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  “Necessary how?” he asked, merely to keep her talking. He loved the sound of her voice. It was so sexy. Low and sultry, it sent tendrils of desire shooting through his blood, making it burn with the need to have her, to possess her. His cock jerked with the anticipation of sinking into her moist heat. “How could three people possibly make any difference?”

  “How am I supposed to know?” she asked with an elegant shrug. “I merely followed the instructions sent to me by my priestess and here you are.” She cast a glance back to the Tigerian. “Here you both are.” She flung herself down into the nearest seat, pushing the console out of her way. Turning, she stared dejectedly through the illumi-glass into the cold darkness of space. “If I’d have known this was expected of me before the vows, I never would have spoken them. Any of them.”

  Wray felt a strange wrenching in his chest. Putting his hand over his heart, he knelt beside her. “Why would you have refrained, little one?” he asked, surprised that he felt the need to know—surprised that he even gave a damn. “Why do you resist taking a mate?” He gave her a crooked grin, glanced at the other man then added, “Or two for that matter. I’m not such a bad sort and I hear the Tigerians are honorable men of their word.”

  “Because I—I…”

  Her face reddened and he knew it was something to do with the mating itself. He suppressed a grin and placed a gentle hand over hers. “Because you what, little one?”

  “Rachana, call me Rachana or Ana. Little one makes me seem like some small child.” She swiped at a tear, not realizing how much like a child she looked with the tears streaming down her face, coupled with her small stature.

  Wray reached up and thumbed a tear from her cheek. “Rachana is a beautiful name.” Resting back on his heels, he pressed her further. “Why do you fear the mating, Ana?”

  “Because,” she said, twisting the material of her jumper with trembling fingers. “I need…” She shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t tell you. It’s too personal.”

  “Ana,” he said, placing his fingers beneath her chin to tip her head back. “By your own admission, we are your mates. If you cannot share something so personal with us, who can you share it with?”

  * * * *

  Kel stepped forward, unwilling to remain silent any longer. As they both had said, they were all mates. He would have his say in this as well. “I find I must agree with him, Ana. It would seem that we are all in this together. If you cannot share your secret with us, then you must bear it alone.”

  He found himself staring at her. He couldn’t help it. She sat with her large amber eyes glowing up at him. Delicate hands she held in her lap, fumbled with the material of her jumpsuit. The tiger in him snarled, needed to rip her clothes from her trim body and make her his in every sense of the deed. He wanted this woman with an intensity he didn’t know was possible. His body itched with the need to change. His bones ached from holding it at bay. Yet he held it back, using every power, every force he held within him. Frightening her was the last thing he wanted to do.

  He glanced over at the stranger, wondering how the man had heard of the Tigerians but they had heard nothing of Wray Navedis and his people. “How do you know of us, sir?” he asked, needing to know how many other races knew of his people when they tried so hard to keep themselves secret. Apparently, there were no secrets in the galaxy, except perhaps, that of Wray Navedis and his people. “Where do you come from, Navedis? Why have I not heard of you before?”

  “I have just taken on the mantle of leadership for my people. Perhaps the name Oreside Lupin would mean a bit more.”

  Kel stepped back. It felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. “Yes,” he said, after swallowing thickly. “That name does ring a bell. I take it that he has expired?”

  Wray gave a short nod. “Yes. He was murdered in his sleep. Since he had no mate, the bitch he tried to breed with had him murdered when he couldn’t get her with child.”

  “Some women are strange creatures when it comes to wanting a cub in their arms,” Kel said with a nod.

  “It wasn’t the lack of cubs that made her do so. It was greed, plain and simple. She wanted to mate with the alpha and a leader with no heirs is always challenged. She merely chose her champion poorly. Our people will not follow an alpha with no honor. They arrested him and campaigned for a new alpha.” He smiled, baring lethal-looking canines. “Care to guess who won?”

  Kel snorted. “I don’t need to guess. Anyone willing to look can see that you’re an alpha.”

  “Then most of my people were blind. None of them could see that,” Wray said with a shrug. “Until I made them.”

  “That can be so with any government. The people refuse to see what is right before their eyes. Refuse to see that sometimes, things must come to pass no matter how much they abhor the idea,” Kel agreed. Still he knew being beta to this man would be preferable than having no mate at all. He’d already resigned himself to remaining an unmated male. As the last of his line, with females growing so scarce, he’d never expected to bond with anyone. He didn’t want to take a precious female from a male of a strong house. He didn’t feel he had the right.

  Turning back to the woman he wondered what secret she held that kept her silent on her own ship. Loath to press her to answer when she clearly wasn’t comfortable with them, he continued to steer the conversation away from the matter.

  “We should help those in need before the Hienials kill them all.”

  Ana moved to her console, her fingers flying over the glassy smooth surface, “They will not kill them outright, though most of them may wish they were dead. The Hienials use them to breed. They have no females of their own and the women never bear a female child.”

  “What is it with the lack of females?” Wray asked, shaking his head. “You would think it would be an isolated problem. Not one so widespread throughout the galaxy.”

