze's equally 64
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hard but much larger erection. Their combined pre-cum coated their shafts, making the movement much easier against each other. Blaze wrapped his arms around Tal, his hands palming the globes of his ass before he circled the puckered entrance with one finger. He then lifted it up to Tal's mouth and groaned when the other man sucked the digit in deeply, coating it with his saliva. Blaze moved it back down to Tal's clenching channel and made a slow but deep insertion within the opening while his mouth devoured his mate's. Tal moaned again, tearing his mouth away. "Blaze…" he panted, ready for more. Blaze removed his finger from Tal's ass and grabbed onto one firm cheek with one hand and lifting his other to push his fingers into Tal's open mouth. If possible, Blaze grew even harder when the smaller man lapped at his fingers, making them slick with spit. Blaze returned to probe at Tal's hole and sucked in a harsh breath at the same moment Tal did, both enjoying the feeling of Blaze filling Tal's entrance with two of his fingers, stretching him into readiness. "Fuck, love, you're so tight," Blaze rasped, before slowly thrusting a third digit deep inside his mate's hot, tight channel. Tal's ass seemed to suck Blaze's fingers in and 65
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Blaze knew he absolutely had to be inside his mate soon. He needed to claim Tal and make them one. He had never been as happy for the copious amounts of pre-cum all male Tumarons produced that allowed for easier penetration. It helped to have the selfmade lubricant. Lifting Tal high into the air, Blaze grabbed the globes of his mate's ass, spread apart the cheeks, and slid the head of his eleven inches long, seven inches in diameter cock within the other man's pink star slowly. He groaned and pushed against the muscles that were clenching and unclenching and finally the head of his cock popped through. Tal yelled out from the intrusion and Blaze stopped for a moment. He would never do anything to hurt his mate, but it felt so godsdamn good to even have a tiny part of his cock inside of him. He shuddered when the first connection of his soul with Tal's occurred, savoring the feeling. When the muscles of the Tal's ass relaxed, he nodded for Blaze to keep moving and he pressed upwards, fully impaling his mate on his admittedly huge cock. "Oh. God!" Tal yelled when Blaze filled him fully. Blaze growled with passion but held himself immobile deep within his mate. He'd never felt anything like it. Tal's tight, hot entrance clutched his cock as if to never let him go and Blaze shuddered when the muscles 66
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fluttered around his erection. Tal felt like heaven wrapped up in a hot, velvet dream. Blaze became instantly hooked on the feeling of his mate's ass surrounding his cock. "Move, dammit, move," Tal grunted, all coherent thought apparently gone from his mind. Blaze lifted Tal and then lowered him back onto his shaft slowly and walked towards the wall. Thrusting deeply into the younger man, Blaze pressed him against the wall and pulled out slowly. His movements quickly grew frantic, the feel of his mate short circuiting his brain and ruining his plans for a slow, thorough loving. Blaze wrapped one muscled arm around Tal and grabbed Tal's hand, removing it from his cock. Blaze held Tal's wrist above his head and pounded into his mate's ass. Tal moaned and squirmed against the wall. "Come for me, baby," Blaze rasped. Tal's channel clenched around his pumping erection and Blaze struggled to hold back his own impending orgasm. Tal threw back his head, unmindful or uncaring that it hit the wall, and yelled Blaze's name when his seed burst forth from his throbbing cock. Leaning forward, Blaze swiped his tongue lovingly across the skin of Tal's neck at the juncture of his shoulder, preparing him for the mating bite. Sinking his teeth deep into the skin, Blaze gave the 67
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smaller man the bonding mark that would declare to everyone he'd been mated to the Alpha King. Tal groaned and exploded into another orgasm. Blaze savored the sweet and slightly bitter taste of the essence of his mate's release when his blood rolled over Blaze's tongue. Their souls entwined, their hearts beat as one and their mating link slid into place. Blaze slowly pulled his canines free, flicking his tongue over the puncture wounds to close them before he could no longer hold back his own orgasm. He threw back his head, his mouth opening with a loud shout of Tal's name, his legs shaking slightly when he gave into the feelings rushing over his body. They stripped him bare, leaving him vulnerable to the exposure of his raw emotions for his smaller mate who clung to him and rested in his arms. His cock expanded and the mating knot extended to grab hold onto Tal's prostate and Blaze felt his knees weaken as another, smaller orgasm ripped through them both. Blaze panted heavily, breathing in sync with Tal, and their hearts pounded. He struggled to regain his focus after such an amazing release. Blaze had never had such a strong orgasm. Never felt so close or open to another person while having sex. He'd craved craved that connection for so long but now that he had it, he didn't know if he could live up to the responsibilities that came with it. With a deep 68
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heaving sigh, Blaze turned and walked back to the bed, still buried inside Tal, his cock growing hard again with each little movement. "Wow, seriously?" Tal chuckled. "We just finished and you're ready to go again?" Blaze laughed in response. "What can I say, my mate? My body is insatiable for you." Tal purred in delight at the compliment and Blaze's eyes darkened with passion. "Did you just purr at me?" he asked. Tal blushed furiously and attempted to hide his face in the larger man's shoulder. "No," he mumbled. Blaze grinned. How could it be possible for his mate to get more and more adorable the more Blaze got to know him? "Yes, you did," Blaze said and bounced the younger man on his hard shaft. Tal shuddered and moaned, causing Blaze to chuckle. That laugh quickly became a groan when Tal clenched his tight hole around Blaze's erection. Oh yeah, he could definitely go another round. "Stop laughing and fuck me, wolf man," Tal growled. Apparently his mate could go for more also. Blaze 69
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laid him down upon the bed and did exactly as ordered. He would never let it be said the Alpha King didn't know how to listen to his mate.
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Hours later Tal opened his eyes and groaned when he stretched. Something had woken him up. He felt… alone, as if something were missing, or someone. Suddenly his mother's words about not being able to be away from his mate rushed through his mind and he sat up swiftly. He had all but forgotten about his sister in his desire to be with Blaze and he felt horrible, but the guilt became small compared the itch he felt underneath his skin, an insistent yearning to find Blaze right there and then. He hurt all over. His neck throbbed from the mating bite Blaze had given him and his ass ached from their continuous bouts of sex. The physical hurts paled in comparison to the thought his mate might have left him or worse, gone out and gotten killed. Tal tried to think of where Blaze could be at the moment. Tal hadn't really received a tour of the palace, or even of the room he now shared with Blaze. After they'd had sex a second time, Blaze had declared he needed a shower and Tal had readily agreed. Once in the expansive bathtub, complete with jets, settings and different mineral options, which Blaze carried him
to
since
he'd
only
71
been
semi-conscious,
he
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remembered mentioning Josie again. But he couldn't remember what he'd asked or what Blaze's response had been. They had then returned to bed shortly thereafter, where they'd had sex twice more, effectively ruining the bath they'd shared, shared, before finally falling asleep. asleep. "You are absolutely gorgeous in the morning," Blaze growled seductively from the doorway separating the bedroom from the the sitting room. He walked towards Tal with a tray laden with breakfast food items. Tal looked at the array of fruits, cheese, ham cakes, sugar patties, and glasses of what appeared to be juice mixed with Vamprincian Flow. Hmm… his mate wouldn't be trying to get him drunk so early in the morning, would he? "Really?" Tal blushed, reaching forward to snatch off a piece of fruit and popped it into his mouth. "Really," Blaze assured him and lowered the tray over Tal's legs, where he still lay underneath the gold sheets. "The only thing sexier than you in the morning is you when you're coming on my hard cock, or down my throat, or when my cum is spilling out of your ass." He finished his assertion with a leer. Tal's skin flushed hotly at Blaze's explicit words before he broke broke out in a cold cold sweat and gasped. "Oh my god, oh my god," he whispered, panic 72
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surging. His legs moved frantically underneath the sheets and he reached out towards the tray to push it away, his breath bursting forth from his chest in panicked pants. He couldn't believe after all this time, after being so careful… no, no, no! He couldn't be that stupid! He didn't even know Blaze! Even if he they were mates, it didn't mean anything. "What is it, love?" Blaze asked and cautiously lifted the tray from Tal's legs. Tal immediately leapt from the bed and paced, ignoring the painful twinges in his body. All thoughts of Josie flew from his mind and he frantically tried to remember what his mother had told him when she'd given him the talk all those many years ago. "Maybe I'm not—we didn't use—not even once— maybe they were wrong—I can't be—What am I going to—" He stammered and walked, wringing his hands. Blaze grasped his shoulders and halted him. Tal jerked to a stop, stop, but his mind mind continued to swirl swirl with frantic images
and
conversations
with
his
mother.
The
consequences of his mating with Blaze, the mating bite, and the copious amount of sex they'd had made his fingers twist and twitch in each other. "Talon, what the hell is the problem?" Blaze asked in a low growl. 73
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Tal blinked, no recognition in his mind before he realized who stood in front of him. "I am Vermithian!" he yelled, tossing his hands into the air as if that explained it all.
****
Blaze's mind whirled and he gasped when the implications of Tal's statement flooded his mind. "You're Vermithian? You mean, you may even now be carrying my children? My heirs?" he whispered in wonder. Had his father told him that the Versuthions were Vermithians? Wouldn't he have thought it important? Blaze's mind raced and he tried to remember the entire vid his father had left him. But he couldn't focus on anything other than what Tal had just told him. His mate, his male mate would be bearing their children. He struggled to remember every lesson he'd been given on the different species within the galaxies. He thought about the things his tutor had explained to him and Buck about Vermithians and their gestational periods, about what it could be like for them to be pregnant. If there were things they couldn't eat, anything they shouldn't do. He had always suspected he would either have to have a 74
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surrogate if his mate turned out to be a male, or he would have to mate with one of the females from the pack in order to have a few cubs… a few litters of cubs… to carry on the royal line. He wondered if Tal would be like his mother when it came to procreation. His mother had been the only wolf shifter in history to give birth to single living cubs with each litter. Blaze had been the only cub of five in his litter to live past five months and Buck had been the only one to survive his litter of six past three months. His parents had been devastated by the loss of their other children and had treasured Blaze and Buck… maybe to the point of being slightly overprotective, but Blaze could remember rolling over in bed as a young cub expecting to feel his litter mates, and finding himself all alone. Tumarons had a special gift in having their memories start from within the womb and unless they were diagnosed with givab, a disease that made them lose chunks of their memory, they held those experiences until they were called home by the One. Blaze remembered being in his mother's womb, kicking and rolling, and the day they were born. He remembered lying in a cub pile with his litter mates as they slept and he remembered the horrible moment when he couldn't sense their energies anymore. He hoped he and Tal never had to experience anything like that. He could remember how brokenhearted 75
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his parents looked after having to bury nine of their children, Blaze's four littermates and Buck's five, how they had mourned for them and how his mother had sat in darkness for an entire year. He never wanted to see Tal that sad. He could only hope that every cub that they gave birth to survived. "My children," he breathed again, his mouth open and his eyes wide with shock and awe at the very idea. "Our children," Tal said and pouted. "Yes, our children. Yours and mine. Ones that we make together. Not through a surrogate or technology. Our children. This is amazing!" Blaze exclaimed and picked up Tal, still stiff with shock, into his arms and twirled him around in excitement before realizing that his mate may even be pregnant at that very moment and put him down swiftly. "You're not angry or freaked out I didn't tell you before we mated?" Tal questioned, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Noticing his mate's consternation, Blaze leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. How could he tell Tal he'd just given him the greatest gift on earth? "No, baby. I'm ecstatic," Blaze assured, "What man doesn't want his wife, his partner, his mate, to give him children?" Blaze grinned widely and then chuckled. "I am 76
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at this very moment, even luckier than I was yesterday when I found you." "A wife? Did you just call me your wife?" Tal asked. Blaze winced. They were going to argue over Blaze's use of the word 'wife'. He got ready to prepare his apologies when a firm, but almost hesitant knock sounded on the door. Blaze hastened a still naked Tal to the bed before climbing in after him. He jerked up the covers and bid the person on the other side of the door to enter, knowing who would be there by the scent and hoping nothing urgent required him to leave his mate.
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The door opened to reveal a slim, blond, and tanned young man. He looked like the perfect image of one of those human surfers who had existed centuries before on Earth. The young man's hesitation by the door had Blaze smiling. He considered Percy the perfect assistant. His presence instilled peace and he always acted so respectful and almost shy of others. Well… everyone other than Buck. Percy's usually peaceable wolf only exhibited any type of angry reaction when Buck showed up. "Y-your Majesty? Would you like me to bring anything for you and, um, the queen?" he stammered out the question, blushing furiously when Tal raised an eyebrow in Blaze's direction. "Queen?" Tal questioned, with barely concealed annoyance. Blaze cleared his throat nervously at the look in his mate's eyes. He might be the Alpha and king of Tumaro, but his wolf did not want to upset his mate. He had a feeling it would be unavoidable this time. Looking both embarrassed and resigned, Blaze answered his mate's question. "You see, love, I am king," he hedged, trying to stall and ignoring Percy who still stood
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in the doorway, observing them with unconcealed curiosity. "I am the first king to have a male mate in quite some time and the mate of the king is always called the queen, so—" "So I'm the fucking queen? Seriously? As if being Vermithian wasn't enough of a hang-up for me?" Tal huffed in exasperation. "Now I'm a fucking queen? Blaze you better be glad you're hung like a horse and fuck like a dream because I'll tell you what, between the whole possibly being pregnant, pregnant, my sister still still missing, you being being a fucking Alpha and king, and now finding out that I'm considered the fucking Alpha Queen, this mating thing has been a bust from the start! start! I'm being reminded reminded of why I was so against this whole union thing from the beginning." Blaze cringed and wondered what he could possibly do or say to make his rather angry partner a little happier and he tried to think quickly, because he didn't know Tal well, but from his rant, Blaze wouldn't put it past the other man to take off running. He didn't want to upset Tal further but the younger man's man's words had gotten him to thinking. Unable to stop himself, surprising considering he usually exercized the Alpha King steely control at will, Blaze blurted, "Why did you agree to the mating?" Tal turned to stare at him and Blaze swallowed audibly. "What?" he asked. 79
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Tal's surprise came through their mating link. His question had caught Tal off guard and he felt bad, but he also knew they needed to discuss the abrupt change. "Why did you decide to allow me to claim you?" he repeated. Tal shrugged a shoulder. "Because you were hot and growling and your muscles made me drool?" Disappointment squeezed Blaze's chest and he nodded, Percy forgotten at the door. He didn't do emotions, not really. The last time he'd cried had been after Buck's attack over ten years ago, but he suddenly wanted to whine in sorrow. Determined not to sob like a girl in front of his mate and assistant, Blaze huffed out a long, slow breath. "Blaze, I'm joking," Tal grabbed onto Blaze's forearm. Blaze turned to look at his lover and raised an eyebrow. Tal
snorted
in
part
annoyance
and
part
embarrassment. "I said yes to our mating because my sister is missing, I almost died, and I was born to be with you. Life is too short, Blaze, way too short and if Fate, or the One, or whatever deity you worship saw fit to make me worthy of you and you worthy of me, then who am I to protest? I love my sister but she doesn't always always get me. You will, because we are created for each other. No one else in 80
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this world will care for me, protect me, want me, need me, or understand me as much as you and vice versa." Tal smiled sweetly and Blaze felt his heart swell. "You are perfect for me Blaze, who else would get excited about mating a Vermithian but someone who was supposed to mate one? I thought about running away but I got this pain in my chest and I couldn't breathe and I realize that leaving you meant leaving a part of myself and I just couldn't do it. That's why I agreed to mate with you, because I didn't want to leave a part of myself behind and feel incomplete for the rest of my life." Blaze nodded again. He could understand Tal's words and his hand shook at the feeling behind them. Without Tal, he would be incomplete, just a shell of a man until he died and he didn't want that for himself either. He didn't want that for anyone. Even if Tal had tried to run away, Blaze would have just found him and brought him back. He wouldn't live without his soul ever again. He would be whole and complete, with his mate by his side, ruling over Tumaro together. As one fated pair. The Alpha King and his Vermithian male Alpha Queen. "Thank you," he responded, before kissing Tal on the forehead. He looked up when he heard Percy's gasp and quirked an eyebrow.
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****
"You're Vermithian?" Percy breathed out in wonder. "That is so awesome! Can you heal and stuff too?" Percy had always been fascinated by Vermithians. He didn't know if the knowledge that even the men could get pregnant—and he'd always dreamed of giving his mate children—or if the fact they could heal and commune with animals and nature intrigued him more. Growing up, he had always been the student writing papers on the history and current state of affairs for Vermithians. He'd always thought maybe his mate would be Vermithian and that would explain his fascination… but he'd been wrong. He gave himself a mental shake and shoved away all thoughts of his fated half… that bastard. Tal laughed and Percy had a feeling his expression of childish delight was quite evident on his face. "I guess." Tal shrugged. "I know I heal really fast, but I've never had to heal anyone anyone else." Percy stepped forward excitedly, forgetting palace protocol, and his eyes widened when he realized he finally had the opportunity to question a real-life Vermitian. He had to make sure he didn't do anything to annoy Tal, not just because of the Alpha Queen status and being Blaze's mate, but also because he smelled Buck walking up the 82
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hallway and he needed to be as far away as possible before he got there. "Isn't it true all Vermithians can be impregnated? Male and female?" he asked inquisitively. Percy watched Tal swallow nervously and slide closer to Blaze but he nodded his head. Percy had scared the Vermithian and opened his mouth to apologize, but stopped when Tal breathed a sigh of relief when Blaze's arm slid around his waist. "Stop pestering my mate, Percy. We're newly mated, he's recovering from being newly claimed, he's still worried about his sister, and he may even now be pregnant with my child. He doesn't need to deal with your questions, too," Blaze growled protectively. Percy took a fearful step back, knowing Blaze could be harsh and extremely violent when angered and while he had never taken his rage out on Percy, he still got scared whenever his Alpha got angry. Tal placed his slim hand on Blaze's chest and stroked him lightly when he saw the fear on Percy's face. "Down boy, don't growl at him, he's just curious about his new… queen, that's all. And perfectly understandable too," he stated and Blaze calmed immediately. "You're right, my dear. Will you forgive me, Percy? I find myself being very protective of my sweet little mate," 83
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Blaze apologized. Percy blinked, stupefied. He had known Blaze and his brother, Buck, for years and had never heard Blaze apologize, not even when he slammed open a door into a servant's face. He'd merely growled and told the servant to watch where they were fucking going next time. Percy opened his mouth to reply when his entire body heated up as if it were on fire, his cock hardened, and his eyes slid shut when he smelled fresh wood, melted chocolate, and a deep musky scent that made his mouth water. The greatest smell ever, and he instantly knew Buck, the Beta Prince… his unclaimed and unacknowledged mate… had walked up behind him. "Hey, Percy, how's it hanging?" Buck asked. His deep velvety voice wrapped around him and hardened his cock further. Percy hated how Buck always pretended as if everything everything was fine between them. He hated how Buck seemed to have no problem with them not being mated. Most of all, he hated the fact he still craved the bigger man. If Buck so much as crooked his finger at him, Percy's wolf would wag his tail and rush towards the other man. After all this time, the excuses, the false starts to their claiming, the kisses that always ended abruptly, the lies, the arguments and worst of all, the hurtful words thrown at him by Buck, Percy hated knowing he still loved the other man. 84
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Gods, he'd grown sick of loving Buck. Biting off a terse reply, he bowed towards Buck, "Hello, Your Highness, all is well. Is there anything I can get for you? I'm heading to the kitchens to have my own breakfast, but I can bring something back, if you so require?" Percy used his most formal voice.
****
Watching the tension-filled conversation from the bed, Blaze decided decided to test the mental link he shared with his mate. "Don't freak out on me, but are you noticing the tension between my brother and Percy?" he asked. Tal stiffened slightly and turned wide eyes towards him. "Holy shit! Are you talking to me in my mind?" Blaze winced when the shouted words reverberated in his head. Blaze grinned and chuckled softly through their link before answering. "Yes, it's another of those mating a Tumaron wolf perks." "Maybe you can sit down and share all of these 'perks' with me someday soon." Tal raised an eyebrow in Blaze's direction. "As far as your brother and Percy go…" Tal glanced back at the two men who seemed to be having 85
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a very silent, very heated discussion. "It's obvious they're mates like us and that they're both hopelessly in love with the other, but something is holding your brother back from claiming his fated half. I wish I knew what." Blaze nodded. He completely agreed. "Perhaps we could look into it? I want my brother to be happy and I'm afraid that will never happen as long as he's denying Percy. And he's making my assistant miserable at the same time, which is not a good idea. I need Percy at his best and I need Buck's head to be in the right place, neither of which will happen if they continue in this fashion. Besides, my brother is always sad and angry and Percy is always brokenhearted. It puts me in a very awkward position. I feel torn between my brother and my assistant, who is also my ward. I want them to be mated so this will stop happening. We'll definitely have to look into it. There's more to their story than what we know."
****
"Why so formal, Percy?" Buck asked, his voice low and frustrated. "You are royalty and I am a servant, as you so kindly reminded me last night, how else am I supposed to speak to you if not formally… Your Highness," Percy 86
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pointed out, a slight thrill going going through him when he heard heard Buck's frustrated growl. It served him right. Buck wanted him. And Buck knew they were fated to be together. They had been hours away from becoming mates, over a decade before, in truth when Buck suddenly changed his mind. Percy had grown tired of trying to get the Beta Prince to tell him, what had made him change his mind. He wouldn't to do it anymore. Buck could growl, and sound upset, and feel rejected. He'd made the situation. He'd just have to deal with it. Percy wouldn't sit and wait for some crumb of affection from the other man, tired of waiting for Buck to pull his head out of his ass and finally claim him. He was done and Buck would just have to deal deal with it. Percy turned towards the bed, snubbing, dismissing, and ignoring his errant mate. "You know we don't consider you a servant, Percy," Blaze stated. Tal placed his hand on Blaze's elbow and slightly shook his head, stopping whatever tirade the Alpha had been about to get into. Percy could tell Tal advised advised Blaze to not get involved, but Percy could have saved Tal the effort. They had nothing, nothing to get involved in. Ignoring the re-breaking of his heart at the realization he would truly never be with his mate, Percy squared his shoulders and 87
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mentally put up walls around his fragile emotions to guard himself from any further run-ins with Buck. They were unavoidable. They both lived in the palace. The Beta Prince and the assistant to the Alpha, and the pack's…well, his secret role within the pack wouldn't be significant. No one suspected him of being such a precious member of the pack. Nobody had ever stopped to wonder why his presence would always be requested and why their feelings seemed to be controlled or tempered by it. They thought him an orphan, taken in by the royal family after the untimely deaths of his parents, and for the most part people pitied him. The pity and their own egos kept most of the pack from discovering his real value, which Blaze had discovered within five minutes of meeting him. Percy didn't care about the pack and their view of him, however. The only thing that mattered? His fated mate didn't think Percy worthy, and he would be destined to always be reminded of that fact. Every. Single. Day. "Thank you for the kind sentiment, Alpha King," Percy bowed, going overboard with the formalities, but using them to distance himself from the Roughshires. He would bide his time until he either met someone else or he could leave Tumaro. He couldn't stay, not now. "You know we consider you a member of our 88
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family, Percy, don't be ridiculous," Buck said in a tight voice, his hands clenched by his side. "And anyone that tells you different is a liar and I want you to bring them to me so I can deal with them," Blaze interjected. Percy struggled not to turn accusing eyes in Buck's direction. It would be so easy to tell Blaze how Buck had been the one to say those very words the night before. Given it as the reason why they couldn't mate. But Percy couldn't do that, because regardless of all of the hell and bullshit his mate put him through, he still loved him. He would do anything to protect Buck, even keep his pain buried as much as possible, as well as the secrets he held within himself. He'd planned on sharing the secrets he held with Buck when they mated, but that would never happen now it seemed. "You made it perfectly clear last night that I'm nothing more to you than just a lowly servant," Percy hissed underneath his breath so only Buck could hear him. Quickly composing himself, he turned to formally bow to Blaze and Tal. "I'll return shortly with a fresh breakfast tray for you," Percy bowed again before throwing an angry glare at Buck and rushing back through the door and out into the hallway.
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****
Blaze watched Buck when Percy rushed off. Blaze felt extremely sorry for his brother and Tal's own sadness filtered through their mate bond. He followed his brother's gaze when it swiftly turned towards Tal who couldn't contain his sniffles. "Baby, what's wrong?" Blaze asked, pulling Tal to his chest. Tal gulped and Blaze knew it was in an effort to soothe his wayward emotions. "How can you deny your mate like that?" He whispered in a broken voice, his eyes boring into Buck's. Buck's. Hearing someone voice his suspicions out loud, Blaze felt confusion swirl through his mind. Buck wanted Percy. Blaze could smell the arousal and need on his brother's skin whenever he got within Percy's vicinity, and yet Percy remained unclaimed. A blind man could see they wanted each other. So why the hell were they still apart? Now that he'd found and claimed his own mate, Blaze couldn't understand why Buck would deny his. A great guy, Percy would be perfect for Buck—they would be perfect for each other. Blaze was confused by his brother's reticence. A memory of his brother, battered and bruised, smelling of different species, blood, semen, and urine 90
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niggled at the back of his mind and Blaze wondered if perhaps Buck's hesitation had something to do with what happened to him at the age of sixteen. Not wanting to bring up such a painful subject, especially in front of his new mate, Blaze kept his mouth shut. "It's not that simple. There are complications, problems, things I can't get into or explain." Buck sighed and stared at Tal, his face open and vulnerable, his eyes filled with grief, despair and hopelessness, begging for understanding. "I would like nothing more than to claim my mate, but it's too dangerous for him if I do. And his safety is the most important thing to me," he explained then added, "Your Highness." Though Blaze couldn't understand denying a mate for any reason, especially when he'd found his own, he did understand the need to go to any lengths to keep your fated life partner safe and did not comment on the matter further. He knew Buck. There would come a time when he would explain all, just not now. Blaze could feel Tal's need to press Buck for more information, the questions swirling through their mating bond, but Blaze squeezed the younger man in his arms and breathed an unnoticed sigh of relief when Tal merely closed his mouth. "Did you need something, Buck?" he questioned instead. 91
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"Oh, yes, of course. Elder Mailon Saungfreid has requested a private audience with you and your new mate," Buck informed them. "At your earliest convenience, of course." "Wow, word sure does travel fast. Blaze only claimed me yesterday," Tal exclaimed. "No one knew except you, me, and Buck, that we were mates. Unless you went and told everyone this morning. But I don't think that would have been enough time for it to reach an Elder. What do they have? Cameras and sensors watching or something?" Blaze smiled, finding Tal's freedom in speaking his mind very refreshing. "Whenever the Alpha King is mated, when he has found his true mate, the candles in the temple flame blue and then red before turning white. They then flicker out until the mating is complete and then they light again. That won't happen again until a new Alpha King is named and has found his true mate," Blaze explained. "Oh! That sounds so cool. I would love to see that." Tal exclaimed, blushing when he realized the impossibility. Blaze gazed down fondly. "Maybe with our firstborn son, baby," he told Tal, kissing his temple. He cleared his throat and sat up at the sight of Buck raising his eyebrows in shock at the open display of affection. 92
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"Your son?" Buck asked incredulously. "You two have already discussed finding a surrogate? Blaze! You only mated him last night. I mean… Your Highness, don't you think you were being slightly hasty in speaking about a surrogate with your mate of twelve hours?" "Tal is Vermithian," Blaze stated proudly, pulling his mate close to his side and chuckling at his brother's amazement. Tal smiled sheepishly, his fingers nervously plucking at the golden sheets covering the huge king-sized bed. "Really? Congrats, bro! Vermithians only have a gestational period of six months." Buck clapped Blaze on his bare shoulder. Blaze became extremely aware of his bare chest as well as Tal's state of undress. Unable to stop the growl emanating from his throat, he glared at his brother, blinking in surprise when Tal giggled. How could his mate laugh when Blaze growled about another man being in the room with him while he was naked? "Your growl is so sexy, Blaze." Tal grinned and pressed his lips against Blaze's softly. Unable to control his lust for his mate, Blaze kissed him back deeply and passionately, dimly aware of his brother leaving the bedroom and closing the door behind 93
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him. "God, baby, you're so beautiful," Blaze rasped, gazing down at the features of his gorgeous mate. "You don't have to say that, I'm already your mate," Tal joked. Blaze had despaired of ever meeting his true mate. He had to hide his sexuality and love for men from the Elders since they didn't approve of a same-sex mating by their ruler. He'd come so close to finally deciding to find a female to marry, genuinely considering Anglania, in order to obtain heirs when he had been told of the crash and had walked into the clinic to find his true mate. A man so beautiful he took Blaze's Blaze's breath away and to show show the crazy wisdom of fate, his mate turned out to be Vermithian, more than capable of providing him the heirs he wanted, while still being a man which he so desired. "I know I don't have to, but you are beautiful. And since I'm not using flattery or compliments to entice you to mate with me, you know I'm speaking the truth. And as the Alpha, I have to speak the truth, and since I am king, you must never doubt my words," Blaze pointed out, pleased with his brilliant, quick thinking. "Yes, Your Highness," Tal responded cheekily, before sticking out his tongue. Blaze grinned when Tal squealed after Blaze 94
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swooped down to plant a smoldering kiss on his mate's lips, drifting down over his chin before Blaze placed his nose in the crook of the smaller man's neck to sniff deeply. His wolf growled and panted happily at the scent of his mate, wanting to mark him again. He detected the smell of his wolf on his mate, but it wasn't enough. Rubbing his face on either side of Tal's face, he spread his scent all over him, smiling when Tal giggled. "Blaze! What on Edifice are you doing?" Tal gasped out in between bursts of laughter. "Covering you in my scent," Blaze stated before raising his head. Tal smiled, then jokingly asked with a sarcastic tone, "Did you mark me enough or would you rather piss around me just to be sure?" Blaze's eyes widened at his mate's words before a startled laugh escaped his throat. "You are absolutely delightful." "Glad you think so," Tal stated cheekily before climbing from the bed and walking naked towards a closed door on the other side of the room. "Why are you going to the closet, my love? Have you no desire to shower before you dress?" Blaze teased, aware the other man probably didn't remember the location of the en suite bathroom. 95
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Tal paused and gave a sigh of exasperation, "Well, where the hell is the bathroom?" Stifling his laughter, very aware it could cause his mate to retaliate in an unwelcome fashion, Blaze rose from the bed and strode forward. Taking Tal's arm gently, he led him across the large master bedroom. "This is our en suite bathroom"—he directed the younger man before gesturing to the set of double doors directly across from them—"those lead to our sitting area which is right next to our library and on the other side of that is the nursery." Tal stiffened at the mention of the nursery before turning slowly to face Blaze. "Why is the nursery so far away from our bedroom?" he asked. "So the nanny won't be scandalized by our lovemaking," Blaze informed him honestly, seeing no problem with the distance between the nursery and their bedroom. It had always been the tradition. How things were done. Why change things set up before he'd even been old enough to experience his first shift? His father had been the greatest Alpha King that Tumaro had ever known, everyone always said so. It had even been recorded that way in the history books. He followed his father's instructions to the letter and nowhere in there had it said for 96
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him to question anything. "What nanny?" Tal asked with a raised eyebrow. "Our nanny. The one who will raise our children," Blaze explained calmly, aware his mate had not come from royalty and might not understand. He escorted Tal into the bathroom with a hand on his elbow. Tal stopped their forward movement and peered up questioningly. "Why is someone else raising our children? Someone other than us?" he queried. "That's the way it has always been done, love," Blaze explained. "The Alpha King and Queen of Tumaro are too busy to raise their own children. They birth them and then the nanny raises them for the most part. They visit occasionally of course." He shrugged and tamped down the deep-seated hurt at the non-existent relationship he'd had with his parents until he'd come of age at fourteen and could be trained and educated to be an Alpha. He had vague memories, flashes of images of his mother singing to him and rocking him to sleep, but until he'd reached puberty, his life had been filled with nannies, tutors, and Elders. Buck had received more attention from their mother, which had made Blaze extremely envious, but by that point, he'd finally become useful to his father and spent most of his time with the then Alpha King. It could have 97
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been much worse. His parents had regaled him with stories of royal Alpha families from centuries past and he'd been lucky, but he still felt as if he'd missed out on so much those first fourteen years because of tradition. He missed his parents a lot now, missed the fun times they'd had together once he'd come of age, but perhaps he missed the times he could've had with them even much more. He wouldn't mope or complain about it though. His father had been raised the same. Besides, Blaze hadn't been adversely affected by it. He'd become well learned, welltraveled, and now mated. Even now he could be expecting his first litter. His people weren't revolting. As a matter of fact, most said he'd become just as good an Alpha King as his father. Blaze couldn't possibly hope for anything better. His children, his and Tal's, would be fine being raised by a nanny. "How horrible!" Tal gasped before stepping into fully into the massive bathroom. "That's not how we're going to do things. There will be no nanny. No one raises our children but us. I guess we'll just have to start a new tradition." Blaze stood looking at his mate in amazement, the thought they could just do that, raise their own litter and change tradition, had never occurred to him. Perhaps he could start a new way of living, create a new standard of 98
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rules and practices. Perhaps they could. They were the royal Alpha family now and they could practically change any law or tradition they wanted. No better place to start than with their own family. Things would be different, be better for the people of Tumaro, but also for their family because they would would make things better. He and his Alpha Queen.
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Tal had been too busy being fucked by his mate the night before to take much notice of their bathroom but this time his eyes took stock of all the details. The room sparkled. The tiles were gleaming silver and the walls shone as if covered in diamonds. Upon closer inspection, Tal realized they were indeed, covered in gems. Then again, diamonds were in abundance on Tumaro, unlike other planets. Against the right wall rested the largest tub in history… well, the largest one he'd ever seen. Big enough to fit five adult Tumaron shifter males and their mates. Opposite the tub stood a large shower with three nozzles on every side, one at the top, one waist high, one at ankle height. A small door in the center of the left wall led to the toilet and 'his' and 'her' vanity counters, overlaid in black and silver granite built on either side of the doorway. "Holy shit," Tal breathed, his eyes wide when he took in the luxury of the room, drifting down until they fell on the emblem of a wolf carved into the floor. "This is a fucking palatial bathroom," he whispered, shaking himself mentally when Blaze chuckled. "Of course, this is a palace. Where else would a king live?" Blaze asked. "Now, about the whole issue with
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the nanny." Tal gave him a brief scowl before returning to their earlier conversation. "I don't care how they used to do things, but if I am going to have to give birth to our children, then I'm damn sure going to have the pleasure of raising them the way I want them to be raised, to have my influences and nuances. No ifs, ands, or buts about it," he declared emphatically before turning towards the shower and stepping inside. "I don't care if you are the damned Alpha King. I'm the Alpha Queen and that makes me the Queen Bitch." Tal laughed, sure if Josie had heard that statement she would have been quick to agree whole heartedly. Sobering at the thought of his still missing sister, he turned to the many different nozzles surrounding him and made a promise that before he even thought about settling down into his new role as the Alpha Queen, he would make sure he fulfilled his role as 'Tally, younger brother to Josepire'. "Now, come show me how to work this damn shower so we can meet this Elder, and you can show me around my new home before we go find my sister," Tal commanded, determined not to think about the fact he'd been fucking and orgasming, sleeping, eating, and learning about his new mate, while his sister might have been suffering through god knew what. 101
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Josie would never let him live it down. If they ever found her.
****
Blaze nodded and without another word stepped forward to shower with his mate. He admired Tal, feeling pride at the firm stance he'd taken on the rearing of their children, and Blaze's cock grew hard at his mate's commanding tone and unflinching declaration. Damn, but his little Vermithian could be sexy as hell. He knew Tal worried about his sister and Blaze hesitated to tell Tal the news he'd been given when he'd gone to get their breakfast tray earlier. There had been no one else among the wreckage of the shuttle. He didn't think his mate had lied about his sister being with him, a wolf shifter could smell a lie on a non-shifter a mile away, but he thought maybe his mate probably didn't remember everything, which meant his sister either died in the crash… or she'd never made it to Tumaro in the first place.
