3013: Renegade (10 page)

“Cute, Doc. Very cute. Just for that, I’m going to start buying my goddaughter nothing but toys that make noise.
Lots
of noise.”

“You do that and I’ll make sure they
all end up at
your
house. She can play with those toys when she’s visiting her godfathers.” Vance turned his attention back to Alayna. “You’re here to give us a DNA sample and get a baseline scan today. Why don’t we get on with that, and we can all catch up properly later. And Alayna, Alliance generals make a stack of credits, so don’t even think twice about making them shell out for whatever you want when this one takes you shopping later. Buy whatever you like. In fact, I think you should buy two of everything.”

“If it makes you happy, princess.
Buy three,” Colin said softly.

“Says the man who won’t even buy me one spaceship.”
All three of them laughed at that, and before she knew it Colin was helping her to get up on the table to be scanned. The tension she’d felt earlier was almost gone now, banished by laughter and Colin’s presence. Once she was stretched out on the table she expected him to go, but instead he claimed a spot at her side, took her hand in his and squeezed it.

“I’m not going anywhere without you.”

With Colin at her side, the scan seemed to take no time at all. When it was done, they said their goodbyes to Vance and headed off on the rest of their errands. At the top her list was to get a message to Sam. He refused to use a wrist unit, or any other tech that might be used to track him, and so she would do what they always did, use a system of couriers and relays to transfer information. It was slow, but there were no transmissions to pinpoint and no digital messages to intercept.

She needed to tell her foster father two things. Firstly, that Fort
Saken’s security had been seriously upgraded and should be taken off the list of viable targets. Then she’d have to break the news that she wouldn’t be coming home, because she’d been claimed.

He wasn’t going to take either piece of news very well.

***

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

When Alayna and Colin had returned from town, there hadn’t been time to do anything but unpack her new belongings before the two men appeared at her bedroom door and offered to show her around her new home.

She had only ever seen the place at night. By daylight it was larger, far brighter and more welcoming. The furniture was comfortable, if a little sparse, but what there was of it was all well made and far better than what she had known out in the badlands. They apologized more than once about how small the house was, explaining that the off-base housing had been designed without considering the needs of a bonded trio. When they told her that new housing was going to be built for the three of them, as well as for Dane, Vance and Annie, she was stunned.

“We’re the future of our race, at least here on Earth. We live in service to the Alliance, and the Alliance sees we have what we need,” Colin had said with a dismissive shrug and they’d gone back to their tour. Neither of them had noticed the impact that simple statement had on her. They may have had years to accept their place in the world, but for Alayna, who had eked out an existence as far from the Alliance as she could manage, it was a foreign way of thinking.

After an evening of quiet conversation where they had started the process of actually getting to know each other, Alayna had gone to bed alone. Neither men had asked to join her, but she had felt their eyes on her as she left. She knew that if she had so much as crooked a finger they’d have been at her side in a second but she appreciated the fact they had given her some space. Alayna knew she would need it so she could start to process everything before she went to sleep.

That had been hours ago, and so far sleep hadn’t made an appearance. Hell, she hadn’t managed more than a few minutes of restless dozing before her brain would switch back on or her instincts would have her cataloging every sight and sound, looking for a threat. It wasn’t fair. Last night she’d fallen into a deep sleep when she shouldn’t have, and tonight, when it no longer mattered, she was stuck staring at the ceiling of her new bedroom. Somewhere out there, the universe was having a good laugh at her expense.

When the boredom grew unbearable, she gave up and got out of bed. A new dressing gown of pale ivory silk hung off the one of the corner posts of her oversized bed, and she drew it on, covering up the sinfully soft teddy of red lace that Colin had managed to sneak into the bags of clothing they’d bought. The man would have made a decent thief, because she didn’t catch him once, but when they got home she discovered a number of items that she had no part in selecting.

He’d added everything from body lotions to lingerie, and as they’d been leaving she’d overheard a partial conversation about coming back again soon so Alayna could try on some dresses. Alayna had never worn a dress in her life, and when she’d pointed that out to Colin, he’d given her one of his cocky grins and told her that as the chosen of two generals, there were going to be times she was going to have dress the part. The smug bastard had even included a couple of pairs of high-heeled shoes in her size.

In the course of a single afternoon, Nik and Colin had provided her with more material possessions than she had owned in her entire life. Not that she’d ever been truly poor, but there wasn’t much point in owning more than she could fit in a backpack when she lived her life as a nomad, moving from town to town and target to target.

