Tangled Shadows Read online

  24

  Now it was Nikolai’s turn to snort. “Pretty hard to miss. It’s my kind that comes with this added baggage. And we’ve both experienced it before.” Galen sighed and turned around, facing Nikolai. He rested his forehead against his partner’s. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll understand.” Nikolai kissed him. “Yeah, maybe.” His tone showed that he didn’t believe it. “We can always bind her to our bed, and keep her tied up and drowning in pleasure until she gives in.”

  Galen didn’t say anything, but gathered strength and comfort from Nikolai’s presence. He didn’t know how long they’d stood like this. It could have been minutes, or hours. The hug tightened when Brooke entered the bridge. Their hearing was good enough to know the moment she woke and used the facilities. She didn’t linger, but came and found them quickly.

  Nikolai tightened his arms one last time, and released Galen. They both turned to Brooke as she stood in the doorway of the bridge, wearing a shirt and pants too large for her. She must have grabbed them from their closet. Her gaze focused on the hyperspace window outside the main viewport of the Mercy.

  She didn’t say anything, but her body grew tense. Finally she looked at them. “Why the Jade are we in hyperspace?”

  Nikolai saw the storm brewing behind her eyes. She was not a happy Space Cadet.

  He stroked his hand down Galen’s shoulder and took a step toward the woman who had hit both of them in the heart.

  “Milaya, sit down and let us explain.”

  “I don’t want to sit, I want you to turn this rust bucket around and take me back to Teren.”

  “Easy, no maligning the Mercy.” Nikolai wanted to bite his tongue. His instinctive response to calling his beloved ship a rust bucket was not the best way to deal with her justifiable anger.

  “I’m more than happy to leave your stupid boat alone, as soon as you take me back.” She clenched her fists, her body stiff with tension.

  “We can’t.” Galen’s words stopped her in her tracks.

  Brooke studied them with a narrowed gaze. Their seriousness sunk in and some of her belligerence drained away. “Where are you taking me?”

  “The Hamil Quadrant,” Galen replied.

  Brooke turned deathly pale. For a moment Nikolai thought her knees would buckle.

  She crossed her arms in front of her chest, but rather than looking strong and angry, she appeared to be pulling a protective field around herself. “What?” Her voice turned rougher. “Why?”

  “Because we need to find out what happened to the Nebokka, your crew, and the settlers you transported,” Galen said. He took Nikolai’s hand and gripped it like a 25

  lifeline. Staying calm and keeping his distance cost his partner. It wasn’t in Galen’s nature to let anybody suffer, let alone be the cause of it.

  Brooke made it clear she would not welcome or appreciate either of their help. She swallowed. “Who are you?”

  Nikolai clenched his fists. Brooke looked so fucking vulnerable, nothing like the proud, sexy Amazon they’d had the privilege of seducing last night. He’d expected the blast of anger, but he’d never thought he’d see fear in her eyes. It had been only for a second before she masked it with anger, but it had been enough to hit him in the chest with enough force to make his breath stop.

  He had no idea how to deal with his surprising emotions. Anxiety turned to anger.

  It bubbled under the surface, similar to the precursor stage of a solar flare getting ready to accelerate. “Sit down, Brooke,” he barked and pointed at one of the pilot chairs.

  She flinched.

  Nikolai turned away and pushed his hands through his hair. This was not going at all as he’d planned. He’d never thought she’d capture a chunk of him, a piece of his soul, and become important. She’d been part of the mission, thought to support the other side. And now there was a chance he and Galen could lose her.

  Just before his frustration and, yes, panic, got the better of him, all tension flowed from his body.

  He relaxed.

  Nikolai whirled around and looked at Galen.

  Yep, his lover was up to his old tricks.

  26

  Chapter Three

  Brooke had no idea what was going on.

  She’d woken up in bed remembering and reliving the most amazing sex she’d had in ages—actually, ever. Stretching muscles that weren’t used to this kind of workout, she’d finally realized that the soothing vibrations meant the ship no longer docked on Teren, but was on its way to an unknown destination.