****
Josie groaned and opened her eyes, looking around. What the hell happened? And why did her body feel like a 102
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hover-craft had landed on top of her? Slowly images of Tal flooded her mind, their conversations, the space storm that had arisen, being thrown out of warp into the pull of the Tumaro atmosphere. The crash landing. The. Crash. CRASH? Tal! Pushing herself up, she clawed her way through the plants and overgrowth of bushes and flowers, glad Tal couldn't see her killing all of nature's beauty around her when she pushed her way free and up onto her feet. Swaying, the blood rushed to her head and as she struggled to regain her equilibrium. She put a hand to her temple and groaned again. She had to find Tal. He had so much beauty, if she didn't find him quick some big, ugly puppy shifter would discover and claim him for his own sex slave or something. She hesitated in taking a step, her mind flashing with images of papers she'd found in her father's office. Papers about a sex slave ship and two young Vermithian boys onboard. She didn't didn't think her father had any interest interest in purchasing the boys, the guy defined straighter than straight. And he'd always been a fine, upstanding member of the GPA and Edifician community. But he'd been investigating that particular ship with those particular boys for a reason, and she'd wanted to know why. Turning to the left, she saw the remains of the 103
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shuttle and a sob caught in her throat. What if she found Tal among the rubble? How would she feel if she discovered her brother dead? She shook her head and stumbled towards the debris. She wouldn't think that way. She'd search for her bag with the files in it and the hidden vid disc that had been made for Tal by his secret benefactor, AKAR—she'd love to know the real name of said benefactor—and then she'd worry about the rest. Pulling with all of her strength, she lifted and pushed aside wires, charred metal, destroyed seating, panels, door fragments, and motherboards until she saw jewels, gems, Malui, and the food they'd brought on board. Holding open the velvet-lined box that Tal used to keep his most prized treasures in, she filled up the bottom of the box with the items. She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed Tal's pet flower, lying safely on its side underneath an arch of debris as if it had rolled under the twisted metal to hide itself. Tal would tell her the flower had done that exact thing. She picked up the pet and set it alongside everything else in the box she had placed just outside the broken shuttle remains. Wiping away the tears that had somehow managed to escape, no doubt spreading soot and grime on her cheeks, she turned back to her search. Giving a small cry of triumph at the sight of her bag, she pulled it 104
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free of the piece of shuttle it had been trapped under then opened it and exhaled slowly when she saw everything still intact. Thank the gods for a small favor. Turning back to the box, she started to lift it up, but decided at the last minute to cover it with a blanket previously twisted around the column of the shuttle's destroyed roof frame, keeping it from the elements and prying eyes of others She turned to leave and hadn't taken two steps before she heard shouting and the pounding of what sounded like a pack of animals rushing towards her. Bracing her feet, she reached into the bag slung over her shoulder and pulled out her electron phaser, hoping had enough charge to do some serious damage. "Halt, in the name of Alpha King Blazell! Who goes there?" a loud voice yelled out. Josie turned to look at the man who stood before her. Over six feet, broad shouldered and tan, with long, black hair, he was be gorgeous and she would be flirting with him, if he weren't holding a GPA-issued molecule phaser aimed directly at her. She glared. She wouldn't tell him anything, not until she found her brother. "What's your name and what planet do you come from?" he asked and stepped closer to her. She lifted her head to maintain eye contact and maintained her glare. "Did you find anyone else out here 105
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with this shuttle?" Her voice sounded raspy and scratchy from smoke inhalation and thirst. The taller man hesitated for only a second before leveling the phaser on her more directly. "You are within the walls of the palace of the Alpha King of Tumaro. You are a trespasser. You don't get to ask questions. I do. Now, who are you?" he asked again. Josie wouldn't be deterred. She didn't know this man from the next one, but he could have Tal or know something about him. And he didn't need to know her name. Besides, if she told him, he might kill her to get information out of Tal. She didn't know much about the shifter race but she'd heard stories about their rages and violent tendencies. And her ex-boyfriend, while not Tumaron, but a different kind of shifter, used to explode in anger at the slightest provocation. And Tal did a lot of deliveries for the GPA, which meant he possessed a wealth of information about other planets. She wouldn't do anything to put her brother in further danger. She'd keep it simple. "Did. You. Find. Anyone. Else. Here?" she asked through gritted teeth. When they remained still, their expressions angry and low growls emanating up from their chests, she answered with a growl of her own. "Where is he? Where's my brother? He was with me! Where is he?" 106
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She hissed when the man in front of her grabbed her arm furiously, nodding to one of the other guards to take the box and her bag. She yelled out and tried to keep her possessions, but her arms were forced behind her back and magnetic cuffs restrained her wrists. She struggled harder and yelled obscenities at the backs of the guards when they led her away from the rubble and to gods knew where. "Give me my fucking bag, you godsdamn puppies!" she spat. Had Tal been there, he would have said her mouth would get her in trouble again. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she felt the sudden zap from the phaser, and promptly promptly passed out.
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Torqran grunted when his orgasm swept over him, biting down on his lip when the top of his aching erection exploded with the white liquid of his release. Lorthander's cock jerked and then spewed its seed deep within Torqran's bowels and he groaned, enjoying the feeling of the other man inside him. Sometimes he wished he and Lorthander could be together officially in front of everyone but it would never be possible, because that would make him gay—something unacceptable in their society. Being gay on Strawxig would be grounds for incarceration or execution, depending on if the offense had been committed before. If he and Lorthander were caught, they'd both be executed, they'd been having sex every single day for the last twenty-five years; since the day they both turned eighteen and discovered their feelings for each other. But a public relationship between them would be seen as wrong and the fact they felt as if they were mates put them in an impossible situation. So they stole away to enjoy each other's bodies, to enjoy each other, and then they went on to the rest of their lives. Back to their wives and children. He grinned when Lorthander collapsed over him,
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the larger man gasping for breath. Torqran closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before coming to his senses at the sound of his communicator beeping. He and Lorthander hissed when the other man pulled out of Torqran and he reached for his communicator, placing it on his ear before answering. "Go," he said. He didn't need to introduce himself. As the head of the GPA, he didn't need a fucking greeting or introduction. "Master Torqran, it's Nortuvious," the man on the other side of the communicator answered. Torqran tried not to show his distaste for the vampire. The vampires and snake shifters were distant relations after all, but Torqran just couldn't stomach them. They were always so much stronger than they appeared and Torqran couldn't tolerate people whose appearance belied their reality. "Update," he replied tersely. He wanted the call to end quickly. He needed the call to end quickly. He shivered and held back a groan when Lorthander kissed up his spine. He loved how insatiable his bigger mate always proved to be for him. Lorthander stood at six foot eight inches with muscles on top of muscles, gold snake eyes, short brown hair, closely cropped to his head, a square jaw, dimpled chin, and a 109
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crooked nose that hadn't healed properly. He'd gotten it the day he and Torqran had slept together the first time. It had been a major fiasco and an almost dismal failure, but they'd gotten better at it over the years. Lorthander also happened to be hung like a bear shifter, long and wide, and he'd been teased about having some bear in his family tree during their years at the Academy. Lorthander had merely smiled and called the other guys jealous, and they had been. Lorthander had enjoyed telling a then twenty-year-old, thin, red-haired Torqran about how many guys had asked to suck his cock or asked to have Lorthander fuck them. It had always made him laugh when Torqran would leap on him and rip the clothes from his body in an effort to reassert his claim over the other man. Torqran remained thin, still had red-hair, but he'd left twenty behind a long time ago. He never felt the need to reassert his claim. Lorthander belonged to him. Torqran bit his lip when Lorthander's tongue traced its way down his spine to the middle of his ass cheeks. About five seconds away from hanging up on Nortuvious, he jumped slightly when Lorthander gave him a small bite on the top of his right ass cheek. Okay… two seconds. "We have located the exact slave ship holding the two younger Versuthions and are monitoring its progress," 110
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Nortuvious stated. stated. "Good, we need to make sure nothing interferes with that ship. No one boards it without us knowing about it," Torqran commanded. He gasped when Lorthander turned him onto his back quickly and then gave a small groan when Lorthander took his weeping cock between his lips and began to suck. "Are you okay Master Torqran?" Nortuvious asked. Torqran nodded his head frantically before he realized Nortuvious couldn't see him. He had a hard time focusing with his cock being enveloped in the hot, wet heat of Lorthander's mouth. "Y-yes, Nortuvious. I'm fine. If that's all, then very good," Torqran panted. Lorthander swallowed his cock fully and the head entered the other man's throat. He clutched the bedsheets beneath him. Lorthander had to be trying to drive him crazy! But what a way to go. "No, Master Torqran, it isn't! I… um… well…" Nortuvious hedged, his agitation and fear penetrating the wavelengths of the communicator. "You what? Just spit it out, Nortuvious, otherwise get the hell off of my com link!" he yelled and then groaned when Lorthander chuckled, his mouth still full of Torqran's cock, the vibrations sending waves of pleasure 111
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washing through Torqran's body. "Yes, sir! You see. The oldest boy. The oldest Versuthion. He's not going to show up in Strawxig, sir. His shuttle crashed," Nortuvious stated. Torqran rolled his eyes. "I know this Nortuvious, we gave him the exact coordinates for the space storm we saw coming. He was supposed to have a shuttle crash and die in it. And that's what happened, right?" he asked. Lowering his hands to the back of Lorthander's head, he lifted his hips and began thrusting his engorged cock within the other man's mouth. "Um… no, Master Torqran. He did crash. He and his sister both, but according to our spies, they both survived," Nortuvious replied. Torqran froze and pushed Lorthander away from his groin. "What the fuck do you mean they survived? They were supposed to die in that crash! Then where the hell are they?" he yelled into the com link. He could almost hear Nortuvious's wince. He didn't care. The stupid clowns were fucking up his plans. "They apparently came out of warp during the storm and crashed on Tumaro, right within the palace walls," Nortuvious responded, his voice filled with trepidation. Icy heat flared up in Torqran's veins and his breath 112
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locked in his lungs. Tumaro? How the hell did that Vermithian freak and his Edifician sister wind up on Tumaro? The one place Torqran would never want them to end up. There were way too many 'moral' and 'upstanding' factions in play in Tumaro, not to mention the former Alpha King. Torqran shivered again, this time in fear as if the man stood right in front of him. "Please tell me that they were arrested," Torqran pleaded. He couldn't let Tal and Blaze meet. It couldn't happen at all. "Well the girl, Josepire, was taken by the guards, but Talon… he was taken to the clinic, met met Alpha King and from what our sources say, the two of them have already mated," Nortuvious stated. Torqran yelled out in anger and swept his arm out furiously, grabbing the first thing he could get his hands on, a glass figurine given to him by his wife of convenience. He tossed it against the wall and watched with satisfaction when it shattered. He ignored Lorthander who immediately pressed the button on the wall for the maid bot to come in and clean the mess. Once the offending machine left, Torqran had calmed down enough to speak again. "Now you listen to me, you little shit. I don't care what you have to do, how much you have to pay him, but 113
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you get in contact with Elder Bryce on Tumaro. He hates Alpha King Blazell, wants the throne for himself, and he especially hates gays. You get him on board and let him know it's up to him to get rid of the Vermithian." Without waiting for a reply Torqran turned off his com link and looked up at Lorthander who smiled. Standing, he lifted his hands to the other man's face. "I'm sorry Thander, but I must go and sort this. Forgive me?" Torqran asked. "Of course, love," Lorthander responded. Torqran struggled not to shiver at the sound of the other man's deep voice. With a smile at his lover, Torqran grabbed his robe and quickly slipped it on before striding quickly out of the room.
****
Lorthander breathed a sigh of relief once Torqran left. He didn't know how he could still love the man, especially after all the horrible things he'd already done, but love him he did. But sometimes, love wasn't enough. With a determined glint in his eyes, he walked over to his bag beside the bed and pulled out his encrypted messenging device. With a few taps of his fingers, he sent a quick command to someone who would get him killed if Torqran 114
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ever found out about it.
****
The man looked down and read the message before nodding with a grim smile. Just as he suspected, Elder Bryce had become a pawn of the corrupted GPA. He would do everything he had to do to keep the new Alpha Queen safe. Closing out the message, he deleted and scrambled his cyber footprints within the Elder's system before checking his own personal messages. He still hadn't received a response from his friend. He hoped nothing majorly bad had happened to him. Hearing footsteps approaching, he lifted his head and smiled at the man before him. "Elder Mailon? You called for this meeting since you were the one who noticed the candles. Aren't you coming?" Elder Prixton Foeul asked with a smile. Elder Mailon nodded and gave him an answering smile. He had to make sure he attended that meeting. He'd now unofficially become the new Alpha Queen's personal bodyguard.
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Tal squared his shoulders and lifted his head, trying desperately to look taller than his five foot six inch height when he walked beside Blaze to the Hall of Elders. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so nervous… okay, more than nervous, he was scared out of his fucking mind. This counted as worse than when he snuck off to have sex for the first time with a lion shifter. What had been his name? Oh yeah, Frank Mufariso. He calmed down somewhat when he thought about how sweet and gentle Frank had been, although the fear still permeated his pores. He also pretty figured it would be the height of impropriety to be remembering your first time with another man with your mate right next to you. "Calm down, gorgeous, I can smell your fear and I don't like the way that it smells on you," Blaze whispered when they stopped before a large wooden door. "It's making my wolf nervous and he's trying to get out in order to protect you from whatever is threatening you. Just take a deep breath and ease your mind." "Easy for you to say," Tal mumbled. "You aren't the humanoid about to be in a room full of wolf shifters." Blaze chuckled and grasped the handle of the door.
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"Don't worry, baby, I'll protect you." Tal opened his mouth to give his mate a scathing retort only to be cut off by the loud introduction given by the servant standing right inside the room. "Elders, behold Alpha King Blazell and his newly mated… um… husband, Alpha Queen Talon!" Tal rolled his eyes at the reference of him being the Alpha Queen but maintained the falsely peaceful smile and what he hoped to be a serene look on his face. His eyes took in the opulent surroundings and furniture of the Hall of Elders. Not so much a hall as a giant room where conferences were held, treaties and negotiations were carried out, and where the Alpha King could meet with his trusted advisors. Tal started to see the Tumaron pack and kingdom still ran under a lot of the traditional rules and standards, and while the buildings had grown and changed and advanced, it seemed as if the laws and titles and mindsets hadn't done anything to grow with the times. Then again, he based that particular perception on the fact they called him the Alpha Queen. Also, the archaic ideas regarding the royal heirs being cared for by a nanny wouldn't be something Tal could put up with and he had direct control over how his children would be raised. Although as the 'Alpha Queen' he had control over a lot of things, right? 118
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The walls gleamed silver, a dark brown trim around the ceiling and floorboards. The room appeared completely sparse otherwise, except for the large conference table sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by cushioned chairs. Turning his head to the right, Tal noticed two large thrones that sat against the wall facing the conference table. An indefinable something drew him in that direction and he fought the instinctive need to go and sit in one of the chairs. It didn't make sense, but he felt as if he belonged up there, that the space belonged to him. Like the chair called for him. "It is," a a tiny voice said, one that didn't belong to his mate. Turning his head slightly to the left he saw a tall, living, Totchoo plant in its glass pot resting beside the very doorway he'd just entered. He hadn't seen a Totchoo plant in years. They were some of the rarest, most treasured plants in the galaxy. Their branches were covered in leaves so dark green as to almost appear black and they flared out like spades and on each branch nestled between each leaf a brilliant red Totchi flower bloomed. The Totchi flower never withered, its color never faded, and they never fell off of the branches. They could only be removed, and once removed, the Totchi flower had the ability to heal within seconds, if placed directly on an open wound; the ability to 119
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bring someone back to life if their entire body could be covered with flowers and if they had been dead for no more than an hour; and the flowers also had the ability to compel someone to tell the truth, but only if it were brewed and made into a tea. Tal had always been fascinated by the Totchi flowers and the Totchoo plant. As far as he knew, since he'd a lot of study about the Vermithians over the past five years, only the most special of his kind were able to talk to them. "How am I able to speak to you?" he asked the plant, ignoring Blaze while he accepted the greeting greeting of each Elder and offered one in return. "Do you still not know who you are, Vermithian?" the plant responded. Tal glanced subtly back at the chair. "I am the His statement sounded more like a question. Alpha Queen." His The plant chuckled. Wow, Tal didn't even know they had a sense of humor. "Oh my dear Vermithian, it goes beyond that. You are special, very, very special. But you will learn all that you are in time, for you are one of many and together you will all change history. Only when it is time will all be revealed." Tal blinked at the cryptic message from the Totchoo 120
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plant. "How do you know this?" he he asked. "The One tells us all. Nature, animals, the winds, the sky, the suns, the moons, space, the stars, the galaxy, we know all, as the One tell us all. She used to speak to all life forms, to every species, but you all have just stopped listening." Tal blinked when he realized the Totchoo wouldn't be saying anything more. With the words of the plant burning in his heart, he turned his mind back to everything happening around him, and not a moment too soon. It seemed as if every eye had all turned to look at him. His gaze took in the appearances of the Elders standing around the table. There were fifteen… no, sixteen Elders, he amended when another one, much smaller in stature than the others, rushed towards his chair from a door at the back of the room. Tal shivered slightly with arousal when Blaze's hand came to rest on the small of his back. He allowed himself to be led to the smaller of the the two thrones, the one made for the 'queen', no doubt. He snorted internally before a nod from Blaze in the direction of the throne had him taking a seat. "That was perfect, love. You handled that as if you were made to be the Alpha Queen," Blaze complimented him. He still stood with his back to Tal, but he 121
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communicated his pleasure with his mate's actions. "Although, since you are my mate and born to be with me and I was born to be the Alpha King, that means you were born to be the Alpha Queen," he amended. Tal sent Blaze a mental image of him rolling his eyes before he replied, "We are seriously going to have to find another title because I am so not cool with the whole queen thing. Even if I can be a bitch from time to time." He smiled when Blaze laughed, although physically the Alpha did not move. Tal's left eyebrow quirked in confusion. Blaze and the Elders stood perfectly still, none of them moving, barely breathing. "Um… Blaze?" he he asked mentally. "Yes, love?" Blaze responded, still not turning to face him. "What the hell are you doing? Why haven't you sat down and why is no one moving or talking? I thought I came
here
to
be
introduced
and
interrogated
or
something?" Blaze sighed through their link and Tal grew concerned. "When the Alpha King finds his mate, they are brought before the Elders. The queen sits and the king stands, along with the Elders as the One weighs the bond between the mated pair. If the One finds they are indeed 122
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true mates, a sign will be given, something pleasant, something visual. If they are not a true mated pair—" pair—" Tal waited for Blaze to continue, his heart pounding in his chest, his instincts screaming he wouldn't like the punishment. When longs seconds went by with no further word from Blaze and no sign from the One, a deity he couldn't be sure actually existed, Tal shouted through their mental link. "Blaze! What the hell happens if they are not true mates?" "If it is discovered the Alpha King tried to pass off someone as Alpha Queen who was not his true mate, they will both be consumed by fire for all eternity," Blaze whispered the words to Tal's mind. His body frozen in fear, Tal began to look around frantically, his eyes searching for a sign from the One, hoping these wouldn't be his last moments alive. He hadn't found Josie, his parents were probably worried as hell, and, if he was being honest with himself, he'd like to have sex with Blaze at least one more time. He suddenly gasped when a warm heat surrounded his entire body before settling in his stomach. He glanced up at Blaze, struggling not to show fear, to not jump out of the seat and go running back towards Edifice. Edifice. Certain the One One had found his his mating with Blaze to be lacking, he had no way to be prepared for the feeling sweeping over him, the feeling of a warm hand 123
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that settled over his flat abdomen. He felt as if he were being rocked or caressed from the inside out. The hand left as quickly as it had appeared and on the floor before his chair an array of flowers and gold appeared as if they were placed upon an altar as an offering. An offering to him? Or from him? Tal lifted his gaze to Blaze, only to see his big mate's eyes swimming with tears. Very scary. He hadn't known his mate longer than a day, but he didn't seem the type to cry. They had received a visual acknowledgement from the One, hadn't they? Or were they about to be consumed by fire even as they stared at each other? "What happened?" he whispered to Blaze, ignoring the mutterings and murmurings of the Elders before him. He wanted Blaze to explain everything, no one else. Blaze swallowed thickly before responding, "The One has blessed our mating and gave us a gift of flowers. We were also given gifts of congratulations to the children growing within you," he explained. Tal's eyebrows flew to his hairline, "Children? What children? As in multiple?" Forgetting his need for decorum, he leapt out of the seat and gestured wildly, "What the fuck do you mean children, Blaze? How do you know? How would the One know? And how the hell can you tell that from some flowers and gold and—This. Is. 124
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Bullshit! How do you know?" he asked frantically, only vaguely aware of the room full of Elders taking their seats while they observed the royal couple. "I watched as your belly glowed as if from within, which means the One was aware of the fact you are pregnant," Blaze began. "But we don't know that! How could he… she… it… the One know, when I, the person actually having the baby, didn't know it?" Tal exclaimed, slightly slightly hysterical. He paced back and forth in front of his chair, aware that everyone was looking at him but not caring. "This cannot be happening. I just met him yesterday. We just mated yesterday. I don't even know him. He doesn't even know me. How can I be pregnant? I can't be pregnant. And he said children. Not child… children. How can this 'One' know?" he muttered beneath his breath before collapsing back into his abandoned throne. throne. "The One knows all," the small and tardy elder said with a small smile towards Tal. Tal tried to smile back but found it slightly impossible. "This is true Elder Saungfreid." Blaze nodded to the small elder with a smile. "It's just an accepted fact. Just as our being fated to be mates is an accepted fact." "Okay, so how do you know it's children and not 125
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child? And how many children?" Tal asked dazedly. "Did the One tell you how many children I'm carrying?" Tal sounded exhausted, but only because he felt that way. His emotions were scattered all over the place. He wanted to blame it on his apparent pregnancy, but he couldn't. His life had so dramatically changed over the last thirty-six hours. He wanted Josie. She always knew how to calm him down… he wanted his mother, he needed his mother. He'd even take his father or his cyber friend 'Mail S', anything to regain a sense of normalcy again. Blaze nodded towards the gifts at Tal's feet. "There are six crowns there, one of them, the biggest one, is for you, all Alpha Queens receive their crowns directly from the One. The other five are for our children. The One has provided their crowns, and the flowers are given as blessings also. All one color, purple, with only one flower being pink, that means that we are having four boys and one girl," Blaze interpreted, his voice filled with excitement. "F-f-five! You're trying to tell me I'm pregnant with five babies? Five?" Tal screamed. The Elders all covered their ears at the high pitched sound but Tal didn't care. He'd like one of them to find out they were pregnant with five children all at the same time, and see how they reacted. 126
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Blaze quickly knelt before him and Tal's face flushed hot, seconds before he got lightheaded and woozy. He had been passing out a lot lately… well, ever since he'd crashed landed on Tumaro. He never used to pass out on Edifice. It had to be either the atmosphere on the planet or all the changes occurring in his life, new mate, new title, new pregnancy… he'd have to go with the latter reason. "Tal? Love? Are you okay?" Blaze Blaze asked. Tal had to reassure his mate, the concern and worry pouring through their mental link wouldn't be an image Blaze should be putting forth in front of the Elders. "Yeah… sure… I-I just… I need… s-some air," Tal stuttered as he stood, before promptly passing out into his mate's arms.
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Blaze closed the door to the bedroom and massaged the back of his neck. With a sigh, he turned to the other occupant of the room. "How's he doing, Alpha?" Mailon asked. Blaze shrugged and walked over to the electronic bar. "Drink?" he asked. "Please," Mailon responded Blaze nodded before pressing the necessary buttons to get two glasses of Volauntic Fire; sweeter than Vamprincian Flow and not quite as potent, it still did a very good job of calming the nerves. He walked over and handed a glass to Mailon before sitting in armchair next to the couch in the sitting room. He so wanted to take off his boots and his button-down blue shirt and black pants. He'd already tossed off the royal robe he never left the suite of rooms without, but no matter how close he and Mailon got, he never got too comfortable or in this case, too casual, in front of the man. Blaze took a healthy gulp of his drink and Mailon did the same. He grinned when Mailon swirled the pale blue liquid around in his glass at the exact same time Blaze did, neither speaking as they both gathered their thoughts.
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"Any word?" Blaze asked after a few minutes of silence. Mailon nodded before leaning back heavily into the cushions. "Got a message from Lorthander. Master Torqran is planning to use someone here on Tumaro to carry out his plan," Mailon responded. He sighed and Blaze shook his head. "You know who he's using." Blaze nodded. He appreciated Mailon not naming a name. Both knew who Torqran would use. Elder Bryce. Fury rolled in Blaze's gut at the thought of the Elder's betrayal and he took another sip of his drink to calm his anger. "He tell you what the plan is yet?" Blaze asked before taking another another healthy swallow swallow of his drink. drink. "Nope. Just keeps saying that he can't fully betray his mate and that we just need to stay on guard." Mailon lifted a shoulder and shook his head, his lips lifting in a sneer. Blaze sighed in frustration and annoyance. Mailon kept things held very closely to the chest and getting details sometimes felt like trying to squeeze blood from a turnip. He smirked at the old Earth saying that seemed to work so well in this situation. He knew, subconsciously, Mailon's refusal to be forthcoming protected Blaze and while grateful, he just wished sometimes Mailon would share 129
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everything that he knew when he knew it. He looked over at Mailon. The smaller man smiled back and it took Blaze back almost a decade. Mailon's smile had drawn Blaze in from the very first. The long black hair, thick and soft to the touch, and Mailon's Mailon's full lips coupled with the small, firm body only added to the package. Blaze immediately tried to hook up with Mailon, but had to stop almost as soon as he got started. He hadn't been aware of what type of shifter Mailon was, but discovered it almost as soon as he'd entered him. He had certainly felt the pull of power from the other man, but it hadn't been until the very moment of penetration when it had become clear why. Not even Mailon had known his true nature or position in the pack. Now they both knew, though no one else did, and they were using it to their every advantage. "He doesn't know you're an Epsilon, right?" Blaze asked and used a warning tone. The other wolf scoffed and tried to hide his grin. Of course Mailon hid his true nature from everyone just as much as Blaze did. Epsilons were rare, even rarer than Omegas, and before the Great Destruction, when Tumarons and wolf shifters were spread out over the galaxy and all over Earth, Epsilons had been hunted by their Alphas. Blaze had never understood why, but his father explained 130
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that because Epsilons were small but deadly warriors and more powerful than Alphas, most Alphas felt threatened. They didn't realize Epsilons were to be used to help the pack, to strengthen the Alpha. Most could be used to gain power as spies, or secret weapons. Their small frames usually lulled their opponents into a sense of security, and most Epsilons were thought to be Omegas for that very reason. But once the opponent had been drawn into a sort of false peace, the Epsilon could get all of the information they needed and then were able, if necessary, to dispose of the informant with little to no fuss. Omegas were peacemakers, oftentimes changing the atmosphere of an entire room just by walking into it and willing it to be so. Omegas were small in stature, wolves full of emotion and a special power that allowed them to be able to control the feeling of a person by touching them. While there weren't many who knew it, Blaze's father had left notes suggesting Omegas were extremely fertile, with the men capable of getting pregnant. There hadn't been many Omegas born on Tumaro, perhaps due to the fact they had been mistreated centuries before, held against their will, raped, and beaten by the Alpha King in power and his beta. The One had obviously seen fit to prevent Omegas from being born on the planet until they could be appreciated and when Blaze had discovered he had one in 131
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his own kingdom, he'd been beyond excited. Having an Epsilon as well as an Omega exceeded anything he could have hoped for. Now if only he could have a Zeta, Delta, Iota, Kappa and a Theta or two, his kingdom, his 'pack' would be the strongest in the galaxy and he wouldn't have to worry about trying to keep his mate and their children safe. Blaze might enjoy having an Epsilon in his pack, but he didn't want Mailon being used against him, so it remained imperative Mailon's true identity always be kept a secret. "Of course he doesn't know. No one knows except you and me, Alpha. As a matter of fact, I wanted to ask you a question about that. If I get mated—or you know when"—Mailon gave a self-deprecating smile—"should I tell him?" Blaze smiled in return. "I wouldn't tell him at first. Only if you need to. There are some things our mates just don't need to be aware of," he responded. "Oh really? And just what are these things?" Tal said from the open doorway. Blaze's head swung around. The younger man had obviously changed and now wore a shimmery gold shirt with tight, form fitting brown pants, though his feet were bare and his hair hung loosely about his shoulders. In one 132
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hand he held the messenging device Blaze had given him earlier that morning and the other hand rested on his hip. He stared at Blaze awaiting a response. Blaze
grinned
sheepishly.
"Matters
of
royal
business, my dear. Things that even the Alpha Queen can't be privy to," he lied. Tal nodded but Blaze knew the other man didn't believe him and he'd landed in trouble… again. He seemed doomed to keep fucking up when it came to his mate. Tal merely smiled before he lifted up the messenging device. "Look, Blaze! My friend Mail wrote me. He must be really worried that I haven't written him back yet." Blaze opened his mouth to respond when he noticed Mailon's face had paled and the other man stood to his feet slowly. "Tal Vers?" Mailon whispered in wonder and Tal froze in place. "No shit! Mail S?" Tal exclaimed. Blaze watched in bemused amusement when both men nodded and then he growled possessively when they raced towards each other and embraced in a fierce hug. He rose to his feet quickly and pulled them apart, wrapping his arms around Tal from behind and growling at Mailon. He looked down at Tal when his mate started to laugh. 133
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"Forgive him, he's a little possessive," Tal chuckled. "No, no. It's my fault. Forgive me, Your Highness. I forgot myself for a moment," Mailon apologized. Blaze nodded in acquiescence though he couldn't stop the growl that still rumbled in his chest. He also couldn't keep the possessiveness at bay. "Mine!" He rubbed his face in the crook of Tal's neck, his hands moving all over the other man's body, and he became aroused by the feeling of his mate in his arms. "Blaze! Cut it out, I want to talk to my friend and I can't do that if you're making me horny," Tal admonished Blaze gave a wolfish grin before playfully nipping the side of his neck and stepping away. Without another word he returned to his chair, dragging Tal along with him by the hand, before he sat down and pulled the smaller man down into his lap. "So you two know each other or something?" Blaze questioned, unmindful of the way his hands caressed Tal's stomach. Tal bounced in his lap and muffled a groan of aroused agony. Blaze struggled to focus on his mate's response, but found it hard to do with the other man wriggling up and down on top of him. "Yes! We met in this teen chat thing over five years ago. I was nervous about coming out to my parents and he 134
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didn't know if he should. We've been friends ever since." Tal smiled. Blaze's wolf howled within him. Tal had never smiled at him like he did Mailon. Tal belonged to Blaze, not the Elder, so why didn't Tal smile at him like that? "I was so worried when I didn't hear back from you, I know how attached you are to your messenging device. I thought something might have happened to you," Mailon admitted. "Something did. My sister and I crashed landed here on our way to Strawxig, then I met Blaze and well… you know the rest." Tal shrugged and smiled shyly up at Blaze. He grinned back. He liked the smile much better than the one Tal had given his Epsilon. He had to fight the childish urge to stick out his tongue at the other wolf. "Your sister? Josie's here? Where is she?" Mailon asked with a grin, "I've always wanted to meet her. She seems so cool." The room went quiet and Tal looked away from Mailon for a moment. Blaze felt his mate's grief and anger over the fact his sister still hadn't been found and more than that, he felt his mate's guilt over the fact he smiled and enjoyed his mating when his sister's fate remained unknown. Mailon obviously noticed his friend's reaction and said nothing, merely looked at Blaze in confusion. 135
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Blaze discreetly shook his head, letting the other wolf know not to say anything. Tal had to get himself under control, no one could do that for him. "Josie still hasn't been found yet," Tal finally responded, lifting a hand to brush away a tear. "But Blaze is doing all he can to find her. Right, honey?" Tal held so much hope in his eyes and Blaze felt his throat tighten, but he only nodded in the affirmative and hugged his mate gently. "I sure am, baby. We'll find your sister. I'm doing everything I can to bring your entire family back together again," he whispered. Tal wouldn't understand what he meant by the cryptic statement and Mailon's left eyebrow lifted in question as well, but as he'd just finished telling the Elder, there were some things he couldn't tell his mate. The fact Tal's younger brothers, two teens Tal obviously didn't remember, were somewhere out in the galaxy, but he couldn't be sure where exactly, or what they were doing, or even if they were still alive, happened to be one of those things he had to keep to himself. Even if his mate got angry with him about it, Blaze would willingly make the sacrifice.
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Elder Bryce Morgasen walked into his home and slammed the door angrily. Livid didn't begin to describe his feelings. How dare Alpha King Blazell walk into the Hall of Elders with that… that… abomination and claim him as his mate! And then for the One to bless the union and to inform them all that… thing carried the heirs of Tumaro? He felt ill, physically ill. He pulled off his jacket and tossed it over the nearest chair in his sitting room, his house surprisingly quiet even though it had gone past the middle of the morning. He poured himself a shot glass of the illegal brew of Volcanic Volauntic Moonshine, angrily tossed the liquid back and drank it down with one gulp. Hissing at the burn, his eyes filled with angry tears when the liquid made its way down his esophagus, feeling like claws scraping down the delicate lining until it landed with a firm kick in his stomach. The drink had been banned on Tumaro and on most planets affiliated with the GPA, because its effects on the body were akin to drinking poison straight. But he liked burn. He liked the way way it made him feel, but more than that, he loved doing something he shouldn't. Throwing back his head, he yelled, "Anglania! Get your ass out here!" He waited for the younger woman to appear, 137
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pouring himself another glass. He caught her intoxicating scent before she even walked fully into the room and gave a growl of pure, masculine pleasure. God, he loved the way the voluptuous blonde smelled. Almost as much as he loved the way that she looked. She approached him, her hips swaying delicately, her blonde hair blowing with the flow of the wind coming in through the window. She stopped before him and put her hands on his chest, sliding them up to his shoulders, and then behind his head before pulling him down into a kiss. He growled and grew aroused at the heady taste of her. After a moment, she pulled back from the kiss and grinned up at him seductively. "You bellowed, my mate?" she asked. Her blue eyes twinkled and she smiled, but he knew her smile to be almost as false as the rest of her. Anglania lived to connive and manipulate, just like him. Probably the reason they were fated mates. No one would ever know that fact. It wouldn't be conducive to their plan, and at that moment, their plan, along with the orders he'd been given from Master Torqran, were the most important things in the world. Way more important than staking his claim. "Yes, call your brother, love, we're going to have to step up our plan to get you bonded with the Alpha King. 138
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He's found his mate, some filthy Vermithian named Talon Versuthion," he spat out angrily. Anglania gasped. "Isn't that the name of…" she whispered, anger filling her voice. "Yes,
that's
him.
The
Versuthions
are
the
prophesied saviors of the humanoid races. They're also the ones who are supposed to help bring true harmony to the galaxy. And as we both know, that harmony would destroy any chance we have of truly ruling Tumaro as we were meant to do," Elder Bryce stated, wrapping his fist with her long, blonde hair and pulling her head back, her neck stretched, waiting for his tongue, his bite… just waiting. His wolf panted within him. It had been fifteen years and still he had not claimed his mate and he wouldn't do it just then either. Not until they were ruling the kingdom. Instead he swiped the length of her neck with his tongue. "I have been given my orders from the master and so I now give them to you." "What are the orders, Bryce?" she asked. He grew harder at the sound of her ambition and drive. Nothing turned him on more than a ruthless, singleminded, low morals woman. "We are to get rid of the Vermithian, by whatever means necessary. Have you mate with the Alpha King and 139
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then we are to get rid of him. But you must be forewarned. The Vermithian is already pregnant, so security will have increased around him," Elder Bryce pointed out. "Let me handle it. Tal is as good as dead and so is Blaze. And then you and I will rule Tumaro… together," Anglania promised. Elder Bryce grinned before pulling her down to the carpeted floor.