Everything she had taken from the Alliance had been given to people who needed it. Now, they’d need to find another way to get by. Alayna already missed it. The sense of being needed,
the fulfillment that came with helping others. She let her hand glide over the smooth silk of her robe as she admitted that what she’d miss most of all was the thrill of danger. Her new life was like her new clothes, soft and luxurious. If she didn’t find something to do with her time, she’d quickly get bored of it all. What place was there for her in the Alliance? She didn’t have a clue, but whatever it was, it would have to be more than being a cosseted treasure.

Knowing that she would never get to sleep with her thoughts tumbling around inside her head like a bunch of playful puppies, Alayna headed downstairs. Both men had left their doors ajar, so she moved as silently as she could, not wanting to wake them. Just because she was having trouble sleeping was no reason to wake up anyone else.

Wandering without any real destination in mind, Alayna found herself in the sunken living room, standing near the large bay window, staring up into the night sky. She’d grown up knowing that mankind travelled between the stars. She knew there were ships and stations and even colonies out there, but there was a great deal of difference between knowing something was true, and actually spending time with someone who had been off-world. What was it like out there, beyond the protective shield that surrounded Earth? Someday soon, she’d ask them.

Feeling whimsical, she picked a star at random and began to whisper an old ditty that Sam had taught her. “Starry night, star so bright, be you sun or satellite, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.”

“Funny thing about wishes, sometimes you don’t recognize them when they finally come true,” Colin said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. Alayna heart skipped a beat as she spun around to find her lover standing only a few feet away, wearing nothing but a cocky grin.

How the hell
did he get so close without me hearing him?

“He’s as silent as a fucking ghost, isn’t he? I swear I’m going to hang bells on both of you,”
Nik said from his vantage point at the top of the stairs that lead down to the living room.

“I thought you were both sleeping. What are you doing down here? And why aren’t either of you dressed?” she demanded, trying to keep herself from staring.

Nikolai knew better than to confess he hadn’t been able to sleep because of his perpetual hard-on. He and Colin might have agreed to give their chosen her space, but that didn’t mean his cock was keen on the idea. Knowing that she was lying in bed only a few feet away had made sleeping damned near impossible, and that was before he’d known what she was wearing to bed. Alayna looked like a wet dream come to life standing in their living room. The pale gleam of the setting moon was barely enough to illuminate her silk-draped curves and show a teasing hint of lace across the rise of her breasts.

“You weren’t the only one who couldn’t sleep tonight,” Nikolai said as he walked down the stairs. “I happened to see you go by my bedroom door, which was creepy as hell considering I didn’t hear you at all.
Goddamned phantoms, the pair of you.”

“So you saw me go by and decided to follow me?”

“Nope. I saw you go by and decided to wake up Colin,
then
follow you,” he said, well aware he was baiting her yet again. Nikolai could already tell this was going to be a lifelong habit.

Alayna crossed her arms over her chest and he felt his cock twitch as the movement shifted her robe, revealing more lace. “Why? Don’t you trust me?”

Nikolai laughed and moved up beside Colin. “Trust you? Might I point out that the last time we saw you creeping around in the dark, you were trying to rob us?”

“That was then. If I stole from you tonight, I’d only be stealing from myself, right?”

“Right,” Colin agreed.

“Great, so now we’ve established that you two sleep naked and I’m not stealing anything, any chance of you going back to bed and leaving me alone?”

Nikolai caught the edge to her words and took a good look at her, forcing himself to look past the allure of lace and silk. What he saw didn’t please him. Their minx was exhausted. Even in the soft light of the moon he could see the dark smudges under her eyes and the thin lines around her mouth. He moved closer, drawing her into his arms and was surprised to feel how cool her skin was. Everywhere his hands touched he found knots of tension and taut muscles. “How long has it been since you had a real rest?”

She looked up at him, her lips slightly parted as if she was about to speak, but no words came. Her dark brows furrowed and he had to tamp down the urge to chuckle. He’d actually managed to make her speechless, if only for a few moments.

Colin moved in behind her, and Nikolai lifted a hand from Alayna’s shoulder, inviting Colin to place his hand there so he could understand Nikolai’s concern. The moment Colin’s hand touched the knotted line of muscle along her shoulder he frowned and then nodded to Nikolai. Now he got it.

