Upon the Threshold (8 page)

“It’s the mating call,” Lukkis said from behind her. “You’re responding to the pheromones we release when looking for our mate. We, unlike your people, mate in triads. Two males to one female or one male to two females. Occasionally there are foursomes, but they are a little more rare.”

“But I’m human.” She was confused. A mating call? And gods, she wanted Lukkis to touch her. Leaning back slightly, she sighed when he was suddenly touching her. She closed her eyes; her mouth was slightly open. “How could I respond to something when I’m not of your race?” she asked even as she once more began to undulate on Kraven’s lap, her need making her want more. It was as if this need were a living, breathing thing inside of her.

“Race doesn’t matter,” Lukkis said, leaning into her and biting her earlobe lightly. “The call can bring any races together, though some just are not compatible so it would never happen. It is the universe’s way of ensuring the continuation of the species. All that matters is if you want to be a part of it. But there is much we should explain before you decide.”

Kraven held her hips, helping her to ride the ridge of his cock so it rubbed over her clit.

She nodded and moaned. “I only have one question.” Her need was riding her hard. “Would you turn me away? If I chose to try to have a relationship with the two of you and came to see you, would you turn me away?”

“We turned you away in the beginning because of what we are.” That was from Kraven. “Our dominant nature will not allow us to let you go once you have surrendered to us. Now that you have, we would gladly hold you close and for the rest of our days in this universe, however many they might be.”

“Then tell me what I need to hear.” Eli leaned into Kraven again, feeling Lukkis closing the space between them. “Tell me what you have to tell me and then don’t let me go.” Okay, she was asking for a lot, a heck of a lot, but one thing she had to trust in was her gut, and it was screaming at her not to let them go. “Never let me go,” she all but begged.

“Come again,” Kraven told her, staring into her eyes. He slipped a hand into her pants and pressed a finger to her clit, giving her even more friction. “Come again and then we will talk. There is much to discuss and for you to understand, and you will need to be relaxed for this conversation.”

Eli nodded and watched him watching her. She rode his fingers a little faster, took it to the edge, and when Lukkis’s hands cupped her breasts and squeezed, she gave a low, keening moan, a gasp of breath, and then she bit her lower lip as it quivered with her release. She whimpered, literally, with their touches. “Perfect.” She moaned as she all but collapsed against Kraven, her lips brushing the side of his neck, her teeth lightly nibbling as she did so.

Lukkis’s hands rubbed her back gently, easing her down from her orgasm. “You should go and use the facilities, Elisabeth. Freshen up a little, and then we will talk when you are back. When you can move, that is.”

“I should be able to now,” she said after a few minutes of enjoying being held. “I should go and freshen up.” All she wanted to do was strip naked and be with them both. She was such a goner. When it came to these men, she wanted more. She felt the whispers of dark pleasure beckoning with them and wanted it, wanted everything that they had to give and more.

Ten minutes later, Elisabeth walked out of the bathing room, her face washed and cleaned up as much as she could. Moving to the sofa once more, she took a seat that had obviously been left for her, took a deep breath, and asked them to tell her what they had to tell her.

Chapter Six

Lukkis reclined on the sofa next to Eli and spoke. “The Droushanian people, the males anyway, have a very special and unique trait. It is something that allows us greater advantages, but can also draw in a mate. We call it the Beast. Inside each Droushanian male, there lies another being, if you will. It’s a part of us and yet also quite separate. The Beast can recognize its mate quickly, and when it does, it begins to release pheromones to entice her to us. The pheromones only work in enclosed areas, such as this room,” Lukkis said softly.

“So you are telling me that the both of you have animal spirits or something such as that?” Ancient beings on Earth had believed in animal spirits. Eli had read about them. She believed that their term was
skinwalker
, but she couldn’t be certain. “Earth had a race at one time. They were called Native American, I believe. I could have the term wrong.”

She felt their gazes on her as she tried to recall her world’s history. “Anyway, if I have this right, they would be able to shift from human to animal while retaining their human sides when in that form.” She could feel that they were waiting for her to leave, waiting for her fear, but oddly enough she had none. “If you recognize me in your shifted forms, why would I be afraid?” She answered the unasked question that she could see on both of their faces, their worries that they would scare her. “I feel in my soul that you wouldn’t hurt me, or am I wrong?”

