Between Two Tiron Read online

  This man was one of the worst forms of scum. Shard had nothing against mercenaries as a group. Most of them had some principles. This man would do anything as long as he could be assured of the pay. It was what he had been prepared to do today that had the tiron roaring for release, fur and sinew rippling beneath his skin.

  “What were your exact orders?” Shard focused his eyes on the man across from him. The man seemed unaware of his jeopardy.

  “The men wanted us to go to the camp and kill everyone there. They didn’t care how we did it or if we left any of the lovelies alive for a little while so we could have fun.” The man shrugged and sneered. “They just wanted us to make sure that there was no one alive by the time they got there. The other team was supposed at the very least to delay those who had left the camp, but they preferred it if everyone was dead.”

  Shard gripped the table and held on to his control by a thread. The man was either suicidal or stupid. Shard felt his claws burst from the ends of his fingers. Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that they were trying to cooperate with Central Command. Handing these prisoners over to them alive would be a step in that direction.

  “Why are they targeting us?” Shard forced himself to focus on the questions, not on their unsuccessful plan.

  “They’re looking for some kind of proof.” The brown-haired man shook his head in disgust. “All we’ve done is sit and wait.”

  “How many of them are left? Are any of your men still with them?” Shard gave the man a hard look as Kaleb came back into the room.

  “None of my men, there were only sixteen of us,” The man laughed. “They didn’t want to pay for all my men. They should have. We could’ve taken care of this if we had had more people. As to them, there aren’t many. They kept us split into small groups until we came together for this job.”

  “Where are they now?” Shard leaned forward and snarled, revealing the lengthened canines.

  The man slammed back against the chair. “I don’t know where they went. The last time I saw them was when we gathered before the mission.”

  “Give us a number.” Kaleb had control now.

  “Maybe four or five,” the man said in an uncaring manner.

  Shard shook his head. This man showed no loyalty to those who had hired him, but it was typical of some mercenaries. As they’d been caught, they wouldn’t be paid for their services and thus felt no qualms about revealing their knowledge.

  Kaleb could see the tension radiating off Shard. The man across the table didn’t know how close he was to feeling the claws of a tiron tearing into his body. He sat there, unafraid and seemingly saying anything that came to his mind. Most men would watch their tongue when confronted by two male shifters just on general principles.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lina sat at the table, working at her computer on some vid-images for one of the sim-games with a complete storyline. Nerisa strolled over to the table and sat in one of the chairs arranged around the table. She braced her elbows on the table and propped her chin on her hands, heaving a large sigh.

  She’d been listening to intermittent reports of what the men were talking about, brought by any woman who happened to wander close enough to them to hear any information. The talk of those who had remained to guard the camp was all that they knew of the events after the battle. Shard and Kaleb as well as a few others were on the Ovian, conducting the interrogations of the captured men. They had been gone for hours.

  “They were talking about how strange it was that those men knew precisely when and where to attack us today. That was all I managed to overhear before they asked me if I needed something.” Nerisa imparted her news in a low whisper.

  “It’s not only strange that they knew that. It’s rather amazing.” Medina frowned as she gave it some thought. “The men had only switched to that site late in the afternoon yesterday.”

  “Who outside those in this camp knew of that switch?” Lina discounted anyone in the group of Santir as the one who had given these scum aid. Any shifter out of adolescence knew that they would find no shelter among those who hated them. Looking up as she heard the light hum of an engine, she watched as a shuttle swept in for landing.

  “The lead researcher was told. The man who informed him hadn’t yet heard that he’d been ordered to cease his research. Vedix had been kept informed to prevent the two groups from trying to work the same site. He might have told others in his group.” Medina idly turned the mug of dorin in her hands.

  Lina’s lips curled into a snarl at the mention of that man’s name. “Vedix was very angry when he left here yesterday. He knows that he’ll lose his reputation and probably his position at the museum because of this fiasco. He could’ve hoped for some revenge.”

