Hearts of Ishira (Hearts of Ishira Saga) (42 page)

She cut her eyes to Erik, then back to Trey. Her face heated but her eyes took on a gleam of speculation that had Trey’s heartbeat picking up. She turned back to the screen and read some more. Trey slowly stood, silently moving to stand behind her. He and Erik looked at each other, waiting, wary.

When Bev turned back to them, her face was the color of a sunset, when red, pink, and purple mixed to form an amazing color all its own. Trey shifted to stand in front of her and Erik moved closer to her side, both of them carefully watching the pretty little lady they had decided would suit them very nicely.

She looked up at them both, obviously excited but also more than a little scared. She cleared her throat.

“That sort of story is… well, that’s a genre of book we call ‘erotica’. It’s not something everyone reads… it’s kind of a fetish thing, really…”

Trey crowded closer to her, loving the way her breath hitched and her pupils dilated at his nearness. “Explain this… erotica. And are you telling me that your people do not normally have more than one sex partner?”

“Well, no, not usually. Not all at one time, at least,” she stammered, breathless from his proximity and Erik’s, especially after reading that scene.

Trey took one last step, his chest brushing against hers. She was backed up to the long computer desk. She squeaked in surprise when he lifted her so that her butt settled onto the desk. He wrapped his arms around her and situated himself between her legs. She continued babbling, unsure of what else to do, staring up at him. “Our- our main religions forbid marriage between anyone but one man and one woman. Some of the other religions are okay with a man having more than one wife, but very few have one wife with more than one husband. It’s just not something we do. Generally.”

She gulped. Why had she added that caveat at the end? Her mouth was running away from her brain!

“On our world, what is written in the book I was reading is simply a sweet love story.”

She gaped up at him, then at Erik, who nodded. Trey leaned closer, his nose almost touching hers. His eyes burned into hers and she realized that something life-changing was about to happen.

“We tend to marry in groups, little Bevy,” Erik told her, stroking her hair, then her back, as Trey tipped her chin up and nuzzled her neck. “It is the way of things. One woman may have as many husbands as she wishes, though normally, we mate in military ‘teams’.”

“Like… like you, Trey, and Rom?” she squeaked as Trey took her earlobe between his lips and sucked gently on it. Her breath shuddered out on a sigh and her legs spasmed against his thighs.

“Yes, just like that,” Trey whispered, his breath hot in her ear and heavy with promise. She shivered delicately, unable to hide the reaction.

“Trey, Rom, and I are cousins,” Erik said, taking up her hand and delicately exploring her flesh with his fingertip, sending goose bumps up her arm. The two-fold attack devastated her. “We formed a team many years ago because we were cousins, but also because we all agreed on the sort of woman we would wish to wed, when the time comes.”

“What… sort... is that?” Bev managed to gasp out, her head falling back helplessly as Trey explored her neck and collarbone.

“Can you not guess?” Erik asked huskily in her ear. She moaned, then blinked as both men backed away and looked down at her expectantly.

“Me?” she asked on a gasp. They grinned wolfishly and nodded. She colored to the roots of her blonde hair and down her chest, the color disappearing under her new gown.

“But… I’m just…”

“You,” Trey said softly, flicking a kiss to her nose, “Are an amazing woman. Beautiful, a nice, soft armful, responsive, and most importantly, intelligent and curious. All features that we adore in our women. We lost our first love, our family, in the war. We thought we would never find another to take hold of our hearts. We could have looked our world over, far and wide, for one such as you, sweet Beverly, and not have found all of our desires in one small package.””

“We had to become stranded on this planet, and have you crash here, to heal our souls and give us hope once more.” Erik’s words were simple but profound. Bev felt tears welling in her eyes.

“What about Rom?” she asked hesitantly. “He’s not here to agree with you…”

“Yes, he is,” his voice sounded from behind the others. Bev gasped as Rom waggled his eyebrows at her over Trey’s shoulder and grinned devilishly. “And he agrees, as well. What are we talking about? I hope it’s what it looks like!”

“If you will have us, Bev,” Trey said quietly, backing up enough to allow her head to clear just a bit and for Rom to join their intimate circle. “We would like to court you, to see if we will suit as a family unit. Then, if you decide to accept us, we would spend the rest of our days making you the happiest woman on Ishira.”

She stared at him, at all three of them, and nodded very slowly. The idea was… incredible, but she realized that it made sense and that it was, strangely, what she wanted. She genuinely liked and cared for all three, had been teased and flirted with by each. To be honest, she had worried about choosing one of them and hurting the others.

But if their society allowed for this kind of thing, then she could have what she wanted and not hurt any of them.

She remembered Ri’s words from the second day, when the older woman had urged her to live a little, to remember that she was no longer on Earth and bound by the societal laws there. She smiled shyly up at them all, nodding more firmly now, her decision made. The men let out similar sighs of relief and each smiled at her as though she’d just given them the sun.

“But I… I need to get used to the idea of… three of you. I mean… how do we court? All at once, one at a time? I just don’t know…”

“We will figure it out as we go,” Erik assured her quietly, squeezing her hand and smiling gently at her.

“For now,” Rom said, pushing through his cousins to plant a sweet kiss on her lips. “I brought dinner. Why do we not just work, as we have been? Once our shift is over, the four of us can retire to our quarters and start the process of getting to know one another.”

Bev left with all three of them that evening, happier than she’d been in a very long time. Arianna had advised her to live a little.

Maybe she should do just that.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The one benefit of being confined to quarters again and unable to move around much was that Ri managed to get her clothing finished the next day. When Hunter saw Arianna that evening in her new gown with the pretty floral embroidery she had added around the wrists, neckline, and top hem of the over-dress, his proud gaze made the hours of stitching worthwhile. He and Jace both admired the stitching and her use of colors, but after a moment, Hunter frowned, shaking his head.

