Triad 5 - Sex Me All Around Read online

  about the last five years I've lived as a repository

  for the Hienial seed?" Kiri's body shook so badly,

  she knew she was about to fall apart. She

  straightened her spine, intent on showing no

  weakness.

  "Why don't you sit on the cot over there?"

  Brandy pointed toward a low cot covered with a

  homey looking quilt and several fluffy pillows,

  "While I lower the lights and light a few scented

  candles."

  "What? Why? Don't I just tell you what

  happened and you'll allow me to leave?" Kiri

  twisted her hands together, her stomach churning.

  Regardless of how strange it may seem to lie on a

  couch, in the near dark, smelling flowers, if there

  was any chance it may help her, she'd do it.

  "There is no reason you can't be comfortable

  when the telling is not. Is there, Kiri?"

  Kiri shook her head, making her way to the low

  couch. The intricate design of the quilt drew her

  attention. It was almost as if the swirls and other

  designs moved as she touched it, drawing her fear

  and pain away from her. The feeling intensified as

  she lowered herself to lie down on the quilt.

  "No, Kiri." The healer hurried to her side. "You

  must be beneath the quilt for it to truly help you."

  She helped Kiri to stand then pulled the covering

  aside to wait until Kiri lowered herself to the cot

  again.

  The quilt covered Kiri with warmth and...love.

  She was surrounded by it. The sensation of being

  held in her mother's arms coiled around her

  through her. Her heart warmed, her mind settled

  and her pain receded to a place where it could no

  longer touch her, hurt her--a place where she

  could pull it out, look at it and finally banish it

  from her heart.

  The healer sat on a low stool near her, her hand

  resting on the quilt. "Do you think you can talk

  about it now?"

  Kiri nodded and sifted through her memories.

  "Where should I start?"

  Brandy smiled at her. "Start wherever you

  wish, sweetheart. But I think the beginning is

  always the best place."

  "The beginning..." Kiri leaned back and shook

  her head. "No, that would take too long. I don't

  think any of us have the time for that." Besides,

  this made her uncomfortable. The pain was no

  longer debilitating, but she knew she couldn't

  spend the rest of her days beneath this lovely

  quilt. Sooner or later she had to return to Ryo and

  they both needed to learn to live again.

  "Our government received a coded message

  from the Carrillian authorities or at least someone

  posing as their leader." She gripped the quilt

  tightly. Her fingers found a spot to trace and her

  pain receded a bit more. "The man begged for our

  help, saying they were under attack. Every man of

  warrior age, every boy nearing the turun'ca

  boarded ships and left to help them. We haven't

  heard from them since."

  The healer tilted her head a frown marring her

  brow. "Turun'ca?"

  "The coming of age."

  "Oh. And what age would that be?"

  Pain gripped Kiri's chest and the quilt warmed

  before the sensation faded. "They were all just

  approaching their fifteenth summer."

  "Fifteen! All of your men and boys above the

  age of fifteen are gone?"

  Tears slid down Kiri's face as she nodded. The

  quilt grew warm again, so warm she almost threw

  it off, but the pain she knew would wrack her if

  she did so, stopped her. "Every one of them. Only

  the old and infirmed were left." She attempted to

  look back, to remember without feeling the

  complete loss and rage she'd grown so used to

  over the last few years.

  "After the males were gone, those animals

  came. They killed everyone not of breeding age.

  They took the sterile women away. I have no idea

  where. Several of them took a female. Three of

  them took me to my home and they--they raped

  me repeatedly until they got me with child. Only

  then, did they leave me alone. Then they waited

  for me to give birth and nurse my son so they

  could take him. I hid him when I realized they

  would consider him deformed. I knew what they

  would do. But--" she sobbed, the quilt glowing as

  it absorbed her sorrow. "But they found us."

  Kiri threw the quilt off and stood. Grief and

  rage nearly consumed her as she paced the small

  area. She glanced out at Ryo, still held in Fury's

  arms and tried to bring her emotions back under

  control she had to do this. For Ryo.

  Brandy stood and came to stand beside her. "I

  know the rest. You don't have to relive it again."

  She placed her hand on Kiri's shoulder and

  warmth and peace stole through her again. She

  reached up to finger a beautiful multi-stoned

  pendant, obviously distressed by the story.

  Before Kiri could mention the pendant, alarm

  bells blared through the healer's office. Through

  the clear glass, she watched Drace and Fury

  stiffen. Even Ryo closed his eyes and cringed.

  Something serious must be going on.

  Together she and Brandy ran into the main

  clinic, her to Ryo, Brandy straight to her brother's

  side.

  She pulled Ryo into her arms. His little hands

  clutched at her shirt, then reached up and twisted

  in her hair.