  “You don’t like him very much, do you?” Nerisa tilted her head and smiled at the animosity visible on Lina’s face.

  “He’s a liar and a snitch. That man is nothing but trouble.” Lina narrowed her eyes. She knew that he’d told Shard and Kaleb of her presence on the planet. That was why they’d been watching for her when she’d finally tracked Nerisa to that ruin. “He’s not the first one I’ve encountered, but it still infuriates me when it happens.”

  Lina saw them come around the last tent between the landing area and the tables. Kaleb’s eyes locked on Lina as soon as he rounded the tent. At that first glance, she knew something was wrong.

  “It wasn’t the snitch.” Kaleb ruffled Lina’s hair as he stopped beside her.

  She could feel the slight trembling of his hands as he cupped the back of her head. “Who was it then?” What had happened to them? They seemed just barely in control.

  “It was one of the snitch’s underlings. Their transport will be here within two days. We won’t have to worry about their spy after that point. The men will have no one to feed them information.” Kaleb moved closer to him until she could feel one leg pressing against her side.

  “Holding a grudge against him, rao nari?” Shard pulled a chair over to sit next to her. He took her hand, holding it tightly. Lina tugged at her hand experimentally, just to see if he would release her and a low growl rumbled in his chest as his fingers tightened around her hand.

  Lina frowned and shot Shard a sharp look. His brown eyes were molten with emotion. More than want swirled in those deep eyes. A light breeze carried Shard’s scent to her and what she smelled was intense. A volatile mixture of desire and anger, it only reinforced what she’d learned from their expressions. She could see the tense cords of his muscles. A quick glance up at Kaleb revealed much the same situation. They looked desperate, almost out of control and a very primitive part of her responded. She wished she knew what had caused the anger and despair she’d seen in their eyes.

  She squeezed Shard’s hand and smiled at him as she leaned into Kaleb. They were her men. Whatever they needed, she’d give them.

  “No, I’m not holding a grudge against him, because the end result was probably inevitable. Finding my mates has changed my life for the better. It was worth every bit of stress I experienced trying to elude you. There were too many Santir here for me to hide long. Without his loose tongue, I would have managed a day or two more without discovery.” Lina stroked her thumb over Shard’s knuckles as her eyes locked with his. Desire blazed in his brown eyes as he stared at her. “I would probably have been found as I gathered my packs.”

  “Ah, but we wouldn’t have met in the way that we did had that occurred.” Kaleb lifted Lina and sat down with her in his lap. “I wouldn’t have changed the way we met for anything. You were so beautiful, so defiant, even when you had to know that there was no way that you could win against a fully grown male tiron.”

  Kaleb’s hand slid over her stomach, slipping under the cloth of her shirt, and roaming higher in sweeping strokes. Just when she thought that she had a prayer of calming one man, the other did something to stir things to a higher level. She could practically feel the hot need swirling within both men.

  Without a dou
bt, this would be some of the fiercest, hardest sex they’d ever had. These two men weren’t in any condition to do gentle. Lina felt a gush of cream soak her panties. She was more than ready for primitive, feral or anything else they could give her.

  “You know, you two can be such wild men, sometimes. Are you going to tell me what you learned during your interrogations or am I going to have to pry it out of you with torture?” She wiggled, rubbing her buttocks against the hard ridge of Kaleb’s cock. Her free hand slipped down and stroked his muscled thigh. Her fingers slid with ease over the fine cloth of his pants.

  Shard released her hand and gave a rough edged chuckle. “You can try your torture, my lovely rah’ki, but we have plans of our own.”

  “Change them.” Lina stood, braced a hand on her hip and leveled a challenging look at him. “You have no idea how I hate sitting and waiting when I know that I could be helping. I’m not a tame tiron content to stay in a cage.”

  Kaleb scooped her up into his muscled arms in a dizzying display of strength, startling a shriek from her. Her arms shot up, clutching his neck for a moment in desperate fright. After the initial disorientation and blind fear, her eyes rose and clashed with Kaleb’s narrowed eyes. In those green depths, Lina saw something wild, untamed. They might have seemed to have been teasing, but that look held no trace of humor.