  For a second she’d felt connected, as if she belonged, thinking these amazing two men had kidnapped her because they didn’t want to let her go. She didn’t know how, but both Nikolai and Galen had taken up residency in her mind, had made her want things she hadn’t thought about in ages.

  Like an enduring partnership with a man, the knowledge he would be there to support and love her, that she didn’t have to face the world so completely alone. She hadn’t realized that she’d given up hope.

  And now she’d stumbled onto two.

  Then she’d found them on the bridge.

  Their expressions screamed guilt.

  Reality set in.

  Brooke remembered The Debacle and its consequences. Her stomach sank. Look where trusting had gotten her. She was scared, but also furious and blasted Nikolai. But when Galen told her their destination she couldn’t help herself, and wrapped her arms around her in an attempt to keep some warmth in her body.

  Don’t break down, was all she could think. Don’t let them see.

  Her eyes darted around, avoiding the two bastards before her.

  The bridge had a typical layout. The pilot chair and the connected console at the center, the copilot chair slightly off to the side. The wall to the right was completely bare, probably meant for any passengers. The wall to the left of the massive viewport was filled with computers and scanners, most likely used for any more-involved investigation, scientific or otherwise. The flashing lights on the pilot console meant the autopilot had been engaged. For a second she frowned when she found a number of oddly shaped scanners she’d never seen before. They appeared to control access to the consoles.

  She captured all this with an experienced eye, giving her a moment to gather her composure.

  “Brooke, please let us explain.” Galen sounded oh-so sincere. Brooke ignored him.

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  Jade, it had been one night of fun. Now the next day had arrived. She wanted to close her eyes, but instead focused on the colors of the hyperspace window. She wasn’t up to seeing their faces when they explained their lies.

  She straightened her shoulders.

  She’d get away from them. It wasn’t the first time she’d found her way out of a tricky situation, and it wouldn’t be the last.

  Clinging to the thought and the growing confidence, Brooke relaxed more and more, even began to smile. Once she was done with them they’d wish they’d never met her.

  She finally looked back at the two men who had knocked her out of orbit, metaphorically speaking, and froze.

  Silver-green light surrounded Galen, strands of it arrowing toward her and wrapping around her body like gentle ribbons. Galen no longer appeared to be the charming man who’d made her come repeatedly throughout the night.

  Brooke had seen him as the less aggressive and more balanced part of the duo.

  Where Nikolai exuded confidence and a cocky sexuality, Galen seemed more contained and centered. He’d reminded her of the two Kalogeros monks she once met. They’d had an inner stillness she envied. Galen had shown something similar.

  His presence still made her blood pump just as powerfully, but he’d missed that harder edge Nikolai carried.

  Big mistake. Talk about still waters running deep.

  Galen practically brimmed with power. Brooke’s jaw dropped when she realized that the gorgeous blue-green shadows behind him were wings.

 
Wings.

  He looked magnificent framed by the large viewport, the colors of the hyperspace window behind him echoing in his wings.

  “You’re a fucking Naema.” Going by the amount of power she felt, maybe even an ArchNaema.

  Brooke had never met a Naema before. They tended to stick to the so-called civilized planets far from the outer rim’s more colorful way of life. When humans first encountered this alien species, they’d called them demons or angels. Demons because their extraordinary physical beauty supposedly led mere mortals off their paths, and angels because of the wings they sometimes displayed.

  As far as she understood it, the Naema cared for neither comparison and they definitely didn’t bother to seduce humans into sin. They kept mostly to themselves and had little regard for other species.

  Brooke frowned. She didn’t know much about Vampire or Naema social rules, but she was pretty sure that cross-species dating was frowned upon.

  As much as she tried, she couldn’t drum up any indignation or anger about Galen hiding his true nature. On the contrary, she had to curl her hands around her elbows to 28

  stop herself from touching his wings. They were a midnight blue that matched his eyes, and had green shadows run through them, making her think of a dark and thundery night on Arkiko II.