“It’s missing something,” he murmured, then turned and disappeared into his bedroom.

Ri blinked at him, wondering what her dress could possibly be missing. She turned a questioning gaze on Jace, who just grinned, as though he knew what was going on but wasn’t sharing. Her narrowed stare only made him grin more. He thought she was adorable when she was trying to be fierce. She rolled her eyes. These guys were impossible sometimes! Adorable, huh?

Hunter emerged from his room, a triumphant look on his face. He held a narrow length of woven ribbon in his hand.

“This. You need this.”

Ri blinked down at the ribbon, memory tugging at her. She shook her head.

“It’s lovely,” she said. “But where would I put it? I’ve already decorated the gown.”

Hunter’s expression turned solemn and he pressed the ribbon into her hand, then hurried back to his room for a moment. This time, when he came out, he held one of his tunics. Wordlessly, he put the tunic on. Sensing that he was trying to tell her something significant, Arianna cocked her head, looking him over slowly, taking in every detail. There. The same trim went around his left biceps on the tunic, three narrow stripes. When she found it, she smiled.

“You want me to wear it so that it matches your tunic?” she guessed, wondering why he didn’t just tell her. He shook his head, grinning. She sighed, throwing a look at Jace. The physician was actually wearing a tunic today, in deference to the cooler weather that had blown in. She looked for the trim on his clothing as well, wondering if it was a ‘team’ thing. Her brow furrowed when she saw that he bore none.

“Hunter is the only person in the colony allowed to wear the band that way,” Jace said quietly, nodding his head at his brother, pride in his eyes. But he held her gaze. “Or, he was.”

Ri thought about it for just a moment, then understanding dawned. She looked at Hunter’s tunic, the ribbon in her hand, and then met his eyes. He smiled, nodding in confirmation.

“The bands on the left arm indicate that you are a Reader, a Commander,” he told her quietly. He moved to stand directly in front of her, and she straightened where she sat, feeling as though this was more than just his imparting of information. Jace moved to stand beside him, also straight and tall, almost at attention. Hunter toggled the com unit, waited a beat, then went on. Ri’s heart sped up, understanding that whatever he was doing, he wanted the entire compound to see it.

“Arianna, leader of the human contingent present on Ishira, attend. This ribbon is, as you guessed, my team colors of teal and purple. The alternating stripes indicate our original five members, with the two thicker teal stripes denoting the two surviving members, Master Jace and myself.”

Ri held her breath as Hunter took the ribbon from her and gently wound it around her left biceps. He tied it securely then stepped back.

“From this day forward, you will officially hold the rank of Commander. You will be treated with the courtesy and respect due such rank, and will carry the authority and responsibilities of your station until such time as you willingly relinquish them. This is done by my authority, Commander Hunter of Thorsan.”

There was cheering from all over the compound, the sounds drifting through the walls and the doors to the balcony. Ri felt her cheeks heat as Hunter toggled the com off, then turned to her and kissed her deeply. Jace followed that kiss of congratulations with one of his own. Arianna’s head was spinning by the time they both stood back, grinning at her proudly.

“That was seen by every Thorsani and human on this planet,” Hunter told her firmly, “Including Amy. She cannot doubt your position or your authority now.”

“So that was all show, just to keep her from trying to attack me again?” Ri asked, curious. Hunter shook his head.

“No, little warrior. It was an actual ceremony, recorded for the archives and made public so that all could bear witness.”

“We have been calling you Commander because you are a Reader,” Jace added, moving to start dinner. “But now it is official. The men will not deny you, and your women should now have the proof they need that you are, indeed, the boss of them.”

Ri chortled unexpectedly at his use of the American slang term. His eyes danced with mischief and he shrugged. “Hey, I listen!”

Hunter rolled his eyes at his brother’s antics, then went on.

“My men will know your rank by the band, and who you are aligned with by the colors of the band. If you choose your own colors, the band will still indicate your rank.”

“I can pick my own?” Ri interjected softly. Hunter nodded, frowning, but then his gaze softened.

“You may. You could also add a color or two to the existing band. But I fervently hope that you will take mine as your own. It will bring me great pride to see you in my colors, little warrior.”

She nodded her understanding.

“You will wear the band on all official dress and whenever there is a formal occasion. I recommend putting it on all of your clothing, as that will serve as a reminder of your station to all those around you.”

“You don’t wear one often,” she pointed out.

“I wear one, always,” he said.

Stripping out of the tunic, he flexed his arm, reminding her of the tattoo on his left biceps. She let out a breath in understanding. Jace had one on his right arm. She hadn’t really thought about the fact that Hunter was the only one with it on his left. Actually, she hadn’t thought about their tattoos at all. They were simple, thin bands of various designs, much like the tribal bands that people wore back on Earth. She hadn’t even really noticed them up until now. She reached out and traced Hunter’s design, noting with a bit of womanly glee that his skin bumped up when she lightly drew her fingernail over the black, teal, and purple design. It reminded her of a peacock on black velvet.

“Perhaps you did not think of the tattoo because you are almost always resting your head on that arm?” Hunter joked gently with her. She gave him a startled look, then laughed, realizing he was right. She slowly lost her smile, though, as a thought occurred to her.

“Do I have to get a tattoo?” she asked. She hated needles, but if that’s what she had to do, she would do it. Hunter chuckled, shaking his head.

“Only if you wish,” he said with a shrug. “I think you would look rather fierce with one, my little warrior, but it is up to you. You could also wear an armband, if you wear clothing that does not allow for a band in the proper place.” His face darkened and she sensed a shyness in him that she hadn’t seen in him yet. “I have, actually, made one for you to wear until you can have one designed.”