  “It’s not our plans which will have to wait for fulfillment, i’ma.” Kaleb’s breath feathered over the top of her head as he lowered his lips to the crown of hair and nuzzled the bright golden mass.

  Lina didn’t argue as they carried her toward the tent. Once inside the nearly soundproof confines of the tent, she could argue much more freely. She wouldn’t have to worry about showing blatant disrespect in front of the entire pack. With any luck, they would put her down and she could put a little distance between them. She knew just by looking at them that her questions wouldn’t be answered, but she could tease them a little.

  Shard preceded them into the tent, but remained near the entrance to seal the door, ensuring their privacy after Kaleb had carried Lina past him. Kaleb didn’t release her until he was at the edge of the bed. He put her on her feet beside him and started to remove his brown shirt. As she sidestepped, hoping to put some space between them, his hand shot out and manacled her wrist.

  “Do you think you’re going somewhere, Lina?” Kaleb raised his brows and his eyes briefly twinkled with suppressed amusement as he looked down at her.

  Shard chuckled as he walked over to them.

  She saw the amusement fade from Kaleb’s eyes to be replaced be something much more intense. She glanced down at her wrist encircled by those large, dark fingers. “Umm…obviously not.”

  Shard stepped up beside her and his hand went to her the soft material of her blue shirt. He gathered it in his large hands and pulled it over her head and tossed it away. “Let’s get you undressed, rao nari.”

  Lina’s eyes widened as she noticed that he was already nude. His dark skin gleamed in the soft light of the tent. Her mouth watered and she could feel her body warming, liquid pooling within her in eager response to the sensations she knew they could give her. Her body craved that pleasure.

  Kaleb had released her the moment he knew Shard’s hands were on her. Lina saw him begin to undress. Shard tugged at the front catch of her strapless bra, drawing her attention to the big dark-skinned man in front of her. The fabric ripped before he could get the fastening loose. He flung the scrap of tetri silk to a corner of the tent.

  Her breasts hung free and Shard’s gaze focused on the darker skin of the areola. He leaned down and his mouth opened over her nipple. Wet heat surrounded the crown of her breast and his cheeks hollowed as he drew her breast into his mouth. Lancing heat shot straight to her core. He sucked at her. His tongue played with the sensitive bud, lapping at the hardened crest.

  “I love the way you taste. The way your body responds to us at just a touch, you’re so perfect, so sensual.” Shard smiled as the scent of her arousal rose around him. He scraped his teeth over a hardened nipple and savored the shiver that coursed through her body. Her hand tangled in his hair and pulled his head closer to her. “I don’t know why you bother wearing that thing. We like the way you look without it much better and it’s so much easier to get to what we want if we don’t have to peel away two or three layers of clothing.”

  Her head fell back as she relished the pleasure rolling through her. The drawing pull as he sucked at her breast caused tingling pulses to course through her. She could feel an answering tug in her pussy which ignited a fierce need to be filled. She pressed her body against his, rubbing against the ridge of his hardened cock. It should be impossible for them to make her feel this much with such a simple caress.

  Shard swirled his tongue around the reddened tip and returned to undressing her. His hands skimmed down her curved waist to the fabric of her skirt. His nimble fingers went to the buttons at the back of the skirt. With each flicking movement, a gap opened in the fabric. The v widened until it fell to the floor. He pushed the blue scrap of her panties down until they too joined the pile around her feet.

  “Step out of the skirt and your shoes, i’ma.” Shard reached up and released her hair from the confines of the braid. “Rah’ki, I’m almost afraid to touch you because the tiron within me is so close to the surface, but that same reason makes it impossible to keep my hands off you. By the Gods, I need you.”

  Lina obeyed the growled order, slipping her feet from the comfortable, soft-soled shoes he wore. Shard swept her into his arms and carried her onto the bed. He sank to his knees on the soft mattress. He knelt on the green blankets with her still cradled in his arms.