“We would never harm a female,” Kraven said, his voice a little gruff. “It goes against all that we are and all we were taught, trained to do. To harm any female, the one chosen for us above all others especially, is abhorrent to us. But you are partially wrong. It’s not a spirit. The Beast is a part of us, much like our current form. The Beast is always with us and there for us to access. Whether it’s just the senses, the strength, or everything at once.”

“Exactly,” Eli said with a grin and patted him gently on the hand. She then looked up at him with a frown. “Wait, I don’t understand.” And she didn’t. “Are you saying that you turn into an animal?”

“We can, yes,” he said. “It’s rare, and we have to either be in personal danger or have someone we care for in personal danger. Beyond that, we only have parts of our bodies that are dependent on the moment we are in. Earlier, with those creatures, my eyes, teeth, and general body structure altered to give me an advantage over them.”

Her breath caught. “That’s why you didn’t want me to be there. Why you forced me to go forward with Lukkis, isn’t it?” she asked. Turning to Lukkis, she asked, “What kept you from being affected?” Maybe he didn’t care for her. That likely was it, right?

“We all have different levels at which the Beast emerges. Kraven is extremely restrained and has a tight leash on his, but in the heat of battle when blood spills it’s harder for us to keep that hold. I got there at the end of the fight he had with the creatures, so I didn’t draw any blood at all. My Beast, while intrigued by the scents, wasn’t drawn up like Kraven’s. He needed a little more time to get it all under control, so we went ahead while he pushed the Beast down where it needs to be when in mixed company.”

“Why?” That was the question right there. “He wouldn’t have hurt me, right?” She turned to face Kraven again. “I feel it. You wouldn’t have harmed me at all. When we were under that outcropping, I knew then that you wouldn’t hurt me. So why didn’t you stay with us?”

“Because all I could think of doing in that moment was either fighting or ripping your clothes off and fucking you,” Kraven said. Definitely honest, but hell, talk about blunt! “I wouldn’t have asked. I would have taken, and that is not how we want to be with you. You, as every other female, deserve a choice.”

Wow, now that was direct. “Is it bad that in that moment I wanted you too?” she asked quietly. “I was and still am thinking of getting naked with you. I’m so…” She paused to search for the right term. “Needy.” No, that wasn’t right. That didn’t seem to fit the scope of the desire, the desperation that she felt. Not by a long shot. “I’ve felt need, want, hunger unlike anything I have ever known before in my life since meeting you, touching you. Both of you. I go to bed thinking of you. I dream of you. I think that the term my people used once upon a time was
lust
, but it’s more. It’s as if…” There was hesitation on her part, but then she whispered it. “It’s as if my soul recognizes yours. As if I have been waiting all this time for the two of you to enter my life so I can actually live and feel.”

“That is how it should be between those the universe puts onto the same path,” Lukkis told her. “Without it…” He shrugged.

“He is right,” Kraven murmured. “If you didn’t feel the want and hunger for us, you may never have given us a second thought. You would have continued on with your life, and we might not be here now. Because of your need to be near us and the Beast within us both recognizing who you are we now have a chance.”

She nodded and licked her lips. “So what happens now? What happens with this chance? Do we date? I have no idea what is next.” At their looks, she said, “A date is what the people of my world did. They would slowly get to know each other and, over time, look for these feelings. I already feel more for the two of you than I could have ever dreamed of feeling. Odd, don’t you think?”

“No, it’s not odd in the least,” Lukkis said. “It is the way among our people. When the pheromones kick in, it happens fast and usually in a way that leaves you feeling more than a little exhausted. Our people do nothing slow and easy, except in war when we need to sneak in close to the enemy, but other than that we are more of the type to grab on and take everything.”