****
Buck lifted the cigarjoint to his lips and took a deep drag of the smoke before exhaling it out slowly. He looked around discreetly to check out his surroundings, the darkness of the night wrapping around him tightly. He'd grown so sick of clandestine meetings, sick of being at the man's beck and call. Not for the first time he wished he'd never taken the first job. If he hadn't, he wouldn't be at the very edge of Anglethow, the city were the palace stood, waiting to meet a wanted criminal, hoping he wouldn't lose his life before he got home. Instead, Buck would be back in the palace, mated to Percy, the man he loved, the man he wanted more than life itself, but the one he'd sworn to protect. He sighed and thumped his head back on the wall behind him. Maybe if he just ended his life now Percy 140
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would be safe forever and this whole business, all of his secrets would die with him, no one would be affected, and his brother's claim to the throne would be fine. "There now, why are you trying to bash your head into the wall, Prince? Problems got ya' down?" a lilting voice called out from the darkness. Buck shivered. He hated that voice. With every fiber of his being, he hated that voice. He opened his eyes and breathed out a frustrated sigh. Too late to leave now. He'd been spotted. His opportunity for suicide, for escape, for blissful peace and rest had ended. Eyole stepped forward into the dim illumination from the only streetlight at this part of town and stopped. He loved to watch Buck look at him and Buck couldn't help himself from doing so. Eyole had to be the most beautiful blue bird shifter Buck had ever seen. His long blue hair hung down in thick waves to right below his ass. He had beautiful hazel eyes, full pink lips, a thin nose, high pale cheekbones, and a long graceful neck. But those things didn't make Eyole stand out. Not even his pale skin stuck out drastically on the planet of Tumaro while surrounded by tanned wolf shifters. His firm, mouth-watering bubble butt that could bring full-grown male shifters to their knees and made female shifters burn with envy didn't top the list. Eyole could be considered beautiful, stunning, downright 141
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punch-you-in-the-gut punch-you-in-the-gut gorgeous, but the truly remarkable thing that made him stand? His voice. Seductive and sensual, even when he only spoke, Eyole made the person he conversed with horny as hell and he used it to his advantage. One of the reasons he'd become one of the best criminals ever born. It also made him the most wanted criminal in the galaxy. One of the most loved and most hated men ever created, he never had a shortage of men or women lining up to sleep with him. Buck slept with Eyole because of his voice, once a week, every week, for the past ten years, to get information, to bring the men blackmailing him to justice, to keep his mate safe, even if he had to betray his mate to do so. "Any word?" he asked, dispensing with the niceties. "My, my, aren't we testy? Could it have something to do with your brother, the Alpha King, finding his mate in a Vermithian orphan who is already pregnant with the Tumaron heirs?" Eyole asked with a teasing lilt to his voice when he trailed his fingers up over Buck's chest to the back of his neck. "Just tell me, Eyole," Buck growled between clenched teeth, reaching up to jerk down the other man's hand. "Uh uh uh," Eyole tsked. He puckered his lips and tilted his head back. "Kiss 142
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first, information second, fuck me third, and then what you really want to know last." Buck growled low in his throat before he yanked Eyole forward, mashing his mouth down on the other man's, sucking at his lips, forcing his tongue between, not caring about the blood he drew, just desperately wanting to get the kiss over with so he could return to the palace. To Percy. After a few minutes of kissing he pulled away and restrained himself from spitting out the taste of the bird that lingered in his mouth. Eyole smiled with his eyes closed, the smaller man smoothing his hand down over his chest to his groin where he blatantly adjusted his rock-hard cock. Buck didn't have to, he remained as soft as a wet noodle in his own pants and Eyole knew that as well. But it wouldn't last, the bird loved to make Buck get hard against his will. "You've had your kiss, give me the information," he gritted out. Eyole licked his lips for a second before opening his hazel eyes and gazing at Buck unflinchingly. "I certainly hope your precious little Percy is worth all of this. I almost got shot today finding out this information. Is he?" He crossed his arms and stared at Buck. Buck sighed. "You ask me that every week," he breathed. "And every week I tell you he's worth my life, 143
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your life, my brother's life, everyone and everything. Trust me, he's worth it. Now tell me what you know." "I can tell you that he hasn't changed his mind. He also hasn't engaged in anything criminal recently, not him or his mate, to warrant you killing them or even arresting them, though I know you would rather neither of them breathed again. They did have a young girl come and stay with them for a bit, but I don't know why she was there. And I also know one of them is looking into slave ships that have been spotted in the galaxy. Don't know why and I don't know who it's for, but they have a lot of money put aside for two different reasons, in two different accounts and I definitely know I heard one of them say something about checking up on your precious Percy to see if he knew anything." Buck froze in place before, with a loud howl, he turned to leave. He had to go and protect Percy. He growled angrily when Eyole grabbed his arm. "Hey! What about my fuck?" "Do it yourself!" Buck snarled, attempting to pull away without hurting the other man too badly. "Don't you want to know about your brother's new mate and his younger brothers?" Eyole teased, stepping back and unbuttoning unbuttoning his shirt. Buck watched him, his cock hardening in spite of 144
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his revulsion. If he ran off to check on Percy while one or both of Buck's blackmailers were there, it would do more harm than good. Blaze would also want whatever information Buck could get on Tal's brothers. Slamming his fist into the wall with an angry howl, he turned to follow Eyole into the darkness, unbuttoning his own shirt on the way.
****
Neither shifter noticed the grim-faced man who stood completely hidden in the shadows, his scent masked, his eyes narrowed and his hand resting on the butt of his molecule phaser. They didn't notice when he followed in their direction. An hour later after having a reluctant orgasm while screaming out Percy's name as Eyole lay on top of an abandoned table in the alley, Buck didn't notice him when he walked away. Eyole noticed him however, seconds before the molecule phaser turned him into a shell of his former self.
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Tal came awake slowly and he winced at the harsh light shining in his eyes. Lifting his arm to cover his face, he turned his head when the bathroom door opened. "Good morning, beautiful! I trust you had a nice nap?" Blaze smiled. Tal could tell his big mate teased. He and Blaze had spent the entire night before with Mailon and then Percy, who had promptly left when Buck showed up later on. They had gone over where Josie could be and the best way to find her. They discussed Tal's parents and then Buck had taken Blaze out of the room, while Tal and Mailon chatted. Tal had shared his fears with Mailon about the children, being pregnant, his sister, his parents, parents, and the weird dreams he'd been having about two young boys since he'd crashed and woken up in the clinic. Each time the dreams had come Tal felt as if the two meant something to him and his heart always pounded when he struggled to remember who they were. They weren't his children, but they felt tied to his past. He wished wished he knew why. why. Mailon
left
soon
after
Blaze
had
returned,
promising him and Tal they would have lunch together the next day, reassuring him that his sister would be fine. He
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nodded towards Blaze and mentioned he would look into 'that situation'. Blaze had been in a playful mood ever since, which didn't upset Tal. Blaze seemed like the type to take things a little too seriously, so Tal found himself glad he could change that, even if only when they were alone. Tal grunted before flinging the pillow next to him towards his semi-nude mate. Blaze laughed and dodged the object before making his way over to the bed. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Tal's lips that soon turned deeply passionate. Scion, his mate could kiss and he tasted like the sweetest of berries and the thickest of creams. Tal thought he might be addicted to the flavor and smell of Blaze and could probably spend forever in his arms and never grow bored. But he had a feeling Blaze wanted to talk about something. Pulling away from his mate's delectable lips, Tal lowered his hands from Blaze's hair— how did they get up there—and made room for Blaze to sit down on the side of the bed. But first, Tal had a question he needed to ask. "How are you not freaked out by the thought of us having five children at the same time?" His fingers nervously tangled in the silver sheets of the bed, his eyes downcast as he nibbled on his bottom lip. Blaze grinned widely and gently tugged Tal's lower lip from between his teeth. Tal rolled his eyes and folded 147
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his arms across his chest. He wanted to know why Blaze hadn't curled up into a ball in the corner to bemoan the fates he'd been mated to a Vermithian who would be giving him five children. "I'm nervous and excited, but I've always wanted to have a whole lot of kids. I knew I was gay, so I merely hoped my mate would be a woman and that I could endure laying with her once in a while to get her pregnant, maybe while I fantasized about being with a man the whole time," Blaze confessed, looking ashamed. Tal's eyes widened. He found Blaze's admission shocking and a little sad. Blaze had been willing to mentally cheat on his expected female mate, just to have some children. Tal couldn't remember a time he wanted something so much he would have been willing to settle just to have it. The only thing he'd ever wanted had been to live, to survive… He looked over at Blaze, okay, not completely true. He'd also wanted someone to love him, but how far would he be willing to go to have that love and what would he sacrifice to keep it?
****
Blaze prepared himself for his mate's words of scorn. Instead he ended up being surprised by the smaller 148
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man. "You're gay? Oh my gosh! How could it be? How will I ever deal with being mated to a gay male Tumaron?" Tal asked dramatically. "How will I ever hold my head up high when all of the other queens talk about their straight husbands when I, Alpha Queen Talon Versuthion, am mated to a gay Tumaron?" Tal placed the back of his hand to his forehead and pretended to swoon. Blaze's mouth hung open at his mate's teasing before he threw back his head and laughed. He thought Tal amazing. Only Buck and Percy teased Blaze, and they did it sparingly, always respectful of the position and his title. But it seemed as if his mate didn't care one twig about the 'Alpha King' and Blaze found that utterly refreshing. Gathering his mate close in his arms, he kissed him before releasing him so he could laugh again. He'd laughed more in the last few days with Tal than he ever had before. Definitely something to be said for mating the right person, regardless of race or gender, and Blaze would be a much better man with Tal in his life than without him. him.
****
Tal lifted his head and smiled. His mate's face still brimmed with amusement. Tal might be slightly freaked 149
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out about the thought of being pregnant with five babies who were half Vermithian and half Tumaron, but the shock slowly faded and teasing his mate went a long way towards easing the frantic beating of his heart. He lifted his lips when Blaze lowered his, yearning for the kiss when a frantic knocking sounded at the door. "Fuck!" Tal groaned, grinning when Blaze growled. Glad to know someone else got frustrated with their interrupted lovemaking. Quite annoying. He wondered if romance readers knew that when someone mated to a king or a prince they were always getting interrupted. He should write a letter. And he might well become a virgin again if his mate didn't fuck him soon. Tal glanced down at the obscenely large erection protruding from the loose gold silk drawstring pants Blaze wore. It looked like Blaze's cock might fall off. "I'll take care of that later," he promised the still growling man when the knocking sounded again, this time a little more frantically. "Promise?" Blaze asked, placing a quick kiss Tal's lips before quickly snatching up his black silk royal robe, trimmed in gold, and jerking it on, not bothering to tie the belt. Tal nodded at his mate's back, thinking it a shame 150
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that all of his man's gorgeous body had to be covered up by clothes. Noticing the wide grin on his mate's face when the man turned back around to look at him, Tal realized the wolf had heard his thoughts. He smiled and shrugged. Only the truth, after all. Blaze strode angrily to the door, wrenching it open to yell in the face of the person knocking. Thankfully, Buck stood outside and the Beta Prince could take it. If it had been Percy, Tal feared the little blond man would burst into tears, or if it had been Mailon… well, something about his friend seemed a little scary. If Blaze had yelled at Mailon, Tal had a feeling Mailon could slice the man's throat before he had a chance to finish. "You better have a damn good reason for knocking on my fucking door so early in the goddamn morning when I am trying to spend some time with my pregnant mate before court," he roared. "Yes, Alpha King, I do," Buck snapped back, clearly annoyed with Blaze for yelling. "I've just been informed the female prisoner, arrested close to the crash site, is indeed the Alpha Queen's sister, Josepire." Tal's mouth dropped open. "You found Josie? Where is she? I want to see her." Buck reddened. "Well, um, she's been sedated in the infirmary. She wouldn't tell anyone her name or how she 151
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got inside the palace walls, but she kept asking if anyone else had been found. She was actually quite… um… insistent that we give her answers. We thought perhaps she was the Alpha Queen's sister, but…" He glanced in Blaze's direction. "The guard kept her arrest from you and the Alpha Queen until they could verify her identity. No one is taking any chances with your safety, especially with the royal heirs involved." Tal opened his mouth to blast Buck for keeping secrets, but a quick head shake from Blaze made him settle down. Fine. The whole royalty thing could be a big pain in the ass. Tal needed to know if Josie had been injured. "Is she okay? You said she's in the infirmary." He would never forgive himself if his sister had been hurt. He might be younger, but his parents would be disappointed with him if anything happened to Josie. He really needed to contact them, they were probably worried. "She's there because of the sedation. Once the Elders had verification, they ordered the medical team to let her wake up." Buck squared his shoulders and shot a look of apology in Tal's direction. "She's demanding to see you. Very loudly. Your sister is loud and demanding… and… loud." Tal chuckled in spite of being upset with the 152
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secrecy. "She's a bitch. You can say it. She knows she is." He laughed at the look of shock and apprehension covering Buck's face. Apparently, Josie had been her charming self again and had Buck scared of her. She had intimidating people down to an art form. It would take a very special man—or woman—to handle Josie. Tal wanted to leap out of bed and race to his sister. He bounced anxiously as he wondered what to do. He wanted to tell her all about his mating and the children he'd be having, but he could already guess her reaction to his new position and his new, what should he call Blaze? Husband? Partner? Alpha Lover? Blaze made the decision. "Good job, Buck. Why don't you have her brought here?" Tal leapt naked from the bed, unmindful of his nude state, excitement overcoming him. He couldn't wait. His sister survived, she was alive and looking for him. He knew Josie. If she didn't see him soon, she would tear the palace apart. Luckily for Buck, he averted his eyes as Blaze swept his mate into his arms. "You are never to allow someone to see your nudity besides me! Never, Talon! Do you understand me? My wolf will not allow anyone to look upon his mate's nude flesh and live. I'm extremely possessive and jealous and 153
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allowing Buck to see you this way would have caused me to want to kill him, my own brother, had he not wisely lowered his eyes," he explained furiously as he dumped Tal back upon the bed like a sack sack of potatoes. Tal's eyes widened. "Really? But yesterday he and Percy both came in while we were in bed together naked," he pointed out. "Yes, together. And we had just coupled. My scent was still heavy upon your skin. Besides, they were together and my wolf could smell their arousal for each other. This time Buck came alone, I was clothed and you were nude," Blaze struggled to explain. Tal nodded, feeling nervous and extremely anxious as he mentally warred with himself over not biting his lip and consciously keeping his hands at his sides. "I'm sorry. I didn't know," he apologized. "I know, baby, I know. That's why I'm telling you." Blaze kissed his temple. "Now, get dressed please, so you can see your sister properly." Tal smiled up at his mate and smoothed a hand over his still flat stomach. He didn't know why he suddenly had the feeling his reunion with his sister would be lifechanging for each of them.
**** 154
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Blaze chuckled when all trace of nervousness fled Tal's face and was replaced by excitement at the prospect of seeing his sister again. Buck left to retrieve Josie and bring her to Tal. Grateful for the brief reprieve, he didn't understand his own nervousness at meeting the woman whom Tal so admired. But perhaps he'd stumbled upon the reason. He wanted to make a good impression on his sisterin-law and that definitely counted as a new thing for him. As the son of the former Alpha King and now as the current Alpha King himself, he'd never needed to impress anyone. Everyone tried to impress him. The tables had turned and Blaze found himself overcome with a need to look his best and be on his best behavior. His mate smiled before racing over to grab one of the outfits Percy had bought for him. A pair of green silk pants, a brown silk tunic, gold slippers, a gold necklace that bore the crest of Tumaro on it, a wolf with a crown upon its head, and a pair of gold bracelets with the crest emblazoned on them, were all placed upon his mate's beautiful form. Blaze decided to change and dress similarly to his mate, wanting to present a united front when they entered and presided over court that day. He'd be honest and admit he also did it for when he met Tal's sister for the first time. He pulled on a pair of brown silk pants, a green silk tunic, 155
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gold slippers, and his gold necklace with the crest of Tumaro, the medallion resting between his pecs. Instead of a pair of bracelets, he added his gold armband, the symbol of the Alpha King. He also wrapped the gold sash, signifying his right to rule the planet of Tumaro, around his waist and pulled his long black hair into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He turned to watch Tal brush his extremely long brown and blond streaked hair until it shone in beautiful waves down his back. Tal smiled shyly, his golden eyes shining with happiness. Blaze's blue gaze reflected that happiness right back. "I can't wait for you to meet Josie. She's the strongest, fiercest, warrior woman I know. But she's hilarious! She has a wicked sense of humor," Tal babbled. Blaze grinned at his mate's excitement. "I'm so glad she's okay. I would have been lost without her. She's my best friend," Tal stated softly, his eyes growing soft with love. Blaze's throat thickened and he flushed with jealousy. He wanted his mate to speak of him that way, and only him. He wanted to be his best friend, and he hated that the position had already been filled. He knew it was irrational, and if he tried to explain it to Tal, the younger man would only point out the fact they'd only known each other for a few days, but he couldn't help the jealousy 156
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roiling through his gut at that moment.
****
Sensing his mate's turmoil, Tal opened his mouth to ask him about it. "Blaze—" The door flew open and the maelstrom that was his sister Josie barged into the room. Her gaze searched frantically before landing on him where he stood off to the side of the sitting room. With a squeal, she launched herself into his arms, wrapping hers around him tightly. "I am so glad you're okay! I was so worried about you! I woke up and I couldn't find you." She dragged in a breath. "I had been thrown off into some bushes or woods or something. I mean, I was okay, but I was so worried that you were dead or lost or something worse, like arrested or eaten or raped or something." Her words rushed together and she frantically kissed his cheeks, nose, forehead, and eyelids. Blaze growled furiously before turning to leave the room. Pushing Josie away gently, Tal rushed towards his mate, grabbing his muscled bicep. "Blaze?" His voice was filled with confusion and a hint of trepidation. His mate was upset with him or about to harm his 157
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sister. Tal didn't understand what had just happened. They'd gone from teasing and smiling to Blaze storming off in anger. It had to be some sort of shifter nonsense and Tal needed to be aware if it was so he'd know if he should be prepared in the future. He poked around Blaze's thoughts, trying to reach out to his mate that way, but Blaze cut him off. Tal didn't know what hurt worse, that Blaze had been about to storm off or that he didn't want Tal in his head. The larger man stopped and turned to look down at him with a small smile. In a gruff, emotion-filled voice he replied, "I'm going to give you some privacy and time to reunite with your sister. I have to go downstairs to the main floor so we can have court today. I have to meet with the people, hear their requests and settle disputes. It's the responsibility of the Alpha King." He stopped and ran his hands through his hair. Tal realized the gesture would be the only indication of annoyance his mate would show right then. Blaze growled softly before pulling his hair back into its original ponytail. He sighed and then raised a hand to caress Tal's cheek. "When you are finished here, grab your robe, the one I pointed out to you that was for court, put that and your crown on then send for Percy and he will bring you to 158
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the throne room where we hold court." With a bow to Josie and a small peck on Tal's cheek, he turned and strode from the room, a small entourage of guards surrounding him. Tal watched him go, his heart pounding in his chest, feeling slightly nauseous and uncertain. A part of him wanted to stay with his sister and catch up with her. Another part, however, wanted to race after his mate and demand an explanation for what had happened and make sure everything would be okay with them. He hated being confused. Fortunately for him, or unfortunately maybe, Josie took that decision away from him. "Your robe and crown?" she whispered. Tal knew, in that moment, what would happen and he turned back to look at her, bracing himself for her onslaught when she pounced on him verbally. "What the hell? Your robe and crown? Holy shit. Everything is finally starting to make sense." She paced back and forth, the pieces falling into place. "They "They wouldn't tell me anything after I woke up. Only that I'd be taken to the royal suite to meet the Alpha couple. The Alpha fucking couple… as in two people, my brother being one of them. What the hell is going on Tally?" Josie's voice rose and her chest heaved angrily against the silk bodice of the borrowed dress she wore. Tal bit his lip nervously. He hated it when Josie got 159
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mad, or when he had to explain something he didn't understand himself. His sister had to be the nosiest person born and she wouldn't rest until she knew everything she wanted to know. He'd have to tell her… something. "Well… um… Blaze… that is, Alpha King Blazell Roughshire… is um… sorta… like my mate," Tal stammered, his eyes darting around the room, his hands moving together in a nervous gesture. Josie crossed her arms over her massive chest. "What do you mean, 'sorta like'?" She narrowed her eyes. She didn't like it when Tal beat around the bush. "Either he is or he isn't. Spill, little brother, or I will use my tried and true way of making you talk." Tal sighed and closed his eyes on a groan, he so did not relish having Josie press his face into her chest while she pulled his hair. "The Alpha King is my mate." The room went silent for a full blissful two minutes before Josie whooped for joy and launched herself into Tal's arms again. "You found your mate! Well, that's wonderful! No wonder you weren't out there looking for me. Although, that was still pretty shitty. I mean you're here being pampered and I was trying to hide from the scary Tumaron army. Then they totally arrested me, threw me into a cell and when I wouldn't stop shouting and screaming, they 160
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took me to the infirmary and knocked me out." Josie paused long enough to drag in air. "I mean I get you were probably a little preoccupied and I'm sure you were the reason they were looking for me anyway. I mean, that's what the one really gorgeous guy told me. He said his name was Buck, but he's gay. I'm pretty sure of it. I mean, I can practically spot you gay guys a mile away now." She drew in another breath. "I bet Blazell wouldn't let you out of his sight, huh? Have you two already had sex? Well, of course you have. Duh, Josie, what a ridiculous question! No wonder he went all growly when he first saw me hugging you." Josie jabbered away and Tal patiently led her to one of the couches. There were three white, overstuffed sofas and one white loveseat, all trimmed in gold, a cherry wood table, which Tal knew had cost quite a bit, since it had come from the
now
almost
uninhabited
planet
Earth.
Mostly
overgrown with plant life and overrun with wild life, Earth was inhabited by only a few thousand humanoids. The cost to harvest then ship the resources totaled more than Tal wanted to think about. Blaze's armchair provided the only bit of true color in the room, being a dark blue. A large, flat vid screen took up half the space of one wall, with a state of the art entertainment vid system, electronic bar and liquor cabinet; an electronic food bar that made snacks, but not 161
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full blown meals, was sitting directly below the screen. A large window overlooking the palace grounds took up the rest of the wall space. Tal settled down next to Josie and continued to let her yammer on while his mind wandered over Blaze's strange mood. "What's his name? Blazell, you said, right? Right," Josie answered her own question and Tal chuckled softly. "No wonder he seemed so upset to see me. Tumarons are extremely possessive. He must want you all to himself." Tal perked up at her statement. "So you saw that, too? How standoffish he seemed?" Tal inquired. "Of course I saw it, honey. A blind man could've seen it. Everyone knows how possessive and jealous Tumarons can be. I think the fact he didn't strangle me or rip me to shreds as soon as I started kissing and hugging you and monopolizing your attention says a lot about his self-control and his feelings for you," Josie remarked and tapped Tal's chin right under his lower lip that he'd drawn between his teeth. "You're mated now, honey. Mated to the Alpha King, you have got to stop doing that. Besides, it's a little annoying. You're too old to be acting like some young centuries-past earthling female." "Blaze
would
never
harm
you,"
Tal
stated
confidently, ignoring Josie's insult, "He's so gentle and sweet with me. He wouldn't hurt you because that would 162
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hurt me." "And your feelings for him would be affected apparently," Josie murmured before giggling at the look of shock frozen on Tal's face. He hated she could read him so well, even more than that, he hated that she could pick up on the fact he had feelings for his mate when he hadn't admitted to himself yet. How could he though? They barely knew each other. He wanted to protest, but the heated truth rolling through him made a lie of the thought before he could even put it into words. Damn Josie and her perceptiveness. "So, besides being mated to the Alpha King, what else happened while we were separated?" Josie leaned back, putting her black slipper-clad feet up on the coffee table in front of them. Tal murmured under his breath, "I'm carrying five babies." His cheeks flamed red because everything had happened so fast and he still couldn't quite believe it himself. How the hell would he be able to handle five babies? And even more than that, how big would he get carrying five Tumaron-Vermithian hybrids? Wolf puppies were a lot bigger than humanoid babies, weren't they? "I'm sorry, what? I didn't catch that. But it must be a doozy if it's got you blushing," she pointed out, her 163
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eyebrows rising in speculation. "I'm apparently pregnant with five children," Tal stated a little louder, then covered his ears and waited for Josie's impending scream. Josie didn't just scream, however, she caterwauled! A blood-curdling, glassshattering, Tumaro-shaking scream of pure delight. Tal had a moment to somewhat prepare for the pounding footsteps of the other guards posted outside when they ran down the hallway. He even expected the door to be kicked open when the guards burst in to save him from his sister's enthusiasm. He did not have time to be ready, however, for one of the guards to be overzealous, grab his sister, and throw her over his shoulder, growling low in his throat. "What the hell are you doing you big oaf! Put me down!" Josie yelled, pounding on his back. "I am not going to be your chew toy! Put. Me. Down!" Without hesitation, Tal rose to his feet, pointed to the guard, and with all the authority that he could muster, commanded, "As Alpha Queen, I demand you put my sister down this instant!" Everyone in the room froze when the shockwaves of the pure power in Tal's voice ran through them. All ten of the guards were huge, twice, some even three times, Tal's size, in fact. However, the guard holding his sister hostage, would have to be larger than the rest, almost the 164
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size of Blaze. And Tal knew he shouldn't be noticing, but he found the guard slightly attractive with his military haircut, stormy gray eyes, and huge tattoo that appeared to cover his entire body, including his face. Only patches of his tanned skin actually showed. He only hoped Blaze hadn't heard his thoughts because then he'd have two big, overbearing, overprotective wolves in his room. All of the guards wore the royal attire of green tunics and black breeches, both edged in gold. Their swords, which would usually be sheathed at their sides, were out as the rest of the guard prepared to defend the order and safety of their Alpha Queen. The heavy thud of their black combat boots went silent as they prepared to engage what appeared to be their insane comrade. The guard in question slowly lowered Josie to the floor, very carefully, treating her like a delicate flower. He growled low again when Tal stepped forward. "Mine!" His voice went low and rumbly, reminding Tal fondly of his mate in his protective, possessive role. The
guard
clearly
struggled
between
being
respectful of Tal's position as the Alpha Queen and his current role of protector, but apparently he'd gone from protecting Tal to protecting… Josie? Josie? "Are you saying my sister is your mate?" Tal asked 165
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in surprise and stopped moving instantly, the implications of the guard's single declaration and actions finally sinking in. Easing the tension in his shoulders slightly, the guard replied, "Yes, Your Majesty." He bowed his head. "Wow," Tal breathed out the word simultaneously with Josie. "Holy. Fucking. Shitballs." Josie grinned when Tal narrowed his eyes. "Well… wait, what the hell is your name?" Tal asked, ignoring the feeling of nausea that suddenly overwhelmed him. "Gregor
Malvechio,
Alpha
Queen,"
Gregor
responded with another bow. Interrupting Tal before he had a chance to speak, Josie punched Gregor in the shoulder. "I don't care who the hell you are! You will not go around tossing me over your shoulder like I'm some damsel in distress. You will stop and talk to me first. Got it?" She all but yelled at the man, even though he towered over her. Tal grinned when Gregor swallowed nervously and nodded his head. Inhaling deeply, Tal fought to force the nausea down, wondering why he suddenly felt the urge to hurl. He hadn't eaten yet, maybe that caused it? He turned to dismiss 166
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the guards when he noticed Percy hovering in the doorway. "Percy? Can you show me where my robe and crown are so I may join my mate at court? Can you prepare a room for my sister and show her there? Also, find her some suitable attire. She looks like a wretched vid whore in what she currently has on," Tal said with a smile. "And I need something to eat, something light, I'm feeling a little sick." He noticed almost immediately how everyone looked at him with concern and he smiled wanly. "I'm fine. I swear it." "Right away, Your Highness. I can bring out your robe and crown from your bedroom if you would permit me?" Percy offered with a pleasant smile. Josie pounced again. "A wretched vid whore? I mean, I know I look tired and maybe even like I've been in a crash, abducted, arrested, brought here to the clinic and then like I ran to find you, because I have been! And I know this dress is a little small for me, but that's exactly what happened. I don't look my best, but I don't think I look like a wretched vid whore," Josie mumbled under her breath to herself and Gregor rubbed her arms in consolation. "You look gorgeous, my sweet," Gregor assured, and Tal smiled at the affection and protective instinct the larger man already displayed for his sister. 167
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He nodded towards Percy. "That will be fine, Percival." Tal smiled before turning back to his sister. Percy bowed and walked off to grab Tal's royal robe and crown… who would have ever thought that Talon Versuthion would have a royal robe and a fucking crown? "So… you found your mate, too, huh, Josie? I didn't think you had one. Didn't realize that Edifician harpies could have mates. However will Mom and Dad react by this bit of news?" he teased, laughing when Josie flipped him off. Josie laughed then sobered quickly. "Mom and Dad!" They yelled simultaneously. "I'll bet they are so worried. We've never been gone this long on a shipment without checking in," Tal exclaimed. "They're probably going nuts. They've probably already contacted the GPA, not to mention we never actually completed the trip. We need to contact them immediately and figure out some way to get that stuff where it's supposed to go." Josie nodded. "I can't right now, Josie. I have to meet Blaze at court," Tal declined, frustrated as he allowed Percy to wrap the robe around his shoulders, tying it tightly around his neck, before placing the crown atop his head and quickly brushing his extremely extremely long, sun streaked hair. hair. 168
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"I can have the communicator set up for you as soon as court hours have finished, Your Highness. Your sister can speak to your parents now and you can speak with them later. We can also have a scouting crew go back through the wreckage and see if they can find the rest of your shipment. I understand your sister already has some of it, and we can have it sent to its destination from here," Percy offered demurely. Tal turned to glare at Josie who grinned sheepishly. "I wasn't going to keep it Tally, honest. But I also couldn't leave it there. 'Sides, I figured if I had to pay someone for information about where you were I'd use what I took to do it with. But, you know, you didn't need finding or saving. Remember? While you were here becoming the mate to the Alpha, I was left outside, arrested, sedated, and finally brought here," Josie stated. Tal cringed in guilt. Nodding his head briefly, he kept his mouth shut. She kind of had a good point. Turning back to Percy, Tal nodded with a wide smile. "Your help would be wonderful, Percy, thank you so much for thinking of it. Can you show me how to get to the throne room before taking Josie to her room and setting up the communicator? I'll just come back with Alpha King Blazell. And maybe on the way, can we stop to get me some food?" Tal asked, using Blaze's full title in front of 169
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the royal guards who remained to escort him. "Certainly, Your Majesty. Right this way." Percy bowed formally before before turning to lead Tal to court. court. Josie, Gregor and three of the other guards were left waiting behind.
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Tal followed Percy through the halls of the palace trying to ignore his upset stomach and hoping that once he ate he'd feel better. He listened with half an ear as Percy droned on about the history of the Roughshire family, the Tumaron people, and the palace. Tal really worried about Blaze. Could his mate really be upset about Josie hugging him? How stupid. His sister would hug him a lot. It didn't make any sense. And the fact he couldn't speak to Blaze at that moment? Well, even more frustrating. He stopped when he felt the feeling of nausea increase and covered his mouth with one hand, the other hand dropping to his stomach. Percy's hand landed on Tal's shoulder, propelling him through one of the doors. They ignored the shouts of the guards and Tal promptly became sick in one of the toilets. It took him five minutes before he felt well enough to push away from the basin and then he smiled up in thanks at Percy who produced a towel and a glass of water. Swirling the water in his mouth, he spit it out before wiping his mouth with the towel. The water had a slight mint taste to it and Tal was thankful for Percy's quick thinking. He handed the items back to Percy and rose to his feet before
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taking the glass back and drinking all of the water. He wiped the sweat from his brow and took a deep breath. "Your Highness? Are you okay?" Percy asked fearfully. The younger man's concern warmed Tal and he nodded. "Yes, thank you, Percy. I think it's just the cubs… babies, inside of me," Tal responded unsure of how to refer to the children. The thought disturbed him. His children would be half Tumaron, would they be referred to as 'pups' as he'd heard some of the young Tumarons described? He grew angry at the thought of anyone referring to his children that way and started when he felt a hand on his arm. Turning sharply, he saw Percy looking at him in concern. "Your Highness, you smelled… well, I sense that you're angry. Would you like to return to your rooms? I can inform the Alpha King you are not feeling well if you would like," Percy offered. Tal calmed almost instantly. Why did it seem as if Percy had the ability to instantly make him feel peaceful? He knew he'd have to ask Blaze about that. As soon as he thought of his mate he grew instantly anxious to see him. "No, no, Percy. Please take me to… Court? Is that 172
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how I would refer to it?" Tal asked, and fought the urge to bite his lower lip nervously, suddenly aware of how… provincial and common common he sounded. sounded. Percy smiled consolingly and reassuringly at him. "Court is held in the Great Throne Room. So you would ask to be taken to the Great Throne Room to hold Court, should you ever need to make that statement to anyone else," the blond man informed him. Tal smiled and breathed a sigh of relief before nodding for Percy to lead the way. "You know, Percy, I may need you to give me some quick 'How to Be the Alpha Queen' lessons over the next few weeks. You know, protocol, titles, dos and don'ts, don'ts, how to walk, talk, dress, act, who to suck up to, who to ignore, stuff like that. I know you're my mate's assistant, but do you think I could get you to help me as well?" He shot a quick look at the younger man. Percy's grin of delight at the question made Tal sure he'd done the right thing. "I'd be honored to help you, Your Highness, and really, your mate doesn't need me much. The title of assistant is purely an honorary one. We can begin whenever you want." Tal quickly gave Percy a one armed hug, not wanting to smell too much like the other man for fear of 173
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how his mate and Percy's unacknowledged one would react. "Thanks PC." He grinned, giving the other man a new nickname. "You've just made yourself a friend for life. Now, can we also plan a time for us to plan a wedding ceremony? Because I know my mother, when she finds out I'm mated to an Alpha King and my sister's mated to a guard, she's going to demand a wedding for me, because she knows she'll never get one out of Josie." Percy joined in Tal's laughter when they continued their journey towards the Great Throne Room.
****
Three pairs of eyes watched as the two men, surrounded by guards, made their way down the stairs towards their destination. Filled with hatred towards both, the three plotted the death of one and the misery of the other. They promised both men would suffer, that both of their lives would end. One in death and one in being sold as a sex slave. Neither man would get the happily ever after they both dreamed about. They didn't see the powerful Zeta wolf who stood across the hallway, completely invisible, his scent masked, his eyes narrowed while he observed them. He had been 174
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born to protect the Alpha Queen because he had been promised to one of the children the Vermithian carried. His mate had not yet been born, but their souls had already been connected. Oamon, the trusted Tumaron shaman, had foretold of a son, to be named Maximillion Roughsire, a son half Vermithian and half Tumaron, his fated mate. And for certain, he had smelled the distant aroma of his mate, not fully developed. The age gap bothered him a little, he would soon turn twenty-seven, but fated meant fated, and nothing would stop him from protecting his mate. Nothing. Turning away from the conspirators, Kazumi went in search of his cousin Mailon. If anyone could help him, it would be his cousin, currently the only living Epsilon in existence. Between the two of them, they could help keep the Alpha Queen alive, because the Vermithian carried the first Iota half-breed in existence and Kazumi's mate.