  "What is it, Drace? What's going on?" the

  healer asked.

  Kiri listened intently, knowing that with so

  many of the enemy out there, both Banart and

  Hienials, danger was always near.

  Drace grimaced while Fury paced. Neither

  would look Brandy in the eye. Finally, Drace

  answered, his voice gruff. "There is a damaged

  slave transport asking for assistance. There are

  wounded Hienials, as well as the women and

  children they've kept as slaves who require

  assistance."

  Brandy's spine stiffened, and then she nodded.

  "I will do all I can, for all the injured."

  Knowing it was her calling, and that she had no

  real choice but to volunteer the use of her gifts,

  Kiri turned toward the healer. "I have some small

  gift at giving ease to those in pain. If someone can

  care for Ryo, keep him safe, I will do all that I can

  to help you."

  She was surprised when Fury walked up to her

  to lightly run his finger down her cheek. "If it

  pleases you, I will stay with Ryo."

  Startled she nodded. "Thank you. It is

  important that he is protected by someone I can

  trust." She glanced down to the floor for a

  moment, searching her thoughts. "You say he is a

  son to you. I will take you at your word, but know

  this. He is the most important--the most

  precious--part of me. If anything happens to him,

  it is you who will suffer my wrath."

  Drace moved toward her other side, placed his


  huge hand gently atop her shoulder. "I shall

  accompany you to the surface. They were so far

  out of the known galaxy, they have crash landed

  on an unchartered planet, so not only will there be

  danger from the Hienials themselves but we know

  nothing of what we'll find on the surface."

  Kiri searched his gaze--for what she didn't

  really know. Maybe she wanted to believe that

  these men truly only meant to cherish her and her

  son. Nodding, she stepped away slightly,

  suddenly uneasy being so close to her mate--

  mates--she corrected to herself, glancing at Fury

  who even now gently held her son in his arms. She

  relaxed a bit as she watched him rub soothing

  circles on Ryo's back with his large hand. A man

  so gentle with children couldn't be all bad, could

  he? She bit her lip and looked away before he

  caught her staring.

  * * * *

  Drace stepped from the large personnel transport

  and looked up at the huge winged animals flying

  over their heads. What had Brandy called them?

  He glanced over at her as she stared up at them

  with awe.

  "Look at them all," Brandy breathed, her eyes

  wide and glistening with unshed tears. She didn't

  show a bit of fear even though hundreds of the

  colorful but deadly looking beasts circled the

  landing site like carrion closing in for a fresh kill.

  He raised his energy weapon when one flew

  lower, the claws from its feet barely missing their

  heads.

  "No!" Brandy grabbed his arm, keeping him

  from killing one of the huge beasts. "Don't hurt

  them. They aren't here to harm us. They--" She

  glanced up them and smiled softly. "They aren't

  what they seem."

  "Then what are they?" Drace asked, itching to

  shoot them from the sky. "It's obvious they've

  killed the Hienials and the people who once

  occupied the empty city we spotted on our way

  down.

  "No, Drace. They have done nothing, but

  defend what is theirs. They didn't kill the

  occupants of the empty city. They are the

  occupants."

  Drace whipped his attention back to her,

  searching her gaze before he returned his attention

  to the pale orange sky of this unknown world.

  "How do you know this, Brandy? I will allow

  neither you nor my mate to wander here if there is

  any chance that such creatures will do you harm.

  There is enough to worry about with you both

  working among the Hienials."

  He heard her wistful sigh, but kept his attention

  on the creatures still circling overhead. "I can feel

  it, Drace." She reached out and gripped his arm.

  "My planet's history has told of such creatures for

  many centuries. Long ago, they disappeared from

  my world. Most believe they are naught but a

  fairytale," she shrugged as she dropped his arm to

  step forward and gaze back up into the sky. "Or

  nightmare," she added, "depending on their

  beliefs. Perhaps they'd visited my world long ago,

  or originated there and came here when they

  weren't welcomed with open arms. For me

  though, Dragons have always fascinated me. To

  see this," she said waving her arms overhead as

  she turned in a slow circle, "to see this is every

  dream and fantasy come true for me."

  "Are you sure it is safe then?"

  "Yes," she nodded. "Very sure."

  "Good, let us not tarry here then. Do what you

  need to do to make sure the survivors are well

  enough to transport and I'll gather my mate. They

  may be friendly now, but we know naught of

  them or their feelings toward trespassers. It is best

  to leave here quickly."