  She clenched her hands. Brooke needed to touch those wings. She was desperate to know if they felt as soft as they looked.

  Nikolai appeared to suffer from the same weakness. He stepped next to his partner and gently stroked along the edge of one of the wings. The silver light around Galen dimmed. Galen threw back his head and moaned.

  Nikolai chuckled and continued his caress. Galen twitched his wings away.

  “Don’t expect to get away with your tricks. You know, I always get even,” Nikolai extended his hand and touched the wings again.

  Galen groaned once more. “Having you explode like a faulty engine wouldn’t have been very helpful,” he growled. “I had to do something.” His big cock grew even bigger behind his tight suit. Jade, he looked mouth-watering.

  Brooke remembered the delicious taste. For a second she wanted to sink to her knees, pull the piece of flesh from behind its covering, and suck it like an ice cream.

  Taste it, lick it, until she brought him to his knees.

  Nikolai pulled Galen’s face closer and kissed him.

  Their love hit Brooke with the force of a freezing-cold shower.

  No. She dragged herself out of her memories. They’ve betrayed you, lied to you.

  She would not let herself be pulled in again. Sweat pooled at her lower back. She balled both her hands into tight fists and clenched her teeth with the effort not to step forward, closer to those seductive wings.

  It felt as if she was under a spell, pulling her toward the men. Brooke took one step before she managed to stop again.

  Galen looked up.

  “Brooke, I’m sorry,” he groaned. His wings shimmered for a moment, then vanished. And so did the need to move closer.

  Brooke pushed a sweaty strand of hair behind her ear. “What the Jade was that?” She panted. It felt as if she’d just gone ten rounds with a sparring droid.

  Nikolai kissed Galen’s cheek before he stepped away. “That was Galen’s diplomatic ray gun. He only pulls it out when he can’t think of anything else to do, and needs to make everybody feel pink and fluffy.”

  “Pink and fluffy?” Brooke crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. She hoped they hadn’t noticed her taking a couple of steps back to put extra distance between them.

  29

  “Yeah, you know, when everybody’s temper is about to explode and things will get ugly, Galen pours out his power, and everybody loves his neighbor and wants to make peace, not war,” Nikolai said, grinning like a lunatic.

  Brooke didn’t see the funny side. The power had been too strong. She felt as if part of her had been imprisoned by the need to touch. Her shoulders tightened. She didn’t stand a chance against either man.

  No, not men, one was a Vampire and the other a Naema.

  And she was only human.

  Galen took a step closer, holding his hand out to her.

  Brooke felt a dull ache in her chest. Under normal circumstances she would pull her spiny-anteater shell around herself, but today she lacked the strength. She wanted away from both of them. “Where am I staying during this trip down memory lane?” she asked, not looking either in the eyes.

  Galen dropped his hand and exhaled.

  “You can stay in the master cabin with us,” Nikolai said.

  Brooke flinched. Her eyes found his. He couldn’t be serious. His gaze didn’t give anything away.

  “I would prefer not to.”

  “You can have the guest cabin if you wish,” Galen said.

  Brooke nodded briefly and turned around to leave the bridge.

  “Brooke, we still need to talk,” Galen said.

  She didn’t turn around. With each step, she battled with the emotional torrents bubbling under the surface to keep them where they were…under the surface. The bridge doors slid open. “Not today,” was all she said, making sure not to show the two Paranormals any of the fear, desperation and anger.

  Nikolai threw his hands up in the air. “What the fuck happened? Where’s the Amazon? I expected attitude, for her to throw things, not buckle like a faulty chip.” He turned to Galen, panic in his eyes. “How can we learn more if she doesn’t talk?” Galen took Nikolai’s hand. “I think she got hit by the fact she’s alone with a Vampire and an ArchNaema, and she’s only human.”