****
Tal's mouth dropped open in wonder when he stepped into the Great Throne Room, where court convened. The massively huge room intimidated Tal as he took in his surroundings. The walls were a burnt sienna, the floors were a dusky gray tile; Tal did not understand the color combination there. There were tall columns down the 175
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middle of the room, evenly separated, dividing the room into three equal sections, the middle space had a long white carpet that ran down from the throne out the doors, symbolic of the purity of the Alpha King's decision to their problems. From what Tal understood, the carpet got cleaned every morning and evening since the dirt of the kingdom's inhabitants often stained it, but the Tumarons were nothing if not rigid in their traditions. In each of the other sections, hundreds of Tumarons stood waiting and as Tal made his way towards his mate, he noticed two men arguing with each other on the white carpet. His mate sat on his throne, two of his guards, three Elders, including Mailon Saungfreid, and Buck, all seated or standing around him. They were surrounded by smaller, less royal looking thrones. An empty throne sat next to Blaze's, almost as tall, but slimmer and Tal knew that particular chair had been reserved for him, the Alpha Queen. He still hated that title. He made a decision to talk to someone about changing the 'Queen', seconds before deciding he couldn't go and sit in the seat reserved for him in front of all of those people. "Your Highness, is everything okay?" Percy questioned and Tal shook his head to rid himself of his musings. 176
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"Yes Percy, I'm perfectly fine," he answered with a smile. Percy gazed intently for a moment, his eyes intense as if searching for an answer to an unspoken question. Tal assumed Percy saw the answer he wanted because he smiled and nodded. "All right then. Follow me please, Alpha Queen." His lips curved upward. Tal cringed internally at the form of address, but smiled back and nodded before following the other man to the throne left especially for him. "You will pay a monthly allowance to your neighbor until the debt is paid in full," Blaze commented when they walked up. The two arguing men, burly and looking angry and unkempt, nodded and bowed in deference to Blaze's ruling and after presenting their monetary offering to the kingdom, turned to leave. "Alpha King, I do not understand. For a case such as that one, where two men enter into a contracted business together and one reneges on his part of the deal, you would normally have them go out into the combat fields and battle for judgment," one of the Elders stated. Tal couldn't remember the man's name but he did remember he'd thought the man in question would be better 177
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suited as a lion shifter with all of the hair covering his thin body and the thick mane of hair that billowed around his face. "Elder Clouston, I am aware of how things were once done, but I am now mated and expecting my first pups. How can I condone violence when my life is filled with such joy?" Blaze asked. Tal's heart clenched at his mate's words. He'd never heard Blaze speak in such a way, not even to him. Perhaps his mate hadn't been upset with him because of Josie? Maybe he really did just have to rush off to hold Court? By the looks of all of the people waiting to be heard by the royal Alpha couple, a pretty fair assumption could be made that being on time for Court was imperative. Tal would have to ask Blaze to make sure he let Tal start getting ready an hour before Blaze did if he planned on being on time. He grinned when Blaze finally noticed him and grew hard behind his pants at the smoldering look in his mate's eyes. Blaze smiled with affection, obviously happy to see him. Without taking his eyes off the smaller man, he addressed the entire room. "Tumarons! Just days ago the One, our holy and omnipotent Goddess, saw fit to bless me with my mate, and you with your Alpha Queen! May I present to you my mate, Alpha Queen Talon Versuthion178
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Roughshire!" Blaze announced in a booming voice filled with authority, power, awe, joy, happiness and another warmer emotion Tal couldn't seem to place. Tal tried not to visibly react to his new name. When had it been decided he would take his mate's last name? Versuthion had special meaning for him. At least it did now. After almost dying in the crash and then finding his mate and carrying their children, Tal realized his past had importance. It connected him to the future. Instead of considering his birth parents as a biological twist of fate, he wanted to honor them. And now he should what? Stop being known as Talon Versuthion because his mate wished it so? Tal sighed. The happiness shining in Blaze's eyes showed how much he loved announcing the new moniker, so Tal would accept the hyphenated version. But he would so make Blaze give him a wedding now—a big, huge, extravagant wedding. Tal turned and looked out over the throng of people. Silence reigned for but a moment before thunderous applause, cheers, whistles, and hurrahs sounded around the room. Tal smiled fondly, feeling in that instant a deepseated love and protective instinct sweep over him for the people of Tumaro. As Alpha Queen, he would now be partly responsible for them. He would help to ensure they had homes, jobs, food, transportation, safety, healthy 179
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families, and good lives. A large task, slightly daunting, but not impossible and Tal embraced it with both hands. "And that is why you were chosen to be my mate, my queen, the Alpha Queen to my Alpha King. The other part of me, the better part of me. It's because of your big and all-encompassing heart," Blaze whispered through their mating link. Tal smiled, his heart thudding wildly in his chest as his groin swelled even more. He couldn't understand how the Tumaron Alpha could turn him on so quickly and make him feel so much, but he wouldn't trade it for all the Malui in Edifice. "Thank you for believing in me." The The return of the link with his mate, allowing him to speak so freely and privately with Blaze, filled Tal with gratitude. He found himself doubly thankful for the crash that had brought him to his mate… and beyond appreciative for his mate. "You're welcome, love," Blaze responded and squeezed Tal's hand before helping him back to his seat. They turned to smile at their subjects and began listening to their pleas for help and requests for judgment to be rendered in their disputes. They were a united front. A mated Alpha pair.
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Tal woke up alone. He sat up quickly and looked around for Blaze, concerned that perhaps the events of the past few days had been all a dream. Sometimes events, people, and places got jumbled up in his head, especially when he first woke up. He would find himself wondering where the two young teens from his dreams were or if he would see the beautiful Vermithian couple when he stepped out of his bedroom door. And now, now there were images of a tall, broad shouldered, gorgeous Tumaron Alpha King with blazing blue eyes thrown into the mix. Happy he had a few minutes by himself, he got everything straight, remembering which events from his dreams had actually happened and which were just the fanciful notions of his unique brain. His eyes took in the décor of his royal bedroom, seconds before his stomach roiled and he leapt from the bed and rushed to the bathroom and became violently ill. The door to the sitting room opened and closed and he heard voices, but he couldn't even begin to be worried about who had entered and who they were looking for. Too busy throwing up everything he'd ever eaten in his life, and a few vital internal organs as well, he was so grateful when it
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ended that after flushing, he laid his flushed face against the cold floor tile and whispered prayers of thanks to the One, the Two, the Three, the Four, every single numbered deity up until ten. He heard footsteps and then his mate's deep throaty chuckle. "I came to see if you wanted breakfast in bed or out at the table in the sitting room, or even downstairs in the formal dining room with the others who live here in the palace, but perhaps you would rather I brought it into the bathroom for you and served it on the floor?" Amusement laced his voice. "Shut the hell up you mangy wolf and help me to the bed," Tal grumbled miserably, groaning when Blaze walked over and lifted him into his arms. "Where were you? I woke up and you weren't there." "I had an early morning meeting with some of the Elders and leaders of the different branches of the kingdom," Blaze placed Tal gently upon the bed. Tal gasped. "Was I supposed to be there?" He worried he'd already screwed up in his duties as Alpha… Mate. Yeah, he liked that title much better. He'd have to remember to suggest it to Blaze so it could be changed on the books. Blaze chuckled. "No, babe, you never sit in on what 182
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is pretty much considered a diplomatic meeting, mostly you're in meetings that deal with Tumaro only." Blaze
walked
back
into
the
sitting
room,
presumably to get food or to call for it, and Tal thought about what his mate had just said. Indignation flooded his body and he shoved back the covers on the bed and hurriedly pulled on the first pair of pants and a shirt he could find, both were lying on top of the large oak trunk that sat at the foot of their bed… and both belonged to Blaze, which meant that Tal swam in them. He probably looked like a little boy playing dress-up in his father's clothes, but he didn't care in that moment, he had a bone to pick with his mate and his entire antiquated thought process. With one hand holding up the oversized pants he stormed into the sitting room, ignoring the others there, his eyes focusing in on his mate who stood at the travel food cart preparing a plate for him. "So wait, let me make sure I'm understanding this correctly. As the Alpha Queen I'm your equal in all things dealing with our people, the Tumarons, but I'm not important enough, or smart enough, to deal with matters of the galaxy? What sort of fucked up bullshit is that, Blaze? Anything happening in the galaxy that affects Tumaro means I should be in every, single, fucking meeting from here until the day I fucking die as the fucking Alpha Queen 183
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and your fucking mate!" he yelled, his chest heaving, anger flooding him as he faced his mate. "Maybe we should go," a hesitant voice said and Tal turned to see who spoke, groaning mentally when he saw Buck, Percy, Elder Mailon, Josie, Gregor, Rico, and another man who seemed to be staring at his stomach intently. "Hi guys. Sorry about that, um, pregnancy… um… hormones. You know carrying a full load inside of me, they've got my body all haywire and woo-wee-woo-wee," he laughed, making the noise used for a mentally unstable person and slowly backed away from the room towards the door. "You all stay. I'll go into the other room and hang myself from embarrassment." Without another word he turned and raced back into the bedroom, Blaze fast on his heels, stopping to address their guests. Blaze uttered a quick word of apology and everyone left, Elder Mailon saying a final statement before shutting the door. Tal waited for his mate to finally appear and realized he should probably talk to his old friend and see if he could call him 'Mails' like he'd been calling him since they were kids. He paced back and forth in the middle of the room, wringing his hands together and biting his lower lip nervously. Tal looked up when Blaze entered the bedroom and firmly closed the door. He swallowed when 184
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Blaze twisted the lock on the door and began to stalk him across the room. He tried to read Blaze's face and see if the other man was upset with him or if maybe, just maybe, only annoyed. "We had a conversation when we first mated about my needing to be respected in front of my people. Do you remember
that
conversation
Talon?"
Blaze
asked
menacingly. Tal could do nothing but nod. "Do you think what you just did showed respect in front of them?" Blaze stepped over to the trunk at the foot of the bed. Tal swallowed thickly and wondered what the trunk held and if it would hurt him. Did Tumarons beat their mates when they were upset? "I'm not going to beat you," Blaze responded with a mild chuckle. He then turned around and Tal got a look at what the bigger man held in his hands. In one he held a blindfold, two pairs of leather restraints, and a silk tie, in the other he held a small paddle. "I am going to discipline you, however." Tal shivered, though from arousal or fear he couldn't be sure. Tal looked at the items in his mate's hands and then 185
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back up. He and Blaze had never tried this before and Tal didn't
really
consider
himself
into
the
whole
dominant/subservient game, scene, whatever they called it. However, some part of him must really like it. He looked down at his traitorous cock, moments before the organ in question left a very apparent wet spot on the front of Blaze's pants. Blaze's nostrils flared, his eyes closed and he savored the smell of something. Tal wondered what? "I can smell your arousal from here love and it smells… delicious, absolutely, delicious," Blaze stated obviously having heard Tal's unspoken question in his mind. "Really?" Tal breathed. Blaze walked closer. Tal released his hold on the pants around his waist and let them fall to the floor, before he reached up around his mate's neck and pulled the larger man's head down to his own. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to do, love. If you don't want to do this, we don't have to ," Blaze's voice spoke in Tal's head. Tal pulled away and looked into Blaze's eyes. "I want to."
****
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Blaze shivered when his mate accepted then allowed the dominant headspace to fill his mind. He stepped away from Tal and gave him a stern glare. "I want all of your clothes off and you up on that bed on your stomach, with your arms and legs spread, in two minutes." He filled his voice with authority and dominance then smirked when Tal rushed to do his bidding. Oh, he would so enjoy this. He'd wanted to do something like this since the first time he and Tal had mated and he fully planned on taking advantage of the opportunity. He watched with barely concealed amusement when Tal scrambled to pull off his clothes, tossing them all over the room. Blaze slowly began peeling off his own garments. When he finished he strode slowly over towards the bed, where Tal quivered with excitement. Dropping one hand to the back of his mate's leg, he slowly ran his fingertips up a muscled thigh, over Tal's firm left butt cheek, over the left side of his back and up his arm to his wrist. Tal's breath quicken with his arousal. Blaze inhaled deeply and his eyes slid closed when the smell of his mate's pre-cum filled his nostrils. Tal's cock already leaked and they hadn't even done anything yet. Taking Tal's left wrist in hand, Blaze fasted one end of the electronic cuffs to the metal fastening he had concealed in the headboard. Tal gasped. 187
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"You never noticed that before did you, baby?" he asked with a grin. Tal's head shook back and forth and Blaze pulled his hand away and brought it down firmly on his mate's backside. Tal yelped and his body jerked. The handprint on his mate's ass had a fierce growl rumbling up from Blaze's chest when another sign of his claim to his mate appeared. Tal's free hand come back to cover the abused flesh, and Blaze spanked his ass again. "When I ask you a question, Talon, I want a verbal reply, and you don't move unless I tell you to. Do you understand me, mate?" Blaze pitched his voice low. "Y-yes, Blaze," Tal responded. Blaze brought his hand back down upon his mate's ass again. "Sir! Y-yes sir!" Tal corrected. Blaze grinned. "Good job, baby." He praised his mate before walking around to the other side of the bed and fastening Tal's other hand. He stroked the stretched skin of Tal's arms and smoothed his hand down over the planes of his back and over the globes of his tight ass. Scions, he loved the way his mate's skin felt. Drawing his fingers lightly down to his mate's ankles, he pushed and prodded Tal's legs until the younger man rested on his knees, his chest pressed against 188
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the bed, his arms spread with his wrists shackled to the headboard and his knees spread wide, the restraints on his ankles stretching to accommodate his new position yet still keep him bound. Blaze stepped back to look at his handiwork, his eyes continuously drifting up to the sight of his red handprint on his mate's ass and a small shiver of delight coursed through him. He stepped forward until he could reach the globes of Tal's ass with no hardship. He took one firm butt cheek in each hand and spread the globes apart then bent over to blow across the pink star that seemed to wink at him. Delighting in the shudder that wracked Tal's body, Blaze blew once more before sticking out his tongue and dragging it across the tense flesh. Tal's moan fueled his own desire and he leaned forward to lick again. "Scion, you taste so good, baby," Blaze groaned before he reapplied himself to the task of licking and sucking on Tal's hole. Tal's sphincter began to relax and Blaze pointed his tongue before easing it inside. Happy to be the Alpha male and thereby able to shift different parts of his body at will, he allowed his tongue to morph into that of his wolf's and began to thrust the muscle in and out of Tal's welcoming orifice, the raspy feel of his tongue obviously driving the other man crazy, if his whimpers, moans, and pleas for 189
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'more, more, more,' were anything to go by. Blaze pulled his tongue out and brought down a swift slap to Tal's right ass cheek. "No talking, baby," he admonished before returning to his earlier treat of eating Tal's ass. "Y-y-yes… s-s-sir," Tal stammered before pressing his chest down as far as it could go into the mattress beneath him, his ass stretching upwards as if searching for something. "Are you ready for me to fuck you, mate?" Blaze asked, his voice slightly more growly than before, his hands shaking slightly as he tried to restrain himself. "Yes, sir. Please fuck me, Alpha King," Tal pleaded. At the sound of his title, Blaze's tenuous control began to slip. He lifted his large and leaking cock, spitting on it generously before leaning forward to repeat the action on Tal's hole. He brought his fingers to his lips and sucked on them, coating them with saliva. Rubbing the pad of one finger around Tal's entrance made the Vermithian relax, and with the realization his man wanted him as much as Blaze wanted Tal, he pushed two fingers into the slightly stretched, very lubed entrance of his mate. Tal hissed, quite possibly from the burn, burn, before he thrust thrust those fingers in and out, Tal's cries and pleas lifting up to the sky. 190
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Blaze's head spun with the sound of his mate's pleasure and when his control snapped, he pulled out the four fingers and replaced them with the head of his cock, pressing in deeply and quickly, bottoming out inside his mate. Both cried out as if in agony, though anyone who heard the sound throughout the palace would know they were the sounds of lovemaking, and so, no one disturbed them. "Being inside of you is one of my favorite places to be," Blaze confessed confessed as he began to fuck Tal in earnest. He loved the feel of Tal's velvet channel squeezing his cock tightly as if to never let him go. Squatting slightly, he thrust deep within his mate and Tal let out a high pitched scream. Blaze had found the other man's prostate and adjusted his thrusts to peg the gland with every stroke. Blaze gave into the grunts and groans that fought to explode from his chest. The room filled with hisses of pleasure and the sound of flesh slapping flesh as Blaze pounded his thickly engorged cock into his mate's ass. "Fuck!" he groaned when the muscles of Tal's tight opening squeezed his erection. "Yes. Yes! YES!" Tal yelled. His mate's sphincter clutched Blaze's dick in a tight vise when Tal gave into the pleasure overwhelming him. 191
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Blaze sped his thrusts up and his own orgasm approached. Tal rode out his orgasm, his ass fluttering around Blaze's shaft, plunging him headlong into his own release. Leaning forward, his canines elongating, Blaze pushed his cock in deeply at the same moment he sank his teeth into Tal's neck, marking him come yet again. The act triggered a tingling at the base of his spine and he withdrew his canines, threw back his head, and howled. A very distinctive, very loud howl of pleasure, one heard throughout the palace. His seed burst forth from his cock deep within his mate, copious amounts of the hot liquid flooding Tal's insides. Not long after, Blaze's mating knot extended and grabbed hold of Tal's prostate, pleasantly pushing each man man through another, another, smaller orgasm. orgasm. "Fuucckk," Tal groaned. Blaze couldn't do anything but grunt in response. After a moment had passed, Blaze's knot released Tal's prostate and, with a shudder, he pulled his now softened cock out, still covered with his seed. Tal hissed when Blaze came free from his body and with a satisfied grin, Blaze got up and walked around the bed, releasing Tal from his restraints. When finished, he sat on the bed and gathered Tal up into his arms tightly, the other man curled up against his chest, his body still shaking slightly. Their breaths and hearts in sync, Blaze's heartbeat 192
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slowed and his body filled with peace. He belonged right here. With Tal.
****
Anglania stood in the shadows of the hallway, her lip curled up in disgust after listening to Blaze and the Vermithian having sex. How disgusting. Two men. What the hell could another man give Blaze that she couldn't? She didn't actually want the Alpha King. He would only be a pawn to what she really wanted. The throne, the crown, the title… the money. She shivered with arousal, thinking of all of the jewels and nice clothes she could have. The life she could, should, be… would be living as the Alpha Queen. Just as soon as she got rid of the stupid Vermithian.
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"And then you'd turn to speak to the person on your right," Percy stated and demonstrated the proper dining habits of royalty. Tal sighed. Bored, hungry, tired, cranky and he felt… well, he felt fucking pregnant. He didn't really care about dinner etiquette. He wanted to eat the food sitting in front of him but Percy wouldn't let him. Stupid Tumaron law dictated you had to have ten minutes of conversation before eating… with each person on either side of you. That equaled twenty minutes of waiting to eat when the food right in front of him. How stupid? "Fucking puppy shifters," he grouched. "Hey now, we're wolf shifters. I've told you that before," Blaze Blaze responded, the amusement clearly evident in his tone. Tal's heart pounded with excitement. He loved talking to his mate through their link. It made him feel so much closer to Blaze. It also gave him a chance to gossip about people without them knowing. "I know, I know. But Percy is making me talk when all I want to do is eat," he he sent Blaze an image of the food
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in front of him followed by one of him pouting. Blaze's answering chuckle had Tal grinning widely and he ignored Percy who droned on about some particular member of the Tumaron military and how he liked to spit when he talked. Tal rolled his eyes. "Can't you send Buck this way to distract Percy?" he he pleaded with his mate. "Buck is already on his way to you, baby, something about taking you around the kingdom. I would do it, but Elder Mailon and I have an important meeting," Blaze reassured him. Tal tried to tamp down his disappointment. He'd wished Blaze would be the one to show him around the kingdom, but over the past few weeks, Tal had seen very little of his Alpha mate. While they'd settled the dispute over Tal wanting to be a part of the meetings Blaze found himself engaging in, heated debates cloaked as discussions, Tal would gladly sit in on one if only to spend time with his mate. He failed dismally to hide his letdown when Blaze sighed through the link. "I would much rather it be me as well, love, but this meeting is very, very important. Trust me," he he said. Tal echoed Blaze's sigh. Blaze had as much frustration as Tal. Unfortunately, that did little to ease Tal's mind. 195
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"I know you would rather it be you as well, baby. I trust you," he he reassured his mate and returned his attention to Percy, just when Buck walked through the door. Had Tal not known who should be coming, he still wouldn't have missed all the little signs Percy made and would have been aware of who had arrived. The flaring of the younger man's nostrils, the tenseness seeping into his frame, the darkening of his eyes, and the way he tried very hard to not turn around. Percy had it bad for Buck. Tal turned to look at Buck with a smile, noticing how the Beta Prince watched Percy with unconcealed longing and hunger. Ugh! It drove Tal crazy. He wanted to know why the two men weren't mated already. He wanted to know right then at that moment. Because the only two people who were more made for each other than him and Blaze would have to be Buck and Percy, and mates should be together. Regardless of anything else. "Why, Buck! I hear you are taking me on a tour of the kingdom? That sounds delightful! Shall we be away then?" he asked, trying for the snobbish accent of the Doralians and the air of one of the Tumaron elite. Buck blinked in confusion and struggled not to laugh. "Why the hell are you talking to me like that?" Buck asked warily. 196
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Unable to help himself, Tal giggled. "I am trying to be the epitome of the perfect Alpha Queen, did that not come off?" he asked with a smirk, grinning widely when Buck threw back his head and laughed. "Not at all, Tal. I mean, Alpha Queen. I'm afraid you missed the mark there," the Beta Prince responded with a grin. Percy stood up from his chair quickly and with a hastily worded excuse, muttered under his breath, he turned and hurried from the room. Buck watched Percy race from his presence. Sighing, Tal stood up from his chair and walked over to join Buck where he'd stopped just inside of the doorway. "You know it would just be easier if you would just mate with him," he stated. stated. Buck shook his head and returned Tal's look of exasperation with one of his own. "Don't look at me like that, Beta Prince," he said acerbically, "I am not the reason you are standing here miserable and your mate is brokenhearted… you are." With the best 'queen' move he could imitate, he turned with a flip of his hair, a swish of his robe, tilted his nose into the air, and walked out of the room. When Buck didn't immediately follow, Tal turned back around and crossed his arms over his chest in vexation. Seconds later, 197
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Buck wandered out of the room, trying to mask the despair on his face. Saddened and confused, Tal whispered, "Buck, what's going on? Seriously. Why are you making yourself and Percy miserable by not claiming and mating with him? Why are you being so stubborn about this?" Buck's eyes slid closed slowly, his shoulders drooped as if the weight of the world had just been placed upon them, and he shook his head. Tal didn't know if Buck would finally tell him the problem, but the man's reaction had Tal thinking it would be a doozy whenever he did finally spill. Before Buck could answer, however, his eyes widened and then darkened with anger, fear, and finally, resignation before he sighed and shook his head again. "I can't tell you, Tal. I can't tell anyone. This is my burden. My issue. Just know that… that… I love Percy. More More than I ever thought I'd love anyone. I love him enough to make him miserable and not have him, and would never put him danger for my own selfish reasons," Buck's face switched from one that oozed heartbreak to one that radiated determination. "Now, no more talk about my life, my mate, or my decisions. It's time for me to introduce you to your subjects… Alpha Queen," Buck said with a teasing glint in his eye. Tal barely managed to restrain himself from 198
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growling in frustration, not only from Buck's refusal to talk about Percy and their situation, but also from the insufferable title. He gave the other man a regal nod and followed him out towards the waiting royal hover-carriage. Tal snorted and grinned when Buck raised an eyebrow in his direction. Really, could the Tumarons be anymore pretentious? He thought for sure hover-carriages were last season, but apparently, the Tumaron monarchy thought they were still relevant. Tal would have much rather ridden in one of the sleek Zeels hover-convertibles, whose edges were smooth and slick, they glided through the air and even on the streets with no sound and no hassle. He'd have to ask Blaze about getting a ZHC X-class, the newest model… maybe in aquamarine blue? So focused on what color he wanted his ZHC to be, Tal walked right into the broad and firmly muscled back of his brother-in-law who had stopped directly in front of him. "Oof," he said and bounced back slightly from the impact. "Sorry, Buck, I mean… Beta Prince," Tal said. He had to correct himself, forgetting for a moment they were in the presence of other palace staff and Tumaro subjects and he had to address everyone by their formal title, if they had one, or by their last name if they didn't. He thought it all pretty stuffy and obnoxious, and knew for damn sure he found it completely irksome to constantly be 199
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referred to as a fucking Queen, but he didn't want to do anything to offend his mate or his mate's people so he smiled shyly at Buck, struggling not to laugh at the expression of shock that crossed the other man's face at Tal's use of his title, and allowed himself to be escorted up the stairs into the hover-carriage. Settling down into the surprisingly soft, green and brown cushions, Tal sighed in pleasure and relaxed—the first real chance he'd gotten to do so all damn day. Turning, he watched his guards assemble themselves in their positions. Two climbed into the carriage with him and Buck, four climbed on top of hover-cycles in order to ride alongside them, while still two more would follow them wherever they were going. The gates opened and Tal pasted a smile on his face when a voice bellowed loudly from outside of the palace gate. "Make way for the Alpha Queen. Here ye! Hear ye! Make way for Alpha Queen Talon Versuthion-Roughshire. Tumarons, all hail the Queen!" the man declared with a toothy grin. Grinning widely at those who waited outside the gates of the palace, either to get inside the palace walls, on the off chance they may have an audience with him, and others who waited outside because they had nowhere else to go or nothing to do. And still some were waiting to catch 200
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a glimpse of the Vermithian who had mated their Alpha King. Before Tal could worry he perhaps didn't present the best image of a mate for the Alpha King, his mouth dropped open at his first real and true sight of Tumaro. "It sort of takes your breath away, doesn't it?" Buck chuckled. Tal could only nod stupidly, no words forthcoming as he got his first glimpse of paradise. All around him were homes of families… pack homes. Surrounded by trees and land, abodes far enough away from their neighbors so as to maintain a modicum of privacy and also to allow each family the opportunity to have steam pools, playgrounds for the children, and enough space for each individual's wolf to run around freely, they were still close enough so the families were able to get to know each other better. There were stores scattered throughout the streets. Vid stores, food stores, clothing stores… pet stores? Tal turned to look at Buck in confusion. "Pet stores? What the hell kind of pets do Tumarons have? From what I understand or was taught, the GPA had not rescued any type of human pets. So why the hell am I counting… three pet stores?" he asked and watched as Buck's lips twitched. "Would you like to see what they sell?" Buck asked, not waiting for a response before signaling the driver to 201
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stop the carriage and to land them safely in the street. Tal waited as his guards and then Buck stepped down before him and then, rolling his eyes at Buck's impudence, allowed the other man to take his hand, help him down off the carriage, and lead him inside the store. He ignored the stares and gasps of the people he passed, many of whom had only seen images of him on the Tumaron Daily Vid News or in the Tumaro Daily Paper, distributed to every district on the planet, and walked towards the display wall and let excitement fill him. "Are those Maltipompions?" he asked, his voice filled with awe and wonder. Someone chuckled and Tal turned in their direction. "Yes, Your Highness. We provide only the purest bred of Maltipompions on the entire planet," the store owner stated with pride. Tal tilted his head to the side slightly at the sound of the man's lisp. With a gasp and his eyes widening, he covered his mouth in shock. "You're a vampire?" he questioned, amazed a vampire would be living on Tumaro. Doralian vampires and Tumaron shifters hated each other. To find a Doralian living on Tumaro, free, happy, proud, and owning a business, a very lucrative business, counted as more than just a shocking, it practically equated 202
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as a fucking miracle. "Yes, Your Highness," the vampire said with a grin. "You sound just like my mates did when I first met them." Tal opened his mouth to apologize only to watch in amazement when two very large, very attractive Tumaron men walked from out of the back of the store and towards them. While Blaze definitely had to be the most attractive man Tal had ever seen in his life, he could freely admit the two men were definitely tied for second. "Just be sure you are only admiring aesthetics, Blaze's voice sounded in his head. love," Blaze's Tal grimaced slightly. He kept forgetting about the stupid mental link he had with his mate. "We Tumarons are very, very possessive and can be very jealous, I'd hate to have to leave my meeting just to come over and kill three businessmen." Distracted for a moment, Tal noticed Buck seemed to be talking with the three store owners about something very important, if their rapid-fire words and big, wild hand gestures were anything to go by. Tal sent Blaze an image of himself rolling his eyes before he replied. "How far does this whole mental link thing extend? I mean can you be on an entirely different planet and still hear my thoughts? Not that it's a bad thing, but I'll tell you what, sometimes it might be nice to keep 203
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some shit to myself, like how hot I find another guy, even if he's not as hot as you and my dick doesn't get hard over him whatsoever," he he quickly reassured his very large, very possessive, Alpha mate. Blaze chuckled before he responded. "It gets fainter the farther apart we are from each other. But the closer we get to each other, the clearer and more distinct it becomes as well. Now, I do believe I should devote my entire attention to this meeting before I sign away the palace or something. Do have fun, Tal," Blaze Blaze said. Tal laughed underneath his breath. It always tickled him how Blaze could go from a sexy, playful, lustful Dom who could also be all sweet words and snuggling and caresses—Tal could almost guarantee that at night when Blaze thought he slept, his big, strong mate gently rubbed his stomach and talked to their unborn children—to a formal, cold, indifferent, almost snobbish Alpha King in five seconds flat. Tal found it quite an amazing feat. Not one he wanted to accomplish at all, but it amazed him that his mate could do it and do it so well. Buck and the store owners headed back towards Tal and he shook himself out of his mental musings before he smiled and prepared himself for whatever scheme Buck had hatched up. "Your Highness, the Beta Prince has informed us 204
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you would like to purchase a Maltipompion. We would be happy to assist you," the smaller of the two Tumarons said grinning. Tal quickly catalogued his features. He stood about five feet eleven inches tall, had short brown hair, gold eyes, and while broad shouldered, he didn't appear as wide as some of the other Tumarons Tal had come in contact with. Tal wondered if maybe he might be a half breed Tumaron and thought of the children growing inside of him. Looking over at the tallest of the three, Tal glanced back and forth between the two men. He sensed one had mixed blood, some instinct within him assured him, but he couldn't tell which one. The tallest man seemed to be all Tumaron, but almost too Tumaron. While it wouldn't be a problem with Blaze or anyone else within the kingdom, Tal compared the men to his own children, the ones he currently carried and the ones he would carry in the future. He wondered if the half-breed status, and falling in love with a half-breed, was the reason the men owned a pet store. Tal's chest tightened and his head swam from panic, he forced his mind past the thoughts of babies, children, and how the hell he could be pregnant while trying to learn how to be an Alpha Queen, and focused on the sight of the pets before him. Maltipompions were a hybrid breed of animal crafted by the GPA after the humans had been 205
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rescued. A mix of maltese, pomeranians, poodles and lions, the Maltipompion was a tiny animal with a huge mane of fur that fluffed around its face. Everyone wanted one, especially a purebred, and Tal couldn't get over seeing an entire display cage of the beautiful animals. He noticed one of the creatures in the corner, his fur a beautiful mixture of brown, gold and white and Tal felt instantly drawn to him. He ignored the chattering of the men behind him when they asked him which animal he wanted and stepped closer to the glass. Raising a hand, he watched in astonishment as the beautiful, lonely creature opened its eyes and looked at him before walking over to the window to lick at the hand he'd placed there. "Have you come to take me home?" the creature asked. Tal gasped in shock. How could he have forgotten he could speak to animals? How many other creatures had he ignored or brushed aside because he'd forgotten he could hear them? "Would you like to come home with me?" he he asked. The tiny fur ball stood up on its back paws and began to whine. "Very much so. The other pets don't like me very much I'm afraid. I think it's because I don't really play all that much." 206
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Without another thought, Tal gestured to the shop owners and indicated which one he wanted to purchase. He smiled when the tiny pet panted happily and hopped around on two legs as if dancing for Tal's amusement. He chuckled and unconsciously placed a hand on his flat belly. I wonder if my children will like to dance and have fun. Blaze's chuckle sounded seconds before the man's arms wrapped around Tal from behind and he placed a kiss on the back of Tal's head. "Our children will be the happiest children in the entire galaxy. They will dance and laugh and have fun, because they will have you for a daddy," Blaze murmured in his ear before releasing him and stepping back. Taking a deep breath of happiness, Tal turned with a smile. "Thank you," he whispered. Pulling back, Tal cocked his head to the side and placed one hand on his hip. "What are you doing here? I thought you had meetings all day." "Well, my Queen. Imagine my surprise when I was told that you were in the pet shop looking to purchase a Maltipompion," Blaze stated with a raised eyebrow. Tal wanted to nibble on his lower lip, but stopped himself, uncertain if he had overstepped. This nervousness only lasted a second, and then he remembered that although 207
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he hated the name of his title, he loved the power it gave him. The fucking Alpha Queen could buy a pet if he wanted to. With a grin, he walked over to the counter where his new pet was loaded into a green carrier with the seal of Tumaro upon it. "Yes, I have decided to purchase a pet for our unborn children. I thought it would be fun, don't you, Alpha King?" he queried with a smirk. Blaze inhaled sharply. Tal enjoyed what it did to the other man when he called him by his full title. He began pointing out items he wanted to buy for his new pet and Blaze walked up to settle behind him, placing one hand at the small of Tal's back. "I think it's a perfect idea, mate. And when you are finished here, we shall see as much of the kingdom as we can before we head back to the palace for dinner," Blaze stated. Tal detected his underlying tone of sex and arousal. He wondered if the other Tumarons could smell Blaze's excitement as well as he could. He didn't think he'd ever have been able to say he could do that, but he seemed to be able to smell Blaze's body heating up, a musky, almost heady smell of man, sweat, and sex. It made him ache. It made him want to throw caution to the wind, rip the clothes off of his hunky king, and mount him right there in the 208
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store, in front of everyone. He groaned underneath his breath his shaft hardened in response to the smell of his mate's skin and Blaze chuckled. Tal had never had such an acute sense of smell before mating with Blaze… before getting pregnant with five wolf shifter babies. He turned to glare at the other man before accepting the carrier being handed to him from the shop owner. At that point, he realized he didn't even know the man's name. "I'm sorry. We weren't formally introduced," he apologized, realizing he'd ignored protocol. The three men smiled at each other before turning back to answer him. The vampire held out his hand and answered first, "I am Christienson Markoff. Everyone calls me Chris or CM." Tal shook his hand before turning to the shorter of the two Tumarons. "I'm Ralph Jorgolowsin. Everyone calls me RJ," he stated. Tal shook his hand, aware of Blaze's low growl when the other man seemed to hold onto the embrace a little longer than necessary. Tal turned to the tallest of the three men. The tall, broad Tumaron man, with short black hair, and whose eyes glowed a beautiful amber color. The 209
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tall man grinned and Tal blushed slightly at the sexy and sinful action as the Tumaron stepped forward and bowed low. He cleared his throat when Blaze stepped closer to him and tried to control his wayward thoughts. He didn't think he would ever be attracted to anyone else other than his mate, ever again in his life, and for the most part that was true. It wasn't so much that he was looking at this man with lust or desire, but when he smiled, Tal felt a definite… something. "I'm Stiving Hoyler. You can call me Sty or Styve, I get both. And in case you were wondering, I'm half Tumaron and half Namprincian," he explained and Tal felt awareness and clarity wash over his mind. Well that explained it all perfectly. With a giggle at being so obvious, he shook Stiving's hand and stepped away. "It was a pleasure to meet all three of you. Thank you so much for assisting me with finding…" He realized he didn't even know his new pet's name. Lifting the carrier slightly he looked inside and decided to ask the animal for himself. "What is your name little one?" he he questioned him. "Farthing," the the animal responded. Tal grinned. What a cute name. Lifting his eyes back to the men behind the counter, he finished his sentence, "…Farthing. I am truly happy to 210
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make him an addition to our family and to have a new 'baby' of sorts before our own children come along." With what he hoped was a regal nod, Tal gave a friendly wave and said goodbye, turning towards the door to leave. Blaze said his own goodbyes and Buck picked up the large velvet lined box of items that looked much like the box he'd kept aboard his shuttle before it'd crashed and followed them out to the hover carriage. Tal smiled down at Blaze when the larger man helped him up into the vehicle before climbing up behind him. Buck followed him in shortly thereafter, taking the carrier from Tal and placing it on the seat next to him. "So… what's next?" Tal asked excitedly, glad to finally be able to see the planet he now helped to rule, but more than that, happy to be spending time with his mate. He refused to examine the feelings of peace and extreme happiness that flooded his being whenever the other man came near, choosing to attribute it to being mated and expecting children. His emotions weren't involved at all… they couldn't be… because he hadn't even known Blaze that long and they weren't in one of the stupid romance novels Tal read. He completely discounted what his mother and father told him about mating, even after he'd overheard conversations between others about mated couples falling 211
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in love quickly. Tal wasn't like other people. He didn't fall in love just because some chemical in his body and brain told him to, just because 'fate' or 'the One' decided he and Blaze were made for each other. If he fell in love with Blaze it would be because he knew the other man, because they knew each other. Fate and mating be damned. He wasn't in love with his mate, he was in… infatuation. Yeah, all the peace and happiness, the contentment, had to be about infatuation. With a determined huff of frustration, he turned his attention to the windows and watched as the landscape of Tumaro drifted past. He and Blaze waved to the people they passed on the streets. Some were walking. Some stood in front of their businesses and as they traveled into the residential areas, some hung out with their neighbors in front of their homes, kids playing out in the yards or with their own pets, and at one point they even saw a group of Tumaron teenagers, who were obviously in a band, practicing on their roof. Tal smiled at the people he now felt responsible for in some way. He smiled as he saw them going about their daily lives and living their regular routines. He grinned at those who waved at him frantically. He waved at those who seemed almost too shy to wave to him. He inhaled the fresh air that seemed to surround him and seep into his pores and he lifted his face to the sun that 212
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seemed to infiltrate his essence. Blaze took out his communicator and began to discuss matters of the kingdom with Percy and Tal looked over at Buck in sympathy. The Beta Prince's eyes filled with anguish and longing and Tal felt sorry for him. He wished he could do something to help Buck and Percy find their way to each other, but with Buck clinging to his secret so tightly, Tal feared a mating between the two of them would either never happen, or be forced upon them by tragedy. Tal prided himself on always being right. He usually gloried in the fact and he often smug about the way he could almost foresee the future based on people's actions and reactions to different events, but this time was different. This time he didn't want to be right. He'd never hoped to be wrong more in his life.