  She looked up into the hard lines of Shard’s face. Raw lust burned in his eyes. This was not a tame or gentle desire. All hint of teasing was gone. This was a man on the edge of losing control. The animal within very nearly dominated. He needed to fuck her. It was in his eyes, in the musk rolling off him.

  Everything female within her loosened and readied in answer to that need. The heated scent of his need heightened her need. Her breath came in fast, shallow pants. Her breasts began to ache. They were tight, swollen, her nipples hard, reddened points that begged for a man’s mouth. She already wanted him. His pheromones merely increased that want, raised it to the primitive level of his need.

  Lina laced her arms around his neck and lifted her body against his to kiss him. Her tongue slid past his lips and encountered the extended canines hidden there. She rubbed her tongue against his in silent assurance that whatever he needed, she could give. With a moan, she sucked at his tongue, drawing his dark, male taste deep into her.

  “I’ma, I have to have you.” Shard pulled back to stare into her golden eyes.

  “Any way you need me, I am ready. I always want you. You know that. You can make me hot with just the sound of your voice.” Lina ran her hand over his hard cheek.

  She felt the muscles twitch beneath her palm and knew how much it was taking him to control himself. She could see the struggle within his eyes. The animal was very close to taking control of him right now. His eyes had changed. They were fully feline, slitted, the shift from man to animal close.

  “I might go mid-change while I’m inside you. I don’t think that I can control it.” Shard’s lengthened canines flashed.

  “I can take you in any form, nari.” Lina leaned forward to nip the hard flesh above his dark nipple. “I’m a Santir female. My body was made to take yours. You won’t hurt me.” Mid-change, a halfway form between the man and the animal was taken at times of extreme stress or danger. She felt no fear of him fucking her in that large form.

  She turned and looked over at Kaleb. Everything female within her reveled in the heat burning in their gazes. She could tell at a glance that he needed her just as Shard did, but the mood that boiled through them was primal and not inclined toward sharing. In his eyes, a fierce fire burned, but she knew why Shard was going first. While Kaleb’s need wasn’t in d
oubt, Shard was perilously close to losing control. That they could want her with such intensity awed and excited her.

  She turned her head and looked steadily into Shard’s brown eyes as he lowered her to the soft bedding. She rolled onto her hands and knees. She looked back over her shoulder at him and arched her back, pressing back and showing him her readiness.

  “Is this how you want me?” She reached over her shoulder and pulled her hair to one side of her neck, revealing the mating mark he had made. Her breasts were swollen, the tips aching, hard points. She could feel the slick cream coating her thighs. Her body was more than ready for him.

  “Rah’ki, I need you just like that.” Shard’s eyes locked onto the pink, glistening flesh between her thighs. The tiron growled and snarled, craving the reassurance of its mate’s slick cunt. He licked his lips, hunger a burning brand within him. He flowed over the bedding until he was right behind her. “I tried to let the normalcy of the camp soothe me, to quiet the beast. Tried to find reassurance in the facts, that you hadn’t been hurt. Nothing could ease this need. I need you to take me, i’ma.” The animal within him sought his mate, her softness, her warmth.

  “I’m here. I need you.” Lina pushed her buttocks back against his hips. His hard cock slid between her thighs and rubbed over the swollen, pink lips of her labia. He inhaled and the tiron within roared in eagerness as he smelled the sweet scent of her desire mingling with his own.

  Shard reached down as he pulled back, just enough to allow him to position his cock at the hot, creamy entrance of her pussy. He pushed forward and the walls of her moist, heated channel expanded, rippled as it took his shaft. Mid-change rolled over him as he sank into her as deep as he could.

  Looking back over her shoulder, she watched the transformation. Hair grew on his arms, legs, back and chest. Muscle and bone grew and began to reform. He became larger. His face changed, mouth changing to form a slight muzzle, teeth lengthening, changing to those of a tiron. Claws sprouted from the tips of his fingers and brushed over her skin.