The Power of Three (8 page)

Trenx disappeared and came back a second
later. ‘She’s not there.”

“
I told you so.” He looked up as Dr.
Mayek arrived. “Get this out, please. I have to get up.”

“
I don’t think—”

Esca held out his arm. “I don’t care what you
think, that’s an order.”

She scowled at him but started to work on the
shunt and tubing. “As your physician I don’t recommend this. Are we
clear on that?”

“
Clear. I take full responsibility for
my actions.” Esca looked over at Trenx. “I need to find
her.”

Trenx ushered the nurse and Dr. Mayek out and
closed the door. “I don’t get it. If she’s voluntarily gone back to
the Etruscan army, why not let her go?” He hesitated. “Wouldn’t it
be kinder in the long run? Don’t tell me you’re infatuated with her
as well? Dammit, Esca.”

“
I’m not infatuated with her. She’s my
mate.”

Trenx snorted. “Funny. You obviously got hit
on the head harder than I thought. She’s a lightweight compared
with you and Ash.”

Esca buttoned up his shirt and stepped into
his uniform pants. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. If
she’d wanted, she could’ve taken control of this whole ship and
sent it crashing into the nearest planet. At least at the moment,
she’s still alive. I’d know if she were dead.” He swallowed hard.
“The Gods know how long they’ll keep her alive.”

“
There was no reason for her to run.
I
told
her we would protect
her to the best of our ability.”

“
Did you also tell her that she was
infatuated with me?” Esca shook his head. “Of course you freking
did. They’ll execute her in a heartbeat, Trenx. That’s what she’s
gone back to, and I don’t understand why.”

Inside him rage boiled and a sense of utter
helplessness he’d never experienced before. He wanted to find her
and shake her until her teeth rattled and then fuck her until she
begged for mercy and then…

“
Hold up.” Trenx paused. “I’m getting a
message that she’s being held at the embassy.”

Esca put on his jacket. “Then we’ll need to
act fast. Call Ash and tell him to get the Pavlovan diplomat
stationed here to meet us at the Etruscan embassy as a matter of
urgency. Tell him I’ll owe him one or whatever you need to get him
to do what I ask. I’ll need Dr, Mayek to come with me.”

Even if Lang didn’t have enough faith in him
to wait until he worked things out, he had to try and save her. And
why should she believe him? She’d had no support from anyone during
her entire life. It would’ve been nice to be consulted. Trenx had
apparently decided he was to be left out of any decision-making
concerning the Etruscans at all.

“
When were you going to wake me up?
Once we were gone from here?”

Trenx sighed. “I was trying to help.”

“
Then don’t.” Esca buckled on his
weapon and reached for his hat. “Be ready to leave as soon as we
get back. If this works, I don’t want to hang around.”

* * *

“
Lang. Stand to attention.”

Soreya looked up at the guard framed in the
doorway of her cell. It was the same one who’d taken her into
military custody earlier that morning. She wondered what the guard
would do if she didn’t obey. If she was about to be executed she
had no intention of making it easy on anybody.

“
Lang, get up.” Losing patience, the
guard came forward and grabbed her around the neck, jerking her
head backward. Pain lanced through Soreya’s ribs and back and she
fought a groan.

“
You’re wanted. The Gods know
why.”

She allowed herself to be hauled to her feet
and was marched out of the cell and along the short hallway of the
secure wing. A moment later they were in the plush surroundings of
the Etruscan embassy, which was a whole lot more welcoming. There
was an open door to the left of the vast hall and she was steered
through that. She stopped walking so abruptly that the guard behind
her shoved her forward and she almost fell.

“
Is it necessary for Private Lang to be
secured like that?”

She closed her eyes against the cold sound of
Esca’s clipped voice.

“
She is in our custody, Major. It is
customary for prisoners to be restrained for the safety of those
around them.”

“
Private Lang doesn’t look capable of
hurting a fly, Ambassador Carver.” A small white-haired woman
stepped in front of Esca and smiled at the Etruscan diplomat.
“Perhaps we might offer her a chair?”

Miraculously, a chair was produced, and
Soreya was allowed to sit, her handcuffed wrists on her lap, her
head lowered so that she didn’t have to look into anyone’s eyes. It
didn’t make any difference though. She was still far too aware of
Esca’s furious silence ringing in her head.

“
As we were discussing, our nation
would like to extend our thanks to Private Lang for saving the life
of one of the members of our most prominent families.” The female
diplomat smiled at her.

“
You may certainly do that, Madame
Cara.”

“
But there is more. We would like to
offer her the opportunity to share her unique telepathic skill set
with our youth.”

“
I beg your pardon?” Ambassador
Carver’s faint smile disappeared. “You want to take her back to
Pavlovan? But—”

“
It would perhaps cancel out the
appalling
behavior of Captain Wassain
toward his teammates and commanding officer.” The female diplomat
sat forward. “If you made this gesture of goodwill toward our
nation by allowing us to learn from Private Lang, we would be
prepared to drop all charges against Captain Wassain and will not
bring the matter before the alliance nations.” She paused. “I’m
sure you wouldn’t want your allies to think your military is
actively hostile to telepaths and allows its officer to disobey
direct orders?”

Soreya blinked slowly as she tried to
understand what the hell was going on. Were the Pavlovans really
making all this effort just to save her? She straightened and bit
her lip at the pain.

Esca bent forward and whispered something
into his diplomat’s ear.

“
Perhaps while you and I discuss this
matter, Ambassador, Dr. Mayek could check in with Private Lang? She
needs to complete her record of care.”

Ambassador Carver rose. “As long as there is
a guard on the door, Dr. Mayek may examine her. Please come into my
private study, Ambassador so that we can explore this delicate
matter further.”