  Nikolai frowned. “We wouldn’t hurt her unless she has something to do with the missing settlers.” He paused for a moment and looked down. “And I couldn’t move against her even then,” he mumbled.

  “Nor I,” agreed Galen. “But I don’t think she’s necessarily worried about that. We have a shipload of power between the two of us, not something she’s seen before.” Nikolai shook his head. “But she resisted. Did you see? She even held on against your allure.”

  Galen nodded and watched his other half pace.

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  “Does she not realize how rare this is? To find the strength to resist you? She managed to stand still a couple of times.”

  “I don’t think she’s ever met a Naema before, definitely not an ArchNaema, nor has she any clue how much power she has herself,” Galen said. He wanted to pace or even punch something, but one of them had to remain calm.

  “We have to tell her.”

  “No, we have to give her some space.” He held up his hand when Nikolai was about to interrupt. “She trusted us last night and we broke her trust. When she lets us, we have to explain why we did so and our plan.” His hand curled into a fist. They destroyed something beautiful and fragile with their lies.

  Nikolai sighed. “And hope the connection we’ve established will be enough for her to come back to us.”

  Galen pulled him close. “Yeah, and hope she doesn’t want to leave once this is done.” He kissed Nikolai, long and deep. His partner gave as good as he got. They dueled for supremacy, channeling their worry in a different manner.

  But Galen knew something was missing.

  He loved Nikolai, would give his life for him, but part of his soul needed somebody else as well. He gentled the kiss and pulled back.

  Nikolai leaned his forehead against Galen’s. “You feel it too?” he whispered.

  Galen nodded. “It feels as if part of my soul is empty.” Nikolai tightened his embrace. “I love you.”

  Galen’s vision blurred. “I love you too.” He pulled Nikolai even closer. “I don’t want to lose you,” he whispered.

  Nikolai gripped Galen’s face in his hands, making sure their eyes met. “That will never happen, Galen. We haven’t lost anything, we’ve gained a third. We filled the void—the empty space both of us felt, but never spoke about. We’ll make sure she understands.” He shook Galen a little. “
Are you with me?” Galen met his lover’s blazing gaze. And despite the pressure in his chest, he had to smile. Power and pride filled Nikolai’s eyes. “You know the answer,” he said. “I’ll always be at your side.”

  Nikolai kissed Galen. “Then let’s go and get the girl.” Galen grabbed his enthusiastic partner by the back of his suit. “Hang on, hang on. I still believe we should give her some time alone. We knocked her down pretty bad.

  Give her a chance to find herself, to gain confidence again.” Nikolai frowned.

  “It’ll also give her the opportunity to miss us.” His partner smiled. “Ah, I knew there was more to it. You’re playing one of your games.”

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  Galen shook his head. “Not really. I only remember what it was like after we fucked for the first time, how much I needed you. I was hard for three days straight until I tracked you down.” He threw his arm around his partner’s neck and mock-strangled him for a moment. “You did that on purpose, you bastard.” Nikolai snorted. “I suffered as well. We’re both just too good at evasion.” Galen stroked his cheek and grinned. “Took us days to get the need out of our system, neither of us could walk at the end.”

  Nikolai looked at the closed door. “You think she’ll be in a similar situation?” Galen hugged Nikolai’s warmth around him. “I’m hoping, babe, I’m hoping.”

  * * * * *

  Brooke stormed to the guest cabin. Her steps echoed off the synth-metal and rang around her. Of course, it had to be right across from the master cabin. If those bastards thought physical closeness would make any difference, they could think again.

  She wished for doors she could slam, but the gliding e-panels gave her no such opportunity. Brooke kicked the wall instead.

  It wasn’t enough.

  How dare they kidnap her and drag her back to where she’d lost not only her ship, her crew, and a bunch of settlers, but also part of herself? She crossed her arms over her chest and wanted to pace, but the cabin was too damn short to give any sort of satisfaction. And the bloody bed stood in the way.