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Tal blinked his eyes open with a groan, the sunlight streaming in through the windows, hurting his already throbbing head. "What the hell?" he grumbled in annoyance, wondering whose ass he would have to kick for opening the blinds while he still slept. He squeezed his eyes tighter together, turning over onto his stomach to go back to sleep, only to be encumbered by the small bump in his belly. His breath locked up in his chest and his eyes flew open. What the hell had happened while he slept? As a matter of fact, what the hell had he eaten last night? His mind raced and he tried to figure out the reason for the lump in his stomach. Finally, his mind caught up with the present and he gasped. Sitting up quickly, he looked down at the now very apparent evidence of the children that he carried within him. "Oh. My. Scions. I can't believe it. I-it's real." He gently laid his palms over his stomach. The sheer magnitude of what he carried within him weighed heavily on his mind and his heart. It had been two and a half months since he'd been to the Hall of Elders and discovered his pregnancy. Except for some queasiness,
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extreme exhaustion, weird cravings, and those horrible bouts of vomit that he had early in the morning, and then promptly forgot about, he'd been able to ignore being pregnant for the most part. Once those symptoms had passed he had felt practically normal. Well, as normal as someone in his position could feel. A moment of sudden clarity rushed over his mind, and he gasped again, his right hand flying up to cover his mouth. Pregnant. Mated to a wolf shape shifter. Who just happened to be a king—the Alpha of the pack. The fucking ruler of an entire plane. And… pregnant… with five half breeds. Oh… wow. Just… fucking… wow. Wonder and awe filled him, moments before confusion filled his every pore. Intense, extreme confusion, the kind that usually made him say something stupid. "What the hell am I having?" he questioned aloud, aware of being alone in the room, but needing to have the question out in the open. His couldn't even ask his pet flower. He'd had to remove it from the bedroom because the damn thing had been making him feel sick and freaking him out as well. After all these years of close companionship, he couldn't even stand to look at the godsdamn plant. He should feel bad about it, but he just couldn't drum up the needed emotion. Too tired, too sick, too 215
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fucking pregnant with… whatever he'd be having, to care about his old plant friend. Gods, what a bastard he'd become. "You're having a litter." Josie giggled from the doorway, a noise that effectively pulled him out of his depressing musings. Tal swung his eyes her way to observe her color shrewdly. Edifician, just like their father, Tal always found himself checking to see if her skin grew any darker, something he'd been doing since they were kids, when he'd first noticed her tone changing shades. Her skin would tell him better than she ever would if she was sick or not. He didn't necessarily obsess over it, just checked on it periodically, but they'd barely seen each other over the last two months, both settling in with their mates. If the beautiful brown color of her skin grew black it meant imminent death. When it happened as a result of age it would be of no concern. From an early age, Tal wanted to make sure Josie wouldn't die too soon. He didn't know why he'd always had that fear, though it could have something to do with losing his parents. He didn't think it the only reason though. An image of Josie, holding her belly and throwing up, up, flashed across his his mind, followed by one of her covered in blood. He gasped and shook his head, trying to rid himself 216
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of the vision. He reminded himself Josie had a mate now and while they didn't spend much time together, Gregor would never let anything bad happen to her. They both had very attentive, very overprotective mates. Not necessarily a bad thing, Josie with her royal guard and Tal with his Alpha King, but definitely strange for each of them. They had spent so many years practically living in each other's back pockets, always looking out for the other, and now they barely saw each other, unless they were passing in the hallway and then they merely waved and continued on their way. If their parents could see him and Josie right now they'd be completely surprised by the huge change in their relationship, but they would understand the natural progression of life. Tal tried to take take comfort with the notion whenever guilt crept up on him about neglecting his relationship with his sister. Or when he grew angry with her neglect of him. He once again pulled his mind from his musings and focused on her, making a mental note to check with the palace doctor about why he was having such a hard time concentrating. "Ha ha ha. Funny, bitch," he teased back. She sauntered over. Her hair had been braided back, and her eyes twinkled with happiness. She wore a skintight, black, one piece leather pantsuit. Her heeled black boots 217
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came up mid-calf and were tightly laced and pulled over the legs of the suit. She looked like the perfect image of a Dominatrix, like the kind he saw on the vids he'd snuck and watch as a teenager. He'd never been interested in the role of the person wielding the whips and floggers, but he'd found himself very intrigued by the role of the subservient one. Well I guess that works out pretty well as Blaze is very obviously the Dom in our relationship. Although, knowing that my sister fancies herself a Dominatrix, even in dress is very disturbing. "Well, don't you look beautiful and fierce all at the same time?" he mused, raising his voice and adopting the accent of the Doralians who all had very musical tones. Josie sat in the chair next to the bed. He raised his eyebrows at her choice of seating and she smiled. They'd always sat cuddled up, even when they were teenagers and their boyfriends came over. Probably why they didn't have boyfriends for too long, he realized. He shrugged. It worked for the best in the end. Those guys were assholes, and he had Blaze and Josie had Gregor now. "I passed Blaze on my way in. He told me I could sit in the chair but his wolf would probably go feral if it smelled any scent other than his on the bed mixed with the scent of his pregnant mate," she explained to his unasked question. 218
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Tal nodded, not the least bit surprised she knew exactly why he'd raised his eyebrows. She'd always known him so well. As children, they'd been able to have entire conversations without ever speaking. He missed they didn't do it as much as they used to. "Aahh," Tal replied in understanding, just a little thrilled by his mate's possessiveness. He didn't doubt Blaze cared for him, but maybe he did to a small degree. When they were alone, Blaze was so attentive, but out in public… "He has gotten a little more Alpha possessive over the last few weeks, since we found out about the babies…" His words faded and his mind returned to its earlier dilemma. "What's the matter? What are you thinking about?" Josie asked. "You look like you're trying to figure out the exact light year equation from Edifice to Namprince or something." Tal snorted. No one had ever been able to figure that out. Namprince was a very weird planet and seemed to jump in the galaxy rather than rotate like all the other planets. Tal gave himself a mental shake, not wanting to be teased by his older sister over his insecurities. "It's nothing. To be honest, I'm surprised to see you without your shadow. Where is Gregor anyway?" he asked slyly, 219
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changing the subject. "He's doing kingdom patrol this week rather than palace patrol, and don't try to change topics. I taught you how to do that. Don't forget, I know all your tricks. What were you thinking about that made your mouth pull down into that frown?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest, her face turning into its stubborn lines. Tal sighed deeply, aware she wouldn't let it go until he answered, and answered truthfully, since she could always tell when he lied. It was just as annoying now as it had been when they were kids. Closing his eyes he resigned himself to answering. "I was thinking about my children. You know, my unborn children with Blaze. What exactly am I giving birth to? Humanoid children or wolves? Vermithians or Tumarons? Will they come out looking like humanoid babies or will they come out half human, half wolf? Or, am I actually giving birth to a litter of dogs?" he admitted, ashamed, ashamed, tears filling his eyes at the slight edge of hysteria he heard in his words. " Love? Are you okay?" okay?" Blaze's concerned voice spoke through their mental link Too ashamed, Tal couldn't respond. How in the world would he be able to tell his mate he feared giving birth to his children because he was afraid he would be 220
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giving birth to monsters? Babies who would come out looking like half Vermithians and half Tumaron wolves? Blaze would be furious and disappointed, but worse, he might think he had the wrong mate in the end. "Oh, honey," Josie whispered in sympathy. He refused to lift his eyes to hers, not wanting to see the pity or the disgust on her face at his vanity. "Have you asked Blaze?" she questioned, sighing when Tal merely shook his head no. "Tal, you need to ask Blaze. I'm sure he knows. Besides, he needs to know you're struggling with this, that this is a fear for you, that—" The rest of Josie's words were cut off by a hesitant knock on the suite doors. They turned their heads in the direction, neither entirely sure who would be knocking on the doors to see Tal. "I'll go see who it is while you get up and get dressed," she offered. She stood up and made her way through the bedroom doorway to the suite entrance, closing the door firmly behind her to give Tal some privacy. Tal scrambled from the bed and rushed over to the armoire in the corner to pull on some clothes, hoping they would still fit. Blaze had hired a personal tailor and the man had been working around the clock to create a new wardrobe for him, but with his new baby bump, he didn't know if anything would fit 221
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his formerly thin frame. Tugging on a pair of royal blue silk pants, he was happy to find the waistband stretched to fit around his waist. He settled for slipping on a black tunic, embroidered in royal blue around the collar, the cuffs of the long sleeves, and the hem. Hearing Josie talk with whoever had arrived out in the sitting room, he rushed over to his new vanity Blaze had purchased for him just the week before and quickly brushed through his hair, which had grown thicker and longer during his pregnancy. He'd teasingly told Blaze he had his own version of wolf fur, which had caused the bigger man to roar with laughter. Tal loved to make his mate laugh and after hearing his chuckle that first time all of those many weeks before, he'd set out to make sure that Blaze made that sound as often as he could. He often thought Blaze took being the Alpha King way too seriously, but Tal understood. His mate did very serious work. Well, if the things Tal had responsibility for could be anything to go by, he could only imagine the stress of his mate's position. The word position sent his mind into a very vivid image of him and Blaze making love the night before and Tal struggled to keep from groaning, more than aware wolves could scent arousal. Clenching his fists and squaring his jaw, he tried to think of something that would get his mind off of his mate… unclothed and 222
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waiting for him in the bed… or wet and in the shower… Grunting, he imagined his father in the small pair of blue shorts that he loved wearing back home and his erection promptly deflated. Thanks, Dad. Slipping his feet into the black slippers he'd left beside the bed, he walked towards the door, prepared to greet his visitor. Unless it might be Mailon or Percy, or hell Buck, it would be a long time before he'd be ready to deal with anyone else. Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, since he had no idea who could be waiting on the other side, he placed a hand over his just noticeable bump and murmured softly to the babies who lay within. "Okay, Daddy's gotta go out and act like an Alpha Queen, which is a title he still really hates, so no making him nauseous, okay?" he pleaded. He hadn't had morning sickness in a while, but according to his mother, Vermithians were sick during their entire pregnancy. Opening the door with a smile, and a final plea for composure and a visit free of nausea, to the One and whatever deities existed that listened to the prayers of mated Vermithians, he stepped into the room and saw Josie talking with one of the Elders… what was his name again? Oh yeah, Elder Bryce Morgasen. The one who always wore a perpetual scowl on his face and had his long, gray hair braided tightly down to his waist. Tal didn't really 223
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like him, Mailon didn't either, but whenever Tal had asked the other Elder about it, Mailon just grinned and said something along the lines of differing personalities, and had left it at that. Elder Bryce stood in the middle of the room, silently watching Josie when she turned her attention to the other two visitors, both of whom were almost as startling beautiful as Blaze and Buck. Almost. Tal would be very hard-pressed to think anyone more beautiful than his mate… except the vid star Bohn Jarrowman, that man was beyond beautiful. Tal had to watch him when Blaze wasn't around. Blaze had destroyed two large vid screens because Tal had sighed when Bohn had appeared on the screen. He absolutely didn't understand the big deal. Bohn might be nice to look at, but Tal knew he belonged to Blaze and wanted it just that way. Maybe he should tell Blaze the next time he went to watch Bohn on the vid screen. It might just save them from having to buy another one. Tal noticed the two strangers looked similar, hauntingly similar, and wondered if they were related. Then he realized they had to be related… or clones. Either way, they were practically twins, though one definitely seemed like a more masculine version of the other. "Aahh.
Alpha
Queen
Talon,"
Elder
Bryce
welcomed him, the words sounding as if they were choked out of him. 224
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Tal didn't know if it was the whole Alpha Queen thing, which admittedly, he choked on himself, or maybe the whole 'Talon' thing. Making a mental note to talk to Josie about it, he returned his focus to Elder Bryce. "Let me introduce you to Freud and Anglania Lang, they are distant cousins of Alpha King Blazell and Beta Prince Buckington. They were not in the planet's orbit when you were introduced to the kingdom as Alpha King Blazell's mate. They had, as a matter of fact, left only hours before you… arrived… at the palace, and have been extremely busy with family matters since returning, but they wanted to make sure that they came by to meet you and welcome you to their family and to Tumaro," he explained and expression of pain crossing his face. Tal wondered what family matters they had to attend to and if the reason had the Elder so distressed. He hoped it would be nothing that would cause Blaze to leave him for any extended period of time. Feeling extremely guilty over his selfish thoughts, Tal would have to make up for that brief flash of self-centeredness and be extra kind to Anglania and Freud and try to help them as much as he could. Tal smiled and stepped forward to shake hands with his new cousins-in-law. Freud appeared large, almost as large as Blaze, but then again Tal had begun to discover all 225
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the Tumaron men were large, except for the Elders. Freud's hair had a gorgeous blond color, cut extremely short in the military style. His blue eyes seemed shifty, extremely untrustworthy, and not too intelligent. Freud stared at Tal as if weighing him as possible competition for something; or to assess him as a threat for some inexplicable prize. Tal wondered what the prize could be and if he'd come up lacking in the other man's eyes. Freud had tan skin, which, once again, Tal had come to expect of all of the Tumarons. Freud smiled thinly and shook Tal's hand and bowed deeply, almost mockingly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Queen Talon," he said with a sneer, his lips twisting sarcastically. Picking up on some underlying jealousy and thinly veiled contempt, Tal pulled his hand back and nodded regally to the other man. Definitely not a member of Team Talon then, he thought jokingly, very happy to not be projecting his thoughts and feelings to Blaze, because these people were his cousins, his family members. He didn't know how Tumarons viewed mates versus blood kin and which relationship would be more sacred. Mentally squaring his shoulders, Talon turned to face Anglania. Anglania Lang was the feminine version of her brother. While shorter and smaller than Freud, she still towered over Tal and had more muscle. She looked like a warrior 226
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princess with her long blonde hair braided in one long plait to the middle of her back. Her blue eyes were wide and held such innocence in them that Tal instantly went on alert. Beautiful, with a pert nose, high cheekbones, and curvaceous body, she looked like one of the supermodels from Earth, hundreds of years before the time before the Great Interplanetary Awakening. Josie used to stare at pictures of them as a teenager. Tal's mind scrambled scrambled for the model's name but found it completely empty. With a mental sigh at the further destruction of his brain because of his pregnancy, he gave himself a stern mental talk. Look Tal, you can't be an Alpha Queen based on looks alone, you're going to actually have to bring something to the table here. So straighten up and focus! Get your mind right or they're all going to think that you aren't worth a single Printakius. Tal smiled at Anglania and shook her hand also, shocked when she squealed and hugged him fiercely. He tried not to choke on the cloying scent of flowers, sugar and… no way… dirt? How… gross. "No shaking hands! You're family now, Alpha Queen Talon. Family! I mean, we're all just so happy Blaze has found his mate! We were beginning to despair for him." She lowered her voice. "Although we were a little surprised to hear you were a man. I mean how would Blaze get his 227
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heirs you know? But then"—Anglania's body shivered in what Tal supposed was delight—"then we find out you're Vermithian so you can actually get pregnant and Blaze didn't waste any time getting you with his child." She giggled and lightly squeezed Tal's arm, which she still held in her grasp. "Or should I say children? Elder Bryce filled us in on everything. We are just so excited and happy for the both of you. We really are, and you know, if you have any questions about palace etiquette, events, politics or the like, do not hesitate to ask me. Really. I'd be beyond happy to help you with anything that you need help with. I'll bet you didn't know if Blaze hadn't found his mate this year, the law would've required he marry me in order to produce heirs for the royal line, so I pretty much know everything you should know," she offered with a large smile. "But can you imagine Blaze mated to me? I know I can't!" Tal blinked in surprise at the rapid flow of words, and by what she'd said, and the way she'd said it. Either she counted as one of those women who found gay men sexy and arousing or just… weird. He leaned towards the latter. "Uh…" he stammered, "t-t-that would be great. Thank you." He accepted her offer of help in confusion, still baffled by her exuberance. Bemused and amazed, he wondered where she kept her energy cell pack and his legs quaked in exhaustion in 228
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the face of her bubble of liveliness. Anglania shook her head, her blonde braid moving around her shoulders enchantingly. "Don't mention it, really, it's the least I could do. I mean, we are family, right?" she asked humbly, shrugging one elegant, tanned shoulder. Josie grunted from the other side of the room. "Right," Tal returned with a genuine smile. Smiling broadly, for the first time Tal had ever seen, Elder Bryce clapped his hands to get everyone's attention as if they were a rowdy bunch of adolescents. "Right, well, I'm glad everyone's met and getting along, but we really should let the Alpha Queen rest. She is carrying quite a litter," Elder Bryce stated with a chuckle at his joke. Tal forced a laugh from his lips even as his hands fisted in anger at the man's idiotic words. Ass. Everyone rapidly agreed and Tal and Josie walked the visitors to the door. They said goodbye and Tal promised he would call Anglania if he needed anything. The door closed behind them and the two adopted siblings breathed a sigh of relief as they leaned back against the door side by side. "Bitch. Pale, wolf shifting, conniving bitch," Josie 229
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breathed, glancing glancing at Tal. Probably to gauge his reaction. "Don't forget underhanded, fake, sneaky, and manipulative," Tal pointed out, "as if she ever had a shot with Blaze." He shot her a look before collapsing into hysterical laughter, Josie joining in. "I'm so glad I wasn't the only one who saw it!" Josie chuckled. "Oh no, sweetie. I saw it too. We're going to have to be on our guard with those three," Tal stated with foresight of the trio's motives and shady dealings. He didn't know what they wanted, exactly. Anglania wanted to be mated to Blaze, but he couldn't figure how the other two played into it. Too bad for the skinny witch, she'd never come in contact with a Vermithian before. Otherwise, she'd know better. "Right you are," Josie nodded before slipping her arm through Tal's and pulling him away from the door. "Now, let's get you showered, dressed in something a little more comfortable, and fed so we can go shopping in your kingdom," she suggested, walking him away from the suite door towards the bedroom.
****
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Standing outside the door, Freud and Elder Bryce growled at the pair's astute observations. Anglania merely smiled. No surprise Josie had picked up on Anglania's stellar performance as the helpful familial relation. The Edifician might be too smart for her own good. If her horrible Vermithian brother didn't happen to be standing in the way, and she didn't have to get rid of him, the two of them might have been friends. Oh well, she didn't live her life full of regrets or 'what-ifs'. The Edifician woman would have to be dealt with as well. Just maybe, she would deal with her a little nicer than she would the Vermithian scum. Patting both her brother and the Elder, her obedient and loving mate, on the top of their heads, she smiled when they both groaned happily. Men were so easily appeased, and so easy to control. She began walking down the hallway towards her own chambers. "Those two just may be trouble for us, but boy, will it be fun to kill and tear them both apart. Especially the Alpha Queen. Then, after Blaze has grieved sufficiently, I'll make him claim and mark me. Then I'll get pregnant, and as soon as I do, you, Freud will make sure both he and Buck have a fatal accident," she explained her plan, not looking at either of them until they were all ensconced in her chambers. 231
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Her horrid guest chambers. It wouldn't be long until she would be in the chambers for the Alpha Queen, just as soon as they dealt with their current… distraction. Walking over to the liquor cabinet tucked in the corner of the sitting room, she opened it and pulled out three glasses and two bottles, one filled with Namprincian Whiskey and the other filled with Strawxigian Snake Venom, the most illegal liquid drug on the market. She mixed both liquids in the glasses before offering them to her partners in crime. Only then would she finally look at both in the eye, with a twisted smile, before sinking gracefully into her seat. "And then the kingdom will be ours, as it should have always been," she stated.
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Tal and Josie stepped out of the royal carriage shuttle, Tal's laughter joined with his sister's as he entwined their arms and began walking away from the vehicle. While it was extremely difficult for him to allow someone else to get his bags, and Josie felt the same, if they tried to grab their purchases on their own, it would cause problems with the palace servants. So the Tal dragged his sister around the palace yard chattering about everything from their mates to his unborn children. He rolled his eyes when Josie rattled off possible baby names for his 'litter of puppy hybrids' and tried not to laugh when he realized every name was a variation of hers. He and Blaze had only discussed baby names once before Tal had magnanimously told his mate that when the time came Tal would be too out of it to name anyone and would leave that particular task to Blaze. He'd made the right decision. Blaze's face had erupted in a huge grin. Tal didn't share the information with Josie, however, letting her chatter on about Josine, Josina, Josephiro, Josien and Joseph instead. Extremely happy he had this time with his sister, Tal hadn't realized exactly how much he'd missed her until
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they decided to spend the day together. There were just some things his mate couldn't give him, though he'd never tell Blaze. The man proved to be extremely jealous when it came to anyone giving Tal something Blaze felt he should be doing. Tal thought it completely ridiculous, but Mailon had warned him it came down to a wolf thing and to not question it at all. Tal readily agreed. There were quite a few things Tal agreed with Mailon about: his mate, being the Alpha Queen, and the fact that Mailon's cousin, Kazumi, seemed to spend an awful lot of time staring at his stomach, which was probably the creepiest thing that had happened to him since he'd shown up at the palace. Well, outside of the 'Wonder Cousins', as he and Josie had dubbed Anglania and Freud. "So what do you think we should do now? Can your stomach handle us going out to the barns?" Josie teased, rubbing Tal's stomach. Tal pushed her hand away in feigned annoyance and huffed. "My stomach is fine, oh Mighty-Pain-In-My-Ass," Tal said, laughing when his sister opened her mouth in shock and put her hand to her forehead in a false swoon. Tal took Josie's arm in his again and the two walked on towards the training fields. "Gregor said the Alpha Kings used to let the Tumaron people come out here and settle their disputes 234
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with violence and by fighting and whoever forced their opponent to submit won the judgment. He even said Blaze was doing this up until about a month ago. I wonder why he changed it. It sounded like it was a pretty old tradition," Josie mused. Tal grinned sheepishly before answering. "He changed it because of me," Tal responded, his left hand drifting absentmindedly to rub at his stomach. Josie glanced over at him, once again, waiting for him to tell her all. "The first time I appeared in Court there were two men who were fighting about their children, both boys, both of them at the age of consent… they were found in bed together having sex, by one of the fathers. Now, I didn't see what the big damn problem was, obviously, and I knew Blaze didn't either, but he was just letting these fathers argue in front of him. No one asked the boys what they wanted or how they felt. It had come down to the fathers arguing and demanding retribution from each other for their son being corrupted and being made 'unfit' for whoever their mates ended up being and then they'd come to the Alpha King to get him to decide who was in the wrong. I was shocked when Blaze said they could go out into the training fields and have the decision made there. I followed along behind him and everyone else and sat in the 235
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seat they gave me and, Josie…" Tal sighed, his entire body collapsing in on itself as if he were reliving some unspeakable horror. His arms trembled when he placed them over the top rung of the gate surrounding the training area. His eyes slid closed and his breath burst forth from his chest, a harsh sound of emotion and anger. "Josie, Blaze had these two men fighting. Physically fighting each other over whose son was gay and had turned the other one gay. I sat there watching them in complete horror. I kept looking to Blaze but he just had that look on his face that he gets when he finds something disgusting but isn't going to fight against it, or anything, and I knew he wouldn't be any help whatsoever. So, I did the only thing that I could do…" Josie groaned aloud, allowing her head to fall forward onto Tal's shoulder from behind, before stepping up beside him. "What the hell did you do, Talon?" she asked, her voice filled with exasperation and a touch of fear. Josie would never understand. She hadn't been there. She hadn't been there to look up and see the two boys with their arms wrapped around each other, the taller and older one kissing the temple of the younger one. She hadn't been there to hear the trees all tell him that the two boys were mates. She hadn't seen the two boys planning to run 236
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away if the wrong father won. He had done what he had to do. He'd stepped in as the Alpha Queen and put a stop to it. "I had to protect those boys Josie. They were mates and one of the fathers knew it and was fighting it, the other father didn't know it and that was the reason he was objecting. One was objecting out of ignorance, the other one was objecting out of hatred. And if he had that kind of hatred for his own son being gay, can you imagine how he felt about his gay Alpha King and his mate, a man who can and did, get pregnant?" Tal turned back to face the fields after glancing over at Josie. He didn't exactly know how to explain what he'd done and how it had been for the best of all of Tumaro. Couldn't explain how he even knew what was best for the planet full of wolf shifters. Yes, he'd become the Alpha Queen, the mate of the Alpha King, but inside he still felt only moments away from being the same orphaned delivery boy of the GPA, the same boy whose only goal in life had been to live. He didn't know anything about ruling a planet, or even a country, of being diplomatic, neutral, or royal. He certainly didn't know anything about having a wildly possessive mate who got him pregnant the very first time they had sex. But he did know about family, and mates, and that deeply burning desire that rested in the pit of every 237
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living organism's being that longed for and pined for its other half. That person, that being, that shifter, that Dom, that sub, that something or someone who completed them, who made them feel something they never expected to feel, and feel it so deeply it took over their life, haunted their dreams, filled their every waking moment. A need that caused wars and drove children to defy their parents and full grown adults to throw away everything they'd worked so hard for. He knew about that need, that yearning, that desire. He knew about that obsession. The obsession to have something or someone no matter the cost, no matter what he had to do or give up, who he had to be… The two young men needed their families, but being mated himself, he instinctively understood the importance of being with his mate. Sometimes the family one ended up being born into didn't matter as much as the family they created and any family created with the mate they were destined to be with was the ultimate. Not every person received a family that truly deserved them. Josie should understand. She'd been taken from her parents at a young age because they were hooked on Printakium Acid and then shortly after she was removed from the home, they passed away. So while she would get the idea of biological families not always being the best, he didn't know if she would understand why he'd done this. 238
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"I just stood up for what was right, Josie. You always told me to do that," Tal said. "Before those fathers had a chance to really get into it, I stood up in my chair, so they could see me, because you know, I'm vertically challenged and they were yelling so loud; and called a halt to everything." He grimaced when he remembered the look on Blaze's face. The Alpha had flushed dark red with anger, his hands clenching into tight fists and he moved to the edge of his own seat but didn't stand up at that precise moment. Tal didn't know at the time if he'd been happy Blaze trusted him enough to not rise, or if he'd been afraid Blaze would watch him make a fool of himself before stepping in. His mate trusted him… in some things dealing with Tumaro, not all things, but a lot more than he had before. If Blaze had stood up in that moment and spoken, or had asked Tal to sit down, Tal figured everything would be a lot different now. But he hadn't. "I told them the two young men were mates and both were adults," Tal picked back up with the story not looking in Josie's direction. He dropped one hand down to his stomach and rubbed soothingly at the babies resting there, his other hand reaching up to play with the ends of his hair. Josie would see it for the nervous gesture it was, but he didn't care. That 239
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whole situation still gave him the shakes, and it had been weeks ago. "I told them fighting over who was culpable was archaic and beneath the Tumaron people. Then I told them fighting because their sons were gay was insulting to both their Alpha King and their Alpha Queen, who are both men, and who are both obviously gay." Tal remembered groaning in embarrassment, and his eyes slid shut slowly. He couldn't believe he said it and from the sound of his sister's scoff and the way she rolled her eyes, she completely agreed. Tal lifted his arms, shook them slightly and tossed them both back over the top rung of the gate before lowering his forehead to rest on them. He was tired. Not just physically tired, but emotionally drained. That day still had the power to utterly and completely drain him, and Tal didn't mind being drained, he just preferred to have it be done in a much more pleasurable way. Like with Blaze standing over him… naked… hard… and doing the sexy little growling thing that always made Tal shiver with delight. He shuddered now as he thought of his mate growling in his ear and considered for a moment sending the image to Blaze when his sister's voice penetrated the haze of lust currently trying to take over his brain. Godsdamn pregnancy hormones. Emotional one minute, tired the next, and then unbelievably horny right after that. 240
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"You kids better so be worth this hassle," Tal bitched affectionately affectionately at his unborn unborn children. "Oh god, Tal," Josie breathed in horror. "I'm so glad you're still alive, but how in the world are you still standing in front of me and not completely ripped apart by a wild crowd of Tumarons?" she asked, her voice trembling in fright. Her fear wasn't completely unfounded. Moments… no, seconds, after he'd made his speech, he'd stepped down shakily from his seat, the implications of his words, the accusations he'd bandied about finally sinking into his addled brain. He'd fucked up in that moment. He'd well and truly fucked up, and not only did he fuck up, he was fucked. He'd turned to face his very livid mate. The startling amusement he'd had to shove away from his mind when he took in Blaze's face, so dark red with a volatile anger it almost appeared purple. He'd never seen the Alpha King's visage looking such a way before and while Tal feared for his life he felt strangely fascinated to see what other shades his mate's face could turn. In that moment, he'd well and truly lost his mind and he didn't know if he could blame the unborn children that were inside of him. Blaze shook with rage and for a moment, a brief flash of time, Tal thought that anger had to be directed at him, but he quickly noticed Blaze wasn't looking at him at 241
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all. In fact, Blaze looked past Tal to the two fathers. Tal realized Blaze wasn't angry with him, he was angry at the fathers and his purple face wasn't because Tal had overstepped, but because the men were homophobic assholes. His ruddy countenance had to do with being in the presence of said homophobic assholes, and seemed completely justifiable to Tal. As a matter of fact, had Tal been able to, he would have matched his mate's purple visage. Tal quickly squashed the thought or else he would have been doubled over in laughter at the image of his and Blaze's matching faces. "Blaze was livid, Josie," Tal picked the story back up, bringing his mind back to the present and his conversation with Josie and off his reaction and that of his mate. "He didn't know the two young men were mates. He didn't know they were the age of consent, adults. He was furious the true reason the fathers were fighting was because their sons were gay and it was something neither man approved of," Tal muttered. The disgrace he'd felt at doubting his mate flooded his body again like hot lava coating every insecure, unworthy nook and cranny inside of him. He lifted his head and turned to look at Josie. This part of the story always made him smile, even though the parts leading up to it always filled him with shame, fear, anger, and yes, just a 242
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touch of amusement. Tal grinned brightly before he concluded his tale, "Blaze declared that disputes would no longer be handled with violence. Judgments shall be made by either the judges of each city or the Royal Alpha Couple. Then he turned to the two fathers and said finding a mate is a gift, a treasure, to be cared for and gender is not an issue, never should be, when it came to claiming one's mate." Tal laughed in an almost childish delight, smacking his hands down on top of the top rung of the gray metal carbonate gate with glee and wrapping his fingers around the top rung and pulling back slightly, his toes lifting just a fraction in his slippers as he rocked back onto his heels. "Then he asked the two boys if they were truly mates and both stepped forward and said yes. Blaze asked how they knew and the younger, smaller boy said he felt the mating knot extend after he came inside of the other, taller boy. Blaze said that meant that they were truly mates and then he encouraged them to give each other the mating bite." Tal grinned even wider, his white teeth gleaming in the yellow green Tumaron sun. He had never been prouder to be mated to Blaze than in that moment, because Blaze had shown himself to truly be worthy of the title of the Alpha King in Tal's eyes. "Wow," Josie breathed and Tal glanced over at her. 243
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"Yeah, I know," he responded with a happy sigh. "He's so amazing." Josie's eyes landed on him and Tal knew what she would say before she even opened her mouth. He'd been fighting with himself about it for days, weeks even. "You love him. You totally love him," she whispered in a voice full of awe and wonder. "Don't be ridiculous, Josie. We haven't been together long enough. I haven't even known him that long. People don't fall in love that quickly, not true love. Mates or not, love takes time to grow and develop. Anything that happens this fast is most likely lust," Tal debated with her, ignoring the almost painful pounding in his chest. "Maybe for some people, but when something is meant to be, when it's been created and fused together by the gods, then love isn't restricted by time, it comes a whole lot quicker because it's supposed to," Josie pointed out. "Stop fighting this Tal, you're supposed to be with Blaze, and when it's right…" Tal sighed in defeat. Josie had it right, but he refused to admit the possibility, even a slim one, he might be in love with his mate after only a couple of months. It just couldn't be true. He refused to be like every other newly mated sap out there. A good fuck did not make a good mate. Regardless of Blaze's care of him, his 244
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gentleness towards Tal, Tal absolutely refused to believe he loved Blaze until after the babies were born. Maybe then he could believe it didn't have anything to do with being newly mated or having an emotional pregnancy brain. He once again ignored the clenching in his chest and focused on his sister's face. "What about you?" he asked, deflecting the question and homing in on his sister's slightly reddening face. Fascinated by the hue, much as he'd been with Blaze, he'd never seen Josie blush before. He'd always thought his mother and sister were the prettiest women ever born, but his sister blushing was a sight to behold. Her eyes shone with an unnatural light, her lips pulled up into a glorious smile and her skin glowed with happiness. Not only did his sister love her mate, but she'd accepted and claimed the emotion. He felt slightly envious of her freedom to do so and wondered why he hesitated to admit the feelings he had for his own mate. Remembering Blaze's standoffish attitude towards him from days before, Tal gave himself a mental shake. He'd figured out why. He felt… something for Blaze and had he been having this conversation with his sister days before he might have even considered the possibility that he loved his mate, but now? Now he felt as if he were walking through a fog in conjunction to his feelings for the Alpha. He cared about 245
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Blaze and Blaze cared about him, but what did Tal know about loving someone? Anyone? Besides his parents and Josie, Tal couldn't remember loving anyone. The dull pressure in his head almost made him believe perhaps he had it wrong about that assessment, but then again, maybe a headache was just a headache. "I love Gregor and he loves me. You have no idea how amazing it is to just embrace and accept it, Tal. Knowing you're with the person you were born to be with and being in love with them, it's almost magical." Josie sighed wistfully. Tal stared at her and tried not to scowl in the face of her apparent joy. He was glad that Josie was happy, he really was, but Tal found himself feeling slightly… ripped off. He may have gotten the Alpha King as a mate, become the Alpha Queen, gotten pregnant on the first try, but his sister apparently got the love match. What kind of justice was that? "There you are." Gregor's low booming voice sounded from behind them. Tal
watched
his
sister
give
a
completely
uncharacteristic, girlish squeal of delight and run to launch herself into her mate's arms. "I missed you, baby," Josie said. Tal tuned the two lovebirds out and turned back to 246
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face the empty fields. While happy he'd done away with the violent, physical judgment competitions, with Blaze's help, of course, he'd grown so bored he wished he had something to look at. Allowing his mind to wander through images of his mate in various states of undress, he pulled himself out of his naughty daydreams when Josie yelled his name. Turning only his head, so he didn't display his current state of arousal, he observed his sister… held in Gregor's arms, cradled against the large man's chest. "Do you want us to walk you back into the palace, Alpha Queen?" Gregor asked. Tal grimaced at the title… again. Gods almighty, he had to remember to tell Blaze to change his title to Alpha Mate or even Alpha Consort if they wanted to keep with the whole royalty angle. "No, Gregor, it's perfectly okay. I think I'll just spend a little more time out here before I head back inside myself," Tal reassured the man with a smile. "And you're mated to my sister, which pretty much makes you my brother-in-law. Don't you think it's time that you call me Tal?" Tal tried not to laugh when Gregor's eyes widened comically, his mouth dropping open in shock before he gently set Josie down on her feet and dropping to one knee before Tal. 247
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"While I am honored, Your Royal Highness, that you would consider me worthy enough to speak to you in such an informal manner, I am also extremely aware how inappropriate it would be for me, a Gamma guard, to call you anything other than your title," Gregor debated, before adding as an afterthought, "brother-in-law "brother-in-law or not." Tal nodded at the Gamma, very aware of the truth of what Gregor had said. There were very few people outside of Blaze, Buck, and Josie who called him anything other than the dreaded title of 'Alpha Queen'. He'd become sick to death of the blasted title and anything else that reminded the Tumaron people he was supposed to be a woman. Tal nodded slightly at the Gamma as he and Josie turned and walked away. Tal refused to give into the boiling heat of envy and jealousy that bubbled in his veins, swallowed down the large, hard lump of tears that arose in his throat and prayed to the Goddess of the Edificians, a deity he had long since lost all faith and belief in, that his errant mate had not picked up on the tumultuous storm of emotions that currently raged through him. Long moments passed, or it seemed that way to Tal, but truly no longer than five minutes after his sister and her mate had left to go and do… whatever mated couples who were in love did, and Tal felt the rushing tide of exhaustion sweep over him. A heaviness of spirit settled over his 248
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shoulders, causing his eyelids to droop, his shoulders to sag, and his body to sway. Hell, even his hair felt sleepy. Two things were about to happen, the guards assigned to him were on their way, probably running, towards him to be his protection, and he would soon promptly collapse from the sudden force of energy-draining hormones that leapt to life within his body. With a heavy sigh and a long yawn, Tal pushed away from the gate and turned to meet the guards halfway. The sound of other footsteps, as the guards came from behind him to protect him, were just one second too late, unfortunately. Rough hands pushed him, too quickly for him to do anything other than shout and try to stop his fall with his hands, and too roughly for him to do anything but curl up into a ball when he felt the entire front of his body, including his newly discovered, but still barely noticeable pregnancy belly, collide with the hard ground. Sounds of shouting, of footsteps running both away from and towards him and then he felt the strength of the arms surrounding him and picking him up. "B-Blaze?