As soon as the door closed behind the
diplomats, Dr. Mayek came to kneel at Soreya’s feet.

“
What’s wrong with her?” Esca’s voice
from the other side of the room.

“
Bruised ribs and a battered
face.”

Aware of the guard by the door, Soreya tried
to smile. “I fell against the door of my cell. It was my fault
entirely.”

“
Like hell it was.”
Esca growled in her head and the whole structure of the room
rocked.

Ouch.

She stared straight ahead as Dr. Mayek worked
her magic with the judicious application of nano packs on her skin.
The relief was immediate and she began to breathe less
cautiously.

“
Thanks.”

Dr. Mayek squeezed her knee and got to her
feet. “Hopefully, I’ll see you later.” She went to the door and
engaged the guard in conversation, effectively blocking his view of
Soreya and Esca, who had remained propping up the wall. She watched
his booted feet come over and swallowed hard.

“
You shouldn’t be up yet,
sir.”

“
I’m aware of that, Lang.
Unfortunately, I had no choice.”

“
I didn’t expect you to come after
me.”

“
I have to admit that I didn’t think
certain death at the hands of your own people was preferable to one
meaningful conversation with me. Obviously, I
miscalculated.”

She raised her chin. “I’m not that stupid. I
went to the refuge. They called the military police on me.”

He swung around, his brown eyes
searching, and she stumbled on. “
Walking
away from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my
life.
”

“
Then for frek’s sake why—”

The door opened and the Pavlovan ambassador
came in.

“
Private Lang? It’s all settled. In
return for us dropping charges against Captain Wassain, you are to
be loaned to our university for a year for ‘research purposes’. Are
you willing to agree to this?”

Soreya stood up. “In exchange for my life?
Yes, I certainly am.” She glanced up at Esca’s unsmiling face.
“That is, if Major Esca agrees.”

“
Agrees? It was all his idea.” The
ambassador kissed Soreya’s cheek. “He’s a very determined man when
he wants to be.” She raised her voice. “Will someone take these
restraints off Private Lang? She needs to be going.”

On the ride back to the ship, Esca didn’t
speak to her at all. He spent most of his time answering Dr.
Mayek’s concerned questions and ignoring her advice for him to
report back to sickbay as soon as they returned. Eventually even
the good doctor gave up nagging and relapsed into silence, her gaze
shifting between Soreya and the major, her thoughts full of
speculation.

Captain Trenx met them at the entrance to the
space ship. “We’re ready to leave.”

“
Good.” Esca nodded at the captain and
at Dr. Mayek. “Come along, Private Lang.”

“
But—”

Esca slammed Trenx up against the wall.
“Shut the frek up,
cousin
, and
get this ship moving. I’ll deal with Private Lang.”

Soreya didn’t protest as he marched her along
to the officer’s quarters and into his small cabin. She was too
tired to think, let alone argue. He shut the door and she leaned
back against it as he turned around.

“
Turn off all security feeds and
isolate this cabin.”

“
You should lie down,
Major.”

“
Turn them freking off. I know you have
the capability.” He slammed a hand against the door above her head,
leaned in and kissed her fiercely.

“
Major…”

“
Lang, if you had any idea
how much I want to put you over my knee and spank you right now,
you’d be quiet and kiss me.”

“
But—”

“
Lang, shut the frek
up.”

His hand slid down the door and cupped the
back of her neck, holding her exactly where he wanted her for his
punishing kisses. His other hand started on her pants, pulling and
ripping the fastenings when they wouldn’t cooperate with him. As
soon as he’d bared her sex, he lifted her and she wrapped her legs
around his hips, moving until the thick rod of his cock was right
where she wanted it.

“
Esca…”

“
Don’t ever freking walk
away from me again.”
He wrenched open his pants and
she gasped as the slick wet head of his shaft rubbed against her
clit. “
If we have a problem, talk to me,
freking scream at me, but don’t walk away.
”

“
You just told me to shut
the frek up
.”

He adjusted his grip on her ass and slid
home, working his length deeper with short jabs of his hips. She
groaned as he filled her, her body not quite ready for him but
still desperate to take everything he had to give her.

He pumped his hips, each stroke long and deep
as if he was determined to meld their bodies and minds into one
unit. She took it all and lost herself in him, found herself in the
fury of his climax along with hers. His head dropped to her
shoulder and he shuddered, sending her off again.

As quickly as she could, she disengaged
herself and pushed him backward until his knees hit the bunk and he
collapsed onto the covers. His arm caught her waist and brought her
tumbling down on top of him. She didn’t resist. Just lying with him
and breathing him in was giving her life.

“
Why did you go?” His voice was
low.

She sighed and rubbed her cheek against his
chest. “Because I couldn’t see a future for us.”

“
You didn’t give me a chance to offer
you one.”

“
I didn’t tell you everything about my
parents. My mom was only sixteen when she met my dad. He didn’t
come to Etrusca very often. When she told him she was pregnant, she
kind of assumed he’d be delighted and want to make things more
permanent with her.”

“
But he didn’t?”

“
He never came back.” She came up on
one elbow and looked into his eyes. “I don’t want to be like
her.”

“
What makes you think I’d do that to
you?”

She forced herself to hold his indignant
gaze. “Captain Trenx mentioned your mate is a very powerful senator
on Pavlovan.”

He half-smiled. “Yeah, he is.”

“
You admit you’re mated to a
man
?”

“
In Pavlovan culture we form mating
groups of three, usually one male and two females, or one female
and two males, or even three of the same sex.” He watched her
closely. “I think you’re our First Female.”

“
Me? Hold on, I’m suddenly supposed to
be in a
threesome
?”

This time his smile was more relaxed. “If
that’s what you want.” His expression turned serious. “All I’m
asking is for you to come back with me, meet Ash and see how it
goes.”