“Okay, so what do the two of you want?” She knew that Kraven wanted her, had felt it in the heat of the kiss, in the hard ridge of his erection that rubbed against her clit while she all but mauled him, but what of Lukkis? “Have the two of you shared women before? I mean…” She blushed and rushed to ask, “Do you know what you are doing?” Oh God, she couldn’t believe she was asking that, but she was.

“We haven’t, no,” Lukkis snorted out on a laugh. “But yes, we know just what we are doing. It’s a course in our early years at our schools, though those that raise us are also very open and honest about relationships and how things work in them between all those involved. Unlike your people, we are not ashamed or shy about talking about sex and sexual acts in the open and in mixed company.”

“For that I’m grateful,” Elisabeth said with a smile. “So what happens now?” She seemed to keep asking that question, but they wouldn’t answer her. She wanted— No, she needed them to lead her. If they didn’t, she was going to just jump into Lukkis’s or Kraven’s lap again and begin to kiss them until they got the hint that she needed and wanted them.

“Now we need to prepare for our bonding ceremony,” Kraven told her. “And you need to make sure you truly want this. This relationship with both of us. Once the ritual is done, there is no getting out. It is permanent, until death takes us all. It will take about a day to get what we need together and to inform those whom we need to. So take that time to think about what you truly want. Remember, we are not like your males. We have lived and will continue to live hard lives.”

“So would that mean that I would be here with you? I should ensure that my dad knows.” She hesitated and then asked them both, “What do you want? The question shouldn’t only be to me but to the two of you as well—if this is something that you want or are only contemplating because of the pull of the Beast. I don’t think I’m the only one who has to be sure. There are three beings here in this room, not one. As to a hard life?” She shrugged. “The life I’m living isn’t an easy one, but I’m alive. That’s what makes the difference in everything. Simply living. I have no idea what would be asked of me as a part of your lives, which is likely something we should discuss as well. I’m not saying no, because I need you both too much.” She was home. As odd as that sounded in her mind, her heart and soul knew the truth for what it was. She was home.

“We both want you to be in our lives,” Kraven said. “Our lives are different than what you see here. While this is a part of it, when we are on our home planet there are things expected of us. Mostly because of our positions, but also because of who we are and the houses we were born to. This will give you an idea about what we mean and the obligations we have. We’re definitely not among the highest ranking of the houses, but we’re up far enough that there are events and things we are expected to attend when we are home. ”

“Seeing as who my dad is, I’m used to being in the eye of everyone.” Sad but true. Her dad was the highest-ranked individual on their world. He was also their leader and had been for a number of years. “I have no idea what would be expected of me on your world.” She shrugged. “But you would both be there for me, right? You would both help me along the way so that I didn’t do something I shouldn’t and embarrass you or worse?” Like her touching them when she first met them. She hadn’t been able to help herself. She was a weird one and knew it. “But what would your people think of us being together? If you are as highly ranked as I am thinking you are, will they have issue with you taking someone like me?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time and won’t be the last,” he said. “You won’t embarrass us because we will be there with you. We will also get you into a course to help you learn all the finer points of our society. Yes, we have one, because there are others not of our society who have mated into it. We will also need to complete the ritual back on our home world for those in authority, just to ensure they have no way of disputing it.”

“Is that why you said that you need a full day before we can?” Eli asked cautiously. “My dad will want to speak with you both. You realize that, don’t you? He will want to make certain that I will be safe with you. I’m his only child, so please don’t be offended by that. He worries about me.”
Sometimes at least.
When he wasn’t occupied with one dispute or another in their encampment. Sadly, one of the worst offenders was Parker, the one who had destroyed her quarters, but she still couldn’t voice she knew who it was because she didn’t want to give the Droushanians’ secrets away. After all they weren’t hers to give.

“He only wishes to assure your safety. There will be no offense taken at any time,” Lukkis said. “And no, the day is to inform the governing administrator of our changes in status from unattached to mated. There is much paperwork to file for this status alteration. We also need to prepare the ritual to be performed here. Your dad may attend if he’d like, as well as any others from your town. It is a simple ceremony but steeped heavily in tradition. Once it is completed, there will be a feast—something else that takes a bit of time to ready—before we perform the more intimate part of the mating behind closed doors and away from all others.”