I
hurt,
Blaze…"
Tal
whimpered,
clutching his spasming belly. "Don't let anything happen to our babies, Blaze. Don't l-let them die." "Don't worry, Alpha Queen." A man's voice… Rico's voice, comforted him. "You're gonna be fine. You 249
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and all of those babies. You're going to be fine." Tal heard nothing else before he finally gave into the warm feeling of oblivion that had threatened to overtake him, and with a soft, almost silent sob, he closed his eyes and faded away.
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Blaze felt it. Not the moment his mate's life had been threatened, not the moment moment his mate and and their children were hurt, nor the moment his mate had been rescued, but the exact moment his mate stopped fighting, the moment Tal's heart gave out. Blaze felt it like a sharp Prinktakium blade through his heart. With a loud roar, his hands flew up to his chest, his eyes closed and his body shuddered. It only lasted a moment. A second. A flash in time. Because Tal's heart started back up only seconds after Blaze had felt it stop, but those seconds were all he needed. He'd been fighting what he felt for his mate for days, weeks even, but in that moment, that brief moment of a reality without his mate, Blaze knew he loved Tal. He jumped up from his chair in his office and took off running towards the infirmary, waving away the servant frantically attempting to tell him about his injured mate. He knew where Tal was and even though he didn't know exactly what had happened, he definitely knew it would never happen again. His growl scared off many of the servants hovering outside the door, doing much more to clear the area of nosy passersby and concerned members of the palace household, than the small contingent of Gamma
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guards who were trying to get rid of them. "Your Highness, we were on our way out to the Alpha Queen, were only a few minutes away when—" The Gamma guard's words were abruptly cut off. Blaze grabbed the front of his shirt and with a jerk turned and pinned the smaller man up against the wall. His lips pulled back in a ruthless snarl, the growl of an infuriated, feral Alpha rising up in a hotly violent rush from his chest and out of his mouth. His face shifted partially, his nose elongating into a snout, his eyes turning lupine, his hands shifting into the deadly claws of a predator. His fangs displayed prominently, his hair thick and shaggy, and growing even more so. No one in the hallway moved, none dared to breathe. Their Alpha King had gone into the protective mode of a wolf whose mate had been threatened. None of them wanted to cross him. They were all extremely aware one wrong move would cause the almost feral man to turn and attack. Blaze also would not stop until he felt his mate had been vindicated. No matter who ended up hurt or killed in the process. Alpha King or not, Blaze in that moment, had turned into the most dangerous, most unpredictable Tumaron on the planet. "Blaze?" a soft voice called out from within the infirmary. 252
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The antidote to the virulent poison of rage and revenge pumping through his veins, Blaze quickly returned to his normal state and he dropped the guard from his deadly grip. Without another word to anyone standing in the hallway, he turned and stormed into the infirmary, his eyes searching frantically for Tal. His heart raced in his chest, and his hands clenched, still in their shifted form. His wolf snarled and hissed, pounding against the walls of his body, clamoring for a way to get out. Blaze struggled to keep a tight rein on the beast within him, not wanting to upset his injured mate, but wanting revenge, wanting blood, the broken, battered, and dismembered body parts of the person foolish enough to hurt what belonged to him. His eyes fell on his very pale mate, lying in the same hospital bed he'd been in only a few months before. before. Seeing his mate okay, alive and well, his eyes opened and staring, Blaze let the shock of almost losing Tal finally hit his system. His every cell shaking and vibrating within him, still growling low in his throat, he rushed over to Tal's side and buried his face in his mate's neck, sniffing and nuzzling, letting the smell of his man wash over him. Blaze's eyes slid close and he took in a shuddering breath, his hands, still partially shifted, moving gently over the injured man's arms and legs. After a moment Blaze sat back but his hands 253
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continued to rove over the other man. Amusement lurked in Tal's beautiful, golden eyes, his hair in wild disarray around his head, but Blaze smelled the fear still lingering on his mate, although Tal thought he hid it well. "Who did this?" Blaze asked him, his voice gruff and harsh sounding. "I don't know," Tal admitted. Blaze smelled the despair clinging to his man and didn't like it, not one bit. "How many of the children did we lose?" Blaze asked. For every child he lost he would make Tal's attacker pay for it. He thought perhaps he would ask around and see if anyone had any of the ancient torture devices rescued from Earth centuries before. The humans may have had a problem with being kind and tolerant towards each other, but they were very good with torture. "None," Tal whispered. Blaze's
eyes
swung
down
to
still
shaken
Vermithian. "What?" His eyebrow raised in amazement. "We didn't lose any of the children. When Doctor Polarnsky checked me out, he checked on the children as well. They're all still there, all still alive. I was completely amazed, Blaze, but Doctor Polarnsky said that while a Vermithian can be killed, it's hard to make them stay that 254
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way. Our bodies naturally heal the injured area, and since our babies are half Vermithian and half Tumaron, they're almost indestructible. All five of them are fine." Breathing a sigh of relief, Blaze dropped to his knees beside Tal's bed, letting his head drop forward to land on the bed close to Tal's fingertips. They were okay. His kids, his mate, they were all okay, no thanks to the bastard who had tried to kill them. Shaking off the rage threatening to consume him again, Blaze turned his mind to more important matters. Lifting his head, he stared at Tal, his jaw clenched. "You will have four guards assigned to you. They will be with you whenever you're not in our suite. Every single time," Blaze said, effortlessly cutting off Tal's protests. He slipped his hands up and cradled Tal's face in his hands. "I lost you today, Talon," he pointed out, his heart losing its rhythm when he remembered the sensation of Tal's heart stopping and then beating again moments later. "I lost our children. Don't ask me to give in on this. I won't do it. I won't agree to anything that puts you in danger. So you will have four guards with you at all times. Whether I'm with you or not, you will have four guards. I will find out who did this to you and I will make them pay," he promised. "Yes, Blaze," Tal nodded and then exhaled as Blaze 255
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climbed into the bed with him. Blaze pulled his mate, and his still living but yet unborn children Tal carried, into his arms tightly and with a final sigh that echoed Tal's earlier one, joined his mate in sleep.
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Tal braced a hand on the wall and struggled to catch his breath. His chest tightened and he inhaled deeply, his lungs expanding when they thirstily drank in the sweet nectar of oxygen. Being pregnant sucked. It sucked big, hairy monkey balls. No one had told him how much it sucked to be pregnant. Or about the weird cravings. Who actually ate Boulantiq cheese with Edifician beef? The combination was already weird but then when Vermithian chocolate got added on top of that strange concoction, it made it disgusting to everyone around him. However, Tal couldn't get enough of it. Which made him feel like a fat cow Vermithian, instead of a beautiful slender one. He couldn't even hurry down the hallway without needing to stop, rest, and catch his breath every few feet, not to mention all of the little 'accidents' he'd been having lately. Of course, Blaze invented the term, always with a small patronizing smile on his face. Tal hated that smile, with a fiery passion, deep within his soul. Between almost falling down the stairs, to almost being run down by a city shuttlecraft because he had to walk too slowly, he'd begun to agree with Blaze. Maybe he did need to go on bed rest until the babies were born. The only thing of concern? It
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couldn't just be clumsiness on his part or even his massively huge belly that caused him to feel off center. It had to be something else. Someone wanted to kill him. He felt certain of that. He hadn't wound back up into the clinic—a good thing for all involved. Not just for him or Blaze, or the babies, but for every guard and and every Tumaron that lived lived or worked in the palace. Blaze already acted fierce and slightly murderous when it came to Tal anyway, but throw in his five unborn children and the fact he'd already had to deal with the overwhelming blow of having lost them once before, even if briefly, and the levelheaded Alpha King definitely became more Alpha than King. Either Anglania or Freud had to be behind his numerous 'accidents'. Maybe even both. Josie felt sure Elder Bryce was in on it also, but they couldn't prove anything, even though they'd tried. Repeatedly. Every time he'd almost fallen to his death or almost been run down while out and about in the kingdom, he'd felt as if someone were there, watching him, closely and with anticipation. Like someone had shoved him from behind, but whenever he turned around, no one was there and neither Anglania nor Freud were ever in the vicinity. So, while his gut said they were guilty, and he had a very good gut, regardless of who currently resided in it, it 258
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didn't seem as though he would ever be able to prove it, unless he caught them in the act. Which of course he had no plans of entertaining such an idea… much. Inhaling deeply, his nostrils flared slightly before he stood upright and began walking again. His steps were slower this time, though he continued towards his earlier destination. "Your Highness, are you sure you wouldn't rather just wait in your chambers and have Alpha King Blazell sent up to you?" one of the guards assigned to him asked, almost hesitantly. Tal couldn't understand the man's hesitation, all of the guards seemed as if they were scared of pissing him off. He only pulled the phaser on that one guard because he'd tried to touch his stomach without permission. The guard had learned his lesson, but now they saw Tal as being almost as scary as Blaze. He ignored the niggling feeling of guilt when he remembered the guard saying he only wanted to prevent Tal from falling forward. It didn't matter. It was a past issue. "No, no, Chase," Tal disagreed, hastily trying to remember the guard's name, happy and pleased when he did. He deserved a Zeelithian cookie. He'd have to tell Blaze. His mate always teased him about forgetting stuff. "I want my husband, the king, to see me walking 259
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without difficulty," he stated, ignoring the way the four guards all remained suspiciously quiet. He could walk without difficulty. Walk. Breathing had become a totally different thing. "Besides, this couldn't wait for one of you louts to find him, wait for him to finish, and then bring him to me." He pouted then mentally jumped in glee when they finally came upon the doors of the conference room. He would never tell the guards but he'd been about two minutes from turning around and walking back to his suite of rooms. He was exhausted and out of breath. And hungry. And always so tired. Tal rubbed his stomach when the babies started kicking furiously, they always got hyper and excited when he thought about food and sleeping. Tal totally blamed their Tumaron half for that. He prepared to knock on the door and interrupt the meeting for his big surprise for Blaze. He could have used their mental link, but when Blaze got sequestered in conference, he tended to put up a mental wall so he wouldn't be distracted by all of Tal's disjointed, unintentional mental projections. Tal snickered when he remembered accidentally sending Blaze the image of the two of them having fast, hard, and dirty sex over the conference table, one morning while the Alpha met with the Elders. Tal cleared his throat and attempted to 260
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discreetly adjust his rapidly filling cock when he recalled Blaze slamming open the door to their bedroom, his black hair wild, his chest heaving and nostrils flaring, to take in the sight of Tal lying on the bed, one hand on his hard cock and three fingers in his ass. It had been a very nice… distraction for them when Blaze had pulled Tal's fingers from his ass and then shoved his shaft in their place. It hadn't taken long before both were trembling from the force of their mutual orgasms. Knocking once, Tal smiled when his mate bade him to enter, knowing the large wolf had smelled him through the door.
****
Blaze leaned back in his massive chair. He suppressed a small shiver of pleasure threatening to race up his spine, and the fabric of his new red Doralian shirt rubbed across his already sensitive nipples. Just the smell of his mate had the nubs tightening and his cock stretching and hardening. A slightly unnerving experience, knowing the little Vermithian had the power to make him feel so out of sorts, but when the door opened and the man in question stepped inside, Blaze thought it worth the slight loss of control. He ran his hand over his braided black hair, another influence of his mate, and knew without asking his 261
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blue eyes would show his obvious affection and happiness at the sight of his very pregnant man. It seemed as if every day Tal's belly became more swollen and larger than the night before. Blaze figured it had something to do with the fact Tal carried five half breed cubs within him, but regardless of that, Tal remained perfectly beautiful. Blaze made sure to tell the man every chance he got. Blaze smiled warmly and pushed his chair back, gesturing for Tal to come sit on his lap. They ignored the guards, the Elders, diplomats, advisors, councilors, and even the servants who filled the room, and sat at the table. Tal sat cuddled with Blaze in the chair, and Blaze kept his eyes and attention only focused on Tal. "To what do I owe this extremely unexpected but still very pleasant visit?" he asked. Tal shivered at the sound of his deep smooth voice before the smaller smaller man sat down down in Blaze's lap completely. "I just wanted you to feel something," Tal said with a smile. He grabbed Blaze's hand and placed it on his swollen belly. Blaze shoved away lecherous thoughts of his mate spread-eagled on the massive table, moaning while Blaze pounded away in his ass, and tried to focus on the moment. Tal smirked meaning he had received the image 262
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Blaze had inadvertently projected. Blaze sighed mentally, hating how he couldn't corral his amorous thoughts regarding his mate, but it made him slightly mollified when he realized Tal had just a hard of a time controlling his thoughts as well. "What am I feeling?" Blaze asked in an amused voice, flexing his large fingers slightly. He looked down at Tal's stomach, his hand caressing the round belly where his unborn children currently resided. Something about touching his mate… soothed Blaze. He finally understood why his father couldn't seem to keep his hands off his mother. His mate acted as a balm to Blaze's tired soul. He mentally rolled his eyes at the poetic sappiness flowing through his mind. Apparently having a mate meant he turned into a sentimental fool. "Just wait for it," Tal gently reprimanded, grinning when a series of kicks and movements from their unborn children began. Blaze couldn't believe their strength. His heart clenched in his chest at the official sign his children were alive and still well. His mind swirled with all the possibilities for his unborn cubs, all the things they could accomplish one day, the laws they would change, the history they would make. 263
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"Oh, baby!" Blaze exclaimed happily, his eyes wide and filling with moisture. He blinked rapidly, willing the tears not to fall down his cheeks. He would not allow himself to appear weak in front of his mate, no matter how much he desperately wanted to wrap his arms around Tal and bawl like a baby in the presence of this miracle. "They're our babies, Blaze. They're actually real," Tal whispered, wiping tears from his eyes before discreetly swiping at the ones on Blaze's face and leaning forward to kiss him. Blaze blinked in amazement that any tears would dare to fall down his cheeks and then smiled fondly. How could he stay fierce in the face of feeling his children kick for the first time. "Did you doubt they were real?" Blaze asked, settling Tal more firmly on his lap, leaning back in his chair and pulling his man gently against his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the looks on the faces of the other men in the room. Some were uncomfortable and a few looked slightly envious. Blaze turned his full attention back to Tal when the other man sighed. He could talk to the other men later. He would firmly remind them Tal was the Alpha Queen and that in light of the meeting they were having before the man in 264
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question walked into the room, it wouldn't really be appropriate for him to be there. Tal shrugged and blushed prettily. "Not really, but this just drives it home, you know? They're actually there, just waiting to be born." Blaze smelled the happiness on his mate and felt that same emotion permeating his own skin. The emotion seemed to be infectious and Blaze wanted to roll around in it some more. The truth, the realization their children were still alive and healthy and… real, felt almost as amazing as finding out exactly what they were having. After much research, talking with doctors and inquiring of the Elders, Tal and Blaze had found out their children would be born looking like regular humanoid babies, not wolf cubs just like with other Tumaron births. Though his father and mother had been determined to teach their children everything they needed to know about running the kingdom and mates, the subject of Tumaron births hadn't been been something they they had ever broached. broached. The one and only time Blaze had asked his father about Tumaron births, he'd been told he didn't need to worry about it. The process would only affect his mate and the doctor. Blaze had wanted to argue, but his father had resumed his lesson on interacting with the GPA and Blaze dropped the subject. Even after his parents had passed 265
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away, Blaze had forgotten about the whole Tumaron birth thing. As a matter of fact, while both Mailon and Percy had each experienced a Tumaron female going into labor, Blaze had never seen a delivery before. For that reason, he hadn't been able to reassure his fearful mate. He deeply regretted his inability and could offer no excuse. But he could ask questions, and because he had, he knew so much more about Tumaron cubs as well as the possibilities that could arise from Tumaron-Vermithian Tumaron-Vermithian hybrids. Their babies would experience their first shift when they hit puberty and would have all of the powers that many Vermithians were born with. The power of healing others, talking with animals, and of course they would have the ability to get pregnant from their mate, or mates, no matter the species, no matter the gender. As the expectant parents, Blaze and Tal couldn't be happier. Blaze returned his mind to the present when his mate shifted in his arms and sat up in preparation to leave. Having apparently accomplished what he'd waddled so far to do, Tal kissed Blaze's nose affectionately before turning to address the room. Blaze scrunched his nose at the ticklish feeling and grinned like a happy wolf when he saw Tal put on what they'd teasingly termed his 'Alpha Bitch Façade'. "Good afternoon all," Tal said cheekily and leaned 266
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forward, placing his folded hands on the table. "Good
afternoon,
Alpha
Queen,"
the
room
responded. Tal made a move to get up, but Blaze tightened his arms around his man's waist to stop him. He didn't want Tal to leave just yet. He refused to look too closely at the reasoning behind that feeling, merely settling Tal more firmly on his lap. "Okay, let's get back to what we were discussing. Do we know where this fleet of slave ships is currently docked?" Blaze asked, his voice turning brisk with business and authority, even as one hand played with the strands of Tal's hair and the other hand rubbed his mate's distended stomach. Tal's face scrunched up in confusion. "Slave ship? What slave ship?" he he asked through their mental link. Answering his mate's question would only lead to more queries. Maybe he should have let Tal leave when he'd tried earlier? Of course he couldn't ask the other man to do so now, so Blaze prepared himself to answer whatever Tal asked him. "No, Your Majesty, it hasn't docked yet, but it seems to be making its way into our stratosphere from our neighbor planet Namprince," Rico answered. "There have been a few sightings of a slave ship in 267
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GPA planetary airspace with a new shipment of slaves: pain slaves, breeder slaves, labor slaves, and pleasure slaves. It's come into our orbit a few times and we've been tracking it. We even planted one of our own soldiers aboard as a crew member and it's finally heading our way again," Blaze explained, hoping the smaller man wouldn't ask any more questions. He had a feeling Rico had left out a bit of information when he'd originally told him about the ship. "Good, good. Let's get a few teams together. I want us to commandeer that ship and free the slaves on board," Blaze commanded the room at large. Preparing himself to rise he was stopped when his head Gamma guard, Rico Suarez, cleared his throat to gain Blaze's attention again. Rico certainly lived up to his reputation for seduction. Blaze had heard many of the guards laughing and talking about Rico's many different conquests and all the men and women who had fallen in love with the gorgeous, tanned guard only to have their hearts broken when he told them he didn't plan to settle down with anyone who wasn't his mate. To others it made the man somewhat of a jerk, but Blaze could somewhat understand the need to scratch an itch and pass the time with a stand-in until the real thing came along. Regardless, Blaze was glad his children were unborn. He would hate to 268
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lose his best Gamma guard because he'd broken the heart of one of Blaze's children. He only hoped Rico found his mate soon, though he felt sorry for whomever it would be; Rico seemed incapable of being faithful. Sighing, Blaze settled back in his chair again, keeping his arms around Tal and pulling the man tighter to his chest when he thought about how completely lucky he'd been to have found found his mate. "Yes, "Yes, Rico, what is it?" "Forgive me Your Highnesses, but I think you'd want to know our intel has gotten the names of all of the passengers aboard the slave ship and there are two young men aboard who might be of interest to the Alpha Queen," Rico explained hesitantly.
****
Tal's eyes widened considerably. His gaze darted around the room quickly before he clutched at one of his mate's arms that had tightened around his waist, certain whatever the Gamma guard had to say would be life changing in some way. He finally met Rico's gaze. "Me? Why would they be of interest to me?" He didn't know why two young men on a slave ship would be of any meaning to him. Besides the general 269
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humanitarian concern of course. Tal shook his head when the sound of two boys laughing filled his mind and two sets of golden eyes, one more brown than gold, and the other almost a pure amber, flashed before his mind's gaze. Without moving too much, Rico pulled forth a red folder, embossed with a gold Tumaro emblem, from the inner lining of his uniform jacket and walked over to hand it to the royal couple. Tal watched the guard warily as he walked towards them. He couldn't understand what was going on in that moment. Turning his head, he looked into Blaze's eyes and saw something he'd never thought to see… Blaze knew. Blaze knew who the young men were and he hadn't told Tal. He also knew why they would be so important to Tal. Turning back to face Rico, Tal decided to have it out with Blaze later about the secrets. He'd thought they'd been doing so much better and were actually building towards something. Apparently he was the only one building towards anything. Blaze was still being his highhanded, domineering, controlling Alpha King self. Tal would have to let the older man know that, while he didn't mind being dominated in the bedroom, he'd be damned if he'd let Blaze dominate him outside of it as well. Alpha King or not. "Because their names are Trenton and Tuvarion 270
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Versuthion, Your Highness. We checked into their backgrounds, and their files, and they're your biological brothers. They were stolen away from your family home on Volantic the morning of your parents' death and sold into a slave camp," Rico explained, his eyes downcast, his voice filled with compassion. Tal appreciated the compassion and sympathy the guard showed him, hearing sadness in Rico's tone. Tal felt pretty sure it wasn't just because his younger brothers had been kidnapped. Rico had a story and he could fully understand what Tal experienced. Tal's heart seized in his chest. He had younger brothers? How the fuck did he not know? How the fuck could he have forgotten? How could they even be sure the two young men were related to him? Maybe they were imposters and had just heard about Tal being mated to Blaze and were looking to cash in. Yeah, that made a lot more sense than the idea Tal had two younger siblings he'd completely forgotten. He swallowed the lump of tears threatening to spill forth and felt his very essence begin to shake. Tal blinked stupidly in shock, blocking out the words of surprise being tossed around the room by the other members and tried to make sense of what Rico just told him. He had two younger brothers who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery? If true, something had to 271
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be wrong with him because he couldn't remember them. Emotions he couldn't control rolled over him and he started to shake, which made Blaze growl. Confusion, anger at himself, grief at what his brothers had experienced, fear they would hate him, and a renewed sense of grief at the realization he'd lost his entire biological family all in one day. Yep, life had pretty much screwed him over… again.
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"Leave us!" Blaze roared and the room quickly emptied. Blaze looked down at his small mate shaking like a leaf. "Talk to me, baby," he whispered. Gods, he hated Tal had found out the way he had. He didn't want his mate to feel the way he did at this moment. Blaze would do anything in his power to spare his man the pain of knowing his younger brothers were imprisoned on a slave ship, being forced to endure all manner of things. He discovered Tal to be upset, in shock, amazed… the swirling, disjointed thoughts and images the smaller man sent him through their mating link informed him of that much. Leaning forward, Blaze kissed Tal's forehead and closed his eyes. "Please talk to me, Tal," he pleaded, choking slightly on the need to ask for anything. But his mate hurt and he needed to talk, and Blaze would do whatever he had to do to get the man to do so. "I don't remember them," Tal whispered brokenly. "Why don't I remember them?" Tal looked up, his eyes filled with tears, his voice soft, shaky and broken with
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emotion. Blaze's heart clenched in his chest and the breath stopped in his lungs. The last time he'd seen such an expression on his mate's face it had been in the clinic after his attack. Blaze had vowed to never see that look on his mate's face again and he had failed. "Who? Your parents or your brothers?" Blaze questioned his voice rough with emotion. He pulled the smaller man closer to his chest, rubbing his pregnant belly gently in an attempt to soothe him. Tal sniffled. "Any of them. All of them," he burst out with frustration. The emotions rolling off his mate had Blaze roughly shoving his wolf back. The animal sensed its mate's upset, anger, and hurt and it wanted to get free and rip to shreds the person who had caused its mate to feel that way. Since they weren't positive who the culprits were, the wolf had no one to seek out and go after, and for that reason the animal would just go around and unnecessarily frighten and antagonize anyone and everyone in an attempt to get revenge for its mate. "I can't remember anything about any of them," Tal said. Blaze released a deep breath and his wolf backed 274
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off slowly in order to listen and understand what had Tal so upset, what so distressed him. Tal didn't remember his biological siblings, but the tears racing down his cheeks implied something more going on. Blaze's wolf snarled and snapped, whining when Blaze pushed him back harder. He needed to be there emotionally for Tal. He couldn't try to fix the wrong, even if it pained him not to do so. He needed to figure out Tal's heartbreak and maybe in that he could find some way to encourage and uplift him. Hopefully. "I don't even remember my parents having other children. All I remember is the day they died. They sent me next door to the neighbor's and told me to stay there until they got back. They were really upset. I don't remember their faces just their voices. My mom kissed my forehead and my dad hugged me and told me to be a good boy. They're just blurry shapes to me. They never came back. Three days later the neighbor I was staying with told me my parents had died, right before she called the GPA and they picked me up. I lived in the GPA group home for a few days before my adoptive parents appeared out of the blue and took me me home." Tal lowered his eyes eyes in sadness. Blaze hated how Tal struggled to remember the horrible moment in his childhood. Blaze rubbed his mate's back and wondered exactly what to tell him. What could he say in the face of his man's distress and lost memory? How 275
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could he fix it and make it better? Why did he have a strong memory of his father on the phone with an Edifician couple telling them to adopt a young Vermithian male? He'd watched the video with his father telling him about Wendiford and Markaela Sothsberg hundreds of times, but the current visual imagery played in his head like he'd actually been there, in the room with his father when he wired money and information to the couple on the phone. Someone else had been in the room with the former Alpha King, but Blaze couldn't recall who. His father had paced the room back and forth and Blaze tried to bring up the image of the other person who had also been there. No clear picture came forth, the other body was nothing but a blur, but Blaze knew someone else had been with his father. He wracked his brain and finally decided helping Tal remember his family would probably be the best way to proceed. Help Tal remember, let him know he hadn't failed anyone and even more than that, find the younger brothers Tal couldn't remember. Once he'd done that he could go through the rest of his father's things, things he'd overlooked before, and find out everything he could about his father's involvement with Tal's parents. Perhaps he would also remember who the other man had been. The smell of snake suddenly filled Blaze's nostrils, disappearing 276
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just as quickly and he gave himself a mental shake. He needed to focus on Tal, everything else could wait. "They were probably trying to go out and find your brothers. How old were you when this happened?" Blaze asked before he kissed Tal's temple, breathing in deeply to replace the scent of snake with the sweet scent of his mate. "Six," Tal whispered then collapsed against Blaze's chest and sobbed. The sound of Talon's grief ripped a hole through Blaze's heart and he swallowed thickly, trying to hold back his own tears. He couldn't recall the last time he'd heard something so devastating and the fact the sound came from his mate did not make it better. "Sshhh," Blaze soothed, "you were six. Of course it's hard for you to remember. You were practically a baby, and then with it being a traumatic experience no one really expects you to remember everything." He hoped he said the right things and gently tried to probe Talon's mind for a better understanding understanding of his thoughts. thoughts. He rarely invaded Tal's mind, but it usually remained open to Blaze. However, it seemed as if Tal didn't want to remember the incident, and Blaze couldn't really sense anything at all through their link. Tal shook his head, and Blaze stopped attempting to probe his mate's mind, and violating his privacy. But with 277
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Talon refusing to excuse or forgive himself for some misdeed he couldn't be held responsible for, Blaze would have to do something soon. "No, how could I forget my younger brothers? I'm the oldest, right? I was supposed to protect them, keep them safe, make sure they were cared for and especially never, ever forget them!" Tal pressed his face into Blaze's chest and sobbed harshly. Blaze held Tal tightly and soothed the younger man, loosening his embrace when Tal calmed down. Tal pushed against Blaze's chest until he could get to his feet. Tal grabbed the folder holding the information about his brothers and held it close. His eyes were wide, filled with grief, horror, and a steely resolve. Determination filled Blaze, too. Whatever his mate asked of him, he would do. "Find them, Blaze. Find my brothers and bring them back to me. I'll never be at peace until we're reunited and I can see them. So I can remember and be the brother I should have been. Please, my mate, my king, my alpha, my husband, my love," Tal whispered, but Blaze heard him nonetheless. His heart pounded furiously in his chest before he stood up and gathered his mate in his arms. They had never really discussed their feelings for each other, neither of 278
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them giving voice to the emotion thrumming through their veins. The emotion propelled them to continue giving their all to each other. Tal might have mumbled his confession, but Blaze heard it nonetheless and knew nothing but intense relief. His man loved him. "Please find them Blaze," Tal pleaded, clutching the front of Blaze's shirt. "I will, my love. I promise," Blaze vowed with sincerity. He lifted his man in his arms and carried him back to their bedroom, letting him cry on his shoulder the entire way.
****
"So, you're saying they've discovered the other two Versuthion boys?" Torqran asked, glaring at Lorthander. He was surrounded by incompetent fools. How the fuck had he become the leader of a bunch of idiots? Weren't they supposed to improve with a skilled leader? The thought left a nasty taste in him mouth, like an already moldy pan of Zeelithian Rhumbar pie. With an angry hiss, Torqran swept his hand across the top of his desk, feeling a sort of sick satisfaction when he heard the crash and destruction of millions of maluis worth of GPA equipment. 279
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He stepped back, and with a narrowed gaze, watched Lorthander bend over and begin picking up all the ruined pieces. "How the hell did they know where those boys were, Thander?" he asked quietly, seeking any tiny bit of indication that would implicate the man, the only one he truly trusted, of betraying him. When Lorthander's shoulders didn't tense and his hands didn't hesitate, Torqran decided his suspicion of his lover was misplaced. "I don't know, Torq. Perhaps we should interrogate those here in the compound a little more thoroughly, just to make sure that no one here is a spy for the Tumarons," Lorthander suggested. Torqran nodded."You are very wise, Thander. Meanwhile, I should call Bryce and let him know the time to grab the fucking breeder Vermithian and dispose of him draws extremely close," Torqran stated, turning to contact the Elder.
****
Sadness filled Lorthander's being, bile rising in his throat when he stared at his lover's back. His eyes filled with unshed tears but he immediately blinked them back. For once he counted himself grateful for Torqran's 280
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preoccupation. Lorthander pulled out the package he'd received from the Epsilon days before. He'd been shocked to find out his Tumaron contact's real status, but his fear the Elder wouldn't be able to put a stop to things before the Vermithian got killed led him to question the other man. The Elder's reassurance he could handle things, with or without royal guards or backup, had pushed Lorthander to ask for more information. It took pointing out that Lorthander essentially had to betray his mate for a family he'd never met, before the Elder revealed his Epsilon nature. Lorthander had almost collapsed from the relief pulsing through him. He would save the Vermtihian brothers, maybe not directly but with his help they were going to be saved. It wouldn't be full restitution for what he'd done to the Tumaron prince, the young man's screams and tears still haunted him, but perhaps it would be a step in alleviating his guilt. He'd felt honored the Elder had revealed his true status in the Tumaron pack, especially when he'd been ordered to keep silent about it, which had led Lorthander to take his help one step forward. Reaching forward slightly, he placed the small, undetectable recording device under the edge of Torqran's desk then stood to his full height and turned to walk out.