“I don’t sleep much,” said at last, her shoulders lifting in a simple shrug that made the tendons under his hand creak slightly.

“That wasn’t what I asked you. I asked you when you last got some rest. Real rest, and last night doesn’t count.” Nikolai would bet a month’s pay that she couldn’t answer that question.

“Last month, maybe.
I’m not sure. Why does it matter?” she demanded, her frown deepening.

“Because, princess,
you
matter.”

“Exactly.
And right now, we can see that you’re exhausted and tense.”

“Well, yeah. Tension is a pretty normal fucking side effect of having your entire life thrown for a loop all because you fell asleep at a bad time,” she grumbled and then moaned softly as Nikolai started to slowly massage a knotted muscle just beneath her shoulder blade.

“Stubborn little minx. Will you let us help you relax?”

She snorted with laughter at that. “Is that man code for ‘let us fuck you senseless so you can sleep?’ because if it is, I’m going to decline. I need a little more recovery time before our next sexual marathon, thanks.”

“Sexual marathon, huh?” Colin grinned and nuzzled her ear. “I like the way that sounds, but that’s not what we’re offering. Well, not tonight anyway. Trust us a little, and let us take care of you. Can you do that?”

Nikolai watched wariness fill her lovely eyes, and it made his heart ache. What kind of life had their little
vorovka
been leading that a simple act of kindness made her uneasy? He stroked his fingertip across her brow, gently smoothing away the furrows. “You’re our chosen. I think it’s time we show you what that truly means.”

“Okay,” she murmured, gifting him with a small smile that made him feel like he’d won a major offensive.

He leaned down to feather his lips over hers. “Thank you.”

Alayna had no idea what she’d let herself in for, but there was not a chance in hell of her resisting them. Not when she was caught between two hot, sexy naked men who were offering to help her relax. She’d used up all her willpower when she’d declined the first time. Once they started being so sweet, she was done for.

Nikolai took a step back and Colin slid his hands to her waist, turning her around so she was facing him.

“Thank you for trusting us,” he said and kissed her just as gently as
Nik had done. The next thing she knew, he was scooping her into his arms and the three of them were headed for the stairs with Nikolai in the lead, which gave her an excellent opportunity to admire his delectable, naked ass.

“I see what you’re doing, brat. Hey,
Griz, our girl is really enjoying the view you’re currently giving her. Me, not so much.”

“Jealous?”

“More like nauseous.”

Nikolai stopped at the top of the stairs and deliberately stretched, flexing every muscle in the process. She might be tired, but she’d have to be three days dead and gone not to react to that kind of display. As her nipples hardened and her pussy grew slick, Colin sighed.

“Stars, are you really going to encourage him, princess? He’s hard enough to live with already.”

“Sorry,” she said, turning her head to press a kiss the corner of Colin’s mouth.

“If you’re done preening, mind moving this along? We’re supposed to be taking care of Alayna, remember?”

“On it,”
Nik called back and jogged down the hall, heading for her room. By the time Colin carried her past the threshold, Nikolai had turned down her comforter and was actually fluffing her pillows.

“You’re going to tuck me in and read me a bedtime story?” she quipped.

“That’s not quite what we had in mind.”

“This will be much better, I promise,”
Nik said as he stepped away from the bed and then headed to her bathroom. She couldn’t follow what Nik was doing, because Colin chose that moment to lower her to the ground. The second she was standing on her own two feet he let go of her to start working loose the knot she’d tied in the belt of her robe.

“Fucking hell, I’m buying you more of these,” Colin said as he opened the dressing gown and stared at the red lace teddy he’d bought for her earlier in the day.

“One in every color would be a good start,” Nikolai commented from the bathroom door, his gaze hot and hungry as he stared at her. “Nice choice, Ghost.”

“You are so damned lovely, Alayna.” Colin breathed the words softly, his fingers tracing across the scalloped line of crimson lace that covered her breasts.
Neither man was bothering to try and hide their arousal, and Alayna’s blood was starting to heat at the sight of their thick cocks standing erect and eager to please.

Nikolai could feel Alayna’s gaze flow over him like molten steel. When the pink tip of her tongue appeared to trace over her lower lip, it was all he could do not to charge across the room, throw her down on the bed and fuck her until she screamed his name. He wouldn’t, because she was their chosen and he was going to show some damned restraint. He forced himself to take slow, measured steps as he crossed the room, never once looking away from the stunning woman he and Colin had claimed for their own.