  “It must be something that happened several generations ago. We started noticing a decline in female births five generations ago. It’s only been recently that the decline has become sharp enough to alarm anyone.” Kel watched the woman to see how she would react to his next declaration. “Our scientists believe it could have been a virus, one that has spread among those of us who have the power to shift.”

  Wray snorted. “A disease specifically designed to eradicate shifters? Not likely.”

  “Why not?” Kel continued quickly before Wray could interrupt him. “It appears as though the only races affected are those of us who have the ability to shift. It would make sense that there is something in our genetic make-up that could give us a disease or virus that would affect only us.” He glanced at Ana. “Perhaps the humans are immune.”

  Wray looked at him with a new understanding dawning on his face. “You’re right. It does make sense. It also makes sense that the Hienials are attacking these women. They have been unable to breed for generations. If they can get children on these women, they have a whole new way to perpetuate a species that never should have been.” He glanced through the illumi-glass, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I’ve heard of an ancient civilization who attempted to rid the galaxy of a parasitical race who thrived on attacking and killing those whom they deemed weaker, regardless of their ability to fight.” He turned and strode back to a console and sat, his fingers flying over the keyboard. “The ancient race attempted genocide on a brutal dog-like species with an engineered virus. I’d never agreed with the practice before. But now…” He glanced up at them. “I think the Hienials are the people they attempted to eradicate—and they have infected us all. Our only hope is to mate with the human women who seem to be immune to it.”

  Kel felt his eyes widen. “Then we must do our best to kill them all. I have heard of the ancient plan myself. It’s taught to us during our primary school years. According to the ancient texts, they are a vile, disgusting people who not only torture their enemies, but eat them alive when they are through.” He turned to see Ana pale at his declaration
and wished he’d kept that last to himself. Striding over to her, he stood close enough to catch her, lest she should faint. “We must notify our ships immediately. Those animals must be stopped as soon as possible.”

  * * * *

  Ana stared at the two beautiful men before her then gave a curt nod. They were right. They needed to save the people on the planet they orbited. Her secrets could wait for another time. Standing she looked from one to the other. “Whose ship will I be on?” She turned her attention back to the console, brought up her life-support screen and indicated it with a negligent sweep of her hand. “You two have nearly depleted what little oxygen there was left on my craft. I need to dock.” She looked between them. “Which one of you will invite me to your vessel?”

  “I will.”

  “Come to my ship.”

  They both spoke at once.

  Wray held up his hand. “She will come to my ship. As leader of my people I can guarantee her safety.” He looked over at Kel. “Can you say the same?”

  Kel nodded. “I can. It would not mean so much as your declaration. But, know this Navedis. If she goes with you, so do I.”

  The other man nodded. “A fair proposal, Tigerian.”

  She gave her console attention again as the proximity alarms began to blare again. “Three more ships have arrived. According to the sensors, one Tigerian and one Savari vessel and another ship that looks just like yours, Wray Navedis.”

  “All the more reason for her to go to my ship,” Wray said with a growl.

  Kel nodded. “I have no argument, wolf.”

  * * * *

  Seated around the conference table in Strategic Command aboard the Lupin Starship, Nomad, were all four of the newly formed Triads. They were introduced to her as soon as she entered the conference room and she’d found each of them interesting in their own right.

  Everyone—men and women alike—sat in stony silence as Rachana reported G’Recio’s current situation. Only Minna’s unflinching courage gave Ana the courage to speak of the atrocities she witnessed on the planet below.

  “Minna, is there anything you can add? Anything you can think of that might help us defeat them? Perhaps, you know of a weakness we can exploit?” Ana hated having to put the woman through this after what she’d already suffered, but for now, she was the best source of intel they had.

  Minna, the only female of the third Triad, grimaced then straightened her spine. Though her eyes were open, Ana knew the only thing Minna could see was the past. Her mates must have sensed the same thing because Rage reached for her hand and gave it a quick squeeze, while Dax spoke to her in a soothing tone. “We’re here baby, remember that. You’ll never be alone again, my love. That’s a vow Rage and I will never break.”

  She placed a slow tender kiss first on Rage’s lips then Dax’s before she began her tale. “Looking back, we have only ourselves to blame.” When everyone at the table started to rise to refute her statement, she shook her head. “No, it’s the truth. You need to hear it—all of it.”

  After everyone settled back into his or her chairs, she continued. “About eighteen moon cycles ago, we received an urgent message from the Carrillian government, requesting—no, begging—to send in military reinforcements. The message claimed the Banart army invaded their home world while their own military forces were off planet fighting their own battles with the Banart in the far reaches of the galaxy.

  Ana could visualize the G’recians scrambling to get to Carrillia in time, desperate to protect those that couldn’t protect themselves. The G’recians were known throughout the known universe as a protectorate race. They didn’t start wars, but they would not sit idly by while another world suffered under the cruel hands of marauding armies either. The Banart used the perfect ploy to force the G’recian warriors to leave their own world virtually undefended.

  “The Warriors left within two days. Once they left our air space, they should have reached Carrillia three days later. We never heard another word from them. Within days of their departure, the Banart and Hienials descended on G’Recio. We’ve been under their control ever since.