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"Whoa," Josie breathed. Her eyes had widened with the beginning of his story, and now blinked in stupefaction. "So wait, are you telling me you have two younger brothers you don't remember who were kidnapped and sold into slavery the night your parents were killed?" Tal nodded and took a sip of the fragrant black rose tea. Blaze had brought him back to their suite of rooms where he'd made slow, passionate love to him, effectively refocusing his attention from the past, to the present, before bathing him in their luxurious bathtub. He'd then brought Tal back into the bedroom and laid him down upon the bed where he'd been ordered to stay and relax for the rest of the day. Blaze left to go prepare for the rescue mission for Tal's two younger brothers. Brothers. Tal's mind still spun with the knowledge he had two younger siblings who had not been as fortunate as he to be adopted by a wonderful family, but had instead been kidnapped and sold into slavery. Tal also struggled with the guilt the same bit of information gave him. He felt like such a little shit. He'd spent much of his life complaining, choosing only to
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survive. His major goal had been to live. Meanwhile, his younger brothers had probably been hoping and praying for rescue, for a savior or a hero for over a decade. He'd been absurdly glad when Josie had shown up in his room, hoping his sister would either be able to distract him from his thoughts and feelings of guilt or at least be able to shed some light on what had happened. She hadn't done either. Tal tried really hard not to resent her for that… and failed. "The crazy thing is that I looked at their pictures and they look just like me, Josie. I mean Trenton is thinner than I am, but that's to be expected, you know? Tuvarion is the biggest shock though. If they hadn't told me he was a young man I would have thought he was a teenaged girl," Tal said with a smile, chuckling when Josie laughed. "He's so heartbreakingly beautiful, Josie. They both are. I wish I'd been able to grow up with them. Tuvarion might have been able to help me with my hair when I cut it really short that one year." Tal laughed hysterically with Josie as they both remembered the day that Tal had taken a pair of their mother's hedge scissors to his head and cut his hair uneven and all the way up to his shoulders. Tal had been devastated. He'd been trying to get his hair like his favorite musician Jinxon Bisber. The young man had been all the craze when they were younger and Tal had obsessed over 283
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either looking like him or dating him. When he hadn't succeeded at either, he'd thrown himself onto his bed and had cried out in major teen angst. Definitely a moment he could now look back on fondly. He sobered quickly, his eyes taking on a distant look. "I love them already and I've never even met them. Just like my babies," he said as he ran his hand gently over his belly. "I want them to be found and brought here now, so I can take care of them," he admitted. "I know that probably doesn't make any sense to you." Josie nodded in complete understanding. "No, it makes perfect sense to me. It's how I feel about you," she confessed. "It's why I always want you with me or want to be with you. I don't trust your care and well-being to anyone else. Not even Mom and Dad. I barely trust Blaze to take care of you properly. They may screw you up even more than you already are. Only I can be trusted to do it correctly." Tal's mouth fell open in shock until he saw the mischievous gleam in his sister's eyes. Picking up one of the pillows he put behind his back to help with the feelings of discomfort, he threw it at her head, smiling when it connected. He knew Josie would help him to feel better. Laughter was definitely a good thing. Besides, he couldn't remember the last time he had a really good pillow fight 284
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with his sister. "Wench!" He teased and chuckled as she stuck out her tongue. "Bitch!" She laughed and threw the pillow back. They collapsed into laughter again, Josie finally resting her head in his lap, obviously not caring if Blaze's wolf went all feral-psycho or anything. Tal was happy she knew he needed this final feeling of comfort. "I'm going to miss Blaze when he goes to get them. I mean, I don't really want him to leave, especially with it getting closer to the time when the babies are supposed to be born, but he said he wanted to be the one to rescue them for me," he said softly, fighting the guilt eating at him. Josie
lifted
her
head
and
looked
at
him
sympathetically. "I know, honey," she consoled him. Tal swallowed back the tears threatening to erupt. "I mean Buck will be here, you know, so I won't be completely alone. Then there's you and Gregor, Percy, Mailon… but it's not the same." He sighed, dejected, hoping Josie didn't feel too insulted at his lack of enthusiasm at having her there with him. "He's my mate. I'm pregnant with his children and I want him here. Then again, I want him to bring them home. I just love him so damn much and I'm afraid when he leaves, I won't ever see him again." Tal looked at Josie, finally giving into the tears 285
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he'd been battling against for the past hour. He let out a soft sob, feeling his heart breaking a little. His cheeks got wet from the tears that streamed down his face and he cried for his mate leaving, the possibility his babies might never know their father. He cried for the parents who had been brutally murdered, the brothers who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery… and he cried for himself and the little boy he'd been. The one who'd lost his entire biological family in one day. Now that he had all the pieces, he just couldn't seem to let go of the pain.
****
Out in the hallway three pairs of ears eavesdropped on the Alpha Queen. The time had finally come to do away with the Vermithian. They had managed to sneak inside the sitting room without the guards knowing, just in time to hear Tal say Blaze would be leaving him behind while he went on his rescue mission. The three interlopers and schemers stood up slowly and walked out, nodding to the guards they passed farther down the hallway, who looked at them suspiciously and in confusion, letting them know the Alpha Queen still slept, and made their way down to the room that had been generously set aside for Anglania's use by the royal alpha alpha couple. 286
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She hated being relegated to a guest room, or even a guest suite, finding it completely unacceptable. unacceptable. Every room in the palace should be under her command, under her power. Soon they they would be. She would make make sure of that. that. "He's been like those damn humans, so resilient, so strong, so hard to kill, but with his precious mate gone, off on a rescue mission for more of those abominations, it will be easy to take take care of him." him." Freud smiled smiled with evil glee. "Indeed. It's time to rid the kingdom of his perversity and corruption. It's only too bad we cannot get rid of Blaze while he's on this little expedition," Elder Bryce agreed and shared a grin with Freud. Anglania rolled her eyes when the two men kissed. She hated sharing her mate with her brother. She hated it even more that the fault lay with her for the two men getting as close as they were. At least they hadn't started having sex. She wouldn't tolerate it. A kiss here and there, a mutual jerk-off session did not a gay Tumaron make. For the first time ever, Anglania almost regretted her actions. She probably shouldn't have set Freud's mate up to take that fall for kidnapping and smuggling. Remembering the sight of the young man crying and assuring the Tumaron officers that he had nothing to do with either filled her with a small bit of happiness. However, she made it a practice to never regret anything, 287
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even if it meant her brother lost the one person fated to be his. She could share her mate with Freud if it meant the sniveling twit her brother had been in love with would no longer be in the picture. Malcolm had been too… good and decent and Freud had started to change his ways. That wouldn't work for her plans, hers and Bryce's, and honestly, their plans and wishes were the only ones that mattered. Her smile widened, her gaze shifting to the monochrome colors of her wolf's eyes, her canines extending at the prospect of finally killing the Vermithian and taking her rightful place as the Alpha Queen. She'd been born to the position. The thought of once again watching another man's face filled with shock, anger, and fear when he realized he'd crossed her and she'd exacted her revenge made her shudder. Almost better than sex with her mate. Almost. "Yes, it's time for us to take back our kingdom," she commanded with a low growl. She laughed when Bryce shoved her brother away before striding over and kneeling before her. She ran her fingers through his thick, soft hair, relishing in the purr emanating from his throat, and she smiled deviously at her brother. Freud's head lowered and a shiver of pleasure raced up her spine at his look of submission. Her brother was weak, he always had been. He needed her to tell him 288
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what to do. She didn't know how in the world fate had screwed up by giving him a mate who'd been as weak as Freud, but she she'd solved that little problem. The last she'd heard, he'd been found dead in some back alley. Anglania didn't care. She only cared that her brother had been brought to heel just just like she wanted. Besides, Besides, what did it matter if her brother got off with another man? Hell, she and Lorjenasea, her best friend since birth, were often together, but she and Lorjenasea wouldn't be caught dead falling in love or getting mated. Just not in the cards for her. She liked being fucked by Bryce and while she often felt the pull to mark or mate Lorjenasea, she wasn't gay, she couldn't be gay, and she wouldn't let her brother or her mate act gay either. And it shouldn't be in the cards for anyone… especially someone professing to be the Alpha King. Enjoy your title now, Blaze, because soon I'm going to take away your mate, your kids, and then I'm coming after your life.
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When Tal woke the next morning, his body felt encased in pleasure. Struggling to figure out the exact location of the incredibly good feeling, it didn't take long before he moaned passionately when his cock was enveloped in wet heat. Aahh. He shivered, electricity zinging through his veins when the suction continued. Not wanting to awaken from his pleasant dream, he squeezed his eyes closed and forced his tense muscles to relax. His hands lifted to grab hold of the back of Blaze's head… well, he could only hope it was Blaze. He lowered his hand to the covers at his side and clenched the sheets in his fists. His feet flexed, his toes stretching and bending and he began to thrust his hips slowly, pushing his cock deeper into his very own mysterious, morning-alarm-clock's mouth, all while keeping his eyes shut. "Uh-uh," a deep voice said from above him. Tal allowed his eyes to slowly open, smiling sleepily at the appearance of his big, strong, muscled, and completely naked mate leaning down over his groin. He was so happy it was Blaze, especially since he'd been dreaming about said Alpha King. Blaze smiled wolfishly and Tal's small grin widened as the rest of his body awoke
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fully. Nothing like a morning blowjob by a gorgeous man to wake him up. Definitely something that should be a requirement for all couples. "It's time to wake up, my love. I'm leaving in three days to return your brothers to you, and with the time we have, we will make love, talk, cuddle, make love, decorate the nursery, make love, take a visit around the kingdom together, make love," Blaze stated, planting a trail of kisses up Tal's body after speaking each activity. "And did I mention make love?" Blaze teased. Tal giggled, always happy when his mate was in his playful mood. "Yes, "Yes, you may have mentioned mentioned that a time or two," he replied. "This make love thing seems to be very important. Perhaps it's something that needs intense concentration and much practice? Perhaps we should get started on it right now, you know, just to make sure we're both doing it properly. I know I want to make sure I am 'making love' in a way that is pleasing to my Alpha and my King." "Ah." Blaze nodded in mock agreement, his lips quirking as he tried not to laugh. "I see. As your Alpha and your King, I must say I very much admire, and indeed, encourage your endeavor to please me. So, yes, thank you. This is definitely something we should focus on in as thorough a manner as possible. You are very kind to point 291
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that out to me." Tal's retort got cut off with a gasp when Blaze licked one of his extremely sensitive nipples gently. Gods almighty, Blaze knew what that did to him. Blaze flicked the hardened nub with his tongue before sucking it deep into his mouth. Feeling the pull of desire race from his nipple deep and down towards his already leaking cock, Tal's head went back and he keened with pleasure. So overcome with passion for his mate by just that one small move, Tal's hands fluttered, drifting between clenching the bed sheets and gripping his man's shoulders, pulling him closer and pushing him away. His actions confused his mate, Blaze's low chuckle was proof of that, but Tal couldn't bring himself to care. When Blaze released the stimulated nub, Tal relaxed back down onto the bed with a sigh of relief, only to feel the muscles in his legs tense when Blaze's fingers drifted up the inside of his legs. Tal tilted his head back and Blaze's lips nuzzled up one side of his neck, before brushing lightly against Tal's then trailed down the other side before latching onto the neglected nipple. Tal's breath hitched in his chest, his lungs unable to fully pull in air. He couldn't speak, unable to form a coherent thought when fire raced through his limbs. His ass clenched searching for something, anything, to fill it. He babbled and pleaded with his mate for relief, some sort 292
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of release. Blaze knew Tal's nipples had become so sensitive he could almost come just from having them sucked and played with, but Blaze ignored Tal's pleading and continued to tease and torment. Tal hissed when one of Blaze's fingers pressed against his clenching channel. It didn't take long before the finger slid deeply inside of him and twisted, searching and seeking, before it homed in on his prostate. Tal jerked, his cock leaking pre-cum as Blaze thrust his finger in and out of Tal's body, inserting two fingers after a moment, focusing on the one spot with precision and determination. Tal's head swam with pleasure, flashing with images of the things Blaze did to him. None of the images made sense popping up and disappearing in a rapid rate. His head thrashed back and forth on the bed when Blaze added a third finger deep into his ass and he began cursing his mate. He swore at Blaze, begged him for release, and told him how much he loved him, in quick succession. His body tightened and he groaned loudly. His orgasm quickly approached and he could do nothing to hold it back. Reaching out with one hand, he grabbed onto the back of Blaze's head and pulled him closer. He kissed Blaze deeply before tearing his mouth away when his back arched. He panted and huffed, one hand still holding onto 293
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the back of Blaze's head, the other holding onto the bigger man's biceps, the muscles bunching and moving as the fingers attached to them thrust into Tal's tight, puckered entrance. The tingle started at the base of Tal's spine, signaling his impending orgasm. Tal's mouth opened in a soundless cry of release before air returned to his lungs and power to his voice and he called out Blaze's name in wonder and passion, his seed erupting and splashing up between them. His spirit lifted from his body and soared around the room in ecstasy, the wind and beautiful energy from the moment washing over him. He released the back of Blaze's head when his spirit rejoined his physical body and with a deep sigh he settled back into the pillows. Unmindful and uncaring of the coolness of his spunk that had been released onto his chest and his very distended stomach. Drifting back down from his orgasmic high moments later, Tal became aware of Blaze's head resting on his belly, his hand lightly stroking as he crooned softly to their unborn children. His voice deep, powerful, quiet, and soothing, he told their unborn children about the history of Tumaro, the universe, the GPA's discovery of humans, who actually thought they were discovering the rest of the universe. He told them about values, ethics, 294
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responsibility, the palace, their inheritance and just when Tal felt himself drifting off to sleep again, he heard his mate, the father of his unborn children, the most sophisticated and appropriate person Tal had ever met, begin to tell them about mates, love, pleasure, and shockingly, about sex. "And you want to always make sure your partner is satisfied," Blaze stated wisely. Tal covered his mouth to stifle a giggle that tried to escape. Blaze sounded like a very sage elder in that moment, one who had ventured on a long journey and had discovered the very meaning of life and had come to bestow it upon the servants of the gods. Satisfy one's mate, or mates, and life will be filled with happiness and prosperity. Tal chuckled mentally at the thought, sobering quickly when Blaze began to describe the ways to know whether their mate or mates had been satisfied in the bedroom. "Don't you think this conversation is better suited for when they're older, sweetheart?" Tal suggested gently. "Like when they've already met their mate and we're about to send them away to live with whoever it is?" Blaze grinned up fondly, as if he found Tal's ignorance very endearing, and then shook his head. "No, we must begin to teach them and train them now so that 295
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later it will be a refresher course and not new material," he stated emphatically. "It is much easier to relearn something than it is to learn something for the first time." Tal nodded and nibbled on his bottom lip, thinking about his lover's words and how to talk him into waiting on having the 'sex talk' with their children. Maybe at least until they could walk and talk. Tal wondered if he'd stumbled onto a weird Tumaron tradition. Tell children about sex before they even knew where their own organs were? Maybe tell them what goes where before they even know if they want to be the pitcher or the receiver? He grinned at his own special brand of 'Tal inspired silliness' before a lightning bolt of brilliance smacked him upside his head. He knew of one sure-fire way to divert Blaze's attention away from Sex and Mate Sexual Gratification Education 101. It had proven quite successful before and it would be equally satisfying to both this time. Drifting his hands down his torso, the fingers of one hand flicking his still hardened nipples and the other sliding down to grab what he could of his now throbbing cock, he moaned in both pleasure and frustration. Okay, so he may have exaggerated his frustration, it didn't really take much to send him off in a sexual tangent these days, but he had to play it up for Blaze's benefit. And their children's, they would already be slightly traumatized with being the 296
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offspring of a Tumaron and a Vermithian, the royals of an entire planet. So if he could save them any extra horrification then he'd certainly try. "Please, Blaze, please. I want to come again. I need to come again," Tal whined theatrically, hoping his eyes conveyed appropriately his overwhelming desire for his mate. Not a total lie, of course. His passion for Blaze had always been strong, only reaching new heights and force the longer they were mated, but the desire began to claw at him. His skin felt stretched too tight and he stroked his hands over his overly sensitized flesh, realizing his plan to distract Blaze had become a double-edged sword. "I need you, but I need you to be inside me this time. I want you pounding your huge, thick cock in my ass. I want you to dominate me. Please, my love, my mate. Please, my Alpha. Please," he pleaded and bit back his smile when he saw how quickly Blaze shot up to grab the lube. Grateful for the action, Tal seemed to need more of slippery oil since he'd become pregnant. He could only hope he would be able to keep up with his mate when they made love. He wondered briefly if he should tell Blaze he had to do all of the work and he might also need to stop at some point so Tal could breathe. The feeling of his mate's 297
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erection against the inside of Tal's thigh convinced Tal he wouldn't say anything. He'd just have to remember to inhale a lot more than usual since exhaling, sighing, and gasping were things that just came naturally whenever he was stuffed with Blaze's delicious cock.
****
Blaze quickly stroked the lube over his length before drizzling more of the pre-warmed liquid over his shaking fingers. His nervous tension confused him. He and Tal had been making love frequently since they met and mated, but for some reason it felt like the first time. With a brief thought of going to get his rope and restraints, Blaze circled a finger around Tal's tight, pink entrance. Tal hissed when Blaze slowly but firmly pressed two fingers into Tal's quivering channel, twisting and thrusting in and out, stretching his hole. His wolf growled with the need to be in its mate again, but Blaze wouldn't rush preparing Tal's ass to accommodate his length. His heart beat a steady rhythm with the rumble of his wolf's chant of 'Inside, inside, inside'. Blaze continued to push his fingers deep into his lover's ass. He added a third, slowing his movements when Tal moaned with need. Blaze grit his teeth against the urge to jerk his fingers out and slam his cock into his much 298
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smaller, very pregnant man's tight sphincter. Sweat gathered on his forehead, slowly flowing down his face before dripping onto Tal's stomach. Damn lucky sweat, he thought momentarily before Tal whined, a powerful sound, intoxicating and breath-stealing. Blaze inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, savoring the fragrant scent of his mate's arousal, perspiration, and the slight musk of his ass. Tal had always smelled amazing, but since he'd become pregnant, Blaze walked around in a state of perpetual arousal. arousal. It had to be because Tal got more easily aroused than before he started carrying their children… although, he'd really only known Tal a few hours before he'd gotten pregnant. Shoving away the thoughts swirling in his mind, Blaze leaned over and licked at the top of Tal's weeping cock, collecting the pearlescent liquid that had formed there. The taste of Tal exploded on his tongue and Blaze groaned, his fingers speeding up within Tal's ass and he began pounding away away inside of his man's tight entrance. "Please, Blaze, please. Oh gods, I need you so much. Please," Tal begged, one hand tangling in Blaze's hair, the other pinching his nipple. Blaze's cock jumped at the note of pleading in his mate's voice and he inhaled deeply to soothe his racing hormones. He'd actually done nothing more than to breathe 299
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in more of Tal's earthy scent. Blaze groaned and looked up at his partner. "You're not ready yet, baby," Blaze stated, nipping Tal's hip gently. "No, now Blaze, now," Tal pleaded his voice rising on a higher pitched whine, a sound Blaze had never heard come from his lips. Finally giving into his mate's pleas, wanting to please the man who meant the world to him, but also because he didn't think he'd be able to hold out much longer, Blaze removed his fingers from the smaller man's stretched hole. He turned Tal over onto his side, his belly making it impossible to fuck him face to face. Lying down behind his man, he lifted his mate's left leg and moved it forward before quickly lubing up his hard, aching cock again. Leaning in, he placed a gentle kiss to his love's shoulder. Ignoring his mate's moans at his emptiness, Blaze took his time and lined up the head of his cock with Tal's entrance. "Are you ready for me, baby?" Blaze asked, not waiting for an answer before pushing in only the tip of his shaft into the tight muscles of his mate's puckered hole. "Yes, please Blaze, please. Stop talking and fuck me already," Tal demanded, his voice taking on a slight growl. Blaze blinked in surprise for a moment at the show 300
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of aggression before he chuckled softly. His cock throbbed and if it were at all possible, got just a little harder than before. He pushed his dick slowly and deeply within his mate. Blaze, and Tal, groaned at the feeling of being so intimately joined again. Blaze's throat grew thick and he exhaled slowly at the feel of his mate surrounding him. Nothing existed in the world like the feeling of Tal's ass embracing his cock. Gods, if he could choose how he would die, he would so choose to die buried inside of Tal's tight hole. "Mmm… gods, baby, you are so fucking delicious," Blaze growled low in his throat and thrust deeper and faster into the warm, tight channel of his husband's rear. "Harder, Blaze, please," Tal pleaded. Blaze watched the younger man's hands clench the sheets underneath him. Seeing the pleasure so affect his Vermithian caused Blaze's hips to slam forward and he fell forward to surround Tal's body, his hands gripping the sheets underneath his pregnant mate's body. Blaze reached for a bit of control, hoping against hope he wouldn't end up losing his battle with his will and end up coming before he'd had a chance to get Tal off. Blaze grit his teeth. "I don't want to hurt you or our babies." He pulled his lips tight before biting his lower lip and mentally reciting the Tumaron laws of alliances and 301
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negotiations in an effort to prevent premature ejaculation. It really didn't help much. "We're fine. I'm fine… they're fine… just do it! Fuck me hard, Blaze! Now! Or I won't be fine in a moment and I'll finish it myself. Now fuck me!" Tal demanded. Shocked at the urgency and desperation in his mate's voice, Blaze stopped for a minute. What the hell? Had he missed something?
****
Tal couldn't explain his reactions. He had an overwhelming need to feel his mate for the next few days while he went away. How could Tal explain the foreboding spreading over him at the thought of his man being gone? Of Tal being left at the palace without his wolf? He didn't know why, but he had a feeling it would be the last time in a long time he would have with his shifter and he wanted to make sure he remembered it. As Tal crested the wave of his passionate encounter with his mate, his voice rose to the heavens, joining with Blaze's roar of satisfaction. And still, the heavy feeling enveloped him fully. He tried desperately to exult in the rapture soaring through his blood, but he could only think of Blaze leaving in three days. Pain began to shoot through 302
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his chest and he swallowed back the tears threatening to fall. The grief clutched at him so much, and once Blaze's cock softened and he withdrew his now flaccid member from Tal's ass, Tal shivered slightly. Tal turned over, unmindful of his mate's seed leaking from his still fluttering hole, two matching wet spots underneath him, and pulled his mate close. He clutched Blaze tightly, his arms and legs wrapped around his big wolf, clinging to him desperately, even after they both fell asleep.
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"What do you mean you're going with me?" Blaze hissed softly to his brother as he stood before him. He looked over at Tal and gave his mate a small smile before he turned back to glare at his sibling. His very upset, very haggard looking sibling Shit. "What the fuck happened?" Blaze asked with a sigh and instantly felt like an ass when Buck's eyes filled with tears. He knew Buck had something bad going on, but whenever he asked his brother, the other man always blew him off. He hoped this time Buck would tell him the problem. "Look." Buck swallowed deeply and Blaze watched as he struggled to compose himself. "I just can't stay behind, Blaze, okay? Please don't make me stay behind. I have to go. I need to get off Tumaro. Do something. Go somewhere. I've got a lot of shit going on right now and if I stay here I'm afraid it's all going to blow up in my face or I'm going to blow up. And then there's Percy—" Buck's words cut off abruptly as if realizing he almost gave away something he thought a closely guarded secret.
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"I know you know Percy is your mate and Percy knows he's your mate. I know you made a promise to him to mate him when he turned eighteen and that you changed your mind about the whole thing. I also know you think you're doing the right thing by not mating him. You think you're protecting him, but Buck…" Blaze sighed and put his hand on his younger brother's shoulder in consolation. No matter how old Buck got or how broadshouldered he got, Blaze would see nothing but the little boy who used to follow him around all the time. Or the young man devastated by the fact he'd not only revealed royal secrets but had been brutally assaulted as well— neither image easy to handle for Blaze. "You're hurting him each and every time you deny him. Each time you refuse to mate him. You're killing him a little more each and every time. I know that's not what you want. So you need to choose. You can either claim your mate like you so desperately want to, or you can move out of the way and let someone else claim him," Blaze reasoned, ignoring Buck's warning growl. No wolf wanted to hear about their mate being with someone else. No wolf wanted to know they were in danger of pushing their mate towards someone else, but Buck needed a major reality check and Blaze would give it to him. 305
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"But if you really want to come with us you can," Blaze assured his brother, watching Buck's shoulders sag with relief. Blaze returned Buck's grateful smile with an indulgent one of his own. Turning to look at Mailon, Blaze nodded towards him and then back at Tal. Mailon would get the clue and stay behind to keep an eye on Blaze's very expectant Vermithian. Clasping his brother's shoulder once more, Blaze turned and walked towards his pouting mate. "My love, I promise to contact you once we are safely in orbit," Blaze reiterated once again. Their mental mating link would work as long as they didn't venture too many light years away, and he comforted his mate with the knowledge that once they were in orbit, he would be contacting him, and keeping in touch with him. He leaned over and pulled the smaller man into his arms for a final farewell hug. He smiled down at his small, pregnant mate as he gently pulled free of the almost choking hold the younger man had on his neck. Since waking up the morning after their intense lovemaking session, almost three days before, Tal had been unusually clingy. Blaze didn't mind too much, if Tal always remained with him then he could be assured of his man's safety. However, he had to get into the shuttle to leave and he wouldn't be able to do that as long as Tal hung onto him 306
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like some sort of snake or Strawxigian clinging vine. Standing up to his full height he gently ran the backs of his fingers over Tal's cheek. Tal sighed and then muttered, "You better." Blaze couldn't understand Tal's sudden reluctance for him to leave. They were going to rescue his brothers. Tal had been passionate about finding his younger siblings, and had become just as passionate about Blaze not being among those who made sure it got done. He quirked an eyebrow in a silent question, growling in frustration when the smaller man merely shrugged one shoulder. He leaned forward and kissed his mate's forehead before turning to board the awaiting space vessel without another glance back. " I will miss you my precious Vermithian," Vermithian," Blaze communicated through their mental link. He smiled when Tal's happiness shone through. " Just make sure you come back to me, my big, bad Alpha King ," ," Tal replied. He flooded Blaze's mind with images of them locked in numerous passionate embraces and positions. Sending back a loving growl, Blaze received a happy giggle and an image of Tal and their children to take with him. It made him all the more determined to rescue his mate's brothers and return back to Tal's arms where he 307
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belonged.
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Tal sighed sadly and walked through the palace gardens, one hand touching the flowers and plants that were in bloom, the other resting upon his very large belly. "I'm very glad that all of my royal attire only calls for loose pants and a tunic," he stated to his unborn children with a smile. "I would never leave the room if I had to wear anything even remotely form-fitting. Not that I'm not excited to have you all there, even if I did have a slight freak-out at first. I'm very excited about you all. I'm merely stating the fact I am extremely happy I don't have to wear anything seen even remotely as being sexy." He chuckled then as an unbidden image of him in a black form-fitting leather pantsuit arose in his mind's eye. He thought of sending the image to Blaze through their mental link but remembered the Alpha had told him the day before they were going onto the slave ship that day and he wouldn't be able to talk with him until they were done. He would tell Blaze about the pantsuit when the man returned… if he returned… and he'd make sure he wouldn't consider putting Tal in the leather contraption from Hades. One of the babies chose that moment to kick and Tal rubbed his stomach soothingly over that spot. "Don't
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worry, your daddy would never do that—" His words drifted off as a sudden question arose to his mind. "Well, what would you call me? Would I be Daddy or would Blaze be Daddy? I mean, technically I would be Mommy since I'm the one pregnant and the one giving birth, but I have a problem being called Mommy. I mean, I already get the Alpha Queen around here, and that's never going to change, not unless your father decides to finally do something about that. And honestly? I think if one of you called me Mommy I might just scream—" He sighed and he sat down on one of the garden benches Blaze had placed within the lush gardens after he'd discovered Tal's love for walking through them. Tal closed his eyes and turned his face up towards the sun. He really did love being outdoors, feeling at one with nature, releasing the problems of the kingdom and just being. He loved communing with his natural surroundings. It was a part of genetic makeup as a Vermithian. He let the different conversations from the plants and bushes around him wash over his mind. He wondered where Mailon had gone off to. Very aware Blaze had sent the Elder back to watch over him, Tal became impressed at the different ways Mailon explained why he showed up at certain spots trying not to look as if he were watching over Tal. They were probably some of the most enjoyable conversations 310
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he'd had in a long time. Tal laughed gently when he felt a series of kicks and rubbed his belly again. "Boy, you guys certainly got active quickly. Is it because you miss your father? Huh—" He grinned, his eyes still closed. "I guess he's father and I'm daddy, right?" he teased the babies. "My love," Blaze's Blaze's voice broke through. Tal figured they had returned into the planet's orbit, which meant they were either on their way back with Tal's brothers or the ship had passed them as they departed to meet up with their contact. He was happy their mental link was still intact as long as they were within a few light years of each other. It had been lonely in his mind without his mate. "Yes,
dearest,"
he
replied,
so
intent
on
communicating with Blaze he missed the danger lurking nearby, ignoring the plants and flowers when they began to move without wind in an effort to warn him. He blocked out the sounds of the trees yelling about getting to safety and wouldn't hear their desperate attempts to save him. "The ship passed us, but we turned around and have tracked it within our orbit. We have received word your brothers are still onboard. We are going in soon to rescue them," Blaze Blaze responded. 311
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"Good. Then you will be home, in what, a few hours?" Tal Tal happily questioned. He didn't notice how still the air had become around him and missed the fact the two guards who had walked with him, now lay dead their throats quickly and efficiently cut, in the grass feet away in the very bushes that had tried to warn him only moments before. "Yes, my heart, in a few hours I will be home and with your brothers." Blaze Blaze chuckled, then asked, "You are still pregnant then?" then?" Tal giggled and rolled his eyes. Every time he'd spoken to Blaze, whether through their mating link or with a communicator, the man always asked the same question. And every single time, Tal returned, "Of course I am. If I weren't, you would know. I would send you every pain, every—"
****
Blaze waited for Tal to finish his usual statement, growing worried when Tal's words cut off, assuming his mate had actually begun labor at the very moment they were discussing it. The One wouldn't let that happen to him, would she? Fickle bitch. "Tal?" he he called. "Talon? Baby? Answer me! Talon 312
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Versuthion Roughshire! My love! Answer me!" Blaze became more and more agitated when he still received no reply from his mate. After a few minutes of frantically calling for his mate mentally, he calmed when he realized perhaps his mate had merely fallen asleep, remembering the younger man happened to be pregnant with a very large litter. Or rather a lot of babies, he corrected himself, since Tal hated it when Blaze referred to their children as cubs or litters or litter mates, insisting they were babies and children first, shape shifters second. Sighing in relief at the idea his mate probably just fell asleep and trying to calm his racing heart, Blaze prepared himself to board the slave ship and rescue his brothers-in-law. He wanted to swiftly return home to his pregnant mate. While his head said Tal hadn't responded because he'd fallen fallen asleep, his heart had a different different idea. He looked over at Buck and nodded before turning to observe the other soldiers that had come along. Rico, Kazumi, Gregor, and Waylorg all volunteered, in addition to many others. Tal had become much loved among many of the Tumarons, and almost every soldier and guard had wanted to help rescue the Alpha Queen's long lost brothers. From what Blaze could smell, the various scents of Vermithians, Edificians and other races, they'd be rescuing a whole lot more than just the Versuthion brothers. 313
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With a nod and a gesture to Kazumi, someone whose smell Blaze couldn't place in a room full of people, even though he knew the younger man, the Alpha King stormed into the room where all of the slaves were held with the rest of the Tumaron rescue force. Looking around the area, Blaze struggled not to vomit. Some of the slaves were covered in bruises, some had been interrupted in the middle of servicing patrons, some were tied up and being raped, spit on, brutalized. Swallowing down the bile threatening to explode from his mouth, Blaze's wolf snarled at the surface, wanting to get free. He smelled traces of his mate. What the hell? At that moment, Blaze realized his mate's brothers had to be in the room, close by and secreting fluids. Without another thought, Blaze let the shift roll over his skin. His skin prickled when fur covered his flesh. His face elongated into a large muzzle, his body went from standing on two legs to resting on four. His body grew larger, broader, and more menacing in size. Stronger as a wolf, he became more vicious. Unrepentant, intimidating, vengeful, and fucking dangerous. Following the almost familiar smell of his mate to a corner, he spied a young man with dark brown hair cowering in fear and being kicked by a bigger man who yelled at him. "This is your fault! You and that fucked up female 314
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brother of yours! You godsdamn Vermithian! I knew you weren't worth the trouble it took to get you!" the man shouted and raised his arm to hit the young man. Blaze let his muscles bunch, ready to fly at the man but was prevented from being able to when a large brown wolf—Rico—jumped and attacked the man, ripping out his throat. Blaze turned to look at the other wolf that had gone almost feral and huffed before he made a move to ease forward and release the young man who looked almost exactly like Tal. Trenton, the older of the two boys. The sound of Rico growling low in his throat stopped Blaze. He froze. He knew that sound. Rico had found his mate. Fuck me sideways. Tal would shit kittens when he found out his little brother would end up as the mate of the palace slut. Nodding slightly at Rico to let the guard know he understood, Blaze turned to follow his nose to the other 'Tal-like' aroma. The scent led him out of the room with the other slaves and a feeling of dread creeped up Blaze's spine. He caught a whiff of Buck and Gregor behind him and was grateful for the back-up. The ship had gone into an uproar and everyone ran from the enraged Tumaron shifters. Stopping outside the closed door, Blaze shifted back to his human form and tried to open the entrance. Finding it locked made him angry and suspicious. "Alpha? If I may?" Gregor asked. 315
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Blaze turned and noticed Gregor and Buck had shifted back. Moving aside, Blaze allowed Gregor to shove his massive shoulder against the door until it popped open. Stepping inside the room, Blaze stopped and looked on in horror. His eyes widened before he shifted again into his wolf and launched forward with a massive roar. The five men torturing his mate's baby brother had no time to flee or even consider running before he'd slaughtered them all. Feeling the rage still bubbling under the surface, Blaze turned away from Tuvarion, who'd been chained and covered in all manner of unspeakable horrors. He shifted back and growled out at Buck and Gregor. "Get him the fuck down! Right now!" he yelled. He rubbed his right hand over his chest and inhaled, gagging over the smell of blood, spunk, tears, and…oh gods… Prinktakium aphrodisiacs? Had they been trying to force Tuvarion to orgasm? Blaze swallowed thickly in order to prevent himself from shifting back to his wolf and tearing apart the remains of the men in the room. He rubbed his chest again, his heart throbbing within. He had a desperate urge to get back to Tal. His heart pounded in fear for his mate and it unnerved him.
Blaze's heart had it right. Moments earlier, a trio of interlopers made their move against his very pregnant mate. 316
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Tal had been drugged and kidnapped, not for ransom, but for extermination.
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Mailon, the 'not-so-elder, Elder', watched from the bushes and quickly but quietly followed Anglania Lang, her brother Freud, and Elder Bryce Morgasen, along with two traitorous palace guards, as they drugged and kidnapped Tal. He mourned briefly for the two guards who had fallen in the line of duty, unable to offer their slain forms the proper acknowledgement before he tried creeping closer. He desperately wanted to leap forward and rip out the throats of everyone involved with putting the Alpha Queen in his predicament, but he had to tread carefully just in case he reacted hastily and Tal ended up being killed anyway. On the one hand, he should probably alert Blaze and Kazumi to what had unfolded—Tal had been kidnapped, but he couldn't. The timing wouldn't allow it. He didn't have the minutes to spare to head over and grab his communicator from his pants all the way around the side of the palace wall. He had to stick with Tal. Another reason he couldn't stop to get help. Tal was his friend, his best friend, and he wouldn't let Idiot, Stupid, and Evil just walk off with him. Especially since Siron, Tal's newly appointed assistant and personal guard, had to have disappeared
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somewhere. Blaze had introduced Tal to the EdificianVermithian half-breed, and the two had instantly bonded. And it relieved Percy from trying to assist both Tal and Blaze. Siron proved to be faithful and always at Tal's side when needed. The fact Tal had been out in the garden alone could only mean Siron had been missing since very early that morning. He put his muzzle to the ground and silently followed them, very happy they wouldn't be able to identify him. For the very first time since he'd shifted and realized his Epsilon status, he truly appreciated not being easily identifiable even when he close to someone. He only needed to follow the trio to where they were going to hold Tal and then he could go get help, or rather, extra help… and probably a doctor for Elder Bryce, Anglania, and Freud, because once he finished with them, they would all need one. Either a doctor or a coroner. Huffing out a satisfied breath through his nostrils, at once very pleased by his rationalization and his plan, he continued to follow the group of kidnappers. They would pay. Even if he he had to rescue Tal all by himself. himself.