  Drace watched as his little sister gave a rather

  wistful and reluctant nod before she rushed

  toward the rest of the medical team, her gaze

  darting from the rocky ground to the sky the

  whole way. Running his hand through his hair,

  Drace sighed. Goddess, don't let coming here be a

  mistake, he prayed. If anything happened to his

  mate or his sister, he would never forgive himself.

  Turning away from his sister, Drace headed

  back toward his mate who he imagined was none

  too happy at being ordered to stay aboard ship

  until he could determine whether it was safe

  enough for her to help his sister. Of course, there

  were many possibilities in easing her anger.

  Perhaps, it would give him the perfect

  opportunity to get her used to his touch.

  He was almost to the transport when the telltale

  tickling at the base of his spine warned of

  approaching danger. Dropping to a crouch, he

  quickly scanned the area, before spinning around

  to look behind him. There, coming up fast, a

  Hienial, raced toward him with a small battle

  sword in his hands, pure hate gleaming in his

  eyes. He had no time to strip and change into his

  lion form while wearing clothes would only

  hinder, not help him.

  Before Drace could even reach for his weapon,

  one of the great beasts overhead swooped down

  and grabbed the Hienial with its clawed feet before

  again racing toward the sky at an incredible

  speed. Never had Drace seen such coloring on a

  creature outside his dreams. The dragon's

  armored scales ranged from the softest blues and

  silvery hues of a new moon to the dark blue of the

  sapphires his father had brought back from

  Brandy's planet so long ago. It essentially glowed.

  Its strange, changing iridescent colors glimmered

  as it flew away, carrying the enemy with it.

  As the dragon beat his monstrous wings, and

  launched himself even higher in the sky, the

  Hienial thrashed, screaming his terror as they flew

  into the heavens. Drace watched, as the changing

  silvery blue dragon seemed to hover in mid-air.

  Another dragon, this one in shades of orange, gold

  and red, approached the first, and with his clawed

  forelegs extended, grabbed a hold of the Hienial's

  kicking feet.

  He watched in horror, as the two dragons,

  separated, ripping the Hienial in half in mid-air.

  Drace shuddered, swallowed the bile rising in his

  throat. How could Brandy say they were safe after

  what he'd just witnessed? Still, he noticed that

  every one of his team remained on the ground

  unharmed, as did he. He couldn't discount the fact

  that the blue dragon had saved his life. The Hienial

  beast had been too close to him to draw his

  weapon. The beast surely would have killed him

  with his deadly sword if the dragon had not

  dragged the other creature to his doom.

  He turned toward the transport, ready to tell

  his people to regroup. He was taking his mate and

  sister from this place before they were injured. He

  would not risk their safety.

  "Stop!"

  Where had the voice come from
? It had seemed

  so close. It was almost as though he'd heard the

  voice in his head, the way he and Fury sometimes

  communicated. However, that was not Fury's

  voice. Drace heard the unmistakable sound of the

  beating of dragon's wings as he spun around in a

  crouch, ready to draw his weapon.

  Two men stood before him. They were dressed

  strangely. The armor they wore looked like the

  scales of the dragons that had just ripped one of

  the Hienial in two. One dressed in varying shades

  of blues and silver, the other in varying shades of

  red and gold. He looked up toward the sky,

  searching for the two dragons that saved his life. It

  was impossible to tell if they were up there

  circling the sky with so many others flying

  overhead.

  Both men were tall--taller even than he was.

  Their long black hair billowed behind them as

  they approached. Neither of them appeared to be

  armed. Drace studied them, assessing the danger

  as they approached. His head told him they were

  very dangerous creatures. His gut told him they

  had no intention of harming either him, or his

  people. Still, he watched them with caution. He

  would be a fool to do otherwise.

  "Where are the dragons I heard swooping

  down upon me?" He looked around, still not quite

  believing they had been able to disappear so

  quickly. He heard them. He knew he did.

  The two men looked at each other and grinned.

  "We are the dragons you're searching for. We

  apologize for giving you a fright earlier, but the

  man would have killed you and taken your

  women."

  Drace nodded, still eyeing them warily. "Yes,

  they are good for that." Making a decision he

  wasn't quite sure was wise under the

  circumstances, he held out his hand in greeting. "I

  am Drace Vanier, leader of the Lioni people. When

  we discovered the distress call from the Hienial

  slave ship, we came here to provide medical

  treatment and retrieve the women and children

  used as slaves aboard this vessel."

  The man dressed in blue stepped forward and

  took Drace's hand and arm in a warrior's embrace.

  "It is good to meet you. I am Damir D'rakionier,

  leader of the Drakonians. We have been searching

  the worlds over for a race with females. Ours are

  few. Our women no longer give birth to female

  children and our males long for mates."

  "We have a theory about that." Drace

  continued, noticing their raised eyebrows. "It