  “They take the woman and young girls into breeding camps where they rape them until they’re with child. Those that don’t breed within six lunar cycles disappear. I can only imagine what happens to them when they leave the planet.

  “They killed all of the men and elderly outright as soon as they arrived and the young males became slave labor. When they grow big enough to fight back, they are terminated in the public square.”

  Ana’s heart went out to Minna and her people. The G’recians were such a devoted and faithful people who loved everyone, despite the differences between the galaxy’s various species. Only the Banarts and the Hienials are their enemies, and only because the G’recians had watched what those creatures had done to the people they’d attacked.

  In a sudden move, Dare Raden, the Savari leader, shoved his chair back from the table and began to pace from one end of the cabin to the other. His quick movements, though fluid, were definitely agitated, not that Ana could blame the powerful blood-drinker.

  Dax and Rage, Tigerian twins, looked like they wanted to kill someone with their bare hands. Fane, the Tigerian Leader and his Triad mate Sayre, both wore pained expressions, something between despair and rage. Lucan, a Pantari and Dare’s Triad mate, Wray and Kel also appeared lost in murderous thoughts of their own if the clenched jaws, furrowed brows and white-knuckled fists were any indication. She wasn’t about to dip into their emotions to confirm her suspicions, though. There were enough rampant emotions to deal with. She needn’t ask for trouble.

  Jaynee and Laynee, identical High Priestess twins, had tears of compassion running down their cheeks. No one in the room was unaffected by the tale Minna wove.

  Minna herself looked as though a small island breeze could blow her away, but she held firm, strong no matter the pain that obviously battered her. Ana’s heart clenched as the woman’s pain and torment seeped into her, flooding her with anguish.

  She needed to help Minna, help her deal with all the poor woman had been through, all the memories that continually ripped at her soul. There was only one way to do that effectively, though. She’d have to draw the pain of the memories out of Minna and into herself in an empathic healing.

  No one knew of her gift but her mother and she had long since passed away. If she did this, she would expose her greatest secret to virtual strangers, but she couldn’t allow Minna to suffer anymore than she already had. Enough was enough. Her conscience would not allow her to sit idly by when she could do something to help. Her heart was too close to breaking to allow the woman her continued suffering.

  With a soft sigh, Ana stood and made her way around the table to where Minna sat straight in her chair, her back stiff. The other woman looked up at her as she approached. Ana tried to give her a reassuring smile, but she wasn’t sure how successful she’d been when she felt a wave of panic roll through Minna’s mind.

  Dropping to her knees beside the surprised woman, Rachana reached for Minna’s hand. “Let me help you, Minna. Let me ease your pain.”

  Minna’s eyes widened. The pulse beating at her throat sped up. Minna licked her lips nervously. “Wh—what do you mean?”

  Ana swallowed passed the lump that seemed to lodge in her throat. It was now or never. “I can draw the pain away from you… If you allow it, that is.”

  Behind Minna, Dax and Rage each placed their hands on their mate’s shoulders, in support or in defense, Rachana didn’t know. “Whatever you think of me, I would never use my gift to hurt your mate. Or anyone else for that matter,” she whispered to the two men ready and able to defend the shaken woman.

  Behind her, she felt her own mates approach, both the powerful Tigerian, Kel and the ruthless leader of the Lupin, Wray. This was too much. She could feel the testosterone build as the angry and defensive vibes poured off all four men. She couldn’t take all these feelings bombarding her or the unvoiced threat buil
ding between them on top of the desperate pain Minna’s memories invoked. It was too much. It was why she’d chosen the lonely profession of archeology. She loved the solitary work. The haven of ancient cultures and the puzzles of the past were her family and her friends. People felt too much, happiness and misery, pain and joy, need and desire. Rachana sighed. She was better off alone, away from all this, but she knew she wouldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t.

  As though they may have sensed her need, or maybe it was all in her mind, the turmoil from her mates that had pounded at her mind, lessened, becoming more of a gentle breeze that brushed against her rather than a roiling wave battering her barriers.

  Soon, Kel and Wray too had their hands upon her, caressing her arms, her hair, in a show of what, she wondered. Sympathy? Support? Understanding? She didn’t really know. Only the feel of their hands, the brush of their clothing against her back centered her in the storm of feelings lashing her mind. She knew right then, she’d never be able to hold herself back from giving completely to them, body, heart and soul. They were her mates. Who was she to question the will of the Lady Goddess?

  Drawing a deep breath, Ana closed her eyes in preparation. Only when her own heartbeat returned to its normal steady rhythm did she open her mind for the empathic healing. The healing itself was easy. Opening herself to the pain of others, to their personal horrors and fears, and allowing them to flood her consciousness was much more difficult.

  It didn’t take long for her subconscious to find Minna’s pain. It was a writhing mass of turmoil and despair, byproducts of her haunting memories. Rachana couldn’t do anything about Minna’s past, about what happened to her, but by taking some of her pain into herself, perhaps she could give her the final push she needed to become whole in spirit, as she was meant to be.