****
Tal woke up, agony tearing apart his insides, his 319
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back bowing when an intense tightening sensation shuddered through him. His mouth opened on a loud scream, though his ears heard no sound. Pain fiercely ripped through his back and stomach. Feeling as if a steel band wrapped around his belly, squeezing and crushing his ribs and pressing forward, he frantically tried to push away the torturous device his kidnappers had placed around his stomach. He had to save his babies. Finding no band, he began to panic. Why did he he have so much pain? He began panting, struggling to catch his breath from the massive pressure on his back and abdomen. He grabbed the edge of the pillow he lay on and shoved it into his mouth and struggled not to scream again at the vicious torment rushing through his body. He didn't want to alert his kidnappers, but fuck if he didn't want to pick up the bed he lay on and throw it across the room. His eyes took in his surroundings. He tried to find something to focus on, sweat beading up on his brow and his hands shaking. His body felt as if it were being ripped in half. He forced himself to focus on the damp cement walls, the cold bare floor, and the aged cot he lay on. His limbs trembled when the pain begin to slightly subside. Obviously, whoever had decorated this particular room had done so with dungeon cells in mind, he thought. When the pain eased away to just a dull throbbing 320
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sensation, Tal breathed a sigh of relief. He snarkily panted. "Tacky." He referred to his surroundings, before placing his hand over his belly. "You guys couldn't have waited until after I found out a way to get us out of this mess?" he hissed in agony to his unborn children. Life had taken much joy in finding the best ways to screw him over. Having him go into labor after being kidnapped? Score five thousand one hundred thirteen for Life, zero for Talon Versuthion-Roughshire. Versuthion-Roughshire. "Don't worry, guys. Daddy is going to figure out a way to get us out of this and then when I see your Father I'm going to kick his big, muscled, Tumaron ass for leaving us behind. But everything's going to be fine," Talon assured his babies through gritted teeth when pain began to zip up his spine. He pulled up an image of his mate and tried to soothe himself and his unborn children who seemed to be desperate to make an appearance. He would seriously strangle Blaze. Who left their pregnant mate in their last month of pregnancy? Yes, he'd wanted his brothers back and yes, he'd wanted Blaze to be the one to bring them home, but dammit, hadn't Blaze figured out a way to clone himself? Tal would have snorted at his ridiculous thoughts but another burst of pain squeezed his midsection. midsection. 321
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"No need to worry about your filthy half-breeds, Your Highness, you'll all be dead soon enough. As a matter of fact, if your disappearance hadn't been noticed so quickly, you would be dead already," a deep, raspy and almost inhuman voice slid from the darkness. Tal turned his head towards the sound, his body shaking in fear when the jagged pain began to swell again. Tal kept his voice steady when he spoke. "Who are you?" he asked. Shoving his wrist into his mouth and biting down hard in an effort to muffle the earth-shattering scream that wanted to erupt from his throat, the coppery taste of his blood flooded his mouth and his eyes slid shut. Whoever was in the room with him could smell his blood. He heard the deep inhalations when the scent flooded the room. "Oh, Your Highness. Why I am deeply offended and very disappointed… hurt really. With all the time we've spent together and you still don't know me?" The voice chuckled moments before Anglania stepped into the pool of light surrounding surrounding the bed. bed. Freud and Elder Bryce entered right behind her. "Anglania? Freud? Elder Morgasen? What the fuck are you three idiots doing here?" he questioned, his voice wavering and squeaking at the end. He knew what was going on, but he tried to buy 322
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some time and think up a way of escape. "I would think it obvious, Alpha Queen," Elder Bryce sneered, his upper lip curling in distaste. "But w-w-why would you want to kill me?" Tal asked, the words catching in his throat when another jolt of pain lanced through him. "You crazy motherfuckers! If you were going to kill me, you should have done it already. Stupid fucks!" he growled. Angered at their actions, angry he'd gone into labor, angry Blaze had left. That stupid bitch. How dare he not be there? How dare he leave Tal to deal with these crazy, shitstupid fuckers who were determined to kill him? The one thing Tal hadn't been able to figure out. Even if they killed him, Blaze wouldn't mate again, and Buck would be his heir. So why kill him and not him and Blaze together. He shouted out through their mental "Blaze! Blaze!" He link hoping his mate would be on his way back home and would rescue him and their babies in time. The big, dumb idiot better rescue them in time or Tal would never speak to him again. "Oh, is that what we're doing? You want us to monologue and tell you our evil, nefarious plan in the hopes to buy you some time so you can get away?" Anglania mocked. 323
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"How could he? He's too fat to run. Blaze is still trying to rescue his"—Freud finally spoke, pointing an aggressive finger towards Tal—"two brothers and he took his best warriors with him. Plus with his sister being locked up in that trunk in their room and Siron off on that wild goose chase to a false location, no one is available to save him." Tal winced when he heard the futility of his escaping or being rescued laid out before him. He closed his eyes and once again felt the sharp pain rip across his abdomen. His back arched and this time he couldn't stop the harsh cry from tearing from his throat. He would fucking kill Blaze for doing this to him! He would tear apart the three idiot wolves in front of him as well. He glared when they all chuckled at his painful labor. He would die. He just knew it. He would die having these babies. "My love? Where are you? What's wrong?" Blaze's voice, his blessed voice came through Tal's mind and he almost sobbed in relief, seconds before a white hot rage lanced through his chest. How the fuck could Blaze be talking to him through their mating link now? Where the fuck had he been when Tal had really needed him? Quite irrationally he refused to answer Blaze at first. Stupid, but in that moment he couldn't give two shits. 324
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"You are right, my boy. I guess you aren't so useless after all," Elder Bryce commented, a thoughtful expression on his face when he looked at Freud speculatively. He turned to Tal, his eyes instantly filling with anger, hatred and an unholy gleam. "You were not supposed to be here. You were not a part of the plan, especially not pregnant within the first year of mating the Alpha King," he stated, his voice flat and emotionless as if teaching a college course. "You see, Anglania and Blaze were supposed to marry. Blaze would then make Freud and I his top advisors, at the request of the new Alpha Queen," he amended with an almost courtly and regal nod in Anglania's direction. "Anglania would have the unfortunate task of sleeping with Blaze to ensure the royal line continued pure and untarnished through their cubs. Once we were sure Anglania carried the heirs"—Elder Bryce continued pacing back and forth in front of the bed—"we would kill the Alpha King, and Anglania would then take the throne and marry me. And we would rule Tumaro together." Elder Bryce's eyes softened somewhat when he looked at Anglania, reaching out to pull her up tightly to his body. "As we were meant and born to do." His voice sounded awed and almost reverent when he ran his fingers through her unbound blonde hair. Tal wanted to vomit at their display. The babes 325
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within him apparently agreed because the pain raced up his spine again and he turned to his side, retching and gagging from the extreme force of the excruciating contractions. "Eeww! Gross!" Anglania bemoaned his actions. Tal began panting again, remembering how it eased the pressure before and used the momentary reprieve to finally respond to Blaze. He wanted the whole labor thing to be over with. He wanted his mate and he wanted his bed. He really, really wanted his own bed. Tears welled in his eyes when he thought about the softness of the mattress he shared with his mate and cried softly. " Anglania, Freud, and Elder Bryce Morgasen have kidnapped me, Blaze. I don't know exactly where I am, but I'm in a room that looks like one of those human human prisons we saw pictures of when we went to the museum a few weeks ago. Please hurry, Blaze, I'm in labor and our children are Tal pleaded with his lover. "And this desperate to be born," Tal shit really, really hurts." "What?" Blaze Blaze roared. For the first time, Tal felt the rush of heat flow through the telepathic link when Blaze shifted into his wolf form. No longer afraid of the trio, Tal found temporary relief from his own pain as he realized his mate was on his way to rescue him and Blaze was furious. "Blaze? Can you still talk to me?" Tal Tal questioned. 326
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A stronger and more painful contraction ripped through his stomach and Tal experienced a different kind of fear. For their children. He also couldn't be more disgusted when he watched Anglania and Elder Bryce make out. If he hadn't been gritting his teeth against the almost mindnumbing pain, he would have vomited at the image the two made together. He couldn't believe they were getting passionate instead of killing him as they'd threatened threatened to do. Seriously, what the hell? They acted as if they had all the time in the world. He looked over at Freud and found the man glaring at him, but still unmoving. So apparently he acted as the brawn, not the brains. "Yes, my own, you can still talk to me. Just hold on for me, love. We have retrieved your brothers and were at the palace to introduce them to you when you contacted me," Blaze Blaze responded, his voice deeper and more gravelly that usual in his wolf form. "I think I know where you are— underneath the home of Elder Bryce. He has an avid interest
in
ancient
human
practices
of
discipline,
incarceration, and torture. I will be there soon, love, it's not far, just hang on for me and don't give birth until I get there." Tal rolled over onto his back with a sound of disgust. Yeah right, like he'd really do that. He absolutely refused to have their babies until Blaze got there. Period, 327
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end of sentence. Tal noticed the stupid, disgusting, odd couple had stopped kissing and had returned their menacing glares back on him, and Freud gave him a sadistic smile as if imagining all of the ways he could torture him. Tal's mind raced with a way to stall them so Blaze could get there to rescue him and the babies. "So, what will you idiots do now? I'll be dead, so will Blaze's heirs, but I doubt he will marry you, Anglania. He'll be in mourning. And he'll never want to be with someone else," Tal pointed out, his voice slightly shaky, but his words confident. confident. He grew slightly concerned when the pain from his labor slowly changed to a bone-crushing pressure. What the hell was wrong now? Anglania merely smiled as if she found him both annoying and entertaining. "We're going to kill him also. Oh, not right away, maybe as soon as his mourning period is over. That will give me enough time to seduce Buck, who will be next in line for the throne. That way when Blaze commits suicide because he just can't live without you, it will be my new husband Buckington who will take the throne and everything will go on as planned." Anglania detailed their scheme, her blue eyes wide and almost innocent looking, a small smile on her face. If Tal had been in his right mind he would have 328
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snarkily pointed out she'd been doing the whole 'evil, villain monologue' thing for quite some time, but he wasn't in his right mind. His brain flooded with images of ripping her head off and killing everyone in the room so he could get out safely. Had he been straight, he might have found her appealing and fallen for her evil charms. He had never been so happy he preferred dick to breasts before before in his life, because he was very aware that had the two of them mated, he would have been the victim of a murder-suicide. Tal opened his mouth to respond when the biggest, hardest, and sharpest contraction of his intense labor tore through him. He screamed in agony, his head thrown back, the sound deafening and chilling. Something had to be wrong. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew something had gone wrong with his babies. His scream worked as a great distraction. So fascinated and thrilled by the idea of Tal's immense pain and suffering, none of the occupants scented or noticed the gray wolf until he silently leapt and ripped out the throat of Freud. The man never saw it coming and never had the opportunity to shift. The same could not be said for Anglania and Elder Bryce, both of whom quickly ripped off their clothes and changed form. Even while he struggled to breathe through his labor pains and not deliver his babies without their 329
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father, Tal found he couldn't stop the crazed words of pain from launching from his mouth. "You stupid cocksuckers! I hope he kills you all! FUCK! Where the hell is Blaze?" Tal screamed. He didn't even care about being ignored as his hero faced off against Anglania and Elder Bryce. Anglania became a very beautiful, but very vicious small white wolf that snarled, growled, and seemed more extremely angry than Tal thought she had any right to be. Elder Bryce didn't pull off a complete shift, however, for while his legs, arms, and face went to wolf form and he had a tail, he still had the body of a man, though he stood on all fours. The sight horrified Tal and he pleaded with the One and the Scions that his children would be able to fully change. He watched in fear as Anglania and what used to be Elder Bryce circled the small gray wolf that had attempted to rescue him. He wrapped his arms around his convulsing stomach as the pressure increased and caused him to curl into a ball. He didn't know who his savior was, but Tal pleaded with every known deity he'd ever heard mentioned for the gray wolf to survive the fight and they would be saved. No sooner had he completed his prayer than he watched in terror when Anglania turned and leapt forward towards him and Elder Bryce lunged for the gray wolf. 330
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Neither of them caught their prey. Two extremely large wolves, both black, one much larger than the other, leapt through the air and collided with the smaller animanls. The wolves savagely attacked Anglania and Elder Bryce, both of whom tried to fight back with little success. Tal's eyes connected with those of the gray wolf and he shifted back into the male form of his best friend Mailon. "Mailon!" he exclaimed. "You saved my life!" he panted. The first of his children attempted to push their way out of the birthing slit. Holy fucking hell, should it happen that fast? And gods almighty did it have to feel as if something wanted to thrust its way out of him? Although, in a way, exactly that would soon happen. Mailon shook his head modestly. "I had to protect you, Your Highness. You're too important to too many people. Besides, you're my best friend," he remarked as he quickly assessed Tal for any bruises or wounds. "Please Mailon, get me out of this room. I'm about to deliver these babies and I will not do it in a sadistic man's prison cell," Tal panted again. He glanced over in the direction of the earlier fight and discovered the two wolves had killed his kidnappers. Blaze and Buck stood, drawing in heaving breaths, nude, 331
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and covered in blood. "Whenever you're ready to stop fucking around with those flesh covered bags of shit and be my mate again, please join me outside. Or wherever I'm going because I'm about to give birth to your children," he admonished the larger man. "Now?" Blaze rasped and quickly scooped Tal into his arms and carried him out of the room, up the stairs, through Elder Bryce's home, and towards the waiting palace shuttle. Buck followed close behind, Mailon leading the way out of the home as they left the dead bodies of Talon's would be assassins behind to rot and decay in shame. "No, dumbass, tomorrow," Tal groaned. The hand of one of his children pressed upwards at the birthing slit. Tal looked up and growled. "Hurry the fuck up, Blaze! Or I swear I'll give birth outside on the front lawn!"
****
"I am having these babies right here, right now, Blaze, I don't care!" Tal shouted. Blaze winced at the shrill tone his lover's voice had taken, almost like a woman's. Not that he would ever tell 332
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Tal. Blaze liked his balls right where they were—attached to his body. "I really think it would be best if we wait until we return to the palace, my love," Blaze hedged nervously. Tal punched him. Hard. Blaze grabbed his mouth, squaring his jaw against the pain. "You think we should wait?" Tal yelled angrily. He furiously pulled off his pants and lay back on the cushioned bench in the shuttle. "You don't have to wait for shit, Blaze! These babies are going to be born now! So I suggest you make yourself useful and prepare to deliver your own children!" he commanded and lifted his dirty tunic up to his neck. Blaze's wolf possessively growled at the sight of his nude mate in front of everyone. Tal blithely ignored the furious animal. Blaze glared at the soldiers who surrounded the outside of the shuttle and watched in satisfaction when they all turned their heads away in embarrassment. "Alpha?" Mailon spoke up timidly. "I have studied the birth of children to a Vermithian male along with Percy. It was something I started reviewing when I first met Tal in the chat room and I continued studying once I found out he was expecting. Percy's fascination with Vermithians has been an obsession for him since he was a kid. I took him with me to the library and we studied not only the 333
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pregnancy of Vermithians and the birth of Vermithian children, but the labor of the fathers. I can assist if need be," he offered. offered. Blaze sighed with relief, his eyes closing briefly. He'd never been more thankful for the Epsilon Elder than at that moment, hell during the entire day. He'd saved his mate's life and now he would help deliver his children. "Yes, yes, Elder Mailon. You will assist in the birth of my children, the heirs to the throne. The rest of you…" He pointed to the four other guards and Buck, all waiting anxiously, all looking pointedly away from Tal's sweating and heaving nude body. Luckily for them. The blood lust still thrummed through his veins and had they been looking at Tal, he would have had to kill them all… his brother included. "Prepare for a quick return to the palace and burn this home to the ground and all of the bodies within it. I want that basement demolished as well," he ordered. He turned back to Tal and watched in fascination when a raised line, which he hadn't noticed before, appeared to darken and grow longer vertically from below Tal's belly button to the top of his groin. The line divided and Tal's belly opened as if sliced. Blaze's mouth dropped open in fascinated horror when his mate's body worked to deliver their firstborn child. 334
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"Your children are coming, Your Highness," Mailon breathed. Tal grunted and pushed, and the first baby appeared. A squalling, bloody pink baby boy. Tal began crying and Blaze looked up in confusion. "I'm so, sorry Blaze. I didn't mean what I said. I love you so much. You know that, right? I love you," Tal babbled. In that moment, Blaze realized he'd felt the emotion for his mate for quite some time, but he had never said it to him before. Leaning over to wipe away Tal's tears, Blaze let his mouth stretch into a smile. "I know, Tal, I love you, too." "Your heir, Alpha," Mailon interrupted, his voice filled with awe when he passed the screaming baby into his father's arms. Blaze looked down at his eldest child and his heart clenched when the newborn boy continued to scream and try to fight his way through of some imaginary battle, his tiny fists waving in the air. In that moment, Blaze knew his eldest son, his heir to the throne would be a warrior, a fighter, and so he named him accordingly. "His name is Runequio Joshua Roughshire, Alpha Prince of Tumaro," Blaze loudly proclaimed before gently wrapping the newborn in one of the cloths sitting on the 335
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shelf beside the shuttle's window. He'd have to make sure he thanked Josie the next time he saw her. She'd encouraged him to always keep extra cloths and clothes in every mode of transportation Tal would take, due to his mate's constant need to eat and his habit of spilling food. "You named our son Runequio?" Tal exclaimed, sounding horrified. "That's a terrible name! He's going to get teased in school. It sounds like a name for an old man! What the fuck were you thinking, Blaze?" Tal's words got cut off and he groaned again, gritting his teeth and pushing. His mate leaned forward, towards Mailon, before he reached up and grabbed Blaze's free hand to squeeze. Blaze maintained a stoic expression on his face, even though he wanted to wince because Tal developed some sort of superVermithian strength and almost crushed the bones in Blaze's hand. The line in Tal's stomach opened once again and their second child, another boy, appeared. Blaze gathered his second heir close to his chest, after Mailon handed the squirming, squalling newborn over. He looked around frantically for a place to put the babies. No way would he be able to hold five babies in his arms and Tal didn't seem to be in the right frame of mind to hold their children, especially since he still delivered them. It took Blaze a moment to realize the shuttle had started 336
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moving and he could only hope they would get back to the palace soon. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, than the panel leading to the front of the shuttle opened and Buck stepped into the small seating room where they all gathered around Tal. Buck's eyes stayed trained on the very large, velvet-lined, and cushioned box he held in his hands. Blaze thought it looked as if it had been cut in half and only contained the bottom section. Buck gazed at the box rather intently and Blaze wondered what significance it held. "I thought you may want to put the babies here until we arrive at the palace," he said and offered the box to Blaze. "You want to put my children in a box? Like they're animals? Are you crazy?" Tal exclaimed in the high pitched wail Blaze had quickly grown grown to hate. Then he groaned in pain. "Tal, it's your box. The one from your shuttle? When I heard you were in labor and we were coming to rescue you, I grabbed it. I thought you'd appreciate it," Buck said in aggravation. Blaze could have happily throttled his brother in that moment. Didn't he know that no one should make the monster angry? "What's the second baby's name, Blaze?" Tal asked, 337
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effectively ignoring Buck's reasoning. "I'm not pushing out this third baby until the second one is named. So get on that, like, now." Blaze allowed himself a second to bristle at the commanding note in his mate's tone and then realized Tal had experienced a very traumatic day and happened to be in labor. With that thought in mind, Blaze looked down at the second baby. He noticed the slight differences between the newborn second son and his older brother. Whereas Runequio had been a large, pink baby, the second appeared slightly smaller and his skin much tanner than his brother's. Runequio had hair so light it almost seemed transparent and his second son had a head full of black hair. "Samuei Roughshire," Blaze named the baby who had ceased crying the moment he heard his father's voice. Blaze's heart clenched and grew to make room for the newborn boy who seemed to be pressing his body closer to his father's chest. With a quick and apologetic glance in Tal's direction, Blaze placed the two newborns in the cushioned box and turned back to Tal, ready to receive their next child. Blaze leaned over Tal to kiss his forehead, his lips barely grazing the other man's clammy skin, when his air supply got cut off. His eyes widened when he realized Tal had his hand around Blaze's throat. It only lasted for a brief 338
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moment before Tal eased his grip and clutched Blaze's shirt, hauling him closer. Blaze looked over at Mailon in shock and noticed the Elder pointedly looking away from him, soft snorts emanating from his throat as if he were trying not to laugh. Two more sons were born, extremely close together, holding hands, in fact. Tal screamed when he pushed them through the opening in his belly, neither one of them wanting to let go of the other. Blaze named them Maximus and Maximillion, to the disappointment of his mate who said Blaze would never be known as a 'naming genius or even a name wizard'. Blaze didn't quite understand the phrase and decided to ignore it, rather than ask his already temperamental mate about it. He wondered at the sound of growling he heard coming from the front of the shuttle, where the other guards sat, but pushed it from his mind when Mailon looked at him with a worried expression. They had arrived at the palace but still their youngest baby, the last of the bunch and their only daughter, had not yet been born. Blaze grew concerned, for with each passing minute Tal groaned in more pain, panted, bled from the slit in his stomach, and grew weaker. Blaze refused to lose his mate. Something had to be done, and quickly. 339
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"What's wrong with the last baby? Is she okay?" he demanded. His skin stretched taut across his bones as his wolf demanded that he shift in order to handle the situation. "I
am
uncertain,
Your
Highness,"
Mailon
responded. "You're uncertain?" Blaze exclaimed. "Are you fucking kidding me? You know what? You're fucking fired," he growled. "What?" Mailon asked. He might be slightly irrational, but in that moment, Blaze didn't care. His mate hurt, his daughter, his youngest child hadn't been born, and Mailon didn't know what the fuck was going on? Why the hell did he have an Epsilon wolf if he was just going to let him down? "B-Blaze?" Tal whispered, his throat sounded raw from all the screaming he'd done. Blaze turned and quickly crawled back to his mate's side. "Yes, my love?" He placed gentle kisses on his lover's forehead again, hoping this time he'd be able to achieve the action without being strangled. "S-s-scared," Tal stuttered. Blaze could only watch when Talon's body clenched with a fresh wave of pain. "I know you're afraid, my heart, but we're going to 340
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help get the baby out and—" Blaze tried to reassure his mate only to be cut off. "N-n-not me… the baby, Lalani," Tal interrupted. "Lalani?" Blaze questioned, feeling his lips pull up into a smile. "That's her name. You named the boys. Gave them all those horrible names," Tal pointed out. Blaze merely grinned before giving Tal a swift kiss on his dry, chapped lips. "H-help her, Blaze. H-help her come out, be born. Not be scared. Help. Her," Tal choked, his words slurring and getting slower. His mate's body had weakened from the blood loss and fear gripped Blaze, remembering what it felt like the last time that he'd lost the man. Frantic with worry, Blaze indulged the whim of the smaller man and his brother left the shuttle, racing to find the palace physician. "Okay, baby, I will," he promised. Kneeling beside his mate's stomach, he tuned out the sounds of his four healthy newborn sons who were sucking on the freshly made bottles that had been rushed from the palace. The first few hours of a Tumaron newborn's life were the most critical. They were required to feed almost immediately in order to assure they would be 341
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able to shift properly. Something parents had begun to pay strict attention to after everyone experienced the horror of Elder Bryce's half-shift. Extremely grateful to Buck for remembering to get the bottles, Blaze would thank his brother for his thoughtfulness, but but not yet, right then he had to try to save his daughter's life. Blaze deeply inhaled his mate's scent, his eyes closing in sweet rapture, the intoxicating aroma soothing his jangling nerves. "Hey, baby girl. Lalani," he spoke softly to his unborn daughter. "Why don't you come on out, huh? You have a lot of people waiting to meet you. Me, for one. I'm your father, your"—Blaze hesitated and looked up at Tal with a grin—"your daddy, Tal, your uncles Buck, Percy, Mailon, Trenton, and Tuvarion, your aunt Josie… and your grandparents, your Daddy's parents, who will be here soon. We all love you and want to meet you, my sweet girl. This planet isn't scary. It's It's filled with so much much happiness because because we all love you." His voice cut off on a sob. The thought of losing both his daughter and his mate at the same time flittered across his mind. " I love you, my mate, my heart, my one and only. My love," love," he said through the link. Tal sighed with happiness just as the slit opened and he began to push. "I love you too," Tal responded aloud and grunted 342
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while pushing Lalani out completely, the placenta quickly following after. He collapsed back in exhaustion. Blaze watched with barely concealed fascination when the slit closed immediately, the line disappearing completely. Blaze quickly took Lalani from Mailon's arms and cleaned his daughter as best as he could. Lalani, who had only cried softly for a moment, before settling peacefully in his arms, struggled to open her eyes to see her father and Blaze smiled down at his miracle baby. "Let me see her," Tal requested tiredly, and Blaze quickly placed their daughter in her daddy's arms. "Here you go, Daddy," he teased. "Daddy? So we're going to really stick with that, huh?" Tal quirked an eyebrow, his voice sounding extremely tired. "It's the closest thing to mommy we have. It implies intimacy and we know you're better at those things," Blaze offered the explanation unrepentantly, his eyes twinkling with mirth. He knew that Tal was merely being difficult or was just so exhausted that he'd forgotten that he'd been calling himself daddy for the babies for a while. Blaze wouldn't concern himself over his mate's reaction too much. Tal hadn't been himself throughout the entire pregnancy or the 343
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labor. He would just ignore Tal's comments until after things had calmed down some. "I'm too fucking exhausted to discuss this right now, Blaze. Just get me and the children to our rooms so they can be properly cleansed, dressed, and they can be placed in their cribs… and I can be in my bed when I meet my brothers. I'll just kick your ass later," Tal said irritably, his words still slightly slurred and almost flowing together. "Yes, my love." Blaze smiled when he opened the door and stepped out of the shuttle then reaching back in for the box that held all four of his sons. Buck offered to take the babies and Blaze lifted a dazed Tal with baby Lalani still held tenderly in his arms, and carried the two of them to their suite. Mailon, whom Blaze had named Maximillion and Maximus after, brought up the rear, looking just as tired as the new 'Daddy'. "Elder Mailon?" Blaze called over his shoulder. "Yes, Your Highness?" Mailon questioned, his voice wavering slightly. "I will not forget you saved my mate's life. You will be rewarded handsomely, exalted, and remembered for all time. I shall not forget," Blaze decreed. "Y-yes, Your Highness," Mailon responded. Blaze smelled the surprise rolling off the other 344
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man's skin. "And you're rehired, as well," Blaze said with a hearty chuckle. Blaze looked down and saw the weary smile Tal offered him and he walked slowly and carefully towards their rooms, their daughter still held tenderly to Tal's chest.
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Blaze got Tal settled with the babies all carefully placed on the bed securely around around him, as he'd requested. "I'm not used having them not kicking and moving inside me, and we almost died, so I want them close," Tal explained sadly. Blaze could completely understand the feeling. While he hadn't carried the children within him, he still felt the overwhelming urge to wrap all five and his mate in a giant impenetrable bubble. They had all experienced so much he wanted everyone close so he could see they were safe and well taken care of. Tal had it right, there would be no nannies in his children's future. Blaze couldn't be more aware he'd almost lost the love of his life and his children because of someone's greed and hunger for power. He didn't argue with Tal, merely smiled and laid all the babies close to his exhausted mate and placed pillows around them to keep them safe. Once sure the babies were securely settled on the bed, he left to bring Trenton and Tuvarion in to meet their eldest brother. Both the young men had cried when Blaze had told them their eldest brother was alive and well. More than that, he was mated and expecting children. Blaze had been
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surprised when both teens told him they remembered their older brother distinctly, and their parents, and he knew the brothers would do a lot of catching up. Josie had been found by her mate when Tal had been giving birth, in the keepsake trunk Tal and Blaze kept in their room. She had been sorely put out not only to have been shoved into the small trunk while Tal had been fighting for his life, but also horrified by what had been inside of the trunk, declaring she'd never wanted to know such things about her little brother. Tal blinked at her in exasperation before he turned and asked Blaze to remove everything inside the trunk and then take the thing outside and have it burned. Tal wanted no more physical or visual reminders of what had occurred that day. Blaze commanded it be done without delay. Another thing he understood completely, the need to have no more remains of Elder Bryce, Anglania, and Freud's evilness anywhere in their home. He brought his mate's younger brothers to finally be reunited with Tal. His last week had been so emotionally draining all he'd really wanted was to sleep for a week, but when he saw the look on his mate's face when he saw his brothers for the first time in over a decade, he knew all of the missed sleep would be worth it. Like their older brother, Trenton and Tuvarion were 347
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short and thin and both had long hair, slim patrician noses, and full, pouty lips. Trenton's eyes were almost a translucent light brown and his hair, while almost the same dark brown as Tal's, didn't have the blond streaks and fell to the middle of his back. He also had faint muscles in his arms, and a chiseled jaw. As for Tuvarion… well Blaze admitted he still wanted to see proof that the youngest Versuthion brother was not a young girl. Blaze gave himself a mental shake and tried to rid himself of the effect of insane captivation Tuvarion seemed to have over all the men of Tumaro. To Blaze, Tuvarion was not nearly as attractive as Talon, but he could definitely see the young... man, was indeed breathtakingly gorgeous. His long, flowing blond hair, filled with loose waves, fell to his knees and, very unlike his brothers whose eyes hadn't changed quite as much at puberty, Tuvarion's eyes were lavender. Along with his striking coloring, which the kid had in spades, there was also his very diminutive frame and androgynous features. His hands were small and dainty and even his voice sounded soft and slightly husky. Blaze knew that anyone… any man who tried to win the hearts of these two Vermithians had better be prepared to work for them. They would not be easy to control or lead, regardless of their size. Hadn't he learned that very thing from his own mate? He thought of Rico. 348
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The man definitely had his work cut out for him when it came to being mated to a Versuthion teen. Blaze smiled when he heard Tal laugh as his reunion with his younger brothers continued and he proceeded to introduce introduce them to their niece and nephews. He loved being able to bring his mate a moment of joy. He knew that his father was looking at him from the Great Beyond with pride. He and Buck had reconciled, although he was sure there was so much more going on behind the scenes with his younger sibling that he wasn't even aware of, which didn't sit well with Blaze. Percy settled within the palace with a manner of contentment, although Blaze felt quite certain that until Buck claimed the younger man, he'd always look as if he were broken inside. Blaze had also done one of the biggest things his father had asked of him. He'd found all three of the Versuthion boys and brought them to the kingdom to care for them. Granted, Tal had showed up in a completely unconventional manner and Blaze hadn't really had anything to do with it, but Tal was there and that was all that mattered. Blaze couldn't be more thankful that his mate had accepted their mating and given birth to their five beautiful children. Moreover… if he had to be honest, he was really thankful for the crash that made it all possible. 349
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****
Tal sighed as he pulled the blanket up over Lalani and slowly stepped away from her crib, backing out of the nursery slowly and very quietly. It had taken him three and a half hours, but he had finally gotten all of the babies to sleep. Either he'd gotten better at putting them to bed or they had decided to take it easy on their daddy that night and fall asleep quickly. It was at times like this, he almost considered taking Blaze up on his previous 'Let's get a nanny, just in case. Besides it's tradition' offer. However, he soon remembered he loved putting his babies to bed, and he wouldn't change it for anything in the world, especially because he loved the moment when he looked at them and they were quiet and asleep. Happy he'd gotten out of the nursery without waking any of them, Tal breathed a sigh of relief. He would kill anyone who woke them before morning. Softly closing the door, making sure to engage the video and audio baby monitors in case one of the babies needed him, he walked through the sitting room and headed towards his and Blaze's bedroom. From there he'd go on into the bathroom where he had a nice, long bubble bath 350
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waiting on him. He smiled when he noticed his two younger brothers playing some game on the vid screen. He was so happy to have them back in his life. Happy his memory of them and their parents had started to come back. Happy that his birth family, his adopted family, and the family he'd mated into were whole. Well… almost. His smile quickly faded when he saw Percy and Buck doing their level best to ignore the mating pull. While thrilled to have his brothers and the opportunity to grow closer to them daily, he hated watching Percy and Buck drift further and further apart. The time would come, soon, when Percy would give up on Buck altogether and turn to the first available man he could find. While Percy would never see Tal's brothers as love interests, Tal had it on good authority that Duke Mufariso, the Zeelithian diplomat, due to arrive any day, happened to be single, gay, and had spoken to Blaze a time or two about the man whose beautiful voice had been left on his messenging device so many times. Tal could only hope that Buck pulled his head out of his ass in time to stop Duke from getting his cock into Percy. Tal smiled over at Trenton and Tuvarion, walking up behind them and ruffling their hair. He chuckled when Tuvarion giggled and his grin grew when Trenton looked up with a large smile. He and his brothers had a very 351
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emotional reunion, the two younger men sharing their memories of their childhood with Tal. Tal had almost dissolved into tears when Josie had told both young men she would be adopting them as her younger brothers, and he had sobbed harshly when his parents had agreed with her statement. He also noticed the way Rico watched Trenton carefully when the Gamma guard had come to bring Buck a report, and figured out Rico was Trenton's mate. It made him smile because he knew Trenton would be well cared for if Rico were the young man's mate. He placed a kiss on each of his brothers' heads and turned to head back towards his bedroom and his own mate. His gaze once again drifted to Percy and Buck and his mind filled with thoughts of their problems and possible solutions. He was thinking of a plan to bring them together when his thoughts were interrupted as strong arms lifted him in the air and carried him off towards the bathroom, one hand pressed to his mouth so he couldn't scream. "I didn't want you to wake the babies." His mate's deep voice rumbled in his ear. "Good move there, slick. Now what did you carry me in here for?" he questioned, letting one eyebrow stretch up towards his forehead as he grinned at his older mate. "I wanted to wash your back," Blaze replied with a 352
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lecherous gleam in his eye. Tal smiled. "Well, whatever you want my Alpha King. I am here to serve you." Blaze snorted before gathering Tal into his arms. "I love you, Talon." "And I love you, Blazell," Tal responded. Tal lifted his lips and pressed them against his mate's, relishing in the love they shared, the children they'd made together, the family they had, and their hearts, which beat as one. The crash that brought him to Tumaro could have been devastating, lives could have been lost, and love would have never been experienced. Instead, it became the best thing that ever happened. From what Blaze often told him, he felt exactly the same way. Life, and the GPA, would bring its own set of problems and dangers to Tal, his mate, their children, family and friends, but for now, in that moment, he would bask in their love. The love between Talon Versuthion-Roughshire and his Alpha King.
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"Vic" wrote his first story at the age of ten about his youngest sister and her destruction of the world… with her breath. Vic now enjoys writing about shifters, humanoids, cowboys, firemen, rent boys, fairies, elves, dancers, doctors, Doms, Subs, and anything else that catches his fancy, all sexy men falling in love with each other and having lots of naughty, dirty, man-on-man sex. Author of the bestselling Tate Pack Series, Series, Vic is a huge fan of the 'happily-ever-after' ending but while his characters all ride off into the proverbial sunset, all sexually satisfied and in love, they all bear the scars of fighting for that love, just like in real life. No fluff writer here, Vic's stories can be slightly gritty, dark, and hard hitting, but the reason for that, is that love is sweeter when it's been fought for and won. Never satisfied with only one genre, every book that Vic writes falls into more than one category and has each main character experiencing more than one orgasm. Out and proud, Vic does not believe love only comes in one form, one race, one gender and that not only is gender fluid, but sexuality as well. Vic loves to make people laugh and when he's not writing, or rather, procrastinating in writing, he's reading, listening to Scrubs or Criminal Minds Minds on TV—as well as other television shows he schedules his week around—or being distracted from his writing by pictures of John Barrowman, Charlie David and Shemar Moore. Website http://vicktoralexander.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorVi http://www.facebook.com/AuthorVicktorAlexander cktorAlexander Twitter twitter.com/vveeb
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